Thread started by trickmilla at 01.12.12 - 3:21 pm

http://bikinginla.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/is-an-anti-bike-fraud-being-committed-in-your-name/

FULL TEXT:

Is an anti-bike fraud being committed in your name?
by bikinginla
As a rule, I make a point of not criticizing other bike advocates.

Even when we may disagree, we’re all working towards the same goals of improving safety and increasing ridership, even though our vision of how to achieve that may sometimes vary.

Though clearly, not everyone agrees with me on that.

But when that so-called advocacy runs counter to the interests, safety and desires of the overwhelming majority of California cyclists, I feel I have no choice but to speak up and point the finger.

Especially when it purports to be done in our name.

That’s exactly what happened this week when CABO — the California Association of Bicycling Organizations — successfully opposed AB 819, a bill in the state assembly that, in its original intent, would have allowed California counties and municipalities to implement advances in bicycling infrastructure that have been proven to work in other places.

Things like separated bike lanes, cycle tracks and bike boxes that have been proven to work in places like New York, Chicago and Portland, but are currently considered experimental under Caltrans’ antiquated guidelines.

In other words, why re-invent the wheel when we already know it works?

Unfortunately, CABO took the position that such innovations are still unproven and potentially dangerous — despite their inclusion in the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Urban Bikeway Design Guide.

And CABO successfully lobbied the State Assembly Transportation Committee to require that any bikeway designs considered nonstandard under Caltrans guidelines must be studied and approved by Caltrans before installation — potentially adding years of delays and needless additional costs to the design process.

Or risking denial by one of the most conservative, foot-dragging and anti-bike transportation agencies in the nation. After all, this is the same massive bureaucracy that, along with the CHP, successfully encouraged Governor Jerry Brown to become just the second state governor — along with current GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry — to veto the state’s three foot passing law.

Something else that CABO initially opposed, before later switching sides.

And earlier this week, the Transportation Committee voted to gut AB 819 by adopting CABO’s proposed wording.

Wheel, meet endless study and bureaucratic delays.

But, you may think, if the original wording of AB 819 was opposed by one of the state’s leading bike advocacy groups, they must have had a darn good reason.

Yeah, you’d think.

However, that presupposes something that just isn’t true. Despite their protestations to the contrary, CABO isn’t the state’s leading bike advocacy group. Or even one of the leading groups.

In fact, I suspect they are a fraud.

Their name may have been accurate when they were founded in 1972. But they have long since ceased to represent the state’s leading bicycling clubs and advocacy organizations.

The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) is not a member of CABO, nor is Bikeside LA or the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, by far the state’s largest bike advocacy group. Former members such as the San Diego Bicycle Coalition, the Orange County Bicycle Coalition and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition have left the organization, as have a number of other groups that have allowed their previous memberships to lapse.

Also missing from their membership are such prominent riding clubs such as Velo Club La Grange and former members Los Angeles Wheelmen.

No wonder the CABO doesn’t list the groups that support them on their website.

In fact, a list of active member organizations, as of November, 2010, named only 12 cycling groups as then-current members, as well as six individuals.

Almaden Cycle Touring Club
Grizzly Peak Cyclists
Eagle Cycling Club
Fresno County Bicycling Coalition
East Bay Bicycle Coalition (since discontinued)
Fremont Freewheelers Bicycle Club
Cycle California!
San Louis Obispo Bicycle Club
Channel Islands Bicycle Club
Western Wheelers Bicycle Club
Fresno Cycling Club
Skyline Cycling Club
Short of contacting each of those clubs individually, there’s no way of knowing which remain members of CABO 14 months later. But it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the total number of cyclists they represent is less, perhaps far less, than that of the LACBC alone.

And it’s certainly significantly less than the number of cyclists represented by the California Bicycle Coalition (Calbike), which supports AB 819 in its original form. And which drew hundreds of riders from throughout the state to their recent California Bike Summit.

And that’s the problem.

Calbike conducted dozens of seminars over the Bike Summit weekend to gauge the interests of organizations and individuals representing tens of thousands of California cyclists. And the sort of innovative infrastructure that would be allowed under AB 819 in its original formranked very high among their desires.

So while CABO’s opposition to AB 819 may or may not reflect the desires of its members, it’s far from the desires of most bike advocates in the state, as well as that of most mainstream cyclists.

Yet CABO continues to lobby state officials and legislators, purporting to speak on your behalf, while actively opposing your interests.

And those lawmakers and bureaucrats listen, having no idea that CABO actually speaks for just a fraction of the state’s cyclists — mostly the tiny minority of exclusively Vehicular Cyclists who actively oppose separate cycling infrastructure of any kind.

Let alone understand the conflict between Vehicular Cyclists and more mainstream riders, who may ride vehicularly when appropriate, but prefer effective infrastructure over sharing uncontrolled streets with dangerous motor vehicles.

I have no problem with CABO fighting for what they believe in — even when it goes against my own interests, as well as the majority of riders in the state.

But I do have a problem when they imply — if by name only — that their positions reflect anything other than the small number of riders they represent.

It’s time to speak up.

And tell your state representatives that CABO does not speak for you.

And you want AB 819 passed in its original form.

........

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This is why Ridazz Summit needs to get cray.



Roadblock
01.12.12 - 4:17 pm

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I advocate every damn pedal stroke. And I already am crazy.





rev106
responding to a comment by Roadblock
01.12.12 - 6:45 pm

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Who the fuck are these clowns? Going through their website, it reads like a pack of bureaucrats who found a nice con job on the bike tip.

I can't shake the feeling that these guys ride their bikes on the weekends, through wine country like those douches in Bicycling magazine.



sleepy
01.12.12 - 8:55 pm

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"guys ride their bikes on the weekends, through wine country like those douches in Bicycling magazine."

What's wrong with that?



Joe Borfo
responding to a comment by sleepy
01.12.12 - 10:01 pm

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Since so many of the laws that affect us are statewide, we need a state wide org that is going to represent our needs.

When we asked for 3 foot law.

City of LA, LADOT, LAPD were all into it.
MTA already has a 3 foot rule for their drivers.

Then these jagoffs got involved and convinced / gave cover to gov'ner brown to veto it aft it passed through the state assembly & senate.

Then, if i read correctly, they reversed themselves, after the damage was done.

Muy Douchey!

We need some statewide action or we are just going to be spinning our wheels about hit'n'runs etc.



trickmilla
01.13.12 - 10:13 am

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These are the "vehicular cyclists" of california. A bunch of hardline bikes are vehicles must "drive" like vehicles non bike lane wanting a*holes.

They obsess about minutae...

Im telling you guys we need to get cray.



Roadblock
responding to a comment by trickmilla
01.13.12 - 10:24 am

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Nothing actually.




sleepy
responding to a comment by Joe Borfo
01.14.12 - 8:29 am

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"wow (trickmilla) :D thank you for being so enlightening & ACTION sparking! Would it be alright if I reposted this to my facebook?




katnip
01.16.12 - 6:29 pm

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that article was written by ted rogers on his bikinginla blog
i just reposted it here.



trickmilla
responding to a comment by katnip
01.16.12 - 6:57 pm

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