UCLA Students Take Over Building in Protest of Fee Increase Vote
Jason Segel Sings His Phone Number at the Swell Season Last Night
BART Cop Murder Trial to Move to Downtown L.A., Lawyer Predicts More L.A. Riots
-thumb-110x110-459458.jpg)
Bouchon Amuses Our Bouches
Midnight Movie: VICE Explores LA's Hidden Urban Oil Wells
Cyclists speak yesterday to the Transportation Committee | Danielle Directo
By Danielle Directo, Special to LAist
After being no-shows at last week’s Transportation Committee meeting, LAPD appeared before councilmembers and cyclists yesterday, only to be met by harsh criticism for their “distinct bias towards bicyclists” and their response to a hit-and-run accident in late April in which a Hummer sideswiped a rider in downtown L.A. At the meeting, cyclists were “deeply disappointed” and scoffed at the conflicting details police gave regarding the incident.
Three investigations were conducted after the accident and were sent to the City Attorney, who rejected filing on two of the cases, said Commander Mike Williams and Captain Gregory Allen. However, one case of “alleged vandalism” - in which a bike was allegedly thrown at the Hummer - is still pending, despite the fact that authorities still “cannot determine” the supposed bike-thrower.
“Please help us out…we are citizens, we support L.A.,” said Andres Tena, the hit-and-run victim, to police at the meeting. “Keep us safe, you’re the LAPD…you’re here to protect and serve.”
Advocates also disputed the police’s statement that Tena “bumped into the back” of the Hummer and that the vehicle “stopped one block away” from the collision.
Officers “would have known” whether or not Tena rear-ended the vehicle if they had looked at the bicycle, said Damien Newton who had previously written about the incident at Streetsblog LA. “This should have been very easy to clear up…(Police) should have looked at the bike.”
When cyclists and police disagreed over whether or not the Hummer had a license plate, Councilmember Bill Rosendahl demanded “answers to those questions” from the LAPD “before this comes to Council…I don’t want to go through this again.”
Continuing from last week’s meeting was the repealed bike licensing law, which Williams acknowledged was “an area of concern” and along with notifying officers of the law change, the department is also addressing the issue with a new training program. Later in the meeting, one speaker from West L.A. told councilmembers that roughly a dozen officers he spoke with two weeks ago never “heard about this memo from Chief (William) Bratton” and only three were up-to-date on their bike laws.
The meeting, which was soon-to-be City Controller Wendy Greuel’s last as head of the Transit Committee, also included discussion on possible revenue from new parking meters to fill the city’s budget gap, the reappointment of Board of Transportation Commissioner George Moss, funding for Century City’s new transit management (.pdf), as well as more criticism to LADOT’s Bicycle Plan.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Thanks for keeping the pressure on the police/Council, guys! And thanks to LAist for the continuing pro-bicycle commuter coverage.
And now for the anti-cyclist commenters to come out of the woodwork (or wood-paneled cars, as it were) as they always seem to on these posts.
Changes to improve and increase saftey of commuting by bicycle - YES. Militant takeover of roads a la midnight ridazz - NO.
The meeting was great and I give it up to the gentlemen who spoke their piece. To bad I had to leave early. They raised alot of good points and I'm glad us cyclist were heard. Progressive movements! I'd like to know what they said about the whole motorist and cyclist topic. What are they going to do to educate the motorist?
I'm glad so many cyclists are taking the time to show out of their busy days. That physical presence in large numbers really helps the discussion continue over time rather than fizzle out.
Basically, many people in L.A. consider cyclists second class citizens and get a kick out of treating them badly.
Bravo for the brave souls who call out such dehumanizing behavior.
There is an apartheid system on the streets and bicyclists are not given nor able to exercise their full rights as stated in the California Vehicle Code.
Apartheid? Really?
It's a bit of a dramatic word, but at times, it feels like it.
People who rarely cycle or "weekend it" will invariably say, "Oh, it's not so bad." or "Just be quiet about it already."
Yet the drivers who injure and kill many cyclists often *don't even have to worry about getting a ticket*.
Cyclists are considered *less than*. It's *totally* a cultural and a classist thing. Bicycling is portrayed as mostly a pursuit of the "lower class" (although many bikes can cost as much as a car.) The proliferation of dehumanization and smug fascist attitudes in our times is quite disheartening.
It was hard to tell at the meeting whether or not the LAPD took everyone's comments to heart...In any case, it's always really great to see cyclists who stand up for the rest of riders' - whether they're Ridazz, everyday commuters or once-in-a-while bikers - rights on the road.
As a fellow bicyclist, I've been harassed by police on several occasions - once, I was stopped for supposedly not having front or back lights, but when I turned around to reveal that I actually did have them, I got a sheepish "Oh, ok..." response and was let go. On the other hand, I've also seen some good cops who have made sure riders are protected from motorists during rides. We just need to see more of these guys (and gals) out there.
I usually don't link to my own posts on other news sites/blogs but for anyone that has questions on the cyclists actions for blocking the vehicle, you should check out the Streetsblog post on the meeting because one of the cyclists at the event took a picture of the Hummer, sans identifying license plate.
http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/06/24/hummer-hits-bike-lapd-and-city-attorney-worry-about-hummer/
And on another note, seeing the growth of Bill Rosendahl these past two years on equity and justice issues as they come to transportation. Rosendahl is a good guy, and a solid politician but there's times when he's on the podium and I'm ready to fit him for his Ridazz outfit he gets so worked up.
The massive group rides occur every single day of the week in every part of the city. Cyclists WANT to be out there. It's a safety in numbers thing, its a social thing it's a new generation of people of all ages thing. You can hate Midnight Ridazz but like skate-park infrastructure got most skateboarders off the streets, social rides won't go away until there is bike infrastructure to shoo them away to. Make cycling a normal part of our city and the massive group rides will melt away...
Exactly.
The people who say, "oh just be quiet and stop riding already" would also have one:
*drink toxic water without complaint.
*ride in the back of the bus and like it.
*accept job discrimination as the "reality".
etc. etc.
The reason for dissent is unjust conditions. Just smiling and 'hoping for the best' doesn't do *anything* but empower the injustice.
Sadly, most people are more comfortable in swallowing the dominant corporate misinformation without engaging their capacity for rational analysis.