LACBC
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Newsletter

March 6, 2014

Fundraise for the L.A. River Ride and Win Great Prizes! 

In this issue
My Figueroa Project in Jeopardy! Take Action to Support
Pomona Active Transportation Plan Unanimously Passes
Metro Directors Respond to Active Transportation Program Funding Needs
Community Planning forums Begin Next Week
Updates from Around the County: Help Form a Chapter in Santa Clarita
65 Delegates Represent California in Congress at the National Bike Summit
Join Finish the Ride on April 27th and Support LACBC and Challenged Athletes
Fundraise for LACBC at the 14th Annual Los Angeles River Ride on June 22nd
Sweet 16 Bike Prom Pictures Now Up
What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: Scenes from UCLA Bicycle Coalition's First Operation Firefly Bike Light Distributuion
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities
My Figueroa Project in Jeopardy! Take Action to Support

The My Figueroa project has the potential to be Los Angeles' first protected bikeway (aka cycletrack), distinguished by a physical separation from traffic and dedicated bike signals at intersections. Figueroa connects key destinations spanning from Downtown LA to USC, two heavily biked communities, and will provide safer cycling and walking environment for local residents. It is a project that supported by Mayor Garcetti as well as the Los Angeles Times.

Despite strong community support, the City Council's Planning & Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee so far has deferred to Councilmember Price's motion to delay a vote on the project and instructed city staff report back with problematic alternatives. As we wait for the project to be heard at a future PLUM meeting, we are asking for affected neighborhood councils and stakeholders to weight in.

To realize the city's first cycle-track, WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! 

Do you live, work, study, or spend time in one of the neighborhoods below? Please ATTEND to your local neighborhood council meeting. In some cases the governing board may take action without the need for public testimony, but it is always helpful to have advocates on hand that can speak towards the importance of making Figueroa a more people-oriented corridor. Attend the meetings, spread the word, and engage with your neighborhood council!

Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC)
When: Tuesday, March 11; 6:30 p.m.
Where: Palace Theatre - 630 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Facebook Event link
Neighborhood Council boundaries map

Voices Of 90037 Neighborhood Council [Vermont Square]
When: Tuesday, March 11; 6:30 p.m. 
Where: Normandie Elementary School - 4505 South Raymond Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90037
Facebook Event link
Neighborhood Council boundaries map

Even if you aren't a stakeholder in any of these areas, there are other ways for you to help. Join thegrassroots Keep MyFig On Track Facebook Group for updates on you you can get involved.
Pomona Active Transportation Plan Unanimously Passes
 
This past Monday, the Pomona City Council unanimously passed the Pomona Active Transportation Plan and Bicycle Master Plan! The Active Transportation Plan provides direction for creating an environment for a more friendly walking and bicycling environment. 

 

Our local chapter the Pomona Valley Bicycle Coalition has been present at ATP meetings throughout the years. Roughly 30 people--which included PVBC members and bicyclists from Cal Poly Pomona--came to Monday's meeting to voice their support for the plan.

 

You can read more about the plan and what it means through this interview with PVBC's Eve Sanford on Los Angeles Streetsblog.

 

Congrats to PVBC! If you'd like to join them in advocating to implement the Pomona ATP and advocating for a more bike-friendly Pomona Valley, please join PVBC when you join LACBC at la-bike.org/membership

Metro Directors Respond to Active Transportation Program Funding Needs

 

LACBC and the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) National Partnership have been working with our partners to come together as the Los Angeles County Active Transportation Collaborative to support regional policies that provide local revenue and finance strategy aimed to improve biking and walking.

 

Last Thursday, local advocates voiced our concerns to the Metro board about the transition from Calls for Projects to the Active Transportation Program (ATP). At this moment, 49 bike and pedestrian projects in the County are caught in this transition without proper funding sources.

 

As a result of our policy discussion on this issue, Metro Directors adopted a motion that asked Metro CEO Art Leahy to direct staff to:

  • Conduct stakeholder outreach meetings in partnership with the sub-regional Councils of Government to ensure broad awareness of ATP funding availability, the requirements for reapplications, and the need for new project development.
  • Report back at the April Metro Board Meeting with a list of projects deemed most competitive for Los Angeles County and the FY 14 ATP call for projects.
  • Work with local jurisdictions on projects not a good competitive fit for the FY 14 ATP call, and identify local funding sources.
  • Clarify whether Metro will provide the same level of technical assistance in Future ATP call for projects.

While the transition has not been a smooth one, we are hopeful that these steps will lead to Metro taking on a larger leadership role in fulfilling a greater finance vision for Los Angeles County.

 

Read more about it on Los Angeles Streetsblog!

Community Planning Forums Begin Next Week
 PlanningForum

The Plan for a Healthy Los AngelesMobility Plan 2035, and the re:code LA have teamed up  offer seven community planning forums, where residents can give feedback on the proposed vision for the city's future. As Los Angeles prepares for the urban challenges of the 21st century, health and mobility are important to ensure that every Angeleno has the opportunity to thrive. Please check out the website and get involved to help shape the city's future vision. 

 

Forums:

 

NORTH VALLEY

When: Saturday, March 15, 9 a.m. - 12 noon

Where: Granada Hills Recreation Center - 16730 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills, CA 91344

 

CENTRAL

When: Wednesday, March 19; 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Where: Metro Headquarters (near Patsaouras Plaza) - One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012

 

SOUTH LOS ANGELES

When: Saturday, March 22; 9 a.m. - 12 noon

Where: Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreation Center - 3916 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90062

 

EAST

When: Saturday, March 29; 9 a.m. - 12 noon

Where: Boyle Heights City Hall - 2130 E. First St., Los Angeles, CA 90033

 

WEST

When: Wednesday, April 2; 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Where: Westwood United Methodist Church - 10497 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90024

 

SOUTH VALLEY

When: Saturday, April 5; 9 a.m. - 12 noon

Where: Marvin Braude Constituent Service Center - 6262 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91401

 

HARBOR

When: Saturday, April 12; 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Where: Peck Park Community Center - 560 N. Western Ave., San Pedro, CA 90732

Updates from Around the County: Help Form a Chapter in Santa Clarita
SantaClarita

Santa Clarita: LACBC members in the Santa Clarita Valley are looking to form a local chapter! This upcoming meeting is intended to bring together members of the SCV cycling community who are willing to commit their efforts, through leadership and participation, to the SCV area.
 
Santa Clarita Valley Chapter Kick-Off Meeting
When: Tuesday, March 18; 7:00 p.m.
Where: Performance Cyclery - 23360 Cinema Drive, Santa Clarita, 91355
 
Beverly Hills: At Tuesday's lengthy Beverly Hills City Council meeting, the City Council opted to curb the item to widen Santa Monica Blvd. to make room for bike lanes, as was recommended by the Santa Monica Blvd. Blue Ribbon Committee. The item will be discussed at the upcoming April 1st meeting.

  

Long Beach: Last week, Longbeachize hosted an mayoral candidate forum on livable streets in Long Beach, which LACBC participated in. Over 100 people attended, and we heard from each of the 5 participating candidates: Richard Camp, Robert Garcia, Bonnie Lowenthal, Doug Otto, and Gerrie Schipske. Check out the video that was recently posted on Los Angeles Streetsblog.

  

LAX: Help LAX determine future bicycle facility needs! If you ride your bike there or want to ride your bike there (particularly if you work there), take this survey here.

 

Eagle Rock:  A serious injury has been reported due to a dangerous condition in the center of the westbound bicycle lane on Colorado Boulevard, between Vincent Avenue and Mount Royal Drive, in Eagle Rock. The condition is a deviation in the center of the lane that runs for several yards parallel to and directly between the lines that delineate the bicycle lane. It consists of an undulating ledge that has formed where the asphalt of the roadway dips into a shallow trench where it meets the concrete that forms the gutter and sidewalk. Cracks also exist between traffic side lane line of the bike lane and the number two vehicular lane (and bus lane).
 
If you experienced this dangerous condition or know someone who has, please call Josh at (323) 937-7105, or email him at [email protected].
65 Delegates Represent California in Congress at the National Bike Summit
Photo: Santa Monica Spoke
Many of the LACBC staff (Jen, Eric, Colin, Shanon, Nona) and some of our local chapter leaders and partners are in Washington DC for the National Bike Summit.

California's delegation to the National Bike Summit--the biggest one--met with more than 65 Representatives and Senators at the National Bike Summit, more than any other state. Three bills in Congress were at the top of our request list: The Safe Streets Act would require streets to be built with all users in mind; the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Act requires the U.S. DOT to actually measure pedestrian and bike safety; the New Opportunities for Bike and Pedestrian Infrastructure Act sets aside a portion of funding for active transportation infrastructure loans.

Follow the National Bike Summit's action on Twitter with the hashtag #nbs14. Our own Eric Bruins has also be tweeting up a storm as @lacbc.

Join Finish the Ride on April 27th and Support LACBC and Challenged Athletes

 FinishTheRide

On Sunday, February 17th, 2013, Damian Kevitt and his wife were riding their bikes around the streets around Griffith Park when someone driving a light colored mini-van struck Damian and pinned him underneath the mini-van. Damian suffered road burns and lost his right leg and has since vowed to Finish the Ride that he started on that day.

 

Please join Damian on an organized ride called Finish the Ride on April 27th, as proceeds benefit Challenged Athletes and LACBC. Rides include a 6-mile ride, a 12-mile ride, and a 23-mile ride. More ride details here.

 

When: Sunday, April 27; registration starts at 6:30 a.m.

Where: start at Fountain Ave at L Ron Hubbard Way in East Hollywood 

 

More info at finishtheride.org.

 

Also, please join Damian and LACBC as we work to combat the prevalence of hit and runs in L.A. County. You can learn more about Damian and the Finish the Ride movement through these pieces on KABC, KCBS, KTLA, and Streetsblog.

 

Damian will also be be organizing a vigil for all hit-and-run victims at the Critical Mass on Friday, March 28th (postponed from tomorrow's ride).

Fundraise for LACBC at the 14th Annual Los Angeles River Ride on June 22
RiverRide
We recently opened up registration for the 14th Annual L.A. River Ride. Want to go the extra mile and help make the L.A. River a healthier, safer, and more fun place to ride a bike? Become a River Ride Fundraiser!
 
Your fundraising supports our work to connect and complete the River path by the year 2020 as part of the Greenway 2020 campaign.
 
When you meet certain fundraising milestones, you can earn River Ride registration, as well as other great prizes like LACBC and River Ride bike gear.
 
Also, let's not forget about the biggest prizes for our top fundraisers, including VBT's Tuscany by the Sea biking vacation and a limited edition New Belgium Brewing bike.

 

Learn more about fundraising here.

Set up your personalized fundraising page here.

More on the 14th Annual L.A. River Ride:
 
When: Sunday, June 22, 2014
Where: start at Autry National Center in Griffith Park or the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach
Register here by May 27th and save $10.
LACBC Members save an additional $10.
Kids 12 and under ride for free.
10 great rides with 2 start locations (one at the Autry and one at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach
Sweet 16 Bike Prom Pictures Now Up

Thanks to our photographer Jon White for another superb set of Bike Prom photos.
 
Check out our photos on the LACBC Facebook page!
What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: Scenes from UCLA Bicycle Coalition's First Operation Firefly Bike Light Distribution
UCLA Bicycle Coalition The First Operation Firefly!
UCLA Bicycle Coalition The First Operation Firefly!

Our local chapters have been organizing Operation Firefly light distributions of their own recently! Check out this video from the UCLA Bicycle Coalition's very successful distribution, where 40 bike light sets were given away.

You can learn more about Operation Firefly at la-bike.org/OperationFirefly and join any of our eleven local chapters when you become an LACBC member.
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities

 

City of Los Angeles Community Planning Forums

When: March 15 to April 12

More info in newsletter.

 

Touring L.A. County with LACBC & Where to Bike: The Donut 

When: Saturday, March 15; Meet at 8:30 a.m., ride at 9:00 a.m.

Where: Wilmington Waterfront Park - Drive south on the 110 Freeway to the C Street exit in Wilmington. Then, continue east a short distance to the Park. We will meet at the small parking lot at the Park's east end off Lagoon Avenue. Here's the map the Park.

This is a San Pedro version of the classic "Donut" tour around the Palos Verdes Peninsula. We'll start (and finish) with a warm-up (and cool down) through the port city of San Pedro where we will see everything nautical (tankers, container ships, old battleships, merchant vessels, cruise ships, lighthouses, seagulls). Then, we'll ride into PV proper and tackle the famous switchbacks (the one big climb of the day). From there we'll continue around to Malaga Cove (rest stop), Point Vicente, Abalone Cove, and Fort McArthur. We should have many wonderful vistas of the South Bay, Catalina and the Port of Los Angeles as we ride back to San Pedro and Wilmington. 43 miles total. 

  

Active Living Plugged In Training

When: Saturday, March 15, & Sunday, March 16

Where: LACBC Headquarters

This innovative new training from Women on Bikes California is geared to measurably grow your aptitude, polish your skills, hone your voice, grow your network, and learn to own your power as an active living advocate for California. Register by March 3rd to save money. Learn more here.

  

Santa Clarita Valley Chapter Kick-Off Meeting

When: Tuesday, March 18; 7:00 p.m.

More info in newsletter.

  

Empowering Local Advocates

When: Thursday, March 20; 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Where: LACBC HQ - 634 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, 90014

LACBC has grown as an organization to 11 local chapters throughout the county and 5 Bike Ambassador programs in Los Angeles City. With so much going on, LACBC headquarters wants to help empower YOU to advocate in your local capacity. Join us for our first workshop of the series - OUTREACH. At this workshop you will learn to: engage City Hall, table effectively, develop business partners, recruit volunteers, and connect with allies. RSVP here and see Facebook event

  

Whole Foods Woodland Hills 5% Day Benefiting LACBC

When: Sunday, March 30

Where: Whole Foods Woodland Hills

Shop for groceries on this day, and 5% of all purchases for the day will benefit LACBC! More information in next week's newsletter.

  

CicLAvia - Iconic Wilshire Blvd.

When: Sunday, April 6; 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: Wilshire Blvd.

The first CicLAvia of 2014 comes back to one of L.A.'s favorite streets: Wilshire Blvd.! Bike, walk, run, skip, play, and eat. More info.

  

South L.A. Kids' Bike Festival

When: Sunday, April 13; 11:00 a.m. to 2 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, made possible by the USC Good Neighbors Campaign! 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. More info.

  

Finish the Ride benefiting LACBC & Challenged Athletes

When: Sunday, April 27

More info in newsletter.

 

14th Annual Los Angeles River Ride

When: Sunday, June 22

More info in newsletter.

LACBC Local Chapters - Join when you become an LACBC member or renew your membership!


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