CMABS News: August 13, 2024
Hey everyone! As always there is a lot happening to make our streets better in Costa Mesa. Let’s dive in ⤵️
Pop-up bike lanes to Concerts in the Park are a huge hit again! Once again the City of Costa Mesa and the Costa Mesa Foundation put on four free concerts in Fairview Park, and, similar to prior years, the Costa Mesa Public Works Department installed a temporary two-way cycle track along Placentia Avenue. Look at all those bikes! 🤩 We are thrilled to see this; not only do these “pop-up” lanes allow people to enjoy the beautiful weather, they also help to ease vehicle traffic and parking for those who need it. A win all around!
THEY DID IT! THE SANTA ANA BIKE LANE IS COMPLETE FROM DEL MAR TO BROADWAY!
THANK YOU to everyone who wrote their elected officials and city staff, as well as those of you who showed up to the community meeting at the end of June. Look what a beauty it is! Now, children going to Kaiser Elementary and Woodland Elementary can ride their bicycles in a continuous facility that runs almost the entire length of the Eastside.
And of course, thank you also to the electeds and staff that got this done–in particular, Mayor Pro Tem (and District 6 Representative) Jeffrey Harlan, Public Works Director Raja Sethruraman, and Active Transportation Coordinator Brett Atencio Thomas! 👏👏👏
We also heard at last week’s Active Transportation Committee meeting that the City is considering also striping new bicycle lanes on Santa Ana Ave. from E. 17th Street south to Ogle Street. This is a small stretch of payment that sees heavy bicycle traffic daily and has absurdly wide vehicle lanes, so this can’t happen fast enough. If completed, this would leave the stretch between Broadway and E. 17th as a conspicuous remaining gap–a future battle.
Fairview Developmental Center (FDC) planning moves forward with three potential land use concepts! The City held three FDC community meetings at the end of July and unveiled three land use concepts. You can check them out below and on the FDC planning website. The street layout is one of the more important parts of planning the site from a livability perspective, so please take a look! We also encourage you to participate in the Community Survey the City has put together to gather feedback on the three concepts. The survey closes August 30th so head over there and make your voice heard before the deadline!
And finally, we learned that Jennifer Rosales, the City’s Transportation Services Manager, has departed for another position. We worked with Ms. Rosales on numerous occasions and she was always pleasant, professional, and enthusiastic about rethinking our streets. Her energy, expertise and warm demeanor will be sorely missed! It also means that the City of Costa Mesa is on the hunt for a new Transportation Services Manager, which is a key position inside the Public Works department that could make or break the City’s future progress in terms of active transportation. We’ll be watching the hiring process for this position very closely. 👀
It’s time for our Fall General Meeting!
We’re gearing up for a busy fall in the City, especially with the 2024 election season nearly upon us. So let’s meet up, grab a beer and catch up on the summer before things get real-real. We’re aiming for the evening of Thursday, September 5th, so please mark your calendars! Location and other details will come in a follow-up email. Stay tuned!
Join Costa Mesa’s weekly social bike ride!
Casual/party pace, 10-15 mile rides around the area
We meet by the restrooms on 18th street at Lions Park in Costa
Mesa every Wednesday Night
6:15pm: meet up
6:30pm: ride begins
🚨Bring lights! 🚨
Follow on Instagram for pics, videos, and reminders: @lillordagbikeride
City Council is off for the rest of the month. Enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts :)
At the end of July Costa Mesa hosted another edition of the Costa Mesa Grand Prix, a road cycling racing event put on by Majestic Cycling. They held one in March of this year and it was a huge success, and the July event was even bigger. What stood out to us in the coverage is how Costa Mesa is beginning to be casually characterized as a “bike-friendly city”! 🙌
That’s all for now. Have a great week!
