Get your own color copy of the Huntington Beach Bikeways map in PDF at:
Monday, October 11, 2010
People For Bikes
Dan Hazard recommends that we all sign the People For Bikes pledge and pass the word. I have and I agree.
Go to
http://www.peopleforbikes.org/page/s/pledge ,
and then spread the word.
Jim Powers
Go to
http://www.peopleforbikes.org/page/s/pledge ,
and then spread the word.
Jim Powers
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Welcome, Huntington Beach Bicycle Advocates
Over the last few months our focus has been mainly on The City of Huntington Beach's quest to become recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Community. With recognition by the League of American Bicyclists achieved, at last we are able to focus our attention on HuBBA again, helping it to grow and become more effective for cyclist's in our City. We hope you'll find our new site,interesting and helpful. The increased communication via http://hubbabikenews.blogspot.com/, and our Hubba e-mail account, hbbike@gmail.com, should enable us all to help Huntington Beach to continue to be even more bike friendly. Creating this site has been a learning adventure for me. I'm looking forward to continuing it and improving it as we go. Please feel free to feed back your comments and suggestions directly to hbbike@gmail.com or on the site.
Dan Hazard and I wish you all well and encourage you to keep pedaling, get involved, and advocate for an increasingly more bike friendly Huntington Beach!
Jim Powers
Dan Hazard and I wish you all well and encourage you to keep pedaling, get involved, and advocate for an increasingly more bike friendly Huntington Beach!
Jim Powers
September 24, 2010
Dear Huntington Beach Bicycle Advocates (HuBBA) member,
Exciting news to share!
Huntington Beach, CA has joined the ranks of select cities in America recognized by the League of American Bicyclists for being a bicycle friendly community. The city garnered a bronze award through the leadership of fellow HuBBA co-founder Jim Powers, who worked tirelessly with numerous city employees to complete the lengthy application. Thank you Jim!
Informal feedback from the league indicates the application almost received the next higher award of silver. Therefore, we are encouraged and inspired to go for the silver working diligently over the next ten months to make improvements and submit another application. (Within 25 miles of Huntington Beach, only Irvine and Long Beach have earned a bicycle friendly award of bronze).
The league is serious about bicycle safety and has an extensive program to train Licensed Cycling Instructors who, in turn, lead classes. Like many of you, I have ridden for fifty of my fifty-seven years but I know I can always learn something new and important and perhaps life saving from licensed professionals like Jim Powers. So consider signing up yourself, friends and family for the Street Cycling Skills class:
When: Thursday October 28th 6-9pm covers rights and responsibilities of bicyclists and vehicles and safe handling tips.
When: Saturday October 30, 9-1pm 2010 (Must first have attended Thursday session) Bring bicycle and helmet. Hands on practice on your bicycle covering the class room instruction. Certificates of completion provided to graduates.
Where: Huntington Beach City Hall (Yorktown and main street), room B7.
Cost: $12.
Preregistration required at www.hbsands.org
For more information contact Jim Powers at jimcp1@aol.com
See you at the class!
Dan Hazard, co founder, HuBBA
Danoca@socal.rr.com
Our Mayor endorsed the League of American Bicyclists Action Plan
Action Plan for Bicycle Friendly Communities
We, the undersigned Mayors and municipal elected officials, make decisions every day affecting the health
and safety of our residents, the efficient conduct of commerce and delivery of government services, and the
long term quality of life in our communities.
Cities across the globe are managing diverse issues such as pollution, congestion, traffic safety, accessibility,
social inclusion, and economic growth. Increasing urbanization and sprawl is generating extra demand for
quality public spaces and recreation opportunities. A renewed emphasis on security and the costs of dealing
with the emerging epidemics of obesity and physical inactivity are stretching limited resources even further.
Solutions to these many challenges are equally diverse and complex. This Charter recognizes one policy
initiative that addresses these challenges and contributes to many of the solutions necessary to improve the
quality of life in cities: increasing the percentage of trips made by bicycle by making communities more
bicycle-friendly.
We recognize that increasing bicycle use can:
Improve the environment by reducing the impact on residents of pollution and noise, limiting greenhouse
gases, and improving the quality of public spaces.
Reduce congestion by shifting short trips (the majority of trips in cities) out of cars. This will also make
cities more accessible for public transport, walking, essential car travel, emergency services, and deliveries.
Save lives by creating safer conditions for bicyclists and as a direct consequence improve the safety of all
other road users. Research shows that increasing the number of bicyclists on the street improves bicycle
safety.
Increase opportunities for residents of all ages to participate socially and economically in the community,
regardless income or ability. Greater choice of travel modes also increases independence, especially among
seniors and children.
Boost the economy by creating a community that is an attractive destination for new residents, tourists and
businesses.
Enhance recreational opportunities, especially for children, and further contribute to the quality of life in
the community.
Save city funds by increasing the efficient use of public space, reducing the need for costly new road
infrastructure, preventing crashes, improving the health of the community, and increasing the use of public
transport.
Enhance public safety and security by increasing the number of “eyes on the street” and providing more
options for movement in the event of emergencies, natural disasters, and major public events.
Improve the health and well being of the population by promoting routine physical activity.
Therefore we, the undersigned Mayors and municipal elected officials, are committed to taking the
following steps to improve conditions for bicycling and thus to realizing the significant potential benefits of
bicycling in our community. We hereby adopt the following Action Plan for Bicycle Friendly
Communities:
1. Adopt a target level of bicycle use (e.g. percent of trips) and safety to be achieved within a specific
timeframe, and improve data collection necessary to monitor progress.
2. Provide safe and convenient bicycle access to all parts of the community through a signed network of onand
off-street facilities, low-speed streets, and secure parking. Local cyclists should be involved in
identifying maintenance needs and ongoing improvements.
3. Establish information programs to promote bicycling for all purposes, and to communicate the many
benefits of bicycling to residents and businesses (e.g. with bicycle maps, public relations campaigns,
neighborhood rides, a ride with the Mayor)
4. Make the City a model employer by encouraging bicycle use among its employees (e.g. by providing
parking, showers and lockers, and establishing a city bicycle fleet).
5. Ensure all city policies, plans, codes, and programs are updated and implemented to take advantage of
every opportunity to create a more bicycle-friendly community. Staff in all departments should be offered
training to better enable them to complete this task.
6. Educate all road users to share the road and interact safely. Road design and education programs should
combine to increase the confidence of bicyclists.
7. Enforce traffic laws to improve the safety and comfort of all road users, with a particular focus on
behaviors and attitudes that cause motor vehicle/bicycle crashes.
8. Develop special programs to encourage bicycle use in communities where significant segments of the
population do not drive (e.g. through Safe Routes to Schools programs) and where short trips are most
common.
9. Promote intermodal travel between public transport and bicycles, e.g. by putting bike racks on buses,
improving parking at transit, and improving access to rail and public transport vehicles.
10. Establish a citywide, multi-disciplinary committee for nonmotorized mobility to submit to the
Mayor/Council a regular evaluation and action plan for completing the items in this Charter.
“We will promote safe and environmentally friendly cycling and walking by providing safe
infrastructure and networks…” World Health Organization Charter on Transport, Environment and
Health, 1999.
“The US Conference of Mayors calls on cities and communities to promote increased safe bicycle use
for transportation and recreation…” US Conference of Mayors, 2003.
We, the undersigned Mayors and municipal elected officials, make decisions every day affecting the health
and safety of our residents, the efficient conduct of commerce and delivery of government services, and the
long term quality of life in our communities.
Cities across the globe are managing diverse issues such as pollution, congestion, traffic safety, accessibility,
social inclusion, and economic growth. Increasing urbanization and sprawl is generating extra demand for
quality public spaces and recreation opportunities. A renewed emphasis on security and the costs of dealing
with the emerging epidemics of obesity and physical inactivity are stretching limited resources even further.
Solutions to these many challenges are equally diverse and complex. This Charter recognizes one policy
initiative that addresses these challenges and contributes to many of the solutions necessary to improve the
quality of life in cities: increasing the percentage of trips made by bicycle by making communities more
bicycle-friendly.
We recognize that increasing bicycle use can:
Improve the environment by reducing the impact on residents of pollution and noise, limiting greenhouse
gases, and improving the quality of public spaces.
Reduce congestion by shifting short trips (the majority of trips in cities) out of cars. This will also make
cities more accessible for public transport, walking, essential car travel, emergency services, and deliveries.
Save lives by creating safer conditions for bicyclists and as a direct consequence improve the safety of all
other road users. Research shows that increasing the number of bicyclists on the street improves bicycle
safety.
Increase opportunities for residents of all ages to participate socially and economically in the community,
regardless income or ability. Greater choice of travel modes also increases independence, especially among
seniors and children.
Boost the economy by creating a community that is an attractive destination for new residents, tourists and
businesses.
Enhance recreational opportunities, especially for children, and further contribute to the quality of life in
the community.
Save city funds by increasing the efficient use of public space, reducing the need for costly new road
infrastructure, preventing crashes, improving the health of the community, and increasing the use of public
transport.
Enhance public safety and security by increasing the number of “eyes on the street” and providing more
options for movement in the event of emergencies, natural disasters, and major public events.
Improve the health and well being of the population by promoting routine physical activity.
Therefore we, the undersigned Mayors and municipal elected officials, are committed to taking the
following steps to improve conditions for bicycling and thus to realizing the significant potential benefits of
bicycling in our community. We hereby adopt the following Action Plan for Bicycle Friendly
Communities:
1. Adopt a target level of bicycle use (e.g. percent of trips) and safety to be achieved within a specific
timeframe, and improve data collection necessary to monitor progress.
2. Provide safe and convenient bicycle access to all parts of the community through a signed network of onand
off-street facilities, low-speed streets, and secure parking. Local cyclists should be involved in
identifying maintenance needs and ongoing improvements.
3. Establish information programs to promote bicycling for all purposes, and to communicate the many
benefits of bicycling to residents and businesses (e.g. with bicycle maps, public relations campaigns,
neighborhood rides, a ride with the Mayor)
4. Make the City a model employer by encouraging bicycle use among its employees (e.g. by providing
parking, showers and lockers, and establishing a city bicycle fleet).
5. Ensure all city policies, plans, codes, and programs are updated and implemented to take advantage of
every opportunity to create a more bicycle-friendly community. Staff in all departments should be offered
training to better enable them to complete this task.
6. Educate all road users to share the road and interact safely. Road design and education programs should
combine to increase the confidence of bicyclists.
7. Enforce traffic laws to improve the safety and comfort of all road users, with a particular focus on
behaviors and attitudes that cause motor vehicle/bicycle crashes.
8. Develop special programs to encourage bicycle use in communities where significant segments of the
population do not drive (e.g. through Safe Routes to Schools programs) and where short trips are most
common.
9. Promote intermodal travel between public transport and bicycles, e.g. by putting bike racks on buses,
improving parking at transit, and improving access to rail and public transport vehicles.
10. Establish a citywide, multi-disciplinary committee for nonmotorized mobility to submit to the
Mayor/Council a regular evaluation and action plan for completing the items in this Charter.
“We will promote safe and environmentally friendly cycling and walking by providing safe
infrastructure and networks…” World Health Organization Charter on Transport, Environment and
Health, 1999.
“The US Conference of Mayors calls on cities and communities to promote increased safe bicycle use
for transportation and recreation…” US Conference of Mayors, 2003.
HuBBA proposed 14 Point Plan.
The 14 point plan is underway but it still needs our help and support to keep it moving in the right directions.
A 14 POINT BICYCLE FRIENDLY PLAN
1. Publicize the city’s pride in being bike friendly and make a public commitment to become an even more bicycle friendly city.
2. Create an approved Bicycle Master Plan for the city.
3. Conduct bicycle traffic skills classes for teens and adults in the city’s Community Services Department.
4. Promote bicycle safety classes in our schools.
5. Encourage safe routes to school programs throughout the city.
6. Implement a publicity program to educate the public about sharing the road.
7. Recognize and publicize a city wide bike to work day, and bike month with a series of bicycle oriented events.
8. Supplement the police training curriculum to add more emphasis on the vehicle code as it applies to bicyclists and the concept of vehicular cycling.
9. Survey all bike lanes to verify that they are up to current CAMUTCD standards.
10. Improve our heavily used beach bike paths to reduce the hazardous conflicts that occur between pedestrians and bicycles.
11. Expand our Diversion Program to include motorists involved in bike incidents as well as ticketed bicyclists to be diverted to a bicycle education class in lieu of a fine.
12. Designate one qualified city employee as a Bicycle Program Coordinator.
13. Form a Bicycle Advisory Board within the city government to include representatives from all city departments that are involved in bicycle related actions, as well as citizen representatives of the bicycling community.
14. Aggressively seek outside funds including grants to help support our bicycle friendly actions.
A 14 POINT BICYCLE FRIENDLY PLAN
1. Publicize the city’s pride in being bike friendly and make a public commitment to become an even more bicycle friendly city.
2. Create an approved Bicycle Master Plan for the city.
3. Conduct bicycle traffic skills classes for teens and adults in the city’s Community Services Department.
4. Promote bicycle safety classes in our schools.
5. Encourage safe routes to school programs throughout the city.
6. Implement a publicity program to educate the public about sharing the road.
7. Recognize and publicize a city wide bike to work day, and bike month with a series of bicycle oriented events.
8. Supplement the police training curriculum to add more emphasis on the vehicle code as it applies to bicyclists and the concept of vehicular cycling.
9. Survey all bike lanes to verify that they are up to current CAMUTCD standards.
10. Improve our heavily used beach bike paths to reduce the hazardous conflicts that occur between pedestrians and bicycles.
11. Expand our Diversion Program to include motorists involved in bike incidents as well as ticketed bicyclists to be diverted to a bicycle education class in lieu of a fine.
12. Designate one qualified city employee as a Bicycle Program Coordinator.
13. Form a Bicycle Advisory Board within the city government to include representatives from all city departments that are involved in bicycle related actions, as well as citizen representatives of the bicycling community.
14. Aggressively seek outside funds including grants to help support our bicycle friendly actions.
Friday, October 1, 2010
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