Letter RE: Active Transportation Program (ATP)

Apple Valley, Bear Valley Road Bike/Ped Pathway Connector

Malcolm Dougherty
CALTRANS Division of Local Assistance
1120 N Street, MS 1
Attn: Office of Active Transportation and Special Programs
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Mr. Dougherty:

I am writing in support of the proposal to build a bike lane on Bear Valley Road between Apple Valley Road and the upper campus of Victor Valley College. I ask that you also support the proposed Active Transportation Program application.

Bear Valley Road is a major thoroughfare in this region, as there are few other ways to cross the Mojave River. Because of this, thousands of cars daily travel Bear Valley Road. However, there is currently no bike, parking, or emergency lane in this treacherous section of road, which makes cycling Bear Valley Road between Apple Valley Road (on the east side of the Mojave River) and Victor Valley College (on the west side of the Mojave River) an extremely dangerous proposition. Adding a bike lane to Bear Valley Road would be a huge step forward toward making the high desert more bike friendly.

My goal in this matter is to improve the safety of cycling in our communities, and to promote cycling as a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle for both recreation and transportation.

In addition to this project, our goals are to:

  1. Connect all parks and schools with bike lanes or paths;
  2. Connect all existing and future bike lanes and paths to each other;
  3. Encourage cities in the high desert to cooperate with each other to ensure bike lanes don’t end at city limits;
  4. Encourage local schools, parks, and businesses to offer bike racks;
  5. Become recognized as a Bike-Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists;
  6. Incorporate our bike lanes and paths into the U.S. Bicycle Route System; and
  7. Add bike lanes to other roadways in combination with other roadwork.

Please feel free to contact me should the need arise.

Sincerely,

Greg Raven
hdcycling.org
greg@hdcycling.org
Working toward more and better cycling in California’s high desert.

cc: Jennifer Heim, Town of Apple Valley

Author: Greg Raven

I may be slow, but that’s only because I’m so old and fat.