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LOCAL BIKE HEADLINES

LACBC held a bike ride and rally to protest the continuous unfair treatment of cyclists involved in hit-and- runs. The ride was to highlight one of the recent incidents involving fellow cyclists, Ed Magos. The route took riders downtown in time for the LA City Council Transportation committee meeting where Chief Charlie Beck and Councilmember Rosendahl held a "town hall" meeting discussion with cyclists.
Related media coverage:
In a first, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck vows to better protect cyclists, train officers on biker rights.
Bicyclists plan ride in downtown L.A. to protest 'unfair treatment'.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck vows to better protect cyclists.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck vows to better protect cyclists.
Riders Head to City Hall - Live Tweeting the Chief Beck Town Hall with Cyclists.
Aurisha Rallies the Troops Before Ed Magos Ride on 2/24/10.
Los Angeles cyclists demand protection.
Driver Walks From Possible Hit-And-Run Case; Bicyclists Plan Protest Ride.
LAPD Chief Beck Backs Bicyclists Following Controversial Collision.
Apparently, You Can Get Away with Hit & Runs These Days.
Apparently, You Can Get Away with Hit & Runs These Days.
LA police chief to cyclists: 'We need to do a better job for you'.
- Posted 1 March 2010


The 2-wheeled army demands its rights!
Check out the Southern California Public Radio audio and article. Several guests talk about the L.A. City bicycle master plan.
- Posted 25 February 2010


Check out the Southern California Public Radio online article and video.
- Posted 5 February 2010


Better Bikeways: Turning a City Street Into a Bike Corridor. Read the GOOD BLOG article.
- Posted 3 February 2010


The media responds to the City Council Meeting regarding the Anti-Harassment Ordinance addressing bicyclist safety. Included are quotes from LACBC's Aurisha Smolarski.
LA TImes - L.A. to study ways to protect bicyclists, considers 'bill of rights'.
Examiner - Tempering LAs road rage.
Daily News - City Council joins in battle to protect cyclists' rights.
- Posted 28 January 2010


LACBC Executive Director Jen Klausner is quoted in an LA TImes article regarding the Long Beach bike lanes.
- Posted 26 January 2010


Read the article New Bike Racks in Pico Union in the USC Annenburg Digital News.
- Posted 26 January 2010


LACBC City of Lights' Bike Parking Community Resource Guide is commended in Streetblog article.
- Posted 13 January 2010


LACBC City of Lights receives a Streetblog 2009 Streetsie Award for "New Group of the Year."
- Posted 13 January 2010


...L.A. City Council's public safety committee considered a proposal on Monday to make it illegal for motorists to harass bicyclists...
LACBC Staff Member Aurisha Smolarski is quoted in the KABC article and appears in the accompanying video.
- Posted 12 January 2010


To listen to LACBC and other advocates discuss the LA Bike Plan on the KPFK 90.7 FM Bike Talk Show
follow this link to the Tuesday, December 29, 2009 show listing and click Play.
- Posted 8 January 2010


A KABC article and video covering the idea of closing, on Sundays, certain streets to motor vehicle traffic and allowing only bicycles and pedestrians.

LACBC was instrumental in initiating this concept, called Ciclovia, for Los Angeles. Ciclovia originated in Columbia and has been done in New York , Chicago, San Francisco and Portland. LACBC Board member Stephen Villavaso comments in both the article and video.
- Posted 12 November 2009


Several articles at latimes.com regarding bikes and cars sharing the road include comments by LACBC Board Member Ron Durgin and LACBC Campaign Director Aurisha Smolarski.
Bikes and cars: Can we share the road?
How to minimize accidents between autos and bicycles.
Bicyclists should stay on the defensive to stay safe.
L.A.-area biking resources.
- Posted 3 November 2009


We got a lot of great press from the LA Bike Count, including KPCC, LA Downtown News, KCRW, The Argonaut, and USC Annenberg Radio. Thank you volunteers for making it happen!
- Posted 1 October 2009


Damien Newton - Streetsblog Los Angeles - Los Angeles,CA, USA
The LACBC always has a bunch of plates spinning in the air, so I caught up with LACBC staff Aurisha Smolarski and Dorothy Le to find out everything that's... Read the LA.STREETSBLOG.ORG interview.
- Posted 16 July 2009


Zach Behrens - laist.com
We would like to see CA adopt a Vulnerable User Law, which protects cyclists, pedestrians, highway workers, skateboarders, and other vulnerable road users... Read the laist.com article.
- Posted 16 July 2009


Transit officials pave way for more bikes on trains.
Read or listen to the Southern California Public Radio article...
- Posted 15 July 2009


LACBC and the LA City Bike Plan. Read the LA Times blog...
- Posted 9 June 2009


Los Angeles, June 1, 2009 - The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) urges all bicycle riders in the Los Angeles area to 'Ride out the Recession' this year by joining the L.A. River Ride, one of the county's best loved annual bicycling events scheduled for Sunday, June 7.

Read the LACBC press release...
- Posted 2 June 2009


LACBC submitted an op-ed article to the LA Times today, regarding recent LAPD, motorist and cyclist relations.
- Posted 20 May 2009


A number of cyclists as well as LACBC's Jen Klausner, Dorothy Le and Aurisha Smolarski voice their concerns at the LA City Council special meeting, May 18, 2009, regarding the threat to cut bikeway funding.
Watch the video...
- Posted 19 May 2009


Article in the Daily News - 25 Apr 09:


LACBC Kicks Off "City of Lights" Outreach Program
Read article at la.streetsblog.org

It's "Car-Free Friday"
Read article at www.nbclosangeles.com


Recently, some cyclists were ticketed for not having a bicycle license, even though the moratorium had been in place for over three months.

We would like to inform you about your rights regarding the City of LA Bicycle License, so that you are prepared if you are ever asked about or stopped for not having a bicycle license.

Background:
The City of Los Angeles issued a moratorium in January 2009 on the Bicycle License Law. The moratorium states that the Bicycle License law that had previously required LA cyclists to obtain a bicycle license, will no longer be enforceable. Here is the link to the exact language of the moratorium:
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2008/08-2944_ca_01-27-09.pdf

According to the LAPD, cyclists can not be ticketed for not having a license anymore.

If you ever get stopped by LAPD here's what you can do:

• First file a complaint to the local Police Division.
• Let LACBC know so we can continue to monitor and keep you informed about this issue.
• Make public comment at the LA Police Commission if you can.

The cyclists who were recently ticketed for not having a license were able to get their tickets cancelled by speaking to the LA Police Commission. Here's the LAist article on cancelled tickets:
http://laist.com/2009/03/27/lapd_drops_tickets_for_cyclists_rid.php
- Posted April 2009


The Santa Monica Police Department needs your assistance in identifying and locating a vehicle involved in a felony hit and run traffic collision. Read more...
- Posted 23 Jan 2009


Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition applauds successful moratorium of L.A. bicycle licensing law. Read the LACBC press release...

See also earlier commentary...


9 November 2008
A rider on a Conejo Valley Cyclists bicycle ride was reportedly clipped by a pickup while traveling downhill on Encinal Canyon Road. As of last report, it is unclear whether the driver, who did not stop, knew they had hit a cyclist, or whether the pickup made contact with the cyclist.
Contact cvc@cvcbike.org for updated information.
Description of the truck: Large modern extended cab (probably a Ford) pick-up truck, dark turquoise/green color, with a light colored (metallic or white) lift attached to the tailgate. The pickup also may have had large bull-bars on the front.
CHP Officer M. Geller took the report.


For bicyclist Alex Cantarero, commuting to work can be a death-defying feat.
He follows traffic rules and carefully keeps an eye on the pandemonium around him, but still feels as though he takes his life into his own hands every time he straps on his helmet and pedals into the streets of Los Angeles...
August 13, 2008
Read the complete Daily News article


Henry Hsieh (LACBC Treasurer) writes about his TV appearance on KTLA (local channel 5) Morning News, where he and Ron Durgin rode with KTLA TV News Anchor Frank Buckly from his home in Studio City to Hollywood. Henry and Ron are co-instructors of the Road 1: Bicycle Street Skills Class.
August 10, 2008
Check out Henry's blog and the broadcast video.


Cyclist-vs.-motorist rage seems to be increasing, but some are trying to devise ways to defuse conflicts.
July 21, 2008
Read the Los Angeles Times article


While the City engaged in a debate of the recent Mandeville Canyon Road Rage incident, cycling educators Dan Gutierrez and Brian DeSousa rode the mountain road and prepared this video that demonstrates good cycling behavior, its effect on motorists behavior and good lane positioning.



L.A.'s cycling community is rallying around the issue of improving cyclist-motorist relations following a shocking road rage incident on Mandeville Canyon Road on the 4th of July. On a day when hundreds of cyclists enjoyed the 5 mile climb and meandering descent of the two-lane residential road, upper Mandeville resident Dr. Christopher T. Thompson, a motorist with a police-documented history of harassing cyclists on Mandeville, came up behind two Cynergy riders honking and yelling out of his car, passed them closely and then slammed on his brakes right in front of them, causing serious injuries to both. Dr. Thompson was arrested by LAPD at the scene.

The case is being handled by the District Attorney's office, and LACBC has learned that the multiple felony charges filed against Dr. Thompson today could land the 59-year-old emergency physician in state prison for up to 7 years, 8 months, in additional to collateral consequences of such felony charges, which may include the revocation of his medical license. He is charged with Reckless Driving Causing Injury, Inflicting Gross Bodily Injury, and Battery Causing Serious Injury - two counts each (for the two cyclists that he hurt), six felonies altogether. The Deputy District Attorney assigned to the case said he has "no sympathy" for this motorist, and called this "a dark day for Mr. Thompson".

In response to escalating tensions over the July 4 incident that sent two cyclists to the hospital, Councilmember Bill Rosendahl is replacing a public Town Hall meeting with a task force on how cyclists and residents can better and more safely share Mandeville Canyon Road. LACBC has been invited to be a part of this task force and will continue to work with Rosendahl to insure that cyclists' needs on Mandeville Canyon are met.
Rosendahl said he also welcomes any feedback at councilmanrosendahl@lacity.org.

All of us at LACBC wish Ron and Christian, the two cyclists injured in this horrible incident, a complete and speedy recovery! And we will continue to follow this case to see that this kind of illegal, dangerous road rage behavior is appropriately punished.

Jennifer Klausner
Executive Director

Note: Dr. Thompson, was arraigned at the Los Angeles Superior Court's airport courthouse. A preliminary hearing is scheduled there for Sept. 12.


As more Angelenos get on bikes, motorists must learn to share the road.
July 12, 2008
Read the Los Angeles Times article


LACBC Planning and Policy Director Dorothy Le spoke on behalf of LACBC on the Pat Morrison segment "Can Bikes and Cars Share the Road in LA?"
Listen to the July 21st broadcast (audio is in RealAudio format. Get the RealAudio player).
Other guests are Bill Rosendahl, City Councilman for CD11, and Michele Mowery, senior bicycle coordinator at LADOT.
if you listen, please give Dorothy some feedback at Dorothy@la-bike.org


LACBC Planning and Policy Director Dorothy Le spoke on behalf of LACBC on "Which Way LA," hosted by Warren Olney. Listen to the July 15th broadcast...
Dorothy spoke about bicycle safety, cyclists rights and cyclist/motorist relations, anecdotal rise in number of cyclists in Los Angeles, what's in store for the future of cycling and what is Los Angeles and Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition doing to improve conditions for cyclists.
if you listen, please give Dorothy some feedback at Dorothy@la-bike.org

All this bike stuff in the news lately probably has to do with the recent Mandeville Canyon incident.


Merchants' sales rise as more people trade four wheels for two.
July 8, 2008
Read the Los Angeles Times article by Leslie Earnest


Before the freeways, the bicycle ruled the road in L.A. It could be that way again.
June 15, 2008
Read the Los Angeles Times article by Robert Gottlieb


June 2, 2008
By Damien Newton
The Orange Line bus station in Van Nuys moves a lot of passengers without heavy reliance on car parking. True, the station has a dedicated parking lot, but most users of that station arrive by bus, foot or bicycle. For that reason, it proves a great case study of what can be done to improve access to the station for people in the community who don't want to drive to a bus stop. Read the complete article.
 

Concerns about gridlocked traffic, air quality and obesity have more city officials pushing for bike and pedestrian transportation
By Brian Fiske
Despite everything that comes to mind when you picture L.A.--gridlock nightmares, a sprawling footprint, smog, swelling population, lack of a centralized downtown--the nation's second--largest city has great potential for biking. It has been toiling away for years building bike lanes and paths; there are more than 350 miles' worth already.
Now it's trying to make a sensible, safe network out of them and has hired Alta Planning + Design, a national, progressive transportation planning consulting company, to help design the plan, which is set to be implemented next year.
That may sound dull, but Alta has worked closely with cities such as Portland and San Francisco. And its hiring is part of a sea change taking place: For the first time, elected officials are calling L.A.'s bike coordinator to ask about putting in bike facilities, instead of the other way around. "I've been riding a bike in L.A. for 44 years, and doing this job for 14," says Michelle Mowery, senior project coordinator for the city's bicycle program. "And this is the first time I've ever seen excitement like this."
Reference: www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,
s1-2-15-17079-1,00.html
 

2/27/08 - Los Angeles Times
NBC Universal says it wants the route through its property to loop uphill and back down.
www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bikelane
27feb27,1,2352452.story
 

BBC piece on Monica Howe, LACBC Outreach Coordinator, and the full-time quest to get Angelenos on their bikes. Click this link to hear it. (This is not streamed, so you may not get good results with a slow connection).


1/17/08 - LAist
City Hall now provides bicycle lockers, access to showers and a subsidy to City Hall staffers who ride a bike to work.
laist.com/2008/01/17/las_city_hall_j.php
 

1/16/08 - The Signal
The Santa Clarita Valley paper features a story on LACBC and Metro's transit hub interview efforts.
www.the-signal.com/?module=
displaystory&story_id=52776&format=html
 

1/14/08
Monica Howe sees herself as the voice of a two-wheeled future, dedicated to the notion that an urban bicycle culture will make this a better place to live...
Read: LA_pedal_pusher.pdf (35KB).






1/14/08 - District
Less traffic, noise and pollution is a good thingŠisnšt it?
thedistrictweekly.com/daily/writing-shotgun/
bicycle-bully-vard
 
1/14/08
The LA River Bike Path stretch in Elysian Valley (officially "Phase 1C") cleared an important legal hurdle last week. This is an approximately 3 mile stretch extending downstream from Fletcher Drive to Barclay Street (from just above the 2 Freeway to nearly the 110 Freeway.) The stretch currently has an unimproved access road used by bicyclists and pedestrians every day, though the surface is uneven and there are about a half-dozen large dips where street ends drain directly into the river.

In 1999, the city of Los Angeles applied for and received Metro Call for Projects funding for the Elysian Valley (or Frogtown) stretch of the bikeway. The project is to include an undercrossing at Fletcher Drive (to connect with "Phase 1D" upstream of Fletcher), resurfacing, and lighting. The project has been bogged down in legal troubles due to a complicated antiquated easement issue. The Elysian Valley stretch is under a 1920's era easement (awarded to the LA County Flood Control District) which only allows for flood control projects, and, according to city attorneys, was not sufficient for the construction of a bike path. So, even though owners had already seen their property taken away for river channelization many decades ago, the city had to approach each of the 66 individual property owners and negotiate transportation easements. Most property owners accepted the city's initial compensation offers, but one property owner held out and took the city to court.

On Thursday January 10th, in Rabie v. City of Los Angeles, the court's verdict was that the city had to pay Mr. Rabie $7,000 for the easement. This was only a little above the city's last offer of $4,000, and much less than the $200,000 that Rabie was demanding. This verdict allows the bike path project to move forward to finalizing design, and constructing the long-awaited extension of the bike path. Once this stretch is completed, the Glendale Narrows portion of the bike path will extend an uninterrupted total of 7.1 miles from the Riverside/Zoo Bridge (near Victory Blvd in Glendale) to the Riverside/Figueroa Bridge (near the Arroyo Seco Confluence in Lincoln Heights).
 

1/7/08 - Los Angeles Times
Profile on LACBC Outreach Coordinator Monica Howe and her vision for a more "bikey" LA.
Get the full story: www.latimes.com/la-he-howe7jan07,
1,7210762.story?coll=la-headlines-health
 

 

 

 

 

 

1/6/08 - Los Angeles Times Magazine
From hip cruisers to haute paths, here's a manual to all things bicycle cool.
www.latimes.com/features/magazine/
la-tm-bikeservice.01.jan6,1,
285390.story?coll=la-headlines-latmagazine
 

Jan 2008
Pedal-powered transportation is good for your health — no disagreement there. But should local governments and motorists accommodate it as a means of commuting equal to cars? L.A. blogger and cyclist Will Campbell and Cato Institute Senior Fellow Randal O'Toole (also a cyclist) debate bicycle infrastructure, planning and activism. www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/
la-op-dustup-jan07-11,0,2751611.
storygallery?coll=la-home-commentary
 

Jan 2008 - Whole Life Times
Photographer Russ Roca uses an Xtracycle to get the job done.
www.wholelifetimes.com/2008/01/oor_greenphotog0801.html
 

NATIONAL BIKE HEADLINES

With Gas Above $4 A Gallon, More And More People Are Trading In Four Wheels For Two
July 27, 2008
(CBS) "Pedal Power" is coming into its own these days, as Americans of all ages are coming to realize biking can be practical, economical, and good clean fun - or should we say, good GREEN fun? Our Cover Story takes us from California to Cambridge, and is reported by Serena Altschul:
Read the CBS News article, includes video.


Closing on Broadway: Two Traffic Lanes
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
Published: July 11, 2008
In a surprising reshaping of the urban landscape, the city is creating a public esplanade along a portion of one of its most prominent streets, Broadway in Midtown, setting aside the east side of the roadway for a bicycle lane and a pedestrian walkway with cafe tables, chairs, umbrellas and flower-filled planters.
Read the New York Times article

Something to work towards in LA.


4/27/08 - Ed Alcock for The New York Times
Starting next month, people in Washington, DC will be able to rent a bicycle day and night with the swipe of a membership card. A new public-private venture called SmartBike DC will make 120 bicycles available at 10 spots in central locations in the city. The automated program, which district officials say is the first of its kind in the nation, will operate in a similar fashion to car-sharing programs like Zipcar. The district has teamed up with an advertiser, Clear Channel Outdoor, to put the bikes on the streets.
For the complete article: www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/us/27bikes.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
 

4/15/08 - Democracy Now
For many, Portland is a haven of green-friendly urban planning. It recently topped Popular Science's list of the Greenest Cities in the United States. A big part of that is bikes. Portland is widely considered the most bicycle-friendly city in North America, so much so that bikes are on display throughout the Portland airport. Worldwide, it's seen as only second to Amsterdam. To hear the entire interview on Democracy Now go to: www.democracynow.org/2008/4/15/
portland_considered_most_bicycle_friendly_city
 

1/10/08 - New York Times
"Bike boxes" will be laid out on the roadway to provide a clearly designated place for cyclists, in front of and in full view of drivers, to wait for traffic lights to change.
www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/us/10bike.html?
_r=2&scp=1&sq=portland&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
 

WORLD BIKE HEADLINES

Los Angeles, meet the bicycle.
July 28, 2008 - From The Times (London)
By Chris Ayres in Los Angeles
Of all the least-expected consequences of soaring fuel prices, this has to be near the top of the list: swarms of cyclists are taking to the intimidating, multi-lane thoroughfares of Los Angeles, some even defying the law and whizzing between the stationary cars on the gridlocked freeways...
Read the compete Times Online article.
 

1/5/08 - The Guardian
A Guardian panel, taking nominations from key environmental figures, met to compile a list of ultimate green heroes. Monica Howe, LACBC Outreach Coordinator, appears just above Al Gore!
www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/05/activists.ethicalliving
 

11/14/07 - Similar to the League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly Communities Campaign, Virgin's list includes four cities in the US.
www.virgin-vacations.com/site_vv/11-most-bike-friendly-cities.asp

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