“Bicycle Cafe” this Sunday hopes to build community around more cycling in the Morongo Basin
The first Bicycle Cafe is happening this Sunday (5/31) in Yucca Valley. It is being put on by the Basin Bike Path Project, which aims to advocate for more protected cycling options in the Morongo Basin. Online News Editor Robert Haydon talked with the founder Eric Linnert about Sunday’s event.
On average, gas prices in California have always been some of the highest in the United States. That’s due to too many variables and factors to cover in this story, but let’s just say that California’s gas taxes and focus on air quality over the last 50 years means that customers in the Golden State are usually paying more at the pump.
So when Californians hear that the average fuel price in the United States has been over $4 a gallon, it may be hard to feel sympathy for those other states as California’s average gallon of gas sits at around $6. President Trump has acknowledged the increased gas prices, saying in March that they would “return to normal in a few weeks.” While this average gallon of gas has gone up and down in small percentiles as world leaders ping pong peace talks back and forth, some economists are saying that Americans should brace themselves for a more volatile fuel market through 2027.
So if you depend on a car for transportation, how do you cut back on gas? If you are able to do so, pedestrian modes of transportation have the two-fold benefit of being cheaper than a car and better for your health. This is a great option if you live in a city where you most likely have access to the type of urban infrastructure that supports safely walking or biking to your destination.
Basin Bike Path Project
Here in the hi-desert it’s not that easy. Dirt roads, poorly maintained shoulders, unmarked lanes and distracted driving can make any form of pedestrian travel a harrowing experience. I talked with Eric Linnert of the Basin Bike Path Project. I’d describe Eric as a bit of a renaissance man around the Town of Yucca Valley, and I first met him when I began covering Yucca Valley Town Council meetings where he would often show up in public comments speaking on a number of issues.
“The Basin Bike Path is kind of this ‘desert roots initiative’ that spun out of a public comment I made last fall at the Yucca Valley Town Council meeting in regards to two bicycle-related deaths that happened in the basin within one week and I put that on my social media and got a lot of attention and a lot of interest” in the project, Eric says.
The hypothetical bike path could be from Yucca Valley, traveling east through downtown Joshua Tree, out to Twentynine Palms and looping back through Joshua Tree National Park.
“So that’s what we’re ideally pushing for, and in that process also advocating for just safer streets, more bike lanes in our existing streets because that is an area of improvement that we definitely need,” Eric said.
The Basin Bike Path project is in its very early days, but Eric says that building community with enthusiasts who support the idea is part of the entire process. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, you are in luck as Eric is holding an event this Sunday right up your bike path
Bicycle Cafe this Sunday (5/31)
Eric is hosting the first Bicycle Cafe this Sunday, described as a “casual group ride through Yucca Valley.” They are meeting at Nosotros in Yucca Valley and riding down Sunnyslope Drive and finishing at Matson Ambroise Coffee for food, drinks and conversation around better biking in the basin.
The event is open for people of all ages and skill levels, but there are some inclines that will require a little effort. You can check out basinbikepath.com for more details and to keep up on the project.