BikinginLA

Just a quick reminder that the meeting of the LACBC Civic Engagement Committee scheduled for tonight has been rescheduled for Wednesday, December 5th, at a site to be determined.

I take full responsibility.

My wife’s recent health issues mean I can’t leave her alone yet to attend a meeting, even if I am the committee chair. And no matter how important that meeting may be.

And this one is important, as we’ll be finalizing a list of questions for the candidates for L.A. mayor and city council to get them on the record for their support — or opposition — to bicycling in the City of Angels.

Even if you can’t vote in Los Angeles, your input matters. As the area’s largest city, most bicyclists end up riding through it sooner or later, if not on a regular basis. And as the 600 pound gorilla of local transportation, what happens in L.A. has an outsized effect on other communities in the county.

You don’t even have to be a member of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition to participate. Anyone who lives or bikes in the county is welcome to join in.

I’ll let you know where the meeting will take place as soon as I can get things firmed up; right now, a lot depends on what the doctors have to say over the next few days.

Email me at bikinginla at hotmail dot com for more information or to be added to the committee email list.

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Denver police will now enforce a state law prohibiting biking under the influence; BUI is also illegal here in California.

Personally, I’d prefer that everyone on the road be sober at all times. But if people are going to drink or use drugs, I’d much rather see them on a bike, where they pose a risk primarily to themselves, than behind the wheel posing a risk to everyone else.

Meanwhile, an Aussie rider is fined $400 for drunk biking.

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L.A.-based Bicycle Fixation offers their own 2013 calendar. Brewcyclers will lead a New Years ride to L.A.’s Golden Road Brewing on January 5th. Santa Monica will host the city’s first ever Family Bike Fest this Saturday. The CORBA 25th Anniversary Ride and Mingle group ride has been rescheduled for December 15th. Installing sharrows is not a bike plan.

Frank Peters of cdmCyclist takes a look at Dutch women on bikes on a recent trip. A Redlands bike/ped trail gets a $900,000 boost from the state. Santa Cruz could get a new coastal bikeway extending through the full county. Stanford attempts to encourage, rather than coerce, bike riding students to wear helmets. A 14-year old Redwood City girl is killed by a right-turning pickup, which police deem “a horrible accident” after ruling out DUI and mechanical problems — evidently, driver error is not an option up that way; thanks to @murphstahoe for the heads-up. Seriously, if you’re carrying marijuana and a loaded meth pipe on your bike, stop for the damn red lights, already. A Los Gatos cyclist was killed riding in Truckee on Saturday.

It’s the 134th birthday of possibly America’s greatest cyclist, with all due apologies to that doper from Texas Lance. Bicycling asks if it’s time for a women’s Tour de France; the answer is yes. Period. Are cargo bikes the coolest bikes ever? Bob Mionske talks to NBC about the growing tension between cyclists and motorists. Elly Blue is seeking funding for her latest volume of Taking the Lane, which will look at the utility of bikes in and following disasters. West Seattle cyclists get the area’s first bike box, and naturally, controversy ensues in the comments. Compare and contrast: biking in Portland versus Minneapolis. Bike advocates need hardcore racers on their side if they want to succeed. Starting next year, regular riders will have a chance to attend Interbike without having to lie or wheedle their way in like they do now. Minnesota businesses enjoy a boost from nearby bike share stations. A Cleveland father is ticketed for riding a four-wheeled bike with his autistic son; sometimes, the law is a ass. This is why you should always have a bicycle with you; a CT driver hits a parked SUV, then flees on a bike. Remembering the classic Schwinn Sting-Ray. A Supreme Court ruling — or lack thereof — means you can keep recording cops with your bike cam if they happen to stop you. Seems appropriate: an Alabama driver who killed a six-year old bike rider gets one year in prison for each year of his victim’s life. A Georgia bus driver is charged in the death of a bike riding father and pastor.

Mexico’s president rides a bike 42 miles to inaugurate a new highway. A Bermuda bike thief is caught when the owner catches him riding the purloined bicycle. Toronto may have a respect deficit for cyclists, but at least their anti-bike mayor has been removed from office — but not for his attacks on bicycling, unfortunately. If cyclists are expected to wear helmets, why aren’t people in cars? After getting a slap on the wrist for allegedly doping, Alberto Contador calls for zero tolerance for everyone else. That proposed cycling Champions League isn’t going over so well in Italia. You seldom hear about pro riders racing away from border conflicts. A Sydney cyclist pleads guilty to manslaughter after fatally shoving a 71-year old woman because, as he allegedly put it, “the bitch got in my way;” pretty much proves that not all assholes are behind the wheel. Fines for doorings have gone down in Australia; the question, as always, is why. A Kiwi rider asks if you could ride dangerously into a dooring rather than swerve dangerously into traffic. A bike cam view of riding through Tokyo.

Finally, a Swedish cyclist is injured when she’s hit by — and with — an ass in a passing car. And if you’re going to harass a pair of cyclists and run them off the road for not riding single file, make sure they’re not off-duty bike cops first.