jeremygrant.com

• coming soon: the Best Bicycle Plan IN THE WORLD #
• RT @westsidazz: Bike Plan comment period reinstated and extended to January 8th! WINN!!!! http://bit.ly/newdeadline (RT please!) #
• BikinginLA sez “do the right thing” : http://tiny.cc/elninotoyride #
• this Kung Fu soccer movie is crazy : Shaolin Soccer #
• back from Thanksgiving Tuesday at Covenant House… my stomach is full, did some good with some friends and my heart is about to fly away! #
• what good can a bike do??? RT @labrakeless: http://twitpic.com/qugn0 – [photo] spoils of VCR’s Cranksgiving race #
• Thanksgiving Tuesday tonight at Covenant House (Homeless youth shelter) in Hollywood (western&fountain) they are also doing a talent show! #
• my new anti-pollution mask tested super awesome in traffic today!!! #
• car as lethal weapon http://bit.ly/5O8YnK #
• the true cost of free parking http://bit.ly/5O8YnK #
• Toddler Ran Over by Dad’s Pickup: http://bit.ly/5O8YnK #

In the City of Los Angeles, every street is a street cyclists will ride. This Best Bicycle Plan (BBP), by cyclists, for cyclists will transform the City into an ultra-bike-friendly environment that will defend against the malignant disease of traffic congestion and pollution. The strong and intelligent Bicycle Backbone Network (BBN), implemented by this Plan throughout all parts of the City, will enhance the quality of life for all residents and visitors. In turn, the health benefits of bicycling will bolster our City’s efforts to be the strongest in all areas of culture: Art, Science, Business, Engineering, Sports etc.

The Best Bicycle Plan is a proactive vision that will offer success for the whole community; a reduction in crime and hospitalization, and a growth in economy. This Plan will provide new facilities as a fortified foundation for the next generation of cyclists. It’s development, implementation and maintenance will be guided by the voice of the cyclists and neighborhoods it serves. The Best Bicycle Plan’s policies establish safe and equal access to the streets, education for law enforcement and drivers, multi-modal integration, support facilities and programs to increase ridership. Above all, this Plan establishes and protects the right to ride in the City.

The City of Los Angeles recognizes the bicycle as a key means of transportation and is committed to repairing it’s vast infrastructure to accommodate all road users. Through a democratic process of engineering and evaluation the City strives to energetically increase the population of bicycle users and dramatically decrease automobile pollution. Internationally bound by the Kyoto Protocol, the City of Los Angeles will take an aggressive step against air and water pollution by adopting the Best Bicycle Plan. This Plan will stabilize and reconstruct the City of Los Angeles’ multi-density urban environment.

In order to sustain this future improved environment the Best Bicycle Plan equalizes the cyclist’s rights with all road users, amends the relationship of shared transportation resources, and prepares law enforcement, City employees, professional and individual users for promotion of bicycling in Los Angeles. The City will boost this bicycling positive transportation attitude by engaging in programs of education for all residents and visitors. The Best Bicycle Plan provides the facilities to travel safely and free of fear in the City. This Plan reclaims the streets from auto dominance and gives balance to resources provided to the bicycling community.

The past idolization and heavy reliance on the automobile has made the City of Los Angeles one of the worst ranked cities to bicycle in the nation with a strong reputation for car-dependance and road rage. While it’s bike paths along the beach and marina have been idealized internationally in print and film, the actual role of the bicycle on the City’s streets has largely been disregarded in favor of the use, storage, and dominance of the automobile. This Best Bicycle Plan assures the City will break from the status quo and turn Los Angeles into one of safest, friendliest and greenest bicycling cities in the United States.

When I saw it on sale for half price I had to buy.

I live in LA. I can remember long days swimming and bicycling being cut short because of malathion spray. Smog alerts reduced the numbers of buoys we’d run-swim-run and cut short the spartan breaths on the freestyle sprint. We got a reprieve from the diesel fumes during teamster/longshoreman strikes… or the Olympics. Now we have huge annual forest fires to make the air worse. I feel the car smog in my lungs and legs as I come up on an intersection, pass by a freeway or when I’m swarmed by cars. Sometimes the gases themselves infest a vacant stretch of highway. The gas fumes and pollutants feeding on the air. The air that I need to pedal.

The City filter uses Dynamic Activated Charcoal Cloth (DACC) a 95% pure charcoal weave, originally developed by the U.K. Ministry of Defence for use in the protection against chemical and bacteria warfare situations. We use DACC to effectively filter out Primary pollutants associated with vehicle exhaust emissions. The DACC is laminated with medical grade non woven polypropylene material which filters particulates from the air and helps prevent them from entering the respiratory system.

The City filter offers protection against: – Hydrocarbons. e.g. Benzene; Pyrene;1,3 Butadiene. – Acid gases. e.g. Nitrogen dioxide; Sulphur dioxide. – Photo-chemical pollutants. e.g. Low level Ozone – Particulates. e.g. Black smoke; Pollen; Lead oxide.

from Respro

After a minimal day of use (about three hours) I am pleased with the design and the fit. I rode 1 hour without the mask the same day to gauge everything. I had a few concerns at first:

Does it work? I was able to take high congestion streets and go over/under freeways day and night with no sense of auto fumes. I felt like more oxygen was getting to my legs and was able to push myself harder without concern to traffic smog. I definitely felt more endorphin rush. It works.

How does it look? The mask makes me more visible to drivers and pedestrians. I got shouts from pedestrians that could see me from far away. Drivers were able to see me better when I glanced back for more right of way or when I was coming to an intersection. I’m hoping that more people wear masks to send motorists a message. Looks great to me.

How does it feel? Breathing-wise its OK. There is not much resistance and the hot air is easily circulated out quickly. During the day it didn’t feel uncomfortable and at night I could pedal hard and it didn’t fog up. It’s easy to slide on and off for water, food or clean stretches of roadway. I find myself taking it off but then putting it back on since the air is just so fresh inside the mask. It feels good.

Bike Working Group III – Saturday, November 28, 1pm – Hollywood Adventist Church

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=209314256010&ref=mf

Bikeside & Bike Writers Collective:

The LA Bike Plan is in shambles. Point to a page and there’s a flaw, something missing, or just a careless error.

That’s why we’re creating our own bike plan. LA’s Best Bike Plan – for cyclists, by cyclists!

Join us Saturday, November 28th, at 1pm to continue that quest. The lonely souls who didn’t travel for Thanksgiving will be crafting the future of Los Angeles!

We’ll start with maps and markers – we’ll mark off a “Backbone Bikeway Network” that can get a cyclist from one region of LA to another, quickly and safely. We’ll persuade, share, and cajole until we’ve got a consensus, or nearly so, on what we need to connect all parts of LA by bike.

Then we’ll move on to look at some chapter introductions for the Best Bike Plan.

Come out and get involved in shaping LA’s future!

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shout out to Orange 20 and Bike Talk on Kill Radio

EL NINO TOY RIDE NOTICE!!!

El Niño (para las niñas) toy ride

Day: Sunday, December 6th, 2009
Time: 1pm meet, 2pm ride
Place: Santa Monica Blvd. & Vermont Ave / Red Line Metro Station

Why:
A few days ago I was notified that St. Anne’s, a community service center in my neighborhood that helps disenfranchised young women, children and families in need will not be receiving their annual toy donations for the Christmas Party that’s coming up. Big bummer for the 150 kids this Christmas. The party is still planned to go on and it includes the surrounding community — a community I often ride through. There’s blanket rides, burrito rides, food drives and other toy rides so I thought what is nicer than a bunch of cyclists organizing to give away a bunch of toys to a future generation of LA. Start the bond early with cycling and we’ll have a cleaner city. Most fittingly it works into one of the most important directives of LA’s Best Bicycle Plan: to get a generation of cyclists on the streets in LA.

Who:
Anyone can ride with us! Bring along your family, friends, neighbors. There is safety in numbers; we consider groups of cyclists as “traffic calming devices” and we will not leave you behind. If you have young children you should bring a trailer or ridealong, but; the ride will be short and paced so everyone can follow. If you have locks, helmets, lights, repair kits and water bring them along — Greensters will be available for ride support.

Donations:
Everyone is encouraged to bring along an unwrapped toy or gift for children ages 0-17. We can arrange to pick up gifts and/or money donations before the ride if you cannot attend or wish to make a larger donation. If your toys are too big or too heavy for you to carry on the ride we are equipped to haul these items for you. All donations are fully tax deductible and a letter of acknowledgment will be sent to you from St. Anne’s a 501 (c)3 organization.

How:
The LA Greensters in support with the deep and viral los angeles community are throwing the “El Niño, para las niñas” “the storm for the girls” toy ride to gather and deliver donations to St. Anne’s Women, Children & Families in their time of need. We want to show that riding a bicycle is about making positive change in this world while having lots of fun. It may be short notice — that is the nature of “El Nino” and I’m sure that we can come together to make a great Christmas for some kids in need.

Where:
We are riding from a major transportation hub so the ride will be accessible by train, car, bus, and by foot. We will be making some stops so you can pick up a gift along the way in East Hollywood, Wilshire Center/Koreatown, Echo Park, Silverlake, etc. We will drop the toys off at St. Anne’s and ride back to the start. We won’t be going too far and will most likely finish the ride with a stop for food and refreshments.

Contact me or LA Greensters through the LA Greenster website, twitter, or facebook group.

Vermont / Santa Monica Station
1015 N Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90029

shout out to Orange 20, Bike Talk on Kill Radio, Biking in LA and my Twitteratti for mentions in blogs. tweets, and radio.

• w/ nocturnal cyclist #
• A century of hope: How one of L.A.’s oldest charities has survived and evolved – http://tinyurl.com/lgj6fc #
• Tune into @bike_talk_kpfk on http://www.killradio.org #
• Pedaling Revolution w/ Jeff Mapes at the Strong Beach Museum of Art #
• san buenaventura http://twitpic.com/ptijl #
• yoga at Rehab #
• “Whoever you are, the way is open.” – John Hart #
• bike day (GTFO) LA #
• check out this funny youtube made by his son “FATHER ROCKY” RT @baniigaaru http://bit.ly/3zpAq5 #
• finished the double feature with Joe. John G. Avildsen is a very resourceful director. #
• watching Rocky with the director! http://twitpic.com/pgc6o #
• LA Air Quality Forecast: Moderate http://tinyurl.com/LAXXXAIR #
• You must know instinctively what decision to act upon. Vehicle motors give off carbon monoxide, which is a deadly gas. #
• OH: “extrabike! wooooo!!!” #