Posted by Founder, Bicycling Monterey
Bike Buzz: May 2021 news from Bicycling Monterey
Wherever you ride, Happy Bike Month!
Scroll this post’s purple and pink sections for Bike Equity issues, green sections for Bike Advocacy actions you can take, and yellow sections for Inspiration and Support—plus more.
May is celebrated as Bike Month throughout the U.S. Although types of celebrations and specific dates vary around the country, in 2021 many people will observe dates announced by Bike League: National Ride a Bike Day, May 2; Bike to Work Week, May 17-23; and Bike to Work Day, May 21. Other celebrations typically include Bike to Worship, Bike to Shop, and more. Wherever you’re headed, if your circumstances allow, please #BikeThere.
May is also Bicycling Monterey’s anniversary month. Scroll to the end of this post for a bit more about that.
One of our goals since 2009 has been simply to increase the numbers of people who bike. Why?
Indeed! Among factors that make bicycling safer are: (1) infrastructure improvements; (2) an increase in the numbers of people who bike; (3) responsible actions of people who drive, bike, walk, skate, scoot, or otherwise get about; and (4) effective laws and law enforcement.
In California, advocates helping to increase the numbers of people who bike include California Bicycle Coalition formal partners and other local allies in the following cities and counties: Alameda, Bakersfield, Beverly Hills, Butte, Chico, Culver City, Davis, East Bay, East Los Angeles, Fresno, Glendale, Humboldt, Inland Empire, Lake Tahoe, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Montebello, Monterey, Napa, Orange, Pomona Valley, Sacramento, San Diego, San Diego, San Francisco, San Gabriel Valley, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, Shasta, Silicon Valley, Sonoma, South Bay, Ventura, West Hollywood, and more. Grab links to their websites at https://www.calbike.org/about_us/who_we_are/local_partners/.
Nationwide, connect with other bike advocates through the League of American Bicyclists, People for Bikes, Safe Routes Partnership, and others.
Follow Bicycling Monterey…
On Twitter (@bikemonterey) to keep up with miscellaneous bike news regularly.
To receive an occasional email of Bike Buzz, subscribe (see https://bikemonterey.org/contact-me).
Below is a sampling of what’s been on our radar since the last issue of “Bike Buzz.”
Bike equity issues
Bike equity: Bicycle license/registration requirements
The League of American Bicyclists tweeted on 4/23/21: “‘There’s no documentation that licensing helps with safety. Clearly it creates a barrier for bike riding,’ say our friends at @NJBikeWalk [the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition]. Research by @ctbrown1911 [Charles T. Brown, MPA, CPD] cited in the article [“Bike License Laws Have a Racial Profiling Problem” by Sarah Holder in Bloomberg, 4/23/21] shows how these laws deter Black and brown people from biking.“
What’s the status of bicycle license requirements in your county?
In Monterey County some license requirements are on the books, e.g., in
Gonzales https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/Gonzales/html/Gonzales08/Gonzales0844.html#8.44.020;
Greenfield https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/Greenfield/#!/Greenfield10/Greenfield1024.html#10.24.010; and
Soledad https://library.municode.com/ca/soledad/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT10VETR_CH10.08BI_10.08.010LIEQ.
In contrast, in our county seat and largest city, Salinas, a bicycle license is optional https://library.municode.com/ca/salinas/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIITHCO_CH20MOVETR_ARTIXBI#PTIITHCO_CH20MOVETR_ARTIXBI_S20-108RISI. (For bike-related ordinances for some additional Monterey County communities, refer to part 20 of our Riding Skills, Safety, and CA Bike Laws section.)
We continue to urge supporters of biking and other healthy/active transportation (e.g., walking, skating, scooting) to advocate for changes to local ordinances as appropriate. That includes advocating to eliminate any license or registration requirements as well as other barriers that discourage people from biking. Questions about how to advocate for bike-friendly ordinances? Feel free to phone us.
Bike equity: Size inclusion
As Bicycling Monterey says in “Why stop now? Perennials biking Monterey County“: Sexism, racism, lookism, ageism…. None of the -isms serve a community well. And that’s true when it comes to the bike community too!
Gracias to Marley Blonsky and Kailey Kornhauser for their work to raise awareness about this long-neglected area of bike equity. And tip of the helmet to Shimano for bringing their work to more people’s attention via a 13-min video, “All Bodies on Bikes.”
For more, see “Body image and bicycles: in conversation with Kailey Kornhauser and Marley Blonsky” by Mildred Locke in Cycling News. https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/kailey-kornhauser-marley-blonsky-interview/
Bike equity: Help protect kids from harassment and bullying
In addition to resources from the national Safe Routes Partnership, find related tools in our post “Street Harassment and Other Bullying: Ways to help stop it – resources in Spanish and English.”
More ways to advocate for bicycling
Advocate: National Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices open for public comment until 5/14/21.
Info from the League of American Bicyclists: https://bikeleague.org/content/manual-uniform-traffic-control-devices
Advocate: California’s Safety Stop Bill, AB 122
(Click tweet below for its thread.)
Is this relevant in Monterey County?
Advocate: Participate in the bicycle and pedestrian committee meetings of your county’s transportation agency or transportation commission.
In Monterey County, that’s the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, and the May 2021 meeting will be Wednesday, May 5, 6 p.m. Details: https://bikemonterey.org/monthly-meetings-tamc-bicycle-pedestrian-facilities-advisory-committee-public-welcome.html. What’s on the May agenda: https://www.tamcmonterey.org/files/dd422da4c/BPC_Agenda_Packet-May_2021_Meeting.pdf
Advocate: Support earth-friendly modes of transportation, including e-bikes
Did you observe Earth Day, April 22, in a special way?
Every time you bike, you’re helping Mother Earth. Riding a bicycle reduces air pollution and noise pollution—and water pollution too (from oil run-off and such things as brake dust, deposited vehicle exhaust, and various automotive fluids). And you bet: bicycling is a meaningful way to help reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change!
Advocate: Don’t rant after the fact, get involved in infrastructure planning
Advocate: Participate in city meetings
Advocate: Speak up about traffic safety in your neighborhood—or wherever you ride—as Carmel residents Michael Hulfactor, Paola Berthoin, and others have
Advocate: Participate in surveys, spread the word, and advocate for improving such community outreach
If you follow Bicycling Monterey on Twitter, chances are you’ve seen our recent alerts about deadlines for surveys by the Federal Highway Administration (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices), California Department of Transportation / Caltrans, City of Marina, City of Monterey, Monterey Salinas Transit, Safe Routes to School Monterey County, and others. Whenever we find surveys ineffective, we often speak up (e.g., http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/opinion/squidfry/squid-fry-skin-in-the-game/article_e7ca311a-4428-11e4-a2cd-0017a43b2370.html) —and you can too!
Advocate: Sign up for notifications about municipal meetings. Post below includes links to Monterey County cities and unincorporated areas.
Inspiration and support
Inspiration and support: Sean Briscoe, “Wandering Bike: From Steinbeck Country to the City of Angels”
Sean is a librarian by profession, so it didn’t surprise us that his presentation was very well done, chock full of interesting resources. He offers tips for bikepackers / touring cyclists, sure. He also includes snippets of interest to California history buffs, people who bike-and-ride Amtrak, shout-outs to a Salinas bike shop, appreciation for the scents of farm fields, Highway 101’s Screaming Eagles Hwy bike path, fulfilling bike dreams with his mom, and much more. Thanks to Salinas Library for posting this video. Share its link with others!
Inspiration and support: Bike Workshops for youth in Greenfield
Inspiration and support: Bike ed online – free webinars
Our fellow CalBike partners at Bike East Bay continue offering free classes, including webinars helpful to people outside of the East Bay too. Among their classes in May 2021 are webinars on Bike Mechanics: Cleaning Your Bike on May 19, 7-8 p.m; and Bike Theft Prevention, May 26, 7-8 p.m. Details and registration links: https://bikeeastbay.org/BikeEdOnline
Inspiration and support: Safe Routes to School support in Monterey County
A link to Radio Bilingüe’s 4/5/21 “Alza Tu Voz / Speak Out” program — http://radiobilingue.org/en/nuestros-jovenes/ruta-segura-para-la-escuela/ — has been added to our 2/12/21 post “Rutas Seguras a la Escuela / Safe Routes to School — New site for Monterey County.”
Inspiration and support: Frank Henderson, a Monterey County Bike League LCI (League Cycling Instructor)
Inspiration and support: U.S. Secretary of Transportation
We participated in the 2021 Bike League Summit for the first time this year, since its being held online (no travel costs) made it more feasible. Among speakers was U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
Inspiration and support: Be a good ambassador for biking, wherever you ride
Inspiration and support: Support bike-friendly local businesses
Inspiration and support: Help meet the need for skirt guards on bicycles
As @bikemonterey mentioned on Instagram (where we’re far less active than on Twitter), if you are in the Monterey Bay Area and make skirt guards, fabric or metal, please phone us. We’d love to pass along your info to individuals or bike shops who ask us for leads about skirt guards.
Miscellaneous
- Looking for official resources regarding the pandemic? See “COVID-19 resources for Monterey County, California and beyond.”
- Due to the pandemic, Sea Otter Classic in Monterey County (normally held in April) was among events cancelled in 2020. For 2021, it is currently postponed until October: https://bikemonterey.org/annual-sea-otter-classic-a-celebration-of-cycling.html.
May 2021 is
Bicycling Monterey’s
12th anniversary
As we begin this 13th year, all work by Bicycling Monterey’s founder on this website and on all other Bicycling Monterey projects is still done as an unpaid volunteer, as has been the case since 2009.
Help support the Bicycling Monterey work. To make a contribution, and for FAQs, click here.
This post was published on 1 May 2021. One or more changes last made to this post on 8 May 2023.
