News, Links, and Other Views

City of San Diego

• An update on Mayor Filner’s various task forces, including the Livable Streets Coalition.
• A CicloSDias mini ride is scheduled for May 19^th in Balboa Park.
• The World Resources SimCenter will be hosting an event with SANDAG and MTS leaders asking:  How sustainable are we?
• The Union Tribune spotlights the health benefits of cycling.

San Diego Region

• A bicyclist was killed in Santee last Thursday.
• This month’s San Diego CityBeat Summer Guide is full of bike-themed articles.  It includes stories about San Diego bike advocacy, CicloSDias, a North County bed and breakfast for cyclists, keg rides and other social group rides, suggested routes, races at the velodrome, a Coronado bike rental company, hidden beaches, and the SD Bike Commuter discount program.
• As the popularity of cycling increases so does the growth of bike related businesses in Encinitas.
• Donations are being accepted to help support the family of Eric Ringdahl, a cyclist recently killed in Carlsbad.
• Carlsbad has reduced the speed limit on Chestnut Avenue and Brian Jones, Deputy Transportation Director, notes that bicycle lanes have enhanced the street’s safety as well.
• Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner will require a $5 advance reservation fee in order to bring a bike on board starting June 1st.

Elsewhere

• Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood calls 2013 the “Year of the Bike-Share” and emphasizes the need for safe bike infrastructure.
• 5 ways to make bike riding safer as discussed at the recent National Bike Safety Summit in Minnesota.
• In response to an article in the Chicago Sun-Times highlighting “tension” surrounding installation of a cycle track on a busy street, local business owners have responded, emphasizing their support for the project because protected bike lanes are good for business.
• Bike commuting is on the rise in Chicago, could it be because of new bike paths, trails, and green lanes?
• New Belgium Brewing has placed the peopleforbikes.org logo on beer bottles for National Bike Month.
• Washington DC gets ready for a cycle track connecting downtown DC to Georgetown scheduled for August.
• As Americans demand more transportation options, support for complete streets is growing nationwide.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:  motor vehicle traffic crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in the United States.
• The transformation of Bellevue Washington has a Seattle Times columnist thinking about the future of cities.
• Plans are in the works for a raised cycle track in New Haven Connecticut.
• After the death of a cyclist at a dangerous intersection the Seattle Times calls for more than just paint.
• The Polk Street cycle track saga continues in San Francisco.