LACBC
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Newsletter

November 14, 2013 

In this issue
ACTION ALERT: Urge Councilmember Koretz to Study Bike Lanes on Westwood
Let's Talk About Health: The Public Health Approach to Walking and Biking Next Thursday
You're Invited to the LACBC Open House on December 5th
Operation Firefly Re-Launching Next Week
Farewell to Our Volunteer Coordinator Martin Lopez-Iu
Support LACBC on Climate Ride California this May
Tour de Taste Teams Up with SoCal Cross on November 30th
ACTION ALERT: Urge Mayor Garcetti to Bring Cycletracks to L.A.
ACTION ALERT: Stop the Hyperion Freeway
Bike Updates from Around L.A. County: Join the L.A. Pedestrian Advisory Commitee
What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: See the Lights
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities

ACTION ALERT: Urge Councilmember Koretz to Study Bike Lanes on Westwood Blvd.

 

Word on the street is that Councilmember Paul Koretz is reneging on his commitment to study bike lanes on Westwood Boulevard, connecting the future Expo Line Station to UCLA and Palms. Earlier this year Koretz wrote, "I am an advocate of bike paths so long as we implement them intelligently and with the input of local stakeholders." With that in mind, LACBC respected local opposition to the City's proposed bus-bike lanes and developed an alternative that still provides safety benefitswithout the traffic impact that upset some stakeholders. We then requested to work with the Councilmember to:

  1. Study alternatives for Westwood with less traffic impact

  2. Create an inclusive engagement process that is fact-based and respectful of divergent opinions

After agreeing to the above, Koretz stalled. He did not set up an open and transparent process and instructed LADOT to stop the study. Instead of seeking input from all stakeholders, he has listened to one small insular group of homeowners that have repeatedly put out inaccurate information to rally opposition to even studying the project. At LACBC, we firmly believe that studying options is the first step in making decisions "intelligently."

Please join us in calling on Councilmember Koretz to keep his word and study all options for Westwood Boulevard. (See sample email.)

 

Sample Email:

 

to: [email protected] 

cc: [email protected][email protected] 

bcc: [email protected] 

Subject: Study Westwood Bike Lanes

 

Dear Councilmember Koretz,

 

Westwood Boulevard is currently one of the most popular routes for people riding bikes in your district. It is also one of the least safe.  You've said before that, "I do not vote for things that kill people." I hope that you'll at least study how to fix a dangerous situation that has already killed and will likely again if it is not improved. As a community leader, it's your responsibility to convene people with differing views, seek out accurate information and make informed decisions that respect all stakeholders. I ask that you take this commitment seriously by studying alternatives for bike lanes along Westwood Boulevard and hosting an open and inclusive process to discuss the merits of the project.

 

Sincerely,

[your name]

[your neighborhood] 

 

If you want to learn more, come to the Neighborhood Bike Ambassador (NBA) West meeting TONIGHT at 6:30 p.m. to plan next steps for the Ride Westwood campaign and find out about upcoming actions:

 

NBA West and Ride Westwood Meeting

When: Thursday, November 14; 6:30 p.m.

Where: UCLA Public Affairs Building, Faculty Lounge (Room 5391) - 337 Charles E. Young Dr. East (near Wyton and Hilgard)

 

Share this Action Alert with your friends!

Let's Talk About Health: The Public Health Approach to Walking and Biking Next Thursday

 

We all know that there are several benefits of walking and biking. For this Speaker Series, we're partnering with Los Angeles Walks to look at the public health benefits of biking and walking. 

 

When: Thursday, November 21; 7:00 p.m.

Where: The Edison Room, LACBC Headquarters (1st floor) - 634 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles 90014

 

Free for LACBC members and L.A. Walks donors. $10 for everyone else.

See the LACBC website and Facebook event to RSVP and spread the word.

 

Speakers:

  • Manal Aboelata, Managing Director, Prevention Institute
  • Jean Armbruster, Director, PLACE Program, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
  • Malcolm Carson, General Counsel and Policy Director for Environmental Health, Community Health Councils
Thanks to Angel City Brewery for providing refreshments.
You're Invited to the LACBC Open House on December 5th 
OpenHouse
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

Free for LACBC members, $10 general admission
More information on the LACBC website and Facebook
 

Operation Firefly Re-Launching Next Week

 OperationFirefly

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 NEXT WEEK 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, ext. 120.

 

To make a donation, purchase a set of lights, and for more information, please visit la-bike.org/OperationFirefly.

Farewell to Our Volunteer Coordinator Martin Lopez-Iu

Farewell to our beloved volunteer coordinator of two years, Martin Lopez-Iu! Martin first landed in our offices as a volunteer in 2010 when we mistakenly thought his name was "Martini." (We eventually learned the truth.) Over the past two years as our volunteer coordinator, Martin has brought his calm demeanor to LACBC, helped establish the LACBC Ride Marshal Team, and spent many countless hours bringing volunteers together for events all across the County! 

Martin has left this job to dedicate more time to The Anti-Job, the band for which he plays guitar and sometimes keyboard. The band will be touring the country this Winter, and you should definitely check them out live and find them on Facebook.

We will miss you, Martin! Please remember us when you're a rich and famous rock star guy!

We would also like to give a warm welcome to Marisa Spinella, who will be filling up Martin's very large shoes as LACBC's new volunteer coordinator. She has a background in advocacy, having previously worked with Safe Routes to School, the Northeast Los Angeles Riverfront Collaborative, and the LA Zoo Association. We'll have more on her next week, but she is looking forward to working with our awesome volunteers. Marisa can be reached at [email protected].

Support LACBC on Climate Ride California this May

 

You're invited to join Team LACBC on Climate Ride California! We are once again a beneficiary and you can join the brand-new epic 4-day pedaling adventure in Northern California through wine country.

 

Right now, we're recruiting members for our new Team LACBC on the California ride. You can be part of the fun and raise funds for LACBC at the same time! If you join our team by December 4th, you'll be invited to our exclusive donor appreciation party on December 5th.

 

Climate Ride California (May 17-20, 2014) is a 4-day, fully-supported cycling adventure that begins in San Francisco, heads north up the coast and through Wine Country to California's Capitol in Sacramento. 

Tour de Taste Teams Up with SoCal Cross on November 30th
TourdeTaste

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.

 

Mayor Eric Garcetti recently 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 L.A.'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 L.A.'s bicycling potential.

Action Item: Stop the Hyperion Freeway

 Hyperion

Thanks much for being part of our campaign to advocate for a safer Hyperion Bridge

Here's an update on what has happened thus far:
Here is an update on what you can do to support a safer, slower Hyperion Bridge:
 
1. Send an email to local officials as outlined in the action alert.
 
2. Atwater residents and stakeholders: Come to the Atwater NC Board Meeting TONIGHT:
 
Atwater Neighborhood Council General Board Meeting
When: Thursday, November 14; 7:00 p.m.
Where: Christ's Church of Griffith Park - 3852 Edenhurst Avenue, 90039
See agenda.
  
 
3. Los Feliz residents and stakeholders: Come to the Los Feliz NC Board Meeting on Tuesday, November 19:

Los Feliz Neighborhood Council General Board Meeting
When: Tuesday, November 19; 7:30 p.m.
Where: 1965 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, 90027
More info.

Bike Updates from Around the County: Join the L.A. Pedestrian Advisory Commiteee

  

Los Angeles:  Are you passionate about making streets safer for all their users in the City of L.A? Consider joining the City of L.A. Pedestrian Advisory Committee! Several council district seats (CD 3 - Blumenfield,  CD 6 - Martinez, CD 7 - Fuentes, CD 8 - Parks, CD 12 - Englander, CD 13  O'Farrell, CD 15 - Buscaino) are open right now. If you're interested, email Los Angeles Walks at [email protected] and come to a PAC meeting next Thursday (November 21st at 3 p.m. on the 1st floor of the Caltrans Building, 100 South Main Street, 90012). See the L.A. Walks website for more information.

 

Downtown L.A.: Bike lanes are nearly completed on 2nd Street from Spring Street to Glendale Blvd.! This includes the most harrowing part of 2nd Street: through the tunnel. More info and photos can be found on LA StreetsblogThanks to LACBC member Ryan Johnson for providing photos to both LACBC and Streetsblog.

What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: See the Lights

It's getting darker earlier, so you know what that means? Make sure you're riding with front and rear lights and reflectors at night! Our Operation Firefly program is all about getting people on bikes riding safely at night with proper lighting, but as Bikeyface notes in her latest cartoon, there is more to night-riding than just having lights on.

Placement is key! Make sure your accessories (coats, bags, etc.) aren't covering your lights, and make sure your batteries are working properly. We'd like to add: Make sure your lights are facing the correct direction since they can sometimes get turned upwards or downwards or side-wards.
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities

     

Cogs: A Workshop on Freewheels and Cassettes at Bici Libre
When: Saturday, November 16; 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 
Where: Bici Libre - 1205 W 6th St., Los Angeles, 90017 
Mark DiDia, a former volunteer of Bici Libre is hosting a workshop on cogs, cassettes, and freewheels this Saturday morning, November 16th. What are the differences? How do you install and remove them? As a volunteer, how do you determine compatibility with the items on hand? If a person is trying to decide between a single speed or geared bike, how do you use what is on hand to determine at the bike co-op for options? How can you trouble shoot problems? How might other areas affect performance such as chains, derailleurs, and proper spacing? Class is $10, sliding scale. All donations go to Bici Libre so that we can continue to offer services to the local community. Please send a message to [email protected] or RSVP on Facebook for the class. 

 

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.
More info in newsletter.

 

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
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.
More info in newsletter.

 

LACBC Open House: Victories of Future Past
When: Thursday, December 5; 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
More info in newsletter.
Other Events Around Town

LACBC Local Chapters

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