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Tag Archive for: Los Angeles

Sunset4All: A Big Step Forward for Biking in LA

August 17, 2021/by Kevin Claxton

Thanks to community organizing and popular demand, Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles could soon get a two-way, parking-separated bikeway. Sunset is a critical arterial street for East Hollywood, Silver Lake, and Echo Park. A safe connection on Sunset is essential to make these neighborhoods accessible to people on bikes. The impressive progress on this visionary project is the result of dedicated community organizing and an unusual strategy to convince the city to consider it.

Sunset4All starts with community engagement

Sunset4All is a community-led project that is fiscally sponsored by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. Organizers have spent years building support for the project, which will add amenities for people who take transit and walk as well as 3.2 miles of protected bike lanes. 

“Right now people have to choose between driving or taking their life into their hands. Sunset4All would make it safe enough to walk, bike, roll, or take transit for short trips. It would also create safe routes to school and make the “main street” of our community a more pleasant place to walk, dine and shop,” said Sunset4All Co-Founder Terence Heuston. Heuston and  Avital Shavit have been the powerhouse organizers behind Sunset4All.

Shavit and Heuston have enlisted more than 500 volunteers. Organizers have engaged with a wide variety of stakeholders, including bike leaders, local business owners, and ethnic communities. The proposal incorporates the important cultural history of the neighborhood, creating a cultural trail along the length of the bikeway. The result is a proposal with broad community support that will be hard for local elected officials to reject. This is key, because at least for now, in Los Angeles city council members have nearly complete authority over street design when it comes to bikeways.

Sunset ride in LA
CalBike ED Dave Snyder joins local leaders for Sunset Boulevard ride.

Putting the “civilian” in civil engineering

Sunset4All has one highly unusual strategy: raising money and commissioning the initial engineering plans for the street redesign. While it shouldn’t be a public responsibility to hire engineers to propose plans for projects like this, sometimes that’s what it takes to get past official inertia. 

The strategy has its benefits because, during the fundraising process, you identify lots of supporters who care enough to chip in a few dollars. Community-funded engineering is a fantastic community organizing strategy.

“Teaming up with Sunset4All is the next step in a long collaboration with The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition since community leaders from our Central Neighborhood Bicycle Ambassador cohort first committed to close the existential gap in LA’s active transportation infrastructure along the Sunset and Santa Monica corridor,” said LACBC Executive Director Eli Akira Kaufman. “We are proud to serve a Sunset for all that is designed for and by Angelenos to transform Los Angeles into a more liveable region for everyone.” 

CalBike is following this innovative project with admiration. If Sunset4All and LACBC succeed, their tactics could provide valuable lessons for other communities.

Find out more about Sunset4All.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sunset-Render-20200204-scaled.jpg 1477 2560 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2021-08-17 18:23:172021-08-17 18:25:03Sunset4All: A Big Step Forward for Biking in LA

CalBike Endorsement: Vote for Kipp Mueller for Senate District 21 in the November Election!

September 17, 2020/by Jared Sanchez

CalBike enthusiastically endorses Kipp Mueller to lead Senate District 21.

His strong environmental vision will help California provide more clean mobility options to its citizens. To do this, Mueller hopes to expand the role of the Air Resources Board in transportation decisions. This may seem like an esoteric and obscure state policy change, but transportation advocates believe this type of administrative change is much needed and will lead to big changes in Senate District 21 and all of California.

SD 21 encompasses much of Los Angeles County, plus San Bernardino county’s high desert area. Stretching from Santa Clarita to Victorville, with Palmdale in between, this area has seen tremendous population growth in the last 25 years. Despite the increasing density, residents often have only one option to get around: car. 

The infrastructure in this district favors car travel at the expense of cyclist safety. Mueller understands that significantly increasing Active Transportation Program funding to create alternatives to cars is important to his constituents. In response to our questionnaire, he noted that he also wants to develop and expand electric bike and shared mobility programs across the state. 

The rest of Mueller’s questionnaire responses were equally impressive for their breadth and depth of knowledge. For these reasons, CalBike is excited to support Kipp Mueller in the Senate District 21 race. We look forward to his leadership to help us make safer and more sustainable transportation alternatives available to all Californians.

Please vote for Kipp Mueller by November 3, 2020. Please visit his website to see how you can pitch in and vote for Kipp Mueller by November 3, 2020. 

Click here to see Kipp Mueller’s full questionnaire responses.

View all of CalBike’s general election endorsements and Bike the Vote!

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Kipp-Mueller-2.jpg 864 1365 Jared Sanchez https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Jared Sanchez2020-09-17 13:22:362020-09-17 18:02:02CalBike Endorsement: Vote for Kipp Mueller for Senate District 21 in the November Election!

CalBike Endorsement: Vote for Nithya Raman for L.A. City Council District 4 in the November Election!

September 16, 2020/by Kevin Claxton

Nithya Raman is a once-in-generation candidate. As our partners at Bike the Vote L.A. say, “Raman articulates one of the most progressive transportation platforms ever put forward by a Southern California candidate for elected office.”

CalBike enthusiastically endorses Nithya Raman for her commitment to bike safety and equity. We don’t usually endorse candidates for local office, but we have made an exception for this LA City Council race. This is a powerful local office and Raman will be a much better leader than the incumbent she is running against.

In Raman’s support for a Green New Deal in LA, she places protected bus lanes, protected bike lanes, and pedestrian-friendly design at the center of the actions needed to address Los Angeles’ worsening air quality. Raman has the progressive courage to stand up to special interests and the experience to become a leader in the LA City Council. As a grassroots candidate with a long track record of advocacy and community organizing, we trust that her transportation justice vision will bring safe streets to all.

The biggest impediment to building out the bike network is the “city’s reluctance to part with on-street parking on major boulevards. There are simply better uses for the space, and no excuses not to have bike lanes on Hollywood and Wilshire Boulevard.” – Nithya Raman

Council District 4 includes the Silver Lake, Mid City West, and Los Feliz neighborhoods. Although it is a very densely populated district, there are few bike lanes. Where bike lanes do exist, they are discontinuous and come nowhere close to being a useful bike network. Raman intends to change that. In her response to Bike the Vote L.A.’s questionnaire, she said she fully supports the Mobility Plan 2035 bike plan. In her view, the biggest impediment to building out the bike network is the “city’s reluctance to part with on-street parking on major boulevards.” She added, “There are simply better uses for the space, and no excuses not to have bike lanes on Hollywood and Wilshire Boulevard. There isn’t a recommendation in the Plan that I wouldn’t fight for.”

The rest of her questionnaire responses are equally impressive for their breadth and depth of knowledge. For these reasons, CalBike is excited to endorse Nithya Raman to replace the bike-unfriendly incumbent in the CD 4 race. We look forward to seeing her provide the leadership needed to work toward safer and more sustainable transportation alternatives for all of the city’s residents. Please vote for Nithya Raman by November 3, 2020. 

You can directly support Raman’s campaign this Sunday, September 20, from 2-4 pm, by joining Bike the Vote L.A. in a phonebank campaign for Nithya. You can make calls from home through the campaign’s system using your computer or phone. No experience is needed – Nithya’s campaign team will show participants how to make calls and provide resources to support you in making calls. Please RSVP.

Volunteer or donate to support Nithya Raman.

Click here to see Nithya Raman’s full questionnaire responses from Bike the Vote L.A.

 

View all of CalBike’s endorsements and Bike the Vote!

 

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Nithya-Raman-cropped-e1600292477710.jpg 466 600 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2020-09-16 13:29:562020-09-26 14:37:31CalBike Endorsement: Vote for Nithya Raman for L.A. City Council District 4 in the November Election!

Reflections on the 2019 California Bicycle Summit

November 15, 2019/by Kevin Claxton

The 2019 California Bicycle Summit delivered on its theme: Intersections.

CalBike held its 2019 California Bicycle Summit at the Center for Healthy Communities in Los Angeles in October 15-17. Participants in dozens of panels, workshops, plenaries, and keynotes grappled with the many ways that bicycling intersects with other key issues like housing and the climate crisis. 

The connection between transportation policy and the housing and climate crises were woven through the Summit. Topics such as racial and economic inequality, discrimination towards women and marginalized gender indenties, and the colonial history of gentrification and displacement were lifted up as well. The great work of our steering committee, speakers, panelists, and activity leaders was key to bringing a diversity of viewpoints into the room. 

In order to bring to light the intersections that are vital to effective bicycle advocacy, the Summit also was the most inclusive ever. The steering committee’s outreach brought in many more people on scholarships and representatives from grassroots organizations. The Summit included participants whose voices aren’t always heard in discussions about bicycle safety and infrastructure planning.

There were many moments of enlightenment and connection. Here are some of the highlights for CalBike staff members at the Summit.

2019 California Bicycle Summit

Jared Sanchez, CalBike Senior Policy Advocate

One of my key takeaways from the 2019 Summit was the tremendous potential to develop new ideas and forge new connections. This was possible because of the conflicting ideas and perspectives of the diverse attendees. The great conversations and interactions that resulted have inspired me to do more work through conflict-informed collaboration. I have seen how this mode of interaction can help CalBike fulfill its mission to bring prosperity, equity, joy, and health to all Californians with the aid of the bicycle.

A great example of the fruitful clash of ideas and viewpoints happened during a panel titled The Intersection of Bicycle Advocacy and Housing Policy. This workshop was well-attended and well-received because Senator Scott Wiener’s SB 50 was such a hot policy and planning topic this last year. The panel showcased the diversity of positions on the proposal to tie housing density to transit. The panelists spoke from different backgrounds and expertise. For example, Senator Wiener’s legislative staff spoke of their ongoing collaboration with Los Angeles justice groups, members of which were also on the panel.

The discussion about the intersection of housing equity and transportation justice didn’t shy away from the real conflicts that have arisen between stakeholders the last couple years as the legislation appeared likely to pass. This panel brought key conflict-informed collaborations into a public light specifically within a bicycle advocacy framework, so our members and supporters could engage as key stakeholders themselves. This would not have been possible if we hadn’t brought together a diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints for this panel. The workshop may not have resolved years of ongoing negotiations between the varying positions on this issue, but it did offer an accessible entry point where a variety of opinions and facts came into focus at once. We hope that thought-provoking Summit conversations like these contribute to the larger, and more exclusive, policy and planning decisions being made.

2019 California Bicycle Summit

Forest Barnes, CalBike Active Transportation Planner, Central Valley

This was my first time at the Summit and I was blown away by the workshops and attendees, especially the Green New Deal panel and work session afterward. I was really inspired by folks thinking about the bike and bike culture as a very real and scalable climate solution that can be put into place quickly. I was also really struck by how great it was to see folks from the Bay Area getting to learn lessons from folks in SoCal and vice versa. Everyone had amazing energy and it was super inspiring. It was really helpful for my work in the Central Valley. I also loved the session about biking as a form of community culture and the benefits it brings, the at a  lunch plenary. It brought home to me how bike culture is a tool for communities to use to alleviate racist institutional caps on their mobility.

2019 California Bicycle Summit

Jenn Guitart, CalBike Development Director

I was inspired by our workshop on Bicycling and the Climate Crisis, which included five themed breakout discussions where experts in the fields of housing, funding, and sustainable transportation led participants in brainstorming about local and state strategies for collaborating to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. So many great ideas in the room: Let’s build a culture of glamorizing bicycling the way we have done with cars (Beyoncé in a bike commercial!). Let’s eliminate single family zoning to get more infill housing built. Let’s reform how curb space is used. Let’s be less polite to our lawmakers, and demand more change. Let’s get funders and advocates together so that big foundations stop focusing so much on electric vehicles, and start funding bicycle and transit advocacy. 

2019 California Bicycle Summit

Linda Khamoushian, CalBike Policy Director

This year’s Bike Summit was full of energy and inspiration. It was a particularly sensitive time for me right after the Governor’s veto of SB 127, but sharing the disappointment with the committed and passionate participants was healing. More importantly, we had space to plan how to move forward effectively and bring the change we need in our communities for a healthier and safer environment for biking and walking in California. Meeting and sharing space with other advocates and the various professionals who lent their time and expertise to the Summit left me with hope and inspiration to carry the work forward.

2019 California Bicycle Summit

Dave Snyder, CalBike Executive Director

What was most thrilling to me was the diversity of perspectives presented. As an organization, we are simultaneously a single-issue organization and an intersectional social change organization that deals with an incredibly broad range of concerns. In other words, in order to win on behalf of the issue we focus on, we can’t focus on just that issue. It’s an interesting tension to hold, and I think the Summit was a very effective expression of how we navigate that tension to make social change. There were workshops on something as bike-specific as the aesthetic details of the worlds’ most beautiful bikeways and on something as fundamental to social justice in the U.S. as the role of racism in policing, and many topics in between. We had some of the state’s most elite institutional leaders and some of the state’s most heroic grassroots leaders. I wanted the Summit to strengthen our movement by bringing these diverse perspectives together. While we  still have work to do to bring the full diversity of Californians who care about the intersection of bicycling and social justice into the room, this gathering definitely succeeded in strengthening our movement.

2019 California Bicycle Summit

All in all, the 2019 Summit was a space where participants could share experiences and knowledge and develop common understandings across diverse constituencies. If participants walked away feeling inspired and energized, but also challenged with new perspectives, we succeeded in what we set out to do.

Thank you to everyone who came to the 2019 Summit! We admire your commitment to the work. Thank you to The California Endowment and its staff for hosting us in their beautiful space. Thank you to the most excellent Michelle Barrionuevo-Mazzini, the event’s main coordinator, who made sure everything went smoothly. We couldn’t have done it without her. If you didn’t make it this year, we’ll hold our next Summit in fall of 2021—keep your eyes peeled for details.

All photos courtesy of Evan Dudley.

2019 California Bicycle Summit

Photos by Evan Dudley.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/evanbdudley-CABIKE19LA-0070-scaled.jpg 1707 2560 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2019-11-15 16:12:232019-12-11 14:11:19Reflections on the 2019 California Bicycle Summit

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