Kevin Christian    LCI  1677

Kevin Christian has been teaching bicycling safety classes for more than a year. He earned his League Cycling Instructor certification in summer 2005, but began helping with Road 1 classes prior to that. He currently serves on the City’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and is an active member of the SLOCBC.

His passion for bicycling dates back to his high school years. Economic and environmental awareness brought on by the Arab oil embargo during those years had a profound impact on his transportation (and life) choices. The ability to commute by bike or foot has been a priority everywhere he’s lived. He has dabbled in road and mountain bike racing, touring—and even frame building.

Kevin’s first foray into bicycling advocacy was while living in New York state. After some favorite local trails were closed to bikes, he helped form a mountain bike patrol for park trails, in partnership with county parks, to allow them to be reopened (http://www.wmba.org/About.html).

His hopes for bicycling safety education in SLO are to encourage more people to choose bikes for transport more often, increase the number of people riding in a safe and predictable manner, and thereby increase the tolerance level of the non-bicycling public to the benefit of all.

Kevin believes: “Travel by bike allows you to experience your surroundings more fully, without the insulation of a car window to come between you and a spontaneous chat with a neighbor or the feeling of a crisp central coast morning. It’s about living, being in touch with your neighborhood, minimizing your personal environmental impact, and ultimately about community: being an active member and adding to the value of a community.”