Just 87 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
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Sorry, kids.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assemblymember Tasha Boerner’s AB 2234, which creates a four-year pilot program allowing San Diego County, or any cities in the county, to ban children under 12 from riding ebikes.
Not that it’s necessarily a bad idea.
It’s asking a lot for a little kid to handle something that can generate significantly more power and speed than they can on their own.
What I’m not comfortable with is giving one county the right to write their own traffic laws and override existing state regulations, leading to a patchwork of laws marked only by a thin line on a map.
What’s legal on one side of the line could be illegal on the other, and they’re expecting little kids to know just where the hell it’s drawn.
If they really want to change the law, change it statewide so it applies to everyone, then study the results so we know whether or not it really made a difference.
Maybe we could start by revising the current ebike classifications to better differentiate between ped-assist electric bicycles and what are in effect throttle-controlled electric motorcycles.
Ebike photo by Maxfoot from Pixabay.
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Finish the Ride is looking for volunteers to help with this month’s event in Santa Clarita.
Ride Marshals are essential for guiding participants through tricky spots, monitoring safety, and providing assistance along the route. Their role is key to creating a safe, enjoyable experience for all riders. From helping with flats to keeping an eye out for heat exhaustion, they serve as both guides and guardians.
Bicyclists interested in becoming Ride Marshals can sign up here (all the details are in the volunteer sign-up sheet). Ideally, marshals will be available on either October 13th or 19th for a run-through of the route at West Creek Park in Santa Clarita before the event on the 27th.
Key responsibilities include:
- Guiding riders through trouble spots and ensuring safety
- Monitoring for unsafe behavior and stepping in when necessary
- Providing updates at pit stops and supporting fellow marshals
- Assisting with minor repairs, flats, and medical issues
- Serving as friendly ambassadors while ensuring the event runs smoothly
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It’s time to address pedestrian safety, according to the giant federal agency that allows giant Tesla Trucks and SUVs on the road.
We're kicking off National Pedestrian Safety Month with this reminder: at some point in the day, EVERYONE is a pedestrian. 🚶🏃🚴
Safety tips: https://t.co/kHC7lJpcwU pic.twitter.com/YTYqp49wCM
— nhtsagov (@NHTSAgov) October 1, 2024
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Take a break in your day to watch a little mountain biking on the biggest rock slabs on Earth.
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It’s now 289 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And an even 40 months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. An “accomplished automotive journalist” suggests that bicyclists may be the new biker gangs — apparently blaming everyone who rides a bicycle for the actions of a few swarms of out-of-control teenagers.
No bias here, either. An active transportation plan bicyclists say will lead to a safe and more pleasant town center for an English city is branded the “biggest, most expensive cat litter tray in history” by disgruntled residents, who say they’re ready to move out because of it. Well, don’t let the door hit you. And empty that litter box on the way out.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
At least three parents have done the right — and very hard — thing, turning in their own kids for participating in the bike-riding teenage flash mob that looted several LA-area 7-11s.
A blind British man says he’s worried about simply walking on the sidewalk after a bike rider illegally using it shattered his white cane and hurled abuse at him.
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Local
The Los Angeles Times examines the race between incumbent Heather Hutt and Grace Yoo for LA’s 10th Council District; Yoo served as a transportation commissioner under former Mayor Villaraigosa, while Hutt chairs the city council transportation committee, and is described as a “champion of transit” and a supporter of Measure HLA.
State
A writer for the San Diego Reader considers the ups and downs of riding a bike in the city’s hilly Cel Cerro neighborhood, with a 14% grade leading up to his home.
A 21-year old Aussie law student and competitive swimmer received a $167.5 settlement after the bicycle he rented on a visit to San Francisco came apart as he was riding it, throwing him over the handlebars.
National
Streetsblog looks at eight ways people re-imagined parking spaces from last month’s Park(ing) Day, which seems to have come and gone with little notice here in LA.
Strong Towns says whether bike lanes cause or reduce congestion asking is the wrong question.
There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole an Austin, Texas ghost bike for a 74-year old hit-and-run victim for the third time.
Life is cheap in Connecticut, where the hit-and-run driver who killed a 69-year old high school custodian as he rode his bike got a lousy two years behind bars, after he accepted a plea deal for evading responsibility for the fatal crash.
Brooklyn artist Taliah Lempert is carving out a unique space for herself in the New York art world by fusing her passion for painting and bicycles.
New York’s steps to improve ebike safety appear to be paying off, with fewer ebike fires inside buildings, and fewer deaths as a result.
Bicyclists are going all in on hurricane relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Helene, from North Carolina-based Fox Factory’s employee-assistance fund to launching crowdfunding campaigns.
International
Momentum highlights the best Canadian rail trails for a fall bicycling getaway.
The mountain resort town of Banff, Alberta is considering how they can slow speeding bike riders on local tails.
UK-based bicycle distributor I-ride, maker of the in-house Orro bike brand, says there’s still hope for a takeover by an industry insider, days after an investor pulled out at the last minute, leaving the company bankrupt.
No surprise here, as international students tend to have more bicycling crashes than native Dutch bike riders in the Netherlands.
A man who calls himself the Cycle Baba has ridden his bike more than 80,000 across more than 100 countries since he left his home in India eight years ago to promote a message of eco-friendly living.
Competitive Cycling
Cyclinguptodate considers the current state of American road cycling, arguing that Matteo Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss offer hope; otherwise, not so much.
Finally…
Your next handlebar bag could be a recycled billboard. That feeling when a flooded ebike battery is the least of your problems.
And something tells me this Parisian suburb looks just a little different these days.
Quiet Days in Clichy. pic.twitter.com/3ZD4KAyxAV
— Maglio Nero (@maglionero12) September 1, 2024
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin
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