Bike Priority Zone...?

I do like riding along and spotting one of these signs. Even if you are behind the wheel of your automobile, I imagine it must cause you to pause, for at least a moment and consider the words - bicycle priority zone. Of course the words would hold meaning if they could be taken literally. Priority: a thing that is regarded as more important than another. Bicycle Priority Zone: an area in which transportation by bicycle is the primary mode of mobility. Something like that. In a city such as Claremont, with its compact core, there is no reason why that ideal should not be the case. In practice of course, the ideal does not live up to the reality. Consider the photos below and you tell me where the priority lies:

In Claremont, the bicycle priority zone (BPZ) signifies an area in the downtown core, and extending into the surrounding neighborhoods where bicycles, as a mode of transportation, are given special consideration. The idea is, that by initiating some basic changes to the existing infrastructure, you encourage people to choose the human-powered, two-wheeled mode for local errands. I would suggest that the 100+ new bike racks are a huge success; during my trips into the Village, I normally find a majority of them in use. But, do these bikes belong to "new" riders, or to people who have always used a bike for transportation? Point is, it takes a lot more than infrastructure enhancements to create a true bicycle priority zone. You can line as many streets as you want with bike lanes, add sharrows to streets too narrow for bike lanes, let bike parking proliferate, but until a majority of people realize that the many simple tasks they do each day can be accomplished by bike, until they are willing to recognize the advantages of bicycle transportation in the form of improved health, lower costs, greater social cohesion, any effective BPZ will remain an ideal rather than a matter of practice. Clearly, the BPZ is a movement in the right direction. By providing opportunity, the city is doing its part, now it is up to our residents to follow through.

Cycling Claremont: Fresh Paint and Signs of the Times...

I was all set to comment on how some of our city's bike lanes have been loosing their luster, becoming a bit indistinct through wear and tear. Instead I came across newly painted lines on College Avenue above 6th Street. I also noticed that the paint is full of little flecks of shinning material; maybe I have never noticed before, or is this something new, something that makes the lines more reflective and thus visible at night? Anyone know?

At the same time, but a little further down the same street, it was impossible not to notice that the city's first sharrows have been installed, complete with signage and lane markings. The Bike Priority Zone sign is a nice addition as well - I will have to make some trips around to look for more, although they may only be going up bit by bit as different phases are completed. The sharrows run between 6th and Bonita, in both directions. If you checked in at StreetsblogLA this morning you may have noticed a photo on that site as well (they beat me to it, and I was not planning on a second post today, but felt pressured into it). One thing to notice about the sharrow symbols; they are not placed in the actual middle of the lane, the space between curb and center line, they are place in the middle of the travel space, between parked cars and the centerline, and thus position cyclists clear of the door zone. They got it right.

Now I am going to complain for a minute. A week or two ago another one of those "most bicycle friendly cities lists" came out, I believe by Bicycling Magazine. Why do these types of lists continue to only consider cities of a certain size, leaving smaller cities in the lurch, irregardless of how much they have done to promote bicycling within their borders? I know that changes made in larger cities have the potential to affect more people, but I think it is time to see a list that considers amount of infrastructure, education programs, community involvement relative to size. If you consider everything that has been done, is being done, and is planned within this little burg of 38,000 residents, I guarantee it will match up with, if not exceed, any city ten times its size or more.

Cycling Claremont - Sustainability Dialogue recap...

The Claremont Bicycle / Pedestrian Advisory Committee presented a Sustainability Dialogue tonight and I rolled up to the front door just as they were getting underway. There were about 30 interested people in the audience, along with three presenters. Maria Tipping, engineer with the city, kicked things off with a discussion of policy changes at the State and Federal level with regard to active transportation and how these affect local jurisdictions. Following this, she was joined by Joan Presecan and Larry Scheetz, both of the advisory committee, and the dialogue turned to bicycle infrastructure enhancements within the city of Claremont, some of which we have begun to see, and others we will see in the near future. Among these enhancements are the Bike Priority Zone and, it's city council approved, extension south to Arrow Highway, the installation of sharrows within the BPZ, bicycle detection loops at all intersections with traffic signals, video detection at intersections along the proposed Citrus Regional Bikeway, installation of 100 new bike racks including at all public buildings and parks, and a look at the new Citrus Regional Bikeway connecting the cities of Claremont, La Verne, Pomona and San Dimas, along with cities in San Bernardino County along the Pacific Electric Trail. City councilman Sam Pedroza was in attendance, and as I mentioned in my last Sunday post, he seems to be an active supporter. Other members of the audience contributed with questions or comments of their own which contributed to an informative evening. There is a lot happening in this little city with regard to active transportation which, if carried out on a similar scale in a larger city would put such a city on the forefront of transportation change. As it is, I believe other cities could find much to emulate here.

Cycling Claremont: Infrastructure...

New bike racks have sprouted up around town, new features of Claremont's Bike Priority Zone (BPZ) development. I spotted them yesterday, funny how something new like this just grabs your attention, and had to ride back down to the Village today to take some photos. Other parts of the BPZ set to be implemented soon and completed this summer include sharrows, bicycle wayfinding signs, loop detection at traffic signals, and design of a city bicycle logo. As for the racks, there are three new ones; the first outside city hall, the second outside the depot/Metrolink station, and the third near the Packing House in the West Village area. They were installed just this week and are already being used. Small steps, but I like the way things are developing.

The rack at City Hall, painted green to symbolize sustainability.

The new rack at the Depot, color chosen to match the tile roof.

Rack near the Packing House, with colors reflecting the historic citrus industry and the tile mural in the background at the top of the stairs.