Community Workshops Result in Valuable Input

December 2013 has been a stellar month for the SGV Bike Master Plan.  For the first time, residents within the cities of Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Baldwin Park El Monte and South El Monte were afforded opportunities to weigh-in on the development of the San Gabriel Valley Bicycle Master Plan through a series of workshops.

Unlike a traditional "sit, listen and watch a powerpoint presentation," the first round of jurisdiction-wide workshops were designed with the goal of optimizing community participation through active engagement. The workshop platform was divided into individual stations that were designed to capture specific feedback from participants. Each station had a different but related theme, which included: 

1. Welcome & Sign-in table - As participants made there way into the workshop, they were greeted with a smile and warm welcome, project materials including an agenda/worksheet and instructions for interacting with each station. 
   
2. Project Goals, Objectives & Background - As the only unmanned station, participants were encouraged to sit through a quick 5-minute video synopsis that described the overarching goals of the project, the various partners, the project timeline and how it ties in to existing and future plans of each partner city. This station essentially provided a foundation upon which to understand each subsequent station. 
3. Local & Regional Bike Routes - Once participants gained a broader understanding of the project, they were ushered into the following station that was wrapped with maps of the SGV region, each partner city, and the Emerald Necklace (Rio Hondo & San Gabriel River) Master Plan. Using dry-erase markers, each person was asked to mark their residence on their respective city map and help identify routes that connect schools, parks, community centers, transportation depots and more. Upon determining preliminary local routes, participants were asked to consider routes that connected to the greater San Gabriel Valley.  Participants offered valuable insight with respect to the selection process of particular routes versus non-desirable routes. 
4. Bicycle Infrastructure & Facilities - After a short route and map exercise, participants were then asked to review various bicycle infrastructure and facility types. As expected, the notion of protected bike lanes, super sharrows, enhanced green bike lanes, bicycle corrals and more were mostly foreign to many residents. This provided the an excellent opportunity to educate members of the community about the many novel ways to create safer environments for bicyclists of all ages and abilities.   
5. Bicycle Education & Encouragement Programs - Each preceding station helped paint a picture of a bicycle-friendly community but the education and encouragement programs seemed to be the station that resonated most with nearly everyone, especially parents. Perhaps the single most recommendation that resulted from this station was to include bike safety and the rules of the road into Jr. High and High School curriculums. Parents felt that understanding the rules of the road at a younger age would eventually create better and more respectful drivers. 
6. Children's Zone - The workshops were designed with everyone in mind, especially youth.  While parents visited the many stations, kids were invited to participate with coloring and drawing activities that included creating their own helmet design. 
7. Survey & Incentives - Lastly, after getting a stimulating mind-full of bicycle goodness, all participants were asked to complete a general project survey to help us further understand how bikes are used in the community. Once all was said and done, each person received a bicycle-related accessory as a token of appreciation for their input. 

To ensure that the San Gabriel Valley Bicycle Master Plan reflects the wants and needs of local residents and regional stakeholders the project has placed a big emphasis on community feedback. The first draft of the plan is expected to be released in April 2014. Until then, you can surely expect more workshops and opportunities to weigh-in on the future of a bike-able San Gabriel Valley. 

If you haven't already, please take a moment to explore this website to learn more about the SGV Bike Master Plan. Also, don't forget to complete the General Bicycle Survey and subscribe to the project newsletter to be up-to-date on upcoming events, workshops, bike rides and more.  

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