Carlsbad seeking recognition as ‘Bicycle Friendly Community’ / City of Carlsbad

NOTICE: The bicycle committee meeting originally planned for Oct. 20 has been postponed due to scheduling constraints. Please check the city website for the new date or email bryan.jones@carlsbadca.gov to be notified when the meeting has been rescheduled.

As part of its effort to gain recognition as a Bicycle Friendly Community from the League of American Bicyclists, the City of Carlsbad is forming a Carlsbad Bicycle Committee, which will hold its inaugural meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 20 in the Carlsbad Senior Center activity room, 799 Pine Ave. The meeting is open to the public, and all local biking enthusiasts are encouraged to attend.

The committee will assess the steps Carlsbad needs to take to gain recognition as a Bicycle Friendly Community and help shape the city's bicycling future by identifying ways to enhance the Carlsbad bicycling experience. The League of American Bicyclists focuses on five traits in evaluating whether a city qualifies as a Bicycle Friendly Community: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation.

Because people bicycle for transportation and recreation throughout Carlsbad, the Parks & Recreation and Transportation departments want to partner with the bicycling community on a comprehensive approach to enhance Carlsbad’s status as a bicycle friendly community.

“This is a kickoff meeting to bring together people who want to see Carlsbad become a more bicycle-friendly community and help the city achieve that status,” said Bryan Jones, deputy director of the City of Carlsbad Transportation Department.

“It makes sense for Carlsbad to go to the next level and engage the community in a discussion about becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community,” Jones said. “It's a prestigious recognition for the community and just further recognizes the high quality of life that we all experience every day in Carlsbad.”

Before joining Carlsbad's transportation team, Jones worked for the City of Fresno and helped that city develop an award-winning Bicycle Master Plan and “I BIKE FRESNO” media campaign. As a result, Fresno became the first city in the San Joaquin Valley to earn recognition as a Bicycle Friendly Community.

According to Mick Calarco, a recreation services manager for the city’s Parks & Recreation Department, Carlsbad has established a reputation as a center for physical fitness and healthy living. The city has hosted an annual triathlon since 1982, which is one of the nation’s longest-running triathlons. It also is the site of an annual marathon and the Carlsbad 5000, a 5-kilometer race.

“Making Carlsbad a Bicycle Friendly Community is about partnership with the community,” Calarco said. “It’s a commitment to making Carlsbad a more bicycle friendly community than it already is today. We’re looking for input from the bicycling community in making this successful.”