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Bike for a Healthy California license plate pre-order will support CA cycling programs

Written by Cory Benson
Bike For A Healthy California special license plates, California Department of Public Health Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Branch fundraiser
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The California Department of Public Health has launched a new custom license plate program with the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to promote more healthy living & obesity prevention – dubbed “Bike For A Healthy California”. To go ahead with the special plates, the DMV has opened up a pre-order and CDPH needs to get 7500 motor vehicle users to commit between now & next September.

Bike For A Healthy California special license plates

Bike For A Healthy California special license plates, California Department of Public Health Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Branch fundraiser
photos c. CDPH NEOPB

The “Bike For A Healthy California” license plate program is a product of CDPH’s Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Branch, aiming to create a new funding source for NEOPB to promote their mission of healthy eating and physical activity through cycling.

Money raised from special edition plate sales will fund grants available to County Health Offices, schools, nonprofits & other community based organizations in the state in order to promote bicycling. Applicable grants topic areas include:

      • Safe places to ride bikes: encouraging bike lanes, paths, trails & mountain bike trails
      • Earn-A-Bike programs: for at-risk & disadvantaged youth
      • School & youth programs: Safe Routes to School and bike training, skill development & nutrition education at 4th & 5th grade levels, cycling clubs & teams at middle & high schools
      • Promote bicycle use as a regular mode of transportation: providing greater access for bikes in urban & suburban areas
      • Safety education for cyclists & drivers, as well as working with local law enforcement to create cycling ambassador programs

Bike For A Healthy California timeline

Bike For A Healthy California special license plates, California Department of Public Health Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Branch fundraiser

In order to support the CA Department of Public Health NEOPB’s initiative to promote healthier living through cycling, they need 7500 current registered car, truck, trailer, or motorcycle owners in California to pre-pay $50 for a Healthy California plate (or $103 for personalized plates.) NEOPB’s has until September 2020 to meet their goal, and the state DMV will start the process of creating the plates only once all the pre-sales are received. It will then take up to 12 months until backers will receive their new plates.

CalBikePlate.com
Cory Benson
4,359 articles

Cory Benson is the EU Tech Editor of Bikerumor.com.

Cory has been writing about mountain bikes, enduro, cyclocross, all-road, gravel bikes & bikepacking for over 25 years, even before the industry created some of these names. Prior to Bikerumor, Cory was a practicing Architect specializing in environmental sustainability, has designed bike shops & bike components, and worked as a bike shop mechanic.

Based in the Czech Republic for 15+ years, he is a technical mountain biker, adventurous gravel rider, and short & medium-haul bikepacker. Cory travels extensively across Europe riding bikes, meeting with key European product developers, industry experts & tastemakers for an in-depth review of what’s new, and what’s coming next.

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JBikes
JBikes
4 years ago

Call me a cynic but this will do zero for cycling. Look at the words…encourage…promote

LA in particular needs bike parks (for kids and adults) and protected bike lanes (for commuting). CA doesn’t seem to be able to do anything. The state parks and city parks are typically off limits to a like of cycling. And in areas where it is popular, they close trails that people want to ride. Then complain about poaching.

If it educates some about general obesity and helps them prevent that, great. But…do as I say, not as I do. That comes to mind, because all those kids see zero adults and older kids having fun on bikes because the state really doesn’t support the infrastructure for it.

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Fr0hickey
Fr0hickey
4 years ago

I agree with JBikes in that this will not do much for more cycling. It’s a ploy to separate $ from cycling advocates which will fund CA politicians pet projects which are opposite to what the cycling advocates want, which are protected bike lanes on streets.
I’ve resigned to the fact that any bike commute route I pick (that is safer/less car traffic) will be 10% longer than if it was with cars. 10% more distance is significant for cyclists and it’s nothing for cars.
Call my cynical.

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David
David
4 years ago

The bike plate funds will pay for education programs in schools and communities, rider and driver education programs and efforts to confront obesity using bicycles. The bike plate program doesn’t expect to sell 40 million plates, which would be the amount needed to fund actual bike infrastructure projects. The money will go to advocacy groups and local coalitions to hire grant writers to request the funds need for these projects. The money stays in California and does not go to any pet project. The groups that support the program are quality well know cycling advocates. If you want the correct and accurate information, contact me. Please don not make general assumptions which are incorrect. My contact info is on the website on the bottom of the about page. Have a great and safe ride.
Thank you

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