Category Archives: Advocacy

A photograph of CSUS student Arlene Sasse remains attached to a light pole at the entrance to the university in Sacramento. Sasse was killed on her bicycle in the early morning hours of April 1, 2011 in a collision with a car as she crossed J Street at the entrance to the campus.

From the Hammerin’ Wheels Bike Club website: Wednesday evening at 6:45 p.m., cyclists will gather at Fremont Park at the corner of 16th and P Streets for “The Ride of Silence”. This is in conjunction with an event held throughout the United States and North America to honor cyclists who have been injured or killed, raise awareness toward cyclists and ask that everyone share the road.
The local ride will take cyclists to the intersection of J and H Streets at Carlson Drive, where previously two “Ghost Bikes” were located at the sites of fatal automobile / bicycle collisions. The most recent accident involved California State University, Sacramento student Arlene Sasse, 22, who was hit by a car while crossing J Street in the early hours April 1, 2011. Although the “Ghost Bike” is gone, a photograph of Sasse sitting in a chair playing the guitar is still attached to the light pole at the intersection.
For more information about the ride, go to this link at the Hammerin’ Wheels website.
By the way, the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates will be holding a special “members preview” of the new SABA Carlson Corridor Bicycle Friendly Design at a meeting at the Presbyterian church at the intersection on Thursday evening, May 17. For more information about the meeting go to the SABA website or contact amy@sacbike.org.

Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.

The May is Bike Month photo gallery is posted here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the photo above, Sacramento Wheelmen bike club members Bob Backer, left, and George Koch, right, listen to T.J. Windmiller, a mechanic at Mad Cat Bikes, (on stage above and in the photo at the left) explain how to change a flat tire at the the May is Bike Month kick off event at Fremont Park in Sacramento on Tuesday.

Several hundred people came out to Fremont Park for the official launch of Bike Month. There were free bike safety checks, raffles and presentations on subjects like how to properly lock a bike and how to change a flat tire. As of 2 p.m., 5,371 bicyclists had pledged 1,049,187 miles, according to a news release from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments. This is the eighth year volunteers, public agencies, businesses, and bicycling enthusiasts have partnered to promote bicycling as part of May is Bike Month, according to SACOG. All trips by bicycle count, whether a ride to work, school, shopping, or for recreation in the region which includes El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties.

Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.

In the video above, morning commuters, Matt Schott of Placerville and Kevin Keady of Folsom ride into the May is Bike Month Energizer Station on M and 48th Streets in Sacramento Tuesday morning. In the photo at the right, Schott and Keady help themselves to food and drink at the station as Scott Anderson of Sacramento, right, pulls into the station.
The station was set up by Sacramento Area Council of Governments employees A.J. Tendick and Jeanie Hong to promote “May is Bike Month.”

May is rapidly approaching and with it, May is Bike Month, the annual event that promotes bicycle commuting. This year, the regional program is sponsoring “Energizer Stations” along key commuting routes in the Sacramento area. Most of the stations will be set up along the American River Bike Trail for two hours at a time, but they will also be erected in Roseville and Davis on certain days, according to A.J. Tendick a public information coordinator for Sacramento Area Council of Governments.
As an added incentive to stop at the “Energizer Stations,” commuters can “friend” them on Facebook and learn of the daily keyword. Mentioning the key word at the station gives commuters a chance of winning free socks or a t-shirt.
The May is Bike Month website has a list of upcoming “Energizer Stations” on the calender page of the site.

Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.

The state Senate Transportation & Housing Committee with hold its first hearing on the reintroduced three-foot-passing legislation, Senate Bill 1464 on Tuesday. California Bicycle Coalition Communications Director Jim Brown sent an email out on April 3 explaining the bill and asking for support. You can read the email here.
The legislation would require drivers to give bicyclists at least three feet of clearance when passing from behind, like the guy in this video who was probably less than a foot away from me when he passed me on Hwy. 49 south of Auburn last August.

The state Assembly has approved a bill to modernize bikeway standards in California according to a report by the California Bicycle Coalition. The bill, Assembly Bill 819, was authored by Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, in early January. It was later amended by the Assembly Transportation Committee, “…removing our proposal to allow communities to follow standards such as those developed by the National Association of City Transportation Officials,” the coalition reported. The full report can be found here.

League of American Bicyclists and American Bikes alerted their members last week to contact their representatives in the House and ask them to preserve funding in an upcoming transportation bill for bicyling and pedestrians.
“Next Thursday, the House Transportation Committee will vote (see timeline) on the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, a bill that eliminates crucial funds for biking and walking. Representatives on the Transportation Committee are key positions to save dedicated funding for biking and walking,” said an article on bikeleague.org.
For more information about the act and how you can become involved, go to the this article at bikeleague.org or this article at dc.streetblog.org.

A friend forwarded me this Mother Jones article that sums up the debate in Washington about funding for bicycle-friendly transportation projects.