The United States Forest Service will be conducting a series of public meetings next week to gather input for the management plan for the newly designated San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. 

As a member of the San Gabriel Mountains Forever campaign, BikeSGV has been actively involved as a voice for people who bike and use public transit in the San Gabriel Mountains. We strongly support the development of public transit links from the San Gabriel Valley to the national forest, which is currently only accessible by private automobile. A "Transit-to-Trails" shuttle service could be piloted on weekends and holidays to provide SGV residents access to park sites, trail heads, camp sites, and other amenities along Highway 39/Azusa Canyon.

Why should you care about these issues? The San Gabriel Mountains cover 70% of LA County's open space! Many low-income communities in the San Gabriel Valley are park-poor and suffer from health disparities because of this. Improving access to the San Gabriel Mountains is a relatively simple, tangible way we can address this problem, introduce residents to the beauty of our natural environment, and educate the public about their continued importance for our health and well-being. As part of our Bike Train route, we ride up the San Gabriel River and stop at El Encanto River Wilderness Park at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. To improve access to and within the mountains for people on bikes, it is vital that we engage in the ongoing management process.

Your voice and opinion is very important to ensuring the needs of the local community will be reflected in the USFS' final management plan. Please join us at one of the upcoming meetings or provide comment online here.

In fall/winter 2012 the City of Temple City hosted several public meetings  to gather community input for the Las Tunas Drive revitalization project. The series of meetings was concluded with a Special Meeting of the City Council on December 27, 2012. After hearing from several dozen members of the public (both for and against proposed improvements), and over four hours of presentations, public comment and discussion, the City's elected officials  unanimously voted to reinvent Temple City's stagnant downtown by selecting the most ambitious design concept - "Alternative 3" - and its vision for a more vibrant, people-friendly business district. 

Key elements of Alternative 3 included:

• Class II Bike Lanes - provides safe space for cycling and discourages sidewalk cycling
• Back-in angle parking (video) - improves drivers’ sight lines when entering/exiting parking spaces; makes it easier to pull in and out of parking spots; eliminates the risk of “dooring” for cyclists; grants local businesses possibility of transforming angled spaces into outdoor dining/seating areas.
• Narrower Lane Widths - calms traffic, discourages speeding 
• Bulb-outs at Intersections - shortens crossing distances for pedestrians
• New Pedestrian Crossings on long blocks where none currently exist - removes barriers to walking
• Relocation of Bus Stops to the far side of intersections - improves traffic flow and transit times since buses stop after traffic signals, not before
• 200+ Canopy Trees in medians and sidewalks - shade in summer/cleaner air
  
• Public art and more (visit project website for details)

However, the concept was not without its detractors then. And a small but vocal group who feared the proposed changes would result in traffic congestion and hurt local business back in 2012 has succeeded in persuading the City and staff to consider a watered-down alternative. Pictured below, the new proposal would NOT widen sidewalks, plant new parkway street trees, or install back-in angled parking. Although Class II Bike Lanes remain in the proposed design (in part due to several million dollars in grant funding already secured by the City for pedestrian and bike improvements), the lanes would now be in the "door-zone" of the parallel parking, making them less safe than the lanes alongside the back-in angled parking unanimously voted upon and approved by the City Council in December 2012.

In the early morning hours of Saturday June 6, 2015, a 42 year old Rosemead resident was bicycling home along Rosemead Blvd. near Whittier Narrows when he was struck and killed by the off-ramp of the 60 freeway. 

According to law enforcement investigators, a southbound vehicle saw Heriberto Ruiz's body on the road after the initial collision and stopped. A white minivan then ran over Ruiz for the second time, crashed into the car that stopped, and drove off. 

The victim of two consecutive hit-and-runs, Mr. Ruiz was pronounced dead at the scene. Our sincerest condolences to the Ruiz family, as well as the many friends he had in the community, for their loss. 

CHP is still searching for the hit-and-run drivers who struck and killed Mr. Ruiz. While there is no description of the initial car that hit Ruiz, the second is purported to be a 2000 model white minivan. We strongly encourage anyone with additional information or who may have witnessed the collision to contact the East Los Angeles CHP Area Office at (323) 980-4600.