Calla Wiemer's Posts - Rancho Park Online2024-03-29T11:37:59ZCalla Wiemerhttp://ranchoparkonline.ning.com/profile/CallaWiemerhttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2210936459?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://ranchoparkonline.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=1dbh72hnx4c0d&xn_auth=noBike Safety for Westwood Blvdtag:ranchoparkonline.ning.com,2013-05-15:6318100:BlogPost:163942013-05-15T17:14:08.000ZCalla Wiemerhttp://ranchoparkonline.ning.com/profile/CallaWiemer
<p>Westwood Blvd has been designated a backbone of the <a href="http://bicyclela.org/maps_main.htm">LA 2010 Bike Plan Network</a> and targeted for the extension of now fragmentary bike lanes.</p>
<p>The many cyclists who ride this corridor everyday, along with those would-be cyclists who have been afraid to get out there under current conditions, have welcomed this news. The stretch between Santa Monica and Pico presents particularly dangerous conditions for cyclists as now configured. This…</p>
<p>Westwood Blvd has been designated a backbone of the <a href="http://bicyclela.org/maps_main.htm">LA 2010 Bike Plan Network</a> and targeted for the extension of now fragmentary bike lanes.</p>
<p>The many cyclists who ride this corridor everyday, along with those would-be cyclists who have been afraid to get out there under current conditions, have welcomed this news. The stretch between Santa Monica and Pico presents particularly dangerous conditions for cyclists as now configured. This six block stretch was the scene of six reported bike collisions in 2011!</p>
<p>The safety argument in favor of bike lanes for Westwood Blvd is developed in a <a href="https://callawiemer.sharepoint.com/Documents/Bike%20WSSM%202013.05.15.pdf">report</a> prepared for the Bike Committee of the Westwood South of Santa Monica Home Owners’ Association. The report argues in support of the floating bike lane design presented at the public hearing of Feb 19. This design represents a creative compromise in meeting the needs of cyclists, motorists, and businesses. The LA Department of Transportation has determined that the design would have no significant impact on congestion since directional peak-flow travel lanes are preserved and traffic volumes for opposing direction during peak are well below the thresholds to register significant impact.</p>
<p>Street parking under the floating bike lane design is maintained at the existing level, the only difference being that during the evening peak it shifts from the west side to the east side. Given the substantial investment that property owners have made in off-street parking already, on-street parking accounts for less than ten percent of the total for this corridor. The report to the bike committee presents details on parking availability and discusses the economics of changes in street parking. </p>
<p>Bike lanes on Westwood Blvd offer much upside potential. Besides the protection of life and limb for those already riding, inducing more people to give up their cars and bike through the neighborhood will help alleviate congestion. And giving cyclists easier access to Westwood Blvd shops and restaurants will be good for business.</p>
<p>If you are concerned about bike safety for Westwood Blvd, please send a message to 5<sup>th</sup> district Councilman Paul Koretz to let him know: <a href="mailto:paul.koretz@lacity.org">paul.koretz@lacity.org</a>. Six bike collisions in one year calls for a rethink of how we use this roadway.</p>Feeder Route to Ciclavia, Sunday April 21tag:ranchoparkonline.ning.com,2013-04-16:6318100:BlogPost:161762013-04-16T22:04:35.000ZCalla Wiemerhttp://ranchoparkonline.ning.com/profile/CallaWiemer
<p><a href="http://www.ciclavia.org/events/676/to-the-sea/681/about" target="_blank">Ciclavia to the Sea</a> will turn Venice Blvd into a biking paradise this Sunday. The full route will run from Venice Beach to City Hall and the historic El Pueblo district. A feeder ride will pass through our neighborhood. The group will start at the UCLA Bruin Bear at 9:30am, picking up riders along the way as it passes down Westwood Blvd. A great way to share a Sunday with the community!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ciclavia.org/events/676/to-the-sea/681/about" target="_blank">Ciclavia to the Sea</a> will turn Venice Blvd into a biking paradise this Sunday. The full route will run from Venice Beach to City Hall and the historic El Pueblo district. A feeder ride will pass through our neighborhood. The group will start at the UCLA Bruin Bear at 9:30am, picking up riders along the way as it passes down Westwood Blvd. A great way to share a Sunday with the community!</p>Bike Lane Draft EIR Goes to Public Hearingtag:ranchoparkonline.ning.com,2013-02-20:6318100:BlogPost:147402013-02-20T20:35:19.000ZCalla Wiemerhttp://ranchoparkonline.ning.com/profile/CallaWiemer
<p>On Feb 19 the LA Department of City Planning held its Westside public hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for implementation of the 2010 Bicycle Plan. The capacity crowd of nearly 100 seemed about evenly divided between yeas and nays, although the nays were certainly rowdier. </p>
<p>The proposal for floating bike lanes on Westwood Blvd (see my Feb 15…</p>
<p>On Feb 19 the LA Department of City Planning held its Westside public hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for implementation of the 2010 Bicycle Plan. The capacity crowd of nearly 100 seemed about evenly divided between yeas and nays, although the nays were certainly rowdier. </p>
<p>The proposal for floating bike lanes on Westwood Blvd (see my Feb 15 <a href="http://ranchoparkonline.com/profiles/blogs/westside-neighborhood-council-discusses-bike-lanes-for-westwood" target="_self">Rancho Park Online blog post</a>) got much attention. This proposal was not included in the DEIR, but rather has been absorbed into the planning process through interaction with the community. </p>
<p>Here are some of the objections to the proposal raised at the hearing, with responses:</p>
<p><b><i>The loss of parking will be devastating for businesses. </i></b> There is no loss of parking under this proposal. The proposal provides for parking on both sides during non-peak hours and one side during peak hours, the same as now. The only difference is that parking during the evening peak will flip from the southbound side to the northbound side.</p>
<p><b><i>Congestion will get even worse.</i></b> Congestion is time-of-day and direction sensitive. For the morning northbound peak, two travel lanes will remain in place. For the evening southbound peak, two travel lanes will also remain in place. Other than that, since we are not going to get more street space, the best we can do to alleviate congestion is to use existing space more efficiently. Gains in efficiency are to be had from more people riding bikes rather than driving cars provided the bikers move in a separate space from the cars. Lots of people are saying they would ride their bikes on Westwood Blvd if conditions were safer, so creating space to bike safely holds the potential to lessen congestion.</p>
<p><b><i>Angelenos will never give up their cars.</i></b> The increase in bikes on LA streets in recent years is already palpable. On top of this broader trend, elements of the population traveling Westwood Blvd are particularly disposed to take up biking. The ultimate destination of Westwood Blvd northbound is UCLA with an enrollment of 40,000 students, and faculty and staff numbering another 30,000. Palms is home to a large concentration of these folks. This group is lobbying hard for bike lanes to get them through Westwood with the promise of patronizing local businesses en route should that become more convenient. Pitfire Pizza seems to buy into that promise – they provided free food for the 150 bikers who participated in Ride Westwood Feb 9.</p>
<p><b><i>Nobody told me this was going to happen.</i></b> Ground zero for bike lane planning and implementation lies at the LA Departments of City Planning and Transportation. The websites of these agencies are a fount of information on bike lane developments. For a start, see the <a href="http://ladotbikeblog.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">LADOT Bike Blog</a>. Information is further communicated to the public through civic organizations, the traditional news media, and modern social media. The specific proposal for floating bike lanes on Westwood Blvd was conveyed to the Westside Neighborhood Council, thereby making the information available to the leaders of homeowners’ associations to pass on to their members. The natural channel for outreach to the business community would be the local business association if there were one for Westwood Blvd, but there is not. That leaves business operators to their own devices to keep abreast of happenings in the community. Bikers, for their part, have organized effectively to engage with City Hall which has embraced their involvement in the planning process.</p>
<p><b><i>It’s all happening too fast.</i></b> The 2010 Bicycle Plan is still in the discussion stage as of 2013. To many bikers and would-be bikers, the process seems altogether too slow and cumbersome. But that’s how democracy works.</p>Westside Neighborhood Council Discusses Bike Lanes for Westwood Blvdtag:ranchoparkonline.ning.com,2013-02-15:6318100:BlogPost:150192013-02-15T23:00:00.000ZCalla Wiemerhttp://ranchoparkonline.ning.com/profile/CallaWiemer
<p>The Council’s Feb 14 meeting featured a discussion of proposed bike lanes for Westwood Blvd.</p>
<p>The discussion kicked off with a PowerPoint presentation by Eric Bruins of the LA County Bicycle Coalition. For the stretch between Santa Monica and Pico, Bruins pitched a creative proposal involving floating bike lanes as an alternative to the city’s proposal. A city representative who was present said the city was prepared to support the LACBC proposal and noted such a design has been…</p>
<p>The Council’s Feb 14 meeting featured a discussion of proposed bike lanes for Westwood Blvd.</p>
<p>The discussion kicked off with a PowerPoint presentation by Eric Bruins of the LA County Bicycle Coalition. For the stretch between Santa Monica and Pico, Bruins pitched a creative proposal involving floating bike lanes as an alternative to the city’s proposal. A city representative who was present said the city was prepared to support the LACBC proposal and noted such a design has been implemented in other locations. The design preserves street parking on both sides during non-peak hours with one travel lane in each direction. During morning peak, it allows for two travel lanes northbound and a parking lane southbound; during evening peak, two travel lanes southbound and a parking lane northbound. </p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234795129?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234795129?profile=original" width="340"/></a></p>
<p>Bruins developed a number of arguments in favor of bike lanes generally: health and safety; tendency of bikers to patronize local businesses; community ambiance. He emphasized the importance of Westwood Blvd as a biking corridor between Palms and UCLA, with the Expo Line to figure in soon.</p>
<p>A dozen or so community members spoke in support of bike lanes. Some already bike Westwood regularly; others would like to if given the safety of bike lanes, but are scared off by present conditions. A couple of community members spoke in opposition to bike lanes out of concerns about congestion.</p>
<p>A few Council members spoke favorably, but the weight of the feeling on the Council seemed negative. The Council President ended the discussion with an ominous speech about all the unknowns surrounding the Expo Line and further Westside development.</p>
<p>For details on implementation of the 2010 Bike Plan, see the LADOT Bike Blog: <a href="http://ladotbikeblog.wordpress.com/bpit/">http://ladotbikeblog.wordpress.com/bpit/</a></p>