Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
CA State Senate

Complete Streets Bill Passes Senate

12:27 PM PDT on May 23, 2019

Would adding safety elements to this street, at the same time as ongoing repair, really cost $4.5m per mile, Caltrans?

Senator Wiener's Complete Streets bill, S.B. 127, passed the floor of the Senate this morning with no discussion or debate. It was a not-quite party-line vote, 29-9.

As Streetsblog has written about before, the bill calls for Caltrans to consider every user of a road when doing maintenance and repair, and to fix, improve, or add facilities to make it safer for people walking, bicycling, or taking transit. It applies to Caltrans-controlled highways that function as streets and roads throughout the state.

CalWalks created a number of fact sheets to highlight a few of the streets that would be affected by the bill, including Jefferson and Higgins in West Sacramento, Bear Mountain Boulevard and South A Street in Arvin, Inyo Avenue and Howard Street in Tulare. All of these roads are near schools, and many lack any accommodations whatsoever for users that are not in cars, as seen in the photos CalWalks provides. There are many examples of streets like this in California.

Screen Shot 2019-05-23 at 10.55.48 AM


The bill will mean Caltrans, and cities who rely on Caltrans design rules, will no longer be able to "fix" fast-moving streets by making them wider or smoother without also considering the safety of people who need to cross them or ride bikes on them.

A recent situation in Bakersfield shows why this is so important. In that case, the city widened a road that happened to be a state highway because it got congested a few times a day. In the process, they eliminated sharp turns in the name of "safety"--but only for people driving fast in vehicles. But by further enabling that fast driving, they made the road even more dangerous for people who needed to cross it. Their solution to that new problem was to eliminate crosswalks.

But hoping pedestrians will just go away doesn't really work. And it is not exactly in keeping with Caltrans goals to increase walking and biking trips, either. S.B. 127 should help them move closer to those goals.

The bill now goes to the Assembly, where it will likely be sent to the Transportation Committee, chaired by Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Discovery Bay). Frazier has not exactly been friendly about similar issues in the past, so it's not over yet.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

How — and Why — To Start a Neighborhood E-Bike Library

American advocates are loaning out e-bikes to their neighbors — and creating flocks of new riders.

March 18, 2024

Where L.A. City Will Add New Bus-Only Lanes

New bus lanes are coming to Broadway, Colorado Blvd., Crenshaw Blvd, Lincoln Blvd., Los Feliz Blvd., Santa Monica Blvd., Valley Blvd., Vermont Avenue, Westwood Blvd., Whittier Blvd. and many more city streets!

March 18, 2024

Monday’s Headlines

Oil industry ad campaign on gas prices is deceptive, cynical, insulting; Subsidies for methane reductions in dairy industry are doing more harm than good; Why do traffic laws prioritize speed over safety? More

March 18, 2024

CalBike releases 2024 Bike Summit Agenda

The biannual Bike Summit will take place April 18-19 in San Diego, and it's packed.

March 15, 2024
See all posts