Velo Ball 2014 is Nov. 1
Helping South Sac design a healthier community
Integrating bicycling throughout downtown Sacramento
Protect your bike from theft
New board members
Bike shorts
Come ride with us
Velo Ball 2014 is Nov. 1
We’re kicking off the year-end holiday season on Sat., Nov. 1 with Velo Ball, our annual fundraising gala. Tickets are on sale now!
This year’s party, at Beatnik Studios near Southside Park in downtown Sacramento, coincides with Dia de los Muertos, the annual Mexican celebration of remembrance. We’re celebrating with casual Mexican street food and desserts from Florez Bar & Grill, a hosted bar with local craft beers and wine, and music and dancing with DJ Larry Rodriguez of the Press Club in downtown Sacramento.
The highlight is a silent auction of local treasures and one-of-a-kind experiences, including getaways to Bolinas and Mendocino, tickets to Disneyland and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, golf lessons, a personal trainer session, bike accessories and apparel, gift certificates to local restaurants, and much more. We’re also auctioning the amazing Smokin’ Groven, a wood-fired smoker for serious cooks. Funds raised at Velo Ball 2014 will build our capacity to advocate for better bicycling in the Sacramento region.
Tickets are $50 per person, available by advance purchase only. We’ve sold out the past two years, so don’t wait! Sponsorship opportunities are still available – contact us for information on how your business can participate.
Helping South Sac design a healthier community
Our region prides itself in being bike-friendly, yet for residents of South Sacramento, bicycling is often difficult and hazardous. Fewer South Sac residents own cars than other Sacramento residents and public transit service is limited – bikes are basic transportation. Railroad tracks, a freeway, a former state highway, and large, fast, busy boulevards divide the community and limit access to services. The intersection of Stockton Blvd. and Fruitridge Road has Sacramento’s highest number of bicyclists and pedestrians injured in vehicle collisions.
We’re working with nonprofit allies and South Sac residents on a plan to make biking and walking safer and more convenient. Part of the Building Healthy Communities program funded by the California Endowment, the project will also develop community action plans for housing, economic development and urban agriculture. The planning area is bounded roughly by Franklin Blvd., Broadway, Power Inn Road and 47th Ave.
The planning process represents a new, grassroots model that begins with significant input from South Sac residents, workers, property owners and other stakeholders. Community workshops, one-on-one dialogue, and an online tool are being used to identify needs and opportunities. We’re still soliciting public input at community events and online, so if you live, work or shop in South Sac or commute through the area, please share your thoughts.
Integrating bicycling throughout downtown Sacramento
The City of Sacramento has embarked on a year-long study to integrate five modes of transportation in downtown Sacramento: bicycling, walking, public transit, cars and large trucks. The goal is to establish priorities for spending an estimated $100M in transportation improvements over the next 20 years in the area bounded by the rivers and the Capital City Freeway. We see this study as a prime opportunity to make downtown safer and more comfortable for people who ride bikes (or want to).
We’re calling on the city to invest in continuous crosstown bike routes that connect downtown to the surrounding neighborhoods. The existing bikeway network is significantly fragmented, with bike lanes that just end (think: westbound K St. at 15th) and barriers such as the Capital City Freeway ramps that create intense conditions for bicycling at the east and south edges of downtown. Due to a lack of bike lanes, downtown destinations such as the Sacramento Valley Station and the new Kings arena are largely inaccessible to all but the strongest, most confident bicyclists.
Downtown Sacramento needs a continuous network of bikeways that are safe and comfortable for everyone who rides or wants to ride. You can learn more about the study and offer your thoughts and ideas at the Sacramento Grid 2.0 website.
Protect your bike from theft
How easy is it to cut through a cable lock? A lot easier than you might think. Maybe you’ve even tried cutting one yourself at our demos at 2nd Saturday events on 20th Street, the Midtown Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings, or the Wednesday farmer’s market in Chavez Park.
Our Protect Your Bike campaign is educating Sacramento residents about how to register their bikes through the City of Sacramento’s Ride On! online registery, how to lock a bike effectively, and how to report a theft. In addition to demos at community events, we host a website and we’ve been distributing information cards to local bike shops and cafes. We’re currently talking with Cosumnes River College and Sac State about how we can reach students.
The program is sponsored by Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Hansen, Sacramento Area Council of Governments, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, Sacramento Police Department, Sacramento Regional Transit, Downtown Sacramento Partnership and Midtown Business Association.
New board members
Our board of directors is growing! This summer we welcomed eight new members who expand our capacity and broaden our connection to the community.
Jim Allison is planning manager for the Capitol Corridor, which has one of the nation’s highest rates of passengers who access the system by bicycle. Ted Florez works for the City of Sacramento Utilities Department and also organizes the annual Sacramento Cyclefest. Becky Garrow is a health education with the Public Health Institute and helped launch the California Department of Public Health’s fleet of loaner bikes for employees.
Car-free for the past 26 years, Mel Melvin works as a historian, currently serves on the Sacramento City-County Bicycle Advisory Committee, and previously served as a shop manager at the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen. Andrea Rosen is a senior attorney with Covered California and a longtime member of the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association. Chris Shultz is deputy insurance commissioner for California and an avid cyclocross racer. Morgan Staines is an attorney with Covered California and lives in the Arden-Arcade area.
The new board members will serve 3-year terms. They join veteran board members Jeffery Rosenhall, Ryan Sharpe, Sue Teranishi and Maya Wallace.
Bike shorts
A paved, off-street bike path is one of the options El Dorado County is studying for 30 miles of former Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way that connects the American River Parkway and Folsom to Shingle Springs and Placerville. Imagine how many residents and visitors would love to ride between Sacramento and Placerville along the gentle 2% grade of the former rail line.
More bike corrals are starting to show up around downtown Sacramento. Recent additions include corrals on R Street near 10th and between 14th and 15th streets, at 24th and K streets, next to Der Biergarten, and on 7th Street near K outside 24-Hour Fitness.
On October 25, the City of Citrus Heights cuts the ribbon on a mile of new biking and walking path along Old Auburn Blvd. between Garry Court and Robert Creek Court. We’ll be leading a neighborhood ride to inaugurate the trail.
Come ride with us
5 PM, 10/24: Tour de Brews: Bike Dog Brewing Anniversary
TGIF! We’ll ride from Capitol Park to West Sac to help Bike Dog Brewing celebrate its 2-year anniversary that weekend. Free Bike Valet parking from SABA will be provided.
4 PM, 10/25: Day of the Dead Bicycle Cruise
Sacramento Cyclefest founder and SABA board member Ted Florez leads a tour of downtown pubs. Meet at 4 PM at Suzie Burger, 2020 P Street, Sacramento. The ride departs at 5 PM. The ride is sponsored by Modelo, Sacramento News & Review and Sacramento Cyclefest.