Let’s pause for a moment before we start to remember the victims of two Orange County bicycling collisions just hours apart on Sunday.
Never put it past OC to mark the World Day of Remembrance for victims of traffic violence by adding to them.
Then wonder what the hell is going on down there, as the county suffers its 15th bicycling death of the year — the same as Los Angeles County, with over three times the population of OC.
And six weeks still to go.
Be careful out there.
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Pasadena learns the cost of doing nothing after NIMBY’s coordinated by anti-road diet pressure group Keep LA Moving literally shouted down plans to install protected bike lanes to improve safety on deadly Orange Grove Blvd.
Two more people died on our streets this weekend. One was walking and the other was driving. Both were on Orange Grove which is currently being repaved and re-striped without the safety improvements that were proposed in 2018. Read our statement here: https://t.co/81JSD42hUU pic.twitter.com/hkmEOQfTXm
— Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition (@PasadenaCSC) November 16, 2020
Peter Flax points the finger directly at Keep LA Moving and its founder, as well as local chapter Keep Pasadena Moving.
If you want to know who to blame for two deaths on Orange Grove Blvd in Pasadena—which was slated for safety improvements until John Russo, Ken Carey and these folks bullied the city to back down in 2018. pic.twitter.com/WdJ0AwTXvK
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) November 16, 2020
Sadly, more people will continue to die until something is finally done to reduce road space and cut traffic speed.
And just like the coronavirus, the people concerned about it can’t do much to improve things until everyone else starts to care, too.
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They get it.
I saw this on the wall of a local gourmet market. I always love it when bikes are used to connote the good life. pic.twitter.com/wWZOTXIoOx
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) November 17, 2020
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Harry Styles is sort of one of us, posing for Vogue with an antique bicycle while wearing a kilt.
See @Harry_Styles for Vogue wearing @LondonFashionWk designers @JW_ANDERSON & @walesbonner: https://t.co/lQu01W23BE pic.twitter.com/3bG6M4fhun
— BFC (@BFC) November 16, 2020
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Call it a greatest hits of careless passes from just one UK town.
https://twitter.com/northumbriapol/status/1328280503938641922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1328280503938641922%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.itv.com%2Fnews%2Ftyne-tees%2F2020-11-16%2Fpolice-release-shocking-video-to-show-how-dangerous-drivers-put-cyclists-lives-at-risk
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Local
KABC-7 visits the East Side Riders Bike Club, which is working to help kids stay out of gangs by keeping them occupied on their bikes two hours a day.
A number of proposals are on the table to restore the Ballona Wetlands, but only two including expanding bicycle access.
State
A seven-mile stretch of Carlsbad Blvd, aka Old Highway 101, will form part of U.S. Bicycle Route 95 running the length of California.
Next year’s Sea Otter Classic is scheduled for May 20th through 23rd in Monterey, after this year’s event was cancelled due to Covid-19.
Sonoma County won’t appeal a $1.3 million judgement for a bike rider who was badly injured after hitting a pothole.
National
A writer for Electrek gets the first test ride on Harley Davidson’s new ebikes, while TechRadar finds the prices, starting around $3,400, surprisingly affordable.
And completing today’s Peter Flax trifecta, he visits the Horton Collection, America’s greatest collection of bicycling memorabilia. As usual, you can read it on Yahoo if Bicycling’s site blocks you out.
This is how Vision Zero is supposed to work. Memphis is pushing for ways to improve a deadly intersection after a bike rider was killed and another seriously injured in a crash; both were collateral damage in a collision between two motorists as they were waiting on the red light.
A new ten-mile Vermont mountain bike trail fills a vital gap in a planned network of mountain bike trails crossing the state.
New York Mayor de Blasio dismissed a proposal to remove traffic enforcement duties from the NYPD, saying it would be counterproductive, because Vision Zero requires “a very muscular approach by law enforcement.” Which is actually the opposite of how Vision Zero is supposed to work.
Maybe it’s not too surprising that an increase in bike thefts has followed in the wake of the bike boom, with bike theft up statewide in North Carolina.
International
Cyclist relates how ebikes are getting people back into bicycling after years off their bikes.
English bike scribe and historian Carlton Reid talks with shop owners about London’s Low Traffic Neighborhoods, and discovers they’ve gone from opponents to supporters.
The British government continues to promote bicycling as an alternative to driving and transit during the pandemic, with a second round of bike repair vouchers to help people get their bikes in ridable condition.
No surprise here. A new study from the UK shows men are three times more likely than women to drive over 100 mph.
Police officials in a British town say they’ve taken action against drivers on 80% of close pass videos sent to them by bike riders. We need to change the law so that can happen here; currently police in California are unable to use video for traffic violations and misdemeanor infractions.
A 17-year old Irish boy will spend the next seven and a half years behind bars after being convicted of manslaughter for stabbing another boy five times in a dispute over a bicycle. We’ve said it before — no bike is worth a human life, yours or someone else’s. Just let it go.
Berlin may be a cycling city, but it’s still plagued with some of Europe’s worst bike lanes.
A Venezuelan Olympic gold medal fencer is delivering food by bike for Uber Eats in Poland to feed his family as he trains for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
Competitive Cycling
America’s last remaining Tour de France winner is just one step away from being one of ten individual athletes to be honored with a Congressional Gold Medal; a bill to do that is on President Trump’s desk waiting for his signature.
Popular former pro Ted King set a new record in winning the 1,017-mile Arkansas High Country endurance race; finishing right behind him was the only woman in the race, who also had a record winning time.
Finally…
So who needs a seat post on a tri bike, anyway? Ticketing kids on bikes since at least 1963.
And apparently, even NFL stars toss their bikes in anger.
Not to be confused with tossing your cookies, which is an entirely different thing.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And wear a mask, already.
