Damien Newton
Recent Posts
#DamienTalks Episode 19: CicLAvia’s Romel Pascual and the Rise of Open Streets
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Today, Damien talks with Romel Pascual, the new executive director of CicLAvia, the non-profit that programs arguably the most popular Open Streets program in America. Pascual comes to the new position with a strong background in Los Angeles’ Open Streets Movement. He served as Deputy Mayor to Antonio Villaraigosa when the first CicLAvia was planned […]
#DamienTalks Episode 18 – Melanie Curry on the Recently-Ended Legislative Session
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Today, #DamienTalks with Melanie Curry, the editor of a boutique news website known as Streetsblog California. Melanie has been covering the legislature for two full sessions, with a focus on transportation, urban design, and public health. Not surprisingly, we’re talking about the just-completed legislative session, the bills that passed, and the inability of the legislature […]
#Damien Talks Episode 17: Fighting the Bikelash with Modacity
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This week, with the California legislative session moving faster than my ability to cover it in a podcast, we’re taking a little break from the halls of the Capitol. #DamienTalks with Chris and Melissa Bruntlett of Modacity. Modacity is a Vancouver-based consulting team run by this husband-and-wife team to push back against bikelash in their […]
CalBike: Support Active Transportation Funding Now
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Last Friday afternoon, Melanie Curry broke the news of the introduction of Assembly Bill X1-23, a bill that would double state funding for active transportation projects, better known as bicycling and pedestrian projects. Immediately upon the bill’s introduction, the California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike) began urging members and interested parties to contact their legislators to get the […]
Open Thread: Governor Brown’s Plan to Fund Transportation
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Yesterday, word leaked that Governor Jerry Brown was finally submitting his own plan to try and fill the state’s looming $59 billion funding hole. His plan, a mix of fee increases, tax increases and funding from the state’s cap-and-trade funds, would raise roughly $3.6 billion per year. Critics on the left say the plan is […]
#DamienTalks #16: EDF’s Tim O’Connor on Reducing Petroleum Use
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Maybe you’ve seen the mailers, or the insane websites, or have heard a rant on talk radio. The petroleum industry is coming for S.B. 350, legislation that would set standards to help the State of California reduce its petroleum use by 50 percent in the coming decades. Today, #DamienTalks with Tim O’Connor, an analyst with the […]
#DamienTalks Episode 15: LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds on Vision Zero
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Today, #DamienTalks with Seleta Reynolds, the General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation about the City of Los Angeles’ recent announcement that L.A. will be a Vision Zero City. In short, that means that all planning, construction and enforcement decisions that impact the transportation grid will be based on whether or not it […]
#DamienTalks Episode 14: Assemblymember Richard Bloom
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Today, #DamienTalks with Assemblymember Richard Bloom, who represents western Los Angeles County in the State Assembly. Bloom is on the Finance Special Session Committee in the State Assembly, meaning that for the next two and a half weeks, the Assemblymember will have a chance to weigh in on any transportation bills before they come to the […]
Scramble Crosswalks Ready for Their Star Turn in Hollywood
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Responding to community concerns that the high volume of pedestrian traffic at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue was creating an unsafe crossing, City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell and the Department of Transportation recently announced that a “pedestrian scramble” will be installed by the end of the year. The pedestrian scramble, aka The Barnes […]
Streetsblog LA Grades the Mayor
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Last week the Los Angeles Times ran an editorial evaluating Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti at two years into his initial term of office. The article includes a report card, with various letter grades, including Leadership: C-, Vision: B+, and an overall grade of C. The Times’ report card does not focus on livability and […]
Venice Great Streets: Road Diet, Protected Bike Lanes, Mid-Block Crossings
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(Update: While I have the term “phase 1” in my notes, I was corrected that there are no formal “phases” to the project. Right now there is only a firm plan for the transportation improvements, but will be implemented as opportunities arise, such as partnerships with community groups or businesses. They could happen before, or […]
#Damien Talks Episode 13 – The Davis Planning Department on the Bike Protected Intersection
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Today, #DamienTalks with Jennifer D’Onofrio and Bryan Michaelson of the City of Davis about the new protected bike intersection in Davis, California. The newly redesigned intersection is the first of its kind in America, and receiving warm reviews from both cars and bicyclists in Davis and advocates around the country. As you’ll see in the […]