News, Links and Others Views

August 30, 2012
|In News
|By BikeSD Staff

City of San Diego

  • Out of consideration for our hardworking bike coordinator who gets inundated with fix-it requests from everyone everywhere, riders at the local bike commuter forums have begun to document their fix-it requests so Tom Landre and his assistant, Jake Aquino, just can rely on a single resource to learn what precisely needs to be fixed. In a further attempt to be helpful and save the city some funds, other riders have begun riding out with tree trimmers to trim all the brush that was blocking the bike path along the San Diego river. Hans Wangbichler also rode out with a broom to sweep the debris off of the bike path, but reports that he broke his broom handle and was thus unable to complete the job. Another rider plans on finishing up the job today.
  • Glen is another local do-gooder who for many years has been taking care to ensure that the bike path in La Jolla is clean of shrubbery. Glen states that he typically hires weed whacker operators to trim all the shrubbery that grows and blocks access to the bike path. The cost per year to Glen that he has been paying out of pocket is $2,000. If you’d like to mail a check and a thank you note, send it to: PO Box 81, La Jolla 92038. Glen states that to date, only his neighbors have helped him in funding his shrubbery removal operation, but he welcomes financial help from the bike community.
  • The City of San Diego wants to expand its red light camera ticketing service and the bad drivers in San Diego conjure up some outrage.
  • The SDPD wants a bigger budget, maybe they can adopt lessons from our trade policy and borrow an idea from China and simultaneously deal with bad drivers that are a nuisance and a danger on our streets.
  • San Diego firefighters who beat and made derogatory comments at two bicycle riding brothers’ sexual orientation are now on trial. (H/T)
  • The SDPD is searching for a driver who struck and then left a teenager injured after committing what seems like a deliberate act of violence. The victim believes that the vehicle that struck him may be a white 2000 Ford Ranger. If you have any information, please contact the SDPD.
  • Earlier this year, 23-year-old Sho Funai made what turned out to be a deadly decision when he decided to walk to a party because he didn’t want to drive home drunk. The woman who struck and killed Funai has been sentenced to one year in jail. It would have been more worthwhile to have the driver instead forgo her driving privileges and instead navigate our city by bike, foot and transit which would have resulted in a lifetime of learning experiences which is more than a single year in an overcrowded prison system could teach.
  • More than a few of your have written asking if you can write in Nathan Fletcher as a write-in candidate for mayor. The answer is no, no you cannot. Meanwhile, I’m waiting to see both Bob Filner’s and Carl DeMaio’s bike plan and their vision for making San Diego a bike friendly city.
  • The SDMBA in partnership with the San Diego River Park Foundation will be purchasing some land near the Anderson Truck Trail for preservation but need some funds to make this happen.
  • The La Jolla Light and the Uptown News highlights safety tips that put the burden of navigating our existing dangerous streets filled with dangerous vehicles solely on the shoulders of bicyclists. As bicycling in San Diego continues to emerge as an ideal and fiscally responsible mode of transportation, the focus ought to be on the inadequate investments made on their behalf.
  • If you’re a woman and want to dip your toes into the world of competitive riding, Crank Cycling is the resource for you.
  • Are you a multi-modal user and want to know what’s going on in the world of transit? Bused in San Diego is the local blog hoping  to serve you some transit related news.
  • I am still putting together the results of the survey that was conducted recently. Expect a post soon and how we intend to serve you best.

San Diego Region

  • SANDAG, your local planning agency wants to plan better but needs your participation to do so effectively and in a manner that makes sense. SANDAG is encouraging all of you to track at least eight rides on iCommute’s Trip Tracker during the month of October where you can be entered into a contest to receive all sorts of prizes ranging from Performance Bike Shop gift cards to a bike jersey from Anywhere Bicycle Repair, or spa gift cards for your tired muscles. SANDAG also wants me to promote the gas cards and other random driving benefits as a way of encouraging residents to try out alternatives modes of transportation. I’m going to suggest that they collaborate with the AAA or any one of the oil companies to promote their driving promotions that will contribute toward increasingly poor air quality, increased traffic congestion and generally grumpier San Diegans.
  • 80-year old Robert Layton details his frustration with riding in Vista and describes cycletracks as a safe space for bicycle riders.
  • Tim Scott wants to hear from you if you’re familiar with “Atomic Zombie” mods of bikes. He can be reached tcpscott AT gmail.com
  • If you live in South County, Javi wants to ride with you. Will you Ride with Javi?
  • John Lloyd visits San Diego and discovers that the region is both bike and transit friendly, if you stick close to the coast and the Coaster.
  • The San Diego Mountain Biking Association is working hard to build a bike park.

Elsewhere