The Double Arrow

LOS ANGELES, CA - The Santa Monica Boulevard Transit Parkway has frontage roads along both sides of the Parkway that are separated by landscaped islands. Motorists exiting the Parkway veer to the right of the island and motorists entering the Parkway veer to the left of the island, in both cases crossing the bike lanes.

The LADOT elected to place Double Arrow (W12-1) signs on the stationary landscaped islands to warn motorists that they may go to the left, they may go to the right, but they may NOT drive down the center of the island over the bushes and the little trees.

It would seem that the LADOT knows something about the motoring habits of those that drive the Parkway!

The use of the Double Arrow sign is optional according to the guidance of the MUTCD, which states:

“The DOUBLE ARROW (W12-1) sign may be used to advise road users that traffic is permitted to pass on either side of an island, obstruction, or gore in the roadway.”

SoapBoxLA has requested the placement of other warning signs that would draw a motorists attention to the presence of cyclists and bike lanes, especially as the motorist prepares to cross the bike lane at twice the speed of the cyclist. These signs are also optional according to the guidance of the MUTCD.

“Where motor vehicles entering an exclusive right-turn lane must weave across bicycle traffic in bicycle lanes, the BEGIN RIGHT TURN LANE YIELD TO BIKES (R4-4) sign may be used to inform both the motorist and the bicyclist of this weaving maneuver.”

“The Bicycle Warning (W11-1) alerts the road user to unexpected entries into the roadway by bicyclists, and other crossing activities that might cause conflicts.”

All three signs are positioned as optional in the MUTCD and yet the LADOT elected to place warning signs on the island but has decided to pass on the opportunity to clarify any “engineered conflict” that occurs at the egress/ingress conflict points as well as the right-turn lane weave that takes a vehicle across the bike lane at major intersections.

In spite of the fact that the Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee asked LADOT Bikeways Engineering to add signage, LADOT has refused.

Does the Los Angeles Island Landscaping Advisory Committee have more heat than the Bicycle Advisory Committee?

An island is fixed in position and is not going anywhere. It will be in the same place tomorrow. The shrubs will fill out a bit, the trees will grow a little taller, the debris will collect, and through it all, the LADOT will continue to warn people not to drive down the island.

Is the Bush & Tree Coalition doing a better job of protecting their constituency than the Bicycle Coalition?

Apparently! At this egress point, the LADOT is going to really, really warn the motorists. There are TWO Double Arrow signs on the island, one for a Mini and one for an Escalade.

In addition, frontage road traffic has TWO stop signs supported by surface text and a limit line. Whew! This area is tight!

But that’s not enough. There’s also a MERGE (W4-1) sign to warn the veering motorist that, having just blown across the bike lane, it might be time to start looking for other vehicles stopped to the right.

The LADOT is not demonstrating a strong sense of faith in the “cooperative transportation” concept and yet…

The LADOT contends that there is no need for signs warning motorists of the presence of cyclists on the bike lanes.

The LADOT contends that there is no need for signs clarifying any right-of-way issues between the bike lanes and the veering motorists.

The LADOT’s position is indefensible, it is auto-centric, it is arrogant and it is absolutely unsafe.

SoapBoXLA asks you to support the cyclists of Los Angeles by calling the Mayor and asking him if a $95 million multi-modal Parkway should be safe for cyclists. Ask him to:

Finish the Bikeway

Provide consistent striping

Place Warning signs at the conflict points

Bulk Purchasing?

"Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do..."
Stephen 23:34

LOS ANGELES, CA – Two weeks ago SoapBoxLA met with LADOT management to lobby for improvements to the bicycle element of the Santa Monica Boulevard Transit Parkway.

Sean Skehan, Principal Transportation Engineer for the City of Los Angeles, flatly rejected SoapBoxLA’s request for enhanced signage on the Parkway explaining “it will only confuse or desensitize motorists.”

SoapBoxLA discovered this intersection on yesterday’s “Tour de Parkway” and humbly acknowledges Sean’s intuitive grasp of the obvious.

Sean is definitely qualified to address the issues of confusion and desensitization.

Give Sean a call @ 213-972-8428 and ask him to join SoapBoxLA on a “Tour de Parkway” bike ride. He needs to get out more often!

Same Rules, Same Rights!

Greater love hath no man than this,

that a man lay down his bike for his friends.
Stephen 15:13

HOLLYWOOD, CA - The “Same rules, Same rights!” battle cry of the Integrated Cyclist is reduced to a whimper as the SoapBoxLA cycling team pedals out of the compound only to hit the demand actuated traffic signal at Hollywood Boulevard.

The signal is triggered by induction loops that are visible in the surface of the asphalt but often set at such a dull sensitivity level that only large amounts of Hummer flavored metal will trip the demand mechanism.

Grrrrr! The Team can now choose to wait for an automobile to come down the empty residential side street (could be a while) or to ride down the sidewalk and cross at a larger intersection or to simply roll through a circular red, violating CVC 21453. All bad choices!

(Watch for an upcoming blog on how SoapBoxLA beat a “rolling the red” ticket issued by a confused CHP officer)

The final choice is to try and trip the signal. Tactics include riding the coil cuts and even laying down the bicycle in the center of the coil to create a large “area” of metal.

The strategy that works the best requires the use of a cell phone. While standing in the left turn pocket, watching the traffic go by, dial 213-485-4184 and report the signal.

The LADOT traffic engineers tend to err in favor of a less sensitive setting to avoid having right-turning adjacent traffic (more common here than left-turning traffic) trip the signal. With no feedback from the cycling community there is an LADOT assumption that all is well in Paradise.

Changing the cycling environment of Los Angeles will come in small steps, intersection by intersection, traffic engineer by traffic engineer, motorist by motorist, and even cyclist by cyclist.

Take the road, ride cooperatively and remember that one of the most powerful tools you travel with is your cell phone.

Load it with these numbers, make some noise and change your world!

LADOT Communications 213-485-4184 x 2

Gloria Jeff – LADOT General Manager 213-972-8480

Michelle Mowery – LADOT Bikeways Coordinator 213-972-4962

Michael Mays – LADOT Bikeways Engineer 213-972-4959

City of Los Angeles Information 311 or 213-485-2121

LAPD Dispatch 213-485-2681 or 877-275-5273
(911 cell phone calls sometimes go to CHP)

Potholes - Bureau of Street Services 800-996-2489

Street Lights - Bureau of Street Lighting – 311
(Exec offices - 213-847-1482)

MTA or Metro – 213-922-6235

Lynne Goldsmith – Metro Bikeways 213-922-3068

Metro Sheriff’s Department 323-563-5000

For transportation issues specific to your neighborhood,
contact your local Transportation Engineer:

Hollywood/Wilshire DOT Office 323-845-9835

Central DOT Office 213-972-4990

Southern DOT Office 310-732-4599

East Valley DOT Office 818-374-4688

West Valley DOT Office 818-756-8784

Western District DOT Office 310-575-8138

The 80% Solution

LOS ANGELES, CA - This is the END! The end of the Santa Monica Boulevard Transit Parkway Bike Lane. Please get off your bicycle and walk to the curb. There will be no more of that “Multi-Modal” noise on the Parkway.

There is no more room. There are only six lanes through the Avenue of the Stars and they belong to the Cars. The Automobiles. The Internal-Combustion, Fossil-Fuel-Burning Single-Occupant Vehicles of Insulation, Isolation and Oblivion.

Pedestrians and Cyclists just don’t fit!

Now, get into one of the cars parked to the side of the road (one person to a car!) and pull into the traffic lane and act like a Lemming!

Good motorist. Now, please, no more of that silly Multi-Modal nonsense! We only talk Multi-Modal when we’re qualifying an URBAN HEAT ISLAND project for Federal Funding.

This is the Santa Monica Boulevard Transit Parkway approaching Beverly Hills. There is no room for a bike lane because this is where the LADOT stores unused diagonal stripes.

Even if the very important diagonal lines were stored elsewhere the bike lane would not fit because the freshly built island and the newly installed street light is in the way.

What’s behind the tree?

Oh! It’s the Beverly Hills Asphalt Museum! No wonder we couldn’t build a state-of-the-art multi-modal transportation corridor that would be compatible with a continuation project through neighboring Beverly Hills!

No right of way! No abandoned and unused wasteland! So who uses this land?

Ah! Traffic Engineers!

Take The Freeway!

HIGHWAY 101 NORTH, CA - SoapBoxLA was surprised to discover that the California Vehicle Code allows cyclists to ride on the Freeway if there are no alternative surface streets available.

There was a moment of disbelief as the SoapBoxLA cycling team stood at the onramp to the 101N and watched cars flying by at 70 miles an hour. This did not seem to be the environment for a scenic bike ride up the coast but, sure enough, there was a sign with official Caltrans tape covering up the word "bicycle" on the sign. One can't ask for a heartier endorsement than that!

As it turns out, riding a bicycle on the freeway is unbelievably conflict free. The cars stay in their lanes, they have little if any motivation for driving down the shoulder and the only drawback is the road debris.

The important rule to remember is that the cyclist MUST exit at every off-ramp and then proceed through the intersection and back on the freeway using the off-ramp. Never cross the line of a car doing 70 miles an hour yelling "I'm traffic too!" and expect to prevail.

Riding your bicycle on the freeway is a confidence booster. Once you've held your line on the shoulder as 18 wheelers blast past you doing 70 mph, you'll find yourself sneering at the next Humvee that squeezes you on Sunset Boulevard and yelling "Is that all you've got?"

Dick Van Patton says "Ride On!"

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – SoapBoxLA dropped by Beverly Hills to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Beverly Hills Police Department.

Lobbying City and Police officials at an event like this turned out to be like hunting deer at a salt lick!

In addition to receiving a word of cycling encouragement from Dick Van Patton, SoapBoxLA was able to discuss cycling as a solution to the traffic congestion in Beverly Hills.

Stephen Webb, the Mayor, expressed hope that the big-picture infrastructure improvements and the short-term resurfacing improvements to Santa Monica Boulevard would create better conditions for cyclists.

SoapBoxLA congratulated Jimmy Delshad on his recently announced plan to create a car-free section of Rodeo Drive and encouraged him to include cycling in his multi-modal solution to the congestion in Beverly Hills.

Barry Brucker reminisced on the days when kids could ride their bikes to school, drawing a City Commissioner and the incoming Superintendent of Schools into the conversation. He suggesting that a reduction in the number of parents dropping kids off at school would go a long way to reducing traffic congestion, all of which is dependent on the kids being able to safely ride their bikes to school.

Linda Briskman spoke of her participation in the Westside Communities Council of Governments and indicated that she thought a bigger picture approach to education and communication, through the COG, was in order.

The highlight of the afternoon was the unveiling of the Rexford Drive “Helicopter Lane.”

Hey, they’re traffic too!

Critical Mess!

BUDAPEST, HU – Mr. and Mrs. SoapBoxLA, ever the romantics, planned their recent European nuptials around the Budapest Critical Mass ride on International Carfree Day.

Budapest Critical Mass riders had previously set the standard for Critical Mass rides when, on Earth Day 2006, approximately 30,000 cyclists literally took over Budapest.

Budapest’s April Mass went to each of the four parliamentary party headquarters where participants massed in the streets with bikes overhead and delivered petitions and recommendations for improving bicycle transportation in Hungary.

The President of the Republic of Hungary rode the Mass, the Budapest City Council responded positively, the Ministry of Economy and Transportation created the post of Ombudsman of Bicycle Affairs and the “Tour de Votes” motivated all four parties to include bicycle programs in their current platforms.

SoapBoxLA was set to ride the Budapest Critical Mass!

Drums could be heard in the distance as SoapBoxLA crossed from Buda to Pest on the Chain Bridge. In the distance a small group of men carrying a Hungarian flag disappeared up the street. Farther on, several men were busy on the sidewalk painting banners on sheets with brushes and black paint.

On the shore of the Danube stood the Parliament Building. Loud music could be heard through the streets. Somebody was giving a speech, a very loud speech.

And yet, not a bike in sight.

One small, cobblestone street led to another and the noise grew louder until the streets opened onto the square in front of the Parliament Building where thousands of protesters were gathered.

The Critical Mass had given way to a revolution of sorts. National Television was seized by protesters, a couple of hundred people were injured, the Parliament Building was shut down and then surrounded by Riot Police.

Locals seized the opportunity to both practice their English and to voice their demands. Employment, health care, inflation, corrupt government and the clash of political agendas were frequent and common issues of complaint.

The topics were familiar but the energy and passion was unique. It was exhilarating, it was passionate and it was humbling.

SoapBoxLA went for a bike ride, stumbled into a Revolution and came home challenged, inspired and reminded that change takes place when people use their feet, literally!

Free Range Hungarians!

GRIFFITH PARK, CA - SurviveLA submits this pic as evidence that the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Park(ing) is not just responsive to the complaints from the community, it is over-reactive, punitive and petty!

In a prior post, we shared our concerns with the Rec and Park(ing) prohibition on pedestrian and cycling traffic through the Vermont Tunnel.

Apparently the complaints to those in power were numerous and included a few phone messages made by someone of Eastern Bloc origins.

We understand the ban on cars. There are too many, they don’t fit, it’s a park! Walk, ride a bike, take a nap, hug a tree. Just get out of the car.

But we don’t understand the ban on Hungarians. After all, they have the oldest underground subway in the world. We could learn from them.

They also have the largest Critical Mass in the world, gathering 25,000 to 30,000 cyclists at a time to celebrate cycling and drink the Kool-Aid.

And so we urge you to join us again in calling Rec and Park(ing) and asking that the Vermont Tunnel be opened to all people on foot or on bicycle. (but not in a car!)

While you have them on the phone, remind them to take a look at demand actuated “cyclist in tunnel” signal that would address the safety issues found in a narrow mountain tunnel.

Cyclists just hit the signal as they enter the tunnel, lights flash for a pre-determined length of time, motorists are alerted to the occupants in the tunnel.

SoapBoxLA would love to work with Rec & Park(ing) on developing a multi-modal access plan for Griffith Park and it starts with putting people first, not cars.

Jon Kirk Mukri, General Manager of Rec and Park(ing) 213-928-9033

Marilyn J. White, Acting Griffith Region Superintendent 818-243-2490

Observatory Celebration Derailed!

MOUNT HOLLYWOOD, CA - Last night, SurviveLA and SoapBoxLA joined CD4 Councilmember Tom LaBonge in celebrating the reopening of the newly remodeled Griffith Observatory at a special preview event for the Hollywood Hills community.

The reopening of the Observatory is especially significant to the local cycling and hiking community because of the long fight to maintain cycling and hiking access to the Observatory.

It was a beautiful evening and the Observatory staff had the telescope fired up so that guests were able to take at Vega, apparently a very hot star way of in the distance.

Unfortunately, witnessing the wonders of the Universe did little to take the sting off the local discovery of one of the blunders of the Universe.

Within the last few days, the Department of Recreation and Park(ing) has posted signs forbidding cyclists and pedestrians in the Vermont Canyon Road Tunnel, the tunnel that connects the east and west access to the Observatory roads.

These new signs replace signs that cautioned motorists to watch for the presence of cyclists and pedestrians in the tunnel.

Actually, they don’t replace the old caution signs, they ARE the old caution signs, repainted! You can still see the outline of the old lettering underneath the new paint.

While the Department of Recreation and Park(ing) deserves encouragement as they explore the world of recycling, they picked the wrong items to recycle.

Granted, the tunnel is small but other, evolved departments and communities have dealt with a situation like this by installing warning lights that are activated by the cyclists and peds upon entry to the tunnel or by simply restricting the motorist traffic. It is, after all, a park.

SoapBoxLA spoke to CD4 Deputy Patty Malone and was assured that the signs would come down and would be replaced or recycled so that the new signs again permitted cyclists and peds and cautioned the motorists.

So take a ride, go up Fern Dell or Vermont or Hillhurst. It’s 2.3 miles from Los Feliz on Fern Dell, it’s 1.6 from Loz Feliz on Vermont or Hillhurst. Take a look at the Vermont Canyon Road Tunnel. If the signs are still on either end of the tunnel, pick up the phone and call Jon Kirk Mukri, (213-928-9033) the General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Park(ing).

And then continue up the hill to the Observatory, stand where 70 million others have stood, and take a look through the most popular telescope in the world.

Colonel Griffith J. Griffith was convinced that the power of the cosmic experience was sufficient to influence culture and change the world.

This world could use some changing, so go on, take a peek!

Wilshire Whoop-Dee-Doo!

LOS ANGELES, CA – Off-Road Cyclists are about to lose one of the last recreational cycling opportunities in the City of Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Department of Recreation has long forbidden mountain biking fans from riding the trails of City Parks such as Griffith and Elsyian citing a city ordinance that forbids bicycles on city owned trails and mountain paths.

Thrill-seeking Cyclists have had to settle for riding the Wilshire Whoop-Dee-Doo curb lanes and this has resulted in Wilshire Boulevard becoming the hub of extreme cycling.

Unless the Off-Road community is able to mobilize quickly, the thrills and chills of riding Wilshire Boulevard may soon end.

There is a plan afoot to “make Wilshire a more bike and pedestrian safe street” which means no more asphalt drift, no more “ramp curbs,” no more man-eating potholes, NO MORE WILSHIRE WHOOP-DEE-DOO!

If you’re interested in sounding off on YOUR vision for Wilshire Boulevard, show up at the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meeting this Thursday, October 19, 2006, and give them your opinion on bicycle and pedestrian access and mobility.

Thursday, October 19, 2006
3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Central Region Project Office
(Bank of America Building)
3055 Wilshire Boulevard (at Westmoreland)
Suite 520
Los Angeles, CA 90005

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics!

The Wall Street Journal recently carried a great article by Kevin Helliker about the new “Cycling Chic” associated with bicycle commuting.

SoapBoxLA found the article especially timely having just returned from a European journey where cycling wasn’t just accommodated, it was encouraged, it was supported, it was driven, it was financed, it was an integral part of an evolved and innovative solution to congestion and it truly was symbolic of the “gestalt” of free access and mobility.










All this was made possible because of the proliferation of commuter bicycles with light generators, mud flaps, baskets, kickstands, chain guards and all the accoutrements that allow Europeans to ride all-weather, all-purpose, all-attire and all-the-time.

Phew! One gets a bit weepy just thinking about it!


That being said, SoapBoxLA must take issue with Helliker’s comment on bicycle safety.

“The biggest downside of cycling is wrecks, particularly with cars. Per kilometer traveled, a cyclist in America is 12 times likelier than a car occupant to be killed, according to a 2003 American Journal of Public Health article.”

Ouch! It's now time for dueling statistics and herein lies the rub.

There are several ways to examine the danger or death factor in an endeavor (deaths per mile, per hour, per trip, etc.) and also several approaches to determining the composition of the user group.

The study cited includes children in the cycling user group (a group that accounts for a disproportionate number of the deaths) and so is really a comparison of apples and oranges to just apples. Adults riding a bicycle in traffic are less likely than adult motorists to die in a traffic accident.

Heck, more people die playing golf than in any other sport but let us try and stay on cycling as the topic.

Robert Hurst, in his book "The Art of Urban Cycling," quotes a study by Failure Analysis Associates, Incorporated* that attributes the following deaths per million hours to the following activities:

Skydiving 128.71
General Aviation 15.58
Motorcycing (road) 8.8
Scuba Diving 1.98
Living (all causes of death) 1.53
Swimming 1.07
Snowmobiling 0.88
Driving a passenger car 0.47
Waterskiing 0.28
BICYCLING 0.26
Flying (domestic airlines) 0.15
Hunting 0.08

An hour of driving is almost twice as deadly to the driver as an hour of cycling is to the cyclist!

In short, if you’re trying to sell some bicycle helmets, there is a study that will demonstrate that a rider is ground beef without a helmet.

If you’re trying to encourage others to hop on a bicycle and to ride off into traffic, there’s a study that will convince them they’re bulletproof.

And so, after careful study, SoapBoxLA concludes that of all activities, it is the reckless use of statistics that carries with it the greatest capacity for danger!

Be careful out there!

Dubious Distinction

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - Three pedestrians and one cyclist lost their lives in the month of September as a result of being hit by cars in the City of Beverly Hills.

Last week Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mike Hines informed the BH Transportation Commission that the city is #1 in California for pedestrian deaths for a city of its size.

Tuesday night Mr. and Mrs. SoapBoxLA spoke at the BH City Council meeting and urged them to act aggressively to mitigate the congestion and transportation conflict in the city.

Beverly Hills currently has no Bicycle Master Plan, no Pedestrian Master Plan, does not participate in the Metro’s Strategic Planning Program and is responsible for some abysmally maintained stretches of roadway such as Santa Monica Boulevard between Doheny and Beverly.

Repeating the testimony offered last week at the Transportation Commission, SoapBoxLA urged the Council to consider pedestrian and cyclist activity part of the traffic congestion reduction solution and suggested that education, communication and cooperation would go a long way to providing safe travel for all through the City of Beverly Hills.

Twice the population of Beverly Hills drive on Santa Monica Boulevard every day causing asphalt drift and potholes that have rendered this street "non-shareable"

SoapBoxLA concluded by urging the Council to make a serious commitment to multi-modal transportation pointing out that every time they see a pedestrian or a cyclist traveling through Beverly Hills, they should give a thumbs up and be thankful, for that means another car that is NOT in their way.

Stair-Master and Commander

SILVER LAKE/ECHO PARK, CA - Last week Urban Trendsetter and local activist SurviveLA took second place in category in a race to the top of the US Bank Tower, the tallest building west of the Mississippi.

The race offered participants the opportunity raise money for a good cause (the Ketchum Downtown YMCA) while testing their mettle against a huge-big-ass-urban-myth-sized stairwell.

Not to be outdone, Mr. And Mrs. SoapBoxLA entered the “Thus Climbed Zarathustra” half-alleycat and two-quarters cyclocross race/ride to raise money for Orlando Godoy, a local messenger recently injured in a bike crash with an automobile that resulted in hospitalization and surgery.

Organizers promised participants that they would see Echo Park and Silver Lake as it has never been seen before and they were true to their word. It sounded like a great bike race and it was.

It was a mildly overcast day with a wee bit of a chill in the air, great weather for a race through the neighborhood. A motley assortment of cyclists gathered in Silver Lake with an even motlier assortment of cycling machines. Road-bikes, mountain bikes, stripped down single speeds, loaded down commuter bikes, even a single speed tall-boy, bikes of all persuasions.

As it turns out the single most important advantage that any bike offered its rider during this race was, quite simply, its ability to be carried up stairs. Lots of stairs. Lots of sets of stairs. Ten sets of stairs spread throughout Echo Park and Silver Lake turning cyclists into carryists or urban Sherpas.

Within minutes of the start we had circled the Silver Lake Reservoir and were running up the Cove stairs, stairs of sufficient number that I honestly gave thought to retiring. We kept on and pedaled past Fargo Hill, which looked relatively benign and non-threatening today. And I never look at Fargo Hill that way!

The ride was plotted by Sadists and the stairs at Swan serve as the damning evidence. Three sets of stairs, one right after the other, left riders rubber-legged and wheezing for the descent down Micheltorena for…two more sets of stairs!

Mr. And Mrs. SoapBox finished last overall but upon examination it was discovered that the Mrs. took first in the Beautiful Hungarian Women’s category and the Mr. took first in the Overweight Australian Men’s category.

Swrve Cycling Apparel and Orange20 Bikes both provided swag for the winners and, for a moment, there was a touch of envy in the air as the winners took their prizes. Then the simple glow of knowing that simply completing the journey was a victory in and of itself settled in. And we've got the spokecards to back it up!

And so, while we are quite proud of SurviveLA’s performance in the “Stair Climb to the Top” we really must ask, “But did you carry anything up those stairs?”

We look forward to riding with SurviveLA and all our friends soon.

For more info on rides such as this, check out BikeBoom.com, sign up for announcements at Bikekitchen.com and remember to represent by joining the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition at labikecoalition.com.

Cyclists Claim Mount Hollywood

MT. HOLLYWOOD, CA - The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition was invited to a preview of the newly remodeled Griffith Observatory this past weekend.

Cyclists gathered at Barnsdall Park on Hollywood Boulevard and then rode up the Fern Dell Drive/Western Canyon Road/East Observatory Road route. This route is 2.3 miles from Los Feliz to the Observatory and is a long steady incline.

(El Jimmy was first to arrive at the top and he was riding a single speed!) The rest of us were content to draft.

The other route for cyclists (and hikers) is the Hillhurst Avenue or Vermont Avenue to Vermont Canyon Road route that is a little steeper, goes past the Greek Theatre and is 1.6 miles short.

















Both routes are worth the ride, the view at the top is stunning, and simply riding your bicycle to the Griffith Observatory has now become a political statement.

You see, the initial reopening plan for the Observatory was for Shuttle Bus access only. No Bicycle access, no hiker access.

After a long and sometimes contentious lobbying process, the plan was revised in the 11th hour and access is now open to cyclists and hikers.

And so we rode, to celebrate. And that’s what riding a bicycle is all about, celebrating.

It’s a celebration of the fact that “getting there” is just as much a part of the adventure of life in Los Angeles as “being there.”

Tom LaBonge welcomes a cyclist to the Griffith Observatory

The 11th Hour!

LOS ANGELES, CA - Mr. and Mrs. SoapBoxLA spent Friday afternoon lobbying the Los Angeles Department of Transportation for improvements to the bikeway element of the Santa Monica Boulevard Transit Parkway.

The meeting with John Fisher, Assistant General Manager of the LADOT, Sean Skehan, Principal Transportation Engineer and Bearj Sarkis, Transportation Engineer, lasted an hour and a half and consisted of a presentation of signage, striping, surface color and treatment solutions to the unique, not-MUTCD approved, egress/ingress conflict points.

Cars cross the bike lane to enter, cars cross the bike lane to exit, and the cyclist travels through this “engineered conflict” with no signage support, no striping support, no surface treatment support.

In short, the Parkway contains uniquely and creatively engineered egress “off-ramps” allowing autos to exit the Parkway without slowing down, traveling at full speed across the bike lane. This is “engineered conflict” and it will kill cyclists.

The current striping plan was revised last week and a hastily green-lined set of plans was submitted to the LADOT along with the following requests:

1. That the bike lanes be complete, from one end of the Parkway (through Century City to the Beverly Hills border) or that they be removed. Why lull a cyclist into a segregated and protected “bike lane” journey only to end the lane on the eastbound approach to the most congested section of the Parkway - Century City


2. Install MUTCD R4-4 “yield to bikes” signs at the beginning of all exclusive right-turn lanes


3. Install MUTCD W11-1 “Bicycle Warning Signs” at all egress/ingress points to warn motorists that they about to cross a cyclists’ line


4. Continue the bike lanes through all open and shared space with broken or dashed lines on both sides of the bike lane (except where one side is a curb)


5. Color the surface of the bike lanes at conflict points so that there is even greater indication to a motorist that they are crossing a bike lane


6. Install Bike Boxes at crosswalks so that bike-lane positioned cyclists can reposition to the turn lane during a red-phase
   

John Fisher has always proven himself to be open and approachable and he was no different in this meeting, which was set up as the result of SoapBoxLA testimony offered on Wednesday at the City Council Transportation Committee meeting. As pleasant as he is to spend time with, he gave little ground on the requests made during the meeting.

The LADOT responses to the SoapBoxLA requests are:

1. That there is no room for bike lanes through Century City and that any opportunity to run the bike lanes to the Beverly Hills border would only follow a Beverly Hills action to connect West Hollywood to Beverly Hills and then Beverly Hills to Los Angeles.


(Note: SoapBoxLA first went on record months ago with a “take the bike lanes off the Santa Monica Boulevard Transit Parkway” position that was flatly rejected. The SoapBoxLA argument from the beginning was that the bike lanes simply don’t fit, they inhibit the safe movement and positioning of a cyclist, the egress/ingress points are simple “engineered conflict” points that will kill cyclists and that the bike lanes are present when convenient and then they disappear at the most congested points leaving a cyclist on his/her own which would actually be the safest and most effective choice for the whole Parkway!)


Sean objected to putting up too many signs on the Santa Monica Boulevard Transit Parkway because he believes it will only confuse or desensitize motorists.



A mild objection was offered that that the warning sign did not strictly meet the MUTCD intentions for use. I countered by quoting the MUTCD, which states that The Bicycle Warning (W11-1) sign can be used for “other crossing activities that might cause conflicts.” Surely having a motorist veer across a bike lane at full speed would warrant a warning sign.



Sean pointed out that there was no room along the Bus cutouts for both the Bus pad and the bike lane. Again, if the bike-lanes don’t fit, then why squeeze them in when convenient and leave a cyclist hanging at conflict points? I pointed out that the funding for this project and the community approval was all based on this Parkway being a multi-modal project. Partial accommodation of cyclists does not constitute multi-modal transportation. I argued that if a bus and a cyclist are meant to “share” space, cyclists lose.


I offered examples from other communities of surface color innovations but this
suggestion received a mild MUTCD objection.



Sean said he had never heard of Bike Boxes until I brought them up. I had previously sent Sean pictures. He said they looked like pictures from Europe. (they were!) I offered pictures from West Hollywood, California, U.S.A. He said that the behavior of a small town hardly drives the behavior of a large city such as Los Angeles, that these decisions open the city to questions of liability, and that these decisions will have an impact on the city of Los Angeles as a whole. (Is this an argument against change?) I then gave him pictures of Bike Boxes at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. No response from Sean.

The meeting concluded with a “wait-and-see” proposal from Sean, which was flatly rejected by Mr. and Mrs. SoapBoxLA.

The death of cyclists should not be required in order to drive the safe and efficient completion of the largest roadway project in the City of Los Angeles.

Surely the City of Los Angeles can spend $90 million on a 2.5 mile roadway project and then deliver a Parkway that is both safe and efficient and that comes with COMPLETE bike lanes supported by the appropriate signage, striping and surface treatment.

Take a moment to call these people and give them your opinion.

This is your city, this is your Parkway, this is your ride!

LA City Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
213-978-0600

LA City Deputy Mayor of Transportation Jaime de la Vega
213-978-2360

LADOT General Manager Gloria Jeff
213-972-8480

LADOT Assistant General Manager John Fisher
213-972-8424

CD5 Councilmember Jack Weiss
213-473-7005

City Council Transportation Committee Chair Wendy Gruel
213-473-7002

Project Manager – DPW – Carl Nelson
310-785-2300 x 208

Project Manager – DPW – Luis Ganaja
213-485-4503

Music To My Ears!

HOLLYWOOD HILLS, CA. - This morning Tom LaBonge greeted me with the proud announcement “Congratulations! You can ride your bike to the Griffith Observatory now. Of course ya still gotta make a reservation but you’re welcome to ride your bike!”

This is great news and the reversal in the Department of Recreation and Parks policy is the result of over a year of lobbying that began in the Friends of the Observatory community meetings, the Griffith Park Master Plan Working Group meetings, and the Franklin Corridor Mobility Action Committee meetings and continued through the offices of Mayor Villagairosa, Council President Garcetti, Council Member Tom LaBonge and concluded with the Recreation and Parks Commission.

At issue was the re-opening plan for the popular Griffith Observatory. The initial plan called for a car-free solution to the anticipated deluge of fans using an online advanced reservation timed entry system and shuttle service to move the Observatory guests up and down the hill to the Observatory. While we applauded the evolved and out of character car-free solution, we were shocked to find that it came with a hiker and cyclist prohibition. The plan required ALL guests to use the shuttle, paying what is currently an $8 shuttle/reservation “cost-recovery” fee to visit the Griffith Observatory.

(This fee is the subject of much debate and possible litigation. Griffith J. Griffith donated the land and the money for the Observatory with the stipulation that it be open to the public “free of charge.” Hence the RAP use of the phrase “cost-recovery” and its application to the shuttle and the reservation system.)

The City of Los Angeles Birthday Party on Labor Day provided an opportunity for face-to-face appeals to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor Larry Franks and officials of Recreation and Parks and by the following week the plan presented to the RAP Commission was being revised.

All of this brings us to a victory that is significant for a few reasons. Of course, hiker and cyclist access to the Griffith Observatory is the obvious benefit to this long journey.

In addition it also marks a significant step to a car-free or car-lite environment in Griffith Park. (Currently the online directions only refer to freeway access. The automobile bias in the Rec and Parks M.O. is palpable.) The past enmity between some of the user groups at Griffith Park has resulted in screaming matches as cyclists have tried to gain access to the parks. As such, this welcoming gesture from RAP to cyclists is truly a significant milestone.

And in the big picture, for the first time that I am aware of, the Los Angeles Times uses a phrase that is indeed “Music To My Ears” – access is free to those who hike or bicycle.

This is complemented by the Griffith Observatory which says that all guests must “use the shuttle, hike or ride a bicycle.”

As if that wasn’t enough Tom LaBonge writes in his newsletter Griffith Observatory visitors “will be required to either take a shuttle, walk or cycle to the site.”

These are words I never thought I would hear spoken in Los Angeles!