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SAN CARLOS BIKES NEWSLETTER

May 29, 2021 Biking News

E-Bike Vouchers ~ BTWD Messenger Bag Stations ~ Community Foundation Looking for Suggestions ~ REI Donates Chairs for Community Gathering Area ~ Safety Stop Bill needs Support ~ BTWD coming ~ Arroyo @ Cedar Construction Alert & more…


New:

1) San Carlos REI Donates Comfy Chairs for our Community Seating Area -- it’s open to everyone, come try them out at the San Carlos Valet Bike Parking at Sunday Farmer’s Market

2) Peninsula Clean Energy offering E-Bike vouchers for income-qualifying San Mateo County Residents

3) San Carlos Community Foundation seeking funding opportunities to improve the lives of residents -- opportunity for advocacy

4) California ‘Safety Stop’ Bill (AB122) needs support from city/county officials -- see sample letter


Still Relevant:

5) Last Chance to Give SamTrans Survey input (May 31)! -- Public transit and bikes go hand-in-hand: More buses means less traffic, better commute alternatives & safer streets for all

6) 2021 Bike to Wherever Day Messenger Bike bags -- available at the Bike Parking booth at the Famer’s Market Sunday 5/31

7) Arroyo @ Cedar Construction -- An update


Upcoming:

8) Tues, 6/8, 7pm is 2nd Eucalyptus Street Holiday Traffic-Mitigation community-wide meeting--got ideas?

9) Wed, June 2, 7pm is next Parks, Rec & Culture Commission meeting -- will suggest apply for public ‘bike fix-it station’ grant

10) Friday, June 4, 7-8pm, SVBC “Post-Bike Month Bash & Happy Hour”, SVBC members only, anyone can join to attend

11) Thurs, June 9, 6-8pm is second East Side Planning meeting -- needs bicyclist perspective

12) Aug 12 & 13 -- 11th Annual SVBC Bike Summit, everyone welcome, discount for members

13) Sundays, 9am-1pm -- San Carlos Farmers Market has live music, fruits/veggies, prepared food, hot coffee, beer garden & wine tasting at 11am, artisan & community booths & free bike valet parking


On-going Opportunities:

14) Learn to Bike Classes available through REI Fremont, Ages 12+

15) Wheel Kids Summer Bike Riding Camps (Palo Alto, Grades 1-7)

16) New Organization: Mountain Biking Experts -- Jump Clinics & Summer Camps enrolling now for ages 7 and up


 

1) San Carlos REI donates Community Seating Area for Bike Valet


Thank you San Carlos REI and Store Manager Kazu Ishidera for the generous donation of 12(!) comfy, portable chairs for our new "Community Seating Area" at the Valet Bike Parking. San Carlos Bikes is the delighted recipient of 4 GCI Outdoor Firepit Rocking Chairs (the gray, ultra-comfy ones), 4 Mountain Summit Gear Anytime Chairs (the green ones), and 4 REI Flexlite Camp Boss Chairs (the black ones, great for kids).

Join us down to the farmer’s market to relax, chat, eat or just to try out our cool new chairs.




 

2) Peninsula Clean Energy offering E-Bike vouchers


“Peninsula Clean Energy will provide discounts of up to $800 for San Mateo County residents if they buy an electric bicycle at participating shops.

The deal is part of the county's "E-Bikes for Everyone" program, which is an effort to raise awareness for biking as a viable, healthier and cleaner alternative mode of transportation.”

 

3) San Carlos Community Foundation seeking input on funding opportunities

The Community Foundation of San Carlos is seeking input from community members. The organization’s hope is that community members will “share their vision of how a philanthropic organization like the foundation can improve the lives of city residents and neighboring cities,” according to a statement.

In support of the combined need for healthy, equitable, youth recreation outlets, especially post-COVID and toward promoting sustainable, active transportation climate-wise, this is a good opportunity to let our Community Foundation know that any support they can offer toward building a bike/skate/scooter/skateboard/wheel-friendly recreational facility like a pump track could be an incredible, mental/physical/social health, climate and community-promoting asset to our community.

See letter of support for bike/skate/pump track facilities written to our community foundation: Letter to Community Foundation in Support of Wheel-friendly Facility in San Carlos

  • Contact the Community Foundation to send your own letters on what you think would improve the lives of San Carlos residents and neighboring cities via: info@sancarloscf.org


 

4) California Bike “Safety Stop Bill” (AB122) needs City Officials support

Bill AB122 would change the Vehicle Code to allow bicyclists approaching a STOP sign to slow to a reasonable speed, yield as needed, then proceed through the intersection without being required to come to a full and complete stop. It legalizes the way 96% of bicyclists, a Chicago study showed, already safely ride every day, and changes nothing for vehicles or about right of way. It just lets bicyclists treat stop signs as yield signs -- if traffic or pedestrians are present they are required to stop just as before.

The bill needs city councils and other organizations to send letters of support to the Senate Transportation Commission.

The California AB 122 bill has the support of the League of American Bicyclists, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Adventure Cycling Association and PeopleforBikes, an industry organization. More than seventy other entities support the bill, including the Local Government Commission, Natural Resources Defense Council, Vision Zero Network, the Yolo Solano Air Quality Management District, the Coalition for Clean Air, Public Health Advocates, numerous California bike clubs and advocacy groups, and pedestrian advocacy organizations.

It has the support of cities including Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville, Sacramento, Los Angeles and many more are considering it.

Encouragingly, the League of California Cities was leaning “oppose”, but has now moved the bill to its “watch” list. California city and county officials can register their support through the Legislature’s Position Letter Portal: https://stran.senate.ca.gov (Click on Submit Position Letter).

If you are interested/able, here is a sample letter to email to our city/county officials asking them to (individually or as a group) send their support to the Senate Transportation Committee for the “California Bike Safety-Stop” Bill AB122.

Local Council Contact Info:

San Carlos City Council: citycouncil@cityofsancarlos.org

Belmont City Council: citycouncil@belmont.gov

Redwood City Council: council@redwoodcity.org

 

5) Last Chance to Give SamTrans Survey Input (due by May 31!)


If you haven’t filled out the SamTrans survey yet, please consider doing so. There are two ways to give your feedback, and please SPREAD THE WORD!

Important Note: You have to do multiple surveys to be able to

comment on BOTH “Local/Express Routes” and

“Changes to School-related Service”.


List of Suggestions for SamTrans Survey here: SamTrans Survey Input

 

6) 2021 Bike to Wherever Day Messenger Bike bags

... available at the Bike Parking booth at the Farmer’s Market Sunday on 5/30

 

7) Cedar & Arroyo Intersection Update

While the construction is officially done, modifications suggested by San Carlos Bikes to improve bike safety/comfort at the Cedar/Arroyo intersection didn’t go quite as hoped. Nevertheless, the good news is the concrete curb extensions themselves are much improved for pedestrians, and less additionally risky for bicyclists than expected.

Regarding the dismount area, contrary to what the messaging board indicates, according to Public Works no bicyclist has to dismount at the intersection unless they choose to for comfort. (The optional dismount area is for bicyclists to use as needed during high traffic times when large numbers of cars and student bicyclists pass through this intersection at once, so bikes don’t have to wait behind long lines of cars. Given COVID, these conditions aren’t expected until fall, if even then. It’s also available for less-confident riders who may be uncomfortable merging in front of vehicles as they approach the stop sign.)

The rubber curbs that delineate the dismount area however still seem unnecessary and potentially hazardous. If you’d like to give feedback on the current intersection status, email the City Council subcommittee for this intersection: Vice Mayor Sara McDowell, smcdowell@cityofsancarlos.org and Mayor Laura Parmer-Lohan, lparmerlohan@cityofsancarlos.org.

The reassuring news is that Public Works has a clear plan going forward for better communication with the public for getting more and wider feedback on its proposals, multiple times during the design process. See what the Capital Improvement Process looks like, as presented at the last City Council meeting (starting at 1:10:10): http://sancarlosca.iqm2.com/Citizens/SplitView.aspx?Mode=Video&MeetingID=3173&Format=Agenda

For info on the project’s background and evolution see: San Carlos Bikes Email Communication with Public Works

 

8) 2nd Eucalyptus Street Holiday Traffic-Mitigation community-wide meeting is Tues, 6/8 at 7pm

The first meeting was well-attended (~93 participants on Zoom), with many of San Carlos city officials hosting, and they did an outstanding facilitation job. If you’re interested in sharing your concerns, thoughts and ideas for better traffic flow around the holidays around Eucalyptus, please join.


“The San Carlos community is invited to attend either of two virtual meetings to discuss the annual Eucalyptus Avenue holiday celebrations on May 26 or June 8, 2021. We’re bringing community members together to share experiences and listen to concerns in a thoughtful, productive, and respectful discussion. “

 

9) This Wed, June 2, 7pm is next Parks, Rec & Culture Commission

San Carlos Bikes planning to give public comment requesting commission consider applying for a public ‘bike fix-it station’ grant:

  • The Office of Sustainability has funding available to offer a limited number of bicycle fix-it stations to schools, community centers, and non-profit partners around San Mateo County. A bicycle fix-it station is a stand that is affixed with the tools necessary to perform basic bike repairs and maintenance. Bicycle fix-it stations are key elements of a bicycle-friendly environment, allowing folks to make basic repairs themselves to their bikes at no cost.

  • The basic requirements for applying for a station are that the station must be located within San Mateo County, each station needs a 2 foot by 2 foot slab of concrete to bolt into, and the applicant will be responsible for taking care of the station, including replacing broken or missing tools and parts.

  • The application will remain open until filled. However, first consideration will be given to organizations that respond by June 18, 2021. Questions about the grant should be directed to commute@smcgov.org and grant application form is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/17TF3uW7ueQochQKh5m1i7UHUA8szKJ7WHx_pFp_Zow0/viewform?edit_requested=true

  • To add your voice to support this project, email Parks, Rec & Culture Commissioners:

​Stacy Dent

​6/30/2023

John Durkin

​6/30/2022

Bethany French

​6/30/2022

​Cecile Lee

​6/30/2022

​Mark Maxwell

​6/30/2024

​Dawn Aveggio, Alternate Member

​6/30/2023


 

10) Friday, June 4, 7-8pm, SVBC “Post-Bike Month Bash & Happy Hour”

From SVBC: “Now that Bike Month is over, it is time to relax, socialize, and celebrate! Let's all get together virtually with bikey friends online and enjoy some cold brews or sodas on us!

You may bring your own or pick up a couple on Sunday May 30th 1`2-3pm in San Carlos or Tuesday Jun 1st 6-8pm in Sunnyvale or Thursday June 3rd 6:30-8:30pm in Sunnyvale. The beer options are a Pilsner from Camino Brewing Company (https://www.caminobrewingshop.com/) or a variety of different options from Gordon Biersch Brewing Company (https://www.gordonbierschbrewing.com/styles/marzen/). Camino Brewing, located right next to the old Faber's Cyclery, was founded by two friends after they cycled 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago across Spain. Gordon Biersch was formed when Dan Gordon, one of the most sought-after brewers in the country, and Dean Biersch, an experienced restaurateur and beer lover, met, sat down, and started talking beer.

IMPORTANT: You must be a current SVBC Member to get your brews and attend -- if you are not a current member, join at https://bikesiliconvalley.org/donate/


 

11) Thurs, June 9, 6-8pm is second San Carlos East Side Planning meeting -- needs bicyclist perspective

 

12) Aug 12 & 13 -- 11th Annual SVBC Bike Summit, everyone welcome, scholarships available

More info on Bike Summit: https://bikesiliconvalley.org/summit

 

14) Learn to Bike Classes available through REI Fremont, Age 12+



 

15) Wheel Kids Summer Bike Riding Camps (Palo Alto, Grade 1-7)



 

16) New Organization: Mountain Biking Experts -- Jump Clinics & Summer Camps enrolling now for ages 7 and up





Thanks for reading/riding! Sonia Elkes,

Founder, San Carlos Bikes

(415) 806-4632


PS: Want to get bike-related news more promptly? To see more bike- and San Carlos transportation-related updates sooner:


Want a general Guide to Biking in San Carlos? See this article: Guide to Biking In San Carlos (San Carlos Living magazine, April 2021)


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