LAist: Tom LaBonge - The Grinch Who Stole Our Green Christmas!

meballard

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:53:29 -0800

Sorry for the duplication above, I kept getting error messages from the server, that made it look like it wasn't being posted.

meballard

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:29:59 -0800

It was fun going to see the festival on my bike during the bike night. I could go quickly through the sections I wanted too, and slowly or stop on the sections I wanted to look closer at, but after going to see it, I also knew I would never do it in a car. Keeping the bikes out for traffic reasons is ridiculous. From what I've read of it on car nights, bicycles would be faster than the cars anyways, and there's a bike lane along there, not to mention that it is probably illegal anyways...

meballard

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:27:37 -0800

meballard

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:18:02 -0800

meballard

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:17:12 -0800

video louis

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 04:45:00 -0800

OK THEN, just WATCH the entire 'festival' filmed by myself on the first car nite, I suffered for you (NOT) enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WrLOLxvdaQ

metroped

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:50:12 -0800

Hey Will, I do L.A. River sometimes during the day, but not a big fan at night. Also not a big fan of the adjacent freeway. Thanks for the suggestion! :)

Will Campbell

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:34:37 -0800

Metroped, In the frustrating interim I'd humbly point you to the L.A. River Bikeway instead of detouring up the Cahuenga Pass. It's far safer and not anywhere near as out of the way as San Fernando Road. Just a suggestion.

babamoto

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:23:59 -0800

The DWP Holiday Light Festival is really a scam. First of all, the lights displays are decidedly low tech and unimaginative. The traffic jams it creates are ridiculous. And to think we pay those overtime hoarding DWP guys to stand around and string lights, instead of keeping the grid healthy. Wasn't it just a few weeks ago, the DWP was urging us to turn OFF unnecessary lights in order to conserve energy. At least, rename the thing: LADWP Hypocrisy Light Festival. DB

metroped

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:05:18 -0800

I commute by bike, or I should say, I used to commute by bike through the park from Burbank to Hollywood. Now I'm forced to take the Cahuenga Pass (scary), or make a huge detour through Glendale on San Fernando to Los Feliz. The bike ban during the light show under the pretense of "safety" is insulting. With that logic, maybe they should go ahead and ban bicycles on all public roads, since there is heavy motor traffic pretty much anywhere you go in this city.

douglaswelch

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:37:08 -0800

We walked through the display on the last Sunday of the Walking Only dates. It was wonderful. Who would have thought? LA People walking and talking, meeting and greeting and having a good time. Our friends brought their small Corgi, complete with lighted leash and harness and she was the hit of the night with kids and parents alike stopping to gaze and pet her. Cool! Ban the cars immediately, for so many reasons. Allow pedicab vendors, open air electric shuttles, horse carriages, bicycles, walking, wagons, whatever and let's put a stake in the gas-burning, traffic bulging, smog producing part of the festival. Douglas

fabooj

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:28:18 -0800

Considering that The LADWP Holiday Light Festival is quite possibly The Lamest Event in LA EVER, I'd be more than happy to contribute to it's eventual death. There is no reason that it can't be a pedestrian friendly event, as there is ample parking at the zoo parking lot. I read in the LA Times, some spokesperson said that the lights can be appreciated better from the car. Have they seen this charade of holiday glitz? Besides, that way, Los Feliz Blvd. won't suck even harder than it already does anyway, if everyone is being funneled toward the middle of the park. This thing is not worth the traffic hassle, the gas wasting, or the time. You'll have more fun sitting in my hallway as I flick my bathroom light switch. At least my bathroom lights are interesting.

Will Campbell

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 09:45:08 -0800

Thank you for posting this, Stephen. It amplifies the frustrations that erode the respect cyclists such as myself try to have for the relatively bike-friendly Councilman LaBonge. I'll try to make it to the meeting tonight.