PENDING eBIKE AND PEDESTRIAN 'JAYWALK' LEGISLATION

 

There is new legislation before our State Senate and Assembly - 15 bills in all, to improve safety for pedestrians and bike riders including eBike riders. BROUGHT TO US BY THE CALIFORNIA BICYCLE COALITION or CalBike.  To support all 15 Bills see the link below.

 

Here are some highlights, timely in view of recent Laguna collision tragedies. 

 

On Governor's Desk 

* E-Bike Safety Training Program: Requires CALTRANS to develop statewide safety standards and training programs for users of e-bikes. 

 

In California Senate 

* Safe Street Crossings: Legalizes safe pedestrian mid-block crossings. 

* Pedestrian Crossing Signals: Requires CALTRANS and cities to update all pedestrian control signals to operate giving a pedestrian a 3-7 second head start on circular green signal. 

* PLAN FOR THE FUTURE BILL: Requires cities to ensure that a modified circulation element additionally includes bicycle and pedestrian plans and traffic calming plans. (LB CITY HALL ARE YOU THERE?) 

 

In California Assembly 

* Speed and Wreckless Driving: Increases local funding in circumstances that constitute gross negligence for manslaughter (because despite the pandemic since 2020, deaths an injuries due to vehicle collisions went up).

 

FOR DETAILS ON ALL 15 BILLS AND TO SUPPORT WITH ONE CLICK SEE THIS LINK

 

-LS

Laguna Beach Ballot Iniative: Part B

The way we were.

 

Forgotten public space, NYC 1920, photo credit VOX

There was a time in American history when neighborhood streets were shared public space and automobiles were new-fangled annoyances. Then a new automobile lobby rallied automobile manufactures to fight back eventually dominating public streets as exclusively for cars. The new normal was called progress. ( The forgotten history of how automakers invented the crime of "jaywalking", Joseph Stromberg, November 4 2015, VOX)

Lozenges (Los Angeles) like most US cities suffers from a car-centric mobility system that frequently becomes saturated, traffic congestion is the result. To their credit Angelinos are moving away from their car-centric plan by developing other modes of transportation.(Getting Cars out of the Way, LA Times, Rachel Uranga).

Lozenges adopted city policy documents and plans to do this. A change from car-centric to mixed-mode transportation like walking/biking/transit. The portion devoted to each is called mode-share, the changes brought to the streets are called complete street interventions. Building new mode-share means qualifying, designing, funding, and building the remaining mode-share infrastructure.

This week an initiative to build these mode-shares is before the LA City Clerk and LA Council. Local Angelinos drafted the initiative to place before voters. In the past special interests have stalled these initiatives in city red-tape among city departments, lawsuits, and lack of political will when facing irate motorists. 

Mike Schneider is an LA software entrepreneur and Angelino mobility advocate and founder of Healthy Streets LA - a political action committee with financial backing from wealthy donors. To avoid administrative delay, the Healthy Streets LA PAC is fast-tracking the mode-share initiative in a ballot measure before LA voters in November. 

Laguna Beach is preparing to place a Ballot Initiative before the voters in November too. Laguna Beach could follow the LA example.  Laguna has all the same elements for supporting new mode-share initiative in the existing city Capital & Improvement (C&I) plan, so every time our neighborhood streets are repaved and striped, the mode-share interventions are included. This builds mode-share infrastructure in increments already committed in C&I.

Would Laguna Residents First consider adopting a mode-share initiative PART-B for Laguna Beach, including it in the LRF Ballot Measure? Package a Laguna mode-share amendment in the November Ballot Initiative for Laguna Beach. Stay tuned.

NYC by 1925

-LS

ACT TODAY to Save Bike-Share in California

 Remember these?

Pending legislation in the California Senate AB-371 will mandate bike-share and scooter providers carry liability insurance forcing some out of business. At a time when California is developing another transportation mode-share, this mandate will kill small micromobility operators. Compare insurance requirements:

• 4,000 pounds Automobile
  
• 80+ mph
  
• $15,000 (current CA insurance minimum)
  

• Bike-share bike
• 45 pounds
• 18 mph
• $10,000 (if AB 371 passes)

The Kill Bike-Share Bill singles out shared scooters and shared bikes for an onerous insurance requirement. This bill should be fixed. What can you do about it?

Today August 11, California’s Senate Appropriations Committee will review AB 371 AB 371. Senator Portantino, a supporter of active and accessible transportation, chairs the Committee and you can let him know Californians across the state want a better future for micromobility. 

 

Help protect the future of California’s shared micromobility systems by sending Senator Portantino a letter opposing the bill’s burdensome requirements today.

 

 On behalf of CalBike, People for Bikes, and mobility advocates statewide, Thank you for participating.

-LS

 

Cycling Cities: Paris

 

Paris moves 18,000 people per day on the rue de Rivoli with zero carbon emissions.

More from Stein Van Oosteren

Book (French): “Porquoi Pas le Velo?” (Why not the Bicycle?)

TED TALK: https://www.ted.com/talks/stein_van_o... 

-LS

Tire Dust a Threat to Ocean Life

• Automobile tire dust is a stealth pollutant
• Found to kill Coho Salmon in Washington State
• Major die-offs occur after rainfall
• Die-off linked to tire particles not pestesides
• Marine microplastics consist of Synthetic Fibres 37%, Tires 28%
• Electric vehicles will make matters worse
  

Every day 70,000 automobiles pass through Laguna Beach, a resident community of 23,500 (AADT Caltrans traffic volumes). What is the toxicity of tire particles for oceanic life off the coastline (7-miles) of Laguna Beach?  How about landbased life?   See The Gardian for full story.

-LS

LB City Opposes Ballot Initiative

In a Nixle Alert subscribed participants received this notice today:

Advisory: City Council Majority Directs Staff to Prepare Resolutions to Oppose 3 Ballot Initiatives. 

Click https://adobe.ly/3ckHtgU for the city Newsletter. 

FYI

-LS

Huntington Beach Patriot Bike Parade

Here's what Huntington Beach did Saturday 2 July:

For a slide-show and full story see the Orange County Register coverage. Laguna Beach should do this down Glenneyre, would CLB dare?

-LS

MIT Autonomous Bike Project

 Check this out.

Because 50% of US trips are 5-miles or less, a bike-share fleet would reduce the need for very expensive parking structures and reduce the reliance on Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOV). 

-LS

Best US Cities to Bike Rankings

 

People for Bikes in Boulder CO rated and ranked US cities as best places to bike, Laguna ranks "32" of 100 points. Boulder ranks "66" in the TOP TEN while Dana Point and Newport show no ranking yet. For details on the Laguna ranking see People for Bikes City Rankings. 

-LS

KILL the BIKE-SHARE SENATE BILL

Given the increasing safety risk of eBikes to pedestrians and to riders themselves, Laguna Beach has NO bicycle infrastructure and no Bike Share provisions to make bike riding more safe.  

Meanwhile a bill from the California State Seante Insurance Committee has drafted an obscure bill with a devastating impact on bike and scooter share systems in California. Please tell your senator to vote NO on AB 371, the Kill Bike-Share Bill. Email link below. 

Bike sharing systems have already reduced car traffic by millions of miles and provided an essential last-mile link for public transit. The insurance requirement in AB 371 will end this valuable transportation option, put more cars on the road, and make our streets less safe. 

 The Kill Bike-Share Bill is bad for our communities and bad for California. Tell your senator to vote NO on AB 371 — it just takes a minute. https://www.calbike.org/take_action/save-bike-share/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=32e4dbb2-0da1-44f2-b124-141098fb58d4&sl_tc=Email

-LS