Claremont / TOC Kick-off...

Many commemorative tee-shirts

As I mentioned previously the City of Claremont held a little kick-off celebration to mark our selection as host city for stage 7 of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California. I deemed this significant enough to leave the office early (there was nothing pressing) and was not disappointed by the decision. A good  crowd was on hand, probably a couple hundred, were treated to hors-d'hourves courtesy of the Doubletree Hotel and were eager to grab up the free "the climb begins here" tee-shirts. Mayor Linda Elderkin began a brief round of speeches. She emphasized the great opportunity the tour will afford to promote cycling and healthy lifestyle choices to the community, and especially the schools. Andrew Behnke, of the Doubletree Hotel, and Chair of the Chamber of Commerce, talked of the potential for lasting economic impact that the Tour will bring with it by allowing Claremont to present itself regionally, nationally, and to an international audience. Finally, Tony Cruz (yes that Tony Cruz who recently launched his new business venture) congratulated the city on the accomplishment, relating how he "cut his teeth" on many of the local mountain roads, talked of the huge and enthusiastic local cycling community, and how he already had selected his spot along the route to sit, relax with cheese and wine, and watch the race go by. The formalities ended with that, but a small ceremonial ride left the depot with police escort to mark the occasion. I finally met the principal of our local Intermediate School, a fellow cycling advocate who has done much to promote bicycling at the school, and talked briefly with friends and neighbors who all seem very enthusiastic about this venture.

Mayor Elderkin with Tony Cruz and his son

Tony Cruz with Principal Kevin Grier, and Joan Presean of the Claremont Senior Bicycle Group

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.