CicLAvia!

Yesterday marked the first CicLAvia event in Los Angeles. Ciclovia is a concept that started in Bogota, Columbia over thirty years ago. The concept is to close streets to cars and open streets for people to bicycle, walk, run, and overall enjoy our streets from a different perspective. This event was arranged through a dedicated steering committee that worked for 2 years and partnered with Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and Mayor Villaraigosa's office among others. Estimates range from 50,000 - 100,000 people enjoyed the 7.5 mile route from East Hollywood to Boyle Heights.

Mayor's Bike Summit

This morning Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa held his first (and hopefully not last) bike summit.  The Mayor's recent bike accident seems to have sparked his sudden concern for bicyclists in L.A. and served as the impetus for putting together the bike summit.  Although several advocates criticized the timing of the meeting--Monday morning is not a great time for most people--the summit seemed to be a step in the right direction. 

Bicyclists packed the Metro board room for the two hour meeting, which was lead by the Mayor and a panel including LADOT General Manager Rita Robinson,...

A cheaper way to start bike sharing?

Bike sharing programs, which offer people an alternative to driving and helps fill the gaps in transit networks, have been increasing in popularity in Europe and are now catching on in the US with programs such as Denver's B-cycle and Nice Ride in Minneapolis.  SoBi--short for Social Bicycles--is attempting to build the bike share momentum by cutting capital costs for modern bike sharing.  
While European and, now, North American bike-sharing typically use specially designed, proprietary bicycles, the SoBi design incorporates a GPS system and a locking mechanism in a compact box/rear rack that can be attached to any bicycle, also allowing members to lock the bike up at any bike rack.  The design is being touted as a way to significantly cut the capital costs of starting a bike sharing program.  SoBi is entered in Pepsi's Refresh Project for a chance to test drive the program in NYC.

Bike sharing is unconstitutional?

Earlier today Patrick James at GOOD blogged about an article that ran in the Denver Post regarding the city's new bike sharing program and its potential to erode democratic freedoms.

According to Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes, strategies such as bike sharing are part of a plot to turn Denver into a puppet of the UN's International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), a voluntary membership organization that promotes sustainable development and acts as a sort of clearinghouse for best practices. Speaking at a rally, Maes warned, "At first, I thought, 'Gosh, public transportation, what's wrong with that, and what's wrong with people parking their cars and riding their bikes? And what's wrong with incentives for green cars?' But if you do your homework and research, you realize ICLEI is part of a greater strategy to rein in American cities under a United Nations treaty."

So next time you think about going for a bike ride, be forewarned you might be indirectly destroying democracy.

Tom Vanderbilt on being a carless loser

Tom Vanderbilt looks at Hollywood's portrayal of non-drivers, concluding that they are generally shown as misfits, deviants, or losers. He wonders whether this is because these films are produced in the epicenter of American car culture--where no one could ever conceive of civilized transportation as anything other than driving--or whether it is a product of what John Urry terms "automobility"--the pervasiveness and constant reinforcement of the car in all aspects of life. He does note, however, that this attitude towards non-drivers may be changing, as portrayed in the recent (500) Days of Summer.

http://www.slate.com/id/2262214/?from=rss

London's Bicycle Superhighways

I plan to blog some fascinating things about life in Mumbai (Bombay), India.  Someday.  When there's enough time.  Today, just a link to introduce you to London's (corporate sponsored, but Mayor initiated) Bicycle Superhighways.  Check out the YouTube video after the link... here.

I Bike Minneapolis (and St. Paul)

On a hot summer day in my hometown, I began a 30 mile bike adventure through the twin cities. I was having some difficulties with my mom’s bike. The seat was constantly pushing me off and the right front brake pad was rubbing the tire. I knew this would be okay for a short while, but not for the entire adventure ahead. I rode to a friend’s house in uptown just a few miles away and dropped the bike there. From her house, it was just a short walk to the nearest bike share station.

Ryan Bradley Runs... err Walks the City

Writer and editor of the World Policy Journal, Ryan Bradley, has recently walked more than 70 miles through Los Angeles and has started writing a miniseries on his journey. His writing is more than a journal of his experience, instead he take his uses his personal experiences to expose larger transportation problems and then takes an in depth look at those issues. Some of the issues include development patterns, transit use, race, and sidewalk maintenance. Each part of the series is a good individual read so you can read one part or the whole series. Click here to read the story.

Sustainability Poster Session, Thurs. June 3rd

Urban Planning student co-stars in biking video

Herbie Huff, the co-founder of the UCLA Bicycle Coalition and a transportation planning student, recently co-starred in a bicycle documentary produced by my colleagues at UCLA Transportation and the UCLA Sustainable Resource Center. If you haven't seen it yet, I encourage you to check it out.

(And then, if you like it, share it with your friends - especially those who might be on the cusp of riding but need to see that it is possible to ride a bike in LA: www.bit.ly/bikeumentary).



Damien Newton at LA Streetsblog raves,

"In a non-preachy way it shows how easy it is to be a bicycle commuter.  Neither rides because they have to, Peteu's introduction to biking in L.A. was actually looking for a car and Huff owns a car that she 'almost never uses.'  But the film deals with the "people that ride bikes can't afford cars" argument subtly, as the film does with a lot of the 'anti-bike' arguments you'll hear from car-culture warriors.

Already, we've gotten a lot of feedback, all of it positive and/or constructive. The filmmaker, Brent, is a graphic designer, and not an urban planner by training, so he sought to make a film that encourages people to ride. As Damien noted, it never set out to be an advocacy or didactic film. But some of the feedback commented on the need for someone with Brent's artistic talents to do such a film. Hopefully, with the right partners, he might be able to do something like this in the future.



Resources if you're ready to try cycling!

• An Introduction to Bike Commuting video by REI
• Commute By Bike blog
• UCLA Bike Shop, which sponsors bike safety and maintenance classes every quarter.

Wrap up: Last week's Ped Symposium + Bike Roundtable (as promised)

Originally published on my work blog, Be A Green Commuter

A family walks around Ackerman Turnaround during Commencement 2008. Source: Dsopfe/Flickr.

 



 















(Last week), I got to attend Metro's Pedestrian Symposium and afternoon Bicycle Roundtable. After the jump, I'll provide a brief summary and two take-aways that are relevant for UCLA commuters.

A Green Bike Tour for UCLA Students

RSVP with rbaerg@gmail.com

Bicycle Roundtable at Metro May 12

If you're in the UCLA Bike Coalition Google group, this is a duplicate message, but for those of you who haven't joined yet, here it is:

At yesterday's pricing and social equity panel discussion at USC, I sat at a table with Stephanie Wiggins, the Executive Officer - Congestion Reduction Initiative at Metro, and Bronwen Trice, the Senior Community Relations Officer for Metro. We talked bikes during one of the breaks. Stephanie acknowledged that Metro hasn't had a particularly good reputation within the cycling community and said they were trying to change that.

Anyways, a bicycle roundtable is scheduled for May 12 at Metro from 5:30 to 7:30 P.M. at Metro's Headquarters. If you plan on attending, RSVP by Friday, May 7 to Jennifer Gill at 213-922-4224 or gillj@metro.net.
http://www.metro.net/around/bikes/bikes-metro/

Google adds bike directions!

Here's some good stuff coming from Google. You can now get directions via bicycle. It will route you to avoid hills and clearly shows you how bike friendly the path is. One bad piece of news, it's not available on a mobile phone yet, only the web.

Check out the demonstration video for more info: video

Vote for @cicLAvia

cicLAvia is a pilot project which would convert 7 miles of streets to park space on Sunday mornings in LA. You can vote for them everyday until March 31. (http://www.refresheverything.com/ciclavia). Their deliverables include the following list, and make sure to follow them on twitter.

• 7.5 miles of Car-Free Los Angeles city streets on 3 Sundays during the Summer of 2010
• Ten national press mentions (already mentioned in LA Times and many other news sources including local ABC news)
• $50,000 in grants
• $50,000 in corporate sponsorship and donations

Don't touch my bike lane!

Repainting removed bike lanes in NYC

Transit Authority Rap: I Got 99 Problems, And A Bus Ain't One

This PSA video comes from Louisville but the message is universal.

It's electric!

Check out my buddy's sense of adventure :)

Electric All Terrain Bike That Is Powerful, Practical, and Pure Pleasure!

Sign the petition to improve biking to campus!

(Thanks, Herbie)

If you haven't already, please take a look at this petition encouraging the City of LA to improve bike access to UCLA when it updates its Bicycle Plan. If you agree that is worthwhile, please sign on!

Also, please pass the link to this petition on. Spread the word so we can get a lot of signatures and have a big impact! A more bikable Los Angeles benefits us all. UCLA has arguably the most bicycle commuters of any hub in the city, and any plan to improve bicycling in LA needs to address this campus.

Details are in the petition letter, but the short version is we want to be able to get to our campus safely.

http://www.petitiononline.com/uclabike/petition.html

Habeas Lounge at Art Walk tonight

How does downtown exist as a hub for MTA riders and bicyclists in the city?

Celebrate eight weeks of mapping and conversations during the final night of HABEAS LOUNGE: A PLURALISTIC DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. This event is the last in a series of DTLA explorations building a framework for ideas and exchanges about our shared city, conceived by artist Linda Pollack.

Art Walk night will be all about bicycles and public transportation. Pricey parking lots, scarce street parking, the threat of being towed...bicycle, metro and bus are THE alternative ways to get around DTLA and we want to hear what you think!

Advocates will be on hand to share their experiences and visions for transportation in LA, as well as challenges, from proposed master bike plans to everyday commuting.

Take the Metro Red Line from the Pershing Square station to 7th + Metro or ride up 7th Street from the Art Walk to dialogue, discuss, debate, and learn ways to connect to the carless city.

A bicycle valet service will be provided by the LA County Bicycle Coalition. Show your support for 7+FIG's decision to allow the bike valet by riding your bike so you can use the valet.

During the event, check out the HABEAS LOUNGE, designed by Ilaria Mazzoleni: a cardboard sofa built from bike boxes by architect Nina Marie Barbuto, projections of classic / contemporary DTLA films selected by Linda Pollack and Maryam Hosseinzadeh, maps and bottled specimens from workshops by Katie Bachler, urban placemaking by James Jones, film footage of LA shot from a helicopter and a Pontiac G6 by Italian artists/architects ERGOT, an oversized Metro map, and more.

Plus SNACKS and a DJ too!