Car Culture Recognizes National VRU Day

 

 

Thursday May 8 was National Bike Walk and Roll to School Day, who knew?  In car-culture we are known as VRU's "Vulnerable Road Users".

-LS

Laguna Canyon Road Protect and Connect Workshop

Are you concerned about preserving the wilderness, the small scale residential neighborhood, the business district, the CALTRANS/City transportation plan for Laguna Canyon Road? Then please join the public workshop about the CALTRANS realignment of our Canyon Road. Bring your questions, concerns, and values to this public workshop sponsored by the City of Laguna Beach and Department of Public Works.   

UPDATE: 15-Questions Protect Connect Workshop 

 UPDATE: 15-Answers to Questions by LB Public Works

-LS

Laguna Canyon Road Survey

Have you taken the Laguna Beach LCR survey?  The City has embarked on an ambitious plan to improve a portion of LCR from Canyon Acres to El Toro Road with infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians while beautifying the canyon by undergrounding overhead utility poles. The Protect and Connect program is looking for input from stakeholders and roadway users.

-LS

Pledge to Ride WIN a eBike!

May is bike month in Orange County, pledge to ride a bike and win an eBike!   OCTA sponsored check this out.

The Pledge is here.

Cosponsored by AVENTON,  JAX BICYCLE CENTER and SPECTRUMOTION

-LS

EV Trucks are Earth Day Panaceas?

FYI Folks:

GVWR is the maximum weight of the vehicle including occupants and cargo.

GCWR is the maximum including occupants cargo and trailer.

• Toyota Tacoma: GVWR = 5,600 lbs
• Ford Ranger: GVWR = 6,050 lbs
• Nissan Frontier: GVWR = 6,012 lbs
• Ford F-150 Hybrid: GVWR = 7,350 lbs
• Toyota Tundra Hybrid: GVWR = 7,660 lbs
• Rivian R1T: GVWR = 8,532 lbs
• Nissan Titan XD: GVWR = 8,800 lbs
• Chevy Silverado 2500: GVWR = 10,850 lbs

 courtesy of TFL Truck.

Just in-time for Earth Day.

-LS

Is Household Transportation Cost Affordable?

On 25 March 2024 Streetsblog posted " How Car Ownership is Keeping  Americans from Financial Security" and reference supporting data from a study conducted by the US government Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

In the government study the cost of U.S. transportation includes the different modes of transportation like rail, transit, ferry, taxi, and private automobiles. These costs represent the total amount households spend on transportation.

Transportation cost is a measure of transportation affordability compared to other household expenditures. A transportation cost burden measures the percentage a household budget spends on transportation after taxes. After taxes is  a better measure of what a household has available to spend on transportation. 

Households are divided into five groups (quintiles) by household annual gross income. The groups are Highest > $245,000  and Lowest < $25,000.

In 2022, transportation was the second largest household expenditure behind housing, accounting for 15% of average household spending. The cost burden fell hardest on households in the lowest group, the household making less than $25,000 spent 30% of their after-tax income on transportation while those in the highest fifth spent 12%, see the chart.

More take-aways from the study:

• Percent of after-tax income spent on transportation, two cases:
  
• Households No Vehicle: Lowest Income -3%  Highest Income -5%
• Households Owning Vehicles: Lowest Income -45% Highest Income -12%
• Vehicle ownership is the greatest burden on low income earners
• The cost burden for rural and urban households is about the same for any income earner but a greater burden for lower earners.
• Over 65 age households cost burden is about 45% of income after taxes.

-LS

CICLO Irvine Open Streets Event

CICLO Irvine Open Streets

CicloIrvine, Irvine's first-ever Open Streets Event, will take place Saturday, May 4th, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. It will temporarily close streets to cars and open them up to people on foot, bikes, skateboards, wheelchairs, and other active transportation modes to repurpose them into a temporary re-imagined public space.   On Barranka from Harvard to Creek Road, see map. 

Map care of Councilwoman Kathleen Treseder and City of Irvine. 

-LS

Support Cal Senate CALTRANS Complete Streets Bill

In April the 2024 Complete Streets Bill will come before the California Senate Transportation Committee, the bill requires CALTRANS to address the safety needs of all roadway users; walkers, bikers, transit and motorists. The Senate Bill is COMPLETE STREETS POLICY for Caltrans in Laguna Beach, that's Route -133 and Hwy -1 South Coast Highway.

Show your support with a one-click (finished) letter to the Senate Transportation Committee or add your comments. Here's a letter sample:

I join with CalBike in asking you to support SB-960, the Complete Streets Bill before the Transportation Committee. My community Laguna Beach is separated by two major CALTRANS highways with no provisions for other mobility modes; walkers, bikers, and transit. At the same time our community ranks the most dangerous in 103 similar communities due to these Caltrans highways.  SB-960 would address these issues. 

Here's the link to SB-960.  

Here's the CalBike link to send your letter.   

UPDATES:  SB-960 votes in August 2024:

Passed Assembly 58:17

Passed Senate 31:9

 

 -LS

Caltrans Complete Streets Corridor Webinar

2024 Summit Advance Webinar

Complete Streets Caltrans Corridor

Webinar broadcast now:

• Caltrans allocated for Complete Streets projects: $15 Billion
  
• Caltrans Compete Streets projects planned: $200 Million

Given the allocated funding Calbike will push Caltrans to implement the projects more aggressively.

Webinar ID: 851 8963 0258

CALTRANS Addresses Complete Streets

CALTRANS got a new gig. 

Caltrans is no longer exclusively about moving cars, a new Director’s Policy for Complete Streets (DP-37) addresses moving pedestrians, cyclists, transit and private automobiles.   Their new 2022 directive provides technical input and strategic direction on policies and guidance related to walking, biking, and transit. 

Since 2022 Caltrans supports a new department dedicated to multi-modal transportation planning,   The Caltrans Complete Streets Action Plan is a planning guide for the Caltrans new Directive 37 to build Complete Streets including policy and procedures, standards, funding data collection and promotion. 

The CASP identifies key high-priority efforts needed to implement the new Director’s Policy starting 2022.

We can now say "Complete Streets" and "CALTRANS " in the same sentence, so let's embrace the positive changes Caltrans can bring to Laguna Beach.

https://dot.ca.gov/programs/esta/complete-streets

-LS