Laguna's Roads and Stroads

High-speed Stroad through business district, Broadway LB

Once-upon-a-time Laguna Beach had horses cows and Model-T Fords, today they have Caltrans and cars. Laguna Beach used to be a Place, today it's a Destination. It used to be a place where locals enjoyed community events, arts, performing arts and a sense of community and prosperity. Today it's a destination drawing visitors to those same attractions but from everywhere far outside the Laguna geography.

To manage visitor and resident mobility, Laguna Beach adopted a car-centric urban plan to receive visitors, and to facilitate resident's vehicle trips to destinations outside Laguna Beach demanded by jobs and schools. Trips made by pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders were neither counted nor valued in the mobility calculus.

Roads are for moving vehicles quickly, streets are for quiet family neighborhoods and businesses where community wealth is generated. Roads invite higher speeds reducing delay times but destroy the value of local space due to higher speeds. Streets beg slower speeds preserving a sense of place without destroying the value of place.

Roads are for moving vehicles quickly and should be kept free of businesses because every curb-cut stop-light and cross street increases delay-time and threatens safety. Streets are for moving slower modes of traffic that patronize businesses and serve residences, they should be kept free of car through-traffic. When roads are slowed by cross traffic and businesses they become Stroads, when streets are invaded by car through-traffic they also become Stroads.

Stroads no longer serve the purpose they were intended. A Stroad is like a cold futon; an uncomfortable bed for sleeping and a backless couch for sitting, they do neither well. They no longer comfortably serve the purpose of a bed or couch.

In "How to Fix the Most Dangerous Streets in America"  author Jeff Speck, Citylab|Transportation BLOOMBERG cites examples where cities have examined their mobility plans to repurpose Stroads. Hammond Indiana, Lancaster California, Landshut Germany, all have redesigned their Stroads to become roads and streets once more.

-LS

Introducing The Portland Bike-Bus

Anneliese Thurston and TOW Elementary Schools: don't miss out!

The Portland Bike-Bus

Ever see kids this excited to go to school? 

• Board the Bike-Bus
• Recover from  COVID lockdown
  
• Combat Climate Change
  

 -LS

Postcard or Post-Car Laguna Beach?

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

Hollywood Christmas Parade

Tomorrow Sunday November 27, Hollywood will host the Hollywood Christmas Parade  filled with marching bands, celebrities and fun to support the Marine Toys for Tots.  

 

 

Tomorrow Sunday November 27, Laguna Beach will host the usual warm weather visitors and resident traffic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

-LS

 

 

Thanksgivng Day Traffic

"Transit Systems are justified only when urban density is high enough".

"I'm ... taking a ride with my best friend" -Depeche Mode

 -LS

Obituary AJ Bryce Volunteer

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

Climate Change Mitigation Machine

Will COP-27 world leaders deliver today, 18 November 2022?

A personal transport tool.  100% effective in many ways.

 -LS

NEW Federal Money for Complete Streets

 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

 

Bicycle Freedom vs Auto Freedom

Bicycles provide the freedom automobile ads promised.

Speakers ON.

 -LS

Laguna's Parking Structures No Solution

 You want to build WHAT?

In the US a car lifespan motionless is similar while 50% of US trips are 5-miles or less. Electric Vehicles are no solution to parking demand. The solution to urban parking and mobility is a balanced mode-share of transport. 

-LS

Street Safety and Candidate Position Laguna Campaign 2022

Here's how seven candidates for City Council value street safety policy for Laguna Beach in their 2022 election campaign. 

Complete Streets Policy and Vision Zero are policy level commitments made by cities to improve parking, traffic, mobility and traffic collision rankings. As this investigation shows, NONE of our Candidates have chosen these policies as a campaign platform in Laguna Beach. Will 2023 be business as usual?  UPDATE:  In "7-Questions for 7-Candidates" Alex Rounaghi supports Complete Streets Policy in his campaign. - LB Independent 4 November 2022.

-LS

Preventing Pedestrian Road Kill, Now There's an App

 

(John Foy and Associates photo credit)

FORD's new mobile App is designed to alert the motorist about pedestrians and cyclists nearby the traveling vehicle. The App relies on a Bluetooth Low Energy interface to send a signal from a pedestrian or cyclist's smartphone to the passing Ford vehicle equipped with the latest Ford Infotainment System. The system then calculates the potential collision risk providing the driver both screen and audio alerts. The App debuted at the Intelligent Transportation Society of America's World Congress in Los Angeles in September 2022.

“Newer Ford vehicles already with Ford Co-Pilot360 Technology can detect and help warn drivers of pedestrians, bicyclists, scooter riders and others — and even apply brakes if drivers do not respond in time,” Jim Buczkowski, Ford’s executive director of research and advanced engineering, said in a statement. “We are now exploring ways to expand vehicle sensing capability, for areas drivers cannot see, to help people drive even more confidently on roads increasingly shared by others using their two feet or two wheels.”

Ford's executive director revealed plans to shift control of the vehicle from the driver to the algorithm - the consequence of autonomous vehicle technologies. It follows then that liability of vehicle operation shifts from the motorist to the vehicle too.

With logic like this a fatality at Pearl Street and South Coast Highway would not happen because Stanley Issacs was carrying a transponder App. And what if Stanley Issacs had no App?  Would Stanley be at fault for crossing the highway in a crosswalk with no pedestrian permit on his smartphone? And what of those with no Smartphone, like surfers heading to the beach?  

And what of system faults in a technical command chain from Smartphone to vehicle sensors to Infotainment System to the vehicle Can Bus (it's complicated)? Aren't drivers distracted enough ordering pizza, reading football scores while following GoogleMaps from their Dashboards? Must a jury decide consequences of inappropriate technology in 40-million California vehicles?

Oct 28 UPDATE:   Ford announced the pursuit of its Argo self-driving car would be abandoned while retaining "driver assist" capability. Ford invested $3-billion in its self-driving Argo, the math says the business would not return on investment for another 5-years from now.    

The company disclosed a $2.7 billion accounting charge this quarter to wind down Argo, resulting in an $827 million loss.

 The driver-assist technology with on-screen warnings and alarms continues. For details see Wired magazine here.

-LS

After $1Billion 405 Widening Traffic Delay Times Increase

Ya don't say?!

"... it appears adding lanes in the Sepulveda Pass has thus far had little effect in easing traffic."

 

KTLA photo credit.

More confirmation for Laguna planners: building more auto infrastructure simply draws more motorists, raises intensification, increases injuries and fatalities due to collisions. (KTLA story).

-LS

Asphalt to Art Reduces Car/Pedestrian Collisions

The Asphalt Art Initiative aims to improve pedestrian safety by painting eye-grabbing murals on street pavement, they will award grants grants of $25,000 to 19 European cities for this work.   The project supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and  The Aspen Institute was announced on Monday in Amsterdam at a CityLab summit. 

An art project in Kansas City MO reduced traffic crashes 49%, adding color to curbs in Baltimore Maryland reduced traffic speeds by 45% (Bloomberg CityLab Article). The street safety record in Europe is far better than the United States (Bloomberg City Lab).

More examples of Street Art are found here. 

These Art interventions could improve Laguna's atrocious traffic safety record. Would the city of Laguna Beach be so bold? Would the Laguna developers adopt philanthropic projects like Bloomberg?

-LS

First CicLAvia Held 10/10/10 in Los Angeles

 Twelve years ago Monday 10/10/10, LA DOT and CicLAvia held their open-streets event city-wide in Los Angeles.  7.5-miles long from Boyle Heights to Downtown LA to East Los Angeles, 100,000 Angelinos participated that day.  Laguna Beach is 7-miles long, just the right size to host a Cic-LB-via.

 

The next CicLAvia is on Sunday, Dec 4 from 9AM - 3PM where 7.25 miles of streets connecting Exposition Park, Historic South Central, Florence-Firestone, and Watts will be open to people not cars.

-LS

What Kind of Streets does Laguna Want?

A DW Special Report with the Cycling Professor.

"Some people say we can rethink the cities we live in for the better. But what does that actually mean? How can we reclaim and reuse our own cities to make THEM cooler and cleaner, and US happier and healthier?"

 -LS

Gov. Newsom signs OmniBike Bill AB 1909

On Friday 23 September 2022 California Governor Newsom signed the "OmniBike" Bill into law making four significant safety enhancements to existing law concerning cycling. 

1. 

   Obsolete

   
   

   Existing law required motorists to give people on bikes a 3-foot margin when passing, this law was difficult to enforce and did not provide enough space for safe passing. The change requires motorists to change lanes whenever passing a bicyclist, the new law is easier for police to enforce.
2. Some jurisdictions requiring bicycle license laws have abused the law by harassing youth riders, the new provision removes bicycle licensing laws throughout California. AB 1909 removes the pretext for biased policing against bicyclists.
3. In some areas eBikes are banned on bikeways, the new provision allows eBikes equal access to bikeways everywhere. Exceptions are State Parks and Recreation Departments may continue to prohibit them, local authorities may ban them from equestrian, hiking, and recreational trails.
4. Bikes are considered vehicles and follow normal traffic rules at intersections, the final provision allows bike riders to cross streets on pedestrian walk signals rather than only a green traffic light.  AB 2264 directs Caltrans to give pedestrians a 3-7 second headstart on crossing the street. If AB 2264 is signed, provisions in AB 1909 allows people on bikes a headstart, too.  A study in San Francisco shows traffic violations reduced 65-98% when pedestrians are given this headstart.  For more detail see the CalBike report.
   

-LS

 

Beach Fee for Day-Trippers

Who should have access to public beaches?  In California private beach property boundaries extend to the mean high-tide line, the beach going public gets the ocean side. This means private beaches occur the length of California that everybody can go to.

In Carbon Beach Malibu, billionaire moguls scoffed at rightful public beach access putting up "NO Parking" signs, painting curbs red, and building fake garage doors to enforce their illegal excluded visitors. 

The restaurant owners at Paradise Cove Malibu, placed "NO SURFING" signs to discourage the surfing riff-Raff (us). In 2014 the restaurant withdrew their restrictions on order by the California Coastal Commission, then in June 2022 restaurant owners began charging a $20 Beach Membership to access the beach. 

The Commission reminded Paradise Cove Land Co. threatening to levy fines of up to $11,250 per day for blocking public access.  The $40 parking fee remains although visitors may park along the highway for free. So how should beach communities otherwise pay for city services bestowed on beach visiting guests? Some resort to parking fees and membership fees.

Notice the absence of visitors walking, biking, busing in these short videos.

Malibu Beach Parking

Blocking Beach Access

Paradise Cove, Malibu  (drone view)

 Paradise Cove, Malibu (walking view)

Carbon Beach, Malibu 

Malibu Solution: New Beach Parking because "Nobody Walks in LA"

Cape Cod National Seashore

Beach entrance fees (below) are collected daily from late June through Labor Day, weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through September.  All passes are sold during the months that the fees are collected. Passes are sold at the beaches not the park visitor centers.

Daily Vehicle - $25.00

Daily Motorcycle - $20.00

Daily Bicycle or On-Foot - $15.00 (under 16 free)

California State Park Beaches

Parking for Peak Season Weekend and Holidays: $20

Day Parking: $10

Small Bus: $30

For California State Parks entry fees apply for all motorized entry into the park and there is no parking available outside of the park. However, there is no fee for hikers or bicyclists entering the park.

-LS

Black Rock City and Day-Trippers

The Burning Man Festival near Gerlach and Empire in northwest Nevada was held over the Labor Day weekend 2022 resulting in a massive 9-hour traffic jam. Here's what car-culture looks like.

9-hour traffic jam leaving Burning Man (Russian)

Black Rock City is a parking lot.

Burning Man Festival Parking, 2022

How do Burning Man visitors pay for city services?  Black Rock City charges admission to the festival event.  

Attendees

Organized and promoted by the Burning Man Project - the equivalent of Visit Laguna in Laguna Beach, this festival of arts is held annually on the playa desert in Nevada. In 2019, 78,850 people participated, then influenced by Covid in 2021 the unofficial event had an estimated 20,000 attendees.

Festival

"An underground gathering for bohemians and free spirits of all stripes, Burning Man has evolved into a destination for social media influencers, celebrities and the Silicon Valley elite."-NPR   Each year the festival is organized by the Burning Man Project around a new theme. Participants are invited to build art projects, activities and events in that theme. Artwork includes experimental and interactive sculptures, buildings, artistic vehicles, theatric performances and other media.   

Participation is a key precept for the community, much like Laguna day-trippers there is much controversy in the community over the problem of non-participatory influencers and elite at the event.

Admission

Regular admission (2016) for individual tickets is $424. CNBC (2016) estimated the total cost of attending could range from $1,300 up to $20,000. Money magazine (2017) estimated an average total cost of $2,348 to attend.

Meanwhile, the regular admission price has increased over the years, Nevada lawmakers have modified the entertainment and sales tax code to include nonprofits like Burning Man Project, the festival tax burden is absorbed in the admission price.  

City Services

Firefighting, emergency medical services (EMS) mental health, and communications support is provided by the volunteer Black Rock City Emergency Services Department (ESD). EMS units are funded by local, provincial or national governments.

Enforcement

Black Rock City is patrolled by various local and state law enforcement  agencies as well as the Bureau of Land Management Rangers. The cost of enforcement is carried outside Black Rock City, BLM is funded by the federal government

Burning Man also has its own in-house group of volunteers, the Black Rock Rangers at no cost to the City. The Rangers act as informal mediators when disputes arise between participants. 

Local  Gerlach-Empire police issue $1500 citations for drug and alcohol abuse.

Commercial Philosophy

The organizers encourage festival attendees as self reliant individuals, to bring all living provisions termed radical self reliance.  Cash transactions are not permitted between attendees.  Cash can be used for a select few charity, fuel, and sanitation vendors: ice sales benefit the Gerlach-Empire school system, private portable toilet services and shuttles to the airport, private diesel fuel.

"To preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience." -Wikipedia

How We Do It

With ticket sales nominally topping $6.4 million, Black Rock Project is well organized to be a profitable "nonprofit LLC" venture by covering visitor costs and externalizing their most expensive city services. There are no plans for parking structures or parking meters in Black Rock City.

Visit the Burning Man subscription page for RSS Feed, Facebook and Twitter links.

-LS

How Venice Handles Day-Trippers

Venice Italy supports 55,000 residents and hosts 20-30 million tourists, up to 120,000 per day. What steps has Venice taken to manage visitors?

 

Grand Canal, Venice Italy (Credit:Getty Images, DW)
 

• Charge a contributo di sbarco (disembark fee) started 2019
• Up to $11.50 charged day-trippers to enter Venice a World Heritage Site
• Exemptions for students, regional residents, local business
  
• Separate from hotel taxes valued $39 Million in 2017
• Fees will help balance this appetite for travel with preserving environment. 
• Pays for city services, sanitation and resources
  
• WEF promotes sustainable practices for global tourism. (World Economic Forum)
  

 

-LS

European Countries Pay to Bike or Transit

Some European countries offer motorists incentives to ride bikes and use transit instead of driving.

In France the number of daily trips by bicycle are 3% today, the country offers incentives to make 9% by 2024; they pay people to ride bikes.

• 4,000 Euros to car drivers to switch to eBikes
• Trade-ins on gas guzzlers for bikes or eBikes
• Or keep your car and earn a 400 Euro bike grant
• Paris will pay you 500 Euros for Folding/eBike/Transit pass
  
• Netherlands hosts 27% of bike trips today
• Finland and Lithuania offer 1000 Euros toward bikes 
• 70 European countries pledge carbon neutrality by 2050
• Belgium, Netherlands, UK pay for ride-to-work incentives
• Belgium pays approximately US $0.45 per mile

 -LS

Can Laguna Adopt New Urbanism?

Who benefits?

• Residents
• Visitors
• Businesses

How to do it?

• Temporary Structures
• Experiment
• Revenue
  

 -LS

Pedestrian Collisions and OTS Data

2020 Pedestrian Collisions (8) Map 

Cal Office of Traffic Safety Collision Rankings for LB 2019 (latest):

TYPE OF CRASH         KILLED & INJURED / OTS RANKING
Total Fatal and Injury           115           8/103
Alcohol Involved                     13         13/103
Motorcycles                            15           2/103
Pedestrians                             14          4/103
Pedestrians < 15                      0        99/103
Pedestrians 65+                       4          3/103
Bicyclists                                  7        12/103
Bicyclists < 15                         0        91/103
Composite                              59        17/103

TYPE OF CRASH     FATAL & INJURY /  OTS RANKING
Speed Related                         30        2/103
Nighttime (9:00pm–3am         11        6/103
Hit and Run                              2       51/103

-LS

PENDING eBIKE AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY LEGISLATION

 

There is new legislation before our State Senate and Assembly - 15 bills in all, to improve safety for pedestrians and bike riders including eBike riders. BROUGHT TO US BY THE CALIFORNIA BICYCLE COALITION or CalBike.  To support all 15 Bills see the link below.

 

Here are some highlights, timely in view of recent Laguna collision tragedies. 

 

On Governor's Desk 

* E-Bike Safety Training Program: Requires CALTRANS to develop statewide safety standards and training programs for users of e-bikes. 

 

In California Senate 

* Safe Street Crossings: Legalizes safe pedestrian mid-block crossings. 

* Pedestrian Crossing Signals: Requires CALTRANS and cities to update all pedestrian control signals to operate giving a pedestrian a 3-7 second head start on circular green signal. 

* PLAN FOR THE FUTURE BILL: Requires cities to ensure that a modified circulation element additionally includes bicycle and pedestrian plans and traffic calming plans. (LB CITY HALL ARE YOU THERE?) 

 

In California Assembly 

* Speed and Wreckless Driving: Increases local funding in circumstances that constitute gross negligence for manslaughter (because despite the pandemic since 2020, deaths an injuries due to vehicle collisions went up).

 

FOR DETAILS ON ALL 15 BILLS AND TO SUPPORT WITH ONE CLICK SEE THIS LINK

 

-LS

Laguna Beach Ballot Iniative: Part B

The way we were.

 

Forgotten public space, NYC 1920, photo credit VOX

There was a time in American history when neighborhood streets were shared public space and automobiles were new-fangled annoyances. Then a new automobile lobby rallied automobile manufactures to fight back eventually dominating public streets as exclusively for cars. The new normal was called progress. ( The forgotten history of how automakers invented the crime of "jaywalking", Joseph Stromberg, November 4 2015, VOX)

Lozenges (Los Angeles) like most US cities suffers from a car-centric mobility system that frequently becomes saturated, traffic congestion is the result. To their credit Angelinos are moving away from their car-centric plan by developing other modes of transportation.(Getting Cars out of the Way, LA Times, Rachel Uranga).

Lozenges adopted city policy documents and plans to do this. A change from car-centric to mixed-mode transportation like walking/biking/transit. The portion devoted to each is called mode-share, the changes brought to the streets are called complete street interventions. Building new mode-share means qualifying, designing, funding, and building the remaining mode-share infrastructure.

This week an initiative to build these mode-shares is before the LA City Clerk and LA Council. Local Angelinos drafted the initiative to place before voters. In the past special interests have stalled these initiatives in city red-tape among city departments, lawsuits, and lack of political will when facing irate motorists. 

Mike Schneider is an LA software entrepreneur and Angelino mobility advocate and founder of Healthy Streets LA - a political action committee with financial backing from wealthy donors. To avoid administrative delay, the Healthy Streets LA PAC is fast-tracking the mode-share initiative in a ballot measure before LA voters in November. 

Laguna Beach is preparing to place a Ballot Initiative before the voters in November too. Laguna Beach could follow the LA example.  Laguna has all the same elements for supporting new mode-share initiative in the existing city Capital & Improvement (C&I) plan, so every time our neighborhood streets are repaved and striped, the mode-share interventions are included. This builds mode-share infrastructure in increments already committed in C&I.

Would Laguna Residents First consider adopting a mode-share initiative PART-B for Laguna Beach, including it in the LRF Ballot Measure? Package a Laguna mode-share amendment in the November Ballot Initiative for Laguna Beach. Stay tuned.

NYC by 1925

-LS

ACT TODAY to Save Bike-Share in California

 Remember these?

Pending legislation in the California Senate AB-371 will mandate bike-share and scooter providers carry liability insurance forcing some out of business. At a time when California is developing another transportation mode-share, this mandate will kill small micromobility operators. Compare insurance requirements:

• 4,000 pounds Automobile
  
• 80+ mph
  
• $15,000 (current CA insurance minimum)
  

• Bike-share bike
• 45 pounds
• 18 mph
• $10,000 (if AB 371 passes)

The Kill Bike-Share Bill singles out shared scooters and shared bikes for an onerous insurance requirement. This bill should be fixed. What can you do about it?

Today August 11, California’s Senate Appropriations Committee will review AB 371 AB 371. Senator Portantino, a supporter of active and accessible transportation, chairs the Committee and you can let him know Californians across the state want a better future for micromobility. 

 

Help protect the future of California’s shared micromobility systems by sending Senator Portantino a letter opposing the bill’s burdensome requirements today.

 

 On behalf of CalBike, People for Bikes, and mobility advocates statewide, Thank you for participating.

-LS

 

Cycling Cities: Paris

 

Paris moves 18,000 people per day on the rue de Rivoli with zero carbon emissions.

More from Stein Van Oosteren

Book (French): “Porquoi Pas le Velo?” (Why not the Bicycle?)

TED TALK: https://www.ted.com/talks/stein_van_o... 

-LS

Tire Dust a Threat to Ocean Life

• Automobile tire dust is a stealth pollutant
• Found to kill Coho Salmon in Washington State
• Major die-offs occur after rainfall
• Die-off linked to tire particles not pestesides
• Marine microplastics consist of Synthetic Fibres 37%, Tires 28%
• Electric vehicles will make matters worse
  

Every day 70,000 automobiles pass through Laguna Beach, a resident community of 23,500 (AADT Caltrans traffic volumes). What is the toxicity of tire particles for oceanic life off the coastline (7-miles) of Laguna Beach?  How about landbased life?   See The Gardian for full story.

-LS

LB City Opposes Ballot Initiative

In a Nixle Alert subscribed participants received this notice today:

Advisory: City Council Majority Directs Staff to Prepare Resolutions to Oppose 3 Ballot Initiatives. 

Click https://adobe.ly/3ckHtgU for the city Newsletter. 

FYI

-LS

Huntington Beach Patriot Bike Parade

Here's what Huntington Beach did Saturday 2 July:

For a slide-show and full story see the Orange County Register coverage. Laguna Beach should do this down Glenneyre, would CLB dare?

-LS

MIT Autonomous Bike Project

 Check this out.

Because 50% of US trips are 5-miles or less, a bike-share fleet would reduce the need for very expensive parking structures and reduce the reliance on Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOV). 

-LS

Best US Cities to Bike Rankings

 

People for Bikes in Boulder CO rated and ranked US cities as best places to bike, Laguna ranks "32" of 100 points. Boulder ranks "66" in the TOP TEN while Dana Point and Newport show no ranking yet. For details on the Laguna ranking see People for Bikes City Rankings. 

-LS

KILL the BIKE-SHARE SENATE BILL

Given the increasing safety risk of eBikes to pedestrians and to riders themselves, Laguna Beach has NO bicycle infrastructure and no Bike Share provisions to make bike riding more safe.  

Meanwhile a bill from the California State Seante Insurance Committee has drafted an obscure bill with a devastating impact on bike and scooter share systems in California. Please tell your senator to vote NO on AB 371, the Kill Bike-Share Bill. Email link below. 

Bike sharing systems have already reduced car traffic by millions of miles and provided an essential last-mile link for public transit. The insurance requirement in AB 371 will end this valuable transportation option, put more cars on the road, and make our streets less safe. 

 The Kill Bike-Share Bill is bad for our communities and bad for California. Tell your senator to vote NO on AB 371 — it just takes a minute. https://www.calbike.org/take_action/save-bike-share/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=32e4dbb2-0da1-44f2-b124-141098fb58d4&sl_tc=Email

-LS

Did Vision 2030 Influence Laguna's General Plan?

LAGUNA BEACH VISION 2030 STRATEGIC PLAN

The Laguna Beach Vision 2030 Strategic Plan  begins:

 What will Laguna Beach be like thirty-years from now?  Will we congratulate ourselves on what we have achieved or lament on what we have lost?    

In 1999 the Laguna Beach City Council responded to this concern and appointed a steering committee to carry-out a strategic vision and planning process for Laguna Beach, the Vision 2030 Plan was the result. In all, 2000 residents, students, consultants and community organizations participated in collecting a database of concerns, identifying the shared vision, recording core values, and planning for implementation.   The final plan was published in December 2001. 

The Plan is organized into seven themes identifying strategic goals and implementation actions for each theme. These goals and actions contain keyword phrases that reappear throughout the Plan, for the present study fifty-six goals and eighty-eight actions were identified and counted.

GOALS [56]

accommodate bicycles | accommodate pedestrians | accountable standards accountability | aesthetic character | art colony | beach community | community  dialogue | community participation | cultural facilities | design study | disaster  protection | encourage bicycle | enhance communication | enhance contact | enhance  diversity | enhance honor | enhance spirit | environmental law | environmental  education | environmental sustainability | governance models | historical character | identify pollution | information technology | innovative parking | integrate arts | integrate projects | laguna vitality | light development | long term thinking | low impact | parking strategy | pedestrian solutions |  pedestrian-friendly | preserve ocean  | preserve | open space | promote arts promote identity | protect ocean | protect open space | protection | recognize arts | regional growth | resident friendly | resident  serving | residents priority | small town | strategic planning | traffic circulation | transit  system | unique character | urban design | vibrant downtown | village charm | vision laguna enterprise

ACTIONS [88]

add parking | adequate parking | aesthetic experience | aesthetic improvements |  affordable housing | alternative governance | artist live-work | arts center | bicycle  plan | bike lane | bike path | bicycle pedestrian management plan | BPMP |  business ombudsman | citizen safety | commercial design character |  commercial use | community education  | community events | community  newsletter | conduct analysis | consistent application | consistent enforcement |  community arts center | coordinating committee | cultural arts plan | downtown  area | economic | eforums | election process | entry points | environmental  sustainability | environmental committee | erosion control | european plaza |  existing spaces | expand arts venues | facilitate speakers | handbook | historic  resources | intellectual exchange | kiosks | laguna foundation | lifeguard  protection | livable communities analysis | live-work facilities | market research  study | meeting places | mixed use | mixed-use | ocean laguna | office economic |  open space | outside social spaces | oversight committee | parking and traffic  analysis | parking analysis | pedestrian path | pedestrian plan | pedestrian use |  pedestrian way | pedestrian zone | people oriented | peripheral parking | project  teams | promenade | promote vision | public education | public input | remote  parking | resident intellectuals | resource directory | retain beauty canyon | retain  character canyon | scenic improvements | sewage system | task force | town hall |  traffic analysis | trail linkages | transform coast highway | transform PCH | transit  ridership | traffic analysis | vision process | visioning process | website 

LAGUNA BEACH GENERAL PLAN

A General Plan provides a long-range plan for a city’s physical development. A  city has the freedom to decide what the plan includes however there are requirements under California state law the plan must meet. Failure to do so could result in suspension of future urban development. 

The Laguna Beach General Plan regulates public policy to define and protect community resources, the plan is found on the city website here. The Plan consists of nine elements: Housing Element, Human Needs Element, Land Use Element, Circulation Element, and Open Space Element are among them. The Plan's latest revisions span  1976 to 2021, the Housing Element was last updated in 2021. Residents and the steering committee prepared goals and actions in the Vision 2030 Plan to address the concern for Laguna's future, whether or not those goals and city actions actually enter the city General Plan  policy document creates the same concern.

 The charts below show this linkage between the Vision 2030 Plan and the General Plan Elements as of June 2022. One chart for GOALS and one for ACTIONS was created for each of five Elements. The charts show the frequency the keywords in the Vision 2030 Plan actually appear in the five General Plan Elements. The charts show whether the goals and actions intended are planned for action and implementation in the General Plan. Keywords that do not appear in the charts were missing from the General Plan altogether.

GOALS in General Plan

 ACTIONS in General Plan

CONCLUSION:   For LAND USE and HOUSING Elements the influence from the Vision 2030 exercise is marginal, while for HUMAN NEEDS, OPEN SPACE AND CIRCULATION there is no influence at all. From this study there is little evidence the goals and actions from Vision 2030 entered the city General Plan. Would a rewrite of the Vision 2030 Plan influence a new General Plan?  Probably not. How effective is Laguna's General Plan for implementing those GOALS and ACTIONS? Yogi Berra said it best:   "IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU WILL END UP SOMEWHERE ELSE."

-LS