Help Us Make Beverly Hills Bike Friendly!

Better Bike leads the call for bicycle facilities and better mobility planning in Beverly Hills. With a bike plan from 1977 and no bike facilities whatsoever, our city is a true laggard in the region. We have our work cut out for us.

There are a few ways you can help. First, you can pick up the phone or contact by email our city officials to let them know that you like to ride. Remind them that our own Sustainable City Plan advises us all to saddle up more often. And tell them that cycling safely is important to you.

Second, you can volunteer to help us get the message out. We need people to show up at city meetings to persuade our officials that we care enough to turn out. That’s especially important when we’re nearing an election. Remind them that we care, and that we vote. Is there some aspect of our campaign that you want to work on? Let us know.

Third, you can join the only major local advocacy organization working on our behalf: the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. They can use our help. Become a supporting member. There are many benefits of membership, including discounts at dozens of bricks-and-mortar shops. Here are a few:

• Member discounts of up to 15% off at participating bike shops;
• Discounts on special events like the annual L.A. River Ride which we called a big success;
• Free bike workshops (we loved LACBC research night) and monthly rides like the popular Sunday Funday rides;
• The valuable Bike Resource Guide published by the LACBC;
• The very handy Los Angeles County Bike Map that we take on every two-wheeled journey; and
• The weekly email newsletter that keeps us informed about local, state, and national news.

LACBC has been pushing for key bikeways such as the 4th Street Bike Boulevard to connect Downtown with Mid-City and the 7th Street bike lane. LACBC has been instrumental in pushing for a ‘backbone’ network of regional bikeways (long championed by the Bike Writers Collective).

Better Bike has been working since early 2010 to get the City of Beverly Hills to take cycling seriously. We are a fixture at transportation and planning meetings. We’ve followed closely the city’s efforts to redevelop our western gateway area (without bike facilities) and have worked to shame the city into including bike lanes on Santa Monica Boulevard.

Need a new rack for your business? Or guidance concerning city policies? Drop us a line. Remember: we advocates are not well-compensated and well-pensioned city employees. We’re simply a few cyclists putting in substantial volunteer time. Join LACBC, the county’s leading bike advocacy organization, if you want to show your support.