"Rolling Coal" in Texas

 Photo and Story by JALOPNIK

All the King's lawyers and litigation will not prevent these intentional acts. 

And more bike hate in Arizona, Ford F-150 mows down six killing one.

The solution to multi-modal transportation begins with public policy, public outreach and education in schools. Respect each other, SHARE THE ROAD.

-LS

Idaho Stop Before California Governor

Data from Delaware shows that collisions involving bikes at intersections went down by 23% after the state adopted the bicycle safety stop.

 Please tell the California Governor to approve AB-122 the Idaho stop (Bicycle Safety Stop) Bill. 

 

10/11/21 UPDATE:  10/8 Governor Vetos AB-122 citing accidents at stop signs. 

US States with "rolling stops": Arkansas, Oklahoma, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Delaware.

The three-foot passing law was defeated twice by Governor Brown, expect the Idaho Stop similar.

There are fewer lawyers in Germany (104,000) than Kalifornia (266,000), and more street users who can think for themselves. 

Sorry to all who participated, we've been Gavined by the Gov.

-LS

Idaho Stop Passes Cal Senate

The Bike Safety Bill (Rolling Stop, Idaho Stop) AB-122 has passed the California Senate by a 31/5 vote on August 30. For cyclists, traffic Stop signs at intersections  may be treated as Yield signs. Thanks to all who participated by writing our legislators.

California will join other states adopting the safety stop: Idaho, Delaware, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Delaware, Arkansas, Utah, Oklahoma, and North Dakota. These states have not reported any safety problems after implementing this rule.

For more details, legislation and a video, see Calbike here.

-LS

Infrastructure Bill Funds Status Quo

$682 Billion in new transportation infrastructure spending passed the Senate last week but supports highways not transit alternatives. To put into perspective, the amount spent on the US defense budget was $778 Billion in 2020 alone.

"In its current state, this deal fails to accomplish the administration’s goal of reducing emissions, preserving both the status quo of easy money to build new highways (while neglecting basic repair needs) and the existing, complex hurdles to build transit,” said Transportation America Director Beth Osborne. 

 

Transportation for America (TA) found the Bill falls short even before the dire warning given by the International Committee on Climate Change on Monday. 

The bill provides large federal investments in both public transit and electric vehicle recharging, the expenditures are undermined by historic levels of highway spending that will produce higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions, as it always has. The bill provides a small amount of funding for reconnecting communities divided by highways but providing hundreds of times more funding to build and expand highways creating new divisions. 

The TA Guiding Principles show:

• States are permitted to defer basic needs and  highway maintenance in order to expand (think Toll Roads) new highway systems. This way the expansion is rewarded by federal highway funding but maintenance is not.
• Cut the highway maintenance backlog in half by dedicating formula highway funds to maintenance. 

Our roadways are designed for speed over safety, check the 85% percentile rule followed by Caltrans to set speed limits. Transportation systems focus on speed of delivery compromising safety. The bill should emphasize moving people not vehicles.  Connect people to jobs and services first, then design emphasis should be connecting people to those jobs and services. Prioritize highway projects that will serve that mission and use existing funding expeditiously but meet the mobility goal. This Bill uses status-quo-supporting, five-year transportation bill the Senate passed a few months ago as the guide for investing $682 billion in transportation infrastructure.

What you can do about it:

Call the Capitol Swithboard (202) 224-3121, ask for four amendments:

Talking points:

“I live in [STATE] and I’m calling about the infrastructure deal. While I’m certainly glad that we’re near a deal to invest in our country’s infrastructure, we have to do more than invest in the same way we always have. As the Senate considers the deal this week, I urge you to SUPPORT these following four amendments:

• The Kaine amendment (2373), which would require a “fix it first" approach to highway funding. 
• The Klobuchar amendment (2301), which would require states to reduce traffic death targets and end the practice of planning for them to increase with no penalty.
• The Warnock amendment (2167) (& Cardin 2176), would increase funding for reconnecting communities divided and damaged by highways from $3 billion up to $5 billion.
• The Cardin amendment (2465), would implement a transportation greenhouse gas (GHG) performance measure to finally start considering the climate impacts of our transportation projects.

8.10.21 Update

Coming just a day after a dire new IPCC climate report calling for transformational change, the Senate is providing hundreds of billions for status quo programs that will be used to build new roads and produce ever-increasing emissions for decades to come.  

-LS

LB Municipal Vehicle Fleet goes Electric

 SO WHAT? 

LB City Council is considering a replacement of the city vehicle fleet with electric vehicles to ostensibly, reduce the road noise they produce and "chiefly to reduce the number of polluting vehicles the City operates."

Let's try some math. 

 The city operates 200 vehicles (20-21 Budget)...............let's say they operate 1000 cars, trucks, beach buggies, and fire trucks. According Caltrans the Average Annual Daily Vehicle Trips to Laguna when people park is 29,400.  The entire city-fleet represents 3% of the tourist fleet of vehicles; the electric vehicle replacement program will do nothing to achieve stated goals.

 

Credit: @CanUrbanism

 

 

-LS

Transportation Sector Carbon Footprint

(Credits: Our World in Data, Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, UK )

The transportation sector contributes 29% to global GHG emissions, cars and trucks make up 82% of those emissions. Your choice of personal mobility greatly reduces GHG emissions.
How to reduce carbon emissions:

• Walk instead of medium car for short trips: ~83% reduction
  
• Use a pedal bike instead of car for short trips: ~75% reduction
• Train instead of car for medium trips: ~80% reduction
  
• Train instead of plane: ~84% reduction

-LS

 

 

NextDoor Polling Results on LB Parking and Traffic

 From 2018 to 2021 Laguna residents responded to a series of NextDoor polls about parking and traffic, here is a summary of fifteen polls in three charts showing what Laguna respondents say. The three charts organize parking and traffic polls into problems, solutions, and the vision for Laguna Beach. From each poll only the majority vote is shown, some take-aways are these:

• A large majority of respondents agree there are too many cars in Laguna.
• A majority believe cars will disappear if parking structures hide them all.
• A large majority prefer walking, biking, transit, Trolley over cars IF safe infrastructure was provided.
• A majority of respondents remain ignorant of mobility solutions available. 

 

 -LS

OCTA Multi-Modal Transportation Study

Soon it will be cool to say the words "MULTI-MODAL".  No, not a Podcast production with Garageband, this is the Orange County Transit Authority public survey of a multi-modal transportation system for Southern California including beach cities. On June 17 2021 OCTA held a virtual town hall taking public input about what services we want and where to spend Measure-M money on a multi-modal system. OCTA is also taking an on-line survey to record your preferences. To take the survey click the last link. Previous studies are shown.

PCH Corridor Objective:  make it more convenient for people to travel without needing an automobile

2016 OCTA Get Moving

2016 Corridor Study for SoCal and PCH (pdf)

2021 Multi-Modal Transportation town hall recording and info

2021 PCH Corridor Executive Summary (Laguna Beach p15)

2021 Public Survey direct link

 

Want to see a Metrolink to Laguna Beach?  Want to see OCFlex schedule on your phone? Want to see bikelanes on Laguna Canyon Road?  

Take the survey and tell OCTA what preferences you like.

-LS

Origin and Destination Analysis for LCR 2015 RBF

Given the recent fuss about Parkletts and their impact on Laguna Beach parking, here is a reminder of who uses Laguna Canyon Road to arrive in Laguna Beach and park. The charts show the average number of car trips per day through LCR, where they come from and where they are going.  

This study does NOT count those drivers using PCH. This study does NOT include other modes of transport: walking, cycling, motorcycles, trams buses boats gliders or SUP paddle-boards. Also these are annual averages not peak visitors season, say Memorial Day.

As the charts show, on average the main users of Laguna parking is: us. The main users of Laguna's streets is:  pass-through commuters.

 

This data was reported 16 March 2015 by RBF Consulting as a deliverable to the City of Laguna Beach and their product in it's entirety. This reporting is comparable to city-wide citation and moving violation data posted previously. The values are different since LBPD data includes the PCH route through Laguna Beach, the RBF study does not.

-LS

eBikes: What are the LAWS?

WHAT IS AN eBIKE? 

The California Vehicle Code classifies an e-bike as a bicycle equipped with an electric motor less than 750 watts with top speed from 20 mph to 28 mph.

CALIFORNIA LAW:

The California Vehicle Code treats bicycles as VEHICLES, so same laws apply to cyclists as motorists. Cal VC 21200 treats eBikes same as bicycles. 

LAGUNA BEACH LAW:

It is illegal to ride bicycles or eBikes on LB sidewalks by city Ordinance. 

(a) It is unlawful for any person, except for authorized law enforcement personnel, to operate a bicycle upon any sidewalk, the Main Beach Boardwalk, or any area within any city park. 

(b) It is unlawful for any person, except for authorized law enforcement personnel and for persons with disabilities, to operate any electric personal assistive mobility device (as defined by the California Vehicle Code and sometimes also known or referred to as Segways, T-3 Motions and/or motorized scooters) or any golf cart or low speed vehicle (as defined by the California Vehicle Code) on any sidewalk on Pacific Coast Highway, within the central business district, Main Beach Boardwalk, or any area within any city park. (Laguna Beach Ord. 1614 § 1, 2016; Ord. 1546 § 1, 2011; Ord. 1509 § 1, 2009; Ord. 1299 § 1, 1995; Ord. 1081 § 1, 1985).

Sources:

CalBike Bike Laws (CVC 21200): Bicycles eBikes

LB City Ordinance: Bicycles eBikes 

LB City UPDATE: eBikes in Laguna Beach 

OC Register on eBikes: Rules Regulations Popularity

-LS