In this new blog I found entitled BikingInLA, a cyclist in LA chronicles his experiences on the road of LA as well as posting news stories that typically deal with the death of a cyclist on the road. In the two posts that I read, the author of this blog sets a voice similar to a casual conversation, where he is able to make his audience feel comfortable with him, while at the same time frequently asking rhetorical questions in order to get the reader thinking. His main intent, from this style of voice, seems to be that he wants to have a dialogue with other cyclists in Los Angeles about what he experiences on the road as an avid cyclist himself.
Because the dangers of biking in LA are quite present, the author of this blog definitely has a very defensive voice, as he feels that the local city government as well as all the millions of drivers on the roads of LA seem to be out to get us cyclists. However, as a fellow cyclist who rides on these wild roads every day, I can definitely relate to his perspective and defensive voice.
He does a good job though, at the same time, in being reasonable as well with drivers in LA. In one of the posts I read about a recent experience he had of an angry driver, he does take the perspective of the situation from the other view: "Or from his perspective, how he barely had time to see what I was doing and tap his brakes before I was in front of him and gone again. And how he could have overreacted, potentially risking a collision with the car behind him."
However, in another post, his voice changes into an angry and frustrated cyclist upset at an article of another cyclist, who proposed that cyclists should be more courteous on the roads. In this post, the blogger frequently uses quotation marks in reference to the article he is responding to in order to show the absurdity of the language of the article. This sort of sarcasm, then, seems especially effective on the part of this blogger in order to show that what he is saying is correct, and other viewpoints are simply ludicrous.
When looking at his specific techniques, the blogger effectively uses block quotes when referencing other bloggers or articles. Also, at the end of every post, he continues each one with a series of several links that may deal with the subject of the post, along with many more links simply dealing with cycling news across the globe. What is very helpful about these links is that it gives the audience proof that the cycling world is alive and well. On a very serious note, his links to news articles of deadly bike accidents also shows that the dangers of biking are real, and that more support for bike laws is needed to protect cyclists.
Profile Blog
"Bikeside LA" is a site dedicated to posting news articles on bike laws, fatalities, victories, etc., along with opinion articles by LA bikers on issues of their choosing. According to Technorati, it is ranked 41153rd, so it is not a terribly popular blog, but one that is read by numerous people nonetheless. The two articles I read to profile this blog include one of a protest held on by bikers for bike safety (http://www.bikesidela.org/hit-and-run-hits-everyone/ ) and the other one is basically about proving the mayor of Los Angeles wrong (http://www.bikesidela.org/mayor-villaraigosa-declares-helmet-war-on-california/).
The subject of the first post I read spoke of the Mayor of LA's desire to enforce the wearing of a bike helmet on all ages in order to lower the number of head injuries in cycling crashes. The author of the post, Rach Stevenson, is a member of an organization called "Blood in" that has demonstrated for the rights of bikers in Los Angeles. Her qualification for blogging the post is that she is also an active cyclist in the city, which is enough, in my mind, to qualify her as enough of an expert. It was in fact her first entry in the blog.
The focus of her post argues that issuing a mandatory helmet law for all ages does not necessarily result in a reduction of traumatic brain injuries. She continually claims that the mayor has immediately jumped to the last resort and does not want to spend more money to fix what cyclists are in actuality complaining about. While using research studies and a chart to support her argument, Rach is more bothered by the fact that at the summit in which the mayor had spoken, he had ignored the cyclists' suggestions of safer road conditions. Her references to numerous studies is certainly very academic and professional, and thus, this post is very rich and very detailed, along with the rest of the blog.
For the audience, which are primarily cyclists seeking more safety on Los Angeles streets, the authors understand the difficulty cyclists have to face and to show that actions are being taken. Overall, I would say that the blog will feed a good portion of my work as it is the most well-known blog on my issue of cycling in Los Angeles. Although my viewpoint would differ in that I will discuss my immediate experiences of the week of my bike rides, I will use this blog as a guide for what is being to help me have a safer ride.
Hello, World
"Cycle tracks will abound in Utopia."
-H.G. Wells
Awful public transit, smog, high crime, overpopulation, traffic, artificiality & pretentiousness of its population - the list can go on when describing the negative parts of the city of 9.8 million, the city of Angels. And I doubt Thomas More's idea of his Utopia equates to this city of Los Angeles I find myself living and biking in. Nonetheless, here I am, and I've got to say, although cycle tracks, or more appropriately, bike lanes, number only 481 miles of the 6,400 miles of surface streets in Los Angeles, just from my own experience, bikers are slowly taking over this "cartopia" we live in.
So what makes my experience as a biker in LA more unique than others, or at least a legitimate source in this issue? Well, for the past 8 years, I've been a runner, and let me explain. Running in the San Fernando Valley for 3 years was one thing, and it at least made me understand the streets of a quiet and safe suburb, as well as trails deep in the Santa Monica mountains. It was when I began running in the heart of Downtown L.A. that I really got a taste of the "real" streets. In both the suburbs and in the city, drivers don't give a shit about you if you're not in 4,000lb machine. Needless to say, once I began biking, I learned this the hard way.
It was my 18th birthday, and all I wanted was a bike. Hours of convincing and $800 later, I finally got my first bike, a Trek model 1.1. 4 months later, I got t-boned by a car going 45mph on Topanga Canyon Blvd in West Hills. 1 month later, I got my second bike, a Specialized Allez , which I've been able to keep in one piece ever since.
As a Triathlete I had plenty of rides all over the San Fernando Valley, Ventura County, Malibu (PCH rides especially), Los Angeles, and all along the coast. As a college student, I commute from Mar Vista to USC every day, a 10-mile ride down Venice Blvd. (its this commute that has inspired to start this blog).
Riding 20-miles total every day from the West side to Downtown and back for the past 3 years has opened my eyes to the bike culture that is alive and active here in Los Angeles. I will use this blog to share my experience, along with having a dialogue with other cyclists in LA about the difficulties we face as a tiny but fierce minority. I just hope that one day, bike lanes will abound here in LA. It may not exactly be a Utopia, but it sure is one hell of a city nonetheless.
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