Paula Sigman [Bicycle Coalition Board Member] Dan Rivoire [Bicycle Coalition Executive Director] Dusty Colyman [New Frontiers]
Bike Month continues… and we appreciate everyones support and excitement about bicycles in SLO County!
Next week, Senate Bill 1464 will be voted on in the California Senate. This bill amends the California Vehicle Code on “overtaking” (passing from behind), specifically as it relates to motorists passing bicyclists, by requiring a minimum distance of 3 feet when a motorist passes a bicyclist from behind.
You may remember a similar bill being introduced last year, ultimately vetoed, and misunderstood by Gov. Brown. This version of the bill addresses his concerns and we are confident SB 1464 will gain his support. See a comparison of the two bills here.
The Senate Transportation & Housing Committee voted 8-0 to approve SB 1464 on April 17th. The full Senate will vote on the bill on Thursday, May 24th. The SLO County Bicycle Coalition, along with other advocacy groups across the state, urge you to show your support for such a law which promotes bicycle safety.
SUPPORT SB 1464:
THE LAWS:
THE REASON:
Check out this video of a rider in close call. SB 1464 would make motorist behavior like this illegal, and further protect the safety of bicycles who are legally using the roadway.
Click the photo above, click the link here, or call (805) 549-3784 to contact Senator Sam Blakeslee and ask him to support SB 1464 and increase the safety of bicycle riders in California. Simply fill out the form to show your support. Below is text you can use in your request to the Senator:
Dear Senator Blakeslee,
I’m a constituent from the 15th District and I’m writing to ask you to vote yes on Senate Bill 1464 (Lowenthal), which will be heard by the Senate in coming days.
Cyclists too often face dangerous conditions on California’s streets due to motorists passing too closely. This type of collision is the leading cause of adult bicyclist fatalities in California and the U.S.
Requiring motorists to give bicyclists at least 3 feet of space when passing, we can minimize a leading cause of deadly collisions and help more people feel comfortable about choosing to ride their bikes.
A specified passing distance provides a more objective and easily understood measure of what constitutes “safe” and gives law enforcement and the courts a more objective basis for enforcing California’s safe passing requirement. Most importantly, it helps emphasize a motorist’s special responsibility to safeguard more vulnerable road users like bicyclists.
Once again, I would like to ask that you vote yes on Senate Bill 1464. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Next week’s conversation is amongst Senators only – they won’t hear any outside testimony from organizations like the CA Bicycle Coalition. But Senators listen to their constituents. That’s why it’s so important for you to contact your Senator today!
Our latest Spoken Wheel newsletter is hot off the presses! Pick one up around town, in our downtown space, and elsewhere… This quarter’s issue is packed with information about Connect SLO County, upcoming events, a wordsearch puzzle, and more!
Can’t wait to get a copy? Read it online here.
Out for delivery!
The City of San Luis Obispo is in the process of updating the Land Use and Circulation element of the City’s General Plan. These parts of the plan relate specifically to creating a guide for future development, preservation and mobility (how we get around) San Luis Obispo.
This Land Use and Circulation update is part of the City’s General Plan, the blueprint for the future. It is representative of the values and vision of the community, and your opinion matters.
Our local governments know we people are interested in more bicycle connectivity in SLO and beyond, but they might not know that a majority of people want these improvements. This is your chance to have your voice heard and help increase the number of bikeways locally.
Wednesday May 16th is the first public workshop for this update, and you are invited to attend and speak up on behalf of better bikeways in San Luis Obispo. The Bicycle Coalition will be there, on behalf of our 600 members, to share our vision for better bicycle facilities in the city.
If you can’t attend the workshop, we’d encourage you to take their online survey to share your support for bicycles in the city. All responses are anonymous, and can have a large impact on the update of the plan. Take the survey here.
When: Wednesday May 16th, 6:30 pm
Where: The Monday Club, 1815 Monterey St, SLO (map)
Why: Help shape the vision of connectivity in San Luis Obispo
When: Sunday May 20th, 7:00 am (ride) 11:30 am (lunch)
Where: Tolosa Winery, 4910 Edna Road, San Luis Obispo
We’re partnering with Tolosa Winery again for the 3rd Annual Cote de Tolosa Velo Challenge! An epic 52 mile cross country loop, including 5,000 feet of climbing and a lunch at Tolosa Winery afterwards.
The ride starts promptly at 7:00am, and is for serious riders only. Register online to be a part of this legendary ride. Not up for the epic ride? Join us for lunch on the Tolosa patio and cheer on the riders as they cross the finish line. We’ll see you there!
“This ride would be really terrifying if it weren’t so fun.”
All profits benefit the Bicycle Coalition as a part of Rideshare’s Bike Month. To view the route online, register for the ride and for more information, visit Tolosa’s website.
Interested in getting a free lunch and goodie bag from Tolosa? Sign up to volunteer on the day of here.
When: Saturday May 12th, 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Where: Branch St Deli, 203 E Branch St, Arroyo Grande
We’ve got cheap beer from New Belgium, great music from Moonpie, food from the Branch St Deli, and tons of prizes up at the raffle, including a shiny New Belgium cruiser bike!
There are tons of ways to get raffle tickets and win:
-Park your bike at the Bike Valet
-Sign up for Rideshare’s commuter competition
-Join the Bicycle Coalition
This event is free and open to anyone who wants to celebrate bicycles as a part of May’s Bike Month! The bike parade will be leaving the bandstand on Nelson st at 12:30, and riding as a fun group to the Branch st Deli where the festivities are.
Win this New Belgium bike… become a Bicycle Coalition member and get more tickets to greatly increase your odds!
Do some shopping, any shopping, on Wednesday May 16th, and 5% of your entire purchase will go to the Bicycle Coalition! No need to print a flier, mention anything, buy certain items. 5% of EVERYTHING you buy benefits the Bicycle Coalition…
You can help us raise over $2,600 to help make SLO County even better for bicycles!
A recent report from our national partners at America Bikes found that 83% of all respondents support maintaining or increasing the federal funding streams that pay for sidewalks, bikeways, and bike paths.
We know this is true, we see it everyday, with increasing ridership both locally, and nationally. Americans want active transportation options, a way to get around their communities safely, and while being active. The threat to eliminating funding for biking and walking is real, and would roll back the options in our transportation system back into the 1950s.
More and more Americans are turning to biking for transportation on a daily basis. In 2009, Americans took 4 billion bike trips, and the number of bicycle commuters has grown 43% since 2000.
One of the most noticeable parts of the report, is that support for biking and walking funding is bi-partisan, is not related to geography, and is strong across all age groups. In a time where biking trips are rapidly increasing, it is a mistake to put the safety of road users at risk by eliminating funding.
…Many lawmakers have zeroed in on eliminating funding for biking and walking as a wishful solution to our country’s fiscal woes, though cutting these critical but small programs has virtually no impact on the federal deficit. Currently, only 1.5% of federal transportation spending funds sidewalks and bikeways.
If you want to continue to see better bikeways and bike paths locally, support our Connect SLO County initiative, aimed at completing our bike paths. We are dedicated to making sure people of all ages can get around by bicycle, and are your voice for bicycles in SLO County and beyond!
You can view the entire report from America Bikes online here.
When: Wednesday May 9th, 3:30 pm
Where: Meet at the Community Center, 5599 Traffic Way, Atascadero
We are proud to be a part of the first annual Bike To Bites event in Atascadero as part of Rideshare’s Bike Month!
We’ll be meeting at the Community Center to ride as a group, have a blast & ring our bells on our way to the Galaxy Theater… Free pizza & root beer at the theater after the ride!
We’ll have the Bike Valet set up, park your bike, and use your valet tag for a free screening of “Breaking Away” at the Galaxy!
Can’t meet us at the Community Center for the ride? Check out the flier for local bike routes to use to ride to the theater to meet us!
Come learn about the Kitchen, sign up for our next volunteer orientation Monday May 7th, 5:30 – 6:30 pm (every 1st Monday of the month!)
The Bike Kitchen is always looking for volunteers to help out in any way they can:
No mechanic experience necessary, anyone is welcome to join us! We’ll equip you with the basic information you’ll need to staff the Kitchen.
By volunteering, you also get to use the Kitchen every 2nd Monday of the month during our “volunteer only” work nights!
Sign up online for the next orientation, Monday May 7th, 5:30 pm
Practice your bike handling skills at this kid-friendly Bike Rodeo. We’ll be there teaching basic bike smarts, and having a blast riding our bikes together in Morro Bay! This is a great chance for Morro Bay kids & families to get together, ride bikes and show your support for bicycles in SLO County.
All SLO County youth can join us by the coast for the FREE bike safety rodeo on the Morro Bay High School track.
When: Saturday May 5th
Where: Morro Bay High School Track (map)
When: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Brought to you by: SLO County Health, SLO County Bicycle Coalition, Rideshare and Central Coast Montessori School
Join us for the first Kidical Mass of 2012, just in time for the beginning of Bike Month!
When: Thursday May 3rd
Where: Mitchell Park, SLO (map)
When: 6:00 pm
Theme: Rainbows
We’re excited for our third year of Kidical Mass rides, and hope you*, your friends, and your entire family will join us for the ride! We meet at 6:00 for a brief safety talk before we ride as a group through downtown to the Mission Plaza.
If you’re a kid at heart, and want to be a part of the ride, it’s a great chance to volunteer and help get the little riders excited about their bicycles. Sign up to volunteer here, it’s only a 30-minute commitment, and is a blast!
*Everyone on the ride should be on a bicycle, including parents and guardians (walking in the street alongside is not permitted).
Connect SLO County is an initiative of the Bicycle Coalition, aimed at completing the 3 main bike path projects in SLO County. The largest component of the initiative is an interactive website, which will be the main source for up-to-date information for these bike path projects.
Our residents and visitors have already to begun exploring our outstanding environment by bicycle in impressive numbers. Riding through wine country is the joyful activity of choice for healthy adventurers and training along the coast is all a racing cyclist could ever want. Meanwhile, pedaling a beach cruiser down the Bob Jones Trail is heaven for parents, kids, and leisure seekers alike.
We want more Bob Jones Trails. Connect SLO County aims to build bicycle network for everyone, from an eight-year-old child to an eighty-year-old grandmother, to provide a safe healthy access to shop, commute, and play by bicycle. San Luis Obispo County’s vibrancy is built upon our unique environment and economy of recreation, ranching, agriculture, and small city atmosphere. To develop that economy we need to Connect SLO County and complete our bike paths!
Visit the website today to see how you can get involved, show your support, share your story, and spread the word!
SLO County Regional Rideshare just unveiled their new grant program for Safe Routes to School. Beginning in the 2012/13 school year, there will be three levels of funding available:
If you are interested in bringing some of these funds to you school, or in increasing the number of students biking & walking to school, visit our local Safe Routes to School site to make it a reality! Whether you want to host a onetime event or kick off a year long program, Rideshare has the funds to help get you rolling.
We all know the benefits of getting more kids biking & walking to school. Safe Routes to School is dedicated to making sure more kids are able to use active transportation to get to school, it’s better for their health, helps them focus at school, and provides them with a great chance to get to know their friends and neighborhoods en route!
