News, Links, and Other Views

City of San Diego

  • A bicyclist was run down from behind on Fairmont Avenue and suffered broken ribs and a fractured skull.
  • San Diego will be installing bicycle sensors that will extend green lights at eight intersections around town.
  • The Land Use and Housing Committee met to discuss a bike share program – which was approved – and how to increase bicycle safety (there are an average of 70 bike crashes every month in San Diego).
  • Mayor Filner is putting together a think tank focusing on civic and urban initiatives, including projects involving bikes, walking, and parks.
  • Whether University Heights remains part of the North Park planning area or becomes part of the Uptown planning area, may impact future housing density and public transportation corridors.
  • Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts discuss the hiring of Bill Fulton on VOSD Radio, they also name SANDAG the “goat of the week” for the comparatively high cost of SANDAG’s new office lease.
  • The process for getting street lights installed in San Diego is not as simple as you’d think.
  • Mayor Filner releases his plan for restructuring the city’s planning department, meanwhile in the midst of some planning commission membership changes, drama ensues.
  • To entice guests the Hard Rock Hotel has partnered with Electra Bikes to offer complimentary bikes.
  • Plans to revitalize downtown by allowing large electronic advertisements on the side of a historic building have resulted in the city being sued.
  • An accident at the San Diego velodrome has left a cyclist brain dead.

San Diego Region

  • Wi-Fi service has been restored on the Coaster.
  • After being shut down for over two months ridership on the Sprinter has declined after the re-opening.
  • Due to reports of mismanagement, the FTA (Federal Transit Administration) is actively looking into the NCTD (North County Transit District).
  • Proposition A appears to have passed in Encinitas, requiring a public vote to approve zoning changes and increases in allowable density.

Elsewhere

  • Orange County developers proposed building a toll road through San Onofre State Park in order to ease traffic on north San Diego freeways, however the Water Quality Control Board has denied the necessary permits.
  • A survey of pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists in San Francisco and Los Angeles, conducted by a UC Berkley doctoral candidate finds that even drivers want bike lanes.
  • Controversy surrounding New York’s bike share continues are New Yorkers are caught taking their kids for rides and get hit by flying fire hydrants.
  • A decision by the California appellate court last March may have redefined how cities must consider parking when conducting environmental impact reports as required by CEQA.
  • The Adventure Cycling Association raised $128K for the construction of the United States Bicycle Route System and will be working with the National Park Service to build bike routes through the national parks.
  • A view of cycling in the United States from a Dutch perspective.
  • In Mountain View the city council votes to close an expressway onramp and replace it with a cycle track.
  • As Calgary gets ready to open the 7th Street cycle track they hear about the positive business impacts.
  • A study finds that less than 10 percent of San Francisco’s bike routes are considered safe for cyclists of all ages.
  • Cal State Long Beach MBA students will present a paper studying the feasibility of converting an unused service road into a bike path and the potential funding sources.
  • The first segment of the Delaware River trail has opened in Philadelphia, it is the first bike path of its kind in the city – with protected bike lanes and separated pedestrian walkways.
  • To add a little more fun to cyclists’ commutes Vancouver has added jump ramps to some of their bike paths.
  • Though it would be an easier task from an engineering standpoint, protected bike lanes on Mission Street instead of Market Street in San Francisco don’t make sense to cyclists.
  • Businesses along Cornwall Avenue in Vancouver fear they are doomed if the city builds a bikeway on their street.