Westside BikeSIDE!

I just ran a bunch of red lights. First, I ran the light at Olympic & 4th St, directly in front of the Santa Monica Police Department.

Then I ran a light crossing Lincoln Blvd, in the middle of the on and off ramp traffic for the 10 Freeway.

Then one more a few streets later, and one more near my house.

Why? Because it was good for me. It helped me out. It made my life better. It was a selfish act.

Also, because the decrepit signals wouldn’t change for me. Every time I visit Santa Monica City Council I run the light in front of the Police Department. I wait and wait and wait before I realize that the signal is not going to change for me. Then I look around, make sure there aren’t any police about, and I run it.

Supposedly there is an element in the California Vehicle Code which allows one to run a light if it is not changing for them, after waiting a reasonable period. Me - I’m not looking to have that conversation with a cop.

Next time someone remarks on how green Santa Monica is, or how West LA is more bike friendly than some other place, you can do the polite thing and laugh in their face. But I suggest doing something aggressively non-sequitur - like spitting in your hand and then wiping it on your pants, or pulling out some papers and ripping them up. Maybe just step into traffic or try to eat your shoe. Perhaps your bizarre act will dissuade them from regurgitating regional mythology in the future.

Damien Newton (LA Streetsblog), myself, and 19 other activists hope you will join us in asking the Metro Transit Authority (MTA) for more funds for cycling and pedestrian projects. The MTA is seeking a 1/2 ¢ sales tax increase to generate funds for LA County transportation projects. This generate funds to complete massive projects such as the Subway to the Sea. Surely the MTA Board can find it in their heart to spare some money for the low cost, high payoff projects which benefit cyclists.

We ask you to sign on to the letter below. If you support this effort all you need to do is send an email to metroletter@live.com asking to add your name to the letter below. You can read more about the effort on LA Streetsblog.

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Rosendahl’s office has cancelled the community meeting scheduled for today, Monday, about the Mandeville Canyon Assault, and cyclist/motorist tensions in the area.

I’m sorry that this happened, as I thought it would be a step in the right direction for residents and cyclists to discuss this.

You can find more about Rosendahl’s reasons for the cancellation on LAist.

****Rosendahl’s Office has cancelled this meeting****

On July 4th Stephen Box called me up and told me that two cyclists had just been assaulted by a motorist. The motorist had slammed on his brakes in front of them, intentionally, while they were descending Mandeville Canyon Rd at 30 mph. One cyclist had to have his nose reattached, Stephen told me.

I had trouble believing it, and I certainly didn’t want to. We all experience motorist aggression from time to time, but usually we ride away from it. Well, it’s all true, and LAist covered it extensively. In response, Councilman Bill Rosendahl has called a community meeting for Monday, July 14th, from 6:30pm to 8:00pm in at 11338 Santa Monica Blvd.

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I try to make Cub Camp as often as possible, but this Thursday I just couldn’t make it. I had a good excuse, but I’m definitely disappointed to miss Cub Camp #69. Anyhow, I thought I’d force y’all to look at some photos from last week’s Cub Camp, which was a lot of fun. (Flickr set)

In this one Jon Luskin is feeding Paul Bringetto his burrito while Paul does a trackstand. I’ve seen better trackstands and better burrito consumption in my day:

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The 3rd AWSUMEST ride of the month is a surprise, unleashed on the community by JAZ and KNITTENS - the ROB0101011TZ RIDE!!

The ride meets at CRANK MOB PARK, aka Media Park in Culver City at Venice & Canfield), at 9:30pm this Saturday.  Organizers describe it as ” A ride a little like CRANK MOB, and a lot like the end of the world,” and go on to say that it will be both further and faster than CRANK MOB, and will explore Southern areas of LA previously untouched by large party rides.  AWSUM, I’m there.  Make sure your bike is decent, all but the strongest riders will have trouble keeping up on a beach cruiser.

(this is a guest post from David Pulsipher, CICLE Steering Committee member, Bikerowave Volunteer, and urban planner at Alta Planning)

I love when different parts of my world collide. The other night a favorite movie reminded me an important lesson about riding your bike in the city, and I had to share it.

Often, my wife and I like to enjoy a little bit of mindless television while we eat dinner. Searching for something to catch our attention, I found refuge in a childhood (and present-day) favorite, the Karate Kid.

My connection to the Karate Kid runs deeper than this underdog, poor-kid-gets-the-rich-girl tale. When he was in his adolescence, he was uprooted from New Jersey to California - and so was I! Daniel loved riding his bike - for transportation! And so do I!

Daniel gets in trouble when he doesn’t take the lane on his ride home from dinner. Instead, he lets the Kobra Kai gang run him off the road which then sends him into his blabbering, teary rant about how he “hates his bike.” What treachery!

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July 2nd, 2008 - Above, Paul Bringetto is about to be released from handcuffs by LAPD Officer Corona. After spending over a half an hour in cuffs, and having his belongings thoroughly searched, Paul was let off with a “no front light”, $10 fix-it ticket.

Or so it would seem. In fact the ticket and near arrest were retaliation for Paul stopping to observe the police detain another cyclist. Once we stopped to observe the arrest of cyclist who we did not know, Officer Corona nearly instantly informed Paul that he was taking Paul to jail for interference. It was only after Stephen Box got on the phone with the watch commander, I took 400 photos (Flickr set), and a supervisor arrived on the scene that they decided to “let Paul off” with a ticket.

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