Left, a student learns how to fix a tire as part of the Cory's Ride program through MCBC. Right, students and administrators enjoy Walking and Rolling to School Day at Glenwood Elementary School in San Rafael.
By Janet Perry
A s society grapples with the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, a growing number of locals are letting their cars sit, pulling bikes back out of the garage and going for a spin. Repeating that small act can help mitigate the large carbon footprint left by gas-powered vehicles. Nonprofit North Bay bicycling groups are increasingly pointing to the many benefits cycling provides and why safer streets for both cyclists and pedestrians makes perfect sense. When Gov. Gavin Newsom signed state Sen. Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) so-called Complete Streets bill (SB 960) into law this past September he helped move the state closer to friendlier, safer streets for everyone. The legislation will require Caltrans to consider the needs of those who bike, walk and take public transit, as well as people driving, on the state roads it maintains—a design and operational approach known as “complete streets” in transportation planning. The California Bicycle Coalition, or CalBike, was a big proponent of the legislation. The organization is adept at bringing together advocacy groups to work toward safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians. In Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties, local bicycle coalitions work with CalBike to promote cycling and work toward creating bike-friendly streets. All three encouraged members to contact local legislators in support of the Complete Streets legislation. We spoke with the executive directors of the three bicycle coalitions about their work, their support of the legislation and the joys of cycling. Marin County Bicycle Coalition Tarrell Kullaway is the executive director of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition. She’s been with MCBC for five years and in that time has noticed a shift in the community’s understanding of the benefits of cycling. “People are increasingly understanding that transportation is the largest chunk of climate emissions and that if we want to address our climate emergency, getting people out of cars is going to be crucial,” Kullaway says. When she started with MCBC Kullaway says it felt as though they were a fringe group. With the growing awareness around the effects of vehicle emissions, that’s changed too. “Whenever there was an agency meeting or elected officials were
talking, we always were kind of on the sidelines making noise,” she says. “Now the agencies and elected officials really are understanding the importance of our work and understanding the importance of getting people out of their cars. They're prioritizing it more.” Kullaway says they still have a lot of work to do, but she’s encouraged that there’s more awareness. Meanwhile, MCBC hosts fun cycling events like the Family Biking program, held four or five times a year, often during local festivals. They help families understand how to ride safely with kids on their bikes or riding alongside them. They have a program geared specifically for teens called E-Bike Smart Marin. The program’s league-certified instructors help educate teens on things like how fast e-bikes go and how to ride them safely. “E-bikes have the opportunity to really revolutionize the way that people get around, especially in Marin County where we have a lot of hills,” Kullaway says. “I have an e-bike and I replace at least 10 car trips a week with my bike. My car has like cobwebs growing all over it, and I rarely have to get in my car because the e-bike is so convenient.” Kullaway believes that a lot of the bad press around e-bikes and their possible dangers are focusing on what are essentially e-motorcycles. She says that it’s best to avoid e-bikes that you don’t have to pedal and that can go more than 20 miles an hour. Safety is important to MCBC and they work with the Transportation Authority of Marin on its Safe Routes to Schools program. Kullaway says they oversee the education and encouragement component of the program. They work in the schools to educate kids on how to ride safely and encourage them to get to school in green ways. “Third to fifth graders in every single public school in Marin County get a learn-to-ride curriculum provided by us,” Kullaway says. “Most of the kids come to that already knowing how to ride but there are a handful that we teach to ride as well. “There's nothing like seeing a kid learn to ride. They get this look in their eyes when they realize they can do it and the freedom it offers them.” “That’s especially true for the kids who are in fifth and sixth grade who can go off to practice on their own or are old enough to navigate to their friend's house down the street on their bike,” Kullaway says. “It's like a whole new world opens up for them.” MCBC hosts a lot of community building rides and fundraising rides
January 2025
NorthBaybiz 25
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