Joe Linton

My wife Carrie, our three-year-old daughter Maeve, and I bike-toured the central California coast last week. We took an Amtrak train from Los Angeles to Salinas, then an Amtrak through-bus to Monterey. From Monterey we biked down the coast through Big Sur and to San Luis Obispo, where we caught the train back to Los Angeles.

Matt Martin is the Project Manager for the North American Bikeshare Association and the Director of Rosewood Bikes, a nonprofit program bringing bike resources to a poorly served area of Portland, Oregon. Prior to NABSA, Matt led the Community Bike Project Omaha, an Omaha nonprofit focused on transportation equity issues, where he helped bring bike-share to Omaha and served as Omaha B-cycle’s bike-share Managing Director. 

It is no secret that taxis and ride-hail companies (Uber, Lyft) are in need of a more even playing field. California's taxi industry is regulated tightly by local municipalities, generally cities. Ride-hail, also called TNCs (Transportation Network Companies), are regulated relatively laxly by the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC). But proposed state legislation that would theoretically put the taxi industry on a more even footing is ruffling some feathers, especially in southern California, where the city of Los Angeles this week voted to formally oppose the legislation.

This week, the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) announced the recipients of its Transit and Intercity Capital Program (TIRCP) grants. TIRCP distributes state cap-and-trade funding to local transit agencies for projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The TIRCP awards total $390 million statewide.

This week marks a noteworthy anniversary. The first city-scale zoning law in the United States was enacted on July 25, 1916, in New York City. The New York Times tells the story in an article titled Zoning Arrived 100 Years Ago. It Changed New York City Forever. According to the Times, the law:

This isn't the most insightful thing I've drawn, but here's the second installment of Vision Zero Comics. SBLA readers may recall that I drew the initial installment of Vision Zero Comics back in 2015. This June 2016 installment basically parrots a chart (below) from the city of Los Angeles' excellent Vision Zero booklet [PDF]. My only addition was to try to convey speed through my messy and messier lines. 

Energizer batteries are trying to appeal to consumer ecological consciences by "taking worn out batteries and making them into something strong" in the company's new EcoAdvanced battery line. What better way to be ecological than to appeal to urban cyclists? In the above commercial, the Energizer Bunny helps out tired riders by turning their bicycles into fantastic motorcycles. Not cool and not eco.

At the Los Angeles Press Club's 58th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards last night, Streetsblog Los Angeles was honored with two first place awards among eleven nominations for Streetsblog and our sister sites LongBeachIze and Santa Monica Next. L.A. Press Club award nominations are generated locally, then winners are picked by volunteer journalists from across the United States.

California’s 2016 budget may include additional funding for sustainable transportation research, education, and outreach.  The California Assembly’s proposed budget includes a $3 million increase for the University of California Institute of Transportation Studies. The funding increase was shepherded through the budget subcommittee by Assemblymember Richard Bloom, a SBCA Streetsie award winner. The budget item will now be considered by a conference committee.

Earlier this week, SBLA attended UCLA's The Future of Public Transit conference. The one-day event was hosted by UCLA's Lewis Center and Institute of Transportation Studies. Numerous speakers spoke on the evolving landscape for public transit and broader mobility - from Houston to New York to Los Angeles. This article recaps two of the more informative and more academic presentations on trends impacting transit ridership. There are no major surprises gleaned for folks who read Streetsblog and who ride transit in Los Angeles, but it is interesting to see data quantified to back up trends observed.