This is an urgent call for help building trail up Sierra and Genoa Canyons (up to the Tahoe Rim Trail) to all mountain bikers.

Background: The CVTA is dedicated to providing access and developing trail in the Carson Valley for all users (hikers, bikers, and equestrians). Under a matching state grant program, the CVTA was able to build a significant new trail network from Eagle Ridge (N of Genoa) to Genoa Canyon and up Sierra Canyon to the TRT (near Genoa Peak) this summer. The mountain bike possibilities on this trail are tremendous including loops and downhill runs starting from the TRT between Daggett and Spooner Summits.

Construction on the Genoa Foothill Trail System

What is needed: CVTA is in desperate need of volunteers to help build trail (at this point mostly trail cleanup). Hours are needed to comply with the matching portion of the state grant. The deadline to provide matching volunteer hours is the end of calendar year 2011. If bikers are going to be users of this trail it is only fair that they pitch in to help build and maintain the trail.

What you can do: Trail building dates are posted on the CVTA web site: http://www.carsonvalleytrails.org/Programs-Calendar.html

All tools are provided and NO experience is necessary. We need all cycling groups to post this message to their members. Help is needed urgently as future trail development is contingent of the success of this major initiative.

Please pick a date and show up. If you enjoy the trails you should realize that they are only exist because of the hard work of many volunteers. Won’t you be one of them?

CVTA invites you to “Build for Bill”

Saturday, October 22, 2011
8am to 3pm
Genoa Canyon (located at the end of Carson St in Genoa)

Come to Genoa Canyon and “Build for Bill” on Saturday, October 22. Every hour of trail building that you donate will be an hour of support for Bill Hay, CVTA president, who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer, which prevents him from doing the trailbuilding he loves. For more information on how you can help, see the “Build for Bill” flyer (.pdf).

Although they woke to a blustery morning, the Gudmundson girls did not waver in their commitment to walk to school as part of International Walk to School Day on Wednesday.

“The girls were going to walk, rain or shine,” said their mother Amber Little. “We’re kind of like the post office today.”

Mayor Bob Crowell walks kids to school - photo by Teri Vance / Nevada Appeal

Little, the president of the parent-teacher association at Fritsch Elementary School, encouraged other parents to walk their children to school as well.

“Part of the mission of the PTA is to empower children by engaging families in school,” she said.

As a bonus, she invited Mayor Bob Crowell to join them on their walk.

“It’s a good way to involve community leaders,” she said. “And he can show his Bulldog spirit.”

Undaunted by the rain, Crowell accepted the invitation.

“I think it’s wonderful, because it not only promotes education, but it promotes a healthy lifestyle,” he said. “Those lessons are critical, and it’s good to learn them early in life.”

They also were joined by the girls’ grandfather Jim Atkins.

“I usually don’t get a chance to see them get to school in the morning,” he said. “So this is a first for me.”

Sponsored by Safe Routes to School, International Walk to School Day encourages students to walk or bike to school “as the first step to change community culture and create environments that are more inviting for everyone, young and old,” according to the organization’s website.

The purpose is to enhance health, to improve the environment and to create safer routes for walking and bicycling.

Brooke Gudmundson, 8, was honored to be accompanied by Crowell.

“It’s kind of cool,” she said. “Not many people get to walk with the mayor to school.”

Her little sister, Riley, was less impressed.

“I don’t mind,” she said.

On the agenda:

• Safe Routes to School
• Freeway Multi-Use Path
• Bicycle Friendly Community application review

When: June 8th, 4:30 PM
Where: Carson City Community Center, Sierra Room (west side of the building)

Full meeting agendas can be viewed here:

CAMPO Agenda
RTC Agenda

The bill amends Nevada’s reckless driving statute to include striking a bicyclist or pedestrian as reckless driving, with penalties up to a $2,000 fine and license suspension.  While the law would not of course do everything to protect vulnerable users, its intent is to put drivers on notice that they are sharing the road with these users, and that there will be significant penalties for striking them.

Please consider going to the legislature website to support the bill: here’s an easy link to their public comment page. Post there, and your message will be passed on to your representative.

http://leg.state.nv.us/App/Opinions/A/Default.aspx

On to the Senate. The bill must pass out of the Senate Transportation Committee by May 15 or it dies. Any letters or phone calls in support of the bill – AB 328 – to members of the committee (see Nevada legislature website for names and addresses) would be helpful.
The Nevada Vulnerable Highway Users bill amends the state’s reckless driving statute to include striking a bicyclist or a pedestrian as reckless driving, with penalties including a fine of up to $2,000, community service, and license suspension.

We walked from Hot Springs Road to the school – about two miles. The kids had fun, and the teachers set a blistering pace. No grass grows under the feet of Mark Twain students and staff!

Thumbs Up for Mark Twain!

Carson City has long had bike paths along Highway 50, leaving Carson City to the east. These bike paths are the primary way to travel by bike when heading east or west, to and from Carson City. They provide a safe area to ride that separates the cyclist from 50mph traffic, and connect neighborhoods, schools, parks, and shopping. In addition to the cyclists of all ages that use these paths, walkers and disabled citizens also rely on this route.

People have recently come to me with complaints of businesses and customers along Highway 50 using the bike paths as parking. When a car is parked in the path, often for no good reason, since there is usually alternative parking, the path user is forced off into the dirt, gravel, or mud. And depending on the weather or what bike your riding, it can be no easy task to navigate this terrain. At the very least, extremely inconvenient. For the person in a wheelchair, it may be impossible to get around a car on the path.

The city has been receptive to complaints from users of the bike route, and has even taken steps to provide better signage along the path, even reminding motorists that there is a fine for misuse. I rode down the paths recently to see the situation for myself, and it didn’t take long before my way was blocked by a parked car. The car was even parked under one of the new signs that the city just installed. And once again this weekend, I had to navigate around another parked car, riding through the mud to do so.

I believe there is some education that needs to take place for people to better understand what they’re doing wrong. It seems to be understood that we don’t park our cars in red zones, in front of fire hydrants, or in reserved parking spaces, but for some reason it seems acceptable to block a bike path. From what I’ve heard, some businesses are even angry that they’ve been told the bike lanes aren’t for parking, and said they’d fight it if further measures were taken. It’s hard to understand this though, as there is often a dirt shoulder to park on right next to the bike path. There seems to be room to accommodate everyone.

This story is still unfolding, so it’s anyone’s guess how it will progress; however, as fuel prices and unemployment continue to rise, we will certainly see an increased use of alternative transportation like biking and walking. And we mustn’t forget our friends in wheelchairs that simply have no other method of getting around than these paths. I’d like to give people the benefit of the doubt, and assume they don’t know the trouble they’re causing by obstructing the paths.

A couple of the photos above are mine, and others were sent to me by Carson City residents. Have you had problems with cars blocking bike paths in Carson City? Let me know, and please send me photos if you have them. What do you think would be the best way to educate these motorists?

You can contact me at: jeffmoser@musclepowered.org

new sidewalk and ramps on Saliman at Damon

The city has nearly finished a project to improve sidewalks along Saliman Road between Seeliger Elementary School and Colorado St. Eleven corners were improved with ADA compliant ramps (which help everyone, not just the disabled), and some rough sections of sidewalk were replaced. The best part from a Safe Routes to School perspective is that the drain inlet which used to be right in the middle of the crosswalk over Saliman at Damon Road was moved to the north, out of the crosswalk. This drain inlet was in the worst possible place. It’s one of those drains which both scared you and fascinated you when you were a kid, not the kind of thing you want to face first thing in the morning on your way to school.

A big bravo to Carson City Public Works for this project, which was funding by the regular sidewalk repair program.

sidewalk on Curry southbound near Paiute

Snow removal after the recent small snowstorm seemed to me to go pretty well. I checked a number of streets where snow plows last year had pushed snow onto sidewalks, and I saw only one area where this happened this year – on Curry St between Rhodes St and Clearview Dr (photo at right). Did you see any problems? If so, please comment or email Dan Allison, dan at musclepowered dot org. Please be as specific as possible about streets, cross streets, and/or addresses. If you have photos, great.

I am not asking about places where bike lanes, shoulders, or multi-use paths were not cleared. This is also an issue of concern, but I want to focus for now on the higher priority sidewalk issue. After all, bikes can take the lane, but pedestrians have no safe alternatives.