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Streetfilms Praises Orange Line BRT and Bike Path

7:51 AM PDT on March 23, 2009

While in town last month, Streetfilms took its second look at Los Angeles' Orange Line as a model for BRT's around the country.  In his summary of the above Streetfilm, Clarence Eckerson doesn't hold back his praise for the Orange Line calling it "one of the best Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in the U.S" and "really fabulous."

And despite some of the well-documented problems with trash along the bike path and the debate about whether or not it should have been designed as light rail; it really does have some technological features that are above and beyond what many cities experience with their "Bus Rapid Transit." But perhaps the best part of the film is Metro bike coordinator Lynn Goldsmith talking about the importance of multi-modalism in solving our local transportation crisis.

As always, the comment section is open to discuss the film or the Orange Line itself.  Have at it.   And if anyone wants to explore the Orange Line Bike Path they should join the LACBC, Metro and Councilman Tom LaBonge for this month's "Car Free Friday."  For more information on that ride, you can read LACBC's press release after the jump.

L.A. City Council
member TOM LABONGE TO join THIRD official
“Car-Free Friday” BICYCLE Ride
ALONG METRO ORANGE LINE MARCH 27

  • New campaign
    strives to offer transportation alternatives that will help reduce
    congestion, reduce carbon footprint, keep people healthy, and help
    save Angelenos money on commuting costs.

LOS ANGELES,
Calif
. –Friday
morning, March 27th, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition
(LACBC) will be joined by L.A. City Councilmember Tom LaBonge on the
third official “Car-Free Friday” bicycle ride along the
San Fernando Valley’s Metro Orange Line as part of the
coalition’s ongoing campaign to encourage Angelenos to bicycle
as a commute alternative to driving at least once per month.

Members of
the public are invited to join the ride and show their support for
bicycling as a healthy, cost-effective and sustainable commute
alternative that also helps reduce regional traffic congestion. Both
new and experienced riders will help prove that Angelenos can and
will leave their cars at home to help build a more livable future for
Los Angeles.

Riders
will meet
at 8 a.m. at the North Hollywood Metro
Red Line Station and will ride along the Metro Orange Line bike path
approximately four miles to the Van Nuys Metro Orange Line Station.
The Van Nuys Station provides bicycle and transit access to several
major government job centers as well as schools, hospitals, libraries
and businesses.

Councilmember
LaBonge is the third prominent L.A. City Council official to promote
the benefits of bicycle commuting so far this year. L.A. City
Council President Eric Garcetti kicked off the campaign with an
inaugural ride through Hollywood in January, and Bill Rosendahl
joined riders in West Los Angeles in February.

Tom
LaBonge has been a supporter of cycling in Los Angeles for years. He
helped push for the repaving of parts of 4th Street, an
important bike route for commuters. He also hosted four bike rides in
his district in the summer of 2008 to showcase the importance of
cycling as a viable form of transportation.

"I
support biking in Los Angeles whenever I can,” said
LaBonge. “The best way to see and enjoy the city up close
is from the seat of your bicycle.  It's a healthy form of
transportation and reduces traffic congestion.  It's good for
the waistline and great for the City of Los Angeles."

The
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)
supports bike-to-transit commuting as a comprehensive alternative
that can fully replace the automobile for many daily work trips. The
Metro Orange Line, for example, enables commuters to begin their
commute from home by bicycle and travel longer work distances via
fast, high-capacity bus and subway service. The agency is now
investing in additional bicycle lockers and racks to provide greater
storage capacity along the Orange Line route.

The
Car-Free Friday campaign really reinforces on an ongoing basis the
goals that Metro is trying to achieve in encouraging people to get
out of their cars,” said Lynne Goldsmith, Metro’s Bicycle
Program Planning Manger. “We’re hoping initiatives like
these will offer new biking and transit commute incentives and will
reach more and more people as they reconsider the realities of
constant car commuting.”

"Bicycling
is an important way to solve a lot of problems - from gridlock to
global warming" says Joe Linton, a co-founder of Los Angeles
County Bicycle Coalition.

According
to Bikes Belong, a national advocacy coalition, “Bicycling is
good for communities, great for health and a solution to many of our
most pressing societal and environmental problems. It also
contributes to the U.S. economy through bike and equipment sales as
well as tourism dollars.”

Founded
in 1998, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) works to build
a better, more bike-able Los Angeles County. LACBC is the only
nonprofit, membership-supported organization working exclusively for
the millions of bicyclists in Los Angeles County. Through advocacy,
education and outreach, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition brings
together the diverse bicycling community in a united mission to make
the entire L.A. region a safe and enjoyable place to ride.

For
more information on the benefits and importance of bicycling in Los
Angeles County, visit to www.la-bike.org. 

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