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Assembly approves 3-foot passing bill
California is one step closer to enacting a three-foot passing law after Tuesday's 44-25 vote in the Assembly to approve Senate Bill 910.
 Cosponsored by the California Bicycle Coalition and the City of Los Angeles and authored by Long Beach Sen. Alan Lowenthal, the bill goes back to the Senate for a vote to concur on amendments made in the Assembly, the last procedural step before being sent to Gov. Jerry Brown next week for his signature. The Senate approved the bill in June.
CBC tried to enact similar legislation in 2006 but was blocked by the California Highway Patrol and trucking interests. Trucking interests and AAA opposed the 3-foot passing requirement again this time, but strong organizing by the state's bicyclists and cycling organizations coordinated by the CBC overcame their opposition.
Hundreds of Californians and dozens of advocacy organizations and businesses contacted Assemblymembers in recent weeks to urge a yes vote on SB 910.
Ron Jones, a corporate wellness coach and cyclist based in Valencia, tried unsuccessfully to generate local interest in a 3-foot passing law after his friend and fellow competitive cyclist Norm Hoffman was struck from behind and killed by a teenaged driver in Bakersfield 10 years ago.
"Senate Bill 910 is not just about the bicyclist, but about the motorist who kills someone. That's who this bill also protects," said Jones. "Maybe if there had been this law and some education about passing bicyclists, the driver would've approached Norm differently."
Watch for more from CBC in the next week about contacting Gov. Jerry Brown with letters of support for SB 910.
Caltrans to make room for more than just motorists
The California Bicycle Coalition's legislative campaign to expand the membership of a key Caltrans advisory committee has already produced results.
Assembly Bill 345, authored by San Diego Assemblymember Toni Atkins, would add two seats representing nonmotorized road users to the California Traffic Control Devices Committee, which advises Caltrans on standards for traffic signals, signs, and pavement markings such as bike lanes and crosswalks. The only road users on the committee are motorists, represented by the state's two AAA chapters, which have permanent seats.
Last month Caltrans began to implement the provisions of AB 345 before it even reached the Governor's desk. In response, the Assembly placed AB 345 on the inactive file.
"Toni Atkins and her lead staff on this issue, Justin Fanslau, deserve the credit for getting Caltrans to do the right thing," said CBC Executive Director Dave Snyder.
"AB 345 was intended to further the implementation of Complete Streets by ensuring balanced representation on the CTCDC," said Assemblymember Toni Atkins. "I was surprised at the initial resistance from Caltrans, but I am pleased that they are now engaged in a process that appears to reflect the goals of the bill. We will monitor the situation and AB 345 will remain alive in case we need to reactivate it."
Caltrans is expected to seat the two new members later this fall.
Now the Governor gets his turn
With the 2011 legislative session ending tomorrow, a flood of bills passed by the Legislature is heading to Gov. Jerry Brown to be signed or vetoed by early October. Here's a round-up of some of the other bills we're following:
Distracted driving penalties: Brown gave distracted drivers a pass this week when he vetoed Senate Bill 28, which would have doubled the fines for violating the state's prohibition against cell phone use and texting while driving.
SB 28 would have raised the base fine (before the addition of fees to fund local courts) for first-time violations from $20 to $50 and for subsequent violations from $50 to $100 each. By contrast, the current base fine for littering, driving in a carpool lane illegally, or riding in the trunk of a vehicle is $100. In vetoing SB 28, Brown said current penalties "should provide sufficient deterrent," despite evidence that cell phone use by drivers has increased since the initial prohibitions were enacted.
SB 28 also would have extended the existing cell phone and texting ban to bicyclists, but with lower penalties. CBC supported the bill, as it has previous bills to reduce distracted driving.
Reduced speed limits: The Senate has approved Assembly Bill 529, which gives state and local authorities greater flexibility in setting speed limits on roads under their jurisdictions, including lowering speed limits in some cases. The bill was introduced to bring California law into conformity with federal standards for setting speed limits. CBC supports the bill because lower speed limits make streets and roads safer for bicycling.
Impact fees for bike facilities: The Senate has sent to the governor Assembly Bill 147, which would authorize local agencies to use Subdivision Map Act fees for defraying the actual or estimated cost of pedestrian, bicycle, transit and traffic-calming facilities, among others. The act currently authorizes such fees for defraying the actual or estimated cost of constructing bridges or major thoroughfares. CBC supports the bill as a valuable way to fund local bicycling infrastructure.
Read more about bike-related legislation.
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West Sacramento green lanes: