The news coverage of Sunday’s CicLAvia continues to trickle in.
The LA Times offers video and a handful of photos. Curbed LA does the same while the Source serves up still more photos as well as tweets.
Orange 20 calls the new Echo Park to East LA route another great success. The CSUN Sundial says cyclists ruled the road for a day. And Takepart calls it the biggest public open space event in America.
Meanwhile, Streetsblog questions the relative lack of news stories about Sunday’s 10th CicLAvia since the first one rolled through Downtown on 10/10/10.
But maybe that’s a good thing.
CicLAvia may be huge in our world, but it’s not new anymore. It’s proven itself to be a huge success, and now has the funding and support to continue and grow beyond the confining limits of Los Angeles itself.
In a way, the lack of the breathless news stories we’ve seen in the past is a tacit acknowledgement that the event has become part of the fabric of the city.
……..
A Manhattan Beach bike rider suffered serious injuries when she was hit head-on by another cyclist where the Marvin Braude and Ballona Creek bike paths meet in Marina del Rey. To make matters worse, Ana Beatriz Cholo had no insurance since she was just starting a new job, so a fund has been created to help her pay her five-figure medical bills.
Let this be a reminder to never pass slower riders unless it’s safe to do so.
Which means never, ever passing if there’s a rider coming in the opposite direction. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve had to swerve suddenly — if not bail off the bike path entirely — to avoid someone who seemed to think he had a supreme right to the pathway.
Or maybe just lacked sufficient common sense to realize that the same safety rules that govern passing slower vehicles when driving apply on the bikeway, as well.
And if you’re ever involved in a collision with another cyclist, always give your name and contact information. Your car insurance should cover liability on your bike, as well.
It’s no less hit-and-run when a bike rider or pedestrian leaves the scene without identifying themselves after causing a collision than it is when a driver does it.
……..
A new study reconfirms the benefits of protected bike lanes. According to the study, ridership increased anywhere from 21% to 171% after protected lanes were installed, with 24% of the increase coming from other routes and a full 10% actually switching from other modes of transportation.
……..
The route for next year’s Giro d’Italia is unveiled, with an eye towards a possible rare sweep of the Giro and Tour de France.
……..
LocalBike riders are urged to attend tonight’s meeting of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Transportation Committee to help elect new bike friendly members.
Milestone Rides’ Johnny Lam explains why he volunteers with bike organizations, and why you should, too.
PV Bike hosts a perfectly alliterative Pomona Pumpkin Patch Pedal on October 19th.
A bike rider was seriously injured in a collision on PCH in Long Beach Sunday night.
State
A Santa Barbara cyclist says the Milt Olin case shows the dangers of distracted driving.
A San Luis Obispo woman charged in the hit-and-run death of a cyclist had three prior convictions for driving under the influence. Somehow, though, she was still allowed to remain on the road until she finally killed someone; too bad the judges and other authorities who helped keep her behind the wheel can’t be forced to serve some of her sentence with her.
National
City Lab makes the case for banning traffic lanes wider than 10 feet.
Bicycling’s Elly Blue says motherhood is one of the biggest obstacles preventing women from biking.
Different types of bike riding requires different muscle use. But you knew that, right?
Kansas City is just the latest municipality to prohibit the harassment of bicyclists and pedestrians.
A Chicago writer calls for banning bikes for a single day to give pedestrians a break. Not an entirely bad idea; maybe it would help the relatively few overly aggressive cyclists realize the risk they pose to others. But probably not.
How rare is this? A Pittsburgh cartoonist offers a mea culpa for an anti-bike diatribe after riders convince him he was wrong.
A Richmond VA writer says yes, cyclists break the law, but so does everyone else; and if bikes bug you, maybe you’re the problem.
International
Members of a cancer charity ride 800 km — roughly 500 miles — to deliver a custom made ebike to Pope Francis.
Be a more successful cyclist in just seven simple steps.
Yet another ridiculous pie-in-the-sky plan is floated — literally — for a London bikeway.
A New Zealand editorial writer says a visit to DC shows separating bikes and cars is the best way to go, while an email writer says the Kiwi equivalent of a three-foot passing law is ridiculous because cyclists do bad things.
Finally…
Caught on video: A first-person bike cam view of an Aussie cyclist attacked by a magpie. A daredevil squirrel tries to pass through the spokes of a Sonoma County Gran Fondo rider; not surprisingly, the rider doesn’t fare well, though the squirrel fares worse.
And after a six-year old bumps his head at CicLAvia, a big-hearted cop buys helmets for him and his three brothers. Let’s hope he gets a commendation for that.
CicLAvia may be a huge success and part of the fabric of the city, but it does it translate into fewer bike-car incidents? To me, closing off roads to car traffic just emphasizes that cars and bike don’t belong on the street together.
Regarding bike-on-bike collisions; would uninsured motorist coverage include a bike collision with a minor would is too young for car insurance?
The uninsured motorist portion of your car insurance should cover you anytime you are operating a vehicle — and for these purposes, a bike is considered a vehicle. So it should cover you in a bike-on-bike collision regardless of who you collide with if they are uninsured. And an underage rider would certainly fit that description.
However, some insurance companies are experts at weaseling out of paying for things that should be covered, so check with your agent.
Insurance companies ARE weasels!!
Read the head-on collision story. For some reason, I thought there was a disconnect between “she thought he was an experienced cyclist” and “he had toe clips”. In my head, I’m seeing toe clips and no straps. This screams inexperienced or non-serious in my head. Maybe I’m biased. Regardless, he was an idiot. Unfortunately, no good solution for injured rider unless he’s wealthy and can pay for her med bills. $100K is pretty steep for anyone. 🙁
Just read the auto-insurance part. Didn’t realize that. That would help. ::thumbs-up::
[…] Our Daily Ted. Morning Links: CicLAvia coverage, cyclist injured in bike-on-bike wreck, benefits of protected bike … […]
I agree with the previous posters on coverage through the auto policy maybe your homeowners policy depending on how its written. I’m not sure why a police report wasn’t taken.
However, this exemplifies a crucial point – if you have a phone with a camera and can manage to get a picture of the other rider/driver and their vehicle/license plate then get a witness to do it as a favor. (some are reluctant just ask “please do me a favor” – as the woman was in pain). Yet in this instance the person that called 911 could’ve told the dispatcher an officer is needed. I’d talk with a bike atty to see what your options are. Be prepared folks.
I doubt this will happen but I hope that we will get some additional info on the most recent collision in LB as well as the assault reported on last week. LB unfortunately doesn’t seem to have any sort of bloggers, activists or watchdogs reporting on the frequent collisions involving cyclists and pedestrians. As is the case with OC these events are soon forgotten and they never become a teachable moment. There is never any discussion of the role that bad road design plays, nor driver behavior. It’s just an “accident.” No one asks the right questions and no one seems to care.
In terms of traffic engineering, law enforcement and driver behavior (distracted, entitled princesses who think every road is a highway) LB feels like an extension of huntington beach and it shared the OC indifference to bad design. Take PCH, where the most recent collision occurred. It is a classic stroad. It is an urban road that has been partially converted to a highway and near OC it is a highway turned into an urban road. The intermittent bike lanes and few crosswalks are criminally negligent and a disaster waiting to happen. Go to LB state and try to find a decent route to any nearby business. That whole area is like Orange County but without the bike lanes and where bike lanes do exist they sit next to absurdly wide highway lanes. Who actually thought it would be a good idea to have cyclists ride next to a 20ft wide lane with 50-60mph traffic and then fight for survival when the bike lane becomes a right hand turn lane? Does LB contract its traffic engineering out to Irvine?
The area where the accident occurred is a stretch where you can comfortably drive 50 without paying any attention and go for miles before seeing a red light. Stand near any intersection in the area and you will soon learn that you cannot cross the street without having to dodge a car turning right on red or just running a red light. It is as bad as Santa Ana or Orange. Streetcar sprawl turned into autopian hellscape.
Cities don’t become more civilized because traffic engineers and urban planners bless us with their wisdom and benevolence. Change comes from outside of city hall and it starts with people who report on and make a fuss about intolerable conditions. The only people who write about Long Beach seem to be engaged in turd polishing and city boosterism. This has to change if LB is to ever become a decent place to live.