Bike the Vote LA rounded up the good, the bad and the ugly from Tuesday’s primary election results.
Like Nithya Raman forcing a runoff against David Ryu in CD4, and Kevin de León taking CD14.
Some of the other results aren’t looking as good, with Loraine Lundquist trailing incumbent John Lee in CD12.
However, it’s important to note that it could be weeks before all the results are in and the votes counted, so things could change.
Photo by Element5 Digital from Pexels.
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So much for all those complaints about e-scooter and dockless bikeshare left all over the place.
According to a study of five cities, including Santa Monica, the real parking problem isn’t micromobility parking, it’s all those scofflaw drivers.
The study found that parking noncompliance rates across the five cities were far higher for motor vehicles (24.7% of 2,631 motor vehicles observed) than for micromobility vehicles (0.8% of 865 scooter and bike observations).
Food delivery and ride-hailing vehicles accounted for a disproportionate number of improper parking incidents impeding access or mobility for other travelers, Klein said. Most of these violations occurred while dropping off or picking up people or food, including double parking, occupying “No Parking” or restricted areas and blocking driveways.
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It looks like the COVID-19 coronavirus may be affecting the bike world for awhile.
Moscow, Idaho is delaying the opening of its new ped-assist bikeshare due to production delays caused by the Lunar New Year celebrations and the coronavirus outbreak.
A Korean woman was attacked by a group of Dutch men who yelled “Chinese” and tried to knock her off her bicycle in a racist attack linked to fears of the coronavirus.
The coronavirus is credited with a resurgence in Chinese bikeshares as employees slowly return to work, while avoiding crowded public transportation.
Team Ineos — the former Team Sky — has pulled the plug on all racing for most of this month due to uncertainty over the disease and the death of director sportif Nicolas Portal.
The manager of the Cofidis cycling team is threatening a hunger strike if they aren’t allowed to leave the Abu Dhabi hotel where they’ve been quarantined since the UAE Tour was cancelled after some Italian support workers tested positive for coronavirus.
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An online briefing next Wednesday will discuss how news coverage of traffic collisions affects received blame. You know, like the tweet says.
Thank you! Love love love the share + the #'s – and here's another Twitter card to share. Want a pdf? Send me a note here & I'll email it! https://t.co/dQPePpKBR4 pic.twitter.com/o7hpW4yqTB
— Pedal Love (@PedalLove) March 4, 2020
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That classic ’70s steel racing bike you’ve been dreaming of can be yours if you’ve got a mere nine grand lying around somewhere.
Your wait for a 1977 Eddy Merckx Kessels Reynolds 531 Bicycle with 1st generation Campy Record in Fiat Team colors is over. 56cm. The bike apparently was found in the bowels of the Gent velodrome. It's yours for $8,965.https://t.co/SKLBH0sbb2 pic.twitter.com/lDZU0gxCjF
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) March 4, 2020
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She’s one of us, too. And so is Barbie.
Australia – Barbie Has Created A Powerful Doll Of Paralympian Madison De Rozario https://t.co/aX2bLcxMJC
— BA Haller (@Mediadisdat) March 4, 2020
Thanks to Meghan Lynch for the heads-up.
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Local
LA County is offering a $10,000 reward in the unsolved death of a young father who was gunned down while riding his bike in Harbor City three years ago.
The new safety improvements on Fountain Ave in West Hollywood will be made permanent. Now if they’d just replace those damn sharrows with some decent bike infrastructure.
Hermosa Beach will test a variety of safety improvements along a 1.4-mile section of Prospect Ave to improve safety for children walking or biking to school.
CiclaValley and company continue their quest to find the perfect gravel grind.
State
A Los Altos writer says by all means, pull your car over to make a call. Just don’t do it in a bike lane.
He gets it. A student at UC Davis calls for finding the right balance between wide and narrow streets to calm traffic and improve safety.
Here’s one for your bike bucket list, as long as you don’t mind riding the rails on a railroad bike through the redwoods of Fort Bragg.
A 20-year old Redding man faces charges of felony vandalism and polluting a waterway for throwing a $1,300 e-scooter into a river just for laughs. He’s probably not laughing anymore.
National
The Oregon Department of Transportation has identified 35 problem areas to be fixed as part of a 340-mile Oregon Coast Bike Route.
A Michigan woman is charged with stealing an $8,000 racing bicycle from the hotel where she worked and held a key to the secure room it was locked in; security video shows her brother walk into the hotel, then walk out with the bike minutes later.
Gotham bike riders and pedestrians now have a new 1.4-mile separated path on the Goethals Bridge between Staten Island and Elizabeth NJ.
A Bronx teenager tried to sell his bike on Facebook. And found himself robbed at knifepoint while a thief rode off on it.
Long delayed plans for a protected bikeway on DC’s 9th Street are on hold once again, after a councilmember withdrew the proposal due to opposition from African American churches.
No surprise here, as authorities have dropped all charges against the 18-year old Florida bike rider charged with resisting arrest for the crime of running a stop sign, after he paid the traffic fine.
International
A British Columbia man was knocked cold when he was cold cocked by an owl while delivering newspapers on his ebike.
A city councilor in Regina, Saskatchewan wants to force all bike riders to wear helmets, whether children or adults. Which simply forces the burden of safety onto the people on bikes, rather than building safer streets so helmets aren’t needed, or making drivers put down their phones and pay attention.
Liverpool, England residents want more protected bike lanes, even if it means taking space away from cars.
London bike riders are increasingly at risk from sometimes violent bike-jackings, especially when riding alone on the city’s Quietways and towpaths.
The ex-husband of a British woman killed in a collision with an ebike rider is furious that he was acquitted of charges in the crash.
No surprise here, either. An Irish study finds that four out of every five bicycling injuries occur on city streets, and nine out of ten injured riders were hit by cars. Maybe because that’s where the most bike riders and drivers are. And because cars pose a risk to anyone who’s not in them.
A Dutch town is building Europe’s longest bicycle bridge, which will eventually stretch the length of ten football fields across four connected lakes. And is designed to be bat friendly.
Competitive Cycling
Mark you calendar for the track nationals in Carson this summer.
Mark your calendars: The 2020 @usacycling Elite/Jr Track Cycling National Championships are coming to the VSC, July 20-26, and it’s going to be something. #TrackNats pic.twitter.com/rqhWIeXIgc
— VELO Sports Center (@VELOSportsCtr) March 4, 2020
Thanks to David Huntsman for the link.
Finally…
Your next bike could be a stealth single-speed ebike for people who don’t want to look like they’re riding one. Or it could be a Harley e-hog — or maybe just look like a 1930s motorcycle.
And watch out for rogue storm drain waves when you’re riding.
Hey! I used to live in Moscow, Idaho! It’s where I first started using a bike to replace my car, since driving around such a small town didn’t make sense. Biking in Moscow helped me realize I didn’t need a car for every trip, like I had been led to believe growing up in SoCal. I’m thankful for my time up there and Go Vandals!