New Bike Racks in Downtown Martinez
Martinez neighborhoods are filled with charming homes and bustling communities of neighbors walking their dogs and families riding bicycles to their destinations. You will see me and my family riding our bikes (or skateboards!) to the Farmers’ Market every weekend. On a busy Sunday, every bike rack at the Downtown Plaza will be filled with bikes.
So, I’m happy to report that the City has completed the installation of 17 new bicycle racks throughout downtown! In addition to bike racks, we have included a bicycle repair station at Parking Lot 4 and at City Hall. These bicycle racks have been installed in the parking spaces where the “daylighting law” now prohibits parking by cars within 20 feet on an intersection to protect pedestrians. Bicycle parking is such an efficient and innovative use of the space! The bike racks were funded by a grant from 511 CCTA, a program of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA). Special thanks to the Engineering and Sustainability departments for coordinating this work. Stay tuned for additional opportunities for installation of bicycle racks at other locations in the city!
I hope you will join me for some upcoming bicycle events this fall:
Bike Family Fest on Sunday, September 13. A FREE community wide event held at DVC to encourage and support kids who want to BICYCLE! Bring the whole family to ride bikes and learn new skills. Martinez families are invited to ride all together to BFF from Hidden Valley Park via the Contra Costa Canal Trail. Stay tuned for more information!
Bike the Bridges on Saturday, October 3. A fundraiser for the Special Olympics, this annual event offers various loops of ranging from 25 miles to 100 kilometers that all start and end at the Martinez waterfront and traverse the Carquinez and Benicia bridges. (And…there is a beer festival at the end to reward you for your hard work!)
Is riding a century not really your jam? Why don’t you ride your bike to the Sesquicentennial Festival on Saturday, August 29 at the Martinez Waterfront and Downtown? We will have dedicated bicycle parking and fun bike activities for kids.
Martinez really is a great place for cycling. In addition to road riding on Franklin Canyon Road or mountain biking in Briones, we have regional trails such as the George Miller Trail and connections to the San Francisco Bay Trail. If you are looking to get into riding, a great resource in downtown Martinez is Pegasus Cycles. They have both new and used, road, mountain, and cruiser bikes for sale, and they regularly host group rides throughout the year.
Are you interested in advocating for improved trail connectivity? The Contra Costa Transit Authority (CCTA) is working on a trail connection feasibility study, to evaluate potential routes to connect the Iron Horse Trail with the Contra Costa Canal Trail near the South Martinez/Pacheco area. The focus is on increasing access to open space, the Pacheco Transit Hub, and local bus services. I encourage cyclists in Martinez to advocate for the northern-most routes which will improve connections to existing trails in Martinez: Tinyurl.com/ccta-iht-connection
Happy Riding!
