My apologies.
I thought I was finally getting over Covid, but things took a concerning turn for the worse on Sunday. Hopefully a good night’s sleep will help, and we’ll be back tomorrow to play catch up.
Archive for bikinginla
Ebike rider killed by heartless hit-and-run driver in San Diego’s Claremont Mesa East neighborhood early Saturday
Once again, someone on a bicycle has been killed by a heartless hit-and-run driver.
This time in San Diego.
According to multiple, nearly identical stories, a 36-year old man was riding an ebike on the 6900 block of Balboa Ave, in the city’s Claremont Mesa East neighborhood, when he was struck by a driver around 1:30 am.
Police report the victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding in the westbound bike lane when he veered left for some unknown reason and was hit by the westbound motorist, who continued without stopping.
He died shortly after being taken to a local hospital.
Video from the scene shows damaged car parts and a Lectric ped-assist bicycle lying in the center of the three through traffic lanes.
The suspect vehicle is described as light-colored 2016-2022 Mercedes Benz E-Class sedan, possibly gray, with likely front-end damage including missing grill and other front-end body parts.
It’s not clear if there was a witness to the crash, or if investigators pieced events together from evidence found following the crash.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Traffic Division of the San Diego Police Department at 858/495-7800, or Crime Stoppers at 888/580-8477.
This was at least the 11th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
This is also the fourth SoCal bike rider killed by a hit-and-run driver since the first of the year.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: bicycling fatality, Claremont Mesa East, hit-and-run, San Diego
LA officials vote against the will of LA voters on Vermont BRT project; LA 50 wants your input; and Bike Oven art crawl
Day 87 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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So let’s get this straight.
The Metro Board unanimously approved plans for the Vermont Transit Corridor bus rapid transit project — but without the bike lanes required by law under voter-approved Measure HLA.
Founder and CEO of Streets for All, Michael Schneider, told LAist in a statement that Metro ignored “the law and will of the voters” by voting to move forward with the design of the project without bike lanes…
The disagreement here isn’t about the bus lanes themselves — Schneider and other transportation advocates in L.A. agree that improvements to transit on the corridor are needed.
But the question is whether Metro, a countywide transportation agency, is required to comply with Measure HLA, a city-level initiative.
Metro doesn’t think so, and it has threatened legal action if it is forced to comply.
To repeat, it’s not a question of whether the bike lanes called that are called for in the city mobility plan are required under HLA, which applies to all but the most minor street resurfacing projects on Los Angeles city streets.
But rather, whether the city ordinance applies to a county agency.
Proponents of HLA — myself included — say it does.
Metro takes the contrarian stand, however, arguing that it only applies to work actually done by the city, rather than projects done by outside agencies on the city’s behalf.
Although a better question might be why Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and CD6 Councilmember Imelda Padilla voted against a city ordinance that they are legally required to implement.
And whether by doing so, they violated their obligations as officials elected to represent the City of Los Angeles, which is why they are on the board in the first place.
Because the people who put them there are the same ones who voted overwhelmingly to approve the measure.
And the same ones they will face when they run for re-election.
Correction: I’m told Karen Bass did not vote against HLA, if only because she missed the meeting. Blame Padilla, CD5 Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, and LA representative Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker.
Rendering of Vermont BRT project, sans HLA mandated bike lanes.
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LA 50 wants your input on who should get the latest round of LA 50 Challenge Grants.
Although they don’t apparently trust us to vote directly on the recipients anymore, but rather just express opinions that will apparently influence their choices.
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The Bike Oven co-op is hosting an art ride on North Figueroa tomorrow night.
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Local
Pasadena police with conduct a bicycle and pedestrian safety operation today, focusing on driver behaviors that endanger bicyclists and pedestrians — although they are legally required to enforce the law equally, whether it’s someone on four wheels, two wheels or two feet who commits the violation. As usual, ride to the letter of the law until you cross the city limit lines, so you’re not the one who gets written up.
State
Streetsblog’s Damien Newton says the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres may be behind the Dodgers in the standings, but are miles ahead of LA in providing bike and transit access to their home stadiums. Okay, so maybe I was the one who threw in a little shade about the standings.
Laguna Beach becomes the latest Orange County city to succumb to the spreading ebike panic, adopting an ordinance restricting the speed and use of ebikes in the city. Although once again apparently failing to distinguish between ped-assist bicycles and throttle-controlled electric motorbikes.
Sausalito debates whether to accept a grant for a “controversial” safety project that would require bike lanes in each direction on a dangerous stretch with no crosswalks, where bicycles and cars are forced to share a single lane in each direction, and drivers use the center turn lane for free parking.
Sad news from Woodland, where a man in his 50s was killed when he was run down by a man driving a tractor, while riding in a bike lane on a rural road outside the Sacramento suburb. Although thee’s no word on why the driver was in the bike lane, and why he somehow failed to see the victim despite operating a slow-moving vehicle. And no, tractors aren’t allowed in bike lanes, any more than any other motor vehicle.
National
Blogger Craig Medred takes a deep dive into how the law protects dangerous drivers, when most fatal crashes are just written off as “oopsies.”
Grist considers who will be hurt most by Trump’s freeze on funding for bike lanes and other pedestrian safety projects. That’s easy — everyone. Because as the story says, “infrastructure that prioritizes safety over speed…are proven solutions that protect everyone.”
Nice change in Portland, where the Downtown Neighborhood Association wants fewer traffic lanes, instead of demanding more.
Residents of Chicago’s predominantly Latino Southwest Side debate whether protected bike lanes will improve safety, or lead to gentrification. Even though the bike lanes would protect low-income workers and immigrants who may not own a car, and rely on a bike to get to work, school or other destinations.
In New York City bike-related violence, a food delivery worker was stabbed in the back with a screwdriver when he attempted to defend his bike from thieves trying to take it, and pair of “crazed” men used their own bicycles to beat another man senseless on New York’s Upper East Side.
International
British parliamentarians called for urgent reform of the country’s Cycle to Work program by opening the bike voucher system to low-income workers, freelancers and retirees. Because salaried white collar workers aren’t the only ones who could benefit from biking rather than driving.
Momentum says stop bending over, and ride upright on one of these Dutch-style bikes, instead. Personally, I’ll take the Pashley, Guv’nor.
An Indigenous man riding an ebike in a Sydney, Australia suburb was killed when a police sergeant somehow ran him down with his patrol car while attempting to make a traffic stop; he was found to have $10,000 in cash and three ounces of meth on him after he was killed. Which does not justify the cop using lethal force to make the stop unless the victim somehow threatened him — even if the cop knew or suspected he was dealing drugs.
Competitive Cycling
Former Dutch pro Laurens ten Dam says he slept under the stars surrounded by cows and grizzly bears with pepper spray tucked under his pillow last year during the 3,000-mile Tour Divide race from Canada to Mexico.
Finally….
Take a stand on apartment bike storage, or turn your bike into an objet d’art. Seriously, you haven’t lived until you’ve ridden a fat bike across the Gobi Desert in the middle of winter.
And forget those flammable lithium-ion batteries, and fuel your bike with the stuff that blew up the Hindenburg instead.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
Category: Morning Links / Tags: art ride, bicycing, Bike Oven, Bus Rapid Transit, Imelda Padilla, Karen Bass, LA Metro, LA50 Challenge Grants, Los Angeles, Measure HLA, North Figueroa, Vermont Ave
Help research LA & SF bike commutes, why Vermont Ave is an HLA flashpoint, and zombie street widening in DTLA
Day 86 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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Well, this is fun.
Evidently, Covid’s so nice I’m doing it twice.
Which puts me in the less than 3% of people who get a rebound infection, according to my pharmacist.
Yay, me.
At least I’ve been able to work through it this time. So let’s get on with it.
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A French Fulbright scholar working in the US to research bicycle commutes in Los Angeles and San Francisco wants your help with a brief survey on your bike commuting habits.
So take a few minutes to give him your honest answers. Because this is the kind of actual scientific research that’s so out of favor in government circles these days.
Survey: Long-distance (over 3 miles) bike commutes in LA
Hello everyone,
Are you a bike commuter? Do you commute by bike or electric bike and cover long distances (over 3 miles) as part of your daily mobility? Please complete this brief survey.
Conducted as part of an academic research project on sustainability and initiated by a French researcher in environmental social sciences (and in California for 6 months), this questionnaire will help better understand the practices, obstacles, levers and motivations of active mobility in LA.
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Pasadena public radio station and website LAist examines Metro’s “transformational” bus rapid transit on Vermont Ave, and why it’s become a flashpoint over Measure HLA.
According to the site,
The Vermont Transit Corridor project will add dedicated side-running bus lanes and 13 stations along a more than 12-mile-long stretch of the busy corridor. It’s slated to be up and running by the 2028 summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The project will also include infrastructure upgrades that help with pedestrian accessibility and decrease the distance people have to walk to get to bus stops.
But what it doesn’t include, and what’s required under HLA, is bus lanes.
The question is whether the city ordinance that was overwhelmingly passed by voters applies to Metro, which is a county transportation agency.
Metro has already threatened to sue if they’re required to comply with the ordinance.
(Streets For All founder Michael) Schneider said the argument isn’t as simple as saying Metro doesn’t have to comply with Measure HLA because it isn’t a city entity.
“The city permits Metro’s work,” Schneider said. “They contribute financially to Metro’s work. City planners sign off on Metro’s work, so it’s sort of a technicality who’s leading the project.”
Schneider also said public funds would be wasted if the bike and bus lanes don’t go in at the same time.
It’s worth reading the full article, which offers a detailed primer on the project, as well as the ongoing debate.
Then consider tuning in for the livestream of today’s 10 am Metro board meeting where a vote is scheduled to approve the Vermont project. Or show up in person at Metro HQ in DTLA to support it.
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Call it Revenge of the Living Dead.
According to LA Streetsblog, “zombie” road widening is still occurring in Los Angeles, even though that requirement would be illegal today.
But a 54-story apartment building at Olympic and Hill that was already under construction when the rules changed. And so they were required to add a 12-foot traffic lane to previously 60-foot wide Olympic Blvd, which exceeds the road width called for under the city mobility plan.
But that’s okay, because they made up for it by building substandard width sidewalks, too.
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Streets For All’s next virtual happy hour will take place on Wednesday, April 9th, featuring Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Randall Winston.
Maybe I’ll actually be over this damn Covid by then.
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Congratulations to Virginia on passing the nation’s first law allowing judges to order drivers to install intelligent speed limitation tech, restricting them to going no faster than the posted speed limit.
A similar bill is being considered in the California legislature, if it can get past Gov. Newsom’s veto pen.
https://bsky.app/profile/fam4safestreets.bsky.social/post/3ll7vsuzaok2q
This transformative bi-partisan legislation allows judges to require drivers convicted of extreme speeding offenses to install Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology in their vehicles, automatically limiting their speed to the posted limit.
— Families for Safe Streets (@fam4safestreets.bsky.social) 2025-03-25T18:32:33.339Z
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Advocates are complaining about a “serious downgrade” at a popular roundabout in Norwich, England, leaving no safe route to the local hospital for bicyclists and pedestrians. Which could unironically lead to more of both going there.
No bias here. A Scottish satirist is accused of spreading bike hate with a parody take on the poster for the Tour de France Edinburgh depart, replacing “France” with…well, read it yourself.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Neighbors are mourning the death of a 49-year old Brooklyn man, who was killed in a collision with an ebike rider last week. And yes, the bike rider stuck around after the crash.
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Local
Children from across Los Angeles received new adaptive bicycles to mark World Down Syndrome Day last Friday.
Glendale is moving forward with the city’s pilot speed cam program, asking for your input on where the cameras should go. Which is a hell of a lot more than Los Angeles has done so far.
State
Orange County will begin to enforce new ebike regulations next month, which are targeted mostly at more powerful electric motorbikes, rather than slower ped-assist bicycles.
The San Diego Union-Tribune examines strategies to get people to actually act more sustainably, such as peer pressure, role models and rewards, financial and otherwise. You know, like riding a bike instead of driving.
San Francisco advocates are calling for a “no-brainer” protected bike lane on Oak Street along the Panhandle. Problem is, too often the “no-brainers” seem to be ones in charge.
National
Seattle Bike Blog says a proposed ebike tax would “be awful” for Washington’s struggling bike shops, particularly in the face of Trump’s on-again, off-again, on-again-again tariffs.
New Mexico has passed the full Idaho Stop Law, allowing bicyclists to treat stop signs as yields, and proceed through red lights after stopping when safe to do so. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed Stop As Yield laws twice, apparently believing there’s something special about California that means what’s been proven to improve safety other places somehow won’t work here.
New York advocates are making an urgent call for better street safety after a 57-year old man was killed riding a bike in the Bronx over the weekend, along with a pedestrian in Brooklyn.
The best places to ride a bike in Athens, Georgia, for your next visit to the land of REM, The B-52’s and other assorted musical dinosaurs.
International
Bike Radar questions why there’s been so little innovation under your feet, as the first new pedal design in four decades hits the market.
Life is cheap in Ontario, Canada, where a 35-year old man will spend a whole 15 months behind bars for the drunken hit-and-run death of a 79-year old bike-riding woman, plus another two months for a second crash three weeks later; evidently, his show of remorse and promises to change overcame a long history of alcohol addiction and a six-year criminal history in the judge’s mind.
Forget “Mind the gap.” Mind the new rules banning ebikes from the Tube and other London train lines, unless you’re riding a foldie.
Competitive Cycling
Triple Tour de France champ Tadej Pogačar is preparing to tackle the infamous cobbles Paris-Roubaix, aka the Hell of the North, for the first time; he may be riding a sparking new model of Colnago.
Finally….
Your next ebike could be a Rivian — yes, the e-truck maker. Your next bicycle pump could be electric, even if you don’t have an electric bike. Or truck.
And your toddler’s next balance bike could be made from eco-friendly, sustainable carbon fiber.
No, really.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to wrap myself in a blanket, watch the Dodgers home opener, and try not to cough myself to death.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
15-year old ebike rider busted for DUI, HLA foot-dragging means worsening LA streets, and trial date for killer Vegas teens
Day 85 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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Teenaged ebike riders are in the news once again.
And once again, for not-so-good reasons.
Like the 15-year old boy who was busted for DUI after crashing his ebike into a parked car in Newhall Monday night, suffering minor injuries and major problems.
Or the 16-year old ebike rider who was hospitalized after getting hit head-on by a driver while riding salmon in Rancho Cucamonga Tuesday morning.
Although, as always these days, the question is whether these scofflaw victims, who haven’t been publicly identified, were riding electric motorbikes or ped-assist bicycles.
Because police reports and the press don’t seem to be able to distinguish between them.
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According to Streetsblog’s Joe Linton, the city’s foot dragging on implementing Measure HLA is resulting on worsening conditions on some of the streets that had been scheduled for repaving.
That’s even though pavement cracks and pot holes can pose a significant risk to bike riders, especially after dark when they can be almost impossible to see.
And even though Los Angeles has already paid out large settlements for bike riders seriously injured by crumbling pavement.
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Jesus Ayala and Jzamir Keys, the two formerly teenage suspects accused of recording themselves laughing as they intentionally ran down and killed former Bell police chief Andreas Probst as he rode a bike in Las Vegas, are now scheduled to go on trial November 3rd.
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This is what the Vermont Corridor could look like, if Metro continues to refuse to comply with Measure HLA, which requires bike lanes, as well.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
He gets it. Former Top Gear host James May calls out the “anti-cycling rage” of London’s Telegraph newspaper, saying the “anti-cycling opposition out there ‘smacks of sheer bloody-mindedness.'”
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Local
Streetsblog takes a look at the newly opened Big Dalton Bike Path, nee Vincent Community Bikeway, which traverses three-miles through Irwindale, Covina, Azusa and unincorporated points in between, and is part of a planned 130-mile bike network through the San Gabriel Valley.
The manager of the Velo Pasadena bike shop says the shop has been burglarized “constantly” since the start of the pandemic, losing a total of over a hundred grand worth of bicycles — including three break-ins in just the past three months.
State
The Triathlon Club of San Diego talks with BikinginLA sponsor, Oceanside bike lawyer and tri supporter Richard Duquette.
La Mesa is starting its own ebike incentive program, offering 150 vouchers to people over 18 who live and plan to ride in the city. Let’s just hope they manage to do a better job than California has so far.
After Berkeley gave 56 free ebikes to a group of low-to-moderate income residents, they reported driving less, but also learned how crappy it is to ride there.
Marin County approved an ordinance banning children under 16 from riding Class 2 throttle-controlled ebikes; presumably, Class 1 ped-assist bikes are still okay.
The Sacramento city council was scheduled to vote on approving a quick-build bike lane program for the state capital. Something a certain megalopolis to the south could stand to emulate.
National
A writer for Cycling News says skip the power meter, and use a heart monitor instead — even if it’s ugly and sits on your chain collecting grease. Or better yet, skip them both and just enjoy riding a bike if you don’t race for a living.
A legal website calls out the deadliest and safest states for bicyclists, as well as offering strategies for how to make things safer. Good news and bad news — California didn’t make either list.
Bike riders in Houston protested the removal of concrete armadillos along a formerly protected bike lane; they had intended to form a human bike lane, but moved to the sidewalk when police threatened them with criminal sanctions. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.
You’ve got to be kidding. An Illinois county board member was cited for a lousy crosswalk violation, despite leaving the scene after hitting a little kid riding a bicycle with the walk signal; she ended up driving herself to the police station, claiming she was confused and didn’t know what to do. Seriously, if you don’t know that you’re supposed to stick around after a crash — especially after hitting a little kid — you shouldn’t be driving. Or in office, for that matter.
New York State will begin an ebike voucher pilot program in Ossining offering up to $1,000, with plans to eventually expand to the greater Hudson River region. Apparently, the rest of the state can keep paying retail. Unless you know a guy with a few that fell off a truck.
International
An English man was left shaken after he tried to recover his bicycle from the young thieves who grabbed it outside a bike shop; he was chased, threatened and beaten, but somehow ended up with his bike.
Researchers in Sweden and Iran have developed a better shock-absorbing material that contracts bilaterally, resulting in bike helmet liners that provide better protection from head injuries; because it’s 3D printed, it can also be custom crafted to fit individual heads.
Forbes says add sunny Morocco to your bike bucket list.
An exploring website says the story of the bike-touring Chinese grandmother calls out the problem of “silver tourism,” as China caters to older tourists, while most Western country’s don’t.
A Kiwi website credits the extensive bike lane network Christchurch built after the city was devastated by a 2011 earthquake for its high rate of bike riding, using the damage as an opportunity to re-envision its streets. Something else a certain SoCal megapolis could learn from after the recent fires.
Competitive Cycling
Belgian police raided the home of a doctor previously “affiliated” with a professional cycling team, after noticing “atypical prescribing behavior” that raised the possibility of doping practices. But the doping era is over, right?
Finally….
Apparently, bike lanes make it hard to visit long-closed libraries. Now you, too, can take your final bike ride after you’re gone.
And if you’re not inclined to walk your bike up an incline, maybe you should be.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
Category: Morning Links / Tags: Andreas Probst, bicycling, bicycling crashes, crumbling streets, DUI, ebikes, electric motorcycles, hit-and-run, Jesus Ayala, Jzamir Keys, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Measure HLA
PCH public workshops back on the table, support bike lanes on Vermont Ave, and pedestrian safety expo next month
Day 84 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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SoCal’s killer highway is back on the table.
Caltrans has rescheduled the public workshops to consider the PCH Master Plan Feasibility Study to improve safety on the deadly roadway, which remains one of the state’s most popular riding routes, despite a glaring lack of safe infrastructure.
The previously scheduled meetings were postponed due to the Palisades Fire.
Here’s what their press release says.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FOR THE PCH MASTER PLAN FEASIBILITY STUDY
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the City of Malibu invite the public to the Round Three workshops for the PCH Master Plan Feasibility Study on April 9 (in-person), April 16 (virtual) and May 12 (virtual). The first three public workshops in July 2024 (Round One) gathered input from residents, businesses and other stakeholders to identify safety priorities for the highway. Based on that input, Caltrans held three more workshops on Aug. 28, Sept. 12 and Oct. 23, 2024 (Round Two), focused on presenting and soliciting feedback on design alternatives and other recommendations to improve safety on PCH. Following Round Two, Caltrans developed a draft of the Study that it will present during the upcoming workshops (Round Three). At the Wednesday, April 9, meeting, Caltrans will formally release the Study to the public and begin the 60-day public review period.
The upcoming workshops will also cover two PCH pavement rehabilitation projects in the cities of Santa Monica, Los Angeles and Malibu, which aim to extend the pavement service life and improve ride quality for motorists on PCH from Santa Monica to the Los Angeles/Ventura County line. Community members are invited to participate in these workshops to learn about the latest updates and provide input.
For more information, please visit the project website or e-mail: 07-pchmpfs@publicinput.com.
Click here to register for the April meeting, or here for the May workshop.
Photo from the Caltrans press release.
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Streets For All is calling for support for bike lanes on Vermont Ave at Thursday’s Metro board meeting.
Something that’s required under Measure HLA as part of the city’s mobility plan when the street is re-striped to install bus lanes, even if Metro’s lawyers don’t seem to agree.
On Thursday the Metro board has an item on its agenda (Item 9) to approve the LPA (locally preferred alternative) for the Vermont Bus Rapid Transit Project.
Vermont Ave has more bus riders than any other street in LA County, and we think BRT on this street is one of the highest impact transit projects in the region. We are incredibly supportive of the project.
However, Vermont is also one of the most dangerous streets in LA with nearly 50 people killed in the last decade. Despite this, Metro has aggressively pushed back on implementing Measure HLA‘s required bike lanes as part of the Vermont BRT project.
If the bike lanes don’t go in during this project, when Metro is doing the expensive work (curb ramps, repaving, etc.), then the City of Los Angeles will be fully responsible for implementing them at a later time, entirely on its own dime.
At a time when both road deaths and the City’s budget deficit are at a record high, we cannot afford to not implement the bike lanes as part of this project.
Click the link for tips on how to help.
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LA Public Health is hosting a pedestrian safety expo in Roosevelt Park on Friday, April 11th.
And yes, it matters, because we’re all pedestrians at some point (click here if the tweet/xeet doesn’t embed).
https://twitter.com/heybikela/status/1904350768951673220
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. A right-wing group called for a DOGE-style crackdown on “unethical” British bicycling and walking advocacy group Sustrans, and its “taxpayer-funded, deeply unpopular, and undemocratic restrictions on motorists.” Um, sure. Because nothing is more unethical than taking an inch of road space from overly entitled drivers.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A 49-year old man was killed as he exited his double-parked car and was struck by New York food delivery rider on an ebike who reportedly blew through a stop sign.
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Local
No news is good news, right?
State
San Diego public TV and radio station KBPS examines the city’s new draft Street Design Manual, which calls for narrower lanes and more options for protected bike lanes, but still allows slip lanes and right turns on red.
Downtown Temecula will get a trio of new green bike lanes, replacing the current white-striped lanes to make them more visible.
Sad news from Sacramento, where a 59-year old man was killed when he was struck by a driver while riding his bicycle. And no, ABC10, he did not “collide with” the car, someone driving a car crashed into him — as the story itself says in the second paragraph, contradicting the headline and lede.
National
Around 70 Portlanders rode in support of a Palestinian paracycling team 7,000 miles away.
Denver is releasing the year’s first round of ebike vouchers, offering $450 off a standard ebike or $1,400 for an adaptive ebike. Meanwhile, California has only managed to release a single extremely throttled round of vouchers, limiting it to just a tiny fraction of the demand.
About “100 real-life human beings” turned out for a Chicago bike ride to call for replacing parking spaces with a protected bike lane on an Uptown street.
Untapped New York introduces the bicycling advocates who are keeping up the good fight for better bike infrastructure, despite Trump’s freeze on federal funding.
Philadelphia bike riders are happy to see plans call for a protected bike lane on a bridge over the Schuylkill River, but don’t like the two-way design that doesn’t line up with existing bike lanes on either side.
Speaking of Philly, a bike lane placed in the middle of a neighborhood sidewalk is drawing mixed reactions. So let me simplify this: Sidewalk level bike lanes good, bike lanes in the middle of the sidewalk bad.
International
Momentum offers a beginners guide to getting started with bike commuting.
A new British study shows the safety in numbers hypothesis even applies to e-scooters, finding the presence of e-scooters appears to result in a 20 percent reduction in the risk of bicycling collisions.
Life is cheap in the UK, where a 20-year old man will spend just 13 years behind bars for murdering a 34-year old father-to-be, in what began as an effort to retrieve a stolen ebike, and escalated to a series of threatening emails and roadside arguments before the killer stabbed the victim to death; two other men who were with the killer at the time of the stabbing were arrested, but not charged.
You still have time to make it to Liège, Belgium for Bike Week.
Competitive Cycling
UCI’s Track Cycling League bit the dust, killed by an apparent lack of interest after just five events in four years; it will be replaced by a new Track World Cup.
Double Tour de France champ Jonas Vingegaard is back to gentle training after suffering a concussion earlier this month when he crashed during Paris-Nice.
Thirty-nine-year old Los Angeles-based former pro and current author Phil Gaimon will be honored with the Legends Award at next month’s Redlands Bicycle Classic, a race he won in 2012 and 2015.
Finally….
Start bike commuting, and say goodbye to road rage. Your next ebike could be a boat, or a camper. Or both.
And that feeling when you think you could do a better job of restructuring the government than Elon Musk, and offer your services as a bike-making outsider.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
Category: Morning Links / Tags: bicycling, bike lanes, Caltrans, LA Metro, Los Angeles, Measure HLA, PCH, PCH Feasibility Study, Streets For All, Vermont Ave
34-year old Las Vegas man riding ebike dies days after Oceanside hit-and-run; driver left him for passerby to find
A Las Vegas man has died, three days after a hit-and-run driver left him alone and bleeding on the side of the road.
According to the San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office, a passerby found 34-year old Jonathan Joseph Akahito Lupola lying near his ebike on the 3100 block of Oceanside Blvd in Oceanside, on Saturday, March 15th, suffering from multiple major injuries.
Despite the efforts of first responders and medical personnel, Lupola’s condition continued to decline, and he was disconnected from life support on Tuesday, March 18th, with his wife at his side, and his organs donated.
There’s no description of the suspect vehicle at this time; a crowdfunding page put up by Lupola’s aunt says the driver was doing an estimated 65 mph in a 35 mph zone.
Although you’d think a crash at that speed would have left debris that could identify the vehicle, unless the driver stopped to pick it up.
The crowdfunding campaign has raised a little over $1,400 of the modest $2,000 goal to transport his body and pay funeral expenses. Lupito’s aunt is also donating proceeds from her food truck in Hawaii.
Note: A comment below from a man identifying himself as Lupito’s uncle says the crowdfunding campaign was not authorized by his family. So maybe hold off donating until I learn more.
This was at least the tenth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
Lupito was also the third SoCal bike rider killed by a hit-and-run driver since the first of the year.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jonathan Joseph Akahito Lupola and his loved ones.
Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: bicycling fatality, ebike, hit-and-run, Jonathan Joseph Akahito Lupola, Las Vegas, San Diego
Nearly a death a year on Vista del Mar, no statute of limitations for CA hit-and-runs, and fight fed cuts to active transportation
Day 83 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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It’s even worse than we realized.
Last week, I mentioned that at least five people have been killed on Vista del Mar since former Mayor Eric Garcetti ripped out the road diet that was installed in 2017, after Los Angeles shelled out nearly $10 million to settle a lawsuit over the death of a 16-year old girl crossing over to the beach.
Now it turns out, according to LADOT, another 14 people were killed along Vista del Mar from 2003 to 2016.
That’s 19 lives needlessly lost in less than 23 years on the short, four-mile roadway, thanks a wide four-lane design that makes the seemingly bucolic beachfront street a virtual speedway for anyone with a heavy foot.
Yes, an average of nearly one death a year.
So maybe the three-county PCH isn’t SoCal’s killer highway after all, at least on a per-mile basis.
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About damn time.
Somehow, we missed the news last year that the California legislature passed Carson Assemblymember Mike Gibson’s bill to eliminate the statute of limitations for hit-and-run.
AB 2984, named for the three-year old son of Gibson’s wife, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver 36 years ago, was signed by Gov. Gaven Newsom and is now law.
Which means the driver, who was never caught, could now be prosecuted if they ever find them.
Along with all the other heartless cowards who think they’ve gotten away with it, in a state where the overwhelming majority of hit-and-run drivers are never caught, let alone tried.
Gipson also sponsoring a bill in the current session that would require that drivers convicted of reckless driving install intelligent speed limitation systems in their cars, similar to how a breathalyzer can be required for drunk drivers.
Which is also about damn time.
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This is exactly what I’ve been warning about.
Whatever your politics, cuts to funding for active transportation puts your safety, and everyone else’s, at risk.
So fight back.
Federal funding for bike lanes and other transportation projects may be frozen soon. If funding is frozen, many approved projects may never break ground, and those in progress may never start back up. Tell the USDOT not to freeze these critical funds: https://t.co/4gybzHppbq
— Finish The Ride (@FinishTheRide) March 21, 2025
Meanwhile, several states have banded together under the Clean Rides Network to find ways to fund projects the feds have abandoned.
And yes, California is one of them.
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Streets For All is hosting a virtual lunch tomorrow with Dr. Ian Walker, who they describe as “an Environmental Psychologist who studies motonormativity – the shared bias that prevents us from judging motorized transportation rationally.”
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Once again, someone appears to be deliberately sabotaging a bike trail, as a volunteer group warns about shards of barbed wire intentionally placed on Sacramento’s American River Parkway; so far, the only damage is flat tires, but someone could easily be seriously injured as a result of a blown tire.
A woman in Houston, Texas says a road-raging driver tried to intentionally ram her as she road her ebike, then yelled obscenities and attempted to provoke a confrontation when she tried to take a photo of the driver’s license plate; police say they are investigating.
No bias here. A writer for The Telegraph accuses “rich, Lycra-clad cyclists” of tearing through red lights while riding “hugely expensive” bikes paid for by taxpayers as part of Britain’s Cycle to Work rebate program, as if getting well-off people out of cars and onto bikes somehow doesn’t benefit everyone. Let alone all the not-so-well off people who have also benefitted.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A Miami cop has been disciplined for sitting on her ass while a dispute between a bicyclist and a motorist devolved into a full-on assault on the driver by bike riders taking part in an apparent rideout, remaining in her patrol car while the riders “kicked, punched, stomped, smashed a window and even hurled a bike” at the victim’s car.
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Local
City Watch looks forward to April 6th’s Koreatown Meets Hollywood CicLAvia.
Streetsblog’s Joe Linton reviews the documents, and says it will probably be up to a judge to determine whether Measure HLA, which requires that the city build out the mobility plan whenever streets get resurfaced, applies to Metro.
The former South Bay Bicycle Coalition, now known as SBBC+, offers a community proposal to reconfigure Redondo Beach’s Prospect Ave as a Complete Street.
A new play in Long Beach looks at life through the eyes of a child riding a red bicycle.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department is offering a $30,000 reward for the men who shot and killed Jose Manuel Rangel, following a confrontation on the Clara Street Bridge in Cudahy two years ago as he rode his bike home after visiting his mother.
State
Calbike has come out in opposition to AB 612, which would give fire departments more power to veto street safety projects, despite their obvious lack of traffic engineering training; as we’ve seen, fire fighters often oppose projects designed to save lives, citing unspecified delays in response times that are seldom born out in real life.
No bias here. The San Diego Union-Tribune questions whether it makes sense to pursue the city’s “preposterous” climate goals, arguing that its commitment to building transit and bike lanes is an “embrace of what feels like costly and empty virtue signaling.”
San Francisco becomes the first California city to install speed cams under a pilot program allowing a limited number in three Northern California and three South California cities, as well as on PCH in Malibu. Meanwhile, Los Angeles continues to sit on its ass and do nothing, as usual, as speed-related deaths continue to mount.
National
A writer for The Atlantic sings the praises of ebikes, saying they may be slower than a car, but make your family life so much richer; meanwhile, another writer says they’re great, but not for everyone.
Bloomberg sings the praises of the late, great autodidact and polymath Lewis Mumford, who called out the dangers of overly car-centric cities over 70 years ago.
Take your dog or cat with you everywhere with a new $300 combination pet stroller/bike trailer that converts to a backpack. Hopefully without the animal in it.
Houston lawmakers decide to reinvent the wheel, sponsoring a bill to study whether bike lanes improve safety, as if all the other studies showing they do somehow don’t apply in Texas.
Maine’s highest court has sided with a 62-year old man who was ticketed for not riding single file as he was out with a friend, ruling that the state’s requirement to ride as far to the right as practicable is so vague it’s unenforceable, since only the person riding can decide how far to the right is safe to ride.
Seriously? A Boston cafe owner worries about the survival of her business after a new road diet and bike lanes were installed, as if being located on one of the city’s most dangerous streets for pedestrians is somehow good for her business.
International
No surprise here, as the world’s happiest countries are also places with the highest bicycling rates.
A writer for Momentum shares the most important things she learned on her first bike tour.
Bike Magazine shares the world’s ten most popular mountain biking destinations for your offroad bike bucket list.
Hundreds of Londoners turned out for the return of a drum and bass bicycle rave, led by a bicycling DJ and his cat.
More proof that bikes are good for business, as a rural Scottish cafe catering to bicyclists says if they didn’t they wouldn’t even be in business anymore.
A rising British comedian warns about the dangers of drunken bicycling after crashing his bikeshare bike while riding under the influence.
Life is cheap in Ireland, where a 29-year old mother of three will spend just four years behind bars for the hit-and-run death a 68-year old man riding a bicycle, while driving at not one, not two, not even three times the legal alcohol limit, but a full nine times over the line — yes, nine — after downing a dozen martinis before getting behind the wheel.
Famed painter Henri Matisse’s brother-in-law was one of us, as the struggling artist tried to borrow 150 francs to buy a Van Gogh in 1899, only to learn the other man had blown 500 francs on a new bicycle.
A 66-year-old Chinese grandmother has already biked solo through 12 countries across three continents, on a monthly pension of just $414 a month, despite taking up bicycling just a dozen years ago.
Bike riders in Sydney, Australia may soon have fewer stair to climb, with a $39 million ramp longer than two football fields replacing the stairs they’re currently forced to climb if they want to bike across the harbor.
Competitive Cycling
Dutch pro Mathieu van der Poel won Milan-San Remo after an early attack by Tadej Pogačar failed, leading to a three-way sprint to the finish joined by Filippo Ganna.
A British company plans to bring the world’s best cyclists back to the US next year for the first time since 2019, the five-stage Tour of Colorado will launch in September, assuming they can get all the necessary permits and clearances, and get it on the pro calendar.
Finally….
Your next bike seat could play grab-ass while you ride. Your next bicycle could be a knitting machine; thanks to Steven Hallett for the heads-up.
And build a custom bike for the tallest man in America, and make a friend for life.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
NM kids face murder in death of bike-riding scientist; killer Playa street claims fresh victim; Metro threatens suit to prevent safer streets
This is getting old.
Nearly two weeks in, I’m still struggling with Covid, and need a few more days before I get back to our usual updates. Just another of the many joys of diabetes, which can make Covid hit harder and last longer than it might otherwise.
Hopefully, we’ll be back on Monday to catch up on what we missed.
But there are a few stories this week that can’t really wait, so let’s do a quick update in the meantime.
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It’s happened again.
Or rather, it happened last year, and the authorities are just now catching up.
According to multiple sources, three Albuquerque teenagers face charges for stealing a car, and intentionally crashing it into a man riding a bicycle while they recorded themselves laughing.
And if that sounds familiar, it should. And more than once.
The victim, a beloved physicist at the nearby Sandia National Laboratory, was killed when the kids “bumped” him with the car.
The 13-year old driver and the 16-year old egging them on from the back seat both face murder charges — as could the 11-year old waving a gun and laughing from the passenger seat.
Yes, I said eleven. With a rap sheep of violent crimes that makes John Gotti seem like an extra from Westside Story.
Apparently, New Mexico law allows them to be publicly named, and charged as adults.
Police became aware of the video shortly after the May 29, 2024, murder of 63-year old Scott Habermehl, but it apparently took until now to uncover the identities of his teen and preteen killers.
Habermehl was a dedicated bike commuter who was said to have ridden more than a quarter million miles over the last 30 years, and did absolutely nothing to cause his death.
The older teens each face felony charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily harm or death, and unlawful possession of a handgun.
The younger boy is likely to join them.
Thanks to Joel Falter for the heads up.
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It’s happened again, again.
Because once again, an innocent person has been killed on Vista del Mar in Playa del Rey, eight years after then Councilmember Mike Bonin tried to fix the deadly street, only to have then Mayor Eric Garcetti rip it out after caving to angry pass-through drivers.
According to the Los Angeles Times, two cars — excuse me, drivers — collided in the 8200 block of southbound Vista del Mar, near Dockweiler Beach, with one car spilling over the embankment and killing a woman walking below.
Twentynine-year old Cecilia Milbourne died at the scene. A 70-something man also suffered minor injuries.
The crash occurred exactly where a road diet had been installed by Bonin after the city paid $9.5 million to the family of 16-year old Naomi Larson, who was killed by a cab driver as she was crossing the street in 2015.
That road diet was removed, along with other nearby bike lanes and other safety improvements, when Garcetti pulled the rug out from under Bonin, ordering them to be ripped out to appease drivers who were apparently willing to sacrifice a life or two if it meant they could have a little faster commute.
And reverting the road to a four lane speedway.
It only took a few years after that before the deadly roadway claimed another life. And two more after that.
Now, after another woman has been killed — at least the fifth in just ten years — that blood is on Garcetti’s hands, and everyone who demanded the removal of the safety improvements just so they could continue to go “zoom! zoom!”, innocent victims be damned.
Not to mention whoever designed the damn thing.
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Metro has bizarrely come out against bus lanes and safer streets.
According to a post from Streets For All, the ostensibly safety-oriented county transportation agency is threatening to sue if they are forced to comply with Measure HLA when they make changes to the streets.
Even though the law clearly applies to any significant street projects, regardless of who is responsible for them.
Today @metrolosangeles sent a letter to the City of LA saying that they will sue if LA requires HLA compliance on Metro projects.
HLA applies to any projects done on City streets, regardless of who does them.
Sad that Metro doesn't want to be a better partner for safer streets. pic.twitter.com/KDquIHkPZi
— Streets For All (@streetsforall) March 19, 2025
Which is kind of like Metro arguing that speed limits and traffic signals don’t apply to them, either.
Here’s how Streetsblog’s Joe Linton responded to Metro’s threat.
So, Metro will fight the city in order not to install bus lanes, bike lanes, crosswalks, curb ramps, all approved a decade ago.
Metro is blocking routine upgrades to all the ways their riders get to bus stops and rail stations, plus blocking bus lane facilities that would improve Metro bus speeds.
Really.
Really, indeed.
It’s worth noting that Metro’s board is made up of elected officials and appointees from cities throughout LA County, and led by board chair and County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
So you know where to direct your anger.
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Finally, Glendale is hosting their own CicLAvia-style open streets event May 31st on South Glendale Ave, in conjunction with Metro and Community Arts Resources (CARS).
Here’s how the press release describes it:
GLENDALE, Calif. (March 18, 2025) — Southern California’s newest open streets event, Let’s Go Glendale, will transform a portion of S Glendale Ave into a car-free space on Saturday, May 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The community is invited to explore the area on foot, bike, scooter, wheelchair or any other way that moves you.
The City of Glendale’s Open Streets Event, Let’s Go Glendale, is presented by Metro and produced by Community Arts Resources (CARS). This free day features a full schedule of carefully curated performances and activities along a meaningful vehicle-free route through the city’s south. People of all ages are invited to discover local businesses, enjoy delicious food, listen to live music and connect with the city’s vibrant cultures in the open streets. It’s an opportunity to walk, roll, shop and stroll through Glendale with a whole new perspective! A full schedule of event locations, activations and a detailed route map will be announced in April.
WHEN: Saturday, May 31 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
WHERE: City streets along S Glendale Ave will be closed to car traffic and opened to pedestrians. Full route details will be released soon.
ADMISSION: This event is free to attend and open to the public.
MORE INFORMATION: For more information visit, letsgoglendale.com
Today’s post called on account of Covid. Again.
My apologies.
I’m still really struggling with Covid, so no new post for Monday. Hopefully we’ll be back later this week after this is done kicking my ass.
Category: General /
