San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition Newsletter Page

Bikes In The News

Ride in Style in our Jersey
SLOCBC Jersey Front

We've partnered with Voler Team Apparel to create a stylish riding jersey. This unique jersey features VOLER's "club cut" relaxed fit for ultimate comfort. Made from Airies Micro Plus for superior breathability and durability, featuring a 19" hidden zipper, high collar and 3 rear pockets with reinforced stitching. A portion of every jersey sold goes to help the Bicycle Coalition make our community better for bicycles. Jerseys are $54.95 each. To order yours, click a link below:

Voler Men's SLO Bicycle Coalition Jersey
Voler Women's SLO Bicycle Coalition Jersey

Check Out Our Lending Library
Want to teach your kids about safety when walking or biking? We just started a lending library of materials on bike safety available to all current members. These are fun books and DVDs to help make learning traffic safety a blast. Materials are available at our office. For more info, call us at (805) 547-2055.

Start the Low Carbon Diet
Our friends at SLO Regional Rideshare are rolling out the new Low Carbon Diet. It could be the healthiest diet of them all, not only helping yourself, but the rest of the planet as well. We know that diets are notoriously difficult to stick to, that's why they have given you many options in this diet. Even if you only manage to commit to riding your bike a few days a week or a few days a month, you will still be losing weight!

Start the Low Carbon Diet and you'll automatically be entered to receive a $150 VISA Card. A card will be awarded every month throughout the year. They'll also be recognizing the BIGGEST LOSER each month. Get ready to lose some carbons! To sign up visit SLO Regional Rideshare.

Share the Road Campaign Rolls On With New Billboard on Hwy 101
A billboard debuted as part of our continuing Share the Road campaign. It's was visible from Hwy 101 northbound as you pass the Sunset Drive-In in SLO. The billboard educated over 50,000 people who travel this corridor each day. Thanks go out to the SLO Council of Governments and director Adam Lisagor for helping make the campaign all possible. Our Share the Road campaign now has TV, radio, and billboard components. For more info, read here.

New Year, New Bike Laws
A law was modified in California on January 1, 2008 related to riding a bicycle at night. California Vehicle Code 21201 now requires the following:

(d) A bicycle operated during darkness upon a highway, a sidewalk where bicycle operation is not prohibited by the local jurisdiction, or a bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, shall be equipped with all of the following:
  (1) A lamp emitting a white light that, while the bicycle is in motion, illuminates the highway, sidewalk, or bikeway in front of the bicyclist and is visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and from the sides of the bicycle.
  (2) A red reflector on the rear that shall be visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle.
  (3) A white or yellow reflector on each pedal, shoe, or ankle visible from the front and rear of the bicycle from a distance of 200 feet.
  (4) A white or yellow reflector on each side forward of the center of the bicycle, and a white or red reflector on each side to the rear of the center of the bicycle, except that bicycles that are equipped with reflectorized tires on the front and the rear need not be equipped with these side reflectors.
  The reflectors and reflectorized tires shall be of a type meeting requirements established by the department.
  (e) A lamp or lamp combination, emitting a white light, attached to the operator and visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and from the sides of the bicycle, may be used in lieu of the lamp required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (d).

SLO County Getting Better for Bikes: Read our 2007 Annual Report
2007 was a great year for bikes and you were part of it. Read about the triumphs in our campaigns and programs. Thanks to all of our members, volunteers, supporters, and partners. We couldn't do it without you! Click here to download a PDF copy of the report.

Office Party a Blast

If you weren't there, you really missed out. A good time was had by all on July 24th as we celebrated the grand opening of our new office with good wine, beer, food, and wonderful company. Thanks to all who made it such a great time, especially Central Coast Brewing, Jaffa Cafe, Monterey St Wine Co, Om Zone Yoga, and Splash Cafe. If you missed it, feel free to stop by our new place on 1413 Monterey Street in SLO to check it out.

Presenting the 2007 Livable Community Awards
On May 31st, the Bicycle Coalition presented three individuals with the Livable Community Award for their remarkable achievements in making SLO County more friendly to walking and bicycling. Presented during the festivities of Bike Fest, the Bicycle Coalition presented the awards to Pete Jenny and Jan Di Leo of County General Services and County Supervisor Jim Patterson for their hard work on the Parks and Recreation Element which was adopted by the County in December of last year. The Element is an amendment to the County General Plan and will help ensure that the future of the county will include a network of trails for bicycling and walking. Against enormous opposition by various interest groups, these three individuals made an enormous contribution in making sure that future generations have options in transportation and physical activity. We applaud their hard work.

Bill Roalman Bike Blvd in SLO Now Open - Take the Lane Today!
It's finally here--the Bill Roalman Bike Blvd is now open on Morro Street, paving the way for easier bike travel between the Railroad Safety Trail and downtown SLO. This is historic as SLO now has the first bike blvd in California south of the Bay Area. What is a bike blvd, you ask? It's a shared roadway where the through movement of bicycles is given priority over motor vehicles on a local street. To make this all possible, the City has flipped a few stop signs for easier travel down the blvd, painted big bicycle symbols on the asphalt, and added new signs designating the bike blvd. So, don't be afraid to ride in the middle of the lane. It's there for you! In fact, ride it as often as you can, as it helps us urge the City to build a whole network of these around town. What do you think of the new bike blvd? Drop us a line at info@slobikelane.org with your thoughts.

Bob Jones Trail to Finally Get Makeover
The County Board of Supervisors has approved a motion accepting as easement on the Bob Jones Trail near the Avila Estates. The section of trail was formerly under private property and had been in pretty bad shape with vegetation and tree roots breaking up the pavement in many areas. Now that the county finally owns the land, they will be repairing the pathway in the next few months. We look forward to the new improvements!

Our Wheel is Spoken, Not Broken
Want to stay in the loop? Check out the latest issue of our newsletter.

Spoken Wheel Volume 13. [434kb] Summer 2007 (Latest Issue)

Since it's a PDF, you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it. If you don't have the Reader, you can get your free copy on

Adobe's Web site.

Transforming San Luis Obispo County into a safer and more livable community by promoting cycling and walking for everyday transportation and recreation.