BikinginLA

$176 million in Grossman/Erickson case, Ohio man attacks 2 men on bikes, and Escondido cop faces one year for killing ebike-rider

June 5, 2026 / bikinginla / No comments

My apologies for yesterday’s unexcused absence.

Let’s just say diabetes sucks.

I mean, like, big time.

And speaking of which, Happy National Donut Day.

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$176 million, and they’re just getting started.

That was the jaw-dropping amount awarded to a Westlake Village family, when a jury found socialite Rebecca Grossman and her former boyfriend, ex-Dodger Scott Erickson, liable for killing eleven-year old Mark Iskander and his eight-year old brother Jacob six years ago.

The Iskander family was crossing a Westlake Village street in the crosswalk when the boys were run down by Grossman as she was allegedly street racing with Erickson after downing margaritas in a nearby bar.

The boy’s mother was able to pull the couple’s youngest son to safety, but could only watch in horror as Grossman plowed into the boys at 73 mph, sending one flying nearly the length of a football field.

Erickson had gone through the intersection moments earlier, just missing the family, and later admitted hiding under some bushes to avoid detection while he watched the investigation into the deaths unfold.

Grossman is currently serving 15 to life after she was convicted of two felony counts of murder, two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death.

According to the LA Times, the jury awarded the boy’s parents, Nancy and Karim Iskander, a combined $59 million for the loss of Mark, and another $48 million for Jacob’s death. Nancy Iskander was also awarded another $35 million for serious emotional distress, while the youngest son, Zachary, received $34 million for the loss of his brothers.

That may be only the beginning, however.

The jury concluded that Grossman acted with malice and oppression, and Erickson acted with malice, oppression, or fraud. That opens them up to the possibility of millions more in punitive damages, which will be determined in a second phase of the trial.

Whether Grossman and Erickson have that kind of money, or the Iskanders will ever seen any of it, remains to be determined.

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A Mentor, Ohio man with a history of belligerent behavior faces charges for deliberately attacking two men riding bicycles, then engaging in an hours-long standoff with police.

The driver, 42-year old Michael Leppelmeier, first stopped his SUV, got out and assaulted a 68-year old man, before tossing the victim’s bicycle into a nearby pond.

Leppelmeier then crossed the double yellow line with SUV and rammed a 72-year old bike rider head-on while driving on the wrong side of the road.

Both victims were hospitalized with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

When cops arrived at his home, Leppelmeier came out and threatened them with a knife, but retreated into his house after being tased. He was finally apprehended by SWAT officers after a standoff involving breached windows, teargas and a drone.

Leppelmeier has a criminal record going back more than 20 years, including attempted vandalism, a previous vehicular assault charge, and at least two OVIs — the equivalent of a DUI. He is currently on probation for a two-year old public indecency charge.

A neighbor accused Leppelmeier of calling him a slur, driving by while yelling insults out the window of his SUV, and harassing kids riding their bikes.

Seems like a real nice guy.

Meanwhile, another Ohio man faces charges after an apparently intoxicated episode in which he allegedly shouted racial slurs at a group of kids described as 11, 12, and 17 years old, then got in his truck and drove up on the sidewalk in an effort to run over one who tried to leave on a bicycle.

He then threatened to do the same to the other kids if they didn’t believe in God.

Which is a very strange way to make converts.

Finally, he grabbed another child on a different street before walking away.

No word on whether he was attempting to ascertain if that kid was a believer, too.

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Life is cheap in Escondido, where a cop faces a maximum of one year behind bars for killing a man riding an ebike.

Thirty-five-year old Escondido Police Officer Jason Ingco pled not guilty Thursday to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the death of 39-year old Jacob Illian last year.

Ingco allegedly crashed into Illian after chasing him onto a bike path in his police vehicle when Illian failed to yield.

He is currently on paid administrative leave. Which means he gets to draw his full paycheck while sitting at home watching Wheel of Fortune in his underwear, courtesy of Escondido taxpayers.

Unfortunately, there’s no word on what kind of ebike Illian was riding.

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The Illinois legislature approved a bizarre bill regulating ebikes, e-scooters and “similar devices,” sending it on to the governor’s desk for signature.

The bill limits “high speed” ebikes to riding in the traffic lane, rather than in bike lanes or bike paths, and requires owners to have a valid driver’s license, title, registration and insurance

Meanwhile, riders of electric skateboards, e-unicycles and high-speed electric scooters would have to be at least 16 years old, with a ridiculous 28 mph speed limit on sidewalks, up to 35 mph on bike lanes, bike paths, and roads with speed limits of up to 35 mph. They are only allowed on roads with speed limits above 35 mph if they have a bike lane.

Which creates a dangerous situation putting pedestrians at risk on sidewalks, and risking the comfort and safety of bicyclists using bike lanes.

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Mayor Bass, you’ve got some explaining to do.

Twitter post

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In better news, credit West Hollywood’s John Erickson for recovering the missing ghost bike for Blake Ackerman, and returning it to Fountain and Gardner.

Erickson is currently running third in California’s 24th State Senate District, about 3,500 votes behind second place Brian Goldsmith, and 5,000 votes behind Republican G. Rick Marshall.

Since late votes tend to run Democratic, he could still make the runoff.

Bluesky post

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LADOT reminds us about this month’s CicLAvia connecting Leimert and Expo parks.

Twitter post

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

A Colorado bike shop promises free ebikes, using a state tax credit, but you may have to wait a year or more. And might not get a bike that actually qualifies for the credit. Then again, you might.

More on the bicyclist tackled by Toronto cops for the crime of running a stop sign, as the case is now being looked into by Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit; the rider’s lawyer says the victim has a concussion after he was violently taken down by multiple cops. Thanks to Megan for the video.

This is what a punishment pass looks like.

Twitter post

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Local

The South Pasadena city council voted unanimously to approve plans for protected bike lanes on the full length of Fremont Ave, along with a couple roundabouts.

State

CalMatters provides an update on bills to close California loopholes that allow deadly drivers to stay on the roads, giving them a “license to kill.”

Streetsblog’s Damien Newton says the good news is the good ebike bills are moving forward in the state legislature, and the bad bills are dead for this session. SB 1167 is a much-needed bill redefining and drawing a clear distinction between ebikes and e-motos; also moving forward is AB 1569, to require ebike education in schools before ebikes are allowed on school grounds.

Sad news, as 78-year old mountain bike pioneer Charlie Cunningham died at a California care facility, where he’s lived since suffering serious brain injuries in a 2015 bike crash; he and his wife, Jacquie Phelan, were charter inductees into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1988.

A San Diego paper says the problem with the city budget isn’t the minimal amount spent on bike lanes, but the overtime pay for work done on nights and weekends.

It’s been a bad two days in Bakersfield, where a 66-year old man was killed by a driver while riding a bicycle around 8 pm Wednesday night, and a 39-year old man riding a bike was killed when he was run down from behind by another driver a little more than four hours later.

A Lake Tahoe newspaper recommends the best campsites you can get to by bicycle.

National

Velo rates the best overall bike helmets, along with which one is the fastest. That’s easy. Whichever one is attached to Jonas Vingegaard or Tadej Pogačar.

This is what happens when a bikeshare system doesn’t bother with upkeep, as Honolulu’s bikeshare has less than 500 of its original 1,300 bikes, with more than 800 lost to vandalism and normal wear and tear over the past decade.

Residents of Eugene, Oregon can now report reckless riders on e-motos and ebikes through an online police portal. Although I somehow doubt the cops will drop everything to rush out and apprehend the e-miscreants.

This is the cost of traffic violence. A teacher at a Seattle elementary school was killed by the driver of a garbage truck while he was riding his bike home from work. Which means someone had to explain what happened to all those kids.

Once again, the mother of a teenaged ebike rider has been arrested, this time in Arizona, for knowingly allowing her 14-year old son to ride the bike without a license — which suggests it was actually an e-motorbike, rather than an electric bicycle. It also raises the question of where the hell these kid’s fathers are, since it’s only mother of teenagers who have been charged so far.

Heartbreaking story from Montana, where the owners of a family jewelry store are renaming it after their late seven-year old son, who was killed by a driver while riding his bicycle last year.

Colorado’s governor signed a new bill named in honor of fallen cyclist Magnus White, the 17-year old USA Cycling team member who was killed by a driver who had been up drinking all night, which requires cops to offer drivers a voluntary breathalyzer test after any crash resulting in death or serious injury. But anyone who has been drinking would undoubtedly refuse to take it, rather than risk incriminating themselves. So what is the actual point?

Speaking of White, the woman convicted of killing him can look forward to more time behind bars after pleading guilty to theft by attempting to deposit the same check multiple times.

Horrible story from Texas, where a Houston-area man was found dead in a ditch, more than a dozen hours after he set out on a night bike ride; police believe he was killed by a hit-and-run driver sometime during the night. As we’ve said before, drivers should be charged with murder in cases like this, because they made a conscious decision to leave the victim on the side of the road, rather than getting help. And there’s no way of knowing if he might have survived if the driver had at least called 911.

Life is cheap in Michigan, where a man got a whole year behind bars for killing a bike rider.

Forget riding down a golden escalator. Former Chicago Mayor and Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel is preparing to ride his bike around New Hampshire as he explores a possible presidential bid.

This is why people keep dying on our streets. A Massachusetts man faces charges for killing a man riding a bicycle, after crossing the roadway and hitting the victim head-on — just seven weeks after he was given a summons for fleeing another crash on foot. Which is why drivers should immediately lose their license following any hit-and-run, even if the cop just puts it in their pocket after making the arrest.

Streetsblog credits the thousands of bike riders who turned out for DC’s Ride For Your Life with helping get several key provisions of the bipartisan bicycling Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Safety Act rolled into the latest national transportation bill, the BUILD America 250 Act.

Kindhearted Florida sheriff’s deputies dug into their own pockets, along with a Walmart worker, to buy a new bicycle for a girl after hers had been stolen.

International

Road.cc offers tips on how to avoid common bike commuting mistakes.

The Washington Post introduces Leszek Sibilski, calling him “the man who created International Bike Day and keeps it going.” And with that, I’ve used more WaPo gift links in five days than I usually use in a month.

This is who we share the road with. An Aussie cop walked with a two year “intensive corrections order” — like a highly supervised probation — and 500 hours of community service for using his car as a road block to stop an aboriginal teen riding a dirt bike in a bike lane; the kid was killed when he hit an obstruction, and flew into the windshield of the cop’s unmarked car.

Competitive Cycling

The Trans Am Bike Nonstop Race begins Sunday, with about 50 ultra cyclists setting out on what is, in effect, an unsupported time trial along the historic, 4,200-mile TransAmerica Bike Trail from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia. So no, it has nothing to do with Burt Reynolds outfoxing the cops in a Pontiac Trans Am.

Finally…

You’ll have to wait until next year to see Jason Statham Stole My Bike. Yes, you can fit a bike inside a Tesla.

And a new app can tell you where to find a nice rack.

What?

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: ebike, Escondido, Mark and Jacob Iskander, Ohio, police, Rebecca Grossman, Scott Erickson, speeding, street racing, vehicular assault, violent assault

Ackerman ghost bike returned, Long Beach 2nd on CA bike-friendly list and 10th is US, and educating LA bicyclists and drivers

June 3, 2026 / bikinginla / One comment

Happy World Bicycle Day!

Or as it’s known in Los Angeles, Wednesday.

It’s also the day after Election Day. And if past is prologue, it could be a week or more before we know who actually won and lost, despite last night’s breathless news reports.

So take a breath, go for a bike ride, and pretend the past several weeks never happened for a few hours.

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Blake Ackerman’s ghost bike is back.

The memorial to Ackerman, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding home from work at a downtown law firm last July, bizarrely disappeared without a trace from its location at Fountain and Gardner over the weekend.

However, WeHo Times reports it was returned after being discovered inside the garage of a nearby building, with no explanation of how it got there.

It’s possible that it was removed by someone who wanted to get rid of it. But it’s equally possible that it was taken in a misguided attempt to protect it, or by someone who didn’t understand its significance.

Meanwhile, 73-year old Douglas Morton Adams is still awaiting trial for fleeing the scene after killing Ackerman. He faces a maximum of just four years behind bars under California’s lenient hit-and-run laws

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Long Beach is number two.

As opposed to Los Angeles, which only feels like it these days.

According to a new study from Holland Bikes, the beachfront city is the tenth most bike-friendly city in the US, and the second in California, behind only San Francisco.

The City by the Bay also ranked number one nationally, followed by Minneapolis, Seattle, Washington DC, New York City, Portland, Denver, Philadelphia, Boston and Long Beach.

As nice as the recognition is, however, and deserved though it may be, it’s important to remember that we see rankings like this at least every other month, and they all come up with different results.

So take it with a grain of salt.

Or maybe a bag, since decidedly bike-unfriendly Los Angeles is ranked as a country’s 22nd most bike friendly city, just four notches behind San Diego; Bakersfield just barely made the list at number 50.

Meanwhile, my platinum-level bike-friendly Colorado hometown is nowhere to be seen, along with a number of other notably bike-friendly cities, like Boulder, Colorado and Davis, California.

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According to LA Weekly, what we have in Los Angeles isn’t a lack of safe bicycling infrastructure, but a lack of bicycling education, as more people continue to ride after the Covid bike boom.

Still, Andrea Aponte of CycleSafeLA believes the city has not fully caught up to this shift.

A League of American Bicyclists-certified cycling instructor, Aponte has spent more than a decade teaching riders how to safely navigate city streets. According to her, LA has embraced the conversation around bike infrastructure while overlooking the equally critical need for public education.

She points to Los Angeles’s Vision Zero initiative, launched in 2015 with a goal of eliminating traffic fatalities. Yet, she cites recent city data that shows roadway deaths continue to rise. With that context in mind, Aponte believes the conversation has become too heavily centered on physical infrastructure without enough attention placed on the human element of transportation safety.

She’s got a point.

Not that we shouldn’t focus on safer streets, but that we should also focus on surviving the streets we have. And too many people riding bikes today have no real concept of how to do that, simply because no one has taught them.

Although it can’t stop there.

Because every day, I read about experienced, if not expert, bicyclists who became the victims of people who apparently didn’t know how to share the road with them.

Or, perhaps, care.

Aponte also believes the responsibility for coexistence cannot rest entirely on cyclists themselves. “We need to start teaching drivers those same things,” she explains. “Sharing the road with micromobility users should be a much bigger part of driver education.” At the same time, she notes that pedestrians, wheelchair users, scooter riders, and anyone outside a vehicle occupy a vulnerable position within LA traffic systems. Keeping that in mind, Aponte argues that a safer transportation culture depends on recognizing those road users as active participants instead of hindrances.

“We are traffic, in fact, an active part of the traffic. A delay for a driver is an annoyance that can be simply fixed with a lane change, but for the cyclist, that can be a matter of survival,” she states, noting that this perspective often gets lost in public discourse surrounding cyclists. She believes misconceptions around riders tend to shape hostile attitudes on the road.

Aponte explains, “People think cyclists don’t belong there, but we absolutely do, based on the vehicle code. Many of us own cars too, we’re paying our taxes, we’re still contributing to the system, and we have our rights in it.”

It’s relatively easy to educate beginning drivers, since they’re required to take a test on their knowledge of traffic laws.

The problem is educating the great mass of motorists who took their tests long ago, and promptly forgot much of what they learned. And many whom learned the rules of the road when bikes were expected to stick to the gutter, if not the sidewalk.

The greater problem is how to educate bike riders, whose only barrier to using the streets is having a bike, and knowing how to pedal it without falling off.

We assume they know the rules of the road because they also learned to drive. Except roughly a third of Angelenos don’t drive, for whatever reason. And those that do may fall into the same problem we just discussed above.

I don’t have an easy answer to the problem. Or even a hard one, for that matter.

We’ve relied on educating bicyclists, in place of building safe bike infrastructure, since Forester wrote Effective Cycling back in the ’70s. And even before that, for those of us who remember the simplistic children’s bike safety books of the ’50s and ’60s.

All that got us was a small core of highly educated cyclists, and an ever-rising casualty rate.

Paris has shown us what can be done, virtually overnight, to turn a city from a series of traffic-choked car sewers to a bikeable, walkable 15-minute city.

But unless and until that happens here — which seems highly unlikely in the current environment — we’ve got to find another answer.

Because our lives literally depend on it.

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The next time someone insists roads were built for cars, point them to this piece from the History Channel.

The site explains that America’s first highways were built by The Good Roads Movement, a group of wealthy bicyclists on Penny-Farthings who were tired of riding in the mud.

And points back to our old friend Carlton Reid, who reminds us that the freedom promised by car ads was originally delivered by bicycles long before cars existed.

The first vehicle to deliver that sense of freedom was the bicycle, says Carlton Reid, a cycling journalist and historian whose book Roads Were Not Built for Cars traces the overlooked origins of America’s highway system. Before cars, before timetables-be-damned road trips, the bicycle was the first machine that let ordinary people go where they wanted, when they wanted, under their own power. No rail schedule, no horse to feed. Just themselves and the road. The winged logo of the League of American Wheelmen, the cycling organization that helped reshape American infrastructure in the 19th century, wasn’t decorative. It meant exactly what it looked like: flight.

When automobiles eventually promised this same unencumbered movement, much of the infrastructure they required already existed. Between 1880 and 1900, the Good Roads Movement, led by an unlikely coalition of urban cyclists and rural postal workers, overhauled the country’s abysmal dirt paths into a coordinated network of paved streets. By the time motorists claimed the movement as their own, cyclists had already established the Office of Road Inquiry and laid important legislative groundwork for the National Highway System we use today.

But as Reid notes, those highways carried the seeds of their own gridlock: “Cars are only useful when there’s a few of them. When there are millions and millions of them, their utility shrinks.” The open road, it turns out, was never meant for everyone.

Yet somehow, all those drivers never wrote to thank us for the roads they use every day.

Although as anyone who has ever ridden their bike past a long line of cars can tell you, that sense of freedom still exists. But only for those of us on two wheels.

No wonder they hate us.

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

Toronto police are claiming a man rode his bicycle through a stop sign at a high rate of speed and shouted a profanity at officers before they tackled him to the ground, after twice shouting at him to stop; however, a bike lawyer says it reflects excessive force and a deeper anti-cyclist bias.

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Local

The Venice Neighborhood Council’s Parking, Transportation & Infrastructure Committee heard options for improving safety on the west end of Washington Blvd, including survey results calling for protected bike lanes.

State

Over 150 bicyclists turned out to remember a 7th grade Grass Valley, California student who died weeks after he was struck by a driver last month, and to call for drivers to watch for bikes.

National

Cycling Weekly offers more information about the America Bikes Act, a bipartisan effort to expand bicycling in the US, while improving safety and re-shoring bicycle manufacturing. Although its chances in the current political climate compare somewhat unfavorably to a snowball in hell.

A 66-year old ultra-endurance cyclist is attempting to become the first person to ride the entire 2,448-mile length of US Route 66 without stopping; Joe Barr left from Santa Monica Tuesday morning in his attempt to set a new Guinness World Record.

Hats off to an 11-year old Washington State girl, who built a bicycle repair station on a local bike path for her Girl Scout service project.

A man in Kent, Washington got his purloined pooch back when an enterprising cop tracked down the man’s stolen adult tricycle, complete with dognapped dog ensconced in a carrier on the back.

Colorado opened a new $1 million bike park between the towns of frostbitten Fraser, which is often the coldest spot in the continental US, and the Winter Park ski area, where I learned to ski, badly.

Ebikes of all kinds are even invading Iowa.

Three men from Argentina completed their 10,500-mile bicycle trip through a 17 countries by arriving in Kansas City to see their home country represented in the World Cup.

Thirty-nine bicyclists from the University of Texas are two weeks into a 4,000-mile ride from Texas to Alaska to raise funds for cancer research; one of the two teams has made it to Mesquite, Nevada.

Sad news from Indiana, where a 68-year old retired pastor was killed by a driver while riding his bike last month.

Kim Kardashian and F1 star Lewis Hamilton are officially a thing, outing their relationship while riding bikes together in New York.

Tiny Punta Gorda, Florida represents a bike-friendly dot in the country’s deadliest state for people on bicycles.

International

If you were riding your bike in Cambridgeshire, England on January 24th with your butt crack showing, police want to talk with you about a murder.

Your money at work. A London borough is promising to move a digital ad screen from the middle of a bike lane, after admitting the city built the bike lane around the digital sign, which has been at that location for four years.

London’s edition of the World Naked Bike Ride expects to draw more than 1,000 nude and partially dressed riders to the city’s streets to promote bicycling safety, environmental awareness and body positivity. And yes, as an American, I reject the yoke of oppression represented by the Oxford comma.

Forget Kenny, they killed Santa Claus. A 77-year old British bicycling instructor, known for portraying Father Christmas for local kids, was killed by a driver while on 24-hour, 240-mile fundraising ride in support of Motor Neuron Disease.

A Malaysian man continues to ride his bike, despite losing the use of his right hand in a motorcycle crash a dozen years ago.

Competitive Cycling

Your favorite cycling team could look a lot different next year, and some pros could end up on the outside looking for a team to ride with, in pro cycling’s annual game of contract musical chairs.

Finally…

Evidently, if you carry a surfboard on an ebike, you’re one of “the kookiest people on earth.” Wind tunnel tests prove tying long hair into a bun is more aerodynamic than a ponytail.

And a pub can somehow survive two world wars, a flood and a pair of pandemics, but can’t make it with a new bike path.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: bicycle education, Bicycle Friendly City, bicycle infrastructure, bicycling, Blake Ackerman, California, Carlton Reid, Douglas Morton Adams, ghost bike, Good Roads Movement, hit-and-run, Long Beach, Los Angeles, West Hollywood, World Bicycle Day

Traffic safety ignored in LA election, bipartisan bike bill in US Congress, and Long Beach man killed by driver while biking in SLO

June 2, 2026 / bikinginla / One comment

Seriously, if you haven’t already, get out and vote. And remember to Bike the Vote while you’re at it.

Aside from Streets For All, there’s not a lot of guidance on who to vote for, unfortunately. But you can get a little help from Calmatters and LAist on who and what the candidates and issues are, while Streetsblog recommends other sources for endorsements.

Metro and LADOT transit are both free to help you get to the polls today.

Twitter post

Once again, our spokescorgi urges you to vote early and often.

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He gets it.

Writing for Golden State, former Los Angeles Times Opinion editor Paul Thornton, who wisely opted out when Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong gutted and neutered the section, writes about the public safety crisis you barely heard about in the LA mayor’s race.

That’s right.

Your right to bike, walk or drive on the streets of Los Angeles, and get home again in one piece.

Hundreds of people are killed on the streets of Los Angeles every year. But you barely heard about it during the mayoral primary.

I’m not referring to criminal homicides, which last year dipped to their lowest tally in 60 years, but an even deadlier menace.

Drivers and their cars kill a lot of people in this city. You’d think someone running to unseat an incumbent would mention this: L.A.’s streets have never been more dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians than under Mayor Karen Bass.

Because for the third straight year, traffic deaths outnumbered murders in the City of Angels, the latter which have continue to fall, despite perceptions fueled by the news media.

And the former are far worse now than when the city adopted, and promptly ignored, Vision Zero a decade ago.

This public safety discordance played out conspicuously at the most high-profile candidate forums. The May 6 NBC debate opened with a jarring montage set to scary music that showed (no joke!) hooded marauders, shotgun-wielding cops and people saying things like “I don’t sleep well at night at all.” The ensuing exchange between Bass and her main challengers, Spencer Pratt and City Councilmember Nithya Raman, featured memorable utterances on trash, “super meth” (which may or may not exist) and the “thousands” of moms who’ve talked to Pratt about not feeling safe.

But not one of the candidates mentioned the hazard that Angelenos have good reason to worry about: Getting killed by a speeding vehicle while driving to work, walking to the park or out for a relaxing bike ride.

Streets Are For Everyone and People’s Vision Zero have been pressing city officials to declare a traffic violence state of emergency in Los Angeles, and are preparing to send a letter to that effect when they get it up to 1,000 signatures.

Wait, you have signed it, right?

But even with that, and the failure of Vision Zero and former Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Green New Deal — let alone the coming World Cup and ’28 LA Olympics — no one is even talking about the lack of action improving city streets.

Or paving them.

That’s what led to the passage of Measure HLA two years ago, when two-thirds of city voters mandated that the city build out the already-approved Mobility Plan.

And you know how that went.

Instead of complying with the law by following the Mobility Plan when a significant amount of work is done on any city street, they simply stopped almost all street work.

Then the city invented the term “large asphalt repair” to get around complying with the law, as well as the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Meanwhile, the condition of our roads continues to get worse.

Twitter post

Again, according to Thornton,

Long Beach, Santa Monica, Glendale and other cities rooted in the same car culture as L.A. are at least trying to address the problem by adding infrastructure to protect cyclists and pedestrians from bigger, faster and deadlier vehicles. South Pasadena is re-working Huntington Drive, one of its most dangerous roads, and South El Monte has made numerous upgrades in the last few years to protect non-drivers.

Yet Angelenos wait for the progress they overwhelmingly demanded in 2024.

Apparently, we’ll continue to wait.

Unless we all demand that whoever makes it to the November runoff addresses the issue.

The first step is signing that letter.

The next is attending candidate forums, debates and open houses, and not letting them leave until they tell you exactly what they intend to do to bring traffic deaths and serious injuries down, too.

If you haven’t yet, donate to Golden State today to support local, independent news.

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A new bipartisan omnibus bike bill sponsored by the co-chairs of the Congressional Bike Caucus, California Democrat Mike Thompson and Florida Republican Vern Buchanan, hopes to improve and expand bicycling in the US.

According to the Fairfield CA Daily Republic, HR 9041 The America Bikes Act,

Improves cyclist safety by expanding access to federal funding for local governments to improve roadway safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. It would help local, regional, and tribal governments to fund safety action plans and infrastructure projects aimed at preventing roadway fatalities and serious injuries. It makes bike safety education a standard part of youth learning nationwide and expands access to funding for on-bicycle education to elementary and secondary school students.

Encourages more people to bike by improving access to programs that help kids safely bike and walk to school. It expands biking and walking infrastructure on federal lands. It reauthorizes federal funding for communities to plan, design and build walking and biking infrastructure. It expands incentives so more Americans switch to bicycle commuting. It creates a grant program to connect biking and transit stations, including supporting bike parking at transit stations and expansion of bikeshare programs.

Brings bike manufacturing back to our shores by creating incentives to manufacture bikes in the United States.

Good luck with that last one.

But it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Although I don’t have a lot of faith in anything getting out of this Congress. Or an administration that has already doubled down on highway funding.

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Sad news from San Luis Obispo County, where a 64-year old Long Beach resident was identified as the victim killed by a driver while riding his bicycle near Edna Valley last month.

Gregory Koch died following the May 20th collision at Orcutt and Tiffany Ranch roads.

There’s still no word on how the crash occurred, nor any mention of his death in the Long Beach media.

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If you need a good laugh, Metro Bike Share says they’re ready for the World Cup.

Which they may be.

As long as tens of thousands of foreign visitors, who may or may not even know English, don’t mind mixing it up with LA’s famously patient drivers, who never, ever touch their horns or force someone off the road if they impede their progress for even a millisecond.

Because we’re still waiting on all those bus and bike lanes we were promised to get ready for those foreign visitors.

So have fun, sportsball fans.

Rent a bike, and just ride to the venue, restaurant or bar of your choice.

After all, getting there is half the fun, right?

And surviving it is the other half.

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Megan forwards news that Sacramento is facing the same problems with ebikes and e-motos you’re seeing just about everywhere else.

Even though it’s only the later that’s really the problem.

……….

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

Outrage in Toronto, as multiple cops are shown on video tackling a bike rider and holding him down, for the apparent crime of rolling a stop sign — even though provincial law prohibits using force to stop someone for a routine traffic infraction “unless the circumstances present an immediate and serious threat to public safety.” Which is like cops ramming and handcuffing a motorist for turning right on a red arrow.

………

Local

WeHo Times reports that Blake Ackerman’s ghost bike disappeared from its location at Fountain and Gardner Street sometime Saturday night; no word on who took it or why. I noticed it was missing Sunday afternoon; not seeing it there hurt almost as much as watching it being placed last July.

Four Master of Public Administration (MPA) students from USC’s Price School were recognized for their work advising CD11 Councilmember Traci Park on how to make part of Washington Blvd safer for bicycle riders.

State

The Hustle takes a look at California’s 50-year old Santana Cycles — just “30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles” — as it tries almost singlehandedly to prop up the tandem industry in the US.

Fontana police warn parents about the dangers of kids riding ebikes and e-motorcycles, especially when fleeing from police. So if you’re an adult on an electric motorbike, go ahead and flee, evidently.

National

Velo considers the year’s best road bikes, but kindly hides most of the prices to avoid scaring the crap out of us; fortunately, Road.cc has more affordable options for under the equivalent of two grand.

A Minnesota radio station says yes, bicyclists are legally allowed to roll a stop sign in the state, if the intersection is clear.

An “avid cyclist” took up bicycling at age 30 at the urging of his bike-commuting wife, and now bikes to work at the US Department of Justice, while leading DC’s Jew on Bikes.

International

Momentum offers tips on how to have your best summer ever on two wheels. Although it would be pretty damn hard to beat when I was ten or so and riding my bike all over town.

No bias here. Canada’s CTV News offers everything you need to know for a safe bicycling season, from an ABC check to the 2V1 helmet fitting method. Although there’s no mention of bike lanes, lane sharing or how to ride around inattentive drivers, or anything else that would actually help you, you know, stay safe.

London maps out the city’s most dangerous intersections for bicyclists, as injuries climb to their highest level in eight year, even though bicycling deaths are down.

British bicyclists mostly support the country’s first “cycle street,” though at least one considers the $3.2 million bikeway a “bleedin’ waste of money.”

Sad news from France’s Loire Valley, where 54-year old gravel influencer Stéphane Goyard was killed by a driver while competing in the “Défi200” event at the country’s Nature is Bike festival, just hours after posting his last video to Instagram.

The Türkiye Cycling Federation will mark World Bicycle Day with coordinated bike rides throughout the country formerly known as Turkey. Or as World Bicycle Day is known in Los Angeles, Wednesday.

Speaking of Türkiye, a 32-year old Italian man has reached the northwestern part of the country on his way from Milan to Tokyo by bicycle. Although that last part of the ride could get a little damp.

Competitive Cycling

Cycling Weekly lists all eight cycling greats who have won all three Grand Tours, starting with France’s Jacques Anquetil in the late ’50s and early ’60s.

Finally…

That feeling when you turn your bike ride across the country into an audiobook and record album 25 year later. Or when you make history by winning a Grand Tour with hairy legs.

And when you’re carrying meth in your mouth while riding an ebike, put a working headlight on it, already.

The bike, that is. Not the meth.

Or your mouth.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: bicycling, bicycling deaths, Congress, Election Day, Golden State Report, Gregory Koch, HR 9041 The America Bikes Act, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Paul Thornton, San Luis Obispo, traffic violence

Show you don’t understand bike projects without saying so, Pride Rides in states red and blue, and no one ever died of Bicycle Face

June 1, 2026 / bikinginla / No comments

Not a lot of major bike news over the weekend, as tomorrow’s Election Day seems to have sucked all of the oxygen out of the room.

So let’s jump right in.

And if a corgi can make time her busy schedule to vote, you can, too.

……….

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

Britain’s Daily Mail demonstrates they have no idea how bike safety projects get done by their shock — or pretending to be shocked — that the country’s first bike boulevard cost the equivalent of $3.25 million to build, but still could get ripped out because the work won’t be considered permanent until the actual, factual results are in — or that some locals will complain no matter what gets built. In other words, kind of like every other safety improvement, everywhere.

Good point. The communications manager for a Minnesota advocacy group says your rage at dangerous drivers may feel like cathartic justice, but it won’t get the bike lanes fixed.

………

Local

Altadena community members took part in the city’s inaugural Golden Poppy Bike Ride to promote wildfire recovery and resilience, and gather input for a community-driven effort to reconnect the area through a multimodal trail network.

If you ride the Arroyo Seco Bike Path in Montecito Heights, you might find it a tad scorched but in good condition, after firefighters held a brush fire to a mere quarter acre.

State

A man is riding down the entire California coast on a tandem bike, and inviting strangers to join him for part of the ride.

This is who we share the road with. The CHP conducted a 24-hour special enforcement period in San Diego County on Wednesday, writing 1,023 citations, most for speeding, including 17 drivers cited for doing than 100 mph, and another 17 for DUI. Although anyone driving that fast should be arrested on the spot, rather than ticketed.

National

Velo has a list of Pride Rides throughout the country to help find one wherever you are, even in red states.

PeopleForBikes looks at what’s in The BUILD America 250 Act being considered by Congress for people on bikes.

Salt Lake City opened a new bike and pedestrian bridge along an existing viaduct, featuring the state’s longest continuous piece of public art. Or as most of us would call it, a nice fence.

The local Durango, Colorado paper finally features a story about the recent Iron Horse Classic ride that isn’t paywalled.

Um, okay. A Minneapolis writer says even if everyone in the city stopped driving cars entirely, it wouldn’t make a significant difference in global CO2 emissions. On the other hand, it would make the air locally a hell of a lot cleaner. And if everyone, everywhere, did what they could to cut emissions, it might make a real difference.

Good news from Indiana, where an autistic 21-year old man was found safe two days after he disappeared while riding his bicycle.

Members of a Buffalo Bills supporters group set out on a week-long, 665-mile bike journey from Chicago to Rochester NY for mental health. Which they probably needed after that overtime playoff loss to Denver last year.

A New Jersey dad riding an illegal, high-powered scooter was attempting to pass a slower rider on the Queensboro Bridge bike path when he slammed head-on into another man on a bicycle last week, killing them both. Then again, when you’re riding in a bike lane on a scooter that can do up to 55 mph, everyone is a slower rider.

A writer for Gothamist declines to take World Cup officials at their word that it’s too dangerous to skip the high transit fees and bike to the venue at New Jersey’s Met Life Stadium, but concludes that it’s actually sound advice.

It’s bibles, books, and bicycles in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to get kids to read and practice their faith — or whatever is equivalent for your faith. Although when I was down there, bibles were what was read on Sunday, before they threw books and rocks and beers at bike riders the rest of the week.

An Alabama nonprofit surprised kids at a local elementary school by giving 120 bicycles to underserved first graders; for many, it’s the first bike they’ve ever owned.

International

Thousands of Edinburg, Scotland bicyclists took to the streets to demand safer roadways in the annual Pedal on Parliament ride. And yes, I’m proud to have a Pedal on Parliament t-shirt hanging in my closet, even though I’ve never been.

A British program is using the equivalent of a $135,000 grant to fix up broken and abandoned bikes and loan them out for free in an effort to get more people riding.

A mountain biker in the UK thanks a mysterious stranger who took his bike to his home when he had a heart attack while on a descent — and perhaps more surprising, that it was still leaning against his garage when he finally returned home. Proving once again that there are a lot of good people in this world.

A British TV host had a full meltdown in reaction to a respected bike journalist, screaming that bike riders go faster than cars, only 75,000 people live in Amsterdam, and the whole damn country can’t be 25-year olds in Lycra. Although admittedly, we often can go faster than drivers because their 100 mph+ machines are stuck in traffic.

A 34-year old Dutch man completed a seven-country, 1864-mile bicycle journey from Amsterdam to Istanbul in 46 days to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease in honor of his late grandmother.

A woman in Hangzhou, China was lucky to survive when a fishing line wrapped around her neck as she rode her bike past a crowded bridge, before finally snapping on its own; she suspects a careless angler was responsible.

Bicycling Australia complains about “bicycles by name only,” aka so-called ebikes that are actually electric motorbikes.

Competitive Cycling

To the surprise of no one, Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard became the eighth man to win all three Grand Tours by claiming the Giro on Sunday, over five minutes ahead of second-place Felix Gall, while Jai Hindley completed the podium.

Bicycling Australia charts how Vingegaard took control of the race on the road from Bulgaria to Rome.

Before the Giro came to a close, 31-year old American Sepp Kuss soloed to victory on the queen stage.

In a bizarre development, Giro points leader and triple stage winner Jhonatan Narváez withdrew after stage 18 after colliding with the team bus following the race.

The women’s edition of the Giro took the extraordinary step of kicking stage one winner Lorena Wiebes out of the race entirely for violating UCI’s 6.8 kilograms weight limit by just 0.02kg — less than one ounce underweight — transferring the first maglia rosa and stage win to Italy’s Elisa Balsamo.

Wiebes’ SD Worx Protime team blamed a faulty scale for her DQ, and threatened legal action.

Cycling News says an unexpected rainstorm changed everything at Unbound Gravel, and apparently, 32-inch wheels didn’t roll over the field, after all.

Finally…

No one ever died of Bicycle Face. That feeling when your mountain bike pratfall circles the globe, or when your new bike lane isn’t any wider than your handlebars.

And seriously, no matter how big a hurrying you’re in to get out on your bike, try not to forget your pants.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: bicycling, Los Angeles

53-year old man killed in Oxnard hit-and-run Saturday afternoon; third bicycling death in Oxnard this year, second by hit-and-run

May 31, 2026 / bikinginla / No comments

It’s been a bad year for bike riders in Ventura County.

And it’s just getting started.

According to KEYT-TV, a man was discovered lying on the side of the road on Fifth Street near Harbor Blvd in Oxnard shortly after 4 pm Saturday, suffering from severe injuries.

A paywalled story from the Ventura County Star reports his badly damaged bicycle was discovered nearby.

The victim, identified only as a 53-year old man, died at the scene.

Police determined that he had been riding east on Fifth when he was apparently rear-ended by a driver headed in the same direction, who fled the scene.

There’s no description of the driver or suspect vehicle at this time, and no word on which way they fled.

A street view shows bike lanes on Harbor, but nothing on Fifth.

Anyone with information is urged to call Officer Joseph Clarke at 805/385-7749, or email joseph.clarke@oxnardpd.org.

This is the 32nd bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the fifth we know about in Ventura County; three of those deaths have now occurred in Oxnard.

It was also the 9th fatal hit-and-run involving a bike rider in Southern California this year.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: bicycling fatality, hit-and-run, Oxnard, Ventura County

Crackdown on illegal e-motos passes Senate, 2 dead in NY illegal e-scooter/bicycle crash, and road-rage driver shoots ebike rider

May 29, 2026 / bikinginla / No comments

My apologies for yesterday’s unexcused absence.

Wednesday was a very long day, and by the time I finally had a chance to write about the bicycling death in Santa Ana, it was too damn late to start on anything else.

On the other hand, this is the first time I haven’t had a migraine all week.

So there’s that, anyway.

Apropos of nothing, today’s photo is my coffee cup and a little light reading.

………

In late-breaking news — as in a 1 am press release — Streets For All and Streets Are For Everyone announced that SB 1167, which addresses the problem of illegal electric motorbikes being sold as ebikes by unscrupulous dealers, passed the state Senate and will move on to the Assembly.

Given the late hour, I’m just going to let you read the whole thing, rather than trying to rewrite it and edit it down.

This bill partially addresses the problem I’ve complained about for some time, that legal ped-assist ebikes too often get conflated and confused with illegal e-motos.

And this may be the first time I have so scrupulously used unscrupulous in any context on here.

California Senate Passes SB 1167 to Crack Down on Illegal E-Motos Fraudulently Sold as E-Bikes

SACRAMENTO — Recent news has seen a spike in reports of injuries or fatalities caused by “e-bikes,” such as 13-year-old Benson Nguyen or gangs of teenagers and young adults riding “e-bikes”. What is often missed is that most, if not all, of the vehicles being ridden are not legal e-bikes but are more correctly called e-motos (sometimes incorrectly called e-motorcycles). E-motos are high-powered two-wheeled electric devices that look similar to e-bikes or more like a cross between an e-bike and a motorcycle.

Under California law, legal e-bikes are limited to 750 watts and must fall within the state’s three-class e-bike framework.

But consumers, parents, schools, retailers, and law enforcement are increasingly encountering devices being fraudulently sold as e-bikes that can travel at much higher speeds – 30, 40, 50+ mph, and may legally require registration, licensing, insurance, or safety equipment.

SB 1167, legislation authored by Senator Catherine Blakespear of Encinitas, directly addresses the problem of e-motos and other high-powered electric devices being marketed and sold as street-legal “e-bikes” even when they do not meet California’s legal definition of an electric bicycle and are not street-legal. SB 1167 would make it clear that these devices cannot be falsely advertised or sold as e-bikes and can’t be ridden on the roads without proper registration, rider training, and safety features such as rear taillights, turn signals, and helmets.

Streets For All and Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) today applauded the California State Senate’s unanimous 37-0 passage of SB 1167.

SB 1167 strengthens consumer protections by requiring clearer labeling and disclosure when a device does not meet the legal definition of an e-bike. The bill also requires every e-bike sold in California to include a visible frame label identifying its class and maximum assisted speed, making it easier for riders, parents, retailers, schools, and law enforcement to understand what kind of device is being used.

“The e-bike panic in California has too often missed the real problem. Legal e-bikes are helping people replace car trips, save money, and get around more easily — but high-powered electric motorcycles being sold as e-bikes create confusion, real safety risks, and reasonable public backlash. SB 1167 is exactly the kind of smart, targeted legislation we need: protect consumers, crack down on misclassified devices, and keep legal e-bikes moving,” said Marc Vukcevic, Director of State Policy at Streets For All.

Under SB 1167, e-motos up to 3000 watts of power would be categorized the same as a moped, requiring the same registration, driver training, and safety features (taillights, turn signals, front lights, etc.) in order to be legally ridden on the road. E-motos above 3000 watts would be classified as either a motor-driven cycle or a motorcycle.

“We know we aren’t going to be getting rid of e-motos. That genie is already out of the bottle. The point of SB 1167 is not to outlaw e-motos but to bring them back under the law and ensure they are being used in a way that is safe for the rider and those around them,” said Damian Kevitt, Executive Director at Streets Are For Everyone.

The legislation also improves incident reporting by requiring law enforcement to include e-bike label information when documenting crashes and other incidents. That improved data collection will help California better distinguish between legal e-bikes and other electric two-wheeled vehicles, ensuring future policy is based on the actual source of safety concerns.

E-bikes are an increasingly important transportation option for Californians. They help families replace car trips, give young people and older adults more independence, support workers who rely on affordable transportation, reduce emissions, and make biking a more practical option for longer trips and hilly communities. Streets For All and SAFE support policies that protect legal e-bike riders and responsible retailers while ensuring that e-motos sold are used safely, with proper registration, training, and safety features one would expect of any high-powered vehicle used on our roads.

SB 1167 is co-sponsored by Streets Are For Everyone, Streets For All, Calbike, and PeopleForBikes. The bill now heads to the Assembly for consideration.

………

Horrible news from New York, where two men were killed in head-on collision on the city’s Queensboro Bridge Wednesday morning.

No drivers or motor vehicles involved.

Instead, a 35-year old bike rider was hit by a 39-year old man riding the wrong way in the bike lane, on an illegal e-scooter capable of up to 53 mph. Both men died after being taken to a hospital.

A photo shows the carbon-frame Factor bike snapped in half, with the scooter embedded in between.

The scooter should have never been on the streets, where New York has a 20 mph speed limit for stand-up e-scooters, which is common in many cities and states; California has a 15 mph limit for throttle-controlled scooters.

Never mind that the rider wasn’t legally allowed in the bike lane, let alone riding salmon.

Now two people have paid the price for one man’s bad choices.

Thanks to Edward for the heads-up.

………

While we’re on the subject of horrible news, a Fairfax, Virginia man is fighting for his life after he was shot multiple times by a road-raging driver.

According to witnesses, the driver was chasing the ebike rider when he caught up to the victim at a stop sign, then got out of his car and fired several shots as the bike rider tried to back away.

Despite taking two to three bullets to the chest, the victim got back on his ebike and rode to the next town over, where a friend called 911. He was hospitalized in critical condition.

Police arrested the driver hours later. Possible charges will likely depend on whether the victim survives his injuries.

………

Calbike says the untenable ten-year delay in building active mobility projects in LA’s Boyle Heights, Skid Row and Wilmington, which could result in the loss of $100 million in state grants, shows why California has to fix its Active Transportation Program.

AB 2168, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, would strengthen California’s ATP by making it more focused, more coordinated, and more accountable. The bill requires updates to the ATP guidelines to give greater emphasis to safe routes to transit, including projects that improve biking and walking access to transit facilities, school bus stops, transit station areas, planned stops, transit corridors, transit-oriented development areas, and underserved or rural areas.

The most important change in AB 2168 is also one of the most practical: it pushes California to stop treating active transportation as a small, separate category of transportation spending. The bill calls for commitments of State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funds to ATP-funded projects so California can scale up larger and network-level active transportation improvements. Committing STIP funds, which typically funded larger general roadway projects, to active transportation projects increases available funding for biking and walking infrastructure, increasing the reach far beyond the oversubscribed, underfunded ATP. In plain terms, that means ATP dollars should be used as a corollary, complementary piece for bigger investments, not as the only money available to build safer streets.

………

Personal injury attorney Steven M. Sweat emailed with a good reminder that California’s three-foot passing law was changed three years ago to require drivers to change lanes to pass a vulnerable road user when there’s a lane available.

Sweat has a guide to California bike laws on his website, in case you’re in need of a quick refresher.

But drivers still can’t legally put two wheels across the magic yellow line in the center of the road to pass a bike rider safely on a two-lane road, thanks to our outgoing governor’s overactive veto pen.

………

Bike Angeles rides the D.

Twitter post

………

If, like me, you’re still making last-minute decisions on local offices before Tuesday’s Election Day deadline, LAist offers a detailed Voter’s guide.

Meanwhile, Streets For All endorses Nithya Raman, my fellow corgi dad Kenneth Mejia, and Marissa Roy in the upcoming election.

Twitter post

……….

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

The head of a Florida homeowner’s association faces charges for chasing down a 12-year old boy who had just moved to the area, knocking him off his bicycle and throwing the bike in his car, in an extreme case of “you don’t belong here.”

Clean Technica says Berlin is ground zero in the war between bicycles and cars, following the progress Paris has made. To which LA drivers said “hold my beer.”

………

Local

Los Angeles officially opened Phase 3 of the Griffith Park Safety and Active Transportation Improvement Project, adding protected bike lanes, speed humps, new signage and traffic-calming measures along Crystal Springs Drive. Someone sent me a photo of k-rail barriers being removed in Griffith Park, but I seem to have lost the email, so please resend it if you can.

Metro approved a number of motions at Thursday’s board meeting, including a new budget that will continue to flush nearly a billion dollars down the induced demand toilet, along with a motion to move the plans for the LA river bike path forward with a lower-cost design that could possibly, maybe, kinda hopefully be finished in time for the ’28 Olympics. LA Mayor Karen Bass was also voted in as board chair for the upcoming fiscal year, though voters may have a say in that come November, if not on Tuesday.

State

Another Orange County mom could face charges for the sins of her son, after the teenager fled from cops attempting a traffic stop by riding against traffic at a high rate of speed and blowing through a red light, following several previous warning about his alleged illegal behavior.

The driver charged with killing six-year old Hudson O’Loughlin in a January Pacific Beach hit-and-run was formally charged on Wednesday, as 32-year old Tiffany Sanchez pled not guilty to felony counts vehicular manslaughter and hit and run causing death; in gut wrenching testimony, Hudson’s father said the boy was still alive and trying to move his bike following the initial impact, when Sanchez stepped on the gas and ran the boy over. And yes, this one still makes me cry.

Better news from San Diego’s Carmel Valley, where a 12-year old boy was moved from the ICU nearly a month after he was struck by a driver while riding his ebike; Mark Maldonado has shown significant improvement since he was removed from a ventilator and a medically induced coma. A crowdfunding page has raised nearly $21,000, while classmates at his elementary school raised over $1,800 with a bake sale and lemonade stand.

San Diego County health officials warn about the dangers of ebikes. Even though it’s only the illegal ones that cause the problems.

National

Even tiny and cold Nome, Alaska now has a bike bus with nearly two dozen students.

A former Chicago Peace Corps volunteer has helped send over 7,000 bicycles to Africa’s Kingdom of Lesotho since founding Bikes for Lesotho 13 years ago.

Sad news from Cleveland, where the landmark former home of a 143-year old bike shop was partially demolished when the building was declared unsafe, two years after the business had closed.

Damn. A Tampa, Florida man was struck and killed by a driver while riding his bike, just six months after surviving a cardiac arrest.

International

What could possibly go wrong? A pedestrian walkway in Oxfordshire, England will be widened slightly so bike riders can share the route, but for just a little more 400 feet — one and a third the distance of a football field — likely leaving both walkers and rider confused and conflicted.

Life is cheap in the UK, where Road.cc catches up on sentencing for several drivers who killed or injured bike riders, including just four years for a woman who killed a 70-year old man while driving drunk and stoned, with an open wine bottle next to her and her kids in the car.

A British advocacy group says the government should invest in electric bicycles, because ebike incentives are twice as effective as grants for electric cars. Maybe someone should tell the California Air Resources Board, since they stole the funding for the state ebike incentive program to give it to electric car buyers, instead.

Competitive Cycling

Velo digs into the numbers to show that Jonas Vingegaard really might be better and stronger than ever.

Thirty-four-year old Danish cyclist Michael Valgren fought his way to his biggest victory since a devastating crash at the 2022 Route d’Occitanie nearly ended his career, by winning Wednesday’s stage 17 of the Giro.

Twenty-two-year old French pro Paul Magnier won stage 18 of the Giro on Thursday to reclaim the ciclamino points leader’s jersey, while Jonas Vingegaard remained far ahead in the GC. And yes, I had to look up ciclamino, too.

Velo looks back fondly at the “storied history” of Pennsylvania’s 50-year old Trexlertown Velodrome, saying it set a new standard for US bike racing.

Finally…

That feeling when your new bike lane becomes a giant ad and a carnival ride. Or when your new cargo bike could double as a racing bike, unless maybe you prefer your next bike to be hydrogen powered.

And who needs a piano when you have a bicycle?

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: anti-ebike hysteria, bicycling, e-motorbikes, e-scooters, ebikes, Los Angeles, New York, road rage, SB 1167, shootings

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$176 million in Grossman/Erickson case, Ohio man attacks 2 men on bikes, and Escondido cop faces one year for killing ebike-rider

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

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Ackerman ghost bike returned, Long Beach 2nd on CA bike-friendly list and 10th is US, and educating LA bicyclists and drivers

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Traffic safety ignored in LA election, bipartisan bike bill in US Congress, and Long Beach man killed by driver while biking in SLO

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Show you don’t understand bike projects without saying so, Pride Rides in states red and blue, and no one ever died of Bicycle Face

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

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53-year old man killed in Oxnard hit-and-run Saturday afternoon; third bicycling death in Oxnard this year, second by hit-and-run

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Crackdown on illegal e-motos passes Senate, 2 dead in NY illegal e-scooter/bicycle crash, and road-rage driver shoots ebike rider

California Senate Passes SB 1167 to Crack Down on Illegal E-Motos Fraudulently Sold as E-Bikes

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

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