SUMMARY
1. San Carlos East Side Slow Streets Pilot & Traffic Collision Report on Agenda for San Carlos City Council Meeting Mon, Feb 13, 7pm, Zoom link:
2. Belmont Village Bike/Ped Plan & more on Agenda for Belmont City Council Meeting Tues, Feb 14, 7pm, Zoom link:
3. Serving Underserved Communities is the topic for February’s Biketivist Forum, Wed, Feb 15, 5:00-6:00PM, Register here!
4. Public invited to 2nd San Carlos Downtown Community Virtual Workshop – this Thurs, Feb 15, 7:00-8:30 PM. Register here
5. Bay to Sea Trail Status & Highway Collision Reports are on BPAC Agenda (Bike Pedestrian Advocacy Committee) – this Thursday, Feb 15, 7pm, Zoom link here, Agenda here
6. San Carlos School District Walk Audit Results were on Planning/Transportation Commission’s Jan 17 Agenda, but unfortunately one was present to point out that Cedar Street should have bike lanes, not shared lanes with cars, as Alta’s recommendations currently stand. (Sign Cedar Bike Lanes not Shared Lanes petition here)
7. 2nd Annual San Carlos Family Bike Fair at Central Middle School was a Success! See Pictures & Highlights Thank you to volunteers, amd especially our sponsors San Carlos Community Foundation & San Mateo County Office of Education, who made this event possible
8. Do you Support Bike Lanes on your Street? A One-Question Poll by Daily Journal about the trade-offs of biking infrastructure.
9. Public Transit in the News – Launching a Transit Revolution: Youth & Public Transit, and Public Transit Fiscal Support
10. Belmont Measure I Advisory Committee Opening
11. $800 Million Federal Grant Money Available to Cities – Let your city know!
12. Congrats to our newest local LCI Tim Ryan, (Licensed Cycling Instructor) in San Carlos!
13. Tis the Season for Bike Tune Ups! Beat the summer rush, winter is your chance to get in without long wait times for tune ups
14. Outstanding article in Alta Online about our LEGO-based bike safety curriculum “Bikes & Bricks”, called Building Safer Roads, Brick by Brick, written by Lydia Lee
15. San Carlos Library will host a Family-friendly Community Bike Ride with Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition on Sunday, April 2
16. May is Bike Month, Look forward to Valet Bike Parking at Hometown Days, May 19-21, and an Energizer Station for Bike to Wherever Days, May 20-21
17. Belmont Library to host Family-friendly Community Bike Ride on Tuesday, May 23 or Saturday, July 15 (final date TBD), co-led by Peter Brown, Belmont Public Works Director & Giuliano Carlini
MORE INFO:
1. San Carlos Greater East Side Slow Streets Pilot & Traffic Collision Report are on San Carlos City Council Agenda for this Monday, Feb 13, 7pm.
Details:
Two important items are under Agenda Item #8 - New Business:
In-Person Participation: City Hall – 600 Elm Street, Council Chambers.
Remote Participation: Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88256140939; or call 1-669-900-9128 and enter the Meeting ID #: 882 5614 0939
2. Belmont Village Bike/Ped Project, Belmont Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights, and Annual Transportation & Mobility Update are on Belmont City Council Agenda for Tues, Feb 14, 7PM
Details:
Agenda Item #9A - Annual Transportation and Mobility Update for 2022
In-Person Participation: City Hall – One Twin Pines Lane, Council Chambers.
Remote Participation: Zoom: https://belmont-gov.zoom.us/; or call 1-669-900-9128 and enter the Meeting ID: 95745673035.
3. Serving Underserved Communities is the topic for February’s Biketivist Forum, Wed, Feb 15, 5:00-6:00PM, Register here!
Details:
(Note: Due to a scheduling conflict for team lead Sonia Elkes, our regular monthly 6-7pm meeting of the local San Carlos/Belmont team will be rescheduled to another day, please email Sonia at sancarlosbikes@gmail.com for the new day/time
Underserved communities include populations underserved because of geographic location, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, underserved racial and ethnic populations, populations underserved because of special needs (such as language barriers, disabilities, alienage status, or age) and more. Historically this has included Americans who have low-incomes, live in rural communities, have limited education, and are members of racial or ethnic minorities. These are groups that have limited or no access to resources or that are otherwise disenfranchised.
These communities have been neglected for years and hence continue to remain backward when it comes to infrastructure, access to facilities and amenities. This has led to a stark difference between quality of life for these communities in comparison to any other neighborhoods.
What leads to certain communities being historically underserved?
What needs to be done to bring them at par with other neighborhoods?
Why do cities need to provide more attention and resources into these areas?
Find answers to these questions where we'll be joined by experts from the field
Citlalli Herrera - East Oakland Collective - Who will present learning and findings from their "Power the People" study
Yesenia Perez - The Greenlining Institute
4. Public invited to 2nd San Carlos Downtown Community Virtual Workshop – this Thurs, Feb 15, 7:00-8:30 PM. Help make downtown (and getting there) bike/ped-friendlier! Register here
Details:
Staff and the consultant team have been working to develop draft concepts for community review and input. These concepts are based on the initial round of community feedback from last summer and focuses on the desired improvements for Downtown through creative and flexible design approaches.
This workshop will center on Placemaking & the Public Realm such as:
Street Concepts for Laurel Street
Public Gathering Spaces
Pedestrian Paseos/Walkways
Alley Enhancements
The Downtown Specific Plan will build upon what’s best and most loved about downtown San Carlos, and will take a close look at what needs updating or changing. The goal is to create a plan that meets the needs of the community and businesses, now and into the future. To learn more visit, www.sancarlosdowntownplan.com
View previous public comments here
5. Bay to Sea Trail Status & Highway Collision Reports are on BPAC Agenda (Bike Pedestrian Advocacy Committee) – this Thursday, Feb 15, 7pm, Zoom link here, Agenda includes:
Details:
“Bay to Sea” Multi-use Trail Plan Status Report!
The Bay to Sea Trail is envisioned as an approximately 40-mile multiuse trail that will connect people from across the region to open space and create a link between the San Francisco Bay Trail and the California Coastal Trail along the Pacific Ocean.
→ Attend or Email your support (24hrs before the meeting) to vcastro1@smcgov.org to be included in the minutes, or
San Mateo County Sheriff’s Dept will give a Collision Report for unincorporated SMC
→ Attend or Email your safety concerns (24hrs before the meeting) to vcastro1@smcgov.org to be included in the minutes
Consider including:
The importance of collecting near accident data, not just accident and fatality data, as they do now. (And sometimes they only collect accident data if it is serious or there is damage to the bike)
The importance of sending 3 foot warning letters when a cyclist reports a violation, collecting data about who receives these letters, and sharing data with all SMC law enforcement agencies. (I believe drivers who endanger cyclists have a pattern of behavior that might be changed with early intervention.)
Personal stories of near miss collisions and actual collisions and how this impacted you and your friends and affected your (their) cycling.
Thanks Elaine Salinger for the heads up, email Elaine to get involved!
6. San Carlos School District Walk Audit Results were on Planning/Transportation Commission Jan 17 Agenda
Unfortunately one was present to point out that Cedar Street should have bike lanes, not shared lanes with cars.
Consider:
Signing Cedar St ‘Bike Lanes not Shared Lanes’ petition here
Email Planning/Transportation Commission members & San Carlos City Council asking them to recognize that Cedar Street is a better candidate for dedicated bike lanes than a shared lane
Signing the one-question SMDJ poll about whether you support bike lanes on your street
7. 2nd Annual San Carlos Family Bike Fair at Central Middle School was a Success! Thank you to those volunteers, organizations and businesses without whom this event wouldn’t have been possible.
Details:
See the video, and pictures and highlights of the event!
Want to know what we learned and plans for next time? – including how we hope to repeat this event twice a year, in August at the beginning of school and January during Week of the Family, and add an obstacle course with ramps, and eventually a pump track, to help draw more 5-8th graders.
Interested in supporting or sponsoring this event in the future? – read our the expense report summary
Special thanks to our incredible volunteers!:
San Carlos Community Foundation & San Mateo County Office of Education who co-sponsored it
San Carlos Week of the Family who promoted it
San Carlos Library who promoted it
San Mateo County Sheriff’s Dept who supported it
Mark Nachlis of Zack’s Bikes who supported it
John Johnson and staff of Drones by the Bay who videotaped it
Joe’s Taco Truck who fed the people who attended it
San Carlos School District who facilitated it
Stanford Injury Prevention staff Maylyn Co who supported it
Event Set-Up Volunteers: Katherine Prescott, Cadence Sharma, Gerd Stieler, Sonia Elkes
Riding Course Volunteers: Patricia Carpinelli, Maylyn Co, Jess DeLeuw, Debbie Denton, John Durkin, Lisa Gilliam, Nic Henderson & Marie Romahi & family, Meredith & Robert Park & family, Katherine Prescott, Sally Rayn, Cadence Sharma, Gerd Stieler and Heidi von Briel & family,
Bike Care Volunteers: Jose Anaya, Giuliano Carlini, Dave Clark, Tom Feledy, Arley Lewis, Tim Ryan, Bill Warhurst, Chris & Nick Gellrich,
Welcome & Booth Volunteers: Jacob Elkes, Tessa Elkes, Ben Estrada, Eloise Idhe, Eloise Layton, Alli McDonald, Shital Manjee, Mark Nachlis, David Pollack, Isabelle Tillier, Tianny Zapata,
(There were a few more–if I forgot your name, please sancarlosbikes@gmail.com)
8. Do you Support Bike Lanes on your Street? Please answer this One-Question Poll by Daily Journal about the trade-offs of biking infrastructure.
Poll results as of 8:30pm Sun, Feb 12…
9. Biking & Public Transit go Hand-in-Hand…
Details:
New! School Transit Report out from Mineta Transportation Institute: Launching a Transit Revolution: Addressing Barriers Preventing Youth from using Public Transportation to Get to and from School
Written by Meredith Park, our very own San Carlos/Redwood City transit advocate, Congrats & well-done, Meredith!
These ideas are a testament to the work by Mindy Hill and the TASC team several years ago, and describes several elements that were successfully used in San Carlos to get cars off of the TL campus......
Help Promote Public Transit – SFMTA, BART, Caltrain, AC Transit and other agencies, are heading toward a daunting fiscal cliff as federal Covid relief funding runs out while ridership regrows more slowly. Get involved here!
This operating funding shortfall could lead to deep cuts to transit service, potentially triggering a spiral of decline with closed stations, infrequent service, no weekend transit.
There are opportunities around the region to achieve more coordinated, accessible, safer, faster, more sustainable public transportation.
Thanks Adina Levin for the heads up, email Adina to get involved!
10. Belmont Measure I Advisory Committee Opening
Details:
One seat on the Measure I Advisory Committee expiring in October 2023, application period open until filled. Measure I generates just over $1M a year for local infrastructure projects. Help determine how to spend the money!
11. $800 Million Federal Grant Money Made Available for Local City Projects – Let your city know!
Details:
From the Article: “It’s one of the first times that cities can directly access federal funding in a way that gives them the flexibility to spend on these smaller projects that can make the biggest impact in people’s lives”…”People are mostly using the streets right outside their work, their schools and their homes, and so those are the streets that matter.”
Could this help fund what’s still missing for the joint San Carlos-Belmont Alameda de las Pulgas project?)
Thank you Gladwyn d'Souza for the heads up!
12. Interested in becoming certified as a Licensed Cycling Instructor (LCI)? LCI’s benefit from comprehensive training and are automatically insured through the League of American Bicyclists
Details:
Start with Smart Cycling I and II, offered free by the VTA in San Jose. Details here: https://bikesiliconvalley.org/programs/education
Congratulations Tim Ryan, local San Carlos bicyclist and advocate Tim Ryan, who is our newest LCI!
13. Tis the Season…for Getting Bikes Tuned Up! Winter is your chance to get in without long wait times for tune ups
Details:
Get your bike to one of our local family bike shops:
San Carlos – Zack’s Bikes, 1011 American St, 650.524.5222
Belmont – CA Sports & Cyclery, 1464 El Camino, 650.593.8806; and BelMont Bikes, 2041 Ralston Ave, 650.832.1894
Redwood City – Chain Reaction Bicycles, 1680 El Camino Real, 650.366.7130
Or one of our local retail stores with bike repair shops:
San Carlos – REI, 1119 Industrial Rd, Ste A, 650.508.2330
Redwood City – Sports Basement, 202 Walnut, 650.421.7440
14. In case you missed it: Outstanding article in Alta Online on the origin story behind San Carlos’ very own LEGO-based bike safety curriculum “Bikes & Bricks”, called Building Safer Roads, Brick by Brick, written by Menlo Park bicyclist and safe streets advocate.
Thanks Lydia Lee, terrific writing!
FUTURE PLANNING:
15. San Carlos Library will host a Family-friendly Community Bike Ride in collaboration with Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition on Sunday, April 2
16. May is Bike Month, Look forward to:
Valet Bike Parking & an Energizer Station during Bike to Wherever Days, May 20-21 during San Carlos Hometown Days, in the Bocce Ball court
Can you help us park bikes during Hometown Days? (It’s a fun, shady, great place to hang out and see friends!), please email sancarlosbikes@gmail.com – you don’t have to know which day or what time, just that you’re interested would make a BIG difference, thank you in advance!)
17. Belmont Library to host Family-friendly Community Bike Ride on Tuesday, May 23 or Saturday, July 15 (final date TBD), co-led by Peter Brown, Belmont Public Works Director & Giuliano Carlini, local bicyclist and safe streets advocate. Stay tuned…
Sonia Elkes
Founder, San Carlos Bikes
www.sancarlosbikes.org
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