Bicycling

When I was in New York last December to meet with the NYC Streetsblog crew, they were working on a post about how the NYCDOT deals with snow and bike lanes.  I chuckled to myself, at least that's one thing we don't have to deal with in Los Angeles.

After the city's Bike Advisory Committee elected a new board chair and vice chair, Ed Bailey and Jay Slater, respectively, a bike advocate took the opportunity during public comment to announce a new web site designed to empower cyclists after incidents with automobiles.

In both an editorial yesterday and an article today the Daily News took a strong position that local governments are not doing enough to support cyclists, especially those that use the Orange Line Bike Path.

At long last, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Phase II of the Expo Line is now online and even though I got the announcement in my inbox just under two hours ago, I have yet to get any emails from proponents or opponents of the line commenting on it.  I'm going to wade into reading the document tonight when I get home from City Hall, but if anyone wants to get their shots in early, here's your chance.

Last fall, responding to reports of violence on the Ballona Creek Bike Trail, a group of Streetsbloggers responded by creating their own Livable Streets Discussion Forum and organized the Tour De Ballona ride to educate riders to the safety issue and draw attention to the problem.

Looking to circumvent a citywide bike lane injunction or avoid bike lane-related Community Board histrionics? Alex Tee and Evan Gant from the product design firm Altitude Inc. have a novel solution for you: Use laser beams to project your own lane from the back of your bicycle. Gant tells me that he and Tee developed their LightLane concept for a design competition aimed at encouraging bike commuting. For now, the idea exists only on paper but the duo has received so much positive feedback, they are planning to build a prototype.

Anticipation for the first Los Angeles Bike Summit, a gathering of cyclists, activists and organizations to create a common agenda for cycling in Los Angeles scheduled for March 7, is growing.  With announcements of new speakers coming from around the country, and the launch of a new website the summit is starting to come together in a visible and exciting way.