LADOT appears to be kicking the Northvale Gap can down the road once again.
Writing for Streetsblog, Jonathan Weiss reports the city transportation agency says construction on closing the gap along the E Line, nee Expo Line, through Cheviot Hills will now begin in 2024, after most recently promising to start this year.
This comes a full decade after the Westside train line, and the rest of the bikeway accompanying it, opened.
The city decided to skip the section along Northvale Road after litigious residents rose up in arms over fears that bike-riding burglars would utilize the path to make off with their big screen TVs and other valuables.
So instead of riding safely and comfortably in a channel behind their homes, bicyclists riding the Expo path are forced to take the steep hill in front of them, while the city forks out tens of millions more over what it would have cost to have closed the gap when the train line opened.
How that improves security, or anything else, for the handful of overly entitled homeowners along the street is beyond me.
Rendering of Northvale Gap Expo Line path from LADOT, courtesy of LA Streetsblog.
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Heartbreaking news from Oklahoma, where four unidentified male bodies were pulled out of a river outside of the small town of Okmulgee on Friday, five days after four friends disappeared shortly after setting out on a bike ride Sunday evening.
Thanks to Mike Wilkinson for the heads-up.
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The sooner “Roadkill” Gil resigns, the sooner we can start seeing the safety improvements he’s blocked for the past nine years.
Although he seems to be dragging his feet.
A sea change is coming to CD1! Road Kill @cmgilcedillo blocked bike lanes throughout his term. Can’t wait until Eunisses takes the reigns.
Ps. Gil, resign https://t.co/DhHtYnykFG
— Streets For All (@streetsforall) October 16, 2022
Speaking of Eunisses Hernandez, it couldn’t hurt to get some bus, bike and pedestrian supporters on her staff, if you’re looking for work.
WE'RE HIRING! We’re looking for staff in:
📱Communications,
📑Legislative/Policy
🏠FieldAPPLY HERE➡️https://t.co/kYq04DAkKO
Building power and policy for the people by the people.💛 pic.twitter.com/gid7yAFABo
— Eunisses Hernandez (@EunissesH) October 15, 2022
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A reminder that LADOT wants to talk bikeways in Del Rey tomorrow.
Do you want more bikeways in the Westside? @LADOTlivable is hosting a virtual workshop on Oct. 18 at 5:30pm to provide information on the project and collect community input. Participants will be entered into a raffle to win a FREE bicycle!
Register: https://t.co/fyCvCrJG1G pic.twitter.com/exopeEVAIj
— BikeLA (@heybikela) October 17, 2022
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Today’s common theme is ebikes.
Bicycling offers a guide to everything you need to know to start commuting by ebike, but were afraid to ask. Short version: Get an ebike, start commuting. As usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.
The magazine also offers tips on riding an ebike in the rain, insisting you can do it safely with a few simple precautions. Once again, read it on Yahoo if Bicycling blocks you.
Marketplace says the popularity of ebikes is soaring, but not everyone is convinced — including host Kai Ryssdal.
And a government technology site says ebikes are gaining momentum as a solution for climate change and traffic congestion.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A teenage driver was arrested for ramming a bike rider outside Dublin, Ireland, apparently intentionally, in an assault that was stupidly recorded and posted online.
A British driver was fined a total of 451 pounds — the equivalent of $506 — for a breathtakingly close call after he ran a red light and nearly slammed into a boy crossing on his bike.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A Michigan man faces charges for robbing a business before making his escape by bicycle; police tracked the suspect to his home a few hours later.
Police in Ithaca NY are looking for a bike-riding man who pointed a gun at a motorist, for no apparent reason.
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Local
KTLA-5’s Sam Rubin and Eric Spillman completed last week’s Bike MS: Bay to Bay charity ride from Irvine to San Diego Bay. Although I’m not sure just what Bay they’re referring to in landlocked Irvine.
The Pasadena City Council voted unanimously to include the Arroyo Link in a request for Metro funding after the cancellation of a planned grade separation for the Metro L Line, aka Gold Line; it would create a multi-use path for walking, biking and jogging from Old Pasadena to the Arroyo Seco along the route of the partially built, 1899 elevated bikeway.
State
San Diego’s bicycle-themed Rouleur Brewing Company won gold in Denver’s annual Great American Beer Festival for their Domestique Blonde Ale in the “Belgian-style Ale or French-style Ale” category; 11 other San Diego-area breweries were also honored.
San Francisco follows New York’s lead in exploring bounties to report drivers blocking bike lanes. If they’d do that here in LA, we could all retire comfortably.
National
Even Car & Driver questions whether it’s time to reverse the national “Right on Red” trend of the 1970s, as DC bans the procedure to protect bike riders and pedestrians.
Outside reviews ten plus-sized mountain bike shorts for men and women.
Milwaukee residents were outraged by video of a white man grabbing a Black teen by the throat while holding his bicycle to prevent him from leaving, accusing the kid’s friends of stealing a bike from the man’s friend’s yard. No word on how he knew they were the right kids, or that the teen had anything to do with it.
Over a hundred New Yorkers turned out for a bike tour of Harlem to demand a protected bike lane on Adam Clayton Powell Blvd to provide “Black and Brown people…safe passage to Central Park.”
A nonprofit and a local distributing company teamed up to give new bicycles to the entire first grade class at a Baltimore elementary school.
A South Carolina Uber driver faces a lawsuit for killing a man on a bicycle while he was checking the company’s app on his phone; he faces a charge of careless driving for somehow failing to see the rider decked out in a reflective vest, with front and rear lights on his bike, as he rode right in front of him.
A Florida man faces an attempted murder charge for shooting at, but apparently not hitting, another man in a dispute over bike parts outside a convenience store. As we’ve said before, no bike is worth a life. And especially not bike parts.
International
Road.cc examines the differences between gravel and endurance bikes.
Cycling Weekly explains everything you need to know before buying your first gravel bike, followed by five gravel bike upgrades to help you go faster and/or farther.
A delivery rider was attacked with a knife by a teen bike rider in a dispute that began when their bikes collided on a London bike path.
The Peak highlights six of the world’s most scenic bike trails, including the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route through the US and Canada, although they rank a Vietnamese trail as number one.
Olivia Williams is one of us, as the British actor rides her bike in London while she prepares to portray the new Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles in new season of The Crown.
An 82-year old English man says he’d rather go to prison than pay a £100 fine — the equivalent of $112 — after he was ticketed for riding a bike through the town center, just as he has for over 40 years.
She gets it. A Belfast, Northern Ireland columnist says vilifying bike riders is dangerous and irresponsible, and it’s selfish for drivers to complain about someone on a bicycle slowing them down. I like her already.
Irish families are reportedly distraught over plans to put a bike lane through a Dublin cemetery. Although something tells me the residents won’t object.
Bloomberg examines the decades-long campaign to reclaim the streets of Amsterdam for people on two wheels. Thanks to Victor Bale for the link.
Brussels’ Minister of Mobility, Public Works and Road Safety says death threats won’t stop her from implementing the city’s plan to reduce motor vehicle traffic by nearly 25%, while improving streets for people on two wheels or on foot.
The Associated Press of Pakistan offers a great photo of a man with his bicycle loaded down with a massive bundle of sticks.
Competitive Cycling
Road.cc talks with French road race and time trial champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot, who’s looking forward to next year after suffering a stroke on the eve of last month’s world championships.
American Nielson Powless got his first win of the year in his final race of the year, as his EF Education-EasyPost team took the top two spots at the Japan Cup.
Finally…
Now you, too, can buy a brand new Porsche for just $11,750. Your next GMC could be a VanMoof. Or maybe vice versa.
And more proof you can carry — or tow — anything on a bike.
Hey @TheBikingLawyer @FFSafeStreets @BicycleMayorTO: Let's hire @DeliveredByBike to tow a piano at next #ActivismTO https://t.co/VjQ9TOKW1W
— Midweek Cycling Club (Parody) (@midweekcycling) October 17, 2022
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin, too.
E-bikes are popular here in Germany. The bike stores I go to have about 50% e-bike on the floor for sale. They are not a novelty on the roads. Since most bikes here are considered practical bikes for commuting and shopping etc.