Coming soon, first bike lanes for Laguna Beach

The first official bike lanes in Laguna Beach were approved in a 4:0:1 vote today by Laguna Beach City Council. Bike lanes for Monterey Drive and Sharrows for Cypress Street with signage will appear soon.

OCTA Directors discuss bike share to connect transit hubs

Bike Sharing Program May Come to Orange County

A plan to start a new “bike sharing” program for Orange County residents and commuters was discussed at Monday’s Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Board of Directors meeting.

The program would provide commuters the last-mile connection from train stations and major transit stops to their final destinations by allowing riders to rent bicycles from various bike stations placed near transit hubs, colleges, universities, Metrolink stations and employment centers.

The pilot program, which could roll out as early as spring 2012, is anticipated to consist of eight stations, containing a total of 80 bikes. Riders would be able to rent bicycles through an annual membership or a daily usage option.

An update on the status of the program will be presented to the OCTA Board in the coming months. To view the PowerPoint presentation received by the Board, please click here.

Making the case for 20's Plenty

Half the pedestrian accidents in Laguna occur on Pacific Coast Highway, here's the case for lowering the speed limit on that freeway.

 

Prob vs Speed (EU)

Pedestrians have a 90% chance of surviving car crashes at 22 mph (35 kph)or below, but less than a 50% chance of surviving impacts at 33 mph (53 kph) or above (EU).

 

 

See also Road Safety Speed Facts, World Health Organization, World Report on road traffic injury prevention, 2004.

Bloomberg and Sadik-Kahn change New York's Mobility T-O-D-A-Y

So if a city believes that biking is part of a better future, it must sometimes muscle through a reluctant, rocky present. That’s precisely what Bloomberg and Sadik-Khan have done, in a fine example of the way the mayor’s frequent imperiousness and imperviousness to criticism can work to the city’s long-term advantage.

New York Times article on mobility visionaries

Across the Bay Area, streets are getting a makeover -- with less room for cars

"There is a strong national and international movement to provide transportation for people and not just cars," said Hans Larsen, director of San Jose's Department of Transportation. "For decades, planning has focused on the efficient movement of cars. The result has been communities that are dependent on cars and are not conducive to walking and biking and transit."

San Jose transportation chief Larsen sees reducing vehicle lanes as a key to luring solo drivers out of their cars. Today, 80 percent of travel in the city is in single-occupant vehicles. The goal by 2040 is to reduce this to 40 percent and to increase bicycling and walking by 30 percent, transit use 20 percent and carpooling 10 percent.

San Jose Mercury News article.

Cycle commuters given a dedicated lane on 7th Avenue, downtown Los Angeles

"Hold on to your hats, folks, we're actually removing a lane for a car — in favor of a bike lane — in Los Angeles," City Councilman Ed Reyes said during a news conference at MacArthur Park. "By doing so, we, as a city, are changing the way we see bicycles, as not only a recreational vehicle but as a legitimate form of public transportation." Full story in the LA Times on-line.

Seniors in Bike Action

Portland seniors begin riding recumbant bikes after 30 years of inactivity. The Older Adults Bike Program from Portland ride for health, fitness, camaraderie   . Watch the video here.

Arrested for Riding Bike to School

Ms Tryon confirmed with Major Verran that her daughter was indeed breaking no laws at any level, but it was Ms Tryon who was breaking the law by allowing her daughter to ride/walk to school. Even though it only takes her daughter 7 - 9 minutes to bicycle to school, she is expected to ride the bus. This is public policy in Elizabethton Tennessee ............ and Laguna Beach California. The police state tightens its grip? Read and comment on the full story here.

Put lipstick on a Pig it's still a Pig

The accident record for pedestrians crossing Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach show half the incidents happen within a marked crosswalk. We don't see crosswalks across the 405 Freeway for obvious reasons, one being drivers won't expect to find a pedestrian crossing there. So why put crosswalks across Pacific Coast Highway in a zone posted for 35mph? Update: Caltrans has increased the posted speed limit in these zones to 40mph. Should we expect drivers to react differently? Why? Steven Hansen reports the poor accident record and the dilemma for both pedestrians and drivers trying to co-exist on Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach. Read the article by the Coastline Pilot.

Bike lane on PCH obstructed

What little city support we have for bike lanes in Laguna Beach, the workers who placed these traffic cones north of Laguna Beach serve no-one. This was the scene at Ruby's Diner on Pacific Coast Highway today. The cones tell the cyclist to ride in freeway traffic because the bike lane is hazardous. Huh?