Viva Calle SJ is Today! The 50 Tour @ St. James Park!

The amazing Villa Calle SJ event is happening today from 10am to 3pm. Six whole miles of streets stretching from Emma Prusch Farm Park (East San Jose) to Willow Glen to St. James Park will all be shut down, allowing residents to walk, run, bike, or play in the streets. There will be festivals at Emma Prusch, Parque De Los Pobladores, and St. James Park.

Each festival will have food, music, and special activities. One example I wanted to highlight is the "50 Tour" in St. James Park. There will be an autograph signing and story time with four-time Super Bowl Champion Eric Wright as well as San Jose-legend and Gold Medalist, Kristi Yamaguchi. All eight of the Super Bowl Vince Lombardi Trophies for the 49ers and the Raiders will be on display. There will even be a STEM Zone, an interactive space that shows how science and technology fuel innovation.

Please use the handy map below to locate the festivities. I'm going to try to walk from Emma Prusch to St. James Park... we'll see how that goes =).

50 TOUR: CHAMPIONS OF THE BAY PRESENTED BY CHEVRON COMES TO SAN JOSE OCTOBER 11

WHAT: The Tour: Champions of the Bay presented by Chevron will make its next stop in San Jose, joining VivaCalleSJ on October 11, 2015. The 50 Tour will be located at 1-99 East St. John Street, San Jose.

VivaCalleSJ is a free recreational program that closes miles of scenic San Jose streets. This free event brings together the San Jose community to walk, bike, skate, play, and explore downtown San Jose.

This 50 Tour stop will feature an autograph signing and story time with four-time Super Bowl Champion Eric Wright, who was considered one of the best cover cornerbacks of his day; and Kristi Yamaguchi, former figure skater Olympic gold medalist, world champion and philanthropist.

The 50 Tour is the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee’s mobile exhibit designed to celebrate the history of the Bay Area’s championship teams, the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers. This 50 Tour stop will feature the eight Super Bowl Vince Lombardi Trophies of the two teams; the Chevron STEM Zone, an interactive space that demonstrates how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fuels innovation all around us – through the lens of football; and a youth area that includes the PLAY 60, Play On play space and The Re(a)d Zone early literacy corner.

WHEN: October 11, 10:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M., with  autograph signings from Kristi Yamaguchi and Eric Wright at 2:00 – 1:00 P.M., followed by story time in the Tour’s Re(a)d Zone.

About the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee:
Working in partnership with Bay Area public officials and the NFL, the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee is responsible for Super Bowl 50 and its celebration elements, including the Super Bowl Village, public exhibits and planning of game day logistics. The Host Committee seeks to make Super Bowl 50 the most giving ever, and is investing in Bay Area community initiatives and high-performing nonprofits through the 50 Fund, its signature philanthropic fund. To be hosted in the state-of-the-art Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara in 2016, Super Bowl 50 will be celebrated through a series of events that showcase all the Bay Area has to offer. For more information, visit www.sfbaysuperbowl.com.

Inaugural Viva CalleSJ San Jose!

The City of San Jose and the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition have come together to bring us an unprecedented event this October. Six miles of streets will temporarily be closed to offer the public a contiguous urban space to bike, skate, run, or walk. The event stretches from St. James Park all the way to Emma Prusch Farm Park in East San Jose. This is not a race and there is no beginning or end--you can start and end anywhere.

This is a "first-of-its-kind" event and it sounds awesome. There will be three activity hubs: Emma Prush Farm Park, Parque de los Pobladores (SoFA), and St. James Park. These locations will have entertainment, activities, hydration stations, and vendor booths.

The event will run from 10am to 3pm and more information is available at the Viva CalleSJ website over here!

Hack Your Ride on June 6th!

VTA is hosting a great event for technical minds next Saturday called "Hack My Ride." This is actually part of a Knight Foundation grant to make Downtown San Jose even more exciting and innovative. The challenge is transforming how people get around Silicon Valley using a variety of apps and tools. Goals include making it easier to plan trips, wayfinding, connecting with surroundings, and generally make transportation a better experience.

Along with the Hackathon, Microsoft Silicon Valley is sponsoring a free lunch via two food trucks: Oh Miso Hungry and The Kabab Job. You can also be the first to learn about Downtown San Jose's new Bluetooth beacons and compete for $30,000 worth of prizes across 8 different categories.

If you're a techie--and I know many of us are--this is a great way to put your skills to use in a way that will benefit the whole community! You can either scroll down for more info or head over to the VTA event page over here.

Five Reasons to Hack Your Ride

Hack My Ride 2.0 challenges you to transform how we get around in Silicon Valley. Build working apps and tools that will make it easier for people to plan trips, connect with their surroundings, and enrich their transportation experience. If you're still on the fence about whether to join us for the kickoff hackathon on June 6, here are five reasons you should sign up: Food trucks! Oh Miso Hungry and The Kabob Job will provide free lunch thanks to Microsoft Silicon Valley, to fuel your creativity and get you outside for a break from coding. Beacons! Hack My Ride 2.0 hackathon participants will be the first to learn about the Bluetooth beacons we’ll be testing in our system, including how to use them in your projects. Lightning talks! The hackathon will start with brief talks from VTA, Prospect Silicon Valley and others about transportation innovation in Silicon Valley, VTA open data, beacons, the Internet of Things, and today’s mobility challenges and opportunities. $30,000 in prizes! If you’re looking to raise the funds to launch a business building out your app idea, the Hack My Ride app challenge is a great way to gain visibility and resources. #HackforChange! Partnering with Code for San Jose and the Tech Museum of Innovation, VTA is hosting this hackathon as part of the National Day of Civic Hacking. It’s a great way to contribute your technical skills to improving how you get around your city This is a three-month online app challenge kicked off with a hackathon at The Tech Museum of Innovation on June 6, 2015. RSVP to the hackathon learn about the data available (including being the first to access the beacons we’re testing), form a team, and start developing your submission. ​ Learn more about the three-month challenge, including rules, prizes and the submission process, at hackmyride2.challengepost.com. Share the link on Meetup, Twitter, Reddit or wherever you connect with your fellow transportation hackers! To get your creative juices flowing, Microsoft Silicon Valley and Knight Foundation are generously offering $30,000 in prizes in eight app challenge prize categories, so there are plenty of opportunities for your app to win. Or submit several times, if you have a bunch of great ideas and can’t pick just one! Read more on Headways, VTA's blog. Follow @VTA on Twitter, like our Facebook page, or click here to subscribe to updates from Headways, VTA’s official blog.

Bike Clinic Indiegogo Campaign!

The San Jose Bike Clinic wants to open a permanent bike-repair shop in Downtown San Jose! Nothing like this currently exists in San Jose--although this organization has occasionally done pop-up events in the San Pedro Square Market and Camera 12.

The San Jose Bike Clinic is a non-profit and is entirely volunteer run. They are looking to raise $4,000 and are almost fully funded. To contribute to this great cause (and get some nice perks in the process), head over to their Indiegogo Campaign Page.

The Vision

Imagine a space sustained by volunteer energy, filled with all the bike repair tools and parts you'd need and staffed by knowledgeable volunteer bike mechanics. Imagine the satisfaction of anyone who wants to learn having the knowledge to fix their bike themselves.

We are San José Bike Clinic, and that’s our vision. We believe knowledge is power, and our mission is to get more people on bikes by providing the community with that knowledge and a safe and friendly place to learn. We don’t just give you the tools, we teach you how to use them!

From lubing your chain to fixing a flat to building your own bike from scratch, the volunteers at San José Bike Clinic will steer you through the process and let you do the fixing. If you’ve ever been to a bike co-op or bike kitchen, you get the idea.

Our Roots
San José Bike Clinic started in 2012 when a group of bicycling enthusiasts in downtown San José had a question: What is San José’s biking community missing? 

We already have some of the best weather in the country, flat terrain, an active health and fitness-loving community, an eco-conscious mindset, huge San José Bike Party rides and fun test rides, more miles of bike lanes every year, and some of the best cycling events around. The answer came in the form of San José Bike Clinic, a volunteer-driven, community-minded dream that has become a reality and needs your help to thrive.

The mission of San José Bike Clinic is to build a robust and diverse cycling community through a shared and accessible place for bicycle repair and education. The vision is independence, self sufficiency and education to all in the cycling community.

After testing our idea since 2012 with monthly pop up clinics at San Pedro Square Market and three months temporarily popped up in Camera 12, we are asking for donors and volunteers to help us bring this cause to a permanent location.

How You Can Help

The money raised through our crowdfunding campaign will go toward rent, utilities, security deposit, and upkeep of the permanent space to help make San José Bike Clinic accessible to everyone.

After 6 months we intend to be fully self sufficient and maintain our monthly needs through the sale of used bicycles, bicycle parts, and various levels of membership fees.

Once we're open, we'll ensure the shop's sustainability by charging daily, monthly and annual membership fees that grant access to the shop and all its benefits. We won't turn anyone away for lack of funds. For those who can't afford the fees, we'll offer opportunities to volunteer hours in exchange for membership.

Since we’re a program of the nonprofit Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, all donations to this crowdfunding campaign and once we’re open are tax deductible except for any perks you receive.

What You Get in Return

We're offering perks for various levels of support we're asking for, everything from stickers to T-shirts, shop aprons, and water bottles. We're also offering one-month and one-year memberships at certain levels so you can visit the shop you helped make a reality, along with memberships to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition that include benefits like discounts at local bike shops.

If you’re passionate about cycling and want a place where the cycling community can learn, repair bicycles, and connect with each other, then help us make San José Bike Clinic into a downtown institution by donating today and inviting other bike-minded friends, family, and colleagues to join you.

Share this campaign on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and email lists with people you think would share our vision. If you prefer to donate time we are always looking for new volunteers to help make San José Bike Clinic a community destination for all kinds of riders. Email sjbc@bikesiliconvalley.org if you'd like to join our team.

Silicon Valley Bikes: Passion, Innovation & Politics Since 1880 Exhibit Public Opening

Garden City Wheelmen, photographed at the 1919 San José relay vs. the Sanson Wheelmen of Stockton
(History San Jose Collection)

Starts: Sunday, July 27th 2014 at 12:00 pm
Ends: Sunday, July 27th 2014 at 4:30 pm

Location: Arbuckle Gallery at the Pacific Hotel, History Park
Admission: Free
Exhibit Sponsors: Garden City Construction, Wheel Away Cycle Center, Bicycle Express
San Jose Bicycle Club, Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club Inc., Ampersand Ellipsis Jones LLC, Hellyer Velodrome

Bicycles have provided both affordable transportation and a social outlet around San José for over a century. The growth of clubs and organizations such as the Garden City Wheelmen led to a distinctive cycling culture within the community. Throughout the 20th century, racing events have been held at local velodromes, including the present track at Hellyer Park. Local innovations have enhanced the bicycling industry. In recent decades, community activism efforts, such as support for bike lanes and dedicated paths, have re-introduced cycling as a sustainable transportation method for the future.

Supplemented by objects from private individuals and organizations, Silicon Valley Bikes: Passion, Innovation & Politics Since 1880 will feature selected images and artifacts from History San José’s collection, including the 1842 Lefebvre velocipede, the world’s oldest human-powered vehicle.

San Jose Bike Party: 2nd Annual Dublin Ireland Mayor's Ride Tomorrow

The mayor of one of our key sister cities is making his annual stop in San Jose and will be participating in a special Irish-themed bike party tomorrow--Irish music and all. Everyone is welcome! They will meet at San Jose City Plaza at 9:30 AM (don't forget to change your clocks) and ride on a 7-mile route through Downtown that will show off new bikeways and bike share stations. Check out the route and the press release below and don't forget to grab a Guinness after the event.

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SAN JOSE BIKE PARTY PRESENTS
THE 2ND ANNUAL DUBLIN IRELAND MAYOR’S RIDE

SUNDAY, MARCH 9th, 9:30 AM 
Event Info: www.sjbikeparty.org

San Jose Bike Party Will Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day a Little Early  This Year  

As part of the Sister City relationship between the cities of Dublin and San Jose, the Lord Mayor of Dublin will be making his annual stop in the Silicon Valley.  The Lord Mayor will ride with San Jose Bike Party and local residents for a Sunday morning of cycling, music, and fun. San Jose’s cycling and creative community will be featuring Guerillaz in Da Mixx synchronized music bikes with a playlist consisting of traditional Irish tunes and Bike Party favorites.

Lord Mayor Oisín Quinn is the 344th Lord Mayor of the city of Dublin and has been a city councilmember since 2004. Next year the city of Dublin will celebrate the 350th anniversary of the city’s first Lord Mayor. Visible on the Lord Mayor at all public events is the Great Chain of Office which was presented by King William III (William of Orange) in 1698. The Chain is worn at all official ceremonies and is composed of decorative links including the Tudor rose, a harp, a trefoil shaped knot and the letter S (thought to stand for Seneschal or Steward).

 We will meet at San Jose City Plaza at 9:30AM PDT (don’t forget to set your clock forward by one hour the night before) and ride on a route of about  7 miles. We will be visiting some of the city’s downtown  landmarks and recent bikeway improvements, including bike share stations, green bikeways, and newly placed bike corrals or on-street bike parking facilities.

A map of the complete route will be available at SanJoseBikeParty.com two days before the ride. Everyone is welcome to attend or participate.

WHAT: THE 2ND ANNUAL DUBLIN IRELAND MAYOR’S RIDE
WHERE: Departs from San Jose City Hall Plaza
WHEN: Sunday, March 9thMeet at 9:30 AM

More information on the organization, including details on future rides, is available atwww.sjbikeparty.org.

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About San Jose Bike  Party:

San Jose Bike Party is a late evening ride around the Bay Area’s largest city; with different routes and start points. We ride as one cycling group on the 3rd Friday of every month. Weather does not cancel the ride. San Jose’s biking community, much like the city itself, has grown rapidly, and San Jose Bike Party’s goal is to be a positive part of this growth. Each month, the event sets out to explore the city via bicycle, featuring an ever-changing route, new playlists for the ride, and regroups that encourage participants to socialize with others. San Jose Bike Party is a monthly happening which encourages participants to ride bikes, make friends, and celebrate their city.

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San Jose Launching It's Second Green Bikeway Tomorrow!

Tomorrow San Jose is officially launching a new green, buffered bikeway on San Fernando that will stretch from San Jose State all the way to Diridon! Tomorrow at 8am the public is invited to the official launch of the bikeway at Diridon (and people are encouraged to wear green). After a brief ceremony, there will be a 1.2 mile community bike ride ride to City Hall.

The San Fernando bikeway will connect the buffered bike lanes on 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 11th streets as well as the Guadalupe River trail. I can see the Bay Area Bike Sharing programming getting a lot more use now.

The first green bike lane project was along Hedding Street. Expect many more of these projects in the future as San Jose pushes towards the goal of having 500 miles of bicycle lanes in its network.

For more information on the bikeway and tomorrow's ceremony, have a look at the release below.

Click to Enlarge

San José to launch its second green, buffered bikeway this week

Ribbon cutting for San Fernando Corridor's enhanced bikeway followed by “Show Us Your Green” community bike ride

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The City of San José has transformed a car-oriented San Fernando Street with only basic sidewalks and bike lanes into a vibrant, people-oriented street with buffered green bike lanes, improved pedestrian walkways, crossings, streetlights and street trees. This San Fernando Streetscape Improvement project will serve as the primary pedestrian, bicycle and transit connector between the city’s regional transit center, San José Diridon Station, and major downtown destinations including office and residential towers, retail, and San José State University.

This Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013 at 8:00 a.m., the public is invited to dress in green and join representatives from the City of San José and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group for the official launch of the city's second green bikeway. The event will take place at San José Diridon Station near the intersection of San Fernando and Cahill Streets. Immediately after the brief ribbon cutting, a 1.2 mile “Show Us Your Green” community bike ride will get underway on the San Fernando green bikeway. The ride will end at San José City Hall, 200 East Santa Clara St., at approximately 8.45 a.m.

“I am pleased that we have been able to stretch our limited transportation funds to provide the community safer and more livable streets,” said Hans Larsen, San José’s Director of Transportation. “San Fernando’s basic bike lanes have seen a 112% increase over the last seven years, with 1189 bicyclists a day counted last year at the San Fernando & Fourth Street intersection. This project provides an enhanced biking experience while also improving the pedestrian environment.”

San José’s first two green bike lane projects – Hedding Street and now San Fernando Street – both serve as primary bikeways, providing east-west access across the city and connections to the Guadalupe River Trail. On-street primary bikeways, like this one, provide cross-town connections to off-street trails using enhancements such as green color, painted buffers between cars and bikes, and physical barriers separating cars and bikes.

“The enhanced bike lanes along San Fernando connect regional commuting options with employment centers, including downtown San José, North San José via the Guadalupe River Trail, and those up the Peninsula via transit at Diridon Station,” said Jessica Zenk, Senior Director for Transportation with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

San Fernando Street’s new enhanced, green bikeway is a key link in the 500-mile citywide bicycle network that San José is building. Within this larger network is a 140-mile system of primary bikeways that function as the bicycle equivalent of the City’s arterial roadway system.

"We're thrilled to see San Fernando Street get the highly visible, comfortable bike infrastructure it needs,” said Corinne Winter, Executive Director of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. “This San Fernando bikeway provides direct connections to the fabulous buffered bike lanes on 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th Streets as well as the Guadalupe River Trail."

This bike project is part of a larger San Fernando Streetscape Enhancement project funded by a $1.4 million Transportation for Livable Communities grant. The project includes pavement resurfacing and enhancements to street lights, street trees, crosswalks, sidewalks and curb ramps.

About the City of San José and Active Transportation

With nearly one million residents, San José is the largest city on the West Coast, north of Los Angeles. For information about the City’s multimodal transportation goals and policies, see the Envision San José 2040 General Plan at http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?nid=1737. For information on San José Bike Plan 2020, visit http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=268. To view the City’s Green Vision, go tohttp://www.sanjoseca.gov/Index.aspx?NID=1417.

About Silicon Valley Leadership Group

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group, founded in 1978 by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard, represents more than 390 of Silicon Valley's most respected employers on issues, programs and campaigns that affect the economic health and quality of life in Silicon Valley, including energy, transportation, education, housing, health care, tax policies, economic vitality and the environment. Leadership Group members collectively provide nearly one of every three private sector jobs in Silicon Valley with more than $3 trillion in annual revenue. Visit svlg.org or call (408) 501-7864.

About the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition

Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) exists to promote increased cycling in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. To accomplish this goal, SVBC advocates for improved and expanded bicycle infrastructure and other facilities, including bikeways, bike parking, capacity on transit, and more. Additionally, SVBC promotes bicycle culture through events and activities such as Bike to Work Day, Bicycle Friendly Workplace, and Valet Bike Parking at a variety of area events. For more information on Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, visit http://bikesiliconvalley.org/.

San Jose Bike Share Installation Photos

We are getting closer and closer to having a bike share program in Downtown San Jose! The initial pilot will have 150 bikes at 15 different stations in the Downtown core. There will also be some stations close by, such as in Japantown. If the pilot is a success, we could see many more stations coming to San Jose and other Silicon Valley cities. Installation started a few weeks ago, and I grabbed some photos from John Brazil's Flickr page. For more information on the program and to sign up, just head over here. 

Source: John Brazil from the Bike & Pedestrian Program

Two New Bike Corridors

Last week the city council approved two brand new bike corridors, Hedding Street and Ocala Avenue. Over 20 people spoke in favor of the new bike lanes at the meeting and the vote was near unanimous. This comes at a good time as a new bike sharing/rental program is coming to San Jose by the end of the year.

Source: One Square Mile

Hedding Street by Richard Masoner / Cycleicious

San Jose Trails update from City Trail Manager Yves Zuetty

from One Square Mile by noreply@blogger.com (Carlos)

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San Jose Trails Update - May 2012

Highway 237 Bikeway Construction

Construction of the bikeway project between Zanker Road and Coyote Creek (north side) continues. Asphalt paving, striping and fencing are in place. Opening of the trail is delayed until early June as final work items are completed – installation of bollards, new wheelchair ramps and restoration of a vehicle detection loop at the nearby freeway off-ramp traffic signal. Follow “SanJoseTrails” on Twitter for notification of the trail’s reopening and get more detailed updates and photos by following the Construction Updates.

Lower Guadalupe River Trail Construction

A construction contract has been awarded and the pre-construction meeting occurred on May 23. The City will provide a project schedule and details about phasing during the week of June 4. Weekly project updates are posted on the Construction Updates link found on the Trail Program homepage: www.sjparks.org/trails.

Lower Guadalupe River Trail – Tasman Under-Crossing

A grant has been secured to elevate the under-crossing at Tasman Drive so that it is flooded less frequently from seasonal rains and tidal flows from the Bay. The project is within the limits of the larger Lower Guadalupe River Trail project, however, the City has postponed construction until after the larger trail project is completed. In this way, the 6.4 mile trail project is not subject to a possible seasonal closure that would only occur due to flooding at the under-crossing. The California Transportation Commission approved a grant extension on May 23, 2012. Work on the under-crossing is to get underway immediately after completion of the Lower Guadalupe River Trail project.

Thompson Creek Trail (Tully-Quimby)

Preparation of construction documents is on-going. PG&E has issued a permit and the City has positively identified all utilities along the trail alignment. Funding is in place to construct the 0.65 mile trail (improving the existing interim gravel surface). A schedule for construction will be provided once construction documents are completed.

Doerr Parkway

Two community meetings have occurred for Doerr Parkway project. The west San Jose project will develop a landscaped trail along a short 500' parcel currently used as a utility corridor. Design work is now underway – you’ll find conceptual drawings of the future trail posted at: http://www.sjparks.org/Trails/TrailsMeetings.asp

Los Gatos Creek Trail Under-Crossing (San Carlos Street)

The City has secured $1.6M in grant funding to prepare environmental and construction documents for the under-crossing that will span beneath the West San Carlos Street bridge, active Caltrain/Amtrak railway bridge and future High Speed Rail alignment. A Request for Qualifications was issued on May 24 to hire a design consultant for the project. A schedule will provided at a later date when the project team is hired. A conceptual image of the under-crossing is available.

Wednesday Wishlist: Bike Sharing Program

Oh wait a minute... this one is actually coming true. Check out this post from our friends at One Square Mile:

San Jose Bikeshare announces 20 proposed stations
by noreply@blogger.com (Carlos)

Last Tuesday, May 22, San Jose Bikeshare announced 20 proposed locations to place Bikeshare pods within the downtown and Japantown areas (see Google Map below). Obvious key locations such as City Hall, SJSU, Diridon Station, and the HP Pavillion were included but other lower key areas of downtown were included as well.

The stations extend from Japantown in the north, Gore Park in the south, Diridon Station in the west, and 9th and San Salvador on the eastern edge of downtown. For those of you who missed the news this summer the city is planning to begin work to close the eastern streetside of Gore Park, South 1st St. to through traffic creating (after Paseo de San Antonio) one of San Jose's few permanent street closures or Paseos.

What do you think of the locations? Could you do any better? Let us know what you think.

For the latest in San Jose Bikeshare news follow them on Twitter.

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San Jose Bike Clinic this Sunday @ SPSM

Bike to Work Day is May 10—are you ready? Do you have a bike that's been gathering dust? Flat tire, creaky chain, sloppy shifting and squishy brakes?

Bring your bike down to the San Jose Bike Clinic Bike to Work Gear-Up on April 29 from noon to 4 p.m., and we'll show you how to fix those problems yourself, as well as provide you with a checklist so you know how to look for these problems on your own on May 10. Or, just come and hang out!

What: Bike repair and route planning classes, bike stands and tools so you can wrench under the guidance of our bike repair coaches, a safety ride to refresh your memory or teach you how to ride safely on the streets. We can even give you a personalized expert consultation on route planning!

When: Sunday April 29, noon to 4 p.m.

Where: San Pedro Square Market, Saint James and San Pedro streets, Downtown San Jose.

RSVP: Please RSVP if you can attend, and share with friends, at https://www.facebook.com/events/373591872685809/.

More Info: If you have questions or comments, visit www.sjbikeclinic.org orwww.facebook.com/SanJoseBikeClinic and leave a comment.

San Jose is Developing a 100-Mile Trail Network

San Jose's Annual Trail Program was released a few weeks ago, and it reveals quite an ambitious plan to link up and develop a network of trails that would exceed 100 miles. To give you an idea of the scope of this, we currently have 36 miles of paved trails. The Annual Trail Program is a great read and provides the status of over a dozen different projects that are currently in process. Some of these are pretty impressive, such as a 9 mile trail extension from Montague Expressway to Story Road consisting of at least 5 pedestrian bridges and 11 under-crossings. Read all about it right over here.

Bike Party this Friday

The theme for this Friday's bike party is the 70s! Route information will be posted on Thursday right over here. Even if you don't plan on riding, it is a pretty neat event to watch.

Today is Bike-to-Work Day!

If you see a lot of bikes on the road today, this is the reason why. Think of it as a city-wide bike party!

Also, last week there was a Clean Commute Challenge that pitted 3 transit options against one another in a friendly contest in preparation for today. Here is the press release:

                                                                                                        

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SILICON VALLEY CLEAN COMMUTE CHALLENGE

GIVES BIKES THE EDGE ON MORNING COMMUTE

In a pre-emptive ‘race’ ahead of Bike to Work Day May 12, San Jose Councilmen and local business execs show commuting by bike is sometimes faster than…everything else

San Jose, CA (May 3, 2011) – Today’s Clean Commute Challenge, a friendly competition between three modes of commuting from downtown San Jose’s The 88 condo-highrise, surprised a lot of people but not the bike-equipped commuters as the two-wheeled team beat both a light rail team and a car team for a classic two-mile commute.  Participants included City Councilmen Sam Liccardo and Ash Kalra;  Carl Guardino, Pres. and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group; and volunteer San Jose residents who regularly commute in the area.

Starting at The 88 at roughly 7:45am, the three teams took best-recommended routes from Google Maps, 511.org or their own experience to draw attention to the ease and even the advantages of transit commuting.  At the finish – the County Administration Building at 70 W. Hedding, where Liccardo and Kalra often go to meetings – the lead bike team took only 6 minutes, the lead car team took 12 minutes and the light-rail team took 17 minutes – with a caveat that the light-rail rider would have clocked  4 minutes less if he’d been able to take the planned train at 7:38 if the Challenge had started on time.

“That’s commuting,” said Brandy Bridges of Wilson Meany Sullivan, developer of The 88, “and actually illustrates why more and more Silicon Valley residents are finding bikes and trains are more reliable than the surprise of a Monday morning back-up or stalled cars on the roadways.”

"As leaders, we have to pedal what we preach," said Guardino. "For me, today's 'Clean Commute Challenge' is part of my everyday transportation experience, as my daily 32-mile roundtrip between Los Gatos and San Jose is on two wheels rather than four.  It's healthy, fun and almost as time-efficient as the automobile during commute times." 

“Over 40% of commuters have a five-miles-or-fewer commute, and that’s perfect for bicycles,” said Corinne Winter, direct of the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition.  “With today’s friendly challenge, and the annual Bike-to-Work Day coming up May 12, we want to point out to all commuters that it’s really not that difficult, and it’s often even faster, and better for your health.”

The Bike Coalition cites national research that adults who bike to work have better weight, blood pressure, and insulin levels, and that women who bike 30 minutes a day have a lower risk of breast cancer.

“Although we live in the technology capital of the world,” says Liccardo, “the tech-savvy denizens of Silicon Valley have long recognized that the best solution to our common challenges with health, transportation costs, and the environment lies in relatively low-tech: the bicycle. I’m proud to be pushing pedals with them.”

“Whether riding a bike or riding the rails, South Bay residents should seriously consider other options besides their car,” says Downtown Association Executive Director Scott Knies. “With Silicon Valley employers back in a hiring mode, they and their employees need to use these better ways to work, and closer places to live such as downtown San Jose.”

The Commuter Challenge also highlights the progress made by San Jose, a League of American Bicyclists’ “Bike Friendly City,” as it takes advantage of its ideal climate and flat topography to promote cycling as a way to reduce traffic and pollution.

“San Jose is moving in the right direction, between its ambitious bicycle plan approval last year and the opening of close-in housing like The 88, commuters really do have many more opportunities to choose their bikes to get to work and school year-round,” said Winter.

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About cycling…more at www.bikesiliconvalley.org:

·       Almost 40 percent of Bay Area commuters live within just five miles of their workplace, a bike-able distance for even inexperienced cyclists.

·       If every person living this close to their workplace ditched their cars on Bike to Work Day alone, more than 60,000 vehicles would be off the road, reducing tailpipe emissions by more than 150,000 pounds.

·       Adults who bike to work have better weight, blood pressure, and insulin levels.

·       Women who bike 30 minutes a day have a lower risk of breast cancer.

·       Adolescents who bicycle are 48% less likely to be overweight as adults.

About Bike to Work Day….more info at www.bikesiliconvalley.org/btwd :

·       Thursday, May 12 is Bike to Work Day 2011 (BTWD) in the San Francisco Bay Area.

·       Each year, tens of thousands of commuters participate in BTWD.

·       In Santa Clara County, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition has organized almost 70 Energizer Stations where cyclists can stop and refresh on their way to work.

·       The large turnout each year makes such a visible presence of bicyclists that motorists actually take notice, slow down, and make room.

·       Each year, this one great bike commuting experience converts people to occasional, then frequent bike commuters

PHOTO: San Jose Councilman Sam Liccardo, flanked by rail-commuter Tom Rivell and car-commuter Sarah Ligda, won a close ‘race’ in a Clean Commute Challenge today (May 3) from The 88 condo-highrise downtown to the County Administration building, drawing attention to May 12 Bike-to-Work Day.

Hundreds of Santa's Helpers to Build 2,400 Bikes at "Bike Build"

A great event to help out needy children is coming to the convention center this weekend, just in time for the holidays! Please have a look at the press release below.

Press Release 
Contacts: 
Jodi Engle 
408-205-8456
jodi@prxinc.com

Ori Nagel
408-966-7801
ori@prxinc.com

TurningWheels for Kids Grants Holiday Wishes
Hundreds of Santa’s Helpers to Build 2,400 Bikes for Needy Kids on Saturday, December 11, 2010

San Jose, Calif. – December 9, 2010 – BMX riders and X-Games Gold Medalists Ryan Nyquist and Joey Garcia are challenging Silicon Valley corporate execs in a tricycle race at this year’s Bike Build on Saturday, December 11th, 2010. In its sixth year, Big Bike Build 2010, presented by TurningWheels for Kids, will gather more than 700 volunteers to build 2,400 bikes for underprivileged kids in one day at the San Jose Convention Center’s South Hall, 435 S. Market St., San Jose. 

The work whistle will blow at 8 a.m. with bicycle construction peaking at 11 a.m. when volunteers will set down their tools to watch the first-ever Great Tricycle Race, pitting the pros against local all-stars:
Gene Banman, CEO of Zero Motorcycles
Dan Fenton, CEO of Team San Jose
Rich Gamboa, Vice President of UBS
Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Joe Parisi, CEO and Founder of Therma Corp.
Joe Rodriguez, Columnist for the San Jose Mercury News 
Josh Thompson, former Strikeforce Mixed Martial Arts champ
Wes Wasson, Chief Marketing Officer and Sr. Vice President of Citrix Systems

Nyquist has taken the Dirt Crown twice in the Dew Tour (’09 and ’10) and won 13 X-Game medals in his legendary BMX career, spanning more than 15 years. Garcia won the Gold medal at the 1996 X-Games and Bronze medals at the 1995 and 1998 X-Games. Their participation was arranged by volunteer Mathew Mardesich, president and CEO of ROG & Co., Inc., which develops action-sport terrain parks for kids.

Twenty children from CityTeam Ministries will also participate in Bike Build and help build the bikes they’ll take home, along with a helmet and lock. The remaining bikes will be given to more than 25 Bay Area charitable organizations for distribution.

TurningWheels for Kids was the vision of Susan Runsvold, a nurse manager at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, who wanted to buy bikes at Christmas and give them to underprivileged children; children she believed might otherwise not receive any present from Santa. Runsvold began what she hoped would be a tradition of collecting money from her friends and colleagues to purchase as many bikes as possible for holiday distribution. 
“A bike is still the No. 1 requested item by children above an iPod or video game or anything else,” states Runsvold. “A bike provides a child with—not only health benefits—but a great deal of independence and joy.”

To date, TurningWheels for Kids has raised nearly $900,000 to purchase new bikes and helmets, and it has recently started to visit local neighborhoods to assist with and teach children routine maintenance of the bikes. Thanks to two individual donors who pay all modest administrative fees, 100 percent of donations go to buying bikes and helmets.
Each year, the bikes are bought in bulk, costing on average $85 for a bike and helmet, and are built by hundreds of volunteers coming together for one day of group bike construction, with thousands of children receiving a brand new bike and safety helmet. 

TurningWheels for Kids is a program of the Valley Medical Center Foundation. Every year there are more requests than bikes. This year there are requests for 3,100 bikes and only supply for 2,400. You can lend your support by making a donation at www.turningwheelsforkids.org.

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