Bike News Claremont...

the gathering: a choice had to be made - CBPAC or Buds

While I was bummed to ride past a few of the local schools this morning and see so many bike racks, or spaces at racks, going unoccupied on this, National Bike to School Day, it was more heartening to walk into the Claremont Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (CBPAC) meeting in the evening. Not wanting to let the cat out of the bag before the city has the opportunity to make announcements, or before possibilities and proposals actually have a chance to become reality, let me just say there is a lot on tap. Some things I will share at this time include: 


Claremont Bike Pit Stop on Bike to Work Day will take place again this year, on Thursday, May 17 from about 6:30 to 9:30 in the morning. If you pass through the area, or happen to work nearby, stop in and say hello. I expect there will once again be some morning treats, information to share, and plenty of riders to answer questions, or just talk to. I will be volunteering there from about 8:00.

The Claremont Safe Routes to School team has begun their curriculum at local elementary schools, starting with Sycamore, and will continue through the remainder of the school year. We watched a short video of the kids presenting a poster that they had created; they looked quite enthused by the experience. 


The city's Bike Friendly Community renewal application is being pursued, and the city is looking to not just renew, but raise its ranking to the next level. If you do not know what I am talking about, the Bicycle Friendly Community rankings are designations awarded to communities based on their bike friendliness by the League of American Bicyclists. You can read more about the process and see the list of bike friendly communities here.


Video detection: Indian Hill and 8th, Indian Hill at 10th, Bonita at Cambridge, Mountain and Bonita, Claremont at First, and Towne at Baseline now have video detection. No more waiting for a car (they are never around when you need one) to come along and trip the sensor, nor will you need to press a button to get the light to change. I gave the one at Indian Hill and Tenth a try the other day - it worked brilliantly.


Finally, I have already told you about the upcoming brush fire training in the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park, giving it its own post due to the potential impact on visitor plans for a few days, but remind you once again here.


Alas, attending the CBPAC meeting meant that I, yet again, have failed to make it out to the Buds Ride for this year. One thing or another (and regrettably the list includes plain laziness) have thus far kept me from testing my legs against the local best. I did however get to snap a shot of the pre-ride gathering (photo at top of post).