Posted by Founder, Bicycling Monterey
Bike Buzz: Winter 2025-2026 News from Bicycling Monterey
This edition of Bike Buzz is dedicated in memory of Jennifer Lynn Chatman and Seth Seader Pollack.
To receive email notifications of Bike Buzz and other infrequent communications from Bicycling Monterey (including alerts to any pop-up events), subscribe.
See who has donated in 2025 to help support the Bicycling Monterey work—a grassroots volunteer effort since 2009!
As we’ve reported for 16 years (“Piping in the New: January Biking in Monterey County”), winter around the Monterey Bay includes plenty of good weather for biking, whether on sunny days…
…or on the also appreciated rainy days!
Below at right is is the first Bike Parka we’ve seen in use in city of Monterey. But it’s definitely not the first time we’ve seen its rider! He not only bikes to shop, he bikes “everywhere, all the time.”
Tips for biking in the rain.
Biker’s ed for youth (and others), Part 1
Riding a bike safely, legally, and courteously is a skill set. That’s why we focus so much time on helping youth, and adults, acquire those skills.
What about biking on the right side of the roadway, with traffic (aka “going with the flow,” as the sign above advises)? A surprising number of people mistakenly think they are to bike on the left side of the roadway, against motor vehicle traffic, like a pedestrian is to walk.
Aren’t youth, in particular, intentionally scofflaw? Some are, and in our experience, some are quite the contrary—they are actually eager to learn how to bike smart! Note the letter below about one of the bicycling teens we’ve helped who received traffic citations in 2025. In his case, he’d received three citations in our county seat and largest city, Salinas—including for not biking on the right side of the roadway.
To learn more about rules for biking on the right, including exceptions, see #2 in our California bike law summary.
We wish we had far more resources to educate all youth in our county who need our help. We do what we can! Your pitching in by making a donation, and/or sharing flyers or social posts, helps us reach more people.
The work of the Bicycling Monterey projects has diverse positive impacts. These range from climate change to social justice (e.g., our work with youth in the court system) to public health to traffic safety, and more. Not least of all is cultivating joy in people of all ages who are inspired and empowered to get out and pedal!
Donation FAQs.
A bike comunity holiday ride
Sunday, December 21, 2025
Gather at 5:45 p.m., roll out at 6 p.m.
Critical Christmas Monterey
aka Lighted Bike Parade
Mastodon
While there may be occasional updates to this winter 2025-2026 buzz, the best way to catch more news this winter is to follow @bikemonterey on Mastodon. (Need tips on using Mastodon? See social media section of Bicycling Monterey’s Contact page.)
Climate Change: California State Parks on our changing coastline
We appreciate this new, bilingual California State Parks interpretive sign’s emphasis on human-caused climate change, including the impact of transportation.
Thanks to this California State Parks ranger who paused at Asilomar State Beach on Veterans Day weekend 2025 to help get the message out.
Reduction of transportation’s carbon emissions is among the multiple benefits of biking that make us smile at people who bike. Biking isn’t all smiles though! Its challenges include drivers lacking in bike awareness—and of course, the big challenge of poor infrastructure.
Bike-friendly infrastructure is vital to preventing injuries and deaths! That’s why advocating for infrastructure improvements is a top priority in Bicycling Monterey’s various projects.
In Monterey County, two more people on bicycles died in autumn 2025 from fatal injuries received in traffic collisions: Jennifer Lynn Chatman, in Salinas, on November 3; and Seth Pollack, in Pebble Beach, on December 5.
Regarding Jennifer’s death
Protected bike lanes with a physical barrier are what’s needed to really keep people who bike safer! In general, paint on pavement provides little to no real benefit in preventing fatalities. Nevertheless, one “paint on pavement” practice we would like to see far more of — and which possibly could have saved Jennifer’s life — is bike boxes at intersections, as we told Sara Rubin, Monterey County Now / Monterey County Weekly editor.
Regarding Seth’s death
As of the writing of this post, we have no police report or other confirmed details about the collision, so we’re unable to offer any comments about the specific circumstances. To learn more about Seth’s life, and sudden death, see “In memory of Seth Pollack.”
Tips for people who drive,
and people who bike, about
“dooring” and “the Dutch reach”
The Radwagon on the bike rack above is the daily transportation of a local veteran and member of Veterans for Peace. We talked with him in November and were very sorry to hear his wife had been doored!
Dooring can easily result in injury or death! Watch a 1-minute video on how easily dooring can happen.
IF YOU DRIVE: Seven short Bike League videos for motorists includE (#5) how to avoid “dooring” people who bike! —https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEunXMVRYA7SvZsgu-YYeUJbo0rdgmRIF; also available in Spanish https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEunXMVRYA7TRPpFiT_C14G_EBgDf2r_f
IF YOU BIKE: See 1:07 about avoiding being “doored” in https://bikeleague.org/videos/traffic-and-safety-tips/. (Also available there in Spanish.)
Where to report a bikeway maintenance need in Monterey County, or maintenance needs for any California State Highways
Road hazards such as scattered debris pictured above might not look like much. But when you’re trying to avoid a punctured bicycle tire by striving to dodge sharp debris on a road—while also trying to avoid being hit by a motor vehicle—it’s a big deal!
We reported this — and other debris on California State Route 68 / Highway 68 — directly to Caltrans / California Department of Transportation, District 5 office. The debris in the photo above was soon cleaned up. Unfortunately, the nearby debris we’d also reported was not, so we submitted another report!
Maybe your bike route includes one or more California highways (not freeways or expressways where prohibited, of course, but one of the many highways where biking is legal—which is not limited to the many that serve as community surface streets). If so, please submit a report to Caltrans when you come upon such road hazards. https://csr.dot.ca.gov/
Also see “Where to report a bikeway maintenance need in Monterey County.”
Federal grants awarded for active transportation
Among efforts being made to improve the safety of people using active transportation, California’s Central Coast will receive $2.8 million in federal road safety grants, including active transportation grants. The following funds are earmarked for Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety: County of Monterey Health Department, $192,310; Salinas Police Department, $195,000; Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency, $250,000; and Santa Cruz Police Department, $100,000, as reported by Ricardo Tovar for KSBW on December 2.
https://www.ksbw.com/article/central-coast
More about federal funds for transportation: Advocate for 2026 and beyond
https://sfba.social/@bikemonterey/115629137845086000
https://sfba.social/@bikemonterey/115629233928631866
“Bike Nite” on Mastodon
People on Mastodon share a range of ideas in a weekly Q & A organized by Phil Yip https://sfba.social/@ascentale, a bike accessories small business owner and a staff member of our fellow CalBike partner (https://www.calbike.org/about_us/who_we_are/local_partners/) Bike East Bay. We occasionally chime in on Phil’s #BikeNite fun too, e.g., https://sfba.social/@bikemonterey/115636601280843678, https://sfba.social/@bikemonterey/115590893068547861,
https://sfba.social/@bikemonterey/115392175728530059,
https://sfba.social/@bikemonterey/115313636465282151.
As for YouTube, you may want to do as we do: make use of DuckDuckGo’s Duck Player. The Duck Player “lets you watch videos on YouTube without privacy-invading ads, and keeps what you watch from impacting your recommendations.” Details: https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help
Biker’s ed for youth (and others), Part 2
We chatted spontaneously with four young teens on November 20, sharing cautions to help prevent them being cited https://bikemonterey.org/bike-buzz-fines-for-bicycle-related-california-vehicle-code-cvc-violations.html. School had just let out, and their joy in biking was visible! Unfortunately, also visible were actions—by 2-4 of them—that could get unwanted attention from police:
- biking wrong-way on a 1-way street;
- popping wheelies in traffic lanes of a main street;
- no helmets (required for minors in California);
- biking on sidewalks where signs indicate sidewalk riding prohibited;
- biking through a pedestrian crosswalk;
- 1 of the 4 reportedly biking “under the influence.”
After we briefly pointed out they could get up to 5-6 citations (had a cop been present), 1 said, “That’s a lot to remember!” Yes, it can be, when you’ve not been taught bike laws from day 1 (e.g., https://bikemonterey.org/wp-content/uploads/Bike-law-summary-2025.pdf).
Resources on Riding Skills, Bike Laws, and Safety.
You pitching in can make more Youth Education possible. Please make a donation today; click here for details.
Boost bicycling in 2025!
Is your name listed in the “2025 Report on Bicycling Monterey’s Donors”—a list of all 2025 donors, along with a list of all donors since 2009? 💫🌟If not, you still have time to make a 2025 donation, THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2025.✨
Bicycling Monterey, founded 2009, is a grassroots effort benefiting individuals, communities, and the planet. The work of the founder, 2009-2025, is done as an unpaid volunteer. See what people say about the value of this work.
For the total amount donated from 2009 to the present, click here.
This post was published on 9 December 2025. One or more changes last made to this post on 10 December 2025.
