Posted by Sam Ollinger on December 21, 2011

Nearly two years ago, bicyclists were dealt with a horrible blow when the California Traffic Control Devices Committee (CTCDC) said no to bicyclist representation on CTCDC, no to a proposal to remove bike signal detection and signal timing at intersections and no to bike box experiment proposal for San Luis Obispo. The CTCDC is the officially accepted body to provide direction/recommendations to Caltrans about all roadway signs, signals, pavement markings, etc.

Bryan Jones (left with bike). Photo from flickr/ibikefresno

The committee at that point had representatives from only the motorized segment of the population. The California Bicycle Coalition then began to work on reforming this committee so that representatives from the non-motorized segment of the population could have a voice in decisions that affected the non-motorized users.

Earlier this fall, the CTCDC announced two positions to be filled by individuals who would represent the non-motorized road users.

Late last week, the two individuals tapped to fill this role were announced, Bryan Jones and John Ciccarelli.

Bryan Jones, the new Deputy Director with the Carlsbad Transportation Department, is known for having transformed Fresno from a town that excelled in all the unhealthy components that come non-equitable transportation system to a town that implemented an Intelligent Transportation System [pdf] thanks to a brilliant campaign with a simple message that equated bicycling with joy. Earlier this year, Jones left Fresno to accept a new job in Carlsbad where his task is to make the city a Bicycle Friendly Community.

John Ciccarelli (third from left). Photo from flickr/calparktunnelopening

John Ciccarelli is a transportation planner and designer based out of San Francisco who has written a variety of articles on bicycle transportation and bicycle safety.

With both Jones and Ciccarelli and now on the CTCDC, Californians can now look forward to seeing our roads designed and retrofitted to meet the needs of all its users.

Edit: The original post stated that Ciccarelli was based out of San Mateo. He has been living and working in San Francisco since July 2011. Thank you to Mr. Ciccarelli for the update.

Category: Headliner, News | 1 Comment »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on December 20, 2011

Rob Deez reminded me on twitter of a song I first heard him play about two years ago at a bar downtown:

You can purchase his first album, Trademark Infringement on iTunes. A little bit of San Diego perspective, lyrically presented.

Category: Advocacy, bike culture | 3 Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on December 20, 2011

SPY clo-cross Race - January 7, 2012 - CSU: San Marcos

The upcoming Spy Clo-Cross race on January 7, 2012 will begin at 8:00 a.m..

The race is a 3k course, mostly dirt, and will be similar to last year with some new fun features on both the school lap and the parking lot lap.

For more details visit the SoCalCross website.

Category: Events | No Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on December 20, 2011

San Diego (December 14, 2011) — Move San Diego announces the MOVE Alliance, an endorsement program, designed to “support projects that create Mobility Options Viable for Everyone.” Development projects in San Diego that demonstrate a commitment to creating and enhancing sustainable, transit-oriented communities are eligible to receive the MOVE Alliance formal endorsement.

The MOVE Alliance brings together a team of local experts to review and endorse early stage development projects in the San Diego region. This diverse coalition of planners, transportation and walkability experts with backgrounds in sustainable development work together to evaluate each project using a comprehensive check list of smart growth principles. Specifically, the panelists examine location efficiency, access to current and future transit, employment proximity, mixed use opportunities, building design and pedestrian and bicycle access and enhancements.

…continue reading the rest of the story

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Posted by Sam Ollinger on December 20, 2011

Last Wednesday, a very pregnant Mia Birk arrived in San Diego eager to both inspire and share her experiences as Portland’s most influential bike coordinator to date. Birk, now President of the bicycle and pedestrian planning firm, Alta Planning & Design, came armed with a treasure trove of stories, experiences and hard facts that she shared with over 70 attendees. The 70 attendees were comprised of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition staff, board members, members and other supporters who all showed up at Mission Brewery in downtown San Diego eager to listen to Birk’s message.

Mia Birk. Photo by Turbo Bob

At the event, Birk talked about the challenges that she faced and continues to face in promoting the bicycle as a sustainable and financially lucrative mode of transportation. Much of the message was a very condensed version of the story detailed in her book, Joyride. Birk explained that her reasons for continuing to promote bicycling and advocating on behalf of bicyclists was due to the hard numbers showing decreasing fatalities and injuries with the corresponding increase in ridership resulting from the installation of bicycling facilities. The graph below shows the increased number of cyclists compared with decreased number of bicycle crashes on Portland’s bridges (via Bikeportland.org)

Combined Bicycle Traffic over Four Main Portland Bicycle Bridges Juxtaposed with Bicycle Crashes. Graph taken from BikePortland.org

One fact that stuck in my mind was that all of Portland’s bicycle facilities could only buy a single mile of urban freeway and this low investment has led to Portland’s phenomenal increase in bicycle ridership that is now now a model for cities around the country.

Birk did bring stacks of her book, Joyride, the proceeds of which were all donated to the SDCBC.

Birk’s talk was informative and her story inspired all the advocates, city and county officials that attended the event.

Category: Advocacy, News | 1 Comment »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on December 16, 2011

The next mayoral race is starting to heat up and I think this time around, the non-motorized voting bloc (and their supporters) can be a defining voice in determining who gets to be our next Mayor. San Diego has a lot to offer and has tremendous potential. We could benefit from a bike sharing program, a Ciclovia that traverses many of our older, urban neighborhoods, a widespread Safe Routes to School that encourages and motivates school children to ride and walk to school and, so much more. The end result of all of this of course, would be a more robust economy, a strong job sector, a thriving tourism industry and a healthier city that is a model for other cities to replicate. But will our next mayor recognize the value of bicycling in San Diego?

Please share some of your thoughts and questions. What would you like to see our next Mayor do for you?

Category: Advocacy, Headliner | 10 Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on December 15, 2011

• The latest issue of Taking the Lane, edited by Elly Blue who wrote a phenomenal series on the economics of bicycling is now out and available for sale. I have an essay in the issue that takes a different look on how we, as a culture, view ourselves through our mode of transportation.
• Could Ciclovia finally be a reality in San Diego’s future? If the San Diego Unified Port District board voted to approve the project, this is something San Diegans can look forward to, soon.
• At yesterday’s Annual Meeting, Andy Hanshaw, the Executive Director for the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, unveiled the Coalition’s new and spiffy website.
• The Voice of San Diego recently followed SANDAG planner Chris Kluth on his commute.
• Danger lurks for those who ride through MCAS Miramar’s base. Too bad, the military police aren’t using this opportunity to call for a safer way to ride through Miramar and create a safer passage for cyclists having to cross the multiple freeway ramps along the nearby Kearny Villa Road.
• Two mountain bike accidents keep the San Diego Fire-Rescue helicopter crew busy on one Saturday.
• 24 year old Patrick Gretsch, winner of the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge, is in San Diego training for his next challenge.
• Christmas comes early for many elementary school children. 100 students at Bancroft Elementary were presented with new bicycles. Students at Doris Elementary school also received bicycles when the San Diego Chargers stopped by with the early Christmas gift. Next step would be to ensure that the students at these schools have a Safe Route to School so they can ride these bicycles to school
• There is still time to register for the 55th annual Christmas bike ride organized by Hosteling-International. The six day trip traverses the county’s coastline, deserts, alongside and up mountains that will make this trip memorable for all.

• San Francisco is another California city that has found that drivers aren’t fleeing in droves from a performance based parking initiative. Bill Fulton, Mayor of the City of Ventura, has also written about the success found in implementing a similar program in downtown Ventura. This is an important issue for cyclists to consider as bike lanes are often pitted against free or cheap on-street parking spaces. Here in San Diego, Walt at Great Streets San Diego, has also written about the issue.
• A new study compares bicycling’s CO2 emissions to other modes of transportation.

Category: News | No Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on December 12, 2011

Tomorrow (December 13th), the City of Encinitas is holding an Open House to gather public input on making Manchester Avenue safe for all its road users including bicycles, pedestrians and vehicles.The Open House will be from 6 to 8 PM at the City of Encinitas Community and Senior Center located at 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive, Encinitas, CA.

Manchester Avenue Study Area (click for larger version)

If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like to still submit a comment, please send a written comment no later than December 27, 2011 to:
Kipp Hefner

City of Encinitas,

505 South Vulcan,

Encinitas, CA 92024.

Category: Events | No Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on December 12, 2011

This Wednesday, the City Heights Community Development Corporation invites all residents and other stakeholders to a Community Workshop about improving transportation in the Colina Park neighborhood of City Heights. The event will be held this coming Wednesday, December 14, at Ibarra Elementary School (4877 Orange Ave.) from 6 – 8pm.

This will be the 2nd part of a two part Community Workshop series for the F.A.C.T.S. (Full Access Community Transport System) Project which collected input from over 200 residents of Colina Park in order to determine transportation needs and solutions to those needs.

The CHCDC will be asking the workshop participants to select one of two implementation visions for the Colina Park neighborhood. Those visions will be constructed based on the data we gathered from surveys, focus groups, and the workshop we held on August 11. But we’re always open and actively encourage, and in fact depend upon, your ideas for next steps!

Please come out and let the CHCDC know what you think. They would greatly appreciate it if you could spread the word to those who live, work, or go to school in Colina Park (which is in between Euclid, 54th St., University Ave., and El Cajon Blvd.).

The CHCDC will be raffling off a bike kindly donated by City Heights-based Bikes Del Pueblo, with parts from Pedal Pushing Bike Shop, and accessories from Thomas Bike Shop. Only Colina Park residents who attend this workshop and who attended the August 11 workshop will be eligible for the bike raffle. However, all attendees will be eligible to win bike helmets and blinky red bike lights.

Free food and refreshments will be available to participants.

Translation will be provided for those who prefer Spanish, Oromo, and Somali.

Colina Park Transportation Community Workshop Flyer

Category: Events | No Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on December 9, 2011

Tonight, San Diego’s local bike co-op, Bike del Pueblo, will be organizing a scavenger hunt alley cat race.

TacoCat Spoke Cards will be available to all participants

According to Bikes del Pueblo member, Chris Pavelko, the purpose of the ride is to help promote the local bike co-op, raise some extra money, and overall just have fun.

TacoCat – A scavenger hunt alley cat race to benefit Bikes del Pueblo
When: Friday (tonight) – December 9, 2011 at 8PM
Where: The Big Fountain in Balboa Park
Cost: $10.00 (benefiting Bikes del Pueblo)

Also read our previous coverage of Bikes del Pueblo.

Category: Events | No Comments »