Monday, February 16, 2009

Wilshire Boulevard



Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles, a book by Roderick and Lynxwiler, was presented at UCLA library yesterday, 18 Feb, with a reading and a book signing event. The occasion was enlivened when an unknown bicycle rider from Beverly Hills distributed a pamphlet entitled Wilshire. The [ ] of UCLA. Cyclists forgotten and insulted which highlights the difficulties of driving your bicycle on Wilshire. The author calls the street "Wiltshire", and claims that the campus has neglected to provide viable bicycle access to UCLA. Wilshire is not a Grand Concourse, it is an enormous barrier for bike access to UCLA, and the campus seems unwilling to recognize or improve this. The text highlights well-known issues for commuters from the East and from the West. It mentions the closure of the National Cemetery, which has severly impacted the connection between Westwood and Brentwood (and Santa Monica) – and the deplorable state of Wilshire at the Country Club for those who come from Beverly Hills. Sure, Wilshire is a scandal for cyclists, but even more of a scandal is the way the campus has given up any attempt to improve the lot of the cyclists on the approach.
The booklet has apparently been deposited at the UCLA library. In the meantime, here is a scan

1 comment:

Sahra Bogado said...

There should be an effort from the academic urban planners at UCLA to study the streets around their own campus with respect to: traffic volumes vs. retail sales tax income for the City; Census Data vs. pedestrian survey data; California Office of Noise Control standards for noise; and the list could go on for a page and a half.

Policy makers have little to push them in one direction or another other than the wins of a the fickle auto-centric press and public.