The week around the transpo-sphere: tunnels, speed cameras and bike sharing

Hope you're having a good weekend, Bottleneckers. A few things that caught my eye recently...

The New Yorker had a wonderfully long story about Herrenknecht AG, the German firm that specializes in tunneling for highways, railroads and utilities. The firm is currently involved in some epic projects, including a tunnel under the Alps and some big digs in Barcelona for a subway expansion. There's also a local angle, as Herrenknecht AG dug the twin tunnels under Boyle Heights for the Gold Line expansion to the Eastside (one is shown above). Besides the engineering audacity involved in some of these projects, the article left me impressed with the willingness of some countries and cities to support infrastructure projects. Unfortunately only the abstract of the story is online at the New Yorker website, so try to beg the Sept. 15 issue off a friend.

If you're headed on a road trip to Arizona anytime soon, be warned: the state is going ahead with Gov. Janet Napolitano's plan to greatly expand the use of speed enforcement cameras. The deployment is rolling out, reports the Associated Press, and many of the cameras are installed in vehicles, so they can be moved around the state. Speed cameras have been rebuffed several times by the Legislature in California, but I suspect it's just a matter of time -- and a big enough deficit -- until someone here decides there's a mountain of revenue to be had.

Damien Newton, of Streetsblog Los Angeles, dropped by City Hall the other day to hear the City Council talk about implementing a bike sharing plan -- the kind that Councilwoman Wendy Greuel thought was neat at the Dems' convention in Denver. From the looks of things, nothing really happened other than a discussion. I covered City Hall for three years, and that's usually how it goes: pols meet, pols talk, pols adjourn meeting.

While on the subject of Mr. Newton, he did a fine post on the little-known fact that you need to license your bike to ride in both L.A. and Santa Monica -- and you can get ticketed if you don't have one. So, let me get this straight. In L.A., a city that has completely dropped the ball in so many ways when it comes to providing biking facilities, they're making people get licenses? I didn't know this and have now moved several city officials into the top 10 of my call list on Monday morning. I look forward to their explanation for this outrage.

Google Transit expanded to New York City, reports the NYT. We're still waiting for the MTA and Google to reach some type of peace accord here. Tick tick tick....

Washington state was the first to ban text messaging, but the Seattle P-I reports that just two tickets have been reported in Seattle courts. There's only been a few dozen on a statewide level. As for Californians like you and me -- the law that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed this past week takes effect Jan. 1. Put down your phones and do what we did in the old days and play with your radio instead.

--Steve Hymon

Comments

[M]

Vendors are actually supposed to sell new bicycles with licenses within the city of LA.

http://www.bicyclela.org/Programs.htm

[Mikael]

Bicycle licences are just plain silly. In Denmark each and every bike has a serial number and it registered, but it's free and the only reason for it is that insurance companies lobbied for it in an attempt to keep track of stolen bicycles. It's a logistical issue, not a legal one.

In Switzerland they have bike registration but again, for insurance purposes.

I have a fun post about it over at Copenhagenize.com:
http://www.copenhagenize.com/2008/05/rewarding-cyclists.html
about rewarding cyclists instead of punishing them with bureacracy.

[Ingrid Peterson]

All hail the glory of LA Streetsblog and Damien Newton!

I worked as a librarian at USC once and I know they have a place called DPS (Dept. of Public Safety) where you can get your bicycle license.

I'm pretty sure they will do it for anyone who shows up and it might be easier than trying to get it from the LAPD.

It might take me a while, but I fully intend to license all three of my bicycles. Yes sir.

I just wish it was mandatory that money they collect for these bike licenses be spent on bike facilities, amenities, sharrows and the like.

Or perhaps the City could use the money to host weekly Car Free Events, every Sunday let's say.

It seems to be working well in Mexico City where the bicycles take to the Sunday streets!

LA's Sunday Streets!!

Start with Griffith Park.

I heard Pasadena just shut down the Rose Bowl for in a similarly bicycle friendly fashion.....

[Rhode Bloch]

I have received one of those wonderful bicycle license tickets. The police officer pulled over a group of us downtown for riding on the right to move to the front of the line of cars stopped at a light. When the light went green the cop passed everyone in the opposite lane of traffic and veered dangerously in front of traffic and us and slammed on his brakes. He let us go because we had a copy of the cvc and he realized that we were legally allowed to pass cars on the right.

Soon enough however we were pulled over AGAIN and the cop issued a red light ticket to one person who was behind and had apparently run the light, AND additionally gave out 5 more tickets to those who did not have bike licenses. The ticket is $160.

I immediately brought my bike in to the station - the only station that issues bike licenses - 251 E. 6th Street, LA 90014 during the posted hours of 10am to 8pm Tues and Thurs to get legal. The officers at the desk refused to fill out the paper work because they claimed that the person who does the licenses had left early. I of course demanded to see their superior. He was a nice guy and promptly made the officer who formerly denied me, do the paperwork. I understand these guys are busy. But you have to pay the piper if you give out frivolous tickets. SO..... everyone is now URGED to go to the station (address above) and get your bike licensed immediately. Don't get caught riding illegal. It will cost you! Bike licenses are only $3. Be firm with them. Don't let them turn you away. I was told to come back when I brought my SECOND bike down to the station but I stood my ground. I hope they don't try to be silly when I bring my THIRD bike in.... I intend to be a legal law abiding citizen.