Damien Newton
Recent Posts
Special Metro Board Workshop on Union Station Master Plan
| | No Comments
Special Board Workshop We will provide the Metro Board of Directors with a workshop to share what we have learned to date, familiarize them with the draft approaches that have been developed and hear their input on these approaches. We will not be making a recommendation and the Metro Board will not be making any […]
Expo Northvale Bicycle Path
| | No Comments
Please join the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s Bicycle Program for a community meeting to discuss the design and development of the Exposition Boulevard Bicycle Path’s Northvale Segment. The meeting will be held at 7 PM on Tuesday, September 24th, at the Palms Rancho Park Community Library located at 2920 Overland Avenue (http://www.lapl.org/branches/palms-rancho-park). This initial meeting […]
City of Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee Advocacy and Education Committee
| | No Comments
A & E will meet every other month at venues throughout Los Angeles. Our next meeting is in your backyard (and mine) in bike-friendly Palms at the IMAN Cultural Center, 3376 Motor Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034, on Wednesday, September 18, 2013, from 7-9 p.m. Agenda attached and here: http://labac.tumblr.com/. The City of Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee was chartered 40 years […]
New “Kings Arena” CEQA Bill Would Still Nix LOS in “Transit Priority Areas”
| | 12 Comments
Steinberg’s hasty press conference after passage of SB 743 Last night, both California’s Senate and Assembly passed SB 743, Senator Darrell Steinberg’s legislation that replaced his original CEQA reform bill, SB 731, which promised to end the reign of Level of Service (LOS) in California urban planning. SB 743 would still eliminate of LOS to a more […]
And Now the Reason Foundation Is Completely Wrong About Expo
| | 13 Comments
I wonder what it is about the Expo Line that makes conservative muckrakers lose their collective minds? Earlier this week, Fox and Hounds published an op/ed by Los Angeles Business Journal Editor Charles Crumpley’s attack on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by telling an imaginary story about job loss because of a CEQA lawsuit […]
CEQA Reform Update: Is This the End for LOS?
| | 8 Comments
Finally, some sanity may be coming to California’s most important environmental protection law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Under current law, all projects, be they rail lines, bike plans, or new buildings would have to prove that it would not impact local driving times or it would have to complete a costly mitigation plan. […]
CEQA Opponents Incorrectly Point to Expo Lawsuit as Reason to Weaken CEQA
| | 3 Comments
Over the past week, I’ve been studying CEQA and the politics behind the various reform efforts to better report on what’s happening in Sacramento as Senator Darrell Steinberg’s SB 731 moves through the legislature. I’ve stumbled on some amazing arguments over that time, but none are quite as amazing as the one made by economist […]
On Bike/Ped. Count Day, Bonin Introduces Motion Demanding Better Bike/Ped Data from the City
| | 3 Comments
During last year’s Park(ing) Day, City Council Members Jose Huizar and Jan Perry announced a city-wide parklet initiative. Following that lead, current Council Member Mike Bonin announced a new motion requiring better data collection after spending the morning volunteering with the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition/Los Angeles Walks counting bikes and walkers. “For too long, […]
LADOT Plans for Bike Lanes, Improved Crossings and Road Diet on Virgil Avenue
| | 5 Comments
Tonight, the LADOT will present a proposal for a half mile of bike lanes and road diet on Virgil Avenue between Melrose Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. Currently, Virgil Avenue has four mixed-use travel lanes, two parking lanes, and sidewalks. After the diet, there will be two mixed-use lanes, a turn lane, two 5 foot […]
Best Practices Video: Bike Center in Santa Monica
| | No Comments
When Bike Center opened its doors in Santa Monica in 2011, Metro billed it as the largest bike parking facility in the United States. In two separate facilities, the Center houses 5300 square feet to 360 dedicated spaces and has over 200 members who can access those spaces at anytime. Yet, it’s not just the […]
The Week in Livable Streets Events
| | 2 Comments
Lots of bike stuff on the calendar this week including bike counts, a bike lane proposal in mid-city, and an airport ride on the Westside (Actually in Santa Monica, but the cadence was better saying Westside.) Monday – Just in case you missed the LACBC Bike Count Training last week and still want to participate, […]