Los Angeles in March.
Elly Blue, BikePortland’s nomadic managing editor who’s currently on an East Coast Tour, just sent word that she’ll be a presenting speaker at the upcoming Los Angeles Bike Summit.
Slated for March 7th (right before the National Bike Summit), organizers hope the event will tap into the emerging growth and energy of the LA bike scene. Somehow, in the cradle of America’s car culture, a vibrant bike culture exists in LA (don’t take my word for it, LA’s bike scene hit the big time with this big feature spread in Los Angeles Magazine).
I can’t wait to hear what they think of Elly’s presentation. She’s titled it, “From Donuts to Platinum: Building Biketopia in Portland Oregon”. Here’s a snip from the blurb she sent them for the event program:
“From rogue city planners to doughnut-loving activists, this talk covers the key movements and participants in Portland’s path towards being the most bicycle-friendly city in the nation, as well as the challenges that we, along many other new world cities, face in retrofitting and changing the culture of a car-oriented city.”
I love it. It all starts with donuts. Everything pretty much falls into place after that. Go Elly!
mmmm … donuts
It’s awesome that cities such as Los Angeles have these underground bike scenes growing. Won’t it be awesome when what’s happening here is happening across the country? So long as none of the other cities ever top Portland, of course.
It’s not all about the Bike Kitchen in LA anymore: DIY bike co-ops are springing up there in many parts of the city…
http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/cooking-up-bike-co-ops-in-los-angeles/
(thanks, Clarence “Sasquatch” Eckerson, for another great bike-centric film.)
LA bikers are generally fun, sweet, and full of enthusiasm. I hope Elly has a great time down there.
When visiting my home town of Claremont a few months ago, I’m always AMAZED at how many more people are biking and using rabid transit. Bikes were always important until that magical age of 16, but 14 years of driving there ultimately shaped my car-free future. I’m sure Ellie will be a hit!
Thanks for the write-up, Jonathan. I’m excited to travel to LA and check out the amazing, booming bike scene down there.
It looks like I’ll also be giving a workshop at the Bike Summit, probably on carfree family issues.
Bikes are HAPPENING all over the country. It is incredibly exciting to travel and see this huge thing taking off all at once.
PS, Maculsay, was “rabid transit” intentional or just hilarious?
I just carried a box of donuts to work under my arm. Guess it’s time to install a donut rack.
That’s right Portland– SPREAD THAT BIKE LOVE!
SF Love…
http://www.myspace.com/macaframa415
I find it very amusing that the Streetsfilm video exemplifies many of Oregon’s finest products; CEMTA racks, bakfiets imports.
although it has fallen on hard times over the past few years, BikeSummer (which was the seed that created much of the rad bike culture that we have in Portland today) changed LA forever in 2005.
I hope that future BikeSummers are similarly able to bring the various strains of cyclists together like they have in SF, Chicago, Vancouver BC, PDX, NYC and LA… (no points to you, state of Washington, for dropping the ball in 2004)
BikeSummer was hosted in New Haven in 2008, and it sounds like it gave them a bit of a boost. Not sure what’s going on with BikeSummer central organizing, but it sounds like it’s still a great opportunity for a city where folks are willing to take the ball and run with it.
Elly, “rabid” was just something the locals always called it. Keep your shots up to date, ad naseum.