Bike Talk - A radio show dedicated to the idea that for public and planetary health we need to prioritize public transportation by bikes

Nick and Taylor ride Joe Borfo’s Tandem in Griffith Park

Latest Episode

Art Ramirez, Custom Bike Maker

December 14, 2017

Art Ramirez, Custom Bike Maker

Art Ramirez, custom bike maker/welder, talks about his Burning Man bikes, his Las Vegas competition wins, One Big Club, and his work in schools.

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artramirez, burningman, custombikes, losangeles, onebigclub
Don Ward and Selena Inouye

December 3, 2017

Don Ward and Selena Inouye

Don Ward, social rider and mobility advocate, talks with Selena Inouye of “Restore Venice Boulevard,” a group dedicated to removing the bike lane and reversing the road diet on Venice Blvd. in Mar Vista.

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greatstreet, losangeles, marvista, Restoreveniceblvd, roaddiet
Recall Debate: Don Ward Vs. Alexis Edelstein

November 26, 2017

Recall Debate: Don Ward Vs. Alexis Edelstein

Don Ward founded the seminal social ride network Midnight Ridazz, which has influenced bike advocacy and culture in Los Angeles. Alexis Edelstein started the Recall Bonin campaign to remove LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin. Edelstein says he started the recall effort to “give a voice” to commuters frustrated by delays in Bonin’s district (commute times on a 1.1 mile stretch of Venice Blvd from Beethoven to Inglewood Blvd have increased up to several minutes due to the “Great Streets” pilot road diet and bike lane). Don and Alexis were both big supporters of Bernie Sanders (“Berniecrats”), and look to find common ground in this debate.

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alexisedelstein, donward, greatstreets, marvista, midnightridazz, recallbonin, roaddiet
Don Ward on Everything Now

October 16, 2017

Don Ward on Everything Now

Don Ward, Midnight Ridazz co-founder, talks about Tomatoes’ memorial Friends of the Friendless ride, the Keep Griffith Wild campaign, his Wolfpack Hustle century, and the recall Mike Bonin effort that started over commuters’ added wait time at the Venice Great Street pilot bike line in Mar Vista.

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Find the archived episode HERE

donward midnightridazz mikebonin keepgriffithwild venicegreatstreets
Anti Bike Lane Forces Take on an LA City Councilman

October 1, 2017

Anti Bike Lane Forces Take on an LA City Councilman

Volunteer Keith Martin speaks on frustrated drivers’ movement to recall LA’s most progressive City Councilmember, CD 11’s Mike Bonin. Two grad students in SMC’s Interaction Design Master’s program survey responses to the road diet and share their findings.

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bikelane, cd11, mikebonin, Venicegreatstreet
Vision Zero Alliance

September 30, 2017

Vision Zero Alliance

Emilia Crotty, Executive Director of Los Angeles Walks, and Nat Gale, Campaign Director for Vision Zero, discuss LA’s Vision Zero Alliance, part of a worldwide movement, started in Sweden, to eliminate all traffic deaths.

LADOT, losangeles, safestreets, visionzero, visionzeroalliance
New Urbanism Film Festival L.A. October 19-22, 2017.

September 23, 2017

New Urbanism Film Festival L.A. October 19-22, 2017.

Paul Steinberg on his film, Bicycle Revolution (Festival Screening time: 2pm Saturday 10/21). Kristin Tiech & Adrienne Johnson on theirs, Women Want Just Want To Be Safe (Festival Screening time: 7:30pm Friday 10/20) and Velo Visionaries (Festival Screening time: also 7:30pm Friday 10/20). Josh Pagett on the origins of the NUFF and what’s happening this time. Matt Hulse on his music video BikeTown YYC (Festival screening times: Friday 7:30pm).

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newurbanismfilmfestival
A Venice Blvd. road diet, under attack, defended for now by democratic rule in the Mar Vista City Council.

September 16, 2017

A Venice Blvd. road diet, under attack, defended for now by democratic rule in the Mar Vista City Council.

Mar Vista City Council Zone 2 Director and Streetsblog LA Editor Damien Newton contextualizes a public Mar Vista City Council meeting. Data hungry measure L, asking for evaluations from bike orgs, an ADA consultant, regular CD1 surveys, and that LAPD, LAFD, City of LA, and LADOT data be shared by certain deadlines, passes. Measure M asks for an immediate reversal of Venice Blvd.’s lane reductions. At-Large Director Rob Kadota uses a rule against resubmitting failed measures to table Measure M at 9:00. MVCC Zone 1 Director Ken Alpern, who along with MVCC member Sherri Akers submitted both measures, responds to this as a personal attack. Claiming a record of promoting bikeways, Alpern warns Kadota to “watch it” at 23:45. He may be threatening a recall of Kadota, as his constituents are threatening to progressive City Council 11 member Mike Bonin over the Venice and Playa Vista road diets. Newton explains the recall effort and how you as a non-councilmember can begin to stand up to Alpern and his anti-road diet constituents’ recall efforts at 37:55.

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marvista, mikebonin, MVCC, roaddiet, VeniceBlvd
An LA Great Street Under Siege

September 9, 2017

An LA Great Street Under Siege

Anna Martin, Mar Vista mother and owner of LA Brakeless, talks about the push to rip out the pilot road improvements and bike lane on Venice Boulevard before data can be collected for the city’s “Great Streets” project. She’s gearing up for the Mar Vista Neighborhood Council vote to continue or stop the pilot on Tuesday, September 12 at 7pm.

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A Really Big Show. Mostly road diets.

August 19, 2017

A Really Big Show. Mostly road diets.

LADOT Campaign Director for Vision Zero Nat Gale talks with Severin Martinez and Dennis Hindman about the challenge of designing safer streets in accordance with the LA’s Vision Zero policy. The Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council hears some impassioned public comment over Council District 1 Councilmember Cedillo’s blocking of street improvements. Dave Snyder, Executive Director of Calbike, on the California Bicycle Summit. Dennis Hindman on NYC’s DOT report, “Cycling in the City.” Severin Martinez shares findings on road diets in LA from his UCLA Capstone Project in Transportation Policy and Planning, “Who Wins When Streets Lose Lanes, An Analysis of Safety on Road Diet Corridors in Los Angeles” (everybody wins).

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calbike, californiabicyclesummit, losangeles, nyc, roaddiet