The California Bicycle Coalition (CBC) recently met with Jose Medina, current Caltrans Director and former SFBC Supervisor who helped secure bike lanes on Valencia St., to discuss some key bike issues.

Director Medina is certainly making some positive changes for bicyclists at Caltrans. He has requested a sizable increase in the number of bicycle program staff at the department. And CBC and its allies in bicycle advocacy are now treated as a legitimate interest group by Caltrans committees and task forces working on issues ranging from freeway access to rumble strips to intersection design to bridge access.

CBC made several specific requests of Director Medina:

• CBC urged Caltrans to invest in vital bicycle and pedestrian transportation projects, instead of spending millions, as planned, on freeway landscaping and highway beautification;
• CBC asked that bicycling get its fair share of any state budget surplus funds spent on transportation. We suggested an augmentation to the Bicycle Transportation Account;
• CBC asked Director Medina to intervene personally with regard to District Four's discriminatory policy of not permitting bicyclists to ride on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge;
• CBC offered to assist Caltrans in making the Safe Routes to School program a huge success for the department and the millions of children and parents whose quality-of-life depends so greatly on a truly multi-modal transportation system. (See Quick Release)

  Director Medina made no promises, but the meeting brought to his attention several critical matters now pending before his department. CBC will be following up with Director Medina on these and other issues of key interest to cyclists. We'll need your help encouraging him to act on these issues and others of interest to your community. You can reach Mr. Medina at:

  Mr. Jose Medina
  Director, CA Dept. of Transportation
  1120 N Street
  Sacramento, CA 95814