October 2020

Bike Safe Fresno Bicycle Education

Bicycle education with the U.S Green Building Council Central California is in full swing now. The Bike Safe Fresno Program is funded by a grant from the Transformative Climate Communities and has a focus on providing bicycle education in southwest Fresno. The last in-person educational event occurred last November at the Maxie L. Parks Community Center. The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted all activities online. In the last week of September, Board members and League Cycling Instructors Tony Molina and John Liu provided Smart Cycling education virtually to three classes at Edison High School.

The Bike Safe Fresno educational events continue this month with FCBC putting on two virtual one-hour Smart Cycling classes via Zoom. Part I will be on Saturday, October 17 at 11:00 am and will cover bike basics, bike maintenance, and bike gear. Part II will be on Saturday, October 24 at 11:00 am and will cover riding on the road in Fresno. 

Topics will include principles of traffic law, lane positioning, types of bike lanes, where to ride in the Fresno area, bike parking and security, and accident avoidance. Residents of the City of Fresno who attend both classes can receive a free helmet and bike light courtesy of the City of Fresno Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. 

Registration for the Smart Cycling classes can be found here:

Smart Cycling Part I: Bike Basics and Maintenance, October 17 at 11:00 am to noon

Smart Cycling Part II: Riding on the Road in Fresno, October 24 at 11:00 am to noon

The U.S. Green Building Council has a short 9-question survey online to find out more about why people ride or do not ride bikes in Fresno. Please take the 2-minute survey to help make Fresno a better place to ride a bike.

California Clean Air Day is October 7

The Coalition for Clean Air, an organization that advocates for clean air and promotes clean transportation, has designated October 7 as California Clean Air Day. They have a pledge form where individuals or organizations can pledge to do various activities that day to clean the air, such as riding your bike to the store instead of taking your car.

Fresno COG Transportation Needs Survey

The Fresno Council of Governments, or Fresno COG, has a Transportation Needs Survey that is closing on October 15. This is your opportunity to let the regional transportation agency and all local governments within Fresno County know what the transportation needs are so that projects can be planned for the next 20 years. You can view submissions by others and make an unlimited number of your own. Any transportation issue can be commented on, whether on bike lanes, trails, sidewalks, street maintenance, transit, or any other.

Bike Match

The FCBC Board has approved proceeding with launching Fresno Bike Match which will connect those with extra bikes to those who need them. This is especially important at a time when inexpensive new bikes are hard to come by and many people have been financially affected by the pandemic. More details will be forthcoming.

Streamlining Bicycle Infrastructure Projects

Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 288 into law last month. This will streamline the implementation of certain sustainable transportation projects, such as striping bike lanes, by exempting them from environmental review as previously required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This could save months in project timeframes as well as the costs for the environmental studies.

Next Board Meeting

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 15 at 7:30 pm via Zoom. Topics include the upcoming Bike Safe Fresno events and Board elections. Everyone is welcome to join the virtual meeting.  If you would like to participate please send an email to info@fresnobike.org and the login information and call-in number will be sent to you.

Have a comment or suggestion?  Contact us at info@fresnobike.org