Beverly Hills

Yesterday, The Los Angeles City Council Transportation Committee approved terms for five Breeze bike-share stations to be located in the L.A. City neighborhood of Venice. Full details are available in the staff report [PDF] for council file 16-0176.

Last week, United States District Judge George Wu issued a ruling [PDF] in Beverly Hills' legal battles against Metro's plans to tunnel the Purple Line subway beneath Beverly Hills High School.

Michael Fleming has been advocating for LADOT's Commuter Express bus service to add a stop to service Beverly Hills for years. When LADOT gave him the best New Year's present of all, a bus stop just blocks from his office, he excitedly snapped this picture to share with the world.

Today is a great day for L.A. County. After decades of stalling, Metro is finally breaking ground on the Westside Subway extension from Wilshire/Western to Westwood.

(Update: This is a first. The Courier didn't get one thing wrong in its editorial, it got two things wrong.

Update: 929 pm - When the consultants called the 16' travel lanes "shared lanes," I assumed they meant that the lanes would have Sharrows. I was wrong. They're just proposing two 16' mixed use lanes, which under state law cyclists have to stay to the right in. Bicyclists, both those that live in Beverly Hills and those that bike through it, are hoping that a Blue Ribbon Commission that was formed to discuss the redesign of Santa Monica Boulevard will finally create the backbone of a bicycling network in Beverly Hills. However, a new report by consultants hired by the city makes that outcome less likely. The report was released just days before the Blue Ribbon Committee meets for the last time tomorrow to make recommendations to the City Council.

On June 12, 2011 Paul Livingston, an avid cyclist in the Los Angeles area, rode from Hollywood to the beach as he often did four or five times a week. On his way home, at approximately 6 pm he rode his bicycle through Beverly Hills. Just before City Hall on Santa Monica Boulevard., he was hit from behind by a car.

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.