Month: February 2010

More headlines at Streetsblog Capitol Hill

It's taken me the better part of a day to figure out how best to write about this Sunday's Editorial in the Times concerning the Governor's plan to end the transit subsidy that is part of the gas tax and cut the gas tax.  After spending the bulk of the column attacking the "gimmicks" that created the state transit subsidy and painting transit advocates as disingenuous for decrying the raids on the subsidy; the Times ends with a call for more funding for transit projects.  Regardless of what one thinks of the Times' coverage of issues, they are the "paper of record" for the second most populous city in America, and largest in the state of California so the influence of its editorial page shouldn't be discounted.

As Los Angeles Streetsblog inches towards its second birthday on March 3, we have some pretty ambitious plans to expand and improve our coverage so that we can cover more stories, in a more in-depth way, around Los Angeles City and County.  Currently, we have one staff person in Los Angeles, me, and I'm part-time to boot.  With the exception of the work done in the weeks following Sammy's birth, all of the guest pieces have been donated.  My contract, and all of the Los Angeles Streetfilms, have been paid for out of New York because of the very generous support of Mark Gorton.

From the Livable Streets front lines, Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson goes for a bike ride with the bike-commuting Mayor of Seattle, Mike McGinn.  There's a lot of different lessons that can be drawn from this Streetfilm, but one of the major ones that local politicians can take to heart is the man power provided by a group of passionate cyclists is worth its weight in gold.  McGinn was outspent four to one, but road to victory on the strength of his loyal, empowered volunteers.  Looks like a little bike-friendliness can go a long way politically.  Paging Eric Garcetti...

Local news has been buzzing this morning because a deadly hit and run "van v bike" crash was caught on tape in Compton this morning.  Ovidio Morales, a father of five, was presumably on his way to work.  Morales is separated from his family in Guatemala, whom he was sending money to in hopes they would one day be able to join him.

In today's New York Times, Bob Herbert celebrates the cause of infrastructure maintenance -- a less exciting proposition for politicians than cutting the ribbon at new transportation projects, but in many ways more vital to economic growth.

A late start to the week won't prevent this week from being a major week for cyclists around Los Angeles County. However, the highlight of the week could be the "town hall meeting" being held by Senator Barbara Boxer and Secretary Ray LaHood on the re-authorization of the federal transportation trust fund downtown this Friday. In addition to the normal weekend madness, there are two fun and educational ways to let your hair down.

Yesterday on the Streetsblog Network, member blog Portlandize published a great post summarizing the economic benefits of better cycling infrastructure. The piece serves as a response to those who might have their doubts about Portland's ambitious new Bicycle Plan for 2030.