Regional bike plan gets community input
By Matt Kapko
Eye Reporter
The Arcata Eye
March 16, 2004

The Redwood Community Action Agency (RCAA) is gathering input from communities all over the county as it moves forward with the Regional Bicycle Transportation Plan Update.

Jennifer Rice of RCAA held meetings in Blue Lake and Manila last week to hear the full range of bicyclists’ desires. Some want safer long-distance transportation while others are looking for more bike racks in their communities.

This study is part of a countywide plan that gets updated every two years.

“It’s not only improving existing facilities, but also looking at regional connectivity,” she said. “Our bicycle transportation network is not intuitive or connected; we’re trying to make it more so.”

She explained that a major aspect of this plan is to improve local education on positive bicycle usage and safety. “There’s a whole mindset that needs to be worked on,” she added.

It is Rice’s goal to help each of these communities obtain grant funding that is available for such bicycle projects.

Bill Burton, director of Arcata’s library bike program, offered his strong support for the plan at the Blue Lake City Council meeting last Tuesday.

He also said he would like to start a bike library program in Blue Lake. Something as simple as a bicycle hut would spark an “incredible amount of community interaction,” he said.

City Councilmember Adelene Jones said she would like to see the Annie and Mary Rail-Trail included in the plan, as it could well serve as a bicycle path between Blue Lake and Arcata.

In Manila, most residents are concerned with the section of State Route 255 that connects Arcata and Manila.

Many residents traverse the SR 255 on bike many times a day in their commute, although their safety is greatly threatened on that stretch.

“It’s ten miles, the shortest expressway in the nation,” said Beverly Prosser, the Manila Community Center Coordinator.

Director Linda Lee said she’s always been disappointed that bicycles can’t be utilized as a safe form of transformation to Arcata and Eureka.

Bicyclists coming from Manila have few choices. They are stuck either crossing a narrow bridge to Eureka or braving the small shoulder on SR 255 to Arcata.

Rice and RCAA are looking for innovative ways to improve bicyclist’s safety throughout the county. “We’re not restricting our self to just what’s been done in the past,” she said.