Stephen Box
Recent Posts
Garcetti Commits to Small Ideas, Big Festivals, and Regular CicLAvias
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The election is still a year away and already the campaign promises are flying! This past friday evening, Mayoral Candidate Eric Garcetti joined Bill Roschen, President of LA’s Planning Commission, and Christopher Hawthorne, Architecture Critic for the LA Times, in a fast-paced conversation that was full of poetry, philosophy, and campaign promises. When asked what […]
Pedestrian Tragedy in the Valley, Again!
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This past Tuesday, early in the afternoon, 11-year-old twin sisters Sydney and Alexis left Walter Reed Middle School and began to walk home, a trip that ended at Colfax Avenue and Moorpark Street when they were hit by a car as they attempted to cross the street. By all rights, it was a tragic afternoon […]
Bicycle Awareness: For Those in Power, Ignorance Is Still Bliss!
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Law enforcement officers are fond of quoting the popular standard “ignorance of the law excuses no one” when dealing with the public but when faced with an accusation of scofflaw behavior, suddenly ignorance is a solid defense. The LAPD officers responsible for the blocked Bike Lane pictured above are going to have a hard time […]
L.A.’s Bike Lanes, Not Just for Bikes!
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Bike Lanes are one of the most misunderstood elements of bikeways engineering, responsible for much confusion as they lie nestled peacefully between the noisy travel lane to the left and the quiet but dangerous door zone to the right. Some folks see that empty real estate and, in spite of the fact that they lack […]
Box: Metrolink Passes Bike Friendly Test
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(This is the first in a three-part series from Stephen Box. In the coming weeks he’ll be discussing the bike (and passenger) friendliness of Metro Rail and Amtrak. – DN) When I embark on a #BikeTrain adventure, I typically put my train-boarding theory to work by heading for the front car. I believe that this […]
Metro’s Hollywood & Vine TOD: a Fortress Surrounded By a Moat of Traffic and Malfunctioning Traffic Signals
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On Monday, at Vine and Selma, a woman attempting to cross Vine on foot was killed after being hit by a delivery truck. The streets were immediately filled with LAPD vehicles and an investigation ensued. Although it was evident that statements were taken and that measurements and photos were taken, missing from the investigation was […]
Tragic Turn at the Hollywood and Vine T.O.D.
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Photo: Stephen Box If Hollywood were to make a movie entitled "Hollywood & Vine – Transit Oriented Development" they’d have to hire professionals to manage the streets, control the traffic, move the trucks and make sure the entire environment was safe. There would be a 1st Assistant Director on set, legally responsible for the safety […]
Hollywood Goes D.I.Y.
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Senator Barbara Boxer, in her ULI TOD Summit appearance, invoked the “Rule of 60” when she made the claim that 60% of our economy is made up of small businesses and that 60% of the small businesses in our community are struggling with credit and regulatory issues. Bearing witness to the validity of her claim […]
What Was Missing from Last Week’s T.O.D. Conference
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(Earlier this week, Gloria Ohland reviewed what happend at last week’s T.O.D. Conference hosted by the Urban Land Institute. Today, Stephen Box takes a different look, and examines what was missing. – DN) Photo: Stephen Box The Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Summit, held last Friday at the Hollywood & Highland’s Renaissance […]
L.A. County Holds First Bike Advisory Committee…But It’s Hidden from the Public
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Riding in Marina del Rey, aka unincorporated L.A. County. Photo: Digable Soul/Flickr The County of Los Angeles is working on a Bike Plan and, under the guidance of Alta Planning, has embarked on the journey by convening a Bicycle Advisory Committee, complete with instructions that the public is not invited. In light of the fact […]
Acceptance Speech: Stephen Box Responds to His Streetsie Win Last Week
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The 2009 and 2039 Livable Streets People of the Year I’m honored to be recognized with the Livable Streets award as Person of the Year and I’m humbled as I look around at the many activists who also work tirelessly to make Los Angeles a Great City. Most of all, I’m convinced that this "Streetsie" […]
Move L.A. Wants to Get Moving!
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Denny Zane is calling on the Measure R Champions and challenging them to engage in a second round of battle, this time mobilizing to embrace the 30/10 campaign which will leverage the anticipated $40 Billion in funding and then expedite the process so that 30 years of transit construction can be completed in the next […]