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BICYCLE NEWS ARCHIVE BICYCLE HEADLINES WIDER BERTH FOR BICYCLISTS SOUGHT TO CUT ROAD DEATHS12/18/06 – A Santa Barbara assemblyman is fighting to implement a 3-foot passing law for California motorists. Read more. HELMET STUDY POINTS TO MOTORIST PSYCHOLOGY 12/10/06 - For years, cyclists who ride on city streets have cherished an unusual superstition: if they wear a helmet, they are more likely to get hit by a car... Read more OBERSTAR NAMED HOUSE TRANSPORTATION CHAIR 12/11/06 - Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) has been chosen by the Democratic Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives to chair the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the 110th Congress. Oberstar is considered Congress' leading bike advocate and is widely regarded as one of the top experts on transportation in either House of Congress. ROSENDAHL UNVEILS ANTI-GRIDLOCK PLAN Councilman Proposes $11 Million to Improve Traffic, including $200,000 for bicycle and pedestrian transit plans in Council District 11. Read the press release. DETAILS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2007 AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA Read the article for specific route and race details for the 2007 Amgen Tour of California, a Tour de France style cycling road race in which 16 of the world's top professional cycling teams will compete along a demanding 650-mile course from San Francisco to Long Beach, Calif. February 18-25. LESSONS FROM COLOMBIA On Monday, Nov. 13, Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, who is widely credited for setting that city of 7 million on a course of sustainable development, spoke to a rapt audience of politicians, planners and employees of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority at the agency's Downtown boardroom. Read the LA Downtown News article. CYCLISTS FIND OBSERVATORY FAR FROM STELLAR The reopened Griffith Park landmark is less than accommodating for those who bike up, some say. Read the LA Times article. 2006 GREAT ELECTION FOR BIKE CAUCUS Of the 157 House Bike Caucus members, 139 were reelected to their seats in the House, and three were elected to the U.S. Senate. Read more... CBC DENOUNCES PROP 1B When California voters passed Proposition 1B, the $20 billion dollar transportation bond, they unknowingly increased the risks and hazards on California roads. Read more... PLAYA DEL REY: BIKE PATH TO BE UPGRADED BETWEEN 62ND AVENUE AND CULVER BOULEVARD A half-mile section of the popular South Bay Bicycle Trail in Playa del Rey is set to receive a major upgrade next year that is expected to be ready in time for the summer. Read The Argonaut article. CYCLIST VICTIM OF HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER IN ECHO PARK Local bike commuter Jen Diamond was struck in the early hours of October 29 by a hit-and-run driver on Alvarado Blvd. She was hospitalized and has suffered a broken wrist. Witnesses reported a description and plate number of the driver and say that the collision appeared to be intentional on the driver's part. Thanks to calls from the cycling community and urging by Eric Garcetti's office, the LAPD has made this case a top priority and is currently pursuing the suspect on a felony hit-and-run charge. For more information on the incident, read here: alrs.livejournal.com/44975.html. LACBC is working with Garcetti's office and the LAPD Northeast Division to set up a community meeting to allow cyclists to air their grievances and begin a dialogue between the police and cyclists. Stay tuned for updates. BICYCLING TO WORK TAKES OFF Commuting by bike in enjoying a mini-renaissance as a smart way to travel. Meet five bicycle commuters who tell of the pitfalls and joys of the daily pedal. Is New York City the scariest place to ride? Cycling in Chicago in the winter? And more at environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?contentID=5480. THE NEW BUSINESS CYCLE: Makers Push Comfy Bikes Aimed at Commuters A radical idea is sweeping the world of American bicycle manufacturing: building bikes that people will use for actual transportation. Read the WSJ article. GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY TO ALLOW CYCLIST AND PEDESTRIAN ACCESS After a year of lobbying by LACBC, the Griffith Park Observatory has agreed to give access to those arriving by bike or foot. The original plan required all visitors to use a fee-based shuttle from two remote locations. The subsequent reversal in policy is great news for cyclists and hikers, as well as for the park itself, as each person opting not to use motorized transportation to the park is helping to improve the environment. Special thanks to LACBC Board member Stephen Box for his persistent lobbying, and to Councilmember Tom LaBonge and the Rec & Parks Commission for listening! The Observatory reopens to the public on Friday, Novemeber 3, 2006. To make your free reservation, visit www.griffithobs.org/vshuttle.html. CITY OF BURBANK KILLS BIKEWAY PLAN Despite vocal support from area cyclists, proponents of the plan for a bike boulevard were outnumbered by residents afraid of increased traffic in their neighborhood. Burbank City Council voted on October 17, 2006, to kill an already-approved plan to create a Class III bike route along Beachwood Drive - including bicycle boulevards, shared-use markings ("sharrows") and traffic signal upgrades for bicycle detection - which would serve to connect the Chandler Blvd bikeway with the Los Angeles River bike path. Some members of the community expressed concerns that the ensuing increase of bike use in their neighborhood would invite crime, congestion and loitering. LACBC will continue to monitor bikeway activity in Burbank, and we sincerely hope that residents of Burbank will realize that, instead of stereotyping cyclists, we should all be lauding and supporting their efforts to utilize transportation alternatives and make our communities quieter, friendlier, more appealing places to live. REGIONAL NEWS PCH Safety Wall Planned in Dana Point.Following the death of a cyclist along Pacific Coast Highway in Orange County, a 3-foot wall will be installed along the highway to improve safety. Read the article. New Safety Program on Pacific Coast Highway beginning. In response to the deaths of two cyclists last year on Pacific Coast Highway, advocates have formed a task force to address cyclists' safety concerns on the well-traveled road. Eighteen new "Share the Road" signs have been put in place between Decker Canyon Road and Chautauqua Road, and plans are in place to increase public awareness and safety, including a new series of PSAs on safe cycling and road sharing, targeting both motorists and cyclists. The PCH Task Force includes LACBC, State Senator Sheila Kuehl, Velo Club LaGrange, Los Angeles Tri Club, City of Los Angeles Bicycle Program, Cal Trans District 7, Department of Motor Vehicles, the County of Los Angeles, Metro Bicycle Program, and the County Sheriff's Department. Chandler Bike Path completed in North Hollywood Eleven years in the works, the completed path along Chandler Boulevard affords cyclists a 17-mile ride through the San Fernando Valley from Warner Center to Burbank. This long-blighted stretch has been transformed into a landscaped parkway. Council member Tom LaBonge will hold a dedication ceremony on June 22. - Posted 21 June 06 LACBC issues statement in response to Tony Estrin's death. (See posting Popular Teacher...) Please read the statement. - Posted 27 April 06 Popular Teacher, Bike Rider Killed; Motorist Arrested Taking a morning ride on Sierra Highway, a popular member of the Santa Clarita Velo cycling club was killed by a car, and a drunk-driving suspect was arrested... (Daily News article no longer available 4/27/06) Read the SCV Signal article. - Posted 11 April 06 LACBC Executive Director Quoted in Los Angeles Alternative Los Angeles Alternative (a free weekly newspaper of people, arts and ideas) in their article Vicious Cycling - Struggling to ride on two wheels in a four-wheel city - by Laura Hauther, quotes LACBC Executive Director K. Lund. After reading the article, be sure to scroll down the page and read LACBC President Colin Bogart's response, and maybe leave your own...Read the article. - Posted 8 Mar 06 City of Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee Vacancies The City of Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee currently has vacancies in the following Council Districts: 10 - Herb Wesson, Jr. and 15 - Janice Hahn...Interested parties may submit a resume and cover letter...Get more information. - Posted 10 Feb 06 LACBC to Promote a Pilot Program For Shared Use Arrows (Sharrows) in L.A. Already successfully used in other cities like San Francisco, Sharrows are road markings placed in regular traffic lanes, away from parked cars. They are an effective way to provide a safer environment for cyclists and drivers to co-exist. They indicate where it's safe for bikes to ride, promoting awareness for both drivers and cyclists. Please help by taking the LACBC Sharrows Survey. - Posted 31 Jan 06 Ditty Bops "Bicycle Bikini 2006 Calendar" On Sale Bicyclists Amanda Barrett and Abby Dewald of the band "the Ditty Bops" present the "Bicycle Bikini 2006 Calendar" in an effort to spread the word about bicycling. "We made the calendar because we love bikes, sustainable transportation, bikinis, and flying in the night sky and swimming in the deep ocean," said Barrett, one-half of the Los Angeles-based band. Featuring the photography of Rich Whitmore, the 11" x 11" full-color wall calendar is $19.99 plus shipping and handling. To place an order, visit www.thedittybops.com/store.htm. - Posted 2 Dec 05 Griffith Park Bans Bikes! Perhaps not, but this is your chance to let your voice be heard to ensure good bike access in the Park. Visit LA City's webpage, review the proposed Master Plan and use their Feed Back Form to let your voice be heard.
LACBC Study Used in Bicycling Magazine Article LACBC study of low-income bicyclists used in December 2005 Bicycling Magazine article [My Bike Feeds My Family, p 46]. Read about the LACBC study.
Spinning Southward On a 15,000-mile journey from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, John and Mike Logsdon make a pit stop in Los Angeles to raise money and awareness for the National Brain Tumor Foundation. Visit their website at www.spinningsouthward.com and read about their fundraising efforts. The site also provides a journey log, photos, biographies and more.
LAUSD Board Resolves to Accommodate Bicycle Use With the help of the Los Angles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC), the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board recently passed a motion to help school district employees, students, and parents who use bicycles... Read the LACBC Press Release.
Governor vetoes SB 523, AB 748 Governor Schwarzenegger has vetoed SB 523 (Torlakson), which would have maintained the Bicycle Transportation Account (BTA) for local assistance at its current level of $7.2 million per year. Funding will now drop to $5 million on July 1 of next year. His veto message reads: "California's transportation infrastructure needs far outstrip the resources available. Given the state's limited transportation resources, it is important to give local agencies the flexibility to use funds as they see fit rather than being forced to use the type of state-mandated formula that this bill perpetuates. While bicycling is an important and growing component of California's multi-modal transportation system, prioritizing expenditures on bicycle-specific programs should be a local prerogative." The governor also vetoed AB 748 (Wolk), which prohibits toll bridges and toll roads from charging bicyclists and pedestrians. He wrote: "I strongly encourage Californians to use bicycling and walking as modes of transportation when possible because of the physical fitness benefit, as well as the congestion mitigation and air quality benefits. However, this bill would inappropriately usurp control from the local governing body, the Golden Gate Highway and Transportation District. Since the District has been authorized to operate and maintain the bridge, the state should not tie its hands by foreclosing certain funding options." Alan Wachtel
Bicyclists Campaigning for PCH Safety Prompted by the recent deaths of two bicyclists on Pacific Coast Highway, a coalition wants city and state officials to address unsafe conditions on the highway. Read the complete Malibu Times article.
Sherman Secures River Bike Path Funds Funds Earmarked for LA River Bike Path Extension in Sherman Oaks. WASHINGTON - Congressman Brad Sherman announced Wednesday that Congress recently approved $460,000 to construct a bicycle and pedestrian path along the Los Angeles River in Sherman Oaks. The new path will be built from Kester Avenue to Sepulveda Boulevard. It will extend an existing bicycle and pedestrian path along the river west of Kester Avenue. Sherman said the riverside bike path would compliment plans under consideration by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council to build parks and restore sections of the river to its natural state. "The Los Angeles River has been neglected for too long. Visionary leaders in our community have begun to realize the potential of this natural resource," Sherman said. The new federal funds were earmarked at Sherman's request in a nationwide transportation bill approved by Congress on July 29. The congressman's office worked on the project in coordination with Los Angeles City Councilmember Wendy Greuel. In prior years, Congressman Sherman secured $500,000 for bike paths in Agoura Hills, $250,000 for Calabasas, $236,000 for the City of Westlake Village, and $1.9 million for the Metro Orange Line bike path.
Cyclists' Deaths Point to PCH Perils Construction forced the two men to ride in the road instead of a bike lane. Catering truck driver is charged with vehicular manslaughter. By Nita Lelyveld
The breathtaking views on the Pacific Coast Highway carry risks for cyclists, who ride in the sea breeze at considerable peril as cars on the narrow road zoom by. On Saturday morning, a catering truck hit two cyclists, who had been forced off the northbound shoulder and onto the road by a construction project. The driver did not stop immediately after hitting the men, who died soon after being airlifted to UCLA Medical Center. It was the first fatal bicycle accident in at least five years on this stretch of PCH, said Philip Brooks, traffic sergeant for the Malibu-Lost Hills Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The collision, which occurred about 10 a.m., killed Stanislav Ionov, 46, of Calabasas, an accomplished physicist at HRL Laboratories in Malibu; and Scott Bleifer, 41, of Santa Monica, a vice president at Union Bank of California. The two avid cyclists do not appear to have known each other. On Tuesday, Victor Silva, 27, of Compton was charged with two counts of felony vehicular manslaughter and two counts of felony hit-and-run in their deaths. Silva apparently has no prior record. In an interview just after the accident, Silva said he hadn't seen the men before the accident. After hitting them, he said, he couldn't stop for fear of injuring a person cooking in the back of his truck, said Sheriff's Det. John Caffrey. Cooking in the back of a moving vehicle is illegal, Caffrey said. Authorities believe Silva was traveling around the 50 mph speed limit. Witnesses said the impact flung the two cyclists 150 feet forward. Both Bleifer and Ionov were wearing helmets. They appear to have been riding in the bike lane until orange traffic cones forced them into the right-hand lane. The cones signaled the start of a construction project for a synagogue at the Malibu Jewish Center. For the length of the construction site, concrete barriers cut off the shoulder. The men were riding side by side when they were hit, and it's possible that one was passing the other, which is legal, Caffrey said. Riding side by side in other circumstances "is highly not recommended," he said. So far in 2005, eight cyclists have been injured on PCH, according to the Sheriff's Department. Seven were injured in 2004 and six in 2003. Bleifer had been training for the Arthritis Foundation's Amgen California Coast Classic, an eight-day, 500-mile charity ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, which starts Sept. 24. Now his friends and other members of his cycling club, the Velo Club La Grange of Westwood, plan to join the last leg of the Classic, riding in his honor from Ventura to Los Angeles on Oct. 1. Friend and fellow club member Bruce Mitchell said Bleifer was "very engaging, very smart, had very good ideas." The two often attended spinning classes together at the Spectrum Club, but they didn't cycle together, he said. Mitchell said he prefers the club's regular group rides, which take place earlier in the morning, before the traffic picks up. Bleifer, he said, would head out later in the morning on his own. Nearly every morning before riding, Mitchell and Bleifer would meet at Peet's Coffee & Tea in Santa Monica. Bleifer arrived every morning with Kona, his 6-year-old chocolate Labrador, Mitchell said, adding, "He made a whole army full of friends up at Peet's Coffee." Bleifer's sister, Karen, of Century City said she'd received hundreds of e-mails from her brother's friends, many asking about Kona. "Kona was the love of his life," she said. "Everybody wants Kona. I say, 'Oh, I'm sorry, you're going to have to wrestle my parents for Kona because she's all they have left of Scott.' " Karen Bleifer, a jewelry designer, said her brother was very happy and an adventurer who took cycling trips in Tuscany and Hawaii, traveled by himself to Vietnam and hiked to the top of Machu Picchu, the ancient Incan city in Peru. Bleifer grew up in Beverly Hills, where he attended Beverly Hills High School. He earned a bachelor's degree at UC San Diego and a master's in business administration from USC, his sister said. Ionov, who was born in Russia, had worked at HRL Laboratories since 1994. Employees found out about his death in a message from the lab's president and vice president Monday, said spokesman David Weeks. An accompanying bio said Ionov had studied physics at Moscow Physical Technical Institute, where he worked as a research assistant to Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa, a Nobel laureate. He received a bachelor's and master's degree and his doctorate from the Institute of Spectroscopy in the Soviet Union and became the director of an experimental group at the Research Center for Technological Lasers at the Soviet Academy of Sciences. In 1980, he emigrated to the United States, where he did postdoctoral work at UCLA and USC. He became an American citizen in 1999, and had a wife, Irina, and a daughter, Sophi, the bio said. Ionov often rode his bike to work and went on long rides with co-workers. He also ran in numerous marathons. Weeks said Ionov had a previous close call on his bike, riding with friends in Westlake Village. They were taking a break, standing and sitting with their bikes on the sidewalk, when a car lurched toward them. One of the riders was killed, Weeks said. * * * * * The Velo Club LaGrange website has other articles and letters posted on their site.The Bicycle Times Winter 2006 edition is now available for download (2.0MB PDF). |
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