2021 State Legislation Watchlist
California lawmakers are working hard to review and process tons of new legislation for 2021. This year has been especially busy for bike-related legislation, and SVBC has been following some key bills that we want to share with you. For a more comprehensive list of current bike-related legislation, please also visit the CalBike Legislative Tracker or CalStreetsBlog Legislative Updates. Please click on the name of the bill to read the full bill text. Note that we will update this page as updates occur.
Bills SVBC is supporting:
These are bills that SVBC has publicly signed onto.
AB 122, The Safety Stop
This bill would allow bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs unless stopping is necessary. Cars will yield the right of way to bicyclists. This bill helps address the fact that bicyclists have different needs than drivers and adjusts the rules of the road accordingly. It legalizes a behavior that most bicyclists already engage in, which makes the road safer for all because drivers will recognize and anticipate this behavior.
AB 117, Electric Bike Affordability Program
This bill would create an e-bike rebate program that would improve access to e-bikes through grants. This will allow more people to choose micro mobility over cars. It provides an alternative to driving that is still convenient and affordable.
AB 1238, Freedom to Walk Act
This bill decriminalizes jaywalking. It protects members of vulnerable groups from unjust interactions with law enforcement and costly fines. We support this bill because it makes our roads safer and more accessible to all. More info: https://www.calbike.org/freedom-to-walk-campaign/
AB 339, Open and Public Meetings
This bill establishes that all meetings of a legislative body be open and accessible to the public. This would be done by guaranteeing that all meetings are available via a telephonic based option and an internet-service based option. It would also require that all meetings provide an opportunity for public commentary. To add, the bill requires that instructions for joining the meeting be available in any language upon request. SVBC cares about this bill because we believe the public deserves to be included in the decision making process and feel that it will greatly improve the relationship between policy makers and the public. This bill would ensure that the online and phone access to city council and other public meetings that we all experienced during the pandemic would remain in place.
Bills SVBC is watching:
These are bills we are interested in and are actively monitoring but have not yet taken a position on.
AB 550, Speed Safety
This bill would authorize the Department of Transportation in select cities (San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles) to implement a pilot speed safety program to address excessive speeding and reduce speed-related crashes through cameras that would take a picture of the license plate of the car speeding and send a fine to the owner of the vehicle. This program has the potential to reduce speeding. The bill also includes consideration and a requirement for evaluation of the potential impacts on low income communities and communities of color. For example, law enforcement could not operate this program and data could not be shared with ICE or other federal agencies. There would also be no facial recognition technology used.
AB 773, Slow Streets
This bill would allow local jurisdictions to restrict traffic on certain streets as an expansion of Slow Streets programs that began during the pandemic. Jurisdictions will have the ability to permanently label streets as Slow Streets, with a focus on streets that open access to bike networks and trails to communities with high levels of pollution. More information.
SB 735, Speed Safety in School Zones
The bill would authorize a local authority to use a traffic speed safety system, as defined, to enforce speed limits in a school zone. It would define the use of a traffic speed safety system and account for notice to the public and the issuance of citations. It would better regulate speeding violations in school zones and establish a more effective system for capturing speeding and responding accordingly.
AB 43, Changing Speed Limits
This bill improves the process for local jurisdictions to adjust speed limits. It would require local jurisdictions to account for the safety of people walking and biking when setting speed limits (currently this is not a requirement). It would adjust the speed limits on highways approaching school and business districts. Speed limits set the tone for how drivers interact with a roadway and this bill will improve the safety of roads for all users.
AB 1091, VTA Board
This bill is designed to modify the current structure and function of the VTA. It would reduce the size of the board but increase the term length of each member. It will also open up seats on the board to any resident of Santa Clara County, provided that they have the necessary expertise and experience to perform the duties. VTA plays an important role in the development of transportation in our county, and this bill would impact how decisions are made at the Board level.
AB 371, Shared Mobility Devices
This bill would require all shared mobility devices (like bike and scooter share) to be equipped with a tactile sign, including translation in Braille, to identify them in the case they are part of an accident or illegal activity. It also requires that every shared mobility device be equipped with a certain amount of general liability insurance that applies to any personal or property damage when using the device. It would hold all users of shared mobility devices accountable to safe and responsible use. This would also apply to government and non-profit owned bike share systems.