​On Saturday December 2, 2017, BikeSGV will host its annual party - 'Noche de las Luminarias' - to celebrate the progress towards a more pedestrian-, bicycle-, and transit-friendly SGV. This profile is one of a series of posts highlighting some of the people at the forefront of this movement. Tickets and event information can be found here.

Samuel Zneimer has been in the transportation planning field for 7 years, with professional experience in active transportation, community development, environmental analysis, site planning, parking studies, transportation studies, analyses for non-motorized technical studies, grant writing and management, and development implementation plans. During his tenure at the City of South Pasadena, Sam was a co-author of the City’s 2011 Bicycle Master Plan, whose implementation has moved forward in recent years with the striping of Class II bike lanes on sections of Mission St. and El Centro St., as well as the construction of the City’s Arroyo Seco River Path underway (completion slated for February 2018).

A graduate of South Pasadena schools and USC’s Urban and Regional Planning Master’s program, where he focused on Transportation and Infrastructure, Sam juggled graduate studies and creating a more pedestrian-, bike-, and transit-friendly South Pasadena during his time with the City by helping secure multiple active transportations grants (including a downtown bicycle parking grant expected to be implemented in 2018), advancing several local bicycle projects such as the Arroyo Seco Path extension, and representing the City at multiple regional working groups to further active transportation in the region. Sam also played a lead facilitation role for special events in the City, including two of the largest bike events in the country, Stage 2 of the 2016 Amgen Tour of California and the 626 Golden Streets ciclovía.​

In 2016 Danielle began volunteering with the BikeSGV team. As an official BikeSGV intern for the San Gabriel Valley Active Transportation Data Collection project, Danielle collected 204 hours surveying members of the public about walking and bicycling conditions; assisting with manual pedestrian and bicycle counts across the valley; and auditing the region’s inventory of bicycle racks. She also donated time to BikeSGV as a ride marshall and coordinator for the Women-on-Wheels program. Danielle even coordinated some of her Masters’ studies in Community Psychology with BikeSGV projects, integrating fieldwork and research on the unique challenges and motivations for cycling perceived by women bicyclists in the SGV.

Danielle is passionate about empowering girls and women to bike and reap the environmental, financial, and health benefits that bicycling brings. She describes, in her own words, why she dedicates so much of herself to BikeSGV’s mission, saying, “I knew that biking was something I enjoyed doing but wasn’t comfortable riding anywhere other than my neighborhood and separated bike paths. Biking as a form of transportation seemed unattainable to me. I liked to imagine myself as one day being the kind of person who would commute by bike to reduce my carbon footprint, save some money, and stay active, healthy, and happy. However, I didn’t know how to make that happen.”

Over the course of the past 18 months Danielle has transitioned from being completely unskilled and afraid of riding a bicycle anywhere to leading community group rides and teaching classes about bicycle safety as a nationally-certified bicycle safety instructor (LCI). She now commutes by bike when and where she can. In October 2017, she joined BikeSGV as a full-time Outreach Coordinator, a position that will see her lead BikeSGV’s support for the region’s first Bicycle Friendly Business Districts and the development of the 5-City San Gabriel Valley Active Transportation Plan in 2018.

​Danielle is a resident of the North Whittier/Avocado Heights area, a graduate of the University of La Verne (Double major in Studio Art and Psychology) and Marymount California University (Master’s in Community Psychology). Along with biking, Danielle enjoys hiking, writing song lyrics, and singing with her band Sherry Valence. She also is a member of BikeSGV’s first Climate Ride team. If you donate to her fundraising effort here, she’ll even bake you some fresh chocolate chip cookies, vegan option available!

Almost $1 BILLION in Measure R funding originally set-aside for the 710-N freeway tunnel is being made available to cities along the proposed freeway corridor, following a Metro Los Angeles Board of Directors motion that took the 710 freeway tunnel alternative off the table.

How will the money be spent? That is still very much to be determined. The board's motion directed that funding set-aside for the 710-N be redirected as follows:

• $105 million for “Transportation Systems Management / Transportation Demand  Management (TSM/TDM)” projects
• $900+ million in remaining funding for to-be-determined local transportation improvements

What does this mean in layman's terms? Basically cities can pitch two types of project ideas to Metro:

1. Projects to increase automobile traffic throughput (e.g. signal optimization, turn lanes, wider streets)
2. Projects to reduce driving or replace car trips (e.g. increased/improved transit service, new bicycle facilities, alternative travel incentives)

To kick off this process, Metro has asked each project area community to draft and submit an 'Early Action Project' list by the end of the 2017, with very little specific guidance other than that projects should help relieve congestion along the corridor. This means the approaches taken by the cities of Pasadena, South Pasadena, Alhambra, Monterey Park and others could be as different as their local leadership and historic approaches to transportation planning. Anyone who has driven a car, ridden a bike, or walked across these communities is keenly aware of the different approaches each of these communities has taken to street design, with 4-lane arterials with no permitted street parking transitioning to 2-lane, tree-lined thoroughfares with curb parking at City borders.

How initial project lists are to be developed was also not spelled out by the Metro Board. Some communities like the City of South Pasadena have hosted special public meetings to solicit community input in the process. In others it appears project wish lists are being drafted internally. 

The City of Pasadena has begun public discussion and formal consideration of potential 'Early Action' projects, also with the assistance of Nelson/Nygaard consultants. At the City's October Transportation Advisory Commission meeting, commissioners and staff discussed local project options, including the following potential 'wish list' items:

• Grade Separate the Gold Line (tunnels) at California, Del Mar and Glenarm
• Launch a Pasadena Street Car
• Extend the Arroyo Seco Bike Path from the Rose Bowl to the L.A. River
• Modify the 710 'stubs'
• Expand the City's Metro Bike Share system

The Cities of Alhambra, Monterey Park and San Marino have not hosted a public meeting regarding the development of their respective City 'wish lists.' 

Justine Garcia currently holds the title of Transportation Programs Analyst for the City of Glendora and has just over 8 years of experience in the government sector. She began her career in local government straight out of college with the City of Covina where her passion for transportation and bicycling was ignited. Although she has spent the majority of her career within city Transportation Divisions, she is passionate about all aspects of government and community, and how they intertwine to create one cohesive network of services.  

Over the past four years she has taken Glendora’s Transportation Division from a small Commuter Shuttle and Dial-A- Ride operation, to one that focuses upon all modes of transportation and how they connect to each other. She has encouraged transit use within Glendora’s youth community through the Midday Teen Center Shuttle Operation and within the City’s Older Adult population through the Division’s Transit Options Workshops. She has encouraged the community to get out and ride bikes through coordinated Bike Month activities and events, and is also an instrumental part of the Urban Trail and Greenway Network project within Glendora. The latter is among the region's most advanced and forward-thinking urban greenway projects, thanks to Justine's efforts and years of work coordinating with multiple public agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles County Flood Control, and Caltrans. 

Doug Strange and his wife Donna have been a residents of La Verne for 27 years, where they raised two children. The founder of the popular Facebook Group ​“Cycling Around La Verne” and a joint founder of the current ​La Verne Bicycle Coalition​, ​Doug has emerged as a driving force for a more bicycle-and-pedestrian-friendly La Verne over the past several years. Doug's influence has been instrumental in encouraging the City of La Verne to recognize the need for safety improvements to local streets, form a community Active Transportation Advisory Group, begin development of its first Active Transportation Master Plan, and partner with donors to install additional supportive infrastructure such as bicycle repair stations.​
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​​Doug's efforts are multifaceted, incorporating education outreach to create awareness, connecting multiple stakeholders to create a base, leveraging diverse activities to create momentum, and building relationships to enhance his community's capacity to make local streets safer for everyone. From leading City Council and Mayoral candidates on private bicycle tours of La Verne to facilitating regular meetings at one of the City's best (and most bike-friendly) watering holes, Doug has paired his roots in the community and a passion for the bicycle to advance change in the City of La Verne.

​Thanks in part to Doug's work, 20​1​8 is shaping up to be a banner year for local efforts to create a more bike-able and walkable La Verne. On Earth Day (4/22/18) the City will participate in its first major bicycle event as part of the 4-city to-be-named East San Gabriel Valley cicLAvia connecting the cities of San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona and Claremont. The City is expected to complete work on its first Active Transportation Plan (ATP) and ​continue ​work on a new General Plan which will incorporate the ATP. ​T​he City will also begin implementing street improvements including more bike-recognizing traffic signals, ​bike lanes on Baseline, and installing a protected bikeway along Arrow Highway, currently a dangerous, high-speed arterial that will connect to the City's future Gold Line station.