West Hollywood may be bitterly divided over whether Fountain Avenue and/or Santa Monica Boulevard should be torn up to make room for bike lanes, but Mayor Pro Tem John Erickson has a shrewd idea that will make cyclists happy without pissing anyone else off: bicycle repair stations.
Erickson’s item on the City Council budget for Monday proposes a pilot program that would install test stations at two TBD locations in WeHo. The program was inspired by the City of Beverly Hills, which installed repair stations last November drawing much acclaim and few complaints, according to the staff report. WeHo aims to stick close to Beverly Hills’ successful model (seen above):
“To date, (Beverly Hills) shared that these stations have been well received and there has been no challenges for (their) staff with these stations,” the report reads. “The bicycle repair station in the City of Beverly Hills includes necessary tools for performing basic bike repairs and maintenance,” including Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, a variety of specialized bike wrenches and two tire levers.
The stations might even come with two hanger arms, which would allow two people to use each station at once, and an adjacent Air Kit bike pump, which would give riders the full gamut of tools needed to repair and maintain their rides.
WeHo’s Facilities and Field Division would head up the program with guidance from the Public Facilities Commission. City Hall estimates a cost of $9,000 — pennies compared with what the city tends to spend on items like this.
We often implore our elected officials to ditch their frivolous pet projects and focus on the “nuts and bolts” of government. Erickson has taken that advice literally, and his plan could not have arrived at a better time. By gifting WeHoans with a shiny new amenity that’s both useful and frugal, Erickson has scored a solid win for himself right as his 2024 re-election campaign starts blipping on our radars.
And where there’s a wheel, there’s almost surely a way.
Erickson in this photo looks as though he could be auditioning for a remake of Wizard of Oz. He would definitely suit one of the main characters. Would he be the Tin Man or the The Scarecrow? That might give him a career he seems suited for and take him out of acting in our municipal government.
Erickson brags about having a handle on other newspaper boys in town.. did he get to Brandon too?
I love this plan!
I know right!…….How did West Hollywood get through 40 years without this???!!!
How did we survive without it??? LOL
Beverly Hills is a much more policed city with cameras and deputies on the ground; unfortunately Weho is not. The program in West Hollywood will attract vandals and graffiti and will ultimately not provide the requisite service for bikers.
Who wrote this glowing article? It has Brandon’s name on it but I wonder if Erickson actually wrote it and Brandon signed off on it?
I have to agree with you, especially the part about “without pissing anyone else off”. He made a rather presumptuous statement that borders on being out of line to presume there is universal love for taxpayer-funded bicycle repair stations. Or anything else for that matter.
Thanks, WehoQueen. I don’t support spending any taxpayer money to help the bicyclists until we start ticketing them for riding illegally on sidewalks.
I think it was smart of Erickson to snap up this pre-existing idea and put it in motion. Also, good political strategy, which we don’t get much of in these here parts.
My rule is: if you’re going to criticize when it’s warranted, don’t withhold praise when it’s worthy.
I don’t think it is praiseworthy. Taxpayers providing household tools for people who should have those in their own home is a step too far. So I’m criticizing because it’s warranted.
Thats why these comment boards are great!
I completely agree, and you’re the best!
These comment boards are critically important to public discourse, although I will forever lament the often toxic anonymity.
Being right of center politically in West Hollywood could present all kinds of issues for me, and has in the past. I said something once at 24 Hour about Hillary Clinton and it caused quite a scene as the word spread. In WeHo there is no tolerance extended to diversity of thought, especially if he is a white male. I pretty much keep my opinions to myself in WeHo, so this board is about the only place I am safe to say what I do … because of the anonymity it provides. You probably have no idea how vicious people… Read more »
We need to figuratively drive a stake through the heart of political vampires like John Erickson who suck the blood of legitimate public servants who function with motives of integrity rather than self promotion.
He’s going to need a lot more than a bike repair station to boost his chances of winning reelection in this city.
This doesn’t have a thing to do with anyone but bike riders. Why should the rest of us pay $9000 for screwdrivers for people who should have those in a drawer in their own home.
Even if this were a good thing Erickson has so many sins against us he should not be forgiven with reelection.
To answer your question as to “why?”, it’s because moving people from cars to bikes is better for us all. Much like public transit, we all subsidize it because it’s helping all of us, even if you’ve never stepped foot onto a bus.
That’s called social engineering, Josh, and it’s Marxist!
And, for the record, I have spent considerable periods of time in the past when I didn’t have a car and I was happy to ride the bus.
I still take the bus occasionally when I think parking might be an issue at my destination.
This is a joke, right Josh? Especially in light of the City’s fraudulent petition to close the auto repair bays at the Chevron station. I am still pissed I was duped into signing that petition.
Does the City do anything that is not shady?
I scrolled right past Alan Strasburg’s comment above twice before I saw it when it should be here in “Join the Discussion”. What he said is key to providing the full story.
I’m not sure I would want credit for a bad idea, but it seems typical of a lightweight like John Erickson not wanting to at least be honest about where the bad idea came from.
I will take the criticism for suggesting this to Erickson, and I will support it as a nominal and good expenditure to support biking infrastructure. It is unreasonable to assume that a biker will carry all the basic tools needed for emergency repairs. I have had occasion to use the station in Beverly Hills to make a repair while on a ride. Read my public comment to council for further background and perspective.
Alan, my only question on this is that looking at the photograph, I see that the station is on the sidewalk. We don’t need another thing cluttering up our sidewalks and limiting access especially to people with disabilities and older adults.
If they will stipulate that it be placed off the sidewalk, I would have no problem with it whatsoever.
Where do these people come from? And who is voting them in office? Do they come from some other planet called “Clueless”?
Why are bicyclists so special? Will there be some repair stations set up for basic car repairs? How about scooter repair stations? When will the first lawsuit against the City happen when someone claims they were injured trying to repair something, or the repair didn’t hold, and it was the City’s responsibility? What happens when a vagrant tries to strangle or attack someone with a wrench on a chain? And will bicyclists have to illegally go on the sidewalk to access these “repair stations”, setup mostly for the convenience of out of town riders who cause havoc in our City?… Read more »
Driving around LA daily, I see very few people riding bikes. I fact it’s incredibly dangerous to ride a bike in this city.
Need to stop pretending LA is Copenhagen or Amsterdam. It isn’t.
No one is pretending LA is Copenhagen or Amsterdam, we have year-round nice weather and can be a safe place to ride bikes IF we invest in biking infrastructure and crack down on motorist who break the law and put bicyclists in danger. The fact is there are too many cars on the roads if we are ever to come close to meeting our climate goals.