LACBC
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Newsletter

May 9, 2013 

In this issue
Bike Month: Bike to Work Day Is Next Thursday, Plus Other Bike Week Activities
LA River Ride: Register by Tuesday, May 14, to Save $10
ACTION ITEM: Send Letter of Support for Ride Figueroa
Bike the Vote: Council District 13 Meet and Greet Recap
Climate Ride: Meet Team LACBC Climate Rider Michael Rippens
Thank You for Coming on Our Sunday Funday Ride
LA2050 Challenge Update
This Week's Tip: Choose Your Route for Bike to Work Day
What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: Bike On, Children!
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities
Bike Month: Bike to Work Day Is Next Thursday, Plus Other Bike Week Activities
BikeWeek
It's May, which means we have beautiful weather, and everyone wants to get on their bike! We hope you'll join LACBC and tons of others organizations and groups to celebrate biking and encourage others to join in on the biking fun.

Also, if you are a business or organization in L.A. County, please consider hosting your own Bike Week event like a bike repair workshop and/or a Bike to Work Day pit stop. You can get more information about events at la-bike.org/bikemonth.

 

Metro's Fix Your Bike Day

When: Monday, May 13

Where: throughout L.A. County

Learn more about tuning up your bike an various workshops throughout the County. More info

 

Good Samaritan's Blessing of the Bicycles

When: Tuesday, May 14; 8 AM to 9:30 AM

Where: Good Samaritan Hospital - 616 S. Witmer Ave., Westlake

Get blessed! Get breakfast! Get a free bike checkup! More info. 

 Counter

LACBC Fundraiser at The Counter in Studio City

When: Tuesday, May 14; 11 AM to 10 PM

Where: The Counter Studio City -  12117 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, 91604

Give this flyer to your server (and pass another one to a friend) before you get your custom-built burger at The Counter in Studio City all day on Tuesday, May 14th! A portion of your bill will go towards the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and maker our streets safer for all people who ride bikes! PLUS, if you bring in your Counter receipt from May 14th to the Laemmle NoHo 7 on Wednesday, May 15 you can get up to 2 tickets for only $4.50 each for any film screening that day. More info.

  

Metro's Guided Ride Day

When: Wednesday, May 15

Where: throughout L.A. County

Take a leisurely bike ride to tour some new bicycle facilities. More info.

 

Ride of Silence

When: Wednesday, May 15
Where: World-Wide
Join cyclists worldwide in a silent slow-paced ride in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. More info. LACBC will be teaming up with Grant High School for the David Granados Memorial Ride. Bici Libre will be leading a ride of its own from Westlake.

 

Bike to Work Day Pit Stops

When: Thursday, May 16; morning

Where: throughout L.A. County

Stop by the many pit stops hosted by organizations and businesses across L.A. County for free stuff! Find the LACBC and local chapter-hosted pit stops here.

  

Bike from Work After Parties with LACBC and Local Chapters

When: Thursday, May 16; late afternoon and evening

Where: throughout L.A. County

Join LACBC and our local chapters at local restaurants throughout the L.A. County to eat and hang out after work. More info  

 Hammer

Bike Night at the Hammer

When: Friday, May 17; 6 PM

Where: Hammer Museum - 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, 90024

The Hammer Presents Bike Night! Grab some friends and pedal on over for an evening celebrating all things bicyclistic! Free festivities include bicycle portraits, a screening of the 1983 Australian action movie BMX Bandits (starring a young, not-yet-famous Nicole Kidman), bicycle-centric crafts, and free admission to LLYN FOULKES. Guest hosted by artist and bicycle enthusiast/activist Lisa Anne Auerbach. More info. Join our Central Neighborhood Bike Ambassadors on a feeder ride from East Hollywood.

 

Metro's Bike Local Weekend

When: Friday, May 17 to Sunday, May 19

Learn more about tuning up your bike an various workshops throughout the County. More info

 PocketGuide

CA Road Rules for Bicyclists for Three Perspectives

When: Wednesday, May 22; 7 - 8:30 PM 
Where: LACBC Headquarters, Edison Room (1st Floor) - 634 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, 90014
Join LACBC as we welcome three speakers to give us their insight into California's bicycle rules and how those affect you, what you should know, as well as your rights and responsibilities as a bicyclist. This presentation coincides with the introduction of LACBC's new "Bike Safe" rules of the road pocket guide (copies of which will be distributed at the event). The presentation will include a Q & A session at the end. Free for LACBC members, $10 for general public. More info.

 

L.A. River Ride: Register by Tuesday, May 14, to Save $10

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.

Register by next Tuesday, May 14 to save $10! 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:

  • $100: a pair of LACBC socks
  • $250: a 2013 River Ride Jersey
  • $500: entry into the River Ride VIP tent and beer garden, which includes New Belgium beer, food, massages, and some very important people
  • $1000: recognition for your fundraising at the LACBC donor and supporter party in December
  • $5000: a custom vintage cocktail mixology, tea ceremony, or dinner with our Executive Director Jen Klausner and Board President Alex Amerri

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.

ACTION ITEM: Send Letter of Support for Ride Figueroa

Thank you to all the folks that sent emails and attended the last Highland Park Neighborhood Council meeting. Unfortunately, we did not win majority support for the proposed bike lanes on N. Figueroa from that council. Details are summarized in this Patch article

Most troubling about N. Figueroa is that implementation of the proposed bike lanes are being held at the request of Councilmen Huizar and Reyes, and are now in jeopardy of being axed altogether.  

Can you help us reach out to BOTH council offices to show your support for these improvements?  If you already sent one to the Highland Park NC, please forward it along to the council offices via email below.

Please let me know if you get a response from either office. Please stay positive.

Councilmember Reyes (N. Fig south of York)

Councilmember Huizar's (N. Fig north of York)

Arroy Seco Neighborhood Council (click here for all contacts)

If you want to help out with outreach in the community in the next month or two, please Alek Bartrosouf directly at [email protected].

Lastly, there will be a Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council Local Issues Committee meeting about the bike lanes on N. Fig. We hope you can make it!

Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council Local Issues Committee Meeting
When: Thursday, May 16; 8 PM to 9 PM
Where: Montecito Heights Senior Center - 4545 Horner Street (map)

Also, read up on Flying Pigeon's efforts to combat anti-bike bias in NELA on Los Angeles Streetsblog.
Bike the Vote: Council District 13 Candidate Meet and Greet Recap

Council District 13 candidate meet-and-greet at Golden Road Brewing. The afternoon offered an opportunity for members to speak directly with their future representative, whomever that might be after May 21st. The candidates each sat down with us for close to an hour, allowing us to probe their views on everything from their vision for the region to support for individual projects coming up. CD13 voters have the unenviable job of choosing between two excellent candidates for that seat, although we did note differences between the candidates. John Choi is tapped in to regional conversations about transit and livable communities and expressed a willingness to push for new ideas in the district, even at the risk of ruffling feathers.  Mitch O'Farrell emphasized the importance of pragmatic problem solving and working with community groups to build support for changes before, during and after implementing projects. LACBC does not endorse candidates, so if you are interested in more partisan opinions, you can read the comments section of LA Streetsblog's article on the race, or check out event attendee Rick Risemberg's piece at Orange 20. A special thanks to Golden Road for hosting us and supporting LACBC!  Last weekend's event was organized by the Civic Engagement Committee. You can get involved by emailing [email protected].

 

Run-Off Election Is Tuesday, May 21st
 
Your vote can make a difference! In the City of Los Angeles, you'll be voting for the Mayor and City Council Candidates in CD1, CD6, CD9, and CD13. Check out la-bike.org/vote to see responses to our candidate surveys, and remember to vote on May 21st.
Climate Ride: Meet Team LACBC Climate Rider Michael Rippens

LACBC has a team for the upcoming Climate Ride this month. We are currently showcasing riders and having them share their experience riding with you!

 

Today we have Michael Rippens, one of the winners of the Laemmle Theatres Contest. A longtime LACBC volunteer and member, we're excited to have Michael on our team. Read more about him on the LACBC blog! He's also co-hosting a karaoke fundraiser this Friday night in Atwater for his ride, so stop by, sing some tunes, and help out the climate! 

 

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.

Thank You for Coming on Our Sunday Funday Ride

Many thanks to the riders who came out on a cool Sunday for short ride through Northeast L.A., starting and ending at L.A. Historic State Park! Many thanks to our board member Trent Strong for leading this ride and to Mike and Dawn Williams for helping out as marshals.

Check out some photos from the ride on the LACBC Facebook page.

Also, save the date for the next Sunday Funday Ride on Friday, June 2, which will be a family-friendly ride in Pasadena.
LA2050 Challenge Update

Thank you to all who voted for our team's submission, What's the BF(B)D? Connecting Neighborhoods through Bicycle-Friendly Business Districts. While it placed strongly at #40 out of 279 entries, showing that there is support for bikes and local businesses, it was not chosen as one of the projects that will receive a $100,000 grant from the Goldhirsh Foundation.

Congratulations to all the projects that did get funded, included those from organizations that we work with, such as CicLAvia, TRUST South LA, Community Health Councils, and the Hammer Museum. We are excited for the future of Los Angeles!
This Week's Tip: 

Choose Your Route for Bike to Work Day

 

Bike Week and Bike to Work Day is next week! Choosing your route to ensure that your ride to work is pleasant and comfortable for you is something worth putting some time and effort into. If this is your first time, this weekend is the perfect time to scoute your route by car or test ride it on your bike. If you ride it in advance, time yourself at a casual pace so you know how much time to allocate on Bike to Work Day. Checking out your route will help you identify any problems you can't see on a map and will make it easier for you to relax and enjoy the ride.  Starting your route selection with Google maps is a good way to go.

  • Using Google maps, hit the "Get directions" button, input your start and end points, then hit the bike icon. Usually you'll get 2 or 3 options.
  • If you are fairly familiar with the streets along the way, you can usually pick the option you like best.
  • You can use the Google suggested route entirely, or modify it as you like.
  • Google is pretty good about keeping bike paths, lanes, and routes current. You can incorporate them if you want and the suggested route might already do this.
  • Don't expect your riding route to be the same as your driving route. Often they are a little different.
  • Your ride to work might not be exactly the same as your ride home. Variety makes it more interesting.
  • Consider riding quieter side streets instead of staying on the main roads, if possible. Often these streets are one or two blocks away from the main street and will get you there just as fast.
  • With side streets, the key is finding ones with traffic signals to get you across the major streets.
  • Of course, if you want to ride on the major streets, go for it. They're often the most direct route.
  • Keep hills in mind and go around them if you want/can. It's up to you. Sometimes Google will avoid hills for you.
  • If your commute is long, incorporate transit into your route so you don't have to ride the entire distance.
  • Metro buses and trains, Metrolink trains, and many local bus lines will let you ride free on Bike to Work Day.
  • A good rule of thumb is that you can ride 5 miles for every 1 mile you can walk. The typical bike commute ranges from 3 to 7 miles.
What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: Bike On, Children!
STREETFACTS #4: Children Have Lost the Freedom to Roam
STREETFACTS #4: Children Have Lost the Freedom to Roam

This past Wednesday was Bike to School Day, and we saw many local children riding with smiles on their faces. We had a bike ride at El Marino School in Culver City, full bike racks at R.D. White Elementary, and bike polo and workshops at Nightingale Middle School in Cypress Park!

Still, it's a little unfortunate to see that a smaller proportion of kids are biking and walking to school than before. This new Streetfilm sheds the Streetfacts on how kids are losing their ability to roam. While around 50% of kids biked or walked to school in the 1960s, that percentage has shrunk to a dismal 13%. We encourage you to bike or walk to school with your kids like the good 'ole days. make all school days Bike to School days, and support the work of groups like Safe Routes to School California and Walk 'n Rollers.
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities
  
Pomona Art Walk: Bike Week Kick-Off
When: Saturday, May 11; 3 PM to 6 PM
Where: Downtown Pomona Sculpture Garden - 538. W. 2nd St.

Join local chapter Pomona Valley Bicycle Coalition as part of the Pomona Art Walk. PVBC will host a bike maintenance workshop, provide bike education material at the farmer's market booth, and lead a mini-ride around downtown Pomona. You can also make your own spoke cards! See Facebook event.


Metro Gold Line Eastside Access Project

When: Monday, May 13; 6 to 7 PM

Where: East L.A. Library, Community Room - 4837 E. Third St., East L.A.

Metro has exciting, new streetscape designs that will make you want to stroll, power-walk, or ride your bikes to the Indiana, Maravilla, East LA Civic Center,  and Atlantic Gold Line Eastside Stations.
Come see and learn about these streetscape designs! A 15-20 minute presentation will be given by Metro staff and representatives, followed by a Q&A.

 

Metro's Bike Week
When: Monday, May 13 through Friday, May 17
More info in newsletter.

 

LACBC Fundraiser at The Counter Studio City
When: Tuesday, May 14; 11 AM to 10 PM
More info in newsletter.

 

United Riders Ride Of Silence

When: Wednesday, May 15; 6:30 PM

Where: Rowley Park - 13220 Van Ness Ave., Gardena

The Ride of Silence remembers fallen cyclists in our community through a silent ride. United Riders, along with Ghost Bikes LA, has put up several Ghost Bikes in the community and would like to ride to all the areas where these bikes are placed. This ride will start in Gardena (Benjamin Torres), then make our way to South LA (Sergio Rodriguez), after that Watts (Sylvester Henderson), and we will end up in Compton (Ovidio Morales). After paying our respects we will escort the crew back to Gardena for final thought and departures. More info at rideofsilence.com.


Bike Night at the Hammer

When: Friday, May 17; 7 PM
More info in newsletter.

 

Touring L.A. County with LACBC and Where to Bike: Mulholland Highway to Pedalers Fork

When: Sunday, May 19; Meet at 8:30 A.M.; ride at 9:00 A.M.
Where: Pedalers Fork - 23504 Calabasas Road, Calabasas

 
CA Road Rules for Bicyclists from Four Perspectives
When: Wednesday, May 22; 7 to 8:30 PM
More info in newsletter.

 

Bike Repair Workshop hosted by Bici Libre and LAPL
When: Saturday, May 25; 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Where: Central Library, Thornton Courtyard - 630 W. Fifth Street (enter on 5th through gate)
Join Bici Libre and the Los Angeles Public Library a free bike repair workshop at the L.A. Central Library. Come to a Or, ride your bike from any location! You can also take Metro to Pershing Square. 
Sponsored by LACBC, Bici Libre, and the Teen'Scape and Science Department of the Los Angeles Public Library. We thank Nestle and the California Endowment for their donations.
 
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]

 

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