Progress! Construction and Policy Updates
BerkDOT: The Latest
Walk Bike Berkeley continues working to advance BerkDOT. In summer 2020 you’ll recall that we joined with other local safe streets and social justice organizations in successfully advocating that Berkeley take steps to de-police transportation. As part of a broader reimagining public safety omnibus, Council referred to staff the creation of a new Berkeley Department of Transportation (BerkDOT), in part to eliminate or reduce pretextual traffic stops. The referral suggests combining within BerkDOT transportation planning and engineering, along with unarmed, non-police equitable traffic enforcement.
We are participating in the City’s Reimagining Public Safety Task Force and the Transportation Commission’s BerkDOT Subcommittee. Recognizing that many cities are looking to Berkeley for leadership, we are encouraging the City to develop a plan for implementing non-police traffic enforcement. Doing so could help prompt state law change, allowing cities to pilot non-police enforcement models. We are pleased that the City’s BerkDOT consultants recently added mobility justice expert Charles T. Brown to their team.
Raise your Voice: Calls to Action
Help decriminalize walking
Our friends at California Walks and CalBike are sponsoring the Freedom to Walk Act (AB 1238) to repeal California ‘jaywalking’ laws. This crucial legislation will protect vulnerable pedestrians against arbitrary, racially-biased, pretextual policing, as well as burdensome fees and fines, and unnecessary, and potentially lethal, interactions with law enforcement.
The California State Senate is currently considering this important bill.
Thanks for supporting the Bicycle Safety Stop
Every day, thousands of bike riders across California slow as they approach stop signs. They look both ways. If there is traffic, they stop; if not, they roll safely through the intersection. Right now, this is illegal under California law. The Bicycle Safety Stop Law (AB 122) will make this commonsense bike rider behavior legal. It recently passed the Senate and is headed to the governor’s desk next! Kudos to CalBike for moving this legislation forward.
Let’s make E-bikes more accessible!
Walk Bike Berkeley’s E-bike Project has been busy expanding equitable access to e-bikes. Here are ways you can help:
Promote the cash for clunkers e-bike program: We helped our local Air District design a program to provide $7,500 to low-income people in certain zip codes (including West Berkeley) to trade an old polluting car for one or more e-bikes plus helmets, locks, and other accessories and Clipper card credit. Sign up if you’re eligible and help spread the word! Learn more on our BAAQMD E-bike grant page.
Support a Federal e-bike tax credit: What if you don’t have an old car to junk? Or are in the wrong zip code? The E-Bike Act would create a 30% refundable federal tax credit for anyone purchasing an e-bike. Our Senator, Alex Padilla, is on the Budget committee considering both this and the Bicycle Commuter Act - another good idea to give bike commuters a pre-tax benefit like transit commuters get.
Call or write Senator Padilla today to urge him to put both the E-bike Act and Bicycle Commuter Act into the Reconciliation Bill.
Got more juice? After you write Padilla, write Senator Feinstein and Representative Lee.
Find out more about these Acts and other legislation you can support on our E-bike Legislation page. Contact Tom Lent (tom.d.lent@gmail.com) if you would like to be more involved in working on any of these activities to promote e-bikes.
Keep public meetings accessible
The California legislature is considering a bill (AB 339) that would make public meetings permanently accessible via phone or internet (more here). During the pandemic, we have learned that making public meetings accessible via phone and internet has led to much more public participation. Let’s keep it that way.
Eyes on the Street
Several long-awaited bicycle and pedestrian safety projects are under construction. YAY!
Milvia Bikeway Project
Protected bike lanes and pedestrian safety improvements from Hearst to Blake
Ninth Street Bike Boulevard Pathway Extension
Bike and ped connection from Ninth, across Ashby, to the Emeryville Greenway
Sacramento Complete Streets Project
Safer crossings of Sacramento at Virginia, Delaware, University, and Addison
Channing Bike Boulevard Repaving
Smooth pavement coming from McKinley to Shattuck!
