BikinginLA

One quick note before we get started. 

I’m going to be off the rest of the week after surgery on my arm and hand. 

I was scheduled for carpal tunnel surgery in December, which was cancelled at the last minute when Covid-19 overwhelmed the hospitals, and elective surgeries were put on hold. 

But a last minute opening to have the surgery came up unexpectedly yesterday. Unfortunately, though, my condition continued to deteriorate in the meantime; what was a simple wrist operation will now include surgery on my elbow and hand, as well. 

As a result, I’m not sure how long it will take to get the use of my arm and hand back, which means I’m not sure how long it will be before I can get back to bringing you the latest bike news. I’m planning to be back on Monday, but it could be longer. 

And yes, all that damage was caused by diabetes. Which is one more reason to do whatever you can to avoid it. 

So have good weekend, ride safe, and hopefully I’ll see you next week. 

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

An Alabama city proposes a $5 annual license in order to ride a bicycle on the streets for anyone over 16. And the mayor can’t understand why anyone would object to that.

Sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A Milwaukee man is charged with murdering a prominent immigration lawyer in a road rage incident that began when the lawyer yelled at the other man for riding his bike on the wrong side of the road, nearly causing a collision; the man in the bike shot the victim as he was getting out of his wife’s car to confront the bicyclist.

In another violent attack, an English man was caught on video hopping off his bicycle, then repeatedly stabbing a car passenger through the open window before riding off; no word on the condition of the driver.

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Local

Caltrans is living up to their promise to change their previous auto centric ways, so far, at least, with $227 million in grants for North Coast safety projects, including a Eureka road diet and buffered bike lanes.

The Eastsider offers a recap of Eagle Rock’s Beautiful Boulevard plan, noting that it’s designed to maintain the community’s small town feel, while making room for the NoHo-to-Pasadena bus rapid transit line on Colorado Blvd.

Months after Los Angeles announced a partnership with Bike Index to register bicycles, Hermosa Beach announces they’re teaming with Project 529 to do the same thing there. Which will inevitably complicate bike theft reporting and recovery, since police will now have to check both sites.

 

State

Calbike gives a rave review to the new book Cycling for Sustainable Cities, calling it “an essential and accessible reference for bicycle advocates.”

The Huntington Beach city council voted unanimously to allow ebikes back on the beach bike path, reversing a four year ban.

 

National

Forbes‘ Carlton Reid says the road to a greener future won’t be easy, as academics predict America’s “Highway-Auto-Petroleum Complex” will rise up to battle the former Mayor Pete’s plans to transform American transportation.

A political website looks at the pitched battle being waged over reforming the 862-page bible for traffic engineers and planners, aka the MUTCD, or Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

A writer for C|net offers his favorite bicycling gear for this spring, from a Camelbak backpack to a Trek trucker hat.

Pez Cycling News looks at the beliefs and attitudes regarding bicycling concussions.

Bicycling offers tips on how to diagnose and fix those odd squeaks and rattles coming from your bike. As usual, read it on Yahoo if you’re blocked by Bicycling.

Bicycling also highlights six women framebuilders who are changing perceptions of who rides — and builds — a bike. Here’s the usual Yahoo version.

A Portland man accuses the city’s Department of Transportation of lying about a decision not to build protected bike lanes; he’s crowdfunding $50,000 to file suit against the city.

According to a Seattle website, the city’s mandatory bike helmet law is a racist failure, with enforcement unfairly targeting people of color.

A Washington hiker is claiming self-defense for repeatedly stabbing a mountain biker with an illegal spring-loaded knife, arguing that the rider attacked him; the mountain biker says he fell on the alleged knifer after someone grabbed his handlebars and he couldn’t clip out of his pedals.

I want to be like him when I grow up. A 75-year old diabetic man lost 75 pounds and cut his insulin injections, and lowered his cholesterol and blood pressure by taking up bicycling. Unfortunately, I don’t have 7.5 pounds to lose, let alone 75.

That’s more like it. An Iowa woman will spend the next five years behind bars for the hit-and-run crash that killed a man riding his bike, even though she called police an hour later to report the collision.

 

International

Congratulations. You emit an average of 84% less CO2 than other road users when you ride a bike.

A writer for Treehugger explains six things she’s learned from riding an ebike, including that she’s often surrounded by curious onlookers.

A British Columbia website offers a beginners course in sharing the road with bike riders, explaining what a bike lane is and why drivers can’t use them.

Nice gesture, as an English man raised funds to give his retiring pastor a new bicycle to thank the pastor for his work with the church and the bicycling community, and for teaching him how to repair a bicycle.

When in Rome. Literally, in this case, as the Eternal City is reconfiguring a roadway to create a wide bicycle and pedestrian path linking the Colosseum to the Circus Maximus.

Tamil superstar Thalapathy Vijay caused a stir on social media by riding a bicycle to vote in an Indian state election, with people speculating on what kind of message he was trying to send, ranging from a protest over high gas prices to encouraging his fans to go green. However, a spokesperson for the actor explained the polling place was close to his home and he just wanted to avoid traffic. Which is a good reason to ride just about anywhere. Including Los Angeles.

 

Trying to smash into a police station with a bike rack may not be the best use for it — especially when you’re already on probation. That feeling when you’ve just got to have that $1,000 handcrafted pulley cage for your bike.

And who knew that “fucking Beatles fan!” was an insult?

Let alone for a bike rider?

………

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