These photos from various Monterey County locations all say the same thing:  This is a bicycling friendly place.  Looking for evidence?  The signs are everywhere! 

Want special tips for Moto GP fans?  See the end of that “stay alert” post, or just contact me for the latest.

The first sign below is a visual reminder to share the trail in a way that promotes harmony and safety.  (See “Personal Safety” section for more about that!)

• Cyclists, ride slow near pedestrians (save race training or other fast riding for wide, open places).
• Pedestrians, keep to the right (avoid unnecessarily slowing or stopping the travel of cyclists).

And of course, reminders are appropriate when away from the multi-use/bike path too!

Out on the roads, there are reminders for drivers about the likely presence of cyclists.

“Same roads, same rights”–remember to share the road.

Watch for this sign of a bike-friendly county too,

at participating HER Helmet Thursdays locations countywide:

Visitors

If you live out of the area and wish you could ride your bike in such a bicycling friendly place, come visit us!  BYOB (bring your own bike) or rent one here.   Tips for Bicycling Monterey County will help make your visit more fun.  And when you return to your home, maybe you’ll have a renewed commitment not only to bike more at home, too, but to also help your own municipality copy bicycling’s Best of Monterey County.

And for those very fortunate visitors who live in communities that are even more bike friendly, please post a comment here and let us know some of the things you have at home that you’d love to see for cyclists here in Monterey County.  Thank you.

Locals

Tips for Bicycling Monterey County, originally put together for visitors, has expanded into a 20-section guide for locals too.

Although most local cyclists look forward to continued improvements in bike infrastructure, it’s easy to take for granted how much is already in place—signage, bike paths, bike racks, bike maps, and more—to help make it safer and easier to bike here.  These things may seem small to some, for it’s easy to forget that they don’t exist everywhere.

I am grateful to live where more is being done every year to create an even more cycling friendly county.

Miscellaneous infrastructure notes:

• For more news about what’s ahead with regard to local bike infrastructure, see Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail.
• Curious about the Monterey County General Bikeways Plan?  Check it out here. And as reported on this site, the City of Monterey has adopted their 2009 Bike Plan.
• If you’d like to see better bike infrastructure in Monterey County, and throughout the United States, consider signing the People for Bikes pledge.

Special thanks to Monterey County municipal leaders for your wonderful work that has led to the signs pictured above.  

* * * * *

Below is a new sign that might be helpful to add at appropriate locations throughout our county.

“One-way, bikes excepted”

or

“Wrong way, bikes excepted”

Where can you see this California “bikes excepted”  sign?

The photo of this particular “WRONG WAY, BIKES EXCEPTED” sign was taken along the south side of the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Preserve, Newport Beach, California.  The trail is part of the Mountains to the Sea Biking and Hiking Trail. Photo provided courtesy of  The Cycling Dude. http://www.cyclingdude.com

You’ll find that same message on signs in bike-friendly places around the USA and other parts of the world.

Coming soon to a Monterey County bikeway near you?

Why not just do it?

Sounds simple, eh!  And until more Class I (off-road) bike paths are built, signs like “One-way, bikes excepted” (or others, such as “Bicycles may use full lane” or “Share the road”) can be a more affordable way to make bicycling on roads safer.

But it isn’t just a matter of sticking up a sign.  California law requires the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) be adhered to.  Traffic Controls for Bicycle Facilities are included in the MUTCD.

Traffic planners must consider both safety and legality, of course.  And when a sign like this is  allowable by California law, it makes sense that county or local traffic planners and decision makers are best equipped to decide what’s most appropriate locally.

Who to communicate with

Are there places where “one-way, bikes excepted” signs would mean you’d bike, rather than drive?   Discuss those locations with Kaki Cheung, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the Transportation Agency of Monterey County.  Or contact other municipal traffic engineers and planners.

Ask planners:  Would “one-way, bikes excepted” work well here?

• Scenic Drive, Carmel – The coastal views are so beautiful, returning via the same route is a common preference among cyclists. See more info below.
  
• Houston Street between Webster and Pearl, Monterey.
• Numerous  Seaside streets, such as Kenneth.
  
• Some tiny streets  barely used by cars, such as many of the “alleyways” in Pacific Grove, Seaside, and elsewhere.)  Many of these make very comfortable bike routes, especially when traveling with children.

Scenic Drive, Carmel

A public workshop on plans for Scenic Drive  is forthcoming, which provides a good opportunity to learn more about the City’s goals for Scenic, and to share your ideas.  Contact Jason Burnett or other Carmel City Council members if you would like traffic planners and the Council to consider “one-way, bikes excepted” signage as a possibility for making Scenic more bicycling-friendly–and in a way that helps drivers, too, by alerting them to anticipate bikes. Already planned by the county is to make more room on Scenic for bicycling by making Scenic Road from just south of Martin Way to Carmel River State Beach one way.

Be aware that sections of Scenic outside Carmel’s city limits will be a matter for Monterey County to decide.

Below, Carmel-by-the-Sea police officers on bikes temporarily change their course (and bike the wrong way on a one-way stretch of Scenic Drive) in a brief demo of how residents and visitors might benefit from “one-way, bikes excepted” signage here.

This post was previously published on July 7, 2010.