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Donate to Connect SLO County, Get a Bell!

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Connect SLO County Bells

Receive one of these limited edition bells with your donation to Connect SLO County!

These fun, new, shiny bells could be yours with a donation to our Connect SLO County initiative!

Connect SLO County is an initiative of the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition. Your contribution today funds the work that is making the completion of our bike paths a reality. Through your special contribution to Connect SLO County, we will be able to complete the paths that will help more people of all ages, from eight years old to 80 years old, move around SLO County by bike.

Bicycle Barriers Survey

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BikeBarriersSurveyIn order to know more about bicycles in SLO County, we have been working with the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) on a “Bicycle Barriers Survey“, which is now available online for your input!

We encourage you to take the survey, regardless of your bicycle riding habits.

  • Do you want to ride more, but are deterred by motorists? Take the survey.
  • Do you ride 40 miles everyday? Take the survey.
  • Do your children not ride to school because it is too difficult? Take the survey.
  • Do you not ride a bicycle at all? Take the survey.

The purpose of the survey is to understand how people ride bicycles in SLO County, what types of barriers exist prevent people from riding, how we can make riding better, and more.

Take the survey and share it with your friends and neighbors so we can help make SLO County better for bicycles! View it here.

This online survey is a follow-up to a previous survey that was mailed to a random sampling of the community and will be used to further inform SLOCOG about San Luis Obispo County residents’ views and priorities for the region. It was funded by SLOCOG and the Air Pollution Control District and carried out by the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition. Data gathered from the mailed survey will be made available to the public on the SLOCOG website in August 2013 and used to develop programming and infrastructure investment priorities.

BIG Win for Bicycles in San Luis Obispo

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Earlier in 2013, the San Luis Obispo City Council made expanding our bikeway network a major city goal. Later, on Monday, June 17th, the Council approved a two year budget that makes incredible strides towards strengthening our investment in safe biking and walking infrastructure.

The next budget cycle will include unbelievable investment in our bikeways. The Bicycle Coalition is excited to announce the increase in general funds towards bikeway improvements from $25,000 to $100,000 a year. That’s 4x the previous annual investment!

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This full list of projects below illustrates the dedication and partnership between the City Council, Staff, and your Bicycle Coalition over the next two years:

  • Bicycle Traffic Counts
  • Bicycle Education
  • SLO City Bike Rodeo
  • Bike Parking
  • $1,759,000 for the Railroad Safety Trail
  • $600,000 for the Bob Jones Trail
  • $120,000 for path maintenance
  • $200,000 for bicycle facilities improvements
  • $50,000 for sidewalk repairs
  • $220,000 for sidewalk ramp construction
  • …and more!

We know that we are joined by tens of thousands of people in our community in saying THANK YOU to our council for believing in the positive impact of complete bikeways in our lovable city.

You too can take a moment to send City Council members a thank you note for quadrupling funding for bikeways. Find their contact information here.

2013 Special Election – City of San Luis Obispo

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A Special Municipal Election will be held in the City of San Luis Obispo on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 (mail-in ballots to be sent out in mid May). The election is being held for one member of the City Council to serve out the balance of the current term ending December 1, 2014.

The Bicycle Coalition sent the following questions to all candidates running for the open City Council seat in the City of San Luis Obispo:
  1. In your opinion, how do biking and walking fit into the transportation system in your community/district?
  2. Would you like to increase or decrease the number of people biking and walking for transportation and recreation in your community/district, why?
  3. What steps would you take to increase or decrease the number of people biking and walking for transportation and recreation in your community/district?
  4. What specific accomplishments/qualifications demonstrate your capacity to improve the transportation system in your community/district?
  5. What else should members of the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition know about you before going to the polls?

All questionnaires returned to the Bicycle Coalition can be viewed/downloaded as a pdf by clicking here. (Simply click on the right hand column to view the answers from any given candidate)

The SLO County Bicycle Coalition does not and has not endorsed any candidate running for office.

The information contained in this pdf is intended for informational purposes only.

Spring 2013 Spoken Wheel

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Hi friends and fellow bicycle lovers! It’s been a while, but we have been busy getting ready for Bike Month and all of the events we have planned throughout San Luis Obispo County in May! We are thrilled to be seeing more and more people on bicycles on the Central Coast and cannot wait for what the future holds for bicycles in our beloved communities.

We just received our latest Spoken Wheel newsletter from the printer and it’s jam packed with some great stuff:

  • Our 2013 Bike Month events
  • Bikes & Beauty party information
  • Bike Lanes 2.0: The Next Generation of Facilities
  • …and more!

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If you are a member, stay tuned for the latest Spoken Wheel newsletter in your mailbox, or if you can’t wait – view it on our website.

Special thanks to Rideshare for putting Bike Month on every May! View all of the events and info about the community bike challenge on their site. Screen shot 2013-04-24 at 1.32.07 PM

Year of the Bicycle Coalition Member

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At Bicycle Coalition HQ, we have affectionately dubbed 2012 the Year of the Bicycle Coalition Member. The reasons are endless, but a few things stick out from the rest:

  • We have more members than ever (750+ individuals & 40+ businesses)
  • We hosted our first General Meeting in 2012
  • We hosted the inaugural Members Only Party* in September 2012
  • More and more people are out on bicycles every day in SLO County!

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In reflecting on 2012 one thing remains clear; the Bicycle Coalition family is growing and everyone is feeling it! Everything we do is for our members. We loved getting everyone together through our new events, to share our vision for the organization and celebrate our collective love for bicycles and the quality of life in SLO County that we cherish dearly.

Yet the Year of the Bicycle Coalition Member goes well beyond our events. Everywhere we went, we met people who just became members, all were energized and proud to be a part of our rapidly growing organization. We welcome these newcomers to the Bicycle Coalition family and can’t wait to see them at upcoming events, out on their bicycles, and sharing the community-minded vision of the Bicycle Coalition for years to come.

If you haven’t joined yet, now is the time!

We are THE voice for bicycles in SLO County, our numbers our growing, and we’d love to have you become a part of our vision for a more bicycle friendly community.

*Our next Members Only Party is set for June 1, 2013 – and it’s a bicycle fashion show!

2012: A Landmark Year for Bicycles

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The following is a letter from our Executive Director, Dan Rivoire, originally published in our Winter 2013 Spoken Wheel newsletter. As we are approaching a beautiful spring season, full of bicycle fun and events countywide, we are reminded of our ambition, innovation and commitment to make SLO County a great place for bicycles – and it’s all possible because of our dues paying members, volunteers and donations from community members like you!

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In January 2010 the Bicycle Coalition quietly launched a campaign designed to respond to the question: “what does the Coalition actually do?” Our goal was to make it painstakingly clear that we work extremely hard to achieve the mission laid out by our founders; to improve the quality of life in San Luis Obispo County through bicycling advocacy, education, and inspiration. Our strategy revolved around creating strong programs with tangible benefit to the community while improving communications across the board. In order to succeed, we needed to get the respect of the bicycle riding public while capturing the attention of everyone else in the Central Coast. 

“Our goal was to make it painstakingly clear that we work extremely hard to achieve the mission laid out by our founders; to improve the quality of life in San Luis Obispo County through bicycling advocacy, education, and inspiration.”

Three years have passed since we took the first step towards accomplishing our goal and moved into our headquarters at the corner of Morro and Pacific in downtown San Luis Obispo. With the move we brought on the most ambitious addition to our empowerment focused programs while giving the community an image to visualize every time they think of the Bicycle Coalition. Becoming established at our prominent home on the Bill Roalman bike boulevard has been transformational. It is no mistake that 2012 was the strongest year on record for the Bicycle Coalition.

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These three years have built upon the foundation laid by the staff, board, volunteers, and members during our creation in 2001. The foundation is not subsidized bicycles, valet parking, education, or advocacy efforts; it is the understanding that residents are driven by their desire to make San Luis Obispo County an incredible place live, work, and play. Our success is connected directly to the fact that every effort of the Bicycle Coalition relates to that foundation.

Recently, while reflecting on the three years spent in our headquarters, I caught myself thinking, “where has all the time gone?” Before I could blink, a list of epic proportions began to accumulate in my mind. Approved bike plans in every jurisdiction in the County, new active transportation infrastructure projects constructed, increased state and federal funding for active transportation projects, incredible impact through our four programs, and membership numbers growing at lightening speed. Emphasizing direct service and communication has resulted in the best financial position in our history.

“All of this hard work has primed the Bicycle Coalition for incredible growth. We dream of a Central Coast connected by regional paths, filled with bike lanes, and engaged by unbelievable community events. We believe that the Bicycle Coalition will become the strongest voice for community well being on the Central Coast.”

All of this hard work has primed the Bicycle Coalition for incredible growth. We dream of a Central Coast connected by regional paths, filled with bike lanes, and engaged by unbelievable community events. We believe that the Bicycle Coalition will become the strongest voice for community well being on the Central Coast. We will positively contribute to our community in the context of education, health, transportation, culture, and economy. Your support is the reason we exist and the reason we grow. Our gratitude is endless yet we know that your continued investment will best advance our cause. We ask you to look towards the horizon, realize our potential, and put your passion into action. 2013 should put 2012 to shame!

Dan_outofthesaddleBW05See you in the Bike Lane,

Dan Rivoire, Executive Director

Caltrans Releases Highway One Resurfacing Statement

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Now that local, statewide and national groups have brought the recent resurfacing of Highway 1 to the attention of Caltrans officials, an official statement has been released regarding the Highway 1 chip seal project.

Caltrans officials are partnering with UC pavement researchers to find effective and affordable ways to make cycling a smoother experience along a recently paved section of Highway 1 in northern San Luis Obispo County. The Caltrans Division of Research and Innovation plans to tap the expertise of the University of California, Davis Pavement Research Center in response to local bicycle enthusiasts who say the chip seal project has made sections of the scenic route a rougher-than-usual ride.

“We’re looking for innovative solutions and are hopeful that this investigation will lead to both short and long-term improvements,” said Caltrans District 5 Director Tim Gubbins. “Caltrans plans to work closely with the local cycling community and UC experts as wesort this out.”

The news comes after an online petition circled by a group within the SLO Bike Club gained over 1,100 signatures in just a couple of weeks.

The UC Davis researchers are currently developing a scope of work to examine conditions on Highway 1 and offer recommendations about various cost-effective surface treatments and how they would service cyclists as well as all users of the highway. Over the next several months, researchers will consider any positive changes that can be made to the existing pavement surface. The investigation will also include any potential long-term improvements to our chip seal program statewide.

In the meantime, Caltrans will maintain its enhanced sweeping of Highway 1 and repairing potholes.

More information is also available online:

The Bicycle Coalition has met with local bicycle riders, bicycle travelers and attended local meetings regarding the issue. This is the first step towards restoring a bicycle friendly Highway One, we will be sure to keep you updated as the process continues.