This next CicLAvia’s Made For Walking

On June 23rd pedestrians will rule Wilshire Boulevard

Quick update: LA2B did a great post about next week’s CicLAvia, as well. Check it out!

On June 23rd  CicLAvia will be back in town, this time with a new six mile east-west route that will run along Wilshire Boulevard between Downtown LA and Fairfax Avenue. Known as “Iconic Wilshire,” this route happens to be the most walkable CicLAvia yet for a handful of reasons:

The Hours Are Long - Previous CicLAvia’s have been held from 10am to 3pm but this one will be two hours longer, from 9am to 4pm (that means more time for walking and running).

It Is Rail Accessible – The Red, Blue, Expo, and Purple Lines all have stops along the route so getting there by transit, or some multi-modal combination,  will be a relatively easy.

The Route Is Short – At six miles long, one can easily enjoy much of the route through a leisure walk.

There Are Pedestrian Zones – The hubs at the ends of the Iconic Wilshire route will be pedestrian zones. CicLAvia obviously loves bikes but you’ll have to dismount to cover the entire route and get the full experience this time.

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Don’t Trash Rehash

Rendering of the banner on a Collection Vehicle

We’re back with the Don’t Trash the Bike Lanes campaign!  As you may recall, last year we began to design a campaign in partnership with the Bureau of Sanitation to remind Angelenos to refrain from placing their trash cans in bike lanes (or otherwise obstructing them).  The campaign will focus on training Bureau of Sanitation employees to not place refuse bins in bike lanes after dumping, and will raise public awareness with a banner campaign on Sanitation Vehicles.

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Bike Trains are the Lightest Rail

Safety in numbers!

Jump on the train! The bike train that is… A group of enthusiastic bicyclists have organized LA Bike Trains: routes across Los Angeles, encouraging Angelenos to ditch their cars and join a bike train to work.

What is a bike train? It’s a slow and steady bike ride to work taking a regular route in the company of other bicyclists. Bike trains are led by reliable Conductors that monitor the speed and safety of the ride, ensuring all commuters are on board and comfortable. Bike trains encourage safety in numbers and provide a festive morning commute. Bike Train Conductors are dedicated volunteers, experienced urban cyclists who recognize that biking to work can be daunting for an individual, but easy and enjoyable in a group.

Right now the LA Bike Trains have 5 routes:

Route 001 : Silver Lake to Hollywood
Led by Bruce Chan - Meets Wednesdays at 8:00am at Cafe Tropical.

Route 002 : Mid-Wilshire to DTLA
Led by Nona Varnado - Meets Wednesdays 9 am at Cafe Americano .

Route 003 : Sunset Triangle to Santa Monica
Led by Wes High - Meets Tuesday at 7:45am at Sunset Triangle Plaza.

Route 004 : Silver Lake to Downtown
Led by Alex Rixey - Meets Thursdays at 8:00am at Caffe Vita on Sunset and Hillhurst, near the Vista Theater.

Route 005 : Westlake to Long Beach
Led by Christopher Lovejoy - Meets Wednesdays 6:45am at 7-Eleven on 7th Street.

LA Bike Trains is eager to expand! To provide input where you would like to join a bike train, fill out their Commuter Survey.

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Metro Hosts First Union Station Master Plan Community Meeting

This way to Metro’s LA Union Station Master Plan community meeting

Metro kicked off the first of four Union Station Master Plan community meetings last night at their headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.  (In April of 2011 the county’s primary transit operator purchased the station and some of the surrounding properties from the real estate company Catellus Operating Limited Partnership for $75 million dollars.)  Community members listened as Metro officials and representatives from Gruen  Associates and Grimshaw Architects (the consultants hired to develop a master plan for the station) proposed their objectives for the area, including accommodating current and future transit needs, protecting and enhancing the station, and improving multi-modal access and connectivity to the surrounding neighborhoods.

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Ride Lankershim tours existing and proposed NoHo bicycle infrastructure Dec. 8th

A campaign of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. Click the image to go their project site.

Ride Lankershim is a community campaign that aims to inform, educate, and celebrate as plans progress for bicycle improvements in the neighboring communities of North Hollywood, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Valley Village and others. The group is kicking things off Saturday, December 8^th with a community bike ride. The ride will be a 3.5 mile mini-tour of existing and proposed bicycle infrastructure in the North Hollywood area, focusing especially on Lankershim Blvd. and Cahuenga Blvd., where LADOT plans to install bicycle lanes in the near future.

Ride Lankershim will be meeting at Metropolis Bikes in North Hollywood and departing at 10:00 a.m. From there, the bicycle ride will transverse Lankershim Blvd., Colfax Ave. and the Chandler Bikeway. The ride will end at the NoHo farmers’ market. You can find more details of the route here. Riders will have the opportunity to sign a petition supporting the bike lanes and get on a mailing list for updates on the projects. You can r.s.v.p. or invite friends via the facebook event.

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On the horizon for the L.A. River Bicycle Path

New L.A. River bike path segment recently opened in Reseda; the Daily News has a great photo of Councilman Zine riding the new path.

City officials and residents recently celebrated the latest addition of L.A. river bike path in the city, in the West San Fernando Valley. The new 1 mile portion of bicycle path between Winnetka Ave. and Vanalden Ave. was officially opened to the public on November 16th. The official ribbon cutting ceremony drew over 60 supporters, including Mayor Villaraigosa, Councilman Dennis Zine, and Friends of the Los Angeles River founder Lewis MacAdams, among others. Phase 2 of this project is currently under construction and expected to be completed soon. It will extend the path 1 mile further, from Winnetka Ave. to Mason Ave.

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Bicycle Parking Ordinance goes before PLUM Committee, Tomorrow

Some innovative bike parking from the Know How Shop in Highland Park

Tomorrow afternoon, the Planning & Land Use Management Committee will review an ordinance that aims to vastly improve bicycle parking requirements in the city.  If adopted, the Bicycle Parking Ordinance would increase the amount of bicycle parking required in new commercial, industrial developments while for the first time requiring bicycle parking in new multifamily residential developments, as well. The ordinance proposes set standards for signage, lighting, and access; and, addresses different types of bike parking, including the need for both short and long-term parking.

The proposed ordinance was reviewed and passed by the Transportation Committee last week. Please consider attending the meeting tomorrow to show your support for improved bicycle parking requirements in Los Angeles. The meeting is set to be held at the Board of Public Works Edward R. Roybal Hearing Room 350, City Hall, 200 North Spring St., at 2:30 pm.

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