NM kids face murder in death of bike-riding scientist; killer Playa street claims fresh victim; Metro threatens suit to prevent safer streets

March 20, 2025 / / No comments

This is getting old.

Nearly two weeks in, I’m still struggling with Covid, and need a few more days before I get back to our usual updates. Just another of the many joys of diabetes, which can make Covid hit harder and last longer than it might otherwise.

Hopefully, we’ll be back on Monday to catch up on what we missed.

But there are a few stories this week that can’t really wait, so let’s do a quick update in the meantime.

………

It’s happened again.

Or rather, it happened last year, and the authorities are just now catching up.

According to multiple sources, three Albuquerque teenagers face charges for stealing a car, and intentionally crashing it into a man riding a bicycle while they recorded themselves laughing.

And if that sounds familiar, it should. And more than once.

The victim, a beloved physicist at the nearby Sandia National Laboratory, was killed when the kids “bumped” him with the car.

The 13-year old driver and the 16-year old egging them on from the back seat both face murder charges — as could the 11-year old waving a gun and laughing from the passenger seat.

Yes, I said eleven. With a rap sheep of violent crimes that makes John Gotti seem like an extra from Westside Story.

Apparently, New Mexico law allows them to be publicly named, and charged as adults.

Police became aware of the video shortly after the May 29, 2024, murder of 63-year old Scott Habermehl, but it apparently took until now to uncover the identities of his teen and preteen killers.

Habermehl was a dedicated bike commuter who was said to have ridden more than a quarter million miles over the last 30 years, and did absolutely nothing to cause his death.

The older teens each face felony charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily harm or death, and unlawful possession of a handgun.

The younger boy is likely to join them.

Thanks to Joel Falter for the heads up. 

……….

It’s happened again, again.

Because once again, an innocent person has been killed on Vista del Mar in Playa del Rey, eight years after then Councilmember Mike Bonin tried to fix the deadly street, only to have then Mayor Eric Garcetti rip it out after caving to angry pass-through drivers.

According to the Los Angeles Times, two cars — excuse me, drivers — collided in the 8200 block of southbound Vista del Mar, near Dockweiler Beach, with one car spilling over the embankment and killing a woman walking below.

Twentynine-year old Cecilia Milbourne died at the scene. A 70-something man also suffered minor injuries.

The crash occurred exactly where a road diet had been installed by Bonin after the city paid $9.5 million to the family of 16-year old Naomi Larson, who was killed by a cab driver as she was crossing the street in 2015.

That road diet was removed, along with other nearby bike lanes and other safety improvements, when Garcetti pulled the rug out from under Bonin, ordering them to be ripped out to appease drivers who were apparently willing to sacrifice a life or two if it meant they could have a little faster commute.

And reverting the road to a four lane speedway.

It only took a few years after that before the deadly roadway claimed another life. And two more after that.

Now, after another woman has been killed — at least the fifth in just ten years — that blood is on Garcetti’s hands, and everyone who demanded the removal of the safety improvements just so they could continue to go “zoom! zoom!”, innocent victims be damned.

Not to mention whoever designed the damn thing.

………

Metro has bizarrely come out against bus lanes and safer streets.

According to a post from Streets For All, the ostensibly safety-oriented county transportation agency is threatening to sue if they are forced to comply with Measure HLA when they make changes to the streets.

Even though the law clearly applies to any significant street projects, regardless of who is responsible for them.

Which is kind of like Metro arguing that speed limits and traffic signals don’t apply to them, either.

Here’s how Streetsblog’s Joe Linton responded to Metro’s threat.

So, Metro will fight the city in order not to install bus lanes, bike lanes, crosswalks, curb ramps, all approved a decade ago.

Metro is blocking routine upgrades to all the ways their riders get to bus stops and rail stations, plus blocking bus lane facilities that would improve Metro bus speeds.

Really.

Really, indeed.

It’s worth noting that Metro’s board is made up of elected officials and appointees from cities throughout LA County, and led by board chair and County Supervisor Janice Hahn.

So you know where to direct your anger.

………

Finally, Glendale is hosting their own CicLAvia-style open streets event May 31st on South Glendale Ave, in conjunction with Metro and Community Arts Resources (CARS).

Here’s how the press release describes it:

GLENDALE, Calif. (March 18, 2025) — Southern California’s newest open streets event, Let’s Go Glendale, will transform a portion of S Glendale Ave into a car-free space on Saturday, May 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The community is invited to explore the area on foot, bike, scooter, wheelchair or any other way that moves you.

The City of Glendale’s Open Streets Event, Let’s Go Glendale, is presented by Metro and produced by Community Arts Resources (CARS). This free day features a full schedule of carefully curated performances and activities along a meaningful vehicle-free route through the city’s south. People of all ages are invited to discover local businesses, enjoy delicious food, listen to live music and connect with the city’s vibrant cultures in the open streets. It’s an opportunity to walk, roll, shop and stroll through Glendale with a whole new perspective! A full schedule of event locations, activations and a detailed route map will be announced in April.

WHEN: Saturday, May 31 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

WHERE: City streets along S Glendale Ave will be closed to car traffic and opened to pedestrians. Full route details will be released soon.

ADMISSION: This event is free to attend and open to the public.

MORE INFORMATION: For more information visit, letsgoglendale.com

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s post called on account of Covid. Again.

March 16, 2025 / / One comment

My apologies.

I’m still really struggling with Covid, so no new post for Monday. Hopefully we’ll be back later this week after this is done kicking my ass.

Category: General /

Freezing federal bike lane funding to Make America Drive Again, and bipartisan active transportation safety bill introduced

March 13, 2025 / / No comments
Day 72 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

The good news is, it turns out I don’t have the same virus I had before, after all.

The bad news is, I’ve got Covid instead, after carefully avoiding it for the first five years of the pandemic.

Good times.

So let’s see if I can get through this tonight. 

………

No surprise here.

As expected, a leaked memo shows the Trump administration will freeze all future bike lane and green infrastructure grants, so they can review them.

And yes, probably cancel anything issued during the Biden administration if the money hasn’t already been spent.

But don’t put it past them to attempt to claw some funding back, as they have already threatened to do with California’s high speed rail.

According to Streetsblog,

The memo cited as its authority five executive orders issued by the Trump administration that take aim at the diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility goals of the Biden administration, as well as the previous president’s efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the nation’s transportation system, which Trump and Duffy have characterized as a so-called “Green New Deal.”

Those efforts were a centerpiece of previous DOT secretary Buttigieg’s strategy to implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, from which he allocated billions of dollars in discretionary grants to sustainable and equitable modes — but now that Duffy and Trump are holding the reins, they’ve signaled that they’ll use the same programs to vastly expand America’s consumption of fossil fuels instead.

Because really, what could be the downside to Making America Drive Again?

I mean, aside from more traffic deaths and serious injuries, more congestion, worse smog, and the utter destruction of our planet.

………

Meanwhile, a bipartisan, bicameral active transportation bill was introduced in both houses of Congress this week.

The Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act would expand federal funding for local governments to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.

This legislation is named in honor of Sarah Debbink Langenkamp, the American diplomat and mother who was killed while riding her bicycle in Maryland, just two weeks after being evacuated from Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

But as much as I appreciate the gesture, the bill’s chances in the current political climate make a snowball in hell look pretty good.

………

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

Oh, okay then. Boston’s mayor says she removed the plastic posts “protecting” some of the city’s bike lanes because they kept getting run over by drivers and looked awful. And yes, drivers seemed to take that as an open invitation to drive in the bike lanes.

No surprise here. Internal Ontario engineering documents show ripping out Toronto bike lanes won’t reduce congestion, but could make streets significantly more dangerous for everyone.

No bias here. The UK’s Traffic Watch says London traffic is grinding to a halt as road restrictions “squeeze the lifeblood” out of the city, while bike riders say the real problem is just too damn many cars.

Bike Radar responds to Sir Julian Lewis’ call in the British Parliament for mandatory bike bells, saying “cycling doesn’t need more bad ideas from unserious politicians.”

………

Local  

Metro is fast at work at the new LAX Transit Center, with the new bike path and people mover readily visible.

Pasadena residents are calling for safety improvements to protect bicyclists and pedestrians on North Fair Oaks Avenue, while reminding city leaders that we’re people, too.

 

State

A Moorpark man suffered serious head injuries when he was left hooked by a driver who was apparently more concerned about turning left into the driving range than looking for someone on a bicycle.

That’s more like it. An Oregon woman now faces a murder charge in the death of a 87-year old man riding a bicycle, after fleeing the scene when she crashed into him and another man he was riding with; that’s in addition to the previous vehicular manslaughter, DUI and hit-and-run charges.

 

National

This is why people keep dying on our streets. An Oregon pickup driver walked without a single day behind bars for killing a woman riding a bike with her son; he originally faced 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000, but an overly lenient DA and judge gave him a Get Out of Jail Free card, despite his long history of speeding.

“Dozens” of New Yorkers, led by a state Assembly member, demonstrated in support of a law that would require ebikes to carry license plates and be registered with the DMV. Although you’d think a legislator could get more people to turn out if they actually cared about it. And unless there were more people than you can see in the photo, that ain’t dozens.

This is the cost of traffic violence. A “beloved” Virginia elementary school principal suffered life-threatening injuries and faces a long road to recovery after he was struck by a driver while riding his bike home from school.

 

International

Momentum lists ten “hidden gem” bike routes to add to your bike bucket list, none of which are in California, of course. Although the only hidden thing about the Great Divide route is it can be hard to find in places. Or so I’m told.

A writer for Cycling Weekly fondly remembers his first road bike, despite it being “taken prematurely” from him.

A bike commuter for more than 20 years explains 13 mistakes beginning riders make.

Life is cheap in England, where a distracted food delivery rider walked without a single day behind bars for killing a man on a bicycle, despite riding an illegally modified ebike.

The pandemic bike boom is definitely over, as bike sales in the UK dropped to the lowest level in 50 years. Or maybe they’ve just reached the saturation point, and everyone who wants a bike has already got one, or four. It could happen. 

It will now cost you five US dollars every year to register your bicycle in the Zimbabwean city of Marondera.

 

Competitive Cycling

Belgian Tour de France stage winner Victor Campenaerts says he’s “not the next Remco [Evenepoel] or Jonas [Vingegaard] or Tadej [Pogačar],” instead, he’s “just a good cyclist.”

This year’s Redlands Bicycle Classic will take place April 9th through 13th.

 

Finally….

What’s biking through a little flood waters between friends? Drivers aren’t even waiting for bikes to leave the shop to run them down anymore. It’s not just a bike lane, it’s a parking space for your mobile workshop.

And protect your bike with the stench of death for the low, low price of just 280 bucks.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: General / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Man riding bicycle killed by minivan driver in Victorville crash Tuesday night

March 12, 2025 / / No comments

It’s been a rough week for bike riders in the Inland Empire.

Just days after a man was killed riding a bicycle in Cabazon, another man was killed by a driver in Victorville Tuesday night.

According to the Victorville News Group, the victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, was crossing Highway 395 near Luna Road when he was struck by the driver of a minivan around 8:56 pm.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, next to his mangled bike.

A photo of the minivan suggests the victim was struck at a high rate of speed, with significant damage to the front end and windshield. A street view suggests the driver was probably traveling at highway speed.

And yes, the driver remained at the scene.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Victorville Police Department at 760/241-2911.

This was at least the ninth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all his loved ones.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , ,

The air you breathe sucks, congestion pricing creates a biketopia, and flushing money down induced-demand toilet

March 12, 2025 / / No comments
Day 71 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

My apologies for yesterday’s unexcused absence. 

You can blame my internet provider for going down around midnight.

Or you can blame a virus so nice I caught it twice, which made me hope it didn’t come back so I could go back to bed. 

Good times. 

Photo by Khunkorn Laowisit from Pexels. 

………

No surprise here.

A new study says most of the world’s population breathes dirty air, with just 17% of the world’s cities meeting pollution guidelines.

Although studies have been split on whether bicyclists breathe cleaner air than people stuck in cars, or whether we suck in more smog than drivers do.

And no, it’s not comforting to learn just how bad the air in cars really is, whether or not ours is better.

………

They get it.

Wired says New York’s congestion pricing shows that if you want build a biketopia, just make it harder to drive, as fewer cars make it easier to ride a bicycle.

“Even in this unusually cold winter, we’re seeing more people biking since congestion pricing took effect,” says Ken Podziba, president and CEO of the advocacy nonprofit Bike New York. “But the real excitement will come with warmer weather, as we witness a dramatic shift—fewer cars and more bikes filling the city streets.”

To Podziba’s point, what might happen when the temperature ticks up? Will Manhattan suddenly look like Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris, or Oslo, the latter two of which recently joined the trend of centering bicycle transport in their urban design? And if ridership skyrockets, will the city take the lead from its legion of bike riders and implement more and safer means for people to traverse the city via bike?

Let’s hope so.

And let’s hope Los Angeles is paying attention.

………

Caltrans continues to flush money down the induced-demand toilet, with a $779 million construction project to “reduce traffic congestion while speeding up travel times” on the 91 Freeway.

But as we’ve seen with other highway projects, like the failed $1 billion project to reconfigure the 405 Freeway over the Sepulveda Pass that only resulted in more congestion, it’s more likely to have the opposite effect while making the deadly highway even deadlier.

Yet they continue to fund projects like this, despite requirements for Complete Streets and aligning highway projects with the state’s clean air goals.

Did I mention it will also make air quality even worse?

But at least this one will include sidewalk improvements and bike lanes. Although they could have just skipped the whole highway thing and spent the money on bike lanes and sidewalks throughout Orange County instead.

………

LADOT wants your input this evening on a plan to extend the LA River bike path about a mile west through Griffith Park.

I mean, what’s not to like?

………

I don’t know if this is a commentary on the sad state of the bike business, or the sad state of American health insurance.

Or both.

………

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

The bikelash is spreading, as the formerly bike-friendly mayor of Boston says she’s going to review and rip out some of the city’s bus and bike lanes.

No surprise here. A Toronto advocacy group has filed a lawsuit to keep Ontario’s anti-bike leaders from ripping out that city’s bike lanes.

No bias here. An Edinburgh, Scotland newspaper mistook a TikTok video of a bicyclist as the real thing, with the audio overlaid with British comedian Dom Joly’s Angry Cyclist routine, yelling about people in bike lanes. And elephants.

No bias here, either. After an Irish bike rider reported a punishment pass, a cop told him he was breaking the law by not riding in the bike lane, even though that is only required on a small number of streets.

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

A news site lists the rules of the road for riding in France — and what it will cost you if you break them.

………

Local  

The rich get richer, as bike-friendly Santa Monica unveiled new curb-protected bike lanes and crosswalks on 26th Street leading to and from the Expo, uh, E Line’s Bergamot Station.

South El Monte celebrated the opening of the San Gabriel Valley’s first curb-level protected bike lane.

 

State

Circulate San Diego submitted letters in support of grant applications for a trio of bike and infrastructure projects.

Palo Alto’s city council voted unanimously to make two “popular but polarizing” carfree streets that way permanently.

San Francisco Streetsblog says a new protected intersection is a great project with a big flaw, since bicyclists will no longer be able to ride directly across the street.

Santa Rosa released the city’s draft active transportation plan, calling for buffered and protected bike lanes, new sidewalks and better crosswalks. But as we’ve learned the hard way, plans like that mean nothing without funding and political support.

 

National

National Geographic takes a look at the cross-country Great American Rail-Trail, and says start with the “epic sections” already open in Washington State.

The trial of teen driver Jesus Ayala for the thrill-kill murder of retired Bell, California police chief Andreas “Andy” Probst as he rode a bike in Las Vegas has been delayed until September.

This is who we share the road with. A Vermont cop, who really should have known better, was watching YouTube when he killed a man riding a bicycle while driving his patrol car, then kept going before apparently thinking better of it and turning around. Maybe he just wanted to finish the video first. Thanks to Todd Munson for the heads-up. 

Cambridge, Massachusetts is opening a lottery system for vouchers giving low-income residents up to $3,000 for a standard bicycle, ebike or cargo bike.

That’s more like it. A Philadelphia woman was sentenced to up to 15 years behind bars for the hit-and-run death of a 32-year old “avid cyclist,” and her boyfriend sentenced to one-to-two years for helping her cover it up.

 

International

Find your passport and start packing for next month’s London Tweed Ride, which Momentum calls “the quirkiest bicycle tour on the planet.”

Seriously? The head of the British Mansfield Town soccer team says he really doesn’t care about the backlash to forward Lucas Akins starting a match just hours after pleading guilty to killing a man riding a bicycle.

Talk about doing it the hard way. A father of four in the UK says he’s going to ride 280 miles while fasting during the month of Ramadan to raise money for charity.

Britain’s governing body for bicycling announced a “bold” plan to get more people riding bikes and cement the country’s status as a bicycling nation, while safety experts complained about the plan’s failure to address the dangers faced by people on bicycles.

A Conservative MP in the UK calls for mandatory bike bells on every bicycle. Even though your voice works much better, and doesn’t require taking your hands off your drops. Assuming you have them, of course.  

A German website says Bremen has become one of the country’s best cities for bicycling.

A South African website lists five of the world’s most beautiful bike rides. And for once, PCH from San Francisco south deservedly makes the list. 

 

Finally….

Los Angeles bike riders may have to deal with bad roads, but we hardly ever have to contend freezing and thawing conditions. Part Congressional campaign worker, part accused bike thief.

And how one person learned to stop worrying and love flat tires.

No, really.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Heartless hit-and-run driver ran down 59-year old bike rider in Cabazon early Sunday morning, leaving him to die

March 10, 2025 / / No comments

Once again, someone on a bicycle has been left to die by a heartless hit-and-run driver.

This time, early Sunday in Cabazon.

According to the Coachella Valley’s News Channel 3, 59-year old Whittier resident Steve De Leon was riding east on Seminole Drive, near Millard Pass Road, when he was run down from behind sometime before 1:25 am.

Friends urged anyone who saw the crash to come forward, as the CHP reported there were no known witnesses to the crash, forcing them to rely on physical evidence, if any.

Anyone with information is urged to call CHP-San Gorgonio at 1-951/846-5300.

De Leon was described as friendly to everyone in the Coachella Valley.

However, the TV station continued by citing nonspecific statistics on ebike crashes, without suggesting De Leon was even riding one. And offered information on upcoming safety improvements in Cathedral City, which is roughly 25 miles from where the crash occurred.

Absolutely none of which appears to be relevant to the crash that killed De Leon, or the coward who left him there on the street. Whether his life could have been saved if the driver had stopped to render aid or call for help, as is legally required, we may never know.

This was at least the eighth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of already this year in Riverside County.

It also appears to be the second time a SoCal bike rider has been killed by a hit-and-run driver

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Steve De Leon and all his family and loved ones.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , ,

$2000 e-cargo bike voucher for San Gabriel Valley residents, and San Diego man seriously injured in hit-and-run

March 10, 2025 / / No comments
Day 69 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

Forget California’s semi-moribund, scandal-plagued ebike rebate program.

At least if you live in the San Gabriel Valley, anyway, where you can apply now for a $2,000 voucher to buy an e-cargo bike.

But hurry, because applications have already been received for half of the 300 available vouchers.

Photo by Kaboompics.com from Pexels. 

………

Police in San Diego are looking for the asshole hit-and-run driver left a man riding a bicycle lying in the street with serious injuries.

The 46-year old victim was hospitalized with spine, collarbone and rib fractures following the Friday night crash in the city’s Clairemont Mesa West neighborhood.

Police are looking for a red 2015 to 2017 Volkswagen Jetta, with damage to the front bumper. Anyone with information is urged to call Traffic Division of the San Diego Police Department at 858/495- 7823 or call CrimeStoppers anonymously at 888/580-8477; there’s $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

………

This is who we share the road with.

A disgruntled customer drove his cars into a Carmax showroom in Inglewood, injuring at least eight people.

Thanks to Erik Griswold for the heads-up.

………

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

Seriously? Santa Clarita residents lit up the phones at the sheriff’s station to report “a caravan” of juveniles riding a mix of bicycles, ebikes and dirt bikes, despite a complete lack of reports indicating the kids were doing anything wrong.

An Italian pro cyclist suffered a dislocated shoulder and broken ribs in a pair of back-to-back attacks when he was threatened, pushed off his bike, punched in face and hit with rock in what appeared to be completely unprovoked assaults by motorbike riders, as he finished a training ride with his brother.

………

Local  

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton digs into the numbers, and finds that highway widening conducted by Metro and Caltrans in Los Angeles County were responsible for 96% of California’s home demolitions for freeway expansions in recent years.

 

State

Irvine’s second annual CicloIrvine open streets event will roll on May 3rd.

A San Diego nonprofit is encouraging homeless people to ride a bike, and will give them a refurbished bicycle, along with a helmet, lock, lights, saddlebag and some maintenance items after they’ve completed 100 miles on a bike; 76 people have completed the program to earn one in the last five years.

In a Santa Barbara op-ed, a man makes the case for changing the city’s ordinance prohibiting sidewalk riding, arguing that bike riders shouldn’t have to contend with high-speed traffic on the streets. Bicyclists should have the option, even though studies have shown the apparent safety of sidewalks in an illusion, as reduced sight lines actually increase the danger for people riding on the sidewalk.

The question isn’t why Cupertino’s city council voted to approve new protected bike lanes on one of the city’s most dangerous corridors, but why two of the five council members voted against it.

A want to be like him when I grow up. A Turlock paper remember a former octogenarian fitness role model, who didn’t let diabetes and neuropathy interfere with his love of bicycling; Ray Houlihan was 93 when he died following a brief illness.

 

National

Escape Collective drops their usual paywall to discuss why most bikemakers are hiding a key indicator of how their bikes handle.

In a story only for their subscribers, Bicycling makes the case that high-end bicycling gear probably isn’t worth the cost. So much for their high-end ad accounts. 

Seattle could be on the road to Vision Zero, as preliminary data shows the city cut pedestrian deaths in half last year — and had no bicycling deaths. Which shows what can happen when city leaders actually give a damn and do something. 

Speaking of Seattle, the city opened a new two-mile bike path along the waterfront as part of an $805 million project to revamp the Puget Sound shoreline, starting with removal of a highway that used to block access to the coast.

Life is cheap in Colorado, where a teacher got one lousy year behind bars for killing a ten-year old boy riding a bicycle while driving distracted, just minutes from my bike-friendly hometown; the boy’s parents are fighting for tougher penalties for killer drivers. And if you ever wonder why people keep dying on our streets, this is a good place to start.

A man in San Antonio, Texas was sentenced to 50 years behind bars for whacking a man with a beer bottle to steal his bicycle, leaving the victim blind. Which is 12.5 times more than you’d get for killing someone with a car in California. 

Boston Magazine explores the fallout from the Boston bikelash, as surprisingly fierce opposition has risen to the city’s new bike lanes, with one pizza shop owner asking who would ever take a pizza home on a bicycle. Funny he should ask.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has told DC Mayor Muriel Bowser that the city’s street murals are dangerous, and gave them 30 days to identify “roadway noncompliance” and develop a plan to deal with them — even though they’ve caused zero crashes, and studies show street art makes roads safer. A Republican lawmaker also threatened the city’s transportation funding if they didn’t paint over a “Black Lives Matter” mural.

 

International

Bike Radar ranks the best British islands to add to your bike bucket list.

A pro mountain biker, bike journalist and a mountain bike coach discuss gender equality in mountain biking for International Women’s Day.

Life is cheap in Canada, where a dump truck driver got a lousy $1,000 fine for killing a woman riding a bicycle in a right hook.

Life is almost as cheap in the UK, where a woman will spend a lousy one-year behind bars for killing a 57-year old father as he was riding a bicycle, while she was texting and reading Facebook behind the wheel, in what prosecutors termed a “prolonged episode of bad driving.”

After 484 days in Hamas captivity, an Israeli ex-hostage says riding his bike feels like freedom. Which is probably something we all can relate to.

 

Competitive Cycling

Three-time Tours de France, Giro and World’s champ Tadej Pogačar showed he’s human by crashing at Strade Bianchi, saying he “actually showed I’m pretty shit” — then made the case for why he’s not by coming back to win, turning his previous seven one-day Monuments to eight.

Britain’s Tom Pidcock said it was bittersweet finishing second to Pogačar, after waiting for Pog to recover from his crash, then being unable to hold his wheel at the finish.

The eight-stage Paris-Nice got off to a tense start, with Belgium’s Tim Merlier taking the first stage in an all-out sprint; meanwhile, Jonas Vingegaard started the race with his very own personalized helmet.

An 18-year old Aussie man won a spot on the Canyon–SRAM zondacrypto development team by taking first place in the Zwift Academy’s virtual competition, calling the opportunity “life-changing.”

Despite a well-earned reputation for bullying people when he was competing, America’s only seven-time ex-Tour de France has been there for British eight-time Olympic medalist Bradley Wiggins since he retired nearly a decade ago, helping him recover from a drug problem and deep debt.

 

Finally….

Fixing a bike for the toddler WorldTour development squad. And we may have to deal with LA’s feral drivers, but at least we don’t have to ride between wild bobcats.

@lookitsblackdynamite

#bobcat #lynx #fyp #animals #nature #foryou #cat #explore #trending #viral

♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Hit-and-run driver plows through Boyle Heights bike riders aiding immigrants, and new bill would launch CA bike highways

March 7, 2025 / / No comments
Day 66 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

A hit-and-run driver may have used her car as a weapon in Boyle Heights last month.

Or maybe she was just a seriously distracted driver.

According to KTLA-5, a group of about 15 people were riding their bikes near Mariachi Plaza shortly before 8 pm on Tuesday, February 25th, to hand out “red cards” informing immigrants of their legal rights.

The victims report they were were riding safely, obeying traffic laws, some even wearing orange vests, when a woman in a blue Kia plowed through the group from behind, while appearing to look at her phone.

And yes, the whole thing was caught on a security cam.

At least four of the riders were struck with the woman’s car, with one victim tossed onto the windshield of the car.

The woman continued driving through the group, even as people threw their bicycles at her car to get her to stop. One victim was hospitalized with head trauma, while others suffered injuries to their legs and arms.

The driver was described only as a white woman with a bald head, while the car is described as a 2016 four-door Kia sedan with the license plate number 8GAN606.

And yes, a photo shows a bike rack on the back.

Naturally.

Although it’s unclear why the police have been unable to find the driver when they have her license plate.

It’s also unclear whether this was a hate crime because the victims were helping immigrants, a road-raging driver attacking bike riders, or just a distracted driver too busy staring at her phone to look up.

Or maybe something else entirely.

Anyone with information is urged to call the LAPD at 1-877/527-3247, or anonymously at 1-800/222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.

Let’s just hope they catch this one.

My apologies if the above tweet doesn’t show up properly. Embedding Twitter/X posts has been very buggy on here since Elon has been busy screwing the site up. 

Top image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay.

………

A new bill would launch a bike highway pilot program in California.

Introduced by Ventura Assemblymember Steve Bennett, and sponsored by Calbike, AB 954 instructs Caltrans to develop a bike highway program, defined as accommodating “high volumes of people traveling longer distance on bicycles (more than 3 miles) by connecting users to major destinations, employment centers, and transit hubs,” while providing full separation from motor vehicles.

According to Calbike,

Bike highways offer an important alternative to residents seeking relief from rising gas prices, and those working to lower their carbon footprint. In June 2022, Caltrans released a Bay Area Bike Highway Study that identifies feasible opportunities to add these corridors and incorporates best practices most suitable for the region. With the U.S. importing an estimated 2.4 million e-bikes between 2020-2023, commuting longer distances by bike is becoming more feasible for the average consumer. California prioritizes bicycling as a key part of its larger decarbonization goals, and is among 19 states offering assistance to purchase an e-bike with the launch of the California E-Bike Incentive Program in late 2024. The State of California was recognized as the 4th most Bicycle Friendly State in the Country by the League of American Bicyclists in December 2024.

Although the question is where these would go, when and if the bill passes and gets signed by the governor.

Which is anything but guaranteed with our current leader.

………

This should be a good one.

Streets For All’s next virtual happy hour will feature my new representative, the very bike and street safety-friendly Congresswoman Laura Friedman on March 19th.

Click here to RSVP.

………

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

Yet another British bike path has been repeatedly sabotaged by anti-bike terrorists who placed tree branches across a popular cycle track on the Isle of Wight in an apparent attempt to injure bicyclists, then immediately replaced them after bike riders moved them off. As well as hooded, cider-quaffing men who shouted insults and threats at passing riders. Although how do they know it was cider, and not just an English ale?

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

No bias here. A website for New York’s wealthy Upper East Side says bicyclists are happy with the area’s new bike lanes, but many riders ignore the rules of the road and run red lights, questioning whether their behavior will now get worse. But have they even seen the city’s drivers?

………

Local  

Chinatown’s Firecracker Lunar New Year runs, dog walk and bike rides roll this weekend, after they were rescheduled due to the January firestorms.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, thefts of electric scooters are skyrocketing in Los Angeles, as thieves find the locks easy picking. Literally.

Work is starting on the La Crescenta Rehabilitation Project on Glendale’s Montrose and La Crescenta avenues; the project includes lane reductions in both directions and buffered and protected bike lanes, as well other improvements.

 

State

Calbike offers an update on their priorities for the current legislative session.

He gets it. A writer for the nonprofit Voice of OC says ebikes aren’t the problem, unsafe riders are. Although to be honest, a lot of ebikes out there are vastly overpowered for the age of the people on them.

A San Francisco woman shares her favorite bike ride through the city’s Golden Gate Park.

A Nevada County event proves that bike riders and equestrians really can get along. A lesson the LA horse and bike communities have clearly yet to learn.

 

National

Momentum highlights the country’s best rail trails, none of which is found in California.

Detroit is retraining its police officers, after a cop was filmed ticketing a man for riding his bicycle legally in the street, as he had every right to do.

Houston reopened a key two-way bike lane after it was “prematurely closed” by construction workers with no notice.

About time. New York is finally dealing with the inevitable conflicts and collisions in Central Park by redesigning the roadway through the park, providing separate lanes for runners, walkers, slow bike riders and faster bicyclists and ebike riders. Which should reduce the risk of collisions, as long as everyone stays in their lane.

New York State won’t charge the Syracuse cop who killed a man riding an ebike in an on-duty crash, concluding there was no evidence the cop was speeding, driving recklessly, or under the influence at the time of the crash, even though no one bothered to test him for drugs or alcohol use. Although someone should tell whoever wrote the headline that it was a person who was killed in the fatal crash, not an ebike.

Philadelphia approved a series of new bike lanes through the center city area.

Los Angeles isn’t the only major city where traffic deaths rise to the level of homicides, as a new Atlanta report shows 2023 bicyclist and pedestrian deaths were nearly equal to murders in the three-county metropolitan area. Although in LA, overall traffic deaths have exceeded murders for two years in a row.

The Southern political magazine Scalawag recounts last month’s 51-mile-long route from Selma to Montgomery bike ride, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the historic civil rights march.

A bighearted Florida girl showed kindness instead of anger when someone stole the new bike she got for Christmas, then returned it the next day; assuming the thief was homeless, she “put food, a drink, and a snack” in the basket, along with a note saying “Please don’t steal my bike again” — which someone promptly did.

 

International

Road.cc weighs the pros and cons of using a gravel bike as your only bicycle.

Seriously? Homeowners in Dorset, England are “furious” over two-foot tall car-tickler bendy-posts protecting a new bike lane, which they say keep them from parking in their own driveways — despite the obvious gaps permitting access — while emergency vehicles are somehow forced to park in the traffic lane, because they can’t manage to drive their bigass trucks over those flexible little plastic posts.

The New York Times talks with Jill Warren, who walked away from a 20-year legal career to head the Brussels, Belgium-based European Cyclists’ Federation, an NGO dedicated to promoting bicycling to help lower carbon emissions.

The BBC continues our recent Japanese travelogue, with a “spectacular” bike ride through six of the country’s remote islands.

 

Competitive Cycling

Last year’s Tour de France, Giro and world champ Tadej Pogačar is one of five nominees for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award, after what’s being called the most remarkable year in the history of cycling; Olympic and world champion mountain biker Tom Pidcock is nominated for Sportsman of the Year.

Meanwhile, Pogačar says he prefers to think of himself as a classics rider who wins Grand Tours, rather than the other way around. Or maybe he’s just someone who wins everything.

 

Finally….

Who among us hasn’t dreamed of riding a bicycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles, living on nothing but Chipotle burritos?

And this video is no less cringy for knowing the guy walked away from it.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: ,

Why don’t Angelenos with a “passion” for transit and bikes just move, and AZ man busted for threatening 3-day bike tour

March 6, 2025 / / No comments
Day 65 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

Seriously?

A writer asks why people who are “extremely passionate about improving public transit and making the city more bike-friendly,” don’t just leave Los Angeles, when it’s too often the exact opposite.

And especially when it seems like things will never change, thanks to our risk-averse and overly car-friendly leadership.

So I’m genuinely curious—why do people who are really passionate about transit and biking stay in LA instead of moving somewhere that already supports that lifestyle? Cities like NYC, SF, Portland, or even international places like Amsterdam or Tokyo offer great transit and biking infrastructure without needing massive overhauls.

Is it optimism that LA will change? Other factors like work, family, or weather? What makes the fight worth it?

Um, maybe because we live here?

I get that it’s frustrating.

I feel like Don Quixote tilting at windmills most of the time. And Sisyphus the rest.

But Los Angeles can change. This used to be the most transit-rich city in the country, thanks to the Red and Yellow Lines. And it can be again.

The overwhelming support for Measure HLA a year ago shows the demand for safer streets that serve us all, with two-thirds of voters supporting the ballot measure.

So the problem isn’t with the city, or the people who live here.

It’s with the people in charge who refuse to listen, and only hear the angriest voices who fight progress, rather than the ones demanding it.

We don’t need to move. We just need to do something to move them.

………

If you see something, say something.

An Arizona man faces charges for threatening to run over bicyclists participating in the three-day El Tour de Zona, after a city worker saw his comment on the city’s Facebook page.

Clearly, they’re taking it seriously in the wake of the Show Low massacre, when a pickup driver intentionally slammed into people participating in a master’s race — then made a U-turn and threatened to do it again, before police shot him and took him into custody.

And taking it seriously exactly what they should do.

………

Mark your calendar for this November, when the cities of El Monte and South El Monte will host the five-mile Corazon Del Valle active streets event, courtesy of ActiveSGV, Metro and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments.

………

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

Boston’s mayor is engaged in an active policy of revanchism, reviewing — and possibly ripping out — bike lanes and protective barriers installed during her more bike-friendly first term, as drivers demand their right to reclaim the few feet of street space they may have lost.

Momentum looks at the Toronto business owners who are shooting themselves in the foot by suing to rip out one of the city’s most popular bike lanes, assuming that most of their customers arrive by car. Never mind that bike lanes have been repeatedly shown to create the kind of bike and pedestrian friendly neighborhoods that benefit local businesses. 

………

Local  

Streets For All offers their Neighborhood Council endorsements for Region 11, including North Westwood, Mar Vista and Venice.

Streetsblog’s Sahra Sulaiman considers the legacy of redlining, saying the late Nipsey Hussle “understood cities better than you, so why didn’t you know who he was?” Personally, I knew of him as a community activist and business owner for some time before his murder, but had never actually heard his music.

A Culver City writer says they’re obsessed with bike commuting, and the five-to-six mile ride is the perfect way to end a working day. Except the city has already ripped out some of the bike lanes that makes it so enjoyable.

 

State

Congratulations to Caltrans on averaging more than one home or business demolition per mile of new freeways over a five-year period. Because really, who needs a home or a job if it stands in the way of the God-given right to sit idly in induced demand-induced congestion?

Santa Paula is using a $1.5 million county grant to build two-and-a-half mile of bike and pedestrian paths.

Calbike catches up with the ongoing fight to save the bike/ped lane on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Which is under threat by those poor, put-upon drivers who only want 100% of it.

San Francisco’s transportation agency unanimously approved a new bike plan designed to connect all the city’s bike lanes and put everyone in the city within a quarter mile of one. Then again, that’s what LA’s unbuilt bike plan was supposed to do after it was also unanimously approved by the city council.

Napa is reducing lanes on one of the city’s major east-west corridors to make space for buffered bike lanes and better pedestrian safety.

Sacramento’s bicycle-friendly side streets help bike riders navigate through the city.

 

National

Streetsblog questions why there’s so little research on the “unspoken” travel needs of the women and caregivers when it comes to mobility hubs.

Seattle ripped out a highway that blocked views of, and access to, Puget Sound, and replaced with a new fully separated bike path along the waterfront, which officially opens this weekend.

Even the state college in my bike-friendly Colorado hometown is bike-friendly, as Colorado State University is honored as one of the nation’s first Accredited Transportation Demand Management Organizations, in recognition of their “commitment to innovation, efficiency and providing advanced mobility solutions.”

Houston advocates complain that no one told them a two-way bike lane was going to be completely closed for construction. Evidently, it was on a need to know basis, and someone clearly concluded they didn’t.

Cincinnati has a new interactive bike map that shows all of the city’s bicycle infrastructure, completed and planned, including bike lanes, shared-use bike paths and protected bike lanes. Which is exactly what LA bike riders were promised years ago. And never got.

A new documentary from the Ann Arbor, Michigan public library captures the semi-official, semi-bandit mountain bike trails that make up the city’s Loop of Pain. Yes, the public library.

An Indiana newspaper solves the mystery of a missing ghost bike, which was apparently mangled by a snow plow and taken to a recycling center. On the other hand, it’s nice that people cared enough to want to know what happened to it. 

Good Samaritans came to the rescue of a four-year old boy who was found riding his bike unsupervised in near-freezing temperatures, providing him with a juice box and a fur coat until police arrived. Because every kid should be wrapped in mink for a winter bike ride, right?

A 73-year old Memphis woman faces charges for a drunken hit-and-run, after she allegedly crashed into a firefighter who was just riding a bike around the firehouse.

The rich get richer, as New York defies Trump’s demand to rip out the city’s bike lanes, and widens five of them, instead — including one on 6th Avenue.

 

International

Oxford, England is extending a program to provide local businesses with next-day deliveries by electric cargo bike.

British bike riders complain about a new $20 million bike/ped “bridge to nowhere,” which leads to a dangerous road on one side, and a muddy quagmire on the other.

An Italian website mourns the passing of an 87-year old “giant of journalism” famous for riding his bicycle everywhere — including the time he revived a driver who doored him, then fainted after he realized who he whacked.

An Aussie writer falls in love with biking in Japan.

More young people are biking to work in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City. Young evidently being a relative term, since the story features mostly 30-something bike commuters.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cyclist previews next week’s very nice Paris-Nice stage race.

 

Finally….

The feeling when you’re hooked on Strava, and don’t care who knows it. Did Kevin Bacon and Lawrence Fishburne really star in the worst bicycle movie of all time?

And this is who we share the road with.

 

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,

New bill requires quick-build bikeways on CA highways, turns out swearing is damn good for you, and mind the bridge gap

March 5, 2025 / / No comments
Day 64 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

Maybe there’s hope for Caltrans yet.

That’s because a new bill introduced by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, who represents a sprawling district stretching from Santa Monica to Glendale, would require the agency to develop quick-build bike lane and intersection projects on state highways.

Streetsblog defines a quick build project as a “temporary, easily adjustable infrastructure improvement that can be installed rapidly using readily available materials,” installed as a pilot project to gauge community feedback, or as a temporary placeholder for a larger, more permanent project.

The point of the bill, AB 891, is to get something on the street quickly while reducing planning and engineering costs, rather than waiting years to go through the usual process that moves with the speed of a snail stuck in molasses.

According to Streetsblog,

Santa Monica has made use of quick-build projects on local streets in recent years. Some examples: the plastic-bollard parking protected bike lane on Broadway in 2023,  a series of Safe Routes to School’s Projects also in 2023, and the city is planning to use quick build for the East Pico Safety Project.

One example of a state highway that would benefit from this legislation is the Pacific Coast Highway, State Route 1. Following a high-profile fatal crash in 2023, the City of Malibu has worked with the state to change the character of the highway which currently features high speed limits, beautiful views of the ocean and mountains and high volumes of bicycle traffic.

We can only hope.

………

Good news for all of us who struggle to control our language after getting cut off by a driver, or yet another too-close pass.

And by us, I mean me.

Because new research shows that swearing can increase hypoalgesia, aka improve your tolerance for pain.

Foul language has also been shown to improve physical strength, improve memory, bolster social bonds, and ease the pain of rejection.

So go the hell ahead and swear up a mother-effing blue streak.

………

Finish The Ride is going back to the beach to finish the job they started.

………

Clear your schedule this Sunday for the first ever Cargopalooza.

Weather looking good. Bring the family along the LA River Bike Path Sunday for our first Cargopalooza!@bikinginla.bsky.social @streetsforall.org @streetsblogla.bsky.social gravelbikecalifornia.com/cargopalooza…

— CiclaValley (@ciclavalley.bsky.social) 2025-03-05T00:08:44.173Z

………

Yeah, this British ad kinda gets the point across.

………

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

Bloomington, Indiana wants bike riders to stop not stopping, as the city council votes to re-install stop signs along a protected bike path, after they were removed because bicyclists complained about losing their momentum having to repeatedly stop while riding up and down hills. And because there was no reason to have them there in the first place, let alone the second place. Thanks to Ben Fulton for the heads-up. 

An Irish bike advocacy group highlights the anti-bike lies, exaggerations, misinformation and disinformation that local leaders take all too seriously.

………

Local  

Pasadena explains California’s new Daylighting Law that prevents parking within 20 feet of an intersection, but doesn’t say when the city will begin enforcement.

Pasadena’s iconic Colorado Street Bridge will close to cars for a one-night party on July 19th, but you’ll need a ticket to take part.

 

State

San Diego will take advantage of a 2022 state law addressing “speed creep” due to the deadly 85th Percentile Law by reducing speed limits on 17 road segments.

 

National

A writer for Bicycling says modern bike computers can tell you everything but what time it is. This time you can read it on MSN if the magazine blocks you.

US bikemakers say if you want a bargain on a new bicycle, buy it now before Trump’s tariffs take hold.

Your next bicycling sunglasses could have a built-in dashcam and AI-powered heads-up display.

A Nebraska man traveled 400 miles to testify in support of a bill to stiffen penalties for drivers who kill bicyclists, after the drunk driver who killed his 76-year old father got off with a lousy year behind bars and a thousand dollar fine.

Georgia legislators apparently put more value on the wallets of drivers than the lives of school kids, as they push to ban speed cameras in school zones.

 

International

Canada’s National Observer say ebike sales are booming, and the country’s cities and laws need to catch up or squander the opportunity.

A new report says one out of every ten Lime bikes on London streets has bad brakes, which could be just a tad inconvenient.

A professional football, uh, soccer player for England’s third tier Mansfield Town appeared in court to plead guilty to killing a 33-year old man riding a bicycle by “careless or inconsiderate driving,” which has a maximum five-year sentence, then started a match for his team team just hours later.

Women now make up a quarter of the membership of Cycling UK, the country’s national bicycling nonprofit.

Residents of the Netherlands bought 858,000 new bicycles last year, a drop of 7% over the year before, while nearly half were ebikes.

A European environmental website profiles Olso, Norway’s cargo bicyclist, who traded his delivery truck for a box cargo bike.

Czech carmaker Škoda’s We Love Cycling website says you need a mountain bike to improve your riding skills.

 

Finally….

Your next e-foldie could fit in a suitcase. Who wouldn’t want purple bike brakes — or a Grateful Dead ebike, for that matter?

And that’s one way to open a gate.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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