The CCC's wrangler supports the wrenching spaces, by rounding up abandoned and donated bikes and making them available to folks who need them. The bikes will go to the wrenching spaces, and will be distributed via workshops in low-income high-obesity risk areas. The CCC wrangler program is part of the L.A. County Department of Public Health's (LACDPH) obesity prevention program known as Project RENEW - for Renew Environments for Nutrition, Exercise, and Wellness. In recent years, the LACDPH had begun to focus on how to get Angelenos to do more regular healthy physical activity - including bicycling and walking. LACDPH started their Policies for Livable, Active Communities and Environments (PLACE) program which partnered with community groups and governmental agencies to promote changes to the built environment that will foster more walking and bicycling. LACDPH funded Project RENEW via a federal stimulus grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
LACDPH's RENEW funds two CCC programs: C.I.C.L.E. (with wrenching spaces) hosts bike workshops and LACBC hosts the Bike Wrangler program. The LACBC advertised the wrangler job last year and hired Jonny Green, a Bicycle Kitchen volunteer "cook", to be the full-time Bike Wrangler. LACBC's bike parking maestro, Bobby Gadda, also a Kitchen cook and president of the CicLAvia board, is also setting up the Wrangler program and space.
Streetsblog got an early look at the Bike Wrangler space, still getting set up, but already accepting used bike donations. It's a storefront at 1205 West 6th Street, a former liquor store storefront in L.A.'s Westlake neighborhood, right across from Good Samaritan Hospital. Bobby and Jonny are looking to host volunteer parties to fix-up and paint the space, and wrenching events to fix-up donated bikes. If you're interested in getting involved with the wrangler's work of reclaiming abandoned bicycles, or if you have any tips or ideas on sources for bikes, or even an old bike in your garage that you'd like to donate to the program, contact the Wrangler at 213-629-2142 or jonathan [at] la-bike.org.
There are seven L.A. County Reconnecting Communities grants totaling $162 million - about 90% of that goes to Metro's Removing Barriers project, which includes new bus lanes, first/last mile walk/bike facilities, bike-share, and more.
New bus lanes are coming to Broadway, Colorado Blvd., Crenshaw Blvd, Lincoln Blvd., Los Feliz Blvd., Santa Monica Blvd., Valley Blvd., Vermont Avenue, Westwood Blvd., Whittier Blvd. and many more city streets!