Sadly, there was a great anecdote at the end of our discussion, after the tape recorder was turned off about working with Ron “Bike Sage” Milam to become an urban cyclist himself. I guess we’ll have to wait for Milam’s Streetsblog interview to get that story on tape.
The full text of the interview is available after the jump.
Back on the bike: Tena after the "Bike Not to Work Day" ride last week.But whatever happened the cyclist who was thrown from his bike when the H3 ran into him? What is his take on the controversy and what does he have to say to those people who say it was his fault?
I’ve had the chance to twice ride with Andres Tena since he was assaulted and had a chance to sit down with him to talk about the crash. The smiling, good-natured Tena provides a contrast to the anarchist vandals that were described by the LAPD spokesperson last week at the City Council.
The full text of my chat with Tena is available after the jump.
Earlier, I had a chance to sit down with Hilary Norton, the executive director of the non-profit organization Fixing Angelenos Stuck in Traffic. F.A.S.T. was formed to take the recommendations of last year’s much-publicized RAND report on reducing congestion. The interesting thing about the F.A.S.T.’s model for building a transportation constituency is that it is building it’s base one community at a time by having Norton present to Neighborhood Councils, community groups, Homeowner’s groups, civic and transit advocacy groups who are interested in learning more about “best practice” short-term transit solutions.
Norton began working in Los Angeles in 1991 as an intern in the office of Tom Bradley and since then has worked for a collection of L.A. political figures including Richard Alarcon and Mark Ridley-Thomas before moving to the private sector and then to F.A.S.T.
Streetsblog: Last year, there was a report released by the RAND Corporation and one of the results of this report was the formation of F.A.S.T. Could you describe the report a little bit and what role F.A.S.T. is going to play in bringing the report’s suggestions to the public.
HN: Over a year before Measure R was placed on the ballot, Jim Thomas, who has been a developer, philanthropist and resident in Los Angeles for 40 years, recognized that his beloved city was never going to be a great city if it continued to be crippled by traffic.
So, being a smart business person he understood that in order to bring about real change, we have to think about what can be done in the near-term -- the next 3-5 years. He asked RAND to look at examples from around the globe at what near-term changes can be implemented that would bring permanent improvement to traffic. The RAND report looks at what can be done quickly and inexpensively, for millions of dollars not billions, and yet have a lasting effect on reducing L.A. traffic. These solutions work alongside the long-term solutions proposed by Measure R.
Today we’re interviewing Drew Reed the writer/editor of the
popular blog “Obamathon Man.” Reed
traveled across the country with his brother to see the inauguration of Barack
Obama and stopped at several places along the way to blog about their
transportation and what he saw. A Long
Beach resident, Reed has developed some strong opinions about the state of
transit and transportation in Los Angeles and the country in general.
In this interview, we discuss his trip across the country and his experiences walking around the Capital during the inauguration. If you're more interested in just his D.C. experiences, use the jump and scroll down until you see a picture of a crowd gathered in front of the Capital.
Streetsblog: We’re here today with Drew Reed, a regular cyclist and transit user who just traveled across the country to witness the Obama inauguration. We’re going to talk about some of the things he saw and wrote about at the blog chronicling his journey, Obamathon, and how Washington, D.C. was transformed to a pedestrian town for the inauguration.
Last week, I had the opportunity to sit down with Tim Halbur, the managing editor of Planetizen and author of the new, hot-selling, children's book Where Things Are, From Near To Far, which seeks to explain urban planning to children. There's going to be a reading of the book this Sunday, January 25, at the Natural History Museum. For more details on the event, click here. For more information on the book, read our interview, below. However, before you start reading, you might want to familarize yourself with the term "urban transect."
Or, you could just skip all of this and buy your own copy here.
Damien: Why don't we start off with the simple description of what the book is?
Tim: It's a book about urban planning, aimed at kids. It takes the idea of the rural to urban transect as a jumping off point, of course greatly simplified for a younger audience, to expose children to the idea of what cities are, how they come together, and what urban planning is.
Damien: So the kid moves from a rural area to a city?
Tim: Well, no. The main character, Hugo, is in a playground in a city and asks his mom, "how did those buildings get here?" He's looking at all these tall buildings from his vantage point and asking, "how did this happen?"
Damien: …and his Mom knows?
Tim: His Mom turns out to be an urban planner. She walks him through, if you know about the urban transect, the different zones of the transect. He goes from dense city, to the urban neighborhood, out to the suburbs, to the rural areas in the countryside.
Damien: Is there a moral to the story, or is this more of an exercise in stimulating young people's minds?
Tim: It's more an exposure thing. One of the inspirations for this book was Richard Scarry's Busy Busy World, which was one of my favorites as a kid. In a way, the story is a vehicle to expose you to a lot of detail and fun in the built environment. The idea was to give kid's a sense that there are different kinds of development. If you live in the suburbs, you may not have a sense of what a city is, what a city neighborhood is or even what it's like in rural areas. It's about showing that spectrum and that these areas aren't just happenstance. There's a reason these places are built as they are.
Damien: Is there a reason you decided to write a children's book?
Tim: There are a couple of reasons.
First is that Chris, Chris Steins, the founder of Planetizen, got his hands on a book called, Neighbor Flap Foot: The City Planning Frog, from 1952 about urban planning. His first thought was that if it was now in the public domain we could just republish it to introduce kids to planning; but when we got it, it was very outdated. It had a very 'Dick and Jane' feel to it. The ideas were outdated as well. It really trumpeted zoning as the 'be all and end all' of the development of cities.
The other side is that since Chris has twin boys, three years old, and rapidly growing. He wanted something that could explain to them what planning really is and what their Dad does.
Damien: So are either of them the model for Hugo?
Tim: He's not based on anyone in particular, but the book is dedicated to his kids.
David Pulsipher has a varied career as a bike advocate here in Los Angeles. Currently a Board Member for C.I.C.L.E. and a staff member at Alta Planning, Pulsipher also served in the bike department at Metro working on a variety of bike-related issues. At Alta Planning, Pulsipher is working on the city’s Bike Master Plan, a draft of which should be available for public viewing in early 2009.
Streetsblog: Thanks for doing this. We’ll get into C.I.C.L.E. in a little bit, but first the main event… Are there any updates on the Bike Master Plan that you would like to share with us?
David P.: So I feel pretty good about the progress we are making. We've spent a lot of time working on the bike network (in response to the public input). I've also spent a substantial time on a policy document that is being vetted before public review. It's like a bicycle policy bible for Los Angeles. I really want to encourage feedback from the public - because not only does it keep us honest, but it helps us make sure we've addressed the common concerns out there.
This is especially relevant with the maps, of course.
Streetsblog: It sounds like there's a lot to look forward to in early 2009. As someone that has worked for Metro, and worked with LADOT, what's the one thing that a lot of us in the advocacy world don't know or think we know but don't.
David P.: Just one thing?
Just kidding.
I sometimes get the feeling that many people in the advocacy world underestimate city staff's motives. By and large, my professional and friendly relationships with these individuals has proven to me that they care just as much (if not more than) as the advocates do about bicycling in Los Angeles. I think that too often advocacy-folk misplace their frustration on Metro/LADOT staff, when it would be more properly directed at bureaucracy in general, i.e., political processes. I think an area that has been untapped by advocates is normalizing bicycling to the point where it has real political capital. If bicyclists had the same political capital as some of the other groups in the city - we'd be seeing real change because the elected officials would have to jump through hoops to appease us. We're begging for crumbs when we haven't even been invited to the table.
Browne Poses with Her New TAP CardWhen I first stumbled on the Bus Bench it was during their “Dead Escalator Series” where Randall “Bus Tard” Fleming basically took pictures of all the escalators around Metro sites that didn’t work. The Bus Bench became a regular read for me because it provided an alternative viewpoint of the Livable Streets movement because, to be frank, so much of the blogosphere that write about transportation issues tend to be white males.
Browne Molyneaux has become a recognized voice for change around the Los Angeles transportation community. Not wanting the Bus Bench to get pinholed, she recruited new occasional writers Simon Ganz, Art Gonzo, and Sirinya Tritipeskul…And it’s paid off. The Bus Bench now appears on the “unofficial” transportation headlines blog, is a member of Streetsblog.net, and is recognized as a clear voice for change around LA.
Streetsblog caught up with Browne to do an e-mail interview to discuss her Murder Your Car Art Project, the Bus Bench and whatever else came to mind.
Streetsblog: Ok, so the title doesn't leave a lot to the imagination for what your theme is…but what will the final project actually look like?
Browne: The Project hopefully will be me destroying someone's car on stage, but to me the project is bigger than just that. To me my anti-car stance and I say anti and not pro alternative transportation, because I want it to be known that I'm firmly anti-consumer driven lifestyle. I know in some parts of the city a car is truly a necessity, but in Hollywood, Santa Monica and donwntown if you are child free you don't need one. I want to challenge that person to get rid of the biggest chain of consumerism in LA: The car. There is no way that public transit is going to get better until that person decides they don't need to spend their disposable income on a car. I would also be willing to destroy people's brand name clothing, shoes and credit cards if that's something people would be up for. Bring the literal item of anything that is making you a consumer junkie and I will happily destroy it for you and send you a wave file or mov. file of you freeing yourself from whatever your consumer addiction is.
It's going to be a party. A celebration of anti-consumerism. The car will simply be a symbol. I may have to create a symbolic car if I can't get any volunteers. I put a listing on craigslist. We will see how it goes. It's all about the process.
(editor's note, anyone looking to donate a car for the show can get instructions here.)
Web designer and Metro Rider Fred Camino became a household name in the transit advocacy community and with Metro staff by building and nurturing an online community at Metro Rider, still available at Metroriderla.com. The popular blog attracted hundreds of readers everyday and many more to his facebook, myspace and other social networking webpages. Then, this spring, shortly after Metro Rider launched its own message boards, Fred Camino hung up his laptop and went on hiatus. Some of the other writers at Metro Rider still post occasional columns, and judging by the comments section the blog still has a huge following.
Over the course of a couple of days, Streetsblog caught up with Fred Camino and conducted the following online interview.
Streetsblog: Honestly? I’m as excited to do this interview as any of the other ones. For those of you that don’t remember, Fred and I were partners in crime for awhile trying to boost Mike Feuer’s legislative package last winter and spring and it’s great to catch up with you.
I know a lot of people were probably wondering what you thought about Measure R, the debate that surrounded it and what it’s passage means for LA County. Would you like to share your thoughts with us?
Fred Camino: Well, I voted Yes on Measure R, it was one of the few things in the election whose outcome I actually cared about. Not so much because I feel Measure R will suddenly turn LA into the transit utopia we all dream for, but because the outcome of Measure R proves that the people of Los Angeles (and not just a rag tag group of online transit nerds) really care about improving transit. I mean this was a vote that required a supermajority and that would directly raise taxes... the fact that it won really shows how desperate Angelenos are for something better. Will Metro use the money in the most effective way? Who knows. I'm sure there will be a great deal of waste, stupidity, and controversy, but I think that's par for the course when it comes to giant politically driven bureaucracies. Certainly, not every one will be happy with every choice Metro makes. But the fact that Measure R won against the odds means the people care, which means there will be a base of citizens who will (hopefully) be able and interested in keeping the politicians and bureaucrats accountable for the money we've chosen to give them.
Streetsblog: Outside of Measure R, were there any stories or experiences that made you want to grab your keyboard and get to work on a story? It's pretty clear based on the response that Calwatch and Aaron get when they post a story that the audience you cultivated hasn't gone anywhere.
Fred Camino: There's been a bunch of stuff I've wanted to post about since I "hung up my laptop". Measure R is probably the least of what I would have hypothetically been interested in writing about had I been interested in writing about anything. The biggest story in my mind this year when it comes to Metro is how they've really put some effort to modernize and make their service more customer friendly in many respects, but how despite their good intentions they still kind of fall short.
I mean if you look at some of the stuff that has been implemented this year it's pretty amazing, but each improvement seems to come with a disappointing little caveat or two. We finally got TAP, and it has without a doubt been a huge improvement, but it still doesn't live up to its promised potential. It's great that I can now buy a pass from the ticket vending machines instead of some random check cashing place, but what about the promised debit system, where I could simply load my card with cash and have it debited with each tap.
When I first decided to conduct a series of interviews instead of guest posts to keep Los Angeles Streetsblog fresh while I'm away next week, I wanted to talk with some people that were and weren't regular readers and with at least one person who would be entirely new to me.
Jessica Meaney at the Southern California Association of Governments suggested Angela Johnson-Meszaros, a tireless advocate on behalf of air quality and implementation of A.B. 32, the groundbreaking legislation that rocketed California to the front of the air quality movement. I was able to sit down with Johnson-Meszaros at a Pasadena coffee house on chilly Monday afternoon.
Streetsblog: Let’s start with some of the basics, such as who are you and what do you do for a living?
AJM: I’m Angela Johnson-Meszaros. I’m with the California Environmental Rights Alliance and my title there is director of policy and general counsel. The Alliance works at the local level providing technical assistance to community organizations that are mostly working on air-quality issues. We work on brownfields and water quality and other issues such as land use that are relevant for communities’ quality of life.
We work on the regional level mostly at the Southwest Regional Air Quality Management District on policy, rulemaking and regulation. My colleague Joe Liu sits on their governing board. At the state level we do lobbying and regulatory work around air quality and public health issues and other community participation. Right now, I’m co-chairing the state’s A.B. 32 Implementation Advisory Committee.
Streetsblog: Just in case anyone doesn’t know, can you give a brief description of A.B. 32, what it is and what it does?
AJM: A.B. 32 is the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor in 2006. The purpose of A.B. 32 is to have California reduce it’s Greenhouse Gas emissions. The goal was to have our emissions in 2020 to be what our emissions were in 1990.
As part of that effort, there is a three part process. The first part are early actions the state took to reduce green house gases. The second piece, which we’re in right now, lays out the scoping plan from where we are now to 2020. The third phase begins in 2012 which is the implementation phase. Between 2012 and 2020 is when we hope to really begin reducing emissions.
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Robert Gottlieb is the Henry R. Luce Professor of Urban Environmental Studies and Director of the Urban Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College. The Institute seeks to marry education with action and thus Gottlieb and his students have become a major force for transportation reform in Los Angeles.
In addition to his work on signature projects such as Arroyo Fest and the upcoming Bike Summit Gottlieb has joined the ranks of bloggers. At UEPI's blog you can read his thoughts and research on the history of bikes in the pre-automobile era and the role of bikes in creating a green economy.
Streetsblog: When you study environmental policy, you focus a lot on transportation issues. When I saw you at the Future Without a Car Conference you were talking about bikes and the history of bikes in America and where we should be going as a country. I guess to start, it would be helpful to get a brief description of your teaching and how you deal with transportation.
Gottlieb: We see things first from the environmental side. Environmental issues are daily life issues. That’s really the mantra of the environmental justice movement, that the environment is where you live work and play. Any environmental agenda would necessarily address transportation issues and housing, urban space, education and green space. There are a range of things that have both environmental consequence and have to do with the way in which urban life is organized.
So that’s the approach. You can’t really talk about urban space and urban politics without talking about transportation…particularly in Los Angeles which is a focal point of the program.
What we do here at the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute is we don’t separate research and teaching from action and community engagement. We see ourselves as action as well as education and research oriented. The opening line in the catalog for our program is, “…if you want to change the world, come to Urban and Environmental Policy.” Thus, we get students who are passionate around social change.
Transportation factors significantly into all of that.
As an institute we first got deeply involved in transportation when we got involved around issues regarding the Arroyo Corridor, the Pasadena to L.A. stretch that includes the Pasadena Freeway, the Arroyo Seco watershed and the communities along the corridor. Out of that came an idea, first broached by community members, about pulling off a bike ride and a walk ON the freeway.
Getting that took two years of organizing by the community and putting pressure on the transportation agencies. When we approached Caltrans they thought it was a joke, so we organized from the bottom up and the top down. First we got some elected officials on board to argue on our behalf while simultaneously undertaking a community campaign. We eventually did it. One transportation planner called it a “community organizing thriller.” We got them to agree to a Sunday morning closing of the freeway and to have bicyclists and pedestrians spend four hours toolin’ around.
Since then we continue to be strongly involved with transportation. Bike issues represent such a core way to get involved in transportation as well as urban space issues. It’s really become essential to what we are.
And that’s what led us to this Bike Summit discussion.
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