San Diego County Bicycle Coalition

SDCBC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to making bicycling better in San Diego. We do that through educational programs, promoting awareness of bicyclists and bicycling issues, reviewing infrastructure improvements, and acting as a voice for bicyclists to elected officials and decisionmakers throughout the San Diego region.

What SDCBC Stands For

Here is the text of the SDCBC policy we mentioned at the March(1993) Board meeting. It's a statement of what the organization stands for re: bicycling. I recommend that Board members read it to understand what the organization has agreed is appropriate/desireable for bicycling... discussion about improvement - additions/deletions/changes - are encouraged.

GENERAL POLICY ADOPTED 3/93

THE COALITION:

A. Advocates and supports lawful and responsible cycling. Opposes unlawful and irresponsible cycling.

B. Encourages people to bicycle on the road with the rights and duties of drivers of vehicles.

C. Encourages bicyclists on paths and open trails to act responsibly. Supports increased opportunities for socially and environmentally responsible mountain biking. (revised December 2001)

D. Supports the enforcement of all appropriate traffic, path and trail laws. Recommends the statewide uniformity of laws for cyclists.

E. Supports and encourages all bicyclists to become more knowledgeable and effective at bicycling.

F. Encourages the training of cyclists in lawful, competent cycling such as the Safe Moves and Effective Cycling courses.

G. Promotes increasing the skill of all people who share facilities with bicyclists.

1. The actions of motorists with regard to cyclists should be the subject of a suitable portion of the questions in the pool from which the driver's license questions are drawn. Information on sharing the road with cyclists should be a periodic inclusion in the DMV registration mailings.

2. Encourages that instructional materials for motorists, such as used in driver's education classes include:

a. statements that cyclists have the right to use the roadways and the duty of obeying the rules of the road for drivers of vehicles;

b. instruction in proper behavior for cyclists and motorists with respect to each other; and

H. Encourages increasing the safety of bicyclists by:

1. development and distribution of traffic and other safety information;

2. providing workshops, classes, and speakers;

3. advising governmental agencies regarding appropriate bicycle facility design and maintenance, regulations and enforcement;

4. lobbying for appropriate legislation to enhance and encourage safe bicycle use.

I. Recommends that outside through lanes be wide. On roads with curbs where significant bicycle traffic is expected and where motor-vehicle traffic volume per lane is also significant, the outside through lane should have a width of 14 feet or more. On roads without curbs where significant bicycle traffic is expected and where motor-vehicle traffic is also significant, either the outside through lane would be wide or the shoulder should be in fit condition for cycling.

J. Recommends that demand-type traffic signals should be equipped with bicycle-sensitive detectors at all lawful locations where a cyclist might ride. Push-buttons are not satisfactory for bicyclists because they are often in wrong or inconvenient locations for the cyclist.

K. Requests that traffic signals provide adequate clearance time; an all-red phase of adequate length in conjunction with normal green light length for bicyclists starting from a stop (new green light) to clear the intersection.

L. Encourages the provision of secure bicycle parking where needed.

M. Encourages employers who provide motor-vehicle parking for employees to provide:

1. theft-resistant, weather-protected parking for bicycles of those employees who bicycle to work.

2. places in which employees may keep business attire, wash up, and change clothes.

3. subsidy to bicyclists and bicycle facilities equal or greater than the cost of providing and maintaining motor-vehicle parking.

N. Recommends safe bicycling facilities:

1. Smooth roadway surfaces.

2. Facilities for secure parking of bicycles at all locations where motor-vehicle parking is provided.

3. Wheel-proof roadway drain grates.

4. Right turn only lanes. Right turn only lanes are generally good for cyclist because they allow space and distance for right turning motorists and straight-through bicyclists to coordinate their merging actions before the turning point.

5. Left turn only lanes. Left turn only lanes are generally good for cyclists in several ways. They provide a safe place for the cyclist to wait for oncoming traffic to clear. By providing a safe place for a motorist to wait while oncoming traffic clears, they discourage hurried left turns by motorists. This is the most frequent cause of car-bike collisions that are caused by motorist error. Left turn only lanes in conjunction with traffic signals that provide a protected left turn only phase protect both cyclists and motorists from conflicting movements. It is better to provide left turn only lanes of standard width to eliminate the delays caused by cyclists who are ahead of motorists, but it is better to have a narrow left turn only lane than none at all.

6. Regarding Bikeways (Paths and Lanes):

a. advocates using standards for design and development that protect the rights of lawful cyclists and that discourages cycling that does not conform to the normal rules of the road.

b. recommends routes that shorten trip times without increasing hazards, and recreational bicycle paths that provide a protected environment for such activities.

7. Supports bottle redemption laws. The adverse effect upon bicyclists of broken glass along roadways and other bicycle facilities is reduced by increased collection/recycling of these containers.

8. Is opposed to:

Mandatory bike-lane laws.

Mandatory side-of-road-laws.

Mandatory side-path laws.

Prohibitions to access to normal highway destinations.

Added by colin #442 on 2005-05-10. Last modified 2005-05-10 03:48. F0 License: Attribution
Location: World, United States, California, San Diego
Topics: cycling