Conservative humorist and provocateur P.J. O’Rourke spread his anti-bike joy on the pages of the Wall Street Journal, asking whether bike lanes will soon be followed by pavement set-asides for hop scotch and pogo sticks.
Personally, I haven’t seen such wit since Denver Post sports columnist Woody Paige, then writing for the Rocky Mountain News, once compared the world-class cyclists competing in the legendary Coors Classic to little kids riding with playing cards clipped to their spokes.
Then again, it’s nothing new for him.
O’Rourke wrote a similar piece all the way back in 1987, calling on officials to “license, regulate or abolish entirely this dreadful peril” posed by the Bicycle Menace. And that was back before bikes were popular.
Pity such a talented writer has his head so far up his own posterior.
Or was it just a day late for April Fools?
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Metro introduces its first Human-Powered Commuting Awards for this year’s Bike Week, and asks for your nominations in several categories. Just two more weeks before Streetsblog’s 2nd annual Eco-Village fundraiser. LADOT officially adopts a new bike rack standard. L.A. officially awards $5.4 million in Measure R funds for biking and walking plans, including a comprehensive Safe Routes to School plan. Join a group ride to CicLAvia on April 10th; Downtown News offers a list of Downtown bike shops to help you get ready. Flying Pigeon now has the very odd-looking, but very cool Pedersen Bicycles. Irvine is asking for public input on their new Bicycle Transportation Plan.
The San Diego Bike Union forms for cyclists who ride in comfortable shoes, with a goal of normalizing cycling; you mean it isn’t? In response to the death of a Sacramento State student who was riding without lights, local bike advocates will be distributing free lights. A Patterson CA woman charged in the fatal hit-and-run of a Sacramento cyclist last year has been ticketed for driving with a suspended license just two weeks after losing her license; it’s her 4th citation in three years, not counting the hit-and-run charges. Santa Rosa scales back its bike boulevard “experiment.” A statewide crackdown on texting and hand-held cell phone-using drivers begins on Monday; I’ll be the one applauding every time I see a driver pulled over. The California Bicycle Coalition offers their monthly report, including a push for more representative Caltrans standards and news of proposed legislation to require that drivers pass cyclists at a minimum three-foot distance, and no faster that 15 mph over the cyclists speed of travel.
A new film says bikes can change the world, one life at a time. An insurance company needs your input on a proposed accident insurance policy for cyclists. An interview with cyclo-crosser and unlikely bike advocate Tim Johnson. Registration opens for October’s Viva Bike Vegas. Two days before Corvallis WA Bicycle Collective planned to celebrate their re-opening, their new location is condemned. The Chair and members of the Greater Albuquerque BAC question why a driver wasn’t cited in the broad daylight death of a cyclist. Kansas passes a three-foot passing law, along with a dead red provision. Missourians rise up against bike lanes if it means losing parking. The New York Times asks whether a bicycle is an engine-less car or a pedestrian on wheels. Oddly, the same paper that made room for O’Rourke’s diatribe also made space for a story on bespoke bikes and high-fashion bikewear. New York’s crackdown on cyclists is bad for bike business.
Ex-Guv Arnold and London Mayor BoJo ride Boris Bikes. Evidently, the UK’s Transportation Minister doesn’t know he already eliminated the country’s Cycling England program; I suppose that means he also doesn’t know what he threw out with it, or the good it has done in its short life. A UK Parliament Member says all road users must be held accountable, including cyclists — even though UK drivers who kill cyclists often aren’t. English community nurses are up in arms over plans to require them to travel by bike, while Estonia plans to use a payment for emissions credits to buy 35,000 bicycles for their civil servants. By the time you read this, you may have already missed one of the world’s greatest one-day classics. The New Zealand Herald says continued dooring of cyclists is an outrage; maybe they could have a talk with P.J. O’Rourke.
Finally, a colorful solution to the pothole problem. And after a now paralyzed cyclist received a bill to fix the guard rail that impaled side in a horrific crash, local officials say it was just a boo-boo.
My prayers go out to the cyclist Adam and a speedy recovery to the other cyclist injured.
I shouldn’t be surprised by the police officer(s) comments. It is clearly said a couple of times that the 19 year old was swerving. Now correct me if this doesn’t sound right — common sense tells us to move out of the way of a moving object so we don’t get hurt. Then since when did that become the wrong thing to do?, move out of the way to protect ourselves? Whose fault would it have been if the cyclists kept riding in a straight line. Let me see….the cyclists. I mean these fascist idiots are always gonna blame the cyclist and the drivers can’t do no wrong. I think it is funny when I see motorcycles on the road/freeway, vehicles surely move out of their way and surely don’t cut them off. Why is that? Why not for a cyclist? I like them, but I’d rather move over for a cyclist. Thousands are killed every year by a DUI driver and not enough punishment is dealt. But, if a cyclist is riding drunk stop the presses, stop the presses and let’s tar and feather the cyclist. I’m a driver and was a cyclist. I see the disrespect cyclist are given on a daily basis. But at the same time I see the cyclist that give other cyclists a bad name. But in this incident I clearly blame the 19 year old. I have also had a distrust of Torrance PD since being a former South Bay resident. Granted not all Officers are bad, but sometimes just misinformed. Now had this been a law enforcement group ride, clearly then the driver would be at fault. So please don’t get me wrong I’m clearly for the cyclist-always. And for the 19 year old, she should be made to ride a bike and work in a morgue (like what teens are shown for driving under the influence) for her punishment to fully grasp what she has done.
Once again my prayers go out to Adam and family and to the injured cyclist a speedy recover……
Please forgive me operator error big time…. Reposted on correct day.