Month: August 2012
Streetsblog LA
Call to Action: No Justice for Cyclist in Beverly Hills Hit and Run Suggests Pattern of Contempt.
Last summer Paul Livingston, an experienced cyclist of 15 years, was commuting along Santa Monica Blvd heading east through Beverly Hills. He began slowing as he approached a stale red light. Relaxed, it was about 6pm on a clear skied Sunday afternoon and his lane - the right lane - was clear. He was estimated to be moving at about 8 miles per hour. Suddenly his world changed forever. Witnesses describe an impatient and unpredictable driver racing in and out of pockets heading east towards the soon to be green light that Paul was approaching. Paul had no chance. He was smashed from behind and thrown. It was reported that the driver never braked but instead accelerated to get away after impact.
August 17, 2012
What the Heck Is Going on with the Expo Bikeway?
By now, you've probably read the action alert from the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition or read the article on Biking In L.A. warning that things are not going smoothly for planning of the Expo Bikeway. As you might remember, I serve as a member of the Expo Bicycle Advisory Committee (EBAC), and wanted to share some thoughts with you.
August 17, 2012
Long Beach: Downtown Promenade Continues to Grow
Back in 2005, the City started planning for the Promenade in Downtown. It was at the time a very stark and bland stretch of concrete with little around it besides parking lots and a lack of amenities. Since then, things have changed, particularly for pedestrian and bike-geared citizens.< “The improvements encourage local residents and employees … Continued
August 17, 2012
Planning Begins For A Westside CicLAvia
This Tuesday, CicLAvia hosted a workshop in Santa Monica at the Civic Center led by Aaron Paley to discuss a possible Westside route for the event. Paley explained that next year the organization is looking to expand the number of CicLAvia events, and feature new areas of the Los Angeles region. The Westside is one of several new locales under consideration such as Pomona, South L.A. and others.
August 17, 2012
Walking Rates in America Improve, Still Pitiful
There's a new report out from the Centers for Disease Control that finds nearly 40 percent of American adults had not walked for a ten-minute period in the previous seven days. Yikes.
August 17, 2012
Apply Now to Be the Next Editor of Streetsblog LITE
Two weeks from now, Streetsblog LITE, our new Tumblr website, will be without an editor as Veronica Hernandez leaves us to resume her higher education at Smith University. Veronica brought a healthy dose of humor, planning knowlege with a keen eye for current events. We've been trying to pretend that she wasn't really leaving,
August 16, 2012
There’s a Lot Riding on U.S. DOT’s Definition of “Congestion”
Congress has done its job, such as it is, and passed a transportation bill. Now it's handed off the policymaking to U.S. DOT, which must issue a raft of rules, definitions, and guidance to accompany the new law, known as MAP-21.
August 16, 2012
Today’s Headlines
Pasadena City Council Unanimously Opposes I-710 Big Dig (SGV Tribune) Najarian: Metro’s I-710 Truck Numbers a “Snow Job” (Glendale News Press) Social Media Abuzz with Anti-710 Commentary (Pasadena Sun) Dirty?: “Metro to Build Huge Exploratory Tube Near Tar Pit’ (Curbed) Woman Hears Strange Noises in Head. Sues Santa Monica for $1.7 Billion Over Smart Meters (Daily Press) … Continued
August 16, 2012
Gateway to the Garden: Community Services Unlimited, Inc. is Featured in Short Documentary
Community Services Unlimited, Inc. (CSU), a great organization that I've profiled here, is featured in a short documentary by USC students Mindy Guilford and Adam Joe. The piece explores the Garden Gateway program, CSU's interactive workshops designed to empower South L.A. residents with the tools and know-how to grow their own healthy food. The monthly workshops often feature cooking segments as well, to give gardeners ideas about how to use the produce they grow. The program is currently on hiatus for the summer, but will pick up again in the fall.
August 15, 2012