BikinginLA

Lots of weekend news to catch up with on this semi-observed holiday.

And for a change, most of it is good.

……….

LA’s bright and shiny, barely broken in new mayor offers a look at a better, brighter and bike-friendlier city to come, and wants to connect LAX to the Crenshaw Line to serve everyone coming for the 2024 Olympics.

He also comes out in favor of a freeway CicLAvia in the first story. And he sides with the embattled My Figueroa project; the question is whether he’ll throw enough support behind the project to win the day over entrenched auto-centric opposition.

……….

The proposed Plan for a Healthy Los Angeles is now available for online review, along with the Mobility Plan 2035 and re:code LA.

I haven’t had a chance to dig into the 193 page Mobility Plan (pdf) yet, even though this is the document that will shape our streets — and how they’re used — for the next 20 years, which could be close to how long it will take me to get through it.

However, the LACBC says it will add:

 …a 180-mile network of protected bikeways and high-quality neighborhood streets that will “provide safe, convenient, and comfortable local and regional facilities for cyclists of all types and abilities.”

A series of seven citywide meetings will be held to discuss the plans starting next month.

……….

It looks like LA is finally getting serious about hit-and-run, at least after the fact, with a proposal from CD15 Councilmember Joe Buscaino to offer $50,000 rewards in fatal hit-and-run cases, and lesser amounts for injury and property damage cases.

Of course, the key is stop drivers before they flee by eliminating the incentive to floor it after a collision.

But this is a valuable step until we can get Sacramento to wake up and give a damn.

……….

In the wake of the recent announcement that the Tour de France will be adding a women’s race on the final day, the Amgen Tour of California doubles up with a second women’s event at this year’s tour.

It’s not enough.

But at least it’s a move in the right direction, and a step beyond the tokenism of giving women a single stage during the ToC. Though not the full multi-stage race women riders deserve.

Now if they’d just do something about the embarrassingly anachronistic podium girls. Women belong on the podium because they earned it with their racing skills, not because some guy did.

……….

The city begins work towards improving the decidedly bike and pedestrian unfriendly Lincoln Blvd bridge over Ballona Creek; personally, I don’t even like driving over that one. LA Fire Department transports a cyclist hit by a car in Northridge today; hopefully, not you or someone you know. Wolfpack Hustle has good advice for group riders. More and presumably better bike parking at Dodger Stadium. Wayfinding, restriping and pop-up cafes on the LA River bike path. The less-than-bike-friendly Boulevard Sentinel disputes statements that the York Blvd road diet was conducted to improve safety. Better Bike calls for a Beverly Hills Hovenring; funny thing is, it actually makes sense and it’s no more unrealistic than my own Wilshire Blvd pipe dream. Santa Monica Next’s Gary Kavanagh offers a defense of the humble traffic diverter in the wake of neighborhood objectors. You don’t have to drive to the El Monte Metro bus station anymore, as a dedicated entrance has been opened for cyclists using the Rio Hondo Bike Path; thanks to Bike SGV for the link.

An off-road rider in the San Diego area survives a frightening face-first fall into a ravine. The usual dispute over parking spots rears its ugly head in a fight over a San Diego bikeway; so why are a relative handful of on-street parking spaces for cars more important than improving safety and mobility for people? An upcoming Carlsbad roundabout promises to ease traffic and made a dangerous intersection more bike-friendly. Two Simi Valley cyclists are injured when one gets her wheel trapped by a train track and the other falls over her. A call for Vision Zero in Kern County. An Aptos rider was flown to a Bay Area hospital after getting doored Sunday morning; fortunately, the injuries aren’t life-threatening. A Sausalito cop recognizes a wanted bike thief. Looks like you’ll be able to keep renting bikes in Yosemite after all.

Portland becomes the latest city to commit to a Vision Zero; here in LA <crickets>. Life is cheap in New Mexico, as a Border Patrol agent faces a sentence of as little as five days and $25 for killing a cyclist in a suicide swerve last August; thanks to Michael McVerry for the heads-up. Two cyclists are hit by a left-crossing, non-signaling driver near my hometown; a local LCI says it’s time to talk about hit-and-runs involving bicyclists. Continuing today’s theme of multiple riders down, four cyclists are seriously injured in an apparent bike-on-bike collision in a Texas women’s stage race. A new Bike Pittsburgh campaign says pass with care, because we’re people, too. Boston officials say if you want your bike paths cleared after every snow storm, move to another city. Must be some damn good drivers in the Big Apple, as 32 cyclists are cited for moving violations in one precinct, but no motorists are ticketed. NYC cyclists are getting a portable bike counter. The wife of a fallen Long Island cyclist says the law has too many loopholes, as the methadone intoxicated driver who killed him gets a six-month sentence. Why the Big Easy is not, in fact, the worst place in the world to ride a bike. Miami cyclists remember a fallen comrade and call for tougher penalties for dangerous drivers.

Uruguay’s capital city wants to become bike friendly. Two UK riders become collateral damage in a deadly police chase. Daily bicycling wards off heart disease, and bike share benefits outweigh any risks. A drunk Polish father calls his 8-year old son to ride his bike to a bar and drive him home, with predictable results. The Finnish hockey team bikes to their first game at the Olympics, and it clearly hasn’t hurt them; thanks to Ness for the tip. Indian cyclists want to know why they can’t ride to work in their own city. An Indian cop rear-ends a cyclist while attempting to get around a road barricade. An Aussie site offers a realistic look at practical riding attire. A Kiwi cyclist makes the oft-repeated call that everyone should be required to ride a bike before they get a driver’s license.

Finally, when N+1 meets S-1, some subterfuge — and a cooperative bike shop — is clearly called for. A UK call girl is really looking forward to the arrival of all those Tour de France cyclists this summer. And it turns out the trolls who leave hateful comments online really are horrible people.

Well, no shit.