Weekend Links: Protected bikeways bill and four hit-and-run bills await Governor Brown’s uncertain signature

Streetsblog explains AB 1193, the new protected bikeways bill currently awaiting Governor Brown’s signature.

There should be no reason why he wouldn’t sign it.

Then again, that’s what we said about the first two attempts at a three-foot passing law. And you know how that turned out.

Meanwhile, Bicycling says there’s a nationwide boom in protected bikeways, while Vancouver’s see a record number of riders this summer.

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Streetsblog also explains the four hit-and-run bills awaiting Brown’s signature.

None remove the incentive for drunk drivers to flee the scene by making the penalty for hit-and-run equivalent to drunk driving penalties. And none call for seizing the vehicle used in a hit-and-run upon conviction.

But they’re a good start.

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Credit Orange County cyclist and attorney David Huntsman for this idea.

Instead of paying $100 or more to ride the Beverly Hills Gran Fondo, donate the money to Better Bike to support the fight for better inclusion in the bike-unfriendly community — including desperately needed bike lanes on Santa Monica Blvd.

Speaking of Better Bike, they look at Strava to reveal where cyclists really ride through the Biking Black Hole.

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The sheriff’s department will conduct an internal investigation into the Milt Olin case; according to the story, at least one cyclist doesn’t have much faith in their impartiality.

Red Kite Prayer’s Padraig says the DA’s decision not to prosecute makes us all second-class citizens. Cycling in the South Bay says the DA has given cops a license to kill.

And former pro Dave Zabriskie explains why his Yield2Life foundation is co-sponsoring Wednesday’s Olin protest ride and vigil.

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There are no words. The junior world time trial champion, 18-year old Igor Decraene of Belgium, took his own life on Saturday.

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Local

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton offers five things he learned at the city council Transportation Committee meeting this week, including that protected bikeways may or may not be on the streets of LA in the coming year.

Writing for Orange 20, Richard Risemberg looks at how Westside road diets and walkable/bikeable streets encourage people to linger, shop, eat and spend more, despite what some less-informed councilmembers seem to think.

The Times reviews advanced new bike accessory designs.

Pasadena moves forward on an ambitious new bike plan.

Hermosa Cyclery celebrates its 40th anniversary as four local men carry on for the original owner.

Proposed Redondo Beach redevelopment promises a 30 to 40 foot wide pedestrian and bike path along the waterfront; hopefully, they’ll get rid of that damned “cyclists dismount” zone in front of the pier while they’re at it.

 

State

I wonder how many drivers will be deterred by the whopping $35 fine for violating California’s new three-foot passing law.

A Laguna Beach cyclist says bike riders must admit the coast highway is a death trap.

A Stockton rider wisely gives up his bike when three men approach showing a gun, and ask if he’s willing to die for it. Well, if you put it that way…

 

National

Bicycling’s Elly Blue offers advice on how to close the gender gap and get more women into bicycling.

A writer for CityLab says get over shoaling, already

It takes a real schmuck to steal a brand new adult tricycle from a legally blind woman.

A Washington state driver was drunk and texting when he drifted off the road and rear-ended a cyclist.

Tragically, a Seattle cyclist is killed in a left cross less that two weeks before the dangerous bike lane she was riding in was due to be replaced with a protected lane.

Great piece from a Colorado Springs non-cyclist, who says bike riders deserve genuine appreciation. Read this one to counter out all that bike hate out there.

Nice. A Wisconsin bike advocate donates a new bike to a 12-year old hit-and-run victim.

Twenty-three reasons why bicycling is the best way to navigate New York City.

 

International

NHL defenseman Cory Sarich gives up bicycling and may never play hockey again following a horrific left-cross crash with an 85-year old British Columbia driver.

Always report bad road condition whenever possible; a London man didn’t and another rider paid the price.

A pair of Russian girls explore Great Britain and Ireland by Brompton.

Perhaps the greatest cyclist of all time, the Cannibal, aka Eddie Merckx, is hospitalized with heart pains; he has minor heart surgery as a result.

Bicycling the streets of Cambodia’s capital is not for the faint hearted.

 

Finally…

This is how you wear a cycling cap. When you need to revive, turns out a combination of coffee and naps are more effective than either one alone; throw in walking the Corgi, and that’s the story of my life these days.

And yes, traffic rules apply to everyone, and no, stop signs are not mere suggestions. Even if many drivers seem to treat them that way.

 

5 comments

  1. lenny the also bikesexual says:

    Apparently ‘patent’ is the new lemming when it comes to tolerating being poached by men in uniform who in turning or failing to turn argue blindness by design should spare them from having to even resign. He knew her not long enough to take more then minutes to go from anger that she trusted him to look before running into her to tears but would a motorway be open while the traffic control, in this bike case being lines, was missing? You got it wringing saying protection was weeks away. The article says she was supposed to be afraid to exercise her right of way because the overtime necessary to not remove the existing lines until seperation was in place was not available for people like her.

    We should not expect her to rest in peace while this remains the case. Our morale must be effected so we can effect change. During construction we must not tolerate sharing intersections. Two even such lawyer’s are far too many. And broad shoulders land it reports has already seen such eve lethality trice recently.

    Sue the city girls. Get us on our knees before we condone such wanton indifference to the lives of all people on bikes again. It matters when safety is considered to be optional even briefly. How many more must die for this to be clear enough?

  2. Serge Issakov says:

    There IS a reason to veto: Per Streetsblog, “it removes a provision in the law that requires that any bike lane [actually – any bikeway] built in California adhere to Caltrans specifications”

    Everyone thinks this is great because it “frees” cities to build cycle tracks. But at the same time it frees them to build crap. More and more and more crap, worse than than the worst of what we have now.

    What everyone seems to image is the perfect bike loving engineer creating Amsterdam among palm trees. The reality is a Bud drinking halfwit constrained by a budget overruns in other areas and pressure to cut costs. Now that he doesn’t have to adhere to Caltrans standards for the bikeway part of the project, guess where the cuts are going. The result? Crap. Mark my words. This is a very bad bill.

    • bikinginla says:

      Fears of the law allowing “crap” are misplaced.

      As amended, the final version of the bill requires that Caltrans develop standards for cycleways that local jurisdictions can follow. As an alternative, they are allowed to use the tested and approved standards contained in the NACTO guide, which has been endorsed by Caltans.

      A previous version would have allowed use of either the ASHTO guide or the NACTO guide, before being amended to require use of the more conservative NACTO guide only. And as the Streetsblog article notes, any proposed design must be vetted and approved by a qualified engineer.

      Your fears may have been justified by earlier versions of the bill. But as amended and approved, this is a very conservative bill that will only allow designs that may be new for California, but have been proven elsewhere.

  3. lenny the also bikesexual says:

    To recap… Two long responses from me I still cannot recreate or integrate into entirely to me new points now I lost due to my failing to backup my work before submitting it.

    I have not seen here or in today’s links discussion of how many times the killer drove the curve. Absent contrary evidence many times must be assumed. He was not running a one time errand in New territory? This is key!

    Also I am amazed at the complicity every of dozens I have read closely writer has in not assailing any claim that when he last texted mattered. Since he doctored one phone to support his lies I assume he was not strip searched and likely had a tooth running for voice but it does not matter much. It is not too late to check all towers in that area though for activity to his contacts. A civil suit can not do that well.

    There is so much science needed to decide this killer’s fate. It is very clear experts have not been heard. It was depraved indifference. The facts deserve book length treatment. Law is not for prosecutors alone to fathom in this case. It needs people of real ability and his widow I advise to hire several teams to brief the state and have a flash conference as well in a place nice enough to bring genius from around the world together for days to hash out how very evil is this cop. Most likely he is a sociopath. Like that cop in the news years ago for a more conventional cold blooded murder.

    I am so glad he has not yet had a chance to plead this out. We need the time to prepare to put him away for most of the rest of his life if he lives too long. I say it is worse then almost anyone yet dares embrace it despite the obvious facts so far known. I say preserve the data but go civil first then seek decades in prison with what has been discovered even. He needs a lawyer well funded, in advance… The deceased does. Not his family in control. MIT. Choosing that firm is his families duty but making sure they can’t stop or even restrain its pursuit a most necessary miracle our donations should be targeted to require.

  4. Silke says:

    I have an idea for a new law. How about an anti-harassment ordinance to protect people from verbal abuse or assault when they commit the crime of yielding to a pedestrian. I had someone try to ram me today when I, on my bicycle yielded to a pedestrian in the parking lot in front of a grocery store. I don’t believe it is possible for me to yield to a pedestrian without being honked or yelled or threatened at in Long Beach. I can’t wait to leave.

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