The Times says building a bike lane will finally get easier when the state gets around to writing to CEQA rules to correspond with a change in the law eliminating the requirement for an environmental review for one.
A Manhattan Beach man is riding across the country to raise $10,000 for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.
This year’s edition of Finish the Ride rolls through Griffith Park this Sunday. And yes, there’s free beer for every adult rider.
Also Sunday, you’re invited to ride through Northeast LA with the LAPD’s senior lead officers for the area. This would be a great time to bring up the need for better bike and pedestrian infrastructure in the area, especially on North Figueroa.
State
A state appeals court rules that a convicted drunk driver can withdraw his guilty plea for killing a seven-year old Fresno boy as he rode in a crosswalk with his family. Apparently, he wasn’t satisfied with his well-deserved 12-year prison term.
Business Insider talks to British world champ Lizzie Armistead, who has been torching the women’s cycling circuit this year. But despite the headline, as amazing as she is, she is not the world’s fastest pro cyclist.
At least that’s perseverance. After a Brit bike rider is escorted off a freeway leading to Heathrow Airport by police, he gets back on the freeway and does it again.
If you’re not doing anything this June, how about a three-day bike race through the Kalahari desert?
A teenage bike rider hopefully learned the error of his ways when he groped a Kiwi kickboxer.
And a proposed amendment to a bill repealing Nebraska’s requirement for cyclists to use sidepaths when available would require cyclists to use sidepaths when available; thanks to Mark Elliot for the heads-up.
I won’t bore you again with my own thoughts; I offered them last month upon learning that Rosendahl was nearing the end.
But I will say that LA is a better city today than it was just a few short years ago, and he had a lot to do with that.
And we are a much poorer city today without him.
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Somehow I missed Calbike’s endorsements of candidates for the state legislature in the upcoming June primary, including several in the LA, OC and San Diego areas.
Specialized had already apologised for the PR stunt, with chief marketing officer Slate Olson saying the brand “stands strong with female riders and we do not support the objectification of women in any way, in any region.”
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A New Zealand PSA shows how to stop a texting driver, and maybe get a little closer at the same time. Although it would be a kind of awkward from the seat of your bike.
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Not only has gambler and Instagram idiot star Dan Bilzerian begun his ride to Las Vegas to win a $1.2 million bet, at last report, he was just 25 miles from the finish line.
Then again, give me two chefs, a masseuse, doctor, bike mechanic and a police escort, and I’ll do it for half of that.
More on the planned opening of the new Modern Times microbrewery in DTLA’s South Park neighborhood; the founder of the San Diego craft brew maker says he was drawn, in part, by Downtown’s expanding bike lane network.
Construction is nearing completion on a several major projects in downtown Santa Monica, including a number of bicycling improvements.
Whittier police warn bike thieves to beware of their sting. It would be nice to see LAPD fight bike theft with a bait bike or two of their own.
State
Remarkably, some Encinitas residents fear turning a dirt trail that runs along a railroad track through Cardiff into a paved bike path, which will eventually run 44 miles from Oceanside to downtown San Diego, will somehow ruin the character of the city.
Nice piece by a Bay Area bike writer, who says sometimes bikes slow down cars — and sometimes cars slow down cars — and that’s okay.
San Francisco’s Bicycle Advisory Committee works for better bicycling by the bay. LA has one, as well; although it usually gets ignored by city officials, and most councilmembers seldom, if ever, meet with their representatives on the committee. And the city won’t even give them an actual website.
Portland restripes a bike lane, just one day after the Department of DIY struck by placing orange cones to mark the fading lines.
A Portland woman gets her bike back five years after it was stolen, thanks to registering it with Bike Index. You have registered yours, right? They offer free lifetime registration right at the top of this page, so don’t wait until it’s too late.
Now that’s more like it. A proposal in the Illinois legislature would require drivers on a highway to yield the right-of-way to any person riding a bicycle.
Caught on video: A British driver compiles “shocking” dashcam video of scofflaw cyclists, saying this is how accidents happen. Except none of the riders he shows seem to cause any collisions, and few, if any, close calls.
UK police are looking for a hit-and-run bike rider who broke a three-year old boy’s leg while riding on the sidewalk. Seriously, in any collision with a pedestrian — or another rider — stick around until you know they’re okay. Especially a little kid.
A new carfree Amsterdam tunnel uses design and lighting to create separate spaces for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Twenty-five Pakistani women ride to reclaim their space on the roads in the face of harassment, cheered on by around 60 supporters.
A new Aussie bike helmet with built-in cams records a 320 degree view of everything around you while offering a live rear view.
March 18, 2016 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Morning Links: Jamming on North Fig, Bike the Vote endorses in Culver City, and selling butts instead of e-bikes
North Figueroa will be jamming tomorrow.
The free Fig Jam Great Streets event will transform the dangerous street, where Councilmember Gil Cedillo has blocked long planned, fully funded and shovel-ready safety improvements in the name of (ahem) safety.
But for one day, at least, the street will be filled with people, parklets and protected bike lanes, in celebration of Highland Park’s rich cultural heritage. And a demonstration of what the street could be.
An email from the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition explains why it matters.
FIG JAM is an important turning point in the conversation about making Figueroa a safer street for everyone. Over the past year, the community has come together too frequently to mourn in times of loss. FIG JAM is an opportunity to celebrate what the community could gain: a complete street that is safe for everyone that walks, bikes, and drives on it…
FIG JAM will help the community envision what is possible by making temporary changes right on the street itself. For many community members that haven’t been engaged so far, this event is a first impression of a new Figueroa, and we hope that they’ll like what they see. While you’re at the event, be sure to talk with your neighbors and ask them what they think. Let’s get the conversation going on Saturday and use the day to propel our advocacy throughout 2016.
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In less than a month, Culver City will hold its municipal elections.
Despite its less-than-bike friendly past, the city has been making efforts to become safer and more welcoming for bicyclists and pedestrians. Yet they continue to rank among the worst California cities their size for injuries to both.
With three of the five council seats up for election this year, Bike the Vote LA recently rated the candidates, all but one receiving an A or B score.
In her response to our questionnaire, Sahli-Wells put forward a compelling vision of Culver City’s transportation future, from modest improvements like signage and bicycle loop detectors, to more ambitious undertakings like protected bike lanes and a Vision Zero initiative to work toward the elimination of all traffic deaths. She reminded us of her role in advancing the City’s participation in the coming Westside bike share system, which is now in the feasibility planning stage. Perhaps most importantly, she showed a commitment to prioritizing the safety of vulnerable street users in her willingness to dedicate street space to install protected bike lanes and in her focus on lowering vehicle speeds on neighborhood streets.
On a personal note, I’ve met Sahli-Wells on a number of occasions, and always found her welcoming and well-informed on bike issues, and willing to listen to suggestions or concerns from anyone who rides in the city, resident or not.
The Times offers more details on the guilty plea from Nicholas Brandt-Sorenson to a charge of selling imported performance enhancing drugs online; prosecutors are recommending three years probation, 300 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine. And Cycling in the South Bay offers his two cents.
Long Beach residents are complaining about losing parking spaces during Saturday’s Beach Streets open streets event. Which seems to be today’s theme of the day.
State
Business leaders in San Diego’s Little Italy district protest plans for a bike lane that would result in the loss of 50 parking spaces; a local radio personality with a bad case of windshield bias says if she can’t park, she’s not going. Why is it that the only time most community groups say they’re worried about the safety of bicyclists is when they’re fighting a bike lane?
Fresno police are looking for the hit-and-run driver who critically injured a popular surgeon as he was riding home from work; the driver’s car sped off dragging the victim’s bike, which is still missing.
A Boston man pushes for side guards on large trucks after his brother was fatally right hooked by one. Thanks to Long Beach bike lawyer John McBrearty for the heads-up.
When the New York Fire Department complained about a street being too narrow for emergency vehicles, the city responded by tearing out the bike lane rather than removing the parking.
After a Florida special needs man had his bike stolen for the second time, members of the local neighborhood watch group pitched in to buy him a new one.
No surprise here. A Canadian study shows building bike infrastructure really does encourage bicycling; a ten point increase in bike score results in a 0.5% boost in ridership.
London’s Cycling Commissioner says if you want cycling improvements, you’ve got to keep fighting for them in the face of opposition from a vocal minority.
Caught on video: A British truck driver barely misses a bike rider who starts crossing the road on a bike path directly in front of him. It looks like the real problem is crappy bikeway design.
And if you’re going to practice bicycle stunts, be sure to protect your penis. Assuming you have one.
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One last note: I’m going to be tied up with out of town guests over the weekend. So unless there’s breaking news, I’m not planning to have a new post tomorrow or Monday. Go out and get a few good bike rides in, and we’ll see you bright and early on Tuesday.
Bike the Vote LA is out with their voter’s guide for the upcoming Culver City elections.
And in case you’re wondering why former Culver City Detective Jay Garacochea scored so low, it might have something to do with prioritizing traffic flow over pedestrian safety, even if he does ride a bike.
The Guardian talks with former NYDOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan about her new book and the battle to give the city’s streets back to people, instead of cars. Thanks to Jon for the link.
Speaking of which, she’ll be speaking with LA Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne at the Hammer Museum in Westwood this Wednesday. Tickets to the event are free.
And an Israeli cycling team will ride the same roads cycling legend Gino Bartali rode as he smuggled documents to save Jews during WWII; the devout Catholic also hid a Jewish family in the cellar of his Florence, Italy home until it was liberated in 1944.
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Local
The LACBC’s monthly Sunday Funday ride, delayed a week because of last week’s CicLAvia, rolls this Sunday with a pre-St. Paddy’s day tour of DTLA.
Santa Monica police will be conducting yet another bike and pedestrian safety crackdown on Sunday. So try to ride to the letter of the law until you cross the city limits.
The tipping point that caused the Marines to crack down on trespassing Miramar mountain bikers came when riders on a covertly crafted trail crashed the funeral for a fallen Marine.
National
People for Bikes reports 19% of people over 55 ride bikes in 2014, since it offers low-impact exercise with a long list of health benefits.
A Washington man recovered his stolen bicycle from in front of the same credit union where it was stolen two years earlier; another man parked it there after buying it from a thrift shop.
The Denver engineer who invented the sharrow says he came up with it because he was constantly pressured to do less.
What the hell is wrong with people? East St. Louis drivers actually drove around an 11-year old boy as he lay injured in the street following a hit-and-run.
This is why people keep dying on our streets. A British driver gets just seven years for a fatal DUI collision, despite 31 previous convictions, including eight for drunk driving and six for driving without a license. But at least he lost his license for nine years. Not that it will stop him, evidently.
Australia’s New South Wales is apparently going out of its way to put an end to bicycling, including fining two cyclists the equivalent of over $300 for doing trackstands at traffic lights. Which isn’t even against the law there.
Jon wasn’t just strong, either. He was kind. After the last bro ride, we sat on our top tubes for 10 minutes outside his apartment while he gently encouraged Bader to ride hard, but also to ride more safely and obey the rules of the peloton.
Off the bike He was a prodigious success. He was a founding member of the Rubicon Project, a tech startup that made it big. He just left to found another start up company that had already secured several million in investments.
Perhaps most impressively, Jon had invented his own photosharing app, nearly at the beta testing stage, that allows users to automatically share photos with friends nearby via bluetooth. We mused how useful an app like that would be on our rides.
More than anything, Jon loved his family. He spoke of his sisters and mother and wife with compassion, understanding, and a clear desire to protect them.
Clearly, he was someone who touched a number of people in his all-too-short life, and will be missed by many.
I’ve often mentioned that homeowners and renters insurance can cover your bike if it ever gets stolen, even away from home. And recommended carrying high levels of uninsured motorist coverage on your auto insurance to protect you while you’re riding your bike.
But bike lawyer John McBrearty offered some good advice I hadn’t considered in a comment on yesterday’s post about the UCLA student raising funds to pay legal fees, after she was sued by the driver that hit her for damaging his car.
You are absolutely correct about Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist protecting you on the bike-possibly it’s the most important insurance a cyclist can have if the correct policy limits are purchased. However, while homeowners/renters insurance will not provide liability coverage while you are operating a motor vehicle it will cover you for liability if you are on a bike. Much the same way it covers you for liability if someone trips and injures themselves on your property or if your dog bites someone at any location. Of course, you should always read the “Exclusions” section of your policy to see what they don’t cover, some dog breeds are excluded from coverage but I have never seen an exclusion for a bike accident that was caused by the policy holder. Liability coverage only protects you from third parties who are making a claim against you. Again, that’s why UM/UIM coverage is so important for a cyclist also. UM/UIM will also protect you if you are walking, running or otherwise if you are hit by someone who is uninsured or underinsured.
Meanwhile, after mentioning it here yesterday, her gofundme account has reached over $7,000 of the $9,000 goal as of this writing.
My vision of a livable city is one where kids like me can ride our bikes to school, or to orchestra practice, or wherever, and our parents don’t have to worry about our safety. Streets where cars can only go 20 to 30 miles per hour would be a great start. People driving would still be able to get where they are going in the same amount of time, but the roads would be much safer for everyone — young and old, rich and poor, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians…
By the time L.A.’s mobility plan is supposed to be in place in 2035, I will be 31. I don’t want my children to have to write newspaper articles to make it easier for them to ride their bikes to orchestra class. Safe streets belong to everyone.
It’s well worth reading the full piece.
I only wish most adults understood the need for safe streets as well as he does.
The Nation asks if a revitalized LA River will become a playground for the rich, crowding out everyone else. Which is surprising, since I didn’t even know the former left wing bible was still around.
A Rancho Mirage resident says the city’s leadership doesn’t seem to represent people like her, who aren’t afraid of change and support the planned 50-mile CV Link bikeway through the Coachella Valley.
A San Francisco couple lived just five blocks apart, but they met, fell in love and got engaged at the Solvang Century bike ride; this year’s edition rolls Saturday.
No bias here. A San Francisco TV station says an Antioch cyclist wasn’t hit by a car, but collided with it, instead.
After nearly declaring war on bike-riding tourists last year, Sausalito plans to expand a Bike Ambassador program to help alleviate problems caused by too many people on two wheels. On the other hand, they never seem to complain about all the tourists on four wheels, which made my last visit there pretty miserable.
National
A scary new study says distracted driving is the new normal, as motorists spend over half their time paying attention to something other than the road.
A Houston weekly lists six streets where people “probably” won’t die riding their bikes. Maybe they should move to Boston, which claims to be tied with DC for the nation’s safest big city for cyclists and pedestrians.
A Missouri woman plans to ride 13,000 miles, stopping at churches in 37 states to raise awareness of sex trafficking.
Forget Vision Zero, says New York police commissioner — and former LAPD chief — Bill Bratton, who insists there will be traffic deaths as long as there are people on the roads. Maybe the city should find someone to do the job who doesn’t give up before he starts.
A Scottish paper asks if the draconian new fines on Australian cyclists offer a lesson to be learned, or just make the state a laughing stock. You can probably guess how riders in New South Wales, who say they remain terrified on the Aussie state’s roads, would respond.
Seriously? Even the attorney for the former enforcer for Australia’s Banditos biker gang said he had “anger management issues” after getting out of his car and beating a bicyclist for not using a bike lane. Yet he walked with just a fine and a four month license suspension. Evidently, the only crimes they take seriously Down Under are cyclists riding sans helmets.
An Aussie woman insists she told the story of deliberately running down a bike rider who flipped her off hundreds of times, but only in an attempt to frighten off a man she thought was a “child rapist,” never imagining he might actually turn her into the police. Sure, let’s go with that.
We reported yesterday that the founder of the LACBC’s Santa Monica Spoke local chapter had won the Alliance for Biking & Walking’s award for the nation’s most inspirational bike advocate.
Which if you know Cynthia, seems like an understatement.
But we missed the news that the LACBC won a second award, for Winning Campaign of the Year, for their successful work behind the scenes in getting the LA Mobility Plan 2035 approved by the city council.
Which is actually typical of the way the bike coalition seems to work; they may not make a lot of waves, but they get a lot done in ways for which they don’t always get, or take, the credit they deserve.
Congratulations to Cynthia and the LACBC for getting national recognition for their outstanding work.
Or rather, the people of New York, who back her work in reimagining the city’s streets in overwhelming numbers, despite very vocal opposition, came out on top.
None of the bike-lane opponents’ predictions has come to pass. City streets have never been safer, more economically thriving, or offered more transportation options than they do today. My successor as Transportation commissioner is greatly expanding the network of bike paths and doubling the size of the city’s bike-share system…
When you push the status quo, it pushes back, hard. Everyone likes to watch a good fight. And the battle over bike lanes most surely was a street fight: politically bloody and ripped from the tabloids. Call me biased, call me crazy — many people have — but I’ll tell you this: The bikes, and all New Yorkers, won.
Meanwhile, Gothamist and Next City talk with her about her book and the battle over bike lanes.
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A couple recent bike incidents were caught on video.
In the first, a Ventura County bike rider captures the drifting driver who ran him down from behind as he rode on the shoulder of a roadway; fortunately, he wasn’t seriously injured. Thanks to Erik Griswold for the heads-up.
https://vimeo.com/158039745
And a British cyclist captures the passenger in a passing BMW leaning out of the window to push him off his bike.
And yes, that’s a crime, not a prank.
Correction: I had originally said the cyclist was riding salmon, based on the directional flow of the traffic and parked cars. However, Andy S. points out that the person who posted the video says it wasn’t a one-way street, despite appearances.
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Local
Like a character from a horror film that just refuses to die, the debate over opening Griffith Park’s Mt. Hollywood Drive to shuttle buses is back for yet another round, with a meeting tonight to present the latest on the Griffith Park Circulation & Traffic Enhancement Plan.
LADOT reports the installation of a new bike corral on Main Street in Venice. But does that red curb mean you could get a ticket if you use it?
Twitter’s topomodesto shows a section of westbound Venice got a semi-protected bike lane between Crenshaw and San Vicente with no fanfare, even if it does need a good cleaning.
State
California now ranks fourth in the US for bike commuting, though it remains at just 1.1% of all commuting trips.
A bike has become a four-year fixture at UC Irvine, thanks to a sign attached to the handlebars reading “Jesus ain’t white.”
A Palm Springs writer calls it a terrible waste of energy to argue over whether bicycles should be allowed in wilderness areas, saying the matter is long settled.
A Stockton bike rider was critically injured when he was collateral damage in a collision between two cars; he had the misfortune of simply being nearby when one driver pulled out in front of the other.
An Oregon letter writer blames an “inconsiderate” spandexed cyclist riding on the white line, not even in the roadway, for a near collision. And apparently never considering that it’s possible to slow down in order wait for the opportunity to pass safely.
A Seattle writer says instead of the city buying the bikeshare system, people should just go out and buy their own bikes. Except that’s not what bikeshare is for. And no offense, but any bike you can buy at Target for $70 probably isn’t worth riding.
Chicago police and cyclists disagree over whether bike riders are allowed to ride a primary bike path through the Logan Square district after 11 pm; police insist the city park it runs through is closed between 11 pm and 6 am, while bike advocates says people are allowed to ride through as long as they don’t stop. So if they get stopped by the robbers that frequent the path, would they be breaking the law? Thanks to J. Patrick Lynch for the link.
Connecticut cyclists back a bill that would increase the fine for careless drivers who hit bike riders or pedestrians from $90 to $500. Needless to say, truckers, who evidently plan on hitting them, think the fine is too high.
New York unveils plans for a protected bike lane to improve safety on a dangerous stretch of roadway. Maybe someday we can see something like that here in LA.
A Georgia collegiate cyclist rises to prominence, overcoming a form of stroke so rare that only six people have ever had it — and he’s the only one who survived.
International
Nice piece from the founder of Ella, who looks back on nine things she’s learned after launching a women’s cycling website.
No matter how many cities, states and provinces adopt a three-foot passing law — or one meter, in this case — politicians always seem to act like no one has ever done it before, predicting catastrophe in defeating a proposed bill in Manitoba.
Japan has recorded over 9,100 bicycling violations in the six months since a new law went into effect regulating bike safety; eight men have been required to take a safety course after repeated violations.before being allowed back on their bikes.
Although someone should tell the Daily News that the brakeless bike they refer to is called a fixie, not a “fix-it.”
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Congratulations to Santa Monica Spoke’s Cynthia Rose, who won the award for the nation’s most inspirational bike advocate from the Alliance for Biking & Walking at the National Bike Summit.
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Nineteen-year old Dutch ‘cross rider Femke Van den Driessche could face a lifetime ban for the first confirmed case of motor-doping. It’s not that the penalty is too stiff; it’s just sad that she’s thrown away her entire racing career at such a young age.
Meanwhile, aptly named Jelly Belly rider Joshua Berry became the latest in a rash of pro cyclists who have been injured in collisions, as he was hit by a car while training in San Diego; he credits his helmet with preventing more serious injuries.
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Thanks to James for discovering this great poetic Brit PSA warning people not let their broken glass endanger the war effort by puncturing the bike tires of battleship builders.
The new album by the LA band Dunes was inspired by a hit-and-run collision that seriously injured the band’s bike-riding guitarist. Note to the LA Weekly, as well as KPCC for the above item — Repeat after me: wrecks aren’t accidents, and hit-and-run is a crime, not an oopsie.
The family of fallen 14-year old Ventura bicyclist Jonathan Hernandez, the victim of last month’s double hit-and-run, calls on the city to offer a reward to find the still-unidentified second driver; the city’s deputy mayor says that would be “unprecedented.” So maybe it’s time they set a new precedence by taking hit-and-run seriously.
Hats off to police in Des Moines IA, who arrested what may be the nation’s most obnoxiously motor-addled woman for driving up behind an eight-year old kid riding his bike, and revving her engine to frighten him B.cause those damn little bike-riding kids never get out of her way. Yes, eight-years old. Which is at least how long she should lose her license.
Chicago cyclists complain about drivers parking in bike lanes and using them for turn lanes. If someone can park or drive in a protected bike lane, maybe it’s not protected enough.
Tennessee proposes fining drivers $50 for swerving into a bike lane unless it’s an emergency. It should rise to $500 if there’s someone riding in it at the time. Or $5,000 if they hit them.
New Hampshire police discover two abandoned bicycles, and trace one back to a ten-year old boy whose bike was stolen a year earlier. In Oregon.
New York police shoot a man suffering from mental illness following a bloody rampage that began when he slashed a woman for looking at him as he rode past on his bike.
The 30-mile Tammany Trace trail allows riders to leisurely explore the north shore of Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain; New Orleans is on the other side of the lakes massive causeway. I used to take my life in my hands by riding through that same area on the narrow high-speed roadways before the trail was built, but the scenery was worth it.
International
Co.Exist looks at Milan’s plans to pay people to ride their bikes to work. That could be more effective, and less coercive, than congestion pricing in a spread-out city like Los Angeles; the challenge would be verifying that people are actually riding rather than driving, which could be overcome with a tracking app similar to Strava.
A British cyclist wins a bike race, then suffers a broken leg when a delivery driver turns into her path on the way home. Then gets screwed again when the driver is fined a lousy £145 — the equivalent of just $206.
A UK man is convicted of stealing a $700 bicycle, then selling it for $28 worth of heroin; he’s been prohibited from even touching any bicycle he doesn’t own pending his sentencing. Although he’s the exception; Brit bike thieves get away with it at least 75% of the time.
A HuffPo writer says London’s next mayor must “go Dutch” on bicycling. Meanwhile, British actor Tom Conti displays more than a touch of paranoia, claiming a planned London bikeway is just the first step in a “some kind of Soviet idea” to ban all vehicular traffic from the city. Um, sure. Now calm down and take your meds.
Norway is investing over $900 million to build ten bicycle superhighways around the country’s nine largest cities.
March 4, 2016 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Morning Links: LACBC & SaMo Spoke up for national honors, CHP looks for driver in East LA bike hit-and-run
Congratulations are in order for the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition and Santa Monica Spoke.
The LACBC and its local chapter Santa Monica Spoke received national recognition as they dominated the nominations for next week’s Alliance for Biking & Walking’s annual Advocacy Awards.
The nominations include:
LACBC for Advocacy Organization of the Year
LACBC Executive Director Tamika Butler for Advocate of the Year
LACBC Planning & Policy Director Eric Bruins for Advocate of the Year
Santa Monica Spoke’s Cynthia Rose for the Susie Stephens Joyful Enthusiasm Award
LACBC work on LA’s Mobility Plan 2035 for Winning Campaign of the Year
No other organization received more than two nominations. The winners will be announced at the National Bike Summit in Washington DC.
The victim was hit by a white pickup just before 10 p.m. near the intersection of West Whittier Blvd and South Eastern Ave; no other description of the suspect vehicle or the driver is available.
No word on the condition of the victim, who was taken to a nearby hospital.
UCLA’s Daily Bruin calls for a free shuttle along Westwood Blvd connecting the campus with the new Expo Line station, since bicycling is unlikely to be a safe option. That’s thanks to Councilmember Paul Koretz unreasonable and unconscionable blocking of a long-planned bike lane along the Blvd.
A bike rider just barely avoids being run down during a police chase that started in Boyle Heights and ended in a Pasadena HoneyBaked Ham store.
Streetsblog looks at Calbike’s legislative agenda for the coming session; one bill under consideration would require traffic lights to be timed to create a green wave, ensuring that riders traveling at 12 – 15 mph would see nothing but green lights.
The inevitable bikelash has begun. Shortly after San Diego announces plans to make the city core safer for cyclists and pedestrians, business leaders in the city’s Little Italy district say they’d rather have parking than bike-borne customers.
Candidates for mayor of Sacramento promise to make the city friendlier for bicyclists and pedestrians, while making it a vibrant place people can navigate without a car.
National
Good cyclists steer with their bodies, bad cyclists steer with their handlebars. And in other news, water is wet. No, really.
Two cyclists were killed, and two injured, after an allegedly drunk driverplowed into a group of ten riders while they were stopped at a red light in Tucson AZ; they were all waiting in the bike lane when they were struck. If you’ve ever wondered why some bike riders go through red lights, this is it; while I don’t condone it, many bicyclists believe they are safer going through a light than waiting patiently and risking something like this.
A bighearted New Mexico man searched for two weeks to find a homeless man whose bicycle was falling apart just to give him a new one. It’s people like that who make this world a better place.
A Boulder CO program uses adult-sized balance bikes to help teens and adults with disabilities gain confidence and discover what they’re capable of achieving.
Minnesota’s StarTribune offers a look at the innovations in the bike world on display at this year’s Frostbike, saying there’s great stuff, but nothing revolutionary.
A Massachusetts man is ruled a danger to society after deliberately mowing down a boy as he rode his bike on the sidewalk; the driver was allegedly enraged that the victim had talked trash about his sister.
International
Vancouver tripled bike rack installations last year, and is still scrambling to keep up with demand. That’s a great problem to have, evidence that the city’s recent completion of a protected bikeway network is boosting ridership.
A Canadian mountain bike trail was sabotaged with wooden stakes and a wire strung at neck height in an apparent attempt to injure, or possibly kill, bike riders. Let’s hope the charges reflect that when they find whoever is responsible.
Caught on video: It’s not always bike riders who are the scofflaws. A London cycling hits the pavement trying to avoid pedestrians crossing against the light.
More on that UK survey that shows the overwhelming majority of Brits support bikeways; nearly 80% support bike lanes if they don’t significantly affect their commute, while more than half said they’d still support bike lanes even if it made their commutes five minutes longer.
The head of Britain’s equivalent of the AAA gets it. He says bike lanes that start and stop are one of the worst things for both bike riders and drivers, lulling both into a false sense of security.
And they cite CD5 Councilmember Paul Koretz as saying transportation policy for Westwood was developed without “consulting him or the community.”
Funny, that’s not the way I remember it.
I attended a number of meetings where the 2010 Bike Plan, and specifically Westwood Blvd, were discussed, dating back to when the initial plan was first unveiled in 2009.
All of which were attended by Koretz’s staff members, and at least some by Koretz himself. Including one highly contentious meeting that focused solely on Westwood, where supporters argued with angry residents and business owners protesting the possible removal of bike lanes and/or a traffic lane to in order to accommodate bike lanes.
Those complaints were heard loud and clear. The result was a revised plan creating a floating bike lane that would have retained all traffic lanes, and kept parking by flipping it from one side of the street to the other between the morning and evening rush.
However, business owners refused to consider it because it meant their customers would have to cross the street to get to their shops. Meanwhile neighboring homeowners, who were addressed directly, simply didn’t want bike lanes on “their” street.
Koretz responded to their complaints by halting a nearly-completed engineering study of bike lanes on the boulevard, followed by putting a permanent hold on installation of the bike lanes themselves at the behest of local residents. Even though I’m told the study would have showed the bike lanes would improve safety with no significant impact on traffic flow.
In response, traffic planner Ryan Snyder developed a plan that would have added bike lanes along most of Westwood, with sharrows in a small section where there was too narrow for bike lanes, while keeping all parking on both sides of the street and retaining existing traffic lanes.
Yet even the “Remove Nothing Plan” was rejected out of hand, this time out of supposed fear for the safety of cyclists on the busy street. Which never seemed to be a concern for opponents in any discussions prior to that point, making it seem that they were simply fishing for any argument to stop the plan.
And never mind countless outreach efforts by the LACBC and their bike ambassadors, and multiple presentations to neighborhood councils and homeowner groups.
So it wasn’t that there wasn’t any outreach, or effort to address the concerns of Koretz and local community members. It’s just that they insisted on sticking their fingers in their ears and stomping their feet like petulant two-year olds while shouting “No! No! No!”
To say neither he nor the community was consulted is disingenuous at best, if not an outright lie.
Was drinking 40-ounce beers with a friend just hours prior to the wreck
Spent the afternoon slashing tires and otherwise vandalizing cars with said friend
Got behind the wheel with alcohol, marijuana and another unnamed depressant in his system
Drove away after rear-ending another car
Later passed the same car on the right as the driver tried to stop him
Drove on the shoulder at twice the posted speed limit
Didn’t stop after hitting Gardner, but pulled over later in a parking lot to examine the damage to his car
Drove back to the crime scene, refusing to stop when a cop tried to flag him down
Hit another car trying to get away
Apparently couldn’t have cared less when told his victim was going to die, asking only if his car was damaged and when he could get it back
The station says he could get 15 years hard time if he’s convicted.
Somehow, that barely seems like enough.
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Never mind getting drivers to pay attention. The key to safety is obsessive hi-viz, according to this 1978 bike safety vid dug up by British bike historian Carlton Reid.
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Local
The LA Times is hosting a half-day conversation on the future of transportation in Southern California, including talks with Mayor Eric Garcetti and U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, as well as discussions on self-driving cars, hyperloops and the next steps for LA. It appears to be free, but you have to apply for an invitation, which may or may not be granted.
A writer for the Pasadena Weekly says you are not a driving instructor, so keep your horn to yourself; it’s not intended to tell others how to drive, give them the audible equivalent of the bird, or tell slower traffic, including cyclists, to get the hell out of your way. Amen, sister.
A Fallbrook website offers photos of the recent 12 and 6 Hours of Temecula endurance mountain bike races.
Business owners on a Santa Barbara street complain that plans for a bike lane would violate California environmental laws by removing 100 parking spaces along the street; they swear they support bike lanes, just somewhere else where it would cost a lot more. No, seriously, they say removing parking spaces and giving people an alternative to driving would be worse for the environment.
Salinas bike lockers are going unused. If no one is using bike lockers, chances are they’re either in the wrong place, unsecure or people don’t feel safe riding there.
San Jose police arrest the driver who fled the scene and abandoned his car after running down a cyclist last week.
National
Once again, a new study upends your training diet by announcing fried foods are now good for you. Although a greasy meal before your next century could prove a little problematic.
In a long and wonky piece, People for Bikes says it looks like major changes are coming to the national street design committee that will make it friendlier to bicycling and walking.
Another example of women earning a fraction of what men do. After a Las Vegas gambler bets a woman gambler $10,000 she can’t ride her bike from Vegas to LA in 72 hours, he bets another guy $600,000 he can’t ride from LA to Vegas in 48.
Houston plans to make the notoriously auto-centric city more bike friendly, including a long-term proposal for 861 miles of “high-comfort” bikeways. Does that mean you have to ride them on a plush bike?
Now that pro cycling is allegedly cleaning up its act, amateur cyclists represent the next frontier in doping. Meanwhile, Lance’s lawyers say cycling was a cesspool back in his day, and only a fool would have believed it when he insisted he wasn’t doping. I guess that means there were a lot of fools back then, myself included, who truly wanted to believe.
A travel website suggests bicycling is the best way to visit Bagan, Myanmar, which it describes as a temple-filled, real-life Narnia where bikes rent for $1 a day. You just have to walk through the right wardrobe to get there.
Finally…
It’s one thing to reject a bike lane to preserve parking, but voting to preserve illegal double-parking may set some sort of NIMBY record. Now you can wash your clothes while you pedal; if they can figure out how to put that on an actual bike so you’ll have clean clothes to wear at the end of your ride, I’m in.
The council had been presented with three plans to remake the roadway into a Complete Street that would serve the needs of all road users, as well as the greater community — two involving road diets and bike lanes, and one which would accommodate bike lanes by narrowing the existing traffic lanes.
But even though the third option would have had no effect on traffic flow, other than improving safety, the council voted to do nothing in the face of opposition from some mostly older residents.
It was a setback for the region, and leaves Las Tunas a dangerous commuter arterial instead of a vibrant center for local people and businesses. I have no doubt that the people of Temple City will eventually see the light, but in the meantime the design of Las Tunas remains stuck in the past, serving only a part of the community’s needs, forcing everyone else into a steel box….
When we create a transportation system that only works for cars, we create a partial system that excludes and marginalizes people who can’t afford cars, don’t want a car, or who are unable to drive. We essentially force all but the most experienced and confident (or desperate) to buy into the car system. Once people buy into that system they expect cities to design infrastructure for their convenience, which further reinforces the incompleteness of this unsafe, inequitable, unsustainable, people-unfriendly system.
Meanwhile, Andrew Yip forwards a letter from a Realtor organization that set out to rile up opponents of the plan in advance of last week’s meeting.
Let’s see how many obvious errors you can spot in it.
Never mind that bike lanes like the ones proposed for Las Tunas have been repeatedly shown to not just improve safety, but boost sales for local businesses, reduce business vacancy rates and increase property values for homeowners in the surrounding area.
Maybe those property owners would have liked to know some of that before they were roused into voicing their opposition and cowing the council.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the city as Rosemead, rather than Temple City. Thanks to John Lloyd and Andrew Yip for the correction.
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Let’s catch up on a little new bike news.
Why bother putting fenders on your bike when you can just buy a $3,570 bike with front and rear mud guards built into the carbon fiber frame?
Just what every kid needs. A $2,775 carbon fiber mountain bike designed for children from four to seven; at least the frame is adjustable as they grow. Did I mention it costs nearly three grand?
Meanwhile, a nice essay by Anna Schwinn in Bicycle Times suggests the reason fewer women ride bikes starts with the bike itself, in an industry that caters to men and offers few models in women’s sizes. And even then, usually lower quality at a higher price. Thanks to Richard Risemberg for the link.
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Local
The new documentary about East LA’s Ovarian Psycho’s scheduled to premier at South by Southwest has just 15 days to raise another $15,000 to get funded.
KPCC reports on the battle over the Mariposa Street Bridge, where Burbank officials recently voted to ban the mere presence of bicycles lest they frighten the horses.
LADOT Bike Blog celebrates the 20th anniversary of the city’s successful sidewalk bike rack program; you can request a bike rack at your favorite location by filling out this form. I’m requesting racks at a couple of medical buildings I visit far too often; it’s absurd that offices dedicated to health force their patients and staff to drive because there’s no safe bike parking for blocks around.
Burbank is planning an “epic day of celebration” at this year’s Burbank on Parade on April 23rd, including a mini-CicLAvia sponsored by Walk Bike Burbank.
Calbike is asking the state Air Resources Board to extend their Clean Vehicle Rebate Program to cover up to half the cost of a bicycle, since bikes are cleaner than the greenest car.
The father and son team of Darryl and Bryce Headrick were officially charged with felony aggravated assault on a peace officer on Tuesday, after allegedly attacking a cop who tried to stop Headrick the Younger on suspicion of biking under the influence last week.
Another case of a hit-and-run driver running down a jogger in a bike lane, this time in San Diego. And this time, with her 3-year old daughter in the car; she also hit two parked cars for good measure.
Duel doctorates in aeronautics and astronautics, cyclocross racer and a top 20 finisher in the collegiate national road cycling championships. Not a bad resume for this San Benito County woman.
A UC Berkeley student says common sense on the part of drivers and pedestrians can help prevent collisions with cyclists. Common sense on the part of bike riders can go a long way, too.
The parents of a Delaware student who was knocked down by a bike rider has sued the university for failing to ban bikes from sidewalks; the victim is still in a coma four months later.
