On Feb. 1, the City of La Mesa, in partnership with bicycle advocacy organization San Diego County Bicycle Coalition (SDCBC) will host a free and virtual class entitled “All About Ebikes.” The event will take place on Zoom from 6 – 7 p.m. and according to the SDCBC sitio web, will address electric bicycle usage, popularity; rules of the road and best maintenance practices.
The session is part of a series of bike education classes and supports the implementation of Climate Action Plan (CAP) actions, says the City of La Mesa newsroom. They additionally said that CAP includes additional steps to prioritize bike improvements outlined in plans, increase bicycle parking facilities and consult new and improved bike lane infrastructure.
La Mesa Environmental Sustainability Manager Hilary Ego helped coordinate the program.
Ego shared that the “City’s partnership with the [SDCBC] to host a series of bicycle education classes supports the implementation of [CAP], which established a long-range roadmap to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Nearly 60% of community wide GHG emissions in La Mesa come from transportation, such as driving gasoline powered vehicles. The CAP contains a Transportation and Land Use strategy that includes actions the City can take to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in personal vehicles and encourage community members to use alternative modes of transportation, such as biking, walking and taking public transportation.”
According to Ego, in Sept. 2018, the City of La Mesa additionally adopted a Vision Zero Policy, which includes efforts to host bicycle education classes. The policy, as detailed throughout the document, is a strategy to “ensure safe, healthy and equitable mobility for all by eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries among all road users.” The statement further discloses that transportation and mobility safety are prioritized as a public health issue and “involves collaboration, leadership and accountability from a diverse group of stakeholders such as policymakers, transportation professionals, police, as well as community members.
SDCBC Education Programs Manager Kevin Baross was also instrumental in implementing the upcoming virtual program.
Since 1987, the SDCBC has acted as a voice for San Diego bicyclists and advocated for safer streets and trails, as reported on their website. In accordance with the SDCBC event registration page, Baross explained that the presentation will cover road safety, where to ride, how e-bikes work, necessary maintenance and how to use them.
Regardless of the type of bike, the City of La Mesa and the La Mesa Police Department follow the rules of the road as it pertains to bicycles, said the La Mesa newsroom. Specifically, section 21200 – 21212 of the California Vehicle Code, which says that “a person riding a bicycle or operating a pedicab upon a highway has all the rights and is subject to all the provisions applicable to the driver of a vehicle by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.”
The La Mesa City newsroom further explained that the La Mesa Police Department has not seen an increase in e-bike collisions.
Additional resources, information, involvement and event sign up can be found at https://sdbikecoalition.org/.
Photo credit: San Diego County Bicycle Coalition
