Expanding access to "green"

From the LA Times:

"Green revolution comes to urban neighborhoods

Low-income can also be environmentally friendly, with a little help."

excerpt: 

"There's a tendency to not seek out communities like these," said Jeffrey Richardson, chief executive of solar installer Imani Energy Inc., one of the few companies that have been actively working on projects in South Los Angeles. "There's the idea that people here don't get it, don't want to get it and can't get it when it comes to green."

Read the article here.

Metro's Westside Subway–Unsuprisingly–Will Do Little For Congestion

Metro's Draft EIS/EIR for the Westside subway extension reveals that the subway will--perhaps unsurprisingly--do little to cure congestion on arterials and freeways on the Westside, although it will add another option for traversing the Westside and will increase accessibility to employment centers.  The subway study area generally extends east from downtown LA--through some of the densest parts of LA--to Santa Monica, and includes pieces of several jurisdictions.  Furthermore, as the draft EIS/EIR notes, Westwood and Century City have higher employment than many mid-sized downtowns elsewhere.

Served by already congested road networks, both Westwood and Century City, along with other major activity centers in the corridor are projected to grow, further straining the transportation network.  The corridor already has highest number of bus boardings in Southern California and, in existing traffic congestion never mind future conditions, even the "Rapid" lines along Wilshire (the 720 and 920) prove to be misnomers.  The EIS/EIR projects that by 2035 buses may slog down the corridor at 8 to 11 mph.  As buses become increasingly unreliable and slow due to congestion, they become less and less competitive with private vehicles.  The EIS/EIR concludes that, "The improved capacity that would result from the subway extension is the best solution to improve travel times and reliability and to provide a high-capacity, environmentally-sound transit alternative."

Environmentally Conscious Kid's Songs

The car in the video also appears to be biodegradable.  I appreciate the disclaimer of sorts on the YouTube video for this: "There is no such thing as clean coal, and bikes are even more environmentally friendly than cars."

via thecityfix.com

AB 909: Reducing Penalties for Rolling Rights on Red

A bill by Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo seeks to reduce the base fine for drivers who roll through red lights to make right turns.  Assembly Bill 909 would reduce the base fine for such violations from $100 to $35 (the fines are considerably higher after all assessments are made).  Hill and supporters are defending the California stop and claim the existing law was not intended to target rolling right turns, but drivers running red lights through intersections.  They contend that red light cameras and ticketing rolling stops are not about increasing safety, but about raising revenue.

Mayor's Bike Summit

This morning Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa held his first (and hopefully not last) bike summit.  The Mayor's recent bike accident seems to have sparked his sudden concern for bicyclists in L.A. and served as the impetus for putting together the bike summit.  Although several advocates criticized the timing of the meeting--Monday morning is not a great time for most people--the summit seemed to be a step in the right direction. 

Bicyclists packed the Metro board room for the two hour meeting, which was lead by the Mayor and a panel including LADOT General Manager Rita Robinson,...

A cheaper way to start bike sharing?

Bike sharing programs, which offer people an alternative to driving and helps fill the gaps in transit networks, have been increasing in popularity in Europe and are now catching on in the US with programs such as Denver's B-cycle and Nice Ride in Minneapolis.  SoBi--short for Social Bicycles--is attempting to build the bike share momentum by cutting capital costs for modern bike sharing.  
While European and, now, North American bike-sharing typically use specially designed, proprietary bicycles, the SoBi design incorporates a GPS system and a locking mechanism in a compact box/rear rack that can be attached to any bicycle, also allowing members to lock the bike up at any bike rack.  The design is being touted as a way to significantly cut the capital costs of starting a bike sharing program.  SoBi is entered in Pepsi's Refresh Project for a chance to test drive the program in NYC.

amazing vintage tokyo subway manners posters

these are just a couple from an amazing set at pinktentacle of vintage subway manner posters from tokyo between 1976 - 1982.they type of subway riders everyone despises

let people exit before entering jerk!

see entire set here

Ginormous Chinese BRT

By now, its likely that many readers have already seen links to the "ginormous" Chinese BRT proposal.  But sadly, a lot of those links are to US based blogs that lack the video and/or the translation of the full presentation. You can find all of that at the original source of the information.  And for those who have yet to see the video, here you go:

Shoup 101: SFPark's great introductory video

As many already know, SFPark, thanks in part to a sizable Federal grant, has been transitioning San Francisco parking spaces in 8 neighborhoods to a performance parking model.  For those who haven't yet seen it, their site has a terrific video introduction to this concept on a new and improved website.

SFpark Overview from SFpark on Vimeo.

Or, take a look at the full SFPark.org.

Bike sharing is unconstitutional?

Earlier today Patrick James at GOOD blogged about an article that ran in the Denver Post regarding the city's new bike sharing program and its potential to erode democratic freedoms.

According to Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes, strategies such as bike sharing are part of a plot to turn Denver into a puppet of the UN's International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), a voluntary membership organization that promotes sustainable development and acts as a sort of clearinghouse for best practices. Speaking at a rally, Maes warned, "At first, I thought, 'Gosh, public transportation, what's wrong with that, and what's wrong with people parking their cars and riding their bikes? And what's wrong with incentives for green cars?' But if you do your homework and research, you realize ICLEI is part of a greater strategy to rein in American cities under a United Nations treaty."

So next time you think about going for a bike ride, be forewarned you might be indirectly destroying democracy.