Day 227 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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It was a light news day yesterday, so let’s get right to it before we all go riding this weekend.
At least on Sunday, right?
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
You’ve got to be kidding. A New York court has temporarily blocked the city from installing a bike lane in response to a lawsuit from local businesses owners, who alleged it would “compromise public safety, negatively impact local businesses and violate city laws.” Because, of course it would.
You’ve got to be kidding, part two. A Philadelphia judge blocked the city from building loading zones next to a bike lane, after the state passed a law banning drivers from stopping a car in one, as well as blocking any other changes to the street or the bike lanes, including installing protective barriers, in a decision that apparently wasn’t explained.
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Local
Streetsblog examines new hard-plastic, reflectorized armadillos marking bike lanes on Adams Blvd and Spring Street.
The Los Angeles Times recommends three hikes to impress out-of-town visitors, including an “enchanted” forest walk on the seven-mile West Fork National Scenic Bikeway, which you could presumably do on your bike, as well.
State
Bakersfield bike riders rallied at City Hall to call for safer streets in the wake of a misguided grand jury report prioritizing cars over bike lanes.
Alameda apparently decides drivers matter more than kids by removing barriers on a Slow Street near schools, ostensibly to improve public safety.
An “epic” new bike trail winds 33-miles through the heart of a Napa Valley wine country.
National
Momentum says the explosion in micromobility is outgrowing bike lanes, which need to be widened and separated for differing speeds.
An Outside documentary tells true story of 31 everyday American teenagers who shared the journey of a lifetime by biking across the country in 1982.
A Wyoming man shares what he’s learned from a lifetime of bicycling, something his wife calls the “most dangerous sport” he could take part in thanks to cars and the people driving them. Although bull riding, skydiving and boxing would seem a tad risky, too.
Covington, Kentucky finally got around to building its first bike lane, nearly 60 years after the first bike lane the US was striped in Davis, California.
Boston’s Northeastern University considers whether ebikes can become the next form of mass transportation, and what’s keeping them from rivaling bus, metro and rail networks. Hint: safer streets and fewer drivers, maybe?
Bicycling deaths in Connecticut are up a whopping 200% over a five-year average. Although that amounts to just six deaths, which would be a good month for Southern California.
A 35-year old New Jersey man has ridden nearly 2,000 miles covering every public road in Gloucester County, located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia.
International
The Ottawa Citizen examines what it will take to make the city safer for people on bicycles, where the streets prioritize drivers like the rest of Canada.
A 32-year old British man was sentenced to four years behind bars for the “horrendous” speeding, hit-and-run crash that left a bike-riding woman with life changing injuries; he fictitiously reported the car stolen at knifepoint 15 minutes after fleeing the scene.
A judge in the UK ruled that video evidence of traffic violations is both legal and valuable to police, dismissing a retired lawyer’s attempt to sue a “disturbing, caped crusader” bike rider who filmed her using her phone while driving in violating the country’s privacy laws.
A 64-year old disabled man in was killed when he crashed his adult tricycle into a poorly marked bollard blocking the entrance to a UK bike lane.
Traffic safety experts called for a major overhaul of Malaysian roads, warning they prioritize cars and trucks at the expense of everyone else. In other words, just like the streets of Los Angeles, and pretty much everywhere else in Southern California.
Competitive Cycling
Track cyclist Matthew Richardson, who left Australia last year to compete for Great Britain, set a new world record for the flying 200 meters with a time of just 8.941 seconds, smashing the previously unbreakable 9 second barrier.
American Hannah Otto broke one of the world’s best known single-day mountain bike records, setting the new fastest known time for a woman on Utah’s White Rim Trail at 6 hours, 36 minutes and 51 seconds.
On the other hand, British cyclist Charlie Tanfield fell three kilometers — 1.85 miles — short in his attempt to set a new hour record.
Sports Illustrated previews the upcoming Vuelta a España, the 80th edition of the year’s final Grand Tour.
Cycling Weekly says domestiques are probably coming to gravel racing.
Participants in the recent Tour de Big Bear, which combined road, gravel and mountain bike events, ranged from three-years old to 90.
Finally…
Probably not the best idea to let your dad play Whack-A-Mole on your expensive carbon frame. Riding a century with that healthy nuclear glow.
And a giving taking a header off your bike a whole new meaning. (Click on this link if the tweet doesn’t embed.)
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
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