The City of Encinitas and local advocacy group Rider Safety Visibility (RSV) were recently awarded an “iCommute GO by Bike” mini-grant from SANDAG to promote bicycle and rider safety with bike safety tips and demonstrations of safety equipment at the Leucadia Farmer’s Market on April 28, May 12 and June 2. The Leucadia Farmer’s Market is hosted at Paul Ecke Elementary School, 185 Union Street in Encinitas.
Founded in 2017, Rider Safety Visibility is a growing coalition of companies that provide state-of-the-art bicycles, gear, lights and apparel that enhance safety through enhanced rider visibility. RSV cycling experts, who will be staffing a Leucadia Farmer’s Market booth, will give away high-quality light emitting diode (LED) front and rear bike lights to attendees. They will also showcase an array of additional high visibility safety options for riders, including LED helmets (with turn signals and brake lights), high visibility cycling clothing, jackets and vests, footwear, bags and bicycles. Professional cyclists will join RSV at the booth to share their bicycle safety tips and demonstrate safe biking strategies. In preparation for Bike to Work Day on May 16, booth guests will enjoy specific information for commuting cyclists.
“Many Encinitas residents are already avid cyclists,” said City of Encinitas Climate Action Plan Program Administrator Crystal Najera. “The City attracts bike riders from all over the region with its fun and diverse route options like the scenic Coast Highway 101 and La Costa Avenue routes. However, a common perceived barrier to biking regularly is safety—especially along the more steep and busy roads in the area. Educating locals on visibility measures—safety-enhancing equipment, behaviors and accessories—will hopefully increase our community’s confidence to ‘GO by Bike’ more safely and frequently.”
The informational booths will also provide useful details about how residents can transition from commuting by car to bicycles.
“There is a major push to use bicycles as a way to reduce car trips and improve our environment, and at the same time these same cyclists are interacting with traffic in an era of increasingly distracted drivers,” said Ed Clancy, co-founder of Rider Safety Visibility. “Bicyclists today need highly effective and visible options to stack the deck in their favor in terms of being seen during the day and night. By partnering with the City of Encinitas on these three events, we hope to not only increase ridership but also support bicyclist safety. Our bike safety demonstration booth will offer attendees a unique and significant opportunity to learn more about this vitally important subject.”
As a prelude to the informational booth events and Bike Month in May, RSV has partnered with RIDE Cyclery Encinitas to present an open forum for residents on Wednesday, April 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. at their store located at 449 S. Coast Highway 101. This forum is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the City of Encinitas’ website or RSV at www.ridersafetyvisibility.com
Photo — (L) Claudia Scott, City of Encinitas CivicSpark Climate Fellow; Ed Clancy, RSV co-founder, and Crystal Najera, City of Encinitas Climate Action Plan Program Administrator
