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Give bike-sharing a test drive

They share bikes in Paris and Portland, so why not here?

Metro’s inviting the public to a bike share demonstration on Wednesday, January 18.

The agency currently is looking into whether to adopt a bike share program offering short-term bicycle rentals through an automated system, such as a computerized kiosk. (See the motion by Metro board members Zev Yaroslavsky, Pam O’Connor and Antonio Villaraigosa here.)

Three vendors will roll out their bikes for the demonstration at Metro headquarters downtown. The event runs from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. For more information, click here.

Posted 1/12/11

Getting creative with county bike plan

The wheels are in motion.

The county’s bicycle master plan—its first in 36 years—is about to get more innovative as it heads toward the finish line, Department of Public Works director Gail Farber said this week.

Responding to a unanimous push from the Board of Supervisors, the county’s bike planners will get to work on integrating more forward-looking design elements into the cycling master plan within the next 45 days, Farber said.

The board acted on a motion by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky which said the new bike plan should “not just move us out of the 1970’s, but move Los Angeles County forward as a leader in 21^st Century bicyclist safety and comfort.”

To get there, the motion said the plan should incorporate “leading edge” designs such as those found in the Model Design Manual for Living Streets recently completed by the county Department of Public Health. Among the proposed innovations are varied lane and sidewalk widths, bolder paint treatments of bike lanes and “cycle tracks,” which separate bike lanes from traffic.

“The motion sends a clear message that the plan needs to do more to make the county a better and safer place to bike,” Farber said. “The board wants us to embrace these design concepts and we certainly plan to do so.”

Cycling advocates have been pressing for a bolder and more ambitious master plan, which will serve as a blueprint for bike facilities in unincorporated Los Angeles County for the next 20 years. The plan as currently drafted would add 816 miles of new bikeways over the next two decades, at a cost of $327.7 million.

The motion approved Tuesday represents a proactive approach to the bike plan, which must be approved by the county’s Regional Planning Commission before the Board of Supervisors formally takes it up early next year.

Testifying before the supervisors’ vote Tuesday was Alexis Lantz of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. She said the motion provided “guidance to staff” to create a plan that “truly improves the safety of our roadways, especially for people who need or choose to bicycle to meet their daily needs.”

A “visionary” bike plan could play a role in creating a healthier and more livable Los Angeles County over the next two decades, she said.

Farber said continued collaboration with the cycling community will be important as the plan moves forward. And she said she sees retooling the current draft as “more of an opportunity” than an obstacle.

“We’re excited,” Farber said. “We embrace the input.”

Posted 11/30/11

 

Bike plan push picks up speed

Los Angeles County’s new bicycle master plan, now in its final months of preparation, should be retooled to embrace more forward-looking design ideas and innovations for safer cycling on local streets, according to a motion set to go before the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.

The motion by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky calls on the county Department of Public Works to create a bike plan that “will not just move us out of the 1970’s, but move Los Angeles County forward as a leader in 21^st Century bicyclist safety and comfort.”

Specifically, the motion says that the plan should “promote the use of leading-edge designs such as those found in the Model Design Manual for Living Streets that was prepared by the Department of Public Health.” Those include “cycle tracks” that separate bike lanes from traffic with dividers such as a lane of parked cars, and experimental street design approaches—including the possibility of varied lane and sidewalk widths in some areas—that do not fall within current Caltrans standards.

The motion urges the county to take the lead in helping such street layouts receive state approval for broader implementation.

If approved, the motion would not mandate such innovations at any particular locations, but would require that they be placed in the plan as options.

Many in the cycling community have been pushing for a bolder county bike plan, as was made clear by a series of bicycling advocates who appeared recently before the county’s Regional Planning Commission. The plan as currently envisioned would add 816 miles of new bikeways in unincorporated Los Angeles County over the next two decades, at a cost of $327.7 million. But many of those new miles fall into the lowest category of bike routes—those with just signage, no dedicated lanes or designated space within lanes.

The supervisors are expected to act on the bike plan, the county’s first since 1975, by March, 2012. But the motion makes it clear that changes need to be made before the plan’s final environmental impact report is finished in the days ahead.

“It is critical that the Board of Supervisors not wait to send a clear message that we expect this plan to do more to make the County a better, safer place to bike,” the motion said.

Posted 11/23/11

Walk this way at CicLAvia

CicLAvia rolls through L.A.’s streets for the third time on Sunday, October 9, but don’t let the “cicla” part of the name fool you. Pedestrians are not only welcome—they may have the best vantage point on the route.

Two new segments—one running north to El Pueblo de Los Angeles and the other south through the Fashion District to the African American Firefighter Museum—bring more opportunities for street level interaction and sightseeing along the 10-mile, car-free route that stretches from the Bicycle District to Boyle Heights. Some 100,000 people are expected, so get there early (here’s how), wear comfortable shoes and come prepared to share the space with lots of bicyclists.

Joe Linton, a CicLAvia organizer, says a little eye contact and mutual respect should make sharing the street fun and safe for all.

“It’s become known as kind of a cycling event but it’s also for walking,” Linton says. “You can just go two blocks and people watch.”

Or you can do so much more: shop for a piñata, grab a bite to eat, pose in a photo booth, soak up some L.A. history, check out an iconic building shaped like a ship, and experience dozens of planned and impromptu diversions, including musical and dance performances. (Click here and here for some of the highlights.) There’s even a festival planned for those who want to sample moles, complex and savory stews cooked from authentic Mexican regional recipes.

Guided tours are being offered in Little Tokyo, Boyle Heights and an area dubbed the Spring Street Promenade downtown. For times and locations, check out this downloadable flyer, which also lists locations for some of the fixed attractions. Who could resist a solar-powered DJ or chance to cavort with what’s being billed as a “costumed colony of furry pranksters” at the Bunny Rest Stop?

And for those who want to have their bike and check it too, rest assured—CicLAvia’s free bike valets will be on hand at key points so you can drop off your wheels and join the passing promenade on foot.

Posted 10/5/11

Making sure bikes count in Los Angeles

Bicycling is big in Los Angeles these days, but how many folks are actually out there using pedal power to get around? Have their ranks increased in the past two years? The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition hopes to learn the answers to these questions, and others, from the 2^nd City of L.A. Bike Count.

The bike advocacy group is recruiting counters for 50 locations in downtown L.A., the Westside, and the San Fernando Valley. The cycle census takes place during rush hours on Tuesday, September 13 and around noon on Saturday, September 17. To volunteer, sign up online or email Martin Lopez-Iu at martin@la-bike.org.

Volunteers will count bikes and record details about the riders, including gender, whether a helmet is used, if they are on the sidewalk or road and if they are observing traffic laws.

The numbers will be compared to data collected in 2009, when Los Angeles’ first bike count in twenty years recorded more than 14,000 cyclists. Survey results will be used to help city and county governments plan and develop infrastructure to make local streets more bike-friendly.

Posted 8/24/11

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