BikeWalkSolana Meeting (Zoom), April 6, 2026

The meeting of BikeWalkSolana, the Solana Beach Active Transportation Committee, was held on April 6, 2026, 5pm on Zoom. For invitations to future meetings, please email [email protected]

Agenda:

  • Updates from the City
  • Solana Beach Scavenger Hunt
  • Bikes on sidewalks
    • Concern has been expressed by members of the community about bikes on the sidewalks along the west side of Coast Highway potentially putting pedestrians at risk.
    • Soliciting ideas for how to encourage cyclists to not ride on the sidewalk.
  • Scavenger Hunt Planning Update
  • Community Ride for School Kids – Ken Flagg
  • May is National Bike Month
    • During National Bike Month, people from coast to coast celebrate the benefits of biking. SANDAG celebrates Bike Month to encourage active transportation for everyone, from bike enthusiasts to beginners, in efforts to alleviate traffic and create a healthier environment.
  • Bike Anywhere Day Thursday, 21 May
    • Register for this free event. Registered participants will be entered for the chance to win one of five e-bikes, courtesy of Ridepanda.
  • Bike Month Starts in Solana Beach!
    • The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition is kicking off Bike Month in Solana Beach. In lieu of the regular BikeWalkSolana monthly meeting, come gather at Rustic Roots on Monday, May 4th at 6:00 PM. At 6:30 PM we’ll head out for a casually paced 7-mile group ride with the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition exploring some of Solana Beach’s bike infrastructure before returning to Rustic Root for food, drinks, and swapping bike stories with fellow cyclists. Rustic Root has generously offered to donate some of the evening’s proceeds to the Bike Coalition, so every bite and sip supports the mission.

Meeting Notes from Zoom records

In attendance: Douglas Alden, Paul Dickstein, Ken Flagg, Karl Rudnick, Nicole Grucky (Asst City Manager), Orelia DeBraal (Public Works Director), Austin Frisby (City Engineer), Jewel Edson (City Council)

The April monthly meeting of Bike Walk Solana began with introductions, including new participants Ken Flagg from the Climate Resiliency Commission and Austin Frisby, the new City Engineer for Solana Beach.

Updates from the City

Nicole provided updates on upcoming events, including an e-bike 101 class scheduled for June 16th in partnership with Revolution Bikes, and a Bike Anywhere Day booth at the train station on May 21st in collaboration with SANDAG. She also mentioned a City Cycling event planned for June 6th.

The group discussed upcoming events and updates. Nicole confirmed the Coalition would host an event at Revolution bike shop with Kevin presenting, and she agreed to check with the City Manager about continuing the Bike Month proclamation ceremony. Aurelia and Austin provided updates on the Coastal Rail Trail extension project, noting preliminary designs would be available in 6-7 months and mentioning upcoming NCTD underground investigation work that would temporarily restrict access in late April. Karl suggested inviting Ian from the Bike Coalition to a future meeting instead of having a separate ride event.

Lomas Santa Fe Project Updates

The team discussed the Lomas Santa Fe East project, which is now out for advertisement with bid openings scheduled for mid-April and City Council presentation at the end of May. Construction is expected to take 18 months, during which time traffic mitigation measures and community outreach will be implemented. Karl emphasized the importance of collecting bicycle usage data before and after the Lomas Santa Fe project, suggesting manual counts or camera monitoring.

Cyclist Sidewalk Usage Discussion

The discussion then shifted to concerns about bikes on sidewalks in the Coast Highway area between Dahlia and Lomas, where community members raised safety concerns about increased bicycle traffic on pedestrian paths. The team explored potential solutions including no-bike-sidewalk signs and outreach to electric bike rental companies. They identified that the wide sidewalk and store layout make it an attractive path for biking, though it’s illegal in that specific area. The team agreed to gather more data about when and which types of bikes are most commonly seen on the sidewalks, with Douglas planning to collect information from community members and potentially review camera footage from local businesses. 

La Colonia Scavenger Hunt

They also discussed a scavenger hunt planning update, with Douglas sharing that he had started a document listing potential locations and had connected with Lisa Montes from the Solana Beach Historical Society to gather historical information about La Colonia. Douglas presented photos of potential historical sites for a scavenger hunt, including a former toy lending library and an old church with a belfry.

Kids on Bikes

The group discussed implementing bike buses for school children, with Ken proposing a community ride from Nardo to Stevens to the schools. 

The meeting ended with discussions about National Bike Month activities, including a San Diego County Bicycle Coalition event at Rustic Roots on May 4th, and the Bike the Bay and Fiesta del Sol events in May.

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