Friday Funny: Supervisor Greg Cox and the Bayshore Bikeway
If we needed some proof that bikes were entering the mainstream conversation, last night's San Diego Taxpayer Association's Golden Watchdog & Fleece Awards Dinner featured a fired up Supervisor Greg Cox taking full ownership of (and pride in) the implementation of the Bayshore Bikeway.
That was great, Supervisor. Now if you could kindly put in a good word for protected bike lanes on University Avenue, me and everyone here at BikeSD would love you forever.
News, Links, and Other Views
City of San Diego
- It looks like SANDAG's "expand the freeways" transit plan is setting up San Diego's Climate Action Plan for failure. The plan includes $1 billion just to "mitigate" the environmental impact of constructing more freeways compared to $200 million for bike transit projects.
- The UT made a list of 5 great places to ride a bike in San Diego.
San Diego Region
- Residents of Oceanside spoke out about the snail's pace of the double tracking rail project, the limited hours of the Coaster and Sprinter, and not getting their fair share of bike infrastructure improvements.
- Encinitas received a $2.2 million grant to redesign the Chesterfield Drive railroad crossing to make it safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.
- During a four year drought San Diego County's Bike to Work Day was postponed due to rain. Meanwhile, most of the the water that fell on the region's streets, parking lots, and freeways was dumped into the ocean.
Elsewhere
- Bike Week kicked off in Los Angeles with the Blessing of the Bicycles and a panel discussion on the future of bicycling.
- A look at the upcoming protected bike lane projects in San Francisco.
- The city of Sausalito's plan to deal with the shortage of bicycle parking downtown by issuing $100 bicycle parking tickets has proved to be unpopular.
- A cyclist was struck and killed by a truck driver during the Davis Double Century ride.
- The conversation continues about whether a mandatory helmet law is the solution to making bicycling safe in California.
- There has been a 70% increase in bicyclists on Honolulu's King Street protected bike lane, which is now bi-directional with dedicated traffic signals. The project has also led to a 65% decrease in bicyclists riding on the sidewalk.
- A project manager has been hired for the $6.6 million protected bike lane project in Portland.
- Looking to tap into Oregon's $400 million bicycle tourism industry, Klamath County hopes the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Bikeway will become Oregon's next official scenic bikeway.
- The New York Post is surprised that despite 89% of Citi Bike users not wearing helmets there have been no fatalities since the program launched two years ago.
- The final phase of the 10th Street Cycle Track is underway in Atlanta.
- After six months, a bike path paved with solar panels in the Netherlands is producing enough energy to power a home for a year.
- A "Dutchie" living in London points out the need for bicycle parking both on the street and in the design of housing.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer: I want San Diego to be considered one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world.
May is National Bike Month, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, which gives communities everywhere "an opportunity to celebrate the unique power of the bicycle and the many reasons we ride". To celebrate Bike Month, we wanted to profile some notable San Diegans who ride. So we started at the top with the mayor. Mayor Kevin Faulconer was gracious to share his thoughts about bicycling in San Diego. Below are the questions and his responses.
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BikeSD: What is your name and what do you do?
Mayor Kevin Faulconer: San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer.
BikeSD: BikeSD's vision is to transform San Diego into the world's best city for bicycling. Do you believe San Diego can be the world's best city for bicycling?
Mayor Kevin Faulconer: Absolutely. We have the best weather in the world giving us nearly endless opportunities for San Diegans to get outside and live active lifestyles. That’s a big reason why we have such a large community of avid bicyclists and recreational riders.
BikeSD: What are the top three challenges that need to be addressed in order for San Diego to be a top city for bicycling?
Mayor Kevin Faulconer: The top three challenges are safety, accessibility and opportunity. As mayor, I’ve begun to address all three.
On safety, I’ve launched a plan to repair 1,000 miles of streets over the next five years, which will create smoother roads for automobiles and bikes alike. The repair effort gives us an opportunity to restripe our roadways as well as create bike routes like the buffered bike lanes on Fourth and Fifth avenues that won an “Orchid” award from the San Diego Architectural Foundation this year. We’re also adding more “sharrows” to our streets reminding motorists to share the road with cyclists.
On accessibility, we are stepping up our outreach efforts, letting San Diegans understand that the City of San Diego wants to be a top city for cycling. We are creating information materials, sharing resources and coordinating with agencies throughout the region to link resources like SANDAG’s Bayshore Bikeway to bicycle routes leading into the City. We have also installed 142 bicycle racks throughout the City so far in the current fiscal year.
On opportunity, the City’s first bike-sharing program – Decobike – launched earlier this year and, when fully implemented, will have 180 stations with 1,800 bikes available in neighborhoods throughout the city. The City is working in partnership with Decobike to create new routes that will attract more and more San Diegans to enjoy the recreation, health and environmental benefits biking provides. Among the first is the Downtown Bike Loop, which includes an easy access map found at http://www.sandiego.gov/tsw/pdf/bikeloopmapbrochure.pdf. The loop highlights many of the wonderful places to bike to in the core of San Diego.
BikeSD: What would you like to see happen to encourage more San Diegans everyday for everyday trips?
Mayor Kevin Faulconer: We need to improve our infrastructure to encourage cycling, such as adding more Class 1 bike lanes and sharrows to other roads. We also need to make sure the transitions from protected bike lanes are easy to navigate and welcome cyclists to areas of town they may have not yet explored. That may mean better outreach, better signage, better striping or some combination of all three, depending on a neighborhood’s need.
BikeSD: How has your view of bicycle riders changed over the years?
Mayor Kevin Faulconer: It has changed significantly since I’ve taken up cycling myself. As I’ve spent more and more time on the road with my bike, I’ve become a much more watchful driver and keep an eye out for cyclists. From a rider’s perspective, I also know you always have to have a defensive posture whenever there are cars around because you can’t assume that everyone is paying attention.
BikeSD: Do you ride a bicycle? Where do you like to ride and why do you ride?
Mayor Kevin Faulconer: Yes. This past weekend I rode the Bayshore Bikeway with some friends. It was a 24-mile ride and it was beautiful morning out.
BikeSD: Will you commit to joining the National Bike Challenge and encourage more San Diegans to ride during the challenge (5/1/15 - 9/30/15)?
Mayor Kevin Faulconer: Yes. I signed up yesterday and will do all that can to encourage as many San Diegans as possible to join the challenge as well.
BikeSD: Describe one of the most memorable experiences you've had on a ride?
Mayor Kevin Faulconer: I spent five months in 2013 training for the Million Dollar Challenge (a weeklong 620-mile ride from San Francisco to San Diego) to raise money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. It was all about camaraderie and meeting people from all walks of life who enjoy cycling and being outdoors. It was a heck of a lot of fun, but I wasn’t able to participate in the actual ride because the special mayoral election came up.
BikeSD: Do you ride to work? If not, what would need to change to make that happen regularly?
Mayor Kevin Faulconer: Unfortunately, my hectic schedule doesn’t allow me to bike as much as I would like and that includes biking to work.
BikeSD: What is your vision for bicycling in San Diego?
Mayor Kevin Faulconer: I want San Diego to be considered one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world. We know we have one of the best climates – one that I am working to protect through my Climate Action Plan and its call for even more bike facilities. We know we have people who love to bike and we know that it’s a sport growing in popularity. Our biggest task is to put in the infrastructure that allows and encourages people to ride bikes more often.
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Thank you Mayor Faulconer, for taking the time to answer these questions and for supporting bicycling.
BikeSD Announces YardStash Solutions’ Sponsorship of Bike Valet Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BikeSD Announces YardStash Solutions’ Sponsorship of Bike Valet Program
San Diego, CA - May 1, 2015 - BikeSD, a not-for-profit advocacy organization whose vision is to transform San Diego into the world’s best city for bicycling, is delighted to announce a sponsorship with YardStash Solutions, a leading provider of outdoor bicycle storage products. YardStash will sponsor BikeSD’s “Bike Valet Program” that provides free parking and security for an average of over 200 bicycles at San Diego events.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to support BikeSD’s mission of promoting everyday riding and advocating for standard-setting bicycling infrastructure,” says Van Barker, YardStash president. “Our outdoor storage products are designed to increase the use of bicycling by keeping bikes safe, secure and accessible and are a great fit with BikeSD’s active member base.”
BikeSD’s free Bike Valet Program is designed to encourage San Diegans to ride bicycles to community events and provides secure bike parking for festivals, fairs, concerts, sporting events, neighborhood events, and more. The service includes on-duty valet attendants to park and monitor bikes during the event.
Samantha Ollinger, BikeSD executive director explains, “We’re thrilled to be working with YardStash. There’s strong alignment between our organizations’ commitment to increase bicycling commuting and the sponsorship highlights BikeSD’s ongoing commitment to partner with San Diego based companies that are bike-friendly and provide best-in-class products.”
About BikeSD:
BikeSD is a non-profit advocacy organization based in the city of San Diego that is working to establish San Diego as a world-class bicycling city by promoting everyday riding and advocating for standard-setting bicycling infrastructure, while aiming for the positive change and safety that will empower and connect San Diegans throughout a livable, urban environment.
About YardStash Solutions: YardStash Solutions, a San Diego based company, is committed to developing affordable and high quality outdoor storage products that enable space constrained consumers such as apartment dwellers and RVers to store, protect and organize their outdoor gear and reclaim their outdoor living spaces.
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News, Links, and Other Views
City of San Diego
- A strange and dangerous curb in the bike lane on Harbor Drive was removed after bicycle advocate Chuck Perkins, Bike SD, and local news publicized the dangerous condition.
- San Diego Mayor, Kevin Faulconer, has focused his proposed budget on paving 300 miles of roads and has pledged to repave 1,000 miles in the next five years.
- The City of San Diego is expected to approve a $225,000 settlement in a lawsuit brought by cyclist who was injured by a motorist on Santa Fe Street alleging defective design of the bike lane.
- Is San Diego Bay or Mission Bay more polluted? It turns out that after a century of pollution that is a hard question to answer.
San Diego Region
- SANDAG and the City of Encinitas will be holding a community meeting to get input on the segment of the Coastal Rail Trail from Chesterfield Drive to E Street.
- Carlsbad has launched a Walk and Bike Carlsbad campaign to educate residents about safe biking and walking routes.
- Coronado living: put the kids in the bike trailer and take the ferry to explore San Diego.
- Construction to make Highway 101 more pedestrian and bicycle friendly in Leucadia is scheduled to begin 3 years from now in 2018, the Encinitas City Council is asking whether the process can be accelerated.
- Residents of Cardiff face dangerous conditions as their neighborhood becomes an on-ramp for motorists violating traffic laws to access I-5.
Elsewhere
- A bike racer and a stunt man driving a Ferrari raced in rush hour Los Angeles traffic to see which mode of transportation was faster.
- The first parking-protected bicycle lane has been built on Reseda Blvd in Los Angeles.
- In Tuscon Arizona, two teenagers were busted for trying to smuggle cannabis across the border in their bicycle tires.
- The King Street Cycletrack in Honolulu will soon be getting 13 new bicycle-specific traffic signals.
- One of the top cycling cities in the UK, York, is opening a new cycle route in the north of the city.
- The Seattle DOT is working on updating its Bicycle Master Plan to create a network of protected bike lanes.
- The Burlington Free Press calls for more protected bike lanes and roundabouts as the United States falls behind other nations in making streets safe for pedestrians and cyclists.
- A new protected bike lane is under construction in Upper Manhattan.
- A survey highlights the shame that in the United States more than half of Americans never ride a bike and that most who ride do so as a leisure activity.