Pacoima cyclist picks up a Ciudad de Luces guide at PARK(ing) Day
There has been great coverage recently around some of the barriers and risks faced by Los Angeles’“invisible”cyclists –that is,Latino immigrant cyclists in communities like Westlake/MacArthur Park,South LA,and the Northeast San Fernando Valley. The City Fix and Streetsblog both discuss this great article,“The Invisible Cyclists of Los Angeles,”by Omari Fuller and Edgar Beltran for Planners Network,and add context with additional facts and pressing issues. Fuller and Beltran highlight the work of our ally,Ciudad de Luces,and estimate that there are around 20,000 “invisible”cyclists in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
The concept of invisible cyclists was explored earlier in this wonderful 2006 article from Bicycling magazine (later published more widely in Utne Reader) titled “Invisible Riders”.
These articles do a great job highlighting some of the issues also at stake here in Pacoima:a population that relies on alternative transportation,often without the resources for safety training,proper maintenance,or reliable equipment –compounded by a lack of pedestrian/cyclist friendly planning or amenities and hazardous traffic conditions (such as the diesel trucks we see every day). The authors also discuss setbacks like a lack of knowledge about what’s legal and what’s not and limited English proficiency –making it difficult for this population to contest tickets given in error. The article ends on a hopeful note –discussing the advocacy,leadership and training efforts undertaken by Ciudad de Luces. Thanks to everyone covering and working on this issue,and keep up the good work!
Speaking of bikes –the next community meetings for the LA Bike Plan Update are coming up. The Valley Public Hearing will October 2nd from 10am-1pm at the Marvin Braude Constituent Center at 6262 Van Nuys Blvd,Room 1B,Van Nuys –or there is a webinar on September 29th from 11:30am-1:30pm (register here). This is a great opportunity to give feedback to the proposed plan!
