Kevin Shin
- Mar 12, 2021
- 6 min read

News Cycle: Ktown townhall TONIGHT, bike safety classes coming up, public transit-adjacent vaccinati

The News Cycle

March 11, 2021

The City of LA’s Bicycle Advisory Committee’s Subcomittee on bikeways & planning is meeting on Tuesday March 16 from 1pm-3pm. Click here for the Zoom link.

Metro BEST Bike Safety Classes

Saturday, March 13 | 11am – 12 pm

Bike Maintenance: Cleaning Your Bike

Wednesday, March 17 | 6pm – 7pm

Thursday, March 18 | 12pm – 1pm

Saturday, March 20 | 10am – 11am

Bicycling 101: Rules of the Road for Night Riding

Tuesday, March 23 | 6pm – 7pm

Saturday, March 27 | 10am – 11am

Sunday, March 28 | 12pm – 1pm

Bike Maintenance: Brake Adjustments

Wednesday, March 31 | 6pm – 7pm

Help us bring bikes to people in need with #LACountyBikeMatch!

Stay in the Know

Have extra time on your hands? LACBC would love to have you volunteer with us!

We have remote volunteer opportunities available, please sign up here.

We’re excited! We’re launching our LA Rivers Challenge on Monday!

Our annual fundraiser is getting a makeover this year. Go to LARiversChallenge.com on March 15 to see all the details.

If you’re one of the awesome folks who signed up for early bird registration for last year’s LA River Ride and didn’t get a refund we have something special for you (including free registration!). If you’re one of these folks, check your inbox in the next couple of weeks for an email from us.

A public transit-adjacent vaccination site opened up this week. At USC, the site is close to several bus routes, as well as the E (Expo) Line and J (Silver) Line. This is in addition to several vaccination sites around the County. Click here to learn more.

LADPH says transit workers are eligible for the COVID-19 Vaccine under the “Emergency Services” category.

Federal Updates with Local Implications

Help make $2,500 in tax beneits for riding a bike a reality

The recently passed $1.9-trilliion relief bill includes $30 billion for transit agencies.

This includes $1.4 billion to support capital projects, including Metro’s Regional Connector and D (Purple) Line Extension.

Pictured here is Elsie, Metro’s Tunnel Boring Machine on the D (Purple) Line extension project. Elsie broke through to Wilshire/La Cienega last month after having started boring at Wilshire/Fairfax in May of last year.

General LA Updates

Review the plan for yourself and make sure to provide your feedback.

We at LACBC are excited for the new open space, trail improvements and cultural amenities to be added along the river. However, we have concerns around:

Equitable approach to these projects and making sure communities that lack opportunities now get a real chance to close the gap.
Displacement and these projects not having enough anti-displacement measures in place, causing the current community to get pushed out as projects are completed.
Public safety defined only as enforcement and not including a more long-term approach to helping the houseless population currently living along the river as well as preventing more people from becoming houseless.

While we are thrilled to see the LA River Master Plan provide a variety of new recreation and transportation opportunities to our communities, we urge the County to take additional steps to provide added protections for those communities who will likely be most impacted by the plan. If we build new infrastructure that does not serve the communities in which they are built, we are only contributing further to the destruction of our region’s vibrant culture.

Submit your comments on the LA River Master Plan website before the deadline, and feel free to use our comments above for your talking points.

“Aim Very Low: LADOT Releases New Strategic Plan Update”

Streetsblog provides a comprehensive look at upcoming LA County Walk/Bike Projects

Metro is hiring bus operators in order to restore bus service. Check out the job posting.

Check out their survey! It’s pretty easy.

Updates by Region

San Gabriel Valley

Azuza Walks Begins Development of Citywide Pedestrian Master Plan

Action Alert by Pasadena CSC: Tell the City to Install A High-Visibility Crosswalk on Washington Blvd at Hudson Ave

South Bay Cities

FYI: Buses replace the C (Green) Line this weekend between Willowbrook/Rosa Parks & Crenshaw stations. Regular service resumes Monday, March 15.

Check out the link for more info on responsibilities, eligibility and stipend info. Deadline to apply is 5pm Thursday, March 25.

Westside Cities

Santa Monica Spoke

City Council Directs a Second Permit-Based Shared Mobility Pilot for Santa Monica

San Fernando Valley

Chandler Blvd will be closed 9pm to 6am from March 1 to March 19 due to SR-170 Soundwall Project

Speaking of Chandler Blvd: Chandler Bicycle Connection Closer to Adding Protected Lanes

Sign up to receive LADOT updates on the Reseda Boulevard Complete Streets Project.

Central Los Angeles

TONIGHT at 7pm: Support Koreatown’s “Reimagine 6th St” project

A proposal to create a pedestrian plaza between Normandie and Vermont along 6th St is being discussed tonight at the Wilshire Center Koreatown Neighborhood Council’s town hall. Learn more about the proposal and share your thoughts. If you miss tonight’s meeting, you can still share your thoughts by filling out their online survey in English, Spanish, or Korean.

Take Metro’s Survey for First/Last Mile connections off the Metro Purple (D Line) Extension

The stations in question include areas near LACMA, the future Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Restaurant Row and access to the Grove and Farmer’s Market. Survey stays live until Friday, April 2.

LADOT Planning Safety Improvements on San Vicente

LADOT’s Survey to receive input on the 4th St and New Hampshire intersection improvements is still up. If you live, work or ride in the area, make sure to provide your feedback!

Sign up to receive LADOT updates on the Mid City Neighborhood Greenways Project

Northeast LA- Show your support for the Beautiful Boulevard proposal

The Beautiful Boulevard proposal is a new comprehensive plan on implementing the Bus Rapid Transit in Northeast LA, specifically on Colorado Boulevard, while still preserving bike lanes, sidewalks and medians. If you support the Beautiful Boulevard proposal, take action by signing the petition and sending a letter to representatives.

Become an LACBC Lime Hero!

Thank you to all of you who have supported LACBC by opting in to donate a slice of your Lime ride!

Our partner Walk ‘n Rollers encourages kids to be active by walking and biking more often and now they’re stepping it up with a bike repair hub. They’ve launched a GoFundMe to help them establish their freight container bike repair station. Check it out!

Bike shops open during the pandemic

Check these spots out on your own or ride our 18 mile tour!

Pedal Movement Hub is a full service bike shop that offers Sales, Service, Rentals, and short term membership parking. They provide easy and affordable access to essential bicycle services! Membership service gets you access to additional services, such as secure parking, and deals on repairs and products. To learn more about becoming a member email membership@pedal-movement.com! Located at 223 East 1st Street, Long Beach, CA, 90802.

Located at 130 Pine Ave., Long Beach, CA, 90802. Sunday-Thursday: 4pm-12am & Friday-Saturday 4pm-2am.

Ester Song, CEO Road Runner Bags

“Road Runner Bags came into fruition to fill a void in carrying solutions with cyclists in mind — by cyclists, for cyclists! We are a grassroots

roadrunnerbags.us. Ride safe & stay healthy!”

– Ester Song, CEO Road Runner Bags

Started by Jenn Kriske in 2013, Machines For Freedom is a brand grounded in an amazing community of women and bikes all over the world.

Each piece is designed thoughtfully by women who ride. The

Challenge yourself, support each other, spread good vibes. You can find Machines For Freedom gear on machinesforfreedom.com!

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!

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.

Israel Ovando Vera

Killed on 3/6/21.

He was 38 years old.

Israel Ovando Vera was struck at 4:20am at Roscoe & Sepulveda by the driver of a dark sedan. Officials are looking for a dark 2007-2011 four-door Toyota Camry. There’s a $50,000 reward. There is a video of the incident which shows the car, which you can see at this link (warning: can be considered graphic content).

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 Safety Corner

It’s raining! Here are some tips from Washington’s state Cascade Bicycle Club for riding in the rain.

The Learning Corner

Baldwin Hills’ Park-to-Playa Trail opened last year. Read about the people and the work 20 years in the making that brought this project to life.

The mysterious biomechanics of riding – and balancing – a bicycle

Buttigieg Says US DOT Should Support ‘Right-Sizing’ City Asphalt

Support us by becoming a member or making a donation.

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