BikinginLA

I have a lot to be thankful for this year.

Not the least of which is everyone who reads this blog, and the many kind hearts who reached out to show their support over the past week. Some of whom I know; many I’ve never met.

And each of whom have touched my heart in ways I’ll never forget.

So thank you, sincerely.

And please accept my wishes for a very warm, safe and happy Thanksgiving.

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A survey by the California Office of Traffic Safety shows nearly twice as many nighttime motorists drive on weekends with drugs in their system compared to alcohol. Worse, over one-in-five drivers — a combined 21.3% — have some form of intoxicant in their system.

Not that we should be concerned about that or anything.

Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

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The LAPD will employ choppers and horses and bikes, oh my, to maintain order on Black Friday; I remember when it used to be called the day after Thanksgiving. The LAFD considers options to speed up emergency response times. Santa Monica will sponsor a Family Bike Fest on December 8th. L.A. cyclists ride to promote forthcoming bike lanes on Lankershim Blvd. Bike SGV will help you burn off those Thanksgiving calories with a bike train this Sunday. C.I.C.L.E. will sponsor a tweed ride on January 19th. Temple City’s Rosemead Blvd is about to get a pedestrian and bike-friendly makeover. Alhambra begins revising their widely reviled draft bike plan. A cyclist gets the runaround from the Long Beach Police, but gets her stolen bike back anyway; evidently, the LBPD was too busy warning cyclists not to ride on the sidewalk. Long Beach Gang Enforcement detectives are investigating the shooting of a 29-year old cyclist.

A Corona del Mar writer says using sharrows to move cyclists into the traffic lane will only increase the danger to riders; hate to break it to him, but we already have the right to ride there. The proposed High Desert Corridor could include a high speed rail connector and a bike path. A Sacramento cyclist is shot and killed while delivering strawberries to his brother.

Oddly, traffic fatalities are higher in red states than blue states. The Interbike trade show will open its doors to consumers next year. They’re already making lists of the best Christmas gifts for cyclists. A Boston bike co-op is forced to shut down after a burglary. Bikeyface says all weather is fair bike weather if you have a good raincoat. A Philly writer calls for greater traffic enforcement, saying drivers and cyclists are both about as bad. A Georgia man agrees to let a stranger ride his bike, and is somehow surprised when he rides off with it.

A Canadian driver gets a whopping $1000 fine for falling asleep behind the wheel and killing a cyclist; I guess the idea of pulling over and taking a nap before you kill someone is unheard of up there. A report calls for cutting London cycling fatalities; evidently, there’s no safety in numbers in the city. The widow of a UK cycling victim calls on riders to always wear their helmets. A Welsh cyclist is considered a heroine after rescuing a drowning woman. Turns out the Netherlands isn’t a living hell for cyclists after all. Parisian drivers fight back against plans to create a more livable city by removing a major highway on the Left Bank; that hardly supports the breathless hyperbole of the headline, though.

Finally, now your bike can trot like a horse; does that mean you’ll have to clean up after it, too?

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Remember that Thanksgiving drivers will overstuffed and sleepy, sober or not. And Black Friday shoppers are likely to be more concerned about getting to the next sale and finding a parking space than watching out for bikes on the road.

So enjoy the great weather they’re promising us and get out for a good ride. But ride defensively and be careful out there.