Editor's note: Thank you to Amie Ashton, SVBC Board Member, for not only supporting SVBC in the 2017 Climate Ride California, but agreeing to write about her experiences here as well.Hello my name is Amie, and I have climate depression. For me, the only antidote to being profoundly sad about ice shelves breaking off in Antarctica and starving polar bears - is action. So, having dumped my car almost entirely for a bike this year, I also decided to join the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) Climate Ride team for the 2017 California Central Coast Ride.

Like kids waiting for the last bell on the last day of school, SVBC and Good Karma Bikes couldn’t wait to enjoy the warm summer days! SVBC happily accepted Good Karma Bikes’ invitation to kick off its Summer Camp for Teens with a biking skills workshop.

Palo Alto, the home of the legendary Ellen Fletcher Bike Boulevard, just approved an astounding $9.6 million for the construction of a network of new bike boulevards. The reimagined streets will utilize speed bumps, chicanes, and roundabouts to create low-stress corridors along 7 miles of streets where bicycle travel is prioritized over driving.

Bay Area Youth - Want to step up and use your leadership skills to make a positive impact for youth throughout the SF Bay Area? We would love for you to join the Student Advisory Council and help us plan for the upcoming Youth for the Environment and Sustainability (YES) Conference in February 2018.

On June 7, Redwood City held another Citizens Advisory Group (CAG) meeting on the El Camino Real Corridor Plan with a presentation from consultants. The CAG, staff, and consultants are coalescing around many of the final ideas for the plan, which includes protected bikeways on El Camino. The inclusion of protected bikeways in the final plan has been bolstered by the survey, community outreach, and the traffic analysis.