In this report, CalBike makes six recommendations for state policy changes that will shift traffic enforcement in an anti-racist direction.
Redirect funding from the CHP budget to street redesign
Redirect funding from the CHP to automated enforcement
Divert Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) funding from police departments to community efforts
Decriminalize biking and walking
Make public transportation, including bike and scooter share, free
Implement income-adjusted traffic fines
There are some good proposals there, including the shift to automated enforcement. As well as the call to decriminalize common bicycling and walking behaviors.
If nothing else, it’s a good starting point.
And a reminder that this debate touches all of us in one way or another.
“Historically, planners have been responsible for manifestations of institutional racism including redlining and the construction of freewaysand toxic industrial development in poor and Black and Brown neighborhoods, among many others,” reads the letter to the APA dated July 24. “These actions have had reverberating effects, including creating the preconditions for over-policing of communities of color and disinvestment in community health and safety (just as they created the conditions for safety, wellness, prosperity, and limited policing in predominantly white suburbs).”
One example they provide is Vision Zero initiatives, which aim to reduce or eliminate traffic fatalities. Despite their good intentions, the programs “rely on police-led enforcement and may inadvertently direct additional resources to police.” The letter also points to how transit planners have deployed transit police “who notoriously harass riders of color over fee evasion,” and housing planners who’ve ignored how policing contributes to gentrification despite pledged support for affordable housing.
Which is one reason why enforcement shouldn’t be key to Vision Zero, here in LA or anywhere else. And why the automated speed and red light cams Calbike calls for are a better option for improving safety and compliance with the law.
………
For once, Los Angeles added bike lanes after a street was resurfaced.
Proving they really can do it, after all.
Happy to announce the completion of a major road resurfacing project on #Eldridge Avenue in #Sylmar. We resurfaced nearly two-lane miles, and added new crosswalks and bikes lanes. Questions? Call our office at (818) 756-8409 or contact us at this link: https://t.co/8ODClMdZfzpic.twitter.com/4igD7KcZ4u
— Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez (@MRodCD7) August 4, 2020
………
No surprise here.
@RockMiller just showed this map of bike crashes in Long Beach & asked us where the bikeway are. Most guesses were: to the north with large numbers of bike crashes. Turns out the street w/ the bikeways had the *least* number of crashes, esp w/ use of Bike Signals. #WalkBikePlacespic.twitter.com/WvovS0rMB5
This is why people continue to die on our streets. A Canadian woman who killed a man riding a bike after bragging about driving drunk on social media got just 18 months behind bars for yet another DUI, her third drunk driving conviction in just five years.
A combination of an early morning commitment today, and a late night last night tending to a new puppy who got into something she shouldn’t have, means I’m out of time to get anything done tonight.
As usual, we’ll be back on Friday to catch up on anything we missed.
Yes, collisions involving bike riders really are down in Los Angeles.
According to a Crosstown analysis of LAPD crash data, the lighter traffic resulting from the coronavirus lockdown led to a nearly 71% drop during the 11-week period starting March 15th.
That’s just four days before the shutdown orders in Los Angeles and California.
Surprisingly, despite the return of motor vehicle traffic and the recent jump in SoCal bicycling fatalities, bicycle crashes remained significantly below last year as of the middle of last month.
More surprising is that LADOT is actually moving forward with bike projects outside the Downtown area.
It seems LADOT is paying attention. Despite facing a shortfall of nearly $31 million due to the coronavirus pandemic, the department has expedited multiple bike lanes and safety projects since the “Safer at Home” order was issued on March 19. According to Colin Sweeney, LADOT’s public information director, there have been nearly 28 miles of bike lanes installed or upgraded, and an additional 5.5 lane miles are under construction in the city…
In addition to Downtown, Sweeney said LADOT also implemented more than 12 miles of new bike lanes to Avalon Boulevard in South Los Angeles since May.
“In South Los Angeles, the Manchester-Broadway, Our Way project has just begun construction and will add new parking-protected bike lanes from Manchester to Century on Broadway,” he said.
So maybe there’s hope, after all.
At least if you live or ride in those areas, because there are large swaths of LA where the city doesn’t appear to be doing anything.
Thanks to Ethan Ward for the heads-up.
Illustration by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay.
………
On a related subject, the dramatic drop in SoCal bicycling deaths in March, April and May during the coronavirus shutdown, followed by a big jump in June and July as people started back to work, is a reminder that bikes aren’t dangerous.
Cars — and the people in them — are.
And streets are safer with fewer cars on them.
I was thinking about how less vehicles and faster cars could give us a lot of deaths but fewer collisions. So I just scraped some data from @bikinginla. SoCal cycling deaths are about average this year. Here's a chart of the # of days in the year before we reached 37th deaths. pic.twitter.com/sI9PiFCxLi
Maybe the most effective way to counter LA’s legendary NIMBYs and fight for safer streets is on the neighborhood level.
And the best way to do that is by serving on your local neighborhood council, with openings available right now throughout the LA area.
Currently openings in:
Silverlake, Los Feliz, Echo Park, Arroyo Seco, Los Feliz, East Hollywood, South Robertson, Central Hollywood, West Adams, West LA/Sawtelle, Hollywood Studio, Venice, Wilshire Center/Koreatown, Highland Park and Westchester/Playahttps://t.co/zgjp4smXJu
Waterloo, Wisconsin-based Trek is gearing up to meet the booming demand for bicycles, after initially preparing for the bike industry to implode as a result of Covid-19. Although one of the best ways to bankrupt any business is by chasing boom and bust cycles.
An Indiana hit-and-run driver was sentenced to a whopping 48 years behind bars for killing a local a local coach and teacher who was riding his bike; the sentence included an additional 20 years for being an habitual offender. Even I think that might be just a tad extreme; the judge could have ordered the sentences to run concurrently, rather than consecutively.
There’s a special place in hell for the woman who drove off after running down a couple nine and twelve year old boys riding their bikes on a Long Island service road; the 31-year old driver was busted ten hours later, which could have given her plenty of time to sober up if she was under the influence.
Road.cc gets it, recommending the best road bikes under the equivalent of $650. And yes, there are good bikes in that range these days. Although whether you’ll be able to find any at your local bike shop after the coronavirus bike boom is another matter.
Our teething new corgi puppy jumped up to give me a kiss, then snatched my glasses off my face and ran off with them before I could stop her Monday night.
So if I miss any major typos in today’s post, blame trying to see through a badly chewed lens.
That said, it’s a light news day, so let’s jump right in.
Today’s photo, the new intern discovers how it must feel when Godzilla destroys Tokyo.
And my glasses.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Usher is one of us, as he buys a bike rack for his Tesla. And has it mounted in front of a WeHo fetish shop that should be familiar to anyone who rides Santa Monica Blvd.
No longer the “mistake by the lake,” a rejuvenated Cleveland now offers a 58-mile Emerald Necklace bike loop from the shore of Lake Erie to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
The climate group, currently led by LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, encourages the model as a response to municipal budgets ravaged by Covid-19.
Which makes it worth noting that the “world’s climate mayor” is doing nothing of the sort in his own city, except for encouraging greater density.
Which is problematic in itself, after a number of current and former city officials have been implicated in a bribery scheme to approve building projects.
As we’ve noted before, cities around the world have taken advantage of the lighter traffic brought on by the pandemic to make temporary, and sometimes permanent, changes to encourage more biking and walking.
Los Angeles, on the other hand, has done absolutely nothing outside of the Downtown area, where Councilmember Jose Huizar has been a driving force behind a move to Complete Streets.
He is also charged with being the ringleader behind the bribery scheme.
Which pretty much sums up the current state of the city.
………
A bike thief was caught on video ransacking an Anaheim building’s bike room. Which is exactly why I don’t recommend using them.
Bike rooms give the illusion of security while providing an enticing target for thieves. Better to find space in your home to keep your bikes inside.
Seriously? A moonlighting Arizona cop says he felt his life was threatened by a mountain biker who ignored no trespassing signs at a golf course while looking for a formerly accessible trailhead — so he tackled the rider off his bike and pulled a loaded gun on him during the scuffle, while insisting the victim somehow lunged off his bike at him.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
LA-area streets are being reimagined as outdoor dining spaces; the question is whether it will last post-pandemic. Actually, the real question is why we can find street space for restaurant patrons, but we can’t manage to find any for bike lanes.
Yreka’s Leslie Burley-Cobb has been nominated for the BMX Hall of Fame; she was one of the first women in the sport in the late ’70s, collecting 268 trophies before she retired in 1985. Raise your hand if you knew there even was a BMX Hall of Fame. And yes, mine are firmly in my pockets.
After a London cabbie posted photos of Dutch parents riding their kids to school on cargo bikes, sarcastically asking if that’s really the kind of morning school run people want to see, the public responded with a resounding “Yes.”
I am trying to find any witness of this tragic accident.
Any camera on the ground or on the car, anyone biking, driving, walking around when this has happen.
Are there any witnesses do you know someone who witnessed this?
This is big intersection there must have been many people around.
I am desperate. Please help.
Juraj Kabat
Barbora’s dad
Seriously, if you know anything, share it with the police.
Before they find a way to blame the victim for causing her own death.
And the magazine has lowered its new paywall on these important stories so everyone can read them.
I served as the guest editor of this month’s issue of @BicyclingMag. I was raised by Black women who always taught me that part of my joy, liberation, and success will always be tied to how I treat and share my blessings with others. https://t.co/xmyMEpGqMG
The Director of Mobility for the Oakland Mayor’s Office dreams of a day when he can just stick to bicycling without having to worry about anything else, noting there are challenges Black people face riding through any space that others don’t. Seriously, anyone who poses for a national bike magazine holding a corgi is more than okay in my book.
Another reminder that the UC system isn’t accessible until it’s accessible to all.
This is an example of the kind of cycle disabled cyclists use that cannot be securely locked at UC Davis' inaccessible racks without hurting the disabled person & damaging the cycle (and then only if the end of the rack is available). #UCAccessNowhttps://t.co/Dh0bKyK7mEpic.twitter.com/aD7YCMQGju
We missed this one earlier in the week, as we lost the last living link to old Hollywood. Along with a truly iconic bike rider.
Rest in peace, Olivia de Havilland, who died peacefully in her home in Paris at the age of 104. De Havilland was still cycling in her 100s! pic.twitter.com/iRq7skyP4D
LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds worries that LA traffic may be worse than ever post-pandemic. Or maybe not, because an economic collapse could mean fewer people can afford to drive. Although both of those problems could be helped with the sort of bikeways other cities are building, but LA isn’t.
Yelp maps out all things bicycle in the City of Angels. As long as your idea of Los Angeles doesn’t extend more than a few blocks south of I-10, or east of the LA River. Thanks to Brandi D’Amore for the tip.
Pasadena police are planning yet another bike and pedestrian safety operation next Friday, ticketing any violations that endanger bike riders or pedestrians, regardless of who does it. As always, plan to ride to the letter of the law until you cross the city limits, so you’re not the one who gets ticketed.
Former New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin is one of us. Although he may wish he wasn’t right now, after another rider clipped his wheel, leaving him with four fractured ribs, a punctured lung and a bleeding head wound.
And legally paying for the bike he’d been test riding as a gift for his kid.
In the video, you can hear him repeatedly asking why he was being arrested, and insisting that he had paid for the bike.
1/2) Police often respond to a report of disorderly conduct & immediately arrest the accused w/o talking to witnesses to gather all the facts. That seems to be what happened in Wyomissing, PA, when this man was arrested after allegedly riding a bike in Walmart (before buying it). pic.twitter.com/jJ5ZEHVrjx
Security camera video shows him riding up and down the aisles without posing a danger to anyone; the only visible risk in the video comes from a woman who pushed her shopping cart into a man.
He was also accused of shouting obscenities at other shoppers, though witnesses at the scene reported that he was simply exuberantly wishing them a good day.
We keep saying: “not in our town…” “not our police…” but living while black or brown is dangerous everywhere in America. This happened today in Ridgewood NJ. pic.twitter.com/CBD5VmW8Ru
A British paper asks who was in the right when a turning driver left crossed a Boston bike rider, even though they both had the green light — forgetting that a vehicle going straight always has the right-of-way over a turning vehicle.
Our new intern is taking awhile to get up to speed after joining us on Monday. But she should be able to contribute more once she learns to stop pooping inside.
Southern California streets keep claiming more victims, as traffic rebounds to pre-lockdown levels with little or no accommodation for the jump in bike riding in recent months.
The latest victim was a popular Fontana barber who was killed by a driver late Sunday night.
According to a notice from the San Bernardino County Coroner, 59-year old Fontana resident Adolph “Ray” Trujillo was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike in 1600 block of Baseline Ave around 11:50 pm.
This is at least the 37th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County. It’s also the ninth SoCal bicycling death this month alone, and the 13th in the last two months.
Something has to be done now to stop this rising tide of traffic violence.
Because Ray Trujillo deserved better.
And do we all.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Adolph “Ray” Trujillo and all his loved ones.
Recently I’ve been trading messages with former South Pasadena resident Megan Lynch, as she struggles with the challenges of being a disabled bike rider attending grad school at an ostensibly bike-friendly university.
Or maybe, bike-friendly as long as you’re physically abled.
She’s struggled with everything ranging from finding safe and affordable handicapped-accessible housing, to simply finding a bike rack that can accommodate her adaptive recumbent bicycle.
Both of which could easily be corrected if someone actually gave a damn.
Big if, evidently.
Because this past weekend, I received this heartbreaking email indicating she’s had enough.
I have barely survived this first year of grad school because UC Davis is so ableist. Grad school is hard for abled 20-somethings in the prime of their lives. It is so much worse for anyone who is not in this society’s hegemonic class.
I went to the Disabled Students Center – they didn’t care.
I went to others at UC Davis – they didn’t care.
I went to my union – they didn’t care.
I went to the wildcat strikers – they didn’t care.
Finally, I saw that no matter how much this place was hurting my health, no one cared. Once more, I was the only person that was going to save me. So I looked around for other disabled students who wanted to work on this. They gave input, but no one made the time. I did this by myself until just the beginning of July when I finally found disability activists at UC Berkeley, UCSD, and potentially at UC Santa Cruz.
It shouldn’t have to be like this.
This past Sunday marked the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, mandating access for people with disabilities in every aspect of American life, from employment and housing to education.
“Do you know what it means when someone pays you minimum wage? You know what your boss is trying to say? It’s like ‘Hey, if I could pay you less, I would, but it’s against the law.’” – Chris Rock
Attempting to meet ADA and no further is admitting that you’d do less if you could get away with it. In 30 years of ADA, UC still hasn’t fully met ADA conditions. But meeting ADA isn’t enough. For example, accessible cycle racks & lockers are important for transportation to those disabled people that can cycle, especially on a majority cycle campus like UC Davis. But when asked, abled transportation & parking services workers say “Bike racks aren’t covered under ADA”. This is not likely true, but even if it were ruled so, it’s just another argument for exceeding ADA to achieve an inclusive and accessible campus environment.
Here are a few more entirely reasonable quotes pulled from their list of demands.
• Cycling racks & cycling lockers must be U-racks that will accommodate the types of cycles disabled people are more likely to ride such as handcycles, tricycles and quadracycles (both upright and recumbent). Racks must be far enough away from each other and from obstacles like curbs, hedges, and walls for a large cycle (including cargo cycles) to fit and for a large person to be alongside the cycle locking it without being too close to the next person over also locking their cycle at a rack.
• Campus cycling facilities should have staff trained in the maintenance and repair of cycle frames disabled cyclists use like handcycles, recumbents, tricycles, quadracycles, and e-assist cycles of all types.
• Each campus should have a hub for wheelchair and mobility aid repair. In addition to carrying parts and executing repairs, specialized wheelchairs for outdoor recreation on trails and at the beach should be available to rent by disabled students who use wheelchairs.
If there’s anything there that’s unreasonable, outrageously expensive, or too difficult to implement, I can’t see it.
Meet the newest member of the BikinginLA team.
