August22 bikes

You know your not living in Melbourne when you see the major council in your area apologising for mistakes .A council that is willing to implement a system that will alert you by phone that your parking time is up . They estimate that the loss in parking fine revenue will flow into millions . This is LA and of course we live in a place where your civil liberties are vehemently upheld .Melbourne city council and the other councils of Melbourne would shudder at the thought of giving up there means of entrapment. The bottom line would be threatened .No overseas study trips next year . On The Southbay where we live there is a coastal road that slides under the airport and connects through to Venice and Santa Monica.It can be a bit of a shortcut not unlike Beach road outside of beach days .The council in its wisdom thought it a good idea to reduce the road in both directions from 2 lanes to 1. Giving our bikers a whole lane to themselves in both directions .The route now is totally stuffed as it is in permanent gridlock .The public criticism has been relentless . Traffic is now pushed onto the surrounding roads and freeway that skirts the airport. Not good. The local paper’s letters section is filled with scathing criticism of the councils pro bike agenda. Just last week the LA city council made a public apology and is now in the process of ripping down all the barriers and returning the lanes back to the cars .All those middle age bike knobs will have to get back on their bike lane and it will probably be these guys that will get a quicker commute by car to their office in Venice beach. This is LA , they love cars and traffic and funnily enough they see themselves as greenies too but the public does have a voice . They simply wouldn’t allow a council to make decisions that run rough shod over the publics want . No nanny state here , no governing on what should be best for us , no treating us as a means of making yourselves important . No , do your job for us ,not yourselves .  The councils are not a law unto themselves like somewhere else I know.