It’s open season on bicyclists.
A French hunter shot and killed a Welsh mountain biker who was riding in the French Alps, claiming he thought the man was a wild boar — despite his brightly colored helmet.
And despite his colorful bicycle, which wild boars are seldom known to ride.
Thanks Adam Ginsberg and Stefan for the heads-up.
Today’s photo is another reminder of why you never just lock your bike’s wheel to the rack; the thieves not only took the bike, they stripped the tire off the wheel.
………
Seriously, I hate crap like this.
A Louisiana newspaper insists that motorists and bicyclists need cooler heads, drawing a false equivalency after a parish near Baton Rouge passed a series of victim-blaming anti-bike laws.
The laws came in response to a crash that killed a man riding a bike and injured his riding partner. Which local drivers used as an excuse to crackdown on those annoying bike riders, even though the driver was clearly at fault.
The difference is, the motorists are fighting for their own convenience, while the people on the bikes just want to be able to ride without getting killed.
Which is basically the same argument you’ll hear in any public meeting to discuss bikes, anywhere.
Meanwhile, Carlton Reid explains that those annoying people on bikes take the lane because it’s safer, smarter, legal and yes, saves lives.
………
A man appears to have been seriously injured when he was hit by a car while riding his bike in East Hollywood.
@bikinginla horrible incident at Hollywood/Kingsley approx 11:45am. Bicycle and car still at the scene. Police say rider is in the hostpital but I don't know in what condition. They say wear a helmet is what we can do as a community.
— Vera Valentine (@vivaciousvera) October 14, 2018
https://twitter.com/mpamer/status/1051588334839947264
While no information has been released on the identity of the victim or his condition, later comments in the Twitter thread suggest he may have been a homeless man.
The fact that the entire street was closed for several hours suggests that the police conducted a full investigation, which usually only happens if the victim is killed or suffers life-threatening injuries.
So I hope you’ll join me in offering a prayer for the victim, good thoughts, or whatever you’re comfortable with.
………
Pasadena public radio station KPCC picks up the story of LA’s recent designation as America’s worst bike city, as producer and bike commuter Leo Duran says it’s well-deserved.
And only in part because of all the cars parked in the new Spring Street bike lane.
The interview starts at 26:05. Thanks to LA ebike maker CERO Electric Cargo Bikes for the link.
………
Horrifying video, as a driver appears to intentionally run down a bicyclist; if you look closely, you can see him holding up his cellphone as if he’s recording the crash.
https://twitter.com/CyclingTodayEn/status/1050647261791674374
No word on where the crash occurred or whether the rider was injured, if the driver was charged, or anything else. And no guarantee this wasn’t staged.
Unfortunately, I lost who sent this to me, so I’ll just have to say thank you to whoever did.
………
Local
Life is cheap in Los Angeles, where a hit-and-run driver got a whopping one year behind bars and a lousy $7,500 restitution for killing a five year old boy. And was released on time served.
LAist gives you all the information Angelenos need to Bike the Vote by mail.
Downtown News looks at the completion of the new Spring Street bike lane in DTLA, which will soon be joined by a similar project going the other way on Main Street.
A Calgary writer calls for tourists to spend a weekend relaxing in WeHo, including a celebrity bike tour with Bikes and Hikes LA. Or you could take a weekend bike getaway in Santa Monica.
A Burbank letter writer gives a big thumbs up to the city’s bike lanes.
Ofo continues its slow speed retraction in the US, as it’s accused of premature withdrawal from the Claremont Colleges.
Bird is pioneering a loophole around restrictions on the number of scooters it’s allowed in Santa Monica by introducing direct delivery and daily rentals, saying those shouldn’t count against its limit.
State
A 64-year old bike rider is suing a San Diego cop for allegedly using excessive force during a simple traffic stop for running a stop sign; the officer involved insists the other man was aggressive, bellicose and non-compliant, and was taken to a hospital for a psych evaluation after being taken into custody.
Bike advocates say San Francisco is hindering mobility and making streets less safe, hindering mobility and street safety.
A Sonoma paper suggests taking your bike on your next cruise. Or your first cruise, for that matter.
National
City planner, urban designer and author Jeff Speck calls for making cities more bike and pedestrian friendly for the good of all humanity.
In a video for Slate, a bike rider says yes, he wears headphones when he rides, and what of it?
Bicycling explains the differences between various types of bicycles.
An Oregon man gets a well-deserved 11 years behind bars for the drunken hit-and-run death of a bike rider; he was behind the wheel despite a blood alcohol level over three times the legal limit when he was arrested a short time later. He claimed he thought he hit an animal, though he never pulled over to check. And being that drunk, he probably wasn’t capable of conscious thought, anyway.
Former pro Scott Mercier says bikes change lives, citing the story of a 12-year old Mexican immigrant in Colorado whose life changed for the better when she was given a chance to earn a bicycle.
A Detroit writer defends the expanding network of bike lanes in the city, debunking arguments against them while saying the debate boils down to whether the streets are for moving cars from out-of-town commuters or creating livable spaces for the people who live there. Los Angeles clearly went with the former when it unceremoniously yanked out the road diets in Playa del Rey after commuters, many from Manhattan Beach, went ballistic.
A racist New York cop says yes, the city’s police are biased against people on bikes and go out of their way to protect deadly drivers.
Bicyclists in a Georgia town are getting clipped by drivers on a sate roadway. So naturally, their solution is to ban the people on bikes from the roadway.
International
The bike visibility arms race goes on with the introduction of a new set of front and rear bicycle turn signals. And virtually guaranteed to confuse any motorist.
Treehugger’s Lloyd Alter makes the argument that we should lose the words pedestrian and cyclist.
Hundreds of London bike riders stage a die-in in front of Parliament to demand funding for a protected bike lane network.
Caught on video: An angry British driver can’t manage to wait a few seconds for a bicyclist to pass another rider, even though he was traveling at 25 mph.
Life is cheap in Scotland, where a driver who killed a bicyclist while trying to pass another rider headed in the opposite direction walked without a single day behind bars. At least he’s banned from driving for ten years, though that doesn’t seem to stop some people.
A Scottish man has amassed a collection of over 400 derailleurs from all over the world, noting a bizarre relationship between the bicycle transmission system and repressive dictators.
A London student takes a humorous look at the people behind the handlebars in Florence, Italy.
The report island of Majorca, Spain has created a rating system to guide bike riders in choosing comfortable riding routes.
A South African veterinarian has shifted his focus to building bespoke bikes, reportedly crafting some of the best road and mountain bikes in the country.
A self-described “average bloke” in Australia says he’s going to help out frustrated drivers by riding to work, even if some people call for banning bikes at rush hour.
Japanese authorities have dropped all charges against a mother whose 16-month old son died when her umbrella got caught in the spokes of the ebike they were both riding. Authorities used the case to encourage parents with small children to ride safely.
A Singapore businessman rode over 4,000 mile across 10 countries on a solar power ebike made by his own Chinese factory.
Over 5,400 bicyclists turned out for a mass Hong Kong bike ride, while saying the city isn’t doing enough to improve traffic safety.
Competitive Cycling
An English triathlete bounces back from a near-fatal collision just days before last year’s Ironman to compete in this year’s race, despite spending three months in a halo brace to recover from a broken neck.
A Rwandan newspaper profiles the 21-year old rising star of the national cycling team.
Finally…
It takes a village to chase down bike thieves. If you can’t find a safe place to run or ride, just build a new island.
And once again, a bike rider is a hero, as a man rescues a woman who fell into a river trying to rescue her dog.
Naturally, the dog got out on his own.
