We are tracking progress on several pieces of state legislation:
We are pleased at the passage of AB 390 (Santiago), which amends traffic law to clarify that pedestrians may enter an intersection and cross during a flashing countdown signal as long as they reach the other end of the intersection before the hand or “Don’t Walk” signal goes steady. This bill marks a big shift towards decriminalizing walking in the state and ending the regressive enforcement of perfectly safe pedestrian crossings, which disproportionately affects the poor and communities of color. We urge Governor Brown to sign it.
The Governor, Assembly, and Senate have come to an agreement on this year’s allocation of the 40% of Cap and Trade proceeds subject to annual budget negotiation. We were disappointed, but not surprised, that the Active Transportation Program was not included; decision makers in Sacramento had made clear that they believe the ATP was “taken care of” through the additional $100M/year provided by SB1. We were also disappointed that there was no funding for free or discounted transit passes for students. We do applaud the inclusion of $20 million for Urban Forestry, which is a key tool for making cycling and walking in urban areas more comfortable and safer.
Safe Routes Partnership staff is in Sacramento for a two-day campaign planning and spokesperson training for SB 760, which would reform CalTrans’ State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP) to ensure that when state highways in urban areas—which in many cases are also local streets and roads—are repaired, rebuilt, or redesigned, the safety of everyone who uses the street is considered, from design to completed project. We will be coordinating with allies across the state to ensure passage of the bill in the State Senate in January, after which we will dedicate the rest of the legislative session to pushing it through the Assembly.
