Streetsblog Los Angeles » C.I.C.L.E.

C.I.C.L.E. Announces Campaign to Make N.E.L.A. More Bike Friendly

Damien Newton — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:24:04 +0000

Photo of Ciclists in NELA via C.I.C.L.E.

Yesterday, C.I.C.L.E. announced that they are ready to take the next steps in advocacy when they announced their "North East L.A. Campaign." Generally, C.I.C.L.E. has focused their advocacy efforts on helping people get, and stay, on their bikes by providing classes, workshops and social rides. However, the group hasn't spent a lot of energy on traditional advocacy concerning engineering and enforcement issues.

At least in N.E.L.A., that is going to change. While C.I.C.L.E. hasn't announced the goals or platform for the campaign, that is going to wait until after meetings with members and other cyclists in the community, the potential campaigns the Ciclists list are all engineering treatments. Many of those treatments would be "first ever" for the City of Los Angeles if they were to come to pass:

- Bike Boulevard: implement a bicycle boulevard in NELA.

- Bike Parking: implement innovative bike parking in NELA, possibly bike corrals (proposed in this council motion.)

- Colorado: implement bike lanes on Colorado (east of Figueroa approved in 1996 bike plan, interest in additional stretches from TERA and others)

- Eagle Rock: extend the Eagle Rock Blvd bike lanes (in the draft 2009 bike plan)

- Figueroa: implement bike lanes on Figueroa (north of Ave 60 approved in 1996 bike plan)

- Fletcher: implement bike lanes on Fletcher Drive (approved in 1996 bike plan)

- Sharrows: implement sharrows in NELA, in appropriate places, possibly including the Eagle Rock Blvd bike lane gaps for right turns at York and Avenue 36.

- York: implement bike lanes on York Boulevard (approved in the 1996 bike plan)

If you have any ideas for C.I.C.L.E., feel free to leave them in the comments section. However, if you want to commit to helping with the project, you should leave a note for C.I.C.L.E. at their blog.

C.I.C.L.E. Wants You and Your Family to Ride Your Bikes

Damien Newton — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:04:09 +0000

Families that Mass together, stay together. Shot of May 2008 Passadena Critical Mass

Sometimes when there's breaking news, such as dissolving light rail contracts, verdicts from trials, public hearings on major transit or bicycle plans, it's easy to lose sight that sometimes Livable Streets activism can be as simple as encouraging your children, or parents, to use their bikes, take transit or think of ways to move around without cars.

Cyclists Inciting Change through Live Exchange (C.I.C.L.E.) has been preaching this sort of personal advocacy for years. Now they're asking the question, "how can we encourage more families to ride together." Earlier this week they announced the beginning of their "Families And Bikes" (F.A.B.) program that seeks to answer that question and put theory to reality. The first step is to gather information and ideas from their supporters. You can help by taking their survey or posting a comment on the article announcing the program.

C.I.C.L.E. lists a lot of great reasons that we should be encouraging families to take bike trips together, be they recreational, to the store, to run errand or to school. From the announcement:

With epidemic obesity and Type 2 diabetes rates continuing to rise, promoting city bicycling, as a family activity, can be a great way to (literally) get entire families moving toward increased levels of fitness and a greater quality of life. Unfortunately, many parents living in the Los Angeles area are choosing not to bicycle with their children on city streets, and many view bicycling as an impractical or even an unpleasant transportation option for their families.

They go on to point out that this isn't just an L.A. problem, and provide examples from around the world that show parents skittish about putting children on bikes in urban settings.

The good news is that there are some solutions already out there. A recent Streetsblog.net article challenged parents to work with schools to make cycling a "cool" and practical way to get to school. Locally, City Lites hosts a ride every spring that has, literally, thousands of South L.A. children bicycling from park to park. Also, C.I.C.L.E. board member David Pulsipher, when he's not working on the Bike Plan with Alta Planning or on the next C.I.C.L.E. event, writes Kids, Bikes, Dads, a great resource for families interested in getting the children on bikes at an early age.

Instead of leaving your suggestions for what else C.I.C.L.E. can be doing, leave those suggestions at their blog; let's fill the comments section with what riding with your family meant to you as a child or as a parent. I'll go first.

Book Review: C.I.C.L.E.’s “Bicycle Lifestyle Guide”

Damien Newton — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:51:15 +0000

Cyclists Inciting Change Through Live Exchange (C.I.C.L.E.) has been a leader in getting adults onto bicycles and out of cars through positive messaging, education, and urban bicycle training. Their messaging has always been positive, to focus on the fun and benefits of biking rather than, in their words, "making people feel like schmucks for driving."

Their latest effort, The Bicycle Lifestyle Guide continues their tradition of light-hearted messaging with 30 pages of full color, illustrated fun. The book is filled with tips and guides to encourage people to increase their bike usage by using their bike for local trips to build up a base before trying larger trips. The advice and information contained within the Guide is probably familiar to regular Streetsblog readers, but the colorful illustrations and dynamic layout make The Bicycle Lifestyle Guide a great tool to encourage friends and family to consider bicycling as a great way to get around. Those who read The Guide and decide they want to make a change in their life might consider taking some of C.I.C.L.E.'s street courses such as the upcoming Can You Handle It street riding lesson or Learn to Ride a Bike (for adults) class.

The The Bicycle Lifestyle Guide was written and partially illustrated by Shay Sanchez. Eric Cushing and Al Zesatti also helped with illustrations, photography and layout. You can get printed copies of The Bicycle Lifestyle Guide here and can get more information about the booklet and C.I.C.L.E. at their website.

Bike Friendly Fridays: Pasadena

Damien Newton — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:15:53 +0000

Cyclists head to the Bike Expo during Bike Week Pasadena last year.

As we approach Bike to Work Day and the corresponding Bike Week Pasadena, let's take a look at how our neighbor to the east views and treats its cycling community.

When doing research for this week's installment for Bike Friendly Fridays, I found one statement in a press release that shows the difference between how Pasadena views cyclists and its large car-loving neighbors. From a press release on announcing an update to the city's Bike Master Plan:

The existing master plan, titled “Century of Bikes,” was adopted in 2000. It encourages bicycle riding and proposes improved conditions for those already riding.

Most of the projects in the 2000 plan have been completed, with 60 lane miles identified with signage and stripes. A bike map, bike parking and promotion of bike safety were also integral to the plan.

By comparison, the City of Los Angeles is planning "18 miles of new bike lanes" in the next couple of years. Also, while Pasadena is aggressively pursuing the creation of a new Bike Master Plan because it wishes to expand on the nearly completed BMP done in 2000, the City of Los Angeles has missed at least three dates where the draft of the BMP for which it held hearings in January of 2008.

The other difference in planning styles is what's being discussed to be part of the new BMP's. For Los Angeles, we've been told the new plan will hope to fill in the gaps in the network that create dangerous conditions for cyclists when bike lanes suddenly end near a freeway entrance and earned one lane in Westwood the distinction of being named the Dumbest Bike Lane in America.

By comparison, Pasadena is moving forward by examining the road treatments that could make it the top bike-town in LA County.

The update, which will examine the full range of actions that could be taken to qualify for related state and federal funds, is expected to require more innovation as the city of Pasadena considers bicycle boulevards, traffic calming devices and other treatments.

An initial needs analysis will determine the visibility, safety and connectivity of Pasadena’s bicycle network for beginning and experienced cyclists.

Of course to be a friendly town for cyclists, it's not just about designing the best streets, it's also about showing support for cyclists. Enter Bike Week Pasadena.

Via CICLE.org

While the City of Pasadena has certainly benefited from its close relationship with Cyclists Inciting Change through Live Exchange (CICLE), the City has celebrated Bike to Work Day going back to 2001 before CICLE was fully organized.

Since allowing CICLE to take the lead, Bike Day has grown to "Bike Week Pasadena," and the week long bike celebration compares favorably to any bike program in Southern California. Not to say there's anything wrong with the Bike Week celebrations put together by Metro and the City of Los Angeles (more on that next week), but for a town of 146,000 people to more than compete with the second largest city in America is a credit to both Pasadena and CICLE.

For a full list of the events scheduled in this year's Bike Week Pasadena you can scroll through the Streetsblog calendar on the left, or head over to the official website at CICLE.org.

CICLE Opening Bike Community Center in Northeast L.A.

Damien Newton — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:50:16 +0000

Cyclists Inciting Change thru LIVE Exchange (C.I.C.L.E.) has been busy under new executive director Liz Elliott having organized more rides and events than before. However, they've saved some of the biggest news for the new year. Via press release:

Cyclists Inciting Change thru LIVE Exchange (C.I.C.L.E.) announced that it will begin plans for an innovative new Bicycle Community Center in North East Los Angeles, thanks to initial funding from New Belgium Brewing Company.

The Bicycle Community Center will house an extensive bicycle education program, and provide a comprehensive set of resources that is sure to get more Los Angelenos riding their bikes for everyday transportation. Workshops will run the gamut, from teaching people to learn to ride for the very first time, to demonstrating working solutions that can haul a week's worth of groceries home by bike.

The Center will also run the world's first Social Bike Business program which will manufacture affordable transportation bicycles and equip qualifying low-income individuals with a transportation bicycle and the training to help them meet with their transportation needs. Area residents will also benefit from job training programs and additional business opportunities created by the Center.

While funding from the New Belgium Brewing Company has made the Center's opening possible, C.I.C.L.E. still needs help to keep the center running. If you're interested in lending a hand, either finnancial or by volunteering, contact C.I.C.L.E. at info@cicle.org.

Holidays with the Sustainable Transportation Advocates

Damien Newton — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:04:28 +0000

Will Campbell-Claus Delivers Toys at Midnight Then Ridazz in Training Collect Toys in Pasadena

Both C.I.C.L.E. and the Midnight Ridazz held and completed their respective charity toy rides this weekend. On the Ridazz front, a few stolen bikes couldn't stamp out the festivities as literally hundreds of toys were delivered to the Alliance for Children's Rights to be distributed. On C.I.C.L.E.'s front, bad weather before the ride may have held down attendance, but the fifty riders that rode through Pasadena did so with high cheer. Hundreds more toys were gathered for Hathaway-Sycamores Family Services.

If you missed the ride this weekend for any reason, and you're looking to both advance alternative transportation and promote local charity; allow me to suggest Transit People. Entering its tenth year, Transit People has taken over 23,000 students on different field trips around the city. The all-volunteer organization doesn't just take deserving children to great L.A. places such as The Natural History Museum or the Long Beach Aquarium, but by using transit encourages young people to explore a transit oriented lifestyle. Like every non-profit Transit People is going to need some extra help over the next couple of years. If this sounds like a group you want to be part of, you can donate online here.

Photo: Ingrid Peterson and Damien Newton

A Streetsblog Interview with C.I.C.L.E.’s Liz Elliott

Damien Newton — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:18:11 +0000

Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange (C.I.C.L.E.) reached a milestone earlier this month when it appointed Liz Elliott as its first executive director. While C.I.C.L.E. shares the same goal as other bicycle advocacy groups, they seek to bring about change by helping as many people as possible get out of their cars and onto bikes by teaching bike safety, programming Bike Week Pasadena, participating in Park(ing) Day, and by hosting its own wildly successful series of bike rides known as "Urban Expeditions."

Streetsblog conducted an over e-mail interview with Liz last week.

Streetsblog: First off, congratulations on the new gig. It must be exciting. I think the first thing people would like to know is what changes, if any, will people notice with CICLE? Will its focus change at all as a result of your hiring?

Liz Elliott: Thank you, it is indeed exciting. For the last several years C.I.C.L.E. has been a labor of love-powered by a few dedicated volunteers. But as C.I.C.L.E. began to grow and increase its scope, it was clear that we needed a dedicated staff member on board. Well that day is here. Now C.I.C.L.E. is my job! While it's just a part time position, it still is having a tremendous impact on the organization's growth and development.

As a transportation focused bicycle advocacy organization, we've committed ourselves to using Education and Encouragement programming as a primary method to achieve our mission-which is essentially to get more people swapping out their cars for their bikes (at least part of the time). That trajectory won't change much over the next year or so, but do expect to see noticeable growth with our existing programs. Since I've come on board as director, we've already increased our workshop count from one a month to 3-4 per month. And as we continue to build, C.I.C.L.E. will begin to travel and engage more Los Angeles communities too.

One thing that I'd like to note about C.I.C.L.E.'s education program, is that it doesn't just focus upon bicycle safety-our goals are much broader than that. While promoting safe and effective riding style is very important and rests at the core of our curriculum, introducing people to smart solutions that help get them riding is an equally important component. As we continue to expand our education program, expect to see new workshops such as "The Bicyclist Lifestyle Workshop", "Bikes & Transit: Expanding your Mobility", Trailer Building Workshops, and more. These workshops offer much more than safe riding techniques, they teach fun and exciting solutions that inspire more Los Angelenos to start bicycling, and help the existing cyclist to keep at it. Some people think C.I.C.L.E. only works with new cyclists, but the truth is, we work with a lot of current cyclists too.

Streetsblog: Obviously you're very familar with the terrain out there. When Streetsblog interviewed Eric Knutzen a couple of months ago, we asked him, "If you could give one piece of advice to a new rider what would it be?" I'm curious to see if your answer is the same as his...

Liz Elliott: There's no doubt that your route plays a key role in creating an enjoyable experience that begs to be repeated. We always highlight the merits of less congested, gentler LA streets in our presentations and workshops, and we've hosted our Back Roads LA (http://www.cicle.org/cicle_content/pivot/entry.php?id=698 ) routes listing as a resource to help people find those routes. However, I'd hate to be limited to one piece of advice because it's like offering a single puzzle piece, and it may not be the puzzle piece they need at that time. My one piece of advice will definitely vary from person to person. For example, some new riders come to us with very limited bike handling abilities, and they're simply not ready to begin crafting routes yet. These new riders need to boost their skills and confidence on the bike before they can get out there and hit the streets. This is why we really try to assess an individual's abilities, personal barriers, and even personality type, when we're working with them. We also talk openly about issues regarding class, ethnicity, gender, age, health, etc. We take all factors into consideration, without judgment, and then we base our advice upon a more personalized and accurate picture. That's why we keep our classes small, so that we can address each student on a personal level.

Streetsblog: Seeing where Los Angeles County is now, what do you think the first thing the city and/or county should do to make things safer for everyone?

Liz Elliott: I'd like to see Los Angeles take a very bold step towards creating a city environment that's inviting to bicyclists of all ages and abilities. I'd really love to see Los Angeles look to other cities, such as Berlin, London and Copenhagen, and begin to aggressively incorporate speed reduction, or traffic calming, as part of its approach to increasing the rate of bicycling.

Because C.I.C.L.E. works in bicycle education, I get the wonderful opportunity to view the city from a beginning bicyclist's perspective on a regular basis. And what I have found is that most new cyclists are very intimidated about mixing with high-speed auto traffic. Even within a bike lane placed on a multi-lane arterial that supports an overall speed of 35 mph or higher, most new bicyclists are very reluctant to ride in that bike lane due to the high auto traffic speeds. In my opinion, traffic speeds need to be addressed if we are to be successful in greatly increasing the rate of bicycling. We need to stop prioritizing the speed of auto traffic at the expense of all other road users. Ideally, Los Angeles would have a comprehensive network of well-engineered bicycle and pedestrian priority streets, and on those streets, auto traffic would be limited to around 20 mph. I think Enrique Penalosa sums it up perfectly when he advocates for a city built for people instead of cars. "A city that works for its most vulnerable citizens-the children, the elderly, the disabled, the poor-tends to work well for everyone else."

Streetsblog: So you have a lot of experience biking around LA County, do you have any favorite stories or rides you want to share with riders?

Liz Elliott:
While this isn't exactly about me biking around town, but I do have this one very recent story that I love. We had two students show up at our "Learn to Ride" class a few weeks ago, each with a goal to become bike commuters. What was so inspiring is that neither of them really believed that they could learn to ride a bike--they just had this "crazy" dream. Lisa's boyfriend had tried to teach her on his bike, and just gave up. Ray's friends took him out for about 20 minutes and came to the conclusion that he was just hopeless. So when they started pedaling after only about an hour into the class, it was a huge celebration. This is our favorite class, and we always get emotional when they take off on their own. So much work has gone into getting them to that moment, and when they take off, you stand by like a proud parent filled with joy. Afterward, they were so excited and wanted to know what bikes they should buy. Now they've already advanced into our bike handling workshops and are becoming competent cyclists, and soon-to-be bike commuters. This is what we do, and it's my favorite story.

Streetsblog: Lastly, as more and more people are getting on their bikes, more and more people are going to want to get involved in the bike movement. Any advice for the burgeoning bike activist? And how should someone volunteer with CICLE if they're interested?

Liz Elliott: Obviously, it makes sense to get informed-understand the challenges, objectives, and solutions. There are many great resources for information, including this one, Streetsblog. But more importantly, I feel that it's important to get outside of yourself. Bicycling should be an accessible and viable mode of transportation for everyone. Everyone includes children, the elderly, those that may not have a high level of fitness, etc. So whether you're working directly with someone to help get them bike commuting for the first time, or you're engaging with city government to advocate for a more complete bicycle infrastructure, it's important to keep these people's needs in mind as we work to get more people bicycling. In C.I.C.L.E.'s education efforts, we make sure that we're giving people the information that serves them in that moment. When it comes to infrastructure, ideally, that same principle would apply. We're working to shift a diverse, and largely, non-cycling public to start bicycling for transportation, maybe for the first time. We need to be sure that the bicycle amenities that we lobby for not only accommodate the experienced cyclist, but also serve the beginner, the senior, the physically challenged, kids, etc. I think it's really important to challenge ourselves as activists, and continually ask the question, "what do these people need?" I believe that this is an essential ingredient when it comes to creating change, whether it's on an individual or a community level.

Volunteering for C.I.C.L.E? We have many volunteer opportunities available, and our potential to create change in this vast land that is called Los Angeles is only limited to our capacity. And people are what give us this capacity. So if you feel moved or swayed by our message, give us a call or shoot us an email. Come on board, become a ride leader for Urban Expeditions (http://www.cicle.org/cicle_content/pivot/entry.php?id=1603) rides, get involved with our Bikes in the City workshops (http://www.cicle.org/bike_now/ed_program_page.php), or help out with our continuing outreach efforts. Operators are standing by... 323.478.0060 :: info@CICLE.org.

Bike Day Saturday: C.I.C.L.E.’s Intro to City Riding

Damien Newton — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:51:21 +0000

Group Shot of the Riders Posed for a Picture After Their Handle It Better! Workshop in August

Designed for a rider who is new to urban life, or an urbanist new to bike riding, Cyclists Inciting Change through Live Exchange, aka C.I.C.L.E., hosts a series of workshops designed to help bike meet pavement in a safe way in the urban jungle we call home.

This Saturday in Glassell Park, they'll be holding such a class for eight riders. The fee is $15, with discounts available on a sliding scale. These workshops can fill up quickly so call 323-478-0060 or info@CICLE.org if you're interested.

For more details on this ride visit C.I.C.L.E.'s website here or for a schedule of more of their workshops click here.

Photo: CICLE.org/Flickr