And yet most posters here would likely put down the modern tea party movements and their followers.

Revolt! Speak truth to power! March!

But only if you agree with us.

It was special interests that had a hand in spreading those messages as if they were actually grassroots movements. The average person didn't really have anything to complain about under British rule when it came to taxes.

The colonies were full of cowards if you think about it. After the British kicked the frogs out of North America, the colonies didn't really need British protection anymore. So when Britain said, "Hey, we just amassed all this debt protecting your asses. You guys should pay up." the colonies skipped out on the debt and decided to revolt.

We revolted to escape our creditors! Hahaha.

Oh. That really happened.

So, thank you LACBC, LABWG, CicLAvia, BikeSideLA, LA Dept of DIY, and WHEAT PASTE.

no.

See you all tomorrow at the StreetFest. Hope I can learn more from you all.

We are concerned with meeting goals outlined in SB 375 to work towards VMT reduction as well as encouraging more alternative transportation solutions to residents at large...

And effective.

Please see: every social movement ever.

That being said, attacks on Dan's advocacy also seem off base to me. In just his time on Streetsblog we've covered a couple of major things he's done and his take down of a CHP Officer's article on how cyclists shouldn't ride to abreast was both educational and a little hilarious.

When I fist started writing Streetsblog in 2/2008 one of the things I decided was that I wasn't going to pick sides in the advocacy wars against each other. That means doing my best to give fair coverage to groups that have divergent strategies and even sometimes disagree on what would be best on our streets. The BRU gets the same shake as the Transit Coalition and SoCATA. The LACBC, CICLE, Bike Writer's Collective, Bike Working Group and Bikeside (for starters) get the same coverage. In the same vein, I want VC's and other types of cyclists to feel they have a voice here.

That policy has actually led me to more conflict than I thought. One prominent transit advocate told me they wouldn't help me fundraiser because of my appearance on another group's newsletter. One prominent bike advocate basically told me our relationship would be damaged if I kept quoting another. They both still get coverage, heck anyone reading Streetsblog might think me and person who told me off were good friends based on the coverage they receive here.

Part of that voice is allowing anyone to say whatever they want in the comments section, short of liable. That doesn't mean I take a dim view on others writing whatever they want. Short of liable or vulgarity I never edit a comment. I usually only weigh in when I feel a point is unclear in the story or when I feel someone is getting ganged up on that I like.

Just because I don't agree with Dan on this issue doesn't mean his POV isn't important. He's an ally in the Livable Streets Community, and while he thinks this DIY project is counter-productive. I look forward to working with him again.

"You can do a lot with a little paint."

But I fight daily with uneducated drivers who have no idea cyclists belong on the road. They either pass within inches or honk/curse at me. I had one driver honk and cursed me out as he passed, only to give me another verbal assault when I caught up to him at a traffic light. I responded “this is a “Bike Route” (Venice Blvd/Crenshaw), he again deride me with some more obscene comments and said bikes do not belong on the road. At which I pointed to the little green bike route sign, he had the most shocked look on his face, like he had never seen the sign before, like overnight they just appeared and then he said “you should ride more to the right”.

Now you made the statement that “…Do you even have a clue how much time it takes to learn the laws, design standards, institutional practices..” My question would be how much time was put into the design, layout, implementation to those little green signs that no one even notices? Do you think they are working? Sometimes people theorize and study things to death and produce nothing beneficial despite their intensions. Case and point (I work in the life safety area) and according to the NFPA you are required to put a fire alarm pull station in a LOCKED riser room that no one, except the owner, has access to, tell me who is going to pull that alarm?

In the 15 years you have been advocating for cyclists, how much progress has this city or state made on the issue? Why does it feel we are going backwards? Why are the hit and runs and aggressive motorists only becoming more common? Why has it taken so long to get the message out there? Bikes have been on the road long before the automobile was conceived. Obviously the “legal” political process is not, or not measurably, having an effect?

How long do we have to wait for the LADOT to put an actual sharrow on the ground (correct me if I am wrong, but they have been “studying” this for like 3 years)? How many more angry motorists do I have to endure? When is the city and county bike plans going to actually make more than another dust collecting addition on the “Failed to Implement plan shelf”? What was wrong with the 1996 version? When can we stop being envious of our neighbor cities like Long Beach and Santa Monica which take cycling serious?

After your 15 years are we better off? How much longer will it take to start making progress in the other direction?

These are just a few of the thoughts/questions/frustrations motivating the “DIY” folks, and I am even willing to volunteer myself for these types of public awareness campaigns because I feel ignored (by politicians/local agencies) and threatened (by motorists). Sometimes the political process needs a kick in the pants to get the ball rolling. We could probably come up with a list of political changes that stemmed from “illegal” conduct, like ummm say that formation of the United States…. End of slavery… Women’s rights… Civil Rights…

People that focus on snarled traffic forget that Angelenos deal with snarled traffic all the time as it is. It's just that this time, there's a positive reason for the snarled traffic.

And I think that any time you can close down streets in LA, you plant seeds in people's minds. Seeing big streets closed down to cars is powerful stuff. People living along these major routes will revel in the difference waking up to runners and walkers and spectators, not cars. This will make people more likely to embrace things like traffic calming and bike boulevards, etc....

Good to know! I will keep an eye on LAXCarshare, and keep my fingers crossed for a location close to Echo Park.

I used to think that if we let due process take its course, eventually good things would come about. Not anymore.

I'm all for civil disobedience. Making Los Angeles safe for all bikers is taking way too long. From what I am seeing lately, there seem to be a lot of riders out there and the numbers keep growing and we will become a political force one day. Until then, reminding the local government that we exist is all we can do.

Great job on the signs. Go team!!!

LAXCarshare was created with the sole purpose of filling in the gaps, left by Zipcar, once they moved to a primary college campus focus.