Todd Dipaola Receives Environmental Hero Award

Saturday at the VOICE Earth Day celebration at Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach, my friend and colleague Todd Dipaola is receiving the Environmental Hero Award for his work "to build a better, more bike-able South Bay through advocacy and education." I spoke with him Friday to learn more about his activism.

Why did you start the South Bay Bicycle Coalition (SBBC) and what is its purpose?

Todd Dipaola: My work on the Manhattan Beach Environmental Task Force really pointed out how valuable bicycling can be to the community in terms of cutting greenhouse gases, improving our transportation options and taking advantage of the great natural attributes we have here in the South Bay. I got the chance to study how other cities with far less desirable weather and conditions than we have were doing remarkable things to encourage and facilitate bike riding. I thought we had a great opportunity here to make it easier, safer, more practical and more fun to ride your bicycle wherever you want to go throughout our area.

 How often and where do you ride? What kind of bicycle do you use? 

TD: I've been biking regularly since I was a kid and my mom forced me to wear a neon green helmet to ride my bike to school.  Today I ride my bike whenever I can but I wish it were even more often. I tend to take at least one big bike trek a year. A few years ago I rode from San Francisco to Manhattan Beach. I ride an old Cannondale that I call my "Frankenbike" based on how many times it's been rebuilt with various different parts. 

 Do you wear a helmet? Do you use a light and ride at night?

TD: Of course I wear a helmet when I ride since no matter how careful I am you just never know what someone else on the road might do. I do ride at night and I use both a headlight and flashing LEDs in the back as well as side reflectors. The typical accident on a bike comes at you from the side so those reflectors are key and required by law. I also use some very cool looking MonkeyLectric colored LED spoke lights that make me impossible to miss.

 The bike group's first meeting was only in November of last year, but you quickly had hundreds join your Facebook page and you pulled together a complex grant application almost immediately. How did that happen?

TD: It was all the pent-up desire of South Bay bicyclists who have just been waiting for a group like this to become a part of. There's some terrific groups that already exist like the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition, our parent group, but there was no group here focusing specifically on the South Bay cities and the concerns and needs of South Bay cyclists. Once we gave people a chance to get involved they dived right in. As you know we have some tremendously talented people who were anxious to volunteer for this cause.

You worked closely with the city of Redondo Beach to get your grant from the county. How important was the city's support and what did it do to help?

TD: Redondo Beach was the essential partner in our getting this grant and we wouldn't have been considered if they hadn't enthusiastically taken the lead role. They not only gave us support, they're contributing office space and staff help on the Master Bike Plan. They were already the clear biking leader of any South Bay city and they are just the perfect teammates in building a better biking future here.

 Where do you like to ride in Redondo Beach and why?

TD: I love riding in Redondo Beach on the Class I Bike Path around the pier and the harbor area because I can use my bike to easily ride to shops and restaurants. I also like riding on the Esplanade because of the great, elevated view you get of the beach and the ocean and the surfers. Riviera Village is so bike friendly and fun I never think of taking my car there.

You're also known as a huge advocate of "roundabouts" like the new one at the end of the Esplanade. Why are you such a fan and why should bikers like them?

TD: I learned in my Environmental Task Force studies how much time, energy and fuel they save and how much safer they are for bike riders, motorists and pedestrians than the four-way stop signs.  The Federal Highway Administration has a study that makes it pretty obvious. They wind up saving money for cities and motorists wherever they're installed.

Besides this grant and working on the master bike plan for the South Bay what else is the SBBC going to be doing?

TD: Education and awareness of the rules of the road are going to be a big part of our work. We'll be reaching out to the community at events starting at this weekend's Earth Day at Polliwog Park with information on sharrows. We think that once both bicyclists and motorists not only understand the traffic laws, but also start following them better, then sharing the road will be much easier and friendlier.  Another thing we'll be doing is bringing bicycle valet service to local events.

Can anyone become a member of the SBBC and why would Redondo Beach bike riders want to join?

TD: Anyone from kids to grandparents and everyone in between can go to http://www.southbaybikes.org to sign up for our list and join our Facebook page.  If you ride a bike in the South Bay or would like to, you'll want to be a part of the SBBC to have a voice on biking issues, to be kept informed, to have chances to volunteer and be part of shaping the new master bike plan, to meet other local bikers and to participate in some fun rides and activities.

How big could bicycling get in Redondo Beach and throughout the South Bay if the SBBC is successful?

TD: We think there's a ton of room for bicycle growth here where our climate and our other geographic advantages make us ideal for using a bike to get around. Just look at cities like Portland or Seattle where they have to contend  with rain and cold weather, yet they have the facilities in terms of bikeways and places to safely park your bike that have people pedaling everywhere. As we build awareness and education along with the additional facilities the master bike plan will bring I think you're going to see an explosion of bicycle use in not only Redondo but all the other cities in the South Bay. And I think it's going to make us healthier, happier and more connected with our community as a result.

Joe Galliani, a resident of Hollywood Riviera, Torrance, is a proud member of the South Bay Bicycle Coalition.

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