Walkable roadways law halted
Mandate would have given pedestrians, cyclists priority with specialized construction
Gov. Gavin Newsom has rejected a bill that sought to turn California highways into walkable civic spines, saying it would have been too prescriptive and costly.
On Saturday, Newsom praised the intent of SB127 by state Sen. Scott Wiener, DSan Francisco. But he said Caltrans is already investing in pedestrian improvements and bicycle lanes when it’s appropriate and costeffective, and that the agency didn’t need a new law to tie it down.
“I am committed to holding the department accountable, to deliver more alternatives to driving while continuing to maintain our state’s highways and bridges,” Newsom said in his veto message, noting that he issued an executive order to beef up investments in “active transportation.”
The Complete Streets philosophy has captivated environmentalists, who advocate for a cleaner transportation system that reverses decades of urban design in which the car was king. It also aligns with efforts to prevent traffic deaths, which are more likely when pedestrians have to cross four highspeed vehicle lanes.
Wiener codified these principles in SB127, which sought to require Caltrans to consider the needs of cyclists, pedestrians and public transportation whenever it started a major project, such as resurfacing a road. The bill applies to state highways that function as city streets, such as Van Ness Avenue, 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard in San Francisco, Highway 1 in Half Moon Bay, and Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles.
It was Wiener’s second illfated attempt to redesign state roads and highways. He first pitched the bill in 2017, but it died in committee. Wiener pulled it back the next year to avoid getting caught up in the state gas tax debate.
Wiener said Sunday that he’s disappointed and mystified by Newsom’s decision, calling it a missed opportunity.
“I know the governor thinks he can direct Caltrans to include more bicycle and pedestrian safety, but this agency is broken,” he said.
Wiener stressed that walkable, bikeable streets are not merely “a theoretical issue.” Over the past several months of pressing this legislation, his staff members have spoken to many pedestrians who have to weave and dodge through traffic on state roads, including kids who “have to play Frogger crossing the street to get to school,” Wiener said.
He noted that 400 elementary schools in California sit on or near vehicleclogged state highways.
Despite ardent support from cyclists and safety advocates, the bill hit opposition from the state finance department. Caltrans estimated that Complete Streets elements would raise the cost of roadwork and infrastructure by more than $1 billion a year — or $4.5 million for each mile of blacktop. Though Wiener claimed the figure is so exaggerated that he initially thought it “was a typographical error,” finance officials feared that the bill would create an onerous burden for the state transportation agency.
“Caltrans currently includes Complete Streets elements in its (State Highway Operation and Protection Program) projects, but only when it is appropriate to do so,” state finance officials wrote in an analysis of the bill. The analysis went on to criticize the bill for taking away Caltrans’ discretion over whether to add these features.
In 2015, Caltrans set a goal of tripling the number of bicycle trips and doubling the number of people walking throughout the state. Yet the vision of a lesscardependent future seemed elusive. Landuse patterns and a deepening housing crisis locked more people into long car commutes, on roads built to encourage driving over other modes.
Now, with auto emissions growing and congestion becoming untenable, Wiener says it’s essential to lure people out of cars. He saw the Complete Streets law as a solution.