WALNUT CREEK — The roughly 150,000 cyclists who climb Mount Diablo's steep, 4,200-foot peak every year face a serious danger: motorists speeding past them on the identical narrow, winding roads and blind curves.
Ten years ago, Danville resident Alan Kalin formed a task force of the Mount Diablo Cyclists Club to search out an answer that might ease tensions between people riding on each two and 4 wheels, but more importantly, it also needed to search out a safer method to ease traffic congestion and reduce the variety of dangerous collisions.
Their first plans for bike pullouts were drafted in 2014. They included a groundbreaking design that allowed cyclists slowing down uphill to maneuver into their very own paved lane so vehicles could safely pass — engineered to mimic turning lanes that helped automobile traffic for years. The roads of Mount Diablo State Park are the one place where bike pullouts have been implemented on a major scale.
“They don't exist anywhere else in the world,” Kalin said in an interview. “Drivers love them, cyclists love them – bike lanes keep everyone safe and reduce hostility between both groups. It won't prevent collisions, but we've saved the lives of people we'll never know.”
Ten years and 1.5 million cyclists later, a complete of 67 bike turnoffs – also often known as additional bike lanes – at the moment are open throughout Mount Diablo State Park.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, Kalin will join dozens of cyclists, elected officials, park staff and community members at Curry Point – a scenic gathering spot halfway up the mountain on South Gate Road – to have fun this milestone in her exemplary safety campaign.
“It took me 10 years to do it, but we did it,” Kalin said in an interview, recounting the numerous hours of research and the vast amount of surveys, public records requests and petitions that drove the project. “I never thought this would happen. I was just trying to save a few lives. The word 'wow' almost doesn't do it justice.”
With construction accomplished this month, there at the moment are a complete of 26 bike stops along South Gate Road, 16 scattered along Summit Road and an extra 25 paved spots on North Gate Road. This represents a 2,133% increase from the unique three stops used to launch a pilot program in 2015-16 that also included the installation of recent signage and pavement markings.
The latest phase of the switches cost $927,000, in response to California State Parks Officials.
Clint Elsholz, superintendent of the Diablo Range District, praised in an announcement how the infrastructure has helped improve accessibility for cyclists and motorists to enjoy a few of the East Bay's most impressive panoramic views and natural wonders.
“We are very pleased to offer these new bike parking spaces. They represent our commitment to improving safety and experience for all who enjoy the beauty of Mount Diablo State Park,” Elsholz said in an announcement. “These new parking spaces not only increase safety, but also encourage more people to explore the park by bike.”
State Senator Steve Glazer and Representative Rebecca Bauer-Kahan helped lead a serious initiative to expand the pullout network in 2021 by allocating $1.5 million in additional funding within the California budget. The money helped increase the full variety of pullouts to 45 by October 2022, a major increase from the previously existing 17 auxiliary lanes.
And by the tip of 2023, tons of of Mount Diablo Cyclists members, community organizations and residents had In total, greater than three quarters of 1,000,000 dollars were raised to support additional construction measures.
These funds included nearly $125,000 donated by the Trust of Joe Shami, a Mount Diablo: Cycling “legend” dies in 2021 after an SUV fatally struck the 86-year-old in Lafayette. Shami's contribution was matched by California State Parks.
As this passion project has gained momentum within the East Bay, Mount Diablo State Park's bike racks have also develop into a model for other safety activists to emulate – helping to enhance roads in California and elsewhere.
In April, researchers at Oregon State University published a 141-page research paper concerning the Mount Diablo Cyclists' grassroots campaign that changed into an engineering campaign. In collaboration with the Department of Transportation, OSU scientists worked with Kalin and other local cyclists to check whether bike turnouts can be a viable solution on Oregon's roads.
The report found that 77% of bicycle crashes between 2005 and 2015 occurred on three major roads within the state park. Between 2010 and 2014, considered one of Mount Diablo's famous bike routes — the 11-mile stretch of Summit Road — saw a mean of 23 crashes per yr. In addition, researchers cited Kalin's evaluation of crash data between 2015 and 2016, which found that 80% of car-bicycle crashes occurred on or near Mount Diablo's 300-plus blind curves.
According to Kalin, the variety of collisions dropped to simply three in the primary two years after the primary bike-passing lanes were installed over a decade ago. Since then, Kalin said, surveys have shown that bike-passing lanes have reduced the variety of collisions by 80% and reduced the frequency with which cars move into the alternative lane to pass cyclists.
“We just built them in the backyard, but then they were discovered,” Kalin said. “They agreed that switches prevent collisions and save lives, so now they want them in Oregon. There's actually scientific evidence to support this effort.”
The wider cycling community also supports the protection campaign.
Last yr, Kalin received the James L. Oberstar Excellence in Bicycle Advocacy Award, was named Contra Costa County Bicycle Champion of the Year, and was recognized by the California Outdoors Hall of Fame for his work reducing crashes at Mount Diablo.
While Saturday's event recognizes the successes up to now which have led up to now, Kalin said he still gets calls from cyclists and residents asking for much more pullouts to be installed at various locations, showing the will and success of this work to proceed regardless that he isn’t any longer leading it.
“It was an honor and a privilege to lead this campaign,” said Kalin. “This participation has brought a happy face to many cyclists and also to some elected politicians.”
Originally published:
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