BikinginLA

Fourth Street may finally be getting a little safer.

Those massive cracks, potholes and patches in the pavement along LA’s unofficial 4th Street bike boulevard could soon be a think of the past, as the city has finally agreed to fix the broken concrete through the Hancock Park neighborhood.

Several bike riders have suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious, including broken bones, as a result of bad pavement on the popular riding route. And filed suit against the city as a result.

However, to the best of my knowledge, there are no plans to reopen discussion of actually optimizing the street for bike traffic.

Plans for a bike boulevard were halted by former councilmember Tom LaBonge several years ago, largely because of local opposition to installing a stop light on Highland Blvd. Even though that was not actually part of the plan for the street.

And even though the kind of improvements that were planned have been shown to improve safety and livability, reduce crime, eliminate cut-through traffic and increase property values.

Which was apparently never explained to the local homeowner groups.

Because seriously, who would want that?

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Fox Sports is suitably impressed by these death-defying freestyle bike stunts performed by Tinkoff team pro cyclist Vittorio Brumotti.

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When the course is too muddy for the traditionally muddy Paris-Roubaix, you know there’s a problem. Organizers also changed the race’s start time to keep the peloton from getting stopped by a train, unlike last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW7rIc5MRzQ

In other bike racing news, by late June, you too should be able to wear the new retro-style Team USA cycling kit from Assos.

And the Santa Bernardino Sun lists five things you need to know about this week’s Redlands Bicycle Classic; including the tidbit that over 320 cyclists will bunk with local residents.

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Local

Metro CEO Phillip Washington discusses plans for the future of transportation in Los Angeles, including “billions” for pedestrian and bike paths across the city; a writer for the Daily Bruin says Metro should focus their efforts on Millennials to capture the “loyal ridership of the largest generation in American history.” Which makes sense, because unlike older generations, they may still be around to use it once the system is finally built out.

A ghost bike was scheduled to be placed in Studio City last night for the still unnamed victim of Tuesday’s bicycling collision.

A fundraiser will be held this Saturday at MacLeod Ale in Van Nuys to support the LACBC’s entrants in this year’s Climate Ride.

A 12-year old San Dimas boy was airlifted to the hospital, apparently as a precaution because he wasn’t wearing a helmet when he reportedly crashed his bike into a car. Which sounds very strange; paramedics aren’t likely to waste an expensive medevac helicopter trip unless they suspect serious injury.

 

State

Bike racks and benches will be added to access points to the Strand in Dana Point, after a settlement is reached allowing public access to public beaches that have been locked to keep the public out.

Bike theft has become rampant in San Diego’s Pacific and Mission Beach neighborhoods.

A Santa Barbara urban hiking group says bike lanes belong on a quiet side street, not the busier commercial street where the city wants to put it. Which is fine, as long as you don’t want bike riders to frequent the businesses on the street.

Forty top pro mountain bikers will compete at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds this weekend.

 

National

Bicycling suggests ways to get in more regular riding time.

A cool new bike accessory puts an analog face on digital bike computer.

Yoga comes to the rescue for those aches and pains that come from hours on a bike.

Evidently, a new protected bike lane in Salt Lake City violates the fire code.

A Colorado man plans to ride 15,000 miles — just seven months after he had quadruple bypass heart surgery — to promote the James Webb Space Telescope, due to be launched by NASA in 2018.

Seriously, what kind of schmuck would run away after crashing his Jeep into two kids being pulled in a bike trailer in Austin TX? Thanks to Steve Katz for the heads-up, who assures me it would be legal to shoot a hit-and-run driver in self-defense in the Lone Star State.

A Vermont website uses Burlington VT as a prime example of why local residents may not be able to stop moneyed interests from forcing bike lanes on them. Even though the overwhelming majority of voters in a recent election wanted the bike lanes, and those so-called moneyed interests only raised a little over $11,000.

A DC letter writer blames bicycling fatalities on appalling behavior by light-jumping, Lance Armstrong-style cyclists. Because people who ride legally never, ever get hit by cars. Right?

 

International

Maybe you should have that steaming latte while you ride instead of after.

A Calgary newspaper says innovative new ideas are spurring the creation of bikeshare systems almost everywhere.

London’s Telegraph offers 20 quotes that capture the beauty of bicycling.

An alarming Dutch report says the overwhelming majority of young late night bike riders are wasted. But City Lab says not so fast.

A cyclist recently rode his bike over 6,000 miles from Germany to Pakistan.

A new Chinese smartbike is strong enough to lift a Lamborghini. Because apparently that’s something we all have to do on a regular basis.

 

Finally…

Your next bike could be just half of one. Or maybe you’d prefer an internet enabled Brompton.*

And when someone tells you to go jump in a lake, no one says you have to take it literally.

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*The Associated Press announced over the weekend that Internet will no longer be capitalized when their new stylebook comes out in June. I’m just getting a head start on it.