Main Bike Path Closed for Construction

Bicycle Safety Improvement Project, Summer 2016 

Main Bike Path Closed for Construction 

Please note that the entire Main Bike Path (starting at the intersection with Ranch View Road and ending at the top of the path near the Music Center) will be CLOSED this summer after Commencement on June 13 through September 16, 2016. 

This area will be closed to bicyclists, pedestrians, and personal vehicles. Please be aware and use alternate routes. This construction project proposes to realign and re-grade the downhill bike path near the Village Road/Farm Service Road crossing including realignment of the intersection. The combination of the proposed intersection improvements and the bicycle path grade changes and realignment will greatly increase the sight distance for both cyclists traveling downhill and vehicles entering the intersection. Cyclists will also be able to maintain better control of their speed and bicycle as they approach this intersection due to a longer, smoother, curve.

Reconstruction of this section of the bike path is a campus priority in order to reduce the number of bicycle-related accidents and injuries. It will be constructed in conjunction with the development of the first phase of the Recycle Recovery Yard facility above the Farm.

The UCSC campus has been awarded $383,000 in state Active Transportation Program (ATP) funds for safety improvements and realignment of the Great Meadow Bike Path Safety Improvement Project. The grant funds will be supplemented with approximately $50,000 in campus funds.

View the closure map here.

Smart Bike Lockers

Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) is pleased to announce that 12 additional, “smart” bike lockers have been installed at campus locations. Lockers are now available to all UCSC employees, students and visitors at seven locations on the main campus and the Marine Science campus: OPERS, Porter College, the Science Library, Engineering 2, Baskin Engineering, the Seymour Center and the Center for Ocean Health. These lockers are available first-come, first-served and provide on-demand, safe, secure, and covered bike parking that can be shared by multiple cyclists. All lockers are operated as part of the Bikelink network and a fee of $.05 per hour will be collected at the locker. For more information or to purchase a BikeLink card, please go to www.bikelink.org.

Bicycle Traffic School

Did you receive a ticket while on a bicycle? This information is for you!

Bicycle Traffic School (BTS) is for cyclists that have been given a ticket for a traffic citation while riding a bike. BTS gives cyclists a one-time option of attending a two-hour bicycle safety class for a fee of $35 instead of paying the violation fine. A court order to attend BTS must be granted by the Traffic Court Judge.

 In order to participate in BTS you must:

1. Appear in traffic court on your scheduled court date and ask the judge for a court order to attend Bicycle Traffic School. 
2. Obtain a BTS registration form from the court clerk.
3. Follow the instructions on the form for paying the $35 fee. 
4. Register for a class within 30 days of your court referral date. 

 * SAVE MONEY * LEARN SAFE CYCLING SKILLS * ATTEND BICYCLE TRAFFIC SCHOOL

 For more information call (831) 454-7551 or log on to www.sctrafficsafety.org.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - Santa Cruz County Bike Smart Rodeos - Fall 2015

Although it still feels very much like summer, you may be surprised to learn that it is in fact, FALL. And, of course, that means that school is back in session and Bike Smart bicycle safety education team is ready for weekly rodeos. They've been hard at work for the last few weeks in preparation for the rodeos, but the schools and students are so grateful to get the chance to experience the Bike Smart program!

Here are the events scheduled for Santa Cruz County:

Sunday, October 11th - Santa Cruz Open Streets Public 
Rodeo Event 9:00AM - 2:00PM

Wednesday, October 14th - Bay View Elementary 
Rodeo #1 8:20AM - 10:20AM
Rodeo #2 11:20AM - 12:40PM

Thursday, October 15th - Bay View Elementary 
Rodeo #1 10:40AM - 12:20PM

Monday, October 19th - Mar Vista Elementary 
Rodeo #1 8:05AM - 10:05AM
Rodeo #2 10:20AM - 12:20PM

Tuesday, October 20th - Mar Vista Elementary 
Rodeo #1 8:05AM - 10:05AM

Please RSVP with Kira Ticus at kticus [at] ecoact [dot] org with the rodeos you're available to assist with. Once you've signed up for the rodeo time slots, she'll send a follow up email with relevant information about the school site and event details as the event date gets closer.

People Power of Santa Cruz County Launches "I Give 3 Ft" Safety Campaign

California’s new bike-passing law takes effect Tuesday, Sept. 16 and many motorists aren’t aware of the new requirements, so People Power of Santa Cruz County, the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (HSA), and the California Bicycle Coalition are launching a safety campaign urging motorists to pass bicyclists safely by giving at least 3 feet of clearance when passing. On Tuesday, Sept 16, California joins twenty-five other states with similar laws.

Image source

People Power and HSA are hosting a press event on September 16th at 10 AM at Santa Cruz City Hall, to encourage widespread education of motorists and cyclists on the new law. The event will feature local elected officials, the Watsonville and Scotts Valley Police Departments, and the Capitola AAA office.
“This bill will be a powerful educational tool in Santa Cruz County,” says People Power Director Amelia Conlen. “People on bikes are often passed dangerously close, especially on our rural roads. The new law gives us the opportunity to talk to drivers and cyclists about how to interact safely.”

“More and more Californians are discovering that bikes are an easy, healthy, and fun way to get around, but it’s unnecessarily dangerous sometimes when a motorist passes too closely,” said Dave Snyder, the executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition, whose organization advocated for the bill to remind motorists that three feet is the minimum clearance necessary for safety. Bicyclists need some “wiggle room,” Snyder said, to safely avoid a pothole or road debris without having to worry about getting hit by a passing car.

At least three cyclists have been killed in automobile collisions in Santa Cruz County in the past year.

AB 1371 was signed into law last September. When it takes effect, violators will face a $35 fine plus fees, or a $220 fine -- $959 with fees -- if a collision occurs. Where a violation results in a collision that injures a bicyclist, the law will be valuable because it establishes a basis for citing the driver for unsafe passing.

People Power is providing free bumper stickers and window clings to motorists who want to put them on their car to remind other motorists of the need to pass safely. Visit the press event to pick one up.

For more information, please contact Amelia Conlen, People Power Director, at (831) 425-0665 or director AT peoplepowersc DOT org

May 2014: Internships, Employment, & Volunteering

Arboretum Volunteer Gardening Opportunities
Do you have an interest in gardening? The Arboretum has volunteer gardening hours throughout the week. Visit their website for details and cultivate your green thumb!

Find/Upload Projects to Sustainability Project Clearinghouse
Are you interested in getting involved in a campus sustainability project but don't know how? Are you looking for partners for your current project? Have you completed a project that you would like others to learn from? Visit the Sustainability Project Clearinghouse, a centralized database of UCSC sustainability projects, today! You can view published projects or upload your own projects and ideas. For training on how to upload a project, please contact Shauna Casey [at] ucsc [dot] edu.

Volunteer for the Sustainability Spring Festival
Interested in helping to celebrate the many sustainability accomplishments of our campus? Volunteer to help plan the Sustainability 2014 Spring Festival Celebration! Contact Darlene Khalafi at dkhalafi [at] ucsc [dot] edu or visit this website for more information. Volunteers are needed the day of the event May 22nd from 11am-4pm as well as the week before the event to help create decorations and much more!

Bikes & Food Justice Festival

Do you like bikes, food and justice? Join us for the Stevenson Bike & Food Justice Fest from 12pm-4pm in the Stevenson Fireside Lounge. Join us for a bike & food justice festival featuring free bike maintenance, bike education and history, and bike-generated strawberry smoothies with education about strawberry production, music, bike part art and food justice. The Bikes & Food Justice Festival is looking for volunteers to work in one hour shifts. For more information, contact Melissa Ott, mott [at] ucsc [dot] edu or check out the event page here.

Sierra Club's Search for Next Generation Leaders 
Sierra Club is looking for the next generation of environmental leaders! Today, more than ever, young savvy organizers are running campaigns and changing the policies at the local, state and national level. This summer, hundreds will take part in the Sierra Club's award-winning grassroots leadership training program to learn the skills necessary to launch such campaigns. These five week-long trainings are ran by, and intended for young movement leaders. Does this sound like someone you know? Nominate a young leader to gain the skills and confidence they need to launch and win real campaigns for real issues: sustainability, climate and justice by clicking here!

ZipCar Paid Internship
ZipCar is offering a paid internships to students at UCSC! Some responsibilities include: communicating and working with campus-wide contacts to cultivate awareness on campus, location management, vehicle auditing, and writing and executing a marketing plan. To apply, and for more information, check out ZipCar's website.

Apply to Volunteer with Sprout Up
Sprout Up is a non-profit program that looks for undergraduate volunteers to help bring lessons of environmental science and sustainability to local elementary school classrooms. Sprout Up was founded by college students is a non-profit operation, so they are always seeking new instructors. For more information about potential volunteering opportunities, check out their website.

Internships with WaterLab Research Facility 
The WaterLab Research Facility studies wastewater recycling and how to use recycled water to conserve unused water reserves. Though still in progress of become a full-fledged research facility; internship opportunities exist and will continue growing as the facility expands. UCSC students can learn more about the WaterLab and internships by contact Eli Weintraub
at etweint [at] ucsc [dot] edu and via the Center for Integrated Water Research. 

Intern at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Come on down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Thursday May 8th, for Information Sessions at 10:00 am-1:30pm (presented every 30 minutes), and Interview Screenings beginning at 10:30 am-2:00pm to get all the information needed to volunteer! The mission of the aquarium is to inspire conservation and care for our oceans and everyone who interns there plays a critical role. Bring your passion and energy to a rewarding workplace and apply for an internship that best suits those skills! For for information please visit their website or email intern [at] mbayaq [dot] org.

Volunteer for Sea Slugs
The Sea Slugs are a UCSC student-based organization built around environmental activism and community involvement. Sea Slugs have ties with many local organizations including the Save the Waves Coalition and the Surfrider Foundation. All those interested in environmental stewardship should visit their website or contact them at seaslug.ucsc [at] gmail [dot] com.

Innovative Approaches to Sustainability at Other Campuses

Here are a few selections of the innovative approaches to sustainability taking place on other college campuses. Each of these examples was chosen because they represent ideas that UCSC could potentially implement in some form, or in some cases, already has begun to. If you see something here that you want to make a reality at UCSC, contact the Sustainability Office and we will help you direct your ideas toward fruition!

UC Davis Biodigester to Power Campus
Leftover pasta and other unfinished food from the dining commons will be put to use as the newly established UC Davis Renewable Energy Anaerobic Digester (UC Davis READ), which converts organic waste into campus electricity. During the digestion process, a mix of microbes are used to quickly break down the organic waste, which is converted into biogas that mainly consists of methane and carbon dioxide. Once the electricity is produced from the biogas, it will be directly fed into the UC Davis microgrid where it will provide power for the campus.

Sculptural Bike Racks
Students at the University of New Hampshire are welding sculptures that function as bike racks. They did all stages of fabrication: cutting, welding, bending, forging, and grinding of the metals. The University will be utilizing a U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration grant to add these artwork bike racks to the campus. We should get the Art Department and the Bike Coop to work together on something like this at Santa Cruz!

University of Oregon Operations Makes Good Use of Fallen Leaves

To cut down on the fuel consumption and the noise pollution caused by leaf blowers, University of Oregon facilities services decided to let nature take its course and not gather fallen leaves. They are experimenting with the areas where they might be able to leave the leaves in the landscape rather than hauling them away. For example, areas on campus where there is a big shade tree during the summer, they are letting the leaves sit so as to kill the grass. They'll eventually plant more shade loving trees beneath rather than having the grass turn brown every summer. What a more natural approach to landscaping!

Bike Safety Launches Boston University Bike Accident Toolkit
UCSC needs to make an app like this for our bike riding community! Bike Safety has launched the BU Bike Accident Toolkit, which helps users report a bike accident. The phone’s built-in global positioning system (GPS) can automatically record the location, date and time of the accident. The app also allows the user to create an accident report that captures the driver’s name, license plate number, insurance policy and contact information in addition to photos of any damage incurred and audio witness testimony. The user can even contact police or medical emergency services directly from the app. As bicycle ridership increases, it is important to educate people on bikes, drivers in cars, and people walking about their rights and responsibilities on the road and this app will serve as a great educational resource.

Campus Tracks Cycling With First Digital Bike Counter at a University

UCLA Transportation’s bike counter uses magnetic detection embedded in the roadway to count people on bikes as they glide by in the bike lane. A new digital sign flashes the total number of people on bikes who have ridden by in the past day and a bar measures the year's total. By automating the count at one of UCLA’s busiest bike entrances, the campus can better show the need for things like new bike lanes on campus and on city streets leading to campus. UCSC students in the IDEASS internship program are working to install automated bike counters from the same company as UCLA's counter, though the counters they're hoping to purchase will not have a digital display like at UCLA... to get a digitalized counter like that costs nearly $20,000!