Alt Trans

Making sure bicyclists count on the Orange Line

The census has competition—and they’re offering pizza.

Metro is seeking volunteers to help conduct a survey of bicyclists, riders and pedestrians on the bikeway next to eight Orange Line stations on March 24 and 27.

To sweeten the deal, they’re hosting a training/orientation session at the Pitfire Pizza in North Hollywood on Monday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m. The pizza’s free and so are the volunteer T-shirts (though you will have to spring for your own beverage.)

The goal is to “document the environmental sustainability benefits that the Metro Orange Line and integrated bikeway have generated since its opening in 2005.”

Those interested in taking part should sign up here.

Posted 3/11/10

Pedaling toward a bike-friendlier L.A.

Maybe it’s because he’s a highway guy, but Doug Failing likes to move fast. Real fast. As in “I’ve-only-been-here-30-days-but-I-want-some-new-bike-policies-in-3-to-6-months” fast.

Failing is Metro’s new top highway executive, but he’s also the agency’s interim chief planning officer, and in that capacity he will kick off its first bicycle roundtable on Friday.

To get a preview of what’s in store, and to learn about Failing’s bike philosophy, we dropped by his 22nd floor office at Metro’s Gateway Plaza this week for a chat.

Here are some edited excerpts of what he had to say.

On Los Angeles’ bike-friendliness—or lack thereof
We’re in the C- area. We have a long way that we can go. We’re not a D, or in a failing grade area. We are a dense urban environment. We certainly have our challenges in that we don’t have a lot of separate facilities [bike paths] that I do see in some communities. But quite frankly you don’t need separate facilities.

L.A. is too important to not be striving towards the absolute best in everything that we need to do. We need an A-list transit system. We need an A-list highway system for cars. We need an A-list bicycle transportation system.
We need A-list pedestrian facilities. We have to get there.

On safety and coexistence on the streets
I think the biggest issue that we need to deal with is just overall public education so that our greater [body of] citizens recognize the important role that bicycles play and that they are allowed on streets.

They have rights and they have responsibilities. Both groups–the bicyclists as well as the drivers and pedestrians–all need to know their various rights and responsibilities as they’re commuting.

We’re not at a point where we’re going to create a whole series of new [bike paths.] We will do some new [bike paths], and those are important. But those will only go to a few specific locations.

And bicycles, like people, need to go everywhere. So we need to have methods to get everywhere.

I very much believe in the safety education piece of it. And the coexistence is happening, like it or not, so let’s get over that piece of it and get down to the safety education piece of it.

On where his agency fits in
Metro has a strong role. Our role is to make sure we have a cohesive master plan that covers our entire county.

And more than just the planning, we are a funding source.

So we have money available, which is never a bad thing when you’re trying to get things done.

On how it all fits together
I am a firm believer in a holistic look at how transportation occurs and how our communities develop.

There’s a place for everyone. We all have to be at the table.

On getting things done
I’ve been here 30 days. So I think I should give it more than 30 days. I’d like to see us be able to formulate some good solid policies in the next three to six months…That should be plenty of time.

On the roundtable
Friday’s roundtable for me is the beginning of a better conversation.

I’m hoping that we see a mix of people that can speak on behalf of the casual riders–the more pedestrian, suburban type users–not just the hardcore commuter types, who are important as well.

On his own two wheels
Riding on my street in front of my house—I’ve done that within the last three or four months As far as taking the bicycle out with the family and doing some riding on a bike path, it’s been a couple of years for me.

I’m not gonna be a bicycle commuter. Ain’t gonna happen with me.

I’m more interested in my weekend trips, quite frankly. Of the things I do in my own local community. There’s a lot of stuff that’s really close by the house that I don’t have to fire up the SUV and go truckin’ over to do.

I know the old Schwinn I had as a kid, which was single speed, got me everyplace. And I spent a lot of time on a bicycle as a kid. I think we all did. But there’s a lot more to it than there was back when I was a kid.

Posted 2-18-10

County bike plan workshops set

L.A. County’s bikeway master plan is getting a makeover, and the first in a series of community workshops will begin soon.

The objective is to “expand and connect the County network of bikeways, expand existing County-maintained
bicycle facilities, and develop a prioritized list of projects.”

The public workshops will be held in a variety of sites, from Baldwin Park to Topanga, in February and March.

Seeking a better two-wheel vision of L.A.

If you bicycle in Los Angeles, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority needs you.

Specifically, they need you to show up for their first Bicycle Roundtable on Friday, Feb. 19, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The idea is to “initiate a dialogue and identify issues of importance to cyclists in Los Angeles County that will help create a vision for enhancing Metro’s current bicycle program.”

The meeting comes as bicycles occupy an increasingly important place on the regional transportation agenda, with the city and county of L.A. both creating new master plans for cycling. Bikeways are in the news, too, including a federally-funded bikeway being planned to run from downtown to Santa Monica, adjacent to the Expo Line currently being built.

Doug Failing, former head of Caltrans Bicycle Advisory Committee and now Metro’s New Executive Director of Highway Programs and Interim Chief Planning Officer, will get things started at the roundtable.

There’s bicycle parking at One Gateway Plaza (“between the fish tank/customer service center and Metro elevators”) and lots of public transportation options for getting there (naturally) at the link above.

Let’s take a Great Walk

Urban hikers, take note: The Great Los Angeles Walk 2009 is fast approaching, and anyone interested in taking part in the cross-town odyssey (this year’s route runs from the Shrine Auditorium downtown to Venice, by way of some West Adams district architectural sightseeing) should block out about eight hours on their schedule on Saturday, November 21. Read more at
the Franklin Avenue blog or at the Great Walk website.

Here is a video from last year’s event:

Meanwhile, our friends over at Metro’s new blog The Source have created a guide to getting there via public transportation.

Next Page »