Morning Links: Crowdfunding campaign for Cudahy bike crash victim, and why you don’t pass a school bus

A GoFundMe page has been launched to help pay funeral expenses for Daniel Romero, who was killed in a collision while riding in Cudahy last weekend.

It’s raised over $2,100 of the $10,000 goal in less than 20 hours. And hopefully can reach the rest of the way, as his family struggles to cope with his loss.

Maybe someone who lives or rides in Cudahy can give us some insight on what needs to be done to improve safety in the city, so this doesn’t happen again.

Because one death is one too many.

………

This is why you don’t pass a school bus when its lights are flashing. Even on a bicycle.

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Local

Bicyclist offers a lesson in bike path etiquette, which mostly concerns not using the Ballona Creek bike path as your personal race track.

KPCC’s Air Talk discusses municipal regulation of e-scooters and dockless bikeshare in the wake of Beverly Hills ban on both.

Santa Clarita is painting “Heads Up!” on local bike paths in an effort to get bike riders to pay more attention to their surroundings. Which doesn’t exactly seem like the biggest threat riders face.

 

State

Calbike wants you to tell the state DMV that self-driving cars aren’t ready for the road. Then again, many of the ones with drivers don’t seem to be, either.

La Mesa is working to improve bicycle and pedestrian access to the industrial part of the city. Not to mention the wineries and breweries that have opened there.

Santa Barbara gets $15 million from the state to build a 2.6-mile bike and pedestrian path, while Santa Maria gets $300,000 for a similar project; both would be defunded if the state gas tax increase is repealed in the fall election.

Atherton busts bike riders for rolling through stop signs, issuing eight $238 tickets along with two warnings.

Sad news from Crockett, where a 42-year old bike rider was killed when he was rear-ended by a truck driver, who fled the scene.

 

National

A website for gay and bi women lists the top 25 cinematic dykes on bikes — their words — with no distinction between women on bicycles or motorcycles. Or spin classes, for that matter.

In an apparent effort to force everyone back into their cars, the next round of Trump’s China tariffs will target ebikes. Which could kill their growth just as it’s taking off.

A Washington writer says there’s no such thing as being too old or too out of shape to ride a bike.

A road raging New Mexico driver faces up to five years behind bars after being charged with intentionally backing into a group of bicyclists, seriously injuring one of the riders. He denies any responsibility, claiming the victims just ran into his car when he stopped after they flipped him off for no apparent reason.

A Minnesota paper talks with Melody L. Hoffmann, author of Bike Lanes Are White Lanes: Bicycle Advocacy and Urban Planning, about the invisible cyclists and the need for equity in advocacy.

Apparently, Detroit isn’t exactly the safest place to ride a bike after all.

Not satisfied with getting off with a slap on the wrist for killing a woman on a cross-country bike ride, an Ohio woman is asking the court to seal the record of her conviction so she can “heal from this accident.” And apparently not suffer any repercussions, unlike the victim and her family.

Like bike riders virtually everywhere, residents in Atlanta are questioning the lack of bike funding in the city budget.

A North Carolina bike rider was collateral damage in a police chase, losing his leg when the driver of a stolen car slammed into him after fleeing police at speeds up to 100 mph. Warning: This story includes a deeply disturbing bodycam video of the police tending to the victim, who is in extreme pain and in fear for his life. The newspaper showed a severe lack of judgement in posting it. 

Evidently it’s not just Los Angeles. Officials in South Carolina rip out a road diet and bike lanes after complaints from angry drivers. Which leaves the situation just as bad as it was before, if not worse.

A Tampa bike rider says bicyclists don’t ride on the sidewalk because they want to, but because it’s safer. However, studies have repeatedly shown just the opposite, demonstrating that bicyclists are safer on the street than on sidewalks, where multiple driveways and limited sight angles dramatically increase the risk.

 

International

A Vancouver video shows bike riders aren’t the only ones who roll stop signs.

A Montreal cemetery that has been open to the public for the past 166 years is now banning bike riders. Though I’m sure it would welcome any run down on the roads after losing a safe place to ride.

Despite the overwhelming success of London’s cycling superhighways, the network remains patchy after five boroughs and other authorities blocked plans for new lanes.

London’s Mirror shares eight secrets to help build your child’s confidence bicycling on the road.

An American man is calling for safety signage after his wife was killed when she crashed her bike into a trailer full of sheep after rounding a sharp turn on an Irish trail; two other American tourists were killed on the same trail recently.

Europe’s high-powered ebikes continue to take a toll, with over 100 ebike riders killed in the Netherlands since 2014.

A New York bike advocate says Millennials are the key to brokering peace between bicyclists and drivers on the streets of Perth, Australia.

Fifteen Taiwanese children from disadvantaged families are riding around the island nation to provide support and comfort to elderly people in nursing homes. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

 

Competitive Cycling

The South Bay’s Easy Reader News recounts last weekend’s 57th annual Manhattan Beach Grand Prix.

This is what it looks like when you finish the last 30 miles of a Tour de France stage with a broken kneecap after tumbling over a retaining wall.

Peter Sagan vowed to continue in the Tour after the world champ misjudged a corner and crashed into the forest on Wednesday; fortunately, nothing was broken.

Costa Rican pro cyclist Andrey Amador wants to make history for his country in the Tour.

A book excerpt recounts the shotgun shooting of America’s only remaining Tour de France winner, before Greg LeMond came back and won the tour two more times.

The New York Times says American flags are disappearing from the Tour, along with American cyclists.

The Undefeated website recounts the day seven years ago when Guadeloupe native Yohann Gene became the first black cyclist to compete in the Tour de France.

A writer for the Telegraph learns what it’s like to sort-of ride a grand tour.

 

Finally…

That feeling when a new protected bike lane leaves the street too narrow for cars to get through. Note to world: It’s not an annual event until there’s a second one.

And you know you’re having a bad day in the Tour de France when police mistake you for a fan and try to kick you off the course.

One comment

  1. Nina Moskol says:

    Dear Ted-
    RE Santa Clarita’s “Heads Up” campaign.

    I just want to point out that the stencils on the trails are just part of a much larger program. The City of Santa Clarita has been pushing out messaging via all sorts of media and avenues, including a winning PSA competition from the local high schools.
    The stenciling is being placed at difficult trail intersections where cyclists may encounter blind curves and tricky on and off-ramps where they might encounter pedestrians at higher speeds.
    The trails are very easy for cyclists to navigate and become complacent when cruising safely at 20+ mph.
    While we haven’t had a super bad bike-ped crash that I have heard of in awhile, they can, and do happen, and both people involved are losers when it does.
    While it doesn’t sincerely address our lack of on-street infrastructure, it does speak to the shared use and pleasant use of our trail system.

    Just thought you should know.

    Sincerely,

    Nina Moskol, Chairperson
    Santa Clarita Valley Bicycle Coalition, LC LACBC

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