Fashion Island Memorial Ride

Over 1200 cyclists remembered Sarah Leaf and Kit Campion M.D.

Photos: Frank Peters

Walk and Bike for Cyclists Recently Killed

UPDATE! It was 1200 riders says Biking in LA.

UPDATE!  700 registered riders rode in fond memory of Sarah Leaf and Katherine Campion M.D..   Organized by the city of Newport Beach and the NBPD their cooperation is deeply appreciated (thank you Sgt. Spencer ) and enthusiasm (thank you Mayor Gardner) for bike safety is noted.

 Join us for the memorial ride tomorrow Sunday 28 October 2012 at 8:00am starting at the corner of Santa Rosa and Newport Center Drive, Fashion Island in Newport Beach. More details and register here.

Removed Cycle Tracks are Prefered Safest

Bicycle safety is often argued from two perspectives. One says cycling is safest when completely removed from motorized street traffic while another view insists cyclists should occupy the same lane as motorists. Now a new comprehensive study published in the American Journal of Public Health shows separated cycle tracks serve best as cycling infrastructure. This chart (click to enlarge) shows the compilation from 2100 locations, 2335 injuries on 14 different routes that Cycle tracks are indeed preferred and safest. Published in the Atlantic Cities.

Preparations for Sharrows in Newport

Sharrows, or shared lane markers, will be installed along East Coast Highway in Corona del Mar, between MacArthur and Poppy avenues, before the end of the month. This week the city has been working to let residents know they are coming. Sharrows are used where mandatory on-street parking for automobiles prohibit the installation of safe bike-lanes for cyclists. For the story see the NB Patch.

OCTA Metrolink anywhere $10

Wanna see LA for the weekend cheap? Take your bike on the train. To meet the growing demand from cyclists for additional bicycle storage space on trains, Metrolink introduced special Bike Cars. They're cars specially designed to hold up to 18 bicycles on the lower level. Electric bikes are OK. Take the Orange County like to LA on weekends for ten bucks! See the interactive System Map here.   See OCTA Metrolink train numbers and schedules here. 

Think Outside the Box

What if cross-walks played music? Photo courtesy Belles Bikes!

San Clemente Adopts Complete Streets into General Plan

Dedicated train-cars for bicycles, bike lanes, pedestrian benches, and connecting infrastructure. Some cities are making the sustainable shift to a multi-modal transport system and recognize the value in this shift. San Clemente leads the way, on Wednesday night the San Clemente Planning Commission adopted and approved a framework for their Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. The Plan will become an integral part of the San Clemente city General Plan.

Some highlights of the comprehensive Eighty-Eight point framework:

• The City shall adopt recreational off-road facilities to the on-road transportation network.
• We shall incorporate bicycle accommodations into all land use plans and capital improvement projects.
• The city will encourage public pedestrian improvement projects such as public art, fountains, street trees, lighting and directional signs. 
• (The city shall) include skateboarding as a legitimate form of transportation as a policy, and include program to evaluate and revise ordinances as necessary to accommodate safe skateboard use.
• Support the creation of comprehensive safety awareness programs for pedestrians, skateboarders, cyclists and drivers.
• Expand the Safe Routes to School program and encourage all schools to get involved.
• Develop a (city sponsored) city-wide bicycle map
• City to sponsor bike-to-work week and month
• The city shall measure non-motorized trips and vehicle trip reductions, especially at local schools, so as to monitor mode share goal progress.
• The City shall prioritize smart-growth principles, public transit connections, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction by ensuring safe, convenient, contiguous, non-motorized access to destinations such as employment centers, schools, parks, the beach, businesses, natural amenities and residential areas.
• We shall establish mode-shift/share goals. 

-LS

Complete Streets Projects Proposed

This chart shows five different project proposals introduced to Laguna Beach City Council that address mobility improvements in the spirit of Complete Streets (click the chart to enlarge it.) Each project is recorded in the Agenda Bill of a council meeting, the initial Proposal date is shown with a green triangle followed by project milestones. The good news is the "Cypress St" project was completed while "Ped Path TOW" is recorded in the Ten-Year Capital Improvement Plan with funding allocated. The bad news is all the others are merely studies and have no funding, nor are they recorded in the ten-year plan where infrastructure is actually built. Time will tell if funding is made available to budget these projects. Notice how new proposals grow popular around election season but have no money to support them.  -LS

Dress for Better Mobility

These T-shirts just arrived available in S-M-L-XL, Bike Sharrow on the front, back as shown. Only a $15 donation, reserve yours  by writing eMail to Laguna Streets or buy directly from Laguna Cyclery, 240 Thalia St. at Glenneyre. Help promote walking and cycling alternatives to the car. Get involved so everyone will benefit.

Complete Streets Project Summary in Laguna Beach

This chart shows capital improvements planned and executed in Laguna Beach for the last 5 years. The Complete Streets projects actually built total $5000 (2011), an amount too small to render on this computer graphic. Recall that Laguna spends on average $25,000 on fireworks every year. In an election period where political hype exaggerates  Complete Streets, it is important to hold promises made versus projects actually built in perspective. From the city fiscal year budgets 2007-2012. -LS