March 11, 20131 Comment on Every lane a bike lane, on the bus
I and several others have mentioned LA Metro’s Every Lane a Bike Lane bicycle safety campaign. You’ve seen the graphic. Here’s how it looks on the back of a bus.
It reached me via a Santa Cruz County transportation planner, who got it from this page, who in turn got it from Michael Manio who originally posted it to the LA Bicycle Coalition Facebook page. (Thanks, Andy, for pointing that out).
February 27, 20134 Comments on More California bicycle bills 2013
More bike bills for California in 2013: Dedicated Safe Routes funding, Sustainable Communities vehicle registration fee, the highway shoulder as a bus lane, and flexibility in bikeways design.
On Monday, I posted on four bills under consideration by the California legislature that directly affect cyclists. A few more bills snuck under the wire of last Friday’s legislative deadline after I wrote that overview.
February 26, 20131 Comment on Singletrack High
The documentary “Singletrack High” follows a diverse group of teens through the 2012 mountain bike racing season and explores the wide range of positive outcomes from keeping adolescents active on bikes at an age when many are “trading in two wheels for four,” as one of the subjects puts it.
February 25, 20139 Comments on Four bills that affect California cyclists
Proposed laws include agency immunity from liability on any street with bike lanes; CEQA exemption for bike plans
The deadline to submit bills for the 2013 legislative session passed last Friday. Among the 2200 bills submitted by our representatives since the legislative year began, I’ve listed the bills I found that directly affect cyclists in California.
January 31, 20133 Comments on 50 bike posse vs pickup truck
The Mercury-News police blotter reports this incident from Woodside, California last Saturday morning:
Canada and Woodside roads, 10:35 a.m. Saturday A group of cyclists, about 50 altogether, caught up with a driver who had passed them earlier, surrounded his vehicle, then punched and kicked his window and mirror.
Of course there’s another side of the story. (more…)
January 24, 20133 Comments on Governor Brown on Transportation
California Governor Jerry Brown gave his State of the State speech tonight. He hinted at changes coming in how we fund transportation and indicated his continuing support for high speed rail and mitigating the effects of climate change.
In the years following World War II, California embarked on a vast program to build highway, bridges and roads.
Today, California’s highways are asked to accommodate more vehicle traffic than any other state in the nation. Most were constructed before we knew about climate change and the lethal effects of dirty air. We now expect more.
I have directed our Transportation Agency to review thoroughly our current priorities and explore long-term funding options.
Last year, you authorized another big project: High Speed Rail. Yes, it is bold but so is everything else about California.
Electrified trains are part of the future. China already has 5000 miles of high speed rail and intends to double that. Spain has 1600 miles and is building more. More than a dozen other countries have their own successful high speed rail systems. Even Morocco is building one.
The first phase will get us from Madera to Bakersfield. Then we will take it through the Tehachapi Mountains to Palmdale, constructing 30 miles of tunnels and bridges. The first rail line through those mountains was built in 1874 and its top speed over the crest is still 24 miles an hour. Then we will build another 33 miles of tunnels and bridges before we get the train to its destination at Union Station in the heart of Los Angeles.
It has taken great perseverance to get us this far. I signed the original high speed rail Authority in 1982—over 30 years ago. In 2013, we will finally break ground and start construction.