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Twin Cities Bicycle / Pedestrian Projects Shine Brightly MCBC would like to take a moment to reflect upon the many wonderful bicycle and pedestrian improvements that have taken place in the Twin Cities area within the past few years. MCBC offers praise and appreciation to the Transportation Authority of Marin, the City of Larkspur and the Town of Corte Madera! Larkspur Most recently, on November 2nd, the City of Larkspur Department of Public Works (DPW) Director, Hamid Shamsapour, officially cut the ribbon to reopen Doherty Drive to the public! To echo Mayor Rifkin’s opening celebration speech, “The name Doherty Drive does not do this beautiful new multi-modal facility justice; it would be more aptly named Doherty Boulevard!” Among the project’s many benefits, this amazing new facility includes Class II bicycle lanes on both sides of the roadway and a 12’ wide pedestrian walkway along the south side of the road. Other recent and notable multi-use project’s within the City of Larkspur include the Meadowood Pathway from Heatherwood Park to Meadowood Drive; the paved pathway from Heatherwoood Park to Doherty Drive; reconstruction of the East Sir Francis Drake wooden bridge under the Highway 101 undercrossing; installation of in-pavement bicycle detection at signalized intersections; and the construction of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant ramps at two key intersections of the Sandra Marker Trail- Apache Road and William Avenue. These new ramps have increased the capacity of users of all ages and abilities to access the trail. With regards to recent bicycle-specific projects, the City of Larkspur’s are almost too numerous to list! Class II bicycle lanes have been striped on Magnolia Avenue, Bon Air Road, and along a short section of Redwood Highway, just north of the Lucky Drive/ Highway 101 pedestrian overcrossing. Also, sharrows were installed Downtown and on South Eliseo Drive. In addition to the many wonderful bicycle facility improvements, a couple of noteworthy pedestrian projects have been completed as well. The City also recently completed two Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP) pedestrian projects, the Elm Avenue Stairs Project and the Post Street Stairs Project, both of which resulted in safer and more direct travel options for pedestrians. An additional project that will greatly benefit cyclists is the City of Larkspur’s proposed improvements to East SFDB at Larkspur Landing Circle. This project is underway; when completed, it will improve bicycle and pedestrian crossing of the Larkspur Landing/SFDB intersection and will improve wayfinding from the southerly end of the Cal Park Tunnel, across Larkspur Landing, to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. Corte Madera In addition, the Town of Corte Madera is currently in the planning/design phase of two significant pathway projects. The first, the continuation of the Paradise Drive Multi-use Pathway eastward from Westward Drive to Upland Circle, is fully funded and anticipated to go to construction in 2013-14. This project will vastly improve the safety of students travelling to/ from Marin County Day, Marin Montessori and Lycee Francais La Perouse. Paving and improvements are also planned for the High Canal Pathway, which bisects the Sandra Marker Trail in the north-south direction. This project would create a continuous Class I bikeway from Tamalpais Drive in Corte Madera to Lucky Drive and Doherty Drive in Larkspur. As a result, students attending Redwood High School, Hall Middle School and Neil Cummins School would have a much safer commute with less on-street travel than presently. 22
Twin Cities Bicycle/Pedestrian Projects Shine Brightly (cont.) Adult recreational and commuter cyclists would also benefit greatly from these two projects. Bicycle Parking Of course, with all of these amazing new bicycle facilities, one must have a place to park his/her bike! That should not be a problem, however, due to the success of the County Bicycle Parking Program and the efforts of the City of Larkspur, Town of Corte Madera, private property owners and the Tamalpais Union High School District. Collectively, these entities provided approximately 112 bicycle parking spaces within the Twin Cities area. (See page 21.) Transportation Authority of Marin So, now you’re probably asking, “given all of these fabulous new additions to the bicycle/pedestrian network, what does the future hold?” Rest assured, the future looks bright! The following projects are currently under discussion and/or planning. The Transportation Authority of Marin’s (TAM) Central Marin Ferry Connection Project (CMFCP), currently in the final design phase, will provide an elevated multi-use path crossing Sir Francis Drake Boulevard East (SFDB) which will serve to connect the Cal Park Hill Tunnel multi-use path with the existing multi-use path along the south side of SFDB. TAM is also responsible for funding and constructing the Highway 101 Greenbrae-Twin Cities Corridor Improvements Project (GTCCIP). Some of the GTCCIP elements proposed include a Class I multi-use pathway along the west side of Highway 101 from Corte Madera Creek to Wornum Drive, a multi-use pathway along the north side of Wornum Drive, Class II bike lanes on Tamal Vista Boulevard from Madera Drive to Fifer, and a 10’ wide sidewalk and southbound Class II bike lane on Redwood Highway from the Corte Madera Creek/Highway 101 overcrossing to Tamalpais Drive. MCBC is currently working with TAM staff, engineers and Board members to find a way of replacing the spiral-ramp pedestrian overcrossing that is planned to be removed as part of this project. There you have it! If you’ve recently thought about relocating to or visiting the Twin Cities area, you may want to seriously consider doing so. The area is already bursting with top-notch, not to mention exquisitely scenic, bicycle and pedestrian facilities and there is no sign of this trend coming to an end anytime soon! So, if you haven’t done so already, take some time to go out and experience these beautiful facilities firsthand, and if you plan to enjoy any of the numerous safe and separated pathways, be sure to bring your little cyclists along- they’ll surely thank you! MCBC would like to express our deepest praise and gratitude to Hamid Shamsapour who recently retired as the Larkspur Department of Public Works Director. Hamid will continue to work with Larkspur to complete much of the work he has begun, however. We wish him joy and success in whatever his future holds! Measure A Passes Easily with MCBC Support With ballots cast by mail and in the ballot booth on November 6, Marin voters gave resounding approval (74% in favor) to Measure A, a ¼-cent sales tax that will protect and preserve our parks, open space preserves and farmland. MCBC strongly supported Measure A because it will greatly benefit both on-road and off-road cycling throughout Marin. Benefits to the cycling community are expected to include implementation of trail projects as part of County Parks’ new Road and Trail Management Plan (RTMP); acquisition of land and easements for new preserves and trail connections; maintenance of paved multi-use paths, such as the Mill Valley-Sausalito and Corte Madera Creek pathways; and preservation of farmlands that are crucial to the county’s local food production, agricultural economy, and quiet back roads frequented by recreational riders. After MCBC’s Board unanimously endorsed Measure A in August, our staff, volunteers and Directors contributed many hours promoting the measure. We talked with voters attending a variety of events around the county, including MCBC’s well attended Biketoberfest; placed campaign signs at high-visibility locations; wrote an opinion piece for the Marin Independent Journal with Access4Bikes and the NorCal High School Cycling League; and explained to our members why the cycling community’s support for the measure was crucial. We joined a long list of environmental, agricultural, equestrian and other groups (see all the supporters at http://yesmarinparksopenspace.com/endorse/) in a broad, coordinated effort, and together, a winning campaign was assembled. [Continued on next page.] Measure A Allocations 65% to County Parks and Open Space Preserves 20% to Farmland Protection 15% to Cities, Towns and Special Districts 23
Page 1 and 2: Volume 14 / Issue 4 FALL 2012 SAFE
Page 3 and 4: President’s Message As summer sli
Page 5 and 6: Text / Talk / Crash Do you practice
Page 7 and 8: Bicycles, Beer & Face Paint By Alis
Page 9 and 10: few minutes longer than my car comm
Page 11 and 12: Mt. Tam Dirt Fondo a BIG SUCCESS MC
Page 13 and 14: How About Bike Touring? (cont.) Jos
Page 15 and 16: strap down and ride with. Flattened
Page 17 and 18: Share the Road Legislation (cont.)
Page 19: Sir Francis Drake Boulevard Through
Page 24: Measure A Passes Easily with MCBC S

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