December 2024

The holidays mean good cheer, gatherings, and feasts.  You don’t have to wait for the New Year to work on your resolutions to exercise and lose weight. Enjoy some brisk rides in between potlucks and white elephant gift exchanges.

In this month’s Newsletter:

• FCBC Board elections were held, with new Board members elected.

• California E-bike incentives have come and gone, for now

• A Fresno Vision Zero Action Plan event was held in Woodward Park on December 8.

• Fresno World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2024 took place at City Hall  on November 17.

FCBC Board Election Results

The results of the Board elections were revealed at the General Membership meeting held at Panera Bread in River Park on December 6.  FCBC has a new Chair, with the previous Membership Coordinator, Edna Pedroza, stepping up in the new role.  Prior Chair Tony Molina remains on the Board as the Past Chair.  Julie Congi and John Liu swapped positions on the Board, with John as the Vice Chair and Julie as a Member at Large.  Remaining in their positions are Edie Smith as Secretary, Jeremy Doyel as Treasurer, and Thor Smith as a Member at Large.  New to the Board are Membership Coordinator JD Graves and Danny Vazquez as a Member at Large.

In January the FCBC Board will meet for the Annual Strategic Planning Meeting/Board Retreat to set the direction and plan the activities for the coming year.  Discussions will include group rides, Bike Month, educational and advocacy efforts, The Bike Station, and the budget.  A summary of the meeting will be provided in an upcoming Newsletter. 

New California E-Bike Incentive

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) launched a new e-bike incentive on December 18 that provides up to $2,000 for those with an income up to three times the federal poverty level.  The first installment of $3 million for 1,500 e-bikes was depleted within an hour.  Another installment is planned for 2025.

The incentive covers Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes, with no minimum or maximum purchase price.  The discount can be taken at point of sale for qualifying e-bikes at qualifying retailers, which includes many of the local bicycle shops in Fresno.  Accessories such as helmets, bike locks, baskets, and reflective clothing can be reimbursed.  More information is available here.

Fresno Vision Zero Action Plan Event with The Bike Station

The first outreach event for the Vision Zero Action Plan was held in Woodward Park on December 8.  The City of Fresno received a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation from the Safe Streets and Roads for All program to develop a Vision Zero Action Plan.  Toole Design, based in Oakland, was awarded the contract to prepare the Action Plan, and FCBC is helping to support the outreach events.  

The cold, foggy weather did not deter the 50 participants from showing up to learn more about the Action Plan, take advantage of The Bike Station repair clinic, or take a group bike ride to several locations along Friant Road and Audubon Drive with a history of bicycle or pedestrian crashes.  On the bike ride FCBC Past Chair Tony Molina gave the history of the problematic locations, most with recent improvements, and took suggestions for additional potential improvements.  Additional events are planned for early next year.

Prior Bike Station bike clinics have been set up in areas farther south in Fresno.  This was the first bike clinic in the northern part of Fresno.  Bike owners are taught by experienced bike mechanics how to do repairs, such as tune ups and fixing flats, to their own bikes.  A young girl who was running alongside her older brothers on bikes also got an early Christmas present from the The Bike Station as a bike giveaway.

Bike Giveaway at Pinedale Elementary

Chris Eacock from Tower Velo and The Bike Station gave away four bikes to Pinedale Elementary students for their Winter Wonderland. Sheila Hakimipour, who is from Urban Diversity Design and involved with the Fresno Vision Zero Action Plan, was also there to spread the word about safer streets in Fresno.

World Day of Remembrance

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Trafic Victims event in Fresno took place on November 17.  The event was organized by the City of Fresno Active Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC).  Speakers included ATAC Chair Laura Gromis, Councilmember Mike Karbassi, and Joe Martinez, who lost his son to a speeding driver in a vehicle-pedestrian crash in 2013.  He announced he will be leading a new chapter of Families for Safe Streets in Fresno.  Dr. William Dominic described being struck on his early morning commute home from Community Regional Medical Center (CRMC) in 2016, and a friend of Adela Santana-Mullooly, who died in a vehicle-bicycle crash on Watts Valley Road in rural Fresno County in 2022, spoke of the frustrations of the slow criminal justice process.

Next General Membership and Board Meetings

The general membership meeting for December already took place, and the next general membership and Board meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, January 21 at 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm, respectively, via Zoom.  To accommodate the schedules of the new Board, meetings are being moved from the third Thursday of the month to the third Tuesday.  The general membership meeting is for members and nonmembers to meet with the Board prior to the official Board meeting to ask questions or raise issues for the Board to consider.  Board meetings are restricted to members only.  The link for the meetings will be posted as the date gets closer.

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.