October 1, 2024 - Governor Gavin Newsom has signed the Complete Streets Bill, SB 960, authored by Senator Scott Wiener and sponsored by CalBike, SPUR, AARP California, and others.
The Complete Streets Bill will require Caltrans to consider the needs of people riding bikes, walking, and taking transit on our state roadways, many of which serve as local streets. Caltrans policy mandates this, but the agency often doesn’t follow through.
SB 960 will increase accountability by requiring the agency to set targets for active transportation improvements in State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP) projects and add elements for people biking, walking, and taking transit when it repairs roadways. It will also establish a transit priority policy, placing greater emphasis on transit improvements on state roadways.
Complete Streets are safe and comfortable streets for people biking, walking, rolling, and taking transit, as well as driving motor vehicles. Protected bikeways, a key element of many Complete Streets, have been shown to reduce fatalities and injuries for road users in all modes of transportation.
“Californians who get around by biking, walking, rolling, or taking transit have the same rights to safe passage on our streets as people driving cars. True Complete Streets provide equitable use of our public space regardless of transit mode, economic status, or race,” said Jared Sanchez, policy director for CalBike. “The Complete Streets Bill becoming law today moves us closer to the day when California state routes are among the safest streets in our communities, rather than the most deadly.”
Background
CalBike sponsored SB 127, the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill, in 2019. The bill would have required Caltrans to follow its own Complete Streets Policy and prioritize the safety of everyone who uses our roads, not just drivers, on every repaving, maintenance, and rehab project. Despite overwhelming support in the legislature and from constituents, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed that Complete Streets Bill.
In 2019, Caltrans had a new leader and the governor stated in his veto message that he wanted to give the agency a chance to reform its practices without legislative oversight.
Five years on, CalBike examined Caltrans’ record and found that, while there are some positive changes, more needs to improve safety for people who bike, walk, and take transit.
Read CalBike’s recent Caltrans series “Incomplete Streets.”
