September 2023

The 2023 PEDAL Summit in Downtown Fresno is a little more than a month away.  FCBC has been busy working with Fresno State and the City of Fresno to make it a success.  Find out more about it at this month’s Bike Café.

In this month’s Newsletter:

 

• Bike Café is on Tuesday, September 12, at 7:00 pm with a panel of distinguished guests, including Fresno Councilmember Mike Karbassi, who traveled to Münster, Germany, which is considered the “Bike Capital” of Germany.

• The 2023 PEDAL Summit, in collaboration with the City of Münster, will take place in Downtown Fresno on Friday, October 27, with additional events over the following two days.

• The current legislative session is coming to a close, with several bicycle-related bills expected to be sent to the Governor for approval.

• Bike Prom is returning on November 4.

• The next FCBC Board meeting is on Thursday, September 21 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, September 12, 2023, at 7:00 pm with Fresno councilmember Mike Karbassi, City of Fresno Assistant Director of Public Works Jill Gormley, Active Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC) Chair Laura Gromis, and Sister Cities representative Nick Yovino, Jr.  They will discuss their takeaways from their recent journey to accompany Mayor Jerry Dyer and the Fresno Sister City Delegation to Münster, Germany, the German "Bicycle Capital" where 47% of trips are by bike!  Come find out what Münster is doing and what potentially could be done in Fresno.

Jill Gormley, Mike Karbassi, Laura Gromis, and Nick Yovino, Jr.

The discussion will also include an update on preparations for the upcoming Fresno-Münster Sister Cities PEDAL Summit to exchange knowledge and expertise on the potential for Fresno to achieve a more sustainable urban mobility future.

If you have questions about using Zoom, registration for the event, or any other questions, email us at 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 Friday, October 27 in collaboration with the City of Münster.  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, Dr. Ismail Zohdy, Program Manager for Dubai Self-Driving Transportation, and Dr. Daniel Sperling, founding Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis.

There will be several break-out sessions, tours, and discussions with distinguished panels.  Bike rides and a bike film viewing are planned for the following two days.

More information on the summit, including how to register, can be found here.

Legislative Update

The current legislative session is coming to a close, with the Legislature adjourning on September 14 and the Governor having another month to sign or veto bills.  Here are the more notable bicycle-related bills working their way through the legislative process:

• Assembly Bill (AB) 73 brings back the proposed “safety stop,” commonly known as the Idaho stop.  It would apply only to a two-lane roadway approaching a one or two-lane roadway with an all-way stop.  Last year Governor Newsom vetoed the similar AB 1713.  The bill passed the Assembly and has remained in the Senate Transportation Committee.

• AB 251 would require the formation of a task force to study the relationship of vehicle size to injuries and fatalities to vulnerable road users and the degradation of roads.  The bill passed the Assembly, went to the Senate Transportation Committee and amended, and is back in the Assembly.

• AB 361 would allow the pilot usage of video enforcement for parking violations in bicycle lanes.  The bill passed the Assembly and went to the Senate and was amended, and went back to the Assembly with concurrence to the amendments.

• AB 413 would prohibit parking for 20 feet on either side of a marked or unmarked crosswalk, or within 15 feet where there is a curb extension, for sight distance.  The bill passed the Assembly and has been amended in the Senate and is awaiting Senate approval.

• AB 825 would prohibit local authorities from prohibiting the operation of bicycles on a sidewalk adjacent to a roadway without a Class I, II, or IV bikeway with some very limited exceptions, such as having a local ordinance prohibiting such operation of bicycles in a business activity district with findings showing that it is unsafe given the pedestrian traffic conditions.  The California Highway Patrol would be required to submit a report to the Legislature regarding safety impacts by January 1, 2029.

• AB 1188 would require the California Transportation Agency, which is over the DMV, CHP, Office of Traffic Safety, and Caltrans, to develop a Bicycle Safety Handbook by September 1, 2024.  The bill died in the Assembly over concerns of the $4.1 million cost, primarily for production and printing.

• Senate Bill (SB) 381 would require the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University to conduct a study of the safety of e-bikes by January 1, 2026.  The bill passed the Senate and was amended in the Assembly and is awaiting approval by the Assembly.

• SB 538 would require Caltrans to appoint a Chief Advisor on Bicycling and Active Transportation.  The bill passed the Assembly and is back in the Senate.

Bike Prom 2023

  If you would like to participate in the meeting, register here, and you will immediately get the Zoom link.

After a four-year break, Bike Prom is returning this fall on Saturday, November 4.  It will start with a leisurely bike ride from FAB in the Tower District to South of Shaw Beer Company in the Mural District, a little over a mile away.  It will be a night of fun with music, raffle prizes, and the coronation of Prom King and Queen.  Wear your favorite prom outfit from the era of your choice.  Register here.

The Bike Station

The Bike Station recently had two Fix Your Own Bike (FYOB) events, on August 26 in Downtown Fresno to support the Alley Cat Race and on September 9 in the Tower District.  Stay tuned for additional FYOB events in the near future to fix your own bike with the guidance of seasoned bike mechanics.

Next Board Meeting

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 21 at 7:30 pm via Zoom.  Everyone is welcome to join the virtual meeting.  Registration information will be posted on the FCBC website.

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.