BikinginLA

I hate bike thieves.

I hate even more when they victimize my friends. Or friends of my friends.

Or anyone, for that matter.

That’s what happened sometime Monday night or Tuesday when a friend of a friend had his bike stolen from inside a locked car a gated parking area at his Silver Lake apartment.

To make matters worse, he’d only had it for three weeks after taking up riding again for the first time in over a decade, using it to commute to work and explore the area around Echo Park, Silver Lake and DTLA.

So be on the lookout for a new Bianchi Brava, white 55 cm frame with red lettering, standard flat pedals and Shimano 2300 components.

A police report is on file, so call the police if you see it. Or contact me, and I’ll get word to the owner.

And one word of advice.

Take your sell phone right now, and snap a photo of your bike’s serial number. Then email it to yourself, while keeping the original on your phone.

That way you’ll have the serial number safely recorded in two separate places, with no risk of transcribing errors.

……….

Evidently, she didn’t quite grasp the concept of a designated driver.

An Orange County woman had her appeal denied five years after she was convicted for killing a cyclist near Knott’s Berry Farm while driving at twice the legal limit — despite agreeing to be the designated driver for a group of friends.

She was sentenced to 20 years to life in state prison for the death; most likely because she was already on probation for previous DUI convictions in 2002 and 2004.

Her appeal was based on the judge’s action in denying evidence that the victim was allegedly high on meth and booze, and riding six feet into the roadway — aka taking the lane — with no reflectors and while wearing headphones.

Nothing like blaming a victim who can’t defend herself.

Fortunately — or unfortunately for her — her appeal was filed a year too late. So the woman she killed won’t have to depend on others to defend her character, or her actions.

Thanks to Lois for the tip.

……….

A memorial celebration will be held Wednesday evening for fallen Fountain Valley bike rider Sean Severson, on what would have been his 16th birthday.

I love that attitude. Mourn the loss, but celebrate the person you knew and loved, even if they’re gone far too soon.

……….

Local

LA Observed reminds us about the upcoming Wilshire Blvd CicLAvia, and reprises last year’s guide to the route; I’m a fan of the Militant Angeleno’s guide, too.

A writer for City Watch says LA’s proposed street repair program is not ready for primetime.

Can’t see the forest for the trees. Pasadena police respond to pedestrian fatalities by cracking down on the potential victims rather than the people in the big, dangerous vehicles who might kill them.

 

State

Biking under the influence does matter. Personally, I’d prefer that no one gets out on the road after drinking or using drugs. But I’d much rather have a drunk on a bike than behind the wheel.

The San Diego Reader warns locals away from the city’s second CicloSDias, their take on a ciclovia. I remember an equally off-target screed from the LA Weekly predicting disaster before LA’s first CicLAvia.

Oddly, the civil suit has already been settled — for undisclosed terms, of course — in the case of the Tesla driver who blamed that new car smell for killing a Santa Cruz cyclist.

Once again, a reminder that you’ll need a good bike for the coming collapse of civilization, this time from the SF Weekly.

Speaking of which, Oakland is the latest city to move forward with an LA-style bicyclist anti-harassment ordinance. If you want to lower your IQ 30 points, just read the comments.

 

National

The Bike League urges you to contact the USDOT and tell them that one dead cyclist is one too many.

US cities are using bike repair programs to teach youth job skills and increase ridership.

How to frame your pitch to government officials.

A Phoenix man is arrested for kidnapping after officers spot him riding a bike with a pajama-clad 4-year old girl in his lap at three in the morning.

Houston police conduct stings to target drivers who endanger cyclists. The LAPD has discussed similar tactics, but to the best of my knowledge, hasn’t tried it yet. Thanks to Nicole Gustas for the heads-up.

Ohio bails on a three-foot passing law.

A Syracuse cyclist is suing the local police department for a collision in which he was hit by a squad car after running a stop sign. And the cop that hit him ran one, too.

An Allentown PA driver gets nine to 23 months for hitting a cyclist and fleeing the scene; police found his car abandoned half-a-mile away, with the bike still trapped underneath.

 

International

A British advocacy group says two million new Brit riders are about to take to the roads. Not all at once, I hope.

That dooring Down Under video has stirred up a hornet’s nest of bike hate.

An Aussie man is the second in two weeks to be injured after slipping on the paint stencil marking a bike lane.

More bike lanes come to Manila in the Philippines.

 

Finally…

I’m just old enough to remember the classic 7-Eleven Cycling Team take on European racing — the first US riders to tackle the classics. Cycling News remembers Davis Phinney’s disastrous Milan-San Remo, yet very American cyclist since has followed in those pioneering tire tracks.

And did I mention that I hate bike thieves?