Bike for Life, Moscow Idaho Encouraging people to get on their bikes

Friday, May 11, 7:00 – 9:00AM, BIKE TO WORK DAY, Corner of 6th and Main Streets (in front of Maialina Pizza).  Bike by the corner of 6th & Main St. in Moscow and celebrate bike to work day with us!  We’ll have free mugs of coffee (from One World Cafe), yummy snacks and fun swag.  For more info contact:  Nora Locken, nora.locken@gmail.com

Below is a line-up for May Bike Month.  Join in the fun!!  Details can be found on the home page of www.bikeforlifemoscow.com

MAY 3 — University of Idaho Fill the Racks:  bike to campus and show your bike love

MAY 7, 7:00PM — Mayor’s Bike Month proclamation: come down to City Hall Council Chambers and support Mayor Lambert officially declaring May Bike Month in Moscow

MAY 7 & EVERY MONDAY, 5:20PM — Strong Monday Mountain Bike Rides:  meet at Rolling Hills Bikes each Monday for a mountain bike ride and see Rolling Hills Bikes Facebook page for weekly details: https://www.facebook.com/RollingHillsBikes/

MAY 8, 15, 22, 29, TUESDAYS in May, 6:00 – 7:30PM — Youth Cycling Clinic: kids age 4 – 18 can join Palouse Bicycle Racing instructors at the City cyclocross track to learn skills and have fun on this challenging course.  Register by May 6 with City of Moscow Parks & Rec

MAY 9, 7:30 – 8:30AM — Fill the Racks: all K-12 students are encouraged to safely ride their bicycles to school

MAY 9 & EVERY WEDNESDAY, 6:00 PM sharp — Wednesday Rides:  meet on bike path at corner of Blaine & Highway 8 for a no-drop ride on Latah Trail or nearby roads

MAY 11, 7:00 – 9:00AM — Bike To Work Day:  Bike by the south-east corner of 6th and Main Street for a free cup of coffee and treats

MAY 15, 10:00 – noon — Tow Your Tots:  kids on bikes and/or in trailers are welcome for this fun ride starting at Hordemann’s Pond, going to Triangle Park (East Gate Park) & Fairgrounds playground, ending at Patty’s for lunch.  It is a slow group and we will stop and play along the way.

MAY 19, 10:00am — Moscow High Chipman Trail ride: encourage 9 – 12th grade students to bike with this fun ride on the Chipman Trail between Moscow and Pullman

Registration is open for the Idaho Walk Bike Summit.  It will take place in Boise May 16-18.  The goal is to provide education and training on relevant topics of bicycle and pedestrian design, advocacy, land use, funding options, health and wellness, and more.  There are great workshops and speakers planned and I hope many from our community will make the trek to Boise for this wonderful Summit!

For more information, including details on available scholarships (application due March 30), please click the link below.  Also, know that registration is only $50 in March ($75 thereafter).

https://idahowalkbike.org/summit-2018/

Changes to Moscow’s Third Street Corridor will be discussed and diagramed at a public open house tonight at Moscow City Hall.  Construction of a bridge connecting Third Street to Mountain View is slated to happen in 2018.  As part of that project, traffic calming measures and changes to the Third Street Corridor from Main Street to Mountain View will be taking place.  Today, Thursday, Jan 18., 5:30-7:30pm come down to City Hall and see drawings of the three possible alternatives.  One plan would include a two-way separated bike lane and the other two would include a combination of traditional bike lanes and sharrows.  All three alternatives include sidewalk and crosswalk improvements.  You can make your comments on the proposals tonight via comment cards at the open house, or send comments via email through Jan. 21 to thirdstreet@ci.moscow.id.us

The city needs your opinion.
Tonight from 5pm-7pm in City Hall (3rd and Washington) is an open house for the Third Street traffic calming plans. There are three proposed plans and they all have exactly the same traffic calming (raised crosswalks, lower speed limit, timed flashing lights by the schools, and gateway medians). The only difference is parking and bike lanes.
Two plans have sharrows. Plan C includes a separated bike lane (also called a cycletrack or protected bike lane).
Moscow has never had a separated bike lane before and your opinion is important. Please come to City Hall to learn more about this exciting new possibility for our city. There is a model example set up and we will be answering questions.
Separated bike lanes are being installed across the USA to provide low-stress routes for bicyclists who are not confident riding with vehicle traffic. Studies show that about 60% of the population is not willing to ride their bicycle in traffic. Separated bike lanes are intended for this population.

The photo below is the same dimensions that will be installed on 3rd Street. It is one of many separated bike lanes in America.

This is located here (click the link and streetview it):

Example separated bike lane

For more information here is a brand new guidebook that the Federal government has made:

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/separated_bikelane_pdg/separatedbikelane_pdg.pdf 

And this recent guidebook is targeted for small rural cities like Moscow, Idaho:

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/small_towns/fhwahep17024_lg.pdf

If you cannot attend tonight then send an email to the city. They want to know 1) how much do you ride or want to ride your bike and 2) have you ever used a separated bike lane before? Send your comments to:

thirdstreet@ci.moscow.id.us

A sub-group of the City of Moscow Transportation Committee has been established to make a recommendation on changes to the Third Street corridor.  The Third Street sub-group will be discussing bicycle travel tomorrow night: Tuesday, November 28, 5:15 – 6:45pm in the City Council Chambers located on the 3rd floor of City Hall at 206 E. 3rd Street.  I thought this might interest many of you cyclists out there.  As I understand, the sub-group is conducting a working meeting that the public is welcome to attend and listen to the discussion but the meeting format does not accommodate public comment.  However, you can learn more by attending and send your comments to thirdstreet@ci.moscow.id.us