Candidate campaign page: http://stevenbradfordforsenate.com/
While in the State Assembly, Steven Bradford used his 22+ years of bicycle riding in the Los Angeles area – and his unfortunate experience having been hit 4 times by drivers while biking – to motivate his push for one of the most significant pieces of safe streets legislation to date in California, the Three Feet For Safety Act of 2013, also known as ‘Give Me 3.’ In 2014, Bradford authored legislation to remove a loophole that reduced the penalties for drivers who commit hit and run crimes. In his response to CalBike’s questionnaire, Bradford showed his commitment to safer streets through funding for bicycle infrastructure, a Vision Zero goal to end traffic deaths in California, and to increase bicycle commuting in the area. With his personal experience averaging 100 miles of riding a week, and his long track record on legislation to make cycling safer, it is no surprise that he is endorsed by Ted Rogers of Biking in LA. We are honored to join Ted in endorsing Steven Bradford for the California State Senate.
(See below for Steven Bradford’s full CalBike questionnaire response)
1. Do you ride a bicycle in your district and/or in Sacramento?
Yes
2. If yes, for what purpose(s) and how often? How do you most commonly commute to work?
I have ridden daily in my community for 22yrs and I own 3 bikes. Since going to the legislature, I only ride 4 days a week in district when in session, which averages to about 100 miles per week. I rode ever year with Mayor Riordan in the LA marathon until they removed cycling portion from event and always finished first or second among elected officials. I’ve also participated in numerous ciclavia’s. It’s not the community that limits bike riding or lanes. It’s a matter of desire, will and safety. I’ve been hit 4 times myself by motorist and advocate that motorist need to be better educated as to the rules of the road and sharing streets. Many yell at cyclist to get on sidewalks but don’t understand that sidewalks are for pedestrians not bikes. We need to create a culture focused on sharing the road.
3. If no, what would inspire you, and the 60% of people who are interested in riding, but concerned about safety to ride a bike for transportation?
N/A
4. Would you commit to joining a group ride with local advocates along a route that illustrates the bicycle infrastructure conditions of the district you are running for?
Yes
5. Caltrans has established a goal to triple the number of bike trips by 2020. Do you support this goal?
Yes
6. Research has shown that the most effective way to boost the number of people bicycling is to create interconnected “complete bikeway networks” of physically protected bike lanes and traffic-calmed streets. The California Bicycle Coalition is seeking to create a new state program to provide large grants of $25-$50 million to build such networks in the communities which need it most. It will incentivize holistic planning of networks rather than piecemeal planning of one street at a time. Do you support using state funds for a competitive complete bikeway network grant program?
Yes
7. Do you support our complete streets provisions in SBX 1-1 of the special session to mandate the inclusion of “new bicycle and pedestrian safety, access, and mobility improvements” in every non-freeway road project funded by the state? It calls for sidewalks and protected bike lanes or bike paths in transit-dense areas on most roads with a speed limit over 25 miles per hour.
Yes
8. The Active Transportation Program (ATP), the sole state funding source for biking, walking, and safe routes to school improvements, was created by the Brown administration in 2013 with the stated intention to increase it continually. However, the Governor’s latest budget proposes no increase for the third straight year. Current funding levels on a per capita basis place California in the middle of the pack among states who provide dedicated active transportation funding. To reflect Caltrans’ goal to triple biking and double walking trips by 2020, do you support doubling the ATP?
Yes
9. Bike sharing programs are spreading throughout California, but they often do not reach low-income neighborhoods. Do you support providing state funds to allow these programs to serve all Californians who could reasonably benefit, in the same way that public transit serves the public?
Yes
10. About 3,000 people are killed on California streets every year. Do you support a “Vision Zero” goal of zero traffic fatalities by a certain date?
Yes
11. The California Air Resources Board estimates that 38% of California’s 447 million metric tons of carbon emitted every year comes from the transportation sector, which along with other emissions, results in thousands of deaths and millions of dollars in wasted health care spending. What do you feel are the three most important actions the state should take to reduce carbon emissions from transportation?
A.More Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
B.More legislation like my bill AB 1371 that makes roads safer for both cyclist and motorist
C.More investment in alternative energy
12. Should cap-and-trade funds be used for highway congestion relief projects that expand road capacity?
Yes
13. If you could send out one tweet to the bike community that you think would win over their support, what would it say?
There are more daily cyclist in poor communities than affluent, who utilize bikes as their main source of transportation. There needs to be a better distribution of resources in those communities, than affluent ones in order to improve safety #rideCA.
14. Do you have any other comments or questions about how you have supported or would support the California Bicycle Coalition’s mission of enabling more people to bicycle for healthier, safer, and more prosperous communities for all?
Transportation improvements in California not only would help protect and preserve the environment by reducing carbon emissions, it would also help improve quality of life. The State of California needs to invest in sustainable infrastructure for alternative modes of transportation other than automobiles. This includes sidewalks and bike lanes as well as modernized trains, light rails, and metros. Traditional methods for funding transportation revitalization- such as the gas tax- are becoming more and more insufficient. We need an alternative method for funding such as a flat vehicle registration tax. In order to encourage fuel diversification, I support increased legislation similar to the revolutionary SB 350 authored by Senate Pro Tem Kevin de Leon. If elected, I will work to pass similar legislation to incentivize and mandate the use of alternative energy to reduce our oil dependency and carbon emissions.