GOVERNOR DAVIS SIGNS TWO PRO-BIKE BILLS

Bike racks and Safe Routes to Transit program approved

Outgoing Governor Gray Davis has signed two bills to advance bicycling in California:

AB1409 (Wolk) will permit 45-foot buses, frequently used on express commuter routes, to carry bike racks. Special thanks to Ellen Griffin of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, along with the East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC) and Marin County Bicycle Coalition, for their work on AB1409.

SB916 (Perata) will give Bay Area voters a chance in March 2004 to increase bridge tolls by $1 to fund a variety of transportation projects, including $20,000,000 for a Safe Routes to Transit program that will identify and fund bicycling and walking facilities needed to increase nonmotorized access to key transit stops. The bill also includes funding in Marin County for the Cal Park Hill Tunnel and the Central Marin Ferry Connection Project (as part of the Greenbrae Interchange Project.) Congrats to EBBC and the Transportation and Land Use Coalition. It is the hope and expectation of the bicycling community that some of the highway projects slated to receive funding as part of the toll increase package will get bogged down due to their controversial nature or lengthy environmental review and that low-impact bicycling projects will receive an even larger slice of the pie. More at http://www.ebbc.org