Bicycling

(editor's note: NBC Universal is holding a community meeting next Tuesday, May 18 at 4:00 P.M. at the Universal Studio's lot. You have to RSVP by this Friday, May 14 to get past security. Call 818-700-3583 to reserve a spot.  If you have trouble reserving a spot, please leave me a note in the comments section, as we're not certain if they're going to let in everyone interested in the project or just "supporters.")

Last year at the Alternative Car Expo (to most known as the AltCar Expo), there was much excitement about all the motor vehicles that were trying to be sold as the new alternative to cars. Huh? There was a small area in a room off to the side and hidden from through traffic that was set up for the real alternatives and the Greensters had their own "park" set up,  demonstrating that one can carry lots of stuff on a good bike without having to waste the resources that manufacturing a car does. Unfortunately their excitement was drowned out by the oohs and aahs coming from the big room as the "green" crowd clamored around dozens of motor vehicles (Alt-Car?) that ran on batteries, good wishes, great intentions, and a continued commitment to the misuse of large amounts of public space.

After Sen. Scott Brown's (R-MA) January upset in the race for the congressional seat long held by the late Ted Kennedy, his win was chalked up to several factors: voter reluctance to embrace health care reform, campaign-trail gaffes by the Democratic candidate -- and a hyper-folksy ad campaign that featured Brown cruising around the state meeting voters in his "old truck."

Last week, Metro Chair Ara Najarian penned a piece for The Source announcing that bicycle parking is coming to the Westlake/MacArthur Park T.O.D. at some point in the future.  It's not everyday that the Metro Board Chair responds to something written on Streetsblog (although Stephen Box and I are debating which one of us he actually responded to); so Streetsblog owes a response.

In my Tuesday review of Monday's City Council debate on whether or not the city should use it's Measure R Local Return to fund bicycle and pedestrian projects, I mocked a statement by Councilman Greig Smith that because 10% of trips aren't by bike, the City shouldn't fund bicycle projects with 10% of Measure R funds.  I argued that because the city doesn't do bike counts, it's not possible to know for sure how many trips are by bike, but since we're talking about bicycling and pedestrian spending together the argument is moot anyways.  After all, everyone is a pedestrian.

As someone who has been pushing hard for a "bicycling and pedestrian set aside" for Measure R funds from before it was called Measure R, I have mixed feelings about yesterday's City Council Joint Hearing with the Transportation and Budget & Finance Committees.

The League of American Bicyclists is something of an oddity in Washington DC. While most other organizations advocate for strip mining, carcinogens, and other unpleasantries, the LAB argues for something which will actually improve people's lives. And while they have sadly spent most of their 130 year history in the shadow of auto, highway, and petroleum lobbies, they seem to be making something of a comeback lately, winning allies in congress as well as the support of Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood.

By now, you may have received word from the Bicycle Coalition that the City Council's Budget and Finance, Public Works, and Transportation Committees are meeting in a joint meeting today to discuss, amongst other things, how the city will spend it's Measure R Local Return dollars.  Yes, the long fought for 10% set-aside for bicycling and pedestrian projects remains in the city's official recommendations, and the bike coalition has already put together a good list of talking points for anyone who's going to head downtown at 1:00 P.M. today.

Last month, when Clarence Eckerson was in town for the Street Summit, he asked me what Streetfilm he ought to shoot besides his coverage of Janette Sadik-Khan's speech and the Summit itself.  For me, the answer was simple.  Long Beach.