Angelenos talk of the closure of the 405 freeway on July 16 and 17 in such tones of panic, doom and gloom that it has been dubbed “Carmageddon.” The 10-mile stretch from the 10 to the 101 freeways has prompted the closure of the Getty Center, while the Metro Red, Purple and Orange lines will still operate free of charge. In the meantime, Los Angeles cyclists are happily aware that their preferred mode of transportation will not be adversely affected. In fact, if motorists go out of town or simply stay at home, as some politicians have advised, perhaps the streets will be more bike-friendly than they have been since the fear of traffic and parking nightmares resulted in a 30% reduction in cars during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Would this writer bike over the Sepulveda Pass? Not a chance. It’s the perfect weekend to bike locally. In fact, on July 16 and 17, Culver City will be the most desirable Southland destination as it hosts the delectable Eat Real Festival.
Eat Real is a free two-day festival at Helms Bakery that celebrates eating, making and growing good, affordable food. L.A.’s best food trucks will converge with numerous food skill demonstrations, which include learning how to make butter, grow balcony food gardens, craft kimchi, raise backyard chickens and concoct fresh gazpacho using a bike blender. Also on the menu is a panel on food writing, live music, butchery contest and craft marketplace.
The Culver City Bicycle Coalition will provide a massive bike valet along Venice Boulevard, while Bikerowave, a do-it-yourself bike repair cooperative in Mar Vista, will conduct do-it-yourself bike repair workshops. Additionally, the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition will lead a bike ride from Metro’s Purple Line Station at Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue to the festival on Saturday and Sunday. Visit eatrealfest.com for more details.
Bike infrastructure update
If you’ve been in residential downtown Culver City this past week, you may have noticed the addition of sharrows on Irving Place, Van Buren Place and Lucerne Avenue. Sharrows are painted lane markings that simply tell motorists they must share the road: Bicycles have the right to be there. In terms of positioning, you’ll notice that they are not as far to the right as classic bike lanes, like those along Venice Boulevard. This keeps cyclists safely out of the door zone – where suddenly opening doors of parked vehicles have caused serious, sometimes fatal accidents. Importantly, sharrows show cyclists the correct direction to ride in (with, rather than against traffic), leading to more responsible cycling.
Motorists driving behind cyclists may pass on the left if this can be done safely, leaving three feet between vehicle and cyclist. If there is not enough room for this, drivers must slow down and wait until it is safe to pass.
These sharrows are the first of several bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements in the Linwood E. Howe Elementary School area, funded with a Safe Routes To School grant totaling over $450,000. The international Safe Routes To School program seeks to make it safe for children to walk and ride to school, improving children’s health and safety, while also protecting the environment.
Additionally, in late June, the city was awarded a $570,000 grant by the Baldwin Hills Conservancy to bring much needed bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements to Jefferson Boulevard, just below the Baldwin Hills overlook. Culver City Public Works had long been seeking grant money to address the fast-moving traffic and lack of pedestrian and bike amenities below the new and immensely popular national park. Improvements include a sidewalk, pedestrian crossing at Hetzler Road, bike lanes and a parking lot with watershed-friendly permeable pavement.
At this same site, shortly after the grant had been awarded, an allegedly intoxicated motorist plowed through a group of cyclists, injuring 11 people. Two of the victims were critically hurt, including a 16-year-old, who endured a medically-induced coma due to severe head trauma.
This accident is a bleak reminder of the importance of responsible driving and the need for infrastructure that serves all users of our public streets.
Bike Safe, Bike Smart! is a weekly column to promote responsible cycling by providing information, education, and advice about riding. It’s written by members of the Culver City Bicycle Coalition (CCBC), a local chapter of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. The CCBC hosts a family ride each month. For more information, go to ccbike.org.