Streets For All wants your help getting a series of mostly transportation and street safety bills passed by the legislature off the governor’s desk and onto the books.
Final push: urge Gov Newsom to sign these critical bills
Now that we have successfully avoided a recall catastrophe (phew!), we are on the cusp of a landmark year for climate and transportation justice. Seven critical bills have made it all the way to the Governor!
ALL THEY NEED TO BECOME LAW IS GAVIN NEWSOM’S SIGNATURE.
Here are the bills that we need you to urge Newsom to sign:
- AB 122 – Legalizes the bicycle safety stop
- AB 1238 – Decriminalizes walking
- AB 917 – Enforces bus only lanes
- AB 773 – Strengthens our slow streets programs
- AB 1147 – Requires cities align new projects with emissions reduction goals
- AB 43 – Allows cities to lower speed limits
- AB 339 – Requires local governments to have a teleconferencing option for public comment
Here’s how you can help in 2 easy steps:
1) Email Governor Newsom as soon as possible!!
Use our email template below, but for maximum impact, personalize your message. Make sure to include your address at the bottom for your message to count.
2) Add your name to the I MADE A DIFFERENCE LIST
This helps us keep track of the outreach we have made and where we need to focus our efforts.
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A federal resolution to end traffic deaths could be a game changer, even if nearly 30 years is way too long a deadline.
But as we’ve learned the hard way, Vision Zero is only as good as the commitment from our elected leaders to fund and implement that. And with a non-binding resolution, that could change with every change in administration.
Are YOUR Federal Reps supporting #ZeroTrafficDeaths Congressional Resolution? Check here: https://t.co/xvCVo5J1Eq. If not, urge them to co-sponsor & help prevent 42,060 traffic deaths/year (= THE leading cause of death of young ppl in US) pic.twitter.com/cVaYwIzQh8
— Vision Zero Network (@Visionzeronet) September 17, 2021
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Scottish bicyclist Josh Quigley appears to have set a new world record by riding 2,179.66 miles in just seven days, beating the existing record by a scant two miles.
Quigley was nearly killed by a Texas driver just two years ago while attempting to ride his bike around the world, yet bounced back to set a new record for riding 500 miles across the Scottish coast.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Nothing like having an impatient driver run up your ass and honk to demand you get the hell out of her way — then meeting her at the next light.
Imagine almost killing someone, then being smug about it. Where else does someone lose the integrity of respecting other people's lives than behind a wheel?@bikinginla @StreetsblogLA pic.twitter.com/tUnmGadGFu
— Zachary Rynew (@Ciclavalley) September 20, 2021
An Ohio man faces charges for intentionally crashing his car into a man riding a bicycle, after making a U-turn and speeding up to slam into him from behind; the victim was critically injured with multiple head and neck fractures. No word on the reason for the attack.
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Local
Bike Culver City will host an online discussion of What Can We Learn from the Parisian Bike Revolution? tomorrow, featuring Charlotte Nenner, an elected member of the Regional Council of Ile-de-France.
State
A Bay Area bike rider dodged a drunken strong arm robbery Saturday morning, when an apparently intoxicated man attempted to block the bridge connecting Palo Alto and Menlo Park and demanded his bicycle; he was able to ride around the thief, who spat on his back and threw a beer can at him as he rode away.
A San Francisco writer argues that a city supervisor’s plan for a not-entirely carfree JFK Drive through Golden Gate Park has a hole you could drive a car through.
National
WaPo offers etiquette tips for ebike riders.
A new report shows air pollution from tire and brake wear can be up to 1,000 times worse than exhaust from gas-powered vehicles. Which is yet another problem switching to electric cars won’t help.
Denver is urging people to get back in the saddle for tomorrow’s Bike to Work Day, which returns to a commuter focus after being rebranded as Bike to Wherever Week during last year’s pandemic. Which is evidently somehow different from this year’s pandemic.
They get it. A Denver TV station blames high profile trucks and SUVs for the rising rate of bicycling and pedestrian deaths and severe injuries on the state’s roadways. That’s not going to change until the federal government mandates lower profiles and bans flat grills, or carmakers are held liable for injuries and deaths caused by their unsafe designs.
An 82-year old allegedly stoned driver faces DUI charges after flashing his high beams at an Erie NY bike rider, causing the victim to crash his bicycle. No word on whether he was high on illegal drugs or on prescribed medications, let alone whether he should still be driving at that age — particularly if he’s on meds than can cause impairment.
A Brooklyn librarian subversively sneaks poetry into people’s minds by blasting Emily Dickinson and e.e. cummings from his single speed bike.
The new bike lane on the iconic Brooklyn Bridge is drawing mixed reviews, with some bike riders arguing it’s not wide enough and drivers complaining about the loss of a traffic lane.
The chair of the Manhattan Democratic Party faces hit-and-run charges for dooring an ebike rider and driving off without identifying himself; naturally, the former state assembly member blamed the guy on the bike for crashing into his car door.
International
London’s Independent takes a Fox News contributor to task for suggesting Biden doesn’t have the necessary stamina to be the leader of the free world — because he went for a bike ride on the beach. Which apparently doesn’t take any stamina at all, according to them.
The UK’s Coach Magazine offers tips on how to take your bike on one of the country’s trains, suggesting it ain’t always easy.
The Times of India offers a different perspective in recommending the best commuter bikes, the most expensive of which is a homegrown ebike retailing for the equivalent of $336.
Be careful riding your bike around Indian elephants. And don’t try to take a selfie with one.
Competitive Cycling
That feeling when you’re competing at the worlds on Bradley Wiggins’ slightly used time trial bike.
After dominating US crits this summer, Justin William’s L39ION of Los Angeles cycling team is tackling gravel, thanks to 27-year-old Aussie team member Freddy Ovett.
Finally…
What it looks like when someone “accidentally” rolls a bikeshare bike onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train. That feeling when your titanium-plated, belt-drive stationary bike costs more than most high-end roadies.
And apparently, entitled drivers turning right from the center lane and cutting off pedestrians crossing the street in nothing new.
Astonishing footage of Hollywood in 1956. Watch for the Brown Derby at the very beginning and Musso & Frank at :52. You can also see James Dean on the marquee at :49. pic.twitter.com/lbNK6nSUpb
— Vintage Los Angeles (@alisonmartino) September 19, 2021
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
That Ohio wreck is exactly how I was hit 20 years ago, and the reason my be that he was riding a bicycle on the road.