>> With more people opting for less travel or more eco-travel, airlines are suffering -- but also getting greener, sort of. Wired's Dave Demerjian has the scoop from the Eco-Aviation Conference this week.
>> Thanks to NYC Mayor Bloomberg, cyclists in the Big Apple will get a temporary 6.9-mile car-free route from the Brooklyn Bridge to 72nd St. The "Summer Streets" program will "give New Yorkers unprecedented access to the streets for exercise and exploration from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on three consecutive Saturdays in August, the 9th, 16th and 23rd." Will Villaraigosa give Angelenos something similar?
If you're inspired to bike after reading Kathryn Pope's post debunking the idea of cars as safety devices -- but are still kind of scared about biking the traffic-clogged streets of L.A. -- take an urban biking class with C.I.C.L.E. to ease yourself into the cycling culture.
C.I.C.L.E.'s "Bikes in the City" Education Program helps everyone -- from those who haven't yet learned to ride a bike to already-comfortable cyclists interested in safer riding techniques. Upcoming classes include:
Learn to Ride (for adults), happening Saturday, June 28 at 9 a.m. (already full!)
Can You Handle It?: Beginning Bike Handling Skills Workshop, happening Saturday, July 26, 9 a.m.
Handle it Better!: Intermediate Bike Handling Skills Workshop, happening Saturday, Aug. 2, 9 a.m.
All classes cost $15 and will be held in Northeast L.A.; pre-register for specific details by contacting info@CICLE.org or (323) 478-0060.
Although individual cyclists can pick up and practice lots of bike safety skills, our cities, too, can do much to make make bicycling safer and more fun for urbanites. And this weekend, city mayors at the 76th U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami will be considering a few de-car-ing resolutions, including "ensuring bicycling is integrated into national transportation, climate, energy and health policy initiatives" and "support for public transportation in light of increasing fuel costs" (PDF of proposed resolutions here).
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Beverly Hills' Mayor Barry Brucker are among the attendees, along with other SoCal mayors. Check to see if your mayor's on the roster, then contact him/her and urge them to sign these resolutions.
>> The greenest way to dry your hands in a public bathroom. Wiping them on your pants is one option, but Slate.com's The Lantern also notes that "The bottom line is that hand dryers will be the greener choice in about 95 percent of circumstances."
>> Spring St. in downtown L.A. got a new pair of bike racks in front of 626 Gallery. Writes Eric Richardson of blogdowntown: "While certainly every rack is helpful for a cyclist looking to park, the excitement the sight of just one or two new racks can generate illustrates how far off the mark our city is as a whole."
>> Existing bike racks get busy. The usually half-full rack at Variety/E Channel Meridian Club building on Wilshire was packed, forcing Peggy Archer of LAist to tie her bike at a meter.
>> Free Bike Fridays on Governors Island in New York lets visitors try out NYC's sustained bike share program for free every Friday until Oct. 4. Streetsblog made a short video of people -- including a tourist from California -- taking advantage of the free bikes.
>> The ocean off San Clemente is getting an artificial reef made of about 125,000 tons of volcanic rock. The reef is intended to serve as the foundation for a kelp forest, which is hoped to serve as the basis for a complex marine ecosystem. The artificial reef is part of an effort to undo the damage from the nearby San Onofre nuclear plant.
>> Kleenex: Still Kleercutting. Greenpeace teams up with the Natural Resources Defense Council to step up the campaign against Kleenex-owner Kimberly-Clark, which still purchases pulp for its disposable products from destructive logging operations in North America’s Boreal Forest. The latest: A billboard displayed on the route traveled by Kimberly-Clark executives in Texas. Earlier: Kleercut campaign keeps spoofing Kleenex.
>> Wooden bicycles from around the world. "Made with whatever wood can be found, they use small wooden home-made wheels covered with discarded rubber rims. Forward movement depends on the rider pushing with their feet." (via kottke)
>> A Q&A about the subway to the sea, written by Steve Hymon of Bottleneck Blog. Summary of his post: The route for the subway hasn't been picked yet, the money isn't there, and assuming those obstacles are overcome, it'll still be 2 years until the line starts getting built.
>> Summer excursions, car-free! That's the next live Web chat topic with Metro Board Chair Pam O'Connor, happening noon to 1 p.m. on June 18 at metro.net/chat. According to Metro's press release, "Chair O'Connor will also be available to discuss the potential half cent sales tax dedicated to Los Angeles County transit projects and other transportation issues."
>> L.A.'s Bike Advisory Committee comments on the City’s Bike Master Plan. Top item on the BAC's comments: "Identify why many policies and recommendations in the previous bicycle master plan have not been implemented." The BAC's action comes after much critique from the bicycling community about BAC's inaction and ineffectiveness -- perhaps a contributing factor as to why not much has been done with the previous master plan.
>> Yet another reason why nuclear energy's unpopular: "Under current plans, the casks of nuclear waste material awaiting burial at Yucca Mountain could be sent into a "chaotic melee of bouncing and rolling juggernauts" in an earthquake, according to Holtec International, one of the nation's largest manufacturers of nuclear waste storage systems.
Valley bicyclists: Want better walk-bike-rail connections in your 'hood? Then join the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition and Metro for a bike or walk tour and weigh in on a plan to improve bike and walk access to the Van Nuys Metro Orange Line Station.
When: Saturday, May 31, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Where: Marvin Braude Constituent Services Center, Conference Room 1A., 6262 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys Cost: Free, with a free lunch if you RSVP to Dorothy Le at Dorothy@la-bike.org or (213) 629-2142.
According to Metro, this bike-walk deal is "part of a comprehensive study of existing conditions and recommendations for improvements at transit hubs across the Los Angeles County." The Saturday tour is just the first of five. The next four will all focus on Blue Line stations:
Metro Blue Line Compton Station, Saturday, June 14, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Metro Blue Line Florence Station, Saturday, June 21, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Metro Blue Line Rosa Parks Station, Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Metro Blue Line Vernon Station, Saturday, July 19, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Put them in your calendars. Wondering what happens after you put in your two cents? The findings from the tours -- which are part of a study funded by a Caltrans Environmental Justice Planning Grant -- will be put together into a final report of recommendations, scheduled to be completed this fall. That report, in turn, "can be used by cities to apply for grant funds to improve access to the stations," according to Metro.
Yes, that means that Metro's using a grant to do a study to apply for more grants; actually bringing about the recommended changes that come out of these bike-walk tours will be contingent on whether or not we get these future grants...
(Alex Thompson looks goofy with his tan arms and white hands . . . when will cycling manufacturers make "tan through" gloves?)
I've written about the most basic bike activism -- riding your bike in LA. I wrote about extending that to talking to friends and family, and taking that a step further to volunteer for a bike organization. What's left? A lot. There are many aspects of L.A.'s car culture that cyclists need to adjust in order for LA to be a bike friendly city. Right now there simply aren't enough people doing enough things.
So what can you do? The third way to bike activism is to get creative. You can create an organization, or become a lone wolf agitator. You could organize a group ride, pull off a media stunt, or become a regular at public meetings. You could document biking through writing, blogging, the ibikeu Wiki, film or photograph. You can take a leadership role in an existing bike organization. There are many needs, and even more approaches.
(Bike activists argue at the L.A. Bicycle Master Plan update meeting in West L.A. Photo by Franz Ellers, with Alex's camera!)
What you will do, if you get creative with activism, is fail. I know this because I personally have failed more often than I have succeeded at bike activism. I failed publicly on a joint project called Roll With It. I failed on my first project, Critical Commute, which I embarked on with almost no knowledge of existing bike activism and culture. I failed in trying to organize UCLA cyclists to lobby for a stronger UCLA Bicycle Master Plan. Ask me in private and I'll share my more recent failures. The point is to keep trying, and learn from your mistakes. It's OK to fail because, typically, when you succeed, your success will snowball and catalyze more change than you could have anticipated.
I think that documenting bike culture and bike activism is an area where more creative effort is needed. It's also an area in which one can have tremendous impact. Recently, Emerald City reader Nolen Clark recommended I watch "Return of the Scorcher," an influential movie from the '90s about a resurgence in cycling. As I watched it I felt as if the ideas it presented were useful, but unoriginal and commonplace. Then it hit me -- this movie has been watched by almost every bike activist in the United States who has operated in the last decade. It was so influential that everyone learned the ideas within it, making the ideas ubiquitous, and therefore the movie eventually made itself obsolete. It seems basic to me because it is part of today's base of knowledge; it has become an element of the foundation of knowledge from which bike activists operate. That is powerful.
(Two cyclists ride on the 405 during a traffic jam, a controversial instance of bike activism. Photo by Alex Thompson)
More recently a group called Crimanimal Mass mixed a creative ride idea with careful documentation to make a powerful statement about Los Angeles car culture. 25 cyclists (including me!), along with 3 rollerbladers, took to the 10 freeway, heading east onto the interchange to the 405 North, and eventually exiting onto Santa Monica Blvd. In the midst of the rush hour parking lots we call "freeways," I felt safe riding, since vehicle speeds were below eight mph. Organizers documented the ride using multiple video cameras and carefully crafted the footage for viewing on YouTube and Vimeo. The footage was picked up by numerous bloggers, and hundreds of thousands of people viewed the videos and read the articles.
Now, you might exclaim "what positive impact can breaking the law and riding where you don't belong possibly have?" "People are going to be put off by your wanton disregard for the law," you could argue. Many were, but the footage of cyclists passing cars stopped in bumper to bumper traffic on the gargantuan 405 raised interesting questions. Why is it that our transportation infrastructure is so broken that it doesn't function when it is most needed, at rush hour? Why is it that cyclists are better able to make use of a system designed for cars? Cyclists participating in the (second) Freeway Traffic Jam Ride succeeded in raising those questions in an intriguing way, a way not easily dismissed. They catalyzed conversations between citizens about highway infrastructure and cycling. By starting those conversations, they don't just help cyclists, but they help everyone who is stuck in traffic. It was a unique and creative instance of effective activism.
(Bikes and trees go together, a creative post-Freeway Ride use of trees. Photo by Alex Thompson)
Crimanimal Mass would have been far less effective had they received less media attention. That's the risk with more creative activism: there's no guaranteed payoff. However, the upside is that you can have impacts that conventional activism can only dream about. No mass e-mail by an established advocacy organization could have a similar impact as the Freeway Ride videos or Return of the Scorcher. This is true of other forms -- if you start a new organization there is a chance it will fail, but if it grows, then you have massive success. If you blog, there is a chance you will have trouble reaching new readers, but if you succeed you have created a powerful new voice for cyclists. These are higher-risk forms of activism, but they carry with them a chance of an avalanche of benefits for cyclists.
Next week I'll write about . . . I don't know what I'll write about. Perhaps I will write more about other forms of activism. What would you like to know about cycling in L.A.?
If you're a fan of David Byrne, you likely already know he had a little cycling accident and broke a couple ribs earlier this month. That snafu notwithstanding, Byrne's a big bicycling advocate -- and he promotes the biking life in "Transport," the latest episode from Sundance's "Big Ideas for a Small Planet."
"Transport" showcases the bicycle in a segment that centers around Portland, where bicycles even get their own signals at busy intersections. Find out what bike-friendly initiatives have been implemented in other cities, then see how those ideas stack up to the suggestions L.A. bicyclists have for improving the bike lifestyle in L.A.
The episode also highlights some MIT people inventing urban commuter cars that are electric, stackable, and can be rented with the swipe of a credit card -- much like those luggage carts at airports! These rentable cars aren't on the market yet, but green car geeks can still see what may be coming down the pipeline.
The show airs tonight at 9 on the Sundance Channel. If you missed previous "Big Ideas" episodes, you can catch up via iTunes. One of my favorite "Big Ideas" episodes -- "Grow" -- actually aired last week. The short program covered everything from xeriscaping to green roofs. Did you know green roofs can lessen urban runoff, create habitat for insects and birds, reduce energy use (primarily by cooling the building naturally), provide food, and triple the life of the roofing material? I don't actually have a roof to green, but I'm wondering if I can turn my balcony into a green roof-like surface ...
[This article is the second in a three-part series on ways individuals can work to improve conditions for cyclists and encourage cycling. That's exactly the goal of bike activism, so in essence, this is a three-part series about ways to engage in bike activism. Read the first post.]
Two weeks ago I wrote about biking as the most essential act of bike activism, and talking to others about cycling as the natural followup. After you wear out your welcome evangelizing biking to your friends and family (or convert them all), one route to expanding your activism is to volunteer for an organization.
Volunteering is simple, right? You just go to the organization you choose to volunteer for, say "Here I am," and they give you a stack of envelopes to lick. I disagree. Volunteering is a complex and often creative act. There are a variety of factors to consider in choosing for whom you volunteer, and what activities you volunteer to do.
In choosing where to volunteer, you should think about what forms of activism are the most effective for cycling. You might choose a different organization to volunteer for if you believe direct outreach to be more important than advocacy. You are also tasked with evaluating whether the organization you choose is effectively utilizing your effort.
Most importantly, you need to consider what you would like to do. We volunteer our free time and excess energy, so it is important that whatever you choose to do as a volunteer is rewarding. If not, you won't volunteer for very long, and that's no good for anyone. How much energy and time would you like to devote? If you over-commit you won't be very effective, and if you volunteer for a high-energy task when you're tired, you won't be of much help to the organization. Conversely, if you have a lot of energy to volunteer, and you get stuck licking envelopes, you'll be bored to death.
In L.A., I know of five organizations where you can volunteer to help cyclists: CICLE, the three bike repair collectives - the Bike Oven, the Bicycle Kitchen, and the Bikerowave - and the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition.
C.I.C.L.E., a.k.a. Cyclists Inciting Change Through Live Exchange, recently pulled off a spectacular event series, Bike Week Pasadena, culminating in an all-day Urban Bicycle Commuter Expo. The Expo confirmed that CICLE has the ability and opportunity to delegate to volunteers, as well as access to local government to leverage volunteer efforts. Bike Week Pasadena demonstrated an ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously. If you volunteer for CICLE you can be sure that your efforts will be fully utilized.
(Ashira Siegel staffing a booth at the Urban Bicycle Commuter Expo, volunteers for the Bicycle Film Festival.)
CICLE is a multi-faceted organization, so there's more than one way to contribute. They have a local outreach component, which focuses on events like Bike Week Pasadena as a means to reach demographics not always targeted by bike activists. Their news and views is the best aggregation of bike news (mixed with some original content) available, and has international reach. CICLE also produces a variety of beautiful literature to hand out to people interested in cycling.
If you're interested in volunteering, e-mail info@cicle.org.
Bike Repair Collectives -- the Bike Oven, Bikerowave, and the Bicycle Kitchen -- are not-for-profit bike shops that teach cyclists how to fix their bicycles. All three of these organizations have diverse needs. They need mechanics who will do the basic work of teaching customers bicycle repair. They also need people to help with the organizations' administrative functions: promotion, finances, records, policy, scheduling, etc.
Volunteering as a mechanic for a bike repair collective is very rewarding. Firstly, the organizations will train you in bicycle repair, so no prior bike repair experience is required, and you'll end up with expertise in bike repair. Teaching others how to fix their bikes, you are able to immediately witness the impact you've made in the community. You will be constantly sending customers out the door with newly functioning bikes and an education in bicycle repair. When someone approaches you months later whom you don't recognize, and thanks you for guiding them through a repair, it's a good feeling.
(Eric Weinstein, at the Urban Bicycle Commuter Expo, volunteers for the Bikerowave.)
Volunteering on the administrative side is a chance to get your feet wet steering a dynamic volunteer organization. With the Bicycle Kitchen, you have an opportunity to be part of an organization that is having tremendous impact on the community. With Bikerowave and the Bike Oven you have extremely young organizations that are just starting to structure themselves. Both the Bike Oven and Bikerowave have more administrative work to be done than they have workers, so you can have immediate impact by taking care of a task that needs doing.
I suggest, if volunteering at a bike repair collective interests you, volunteering at the one closest to you. Since they are an unusual form of organization, it might be a good idea to go visit in person to get a sense for how they function, before firing off an e-mail offering your help.
The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition is the oldest bike advocacy organization in L.A., founded in 1998. They have a variety of needs for volunteers, mostly centered around fundraisers and their bi-monthly socials or upcoming River Ride. You can find out more by visiting the volunteering section of their website.
(Bikes valet-parked at the Urban Bicycle Commuter Expo.)
Besides these five orgs, one other opportunity is the upcoming Bicycle Film Festival. Last year's festival was spectacular, and with the amazing show they put on, there must be a huge operation behind the curtains. E-mail volunteer@bicyclefilmfestival.com to pitch in for the Bicycle Film Festival when it is in L.A., July 16-19.
That's about it. A parting suggestion: when you volunteer for an organization, apply the same degree of professionalism you do to your life or career. When I was a volunteer manager of volunteers it was frustrating when people did not take it seriously. When you volunteer there are people who will be relying on you, so don't let them down. As always, remember: have fun!
Next week I'll write about more unconventional ways to go about activism (or arguably, just ways that aren't volunteering.)
Missed the Great L.A. River Clean Up yesterday? Too bad -- but now that volunteers have prettied things up for you, it's the perfect time to take a grand tour of our famous but relatively unknown river. On June 8, you can join a bunch of other Angelenos to check out the L.A. River -- by bike or by car!
Be one of 2,000+ cyclists taking part in The Los Angeles River Ride on June 8, organized by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. Riders at all levels are welcome; you can pick from 100-, 70-, 50-, 10-mile rides -- or a Kids' Ride.
There'll be music, food, prizes -- and like pretty much every big event happening in L.A. these days, an Eco Expo. Register to ride for $49 ($39 for LACBC members). The Kids' Ride costs just $15.
Think it's too hot to bike? Then take a car-caravan tour of the L.A. River with the nonprofit Friends of the L.A. River on June 8, from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. See current and planned river restoration sites, including the Sepulveda Basin in the Valley, the Glendale Narrows across from Griffith Park, the historic Arroyo Seco confluence, the Los Angeles State Historic Park (a.k.a. the Cornfield), and the heart of downtown. At each spot you'll learn about the river's important role in the city's past, present and future.
Sign up by contacting FoLAR at mail@folar.org or (323) 223-0585. The tour costs $25 for adults ($20 for FoLAR members); children under 18 and dogs are free.
>> How to bring smart growth to your city. Experts name a variety of ways you can take action as an individual to encourage less sprawled, more vibrant cities.
>> Smart Faucet: A small gadget for your sink to help save water. Potential shortcomings I see: The gadget won't prevent the waste that happens when one runs the water waiting for it to warm up, and the gadget might get in the way if you wash your face in the sink. I haven't tested it out myself though. Anyone tried it?
Bike to Work Week's officially over, but the bicycle love just keeps coming -- into my mailbox and e-mail inbox. The latest fun bike love comes in the form of a cute 120-page booklet, "Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet," written by Eric Sorensen and others at the nonprofit think tank Sightline Institute and published by the Sierra Club.
The first wonder, as you may've guessed, is the bicycle. Why? It's the most energy-efficient vehicle ever made, and it's available widely NOW. In fact, all seven "wonders" covered in this book -- from the condom to the clothesline -- are ALL uber-efficient objects that are both affordable and readily available.
While all seven of these items are eco-friendly, efficient inventions in and of themselves, each also serves as a synecdoche for larger environmental issues. Yes, every bike ride that replaces a car trip reduces CO2 emissions -- but considering the bicycle also forces us to confront larger issues about our transportation habits, our city layout and planning, our car culture, and the like.
Those of you reading this blog'll be happy to know that the microchip also makes the list, as a synecdoche for the information economy. After all, the computer's made telecommuting -- and the attendant reduction in auto travel -- possible. Even though computer use still uses up a lot of energy, the computer's given us a way of sharing information cheaply and efficiently.
Of course, I did have quibbles with the book here and there, mainly because "Seven Wonders" often tends to oversimplify issues and statistics for dramatic impact. For example, "Seven Wonders" asserts that a book bought at a bookstore incurs 16 times the energy costs of a book bought at Amazon -- despite the fact that enviro experts have shown e-commerce only saves energy -- and not even that much -- if you live in rural areas.
In addition, "Seven Wonders" claims roughly 80% of humans can afford to buy a bicycle -- which I have a hard time believing, considering the fact that over half of the world's population lives on less than $2 per day according to the United Nations Development Programme.
Still, I liked the book's can-do attitude and the micro-macro perspective to the major enviro-issues confronting us today. Read some excerpts here, or buy the book -- printed on chlorine-free, 50% post-consumer recycled paper -- for $9.95.
>> If your bicycle needs a post-week tuneup, check out "The Chainbreaker Bike Book," a new "seat-of-the-pants, low-budget ... do-it-yourself bike maintenance guide that keeps things simple, straightforward, and, most importantly, real," according to Keith Goetzman in Utne.
>> A bold water conservation plan's coming to L.A. The plan includes mandatory water-use restrictions on residents, changes in building codes, and waste water recycling programs. "Administration officials say the point is to act now so the city can meet increased demand through a combination of conservation and recycling. They note that Los Angeles is an arid metropolis that has grown by dipping long straws in far-flung water supplies."
>> It's Bike to Work Day! Pedal to work and get free bus rides, plus snacks and other goodies at the many pit stops around the city.
>> Downtown art exhibit space Pharmaka's gone green with LED lights, eco-friendly furniture and an energy-efficient air circulation system (via blogdowntown). The greening process will be shown in a new green lifestyle show on the Discovery Channel starring Adrian Grenier called Alter Eco, which appears to have copied the name of a fair trade company I like.
>> *Finally, polar bears were given recognition under the Endangered Species Act by the Bush administration yesterday, one day before the deadline set by a judge. (An earlier version of this item stated that the bears were placed on the Endangered Species list. In fact, the recent ruling gives the animal "threatened" status under the Endangered Species Act.)
>> Are you drinking genetically modified wine? ML01, a genetically modified yeast, is in some North American wines -- and won't be listed on a label despite the fact no one has throughly tested its safety. "Letting lab-produced ingredients slip into the bottle unchecked is antithetical to an ethos based in appreciation of artisan traditions, deep connections between producers and the land, and personal relationships between distributors and consumers. Until North American health organizations start regulating the labeling of GM foodstuffs, it’s all the more essential to be intimately acquainted with what you sip."
>> First-time tips for newbie cyclers who plan to two-wheel on Bike to Work Day tomorrow! Damien Newton of Streetsblog LA has links and tips for you to plan your ride while taking advantage of the many freebies that are going to be given out at pit stops tomorrow.
>> Are you a cyclist who occasionally drives? Then dump AAA and sign up for Better World, because the latter lets you add on a "bicycle membership" for just $17. In addition to bicycle road assistance, the deal includes a membership to the League of American Bicyclists, a subscription to Bicycling magazine, and other goodies. Car-free? Then get a bike-only membership for $39.95. (via Tiny Choices)
>> Cycling convo with council member. Mack Reed of LA Metblogs has an impromptu chat about bike trails with council member Tom LaBonge when the two are stopped at a red light.
>> Bicycles make a city healthier. Writes J. Matthew Roney for Earth Policy Institute: "Promoting the bike as a clean and efficient alternative to the personal automobile is a practical way for cities to reduce traffic congestion and smog. To simultaneously confront those problems as well as climate change and an emerging obesity epidemic, government leaders and advocacy groups are working to bring cycling back to prominence in the urban transport mix." (via The Cleanest Line)
Image of "Biking to Work" courtesy of Chelsea Green Publishing
Natalie Cadranel (below, cycling) is the program director at a local environmental health nonprofit, Healthy Child Healthy World, as well as a volunteer at the Bikerowave.
This may be Bike to Work week, but I doubt most motorists are cruising the mean streets of L.A. with any more caution. Shifting the car culture mentality to include space for cyclists will be extremely difficult, but it is possible.
After spending most of my adult years in more bike-friendly cities like Davis, Calif., when I moved back to L.A. a few years ago I had forgotten about the cyclists vs. motorists war being waged in Los Angeles. I don't think I know one person who hasn't been clipped, cussed at or driven off the road while biking down here. It's no wonder people are disinclined to hop on a bike for their daily commute considering the lack of bike lanes, thoughtlessness of drivers, and an abundance of poorly-paved streets.
Fortunately, change is in the air. As gas and food prices continue to rise and the health-conscious Angelenos start looking for cheaper ways to get their exercise on and avoid getting in the car, buying a bike may be a very convenient option.
A lot of people are unwilling to adapt their schedule and mind to cycling vs. driving to their destinations, but those who do realize it's a worthwhile and rewarding change. Not only are you no longer sitting in traffic -- isolated in your car from the rest of the world, burning gallons of the most contentious natural resource of our time -- but you are greatly benefiting your health, sharpening your 5 senses, reducing traffic, and feeling the great effects of that endorphin release.
The more bikes on the road, the fewer cars, and the fewer cars on the road, the safer cyclists are from being hit. On top of that, those driving will most likely get to their destinations faster due to decreased auto traffic.
The numbers of L.A. cyclists have increased in the past few years, but we will have to dramatically strengthen our numbers on the streets and at city council meetings to start seeing real changes any time soon. After all, the more bikes out there, the more likely cyclists will engender change in our favor.
>> For the second time this year, Westside "Criminal Mass" bicyclists took to the 10 and 405 highways last Friday to protest things -- pollution, according to NBC, which aired some of the footage. (via LAist)
>> Will the Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee get restructured and organized? Yes, if a motion (PDF) coming before the City Council Planning & Land Use (PLUM) Committee today gets passed. Cyclists have been criticizing the BAC for 64.9% attendance record and lack of action: "During ’07, the BAC took action 10 times. 6 of those actions were to approve minutes and 4 times the Committee voted to send a letter although there is no evidence that any letters were ever sent."
>> Best place to get a used bike: Coco's Variety in Silver Lake, according to Sean Bonner of LA Metblogs. "You can pick up a solid bike in fantastic condition often for less than a brand new piece of crap at Target will cost you, and it’ll last a lot longer too."
On Saturday, I took advantage of the free valet bicycle parking at "Revel With a Cause," the eco-themed Santa Monica Festival happening at Clover Park. There's my chainless white bike to the right, being rolled away to be locked and guarded. I got a raffle ticket too, for my chance to win an unspecified prize.
Children seemed to be having the most fun, making recycled crafts in what seemed like every other booth.
Most trash stations had a volunteer letting people know what to throw where, though
whoever was supposed to be watching this one must have taken a break.
I left too early to win the raffle. But I collected my bike right after this very cute bicycling father-daughter duo (or uncle-niece or big bro-lil' sis). You can't tell very well from this picture, but both were expertly biking one-handedly while holding Icees in their left hands.
>> Every day's bike to work day for Karen at Losanjealous since her Honda "went to compact heaven in January.": "Getting around L.A. could be a lot less of a hassle for bikers, and the key is to get more of us out there. So stop making excuses and hop on the bike, maybe use the next five days as an experiment."
>> Higher gas prices mean the freeway's less like a parking lot now. Gas consumption's down -- and been going down for the last two years. "Meanwhile, ridership on mass transit has continued on an upswing. Metrolink commuter trains are averaging about 46,000 passengers each weekday, up from 44,000 a year ago."
>> The skinny on avoiding BPA, an endocrine disruptor that's been making the news a lot lately: Use only plastic containers that are labeled No. 1, No. 2, No. 4, or No. 5, or specifically marked "BPA-free." Avoid alll other plastics.
>> Why SUVs suck. Frago of la.metblogs rents a ‘07 Dodge Durango, get disenchanted. "At 11.34MPG I put a nice down payment on an oil dictators summer home in the Alps."
>> Did you know coyotes find tortoises tasty? Endangered California desert tortoises were helicoptered from the Army's nearby National Training Center at Ft. Irwin to new habitat in the Mojave desert in a $8.7-million relocation effort. Unfortunately, coyotes are eating the relocated tortoises!
>> Plan to bike to Dodger Stadium? The sole bike rack's in Lot P -- though not even the parking attendants seem to know of its existence. Damien Newton offers photographic guidance -- and a lot of constructive criticism for the stadium -- in Streetsblog LA.
>> Organic farming mitigates climate change, says Timothy LaSalle of the Rodale Institute, a leading organic-farming research and advocacy organization. "Synthetic fertilizer and oil-based pesticides release carbon dioxide into the air. But the organic approach, which is truly regenerative agriculture, sequesters carbon: It takes carbon out of the air and puts it back in the soil."
>> The U.S. EPA needs to regulate carbon monoxide, rules a judge. The EPA was told it needs to regulate carbon dioxide too -- but the agency appears set on shirking that responsibility until the end of the Bush administration.
Pasadena isn't the only city celebrating Bike to Work week next week. Events are happening nationwide, Metro's getting in on the bike riding fun with a weeklong schedule of activities (PDF), including lots and lots of giveaways, free bus rides and a guest appearance by -- Shrek.
Shrek will be working the giveaway table at the kick-off event for Metro's Bike to Work Week, happening 9 am on Monday, May 12, at the Universal City Metro Red Line Station. Take your bike on a train ride to see the event, and you'll get freebies ranging from bike water bottles to sunscreen samples to Clif bars. L.A. City Councilmember Tom Labonge, Glendale Mayor John Drayman, and Metro CEO Roger Snoble will all be there.
Can't commit to riding a whole week? Then at least commit to riding Thursday, May 15 -- the official Bike to Work day. Between 7 am and 10 am, bikers can take breaks at "pit stops" all over the city that will be giving out snacks and other freebies.
You don't even have to bike your whole commute. Many transit agencies are offering free bus and rail rides to bikers; all you need is to board with your bike or helmet on Bike to Work Day.
If you do plan to bike it on May 15, make your pledge-to-bike here to be put in a drawing for a folding bike from REI! Other prizes include gift cards for REI and other companies, passes to the Laugh Factory, and bike messenger bags. Oddly, pledges are accepted until May 16, a day AFTER Bike to Work day -- so you could technically "pledge" post-ride.
And to see just how much you'll be saving -- both gas money-wise and carbon-footprint-wise -- check out the new Bike to Work calculator on the Metro website. To the right's the calculations for a person who decides to bike instead of driving a Santa Monica to downtown L.A. commute (I grant you'd have to be a pretty hardcore biker to do this, but anyway....). The boxes aren't labeled very well, but after a call to Metro, I found out that the numbers under "Gasoline savings" mean this: You'd save $15.41 of your money and 3.75 gallons of gas if you switched to biking, assuming that your car gets 20 mpg and gas costs $4.11 a gallon.
Those really, really psyched about the savings can download a Bike to Work day screensaver. Caveat: screensavers don't save energy; put your computer to sleep or shut down instead!
>> "Accidentally" take more car lanes out of service. Eric Richardson of blogdowntown notes that traffic gets around fine on 6th St., despite the fact that a lane has been taken up by a transformer for several weeks. "If the city's content to let the lane sit blocked for weeks at a time, one has to question whether it's really so necessary for traffic after all."
>> Ditch the bottled water habit already. Colin Beavin, No Impact Man, talks about Elizabeth Royte's "Bottlemania," a soon to be published book about our drinking water. Writes Royte: "I come away from my investigations with at least one certainty: not all tap water is perfect. But it is the devil we know, the devil we have standing to negotiate with and improve. Bottled water companies don't answer to the public, they answer to shareholders." Earlier: Bottle up.
>> Make an ambitious urban bicycle plan a reality. New York city plans to "make it possible for riders to traverse Manhattan via dedicated bike lanes and circumnavigate the island along the waterfront. Sheltered bicycle parking and thousands of new public bike racks are already in place." L.A.'s a little behind.
>> Try NOT eating corn -- corn-based additives, that is. In Whole Life Times, Katherine Pryor keeps a journal of her three days off corn, a diet "which pretty much excludes all the mysterious multisyllabic ingredients on the back of most processed foods. It also excludes all those “acids”: ascorbic, citric, lactic, malic or otherwise."
>> Grow and buy basil from the block. "More and more New Yorkers ... are raising fruits and vegetables, and not just to feed their families but to sell to people on their block." If urban farmers can make a go of it in that crowded city, we can surely do it here in L.A. (h/t to reader Mercy)
(L.A. Cyclista Alex Thompson will go to Bike Week Pasadena and you should too.)
Bike Week Pasadena is May 12 through the 17th. Between me and you, this is the event series to go to. The final event, the Urban Bicycle Commuter Expo, was awesome last year. I helped staff a booth, but in truth, I was useless because I was strolling around checking everything out. There were amazing freak bikes, antique bikes that looked freaky, a custom frame builder displaying a bike with wooden rims, and a variety of activist organizations.
This year's Urban Bike Commuter Expo is Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the One Colorado Courtyard in Pasadena. In my three-and-a-half years participating in underground bike culture in L.A., I've been to five events that knocked my socks off. Two of those were organized by CICLE, and one was last year's Bike Expo. The 40-mile round trip was well worth it. This year, CICLE organizers again have secured the One Colorado shopping district for the expo, so Saturday shoppers will be exposed to a broad array of cycling organizations and vendors.
CICLE still has some room for small cycling vendors, and this year has negotiated to allow limited sales during the event. So if you're an artisan or vendor who produces cycling-related items, be sure to contact CICLE at info@cicle.org.
Here's a fancy old school bike at last year's event:
>> Not all tires are created equal, with some lowering fuel economy by 10% or more! "With no standardized rating available, consumers often unwittingly choose tires that hurt fuel economy." It seems the only way to figure out whether one's tires will allow for better fuel economy than another is by trial and error. Maybe a tire rating site is in order?
>> Riverside gets BikeLids -- which are sort of like covered parking for your bicycle. Since the BikeLid's secured with a U-Lock or padlock, it doesn't seem to offer additional security from theft -- but your bike'll be shielded from the elements.
Ever stained your favorite pair of jeans on your bicycle chain? I've actually never had this problem, but many of my friends have had their pant legs greased or torn up during a bike ride. Today, I put together a bike that'd get rid of this dirty issue altogether -- because the bike is entirely chain-free!
Dynamic Bicycles makes a snazzy line of chain-free bicycles that look good and ride easy (here's an explanation of the chainless technology). The Web-based company only lets you order their bikes online. Mine arrived in a box via UPS a few days ago -- and today, thanks to the good people at the Bikerowave, it got assembled!
Bikerowave is a little DIY bike shop in Santa Monica, which serves as the Westside counterpart of sorts to the Eastside's Bicycle Kitchen. For just $5 an hour, you can drop in to use all the bike tools and equipment in the place, maybe even find salvaged parts at a bargain, and work on your bike with guidance from one of Bikerowave’s volunteers.
So that's where I took the bike-in-a-box. Now, it's an actual bike! There it is in its black-and-white glory, above.
Overall, assembly wasn't hard, especially since Dynamic Bicycles includes in its box pretty much all the tools necessary to put the bike together. However, we did run into a couple unexpected issues. The biggest snafu was an unnecessary ferrule on the brake line (right), which we had to take the line apart to remove.
The second issue was that the back fender and one wheel spoke got slightly bent / dented in the shipping -- though neither issue affected the mechanics of the bike at all. The last issue: The back reflector (left) didn't fit anywhere on the bike.
But we got it together! The Bikerowave people attached a couple lights, and now the bike's ready to hit the road. I and a bunch of people at the 'wave tried riding it around a bit. One person even tried attaching a video camera to the handlebars (right).
So far, the Dynamic Bicycle appears to work just like "regular" bikes, sans the problems that come with the bike chain. In addition, the chain-free bike was quieter and the body looks more spare and clean.
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