BikinginLA

Evidently, blocked bike racks aren’t just an LA problem.

Ralph Durham forwards this photo of a Sunnyvale Lowe’s store, where bike parking clearly takes a back seat to barbecue.

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‘Tis the season.

An annual memorial bike drive in Lompoc distributes 95 bikes to local children. And an Atlanta non-profit gives 20 bikes to kids despite being robbed of $5,000 worth of equipment and office supplies two days earlier.

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Local

In yet another waste of human life, a 27-year old man was shot to death in Carson, apparently while riding his bike.

LA riders usually don’t have to worry about dressing for cold weather, but we may want to rethink that this week.

The New York Times belatedly recognizes that it’s possible to tour LA on two feet; now if we could just get them to admit the same about two-wheeled tourists.

 

State

A 60-year old bike rider suffers life-threatening head injuries in a solo fall in San Diego’s Mira Mesa neighborhood. He reportedly wasn’t wearing a bike helmet; falls like that are exactly what helmets are designed to protect against.

Rancho Cucamonga cyclists will enjoy new bike lanes when the extension of Wilson Ave is complete in May.

Santa Cruz police are looking for the driver of a white pickup who fled the scene after killing a cyclist on Friday.

A Livermore cyclist lost his life in a horrifying wreck when he swerved to avoid a collision between two riders in a group ride, fell onto the wrong side of the road and was hit by a truck; the victim was about to take over as principal of a Napa high school.

 

National

South Dakota attempts to improve safety for motorists by making the state’s roads more dangerous for bike riders.

A Rhode Island man rides 8,000 miles through 48 states on a $100 bike. Which begs the question, what about the other two?

A Baltimore cyclist is killed in a hit-and-run on one of the city’s best bike lanes; the driver turns out to be an Episcopal bishop, who reportedly was arrested on drinking, driving and drug charges in 2010.

 

International

A UK cyclist completes a 2,000 mile fundraising journey to Spain — despite breaking his shoulder on the third day of the ride.

A British man runs home to get his bike and catches a mugger who robbed a tourist on Christmas Day.

An Amsterdam cyclist is wanted by police for assaulting a bus driver who he says threatened his girlfriend with his bus.

Russia’s crashing ruble could undermine the Tinkoff-Saxo pro cycling team.

Instead of taming dangerous traffic, Dubai police urge cyclists to stay off major roads. And sidewalks.

Abu Dhabi wants to be bike friendly by 2020.

Bangkok authorities open a new five mile bikeway as a New Years gift for the people.

 

Finally…

Dealing with LA drivers is bad enough; cyclists in the other LA are dodging bullets from illegal hunters in Baton Rouge parks. Caught on video: A drunk attempts to ride a bike suspended outside a bike shop, with predictable results.

And an arrest is finally made in the theft of a Miami mailman’s postal bike last March. Yes, they deliver mail by bike in Miami Beach.

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Just a quick heads-up. I’ll be moving to a new apartment at the end of this week, so my apologies in advance if I’m not able to keep up with regular posting this week. We’ll get back to a regular schedule once everything gets unpacked and things settle down.