October 2023

The 2023 PEDAL Summit in Downtown Fresno is just weeks away, and several bike rides are being organized after the Summit for attendees and non-attendees alike.  October is rivaling Bike Month for the number of bike activities.

In this month’s Newsletter:

 

• Bike Café is on Tuesday, October 17, at 7:00 pm to get a preview of the 2023 PEDAL Summit.

• The 2023 PEDAL Summit, in collaboration with the City of Münster, will take place in Downtown Fresno on Friday, October 27, with several bike rides and a film screening the following two days.

• FCBC partnered with the Reedley Lion’s Club and Teens That Care to put on a community bicycle event in Reedley on October 7.

• The current legislative session is coming to a close, with several bicycle-related bills signed and vetoed by the Governor.

• A community event to celebrate the completion of the Palm and Belmont bikeways will be on Saturday, October 14, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm in the Tower District.

• Nominations to the FCBC Board will be taken at the November 16 Board meeting.

• The next FCBC Board meeting is on Thursday, October 19 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, October 17, 2023, at 7:00 pm to get a preview of the of the upcoming Fresno-Münster Sister Cities PEDAL Summit scheduled for October 27, 2023, and other related pre- and post- summit bicycle related events and activities.  At this month's Bike Café we’ll give you a rundown on all the sessions, speakers, film festival, public bicycle art project, community events and rides, as well as introduce you to Munster’s Finne Brewery special PEDAL Summit Helles lager available at South of Shaw Brewery.  More details on the exciting PEDAL Summit are below.

Register for Bike Café here.  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 Valdez Hall on Friday, October 27 in collaboration with the City of Münster, 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, Dr. Daniel Sperling, founding Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis, and Dr. Ismail Zohdy, Program Manager for Dubai Self-Driving Transportation.

At the PEDAL Summit, there will be several break-out sessions, tours, and discussions with distinguished panels.  More information on the summit, including how to register, can be found here.

Pre-Summit Events with Gil Peñalosa

Wednesday, October 25 

Satellite Student Union @ Fresno State

12-1:30pm

On Wednesday, October 25, Gil Penalosa will be visiting Fresno State to present to students from a range of departments, including engineering, planning, environmental, and social & political sciences, to present topics on how future students could make a difference in their community through sustainable mobility, parks, and other public spaces. This event is sponsored by the Fresno State Transportation Institute and organized by the Fresno State Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Student Chapter in collaboration with the PEDAL 2023 Summit.

Thursday, October 26 at 5:00 pm

San Joaquin River Parkway Trust, located at 11605 Old Friant Road.

 5:00 pm

The U.S. Green Building Council Central California will be hosting a pre-summit event with Gil Penalosa on Thursday, October 26 at 5:00 pm at the San Joaquin River Parkway Trust, located at 11605 Old Friant Road.)  More info and sign up here: Gil Peñalosa at the River Parkway.

Post Summit Events

The activities continue after the PEDAL Summit, with a free bicycle themed film festival  several bike rides planned for Saturday, October 28 and Sunday October 29:

At 7:00 pm on Saturday, October 28, there will be a free bicycle film festival community screening of the film, "The Engine Inside - Riding toward a Better Future," thanks to generous sponsorship by the East Fresno Rotary.  The screening will be on the Fresno State campus at the Leon and Pete Peters Educational Center, located at 5010 N. Woodrow Avenue.  You can check out the trailer.

There will be two bike rides on Saturday, October 28:

• The Mural Ride with PEDAL Summit Keynote Speaker Gil Peńalosa and Fresno Arts Council mural docent Andrea Mele.  The 5-mile ride will start at 9:00 am at the Cultural Arts District Park at Fulton and Calaveras Streets and end at theSouth of Shaw Brewery at Broadway and Amador Streets about two hours later for lunch.
  

• "Homie’s" Cycletrack Ride is a 9.5 mile ride along the new Class IV separated bikeways along Van Ness, Wishon, Palm, and Belmont Avenues.  The ride will begin at 2:00 pm at the west lawn of Fresno City College near the bus stop.

There will be two bike rides on Sunday, October 29:

• The Great Central Valley Bike Route Ride with Route author Michael Smiley and the Fresno Cycling Club Killer Bees will begin at Woodward Park BMX Park and then take a 46 mile loop that will go through Downtown Fresno to Belmont and Academy Avenues, through Clovis, and back to Woodward Park.  The start time is tentatively 11:00 am.  Check here for the latest updates.

• The WTF (Women, Trans, Femme) bike ride is scheduled for 11:00 am.  Meet at the EOC LGBTQ+ Resource Center located at 1252 Fulton Street in Downtown Fresno.

The mission of the WTF ride is to build a knowledge-sharing community with anyone who self-identifies as transgender, femme, female, woman, genderqueer, nonbinary, or feels that their socialization or treatment as a woman, transperson, and/or femme has impeded their in bicycling and/or cycling communities.

Reedley Community Bicycle Event

On Saturday, October 7, FCBC partnered with the Reedley Lion’s Club and Teens That Care and other organizations for bicycle activities for youths and adults, including bike repair with The Bike Station.  The event was a huge success, and the Lion’s Club gave out helmets and dozens of kid’s bikes.

The Bike Station

The Bike Station was busy helping bike owners repair their bikes at the Reedley community bicycle event.  The next Fix Your Own Bike (FYOB) event will be on Veterans Day, on Saturday, on November 11 between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm at 1440 N. Van Ness Avenue.  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.

Legislative Update

The Legislature has adjourned for the current legislative session, and the Governor has until October 14 to sign or veto bills.  Here are the more notable bicycle-related bills this legislative session:

• 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 did not pass the Senate and did not proceed to the Governor.

• 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 Governor signed the bill.

• AB 361 would allow the pilot usage of video enforcement for parking violations in bicycle lanes.  This Governor signed the bill.

• 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 Governor signed the bill.

• 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 Governor vetoed the bill due to concerns of safety for both pedestrians and bicyclists.

• 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.  This bill is currently on the Governor’s desk.

• SB 538 would require Caltrans to appoint a Chief Advisor on Bicycling and Active Transportation.  The Governor signed the bill.

PLEASE NOTE: Palm and Belmont Bikeway Event Tentatively Rescheduled to November 4 due to construction delays.

To commemorate the completion of the new cycle tracks on Palm and Belmont Avenues, there will be a celebration at the parking lot of the Neighborhood Thrift store at 353 E. Olive Avenue in the Tower District on Saturday, November 4, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.  Helmets and kids bikes will be given away, and Teens That Care will set up a bike rodeo course for children to practice their riding skills.

Bike Prom 2023

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.

Upcoming FCBC Board Elections

CBC is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Board members set the direction, plan the activities, and manage the resources.  There are nine positions, consisting of Chair, Vice Chair, Past Chair, Secretary, Membership Coordinator, Treasurer, and three Members at Large.  Long-time Treasurer Jack Nelson has decided to retire from the Board after the current term, leaving that position without an incumbent.

Nominations will be taken at the FCBC Board meeting scheduled for November 16.  Voting will be held online in December, with results announced at the December general membership meeting.  FCBC members are encouraged to nominate other FCBC members or themselves for any of the Board positions except Past Chair, which is not an elected position.  The Past Chair position ensures continuity should a new Chair be elected.  There are no specific requirements to be a Board member other than being a FCBC member and resident within Fresno County.  Because new board members bring new energy and ideas, all FCBC members should consider becoming a Board member.  More information regarding the duties and election process can be found in the FCBC bylaws, and any questions can be directed to info@fresnobike.org.

Next Board Meeting

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 19 at 7:30 pm via Zoom.  Everyone is welcome to join the virtual meeting.  If you would like to participate in the meeting, registration information will be placed 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.