Tomorrow happens the L.A. Bike Summit, a bicycle-centric day with big goals! Organized by Joe Linton, aka one of the L.A. Creek Freaks, the Bike Summit will bring together people from Portland to New York to Mexico City with Angelenos to work on strengthening bicycle advocacy, growing bike organizations , and connecting bike orgs to “the environment, environmental justice, health, and urban livability.”
And I’ll be on a panel at the Summit — The “Bike Blogs and More: Electronic Communications Panel — along with Damien Newton of Streetsblog LA, Road Block of Midnight Ridazz, and Ele Munjeli of the Bikex Database. Join us to learn about how you can get e-connected with the bicycling community:
When: Sat., March 7, 9 am – 4 pm
Where: Los Angeles Trade Tech College, 400 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles
Cost: FREE — with a free lunch too!
So many cool panels are on the schedule — many happening concurrently — that I wish there were more time slots. “Women and Bikes” is one I don’t want to miss. Parents may be especially interested in the “Engaging Bicyclists in Safe Routes to School” panel. Beginners can take the Basic Fix-It Workshop, and those thinking big can learn how to start a bike Co-op!
The event’s highly anticipated by L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti, Streetsblog LA, and Gary Rides Bikes. So Pick out which panels you want to go to now via this handy schedule grid; here are the detailed descriptions of the workshops.
Check in begins at 8:30 am outside the cafeteria (building H). Get their early — reusable water bottle in tow — to get a free L.A. Bike Summit T-shirt, given out on a first-come, first-served basis until they run out.
And as you might’ve expected, there’ll be free attended bike parking and easy Metro Blue Line access (get off at Grand Station and walk across the street. But seeing as there’s no way in hell I’m biking 13.6 miles to the event — and that the Blue Line’s no where near me — I’ll ironically have to drive my rental.
The official summit ends at 4 pm, but the summit-related activities will continue on, with a bike ride/tour of downtown L.A. architecture and bridges happening from 5 pm – 7:30 pm, and a party at L.A. Eco-Village happening from 9 pm to midnight. Plus, additional informal bikey sessions will be held at L.A. Eco-Village on Sunday.
Update, 3/14/09: LA Bike Summit — a very well attended event
Do you get the feeling that they are open to people showing up late or leaving early?
Comment by M — March 6, 2009 @ 8:20 pm