Just a quick update today, since I wasted too much time trying to learn more about Saturday’s ebike death in Huntington Beach. You’d think I’d know better by now.
And still no word from West Hollywood about the city council vote on replacing the promised protected bike lanes on Fountain Ave with curbside parking.
Hopefully we’ll learned more today.
And apropos of nothing, this is my only companion as I work in the dark tonight, while my wife and corgi — no, two separate beings, thank you — sleep in the other room.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A 27-year old Florida man faces felony child abuse charges for allegedly pushing a child off his bicycle following a brief altercation; he insists he didn’t push the kid, but merely knocked the boy off his bike by kicking its front tire. Which somehow doesn’t seem to make it any better.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A London man says a bike rider ran a Putney red light and crashed into him as he walked in a crosswalk, then punched and kicked him until impatient drivers honked their horns, but did nothing to intervene.
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Local
As usual, Metro buses, trains and Metro Bikes will be free on Election Day, which should be a paid holiday, but isn’t.
Local residents are calling for an anti-camping zone for the new park scheduled to open under the 6th Street Bridge next year. Although they’ve managed to fuck up everything else with the four-year old bridge, so they might as well fuck up the park, too.
Secret Los Angeles spills the secret on the planned Westwood bike lanes that will — finally — connect UCLA to the Westwood/Rancho Park E Line station. And eventually connect the E Line to the D (Purple) Line.
State
A 40-year old Rohnert Park man was lucky to escape with non-life threatening injuries when he ignored railroad crossing gates, a train’s horn and warning lights to ride his bike across railroad tracks as a SMART train was crossing. Seriously, train crashes are the easiest collisions to avoid, since they’re confined to a narrow space and usually provide ample warning that they’re coming. And they’re fucking loud.
Three years after allowing ebikes on an East Bay trail, an unscientific survey finds 80% of trail users feel unsafe around them. Although I wonder if the survey included ebike riders, too.
Golden State Report’s Paul Thornton says San Francisco’s Prop G is the most LA thing on the city’s ballot; the measure would rip out the popular sunset Dunes Park to restore the former Upper Great Highway. Which clearly wasn’t so great, or they never would have shut it down to create a linear park in the first place.
National
Velo picks the year’s best road bikes, starting with their $2,500 “budget” bike.
PeopleForBikes says that e-mountain bikes are changing the way Forest Service land managers work. Which makes sense, since they cost less than a good horse, and are way cheaper to feed.
A couple of New York legislators who can’t seem to undo the caps lock key on their keyboard propose allowing scofflaw bicyclists to watch a video instead of paying a fine, inspired by a similar London law. If I have to watch a video, I’ll take Casablanca, please.
A bill in the New Jersey legislature would exempt Class 1 and 2 ebikes from the state’s draconian licensing and registration requirements.
A 33-year old Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 10 to 40 years behind bars for beating another man to death with his own bicycle, after pleading guilty to 3rd-degree murder while insisting he didn’t remember doing it, but admitting video evidence was likely to sway a jury. The article kept disappearing on me, but maybe you’ll have better luck.
An Alabama woman received 25 years behind bars for killing a 13-year old middle school student as he was riding his bicycle, while she was speeding, “under the influence of multiple substances,” and ran the red light he was legally crossing.
This is who we share the road with. A Florida cop was busted for driving drunk while on duty, in his patrol car, with a BAC three times the legal limit.
Thousands of creepily clad costumers climbed on their bikes for Key West’s annual four-mile Zombie Ride.
International
Yucatán Magazine looks at the dangers faced by bike riders in Mérida, the Mexican state’s capital city, from disconnected and poorly maintained bike lanes to hazardous urban corridors. Sounds kinda like a certain SoCal megalopolis we could name.
A fourth person has been arrested protesting Ontario’s moves to rip out a Toronto bike lane, as dozens of people continue their effort to block the roadwork.
A 27-year old London woman was sentenced to a relatively modest ten years and nine months behind bars for killing a music student as he rode his bike in the city’s Hackney neighborhood, while she was high on laughing gas and doing 53 mph in a 20 mph zone. Although typical of British reports, the make of car she was driving seems to be the most important detail.
A new joint German-Israeli study used a robotic bike — no, not what you think — to determined that “dynamic, trunk-related control that keeps the upper body stable while the world tilts beneath the wheels” is more important than general steadiness on two feet in keeping older bike riders balanced and stable on their bicycles.
Competitive Cycling
Two-time Leadville 100 champ Melisa Rollins is leaving offroad cycling behind to embark on a new road cycling career.
Finally…
Yes, your toddler needs a nearly $700 titanium-frame balance bike. While your kid toddles on ti, your next bike could be made from thermoplastics.
And that feeling when Lime says using their bikes for the noble sport of ebike jousting is a big no-no.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
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