Plant a Tree April 10!
Included in the Safe & Healthy Streets project is an effort to improve a street corridor in South Glendale to make it better and safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. The Riverdale-Maple Bike-Pedestrian Corridor has been chosen for this effort. It will connect three parks, form the spine of potential walking loops in south Glendale, will be part of a larger proposed bicycle network in Glendale, and passes within walking/biking distance of multiple schools, libraries, and businesses.
After visiting the corridor on multiple occasions to document existing conditions, we noted that there were many tree wells that were missing trees. To make the Riverdale-Maple corridor a better pedestrian and bicycle route, we need your help planting trees that will provide beneficial shade for those who live, walk, or ride a bike along the corridor. Please join us for this community tree planting. We will plant the first 17 of nearly 100 new trees along Maple Street, Riverdale Drive, Rock Glen, and Lincoln Avenue. Please wear closed-toe shoes, a cap, gloves, and sunscreen. All are welcome!
We need your help on April 10! To volunteer for the tree planting, please e-mail Colin Bogart at colin@la-bike.org or call 818 334-9731.
For more information about the trees or planting details, please go to www.la-bike.org/tree or contact Dan Hardgrove at (818) 550-3401.
Glendale Unified High School Mountain Biking Team Update
A few months ago we reported on the Glendale Unified High School Mountain Bike Team. Glendale has one of the founding SoCal high school MTB teams which is part of a league of schools with mountain biking teams throughout Southern California. Info on the league (or how to start up your own high school team) can be found at: http://www.socaldirt.org/index.html
The Glendale mountain biking team has been meeting for practice 3 times a week since the beginning of the year, and now that the days are longer, they will be out on the fire roads and trails more than ever. Usually they can be seen in the hills above Descanso Gardens. Some students who were part of the program last year are now coming back as experienced veterans. What a difference a year makes! And there are an equal number of students joining the team for the first time; about 16 in all. Not only is the Glendale team much bigger than last year, the whole league has almost twice as many students. It is really popular and growing like crazy. There is a new team in San Marino and Arcadia along with another founding team at St. Francis in La Canada. There are similar leagues starting up in other states now too, copying the model created in California.
The first SoCal race of the year was March 14th in Temecula and GUSD did well. Three students made it onto the podium; two in Freshman/Sophomore Girls and one in Sophomore Boys. There were over 160 racers taking part and many students were racing for the first time ever on completely new terrain. It was valuable experience. The next race is March 28 at Warner Springs Ranch near Temecula. The Glendale Students are aiming to do even better next time!
Caltrans Complete Streets Implementation Action Plan
On March 9, 2010 the California Department of Transportation released the Complete Streets Implementation Plan. The full document is available here
Caltrans defines a Complete Street as “A transportation facility that is planned, designed, operated, and maintained to provide safe mobility for all users, including bicyclists, pedestrians, transit vehicles, truckers, and motorists, appropriate to the function and context of the facility.”
In an effort to maximize safety and mobility, the Implementation Plan calls for greater attention to detail in each and every mobility-related improvement in the State regardless of the size or scope of the project.
The implementation of this plan should result in a reduction in congestion, an increase in system efficiency, and the viability of environmentally sustainable development. Quality of life, including public health and improved safety are also among the goals of the Action Plan. The economic impacts of the Complete Streets Plan include job growth, increase in property values, and the reduction of costs associated with habitual retrofitting of streets.
To assure successful implementation, the Action Plan has clearly defined responsibilities broken down by groups and interdependent entities. A Steering Committee will monitor and report the progress of all action plans, making the projects transparent and the project divisions accountable to the public.
Now that the Implementation Plan has been released by the Caltrans, Glendale and every other city in the state will eventually be required to consider Completes Streets mandates with every new street construction, renovated road, and mobility improvement. To view the full scope of the Complete Streets plan click here.
LaHood Announces New Policy for Walking and Biking
In a speech to the League of American Bicyclists at the National Bike Summit on March 12, 2010, the United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood showed his full support for promoting and implementing policy which puts walking and biking on equal footing with automobile use. The speech made its way across bike advocacy blogs and has elevated the level of excitement for what looks like a significant shift towards healthier and more sustainable transportation options such as walking and biking.
The goals of the policy are underscored in an excerpt from the Department of Transportation’s Policy Statement :
“The DOT (Department of Transportation) policy is to incorporate safe and convenient walking and bicycling facilities into transportation projects. Every transportation agency, including DOT, has the responsibility to improve conditions and opportunities for walking and bicycling and to integrate walking and bicycling into their transportation systems. Because of the numerous individual and community benefits that walking and bicycling provide — including health, safety, environmental, transportation, and quality of life — transportation agencies are encouraged to go beyond minimum standards to provide safe and convenient facilities for these modes.”
For a more detailed look at Secretary LaHood’s perspective on the new policy, visit his blog . In addition, you may read what the League of American Bicyclists blog had to say about the new policy proposal and Mr. LaHood’s speech.
