Angelenos couldn’t manage to keep away from each other over the weekend.
Let alone stay home.
So now we have a lot fewer places to do it.
The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority has closed all the parks and trails under their authority, including the popular Ballona Creek bike path, and at least some portions of the LA River bike path.
Which exactly the wrong move when bicycling is one of the safest forms of transportation for avoiding exposure to the Covid-19 coronavirus.
And it severely limits safe options for bike riders used to using the creekside trail to bypass busy and dangerous Westside streets.
Effective immediately. #COVIDー19 #coronavirus #SafetyFirst pic.twitter.com/DpXC17udF9
— MRCAParks (@MRCAParks) March 22, 2020
Think of it as akin to closing the nearby 10 Freeway, which would be unthinkable for most Angelenos. But is, apparently, all too easily done when it involves people on bicycles.
This comes after numerous reports of people crowding the beachside bike path in Santa Monica, which has also been shut down as of Sunday afternoon. As well as images from Runyon Canyon, which drew condemnation from across the US over the weekend.
Along with other sites in the LA area, and up and down the state.
Not to mention several sightings of spandexed idiots riding closely in pacelines, as if they and everyone they know or encounter were somehow immune to the disease.
Have seen the same in LA. What the fuck is wrong with these roadies? Do they think the rules of virology don't apply to their weekly group ride? Not care about getting other people sick? Do they want cycling to get banned for the rest of us? C'mon dudes, you can do better. https://t.co/qsVXvfMqyv
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) March 22, 2020
Malibu’s Solstice Canyon is also closing effective today, after the CDC concluded that the necessary distancing couldn’t be achieved.
So let’s make it as clear as we possibly can.
Stay the fuck home.
Go out for necessities and essential services only. Which doesn’t mean shopping at Target, Costco or anywhere else because you’re bored.
Get what you need and go home. Because every stop you make, and every moment you spend out, increases the risk that you could catch Covid-19 or spread it to those you love.
Or to total strangers, some of whom may not survive it.
As a diabetic, my risk of death from coronavirus is much higher than most. And my wife, who suffers from a number of medical issues, is almost guaranteed to suffer serious complications if she is exposed.
And we’ll both lose our medical insurance at the end of next month if she can’t get back to work by then.
Our lives, and those of countless others, are literally in your hands.
So wash them, already.
Yes, you can go out to exercise and get some air. Walking and bicycling are highly recommended.
But when you do, practice social distancing by staying at least six feet away from anyone you don’t live with.
If not for us, then because they’ll take that away too if you don’t.
Just ask the people of Italy and Spain.
And now, France, where jogging more than one mile from your home is prohibited, and bicycling banned entirely.
There are very few people alive today who have ever seen a pandemic like this.
And unless they’ve already caught it, no one alive has immunity to it.
No even you.
Thanks to Michael Taggart for the heads-up.
Photo of non-social distancing on the Santa Monica bike path by David Drexler.
………
Bike riders are turning out to be heroes in our nation’s hour of need.
Bike Portland says bike delivery pros are proving their value — and their mettle — in the age of coronavirus.
I want to be like him when I grow up. A 94-year old rides his bike 45 miles a day delivering food for Meals on Wheels, even during the Covid-19 outbreak.
A biking Brooklyn bartender is riding door-to-door to deliver mixed spirits to lift his customers’ spirits.
New York bicyclists are volunteering to buy groceries for older people who can’t get out on their own.
Bike riders in Tampa FL are pitching in to deliver food for local restaurants after they were shut down except for takeout and delivery.
And speaking of bicycle heroes, Italian bikewear company Santini has put padded shorts on hold while they devote their efforts to making as many as 10,000 medical masks a day.
………
The mayor of Watsonville discusses a recent police crackdown as part of the city’s Vision Zero effort.
But let’s be clear.
Bike helmets aren’t Vision Zero. Bike lights aren’t Vision Zero. And neither are traffic tickets.
Yes, they all may help. But Vision Zero is recognizing that people will always make mistakes, and redesigning streets so those mistakes don’t become fatal.
………
If you have a few extra bucks lying around, you can’t ask for a better cause.
@EASTSIDERIDERS and @jjonesiii4 are providing to-go breakfasts and lunches to the children of Watts. Whether it's $5 or $5000, please give what you can so no child goes hungry. #BikeLA https://t.co/x05oHlkVrF pic.twitter.com/AYPMb1dkXe
— Jim Pocrass (@JimPocrass) March 18, 2020
………
If you’re bored at home — and who isn’t? — get the crayons or markers out and do a little coloring.
Pls retweet! I'm posting a growing nr. of free print quality pdf #bikefriendly #walkfriendly #scootfriendly coloring pages you can download here: https://t.co/DNqkYEL5gD #StayHomeStaySafe pic.twitter.com/k95aEXTAb9
— Pedal Love (@PedalLove) March 20, 2020
………
That feeling when a 10-year old can ride rings around you. Or over you.
………
Most people would just settle for a helmet cam.
This rig was designed and envisioned to document the car sewer that was Los Angeles, but now, the first time I’ve had time to build it up and use it, I’m documenting the desolate streets of Los Angeles. #bikeLA #filmmaking pic.twitter.com/sSkOztAfIa
— Sean Meredith (@seanmeredith) March 20, 2020
………
No argument here. Although this was probably someone’s not-too-distant relative.
This guy was either cool as hell, or a total dick. No other possibilities. pic.twitter.com/C5RZhCrtmW
— Paul Tobin (@PaulTobin) March 21, 2020
Thanks to Ted Faber for the link.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes keeps going on.
As British track cyclist Lauren Bate would undoubtedly agree.
https://twitter.com/LaurenBatee/status/1240998997332054021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1240998997332054021&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Froad.cc%2Fcontent%2Fnews%2Flive-blog-man-drives-lauren-bate-272077
………
Local
Bike Talk talks LA bike politics this week.
Colin Hanks is one of us, taking his daughter for an ebike ride through the streets of LA.
Dennis Quaid is one of us, too, as he goes for a ride through Pacific Palisades with his fiancé.
And while we’re at it, we can’t forget Adam Sandler, who took a spin through the ‘Bu on his Pedego ebike.
State
Sad news from Santa Maria, where a 48-year old man was killed in a hit-and-run while riding his bike; he was found off the side of the road next to his mangled bicycle.
A woman takes a ride through San Francisco with her 15-year old son after the lockdown, and finds a city neither recognizes.
San Francisco rejected calls to close RFK Drive in Golden Gate Park to provide safe walking and biking space.
Sad news from Modesto, where a man died as a result of an apparent medical event while riding his bike; first responders found him down on the ground, still straddling his bike.
National
A writer for Outside sets his course in life with a BMX faceplant in the driveway when he was seven years old.
A Missoula, Montana newspaper talks with locals who refurbish and ride vintage steel road bikes.
Yet another example of keeping a dangerous driver on the road until it’s too late. A Minnesota man faces charges for allegedly being under the influence when he struck and killed a 16-year old boy; he has two previous DUIs, as well as at least six convictions for driving without a valid license, and a handful of criminal convictions.
An idea who’s time has come amid the coronavirus crisis, as New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson called for closing some streets to cars to make more room for pedestrians for social distancing, and to declare bike shops essential businesses during the virus closures. Unfortunately, New York’s governor disagreed, ruling bicycle repair was non-essential, despite the city’s recent surge in ridership, before eventually changing his mind.
Meanwhile, New York’s mayor responded with temporary protected bike lanes on two major corridors.
New York isn’t the only city seeing a bike boom. Ridership in Philadelphia has more than doubled since the first of the month, compared to the same time last week; one corridor saw a 471% increase. Then again, it’s boom times for bikes that don’t move, too; scooters, not so much.
International
Experts are calling for countries to generously fund bikeways in response to a worldwide jump in bike use due to Covid-19.
Mexico City’s mayor shut down the city’s popular ciclovía on Sunday to avoid spreading coronavirus.
Good question. A Canadian paper wants to know why things aren’t getting better after so many cities have embraced Vision Zero.
The Guardian’s Peter Walker says the UK should encourage bicycling during the country’s coronavirus lockdown.
Bike Radar tries to answer all your burning coronavirus bicycling questions.
Pretty much the definition of tragic irony, as a London bike rider was critically injured in a collision with an ambulance driver.
A British father is still on the road after quitting his job on a whim to ride 28,000 miles around the world for the last two years.
India’s biggest bikemaker has shut down to protect its workers from Covid-19.
Think you know how to harden up? Try riding a paracycle 250 miles across Kenya while steering with your chin the entire way.
Competitive Cycling
USA Cycling has pulled the plug on American bike racing through May 3rd. But don’t be surprised if we’ve seen the last bike race for quite awhile.
Yes, the pros are on lockdown, too.
American cyclist Lawson Craddock is in self-quarantine in his Texas home after returning from the abbreviated Paris-Nice stage race, to prevent inadvertently spreading the virus to his family.
When there’s no bike racing, there’s nothing to talk about except recent cycling kerfuffles.
Finally…
Just want we need — a Mercedes pickup made just for bicyclists. Who says there’s no bike racing now?
And maybe there’s a reason why downhillers don’t use roadies.
