From hankr at earthlink.net Sun Nov 15 07:37:07 2009 From: hankr at earthlink.net (Hank) Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:37:07 -0500 Subject: [Bfbc-news] BERKELEY BICYCLING NEWS AND UPDATES, MONDAY, NOV. 16, 2009 Message-ID: <01ba01ca6609$7e22d030$7a687090$@net> BERKELEY BICYCLING NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE BICYCLE-FRIENDLY BERKELEY COALITION (BFBC) SUNDAY, NOV. 15, 2009 Please see the end of this message for information about how to subscribe. Please note that this is an announcement list only (BFBC-News), not a discussion list. The end of this message also contains information about how to subscribe to BFBC's discussion list (BFBC-Talk). Items in this bulletin: 1. BUS RAPID TRANSIT MEETINGS: THURS., NOV. 19 FOR TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION; WEDNESDAY, DEC. 9 FOR PLANNING COMMISSION 2. SAFE ROUTES TO TRANSIT FUNDING-AWARDED BUT ENDANGERED 3. SAN FRANCISCO BIKE EXPO, SATURDAY, NOV. 21, COW PALACE, SAN FRANCISCO, 10 A.M.-6 P.M. 4. BERKELEY BICYCLE SUBCOMMITTEE MONTHLY MEETING, THURSDAY, DEC. 3, 5-6:30 P.M. 5. EBBC'S VELO WONDERLAND: BIKE & ART PARTY, FRIDAY, DEC. 4, 6-10 P.M. 6. TRAFFIC CALMING ON CITY COUNCIL AGENDA, TUESDAY, DEC. 17, 2009 7. WASHINGTON, DC, OPENS NEW BIKESTATION 8. PORTLAND, OR, ADOPTS A NEW TRANSPORTATION POLICING AGREEMENT 9. BFBC IS SEEKING CANDIDATES FOR ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS ___________________________________________________ 1. BUS RAPID TRANSIT MEETINGS: THURS., NOV. 19 FOR TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION; WEDNESDAY, DEC. 9 FOR PLANNING COMMISSION The City of Berkeley has released a major new report titled "BRT for Berkeley: A Proposal for Consideration," which presents the staff proposal for a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). The Berkeley Transportation Commission and Planning Commission will review the LPA at the Nov. 19 meeting of the Transportation Commission and the Dec. 9 meeting of the Planning Commission. For more information about these meetings go to http://www.cityofberkeley.info/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=27038. BFBC's statement on the LPA BFBC has prepared a detailed statement on the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). You can read it at the BFBC website, www.bfbc.org. 2. SAFE ROUTES TO TRANSIT FUNDING-AWARDED BUT ENDANGERED The City of Berkeley has been awarded a Safe Routes to Transit grant to install better bus stops and other facilities for cyclists on Shattuck at Virginia and Solano at Colusa; a Safe Routes to Schools grant to improve bike and pedestrian conditions for three schools, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and Thousand Oaks elementary; and another grant to complete the Sante Fe Right-of-Way Greenway following West St., across University, through to Addison St., to be completed in the next couple of years. Also, 75 new bike racks have been ordered and will be installed in the next year; annual orders and installation of racks will be a standard practice from now on. Contact Eric Anderson, the City's Bike/Ped Planner for suggestions on rack installation or other bike issues or questions: eanderson at ci.berkeley.ca.us UPDATE: FUNDING ENDANGERED For over two years we have joined organizations from throughout the Bay Area to advocate for the Safe Routes to Transit (SR2T) program at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. We succeeded, and the MTC adopted the "Transportation 2035 Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area" on April 22, 2009. Now, millions of dollars for bicycle projects are at risk and we need you to act! The plan, also known as the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), promised to jump-start the Transportation Climate Action Campaign ($400 million) by implementing Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) and SR2T programs ($50 million each) during the initial five years of the RTP. We now ask for you to help us ensure that the MTC abide by these agreements. Please e-mail Mayor Tom Bates at mayor at ci.berkeley.ca.us or phone: 510.981.7100 and let him know that he has your support to push for Safe Routes to Transit monies. Thank you for helping. There is still time for public comment to help save these two important programs. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Programming Committee will decide its fate on December 9. 3. SAN FRANCISCO BIKE EXPO, SATURDAY, NOV. 21, COW PALACE, SAN FRANCISCO, 10 A.M.-6 P.M. The SF Bike Expo is about everything related to human-powered two-wheel machines. A great number of cycling-related organizations and companies in the area will be showing their 2010 products. For more information go to http://sfbikeexpo.com/?page_id=156. 4. BERKELEY BICYCLE SUBCOMMITTEE MONTHLY MEETING, THURSDAY, DEC. 3, 5-6:30 P.M. Join other Berkeley cyclists to talk about improving your cycling experience in Berkeley. The Berkeley Bicycle Subcommittee advises the Transportation Commission on matters related to cycling. City staff and volunteer commissioners need to hear from you. Interested? Come on out on Thurs., Dec. 3, 5-6:30 p.m., 1947 Center St., 3rd floor. If door is locked (after 5:30), call 510-981-4990. Questions, or for the agenda, email Marcy Greenhut (Chair) at imgreen07 at att.net. 5. EBBC'S VELO WONDERLAND: BIKE & ART PARTY, FRIDAY, DEC. 4, 6-10 P.M. You are invited to East Bay Bicycle Coalition's holiday event, Velo Wonderland: Bike and Art Party. The party takes place the same night as Oakland's First Fridays art walk, Art Murmur, and there will be bicycle-themed and recycled art curated by local artist Margo Rivera-Weiss. Enjoy snacks from Spice Monkey and beer from Linden Street Brewery. DJ Olga T will be spinning music all night long. A pedi-cab will be on hand, so you can take a ride in style to nearby Art Murmur galleries. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome. Uptown Body & Fender 401 26th Street, Oakland 6. TRAFFIC CALMING ON CITY COUNCIL AGENDA, TUESDAY, DEC. 17, 2009 In an attempt to make residential traffic calming a more rational process, Berkeley's Director of Transportation has introduced a process by which neighborhoods identify the problem and request review from City staff. The Director hopes to include in the traffic calming tool kit "vertical speed deflectors" (formally speed bumps). This would mean lifting the moratorium on these devices, put in place some years ago after concerns raised by both public safety (because of increased emergency response time) and the disability community (the bumps can be painful for those with certain conditions). The City Council will be accepting public testimony on this policy. Please consider speaking at the meeting or writing to the Council. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Depending upon the agenda (posted on December 10 by 4 pm), it may be well after 8 pm before the Council receives comments on the new traffic calming policy. Written comments may be sent to Berkeley City Council, c/o City Clerk, 2180 Milvia St., Berkeley, CA 94704, or e-mailed to clerk at ci.berkeley.ca.us. 7. WASHINGTON, DC, OPENS NEW BIKESTATION (From the Washington, DC Mayor's office, News Release, October 2, 2009) Local political leaders and members of the biking community gathered together in early October for a ribbon cutting in celebration of the District's new BikestationR DC. This facility offers bicycle parking, rentals, repairs, and accessories at the west end of Union Station and holds approximately 133 bicycles of all types. The $4M project was funded by the Federal Highway Administration and the Department of Transportation. The new bike transit facility was developed in concert with Mobis/ Transportation/ Bikestation which has planned, designed and developed Bikestations throughout the United States. This is the most recent in a national network of similar bike parking facilities and the first of its kind on the east coast. Memberships are available at $96 per year, $30 per month or $1 per day purchased in packs of ten, plus a $20 annual administration fee. Non-members can access bike parking during staff hours for $2 per day. Bike and Roll Washington DC, a local bike rental company, will operate the center and will provide the rentals, repairs, retail, and daily parking. See www.bikethesites.com for more information. 8. PORTLAND, OR, ADOPTS A NEW TRANSPORTATION POLICING AGREEMENT Portland, OR, has adopted a new transportation policing policy agreement. For more information, go to the Bike Portland weblink below. The article includes a link to a PDF containing the agreement. http://bikeportland.org/2009/10/16/passage-of-agreement-marks-new-era-for-po lice-bike-relations/ 9. BFBC IS SEEKING CANDIDATES FOR ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition is seeking candidates for one-year terms on its board of directors. If you want to be part of making Berkeley one of the country's most bicycle-friendly cities, BFBC is the group for you. For the past 15 years BFBC has supported and promoted bicycle improvements in Berkeley and gathered input and ideas from local cyclists. For more information, please contact BFBC board member Hank Resnik at hankr at earthlink.net. ___________________________________________________ Please send any information items you want posted to this list to BFBC Bulletin Editor Hank Resnik at: hankr at earthlink.net Founded in 1994, the Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition (BFBC) is a charitable, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on improving conditions for bicycling in Berkeley as a means of everyday transportation and recreation. For more information about BFBC, go to our website: www.bfbc.org. BFBC maintains two e-mail lists that are open to anyone who subscribes. BFBC-Talk is a discussion list that addresses issues relevant to bicycling in Berkeley and the East Bay. To subscribe, send a message (can be blank) to bfbc-talk-subscribe at mailman.lmi.net. BFBC-News is an announcement list that provides regular updates, at least once a month, on news of interest to bicyclists in Berkeley and the East Bay. To subscribe, send a message (can be blank) to bfbc-news-subscribe at mailman.lmi.net. If you have received this bulletin via the BFBC-News list, you are already a member of that list. To unsubscribe from the list, send an e-mail to bfbc-news-unsubscribe at mailman.lmi.net. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.lmi.net/pipermail/bfbc-news/attachments/20091115/df91698e/attachment-0001.html