The Overview

If your city has been dragging its feet on a planned bike lane or pedestrian safety project, California just made it harder to stall. California's AB 1976, which covers pedestrian and bicycle facilities, became law when the governor approved it on Sept. 27. Between 2020 and 2024, 6,500 pedestrians and cyclists were killed in California, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The governor approved the bill on Sept. 27, 2026, and it became law that day as Chapter 565 of the Statutes of 2026. ​

What the Law Does

Once a pedestrian or bicycle safety project passes 90 percent design, cities and counties can no longer hold community input meetings to reconsider, delay, or block it. That threshold is meant to stop late-stage opposition from unraveling projects that have already cleared planning, funding, and engineering review. After a construction contract is awarded, or after city or county staff are directed to begin work, the local government cannot cancel the project unless it makes at least one specific finding at a public meeting.

The law also limits signature requirements for traffic-calming petitions: if a city or county has a petition process for residents to request a traffic-calming measure, it cannot require more than a majority of residents whose homes fall within 1,000 feet of the proposed measure to sign. That cap prevents local governments from setting signature thresholds so high that residents can never successfully petition for a speed bump or crosswalk.

On environmental review, the law exempts the establishment or expansion of a pedestrian mall from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements, placing those projects in the same category as other already-exempt pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Streets For All, which sponsored the bill, said after enactment that the law would make it easier to deliver planned street-safety projects, according to Streets For All.

Legislative Status

Asm. Buffy Wicks (D) sponsored the bill. Wicks told Oaklandside that the measure was "driven by experiences across the state."

The Assembly passed the bill May 28, 49 to 19. The Senate passed it Aug. 30, 29 to 10. The Assembly then concurred in Senate amendments 53 to 19. From introduction on Feb. 13 to the governor's signature was 226 days.

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