Archive for General

Forget Black Friday — It’s Day One of the 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Welcome to the 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

The one time of year when we beg, plead and cajole to get you to give just a small part of your hard-earned cash to help keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.

Sort of like the membership drive for your local public radio station, but just once a year, and we don’t interrupt the whole reason you come here just to harangue you for money.

Well, not much, anyway.

And you get cute corgi pictures, real and otherwise. So that’s a plus.

The money you give helps cover the costs of running this site throughout the year, and tide us over until our sponsors start to renew in the spring.

Not to mention keep that corgi down there in kibble.

It couldn’t be easier to donate with just a few clicks via PayPal. Or by using the Zelle app that is probably already in the banking app on your smartphone; just send your contribution to ted@bikinginla.com.

Every donation is very needed and deeply appreciated, no matter how large or small; I know just how hard it can be to give on a limited budget.

So don’t wait. Give now, whatever you can.

And thank you.

 

 

Move along, nothing to see here — Update: two bad eyes edition

“It’s always darkest before it turns absolutely pitch black.”

— Paul Newman

Actually, things are finally looking up with my scratched cornea. It’s slowly healing, and improving a little more every day.

The problem is, I have two eyes.

And the other one is recovering now after getting an injection in the eye to address a bleeding retina caused by diabetes.

Yes, I said in the eye.

So now I’m dealing with two balky, blurry eyes that can read the headlines, but can’t make out much of anything underneath.

As a result, I’m going to take the rest of the week off to rest my eyes and try to get my eyesight back to normal. Or whatever passes for normal these days.

We’ll be back bright and early Monday morning to catch up on all the weekend news.

Move along, nothing to see here — scratched cornea edition

If it ain’t one damn thing, it’s another.

I managed to survive my birthday, but woke up Saturday with corgi hair in my eye. By the time they finally got it out at urgent care, my cornea was scratched so badly I can’t a thing.

This included, so if I screw something up, please forgive me.

Hopefully, my sight will clear up and we’ll be back tomorrow. If not, we’ll be back once I can see again.

In the meantime, take advantage of this great weather and get out for a ride.

Move along, nothing to see here — diabetes edition

My apologies.

I’ve been dealing with major blood sugar swings this week. Wednesday’s post was canceled due to a major blood sugar crash, while today’s was due to a blood sugar spike.

Both knocked me out for several hours, making it impossible to get anything done.

So I’m going to take the rest of the week off, and try to get things back under control.

I’ll see you back her next week.

Just one — or two — reminders that diabetes sucks.

Move along, nothing to see here — diabetes edition

My apologies.

I’m dealing with a low blood sugar problem that’s knocked me on my ass tonight.

We’ll be back tomorrow to catch up on anything we missed today.

Just another reminder that diabetes sucks.

More along, nothing to see here — diabetes edition

My apologies.

I didn’t bounce back after a trip to the doctor in today’s heat and humidity, and wrangling the corgi for her first official outing as a diabetic alert dog.

Yet more of the myriad joys of diabetes — little things take a lot out of me, and it takes me longer to recover from a simple bus trip than it used to take for a century.

So get tested if you’re at risk or have a family history of diabetes, and do whatever it takes to avoid getting it, because diabetes sucks in more ways than you can count.

As usual, we’ll be back tomorrow to catch up on anything we missed today.

Former BMX champ Pat Casey killed in motocross crash, and driver charged for killing ebike-riding Carlsbad mom

Tragic news from Ramona, California, where former BMX champ Pat Casey was killed performing a motocross stunt.

Multiple sources are reporting that Casey died after attempting a jump Tuesday afternoon at the Slayground Motocross Park in the San Diego County city.

The 29-year old Riverside resident won medals at the 2012 and 2013 X Games, and Casey was the first rider to successfully execute the “decade backflip” and “double decade backflip” in competition.

He leaves behind his wife Chase Casey, along with their eight-year old son and seven-year old daughter.

Photo by Rodolfo Clix on Pexels.

………

The driver who killed an ebike-riding mom in Carlsbad last year has finally been charged in her death.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports 42-year old Lindsey Turmelle pled not guilty to misdemeanor vehicular homicide at her arraignment on May 26th in the death of 35-year old Christine Embree.

Embree was run down by Turnelle’s massive SUV while she was riding with her 16-month old daughter, who was miraculously uninjured

Turnelle faces just one year in county jail if she’s convicted.

Meanwhile, she sentenced Embree’s daughter, who turned two in April, to life without her mother.

………

A San Diego man suffered life-threatening injuries when he was trapped under a dump truck for nearly an hour.

The victim was riding at an offramp to the 905 Freeway near Airway Road and Britannia Blvd in Otay Mesa when he was run down by the driver around 4:33 am Tuesday.

There’s no word on how the crash occurred, or the identity or condition of the victim.

………

Calbike reports on the bills that are moving forward in the state legislature this year that could affect active transportation, including —

  • SB 50, which would halt police stops for minor traffic violations to stop pretextual policing
  • SB 712 requires landlords to allow at least one micromobility device — bicycles, scooters, etc — per unit.
  • AB 6 would give Gov. Gavin Newsom another chance to sign a bill putting his climate money where his mouth is by requiring regional transportation agencies to prioritize and fund transportation projects that significantly contribute to meeting regional and state climate goals.
  • AB 7 mandates climate-first transportation planning.
  • AB 73 would give Newsom yet another opportunity to sign a bicycle safety stop bill, aka stop as yield or Idaho Stop.
  • AB 361 allows public agencies to enforce parking violations by taking photographs of vehicles blocking bike lanes, although it would not allow individuals to submit photos.
  • AB 413 would require daylighting at intersections by prohibiting parking, standing or stopping within 20 feet of a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
  • AB 645 creates a speed cam pilot program for three cities each in Northern and Southern California, including Los Angeles, Long Beach and Glendale.
  • AB 825 legalizes sidewalk riding on any street without a marked bikeway, while requiring bike riders to share the space responsibly and limiting speeds to 10 mph.
  • AB 1266 eliminates bench warrants for minor traffic violations, including for bicyclists and pedestrians.

………

Nice to see more progress being made in the San Gabriel Valley.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.

Clearly, we’re not even safe from motorists on separated bikeways, as a 50-year old woman had to be medevaced to the hospital when she was run down in by a pickup driver while walking on a Sitka, Alaska bike path.

Northern Ireland’s former Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams used to be one of us, but he’s given up bicycling after drivers repeatedly shouted sectarian abuse and tried to run him off the road.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly. 

A British man died when he crashed his modified ebike into a 16-year old boy, who suffered a broken leg and internal injuries.

Police in the UK are looking for a coupe ebike riders who allegedly chased bicyclists in two “concerning” incidents.

………

Local 

While the state legislature considers legalizing sidewalk riding, the LA County Board of Supervisors moved on their own to make it legal to ride your bike on the sidewalk in unincorporated areas of the county.

Actor, humorist, author and woodworker Nick Offerman is one of us, as he talks with The War on Cars podcast about riding a bike in Los Angeles and New York, and “why the best way to explore an unfamiliar city is at the speed of a good walk.”

Culver City police have arrested a 27-year old man who rode off on a bicycle after stealing a man’s cellphone at knifepoint near the Ballona Creek bike path west of Overland, Ave.

Santa Monica has unveiled a new protected intersection at 17th Street and Ocean Ave, part of the surprisingly controversial 17th Street protected bike lane.

 

State

Huntington Beach is conducting a survey for the city’s new active mobility plan. Thanks to James for the heads-up. 

The San Luis Obispo Tribune questions whether the head of the local Libertarian Party belongs on the county Bicycle Advisory Committee, when he wants to abolish bike lanes and treat bicycles like motorcycles; then again, he doesn’t want to make people pay their taxes, either. Sounds like he doesn’t belong on any board, period.

Streetsblog talks with bike-riding San Francisco Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who shows up to demand safer bikeways in and out of her district.

 

National

PeopleForBikes concludes their series of the 15 best arguments to advocate for bicycling; click here to read part one and part two.

Bicycling offers advice on the ebike skills you need to learn before your first road or trail ride. As usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.

Bicycling also recommends the nine best bikes you can buy right now, electric and otherwise. Again, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.

According to a women’s website, you should ride 12-14 miles per day at a moderate pace in order to lose a substantial amount of weight by next month, at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week

Portland is questioning whether “bike-friendly speed bumps are worth the trouble and treasure.”

Two 17-year old boys have been busted for a series of violent armed robberies on a Houston bike path, as police look for at least one other suspect.

A Michigan high school student thanks the community for helping him get his new bike back hours after it was stolen, just one day after he was given it by the local police.

A Michigan TV station marks yesterday’s 7th anniversary of the Kalamazoo massacre, when a stoned driver plowed into nine members of a local bike club, killing five people and seriously injuring the others; Charles Pickett Jr, was convicted on 14 charges, and will be 90 years old before he’s eligible for parole. Which is still too damn soon.

Speaking of Bicycling, the magazine calls New Bremen, Ohio’s Bicycling Museum of America, with its collection of over 8,000 bikes, a bucket list item for hardcore bike nerds and casual fans alike. Once again, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you. 

A Massachusetts man is riding 1,000 miles from Oxford, Ohio to Boxford, Mass, four years after doctors diagnosed him with terminal Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, giving him just two to five years to live.

The New York Times says make way for the bike bus, as more families are commuting to school on two wheels.

This is who we share the road with. A 26-year old New York man faces charges for killing a pedestrian and injuring four other people, including an 18-year old ebike rider, after allegedly drinking all day, and getting behind the wheel with a BAC nearly twice the legal limit.

A North Carolina pastor is 2,300 miles into a 3,400-mile bike ride across the US; his ride has helped raise $600,000 for an anti-abortion group.

A car-hating Tampa, Florida man replaces his with an ebike after being selected in the city’s ebike voucher lottery.

 

International

Momentum Magazine makes the case for why cruiser bikes are perfect for city riding, as well as how to build a 15-minute city centered on bicycles.

Bike Radar has advice on how to make your components last longer to prolong the lifespan of your bike. Take good care of your frame and it can last longer than you do, because everything else is replaceable.

The Week argues the pros and cons of Britain’s Low Traffic Neighborhoods, the equivalent of this country’s Slow Streets.

Life is cheap in England, where a woman calls for drivers to pay attention after the driver who her down from behind while she rode her bike, leaving her with life-changing injuries, wasn’t even charged.

No surprise here, as nearly 90% of bike thefts in the UK go unsolved, with thieves facing charges in just 2% of thefts. I’d be very surprised if the US numbers are even that high. 

Kenya’s First Lady is one of us, as Rachel Ruto says riding her bike takes her back to her happiest memories as a young girl pedaling down dusty roads with her friends.

 

Competitive Cycling

Danish pro Mikkel Bjerg took the lead in the eight stage Critérium du Dauphiné after winning the time trial.

You could win a Cannondale SuperSix Evo that was ridden by Ecuador’s Jonathan Caicedo in last month’s Giro for just 25 bucks a pop in a raffle benefitting the Los Angeles Bike Academy.

Russian cyclist Savelii Laptev has been suspended from the Astana development team for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on social media.

 

Finally…

Who needs bikewear when — and where — you can ride naked? That feeling when a thief compliments your bike before stealing it.

And how to go viral riding your grandson’s BMX.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

Move along, nothing to see hear — bad med edition

My apologies.

I’ve spent most of Tuesday flat on my back after an apparent bad reaction to one of my diabetes meds.

I’ll do my best to be back on Thursday, assuming my head and stomach settle down.

Person riding bike killed in a possible South LA hit-and-run Sunday night; few details available

Once again, a bike rider may have been killed in a hit-and-run.

And once again, we know almost nothing.

KTLA-5 reported late last night that someone riding a bicycle appeared to have been struck by a driver at South Central and East Florence Avenues in South LA around 8 pm Sunday.

The victim, described only as a possible minor, died at the scene. The station reports a bicycle was lying on the sidewalk afterwards, next to a tent in the street covering the victim’s body.

Unfortunately, that’s about all we know.

There’s no word on how he may have been killed, or any description of a possible suspect.

Assuming this was a hit-and-run, there is a standing $50,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the driver for any hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles.

This is at least the 19th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County; four of those have been in the City of Los Angeles.

It’s also the eighth fatal hit-and-run involving a SoCal bike rider this year.

Move along, nothing to see here — diabetes edition

I give up.

After struggling, and failing, to control my blood sugar this week, I’m throwing in the towel.

If by struggling you mean feeling sick 24/7, and passing out every night and most of each day.

And to be honest, I’m not in the best space mentally or emotionally right now.

So I’m giving up on posting this week. Hopefully a few more days rest will help turn things around.

One way or the other, I’ll be back next week to bring you all the best bike news, and catch up on some of the things we’ve missed.

And I’ll be seeing my doctor next week, who’s going to get an earful.