Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Laguna Beach Tour de Coop Sunday!

Do you know where Laguna's chickens live? Find-out where, bring the family, join the free community bicycle ride to find our chickens.

Join us Sunday November 3 9:00am check-in at Anneliese's Schools Willowbrook Campus on Laguna Canyon Road.

Meet our hosts at Seeds Arts and Education.

More ride event details here.

Ready to pedal? Register here.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Tonight's Community Workshop: Why Landscape?

Tonight Tuesday October 29 the city of Laguna Beach hosts a workshop, the community is invited to pose questions for a panel of experts. The invitation says this is a workshop about city landscaping. A separate but informative flyer says the city is preparing a "Landscape and Scenic Highways General Plan Element".

Why is the city of Laguna Beach occupied with beautification of a CalTRANS state highway with landscaping? Freeway daisies and highway Oleanders are NOT some of my favorite plants, how about you? Do flowers make highways any safer for pedestrians or cyclists? Maybe they should address road-user fatalities on Laguna Canyon Road first.

If you think our city has it's priorities correct, please attend the meeting at 7:00pm Tuesday 29 October 2013 and choose from a selection of your favorite road-side shrubs.

You may also offer the city some guidance by completing this on-line city sponsored survey and offer your opinion at every opportunity where the survey question says 'Other'. Please offer your ideas ASAP. -LS

Monday, October 21, 2013

Take-away from Public Health Forum

The Active Transportation Forum

Complete Streets and Active Living for Orange County

This forum was brought to us by the Department of Public Health at UCI and the Alliance for Public Health of Orange County. The research presented shows the role our transportation system has on the quality of public health.

"In order to improve the health of Orange County residents, we need to have a healthy and safe transportation system with multi-modal options. It will be necessary to engage the community, enhance policies and re-prioritize transportation funding to enhance the county-wide transportation system."

19 speakers and featured guests impressed our audience with these rather startling results from their research. Some highlights:

Obesity costs California $41billion p.a. in public health related costs.
The savings from walking and biking could save California $4.1 billion
The gain in economic activity from replacing 15,000 cars with walking/biking is $127 million
A Lancaster boulevard gained 49 new businesses, 800 jobs, and $273 million in new business revenue by adopting active transportation
Typical bike user topology today: Strong and Fearless < 1%, Interested 60%, No Way group 33%. Laguna's cycling mode share < 1%, Costa Mesa is 2.8%
Business activity along LA's CycLAVia is up 10-50%
The Active Transportation Program for bicycling/walking was enacted September 2013 SB-99 funded in Cal state budget for $130 million p.a.
To build an active transportation network successfully, raise the perception of safety and build-in street safety at the same time
20-30 somethings demand new active mobility plans, not dad's plan
Google, Adobe, Yahoo are promoting active transportation at their campuses nationally because their tech employees demand it
Orange County businesses are leaving because of car congestion
OCTA does not hear input from city leaders about active transportation
Long Beach Mayor Bob Forster learned to ride a bicycle, he now challenges OC city mayors to ride the Long Beach active transportation network with him. From Bob: "Bring those candy-ass politicians up here to ride with us, see if they can keep-up."
Travel in Southern California: Walking and biking compose only 16% of all trips, but sadly 10% of all injuries and 25% of fatalities
Walking and biking compose 14% of fatalities but receive only 1.6% of federal transportation funding
Pamela Galera, City Planner, City of Anaheim: Transportation is moving people not their cars, cars are here to stay so to avoid CARMAGEDDON we need a better plan. The cities of Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and Santa Ana show the same commitment.