People

Streetsblog is pleased to present the third episode in UCLA planning professor Donald Shoup's ongoing inquiry into whether the Cato Institute's free market principles extend to the realm of parking policy. Read Shoup's previous replies to Cato senior fellow Randal O'Toole here and here.

It's November 3. The Republicans have won a majority in the House of Representatives.

(Note: There is a Bike Plan meeting tonight in South L.A. and Saturday in Van Nuys.  Check out the Streetsblog calendar for more information.  A list of Streetsblog's complete coverage of the Bike Plan from the launch of this website can be found here.- DN)

In a meeting with transportation reform advocates last week, Secretary Ray LaHood indicated that the administration’s proposal will drop early next year. Today Kienitz tipped his hat to the reform community in describing the goals the administration has in mind:

(Update: Paul Krekorian's office provides a copy of the resolution and a plug for the importance of Neighborhood Councils on their blog.  Read it here.)

Rumors are floating around City Hall that Rita Robinson will be stepping down as General Manager of the LADOT to take a high-level position with L.A. County.  While nobody who discussed the rumor with me wanted their name attached to this story, I can say that the sources are high enough up in the city bureaucracy to be credible.

This morning, mayor Antonio Villaraigosa held a press conference to invite the city to participate in CicLAvia, L.A.'s first open streets festival, on October 10th 2010. The mayor spoke fondly of his trips to Copenhagen and Mexico City and contrasted their bike-populated streets to those of Los Angeles. The mayor related the story that he had returned from Mexico City, where he had seen their ciclovía event on the Via Reforma. He asked his staff "why don't we do this here?" and they connected him with the nascent CicLAvia efforts... and the result will play out on seven miles of Los Angeles streets next month.

Nobody is going to get Los Angeles mixed up with Portland or Copenhagen anytime soon, but a new motion that will be heard and voted on at this Thursday's Metro Board Meeting by Los Angeles' newly-minted bike-friendly Mayor would move Los Angeles' transit agency several steps closer.  While some activists have worried that the Mayor's office isn't reaching out on bicycle policy, that he's taking a "look before you leap" approach, the Mayor's Office has worked closely with the staff at Metro and has taken input from Metro's bicycle roundtable meetings before moving this motion.