It’s a relatively light news day, so let’s get right to it.
And remember to bring plenty of water if you’re riding in this heat, and drink before you get thirsty.
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Local
LA 2050 says the city is a slightly better place to walk, bike and take transit today than it was in 2014. Although such slight improvement after three years, following the adoption of the city’s mobility plan, should be seen as an indication that something is seriously wrong; we should be making great strides, but aren’t.
Burbank is moving forward with a short bikeway project that could eventually provide riders with a direct route to DTLA, and possibly Long Beach.
A woman participating in the recent Long Beach bike count thought better of returning in the afternoon after hearing gunshots from a bike-by shooting a block away. But did she count the shooter?
State
Sad news from Santa Maria, where a 74-year old bike rider has died after he was the victim of a hit-and-run over the weekend.
Kern County is scheduled to get nearly 30 miles of bike lanes once the state gas tax increase kicks in next week.
The San Luis Obispo letter to the editor bike wars go on, as one person says bicycles may have a right to the road, but wonders whether it’s smart to exercise it.
An 83-year old San Ramon man has been arrested for the double Danville hit-and-runs over the weekend that injured three cyclists on the same road 40 minutes apart. Which raises the question of whether he ran down the riders on purpose, or just is one of the world’s crappiest and most cowardly drivers.
National
Bicycling offers tips on how to tell when you need to chill out. I realized I was riding too much when it stopped being fun; that was the day I stopped training and just started riding my bike for the hell of it again.
After becoming the first double-amputee to ride a normal bicycle 5,180 miles across the US, a retired Marine is attempting to run 31 marathons in 31 cities in 31 days.
A Washington man is suing after a crash with a bollard placed in the middle of a bike path left him paralyzed from the neck down.
A Minneapolis NIMBY Op-Ed says density and bike lanes are two separate issues, and should be separated; just don’t try to increase density in more expensive areas or shove bike lanes down their throats, according to the writer.
Cleveland is using paint and bollards to put bike lanes on both sides of a busy bridge for just $81,000, a fraction of the $2.2 million plan proposed in 2001 and halted by the trucking industry.
A runner offers a little sound advice, saying don’t step in front of a cyclist the day before a Chicago marathon if you want to finish in sub-4. Or finish, period. At least he recognized that the crash with the bicyclist was his fault.
Just days after mentioning here that former USC Trojan and current Pittsburg Steeler JuJu Smith-Schuster used his bicycle as his only form of transportation, someone stole it. But at least he’s not the only NFL player who rides to the games. Thanks to Jorge Dario Wüey for the heads up.
Dockless bikeshare may be banned in Boston, but good luck keeping it out.
International
Owners of cars built before 2006 will now have to pay the equivalent of $28 to enter central London, compared to a $15 congestion fee for later models. However, people riding bicycles can still enter the city for free.
London’s Daily Mail invents several non-existent traffic deaths, and blames them on one of the city’s cycle superhighways.
Over 4,000 people signed a petition to stop killing cyclists in response to the death of a young English physician.
Is it just me, or is there something off about a 200-vehicle car convoy to honor a young British boy killed in a crash while riding to school?
UK bike imports may be headed to their lowest level in 17 years, although the value of the imports is holding steady.
A British woman says she was violently kicked in the stomach by a passing bike rider in an unprovoked attack.
A woman in Dublin, Ireland was critically injured when she somehow butted heads with a bike rider as she was crossing a street.
Bike the Emerald Isle on a new six-night tour through remote County Donegal, including a trip to the setting for the upcoming Star Wars movie.
Authorities seized 20 pedicabs belonging to a ride-hailing service in Bengaluru, India, where they are prohibited.
Kathmandu streets are quiet, six months after banning the use of car horns as uncivilized. It’s probably too much to hope that we could do that here.
Life is cheap in Australia, where a driver will get off with a ticket for an illegal U-turn for an August crash that seriously injured five bicyclists. The driver said the sun was in his eyes, which as we all know, automatically absolves the driver of any responsibility for whatever happens as a result.
Someone stole a bunch of Aussie dockless bikeshare bikes, fastened them to a wall, and spray painted them to turn it into a mural.
A Chinese triathlete offers tips on riding the length of Japan he gained the hard way on a 745-mile journey from Tokyo to Sapporo.
In a new extortion twist, a Chinese man woke to find a bikeshare bike locked to his car with a cable lock, and a note demanding the equivalent of $30 for the combination; instead of giving in, he called the police to cut the lock.
Finally…
No, seriously, I don’t want to meet anyone who could ride this bike. Now you, too, can own your very own velodrome for a mere $4.7 million.
And if you’re tweeting a story about Chris Froome, make sure he’s the one in the photo. And has his clothes on.
