Today’s submission comes from Harv, who relates a quick ride through LA’s Highland Park neighborhood for groceries on the day before Christmas Eve.
He describes himself as a long time LA resident of who began riding for transportation at the tender age of 12, and has been active in the resurgence of bicycle activism since the bike boom of the early 1970s.
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Since I am no longer commuting to my former job in DTLA or my volunteer job in Highland Park, my most frequent repeated ride is for food shopping. A round trip of 5 miles, all hilly, with tricky freeway feeders and a dangerous intersection at Figueroa and Avenue 50. I have been car-free for three years, before then I was car very light for several years. My bike is my only transportation from home, if I want to eat, I have to ride. So let’s get started for an Xmas eve-eve run to the Food for Less in Highland Park.
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It will start with my bolting on my cut-down milk crate to the rack of my grocery bike built for the purpose. A frame low enough to step over when my crate is stacked high with groceries, 1.5 inch street tyres for stability and load bearing, a low enough bottom gear to lug up my moderate hill with 20 pounds of food, 5 pounds of rack/crate, a 5 or 6 pound back pack, and, of course, me. Without the added cargo, I can fly up my hill on one of my single speed bikes with less effort.
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OK, we descend the hill and get within a mile of the market without having to pedal at all. A short run along Griffin Avenue takes us past the playing fields of Montecito Park, which are empty today, but frequently have several ball games going. Continue past the Audubon Center and the north gate of Debs Park which usually has several homeless camps going on behind it, and then the Avenue 52 freeway feeder looms up disturbing the tranquility of the trip thus far. Here, there are I-110 on and off ramps on either side of the parkway. As I pass the first set, I glance to my left to see how many cars are backed up at the end of the off ramp stop sign. All these cars will be turning left into my path. I adjust my speed and position to minimize the conflict and sprint up the short distance to get across the bridge and duck into the residential area which provides refuge. When the I-110 was put in, about 1940, all streets in the grid across the Arroyo to Figueroa were dead-ended except for the freeway feeders such as Avenue 43, 52, and 57. So there is no way I can get across without hitting this feeder traffic.
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To avoid Figueroa and Ave 52, I wiggle through the residential area alluded to and approach the market on Ave 50 but hop onto the sidewalk before the corner to avoid the dreaded right hooking cars into the Mickey Dee’s parking lot. Finally rolling into the F4L lot after clearing the bus passengers and Big Mac gobblers, now only to dodge cars backing out of spaces and errant shopping carts rolling down the slight incline. But finally making it to the front door, I dismount and walk the bike into market, up and down the aisles, putting my purchases into the crate. My bike is my shopping cart. Every store employee knows me (after shopping there for over 20 years) and no one bats an eye.
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The return trip is the reverse, except I have to handle the downhill traffic rushing toward the on ramps on the narrow 2 lane street. I wait patiently for a break in the traffic and bounce down the broken pavement with a glance over my shoulder every few seconds. Most drivers cut me enough slack, but I still have to time myself to not be at the on ramp entrance when someone might right hook me. Then I have to cross the off ramp with similar timing, eye contact, and negotiation. Finally clear of this mayhem, I speed up on the downhill section of Griffin past the homeless encampments, the Audubon, the playing fields and turn left up my hill for the grind to the top. I eat for another week.
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If you’d like to share your ride with us, just send it to the email address on the About BikinginLA page. It can be a rant, rave or anything in between, from a few sentences to a detailed description. Or any other format you think tells the story best, however and wherever you ride.
January 5, 2016 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Morning Links: Bicycle traffic diversion schools, record-setting rides and a bike friendly LA Planning chief
And come back later in the day when we’ll have the next installment in our new Describe Your Ride feature.
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One story that’s gotten lost in the shuffle in all the year-end discussion of new bike laws is California’s approval of bike traffic diversion programs last year. Which means if you get a ticket, you could see the fine waived or reduced once you successfully complete a bike training class.
To the best of my knowledge, none have been established in SoCal yet, though I understand the LACBC is interested in getting one going in the LA area.
Three riders set out to set a new record for most miles traveled by bicycle in a single year last year; in the end, it was the lone American, Kurt Searvogel, who broke the 75-year old mark by finishing in Florida with 75,066 miles.
Meanwhile, a team of elite cyclists set a new record for riding the length of Africa from Cairo to Cape Town in just 38 days.
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Local
Los Angeles raids Pasadena, as Mayor Garcetti nominates Pasadena Planning and Community Development Director Vince Bertoni to head up the LA planning department. Bertoni was formerly a deputy planning director in Los Angeles, where he oversaw the creation of the city’s 2010 bike plan, now part of the recently re-adopted Mobility Plan 2035.
Streetsblog CA says Caltrans new design guidelines for protected bike lanes really are a big deal.
Oceanside police are investigating a suspicious death on a bike path near Buena Vista lagoon; it does not appear to be bicycling related, however.
Streetsblog SF talks to the San Francisco supervisor behind the city’s proposed Idaho Stop Law, while the police captain who inspired the effort by cracking down on cyclists says it would create chaos on the streets. Kind of like all those drivers who roll stops without getting stopped.
How to keep your hands warm on cold and wet winter days. Could be useful information if you’re riding through the rain this week; my advice is to find an attractive riding partner to warm them for you.
Portland spends just $2,000 to improve a dangerous intersection for cyclists. Demonstrating that not every situation demands a complex or expensive solution; small improvements can make a difference.
Phoenix says it’s making progress on bike lanes, even if not everyone agrees. Change the name of the city, and that same story could be written just about anywhere. Especially here.
Months of negotiations have left cyclists and local residents no closer to an agreement over a contested Baton Rouge bike lane.
International
Europe is investing in bicycling to cut carbon emissions; better health and reduced congestion are just added benefits.
Great piece from the Guardian’s Peter Walker offering advice to anyone planning to write an anti-bike screed. Which they will undoubtedly ignore.
A British driver is charged with deliberately striking a bike rider who gave him an obscene gesture after he yelled at her to get out of the way. Rule #1 — never flip off the driver behind you. No matter how much he or she deserves it.
Caught on video: A Brit bicyclist is rescued from flood waters after clinging to a tree for 40 minutes. Take that as fair warning — bike paths along SoCal rivers, and other low-lying areas, will be prone to flooding with this week’s rains. Assuming they actually pan out as promised.
Indian women ride through the darkness to claim their share of the night space and call for an end to atrocities against women. We should all add our voices to that.
If you make it down to Australia, here are ten Sydney bike paths offering stunning views of the city.
A Florida writer bicycles through Myanmar to observe its tentative transition to democracy. Or maybe you’d prefer to tour Vietnam by bike. The latter looks a lot more inviting than when the government threatened to send me there.
Finally…
If you’re riding home after a night of drinking, try to keep your pants on — along with the rest of your clothes. Go out and build your own bike, says the record setting Flying Scotsman who made his from a washing machine.
And evidently, women make bad safety advocates — and heads of police chief councils — because they rely on emotion instead of facts; especially ones who rudely insist on riding bikes instead of bungee jumping.
Just four days into the new year, a cyclist has lost his life, the first bicycling fatality of 2016 in the seven-county Southern California region.
According to the Press-Enterprise, 33-year old Loma Linda resident Steven Ortiz was hit by a car while riding at Bryn Mawr Avenue and George Street at 12:07 pm today. He was pronounced dead at Loma Linda University Medical Center half an hour later.
A street view shows a two-lane, three-way intersection with a stop sign on George.
Unfortunately, no other information is available at this time.
This is the first bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first in San Bernardino County; there were three cyclists killed in the county last year.
Update: The Press-Enterprise reports that the wreck was caused when Ortiz was apparently left-crossed by the 92-year old driver.
According to the brief description, both Ortiz and the unidentified driver were traveling south on Bryn Mawr. However, the only way they could collide under those circumstances would be Ortiz was riding on the wrong side of the road, which is not mentioned in the story.
It’s also possible that the paper may have gotten Ortiz’ direction wrong.
Update 2: Mark Friis forwards a press release from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department that indicates the Press-Enterprise did get it wrong.
The release says that Ortiz was riding north on Bryn Mawr, rather than south, and was unable to stop when the southbound driver turned left in front of him onto George.
Which raises the question of whether a 92-year old driver still belonged behind the wheel.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Steven Ortiz and his family.
Thanks to Erik Griswold and Mark Friis for the heads-up.
Beachbikes.net is a company based out of Hermosa Beach, California, that specializes in custom-made beach cruiser bikes.
Design your bike exactly the way you want it; choosing everything from the frame (Men’s or Women’s), to the speeds (1, 3 or 7), fenders, rims, seat, and even adding custom decals, among other options! With the customizer, the possibilities are endless.
The winner of the contest will receive a $350 coupon to the site, where you’ll be able to order your brand new bike and get it shipped straight to your door.
Read on for the contest details:
Click for full details.
So here are the rules.
I want you to nominate someone who deserves a new bike.
It could be anyone. You, or anyone you know. Even someone you don’t.
Maybe you want to lose weight or have a little fun in the sun. Or know someone who wants to learn to ride. Maybe someone needs a way to get to work or school, or had their own bike stolen.
It could be an individual, a family, a group or organization.
It could be anyone, for any reason.
Just email your entry, in 150 words or less, to contest @ bikinginla dot com. (Just remove the spaces, of course.)
All entries are due by midnight, January 18th — two weeks from today. Judging will be entirely subjective, so try to impress me.
That’s it.
Now let’s have some fun. And put someone on a new bike.
It was already illegal for bike riders, as well as drivers, to use headphones or earpieces in both ears; the new law only removes some loopholes by prohibiting any kind of earpiece on or in both ears, whether or not they’re actually in use.
Similarly, bikes were already covered under the existing requirement for slow moving vehicles to pull over to allow others to pass. The only change is explicitly adding the word bicycles to the law.
(Or maybe not; see correction below.)
However, the law only applies on two-lane roadways when five or more vehicles are trapped behind and unable to pass; if cars can safely go around, the law doesn’t apply. And you’re not required to pull over until it’s safe to do so.
You also don’t have to move over for speeding drivers if you’re riding at or near the speed limit.
The problem is most of the news stories fail to give adequate context or explain the limitations of the law, or point out that nothing has changed other than adding bicycles to the wording.
Which means we’re likely to see a jump in angry drivers demanding that bike riders get the hell out of their way, regardless of how many lanes there are or whether they can actually go around.
According to Serge, not only has the story been blown out of proportion, it isn’t even a story to begin with. And he should know, since he provided the wording that was adopted, without changes, by the legislature.
See if you can spot it anywhere in the revised law.
21656.
On a two-lane highway where passing is unsafe because of traffic in the opposite direction or other conditions, any vehicle proceeding upon the highway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time, behind which five or more vehicles are formed in line, shall turn off the roadway at the nearest place designated as a turnout by signs erected by the authority having jurisdiction over the highway, or wherever sufficient area for a safe turnout exists, in order to permit the vehicles following it to proceed.
I apologize for my error. Unfortunately, with all the madness over the holidays, personal and otherwise, I’m not sure where I got the information I used; regardless, it’s my fault for relying on a single source rather than verifying what I was told.
A Hermosa Beach bike rider is looking for the hit-and-run driver who left him with a broken arm in Rolling Hills Estates on Christmas Eve; unfortunately, there’s not much of a description to go on.
Then again, not even ghost bikes are safe from hit-and-run drivers; this one was at the site where Reynaldo Barajas was killed in Oxnard.
Photos courtesy of Danny Gamboa
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While we were gone, the Internet blew up over this video of bicyclists behaving badly on the popular Nichols Canyon Ride.
If you want my take, just don’t ride like a jerk. Ever.
Period.
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Ride faster. A new British study shows that slower bicyclists are more likely to be in a collision; people who ride at eight mph or less are three times more likely to get hit by a car than those who ride 12 mph or faster.
A powerful Australian ad uses a purposely misaligned bicycle as a metaphor to demonstrate what it’s like to have MS.
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Local
The LA Times’ Christopher Hawkins calls for converting the end of the 2 Freeway into an elevated park and solar arrays, along with a bikeway offering spectacular views. Meanwhile, an OpEd in the Times calls for closing a stretch of Hollywood Blvd at Hollywood and Highland to cars to create a much needed pedestrian plaza. Yes, to both.
A San Antonio website offers an in-depth analysis of the road conditions that led to a $5.8 million judgment the death of an Indian Wells bicyclist, concluding that 94% of traffic fatalities in the city are due to poor road design. And says the solution is slower speeds resulting from narrowing lanes and building more intersections.
The Jewish Journal takes an “epic” 29-mile bike ride from Ventura to Santa Barbara. Epic being a relative term; your epic ride might be someone else’s easy day. Or vice versa.
Also from San Jose, a man calls for bikes to be banned on a local highway; cyclists say they aren’t the problem, while a columnist fails to grasp that we all pay for the roads, whether or not we drive a car.
A Sacramento cyclist gets his stolen cargo bike back a week after it disappeared, after another rider spotted the distinctive bicycle across the river.
A bighearted Napa man sets out “karma kits” with tubes, air pump, energy bars and trash bags along popular riding trails for cyclists in need.
National
City Lab lists 10 traffic myths that should have gone away in 2015, but didn’t, including that bikeways slow traffic and drivers pay for the roads. See San Jose above.
The NFL is discovering what we already know. If you really want to get in shape, ride a bike; evidently, it works for the other kind of football, too.
Okay, it’s a little late for New Year’s, but it still helps to know how to ride with a hangover. Which is one of those key cycling skills every imbibing bike rider should master.
A noncom officer with the Oregon National Guard during the week, rising pro cyclist on the weekend.
Evidently, streets are no-fun zones limited to transport only, so bicyclists need to ride sedately. And after a whopping 125 London cyclists are convicted of blowing stops — in a city of 8.5 million — the same paper calls it a crackdown on “bully boys on bikes.” No, seriously.
The BBC traces the British bike boom back to the 2005 London subway bombing; over two million people in the country ride at least once a week.
Once again, someone has sabotaged an English bike path; a man riding with his toddler in a trailer was nearly garroted by a wire strung at neck height across the trail. Acts like this aren’t pranks — they’re deliberate attempts to seriously injure or intimidate riders to frighten them off trails they’re legally entitled to use.
The best way to promote bicycling in Abu Dhabi — or anywhere else, for that matter — is to teach it in schools and instill a passion for riding in families.
Try not to fall off your bike while riding Down Under when you’re four sheets to the wind, or over six times the legal limit. And try to keep breathing, while you’re at it.
Who needs an e-bike when your car’s rear wheel can convert to an electric unicycle? If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em; if someone steals your bike for the third time, just go out and steal a replacement.
And despite what the press says, having an erection in public while wearing spandex makes you an exhibitionist, not a cyclist. But maybe he really did have a banana in his pocket.
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Thanks to Mark Jones for making 2015’s last donation to BikinginLA. While the Holiday Fund Drive is over, you can still contribute anytime.
Let me take just a moment to thank everyone who contributed to the BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive over the last month.
Thanks to your support, what had started as joke became a real thing. And what had looked like a bleak holiday season became much brighter.
And for that, I couldn’t be more grateful.
So please accept my most humble thanks, and my best wishes for a very merry Christmas. Or the happiest of holidays, whatever you may observe.
BikinginLA will be taking the next week off, as I plan to do a little work under the hood and make some long-delayed changes.
So unless there’s breaking news, we’ll see you bright and early next year.
We have a big January planned for you, with more people ready to describe their rides. And a first-ever contest to give away a new bicycle, courtesy of Hermosa Beach’s Beachbikes.net.
So enjoy the holidays.
Ride safe and ride happy.
And don’t forget Sunday’s Valley Finish the Ride.
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Special thanks to David Aretsky for contributing to the BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive.
But for a change, there doesn’t seem to be anyone else involved.
Police spent Tuesday night searching for a driver who fled the scene after a passerby found a man lying critically injured in a Van Nuys crosswalk, still wrapped around his BMX bike. After further investigation, however, they concluded that he fell and hit his head while riding under the influence.
Of course, as always, the question is why he fell; whether he was simply too drunk to stay upright or if there was some other factor that caused him to lose control of his bike.
Regardless, let’s hope he makes a full and fast recovery.
The recently released video shows Noel Aguilar struggling with the officers, who had apparently disarmed him before opening fire, despite Aguilar’s insistence that he didn’t shoot anyone.
And once again, the DA’s office declined to press charges against police officers, despite the video evidence. Just like the case of Ricardo Diaz-Zeferino in 2013.
Or the Milt Olin case, for that matter, where a deputy plowed into Olin’s bike from behind as her was distracted by the car’s onboard computer just after texting with his wife.
Which raises the question of whether the DA refuses to prosecute cops. Or just doesn’t give a damn about people on bikes.
An Oklahoma police officer repaired a girl’s damaged therapy tricycle after it was stolen and thrown over a fence; her parents couldn’t afford the $5000 it would take to replace the bike for their daughter, who suffers up to 60 epileptic seizures a day.
Pennsylvania police give a new adaptive bicycle to a six-year old special needs boy.
An anonymous donor gave the equivalent of $150 to replace a British girl’s bike for Christmas after hers was stolen.
Around 150 Brits dressed up like Santa for a bike ride to raise funds for a children’s hospice.
After a paralyzed Welsh stunt biker tried to sell his bike to raise money for his rehabilitation, over £50,000 — roughly $74,000 — in donations poured in from fans.
CiclaValley is justifiably angry about the death of pedestrian on Riverside Drive, where the city installed new bike lanes while simultaneously making the street more dangerous. Kind of like Vision Zero in reverse.
Richard Risemberg says Burbank made the right decision in requiring riders to walk their bikes across a dirt-covered bridge used by equestrians; although he notes that if horses could be trained to charge into battle for the past 7,000 years, they should be able to tolerate someone on a bicycle.
Reseda Blvd receives a nomination from Streetsblog for the nation’s Best Urban Street Transformation of 2015. While it’s a huge step for auto-centric LA, it doesn’t begin to compare with the best work elsewhere. Or where we need to be, for that matter.
LA Weekly ranks the city’s new Mobility Plan number one on its list of why this was a banner year for new ways to get around in LA. Although they screw up the timeline; the plan has already been approved by the city council, first with, then without amendments, with more under consideration.
The jerk who stole a bicycle out of the hands of a boy who had just won it in a Halloween raffle makes LAist’s list of Southern California’s biggest jerks for 2015.
A Santa Monica man was severely beaten by a bystander after dropping the bike he was walking onto his own dog, accidently or otherwise.
Long Beach’s Danny Gamboa writes about the ghost bike movement for Bicycling Magazine. Danny is one of the heroes of the local bike movement, even if he prefers to give the recognition to others.
After the father of two Santa Ana teens were hit by a car while riding his bike, they responded by forming the Bike It! Santa Ana campaign, which was recently awarded a $2.7 million grant for three projects, including two protected bikeways. Makes you wonder why adults have so much trouble getting things done.
As she nears retirement, the founder of Trips for Kids reflects on the group she founded 27 years ago; the national organization works to get kids out on mountain bikes.
After a five-year old Idaho boy was seriously injured in a collision while riding his bike, the state agrees to put more bicycling questions on their driving test.
A Los Angeles man keeps fighting for a bikeway in Grand Teton National Park, where his 13-year old daughter was killed by a distracted driver 16 years ago. Somehow, a roadway doesn’t harm the environment, but putting a protected bike lane on or next to it would.
The Department of DIY strikes in Rhode Island, as city officials move to quickly rip out a BMX track secretly built in the woods.
Fort Lauderdale becomes the latest US city to embrace Vision Zero, and the first in Florida.
A Florida cyclist films the hit-and-run driver who ran him down from behind, without slowing, while he was riding on sharrows. The video is hard to watch, leading right up to the point of impact. And if you’ve ever wondered why I’m no fan of sharrows, this is a damn good reason.
Brit rider Mark Cavendish wants to cap his riding career with a medal in track cycling at the Rio Olympics.
In an usual case, a 13-year old British boy is charged with causing the death of a motorcyclist by intentionally riding his bicycle into the path of a car; the driver stopped in time to avoid him, but the victim hit the car.
Now that’s more like it. A Swedish university suggests paying people to ride bikes in the most congested part of Stockholm by using congestion charges from motorists.
A writer looks at the recent Tour of Rwanda, where police beatings and the country’s recovery from genocide overshadow the action in the peloton.
An Aussie writer says the government must stop its war on cyclists, and stop actively discouraging people from riding.
Finally…
If you want to spot the trendy new neighborhoods, just follow the fixies. Don’t bust out a car window, even if the jerk driver honks and nearly hits you for riding in the traffic lane.
And if you’re going to burglarize a shed and steal a mountain bike, it’s probably best if you don’t leave your mobile phone behind.
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It’s the last day of the BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive. Thanks to David Wolfberg, Christian Hesch, Calla Weimer and Carmen Tellez for their generous support, along with everyone who has so generously contributed this past month.
Seriously, thank you.
The Corgi thanks you for your support. And she’s glad it’s the last day of the Holiday Fund Drive so she can attempt to reclaim her dignity.
A Glendale letter writer says there’s a safer alternative route for bicyclists to bypass the Mariposa bridge, where riders are now required to walk their bikes across. Although walking across a dirt horse and pedestrian bridge seems pretty damn safe to me.
This is why you let the police handle it. A pair of San Diego men were stabbed in the back when they tried to recover a bicycle after it was stolen from the brother of one of the men.
Bizarrely, that wasn’t the only bike stabbing in San Diego, as a 45-year old rider was stabbed several times after colliding with a pedestrian.
The threat of bicycle theft is one of the biggest deterrents to bike riding, in Salinas or anywhere else; a new study from a Canadian university shows half of all riders have had a bike stolen, while one in five have lost at least three. One solution may be micro tagging. A better solution is increasing the penalty for bike theft to make it worth prosecuting.
For once, the punishment fits the crime. A homeless Portland man who bragged of being the king of bike thieves has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison, and will need permission and a receipt to possess a bicycle after his release.
A Savannah GA writer says a proposal to ban bikes in a park will force riders onto dangerous streets, and waste already scarce police resources enforcing it.
A Florida man faces charges a year and a half after a fatal, drunken hit-and-run, after his ex-girlfriend recants a claim that she was behind the wheel.
International
London’s Boris Bikes will be fitted with a Blaze laser light that projects the image of a bicycle on the roadway 16 feet ahead of the rider.
New graphene-infused tires from Italy’s Vittoria will harden while riding straight, and soften when accelerating, braking or turning for better traction and control. No wonder the inventors won the Nobel Prize.
The Guardian says the new one-meter passing law in an Aussie state will be met with anger even while it saves lives. Meanwhile, one group says the state’s new requirement to carry ID while riding will make it an international laughing stock.
A New Zealand paper says it’s too early to criticize a new cycletrack when the lanes haven’t even been painted yet.
No retirement plan? Try operating a London pedicab, where one rider tried to charge $894 for a half-hour ride. If you really want to lose weight, get off your bike and start dancing.
And is it really that impressive when Harrison Ford mounts a mountain bike atop his Mercedes?
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It’s the last two days of the BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive. Thanks to George Wolfberg, Ralph Durham, Vanessa Gray, and Lois Rubin for their generous support.
Evidently, Santa’s reindeer are getting shorter this year. But seriously, who could turn down a face like that?
Just a quick update today, due to too many other obligations. We’ll have a full Morning Links tomorrow.
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Sad news today, as an LA cyclist has passed away after suffering a heart attack while riding his bike.
According to Breitbart.com, conservative activist Avi Davis passed away peacefully at the UCLA Medical Center on Monday, after he was placed into a induced coma following his December 10th coronary.
He leaves behind two sons, as well as his parents and three siblings.
A memorial will be held at 11:00 am today at Home of Peace Cemetery, 4334 Whittier Blvd in Los Angeles.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Avi Davis and his loved ones. Thanks to Asher for the heads-up.
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The first two Finish the Rides were huge hits, bringing hundreds of riders, walkers and rollers together for a fun day supporting the fight for safer streets and an end to hit-and-run.
Now the event comes to the San Fernando Valley for the first time with a ride and festival this Sunday — the perfect way to end the year on a high note.
Spokeswoman Dayna Galbreath sends this information.
Finish The Ride, Run, Walk ‘N Roll Across The Valley 2015
Brought To You By Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE)
Support safe city streets and help end hit and run crimes by taking part in Finish the Ride, Run, Walk ‘N Roll Across The Valley!! All proceeds will benefit Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) and Happy House.
Join us on Sunday,December 27th, 2015 for an awesome event to end the year! Registration is open RIGHT NOW so register TODAY at www.FinishTheRide.org/register.
Plans for FTR Across The Valley 2015 include:
Ride= Two routes including a 25 Mile Finish The Ride and a Metric Century
Run = 5K, 10K and Half Marathon
Roll= 10K
FREE 2K Walk/Roll for the kids!
Timing and medals awarded for selected events
Cool goodie bag and free t-shirt with registration
Great live music and dancing
Free festival and safety expo with giveaways, raffles, prizes and activities for kids and adults alike and much more! Feel free to bring the whole family!
For details on the FTR Across The Valley 2015 event, click here.
Join FTR Across The Valley 2015 not only for yourself, but for those who survived, those who didn’t and the safety of ALL!
#FTRValley #EndHitandRuns
For more information on the event itself, registration questions or other customer service inquiries, e-mail us at register@FinishTheRide.org or call (844) 884-7233 Ext. 801.
I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet, so check out last week’s Bike Talk, wherein I was one of the guests, to see — or rather, hear — once again why I’m a writer instead of a radio pundit.
Here’s how the website describes the show.
TJ Flexer, Zachary Rynew, Nick Richert
TJ puts together this show with bloggers Zachary Rynew of Ciclavalley.org and Ted Rogers of bikinginla.com. With Steve Messer, President of the Concerned Off Road Bicyclists Association, Jim Cadenhead, founding co-host of Bike Talk and Orange 20 bikes, and Neil Shirley, Bike racer, journalist, and fundraiser for World Bicycle Relief.
Frightening stat, as LA leads the nation in traffic fatalities among major cities, with 6.27 deaths per 100,000 people in 2012. San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco also make the top ten.
Bicycles are now specifically included in the law requiring slow moving vehicles to pull over to let traffic pass. However, that only applies on two lane roadways when five or more vehicles are backed up and unable to pass; it does not give police cart blanche to ticket someone riding in the traffic lane, or impatient drivers the right to harass anyone in front of them.
That bike-riding Colorado bus boy who returned $3,000 in cash that a customer left behind will now get even more than that, as a gofundme account set up for him has raised over $5,100.
Evidently convinced that bikes are just as dangerous as cars, Australia’s New South Wales introduces draconian fines for law-breaking bicyclists, quadrupling the amount in some cases. Riders will now pay over $300 for not wearing a helmet, $425 for going through a red light, and will be subject to a $105 fine if they’re caught without ID — even though licenses aren’t required to ride a bike. The one bit of good news is they’re also experimenting with the equivalent of a three-foot passing law.
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Finally…
If you’re going to get Tased for riding salmon while carrying meth and wanted on an outstanding warrant, at least make sure you’re wearing a heavy down jacket.
And let’s end with a heartwarming video from Foster City CA. After a little girl was hit by a car while riding her bike, bystanders lifted the car off her, and police pitched in to buy her a new bicycle.
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Just three more days to support the BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive; thanks to Karen Karabell, John P. Lynch and Mark Ganzer for their generous contributions.
Don’t make her dress up like this for nothing. Support the BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive.
This one’s hard to watch, but sends a hard-hitting message.
A bike rider left his bike cam running as a driver drifted into him, from the actual crash all the way through to the emergency room, which has now been turned into a public service announcement by Sasquatch Films.
You can see the car start to drift into his lane while the rider is distracted by the car on his right; watching his fingers twitch as he lies on pavement post crash is one of the most haunting images I’ve seen.
A rider who goes by the Twitter handle of Cloud Rider writes that he and his 5-year old son were denied service on a Santa Monica Big Blue Bus during Saturday’s rain storm.
According to his complaint, the driver wouldn’t let him put the boy’s bike with a 16” wheel on the front rack, even though it fit. And wouldn’t let them bring the bike on board the bus, either, leaving them stranded in the rain.
Metro drivers are allowed to use their discretion on whether to allow bikes onboard if the racks are full and there’s room on the bus. If Santa Monica drivers don’t have that authority, they should.
And anyone who would leave a five-year old standing in the rain, regulations or not, doesn’t belong behind the wheel of a public bus.
Florida’s legendary Jack the Bike Man gave out around a thousand bikes and helmets in a single day this weekend.
But the gold medal goes to the widow of North Carolina’s Bicycle Man, who carried on his work two years after his death by giving away 1,300 bikes.
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Local
Burbank compromises on a proposed ban on riding bikes on a bridge over the LA River used by equestrians, allowing bicyclists to walk their bicycles over the dirt covered span.
Mark your calendar for next April, when you can join former pros Jens Voigt and Freddie Rodriguez in riding the course for the third stage of the Amgen Tour of California at the L’Etape California.
National
A bike-riding Colorado busboy returns an envelope with $3,000 in cash that someone left behind; he got a $300 reward for his honesty.
The judge declares a mistrial in the case of a Missouri mayor accused of intentionally running down a bike rider in a dispute; witnesses said they saw the mayor turn his wheel into the rider.
Blue Bloods star Bridget Moynahan is one of us, riding her bike around the Big Apple to stay fit and spend time with her son.
An Atlanta columnist gets his knickers in a twist when bike riders object to his road raging anger directed at a cyclist he somehow concluded was riding slowly just to antagonize driver. Evidently, like many angry drivers, he thinks he has the ability to read minds to determine why people on bikes do what they do, usually incorrectly.
A local paper urges Savannah GA officials to go slow in contemplating a ban on bikes in a popular park, which is a key link in a major bike route.
International
A new study shows eating just one and a half ounces of dark chocolate every day can improve your cycling performance. Now they just need to prove beer makes you a better rider, too.
Over 80% of bike thefts in one English town go unsolved.
A British bike rider was seriously injured when someone shoved him from behind into a tree; it wasn’t clear whether his assailant was in a car or on foot.
A Welsh stunt cyclist who was paralyzed in a failed trick tried to sell his bike to raise funds to make his home more accessible; fans pitched in to raise four times the £7,000 — over $10,000 — he had asked for, in just 24 hours.
An Indian Paralympics cycling champion rides 900 miles with just one leg to support wounded vets, and says losing his leg was a blessing in disguise.
