Sunday, March 17, 2024

Support Cal Senate CALTRANS Complete Streets Bill


In April the 2024 Complete Streets Bill will come before the California Senate Transportation Committee, the bill requires CALTRANS to address the safety needs of all roadway users; walkers, bikers, transit and motorists. The Senate Bill is COMPLETE STREETS POLICY for Caltrans in Laguna Beach, that's Route -133 and Hwy -1 South Coast Highway.

Show your support with a one-click (finished) letter to the Senate Transportation Committee or add your comments. Here's a letter sample:

I join with CalBike in asking you to support SB-960, the Complete Streets Bill before the Transportation Committee. My community Laguna Beach is separated by two major CALTRANS highways with no provisions for other mobility modes; walkers, bikers, and transit. At the same time our community ranks the most dangerous in 103 similar communities due to these Caltrans highways.  SB-960 would address these issues. 


Here's the link to SB-960 

Here's the CalBike link to send your letter.   

 -LS

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Caltrans Complete Streets Corridor Webinar

2024 Summit Advance Webinar

Complete Streets Caltrans Corridor

Webinar broadcast now:

  • Caltrans allocated for Complete Streets projects: $15 Billion
  • Caltrans Compete Streets projects planned: $200 Million

Given the allocated funding Calbike will push Caltrans to implement the projects more aggressively.

Webinar ID: 851 8963 0258


Friday, March 1, 2024

CALTRANS Addresses Complete Streets

CALTRANS got a new gig. 

Caltrans is no longer exclusively about moving cars, a new Director’s Policy for Complete Streets (DP-37) addresses moving pedestrians, cyclists, transit and private automobiles.   Their new 2022 directive provides technical input and strategic direction on policies and guidance related to walking, biking, and transit. 

Since 2022 Caltrans supports a new department dedicated to multi-modal transportation planning,   The Caltrans Complete Streets Action Plan is a planning guide for the Caltrans new Directive 37 to build Complete Streets including policy and procedures, standards, funding data collection and promotion. 

The CASP identifies key high-priority efforts needed to implement the new Director’s Policy starting 2022.

We can now say "Complete Streets" and "CALTRANS " in the same sentence, so let's embrace the positive changes Caltrans can bring to Laguna Beach.

https://dot.ca.gov/programs/esta/complete-streets

-LS

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Complete Streets State Legislation - 80 CoSponsors

Calbike Sponsored
Calbike sponsored legislation agenda

California Roadway Users Changing

California's roadway population is changing, our roads and streets are showing signs of obsolescence, they are becoming Stoads. In Laguna Beach too our roadway users are changing from car-only to mixed-use: a blend of walkers, active transportation, transit and cars. 

Complete Streets are safe streets, comfortable for people who walk, bike, and take transit as well as driving motor vehicles. In 2020 Laguna Beach ranked by OTS as the most dangerous city in 103 California cities for 1-speed related injuries and fatalities 2-alcohol related collisions. Laguna Beach demands Complete Streets.  

All roadway users demand equal access to our streets and highways, these demands are driven by affordable housing, congestion, economics, trip distance, and parking.  Complete Streets are a remedy for a new mobility plan as mandated in LB General Plan Policy and the LB Vision 2030 Strategic Plan, and consistent with climate action policy in the LB Climate Protection Action Plan.

2019 Legislation Failed

In 2017, a CalBike-commissioned poll showed that Californians across the state, political and demographic groups support building Complete Streets.

In 2019  CalBike sponsored SB 127, the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill. The bill would have required Caltrans to follow its own Complete Streets Policy and prioritize the safety of everyone using our roads. Despite overwhelming support in the legislature and from constituents, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the Bill.

Complete Streets Policy  Sponsors

In 2023, CalBike joined 100 mobility, climate justice, and transportation organizations to write Governor Gavin Newsom, urging an independent investigation of Caltrans, better oversight and a moratorium on freeway expansion.

In 2024 CalBike and co-sponsors are once again sponsoring a Complete Streets bill introduced by Senator Wiener, SB 960.

The result of the co-sponsors persistence and hard work are a new legislative agenda for 2024. A brief introduction to the new legislation follows.  

2024 Complete Streets Bill

SB 960, authored by Senator Scott Wiener, would require Caltrans to implement safe infrastructure for people bicycling and walking when it repaves a state route that serves as a local street. CalBike invites you to join their Complete Streets Campaign.

Safe Vehicles Save Lives Bill 

SB 961  another part of Senator Wiener’s safer streets package.  This bill consists of two measures; the first part requires trucks to provide side-guards to protect people riding bikes or walking from being pulled under the rear wheels of a truck. Trucking companies oppose the measure. The second part requires speed limiters on passenger cars to a maximum 10 mph above the posted speed limit, starting with 2027 models.

Quicker and Better Bikeways Bill

AB 2290 the Better Bikeways Bill limits state funding for Class III bikeways (or bike routes) to streets with speed limits under 20 mph. These are the least safe bicycle infrastructure, which typically include only Sharrows marking a lane shared by car drivers and people on bikes. The bill removes loopholes and strengthens requirements for Complete Streets on state and local street projects already funded by the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program.

The bill’s final provision creates a quick-build pilot at Caltrans. Quick-build adds safety elements for people bicycling and walking in months rather than years.

No Freeway Expansions for Freight

AB 2535, sponsored by the Charge Ahead California coalition, limits highway expansions for freight traffic, a critical step toward reducing our freeway dependence and triggeriing induced demand from freeway expansions. 

A Plethora of New Complete Streets Legislation

A dozen new bills for 2024 include AB 2086 for Caltrans accountability and SB 689 Bike Lanes in Coastal Areas: This bill converts an existing motorized vehicle travel lane into a dedicated bicycle lane near the Pacific coast. Read the details at CalBike here.

How to Take Action

You can add your name to petition the Governor for Complete Streets here.  Follow bike-friendly legislation on CalBike’s Legislative Watch page here.

 -LS

Friday, February 16, 2024

Complete Streets Federal Legislation - Markey/Fetterman 2024

New Complete Streets Legislation

Complete Streets Policy and approach to road design emphasizes safe street access for all road users, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, transit and automobiles by prioritizing infrastructure and new vehicle code rules. These roadway users have historically been left behind by legacy transportation bias that preferred motorists. In January 2024 Senators Markey and Fetterman have put forward The Complete Streets Act that takes the first steps toward a new street safety mindset that will ensure all road users have access to safe, equitable transportation options and apply nationally.

Correcting Street Design Standards

Legislation introduced October 2023 aims to correct America's road safety crisis by modernizing roadway design standards that leads to over 4000 pedestrian fatalities per year. The Building Safer Streets Act sets new standards for safer streets by reforming the development process for a highway design manual called the MTCUD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices). This change will redefine how road projects should integrate transit, multi-modal and safety features and address dangerous design standards.

The Act would streamline FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) road design practices, require the FHWA to publish new guidance to help develop multimodal streets work in local contexts, and would no longer allow a time metric to displace safety and increase dangerous speeds when evaluating project benefits. 

Collisions Matter

The chart shows trends in pedestrian fatalities nationally from 2009 to 2021 resulting in over 40,000 deaths in a decade. 

Ped Fatalities National 2021
Pedestrian Fatalities Nationally  -SmartGrowthAmerica

These are the 2020 OTS traffic safety rankings for Laguna Beach, out of 103 similar cities Laguna ranks:
 
   Pedestrians : 14
   Bicyclists : 8
   Motorcycles : 2
   Alcohol involved : 2
   Speed involved: 1
  Hit and Run: 11.

DOT Chooses Safety over Speed

For an example of street design with a motorist bias, consider how a posted speed limit is derived. Previously the posted speed is that speed which 85% of freely flowing motorist traffic would travel at that location. In a Complete Street allocation (Complete Streets Act) the new speed limit would be set to a safe speed for all roadway users in a multi-modal design.

Transit over Highway Funding

Past funding has been allocated 20% to transit and 80% to highway development but all Americans—no matter where they live—deserve transportation options that are convenient, affordable, sustainable and safe. But this arcane policy makes it an uphill climb for transit agencies to deliver that kind of service. In fact, fewer than 10 percent of Americans live within walking distance of transit that runs every 15 minutes or less, Transit Center found.  The new legislation addresses the funding imbalance.

Take Action for New Legislation


-LS

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Car Violence Survivors Week

American injuries caused by vehicles by the numbers:
Estimated 2,497,657 people injured on U.S. roads in 2021;
Estimated 6,063,428 police-reported non-fatal traffic crashes in 2021.
 
Traffic deaths on U.S. roads: 
36,355 in 2019 < 39,007 in 2020 < 42,939 in 2021;
19,937 crashes every day;
118 deaths caused by auto accidents each day.
 
January 22-26 is Gun Violence Survivors Week in America where:
over 200 people are wounded with a gun;
110 people are killed with a gun (2023).
https://momentsthatsurvive.org/

iT'S tIME fOR cAR vIOLENCE sURVIVORS wEEk iN aMERICA.
-LS

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Why Mobility Matters

 

Motorist behavior plus city policy determine our traffic mobility plan. For 2024 what is the plan Laguna?

-LS

Thursday, December 21, 2023

eBike Adoption by Older Riders

As a population ages, individuals face phys­ical constraints and health issues that restrict their ability to travel. Limited mobility poses challenges to maintaining a residence in one’s own home or neighborhood often resulting in an undesired relocation to assisted communities.  Unfortunately, these limitations can lead to secondary health issues, and marginalization within society.

eBikes are exploding in popularity among younger riders around Laguna yet face barriers to adoption by city policy makers, older riders and riders with varying (dis)abilities. Given the variety of topography inaccessible by bicycles and the gentrification of its residents (median age 50) unable to master a bicycle, ebikes are the enabler in Laguna Beach. 

eBikes also meet target criteria set in the Laguna Beach General Plan:

  • preserve a small scale village community
  • reduce traffic congestion from a car-centric mobility policy
  • remove the need for parking, expensive structures and enforcement
  • Meets GHG emission reduction goals
  • Consistent with National DOT strategy for street accessibility.


The body of research knowledge on eBikes continues to grow but the lack of research on marginalized groups like older riders, persists. In a new study at Texas A&M and The Unversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign funded by the US Department of Transportation studied eBikes for these marginalized groups to achieve greater eBike adoption in our mobility plan. The study aimed to fill this knowledge gap and help realize the potential of eBikes for all users. From the study:

The findings suggested that disabilities and advanced age negatively affected the way people perceive e-bikes. Conversely, positive perceptions were shaped by various factors including e-bike experience, personal cycling history, and openness to innovative technology.

Significant concerns about e-bikes included safety, security, social stigma imposed on electric assistance, and loss of disability benefits. Along with these concerns, lack of knowledge, misperceptions, limited access, high purchase costs, and inadequate infrastructure were identified as major deterrents to adopting e-bikes. 


The same findings ring true for adoption Complete Street Policy; highlighting the need for programs, policies, and public education to promote the acceptance of e-bikes as mobility aids. The study directs further research to prioritize older adults and those with challenged abilities who lack eBike experience. The study recommends exploring the perceptions of key community stakeholders whose perspectives directly influence the wider adoption of e-bikes, including mobility planners, health pro­fessionals, families and caregivers.

-LS

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

The MUTCD Gets a Makeover

After 14-year delay, neglect, and a surge in pedestrian deaths, the nation's highway and road building manual got a make-over and was published yesterday Tuesday 12/19.

 What is a MUTCD?   The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices is a guide for road building across the US, it is a recipe book for making our roads and traffic control on those roads uniform and consistent across the United States. It sets down the standards for design of street signage, markings to make driving as uniform and familiar as possible whether a motorist is in New York City, Los Angeles or Laguna Beach.    

So What?  Given the change in vehicle types, micromobility vehicles, electric cars bikes and autonomous cars the nation's highway and road building manual got a make-over to set a new standard for accommodating different types of vehicles on our roadways.

For more details see Bloomberg CityLab here

-LS

Saturday, December 2, 2023

The CalBike Resident Survey on CALTRANS

The short answer by the numbers:

  • 83% Feel Uncomfortable/Very Uncomfortable walking/biking on Caltrans streets
  • 99% Would be Uncomfortable with a child walking/biking on Caltrans streets 
  • 99.86% Would be likely to walk or bike if Caltrans implements Complete Streets components

Many of California's major roadways are CALTRANS highways, operated and maintained by under CALTRANS jurisdiction, two of them trisect Laguna Beach and dominate where the majority of injuries and fatalities in Laguna occur. This fall the California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike) surveyed Californians how comfortable they felt on Caltrans-controled highways that like Laguna, serve as surface streets and roads (Stroads) in local neighborhoods around the state. The survey confirmed that Californians are desperate for solutions to CALTRANS road safety; a majority of respondents felt uncomfortable walking or biking on CALTRANS Stroads, and nearly unanimous that the roadways are hazardous for children even with supervision.

CalBike is reviewing how well CALTRANS implements its own mandate for Complete Streets Policy (DD-64) and whether it meets the needs of people who travel by walking, biking, or using transit. The survey strives to bring meaningful change to a state agency focused too long on moving cars and trucks while neglecting active transportation.

Each year 4000 Californians die statewide from traffic violence, one quarter of those are pedestrians (Calbike). The California Office of Traffic Safety collects traffic collision data from various sources including the CHP, the most recent collision data shows how Laguna Beach ranks among 103 similar California cities. 

LATEST UPDATE: 2020 CRASH RANKINGS FOR LAGUNA BEACH
   Pedestrians : 14
   Bicyclists : 8
   Motorcycles : 2
   Alcohol involved : 2
   Speed involved: 1.

CalBike conducted the survey to understand how Californian's viewed road safety on CALTRANS nearby roads, and whether they would view the roads differently if CALTRANS adopted and installed Complete Streets safety measures on those roads. 

"The Caltrans’ historic failure to consider the needs of active transportation when building or maintaining roadways has built barriers that prevent communities from creating the connected, protected bikeways and walking routes their residents need to replace car trips with bicycling or walking. And it often fails to respond to safety concerns, even after deaths and injuries of people biking and walking."

The survey asked respondents how comfortable they were with the nearby Caltrans route and assign a score from 1 to 4, where '1' is most comfortable and '4' least comfortable. The scores were assigned to a color map by Caltrans highway route and by County. The average score for road safety was 3.28 or 'somewhat uncomfortable'. The results colorized on a map surrounding Laguna Beach look like this.

Route Safety Score
Likeness Safety Score

The survey then asked how likely respondents would feel if CALTRANS adopted and implemented their complete street changes to their highway, on a scale of '1' to '3' the average score is 2.67 or 'very likely'. For a nifty user-friendly zoom map of results for the entire state of California, see the complete results at Felt.

From the CalBike report:

"Our user survey clearly shows that Caltrans is doing too little and moving too slowly to build Complete Streets infrastructure on its State Highway System. CalBike will continue to hold the agency to account and push for more funding for Complete Streets and prioritization of active transportation at the state level."

-LS