| | Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Newsletter October 3, 2013 |
| Happy Walktober! Celebrate with Walk to School Day and Walktoberfest Lady Pedestriana told folks "Hey! I'm Walking Here!" with signage and a shiny gold leotard and they listened (and took many photos with her). The Human Traffic Light used his comically large hand (and probably his comically large nose) to signal to drivers to stop. Walking Shade threw some shade on a sunny day so that pedestrians could walk without sun in their eyes. These were just a few of the superheros making our streets safer. On this Walktober Day of Action, Los Angeles Walks kicked off the month with a bang! And a POW! And a KABOOM! And a BAM! Join L.A. Walks (and other groups) for more events on foot happening this month! As the L.A. Times alludes to this week, making our streets more bike-friendly (like LACBC aims to do) isn't really just about that. It's about making streets people-friendly and inviting to all road users, and that's exactly why LACBC works with groups like L.A. Walks to make our streets more livable.
Walk to School Day L.A. When: Wednesday, October 9 Where: Across Los Angeles
Walktober kicks off with "Walk to School Day" on Wednesday, October 9th, 2013. The City of Los Angeles is joining the global community for "International Walk to School Month." The goal is to celebrate the benefits of walking and to educate kids about pedestrian safety. Forty schools are already registered, and there's still time to join in on the walking fun!
Register your school! Celebrate Walk to School Day on October 9th (or any other day in October) at walktoschoolday-la.org.
Volunteer! Additionally, a few of the already registered schools may need volunteer support--think taking photos, chaperoning walking school buses, or being part of the greeting committee. In particular, 24th Street Elementary in the West Adams neighborhood has expressed a need for help. Would you be interested in helping out at 24th Elementary or a school in your neighborhood? If you are interested and available to help at a school near your home or work, please contact LAWTSD@altaplanning.com.
Our friends at Los Angeles Walks also have a few Walktober events to look forward to:
Walktoberfest
Every weekend in Walktober, Los Angeles Walks and other walking groups are organizing easy walks all over L.A. County for Walktoberfest. Each walk will end at a great place to have a beer. Here are details for all four events. Can't make the walk? You can still join for the beer part.
Heart of LA WalkLAvia with Los Angeles Walks When: Sunday, October 6; Meet at 10:00 a.m. Where: Mariachi Plaza - corner of East First and Boyle Streets in Boyle Heights Walk: Three miles along the CicLAvia route from Boyle Heights to Chinatown led by Los Angeles Walks steering committee (ride the Gold Line back to the start, or vice versa) Beers: 12:00 p.m. at the Chinatown Hub beer garden See Facebook event. When: Monday, October 14 (It's Columbus Day, so you might have the day off!); Meet at 5:30 p.m. Walk: Two mile loop of great architecture, public artworks and secret alleys in Beverly Hills led by Ellen Lutwak
Beers (and "These Boots Are Made for Walk-Ka" martinis!): 7:00 p.m. at Nic's Beverly Hills, 453 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills 90210 (plus happy hour specials all Monday evening for walkers!) See Facebook event. 
2nd Annual Zombie Walk with Walk Bike Glendale When: Saturday, October 19; meet at 6:30 p.m. Walk: One-mile walk down Brand Blvd (but at a very slow, zombie pace) with a large group of fellow undead pedestrian advocates. ZOMBIE ATTIRE ENCOURAGED!!!
Beers: 7:45 p.m. at Far Niente, 204 1/2 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203 (The walk ends nearby at the Alex Theater on Brand Blvd.) See Facebook event. Santa Monica Walking Train with Santa Monica Walks
When: Saturday, October 26; meet at 3:30 p.m. Walk: Three miles, checking out Expo Line construction and the brand-new Tongva Park led by Gary Kavanagh (you can take the Big Blue Bus #7 back to the start, or vice versa)
Beers: 6:30 p.m. at Chez Jay, 1657 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90401 |
| CicLAvia Returns to the Heart of L.A. this Sunday When: Sunday, October 6; 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where: Downtown L.A., Boyle Heights, Chinatown, South L.A., MacArthur Park CicLAvia returns to its original route to bring the streets back to people. Bike, walk, run, skate, play on L.A.'s streets, and celebrate this fine city. More info at CicLAvia.org. Check out some of the fun activities happening: If you need to make sure your bike is in working order before Ciclavia, stop by Bici Libre on Friday from 5-8 p.m. to work on it. |
| Action Item: Stop the Hyperion Freeway, Make Hyperion Ave. Viaduct Safe for Biking and Walking  What we discovered is plain old car-centric engineering from start to finish. Caltrans and BOE are designing Hyperion Ave. to freeway standards with a design speed of 55 miles per hour. Based on that design speed, they are pursuing a median crash barrier, banked turns, and supersized car lanes. Those decisions leave no room for bike lanes and just a narrow sidewalk on only one side of the street. Simply designing the street to normal city street standards would leave enough room for everyone.
Subject: No Hyperion Freeway - Build a Safe Viaduct for All
As someone who bikes or walks between Silver Lake and Atwater Village, it is absolutely critical that Hyperion Ave. be made safe for people like me. Everyone's needs can be met if the project is designed for appropriate speeds through an urban community. Specifically, I would like the project to include:
- Bike lanes on Hyperion Ave.
- Wider sidewalks and well-marked crosswalks with wayfinding signs
- Narrower traffic lanes to provide more space for bicyclists and pedestrians and discourage speeding
- No crash barrier and banked turns that will make people drive even faster
- A complete crosswalk on the Atwater end of the viaduct to let people access the sidewalk from both sides of Glendale Blvd. and give bicyclists an alternative through the dangerous merge
There is no reason for this project to not be consistent with the bike plan and Caltrans complete streets policy. The viaduct is currently the greatest barrier to safe bicycle access across the 5 Freeway and the LA River. This project can change that and make all travelers benefit.
Sincerely,
your name your address |
Bike Updates from Around L.A. County: My Figueroa Motion to Be Discussed at T-Com Meeting South L.A.: My Figueroa is the most ambitious street transformation underway in the City of Los Angeles, promising to transform a bleak commercial corridor into a prime linkage between USC and Downtown L.A. While LADOT solves the technical challenge of engineering Los Angeles's first protected bike lane (a.k.a. cycletrack), the project's political prospects recently became murkier. Under pressure from stakeholders along the Figueroa Corridor, CD 9 Councilmember Curren Price introduced a motion calling for further study of traffic impacts and asking for mitigation. The Price motion asking for further study will be heard at the next Transportation Committee meeting. LACBC will be there along with project supporters TRUST South LA, Community Health Councils, LA Walks, and the (newly formed) USC Bicycle Coalition to keep the project on track. Transportation Committee Meeting When: Wednesday, October 9; 2 p.m. Where: L.A. City Hall, Room 1010 - 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles Read more about My Figueroa on the LACBC blog. Angeles Crest Highway: The PAA Bicycle Club Board moved to develop a petition and formal response to the recent chip sealing of Angeles Crest Highway. Last week, another popular stretch of roadway for people on bikes--Mt Baldy Rd--received the same treatment. Sign this petition to halt the use of chip seals on highways frequented by people on bikes.
Eagle Rock: Colorado Blvd. in Eagle Rock is transforming into a more welcoming neighborhood street! We're excited for the buffered bike lane, but improvements also include new crosswalks, installation of 60 bike racks, modifying median striping, speed-feedback signs, and lighted crosswalks. Many thanks to NELA Neighborhood Bike Ambassador Nathan Lucero for sharing these photos.
Downtown L.A.: Two weeks after the green paint was wiped off of the Spring Street bike lane, the bike lane hardly exists. In the process of blasting off the green, many of the white lane markings were blasted off as well, creating a confusing situation on Spring Street where both people in cars and people on bikes cannot see where the bike lane is. The lane is slowly being repainted, but it's still not ready for primetime. According to LADOT, green paint will be painted on the inside of the white stripes of the bike lanes and in potential conflict zones before CicLAvia on Sunday. |
| L.A. Visits S.D. for Tour de Fat  New Belgium Tour de Fat may not have made it to L.A. but a few of us from L.A. made sure to head down to Tour de Fat - San Diego this weekend to support our friends at San Diego County Bicycle Coalition and San Diego Mountain Biking Association with a fleet of volunteers and our Tour de Fat Sweepstakes runner-up.. Our Tour de Fat Sweepstakes runner-up Mike Newton ended up enjoying two nights at the Omni San Diego Hotel, thanks to SDCBC. "The Omni is a terrific place to stay in San Diego," says Mike. "It's in the middle of everything, and the staff is very helpful." Additionally, we sent eight LACBC volunteers to help out with TDF, where we poured beers, handed people wristbands, and enjoyed the day. Amtrak California generously donated roundtrip Pacific Surfliner rides for our volunteers travel down to San Diego with our bikes. "I have never taken the Amtrak before," says our volunteer coordinator Erik Alcaraz, "but now I'm sure I will do it again. I personally love all the legroom and the friendly conductors." On the Pacific Surfliner, you can enjoy a snack, a beverage, free Wi-Fi, and the views along the route between San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles and San Diego. Free bike reservations are available on Amtrak.com, from Quik-Trak kiosks, through Amtrak station ticket agents, or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245). (When booking a trip on-line, click "Add Bike To Trip" after selecting your train, departure date and class of service.) Many thanks to Amtrak California and the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition for sponsoring the sweepstakes. Check out photos of Angelenos at Tour de Fat - San Diego on our Facebook Page. |
| What's Ringing Our Bike Bells: Take Back the Boulevard Looks Forward to a New Colorado Blvd.  | | Take Back the Boulevard |
Behind the changes is a grassroots group called Take Back the Boulevard, which has been working to make Colorado Blvd. a safe, sustainable, and vibrant street. Check out this video with interviews from community stakeholders and their vision for Colorado Blvd. |
| | Events, Meetings, & Volunteer Opportunities CicLAvia - Heart of Los AngelesWhen: Sunday, October 6; 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. More info in newsletter. Walk to School Day - L.A. When: Wednesday, October 9 My Figueroa at Transportation Committee When: Wednesday, October 9; 2 p.m. Active Streets L.A. Community Event
When: Saturday, October 19; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Where: Budlong Elementary - 5940 Budlong Ave, Los Angeles Save the date! Join LACBC, Trust South LA, and L.A.'s Department of Transportation for our next Active Streets community event. When it comes to South L.A. bike improvements, we want your input - join us for a fun ride/walk, free snacks, and a raffle. Wolfpack Hustle: The HP Gran PrixWhen: Saturday, October 19; 5 p.m. Where: Gage Ave & Pacific Blvd, Huntington Park, CA (map) Take it to the streets! Ready for some sprint racing? The City of Huntington Park and LACBC welcome Wolfpack Hustle to host a bike drag race with full support including barricades, emergency response teams, and police services. Registration is $10 and limited to the first 200 riders! Huntington Park residents race for free. See Facebook event for more details. 2nd Annual Zombie Walk with Walk Bike Glendale When: Saturday, October 19; meet at 6:30 p.m. More info in newsletter. Loco Motion 10k Road Race Where: Start in Downtown L.A. The Loco Motion 10K has been POSTPONED to a later date. Learn more at locomotion10k.com. |
Other Events Around Town
LACBC Local Chapters |
| | | | 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
carol@la-bike.org |
Let's be friends! Connect with LACBC: www.la-bike.org      |
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