CSP Events 

CSP at Claremont Earth Day Event

Sunday, April 27th at 8:30 AM - 1 PM – Shelton Park - Claremont Village

Come by the CSP booth at Earth Day and visit other groups to find out how you can make Claremont (and the planet) a better place to live!

CSP Monthly Meeting

Monday, April 28th at 7 PM - The Hive: Studio 2 - 640 N College Ave

Enter The Hive via the patio doors on E 7th Street

Or Join via Zoom: https://pomonacollege.zoom.us/j/87383427703

Agenda Items: Update from Pomona College Environmental Analysis seniors on Claremont Bike Infrastructure Survey, Claremont Active Transportation Plan, New CSP Events, Increasing Membership   

Claremont approves “1st reading” of e-bike ordinance for Wilderness Park

On March 25, 2025 the Claremont City Council voted unanimously to approve the “first reading” of an ordinance to allow e-bikes in the Wilderness Park. The ordinance would allow class 1 & 2 e-bikes in the park, but NOT class 3 e-bikes or other out-of-class electric motorcycles. Class 1 e-bikes are pedal-assist only, up to 20 mph, while class 2 e-bikes have a throttle and also assist up to 20 mph. 

Previously the Community & Human Services Commission heard a draft of this ordinance which only allowed for Class 1 e-bikes or none at all. CSP provided public comment laying out the pros and cons of each of the proposals.

By including Class 2 throttle e-bikes in the ordinance that went to the Council, it will make it that much harder to distinguish between e-bikes permitted & not permitted in the park. If only class 1 bikes were allowed, an easy check would be to determine if the bike had a throttle or not. With this change, it seems like it will put an undue burden on park staff with little knowledge of e-bikes who are tasked with enforcing the ordinance.

This ordinance will be revisited on April 22nd for potential final approval as part of the consent calendar. You can read more details in the Courier article: Council hears ordinance that would allow e-bikes in Wilderness Park

Claremont Active Transportation Plan

The City of Claremont plans to start meeting with design firm Alta Planning in May to kick off the beginning of the creation of the Active Transportation Plan. There will be community meetings, online surveys and other ways for the public to be involved in the process. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

CA E-bike incentive application opens April 29

The 2nd round of applications for CA e-bike vouchers to use towards a purchase of a new e-bike opens April 29th at 5 PM. After the disastrous roll out of the first round of vouchers a new lottery system is being used to select the 1,000 people who will get to fill out the application. Note that there income requirements to be eligible for the voucher.

Learn more at What to Know About the Next California E-Bike Voucher Application Window - CalBike as well as the official page: Apply - California E-Bike Incentive Project

New CA legislation proposed for illegal electric motorcycles or potentially “eMotos”

New legislation is being proposed in the CA assembly to close the electric motorcycle loophole. Currently, many “out-of-class” electric motorcycles or potentially “eMotos” are being sold in California. These styles of small electric motorcycles or dirt bikes fall into a gray area as they are not categorized at all since current law uses engine size in cc’s to define mopeds, motor-driven cycles & motorcycles. In addition, electric bicycles are defined by having a motor no greater than 750W and a top assist speed of 28 mph (for class 3). Since these “eMotos” don’t have a gas engine AND they have a motor greater than 750W they aren’t defined by the law.

Proposed California law seeks to create new Sur Ron style e-bike category for legal status | Electrek

However, there are multiple pieces of legislation being hashed out at the moment, so it is unclear which one(s), if any, will emerge from the Sacramento fray to be signed into law by the governor.  CalBikes is following and evaluation them all. You can check out their update here:

E-Bikes on the Agenda for California Legislature in 2025 - CalBike

Drivers in CA that KILL & still KEEP their license!

In an impressive investigative report from Cal Matters: License to Kill, author Robert Lewis uncovers the fact that the CA DMV fails to suspend or revoke the licenses of many dangerous drivers in California. These include drivers with multiple DUIs, speeding tickets, reckless driving and even vehicular manslaughter charges! 

While the DMV and judicial system should be doing a better job of getting these dangerous drivers off the street, the silent accomplice in this story is the development choices and land use patterns put in place over the last 75 years in California (and the rest of the US). When you build a sprawling, car-centric society centered around separating housing from businesses and jobs, wide roads designed for high speeds, create massive parking lots for all those cars, defund transit so that its not a viable alternative & basically need to drive to be part of society in most places, it’s no wonder we have so many deaths on our roads.

Better bus service increases ridership 

One significant way to make streets safer and better for everyone is to increase bus ridership! In the article: How Did This Suburb Figure Out Mass Transit? Brampton, Ontario, a suburban city that has massively increased transit ridership is featured. Brampton is compared to Orange County which has half the transit ridership, but 4 times the population! How did they do it? 

Quite simply, Brampton provides service that is good enough to make getting around by transit reasonable for people who have other transportation options — a group that transit agencies often dub “choice riders” — as well as for people with no other choice.

In Orange County, like many suburbs, buses typically run once per hour and rarely more than every half hour. The last trips of the night are often too early to be usable by someone working closing shift at the mall, let alone someone coming home from the bar. Weekend service is even more limited. In Brampton, by contrast, core bus routes run as frequently as every five minutes, with express and local service, while even secondary routes typically run at least every half hour well into the late evening.

And remember moving around everyone in cars is incredibly inefficient, both from an energy and space usage perspective!

Walk & Roll to School Day @ Sycamore & Oakmont Elementary

Every 1st Wednesday of the Month is Walk & Roll to School at Sycamore & Oakmont Elementary Schools! Walk & Roll to School is sponsored by Sustainable Claremont. Student who walk or roll to school can get a sticker from one of the volunteers at the school

If you would like to help with this great program contact Stuart Wood at Sustainable Claremont stuart@sustainableclaremont.org or CSP at claremontsp@gmail.com to get connected

2025 Walk & Roll Dates (Found on the CSP events calendar)

May 7th

June 4th

Upcoming City Council Meetings

April 22, 2025

April 22, 2025 Agenda & Documents - Watch the meeting here

There is one transportation related item

Item 7. SECOND READING AND ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE CODIFYING TRAIL ETIQUETTE STANDARDS AND REGULATING THE USE OF ELECTRIC BICYCLES IN THE CLAREMONT HILLS WILDERNESS PARK (FUNDING SOURCE: WILDERNESS PARK PARKING LOT FUND)

Upcoming Traffic & Transportation Commission Meeting

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025 Agenda & Documents - Watch the meeting here

There are two transportation related items

Item 2. DRAFT SAN GABRIEL VALLEY GREENWAY NETWORK STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION

PLAN- PUBLIC REVIEW

Item 3. CLAREMONT BOULEVARD AT NINTH STREET TRAFFIC SIGNAL INSTALLATION UPDATE

Past Claremont City Council Meetings

March 25, 2025

March 25, 2025 Agenda & Documents - Watch the meeting here

There was one transportation related agenda item

Item 11. ORDINANCE CODIFYING TRAIL ETIQUETTE STANDARDS AND REGULATING THE USE OF ELECTRIC BICYCLES IN THE CLAREMONT HILLS WILDERNESS PARK (FUNDING SOURCE:

WILDERNESS PARK PARKING LOT FUND)

See reporting of this item above

April 8, 2025

April 8, 2025 Agenda & Documents - Watch the meeting here

There were two transportation related agenda items

Item 1. APPOINTMENT OF A MEMBER TO THE TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

AND TO THE SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

The City Council Ad Hoc Selection Committee recommends the City Council: Appoint Andrew Velebil to the Traffic and Transportation Commission for a term to expire August 31, 2028

Item 5. AUTHORIZATION TO AMEND THE EXISTING AGREEMENT WITH LAE ASSOCIATES INC. FOR PUBLIC WORKS INSPECTION AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT FOR THE CITYWIDE RESURFACING PROJECT FOR PUBLIC RESIDENTIAL STREETS LOCATED BETWEEN ARROW HIGHWAY AND FOOTHILL BOULEVARD, FROM TOWNE AVENUE TO INDIAN HILL BOULEVARD, C.I.P. 2023-3 (FUNDING SOURCE: STATE GAS TAX FUND)

Past Traffic & Transportation Commission Meeting

March 27, 2025

March 27, 2025 Agenda & Documents - Watch the meeting here

There were two transportation related agenda items

Item 2. CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES AND 2024-26 OBJECTIVES

Item 3. 2025 CITY-WIDE SPEED SURVEY-CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY BILL 43 (AB43)

IMPLEMENTATION

Informative & Inspirational Videos!

Power Trip

A film by Myron Levin. 

Power Trip, executive produced by novelist Michael Connelly and narrated by the incomparable voice actor Peter Coyote, examines the media culture around high-risk driving, including movies, video games and car commercials that glamorize speed and aggression behind the wheel. Bucking the trend of declining fatalities in other wealthy countries, U.S. crash deaths have spiked to more than 40,000 per year, along with tens of thousands of catastrophic injuries. Speed is a factor in nearly 30 percent of these crashes. Yet, as Power Trip shows through visuals and interviews with safety experts, advocates and grieving survivors, popular media--including many car commercials--continue to celebrate the kind of high-risk driving that kills people and tears families apart. Power Trip sends a strong message about the preventable slaughter on our roads and automakers' obligation to model the safe use of their cars and trucks. The film is dedicated to the memory of crash victims everywhere, to their grieving families, and to those working to end the slaughter on our roads.

www.powertripfilm.com

These Two Cities Used to be the Same- Not Just Bikes

This video compares two cities in Canada and the Netherlands that were quite similar, but through divergent planning choices arrived at the present with incredibly different outcomes.

This American Mayor is Creating the Ultimate Biking City- Propel

Great streets and places to live are possible in California & Emeryville, CA is one of the cities leading the way! 

CSP Events 

CSP Speaker Series!

Monday, March 24th at 7 PM - Safe Routes to School in Claremont

Location: Sycamore Elementary School, 225 W 8th St, Claremont & via Zoom

CSP, Sustainable Claremont & Harvey Mudd College are hosting two local experts on Safe Routes to School, Jim Shanman, Executive Director of Walk ‘n Rollers & Eli Akira Kaufman, Executive Director of Bike L.A. to discuss safe routes to school.

How can Claremont build safer routes for kids to walk, bike and stake their way to school? Speakers will share insights from their experience promoting safe routes to school throughout the Los Angeles region.

Zoom Webinar Link: https://bit.ly/SafeRoutesClaremont

This event is open to the public, so please share with your neighbors and see the flyer below!

Huge WIN for CSP - Claremont Active Transportation Plan funding approved by City Council!

At the March 11, 2025 City Council meeting the City Council approved funding for the development of an Active Transportation Plan (ATP) for the City of Claremont! An ATP establishes a vision and a roadmap for implementation of pedestrian and bicyclist facilities around the city and will specifically look at network connectivity in Claremont. CSP member David Rheinheimer spoke during public comment on this item and thanked the City for moving ahead with funding this plan.

Alta Planning & Design, which is one of the top firms for pedestrian & bike infrastructure development, was awarded the contract to develop the plan. According to the Item #3 City document describing the agreement, the ATP to be prepared will include the following items:

• Public engagement

• Public meetings with stakeholders

• Neighborhood meetings

• Online engagement

• Mapping of existing facilities

• Identifying systems gaps, barriers and access deficiencies

• Non infrastructure programs

• Needs assessment

• Protected Bike Lanes suitability assessment

• Preliminary design concepts

• Active transportation network and support facilities

• Design guidelines

• Goals, policy updates and performance metrics

• Identifying financial needs and grant opportunities

• Project prioritization and phasing approach

• Draft Final Plan

Stay tuned as Alta Planning & the City begin the ATP and public engagement process. We hope many of you will be part of this exciting journey! 

The Future of E-bikes event recording now available

On February 24, 2025 CSP, Sustainable Claremont & Harvey Mudd College hosted an event as part of the Claremont Streets for People Speaker Series titled “The Future of E-Bikes.” Featured speakers Ross Pringle, co-founder of CSP & Damian Kevitt, Executive Director of Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) spoke about the promises and challenges that E-bikes face moving forward.

You can now watch the full recording of this event here!

CSP begins using Strava data to analyze biking in Claremont

CSP co-founder & Harvey Mudd College professor Paul Steinberg has applied for and been granted access to anonymized Strava exercise data to begin analyzing biking trends in Claremont. While Strava obviously does not capture all biking activity, it will hopefully begin to provide insight into one subsection of the biking public including: number of users, most popular routes, and distances cycled.

Spring means more biking & maybe new equipment

As temperatures warm, CSP hopes more people will walk & bike to get to more places.

If your bike has been neglected sitting in a corner somewhere, now would be a great time to take it to a local bike shop for a tune up. A local bike shop can complete safety checks on your bike and make sure it is working smoothly.

It may be a good time to consider a new helmet if you haven’t purchased one in a while (5+ years), but beware that not all helmets are created equal and some don’t even pass basic safety standards according to Consumer Reports.

It’s also a good time to protect your investment by getting a quality bike lock. Ratings below.

Bike Helmet Ratings

To find the best helmet for you, check out

Consumer Reports Bike Helmet Ratings

Virginia Tech Bike Helmet Ratings

Outdoor Gear Lab Bike Helmet Ratings

Bike Lock Ratings

Outdoor Gear Lab Bike Lock Ratings

The Best Bike Lock (dot) com Lock Ratings

Cycling Weekly Lightweight Bike Lock Ratings

Five Steps to Making Better Cities

In this Fast Company article, expert urban planner Brent Toderan lays out 5 steps to better cities.

Step 1: Doing The Wrong Things

Step 2: Doing The Wrong Things “Better”

Step 3: Trying To Have Your Cake And Eat It, Too

Step 4: Doing The Right Things Badly

Step 5: Doing The Right Things Well

Currently, it seems like Claremont is still stuck in Step 2, while occasionally venturing into Step 3. Hopefully, with the development of the Active Transportation Plan we can start moving farther down the list!

Check out the article and let us know what you think at Claremontsp@gmail.com

Trump Admin begins assault on walking & biking

In the article on Streetsblog, U.S. DOT Orders Review of All Grants Related to Green Infrastructure, Bikes, the author reports the beginning of the assault on funding for walking & biking projects. The money was allocated in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to implement projects for “sustainable and equitable modes” however the Trump administration is looking to “use the same programs to vastly expand America's consumption of fossil fuels instead.”

In particular this “project-by-project review” is supposed to identify grants “whose primary purpose is bicycle infrastructure” which means the continuation of & building of more dangerous streets & roads across the United States. Claremont and other communities in southern California apply for many transportation grants that are ultimately funded by these federal dollars, so projects close to home will likely be impacted.

With destructive policies & executive orders seemingly being rolled out every day (part of the ”flood the zone” strategy) this action will likely be lost in the maelstrom, but it is one to watch and call your senators & representatives about, along with just about everything else.

The U.S. Capital switchboard number is: (202) 224-3121. Call and ask to be connected to your Senators & Representative.

Walk & Roll to School Day @ Sycamore & Oakmont Elementary

Every 1st Wednesday of the Month is Walk & Roll to School at Sycamore & Oakmont Elementary Schools! Walk & Roll to School is sponsored by Sustainable Claremont. Student who walk or roll to school can get a sticker from one of the volunteers at the school

If you would like to help with this great program contact Stuart Wood at Sustainable Claremont stuart@sustainableclaremont.org or CSP at claremontsp@gmail.com to get connected

2025 Walk & Roll Dates (Found on the CSP events calendar)

April 2nd

May 7th

June 4th

Upcoming City C ouncil Meetings

March 25, 2025

The next City Council meeting is March 25, 2025. The agenda for this meeting will be publicly available on March 20th

Watch the meeting here

April 8, 2025

Upcoming Traffic & Transportation Commission Meeting

March 27, 2025

The next TTC meeting is March 27, 2025. The agenda was not available at the time of publication.

Past Claremont City Council Meetings

February 25, 2025

February, 2025 Agenda & Documents - Watch the meeting here

There were no transportation related agenda items

March 11, 2025

March 11, 2025 Agenda & Documents - Watch the meeting here

There was one transportation related agenda item

3. AUTHORIZATION TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH ALTA PLANNING AND DESIGN

FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE CLAREMONT ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN

(FUNDING SOURCE: PROPOSITION C FUND)

This item was approved to create an Active Transportation Plan for the City of Claremont, see more above.

Past Traffic & Transportation Commission Meeting

February 27, 2025

The February 27 TTC meeting was canceled

Informative & Inspirational Videos!

CityNerd -Project 2025: As Bad for Cities as You Think It Is

Originally shared in the August 2024 newsletter, this video was a warning about Project 2025 and now the Trump Admin is starting to implement these bad policies

Not Just Bikes -These Two Cities Used to be the Same

This great video examines how two cities that looked very similar in the 1970s made different policy choices and have very different outcomes today.

Best Side Cycling -Concrete and Armadillos - How Seattle is Making Even Better Bike Lanes to Protect Cyclists

This video shows great examples of quick build protected mobility lanes that Claremont could install cost effectively in a few weeks if we had the political will

CSP Events 

CSP Speaker Series Returns!

Monday, February 24th at 7 PM - The Future of E-Bikes

Location: Drinkward Recital Hall

Harvey Mudd College Campus

Damian Kevitt, the Executive Director and founder of L.A.’s Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE), will be our featured speaker for this evening of discussion about e-bikes.

Electric bicycles have exploded onto the scene as one of the most popular new forms of transportation in the United States and around the world. E-bikes increase mobility options, alleviate traffic congestion, enhance public health & reduce carbon emission. They are also the subject of controversy and misunderstanding as citizens and governments struggle to identify appropriate rules and regulations to ensure safe use.

So what should you ride, and how should we regulate? At this event, speakers will describe the different types of e-bikes and how these differ from electric motorcycles. They'll review options for sensible public policy to take advantage of the e-bike revolution.

This event is sponsored by Claremont Streets for People, Sustainable Claremont & Harvey Mudd College’s Hixon Center for Climate & the Environment. This event is free and open to the public.

CSP members if you have an e-bike and would like to show it to attendees at this event please bring it and if possible let us know what type e-bike you are bringing at claremontsp@gmail.com

NEXT Speaker Series Event! Save the Date!

Monday, March 24th at 7 PM - Safe Routes to Schools for Families

Location: Sycamore Elementary School

CSP and Sycamore Elementary will host two local experts on Safe Routes to School. Join us for this interesting and informative discussion. More information to follow!

CSP sends the City of Claremont a Valentine’s Day thank you video!

The City of Claremont has made significant improvements to the Thompson Creek Trail pedestrian crosswalk at Indian Hill Rd near La Puerta Park. As a thank you for this effort by the city, CSP created a Valentine’s Day thank you video and sent it to the Claremont Mayor, City Council members and various city staff members. Check it out!

CSP signs coalition letter to Accelerate Transportation Emission Reductions

CSP was part of a large coalition of advocacy organizations including local orgs: Sustainable Claremont, Active SGV, Streets for All, Streets Are For Everyone, & Bike LA, who signed a letter to the California Transportation Commission, CalTrans, the California Air Resources Board & the California Department of Housing & Community Development urging them implement sustainable communities strategies. This includes stopping future highway expansion & instead investing in public transit, active transportation & affordable infill housing to reduce the need for people to drive.

You can read the entire coalition letter here. 

Thanks to Buff Brown!

Buff Brown is one of the founding members of CSP and was also a commissioner on the Traffic and Transportation Commission. He often spoke before the City Council as an advocate for safer streets in Claremont and was instrumental in growing CSP over the past 2 ½ years of its existence.

Buff and his wife, Lisa, were also a fixture on the corner of Harvard & 8th Street near Sycamore Elementary where they greeted passersby; walking, biking or driving. In January, Buff & Lisa announced that they would be moving to Portland, OR to be closer to family and they received an outpouring of support on their Claremont Connects Facebook post.

CSP would like to say thank you for all the work Buff has done to make Claremont’s streets safer and wish him well on his return to Portland.

Modification to CA E-bike classification law

The California legislature has modified the law SB-1271 which classifies e-bikes. The new law, which went into effect on January 1st, further restricts the definition of e-bikes, especially Class 3 e-bikes and tries to eliminate some of the grey area that many illegal electric motorcycles have used as a loophole to be called “e-bikes.”

The most significant changes are that:

1. Class 3 e-bikes that can have pedal assist up to 28 mph can no longer have a hand throttle at all

2. Class 2 e-bikes are now the only e-bikes allowed to have a hand throttle, up to 20 mph, and should not have the ability to be “unlocked” for faster speeds, even if only using pedal assist

3. All e-bikes motors are capped at a maximum of 750 watts of power. 

   1. Exactly how this is going to be enforced or have an effect is unclear since most e-bikes that are advertised to have a “nominal” 750W motor are capable of producing a “peak power” of over 1000W. This modification seems to make all those bikes not street legal.

4. Starting in 2026, all e-bike batteries need have certain safety certifications

You can read more in these two Electrek articles

Starting today, California is coming for your e-bike throttles | Electrek

The days of superfast SUPER73 e-bikes are over... sort of

The full text of the law is here

Man escapes the Palisades Fires on a bicycle and NBC4 LA reporter takes and then returns 2 paintings to him including “Man on a Bicycle”

In a harrowing story from last month’s conflagrations, Francois Auroux was fleeing his home on a bicycle which was about to become engulfed by the flames of the Palisades Fire, when an NBC4 LA reporter & cameraman noticed him. During a brief interview on his bike, Auroux hands over two paintings he has saved from his home, including one titled “Man on a Bicycle” and the reporter says he will keep them and return them.

Three weeks later the reporter and Auroux were reunited and his two paintings were returned, as some of the only belongings left from his home that burned down.

Meanwhile, cars left behind were also burned by fires

The NY Times article, In Car-Loving L.A. After the Wildfires, the Charred Remains of Vehicles Cut Deep, focuses on L.A. car culture and the additional loss that many people experienced from losing their cars in the fires. 

Walk & Roll to School Day @ Sycamore & Oakmont Elementary

Every 1st Wednesday of the Month is Walk & Roll to School at Sycamore & Oakmont Elementary Schools! Walk & Roll to School is sponsored by Sustainable Claremont. Student who walk or roll to school can get a sticker from one of the volunteers at the school

If you would like to help with this great program contact Stuart Wood at Sustainable Claremont stuart@sustainableclaremont.org or CSP at claremontsp@gmail.com to get connected

2025 Walk & Roll Dates (Found on the CSP events calendar)

March 5th

April 2nd

May 7th

June 4th

Upcoming City Council Meetings

February 25, 2025

The next City Council meeting is February 25, 2025. The agenda for this meeting will be publicly available on February 20th. 

Watch the meeting here

Upcoming Traffic & Transportation Commission Meeting

February 27, 2025

The next TTC meeting is January 23, 2025. The agenda was not available at the time of publication.

Past Claremont City Council Meetings

January 28, 2025

January 28, 2025 Agenda & Documents - Watch the meeting here

There were two transportation related agenda items

2. RESIGNATION OF TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSIONER BUFF BROWN

Buff Brown is no longer on the TTC due to his move out of Claremont. Anyone interested in serving the city on the TTC and advocating for safer streets is urged to apply for this position!

9. UPDATE ON CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES AND 2024-26 OBJECTIVES (FUNDING

SOURCES: VARIOUS)

Item #9 covers many different topics. The main transportation related items are p.10-13 and include very brief updates about Russian Village traffic calming, Mountain Avenue Complete streets, Arrow Highway & Cambridge project, the Local Road Safety Plan, Indian Hill Blvd & San Jose corridors as well as the Active Transportation Plan.

February 11, 2025

February 11, 2024 Agenda & Documents - Watch the meeting here

There were no transportation related agenda items

Past Traffic & Transportation Commission Meeting

January 23, 2025

January 23, 2025 Agenda & Documents - Watch the meeting here

2. EAST SAN GABRIEL VALLEY SUSTAINABLE MULTIMODAL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT-

CLAREMONT ARROW HIGHWAY(INDIAN HILL BOULEVARD TO CAMBRIDGE AVENUE) AND

CAMBRIDGE AVENUE(ARROW HIGHWAY TO BONITA AVENUE) ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

PROJECT PHASE 1 - STUDY SESSION

There was one transportation related agenda item.

Item #2 is a proposal for putting Class 4 (i.e. protected) bikeways on a ½ mile section (yes, not a typo!) of Arrow Highway & another less than ½ mile section of Cambridge Avenue. As proposed the project is actually pretty good, even if it covers less than 1 mile in total. It seems the title of the project is longer than the project distance itself!

The only current issue to take with it is that it says that projected bikeways are not part of the plan on Cambridge from Bonita Ave to the Railroad tracks. 

During public comment there were many speakers in favor of the protected bikeways including CSP member Ross Pringle who spoke on behalf to CSP to advocate for these bikeways to be included on the entire proposed stretch of Cambridge. 

Informative & Inspirational Videos (& other media)!

In memory of Donald Shoup, the author of “The High Cost of Free Parking” and advocate for better city planning & land use economics, this section will be all Shoup Dogg related

Donald Shoup, renowned parking guru and UCLA professor, dies at 86 - Los Angeles Times

Remembering Donald Shoup - UCLA

Remembering Donald Shoup: A Legacy of Curiosity, Credibility and Kindness - Strong Towns

RE-RELEASE: The High Cost of Free Parking with Donald Shoup

EP 275 DONALD SHOUP: The High Cost of Free Parking and A Creative Sidewalk Repair Funding Solution

Donald Shoup - The High Cost of Free Parking - Excerpt frm S05E01 of The Life-Sized City Los Angeles

Donald Shoup • The High Cost of Free Parking

Curb Enthusiasm | Episode 2: The High Cost of Free Parking with Donald Shoup

CSP Events 

CSP Monthly Meeting 

Monday, January 27 at 7:00 PM - The Hive: Studio 2 - 640 N College Ave

Enter The Hive via the patio on E 7th Street

NOTE NEW LOCATION!

At the January monthly meeting will be be discussing the spring speaker series, our partnership with Pomona College EA (see below), the Claremont Active Transportation Plan & coalition building.

CSP Speaker Series (Save the dates!)

Monday, February 24th at 7 PM - E-bikes: Overview, Policies & Challenges

Location: Harvey Mudd College Campus

Damian Kevitt, the Executive Director and founder of L.A.’s Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE), will be our featured speaker for this evening of discussion about e-bikes. More information to follow!

Monday, March 24th at 7 PM - Safe Routes to Schools for Families

Location: Sycamore Elementary School

CSP and Sycamore Elementary will host two local experts on Safe Routes to School. Join us for this interesting and informative discussion. More information to follow!

CSP partners with Pomona College Environmental Analysis Senior Clinic

Claremont Streets for People is partnering with Prof. Heather Williams at Pomona College as part of their Environmental Analysis Senior Clinic. Pomona College EA seniors will complete surveys of bike parking facilities at businesses around Claremont and will conduct interviews with business owners to elicit thoughts and expose barriers to more people using active transportation to get to their businesses. 

Anyone interested in helping connect this course with Claremont businesses, please contact claremontsp@gmail.com for more information.

Councilmember Ed Reece hosts Community Roundtable

In Councilmember Ed Reece’s latest “community update” email, Community Roundtable events were advertised. Per the email, “Share your ideas, shape Claremont's future! Join Councilmember Reece for monthly conversations about innovative solutions to all issues, big and small in Claremont. Your input will directly influence local initiatives and projects, so come with an open mind and desire to help your city! We are looking for community members from all districts.”

🚨Action Alert 🚨This is a GREAT opportunity to share your ideas with Councilmember Reece about safer streets and a more walkable & bikeable community. Sign up here! 🚨

Walk & Roll to School Day @ Sycamore & Oakmont Elementary

Every 1st Wednesday of the Month is Walk & Roll to School at Sycamore & Oakmont Elementary Schools! Walk & Roll to School is sponsored by Sustainable Claremont. Student who walk or roll to school can get a sticker from one of the volunteers at the school

If you would like to help with this great program contact Stuart Wood at Sustainable Claremont stuart@sustainableclaremont.org or CSP at claremontsp@gmail.com to get connected

2025 Walk & Roll Dates (Found on the CSP events calendar)

February 5th

March 5th

April 2nd

May 7th

June 4th

(Errata: In the December newsletter, Walk/Roll was advertised as the 2nd Wednesday of the month. It is the 1st Wednesday of the month unless a holiday or school closure (or windstorm!) necessitates a change)

Traffic Violence - Claremont Edition

On January 13th, Claremont resident Dave Smith posted another story of traffic violence to the Facebook group Claremont Connects. His post read, “Hello Claremonters, this morning my dog was run over and died. My dog was on a leash and we were in a crosswalk. We were near the high school. Please be extra careful and please tell your young drivers at home to slow down and be extra watchful especially around schools and at crosswalks.”  As of January 17th, the post has 678 reactions & 226 comments.

This death of this beloved family pet was 100% preventable through better street design & infrastructure as well as land use planning. 

The design speed of the street could have been lower, the crosswalk could have been better marked with plastic posts, concrete islands and/or flashing signs, there could have been a raised crosswalk which acts as a speed hump to slow drivers. There also could be better transportation alternatives so people like this teenage driver trying to reach the high school could have taken a bus or ridden a bike to school instead of driving a car. Finally, we could have better land use planning so more people can live closer to the places they want to go, which makes transportation alternatives a better option for more people.

The current engineering of our transportation network as well as land use choices made over several decades ensure that these types of traffic violence tragedies are not a matter of if, but only when and who will be impacted next.

The 100-Year Road to Car Dependency in the US

How did we get to a place where a student driving to high school killed the dog of one of our Claremont neighbors? 

A turning point happened 100 years ago in Los Angeles with the publication of a proposed Traffic Ordinance for Los Angeles which laid the groundwork for motor vehicles having priority over pedestrians on the roads. The ordinance was the brainchild of (you guessed it!) an L.A. car dealership owner who wanted to sell more cars.

An excerpt from the article: “In 1924 there were already 16 million cars on American roads and streets, but the smart bet then was that driving your own car would never be the main way to get around a city. People walked. City sidewalks were often crowded with pedestrians. Street railways made walking practical. Streetcar lines reached into the suburbs and the networks were usually so extensive that people could get almost anywhere without a car. Those who tried to drive found the going slow. Pedestrians were everywhere, and a driver stuck behind a streetcar often couldn’t pass it. And if you injured or killed a pedestrian — anywhere in the street — the driver was likely to be found liable. After all, streets were for everyone, and a person who chose to operate a dangerous machine was responsible for the consequences.”

“The obvious solution … lies only in a radical revision of our conception of what a city street is for.” If streets were for automobiles, drivers would have priority over pedestrians. Then pedestrians — not drivers — would be restricted, and pedestrians would be responsible for their own deaths. McClintock’s traffic ordinance was a critical step in the “radical revision.”

Read the entire article in Planetizen for all the details

The Cost of Car Crashes in the US - $1.4 Trillion per year!

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report pegged the cost of motor vehicle crashes at $340 billion of direct economic costs in 2019. However, “when quality-of-life valuations are considered, the total value of societal harm from motor vehicle crashes in 2019 was nearly $1.4 trillion.”

Interestingly, “Those not directly involved in crashes pay for roughly three-quarters of all crash costs, primarily through insurance premiums, taxes, congestion-related costs such as lost time, excess fuel consumption, and increased environmental impacts.” This means that we ALL pay for bad street design and engineering.

The NHTSA report has some eye-popping figures including an estimated 36,500 people killed, 4.5 million injured, and 23 million vehicles damaged.

Therefore, reducing car dependency and making our streets safer for everyone would result in massive savings both economic and in pain & suffering.

Metro Light Rail A Line (Foothill Gold Line) to Pomona opens this year!

In another step away from ubiquitous car dependency, four new A line light rail stations are planning to open this year including in Pomona! “When opened to passengers later this year, the A Line will officially span 49 miles between Pomona and Downtown Long Beach. With 44 stations and a route that also travels through Pasadena and Downtown Los Angeles, the A Line is already the longest light rail line in the world…  An opening date for the project has not been announced, though it is anticipated in either July or August.”

Work on the last two stops on the A line in Claremont & Montclair may begin before the end of 2025.

You can read more in the article $1.5B Foothill Gold Line extension reaches substantial completion | Urbanize LA

New NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide

Another way to reduce car dependency is to get more people on bikes! But cities and towns need quality bike infrastructure that protects people on bikes and is accessible and comfortable for all ages and abilities of bike riders to entice people out of their cars.

Enter the new NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials) Urban Bikeway Design Guide! This new 3rd edition of the guide was published on January 14th and is the new standard for best practices in designing infrastructure for biking. It highlights the need for high-quality bikeways that consider future growth of biking, a connected network that gets people where they need to go safely, planning for future maintenance, addressing historical inequities and the need for a leader in the local government.

In addition, these bikeways should really be considered “mobility-ways” because people using many modes of rolling transportation from scooters and wheelchairs to skateboards and rollerblades are all able to use this type of high quality infrastructure, not just bikes.

Check out a more detailed overview at Streetsblog USA or you can pick up a copy at Island Press.

Upcoming City Council Meetings

January 28, 2025

Watch the meeting here

The next City Council meeting is January 28, 2025. The agenda for this meeting will be publicly available on January 23rd 

Upcoming Traffic & Transportation Commission Meeting

January 23, 2025

January 23, 2025 Agenda & Documents - Watch the meeting here

There is one item on the agenda - See the complete staff report here

2. EAST SAN GABRIEL VALLEY SUSTAINABLE MULTIMODAL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT-

CLAREMONT’S ARROW HIGHWAY (INDIAN HILL BOULEVARD TO CAMBRIDGE AVENUE) AND

CAMBRIDGE AVENUE(ARROW HIGHWAY TO BONITA AVENUE)ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PROJECT PHASE 1- STUDY SESSION

🚨Action Alert 🚨 This is the first TTC meeting since October 2024 and it would be great to have a CSP showing to voice our concerns. 

Key Points:

• The ENTIRE improvement area needs Class IV (i.e. protected) bike lanes

• Design for all ages & abilities

• Use the LATEST (Jan 2025) NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide for the plans

• Arrow Hwy/Indian Hill intersection would be a great for a protected intersection

You can make public comment in person Thursday at the TTC meeting (7 PM) or email your comment prior to the meeting to nramirez@claremontga.gov

This agenda item deals with a small section of Arrow Highway & Cambridge Avenue that was selected because, according to the staff report… “This Arrow Highway Segment Was Selected For Its Connection To Cambridge Avenue and Bonita Avenue, which of the identified regional routes, from the MMRCP [Arrow Highway Multimodal Regional Corridor Plan].  This route also serves by connecting children who live in neighborhoods south of Arrow Highway to El Roble Intermediate School. It should be noted that the Arrow Highway segment the East of Indian Hill Boulevard could not be considered because of accessibility issues that needed to be resolved prior to applying for grant funds in 2021.”

The key points of the proposed design are:

Arrow Highway from Cambridge Avenue to Indian Hill Boulevard

• 82 feet curb to curb

• 7-foot Class IV bike lanes

• 5-foot Class IV buffer median

• 11-foot travel lanes

• 14-foot median (existing)

• Warranted traffic Signal at Bucknell at Indian Hill

• Intersection Improvements at Indian Hill Boulevard

  • ADA Improvements

  • Ladder Crosswalks

• Roadway Restoration

  • 2-Inch Grind and Rubberized Asphalt Overlay

  • Thermoplastic Roadway Striping

• ADA Improvements

Cambridge Avenue from Bonita Avenue to Railroad Tracks

• 60 feet curb to curb

• 8-foot parking lane

• 3-foot door zone buffer

• 5-foot green bike lane

• 2-foot buffer lane

• 11-foot travel lanes

• ADA improvements

• This section could be evaluated for Class IV bike lanes if a appropriate design can be achieved

Cambridge Avenue from the Railroad Tracks to Arrow Highway

• 48 feet curb to curb

• 7-foot Class IV bike lane

• 5-foot Class IV buffer (raised median)

• 12-foot travel lanes (12 versus 11 to accommodate the commercial truck access to Wharton Drive)

• ADA improvements

Past Claremont City Council Meetings

December 10, 2024

December 10, 2024 Agenda & Documents - Watch the meeting here

There were no transportation related agenda item

December 24, 2024

The December 24 City Council meeting was canceled due to winter holidays

January 14, 2025

January 14, 2024 Agenda & Documents - Watch the meeting here

There was one transportation related agenda item

7. AUTHORIZATION TO AMEND THE EXISTING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH

TJKM TRANSPORTATION CONSULTANTS TO EXPAND THE SCOPE OF WORK AND

APPROPRIATE ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CITYWIDE STREET SIGN

PROGRAM (FUNDING SOURCE: GENERAL FUND)

This item simply adds funds to an already existing citywide street sign program. It was passed unanimously as part of the consent calendar.

Past Traffic & Transportation Commission Meeting

December 26, 2024

The December 26 TTC meeting was canceled

Informative & Inspirational Videos!

City Nerd -All the Ways Car Dependency Is Wrecking Us

Link to paper referenced in video - Miner et al., (2024)

Streetcraft -The Real Reason You're Sitting in Traffic 

AJ Tabura -The Car Paradox: How Car Centric Infrastructure is Ruining America