Bicycling

Erik Knutzen and Kelly Coyne write the blog Homegrown Evolution, chronicling their adventures as urban gardeners and farmers. Kelly and Erik recently released their first book The Urban Homestead from Process Media.  Last Friday, Erik, who is also a board member of the Los Angeles County Bike Coalition, sat down with me in their garden to talk about their new book and sustainable transportation.  The part of the interview about transportation appears here.  The part about urban gardening is at Emerald City.  If you’re interested in getting your own copy of Urban Homestead make sure to order it at Homegrown Evolution.

Looks like we have a contender for Livable Streets Ad Campaign of the Year, courtesy of the Alabama-based Regions bank chain.

If you want a chance to help with bike planning in you area, tomorrow might be your chance.  With funds from a CALTRANS grant, the LACBC and Metro are teaming up to gather community input on how best to plan for better bike and pedestrian access to the Van Nuys Orange Line Station.   Here are the event details from LACBC's blog:

Central City Critical Mass, February 2008

On their way to class, Brooks High students brave the shoulder along route 72.

Editor's note: I'll be away from the computer for a couple of days.  LA Streetsblog will still publish, but will be on a sparse schedule until next Thursday.  In the meantime, enjoy the third (and at this point, last) installment of the SOCAL Voices Series I ran last December.  This piece seemed appropriate coming the week after Bike to Work Week.  Pastor Joshua Elliott McGuffie of St. Andrew's West Los Angeles writes about his experiences as a bike commuter.  This essay first appeared on Street Heat on December 26, 2007.

On Tuesday, voters in Portland, Oregon elected Sam Adams as their next mayor. A former Congressional staffer and current Portland city commissioner, Adams -- who is a cyclist -- ran on a platform that emphasized environmental and progressive growth initiatives, including, in the words of the Oregonian, "use [of] the Portland Streetcar and better planning to spur urban renewal." Adams received strong support from the livable streets community, which helped earn him a 52-34 percent margin of victory.

A reader suggested that I write about the differences in the many different Critical Mass rides that happen around Los Angeles. It seemed like a good idea, and since I could double up on last weekend by doing the ride and visit the Commuter Bike Expo, this weekend I bring you the first in a … Continued