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Support the Preferred Alternative

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On the evening of Tuesday, February 6 the San Luis Obispo City Council will have the opportunity to adopt the “Preferred Alternative” for the Anholm Bikeway plan (previously the Broad St. Bike Blvd). The Preferred Alternative includes protected bike lanes along Chorro St. while the less desirable Lincoln St. alternative relies heavily on sharrows. Both connect to the planned Safe Routes to School crossing on Foothill Blvd. Bike SLO County believes that the Lincoln St. alternative won’t do enough to raise ridership or increase safety for riders. You can learn more about the two alternatives at  https://www.peakdemocracy.com/portals/189/Issue_3444

Bike SLO County urges you to consider taking one or more of the following timely actions before Tuesday’s meeting. See below for email template and attached for additional points to consider for both written and spoken comments):

1. Write an email to the city council (emailcouncil@slocity.org) supporting the Preferred Alternative. To ensure that City Council receives and reads your email, submit no later than noon on Tuesday, February 6th.
2. Submit your letter and comments here: https://www.peakdemocracy.com/portals/189/Issue_3444/
3. Write a letter to the editor and send via email to the Tribune (letters@thetribunenews.com) and the New Times (letters@newtimesslo.com)

At Tuesday’s meeting:

1. Attend to show your support and raise your hand when comments are made supporting the Preferred Alternative. Meeting takes place at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber, City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California 93401.
2. Speak on behalf of the project.
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Email Template 

SUBJECT: Regarding Anholm Bikeway (Broad St. Bike Blvd)

Honorable Mayor and Council Members,

I’m writing to encourage the City Council of the City of San Luis Obispo to adopt the Preferred Alternative of the Anholm Bikeway (Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard) proposal. The Preferred Alternative creates safer streets for everyone — people who drive cars, people who ride bikes and people who walk. The Lincoln St. Alternative doesn’t do enough to raise ridership or increase safety for riders.

Additionally, the Preferred Alternative will play a major role in providing Safe Routes to School for students attending Bishop’s Peak and Pacheco Elementary schools.

Thank you for working to make SLO a better place to live,

YOUR NAME

Stand up for the Broad St Bicycle Boulevard

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Tell the SLO City Council what you want

Monday, December 11, 2017

On Monday, Dec. 11th, there will be another community session to review the plans for bicycle improvements in the Chorro/Broad street corridor. Bike SLO County encourages you to attend the meeting to support safer bike and pedestrian facilities. If you are not able to attend, please spend a few minutes to send an email to the city council (emailcouncil@slocity.org) regarding the importance of this connector and safe route for all members of our community. Your email and/or attendance at the meeting will make a real difference.  There are people who don’t want to see the Broad St Bicycle Boulevard get built in any form and they have been very vocal about their opposition. Please take a few minutes to write to City Council or to attend the meeting on December 11th or both.

As it mentions in the information from the City of SLO below, you can read more about the project and past meetings here: (http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3444)
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Over the past year-and-a-half, the City has conducted numerous public engagement activities for the Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan—a proposed transportation improvement plan with the goal of establishing a safe, low-stress through route for bicyclists and pedestrians connecting the downtown with neighborhoods, schools and other points of interest to the north. Most recently, a City Council Study Session was conducted on August 15th, 2017 to invite public input and evaluate potential alternatives for the most challenging segment of the proposed corridor—the middle portion between Lincoln Street and Ramona Drive.  The Study Session concluded with Council directing staff to complete the technical studies and concept designs for the corridor with the following alternatives:

• Preferred Alternative – Route alignment follows Chorro Street (Lincoln to Mission), Mission Street (Chorro to Broad) and Broad Street (Mission to Ramona). Eliminate on-street parking on one side of Chorro and Broad to provide width for dedicated protected/buffered bike lanes.
• Low-Impact Alternative – Route alignment follows Lincoln Street (Chorro to Mission), Mission Street (Lincoln to Broad) and Broad Street (Mission to Ramona). Route operates as bicycle boulevard (shared street) with markings, signage and low-impact traffic calming features to convey bicycle travel. Option includes no dedicated bike lanes or on-street parking removal.

Over the course of the project planning process, the City has conducted three community meetings to encourage neighborhood engagement to guide development of the Plan. A fourth community meeting will be held at the City/County Library on Monday, December 11th, 2017 at 6:00 PM to present the latest project materials. The agenda for this meeting includes:

1. Review of project background, Council Study Session, and other work completed to date
2. Staff presentation of refined concept designs and analysis:
a. Middle Segment (Lincoln to Ramona)
– Recommended Alternative: Broad & Chorro Protected/Buffered Bikeway
– Low-Impact Alternative: Lincoln Street Bike Boulevard Alignment
b. Southern Segment (Downtown to Lincoln)
c. Northern Segment (Ramona to Foothill)
3. Project Implementation (Phasing) & Performance Monitoring Strategies
4. Upcoming meetings and next steps

The goal of this upcoming meeting is to invite public input on the recommended project concept designs and implementation strategies prior to returning to the City Bicycle Advisory Committee (January 2018) and City Council (February 2018) for submittal of the Final Plan for consideration. Two weeks prior to the December 11th meeting, direct notifications will be mailed to all properties along Broad Street, Chorro Street and along cross streets within the vicinity of the corridor. City-wide notification of the meeting will be provided by advertisement in the Tribune, the City’s website and social media platforms approximately one week before the meeting.

Those whom cannot attend the meeting are encouraged to visit the project website (http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3444) to review meeting summaries, project materials, provide comments, and subscribe to project updates.

If you have any questions, please contact Project Managers Jennifer Rice and Luke Schwartz via phone or email as follows:

Jennifer Rice
Transportation Planner/Engineer
(805) 781-7058
jrice@slocity.org

Luke Schwartz
Transportation Planner/Engineer
(805) 781-7190
lschwartz@slocity.org

Giving Tuesday 2017

Help make Giving Tuesday 2017 Great!

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Giving Tuesday 2017 (November 28th) is both a local and a global day of giving. It is also the official kick-off for Bike SLO County’s End of Year Fundraising campaign as we reach out to the bike community and ask you to support our efforts to inspire, educate, advocate and work to build a safe, healthy and connected community through bicycling.

Giving Tuesday 2017

This year we’re asking for your help in 2 ways:

  1. Make a donation, either a one time donation or a monthly recurring donation. Monthly: bikeslocounty.org/donate. One time donation:http://bikeslocounty.org/donate-3/one-time-donations/ Old School: Mail check to Bike SLO County, 860 Pacific St #105, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
  2. Host a one day Giving Tuesday online fundraiser on your Facebook page. It’s easy and a great opportunity because The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match up to $1,000 from every one of our supporters who raises money on Facebook.

All you have to do is set up your fundraiser on Facebook and ask your friends to support it. Every dollar donated by you and your friends will be matched (up to $1,000 per fundraiser, for a total of $50,000 overall for Bike SLO County).

If you’re willing to help, just go to https://www.facebook.com/fundraisers/ and click on “Raise Money” to get started. It’s super easy and will just take two minutes. See our sample message below in orange, which you can feel free to copy or change entirely. (And if you like detailed step-by-step instructions, you’ll also find those below). Be sure to select “Bike SLO County” as your charity.

Instructions for setting up your fundraiser (this only takes 2 minutes):

To set up your fundraiser, you can follow Facebook’s simple instructions here, or our more detailed ones, below. (Or, if you’re tech savvy, just go to facebook.com/fundraisers and it’s pretty straightforward.) See our bolded message in orange below, if you’d like to use that.

Step 1: Go to https://www.facebook.com/fundraisers (You’ll need to be logged in to your personal Facebook page), and click “Raise Money,” then “Get Started”

Step 2: “Who are you raising money for?” Select “Nonprofit”

Step 3: Type in “Bike SLO County.” Facebook then asks how much money you want to raise. Enter $1000 (or more, if you prefer). Choose the date you want your fundraiser to end. If you want to just raise money on #GivingTuesday, the set the date to Tuesday, Nov 28, but there’s no harm in having the fundraiser last a few days.

Step 4: Fill in the title and description of your fundraiser. Here is sample text (feel free to just copy this text, or to personalize it by letting people know why this cause is so important to you):

Title: Support Bike SLO County on #GivingTuesday

Description: Join me on #GivingTuesday in supporting a charity whose work I care deeply about, Bike SLO County. On Tuesday, Nov 28th, #GivingTuesday, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match up to $50,000 per charity, so your donation will be doubled!

Bike SLO County’s mission is to inspire, educate, advocate and work to build a safe, healthy and connected community through bicycling.

Bike SLO County makes the Central Coast a better place for people who ride bikes—and for everyone. Friends, I hope you can help them make this match today!

Step 5: For your cover photo, you can use one of Facebook’s suggested graphics (the one with the happy people in a green park seems to best fit Bike SLO County), or use a photo of you on your bike, or feel free to use the photos linked below. Click “edit” in the lower right hand corner of the FB graphic, then click “Upload new photo,” and choose a photo from your computer. To use our attached photo, you must download it first, and then find it in your downloads folder once you click “Upload new photo.”

Photo 1: Kid on Bike
https://www.flickr.com/photos/slobikelane/24811667058/in/dateposted-public/
Photo 2: Group shot at Bikes & Beauty
https://www.flickr.com/photos/slobikelane/24811695298/in/dateposted-public/

Step 6: Click “Create” and your fundraiser will be published!

Finally, please let your friends know about your Giving Tuesday 2017 fundraiser! It’s best to let them know late Monday night or very early on Tuesday morning, since the match is only good on #GivingTuesday. To invite your friends, go to
https://www.facebook.com/fundraisers/ and click on the title of your fundraiser over in the left hand column under “Shortcuts” (you can also edit your fundraiser here). Click on “Invite” and choose any or all of your friends with whom you wish to share your fundraiser.

If you have already donated, THANK YOU!
Giving Tuesday 2017
Thanks from everyone at Bike SLO County!

WTF! Women Trans Femme Night

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WTF! Women Trans Femme Night at Bike Kitchen

Bicycle maintenance has traditionally been an overwhelmingly male-dominated area. It is our goal to help teach women, trans, and femme individuals who have been intimidated or marginalized in this setting to be knowledgeable and confident working on their bikes.

On a daily basis, Bike SLO County strives to ensure a safe and comfortable environment for all, while also recognizing the benefits of offering women, trans & femme-specific evening hours as a stepping stone to achieving greater confidence working in our space at any time.

Women’s Night and WTF Night are for:

Women: A person who identifies as a woman.

Trans: Transgender, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, gender creative, anyone whose gender identity is fluid, transgressive, and/or transitioning.

Femme: A gender identity in which a person of any gender embodies a feminine appearance, expression, or identity.

Bike SLO County’s WTF (Women/Trans/Femme) Nights take place the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month from 5 – 8:30 PM in the Bike Kitchen at 860 Pacific St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 (map).

If you are not WTF identified, please BECOME AN ALLY:

  • Respect the space: Come during our regular hours, don’t ask for an exception, and don’t hang around the entrance during Women’s Night or WTF hours.
  • Respect People: During Bike Kitchen’s regular hours, treat all female & trans mechanics and patrons as you would any other person (don’t assume they’re less knowledgeable, don’t call them “sweetie,” and NEVER take a wrench out of their hand!)
  • Get Educated: Learn about the issues facing women and trans communities.
  • Educate others: About why and how to be an ally!

(Big thanks to DIY bike cooperative, BICAS in Tuscon, AR and Sacramento Bike Kitchen in Sacramento, CA from whom some of our Women’s Night/WTF Night language was cribbed.)

Bike Safe! Drive Safe!

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Bike Safe Everyday

While you should always bike and drive safe, on Thursday October 5th, 2017 the San Luis Obispo Police Department will step up bicycle safety enforcement operations with focused enforcement on collision-causing factors involving both people driving cars and people riding bicycles. Special patrols will be deployed to crack down on all people who violate traffic laws meant to protect all roadway users.

The SLO Police department has mapped out locations from over the past 3 years where bicycle involved collisions have occurred and noted the violations that led to those crashes. SLOPD officers will be looking for violations made by people driving automobiles and people riding bikes that can lead to life changing injuries.

The following safety tips can save lives and traffic citations:

People who drive Motor Vehicle Drivers:

– ‘Share the road’ with people on bicycles
– Be courteous; California law now mandates at least three feet of clearance when passing a bike rider
– Look for people riding bicycles before opening a car door or pulling out from a parking space
– Yield to people riding bicycles at intersections and as directed by signs and signals
– Be especially watchful for bicycle riders when making turns, either left or right

People who drive bicycles:

– Wear properly fitted bicycle helmets every time they ride. If under 18 years of age, it’s the law
– A helmet is the single most effective way to prevent head injury resulting from a bicycle crash
– People riding bicycles are considered vehicle operators; they are required to obey the same rules of the road as other people driving motor vehicles, including obeying traffic signs, signals, and lane markings.
– When cycling in the street, people riding bikes must ride in the same direction as traffic.
– People riding bikes should increase their visibility to drivers by wearing fluorescent or brightly colored clothing during the day, and at dawn and dusk
– To be noticed when riding at night, the law requires a front light and a red reflector to the rear
– For additional safety, use a flashing rear light, and use retro-reflective tape or markings on equipment or clothing

2017 Red Davis Celebration

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Get Ready for an evening of FUN!

The 7th Annual Red Davis Celebration is upon us! Join us on Friday, November 3rd for dinner and drinks as we thank our incredible supporters and announce the recipients of our 2017 awards: Volunteer of the Year, Advocate of the Year, Public Servant of the Year, Donor of the Year, Business Member of the Year, and Board Member of the Year. Once again this year we’re hosting the ceremonies at the historic King David’s Masonic Lodge in Downtown SLO.

This event is open to everyone – whether you’re 8 or 80, a Volunteer, a Bike SLO County member, an adult, a kid, a kid at heart or just a bike lover in general. We are very proud of the amazing energy that our community and volunteers provide…let’s celebrate!

Dinner, wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. Food, wine, beer, soda…you’re probably wondering how much this is going to cost you, right? We’ll have some tip jars out to help cover the costs of food, drinks and renting the Lodge, but chipping in isn’t required. (We’ll love you if you do chip in but we’ll still love you either way!)

We’ll also have our DIY photo-booth set-up to capture your fun, festive selfies.

Doors open at 6:00 pm, awards ceremony begins at 7:00 p.m.

Our free Bike Valet will be parking bikes from 5:45-8:45 p.m. in the back parking lot of SLO Bike and Run (883 Marsh St, next door to the Masonic Lodge).

To enter, use the secret Masonic Elevator to the left of Founders Community Bank to enter the Lodge. We’ll have signs to help you find your way.

Sound good? Mark your calendar, November 3rd from 6-8:30PM. PLEASE RSVP on Facebook so we can gauge attendance figures and plan accordingly.

About Red Davis: In 2001 Red was a founding member of Bike SLO County (back when we were the SLO County Bicycle Coalition). For countless years Red has worked hard throughout SLO County as an advocate for better bikeways, including a ten year stint with the county’s Bicycle Advisory Committee. The County Board of Supervisors honored Red by designating the bike lanes on Los Osos Valley Road between Foothill Boulevard and South Bay Boulevard as “The Red Davis Bikeway”. Red’s hard work and dedication were the inspiration for the Red Davis Celebration, created to honor members of the bike community who make SLO County a better place for bikes. Red currently serves as a member of the Morro Bay City Council.

7 Days of Bike Kitchen!

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Bike Kitchen Cooking Seven Days a Week!

We thrilled to announce that beginning on Monday October 2nd, 2017 the Bike Kitchen will transition to a brand new and expanded seven days a week schedule! We’ll expand our current 23.5 hours a week to a whopping 39.5 hours of Bike Kitchen goodness. We’re also opening later on Mondays so that we can be open later for people who prefer to wrench in the evening.

Our new and improved schedule:

  • Monday: 3-8 PM
  • Tuesday: 12-5 PM
  • Wednesday: 12-5 PM
  • Thursday: 12-6 PM
  • Friday: 12-5 PM
  • Saturday: 12-5 PM
  • Sunday: 12-5 PM

Additionally, our WTF (Women/Trans/Femme) Nights continue from 5-8:30 PM on the first Wednesday of every month, as well as Women’s Night @ Bike Kitchen on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Wednesdays from 5-8:30 PM.

We’ve been dreaming about this day for ages and are excited that the day when we’re able to help even more people keep rolling is almost here!

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The Bike Kitchen is located at 860 Pacific St, on the corner of Morro and Pacific in SLO, behind the Marsh St Post Office.

The Bike Kitchen is a program of Bike SLO County. We have all the parts, tools and knowledge you need to fix your bicycle! We can help you build a bike from the ground up, fix that vintage junker you found at a yard sale or simply tune up your bicycle. We serve all types of people, and are committed to creating a safe space for everyone. We have provided guided instruction to over 8,000 people since opening our doors in 2010. Looking to buy a gently used, ready to ride bicycle? We sell all kinds of bicycles! Come in and see us. Have a bike you’d like to donate? Your generous gifts help the Bike Kitchen thrive and give even more people the chance to experience SLO County by bike. Thank you!

Like Bikes? Join us! It’s free! Head over to bikeslocounty.org/join to sign up for our monthly eNews and we’ll keep you informed about all things bike in SLO County.

Another cyclist has died: It’s time to act

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The following op-ed from our Executive Director Mike Bennet appeared in the San Luis Obispo Tribune on September 2, 2017:

Upon arriving to work on the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 30, I received a message from a friend alerting me that a cyclist had been killed the night before on Foothill Boulevard in San Luis Obispo.

A search online confirmed the tragic news. Later in the day, updates to the sad story informed the community that Kennedy Love, a 22-year-old Cal Poly student, had been struck and killed by a car driven by a 17-year-old Los Osos resident who fled the scene of the crash. The driver later admitted to police that she had been drinking prior to hitting and killing Kennedy.

At almost the same time that Kennedy was struck and killed, two Central Valley residents were killed in a single vehicle crash on Cuesta Grade. The two passengers were ejected from the car when the driver lost control and the car went up the embankment. They were then struck by several cars and killed. The driver of the vehicle was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

On Wednesday afternoon, I stopped by the location on Foothill Boulevard where Kennedy was killed. I placed some flowers nearby and thought about the reasons behind the needless deaths of three young Americans. Looking at the place in the road where Kennedy breathed his last breath, I spent some time thinking about what would have broken the chain of events that led to his death. My first thought was that protected bike lanes—which place a physical barrier between cyclists and motorists—on Foothill might have prevented his death. Protected bike lanes on this stretch of road have been discussed, and this event highlights that now is the time to make them a reality. In conjunction with other Safe Routes to School projects, protected bike lanes on Foothill and elsewhere will help make cyclists and pedestrians of all ages safer.

In the Marine Corps, and particularly in Marine Corps Aviation where I spent most of my military career, each member of the organization is charged with recognizing when they need to act to break the chain of events which can lead to a mishap. So how can we each work to break the chain of events that can lead to tragedy in our daily lives?

We start by obeying the rules of the road. The vehicle code is there to protect us and to make our roadways function as efficiently as possible.

If you are a pedestrian, please employ all the senses you were given by the good Lord in order to help you survive; watch where you are going, don’t look at your phone while crossing the street or train tracks and don’t use ear buds when, for your own personal safety, you need to be aware of your surroundings.

If you are a driver, be focused solely on the task of operating your car or truck; please give cyclists the three feet of clearance the law requires and give that motorcyclist in your rear view mirror a little room to pass.

If you are a cyclist, please obey traffic signals and signs, and if you are riding on a road without a bike lane, don’t ride two abreast. It does nothing to improve the relationship between drivers and the community of cyclists to which you belong.

Consideration for all road users is a must to ensure safety. If you are a cyclist, respect the driver pulling a load of hay, grapes or horses; he or she is likely just trying to get home after a 14-hour day to see the kids for a few minutes before trying to get a couple hours of sleep.

If you are a driver, please keep an eye out for motorcyclists and pedestrians, and please keep in mind that the cyclist riding down the road with you may be the ER doctor who eased your child’s pain last week; the manager of the winery across the valley where you had such a great time last weekend; a retired police captain who leads bike rides to help people stay active and healthy in retirement; or an old Marine helicopter gunship pilot who moved to the Central Coast after a quarter century of serving his country in peace and in war, and just wants to get a little exercise with his wife and friends. He’ll be the one giving you a smile and a wave and hoping for the same in return.