Update: You’re invited to ThinkBikes with the Dutch, and half a week’s worth of lip-smacking bike links

In case you didn’t get the invitation, the Consulate General of the Netherlands is cooperating with the City of Los Angeles and the LACBC to host ThinkBike Los Angeles in September.

Yes, you’re invited.

No really, I asked. Just be sure to register in advance.

And you’re welcome.

According to the invitation:

On September 22nd and 23rd, 2011, the Consulate General of the Netherlands, in cooperation with the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, will host ThinkBike, a unique, bi-national bicycle promotion and design workshop.

Bikeway design experts from the Netherlands will lead a series of workshops in Los Angeles to discuss how the Netherlands has successfully implemented a comprehensive program to promote cycling and to make specific recommendations on how Los Angeles can improve the comfort and safety of its bicycle route network. Over the course of two days, the Dutch design experts will work closely with teams of Los Angeles designers and community stakeholders to generate project proposals that feature innovative design ideas to meet the multifaceted cycling needs of Angelenos.

Opening Session (September 22nd from 9:00am to 10:30am): Welcome address by Consul General Bart van Bolhuis and Jaime de la Vega, General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Dutch guests will share with elected officials, department heads, and business and community leaders how the Netherlands has instituted programs and policies to increase bicycling.

Closing Session (September 23rd from 3:30pm to 5:30pm):Closing Session led by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Consul General Bart van Bolhuis. Teams of local and Dutch experts will unveil to the public the project proposals resulting from the intensive, two-day design workshops.

The Netherlands Embassy works with North American cities through the ThinkBike initiative to bring Dutch bicycling experts together with local planners, engineers, transportation experts, community representatives and advocates to help improve conditions for biking. A recognition of Los Angeles’ growing stature as a bicycle-friendly city, this event promises to be an exciting opportunity to showcase what cutting-edge bikeway design can do for Los Angeles.

ThinkBike LA Opening Session
Thursday, September 22nd

9:00 – 10:30 AM

Los Angeles Department of Transportation  
Main Conference Room / CalTrans Building

100 South Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Register for the Opening Session
ThinkBike LA Closing Session
Friday, September 23rd

3:30 – 5:30 PM

Los Angeles Police Department
Deaton Hall Auditorium

100 West 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Register for the Closing Session

……..

Update: In my rush to get this online last night, I inadvertently left out the most important story of the day.

Joe Linton offers a detailed analysis of LADOT’s claimed bikeway mileage, showing the city has installed far fewer miles of bikeways than they had claimed — including taking credit for restriping bike lanes that already existed. It’s a long, detailed analysis, but a must read for every cyclist in the city.

And my apologies to Joe, and everyone else, for the late addition.

……..

Help kick off a self-inflating commuter bike tire on Kickstarter, and get a $50 discount — okay, $49.90 — when they hit the market.

……..

Long time pro George Hincapie kicks ass at 12,000 feet, while Team Type 1 cyclist Daniele Callegarin is flown to Denver with serious injuries after a crash in the Pro Challenge. The problem with new pro tours like Colorado’s Pro Cycling Challenge is that they’re new. Bike stage racing is like chess on wheels; why doesn’t anyone ever say it’s like Bingo or Monopoly?

Joaquin Rodriguez takes the fifth stage of the Vuelta a Espana, while Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel hold’s the leader’s jersey; Taylor Phinney breaks the cardinal rule of the grupetto on one of his most difficult days. Claremont Cyclist looks forward to the Vuelta; for some, it offers a chance at redemption, for others, it’s just a great race.

And Alexander Vinokourov unretires for the tour of Lombardie.

……..

LADOT says the Main Street road diet needs your help, while 7th Street cyclists get a separated bike lane. Bicycle Fixation says the ship is turning at LADOT and it’s about time. Oh, and the Hudson Troll Hole is back, too. Help name the North Figueroa Revitalization and Bikeway Group, as they start planning for bikeways on north Fig. Santa Monica’s Bike Action Plan enters the home stretch. Barry Bonds bikes in Marina del Rey. Interesting market plan, as a new firm will deliver your WeHo Whole Foods order by bike. The West Hollywood Bike Coalition takes shape to fight for better biking in Boy’s Town. Better Bike updates where things stand in 90210. The Urban Biking Handbook is now available, courtesy of Bicycle Kitchen cook Charles Haine. Mountain bikers are banned from a popular Placerita Canyon trail. A bicycle ride is not a race. They may not have homes, but at least they’ve got bikes thanks to some San Gabriel Valley high school students. A 65-year old Arcadia man who lost both legs in Vietnam rides cross-country for charity; I take back every thought I had about how hard my last ride was.

When Frank Peters recommends Safe Routes to Schools, a commenter calls it anti-car propaganda; sure, not wanting little kids to get killed on the way to class means you must hate motor vehicles — there should be an IQ test before you’re allowed to use the Internet. In a big victory for local riders, San Diego will now train its police officers on cyclists rights and the laws of bicycling; here’s the order they issued. The Modesto Bee says we have to go back to the basics we learned as children, and co-exist as pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. An Alameda County deputy probation officer faces charges in the death of a cyclist last June. A bike built to ride at 75 mph takes shape in Atascadero. A Menlo Park cyclist is killed on the same section of expressway that’s seen two previous fatalities, including Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Halberstam. After graduating from a Modesto high school, a student plans to ride his bike to college at the University of San Diego. A San Francisco cyclist is injured at a problematic intersection. Two children are injured when their bike trailer is hit by a car in Vallejo.

Bike-friendly cities are better for all road users. Just like children in Lake Wobegon, all American drivers above average, or at least think they are. The League of American Bicyclists offers five steps to riding better, and says there’s no better vehicle in emergency situations than a bicycle. Bicycling recommends 11 summer beers for post-ride recovery; now that’s a recovery drink I can get behind. Ten tips to lose weight by riding your bike. National Geographic looks at the Velomobiles that are currently touring the U.S. To kill someone in Alaska, use a car, not a gun. A 7-year old cyclist from Truckee rides the highest paved road in America. A Cincinnati ice cream truck driver returns a bike taken from a teenage bike crash victim. Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady bike with their sons in Boston. New York lawyers fight for the rights of cyclists; you’ll find a few good ones like that over there on the right. One thing we can learn from New York is to engineer people into city planning. OMG, the Daily News finds cyclists riding on a pedestrian walkway, proof that we’re all dangerous hooligans and that NYDOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan is the Anti-Christ; seriously, Daily News, get over it already. Three upstate New York men complete the cross-country bike ride halted by a collision 25 years earlier. Cyclists paved the way for paved roads. The father of professional triathlete Sara McLarty is killed in the most dangerous state for cyclists and pedestrians; thanks to Michael Byerts for the heads-up.

A Brit cyclist steals his bike back from the thieves who stole it. A London cyclist is killed by a bus while riding to move in with his girlfriend. Bicycling contributes £3 billions a year to the British economy. A Derbyshire writer suggests taxing sensible cyclists who wear helmets and — get this — knee and elbow pads. A UK cyclist makes a miraculous recovery after being just hours from having his life support disconnected. I love this story, as a 75-year old UK man plans to ride 75 miles on a 75-year old bike to raise money for an asthma charity. Town Mouse discovers a new device that tells you where to go just like a GPS, but actually folds into your pack. Speaking of the Dutch, I want to be just like this guy when I grow up; thanks to Amsterdamize for the link. An American man demonstrates why you don’t ride a bike in a war zone. Black and Jewish cyclists ride together in South Africa.

Finally, an economic analyst says Mexican motorists should flatten cyclists. No, really, that’s what he said.

I think the drivers I faced coming home through Brentwood on Wednesday must have taken his advice to heart. And maybe these drivers did, too.

5 comments

  1. […] Consulate General of the Netherlands, with support from the City of Los Angeles, will host a two-day workshop in Los Angeles in late September to support L.A.’s bicycling […]

  2. I would love to go to the ThinkBikes event with the Dutch, but it’s while most people – including myself – are at work. 🙁

  3. Check out the final report from tthe Chicago ThinkBike workshop.that took place last year.

    http://www.fietsberaad.nl/library/repository/bestanden/Chicago%20report%20vs2-1.pdf

    Page 18 lists the participants in the two teams for the workshop. If Los Angeles can match that quality of team members it will be a major achievement in itself. Imagine if we have people from Metro, LADOT, and Caltrans, along with Dutch experts all working together to find more effective ways to encourage more cycling.

    It could be a huge boost to cycling in this city if we can get a evaluation from the Dutch of the strengths and weakness like there is starting on page 26. Los Angeles needs a dose of reality of where we are at and what it will take to get a much larger cycling modal share.

  4. […] when the General Council of the Netherlands joins with the LACBC and the City of L.A. to present ThinkBike Los Angeles. The public is welcome to the Opening Session from 9 am to 10:30 am on Thursday, September 22nd in […]

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