City Manager Blair King and Mayor Casey Tanaka at the annual event
Saturday was a perfect Coronado day as 35 cyclists, led by Mayor Casey Tanaka, took a leisurely ride around Coronado in the annual Mayor’s Bike. Participants ranging in age from 8 to 80 made their way along the one-mile ride from Speckels Park to Centennial Park, taking in views of the bay, the ocean, and the golf course. Following the ride, many of the riders joined Mayor Tanaka for drinks at Village Pizza.
Mayor CaseyTanaka is in the front, just behind him are Dan Orr, Mariah Van Zee, Larry Hofstetter standing at the back of the group.
Participants gathered at Village Pizzeria after their ride. Drinks were on the mayor.
This was the third anniversary of the event, which is held each year to encourage people to commute by bike. “Biking is such a pleasant and convenient way to get around Coronado,” Tanaka said. “It is fun to see so many people make it out each year for this bike ride, and to enjoy the day with them.”
He did note that biking was not without its hazards. “You have to keep your head on a swivel for cars and other roadway dangers.” In fact, bike safety was the theme of this year’s event. Members of the Bicycle Advisory Committee who were on the ride wore helmets. The mayor wore one of the new Yakkay Smart one helmets that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a polo field. “I wanted something a little different,” he said.
“The idea was for us to set an example for younger riders,” said Mariah Van Zeer, the city’s new active transportation planner. “We felt is was especially important in light of what happened last month.”
Mariah Van Zee, Active Transportation Planner for the City of Coronado.
Along with his new helmet, Tanaka rode his own bike, an electric Pedego that he purchased earlier this year. He is now committed to commuting by bike. “I decided to become a bike commuter to save on gas, to help the environment with fewer carbon emissions, and because it is easier to find parking with a bike than a car,” he said.
The ride began three years ago as a way to highlight the city’s planned bike loop and to promote cycling.
The city council approved the loop last year, but eliminated the Coronado Avenue leg after neighbors objected. They feared it would bring hundreds of cyclist to their quiet neighborhood if the street were included. Nonetheless, the Coronado Avenue section was included in this years ride. In announcing the route, the Bicycle Advisory Committee’s Chair Dan Orr referred to it as “the forbidden loop.”
Paula Udell on her adult tricycle.
Orr also announced that for the ride, cyclists would follow “Idaho rules.” In Idaho, cyclists are allowed to treat stop signs as yield signs. They just have to slow down, look for any oncoming traffic and proceed cautiously. The rule has been adopted in a few Colorado cities, including Aspen, and in French cities, including Paris, and is known as the “Idaho Stop.”
Except taking a full stop crossing Orange Avenue next to the Hotel del, participants sped along the entire route with little need for a breather, proving once again that in Coronado cycling is for everyone.
Ella Larkins, age 8 the youngest Mayor’s Bike ride participant.
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Gloria Tierney
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
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