Archive for July 19, 2018

Bike rider killed in early morning Perris collision on Friday the 13th

July 19, 2018 / / 3 comments

Note: Due to this death in Perris last week, and Monday’s fatality in El Cajon, there won’t be any Morning Links today. We’ll catch up on everything tomorrow.

Somehow, we missed this one last weekend.

According to the Riverside County News Source, a bike rider was killed in a pre-dawn collision in Perris Friday morning.

The victim, identified as 30-year old Perris resident Raul Sangerman Otiz, was attempting to cross Perris Blvd on or near the Ramona Expressway when he was stuck by the driver of a northbound vehicle around 5:45 am Friday.

He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died of his injuries.

A street view shows northbound Perris Blvd has two through lanes, with a right turn bay and double left turn lanes; the southbound side has three through lanes with both left and right turn lanes.

There’s no word on which direction Otiz was traveling, or which party had the right-of-way. Either Otiz or the unidentified driver had to have gone through the red light, although it’s possible the light could have changed while he was crossing the wide intersection before he could get to the other side.

Police do not suspect that drugs or alcohol played a role in the collision.

This is at least the 25th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Raul Sangerman Otiz and all his loved ones.

 

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Man killed in El Cajon bicycling collision Monday night, press blames the victim

July 19, 2018 / / 6 comments

Note: Due to tonight’s breaking news, and the discovery of another fatal bike crash in Perris last week, there won’t be any Morning Links today. We’ll catch up on everything tomorrow.

An El Cajon bike rider died after being stuck by the driver of a pickup Monday night.

Yet somehow, the San Diego paper managed to wait until the second sentence before blaming the victim.

Parroting the coroner’s press release, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that 40-year old Jason Wilcox was struck around 10:30 p.m Monday when “he rode into the intersection of Second Street and Pepper Drive” in El Cajon without a helmet.

According to the paper, the driver “traveled into the intersection at the same time” at a high rate of speed, and was unable to stop in time.

Wilcox, who is described as a transient, was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he died of multiple blunt force injuries 50 minutes later.

There’s no word on which direction either Wilcox or the unidentified driver were traveling.

However, a street view shows a four lane roadway on Second with a 45 mph speed limit and a bike lane on either side, with the intersection controlled by a traffic signal in each direction.

That means either the victim or the driver went through the red light; the way the Union-Tribune’s story is written, it implies that Wilcox was at fault. However, there is nothing in the coroner’s press release to suggest that.

The statement that the driver was traveling at a high rate of speed also suggests he was exceeding the 45 mph speed limit.

It should be noted that few homeless people have, let alone use, bike helmets. And even the best bike helmet won’t prevent injuries to other parts of the body; a high-speed collision with a truck is unlikely to be survivable, with or without one.

This is at least the 24th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in San Diego County. It’s also the second in El Cajon in the last three months.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jason Wilcox and all his loved ones. 

Thanks to Jeff Kucharski for the heads-up. 

Screen shot of the coroner’s press release

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: Rescuing a dog in your back pockets, beating the world champ on an ebike, and why women ride

July 18, 2018 / / One comment

CBS News provides more information about the Georgia mountain biker who rescued an injured dog, carrying the pup on his back as he rode back into town.

“We stopped to regroup and he came out of the woods to greet us. He was really thin, ribs showing and had a lot of road rash and a broken leg,” Little told CBS News. He says he and the other cyclists fed the dog and gave him water, but knew they couldn’t leave the dog in the woods. Little didn’t have a car to transport him, just a bike. So he hoisted the pup onto his back, and rode into town looking for help.

“Right when we returned to my local bike shop to get him some more water and food, we instantly ran into Mrs. Andrea who was in town from Maine,” Little said. “She decided to keep him and get him checked out medically.” Little says Shaw took the dog off his hands, and not only got him medical help, but a new home.

And if you look closely, you can see the dog’s feet inside his jersey pocket, answering the question of how he did it.

Thanks to Jeff Vaughn for the link.

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World champ Peter Sagan isn’t used to losing. Especially not to a grandmother with a pacemaker.

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A nice spot promoting women’s cycling is actually an ad for European carmaker Škoda, which claims their cars are designed for cyclists.

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Local

Metro has released the new Metro Vision 2028, their 10-year plan to reshape how we get around in LA County, including by bicycle.

LA’s failure to build a safe bike network gets a national stage, as NPR follows-up on the LA Times recent attempt to ride one of LeBron James’ possible routes from his Brentwood home to Staples Center. And suggests he may be better off sticking to an elliptical. Thanks to Evan Burbridge for the heads-up.

Speaking of LA’s failure to fix the streets, the city is hiring a $250,000 consultant to suggest fixes to gridlock and the embarrassment of seeing homeless people that could keep tourists away. I could do that for half the price, since we already know the solutions — house the homeless, and build out the bike plan and improve bus service to give people safe alternatives to driving. 

Monterey Park will consider approving the city’s first bikeway since it adopted a bike plan in 2014 at tonight’s city council meeting.

Malibu Magazine examines the coast’s killer highway, as PCH cuts a swath of destruction through the city that effects everyone, regardless of how they travel.

 

State

The brother-in-law of the bike rider killed on a Santa Cruz bridge last week says experienced bicyclists are afraid to ride in the city, despite the presence of several bike companies.

San Francisco reverses plans to delay badly needed safety improvements on one of the city’s most dangerous corridors.

Yosemite struggles with how to manage the daily crush of cars choking the nation’s premier national park. The obvious solution is to ban private vehicles entirely, which don’t belong in a natural setting like that in the first place.

 

National

Bike Snob tells motorists not to talk to him when he’s riding a bike.

Seattle is struggling to become more bike-friendly as the cost of projects soar. Meanwhile, the reason more people don’t bike in Seattle’s Chinatown is the lack of infrastructure makes them feel unsafe. In other words, pretty much like everywhere else.

How to tour Seattle by bikeshare.

Let’s conclude our visit to Seattle with a letter from a Lycra-wearing menace who says don’t honk and yell if you’re angry at bicyclists, demand contiguous, protected bicycle lanes instead.

A couple on an Alaskan fat bike and rafting tour discover that you can, in fact, have too much adventure.

This is why people continue to die on our streets. An Idaho man was sentenced to up to 30 year behind bars for his sixth DUI offense, while he was still on probation for his fifth violation. Seriously, it shouldn’t take six strikes and you’re out before the courts finally decide to do something. A second offense should result in jail time and a lifetime driving ban.

You can now get your kicks on Bike Route 66 through Missouri and Kansas.

Chicago police are criticized for continuing to ticket black bicyclists at a higher rate than white riders.

Bicycling can be a pain in the butt. Fortunately, the famed Cleveland Clinic offers advice on how to avoid saddle sores.

The family of a Minnesota man killed in a Kansas collision while competing in this year’s cross-country Trans Am Bike Race asks drivers to pay attention to the road.

A Rochester, New York public safety campaign currently under production swathed a pedestrian in bubble wrap and wrapped a bicyclist in Christmas lights to show how far vulnerable road users have to go to be noticed.

Baltimore uses water-filled K-rails to create an instant road diet and barrier-protected bike lane across a dangerous bridge. Proving that it is possible to create an inexpensive temporary, removable pilot project without going through the endless public meetings required for a permanent installation. Then making it permanent once it proves successful.

 

International

Vancouver Island declares war on fun, banning children’s bike riding and other outdoor activities from the streets, and decreeing that they should only be used for motor vehicles. Although the wording of the law would appear to prohibit transportation riding by adults, as well.

Yorkshire, England, is considering banning bike riders from the routes used in the Grand Depart of the 2014 Tour de France, after bicyclists are accused of fueling road rage by anti-social behavior and hogging the narrow roads. Although needless to say, the real conflict is carried out in the comment section of the local paper.

The Telegraph recommends the best bicycling vacations in France.

A New Zealand website talks with The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan about his documentary retracing the route of the first English-speaking team to compete in the Tour de France, in 1924

 

Competitive Cycling

Google’s doodle honored the legendary Gino Bartali on what would have been his 104th birthday.

No, Toms Skujins was not caught motor doping in the Tour de France.

Vincenzo Nibali says the reason modern bike racing looks boring boils down to the specialized training of the riders. And because it often is.

Rouleur remembers Fabio Casartelli, the last cyclist to die in the Tour de France, killed by crashing head-first into a concrete barrier while descending the Col de Portet d’Aspet in 1995.

Britain’s Cyclist asks a reasonable question — is it time to regulate doping rather than ban it?

Tuesday’s stage of the Tour de France may have been boring, but the one-day women’s Le Course was anything but; the BBC offers a play-by-play recap of the race.

 

Finally…

Always wait for the drawbridge to finish opening before trying to ride across. When a car blocks your path, just walk over it; bonus points if you can bunny hop it.

And sometimes, the real action is above, not in, the peloton.

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Thanks to John Hall for his continued support of this site. It’s the ongoing generosity of readers like him that allows me to bring you SoCal’s best bike news every morning.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Pedestrian deaths misrepresented, near miss caught on cam, and taxis barred from bike lanes

July 17, 2018 / / 6 comments

Let’s catch up on a few things that fell through the cracks recently.

Like the Tennessee study that found the public has a misunderstanding of how pedestrian deaths occur.

According to researchers, part of the problem stems from the fact that many deaths never get reported by the news media. And those that do are often misrepresented by the police and press.

That’s a problem we’ve seen too many times with bicycling crashes, when the police are quick to blame the victim, only to reverse themselves later.

Or too often not, leaving it up to the victims’ families and their lawyers to correct their mistakes.

And the public usually never hears about it.

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Then there’s this video forwarded by Eric Lewis of a near sideswipe collision captured on his new bike cam.

Which is a perfect candidate for the new #NearMissLA hashtag.

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There may be action taken to stop cab drivers from parking in the new bike lanes on Figueroa, and elsewhere, after all.

As a result of a recent flurry of tweets and videos showing the blocked bike lane, the LA Taxi Commission has proposed a new order prohibiting taxis from blocking bike lanes.

https://twitter.com/taxicomisionado/status/1018922399125782529

So keep up the pressure. Sometimes it does get results.

Now if they could just do something about cops and Uber drivers in the bike lanes.

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Speaking of Uber, their primary competitor Lyft has endorsed Vision Zero, as well as serving underserved communities with bikeshare and e-scooters.

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Local

The Los Angeles Sentinel profiles the East Side Bike Club and its mission to improve vulnerable communities through riding and maintaining bicycles.

Bicycling gives a thumbs up to the slim fit bike jeans made by LA’s own Swrve.

 

State

The wife of a fallen cyclist calls for a bike bridge over Santa Cruz harbor to keep it from happening to someone else; the long-time rider was killed crossing the only existing bridge.

Oakland plans to extend the road diet and bike lanes on iconic Telegraph Avenue, though current plans call for buffered lanes, rather than extending the current parking protected lanes.

 

National

Men’s Health explains how you can get in shape to ride the Tour de France. You can start by getting your weight under 140, which for most of us would require removing a limb or two.

A bike industry writer questions whether we’ve reached peak bicycle. Short answer, unless we get more safe places to ride, probably yes.

The good news is, there was nothing wrong with the cougar that attacked two bike riders in Washington this past May. The bad news is, it attacked them anyway.

A Denver writer says our transportation system is unbalanced. Which could be why even Denver bike cops are afraid to ride on the street.

Riding a handcycle, Michigan’s Laura Stark finished the cross-country ride she started two years ago, before she was paralyzed from the waist down by a distracted driver in Idaho; her riding companion wasn’t so lucky.

Curbed describes eight beginner’s bike rides for your next trip to the Big Apple.

This is how Vision Zero is supposed to work. DC responded to the death of a bike rider by removing four parking spaces from an intersection to improve visibility.

Maybe Dracula is one of us, too. Transylvania has a ten-year plan to become more bike-friendly. But it’s the one in North Carolina, not Romania.

Once again, a bike rider is a hero, after a Georgia man threw an injured stray dog onto his back and rode into town to get help; he met a woman who took the dog to the vet, and later adopted it.

So much for golf. A Florida retirement community is the first to be named a gold level Bicycle Friendly Community.

 

International

A new study says skip the hi-viz, because a small percentage of drivers will pass you unsafely no matter what you wear.

Forbes talks with the founder of TDA Global Cycling, formerly Tour d’Afrique, the company behind epic global bike tours.

Eight riders tag-teamed to ride 3,600 miles non-stop across Canada in just eight days.

A Winnipeg woman held a yard sale to benefit the families of three young boys who were killed by an alleged drunk driver earlier this year, as they walked and biked on the side of a road.

Bicycling is up in seven Toronto neighborhoods, where housing density near employment and education centers make bike commuting more practical.

A writer for the Guardian says children miss out on too much when they don’t learn to ride a bike, including fitness and confidence.

A German club is teaching Muslim refugee women to ride bicycles.

Road.cc reports on six cool things from this year’s Eurobike show in Germany. But I can’t get the damn page to load, so you’ll have to see for yourself what they are.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cycling News looks at the team effort that’s keeping Lawson Craddock in the Tour de France, despite a broken shoulder bone; he’s now raised over $97,000 for a Houston velodrome.

USA Today discovers the role of domestiques in pro cycling.

The troubled BMC Racing team has finally got a new sponsor and will compete next year.

Bicycling offers a recap of everything you might have missed in the women’s Giro Rosa. Like the entire race, for instance.

Trek is forming a new women’s team headed by former world champion — and expecting mother — Lizzie Deignan. Another women’s team is great, as long as they pay them what the men make, which is highly unlikely. And get them some TV coverage so people might actually be able to watch for a change.

 

Finally…

What happens when your therapist’s couch is a mountain bike. When you need a $52,000 car to carry your bike.

And this is who we share the roads with.

But it was the gym’s fault for not wearing hi-viz.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Policy change for Camp Pendleton bike access, and recovering a stolen bicycle with Bike Index

July 16, 2018 / / 4 comments

Decades of relatively easy bike access to Camp Pendleton is coming to a close.

According to an email from Major Chad David Walton, anyone wanting to ride the popular cycling route through the Camp Pendleton Marine base will now need to register with the new Department of Defense Biometric Identification System.

And it will have to be done on the base at Pendleton, not online as has been the case in the last few years.

The passes will be valid for one year, and good for one adult only; you can bring a minor with you to bike on the Marine base, but no adult guests will be allowed to enter Pendleton without their own pass.

If you have a current pass, it will be good through September.

After that, you may have to enlist if you want to ride through Camp Pendleton without one.

Thanks to Richard Masoner and David Drexler for the heads-up.

Photo of Retired U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Fernando Andrade by Lance Cpl. Dalton Swanbeck.

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This is why you should register your bike with Bike Index.

A Redditor got his bike back a full year after it was stolen, when someone checked Bike Index after buying it on Craigslist.

You can register your bike for free — or all your bikes — right here on this site, or report a theft to add it to the nationwide Bike Index database. And you can check to see if a bike was stolen right here, for no cost.

Maybe someone should tell the LA City Council about that, before they decide to reinvent the bike registration wheel.

Full disclosure — I don’t get a dime from Bike Index for hosting or promoting their site. I just hate bike thieves, and want to see every bike find it’s way back home.

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A pair of British bike riders were sideswiped by a driver who clearly needs a lesson in safe passing distance.

One rider suffered broken bones and a concussion, while another lost part of an ear, but both are recovering.

Needless to say, the 81-year old driver will be free to get behind the wheel again after losing his license for just two years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3A5moaYo_E

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Hey Los Angeles media — can someone please hire the BBC’s Naga Munchetty and bring her here to the City of Angels?

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone shut down an anti-bicycling crank so effectively.

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Stop what you’re doing, and take a few minutes to read this piece from Cycling Savvy’s Keri Caffrey on how to survive riding around large trucks.

Seriously. It could save your life.

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Local

Nice piece from the Daily News, on how the community came together to recover the stolen bicycle belonging to fallen teenage cyclist Sabastian Montero.

She gets it. Curbed’s Alissa Walker says instead of banning scooters, cities should redesign streets to make room for them.

 

State

OMG! Some people in San Diego are using bikeshare bikes and e-scooters to commit crimes. Sort of like they use personal bikes, skateboards, cars, feet, rental cars, horses, and any other form of human conveyance.

Officials say the Coachella Valley’s 50-mile CV Link multi-use pathway will save lives, as Palm Desert approves plans for the design.

Sad news from Santa Cruz, as a long-time bike rider was killed in a collision while riding across a bridge. Naturally, police blame the victim, insisting he somehow veered into traffic, which usually means the driver didn’t see him until it was too late; something that happens so often it’s commonly called a SWSS, or Single Witness Suicide Swerve

San Francisco bike riders are protesting delays in implementing much needed safety projects.

One of the four bike riders run down by a hit-and-run driver in Marin County describes in his own words what it’s like to nearly get killed just for riding a bike.

 

National

Streetsblog offers eight tips for cities to make the most out of dockless bikeshare and e-scooters.

A Denver man is using his bicycle to rebuild his life, commuting 20 miles a day to classes after becoming homeless following a car crash; now he’s preparing for a 120-mile ride over three high mountain passes.

Colorado’s new Idaho Stop law could lead to confusion — and tickets — since it leaves implementation to local communities; as a result, it could be legal to ride through a stop sign on one side of an intersection, and illegal on the other.

Iowa officials say no charges will be filed against two bicyclists who lost control on a bike path and killed a 79-year old woman before riding off.

Little Rock gets it. Instead of blaming the victims, the Arkansas city is developing an educational program for drivers on how to share the road with people on bicycles, modeled after a similar program in my hometown.

An adaptive bicycling program in Minnesota’s Twin Cities is allowing people with handicaps to get on bicycles, sometimes for the first time.

No bias here. A Minneapolis commentator assumes the people behind the dockless Bird e-scooters must be California hippies.

Kentucky becomes the latest state to adopt a three-foot passing law; 35 states now require at least a three-foot distance to pass someone on a bicycle.

Talk about not getting it. Newport RI officials want the state Department of Transportation to improve safety on a major street, while backing off from plans to install a bike lane and new turning lanes — and making it safer for pedestrians by removing a crosswalk. Sure, that will work.

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes goes on, as someone sabotaged a Boston bike lane with thumbtacks for the second time in a month.

Streetsblog offers a brief history of New York mayors on bicycles, as the current mayor takes a dockless bikeshare bike for a spin.

No bias here, either. There were several ways to describe the attacker who fatally stabbed a Philadelphia developer following an argument. But he rode a bicycle, so of course they chose “cyclist.”

Evidently, officials in bike friendly DC are no better than those in Los Angeles, as bicyclists continue to die as promised Vision Zero projects gather dust on the shelf.

 

International

Donald Trump’s trade war could mean you’ll have to pay more to fix your bike.

Don’t stop in Winnipeg if you want to keep your bike on a cross-country tour of Canada.

The BBC investigates how dangerous it really is to ride a bike on the streets of Toronto, while a college student says major changes are needed. Even though the city is safer for bicyclists than Phoenix, Philadelphia and yes, Los Angeles.

Speaking of Toronto, bicyclists have started a #NearMissToronto hostage campaign to report dangerous incidents and drivers, and call for safer streets. Maybe we should copy it; #NearMissLA has got a good ring to it.

A British writer raises a good point, asking if there’s a class divide in cycling, as rising equipment cost separate riders into those who can afford the best gear, and those who can’t. Or who just get turned off by the perception of high cost, and don’t bother trying.

 

Competitive Cycling

If you haven’t caught up on your Tour de France viewing, skip this next section. We could say the same about the Giro Rosa, except no one bothers to broadcast women’s bike racing.

In today’s semi-spoiler free Tour de France report, classics specialist John Degenkolb had a very good day.

Tour de Suisse champ Ritchie Port is out of the Tour de France, abandoning after apparently breaking his collarbone following a crash near the start of Sunday’s stage nine; Tony Martin is also out with a spinal fracture.

The Telegraph describes Sunday’s stage as a day of chaos on the cobbles.

No, you can’t butt heads in the peloton or bash everyone else out of the way, even on Bastille Day.

Lawson “Crash” Craddock has now raised over $92,000 for a Houston Velodrome by riding in the Tour with a broken scapula; no word yet on whether he survived Sunday’s cobbles.

Nice gesture from the UnitedHealthcare Pro team, which named a five-year old speech therapy patient “Pro Cyclist for a Day” at this year’s Twilight Criterium in Boise, Idaho; they gave her a new bike, helmet and autographed team jersey.

Yes, there was a women’s race, which was largely ignored even though it wasn’t tainted by questions of doping with asthma medication; as usual, a Dutch rider won the race, including the final stage, though an Australian team took the title. Maybe someone can explain to me why any race still has podium girls, let alone a women’s race.

 

Finally…

Nothing like riding 10,000 miles together to inspire a little romance. If you’re going to Comic Con, don’t ride your bike inside. No, really.

And no, being a state legislator does not give you diplomatic immunity from speeding tickets.

Thanks to Evan Burbridge for that last link.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Philharmonic CicLAvia, fixing parking problems on MyFig, and the war on bikes moves mostly online

July 13, 2018 / / 4 comments

It’s official.

CicLAvia has released the route of September’s Disney Hall to Hollywood Bowl open streets event, which should be epic in every sense, with dozens of performances along the way.

Curbed offers a preview of the CicLAvia event, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, culminating in a free concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

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CiclaValley provides a 45-second update on the parking problems on the new MyFigueroa bike lane.

CiclaValley also reminds us about this Nike ad, with new LA Laker LeBron James playing a bike-born Pied Piper to kids in Miami.

And no, it’s not the least bit confusing to go from typing CicLAvia to CiclaValley and back.

No, really.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes goes on. And online.

A Tennessee man assumes he’s an expert on bike safety because he rode his into the side of a truck as a child, and criticizes a recumbent rider for riding in the center of a traffic lane — even though he clearly doesn’t know that word.

Apparently speaking from beyond the grave after being run over by bike riders three times, a New Jersey letter writer says his town shouldn’t encourage more bicycling because of the “mayhem” caused by “psycho” cyclists, even though he swears he rides one himself.

No windshield bias here. A DC writer complains about five types of “smug-ass” people who need to “cut the shit.” Needless to say, bike riders are number one on his list, for the apparently unforgivable crime of acting like bikes are cars, which is exactly what bike riders are supposed to do; number two are pedestrians in crosswalks who don’t get the hell out of his way fast enough.

A Saskatoon cyclist records a confrontation with an angry driver who followed him honking, then wanted to fight when the rider tried to explain his right to the road. Meanwhile, Saskatoon police say yes, bikes have a right to the road, but don’t try to educate the driver who harassed you, because that could be demeaning.

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A video from Slate’s Spokes Man says it’s fine to slap a car while riding.

Then again, he also seems to be okay with undertaking a semi while it’s making a right turn, which should tell you something.

I confess to slapping a few fenders when drivers drifted into my lane, or right hooked me without appearing to even know I was there.

But I stopped several years ago, after a driver got out of his car and beat a pianist to death in Hollywood when the victim slapped the hood of his car for encroaching on the crosswalk.

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Local

LAist gets it. A piece by KPCC’s Meghan McCarthy Carino says nothing can fix LA traffic, so deal with it. The simple fact is, traffic in Los Angeles right now is as good as it will ever be; the only option is to provide safe, efficient alternatives to convince people to leave their cars at home.

Good piece from Streetsblog’s Damien Newton looking at the lessons learned from the failed attempt to recall LA Councilmember Mike Bonin over the equally failed Playa del Rey road diets. And the stifling effect it’s had on street safety projects.

For everyone who missed out on Metro’s free Bike Hub membership during Bike Month, the LACBC is offering a second chance at a free one-year Bike Hub membership through the end of the month.

The Santa Monica Daily Press complains about e-scooters on the beachfront bike path, saying users are scooting through a loophole in the law.

 

State

A Bakersfield mother and bike advocate makes the case for why you should wear a helmet.

San Jose business owners become just the latest to fight a proposed bikeway, fearing it will be bad for business. Even though study after study shows just the opposite.

A San Mateo doctor is suing the other participants in a regular fast group ride for $1 million for injuries he received when another rider crashed into him. Something tells me he may not be welcome on the next one.

Sad news from Concord, where a 60-year old man was killed when his bicycle was rear-ended by a driver.

 

National

Your next power meter could fit on a valve stem.

An ebike helps a woman get back on a bicycle for the first time since she was eleven.

A Spokane writer suggests putting sharrows on a freeway, with bike pool lanes for two or more people on a bike. And no, he’s not serious.

Nevada’s indigenous tribes are welcoming Lime dockless bikeshare to their community to provide a transportation option that improves health and protects the environment.

A Montana man loses nearly half his 500 pound weight after taking up bicycling.

An Omaha bike co-op saved an eight-year old boy from a life of crime on the streets; ten years later he’s a high school graduate with a scholarship from Adventure Cycling.

A Minneapolis bike columnist says it’s time to take a pledge of civility.

A New Jersey woman — and the daughter of Holocaust survivors — discovers riding her bicycle in the recent ride from Auschwitz to Krakow, Poland is cleansing for the soul.

Friends pitch in to rebuild a custom bike belonging to a New Jersey Lakers fan — and Wilt Chamberlain’s second cousin — painting it in the colors of the LA Lakers.

 

International

Designing better ultra-aerodynamic bicycles through artificial intelligence.

That bike bucket list just keeps getting longer, as Forbes recommends five bicycling vacations around the world.

A writer for the Guardian considers the best books on bicycling.

A British Columbia bike rider is using shadows on a straight, flat highway in Saskatchewan to prove the Earth isn’t flat. Because one more proof should be enough to convince all the flat Earthers, even though all the many others haven’t done the job yet.

Caught on video: A British bus driver passes a bicyclist way too close for comfort, coming so close it looks like it may have brushed the rider.

More proof life is cheap in the UK, where a woman gets a year behind bars for running down a bike rider while high on coke and driving without her glasses — with her kids in the car.

A Welsh judge has ordered a new trial in the death of British Olympic hero Chris Boardman’s bike-riding mother; in addition to the crash, the driver and his wife are accused of deleting cellphone data to cover up their actions.

Don’t count on seeing Irish band Glass Animals anytime soon, after the band’s drummer was seriously injured when he was hit by a truck while riding in Dublin.

A Dublin teenager has been jailed for one year for terrorizing bike riders on a canal pathway; he was part of a group that chased riders and strung rope across the trail in an effort to knock people off their bikes.

Helsinki, Finland is using artificial intelligence to position and manage their bikeshare system.

Mobility Lab says Danes bike for the same reason Americans drive — because they’re lazy and it’s easy.

Rome residents are painting potholes to warn bike riders and hopefully shame the city into fixing them.

The Prague, Czechoslovakia bike ban goes into effect at the end of this month; bike riders will be prohibited from pedestrian areas in the city center.

India’s Hero Cycles is reviving 110-year old British Viking bikes after a 40-year absence. So doesn’t that mean it’s really a 70-year old brand?

An Aussie man is attempting to record and preserve all the surviving bikes made by custom bikemaker Milton “Spike” Jones.

Dockless bikeshare company Obike has abandoned thousands of bikes across Europe after filing bankruptcy in Singapore.

 

Competitive Cycling

Wednesday was a good day for the world champ, and Thursday was good for Ireland and Team UAE Emirates at the Tour de France, even though broken spokes set a couple of riders back.

An Aussie writer says Sunday’s cobbled stage will be hell on wheels.

No, it probably wasn’t good taste to hope that a Croatian rider’s crash in the Tour boded well for England’s failed World Cup bid.

It takes a team effort to keep injured cyclist Lawson “Crash” Craddock riding in the Tour de France; by continuing in the race, he’s already raised over three times his original $21,000 goal to support a Texas Velodrome.

Virtually ignored in all the attention gained by the Tour de France, the women’s Gira Rosa stage race goes on, with Australia’s Mitchelton-Scott team threatening to break the recent dominance of Dutch teams.

A new study shows riding in the back of a peloton is even easier than previously thought; riders in the right position face 95% less wind resistance than riders up front.

 

Finally…

Touring the Rockies by bike, and playing the rocks along the way.  When your bike is stolen by the police so Meghan and Harry can have lunch.

And no, telling a woman you want to be her bike saddle is not a compliment.

And not cool. Period.

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Today’s Morning Links called on account of sick corgi

July 12, 2018 / / 2 comments

My apologies once again.

I’ve spent this week caring for a very sick dog, who’s felt an urgent need to rush outside every few hours since Sunday night. And too often hasn’t made it in time.

As a result, neither of us has gotten much sleep.

The good news is, she’s doing better after getting an IV from the vet yesterday. And we’ve both been passed out ever since we got back home.

So I’m taking today off to get some desperately needed rest. As always, we’ll be back tomorrow to catch up on everything we missed.

She should be back to her usual rambunctious self in a few day.

And with a little luck, so will I.

 

 

Category: General /

Morning Links: Besmirched in bikes, welcoming King James, and raising funds for kids and bikes in Watts

July 11, 2018 / / 3 comments

Now this is what a bicycling city looks like.

Patrick Pascal forwards today’s photo from Dublin, Ireland, noting the city is besmirched with bikes these days.

But in a good way.

Although women apparently don’t feel safe bicycling there, despite the safety in numbers.

Pretty much like every other major city, Los Angeles included.

………

Here’s a good suggestion from someone who prefers to remain anonymous.

Now that LeBron James is officially a Laker, the Los Angeles bike community should welcome him by riding with him from his Brentwood home to Staples Center for his first home game.

That would give a lot of LA kids a chance to ride a bike with the man known universally as King James. Something he clearly cares deeply about.

It would also give us the chance to call attention to the lack of safe infrastructure and the dismal state of LA streets.

And make sure he gets there in one piece.

So if anyone out there knows LeBron, just have him get in touch with me and we’ll put something together.

………

I’ve long been a fan of the East Side Riders Bike Club, and their mission to use bikes to change lives and improve the Watts community.

Now they’re asking for your help to raise $20,000 to support that vital work.

Here’s what their crowdfunding page has to say.

The East Side Riders Bike Club (ESR) is an all-volunteer, grassroots bicycle club working to prevent youth from joining gangs and/or taking drugs, but also engage youth to enrich the community through recreational activities, Our kids are introduced to bike safety, healthy eating and active living, the importance of giving back to the community, and are able to participate in community riding events hosted by ESR.

ESR seeks to positively impact the following community needs: Inadequate Organized Recreational Outlets for local youth in the Watts area, a community that is rife with high rates of child obesity, asthma and other respiratory challenges amongst youth; lack of Safe Passage and Travel Routes: while Watts is a very small community, there are clear gang-related boundaries and territories that limit the movement of local youth based on where they reside; Lack of Resources- families lack the resources to purchase bikes, safety gear, and/or other necessary equipment.

In turn, these kids feed the homeless, clean up neighborhood parks, and are learning to solve community problems by working together!

East Side Riders is raising money to help support our Organization, the BEAST Class and our overall continued support of ESRBC. Since 2008 ESR has provided sack lunches to the hungry, fixed kids bikes for free and provided meals for Thanksgiving, toys and food for Christmas including bikes and helmets for kids that really need them.

With your donation you would be helping our yearly budget that is partially paid for through grants. You can also donate you time to ESR by volunteering with our organization and spreading the word about our work.

If you’ve got a few extra bucks lying around, it would be hard to find a better cause to support.

……..

Local

Yes, LA Councilmembers Mike Bonin and Bob Blumenfield are considering bringing back mandatory, or possibly voluntary, bicycle licensing, though they swear it won’t be used to harass riders, unlike the city’s previous, unlamented program. You can get all the benefits of bike registration right here for free, without waiting for the city to make up its mind.

LA County is proposing an ambitious plan to make over a long-overlooked area near Harbor-UCLA Medical Center into a bike and pedestrian friendly neighborhood.

Curbed considers Pasadena’s plans to bail on its money-losing Metro Bike program.

Maybe you can be a paid brand ambassador for bike friendly New Belgium Brewing at Long Beach State, or one of 13 other campuses around the US.

 

State

An Escondido woman bought a new ebike for a man she calls her guardian angel, who meets her every day to protect her from harassment on a bike path.

Victorville wants your input on a grant application for new bike lanes.

Sad news from San Francisco, where a pedicab driver has died two weeks after he was run down by a hit-and-run driver; Bay Area bicyclists are angry over the crash on the Embarcadero, which was supposed to get a protected bike lane.

 

National

Bicycling offers more of their click-through clickbait, with six roads throughout the US you “gotta” ride. For once, a local road made the list, with Yerba Buena Road through LA and Ventura Counties.

Red Bull offers a beginner’s plan to take you from your couch to riding a 30 miler in just eight weeks.

Now that’s a group ride. Up to 10,000 bike riders are expected to turn out for the annual two-day Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic.

Denver bike and pedestrian advocates tell the mayor to put the city’s money where his mouth is, and back his ambitious infrastructure plans with enough money to build it.

He gets it. In a very tongue-in-cheek letter, a Colorado man calls on the local paper to stop covering up the thousands of motorist deaths caused by reckless pedestrians and cyclists, some of whom must be members of MS-13.

A well-known Iowa oncologist is recovering from multiple broken bones after touching wheels with another rider in a paceline.

Police in Grand Rapids, Michigan are testing a new ultrasonic radar device that measures the distance between a bike rider and a passing car to look for violations of the three-foot passing law.

I like this guy already. A Massachusetts columnist complains about the roadway caste system that puts drivers above bike riders, and suggests that people should park and watch other drivers before they complain about people on bicycles.

In the wake of a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, city councilman’s death while riding in a nearby parish, local leaders form a victim-blaming committee that may try to restrict riders rather than improving safety.

 

International

Great book excerpt from the authors of the Modacity website, who discuss how ebikes can provide mobility for everyone — and not just for “the laziest demographic in history.”

The City Fix says more bike riders corresponds to a happier city, but does not guarantee you’ll be happy if you ride a bike.

It’s the battle of the Parisian bikeshares, as the city’s vaunted Vélib‘ bikeshare has fallen on hard times, and several dockless systems struggle to survive. 

Every Muslim who can is expected to perform the Hajj at least one in their life, but nothing says you can’t do it by bicycle; two Albanian men will be riding six weeks across five countries to make their pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

 

Competitive Cycling

Yesterday’s fourth stage of the Tour de France ended in a three-way photo finish..

Bicycling looks at new gear at the Tour. So is anyone other Peter Sagan or Chris Froome wearing their eponymous glasses and helmet?

Yes, Americans can still compete in the top levels of pro cycling. Just not the men, apparently.

 

Finally…

Now you, too, can relive the 1970s cult classic The Warriors, but on two wheels. When it comes to pro cycling, stupidity is in the pain of the beholder.

And this is what it looks like when a thief steals your bike in broad daylight.

Not to mention how fast it happens.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Temporary solution to Balboa bike path parking, recycling bikes, and new Pure e-cargo bike

July 10, 2018 / / 3 comments

Danger d reports that LA Councilmember Nury Martinez’ office has come through on their promise to do something about drivers parking on the bike path through Balboa Park.

He says it may just be a temporary fix, but it will do until they can come up with a more permanent solution.

………

Here’s a chance to help others while you get rid of any old, unused bikes you have sitting around.

You can drop your bikes off at 5619 Monte Vista St in Los Angeles, or call 323/255-6806 for more information.

………

Burbank-based Pure Cycles is introducing a new, more affordable e-cargo bike called the CAPACITA.

Though why the name has to be in all caps is beyond me.

It features front and rear cargo racks, with disk brakes, full fenders and capable of 40-miles on a single charge. Not to mention it’s GPS enabled, and has built-in headlights and taillights.

And if you move fast enough, you can reserve one on their crowdfunding page for just $1399 — a 44% discount of the standard price of $2499.

I’ve been thinking about getting rid of my two-decade old car and replacing it with a ped-assist cargo bike, though the high price of most ebikes has given me pause.

But if I could get that much for my car, I’d give this one serious consideration.

……..

Local

A reporter for KPCC discusses LA’s problems implementing Vision Zero with a Chicago radio station. Definitely worth a listen, even if it’s not a pretty picture.

The LA Times goes for a ride along one of the possible routes NBA superstar LeBron James could take to get from his Brentwood home to the Staples Center. And it’s not a pretty picture, either. Personally, I’d take one of the two routes recommended by the LACBC’s Colin Bogart, which follows the route I used to ride from Westwood to DTLA with a few minor deviations.

Metro is hinting at good news, saying they’ll announce a fare makeover for the Metro Bike bikeshare system this Thursday.

On the other hand, Pasadena is planning to pull out of the Metro Bike system in the face of low ridership and mounting losses. The question is why would Pasadena continue to pump funds into a money-losing docked system, when dockless bikeshare can serve the same purpose at no cost to the city — and actually raise revenue through taxes and fees. 

 

State

Calbike’s annual California Dream Ride between Santa Barbara and San Diego is nearly sold out, with just five spaces left as of yesterday.

Streetsblog considers the relative slap on the wrist given the Marin driver who fled the scene after running down four bike riders — allegedly on purpose.

The president of the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition offers advice for drivers and bike riders on how to stay safe on the roads. Although as usual, the first advice for riders is to wear a helmet and hi-viz.

 

National

A writer for Outside says enough with the ghost bikes, it’s time to get organized.

Great story about a Washington state fifth grader preparing for his sixth century ride — despite surviving hearing loss and a hit-and-run.

At least one Utah town gets the concept that outdoor recreation offers a better long-term survival strategy than destroying the natural beauty to pull minerals out of the ground.

A Des Moines IA couple gets their stolen bikes back thanks to social media and an observant pair of bike riders. Although someone should tell the local police that cable locks are just an invitation to steal.

An Arkansas bike rider complains about the lack of bike path courtesy, particularly faster riders who can’t be bothered to announce their presence before zooming past.

Chinese dockless bikeshare company Ofo has pulled out of Chicago, after licensing restrictions limit them to just 50 bikes in a 20 square mile area, or 350 if they require them to be locked to bike racks when not in use. Sometimes it seems pretty obvious that licensing terms are more about keeping dockless bikeshare out, as opposed to finding a way to work with it.

The bikeshare system in Minneapolis is changing its colors, dropping its prices and losing the docks.

After surviving a hit-and-run, a retired physician in Chattanooga says any talk about the city’s bicycle friendly status is just bull droppings.

The A Plus website considers why Boston bike riders bare all in the World Naked Bike Ride.

 

International

Tennis star Raphael Nadal is one of us, even if the US Open can’t seem to grasp that some people would rather bike than drive.

British bike advocates complain about the missed opportunity when the country fails to offer subsidies to buy electric bikes as part of the country’s plan to eliminate vehicle emissions. Which is exactly the problem we have in California, since drivers can receive both federal and state subsidies for buying an electric car, but get nothing for trading a car for a bike, electric or otherwise.

The driver who ran down British Olympic hero Chris Boardman’s mother in Wales was on his mobile phone moments before the crash.

Lime takes on the City of Lights, teaching Paris how to scoot.

Copenhagenize’s Mikael Colville-Andersen is taking heavy fire on Twitter over his comment that ebikes are an example of “white privilege” for “the laziest demographic in history.” Never mind that they allow virtually anyone to ride a bike, regardless of physical condition.

Whatever problems we have, be grateful you don’t ride in Western Australia, where a new survey says bicyclists should be forced to ride single file and banned from narrow streets. And half of respondents say bike shouldn’t be allowed on the roads at all.

Singapore is attempting to reign in dockless bikeshare with a new licensing program; three companies have pulled out of the city as a result, including Ofo.

 

Competitive Cycling

VeloNews reports on the team time trial in stage three of the Tour de France.

American Lawson Craddock says he intends to fight like hell to stay in the Tour — despite a broken scapula that will be put to the test if he makes it to the cobbles on the ninth stage.

CiclaValley considers the fashion side of the Tour de France.

Researchers from Canada’s Simon Frasier University have developed a new statistical-based method of spotting dopers.

Videos of the Tour of Flanders dating back to the 1980s are providing insights into the effects of climate change.

An Australian woman has been charged in the alleged distracted driving death of 23-year old pro cyclist Jason Lowndes last December.

 

Finally…

Now you, too, can dress like the Cannibal. Your next bike could have a drive shaft instead of a chain — although that rear cassette looks deadly.

And we may have to deal with angry drivers, but at least we hardly ever have to deal with stampeding police horses.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: The online war on bikes goes on, fallen rider’s bike recovered, and spotting the good guys in the TdF

July 9, 2018 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: The online war on bikes goes on, fallen rider’s bike recovered, and spotting the good guys in the TdF

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes goes on.

Especially online

A British Columbia sports editor gets it, having the misfortune to moderate the online battle on Facebook and Twitter.

In most instances, though, “traffic” is not caused by bicycles. When I’m stuck in traffic, there’s nothing I want more than to be on a bicycle. That’s one of the reasons I find the hysterical rhetoric of the bike debate so strange. Cyclists, for the most part, are just trying to get around quickly, efficiently, cheaply and healthily. They aren’t the problem…

Sure, bikes can be infuriating but you just have to let it go if you’re in a car. The power difference is too great. Yes, bikers do stupid things, but so do drivers. And when it goes wrong between them, cyclists always lose.

Meanwhile, a Sonoma County columnist wonders why there’s so much misplaced hatred at bicyclists any time a bike story appears online. Or in real life, for that matter.

And yes, your car is 4,000 pounds and my bike is 20 pounds. But because something is bigger, stronger and faster does not give a driver of a vehicle ownership or priority on a public road. Might does not make right. It makes a bully.

Not every driver is a jerk. Not every cyclist is an angel. But let’s not lose sight of our individual humanity, however we choose to get around this beautiful county we call home.

And a Philadelphia-area paper says bicycles — and bike lanes — benefit everyone.

Biking may not be for everyone, but the health benefits to children, environmental benefits to leaving the car at home, and the economic benefit that gives those in poverty a way to get to work are reasons enough.

Share the road. We’ll all be better for it.

………

One bit of good news in a very hot LA weekend, as KTLA-5 reports the bicycle belonging to falling bike rider Sebastian Montero has been recovered, five months after it was stolen.

Montero was riding a friend’s borrowed bike this past Easter Sunday when he was killed by an alleged speeding driver at Burbank and De Soto.

His own bike had been stolen two months earlier, and his mother had begged for its return to remember him.

………

Sometimes it’s not hard to spot the good guys.

American Lawson Craddock went down with a bloodied eye and a broken scapula in Stage 1 of the Tour de France. And not only finished the stage, but challenged himself to finish the race.

And Compton’s own Rahsaan Bahati offered to match the amount.

……..

Local

LA has posted information about proposals to close the absurd Northvale Gap in the Expo bike path. Which exists only because NIMBY homeowners in the area successfully fought construction of the bike path when the Expo Line was built, after failing to halt construction of the train line itself.

The LA Times‘ Robin Abcarian decides that e-scooters are fun, but too damn dangerous after falling off one when she collided with a bike rider on the Venice bike path, and patched up another woman who skinned her knees. Both of which could have happened if they were on roller skates instead of scooters.

A Los Angeles writer says the car still reigns supreme in Southern California, where “Much of the region’s built environment is designed to accommodate the presence of private vehicles and to punish their absence.”

Pomona plans to build a Class I shared use trail along San Jose Creek; the 14-foot bikeway would provide safe access to Cal Poly Pomona, as well as four schools and a similar number of parks.

 

State

San Diego plans to install hundreds of bike racks throughout the city.

The fight over bikeshare in Santa Cruz is nearly settled, as the docked Jump ebikes are becoming ubiquitous in town, despite the objections of some residents.

 

National

Streetsblog says no, drunk walking isn’t behind the rise in pedestrian deaths, despite last week’s incredibly misguided and one-sided PBS report.

Bicycling offers eleven great bike paths to add to your bike bucket list, two of which are in California. And one of which — Colorado’s Trail Ridge Road — my brother just rode last month on his bike tour of the state.

Denver Streetsblog profiles former Boston bike advocate and bicycle rabble rouser Jonathan Fertig, who recently moved to the city.

A Dallas publication points out that some people actually make a living off all those dockless bikes and scooters. Not to mention the invaluable data being generated by them.

This is the cost of traffic violence. A five-year old Michigan boy was killed when he was struck by a food delivery driver while on his first ride without training wheels.

The FBI has gotten involved in the hit-and-run death of a Michigan woman as she rode her bike home from hearing her husband’s band perform in 2013; the bureau is offering a $25,000 reward, to go along with a $50,000 reward offered by a private group. It would be interesting to know the basis for the FBI’s involvement, since hit-and-run, fatal or otherwise, is a state crime.

No surprise here, as the bicyclist who was run down by a drunk hit-and-run driver on Tennessee’s Natchez Trace Parkway — allegedly intentionally — has filed suit for nearly $2.5 million. Driver Marshall Grant Neely will remain in rehab until he’s sentenced after violating his probation by getting drunk every day.

Now that’s more like it. A Connecticut car dealer will give you a loaner when you have your vehicle serviced. But it will have two less wheels than the one you brought in.

A New York website looks at the city’s fight over ebikes through the eyes of two bike riders on opposite sides of the issue.

The Vision Zero Network looks at the efforts to end traffic fatalities in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

 

International

The CBC offers advice on how to avoid a right hook. Moving left and taking the right lane just before an intersection greatly reduces the risk, but some idiots may still try to go around; I’ve been right-hooked by drivers turning from the left lane.

A new European study shows bicycling is great for reducing obesity — unless you ride an ebike. Of course, the question is whether the study was based on ped-assist bikes, which still require the rider to pedal, or throttle-controlled bikes, which don’t.

A London man develops a friendship with the bike-riding woman who comforted him after he was struck by a truck driver as part of last year’s terrorist attack on the Westminster Bridge.

Vice infiltrates a London ride out to see what it’s like to pop wheelies in traffic with hundreds of mostly teenage riders.

Caught on video: A pair of Irish bicyclists get left hooked — the equivalent of our right hook — by a cab driver while riding in a narrow bike lane; remarkably, both men were unhurt.

A Change.org petition calls on Google and Apple to do more to fight cellphone addiction after an Australian man is left a paraplegic by a crash with a distracted driver while riding his bike.

The former Thai Navy SEAL who died during the attempt to rescue a teen soccer team trapped in an underground cave was one of us; 38-year old Samarn Kunan’s Instagram account reportedly contained several pictures of him mountain biking. 

 

Competitive Cycling

An Irish writer mourns the death of anti-doping after four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome is exonerated in his asthma inhaler doping case. Froome was soundly booed by spectators at the start of the Tour’s second stage.

Speaking of Froome, he started the Tour by riding off the road and losing 51 seconds. Which inspired a look back at the unwritten rules of crashing in the race.

Cycling Tips recaps stage 1, while Peter Sagan had to take of his rainbow jersey and slip into yellow after stage 2.

A writer for Outside says yes, there are cheaters in pro cycling, but we should watch it anyway to support the ones who don’t. The problem with that is we have no way of knowing who they are. Or aren’t.

Ten books to feed your Tour de France fever when you’re done watching the day’s stage.

Lest we forget, there’s another top-level WorldTour stage race going on, with the women’s Giro Rosa.

Phil Gaimon has posted video of his grudge match victory over Fabian Cancellara.

Very sad news from Kansas, where 64-year old John Egbers died three weeks after he was hit by a car while competing in the 4,300-mile Trans Am Bike Race. A second rider struck in a separate collision remains hospitalized.

 

Finally…

Riders in the Tour de France hardly ever get attacked by elephants. Maybe you should put your helmet over your kidneys if you ride indoors.

And your next Pashley could be a Morgan.

Just in case anyone gets me on their secret Santa list this year.

 

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