News, Links, and Other Views

City of San Diego

• Mayor Filner has introduced a plan to close the Cabrillo Bridge to motorized traffic on weekends.
• Civic San Diego has proposed making changes to San Diego’s planning process in order to fast track developments in “specific plan” zones.  CivicSD also recently received a $35 million award from the federal government.
• A cyclist suspected of DUI was hospitalized after crashing into the side of a car in North Park.
• A search is underway for a man who disappeared after going for a bike ride in the Miramar area.
• The San Diego Free Press presents some ideas about how to make Pershing Drive safer for bikes.
• Here is one cyclist’s favorite route from Ocean Beach to National City.
• The San Diego Reentry Roundtable is considering providing bikes to people recently released from prison or jail to aid them during their transition back to normal life.
• It’s National Bike Month and local San Diego politicians announced their support outside the County Administration Center and through press releases.
• The City Council are reviewing Mayor Filner’s proposed city budget.
• The San Diego Bike Polo Club plays on the basketball courts at the Santa Clara Recreation Center in Mission Beach on Sundays.
• A UT columnist requests that motorists do not tint their front windows.

San Diego Region

• A ghost bike has been placed in Carlsbad where cyclist Eric Ringdahl was killed.
• A bicyclist was killed by a motorist in Chula Vista on Palomar Street near Industrial Boulevard.
• Carlsbad Deputy Transportation Director Bryan Jones calls for “livable streets.”
• As the Sprinter remains shut down, questions arise about the management of the North County Transit District.

Elsewhere

• Business owners, cyclists, planners, and politicians continue to hash out the future of Polk Street in San Francisco.  The plan originally included cycle tracks running the length of the street, but has now been revised, removing cycle tracks in part and replacing them with green backed sharrows and disappearing bike lanes.
• In case you’ve been wondering – here’s what Americans don’t get about cycling.
• An interview with one of the founders of A Contramano, a 25+ year old Seville Spain based bike advocacy group, with a short history of their phenomenal success.
• Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is recovering after a bike crash near the Lincoln Memorial.
• Anthony Foxx has been nominated for US Secretary of Transportation.
• A motorcyclist running down two bicyclist on Mulholland Drive was caught on video.
• Copenhagenize Design Co. releases a list of the world’s top 20 cycling cities.
• After a visit to Stockholm a Senior Policy Officer for the European Cyclist’s Federation opines that it takes more than MAMILs (Middle Aged Men In Lycra) to build a cycling region.
• Spanish cyclists continue to work on defeating a proposed mandatory helmet law.
• The British are testing out “Dutch roundabouts” and bicycle traffic signals.
• New Yorkers are experiencing some angst as the city’s bike share program is implemented.
• In Los Angeles an ice cream shop gets pedal powered.
• A section of the Guadalupe River Trail in San Jose has been newly paved and opened to cyclists and hikers.
• Efforts to reform CEQA are ongoing, though many politicians still remain skeptical that any reform will be accomplished.