Bicycle Fixation Weblog
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05/11/2011: "CBC Fundraiser at Long Beach Bikestation May 12"
The California Bicycle Coalition will be holding a fundraiser at Long Beach's Bikestation this Saturday, May 12th, to garner support for the three-foot passing law and for representatives of cycling, not just motoring, interests to be represented on CalTrans' Traffic Control Devices committee. This will also be an opportunity to explore Bikestation's glitzy new facility. Here are the CBC's own words on the matter:Bikestation Long Beach will host a fundraiser this Thursday, May 12, to benefit the California Bicycle Coalition's two campaigns to improve road safety for all California bicyclists.You can RSVP (and find a little more info) here.
The event takes place at the new, state-of-the-art Bikestation Long Beach at 220 E 1st Street, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Alta Planning + Design, Bikeable Communities and Ryan Snyder Associates are co-sponsors.
At Thursday's party the CBC will introduce its statewide Give Me 3 campaign (givemethree.org) to promote passage of Senate Bill 910, authored by Long Beach Senator Alan Lowenthal. Co-sponsored by the CBC and the City of Los Angeles, SB 910 would require motorists to give bicyclists three feet of clearance when passing from behind under most conditions.
The bill is aimed at making roads friendlier for the many Californians who want to begin bicycling for transportation. The bill would help prevent passing-from-behind collisions that are the leading cause of bicyclist fatalities in California and the U.S. Sixteen other states have similar laws on the books.
The City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Los Angeles Police Department, Midnight Ridazz and Champion Studio have donated to the CBC the design for the citywide Give Me 3 public awareness campaign they created and ran last fall.
The CBC is also sponsoring legislation to make sure motorists aren't the only road users represented on the powerful Caltrans committee that sets standards for bike lanes, crosswalks and other traffic controls. Currently the state's two main automobile associations are the only roadway users with seats on the California Traffic Control Devices Committee.
That would change under Assembly Bill 345, authored by San Diego Assemblymember Toni Atkins, which would require all roadway users to be represented on any Caltrans committee created to advise on traffic control devices. Sponsored by the CBC, the bill is a first step toward enabling every community in California to implement the kind of innovative bicycle facilities that Long Beach is already famous for.
"We picked the Long Beach Bikestation to launch our campaigns because the city is an epicenter for both efforts. Its senator is the author of the safe passing legislation, and its commitment to innovative design, such as its new cycle-tracks, are a model that other communities will be able to follow, if AB 345 has its intended effect of changing the toolbox at Caltrans," said Dave Snyder, CBC relaunch director/CEO.
