The News Cycle
January 28, 2021
Help us bring bikes to people in need with #LACountyBikeMatch!
T.R.U.S.T. South LA is having their virtual open house tonight at 6pm!
T.R.U.S.T. South LA is a community-based effort that works to stabilize the neighborhoods south of Downtown LA, where increased property values and rents have pushed out many long-term residents. Our mission is to serve as a steward for community-controlled land; to be a catalyst for values-driven, community-serving development; to build awareness and community leadership in issues of housing, transportation and recreation; and to create programs and initiatives that encourage community building and economic opportunity. Register here.
We’re cleaning house!
Our sale on LACBC Merch is still going on! check out our online shop to see if items you want are still in stock.
Use the coupon code “LACBC50off” to get 50% off at our online shop.
Stay in the Know
LACBC to participate in the 2021 Mayoral Housing, Transportation and Jobs Summit
Check out the flyer and click here to register.
Air Quality Update
On January 17, the South Coast Air Quality Management District lifted limits on the number of bodies cremated per day for 10 days.
These limits are intended to maintain a certain level of air quality. The lifting has since been extended to February 4 and expanded to Orange County.
When the lift went into effect, there was a backlog of 2,700 bodies being stored in hospitals and the coroner’s office.
Stay safe out there and please wear a mask – for Covid-19 and for the air quality.
COVID-19 UPDATE
Governor Newsome has lifted the regional stay at home order statewide, but Covid-19 spread in LA County remains at threat level red.
Continue being vigilant by doing the simple things to ensure you & others can ride for many years to come:
1) Wear your mask; 2) Wash your hands; 3) Maintain social distancing; 4) Ride only with your circle
Our February Ride is out now: Black History Ride
By no means a comprehensive telling of Black History in Los Angeles, this is a 22.2 mile ride starts in Expo Park, heads South to Westmont, then makes its way back via Avalon Blvd. Theoretically, based on Google speeds, this should take you two hours without stops. When scouted at a leisurely and steady pace, with two snack & bathroom breaks, and lots of picture-taking, this took about five hours. Visits include South LA Cafe, Leimert Park Plaza, the site of Dijon Kizzee’s death at the hands of sheriff’s deputies, South LA Wetlands Park, and the California African American Museum.
Check out the rest of the rides we’ve created so far on our website!
General LA Updates
Metro Micro Expansion – the service which launched in December in the Inglewood and Watts/Willowbrook areas now has service in Compton/Artesia, El Monte & North Hollywood/Burbank.
The LA River Master Plan is now open for review & comment – LACBC has some thoughts we’re putting together as an official response. Check out our next New Cycle for more details. In the meantime, check out the plan and let us know what you think.
Eagle Rock BRT Update – Metro has failed to provide workable solutions for the North Hollywood to Pasadena BRT project. The three options that Metro has presented fail to prioritize the needs of the community members, but instead prioritize the convenience of the drivers. Each option makes a major sacrifice that will negatively affect the quality of transit as well as the Eagle Rock community as a whole. The proposed Metro plan will remove existing bicycle lanes on Colorado Blvd. and replace them with a shared bus/bike lane.
To counter this, Eagle Rock community members have developed a proposal, “Beautiful Boulevard”, that seeks to maintain existing medians and provides dedicated bus lanes, protected bike lanes, improved pedestrian experience, and additional street trees. To support the Eagle Rock community, contact Council District 14’s Capital Projects Director, Nate Hayward (nate.hayward@lacity.org), and urge for the approval of the “Beautiful Boulevard” proposal.
From Chapter Areas
Culver City
Some in Culver City are organizing against Move Culver City, a project intended to construct mobility lanes in three of the city’s corridors.
Want to show your support? Check out the project’s website and their upcoming meetings, and make your support known!
Next meeting is February 1st – and it’s a presentation to the City Council.
Thanks to @zennonuc on Twitter for permission to use this photo.
LADOT is still seeking feedback on how to improve Adams Blvd between Fairfax and Crenshaw – According to the survey, 53 people have been killed or severely injured along Adams between 2010 and 2019.
Carson & the South Bay Area
Hermosa and Pier Avenues in Manhattan Beach get a popup bike lane – Maybe you can try out our self-guided Beach Cities History Ride from December and stay on Hermosa Ave between 8th and 14th Streets instead of hopping on The Strand.
Central/Downtown LA
Do you live, work or ride through 4th Street and New Hampshire? LADOT is working to improve the safety of this intersection and is seeking your feedback!
Downey
Metro is still trying to figure out how best to justify spending billions of dollars widening the 605 and 5 freeways, while demolishing hundreds of homes in Downey – Joe Linton at StreetsblogLA shares details on Metro’s January 26 presentation to a committee of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments.
Pomona Valley
Sustainable Claremont recently hosted a presentation and discussion on their Complete Streets improvements along Towne Ave set for construction this year. Check it out.
Walk Bike Burbank
Thank you to all of you who have supported LACBC by opting in to donate a slice of your Lime ride!
Non-Chapter Regions
Northeast LA
LADOT is working on the intersection of Avenue 50 and Meridian and other streets in Highland Park. Make your voice heard on what it’s like to use these streets.
San Fernando Valley
Reseda Blvd’s Complete Streets updates (including a protected bike lane) are taking shape – the stretch from Bryant to Ingomar is done, and LADOT crews are now doing work between Ingomar and Keswick. The whole project is set to continue into 2023. Want to share some of your feedback with LADOT? Fill out their survey.
Telfair and Montague in Pacoima are also set to get some improvement work done. Provide your feedback here.
South LA/Gateway Cities
If you live in South Central, Huntington Park, Maywood, Bell, or Cudahy you know how important a connection to the LA River Bike Path would be on Slauson. Slauson is a beast to ride and the River Active Transportation Corridor Project is seeking input on the section from the Blue Line – I mean Metro A Line – to the LA River Path. Fill out the survey: English Spanish
In lieu of the survey, you can also email the Project Manager, Tony Jusay, at jusaya@metro.net and/or the Deputy Project Manager, Jackie Su, at suj@metro.net.
You can also reach out to R2R@metro.net, or call (213) 922-9228. Visit the project website to learn more about the project, including how to register for the upcoming community meetings via Zoom on Thursday Feb 11 and Saturday Feb 13 (both meetings provide the same info).
Broadway has gotten some upgrades – the stretch between Manchester and Century is done, now LADOT crews tackle Century to Imperial. Lane reductions, new protected bike lane and pavement repair are said to be in the works.
Pasadena
Tell Pasadena city officials to include protected bike/mobility lanes in its North Lake Avenue Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Plan! Let them know that without safety for bikes, scooters and other micro-mobility devices, Pasadena is going against its own climate action plans and Vision Zero principles. Submit your comment!
Support LACBC while securing your bike
When you make a purchase at Seatylock through this link, a portion of your purchase goes to support LACBC!
The following businesses are featured stops in today’s Intersections Self-Guided Ride [link & title]!
Check these spots out on your own or ride our 22.2 mile tour!
South LA Cafe is a community coffee shop, market, and cultural center located at 1700 Browning Blvd, in South Central Los Angeles.
The cafe is open Monday through Saturday from 8:00am-1:00pm. Come out and support and let them know that #BikesMeanBusiness! Other ways to support South LA Cafe: You can visit their website www.southlacafe.com and make a one-time donation, sign up as a monthly member, or sponsor a grocery box that will be delivered to a local family in need.
Eso Won Books is an Independent and Black-Owned bookshop that has served the community for over 30 years.
The bookshop is located at 4327 Degnan Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008 and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12:00pm-4:00pm.
Book recommendations by Co-Owner, James Fugate, that you can purchase at Eso Won Books:
Bicycle / Race: Transportation, Culture, and Resistance by Adonia Lugo
Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights by Gretchen Sorin
Life is God’s Best Gift: Wisdom from the Ancestors on Finding Peace and Joy in Today’s World by Sam Chege
The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power by Dierdre Mask
Come out and support and let them know that #BikesMeanBusiness! Or, order online!
Ride On! Bike Shop/Co-Op is offering weekly rentals and sales of electric bikes! For the fastest ride through the city, come pick up a Zoomo e-bike.
Located at 4319 Degnan Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008 and open Tuesday through Saturday from 12:00pm-7:00pm and Sunday 12:00pm-3:00pm.
What you pay for a bike rental (most popular options):
Required
Sprinter Rental Fee – $59/week
Insurance – $12/week
Included:
Battery
Battery Charger
Phone Holder
U-Lock
Optional to Purchase:
Helmet – $2.75/week
Spare Battery – $30/week
Stop by and let Ride On! Bike Shop and let them know that #BikesMeanBusiness!
Click here to learn more on what to do if you are involved in a bicycle crash. If someone you know was killed in a bicycle crash, here are some resources to guide you through this difficult time.
Do you know this person?
LA County Health Services is asking for help identifying a cyclist who was hit by the driver of a vehicle around 8am on January 12 in Wilmington (PCH & Island Avenue). If you have any info please call 424-306-6310.
Branden Finley, 7/24/74-1/16/21. He was 46 years old.
Branden Finley was hit and killed while riding his bike on Wilshire Blvd. The family is asking for help in catching the killer. Help the family reach their $45k goal on GoFundMe to support his parents and two daughters.
There is a standing $50,000 reward for any fatal hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles, including this one. Anyone with information is urged to contact LAPD Detective Juan Campos at 213/833-3713, or e-mail him at 31480@lapd.online. During weekends and off-hours, call 1-877/527-3247.
Mike Bell, 8/8/57-1/24/21. He was 63 years old.
Motocross racer & AMA Hall of Famer, Mike Bell passed away while mountain biking on January 24.
Our condolences to Branden Finely’s and Mike Bell’s families.
If you would like to share a few words about someone you know that passed away while riding, please reach out to us through email (info@la-bike.org) or by using this form.
The Learning Corner – For the Urban Planning Nerds Among Us
There’s a lot of chit chat lately about California and the Idaho Stop law. Check out this video of a demonstration by San Francisco cyclists in 2017.
Did we miss something? Send us your LA County bike-related updates and events, and we’ll include them in the next newsletter (two weeks from now). Email info@la-bike.org.
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition
PO Box 17733
Long Beach, CA 90807