Bike San Mateo County

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="05ad05a3.jpg"> <div> <B>                               </B><B>Bike San Mateo County</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="05bd2123.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Using your bike"><U>Using your bike</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bike SMC Recommendations"><U>Bike SMC Recommendations</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Campaigns/Activities"><U>Campaigns/Activities</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Current Issues"><U>Current Issues</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dangerous Conditions"><U>Dangerous Conditions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Google Discussion Groups"><U>Google Discussion Groups</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Maps/Routes"><U>Maps/Routes</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Resources"><U>Resources</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U>News Archive</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bikes on Transit"><U>Bikes on Transit</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Newsletters"><U>Newsletters</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="City Links and Contacts"><U>City Links and Contacts</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Membership/Contact"><U>Membership/Contact</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getting Involved"><U>Getting Involved</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Improvements"><U>Improvements</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="In Case of an Accident Legal Considerat"><U>In Case of an Accident & Legal Considerations</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id69.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Site Map"><U>Site Map</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id72.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Caltrain Bikes On Board"><U>Caltrain Bikes On Board</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=389 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>Success December 2014</B></I></div> <bR> <div> In 2009 we started our efforts to get the hazardous and unused railroad tracks crossing Old County Road in San Carlos removed. Now nearing the end of 2014 we have achieved our goal. THE TRACKS have been removed and new smooth pavement installed . </div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The Bad</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>For the last 30+ Years</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Unused tracks crossing Old County Road at a strange and difficult angle</B></I></div> <div> <IMG SRC="14d791b0.jpg" border=0 width="377" height="283" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">                                      <IMG SRC="14ed41b0.jpg" border=0 width="212" height="283" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>THE GOOD  </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>December 2014</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Tracks Removed, New pavement, Bike Lanes and Sharrows</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Thanks to all those that wrote in or made comments in meetings to support this removal.</div> <bR> <div>   </div> <div> <IMG SRC="15bf4f40.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="15df4f40.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="500" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div>   </div> <div> This took 5 years and the involvement of many different groups and persons. Thank you all for helping making this happen.</div> <bR> <div> More at <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Old County Railroad Crossing"><U>Old County Road Railroad Tracks</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Caltrain Bikes On Board</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Caltrain, the commuter train which runs from San Jose to San Francisco, allows passengers to bring bikes on board. This allows riders to bike to the station, get on with their bike and then get off at their destination and complete their trip using their bike. </div> <bR> <div> Each train has two bike cars. On the older Gallery cars each bike car hold 40 bikes for a per train capacity of 80 bikes. The newer Bombardier cars only hold 24 bikes per car for a per train capacity of only 48 bikes.</div> <bR> <div> This program is so successful, passengers using bikes on board system sometimes discover the bicycle storage areas are filled and they are forced to wait for a later train. Caltrain is also developing new electric EMU cars to be used when the system is electrified. Caltrain has promised to include on board bike accommodation on these new cars, however the actual capacity to be provided and the design of the bicycle provisions is not defined.</div> <bR> <div> To provide additional on board capacity, the following improvements are being pursued</div> <bR> <div> 1. Caltrain is currently purchasing more Bombardier cars which will allow increasing the train length from 5 cars per train to 6. We would like the sixth car to be a bike car so the on board capacity on the Bombardier trains will increase from 48 to 72 bikes per train.</div> <div> 2. Currently  each rack is only allowed to hold 4 bikes. If bikes are carefully placed in the racks it is possible to fit 5 bikes per rack and still clear the aisle marking line. Caltrains is considering changing this rule and allowing more bikes per rack as long as they fit with in the aisle marking lines.  A hazard analysis study is being made and within a couple of months should be completed with hopefully the result to allow more bikes per rack.</div> <bR> <div> More information at</div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.caltrain.com/riderinfo/Bicycles/Bicycle_General_Info.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.caltrain.com/riderinfo/Bicycl"><U>http://www.caltrain.com/riderinfo/Bicycles/Bicycle_General_Info.html</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.sfbike.org/news/category/regional-advocacy/caltrain/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.sfbike.org/news/category/regi"><U>http://www.sfbike.org/news/category/regional-advocacy/caltrain/</U></A></div> <bR> <div> See our information at: <A HREF="id72.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Caltrain Bikes On Board"><U>Caltrain Bikes On Board</U></A><I>.</I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>The Courteous Bicyclist                        </B></I></div> <bR> <div> In looking for ways to enhance or initiate safe transportation infrastructure amenities and to ensure our right to travel as legitimate street traffic, many of us joined organizations, attended public agency meetings, and wrote letters to elected officials.  As the success of these efforts has served to promote more documented everyday bicycle usage, it has also brought the unintended consequence of increased friction among the user groups of motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists.  Bicyclists who pay no heed to the Vehicle Code, undermine all the hard effort put forth to provide better bicycle accommodation.  Although most bicyclists ride safely and lawfully, there remain enough two-wheeled scofflaws on our streets and sidewalks who continue to underscore the notion that "Bikes DON'T Belong".</div> <bR> <div> Bicyclists tend to overlook their most direct opportunity toward achieving safety and accommodation which involves no funding, no new laws, or waiting for advocacy groups to organize.  Rather than reinforcing an image of bicycle outlaws, it has become the mandate for each cyclist to become an individual ambassador to demonstrate that street space is deserved because of mutual user respect. </div> <bR> <div> Bike San Mateo County has authored "The Courteous Road User's Guide" to provide guidelines for all road users on how best to accommodate everyone. In addition to defining how bicyclists should conduct themselves, it explains how motorists can accommodate  bicyclists by recognizing the specific hazards bicyclists must avoid and explains why bicyclists sometimes need to "Take the Lane" in order to ride safely.  The intent of the Guide is to provide a simple educational blueprint to encourage individual responsibility to meet the social and codified obligations that all must undertake to ensure that our public thoroughfares retain and continue to maintain safe accommodation for every user.</div> <bR> <div> For a downloadable copy of "The Courteous Road User's Guide" go to: <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://bikesmc.org/CourteousRoadUserGuideR1April2012.pdf" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://bikesmc.org/CourteousRoadUserGuid"><U> http://bikesmc.org/CourteousRoadUserGuideR1April2012.pdf</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Thanks Mike</div> <bR> <div> This December 2013 we lost a good friend, bicyclist and a great champion for bicycling. Mike Harding past away in December after a year long illness. For decades Mike worked to promote and improve bicycling in our community. He was that dependable guy that was always there to help out, getting involved to provide his experience on numerous local issues and spending hundreds of hours attending meetings and community events to help make bicycling better. Mike loved his bike and always wanted to share this with others. </div> <bR> <div> One of Mike's projects was getting the bicycle/pedestrian bridge built on San Mateo Drive in Menlo Park. In honor and memory of Mike an effort is being made to have this bridge named to honor and respect Mike. Please help this effort by writing to the Menlo Park City Council. Send your support to the Menlo Park City Council at citycouncil@menlopark.org and cc to greg.klingsporn@retrotech.org. Greg is the chair of the Menlo Park bicycle commission.</div> <bR> <div> Below are some pictures of Mike. If you have any pictures you would like posted here please email them to bikesmc@hotmail.com. Also if you would like to add your memories of Mike, let us know.</div> <bR> <div> Mike was such a great guy and we all owe him a great deal of thanks.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="1488e8a0.png" border=0 width="398" height="394" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="14a137c0.png" border=0 width="531" height="380" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="14c95300.png" border=0 width="405" height="304" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=1 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>