Traffic Calming

Laguna Beach observes a 36-foot height limit on downtown structures to preserve 'old-town' charm - street parking, auto clutter and parking meters notwithstanding. The rest of the world observes different rules. Outdoor Cafes, Beyoglu, Turkey. (Google Image)

Half the Fun is How You Get There

Family shopping Saturday afternoon, Amsterdam style

Notice these kids don't need to be "entertained" by the back-seat television in an SUV. They are instead engaged in the Saturday afternoon process: shopping with Mom. A healthy mobility alternative with zero emissions, what better legacy to leave kids? For more street-life photos, on foot and by bike, see the photo sequence at cdmCyclist by Frank Peters.

Get Ready for More Parking Tickets

The Laguna Beach coastline is roughly 7 miles long. If little shops in high traffic zones downtown can't make it, how should businesses outside the downtown business zone survive? In a town already saturated with cars, no parking garage will rescue these businesses. Read "Little shops struggle downtown" - Joanna Clay, Coastline Pilot.

Leiden Netherlands, a Model of Balanced Mobility

Fred Swegles THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

"In some ways, Leiden is like a mini- Amsterdam with its ubiquitous canals, Gothic architecture and bicycle culture." Einstein was a guest university professor while Rembrandt was born there.

Fred Swegles THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTE

In 1620 the Pilgrims sailed the Mayflower from their brief home in Leiden to the New World. ( You might recall the Pilgrims had something to do with Thanksgiving! ) Today Leiden is a model city with a balanced transportation system including water- ways, commuter trains, buses, private autos, cyclists and walkers.  The Dutch are mobility experts, we could learn from them.   Read the historic account  by Candice Shih in the OC REGISTER.

San Clemente Reviews Bike-Ped Plan

By FRED SWEGLES / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

A car, a bicyclist and pedestrians coexist Sunday at the corner of El Camino Real and Avenida Del Mar in San Clemente. The city is seeking to make the town more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly. The Planning commissioners will review a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan on Thursday. The plan suggests three alternatives for making El Camino Real more bicycle-friendly. Full story at Orange County Register.

13 Reasons to Ride a Bike to Work

Photo: Flicker Mikel Pierre

The cost of operating a car today is $8946 per year (AAA), a bike $308. Hypothetically speaking what is the savings in car expenses if everyone switched from car driving to bike riding? And what would people do with money they save from spending on cars gasoline and insurance? If 10,821 households in  Laguna Beach swapped one car each they would save $93,470,000 per year. Our local Laguna economy could use a boost, we could spend $93 Million per year on local consumption (imagine all the Andre's Pastries you can eat every year). Remember the TOTAL budget of Laguna Beach is $65 Million. Now read 12 more reasons to ride a bike to work at the Business Insider.

Look for Sharrows in Corona del Mar

Michael Goulding, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

From Newport Beach city Mayor Nancy Gardner in a recent interview,  "There are things we can control such as (public) education and making basic road improvements," Gardner said. "Painting these sharrows in Corona del Mar is part of that effort.

 The city is also trying to address tensions between motorists and bicyclists by putting up banners that read: "Same Roads, Same Rules," Gardner said. In addition, the city is creating a map that shows safe routes for bicyclists.

Last month, the City Council unanimously approved a bike safety improvement fund and also waived fees associated with a memorial bike ride held Oct. 28 in honor of Leaf and Campion-Ritz. The improvement fund would use city money, including grants, in a 3-to-1 ratio to match private donations up to $450,000. To date $60,000 of donations (before matching) have been collected. Full article by Deepa Bharath in the Orange County Register -LS

GOOD NEWS

These Sharrows mysteriously appeared Halloween night on Pacific Coast Highway in Corona del Mar. Was the Wicked Witch of the West responsible? No! These safety markings were brought to you by the Bike Safety Committee in cooperation with Public Works and the city of Newport Beach. Stay tuned for new developments in bike and pedestrian safety from this citizen/city cooperative. -LS

Bikes Hit the Streets after Hurricane Sandy

"A lot of people are out biking. You know the city runs on public transit, so without the bus and the subway, which are still closed, most people won’t be coming to work. People with bikes are really lucky right now because they are able to get around better than anybody else." - Jonathan Maus of BikePortland from New York City, OPB.  

  "In a city where most people don't own cars, right now bikes are the fastest way to get around (bus and subway are still not running)." Biking Brooklyn after SANDY by Jonathan Maus of Bike Portland here.