LACBC
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Newsletter

April 17, 2014

In this issue
Updated Rules of Road Pocket Guide Out Now
L.A. County Gearing Up to Apply for State Walking & Biking Funds
Go Car-Free for the May the Forest Be with You - Sunday Funday Ride
Ride for Bike Safety at Finish the Ride on April 27
Updates from Around the County: Learn About L.A. Bike Plan with Webinar
Updates from Around California: Caltrans Endorses NACTO Design Guide, Plus 3 Important Petitions Need Your Support
Join Us for Our Next Empowering Local Advocates Workshop on Membership
Nomination Period Open for Local Chapter Representative on LACBC Board of Directors
Show Support for Phillip O'Neill's Family at April 22 Pre-Trial Hearing
Help Team LACBC Close In On $50,000 Fundraising Goal
Fundraise for the 14th Annual Los Angeles River Ride on June 22
LACBC Welcomes Peddler's Creamery to the Business Partnership
Recap from South L.A. Kids' Bike Festival
What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: The Santa Monica Cycle Path
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities
Updated Rules of the Road Pocket Guide Out Now

LACBC is proud to announce an update of the Rules of the Road pocket guide we released early in 2013! The guide has been renamed "Bike Smart - California Rules of the Road" and the layout has been changed to fold better. LACBC members receive a copy in their membership packets when they sign up or renew.

We've printed 37,000 copies so far this year, thanks to sponsorship from Pocrass and De Los Reyes, CicLAvia, and Metro. The content is essentially the same California laws for bicyclists written in short, simple language in English and Spanish. Customized versions for different cities in L.A. County are available (we have a Glendale version in the works now). Additional language translations are also pending.

For more information about sponsorship and customized versions, contact LACBC Education Director Colin Bogart at [email protected].

You can also read the Rules of the Road on the LACBC website.
Los Angeles County Gearing Up to Apply for State Walking & Biking Funds

Cities across Los Angeles County and throughout the state of California are rushing to meet a May 21st deadline to apply for funding for their favorite walking, biking and safe routes to school projects. Over the past year, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership (National Partnership),California Bicycle Coalition and other state partners worked to secure a new source of funding for walking and biking in California. As a result of their efforts, in March, the California Transportation Commission announced the availability of $360 million in state and federal funds for walking and biking. This new state Active Transportation Program (ATP) could yield up to $100 million for walking, biking and safe routes to school projects this year, if Los Angeles County is able to compete for its share of the $360 million available statewide. LACBC and the National Partnership's SoCal team have been working feverishly to prepare Los Angeles County's local jurisdictions for this competition.

LACBC and the National Partnership are overcoming these barriers by coordinating among our agency partners in the Los Angeles County Active Transportation Collaborative, providing direct assistance to applicants and supporting regional competitiveness by improving Metro's approach to the ATP. To assist cities with applications to ATP, the National Partnership and LACBC partnered with LA n Sync to provide grant-writing and technical assistance for up to five applications from Los Angeles County.

Yesterday, LACBC and the National Partnership were successful in convincing Metro board committees to overturn the misguided policy of moving old projects to the front of the line by arbitrarily giving them a 10-point advantage in the new competition, putting new projects and safe routes to school projects at a competitive disadvantage. With that, a level playing field has been restored so that the best projects from Los Angeles County can get funded. 
 
Read more about LA n Sync and yesterday's Metro win on the LACBC blog!
Go Car-Free for the May the Forest Be with You - Sunday Funday Ride
SundayFunday

"May the Forest Be with You" is the theme for our next Sunday Funday Ride! In partnership with CarFreeSFV.com and the LA Los Angeles River Revitalization Corp., we're looking to highlight the ways you can go green beyond just riding your bike. Take the pledge to go car-free (or car-lite) that day!

Here are the details for the ride, as well as the walk.

May the Forest Be with You Family Bike Ride
When: 
Sunday, May 4; meet at 9:30 a.m
Where: Valleyheart Drive and Radford Ave. (on the L.A. River Bike & Pedestrian Path), Studio City (map)
Join us for this 14-mile ride led by LACBC board members Kevin Hopps and Carrie Ungerman, with support from our own Valley Neighborhood Bike Ambassadors and Ride Marshal Team! The ride will include rest stops with eco-educational presentations.

If you'd like to volunteer as ride support, please contact [email protected].

Other things happening that day:

Eco-Scavenger Hunt (meet at 9:30 am)
LA River Revitalization Corp will host a walk/hunt for those who won't be riding.

 

Take the pledge to enter a raffle to win: 

  • a Braven 570 Bluetooth speaker (approximate value $100)
  • 4 tickets to the CBS July 4 celebration ($160 value)
  • L.A. County Bicycle Coalition membership package (approximate value $100)
  • bike repair kit (approximate value $90) 

You'll receive an all-day discount from participating restaurants and businesses when you show your TAP card to Car-Free SFV stikcer:

  • Tuning Fork Gastropub - 25% off all food
  • California Pizza Kitchen (Studio City) - free small plate with $10 minimum order
  • The Counter Studio City - 10% off
  • Studio Cycle Company - 15% off
  • Road Runner Sports Studio City- 10% off (VIPs receive an extra 15% off if they can show they go their without their car)
  • Big Sugar Bakeshop- free cookie
  • Peet's Coffee & Tea (Studio City) - free small coffee
See more on the LACBC website and on our Facebook event.

Ride for Bike Safety at Finish the Ride on April 27thFinishTheRide

 

On Sunday, February 17th, 2013, Damian Kevitt and his wife were riding their bikes around Griffith Park when someone driving a light colored mini-van struck Damian and pinned him underneath. 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 Finish the Ride on April 27th. Rides include a 6-mile ride, a 12-mile ride, and a 23-mile ride. Proceeds benefit both LACBC and Challenged Athletes.

 

Finish the Ride 
benefiting LACBC and Challenged Athletes

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

Where: start Fountain Ave/L Ron Hubbard Way in E. Hollywood 

Register at FinishTheRide.com.

Updates from Around the County: Mayor Garcetti Announces First Great Streets
 
Los Angeles (Great Streets): Back in October, Mayor Garcetti issued his first Executive Directive: the launch of the Great Streets Program to coordinate an interdepartmental strategy to make streets accessible for all and help local businesses flourish. Last week, Mayor Garcetti announced the first 6 streets of the program: Crenshaw, Figueroa, Gaffey, Reseda, Van Nuys, and Westwood. Read more on L.A. Streetsblog

Los Angeles (Bike Crash Map): Last week, MIT's Medialabs released a map of L.A.'s 2,043 bike crashes in 2012. Our own planning and policy director Eric Bruins breaks down some of the implications of this data visualization project on KPCC's Take Two. The data shows that Olympic Boulevard, Venice, Blvd., and Sunset Blvd. have the most bike crashes in the city with 72, 63, and 55 respectively. Listen to the episode to learn more about what that means.
 
Los Angeles (MyFigueroa): Though the fight is still not completely done, The Green Lane Project highlights the steps taken to get MyFigueroa back on track and finally get the City of L.A. its first protected bikeway! The article includes quotes from our planning and policy director Eric Bruins and South Neighborhood Bike Ambassador Michael MacDonald.

Los Angeles (Bike Plan Webinar): The Department of City Planning will host a "Bike Plan Primer" webinar tonight on April 17, 2014 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. to inform the public of the year 2 implementation process of the 2010 Bicycle Master Plan. With the routes already proposed, we need more folks involved in the process. Join us on the webinar and next steps. Get more information at thelabikeplan.org.
Updates from Around California: Caltrans Endorses NACTO Design Guide, Plus 3 Important California Petitions Need Your Support

Caltrans Endorses NACTO Urban Street Design Guide

Last week Caltrans announced that California would become the 3rd state to endorse the usage of the NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials) Urban Street Design Guide, which focuses on designing urban spaces for all road users. Protected bikeways and bike boxes are examples of more innovative bikeway designs you'll find in the NACTO guide. Read more on L.A. Streetsblog.


Right now, protected bikeways are being pioneered across the country, but under California's Department of Transportation outdated guidelines, protected bikeways are banned. On behalf of all LACBC members, CalBike is working to pass AB 1193, The Protected Bikeways Act, and legalize protected bikeways for use across the state. A revolution in infrastructure is the only way millions more people will ride a bike, and we will triple bicycle users in California by 2020. We need miles upon miles of better bikeways that provide physical barriers from fast car traffic and are designed to be inviting for all users from ages 8 to 80. Join CalBike's social media push to reach out to your friends and potentially have our call for better bikeways reach over 100,000 people on May 8th. 

Sign LACBC's statewide petition to stop hit-and-runs in California!

AB 1532, Assemblymember Mike Gatto's bill to take back the drivers' licenses of motorists who flee the scene of a crash, recently passed the assembly's Public Safety Committee. While revoking the drivers' licenses of hit-and-run motorists may not seem like big deal, it is very telling that hit-and-run motorists don't automatically have their licenses revoked already.

We call on the California State Legislature and Governor to revoke driving privileges of hit-and-run drivers and to increase penalties to remove the incentive to flee when drunk.

 

We call on law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to treat hit-and-run collisions like the violent crimes that they are by regularly reporting statistics, allocating adequate resources for investigations, and imposing appropriate penalties on perpetrators.

 

Sign CalBike's Vulnerable Road Users petition!

 

Support California's Vulnerable Road Users Protection Act, AB 2398, by signing CalBike's petition. Too many Californians have been injured on our streets or are mourning the death of a loved one due to distracted or negligent motorists. Protecting Californians who ride bikes, walk, run, ride horses, scooter, skateboard, and work on our streets is vital to make California a better place to live. AB 2398 will protect all road users by:
  • Raising the fine for hitting a Vulnerable Road User
  • Assigning a point on the motorist's driver's license
  • Suspending the offender's license for six months
This bill will remind motorists of their obligation to be cautious of each person on our streets. Help make our streets more livable, and take California one step closer to reaching CalBike's goal of tripling the number of people riding bikes by 2020.
Join Us for Our Next Empowering Local Advocates Workshop on Membership
MembershipWorkshop

We have grown as an organization to 11 local chapters throughout the county and 5 Neighborhood Bike Ambassador groups in Los Angeles City. With so much going on, headquarters wants to empower YOU to advocate in your local community.

Join us on our second workshop of the series - MEMBERSHIP!

When: Tuesday, April 29; 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Where: LACBC Headquarters, Edison Room (1st Floor) - 634 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, 90014
Please RSVP through our EventBrite.

Help us extend our reach in a county of 10 million people. Learn how to engage interested stakeholders about what we do as an organization and help grow our membership base.

At this workshop you will learn to:
  • Why we are membership-based
  • How membership supports local advocacy
  • What membership benefits are
  • How to sell membership
  • How to participate in our Bike Month membership drive
Questions? Contact Alek Bartrosouf at [email protected].
Nomination Period Open for Local Chapter Representative on LACBC Board of Directors

For over two years, LACBC has worked with local advocates in communities throughout Los Angeles County to develop a chapter model through which LACBC can support local campaigns while growing our countywide membership base. The chapter program has grown quickly to include chapters from all five county supervisor districts and all subregional councils of government, and serving more than 1 million residents outside the City of Los Angeles, reflecting a truly broad base for our advocacy work. Representatives of the 11 local chapters meet at our downtown offices every couple months for mutual support, guidance from headquarters and to advise LACBC on countywide campaigns.

Reflecting LACBC's commitment to empowering grassroots advocacy, the chapters collectively elect one member to the LACBC board of directors. Any current LACBC member is eligible for this new position. Interested candidates must fill out a short questionnaire by April 30th. For more information, please contact your local chapter leader or Planning & Policy Director Eric Bruins.
Photo: Ghost Bikes-LA
Show Support for Phillip O'Neill's Family at April 22 Pre-Trial Hearing

LACBC has been keeping track of the court case of Jose Gonzales, the driver who killed Phillip O'Neill when Gonzales hit O'Neill from behind on Del Mar Blvd. in Pasadena in June 2013. Gonzales is being charged with vehicular manslaughter. So far, there have been two pre-trial hearings and a third one has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 22, 8:30 am, at the Pasadena Courthouse, 300 East Walnut Street. Family and friends of Phillip as well as concerned individuals and LACBC staff have attended both pre-trial hearings, which are open to the public.

BikinginLA reports that the prosecuting attorney has commented that he's never seen so many people attend an arraignment in support of the victim. Anyone who wishes to attend the next hearing to show support for Phillip's family and friends is encouraged to do so. We believe that witnesses to the proceedings of this case may be helpful and we're certain that it's comforting to Phillip's family and friends.
Help Team LACBC Close In On $50,000 Fundraising Goal

Team LACBC, full of 16 great members, is participating in Climate Ride California(May 17-20, 2014), a 4-day cycling adventure from San Francisco to California's Capitol in Sacramento! LACBC is once again a beneficiary, and we are currently the top fundraising team!

 

We are so close to reaching our goal of $50,000, and each rider must raise $2,800 by May 8th. Who will be the one to help put us get over the last hurdle by donating to the Team LACBC member?

 

Eric Vs. Alek

 

In the Eric Vs. Alek intra-office battle, Alek Bartrosouf is still bragging in the planning office, as he has raised a whopping $3455, which is almost double the $1735 that Eric Bruins has raised. 

 

Still, Eric has had a pretty good week, dropping truth bombs about the new bike crash safety map and how the bike advocacy community was able to get MyFigueroa back on track. Our office still believes in a good comeback, so choose wisely.

 

Help us crown the King of the Mountain at LACBC Headquarters by donating to either campaign.

 

Meet Team LACBC's Dalila Mendez

 

As you may recall, a few of our Climate Riders joined through the Laemmle Theatres' Ride with Greg Laemmle Contest. One of them was Dalila Mendez, who was one of our 2nd place winners. Part of her fundraising goal has been met through the Laemmle Charitable Foundation, but she still needs some help to reach her the fundraising minimum of $2,800 before May 8th! Learn more about her in her own words:

 

I am really excited to ride with Team LACBC for Climate Ride, as this is my first long distance ride and I am really looking forward to this experience. I felt that it was really important to do such a ride that would both help the environment and organizations like LACBC that are making a positive difference locally in our neighborhoods. I want to be an example to my community and show that we can do something challenging and beneficial for not only our air quality, but for our local organizations that are making our neighborhoods better places to bike and live. I was inspired to do this ride by Greg Laemmle, and I hope to inspire others.

 

You can donate to Dalila's campaign here to help send her on her way!  

Fundraise for LACBC at the 14th Annual Los Angeles River Ride on June 22
RiverRide
Registration for the 14th Annual L.A. River Ride is now open, and we've now made it easier to participate in fundraising. When you register for the ride online, a fundraising page will automatically be set up for you, and you can choose to personalize it or not.
 
Every dollar counts to help make L.A. County a healthy, safe, and fun place to ride a bike. Will you join us?
 
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.
 
So far, we have the following active fundraisers winning great prizes and supporting LACBC's work!
  1. Tish Laemmle
  2. Trent Whittaker
  3. Sebouh Asparian 
They are all competing to be the top fundraiser, to win VBT's Tuscany by the Sea biking vacation! Runner-up prizes include a limited edition New Belgium Brewing bike. Join them by becoming a fundraiser!

 

Learn more about fundraising here.

Set up your personalized fundraising page by either registering for the ride or going 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 Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach
Facebook event: link
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 (Autry or Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach)
LACBC Welcomes Peddler's Creamery to the Business Partnership

For one year now, Peddler's Creamery has been serving up delicious bicycle-churned ice cream in Downtown L.A. And now they have joined LACBC's Business Partnership program to offer a discount to all current LACBC members.

LACBC members save 10% off all purchases at Peddler's Creamery, located at 458 S. Main St. in Downtown L.A.

If you want some ice cream now, they're having a 1st Anniversary Pedal Party today (Thursday, April 17) from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and we're providing bike valet! Ice cream scoops will be just $1, so your LACBC discount won't apply! We'll see you there (now that the newsletter is done)!

Recap from South L.A. Kids' Bike Festival

 

LACBC, Walk n Rollers, and staff from USC hosted a free kids bike festival on Sunday April 13, 2014 at the Foshay Learning Center in south LA. A team of volunteer League Cycling Instructors welcomed roughly 50 children and their families who came to learn a range of bicycle handling skills and which culminated in a bike ride around the neighborhood. LAPD South Traffic Division gave away helmets to 31 kids, there were crafts and games (including chess lessons!), and food courtesy of a food truck. We also raffled off two childrens' bikes, courtesy of State Senator Holly Mitchell.

 

Big thanks to all the LCIs, Walk n Rollers, the USC Good Neighbors Campaign, the Foshay Learning Center, LAPD South Traffic, Senator Holly Mitchell, and all the volunteers and supporters who made the day such a success! The festival was made possible by the USC Good Neighbors Campaign, an employee giving program that supports university-community partnerships.

 

Check out some photos on the LACBC Facebook page!

What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: The Santa Monica Cycle Path
Photo: USC Libraries - California Historical Society Collection, via KCET

What's old is new again! Are you familiar with the bike boom of the late 1800s / early 1900s? While we often think of the concept of protected bikeways as new, they were being built over a hundred years ago in our own country!

Much has been written about Pasadena's California Cycle Path, an elevated, wooden bikeway path that connected Pasadena to Downtown L.A. from the early 1900s, but have you heard to the Santa Monica Cycle Path? In an article from KCET/L.A. As Subject that makes us all wish we were archivists, Nathan Masters has dug up photos and facts about the Santa Monica Cycle Path. Opened in 1900, this six-foot-wide gravel road connected Santa Monica to the City of Los Angeles for people on bike and on foot. Masters writes:

Now, they enjoyed a smooth ride over disintegrated granite gravel, shaded much of the way by newly planted pepper trees. And the scenery was varied; though much of the cycleway traversed pretty farmland and grassy meadows, riders also passed by the Hauser slaughterhouse and through the tiny town of The Palms.

The cycle path became a "demonstration model" for the Good Roads Movement as well as a practical solution to the region's poor road conditions.
 
Thanks to Cynthia Rose of local chapter Santa Monica Spoke for finding this.
Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities

 

USCBC Spring Ride to Venice

When: Saturday, April 19; meet at 10:00 a.m.

Where: meet at Trousdale/Expo

Join local chapter USCBC on a lovely springtime bike ride to the beach! The ride departs from the USC campus on a 14-mile (one-way) adventure to Venice Beach, where you can explore the sights and sounds before riding back to campus. See Facebook event. 

 

Bicycle Coalition at UCLA Spring Ride to Venice

When: Saturday, April 19; meet at 10:00 a.m.

Where: Meet at the Bruin Bear on the UCLA campus

Join local chapter Bicycle Coalition at UCLA for this ride to the beach to meet up with USCBC! The ride departs from the UCLA campus on a 4-mile (one-way) adventure to Venice Beach, where you can explore the sights and sounds before riding back to campus. See Facebook event. 

 

Finish the Ride benefiting LACBC & Challenged Athletes

When: Sunday, April 27

More info in newsletter.

 

Empowering Local Advocates: Membership

When: Tuesday, April 29; 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

More info in newsletter.

 

May the Forest Be With You Sunday Funday Ride

When: Sunday, May 4; meet at 9:30 a.m.

More info in newsletter.

 

Bike to Work Day

When: Thursday, May 15

Where: throughout Los Angeles County

Save the date for the Annual Bike to Work Day! In addition to organizations and groups hosting pit stops throughout the County, LACBC and our local chapters will be hosting our Handlebar Happy Hours in the late afternoon / evening. Stay tuned for more details.

 

California Bike Advocacy Day

When: Wednesday, May 21

Where: Sacramento, CA

On May 21, the California Bicycle Coalition is sponsoring Bike Advocacy Day in the state capital to tell our elected representatives how important it is to support our communities with bike-friendly policies and funding. Network with your fellow bicycling advocates from around the state while we press our agenda to direct more funding to bike infrastructure, change the rules to emphasize complete networks of protected bikeways, plus our other legislative priorities. Our own planning and

policy director Eric Bruins and other LACBC staff and board will be attending after completing Climate Ride on Team LACBC. Register with CalBike today.

 

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]

 

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