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Bicycle Boulevard

Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan Meeting #2

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Ready for the Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard?

On June 9th, 2016, the City of San Luis Obispo will hold the second community meeting to discuss the process of developing the Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan, which improves bike options along Broad Street from Ramona Street south to Monterey Street.

The meeting takes place on Thursday June 9th, 2016 from 6-8 PM at the SLO County Public Library, 995 Palm St, SLO, CA 93403 (map) and is a great opportunity to provide your input to City staff in person. If you can’t make the meeting in person but would still like to convey your thoughts/concerns/enthusiasm you can do so online at this link:

 http://www.slocity.org/government/open-government/open-city-hall

According to the City of SLO’s press release:

The City of San Luis Obispo invites the public to attend the second neighborhood meeting for the Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan. The meeting will take place on Thursday, June 9th, 2016, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the City/County Library, 995 Palm Street. As listed in the City’s Bicycle Transportation Plan, the project is intended to provide a through route for bicyclists and pedestrians serving the downtown core and neighborhoods to the north—along Broad Street from Monterey Street to Foothill Boulevard. The agenda for the second project meeting includes:

1. Staff presentation on work completed to date
2. Staff presentation on their preliminary design concepts
3. Design charrette, attendees develop & present their own concepts
4. Group discussion and critique of concepts

At the first meeting, the project was introduced and staff gained feedback on issues to be addressed and the type of bike boulevard that was desired. The goal of the 2nd meeting is to explore a range of design concepts and begin to narrow those concepts into a plan for the bike boulevard.

If you have any questions, please contact Project Managers Jennifer Rice (805) 781-7058 and Luke Schwartz (805) 781-7190

The Bikes & Beauty Bike Month Blowout!

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Bikes & Beauty is almost here!

This year Bike SLO County’s annual Bikes & Beauty Fashion Show party is joining forces with SLO Rideshare’s Bike Month Blowout for a Bike to Work Day Afterparty Extravaganza! Join us on Friday May 20th from 6:30 – 9:30 PM at the SLO Grange Hall in SLO (map).

Bikes & BeautyCome groove to the satisfying sounds of DJ Malik, enjoy tasty food and beverages (beer, wine, cocktails, kombucha, soda) and watch the always fabulous Bike Fashion Show.

Rideshare will be giving away a Linus Commuter Bike. How can you win? Stop at any Bike to Work Day Station, collect a raffle ticket and bring it to the Bikes & Beauty Bike Month Blow Out for your chance to win!

Bike SLO County will raffle a fantastic Yuba Spicy Curry eCargo Bike (courtesy of Foothill Cyclery)! Whether you’re hauling coconuts, kids or kombucha, Spicy Curry is your jam! Retail for this bike is $4,200. Raffle tickets are $20 each or 5 for $100, available ONLY at Bikes & Beauty.

Parking at The SLO Grange Hall (map): Our free Bike Valet will be parking bikes from 6:15-9:30 PM, and there is also plenty of parking for cars

You can RSVP and Share the Event with your friends over on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1161083450620599/

Very special thanks to the bike-loving sponsors who make this night possible:

Super Spectacular Support provided by SLO Rideshare‘s Bike to Work Day.

Additional Awesome Support comes from Salon 544, Linnaea’s Cafe, Flanders Bicycle, Central Coast Brewing Company, Whalebird Kombucha, Peloton Cellars, SLO Natural Foods Co-Op, Barrelhouse Brewing Company, Mindbody, Rabbit Ridge Winery and Rosie’s Workwear.

Family Fitness Day

Ride your bike to Family Fitness Day!

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Bike Valet at Family Fitness Day

Looking for some healthy family fun this weekend? Our Digital Media Sponsor Race SLO, the organizer of the San Luis Obispo Marathon + Half Marathon has announced that its Family Fitness Day on Saturday morning, April 30 will benefit Jack’s Helping Hand, a local non-profit providing assistance and programs to children with cancer and special needs. The 5th anniversary SLO Marathon + Half edition, an Endurance Town USA running tradition, will be held on April 30-May 1.

Family Fitness DayWant to ride your bike to Family Fitness Day? Our free Bike Valet will be there at the iconic Madonna Inn property to park and watch over your bicycle while you enjoy the day’s events. Bike Valet will be there Sunday as well, so ride on down to watch the Marathon finish and let us keep an eye on your bicycle.

“Our free Family Fitness Day event has something for everybody from fun games, activities for the children and their families to three short run or walk races,” said Samantha Pruitt, Race SLO Founder & CEO. “This community event benefits our local non-profit Jack’s Helping Hand and its Camp Reach for the Stars that allows children fighting cancer and their family to attend Summer camp at no charge.”

Family Fitness Day Summary

The SLO Marathon + Half’s Family Fitness Day will have FREE activities for children of all ages and abilities, and on Saturday, April 30 the fun goes from 9:00am to 2:00pm at the iconic Madonna Inn property. Each family can participate in a variety of games and activities at no charge and will receive a Race SLO Champion sticker, play with all the local team mascots and get lessons in fun and sportsmanship from a variety of local sport teams and clubs. Food and vendors will be at the festival as well as all weekend long.

FREE activities for children and adults include:

    1. Soccer Ball Kick with Cal Poly and Musty Mustang
    2. Basketball Toss with Cal Poly
    3. Baseball Pitch with SLO Blues Baseball and Bluebelle the Bull
    4. Sack Race with Downtown Brown
    5. Cornhole, Ladder Golf, Croquet and Giant Connect Four with SLO Coast Shenanigans
    6. Golf Putt with Sunset Honda
    7. Rope-a-Steer with Cal Poly Rodeo

In addition, on Family Fitness Day, there are three running events:

    1. Kids One Mile (8:00am start)
    2. 5K Run / Walk / Strollers (8:15am start)
    3. Kids Quarter Mile Dash (9:30am start)

For more event information or to register for races before they sell out, go to: www.slomarathon.com/family-fitness-day

Plus, enjoy the food, beer and wine (adults 21 & older only!) garden all day!

 

Bike Kitchen Blowout: Fifty Percent Sale!

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The Mother of All Bike Kitchen Sales!

Starting Friday, December 18th, Bike SLO County will hold our 1st Annual Bike Kitchen Blow Out Sale.

50PercentOffHow does it work? Simple! From Noon – 5 PM Friday, Saturday and Sunday (December 18-20) and 9 AM – 7 PM on Wednesday (December 23) all bicycles are 50% off!

That $150 Giant Sedona? $75!

The sweet $50 Electra kid’s bike? $25!

A beautiful classic Italian Pogliaghi road bike? $300!

Bam!

We’ve got bikes for kids, adults, women and men. We even have an electric recumbent. Need a gently used bike? We’ve got you covered! Looking for the perfect present for a friend or loved one? People love bikes!

We’ve also got some great stocking stuffers. Our Bike SLO County bike light sets (1 front light, 1 rear light) are one sale for only $10. And our Bike Kitchen passes give the gift of free Bike Kitchen use to anyone wanting to work on their bike, whether it is fixing a flat, restoring an old bike to it’s former glory or building up a bike from scratch.

Come take a test ride at the Bike Kitchen Blow Out Sale!

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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 junker you found at a garage 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.This bike not your cup of tea? Still 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! Click here to join and we’ll keep you informed about all things bike in SLO County: JOIN

Get ready for SLO Ultra

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We know you like bikes. But do you run? Or hike? Would you like special access to a gorgeous stretch of the Central Coast that is normally inaccessible? Our Digital Media Sponsor Race SLO just announced slo ultra coursethat registration is open for their inaugural SLO Ultra trail race. If you ride more than you run, you might not know that Ultras are runs over 26.2 miles.  The SLO Ultra (which benefits The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County) will take place in Wild Cherry Canyon and features a 50 mile Ultra trail run, a trail Marathon, trail Half-Marathon and a 5 Mile trail run on Saturday, September 10, 2016.

Whether you hike or run, The SLO Ultra will showcase a beautiful natural resource, Wild Cherry Canyon, for the first time on California’s incredible Central Coast. Wild Cherry Canyon is approximately 2,400 private acres located on the Pacific Ocean along the Central Coast, northwest of Avila Beach and south of San Luis Obispo.

According to Samantha Pruitt, Race SLO Founder & CEO, “The inaugural event will be a unique outdoor lovers event in breathtaking Wild Cherry Canyon, and all levels of both runners and hikers will appreciate the exclusive access to these trail courses as well as the post-race BBQ and bluegrass festival.”

In addition to the individual races, there will be a 50 mile 2-person relay team competition, a Bluegrass Festival and fresh BBQ to celebrate all of the participants. While the course won’t be open to bicycles, this is a great chance to see one of the unspoiled gems of the Central Coast on foot. Register or get more info right here: SLO Ultra at Wild Cherry Canyon

Giving Tuesday? 2 Wheeled Wednesday?

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You’re probably familiar with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But what about Small Business Saturday? And what’s the deal with Giving Tuesday? Two Wheeled Wednesday? Here’s the wrap up from Bike SLO County:

Black Friday

In the US Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, noted as the first day of traditional ChriKitchenCardHolidaysstmas shopping, during which hordes of consumers are drawn to special offers by big box brick and mortar retailers. Bike SLO County’s Bike Kitchen will be closed on Black Friday! So we totally get it if you’re desperate for a used rear derailleur on Friday and go elsewhere. In honor of the spirit of Thanksgiving the Bike Kitchen will be closed the whole Thanksgiving weekend, and won’t reopen until the next Friday, December 4th. However, when we reopen we’ll be running a $10 December Special on our Bike SLO County Bike Light Sets, which let you bike legal and safe for very little cash. These bike light sets and our Bike Kitchen Visit Cards make wonderfully unique holiday gifts and stocking stuffers.

Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday is the Monday following Thanksgiving, promoted by online retailers like Amazon as a day for exceptional bargains. Bike SLO County doesn’t sell anything online. But if you shop at Amazon, your purchases can benefit Bike SLO County through their Amazon Smile program. What is Amazon Smile? It’s pretty much the same thing as Amazon (it is part of Amazon),  except when you use amazon smile_BSCAmazon Smile they donate a portion of your purchase price to Bike SLO County (or any of your favorite participating charitable organizations. To shop using Amazon Smile and benefit Bike SLO County use this link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/75-3021545

Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and local on Saturday, November 28th. Although Bike SLO County and our Bike Kitchen will be closed on Small Business Saturday, there are plenty of small businesses in SLO County who would love your business. Bike shops. Coffee shops. Shoppy shops. If you live in or are coming to the City of SLO for Small Business Saturday without a bike, the fine folks at SLO Transit are offering free bus service on Routes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6A and 6B from approximately 8am to 6pm. By riding transit for free, you can save money, help alleviate heavy traffic and the demand for parking, especially during the busy holiday shopping season.

Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday, often stylized as #GivingTuesday for purposes of hashtag activism, refers to the Tuesday after U.S. Thanksgiving, December 1st in 2015. It is a movement to create a National Day of Giving and Philanthropy at the beginning of the holiday and Christmas season.

To mark this #givingtuesday, anyone who wants to celebrate the powerful positive role that giving plays in our world is being asked to donate and share their own ‘unselfie’ on their favorite social media sites and by email. What’s an #unselfie? To take an unselfie, write on a piece of paper the name of the charitable cause you’re supporting on Giving Tuesday. It could be as simple as “#Bike SLO County” or as involved as and “I support better bikeways in SLO County” or whatever reason you feel moved to give.

Getting ready for #GivingTuesday #UNselfie #bikeslocounty

A photo posted by Bike SLO County (@bikeslocounty) on

Add the tags #unsefie, #givingtuesday and #bikeslocounty, then hold the piece of paper in front of your self (or even in front of your face) and snap an unselfie. We’ll even have some preprinted sheets available in our office (map), or you can download PDF or JPEG color or black & white versions online: Color PDF version: Color JPEG version : Black & White PDF version : Black and White JPEG version

End of Year Campaign

Giving Tuesday kicks off Bike SLO County’s annual End of Year fundraising campaign. SLO County had a fantastic 2015, with lots of countywide bike projects completed (bike lanes in Paso Robles on Riverside, Union and Creston roads, a fantastic bike and pedestrian bridge & trail in Morro Bay, new bike lanes and green striping at Arroyo Grande High School, the very first blacktop bike safety course in California at Oceano Elementary, buffered bike lanes in Los Osos on LOVR, new green lanes on Broad, California & Madonna streets in SLO) and major projects funded for the coming years. We’re hoping you’ll help make 2016 even better. Our goal is to raise $25,000 for safer bikeways around SLO County by midnight, December 31st. Please consider a donation on Giving Tuesday, or anytime before the end of the year at bikeslocounty.org/donate

Two Wheeled Wednesday

What about Two Wheeled Wednesday? Two Wheeled Wednesday occurs…every Wednesday of the year for the foreseeable future! Give back to yourself by riding your bike on Wednesdays. Invite your friends to go for special Two Wheeled Wednesday rides. Invite anyone and everyone to go on Two Wheeled Wednesday rides! Did we mention that Two Wheeled Wednesday makes a healthy and fun New Years Resolution for you, your friends and family?

 

Bicycle Boulevard

San Luis Obispo Goes for the Gold

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San Luis Obispo wins Gold Level Status

UPDATE: Join us at 11 a.m. on Friday April 15th, 2016 on the steps of SLO City Hall (map) for a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark and celebrate San Luis Obispo’s distinction as a Gold Bike Friendly Community. 

Today when the League of American Bicyclists updated their list of Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC) there was great news for the people of SLO. The City of San Luis Obispo, which was previously designated as a Silver level BFC, has earning the next highest designation, that of Gold.

“Bike SLO County couldn’t be more excited to hear the news that SLO was designated as a Gold Bike Friendly Community BFC Chartthis morning.” said Dan Rivoire, Executive Director of Bike SLO County. “As we join three other Gold Level cities in California and twenty-three Gold Level cities throughout the US, people in our City and County are starting to really realize how awesome it is that our community is building safer streets for everyone. Today, we’re feeling especially proud of our hard work and evermore thankful to local residents, supporters, and city staff that are getting new bike friendly projects on every passing month.”

According to Rivoire “California has 55 Bicycle Friendly Communities, 4 of which are in San Luis Obispo County. This means that a little over 7% of the Bicycle Friendly Communities in California are in SLO County. That is great news for SLO County and we hope to see the numbers grow in the coming years. We already have The City of SLO (Gold), Paso Robles (Bronze), Arroyo Grande (Bronze) and Morro Bay (Bronze). We look forward to continued work with other cities throughout the County to make SLO County even more bike friendly.”

“Winning a Bicycle Friendly Community designation shows a community’s dedication to creating safer and better places to ride your bike.” said Alex Doty, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists.

What is a Bicycle Friendly Community?

A BFC welcomes bicyclists by providing safe accommodations for bicycling and encouraging people to bike for transportation and recreation. Making bicycling safe and convenient are keys to improving public health, reducing traffic congestion, improving air quality and improving quality of life.

The BFC program provides a roadmap for building a Bicycle Friendly Community. Since the program’s inception, more than 800 distinct communities have applied and the five levels of the award – Diamond*, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze – provide a clear incentive for communities to continuously improve. Communities complete a 100+ question application, which is then reviewed by national experts as well as members of their local cycling community. All applicants receive extensive feedback. Communities must renew their designation every four years. (*There are currently no communities at the Diamond level.)

To apply or learn more about the BFC program, visit bikeleague.org/community.

Breakfast at The Octagon Barn

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Come see what’s new at the Octagon Barn

On Thursday November 12th the Land Conservancy are hosting a breakfast from 9-10 AM in The Octagon Barn on South Higuera Street (map).

Enjoy breakfast refreshments and coffee while you learn about what’s next for the Octagon Barn. What’s next for the Octagon Barn? According to the Land Conservancy, Feature-Project_Barn_resize“In addition becoming the new trailhead for the Bob Jones City-to-Sea Trail, plans are underway to transform the formerly private site into a public amenity with the fully restored Barn as the keystone element.”

To find out what’s next come out for some coffee and learn about the future of the Octagon Barn. Guests will be able to visit the Milking Parlor, view a visual presentation with some new slides from Ten Over Studio and chat with members of the Land Conservancy staff and board about the progress of this unique community center.

If you’d like to attend, please RSVP to Lauren at laurenm@lcslo.org or 805-544-9096 x 14.