Morning Links: Reactions to the jump in traffic deaths, NIMBYs don’t give a rat’s ass, and hanging out with JT

Today’s common theme: the spike in traffic fatalities, and what to do about it.

NACTO says the spike in traffic deaths last year is a call to action.

Curbed’s Alissa Walker says traffic deaths will continue to rise until cities prioritize humans over cars. Which is exactly the argument I’ve been making.

City Lab writes the problem with Vision Zero is the need for increased enforcement while communities of color are already reeling from it; the story cites the LACBC’s Tamika Butler as an example of being stopped for driving while black.

………

Local

Cycling in the South Bay’s Seth Davidson says, despite their protestations, Palos Verdes NIMBYs don’t give a rat’s ass about the safety of cyclists. But they’re welcome to prove him wrong by attending the free Cycling Savvy course next month.

Santa Monica’s California Incline is now officially open; pedestrians and bicyclists had full use of the roadway for four hours before it officially opened.

CiclaValley goes riding in the Sierras and hangs out with Justin Timberlake. Best wishes to his mom; good to know she’s going to be okay.

 

State

More Coronado madness, as a woman is revolted by the idea of a bike/ped path on the Coronado Bridge, and expects little kids to hold their line when biking to school.

The area’s first separated bike lanes come to Palo Alto and Menlo Park, with others coming soon.

San Francisco’s new protected intersection will be just the fifth in the US.

A Petaluma man donates 23 bicycles to help victims of the recent Clayton fire in Lake County.

Chico police recover four suspected stolen bikes from homeless camps; two that had been reported stolen were returned to their owners on the spot, while the others were booked as unclaimed property. Always report a stolen bike to the police; one of their biggest complaints is the number of bikes that can’t be returned to their owners because they were ever reported stolen.

 

National

Outside takes an in-depth look at the real life Seattle anti-bike theft non-caped crusader.

A writer says riding a bicycle has made him a better runner.

Prohibited from driving due to poor eyesight, a BYU instructor is able to get around thanks to his e-bike.

Bad news struck close to home at the Denver Post, as a reporter with the paper was killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding or walking her bike in a crosswalk.

The Chicago Tribune urges cyclists to ride defensively, and drivers to be watchful and slow down, because the city’s streets aren’t a motorist vs. bicyclist Thunderdome.

A 99-year old member of the Bicycling Hall of Fame passed away in a Chicago suburb last week, five years after her last ride, and 87 years after she bought her first bicycle.

A Connecticut community comes together to replace a boy’s stolen bike.

The NYPD blames a salmon cyclist for a fatal collision, even though the driver was speeding. Yes the cyclist was in the wrong, but the driver should share the blame; if he hadn’t been speeding it’s possible he could have avoided the crash or the victim might have survived the impact.

 

International

Sales of MIPS helmets are booming; they’re designed to reduce the risk of concussion and rotational injuries in a crash.

Canada is nearing completion of a nearly 13,000 mile-long bike path crossing from Nova Scotia to Vancouver and up to the Yukon.

London’s mayor gives the okay to complete a north – south cycle superhighway through the city.

A bike-riding writer for London’s Evening Standard wonders why bicyclists make some drivers boil with rage. Good question; I suspect we’re just easy targets for people who are already pissed off.

A British website offers a complete guide to biking to work.

Horrifying assault in the UK, as a gang of bike-riding teenage hooligans beat a Polish immigrant to death after hearing him speak in his native tongue. This is the legacy of all the hate spilled in the recent Brexit campaign.

Police urge people to report “antisocial behavior” after a Brit mountain bike was badly injured when someone booby trapped a popular offroad trail. If someone caused a wreck by sabotaging a traffic lane, they’d call him a terrorist, not merely antisocial.

A Scottish company is introducing a device to automatically lube your chain while you ride, claiming it can result in a net gain of 12 watts.

Japanese authorities credit new laws requiring scofflaw cyclists to take three hour safety lectures with a 14.7% drop in bicycling fatalities.

 

Finally…

Once the machete comes out, it’s time to give up your bike. Evidently, the loss of just four parking spaces in exchange for a bikeshare dock constitutes a disaster of unmitigated proportions.

And now you can own your very own two-wheeled Aston Martin, as long as you have a spare $17,007 lying around.

 

One comment

  1. I saw a report with the remains of the bicycle, that shows definite evidence of a side impact, not the head-on impact reported by the NYPD. Never accept a report on a bike wreck (or any other wreck for that matter) from the NYPD. They only take the survivor’s report and tend to ignore evidence that contradicts that statement.

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