Bicycling

(There's a lot of great bike and walk improvements happening in Long Beach, so L.A. StreetsBlog will cover it in two parts, for now. Today's article features the past and present; next Friday will feature exciting plans for the future.)

Chalk up more bikeway innovation to the folks at the NYC Department of Transportation. Now nearly complete, the Sands Street approach to the Manhattan Bridge is now safer and more enjoyable thanks to a first-of-its-kind in NYC: a center-median, two-way, protected bike path. Frankly, the facility is a perfect solution to counter the dangers posed by a tangle of roads and highway on-ramps that burden the area. Dramatic before and afters tell the delicious story.

Hey now! This must be the place: Friday is a happy day to stay up late for a once in a lifetime event with David Byrne! Byrne is pretty well-known recording artist, one-fourth of the Talking Heads and the founder of the heavenly Luaka Bop world music label. Byrne is also many other things seen and not seen, including an artist, a bicyclist. He's created artistic bike racks, including one shaped as an electric guitar. He has written a new book called Bicycle Diaries. The book, I read, is about his true stories of travels by bike in various cities.

Sunday's Crenshaw Crush drew cyclists from all over the city to Leimert Park, home of the Drum Circle, for a bike ride that introduced riders to the history, the culture, the politics and the people of the Crenshaw District.

New bike lanes are in use on Reseda Boulevard. L.A. StreetsBlog readers will remember that these lanes were approved in the city of Los Angeles' 1996 bike plan, but weren't implemented due to conflicting Department of Transportation (LADOT) plans for additional peak-hour car lanes. When the peak-hour lanes plan faced opposition, LADOT pledged to implement a mile of bike lanes on Reseda Blvd from Devonshire Street to San Fernando Mission Road.

h/t to reader Jass.

Sen. Tom Coburn's (R-OK) attempt to curb federal investment in bicycle and pedestrian paths, as well as other "transportation enhancements," was defeated on the Senate floor today -- but it managed to pick up two unlikely Democratic supporters in the process.

Traffic Enforcement for Bicyclist Safety from Chicago Bicycle Program on Vimeo. This amazing video, via Chicago Bicycle Advocate, was produced for the Chicago Police Department to educate drivers, cyclists and officers on traffic laws pertaining to bikes.  Given that the LAPD is revising its teaching methods for how it enforces traffic laws on cyclists this … Continued

On Monday, reader M asked for some advice while traveling outside. While some readers stepped up with some good advice, I asked some of our local bike safety experts for their advice.