LAist: City Council Approves Bicycle Bill of Rights

elsongs

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:23:09 -0800

I'm a little bittersweet over this. On one hand, as a cyclist, organizer, advocate and one who led the first neighborhood council in the city to endorse this, I'm obviously ecstatic. On the other hand, and I had a nice conversation with Stephen Box over this, I'm kinda pissed since it seems the city council just rushed this thing. Stephen also wanted a chance to allow more community engagement, and I would have made plans to attend the council meeting had I known in advance when this would go on the agenda (which Stephen, and everyone else, didn't find out until...Monday). I seem to get the vibe that the City has a, "Yay, we endorsed this, now what's for lunch?" while the actual cyclists want this to be something actually meaningful. Oh yeah, the above picture: REPPIN' E-HO! W00t!!

Zach Behrens

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:51:58 -0800

That's an awesome photo!

GarySe7en

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:44:27 -0800

Wish I could have been there my self, so I'm just going on what I've read. Thanks for the cross blogosphere dialog to help sort out my confusion on the matter. Yay for bikes! Put the fun between your legs!!

Zach Behrens

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:30:57 -0800

Good take, Damien. This was just the first major step in a long way to change the culture of bicycles on the road. This will go on for years.

Damien Newton

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:27:55 -0800

I think here's the difference between my take and Zach's. I'm basically saying it's not over because they're going to have more hearings on the issue and lengthy department reports. In other words, as far as I'm concerned there's more to be done. Zach sees that they saw a list of rights that cyclists have and by "encouraging affirming and supporting" it they passed it. Everything that comes later is a separate thing. There's not a right or wrong view here, I think after hearing LaBonge and Acting President Greuel I got the impression it wasn't over. On the other hand, what more is their really for the Council to do than say they support the document? After the meeting was over, LaBonge told Stephen Box, the only member of the Bike Writer's Collective that was present, that his committee (Parks) would hold a hearing after the reports were in. So it's not over. Except that part of it is. Or something like that.

Zach Behrens

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:18:19 -0800

I say pass because they unanimously approved this. As said on today's agenda and in the original motion:AFFIRM and SUPPORT efforts to promote improved conditions for cyclists, and ENCOURAGE appreciation for the "Cyclists' Bill of Rights." Like I said, this is not an official legal document of sorts, so they have to "affirm," "support" and "encourage", not make into law. They also approved this from the original motion, which leads to some of the questioning of its passage: DIRECT the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Planning Department, Department of Public Works, and Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee, in consultation with the City Attorney and the Los Angeles Police Department, to report with recommendations on how to incorporate the principles enshrined in the " Cyclists' Bill of Rights" into the City of Los Angeles Bicycle Master Plan and other relevant documents and practices. Remember, these two actions that were passed today were the ones in the original motion from July 11th. It has passed, it's done. Even LaBonge, after having objections and questions, voted yes on it. He just likes to opine in public forum. When the departments report back per the second part of the motion, if that ever happens, the actions taken will likely be new motions and not amendments to today's passed motion, as I understand it. If someone knows something I don't, chime in!

GarySe7en

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:18:34 -0800

I just read the post on LA Streetsblog and it looks like approve may be a slight misnomer. LaBonge appears to have had a few objections to it and wants to delay it further before final approval.