Tag Archive for C.I.C.L.E.

Weekend Links: Environmental hypocrisy rears its ugly head in Westwood; CICLE gets a new director

I’ve been seriously under the weather the past few days, which means we’ve got a lot of news to catch up on.

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No hypocrisy here, as Westside City Councilmember Paul Koretz proposes slashing greenhouse gas emissions in the city.

This after unilaterally killing proposed bike lanes on Westwood Blvd.

And he somehow seems to think the city can cut those emissions by 80% without cutting back on car traffic. Or even mentioning cars in his announcement, let alone offering safe alternatives to driving to reduce traffic congestion.

So let’s be honest.

The only way Los Angeles will ever see a significant reduction in emissions or traffic congestion is to provide residents with viable alternatives that will allow those who choose not to drive to leave their cars at home.

And with his single-handed veto of the Westwood lanes, Koretz has shown himself to be one of the biggest obstacles to accomplishing that.

But at least he talks a good game.

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Sad to see Dan Dabek leave after doing so much to revitalize the organization. But congratulations to Vanessa Gray as the new Director of C.I.C.L.E.

Sounds like the group will be in good hands.

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Big news from Metro this past week, as the agency antes up $3.7 million to expand CicLAvia-style open streets events throughout LA County. But Long Beach sees just one of two proposed events funded.

Meanwhile, Metro finally adds active transportation representatives to the agency’s Technical Advisory Committee, which should bring a better voice for bicyclists to LA County’s leading transportation authority.

And preliminary plans are in the works for the long-delayed rail connection to LAX, which will include a plush new station connected to the Green and Crenshaw lines, with a mile-plus people mover leading to the airport. Maybe those new TAC members can push for a bike center to be included in the plans to finally make it practical for employees and passengers to ride to LAX.

And Metro honors Steven Nancarrow for transforming his life through bicycling.

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Laguna Beach’s Coastline Pilot offers a sad remembrance of fallen cyclist John Colvin; tragically, both his wife and daughter drove by the collision scene only to discover later that the victim was their own loved one.

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Local

Messenger bag maker Timbuk2 will open their first LA-area store across from Linus Bikes on Abbot Kinney next month.

After a lot of pushing from Richard Risemberg, among others, the LA River bike path finally gets wayfinding signs through Elysium Valley.

Unlike some councilmembers we could mention, CD15’s Joe Buscaino has turned out to be surprisingly supportive of bicycling, including naming Watts Cyclery as his Business of the Month.

Better Bike offers an update on the embattled proposal for bike lanes on Santa Monica Blvd in the Biking Black Hole of Beverly Hills; no action is expected before September. Meanwhile, Beverly Hills NIMBY’s try to raise fears of out-of-town cyclists destroying their precious parks; I wonder if they also object to all those out-of-town motorists besmirching their boulevard and fouling their air?

Curbed misses the mark, as maps based on Strava data don’t show the best bike routes through the city, just the most popular ones for riders who use Strava.

Celebrate Damian Kevitt’s birthday in North Hollywood on July 14th, with a party benefitting Finish the Ride.

A local writer tells cyclists to get off the sidewalk and stop riding salmon.

 

State

After a successful introduction in Corona del Mar, new bike racks are coming to OC’s Balboa Island.

Bike Newport Beach rolls out the first installment of a bootleg bike master plan to replace the long-delayed official one.

Cyclists, joggers and equestrians jockey for space in a Bakersfield culvert.

Streetsblog offers an update on bike and transportation-related bills in Sacramento, with things looking good so far. Meanwhile, bills to battle hit-and-run move forward; Santa Monica offers its support, as well.

 

National

How many bike riders does it take for the oft-cited safety in numbers effect? According to a new study from the University of Colorado-Denver, the answer is 200.

More on that study showing drivers give bike riders in bike lanes more space when passing.

Good news from injured cycling scion Taylor Phinney, whose recovery is ahead of schedule.

As Spokane becomes more bike-friendly, cyclists still face harassment on the roads.

Chicago cyclists get the nation’s first bike footrest.

A DC TV station offers 13 tips every bike rider should remember to avoid bike theft; good advice, since we seem to be suffering a rash of them lately.

Virginia’s three-foot passing law takes effect July 1st; our won’t be enforced until mid-September.

 

International

Calgary cyclists face criticism for bombing down a busy highway.

Is Britain on the verge of becoming a bicycling nation?

A bike path in Ireland’s County Limerick sees a big boost after a visit by Kim and Kanye.

This year’s Tour de France will pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of WWI.

Former world champ Thor Hushovd prepares to call it quits at the end of this season after suffering from mononucleosis.

Over 10,000 Moscow cyclists will ride in support of better bicycling infrastructure.

South African cyclist sells everything he owns to ride through 70 countries on all seven continents.

 

Finally…

A Brit writer says it’s irresponsible to encourage cycling on the country’s dangerous roads; after all, there’s no point in trying to make those roads any safer. And don’t swear at a group of children in a crosswalk, especially if you’re the jerk who jumped the light. Just don’t.

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On a personal note, before anyone gets too concerned, my diabetes in under control. Despite being told by my doctors it would be impossible, I’ve managed to get my blood sugar levels down to the normal levels without insulin; in fact, I’m having more of a problem with low blood sugar these days. 

On the other hand, I appear to be having a bad reaction to one or more of the medications that have helped me get things under control, which has knocked me on my ass in recent days and left me unable to do much more than try to stay awake long enough to watch the World Cup from the relative discomfort of my couch.

Hopefully, they’ll get my meds adjusted soon.

And this too shall pass. 

 

It’s time to give back to Shay Sanchez, who has given so much to L.A. cyclists

It’s been an open secret for some time that Shay Sanchez, founder of C.I.C.L.E. — and one of the original voices in Southern California’s recent burst of bicycle advocacy and activism — has suffered from a severe case of Lupus.

It’s something many of us have known, but didn’t talk about in order to respect her privacy as much as possible.

But now she needs our help, after giving so much of herself to the cycling community.

It’s time to give back.

I’ll let Dan Dabek, Executive director of C.I.C.L.E., take it from here.

Dear C.I.C.L.E.ists and Bike Community Friends,

I am writing to ask for support for Shay Shanchez, the founder of C.I.C.L.E.  Those of us who knew Shay during her tenure, remember her for the love and compassion she effortlessly shared.  For those who do not know Shay, she selflessly worked to improve the community and touched people’s lives by setting them free with human-powered mobility.  Shay built C.I.C.L.E. into a thriving organization with passionate dedication, often putting in much of her personal time and resources.  Due to Shay’s long-term struggle with Lupus, she designed an innovative approach to bicycle transportation that made biking accessible for people of all ability levels – a legacy that C.I.C.L.E. continues today.

Shay has been suffering quietly for the past three years.  She has had several brushes with death and has permanently lost her mobility due to Lupus Vasculitis.  If Shay has personally, or through her organization, touched your life, I ask you to consider making a contribution to her personal Kick Butt and Get Better Fund.  Shay and her partner have incurred and are facing heavy costs to improve her quality of life. C.I.C.L.E. is also planning a community bicycle event for Shay in October.  More details will be included in the e-newsletter.  Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and donation consideration.

Sincerely,
Dan Dabek
Executive Director, C.I.C.L.E.

More About Shay

Shay Wiessler Sanchez was a vibrant and spunky 39 year old, who founded and was at the helm of her own growing and influential nonprofit organization.  But in 2009, her life took a horrible, and life-threatening, turn for the worse. Her decade-long struggle with Lupus manifested into an aggressive form of vasculitis. Her immune system suddenly decided to attack her own arteries and blood vessels.

In order to heal, Shay was forced to quit her position at her nonprofit, C.I.C.L.E., and immediately embark upon an aggressive treatment program. Working with renowned UCLA Rheumatologist Dr. Bevra Hahn, Shay commenced a daily regimen of immunosuppressant agents, including chemotherapy, in order to put a halt to the rapidly progressing disease and maintain a fighting chance.

For the past two years, she has struggled to gain control over this potentially deadly disease. With a careful and strategic medical strategy, her team of doctors have managed to bring Shay into a relatively stable condition. But the aggressive pharmaceutical protocol took an unfortunate toll on her body. The treatments, in conjunction with the disease, have left her wheelchair bound, in pain and unable to independently care for herself.  Recently, Shay has partially lost her ability to swallow and breath on her own while sleeping. Doctors believe that the cause is Myasthenia Gravis (MG), which is linked the the autoimmune diseases like Lupus.  Unfortunately, her situation continues to ebb and flow and the threat of relapse constantly looms — lupus vasculitis is a remitting and relapsing disease with no cure.

This continued and prolonged fight for Shay’s health has delivered a significant financial blow to Shay and her partner. Shay currently requires new rounds of medical treatment and a continued high level of medical care. Additional financial support from the community is readily needed to improve her drastically reduced quality of life and provide healthcare equipment and services not provide by insurance.

The Shay’s Kick Butt and Get Better Fund was launched to provide assistance with this fight — so that Shay can finally kick this beast in the belly, and get the support that she needs in order to gain a second chance with a relatively good quality of life.