News, Links, and Other Views

What would a car-free Cabrillo Bridge look like? Photo: Zak Schwank
What would a car-free Cabrillo Bridge look like? Photo: Zak Schwank

City of San Diego

  • Mario Koran at the Voice of San Diego looks into San Diego’s epidemic of hit-and-run crashes.
  • The Uptown Community Parking District has leased parking from the DMV to provide more than 200 new “free” parking spaces in Hillcrest and given the ParkHillcrest Trolley (actually a bus) a new look.
  • With the Cabrillo Bridge retrofit completed, the bridge has reopened to car traffic through Balboa Park, but the closure has some people dreaming of what could be.
  • More coverage of the opening of the San Diego Bike Loop.
  • San Diego voters decided Barrio Logan could not have the community plan it worked five years to create.  Inewsource has provided a map showing the distribution of the vote.
  • The city attorney has decided that the Golf Enterprise Fund can be used to build a bike and pedestrian path as part of the proposed Balboa Park Golf Course clubhouse renovation in Golden Hill.
  • Newsweek takes a look at the political and social obstacles facing light rail in various cities across the United States, including San Diego.

San Diego Region

  • A bicycle blogger from Tuscon recently posted about his family’s trip to San Diego and Southern California.
  • Bus Rapid Transit service in San Diego County has begun along I-15.
  • The San Diego Mountain Biking Association received a $10,000 grant from REI to fund projects supporting regional off-road trails.

Elsewhere

  • An article raising questions about the high cost of financing infrastructure projects in California and suggesting an alternative finance model.
  • A new protected bike lane opened along Rosemead Boulevard in Temple City.
  • As the popularity of biking in San Francisco grows, chop shops are sprouting up around the city.
  • Police in San Francisco are asking to use people’s garages in an effort to catch bike thieves.
  • A bicycle advocate in Vallejo is gathering signatures for a letter to Governor Jerry Brown asking for a cross-California bike path.
  • The number of bicyclists on the L Street cycle track in Washington D.C. has increased by 65% in the last 2 years.
  • A study by Portland State University finds that protected bike lanes increase bicycle traffic, provide a safer riding environment, and increase the desirability of living nearby. To view the study click here.
  • Prompted by photos of cyclists crashing on a dangerous stretch of bike path, Seattle has created a temporary solution.  Meanwhile, a permanent solution is being held up by a lawsuit brought by local businesses.
  • Residents of Goshen got a sneak peek at a new bike path that leads from downtown to the county fairgrounds.
  • As the the number of bicyclists increases in Indiana state planning agencies and politicians are faced with tough choices about the need for new infrastructure.
  • A 3.6 mile bike path has opened connecting Jones Beach State Park and Tobay Beach in Nassau County.
  • At the Museum Wiesbaden a robot is on display that draws the routes of cyclists on a map based on information from a smartphone app.
  • At the Vivavelo Congress in Germany bicycle manufacturers, retailers, and cyclists met to discuss how to get more people on bikes, how to make cycling comfortable and fun, and how to increase political support for cycling.
  • In Australia bicyclists are regularly fined for not wearing helmets, but it seems motorists can drive on bike paths without being fined.
  • According to the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Taiwan is the greatest cycling destination in the world.
  • Singapore is studying how to make its transportation network more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.
  • Ready for a vacation? here is a survey of the world’s most incredible bike routes.