More CicLAvia- a convert

Hey, it’s not only about a convert, but one that’s an LA Times columnist who was protesting bike lanes in her neighborhood. That was before CicLAvia…

Safety Perspective

We all hear the “wear a helmet” refrain frequently, and while there’s plenty of reasons to do so, here’s an article that does add some context and a different perspective on the subject. Quite humorous as well.

Empowering Women via Bicycles in Uganda

Here’s an article to brighten your day! Bicycles can be powerful tools for progress.

LA’s 2nd CicLAvia Event

A car free LA street- seldom seen scene...

Yesterday they held the 2nd CicLAvia event here in LA and again, it was a resounding success. While bicycles dominated the scene, if it had wheels and no motor, every possible mode of wheeled transport seemed to be represented. Riding with and through the crowds you could feel the joy of people of every possible age,size and shape being able to enjoy an afternoon of car free cycling! The LA Times even ran a front page article on the event.

THE CLIMB ON FARGO STREET

Any native Los Angelians (or others) ever heard of ‘The Climb’ on Fargo Street? This blog post did a write up about the ride this year, which apparently is a ride up the steepest hill in Los Angeles. 118 riders showed up and 70 succeeded in reaching the top of the hill at least once. The ride is described as daunting and spooky by riders, but some manage to go up and down many times – the record is 101 ascents, in 2008. After reading this article we’d just like to ask…are there any Wabi riders out in LA who want to really test drive their bicycle??

 

THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS

We found a somewhat inspiring, and interesting article about a recent get together, the National Bike Summit, held by the American League of cyclists. The league recently met and convened hundreds of cycling advocates across the country and drew in big names such as Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Janette Sadik-Kahn – the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation. Check out the article to read some of the interesting arguments that these speakers make for cycling, and be happy that there are cycling advocates in Washington!

ECONOMICALLY SPEAKING…

Along the same lines as yesterday’s post, here’s an article from a traditional and conservative magazine, which also highlights just how wrong John Cassidy’s statement about bike lanes in NYC was. The article breaks down his statement in economic terms and proves that in fact, cycling and building bike lanes can be cost-efficient.

 

A HUMOROUS REBUTTLE TO TO THE ANTI-CYCLING CAMPAIGN

This witty and cleverly written piece picks apart the “typical” political backlash against cyclists in New York City. Whether you’re from the city or not, surely you can appreciate the humor in this article and agree with the basic point – which is that it’s pretty absurd to be anti-cycling.

 

TOYOTA PROMOTES CYCLING

According to this article, a member of Toyota’s IT & ITS planning division proposed that Japan build 250,000 km of bike lanes across Japan in the next 5 years. This idea spawns from the fact that the number of accidents has gone up, and the way to reduce accidents is to build separate bike lanes for cyclists. What a thought! We think it’s great that a car company is promoting bike lanes and understanding the idea that it isn’t necessarily car vs. bicycle – it’s how can they coexist in the most positive way possible for everyone.

MORE ON THE LA BIKE PLAN

We know we’ve been posting quite a bit about the new LA Bike Plan, but as a Los Angeles resident and obviously bicycle enthusiast, it’s hard not to get so excited. This article talks a little bit more about the details of the plan, which calls for almost 1,700 miles of bike paths throughout the city. The author of the post, who is really a car guy, hopes that this will encourage people to stop jamming up the freeway for trips that could easily be made by bicycle. When you can get a car buff to consider cycling for transportation, you’ve made an impact!