LACBC
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Newsletter

June 13, 2013 

In this issue
Thank You from the 13th Annual Los Angeles River Ride
ACTION ITEM: Attend City Council Meeting Tomorrow Morning to Keep the Spring Street Bike Lane Green
Bike Updates from Around the County: Meeting Recaps from San Pedro, Northeast L.A., and NoHo
Take FREE Bicycle Safety Classes this Summer
Bici Libre Needs Bike Donations and Volunteers
What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: Pass 631 Cars in 15 Minutes on Your Bike
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities
Thank You from the 13th Annual Los Angeles River Ride 

 

Thank you for participating in the 13th Annual Los Angeles River Ride on June 9th! This L.A. River Ride has been our biggest and most successful to date. Over 2,400 riders came out to ride in our 8 different rides, including our newest one, the 25-mile Long Beach Loop.

 

Your participation helps support the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and our work to build a better, more bike-able L.A. County. We would like to thank those who made made this ride possible including the participants, sponsors, volunteers, and supporters. You can read more on who helped make the ride possible on the LACBC Blog.

 

Tish Laemmle Repeats as River Ride Fundraising Champion

 

Congratulations to Nancy "Tish" Laemmle for repeating as this year's River Ride Fundraising Champion! Unlike last year, where Tish ran away with the whole thing, she had to fight off a valiant effort from Carrie Ungerman until the very end. Tish and Carrie were neck and neck throughout the past month. But then Tish brought out the big guns on the final day of fundraising and ran away with the whole thing.
 
Tish wins a VBT Bicycling & Walking Vacation to Tuscany! Additionally, Tish was able to encourage 92 people to donate to her campaign, the most of any fundraiser. She wins a bike from DTLA Bikes for her effort.
 
Carrie wins a New Belgium Brewing cruiser for her runner-up finish.
 
Paul Des Marais, Douglas John, Team Hopps, and Sebouh Asparian rounded out our list of top fundraisers.

Collectively, over $17,000 was raised for LACBC. Thank you to all of our fundraisers and those who supported their efforts!

The final standings are as follows:
  1. Tish Laemmle ($7,239.30)
  2. Carrie Ungerman ($5,657)
  3. Pauls Des Marais ($1,340)
  4. Douglas John ($1,310)
  5. Team Hopps ($850)
  6. Sebouh Asparian ($500)
Congratulations to Our River Ride Award Winners

At Sunday's River Ride, LACBC was delighted to recognize three leaders for their contributions to bicycling and the Los Angeles River:

Councilmember Ed Reyes, who represents neighborhoods west and north of Downtown and a significant stretch of the LA River, was honored with the Howard Krepack Service to Cycling Award for his many years of championing bicycling on the Los Angeles City Council. Reyes may be less vocal than some of his colleagues, but he has always worked diligently and passionately behind the scenes to advance bicycling in underserved communities as a social justice issue. LACBC expresses our deepest gratitude for his support and wishes him well as he leaves elected office at the end of the month.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has long been a champion for bicycling on the County Board of Supervisors, including shepherding the County's Bicycle Master Plan in 2012.  Earlier this year, Yaroslavsky secured over $13 million for planning and construction of the LA River Bike Path along NBC Universal's river frontage. Yaroslavsky is working feverishly to see this project break ground under his watch. LACBC commends Supervisor Yaroslavsky for his commitment and steadfastness on behalf of the LA River.

Universal Studios Hollywood President and Chief Operation Officer Larry Kurzweil accepted an award on behalf of NBCUniversal for its unprecedented financial contribution to the LA River Bike Path. In response to LACBC and river allies, NBCUniversal recognized the LA River's potential and stepped up as a corporate steward. LACBC eagerly awaits pedaling along Universal Studios at future River Rides.
ACTION ITEM: Attend City Council Meeting Tomorrow Morning to Keep the Spring Street Bike Lane Green
Spring

The Spring Street green bike lane may lose its color if bicyclists' voices are not heard at tomorrow's City Council meeting. The case for the green lane is clear: bike ridership is up from 2011 to 2012 and again from 2012 to 2013, green lanes improve visibility and predictability for motorists and bicyclists, and the Downtown community overwhelmingly supports repainting the lane. Councilmember Jos� Huizar, who represents Downtown, has been an outspoken supporter of the green lane and a champion for Downtown revitalization. The green lane has the support of bicyclists, the neighborhood, and the local councilmember, so what's the problem?

Councilmember Tom LaBonge, at the behest of the film industry, has been rallying his colleagues against the green lane. He has said that the paint is a waste of money, despite all evidence to the contrary. At the root of the issue is an unsupported claim by Film LA that the green paint makes outdoor filming on Spring Street cost-prohibitive, despite reports that on-street filming is up 18% across the city in the first quarter of 2013 over the previous year.


Councilmember Huizar's staff, LACBC, and LADOT have attempted to work with Film LA to mitigate their concerns. We have agreed to use a different shade of green that will produce less glare. We have also explored striping patterns that reduce the total amount of paint by emphasizing green at conflict areas, including driveways, bus stops, and merges, subject to federal approval. What we were not willing to compromise were the integrity of the green lane and the safety of the people the ride on it. As a result, the film industry walked away from a potential solution that would have addressed their legitimate complaints.


Green bike lanes have been installed in well over 40 cities across the nation, including all the ones that Los Angeles stands in for on the silver screen. While green lanes are increasingly common all over the country, removing them is not.  If we do not maintain our green lane, Los Angeles would have the dubious distinction of being the first city in the United States to vote to remove a green bike lane.


Along with parklets and new crosswalks, the green lane is part of the urban fabric of Downtown. If the choice is between continuing urban innovation to create a vibrant neighborhood for those that live there and putting Downtown LA in a time capsule for the benefit of one private interest, we stand firmly on the side of the community.


Take action! We need you to sign our online petition and attend the city council meeting tomorrow morning at City Hall.


When: Friday, June 14; 10 AM
Where: Los Angeles City Council Chambers - 200 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles, 90012
Bike Updates from Around the County: Meeting Recaps from San Pedro, Northeast L.A., and NoHo

San Pedro: Tuesday's meeting was effective to discuss not only the Westmont Drive bike lanes, but proposed bike lanes that will be installed in the future in San Pedro. In addressing the concerns of increased car traffic on Westmont, we were encouraged by the discussion of making tweaks to left turn pockets, drop off location logistics, signal timing, etc. Read more in the Daily Breeze.

NELA/Ride Figueroa: 
The N. Figueroa bike lane campaign continues: this week's Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council committee heard from N. Figueroa bike lane supporters and those who want to see the project fail.  

 

After a 15-minute presentation for an 'alternative' route meandering through one-way streets, multiple left turn movements, and through an intersection that would require enhancements (and lots of money), supporters of the bike lanes on Figueroa emphasized the importance of having bike lanes on that street: increased safety along the corridor. Recent crash data highlights how dangerous N. Figueroa is for all users of the road--removing a travel lane and adding bike lanes will slow down the street and make it more people-oriented. Studies show a 30% reduction in collisions with the introduction of bike lanes on a street.

 

In the end, 41 people spoke in support and 16 spoke against at the committee meeting. The board of the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council may make a vote on this issue at their June 24th meeting. We will let you know once the agenda is posted. Stay tuned - meantime please pencil that in! 

North 
Hollywood/Ride Lankershim: 
In spite of much community support to keep the proposed bike lanes on Lankershim, the Midtown NoHo Neighborhood Council voted against supporting the proposal to stripe bike lanes on Lankerhim, instead voicing support for the alternate proposal to stripe bike lanes on quieter Vineland. Even with this setback, LACBC and our Valley Neighborhood Bike Ambassadors continue to advocate for the bike lanes on Lankershim, as it connects to storefronts and the North Hollywood Red & Orange Line Station. Read more about it in the North Hollywood Patch.

WeHo
  
West Hollywood: The City of West Hollywood is overhauling its plan for bicycle and pedestrian mobility, and the City wants to hear from you. Over the next few months, the city will host a series of interactive workshops to educate the public and find out what matters to us. They'll gather input and use it to build an updated plan that will guide development for years to come. It's crucial that these meetings are filled with people who understand what it's like to walk and bike in WeHo. The first of these meetings is this Saturday morning.

WeHo Bike/Ped Plan Workshop 
When: Saturday, June 15; 9 AM 
Where: WeHo Library - 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood

Spread the word through the Facebook event.
Take a FREE Bicycle Safety Class this Summer

For the summer of 2013, LACBC and Metro are proud to offer a series of FREE bicycle safety classes. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 
 
There will be two different classes to choose from. "Street Cycling Skills" is an in-depth 8-hour course that will teach you how to safely ride in all traffic conditions, check your bike for common mechanical problems, and covers a range of bicycle handling skills including emergency maneuvers. "Bicycling on the Road: Need to Know" is a 3-hour class that covers the essentials of safe riding. All classes are lead by certified instructors and include classroom instruction as well as instruction on the bike. All students will receive a free helmet, bike lights, and educational materials. Pre-registration is required for all classes.

Go to our Bicycle Safety Classes page for more details and to register for a class today! We will be adding more classes throughout the summer, so keep checking back for new dates and locations!
 
For more information on classes offered through the OTS Grant awarded to METRO, please visit the following page.

Bici Libre Needs Bike Donations and Volunteers 


Bici Libre Needs bike donations!  
Bici Libre, LACBC's community bike workshop, needs donations of bicycles for their shop. The shop provides bikes, bike parts, and bike repair educational services for a donation to many people in need in the community. If you have a bike at your house you would like to generously donate to the shop (we will accept any bike, but we especially need road bikes, fixies, hybrids, and cruisers), please bring it by during our open hours or email us if you need to drop off the bike at another time. All donations are tax deductible through LACBC.  

Bici Libre Needs Volunteers!
Bici Libre also needs volunteers! No experience is needed, but come with a willingness to learn bike mechanics and to interact with the community. You may come and volunteer part time or if you choose to volunteer regularly (3 hours per week), you can enjoy the benefits of becoming a volunteer member which entitles you to free used parts for your bike, a chance to have a say in the workings of the space, free use of the space, an LACBC membership, and more! We would love to have you as a volunteer, so stop by soon to learn more and to start volunteering.

Location: 1205 W. 6th St. Los Angeles, 90017 
Hours: 4-7PM - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays 
Email contact: [email protected]
 

Learn more about Bici Libre atwww.la-bike.org/bicilibre and facebook.com/bicilibre.

What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: Pass 631 Cars in 15 minutes on Your Bike

3.1 Miles - 631 cars in 15min. Ride Jah Bike!
3.1 Miles - 631 cars in 15min. Ride Jah Bike!
Many of us have heard the phrase, "You're not stuck in traffic. You are traffic." It applies mostly to motorists, but can sometimes apply to bicycles, pedestrians, and transit riders. However, looking at this video from Central Neighborhood Bike Ambassador Wes High of his bike commute along Santa Monica Blvd., it appears that he's bypassing all the traffic. Wes passes 631 cars along the 3.1-mile stretch in 15 minutes. The LAist took notice of the sped-up video and posted about it with the title "Why Biking Is Awesome."

Next time someone claims that they don't ride their bike because it's too slow, send along the link to this video. We bet Wes also had an easier time finding parking than many of the motorists!
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities
   
Keep Spring Street Green: City Council Meeting
When: Friday, June 14; 10 AM
More info in newsletter.
 
West Hollywood Bike & Ped Plan Workshop
When: Saturday, June 15; 9 AM
More info in newsletter. 
 
Ride Figueroa: Raspados Ride on N. Figueroa
When: Saturday, June 15; 3 PM
Where: Meet at Flying Pigeon - 3404 N. Figueroa
Join the Flying Pigeon and LACBC's NELA Neighborhood Bike Ambassadors on a ride to promote improvements along N. Figueroa that make the corridor safer for ALL users of the road. We'll ride up from Flying Pigeon to Highland Park where we'll sample all sorts of goodies (raspados, liquiados, tijuinos, helados) and promote local business and bicycling in the community. We will also take this opportunity to talk to businesses about the advantages to calming traffic on N. Figueroa which means more exposure to them, and more inviting for people by car, by foot, or by bicycle. See Facebook Event.
 
Touring L.A. County with LACBC and Where to Bike: Surf City
When: Saturday, June 15; meet at 8:30 AM
Where: Bixby Park - 130 Cherry Avenue, Long Beach
Mid-June is the perfect time for an awesome beach ride. So, dust off your passports because we'll be crossing the border into Orange County for a 45-mile ride with LACBC and Where to Bike Los Angeles. After heading south through Long Beach and Belmont Shores, we'll cross into the OC at Seal Beach and then, follow the shoreline all the way down the Balboa Peninsula to our turnaround at Jetty View Park, in Newport Beach. More info.
 
CicLAvia: Iconic Wilshire Boulevard
When: Sunday, June 23; 9 AM to 4 PM
Where: Wilshire Boulevard
The CicLAvia - Iconic Wilshire Boulevard route will connect One Wilshire in Downtown Los Angeles to Fairfax Avenue along Miracle Mile. CicLAvia - Iconic Wilshire Boulevard offers six miles of car-free, open streets and participants can join the fun at any point along the route. More info at CicLAvia.org.
 
PVBC Bike and Hike
When: Saturday, June 29; 7 AM
Where: Claremont Metrolink Station
Local LACBC chapter PVBC is hosting a Bike and Hike to the Fish Canyon Falls in Azusa, which is open just a few months out of the year. Take Metrolink to the ride as the ride will start around 7am at the Claremont Metrolink station at but will stop by the Covina station to pick up any riders there who want a shorter ride. See Facebook Event.
 
The Nutty Ride: 4th of July Family Fun Ride
When: Thursday, July 4; Meet at 8:30 AM, Ride at 9:00 am
Where: Vons Parking Lot - Lemon Ave. and La Puente Road in Walnut
PVBC is hosting a family fun ride in the City of Walnut. The ride will be a short 7 miles at a mellow pace. Dress you and your bike out in red, white, and blue. See Facebook Event

  

Sunday Funday Ride through Long Beach
When: Sunday, July 7; Meet at 10 AM
Where: TBD in Long Beach

Save the date! Join LACBC for a family-friendly ride to help folks discover healthy, local food options in Long Beach!

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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