This is who we share the road with.
Inglewood faces a more than $300,000 lawsuit from the City of Los Angeles for a crash allegedly caused by the city’s mayor that left an LAPD motorcycle officer with an undisclosed permanent disability — even though LA rejected the officer’s injury claim.
More details on the Chicago man charged with attempted murder for intentionally driving his car over a median to attack a group of people enjoying a birthday picnic, after allegedly becoming enraged over “yuppies on the boulevard” and their dogs, then brandished a knife until he was disarmed by a passing grandmother. Yes, you read that right.
New York police continue to waffle on the crash that killed a delivery rider, before the driver went on to slam into a pair of parked cars and an outdoor dining area, alternating between calling it road rage and writing it off as a medical episode. Or maybe they think irrational anger behind the wheel is just a medical condition.
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Without a doubt, the coolest book bike ever.
https://twitter.com/dorfman_baruch/status/1389457725868941313
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As long as you’re in DC for the game, might as well play two-wheeled tourists.
The Braves bullpen did a D.C. bike tour and I am HERE for it. https://t.co/6t9x3IlHyg
— Jordan Pascale (@JWPascale) May 3, 2021
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes is all too real.
There’s a special place in hell for whoever kicked a British man off his bicycle from a passing moped; he was lucky to escape with cuts and scrapes, despite doing around 20 mph at the time of the assault.
Sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Mad City cops are on the lookout for a bike-riding bandit who robbed a chain restaurant before fleeing with the cash.
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Local
A pair of short new bike paths have opened in Boyle Heights; they’ll eventually connect to the planned 12-acre Sixth Street PARC (Park, Arts, River and Connectivity Improvements) Project under the new Sixth Street Viaduct.
Once again, the East Side Riders Bike Club demonstrated that they’re far more than what their name implies, teaming with the LA Galaxy and TreePeople to plant shade trees in residential neighborhoods around Watts.
Pasadena Now reports on the city’s plans for four north-south bicycle boulevard corridors, days after getting scooped by Streetsblog.
Whittier is bringing bike cops back to the city’s Uptown area.
Santa Clarita sheriff’s deputies offer advice on how to bike and drive safely during Bike Month. And for a change, the cops mostly get it right.
Santa Monica takes a bold step forward, with the city council voting to close a three-block section of Main Street to motor vehicles on weekends. Let’s hope it proves successful enough to shut the street down entirely. And not just three blocks.
State
Streetsblog California highlights Bike Month events around the state, including International Bike to School Day. Which is oddly scheduled for tomorrow, aka Cinco de Mayo, otherwise known as International Drunk Driving Day.
San Diego’s Mayor Gloria announces plans to fix streets in underserved areas, with a $40 million proposal to calm traffic, add bike lanes and repair sidewalks. Albeit under the unfortunate name of “Sexy Streets.”
Berkeley bike cops busted an armed felony suspect who led police on a chase after allegedly ramming his car into another vehicle. Although calling the city’s bike cops the Bike Force makes them sound like Trump’s Space Force on two wheels.
Marin bike riders could see much needed safety improvements on connections to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge bike path, if the Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission approves a $4.3 million state grant.
A passing bike rider discovered a fatal single car crash near Clarksville, after the driver apparently went through a guardrail and into the Sacramento River; there’s no way to know how many people may have driven by without spotting the crash.
National
Bicycling looks at the difficulty larger riders have finding a bicycle, which they correctly note is harder than it should be. As usual, you can read it on Yahoo if Bicycling blocks you.
An association of pilots and aircraft owners suggests celebrating Bike Month by tossing your foldie in your plane and taking off. Or at least flying to an airport with bikeshare.
Rolling Stone offers their picks for the best bike locks. And won’t mind if they make a few bucks when you buy one.
Singletracks explains how carbon bike frames break.
The Cherokee Nation introduces the four young women who will take part in this year’s 950-mile Remember the Removal Ride, which roughly follows the northern route of the Trail of Tears, one of the most shameful acts in American history.
A Kentucky family is pushing for a bike helmet mandate for children 12 and under, eleven years after their then-seven-year old son suffered permanent brain damage going over his bike’s handlebars.
Ridership has surged on New York’s formerly contentious Prospect Park West bike lane, with 75,000 riders using it this past March — a jump of 25,000 over pre-pandemic levels.
He gets it, sort of. A Staten Island writer says everyone breaks the law, whether in cars, on bikes or on foot, scooters or mopeds. And says the solution is to just obey the rules and be safer out there. Although a much better solution is to design roads so breaking the rules doesn’t result in broken bodies. Which is the whole premise behind Vision Zero.
International
A writer for Cycling Weekly complains that the sport’s obsession with weight is doing untold damage, and calls for a rebalancing of perspectives on fuelling, physique and performance.
Brompton is auctioning off 13 custom music-themed folding bikes to benefit Crew Nation, a global relief fund assisting live music crew workers affected by the pandemic. Once again, read it on Yahoo if Bicycling blocks you.
Havana, Cuba is taking bids from potential operators of the city’s bikeshare system.
London’s Independent picks the six best gravel bikes for under the equivalent of $1,400. Although they have a little trouble sticking to that price tag.
Here’s another one to add to your bike bucket list, with a 150-mile bike trail that loops around Britain’s Cornwall Coast opening this fall, taking you past “spectacular coastal scenery,” old industrial works and bronze age monuments. Not to mention the westernmost and southernmost points of mainland Britain, and the home turf of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance.
British bicyclists are being urged to get off their bikes and lace up their running shoes in honor of a 27-year old woman who was trying to complete her first 10k when she was killed by police officers responding to an emergency call, and make a donation to a UK diabetes charity in her name.
Moscow is taking advantage of the country’s authoritarian top-down form of government to build a modern, European-style bicycle network throughout the city, unhindered by the usual NIMBYs, who don’t get a say in what gets built or where.
Call it a nightly ciclovia, as Tunisian bike riders take to the streets of Tunis for three glorious hours, with cars banned from the streets between 7 pm and 5 am to combat the coronavirus, while people are allowed out until 10 pm.
A Singapore man has pled guilty to killing a 64-year old bike-riding woman while riding a “grossly non-compliant” e-scooter at speeds of up to 26 mph.
An Aussie writer says Melbourne’s pandemic parklets don’t have to revert back to permanent parking.
Competitive Cycling
Mexico’s Elizabeth Rodriguez makes the rare leap from pro cyclist to MMA fighter.
Interesting piece from Cycling Weekly on what separates the best cyclists from the great mass of merely excellent riders.
Finally…
Your next ebike doesn’t have to look like one — or weigh like one, either. If you’re riding your bike under the influence, while carrying a concealed pellet gun and brandishing a tomahawk, just…don’t.
And yes, you can do stunts on a gravel bike.
Okay, maybe you can’t.
But still.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And wear a mask.
And get vaccinated, already.
