States with the lowest levels of biking and walking have higher traffic fatalities and chronic disease
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Traffic Skills 101 for cyclists in mid-February
The next Traffic Skills 101 course taught by League-certified Cycling Instructors (LCI’s) is scheduled for February 17 and 20. You need to register in advance. The February course will meet at CSULB Pyramid Annex, (Atherton, between Bellflower and Palo Verde).
For details and to register online, click EDUCATION at the top of the longbeachcyclists.com web page.
Reading Group discusses cycling issues Sunday, January 31
January 31st at 6:00 pm, join us at Portfolio Coffee House on Fourth at Junipero for an additional opportunity to discuss interesting ideas found in Jeff Mapes’ book Pedaling Revolution.
The Long Beach Cyclists Reading Group, organized by Kevin Flaherty, meets monthly to discuss books and news of interest to the local cycling community.
Click EVENTS at the top of the page, and scroll to the January 31st calendar entry to view a map pointing to Portfolio.
Bicycle Advisory Committee in Long Beach?
Click on this must-read letter. It’s from Russ Roca. Russ writes to friends and to all those who look forward to Long Beach becoming an even better city than it already is.
 Charles Gandy is the City of Long Beach Mobility Coordinator. Gandy is a nationally known cycling advocate who for the next year or two has made Long Beach home while contracted to assist the City of Long Beach in its efforts to make Long Beach a better, more livable city for all.
A League Certified Instructor (LCI) leads traffic skills courses for cyclists and other road users. Several members of Long Beach Cyclists are LCIs. Long Beach offers Traffic Skills 101 at CSULB Pyramid Annex. Click EDUCATION at the top of the longbeachcyclists.com web page for more details and to find out how to sign up for an upcoming course.
Russ Roca and Laura Crawford have been on a cross-country cycling adventure called Path Less Pedaled since August of 2009. They send us updates, this time from Arizona. For several years, Russ made a living here in Long Beach as the Eco-Friendly Bicycling Photographer. Daily, Russ was seen cycling here and there around Long Beach and beyond on his cargo bike—a long bike with an enormous rack to carry lots of specialized photo equipment. Many of Russ’ photographs have been featured in the District weekly and other publications. Both Russ and Laura were active participants in Long Beach Cyclists and cycling advocacy when they lived in Long Beach.
Russ and Laura, we send you a ‘hello’ from Long Beach, California! Â We miss you. We wish you continued safe travels and more wonderful adventures!
Cycling Through Intersections
One type of potentially dangerous situation concerns right turns. Wherever motor vehicles make right turns, the cyclist needs to position himself/herself in a safe location, and be aware of appropriate, legal behaviors that can help avoid conflicts.
MAKE YOUR DESTINATION PREDICTABLE
The notion of destination lanes can be helpful. All road users are safer if they position themselves in a lane that makes clear their destination. A cyclist who wishes to continue straight ahead through an intersection should not drive in the right turn lane. It is safer, and more useful to motorists, for the cyclist to signal his/her intent to continue straight ahead by driving in the same lane that the motorist would also be expected to use to do the same maneuver. In that way, vehicles behind the cyclist can see and reasonably predict what the cyclist intends to do.
LANE POSITIONING COMMUNICATES YOUR INTENT
Note that in the ‘Incompatible Destinations’ image, a cyclist who drives in a right turn lane or bicycle lane who intends to continue straight ahead risks being struck by a right-turning motor vehicle. Traffic engineers are getting better at understanding how to design each lane to make them safer to use. The cyclist, for his/her part, needs to drive safely and predictably. The cyclist is safer if he or she is visible, driving safely, legally and predictably, and if his or her destination is made clear. Lane positioning is an effective way to communicate one’s intent.
SIDEWALK CYCLISTS ARE LESS VISIBLE, AND IN GREATER DANGER
A beginning cyclist may mistakenly believe that driving on a sidewalk makes him or her safer. A major problem of driving on a sidewalk, besides the fact that cycling on many sidewalks is illegal, is that the sidewalk cyclist is less visible to the motorist. This is critical at intersections. A right-turning motorist may not see the cyclist. The consequences of not being seen by a motorist can be disastrous.
Right turns are common vehicle maneuvers. The educated cyclist is safer when visible, when not swerving, and when his/her destination is clear to motorists approaching from behind.
The cyclist who positions himself/herself in the motorist’s ‘blind spot’—to the right, slightly to the rear, but not visible to the motorist through the right mirror—is unable to communicate anything to the motorist at that moment. As soon as practical, the aware cyclist should attempt to position himself/herself once again in a place where he/she is visible and can communicate as necessary with other road users.Â
The City of Long Beach, which is committed to helping Long Beach become increasingly bicycle friendly, will want to encourage traffic skills education of all road users—cyclists, motorists, pedestrians. Also, City engineers will want roads, lanes and intersections to be as well designed as possible.
Cycling Through Intersections text by Michael Bos. Thanks to Dan Gutierrez for forwarding us the CABO ‘Incompatible Destination Lanes’ graphic, copyright 2004-2007, www.DualChase.com.,
BikeTalk, on radio station KPFK-FM, December 29th
BikeTalk can be heard any time by scrolling through the KPFK Pacifica Radio Audio Archives of recent, previously-aired programs and clicking BikeTalk.
Tune in Tuesday evening, December 29, 11pm, for the first live broadcast of BikeTalk on KPFK, 90.7 FM. Bike culture, politics, technology, sport and friendliness. BikeTalk has been a weekly internet show for several months already, and Tuesday evening will be its first on-air broadcast.
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BikeTalk celebrates bike rides, bicycle collectives, activists, artists, commuters, enthusiasts, professional cyclists, inventors and repairers, and, of course, the bicycle itself as an alternative human-powered mode of transportation. Hosted by Nick Richert and guests, including Jim C of Orange 20 Bikes, Steve Bowers, and Jim Bledsoe and Eric Potter of Bicycle Kitchen.
The first live broadcast is Tuesday evening, December 29, 11pm. You can hear BikeTalk live every Saturday, 10am-Noon, at www.killradio.org. And you can download all nineteen previously recorded shows at www.kpfk.org. Click Programs at the top of the page, then click Audio Archives, and scroll for BikeTalk. Or click List of Programs, All Programs in the left margin to find the BikeTalk general description and contact information. Click on Program Highlights this week to see the announcement and details about the December 29th broadcast.
Naples Island Bike Lane
Cars Allowed?
There has been a lot of buzz regarding the new bike lane treatment on the Eastbound side of 2nd street that runs through Naples Island. This could prove to be a successful facility, but in the meantime, I think we need some bold traffic signage for our motorist friends!
These pictures were taken by LB Cyclist Justin McKeever on his way home from work today
The Cyclist Reading Group Meets December 20
The Cyclist Reading Group meets monthly so that cyclists and book lovers can sit down for an hour of literary discussion in a public space.
Sunday evening, December 20, at 7:17 pm, meet with us at Portfolio Coffeehouse to talk about Pedaling Revolution by Jeff Mapes. Whether you have read the book already or not, you’ll enjoy meeting with us to talk about cycling issues.
The Cycling Reading Group comes together to engender growth of knowledge in the area of cycling research. Each month’s literary selection is discussed for one hour. Also, a book or article is identified for future reading and discussion.
Dec 2 meeting at JAX Bicycles was productive and fun
Long Beach Cyclists met at Jax Bicycles on Bellflower Blvd Wednesday evening, December 2nd. Thank you, Jax Bicycles. And thanks to the 30-some people who were present. Our next monthly meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan 6th.
Much that is of interest to the cycling community will take place before then, of course. There is the Compton Creek Ride, Metro Audits, the Cyclone Coaster vintage bike ride, bike polo, various holiday events, a Bike-In Movie, and more. Check out the calendar by clicking EVENTS at the top of this page.
A highlight of the December 2nd meeting was talking with Russ and Laura—friends who have been living on their bicycles since August. They call their adventure “path less pedaled”  www.pathlesspedaled.com and so far have cycled as far north as the Seattle area of Washington State. Imagine all the amazing countryside and the many interesting people they have met so far. They meet many, many people who love and live cycling. What is it like to live on your bicycle rather than in a house or in an apartment?  Where will Russ and Laura go after visiting us here in Long Beach?  Because Russ is an excellent photographer, we were treated to an exciting presentation. Russ and Laura also shared observations about cyclists and the cycling climate observed in other cities.
During the December 2nd meeting, we participated in a brief advocacy activity aimed at helping Long Beach become more bike friendly. Also, we talked about options for the shirts we will soon have for Long Beach Cyclists members. Now that Long Beach Cyclists has a tax ID number and is this close to 501(c)3 non profit legal status, we are staged to do great things in the year 2010. If you aren’t a member yet, consider joining us. There’s still time to qualify as a Founding Member.
After the meeting, a large number of us cycled home—for many of us a cross-town  trip—at an hour when city streets were calming, the air was brisk because it is early December, and the night was well lit because of an almost full moon. We created a long, mostly single-file parade of twinkling bike lights, laughter and conversation among friends. It doesn’t get much better than this!
Long Beach Cyclists December Ride
CYCLE WITH US ALONG COMPTON CREEK ON DECEMBER 6TH
Join us for a fun, educational bike ride along one of the tributaries of the Los Angeles River. Alex Kenefick, a representative from the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council and President of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) http://la-bike.org will be our tour guide.  While cycling with new friends, Alex will share with us valuable insights about Compton Creek and the watershed that drains into our beaches. There will be time for some good eats, too.
We will meet Alex on Sunday, December 6th at 11:00 AM near the Blue Line Metro station (103rd Street Street Kenneth Hahn Station). You can take your bicycle aboard the Blue Line to get there. The Blue Line leaves downtown Long Beach frequently, and takes about 30 minutes to travel north to the Kenneth Hahn Metro Station where we will meet up.
To arrive at the Kenneth Hahn station on time, a group of us will meet first at the Long Beach Transit Mall at Pine/1st St. at 10:00 AM. Our train leaves sharply at 10:16, so arrive with enough time to get your tickets!
After cycling through Dominguez Gap Parkland along the L.A. River, Alex will return to Los Angeles, while most of us will then cycle south along the L.A. River back to downtown Long Beach, heading for home.
Contents of the tour:
Headwaters of Compton Creek
Central Avenue CRA riverwalk concept
Imperial/Central
Carver Park
Washington ES
Municipal Bike Trail (existing)
Compton SH Outdoor Classroom
Cliff’s Texas-Style Tacos for a creek-side snack (vegetarians, please bring your own food)
Richland Farms Equestrian Neighborhood
Gateway Center Gap Area
County Bike Trail (existing)
Confluence with LA River Gap Area
Dominguez Gap Parkland on LA River
Contact person = Kevin Flaherty (knf100@gmail.com), phone 415 994-4637.
Hope to see you Sunday the 6th!
