The New Family SUV

Found this Surley parked outside of the Saratoga REI. This Surley "Big Dummy" outfitted an ExtraCycle kit has all a Silicon Valley Family Needs; two child carriers, a pick up bed located in the front, complete light and horn kit and even 4 water bottle holders.






The child carrier looks like it is a hand built custom kit complete with a child proof kick plate.







The Extracycle bags on the rear provide plenty of room for groceries and the bed up front is perfect for larger items such as the kids toys.

If any one wants go share their families "SUV" and their stories of a car free or car-lite life, leave me a comment here.



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Hey, Where Do We Park Our Tanks?

Or ...Tree Mulch is the Only Off-Road These Beasts will ever see.

Las Palmas Park, Sunnyvale, Ca, USA
The two photos below show (illegal) overflow parking at a local park even though there was ample parking across the street.





For those of you who read this blog from, Europe, Brazil, Australia, and and Japan; I don't make this stuff up; this is not Hollywood, this is real life in the Silicon Valley. We are overrun with cars; and not just Euro and Japan size cars with 2.5 liter engines, but monsters; the size of my aparment when I lived in Tokyo.





In the pictures above these 4WD beasts drove over "dangerous" Tree Mulch to find these covered spaces.

As James Kuntsler mentioned in "The Geography of Nowhere"; "if beings from another planet landed on this one they would think that it was inhabited by automobiles." If they saw this scene they would observe that the big fat earthlings were having a summer picnic.




The photo above was taken a couple of days ago showing just how brazen we have become.

I would welcome any comments you would have.
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No this is not Amsterdam, yur in aMerka

I'm trying to be positive here. This guy or

gal could really use a bike. Think of the cleaner air, increased health,as well as the school children who can walk, ride, and play.

So fellow cyclists, let's show this guy just how healthy and fun cycling can be.






THIS is why I Ride.

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San Jose's Calabases Library Bike Parking

While on my way home this warm summer evening I stopped by the local library branch to do an after hours book drop off.



I was pleasantly suprised when I saw the signs pictured here (sorry for the nightine quality). A local bike shop; Calabases Bike Shop provides the free lock rentals. What a great way to show the community you care. Now if only the neighborhood streets were more bike friendly. Oh well; baby steps, right.



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Groningen - The World's Cycling City

This article is a repost from my friends over at the World Carfree Network. The article was written by by Ton Daggers and Jane Harding.

In Groningen, the Netherlands’sixth largest city, the main form of transport is the bicycle. The city is famous for having the highest percentage of bicycle usage in the world. How has Groningen done it? Cycling here, and indeed in much of the Netherlands, is just the norm. The success comes from a series of sound policies which view cycling as an integral part of urban renewal, planning and transport strategy. By providing proper infrastructure and amenities cycling has blossomed over time and today the main 46 routes of the cycling network is used daily by 216,000 citizens. By prioritising and promoting cycling as the main mode of transportation, city planners, local authori-ties and cycling advocates have played an important part in the city’s reputation as a great place to live. Groningen has a relatively young population of approximately 180,000 inhabitants, which account for a large proportion of the city bikers, but people of all ages opting for two wheels over four. And this is a growing trend. Research by Groningen municipality in 2008 showed a considerable growth of cycling in the last years: an average of 1.4 bicycle trips per person per day in the city, making up more than 50% of the total journeys, a growth of 9% from 2007. In order to further understand the sucess of the bicycle in Groningen, it is important to look at how urban design and policies have changed over time to make it the leading cycle city we see today.

“Cycling is viewed as an integral part of urban renewal, planning and transport strategy”

History of Carfree Development

The city has a long history of urban developments which have maintained the value of keeping the inner city as a central point for a host of activities: a blend of living, working and shopping which favours pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation over the car. Since the 1960s the municipality has been way ahead in its traffic plans and spatial planning policies; maintaining a vision of a “compact city”and implementing policies which have led to a carfree city centre, with almost all areas easily reachable by bicycle. However, the path has not always been easy.  During the 1950s and 1960s most cities and towns in the Netherlands were making room for vechicles – some even removed bicycle paths in order to free up space for the car.  In Groningen, motorisation was growing rapidly and so was suburban sprawl – there were no restrictions for cars driving through and very few cycle routes leading to the centre. The motorist was king at this time.In 1972, local authorities changed the emphasis of urban planning and development in Groningen.  The centre of the city was to be considered as the “living room”for its people. The basic concept used in urban planning was based on the “compact city”vision, which placed an integrated transport system high on the agenda – for an inner city favouring a combined use of pedestrians, cyclists, buses and other means of public transport. A traffic circulation plan divided the inner city into four sections and a ring road was built, encircling the city and reducing access to the centre by car. The result was an inner city which is entirely closed off to cars, and only possible to travel between sectors by walking, bicycling or using public transport. What has further spurred the use of bicycles over all other sustainable transportation is the huge expansion of the cycle network – there are many traffic free bike lanes from the outskirts to the city centre – making cycling is the most viable mode of transport for most journeys.

Importance of policy
The city treats cyclists with respect. A series of sound transportation policies and invest-ments has maintained a carfree urban space – favouring walking, public transport and predominantly cycling. This has resulted in a major trend away from car-use to bike-use in the city of Groningen. Between 1989 and 2000, € 23 million was invested in cycling infrastructure and the annual amount con-tinues to grow. Investments have also been made to expand the network of cycling lanes, improve the pavements, build bridges for cyclists, and many more bike parking facilities – making cycling faster and more convenient. As cycling is the lifeblood of the city, it has been given adequate space and time to flow safely and efficiently.

During the 1980s and 1990s a car parking policy was strictly implemented. Car parking with time restrictions was introduced in a broad radius around the inner city. Park and Ride areas were created combined with city buses and other high quality public transport. But overall, cycling policy has been central to the traffic plans, which in contrast, car accessibility has been restricted within the city centre.Reaping the RewardsOver a long period of time local authorities have made clear choices, however manifold criticised. Traffic circulation plans were based on the concentration of motorised traffic into a limited road space on the outskirts of the city, and developing a very coherent, comfortable and dense cycle network. This is the result of a clear vision of urban development – based on the idea that a city is for its people. Groningen is a compact city, and for now at least, continues to stay this way. For example, newly built neighbourhoods are no more than 6 km from the city centre. Groningen municipality research showed in 2008 78% of residents and 90% of employees now live within 3 km of the city centre. Residential areas are developed with good connections to the city centre and green lungs in between. There are entire housing developments built along major bicycle and scooter “roadways”, massive bike parks everywhere, many roads that are one way for cars but two way for bikes, and special signal phases for bikes.

Groningen in Numbers
Population: 180,000 inhabitants
Size of Groningen: 87 square kilometres
Residents Traveling by Bike: 57%
Average cycling trips each day: 1.4 per person
Number of cycling routes in Groningen: 46
Number using cycling routes each day: 216,000

There are some interesting economic repercussions to come out of replacing space for cars with greenery, pedestrianisation, cycleways and bus lanes. Banning car traffic has boosted jobs and business. Groningen’s economic development has improved, particularly for businesses which were once in revolt against car restraint, but now are clamouring for more of it. The main function of the inner city has become a successful mix of living, working and shopping.

Cycling into the Future Groningen undoubtedly leads the way in the “cyclisation”of European cities, but many others are putting two wheels in motion to follow its example. However, no other European city can match Groningen’s record, where 57% of all trips around the city are on bikes, but in quite a few cities the ratio is rising to a third or more.The impressive high rate of cycling in Groningen can be explained best by consistent urban development and transportation policies based on reclaiming inner city space from cars, making it into a living room for its people. This spatial concept of city develop-ment has undoubtedly been rooted in the clear political vision of the Social Democrats for several decades. Such legislative commitments do seem to be the key in getting citizens to kick the car habit. Apart from a political vision, many other actors involved in making Groningen the “World’s Cycling City”cannot be ignored – the cyclists themselves. In a nutshell, the success of cycling in Gron-ingen can be explained as a result of a strong vision for a liveable city for its people.  For more information, please visit: http://www.cyclinginfo.nl/ and http://www.fietsberaad.nl/

The centre of the city was to be considered as the ‘living room’for its people”

Photo courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/truusbobjantoo/2404090966/

New Section of The San Tomas Aquino/Saratoga Creek Trail

This Friday, the City of Santa Clara will
conduct a ribbon cutting/opening ceremony to celebrate the completion of Reach 3 along the San Tomas Aquino Trail.

This section of the trail will start from Scott Blvd. and continue to a parking area located at Monroe St. and San Tomas Expressway. With the completion of this section, the trail will now extend from the San Francisco Bay Trail to the north, for a total of 3.8 miles. When the trail is completed (with the completion of the 4th reach at 4.0 miles) the trail will extend all the way to Pruneride Ave. and cover almost 8 miles.



For more information see the trail map provided by the City of Santa Clara.

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THRIVE! On FREE Valet Parking

So....Kaiser Permanente, my health care provider, the ones behind the ad campaign entitled "THRIVE"; wants me to eat blueberrys, have healthy relationships and


ride me bike. All good, until you ride you bike to the Santa Clara/Homestead facility and are greet by multiple multi-story parking garages and speed/radar signs.

When I asked the valet if they would park my car....excuse me... bike; they laughed...

Oh well at least pharmacutical stocks were up today in heavy trading.


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San Francisco Walking Tour: Edge cities: redefining suburbia

Edge cities: redefining suburbia
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 12:30pm

In the 1980s, edge cities pulled jobs from the central cities and remade the suburbs as car-oriented employment centers. Today, those edge cities are in the middle of the region and often have major transit lines running through them. What happens next to remake suburbia and the transit stations within it? Leading this tour along the Pittsburgh/Baypoint BART line are John Rennels from BART; Gary Craft, principal and founder of Craft Consulting Group and a Contra Costa Council board member; and Jim Kennedy, redevelopment director for Contra Costa County, who will explore transit-oriented development in the county and assess the future of suburbia – for both jobs and housing.

San Francisco, CA 94105-4015
Free to membersRSVP to tours@spur.org
Okay to bring lunch

Share the Road Summer Bike Clinics

Share the Road Summer Bike Clinics
 with the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition

July 25 and August 8 and 22, 2009

REI  and the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition will be hosting bike clinics at REI Saratoga. Multiple 45 minute clinics will run between 11am and 3pm. Check out SVBC's Share the Road presentation and get basic bike maintenance tips to keep your bike in top shape for summer rides, commuting, and trails.


11am - Share the Road

12noon - Get to Know Your Bicycle

1pm - Share the Road

2pm - Get to Know Your Bicycle


SVBC's Share the Road campaign is a collaborative project that aims to promote safety on Bay Area roadways and to generate goodwill between motorists and bicyclists. Spearheaded by the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, and joined by partners such as Webcor, REI, Bikes Belong Coalition, Low-Key Hillclimbs and others, we believe that respect and awareness will make the road safer for everyone.

REI's Get to Know Your Bicycle is a free clinic to better acquaint you with your bike, so that you can maximize your comfort and safety on the road/trail. You'll learn how to perform a pre-ride safety inspection and outfit with essential accessories, remove a wheel, fix a flat, change a tire, and make simple nut and bolt adjustments for comfort and performance.

top photo by Mark Stosberg

Sorry I ordered a Salad but You Brougt Me A Tank

This scene was witnessed at Stacks Restaurant in downtown Campbell. The gi-normous size of this single occoupancy vehichle actually blocks any hint of sunlight to diners for about five hours. Now imagine how your breakfast or lunch would smell when this thing fires up.




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Park San Jose

This sign seems so natural for a city that boasts "Come Downtown to play. We have over 23,000 parking spaces".

Translation - Cars are are number one priority. Bike/Ped projects.....nah.....not on our list.




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Green Mobility Sidewalk Project

While walking in downtown San Jose yesterday I came upon this construction project (right next to the PETA lettuce ladies street theater). I'm not sure what a "Green Mobility Sidewalk" is, but there building the "Green Project" right next to a 450+ car parking structure, a gas station, and a car wash.
Just hope when all is completed I don't get run over while trying to be green and mobile.


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Street Improvement on the Alameda Bike Accident Last Year

While out walking on the Alameda I noticed this project under construction. A women cyclist was hit at this corner over a year ago.

This appears to be a artistic stab at a traffic calming device to get cars making the right turn from the Alameda to slow down. Let's hope it works.





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Portland Sunday Parkways: A Second Great Year

Jonathan Maus over at BikePortland.org does a great job highlighting this years event. "Portland Sunday Parkways a Success: Thousands Enjoy Gift of Carfree Streets"

After witnessing firsthand last years Sunday Streets event, its great to see that the return to North Portland is a great success. It would be great to have a Sunday Streets/Ciclovia event in this area. If San Jose Bike Party can attract 1,500 riders in its second year riding until midnight I'm sure the demand is their when you include recreation starved families.

Bogota, Columbia started the whole idea by opening their streets to the city residents every Sunday over 10 years ago and the concept has spread worldwide. Clarence Eckerson Karla Quintero, and Aaron Naparstek traveled to Columbia to see just how successful their program is.

Photos: Cheryl and Rich (Flickr)

Light Rider Ride - San Jose Bike Party Ride

I am little groggy this morning as I write this post, after finishing my ride back to the house by about two only to wake up at 6:00. This is one of the biggest rides I've seen yet and it was confirmed by sjbikeparty.org ("Reflections on Ride #21-Light Rider!") ; there were over 1,500 riders on last nights ride, which started at Dick's Center and ended after 17.25 miles at the fountain at SJSU at around midnight. Read the post to find out more on the amazing growth of these rides.

The sheer numbers of riders show just how starved this area is for some type of organized ride where fun, socializing and some type of light physical activity happen while feeling connected to a larger group of riders. As you enter the street at the start of the ride and feel more confortable riding amongst cars; that on any given day treat you as just a road obstacle, it feels good to be with fellow riders enjoying the warm summer evening.

The diversity of riders is amazing; young, old, cruisers, lowriders, roadies, teenagers, families, boyfriends and girlfriends all come together just to "Bike Party". As we passed neighborhoods many cyclists shouted out to residents and families; "Grab your bike. Let's Go....BIKE PARTY!", encouraging them to join the travelling festival.

All in all ...Good Times...Good Fun....Lets's Go ...BIKE PARTY!

San Jose Bike Party - June at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: Share and Plan your Trips

Sunnyvale Interactive Bike Map

Here are some routes and notes in the Sunnyvale Area.  If you would like to help and contribute 

some current data just let me know.  Hope this is useful.

View Sunnyvale Bicycle Map in a larger map

Paris Music Video

Join me. Take the Challenge. The Drive Less Challenge!

Join me taking the Challenge to drive less in June.

TransForm

 (formerly the Transportation and Land Use Coalition

- TALC)  has put together a great summer program to get Bay Area Residents to drive less.

How It Works

1. You sign up to take the Challenge! To participate, Transform asks that you commit to either: 1) getting 10 people to support you at $5 each, or 2) donating $65 to TransForm. Here are 5 great ways you will help TransForm improve walking, biking and transit.

2. You pick a mileage goal that's right for you and then keep track of your miles.  No matter what your goal is, big or small, if you drive a lot or not at all, it all adds up collectively. Already planned a road trip in June?  Because the Challenge is focused more on the driving we do on a daily basis. 

3. You set a fundraising goal and then ask friends and family to support you in reaching your goals (both dollars and miles).  They've got tips and templates to make it easy! Don't want to fundraise? Simply donate $65 to TransForm and start your Challenge.

4. You chronicle your adventures via your Challenge page. Check out how others (or even "moi") are sharing the highs and lows in reaching their goals with stories, pictures, and videos. 

5. You compete for great prizes.  Prize categories include: "most entertaining posting", "most extreme story of avoiding driving a car", "most inspirational posting", "most supporters", and more.

6. You track your mileage and then share your results with us at the end of June so we can add up how many miles Challengers cut out of their lives. 

7. You celebrate with other Challengers at one of several post-Challenge parties hosted by Sports Basement around the Bay Area.

So Join me in June.

Tivo this! From KQED Friday 9:00 PM "Blueprint America: Road to the Future"

Blueprint America: Road to the Future

Friday evening at 9:00 PM on KQED and tonight at 8:00 on PBS stations across the country, a new one-hour documentary film will highlight the state of affairs for Americas highway system.

Blueprint America:
"PBS reports on the infrastructure crisis"

Road to the Future:
Film Documentary

With examples drawn from Denver, New York, and Portland, veteran CNN correspondent and anchor Miles O'Brien will visit places where local officials and residents face agonizing choices between the easy status quo and the path less taken.

Good to see Jonathan Maus of Bike Portland and Janette Sadik-Khan

30 second video preview

Who Wants to Go to Copenhagen?

Out of Copenhagen comes the blog Copenhagen Cycling Chic, although right now he is visiting Amsterdam.

Copenhagen - City of Cyclists from Colville Andersen on Vimeo.

A promotional music video I made for the City of Copenhagen's Bicycle Office.

Aimed at promoting Copenhagen's fantastic, unique bicycle culture. 500,000 people ride their bikes each day. 36% of the population.

This video highlights who they are and what they do. Shot over a period of four months.