Archive for General

It’s raining bikes, halleluiah! Our busiest weekend and Bike Week schedule yet.

May 14, 2011 / / One comment

Bike Talk airs every Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

Saturday, May 14th, Streetsblog LA will host a pre-Bike Week Westside Ride to the Venice Pier starting at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 11555 National Blvd, at 10:30 am.

CicLAvia is hosting a meeting to discuss expanding into Boyle Heights at 11 am Saturday in Room A208 of historic Roosevelt High School, 436 S. Matthews Street. Meanwhile, the previously scheduled South L.A. Ride is on after all; meet at the All People’s Christian Center at 822 E. 20th Street in Los Angeles at 11 am.

The annual Long Beach Bicycle Festival continues on Saturday, May 14th in Downtown Long Beach. The festivities include the Tour of Long Beach on Saturday, May 14th with rides of 4, 31 and 61 miles to benefit Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach.

Hermosa Beach offers the 3rd Annual Cycle Saturday Bike Education FUNshop from 10 am to 2 pm at Valley Park Amphitheater, at the intersection of Gould Ave and Valley Drive, offering safety and protocol education for all ages; maybe we need more events like this throughout the region.

Also on Saturday, May 14th Glendale Safe and Healthy Streets is sponsoring a free 12-mile Ice Cream Ride as part of the city’s Bike Month, beginning and ending at the Colina Drive entrance to Verdugo Park. Riders meet at 1 pm and set off at 1:30; minors must be accompanied by adults, and participants should bring money to purchase ice cream.

Further inland, the 2011 Tour of Riverside offers a family-friendly bike fest on Saturday the 14th from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm at Fairmount Park in Riverside. Events include 30 and 15 mile rides through downtown Riverside, children’s bike safety course, family run rides and a bike-a-thon, as well as exhibits, repair clinics, games, entertainment and free helmets for children.

Flying Pigeon will be busy this weekend, with the Spoke(n) Art Ride on Saturday, followed by the Get Sum Dim Sum Ride on Sunday. The Spoke(n)Art Ride meets at 6 pm at Flying Pigeon Bike Shop, 3714 North Figueroa Street in Highland Park, and rolls at 6:45, followed by a party at the Bike Oven next door to the shop. The popular Get Sum Dim Sum ride meets in front of the shop at 10 am Sunday, rolling at 10:30; click the link at the right of the page for more information.

Saturday and Sunday, May 14th and 15th, Bakersfield hosts the Safe Routes to School Bike Festival at Bakersfield Central Park at Mill Creek, 21st and R Street; Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm, including Bike Polo Tournament, BMX Competition and Bike Rodeo; Sunday from 7 am to 4 pm, with Bike Swap Meet and Crit.

The California State High School Mountain Bike Championship takes place this weekend in Los Olivos; thanks to Interbike Blog for heads-up.

The Amgen Tour of California kicks off on Sunday the 15th, with what may be a snowy ride around Lake Tahoe; Southern California stages include Solvang on Friday the 20th — including the Women’s International Time Trial Challenge — Claremont to Mt. Baldy on Saturday the 21st, and the final stage from Santa Clarita to Thousand Oaks on Sunday the 22nd. Daily TV coverage on Versus; check your local listings for time and station. This year’s ToC will honor Leopard-Trek rider Wouter Waylandt, who died this week in Stage 3 of the Giro d’Italia.

The Santa Monica Spoke is hosting Sunday in the Park on Sunday, May 15th from 3:30 to 5pm at Broadway Park, 2500 Broadway in Santa Monica; topics include what the Spoke is working on, bike talk and the Santa Monica Bike Action Plan.

For riders unafraid to venture behind the Orange Curtain, Bike Newport Beach is sponsoring a Family Fun Ride on Sunday, May 15th beginning at 8 am at the Oasis Senior Center, 801 Narcissus Avenue in Corona del Mar.

Also on Sunday, May 15th, the Pasadena Marathon takes to the streets of the City of Roses, including a 5:45 am bike tour before the runners hit the pavement. Riders and runners start and finish at Pasadena City College, 1570 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91106; thanks to Louie for the heads-up.

L.A.’s 17th annual Bike Week takes place May 16th through the 20th, with an emphasis on bike safety education, and events throughout the city.

  • Bike Week opens with an 8:30 am Monday, May 16th Kick-Off Event at the North Hollywood Metro Station
  • This year’s Blessing of the Bicycles will take place from 8 to 9:30 am on Tuesday, May 17th at Downtown’s Good Samaritan Hospital, 616 S. Witmer Street.
  • Ride with other cyclists through the streets of Downtown on Wednesday, May 18th; riders meet at 8 am at Union Station on Alameda Street
  • Bike to Work Day takes place on Thursday, May 19th, with morning pit stops throughout the greater Los Angeles Area, as well as a handful of Bike from Work happy hours; Metro is also looking for Bike Buddies to guide inexperienced cyclists to work.
  • Friday, May 19th is Bike to School Day

CICLE will celebrate Pasadena’s Bike Week with two special events:

  • Monday, May 16th is Bike Film Night with Streetsblog LA joining CICLE to present a series of Streetfilms and discuss how those lessons can be applied to Southland streets; 6:30 P.M. at Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 North Mentor Avenue, Pasadena.
  • The Mayor’s Ride & Family Night will take place on Tuesday, May 17th from 5:30 to 8 pm at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield; join with Pasadena mayor Bill Bogaard and other local officials at a family-friendly event to promote bicycle as a safe and sustainable transportation alternative.

Long Beach celebrates Bike to Work Day on Thursday the 19th, and Bike to School Day on Friday the 20th.

See Streetsblog’s amazing Bike Month Mega Page for more bike month listings throughout the greater Los Angeles are.

The Westside Council of Governments will meet on Thursday, May 19th, with lunch at 11:45 am and the business meeting beginning at noon; a program to coordinate bikeways through the Westside cities of L.A., Beverly Hills, Culver City, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood will be on the agenda. The meeting will take place in the Garden Terrace Room of the Annenberg Beach House, 415 Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica.

The San Diego Century ride takes place on Saturday, May 21st with rides of 37, 66 or 103 miles, starting in Encinitas, along with free admission to an expo featuring sports, local cuisine and live music.

Saturday, June 4th, the Palms Neighborhood Council and the LAPD’s Pacific Division is sponsoring the 2011 Bike Rodeo from 10 am to 2 pm at Palms Elementary School, 3520 Motor Ave; events include a bike safety course, safety inspection, radar speed test and a bike giveaway, as well as live entertainment and free food.

Join me, and thousands of other cyclists at L.A.’s favorite fundraiser ride on Sunday, June 5th with the 11th Annual River Ride; advance registration is open now. Volunteers are still needed — and trust me, as a volunteer last year, it’s about as much fun as you can have off your bike; email RRvolunteer@la-bike.org for more info and to sign up.

If you can make it up to Sacramento on Sunday, June 12th, Ride4Matt issponsoring a charity ride to benefit Matthew Wietrick, who was seriously injured while riding last February. Choose from routes of 10, 35 and 70 miles, with a $7 BBQ lunch after the ride; donations gratefully accepted.

Flying Pigeon Bike Shop will host a fundraising bike ride to benefit Streetsblog LA on Friday, June 17th, beginning and ending at Flying Pigeon, 3714 North Figueroa Street in Highland Park; ride meets at 6 pm, with party to follow at 8 pm.

The next two CicLAvias will take place on July 10th and October 9th; if you were at either of the first two, you’ve probably already marked your calendar.

Tuesday, August 30th, Santa Monica’s Library Alehouse will host a benefit night for Streetsblog LA; 5% of all food and drink purchases will benefit Streetsblog; 2911 Main Street.

And mark your calendar for the 2011 L.A. edition of the Tour de Fat on October 9th, unless you happen to be an observant Jew, since it falls on Yom Kippur this year.

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It’s been a busy week with a lot of breaking news, so I haven’t been able to keep up with the news links this past week; I’ll try to catch up over the weekend.

And come back on Monday for great news on River Ride — and our first-ever contest.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

A moving gesture in the Giro, yet another bike rider injured in a gang shooting

May 10, 2011 / / Comments Off on A moving gesture in the Giro, yet another bike rider injured in a gang shooting

More on the events before and after the death of Leopard Trek rider Wouter Weylandt in Monday’s 3rd stage of the Giro.

According to RadioShack rider Manuel Cardoso, who was closest to the collision, Weylandt had been dropped by the leaders, and was attempting to rejoin the main group. He was looking back at the riders behind when he clipped the wall and was catapulted to the other side of the road, where he hit another object.

Weylandt reportedly knew the course well, and live video of the crash will take center stage in an inquest into the death. News of his death was withheld until his pregnant wife, who was driving home at the time, could be told; authorities didn’t want her to hear the news over the radio. A Facebook page has been set up to solicit donations for Weylandt’s family.

The Giro riders offer a moving tribute to Weylandt as the peloton forgoes racing for the 4th stage. At the finish, Garmin-Cervelo’s Tyler Farrar rode with Leopard Trek team in honor of his late friend; when he dropped back to let the Leopard Trek riders finish without him, they pulled him forward to finish together in an all-too-rare example of sportsmanship in today’s world.

The race will go on, but without Farrar or Weylandt’s Leopard Trek team.

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The Beverly Hill Courier reports that a 40-year old man with gang affiliations was shot multiple times while riding a bike on the 2700 block of Alsace Avenue in South L.A. early Monday morning. Authorities say he was shot in the leg, arm and the groin (twice), but refused to cooperate with police. Witnesses reported seeing a silver SUV speeding away.

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Joseph Ricardo Fernandez, the driver accused of killing Encino cyclist Jim Swarzman, faces a preliminary hearing today.

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Wish I could have made this meeting, as the BAC’s Planning Subcommittee meets this afternoon to discuss issues including the Exposition bikeway, sharrows on Westwood Blvd, and the L.A. River Bike Path and other proposed bike lanes around the NBC/Universal expansion.

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Better Bike Beverly Hills reports on the recent Westside COG meeting to address closing the many gaps in Westside bikeways. A trio of Cal Poly SLO architecture students suggest banning cars from Downtown L.A. Sign up for UCLA’s Bike to Campus week and you could get a free t-shirt or bike tune-up. Examined Spoke examines the weirdness of biking in Los Angeles. The Palms Neighborhood Council will host a Bike Rodeo on Saturday, June 14th. Rick Risemberg writes there’s room for all kinds of riders on the streets of L.A. Walk Eagle Rock calls for a transformed Colorado Blvd. Santa Monica will hold a workshop on the city’s new Bike Action Plan on Monday. A look at last weekend’s bike-friendly Santa Monica Festival. Well, that’s one bike thief off the street; wait, make that three. Writing for the Santa Monica Daily Press, a family law attorney says California’s helmet law wasn’t written to protect kids, but to make money for helmet makers. A new website challenges you to time your commute by car and bike to win cool prizes. Manhattan Beach will unveil new bike racks on Saturday. Long Beach’s biking expats prepare to hit the road for their latest two-wheeled expansion. A look at this weekend’s upcoming Long Beach Bike Fest; Saturday also marks the family-oriented Tour of Riverside.

Bike corrals could soon be coming to San Diego. Why cyclists should ride with traffic. Among other safety tips, the Atascadero News says while cyclists have the burden of being visible, drivers have the burden of watching out; nice to see the press get it right for a change. San Francisco’s bike plans still have a way to go, but SF Gate says obeying the law should take equal emphasis. Palo Alto could soon get a shiny new bike boulevard. Yahoo offers advice on bike laws for Californians thinking about riding to work. Three Bay Area counties are using smartphone GPS data to improves bike planning; thanks to Zeke for the heads-up. Bicycling looks at the BMC Racing Team’s prep work for the Amgen Tour of California.

A new bill could increase federal benefits for biking to work; good luck getting it through the Tea Party driven House. Grist looks at how employers can encourage bike commuting. Levi’s introduces skinny bike jeans with a reinforced crotch, U-lock holder and stink-proofing. The latest Streetsfilm says complete streets are about more than bike lanes. Evidently, sitting all day is bad for you; unless you’re sitting on a bike seat, of course. Why bike racers need an anchor. Ten tips to make bicycling easy. Rather than crack down on illegally parked bikes, Durango CO builds a successful bike coral, leading to a record month for a local business; thanks to Richard Risemberg for the link. An Arkansas minister rides 60 miles to celebrate his 60th year less than three years after he was nearly killed in a cycling collision. Arlington TX decides cyclists only want to ride to and from parks. Lovely Bicycle looks at the New England Bicycle Expo. An Indiana Amish father and his four-year old daughter are killed in broad daylight by a driver who claims he didn’t see them. New York cyclists are being ticketed for non-existent traffic laws; Gothamist says the solution is an Idaho Stop Law. A Florida cyclist is killed when a driver falls asleep and knocks her off a causeway; thanks to Michael Byerts for the link.

Despite the recent troubles in Mexico, the Rosarito to Ensenada bike ride just keeps on rolling. So who really did invent the pedal bicycle? London considers letting trucks unload in the city’s bikeways. One of the great climbs of London. One day you’re a bike racer, the next day you’re hooking up with the most famous singer in France; thanks to Rex Reese for the heads-up. In Abu Dhabi, bumping bikes is the latest national sport, but at least they don’t murder their victims after they hit them. The UN launches the Decade of Action for Road Safety tomorrow; former Colorado gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes will probably issue a statement declaring it a socialist plot to save lives.

Finally, bikemeister Chris K suggests an earpiece that channels stereo sound into a single ear so you can comply with state law and still hear what’s going on around you. And Will Campbell points us to a post from a few years back, in which he does what we’ve all thought about when confronted by a butt-flinging distracted driver.

Well, actually, I fantasize about grabbing their phone and throwing it as far as I can, then shoving that still-burning butt where the sun don’t shine.

But still.

Category: General / Tags: , , , , ,

Giro kicks off, The Lancet calls for road safety, on-road portion of the Expo bikeway takes shape

May 8, 2011 / / 2 comments

The racing season starts for real as the legendary Giro d’Italia kicks off with a team time trial, which was won by HTC-Highroad.

Italian time trial champion Marco Pinotti wears the pink jersey — the Giro’s equivalent of the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. Bike Snob covers the race for Bicycling in his own inimitable style, while the magazine offers 10 riders to watch, including Contador, Sastre, Nibali, Cavendish and Petacchi.

Unfortunately, the field is weakened as a number of top teams have opted to take part in the competing Amgen Tour of California, which will roll during the Giro’s second week.

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An editorial in the respected medical journal The Lancet calls for reducing road dangers, both from collision and disease caused by over-reliance on automobiles.

3000 people die each day in accidents on the roads worldwide—nearly 1·3 million people a year. In addition, 20—50 million people are injured each year, many of whom end up with lifelong disabilities. 90% of road-traffic deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries, despite fewer vehicles in these countries. Without concerted action, road-traffic injuries are predicted to be the fifth leading cause of death by 2030 (after ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections)—a leap from being the ninth ranked cause of death in 2004. In those aged 15—29 years, road-traffic injuries are the leading cause of death. Just over half of all deaths on the roads are in those not travelling in a car.

These numbers are stark, but do not take into account the epidemic of chronic disease and obesity, or the effects on air pollution and climate change, which result from increasing reliance on motorised vehicles. Conversion of a road-traffic injury epidemic to one of obesity or heart disease needs to be avoided.

They conclude with a common-sense call to action I can back wholeheartedly.

Making towns and cities safer for pedestrians and cyclists, or promoting use of seat belts or helmets, might not be as cutting edge as stem-cell research but will save more lives this decade.

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The opening of Metro’s new Expo Line may be delayed once again — until next year this time — but the accompanying bike lanes are hitting the pavement on Expo Blvd now. And yes, we all hoped for an off-road bike path like the Valley’s Orange Line, but they’ve been saying for months we weren’t going to get it for the full length.

Evidently, they were right.

And I’m told that the eastbound lane transitions from asphalt to concrete in the middle of the lane; nothing like an uneven riding surface on a brand new bikeway.

Thanks to Patrick Murray for the heads-up.

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LACBC celebrates Bike Month by giving away a new IZIP electric bike; any new or renewing members are eligible. Cyclists tell the Source why they ride. Flying Pigeon calls on cyclists to support the bike advocacy group of their choice. Recent City Council candidate Stephen Box suggests LADOT’s acting head may have warn out his welcome. An anonymous writer for Bikeside says if you really want to understand planning, ride a bike. Matthew Ruscigno looks back at last month’s Feel My Legs, I’m a Racer. West Hollywood considers the possibility of a road diet and bike lanes on Fountain Avenue. The Santa Monica Daily Press says yes, you do have to stop for stop signs and traffic signals. Beverly Hills will host a bike workshop on Thursday, May 12th to get ready for Bike Week LA; Ron Durgin will be teaching, so count on expert instruction. Glendale will host a series of events for Bike Month. A look at Saturday’s L’Tape du California.

A San Diego writer looks back at his first week of bike commuting in the merry Bike Month of May; results so far, he’s tired. The SF Gate answers the concerns that keep women from commuting by bike. Five commuting tips to make every day Bike to Work Day. Three Bay Area counties are tracking cyclists through smartphone apps to collect data for future planning purposes. Benicia banishes downtown bike racks for being unsightly and diminishing the area’s historic character; something tells me they didn’t get rid of car parking for the same reasons. Those sporty spoilers can direct exhaust fumes directly to your head.

Lovely Bicycle reviews the Urbana bike; I offered my thoughts back in December. Nine years after his nephew is killed in a car crash, a Minot ND man honors his memory by giving away nearly 600 bikes to local children. A Detroit-area patrolman knew the cyclist he killed in a collision. Circling the heart of New York on the unfinished Manhattan Waterfront Greenway. A suspicious cyclist causes a scare at Ground Zero. Three Buffalo NY cyclists set out to complete the cross county bike ride they abandoned following a collision 25 years earlier.

A writer in VeloNews says it may be time to take on competitive cycling’s governing body; a new time trial shoe banned by the UCI fights back. CNN lists 15 bike-friendly cities around the world. Oxford’s new Lord Mayor vows to bike to work. One of the most gut-wrenching bike PSAs I’ve ever seen. Interrupting a bike ride to save a baby bunny. Bike-mounted cameras reveal the abuse Aussie drivers dish out.

Finally, an alleged drunk driver keeps going after killing a pedestrian in San Francisco, then smashes into a series of parked cars before coming to rest against a concrete planter. And Orange County authorities arrest an underage driver with a blood alcohol level of .30; so high, it causes police to say they’ve never seen anyone that drunk.

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My apologies for not updating the upcoming bike events this week; I was tied up preparing for a surprisingly successful Saturday morning workshop biking issues in the ‘Bu. Thanks to the Malibu Public Safety Commission for bringing open minds and truly listening to our ideas and concerns; hopefully this is the beginning of a new relationship with the City of Malibu and better safety for everyone on PCH.

Stranger things have happened.

I’ll try to update the Events page over the next few days. There’s a lot going on this month you won’t want to miss.

Meanwhile, Damien Newton offers a comprehensive listing of Bike Month events on Streetsblog.

Category: General, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , ,

Roraff apologizes for killing Jorge Alvarado; cyclists disagree with city on environmental review

May 3, 2011 / / 11 comments

According to the Highland Community News, Patrick Roraff is sorry he killed pro cyclist Jorge Alvarado last April.

In a brief story about the case going forward against Roraff and co-defendant Brett Morin for the alleged street racing collision that killed Alvarado, the paper mentions that Roraff wrote a letter apologizing to Alvarado’s family — as well as telling investigators how much he regretted his actions.

According to the accident report, Roraff wrote a letter to Alvarado’s family apologizing for the crash and told investigators, “I feel so stupid for even doing that, like trying to show off … I wish I could go back and just change everything, but I can’t … I can’t believe I took away a life.”

Unfortunately, no amount of remorse will bring the rising pro rider back to life.

Then again, no amount of punishment will either, no matter how much jail time the two teenage drivers receive.

Thanks to Dj Wheels for the heads-up.

Update: I received an email from an L.A. cyclist named Bret Morin, who pointed out that I had misspelled the name of the driver charged in Alvarado’s death as Bret, rather than Brett. My sincere apologies to the other Bret Morin for any inconvenience this may have caused.

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Surely no one is really surprised by this. Damien Newton reports that cyclists are in conflict with L.A.’s notoriously risk-averse agencies over plans for environmental review of projects in the new bike plan.

You didn’t think the fight was over once the plan was unanimously passed by the city council, did you?

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Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson ride a tandem in Venice, which brings up one of my pet peeves.

For those unclear on the subject, the world-famous Venice Boardwalk is that crowded sidewalk between the stores and the beach where bikes are banned. That narrow strip of asphalt where Simpson and Johnson rode last weekend is the world-famous Marvin Braude, formerly Venice/Santa Monica, Bike Path, where bikes are actually allowed and pedestrians banned.

In theory, at least.

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LACBC calls for volunteers for this weekend’s Culver City bike count. The West Hollywood Bicycle Task Force meets this Wednesday at 6:30 pm. Bikerowave is hosting a bike swap meet this Sunday. Source readers overwhelmingly approve of removing bike restrictions on Metro trains. Fourth District Councilmember Tom LaBonge rides next to the L.A. River; public television station KCET offers a field guide to biking it yourself. Harry Dougherty offers great photos from last weekend’s Sunday Funday ride, as well as the L.A. River clean-up. Santa Monica Spoke will host a bike exhibition at the 20th Annual Santa Monica Festival. Gary Kavanagh says Santa Monica could be the envy of the bicycling nation. Hermosa Beach invites you to an all ages bike playdate on Saturday the 14th. SoCal’s bike-friendliest city celebrates Bike Month. The Claremont Cyclist offers local bike news, including the new Citrus Regional Bikeway. The Amgen Tour of California will bypass the scenic central coast due to a massive landslide.

Astronaut Grover says wear your helmet. It’s Bike Month, so get out there and don’t proselytize. What to consider when you get new tires. Then again, maybe you’re overinflating your tires; based on this, I may try dropping my front tire a little. What’s your motivation to ride to work? The League of American Bicyclists shifts their focus from educating cyclists to educating the drivers who threaten us, and wants your help to do it; they also release the latest list of bike-friendly cities. No surprise cycle tracks save lives. Touting the environmental benefits of cycling could do more harm than good. People for Bikes says 2011 could be the year of the bike. The perfect accessory for your designer handbag could be the new Kate Spade bike.

Lovely Bicycle ponders why some towns aren’t cycling towns. Participants in New York’s popular Five Boro Bike Ride seem to spend more time walking than riding. The Washington Post implies cyclists are the only ones who need to obey the law, while Wash Cycle deftly dismantles their arguments. DC cyclists are threatened by drivers, as well as the roads they ride on. Maryland adds tougher penalties for negligent drivers who kill cyclists. A cyclist is killed by a hit-and-run driver in North Carolina after falling in the street, even though his friends tried frantically to stop the oncoming driver; thanks to Zeke for the heads-up. Florida cyclists may get a chance to ride a local causeway legally. The legal deadline has passed for Lance Armstrong to sue Floyd Landis over doping allegations.

Canadian parents are charged with letting their nine-year old son ride without a helmet after he’s hit by a car. Maybe if you rode with a halo around your head, you might not end up with one. A nurse saves the life of a man who collapsed during a triathlon, then finishes the race herself. Town Mouse wonders if we’re teaching our children the right lessons. An 81-year old UK man dies after a collision with a cyclist. Great mostly bike-related artwork. Good road design makes peace break out between cyclists and drivers. Sydney homeowners discover living near a bike path is good for property values.

Finally, if you’ve already jumped bail after being ordered not to drink, don’t get drunk and ride your bike into a parked patrol car.

Category: General, Legal Cases / Tags: , , , , ,

Volunteers needed for Culver City bike count, and jam-packed bike weekend

April 30, 2011 / / 3 comments

Volunteers are needed for a bike count in Culver City next month.

As part of the Culver City Bicycle and Pedestrian Initiative, Culver City, the Culver City Bicycle Coalition, and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition will be conducting bicycle and pedestrian counts this May.  The last time counts were done was in 2009, so we need to get out there and document the changes.  Come join us and help Culver City become more bicycle and pedestrian friendly!

The counts will be held Wednesday, May 11th at 7 to 9am and 4 to 6pm and Saturday, May 14th from to 12 to 2pm and two volunteer training workshops will be conducted the Sunday afternoon (May 8th at 4pm) and Monday evening (May 9th at 6:30pm) at the Culver City Senior Center. It is really important that everyone attend one of the trainings as it’s where we’ll be passing count forms, providing you with location details, and making sure we’re all on the same page about how and what to count. Workshops will take about 1 hour to complete.

Volunteer Training Workshops:
When: Sunday, May 8th 4pm and Monday, May 9th 6:30pm
Where: Culver City Senior Center
Bicycle and Pedestrian Counts:
When: Wednesday, May 11th from 7 to 9am and 4 to 6pm and Saturday, May 14th from 12 until 2pm. 
Where: Sign up to volunteer and find out!!!
Please email either the Culver City Bicycle Coalition – jim@asylumdesign.com
or Alexis Lantz at LACBC – alexis@la-bike.org

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Bike Talk airs every Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

A bike ride will be held on Saturday, April 30th, to honor 17-year old German Alex Romero, who was killed by a speeding hit-and-run driver in Canoga Park last week. The ride will begin at 6 pm at the Reseda Orange Line bike path, ending at the crash site at De Soto and Valerio; participants are urged to wear white. Donations are being accepted to benefit Romero’s family at JB Bike Shop, 21527 Sherman Way.

Attention Boss fans — take in select screenings of the new Bruce Springsteen documentary The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town at a Laemmle Theatre near you, and half of all ticket sales will go to benefit the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition; screenings take place on Saturday, April 30th, Sunday May 1st and Monday the 2nd.

Sustainable Streets and Transition Culver City will be hosting a Confident City Cycling course for adult riders. The two-day course is intended to help bike riders gain the confidence and skill to ride a bike safely and legally in city traffic. The $75 course is limited to 12 people, and takes place Saturday, April 30th and Saturday, May 7th at 10 am to 2 pm at Linwood E. Howe Elementary School, 4100 Irving Place in Culver City; preregister at info@sustainablestreetsla.org.

Join Bikeside for Le Tour de Green Gardens, a tour of sustainable eco-friendly gardens on Saturday, April 30th, as they participate in the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase; meet at 11 am at 3141 Greenfield Avenue.

Also on Saturday, April 30th, the Conejo Valley Cyclists presents Cruisin’ the Conejo, offering rides from 21 mile to a 101 mile route that follows last year’s final leg of the Tour of California. The ride begins at the Skyworks parking lot located at 2504 W. Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks (aka Newbury Park);register online through April 28th.

The Dana Point Grand Prix will be held on Sunday, May 1st, featuring a .8 mile criterium; the start/finish will be located at the intersection of PCH and Del Prado in Dana Point.

If you can’t make it to Dana Point, don’t miss the May edition of the LACBC’s Sunday Funday Rides, with a tour of historic Northwest and Northeast L.A.; riders assemble at the Echo Park Boathouse at 9:30 am on May 1st.

Also on Sunday, May 1st, the Tour de Cure Ship to Shore rolls across the Vincent Thomas and Gerald Desmond bridges, starting from the Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway in Long Beach. Routes range from 8 to 100 miles, as well as an 11-mile route ending with a harbor cruise back to the starting point; in addition to the entry fee, riders are required to raise a minimum $150 in donations to benefit the American Diabetes Association. Thanks to GVDub for the reminder

Monday, May 2nd, Glendale Safe and Healthy Streets is sponsoring a free Bicycle Commuter Tips Workshop from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Sycamore Room of the Pacific Park Community Center, 501 S. Pacific Ave in Glendale. Topics include planning your route, what to do with work clothes, how to carry things and basic gear.

The BPIT (Bicycle Plan Implementation Team) will conduct its next monthly meeting at 2 pm on Tuesday, May 3rd in room 721 of the Downtown City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street.

Wednesday, May 4th, Glendale Transportation Management Associates and the LACBC team to host a free lunchtime Pre Bike to Work Expo at the courtyard between 400 and 450 North Brand Boulevard, from 11:30 am to 1 pm.

The Antelope Valley Conservancy sponsors the 16th Annual Antelope Valley Ride on Saturday, May 7th with rides of 20, 30 and 60 miles; check-in begins at 7 am at George Lane Park, 5520 West Avenue L-8 in Quartz Hill.

Also on Saturday, May 7th, celebrate the intersection of art, the environment and bicycling at the 20th Anniversary Santa Monica Fest, offering free admission, parking and bike valet. A special bike zone includes bike repair and maintenance advice from the Bikerowave, a Bike Learning Area sponsored by the City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development, a Bike Exhibition with Santa Monica Spoke and a Ticket to Ride from the Santa Monica Museum of Art. It takes place from 11 am to 6 pm at Cloverfield Park, 2600 Ocean Park Blvd in Santa Monica; free bike valet at 25th and Ocean Park.

Meet the members of Team HTC-Highroad before they compete in the Amgen Tour of California when Cynergy Cycles sponsors An Evening in Fast Company on Monday, May 9th from 6 to 10 pm to benefit the Right to Play organization. Your $100 donation includes dinner, drinks, raffle and gift card; 2300 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica.

Also on Monday, May 9nd, Glendale Safe and Healthy Streets sponsors a free Basic Bike Repair Workshop from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Auditorium of the Glendale Central Library, 501 S. Pacific Ave in Glendale. Topics include planning your route, what to do with work clothes, how to carry things and basic gear.

On Thursday, May 12th, there will be a party  to benefit the California Bicycle Coalition and preview the new state-of-the-art Bike Stations at Bikestation Long Beach, 211 E. 1st Street at the Promenade in Long Beach, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

The annual Long Beach Bicycle Festival takes place on Friday, May 13th and Saturday, May 14th in Downtown Long Beach. The festivities include the Tour of Long Beach on Saturday, May 14th with rides of 4, 31 and 61 miles to benefit Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach.

Saturday, May 14th, Streetsblog LA will host a pre-Bike Week Westside Ride to the Venice Pier starting at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 11555 National Blvd, at 10:30 am.

Also on Saturday, May 14th Glendale Safe and Healthy Streets is sponsoring a free 12-mile Ice Cream Ride as part of the city’s Bike Month, beginning and ending at the Colina Drive entrance to Verdugo Park. Riders meet at 1 pm and set off at 1:30; minors must be accompanied by adults, and participants should bring money to purchase ice cream.

For riders unafraid to venture behind the Orange Curtain, Bike Newport Beach is sponsoring a Family Fun Ride on Sunday, May 15th beginning at 8 am at the Oasis Senior Center, 801 Narcissus Avenue in Corona del Mar.

Also on Sunday, May 15th, the Pasadena Marathon takes to the streets of the City of Roses, including a 5:45 am bike tour before the runners hit the pavement. Riders and runners start and finish at Pasadena City College, 1570 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91106; thanks to Louie for the heads-up.

L.A.’s 17th annual Bike Week takes place May 16th through the 20th, with an emphasis on bike safety education, and events throughout the city.

  • Bike Week opens with an 8:30 am Monday, May 16th Kick-Off Event at the North Hollywood Metro Station
  • This year’s Blessing of the Bicycles will take place from 8 to 9:30 am on Tuesday, May 17th at Downtown’s Good Samaritan Hospital, 616 S. Witmer Street.
  • Ride with other cyclists through the streets of Downtown on Wednesday, May 18th; riders meet at 8 am at Union Station on Alameda Street
  • Bike to Work Day takes place on Thursday, May 19th, with morning pit stops throughout the greater Los Angeles Area, as well as a handful of Bike from Work happy hours; Metro is also looking for Bike Buddies to guide inexperienced cyclists to work.
  • Friday, May 19th is Bike to School Day

CICLE will celebrate Pasadena’s Bike Week with two special events:

  • Monday, May 16th is Bike Film Night with Streetsblog LA joining CICLE to present a series of Streetfilms and discuss how those lessons can be applied to Southland streets; 6:30 P.M. at Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 North Mentor Avenue, Pasadena.
  • The Mayor’s Ride & Family Night will take place on Tuesday, May 17th from 5:30 to 8 pm at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield; join with Pasadena mayor Bill Bogaard and other local officials at a family-friendly event to promote bicycle as a safe and sustainable transportation alternative.

The San Diego Century ride takes place on Saturday, May 21st with rides of 37, 66 or 103 miles, starting in Encinitas, along with free admission to an expo featuring sports, local cuisine and live music.

L.A.’s favorite fundraiser ride rolls on Sunday, June 5th with the 11th Annual River Ride; advance registration is open now. Volunteers are needed now and on the day of the ride, email RRvolunteer@la-bike.org for more info and to sign up.

If you can make it up to Sacramento on Sunday, June 12th, Ride4Matt is sponsoring a charity ride to benefit Matthew Wietrick, who was seriously injured while riding last February. Choose from routes of 10, 35 and 70 miles, with a $7 BBQ lunch after the ride; donations gratefully accepted.

Flying Pigeon Bike Shop will host a fundraising bike ride to benefit Streetsblog LA on Friday, June 17th, beginning and ending at Flying Pigeon, 3714 North Figueroa Street in Highland Park; ride meets at 6 pm, with party to follow at 8 pm.

The next two CicLAvias will take place on July 10th and October 9th; anyone who was at the one last Sunday probably doesn’t need a reminder to mark their calendars.

Tuesday, August 30th, Santa Monica’s Library Alehouse will host a benefit night for Streetsblog LA; 5% of all food and drink purchases will benefit Streetsblog; 2911 Main Street.

And mark your calendar for the 2011 L.A. edition of the Tour de Fat on October 9th, unless you happen to be an observant Jew, since it falls on Yom Kippur this year.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

Valencia trial nears conclusion, CA 3-foot law moves forward, NY Post absurdly fans the bikelash flames

April 26, 2011 / / Comments Off on Valencia trial nears conclusion, CA 3-foot law moves forward, NY Post absurdly fans the bikelash flames

Dj Wheels reports that the trial has resumed in the case of Marco Antonio Valencia, charged with murder and hit-and-run, among other charges, in the death of Joseph Novotny and the serious injury of three other riders.

According to Wheels, the prosecution has rested their case, and the defense is expected to conclude today after calling a single witness.

The defense’s expert witness, Dr. Ari Kalechstein, a neuro-psychologist who has testified in numerous other trials about the effect of intoxication on the brain and the effect on behavior, offered the opinion that Valencia was “unconscious” (either blacked out or passed out) at the time of the collision with the cyclists.

The prosecution’s cross examination has begun and will resume tomorrow morning (Tuesday) at 10:30am.  So far, the prosecution is attempting to establish that although someone is “unconscious” (i.e. blacked out) they can still be aware of what they are doing.  Also that despite the expert’s opinion, he can not provide the jury with any indication of what was going on in the mind of Valencia at the time of the collision.

After the defense rests, the judge and attorneys will have to confer about the appropriate jury instructions to read to the jury before closing arguments begin.

Hopefully they get through it all tomorrow so the jury can start deliberating.

The Signal reports on the same testimony, and notes Valencia faces 27 year to life if convicted on the murder charge.

.………

Jim Lyle reports that the news is good for Richard Schlickman, the cyclist injured recently in a fall caused by new speed bumps in Palos Verdes Estates, as he has been moved to a rehab facility and is talking up a storm. Meanwhile, no change in the condition of Adam Rybicki, critically injured in a collision with an alleged drunk, under-aged driver.

.………

California’s proposed three-foot passing law makes it onto the legislative agenda; provisions also include a requirement that drivers pass riders at no more than 15 mph above the speed of the bike, with a fine of $250 for violations. Meanwhile, Kansas cyclists get a shiny new three-foot passing law of their very own; that brings the total up to 17 states with a three-foot law.

And it could soon be illegal to use a hand-held cell phone while you ride.

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What kind of a jerk would steal a bike from a teenager with Downs Syndrome? As I’ve said before, there’s a special place in hell…

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Now you can round up your credit and debit card purchases, and contribute the difference to the Bikes Belong Foundation to support projects like People for Bikes and Safe Routes to School.

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The bike-hating New York Post once again smears Gotham cyclists, noting that 24% of riders they observed in bike lanes at a busy intersection ran red lights — but fails to note that the overwhelming majority didn’t. According to the paper, fifteen percent rode the wrong way or swerved in and out of bike lanes; yet once again, they neglect to mention that 85% stayed in the lanes and rode with traffic. Or the distinct possibility that cyclists swerved out of bike lanes because they were blocked by the city’s famously double-parking drivers or pedestrians who use the bike lane as an extra sidewalk.

They also get their hackles up over the 81 cyclists out of 7,182 riders — just over 1% — who rode on the sidewalk; something tells me a lot more drivers than that parked in the bike lane. And of course, when they describe an average of four near-collisions an hour, they fail to note who was at fault, absurdly implying that the cyclists were to blame in every case.

In a textbook example of pot calling kettle black an editorial today, the paper says “far too many cyclists are clueless, boors or bullies,” and calls for a continued crackdown on New York cyclists.

You have to admire a publication with such a firm commitment not to let facts or rationality sully their pages.

Meanwhile, some New York cyclists consider the city’s separated bike lanes “deathtraps;” however, the Wall Street Journal notes that the number of riders killed in them totals exactly zero.

And much-maligned NYDOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan joins the board of Occidental College; could this be a first step in coming back home to Los Angeles?

Pretty please?

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Will Campbell shares a photo of the ghost bike for shooting victim Manuel Santizo. LACBC wants your support for bike lanes on the soon-to-be-widened North Spring Street Bridge. LAPD bike cops could soon be zipping around on e-bikes. Streetsblog notes that removing Brentwood and the Westwood condo corridor reduces the effectiveness of the planned Wilshire Bus Rapid Transit lane by 40% — not to mention putting cyclists, who would share those lanes, at continued risk in some of the most dangerous sections of the boulevard. HuffPo offers a biking route from Echo Park to Venice Beach. Gather some friends together make your own Santa Monica CicLAvia. Help take CicLAvia to South L.A. Dancer ala Mode says her new career as a bike advocate began when someone stole her bike. Next time you need your Penny Farthing fixed, Flying Pigeon can handle the job.

Rick Risemberg visits the new separated bike lanes in Long Beach; Mihai and Gary Kavanagh seem impressed as well. A Monrovia High student nears a perfect season in the SoCal high school mountain bike league. Great bike photos from the Claremont Day of Champions. Bicycling’s ride of the day is our own Mt. Baldy. Long Beach’s biking expats Russ Roca and Laura Crawford are the proud owners of Bike Radar’s website of the week. A 17-year old OC cyclist riding on the 405 Freeway gets a good talking to from the police. A San Diego cyclist suffers a life-threatening injury after being doored by a driver getting out of her parked car.

A comprehensive beginners guide to bicycling. How bike economics can help beat the energy crisis. Wired looks at the culture of bike messengers. Complete Streets means the freedom to get around the way you want. A bike hating Tucson driver considers switching sides. Former president George W. Bush rides with the Wounded Warrior Project. Illinois police will now track dooring incidents, after originally saying they couldn’t. Minnesota reminds drivers to share the road after the state suffers its first cycling fatality of the year. A new campaign identifies bike-friendly businesses in New York; something tells me the Post won’t be one of them. Mo Rocca says when the U.S. becomes a third world country, we’ll all be riding bikes; hey, works for me.

Male drivers are twice as likely to have distracted-driving collisions as women. A London cabbie starts a campaign against high-intensity headlights, saying they put cyclists and others at risk by blinding drivers. An 81-year old UK man is killed in a collision with a cyclist. BoJo will be giving Will and Kate a tandem for a wedding present. Pharma Lotto rider Phillipe Gilbert wins three classics in a single week, though some question if the Schleck brothers handed the last one to him. Tel Aviv is the latest city to suffer a bikelash over bike lanes. South Jakarta gets its first bike lanes, though it looks more like motorcycle parking in the photos.

Finally, New York state police pepper spray a drunk cyclist. And a member of New York’s Transportation Alternatives board of directors says cyclists need to show we’ll use bike lanes responsibly; if drivers were held to that standard, no new roads would ever be built.

Category: General, Legal Cases / Tags: , , , , ,

Two more bike deaths add to a bloody spring

April 24, 2011 / / 5 comments

Just two days after writing about the unacceptably high rate of cycling deaths on SoCal streets, we have two more to add to the list.

One was killed in an apparent solo collision Friday night; the other succumbed earlier this month to injuries suffered last November.

In the most recent case, a man was found lying dead on top of his bike on the side of the road in Coachella, at the intersection of Avenue 50 and Peter Rabbit Lane. Despite initial reports of a hit-and-run, police investigators concluded that the rider, who has not been publicly identified, was the victim of a solo collision.

According to KPSP-2, the victim was riding on the sidewalk at a high rate of speed about 8:03 pm Friday when he collided with a traffic light pole. Police investigators suggest he lost control of his bike after gaining speed on the downhill side of a railroad track overpass.

A police spokesperson indicates that the victim’s bike did not have an “operable brake system” or front headlight; that probably means he was riding a fixie, in which the fixed gearing itself can be used to stop the bike.

In the other case, 22-year old cyclist Marco Acuapan died on April 8th, over 4 months after he was injured in a Tustin hit-and-run.

Acuapan was riding west in a marked bike lane on Walnut Avenue near Browning Avenue about 7:30 pm on Wednesday, November 17th when he was rear-ended by red 2010 Mustang, which fled the scene. He suffered severe head injuries and taken to a hospital in critical condition, remaining in a coma until his death this month.

Witnesses provided police with a description and the license number of the car, which police later found abandoned in nearby cul-de-sac; Renato Demartino was arrested at his home on suspicion of felony hit-and-run.

Demartino is currently released on bond on charges of felony hit-and-run with permanent and serious injury, unsafe turn or lane change, and not using headlights after dark. No word yet on when charges will be upgraded to reflect the victim’s death.

That makes 26 cycling deaths in Southern California this year; 23 resulting from collisions after the first of the year, and 2 from shootings while riding.

Thanks to Rick Risemberg for the tip on the Coachella collision, and an anonymous tipster for the information about Acuapan’s death and charges against Demartino.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

An ever growing list of bike happenings, including a busy Easter weekend

April 23, 2011 / / 4 comments

The list of upcoming events gets longer every week, with five events this weekend and seven next week.

Bike Talk airs Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

Join Bike SGV on the Earth Day Community Bike Ride in Monterey Park on Saturday, April 23rd from 7:30 am to 9 am, beginning and ending at Barnes Park.

There will be a car wash on Saturday, April 23rd to benefit the family of Manuel Santizo, who was killed in an apparent gang shooting while riding his bike in Silver Lake. It will take place from 8 am to 6 pm at 1185 Myra Avenue near Effie Street.

Long Beach hosts the official grand opening of their new separated bikeways on the Promenade between Broadway and Third on Saturday, April 23rd from 11 am to 2 pm, with the opening ceremony at noon.  Events include a scavenger hunt, bike rodeo, guided bike tours, bike decoration and a screening of Riding Bikes with the Dutch.

Also on Saturday, there will be a pancake breakfast at LAFD Fire Station 69 at 15045 Sunset Blvd in Pacific Palisades to raise funds for four local firefighters planning to participate in the 3,300 mile cross-country Ride for 9-11 to honor those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

The San Fernando Bicycle Club will be hosting a memorial ride this Sunday, April 24th in honor of Jim Swarzman. The ride will follow Jim’s favorite route with the club, offering a challenging 40 mile ride with over 2,000 feet of climbing; it starts at 8 am at the NW corner of Nordhoff and Etiwanda in Northridge.

Thursday, April 28th, help craft the Glendale Bikeway Master Plan at the first community meeting for the updated plan. The meeting will be held at the Glendale Central Library, 222 East Harvard Street from 6 pm to 9 pm.

Also on the 28th, L.A.’s draft Bike Parking Ordinance will be presented to the L.A. Planning Commission at 10 am Downtown City Hall; comments are still being taken through April 19th attom.rothmann@lacity.org or 213-978-1891.

Attention Boss fans — take in select screenings of the new Bruce Springsteen documentary The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town at a Laemmle Theatre near you, and half of all ticket sales will go to benefit the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, April 28th, 30th, May 1st and 2nd.

Sustainable Streets and Transition Culver City will be hosting a Confident City Cycling course for adult riders. The two-day course is intended to help bike riders gain the confidence and skill to ride a bike safely and legally in city traffic. The $75 course is limited to 12 people, and takes place Saturday, April 30th and Saturday, May 7th at 10 am to 2 pm at Linwood E. Howe Elementary School, 4100 Irving Place in Culver City; preregister at info@sustainablestreetsla.org.

On Saturday, April 30th, the Conejo Valley Cyclists presents Cruisin’ the Conejo, offering rides from 21 mile to a 101 mile route that follows last year’s final leg of the Tour of California. The ride begins at the Skyworks parking lot located at 2504 W. Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks (aka Newbury Park); register online through April 28th.

The Dana Point Grand Prix will be held on Sunday, May 1st, featuring a .8 mile criterium; the start/finish will be located at the intersection of PCH and Del Prado in Dana Point.

If you can’t make it to Dana Point, don’t miss the May edition of the LACBC’s Sunday Funday Rides, with a tour of historic Northwest and Northeast L.A.; riders assemble at the Echo Park Boathouse at 9:30 am on May 1st.

Also on Sunday, May 1st, the Tour de Cure Ship to Shore rolls across the Vincent Thomas and Gerald Desmond bridges, starting from the Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway in Long Beach. Routes range from 8 to 100 miles, as well as an 11-mile route ending with a harbor cruise back to the starting point; in addition to the entry fee, riders are required to raise a minimum $150 in donations to benefit the American Diabetes Association. Thanks to GVDub for the reminder.

Monday, May 2nd, Glendale Safe and Healthy Streets is sponsoring a free Bicycle Commuter Tips Workshop from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Sycamore Room of the Pacific Park Community Center, 501 S. Pacific Ave in Glendale. Topics include planning your route, what to do with work clothes, how to carry things and basic gear.

The Antelope Valley Conservancy sponsors the 16th Annual Antelope Valley Ride on Saturday, May 7th with rides of 20, 30 and 60 miles; check-in begins at 7 am at George Lane Park, 5520 West Avenue L-8 in Quartz Hill.

Also on Saturday, May 7th, celebrate the intersection of art, the environment and bicycling at the 20th Anniversary Santa Monica Fest, offering free admission, parking and bike valet. A special bike zone includes bike repair and maintenance advice from the Bikerowave, a Bike Learning Area sponsored by the City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development, a Bike Exhibition with Santa Monica Spoke and a Ticket to Ride from the Santa Monica Museum of Art. It takes place from 11 am to 6 pm at Cloverfield Park, 2600 Ocean Park Blvd in Santa Monica; free bike valet at 25th and Ocean Park.

Meet the members of Team HTC-Highroad before they compete in the Amgen Tour of California when Cynergy Cycles sponsors An Evening in Fast Company on Monday, May 9th from 6 to 10 pm to benefit the Right to Play organization. Your $100 donation includes dinner, drinks, raffle and gift card; 2300 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica.

Also on Monday, May 9nd, Glendale Safe and Healthy Streets sponsors a free Basic Bike Repair Workshop from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Auditorium of the Glendale Central Library, 501 S. Pacific Ave in Glendale. Topics include planning your route, what to do with work clothes, how to carry things and basic gear.

On Thursday, May 12th, there will be a party  to benefit the California Bicycle Coalition and preview the new state-of-the-art Bike Stations at Bikestation Long Beach, 211 E. 1st Street at the Promenade in Long Beach, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

The annual Long Beach Bicycle Festival takes place on Friday, May 13th and Saturday, May 14th in Downtown Long Beach. The festivities include the Tour of Long Beach on Saturday, May 14th with rides of 4, 31 and 61 miles to benefit Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach.

L.A.’s 17th annual Bike Week takes place May 16th through the 20th, with an emphasis on bike safety education, and events throughout the city. This year’s Blessing of the Bicycles will take place as part of Bike Week from 8 to 9:30 am on May 17th at Downtown’s Good Samaritan Hospital, 616 S. Witmer Street. And Metro is looking for Bike Buddies to guide inexperienced cyclists on Bike to Work Day.

The San Diego Century ride takes place on Saturday, May 21st with rides of 37, 66 or 103 miles, starting in Encinitas, along with free admission to an expo featuring sports, local cuisine and live music.

L.A.’s favorite fundraiser ride rolls on June with the 11th Annual River Ride; advance registration is open now. Volunteers are needed now and on the day of the ride, email RRvolunteer@la-bike.org for more info and to sign up.

The next two CicLAvias will take place on July 10th and October 9th; anyone who was at the one last Sunday probably doesn’t need a reminder to mark their calendars.

And mark your calendar for the 2011 L.A. edition of the Tour de Fat on October 9th, unless you happen to be an observant Jew, since it falls on Yom Kippur this year.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

More on fallen cyclist Alex Romero, a good guy wins & thanks for supporting Safe Routes to Schools

April 22, 2011 / / 2 comments

KABC-7 offers more information on the hit-and-run death of Alex Romero.

Evidently, the driver who hit him had tried to pass a van on the right side when it collided with Romero’s bike at a high rate of speed. Local residents say De Soto is a de facto racetrack from Sherman Way to Saticoy Street, referring to it as a deathtrap. Evidently, they’re right, as witnesses reported the killer car was travelling at highway speeds — reports online vary from 66 to 100 mph.

In a report that oddly wasn’t posted online, KNBC-4 reports that the driver may have been being followed or chased by another car.

Police are looking for a gray or silver — the latest report called it a metallic gray — Toyota Corolla or Camry with moderate to significant damage to the front passenger side. Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Krajchir at (818) 644-8034 or email 26481@lapd.lacity.org. Or call LAPD at (877) LAPD-24-7; anonymous calls can be made to Crimestoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.

The Claremont Cyclist said it very well —

How long will we continue to allow the irresponsible, anti-social driving practices of certain individuals, who care not for the lives of any other road users, to be given free reign, to leave trails of death and destruction and shattered lives, across our roads and highways?

Rest in Peace Mr. Romero, and my condolences to family and friends.

.………

Congratulations to LADOT’s Chris Kidd, named Student of the Year by the Los Angeles chapter of the American Planning Association. The award couldn’t have gone to a more deserving person. Just more proof that this is one employee the city can’t afford to lose when his internship with LADOT is up next month.

Just a hint.

.………

As of 10 am Friday, the Safe Routes to School 2012 Southern California Regional Platform had been endorsed by 77 people — two more and three weeks earlier than the original goal of 75 set for May 15th.

I recognize a lot of the names on that list as regular readers of this site, so please accept my personal thanks to everyone who signed after reading about it here. And to anyone who hasn’t signed up yet, there’s still time.

.………

File under the heading of they just don’t get it. After a Brooklyn board votes against bike lanes on the Bay Ridge Parkway, a writer for the Brooklyn Eagle insists that those opposed to the proposal aren’t primitive antediluvians who reject anything not propelled by an internal combustion engine.

Biking here is great, especially along the Shore Road Narrows Promenade. Spectacular! I have two bikes, but find it impossible to ride safely along local avenues because they were not constructed to accommodate designated bike lanes in the first place!

Is it just me, or do the problems inherent in that statement just sort of leap out at you?

.………

Joel Epstein says tear down the fence blocking access to a park at Santa Monica and Bundy, and add a Metro TAP card kiosk and bike parking. Josef Bray-Ali says they start cyclists early at USC; now if school would just show the same support to more adult riders. Take a CicLAvia survey and you could win a $200 gift certificate from Flying Pigeon Bike Shop — which is enough to get you a Flying Pigeon of your very own. Metro’s rush hour bike ban is one step closer to repeal, and L.A. City Planning wins an award for the newly approved L.A. bike plan. Four L.A. firefighters will ride across the country on a 45-day journey to honor those who lost their lives on 9-11. Streetsblog is auctioning a signed Give Me 3 poster online. Jack Black goes bike shopping at I. Martin. Glendale’s city council officially adopts the city’s new Safe and Healthy Streets Plan on a unanimous vote.

Joe Linton give a positive review to Long Beach’s new separated bike lanes, officially opening on Saturday; if you want to understand the meaning of bikelash, read the driver comments on the Linton story. The Long Beach City Council moves to honor Mark Bixby by naming the bike paths he worked so hard to get on the new replacement for the Desmond Gerald Bridge after him. Police escort a cyclist off the 405 Freeway in Orange County after he’d ridden four miles on the highway; a CHP officer struggles with another highway rider in Chico. Cruise the Conejo Valley on April 30th. New York and Long Beach aren’t the only cities with bike lane controversies, as Visalia votes to keep bike lanes on a pair of streets, despite complaints. The Big Sur stage of the Amgen Tour of California is threatened by slides undermining Highway 1 along the coast. A decision has been postponed on a proposed 5 – 10 mph speed limit on the Golden Gate Bridge. Here’s your chance to Race Behind Bars at Folsom Prison if you’re sure they’ll let you back out.

Just in time for Earth Day, Trek plans to start recycling carbon fiber. Mia Birk writes that stop signs don’t work for bikes. A nice thought, every month is bike month. A new business in my home town plans to combine a bar, coffee shop and bike shop; totally works for me. What if the car had been invented before the bicycle? A Yuma paper offers an example of press bias, as a cyclist riding on a separated bike path gets right hooked, then blamed. A Memphis mother says connected bike lanes are the right kind of change. NTDOT offers a simple five-point pledge for better bike behavior; NY Streetsblog says combined with the upcoming “Don’t Be A Jerk” campaign, it sends the wrong message. The value of a human life is just $250 in Florida, as long as that human rides a bike.

A new poll says one in ten would give up bicycling if helmet use is made mandatory. A UK women’s race is disrupted by a hit-and-run driver and a tack-strewing saboteur. The head of the UK’s AA — equivalent to our AAA, not Alcoholics Anonymous — defends the organizations recent helmet and hi-vis vest giveaway following a Twitterstorm of protest from cyclists. Town Mouse takes a lovely scary ride home under a placebo moon, without encountering any creatures of the night. A cyclist complains about biking’s cult of fear. An interview with the Brazilian driver who plowed through the Critical Mass ride that injured at least 17 people; not surprisingly, he says it really wasn’t his fault.

Finally, Copenhagen’s Sperm Bike makes special deliveries to fertility clinics. And the cutest sharrow T-shirt model you’ll ever see.

A busy weekend means I’m not sure if I’ll be able to update the events this week, so just in case, please accept my wishes for a happy Passover, a joyous Easter or just a lovely spring weekend, whichever is appropriate.

Category: General / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Evidence spring has sprung along the 10 Freeway; bike lawyer says CicLAvia streets aren’t safe to ride

April 18, 2011 / / 5 comments

Funny how much beauty you can find in the most unexpected places when you ride a bike.

I spotted this on a recent ride to check out the newly rebuilt section of the Ballona Creek Bike Path in Culver City; I doubt the drivers speeding by have any idea it’s there.

Im not sure what the wooden structure was originally intended for, but it makes a lovely rustic wildflower planter.

Viewed from the other side, the planter disappears and youre left with just a hillside covered in flowers.

Its only on closer inspection that you realize its a rare island of beauty on the edge of an ugly freeway.

Then again, the new section of the bikeway looks pretty good, too; maybe someday, it will look like that all the way into the Marina.

.………

A Los Angeles attorney says it just isn’t safe to ride the recent CicLAvia route when cars are allowed.

Event participant Greg Pincus stated that it is Los Angeles is a different place without all of the vehicles. But Attorney Ehline says: “Los Angeles has a long way to go before anyone should consider riding a bicycle on that 7.5 mile stretch that they shut down last Sunday.”

Lawyer, please.

I usually ride that exact route along 4th, 6th and 7th Streets when I go Downtown, and I’m not dead yet. In fact, I choose those streets because I feel a lot safer there than I do on busier boulevards just a few blocks away, even at rush hour. As do hundreds, if not thousands, of other cyclists every day.

And while I’m not exactly a cheerleader for L.A. streets, I’ve ridden with relative safety throughout the city for nearly two decades, as have countless other riders.

Yes, bad things can and do happen.

Despite the recently adopted bike plan, L.A. stills lacks proper infrastructure, and will for decades to come until the plan is finally built out. Even then, it will take a massive investment to repave and patch the city’s crumbling streets before they offer the safety Angeleno cyclists deserve.

Then there’s the city’s notoriously careless, aggressive and distracted drivers, many of whom seem would seem to require major surgery to pry their precious cell phones from their faces. Let alone their foot off the gas pedal.

Yet in the overwhelming majority of cases, it only takes a modicum of care to get from here to there safely. And enjoyably.

I don’t know Michael P. Ehline, Esq. For all I know, he may be an excellent and caring attorney, exactly the sort of person every cyclist wants in his or her corner when it all hits the fan.

But to suggest that cyclists take their lives in their hands to ride on what are actually some of the city’s better bike streets isn’t exactly the best way to demonstrate expertise in the subject.

I mean, seriously.

.………

No surprise as Danae Marie Miller pleads not guilty in the February death of world class triathlete Amine Britel, Miller was allegedly under the influence and texting when she ran down Britel as he rode in a Newport Beach bike lane, and had at least 15 traffic citations in the previous 6 years; thanks to Lois Rubin for the link.

Meanwhile, the deputy who initially stopped Marco Antonio Valencia confirmed on the witness stand that Valencia told him “Shoot me, my life is over” as he was being detained. The arrest came minutes after the hit-and-run collision that took the life of Joseph Novotny and seriously injured three other riders, suggesting that Valencia was well aware of what he had just done.

.………

Yo! Venice! sounds the alarm over bike theft by the beach; if you’re looking for suspect, you might want to start with Bill Effing Murray. Santa Monica Spokers Brian and Cynthia ride foldies in Oregon with the Long Beach bike expats. Retailers are gearing up to meet the needs of female triathletes. Richard Risemberg says the real junk miles are the ones spent racing and training, as opposed to actually going somewhere; personally, I say there are no junk miles. Damien Newton says thanks to everyone who attended or helped make an amazing Friday fundraiser possible. More great photos and video from Thursday’s Bike Night at the Hammer Museum. A new TV and online show follows a cyclist touring the country car-free, by whatever means available including an odd assortment of bikes. Actors Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen ride through Studio City. Santa Monica’s Cynergy Cycles plans a special charity event on May 9th featuring the 2011 Tour of California HTC-Highroad men’s team, benefitting Right to Play. A Confident City Cycling course will be held in Culver City starting April 30th; maybe a certain lawyer might benefit by attending.

A few fond looks back at this month’s San Diego Custom Bike Show. A driver leaving a San Jose party hits and kills his own friend; initial reports indicate the cyclist was riding in the middle of the street, despite bike lanes on either side of the road. A Vallejo man was killed when he hit a power pole support cable while riding on the sidewalk. A Monterrey paper reports on last weekend’s Sea Otter Classic.

Now you can ride with no air down there. Former framebuilder Dave Moulton tells physicists nice experiment, but that’s a push toy, not a bike. Bike Noob says you’re going to fall sooner or later so learn how first, citing my advice on the subject in part. Bike Hugger looks at this year’s Bicycle Leadership Conference. Elly Blue makes the economic case for secure on-street bike parking. Advice on what to do if you’re chased by a dangerous dog — and a first hand view on what happens if it catches you. Illinois offers new Share the Road license plates. The Cutters win Indiana’s Little 500 for the 5th year in a row. A civil rights attorney says you can’t be arrested for talking back to a cop, at least in New York, while the Post continues its smear campaign against cycling in the city; any pretense of journalistic objectivity went out a window a long time ago. A wheelchair-bound Florida man is accused of ramming a female cyclist after chasing her through a parking lot the previous two days.

In Montreal, everyone thinks they have the right-of-way. A writer for the London Mail says Lycra Louts should not be above the law. A cheap mirror could save the lives of London cyclists. A drunk cyclist has to be pulled out of a UK river. Maserati is the latest high-end automaker to produce their own bicycle. Police in the United Arab Emirates begin a bike safety campaign; why is it that bike safety campaigns always focus on cyclists, rather than the drivers who can, and sometimes do, kill us? South Korea’s president says bicycling is a key component of the country’s green growth. A Philippine Senator files a bill calling for bike lanes and bike parking throughout the island nation. Aussie cyclist Matthew Lloyd is confident he’ll be back after being fired from the Omega Pharma Lotto team.

Finally, a truck-driving Bakersfield father asks other drivers not to hit his son anymore when he rides in a local bike lane. And advice from my hometown on how cyclists and horses can share the trail; oh wait, L.A. equestrians say that’s impossible.

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