jeremygrant.com

CRENSHAW CRUSH DISCOVERY BIKE RIDE

Join friends and neighbors of the Crenshaw District for a free fun urban discovery ride.
All participating cyclists are eligible for prizes!

* On-site Registration & Bike Check Up: 8:00AM
* Welcome and Introductions: 8:30AM
* Ride Start Time: 9:00AM

Start and Finish Location:

Leimert Plaza Park Fountain, 4395 Leimert Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008

The Leimert Plaza Park is located on the corner of Crenshaw Blvd and Vernon Ave.

Ride Information:

This is a fun ride, not a race. It is a ride brings people together and gives them an opportunity to discover the community, the streets, their history, their culture and each other. The average speed of the ride will be 10-15 mph. Riders must stay in the group and follow the directions of the RIDE LEADERS. All traffic rules, light signals, and traffic regulations must be followed. Helmets are required for all ride participants under age 18.

Our goal is to introduce you to some new and historical sites in South Los Angeles while highlighting the many unique qualities of the neighborhood, from the architecture, the backstories and the trivia to the future, the possibilities and the vision!

If the average speed and distance is too easy or short for you join the ‘Dam’ Poker Challenge which will conquer some legendary hills and roundabouts at a quick pace. Complete all the challenges and collect the poker cards at each secret stop and play a round of poker at the end for prizes. Highest and Lowest Hands Win!

Map:

View Crenshaw Crush #1 9-27-09 9AM in a larger map

Parking:

Convenient street parking is available in and around Leimert Plaza Park.

Other Info:

A free bike check up before the ride will be available; first come first served. Drumming will be on going throughout the day at the fountain and other musicians playing throughout the Village area. Music will be provided along the ride. Many choices of food and restaurants are available for local purchase. Lawn and picnic seating is available at Leimert Park. The prize drawing will begin after all the riders return to Leimert Park Plaza. Winners must be present to win. Only officially registered riders are eligible to win.

So I suddenly decided to escape the We$t$ide and move back to the center of the city, Koreatown. Faced with only two weeks to pack my stuff and make the move I was determined to conserve resources, time, and money. Most usually an tenant like me would take a week, box up everything in sight and rent a truck or van to move it all, while providing pizza and beer to friends or migrant laborers. A few hundred dollars, some belches of smoke, and its done.

Crews of bicyclists can collectively move tons of stuff
and can be fueled by organic, locally grown foods.

I have issues with such blatant over consumption and know that moving can be done with little or no impact and within normal time and money restraints. Going green does not always mean spending more anything. While I wasn’t too keen on enlisting a crew of bicyclists in moving my stuff or renting some crazy electric suv I did have some low impact modes of transportation at my disposal: a few bicycles, an xtracycle, and ultra low emissions high mpg vehicles.

The last trip after cleaning up the old apt and turning in the keys…
My legs felt like they were hauling bricks; but, i was finally done.

After moving everything and comparing the data (see below) I found that I consumed 60% less gas using the low impact solution (8.5 gallons vs. 21.7 gallons) versus renting a box truck. Sure, the low impact solution takes almost twice as many ‘trips’ as the box truck (14 trips vs 25 trips); but, you will see that 70% of the low impact solution trips are by bicycle — still less car trips than the obnoxious box truck solution. More trips also meant I could divide my stuff into storage and new apartment without feeling like my whole life was packed away. I also worked most of the trips into my daily routine (trips i would have made anyway) so that it did not feel like any day was ‘moving day’. I did have to change my cycling schedule that week but I still ended up putting on 245 miles moving and 80 miles of regular riding. I may have felt a little weak towards the end but it was a welcome suffering — i only felt stronger the next week.

The amount of stuff I hauled on the bike wasn’t really that bad since most were short trips and had only a few hills. Once you get a couple hundred pounds moving on a bike it doesn’t feel like much. If I felt tired or was carrying too much I’d just make another trip. Driving the car made me feel sick, stressed and tired. By the last car trip (#8) I never wanted to drive that much consecutively again. I had not driven that much in about two years and I felt so disconnected from the world, like I was in a haze. By the end I was riding my bike even more just to not have to use the car. Finally I storaged the car 35 miles away and will most likely not use it anymore. Zip or Flex car seems to be a more viable solution now just to escape the insurance and registration fees for a vehicle that just sits around 90% of the year. Since most of the car trips were for the purpose of long term storage or giveaways my next move can be completely car free. Well… if I can figure out how to tow a queen size mattress. =D

:::DATA:::

low impact: having a little or no negative effect upon the environment and minimizing the consumption of natural resources.

multi-modal: many modes; in combination.

modes:

700c fixed gear and 3000 cu in bag

26″ xtracycle

Honda civic coupe EX
1.8L I4 engine
ultra low emission vehicle (CARB ULEV II)
35 mpg
small
quiet
non aggressive / hyper mile driving

Honda Crv LX
2.4L I4 engine
low emission vehicle (CARB LEV II)
26 mpg
quiet
small
non aggressive / hyper mile driving

Typical:

box truck:
uhaul, 14′ truck
$29.95/day plus $15 fee, $0.79/mile & tax
Unleaded fuel
Fuel tank capacity: 40 gal.
Miles per fuel tank: approx. 400
Miles per gallon: approx. 10
loud
big
dirty

The Task:

Simultaneously move all my worldly possessions to my new residence and/or into long term storage.

The Routes:

Miles from (o)ld residence to (n)ew (o-n)/(n-o): 10 miles

Miles from (o)ld residence to (s)torage (o-s)/(s-o): 35 miles

Miles from (n)ew residence to (s)torage (n-s)/(s-n): 35 miles

scheduled trips: low impact multi-modal [transportation]:

01. xtracycle (o-n) 10 miles
02. xtracycle (n-o) 10 miles
03. 700c (o-n) 10 miles
04. 700c (n-0) 10 miles
05.civic (o-s) 35 miles
06. crv (s-o) 35 miles
07. crv (o-s) 35 miles
08. civic (s-o) 35 miles
09. xtracycle (o-n) 10 miles
10. xtracycle (n-o) 10 miles
11. 700c (o-n) 10 miles
12. 700c (n-o) 10 miles
13. xtracycle (o-n) 10 miles
14. xtracycle (n-o) 10 miles
15. 700c (o-s) 35 miles
16. crv (s-o) 35 miles
17. crv (o-s) 35 miles
18. 700c (s-o) 35 miles
19. xtracycle (o-n) 10 miles
20. xtracycle (n-o) 10 miles
21. civic (o-n) 10 miles
22. civic (n-s) 35 miles
23. 700c (s-n) 35 miles
24. 700c (n-o) 10 miles
25. xtracycle (o-n) 10 miles

xtracycle: 90 miles — 0 gallons
700c: 155 miles — 0 gallons
civic: 115 miles — 3.2 gallons
crv: 140 miles — 5.3 gallons

total gas used: 8.5 gallons

Typical theory:

theoretical trips: typical box truck & car:

01. civic (to rental) 7 miles
02. box truck (to old residence) 7 miles
03. civic (to old residence) 7 miles
04. box truck (o-s) 35 miles
05. box truck (s-o) 35 miles
06. box truck (o-n) 10 miles
07. box truck (n-o) 10 miles
08. box truck (o-s) 35 miles
09. box truck (s-o) 35 miles
10. box truck (to rental) 7 miles
11. civic (to rental) 7 miles
12. civic (to storage) 35 miles
13. crv (s-n) 35 miles
14. crv (n-s) 35 miles

civic: 56 miles — 1.6 gallons
crv: 70 miles — 2.7 gallons
box truck: 174 miles — 17.4 gallons

total theoretical gas used: 21.7 gallons

“The California Air Resources Board found… Heavy-duty trucks are responsible for 32% of smog-forming emissions and 40% of diesel emissions from mobile sources…”

“The Board voted to require trucks after 2011 to gradually reduce emissions of soot and, eventually, nitrous oxides implicated in smog formation. Remedies range from installing diesel exhaust filters at a cost of $10,000 and higher, to buying new engines or replacing trucks altogether.”

“Trucking groups argued that the cost …amounts to an excessive burden…”

“Other states often piggyback off California’s detailed regulatory process, and once manufacturers make changes for the state, it’s easier to do the same elsewhere. Many technologies required by California later became standard nationwide, such as catalytic converters, which the state required in the 1970s.”

-wsj (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122930166102105501.html)

news article: sun-sentinel.com
Miles Barish carries a gun in his car while he ‘shares the road’

did he not see this PSA?

most likely Miles did not see the PSA… I can claim I never saw the damage on his car. I still can’t.

from the sun-sentinel article:

Barish denies he was the aggressor.

“I didn’t start anything,” he said.

Jonet Hernandez of Deerfield Beach said he saw Barish hit McDonald’s bike when both cyclists and Barish were stopped at Palmetto Park.

When McDonald approached Barish’s car, Barish jumped out and punched McDonald in the face, Hernandez said.

That look is so ‘played’ for the typical asshole driver anyways. it’s so not elite or unique.
I believe the whole point of looking and/or being rich was to look as you had attained the unattainable and enjoying the last chapter of your life as you ‘kinda putz’ your horn and push bicyclists out of the way. Most guys that buzz me look the same here in LA:

1. import convertible, top down
2. slick back hair
3. cool shades
4. ‘sophisticated’
5. perfume and cologne
6. personalized plates
7. jazz or npr on the stereo
8. rarely ever a passenger

leasing the car, and consuming everything that comes with the persona just makes you a pawn in ‘their’ game of capitalism. its not your game. you are certainly not even a ‘player’ or on top of the ‘game’ if you look like every other guy in the death valley of economy. so the capitalistic control even misconstrues political freedoms – the ‘right to the road’ and ‘right to bear arms’ – as a justification of the violence of one majority upper class against a minority class of mixed economic status (second class).

should we be surprised or alarmed at this case?

certainly not… that is what comprises of much of American history:

an institutionally protected class using ‘law’ to discriminate against the unprotected class for continuation of profit and use of land.

remember what the LAPD said in defense of the driver who ran over cyclists and bicycles, “If it had been me with my family in that car, I’d have done the same thing, and I carry a gun in my car.”

the solution, as I’ve been personally recommended by the local law enforcement to do, is to be prepared to fight back. but carrying a gun only gives law enforcement a ‘valid’ excuse to shoot cyclists. in many cases, some personally, police side against cyclists in any and all cases regardless of evidence to the contrary. this isn’t such a surprising case either as law enforcement has historically been against ‘minority’ and lower economic classes.

As for Miles Barish, he should have been treated equally by the law as Thomas McDonald, the cyclist. I’d recommend the criminal case be dropped against Thomas McDonald (the jailed cyclist) and the matter of property damage be taken to civil arbitration. The lawmakers and policy formers in the area should take this case as a inspiration to do something to remove the tarnish of ‘road rage capital of the US’. That of course wont happen for a long time because law and capitalism have a profitable partnership called lawyers and prison.

update: Good thing Thomas has Florida Superlawyer Jamie Benjamin, he might have a chance against the system.

budget: $150 or less

Greensters are on the rise in Los Angeles, CA and have grown a new website: lagreensters.com

Greensters offer a sustainable alternative to the standard methods and practices in the film industry. Some adopted practices include:

-using bicycles for equipment and supply transport
-using metro, electric cars and bicycle for personnel transport
-using local food resources for meals
-using solar to power equipment
-recycling and self imposed waste limitations
-ethical employment practices
-low perceived impact of set and crew on community
-continuing a sustainable lifestyle personally and professionally

more can be found out about the Greensters here

xtracycles are represented prominently on the website and as it happens my xtra is on the front page…

It’s not often that you get a chance to sit in on a meeting of the great Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee (LABAC). That’s because it meets only once every two months… at LAPD headquarters no less. (#LAPDHATESBIKES (anyone?))

Well, the cops have cooled down a little on the harassment and now it actually sounds like government is interested in hearing what this new phenomenon of “bicycling” is and want it in their city. So I found myself last night watching this committee as if it was a dry, painstakingly long documentary on old dudes who kinda talk a little about bikes using Roberts rules of orders while a few outsiders flourish with ideas, actions and excitement in public comment. There were a few who made obvious their transport was a bike. It would be nice if each committee member parked their bike center stage to make public participation in such a meeting somewhat interesting and peculiar. There were about 5 bikes in sight — most locked to the inverted U’s in the horrible plaza leading up to the door. In fact I saw Joe Linton rocketing up 7th & Fig on the way home.

These are my notes from the committee meeting:

Commander Geoffrey Greer of Office of Operations is now the bikes and LAPD liaison. Defer everything to him. He’s the one in the suit.

Two members of LABAC are required per LA City Council Amendment to educate LAPD on bicycle law.

Massachusetts Law Enforcement free safety instruction mentioned/suggested.
Do we really want proto nazis instructing our LAPD? I kid. But a picture speaks a thousand words.

on some more positive notes:

Bike & Walk A Child To School Day is coming in October 7, 2009.

The Safe Routes conference is being held in Eureka,CA. Try Riding your bike out to there. It’s 700 miles.

The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) (http://la-bike.org/) showed up via bike and announced they will be conducting a bicycle count in thirty (30) intersections in and around LA on September 22 – 26. The data will aid in the analysis of the effect of the future approved Bike Plan. If and ever it is completed.

Please get out and ride your bike September 22 – 26, 2009 to be counted. I don’t care if the tubes are flat and it’s stuck in 22nd gear– get it to a major intersection and be counted!

Most metropolitan cities already have a bike count. Los Angeles has had none. NONE… and we think we’re so green.

Check out labikecount.org for input and volunteer opportunities.

Other LACBC action items they are working on is the push for roadway improvements on the proposed 4th Street Bicycle Boulevard. As many of us know the pavement on 4th Street is cracked to hell from earthquakes, tree roots, and flooding. It is the gifter of many pinch flats and wash outs. But KEEP using it… its a great way to get across from east to west with limited major stops and intersections.

The City of Lights program is still working in full force to educate and hand out lights to the lower income groups.

Ted Rogers from Biking in LA was there to support bicyclists everywhere. His bike was somewhere…

Hector Rodriguez, a 200 mile a week rider and Administration and Financial Services Manager for Metro was present (in a suit) to discuss the current bike situation of rail in LA. In a discussion with the committee the following was stated:

problems:

-mta now limits cyclists at peak hour
-too many restrictions on cyclists
-limited space for bikes
-no standard set for rail cars, signage, wayfinding, planning, etc. for bicycles
-no data available on the bicycling rider ship on mta
-light rail cars narrower than subway

solutions:

-remove peak hour restrictions (YAY!)
-cars will be planned to have bike space easily marked
-signage will be on cars, stations and other applicable areas
-impose a limit on the max number of bikes on any train or car.
-a bike count

before the decision is made (in 30 days) the following is needed:

1. legal council
2. input from other rail agencies and areas
3. unified plan and policy
4. public comment

Stephen Box of SoapBoxLA took note that the only limits on Metro are against the cyclist. He highlighted that there seems to be no restrictions or harassment of people blocking pedestrian access, traveling with large cargo and even homeless mobile encampments (ie. shopping carts) — all these impeding the ease of access. He then noted that cyclists bridge the gap while those pushing baby carriages, holding suitcases and shopping carts do not. His trusty stop gap measure? A bicycle parked outside Parker Center.

The LABAC took action to support:

1. the end of peak restriction on cyclists
2. the provision of proper signage to at least one (1) door per car
3. a discussion with Metro and the public

The ‘Bike Plan’ was passed over like overripe fruit. Next!

The challenge Aubrey Provost made to the committee (to have a bicycle ride in each district) seemed to have little or no effect and the responsibility was passed on to each committee member to talk with their respective council district offices.

In response, Aubrey basically stated that when he contacted the Council District office he was met with slight hostility or defensiveness. The bond doesn’t seem so great between the Council and the Committee

LABAC makes a motion to support the “Crenshaw Crush”, a discovery bike ride put on by Aubrey, appointee of Bernard Parks. It will take place September 27 2009 – 9:00 AM

Blockage of bicycle lanes by large trucks, unhitched trailers, etc. :

There is no code in the C.V.C. that prohibits parking in the bike lane.

LABAC makes a motion opposed to the blockage of any bike lane.

So WHO’S going to change the policy?

6th Street Bridge EIR is out for public comment until Aug 17. Show your support for bike lanes because it doesn’t sound like there will be one.

The inverted U bike rack project is back on and will be taking requests after those on the waiting list are served.

Bicycle related staff at DOT have decreased to below 70% of what was employed thirty (30) years ago.

DOT will fund the sharrows study required before CD#13 can implement.

finally,

The Brentwood Grand Prix will be taking place this Sunday, August 9, 2009.