Paris France like Barcelona Spain is removing all cars and parking in car-free districts. Given popularity of the Promenade, Laguna could remove more cars and parking in downtown districts and satisfy Coastal Commission replacement parking rules given in-lieu exceptions . Can Laguna be so bold as Paris or Barcelona?
-LS
Tomorrow Sunday November 27, Laguna Beach will host the usual warm weather visitors and resident traffic.
-LS
"Transit Systems are justified only when urban density is high enough".
-LS
A motorist struck Bicycle Tree volunteer AJ Bryce
as he was riding his bike home from the Bicycle Tree on October 14, 2021. The
collision left AJ essentially paralyzed in all four limbs, though his
mind remained fully present. Intubation for surgery damaged his voice,
allowing him to speak only in a whisper. Unable to walk, speak, type, or
otherwise use his hands, AJ had a difficult year in hospitals and care
facilities.
It is with a heavy heart that we must share with you that
AJ’s strong will, the love and support of his family, and the medical
care he received could not overcome the injuries he sustained in the
collision, and he passed away on the morning of Friday, November 4th at
the age of 59.
AJ was a dedicated volunteer at the Bicycle Tree who helped perform
repairs on hundreds of bikes during the ongoing pandemic. He was
reliably jovial, patient, and wise, and brought years of experience
working in a variety of industries to the Bicycle Tree. He grew up near
Philadelphia but had lived for many years in Southern California. He
loved deep sea fishing and would share stories of joining his friends on
oceanic excursions. He added a number of songs to our shop playlist
from artists Cake, Slick Rick, Curtis Mayfield, and others.
On Sunday, November
27th at 2:00 pm, we will install a ghost bike memorial at the site of the
crash that took his life. The collision occurred at approximately 400 E.
Main St. in Tustin, near Kéan Coffee. There will be a group bicycle
ride to the site meeting at the Bicycle Tree at 12:45 pm and leaving at
1:15.
AJ’s family has declined community financial support in the wake of AJ’s
death. They have requested that donations in honor of AJ be made to the
Bicycle Tree.
-LS
Will COP-27 world leaders deliver today, 18 November 2022?
A personal transport tool. 100% effective in many ways.
-LS
Laguna's Street Design Options
Either you build cities for cars and traffic, or you build cities for people and places. Laguna Beach has enough of the former, now there is new federal funding to achieve the latter.
Phoenix received $25-Million in discretionary federal funding to build a bike and pedestrian bridge connecting downtown with a suburban community. This would be like connecting Aliso and Montage with the Aliso shopping mall (the existing bridge is blocked not used.)
St. Louis was awarded $15-Million in discretionary federal funding from the US DOT to build a bike and pedestrian path to reduce the high incident of traffic collisions on the Greenway. Wouldn't Laguna Beach benefit from some investment in reducing traffic injuries and fatalities along PCH and Laguna Canyon Road.
Hundreds of millions of dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are starting to flow to new bike and pedestrian infrastructure around the country. The funds originate from the US Department of Transportation headed by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg emphasizes decarbonizing our future and what the US can learn from street design for bike and pedestrians. The Secretary learned Active Transportation plays a role when when visiting Copenhagen and Amsterdam as then Mayor of South Bend Indiana where he learned about Complete Streets Policy.
The Secretary had three take-aways from the trip. First, that street design for bike commuting is a greater city commitment than for the casual bicycle sport rider. For raising the cycling mode-share, design really does matter .
Second, cycling did not begin with bikes, it began with cars just like in the United States. Cities made a set of choices, they made policy decisions and design decisions that made those cities a great place to walk or bike.
Third, there is a tipping point when cycling and walking is successful. When the number of people cycling reaches 2% the mode-share for cycling trips increases dramatically. So the planning success strategy for US cities unaccustomed to cycling traffic is to reach that 2% tipping point.
South Bend Indiana adopted Complete Streets, the brief summary from the Secretary:
There was ferocious opposition to the complete streets improvements that we made in South Bend. But once we did them, very, very few people, if any, want to go back. It really made everybody better off and made no one worse off.
-LS
Bicycles provide the freedom automobile ads promised.
-LS
You want to build WHAT?
-LS
