My apologies.
I am reluctantly throwing in the towel on Friday’s post. I was really hoping to make it through my first week back, but after trying, and failing, to write tonight, I’ve just got nothing left to give.
As usual, we’ll be back on Monday to catch up on what we missed. And hopefully by then my aching shoulder and I will both be rested and ready to work.
……..
Hard to believe this is the 17th anniversary of the Infamous Beachfront Bee Encounter that sent me to the ICU, and onto the path that led me here.
Because it was the months I spent confined to home afterwards, recovering from a massive hematoma caused by an even more massive bike crash, that inspired me to start writing about bicycling and advocating for bike safety.
Maybe someday I’ll tell you the rest of the story from that day, involving one of those deeply spiritual, bright light near-death experiences only other people seem to have.
Then again, you’d probably just think I was fucking nuts.
And I’d probably agree.
Photo by Pixabay.
………
The annual AIDS/LifeCycle Ride is coming to an end after 30 years.
The iconic seven day, 545 mile ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles will roll out for the last time next June, arriving in LA for the end of Pride Week.
Over its three decade lifespan, AIDS/LifeCycle has raised over $300 million for the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, starting when HIV/AIDS was still a death sentence for too many people in this country.
But a decline in both ridership and donations since the pandemic has meant it no longer brings in enough to justify continuing.
According to the NBC Bay Area TV station,
“Especially after the last few years, that what’s left after we pay those costs, it doesn’t rise to the level of what we believe in our industry is an ethical way to run a fundraiser,” said Tyler TerMeer, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
So if you’ve been thinking about doing it “someday,” next year is your last chance.
Let’s hope it goes out with the biggest and most successful ride yet.
………
Don’t forget tonight’s Burbank City Council Mobility Debate, hosted on Zoom by Streets For All.
………
It’s now 266 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 39 full months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.
………
No bias here. A writer for the Telegraph responds to news of AI-controlled traffic lights designed to give bike riders priority at intersections by saying “entitled cyclists are about to get even more insufferable.”
No bias here, either. After an Irish bicyclist sent video of drivers talking on their phones and parking illegally to the local cops, they responded by mailing a ticket — to him, for jumping a red light.
………
Bike Culver City and Culver City High School’s Green New Deal have been awarded a grant from the Clean Air Coalition of Greater Los Angeles to promote Clean Air Day next month with an Art Design Contest, Pledge Outreach Campaign and an educational bike ride.
About damn time. Bakersfield authorities publicly identified a 20-year old man who died over a week after he was struck by a driver while riding his bike back in June.
Momentum ranks the states with the best bicycling routes through US wine regions; needless to say, California comes out on top, with a SoCal shoutout to Paso Robles, but no mention of Temecula.
Your next bike lights could be designed by a truck driver, and look like second set of handlebars.
The Cherokee Nation is accepting applications for next year’s 950-mile Remember the Removal Bike Ride; candidates must be citizens of the Cherokee Nation citizens between 16 and 24 years old.
Now it’s murder. Police in a Seattle suburb are looking for a group of three or four juveniles who severely beat a 56-year old man riding a bicycle last month for no apparent reason, after the victim died in the hospital on Sunday.
Lyft is pulling their dockless micromobility devices out of the Denver market, removing their ebikes and e-scooters even as demand continues to rise — and despite having two years left on their contract with the city.
A Connecticut writer says 9/11 was a perfect day to ride a bike. Except for that whole terrorist thing.
A group of US and Irish firefighters raised nearly $150,000 with a three day, 225-mile bike ride through the Irish countryside to honor the victims of 9/11, visiting 17 fire stations and finishing at a memorial garden built by an Irish nurse who treated the victims from the twin towers.
Erstwhile country singer Kasey Musgraves is one of us, wrecking her knee by crashing a rented ebike while trying to record a video on a trip to Ireland to kick off her latest tour — and that wasn’t even the worst part of her trip.
In a sentiment that will sound familiar to American bike riders, the head of a Namibian road safety organization complains that a failed bike lane was designed by someone who has never ridden a bicycle.
American ultra-endurance bicyclist Lael Wilcox shattered the world record for fastest woman to ride around the world, shaving nearly 16 days off the existing record of 124 days and 11 hours, set six years ago by Scottish cyclist Jenny Graham; Wilcox rode 18,125 miles in 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes.
Evidently, setting the record for Tour de France stage wins wasn’t enough, as 39-year old Mark Cavendish considers postponing his retirement once again to return next year.
Triathlon “Megastar” Kristian Blummenfelt has pulled the plug on a four-year plan to win the Tour de France after finishing a disappointing 12th in the recent Paris Olympics, shifting his focus to winning the triathlon in the ’28 Los Angeles Olympics to go with his gold from Tokyo.
This is what a real bike theft looks like. That feeling when a rightwing riot wrecks the bike racks.
And this may be one reason why people don’t use the bike path.
Photo from Road.cc
………
Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin
……..
It’s a light news day, so let’s get right to it.
And yes, my shoulder is grateful for that.
Apropos of nothing, today’s image is an AI corgi on a bicycle.
………
Oceanside is hosting a public meeting next Wednesday to discuss closing a vital gap in San Diego County’s Coastal Rail Trail.
The City of Oceanside is planning to improve the multi-use trail connectivity between Buccaneer Park and Vista Way, and add a new trail from Vista Way to Carlsbad Boulevard. Join us online for an update on the trail: Wed., Sept. 18 @ 6PM. More: https://t.co/nTTIF1lYrE#Oceanside pic.twitter.com/ylAyMOHLfQ
— City of Oceanside (@CityofOceanside) September 10, 2024
………
It’s now 265 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 39 full months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.
Meanwhile, Streets For All insists the vouchers are coming soon, so let’s hope they know something we don’t.
………
No bias here. A 60-something English man was the victim of a hit-and-run while riding his bike on Monday. Yet the local press just blames the “horsebox” — aka horse trailer on this side of the pond — for striking him, without even mentioning there was probably a driver towing it.
………
Culver City-based Walk ‘n Rollers will host their family-friendly Fall Festival bike safety event this Sunday in the Culver City Middle School Parking Lot.
Burbank is now offering free bike racks to local businesses to install in the public right-of-way.
Sad news from San Jose, where a man was killed by a driver while riding his bike near a freeway onramp.
In a story originally blockaded by the San Francisco Chronicle’s draconian paywall, Waymo alleges a bike rider made intentional contact with one of their automated robotaxis, and deliberately fell over afterwards. Or the rider could have put his hand out to avoid getting hit, and fell over as a result. Just saying.
Electrek says yes, bike riders should roll stop signs.
Cycling News explains the many, many different flavors of road bikes.
A new study published in Nature examines the possibility of automated computer analysis of near-miss collision studies, opening the door to real-time AI data analysis.
Seattle learned the hard way to improve streetcar crossings, after paying out a total of $5.75 million to settle with two bicyclists who were injured when their tires got stuck in the tracks.
The mayor of Las Cruces, New Mexico will host a bike ride with local residents on Saturday. Something our bike-riding mayor still hasn’t done. And probably won’t.
Residents in their hometown were shocked by the deaths of the hockey playing Gaudreau brothers, killed by an alleged drunk driver — who grew up in the same New Jersey county — the night before their sister’s wedding.
The UK is testing out AI-controlled traffic lights that give priority to people on bicycles to create a green wave bike route.
Sixty people set off on a 390-mile ride from the UK to Paris to remember 18 members of an English rugby club who were killed in a 1975 plane crash near the French city, including eight children and four grandchildren of the crash victims.
Dublin, Ireland is installing new traffic signals with flashing arrows to give bike riders priority over drivers for making left turns, the equivalent of our right turns.
Momentum rides France’s La Régalante, a new 170-mile bike route weaving through the historic Marches de Bretagne from Mont-Saint-Michel to Nantes, saying it offers “a seamless blend of adventure, culture, and natural beauty.”
Velo explains Sepp Kuss’ unexpected vanishing act from the Vuelta top ten.
That feeling when the former cyclist in your advertorial really stretches the meaning of former. Who needs to get published in a poetry magazine when you can deliver them directly by bicycle?
And if you’re going to bet that no one is using a new protected bike lane, be ready to put your money where your mouth is.
………
Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin
……..
That’s more like it.
A Sacramento middle school was able to reduce tardy arrivals and boost attendance by giving bicycles to students with attendance problems, so they can ride to school.
According to the local CBS NEWS station,
“Attendance is everything,” said Michael Rosales, an attendance technician at Mills Middle School. “The child cannot learn if they aren’t here. The child can’t be social if they aren’t here.”
“Traffic is horrible around here, and sometimes, if we can alleviate that where the child can ride to school, it helps the parents get the other students to their schools on time,” he said.
Now all they need is enough safe infrastructure to protect the kids on their way to class, and make their parents feel comfortable letting them ride there.
………
Calbike recounts the bills passed by the legislature this year that they want to governor to sign, including:
- Safer Vehicles Save Lives Bill, SB 961 (Wiener): The second half of Senator Wiener’s street safety package, which CalBike sponsored along with the Complete Streets Bill, will require most cars, trucks, and buses sold in California to include passive intelligent speed assist (ISA) by 2030. ISA gives drivers a signal when they exceed the speed limit by 10 miles per hour and can help prevent speed-related collisions, saving lives. It is already required in Europe and uses existing technology that is widely available.
- Transportation Accountability Act, AB 2086 (Schiavo): An excellent complement to the Complete Streets Bill, this measure will require Caltrans to account for where California’s transportation dollars go. It will be an essential tool for advocates who want to make sure our spending matches our climate and equity goals.
- Banning Bridge Tolls for People Walking and Biking, AB 2669 (Ting): This bill makes permanent a measure that sunsets next year. It allows toll-free crossings for people who walk or bike across toll bridges. It will have the biggest impact in the Bay Area, which has several toll bridges with bicycle and pedestrian lanes.
- Bike Lanes in Coastal Areas, SB 689 (Blakespear): This bill limits the ability of the Coastal Commission to block the development of new bikeways on existing roads in coastal areas.
- Limits on Class III Bikeways, SB 1216 (Blakespear): Class III bikeways are lanes shared by bike riders and car drivers. While they may be appropriate for neighborhood streets and some other contexts, they are sometimes used in place of more protective infrastructure because the cost is much lower. This bill would limit the use of state funding to create Class III bikeways on high-speed routes. It was originally in conflict with a provision of AB 2290, but since that bill died in the Senate Appropriations Committee, we’re happy to see this measure reach the governor’s desk.
- E-Bike Battery Safety Standards, SB 1271 (Min): This bill requires all e-bikes sold in California to use batteries with safety certifications. It will help prevent most, if not all, battery fires, as those are usually caused by substandard batteries.
- Unsafe Speed Penalties, SB 1509 (Stern): Continuing the speed theme, this bill would increase penalties for speeding more than 25 mph over the speed limit on roads with speed limits of 55 mph or less.
Not included on the list are some key bills that didn’t make it through the legislature, including bills to create a quick build bike lane pilot program at Caltrans, and once again pass a Stop As Yield bill for the governor to veto.
………
In a followup to yesterday’s lead story, Meredith Gaudreau, the wife of fallen bicyclist and NHL star Johnny Gaudreau, announced at the funeral of Johnny and his brother Matthew that she is pregnant, too, just like Matthew’s wife — which mean’s neither kid will ever know their father.
Meanwhile, Katie Gaudreau, sister of the two Gaudreau brothers, revealed she learned about her brothers deaths on the day of her wedding, and engraved their initials into her wedding ring as a memorial to them.
………
It’s now 264 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 39 full months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.
………
No bias here. A New Jersey radio broadcaster says he’s going to feel really bad when he hits your kid “doing stupid stuff” on his bike.
A Miami cop got fired for driving off when witnesses to a fatal hit-and-run asked him to help the victim, who had been riding an ebike, telling them to find someone else. And he should have been, too.
No bias here. A Toronto cop got into a heated exchange with people on a memorial ride for a fallen bicyclist, insisting they needed to keep moving after they paused near the crash site for a moment of silence.
Yesterday as cyclists on a ghost bike ride prepared to leave the crash site a lone @TorontoPolice officer lost his cool, creating a situation of danger in a roadway. As I tried to assure him we were on our way he threatened to arrest me & thru my bike on the ground 1/3 #bikeTO pic.twitter.com/AMovLvKcf5
— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) September 8, 2024
A London writer says progressive politicians and responsible bicyclists need to speak up against the “everyday menace of antisocial behavior by cyclists” who dump ebikes and casually break the rules, giving us all a bad name.
………
Streetsblog reminds us about this Sunday’s CicLAmini on Broadway in Lincoln Heights.
A Laguna Nigel man completed a cross-country fundraising ride from Seattle to New York last month, but is still collecting donations in an attempt to raise $25,000 for the 13 American service members who were killed in the bombing at Kabul airport in Afghanistan three years ago.
San Diego officials defended the planned Normal Street Promenade in the Hillcrest neighborhood — complete with a fully separated bikeway — despite a nearly 50% increase over previous estimates, calling it a model for park-deprived neighborhoods throughout the city.
San Francisco’s successful, but highly unpopular Valencia Street centerline protected bike lane will be moved to a more traditional curbside position, possibly as soon as January.
After a local news site asked a police use-of-force expert to review the recent pepper spraying and arrest of a couple teenagers by a Redding cop, the expert concluded that the cop never gave them the required warnings or attempted to de-escalate the situation.
She gets it. A writer for Clean Technica says we can’t let governments regulate ebikes to death.
Glamour recommends the best gifts for bicyclists — some of which you might actually want, for a change.
The tony resort town of Vail, Colorado is offering six free ebikes to essential low-income workers employed in the town, defined there as earning less than $58,000 a year.
Here’s another reason to ride a bike. A Texas couple got married in front of 1,800 people at a Waco bike race because bicycling brought them together. No one can guarantee you’ll find true love, of course. Except you’ll probably love your bicycle.
This is why people keep dying on our streets. A 68-year old man riding near the end of a Fort Worth, Texas group ride was killed when a woman entering from a side street drove through the group, hitting the victim with enough force to kill him instantly — but won’t be charged after she remained at the scene, and was very distraught. Although I imagine the victim’s loved ones were even more distraught.
This is why people stop riding their bikes. A 70-year old Texas man says he’s never getting on another bike after he was the victim of a hit-and-run.
He gets it. A Mad City driver and bicyclist says yes, there are several factors causing traffic problems in the city, but the bike lanes ain’t one of ’em.
A New York father faces charges for failing to secure his guns after his 11-year old son came out carrying a shotgun, and ordered a 13-year old boy riding a bicycle to get away from their house. But it’s okay, ’cause he never pointed it at the kid or anything.
Bike Radar offers a size guide for women’s bikes of every type.
The Department of DIY struck in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where someone spray painted their own bike lane and bike box at an intersection where a woman was fatally right hooked by a cement truck driver last year.
Oops. Belfast, Ireland opened a new Grand Central Station for buses without a single bicycle parking space, forcing people to lock their bikes anywhere they can.
A new survey says no, New Zealanders aren’t “sick and tired” of spending tax money building bike lanes, despite what the country’s Transport Minister claims.
Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic tied the record by winning his fourth Vuelta on Sunday, finishing over two and a half minutes ahead of second place Ben O’Connor, while Enric Mas finished third. Sepp Kuss was the top American finisher at 14th.
Brennan Wertz and Lauren Stephens won the men’s and women’s US Gravel National Championships this past weekend.
Thirty-five-year old former pro Serghei Tvetcov successfully transitioned to gravel racing after leaving the WorldTour when he was diagnosed two years ago with chronic myelogenous leukemia, an incurable blood cancer.
Bicycling is where carmakers come to die. Who needs a car for a 24-hour Nürburgring endurance race when you’ve got a bicycle?
And that feeling when your campaign ad features your goggle-wearing dog riding in a bucket bike.
………
Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin
We’re back, more or less.
I’ve been out for over a month after surgery to replace two tendon and fix a number of tears in my right shoulder. I’m now looking at a long recovery, with six months of rehab before I’m back to normal, let alone get back on a bike.
Or whatever passes for normal at my age.
I’ll do my best to keep this site going on a regular basis, but may face some issues going forward depending on how well rehab goes.
Before we move on, though, let’s take a moment to consider that the new tendons holding my shoulder together came from caring people who donated their bodies after death.
We tend to think of organ donation as involving hearts and lungs, livers and kidneys. But corneas, skin, bones and yes, tendons, also stem from that same kindness.
And I couldn’t be more grateful for them.
So if you haven’t signed your organ donor card, what the hell are you waiting for?
Now let’s catch up on some of the bigger stories we missed over the past 34 days, before we get back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.
Photo by Tembela Bohle from Pexels.
………
……..
Let’s start with the biggest — and worst — news of the last month.
It was just over a week ago that 31-year old NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his 29-year old brother Matthew were killed by an (allegedly) extremely drunk driver while they were riding their bikes in New Jersey.
The brothers were run down on a rural road in Oldmans Township on Thursday, August 30th, the night before they were supposed to be groomsmen in their sister’s wedding.
Needless to say, the wedding is off for now.
They were run down from behind after the driver, identified as 43-year old Sean Higgins, passed one car on the left, then attempted to pass an SUV on the right when it moved left to go around the Gaudreaus.
Higgins failed a field sobriety test, telling police he had five or six beers before the crash, and that his drinking probably contributed to “his impatience and reckless driving.”
He was arrested at the scene, and charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
Higgins serves as a Major in the US National Guard, while working for a nonprofit substance abuse treatment center. Which means he should have known the risk of driving under the influence.
A crowdfunding campaign for Matthew Gaudreau’s wife, Madeline, who is pregnant with their first child, has raised nearly $645,000 — over 21 times the $30,000 goal.
Meanwhile, USA Today points out that the NHL star was just one of hundreds of bicyclists killed in the US each year — make that over 1,000 in 2022, actually — while Streetsblog says the real story is the systematic failures that led to the Gaudreau brothers deaths.
And the BBC issued a non-apology, saying they were sorry a bicyclist “did not appreciate” their headline which called the crash an “accident.”
………
Streetsblog offers an update on transportation bills on the governor’s desk after being approved by the legislature, including:
………
While we were gone, the Glendale City Council narrowly approved the city’s draft transportation plan, along with safety improvements to La Crescenta Ave, after an extremely contentious debate.
Meanwhile, Glendale will consider a a proposal to build the nine-mile Arroyo Verdugo Greenway at Tuesday’s city council meeting.
In 2021 the City began a high-level study which envisioned the Wash as a nine mile green space from its confluence with the LA River up to Crescenta Valley Park. It includes bike and pedestrian trails with access to business and entertainment venues, and connects several important city centers, services and a multitude of neighborhoods that make up a large core of Glendale.
Walk Bike Glendale urges you to attend or call into the meeting, or email the individual council members in advance.
………
Streets For All is hosting a virtual Mobility Debate with the candidates for the Burbank City Council Thursday Evening.
………
Once again, the Los Angeles County Sheriff department demonstrated how little their deputies know about bike law, when former LA-based pro Phil Gaimon — star of the Worst Retirement Ever videos on YouTube — had to educate one on why the ticket he was about to get was against the law.
………
It’s now 263 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 39 full months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.
………
After a 14-year old boy was seriously injured by a garbage truck driver while riding to school in La Mesa, California, the city’s NBC station demonstrated how to get the story wrong, with a headline suggesting the boy collided with the truck, rather than the other way around. Nope, no bias there.
A road-raging 19-year old Zion, Utah woman chased down a bike rider and rammed him with her car as he tried to flee, after arguing and spitting at her when she ran a stop sign and nearly hit him. Evidently, she felt a crashing need to finish what she’d started.
When a road raging driver attacked a group of Black Baltimore bicyclists with bear spray, the community responded with a love ride.
Police in Dublin, Ireland are investigating an apparent road rage attack by a driver who pushed a bicyclist up against a barrier and repeatedly hit him with his fists as bystanders tried to stop the attack.
A 59-year old German man was arrested for sabotaging mountain bike trails by stringing wire across them to fell unwary riders; for once, the charges fit the crime, booked on suspicion of attempted murder. Velo says attacks like that are not something you need to fret about, though.
A bike-raging New York bicyclist was busted for allegedly punching a woman jogger in the face after they argued when his handlebars made contact with her as she ran in the opposite direction on an Eastchester bike path.
A British woman says it made her ashamed to ride a bicycle when another rider crashed into her after jumping a red light, and called her a “stupid bitch.”
………
The New York Times considers whether Los Angeles can really pull off a carfree Olympics just four years from now. Short answer, no. Longer answer, hell no.
Caltrans is still conducting its Pacific Coast Highway Master Plan Feasibility Study to determine just what safety improvements people want — or rather, are willing to tolerate. So if you bike, walk or drive along PCH in Malibu, you owe it to yourself and everyone else to take part.
Streetsblog’s Joe Linton examines the first six months since Measure HLA passed with overwhelming support, mandating the city to build out the eight-year old mobility plan whenever a street gets resurfaced. So far the news isn’t good, with work on Reseda Blvd moving forward while everything else stalled out — including the city’s workaround on Vermont Ave in South LA to avoid triggering HLA.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge summarily denied a CEQA lawsuit from Friends and Families for MOVE Culver City to keep Culver City from removing the protected bike lanes through downtown, calling it “the weakest petition (he’s) ever seen in an environmental case;” the group vowed to appeal.
WeHo Times reports on a “tumultuous” community meeting to discuss bike lane designs on Willoughby, Vista/Gardner and Kings Street; as usual, most of the complaints centered on parking and outreach. The city also accepted an $8.2 million grant for transportation and safety improvements, including Fountain Ave, where protected bike lanes are planned.
Santa Monica is dropping speed limits on over 30 miles of streets to improve safety.
The southwest San Gabriel Valley is moving closer to a Metro-funded improvement project linking the First Street, Riggin Street and Potrero Grande Drive corridor, including 5.3 miles of bike lanes through Rosemead, South San Gabriel, Montebello and Monterey Park.
LA County received over $60 million in grants for safety improvement projects, including projects in Long Beach, Palmdale and South LA.
The LA Times picks up the story of how Bike Index’s Bryan Hance uncovered an international bike theft ring on his own when authorities didn’t give a shit show any interest.
Calbike talks with Wes Marshall, author of the new book, Killed by a Traffic Engineer.
The Voice of OC questions whether deadly Beach Blvd will ever be safe for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Family members are urging any witnesses to come forward who may have seen the hit-and-run crash that critically injured 71-year old Bob Hilborn as he rode his bike in Chula Vista last month.
San Diego is conducting a survey to get input on the forthcoming bicycle master plan.
A man riding his bike on Highway 1 suffered several injuries — and got a couple traffic tickets — after falling over 100 feet when he ignored “road closed” signs and a warning that he would probably die by attempting to ride across a rock slide that shut down the highway. And he nearly did.
A new bill in Congress would finally mandate federal standards for hood height and visibility in order to protect pedestrians, bicyclists and other people outside the vehicle, after research showed SUVs and trucks with high front ends and blunt profiles are 45% more likely to kill pedestrians in a crash than smaller cars and trucks.
A recent study from Oregon State University shows that the Idaho Stop Law, aka Stop as Yield, does not result in dangerous behavior by bicyclists or drivers; Velo says of course it’s safer for bicyclists. Gavin Newsom vetoed two bills that would have legalized it in California.
A new book from Rob Walker of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy looks at 20 Apps, Ideas, and Innovators Changing the Urban Landscape.
Apple TV+ premiered Ghost Bike, a short film about a mother who meets a stranger in a Greek diner, who may hold the key to solving her son’s untimely death — apparently on a bicycle.
A writer for BuzzFeed offers 22 very tongue-in-cheek reasons why wearing a helmet is “literally one of the absolute worst decisions a person can make.”
Your next ebike could be a Ford Bronco. Or maybe a Mustang.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz is accused of holding up a bill to improve ebike battery safety in a misguided attempt to halt regulations he thinks could lead to a ban on gas stoves.
The New York Times examines what the city could learn from the recent reimagining of the streets of Paris.
A Miami man is on trial for murder for chasing down and fatally shooting a man as he rode in a club peloton, although the defense insists it was self-defense after he was attacked by armed bicyclists with guns that were apparently secreted in their spandex kits and mysteriously disappeared afterwards; a Key Biscayne paper somehow described the incident as occurring in “the ultra-machismo world of the Miami cycling community.”
Momentum recommends the world’s most beautiful bicycle routes; just three of the 30 routes are in the US, with none in California.
Fifty-five-year old former Canadian IndyCar driver and 2003 ChampCar World Series champion Paul Tracy suffered a dislocated shoulder and three broken vertebrae when he was struck by an SUV driver while riding his bike last week.
A 29-year old British drug dealer was sentenced to a well-deserved 14-years behind bars for the hit-and-run crash that killed a bike-riding man, before driving off to make his weed deliveries.
It turns out the ever-feuding Gallagher brothers from the newly reunited British band Oasis are two of us; Road.cc lists other bicycling musical greats and songs about bikes.
Ireland’s Finance Minister justifiably complained about a new bike shed that cost the equivalent of $372,000 to hold just 18 bikes, when a competitor could have built it for $22,000.
A new German report says distracted bicycling is on the rise, blaming it for a significant, but undetermined, increase in crash risk. Never mind that many of the 10 to 17% of bicyclists who use their smartphones while riding are probably just using navigation or bike apps.
A new Chinese study shows how ebikes are changing the landscape of transportation, including reduced reliance on motor vehicles and improved mobility for people of all ages.
A Parisian website recounts all the paracycling medal winners from the Paris Para-Olympics.
Bicycling writes that America’s Kristen Faulkner was told she had just a 6% chance of winning gold in Olympic road cycling, just before she did it. Read it on AOL this time if the magazine blocks you.
Olympic bronze medalist Wout van Aert is done for the season, after a knee injury suffered in a major crash required a series of transfusions to prevent infection.
Sad news from Las Vegas, where five-time Venezuelan Olympic cyclist Daniela Larreal Chirinos was found dead in her home during a welfare check, at age 51, after not being seen for several days; she apparently died from choking on her food.
Six bicycles “beyond any monetary value” that were ridden by Peter Sagan, Mathieu van der Poel, Julian Alaphilippe and Egan Bernal were stolen from the Netherland’s Shimano Experience Center last week.
We may have to dodge LA’s flighty drivers, but at least we don’t have to duck dive-bombing magpies — then again, we don’t have to worry about herds of leaping deer, either. Now they’re out to get us on beachfront bike paths, too.
And that feeling when wild horses couldn’t stop your ride. Thanks to Oceanside bike lawyer and BikinginLA sponsor Richard Duquette for that one.
………
Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin
A woman was killed riding her bike in Camarillo Friday afternoon.
But all we know about her right now is what wasn’t on her head.
According to the Ventura County Star, the victim was struck by the driver of cargo van shortly before 2:10 pm, at the intersection of Adolfo and Santa Rosa roads.
She was taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
Unfortunately, that’s all we know right now. No word on how the crash occurred, or who may have been at fault.
Only that sheriff’s deputies thought it was important to mention that the victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, wasn’t wearing a helmet. Which only matters if she died of a head injury, or if the crash might have somehow been survivable with one.
This is at least the 36th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in Ventura County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and her loved ones.
I want to share this press release from SAFE — aka Streets Are For Everyone — about their press conference tomorrow at the Ronald Reagan Building at 300 South Spring Street in DTLA.
They need to get as many people there as possible to show their support. So if you’ve got the morning free and can handle the 100° heat, plan to be there.
I’ll be home resting my surgically repaired shoulder in hopes of getting back to work on Monday. So we’ll see you back here next week.
Calling on Gov. Newsom to Lead the US in Efforts to Combat Dangerous Speeding
Saturday, 7 September – Victims of traffic violence, activists for safer roads, and road safety organizations from across Southern California will be holding a press conference and Ghost Tire placement in front of the Ronald Reagan Building in Downtown LA, calling on Gov. Newsom to sign Senate Bill 961 (Weiner) and Senate Bill 1509 (Stern).
“Speed is the largest factor behind all traffic fatalities and serious injuries across CA. To put it simply, speed kills,” said Damian Kevitt, Executive Director of Streets Are For Everyone. “In the City of Los Angeles, those injured or killed are most likely to be pedestrians – kids going to school, parents going to work – devastating families and friends of those hit.” Per a report written by SAFE, Los Angeles City has seen an 81% increase in traffic fatalities and a 108% increase in pedestrian fatalities since 2015. In 2023, 37.8% of all collisions were caused by speeding. (Source: TIMS)
SB 1509 increases accountability for driving at dangerous speeds by assigning two points for repeat offenses of excessive speeding within three years and creating a graduated fine schedule based on the number of violations within a year. For a fact sheet about this bill, click here.
SB 961 is a first-of-its-kind bill that will be a game-changer. This bill will require vehicle manufacturers to install speed warning technology—an audio and visual alert when drivers are going more than 10 MPH above the speed limit—in all vehicles made or sold in California (excluding emergency vehicles and motorcycles) starting in model year 2030. This technology is not new; Toyota will already offer it as a standard feature for all new cars, and Europe requires it for all new cars. SB 961 would require it as standard for all manufacturers. For a fact sheet about about this bill, click here. For answers to FAQs, click here.
The automobile industry is opposed to SB 961 and continues to design vehicles that are dramatically faster than previous generations. According to the EPA’s 2022 Automotive Trends Report, the average American vehicle from model year 2021 could reach 60 mph in 7.7 seconds. This is about twice as fast as cars purchased in the early 1980s. Electric vehicles are even faster than the average American vehicle, with many reaching 60 MPH in only a few seconds. While advanced safety measures might protect drivers and passengers in these vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists outside of cars are getting hit and killed in greater numbers than in the past. The truth is that the US is the only industrialized nation in the world with a worsening traffic violence statistic by trend.
“If the auto industry is going to make cars and trucks that encourage drivers to go too fast, there needs to be vehicle technology that helps counteract this,” said Damian. “Sixty years ago, when states wanted to require car seat belts, the auto industry fought it. But no one would question seat belts today as a necessary safety measure. Intelligent Speed Assistance in vehicles is no different.”
In 1961, Wisconsin was the first state to mandate seat belts in all vehicles, which eventually led to a federal law requiring them. Seat belts are credited with saving more than 500,000 lives in America.
What: Press Conference and Ghost Tire Placement
When: 9:30 AM, Saturday, 7 September, 2024
Where: Ronald Reagan Building, State of California, 308 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Who: Victims of Traffic Violence, including Cindi Enamorado (lost her brother), Lili Trujillo Puckett (lost her daughter), Lori Argumedo (lost her niece), Darlene Smith (lost her sister), and more.
Representatives from non-profit organizations and advocacy groups, including Streets Are For Everyone, Streets For All, Car-Lite Long Beach, Street Racing Kills, Faith for SAFEr Streets, Bike Long Beach, So Cal Families for Safe Streets, SAFE Families, Move LA, Walk n Rollers, LA Walks, and more.
Just a quick update.
I was really hoping to be back by now. But my doctor tells me.a that, while my shoulder surgery was successful, they had to do a lot more work than they expected. And I haven’t bounced back the way I had planned.
So please accept my apologies. I’ll try to be back to our regular schedule next week.
Nope.
Nothing suspicious here.
A man was struck and killed by a wrong-way, hit-and-run driver while riding his bike on a South LA sidewalk early Thursday morning.
According to Fox-11, the man was riding on the 7900 block of Alameda Street in the Florence-Firestone neighborhood just after 1 am Thursday, when an unknown driver jumped the curb on the opposite side of the roadway, traveling against traffic, and striking the victim on the sidewalk.
The driver sped off following the crash, leaving the victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, to die at the scene.
My News LA places the location at 7927 Alameda.
Video from Fox-11 shows the victim’s blurred body lying on the sidewalk, next to his backpack and cellphone, with his BMX bike in the street nearby.
There’s no description of the suspect vehicle at this time, let alone the person behind the wheel.
But considering that the driver struck someone on a raised sidewalk, on the opposite side of a two-way street, it suggests they may have lost control at high rate of speed, or while driving distracted or under the influence.
Or that the crash may have been intentional.
Hopefully we’ll learn more soon.
This is at least the 35th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the tenth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.
Thirteen of those SoCal deaths have come at the hands of heartless cowards who didn’t have the basic human decency to stick around afterward.
Update: The victim has been identified as 37-year old Julio Castellon, while the location has been corrected to be the Florence-Graham neighborhood of South LA.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Julio Castellon and all his loved ones.
Too often when someone is injured while riding a bicycle, we never hear any more about it.
This time we did. But the news wasn’t good.
According to multiple, virtually identical news reports, 61-year old Scott Andrew Morris died three weeks to the day after suffering a head injury in an Irvine collision earlier this month.
Morris was riding his beach cruiser north on MacArthur Blvd, in the onramp to the 405 Freeway, around 1:20 pm on Thursday, August 1st, when police say he suddenly turned to the left, crashing his bike into the passenger door and mirror of a massive Chevy Suburban SUV.
He fell to the ground, striking his head, and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died on Thursday.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
Morris was not wearing a helmet. Which is worth noting this time, since he apparently died of a head injury; however, we don’t know how fast the SUV was going, or whether the crash would have been survivable with or without one.
Although another possible explanation for how the collision unfolded is that Morris was forced to ride across a dangerous slip lane designed for high speeds, with no bike infrastructure or safety accommodations of any kind. And was sideswiped by the driver, who either didn’t see him or was trying to get around his bike as Morris tried to make his way across.
Something that could be supported by damage to the Suburban’s passenger-side mirror, which would have likely hit Morris first if the driver struck him, rather than the other way around.
The question is whether there were independent witnesses to the crash, or any video evidence, or if investigators simply took the driver’s word for it, since Morris may have been unable to give his version of events.
Anyone with information is urged to call Irvine Police detectives at 949/724-7024.
This is at least the 34th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth that I’m aware of in Orange County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Scott Andrew Morris and all his loved ones.
