August 2023

Fresno will have its own bike summit this fall, and FCBC has been working with the Fresno State Transportation Institute and the City of Fresno to make it a success.  Learn more about it below.

In this month’s Newsletter:

 

• Bike Café is on Tuesday, August 8, at 7:00 pm with artist Kathleen King-Page on the topic of bringing bicycle art to Fresno.

• The 2023 PEDAL Summit will take place in Downtown Fresno on October 27-28.

• Last month the Fresno State Transportation Institute (FSTI) hosted a one-week bike camp for middle school students with the assistance of FCBC Board members

• Construction is progressing for several Class IV bikeways in Fresno.

• The next Bike Station Fix Your Own Bike Event is on Saturday, August 26 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm in Downtown Fresno.

• The next FCBC Board meeting is on Thursday, August 10 at 7:30 pm.

FCBC Bike Café

The monthly virtual Bike Café allows FCBC members and others to socialize and discuss bike-related topics of interest.

Join us on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, at 7:00 pm as Bike Café presents artist Kathleen King-Page on the topic of bringing public bicycle art to Fresno and to discuss her Bike Scribbles 3-D bicycle sculpture project that was installed in Redlands, CA in April 2023.

FCBC is very excited to introduce Kathleen to the local cycling community, and welcome her participation as part of local efforts to elevate public perception of bicycling in Fresno as part of the upcoming 2023 PEDAL Summit in October 2023 (more information below).  We are currently exploring the feasibility of siting one or more of Kathleen's colorful and imaginative "Bike Scribbles" sculptures in Fresno in conjunction with the Summit.  What better way to demonstrate the transformative power of bicycling than with the transformative power of art?

 

Kathleen King-Page is a passionate life-long cyclist, established professional artist with over 25 years of experience, and has "a major crush on cycling."  She grew up in the sleepy coastal town of Pacific Beach, just north of San Diego, where she began her career as a public muralist in 1983.  The artist has designed, coordinated and executed over 75 murals for public, commercial and private spaces throughout the southwest over the past 30 years.  

As an avid cyclist it was only a matter of time before King’s love of the bike made its way onto her canvases, and in 2008 the Bike Scribble was born.  Her distinctively stylized interpretation of the joy of bicycling has been embraced by the cycling community worldwide in murals, as book illustration, jewelry and apparel art, and logo design.  For many years she painted all kinds of murals in several different styles, then discovered her own style – the Scribble.

She has done Scribbles of people, angels, horses, runners, swimmers… but she says, "I mostly focus on cyclists and bike art because cycling is my joy," and further,  "I love to travel, especially wherever there are friendly people, good trails and bike races!"

Many of King’s public projects have become local landmarks or newsworthy events attracting generous media attention, some even creating positive changes in public art policy in several cities.  An article about Kathleen's work and an installation that occurred in April 2023 in Redlands, California recently appeared in Forbes Magazine:  “Californian Artist Seeks Sites Worldwide For Scribble Sculpture Promoting Cycling.”

For more about Kathleen, see her website Kathleen King-Page Surfeit of Passion and visit the portfolio.

If you have questions about using Zoom, registration for the event, or any other questions, email us events@fresnobike.org.

2023 PEDAL Summit

Fresno State Transportation Institute (FSTI), the City of Fresno, and the Fresno Sister Cities Project are hosting the 2023 PEDAL Summit at the Fresno Convention Center on October 27 and 28 in collaboration with the City of Münster, considered the bicycle capital of Germany.  The summit will allow transportation professions, policymakers, community-based organizations, and other advocates of active transportation to explore and discuss safe, sustainable, and integrated transportation planning, design, and policy.

The keynote speakers will be Gil Penalosa, an inspirational, renowned urban planner based in Toronto, and Daniel Sperling, founding Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis.  Information regarding registration can be found at https://www.fresnotransposummit.org.

There will be several break-out sessions, tours, and discussions with distinguished panels.  Bike rides are also being planned, as well as a bike film viewing.

FSTI Bike Camp

FSTI hosted a one-week bike camp for middle school students from Madera County during some of the hottest days in July.  Each student received a bike that was provided at cost by Rubber Soul Bicycles.  Several FCBC Board members assisted with the activities, which included hands-on maintenance, a Smart Cycling class, on street and trail bike riding, and helmet decorating.  

Construction of New Fresno Bikeways Progressing

Construction is progressing on several important bikeways in the City of Fresno.  New striping has been placed on portions of Palm Avenue (as shown above) and Belmont Avenue as Class IV separated bikeways are being installed with funding from an Active Transportation Program (ATP) Quick Build grant.  Road diets on both streets are reducing the number of through lanes from two to one in each direction.  The bikeway on Palm Avenue will extend from H Street to Dakota Avenue.  Fresno County has the jurisdiction of Palm Avenue immediately to the north, and they do not currently support a road diet to extend the bikeway.  The bikeway on Belmont Avenue will extend from Palm Avenue to Abby Street.

Class IV bikeways are also being added to Barstow Avenue between Blackstone and Cedar Avenues.  There will not be any lane reductions, and the work includes an overlay or slurry seal and new signal detectors.  So far, the existing striping has been removed in advance of the pavement work.

Work is also ongoing for the Midtown Trail on Shields Avenue in front of Manchester Center, east of Blackstone Avenue.  Unlike other portions of the Midtown Trail that are on canal banks, this portion of the trail is being placed where there was previously pavement, with the third westbound lane of Shields Avenue being replaced with the trail. So far, the existing pavement has been excavated.  Design work is ongoing for the portion of the trail that will be below the State Route 41 freeway.

The Bike Station

The next FYOB event is scheduled on August 26 between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm at 1101 Fulton Street in Downtown Fresno in support of the Alley Cat Race.  The Bike Station is sponsored by FCBC and allows bike owners to learn how to repair their own bikes with help from experienced mechanics, including FCBC member Julie Congi and Tower Velo owner Chris Eacock.

Next Board Meeting

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 10 at 7:30 pm via Zoom.  Everyone is welcome to join the virtual meeting.  If you would like to participate in the meeting, register here, and you will immediately get the Zoom link.  If you would like to participate in the meeting, register here, and you will immediately get the Zoom link.

Membership

If you are not yet a member of FCBC or need to renew, please visit https://fresnobike.org/join to become a member or renew your membership.

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