Gratitude List for Bicycling Enthusiasts

Do you ♥ people who make biking better?

The 9 sections below outline some of the many people who help make biking better in Monterey County, and beyond. From event organizers to bike-friendly businesses and organizations to tourism professionals and more, their efforts in support of bicycling help protect the environment while also boosting the many other benefits of bicycling. Express appreciation to them through a thank you note, online shout-out of gratitude, in-person visit, financial contribution to their work, or in another way.

In addition to the list below, consider the individuals and organizations in the 35-section directory of Monterey County bicycling resources / bike community leaders. Select some whose efforts mean the most to you, then let them know they’re on your gratitude list.

Note: This post has not been updated.
However, it is not time-sensitive, in that it remains relevant as inspiration for your own expressions of gratitude.

1. Say thanks to media who give bicycling accurate coverage.

Voices of Monterey Bay is a multicultural news source launched by veteran local journalists Julie Reynolds Martinez, Joe Livernois, and Mary Duan in October 2017. In its very first month, VOMB featured a thoughtful report, “Trail Mix,” by former Monterey County Herald editor Royal Calkins, as highlighted in “Sharing Monterey County Parks and Other Public Lands: Administration, Care, and Use.”

Another media example is the local independent Monterey County Weekly. They published an issue focused on bicycling, and they continue to cover bike topics on a regular basis. Editor Sara Rubin and some others on the Weekly crew often bike to work, thus keeping bike awareness high at their workplace. Tell Weekly staffers you appreciate them.

The Salinas Californian, a Gannett paper,  and the Monterey County Herald, a Digital First Media paper, have some bike-aware staff on board. In spite of the challenges of working for newspapers run by out-of-state media conglomerates, these staffers work hard to provide sound local coverage.

Let these and other media professionals know when you appreciate their efforts.

2. Give some love and appreciation to the visitors who bless Monterey County.

Say howdy, and share local tips with visitors , including the tips that help them bike while they’re here.

These tourists come from  France, Germany, Holland, Italy, and all over the planet. They expand our perspectives and enrich our lives, through serendipitous or planned interactions. (Click for examples.)

3. Say thanks also to the tourism professionals who help visitors find bicycling resources.

These individuals include Allyson Thommen of  the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau / See Monterey, Trish Sullivan at Destination Salinas, and others. Tell these caring and bike-savvy people that you appreciate their helpfulness to visitors. After all, biking is one of the best ways for visitors to really know our communities.

4. Share words of thanks, and memories, with Sea Otter Classic, a Celebration of Cycling.

This four-day annual event extraordinaire draws about 10,000 pro and amateur athletes plus 65,000 or more other bicycling enthusiasts to Monterey County every April. Sea Otter’s road, mountain, and cyclocross races are world-renowned. Likewise popular are the Gran Fondo recreational rides, festival and other activities for all ages, North America’s largest consumer bike expo, and more—all making for lots of good times!

You may be a longtime Sea Otter Classic veteran, like the Magenheim family directly below. Or you may be an SOC newbie. Whatever your experience, if you’ve become a Sea Otter aficionado, contact their farsighted co-founder and CEO Frank Yohannan, and the Sea Otter Classic crew. Let them know you appreciate them bringing so much bike love to Monterey County!

5. Express appreciation for bike-friendly law enforcement professionals.

Some counties have challenges between law enforcement professionals and people in bike. In Monterey County, Bicycling Monterey has taken a pro-action approach to building stronger relationships between cops and people who bike. Why? Among things that make biking safer are infrastructure improvements; responsible behavior of people who bike, drive, walk, skate, or otherwise get about; simply an increase in the numbers of people who bike; effective laws; and law enforcement—think of drunk drivers, speeding or distracted drivers, and more. (Learn more on bikemonterey.org or contact Bicycling Monterey.)

In addition to many in Salinas—Monterey County’s largest city and the county seat—there are many other bike-friendly law enforcement officers in Monterey County too. Find some of them in “Constables of the Peace,” then tell them thank you!

We hope you’ll contact bike-friendly Salinas Police Department–one of the first PDs in California to have bumper stickers on patrol cars that help educate the public about Three Feet for Safety. Click here to learn more about that and other ways that Salinas PD helps improve life for people who bike.

When the inaugural Ciclovia Salinas–Monterey County’s first Open Streets–was at risk of being cancelled for lack of barricade volunteers, who did a big reach-out to friends, asking them to volunteer? The since-retired Salinas PD Chief, a frequent cyclist himself. Salinas PD also provided the legally required trainings for barricade volunteers, not only in advance of the date, they went the extra mile by also providing  e-a-r-l-y morning day-of trainings for last-minute volunteers.

Whose traffic patrol officers are especially savvy about bike laws, such as local sidewalk ordinances, and can be counted on not to cite bicyclists inappropriately (as unfortunately happens in some cities around the U.S.)?  Salinas PD! Whenever appropriate, they prefer education to citation; and they know where to get Spanish language resources, including bicycle equipment requirements that are not on the California DMV website in Spanish.

We also appreciate that Salinas PD is the first PD in California to be 100% trained in procedural justice and police legitimacy. That’s a great start to making any police department better! Learn more about that in the Salinas section of “Constables of the Peace.”

6. Say thank you…to those U. S. Senators and Congressional Representatives, State Senators and State Assembly Members, and other government officials who vote for and otherwise advocate for biking.  Remember county supervisors, city councils, and other city officials. Say thanks to traffic engineers and transportation planners too! Below are examples of some of the many who are so deserving of appreciation.

California Bicycle Coalition (“CalBike”)  helps its local partners keep track; refer to calbike.org for CA Senate Voting Records and CA Assembly Voting Records. Also review CalBike’s legislative watch page.

One example: 17th District CA State Senator Bill Monning

For these who are elected officials, keep in mind their voting records on biking and other issues important to you when you vote in future elections. #BikeTheVote #IBikeIVote

Retired Congressional Representative Sam Farr made a big difference in bicycle infrastructure and other outdoor recreation on the Central Coast. As Bicycling Monterey posted on Instagram, if you appreciate, for example, the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail network or Fort Ord National Monument, let retired Sam Farr know you appreciate all his work to help make those possible!

Above, Sam was at the Sand City ribbon-cutting for MST’s Rapid Transit Monterey Jazz Lines, one of our favorite bike-and-ride options. Also present was then-U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. 

Monterey County Board of Supervisors

Thank County Supervisors for such actions as affirming bike lanes for Rio Road. Click here for their contact info.

You might then go on to the Monterey County seat and largest city, Salinas…

Write to Salinas City Councilmembers, along with Gary E. Petersen, Public Works Director; Robert Russell, City Engineer; James Serrano, Transportation Planner, and others. Among other things, thank them for their enthusiasm and support for Monterey County’s only (as of the end of 2017) Open Streets—one of the first dozen such locations in all of California—Ciclovía Salinas. See http://bit.ly/SalinasRocks to learn more.

Then do the same with Monterey City Council. Tell them what you appreciate about bike infrastructure or other aspects of bicycling in Monterey. (BTW, Monterey has a biking mayor, Clyde Roberson. And the City of Marina does too: Mayor Bruce Delgado.)

Continue with other communities where you bike. Locally, perhaps that’s Big Sur, Carmel and Carmel Valley, Castroville, Del Rey Oaks, Elkhorn, Gonzales, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Moss Landing, Pacific Grove, Pajaro, Pebble Beach, Prunedale, Salinas, San Ardo, Sand City, Seaside, Soledad, or other areas.

7. Show gratitude to your favorite HER Helmet Thursdays spots—businesses and organizations that help make Monterey County more welcoming for people who bike.

8. Express appreciation to the people who serve as Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Advisory Committee members for the Transportation Agency for Monterey County.

They include volunteers as well as paid employees. Find their names on TAMC’s website here.

9. Show you appreciate the Bicycling Monterey website and projects…

by making a contribution, in any amount, to support this work. Since founding Bicycling Monterey in May 2009, the founder has donated well over 20,000 hours to the Bicycling Monterey projects, including this site. To contribute, and for FAQs, click here. Thank you for your consideration and support.

And if you are unable to contribute financially at this time but might like to contribute project supplies or volunteer time, please contact Bicycling Monterey.

Muchas gracias!

Bicycling Monterey is thankful for each of you who pitch in on this bike advocacy work. Whether you are a contributor of money, a contributor of project supplies, send words of encouragement, spread the news, volunteer time, or help in some other way, know that you are appreciated.

To see the names of hundreds of people Bicycling Monterey is thankful for—all playing some part in this collaborative effort—start here.

Short link to this post: http://bit.ly/BikeGratitudes