HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/17/2022 Item 2, Wyatt
From:AR Wyatt <
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:Active Transportation Committee item re: bike share or cycling infrastructure priority
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Dear Active Transportation Committee members and Staff: Thank you for your work to make San Luis Obispo a safer,
more pleasing place for me and others to travel by bike and foot. It has come to my attention that there will be a
discussion on funding priorities at the ATC meeting on 11/17, in particular, surrounding prioritizing bike share above
infrastructure provision for cyclists.
As a cyclist, traveler, and general fan of bike share programs, I would promote expenditure of funding and staff time on
infrastructure improvements that will increase bike trips by providing routes where people of all abilities feel safe over a
bike share program, at this point. People who are afraid of riding won't ride--with or without bike share programs. While
bike share may be cool, without sponsorship funding, it seems it may pull funding from less glamorous but more worthy
and needed infrastructure nuts and bolts projects.
In terms of program set up, regulation and enforcement, I have read the many pages, for example, in Seattle's code
around regulation of e-bike programs and scooters, etc--and such reading made it clear that it takes a huge investment
in terms of setting up process for choosing program operators, regulations and then enforcement of regs, no minor
investment of resource. Also, from an environmental standpoint, seeing many share bikes dumped under water and
destroyed and having to be removed and junked leads me to question how much this wastage and removal offsets
actual environmental savings and other benefits. Also, I have seen an ineffectual bike share program dumped in 2020 in
Cambria, after my great excitement at its start up.
In terms of getting bikes to people who need them, we have several options other than initiating a bike share program
that may make more sense: San Luis Obispo is fortunate to have Bike SLO County and its Bike Kitchen, which helps
provide low cost bikes to people who need them and helps with maintenance. Also, SLOCOG is overseeing a bike library
program for e-bike use, and as I understand it, the State is rolling out tax credits for lower income persons/those
without cars to get e-bikes in 2023. Beyond this, Cal Poly could more easily create a program where students and visitors
could borrow bikes and local hotels/motels could increase the bikes they currently provide visitors.
Our priority should be completing glaring gaps, including Tank Farm and Buckley roads, and implementing the state
grant SLO received to provide protected bike lanes on South Higuera from Madonna, and Safe Routes to School.
Given all this, I'd encourage the City to work with CalPoly to step in as far as student bike provision, if there is clear
unmet need; encourage motels to offer bikes to tourists through the local bike shops; watch the state rollout of its e-
bike credit program in 2023; help SLOCOG with the program they have; continue to support Bike SLO County's robust
community efforts-- and focus on filling network gaps, the nuts and bolts stuff.
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Yes! Do keep the municipal bike share project in a back pocket to further consider at a later date. I'd like to support such
a proposal at a future date when the City can boast a corporate sponsor for the program who will provide revenue to
the City from program operations and a more robust, safe network of paths and lanes for all riders to pedal in.
With my thanks for your work and considering my thoughts. -a
Anne R. Wyatt
(805) 296-0013
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