In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit | Motherboard:
In 1897, a wealthy American businessman named Horace Dobbins began construction on a private, for-profit bicycle superhighway that would stretch from Pasadena to downtown Los Angeles. It may seem like a preposterous notion now—everyone knows Angelenos don’t get out of their cars—but at the time, amidst the height of a pre-automobile worldwide cycling boom, the idea attracted the attention of some hugely powerful players. And it almost got built.
Time to start daydreaming about what a bicycle superhighway would actually be like…
test reblogged from lacmtalibrary
Brazil prisoners ride bikes toward prison reform: The alternative energy program lights a boardwalk and benefits inmates, while becoming the focal point of a movement to improve Brazil’s troubled prison system.
Must-read:
The bikes are hooked up to portable batteries, which light up the humble boardwalk along this small country town’s river each night. For every three days of doing stints on the bike, the men shave one day off their sentences. In its first months, the program has proved so popular that guards have reported a jump in good behavior, which moves candidates to the top of the waiting list.
Photo: Inmates gather in the area where bicycles are hooked up to generate electricity at the prison in Santa Rita do Sapucai, Brazil. Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times
In L.A., slow and steady is the pace for Flying Pigeon bicycle: The clunky two-wheeler, with its old-school fenders and chain guard, is used by millions of Chinese and is a cultural icon in that country. It was virtually unknown in the U.S. until a pair of Cypress Park brothers imported two containers of them and opened their bike shop.
The Flying Pigeon draws double takes from Chinese immigrants when Adam rides his in the San Gabriel Valley and in Chinatown.
Photo: Brothers Adam, left, and Josef Bray-Ali show off a Flying Pigeon bicycle in their Cypress Park bike shop. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times
Renegade bike race in L.A. tunnel goes mainstream: Two thousand spectators watch riders compete one-on-one in the 2nd Street tunnel. This time, the city gave its permission.
Photo: Alijah Vasquez, 11, of Simi Valley races in one of the first heats of the night during a street bike race inside the 2nd Street tunnel in downtown Los Angeles Saturday. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times
“Did you know that road rage is the leading cause of death among enormous douchebags?” Thanks, GOOD!
good:
I always wondered why it was so difficult for drivers to just pay attention and not be assholes. Then I moved to Los Angeles and got a car. Here, we do not operate our vehicles so much as we hang out in them. Hunkered in my sedan, I’m now comfortable juggling an iced coffee and the radio dial while “courtesy” honking the car in front of me. Only when I jump back on my bicycle do I become a little bit scared about the person that I become when I’m behind the wheel.
What Drivers Really Think About Bikers: The History and Psychology of Sharing the Road
test reblogged from good
Tour de theft targets high-end racing bikes: The Sheriff’s Department arrests three men accused of using Craigslist and Facebook to steal custom cycles worth up to $15,000 from victims across Southern California.
Detectives said the thieves scanned Craigslist and Facebook to identify targets, making away with designer racing bikes worth $2,000 to $15,000 each.
They allegedly preyed on the growing online community of Los Angeles bike enthusiasts who share photos about rides and their latest bike acquisitions on various websites and look for parts on Craigslist.
The victims, detectives say, include teenagers like Millie, bike club members, long-distance road racers and triathletes spanning six Southern California counties.
Photo: Sheriff’s investigators display some of the recovered racing bicycles that were stolen from victims found through Facebook and Craigslist. The Major Crimes Bureau has arrested three men accused of being at the center of the bike-stealing ring. Credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times
Hector Tobar: Los Angeles’ Spring Street green lane is only 1.5 miles for now, but hopefully it’s leading to a more bike-friendly future.
This is sweet, I thought. And also a little scary. The green lane puts you, seemingly, near the center of the street. That big, wide lane on your right is supposed to be for parking, but buses use it all the time, and for a moment or two I had a bus on my right and a car on my left, without any layers of steel or glass to protect me.
And I was the only self-powered vehicle in the little green lane itself. Then another guy pulled up ahead of me — on a skateboard.
“This is better than being on the sidewalk,” Jed Stoddard, 32, told me. “On the sidewalk, I’m a moving target for all the dogs.”
Photo: With Los Angeles City Hall in the background, a cyclist rides along Spring Street near 2nd Street on the new bright green bike lane that extends from Cesar Chavez Avenue to 9th Street. Credit: Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times
For downtown cyclists, this green also means go: The bright green bicycle lane on Spring Street is aimed at reducing collisions and to help cyclists feel safer navigating downtown Los Angeles.
This is good to know for drivers:
Motorists wanting to turn into a driveway on the bike-lane side of the street should turn from their lane, not the bike or parking lane, after yielding to cyclists, Fremaux said. Those who want to make right turns should stay in the vehicular lane until near the intersection, where there are breaks in the bicycle lane, and use recently implemented right-turn lanes, he said.
Photo: Above, Darryl Strucke, left, and Alvin Pegues of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation help paint a bright green bicycle lane along Spring Street in downtown L.A. The 1.5-mile-long lane will run from Cesar Chavez Avenue to 9th Street. “Thank you, guys, I love you!” yelled cyclist Susanna Schick as she rode past. “You’re making my commute to work a lot safer.” Credit: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times
Expanded 10-mile CicLAvia bike route set for Sunday’s big ride
Map: CicLAvia route. Credit: CicLAvia
“Aggressive urban biking” in L.A. Here’s the official trailer.
reblogged via rampart:
check out my new edit of To Live & Ride in L.A. footage from LA and hawaii premieres. features music from davinci (which you can download for free here), ballerina black, crown city rockers, and intuition. track info below. get hype! share it! comment it! thx!
musical tracks (featured in to live & ride in l.a.):
davinci - “ben” (swtbrds)
ballerina black - “microphones in the mattress” (awax)
crown city rockers - “break” (gold dust)
intuition - “i love california” (alpha pup)
for a complete soundtrack listing go here.
test reblogged from rampart
The I Am Los Angeles video project just released another video, this time featuring Dylan “Fish ‘N’ Chips” Hurst and his bike.
Photo: Hurst performs an X-Up at the art collective Casa de Angelopes’ warehouse in Inglewood. Credit: Mikey Wally
Fmly organizes a monthly bike ride/outdoor concert series, guiding 100 to 200 cyclists to band performances at secret locations around the Westside. Past features include Entrance, Soft Pack, Abe Vigoda, 60 Watt Kid, Baths and Princeton. (The next ride in Los Angeles is on April 2.)
reblogged via rampart:
in the news…
Bike ride and a concert with the Fmly
For a year now, bicyclists have been riding en masse to street-side concerts. Cameron Rath organizes these monthly get-togethers, which aim to reclaim the city while giving exposure to emerging bands.
test reblogged from rampart
