2015 National Bike Summit

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This week our Executive Director Dan Rivoire has been attending the 2015 National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. and sent us the following update:

For the second straight year, the week kicked off with the womenbikeWomen Bike Summit. Taking a close look at advocacy through a gender lens really helped us learn more about what we can be doing to welcome everyone into our bike community in San Luis Obispo. Seriously, the sessions were awesome right out of the gate. Multicultural Communities for Mobility out of Los Angeles handled the crowd and helped us all grow like an absolute boss. We discussed the importance of supporting and protecting safe spaces for everyone in our community through things like women only bike education and rides. The highlight was learning the term of the hour when it comes to supporting LGBTQ communities: Be an accomplice, not just an ally. I just can’t wait to get home and keep talking about how the SLO County Bike Coalition can take serious action toward being inclusive. Check out Multicultural Communities for Mobility here: https://www.multicultimobility.org/. Read more

Call for Work: Bike Art

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Calling All Artists

Be a part of Bike Month + Art After Dark this May
Bike Month is kicking off Friday, May 1st, so Rideshare is teaming up with Art After Dark in San Luis Obispo to include bike-themed art at as many locations as possible this year!

Are you an artist or do you know someone who is? Bike Month 2015Rideshare wants to make Bike Month 2015 the best SLO County has seen yet, but they need your help to kick it off right! Anyone who is interested in contributing to May Art After Dark events in celebration of Bike Month should email mjenkins@rideshare.org for more info before March 20, 2015.

By showing your support creatively, you’ll be helping to heighten the awareness of bicycling and bicyclists on our roads this May. Get busy creating and contact Rideshare soon!! #LetsGetVisible

bike art!

Bike of the Week: Faggin 14-speed

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This repainted blue Faggin has a 62 cm frame, perfect for riders 6′ or taller. The fantastic Nitto Noodle drop bars provide a wide variety of comfortable hand positions.

FagginEquipped with Campagnolo parts throughout (including brakes/levers, rims, and cranks) this Italian-made beauty can be yours for $650.00 at the Bike Kitchen. We’re open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Noon to 5 PM and are located at 860 Pacific St in San Luis Obispo (corner of Morro and Pacific streets). Come in and see us!

The Bike Kitchen is a program of The SLO County Bicycle Coalition. 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 junker you found at a garage sale, or simply tune up your bicycle. Looking to buy a gently used, ready to ride bicycle? We sell them! 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.

  Read more

Bike The Budget on January 13

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Stand up for Bikes on January 13th

Every two years, the City of San Luis Obispo establishes the top priorities to make SLO an even better place to live, work and play. The City council then matches the resources necessary to achieve these priorities through adopting the budget in June. The adopted budget sets the City’s course of action for the next two years. The Community Budget Forum on January 13th at the Ludwick Community Center is the bike community’s opportunity to present our ideas directly to the city council on what priorities we want represented within the next two year budget cycle.

Do we really need to show up?

The City Council uses the Community Budget Forum to assess the priorities for the coming budget cycle.  If members of the bike community don’t show up to express how important bike infrastructure improvements are to the community, the City Council won’t include them in the 2015-2017 budget process. Only by gathering together can we demonstrate our strength, passion and resolve to continue making San Luis Obispo an even better place to bike.

Where and When?

We’ll meet at 5:00 PM in the Community Room of the SLO Library (995 Palm St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401) to eat pizza and discuss strategy.

At 5:45 PM we’ll bike/walk/drive over to the Ludwick Community Center, a few short blocks away at 864 Santa Rosa St (corner of Santa Rosa and Mill). The community forum lasts from 6:00-9:00 pm, with the voting (placing dots on your favorite projects) taking place at the end. Bike Coalition Board Member Lea Brooks will speak to the Council and at that point all bike supporters should stand to demonstrate our support. If you can’t make the whole thing please try and make sure you can be there for the final half hour so that your vote will be counted. The more people that show up and vote the more we’ll “bike the budget”!

You can RSVP for the event on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bike-the-budget-stand-up-to-make-bikes-a-slo-city-budget-priority-tickets-15145940917

Win a Peak Rack!

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Make an End of Year Gift – Be Entered to Win!

The Central Coast is an incredible place to ride our bikes. While you, your friends, kids, and co-workers may already enjoy riding around the neighborhood on two wheels, we know our work is far from complete. None of us want our ride to be cut short. The Bicycle Coalition works continuously to improve your life through great paths and friendly roads. Your donation to the Bicycle Coalition’s year-end campaign strengthens our efforts to make SLO County better for bikes.

Our goal is to raise $25,000 by December 31st. As we work to hit our target, your generous donation will make a safer, more bike-friendly Central Coast possible.

What About the Bike Rack? win_a_silver_peak_rack

Oh yes – the kind folks over at Peak Racks have donated one of their awesome 2-Bike Single-Sided Bike Racks to The Bike Coalition. We’ve decided to offer this galvanized rack as a raffle prize. Anyone who donates at least $25 from now through midnight on December 31st, 2014 will be entered for a chance to win. The winner will be announced on January 5th*.

Thank you for digging deep and giving big in 2014. Make your End of Year Gift and enter to win a Peak Rack at https://slobikelane.org/donate

*small print! Rack will be available for pickup at the Bike Coalition offices in SLO. If you can’t pick it up we will deliver it within SLO County. We can not mail/ship the rack anywhere.

 

Help Hawthorne Elementary

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Can You Help Make Biking to Hawthorne Easier?

At the Bicycle Coalition, nothing motivates us like the stories we hear about people dedicated to making biking easier and safer for all of us.  This is definitely the case at Hawthorne Elementary School.

Access to Hawthorne is tricky as it is the only school in the District with neither a lot nor a turnaround. All of the buses, autos, pedestrians and bikes are served only by City streets.  In 2011, with support from the City of SLO, Rideshare, and the school district, parents spurred the initiation of a painted bike box to designate exactly how bicycles should enter the school at the bike cage.  hawthorneRamp600For the last year parents have been taking turns arriving early at school to place cones and a bike ramp at the bike access point. That is some serious dedication!

Of course, the parents, school, city, and district are all on board to see a real long-term solution.  Do you want to get involved? We are looking for a licensed contractor with workman’s comp and the ability to donate their equipment and service to complete Hawthorne’s curb cut plans (see PDF of plans here).  Please contact the SLO County Bike Coalition for more information.

The Bike Coalition would sincerely like to thank the parents and other kind folks for your efforts at Hawthorne Elementary School. Your hard work and dedication is an inspiration for all of us.

Tom diSanto, M:OME Architecture

Rod Hoadley,  Peak Racks

Kirt Collins, School Principal

Angela Nelson, formerly of Rideshare

Chris Teaford, Specialty Construction

Ben Jensen, Horrocks Engineers

Berry Geno Worden

Josh Machamer

Lee Engelmeier

Matt Treichler

Higuera Street Traffic Alert

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Southern California Gas Excavating Higuera Street

Beginning in early November, SoCalGas will be excavating parts of Higuera Street in order to replace one of their natural gas pipelines with new pipe. Excavation and pipe installation on Higuera Street will be done in small sections, from Bridge Street down to south of LOVR. During this process, which is expected to last between 14 – 16 weeks, bicyclists and motorists may experience lane closures and even possible delays in areas where traffic is reduced to one lane controlled by flaggers.

higuera_gas_map_logoThe excavation and pipeline installation work will be conducted in a series of sections, one-at-a-time. Lane reductions will be in effect during working hours, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., marked with traffic cones and signs.

While each section north of Los Osos Valley Road is being worked on, Higuera Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction for the length of the section, plus a safe distance before and beyond the section.

South of Los Osos Valley Road, Higuera Street will be reduced to one lane and traffic will alternate between directions as controlled by flaggers.

Bike Smart

In light of these upcoming traffic disruptions, we’d like to take this chance to remind you of some smart and simple rules of the road to help you safely reach your destination:

  • Follow the law. You have the same rights and obligations as drivers. Obey traffic signals and stop signs. Ride with traffic.
  • Be predictable.  Make your intentions clear to everyone on the road. Ride in a straight line and don’t swerve. Signal turns and check behind you well before making a turn or changing lanes.
  • Be conspicuous. Ride where people can see you. At night use a front white light, rear red light and/or reflectors. Make eye contact with other road users whenever possible.
  • Think ahead. Anticipate what drivers, pedestrians and other people on bikes will do next. Watch for turning vehicles and ride outside the door zone of parked cars. Look out for debris, potholes and other road hazards.
  • Ride ready. Before you ride, make sure your tires have enough air, that your brakes are working, your chain runs smoothly and that your quick release levers are closed.

Bike Lights at Night

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Long Nights? Bike Lights!

Daylight Savings Time ended early Sunday morning and the days are getting shorter as the nights grow longer. Now is a great time to make sure the batteries on your bike lights are fully charged.

Don’t have bike lights or reflectors? Even if it wasn’t a legal requirement (it is) having lights and reflectors makes you much more visible to other vehicles and pedestrians at night. According to CaliforniaVehicle Code Section 21201, bicycles need to be equipped with a white light in the front and a red reflector (or light) in the rear. Additionally bikes need white or yellow reflectors on their pedals and/or the side of their bike.

Most bike shops will be happy to help you find the right lights for your bike. Even our own Bike Kitchen has a selection of lights to help you bike safe and smart this Fall and Winter. There are plenty of cool options out there to help you light up the night!