Advocates for Cycling: the California Bicycle Coalition (CBC)

Did you know? The California Bicycle Coalition has been responsible for some of the largest successes in the cycling community. Its achievements include:

1997
CBC writes and sponsors Assembly Bill 1020, which more than triples the funding allocated to the Bicycle Lane Account, the only Caltrans account dedicated solely to bicycle projects.

1999
CBC co-sponsors Assembly Bill 1475, which invests $115,000,000 over five years in bicyclist and pedestrian safety projects near California schools, creating the nation’s first statewide Safe Routes to School program.

CBC rewrites the bicycling section of the California Driver’s Manual to better educate motorists about the presence of bicyclists on roads. CBC gets the DMV to include a question about bicyclists’ right to “take the lane” in the mix of those questions used on the exam.  (We here at Bay Area Bicycle Law are fans particularly of this one)

2002
CBC sponsors the successful California Assembly Concurrent Resolution 211, which directs cities and counties to accommodate bicyclists in all transportation projects by implementing Caltrans Deputy Directive 64 and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s design guidance document on integrating bicycling and walking when making road improvements.

2003
CBC fights for bike racks on buses by successfully amending the vehicle code, through Assembly Bill 1409, to allow buses in excess of 45′ in length to operate on California’s highways. CBC also fights for and works on the “Bicycle Blueprint,” California’s master plan for bicycling.

CBC hosts the first biennial Walk Bike California Conference in Oakland.

2005
CBC hosts the second Walk Bike California Conference in Ventura.

2007
CBC introduces Assembly Bill 1358, The Complete Streets Act, to ensure that the transportation plans of California communities meet the needs of all users of the roadway including pedestrians, bicyclists, users of public transit, motorists, children, the elderly, and the disabled. AARP California joins CBC as the bill’s co-sponsor.

CBC supports Assembly Bill 57, which indefinitely extends California’s Safe Routes to School program created in 1999.

CBC hosts the third Walk Bike California Conference in Davis.

2008
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs AB 1358 into law and California becomes the largest state to embrace Complete Streets. Meanwhile, CBC continues to work closely with Caltrans as the agency revises Deputy Directive 64 (DD-64) to state clearly Caltrans’ intention to adhere to Complete Streets principles as a matter of policy.

2009
CBC successfully sponsors Assembly Bill 1464, which establishes within Caltrans a process for designating bicycle routes of regional, statewide and national significance.

 

Any support that can be provided to the CBC will be worthwhile indeed! For more information on this essential organization, see http://calbike.org/advocacy-2/legislation/