[CalBike Report] California Bicycle Coalition's August CalBike Report

Mon Aug 28 17:28:47 PDT 2006

CALIFORNIA BICYCLE COALTION

CalBike Report, August 28, 2006

The CalBike Report is a monthly update on CBC's advocacy work.

This edition includes:
CBC Representing Bicyclists on Strategic Highway Safety Plan
Implementation Team
Attend the October CBC General Membership and Board Meeting
Design a Safe Routes to School Project
Bicyclists Banned from Stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway
Promote Bicycling by Donating a Bike Rack
Additional League Cycling Instructors Trained in San Luis Obispo
Coalition News from Around California

CBC Representing Bicyclists on Strategic Highway Safety Plan
Implementation Team.  Sunne Wright McPeak, Secretary of the Business
Transportation and Housing Agency, was expected to approve California's
Strategic Highway Safety Plan  <http://www.dot.ca.gov/SHSP/> (SHSP) this
month.  The SHSP Implementation Team meeting scheduled for August 31 has
been postponed due to the delay in approval; the meeting has not been
rescheduled at this time.  The Team, which has been broken into sixteen
Challenge Areas, will recommend how the Plan is translated into actual
projects.  Jim Baross, CBC Board Member and CABO President, is
representing bicyclists as a member of the "Challenge Area 13: Improving
Bicyclist Safety" Implementation Team.  Jim is also working to ensure
that the needs of bicyclists are considered in the discussions of all
Challenge Areas that might have an impact on bicyclist safety and
access.  Meetings are scheduled for the last Thursday of every month
from 10 A.M.-1 P.M and held in Sacramento.  Contact Rebecca
<mailto:rebecca at calbike.org>  if you are interested in assisting with
this effort.

Attend the October CBC General Membership and Board Meeting.  The CBC
General Membership and Board Meeting will be held on October 21-22 in
Davis.  Members are encouraged to participate in the General Membership
Meeting, which will be held on Sunday, October 22 from 12:00-3:00PM.
Plan to meet up for an 8:30AM bike ride around Davis before the Meeting.
More details will be provided in the September CalBike Report.

Design a Safe Routes to School Project.  The California Safe Routes to
School <http://www.dhs.ca.gov/routes2school/>  (SRTS) Advisory Committee
has been meeting regularly with Caltrans throughout the summer to advise
them on guidelines for new federal funding.  Caltrans plans to release
application guidelines in September, and proposals will be due to the
Department in January 2007.  

Up to 30% of the funds available will be dedicated to non-infrastructure
projects, and non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for these
funds directly, or to team with a city or school district to submit an
application.  Non-infrastructure projects include activities such as:
bicycle and pedestrian traffic safety education, increased law
enforcement, providing SRTS training workshops, providing modest
incentives for contests, and training volunteers and managers of SRTS
programs.  At least 70% of the funds available will be programmed for
infrastructure projects such as: bike racks, bike lanes, pathways,
sidewalks, and traffic calming.  The funding available for each
non-infrastructure project will be capped at $500,000, and
infrastructure projects can be requested for up to $1,000,000.  No local
match is required.  

Check the Caltrans' Local
<http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/LocalPrograms/saferoute2.htm>  Assistance
website regularly for the release of the new SRTS guidelines, and start
thinking now about projects and collaborations that could be initiated
in your community!  Deb Hubsmith <mailto:deb at marinbike.org> , MCBC
Advocacy Director and SRTS National Partnership Coordinator

Bicyclists Banned from Stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway.  The Dana
Point City <http://www.danapoint.org/citycouncil/citycouncil.htm>
Council has passed an ordinance that will ban bicyclists from riding on
the Pacific Coast Highway between Camino Capistrano and Palisades Drive.
Cyclists and pedestrians traveling through the stretch are presently
routed through a temporary detour and would be required to use a
permanent side path once its construction is complete.  While CBC
supports the Council's efforts to increase safety in the corridor, we
believe that measures should address the source(s) of potential danger,
rather than target the victims-bicyclists and pedestrians.  We are also
investigating whether this ordinance violates the legal rights of
bicyclists to use roadways.  CBC is actively working in concert with
other advocates to prevent this ordinance from setting a precedent. 

Promote Bicycling by Donating a Bike Rack.  Rod Hoadley, Cal Poly
Engineering Instructor, teamed up with the City of San Luis Obispo
Public Works Department to start a Racks with Plaques
<http://www.slocity.org/publicworks/transportation/racks.asp>  Bicycle
Rack Donation Program.  Through this program, donors can purchase Peak
Rack bike racks to promote bicycling as a mode of transportation in
Californian cities.  Donors are acknowledged on a permanent plaque
mounted on the bike rack and donations are tax deductible.  Peak Racks
are designed with a vertical stagger to prevent handlebar tangles,
accommodate U Locks to easily lock frame and wheel with all types of
bikes, and achieve tighter parking density. Rod
<mailto:rod at peakracks.com> Hoadley, Peak Racks
<http://www.peakracks.com/> 

Additional League Cycling Instructors Trained in San Luis Obispo.  Jim
Baross, CBC Board Member, acted as the lead trainer for the League of
American Bicyclists' League Cycling Instructor (LCI) seminar held in San
Luis Obispo on August 11-13.  CBC subsidized the cost of the training
for participants through its grant with the Department of Health
Services.  Contact Corinne Winters <mailto:corinne at svbcbikes.org>  for
information about the LCI course being held on Nov 10-12 in the South
Bay Area.  The League maintains an up-to-date list
<http://www.bikeleague.org/cogs/resources/findit/?courses=1&instructors=
1&state=CA&submit.x=25&submit.y=5>  of all road safety courses on its
website.  

Coalition News from Around California
During July and August 2006, the Marin County Bicycle Coalition
<http://www.marinbike.org/Index.shtml>  (MCBC), in partnership with the
Marin County Law Enforcement and California Highway Patrol, distributed
"Share the Road" literature to approximately 800 motorists and 1,500
cyclists at checkpoints throughout the county.  Positive feedback was
received from almost everyone encountered.  Recipients received
California Vehicle Code information, codes of conduct for bicyclists and
motorists to foster respect for each other, plus safety and courtesy
tips.  MCBC's Share the
<http://www.marinbike.org/Campaigns/ShareTheRoad/Index.shtml>  Road
Campaign is comprised of these checkpoints, Basic Street Skills bicycle
safety classes, and Share the Road presentations.  Kim Baenisch
<mailto:kim at marinbike.org> , MCBC Executive Director.

In response to the deaths of two cyclists on the Pacific Coast Highway
last year, the Los Angeles County Bicycle
<mailto:http://www.labikecoalition.org/>  Coalition has joined State
Senator Sheila Kuehl, Velo LaGrange, Caltrans, Metro and other local
groups to form a task force to address cycling and safety concerns.  New
"Share the Road" signs have been put in place, and a campaign of safety
PSAs targeting motorists and cyclists will be featured on Metro buses
across the county.  The PCH Task Force has also accomplished the
establishment of a new Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) for Caltrans
District 7 as well as secured funding for a District 7 Bicycle
Coordinator.  Seizing this opportunity to help create a BAC that will
truly serve area cyclists, LACBC is submitting recommendations on the
Committee's structure and criteria for the new Coordinator position.
Monica Howe <mailto:volunteer at labikecoalition.org> , LACBC Outreach
Manager

San Francisco's official bicycle plan, updated and adopted last June, is
battling a lawsuit challenging the adequacy of the environmental review
it received before adoption.  The City of San Francisco has stopped
on-street improvements for bicycle circulation and safety under the
preliminary injunction extending from this lawsuit.  On August 21,
Dennis Herrera, San Francisco City Attorney, filed the opposition brief
in defense of a lawsuit against the San Francisco Bicycle Plan.  The
case is scheduled to be heard in San Francisco Superior Court on
September 13.  Find links to the defense brief, the SF Bicycle Plan, and
related documents on the San Francisco Bicycle <http://www.sfbike.org/>
Coalition's Bicycle Network <http://www.sfbike.org/?network>  webpage.
Andy Thornley <mailto:andy at sfbike.org> , SFBC Program Director

This November, Santa Barbara County residents will vote on a
three-quarter cent transportation tax that will kick in once the current
half cent tax expires in 2010.  Bicyclists may get the best deal of any
county in California if voters pass this ballot proposal.  Out of the
funds generated, 2.7% would be dedicated to bicycle facilities and
education and 2.8% would go to Safe Routes to School programs.  In
addition, the policy would include a "complete streets" clause and
require each city to dedicate a percentage of its funding to
bicycle-related projects.  The Santa Barbara Bicycle
<http://www.sbbike.org/>  Coalition will be educating voters about the
proposal's universal benefits between now and Election Day.  Ralph
Fertig <mailto:sb-ralph at cox.net> , SBBC President

Bicyclists and pedestrians can explore historic downtown San Luis Obispo
using a self-guided tour map that was recently published by the San
<http://www.slobikelane.org/>  Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition.
The SLO Bicycle Coalition teamed up with local history and tourism
organizations to create the map, which has been a hit with local hotels
and helped to leverage funds from the local tourism industry.  Adam
Fukushima <mailto:adamf at slobikelane.org> , SLO Bicycle Coalition
Executive Director

Bike Bakersfield <http://www.bikebakersfield.org/> 's "Recycle-a-Bicycle
<http://www.bikebakersfield.org/recycle.htm> " program distributes
community member's unwanted bicycles to residents in need of an
alternative mode of transportation.  People can earn a donated bike by
cleaning up or painting murals in the office or working on their bike
for ten hours in the organization's "Bike Kitchen".  Over 30 bikes have
been donated to people in need during August.  Mat
<mailto:barton at bikebakersfield.org>  Barton, Bike Bakersfield
Communications Director

Financially invest in CBC for safety cycling in California.  We rely on
your generous donations in order to promote bicyclists' interests in
Sacramento.  Pledge your support today by donating online at
www.calbike.org <http://www.calbike.org/> , or contacting Rebecca
Markussen at rebecca at calbike.org or 916-446-7558.

If you do not wish to receive future editions of the CalBike Report,
send an email to rebecca at calbike.org titled, "unsubscribe calbike".  If
you have received multiple copies of this Report, send an email to
rebecca at calbike.org titled, "multiple copies calbike".

--------------
Rebecca A. Markussen
Communications Director
California Bicycle Coalition
(916) 446-7558
www.calbike.org

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