November 2012
Vol. 31 No. 6
Website: www.humbike.org
Email: info@humbike.org
New and Renewed Members of the HBBCA
The following members of have renewed their commitment to the HBBCA:
Buzz & Judith Webb, McKinleyville**
Ali Lee, Arcata**
Christine Aus, Arcata***
Nancy Noll, Arcata***
Bob & JoAnn Hart, Bayside***
Rick Knapp, Eureka**
Dick & Lois Wild, Arcata**
Carol Nelson, Blue Lake***
Those with a ** next to their name gave an additional donation. Those with *** have given a $25 or greater donation. Thanks to all those who have joined, renewed their commitment and given additional donations to support our many causes.
The Next Regular Meeting Will be Held on January 28th in Eureka—November Meeting Cancelled
The next regular HBBCA meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m., Monday, January 28th, at Chapala’s Café, 2nd and C Streets in Eureka. Dinner is optional. Agenda items may be suggested by emailing Rick Knapp at info@humbike.org. The November 2012 meeting in Arcata has been cancelled due to its proximity to Thanksgiving and a lack of available Board members to attend.
Route 255 Repaved and Made Safer for Cycling
Caltrans recently completed repaving Route 255 from Eureka to Arcata. In doing so, they have made the route much better for cyclists as follows:
- A nice smooth pavement
- Reduced traffic lanes to 11 feet wide
- Increased paved shoulders by 1 foot
- Added a 6-inch high reflective fog line
With these improvements, the minimum shoulder width is now about 3 feet instead of 2 feet. And, there is less than one mile of roadway with 3 foot shoulders, the rest being from 4 to 8 feet.
SB 1464, the 3-Foot Bill, Vetoed by the Governor Again
After modifying the 3-foot bill to reflect concerns expressed by the Governor when he vetoed it last session, it was vetoed again by Governor Brown. The bill had been watered down considerably to reflect his expressed concerns, but apparently he is keeping his record intact by vetoing virtually every bill that is sought by cycling groups. There is some interest on the part of the Mayor of Los Angeles to pursue round three. We do not yet know if any legislator will reintroduce the bill in a different form. The major issue continues to be allowing motorists to cross a double yellow line to give a cyclist 3 feet of space when there is no oncoming traffic and concerns about rear-end collisions caused by vehicles waiting behind bicyclists.
HBBCA Assisting Caltrans With a Major Pedestrian/Bicyclist Safety Campaign
Rick Knapp and Emily Sinkhorn have been assisting Caltrans in Eureka in its effort to develop a comprehensive campaign to address pedestrian and bicycle safety in the District 1 area, which includes Humboldt Del Norte, Mendocino and Lake Counties. Some assistance was also provided by Maria Bauman and Michelle Postman from the Humboldt County Health Department. This effort has been ongoing for several months, and will soon result in TV ads, movie theatre ads, radio ads, and publications.
HBBCA Assists at the Latino Health Fair
Members of the HBBCA along with members of Green Wheels helped conduct a bike rodeo on October 14th at Redwood Acres in conjunction with the annual Latino Health Fair. HBBCA members included Melanie Williams, Oona Smith, Patricia-Anne WinterSun, Brad Albee and Rick Knapp. Melanie Williams continues to add to her fleet of bikes to help assure that everyone can participate, whether they have a bike or not, or even if they don’t know how to ride one. This was particularly important at this event, as many participants didn’t have bikes, or didn’t bring them to the event, since it involved much more than just a bike rodeo. Probably 200 or more kids participated and all received new helmets.
Mad River Bridges Project Nearing Completion
The Mad River Bridges Project is almost completed. Southbound bike traffic is now allowed to use the freeway bridge; but northbound traffic is still required to use the detour. It may not be until Spring 2013 when the detour will disappear. The new northbound bridge incorporates an 8-foot wide multi-purpose path, separated from traffic by steel rails, that connects Wymore road to the south with North Bank Road (Route 200) to the north. Cyclists will also enjoy 10-foot shoulders on both bridges. What a change it will be for northbound traffic, 10 feet instead of 1 foot!!
G Street in Arcata Gets Facelift
G Street in Arcata, between the Plaza and 11th Street, recently got a nice facelift. Some new pavement was placed along with “sharrows” where bike lanes had been eliminated by sidewalk widening a couple of years ago.
Biking Calendar Included
Included in this edition is a calendar that can be used to record your daily, weekly and monthly miles. Keeping track can help inspire you to ride more. If you lose it, you can always print one out by clicking here to download it. This may take a few seconds to open.
Letters
Hello everyone,
Here is an article against wearing bicycle helmets.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/sunday-review/to-encourage-biking-cities-forget-about-helmets.html?pagewanted=all
I fell or crashed three times in my life before I bought a helmet, the last time in 1979; none of the crashes involved cars. Pavement burns, scraped clothing, and shame was all I suffered.
Many people ride in Arcata, Humboldt County, and elsewhere without helmets. For my own safety in Arcata, I would probably use my helmet, especially on some streets like Buttermilk Lane. The newly paved streets help a lot, while streets in Eureka seem to be deteriorating.
Hope you print this. Thanks for your work.
Daryl Chinn, Arcata
[Response by Rick Knapp:
While I agreed to include Daryl’s letter, which references a NY Times article pushing helmetless cycling. I told him I couldn’t endorse its objective. The HBBCA is doing everything it can to make cycling safer, including urging riders to obey all laws, ride responsibly and defensively, and wear helmets.]
Who to Call When You See a Safety Concern (Rev. 1/5/2012)
The HBBCA checked with agencies in the Humboldt Bay region to determine appropriate contact personnel to respond to bike-related issues. If you see a condition that needs to be corrected in order to improve safety or convenience for cyclists such as a pothole in a bike lane, accumulated debris on a roadway shoulder, the need to re-stripe a bike lane, or the need to clear vegetation encroaching on a shoulder, call the responsible agency/person listed below.
Of course, if you see a condition that requires immediate attention, like a stop sign knocked down, call 9-1-1. For non-emergency conditions, the following contact information is provided:
Caltrans
Mark Suchanek, Deputy District Director
445-6393
Mark_Suchanek@dot.ca.gov
County of Humboldt
Wendy Meeks, Dispatcher
445-7421 wmeeks@co.humboldt.ca.us
Abandoned Vehicles: Wally Williams,
County Sheriff’s Office, 268-3629
City of Arcata
Monica Campbell,
Public Works Administrative Assistant
822-5957 pubworks@cityofarcata.org
Abandoned Vehicles:
Arcata Police Dept. at 822-2424
City of Eureka
Pearl Mendoza
Public Works Administrative Assistant
441-4192 pmendoza@ci.eureka.ca.gov
with cc: shutchison@ci.eureka.ca.gov
Abandoned Vehicles: Mary Kirby
mkirby@eurekapd.org, 268-5232
HBBCA Board of Directors (Rev. 1/2012)
President---------------------- Rick Knapp
445-1097(h) email: info@humbike.org
Vice-President---------------- Brett Gronemeyer
845-2117(h); 441-5770(w)
Secretary/Treasurer---Gail Popham,
445-5204(w)
Director of Publicity………… vacant
Director of Planning----- vacant
Please Join or Renew Your Membership for 2013 (Rev. 1/2012)
The HBBCA is working to improve and encourage bicycle commuting. Help make it happen by joining now or renewing your membership for 2013.
Your $5.00 annual dues, paid on a calendar year basis, will help pay for youth helmets, this newsletter,
our website, BikeSmart promotions, Bike Month activities and prizes, postage, etc. And, it will help demonstrate your commitment to our goal.
With your membership card, you may request the following discounts on bike parts and accessories: 10% (or more) at Henderson Center Bicycles; 10% at Revolution Bicycle Repair; 15% at Adventure’s Edge; 10% at Pro Sport Center, 10% at the Outdoor Store and 15% at Sport and Cycle. [Starting February 2011, membership cards began including stickers on the back showing discounts offered by the various shops.
Enclosed: $_____dues $_____donation
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Mail to HBBCA, P.O. Box 9054 Eureka CA 95502-9054