BikinginLA

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood tweeted this in support of bikes on Monday:

We’re not anti-car; we’ve paved our share of roads. But bikes must have a seat at the table.

But that doesn’t begin to compare with what he had to say on his blog:

Today, I want to announce a sea change. People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning. This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.

We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects. We are discouraging transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians. And we are encouraging investments that go beyond the minimum requirements and provide facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.

To set this approach in motion, we have formulated key recommendations for state DOTs and communities:

• Treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes.
• Ensure convenient access for people of all ages and abilities.
• Go beyond minimum design standards.
• Collect data on walking and biking trips.
• Set a mode share target for walking and bicycling.
• Protect sidewalks and shared-use paths the same way roadways are protected (for example, snow removal)
• Improve nonmotorized facilities during maintenance projects.

Now, this is a start, but it’s an important start. These initial steps forward will help us move forward even further.

The Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation does a good job of explaining just what that means.

But evidently, the planners working on a replacement for the Gerald Desmond Bridge in the Port of Long Beach didn’t get the memo.

………

A police sting catches a Downtown bike thief, and nearly stings a nearby pedestrian in the process. The Dodgers could learn a lot from the new Yankee Stadium when it comes to bike parking. Will offers video of his trek down the Orange Line Bikeway, and he’s shocked by the Times’ front page coverage of last weekend’s Fargo Street Hill Climb. The LACBC’s City of Lights program is featured in a Streetfilms video from the National Bike Summit. The hit-and-run epidemic hits Berkeley. A new ghost bike goes up in Sacramento. Security cameras capture the last images of a Portland cyclist missing for nearly a month. A Spokane-area bar owner pleads not guilty to the hit-and-run death of a cyclist earlier this month. Drivers now form the minority in Detroit. Dave Moulton looks back at the King of the Classics. Maybe you just need a better soundtrack for your commute. Riding from Paraguay to the U.S. to save the trees. Bike sharing in Tehran. The failure of London’s new bike plan. Bspoke bikewear fit for the office. More on the London bike death of musician and fashion designer Shivon Watson, aka Shiv Lizzy; Dutch experts say London’s mayor could do more to cut deaths and get more riders on the road. Maybe they should consider an underwater stage for next year’s Tour. Thanks to the Trickster for word that Melbourne-area roads are getting smarter.

Finally, Copenhagenize looks at Ciclovia in Mexico City; if you like what you what you see, don’t just imagine it in L.A. Do something about it.