Easy Biking to the Farmers Insurance Open

Planning on going to the Farmers Insurance Open at the end of the month? Try taking your bike to the tournament and save money, enjoy the outdoors, and get great parking at the event. The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition will be providing FREE bike valet parking for the golf tournament in Torrey Pines from January 23-27^th.

Valet bike parking is like a coat check for bicycles, ensuring that bicycles and their accessories will not be stolen while at the event. Farmers Insurance is also generously donating $10 to SDCBC for every bike we park to go towards our efforts to make bicycling better in San Diego County!

Check out our easy biking routes to the tournament below. If you are interested in being a bike valet volunteer at the Open, please email Andy Hanshaw at execdir@sdcbc.org or call 858-487-6063.

Click here to see where the bike parking is located. 

Best ways to get to and from the tournament:

From the North

Take in  some of the best of coastal San Diego as you take Coast Hwy 101 from points north through Solana Beach and Del Mar. Enjoy the fresh ocean breeze as you cross Penasquitos Lagoon and get your lungs working as you climb through Torrey Pines State Reserve to the golf course.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Chesterfield+Dr&daddr=N+Torrey+Pines+Rd&hl=en&ll=32.951496,-117.235107&spn=0.125464,0.264187&sll=32.910793,-117.250557&sspn=0.031381,0.066047&geocode=FbbU9wEdVWoC-Q%3BFekf9gEdowAD-Q&t=h&gl=us&dirflg=b&mra=ltm&z=13&lci=bike

From the East

Enjoy a mostly car-free trip down the Highway 56 bike path from points east. Take El Camino Real north before heading west on Carmel Valley Road. Enjoy a loop around Penasquitos Lagoon before making the climb up to Torrey Pines.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=SR+56+Bike+Trail&daddr=N+Torrey+Pines+Rd&hl=en&ll=32.938026,-117.215495&spn=0.031371,0.066047&sll=32.950883,-117.195282&sspn=0.007842,0.016512&geocode=FZfM9gEd_sED-Q%3BFekf9gEdowAD-Q&t=h&gl=us&dirflg=b&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=17&z=15&lci=bike

From the South

From Downtown, Old Town, Mission Bay Park

Take Pacific highway to West Mission Bay Drive, Enjoy the view of Mission Bay as you work your way all the way up past Grand and Garnet to Damon/Santa Fe Drive, or take the Rose Creek bike path to Damon. Follow Santa Fe until it turns it ends at the Rose Canyon Path. Continue on to Gilman Drive for a slow climb through the UCSD Campus. Continue through campus to North Torrey Pines Road and head towards the golf course.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=old+town+transit+center&daddr=N+Torrey+Pines+Rd&hl=en&sll=32.938026,-117.215495&sspn=0.031371,0.066047&geocode=FenL8wEd2qwD-SmL0qUc56regDF41UBvPdQffg%3BFekf9gEdowAD-Q&t=h&gl=us&dirflg=b&mra=ls&z=12&lci=bike

From La Jolla/Bird Rock

The La Jolla Bike path is a hidden gem for coastal San Diegans. Pick it up at the end of La Jolla Hermosa Ave and take it all the way to La Jolla High School. Take Fay towards the village and work your way down Torrey pines to La Jolla Shores. Stop along the climb to enjoy views of the ocean as your work towards UCSD's campus. Head north along Torrey Pines Rd until you find some world class golf.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=La+Jolla+Blvd&daddr=32.8326809,-117.2714735+to:N+Torrey+Pines+Rd&hl=en&ll=32.858879,-117.251104&spn=0.00785,0.016512&sll=32.82569,-117.25944&sspn=0.031411,0.066047&geocode=Fb6Z9AEdFL4C-Q%3BFaj89AEdT5QC-SmrR_fz3gPcgDG7WlazKKUItg%3BFekf9gEdowAD-Q&t=h&gl=us&dirflg=b&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=15&via=1&z=17&lci=bike

With all the routes there will be friendly volunteers to help park your bike at the end!

No more deaths! lets fix freeway interchanges

On Thursday, Jan 3rd  a cyclist was struck and killed at the Clairemont Mesa Blvd/805 on-ramp  Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Our thoughts also turn to thinking about how these dangerous interchanges can be made safer for all road users.

The Coalition is aggressively following up with the City, CalTrans, and other stakeholders to demand changes to freeway interchanges. If there is a problem interchange on your regular route or you have had a harrowing experience crossing a particular freeway, please let us know so we can work to make them better.

Below, longtime bike advocate Jim Baross reflects on what this latest fatality says about cycling and what we can do to make it better.

---------------------------------------------

Another person bicycling is killed in San Diego at a freeway ramp; it’s hard for me to comprehend the impact this will have on the family of the person who died, and on the person who was driving. I cannot adequately imagine my own life ending but this news impacts me too – I regularly have to deal with roadway situations that are difficult for bicycling. News of yet another person killed or injured makes we wonder if I should be riding at all; even though I am as careful as I can be choosing safer routes, riding competently, making sure my bike is in good repair, lights and reflectors working, helmet on, etc. But, there’s more that can and should be done, right?

News of recent fatalities raise people’s consciousness temporally, but to effect the changes we want takes informed and continued efforts. If knowing the numbers of people killed by motor vehicles was enough, we should have solved the problems by now… more Americans have been killed in motor vehicle crashes than have died in ALL the wars America has ever fought! More by far than by guns – more than 30,000 every year! Let’s stop the killings!

Freeway on and off ramps designed to allow motor vehicles to quickly enter and exit surface streets are huge barriers for everyone else, bicycling or walking. I remember a student of Kerry Kunsman’s Street Skills class in Claremont riding over the 805 dealing with the fast on-off ramp traffic there asking, “Why are we doing this? It’s scary!” The answer is “because it’s there” and until we get rid of these hazardous intersections, we can’t get around much of San Diego by bike without dealing somehow with these freeway crossings – find another route? – get off and walk? – call a cab? – don’t ride at all? – better yet, change them!

            There is hope for being able to ride more safely on these scary interchanges. With enough political will we might  get completely separated crossings for bicycling and walking, but right now there are positive changes that could be done almost immediately, read on. More certainly needs to be done! By knowing what has already been done, and how more changes can be made, we can help move things along further.

The design and operation of freeway interchanges is set by the California Department of Transportation, everyone calls it Caltrans.The designs for new freeway interchanges and other roadways are embodied/dictated in large part by what’s in two documents, Caltrans’ California Manual of Traffic Control Devices and the California Highway Design Manual (bothavailable for free online). Traffic Engineers are supposed to use these acceptable designs for all State and most public roadways. After several years of effort, we are supposed to be able to get better freeway interchanges for accommodating bicycling. Appreciation for these changes should largely be directed to the work of CABO Board members Bob Shanteau and Dan Gutierrez, along with League Cycling Instructor John Ciccarelli. They have been working with Caltrans through the California Traffic Control Devices Committee and the Caltrans California Bicycle Advisory Committee to create the rational for and the diagram designs for better freeway ramp designs. These changes could be applied RIGHT NOW with enough public outcry and political will at many San Diego locations. Dan, Bob and John emphasize that “It is extremely important that the geometric design MUST make it visually clear who has the ROW (right of way) and who must yield!” The new design standards show how. Click here to see the latest CalTrans guidance of interchange design for cyclists

Progress is being made, and more certainly needs to be done to get to a goal of Zero Fatalities. Bicycling advocacy organizations such as the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, the California Association of Bicycling Organizations (CABO), and now the relatively new California Bicycle Coalition and locally BikeSD, are helping to move transportation agencies and governments toward better, safer travel experiences. Caltrans and local city traffic engineers have been and are continuing to be moved – yes, moved - toward providing roadways that are better for bicycling and walking. Dan, a League Cycling Instructor and President of CABO, has, under contract with Caltrans, been providing training to Caltrans and other transportation design staff on “Understanding Bicycle Transportation.” In the last five years alone California Complete Streets legislation was passed mandating that roads accommodate bicycling and walking. Legislative requirements for traffic-actuated/on-demand traffic signals to be set to recognize and change for bicyclists is already being implemented. A process for experimenting with new bikeway designs for the Highway Design Manual just passed the legislature in 2012. More should be done. Help make it so. Email chair Kevin Wood at chair-sdcbc@sdcbc.org if you’d like to get involved in fixing these interchanges.

Notes from the Board Chair

Thank you to everyone who came to our Holiday Joyride. The weather worked out perfectly for a dry and fun ride through some of San Diego's older neighborhood. Our brightly lit bicycles brought some joy to the streets, but I was especially joyous to report all the great things we have accomplished in 2012 back at Mission Brewery.

In 2012, we adopted a new strategic plan with a mission to advocate for and protect the rights of ALL people who ride bicycles. We helped launch a bike friendly business district campaign and locate three new bike corrals in San Diego.  We attended dozens of committee meetings, city council hearings, and other meetings to advocate for more bike safety measures and a more accessible regional network. We taught hundreds of adults and children safe cycling skills through our education efforts and we parked thousands of bikes through our bicycle valet program. We had the most successful Bike The Bay and Tour De Fat yet - raising funds to support for our work.

San Diego Mayor Bob Filner and Council President Todd Gloria both expressed their support for bicycles as a way to enhance the livability of our neighborhoods and the sustainability of the region. The time is right to make sure the bicycles stay at the top of the local agenda. In 2013 we will continue to work with local bicycle advisory committees to push to bicycle  improvements and make sure that bicycles are included in planning projects. We will support the implementation of a bike share program and more bicycle friend business. We will continue to provide bike education and offer valet services at large events.

Your membership helps provide a voice for cyclists in the region. As we seek to better advocate for all people who ride bikes, we can use your support as volunteers for programs like bike education and making, as well as members on our education, advocacy and organizational development committees. Watch you email boxes for more opportunities to get involved.

Thank you for your support in 2012, and I look forward to a great year ahead.

- Kevin C. Wood

Come One, Come All, to SDCBC's Annual Holiday Joyride

SDCBC will be hosting our annual Holiday Joyride, on December 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the Mission Brewery in East Village. This year’s event will celebrate 2012 as the year bicycling boosted business in San Diego.

2012 saw bike-friendly business districts, public bikesharing announcements, more cyclists at special events and a record-number of cyclists riding to work. All of these victories contributed to one of most successful years ever for the cycling economy in San Diego.

Mia Kohout

The event starts with a neighborhood Joyride for cyclists of all abilities, pedaling through downtown and returning to Mission Brewery. The celebration continues at Mission Brewery with craft beer, food trucks, a silent auction and prizes. We’ll be presenting the 2012 Golden Gear Advocacy awards and the SDCBC Year-in-Review. Special guest Mia Kohout, a celebrity in the everyday cycling world, will deliver the keynote. Mia’s the co-owner, co-publisher and editor-in-chief of Momentum Mag, an independent media company that celebrates the growing transportation cycling movement in North America with an emphasis on women and families. 

The Holiday Joyride is open to the public. Tickets for SDCBC members are $10, non-members are $15, which includes the Joyride, program and a beer ticket. Guests can also purchase a year membership with event benefits for $25. Guests should register at http://sdcbcjoyride12.eventbrite.com/#

San Diego Picks a Partner for the New Citywide Bike-Sharing Program

Today we joined in congratulating outgoing Mayor Jerry Sanders’ announcement of the selection of DECOBIKE, LLC to run San Diego’s new public bike-sharing and rental program.

Sanders with Councilmembers Gloria and Faulconer

SDCBC had a seat on Mayor Sanders' review panel assisting in the selection of DECOBIKE and we appreciate him moving ahead to develop this public-private partnership.  SDCBC looks forward working with DECOBIKE to make this the best bike sharing program in the country.

We also participated in San Diego’s recent steps to build the nation’s largest bike-friendly business improvement district program which is already showing a positive impact on neighborhood commercial districts. The mayor’s announcement of the citywide program further highlights the importance and impact of bicycling on the local economy.

Beyond helping business improvement districts, economic impacts of bike-sharing include additional jobs, and saving on transportation. Public bike-sharing in other U.S. cities have been shown to create 30-50 jobs for each program. For instance, DECOBIKE also runs a successful program in Miami, Florida, which has just under 30 employees. Additionally, members of bike-share programs in other parts of the country are saving hundreds of dollars per year in transportation costs, putting those savings back into the local economy.

SDCBC's Andy Hanshaw speaks with  CW 6

Whether it’s tourists, students, Padres fans or grocery shoppers, we know that bike-sharing works to improve the local economy and expand our transportation system. Bikes are boosting business in San Diego  and bike-sharing is another important piece of the pie.

Although Sanders made the announcement today, it is Mayor-elect Bob Filner, who’s coming into office in just over two-weeks, that will take over the handlebars.

We’re looking forward to seeing him hit the ground pedaling with San Diego’s first public bike-sharing program.  SDCBC will continue working to ensure our transportation infrastructure keeps up with these new transportation options, and we look forward to Filner continuing the bike sharing progress started by the current administration.

Andy Hanshaw Referees Electra's Slowest Bicycle Race

Our Executive Director Andy Hanshaw had the honors of helping local bicycle manufacturer Electra Bicycle Company celebrate the grand opening of its new global headquarters in Vista, Calif. He attended the ribbon cutting ceremony with Electra's CEO Skip Hess, a local council member and representatives for the local chamber of commerce.

In addition to reminding its staff and board members about the role they play in bicycle advocacy and empowering local bicycle trips to boost San Diego's economy, Andy got to referee the Slowest Bicycle Race. Electra made a video recap, and we invite you to watch the insider's take on how our local company approaches bicycling--spoiler alert: they like to have a ton of fun.

Recognized as the bicycling industry’s top-selling brand in the lifestyle and leisure category, Electra’s different approach to bicycling powered it into the nation’s 6th-largest bicycle company since it began in San Diego 19 years ago. Electra’s brand captures the joy of everyday riding, bringing style, creativity and detail to its six bicycle collections including Verse®, Ticino®, Townie®, Amsterdam®, Cruiser and Kids’ bicycles as well as its growing line of Life and Accessories products.

The company relocated to a larger office space and enhanced distribution center to accommodate its growing staff, expanding product lines and increased demand for its bicycles. In addition to the global headquarters, Electra services US sales through two other American distribution centers and has a European office, which helps support sales in 25 additional countries.

The company is also making its name as the bicycle of choice for bike-sharing programs including the largest Bicycle Friendly Business District in San Diego, the first bike-sharing program in Las Vegas, and as amenities at high-end hotels.<

 

A First Timer's Experience at the San Diego Bike Kitchen-Bikes del Pueblo

By Maria Olivas - SDCBC Volunteer and former Education Coordinator

I've known about the San Diego Bike Kitchen - Bikes de Pueblo for years. I know most of the volunteers and have worked with a few of them regarding developing programs. However, I've never actually been there, any repairs on my bike were usually done by my husband. With the exception of a flat, I've never really bothered to work on my own bike. I figure it's an even exchange; I cook and he is the house mechanic. 

At least once a month, I see Chris from bikes del pueblo. Every time I see him I ask him about maintenance and every time he suggest I stop by the shop. I never did, at least not until this past weekend. A friend of mine suggested we stop by; she's seen my bike tube jewelry and suggested I pick up parts from the Bike Kitchen. She is working on up-cycling bike parts for furniture and thought she may do the same. So here we go, concerned about being intimidated by the excessive bike knowledge of all the volunteers I figured it was a quick in and out situation.
　

Upon arrival I seen Chris, a kind familiar face welcoming us in, introducing us to everyone in the shop made it comfortable to stay. We wonder around and discover their excess parts from donated bikes. Most have been broken down and categorized into old milk crates. It's an organized system of every part imaginable ready to be placed on a bike. It's a bike builders dream and building bikes they were. Upon our arrival four people where building bikes from nothing but the extra parts lying around the shop. Eric went into the shop on Sunday morning with nothing and said the only way he is getting home is by riding a bike out. Leon worked on four bikes, three were his own projects and one belonged to someone who rolled in needing some help.

With so many extra parts and an upcoming move at the end of the month, Bikes del Pueblo is looking to consolidate to make the move easier. Assembled bikes ready to roll out the door would make the move easier. Since my own bike didn't need any work, Chris suggested we make our own bikes. I though, no way, I have no idea what I am doing. After being reassured by all the volunteer mechanics that they would help (there were four on Sunday), I went for it.　 

Chris helped me choose a frame, set it up on the stand and build it. Of course, he was doing most of the work, guiding me and educating me regarding every step and part. There sure are a lot of steps. Since top quality parts are not available, we "made it work." Dustin took over after Chris left and helped me put the brakes together, or at least started to. The brakes were a challenge and the shop was about to close up, so we set it aside for another day.

Cleanup keeps it organized and also made them realize how tough the move would be. Bikes del Pueblo is at the snowdrop location in city heights for the rest of the month. They must be out by November 1, but they are still looking for a new location. If you know of a free location please contact them at cpavelko@gmail.com. Bikes del Pueblo is a free service and volunteer run, your donation of a facility or quality parts are greatly needed.