I hope your fall is off to a good start! Here are a few upcoming events you may be interested in, and efforts where you might want to help out. Below, you'll see links to a number of local transit surveys that close on 9/30, so this week is a good one for making your voice heard.
Redwood City to San Mateo Crosstown Tour on Saturday 9/30
On Saturday, September 30 at 12:30 PM, join SVBC for a beginner-friendly ride starting at Coffeebar in Redwood City and ending at Wursthall in San Mateo, with stops at Alpha Acid Brewery in Belmont and Seal Point Park for rest breaks. Pre-register here for the ride!
SC: Bike to the Art & Wine Faire in San Carlos
It's time for the San Carlos Art & Wine Faire!
What: https://www.cityofsancarlos.org/business_detail_T10_R33.php
When Sat/Sun, Oct 7 & 8, 10am-6pm both days
Park your bike: Free supervised Valet Bike Parking in front of the SamTrans Building at 1250 San Carlos Ave.
Help us park! We need Bike Parking volunteers! Sign up here: Valet Bike Parking Volunteer Sign-Up
SC: The Holly Street bike bridge is delayed -- again
From Grace Le, City Engineer: "The Holly/101 Project was ready for construction in 2019. However, due to the Caltrans Express Lane Project occurring at the same time and location, the Holly/101 Project was delayed when Caltrans prioritized their project over ours. The Express Lane Project was completed earlier this year. During this three-plus years of delay, construction costs have increased dramatically causing a significant funding gap. Additionally, many of the grants for the Project have deadlines for timely use of funds, resulting in the inability to retain these grant funds, which further increased the funding gap. Timely use of funds and a significant funding gap are reasons why SMCTA is deprogramming the Holly/101 Project. Although this is discouraging news from SMCTA, despite the challenges, the City will still continue to assemble dedicated funding to re-start our project.”
What can you do to help?
Before Monday (9/25) night's SC City Council meeting, share your opinion with the City, reiterating the importance of a safe crossing for bikes/peds/wheels over 101 as part of the City’s Northeast Area Specific Plan. Go to https://www.sancarlosnortheastplan.com/ and fill out the form at the bottom of the page.
You can also email the 5 City council members as a group at: citycouncil@cityofsancarlos.org or individually at the addresses listed here: https://www.cityofsancarlos.org/city_hall/city_council/index.php
SC: Planning San Carlos’ Northeast Side: Council Discussion Sept 25
Help plan the future of San Carlos’ east side: The City of San Carlos recently hosted a second online Community Workshop for the Northeast Area Specific Plan (See 3 development option maps here: https://www.sancarlosnortheastplan.com/ ).
This plan will shape the eastside of San Carlos in the coming decades. That’s the area north of Holly Street; meaning the area that’s now an industrial zone from the In-n-Out Burger north, between Old County and Industrial Roads. At the workshop, City staff presented a draft of options for the zoning rules that limit how the land will be used and what transportation options will serve the area.
See a presentation on the options at the next City Council Meeting on Sept 25, 7pm, and/or give feedback on the options presented on the website via email to advanceplanning@cityofsancarlos.org .
Help SM County keep us safe. Send your comments by 9/30
Help improve traffic and pedestrian safety in San Carlos and San Mateo County.
The City/County Association of Governments (C/CAG) of San Mateo County is conducting a Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP) to help get funding for roadway improvements across the County.
You can help C/CAG identify unsafe streets and intersections. Use this mapping tool, https://maps.kittelson.com/ccag-lrsp , to provide comments by September 30. For more information, see https://ccag.ca.gov/countywide-local-roadway-safety-plan
Gaps in the Bay Trail? Let your voice be heard by 9/30
MTC is running a Bay Trail SFO Gap Study, and now they’re gathering the first round of public comments. (MTC is the transportation planning agency for the nine-counties of the Bay Area) This online survey and map ask you about current Bay Trail use, key factors for the new Bay Trail segment, key destinations in the study area, and route preferences.
The survey and map will close on September 30. The survey is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Read more in the MTC blog and at the project web page.
The Caltrans bike plan update is open for comment
The Caltrans District 4 bike plan update (covering roads from San Jose to Santa Rosa to Antioch and Livermore) is open for comment right now. This covers a lot of roads you probably use: El Camino Real is a state highway. All the freeways need more and better bike crossings. A few paths along freeways, like the 87 and 237 Bikeways, are also under Caltrans's control. Here's an explanation:
and here's a link straight to the survey:
RWC quick-build: Make El Camino safer near Sequoia HS
There’s a Proposal from Redwood City safe routes advocates to quick-build El Camino Real road safety improvements between North Fair Oaks (Charter St.) & Sequoia-area schools (Broadway).
Letter authors include a San Mateo County Youth Commissioner, a Redwood City PRCS Commissioner, a volunteer at the St. Francis Center, and an in-home hospice nurse in Redwood City's District 5.
If you live or ride in RWC, add your support to the effort. Contact Mac Hart at hart.mackenzie.1@gmail.com to support this effort and add your letters!
SVBC Hallowheels Bike Fun on October 29
Enjoy a fantastic Hallowheels day of activities, entertainment, and great biking to suit any rider, with Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition’s annual Bike to the Future fundraising event on Oct. 29. Have your choice of routes: 6, 12, 31 or 51 miles. They range from family-friendly to fun, featuring scavenger hunts and murals, to challenging. Best of all there's a community festival at 11:30 with free bike repairs, contests, music, delicious food, plus much more.
Bike to the Future!
When: Sunday, Oct. 29, rides start at various times between 7:30 and 10:30; festival at 11:30.
Where: 70 W. Hedding St., San Jose
Register today ( https://biketothefuture.funraise.org ) and help raise funds. Funds raised support SVBC’s work for healthy, just communities and safe, accessible streets. Join solo, join a team, or bring your own team! Fame and great prizes await for the highest individual fundraiser, the largest team, and the team with the highest average raised per member.
Drivers not seeing you due to parked cars? We can help fix that right now.
The Daylighting to Save Lives Bill (AB 413, Lee) has passed, and now we need to get Gov. Newsom to sign it! This bill would give our roads "intersection daylighting" -- banning parking within 20 feet of most crosswalks. When car drivers approach an intersection, the lack of parked cars will mean the driver has more time to see walkers and bikers. This is already required in many other states and some cities across the US.
Ask Gov. Newsom to sign AB 413: https://www.calbike.org/daylighting-to-save-lives-ab-413-needs-your-support/
The 2024 National Bike Summit!
Next year's League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit will take place Tuesday, March 19, through Thursday, March 21, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC: https://bikeleague.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb89ca754070e189bcb1c9928&id=612646913c&e=3bd134b43d
Want to present at the 2024 Summit? The Request for Proposals is now open and priority will be given to proposals submitted before October 10, 2023. Learn more: https://bikeleague.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=eb89ca754070e189bcb1c9928&id=a760048a3f&e=3bd134b43d
Thanks!
Thanks for reading and riding,
Sonia Elkes,
San Carlos Bikes founder
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