BikinginLA

Let’s start with a little good news.

It looks like the California E-bike Incentive Program is finally happening, and on the verge of moving from its long-delayed vaporware status into something that could actually put a new ebike in your garage.

Or not.

Because the program is limited to low income households with gross incomes 300% or less of the federal poverty level.

And that’s just for the first $2.5 million.

Once that’s gone, the remaining $5 million will be reserved for people with a gross income of 225% of the federal poverty level, or who live in a disadvantaged or low-income community, or participate in at least one of these public assistance programs.

Which adds up to just $7.5 million, because the first $2.5 million of the $10 million budgeted by the state legislature is going to administration, and just getting us to this place.

So let’s hope the legislature listens to Calbike’s call to increase the rebate budget by another $50 million to meet the anticipated demand.

As we’ve discussed before, the rebates will be for $1000, with another $250 for low income applicants, and an additional $750 for buyers of e-cargo bikes or e-adaptive bicycles.

You’ll be able apply through an online portal which is projected to launch in the second quarter of this year, which means by the end of next month, though that could change.

If you’re approved, you’ll receive a voucher good for 30 days on the purchase of an ebike that meets the following requirements. The voucher will be applied towards the full purchase price, including taxes, up to but not exceeding the total amount.

One more bit of good news — besides the fact that it looks like I may qualify, if I can get my application in fast enough.

The program will be administered by people who actually know what they’re doing.

The state has selected San Diego’s Pedal Ahead to run the program. That’s good news because they’ve managed San Diego’s loan-to-own ebike program for the last three years.

So they should, hopefully, be able to assume management of this one.

Although there are no guarantees when the state is involved.

You can read more about the California E-bike Incentive Program on Pedal Ahead’s FAQs page.

Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels.

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Horrifying video emerged over the weekend showing a group of what looked to be five teenage bike riders attacking a pickup driver in DTLA’s Jewelry District on Thursday, which was Bike Day in LA County.

The driver exited the vehicle after one of the boys smashed his windshield with a bicycle before they set upon him; the attack continued until bystanders intervened.

It’s unclear what precipitated the assault.

Witness reports alternately said the driver honked at the bike riders as they were weaving across the roadway, or that the driver had fled the scene after striking one of the boys with his truck.

Either way, the violent assault was wrong. And a crime.

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Frequent contributor David Drexler went to the grand opening of the Mark Bixby Memorial Bicycle-Pedestrian Path on the new Long Beach International Gateway Bridge on Saturday, and forwarded a few notes.

Thank you for letting me know about the Ceremony and bike ride yesterday in Long Beach. If I did not read about it on your report—I would not have known.

It was a well organized, unique and extraordinary bike event.

A Congresswoman from that area, DOT, Caltrans, and Bixby family were all there and spoke.

I went back to the bridge at 3 PM and road it again alone with hardly anyone else there.

Highly recommend a bridge path visit ride or walk if in the area—the climbs are great and so is the downhill—easy 25 mph with no pedaling.

Three observation areas on the bridge to stop and hang out.

Note: Does not go all the way to San Pedro—dead ends at the base of the North side of the bridge with the gate locked closed.

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Alhambra is considering a proposal to put more cars and speeding drivers directly in front of an elementary school.

You have until 6 pm today to tell them where they can put that offramp.

Politely, of course.

Our friends at Safe Streets for SGV need help! @cityofalhambra votes MONDAY on a proposal to widen a freeway offramp in front of an elementary school. If you're in the SGV, use their toolkit at https://t.co/zHAjOvx3j1 to email your public comment, or speak in-person Monday @ 6p! pic.twitter.com/7YQEU4PtP7

— Streets For All (@streetsforall) May 21, 2023

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Nice to see my councilmember sharing the progress that’s been made to improve bike infrastructure in her district.

Even if there’s still a lot of work to do.

This week is #BikeWeek, and while one of my tenets is that good cycling infrastructure and policy benefits us all no matter how we are traveling, I want to take a moment to share some biking and infrastructure wins we’ve already secured and what’s to come! pic.twitter.com/ZgAA7dCp2F

— Councilmember Nithya Raman (@cd4losangeles) May 19, 2023

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Mark your calendar for this year’s celebration of all things bike from BikeLA, the former Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition.

Save the date!!! Bike Fest 2023,Oct 7th pic.twitter.com/Tu97H5d14a

— BikeLA (@heybikela) May 19, 2023

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Go Safely wants to know what you think are the problems on our streets. Unfortunately, hit-and-run isn’t one of the options.

https://twitter.com/GoSafelyCA/status/1658155280503275520

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This is who we share the road with.

A 27-year old man was sentenced to 30 years behind bars for the drunken Irvine crash that killed two passengers in his car, while driving at speeds up to 138 mph moments before the collision; however, there are questions about his mental competency, despite being examined by psychological experts nine times. This link would have gone to the Orange County Register, but they’d rather block access with a paywall than drive internet traffic. 

A 24-year old Kern County man faces a 1st degree murder charge for intentionally slamming his car into another vehicle while driving under the influence, killing a beloved 79-year old former educator.

There’s not a pit in hell deep enough for a convicted pedophile who faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon and hate crime enhancements after repeatedly shouting racist epithets and attempting to swerve his car into another car with at least one Black passenger; in 2001 he was convicted of committing lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, and investigated for making obscene phone calls to a 19-year old woman.

A British woman decided she wasn’t going to be inconvenienced by a marathon race, and simply moved the orange cones blocking the road, and drove right through the runners. Then tried to justify it to the people trying to stop her.

Watch as a woman brazenly moves a cordon and drives through hundreds of runners at the Plymouth half marathon pic.twitter.com/dztUrijXXk

— Sky News (@SkyNews) May 21, 2018

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Bizarre shoving match at the Cannes Film Festival, where the head of the festival, who was eschewing limos and riding a bike to cut his carbon footprint, got into a shoving match with a cop, apparently for riding on the sidewalk.

https://twitter.com/EricMorillot/status/1659881550966562817

Here’s a Google translation of the tweet.

A policeman asked you twice to stop. When he catches up with you in front of the Carlton you accuse him of assaulting you. I tell you again here, Thierry Frémaux, you were wrong and you are not above the law! We are several witnesses of what happened. This municipal police officer has our full support.

Thanks to J. Steve Mayo for the tweet.

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

Residents of Santa Monica’s 17th Street got out the torches and pitchforks over the new curb-protected bike lanes, saying they were caught off guard by the construction. Which is strange, since I saw the notifications months ago.

A Houston man participating in the city’s Bike to Work Day was flipped off and nearly struck by a driver cutting into a parking garage, who became angry after police held up traffic to let people on bikes pass.

An Irish woman was subjected to a torrent of abuse when she calmly told a driver he was blocking the bike lane and she couldn’t get past him.

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Local 

Tragic news from South Los Angeles, where a 62-year old man was shot and killed in a drive-by as he was getting on his bike for a ride yesterday morning.

Culver City has reopened the Higuera Street Bridge after a year of reconstruction, along with a new ramp leading to the Ballona Creek bike path.

 

State

Governor Gavin Newsom called for a series of laws to speed construction of transportation, environmental and other infrastructure projects by reducing the time for lawsuits alleging CEQA violations.

Huntington Beach has installed a pair of radar-activated traffic signs that display the speed of bike riders on the path paralleling PCH to encourage bicyclists to obey the 10 mph speed limit.

After a 17-year old San Diego ebike rider suffered a broken pelvis when he was run down by a hit-and-run driver, his family sprung into action as citizen detectives to track down the 32-year old driver, who now faces charges. But even if he’s convicted, he’ll be out in less than two years, thanks to California’s lenient hit-and-run laws. 

A pair of Simi Valley kids sharing an ebike suffered significant injuries when they were struck a driver after allegedly running a stop sign; thankfully, they’re expected to recover.

Sad news from Oakland, where a 50-year old man was killed riding a bike.

 

National

Once again, a bike rider is a hero, as a passing bicyclist ran to the rescue and pulled a man out of his burning home, then left before firefighters arrived without giving his name.

They get it. Seattle students say better bike parking could remove a major barrier to biking to school.

A Las Vegas website recommends riding through the soaring rock wall of Zion National Park.

Experts in Utah call for using bike helmets after the state experienced its deadliest year for bike crashes. Although that only matters if the victims weren’t wearing helmets, and their injuries to other parts of their bodies were survivable.

No more free ride for EV owners in the Lone Star State, after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill that will charge owners of electric vehicles $400 for the first year, and $200 for each subsequent year to make up for not paying gas taxes, although critics say the charges don’t add up. Just one more argument for buying an ebike, instead. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the link.

A crowdfunding campaign has raised nearly $100,000 for the pregnant hospital worker captured on a viral video trying to wrest a bikeshare bike from a Black teenager, who insisted he’d paid for it; the founder of the campaign says she been unfairly painted as a “racist Karen.” Although we still haven’t heard from the man she was trying to take the bike from.

A new study from New Jersey shows that fatal crashes involving pedestrians or bike riders are more likely to occur in low income neighborhoods and communities of color, which are less likely to have adequate sidewalks, crosswalks or bicycle infrastructure.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown was nearly hit by a driver while broadcasting live on Instagram as he took part in a fundraising ride — even if his tumbling phone makes it appear like he was.

Sign me up for the next one. A Mobile, Alabama bike ride took participants on a tour of Underground Railroad sites in the city.

 

International

Your next bike helmet could be a partial full-face helmet with a built-in taillight.

Cities around the world want the millions of people who rode their bikes during the pandemic to keep pedaling.

Protesters turned out to object to the removal of a bike lane through a Vancouver park, so drivers could have another lane to cut through on their way to work. Cars don’t belong in parks. Period. 

More on the Vancouver, British Columbia man who crashed his bike into a black bear that darted across the roadway, saying he “pretty much kissed him’ before flying through the air.

I want to be like him when I grow up. A 92-year old retired Ontario, Canada legislator plans to take part in a 46-mile fundraising ride next month.

An Edinburgh city counselor called for raising parking rates to fund secure bike hangers, but opponents said it would just pit drivers against bicyclists.

In just 20 years, Spain cut serious traffic crashes by 80%, now ranking as one of the safest places to drive in the European Union — even if they still have work to do.

An estimated 50,000 people took part in Russia’s annual Moscow Spring Bicycle Festival.

Tragic news from Kolkata, where a 29-year old actress was killed when she fell off e bikeshare bike, and was run over by a truck drive. Although Indian media use the same terms for bicycles, motor scooters and mo-peds, so it’s hard to say for certain exactly what she was riding. 

Japanese cops cut bike theft by 80% simply by placing tags on bike handlebars reading “subject to theft tracking,” “theft prevention verification in progress” and other phrases; inside, they had a message saying locking your bike will bring very good luck.

Australia’s New South Wales is giving suburbs of Sydney $39 million in an effort to turn drivers into bike riders.

An Australian motorcyclist has been sentenced to nine years behind bars for the crash that killed an 89-year old man who was standing next to his bicycle, as he illegally rode his motorcycle on a bike path.

 

Competitive Cycling

Surprising outcome in the Giro, where 24-year old American Brandon McNulty won Sunday’s stage 15 in a breakaway; France’s Bruno Armirail retained the pink leader’s jersey.

Australia’s Michael Matthews unexpectedly rose from the figurative ashes to win the 3rd stage go the Giro earlier this month, just a month after suffering quadriceps tear, torn knee and sprained ankle that forced him into a wheelchair, and saw him collapse in front of his wife.

Less than a week after withdrawing from the Giro due to Covid, it was announced the Remco Evenepoel won’t race in the Tour de France or the Vuelta as he recuperates from the illness. Which sounds like BS, since it should only take a few days to recover unless he suffered major health problems. As usual, read it on Yahoo if Bicycling blocks you. 

American actor Ben Stiller is a big fan of Welsh cyclist Geraint Thomas.

 

Finally…

Ignore that old advice about reinventing the wheel, and you could end up with triangular ones. Your next Colnago could be diamond studded and coated in gold leaf.

And the late, great Jim Brown was one of us.

And he was one of us. pic.twitter.com/cLRsSKckFR

— John Lloyd (@boyonabike62) May 19, 2023

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.