Well, here's all you[re gonna get for the holidays from me: yep, two more posts. One's the usual complaining, this time about The Politics of Betrayal, posted on Orange 20 Bikes's website.

Followed by something a little more positive for Flying Pigeon LA: A Return to Normalcy, which notes the gradual mainstreming—or should we say re-mainstreaming?—of everyday bicycling to the transporatation matrix.

See you on New Year's Eve!

Richard Risemberg on Wed, 24 Dec 2014 21:42:59 -0800 [link]  

Orange 20 Bikes this week examines some corporate chainstore efforts at providing bike parking, and says, "Close…But No Cigar."

And Flying Pigeon LA examines the sad case of a council member who accuses his constituents of trying to bully him when they ask for safer streets, in a stunning, perhaps shocking, example of Tantrumocracy.

Richard Risemberg on Wed, 17 Dec 2014 23:48:49 -0800 [link]  

It's actually rained twice this winter in Los Angeles, which, if you're following the news about California's intesen drought, you know is good news indeed.

And it's even better news that it doesn't seem to be chasing cyclists into buses or their cars.

I indulged in my usual Tuesday ride to South Pasadena today. Rain had fallen steadily since midnight, but by 9:30, when I left, it had diminished to a regular but gentle patter. Coddled in wool, I soon removed my jacket and rode on happily through the sprinkle.

And I wasn't alone: Fourth Street bore, if anything, slightly more cyclists than usual—and many of them, if I may judge by the cut and cost of their attire and the kinds of bikes they rode, were middle-class people on the way to work. And there seemed fewer cars. When I cut north through Larchmont Village—I have a soft spot for the place—several riders were pedaling into it ahead of me, and a number of parked bikes indicated that the rain had had little deterrent effect. The sopping streets carried me to Buster's Coffee and my meeting with Chuck Schmidt without incident.

When I left to go home, it was raining hard enough that the application of water exceeded the self-drying property of well-made wool, so I finally put on the rain cape. It rained steadily all the way home, but, nose and toes aside, I stayed dry. The air was cool and fresh-smelling, the light gentle, the reflections on wet streets endlessly intriguing.

The bike, of course, has fenders, and a dyno hub meant that I could run my lights without fear of depleting batteries. The pannier kept my various waterproofs handy as the weather changed, and…"a good time was had by all"!

Richard Risemberg on Wed, 17 Dec 2014 01:08:37 -0800 [link]  

My latest post on Orange 20 Bikes' site touts last Sunday Ciclavia, the first to grace South Los Angeles, in Ciclavia and All That Jazz.

While today on Flying Pigeon LA I celebrate a Brand-New Bike Corral on Midtown's Larchmont Boulevard.

In both cases, good news for Los Angeles!

Richard Risemberg on Thu, 11 Dec 2014 03:02:47 -0800 [link]  

Orange 20's post this week asks whether it's Time for a meeting of the…Minds? Which meeting would be tonight, the third of December,so if you live, work, or own property in Lo sAngeles's Council District 1, and look forward to Complete Streets, safe bikeways, and thriving local businesses…attend this meeting!

Meanwhile, on Flying Pigeon LA's blog, I note that Rain…It's Only Water, and that you can successfully park a bicycle in it by following two simple guidelines….

Richard Risemberg on Thu, 04 Dec 2014 00:21:38 -0800 [link]  

Yesterday, I was riding, as is usual for me on Monday mornings, to a farmers' market in a park in West Hollywood. I was wearing, again as is usual for me, black wool head to toe. I did have my lamps illuminated, as it was an overcast day.

My route follows residential streets entirely. As I approached the market, an old man standing by the side of a parked car stared at me, then whipped a yellow high-viz vest out of his pocket, waved it like a little flag, and shouted, "Wear one of these!"

I didn't answer him audibly at all, but I did feel an almost comical sense of irony.

As it happens, the one time so far that I have actually been hit by a car while riding a bicycle was on a similar day—when I was wearing a bright yellow wind shell.

And after all, the old fellow had seen me with no problem.

I do wear high-viz when it's raining, but otherwise I just wear whatever I'm wearing. You know, regular clothes.

And I don't trust any driver within view to do the right thing. Not other cyclists, for that matter. I've nearly been hit twice in recent weeks by fellow velocipedalists….

Stay vigilant. That's the first rule when you're on the streets.

Richard Risemberg on Tue, 02 Dec 2014 18:20:55 -0800 [link]  

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