Safety
Streetsblog LA
It’s Time to Get Serious About Bicycle Education
From childhood, we are constantly being taught the rules of the road. We’ve seen siblings get speeding tickets, heard parents honk at discourteous drivers, and read about tragedies caused by drunk and distracted driving. By the time we are old enough to enroll in a driver’s education course and apply for a driver’s license, we are already familiar with driving laws, safe practices and etiquette.
October 18, 2011
Cyclists Gearing Up for Anti-Harassment Ordinance Hearing, Scheduled for Next Wed.
It's been almost two years since Councilman Bill Rosendahl first proposed an ordinance to better protect cyclists as vulnerable users of the roadway from harassment from empowered and obnoxious drivers, but now his proposed ordinance will finally get it's final hearing at City Hall. The full City Council is expected to hear the ordinance at next Wednesday's meeting at 10:00 A.M. The idea was first floated publicly in 2009 but had been discussed behind the scenes for months beforehand. If passed, the law would be the first of its kind anywhere in America, a fact not lost on safe cycling advocates from around the country. You can read the ordinance at the LADOT Bike Blog.
July 14, 2011
City Council Delays Vote on Red Light Camera Until Tuesday
After a parade of public speakers rose to speak on whether or not the L.A. City Council should overrule the Police Commission and not allow Los Angeles' red light cameras to come down, Councilman Tony Cardenas motioned to delay the final vote until Tuesday so that more City Council Members could be present. At the time, there were eight Council Members in the room, and all ten would have had to vote for the Cardenas/Parks motion for it to pass.
June 17, 2011
Cardenas, Parks Want Red Light Cameras to Remain
A new motion introduced by Councilmen Tony Cardenas and Bernard Parks seeks to overturn the recent decision of the Police Commission to end the city's wildly effective red light traffic camera program. Their motion is scheduled to be heard at tomorrow morning's City Council hearing. The Councilmen claim that they can force the Police Commission to change their ruling, while the Commission claims the Council has no such authority. It was previously reported that a 2/3 vote of the Council, a full 10 votes, would be needed to over turn the Commission.
June 16, 2011
Danish Architect Jan Gehl on Cities for People: The Safe City
Editor's note: Streetsblog is thrilled to launch a three-part series today by renowned Danish architect and livable streets luminary Jan Gehl. The pieces are excerpts are from his book, "Cities for People" published by Island Press. Donate to LA Streetsblog and you'll qualify to win a copy of the book, courtesy of Island Press. Visit the Island Press website to find many more great titles by the nation's leading publisher of books on environmental issues.
June 14, 2011
A Weekend at Transportation Camp
Above is a reaction to the Un-Conference from a UCLA "Bruin for Transit." See Jeff Wood, from Reconnecting America and the amazing email update "Other Side of the Tracks" react to the conference at a StreetVid on YouTube.
March 21, 2011
CRA Unveils Draft Plans for South Figueroa, Public Mostly Positive
A standing room only audience descended on the Fashion Institute of Design on South Grand Street to listen to a presentation from the embattled Community Redevelopment Agency for a ground breaking and popular proposal to transform the South Figueroa Corridor. When people discuss Los Angeles' streets, they usually use terms such as "car-oriented" or "ugly." The new South Figueroa, aka My Figueroa, would be a truly beautiful street designed for people to walk, bike wait for transit or just enjoy life outside as well as a way to shuffle cars from one area to another.
February 9, 2011
New Council Motion Could Increase Cyclists Rights in Crashes (Updated, 1:04 P.M.)
Earlier this year, the City Council ordered city staff to create a list of changes to city and state laws that could help cyclists see justice after crashes. At the time, City Council Transportation Committee Chair Bill Rosendahl referred to the motion as an anti-harassment ordinance, and hopes ran high that the city could create a three foot passing law, or could somehow further criminalize unsafe and aggressive behavior by drivers.
October 21, 2010
Senate Dems Unveil Auto Safety Legislation
Democrats are moving quickly on their plan to take a unified approach
to auto safety reforms in the aftermath of the Toyota recalls, with
Senate Commerce Committee members releasing a new bill today that would
quintuple the maximum existing penalties for carmakers who -- like
Toyota -- fail to promptly notify the public of defective products.
May 5, 2010
House and Senate Split on Approach to Obama’s Transit Safety Plan
After a year marked by discord between the House and Senate
over the timing of the next federal transportation bill, another split
emerged yesterday over the timetable for taking up the Obama
administration's plan for federal involvement in transit safety oversight.
March 16, 2010