Still too scared to get on a bike in LA? The upcoming Bicycle Street Skills Class — taught by League of American Bicyclists certified instructors Ron Durgin and Henry Hsieh — should boost your confidence.

According to the LA County Bicycle Coalition’s description, the class “gives cyclists the confidence they need to ride safely and legally [emphasis mine] in traffic or on the trail” — so I’m guessing freeway biking a la the Crimanimalz will not be on the schedule. Things that will be covered: “bicycle safety checks, fixing a flat, on-bike skills and crash avoidance techniques and includes a student manual.”

You can either just take the one-day in-class course on Sat., August 2, or return on Sun., August 3 to hit the road and put into practice those new bike skills. Just to be clear, you MUST attend the Saturday class in order to attend the Sunday class.

In-class: Saturday, Aug. 2, 10 am - 2 pm at Community Corp, 502 Colorado, Santa Monica. Bring a pen, pencil, and bike; lunch optional. Successful completion will get you a certificate from LACBC, which can be applied as $10 discount for future participation in the full course. No RSVP required.

On the Road: Sunday, Aug. 3, 9 am - 3 pm at the North Parking Lot (enter from alley between Olympic and Michigan near 7th St.) of Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica. Bring your working bike plus helmet; lunch optional. Successful completion will receive a Road I certificate from League of American Bicyclists. Must RSVP to Aurisha of LACBC at 213-629-2142 because the class will be capped at 20 students.

Cost: $15 for LACBC members / $20 for non-members for just Saturday; $40 for LACBC members/ $50 for non-members for both days.

In other bicycling news:

>> Cyclists speak up at the Santa Monica City Council meeting about the latest draft of LUCE, the Land Use and Circulation Element that’ll influence transportation policy for the next decade in Santa Monica. Sounds like the councilmembers were on the cyclists’ side — except for Holbrook, whom I did not vote for.

>> Bicycle for a Day’s hopefully coming to Santa Monica on Sept. 20. Councilman Kevin McKeown’s seeking city authorization to basically create a West Coast equivalent to a planned event in NYC. If things come together, we’d have bike valet parking at the Pier, where at least four big regional rides will converge. Logistics have to be worked out, as Sept. 20 is also Heal the Bay’s beach clenup day. Says McKeown: “Everyone is approaching this year’s more-or-less ad hoc event as an experiment, with an eye toward an ongoing annual event in conjunction with BFADs in other cities around the globe.”

>> NoHo gets new bike racks at the subway station, thanks to the speedy work of LA Councilman Tom LaBonge. Streetsblog just put up an interview with LaBonge about biking in Europe.

>> DIY bike lanes spotted in LA. Sean Bonner saw one one the Fletcher LA River Bridge heading east. Anyone see others?

Photo by SeraphimC

Update, 8/4/08: Missed this class? Repeat classes are happening in Culver City Aug 9 & 16.