Big Turnout in SLV for Safe Bike Routes

It was a classic collection of Valley folks: elementary age kids, young professionals, school officials, community leaders and a smattering of the old guard, who showed up for a community meeting at San Lorenzo Valley Elementary School to discuss plans for safe routes for walking and biking to school.  

About 70 were in attendance and organizers claimed over 300 had already signed petitions of support.

The meeting was put together by Bryan Largay a Felton parent and Tawn Kennedy of PeoplePower, the local bike rider advocacy group.  The two spearheaded the formation of Safe Routes to School SLV, a coalition of of community members and local organizations.

Largay referenced past efforts including,  the SLV Trails Committee, local groups that had offered support like the SLVUSD Board of Trustees, The Valley Women’s Club, People Power, the Sierra Club of Santa Cruz County and the SLV Chamber of Commerce and said this gathering was  “another step on the journey”.

He suggested it would not be easy or quick, but he hoped that in five years his child could safely ride their bike to school.

Kennedy, spoke briefly about state and national initiatives that currently exist to promote healthier lifestyle choices for students - 16% walk or ride bikes to school today vs 42% in 1969; as well as efforts to reduce traffic congestion - 25% of morning commute traffic is attributed to parents taking children to school.  He spoke of existing and potential coalitions and pledged to continue dedicate resources to see the project through.

Superior Court Judge Jeff Almquist, a Felton resident and former County Supervisor, spoke about his experience as an avid bike rider in the Valley.  His concern for the safety of cyclists, particularly along Hwy 9 led him to spearhead a plan to develop a safe bike route from Santa Cruz to Boulder Creek. As a County Supervisor and a member of the Transportation Commission he spearheaded a process which eventually resulted in the publication of the SLV Trail Feasibility Study.  (Almquist was appointed to the bench before the study was published in July 2006.)

Almquist pointed out that the existence of the finished study could at least provide the “predicate for future funding” and he noted that the transportation budget was separate from the State’s general fund and might not be as severely affected by the current state budget mess.

The three candidates for County Supervisor were in attendance and all pledged their support.  Eric Hammer, (who has already earned the endorsement of PeoplePower) urged the group to use the “momentum you have clearly developed” to press for a meeting with John Presleigh, County Director of Public Works and “start a conversation”  about what kinds of incremental improvements might be feasible in the short term.  “Working as a community we can do this.”  he said, adding that this is exactly the kind of project that describes the work he hopes to do as Supervisor.

Bruce McPherson was optimistic but listed three obstacles to overcome: “1. The topography of Hwy 9, 2. Money and 3. Property owners.”  He decried the traffic congestion problems, saying “Highway 9 is a mess” and that something needs to be done “so we don’t have a parking lot twice a day.”  

He mentioned the current tax property owners pay for road maintenance, suggesting that it was something that would have to be “looked at”.  

“I don’t like tax and spend”  he said  “but we have to think about it.”
 
He thought the project would find favor with everyone from “highway people to health care.”  As far as property owners he said only that “we have to deal with it.”


Bill Smallman said he was “100% in support” and then went on to explain and defend his opposition to the coastal rail purchase.


When the audience was invited to provide comments, many wanted to know what were the next steps.  Mr Largay suggested no real action could occur before January because of the elections.  It was at this point that Hammer suggested the level of support in the room deserved swifter action.  Largay wasted no time in tapping the momentum by scheduling an organizational meeting for the following Monday, 7-8pm at SLE.



To get involved contact Tawn Kennedy at   greenways@peoplepowersc.org


In the interest of proividing a complete account; one gentleman was curious about who would protect his property rights.  He claims he has to watch misbehaving youth cutting across his land doing “all sorts of things;  fighting, using drugs, screwing.”

Community Forum: Safe Routes to School for Felton and SLV

Community Forum: Safe Routes to School for Felton and SLV  

Monday, May 14th, 2012

7:00 PM

SLV Elementary School Multi-Use Room

7155 Highway 9, Felton

Children of San Lorenzo Valley deserve safe routes to school. Currently there is no safe way for children to walk or bike to any of the three schools on the SLV campus from the surrounding community. Safe Routes to School SLV, a coalition of community members and local organizations, is holding a public meeting to promote the implementation of safe routes for walking and biking in the San Lorenzo Valley.



Students clearly see the need for improved infrastructure. “I’ve lived in the valley for all of my life and I’ve never felt safe enough to ride my bike on Highway 9,” says SLV High sophomore class president Abbey Sherman. “I think that it is really important that students have the ability to transport themselves safely to school without using cars or the bus.”


Safe Routes envisions a path system from South Felton at Redwood Drive, to the main SLV campus, and north to Glen Arbor Road. Phase one of the Safe Routes project would simply tie existing streets together with crosswalks, signs and minor improvements to a short section of Highway 9. The 2006 SLV Trail Feasibility Study identified this route as one of the most easily implementable and cost-effective.



Community activists agree. According to Micah Posner of People Power, “These improvements are feasible with existing funding sources, and SLV kids could be riding and walking to school within the next few years, provided we have strong leadership from the next County Supervisor.”



The meeting will feature presentations by local experts on what the routes could look like, and background on how the proposal would fit into the nationwide vision for Safe Routes to School. 


After public discussion, the candidates for 5th District Supervisor will be asked to make a commitment to make safe routes happen in SLV. Candidates who have committed to attending the meeting include Eric Hammer, Bruce McPherson, and Bill Smallman.



“This is a great project that will help parents and kids, and will also help link the community together,” explains SLV Elementary parent Bryan Largay. “I’m headed to the the meeting to make sure that our next supervisor commits to making this a priority”



“It is very exciting to see community members get behind creating safer routes to our Felton campus,” states SLV School District Superintendent Julie Haff. “For years, people have complained about the traffic on Highway 9 and how unsafe it is for bikes and pedestrians. Safe Routes SLV is to be applauded for putting out the effort to create paths that will give both our community and students a healthier and safer way to walk and bike in our beautiful Valley. Of course, this project also helps our commuters by reducing traffic congestion.”

The meeting is co-sponsored by: The Valley Women’s Club, the SLVUSD School Board of Trustees, the SLV Chamber of Commerce, Sierra Club Santa Cruz County, People Power,  and Green Ways to School.

For more information, contact Tawn Kennedy at greenways@peoplepowersc.org or (831) 425-0667.

Amgen Tour of California Returns to Bonny Doon

Stage 3 of the 21010 Amgen Tour of California bicycle race will not include the Golden Gate Bridge and it will finish in front of the Boardwalk instead of downtown Santa Cruz like last year, race officials announced today.

The SF to Santa Cruz stage, scheduled for May 18, will once again leave Highway 1 for a climb up to Empire Grade via Bonny Doon and Pine Flat Roads. The 113 mile course starts at Golden Gate Park at Sloat Blvd. and the Great Highway at 11:15 AM. Riders are expected to reach Bonny Doon Rd between 2:30 and 3:00 PM depending upon weather conditions.

The ascent from sea level to over 2000 feet at Empire Grade is the stage's most grueling climb and can take about 40 minutes.  Riders will head downhill to Western Drive and continue along Swift Street to West Cliff Drive. The route will include short stretches along lower Pacific Ave, Front St., 3rd St, and Cliff St before finishing on Beach St in front of the Boardwalk between 3:30 and 4:00 PM.

Volunteers are needed and can register here.

Stage 3 Map (pdf)