| | Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Newsletter July 19, 2012 |
CLIF Bar 2 Mile Challenge Is Back On for LACBC
There's more in store for LA County bicyclists through CLIF Bar's 2 Mile Challenge!
Congrats to the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, which this week reached its goal of logging 10,000 trips this July! Because WABA breezed through the challenge and there's plenty of July left, all additional logged trips will count as $1 donated to LACBC and BikeWalk KC.
Log 4,519 more trips beyond the WABA's 10,000 this July, and help LACBC, WABA, and BikeWalk KC all bike away with $10,000 each!
Thanks to WABA for helping out its fellow bike and pedestrian advocacy organizations and requesting a modification to the rules, and CLIF Bar for always supporting bicycling throughout the country!
Log your trips (up to 4 a day) at 2milechallenge.com, and help us reach 10,000 trips on our second try! |
| Bike Infrastructure and Policy Updates from Around the County Culver City: Culver City debuted its first bike corral this week at the corner of Washington Blvd. and Jean Pl., right by the bike-friendly Conservatory coffee and tea shop. You can now park 10 bikes in place of a car. Thanks to councilmember Jeff Cooper for championing the installation of this bike corral. Read more on the Culver City Bicycle Coalition website. Carson: The City of Carson has been awarded the 2012 Caltrans Community-Based Transportation Planning (CBTP) Grant to create the city's first Master Plan of Bikeways since 1978! The first community "ideas and suggestions" meeting for the Master Plan of Bikeways will be on Saturday, September 8 from 11 AM - 12:30 PM at the Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center, Multi-Purpose Room #111. Also, complete a short online survey to share your thoughts on bicycling in Carson. More info. Malibu/PCH: A Special Joint Meeting with the Public Works Commission and the Public Safety Commission will be held to review and discuss the preliminary design concepts for the Pacific Coast Highway Bike Route Improvements Project at Malibu City Hall on Wednesday, July 25 at the Malibu City Hall's Multi-Purpose Room at 23825 Stuart Ranch Road in Malibu. If you have questions, contact Eric Bruins at eric@la-bike.org. More info. South Gate: The City of South Gate is drafting up a Bicycle Transportation Plan, and the City is looking for feedback. Read a draft of the bike plan, and come to a community meeting on Saturday, July 28 from 10 AM to 1 PM at the South Gate Senior Center. More info. |
| Welcome to Our New Policy & Campaigns Manager, Alek Bartrosouf Say hello to Alek Bartrosouf, our new Policy & Campaigns Manager! A native of local Glendale, Alek has been bicycling as an adult since 2010. After selling his car as a lifestyle choice, he began using a bicycle for all sorts of errands, meeting with friends, and traveling. If he is not working on making the streets of Los Angeles a safer place for all users, you will find him on the streets of Glendale advocating for sustainable solutions to today's urban issues. He helped start four community gardens and is continually working to green his city, namely by founding the Coalition for a Green Glendale. Alek has experience in campaigns, community organizing, and neighborhood empowerment. He also has an interest in water politics, the revitalization of abandoned/vacant lots, and urban green space. Alek holds a Master's degree in Urban Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles. |
| Montebello Bicycle Coalition Featured on Bike Talk Local LACBC Chapter Montebello Bicycle Coaltion was on Bike Talk this weekend talking about how the chapter got started and what is happening in Montebello. Mark Elliot of fellow local chapter Better Bike Beverly Hills wrote up a a profile on MBC. Bike Talk airs on Kill Radio on Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon. Bike Talk celebrates bike rides, bicycle collectives,activists, artists, commuters, enthusiasts, professional cyclists, inventors and repairers and, of course, the bicycle itself as an alternative human-powered mode of transportation.
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Join LACBC's Ride Marshal Team
Over the past year we've been developing our Marshal Team, starting with Tour de Taste and the LA River Ride. We want it to grow into a force to be reckoned with, made up of strong riders with marshaling, bike mechanic, and first-aid skills. We will be hosting training rides, providing bike maintenance classes, first aid courses, and outfitting you with an official team jersey and all the bike tools you'll need along the way.
Please join us for one of our orientation rides on either August 11th, August 12th, September 8th, or September 9th at 11 AM. We will decide on locations based on your convenience. Please RSVP to martin@la-bike.org. |
Fall CicLAvia on October 7 with New Route
Other changes include a modified route with expansion to South LA, Chinatown, and Boyle Heights, and no spur to the bicycle district. CicLAvia will now reach the new Expo Line (via Figueroa) and reach several Gold Line stops in Boyle Heights in addition to its Red Line stops, making the next CicLAvia very accessible by light rail.
So mark your calendars, and bust out your bike, scooter, stroller, roller skates, pogo sticks, or walking/running/dancing shoes. Get ready for LA's biggest block party!
CicLAvia When: Sunday, October 7; 10 AM to 3 PM Where: Downtown LA, South LA, MacArthur Park, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Boyle Heights |
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LACBC has partnered with Grand Performances for a sweet series of bike valets this summer! Every Friday and Saturday night from now until the end of August, Grand Performances will be hosting FREE concerts, film screenings, dance performances, etc. at the outdoor California Plaza in Downtown LA, and we'll be providing the bike valet!
To find our bike valet, enter California Plaza off of Grand Ave., walk up the steps south of Blue Cow, and find us in front of the Deloitte Building.
Check out the schedule of Grand Performances with bike valet below and head over to their website for more info: GrandPerformances.org.
Volunteer for Bike Valet! In order to offer bike valet, we'll need your help! We have two shifts for each valet: 7-9 PM and 9-11 PM. Email martin@la-bike.org to sign up! |
| What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: Cycle Superhighways Are Both the Future and Past of Cycling  | | A cycle superhigway in Denmark |
In case you haven't heard, Denmark is a pretty great place to bike. We've seen what rush hour in Copenhagen looks like with over 50% of commuting trips being made by bikes. Now this already bike-friendly country is trying to make longer bike commutes more enjoyable with a series of cycle superhighways. In April, the first cycle superhighway was introduced, and 25 more routes are planned to make suburban cycling great for the whole family. Could LA County ever have our own cycle superhighways? Our river paths  | | The Dobbins Veloway, connecting Pasadena to LA in the early 1900s |
(LA River, Ballona Creek, San Gabriel River, Rio Hondo, and Arroyo Seco) all share some commonalities with these superhighways but need greater connectivity. The general concept of cycle superhighways (connecting people longer distances by bikes) dates back to the late 1800s in our local history.
Before there was the Arroyo Seco Greenway and even the Arroyo Seco freeway, there was the Dobbins Veloway, an elevated wooden turnpike for bicycles that opened in 1900 and connected Pasadena to Los Angeles by bike. The Dobbins Veloway eventually suffered from disuse and is no more, but the Arroyo Seco Greenway was later built in the 1990s with the Dobbins Veloway as its inspiration.
What the Danes are doing is pretty innovative, and what Horace Dobbins created 112 years ago for bicycling in LA County was pretty innovative too. If only that veloway could have been appreciated then. It was too ahead of its time. |
| Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities Bici Libre BBQ & Happy Fun Time
When: Friday, July 20; 6:00 PM
Where: Bici Libre - 1205 W. 6th St., Westlake
Bici Libre is LACBC's volunteer-operated bicycle repair shop. Bici Libre provide resources for cyclists such as tools, supplies, parts, and general bike education. Eat food at this barbeque, meet volunteers, check out the space, and learn about who we are, what we do, and why we do it. See Facebook Event.
Grand Fondo Giro D'Italia
When: Saturday & Sunday, July 21 & 22
Where: Pasadena
The traditional Italian "Grand Fondo" is coming to Los Angeles! LACBC will be out in full support, and event organizers are looking for volunteers to help with everything from set up and registration to food and water stations. Sign up to ride or volunteer at gfgiro.com.
Los Feliz Street Fair
with LACBC Bike Valet
When: Sunday, July 22
Where: Los Feliz
Music! Dance! Circus Acts! Food! Shopping! Oh my! We'll be hosting a bike valet all day and night at the 19th Annual Los Feliz Village Street Fair. Come out and park some bikes, do some outreach for LACBC, sign up new members and enjoy the fair. Shifts are: 11 AM - 2 PM, 2 - 5 PM, 5 - 8 PM and 8 - 10 PM. Email martin@la-bike.org to volunteer. More info.
PCH Bike Improvements Project Community Meeting
When: Wednesday, July 25; 6 PM
More info in newsletter.
Malibu Creek Restoration Ride
When: Saturday, July 28; 8:45 AM to 12 PM
Where: Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, 91302
Come help Mountains Restoration Trust and Heal the Bay save critical riparian habitat in the Malibu Creek watershed from invasive weeds! They are looking for 20 stout and sturdy folks with mountain bikes (or anything you can ride on a fire road) to join them for some restoration at Malibu Creek State Park. Sign up and get more info.
South Gate Bicycle Transportation Plan Review & Community Workshop
When: Saturday, July 28; 10 AM to 1 PM
More info in newsletter.
Wolfpack Hustle Presents: The Midnight Drag Race
When: Saturday, July 28; 8 PM
Where: 2nd Street Tunnel, downtown LA
Over 300 cyclists battle it out in a sprint race through the historic 2nd Street tunnel in downtown LA. The event is free for the public to watch and register to participate in. There will be delicious food trucks, great music, restrooms, and LACBC bike valets racks (please bring your own locks!). More info.
Culver City Family Ride
When: Sunday, July 29; Meet at 10 AM
Where: Culver City Town Plaza (next to Culver Hotel)
Local chapter Culver City Bicycle Coalition will be hosting its first Family Ride of the summer. Led by Darren Kessner, these rides show off the highlights of Culver City. More info.
Sunday Funday Ride
When: Sunday, August 5
Where: Long Beach/Lakewood
More details to follow in coming weeks.
Carson Bike Master Plan Community Meeting
When: Saturday, September 8; 11 AM to 12:30 PM
More info in newsletter.
Tour de Fat Los Angeles
When: Saturday, September 15; 10 AM to 5 PM
Where: Los Angeles Historic State Park
Bikes, beers, and costumes! Enjoy New Belgium's bike party that benefits LACBC, CICLE, and the Bicycle Kitchen. More info.
CicLAvia 10.07.12
When: Sunday, October 7; 10 AM to 3 PM
More info in newsletter. |
| | | | 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 Manager
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition
carol@la-bike.org |
Connect with LACBC: www.la-bike.org      |
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