Archive for General

Sometimes, no news really is good news

May 24, 2013 / / One comment
New 2xU store at 15th and Montana in Santa Monica

New 2xU store at 15th and Montana in Santa Monica

Just a few quick notes before I head out for my first, and last, spandex-clad non-transportational ride of the week.

I was hoping for a lengthier update this morning, but after three days in Damien Newton’s shoes as guest editor of LA Streetsblog, combined with an LACBC panel discussion on the Rules of the Road and a grand opening party for the new 2xu store in Santa Monica — the first US retail outlet for the Aussie performance wear brand — I found sleep far more appealing than writing last night.

I’m just glad I didn’t break Damien’s website. And I learned just how hard a job he has — and was reminded what an amazing job he does with it.

As far as riding goes, it looks like about as perfect a day as you can experience here in SoCal. Which means about as perfect a day as you’ll experience anywhere.

Just remember, it’s also the day before a three-day weekend.

Which means that traffic will be exceptionally heavy this afternoon and evening, as L.A. drivers rush to get home and/or out of town. They will be frustrated by the heavy traffic, possibly angry and looking for any advantage they can get on the roads.

And they won’t be looking for you.

Which means it’s up to you to ride carefully and defensively.

It shouldn’t be that way; everyone on the road should be expected to be aware of their surroundings and others on the roads at all times, and drive accordingly. But that doesn’t happen on the best day, and it certainly won’t happen today. So it’s up to you, even more than usual, to ensure that you get home in one piece.

One other holiday note. If you ride on the beach bike path anytime after noon today, you can expect the pathway to be overrun with bike riders, skaters, pedestrians and tourists, many of whom will be drunk, clueless or both, to the point that it will be virtually impassible at times.

Just deal with it, and get on with your life.

Either find another place to ride, or accept that you will have to ride slowly — very slowly — and watch out for others who aren’t likely to be watching out for themselves. Let alone you.

In many places, non-bike riders have as much right to be on the bike path as you do, since any off-road path without an alternative pedestrian walkway nearby is legally considered a multi-use path.

And even where it’s clearly marked bikes only, it’s a lost cause to think that anyone will even attempt to enforce it.

But don’t worry, the situation will improve.

The day after Labor Day.

……..

It’s a quiet news day on the bike front, which is almost always a good thing.

If you don’t count the latest doping bust. Even Lance thinks he’s an idiot.

@lancearmstrong Knowing I have 0 cred on the doping issue – I still can’t help but think, “really Di Luca? Are you that fucking stupid??”

Good news from the Eastside, as police make a pair of arrests in the recent assault on a bike rider on the L.A. River bike path.

And sad news as the famed bike-sexual Scotsman caught attempting intercourse with his bicycle passed away over the last weekend.

I’ll try to catch up as time allows over the weekend, and will keep up you with any breaking news. So check back when you get the chance.

And try to remember that Monday’s holiday is about more than sales and barbecues.

Let’s stay safe out there.

Category: Bicycle Safety, General / Tags: , , ,

Brit twit tweets she hit cyclist, bike rider attacked on L.A. River path, cyclists may get Jerry Browned again

May 22, 2013 / / 7 comments

In today’s lead story, a common sense-challenged motorist is in deep doo doo with British authorities after she tweeted about hitting a cyclist.

And claimed it was her right, since the bike rider doesn’t pay the country’s road tax. Which was actually eliminated roughly 80 years earlier.

“Definitely knocked a cyclist off his bike earlier. I have right of way – he doesn’t even pay road tax!,” “#Bloodycyclists.”

And yes, hit-and-run is a crime in the UK, just like it is here. Especially if you confess to it online.

Thanks to everyone who forwarded this one to me.

………

The LAPD promises to step up their mostly non-existent patrols along the L.A. River bike path after a Glendale man is violently attacked in an apparent gang assault in order to steal his bike.

I’ve long argued that L.A.’s separated bike paths, most of which are hidden from public view along river banks, should be regularly patrolled by uniformed bike cops to deter crime.

Not that anyone has listened, of course.

………

Rails to Trails says cyclists are about to get Jerry Browned once again, as our anti-bike governor threatens to cut funding for the state’s Recreational Trails Program; thanks to Allan Alessio for the forward.

………

In an absolutely disgusting column, a Denver writer apparently assumes she is the only bicyclist who observes traffic regulations.

And blames riders like you and me for making motorists mad enough to kill — even though the case that inspired her hateful diatribe involved a cyclist killed by drunken, wrong way, though admittedly bike-hating, driver.

Using the same irrational logic she employs, domestic violence victims should also be blamed for inciting violence by angering their attackers. And while we all agree sexual assault is wrong, it must be the victims’ fault for wearing their skirts too short or jeans too tight, right?

I though we’d outgrown that kind of offensively misguided thinking decades ago.

Except, evidently, when it involves people on bikes.

If a driver attacks another human being using a motor vehicle as a weapon, it’s because there’s a dangerous psychopath behind the wheel.

Not because a bicyclist — or every damn bicyclist on the road — run stop signs.

………

A more rational writer responds to the same case by suggesting that when motorists start to obey all traffic laws and regulations, then — and only then — can they start getting pissed at cyclists.

As I recall, someone once said something similar about those without sin casting the first stone.

Naw, that’s just crazy talk.

………

Rising BMC rider Tejay Van Garderen wins the Amgen Tour of California; turns out he’s from my hometown, though he went to the wrong one of the other high schools. And three-time ToC winner Levi Leipheimer hangs it up after his recent doping ban.

………

The Buffalo News reports that a bike riding upstate New York boy thanked the paramedics who saved him after one of the most gruesome freak injuries I’ve heard or read about.

Caide recalled the accident – in detail.

“My friend bumped into the back of my bike tire, and I fell,” Caide said. “He flipped over me, and that’s when the right brake handle went into the right side of my stomach, and then my intestines came out.”

Something tells me I’m going to remember those last six words for a very long time.

………

Join Figueroa for All in fighting for bike lanes in Northeast L.A. Los Angeles gets its first commuter bike trains, which may not be what you think. Bikeside comes back to life to predict the winner of Tuesday’s election; oddly, I made pretty much the same prediction on my own. UCLA hosts its first bike-powered concert this Friday. A San Pedro driver complains about taking 45 minutes to drive his kids half a mile to school, as drivers and bike riders counter-protest a recent road diet; hint to driver — your kids could walk that in 15 minutes, tops.

Beware the handlebar-basketed beach cruiser-riding bike path stalker in Rancho Santa Margarita. Temecula is now officially bike friendly. San Diego cyclists may get concrete barriers along a freeway where a car left the road and killed a bicyclist on a separated bike path. Guess Hollywood won’t be filming there either, as San Diego’s Nimitz Blvd goes green thanks to newly painted bike lanes. Our neighbor to the south will honor 95-year old cycling legend Gordy Shields. A bike riding San Jose teenager is killed on his way to school, the ninth cyclist or pedestrian killed in the city this year; thanks to Rebecca Wong for the heads-up. Remarkably, a six-year old Rohnert Park bike rider survives being run over by a multi-ton garbage truck; police may blame the victim, but there’s something seriously wrong when a driver can’t even see what’s directly in front of his truck.

Outside offers bike commuting essentials; if you ask me, the only real essentials are shorts or pants, without which you’re liable to get arrested. Seven reasons conservatives should embrace bikes — if you can find an actual conservative these days, that is. Maybe what you really need is a self-monitoring helmet complete with accelerometer and wireless communications capabilities; or you could just, you know, ride a bike. A new study suggests you’re not as visible at night as you think you are. Who could have predicted that a New Mexico woman who got a slap on the wrist for killing a cyclist in 2010 would be arrested for DUI and careless driving just three years later? A visiting MIT scientist from Japan is killed riding her bike in Boston. A passing New Jersey bike rider saves a family from their flaming home. New York’s bike share program is based on ideas from around the world; predictions of carnage when it opens next week are just a distraction. A New York writer astutely notes that bikes that heavy and slow aren’t likely to terrorize anyone. Georgia looks to lower their rate of bike deaths, something that should be top of the agenda everywhere.

A Toronto man is killed trying to perform stunts on a bike share bike. So much for cycling being clean these days, as French rider Sylvain Georges is the latest to be busted for doping.

Finally, boldly go where most of us have enough sense not to go; no, seriously, I’m sure you wouldn’t look like a total geek in your new Star Trek cycling jersey. And it’s not quite warp drive, but a French cyclist set a new record of 163 mph on a rocket powered mountain bike, just slightly faster than my best speed, albeit without the rocket power; thanks to Michael Eisenberg for the link.

Category: Bikes & the Law, General, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , ,

Nothing to see here — find me on LA Streetsblog today

May 21, 2013 / / Comments Off on Nothing to see here — find me on LA Streetsblog today

Just a quick note to let you know I’m still alive, and haven’t suffered another computer failure.

Although Verizon and I may need to have a little chat about my internet connection.

My morning has been filled trying to keep up with LA Streetblog, where I’ll be guest editing for the next few days. That’s where you’ll find my contribution exhorting bicyclists and transportation advocates to get off their butts and get out and vote.

Even though I know far too many won’t.

I’ll try to get a new post on here for tomorrow. And you can find me on Streetsblog through Thursday.

Category: General / Tags: ,

An aimless weekend wandering through the wild, wonderful and wacky world of bikes

May 18, 2013 / / 3 comments

I wasn’t really planning to write anything tonight; somehow, getting a little sleep seemed like a much more inviting option.

But sometimes, there’s just too much going on in the world of bikes to let it slide.

So grab a seat and strap yourself down.

This is going to be a bumpy ride.

………

With just two stages left, rising American rider Tejay Van Garderen has surged into the lead of the Amgen Tour of California.

Meanwhile, merchants in Avila Beach, host city of Thursday’s finish, reported mixed results from the tour’s presence. But at least one grammatically challenged local business didn’t seem happy at all.

Joe%20Mamma%20coffee%20house%20hates%20Amgen[1]

Thanks to Jeffrey Fylling for the forward.

………

A Valley bicyclist reports he had an exciting ride home from work recently.*

I caught a car thief in the act. I left work around 9 tonight and headed home on my bike. 2 blocks from work I see a suspicious guy hanging around the passenger door of a parked Toyota. I pass him and pull around the corner, stopping to observe. I see him attempting to slim Jim the door open so I dial 911. I got a quick connection and started to do scribe what I was seeing. After a minute, the perp gets the passenger door open, unlocks the driver’s door then hops in. It takes him another minute to get the car started and to take off. The operator asked me to describe which way the car was going, so I figured I would see how long I could follow and give a running dialog using my wireless headset. I guess I was pumped up as I had no trouble maintaining the 30 MPH needed to keep up with the car as it weaves its way through the residential neighborhood. That’s quick for me, I normally do 20. I continued to provide a running dialog of my position. The LAPD was really on it, because they had a helicopter and three patrol cars pull the thief over in a half mile. My phone log shows the call duration was only 5 minutes.

After I hung up, I turned and headed for home. This part is really interesting. After I got over a mile away from the scene of the arrest, the police helicopter tracked me down and had me stop. I wonder if the GPS in my phone gave my location. A patrol car pulled up shortly after, the two officers got out and asked me for a witness statement. After I gave a full description of everything that transpired, the officer taking the statement asked me one last question. Mind you, I’m riding one of my nice road bikes and I’m fully kitted up. “What kind of car was I driving when I was following the stolen car?”

*Given the circumstances, I’m withholding his name to protect his privacy.

………

Santa Monica gets a boost in Bike Friendly rankings, rising from Bronze to Silver. And is rated as the nation’s 5th most bikable community, though some would question the value of that.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles consistently gets left off everyone’s lists of bikable communities. And now we can’t even manage a single bikable neighborhood, either.

………

Turns out all an artist has to do to get a private showing in New York is get run over by a truck. Then again, dying has always been a good career move in the art world.

………

Pasadena bicyclists observe Wednesday’s Ride of Silence; thanks to hard-working organizer Thomas Cassidy for making sure our local fallen riders aren’t forgotten.

My goal is to one day have a Ride of Silence straight down Wilshire Blvd from Santa Monica to Downtown.

Let’s see the media try to ignore that.

………

An exclusive Bay Area town considers banning out-of-town bicyclists from their affluent community. They may be able to legally do that since their roadways are private, rather than public, property.

Just don’t give Beverly Hills any ideas.

………

Winners are announced for the recent Feel My Legs, I’m A Racer hill climb competition.

………

Several openings on the job front for those of us who want to work in bike advocacy when we grew up.

First up, Seattle’s Cascade Bicycle Club — the nation’s largest local bike advocacy organization — is looking for a Policy and Government Affairs Manager. Transportation for America wants a Field Director for their DC office. L.A. expat Amanda Lipsey sends word that the Adventure Cycling Association is looking for a Web Developer ­– Systems Analyst to work in Missoula MT.

Closer to home, Bike Bakersfield is in need of an Executive Director; affinity for fog, Buck Owens and Merle Haggard highly recommended.

And yes, I have walked the streets of Bakersfield.

………

An article in Shape magazine offers 30 reasons bikes are better than boyfriends, including:

  • # 17. Bicycles aren’t afraid of a lifelong commitment; and
  • # 22. Bicycles that go flat are easy to pump up again.

………

Verizon celebrates creativity while supporting local community causes through their FiOS SoCal Experience, as well as offering you a chance to win a bike.

As a salute to the Southern California way of life, Verizon created the Conquer your Creativity Sweepstakes. Participants can win a locally crafted Villy Custom beach cruiser valued at over $700. The beach cruiser would be virtually designed by those participating through a unique computer-based design template that allows users to integrate colors, personal photos and text into their designs.

The FiOS SoCal Experience is actively supporting local community causes such as the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica, Habitat for Humanity Ventura and the SurfRider Foundation’s Huntington/Seal Beach Chapter. You can get involved by influencing local change at www.FiOSSoCal.com.

You can also find them at the Huntington Beach Duck-A-Thon this weekend, where you can enter to win the beach cruiser or other prizes.

………

NPR says biking to work is good for you until you hit a pothole.

………

Bike Week wraps up in the L.A. area with the region’s first Bike Local Weekend. Just bring proof of ridership — such as a helmet or maybe a bike — into a long list of local businesses and attractions for special bike-only discounts.

Meanwhile, someone who writes a lot like me questions just what Bike to Work day is all about on LA Streetsblog.

………

Finally, an Alaskan newspaper says sure, go ahead and celebrate Bike to Work Day, but you’ll probably get killed.

And they quote a cop recommending that you make eye contact with drivers who may pose a risk — and if they don’t see you, pick up a stick and beat on their hood until they do.

No, really.

Evidently, drivers are a lot more forgiving up there in the Great White North.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

I’m back! Well, sort of…

May 15, 2013 / / 4 comments

Good news.

After 11 days without internet access, I’m finally back online. And the proud owner of a new MacBook Pro, thanks to your generosity and my wife’s overworked credit card.

It’s a long, complicated story, and not one I think anyone terribly wants to read.

Suffice it to say it involved the sudden death of my previous MacBook in mid-Tweet. On my wedding anniversary, no less. Followed by a convoluted comedy of errors involving Apple’s usually much better repair department, two non-functioning borrowed computers, and countless hours on the phone trying to figure out why I didn’t have functioning internet service on the rare occasions I had a functioning computer.

The day Apple called to tell me they couldn’t — or  more precisely, wouldn’t — repair my laptop was one of the lowest days of my life.

And yet, it lead, just hours later, to one of the most inspiring moments of my life, when the one email address I could access using my phone unexpectedly reported that someone had made a donation to my nearly forgotten PayPal account.

Followed by another. And another.

To say I was stunned is to put it mildly. It never would have occurred to me to ask my closest friends for help buying the replacement laptop I couldn’t afford — let alone people I only know through this blog. Or that anyone would want to dip into their own hard-earned funds to help me get back to writing it.

This is, in many ways, the hardest job I’ve ever had. And by far the most rewarding, even if it doesn’t pay a dime.

Which is something I obviously have to work on.

But thanks to you, I get to keep doing it. And I couldn’t be more grateful.

The donations eventually added up to a little over half the cost of the least expensive MacBook, along with a couple of badly outdated programs that had to be replaced after several years of non-updates before I could access the files I need on a daily basis.

And those are just the ones I had to have to get back to work; there are several others that will eventually need to be replaced before I’m back to full working strength.

So if anyone would still like to contribute, you can send a donation through PayPal to bikinginla at hotmail dot com.

But please, don’t feel obligated. I know as well as anyone how tight money can be these days; your continued readership is more than support enough.

Because it doesn’t matter what I have to say if no one wants to read it.

Finally, allow me to thank my friend thesqueak for filling in for me with Bike Week updates this week while I was still trapped in the seventh level of Unable to Connect to the Internet Hell.

And most of all, to the people listed below who dipped into their own wallets to help rescue me from it.

  • Danilla O.
  • Jessica D.
  • Mark J.
  • Vanessa G.
  • Todd M.
  • Michael E.
  • Brian N.
  • Nicholas A.
  • Joe R.
  • Steven H.
  • Todd R.
  • John L.
  • Harris M.
  • Chet K.
  • Michael B.
  • David H.
  • Michele C.
  • Dave M.
  • Philip L.

Update: We can add a few more extremely generous names to that list:

  • Vahe G.
  • Allen A.
  • Robert P.
  • Lisa L.
  • Richard R.
  • Kevin H.
  • Natalie C.
  • Philip W.
  • Gil S.
  • Glen S.
  • John H.

You guys truly amaze me. I can’t begin to tell you just how touched and humbled you’ve made me feel. And if there’s someone I’ve missed on that list, I sincerely apologize, and thank you as sincerely as I possibly can.

It’s going to take me a few days to get back up to speed. I’ve already spent over four hours today just sorting through the nearly 400 emails that piled up over the last near-dozen days.

Not to mention slogging through my blog to delete the many spam comments that managed to slip through the cracks while I was otherwise occupied.

So bear with me.

I hope to get back to bike news before the weekend, as well as filing in for Damien Newton on Streetsblog on Friday.

And to keep writing this blog as long as you’re willing to read it.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

Bike Week continues… NOW WITH NEW IMPROVED WEATHER!

May 15, 2013 / / Comments Off on Bike Week continues… NOW WITH NEW IMPROVED WEATHER!

Wednesday offers beautifully cool weather, with sparking sunshine all day and a lovely waxing crescent moon to go along with your evening ride. A bike commute on a day like today is like playing hooky… without having to play hooky at all.

From 10am to 3pm today, BikeSGV will be at the Baldwin Park Metrolink Station to provide info, maintenance checks, minor repairs, and, most importantly, free swag!

This afternoon, Walk’n’Rollers offers a family-friendly bike ride along Ballona Creek in Culver City. Helmets are required and fun is practically guaranteed.

In the Valley, an after-school memorial ride departs Grant High School at 3:50pm in honor of David Granados, whose killer remains at large.

Cali Bike Tours leads a leisurely ride through Long Beach to showcase the city’s spectacular bikeyness.  The ride departs at 4:30pm from Bikestation Long Beach and returns at 6pm. Naturally, there will be coffee.

The City of Santa Monica and Santa Monica Spoke co-host a fantastic tour to show off its impressive new bike facilities. The ride departs SM City Hall at 4pm sharp and returns for a press conference at 5pm. And afterwards, join your fellow cyclists for Handlebar Happy Hour at West 4th and Jane.

Orange 20’s TJ Flexer guides you through the cradle of L.A.’s bike movement; it’s a rolling tour of the Bicycle District! See where it all began, and then return to HelMel for Scoops and maybe a chainring tattoo. Ride departs at 6:30pm from Orange 20 at Melrose & Heliotrope.

In Pasadena, C.I.C.L.E. hosts Ladies’ Night, beginning with a hands-on maintenance review courtesy of the lovely LUNA Chix, starting at 6:30pm at Paseo Colorado. There will be plenty of hydration on the Urban Expedition that follows, especially for ladies fond of coffee and/or wine! (Take a moment for a wistful peek out behind the Jones Coffee building to imagine the lovely elevated Cycleway that once soared above what is now that concrete alley.)

The annual Ride of Silence and its thundering message will roll through numerous cities tonight. Pasadena’s will be the largest in L.A County. The United Riders lead the way in South L.A., while Bici Libre holds its own
Rodado de Silencio.

Other SoCal Rides of Silence take place in Oxnard, Irvine, San Clemente, Rancho Cucamonga, Ridgecrest, San Diego, Temecula, Thousand Oaks and Ventura.

If today’s riding wasn’t enough, plan tomorrow’s Bike To Work Day commute around how many pit stops you can hit on the way to & from work. And there’s still time to register your pledge to pedal on Bike to Work Day; you could win a new folding bike from REI!

Check back tonight for details on tomorrow’s Bike to Work Day fun and the extraordinary list of events planned for the wild bikeapalooza that this upcoming weekend will be.

Category: General /

It’s Bike to Work Week!

May 13, 2013 / / 7 comments

As you may have noticed, it’s Bike to Work Week in Los Angeles. Did you miss the official kick-off event at Grand Park this morning? Well, sooth your broken heart (and sweaty brow, given that it’s 90 degrees downtown already) with a leisurely iced coffee at any of our bike-friendly Spring Street sidewalk cafes. Or, heck, in this heat, ice cream will make a perfectly acceptable lunch.

In Santa Monica, free safety checks at various bike shops throughout the day will get you rollin’ right.

Visit BikeSGV’s info booth at the El Monte Transit Center from 10am to 3pm today, and you can get your bike checked and score free swag!

Tonight you can roll with A Taste of Pasadena, one of many Bike Week events planned in the lovely City of Pasadena. The ride meets at Memorial Park, conveniently adjacent to the Gold Line’s Memorial Park Station.

And of course, you’ve already got your calendar marked for tomorrow’s Blessing of the Bikes at Good Samaritan Hospital. Whether you’re a true believer or merely superstitious, you can get blessed and fuel up for free.

You could win a new folding bike from REI, among other great prizes, if you take Metro’s pledge to Bike to Work this Thursday.

Take a break from all that riding to fill out Bikeside’s bike-friendliness survey. All the data are important, and your opinion counts!

There’s a bajillion more events going on this week, including movies, guided rides, and award announcements. Which lucky bike commuter will win Metro’s Golden Pedal Award in the “Treacherous Commutes” category? Stay tuned and BikingInLA will fill you in on everything so you won’t miss a minute of the fun!

Category: General / Tags: ,

Update: Due to a computer failure, BikinginLA will not be updated for now. My apologies.

May 7, 2013 / / 16 comments

I’m afraid my laptop died over the weekend. And took with it my abilty to maintain this blog.

So there won’t be any new updates until I can come up with a solution.

My sincere apologies.

Update: Thanks to Danilla, Mark, Vanessa and Jessica for contributing to help me get a new laptop, and to Patti for making the suggestion and Margaret for providing a link to my PayPal account in the comments below. I can’t begin to tell you what you’ve done to restore my faith after a very difficult few days. To say I’m blown away would be a massive understatement.

I have the best readers in the world. You guys amaze me.

Update 2: My earlier update may have given the wrong impression about the amount of money raised so far. While the total is less than $100, I’m just incredibly grateful that anyone would donate their own hard earned money to help me keep up this blog.

In the meantime, I hope to be back online next week with a borrowed pc. Keep your fingers crossed.

Update 4: Thanks to Todd, Michael, Joe, Nicholas and Brian for your contributions. You guys rock.

Update 3: Thanks to Todd and Michael for your contributions.

Category: General /

Update: More bad news — 14 year old bike rider killed by school bus in Glendale

May 2, 2013 / / 16 comments

More bad news in what is turning out to be a horrible week for SoCal cyclists.

The Montrose-La Crescenta Patch is reporting that a 14-year boy was killed this afternoon when he was hit by a school bus.

The victim was riding his bike on the sidewalk around 2 pm when he was hit by the northbound bus at the intersection of Riverdale Drive and Columbus Ave, presumably when he attempted to cross the street.

The bus reportedly hit him at a slow rate of speed, pinning him underneath. He was pronounced dead at Glendale Memorial Hospital about an hour later.

The site reports his mother has been notified, but the victim’s name does not appear to have been released. He was a student at Theodore Roosevelt Middle School in Glendale.

This is the 22nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 11th in Los Angeles County — half the total for the entire seven county region.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all his family and friends.

Thanks to Stephen Messer for the heads-up.

Update: The Glendale News-Press reports the victim was riding west on the sidewalk on the south side of Riverdale when he entered the intersection against traffic, and was struck by the bus headed north on Columbus.

Witnesses said he was riding at a high rate of speed, which suggests he did not stop at the cross street, despite the four-way stop. The driver, who would have been looking in the opposite direction towards oncoming traffic, told police he never saw the boy coming.

Another tragic reminder that riding on a sidewalk is far more dangerous than it may seem. 

Update 2: KNBC-4 says that the victim was a 7th grade student, but that it isn’t clear if he attended the nearby Theodore Roosevelt Middle School. Thanks to gomerzed for the link.

Update 3: According to the Daily News, there were no passengers on the bus at the time of the collision.

Update 4: The Glendale News-Press identifies the victim as 13-year old Roosevelt Middle School student Jonathan Hernandez; Glendale police had initially said he was 14.

Reading between the lines, it would appear this collision occurred when the rider came off the sidewalk onto the street in front of the bus. The driver was likely focused on oncoming traffic, and may have pulled forward without looking directly ahead or to the right. Even if the driver had looked right earlier, she may not have seen the victim given the speed witnesses said he was riding. 

Whether or not this tragedy could have been avoided with more care on the driver’s part is debatable.

What is not debatable is that this was a slow speed collision, and was only fatal because the victim became trapped under the bus. If school buses and other large buses and trucks were required to have safety panels to keep victims from falling underneath in the event of a collision, this tragedy might never have happened.

Category: Bicycle Safety, General, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: ,

Catching up with today’s way too long compendium of all the latest bike news and links

April 25, 2013 / / 3 comments

Let’s take a few minutes to catch up on this week’s news now that things have settled down a little.

Or maybe quite a few minutes.

It’s a long list.

………

Beverly Hills isn’t the only place where a road raging driver has left an injured cyclist in his wake.

Around 5 pm last Friday, a group of women visiting from Las Vegas were riding single file on eastbound PCH in Newport Beach, when a Cadillac pulled up behind one on the riders and started honking impatiently — then plowed into one of the riders, rather than wait a few seconds until they could get out of his way.

The jerk driver fled the scene, but returned later, claiming it was the victim’s fault. Evidently for having the audacity to occupy the same space where he wanted to put his car.

The woman was transported to a local hospital with a head injury; a comment to the story indicates she was released after being kept overnight.

And no word yet on whether the driver was cited, or if charges are pending.

Thanks to Lois for the link.

………

An unarmed bike rider is shot by an L.A. Sheriff’s Deputy who thought he was acting “suspicious” and might have had a gun.

Maybe I’m missing something here, but since when is the mere possibility that someone might a weapon sufficient justification for using deadly force?

Maybe that’s why some drivers have been so aggressive lately. They can’t tell if I’ve got a gun in my bike shorts, or just happy to see them.

………

On the job front, Safe Routes to School is looking for an Active Transportation Fellow in DC. The League of American Bicyclists is looking for a Development Director. And if you’re a bike enthusiast with wrenching skills, GMR Marketing has a job for you at this year’s Amgen Tour of California.

………

The LA Weekly trolls for web hits once again, claiming, among other things, that the best way to improve L.A. traffic is to rip out bike lanes in favor of restoring regular traffic lanes. As evidence, the bike-baiting writer who shall remain unnamed claims the 7th Street bike lanes are unused and result in angry motorists.

Yet he somehow fails to explain why the city’s worst traffic problems are on streets that don’t even have bike lanes.

As someone who rides 7th Street on a regular basis, I can attest that I have never seen a traffic jam there since the bike lanes were put in, even at rush hour. And seldom find myself the only cyclist using the popular lanes, which have become the primary feeder route for riders coming into Downtown from the Westside.

But then, the Weekly doesn’t always let the facts get in the way of the story when it comes to bikes these days.

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Once again, L.A. County’s killer highway claims another life, this time a pedestrian crossing Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

Which is a needlessly tragic lead-in to the news that Malibu is hosting a pair of public meetings next month to discuss the city’s PCH Safety Study next month. If you ride on PCH — or ever find yourself trying to cross the street there — you owe it to yourself to attend one.

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Maybe it’s just because the producer is my nephew. But this looks like a pretty decent distracted driving PSA. Especially considering it was made by a 16-year old who just got his license.

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The city council gives the go-ahead for bike share in Downtown L.A., while CD14 Councilmember Jose Huizar introduces a motion to repaint the Spring Street green bike lanes. Speaking of which, the most recent bike count shows ridership on Spring Street is up another 40%, after a 52% increase last year; I suppose the Weekly would say no one uses those, either. Construction will begin soon on shared bike/bus lanes on Sunset Blvd. Mark your calendar for Bike Week; pledge to ride on Bike to Work Day and you could win a bike from REI. Examined Spoke offers some good thoughts about CicLAvia; I missed that somehow in yesterday’s roundup. Will Campbell unwillingly shares a burger with a man who blames cyclists for everything that’s wrong with Los Angeles; maybe he’s a regular Weekly reader. A Silver Lake bike rodeo is scheduled for May 18th. Metro works to improve bike and pedestrian access in Boyle Heights and Little Tokyo. How to get abandoned bikes removed from racks. Both Helen’s Cycles in Santa Monica and Pasadena’s Incycle Bicycles invite you to ride with them this weekend to learn about Tour de Cure. County Commissioner Zev Yaroslavsky says NBC Universal has agreed to complete — and help pay for — a missing link in the L.A. River Bike Path through Universal Studios; now if he could only apply a little pressure to the anti-bike city of Vernon. Calabasas bike-centric farm-to-table restaurant, coffee roaster and Moots bike boutique Pedalers Fork is open, and the first reviews are already in and looking good. In other food news, bike-powered Peddler’s Creamery is now open in Downtown L.A. The San Marino paper offers what may be the most accurate estimate of attendance at Sunday’s CicLAvia, putting the total at an open-to-interpretation several hundred thousand.

The third attempt at a California three-foot passing law passed its first hurdle in the state legislature; now its on the Appropriations Committee, even though it wouldn’t seem to require any. Riverside boldly decides to study a disputed bike lane. An open letter to the AAA. No charges against a stop sign-running Apple Valley driver who hit a cyclist. A call for artistic bike racks in Beaumont. A Newport Beach city councilmember criticizes the sentence given the killer driver in the Campion-Ritz hit-and-run; but why is the death of a “significant citizen” any more important or tragic than anyone elses? Presenting the best bike ride around San Diego’s Mission Bay; I often followed a similar course when I lived down there. Escondido’s Muffler Man will get bike drag in time for the Amgen Tour of California. When a little girl’s bike is stolen, an Oxnard cop buys her a new one at his own expense, then teaches her how to ride it; thanks to our Carolina friend Zeke for the heads-up. Red Kite Prayer drops in on this year’s Sea Otter Classic. A new bike path opens connecting Downtown San Jose to the Bay. A case so old I’d forgotten all about it finally comes to a conclusion, as a Santa Clara County deputy gets a warm caress on the wrist when he’s sentenced to four months, possibly to be served at home, for killing two riders while asleep at the wheel. Unlike its L.A. counterpart, the San Francisco Weekly doesn’t have it’s collective head planted firmly up its own posterior, explaining why protected bike lanes are good for business; then again, even NBC says the same thing, at least for small businesses. It’s been a bad year for NorCal cyclists, as a 79-year old rider was the latest to killed; if a bike rider can fall under the wheels of a passing car, doesn’t that suggest the car was passing dangerously close — let alone that it might have caused the fall?

A Portland driver somehow finds herself on a separated bikeway rather than the interstate highway bridge next to it; local police say “oops.” Another self-hating bike rider who says cyclists don’t belong on the road (scroll down). Those bike-riding Portland kids sure have it easy these days. Bike share will launch in Seattle next year. An Alaska cyclist rides his fatbike over 2,000 miles in the middle of winter along two of the state’s famed sled dog trails. Big hearted strangers give a new bike to the victim of an Oklahoma hit-and-run victim. America’s only surviving Tour de France winner says he has no vendetta against Lance Armstrong; can’t say the same about the U.S. government, though. Louisiana driver gets a minor citation despite hitting and seriously injuring a bike rider who stopped in a bike lane. Bikeyface wishes bikes were more like cars. New York imposes new restrictions on bike delivery riders. NYC’s new bike share program isn’t even open yet, and it’s already being vandalized.

A UK nurse was over twice the legal alcohol limit — and on her way to work — when she killed a cyclist and fled the scene, stopping only to pull the bike out of her way. A driver with a suspended license killed a cycling married couple as he fled from police. Amazingly, British police refuse to file charges against a road raging driver was captured on helmet cam beating the crap out of a bike rider; thanks to Joni for the heads-up. Parliament members call for reducing speed limits and jailing dangerous drivers, as well as boosting spending levels to £1 billion to encourage more people to take up bicycling. Photos of eyes over bike racks cut theft rates. Town Mouse is more concerned with the safety of the dog chasing her. The director of a Dutch — yes, Dutch — road safety institute calls for a mandatory helmet law for riders over 55. A new book looks at Italian cycling great Fausto Coppi. The authoritarian state of Uzbekistan is banning bicycles in the capital, seizing bikes and advising bike shops to shut down. A Persian Gulf writer asks if taking a dangerous shortcut is really worth it. Queensland is relaxing their mandatory helmet laws to allow religious requirements. An Aussie woman is ticketed for using a handheld cell phone while riding, but the local press is more freaked out by her “bizarre” tall bike. Tempers run hot Down Under, as a cyclist is punched out by an angry driver. Why women should ride to work and how to get started.

Finally, build your own sandwich bike; peanut butter and jelly optional. A British thief returns a stolen “lusciously smooth” bike with an apology and a coupon. And trust me, you don’t want to read the comments to the Times’ story  about the Beverly Hills road rage case — let alone the ones on the CBS version.

But you’re probably going to anyway.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Car vs Bike, General, Injuries and Fatalities, Law Enforcement / Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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