Mar Vista Great Streets Carmageddon-Not

Mar Vista Great Streets Carmageddon-Not


The Nextdoor online communities in Venice and Mar Vista have been abuzz with tales of carmageddon in Mar Vista after the Great Streets trial project was installed. Posters complained of horrendous traffic delays of 10, 15, even 30 minutes with the impeding doom that it brings. I ride there almost every day and while there were some increased delays, my personal experience was very different. So I decided to document the situation and separate fact from fiction.
Cyclists breaking the law! Caught on video!

Cyclists breaking the law! Caught on video!


It took me a bit to love Venice, having moved out here in love and to share my life with an amazing woman. To get to know the area, I joined online message boards such as NextDoor, where discussions about cyclists on the road inevitably ends up focusing on those two-wheeled scofflaws with little respect for the law. So I decided to go undercover and catch them in the act over a course of a day.
A close shave on 4th Avenue

A close shave on 4th Avenue


When you ride in LA (or anywhere), you are acutely aware of distracted drivers on their cell phones. That's an annoyance, but what truly upsets me while riding is when impatient drivers have a reckless disregard for my safety. This is such a case and it was probably the closest pass I've ever experienced from a car.
Stop it with the honking

Stop it with the honking


For many reasons, living in Venice is a wonderful thing. Of course you have the great weather and the beach, but it is potentially among the most bikeable and walkable communities in Los Angeles. I say potentially, because it most certainly can be better. And I have a car vs. bike honking video to prove it...
The start of one car living

The start of one car living


I've primarily been blogging about various tech and computer items of interest to me, tossed in with a bit of beer and cycling. But starting today, the site content is undergoing a change with a new equal focus on my cycling, pedestrian, and transit experiences. My firsthand experience has shown me that the time is way overdue that modes of transportation other than the car. How did I get to this point?
A Crosswalk Too Far

A Crosswalk Too Far


Streetsblog draws attention to how the proverbial deck is stacked against pedestrians in our auto-centric culture. I've encountered so many situations here in LA where those who walk are second class citizens, but these are some incredible examples as to how planners don't keep walkers in mind.

Carnegie Road in Cleveland is dreadful. Running just south of downtown, it is so frequently interrupted by highway exits, it’s more of a high-speed off ramp to somewhere else than a part of the city. Chris Stocking singled out this area — Carnegie by East 9th Street — for its utter un-traversibility.

Were one to walk from the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown to the popular Aladdin’s Restaurant on the other side of the street, the journey would be nearly a quarter mile.