Bicycling
Streetsblog LA
Hollywood Charged Up for E-Bikes
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.
May 5, 2010
Massachusetts Republican Cuts a Bike Version of Scott Brown ‘Truck’ Ad
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."
May 3, 2010
The Problem(s) with Westlake MacArthur Park
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.
April 28, 2010
Councilman Smith Is Right: L.A. Should Fund Modes Based on Usage
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.
April 22, 2010
Mayor’s Office Rescues 10% Set-Aside for Bicycling and Pedestrian Projects in Measure R Local Return
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.
April 20, 2010
Andy and Gandy: League of American Cyclists’ President Visits Long Beach
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.
April 20, 2010
Today In City Hall: Sidewalks, Driveways, LADOT and Measure R
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.
April 19, 2010
Streetfilms: Long Beach Rocks
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.
April 16, 2010
Cyclists Scoop LADOT on New Hoover Street Bike Lanes
Over the weekend, the L.A. Eco-Village blog wrote about new bike lanes appearing over a 1.6 mile stretch of Hoover Street in South L.A. between 98th and 120th street. A day later, the LADOT's Bike Blog picked up its own story about the lanes, noting that Hoover doesn't just have bike lanes, but underwent a road diet, narrowing the car travel lanes from four to two.
April 13, 2010
Transportation Committee Agenda: Bike Corralls, Bus Rapid Transit, and Measure R
This week's Transportation Committee hearing doesn't have all of the agenda items that we hoped to see, but does have an interesting one concerning use of Measure R funds to widen a road in the San Fernando Valley. Along with a report on the Wilshire Bus-Only program and one directing LADOT and City Planning to move on Bike Corrals, this item is a highlight on an unusually small committee agenda.
April 12, 2010