Damien Newton

It's hardly a state secret that California's speed limit laws are designed to increase traffic speed at the expense of communities and urban design. AB 529, a hot piece of state legislation by Assemblymember Mike Gatto that already quietly cleared the lower house, seeks to give communities a little more leeway in setting local speed limits. The Senate has yet to assign the bill to committee, but Senate Transportation Committee staffers have told me they're expecting it "any day now."

Last summer, a coalition of bicycle groups and the City of Los Angeles joined forces to create the "Give Me 3" public service announcement campaign to encourage drivers to give cyclists a larger berth when passing. Less than a year later, the California Bike Coalition (CBC) has launched its own "Give Me 3" website and campaign to build support for Senator Alan Lowenthal's (D-Long Beach) Senate Bill 910. S.B. 910 would create a state 3 foot passing law for California. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa remains personally committed to enshrining a passing law in the California Vehicle Code.

A.B. 710, the Infill Development and Sustainable Community Act of 2011 introduced by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) would mandate that automobile parking in Transit Oriented Developments be limited to one car per residential unit or per 1,000 square feet of retail space. The Assembly Housing & Community Development Committee is scheduled to hear this legislation at their next meeting on April 27.

Goodbye "30/10" and hello "Fast Forward America."

Yesterday, we discussed how a change in the threshold for a crime to be considered “Grand Theft” could impact cyclists who find their bikes stolen.  Today, we’ll look at how a series of new laws could make our streets safer and more sustainable. The biggest change is that local traffic officers now ticket scofflaw drivers for violating … Continued

When the clock struck midnight on Saturday morning, it didn’t just usher in a new year, but it also ushered in a new set of laws that will effect the way we move around our streets.  Some of the new laws concern new motorcycle licensing, while others concern higher tickets for traffic violators.  However, one change to the state’s theft laws could have unintended consequences for bicyclists.

For Angelenos, Sunday was a day that we’ll never forget. Our first Open Streets party was an unparalleled success. So much so that even the critics of the concept grudgingly came on board when it was obvious that they missed the boat on supporting and experiencing a groundbreaking day.

The numbers for yesterday's CicLAvia are impressive. KABC News says that there were 50,000 people riding the streets of Los Angeles along a 7.5 mile stretch of streets that were open to public use, but closed to automobiles. The Los Angeles Times puts that number closer to 100,00 people.