The endless battle of good versus evil, ebikes and regular; 600 turn out for first-ever Bike the Coast Ventura; and goodbye Mr. Hockney

June 15, 2026 / / No comments

Why, pray tell, does it have to be an endless battle of regular bikes and pedestrians versus ebikes?

Take this story in The Guardian.

Please.

In a story headed :

Vicious cycles or transport revolution? The ebike battle raging in Queensland

The paper argues,

Aggrieved pedestrians and push-bike riders are pitted against those who see e-mobility as a ‘once in a generation’ chance to change the way we travel around cities

Somehow, we have to choose one side or the other, as if it’s not possible to have a “once in a generation” opportunity to change urban transportation, while acknowledging that the lack of effective regulation has allowed things to get out of hand.

Like this story from Virginia Beach, Virginia, where a 15-year old boy fled from multiple cops and a police helicopter on an illegal electric dirt bike with whopping 16,800-watt motor and a top speed over 59 mph, while on probation for doing exactly the same thing three previous times.

Or the recent case here in Orange County, where a 14-year old boy killed an 81-year old Vietnam vet while doing wheelies on an illegal e-motorbike, leading to charges against the boy’s mother, who had ignored previous warnings from police.

Never mind the beatdowns various people have suffered for berating, or just trying to ride an e-scooter through, teen e-moto gangs.

Let alone this story from Ebike Tips, where a writer gets hit by a hit-and-run rider on an illegally modified ebike while riding his own — legal — ebike, and questions how critical he can be when his own bike comes close to crossing the line.

On the other hand, at least he knows enough to stick around after a crash.

The result has been laws like New Jersey’s “crazy” crackdown on ebikes by requiring a license and registration for all ebikes, with no distinction between Class 1 ped-assist ebikes and illegal electric motorbikes.

Or Dublin cracking down on all bicycles on a pedestrianized shopping street when the real problem is illegal mopeds.

Even a town near bike-friendly Utrecht in the Netherlands is experimenting with a two-week 12.5 mph speed limit for bicycles on a bike path, leading to a revolt from some acoustic bike riders.

Lumping all ebikes together in the public mind inevitably leads to a crackdown on every type of ebike, when the problem is only caused by a subset of riders on ebikes that have been illegally modified to exceed permitted speeds, or on electric motorbikes and dirt bikes that aren’t legally allowed on the roads as it it, at least without a driver’s license and/or motorcycle license.

The obvious solution is to crack down on the electric mo-peds, motorbikes and dirt bikes — and riders — who are actually causing the problems, without killing the “once in a generation” opportunity we have to make a real change.

The responsibility lies with the various legislatures to create a clear distinction between the two, lightly regulating the one while restricting the other.

If they can do that, we have an opportunity to make a significant dent in driving rates, with consequential benefits to traffic, road wear and tear, pollution and public health.

If not, we’ll butcher the golden goose and fry its eggs for breakfast.

Photo of electric non-motorbike by Cely for Pixabay. 

………

I got the following press release yesterday about Saturday’s first-ever Bike the Coast Ventura. And since I’m getting lazy in my old age, I’m simply reposting it for you here.

Bike the Coast Ventura Welcomes Nearly 600 Riders at Inaugural Event 

Riders of all ages and experience levels rode through the scenic coastal city, ending at the finish festival featuring local vendors and musicians

VENTURA, Calif. – The inaugural Bike the Coast Ventura hosted nearly 600 riders on June 13, welcoming participants of all ages and experience levels to ride through the scenic City of Ventura. The event partnered with local businesses and organizations to ensure that the Ventura community charm was truly highlighted throughout the event. The field of riders included Ventura locals, loyal participants of Bike the Coast San Diego, the event’s sister ride that takes place in the fall, and cyclists who traveled from Northern California, Las Vegas, and Arizona.

This year’s sponsors and partners included Visit Ventura, Downtown Ventura Association, Ventura Coast Brewing Company and Ventura Coast Cycling. The event also partnered with local charity organizations, including The Los Angeles Chapter of National MS and the Downtown Ventura Foundation. The 2026 event contributed over $6000 for their charity partners.

“When we chose Ventura as the host city for Bike the Coast, it wasn’t only because of the incredible views and scenic routes; it was also because of the incredible community,” said Mike Bone, president and CEO of Spectrum Sports Management, producer of Bike the Coast Ventura. “The Ventura locals really showed up for us throughout the planning stages and all the way up to race day. We look forward to future years of hosting this event and showcasing this amazing community.”

Participants took part in one of the three course options: the Metric Century 65-mile ride, the 40-mile ride or the rider’s favorite 20-mile family ride. Participants of the Metric Century 65-Mile ride were taken on a tour of the coastline with some hills in neighboring cities. The 40-mile and 20-mile riders were also treated with constant ocean views along their rules of the road routes. All participants wrapped up at the finish line in Promenade Park, which featured the Finish Festival that has coined the slogan, “Come for the Ride – Stay for the Party”. The free Finish Festival hosted the Ventura-based band The GAMBLE, and featured various local vendors offering food, drink and cycling-focused products and services.

For more information on Bike the Coast Ventura, visit www.bikethecoastventura.com. Follow the event on Instagram and Facebook.

………

Goodbye to the late, great LA artist and lifelong bicyclist David Hockney, from his native England.

Bluesky post

………

Local 

For the third day in a row, I got nothing. 

 

State

Off-Road.cc offers an ode to mountain biking pioneer Charlie Cunningham, who died earlier this month at age 77.

San Francisco’s Bicycle Advisory Committee held its last meeting this past week, shutting down after 35 years because the city decided it was redundant because the MTA now has a Sustainable Streets Division, “with teams focused on active transportation, employs full-time bike planners and engineers, and integrates biking into multimodal planning.” Which all sounds good, but doesn’t take the place of informed advice from a citizens committee representing the voice of the public. 

 

National

A website called Straight Arrow News looks at the America Bikes Act, saying it’s gaining traction but critics are trying to pump the brakes — but only the only critic they cite is a Missouri bicycle retailer who says ebike voucher programs have created complications for retailers, domestic bike manufacturing isn’t economically viable, and replicating European bicycle networks nationwide would be difficult. Oh, well if it’s going to be hard, let’s just give up now. 

Velo offers the dietary and training fixes you need to avoid having your skeleton “turn into chalk,” as UCI calls bicycling ‘perfect storm’ for bone loss. I lifted weights and watched my calcium intake for decades, but was shocked to end up with osteoporosis in my hips, anyway. 

Good news for bike couriers and pedal-cab drivers, as the IRS includes both in the new exemption on taxing tips.

A Seattle op-ed calls on the city to move faster on implementing a bike network, two years after voters approved a historic $133.5 million investment in bike infrastructure and programs.

The Chicago Sun-Times explains how their photographer captured an outstanding photo of a memorial ride for a fallen bicyclist, perfectly reflected in a pool of water.

Um, okay. After man in Shelter Island NY was nearly run off the the road by a driver while riding his bike, he was relieved to discover than not only was there already a three-foot passing law, but there were already signs in place informing drivers of the fact. Which apparently did nothing to prevent that driver from buzzing him at close range. 

New York Mayor Mamdani made history by becoming the first sitting mayor to join the other 32,000 riders taking part in the 5 Boro Bike Tour for the entire route. Which raises the obvious question of whether the other mayors didn’t take part, or just didn’t have seats on their bikes, forcing them to stand the whole way.

A Japanese business student studying in the US is riding his bicycle 1,200 miles from Pittsburgh to Dallas to watch his home team play in the World Cup.

A New Orleans website offers highly edited photos of the city’s World Naked Bike Ride. Or as the rest of the denizens of that city called it, Saturday.

 

International

The latest Lumos helmet combines built-in lights with an intercom system allowing up to 15 riders to communicate, offering obvious safety benefits for group rides.

Toronto held not one, but two separate editions of the World Naked Bike Ride, encouraging “freedom and body resistance for queer, trans, and feminist folks in the city.” Apparently, the usual idea of calling attention to bicycle safety and fossil fuels isn’t a factor there. 

One thousand London bicyclists took to their bikes in the buff, or some variation thereof, for more traditional reasons, as protest against car culture and other linked themes, while also demonstrating against global oil dependency and celebrating their bodily freedom; the event was moved from Saturday to Sunday to avoid disrupting the annual Trouping of the Colour.

Oops. Former Aussie pro cyclist Rohan Dennis was stopped for driving, with his kids in the car, despite a five-year driving ban imposed as part of his extremely lenient sentencing for the death of his wife, former Olympian Melissa Hoskins.

 

Competitive Cycling

Mexican cycling star Isaac del Toro won France’s eight-day Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on the final day by winning his second successive stage in a mountaintop finish; meanwhile, pre-race favorite Paul Seixas saw his Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes hopes dealt a major blow when he had to fight his way back from a bloody crash on the penultimate day.

A Paris Olympian is back on the track again, after trapped spinal fluid nearly ended her cycling days a year ago, preventing her from even completing simple tasks like tying her shoes.

Cycling News analyzes how the women’s WorldTour cyclists navigated a chaotic final lap of the Copenhagen Sprint, as Dutch star Lorena Wiebes held off countrywoman Charlotte Kool for the win.

 

Finally…

Even the damn coyotes are out to get us now. The Jekyls and Hydes of competitive cycling.

And nothing in the rules says you have to be upright when you cross the finish line.

Twitter post

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

 

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

Two dead, one injured when alleged drunk driver plowed into three bicyclists on PCH north of Ventura; driver held for DUI and murder

June 13, 2026 / / No comments

Two people are dead, and another injured, just because some guy felt the need to get behind the wheel after drinking.

Allegedly.

According to reports from KTLA-5 and Ventura’s News Channel 12-3-11, three people were riding their bicycles north in the bike lane on PCH in Ventura County when a pickup driver plowed into them from behind at 50 to 55 mph.

A Facebook commenter said the posted speed limit in the area is 45 mph. According to AAA, the risk of death for a pedestrian at 42 mph is 50%, jumping to 75% at 50 mph, and 90% at 58 mph.

One of the victims died at the scene, while another died after being taken to Ventura County Medical Center; the third victim was transported to the hospital with minor to moderate injuries.

The CHP places the crash around 7:08 pm Thursday, on PCH near Solimar Beach Road, just outside the City of Ventura.

A paywalled story from the Ventura County Star says a 33-year old woman from Bend, Oregon died at the scene, while a 39-year old Ventura man died at the hospital. The injured victim was identified only as a woman.

It’s not clear if they were riding together, or just had the misfortune of all being in the driver’s way. Several witnesses stopped to assist the victims before paramedics arrived.

It’s not known why the driver, identified only as a 24-year old Oxnard man, veered his pickup into the bike lane. He continued north until crashing into a guardrail, coming to rest on the right shoulder.

CHP investigators arrested the driver at the scene on suspicion of felony DUI causing injury, murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He’s being held at the Ventura County jail in lieu of $1 million bail, and scheduled for a June 15th hearing in Ventura County Superior Court.

The murder charge suggests this may not be his first DUI offense.

Anyone with information is urged to call the CHP’s Ventura Area Office at 805/662-2640, and reference CAD Log 260611VT0384.

These are the 33rd and 34th bicycling fatalities that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the sixth and seventh we know about in Ventura County already this year.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for all the victims and their loved ones.  

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

Long Beach speed limits aren’t going up after all, and trying to stuff the e-motorbike genie back into the bottle — e-hooligans and all

June 12, 2026 / / No comments

Before we get started, after a couple of decades, I’ve finally gotten around to designing some t-shirts for this site.

The site is still rough, while I figure out how to do stuff on there. And I only have a few designs up at the moment. 

But if you want to check it out, I’d appreciate any feedback on the shirts. And if you see anything you like, I’m offering a 20% discount until it officially launches at the end of this month.

So let me know what you think. Or better yet, send me a selfie wearing one. 

………

Let’s start with a quick correction.

Earlier this week, I wrote the following:

The Long Beach Post — which is, in fact, here in the SoCal one — reports the city is ready to move forward with the 2.66-mile, $22 million Orange Avenue Backbone Bikeway.

The project, which also includes “15 new or relocated bus stops, 10 upgraded crosswalks with flashing beacons and five fully protected intersections,” is expected to be competed in two years.

The city is also raising the speed limits on 24 arterial streets to dangerously high levels, thanks to the state’s deadly 85th Percentile Law.

A representative of the City of Long Beach reached out on Wednesday to say the LB Post had misinterpreted the story, and the city wasn’t raising speed limits on the 24 arterial streets, but merely keeping them the same.

I apologize for the error.

But the damn 85th Percentile Law still has to go.

………

This is who we share the shopping aisles with.

As we mentioned the other day, a couple of e-hooligans rode their electric motorbikes — not ebikes, thank you — through an Orange County Walmart, terrorizing shoppers.

Twitter post

While the teen miscreants are still unidentified — which is surprising, given the clear look we get at one of their tender young faces — the media is responding in predictable fashion, blaming the problem on ebikes.

The Los Angeles Times went so far as to label teenagers on electric motorbikes the “new Hells Angels.”

Although we do owe a thank you to the LA Times for patiently explaining what is, and what isn’t, an ebike, and making clear that anything that goes over 28 mph and doesn’t have pedals, isn’t one.

The question is whether the genie can be pushed back into the bottle — both in terms of reining in these modern-day Wild Ones metaphorically terrorizing Hollister all over again, nearly 80 years later, and whether ped-assist ebikes will ever regain their reputation as bicycles.

I wouldn’t count on it.

Thanks to Eric and Malcomb for the heads-up. 

………

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

Barcelona will banish private dockless bikeshare services like Lime and Voi from the city, after the mayor called them “a mess” — even though the public bikeshare isn’t available to the city’s many tourists.

………

Local 

No news is still good news, right?

 

State

A Redondo Beach man is taking part in the Tour de France Cure Leukemia ride in honor of his daughter, who finished her high school education and went on to college despite suffering from chronic myeloid leukemia.

La Mesa is the latest SoCal city to ban Class 1 and 2 ebikes for anyone under 12-years old.

This is who we share the road with. Police arrested a 24-year old San Bernardino man for the fatal hit-and-run that set a 73-year old motorcyclist from Redlands on fire.

 

National

A jazz saxophonist, Saturday Night Live set-builder, and father of twenty-somethings is riding from Los Angeles to New York City on his first Trans America Ride to raise funds for The Trevor Project and Lambda Legal.

A professional darts player from the Netherlands completed a 3,644-mile ride across the United States, raising more than $14,000 for the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, the neurological movement disorder that has at least temporarily derailed his professional career.

Tragic news from my bike-friendly Colorado hometown, where a man riding an ebike was killed by a driver in a T-bone collision, just days after his father died of Stage IV kidney disease. Note to 9News — when someone is killed by a driver, it’s a collision, not an ebike crash. And it really doesn’t matter what kind of bike he was on. 

Life is cheap in Jefferson County, Colorado, where a 74-year old driver walked without a day behind bars for killing a 60-year old bicyclist, father of four, a veteran, transplant survivor and church youth group in a left-cross collision — even though he only faced 90 days behind bars, and the victim’s family only asked for six.

A Chicago public media group considers how the city can build safer streets for bike riders and pedestrians, as a representative of the Active Transportation Alliance reminds drivers that their trip isn’t more important or urgent than anyone else’s.

Members of the Cherokee tribe are passing through Southern Illinois on the annual Remember the Removal Ride, following the northern route of the infamous Trail of Tears.

Illinois could soon require a driver’s license, insurance, registration and title for anyone riding a Class 3 ebike, which a TV station says can travel over 28 mph.  Actually, Class 3 bikes are at capped at 28 mph; anything that goes faster than that is an e-motorbike. But hey, thanks for playing!

An Ohio man is spending his retirement refurbishing and reselling bicycles to benefit the local Humane Society.

Heartbreaking news from Massachusetts, where a five-year old preschool student was killed by a driver while riding his bike Wednesday afternoon; a crowdfunding campaign has raised over $91,000 for his family.

“Nearly” every one of the candidates running to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler in Manhattan’s 12th Congressional District supports a two-way bike lane bisecting the island on 72nd Street. I say find the one woman who doesn’t, and let her try to bike across the city without it.

New York’s 750-mile Empire State Trail injects over $1.78 billion in economic activity into the New York State economy annually. Which is one more reason California needs a decent bike trail traveling the length of the state, from Oregon to the Mexican border.  

A 51-year old government librarian has spent every day for the last week and a half riding his bicycle to the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC to take a selfie showing Trump still hasn’t taken his name off it, despite today’s deadline to remove it.

A 46-year old Maryland driver faces charges for vehicular homicide, vehicular assault and DUI after the hit-and-run crash that killed a 52-year old man riding in a painted bike lane.

 

International

Study International recommends eight bike-friendly cities for international students, most of which are the usual suspects.

Not only did those three men from Argentina make it to Kansas City on time to see their country’s team play in the World Cup after an 11,000-mile bike ride, they even got free tickets to the team’s first game.

He gets it. A British Columbia man says all bikes are good bikes, and if “you are out pedaling and smiling, then it doesn’t matter what you ride.” Which is kinda like all dogs are good dogs, but with wheels. 

Seriously? If you have a Canadian-made Carbo folding ebike, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging you to stop riding it and dispose of it immediately because…they were shipped without rear reflectors, and some models don’t have chain guards. Apparently, it’s impossible to add those things yourself. 

The British government plans to spend the equivalent of over $6 billion on active transportation over the next four years, with an aim of at least 55% of shorter trips to feature some form of active travel, arguing that it’s time to stop dividing bicyclists and drivers into different categories.

A new report from the UK says a “lost generation” lacks the confidence and skills to even ride a bike.

A travel website say an 81-mile bike-and-train loop in France’s “overlooked Cévennes region” is all about gorges, gîtes, and farm lunches. Sign me up. 

They’re getting serious in Luxembourg, where a man was fined the equivalent of $346 for riding his bicycle across a road with his phone in his hand.

She gets it, too. A Filipino woman says the new independence movement is on two wheels.

 

Competitive Cycling

Flo Bikes explains how to watch the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships next month, from Charleston, West Virginia.

Velo says the uphill finish at the Griffith Observatory for the ’28 Olympics road race course means the race won’t be decided by a bunch sprint.

Zwift, Canyon Bicycles and Pedal Mafia launched a new North American U19 development team, with a goal of putting an American atop the podium at the Tour de France or Tour de France Femmes within a decade.

 

Finally…

After the Tour, there’s really nothing left but riding across the Mediterranean. If you’re a thrice convicted felon riding a bicycle while carrying illegal drugs and stolen credit cards, put a damn rear light on it, already — and don’t threaten a cop with your slingshot.

And that feeling when the bike lane is too narrow for the symbol indicating it is one.

Reddit post

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

 

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

Regan Cole-Graham ghost bike stolen from Playa del Rey, and errant driver kills woman inside Manhattan Beach laundromat

June 10, 2026 / / No comments

Let’s start with a bit of heartbreaking news, after someone stole the ghost bike recently installed for a pregnant mother in Playa del Rey.

According to Streets Are For Everyone Executive Director Damian Kevitt, the bike placed in memory of 35-year old Regan Cole-Graham, a mother of two who was seven months pregnant with her daughter Ophelia, was taken shortly after the ghost bike for Blake Ackerman in West Hollywood was stolen, then recovered a few days later.

Which raises the question of whether someone is purposely removing ghost bikes, or if this is just a strange coincidence.

Only the ghost bike installed for her unborn daughter remains where they were placed.

If anyone finds it, contact SAFE with the information.

Cole-Graham and her daughter were killed by an elderly driver on Pershing Drive, where a road diet installed in 2017 was removed months later after backlash from angry motorists, mostly pass-through commuters from Manhattan Beach.

And yes, there’s not a pit in hell deep enough for any lowlife scumbucket who would intentionally steal a ghost bike, as if that’s somehow different than desecrating any other memorial.

Especially this one.

Ghost bikes for Ophelia and Regan Cole-Graham

………

This is the cost of traffic violence.

An innocent victim paid the ultimate price for a driver’s actions yesterday evening, when an errant motorist somehow slammed her SUV into a Manhattan Beach laundromat.

A woman inside was just washing her clothes when the SUV came flying in through the door of the business around 6 pm, fatally pinning her against one of the machines.

A witness reported the driver appeared to be an elderly woman, who tried explaining her actions by telling police her foot got caught on the pedal. If true, it adds even more fuel to the burning argument over how old is too old to drive a car.

Either way, it’s more proof that motor vehicles pose a deadly risk to everyone, on or off the roadway.

………

California State Senator Catherine Blakespear will host a 90-minute webinar this evening to discuss solutions to ebike safety, in conjunction with CalBike, PeopleForBikes, Streets For All and Streets Are For Everyone.

Blakespear is the sponsor of SB 1167, a much-needed bill that would clarify the definition of ebikes, and crack down on illegal electric motorbikes being misrepresented as legal ebikes.

Someone let me know how it goes, because I’ll be on a much-needed mental health break today, going to my happy place where cars don’t exist, and the deer and the antelope play.

 

………

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

A local councilor has called for vital improvements to a cycle track between Lancaster and Morecambe, England, calling the busy route “terrifying.” Even though it looks as good or better than most similar pathways in the US.

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

You’ve got to be kidding. Orange County Sheriff’s deputies were called when two teenagers decided to terrorize shoppers in a Foothill Ranch Walmart by riding their ebikes — actually electric motorbikes — up and down the aisles. One more reason why California needs to clarify the definition of ebikes to distinguish them from e-motos and dirt bikes.

A group of Singapore bicyclists were termed “too arrogant to use the lane provided for them,” despite politely riding single file and hugging the fog line — never mind that the bike lane, just the shoulder of the damn roadway — was likely littered with debris, or that there were a series of warning signs next to the bike lane just down the road. Because arrogance is the only possible explanation when people on bicycles do things that drivers don’t understand.

………

Local 

No news is good news, right?

 

State

A Senior Chief in the US Navy is retiring after decades in the service, but taking the long way home by riding his bike alongside his dad from Portland, Oregon, to San Diego to raise funds and awareness for veteran mental health services.

Escondido police ticketed 53 drivers during a bike and pedestrian safety operation on Monday, along with ticketing five people riding bicycles; three drivers were arrested on drug and weapons charges, as well as an outstanding warrant for driving with a suspended license.

Eight people have been killed riding their bicycles in San Luis Obispo County over the past five years.

A kindhearted Delano cop bought a new bicycle for a woman out of his own pocket after her bike was stolen, and the suspected thief said it had been discarded and couldn’t be recovered.

Sad news from San Jose, where a man riding a bicycle was killed by a hit-and-run driver yesterday morning; the driver was arrested after crashing the stolen car into a lamppost a quarter mile away.

 

National

The New York Times lists five great North American cities for bicycling, including four in the US, and one in Canada. None of which is Los Angeles, of course. 

People Magazine picks up the story of a 30-year old Seattle elementary school teacher who was killed by the driver of a garbage truck while riding his bike last week; a crowdfunding campaign has raised nearly $29,000 of the $35,000 goal.

A new ebike law went into effect in Washington State today limiting the use of ebikes by kids between 12 and 16, and designating any ebike capable of traveling over 20 mph as an electric motorbike.

Disgusting news from Arizona, where a 47-year old man was arrested for the hit-and-run death of a 25-year old woman riding a bicycle; the victim was also struck by two other drivers, not one of whom stopped.

A Colorado man explains why he rode a mountain bike up every one of the states legally rideable mountains over 14,000 feet elevation, just four years after getting sober from drinking himself “into oblivion.”

A newish bridge in Corpus Christy, Texas has been named the state’s scariest bridge for bicyclists, despite a ten-foot wide shared bike and pedestrian lane. Or maybe because of it.

This is how you get change. Hundreds of Chicago bicyclists took part in a “life-affirming” bike ride and die-in in memory of a city Complete Streets planner who was killed in a dooring while riding in a painted bike lane. I’ve never seen that many LA bike riders turn out for any protest or memorial except Critical Mass. 

In the end, only a dozen or so bike riders joined with survivors of the Kalamazoo massacre to mark the 10th anniversary of the stoned-driving crash that killed five people on a weekly bike ride, and seriously injured four others, and finish the ride they weren’t able to.

Heartbreaking news from Virginia, where a 23-year old man was sentenced to life in prison for the drive-by shooting that killed an eight-year old girl as she was riding her bike outside her aunt’s home; a second suspect was sentenced to 25 years behind bars after pleading guilty, while a third man will go on trial next month.

 

International

He gets it. An editor for Cycling Weekly says he is very aware of his vulnerability when he rides a bicycle, like virtually every other bike rider, and doesn’t need to be pulled over by the cops for a reminder, when it’s the people in the big, dangerous machines who should be told how vulnerable we are.

London officials are accused of covering up a dramatic rise in bicycling fatalities and serious injuries, which outstripped the rise in bicycling rates, focusing on a decline in fatalities instead.

A British father and son completed a 400-day, 18,000-mile bike trip around the world, setting Guinness World Records in the process for the fastest bicycle circumnavigation of the world by a father and son, the longest bicycle journey by a father and son, and the most countries visited in a continuous bicycle journey by a father and son.

A UK pub owner waved off 108 bike riders, ranging from seven to 81-years old, for the pub’s 28th annual fundraising ride supporting a cancer foundation, a youth-engagement nonprofit, and a Cambodian anti-poverty fund.

A hit-and-run driver was arrested for running down a boy riding a bicycle in Kuala Lumpur; he was driving a sibling’s car with a valid driver’s license, despite literally being card-carrying mentally disabled.

More heartbreaking news from Australia, where a 47-year old man is awaiting sentencing for killing a nine-year old boy who was riding an ebike with his father, driving into the bike lane they were in while traveling over twice the speed limit, and with a BAC more than three times the legal alcohol limit; his mother turned off the boy’s life support while his father was still in a coma.

 

Competitive Cycling

LA officials revealed details about the road cycling and paracycling courses for the ’28 Olympics, which will start on the Venice boardwalk and finish at the Griffith Observatory, while the road cycling time trial and paracycling events will start at the LA Zoo, and also finish at the Observatory. Although it will be pretty hard to top the Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre climb from the ’24 Paris Olympics.

 

Finally…

Trying to make Electric Overland a thing, which sounds disturbingly like Electric Ladyland. Chances are, you weren’t riding a bike across the country when you were nine.

And no, there is nothing ironic about using new jersey barriers on a New York bike lane.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

 

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

Long Beach moves forward with Orange Ave Bikeway, protected bike lanes boost ridership, and moving an apartment by bike

June 9, 2026 / / No comments

Just a quick note before we get started. 

From time to time, someone will reach out to me about a bicycling crash, sometimes asking for advice, sometimes just to share what happened. 

If I think they should talk to a lawyer, I’ll usually recommend those guys over there on the right side of this page.

Just to be clear, I don’t get any kind of referral fee for that. I recommend them simply because I know and trust each one, and know they all ride bikes themselves, as well as understanding the intricacies of bike law and bicycle crashes. 

And I would trust any one of them with my own case if I needed one. 

I know there are a lot of other good lawyers out there — as well as the other kind — but I don’t recommend them simply because I don’t know them or their qualifications. 

But I would offer one piece of advice.

Okay, two. 

One, make sure the person whose name is on the door will be involved in your case. Trust me, it makes a difference.

Second, make sure they understand bike law, how your particular crash happened and why you have a case. 

If you’re not comfortable after talking with them, don’t sign anything. Just walk out or hang up the phone, and talk to someone else. It’s your case, and your future, that’s on the line. 

………

Oops.

Yesterday I linked to a story about an ebike crackdown in Long Beach. I removed the item after Andrew pointed out that the story was about Long Beach, New York, not the one here. So thanks to him for the correction.

It’s not the first time that has happened, either.

I strongly suggest that one city or the other change its name ASAP to end the confusion.

Please.

………

The Long Beach Post — which is, in fact, here in the SoCal one — reports the city is ready to move forward with the 2.66-mile, $22 million Orange Avenue Backbone Bikeway.

The project, which also includes “15 new or relocated bus stops, 10 upgraded crosswalks with flashing beacons and five fully protected intersections,” is expected to be competed in two years.

On the other hand, the city is also raising the speed limits on 24 arterial streets to dangerously high levels, thanks to the state’s deadly 85th Percentile Law. Correction: The city informs me that this is incorrect. Those 24 arterials aren’t seeing an increase, but are just remaining at the same speed limit they’re at currently. 

………

If you build it, they will come.

A new study from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering examining 72 million New York bikeshare trips found that “protected bike lanes increased ridership after accounting for confounding factors, while painted lanes and sharrows showed no detectable causal effect.”

In other words, more people chose the safety of protected bike lanes, while rejecting paint and sharrows.

Then again, as we’ve said before, the arrows on sharrows are only there to help drivers improve their aim, while painted bike lanes may give us our own space on the roads, but offer no protection from errant drivers.

Then again, those little plastic bendy posts that too often pass for protection in Los Angeles won’t keep anyone out, either.

………

A construction website says work has begun on a six-year, $208 million project to rebuild the century-old Glendale-Hyperion Bridge.

According to the site,

Crews also will restore historic balustrades, pylons, towers and light poles, with a goal of keeping the bridge’s look consistent while bringing it up to modern safety standards…

A consultant, Psomas, said the redesign will realign ramps and the LA River bike path, while building new bicycle and pedestrian facilities and upgrading drainage systems to protect river water quality. Those changes are designed to improve the connection between Atwater Village, Silver Lake and Los Feliz and the expanding LA River greenway, according to hoodline.com.

The project also aims to improve safety complaints from cyclists who squeeze into narrow shoulders on the bridge.

Although it’s a little disquieting that they chose to rely on Hoodline, rather than a more authoritative source like the City of LA, or even The Eastsider.

………

A Minnesota advocate moves his entire apartment by bicycle, and kindly shares the project on video, offering a rebuttal to everyone who insists you can’t move some object or another by bicycle.

That would have been easy for me when I was fresh out of college; not so much after 27 years of marriage.

And yes, I’m still on my starter wife.

………

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

Hats off to San Mateo County for “balancing bike lanes with auto needs.” Because clearly the needs of cars must at least equal, if not outweigh, the lives and safety of people on bicycles.

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

The granddaughter of an 86-year old British woman who was killed when an 18-year old ebike rider crashed into her while she was in a crosswalk says his six year and nine month sentence is an insult to her life. Even though it’s a hell of a lot more than most drivers usually get.

………

Local 

Walk ‘n Rollers will host a free community Bike Repair Workshop at Ivy Station this Saturday.

The Pasadena Department of Transportation will host a public meeting on the city’s Greenways Project at the Jefferson Branch Library tomorrow evening, presenting plans for new greenways on El Molino, Wilson, Sierra Bonita and Craig avenues.

Streetsblog says the new protected bike lanes on Colorado Ave in Santa Monica appear to be complete.

The Bieb is now one of us, after Justin Bieber bought a secondhand bicycle and rode through the streets of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills with fellow musician Eddie Benjamin. Kind of refreshing that he would buy a used bicycle, when he could easily get any bike he wanted.

 

State

The California Air Resources Board appears to be doing Trump’s work for him, approving sweeping changes to the state’s cap-and-trade program that slashes funding for the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, just as the president is stepping on the gas to keep dirty fuels in demand. That comes after CARB killed the state’s ebike incentive program, because cars needed the money more than we do.

Calbike says a petition sponsored by the Marin County Bicycle Coalition makes clear that California needs to clarify the definition of ebikes, rather than further regulate them.

A San Diego reporter talks with a man who was riding his bicycle when the Sorrento Fire broke out Monday morning.

A bike rider identified only as a man in his 50s was killed by a driver who passed another car in Merced County early Thursday morning, and failed to see the victim crossing the road when the driver cut back over to the right.

San Francisco Streetsblog says a curb-protected bike lane the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has spent years advocating for is finally coming together.

A hit-and-run bear either collided with or attacked a bicyclist in the Pinecrest area of Tuolumne County on Sunday, leaving the victim with a head injury and broken arm; no word on any injuries to the bear, who failed to provide any ID or insurance, and fled the scene before police arrived.

Nearly 3,000 people took part in America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride around Lake Tahoe over the weekend.

 

National

A “bike-obsessed dad” recommends 24 Father’s Day gifts handpicked for the bicyclist in your life, even if that’s you. And I think we can all agree that “bike-obsessed” beats the hell out of the vastly overused “avid cyclist,” mais non?

Good news from Ohio, where the man accused of punching out one man riding a bicycle, then purposefully driving into another before engaging in a lengthy standoff with police, will be held without bail pending trial.

Members of the Vermont/New Hampshire Upper Valley Cycling Club penned a powerful piece about “the unnamed person in North Haverhill,” a bike rider whose death at the hands of a motorist went unmentioned in the local press, as if it wasn’t even a person who died. Which is why I try to cover every bicycling death, because every person who loses their life deserves to be remembered. And every death is a reminder that one is one too many.

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel completed his 113-mile fundraising ride across New Hampshire to buy bikes for children, fueling speculation about a possible run for president. I, for one, could go for having another bike rider in the White House.

New York Streetsblog says a horrific crash on a street where a bike lane was removed at the insistence of local leaders “underscores anew how dangerous the roadway has become.” Too often we forget that bike lanes aren’t just for people on bicycles, but also serve as vital traffic calming measures that improve safety for everyone.

 

International

A Dutch town is putting up 20 kmph speed limit signs — 12.4 mph — on a local bike path, but won’t enforce it. So instead of a speed limit, it’s just a suggestion. Like pretty much all the speed limits here in California. 

Great idea. A Swedish town is launching cargo bike-mounted chess sets, bringing the game to public spaces across the city.

Amber Heard is also one of us, going for a casual bike ride with her young daughter in Madrid, under the ever watchful eyes of the paparazzi.

Huh? A Kuwait appeals court acquitted a Kuwaiti man who killed an “Asian” man riding a bicycle, because the victim had not followed “required safety and security procedures,” negating the negligence required for criminal liability. So, the driver was negligent, but not responsible. Got it. 

A Dubai website offers five things you must know before switching to from a car to a bike — in America.

A region in Ghana is using bicycles to transform the lives of young girls in the community, while calling for “greater investment and support to expand opportunities for aspiring female bicyclists.”

 

Competitive Cycling

Cycling Weekly’s Undercover Mechanic says that in enforcing pro cycling’s antiquated weight rule, UCI has taken on the role of the Death Star, aka “the big evil empire that sits above cycling and rubs its hands together while the little people try to bullseye womp rats.” Come to the dark side, they have donuts. 

Velo says the biggest crit in America was just won on a gravel bike, when Matthew Wilson followed up on the 200-mile Unbound Gravel race by switching wheels, and winning Cry Baby Hill at Tulsa Tough on the same bike.

 

Finally…

You can find a lot of things while riding a bicycle, like a body with “obvious signs of decomposition.” That feeling when French gendarmes forcibly remove you from a bike race.

And nothing beats riding a bike in Superman’s hometown.

Which raises the question of whether they call him the Man of Steel because of his bike frame preferences?

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

 

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

Survivor finishes the ride to mark 10th anniversary of Kalamazoo massacre, and 8 years behind bars for Point Loma DUI driver

June 8, 2026 / / No comments

Evidently, the concept of finishing the ride is spreading eastward.

As hard as it is to believe, it’s been ten years since the infamous Kalamazoo, Michigan massacre, when a speeding, stoned driver plowed into a group ride, killing five people and seriously injuring four others.

Now one of those injured victims, who woke up in the hospital with no memory of the crash, intends to finish the ride they all started a decade ago.

The 75-year old man now rides a bike with the names of all the victims on the crossbar of his bike. Those who survived, and those who didn’t.

The other survivors plan to join him for a ceremony on Wednesday’s 10th anniversary to remember the five riders who lost their lives, then join him to finish the ride, or meet them afterwards.

The driver, Charles Pickett Jr., was sentenced to a well-deserved 40 to 75 years in prison.

He was reportedly doing 20 miles per hour over the speed limit, and had taken a large amount of muscle relaxers and pain pills before getting behind the wheel; toxicology reports found meth, hydrocodone (aka Vicodin or Norco), tramadol, ketamine, and cyclobenzaprine, a muscle relaxant.

Pickett was convicted on all counts, including operating while intoxicated causing death, operating while intoxicated causing serious injury and second-degree murder.

He’ll be at least 90 years old before he’s eligible for release, which still seems like too soon.

The survivors turned to advocacy following the crash, successfully pushing Kalamazoo and other local town into passing a five-foot passing law, as well as convincing the state legislature to pass a hands-free law.

They’re working now to get the state to expand the definition of a vulnerable road user, which currently doesn’t include bicyclists or horse-drawn buggies.

The first formal Finish the Ride I’m aware of was in 2014, when Damian Kevitt invited the community to join him in finishing the bike ride he and his wife had started a year earlier, before he was run down by a hit-and-run driver on Zoo Drive and dragged onto the 5 Freeway.

The crash cost him his leg, and nearly his life, before he was able to free himself.

But it’s a concept I’m very familiar with.

The first ride I took when I was finally allowed back on my bike following the infamous beachfront bee incident was to go right back to the spot where I had crashed, and finish the ride I had planned to take.

Something tells me I wasn’t the first to do that.

And chances are, we’ll be far from the last.

………

This is who we share the road with.

A 22-year old San Diego woman was sentenced to a well-deserved eight years and four months behind bars for a drunken crash that critically injured a five-year old girl.

The victim was riding a scooter on a bike path in the Point Loma neighborhood when Savannah Monique Taylor crashed into her, dragging the girl with her car until crashing into a steel bench.

Police found an almost empty bottle of booze inside her car.

According to the Peninsula Beacon, the victim’s father brought the girl, Olive Tomasevic, into the courtroom in a stroller so the judge could see her.

“She came close to dying several times because of the defendant’s actions,” said Alex Tomasevic. “This is what life is like for her today. She can’t walk. She can’t use the toilet. She uses diapers. She cannot eat on her own. She has a feeding tube. She can’t bathe herself. She can’t attend regular school. She can’t talk. She can’t crawl into bed…”

“I see a tenacious little girl,” said (Olive’s mother) Leeann Tomasevic. “She gets hours and hours of physical therapy. I watched the toughest of nurses cry when she was not looking.”

Taylor was ironically residing in a sober living facility at the time of the crash.

There’s no word on what she was doing driving on the bike path.

………

My dad landed on Normandy Beach 82 year ago today, beginning an odyssey that would take him through France, into Belgium, skirting the Battle of Bulge and helping liberate a concentration camp, before ending the war Germany with Patton’s troops.

Then they sent him to Okinawa to prepare for D-Day Japan. He would have been one of the first to land, and was told his unit could expect 100% casualties. If the war hadn’t ended, I probably wouldn’t be here.

Although the only time he ever rode a bike in Europe, he borrowed it after getting separated from his unit.

And no, I don’t know if he ever returned it.

Bluesky post

………

Giving a whole new definition to mountain biking.

Bluesky post

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Always pull over to the side of the road if you’re falling asleep behind the wheel.

Twitter post

………

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

A new protected bike lane in Philadelphia’s Old City brings out all the same complaints from the same people as every other bike lane in any other city. So if you’ve ever read a story about reactions to any new bike lane, you can probably skip this one and recite the arguments from memory.

London’s not-exactly bike-friendly Telegraph blames a new bike lane for a 500% — actually 600% — increase in serious bicycling crashes after a the two-way protected lane was installed, even though that represents a jump from just five to 30 over a five-year period. And even that is meaningless without putting it in context of the increase in ridership from the beginning of the first period to the end of the last.

A British bike rider was lucky to escape with minor injuries after he was kicked off his bike by the passenger on a passing motorcycle.

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

A 17-year old Florida boy was hospitalized after he allegedly blew through a stop sign on his ebike and crashed to a driver’s car because he was “vibing.” Maybe they meant “vaping,” unless he was just moovin’ to the groovin’, and gettin’ into the vibes. It could happen. 

………

Local 

No bias here. The Santa Clarita Signal reports a man was hospitalized following an ebike crash — but fails to mention in the headline that there was a car involved, or say anywhere that the car presumably had a driver. 

 

State

Both the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center are disavowing any connection to a new six-day Joy Ride CA from San Francisco to Los Angeles, accusing it of riding on the popularity of the former AIDS/LifeCycle Ride.

No, a Chula Vista man riding an ebike didn’t “collide with a vehicle,” he was injured when he was struck by the motorist.

A trio of Ventura bike shops sponsored a Pride Ride in the city, with several bike routes depending on the riders bicycling skills

 

National

American Lael Wilcox is attempting to break her own record as the fastest woman to ride around the world, and set a new record as the fast human to do it by completing the ride in less than 80 days.

I want to be like him when I grow up. A 73-year old man is riding across the US to raise awareness of childhood hunger, and hopes to raise $1 million for No Kid Hungry.

Bicycling may be great for your overall health, but your bones are another matter.

Members of Seattle’s Critical Mass fanned out to set a number of informal road blocks, giving the family of a fallen bike rider room to grieve as over hundred bicyclists installed a ghost bike for the popular elementary school teacher.

A trio of Denverites raced to the city’s famed Red Rocks amphitheater by car, bikeshare and public transit; the driver won after the bikeshare bike refused to leave the city, and the transit took forever. Never mind that the public transit system bizarrely won’t be available for showtimes.

A Texas driver turned himself in for a hit-and-run crash, a day after the victim was found in a ditch after going for a bike ride the night before. Giving the driver plenty of time to sober up if he was under the influence, or come up with an excuse if he wasn’t.

An eight-year old Oklahoma boy’s mountain biking crash turned out to be a blessing in disguise when a brain scan revealed a mass in his brain, giving him a chance of survival he might not have otherwise found; video of the crash while he was riding with his dad and younger brother has been viewed over 62 million times.

Tragic news from Chicago, where a 35-year old man was killed in a dooring when someone exiting a car hit him with a car door while he was riding in a painted bike lane, and knocked him into the path of a semi truck; the victim was a planner for the city’s Complete Streets program, responsible for redesigning roads to make them safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to make it safer for himself.

A New York op-ed writer tries to find common ground between bike advocates and anti-ebike forces, but Streetsblog editors remain unconvinced that said common ground exists.

Trump’s plans to redevelop a popular Washington DC public golf course into an upscale “championship-level” course also threatens the city’s iconic Noon Ride, a daily bike ride that brings “wealthy riders perched on $15,000 bikes riding alongside restaurant workers just getting into the sport,” as well as federal workers, law enforcement officers, political operatives and several fitness professionals; L39ION of Los Angeles founder Justin Williams joins in when he’s in town.

Speaking of DC, 300 second graders got matching new blue bicycles after completing a bicycle safety course.

 

International

It’s easier to keep your KOM when it’s on a remote Atlantic island no one can get to without major difficulty.

I want to be like him when I grow up. An 83-year old man is attempting to ride across Canada in what’s being called the “Octogenarian Odyssey;” he’ll turn 84 before the ride is finished.

She gets it. A British Columbia woman writes that bike lanes are not a luxury, as a previous op-ed writer suggested, but a necessity for her family, who rely on bicycles for all the destinations of their daily life, from work and daycare to school, shopping and all their other activities.

An awkward Toronto intersection is being closed to motor vehicles, using diverters including flex posts, planters and Muskoka — aka Adirondack — chairs, to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Um, no. A London borough council apologizes after saying ebikes help women “perform their traditional domestic responsibilities” and “stay looking nice.” Maybe someone can send them a link to join the current century. 

A writer the UK says he’ll skip a new shared-use pathway thanks to rippled pavement, debris from trees and difficulty accessing it without crossing a busy roadway. But other than that, it’s just fine, apparently. 

An Irish advocacy group says the problem isn’t that bike lanes are too wide, like the critics say, but that most bike lanes in the country are too narrow to safely ride side by side, as well as to meet EU standards.

The Guardian shares the best new bike and ebike trails surrounding Melbourne, Australia, for your next trip down under.

 

Competitive Cycling

UCI rules that current screens are big enough, and bans any bike computers bigger than the biggest one currently available — and you can kiss jersey pockets goodbye, too.

Sad news from New Hampshire, where American road racing and mountain bike pioneer Andy Bishop died after battling stomach cancer; Bishop competed in four editions of the Tour de France in the late ’80s and early ’90s, including for the old 7-Eleven team. He was just 61.

Apparently #1 is the #1 problem in professional cycling this year, as Pee-gate hits the women’s peloton, too.

 

Finally…

Close encounters of the bear kind — and now the coyotes are out to get us, too. Bike dates aren’t just for “Bicycle Boys” anymore.

And seriously, if you’re going to do crime, don’t ride a distinctive pink bicycle.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

 

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