Tour LaBonge Bike Rides begin

Biking advocates Ingrid Peterson and Joe Linton join Councilmember LaBonge and his wife Brigid LaBonge on Fourth Street bike ride.

Councilmember Tom LaBonge launched “Tour LaBonge,” a series of summer evening bike rides, last night with about 50 bike enthusiasts. The six-mile bike ride followed the dedicated bicycle route on West Fourth Street in the Wilshire area. This ride, dubbed “Positively Fourth Street” for the 1967 Bob Dylan song, was the first of five rides the Councilmember will lead this summer to promote the many benefits of biking: easing traffic congestion on city streets, instilling good health and appreciating the cityscape.

“There is no better way to see and enjoy the city than from the seat of a bicycle,” said Councilmember LaBonge, a longtime bike enthusiast. “In European cities, you can ride a bicycle anywhere and appreciate the beauty of your surroundings. I want Angelenos to have the same experience here.”

The ride began at Shatto Park at 6:15 and followed the dedicated bike route west to Cochran. At that point, bikers turned north for a quick pit stop at Fire Station 61 on Third St. On the way back, the riders stopped at the Baskin Robbins on Larchmont Boulevard where the councilmember treated everyone to a free ice cream cone.

Among the riders were Michelle Mowery, bicycle program coordinator for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation; Jennifer Klausner, Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, several other bike advocates and Los Angeles Police Senior Lead Officer Tim Kim who led a police escort. The Councilmember has scheduled bike rides each Wednesday at 6:15 p.m. in different parts of Council District Four between now and August 20th . The City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation is updating its Bicycle Master Plan, a process that includes the gathering and analysis of data on improving the city’s bike route system. More information on the master plan is available at labikeplan.org.