When the pandemic hit, the need for more bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly streets became apparent. Many cities used rapid-build techniques to create safe, highly visible facilities to protect people using active transportation. CalBike partnered with Alta Planning + Design to create a rapid-build guide that we continue to offer as a free download.
In our interview with Wes Marshall, author of the excellent book Killed by a traffic engineer, He said quick-build is ideal because it allows traffic engineers to do the kind of iterative design that engineers in other fields always do. Yet too many traffic engineers are afraid to try something new, even if it would improve safety. They cling to the MUTCD and other manuals that contain outdated, car-centric and – as Marshall details in his book – often incorrect ideas about safe road design.
A great way to show California’s transportation planners that it’s OK to quickly add safety features for cyclists and pedestrians is to get the state’s engineers to use fast-track construction, which is exactly the goal of the Faster, Better Bike Lanes bill, AB 2290.
OmniBike Law, Part 2
Last year, Assemblywoman Laura Friedman authored the Omnibike Bill, AB 1909, which made several changes to California’s road code to make it more bicycle and pedestrian friendly. This year, CalBike is sponsoring Friedman’s Quicker and Better Bikeways Bill, which also makes several changes to state policy to better support people who use active transportation.
In addition to authorizing a rapid-build pilot project at Caltrans, AB 2290 limits state funding for Class III bike lanes except on roads with a speed limit of 25 mph or less. Class IIIs are shared lanes for bikes and cars, often marked with sharrows or Share the Road signs. This type of bike lane can be effective on low-speed roads, especially those designated as bike boulevards with traffic calming features or traffic diversions. However, they can become a design workaround when road builders don’t want to take the time and effort to find space for a protected bike lane on fast or busy roads.
The third provision of the Faster and Better Bikeways Act requires that projects funded by the Street Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program must include bike lanes planned for those streets and included in an adopted bicycle or active transportation plan. In CalBike’s review of CalTrans’ planning documents, we find that the agency frequently mentions planned bike routes or pedestrian safety improvements, sometimes with a high need, but still fails to include them in its projects.
Help us create faster and better cycle paths
The Faster and Better Bike Lanes Act has passed the Assembly. Before it can become law, it still has to pass the Senate Budget Committee, pass the full Senate, and be signed by the governor. None of these steps are certain, but the Budget Committee could pose the greatest risk. Good bills can easily be defeated in this committee without much explanation or debate.
Help us pass this important legislation. Email Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Anna Caballero today.
