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Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Newsletter
November 7, 2013
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A More Bike-Friendly L.A. County: "We're getting there." This week our executive director Jennifer Klausner penned an op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times about the state of bicycling in L.A. Her piece, entitled "L.A. streets aren't safe enough for cyclists, but we're getting there," was a response to last week's anecdotal op-ed piece that claimed that L.A. was unsafe for bike-riding, that there was no hope for things to get better, and that people should essentially give up on riding bikes.
Well LACBC is not giving up. We're working to make L.A. County a healthy, safe, and fun place to ride a bike. We're fighting for more inclusive street designs that welcome people on bikes, people on foot, all road users. We're educating folks about riding safely. We're bringing people together for group rides and events. We're expanding to reach new places in the County with the Neighborhood Bike Ambassador program and our ten local chapters, with the Carson Bicycle Coalition being our newest one. We're working with other groups and organizations to truly build a coalition that can make changes on our streets and in people's lives.
We've come a long way since we got started 15 years ago as a small organization with just two staffers. More bike facilities and more bike riders are now on our streets. Elected officials are taking notice and slowly prioritizing complete streets. And we couldn't have done it without the support of our members, donors, and volunteers. Thank you!
Join us in making L.A. County the great place it could be
We also invite you to learn about the exciting year we've had--as our well as our plans for the future--at the LACBC Open House on Thursday, December 5th! |
LACBC Open House: Victories of Future Past on December 5th
You're invited to learn all about what LACBC is up to! Learn about LACBC's victories of past and future from our local chapters, Neighborhood Bike Ambassadors, campaigns, programs, and more! Mingle, enjoy refreshments courtesy of New Belgium and Pete's Cafe, dance to the sweet sounds of DJ Skramble, have your photo taken in our photobooth, and party the night away!
LACBC Open House
When: Thursday, December 5; 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Where: LACBC Headquarters at the Historic Banks Huntley Building, Ground Floor - 634 South Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014
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Tour de Taste Teams Up with SoCal Cross on November 30th
LACBC's Tour de Taste & Beer Garden combines three of our favorite things: biking, eating, and drinking! Join us on Saturday, November 30, 2013 for our 3rd Tour de Taste! We're teaming up with Southern California CycloCross to bring you an event where you can catch the excitement of fierce CycloCross competition and enjoy some of the best food that Downtown L.A. has to offer! When: Saturday, November 30; 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Where: L.A. State Historic Park Tickets include food and drink, and are $10 for LACBC members and CycloCross racers, $20 for the general public. Tickets go on sale later this week on the SoCalCross website. |
Action Alert: Urge Mayor Garcetti to Bring Cycletracks to L.A.
Please sign our petition to Mayor Garcetti to Bring Cycletracks to L.A. and read more on our blog.
Last week, Mayor Eric Garcetti invited Gil Pe�alosa of 8-80 Cities to address city staff on the need to make Los Angeles healthy, vibrant and livable for people of all ages. LACBC could not agree more with this imperative, and strongly urges the City to refocus its transportation efforts on universal design so that all people can safely and comfortably move around Los Angeles, whether on bike, on foot, on transit, or in a car.
Now that the low-hanging fruit of bike plan implementation has been picked, it is time to turn our attention to the next generation of bikeways in Los Angeles. Just as we need to connect the fragments of our bike network, we also need to connect the dots among many complementary policies and programs at different agencies. In 2014, we call upon the City of Los Angeles to:
- Adopt an "8 to 80" design standard for the Mobility Element's Bicycle-Enhanced Network (BEN) and 2010 Bicycle Plan's Neighborhood Network,
- Appoint a new LADOT General Manager who is committed to innovative street design,
- Accelerate implementation of cycletracks by incorporating the BEN into the Mayor's Great Streets Initiative,
- Install LA's first cycletracks on Figueroa in 2014,
- Apply for round 2 of the Green Lane Project to receive technical assistance from the nation's leading bikeway design experts,
- Ensure adequate staffing of the bikeways and pedestrian groups at LADOT to satisfy pent-up demand for these improvements across the city, and
- Work with Metro to increase investments in next generation bikeways and pedestrian infrastructure across Los Angeles County, concentrated around transit stations and schools.
These steps will expand the reach of LA's bicycle network both geographically and demographically to attract the kind of ridership growth we've seen in other cities around the country that have made similar investments. We must invest and innovate to reach LA's bicycling potential.
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Operation Firefly Re-Launching for 2013-2014
LACBC is proud to be re-launching Operation Firefly for the 2013-2014 winter season! Now that daylight saving time as ended, we will begin the program soon and will continue until the time change in March.
Operation Firefly (Operac�on Luci�rnaga) is an education and bike light distribution program intended to make sure people riding bikes in Los Angeles are riding safely at night. In California, front white lights with side, back, and pedal reflectors are required by law at night (CVC21201). More importantly, riding without lights and reflectors is dangerous. Our goal is to seek out people riding without lights for various reasons, especially riders who may not have the means or time to acquire lights on their own.
We need your help. If you'd like to volunteer for Operation Firefly, please contact Marisa Spinella at [email protected] or 213 629-2142. To make a DONATION and for more information, please visit la-bike.org/OperationFirefly.
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Action Item: Stop the Hyperion Freeway, Submit Comments by TONIGHT, Thursday, November 7
This past Monday, an overwhelming amount of people spoke in favor or a slower and safer Hypersion at the Hyperion Bridge public hearing. You can read more details about the hearing and the powerful testimony at Los Angeles Streetsblog. Here is an update on what you can do to support a safer, slower Hyperion Bridge: 1. Send an email as outlined in the action alert by Thursday, November 7th. So far, 180 of you have already sent in our letters. Let's get more support.
2. Los Feliz residents and stakeholders: Instead of having you come to the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council's Transportation Committee (scheduled for Tuesday, November 5), we encourage you to come to the Los Feliz NC Board Meeting on Tuesday, November 19:
When: Tuesday, November 19; 7:30 p.m.
Where: 1965 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, 90027
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Bike Updates from Around the County: Huntington Park Bike Plan Meeting Next Week
Huntington Park: The City of Huntington Park is working to make Huntington Park a great place to ride a bicycle. The City wants to hear from you where you ride: to school, to work, to stores, or just for fun. What kinds of bike projects do you want to see? What kinds of programs will help make it easier for you to ride a bike? We want to hear from you!
If you live or ride in Huntington Park, be sure to come to this HP Bicycle Master Plan Community Meeting.
Huntington Park Bicycle Master Plan Community Meeting
When: Wednesday, November 13; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: The offices of Communities for a Better Environment - 6325 Pacific Blvd., Suite 300, Huntington Park, 90255
RSVP and spread the word through this Facebook event.
Downtown L.A.: Buffered bike lanes will be striped on 2nd Street this weekend! These lanes, which will run from Spring Street to Glendale Blvd., will also most notably run through the harrowing 2nd Street tunnel. More info on the LADOT Bike Blog.
Beverly Hills: If you live or ride in Beverly Hills, come to this meeting tonight at 6:00 p.m. at the Beverly Hills Library's Community Meeting Room to provide input on the Santa Monica Blvd. reconstruction project! More information can be found here.
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Thanks for Riding on Experience Central Ave.
Thanks to all who came on this Sunday's Experience Central Ave.! A diverse mix of about 80 riders came out to learn more about the history of the street and learn more about the Experience Central Campaign.
Many thanks to our partners on this ride at TRUST South L.A., Community Health Councils, The Eastside Riders, and Councilmember Curren Price.
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Thanks for Coming on Our Sunday Funday Ride
Thanks to all who came out to enjoy our Sunday Funday Fresh Prince of Bel Air Ride! And special thanks to LACBC Board President Alex Amerri for planning and leading this ride. We rode up hills, we took in spectacular sights, we learned about the architecture of the area, and we looked fresh the whole time.
Save the date for the next Sunday Funday Ride, which will be on Sunday, December 1st!
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What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: Walk, Bike, Do Better
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WalkBikeDoBetter PSA
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There are many benefits to biking and walking, but we can summarize them by just saying that biking and walking make you do better and be better. Safe Routes to School recently released this short PSA about important it is to make sure that kids are active. We know it's also pretty important to make sure that adults are active, too!
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Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities
Bici Libre's Fall Basic Mechanics class for WTF Nights *Starts This Thursday*
When: Thursdays -- November 7, 14, and 21; 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Bici Libre still has space in our Fall Basic Mechanics Class for Women/Trans/Femme nights. The course will be for 9 hours of learning across three Thursdays in November. We will cover fixing flats, safety checks, bike fitting, choosing a bike, brakes, derailleurs, and perhaps some basic truing. This is a welcoming class designed for those who would normally come for the WTF night at Bici Libre: we invite womyn, femme, transgender, gender queer folks, or anyone else for whom gender has been a barrier in mechanics to learn bike maintenance and service! Please email Ariel Climer at [email protected] with your name, email, and a contact phone number, if you have one, to reserve a space in the class. The course will cost $30 and is payable with cash on the first day of class. We also accept work trade which must be negotiated the first day of the class.
Cost: $30 total
Teacher: Rio Contreras, 10 years as a bicycle mechanic, teacher, activist
California by Bike Summit
When: November 7-10
Where: Oakland, CA
LACBC is excited for the California by Bike Summit from November 7 to 12. CalBike has gathered advocates, leaders, and innovators for bicycling and related social change who've put together a number of presentations. Participants will leave informed, inspired, and part of an organized team transforming California from state capitol to city hall. The summit format is innovative, with networking opportunities at every meal. There are multiple special events - including a VIP event aboard FDR's floating White House, the East Bay Bicycle Coalition's party-of-the-year and California by Bike Summit's own bash that will attract enthusiasts from around the state. You can learn more about the summit from: calbike.org/calbikesummit
ARTCRANK LAX 2013
When: Saturday, November 9; 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Where: Space 15 Twenty - 1520 North Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood
ARTCRANK is a bike poster party that features art from local artists. Buy a bottomless cup of Widmer Beer for $5, and all proceeds benefit Los Angeles Streetsblog. More info.
Huntington Park Bicycle Master Plan Community Meeting
When: Wednesday, November 13; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
More info in newsletter.
South L.A. Kids' Bicycle Safety Festival
When: Sunday, November 17; 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Foshay Learning Center - 3751 S. Harvard Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018
Join LACBC and Walk 'n Rollers for a FREE Kids Skills and Safety Festival! Learn how to ride your bike safely, start and stop properly, avoid hazards, yielding, ride an obstacle course and more! Helmets required for all riders. We'll have a limited supply of bikes and helmets for those without. This event features: fun for all ages, skills stations, on-street group rides, certificates and goody bags, a bike wash, helmet giveaways, a prize raffle, food, and more! This event is made possible by the USC Good Neighbors Campaign, an employee-giving program that supports university-community partnerships, and presented by Walk 'n Rollers and LACBC. For more information, visit www.walknrollers.org/south-la or see Facebook event.
Hyperion: Los Feliz Neighborhood Council Board Meeting
When: Tuesday, November 19; 7:30 p.m.
Let's Talk About Health: The Public Health Approach to Walking and Biking
When: Thursday, November 21; 7:00 p.m.
Where: The Edison Room, LACBC Headquarters - 634 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, 90014
Save the date! Join LACBC and L.A. Walks for the 4th installment of our speaker series that includes a panel discussion with several local public health professionals. More info on our website and Facebook event.
Tour de Taste and Beer Garden
When: Saturday, November 30; 12:00 p.m. to 9 p.m.
LACBC Open House: Victories of Future Past
When: Thursday, December 5; 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
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Other Events Around Town
LACBC Local Chapters
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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 |
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