LACBC
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Newsletter

December 22, 2011 


Happy holidays!
 Artwork: Julianna Parr
 
Happy holidays!
 
Love,
 
Alexis, Andy, Bobby, Brenda, Carol, Colin, Erik, Jen, JJ, Marissa, Martin, & Megan
 
In this issue
LACBC's Mid-Winter Merriment Returns to the Library Alehouse
MONday Funday Rides to the Rose Parade on January 2nd
Los Angeles Streetsblog Recaps 2011
ACTION ITEM: We Need More Funding for Biking & Walking in Southern California
Los Angeles Streetsblog Recaps 2011
Prioritize Your Streets: Take the BPIT Survey
Whose Streets? Your Streets! Share Your Transportation Ideas with LA/2B
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities
AlehouseLACBC's Mid-Winter Merriment Returns to the Library Alehouse Next Tuesday
Mid-Winter Merriment
When: Tuesday, December 27; 11:30 AM - 11:00 PM
Where: Library Alehouse - 2911 Main Street, Santa Monica, 90405

We're back at the Library Alehouse to close out 2011! Stop by, grab some grub, bring your friends, and hang out. Ten percent of all sales on the 27th benefit LACBC at this fundraiser, so you'll be supporting bicycle advocacy just by eating and drinking! You'll also have the chance to to enter our raffle and win a new Tern folding bike.

Bike valet will provided by Santa Monica Spoke in the evening. If you're interested in volunteering for bike valet, please email [email protected]. Bike Valet hours are 5-10 PM in 2-3 hour shifts, and there's a special raffle for volunteers!

More info.
MondayFunday
MONday Funday Rides to the Rose Parade on January 2nd
 

Sunday Funday

For the past year, we've held 10 Sunday Funday rides for all types of riders in varying locations throughout the County, and now we're going to do something slightly different to open up 2012: We're having a Monday Funday Ride! (Don't worry though; the Sunday Funday Rides will resume being on the 1st Sunday of the month in February.) We really wanted to ride the Rose Parade this year, and it turns out that it's on January 2nd (a Monday) this year.

 

So join us for this family ride that will travel roughly 7 miles across Pasadena to the historic Pasadena Playhouse, where we'll climb the rooftop and watch the 123rd Rose Parade from up above!

 

Because we will be climbing very tall ladders on a rooftop with no parapet, riders must be comfortable with tall heights and agile enough to make the climb. This ride, combined with the climbing, is NOT suitable for children under 9.

 

When: Monday, January 2, 2012; Meet at 7:00 AM, Ride at 7:30 AM

Where: Hahamongna Watershed Park - Oak Grove Drive and Foothill Boulevard, La Ca�ada Flintridge (The parking lot is located in the park. Enter at the intersection of Oak Grove Drive & Foothill Blvd. The road will immediately turn to the right. At the first intersection, turn left and follow the road down to the parking lot. We will meet there.)

 

RSVP: RSVPS are REQUIRED for this ride, as this ride is limited to only 24 people! Priority will be given to current LACBC members and those who RSVP early. Please RSVP with your name, the amount of people you'll be bringing (plus the ages of any children attending), and your phone number to Carol Feucht at [email protected].

 

About Sunday Fundays: Sunday Funday Rides are free and open to LACBC members plus one guest. Interested in becoming a member? Sign up for membership online or become a member at the ride at a discounted price.

 

More info on the ride.

Bike Lanes Coming to Main Street in January

 

Main Street Bike LanesThe City of LA is getting ready to implement bike lanes along Main Street spanning from 9th Street to 16th Street/Venice Blvd. This will extend the new southbound bike lane on Spring Street (north of 9th) and connect to a future northbound bike lane on Main from 9th to Cesar Chavez.

 

Part of a larger project to connect South LA to Downtown & Northeast LA, this 0.7 mile project will connect to the 1.5 mile green bike lane on Spring, creating a 2.2 mile continuous bike facility linking the following neighborhoods: 

  • Fashion District
  • Historic Core
  • Civic Center
  • El Pueblo
  • Chinatown
Learn more about this project on the Downtown LA Neighborhood Council website.
ACTION ITEM: We Need More Funding for Biking & Walking in Southern California

LACBC is working with partner organizations in LA, Ventura, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Imperial Counties to advocate for more regional transportation funding allocated to active transportation. In our region made up of six counties, 21% of all trips are made by bicycling and walking. Our regional planning agency - the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is currently planning on allocating only 1.3% of the regional transportation budget to walking & bicycling. Yet not only do we make up almost a quarter of all trips, but people walking & bicycling make up 25% of all traffic injuries & fatalities in Southern California.

We need more funds dedicated to improving the safety of our roadways for people who walk and bike and also to encourage more people to walk and bike for transportation and to connect to our ever expanding public transportation network. Our regional transportation budget is over $450 billion for 25 years - 1.3% is not enough for active transportation. The LA County Department of Public Health estimates that we need roughly $40 Billion or 8.8% in order to build out a connected regional bicycle and pedestrian network that improves our safety and mobility.

Fund biking and walking in Southern California
Fund biking and walking in Southern California

Our partners at VCCool in Ventura County have put together a petition and video to draw attention to this inequity in funding priorities and the many reasons why we need more funding dedicated to biking & walking.

Please sign the petition today and help us demand more funding for biking & walking!
Los Angeles Streetsblog Recaps 2011
1st Street Green Paint 

Los Angeles Streetsblog's year-in-review includes many bike highlights (and a few lowlights) including the signing of the LA Bike Plan, CicLAvia, Flight vs. Bike, and the new green bike lanes.

 

Streetsblog also has interactive polls so that you can vote on the Best of Times and the Worst of Times.

 

Many bikey things are featured in the Best of Times categories including the 7th Street bike lanes, green bike lanes, CicLAvia, our tri-lingual 7th Street video, Long Beach's bike infrastructure, and Bike It! Day in Santa Monica. So be sure to vote!  

Prioritize Your Streets: Take the BPIT Survey
RR Header

At last October's City of LA Bicycle Plan Implementation Team (BPIT) meeting, it was announced that an online survey would be available to allow cyclists like you to prioritize the list of bikeways planned for implementation over the course of the next 5 years.

 

You can now take that survey here (also available in Spanish). Please use it to submit your preferred bikeways street segments by January 3, 2012. Results will be presented at the next BPIT meeting on January 10, 2012, and will be incorporated into next year's implementation plans. 

 

Learn more about the survey on the LADOT Bike Blog.

Whose Streets? Your Streets! Share Your Transportation Ideas with LA/2B
LA/2B
The City of LA wants your input on our streets and the policies that influence our mobility. LA City Planning Department is updating the 
Mobility Element of the General Plan and they've created a virtual "town hall" to get your ideas on mobility and transportation. The Bicycle Master Plan is considered a chapter of the Mobility Element, but many of the existing policies that dictate our 'street standards' actually work against bicycle, pedestrian, and transit projects. This is an opportunity to help guide the policies that influence the design of our roadways.

We want to see real change and a path for livable streets included with this update.The LA County Department of Public Health recently released the Model Design Manual for Living Streets and in 2009 New York City created a visionary  street design manual for their city, these manuals are the type of guides we need to see encorporated and developed for the City of Los Angeles with the Mobility Element update. 

Video: Burbank Flashmob Dances in a Name of Biking and Walking

Burbank TMO Flash Mob
Burbank TMO Flash Mob
 
A few weeks ago, Burbank's Traffic Management Organization organized a flashmob to get bystanders excited about biking and walking. Check out the video, and get excited about biking and walking!
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities

  

  
LACBC's Mid-Winter Merriment at the Library Alehouse
When: Tuesday, December 27; 11:30 AM - 11:00 PM
More info in newsletter.

  

Monday Funday Ride to the Rose Parade
When: Monday, January 2; Meet at 7 AM, Ride at 7:30 AM
More info in newsletter.

 

City of South Gate Bike Workshop
When: Saturday, January 21; 10 AM
Where: South Gate Senior Center - 4855 Tweedy Boulevard, South Gate90280
The City of South Gate is preparing a Bicycle Transportation Plan! As the first step, a public forum is being held to hear what the community needs are; for programs, for bike paths, for bike facilities and parking and problems currently faced by those who ride in South Gate and how to make the community safer and more bicycle friendly. Everyone is welcome, and childcare will be available. For more information, call (323) 563-5478 or see Facebook Event
  
Other Events Around Town

Join LACBC or Renew

 

The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition is a member-supported organization that works for you to build a better, more bike-able L.A. County. 

Members are the backbone of LACBC! Help keep LACBC strong by becoming an 
LACBC member (or renewing your membership) and be part of the change!
Contact Information

Carol Feucht
Membership & Communications Manager
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition

[email protected]

Connect with LACBC: www.la-bike.org Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Visit our blog View our photos on flickr View our videos on YouTube