SGV is home to over 30 jurisdictions, many of which are small in size and lack bicycle planning or infrastructure of any sort. Local residents who wish to cycle tend to cross multiple jurisdictions when commuting to work, shopping, or conducting everyday tasks, increasing the importance of developing city-level bike plans that will form a cohesive, inter-connected network of bicycle infrastructure for the region.
As a result, BikeSGV has made the development of a regional bicycle master plan a priority project since Fall 2011. Over the past year and a half, we have educated local decision-makers, key stakeholders, and members of the public about the merits of regional coordination in the San Gabriel Valley in the realm of bicycle planning, while simultaneously seeking funding opportunities to make this vision a possibility for communities without the resources to individually hire bike master plan consulting teams.
Based on the growing support for the concept among decision makers and City staff in the San Gabriel Valley, BikeSGV is working closely on the submission of a proposal to fund a regional master plan via the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, PLACE (Policies for Livable, Active Communities and Environments) program, Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) grant.
Thus far BikeSGV has already secured support from five jurisdictions:
- City of South El Monte
- City of Baldwin Park
- City of La Puente
- City of Monterey Park
- City of San Gabriel
And a host of local organizations and groups, including the following:
- Healthy Azusa Committee
- Senator Dr. Ed Hernandez
- Kaiser Permanente Community Benefits
- Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Transportation Committee
- Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
- Pasadena Athletic Association cycling club
Thanks to the growing support for the regional plan concept, BikeSGV is confident that the realization of such a plan is not a matter of if, but when!