Social Ride to Cyclismo Cafe ~ SVBC Advocate Training ~ Bike Summit Nominations Due ~ ECR Grand Boulevard in Burlingame Progress ~ Sustainable SMC Happy Hour ~ East Side Innovation District Presentation ~ SVBC Biking 101 ~ Outride Summit ~ SC City Council Meeting ~ Civilized Century Ride ~ Music & Movie Nights in the Park Schedule ~ Outstanding Safe Routes to School Speaker Returning & more…
New:
1) Social Group Ride to Cyclismo Cafe, this Saturday, 7/17, 5pm
2) Great & Inspiring Speaker! San Mateo County Safe Routes to School consultant, Mark Fenton, speaking this Thurs 7/16, at 10am
3) SVBC Bike Advocate Training workshop, this Tues, 7/13, 5-7pm
4) Momentum building for a more resilient El Camino Real! Burlingame is pushing CA Dept of Transp. to do better on El Camino Real for transit, bikes & peds -- virtual meeting July 14 at 5:30pm, public comments needed & appreciated
5) Vote for your Favorites -- Nominations for Bike Project, Program & Person of the Year are in & once the votes are all in, will be announced at the 2021 SVBC Bike Summit
6) Lower King’s Mountain Road has a (paved, safer) alternative route
7) July 20 at 5:30pm is Sustainable San Mateo County’s monthly, virtual Happy Hour: “Air Quality for Equality -- Disparities in the Impact of Air Pollution”
8) San Carlos City Staff to give Update on East Side Innovation District Vision Plan progress at next monthly Planning Commission meeting, Tues, 7/13, 7pm
9) Silicon Valley Bike Coalition hosts Biking 101 (virtual class), Mon, July 26, 6pm
10) Learn the latest research on cycling and youth health at the 5th Annual Outride Research Summit, Wed, July 28: “Advancing Youth and Community Well-being through Cycling” (free, but pre-registration required)
11) San Carlos City Council Meeting tonight, Mon, July 12, 7pm, includes discussion of 600 Laurel block modifications
12) Opening on San Carlos Economic Development & Advisory Commision--application due Aug 20 (bicyclist perspectives needed!)
Upcoming Events & Rides:
13) El Camino Ride in Santa Clara & Sunnyvale on Sat,July 31
14) Aug 1, the “Civilized Century” Ride hosted by Redwood Shores Cycling Meetup Group
15) Aug 12 & 13 -- 11th Annual SVBC Bike Summit, everyone welcome, discount for members
Go-by-Bike! Opportunities
16) Bike to San Carlos Summer Movie Nights in Burton Park on Fridays, 8:30pm: 7/16 (“Onward”), 7/30 (“The Parent Trap”), 8/13 (“Raya & The Last Dragon)
17) Bike to San Carlos Summer Music Nights in Burton Park on Fridays, 6:00pm: 7/9 (Carnaval-- A Tribute to Santana); 7/23 (Busta-Groove! Dance Party); 8/6 (The Delta Wires -- Blues), 8/20 (E-Ticket -- Oldies Rock & Roll)
18) Bike to Redwood City Summer Movies on the Square on Thursdays at 6pm & 8:30pm (2200 Broadway): 7/15 (“Toy Story 4” & “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”), 7/22 (“Bravemaker” & “Creed II”), 7/29 (“Raya & the Last Dragon” & “Yesterday”)
19) Bike to Redwood City Summer Music in Stafford Park at 6:00pm: 7/14 (“West Grand Boulevard”-Soul/Funk R&B), 7/21 (“California Cowboys”-Country), 7/28 (“Andre Thierry”-Zydeco),
20) Bike to Redwood City Summer Music on the Square on Fridays at 6:00pm (2200 Broadway): 7/16 (“Tainted Love”-80’s covers), 7/23 (“Super Diamond”-Tribute to Neil Diamond), 7/30 (“Steel ‘n’ Chicago”-Steely Dan & Chicago Tribute)
21) Bike to see Andy Z on the Square on Broadway in Redwood City! Local, legendary kids performer, 11am on Sunday 7/25, 2200 Broadway
22) Every Sunday, Social Gathering & Valet Bike Parking at San Carlos Farmer’s Market, 9am-1pm, on Bayport @ Varian
On-going Opportunities:
23) Wheel Kids Summer Bike Riding Camps (Palo Alto, Grades 1-7)
24) New Organization: Mountain Biking Experts -- Jump Clinics & Summer Camps enrolling now for ages 7 and up
25) Bicycle Sundays on Canada Rd -- road closed to vehicles north of Edgewood
26) Redwood Shores Cycling Meetup -- intermediate rides on Saturdays, leisurely rides on Sundays
27) Commute.org offers resources & rewards for commuting by bike, shuttle, train & bus
28) Backroads Bicycle Trips -- local, national and international trips that combine the best of two worlds: biking and vacation
29) REI Cycling Classes & Events -- Intro to Mountain biking, etc on-going classes and events
30) E-Bike Treks -- Bay Area e-bike group adventures -- a Meetup Group
31) Western Wheelers -- Group Bike rides around the Bay Area, organized by riding level
1) Social Group Ride to Cyclismo Cafe, this Saturday, 7/17, 5pm
July’s San Carlos SVBC Team monthly meeting will be a social group ride.
We'll meet in front of the Youth Center in Burton Park, San Carlos, and ride to the lovely, bicycling-inspired Cyclismo Cafe in downtown Redwood City’s theater district.
Route will be: Head south on Cedar St --> Eaton --> Warwick --> Arlington --> Oakdale/Duane ---> Hopkins --> Broadway --> Middlefield.
Everyone welcome, all ages/riding abilities. (As needed we can break into groups to accommodate different ages & riding speeds.)
RSVP to this Evite: http://evite.me/pPgwgz9GWS or with a text to (415) 806-4632.
Feel free to share the evite link with people you want to invite.
2) Great speaker coming: Mark Fenton, on Safe Routes to School advocacy, this Thurs 7/16, at 10am
How can your city support safe and active back to school travel this fall?
Join San Mateo County Safe Routes to School and Transportation Consultant Mark Fenton on July 16th at 10:00 am for a discussion on the intersection of student travel, COVID-19 recovery, economic development, and community revitalization. Participants will hear from local and national campaigns that reduce traffic congestion and support active transportation. City public works, traffic engineers and planners are encouraged to attend.
3) SVBC Bike Advocate Training workshop, this Tues, 7/13, 5-7pm
SVBC is conducting an advocacy training on July 13th. All new team members and those who are new to the world of advocacy are encouraged to join us for this training. This training will talk about how bike projects get done, where to go for information when issues arise and we'll also do a campaign planning exercise.
Register here
4) Momentum building for a more resilient El Camino Real!
The latest push to bring El Camino up to sustainable transportation standards is happening in Burlingame, where grassroots efforts are building to encourage our CA Dept of Transportation (‘Caltrans’) to do better for transit, bikes & peds when it upgrades the El Camino Real portion in Burlingame. El Camino Real connects us ALL along the Peninsula, so THIS is the time to get involved and push for the El Camino Real ‘Grand Boulevard’ vision we’ve been reaching for all these years.
There are two upcoming (this week) opportunities to make public comments on the Burlingame ‘Caltrans El Camino Real renewal project’: a virtual meeting on July 14th at 5:30pm, and an in-person meeting July 16th at Burlingame High School at 5:30pm. No meeting links have been posted yet, but you can get more info here www.ElCaminoRealProject.com.
Caltrans has released a draft environmental impact report (EIR), and they need to make sure they’ve been heard on transit and bike/ped safety priority on El Camino in Burlingame. If you haven't already, please check out https://www.resilientelcaminoreal.com/ (they have almost 50 members already!) and the Burlingame campaign page to sign up for action alerts and to sign the petition for this ECR project: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/support-a-resilient-el-camino-real-in-burlingame
In a nutshell: Resilient ECR believes that the existing EIR is inadequate, and that roadway configuration options including the following should have been studied and included as alternatives in the environmental impact report:
Transit-only lane in either the northbound or southbound direction, accompanied by a 4-to-3 lane road diet
Shared use path for bicyclists
5) Vote for your Favorites -- Nominations for Bike Project, Program & Person of the Year are in & will be announced at the 2021 SVBC Bike Summit
Summit awards voting is now open and there are awards for three categories: Person/Project/Program of the year.
Cast your vote today and spread the word.
6) There’s a (paved, safer) alternative to Lower King’s Mountain Road
From local bicycling advocacy legend, John Langbein:
Kings Mountain Road (KMR) is a popular, scenic bike route in San Mateo County that links Woodside to Skyline (RT35), as well as the coast via Tunitas Creek Road. The road is narrow and windy with many blind corners. Occasionally, cyclists encounter an impatient motorist who will pass when it isn’t safe to do so, jeopardizing everyone’s lives. When I descend KMR, I see many cyclists ascending the lower section of KMR from Greer to the entrance of Huddart Park.
However, to avoid some of the potential conflicts, there is an alternative (paved) to riding lower KMR, which is well known to many cyclists. Those ascending cyclists either know about the alternative but prefer riding lower KMR, or don’t know about the alternative.To those cyclists who are not familiar with this alternative, I’ve put together a short route description. Recently the town of Woodside has installed about a half dozen “bicycle pullouts” on their section of KMR that covers the lower portion of KMR. Although this improvement will help mitigate potential conflicts between motorists and cyclists, one can avoid those conflicts by riding the paved roads through lower Huddart Park.
The link, https://www.dropbox.com/s/0uxpsdhnbsnlwdk/KMR-alt.pdf?dl= provides instructions to avoid cycling the lower part of KMR. These instructions have been reviewed by County Parks.
Please distribute this message widely to other cyclists. I suspect that most “club” riders on the Peninsula know about the route through Huddart Park. However, it would be useful to post this message on various social media outlets to reach the widest audience of cyclists as I don’t have access to social media.
7) Sustainable San Mateo County’s next monthly, virtual Happy Hour is July 20, 5:30pm
“Air Quality for Equality -- Disparities in the Impact of Air Pollution”
Come join the next Happy Hour on July 20th, as we explore, together, how air quality and environmental justice are linked!
From our immediate surroundings in San Mateo County to the wider Bay Area, air quality has had widespread impacts on our nearby communities. In this Happy Hour, we will discover some of these impacts from experts working on air quality management while exploring solutions and posing questions on how to address air pollution disparities.
The speakers this month will be: David Canepa, Supervisor, San Mateo County, Ulysses Vinson, Director at SMC Labs, and Eddie Ahn, Executive Director at Brightline Defense.
This virtual event is free to attend, but you must preregister: https://sustainablesanmateo.org/
Note: Our Happy Hours are monthly events that bring our community together to dive in deeper into specific sustainability topics. Each month, we explore a different issue, looking for ways to understand its root causes and to brainstorm solutions. All our topics fall into the "3 E's" sustainability framework that SSMC supports. We look at environmental impacts, social equity and a green economy. To get some information about our past Happy Hours, check out our blog posts here. Typically, one or several guest speakers set the stage and kick-start our discussion. This is followed by a round of fun trivia questions before splitting up in smaller groups to discuss the issue at hand and to share resources and ideas. We then reconvene for a final debrief and to share key insights gained during the breakout room discussions.
8) San Carlos City Staff to give Update on East Side Innovation District Vision Plan progress at next monthly Planning Commission meeting, Tues, 7/13, 6pm
The City of San Carlos has been working with the community and stakeholders to develop urban design strategies for the City’s east side industrial area from Holly Street to Brittan Avenue. These strategies focus on the community’s shared interests in circulation and mobility, open space, and mix of uses. This virtual study session will provide an overview of the Vision Plan’s process including community input, best practices, research, and the proposed strategies generated from this process. The Planning Commission will host a follow up Study Session on August 25, 2021; thereafter, a public hearing to make a formal recommendation on the Vision Plan is scheduled for September 20, 2021. To learn more and review materials from previous community workshops, please visit www.SanCarlosInnovation.org To participate in the Planning Commission meeting of July 14, 2021 please refer to the following instructions: Three ways to Observe the Meeting:
Zoom Webinar. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83961358499 Or call 1-669-900-6833 and enter the Meeting ID: 839 6135 8499
Meeting Webportal. www.sancarlosca.iqm2.com
Local TV. Comcast Channel 27 and AT&T Uverse Channel 99
Public Comments in Zoom Webinar: If you plan to make a public comment, please observe the meeting via Zoom Webinar (see above access information) and during the public comment period for the agenda item you wish to address, use the “raise hand” feature. If joining by phone, press *9 to “raise hand”.
Public Comments in Webportal or Local TV: If you plan to make a public comment while watching through the Webportal or Local TV, dial 1-669-900-6833 and enter the Meeting ID: 839 6135 8499. Press *9 to “raise hand” to notify Staff for the agenda item you wish to address.
9) Silicon Valley Bike Coalition hosts Biking 101 (virtual class), Mon, July 26, 6pm
Has it been a long time since you've ridden a bike or are you simply looking for a refresher? Join the Bicycling 101 and Bike Share webinar, sponsored by Lyft BayWheels!
This class is useful for all, and especially great for people who already know how to bike but are considering bicycling more in the city, looking to brush up their urban riding skills, or learning Bay Wheels and Bike Share for All program. Plus, they’ll be raffling off two (2) annual Bay Wheels memberships to attendees. Thanks to partners at Bay Wheels!
The introductory course will be covering topics on:
Preparing to ride
Bike safety basics
Riding rules of the road
Route planning
How to use Bay Wheels, Bay Area bike share system
Learn about Bike Share for All Program, discounted bike share membership
10) Learn about new research on cycling and youth health at the 5th Annual Outride Research Summit, Wed, July 28
“Advancing Youth and Community Well-being through Cycling” (free, but pre-registration required)
Outride’s 5th Research Summit, Advancing Youth and Community Well-Being through Cycling, will showcase the latest research that informs the impact of riding on overall health and well-being and will engage our community in important discussions around equity and access. This year, we are also excited to bring together more conversations and voices to identify actionable, evidence-based ways to develop happier and healthier youth and communities.
The summit will take place virtually on July 28, 2021, starting at 9am, and will be free for all to listen in, learn, and interact – so save the date!
To register and see full agenda/speakers here:
11) Next San Carlos City Council meeting is at 7pm tonight, Mon 7/12
Agenda is (for full packet see: http://sancarlosca.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=3219&Inline=True):
Recognize July as Parks and Recreation Month.
Receive an Update Report on Police Services - Thefts in San Carlos.
Discuss Requirements of Private Security Guards for Certain Businesses in San Carlos.
Consider Interim Regulations for Protected Trees
Appoint Youth Advisory Council Members
Consider Amending the Parklet Outdoor Dining Program
Details: Consideration of Adopting a Resolution Amending the Parklet Outdoor Dining Program to Require that Parklets on the 600 Block of Laurel Street Remain Within the Boundaries of Each Businesses' Respective Storefront and that Businesses on the 600 Block on Laurel Street Must Remain Open at Least Five Days a Week in Order to Operate a Parklet.
Consider Changes to the Downtown Services Unit Program
Details: Consideration of Adopting a Resolution Authorizing an Amendment to the Law Enforcement Services Agreement with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office for the Downtown Services Unit Program for Fiscal Year 2021-22 Approving a Full Time Community Service Officer, and Increasing the Appropriation by $82,000 Funded by the Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund.
Consider Next Steps for Alameda De Las Pulgas Landslide Repair and Burton Park Batting Cages Projects
12) Opening on San Carlos Economic Development & Advisory Commision--application due Aug 20 by 4pm (bicyclist perspectives needed!)
The City of San Carlos is currently seeking San Carlos business representatives to fill an unexpected vacancy on the Economic Development Advisory Commission (EDAC). Applicants need not be residents of the City of San Carlos.
If you’re interested in being more involved in your City, consider applying for this seat! The application and further details can be found on our website or by contacting City Clerk Crystal Mui at cmui@cityofsancarls.org.
All applications are due by Friday, August 20, at 4 p.m
13) There’s an El Camino Bike Ride on Saturday, July 31 in the Southbay
The Santa Clara and Sunnyvale SVBC local teams are organizing this ride to raise awareness that there is strength in numbers and that full and complete protected bicycle lanes on El Camino Real are critical to creating a safe environment for all road users who utilize the road as a destination or passthrough.
The ride will start at the Santa Clara Caltrain Station at 11:30am (to align with Caltrain arrival times) and will end in Downtown Sunnyvale; total ride is 6.5 miles on El Camino (map screenshot below). This ride is designed to be a social ride, but please remember there will be motor traffic on the street.
Please let your team members know about this event! There will be a formal invitation sent out from SVBC through EventBrite, and there will be a waiver as well. We will be limiting this to about 50 riders, so please register to indicate your participation so we can get an accurate headcount. Council members will be invited as well.
Additionally, if you are interested in being a mid-ride group leader, please let me know.
Please reach out (gabriela.landaveri@gmail.com) if there are any questions or concerns. We hope you can join!
Date: Saturday, July 31
Arrival window: 11 - 11:30am
Leave time: 11:30am
Start point: Santa Clara Caltrain Station
Northbound train arrives at 10:59am.
Southbound train arrives at 11:20am.
End point: Downtown Sunnyvale*
* The Farmers Market will also be going on, so feel free to grab lunch here or at one of the various restaurants in Downtown Sunnyvale.
14) Aug 1, 3rd Annual “Civilized Century” Ride!
Enjoy the pinnacle of cycling goals but without the hassles. Perhaps the Civilized Century is for you! Psst - a "Century" is 100 miles.
No ugly start times. Ride out at 8am or later!
No hills, hills, and more hills. It's pretty much flat-ish!
No time gates. There's 14 hours of daylight but 10 ought to do it.
No long, early morning drive or expensive hotel stay. It's local!
No rain. It never rains in California or so the song says.
No wind. Well that, we cannot promise.
No huge registration fee - it's a "paltry" $30.
The course offers scenic views of the Peninsula Bay Area, a jaunt across Dumbarton Bridge, loop around Facebook campus, and a few hidden trails. Designed for safety, the South Bay section is clockwise to minimize left turns. And an overall portion of the course is trail, bike lane, or low car traffic.
Registration and More Info here: www.civilizedcentury.com
15) Aug 12 & 13 -- 11th Annual SVBC Bike Summit, everyone welcome, discount for members
Join fellow bicyclists and advocates at the 11th Annual Silicon Valley Bike Summit – our area’s largest gathering of active transportation leaders and organizers – from government, the private sector, non-profits, and the general public.
SVBC is thrilled to inform you that the 11th Annual Bike Summit will be kicked-off by a keynote from Assemblymember Laura Friedman! Come join for this Bike Summit to learn about Laura's forward-thinking policies such as investing in mass transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, zero-emission vehicles, road safety, and sustainability.
Registration & Details here: Summit - Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (bikesiliconvalley.org)
Go-by-Bike! Opportunities
(For more info on community events sponsored by the City of San Carlos see: https://www.cityofsancarlos.org/residents/community-events-1527. For Redwood City community events calendar and details see: https://www.redwoodcity.org/residents/redwood-city-events/city-events-calendar).
16) Bike to San Carlos Summer Movie Nights in Burton Park on Fridays, 8:30pm: 7/16 (“Onward”), 7/30 (“The Parent Trap”), 8/13 (“Raya & The Last Dragon)
17) Bike to San Carlos Summer Music Nights in Burton Park on Fridays, 6:00pm: 7/9 (Carnaval--The Tribute to Santana); 7/23 (Busta-Groove! Dance Party); 8/6 (The Delta Wires -- Blues), 8/20 (E-Ticket -- Oldies Rock & Roll)
18) Bike to Redwood City Summer Movies on the Square on Thursdays at 6pm & 8:30pm (2200 Broadway): 7/15 (“Toy Story 4” & “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”), 7/22 (“Bravemaker” & “Creed II”), 7/29 (“Raya & the Last Dragon” & “Yesterday”)
19) Bike to Redwood City Summer Music in Stafford Park at 6:00pm: 7/14 (“West Grand Boulevard”-Soul/Funk R&B), 7/21 (“California Cowboys”-Country), 7/28 (“Andre Thierry”-Zydeco),
20) Bike to Redwood City Summer Music on the Square on Fridays at 6:00pm (2200 Broadway): 7/16 (“Tainted Love”-80’s covers), 7/23 (“Super Diamond”-Tribute to Neil Diamond), 7/30 (“Steel ‘n’ Chicago”-Steely Dan & Chicago Tribute)
21) Bike to see Andy Z on Broadway Square in Redwood City: Legendary local kids performer, 11am on Sunday 7/25, 2200 Broadway Square
22) Bike to see San Carlos’ new public mural outside the Crepe Stop! Installation happening now (more details: https://cfsancarlos.org/horizon-light?platform=hootsuite&fbclid=IwAR1X5xCOXzow_47hwWLOX2TngvKj436zoe_STIHVQdxeV0DKGYaV2-YL1P8)
23) Every Sunday, Social Gathering & Valet Bike Parking at San Carlos Farmer’s Market, 9am-1pm, on Bayport @ Varian
On-going Opportunities
Wheel Kids Summer Bike Riding Camps (Palo Alto, Grades 1-7) (Palo Alto - Wheel Kids Bicycle Club Inc.)
New Organization: Mountain Biking Experts -- Jump Clinics & Summer Camps enrolling now for ages 7 and up (Mountain Biking Experts - MTBX - MTBX)
Bicycle Sundays on Canada Rd -- road closed to vehicles north of Edgewood (Bicycle Sunday | Parks Department (smcgov.org))
Redwood Shores Cycling Meetup -- intermediate rides on Saturdays, leisurely rides on Sundays (Redwood Shores Cycling Meetup (Redwood City, CA) | Meetup)
Commute.org offers resources & rewards for commuting by bike, shuttle, train & bus (www.commute.org)
Backroads Bicycle Trips -- Organization based in Berkeley that offers local, national and international trips to combine the best of both worlds: biking + vacation (www.backroads.com)
REI Cycling Classes & Events -- Intro to Mountain biking, etc on-going classes (Cycling Classes & Events | REI Classes & Events)
E-Bike Treks around the Bay Area -- (https://www.meetup.com/EBIKETREKS/)
Western Wheelers -- Group Bike rides around the Bay Area, organized by riding level (https://westernwheelersbicycleclub.wildapricot.org/)
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:
Follow San Carlos Bikes on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sancarlosbikes
Join the Nextdoor Group, “Let’s Talk Transportation: San Carlos & Surroundings,” https://nextdoor.com/g/ldy7tlfot/
Join the SVBC San Carlos Team: https://groups.google.com/a/bikesiliconvalley.org/g/sancarlos
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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