Just 62 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
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Breaking news, as a man riding an ebike was fatally shot in LA’s Mid-Wilshire neighborhood Tuesday afternoon.
And that’s about all we know right now.
The victim was shot multiple times while riding in the 900 block of South Victoria Ave around 4:15 pm.
The shooters reportedly fled in a dark blue or purple sedan.
Police don’t yet know the identity of the victim, or any reason for the shooting. It’s also unknown if this was a case of road rage, or if the shooters may have known the victim.
Hopefully, we’ll learn more as the investigation moves forward.
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It’s now 314 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 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.
More fallout from Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s war on bike lanes, as one site says the bill to restrict them contradicts experience, science and safety, and another says it’s just taking the province backwards.
The owner of an Oxford, England “ultra-low emission courier company,” aka a cargo bike delivery firm, warns that bicyclists and drivers are “warring factions, shaking angry fists and hurling expletives at each other.”
Damn. A Japanese truck driver turns himself in after the “worst close pass ever,” as he’s shown on video nearly brushing a bike rider — and somehow, commenters still find a way to blame the guy on the bike.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Dockless Lime bikes are accused of being a “constant menace” to London cabbies due to the “totally selfish actions” of riders. Because we all know cab drivers go out of their way to share the road and show consideration for other road users.
A Singapore resident questions why bicyclists continue to ride on the city’s elevated bridges, despite clearly displayed signs telling them to dismount. That’s easy. Dismounting and walking is inconvenient, time-delaying and more difficult than riding, especially with cleats — even if it is rude.
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Local
Streets For All offers their voter guide for Tuesday’s election.
Streetsblog takes a look at Westwood’s new Broxton pedestrian plaza.
The Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering will host a community meeting to discuss filling a gap on the LA River bike path through the San Fernando Valley tonight.
State
A Fresno bike rider was hospitalized with unknown injuries after they were struck by an undercover cop in an apparent unmarked vehicle.
No shit. San Francisco Streetsblog’s Roger Rudick says the local cops need to stop mindlessly exonerating killer drivers, arguing the hypocrisy shown in investigating two recent crashes is astounding.
Sad news from Oakland, where a 44-year old Emeryville man was killed when he apparently crashed his bike into a guardrail.
More sad news, this time from Cloverdale, where an 11-year old boy was killed in a freak accident when he fell off his bicycle, and his handlebars hit his stomach.
National
Inertia rates the year’s best e-cargo bikes.
A new study published in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine shows that riding a bicycle over the course of your lifetime can result in a significant decrease in knee pain and osteoarthritis. It worked for me; I was told I needed a knee replacement nearly 30 years ago, and was able to put it off for another 25 years.
Tariffs on ebikes have almost always “raised consumer prices and hurt sales.”
Police in Texas are on the lookout for thieves who stole a U-Haul truck, and used it to make off with $60,000 worth of ebikes from a New Braunfels bike shop.
International
Momentum lists their top urban bikewear and bicycling gear finds for the fall season, along with the best upright commuter bikes.
Momentum also examines “amazing examples” of bicycling solutions from cities around the world. None of which can be found in Los Angeles, or anywhere else in North America.
Topping off our Momentum trifecta, or rather quadfecta, the magazine notes seven reasons bicycles are perfect for the 15-minute city.
The Alpecin Cycling WorldTour team says you really should try riding gravel.
A Norwegian master’s student attempts to quantify the impact large transportation infrastructure like railways or highways have on bicyclists, a phenomenon known as the barrier effect.
Velo highlights the best gravel bikes from the Bespoked Dresden show, including one with a frame made entirely of wood.
Competitive Cycling
The stages were announced for next year’s Tour de France, including a stage up the “evil” Mont Ventoux; IDL Pro Cycling says the new route gives hope to cyclists not named Pogačar, Vingegaard or Evenepoel.
The longest ever edition of the modern Tour de France Femmes was also announced, featuring the Col de Joux-Plane and a “brutal” Col de la Madeleine summit finish.
Finally…
Why just ride a bike when you can peddle your way to the America’s Cup? Your next golf cart could be a funky three-wheeled ebike.
And why trip over your bike when you can levitate it?
Thanks to Steven for the link.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin
Toronto plans to ban ebikes on transit, it seems — which is terrible news for the hundreds of people who need both for their jobs.
I’ve seen, awhile ago, bicycle lane footrests in Seattle.