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Bicycle Corral Demonstration Friday at Kreuzberg in SLO

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BikeCorralsWe’re happy to announce the installation of a temporary bicycle corral (on-street bicycle parking) at Kreuzberg Coffee Company in SLO. These corrals are popping up all over the country, and serve to encourage the use of bicycles for short trips, reduce traffic congestion and improve the overall quality of life.

Bicycle corrals are specifically established for bicycle parking. They are identified by roadway striping, bollards or other protective barriers and signage. A corral can be as simple as a series of bike racks surrounded by painted lines or a unique, artistic creation that enhances a vibrant commercial area. Existing bicycle racks in San Luis Obispo use part of the sidewalk.

When: Friday, January 17th  9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Where: Kreuzberg Cafe, 685 Higuera St, SLO (map)

Why: The Bicycle Coalition and Bicycle Club invite the public and local business owners to see how a bicycle corral can make our downtown more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly.

  • Bicycle Corrals provide a 10-to-1 customer-to-parking space ratio, generating greater business patronage. Corrals keep sidewalks and walkways free of bicycles and for better pedestrian mobility and business access.
  • Corrals improve restaurant and outdoor seating environments by removing parked bicycles from sidewalk areas.
  • The city of San Luis Obispo’s recently updated Bicycle Transportation Plan calls for increased bicycle parking throughout the city. Bicycle corrals will meet the need for convenient and safe bicycle parking downtown.

Kreuzberg co-owner Chris Tarcon noted that he and partner James Whitaker explored cafés in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighborhood by bicycle in early 2010 for ideas for the coffee shop they opened in San Luis Obispo. Although customers often lock their bicycles to the railing in front of their downtown business, adding to the décor, Tarcon said a designated parking area for bicycles makes a lot of sense.

“A bicycle corral will be more inviting for those who ride bicycles,” Tarcon said. “We have no designated parking area for cars, so more and more people are turning to bicycles because they are convenient and a great way to get around. If the bicycle corral demonstration is successful, we will follow up by submitting a request to the city for a permanent corral.”

We invite you to come down and park at the corral to show your support for better bicycle parking in downtown!

Building a Bicycle Advocacy Force

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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 County. Your 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.

SLO City Planning Commission to Address Key Bicycle Projects this Week

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The San Luis Obispo City Planning Commission is set to consider two important bicycle issues at their Wednesday night meeting, and the Bicycle Coalition would love to see your support! There is no speaking required, but you can if you would like. The two issues to be reviewed at the meeting include:
  • The preferred trail alignment of the Bob Jones Trail from Los Osos Valley Road to the Octagon Barn
  • The Draft 2013 Bicycle Transportation Plan

When: Wednesday September 11, 2013 at 6:00 pm
Where: City Council Chambers, 990 Palm St, SLO (map)

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Your Bicycle Coalition has been hard at work with our team of advocates as we continue the positive progress of the Bob Jones Trail for users countywide. In addition to the future of this popular trail, the commission will also be considering the Draft 2013 Bicycle Transportation Plan – the blueprint of future bicycle facilities in the City of SLO. Both issues are key as we work together to make SLO County an incredible place for bicycles!

View the September 11, 2013 Planning Commission agenda.

Bob Jones Trail

There is no need to speak in support of the proposed alignment, just being there to show the bicycle community’s overwhelming support for the alignment along the scenic creek is very helpful.

If you would like to speak:
-Urge commissioners to support the preferred alignment along the creek and creek setback (read more about the preferred alignment).

Draft 2013 Bicycle Transportation Plan

The Bicycle Transportation Plan creates a guiding blueprint for increasing bicycle ridership and future infrastructure improvements to improve connectivity and safety for all road users. Your Bicycle Coalition will be asking commissioners to recommend approval of the draft plan to the SLO City Council.

If you would like to speak: (We encourage you to do so!)
-Urge commissioners to recommend approval of the plan to the SLO City Council.
-You can also view the plan online (planned projects start at page 52, Appendix A, all are sorted by area of SLO City) and take note of the specific projects that are important to you and your family.

If you cannot attend:
-Take a look at the plan online, and send a quick email the Deputy Director of Long Range Planning, Kim Murry (kmurry@slocity.org) the specific projects that are important to you.

 

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.

Receive a Bell With Your Donation to Connect SLO County

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Connect SLO County is an initiative of the Bicycle Coalition, aimed at completing the major path projects in SLO County. Donate today and receive a limited edition bell!

Throughout California people have formed lifelong memories on paths in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Monterey, Lake Tahoe, Ventura, and countless more. In San Jose, a ride from downtown on the Guadalupe River Trail is a total breeze as you cross underneath numerous freeways, taking you all the way to the bay or the new 49ers stadium. Even in Bakersfield you can enjoy a family ride on the Kern River Parkway, a 30 mile separated path which connects multiple county parks with the university campus and the downtown.We are all on the path

In SLO County, local governments approved plans for paths decades ago, but very few miles have actually been built. Connect SLO County shares your experiences with local leaders, intensifying efforts to complete more incredible paths on the Central Coast. More people deserve to feel safe creating memories on paths in their own backyards.

Everyone can reconnect with the joy of riding a bike when traffic is out of sight and the sound of children’s infectious laughter fills your ears. No matter what your ability, age, choice of sport, or type of bicycle, paths will provide you a safe space to experience the happiness of SLO County.

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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.

Presenting: The 2013 Bike-In Movie

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Voting has closed in this year’s Bike-In Movie poll and the results are in!

2013BikeInMovieResults

We are showing Brave and hope to see you for the fun on May 10, 2013 in Mission Plaza.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEHWDA_6e3M]
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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