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Call for Work: Bike Art

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!

The Bob Jones Trail Needs Your Help

Tell the SLO County Board of Supervisors to move forward with the Bob Jones Trail

Tuesday, February 24th is a busy day for bicycles in San Luis Obispo county. Yesterday we talked about octagonbarn440SLOCOG’s Edna Price Canyon Anza Trail Project Workshop #1 taking place on the night of February 24th, and today we’re highlighting the upcoming SLO County Board of Supervisors certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report for a 4.5 mile section of the Bob Jones Trail earlier the same day.

Help complete the Bob Jones Trail

The Friends of the Bob Jones Trail (a partnership of the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition and the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County) needs your help on an important milestone regarding the long-awaited extension of the Bob Jones Trail. On Tuesday, Feb. 24, the SLO County Board of Supervisors will consider certifying the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a 4.5-mile extension of the trail from the historic Octagon Barn on Higuera Street to the trail’s staging area on Ontario Road. The board will also approve the trail’s alignment, which includes under-crossings of San Luis Bay Drive and Highway 101.

What can you do?

1. Mark February 24 on your calendar. We won’t know what time the public hearing is scheduled until a week before the meeting, but want as many people as possible to attend to show their support for the Bob Jones Trail. Families with children are especially encouraged to attend to underscore the importance of introducing children to nature and recreational activities. The meeting will take place in the Board of Supervisors’ chambers, County Government Center, 1055 Monterey St., SLO, CA 93401. We will let you know what time as soon as that information becomes available.

2. Take a brief survey about the Bob Jones Trail at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DMXCMMM. We will compile the data and present it to the Board of Supervisors. We want as many trail users as possible to take the online questionnaire.

3. Send an e-mail to your county supervisor or the entire board asking them to certify the Final EIR and approve the trail alignment. Supervisors and their e-mails are:

District 1: Frank Mecham – fmecham@co.slo.ca.us

District 2: Bruce Gibson – bgibson@co.slo.ca.us

District 3: Adam Hill – ahill@co.slo.ca.gov

District 4: Lynn Compton – lcompton@co.slo.ca.us

District 5: Debbie Arnold – darnold@co.slo.ca.us

The Friends of the Bob Jones Trail is a partnership of the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition and the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County. Our No. 1 goal is encouraging and shepherding completion of the trail in a more timely fashion. The EIR is posted on the SLO County Planning Departments website at www.sloplanning.org under “Environmental Impact Reports.”

Bike of The Week: Breezer

This Liberty is a Breezer

Bike of The Week Liberty BreezerThis week’s beauty is a candy-apple-red Breezer Liberty. It has 18 speeds, 700c wheels and a bottle generator to power the onboard lights. No more batteries for you!

This bike is available right now at The Bike Kitchen for $450.00.

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 just 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 and have provided guided instruction to over 7,000 people since opening our doors in 2010.

 

 

Advocacy Alert

3 Feet for Safety Law goes live!

On September 16th The San Luis Obispo Bicycle Coalition held an event to inform the press and general public about California’s new bicycle-passing law, “Three Feet for Safety”. P1010551The law states that motorists must maintain a distance of at least three feet when passing a bicyclist.

California joins 24 other states with similar laws. According to Dan Rivoire, Executive Director of The SLO County Bicycle Coalition, “Bicyclists have a legal right to be on the road in California, even on streets that don’t have bike lanes. More and more people of all ages are discovering that bicycles are an easy, healthy, economical and fun way to get around, especially for short trips. Bike riders are vulnerable when motorists pass too closely. This new law is a reminder that sometimes motorists will need to slow down and wait to pass a bicyclist until it is safe to do so.”

Helping Rivoire spread the word were members of the San Luis Obispo Police Department and the California Highway Patrol. After officers discussed the law with local media, a SLOPD patrol car demonstrated the correct distance to give to bikes by driving past Vanessa Amerson,  3ft2pass_300the Bicycle Coalition’s Interim Education Director, as she rode her bike down Pacific Street in front of Bicycle Coalition headquarters in San Luis Obispo.

Some things to remember:

  • To help estimate what three feet is, motorists can think of how much room they give when parking in order to fully open their door without hitting another parked car or a wall.
  • The law applies on all roads: those with bike lanes as well as those with no bike lane.

If you would like more information or have questions about the new law, please contact the Bicycle Coalition at 805-547-2055.

 

Now Hiring: Programs Director

The San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition is now hiring a full time Programs Director to oversee our countywide programs! Read the description below and follow the instruction to apply to join our growing and incredible team.

Programs Director Position Description

The SLO County Bicycle Coalition exists to improve the quality of life on the Central Coast through bicycling advocacy, education, and inspiration. It is our goal to work with the community to help more people engage in the safe, fun and healthy habit of choosing active transportation.

The Programs Director will be responsible for all oversight of our Bike Education, Bike Valet, Bike Kitchen, and Kidical Mass programs and shall perform additional duties assigned by the Executive Director. Specifically, the Programs Director will need to demonstrate the ability to excel in the areas of: event management, contract work, invoicing, volunteer recruitment, volunteer management, bicycle education, public speaking to audiences ranging from small groups of adults to full elementary schools, interaction with diverse public clientele, and acting as a respectful smart cycling ambassador to the community. Work hours are flexible and may include afternoons, evenings, and weekends. This is a full time position consisting of approximately 40 hours per week.

Minimum Qualifications:

  • High School Diploma or G.E.D. equivalent.
  • 4 years experience interacting with the public representing an organization, club, company, or community group.
  • 2 years retail sales, outreach, or public speaking experience.
  • Experience with event coordination & community relations.
  • Experience with gmail, drive, google calendar, and google groups.
  • Extensive experience with Microsoft Office and the willingness to learn additional skills in programs such as Adobe Creative Suite, QuickBooks and Web Content Management (using CMS).

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Bachelors Degree.
  • Expertise with public speaking, demonstrated comfort speaking to audiences ranging from small groups of adults to full elementary schools.
  • Expertise with community relations, event planning and coordination, and volunteer recruitment and management.
  • High-Level competency with Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, QuickBooks, and Web Content Management.
  • Knowledge of non-profit management and membership recruitment techniques.
  • Experience with fundraising.
  • A love for riding bikes for everyday transportation and recreation.
  • Self motivated, creative, and extremely well organized.

Compensation:

  • This position pays $13.00/hour – $15.25/hour commensurate with experience. Benefits include 2 weeks personal time off, federal holidays off, and a $2,000 annual stipend for medical insurance.

Anti Discrimination Policy:

The San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition does not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any basis made unlawful by federal, state or local laws, including but not limited to race, color, creed, sex, gender, religion, marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition or sexual orientation. All such discrimination is unlawful and prohibited by the SLO County Bicycle Coalition.

How to Apply:

Please follow application instructions strictly.
Applications will be accepted until 5:00 pm (PST) on Monday, January 27, 2014.
Submit cover letter and resume as a single pdf document.
Format document title as follows: LastName_ProgramDirectorApplication.pdf
Email document to info@slobikelane.org with subject line reading: Program Director Application

Building a Bicycle Advocacy Force

Your Bicycle Coalition has big plans for our expanded advocacy efforts in 2014 and needs your help to make it happen! We ask you to make a year-end donation to help the Bicycle Coalition build this stronger advocacy force. 

Advocacy makes it happen, if we don’t show up and ask, bicycle projects will not get built. Thanks to our dedicated advocates we completed major victories this year:

  • Achieved adoption of a new Bicycle Plan in San Luis Obispo including $64 million in projects.
  • Maintained that future Bob Jones trail segments be removed from roadway traffic.
  • Rallied community support for new bike lanes on Grand Avenue in Grover Beach.
  • Secured 4x funding for bicycle projects in San Luis Obispo.
  • Supported installation of new bike lanes on Rambouillet Road in Paso Robles.
  • And even more!

LeadingTheCharge

In 2014 we will inspire decision makers to lead the charge for better bikeways or otherwise be replaced. Our plan for next year is to focus on advocacy, directing our energy to move more projects from concept to completion. We will:

  • Cultivate an army of families advocating for young riders and safe routes to school.
  • Influence elections to achieve a bicycle friendly majority serving in elected bodies countywide.
  • Innovate our advocacy efforts through unique online tools and communications.

Make a donation of $25, $50 or $100 today; invest in the Bicycle Coalition and our ambitious vision for incredible bikeways in SLO CountyYour generous support will make you an integral part of this shared vision. We are committed to making you a proud supporter again in 2014.

Read more about our Advocacy Force plan for 2014.

Concerts in the Park

Bike Valet @Oyster Festival

BikeValet_OysterFest

We are huge fans of SLO County’s local seafood, and are thrilled to host our Bike Valet at the 2nd Annual Central Coast Oyster Festival overlooking the spectacular Morro Bay!

SHUCK YEAH! The ‘one of a kind’ Central Coast Oyster & Music Festival has been Voted by Fox News as #4 of the top ten Oyster Festivals in the nation and the largest Oyster Festival on the West Coast! You will not want to miss out!

Held again at the Morro Bay Golf Course, overlooking the Oyster Farm and Morro Bay Rock. The Morro Bay Oyster Company will provide succulent oysters, which are some of the most renowned oysters on the west coast. In addition to oysters, alternative food choices will also be provided.

Ride your bike and park with us at the Bike Valet to get there and park your bike for free!

When: Saturday October 19, 12:00 – 8:00 pm
Where: Morro Bay Golf Course, 201 State Park Road, Morro Bay (map)

For more information and tickets, visit the Oyster Festival online. Use the special coupon code “bike” for $4 off tickets!

ccof2013Posteredit

Update: Highway One Chip Seal Treatment

Last year, Caltrans used a larger than normal aggregate to resurface a portion of the world renowned Highway One route north of Cambria. As part of this resurfacing, the roadway became incredibly rough for bicycles and kicked up small rocks into the path of both bicycle riders and motorists. This safety issue has made its way from local to state to national news through popular bicycle groups.

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Soon, thanks to the efforts of numerous advocacy groups, this 20 mile section of roadway will be remedied to provide sufficient smoothing! After a series of test treatments as part of a study by the UC Davis Pavement Research Center, a sand seal will be applied to a portion of the roadway before moving forward with the remaining roadway. The test sand seal is set to be applied in 3-4 weeks.

From an official Caltrans statement:

“I am happy to announce through our association with the UC Davis Pavement Research Center and input from the cycling community, Caltrans is preparing to begin work on Hwy. 1. With this fact based decision we are now moving forward with finding a solution for resurfacing Highway 1.  While the full report continues to undergo review, enough information is available to begin work on Highway 1,” said Caltrans District 5 Director Tim Gubbins.

The results of this study indicate a sand seal treatment is expected to be effective in smoothing the surface of Highway 1.  Caltrans will apply a sand treatment to a short test section of Highway 1.  A sand seal is a sprayed application of asphalt emulsion followed by a covering of clean sand or fine aggregate.

This is great news for coastal riders, upcoming fundraising rides which use this beautiful  route, and motorists who don’t want rocks flung at their windshields.

The selection of this surface treatment follows work by the UC Davis Pavement Research Center and Caltrans that tested eight sections of surface treatment on State Route 198 in Monterey County. 

A sand seal was applied to one of the test sections and resulted in an improvement on the highway, according to feedback from cyclists and specialized equipment used to measure the texture of the highway.

Your Bicycle Coalition will be sure to keep you up to date as the process moves forward. In the meantime more news on the subject is available online for your review: