For California cyclists, the legislative session that concluded in fall 2024 came with plenty of good news — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several pieces of “bike-friendly” legislation into law — and some room for improvement.
Newsom also vetoed two bills that were approved by the state legislature to curb excessive speeding, an important factor in cyclist safety.
“This legislative session was momentous for California’s bicyclists and pedestrians,” said Jared Sanchez, policy director at CalBike, in a statement following the legislature’s conclusion in September. “The eight bills now on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk are significant opportunities to make our transportation system safer, especially for vulnerable road users. These bills will also help Californians switch to less polluting, active transportation modes with far less impact on the climate than a car trip.”
Currently, California ranks fourth in the nation and third in the West for bicycle friendliness. This is in part thanks to traffic laws, practices and policies. Still, those who often hit the road on bikes know that California is far from perfect. The League of American Bicyclists estimates that there are 7.1 fatalities per 10,000 bike commuters, landing the state in the middle of the pack (23 out of 50) and state spending is about $2 per capita (39 out of 50).
Proponents of the signed bills say they will help improve the state of cycling in California. Those new laws include:
Senate Bill 960: Calbike sponsored this bill, which requires all transportation projects throughout the state within the State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP) to make accommodations for cyclists, pedestrians, as well as those in vehicles.
Known as the Complete Streets Bill, SB960 puts into law something that Caltrans already mandates, but often drops the ball on, according to bill sponsors. The bill also establishes a transit priority policy and puts more emphasis on transit improvements.
Assembly Bill 2086: While not specifically bike-related, this bill covers an important aspect of infrastructure planning. The bill requires the state transportation agency to include a financial element that summarizes the full cost of the plan implementation through the first 10 years of planning, according to the bill language.
“It will be an essential tool for Californians who want to ensure our spending matches our climate and equity goals,” Calbike says of the new law.
Senate Bill 689: With SB689, local governments may have an easier time dedicating bike lanes, transit lanes, and pedestrian walkways in coastal zones, which are defined in the California Coastal Act of 1976. Municipalities won’t be required to have a traffic study for the aspects of these specific infrastructure plans.
Assembly Bill 2669: Good news for Bay Area cyclists: AB2669 makes permanent the current measure that allows cyclists and pedestrians free crossings over bridges that have tolls. The measure was set to sunset in 2025 and bring those toll costs back to cyclists and pedestrians, but will now be extended indefinitely.
The only caveat to this bill is that it does apply to bridges that are under construction on or after Jan. 1, 2025 and use tolls to fund the cost of constructing the bridge.
Senate Bill 1271: This bill aims to prevent dangerous fires started by e-bike batteries. Now, under this law, all e-bike sold with batteries in the state of California must have safety certifications.
These fires have resulted in at least a dozen deaths in New York City alone in 2023, according to the New York Attorney General. In California, deadly fires have been less common, but cycling advocates encourage safe habits regarding these lithium batteries, such as leaving them unplugged when there is no supervision, protecting them from the elements, and finding reputable replacements when necessary.
Senate Bill 1216: This new law bans the state from funding Class III bikeways with roads where speed limits are more than 30mph. These bikeways are the ones that are marked with “sharrows” and are commonly known as lanes shared by bike riders and car drivers.
Instead, these streets with high speed should have protective infrastructure, safety advocates say. While this bill won’t prohibit such bikeways from existing totally, it is a step forward in prioritizing safer roads for cyclists.
Vetoed bills
While there were lots of bills that would move California’s cycling community forward and offer new protections, Newsom did veto two bills that would have addressed excessive speeding by motor vehicle drivers. This is a leading cause of traffic accidents between vehicles and cyclists.
Senate Bill 961 would have required new cars sold in the state starting in 2030 to include a warning device when they exceed the speed limit. The bill described the device as a “passive intelligent speed assistance system, as specified, that would utilize a brief, one-time, visual and audio signal to alert the driver each time the speed of the vehicle is more than 10 miles per hour over the speed limit.”
The law would have exempted emergency vehicles, certain motor trucks, motorcycles, motorized bicycles, mopeds, and certain passenger vehicles from this requirement.
“While I appreciate the intent to improve traffic safety, this bill presents several challenges,” Newsom wrote in his veto message. “Federal law, as implemented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) already regulates vehicle safety standards, and adding California-specific requirements would create a patchwork of regulations that undermines this longstanding federal framework.”
Newsom also vetoed Senate Bill 1509, which would have raised the penalties for speeders going over 25mph above the posted limit at or over 55mph.
Newsom said in his veto message the proposal presents a few different issues. Specifically, he said, it introduces an additional point to the driver’s record only if the prior violation is for the exact same offense “and not for other speeding offenses.”
“Consequently, this bill may have less of an overall deterrent effect than intended,” he said.
The bill would also require the DMV to modify its information technology systems.
“The DMV is currently undergoing a comprehensive IT modernization effort, and the additional mandate would disrupt these critical projects. Additionally, this bill provides no cost recovery mechanism to offset the associated costs,” he wrote.
While the governor’s desk was the end of the road for these specific bills, it doesn’t stop sponsors from re-introducing or workshopping them into new bills down the road.
“I encourage the Legislature to consider alternative measures that could effectively deter dangerous speeding without imposing further financial or administrative strain on the DMV,” Newsom said of SB1509.