Still harping on LA Council Member Cedillo's slapdown of the safety measures porposed for North Figueroa Street….

On Orange 20's blog, you can read about Next Steps in NELA because we've got to keep moving forward, no matter how deep the mud.

While at Flying Pigeon LA you can find my take on The Way of the Armadillo, and how it just won't work in our modern world.…

Richard Risemberg on Wed, 30 Jul 2014 19:53:00 -0800 [link]  

Beautiful video shows how Buenos Aires used bikeshare, Bus Rapid Transit, and lowered speed limits to revivie one of the world's great cities:

Buenos Aires: Building a People Friendly City from STREETFILMS on Vimeo.

Richard Risemberg on Wed, 30 Jul 2014 18:37:56 -0800 [link]  

On Orange 20 Bikes this week we notice that now The Mainstream Takes Notice of the nefarious Gil Cedillo's dictatorial interference with the city's street safety efforts in NE Los Angeles.

And at Flying Pigeon LA, we have to point out that If You Want Safety, You Got It…in Santa Monica, not in Cedillo's fiefdom.

Richard Risemberg on Wed, 23 Jul 2014 20:06:31 -0800 [link]  

Copenhagen's emphasis on bicycling and walking not only clears the air; it supports prosperity and brings residents together in love of life, and of their city....

Copenhagen's Car-free streets & Slow-speed zones from STREETFILMS on Vimeo.

Richard Risemberg on Thu, 17 Jul 2014 23:40:34 -0800 [link]  

Today we mourn the killing of a road diet in Northeast Los Angeles, at the bloody hands of a rogue council member. Read two bitter eulogies on Orange 20 Bikes, where we examine the contortions of Newspeak and Doublethink the little Big Brother of Council District 1 used to "justify" his decision, and on Flying Pigeon LA, where we say, Thanks for Nothing, Gil Cedillo.

Richard Risemberg on Wed, 16 Jul 2014 20:05:46 -0800 [link]  

This week on Orange 20, we look at how the slowly-growing network of bike lanes is Knitting the City together, stitch by stitch.

While at Flying Pigeon LA, Bike Rack Hack Back on Track looks at the imminent restart of the city's dormant sidewalk bike rack program, and what exactly happened to stall it.

Richard Risemberg on Wed, 09 Jul 2014 21:36:19 -0800 [link]  

The Bicycle Culture Institute just sent the most heartening press release about a grassroots Los Angeles race—and its meaning to women and the "youth of today":

Inner City Youth With Troubled Past Re-Focus on Athletics
L.A. youth step up their game as street race out grows the city and gathers international attention

The stakes are high this summer: with the July 12th, 2014, Civic Center Criterium drawing international competitors, local youth are focusing their energy on becoming stronger cyclists.

Athletics have long been a tool to build character and prevent crime among youth, especially within inner-city and low-income communities, and this has proven especially true in the case of the Wolfpack Hustle Unified Title Series. In contrast to traditional organized sports, urban bike races offer a low barrier to entry and have a way of converting hooligans into heroes.

Take young men and women like dog tag holder Edgar "Willo" Juarez and members of local racing teams Gorilla Smash Squad and Kushtown, who have found in cycling a healthy outlet for their energy, where they can channel their competitive urges and thirst for street cred into training and personal development.

With low registration fees and little equipment required, these races give young adults an outlet beyond the tagging, drugs and delinquency that underprivileged youth are often drawn to. Here in Los Angeles, the paramount prize is the coveted Wolfpack Hustle Dog Tags.

Daredevil Bike Race Celebrates Equality For Women In L.A.
In an arena that has long been undeniably male-dominated, Wolfpack Hustle's non-traditional races have taken the lead to invite women to their place at the starting line.

While women fight tooth and nail for half the road in pro cycling, Wolfpack Hustle races draw more female competitors with every race, as strong urban cyclists like Jo Celso and Kelli Samuelson achieve accolades alongside the top men in their fields, inspiring young women to clip in and take off.

Ever since their humble beginnings made up of a dozen or so cyclists in cutoffs riding on Monday nights out of Silver Lake thirsty to see who was fastest, Wolfpack Hustle has always supported its she-wolves—like first generation dog tag holder Beatriz Rodriguez, who later went on to attain Cat 1 rating and National titles under the USAC. The chance to measure up against Rodriguez, a legend and inspiration to female cyclists, drew other women on bikes to future races.

Instead of putting out a call for podium girls, Wolfpack Hustle organizer Don Ward chose to challenge women to contend for their place among the world's toughest urban cyclists and win their own dog tags once again on July 12th at the Civic Center Crit set to encircle the Los Angeles City Hall building with a finish line adjacent to the Grand Park lawn on Spring St.

The race categories include a brakeless track bike division for which 55 women are currently signed up. Rather than hold women's races in the shadows of men's, an ongoing discrepancy among the pro circuits, Wolfpack Hustle races have led the way in drawing more women to the sport of cycling. Equal courses, competition time and resources, coverage and awards are among the ways in that Wolfpack has attracted growing numbers of women.

Saturday, July 12th
Los Angeles City Hall
200 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Organizer: Don Ward
roadblock@wolfpackhustle.com
213-290-2404

Richard Risemberg on Tue, 08 Jul 2014 03:39:37 -0800 [link]  

Both entries look at wayfinding this week, with Orange 20 going Down by the Riverside to see the radical new street signs on the bike path, and Flying Pigeon LA exulting as Slowly We Find Our Way to a well-signed bikeways network all over Los Angeles.

Richard Risemberg on Wed, 02 Jul 2014 18:14:17 -0800 [link]  

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