Share the Ride - SLO Regional Rideshare

why?

May is just around the corner and needless to say we here at Rideshare have been running around like crazy getting everything in line for yet another Bike Month. As the event days draw near our focus turns to newsletters, T-shirts, a distinct color pallet, small panic moments about a seemingly pending spoke card crises (averted) and the ever looming possibility that there is something we are forgetting. It is weeks like these that you tend to forget why it is you do what you do. What is this for, who cares and why should they? Why do we? Don't get me wrong, I love every minute of it (well most minutes) but when you take a step back, catch your breath and shake off the glazed look in your eye, you realize that it really just comes down to bikes, why we ride and why we want others to do it too.

So allow me to indulge for just a moment in this question, why?

When I first moved to San Luis Obispo over two years ago, I was not a "cyclist", by any means of the word. I rode my bike to get around out of necessity in college and to be honest it wasn't until my last year in school that I even had a bike worth riding (thanks pops). Basically I wasn’t about to hit the open road in my spandex. When I came to SLO I stumbled upon Rideshare as one of those fresh graduates looking for an opportunity to get my time in with a "real job" and lucky for me, I got it. What I wasn't expecting however was a not just a job but a new way of life. I know, branching into the cheesy lines, but it's true. After living here in SLO, biking became not just a way to get around, but a part of who I am in this town.

So here we go, here is why I ride:

1. People here care about their bikes as though they are their children. I can walk past a coffee shop in town and have a good idea of who is inside based on what bikes are parked out front in the rack.
2. Next, I feel good doing it. It is an amazing way to wind down after work, or more importantly to wake myself up as I am rushing out the door.  It gets your blood pumping and yea maybe a little bit sweaty but I like to consider it a glow.
3. My wallet loves me. I know, I don’t need to draw attention to the gas prices, we all know that its on the rise. But $4 something a gallon! You have got to be kidding me! I would much rather spend that money on a tasty snack that will help me pedal home.
4. I like air, I like it clean. I also like to see the creeks flowing with clear water and to hear the sounds of those crazy frogs on the bike path over constant drone of traffic.
5. Because I want others to be able to ride too. We have amazing infrastructure here in SLO and it is constantly improving throughout the County thanks to the hard work of many public officials, city and regional planners and dedicated community members who have volunteered their time to advocate for biking as a viable means of transport.
6. It’s fun. Plain and simple.

I'm still not a cyclist, I'm a bicycle commuter, community member, mobile dance party participant and cheerleader for whatever other outrageous 2 wheeled activities may arise. By riding a bike in this town you are automatically a part of a broader community. There is no being good or bad at it and it doesn't matter how far you go or what bike you have. It’s just about making that choice to ride instead of drive, to be a part of something rather than isolated in your car.

Don't get me wrong, there is no us vs. them scenarios here, bike vs. car. Believe it or not, most people who bike have cars too, and drive them. We just want to help people see that there is a choice and show everyone that it is not all or nothing.

So here is my final pitch. Just try. Yep, just get on a bike and see how you feel when you are done. And then try it again sometime. And then maybe again and come to an event and see the community come together first hand. Then take a moment, whether a seasoned bike veteran or first time peddler, to realize that you are a part of it, the biking community. Then, tell me if it doesn’t make you smile. 

The Bike Month 2011 logo competition is in full swing. There are only two days left to vote. Follow this link and pick your favorites: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/X7FKYCV .

The top 5 logos will be taken to the Bike Month planning committee this Wed for the final call and the winning image will act as the guiding force for this year's campaign. We can hardly wait!

The Cycling Sleuth!

Some of the cyclists in the U.K. are keeping an eye out for dangerous drivers and capturing them on film!  Take a look at this story from B.B.C. News:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12334486

 

Show us what you got, Bike Month 2011

Bike Month 2011 is just around the corner and Rideshare is looking for an image/design to represent the 
new year. We are hosting our second annual Image Design Competition and invite anyone and everyone who is interested to submit a logo/design that speaks to this year's winning theme, Change Lanes.

Here's how it works:

1. You get really excited and come up with an awesome image
2. Send it to Rideshare by February 15th and we will post it online to be voted on by all of our enthusiastic community members
3. Voting closes on March 2nd and the top 5 will be taken to the BIke Month Committee meeting for the final vote.
4. The winning image will be announced the next morning and it's creator will be awarded with $300 along with a contract offer to complete all other collateral materials

The official contest rules and guidelines can be found here: http://rideshare.org/BikeMonth.aspx and send any questions to Kelsie, [email protected].

We hope that this inspires you or someone you know to take some time at the drawing board with bikes on the mind. This contest was a huge success last year and we can't wait to see what 2011 brings!

 

What are your transit and bike needs?

The San Luis Obispo Council of Goverments (SLOCOG) invites the general public to share thoughts and concerns regarding transit and bikeway needs that may exist in the County. Each year SLOCOG  allocates roughly 10 million dollars in Transporation Development Act (TDA) funds to member cities and the County to tend to transit needs. These fund may also be used for street and road improvements once the transit needs have been accounted for. 

SLOCOG will host a Regional Unmet Transit and Bikeway Needs Public Hearing on February 2, 2011, at 8:30 a.m. in the SLO County Board of Supervisors' Chambers, County Government Center, 1055 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo.

This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard. Testimony may be presented in person at the meeting, by phone or in writing to 1114 Marsh St. San Lios Obispo, CA 93401. For more information contact Tim Gillham at [email protected].

new traveler information service and live traffic map to assist commuters

Rideshare is pleased to announce the launch of 511, a consolidated transportation information service and a live traffic map at www.rideshare.org. Now commuters have 24-hour access to commuting tools that can help them avoid traffic, plan a bus trip, find a carpool partner and receive roadside assistance. 511 also provides live Spanish speaking assistance from 8am-5pm, Monday-Friday. Users can call 5-1-1 from any cellular or landline phone at no additional charge other than the user’s regular phone carrier contract charges.

To view the live traffic map, click here.

To read more about 511, click here.

- Morgen

Congress Passes Extension of Commuter Transportation Benefit

Good news for commuters and employers!

 If you haven’t already heard, a huge victory was achieved last night when Congress passed a one-year cap to keep the eligible Commuter Tax Benefit at $230/month, instead of allowing it to expire to the 2009 level of $120/month. The $230 Commuter Tax Benefit applies to transit and vanpool commuters and a $20/month benefit is available to bicycle commuters.

 

How does this apply to you? If you already have a Commuter Benefits program at your organization, you can continue to provide the transit & vanpool cap of $230/month and bicycle commuter cap of $20/month. If you don’t have a Commuter Benefits Program at your organization, visit Rideshare’s online Tax Benefits Resource Library (http://www.rideshare.org/taxbenefits.aspx) to learn how to save money for your employees and your organization by promoting transit, vanpool and bicycle commuting. It’s estimated that employers save an average of 10% on payroll taxes and employees save an average of 40% on commute costs through a Tax Benefits Program.

 

Rideshare’s Tax Benefits Webpage: http://www.rideshare.org/taxbenefits.aspx

 

For more information on the legislation, I’ve included an article provided by Commuter Check below:

 

Nationwide Transit Riders Rejoice as Congress Pass Extension of Transit Benefit Cap

One-Year Cap Extension Helps Riders Cope with Rising Commuting Costs

Edenred, the provider of the premier commuter benefits programs, Commuter Check and WiredCommute, applauds Congress’ swift action to keep the pre-tax transit benefit cap at $230 per month.

In February of 2009, the transit benefit pre-tax “cap” was increased as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) from $120 per month to $230 per month matching the amount allowed for parking expenses. This increase was lead by Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts (D) and Senator Charles Schumer of New York. The parity established was set to expire at the end of 2010, but was extended for one-year today as part of the extension of the “Bush Tax –Cuts”.

By offering commuter benefits, employers, can save up to 10% on average in payroll tax savings, a savings they can invest back in their company. Through a company-sponsored plan, commuter benefits allow employees to use pre-tax dollars to pay for commuting costs, a savings of 40% on average.

Congressman McGovern, who has worked for years to promote commuter benefits, believes that, “there are a number of obvious benefits to transit ridership including a reduction in energy consumption, improved air quality, and reduced congestion. But the one issue that I think is most important to employees and employers is the fact that both employers and employees can save hundreds of dollars a year by simply doing the right thing. It’s a no brainer.”

Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) said, "The extension of this benefit will incentivize more employees to use public transit as their primary method for traveling to work. This will help reduce our national dependence on oil and make our communities more livable and sustainable."

This is a major victory for mass transit riders and will ensure that come January 1, 2011, commuters won’t be facing even more commuting costs than they currently do, with increased fares and reduced services we need to maintain incentives for the middle class so they don’t have to break the bank when commuting to and from work.

Groups like Commuter Nation help the voice of the American commuter be heard by our elected officials.  They collected nearly 10,000 signatures and comments, which were presented to Congress on December 1^st.  The message from the petition was clear, as Congress searches for ways to stimulate job growth; it should also recognize that transportation is the second largest household expense. Promoting transportation alternatives such as transit and vanpools is one-way Congress can help ‘Main Street’.

As Gerard Bridi, President & CEO of Edenred, said, “The extension of the transit cap at $230 is a win for the working Americans.  It also makes a statement about our commitment as a nation to reduce our collective carbon footprint and reduce our country’s dependence on fossil fuels. There was a tremendous effort undertaken to insure that parity was extended. There are far too many people to recognize including the nineteen Senators and fifty plus Members of the House who sent a letter to Congressional leadership in support of this provision. However, this would not have been completed if it were not for the efforts of the legislative champions, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), his policy advisor Jeff Hamond, Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) and his staff Jennifer Walters. They worked around the clock coordinating the efforts of all the interested parties to make sure that this provision was extended so that Americans who choose to take transit or a vanpool did not see the cost of their commute unfairly increase. We will continue to work with our Congressional leaders to see this provision made permanent.”

- Morgen

California Cap & Trade hearing in Sacramento

If you listen to NPR or MSNBC, you have probably heard about the hearing taking place in Sacramento currently, regarding California's proposed rules that would set up the largest U.S. carbon trading market .  This is a way to enforce the state's gradually tightening cap on emissions.  Read more here.  Once again, if the law is implemented, there is hope that other states and nations will follow the lead of the world's eighth largest economy.

It's hard to believe, but we over here at Rideshare are starting to plan for Bike Month 2011. Every year it just gets better and better and the reason for that is we continue to get more and more support form our amazing community.

This year I'm really hoping to mix things up a bit with some new, exciting, awesome, etc..events and activities. The goal of Bike Month of course is to get more people on bikes but I think we could do even more. Why not showcase the amazing bike culture that we already have here in SLO County?

For being such a small community, we have a lot of people on bikes and not only are they riding to work and around town, but they almost seem to live and breathe all things bicycle.

So guys, this year I want to hear from you, the die hard bike lovers out there. Bike Month is a great opportunity to show others in SLO County that biking isn't just transportation, it's a lifestyle and a pretty flippin' amazing one at that.

You have ideas and Rideshare has money to help. Plan something, let me know about it and let's make it happen. =)

Portland, here we come.

Over Thanksgiving, I spent the weekend in Portland. Up until this point, I'd heard and read and heard some more about the amazing bicycle infrastructure in the City of Portland. Up until this point, I thought, "sure, sounds nice." I have to admit, I'm bias. I think San Luis Obispo has one of the, if not the, most amazing bicycle community out there. But seeing truly is believing.

Upon arrival at my friends house in Portland, I was welcomed by a porch full of commuter, road, mountain bikes and an old-schooltandem Schwinn. As if that wasn't enough, the bike decorated with pink boa, cowbells and a huge wicker basket on the back made me feel like home. Over the course of my short stay, our group of 15 strong rode throughout the city on dedicated pedestrian and bicycle paths, bicycle boulevards or bike lanes. I loved the buttons at intersections designed for a cyclist to push, which would in-turn trigger a bike signal. I also noticed covered bicycle parking with bike maps all over the place (picture below). When we didn't feel like biking, we simply put our bikes on the Max. Seriously, it was that simple.

City of Portland: I was a fan through association before, but now I'm a HUGE FAN!

Being in Portland has also opened my eyes to bicycle related infrastructure opportunities in San Luis Obispo. For being a small-urban/rural county, I'm amazed with what we've done so far. We have a dedicated bike signal in San Luis Obispo, Atascadero just approved their Bike Plan and now we have a bike box at the intersection of Mondonna and Higuera. Catrans along with the City of San Luis Obispo installed a bike box this week (pic below). For a brochure of how to use the bike box, visit: http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/bike_ped/bike_box_brochure.pdf 
 

So props to my favorite bike cities; San Luis Obispo and Portland. And thank you to my friend Jaegar who hosted us for an absolutely amazing weekend.

- Morgen