Council Acts on Bike Safety [CORRECTION]

Tonight’s City Council meeting was well attended. Bicycle advocates were there to make public comments about the recent deaths of 2 women cyclists 10 days ago.

The Council set the tone for the evening with several opening statements. First off, the Mayor announced that Sharrows on Coast Hwy through Corona del Mar will be installed in October. Original plans for an extended outreach program have apparently been shelved. Then it was Councilwoman Daigle’s turn to speak.

She announced a Memorial ride set for 8am Sunday October 28th. The ride will have a fundraising component to it, she describes, because so many have requested to make contributions to speed up the process of making infrastructure improvements.

Then came the big surprise, the announcement of the formation of a Bicycle Safety Improvement Fund; in part due to citizen requests to donate for more and faster rollout of safety improvements. The key feature of the fund is the generous 3:1 matching — for every dollar donated the City will contribute 3, up to a total of $450,000. As Daigle said, “In case we get some big donations.”

Lastly, Daigle outlined a commitment to adding both internal and external resources to address the many safety improvement projects that will likely be initiated.

As I sit and listen I realize that my prepared remarks for the Public Comment period are now moot. There’s little else I can think of than to approach the podium and make my own announcement: I will contribute the first $10,000 to the fund. As Mayor Gardner quipped, “That’s putting your money where your mouth is.”