2024 in Retrospect

 

Riders on the 2024 Holiday Ride gather at Kersting Court

2nd Annual Holiday Ride 

Active Sierra Madre's 2nd annual Holiday Ride took place on Sunday December 22, starting at Sierra Madre Elementary, circling through town, and ending at Kersting Court in time for those who wanted to participate in the Candlelight Walk. A number of participants got into the spirit of the season decorating their bikes with colorful lights, which created a festive atmosphere for the ride. There's really nothing like gliding through quiet streets, spreading holiday cheer, and enjoying the many holiday decorations on people's houses along the way. 

 

Looking Back, Looking Ahead 

2024 was filled with a number of accomplishments. Our group continues to grow (our email list is close to 60!) and many participated in our official and unofficial rides. April's Community Ride was cancelled due to inclement weather, but rescheduled for October and was a lot of fun! We will be working with the city community services staff to schedule a spring ride AND a fall ride next year! The city also took posession of 5 e-bikes for use by city staff, commissioners, and elected officials. We will be continuing to work with the city to find opportunities to provide programming for folks to try them and see the potential of e-bikes as everyday transportation. One of our goals is more bike parking in town, and we worked with city staff to start with bike racks in our local parks. Implementation will depend on the vagaries of the city budget, but we encourage city staff to look for grant opportunities to fund such projects. Finally, and certainly not least, 2024 saw the return of Metro bus service to the city, with Line 268 once again serving Sierra Madre, connecting the city with the Sierra Madre Villa station to the west and El Monte Station (both Metrolink and bus stations) to the south. Next year the city plans a redesigned shuttle bus service to replace the old Roundabout. Route details are still being worked out, but it will provide another transit connection to our neighboring cities. Meanwhile the Micro Metro service will continue to serve Sierra Madre, so the combination of fixed route transit and microtransit will provide improved transit options for our residents. Further out, the city will be updating the transportation element of its city plan and there will be opportunities to provide input on improvements to street design to make our local streets safer for all road users. Looking ahead to the new year with great anticipation!

2nd Annual Holiday Ride 12/22

 

2023 Holiday Riders in front of Sierra Madre Elementary

2nd Annual Holiday Ride! 

Join friends and neighbors for the 2nd annual unofficial "Holiday Ride," Sunday 12/22, 5:30PM - 6:30 PM.  We will meet in front of Sierra Madre Elementary at 5:30PM and enjoy a festive roll through downtown and the surrounding area of town.

Hot Links: 

• US Department of Transportation highlights the importance of active transportation as a climate strategy. The fate of such federal climate efforts is in doubt with a new administration in Washington. Fortunately, local governments have a primary role to play implementing safe road designs and encouraging active mobility like walking and biking. 

• Author Jessica McKenzie is interviewed in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists about her new book on the environmental impact of lithium mining. Here, too, encouraging alternatives to driving can help reduce the environmental impact of EVs. As she puts it in the interview: "There’s already about 1.2 billion cars on the roads worldwide. Rather than trying to swap them for 1.2 billion electric cars, if we can turn that into half a billion electric cars, plus a whole lot of bicycles and subways and walkable neighborhoods, we’ll all be way better off." 

Community Ride Recap

 

Riders of all ages heading out on our Community Ride in October!

Community Ride a Big Success! 

An estimated 40 riders of all ages participated in Sierra Madre's second annual Community Ride, which featured a scenic trip around our beautiful town. The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time! Thanks to Mayor Kriebs and City Council, who all participated! Shout out to the community services and PD staff for city support, and Active SGV and Unchained Bicycle Garage for vendor support. We are in discussions with the city to expand the ride to two times a year, one in spring and one in fall. Stay tuned and let me know if you're interested in helping with next year's rides! 

 

Active Transportation is Climate Action 

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has released a "National Blueprint for Climate Action," which features some great ideas that cities can implement to reduce emissions, and highlights the importance of active transportation (walking, biking, and other micromobility solutions). 

Community Ride Next Week (Oct. 5)!!

 

Community Ride Oct 5 

The city's second annual Community Ride will take place on Saturday Oct. 5, at 8:00 AM (not 10AM as I said last week). The city decided an earlier time was preferable in case of a hot day. No problem! We ride at 8:00! Please register using the QR Code on the event flyer (above) or on the City Website.

The ride will be a casual, 4-mi loop around town that starts and ends at Memorial Park. A limited number of GoSGV e-bikes will be available to use on the ride on a first-come, first-served basis.  It is recommended that you show up early (i.e., 7AM) if you want to borrow one. Active SGV will provide Ride Marshals and SMPD will be joining the ride for support and traffic control. Unchained Bicycle Garage will be there to provide minor services like tire inflation, brake adjustment, etc. Again, it is recommended to show up early if you need that. 

Route Map: 

Community Ride Oct 5!

 

 

Community Ride October 5! 

Join friends and neighbors for the second annual community ride, Saturday October 5, 10:00AM, for a casual-paced, family-friendly 4 mi loop around beautiful Sierra Madre! Ride starts and ends at Memorial Park. 

Sign up using the QR Code on the flyer, or the city website. There will also be a sign up sheet before the start of the ride for late registration. 

Check out the Wellness Fair in the park afterwards!

Community Ride Cancelled

 

Last Year's Community Ride!

News: 

• Community Ride Cancelled. Unfortunately the city has decided to cancel Saturday's planned Community Ride and Wellness Fair due to the threat of rain. I will be working with city staff to reschedule the ride. The plan is to hold it in early October. Stay tuned! 
• Metro Bus Service Returns! As many of you know, Metro suspended regular bus service to Sierra Madre in 2020 as part of their NextGen service reorganization plan. The Transportation Subcommittee has been working with Metro staff to bring bus service back to Sierra Madre and as a result of these efforts, Metro will be returning one of our old bus lines (Line 268) in late June! Line 268 will run along Sierra Madre Blvd between Baldwin and Sierra Madre Villa. It will connect residents to the Westfield Santa Anita Mall, El Monte Metrolink and bus stations, and Sierra Madre Villa Metro station. Let the Transportation Subcommittee know what improvements you'd like to see: transportation@cityofsierramadre.com 

Hot Links: 

• California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is hosting a free webinar with local traffic safety champions to talk about how communities can improve traffic safety for all road users. If you're interested, register here. 
• Metro announces rollout of improved bike lockers at Metro stations. This is great news for anyone who wants to be able to securely store their bikes while they ride the Metro!
  

Community Ride and Wellness Fair 4/13

 

News: 

• Saturday April 13: Be sure to join Sierra Madre's 2nd Annual Community Ride and Wellness Fair! 4 mi. family-friendly, kid-friendly, everybody-friendly bike ride around lovely Sierra Madre! Ride starts at Memorial Park, 10 AM! Return as a group to Memorial Park. It's an easy paced loop ride. Ride Marshals will lead and SMPD will provide support.
  
• You can sign-up online here, or at the ride! (If you sign up at the ride, you'll need to get there a little early.)