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RIDE TO CITY HALL LADOT proposes eliminating Bicycle Projects?
05.18.09
RIDE TO CITY HALL PUBLIC COMMENT
START: Santa Monica and Vermont Redline Station
MEET: 8:00 AM
RIDE: 8:30AM
Prepare your comments. PLEAD for the city to keep bicycle projects on the agenda.
URGENT ALERT!!! LADOT THREATENS TO CUT ALL BIKE PROJECTS, EVEN THE WHOLE BIKEWAYS DEPARTMENT!!
NEED CYCLISTS TO ATTEND CITY COUNCIL MEETING MONDAY May17, 10 am!!
WHEN: Monday, May 18, 10:00AM
WHERE: Council Chambers: John Ferraro Council Chamber, Room 340, City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street 90012
Public testimony will be permitted.
Here's what's going on:
Los Angeles is facing a perilous budget crisis. All city departments are being asked to submit plans on how they will cut spending, and LADOT have proposed to eliminate the entire Bikeways staff. Not just lay off some people, but cut it altogether.
A May 4th Inter-departmental Correspondence titled Shared Responsibility and Sacrifice signed by LADOT General Manager Rita Robinson and addressed to the Budget and Finance Committee, contains the following text under the heading, Transit Capital Programming:
"Discontinue bikeways function, including bicycle path maintenance, bicycle programs, and school bicycle and transit education.
Discontinue work on Safe Routes to School."
That LADOT would even consider eliminating Bikeways programs as their solution to this budget crisis is a vivid example of how out of touch the Department is. With more people riding bikes than ever before, with a vibrant cycling culture developing and with congestion and climate change consequences screaming at us, this is exactly the wrong time to cut the entire bikeways staff. If you think cycling doesn't get enough attention in Los Angeles now, wait until we have no staff at all to look out for our needs. Fortunately, this is at the proposal stage, so we have an opportunity to affect the outcome.
ATTEND THE MEETING ON MONDAY!!! NEED TO BE HERE IN NUMBERS!!
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND
Numerous bicycle projects are underway which will be curtailed or compromised by this short-sighted move, including:
- The update of the city's bicycle plan, already behind schedule.
- Numerous bike lane projects.
- The Expo Bikeway, in which the city must complete its environmental review by the end of the year (to keep pace with the light rail project) or the bikeway may be delayed for years.
- The sharrow study, which should lead to an implementation plan for this much-needed bikeway enhancement.
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