Stop what you’re doing and sign this petition demanding a public meeting with LA Mayor Karen Bass to hear the dangers we face just walking and biking on the mean streets of Los Angeles.
Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.
Note: I’ve lost track of who created the image up there on the left, along with the Spanish-language version below. So if anyone knows, hit me up.
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Let’s start with Saturday’s die-in at Los Angeles City Hall to protest our ever-rising rates of traffic violence.
As I mentioned last week, I have another commitment that morning I can’t get out of, so I won’t be able to make it this year. But if you have the morning free, I urge you to attend, and add your voice and body to demand safer streets in the City of Angeles.
I’ll let Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, take it from here. And give it a close read, because there’s a lot of vital information there about just how bad things are on our streets.
Dying-In LA 2024:
Advocates Needed For A Die-In At City Hall, January 27th, 9 am.
Sign up here https://mobilize.us/s/0JnZmq to join Streets Are For Everyone, Streets For All, Street Racing Kills, Santa Monica Spoke, and many more to demand that our elected officials prioritize safer streets in 2024. Why? 2023 was a grim year for traffic fatalities, and we need to let City Hall know we have the political will to continue fighting for safe streets. That means starting the year strong by building our movement through community organizing.
2023 was a rough year for Los Angeles. 330 victims died from traffic violence in the city, marking a 9% increase over 2022 and a 14% increase since 2021. This is the highest number of traffic fatalities in over 20 years. In addition to that disheartening number, there were increases in injuries and fatalities across multiple categories, including:
- 176 pedestrians killed in 2023 – a 15% increase since 2022 and a 35% increase since 2021.
- 24 cyclists killed in 2023 – a 20% increase since 2022 and a 41% increase since 2021.
- 29 people killed in DUI-related car crashes in 2023 – a 32% increase since 2022 and a 38% increase since 2021.
- 105 people killed in hit-and-run crashes in 2023 – a 30% increase since 2022 and a 38% increase since 2021.
The surge in these statistics can be attributed to various factors, including:
- Faster, quieter, and larger vehicles are killing more pedestrians.
- There is a sharp increase in the use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs (both legal and illegal) while driving.
- Distracted driving in various forms – cell phones being one of the largest sources but also an increase in the prevalence of smart “infotainment” systems in cars. (Instead of using tactile touch for basic functions like adjusting the radio station or temperature, drivers often fiddle with screens, diverting their attention from the road.)
- A decrease in the enforcement of driving laws for various reasons (worth its own article) results in more people driving recklessly, knowing they are less likely to get caught.
While there is no single solution to all these issues, the fact remains that too many of our elected officials continue to ignore this worsening public health crisis.
Join us for a crucial call to action as we unite in this collective effort. Real change only occurs when we amplify our voices and make them resoundingly heard.
- Date: Saturday, 27 Jan 2024
- Location: Steps of Los Angeles City Hall, 232 N. Spring Street
- Set-up Time: 9:30 AM (Coffee will be provided)
- Press Conference: 10 AM to 10:45 AM
Volunteers needed: 330 people are required for part of the die-in visual – one for each person who lost their life in 2023. Please feel free to bring bicycles and skateboards. Volunteers are also needed to stand behind the speakers, holding handmade protest signs demanding safer streets.
Parking: You should ride, walk, or take Metro Line B (exit Civic Center/Grand Park Station) to City Hall as parking is limited.
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Unfortunately, as bad as those numbers are, they don’t tell the whole story.
According to Crosstown, the actual number of deaths due to traffic violence in Los Angeles last year was 337, as fatalities rose for the third year in a row, climbing 7.3% over 2022.
And the 24 bicyclists killed in the city last year is one more than I was aware of.
It’s also a reminder that Los Angeles is the hit-and-run capital of California, which is the hit-and-run capital of the US.
So maybe reconsider signing that petition, if you haven’t already.
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The latest episode of Bike Talk is now available online.
@JoeLinton @bikinginla @BikeLanesLA @heybikela A tale of Two Cities. https://t.co/69PKLz4wws
— Taylor Nichols (@Taylor_Nichols7) January 21, 2024
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I’ve always believed in leaving this world better than you find it. But cleaning the bike lane behind you takes that to a whole new level.
https://twitter.com/CLTBikeCommuter/status/1747671313525739610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1747671313525739610%7Ctwgr%5Ef4d4e02ab3a3d9eb07ec1c2021930b94533986cc%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmomentummag.com%2Fportable-bike-lane-sweeper%2F
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Nothing like watching someone jerk off a bicycle, in a clear case of taking things just a tad too far in the name of creativity.
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32 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 30 months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law, and counting.
Anyone want to bet on whether they’ll make it to the three year mark?
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Residents of Coventry, England express concerns that a new bike lane will make bicyclists sitting ducks when drivers back into their driveways in front of bikes doing 30 mph — vastly overestimating the speed of most bike riders, while underestimating drivers ability to check their damn mirrors. Unless maybe their real objection is just having a bike lane on “their” street.
Don’t bother riding your bike to the ‘cross World Cup in Costa Blanca, Spain, but feel free to drive there.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A group of male bicyclists were roundly criticized for hogging space with their bikes on a Malaysian women-only train car.
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Local
A British woman believes riding a bicycle can change the direction of young people’s lives, after her husband, BAFTA-winning film director and Cat 1 racer Jonathan Gales, was killed by an alleged wrong-way drunk driver while crossing the street on a work trip in Los Angeles in 2022.
State
If you only found a front wheel when you went to unlock your lime green Diamondback recently, Irvine cops could have your bike.
Thanks to Robert Leone for forwarding the latest construction update on San Diego’s Pershing Bikeway project, which appears to be nearing completion.
A 46-year-old Simi Valley woman was arrested for the hit-and-run that seriously injured a second Simi Valley woman as she walked her bike across a street on January 4th of this year.
A 20-year old Bakersfield man walked with just eight hours of community service after pleading no contest to resisting arrest during a during a bike takeover involving hundreds of bicyclists.
Sad news from Visalia, where a 17-year old girl was killed by a driver while riding salmon on a local street.
A Fresno columnist warns bike riders and pedestrians that your life is only worth a slap on the wrist if a driver runs you down. Which is sadly the same wherever you are in California.
National
Even CNN is asking whether it’s time to get rid of right-on-red.
A writer for Medium celebrates the history and diversity of bicycles. But apparently has no idea what they look like, since all the photos illustrating the story are of motorcycles.
New York tells bike riders to “Slow your roll, respect the stroll,” in a public service campaign to respect the safety of pedestrians. And here I thought that referred to rolling your eyes at the campaign. Seriously, they couldn’t have given any of the city’s 1,200 ad agencies a crack at it first?
Gothamist looks back on the tenth anniversary of New York’s Vision Zero, and says “the program was indisputably a success — at least in areas where it won the support of elected officials.”
A Wyoming man climbs atop a bicycle mounted on top of an endangered grain elevator, sending a message to “ride the day like a bull.”
International
Black Grape singer Shaun Ryder is one of us, telling The Guardian that he’d “be out on my bike right now” if he wasn’t busy talking to them. And no, I’ve never heard of him, either.
Clip-on ebike drive-maker Skarper claims they’ve “condensed an entire ebike into the palm of your hand.” Assuming you have a really, really big hand, anyway.
Road.cc offers “all the tips you need” to keep riding in your 60s and beyond.
New government stats show that seven out of ten people in England never ride a bicycle, as safer roads are seen as key to growing participation, not more bike lanes.
A British coroner says a 41-year old driver was “selfish beyond comprehension” when he killed a 15-year old boy riding a bike, while rushing to meet a woman from a dating app after downing three beers and two glasses of wine.
An Irish cop is finally back on the job, after he was suspended for three years for giving an unclaimed bicycle to an isolated elderly man early in the pandemic. For which he should have gotten a commendation, instead.
A half-dozen bikeable bakeries for your next visit to Shanghai.
A “keen” Kiwi/Aussie bicyclist offers advice on winter bike riding in frigid South Korea. Which probably translates to wherever you ride outside of Southern California this winter. And I’ll take “keen” over “avid” any day.
A New Zealand landowner donated a section of his property to build a rest area for bike riders traveling the country’s Tasman’s Great Taste Cycle Trail, complete with wifi, ice cream, drinks, coffee, fresh water, sunscreen and bug spray.
Competitive Cycling
Welshman Stevie Williams won the general classification title at the Tour Down Under, clinching the final stage in decided fashion by winning a five-rider sprint.
Sad news from the UK, where “cycling legend” Mick Ives has died after a series of heart attacks; the former Moulton draftsman won 81 British Championship Titles and 8 World Masters Cycling Titles, including the World Cup Time Trial Champion at age 65; he was 84.
The Sun looks at the salaries of the highest paid cyclists in the pro peloton. Never mind that the average riders don’t make nearly that much.
Finally…
If the bike won’t fit in the cab, just leave it sticking out the open door. Nothing like a little python hunting on your ebike.
And while I’m not a fan of this kind of humor, there is some major schadenfreude to be had from watching someone pull the string on bike thieves.
Literally.
https://twitter.com/PicturesFoIder/status/1748581253119365260
Thanks to Mike Burk for the heads-up.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin
