Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa experienced an epiphany moments after he narrowly missed being right hooked by a taxicab and fell to the ground, breaking his elbow.
Bicycling in LA can really suck.
Mayor of LA since 2005, Villaraigosa already knew that his city needed to support bicycling as a way to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. He learned more about that by attending the climate conference in Copenhagen last December.
Since then, he's directed his police chief to try and make the streets safer for cyclists to help promote bicycling in LA. But the most prominent issue involving bikes and police arose in June when cops were filmed kicking at some bicyclists on a critical mass ride.
But when Villaraigosa hopped on his bike Saturday for a spin down Venice Boulevard, he gained real insight into problems faced by cyclists when a cab cut him off and he fell.
As he said in the video released by this office:
“I can you that I know firsthand just how difficult it is maneuver through our streets, to navigate through a city that is built for the automobile but in many ways would be the best place for cyclists to be in.”
A bike summit is currently in the works, Villaraigosa said, and the planning department is working to approve 1,663 miles of bike lanes in a bicycle plan update to make sure they're taking care of the interests of bicyclists.
Writing at the Huffington Post, the mayor said a portion of a half-cent sales tax recently approved by voters is dedicated to go toward bicycling and pedestrian improvements.
Maybe some of those activities were already proposed before the mayor's run-in with the taxicab, but nothing would light a fire under city workers faster than knowing that the mayor has a painful reason for wanting improvements for bicyclists in his city.
Recent Comments