Archive for December 17, 2010

Cyclist killed in La Quinta, bike plan passes Planning, Vail hit-and-run driver walks, and goodbye Aurisha.

A cyclist was killed in a hit-and-run in LaQuinta, near Palm Desert, on Tuesday afternoon.

Fifty-six year old Joseph Patrick Szymanski was killed while riding on Avenue 54 in La Quinta about 3 pm Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters pronounced him dead at the scene; his body was found lying in the bike lane, though authorities note that they don’t know where he was when he was hit.

Tracey Salter of Merriam, Kansas woman was arrested an hour later about three miles away on suspicion of felony hit-and-run.

The article notes that a police spokesman didn’t know if Szymanski was wearing a helmet. But unless he died of a head injury, whether or not he was wearing a helmet is irrelevant. And even if he did, there’s no reason to believe it would have helped unless he was struck at slow speed.

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After years of contentious debate, the draft bike plan passed the city Planning Commission with near-unanimous support from the cycling community. The only serious disagreement came from equestrians opposed to allowing bikes on off-road trails, updating a conflict that goes back to the earliest days of cycling.

According to the LACBC, the plan will now go to Mayor Villaraigosa’s office for review before heading to the City Council in February for final approval.

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Time to add Vail to your biking boycott list, after the schmuck driver who ran down a cycling transplant surgeon and left him lying critically injured on the side of the road — claiming it was a result of that new car smell — walks with a year’s probation and a suspended jail term.

That’s after the local DA declined to press felony charges because it could affect the driver’s high income career; by that standard, every rich sociopath and over-privileged jerk who commits a crime should get off the hook.

And from the looks of it, it’s possible that one just did.

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Damien Newton talks to the Beverly Hills cop who seemed to suggest a correlation between cyclists and criminal activity; turns out he’s one of us. And didn’t mean it that way.

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In non-wheeled human powered transportation news, Bikeside reports on the impatient hit and run driver who critically injured a Santa Monica pedestrian. And while we’re on the subject, Dj Wheels notes that Moran Bitan, the 18-year old driver who killed a 16-year old Notre Damn High School cross country runner Conor Lynch, faces a pretrial hearing on the 27th at the Van Nuys courthouse.

And still no charges against Stephanie Segal in the alleged drunken hit-and-run death of cyclist James Laing in Agoura Hills this past October.

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Nice KCET interview with L.A Bicycle Coordinator Michelle Mowery about riding the L.A. River; thanks to Bicycle Fixation and Flying Pigeon for the heads-up. Speaking of Flying Pigeon, they’re getting four new Velorbis bikes just in time for Christmas. Or maybe you’d prefer a very cool and unique looking chainless STRiDA folding bike. Another street falls victim to the stupidest and most dangerous law in California.

Employees of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System buy a new bike and helmet for every first grade student at a local elementary school. CalTrans pushes for a bike lane to nowhere in Bakersfield. Berkley is the most dangerous California city of its size for cyclists, pedestrians and conservatives. Evidently, you can have a good ride in Sacramento, even without Lycra. Ross Del Duca continues his thoughts — started here — on divisions, divides and cultures that divide cyclists, or not. California releases the new standards for complete streets. The SF Gate discusses why and how to register your bike; in addition to the National Bike Registry and Stolen Bike Registry mentioned in the article, I like the free international bike registration program from Bike Revolution.

Something tells me this app intended for motorists will prove very popular with cyclists. A women’s bike team can be run for just 5% of what it costs to run a men’s pro team. Bike before breakfast to maximize weight loss and other health benefits. If you think you’re tough, try racing 150 miles through the Alaskan wilderness in the dead of winter. The New York Times points out that there are laws against bad bike behavior. Philadelphia drivers love the city’s new parking contraflow bike lanes. Just in time for Christmas, get an official crown of thorns helmet so you, too, can suffer like Jesus while you ride.

Finally, if you’re going to ride your bike on the sidewalk in Santa Monica, leave your meth and crack pipe at home (scroll down to Monday). And a new study discovers the cause of San Francisco’s traffic problems: cars.

Go figure, huh?

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Photo stolen from LACBC Facebook page

 

On a personal note, best wishes to LACBC’s Aurisha Smolarski, who’s moving on to pursue other career goals. In the 2-1/2 years she’s been working with the bike coalition, I’ve watched Aurisha grow to become one of the city’s most effective advocates for cycling, and a friend. She has arguably done as much as anyone to improve the state of bicycling in Los Angeles, often working quietly behind the scenes to fight for the rights of cyclists and set the stage for our budding biking renaissance.

She will be very missed.

Breaking news: Planning Commission approves L.A. bike plan

The Los Angeles Planning Commission just approved the draft bike plan, moving it forward to the City Council for consideration.

Villaraigosa endorses the new bike plan; snowball in Hell stocks skyrocket

I’m not saying hell has frozen over, but I swear I saw the devil shopping for overcoats at Macy’s yesterday. Because L.A.’s mayor has officially, sort of, tweeted his endorsement of the draft bike plan.

I support bike lanes, improvements – do you? Planning Commission hearing on Bike Plan Thurs in Van Nuys. Info at http://bit.ly/ax9Je

Looks like I have to support it now, too. But even scarier is when Mayor Villaraigosa and Alex Thompson appear to agree on the subject. Or any subject, for that matter.

Maybe the devil should be looking for gloves and a nice heavy muffler, too.

In case, like me, you can’t make the Planning Commission meeting Thursday, LACBC will be live tweeting from Van Nuys City Hall, and LADOT Bike Blog will be live blogging, both of which are so much more enjoyable than the dead kind (and congrats on surviving finals, Chris).

And Villaraigosa fulfills his promise of pushing for a three-foot passing law on the state level, made after his Road to Damascus — or in this case, Venice — conversion to bike advocate.

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As a follow-up to Wednesday’s story about the Santa Monica Bike Action Plan, here’s your chance to voice your opinion without the inconvenience of actually having to set foot in the city; second link courtesy of Stanley E. Goldich.

Not everyone seems to be impressed, though.

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And as long as we’re on the subject of cities on the verge of bike friendliness — or at least, bike friendlierness — comes a trio of stories from one SoCal city that actually is, most of the time.

Long Beach officially unveils the new Vista Bike Boulevard, once again beating L.A. to every conceivable cycling innovation. An interview with Long Beach Mobility Coordinator and recovering politician Charlie Gandy. And the city considers eliminating its licensing requirement after it was recently used to bludgeon the city’s first official Critical Mass.

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Flying Pigeon issues a BOLO alert for a stolen Batavus step-through; it’s not like there are many of those around here, so it should be easy to spot. Metro releases bicycle data for 88 cities for web and app designers. Help kickstart CycLAvia into 2011 and expand it into long neglected South L.A. Is it just me, or did this Victorville writer just tell drivers not to merge into a bike lane before making a right turn — as the law requires — dramatically increasing the risk of a right hook? Drivers aren’t the only ones who can tunnel their way from point A to point B. Here’s your chance to ride a stage of the Amgen Tour of California, from Claremont to Mount Baldy, without having to pee in a cup afterwards to prove you’re dope free. If cyclists are a privileged class, why do all the roads seem to be designed with cars in mind?

Tips for begging free gear and sponsors for your next big ride. Meet the Bicycle Accident Victims Fund. A reporter for the Wall Street Journal starts riding around town since NYC belongs to bike people now — especially if we’re going to ride in weather like this — while the paper offers advice on fashionable attire for your bike commute; studded tires might come in handy, too. A successful winter bike to work day in my old hometown — if you can call getting coffee and eggs from New Belgium Brewing instead of beer successful. Courtesy of Carolina cyclist and recent guest writer Zeke comes word of a call for better biker behavior in DC.

An American living in Germany notes a remarkable lack of spandex; I was starting to think I was the only blogger who doesn’t call it Lycra these days. Evidently, London truck drivers are tired of killing cyclists. Eight months in jail for a banned driver who left a cyclist lying unconscious in the road. A study by a Brit doctor shows that a carbon bike won’t get you to work any faster than a traditional steel framed bike. Requiring cyclists to be licensed and insured would be unnecessary, harmful and pointless; agreed. UCI slams back against Floyd “I swear I was lying then but I’m telling the truth now” Landis’ charges of protecting doping bike stars. The dying wish of bike coach Aldo Sassi is for Ivan Basso to win the Tour de France and place the winner’s yellow jersey on his tomb; no pressure or anything, Ivan.

Finally, it wasn’t a lack of compassion or human decency that made a driver leave a cycling transplant surgeon seriously injured in the road, it was that damn new car smell. Then again, if he’d just bungeed himself to his riding partner, that cyclist might not have gotten hit in the first place.

A report on Monday’s Santa Monica Bike Action Plan open house

These past few weeks have featured a lot of meetings and events I’ve had to — or will have to — pass on, from Metro’s discussion of the Wilshire BRT to tomorrow’s reconsideration of the draft bike plan by L.A. Planning Commission.

One of the meetings I most wanted to attend, and most regret missing, was Monday night’s open house to discuss the Santa Monica Bicycle Action Plan. Fortunately, Eric Weinstein, an actively involved rider I’ve frequently met at various bike-related meetings, was there to fill us all in with a guest post on what we missed.

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Bicycle Action Plan meeting Dec 13th 2010

Desired locations for bike parking, bike corrals and bike share stations; photo by Eric Weinstein.

The City of Santa Monica held the Public Input meeting for a bicycle plan Monday night.  Hope you were there, with the 100 (or so) other bike activists.

The meeting was organized by Jeff Tumlin. That was kind of a surprise, since rumor had it that the outside consultant was not a bike person, but Jeff is an extremely well spoken bike planner, and familiar from the LUCE (Land Use and Circulation Elements) process. Many of the City’s departments were represented, including the bike-oriented Planning commissioners and City council members. Santa Monica Spoke was there in its entirety, and several other bike interested parties were there, including school staff and SMPD.

The 1st question in the Q&A dismissed bikes and suggested we all “get along” by sharing the road – which was immediately followed by a Spoke member with a call for a more visionary future. Bad start, snappy reply. The meeting soon moved ahead to the input phase – much better than this sort of debate. The endless debate of cars or parking vs cycling is not part my vision of how to implement better transportation. Bikes are vehicles and deserve safe accommodation on the roads. Period.

Most of the items for discussion are laid out in the LUCE, with several areas set up to gather public input, including:

  • A map to mark frequent destinations to aid in planning the bike network
  • A map to mark priorities for “bike street” improvements such as lanes, bikeways and sharrows
  • An aerial photograph to mark where cyclists might get on the forthcoming Expo Line bikeway, to help integrate with the city’s bike network
  • A chart and map to note where the access needed the most improvement in getting to the beach bikeway, along with notes on route and challenges to getting there
  • One I still don’t understand about work sites
  • A place for additional notes on the LUCE bike parking and business section – where else to add bike valets, how to encourage employees to bike to work and customers to bike to shop.
  • A place to note where to put the next bike-improved street for North-South and East-West travel
  • A small section on metrics, with a survey on how optimistic you are that improvements will be made in mode share by 2030 (20% to 50%)
  • And last (my favorite with the most dots) where to put more bike racks, more corrals and bike share stations

These are the elements of the Panning Departments thinking on bike improvements. And from what was put forward, it looks like the next improvements will include at least some of the following: more bikes lanes and sharrows to close the gaps in the bike network, some more (possibly permanent) bike corrals, more bike racks, a bike station at the Santa Monica Place mall downtown, and some better bike-sensing at traffic signals.

All this sounds like great stuff – the more the better. Better cycling roads and much more parking are very important elements to successful bike infrastructure; however, I do feel that there are quite a few areas where other ideas should be put forward.

My take on the most important missing element is the need to educate returning (adult) cyclists for riding again in urban traffic. If we bicycled like we are traffic, we would be traffic, and most of these car/bike conflicts would disappear.

I’m sure that there are many other ideas that are missing. The Santa Monica planning department is very interested in getting more input, so please send them some. Everyone is invited to send in written suggestions or additions to the Bike Action Plan; you can learn more and link to a survey at www.smgov.net/bikesm.

Casually reclaiming the streets of Santa Monica

There are lots of ways to reclaim the streets.

Monday night, Santa Monica showed one way, hosting a public community meeting to discuss the city’s Bicycle Action Plan and improved access for riders throughout L.A.’s immediate neighbor to the west; Wednesday morning we’ll have a guest post from Eric Weinstein reporting on what happened there.

Meanwhile, biking advocate and UCLA lecturer Dr. Michael Cahn demonstrates another by turning a bayside side street into a casual celebratory spot.

The former LACBC board member, founding member of the Santa Monica Spoke and a leader of the UCLA Bicycle Academy invites you to join him in celebrating his birthday with a sidewalk potluck Wednesday, December 15th — today, in other words, unless you happen to read this in the next 20 minutes — from noon to three pm at 507 Washington Ave in Santa Monica; RSVP velocipedus@gmail.com.

I may just put my boxes down for a bit and drop by myself.

Just the links — SMIDSYs and SWSS, jail for Krupen and a bike plan most everyone mostly likes

After five solid days of lifting and moving boxes bigger than I am, I keep looking in the mirror expecting to see the Hulk looking back.

Instead, I just see a skinny ass cyclist — okay, maybe not so skinny these days — who’s black and blue just about everywhere.

The good news is, we’ve got one last day of at least semi-good biking weather (update: or not) before a storm front is supposed to blow in for the rest of the week. So get out there and enjoy it.

And don’t even think about me stuck inside cleaning our old apartment instead of out riding my bike.

And trust me, after 17 years in the same place, there’s a lot to clean.

Meanwhile, when things settle down a little, I’ve been having some interesting thoughts about what happens when the world does not conform to our expectations, and why bikes shouldn’t considered alternative transportation.

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In case you missed it while I’ve been otherwise occupied, the latest draft of the proposed L.A. bike plan dropped last week, and for the first time in a long, complicated and drawn out process, everyone seems okay with it. The next step is a return engagement before the city Planning Commission on Thursday.

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Another story I missed over the weekend, Yelena Krupen, the driver who fled the scene after injuring cyclist Brandon Chau in Beverly Hills last year, has been sentenced to 25 days in jail, along with a $1200 fine and $350 restitution to the victim. It may not seem like much — and chances are, she’ll actually serve a lot less — but any jail time at all is a victory in any hit-and-run case, let alone one that doesn’t result in major trauma to the victim. Cyclist and attorney DjWheels says she’s due to surrender to the Century Regional Detention Center two days after Christmas.

Anyone want to bet she’ll be back on the streets by New Years?

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The next fundraiser for L.A. Streetsblog takes place this Saturday. LACBC sponsors their 2nd Annual Family Holiday Bike Ride featuring CD4 Council Member Tom LaBonge, aka the guy who’s running against Stephen Box. Examined Spoke looks at strict liability laws that would require drivers to prove their usual SMIDSY and SWSS — Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You and Single Witness Suicide Swerve, aka “honest officer, the bike just swerved out in front of me” — excuses; speaking of which, a 73-year old former pro cyclist is recovering from a SMIDSY of his own. The LAPD’s Bike Task Force releases advice on preventing bike theft; hats off to Jeremy Grant for taking the lead on its creation. Ride the Divide plays Downtown this weekend; the acclaimed film follows an off-road race 2,700 miles along the Continental Divide. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re missing on the monthly Spoke(n) Art ride, Flying Pigeon shows you. Will offers a look at last weekend’s All-City Toy Ride sponsored by Midnight Ridazz. UC Berkeley authorities crack down on cyclists, including a $220 fine for chaining a bike to a railing; the Bay Area’s Guardian politely points out that bikes aren’t cars. Sometimes, you just want to hang out with other cyclists and feel normal for a change. A Rutgers University student from Concorde, CA was killed while riding her bike over the weekend. The biggest thing keeping people from cycling in England is the perceived danger on the roads. If you’re expecting a Christmas card from London’s mayor, look for one with three wise men on the city’s bike share bikes.

Finally, Town Mouse travels from Scotland to the southern half of my old Colorado stomping grounds, and discovers that uniquely American phenomenon of missionaries on bikes.

Random thoughts at the end of a very long weekend

I’m still in moving hell for the next few days.

After two solid days of it, our old apartment seems like a clown car; no matter how many things we move out of it, there’s still more left to more. And don’t even get me started on the mess in the new place.

So please forgive me if it takes a few days to catch up and get back to normal. I’m just happy to have internet service again after going cold turkey for 36 hours. In the meantime, a few interesting tidbits have crossed my radar in my few free moments.

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A bike-riding right wing lawyer offers solid advice on how to talk about cycling to a conservative.

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The Times says doubts linger about the official explanation in the murder of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen; frankly, it seems like everyone other than the Beverly Hills Police doubt that a bike riding ex-con acting alone killed her in random robbery attempt. And check out this comment from BHPD spokesman Lt. Tony Lee —

Lee declined to comment on the specifics of the case, but said, “I can tell you from personal experience that using a bicycle as a mode of transportation is extremely prevalent with criminals. You can’t copy a license plate; they get in and out of traffic; hide into the shadows of the night, through alleyways; and can dump the bike and can jump into a bus. It occurs all the time.”

Maybe that’s why cops are so quick to cuff cyclists during traffic stops. If you assume — despite all evidence to the contrary — that the use of bikes in criminal activity is “extremely” widespread, it’s not a big jump to assume every cyclist is a potential criminal.

Never mind that far more criminals make their getaway by car — or on foot — than on two wheels.

Not that they’d profile cyclists or anything.

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Then there’s this great comment from Traffic-meister Tom Vanderbilt, in response to this article on the great bike lane debate in the New York Times —

770 pedestrians killed by cars between 2005 and 2009 (50% had the ‘walk’), and people are ‘afraid’ of bikes. WTF.http://nyti.ms/h322Cg

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Gary reminds us about the public workshop for the Santa Monica Bicycle Action Plan; 6:30 pm Monday at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Don’t count on seeing me there, though. My wife’s not letting me out of the house until we get all this crap put away.

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And finally, condolences to GT on the loss of a loyal four-footed friend.

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This seems like a good time to remind you that you can follow me on Twitter @bikinginla. And there’s still time to join Ross, Zeke and Damien in writing a guest post for BikingInLA while my attention is diverted elsewhere. So if you’ve got anything bike-related you want to get off your chest, just drop me a line at bikinginla at hotmail dot com.

Stephen Box, his campaign, and our game changer

Today, Damien Newton, editor of L.A. Streetsblog — by far, the city’s most influential source for transportation news — steps in with a guest commentary, as I continue packing in anticipation of my first move in 17 years.

Damien tackles the topic of Stephen Box and his campaign to unseat Tom LaBonge as councilmember for L.A.’s 4th Council District. However, he stresses that this piece reflects his personal opinion, and doesn’t reflect the position of Streetsblog or any other organization.

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Photo by Alex Thompson

Usually a City Council election is about the incumbent, and whether or not he deserves to be returned to City Hall.  However, for any cyclist who follows politics in Los Angeles knows, there is one election on the docket for 2011 that is different: Stephen Box’s challenge of incumbent Tom LaBonge in the 4th Council District.

The election of Stephen Box to the City Council would be a watershed moment for cyclists.  No offense meant to Eric Garcetti, Ed Reyes, Bill Rosendahl or even LaBonge himself, but Box has had a laser-like focus on improving safety for cyclists in the city and beyond.

But it’s not just that Stephen understands what’s important to cyclists, he also has an understanding of City Hall and the levers of power that means his ideas can become reality.

The cyclists/LAPD task force was a direct result of Stephen’s advocacy with the police department over the years.  Heck, watch Stephen interact with the police before a Critical Mass ride, and you can forget who is the authority figure and who’s the advocate as police officers happily mug for the camera with Box and his wife, Enci.

Or, just read the newest edition of the Bike Plan and run a search for the word “Backbone.”  Stephen was the leader of the citizen’s group that created the Backbone Bikeway Network after a series of public meetings in 2009.  While a lot of people worked hard to get the Bike Plan changed from the wretched first draft that was dropped in 2009 to what we see today; Box’s imprint, and that of the entire Bike Working Group, is all over the most recent proposal.

Sometimes being a leader means doing something you aren’t particularly thrilled about.  Saddled with a newborn and trying to find the funds to keep Streetsblog going, I had to sit out much of the end of the debate on how Los Angeles will spend its local return funds from Measure R.  The idea of a bike/ped set-aside had originated at the back of the Metro Board Room between myself and LACBC’s Dorothy Le in the summer of 2008, and Box had tried to talk us out of it.

He argued that trying to get a small piece of the pie for bike/ped facilities was the wrong strategy.  Instead we should be pushing for every road project to have a bicycle and pedestrian component.  A fair point.  At the time, I used a football analogy that we were trying to move the ball, but he was going for the touchdown.  A group of people that all wanted the same thing, better designed roads and streets, but had different ideas and plans how to do that.

The point, Stephen wasn’t a fan of the set-aside strategy.  Fast forward to this year.  Both Rosendahl and Mayor Villaraigosa are pushing for 10% of the city’s local return funds to be set-aside for bicycle and pedestrian projects.  The LADOT was agreeing, but was using a budget trick that would have stripped out nearly $20 million of the $60 million that would have been dedicated to cyclists and walkers.

Photo by Enci Box

I read the LADOT’s reports and I missed it.  So did the staff for Council Members Rosendahl, Parks, Alarcon, Koretz and LaBonge.  They missed it.  So did the Bike Coalition (who have been champs on this issue, make no mistake.)  Stephen didn’t.  He called the LADOT out for it during a Transportation Committee Hearing.  Rosendahl directed them to fix the “error.”  And they did.

And remember, he didn’t even like the idea of a “set aside.”

Let’s also remember that he’s not paid for any of this.  In fact, he’s often paying his own money for materials or even a trip to Sacramento.  He doesn’t always win, after all he’s been the poster boy for the fight against raising speed limits on local streets, but it’s not for a lack of effort.

After convincing then Assemblyman Paul Krekorian to introduce legislation that would have pushed back against limit increases that were popping up throughout the valley, Stephen and Enci took a trip to Sacramento, on their own dime, to lobby for the legislation.  It didn’t pass, but if Los Angeles had put the muscle into lobbying for it that Stephen and Enci did, it would have had a much better shot.

Supporters of LaBonge could point to his history of advocacy for issues such as better bicycle facilities on 4th Street, his voting record at the Council, or the annual Tour LaBonge summer bike series.  Others could argue that LaBonge’s record, which includes obstructing the Bicyclists’ Bill of Rights and originally supporting a plan for the Griffith Park Observatory that didn’t include bike parking.  But the reality is that LaBonge’s record shouldn’t matter when discussing this race.  When it comes to bike issues, Box is a once in a generation chance to get a real champion in City Hall.

Conversely, a lot of people have problems with Stephen’s combative style.  Other advocates have complained to me about it and I’ve known some city staff that just can’t stand him.  More than once I’ve been on the other end of some of his pointed criticism, but it’s because he’s always focused on the results.  And for a one-man army armed with only his brain and a social media-network, the results are impressive.

And I would argue that neither Box’s personality nor LaBonge’s record are the issue.  Whether cyclists as a group can embrace this candidacy and push it over the top is.

And while there are plenty of reasons to support his campaign, as cyclists, we honestly shouldn’t need to look beyond our spokes.  Box will be a great Council Man for Neighborhood Councils, for government transparency, for neighborhood empowerment and for always focusing on results, not intentions.

There’s a reason Box won Streetsblog’s “2009 Livable Streets Person of the Year” award and that Alex Thompson bluntly refers to him as “literally the single most important bike activist in Los Angeles ever.”  His record of advocacy is second to none.

He’s also our game changer.  There’s only one Stephen Box, and we may only have one chance to get him in City Hall.

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In a bizarre case that just doesn’t seem to add up, the L.A. Times says questions remain in the shooting death of Beverly Hills publicist Ronni Chasen. According to Beverly Hills police, Chasen was shot in a botched robbery attempt by a bike riding ex-con — despite the tight grouping of shots, which would have been difficult to achieve from the saddle of a bike. Let alone the lack of bullet casings at the scene or the fact that nothing appears to have been taken. And evidently, according to the police theory, leaving the bike he was reportedly devoted to at the scene.

As a writer for the Huffington Post put it —

How many robbers in America ride a bicycle seven miles to commit a robbery, approach from the passenger side of a single occupant vehicle, shoot with deadly accuracy, center mass, through the passenger window and then leave after taking nothing? Then, potentially leave their bicycle in the area and walk seven miles home? Take the bus? Hitchhike? More than that what about all the firefighters, ambulance, and police that rolled out no one saw him, interviewed him or anything?

So he kills her but doesn’t have time to grab her purse or anything of value from the scene? That really does stretch the notion of “botched robbery.” Not impossible, but very “weird” nonetheless.

Personally, I suspect Joe Anthony, aka @ohaijoe offered a more credible theory when he suggested that it could have been road rage.

At least that theory makes a little sense.

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Transit advocates and cyclists are outraged as the Metro Board discards the recommendations of their own staff and LADOT to exempt the multi-million dollar condos along Wilshire Blvd in the Westwood area from the planned Bus Rapid Transit, or bus-only, lanes.

The lanes would run on either side of Wilshire Blvd; impact on traffic would be manageable, while encouraging alternative transportation and moving more people more efficiently.

Yet somehow, the entire board voted unanimously against the recommendations of the people paid to know what the hell they’re talking about — as well as a room full of people arguing passionately in favor of the extending the BRT the entire length of Wilshire. The attitude of the board seemed to be summed up by County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who responded to the comments with “I respect people’s right to pontificate, but the rest of us have a responsibility to make sure things work.”

Yes, he actually said that.

And yes, the rest of the board voted with him to support the desires of the very wealthy few over the needs of everyone else in the room, exempting an approximately 1-mile stretch from Selby to Comstock.

Personally, I intend to remember that quote the next time Zev asks for my vote.

Pontificate, my ass.

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Finally, Chris K, wrench-meister and author of (just) Riding Along, offers up a guest post on Pedalr that they call their best blog post yet. And Long Beach may drop their heavy-handed bike licensing requirement.

The Urbana Bike — a very friendly and forgiving monster of a bicycle

The Urbana Bike at the beach.

Yes, it’s a monster.

Not in the Frankenstein sense, with frightened villagers carrying pitchforks and torches. But more like the creature from Young Frankenstein — big, a little awkward maybe, yet friendly and playful.

And more than ready to put on the Ritz.

In other words, this is a very serious, fun and exceptionally user-friendly monster of a bike. Think of it as an urban assault bike, the two-wheeled equivalent of a full-size Hummer — a bike able to go anywhere. And over just about anything.

SI was surprised to get an email a few months ago, asking if I wanted to try out a new bike. After all, I’d never done a product review before. Mostly because no one had ever asked me to.

This...

Next thing I knew, there was a massive box waiting at my door. And inside was the biggest bike I’d ever seen, in a shocking shade of magenta. Although they call it Sangria.

Naturally, there weren’t any assembly instructions enclosed; while I used to do my own wrenching, this was far different from anything I’d worked on before. So even though I blundered my way through putting it together, I had still it fully assembled and ready to ride within 20 minutes.

Or so I thought.

...turned into this in just a few minutes.

Used to quick release hubs, I was afraid to over tighten the nuts on the front wheel. And sure enough, two blocks into my test ride, it was flopping back and forth like a bad toupee in a hurricane. My next attempt wasn’t much better, lasting about six blocks.

After finally tightening the crap out of it, it’s lasted nearly three months without needing another adjustment.

Make no mistake, though. This is a very big, and very heavy bike; when I stepped on the scale holding it and subtracted my own weight — admittedly, not the most accurate means of measurement — it came out at a whopping 42 pounds.

But it doesn’t ride like it.

Despite the weight, the Urbana rolls as easy as any bike I’ve ridden — and a lot easier than many I’ve tried. The 8 speed Shimano Nexus internal gear hub shifts easily and accurately, and is geared so efficiently that that even on the steepest hills, I never had to shift below third. And the Shimano Nexave drum brakes stopped it every bit as fast and surely as my much lighter road bike.

Before I agreed to accept the bike, I made sure it was insured; after all, I this is L.A., where bad drivers and worse roads can turn any bike into so much scrape metal.

The Urbana rep said “Don’t worry about it. This bike is indestructible.” When I said that sounded like a challenge, she responded “Go ahead. You can’t break this bike.”

She’s right. Because I tried.

No matter how bad the pavement, those big tires handled it with ease.

I started out riding in my own neighborhood, on streets so badly degraded they might as well be the famed cobbles of Paris-Roubaix. Yet the oversized, balloon Niddepoule — or Big Sidewalk — tires rolled right over the cracks and potholes, as if I was riding a newly paved street.

And nothing changed, no matter where I rode it or what I tried to do to it.

With my own bike out of commission, I rode the Urbana at CicLAvia. I took it to the beach. I even rode through the Westwood stretch of Wilshire Blvd known as the Gauntlet, where countless right lane ruts, potholes and rippled pavement challenge even the most experienced riders — and aggressive, high-speed traffic means falling is not an option.

In every case, it handled the worst roads with ease. Rather than swerving around potholes like I do on my own bike, I aimed for them. And the worst that happened was that the rear wheel might bounce a little before regaining solid traction.

Despite the weight, it rode comfortably, even over longer distances. The only time I found it tiring was coming back up the beach, where the upright riding position made pedaling into the usual afternoon headwind a chore.

It also climbed with surprising ease, thanks to the low gear ratio. Even riding up Temescal Canyon proved easier than expected.

There was still one more challenge the bike had to pass. The rep had described it as a one-size-fits-all frame, easily adjustable for any rider.

So I took my tiny, five-foot tall wife outside, and within 30 seconds, I’d adjusted the Urbana down from my six-foot frame to fit her perfectly. And even though she hadn’t been on a bike in the nearly two decades I’ve known her, she was soon riding easily on those same broken streets I’d tested it on.

As she was riding, our neighbor stopped by to say hi. A native of Uganda, she’d never been on a bike; yet within moments, she was rolling unsteadily down the street, thrilled to be riding for the first time. And thanks to the bike’s step-through design, when she finally lost her balance, she just stepped off and let the bike fall harmlessly beneath her.

Even my petite wife could ride it with ease.

In the three months I had the bike, I rode up and over curbs, across grass and gravel, and off steep drop-offs, yet nothing phased it.

Like a serious SUV, it handled dirt, grass and mud with the same assurance it rode over pavement — and the heavy-duty fenders meant I stayed spotless, no matter what kind of muck I pushed it through.

And despite my best efforts, I just couldn’t break it.

That’s not to say it’s perfect.

The oversized wheel base means carving a turn just isn’t an option; this bike lumbers through corners I’d normally lean into. While the V-shaped handlebars make adjustments easy, I found them tiring on longer rides, and longed for the more relaxed position provided by the swept-back bars of a classic Schwinn.

View from the cockpit; thanks to Becky for suggesting the water bottle solution.

It was hard to figure out how to carry a water bottle, until a friend suggested the perfect solution of mounting it on the handlebars. And the heavy-duty serrated pedals ate the soft plastic soles of my Sidi mountain bike shoes; a pair of harder soled trail shoes fared much better.

As much as I enjoyed it, though, I won’t be trading in my road bike anytime soon. For me, the Urbana would make a nice second or third bike. But it could be ideal for a number of riders and uses:

  • Beginners — The Urbana’s intuitive design, forgiving ride and ease-of-use makes it perfect for cyclists just starting out, while its durability means it will survive beginner’s mistakes. And the sheer size and weight will do more to deter thieves than most locks.
  • Heavier riders — When I bought my current bike, I had to find a frame that would support my then 220 pounds; I could only imagine what it would be like with another 50 or 100 pounds to carry. According to the manufacturer, the Urbana’s frame will support up to 400 pounds with ease, and it offers an optional larger seat for greater comfort. It’s also available as an e-bike, making it very forgiving for anyone who may be reluctant to ride for fear of not being able to go uphill or make it all the way back.

    Sadly, though, it ate my mtn. bike shoes; harder soled shoes fared better.

  • Winter cyclists — The big balloon tires make it perfect for road surfaces slick from rain or snow, while the heavy weight should allow it to carve through several inches of ice and snow — although that’s not something I was able to test here in L.A.
  • Urban and off-road commuters — No matter how difficult your commute, or how bad the roads or trails you have to ride, the Urbana can handle it. Despite my best efforts, I wasn’t able to find a surface it couldn’t cover. And seriously, I pity any car that hits one of these.
  • Bike share programs — The Urbana really does fit all, in just a few seconds with just a few simple adjustments, while its strength and durability make it ideal for a bike that will inevitably take a lot of abuse as it passes from one rider to another. In fact, I’m told that Urbana will soon be unveiling a turn-key bike share system of their own.

The Urbana may not be my dream bike.

But seriously, it’s been fun. And when I drop it off in the morning, I’m going to be sad to let it go.

Because this really is one hell of a fun little monster.

Note: No payment or any other compensation was received in exchange for this review.

Darn it.

We just ride — coming back to biking as an adult rider

Today we have our second guest post, as writers have graciously offered to fill in for me while I’m tied up with packing for my first move in 17 years. And let me tell you, after that long, there’s a lot to pack.

Another of my favorite writers steps in this time, offering his take on coming back to biking as an adult, and unexpectedly finding himself becoming an advocate for cycling. On his own blog, Zeke’s Great Smokies Two-Wheeled Adventures!, Zeke offers his uniquely entertaining take on riding in the countryside and mountains of North Carolina.

And be sure to come back tomorrow for my first ever bike review, just in time for the holidays.

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I spent some time pondering  Ross Del Duca’s post on Friday, December 3rd, regarding bike culture and whether the goal was to have a bike culture or not, which is perhaps an oversimplification of his thoughts. I thought of how my own evolution from a somewhat out of shape middle-aged man to an advocate for the development of a bike culture in my home community is almost at the other end of the spectrum that Del Duca was writing about.

My re-introduction, some would save first introduction, to the cycling world came about after a number of years being away from bicycles. In my youth, a bicycle was my unquestioned mode of transportation. I still recall my very first bike. It was a hand me down from my cousin, who was one year older than me. In my mind, it remains a thing of beauty. It sported fat black tires over a repainted red and black frame with coaster brakes and a full metal chain guard. I also still remember my first descent on our short asphalt driveway. It didn’t turn out well given that I took a header and landed on my right shoulder grinding it into the pavement.

I also recall my third instance of experimentation with “blind cycling” in which I rode along with my eyes closed. Why the third and not the first two? Apparently the first two were of short duration and successful, which led to the intense learning experience of the third experiment.  I crashed into a neighbor’s wooden mailbox post. There was not a fourth attempt of riding with my eyes closed.

Were those instances written up in today’s papers, the reporters would surely report that I was not wearing a helmet. Helmet? What helmet? We knew not of such things in those days.

In those days, if I wanted to go to the public outdoor swimming pool, I rode my bicycle. The fence surrounding the pool was always garnished with bicycles belonging to other kids. When we had Little League baseball practice, I hung my glove on my handlebars and rode to the practice field some miles away. Clearly, this predated “soccer mom” existence. My parents thought nothing of us being turned loose around town.  My friend on our local bike advocacy counsel laughs now and says we were the original bike commuters in our hometown. We rode everywhere.

As a young teen, bicycles remained central to my existence. These were my “Easy Rider” years when I graduated from coaster brakes to my Stingray with the banana seat, 3 speed gearing, and “English” brakes. I sported an enhanced “sissy bar” on the back. I still recall many hours in the saddle of what we called “the pack”. We weren’t educated enough about cycling to think of ourselves as a peloton!

I recall only one adult riding a bicycle during those years. He was older than me and had returned home from the Viet Nam War. J.B. rode everywhere in town on, as I recall it, a black bicycle with a basket on the front. As an older teen at this point and working as a life guard at that very same outdoor pool, I can see J.B. riding by with a 6 pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon in the basket. I can remember him going to the local drive-in theater on that bike. I used to see him everywhere in town on that bike.

The years passed and my bicycle days were replaced with new temptations of girls, cars, and motorcycles. Appalachian State University called and I spent 5 glorious years in Boone, NC doing things NOT associated with cycling even though I was in some of the most beautiful cycling territory in the country. A career has come and gone since that time with only a brief interlude of cycling in my late 20’s. It was then that a bicycle took me to my life altering meeting with the Navigator with whom I will shortly celebrate 28 years of marriage.

So, my evolution to bicycle advocate has, in many ways, brought me back to the roots of my youth. We didn’t have a bike culture “back in the day.” We simply rode and it was simply accepted. The environment is different now. Now, we must fight for acceptance and for the infrastructure that supports cycling. Cycling is very much now a “purposeful thought” for me and the members of our infant advocacy council. We find purpose in fighting childhood and adult obesity, dependence upon foreign oil, and for our rights to alternative transportation. In our infancy, we need to develop a bike culture so that we can one day move beyond it and, when asked, be able to say, “What bike culture. We just ride.”

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Speaking of Zeke, let’s give a belated shout out to his L.A.-based, recumbent-riding brother Dave, who celebrated his birthday over the weekend.