LACBC
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Newsletter

September 13, 2012 

In this issue
Support Your Local Bike Org at Tour de Fat
Update from Long Beach on Leadership Retreat and Pro Walk / Pro Bike
Bike Carmageddon: The Westside Ride
Bike Updates from Around the County: Volunteer for the Pomona and Lynwood Bike Counts
ACTION ITEM: Help Pass the 3-Foot Passing Bill
Be on the Lookout for a 1996-2000 Land Rover Involved in Topanga Hit and Run
New Bike Collision Support Group Forms
Neighborhood Bike Ambassador Program East Meeting Coming Up
What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: Filmmakers Highlight Bicycling in Southern California
Support Your Local Bike Org at Tour de Fat this SaturdayTourdeFat

New Belgium's Tour de Fat is back in LA to benefit some of your favorite local bike orgs: LACBC, C.I.C.L.E., and the Bicycle Kitchen. Join us for a celebration of bikes, fun costumes, a parade, performances, beer, and more! LACBC will once again be leading the parade and benefiting from your parade donations, and we'll also be providing complimentary bike valet.

 

New Belgium's Tour de Fat - Los Angeles

When: Saturday, September 15; 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Parade starts at 11 AM)

Where: Los Angeles State Historic Park - 1245 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA

 

Join us for the parade! Since this is a fundraiser, we'll be asking for donations from parade participants to directly benefit LACBC. $5 is the suggested donation, but if you donate $10 or more, you'll get a special souvenir from New Belgium Brewing Co.

 

Sign up for LACBC membership, gain a beer token! If you're 21 or older and sign up for basic membership or higher at Tour de Fat, we'll give you a beer token as a token of our appreciation. Members make LACBC have a stronger voice and keep our organization sustainable!

 

Volunteer with LACBC! To make this event--particularly the parade and bike valet--a success, we'll need YOU! We'll need ride marshals, cabooses, and ride support; people to help at our LACBC booth; bike valets; and many more volunteers. If you're interested in volunteering with LACBC, please contact Martin Lopez-Iu at [email protected]. Volunteers will receive free beer tokens and a Tour de Fat t-shirt. The following volunteer shifts are available:


Ride Marshals: 10 AM - 1 PM

Registration/Donation Collection: 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Bike Valet: 10:30 AM - 1 PM, 1 - 3:30 PM, 3:30 - 6 PM
LACBC Booth: 10:30 AM - 1 PM, 1 - 3:30 PM, 3:30 - 6PM

  

View more info about New Belgium's Tour de Fat Los Angeles (must be 21 or older to enter the website).

Update from Long Beach on Leadership Retreat and Pro Walk / Pro Bike

If you've been noticing more people than usual photographing Long Beach's bike facilities this past week, it's because lots of biking and walking goodness has been taking place there.

LACBC sent 6 staffers (plus Cynthia and Bryan from Santa Monica Spoke) to the Alliance for Biking and Walking's Leadership Retreat at the Queen Mary this past weekend, where we were able to network with 115 bike and ped advocates from around the US and Canada and learn best practices. The Alliance has been crucial in LACBC's development as an org, providing trainings, resources, facilitators, and grant money for LACBC, and we were proud and excited to be part of another successful event.

Pro Walk / Pro Bike, the leading international conference on walking, bicycling, and creating great communities through Placemaking, is currently winding down, and has been making quite a splash in the social media world, where the hastage #ProWalkProBike has been trending locally over the past few days. We have 4 staffers, plus several members of our local chapters, learning from PWPB.

This afternoon, we're gearing up the first-ever National Women's Bicycling Summit, brought to you by the League of American Bicyclists.

Thanks to all the organizers for bringing us all together making these retreats, conferences, and summits possible! 
Bike Carmageddon: The Westside RideCarmageddon

Carmageddon II is coming. Freeway closure isn't a catastrophe, but a great opportunity to stay local and explore your neighborhood by bike! Leave the car at home, and join Walk 'n Rollers and our LACBC Westide local chapters (Culver City Bicycle CoalitionSanta Monica SpokeBetter Bike Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition) for a series of family-friendly rides during Carmageddon II! This ride is generously supported by Metro's Bike Program whose mission is to make bicycling more viable in L.A. County.

 

We'll have a 22 main loop and smaller, 8-11 mile rides throughout the Westside. The main loop starts at Culver City and visits the Marina, Venice, Santa Monica and Westwood. Each ride will be led by trained instructors and ride marshals with plenty of stops along the way through bike friendly neighborhoods. Join us for the main route or meet us a long the way at any of the local starting points (see below for start locations and times) This is a great way to experience your community!

 

Bike Carmageddon: The Westside Ride

When: Saturday, September 29; Kick-off at 8:30 AM

Where: The Westside - Ride begins at Metro's Culver City Expo Line Station, but you can pick another loop destination to start.

 

Ride starts at Metro's Culver City Expo Station. Kick off party starts at 8:30 AM. Ride begins at 9:00 AM. Helmets are required for riders under 18.

 

See the routes on our ride web page and Facebook event!

 

Our friends at CICLE will be leading a Valley Ride the following day, on Sunday, September 30th. More details on the Valley Ride here.

Bike Updates from Around the County: Volunteer for the Pomona and Lynwood Bike Counts

 

Pomona: LACBC, the Pomona Valley Bicycle Coalition, the City of Pomona, and the LA County Department of Public Health will be conducting bike and ped counts this October in Pomona in order to collect data to improve biking and walking. Counts will be held on Saturday, October 13, and Wednesday, October 17, for two-hour shifts. Training sessions will be held on October 3 or 6. To volunteer, please email [email protected] or call us at the office at 213-629-2142.

Lynwood: LACBC, the City of Lynwood, and the LA County Department of Public Health will be conducting bike and ped counts this October in Lynwood in order to collect data to improve biking and walking. Counts will be held on Wednesday, October 24 at 7 AM and 4 PM, and Saturday, October 27 at 11 AM, for two-hour shifts. Training sessions will be held on October 20 or 22. To volunteer, please email [email protected] or call us at the office at 213-629-2142.
ACTION ITEM: Help Pass the 3-Foot Passing Bill

Two weeks ago, the California Legislature approved Senate Bill 1464, the 3-foot passing bill, and sent it to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature.
 
Let Governor Brown know that you demand safety by sending a letter of support today!
 
You can also read the bill's current language of the bill here.
Be on the Lookout for a 1996-2000 Land Rover Involved in Topanga Hit and Run

Two Saturdays ago, at around 12:13 PM, a cyclist was hit by a motorist at the intersection of North Topanga Canyon Blvd and Viewridge Road in Topanga Canyon. The cyclist is in the hospital and is being treated for injuries. We wish the rider a quick and speedy recovery.

Authorities are now looking  for a 1996-2000 Land Rover with a missing headlight (still no word on the color yet). If anyone has information about this hit and run, please contact the West Valley CHP station at 818-888-0980.
New Bike Collision Support Group Forms

Have you been in a bicycle collision and not feeling quite the same?

 

Join us in a space for individuals who have been involved in a bicycle collision, and come together to learn, heal and support each other.

  • Share your experiences and resources with others who may be suffering from similar symptoms.
  • Gain insight and understanding about emotional and psychological trauma and grief. 
  • Develop new coping strategies.
  • Participate in a safe, supportive and nonjudgmental environment.
  • All are welcome.

When: This group meets Saturdays, 11:30 AM - 1 PM
Where: 6310 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 401, Los Angeles, 90048

Contact: Aurisha Smolarski, MFT Intern # 68603, at 323.203.1526 or [email protected] for more information.

 

Current LACBC members receive a discount.

 

This support group is brought to you by The Aten Group Comprehensive Psycological Services and LACBC.

Neighborhood Bike Ambassador Program East Meeting Coming Up NBAEast

If you want to make your City of Los Angeles neighborhood a better place to ride, join our
 Neighborhood Bike Ambassador program! The Neighborhood Bike Ambassador program is a new way for LACBC members & volunteers to work on neighborhood-scale projects and organize local support for bike projects and LACBC campaigns in the City of Los Angeles. 

  

We have 5 different regions for the NBA program: Eastside/Northeast LA, Central LA, South LA, the Westside, and the Valley. The Valley, West, South, and Central meetings have already happened (you can read up on the South LA meeting on LA Streetsblog), but the East meeting is still coming up. Join us!

 

East Meeting
When: Thursday, September 20; 7 PM
Where: The Flying Pigeon3404 N. Figueroa St., 90065 

What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: Filmmakers Highlight Bicycling in Southern California
Riding Bikes with the Dutch - Movie Trailer 5
Riding Bikes with the Dutch - Movie Trailer 5

While the Pro Walk/Pro Bike Conference in Long Beach is full of planners, advocates, and engineers as expected, there is one group of people making a difference in the bike world in ways you wouldn't traditionally expect: filmmakers. Bike film snippets were shown during the conference.The League of American Bicyclists has a nice roundup of filmmakers highlighting the progress of cycling in Southern California. Check out the previews for the following films:
  • Ride: In Living Color - Yolanda Davis-Overstreet compiles bike stories from members of the African-American community. 
  • Cruzin' - This documentary follows former Olympic cyclist and Long Beach bike ambassador Tony Cruz and his journey through Vietnam.
  • Riding Bikes with the Dutch (above) - A young American Family travels halfway around the world looking for bicycle bliss and ends up rediscovering their own home in Long Beach.
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities

   


Dinner & Bikes (& Cupcakes)
 2012: Portland Comes to Santa Monica  
When:
Friday, September 14; Doors open at 6 PM, d
inner bell rings at 7pm
Where: 502 Colorado, Santa Monica
Join local LACBC chapter Santa Monica Spoke and 'Taking the Lane' & 'Bikenomics' writer Elly Blue,
 documentarian and founder of Microcosm Publishing Joe Biel, and traveling celebrity vegan chef Josh Ploeg for a night of good bike fun, good food, and good company. More info at SMSpoke.org. RSVP here 

Tour de Fat Los Angeles

When: Saturday, September 15; 10 AM to 5 PM
Where: Los Angeles Historic State Park
More info in newsletter

Changing the Mechanics: How Bikes are Transforming the Way LA Moves

When: Wednesday, September 19; Reception begins at 6 PM and program begins at 7 PM
Where: The California Endowment, Center for Healthy Communities, Yosemite Hall - 1000 North Alameda, Los Angeles, 90012
CenterScene Public Programs invites you to meet a panel of advocates working to carve out a space in LA's landscape for this low-cost and environmentally-friendly alternative on our roads. Hear how their work is facilitating economic development, alleviating environmental issues, and addressing transportation for low-income communities, as well as making bicycle transit a safe, viable and attractive alternative for car-dependent Angelenos. This panel features our own Planning & Policy Director Eric Bruins, former LACBC Urban Strategy Coordinator Allison Mannos, and UCLA Professor and Chair of the Environmental Health Sciences Department Richard Jackson. RSVP here.

Neighborhood Bike Ambassador Program East Meeting
When: Thursday, September 20; 7 PM
Where: Flying Pigeon Bike Shop - 3404 N. Figueroa
More info in newsletter.

CicLAvia to the Sea 1st Exploratory Ride
When: Sunday, September 23; 10 AM
Where: Meet at 8804 West Washington Boulevard, Culver City
Are you interested in bringing CicLAvia to Culver City, Venice, and Santa Monica? Join the CicLAvia to the Sea Host Committee for their very first ride as to explore different routes for a future CicLAvia. See Facebook event.

Bike Carmageddon: The Westside Ride
When: Saturday, September 29; Kick-off at 8:30 AM
Where: the Westside

More info in newsletter.

Bike Carmageddon: CICLE's Orange Line Valley Ride
When: Sunday, September 30; 10 AM
Where: Balboa Orange Line Station - 6338 Balboa Boulevard, Encino
This 8-mile bicycle ride will begin at the Balboa Orange Line Station and follow the Metro Orange Line Bus Way Bike Path between two great community spaces. More info. 

CicLAvia 10.07.12
When: Sunday, October 7; 10 AM to 3 PM
Where: Downtown LA, South LA, MacArthur Park, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Boyle Heights
LA's biggest block party just moved up a week and features a modified route that hits South LA and explores more of Boyle Heights. Visit CicLAvia.org for more info. Check our CicLAvia.org/volunteer to volunteer!
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