Alex Baum Bridge re-dedication ceremony this Thursday (You’re invited!)

Making way for the new plaque to be installed

On Thursday, from 11 to 12 p.m. LADOT and Councilmember Tom LaBonge will be re-dedicating the Alex Baum Bicycle Bridge in a ceremony from 11 to 12 at the bridge, located above Los Feliz Blvd. The dedication ceremony will showcase new bronze plaques (unveiled earlier this year at the Blessing of the Bicycles) honoring Alex Baum and his role in promoting bicycling in Los Angeles (just in time for his birthday.) Parking will be limited so we are encouraging attendees to bike, take transit or carpool to the ceremony. Join in the celebration to get a first-hand look at the plaques and a chance to hear guest speakers honor Alex’s accomplishments and L.A’s long bicycling history.

Please note, that the bicycle bridge will be closed to bicyclists from 10:30 to 11:30 for the purpose of the ceremony. A clearly signed detour will be available for bicyclists passing through the area at this time.

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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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What to do During Carmageddon Weekend: Ideas and Discounts

Where will you walk/bike this weekend?

No plans for Carmageddon 2 weekend? Not sure with whom or where to bike? Feel as though you’ll be stuck indoors with nothing to do?

Well, fear no longer; your Bike Program interns are here to put some excitement into your weekend. If you’re feeling like getting some exercise and being social, check out our previous blog posts regarding organized bike rides happening this weekend. With dozens of rides happening all over the city all weekend long, there is bound to be one nearby in which you can participate.

If you want a little more variety then just a bike ride, LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky came out with a list of 53 Ways to survive without the 405, one activity for each of the 53 hours LA’s most used freeway will be closed.  Granted, the list came out during last year’s episode (can you even see “Shrek: the Musical” in theaters anymore?), but if you can manage to complete all of the up-to-date activities on the list, then time well spent!

With nearly 300 businesses citywide offering discounts for the entire weekend, you can’t say there was nothing to do during Carmageddon 2!

If you’re more in the mood to get out and about and explore your neighborhood, check out Metro’s Eat, Shop, and Play Locally Weekend Discount Program to see nearly 300 participating businesses and organizations offering deals, encouraging Angelenos to stay close to home during the Carpocolypse. You can also view their correlated interactive map.

Ranker has also fashioned together a Best of Camageddon Deals page that’s worth a view.

If you plan on taking advantage of any of the aforementioned ideas or discounts, be sure to map out your route and get there via bike! If that’s not an option, why not utilize the public transit system?

How are you planning on spending the weekend? Joining in on an organized bike ride? Riding somewhere new or exciting on your own? Taking advantage of any certain deal? Let us know by leaving your comments below. See you all on the other side (the other side being Monday)!

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Get out your Calendar: BPIT Meeting October 2

Attend the next BPIT meeting on October 2 to have an influence on the future of bicycling in Los Angeles!

On Tuesday, October 2nd, the City of Los Angeles Departments of City Planning (LADCP) and Transportation (LADOT) will be holding its quarterly Bicycle Planning Implementation Team (BPIT) meeting. This meeting, open to the public, will take place in the California Bear Credit Union Community Room (located on the first floor alongside Broad Plaza) from 1-4pm. All avid cyclists, organization representatives, and inquisitive Angelenos are welcome and encouraged to attend.

During the last meeting in July, debate between adding bike lanes in the Northridge area on either Roscoe Blvd or Sherman Way  was one of the most popular and divided of discussions. As promised, a post comparing and contrasting bike lanes on either Roscoe Blvd or Sherman Way will be posted later this week so as to give the public enough time to form their own opinion on the matter. Other information regarding this meeting, including the agenda, will be posted closer to the actual meeting date.

If you have any ideas/recommendations for discussion topics, please start sharing them with us soon, so that we may do our best to include your input into the agenda. You can either use the reply option below to create a forum for discussion, or you can email us at ladotbikeblog@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing all of you on October 2!

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Carpocalypse 2012: What it means for Cyclists

405 Closure Map, originally posted by the LAPD.

During the last weekend in September, the San Diego Freeway (the 405) will be closed in order to complete the demolition of what remains of the Mulholland Bridge. This construction-filled weekend is the next step in the Sepulveda Pass Improvement Project, as the freeway will be widened to accommodate high occupancy vehicle (carpool) lanes. Already being dubbed “Carmageddon II” due to the similar full closure occurring last July, the 10-mile stretch of the 405 (starting from the 101 junction in the north to the juncture with the 10 in the south) will begin closing on-ramps starting at 7pm on Friday the 28th, with the portion of the freeway completely cleared by midnight. The entire operation is projected to take 53 hours, with ramps and connectors staring to open again at 6am on October 1. Despite last year’s closure being completed 17 hours ahead of schedule, this year’s demolition team must remove two  bridge columns instead (one column was removed last year). 

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Pro Walk/Pro Bike 2012: Come check it out!

The Pro Walk/Pro Bike/Pro Place conference will be held in Long Beach Sept 10-13. Be sure to stop by and hear from several current and former LADOT Bike Program representatives!

Pro Walk/Pro Bike is having its international conference in Long Beach this upcoming week. It will be held September 10-13, at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. The conference will feature over 100 presentations, from a long list of renowned experts, spanning six themes (Invest & Govern, Advocate & Include, Design & Engineer, Healthy & Safe, Plan & Connect, Safe Roads to Schools & Beyond) and seven tracks (Placemaking, ITE, Safety/Data, Green Lane, Road Share, Peer Problem Solving Consultation, Offsite Event). Check out the schedule of events.

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Tour da Arts, Vol. 4 to roll through Santa Monica this weekend!

Our friends at C.I.C.L.E. (Cyclists Inciting Change Thru LIVE Exchange) are throwing an awesome event this Sunday, August 19th, 2012 out in Santa Monica. They have joined forces with the Santa Monica Museum of Art (SMMoA) for a day of creative art, infectious music and dancing, dynamic puppetry and a liberating cultural bicycle ride through the city of Santa Monica. Below the fold, check out the press release for more information about the event, including ride check-in times, and stop locations.

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