LACBC
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Newsletter

April 18, 2013 

In this issue
CicLAvia - To the Sea Is this Weekend
Thank You for Your Votes to Make L.A. Businesses More Bike-Friendly
Bike Updates from around the County: Beat Dodgers Traffic on Your Bike (or on the Bus)
ACTION ITEM: Keep the Spring Street Bike Lane Green
LA River Ride: Become Top Fundraiser and Win a Bike Trip to Tuscany and Other Prizes
Climate Ride: Congratulations to our Laemmle Theatres Contest Winners
$3 Billion Streets Bond Goes on the Road
Sunday Funday Ride: L.A. State Historic Park Out 'n' Back
Listen to LACBC and Bike Coalition at UCLA on Bike Talk Podcast
This Week's Tip: Getting a Ticket While Riding and Your DMV Record
CicLAvia - To the Sea Is this Weekend
CicLAvia

It's here! 15 miles of open roads will connect downtown Los Angeles to the beach through Venice Boulevard's transformation into a car-free, linear park. We hope you'll join us for some strolling, biking, playing, and exploring.

Free of charge and open to everyone, we hope you come and invite your friends.

When: Sunday, April 21; 10 AM to 3 PM 
Where: Venice, Mar Vista, Culver City, Mid-City, MacArthur Park, Downtown Los Angeles (map)

  

Things to Do 
  • LACBC at the Culver City Hub: Find LACBC and the Culver City Bicycle Coalition at the Culver City Hub! Check-in To Yelp's On Tap CicLAvia Event through your Yelp App to get your Yelp's On Tap pint glass (while supplies last) at the LACBC booth in Culver City and then visit a participating bar/restaurant to get discounted craft beers after your ride (in Downtown only): 
  • Bici Libre Mobile Repair Booth at MacArthur Park Hub: Bici Libre will be doing small adjustments and helping to fix flats at CicLAvia's MacArthur Park hub. Come say hi, and get help if you need it! Todos somos biling�es! Also, if you would like to volunteer to help fix flats at the Bici Libre tent, contact [email protected]
  • Press Conference for CicLAvia & 3-Foot Bill: Come to Olvera Street at 9:30 AM to kick off CicLAvia with some words from L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa and Assembly Member Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) about the 3-foot passing bill. Find LACBC's rolling advocacy posse here and throughout the route with our mobile advocacy trailer. More info.  
Feeder Rides from our Local Chapters & NBA Groups
  • UCLA: Hosted by the Bicycle Coalition at UCLA. More info.
  • Brentwood: Hosted by the West NBAs. More info.
  • Santa Monica: Hosted by the Santa Monica Spoke. More info.
  • Leimert Park: Hosted by South NBAs and Black Kids on Bikes. More info.
  • Glendale: Hosted by Walk Bike Glendale. More info.
  • Pomona Valley: Ride Metrolink with Pomona Valley Bicycle Coaltion. PVBC is taking the first Metrolink bikecar #351 leaving Rancho at 7:20 AM. Please arrive 15 before the train gets there to buy your ticket on time. Get updates on Twitter at @PVBike.
  • More rides on the CicLAvia page.
Volunteer for CicLAvia
 
LACBC is once again coordinating volunteer efforts for CicLAvia. If you'd like to help with pre-production or during the event, please email [email protected].
Thank You for Your Votes to make L.A. Businesses More Bike-Friendly

Thanks for all of you who have voted for our team's submission for the My LA2050 Initiative!

Our team's submission, What's the BF(B)D? Connecting Neighborhoods through Bicycle-Friendly Business Districtsfinished strong, placing at #40 out of 279 entries. More importantly, our submission is in the top 10 for its indicator: social connectedness!
 
$100,000 grants will be awarded to 10 projects (one chosen from the top 10 vote-getters in each indicator, plus 2 wild cards) and will be announced on May 8. We'll give you an update on how our team does!
Bike Updates from around the County: Beat Dodgers Traffic on Your Bike (or on the Bus)

Echo Park: If you've been to any Dodgers games this year, you may have found it easier to get to Dodger Stadium in past years. One of the main reasons is the new bus/bike lane that is coned off during peak hours along Sunset Blvd. in between Figueroa and Elysian Park. Not only do the 2, 4, 704, and Dodger Stadium Express buses get to breeze through traffic, but you can, too, on your bike. Combine this with better bike parking at Dodger Stadium, and bikes and baseball make a winning combination. Thanks to LACBC member Ryan Johnson for the photos.


ACTION ITEM: Keep the Spring Street Bike Lane Green

It's no longer a rumor when it makes the LA Times, and we're sad to say it's true. After relentless lobbying by the film industry, the City is considering letting the green Spring Street bike lane fade away. This is despite LACBC's counts showing that the green lane greatly increased the number of women riding on Spring Street, which is critical if LA is to become a city in which "interested but concerned" people are willing to ride.

 

Downtown has gone through an amazing transformation over the past decade. Unfortunately, the film industry has not kept up with the times. Instead of Hollywood's backlot, downtown is a neighborhood with 50,000 residents and 500,000 workers. Spring Street through the Historic Core (home to LACBC's HQ) is one of the most filmed streets in LA, standing in for cities all over the world. But unlike a film set, our streets change over time to meet the needs of the community. The green lane has paved the way for a streets renaissance with parklets and continental crosswalks following just this year. This has been good for residents, good for businesses, and good for the City's tax base.

 

We are proud of our green lane and the message it sends that bicyclists matter on even our busiest streets. But ultimately it's a safety treatment. In high traffic areas, the green draws attention to bicyclists and helps keep drivers out of the bike lane. It makes people more comfortable riding through downtown, creating a positive feedback loop wherein having more bicyclists makes bicycling safer.

 

Please let Mayor Villaraigosa and Councilman Huizar know that you support the green lane!

 

Bcc: [email protected]

Subject: Keep Spring Street Green!

 

Dear Mayor Villaraigosa and Councilmembers Huizar, LaBonge, and Garcetti,

 

As cities from coast to coast add color to their streets, I'm disappointed to hear that LA is considering removing ours. I urge you to keep the Spring Street bike lane green so that it can continue to attract "interested but concerned" bicyclists to ride downtown. Our city streets shouldn't just be accessible to people at special events like CicLAvia. We need to use the best tools available to make riding our streets safe and welcoming every day.

 

While Downtown LA is a stand-in for cities around the world, it is also a neighborhood for over 50,000 Angelenos. Other cities are competing for our creative talent that increasingly seeks out the urban lifestyle available in Downtown. We can't afford to be held back by an industry that refuses to adapt. The green bike lane, parklets, and continental crosswalks all contribute to a vibrant streetscape that makes Downtown worth living and working in. The ultimate irony is that our peers in New York, Chicago, and many other American cities are ahead of us in implementing these street projects, yet we are told that we can't improve our streets because then we wouldn't look like them on the silver screen.

 

Please keep LA competitive as a bike-friendly city by keeping our most distinctive piece of infrastructure and giving it a fresh coat of paint.

 

Sincerely,

 

<your name>

<your address>

LA River Ride: Become Top Fundraiser and Win a Bike Trip to Tuscany and Other Prizes

LACBC's biggest ride returns on Sunday, June 9th.  

RiverRide
13th Annual Los Angeles River Ride
When: Sunday, June 9, 2013
Where: Start at the Autry Center at 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park or Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach

The Los Angeles River Ride is:
  • 8 great rides for all ages and abilities! All rides are supported with volunteer ride marshals. We have: 
    • 100-mile Century Ride
    • 70-mile Park-to-Playa Ride
    • 70-mile Playa-to-Park Reverse Ride (starting and ending in Long Beach)
    • 50-mile Half-Century Ride
    • 36-mile Training Ride
    • 25-mile Long Beach Loop Ride (starting and ending in Long Beach) - NEW this year
    • 15-mile Family Ride
    • Kids' Bike Rodeo
  • A great way to explore the Los Angeles River and Los Angeles as a whole. This County is more connected than you think, and LA really does have a river. Learn more about what Los Angeles has to offer on this ride. 
  • LACBC's biggest fundraiser. Your registration fees help us work for a better, more bike-able LA County. Want to do more? Sign up for LACBC membership with your River Ride registration and get $10 off the regular membership price.

Registration is now open! Learn more about the River Ride at la-bike.org/riverride.

 

Become the Top Fundraiser and Win a Bike Trip to Tuscany

 

Want to support the work of LACBC and our efforts to complete the LA River Bike and Pedestrian Path by the year 2020? Ask your friends, family, and acquaintances to support you as you ride the LA River Ride and become a River Ride Fundraiser.

 

Thanks to our friends at VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, our top fundraiser will win a bike trip to Tuscany, Italy. We also have a prize for the fundraiser who gets the most people to donate to the cause: a bike from DTLA Bikes. Runner-up prizes include a New Belgium Brewing Cruiser Bike and signed copies of Where to Bike Los Angeles. Prizes are guaranteed for meeting fundraising minimums at the $100 (LACBC socks), $250 (River Ride jersey), $500 (entry to River Ride VIP tent and beer garden), $1000 (recognition at LACBC donor and supporter party), and $5000 (custom vintage cocktail mixology, tea ceremony, or dinner with our Executive Director and Board President) levels.

 

Register to become a fundraiser here. Click on "Individuals: Click Here to build your personal fundraising page" on the right side to begin fundraising!

 

Learn more about fundraising and the prizes, get tips, and more at la-bike.org/RRfundraising.

 

Volunteer for the River Ride

 

YOU make the LA River Ride possible! We need volunteers on the day of the ride for marshaling, registration, set-up, and more, but we'll also need your help before the event for things like the REI wristband pick-up and goody bag stuffing. Check out River Ride volunteer opportunities at la-bike.org/riverridevolunteer and email [email protected] to sign up. River Ride volunteers may have the opportunity to ride the River Ride for free.

Climate Ride: Congratulations to our Laemmle Theatres Contest Winners

As part of Laemmle Theatres' commitment to green energy and sustainable transit, Laemmle created a contest to encourage more folks to join LACBC's Climate Ride Team by covering the Climate Ride registration fee and granting winners a Laemmle Theatres pass for the rest of 2013! The Grand Prize winner also has her or his fundraising minimum ($2,400) covered by Laemmle Theatres.  

Contestants submitted why they wanted to ride with Greg Laemmle.

Congratulations to our Grand Prize Winner: John Cork! 
 
Congratulation to our Second Prize Winner: Michael Rippens!
 

How Climate Ride works: Climate Ride California (May 19-23, 2013) is a 5-day, fully-supported bicycle ride from Fortuna to San Francisco under towering redwoods, through the Russian River Wine Country, and along the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route - one of the most scenic coastlines in the world. First you register, reach the fundraising minimum and train for the ride, then come along and for an amazing riding, epic scenery, and great speakers for a remarkable experience. There is still time to join the LACBC team and/or make a donation to our team.

$3 Billion Street Bond Goes on the Road

 

Councilman Joe Buscaino (CD15) announced last week that he is taking his Public Works Committee on a series of hearings around the City to gather public feedback on his proposal for a $3 billion general obligation bond to reconstruct the 8,700 lane-miles of streets that are in failed or near failed condition. When the idea was first floated in January, LA Walks and LACBC, along with over 20 other advocates and organizations, responded swiftly, calling for any new revenue to be put toward complete streets, not just rebuilding our 20th century infrastructure.

 

The downtown one of this new series of hearings was last night and LA Walks and LACBC were again represented, reminding Councilmember Buscaino of our recommendations to incorporate complete streets, sidewalks, and multimodal performance measures into the program. Now it's your turn to call for complete streets when the hearings reach your neighborhood. You can read our policy brief or jump straight to some talking points to use at your local hearing.

 

Please email [email protected] for more information.

 

Public Works Committee Special Meeting Schedule

  

West

When: Tuesday, April 23; 6 PM
Where: West Los Angeles Municipal Bldg. - 1645 Corinth Ave., Los Angeles, 90025
 

 

South

When: Thursday, April 25; 6 PM
Where: Constituent Services Center - 8475 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, 90044

  

East

When: Tuesday, April 30; 6 PM
Where: Location TBD

Sunday Funday Ride: L.A. State Historic Park Out 'n' Back

SundayFunday 

When: Sunday, May 5; Meet at 10:30 AM, Ride at 11:00 AM

Where: L.A. State Historic Park,- 1245 N. Spring Street, Chinatown, Los Angeles

Join us for a fun little 12-mile out and back ride through the Arroyo Seco to enjoy the nice weather and safely navigate this area's city streets on bikes. Led by board member Trent Strong, this ride will help you discover a few of the gems of Northeast L.A. All are encouraged to stay afterwards for a BBQ (carnivore and vegans both provided for) and refreshments (potluck additions encouraged but not required!).

Listen to LACBC and Bike Coalition at UCLA on Bike Talk Podcast

LACBC is the guest host of Bike Talk on the second Saturday of every month. Listen in to this past Saturday's show, where Justin Resnick and Madeline Brozen of the Bicycle Coalition at UCLA co-hosted, and LACBC local chapters provided updates.

Listen to the podcast online at KPFK.org or via your smartphone on Stitcher. You can also listen live every Saturday morning from 10 AM to 1 PM at KillRadio.org.
This Week's Tip: Getting a Ticket While Riding and Your DMV Record   
  

We sometimes get calls from people who have gotten tickets while riding - usually for running red lights. We're going to preface this week's tip by stating this: follow the rules and you shouldn't get a ticket. It will also make you safer. Simply put, following the rules of the road will reduce your risk of a collision by 50%. It's one reason for the new Bike Safe pocket guide we're introducing this week. But what if you do get a ticket while riding your bike? Here's a few things we want you to know:

 

  • Make sure the ticket indicates that you were riding a bike. Do this when the citation is given to you, it's very important!

  • Your ticket should include a vehicle code violation number. Check it against our Bike Safe pocket guide and on the DMV website to make sure it's correct, or at least seems valid. For example, we've heard of some people getting tickets for not having lights during the day, which is wrong. In the case of an incorrect citation, it should be fairly easy to appeal (though not without hassle, we admit).

  • Read your ticket carefully and follow the instructions. Make a copy of the citation and any related paperwork for safe keeping.

  • Usually you have to pay the fine first, even if you want to fight the ticket. There should be instructions about how to appeal the citation.

  • Don't ignore the ticket. If you ignore it, the fine will get bigger and you will have less chance of getting a judge to agree with your argument against the citation (if you plan to challenge it).

  • Know that a traffic violation while riding a bike does not apply to your driving record and points should not be applied to your DMV record. This is specifically stated on the CA DMV website.

What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: 10 Best Bike Rides in Los Angeles


Where do you like to ride?
LAist crowdsourced and found a few great routes from all across the County. From Long Beach to Santa Clarita, there are recommended bike routes with beautiful scenery that make riding a bike even more fun. So next time you're looking for a recreational ride to try out, check out this list
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities

 

Claremont Sustainability Fair
When: Saturday, April 20; 10 AM to 3 PM
Where: 2nd Street, from Village Square to City Hall, Claremont
Local chapter Pomona Valley Bicycle Coalition is teaming up with the Claremont Senior Cyclists to offer bike education and rodeo for cyclists of all skill levels at the Claremont Sustainability Fair. Come teach your young ones to ride or take the skills test yourself. More info.
 
Earth Day Latino 
When: Saturday, April 20; 3 PM to next day
Where: L.A. State Historic Park - 1245 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles
On Saturday, April 20th, join Bici Libre at Earth Day Latino, a free event at the Los Angeles Historic Park near Chinatown, complete with camping, wildlife exhibitions, bike checks, and more! It is one of the only nights of the year that you can camp for free at the park. Bici Libre will be doing a small workshop between 4 and 6 PM and the entire event runs from 3 PM to 10 AM the next morning. 
 
CicLAvia - To the Sea
When: Sunday, April 21; 10 AM to 3 PM
More info in newsletter.
 
River Bike & Walk Spectacular
When: Saturday, April 27; 4 PM
Where: Marsh Park - 2960 Marsh Street, Elysian Valley
Enjoy a fun-filled day with family activities and an outdoor movie screening right along the L.A. River. Bike valet provided. Bike+Walk at 4 PM, Community Fair at 6 PM, and Bike-in Movie Screening of Beetlejuice at 8 PM. LACBC will provide free bike valet! More info and Facebook event.
 
Streetsblog Fundraiser
When: Saturday, April 27; 6:30 to 9 PM
Where: Silver Lake
Join Los Angeles Streetsblog at the Silver Lake home of Deborah Murphy for a 5th birthday party and a celebration of the 2012 Streetsie Award winners. More info.
 
Sunday Funday L.A. State Historic Park Out n' Back 
When: Sunday, May 5; Meet at 10:30 AM, ride at 11:00 AM
More info in newsletter.
 
Bike Week
When: Monday, May 13 through Friday, May 17
Where: throughout LA County
Save the date for Bike Week!
 
13th Annual Los Angeles River Ride
When: Sunday, June 9
More info in newsletter. 
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 Director
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition

[email protected]

 

Let's be friends! 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