The next meeting of BikeWalkSolana, the Solana Beach Active Transportation Committee, will be held on April 3, 2023, 5pm  on Zoom. For an invitation please email [email protected]

Agenda:

• Updates from the City
• Tour of Solana Beach Bike Ride
  Sunday, 7 May 2023, 10AM
  May is Bike Month, and BikeWalkSolana invites you to be part of the celebration! Join us for the third annual Tour of Solana Beach Community Ride on Saturday, May 7. Our group will pedal through the lovely neighborhoods of Solana Beach at a leisurely pace, led by qualified ride monitors. We’ll leave from La Colonia Park at 10 am.  The event is free and open to all ages.  This family friendly event is sponsored by a City of Solana Beach Community Grant. Come early (by 9:45) to register. You might win a raffle prize!
• Solana Beach Scavenger Hunt – May 2023
  Another opportunity to celebrate National Bike Month is to participate in the Solana Beach Scavenger Hunt also sponsored by a City of Solana Beach Community Grant.  Start anywhere on the route for this family friendly adventure exploring beautiful Solana Beach biking or walking, and car free.  Complete the Scavenger Hunt in multiple trips or do it in one big loop.  See eclectic outdoor art, learn about Solana Beach history, and explore hidden parts of town. We’re delighted to partner with the Solana Beach Civic and Historical Society, whose historical plaques with QR codes on historic buildings will help scavenger hunters find answers to questions about Solana Beach’s past. Take your cell phone! Submit your completed score sheet for a chance to win raffle prizes from Solana Beach bike shops. The grand prize is an e-bike.  The route and score sheet will be available starting 1 May at https://bikewalksolana.org.
• SANDAG Bike Anywhere Day
  Thursday, 18 May 2023
  Bike Anywhere Day is for everyone in the San Diego region, not just for those who commute to work. Whether you are a student, family, commuter, bike enthusiast, or someone who is new to biking, pledge to GO by BIKE anywhere on Thursday, 18 May, 2023. Join thousands of people and roll into one of our pit stops between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. to receive your free t-shirt, while supplies last.  Register at https://www.sandag.org/BikeMonth
• Bicycle Friendly City Application
  The City of Solana Beach recently submitted an renewal application for its Bicycle Friendly City Designation to the League of American Cyclists.  The League has reached out with the following message about a community survey which will remain open through Wednesday, 5 Apr 2023.

  To help us gain a better understanding of local bicyclists’ experiences in your community, we would greatly appreciate your help distributing the following public survey link so that bicyclists in your community can provide their input as well.

  Public Survey Link:
  English https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BFC_Spring23
  Spanish https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SolanaBeachCA_BFC23esp

  Please distribute this link as broadly as possible to residents and local area bicyclists.  See our tips and resources for promoting your survey.  We will also be sharing the survey with our network of local bike advocates, including those identified on your application, as well as to League members in your area.

  This survey is open to anyone familiar with bicycling in your community, including those involved in submitting your BFC application. (Everyone receiving this email is encouraged to complete the survey and to share it broadly!) While strongly encouraged, distributing this survey link is not required.This survey is meant to provide context for our review team’s decision-making process, as well as valuable feedback for you, directly from bicyclists in your community. Anonymous aggregate survey results will be included in your feedback materials later this Spring.  More information about the public survey can be found here.

Meeting Notes by Jill Cooper

Present: Mo Sammak and Dan Goldberg, Solana Beach Engineering; BikeWalkSolana members Douglas Alden, Kristin Brinner, Jill Cooper, Paul Dickstein, Karl Rudnick, Kristine Schindler.

City of Solana Beach Updates (Mo Sammak and Dan Goldberg)

Mo reported that a storm drain repair caused by a sinkhole on Highland Drive is almost complete. The storm drain has been cleaned out and new pipe laid. 

City Staff will also ask City Council to approve roadway improvements on Highland Drive in front of the Lomas Santa Fe Country Club as part of the new pavement project in the City’s work plan. In addition to new pavement in the travel section, the plan calls for 11 foot wide bike lanes in each direction, with a 2 foot door zone buffer. Concrete curb medians in the center of the roadway will slow traffic and eventually contain xeriscape plants. The Engineering Department asked for input from property owners before finalizing the plan. BikeWalkSolana members asked Mo to communicate our approval of this Highland Drive improvement project to Council. 

There is a temporary bike rack at the Rios Drive trailhead into the San Elijo Lagoon. We hope that more hikers will think outside the car and ride their bikes to the trailhead. Rios Drive neighbors will likely be pleased with fewer cars parked on their street. Dan asks that we send him pictures of bikes in the bike rack. 

Tour of Solana Beach Community Ride #3 will be Sunday, May 7 at La Colonia Park

BikeWalkSolana members should arrive by 9:15 before the 10am start time.
Tour of SB tasks:
Douglas—bring BWS banner, raffle tickets, talk with SANDAG about Bike Month publicity table, call Mission Fed about insurance payment help
Shawna—finalize event insurance, publicize both BWS Tours of SB through social media to schools, families—Jill or Karl will send flyers
Karl – provide similar past flyers for our Bike Month events, which have been a part of public outreach in previous years. Jill will provide the Spanish versions
Kristin—work with Shawna on publicity
Paul—take publicity flyers for both Tours to bike shops and other businesses
Dan—bring design plans on May 7 to publicize Lomas Santa Fe Corridor Improvement Project
Ride monitors: Karl, Kristine, Douglas, Paul, Kristin
Jill—Solicit and bring raffle prizes from bike shops, send publicity articles to Solana Beach Sun and COSB Weekly Update for both Tours,
Kristine—Make flyer with information about how to register for Smart Cycling and City Cycling classes, or have a QR code to direct participants to information. Also publicity for Encinitas Bike Month activities

Self-guided Tour of Solana Beach Scavenger Hunt starts May 1, ends May 31

On Sunday, April 9 at 2pm we will ride through Solana Beach neighborhoods, collecting ideas for scavenger hunt points of interest. Thanks to Paul, Kristin, Kristine, Karl, and Shawna for volunteering.