BikinginLA

A Boston public radio station says racism is often the first obstacle for Black bicyclists.

And talks with former LACBC Executive Director Tamika Butler, who has become a national leader on the subject of racism and equity.

The lack of bike lanes, bike shops, and even bike racks is noticeable in communities of color across the country. Tamika Butler, former head of the LA county Bicycling Coalition, says there is a misperception that Black and brown people don’t ride as much as white people. But a 2012 report from the League of American Bicyclists found bicycling was increasing more in communities of color than it is in white communities. The report found that between 2001 and 2009 there was a 100% increase in African-Americans biking, and a 50% increase in Hispanics as compared to a 22% increase for whites.

“So, this idea that Black and brown folk aren’t biking and that’s why there’s not infrastructure there because they’re not using it, just isn’t factually true,” Butler said in a recent panel discussion GBH hosted on racism in cycling. “It’s because they’re there, and they’re Black and brown that resources aren’t being invested there.”

It’s worth taking a few minutes to read.

Because this is the issue confronting the entire country right now. As well as our own two-wheeled part of it.

Then there’s this.

https://twitter.com/DuquannSweeney/status/1301693608140181505

Photo by Life Matters from Pexels.

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Speaking of Tamika Butler, she will help mentor ten cities which received a $25,000 grant from NACTO — the National Association of City Transportation Officials — to use open streets to fight systemic racism, as well as Covid-19.

One of those grants will be given to Long Beach to “help non-white and low-income business owners thrive through outdoor dining, shopping or commerce.”

The other grants will go to Denver, Philadelphia, Portland, Detroit, Alexandria VA, New York City, Atlanta and Minneapolis.

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This is who we share the road with.

A New York driver dangerously plowed through Black Lives Matter protesters in Times Square; NYPD officials denied it was a police vehicle, despite speculation by protesters.

Car drives through Black Lives Matter protesters, Times Square, New York City, 8:10 PM, Thursday, September 3, 2020#BlackLivesMatter #BLM #TimesSquare #NewYorkCity #NewYork #NYC #ny pic.twitter.com/G3mwAy3vGx

— DataInput (@datainput) September 4, 2020

Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up, who notes auto-centric New York Bill DeBlasio can’t even manage to condemn the act.

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A 12-year old Boulder, Colorado boy was allegedly attacked by a mo-ped riding woman, who struck him several times in an effort to snatch the Trump yard sign he had attached to his bike.

Seriously, I don’t care what your politics are, some things are just wrong.

Especially when it comes to kids.

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Now this is how you ride a mountain bike.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

Residents of a British town are up in arms over temporary orange bollards marking a new protected bike lane, calling them “eyesores” amid fears they’ll become permanent. Because obviously, esthetics matter more than the lives of people on bicycles.

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Local

Bike the Vote offers advice on how to make sure your vote is counted this November.

Santa Clarita residents, who already enjoy one of the area’s best bike trail networks, like it enough that their top priority for the streets is more multi-use trails and safer routes.

Speaking of Santa Clarita, sheriff’s deputies wrote 40 tickets for traffic violations that endanger bicyclists and pedestrians during a crackdown on Wednesday, but didn’t break down just who those tickets went to.

LAist looks at the soon-to-open replacement for the Gerald Desmond Bridge, including the first bike and walking paths across the Port of Long Beach.

 

State

Authorities in San Diego are looking for the driver of a white Honda CRV who fled the scene after running down a bike rider, who suffered undisclosed back and am injuries.

Ventura police use bait bikes to bust a homeless man who is accused of stealing over 45 bicycles; not surprisingly, he had a number of outstanding warrants for petty crimes.

San Jose is introducing a “Better Bike Plan” focusing on safety and equity, and representing a significant upgrade over the current plan.

Robert Leone forwards news that Fremont plans to spend $750,000 to upgrade ten miles of bike lanes — prompting his parents to ask, “what are bollards?”

The US Bicycle Route System continues to grow, including a new 233-mile route linking Lake Tahoe to the Bay Area.

 

National

No surprise here, as a new study confirms that angled parking reduces available road space while increasing danger, particularly for people on bicycles.

Jeep’s new all-terrain ebike is finally ready to hit the streets, eight months after Bill Murray briefly introduced it during this year’s Super Bowl.

The rich get richer. Bike Portland goes for a ride on the city’s new neighborhood greenways.

Surprisingly, Reno NV is confronting many of the same problems as Los Angeles, as a local columnist lists ten things he’d do to improve the city, including improving bike lanes.

At the same time LA-area cities are shutting down their bikeshare programs, Fort Worth’s bikeshare is booming, with a 50% increase over this time last year.

We so need this here. A Chicago man has introduced a safe cycling app to help people find non-threatening routes to ride across the busy city.

A Chicago alderman continues to recover bicycles confiscated by police, seven weeks after they were seized during a July Black Lives Matter protest.

New York City’s controller apparently hopes to ride bikes to the mayor’s office by proposing 75 miles of protected bike lanes around 50 high schools.

An influential New York community board is calling for a crosstown protected bike lane on a busy Manhattan boulevard.

A Florida man faces charge for assaulting a bike cop escorting Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul in DC last week, following the conclusion of the Republican National Convention.

Some good news, anyway. The dog that was seriously injured in a South Carolina collision that killed his owner is recovering; she suffered serious head trauma, brain swelling, lacerations and a broken jaw when they were struck while riding from New York to Florida.

No irony here. A drunk Florida driver crashed his car into a sign reading “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” Thanks again to Robert Leone for the link.

 

International

Cycling Weekly attempts to answer the eternal question of balance bikes versus training wheels.

Nice move by the London Times, which is launching an online tool to help bike commuters find the safest routes. Maybe we can talk the LA Times into joining them. 

No surprise here. A new Norwegian study shows that ebike owners progressively use their car less.

The Turkish province of Konya has introduced a tram exclusively for bicyclists in an effort to encourage bicycle riding.

 

That feeling when your Strava busts you for violating the curfew during the protests — but got away with it because you’re the mayor. Your next bike shorts could have patented 3D pouch technology.

And why let a little thing like a missing wheel stop you?

This is probably the most impressive thing I’ve seen since quarantine. @PoPville pic.twitter.com/7ygO3i7E7S

— alex (@ajhoward121) September 1, 2020

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And wear a mask, already.