It’s hard to believe I have been riding a bicycle for over 40 years! As a teenager, my Schwinn BMX bike served as the primary mode of transportation to get me where I wanted to go. Cycling long distance eventually translated to racing in both open road and criterium events. Although my racing experience was not so illustrious, the passion for cycling still remains. Having ridden thousands of miles on just about every major roadway in the Inland Empire, I have experienced all types of cycling environments and infrastructure. It is clear that major changes are needed in the way that elected officials, engineers, and planners provide for the needs of people on bikes.

Growing up, I remember riding my bike on my street, to school and eventually all around town to visit friends.  My first job was as a paperboy for the Progress Bulletin, and I actually got paid to ride my bike.  Unfortunately, once I had a car, my bike riding came to an end. Many  many years later, in 2009, with the encouragement of my wife Robin,  I began to bike again.  I did it as a way to exercise and stuck mostly to the just finished sections of the Pacific Electric Trail running through Rancho Cucamonga.  As I biked more, I ventured out onto the streets and began participating in cycling events like the Redlands RUFF Ride, Tour de Cure, and the LA River Ride.

In October 2010, I attended CicLAvia in downtown LA and that sparked my interest in Bike Advocacy.  I started volunteering with the Friends of the Pacific Electric Trail, and in 2012, I attended an eight day  Fundraising Academy put on by the Academy for Grassroots Organizations.  In 2011, I joined the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) and was on the steering committee for their local chapter, the Pomona Valley Bicycle Coalition, when it was formed in 2012.  I attended an early Inland Empire Bicycle Alliance (IEBA) meeting and have participated in rides and fund raisers with IEBA since its inception.   In 2013, I participated in League of American Bicyclists training with the Orange County Wheelmen and the LACBC and received my League Cycling Instructor certification in May.  Since then, I have taught or assisted in teaching numerous Traffic Safety 101 classes to the community.

 

Anna Jaiswal is a Redlands resident who enjoys biking and walking in her community.  In her day job she is a planner at Omnitrans, the public transit agency for the San Bernardino Valley.  She also serves on the Redlands Traffic and Parking Commission and hopes to improve the region's transportation system for those who walk, bike, or ride transit.  In addition to five years of non-motorized transportation planning experience, she also volunteered for a start-up bicycle kitchen called Cycle-Re-Cycle in Benton Harbor, Michigan in 2010-2011.