ALAN KALIN
Concerned that the 11-mile Summit Road to Mount Diablo - a world-famous cycling route - was being bloodied by collisions between cyclists and motorists, Alan Kalin advocated solutions that would allow vehicles to pass cyclists safely and make Mt. Diablo the first major mountain bike route in the nation to separate cyclists from traffic. His solution reduced collisions by 80%, saving lives, greatly reducing road rage and established a safety model for the nation, according to the California State Senate.
From 2010 to 2014, this route produced an average of 23 collisions per year, with many of Kalin’s best riding friends struck. It also frequently resulted in road rage showdowns between drivers and riders, according to State Park officials. After the first turnouts were created, collisions dropped to 3 accidents in two years and road rage greatly diminished.
The Hall of Fame nomination stated that Kalin helped build an organization of 1,500 members, raised funding at $15,000 to $20,000 for each turnout, and worked with legislators to help convince and obtain funding for State Parks to also add a new double yellow line on the summit route, add road sign placement throughout the park, create “Sharrows” and heavily convince cyclists to ride single file instead of stacking up three and four across.
The California State Senate described Mt. Diablo's Summit Road as the first major bike route in America to create cycling turnouts, as well as signage and lane markers to keep cyclists and vehicles apart and safe from each other, and described the improvements as a safety model for the nation.
Kalin has had a lifetime of philanthropy. He served as a volunteer for the Peace Corp in Ethiopia as a famine relief worker and instructor, and after that, worked 30 years as a high school teacher and a military officer in the U.S. Army. He then helped develop or facilitate a free real-time weather app for state park visitors, Eagle Scout bike repair boxes along major riding routes, pothole repair teams, and other mainstream projects.
As an avid cyclist and traveler, Kalin has ridden thousands of miles across the backroads of the Bay Area and across much of the state and driven and explored most all parks and recreation areas. From behind the wheel, both in cars and on bikes, he saw and felt firsthand the conflict and anger between drivers and riders unable to share the same space on narrow roads. Kalin then made it a mission to provide a template to solve this conflict at Mount Diablo.
