Bicycling
Streetsblog LA
Santa Monica Debuts Two New Bikeway Designs
Lately it seems like every week in Santa Monica there is something new happening that makes it easier and more pleasant to get around without a car. New sharrows there, a new bike lane here, bike racks popping up at shops all over town. New pedestrian oriented mixed use developments are going in several at a time along the future Expo Line corridor and revamped Big Blue Bus shelters are waiting in the wings.
March 6, 2012
All Biked Up and Nowhere to Go: Four Boys in Florence-Firestone
FOUR BOYS WITH BIKES between the ages of 9 and 13 stand in a yard along Hooper St. in the Florence-Firestone neighborhood, looking warily at me as I pull up on my bike. Victor, a solid kid with a swipe of grease across his cheek, tightens his grip on a wrench as the others glance nervously at each other. Strangers tend not to show up in people's yards asking questions very often around here, and these kids are clearly not sure what to make of the situation.
March 1, 2012
Eyes on the Street: Film Team Blocks the Buffered Bike Lane
Following last week's controversy about whether or not film crews can block bike lanes, specifically the green buffered bike lane in Downtown Los Angeles, you would think the film industry would have paid enough attention to try to actually follow the law. You would be wrong.
March 1, 2012
It’s Take Two for “Give Me 3” in Sacramento
On October 7th, Governor Jerry Brown shocked the California cycling community and snubbed Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and bill sponsor Senator Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) when he vetoed Senate Bill 910, a proposed law that would have required motorists to give cyclists a three foot buffer when passing. However, proponents of the “Give Me 3″ bill are back with a new proposal -- SB 1464.
February 28, 2012
Bike Repair Racks and Other Ways to Make SoCal More Bike Friendly
Lately, thanks to years of hard work by groups like the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and an increasing cadre of bike-friendly elected officials and staffers, it seems like SoCal is edging towards being a more bike-friendly place. But there's still much to be done as we work towards this extremely important goal.
February 27, 2012
Our Newest Kickstarter: Help Us Document the “California Springtime Protest Pedal”
(We need to raise $7,250 in just under three weeks. Pledge a donation here, and please help spread the word. - DN)
February 21, 2012
Activist Profile: The East Side Riders — Riding for Love
WHEN I FIRST MET JOHN JONES III, leader of the East Side Riders, he sized up all 5' 2” of me and, instead of shaking my hand, stuck his straight up in the air.
February 14, 2012
Ride the City Opens Bike Mapping Page for Los Angeles
In 2008, around the same time that Streetsblog launched in Los Angeles, Ride the City launched in New York. Today, Streetsblog is happy to announce that the volunteer mapping effort is launching in Los Angeles. At worst, the program provides another alternative to the popular "bikes" feature on Google Maps. But because Ride the City is created in the mold of Open Street Map, all of the data entered into the map is available to the general public. Ride the City is also accessible by iPhone.
February 13, 2012
Rolling with the Real Rydaz Low Rider Bike Club
The Real Rydaz Low Rider Bike Club are comprised of around 30 riders, and distinguished from other groups by the insane amount of detail that goes into crafting their custom bikes. It's all for a good cause, however. They hope that by riding with pride through the streets of their communities--communities where recreational riding is sometimes rare--they are sending a message about the importance of being healthy to youth and adults alike. It is a real club with dues and a probationary period.
February 10, 2012
A Ride to the Watts Towers: More than a Ride to the Watts Towers
Several years ago, I spent a week photographing a stretch of 37th St. as part of a neighborhood documentation project of the area around USC. Where other photographers had diligently snapped structures and streets, I had cajoled residents into participating in the project and later gave them copies of the photos so they could see the final product. The soul of a neighborhood is its people, I had argued in defending my approach at the time. Without them, the structures are just a shell.
February 7, 2012