No surprise here.
Traffic collisions dropped nearly 42% in Los Angeles during the pandemic lockdown earlier this year, as many drivers stayed home and off the roads.
What’s more surprising is that’s also reflected in the dramatic drop in bicycling deaths in LA County this year, at less than half of last year’s total — 14 so far this year, compared to 34 for all of last year.
Now if we could just keep it that way, as traffic creeps back up to pre-pandemic levels.
Today’s photo comes courtesy of David Drexler, combining two of my favorite things — bikes and coffee.
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Your periodic reminder that some people can live forever, and still be gone too soon.
Paying tribute to #AlexTrebek who donated these 62 acres on a prime viewing spots in the Hollywood Hills. #mydayinla @bikinginla pic.twitter.com/ODbRyXryBH
— Gravel Bike California (@GravelBikeCal) November 9, 2020
And this.
Alex Trebek roasted NIMBYs… he never missed pic.twitter.com/sy2imIpiI6
— sam (@sam_d_1995) November 8, 2020
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Here’s your chance to weigh in on proposed bus/bike lanes in Culver City, which is rapidly lapping Los Angeles in the race for safe streets.
https://twitter.com/M_Sahli_Wells/status/1325868635571646465
Then again, it’s not hard to lap someone who never left the starting gate.
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This is who we share the roads with.
There’s a special place in hell for anyone who could just drive off and leave an 87-year old man to die in the street.
And hopefully, a special place behind bars, for a very long time.
At approximately 4 a.m. on Feb. 22, an 87-year-old pedestrian was walking across Eighth Street when he was struck by a white BMW M5 four-door sedan, @LAPDWestTraffic said.@LAPDHQ #la #losangeles #koreatown #hitandrun #crime #lacrime #losangelescrimehttps://t.co/j5cLdbwely
— Beverly Press (@BeverlyPress) November 9, 2020
Meanwhile, if they really want to put a dent in street racing, make the impound permanent.
The LAPD’s Street Racing Taskforce has a simple message and very important job.
The message: If you engage in street racing, takeovers or reckless driving, you risk having your car impounded for 30 days
The job: To make the streets of Los Angeles safer for you
Goodnight L.A. pic.twitter.com/xPox9fLfJ8
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) November 9, 2020
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John McBrearty forwards this short video about his bike club’s annual bike build program for kids at the YMCA.
While the video is a couple years old, he assures me it’s taking place once again this year if you want to get involved.
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We can thank Bart Anderson for forwarding this YouTube version of last month’s BBC report on Europe’s bike boom, which wasn’t previously viewable in the US.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im3vBd07qnA&feature=youtu.be
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The Bike League is looking for speakers for their upcoming virtual Bike Summit.
Our virtual #BikeSummit21 in March will celebrate the power of bicycling to move us forward, even in the most challenging of times. For the next week, we're accepting proposals from individuals and organizations who want to present at our virtual Summit. https://t.co/MNHilhFZpM pic.twitter.com/NPC7MROvbU
— League of American Bicyclists (@BikeLeague) November 9, 2020
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Monterey bike riders can breathe a little easier tonight, after the local DA announced a man who threw acid on a bike rider 20 years ago will stay in a mental hospital for the foreseeable future.
A Nevada man is being held on $120,000 bail for allegedly shooting a 14-year girl with a BB gun as she was riding her bike; he faces charges of conspiring to commit child abuse and assault with a deadly weapon.
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Local
Looks like Metro is finally getting it, after moving to open up highway funds so local communities can use the money for bike, pedestrian and transit projects, instead.
The Los Angeles Business Journal examines how LA bike shops are struggling to keep up with increased demand due to the bike boom.
A man faces charges for pepper spraying and robbing someone on the beachfront bike path in Santa Monica at 1:37 in the morning; a second suspect was released to…wait for it…his mommy.
Long Beach receives a $275,000 state grant for bicycle and pedestrian safety education programs.
Streets for All is hosting a virtual happy hour with the founders of CicLAvia tomorrow.
State
Fontana police are looking for the driver who fled the scene after rear-ending a bike rider last week.
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is keeping up the fight for a safer Market Street after the city tries cutting corners by cancelling plans for a raised bike lane.
National
Bicycling considers the best bike trailers to ride with your kids. As usual, you can read it on Yahoo if the Bicycling site blocks you out.
Bicycling’s Selene Yeager offers advice on how to overcome common bike riding fears, like descending wet roads and riding in traffic. Once again, you can read it on Yahoo.
A Seattle-area man committed suicide just hours before a jury convicted him of raping and murdering a young woman nearly 50 years ago as she was riding her bike. Speaking of a special place in hell, he’s probably already roasting.
Remarkably, a Las Vegas driver remained at the scene following a high speed crash that took the life of a man riding his bike, despite some outstanding arrest warrants. Then again, if he’d been arrested sooner, the victim might still be with us.
International
The BBC looks at the technological advances in the never-ending war against bike thieves.
Good news for ebike riders, as a new Dutch study shows ebikes are no more dangerous than other bikes. Although another study blames ebikes for the rise in traffic deaths among elderly riders.
Madrid’s El Pais maps out how cities around the world are responding to the coronavirus crisis by expanding their bike networks. Note that LA was not included, despite its grand total of zero popup bike lanes.
Ebikes are encouraging Kiwis to get off the couch and start exercising again.
Finally…
It’s one thing to ride a bike cross-country; another to make the trip on a Penny Farthing. If you leave the parking meters next to the curb after installing a protected bike lane, where the hell do they think people will park?
And we’re finally training someone to fill in and write these posts when I can’t.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And wear a mask, already.
We’re getting a real-life experience that is going to challenge a lot of our linear-thinking assumptions about road safety. I note that back on May 14th the LA Times article saying that fatalities were “on the same pace” as 2019. In my home town, the Houston Chronicle recently noted that despite reduced traffic, state traffic fatalities are expected to exceed 2018 and 2019.
And you note a reduction in cycling deaths.
Traffic safety is complicated, and many times our decisions and investments are based on simple linear models.
I’m looking forward to the insights that traffic safety analysts are able to pull out of this giant nationwide experiment when this is over.
Agreed. Outside of Los Angeles County, bicycling deaths are running at roughly the same pace as last year, or higher. I was shocked when I looked at the numbers and saw how low they are in Los Angeles this year.