PeopleForBikes and Ride LA Together ride to rescue, as LA River bike path and LA28 projects rise in costs and complexity

August 12, 2026 / / No comments

Look, I don’t have a lot of time left to get anything done tonight, after writing about the second bicycling death in two days.

But I at least want to get two interrelated stories out that deserved our attention on a semi-expedited basis.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that completing the Los Angeles River bike path is going to take a lot longer, and cost a lot more, than anyone had been expecting.

The project was originally on former Mayor Eric Garcetti’s vaunted Twenty-Eight by ’28 list of transportation projects to be completed in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, before it was removed in favor of easier projects completing segments in the San Fernando Valley.

According to the Times,

The longest unfinished stretch is the eight miles from Elysian Park through downtown to Maywood. For decades, advocates of the path have tried to complete those eight miles along the concretized river.

Yet a decade later, the unrideable gap remains. The ambitious project remains mired in planning and bureaucratic complications, with groundbreaking still two years off and the cost nearly tripling to more than $1 billion — almost $24,000 per foot — documents reviewed by The Times show.

That means, according to paper, that the project wouldn’t even break ground before the Olympics — if Metro somehow manages to come up with a cool $1 billion.

The problem, according to the Times, is that the original estimate and timeline was based on a simple pathway on just one side of the river, which became far more complicated after a series of public meetings.

Which is exactly what usually happens as a result of LA’s endless rounds of public meetings, in which every competing argument must be considered and accommodated, no matter how ridiculous, how much it costs, or how long it delays the project.

But by last year, the proposed designs were much wider and added seven pedestrian bridges. They also included sections where the path would be elevated above the ground, supported by beams. The changes responded to community input and comments from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and L.A. Department of Water and Power, among others. Estimated completion of the initial phase is not until 2031.

Navigating the web of nearby structures, like active rail lines and historic bridges, is part of what makes the construction so complex, Metro says. An original $75 million set aside for unforeseen expenses in 2016 swelled to $309 million last year, and the rising cost of construction also added to the high price tag.

Advocates, including Streets For All, well, advocate for a far less expensive and easier to build alternative, which would be built near river level. That means it would flood during heavier rains — just like virtually all of LA County’s other riverfront pathways.

It could also discourage women from using it, especially after dark, since they would be virtually invisible to anyone at street level.

But let me pause here for a quick aside.

This story, while well-written and informative, reflects the LA Times’ nasty habit of layoffs and buyouts, which has resulted in the loss of an incredible amount of institutional knowledge.

Beat writers familiar with project such as this, their history and the people involved, are long departed, replaced by younger and less experienced — and yes, cheaper — writers.

The former would have known that work to complete the Los Angeles River bike path has been driven by BikeLA, the former Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, for more than two decades.

But instead of contacting the former LACBC, they reached for the only numbers in their virtual rolodexes, and got comments from two people with Streets For All, including founder and chief exec Michael Schneider.

Which is great, since that organization is driving — if you’ll excuse the expression — much of the movement for safer streets in the LA area.

But BikeLA should have at least been contacted for story.

Then again, they did contact the mayor’s office, even though Karen Bass has done less for bicycling in this city than any mayor in recent memory.

Mayor Karen Bass chairs the Metro board. Despite the project’s stagnation, she continues to convey optimism.

“Angelenos voted in 2016 to make the L.A. River Path path a reality, and Mayor Bass is marshaling the resources necessary to eliminate further distraction that have threatened the project’s pace and cost,” her office said in statement.

And even though Bass has been a disaster for active transportation since assuming the chair.

But that brings us to the second part of our story, as bike industry advocacy coalition PeopleForBikes promises to ride to the rescue.

Pun intended.

To help give you the full story, I’m going to repost a press release the group sent me last week.

Ride LA Together Brings Southern California Together to Accelerate Bike Projects Before LA28

As Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, organizations from across Southern California are coming together through Ride LA Together, a regional initiative led by PeopleForBikes that brings local advocates, community organizations, businesses, and the bicycle industry together around one shared goal: creating a safer, more connected region where more people can ride bikes more often during and long after 2028.

The campaign builds on the work already being led by organizations across the region, including BikeLA, Move LA, Active San Gabriel Valley, the Los Angeles Bicycle Academy (LABA), and many others. Rather than replacing those efforts, Ride LA Together aligns partners around shared priorities, helping accelerate projects, amplify successes, and build the public support needed to move projects from planning to reality.

A recent example of what’s possible through coordinated action is the advancement of the $430 million LA River Bikeway, a voter-backed project that closes a roughly nine-mile gap between Long Beach and Griffith Park. Once complete, the bikeway will create a continuous, low-stress corridor that serves residents during the 2028 Games and for decades afterward.

“Los Angeles has a once-in-a-generation chance to change how people move, and, with the 2028 Games on the horizon, this is an opportunity we can focus on immediately,” said Jenn Dice, president and CEO of PeopleForBikes.

“LA’s bike network is fragmented and progress is happening slowly, but with real coordination and investment, we can accelerate these projects, grow ridership, and leave a legacy that serves the people who live here long after the Games are over.”

Ride LA Together was created to connect organizations already leading this work, advance priority projects, support community rides and events, and amplify local successes.

The work has already begun and will initially focus on accelerating projects moving through public planning and funding processes, including the San Gabriel Valley Regional Greenway Network, the LA River Bikeway Project, Rail to River, and Sunset Boulevard safety improvements. Together, these investments will create safer connections between venues, neighborhoods, transit, jobs, schools, parks, and destinations across the region.

“You can feel the momentum building across Los Angeles,” said Eli Akira Kaufman, Executive Director of BikeLA, “Projects that have been discussed for years are moving forward, organizations are working more closely together, and there’s a growing sense that this is the moment to build the bike network our communities deserve. Ride LA Together is a key force multiplier that is deepening the connections within the movement, hard at work to transform Los Angeles into a more bikeable and livable city for everyone.

”By 2028, Ride LA Together aims to help accelerate priority bike projects, grow ridership through community programs, strengthen regional partnerships, and demonstrate how coordinated action can create safer, more connected transportation and recreation networks.

To learn more about Ride LA Together or get involved, visit ridela.peopleforbikes.org.

See how easy it was to get a quote from BikeLA ED Eli Akira Kaufman? They probably have him on speed dial, unlike a certain newspaper I could name.

(For younger readers, back in the olden days, we would pre-program frequently called numbers into our phones, so we could call someone without having to dial the whole number. And yes, I know texting is easier and less intrusive, but that’s how we did it back then.)

This is from the email accompanying the press release.

LA’s transportation system showed its limits during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 2028 Olympics will bring twice the pressure. However, a coordinated effort is already underway to ensure LA is ready and it starts with bikes.

Paris solved a similar challenge in three years by making every Olympic venue accessible by bike. LA has less than two years, but six priority infrastructure projects are already in motion:

Some of those even I wasn’t familiar with, like the Festival Trail and Western Our Way. Others have been in progress, or at least under discussion, for years, if not decades.

But few, if any, promised to be complete in time for the Olympic Games, as the Metro and Los Angeles leadership — which is currently one and the same — has continued to drag their feet on projects that should have been completed by now, let alone in another two years.

So any help PeopleForBikes and the Ride LA Together coalition can provide would be a blessing for a city that has long talked about making progress, without actually doing it.

If they can manage to cut through the city’s Gordian Knot of red tape and endless series of pointless public meetings, and overcome the chronic understaffing at the chronically understaffed LADOT, which seems to have fewer engineers that most modern trains, I’m all for it.

I confess, I’m feeling something I don’t really recognize, and haven’t experienced since those heady days of the Garcetti years, when groundbreaking programs were announced with great fanfare, before being allowed to whither and die on the vine.

I think it’s called…

Hope.

Image of LA River bike path gap closure from LA Metro website. 

Category: Advocacy & Politics / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Ebike rider killed by driver in Santa Ana Tuesday evening; 4th fatal bicycling crash in Santa Ana in 3 months

August 12, 2026 / / One comment

Another day, another person on an ebike struck by a driver in Santa Ana.

Monday, a man barely survived a violent hit-and-run caught on security cam. Tuesday, the victim didn’t. But at least this time, the driver stuck around.

According to KCBS-2, the victim of Tuesday’s crash was riding near the intersection of N. Santiago Street and Santa Ana Blvd when he was struck by the driver around 6 pm.

He was taken to a local hospital, where he died. At this time, he hasn’t been publicly identified.

However, KNBC-4 oddly places the time of the crash as sometime “before 7:50 pm.”

Unfortunately, there’s no additional information at this time, other than the driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.

However, since the cops and the media seem incapable of telling an e-bicycle from an e-motorbike, it’s up to us to suss out what the victim was actually riding.

In this case, video from the scene appears to show a crumpled bicycle frame, rather than a heavier e-moto. Although “appears” seems to be the key word here.

This crash was less than five miles from the site of Monday’s hit-and-run, in which the victim appeared to do everything right.

This is at least the 39th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the sixth we know about in Orange County. It’s also the fourth fatal bicycling crash in Santa Ana in three months.

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

 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Man riding bicycle killed on the 710 Freeway in East Los Angeles early Monday morning

August 11, 2026 / / No comments

Once again, someone riding a bicycle has been killed on a Southern California highway.

And once again, we have almost no information to go on. But after waiting all day Monday for more information, we’ll have to go with what we’ve got.

According to The Eastsider and My News LA, a man was killed when he was struck by a driver on the 710 Freeway in East Los Angeles.

Yes, on a busy freeway where bicycles aren’t allowed under any circumstances.

The victim was riding his bike on the southbound Long Beach Freeway, otherwise known as the 710, just north of Floral Drive, when he was run down around 3:20 am.

He died at the scene. Which is not surprising, assuming he was struck at highway speeds.

The driver remained at the scene.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know right now. There’s no word on the identity of the victim, or why he was riding on the freeway. However, in virtually every other case where someone was killed while riding a bicycle on a freeway in the middle of the night, the victim turned out to be homeless.

Which should not lessen the tragedy in any way.

This is at least the 38th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the 13th we know about in Los Angeles County.

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

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Road rage trifecta — French driver goes bowling for bicyclists, Apple Valley man weaponizes his car, and WeHo bus driver hits rider and runs over bicycle

August 10, 2026 / / No comments

Once again, a driver has used his car as a weapon to deliberately run down a group of bike riders.

The road rage attack began when the 73-year old Italian man passed a group of bicyclists, between the towns of Lanzo Torinese and Coassolo, while angrily honking his horn; when one of the riders gestured in response, he put his car in reverse and plowed into the group, throwing one rider nearly 100 feet.

Then when one of the other riders raced after him to capture his license plate, he spun around and sped into them again, striking another rider before slamming into a several riders who had stopped to help their fallen comrade.

According to Wanted In Milan,

Four cyclists were injured, two of them seriously. Two were airlifted to Turin’s CTO hospital, while the other two were taken to San Giovanni Bosco hospital. One victim, aged 60, suffered a fractured femur, a compound fracture to the left leg, and facial and chest trauma. A second, aged 68, sustained serious injuries to his shoulder and pelvis. Neither is believed to be in life-threatening condition.

The man was placed under house arrest after turning himself in, while he faces an investigation for multiple counts of assault and attempted manslaughter.

………

Meanwhile, an Apple Valley man was arrested for the same weaponization of his car against someone on a bicycle.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested 58-year old Apple Valley resident Michael Garbush on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after he was accused of intentionally crashing his car into the victim following a verbal dispute Wednesday evening.

Garbush was arrested after leaving the scene, while the victim was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

At last report, Garbush was being held in lieu of $40,000 bail, and was scheduled to appear in court this past Friday.

………

And yet another driver stands accused of weaponizing his vehicle to attack someone on a bicycle.

Last week, we mentioned that a bus driver had struck a bicyclist in a West Hollywood bike lane. Now WeHo Times is reporting that the driver, 39-year old Edward Mosby, has been arrested and charged assault with a deadly weapon, with great bodily injury.

According to the paper,

Cyclist Ruben Rubalcava told the WeHo Times that the incident followed a road-rage confrontation with Mosby, who was driving a Cityline shuttle. Rubalcava said he confronted Mosby after the shuttle allegedly came too close to him while he was riding his bicycle on Santa Monica Boulevard. “I told him he needed to be three feet away from me and it enraged him,” he said.

According to Rubalcava, the confrontation escalated when Mosby allegedly began yelling and cursing at him before striking him with the shuttle.

“He ran over my bike in a fit of rage,” Rubalcava said. “First he hit me from behind and I was knocked off the bike. Then he ran over the bicycle. It was two hits.”

Although despite the charge, Rubalcava didn’t suffer any serious injuries, and declined medical treatment. Mosby was being held on $30,000 bail.

All of these stories serve as reminder that every driver is in possession of a multi-ton locked and loaded weapon, and all it takes is a momentary flash of anger to use it that way.

………

Good point.

A letter writer in the Los Angeles Times complains about the framing of a recent story about triathlete Marc Papas attempting to ride every street in Los Angeles.

According to Los Angeles resident Misch Takemoto,

Kudos to Marc Papas for his project and promoting biking! And shame on the Los Angeles Times for the headline and framing of, ”Is Los Angeles the world’s best biking city?” and “L.A. is actually bikeable” (“Is Los Angeles the world’s best biking city? He’s biked 5,840-plus miles in one year to find out,” Aug. 4).

Claiming that Los Angeles is “bikeable” because a young male triathlete who is unbothered by extreme heat has the spare time and ambition to bike every street as a personal challenge is ridiculous. By the same logic, Mt. Everest is a “hikeable” hill. Yes, people do it — but it’s incredibly hard, and a lot of people die trying, so most people don’t do it.

He goes on to say that Papas’ effort is remarkable because he’s doing it despite much of the city being uncomfortable, if not hostile, to someone on a bicycle, and that Papas himself recognized the need for more bike lanes.

By framing it the way they did, the Times makes it appear that Los Angeles is just fine the way it is, when in reality, we desperately need more options for “safe, clean, affordable, non-congesting, efficient” ways to get around this city.

Which is how I should have responded to the article, but didn’t.

So kudos to Takemoto for a response that was much more on point than mine. And shame on me for missing the mark.

………

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

Boulder County Sheriff’s deputies tracked down the driver seen speeding down a Colorado bike path at up to 50 mph, posing a “significant safety risk” for anyone using the path for anything other than a traffic bypass route, and charging a 44-year-old man with reckless driving and reckless endangerment.

A 33-year old Wisconsin man was arrested for threatening to kill a neighbor’s child for riding an ebike in the street, and siccing his dog on the kid; the confrontation ended up in an armed standoff with the police when he refused to give up his weapons.

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

A 34-year old Visalia man was arrested for riding a bicycle while wearing a tactical vest, with an AR-15-style BB gun slung over his back. Until this moment, I did not know it was against the law to carry any replica gun in public, even if it only fires BBs. 

When you’re a wanted felon riding your bike carrying meth, heroin and fentanyl, seriously, don’t ride salmon.

………

Local 

Metro’s $600 payment to up to 2,000 Los Angeles households to leave a car at home for five weeks is starting to make the larger national news.

 

State

A San Francisco website says California’s ebike wars are exploding in Orange County, as ridership reaches “epidemic” levels, and the DA has had enough. Although let’s be clear, once again, the entire problem stems from the easy availability of e-motorbikes, electric dirt bikes, and ebikes that can be hacked to exceed the permitted speeds, not basic ped-assist bicycles.

San Diego is launching a public education campaign in advance of the city’s crackdown on ebikes for kids.

A man suffered life-threatening injuries when he was hit by a pickup driver while riding an ebike in Hesperia; photos from the scene showed the bike at least had pedals.

Sad news from Modesto, where an ebike rider was killed after allegedly going through a red light, and was struck by “an SUV,” which remained at the scene. Once again, however, there’s no word on whether the victim was actually on an electric bicycle, or an e-motorbike, although the police did note it had pedals, in addition to an electric motor. And once again, there’s no mention of a driver, as if the SUV somehow made the decision to stick around after the crash on its own.

Sonoma County is on the verge of building California’s first New Urbanist community, built around the idea that it should be walkable, bikeable, and affordable by design.

The UC Davis community is mourning a student who was killed while riding his bike in a bike lane last week.

 

National

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the five-year BUILD America 250 Act (H.R. 8870), or Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th Act; the bill would provide a 10% boost for Transportation Alternatives, but would allow states to move the funds to other programs. I’d be happy if they’d just stop giving bills awkward titles just to get a good acronym out of it.

A Redditor says a rear-facing radar has given him renewed confidence, six years after recovering from a bad crash; meanwhile, some Reddit users say they’re moving away from saying “on your left.” I found I could avoid any confusion in most cases by just adding “‘Passing’ on your left,” rather than simply saying “on your left,” which can be confusing for some people.

A writer for Bike Mag lays out the five best uses of AI for bicycling, which basically boils down to, don’t.

An Oregon edition of the World Naked Bike Ride rode through the parking garage of Willamette shopping mall to protest its closure in its final days. Meanwhile, the New York Times considers the split over whether a naked bike ride should be a party or a protest. However, the first two stories show full-frontal nudity from both sexes, and are definitely NSFW.

A Colorado mountain biker’s life may have been saved by a simple shade shelter after he suffered a mechanical breakdown while riding in record heat; the shelter had been built in honor of a man who had died of heat exposure and dehydration on the same trail four years earlier. Seriously, folks, look at the damn weather report, and if it’s too hot, either ride early or late, or save it for another day. 

Tragic news from Massachusetts, where a seven-year old kid was killed when they “unintentionally” entered the roadway their bike, and was struck by a motorist. Oddly, the story makes a point of mentioning the victim was wearing a helmet, as if a magic plastic hat will somehow protect a little kid from a bigass, multi-ton motor vehicle. 

A former Angeleno accepts an invitation for a free lecture on the subconscious mind, and finds himself walking his bike into a Harlem Scientology lecture — and biking back out after working his way through a phalanx of staffers trying to talk him out of leaving early.

The mother of a 12-year old boy shot and killed in the Bronx while he was riding his bike last month joined legislators to promote a new bill in his name that would increase penalties for killing a kid.

An 84-year old Tampa, Florida man was killed when his allegedly drifted out of a bike lane on his bicycle, and was struck by a driver. Although it’s just as likely that the driver drifted into the bike lane without realizing it and struck the victim. A lot depends on whether there were any independent witnesses, since it’s human nature for the driver to see their own actions in the best light. 

City leaders in Gulfport, Florida take a surprisingly rational approach to ebikes, deciding to wait for crash data to come in before making any rash decisions.

 

International

If you build it, they will come. Edmonton, Alberta drivers may hate the city’s new bike lanes, but ridership is expanding in tandem with the increasing bike network.

An Ottawa, Canada man with cerebral palsy was shocked when someone stole the $6,000 adaptive bicycle he’d used to get around and take part in road races for the past 30 years — and was probably more shocked when it was recovered after someone turned it in to a scrapyard. Thanks to Megan for the heads-up. 

A former pro basketball player in Girona, Spain discovers a whole new city after she retired and bought a bicycle; as a player, her contracts had forbidden her from riding a bike.

 

Competitive Cycling

Dutch cyclist Demi Vollering won the Tour de France Femmes for the second time by winning Sunday’s final stage by a comfortable one minute and 10 seconds, after the 2023 champ started day just 8 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, and 4 minutes and 29 seconds ahead of former Giro champ Elisa Longo Borghini in third.

Controversy entered the Tour when Niewiadoma-Phinney accused French champion Célia Gery of a lack of ‘fair play,’ for blocking her against the rails on the final sprint on stage 8, denying her the chance to defend the yellow jersey, which was taken by Vollering; Niewiadoma-Phinney had claimed the yellow jersey the day before with a dominating breakaway on the famed Mont Ventoux.

Five-time Tour de France champ Tadej Pogačar talks about his relationship with with four-time Vuelta a España winner Primož Roglič, before the two cross swords at this year’s Vuelta.

Someone broke into the Unibet Rose Rockets cycling team trailer in Poitiers, France, and stole the bikes they needed for a race in Spain — then they got them back because a team mechanic had thought to put an AirTag in his tool box.

At least 17 people were injured in a massive crash during a youth bike ride in Poland, with six of the victims hurt badly enough to require hospitalization, though fortunately, none of the injuries were life-threatening.

A Massachusetts cyclist was airlifted to the hospital after going over a guard rail during a race, and thrown into the woods; no word on the severity of their injuries, but they don’t use a med-assist flight for a few scrapes. Somehow, the newspaper still hid most of the story behind a paywall, even though it appears to have been based entirely on the publicly available press release we linked to.

You’re invited to take part in the eighth stage of the Chocolatería Antonella Cycling Cup this Sunday in Rosarito, Mexico, a 1.2-mile crit offering 35,000 pesos — the equivalent of $2042 US — in total prize money. Somehow, it sounds better in pesos. 

 

Finally…

Now you, too, can ride an ebike that doesn’t look like an ebike, for a mere $2,400. Or maybe you’d rather 3D print your own airless bike tires.

And you must abide by the rules to ride a real scraper bike.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: ,

Man killed riding bicycle in Azusa Thursday morning; no word on how it happened or who else was involved

August 7, 2026 / / No comments

At least this time, there’s no question whether the victim was actually on a bicycle. Whether there was a driver involved, is another matter.

According to KTLA-5, which is currently the only source reporting on the crash, the victim was hit by “a vehicle” near Baseline Road and Fenimore Ave in Azusa shortly before 5:56 am Thursday morning.

The victim, identified only as a man, was taken to a local hospital suffering from major injuries, where he died.

There’s no word at this time whether the driver stayed at the scene, or fled. Or if there even was a driver, for that matter.

There’s also no word on how the crash happened, or what kind of vehicle was involved. It could have been an aircraft, for all we know.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Azusa Police Department’s Traffic Bureau at 626/812-3200.

This is the 37th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the 12th we know about in Los Angeles County.

Those numbers could be higher or lower, depending on how many of the people killed riding ebikes were actually on electric bicycles, or were riding e-motos or electric dirt bikes, since the police and media don’t seem to know the difference.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Caltrans starts 2-year process for new bike & pedestrian plan, and Calbike argues ebikes belong but need better regulation

August 7, 2026 / / 2 comments

Caltrans has begun a two-year process to develop a new bicycle and pedestrian plan.

Here’s how Calbike describes it.

The State Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan (SBPP) is Caltrans’ statewide policy plan for walking and bicycling. Caltrans has started work on a new plan, with a final version expected in 2028. It sits under the larger California Transportation Plan, alongside statewide plans for rail, freight, aviation, and other parts of the transportation system. The current SBPP will update Toward an Active California, the plan Caltrans adopted in 2017, which was the first plan of its kind in California.

Caltrans says the new plan will identify the major needs, challenges, and opportunities facing people who walk and bike. It will then lay out a set of actions for the agency to carry out. It is important to note that the SBPP will not contain a statewide list of infrastructure projects. A bike lane, safer intersection, or improved highway crossing does not need to be named in the plan to move forward. Those projects are generally developed through Caltrans districts, local governments, regional agencies, funding programs, maintenance work, and other parts of the project delivery process.

Since it is a two-year process, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to participate. Just sign up at their website to receive updates.

………

Speaking of Calbike, the statewide bicycle advocacy group released a report arguing the ebikes belong on California streets, even if they are poorly understood.

The report finds that California’s three-class e-bike system is functional, though poorly understood outside of professional policy circles. The larger problem is the growing number of faster and more powerful electric devices that fall outside those classes while being sold or marketed as e-bikes. That failure of translation has consequences at every stage of the debate. A parent shopping online may see a product advertised as an e-bike without any clear indication that it falls outside of California’s legal classes. A reporter covering a collision may use “e-bike” as a catch-all term even if it is actually a much faster device. An officer at the roadside may have little more than the device’s appearance to determine what the rider is operating. By the time residents bring their concerns to a city council, several distinct types of devices and behaviors have often been collapsed into a single category. The resulting policy can end up restricting legal e-bikes instead of addressing the faster, unregulated devices that often prompt the concern.

The report goes on to argue that Senate Bill 1167 — authored by Senator Catherine Blakespear and cosponsored by CalBike, PeopleForBikes, Streets For All, and Streets Are For Everyone — would address that problem by clarifying what is and isn’t a legal ebike, and establishing a “lawful regulatory path for devices that exceed the limits of a legal ebike.”

………

A study from the UK finds that e-scooters are far more dangerous than motorcycles or bicycles, with users three-times more likely to suffer traumatic brain injuries.

Then again, they’re also significantly less likely to wear a helmet.

………

Local 

The Los Angeles Times considers the potential re-wilding of the Los Angeles River. Yes, please.

A Calabasas woman is campaigning for the state to adopt a version of Rio’s Law, which would help first responders recognize when autistic or neurodivergent people are in a vehicle during traffic stops. Or, presumably, when walking or riding a bicycle. 

WeHo Times reports a man was hospitalized after his bicycle was run over by a West Hollywood CityLine bus at Santa Monica and Fairfax, where the bike lanes found elsewhere on a boulevard don’t exist.

 

State

A Seal Beach letter writer complains about kids on ebikes harassing a coyote, which managed to escape by crossing PCH. No word on whether a roadrunner was also seen in the area, or if the coyote employed any devices from the ACME Company.

A San Clemente family found a measure of justice, when the hit-and-run driver who killed a 40-year old man riding an ebike was convicted of the crime, four years after the crash; San Clemente resident Michael Thomas Kosco will be sentenced next month.

The Bakersfield city council narrowly approved a resolution prioritizing bike lanes, narrower travel lanes and lower target speeds to improve road safety, in a city that consistently ranks as one of the nation’s most dangerous cities for bike riders and pedestrians.

Speaking of Bakersfield, the city closed a portion of the popular portion of the Kern River Parkway Trail due to aggressive dogs around the bike path; six dogs were taken into custody, but some could still be roaming the area. Although no one read the dogs their rights, so nothing they say can be used against them. 

An op-ed from the head of a Santa Barbara advocacy group argues that two people crashed into local businesses, and another person killed a pedestrian, but not one of the crashes involved an ebike, despite the panic in the city over them.

Sad news from Solano County, where someone riding a bicycle was struck and killed by a pickup driver exiting a freeway.

 

National

Colorado is relaunching the statewide ebike rebate program, with discounts of $1,000 on an ebike, and $1,300 on an e-cargo bike; that can be combined with a $225 tax credit, for a total savings of up to $1,525. That compares favorably to California’s ebike voucher discount of not a damn thing.

Even Laramie, Wyoming is opening a nine-acre bike park.

Colorado’s Steamboat Bike Park may be the most accessible in the US, with 15 of its 17 downhill trails adaptive-friendly.

A Colorado father hopes that his 24-year old son’s death in a hit-and-run while bicycling last month will somehow lead to safer streets.

A Washington DC man describes what it’s like to get shot while riding his bike, and thanks all the people who came to his rescue.

A team from the University of Texas completed the world’s longest annual charity ride, covering more than 4,000 miles from Austin to Anchorage, Alaska, while raising over $368,000 for cancer research and support programs.

It took nearly four months, but police in Louisiana have finally arrested a 34-year old woman for the hit-and-run death of a 24-year old man riding a bicycle, as well as her 60-something parents, who helped coverup the crime.

 

International

Bogotá, Colombia, is making sure women aren’t left behind in South America’s “city of cycling,” where women were previously convinced bicycles were for men.

Momentum makes the case for why Quebec’s 3,300-mile La Route Verte connected bicycle network is North America’s greatest bicycling route, combining quiet rural roads, converted railway trails, protected bike paths and scenic parkways.

An 11-year old Québécois kid pretty much sums up the feelings most of us have, saying “I’d be sad if I couldn’t ride my bike.”

Vultures are circling over the famed Raleigh bike brand, which could be on its last legs as it enters insolvency proceedings — the European equivalent of bankruptcy — after Netherlands-based parent company Accell Group failed to find a buyer.

A Turkish professor argues that bicyclists need to organize into an effective organization to make their voices heard to improve safety, rather than merely dreaming of a “beautiful society with the timidity of a pigeon.”

 

Competitive Cycling

Riders in the Tour de France Femmes are pushing for more stages for their own sake, not to be more like the men.

There were no major changes in the standings after stage 6 of the Tour, as Mauritian champ Kim Le Court bounced back from a difficult time trial to win the stage.

The women will compete on the brutal Mont Ventoux for the first time on today’s stage, which promises to be the hardest day’s in the Tour’s history.

Bike Radar says riders at the women’s Tour ride basically the same bikes as the men, just specced for smaller bodies. Although a lot of the men’s peloton shops in the petite department, too.

Dozens of cyclists crashed in a massive pile-up 24 miles from the finish line in stage 4 of the Tour de Pologne, requiring a half hour stoppage to sort out the mess.

 

Finally…

It may not be the first bike, but it’s probably the oldest.

And you’d think a website devoted to highway construction would know how to spell it.

But you would be wrong.

………

So I worked up a few more T-shirt designs. And yes, these are all for sale right now; just click on the photo.

 

 

 

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

 

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