Posted by Sam Ollinger on March 13, 2012

I received an email about the good work one member of the San Diego Police Department has been doing to make sure that the Rose Creek bike path remains clear and clean.

Last Friday, SDPD Officer Bob Adams invited twenty five Mission Bay High School students to do some good by walking along the Rose Creek bike path while picking up and bagging all the trash they encountered. Most of the students were also Junior ROTC members. According to Officer Adams, the students were most excited to get picked up in the SDPD prisoner van which was surprising to Officer Adams. After picking up all the trash and loading the trash bags into the SDPD van which left no room for anything else, the students walked back to school along the path.

Thank you Officer Adams and to all the Mission Bay High School students for being so proactive and keeping a beautiful bike path clean and useable. Hope you inspired other San Diegans to stay classy and quit littering the bike path.

Category: Advocacy, Mission Bay Park | No Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on March 13, 2012

The Groundbreaking Ceremony last August. The dirt has now been converted into a beautiful and bikeable bikeway.

It took SANDAG seven months to complete 1.8 miles of the Bayshore Bikeway and to celebrate the official opening of the bike path to the public, you are all invited to attend the opening on March 24, 2012. See the flier below for more details.

Bayshore Bikeway Invitation (click for larger version)

SANDAG’s David Hicks provided some additional details:

The event will take place on Saturday, March 24, at 11 a.m. off Bay Boulevard and West J Street/Marina Parkway in Chula Vista. Speakers will include County Supervisor Greg Cox, SANDAG Second Vice Chair and Imperial Beach Mayor Jim Janney, Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox, and San Diego Port Commissioner Scott Peters.

This latest 1.8-mile stretch runs along the Chula Vista bayfront. The goal is to create a 24-mile path all the way around San Diego Bay. With the completion of the Chula Vista section, the bikeway is approximately halfway finished.

Everyone is invited to attend the event. Please bring your bicycle and take part in the celebration and ribbon-cutting. If you have questions, please contact David Hicks at (619) 699-6939 or david.hicks@sandag.org

Category: Bicycle Projects, News | 2 Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on March 12, 2012

Our regional transportation and planning agency wants to increase the number of commuters who take transit, carpool, vanpool, walk, bike, ride a motorcycle or scooter, or telecommute.

iCommuteSD.com is rewarding commuters who choose a more sustainable way of getting to work or school with monthly prize drawings.

March prizes include a monthly transit pass on Compass Card, eLiveLife health and wellness gift certificates, a free membership and 45 free minutes for Car2Go, Birch Aquarium VIP passes, Suki Spa gift certificates, an iCommute Prize Pack, movie passes, and gift cards for Jiffy Lube, Starbucks, Albertsons, and restaurants around the region.

Anyone who takes transit, carpools, vanpools, walks, bikes, rides a motorcycle or scooter, telecommutes or has a compressed workweek schedule and tracks at least eight trips per month is eligible. That’s only four days a month! (Each one-way trip counts.) Simply log a minimum of eight commute or SchoolPool trips using the iCommute TripTracker tool to be automatically entered for chances to win. Get started now and be sure to log your trips all month. Winners are drawn on the first Wednesday of each month. For complete contest rules, visit 511sd.com/iCommute and click on TripTracker.

For more information, visit 511sd.com/iCommute or call 511 and say, “iCommute.”

I’m not entirely sure how a prize from Jiffy Lube will encourage San Diegans to ditch the car in favor of every other mode of transportation, but I hope that there is some sound reasoning behind that offering.

Category: News | No Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on March 12, 2012

Election year is upon us and Racquel Vasquez with her long history of public service has thrown her hat into the City Council election ring. Lemon Grove’s City Council consists of five members who are selected from a non-partisan, at-large election to serve a four-year term. I had an opportunity to ask Vasquez some questions about her vision to normalize bicycling as a mode of transportation in Lemon Grove. Hope you enjoy getting to know Vasquez as I did.
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Racquel Vasquez (right) and her daughter, a budding bike advocate. Photo from Racquel Vasquez

BikeSD: How often do you ride a bicycle in Lemon Grove (for any purpose), and for what kinds of trips?
Racquel Vasquez: My family and I ride our bikes from time to time when warm weather permits, mostly around the neighborhood and for very short distances in Lemon Grove.
My husband and I have two daughters. When sun is shining brightly in the sky, our youngest will champion the cause for us to go out and ride our bikes. We ride classic cruisers while my husband prefers to ride a mountain bike. What we really enjoy most is that bike riding is a fun and economical way for the family to get some fresh air and exercise while spending quality time together.

BikeSD: The Lemon Grove School District recently received a grant to create a safer, more livable community with an emphasis on healthy walking and biking education recently. Will you commit to supporting a more robust Safe Routes to School program by expanding it to all schools in the city?
Racquel Vasquez: Absolutely! Helping our youth stay safe while walking and biking to school is a priority for me. A more robust Safe Routes to School program which combines in-school education with safety improvements along our streets is a win-win for our community. Besides, the overall health benefits and reduced fuel consumption are worth the investment!

BikeSD:Do you support the ability of businesses to continue to apply for and install parklets and bike parking corrals near their businesses?
Racquel Vasquez: I support the ability of businesses in Lemon Grove to continue to apply for and install parklets and bike parking corrals. Converting underutilized space into visually appealing areas with seating and landscaping is a wonderful way to bridge the connection between our local businesses and the community. It’s a benefit we all can enjoy!

Racquel and her bike. Photo from Racquel Vasquez

BikeSD:Do you support bringing more funding to bikeway construction and maintenance by prioritizing at least 50% of the streets in the repaving schedule to be streets that are designated bike routes?
Racquel Vasquez:I am committed to expanding our investment in bikeway infrastructure and maintenance in accordance with the overall city budget. This type of investment will foster a ‘healthy environment active living’ future for our city thus reducing our carbon footprint.

BikeSD:What are your ideas for other funding sources for bicycle projects and programs in Lemon Grove?
Racquel Vasquez: One of my top priorities is balancing the city’s budget to ensure our city thrives well into the future. Given this goal, I will work with staff to explore possible local, state and federal funding sources to support bicycle projects in Lemon Grove. I will also work with the appropriate city departments to ensure bikeway projects remain a priority for the city as per the project priorities for the Bikeway Master Plan.

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For additional information about the election, visit the City of Lemon Grove’s website. Vasquez also welcomes additional questions and you may leave them in the comments or by emailing her directly.

Category: Lemon Grove, News | No Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on March 11, 2012

Beneficios de la bicicleta

From our friend, Arturo in Tijuana, B.C who continues to build a better future one bicycle ride at a time.

Category: Advocacy, Baja California | No Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on March 10, 2012

City of Escondido Bicycle Master Plan Update Workshop Flier

The City of Escondido is holding a public workshop on the update to the Bicycle Master Plan this coming Monday at the Escondido City Hall, beginning at 6:00 P.M. in the Mitchell Room.

According to Jay Paul from the Planning Division,

We conducted an initial workshop several years back, but now have been finally able to update the draft map for the public to comment on the existing and proposed routes, especially within the City downtown core areas.  The draft map is on the City’s website for anyone to review and comment.  Comments can also be e-mailed to me at jpaul@ci.escondido.ca.us.  The purpose of the meeting is to finalize the map and then take it to our Transportation Commission at the end of this month.  We also are working on an updated survey that we can post on the City’s website.  We will have hard copies of the survey at the workshop.

Category: Bicycle Projects, Escondido | No Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on March 9, 2012

Almost a month ago a bicycle track that was both loved and well used was torn down by the city of San Diego. This track was part of a larger bicycle park built on a unused and undeveloped land in Point Loma at the corner of Famosa and Nimitz Boulevard. The bicycle park was built by a group of friends who shared a passion for riding bikes and who wanted to share that love with others in the community.

According to Scott Irwin, one of the supporters of the bicycle park which is now a desolate space,

The bicycle park quickly became a local hangout for children and adults in the community. We were picking up trash, making sure kids were wearing helmets, and promoting being involved in a positive outdoor activity. We built jumps for all ages and ability levels and even taught the neighborhood kids how to fix flat tires and tune up their brakes. Parents were bringing their kids on the weekends. It was awesome!

On February 9th, the city sent a crew in to destroy the bicycle tracks that were built. Over 30 children were there to watch their park get destroyed. Fox 5 News showcased the destruction on the 10 O’Clock news.

Some of the children who derived a lot of use from the bicycle park. Click image to watch the entire video.

The supporters of the bicycle park felt the idea of a bicycle park at the corner of Nimitz and Famosa was too good to die because of the tremendous positive impact the park had on the community. They formed a group called Freeride Famosa with the purpose of developing a multi-use community park.

After the park was leveled, Freeride Famosa contacted the city and started working with them to convert this undeveloped land into a community bicycle park.

District Two Councilmember, Kevin Faulconer, had his office reach out to Freeride Famosa on February 23rd to discuss the idea of recreating that beloved bicycle park at Site 22 (a.k.a the undeveloped land on the corner of Famosa and Nimitz). Now, Freeride Famosa has a meeting this coming Monday (March, 12) to discuss the transfer of the ownership of Site 22 from the San Diego Housing Commission to the City of San Diego for the purpose of developing a city bicycle park. During this meeting Freeride Famosa will begin conversations with the City Park & Rec Dept. about the steps necessary for development. The meeting will be attended by the following individuals:

• Council President Pro Tem Faulconer
• Michael Patton – Council Representative for the Ocean Beach / Point Loma area
• Rick Gentry – President, San Diego Housing Commission
• Stacey LoMedico – Park and Recreation Department
• Victoria Joes – Mayor’s Office
• and members of Freeride Famosa.

Freeride Famosa is currently developing a proposal to share during this meeting. I will post a copy of this proposal as soon as I receive a copy of it. However Freeride Famosa still needs your help to encourage the transfer of land ownership from the San Diego Housing Commission for the purpose of developing a community bicycle park at this location. Here is how you can help.

1. They have created a petition to solicit community support in favor of this bicycle park. As of this writing 584 individuals out of a possible 1,000 have signed the petition. The results of this petition will be shared with the meeting participants this Monday.
2. Freeride Famosa has developed a writing prompt to encourage children to express their support for the project.
3. In the spirit of creating a multi-use park, the group is going to propose that they incorporate a community garden into the design.

Everyone in Point Loma who supports Freeride Famosa’s efforts are very motivated to create something positive for the community and deserve all the support they can get.

Category: News, Point Loma Heights | 3 Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on March 8, 2012

Every Thursday evening, a group of hard court bike polo enthusiasts get together to play…hard court bike polo.

What: Hard Court Bike Polo
Who: Anyone who wants to play or watch others play
When: Every Thursday evening starting at 7 PM
Where: Golden Hill Rec Center

If you’ve ever been curious about bike polo and wanted to know more about it, join San Diego’s bike polo enthusiasts who get together every Thursday evening at the Golden Hill Rec Center.

Watch a video of what bike polo is all about below:

“We’ll Play Till the Lights Go Out” from David Brooks on Vimeo.

Read our previous coverage of bike polo.
Read CityBeat’s coverage of bike polo.

Category: Events, SD Bike Polo Dispatches | No Comments »

Posted by Sam Ollinger on March 7, 2012

Mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher sent in a copy of his bike plan policy that he released this morning. This comprehensive implementation plan is exactly the kind of forward-thinking vision cyclists all over San Diego have long been waiting for. None of the other mayoral candidates have been forthcoming with a clear vision on how they intend to implement San Diego’s Master Bicycle Plan by creating, improving and enhancing the city’s bicycle infrastructure to elevate bicycling as a feasible mode of transportation for all San Diegans.

As Mia Birk stated last December, the key to having a truly bike friendly city requires three ingredients,
1. A strong staff at the city level that is committed to making bicycling in San Diego better
2. The political will.
3. A strong advocacy front willing to support the government in its efforts.

San Diego has a strong core of bike advocates and, since late last year, strong staff at the city level. What San Diego is missing right now is the political will and Fletcher recognizes that missing component stating that what San Diego’s Bicycle Master Plan “doesn’t include is a plan of action or commitment from city leaders to find and allocate the resources we need to move the plan forward.”

To start, Fletcher recognizes that San Diego isn’t reaching its full potential to be one of the world’s greatest bike friendly cities.

As an avid cyclist, I want to see San Diego embrace the full potential it has to be one of the world’s great bike-friendly cities. That vision includes making biking safer, providing more recreational cycling opportunities and completing our cycling infrastructure so people can move around their neighborhoods as easily on a bike as they can in a car.

He then goes on to make the case on how bicycling can help our local economy by generating tourism dollars and supporting businesses.

Other cities have shown investing in bike infrastructure pays off. In 2008, Portland saw $90 million in bicycle-related economic activity, from retail, manufacturing, professional services and organized rides, an increase in value of 38 percent from 2006, reflecting the increase in bicycling, resulting in part from the city’s expanding network of bicycling facilities.

What are Fletcher’s goals for making San Diego one of the world’s best bicycling cities? He has a list of proven good ideas where he raised the bar, set in the bike plan, by ensuring we meet the goals earlier rather than later:
1. Increasing the bicycling mode share which would result in reducing the air pollution and meet California’s greenhouse gas emission targets.
2. Reducing the number of bicyclist collisions
3. Adopting best practices such as the NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide. This would bring in some of the world’s best bike infrastructure design that has shown to work effectively. Since AB 819 was watered down this would enable San Diego to take a lead and use the guide to become one of the world’s most bicycle friendly cities.
4. Ensuring that all of the city’s 40 community plans are updated and reflect the current wishes of the individual community residents.
5. Implementing the Complete Streets Act.
6. Partnering with law enforcement to expand the bicycle patrol division, educating the public on the traffic laws and issues revolving around sharing road space where there are no bicycle facilities.
7. Implementing a bicycle share program. This has been called a “game-changer” in increasing the bicycle mode share in other cities around the world.
8. Using sharrows and other innovative lane markings such as colored bike lanes.
9. Implementing a “Promenade for a Day” program. In other words, a Ciclovia: a temporary closure of streets that bring neighborhoods together and something that San Diego should have had for many years.
10. Creating a Mayor’s Cycling Task Force comprised of senior members of the mayor’s administration and the members in the cycling community. The purpose of the Cycling Task Force will be to oversee the mayor’s “efforts to identify and apply for federal and state funding opportunities.”
11. Measuring the results from implementing the above programs.
12. Publishing a Regional Bike Map and a Mobile Application to outline existing bike paths, trails and routes as well as “information related to bike infrastructure such as bike share programs, lockers and other amenities.”

This plan is an excellent start. Adopting the best practices detailed in t