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National recognition for Monterey County bike advocacy: Alliance for Biking & Walking’s Advocacy Awards finalists

Alliance Logo ColorMonterey County is represented among national finalists for the Alliance for Biking & Walking’s 2014 Advocacy Awards, in the Susie Stephens Joyful Enthusiasm Award category. The names of the national finalists were released in a story by Mary Lauran Hall on February 20, 2014. The Joyful Enthusiasm and other advocacy award winners were announced March 3 in Washington, D.C., in a ceremony presented by Bicycling Magazine.

 

Photo credit: Scott MacDonald

© Salinas Californian. Used by permission.

The joy factor
was a big reason for the founding of
the Bicycling Monterey site and projects,

as this 2-minute 2009 recording from KUSP acknowledges.

(For more KUSP audios about biking in Monterey County, scroll down.)


To all who share joyful enthusiasm for biking…

in Monterey County, and make their own contributions to biking here, Mari extends a heartfelt muchas gracias! See Bicycling Monterey’s acknowledgements page for names of some of the many other people who also helped bring this local bike advocacy volunteerism to national attention.

The many benefits of bicycling include benefits to the environment and the economy. Watch a January 10, 2010 KSBW story by Ravi Kapur about one of the Bicycling Monterey projects: the long-term ecology-economy sustainability project that encourages males and females to bike, HER Helmet Thursdays.

For an update, and to learn more about local bike advocacy, click here and slide to 20:18 for a May 22, 2013 interview with Mari by Sharon Gavin, formerly of the Transportation Agency for Monterey County.

Protecting the beauty of Monterey County and enhancing life here, for visitors and residents, is an aim of Mari’s bike advocacy.

Many hours, all volunteer, go into Mari’s various advocacy tasks. When weary, what’s the favorite antidote?  Biking!  Whether to do advocacy outreach in person, using the bike as transportation to a destination, or just bicycling for no reason at all, it is biking itself that recharges joyful enthusiasm! And the joy factor is what inspired and remains at the heart of the Bicycling Monterey site and projects.

You know. You’re out there pedaling too!

* * * * *

The Alliance for Biking & Walking: Building the People Powered Movement also features Monterey County on its…

Open Streets Project site, which includes Ciclovía Salinas. Hall’s story noted Mari’s volunteerism “helped support Monterey County’s first Open Streets,” Ciclovía Salinas.

A 2-minute audio…

from KUSP about Ciclovía Salinas, and other audios about biking in Monterey County (all produced by Guy Lasnier and aired on KUSP), are provided below.

Bikes are taking to the streets, and it’s not where you might expect. – Aired November 20, 2013

 

What’s up with the bike helmet buzz? Aired April 14, 2010

 

Luciano Rodriguez lights the fire within. Aired October 10, 2012.

 [Update: Laura Solis was named winner of the Joyful Enthusiasm award. When we saw Laura’s bright smile and that fixie reference in her Alliance bio, we were cheering for her! She reminded us of local rider Jess Martines and his street cred.]

If you found information…

on the Bicycling Monterey website helpful, or if you would like to support a specific Bicycling Monterey project, click here.

 

This post was published on 3 March 2014. One or more changes last made to this post on 7 November 2017.

  1. marilynch says:

    Muchas gracias, Maureen. Glad you spotted our Spanish resources! We wish our entire site was available in Spanish, and we’re grateful for the teamwork that makes it possible to share such resources as bicycle equipment requirements in Spanish (not available on the CA DMV website).

    We get excited about family-centered cycling too, and seeing tots to elders out biking. Wish you could be here for the May 10th Intergenerational Ride

    We’d love to have you visit. We can promise you, in January, February, or any month: no snow!

  2. Maureen Byrnes says:

    You make it look easy, Mari!
    Bilingual bicycling website…pretty terrific!
    Family centered bicycling…pretty wonderful!
    Hope the snow melts soon in Washington, DC —
    Cause you’re winning! 🙂

  3. marilynch says:

    Thanks, Floann. I remember your comment on the 2009 Intro to HER Helmet Thursdays post. I’ve been immersed in the various bike volunteer projects, and even though KSBW asked me whether HER Helmet Thursdays could spread nationally (sure, it’s appropriate for most any geographic location), and you suggested that too, I’ve kept my focus on Monterey County to date. I so appreciate that you remain interested!

    Hope that in 2014 you can return to bike the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail again. Maybe next visit you can also bike in John Steinbeck’s hometown.

  4. marilynch says:

    Thank you, Paula. We hope you’ll visit Monterey County again soon!

  5. Paula Ross says:

    Great website full of useful information and tips on safe bicycling.

  6. Floann Younker says:

    Awesome news & enthusiastic Props to you Mari! Your tenacious Spirit & wisdom, full of soul for Monterey County & beyond, are greatly admired! So much behind the scenes but not without beautiful show of heart for your country! Best Wishes! God Bless You

  7. marilynch says:

    Thanks also to you supporters from the Twittersphere, Kera and Sam.

    Kera, I am grateful that you and the Monterey County Weekly celebrate the bike and inform readers on infrastructure and more.

    Sam, I appreciate your bike advocacy work through the California Bicycle Coalition and beyond. We loved your visit to Monterey.

  8. @BikeWalk @MariLynch @BikeMonterey congrats Mari!

  9. “She’s a relentless advocate for a bikeable MoCo, and now @MariLynch is getting national props for it.”—@KeraCA

    https://twitter.com/KeraCA/status/436734165246279680?s=20

  10. marilynch says:

    Hey, Nathan. You grokked the mission of the Bicycling Monterey website in its infancy! My deepest gratitude for your early and continued support. Because of you and Vid Raatior of Atawe Design, this Info Hub for Biking in Monterey County benefits many people.

  11. Very well deserved!

  12. marilynch says:

    Thank you, Saskia. I appreciate your leadership in the Monterey Bay region’s Open Streets initiatives and am so happy to share your good news about Capitola Open Streets.Thanks again for coming down to the barricade volunteer training for the first Ciclovia Salinas!

  13. Saskia Lucas says:

    Congratulations Mari! Well deserved recognition. You are a tireless and passionate bicycle advocate and I applaud you heartily!

    FYI, SAVE THE DATE for the new Capitola Open Streets which will take place on the Capitola Village Esplanade Sunday, May 4th, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Details coming soon on the http://www.scopenstreets.org website and Open Streets Santa Cruz County Facebook page. Hope our Monterey and San Benito neighbors can come to this exciting new event!

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