UCLA Bicycle Academy: Reporting for duty

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Reporting for duty

Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny, Frank Zappa said in 1974 with his own marvelous voice. The same is true of bicycle advocacy at UCLA, not dead, surely, and the funny smell, well, you will have to judge that for yourself.

The proof? Friday 12/3 2010 at noon the UCLA Bicycle Academy (Steering Committee: from the left Dr Michael Cahn, Aric Gregson PhD, Mihai Peteu) met at Lu Valle for Bike Lunch and designed plans for the future: How to make the voice of staff and faculty cyclists heard loud and clear, and to give the cycling members of the campus community that publicity which will encourage others to try it out. Join us for the next meeting on 7 January at noon, and then every first Friday of the month.

Student advocacy is important, but advocating by staff and faculty has the benefit of the longer duration, greater familiarity with past developments, and an additional credibility that our demands should have with the administration. We will focus on building up a strong group of leaders (Steering Committee) and we ask for your support. We also want to offer a forum to publicize issues and systemic failures which are easily overlooked in the car-centric environment we live in.

We envision to publish first person narratives to bring home the normality of cycling from and to and on campus, and profiles, interviews, reports about campus based research that relates to cycling: historically, physiologically, politically, geographically, semiotically, urbanistically, environmentally, mathematically, you name it. At the same time we want to interact with the campus administration to assist them in improving bicycle services for staff, faculty and student. Because what is good for cyclists, is good for everybody!

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Our Board

Phillip Bonacich (President) is emeritus professor of sociology with an interest in the economy of power in groups. He is a long time bicycle commuter and his daughter, Cory Caletti, is a senior transportation planner and bicycle program manager for the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission. Phillip cycles from Mar Vista.
Michael Cahn (Secretary) has "invented" the Bicycle Academy in 2008. He occasionally teaches a class on the history of transportation for the history department. He is a former board member of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and previously served as secretary of the Cambridge Cycling Campaign. He runs a secondhand bookshop in Cambridge (UK). He cycles from Santa Monica.
Jack Katz (Director) is professor of sociology with an interest in video documentation of the interactions of cycling in urban traffic. He would like to work with others to evaluate local candidates for political office for their track record on cycling issues. He picked up a 20$ bike at a garage sale on the way back from the car repair place 15 years ago, and would never be without one since. In the morning, he puts the bike on the 20 / 720 bus near Koreatown, and enjoys the ride back from campus.
Michael Manville (Director) is a professor of Urban Planning at the Luskin School of Public Affairs. He rides to campus from West Hollywood. Lucky him, he says he has been able to avoid for car commute for most of the positions he has held in the past. He is an active participant in regional planning issues and contributes to legislative initiatives on housing and transport.
Suzanne Paulson (Director) is a professor of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science and at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. She rides to campus from Sunset Park in Santa Monica on a quality steel bike. She has cycling company on her commute because her son Ry attends Geffen Academy on campus. He likes to use her panniers to transport his books to school.
Alex Purves (Director) is an Associate Professor of Classics at UCLA. She bicycles to campus from Santa Monica and also cycles with son to his elementary school. She is currently writing a book on Homer, who knew neither bicycles nor cars, but who did sing of the odd collision between chariots and pedestrians.
David Williams (Director) is a professor of Ophthalmology and Neurobiology at UCLA. He does research and teaches on the retina, and would like to see more motorists using their retina to view the road rather than their smart phones. He cycles in Westwood, but prefers places where there are fewer motor vehicles.

Purpose and Membership

The purpose of the UCLA Bicycle Academy is to improve conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians at UCLA. The Academy will
* Advocate for bicyclists’ and pedestrians’ interest on UCLA facilities
* Work with the campus and agencies and communities surrounding the campus in order to improve bicycle and pedestrian access to campus.
* Host social and educational events with a focus on bicycle/pedestrian issues related to UCLA.
Membership is open to current or former staff or faculty or visiting scholars of UCLA. Partners and family members of the above are also eligible as members. Students are welcome to all our functions.