April 2018
WHEEL PEOPLE Vol. 37 No. 2 April 2018
Newsletter of the Humboldt Bay Bicycle Commuters Association
P.O. Box 9054 Eureka CA 95502
Website: www.humbike.org
Email: info@humbike.org
New and Renewed Members of the HBBCA
The following are new and renewed members for 2018. Please consider joining or renewing if you haven’t already.
Renewed Members
Jennifer Johnson, Adventure’s Edge***
Sean & Justin, Revolution Bicycle Repair***
Rees Hughes, Arcata**
Chris Ursich, Arcata**
Bob Morris, Eureka**
Chris Whitworth, McKinleyville**
Katherine Bettis, Eureka
Lisa Hoover, Blue Lake***
Betty Jain, Arcata***
Debra Pecaut, Eureka**
Nancy Reichard, Arcata***
Emily Sinkhorn, Eureka***
Claudio Freixas, Jr., Eureka
Alexis Kelso, Eureka***
Rick Gustafson, Eureka***
Mitchell Higa, McKinleyville**
Kristi Wrigley, Eureka***
Dave & Kimberly Ryan, Arcata**
Michael & Bonnie Walund, Eureka**
Jerry Cottrell, Bayside**
Patricia-Anne and George Wintersun, Eureka***
Lloyd McClelland, Eureka***
Wally Coppini, Rio Dell**
Martin Smukler, McKinleyville**
Philip & June Lescano, Eureka**
Oona Smith, Arcata***
Those with a ** next to their name gave an additionaldonation. Those with *** have given a $25 or greater donation. Thanks to all those who
have joined or renewed their commitment and those who have given additional donations to support our many causes.
Get on board now for all the benefits, including discounts at all the bike shops. See application at the end of the newsletter.
The Next Regular Meeting will be Held on April 23, 2018 in Arcata
The next regular HBBCA meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m., Monday, April 23, 2018, at Carmela’s Mexican, 13th and G Streets in Arcata.
Much of the discussion will be focused on Bike Month activities which have been planned by the Bike Month Humboldt Coalition. To add additional agenda items, please contact Rick Knapp at info@humbike.org or call him at 445-1097.
Events for Bike Month Humboldt--May 2018
Again, this year our flagship Bike to Work Day Rallies will be held in Arcata and Eureka on Thursdays, May 10 and May 17, respectively. Dozens of other events are scheduled. Details are included in the attached Calendar of Events. A more detailed chronological list is posted on our website. To see details, and any changes, check our humbike.org website or see us on facebook.
A wide variety of events are scheduled, including bike rodeos for kids, Wheel-in Wednesdays, a special film screening, pancake rides, a bike scavenger hunt, and new this year a Historical Eureka Bike Tour.
H & I Study in Eureka Progressing
On April 10, the City of Eureka and its consultants placed a “pop-up” street treatment on I Street at Del Norte Street to show in part what it might look like at the intersection if a project was implemented to reduce H and I streets to two lanes, add a bicycle facility, along with bulb-outs to allow a shorter distance for pedestrians to cross.
The alternatives include a separate one-way bike path adjacent to the sidewalk, and a “buffered” bike lane within the former third lane. The buffer provides extra space between the outside traffic lane and parked cars for the bike lane as compared with those currently on such streets as Harris and Henderson. The “pop-up” did not include the two bikeway alternatives.
On April 11, the group held a public meeting at the Women’s Club on J Street, showing the alternatives. Nearly 100 people attended. Given the small scale of maps, it was very hard for attendees to make sense of the alternatives. It was an “open house” format, so that the public could ask questions of “experts” on the floor. Attendees were each given sticky dots to place on the alternative they liked best. Probably 60% picked the separated facility vs. the buffered bike lane.
The HBBCA Board of Directors strongly opposes the separated bike path and supports the buffered bike lane, instead. Two Board members, Alexis Kelso and Rick Knapp rode the existing sidewalk north on I Street and south on H Street last month to see what it might be like to have a “sidewalk-type” bikeway adjacent to the existing sidewalk. Alarmingly, they found that there would be 43 crossings of streets, alleys and driveways on I Street in 1 ¼ miles. On I Street, there would be 61, with substantially more driveways to cross. While, a facility like that can work on an expressway-type roadway where intersections come every half mile, it won’t be effective where crossing come an average of 2 to 3 per block. They tried to envision families riding on such a facility, trying to keep track of the kids while watching turning vehicles, people backing out of driveways and sight distance blocked by hedges along alleys, etc. It would cost a lot of money and create a lot of problems that might not be inherently known to novice users. The HBBCA has asked that the consultant develop a comprehensive pro/con analysis before any decisions are sought.
Some people are concerned that necking down H and I Streets to two lanes will cause too much congestion. In reality, the traffic volumes on H and I are very close to those on Harris and Henderson, so they will operate very similarly.
Who to Call When You See a Safety Concern (Rev. 4/2018)
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, the need to clear vegetation encroaching on a shoulder, or a street light that is out, 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
Betty Totten, Customer Service Liaison
441-5655 www.dot.ca.gov/d1/contactus.html
County of Humboldt
Wendy Meeks, Dispatcher
445-7421 wmeeks@co.humboldt.ca.us
Abandoned Vehicles: Wally Williams,
County Sheriff’s Office, 268-2509
City of Arcata
Melanie Dabill
Public Works Administrative Assistant
825-2128 mdabill@cityofarcata.org
Abandoned Vehicles:
Arcata Police Dept. at 822-2424
City of Eureka
441-4203 publicworks@ci.eureka.ca.gov
Abandoned Vehicles:
eureka-policeabatement@ci.eureka.ca.gov;
phone 268-5232
HBBCA Board of Directors (Rev. 1/2018)
President---------------------- Rick Knapp
445-1097(h) email: info@humbike.org
Vice-President---------------- Brett Gronemeyer
845-2117(h); 445-6578 (w)
Secretary/Treasurer---Gail Popham,
707-502-8030(cell)
Director of Planning-----Alexis Kelso, 445-6397(w)
Director of Publicity ----open/available
Contact Rick Knapp if you are interested in filing a vacant Board position.
Please Join or Renew Your Membership for 2018
The HBBCA is working to improve and encourage bicycle commuting. Your $5.00 annual dues, paid on a calendar year basis, will help pay for youth helmets, bike racks, this newsletter, the website, BikeSmart promotions, “Bike Month” activities, prizes, postage, insurance, 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% at Revolution Bicycle Repair; 15% at Adventure’s Edge; 10% at Pacific Outfitters, and 15% at Sport and Cycle. Membership cards include stickers on the back showing discounts offered by the various bike shops.
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Mail to HBBCA, P.O. Box 9054 Eureka CA 95502-9054