The San Diego Association of Governments approved a $200 million capital spending plan Sept. 27 for the county over the next 10 years aimed at making the region more bicycle-friendly, according to the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition.

By approving the regional bike plan, the planning and transportation agency’s board put in motion essential improvements aimed at making riding bicycles safer and providing more direct routes that connect more cities in the county, the coalition said.

“The momentum for bicycling as an active form of transportation in San Diego County is in high gear,” said Andy Hanshaw, SDCBC’s executive director.

Some of the high-profile projects on the list of early priorities are the North Park-Mid City corridor, the Uptown corridor, several coastal rail bikeways, the San Diego River Trail bikeway, and some downtown to southeast San Diego connections.

The organization also hailed the recent law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown requiring that cars give at least three feet of space when passing a bicycle rider on the road.

In related news, the city of San Diego and its bike sharing partner, Decobike, are now searching for input on potential locations for the bike-sharing stations that are slated to open in 2014, Hanshaw said. 

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