May 7, 2025, 6 p.m. Transportation Agency for Monterey County Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) meeting in GONZALES. Public welcome to attend, in person or via Zoom or phone. https://bikemonterey.org/monthly-meetings-tamc-bicycle-pedestrian-facilities-advisory-committee-public-welcome.html Note agenda items https://www.tamcmonterey.org/files/9348f6ef3/BPC+Agenda+May+Packet.pdf include a presentation on the Pajaro to Prunedale Corridor Study and current progress on safety improvement projects along the G12 Corridor; and a presentation on the King City San Antonio Drive/Broadway Street Bike Path and
Safe Routes to Schools Improvements Project, including progress on the roundabout designs
and environmental review process.

May 2025 is the 16th Anniversary of Bicycling Monterey, Monterey County’s Local Partner of the California Bicycle Coalition / #CalBike. Our favorite #BikeAdvocacy task is direct outreach by bicycle! Here is a sampling of people we met each of the past 16 years. Among them: #PeopleWhoBike for #transportation, recreation, who bike to #protest rallies, bike to #FarmersMarkets, bike to #surf, #BikeToSchool and #BikeAndRide for a #DadAndDaughter date, #BikeToWork (and yes, pedaling in a business #suit is no problem for him), #HandCycle bike to exercise the #dog, bike to #travel long distances / #BicycleTouring.

https://bikemonterey.org/16th-anniversary-gallery-bicycling-monterey-may-2025.html #BicyclingMonterey #BikeTooter #MontereyCounty #California #BikeAdvocates #ActiveTransport #BikeMonterey

Digital divides and sparse transport options plague both Global North and South. But the South has a surprising advantage: most people are not car dependent, and informal transport already serves them.

via xitter @knowablemag

https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/society/2024/increasing-access-to-shared-transportation

“Bike riding is largely viewed as a recreational activity – I think that’s the principal philosophy here.”
(in Australia) >>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/13/sudden-closure-of-iconic-bridge-to-cyclists-shows-car-is-still-king-in-brisbane
#MobilityDesign #cars #Australia #mindsets #FossilFuel #climate #Automobility #harm #cyclists #pedestrians #ActiveTransport

Paris Bike Boom Leads to Steep Drop in Air Pollution

"The French city’s air quality has improved dramatically in the past 20 years, coinciding with a growth in cycling...Between 2005 and 2024, levels of nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter — two of the most harmful pollutants to human health — have been slashed by 50% and 55%, respectively.”

"City leaders including Mayor Anne Hidalgo have been making a concerted effort to pedestrianize parts of the city, improve bike infrastructure, and promote active transportation in the French capital."
>>
https://www.planetizen.com/news/2025/04/134769-paris-bike-boom-leads-steep-drop-air-pollution
#cars #pollution #harm #air #cycling #pedestrians #BellingenShire #Australia #ActiveTransport #climate

Our quarterly newsletters typically include a lot of timeless/evergreen information. And that’s true of the last issue, #Bike Buzz Winter 2025. This eve we added 9 bullet points, with anchor links, to the top of that issue, especially for the benefit of the Regional Task Force for the #Monterey County #VisionZero Plan.

Wherever you live, you may be interested in some of those 9 topics too! Here ya go: https://bikemonterey.org/bike-buzz-winter-2025.html

Around 13:21, paraphrasing, "stopping car traffic to let pedestrians cross harms the economy according to the Treasury's economic formulas":

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CVq7XOXkg1U

Almost 6 minutes to cross one intersection, near a school. I told my local representatives about this. They don't give a fuck. They drive cars. Almost everybody here drives cars and will drive cars, because the other options suck. It starts with land zoning, not building footpaths, car parking minimums, and ends with traffic light programming and a motorway through koala habitat.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=COdYMxKNQGs

[Edited. Kindly note: From helmets to mirrors, many have strong opinions on bike accessories. That makes sense, and we strive to respect varying viewpoints. Altho we don’t have bandwidth for online debating, we welcome phone calls.]

Using rearview mirror is far from a unanimous practice of people who bike. Curious? Equipmt requirements in Calif don’t require one: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=21201.&lawCode=VEH

Living in a rural area where route from home to anywhere has hi-speed traffic, a mirror now makes us feel safer. That wasn’t always so. What changed? Increase in traffic (county’s pop. up 33% since we moved to this address); increase in EVs (great for reduced noise pollution, not for detecting car behind you); post-covid changes impacted physical flexibility.

Types incl handlebar-, helmet-, glasses-mounted & bar-end. This month we're trying TriEye—glasses w/mirror in lower corner of lens; allows seeing behind you with tilt of head. https://trieye.com/

The Victorian Government released the their response to the "Inquiry into the impact of road safety behaviours on vulnerable road users report" last week. It's 6 months late.

I'm having a read. An interesting thing that popped up in the first page was "Victoria’s Climate Change Strategy sets a target of net zero emissions by 2045. To help achieve this the Transport Sector Emissions Reduction Pledge aims to increase active transport mode share to 25 per cent by 2030."

If the Victorian Government wants active transport to make up 25 per cent of transport in 2023 then in 2030 they should be investing at least 25 per cent of the transport budget in to active transport and they should be investing more than that in the next 5yrs so as to get the active transport network up up to the point where it can support 25 per cent of trips.

https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/inquiries/roadsafetybehaviours/reports

I'm safely returned today from a few days in Paris, for our 10th anniversary.
I got there without flying and used only public transport to get around.
I am fortunate enough to be able to walk, and Paris is a very walkable city. The Métro is simple and went everywhere.
And the bikes... people riding bikes all day long. Very little hi-viz, very few helmets. Just people in normal clothes riding as a form of transport. Amazing!
#ActiveTransport #BikeTooter #Cycling # Walking

Zero road deaths - An unmet target

"Time-series projecting road traffic fatalities in Australia: Insights for targeted safety interventions
Projections for 2030, 2040, and 2050 show Australia won't achieve its zero-fatalities vision."
>>
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020138325000269
#MobilityDesign #roads #cars #speeding #RoadTrafficFatalities #RTFs #ZeroRoadDeaths #failure #holidays #travel #rural #risks #Bellingen #enforcement #ActiveTransport

Where is the walking and cycling infrastructure ?
Let's redirect funding from roads to walking and cycling infrastructure.

"Australia spends $714 per person on roads every year – but just 90 cents goes to walking, wheeling and cycling. Unfortunately, that’s how much the Australian government has invested per person annually on walking, wheeling and cycling over the past 20 years."

"As a result of this over-investment in car road-building, Australia has the smallest number of walking trips of 15 comparable countries across Western Europe and North America. Many Australians are dependent on cars because they have no other choice in terms of transport options."

"Road use is inherently dangerous – in Australia last year, more than 1,300 people died on our roads, which is more than 25 people a week."

"The typical Australian household spends 17% of its income on transport – with car ownership making up 92.5% of that figure, compared to 7.5% on public transport."

"A major source of all emissions in Australia are from driving."

"Redirecting funding from the current road budget makes the most sense, because getting more people walking, wheeling and cycling eases pressure on the transport system (think of school holiday traffic). "

"When it comes to transport, the saying goes “we get what we build” – so if we build more roads, we get more people driving. If we build paths, we get more people walking and cycling short journeys and our roads are less congested."
>>
https://theconversation.com/australia-spends-714-per-person-on-roads-every-year-but-just-90-cents-goes-to-walking-wheeling-and-cycling-247902

The Australian and NSW governments are funding the $2,200,000,000 ($2.2 billion), 14-kilometre Coffs Harbour bypass project. Cars will save 12 minutes. Imagine the walking and cycling infrastructure...
https://www.pacifichighway.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/media/documents/2023/coffs_harbour_bypass_project_update_june_2023.pdf

Woot! The new Boorloo bridge is open! Separating pedestrians and cyclists on smooth asphalt what an awesome bit of kit. #perth #activetransport #cycling #BikeTooter

Have you listened to “We’re All Heroes” (1 minute, 23 second audio on home page at https://bikemonterey.org)?

For over two decades, Yarra has been one of naarm Melbourne's best areas to walk & ride. A newly elected conservative Yarra council is eyeing up removing vital infrastructure

Get involved to keep our streets safe & support your right to move safely> https://www.yarrabug.org/yarra-for-safer-streets/

The editors of Scientific American have written an opinion piece saying we need to move away from #cars to #activetransport because of local & carbon #pollution, road crash death & injury and how it restricts access to life for so many- the young, the elderly, the poor & disabled.
#ClimateCrisis #ClimateChange

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/we-need-to-make-cities-less-car-dependent/

Streets Alive Darebin April 2024 newsletter

South Crescent community ride report
@Change South Crescent, #Northcote petition
Make your feedback to Your Street, Your Say Group B by 14 April 2024

Read more:
http://eepurl.com/iNz4VU

Ride for a Safer South Crescent: 10am Saturday 23 March 2024: for too long, our safety concerns about South Crescent, Northcote have been drowned out. It’s time for our voices to be heard as we call for safety improvements, read more & back history >>>

https://streetsalivedarebin.org/journal/northcote-bike-ride-for-a-safer-south-crescent