Photo: LACBC

But first, the Bike Coalition has been pushing a unique outreach program to immigrants and day-laborers to encourage cycling that is safer and more enjoyable.  While these communities make up a large portion of Los Angeles' bike community, they are under-represented in policy discussions, the bike culture scene and with the organizations that represent cyclists interests both locally and nationally.

The City of Lights program's outreach model has been to provide day laborers and others in less-affluent communities the items and information that they need to bike safely.  Coalition staff and volunteers have handed out lights and helmets, sometimes with the support of City Councilman Ed Reyes and others, and information and tips on safe cycling.  In order to promote a sense of community, they have also programmed rides to celebrate cycling such as September's Latinos and L.A. History Ride.  The rides and equipment aren't the end of the campaign; the goal of City of Lights is to help empower some of these veteran riders to become the next wave of bicycle advocates.

CicLAvia in Los Feliz?

CicLAvia is also using a blog to update interested parties on their work.  Following their star-turn in the Times and on television, CicLAvia posted a "what is CicLAvia" post to make sure anyone interested knew who and what the campaign is.  They also have picked up a Streetsblog theme by looking at major street parties, in this instance the Gold Line Eastside Extension Opening, and asking why we need excuses to have street parties.  Isn't living in Los Angeles enough?

If you'd like to help either of these groups out, you can contact Allison Mannos for the City of Lights Campaign at allison@la-bike.org, and Adonia Lugo for CicLAvia at adonia.lugo@gmail.com.

I usually don't pull story ideas directly from The Metro Library's daily headlines page, but this one was just too good to pass up.

Urban Insights L.A. reports on Other New Urbanisms, a symposium held last week by the Southern California Institute's School of Architecture's (SCI-Arc) ”New Infrastructure: Innovative Transit Solutions for LA” design competition.  Urban Insights focuses on the second place winner in the contest, who proposed building agricultural villages along freeway embankmnets throughout Southern California.

The Fletcher Studio, which won second place, proposed urban agricultural villages that would convert freeway embankments into terraced hillsides. Affiliated bungalow housing would be built alongside. These developments would be a new source of “green” jobs, employing farmers on a rotating, seasonal basis. Fletcher calculated that along LA’s 527 miles of freeway, there are approximately 960 acres of largely unused land that could be reclaimed as a productive landscape.

Predictably, many on the panel scoffed at the thought of Caltrans giving up that much space.  Unspoken in the article, and perhaps in the panel, is that if freeway embankments became regional job centers it would be a lot harder, politically, for Caltrans to continue its destructive attempts to widen first and ask questions later.  But in the same way that cyclists are no longer focusing their reform efforts at LADOT and have moved on to elected leaders; perhaps the target audience for this idea shouldn't be bureaucrats at Caltrans but the supposedly Green Governor to whom they report.

Oh, and Urban Insights, welcome to our blogroll.

When Metro first announced it was going to open its own blog, the first questions everyone had were "who will be writing it," and "will they be independent or just Metro public relations officers." Given the choice of the writers they selected, the same two writers I would have picked if i were them, I think we have our answer. From the press release:

With contributors like Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Hymon and car-less in L.A. blogger Frederick Dennstedt a.k.a. Fred Camino, The Source is updated throughout the day with key developments and unique viewpoints that will help the public keep tabs on what's being done to keep L.A. County moving and how taxpayers' transit sales tax dollars are being spent. The Source will showcase a steady stream of real time news about Metro and critical transportation issues as well as feature stories packaged with video, photos and other compelling visuals.

Woah! Camino and Hymon in one blog? Good work whoever in H.R. made that decision.

Mixed in with their writing will be some Metro press releases, a morning headlines section that is currently housed at The Metro Library as well as the contributions of the former Metro Rider and Bottleneck Blogger.

So far, Hymon has a couple of pieces up that qualify as "hard news" writing. His first looks at that letter from 14 Congress People asking for more projects to be sent to the federal government for funding and a F.A.Q on the Long Range Transportation Plan.

My only criticism thus far is that there's no comments section. C'mon guys, two-way communication is all the fad these days!

"Where the Sidewalk Starts" a relatively new blog focusing on pedestrian safety issues is a welcome addition to the local blogosphere.  Writer "Katie" an urban planner and suburban Southern Californian opened the blog because "The most downtrodden mode of transportation deserves a step up."

Where the Sidewalk Starts doesn't come across as too preachy, consider a recent post that examines whether traffic calming really can cause dangers during emergencies; but still clearly comes from the view point that walking is a needed and fun part of the transportation experience.  My favorite article is one that admiringly profiled a group in Greece that puts stickers (such as the one on the right) on cars that are parked illegally, on the sidewalk or blocking crosswalks.

As you can guess by looking at our blogroll, there aren't a lot of writers focused on the plights of pedestrians compared to bicyclists and even transit riders.  One well known bike advocate jokes that if someone sneezes on a bike ride they blog about it, someone makes a joke on Midnight Ridazz, then it gets picked up by Streetsblog who tips off LAist.  By the time the story has died down, 100,000 people have read the story of the sneezy rider.  Meanwhile, if someone gets knifed in the back while crossing the street nobody even notices.

Back in late May, the City of Los Angeles released the maps that will be the backbone for the city's newest Bike Plan on a Friday afternoon.  Before the weekend was over, members of the bike community throughout the city responded with anger and frustration that the new maps appeared to be a rollback of the existing plan and was anything but visionary.  Knowing that Alta Planning, the consultants for the project, are considered some of the most visionary bike planners in America; accusations that the City heavily edited and redacted Alta's work were common.

Thanks to the work being done at Communities for Transportation Choice, we'll have a chance to see how true that charge is.

Regular Streetsblog contributor Joe Linton and author and advocate Eric Knutzen through public information requests have gotten their hands on the original documents submitted by Alta Planning from the Planning Department and are posting the documents online as fast as they can scan them.  After the documents are online, they'll provide some analysis and opinion on what these documents show us.

And, scanning documents can be a slow process so if anyone has a scanner and some free time, they should contact Eric and Joe here.  Now if only they could find out when the rest of the plan will be released and public hearings scheduled.  Last we heard, the plan would be released at the end of July or early August and hearings would be at the end of last month.

Last month, the Bus Riders Union quietly opened its own blog to further push its advocacy efforts online.  While there's nothing that is technilogically amazing about the blog, if anyone remembers what the BRU's website looked like two years ago when I first arrived or last year during the "No on the Six" campaign, it's nice to see a more professional looking website with regular updates.

As you would expect, the BRU Blog focuses on their advocacy efforts by covering their events and posting videos from testimony at Metro Board meetings.  What drew my attention to the blog today was a post from the Metro Library linking to a post by Esperanza Martinez that was a "Streetsblog Style" post looking at how the media is beginning to cover transit differently than in year's past.

As our fight for our Clean Air and Economic Justice Plan continues, we are also building our understanding of what other cities and agencies are doing to push the bounds of what we think is possible in the realm of public transportation. Critical factors that shape the BRU’s programmatic demands – auto restriction, bus-centered system with bus only lanes and fare reductions as a means to free fares

Whether you're a BRU supporter, hater or just casual observer; you can now easily follow the BRU's efforts and messaging online.

Before moving to Los Angeles, I talked to some of my friends in advocacy and did some research on my own and made a list of people I needed to meet.  The list included some of the people you'd suspect, Liz and Shay, Joe and Ron, Stephen and Enci, Bart Reed, Fred Camino, the BRU and many more. 

The last person on that list that I met was Russ Roca, a cycling photographer and activist in Long Beach.  I met Russ in March at the Bike Summit and now he is already gone; pedaling across the country with his wife Laura Crawford.

Fortunately for us, they're blogging about their adventures at The Path Less Pedaled and there may even be a book in their future.  While we wait for the blog to transist from the teary goodbyes to their friends (and bikes) to exciting tales of life on the road, the duo leaves this explanation of why they're leaving Southern California for life on the road.

The Path Less Pedaled is an exploration of what it means to live outside the lines. In March 2009, Laura Crawford and Russ Roca made the decision to drop out of the status quo and find others around the world who have done the same. Paring down their lives to just what will fit on two bicycles, Laura and Russ are embarking on an extended bike tour throughout the US and beyond – with the goal of connecting with and collecting the stories of people who followed a calling to live their lives in unique ways. Through photos, interviews, sketches, hand-bound books, and an extensive web presence, Laura (an art jewelry maker) and Russ (a photographer) will compile example after example of lives less ordinary – independent artisans and makers, small business proprietors, community activists and more.

Thanks to our friends at Bike Portland, I can "spoil" their first adventure.  Currently their on their way up the coast on Amtrak where their first ride will be with the advocates and cyclists of Portland's bike scene.

All too often, transit blogs tend to focus on the negative of riding the bus or taking the train.  Experienced riders come off as jaded and veteran activists are just ornery because of the splitting headache earned from years of banging your head into the concrete divider known as the Metro Board of Directors.  I admit to being as guilty of this trap as anyone.  But if you're looking to read something completely different than the griping and moaning, try reading Booking It Bus Style.

Booking It Bus Style isn't a policy blog.  You won't see Rosemary complaining about the Mayor; and complaints about other riders are infrequent compared to more easy-to-read posts about life on the bus and what book is taking up her commute.  You see, Rosemary went from veteran driver, to car-free as quick as one can take keys off a key chain and has devoted her commute to reading and busing.  As a former NYC rail commuter who has abandoned transit for his bike, I had actually forgotten the simple joy of sitting down for a good read after a long day at work.

So if you're looking for some light reading about the joys one discovers when riding the bus when the policy blogs are wearing you down, click on over to Booking it Bus Style and see what new adventure, or new book, Rosemary wants to tell us about.

Trying to live a car-free, or at the very least a car-reduced, lifestyle can be challenging. While I personally have yet to achieve a car-free lifestyle, I do drive somewhere around 50 miles a month, far less than I bike and about how much I take transit.

In an attempt to encourage more people to consider reducing their dependence, or freeing themselves entirely from their cars; the Bay Area based TransForm is highlighting the efforts of five people as they take the "Car-Free Challenge" during the month of June.  Over 150 people have taken their challenge state-wide and you can join them by following the link at the end of the article.

Accepting the challenge on behalf of Angelenos is Kristin Gronfield, an actress best known for playing the part of Ingrid in the TBS Sitcom "10 Items or Less."  Gronfield is chronicling her attempts which at this early stage are more amusing than inspiring.  Of course, as anyone living in Hollywood could tell you, you don't get to the inspiring part of the story until the end.

And Gronfield is already envisioning her Hollywood ending.  In a post entitled "Craptacular: The Story of LA Transit,"

I'll start out hopeful, meet adversity and maybe a wise-old role model lady on the bus who will teach me about life and how to navigate LA transit.  We'll both grow and be better people.  

Or maybe I will have to rise up and be a hero I never knew I could be for all the car-less people in LA.  and I will find the words to express the frustration of thousands in front of a crowd that will at first be skeptical but then realize that history is being made and one guy will start clapping slowly, and then the crowd will join in until we band together for FREEDOM!

To find out more about Transform's Car-Free Challenge, check out their website.  Maybe you can be our next car-free champion.

Green L.A., once described as "the big environmental coalition you never heard of" by environmental blogger Siel "Green L.A. Girl" Ju, has a number of committees that try to tackle the big issues in Los Angeles.  Thanks to the efforts of Joe Linton, the chair of their transportation committee, they are taking their transportation-related efforts on line.

While the Green L.A. Transportation Working Group's blog hasn't been updated in a couple of weeks, due in large part to Linton's need to update his other blogs and rehears for an upcoming play, the May 12 post on embracing Complete Streets is worth a look.  In it Linton proposes that instead of battling for individual projects and promoting our favored mode of transportation that we should instead push for reforms that would remake out car sewers into Complete Streets.  And then, he asks for our help:

This is where we need to hear from you.  GLATWG has suggested using complete streets as a way of framing our demands.  All of our campaigns – from bus-only lanes to parking reform to tracking modal share – can be seen as parts of a larger overall campaign.

Should GLATWG push for the city of Los Angeles to adopt an explicit Complete Streets policy?  Should it be done legislatively (via the City Council) or via executive order (via Mayor Villaraigosa)?  What should such a policy include?  How can we make it most effective?

If you have recommendations, ideas, examples, concerns, please add them to the comments on this post.  Please include links to sample policies, images, ideas, etc.  Thanks!

I think it's a good idea to try and link various transportation projects into a larger issue, like the reclaiming of our streets.  The support of large and well-organized environmental groups can only help us get the ball rolling.

(Editor's Note: From now on, Streetsblog is going to begin featuring blogs before they get added to our blogroll.  As the the local traditional media continues to retreat in its transportation coverate, it's important for all of us to have as many "media outlets" at our disposal as possible.)

In February of this year, a new blog appeared that focused on the efforts to extend the Gold Line Foothill Extension.  Over the last three months, I Will Ride has become a consistent and well-written voice for its favorite project, the San Gabriel Valley and transit expansion in general.

If the name sounds familiar, it's because the I Will Ride website used to belong to a group of college students who were promoting the Gold Line extension. It's since been turned over to the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority who have used it to promote the project.  Some people have complained that the site isn't clear about who is running it, that the site purports to be "grassroots" when it's really "astroturf."

While it may not be covered in Gold Line Foothill logos, the first post at I Will Ride tells of the site being turned over from the students to the Construction Authority so it's not like they were trying to keep the site's owners a secret.  Regardless of the site's sponsors, there is such a dearth of coverage of transportation issues, that we need all the writers we can get.

The main voice at I Will Ride, "Albert," has done yeoman's work, appearing at public events, twittering some long and dry meetings, and doing the research that is needed to promote the project.  In truth, the entire blog's point of view can be described in one line from their twitter feed from last Saturday's meeting with Art Leahy.

The tax will begin soon and we need to make sure we get our fair share.  Even though many of the cities opposed Measure R, the residents voted for it mostly for the Gold Line.  The county needed those votes to pass the sales tax.  We need to make sure we all get the benefit.

Personally, I've learned a lot about the politics surrounding the Foothill Extension, including why supporters refer to it as the Brain Train, from the site.  Besides, can you name another transit project that would get a college mascots out to support it?  Bruins for Traffic Relief, the ball is in your corner.