Fresno Wants to Become "Bike City"

My September 1, 2009 blog was titled, "Do Kids Ride Bikes Anymore?" As a life-long bike rider, I lamented the decline in bike riding by young people. I did, however, point to the fact that in Fresno and in many other communities throughout the country, biking by adults has been very much on the ascendancy.

Since writing that September blog, I have been exchanging a number of e-mails with Bryan Jones, City of Fresno Traffic Engineer, who has brought me up-to-date with some very exciting bicycle initiatives being taken by the city. The goal is to make Fresno synonymous with "Bike City." Yay! You go, Bryan!

The challenge is difficult. The past decade has been productive when it comes to making American cities bicycle-friendly. This, in turn, has encouraged more bicyclists. Despite this, however, the U.S. Census Bureau's latest American Community Survey had sobering news about bicycling: Only about half of 1 percent of Americans bike to work.

A number of city planners are seeing that statistic as evidence that more radical bicycling strategies are in order. Linda Baker, writing in a recent issue of Governing magazine, says, "It's time to think beyond bike lanes, and start using bike-only traffic signals, traffic-protected 'cycle-tracks,' and other street designs that are common in European cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen, where up to 40 percent of all trips are made on two wheels."

City of Fresno staff and bicycling enthusiasts are doing everything they can to meet these challenges. A Bicycle Master Plan for the city was started in 2009 and will be completed this Spring. A series of Master Plan Open House Meetings were held recently with the goal of transforming the city into a bicycle and pedestrian-friendly community. It is important to know that the Measure C half-cent Transportation Sales Tax includes money for implementing these projects over the next 20 years.

There are a number of exciting events coming in May for Bike Month. The main event will be the Million Mile/Corporate Challenge where Fresno challenges you, your friends, your workmates, your school buddies, your neighbor, your grandma...okay, everybody in Fresno, to ride a million collective miles during the month of May.

If you would like more information on The Million Mile May/Corporate Challenge and some other great events visit http://www.fresnobmp.com/, or http://www.ibikefresno.org/.

So, get out of your car and on your bike! It's a great way to have fun and experience Fresno, all while getting exercise and saving money on gas and parking.

When I ride my bike for pleasure or for work by riding it to the FAX stop where I place it on the rack for the ride to and from my teaching at Fresno City College, I always wear my velcro pants-leg ties with the letter motto, "It's never a bad day to ride." That says it all!

Coming Soon...

1. Where are our private sector leaders?
2. Public transportation and the tyranny of the cell phone abuser.

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail abriancalhoun@gmail.com.