Westside BikeSIDE!

UPDATE (3/14/2008):  I visited the site yesterday and discovered CalTrans has done nothing!  I talked to construction workers there and they said that CalTrans does not plan to reorganize the zone to make it safe for cyclists.  Additionally, CalTrans set up is so bad that workers say rocks are coming dangerously close to the excavator, and there are huge boulders which will come off the hillside late, which CalTrans is ignoring.

I just received this information through back channels. Word is that CalTrans is going to repair the section of PCH I wrote about last week. An excerpt from the email I received:

CalTrans convened an internal pow wow to re-examine the permit conditions and plans for that major hillside repair project running from Corral to Latigo.

CalTrans maintenance and traffic investigation divisions will draft and approve a traffic plan to close N/B (completely for 4 weeks), keeping 4 ft for the bicycles and detouring the traffic from the N/B to S/B. S/B will be 2-lane highway: N/B and S/B. This detour will start on Monday the 3rd of March with Cozeep presense to enforce the traffic. (”Cozeep” means ongoing CHP presence.) Continue Reading »

Guest poster Tad Daley (tad@daleyplanet.org), known to fellow cyclists as Tito, is Writing Fellow with International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (winners of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize), and a regular weekend cyclist with the Los Angeles Wheelmen, Santa Monica Critical Mass, and the South Bay Cruisers. He shares his passion for competitive running with Alex Thompson.

On Marathon Sunday morning, I emerged as crabby as I usually do when something wakes me up at 4:30 AM. Even if it was my own alarm clock, reminding me that I had committed to meet a few of my thug cycle buddies down the street at 5:15, ready to hit the pavement in the annual LA Marathon Bike Tour. Continue Reading »

Stephen Box forwarded this message from the LA Wheelmen:

Sadly -
Harvey Hetland, loyal LAWheelmen member, excellent cyclist, Grand Tour rider, RAGBRAI rider, and friend of many has lost his life on a bike ride on Wednesday, 03/05/08 …

He and his companion, Christie Edinger, were on their way home after riding up to Montrose with the Griffith Park group … They rode up to La Tuna - and on the way down, on a curve with Christie behind him, Harvey was in the lane and was passed on his right by an automobile … He was not hit by the car - but he lost control of his bike and he “went down” … The hospital personnel said “he didn’t make it” …..

So sudden - and so sad …

His church, Westminster Presbyterian, is planning for a memorial service for Harvey next week (626 794 7141) …

The La Tuna Canyon homeowners group (www.latunacanyon.com) would like support for their efforts to make La Tuna safer with slower speeds and a marked bicycle lane. Your help would be appreciated by Harvey and all of his bicycling friends.

Harvey will be missed.
Stay safe …..

Do be safe out there,

AT

I dragged myself out of bed Saturday morning to attend the Transportation Workshop in Santa Monica. The workshop is part of a series gathering community input on Santa Monica’s plans to update their Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE). Bicycles are a part of that element, so I’ve attended to see where the element is headed. So far Santa Monica planners, unlike their counterparts in LA, appear to have their heart in the right place. Still, it’s not all sunshine, so let’s review:

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Continue Reading »

I worked pretty hard on an opinion piece for CICLE.org, and they published it today! Thanks CICLE! The piece is on the topic of bicycle advocacy in LA, and why it’s failing. I know that’s not interesting to everyone, and I’ll put together a real post for tomorrow night. Here’s a quote to help you decide if you want to read it:

Why are funded infrastructure advocates failing when social bike organizers are succeeding? Because their tactics, derived from the early days of bicycle advocacy, are outmoded. Continue Reading »