State mandates new Complete Streets standards for streets like San Pablo Avenue!

San Pablo Avenue is a Caltrans road that falls under the state’s new Complete Streets mandate

A new landmark bill, a Complete Streets mandate (SB 960), signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom, puts Caltrans on notice to work with local governments to make major streets like San Pablo Avenue work for all users, not just motorists. This landmark law creates comprehensive, statewide requirements for designing streets that prioritize safety and accessibility for bicycle riders, pedestrians, and transit users, as well as motorists.

Cities up until now have often maintained that they couldn’t make changes to Caltrans streets and highways because the cities had no jurisdiction over those thoroughfares. “Caltrans won’t let us” has been the refrain for years. SB 960 will make it easier for local jurisdictions to work with Caltrans to make state streets and highways like our stretch of San Pablo Avenue work for the communities that they pass through.

Caltrans will have to be more responsive and transparent to those communities, report on its progress toward making its streets safer and welcoming to nonmotorists, and set targets for making those changes. Whenever it does maintenance or other road work, SB 960 requires that improvements must be included for pedestrians, bicycle riders, and transit users.

SB 960 was authored by State Senator Scott Weiner and sponsored by CalBike, SPUR, AARP California, and others. Read CalBike’s press release here. — Steve Price