California Bicycle Advisory Committee Agenda Item: Bike Boxes
This is a news item from up north, but note worthy to readers here as well.
Bike Boxes are listed on the agenda [pdf] for the meeting of the California Bicycle Advisory Committee to be held on April 8, 2010 up in Sacramento. The agenda item surrounding bike boxes relates to Caltrans request to experiment with a bike box at the intersection of Madonna Road and Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo, CA.
At present, San Francisco and Long Beach are the only cities in California that have bike boxes.
The California Bicycle Coalition, League of American Bicyclists, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and the City of Long Beach have sent in letters of support to install a bike box. If you would also like to add your voice to the chorus, the contact information is noted below:
Ken McGuire
KEN.MCGUIRE@DOT.CA.GOV
Secretary, CBAC
California Department of Transportation
P.O. Box 942874
Sacramento, CA 94274-0001
San Luis Rey River Trail has been Extended
Our friends up in Oceanside have some good news in that the San Luis Rey River Trail has been extended an additional three miles. There is going to be a ribbon cutting ceremony and bike ride on March 31st starting at 9 AM at the Oceanside City Hall (flyer)
Draft San Diego Regional Bicycle Plan - Open for Public Review & Comment
As you may have garnered, 2010 is shaping up to be an excellent year already for bicyclists. It is hard not to get excited about what is transpiring to be a year of the bicycle. Here in San Diego the Draft San Diego Regional Bicycle Plan is now available for public review and comment.
Public comment on the San Diego Regional Bicycle Plan can be sent in during the 30 day comment period beginning on March 25. The contact person for comments is :
Chris Kluth, Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Planner
phone: (619) 699-1952
email: ckl@sandag.org
The percentage of San Diegans who commute by bicycle is low, and by implementing recommendations from the Regional Bicycle Plan, the county hopes to increase the percentage of utility cyclists by creating a complete and integrated network of bikeways and support facilities. Policy actions to attain that goal include creating facilities specifically for bicyclists includes bicycle specific parking facilities, institutionalizing Complete Streets principles in the planning, design and maintenance of bicycle infrastructure. Also proposed are education programs for drivers, specifically new drivers, to teach them how to safely interact with bicyclists on the streets.
I thought the most useful data in the plan were the targets below on how the region intends to measure its rate of success:
- By 2012 increase the percentage of people who bike for utilitarian purposes by 50%.
- Increase in positive attitudes about biking and about bicycle facilities.
- Increase in bicycle facilities from 106.9 miles of bike paths, 784.6 miles of bike lanes, 250.4 miles of bike routes
- Increase in the proportion of arterial streets with bicycle facilities. Suggested target of 25% by 2017 to spur greater bicycle commuting.
- 100% of elementary schools participating in Safe Routes to Schools Program by 2015
- Independent recognition of efforts to promote biking by 2012. League of American Cyclist’s Bronze Award by 2017 and Silver or Gold Award by 2027.
- Annual reduction in bicycle collision rate per capita from 834 bike collisions in 2005, 853 bike collisions in 2006 and 704 bike collisions in 2007.
What do you think of the Bicycle Plan? Use the comments as an open thread.
News and links from around the web
Below are some stories that you may find interesting:
- This Wednesday, residents and community leaders are waiting to hear your thoughts on the University Avenue Mobility Study. The meeting will be held at 4044 Idaho Street from 6-8pm. This meeting will be a chance for you to voice your thoughts on making University Avenue more bicycle and pedestrian friendly and more accessible to transit.
- This past weekend, Los Angeles hosted the ' Street Summit to inspire, educate and rally livable streets advocates.
- Also this weekend, San Francisco opened its first "parklet." Mayor Gavin Newsom was in attendance to christen the space that is being given back to the people.
- Women are often said to be the indicator species when determining bike friendly cities. In an attempt to encourage more women to cycle to more places more often, the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals has created a survey to find out what it would take to get more women to ride.
- An international news story that caught my eye: the city of Barcelona will have its residents vote on how they want a new tram line to be integrated into one of the city's major thoroughfares. Including citizens in the planning process is one way on creating an environment that they will feel a sense of community and kinship toward. San Diego could learn some lessons from Barcelona by promoting their public hearing more widely.
New Federal Policy Statement Endorses Complete Streets
At last week's National Bike Summit, the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood made news by enthusiastically offering support toward multi-modal transportation systems.
A few days after his impromptu table-top speech, LaHood presented a new federal policy standard on what agencies large and small ought to do to integrate all forms of transportation together in future projects. This new policy explicitly states that:
The DOT policy is to incorporate safe and convenient walking and bicycling facilities into transportation projects. Every transportation agency, including DOT, has the responsibility to improve conditions and opportunities for walking and bicycling and to integrate walking and bicycling into their transportation systems. Because of the numerous individual and community benefits that walking and bicycling provide — including health, safety, environmental, transportation, and quality of life — transportation agencies are encouraged to go beyond minimum standards to provide safe and convenient facilities for these modes.
This is definitely a sign of good things to come.