Archive for General

USC officials ban bikes from campus; more enlightened UCLA wins Metro award

September 15, 2010 / / 13 comments

You don’t have to go to Blackhawk, Colorado or  St. Charles County, Missouri to find misguided leaders banning — or attempting to ban — bikes.

You only have to go as far as the University of Southern California campus.

Just days after a writer in the school’s Daily Trojan called on university officials to develop a more effective way of dealing with USC’s estimated 10,000 to 15,000 bikes a day, Dr. Charles E. Lane, Associate Senior Vice President for Career and Protective Services, responded in typically kneejerk fashion by banning bikes from the two major pedestrian thoroughfares on campus — one of which is listed as a bike lane on Metro’s new bike map.

It’s not that careless riding isn’t a problem. In fact, in a story about the ban, LADOT Bike Blog reports that a majority of students surveyed claimed to have been hit by a bike two or less times in the past year. Although the same study also shows that a majority of students feel bike congestion on campus is average or not a problem.

But the solution isn’t banning bikes. Especially not by an institution dedicated to higher education.

As LADOT BB and the Daily Trojan both point out, the problem isn’t bikes, or even the high number of bikes on campus. It’s the university’s complete and total failure to do anything to accommodate bikes or educate students on how to ride safely.

But instead of doing something about it — just what part of education don’t they understand? — they respond by banning bikes from a large segment of the school, and asking incoming freshmen to leave their bikes at home.

Then again, this is the same school that ticketed cyclists for riding in the crosswalk — even though that’s legal anywhere it’s legal to ride on the sidewalk.

Like L.A., for instance.

Now contrast USC’s bike ban with archrival UCLA, which actually encourages students and employees to ride to campus, and gives them secure places to park once they get there. Not to mention all the other schools that are busy implementing their own bike share programs, not banning them.

For a school that claims to be a leading educational institution, USC gets an F in transportation planning.

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Congratulations to the far more bike-friendly UCLA Transportation and the UCLA Sustainable Resource Center, who will be honored tonight for their short film Bike-U-mentary.

Directed by Brent Parnell, it looks at Herbie Huff and Mihai Peteu, campus bike commuters active in L.A.’s cycling community, and offers their perspectives on riding to campus and how to get started with bike commuting in the Los Angeles area.

The film will receive a Metro Rideshare Diamond Award at a ceremony this evening.

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The League of American Bicyclists is out with their latest list of Bicycle Friendly Communities.

Davis remains the only city in California to earn Platinum Status, along with Boulder CO and Portland OR. Palo Alto, San Francisco and Stanford University — not USC — remain Gold, while Folsom, the Presidio of San Francisco, San Louis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz are Silver. Long Beach and Santa Monica retain the Bronze status, along with Thousand Oaks, Irvine, Riverside, Santa Clarita. Honorable Mention goes to Menlo Park, Merced, North Lake and Palm Desert.

Los Angeles evidently remains in the dishonorable category, despite our Mayor’s Road to Damascus — or in this case, Culver City — conversion to bicycle advocate.

And don’t get me started on those Trojans.

………

Joaquin Rodriguez enjoys the red leader’s jersey on Vuelta’s Tuesday rest day, then loses it in a disastrous time trial as Vincenzo Nibali survives a wheel change to claim the lead. And this year’s Tour of Britain turns into absolute carnage.

A new website says Lance Armstrong needs your help to fight doping allegations; isn’t that the approach Floyd Landis took? Meanwhile, Armstrong’s Team RadioShack gets a belated invitation to the Tour of Lombardy.

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Santa Monica’s Agensys development is approved with no bike path, though the City Council did toss in a few bucks to ease the pain. L.A City Council candidate Stephen Box takes current Councilmember Greig Smith for overreacting to complaints about new bike lanes on Wilbur Ave, and LADOT for not doing enough to avoid the problem. LADOT Bike Blog concludes its study of sidewalk riding in Los Angeles County with a look at the eastern San Gabriel Valley; evidently, the Claremont Cyclist is on his own. Streetsblog offers a photo tour of Long Beach’s new Vista Street bike boulevard. Authorities continue to investigate the woman who switched seats with her drunk boyfriend and drove away after he killed a German cyclist in San Francisco. The U.S. Department of Transportation is planning a Distracted Driving Summit on Tuesday the 21st, with online access for those of us at work or home. Time looks at where the transportation stimulus funds went. More women now bike in New York. If an angry driver would murder someone over a speed bump, what would they do over a road diet — or God forbid, a bike boulevard? The inaugural Crooked Roubaix takes riders on dirt roads through the Colorado high country at up to 10,000 feet elevation and temperatures as low as the 20s; hopefully they read these tips on fall riding wear. A Portland school reverses a ban on biking and encourages riding to class. The Guardian asks why a woman on a bike has to deal with sexual comments from jerks. Bike friendly Nottingham has been named England’s least car-dependant city, while Southport offers a bike-friendly escape for vacationing Brits. Rescued by a knight in shiny red overalls with a tire pump. Feast your eyes on the new 2011 Pinarellos and the Canyon Strive enduro bike.

Finally, a new campaign warns London cyclists of the dangers posed by large trucks but may only discourage people from riding, while cyclists launch their own campaign to get dangerous trucks off the streets.

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Fighting for a bike-friendly Beverly Hills and a safer Santa Monica Blvd

September 14, 2010 / / 6 comments

I’m not a fan of Beverly Hills.

Aside from the over-the-top pretension of Rodeo Drive — where I have yet to see a single bull rider and which I strive to avoid at all cost — I’ve long been angered by the city’s complete and total lack of biking infrastructure.

To the best of my knowledge, Beverly Hills does not currently have a single inch of bike lane within its city limits. Look at any local bike map, and it might as well read Here There Be Dragons, as bike routes disappear without a trace into the undiscovered cycling country of 90210.

And the recently approved bike plan — which I’m told is nothing more than the 1977 plan, repeatedly re-approved with little or no change for over 30 years — calls for placing bike lanes in the alleys of the downtown triangle, lest they remove a single lane of parking or let bikes sully the city’s pristine image.

So when Mark Elliot contacted me recently to include a link to a new group of bicyclists fighting for a more bike-friendly Beverly Hills and to make Santa Monica Boulevard safer for cyclists, he had me at hello.

But instead of merely adding a link, I thought the issue was important enough to let him have the floor today. And ask him explain to you why Beverly Hills needs your help.

And what you can do about it.

………

If you’re a two-wheeled veteran of the Southland’s mean streets, you know that we take our life into our hands every time we settle into the saddle for some not-so-good-natured give and take with motorists. Not that it’s always negative; on the best days we can pantomime mutual agreement that all road users are entitled to the blacktop. Whether motorist, cyclist, or pedestrian, the arrangement is that we respect the rules of the road and get where we’re going safely.

Unfortunately it doesn’t always work out that way. Studies show that we not making substantial progress on reducing cyclist deaths and injuries as a result of traffic collisions. If you are a regular rider of the Santa Monica Boulevard corridor through Beverly Hills, you don’t need studies to tell you how dangerous it is to ride this missing piece of the proposed regional bike backbone. Now’s your opportunity to make change: join with Better Bike BH to make Santa Monica Blvd. a bike-friendly through-route connecting the bike lanes in West Hollywood and Century City.

Policymakers like to talk about safety, but Santa Monica Boulevard is symptomatic of a broader problem: cyclists are second-class citizens on our roads with possible dire consequences for those who take to two wheels.

According to the National Highway Transport Safety Administration’s analysis, 716 cyclists were killed nationally in 2008 in collisions with an additional 52,000 injured. Two-wheelers were both 2% of all traffic fatalities and 2% of injuries too. Since only one-half of one percent of us mounts a bike regularly for transportation, cyclists seem disproportionately represented among the dead and injured in collisions.

That number killed has not appreciably changed in a decade! Worse, kids under 14 were 11% of those fatalities, but comprised more than one-fifth of all collision injuries in that age group. Now, the good news is that kids 14-and-under fatalities dropped substantially over the decade – falling to near one-third of the 1998 level. The bad news is that overall deaths have not diminished, meaning that older folks are making up a larger proportion of those fatalities.

Consider that the average age of cyclists killed in traffic collisions has marched steadily upward and now is 41 years of age (NHTSA data as of 2008). Even at my ripe old age of 45, I can’t rest easily. While I’m over the statistical hump, I use my bicycle for much of my everyday transportation and ride recreationally, so I’m on the road much more than the average cyclist.

And I am riding roads that are much less-safe than roads nationally. I start and end most of my rides in Beverly Hills where I live. Our fair city is a particularly dangerous place to ride because the population increases by a factor of four when weekday commuters flow in. Key east-west corridors of Wilshire and Olympic accommodate about 25,000 vehicles per day on average – routes so heavily traveled because we are a key piece of the Westside transportation network.

Moreover, Beverly Hills is the Westside’s third largest employment center and it’s growing rapidly. Motorists compete for an increasingly scarce resource – road capacity – and in that mix of harried commuters, older drivers, and notoriously dangerous younger drivers, we cyclists are literally marginalized. We’re pushed to the edge.  Also a hazard are the relatively short blocks and many intersections. Add a dollop of entitlement and a sprinkling of road rage and, well, you see the problem.

Actually you feel the problem. Intimidation and harassment are constant companions on the streets of Beverly Hills (and much of the urban area too). I have to look out for myself because my city’s not looking out for me. There are no bike lanes, share-the-road-markings, or signage that, at a bare minimum, would remind under-educated motorists that I have a right to the road.

I’ve been riding in urban settings for many years and am confident in my own skills, but it is the unpredictability of my encounters with motorists that leave me sometimes shaken. We all have my anecdotal stories, but one of my favorites recalls the driver with whom I shared a long descent down Benedict Canyon. First the driver nearly clipped my leg on a particularly fast stretch, but because of stop lights, he had two more bites at that apple. After the third (!) very close call I took him to task.

Cyclists shouldn’t have to literally argue for their safety. It’s the responsibility of transportation planners, engineers, and law enforcement to ensure that the roads are safe for everyone. Though I’m not necessarily uncomfortable in the vehicle mix, I do wish that my city recognized me and my fellow cyclists as first-class road users.

What can be done? For starters, let’s pick the lowest-hanging fruit. Santa Monica Boulevard is an obstacle course of hazards for the cyclist. Dips, troughs, and moguls force the biker into the left third of the lane, which undermines the laws’ requirement to ride to the right and plunges the cyclist into the path – and ire – of the harried motorist. The corridor receives twice the volume of Wilshire and Olympic (50,000 vehicles per day on average) and would seem to be ideally positioned as a bike-friendly through-route connecting the bike lanes in West Hollywood and Century City.

We have an opportunity to offer our vision of a bike-friendly Santa Monica Boulevard because Beverly Hills is about to undertake improvements over the next 2-3 years. Scoping is just now underway, and we want to kick off the process with good ideas and models of success.

How can you make a difference? Join up with the ‘Better Bike BH’ effort to that includes cyclists rather than literally marginalizes them. We hold meetings every Sunday at 4 pm at Peets Coffee (258 S. Beverly Dr.) in Beverly Hills. Join the Google Group to receive meeting notices and follow our progress on the Better Bike BH project wiki. We’ll need your help to put in place the missing piece of the region’s bikeways backbone. With your participation, we can make Beverly Hills safer and more enjoyable for cyclists of all ages, and ensure that alternative transportation users can get where we’re going safely too.

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Breaking news: No Contest plea in Ed Magos case

September 14, 2010 / / 4 comments

Evidently, there’s a resolution in what has been a sore point for L.A. cyclists for most of this year.

As you may recall, city employee Ed Magos was hit by a Porsche while riding to work on January 6th of this year. The driver allegedly got out of her car, looked at Magos laying in the street, and — ignoring his pleas for help — got back in her car and drove off.

Angelina Everett later stopped at a police station, and reportedly told the officer working the desk that she “might have hit something.”

And in a case of remarkable absurdity, both the DA and City Attorney initially declined to file charges until complaints from cyclists and a new Police Chief caused the CA’s office to reconsider the case. That eventually lead to the filing misdemeanor charges for leaving the scene of a collision resulting in physical injuries (CVC 20001) and property damage (CVC 2002A).

Now frequent contributor Dj Wheels reports that Everett has plead no contest to both counts, with sentencing tentatively scheduled for 1:30 pm on November 3rd.

No other details yet, so we’ll have to see how it turns out. But reading between the lines, it sounds like she reached a plea deal, which probably means a minimal sentence.

Then again, even that would be a lot better than it looked like this case would turn out before the bike community got involved.

Update: I’ve been informed by someone with inside knowledge of this case that no plea deal has been reached. If you’re available to attend the sentencing hearing, a large turnout could have an impact what sentence the judge imposes.

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Cyclist killed in San Bernardino hit-and-run; drunk driver kills cyclist in Ramona

September 14, 2010 / / 2 comments

It was another bad weekend for Southern California cyclists, with yet another fatal hit-and-run, as well as one more in the seemingly endless list of bike riders killed by drunk drivers.

However, in both cases, the riders may have been at least partially at fault.

………

After killing a woman riding a bike, a heartless ex-con stopped for a midnight snack at Jack in the Box before fleeing the scene.

At least, that’s what the police initially thought.

About 12:15 am on Friday, 43-year old Lauretto Jean Romo was riding a mountain bike on Highland Avenue where it meets the 215 Freeway bridge in San Bernardino. According to reports, she was wearing dark clothing and riding west in the eastbound lane — without a light — when she was hit by a dark green vehicle, which then took off.

Romo was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:42 am.

For a change, the stories did not note whether she was wearing a helmet, perhaps recognizing that it wouldn’t have mattered. The car hit with so hard that the bike was broken in half and pieces of the vehicle were found at the scene.

According to the Press Enterprise, police followed a trail of automotive fluid about 200 yards to a nearby Jack in the Box, where surveillance video showed Bobby Joe Jackson, a convicted bank robber out on federal probation, calmly ordering a meal at the drive-through window in a green Honda Civic. Employees reported that he appeared to be intoxicated.

As a result, police put out a bulletin identifying Jackson as the suspect, and asking anyone with information to contact them.

Problem is, it looks like he didn’t do it. San Bernardino police cleared Jackson after he turned himself in on Monday.

Authorities continue to look for a dark green vehicle with front end damage. Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Dave Carlson at 909/384-5664.

The irony is, had the driver remained at the scene, he or she probably would not have been at fault; now the driver faces up to 4 years in prison and a fine of up to $10.000 for a fatal hit-and-run.

Thanks to DC and reb1 for updates on Monday.

………

In a separate incident, a cyclist was killed by a suspected drunk driver in Ramona on Saturday night, about 28 miles northeast of San Diego.

The Ramona Sentinel reports that 54-year old David Bruce Menea was riding west on Main Street near Kalbaugh Street, and attempting to cross the street when he was hit and thrown onto the roadway by an SUV driven by 32-year old Suzanne Nicole Reed.

Meanwhile, the SUV continued into a stop sign, over an embankment and struck a parked car with two people inside, knocking it through the front window of a nearby liquor store.

Even though the driver was arrested for suspicion of DUI, media reports blamed the cyclist for the collision. According to the Sentinel, a CHP officer said that Reed was “unable to avoid the bicycle in front of her,” while other reports indicate that Menea was “illegally crossing” Main when he was struck, with no explanation of exactly what that means or how he may have violated the law.

Then again, it’s easy to blame the cyclist when he’s not alive to tell his side of the story.

………

More on Monday’s stage 16 of the Vuelta won by Mikel Nieve; new leader Joaquin Rodriguez says his 33 second lead isn’t enough to survive Wednesday’s time trial.

Luxembourg cyclist Kim Kirchen plans to return to racing, despite suffering a heart attack earlier this year — and with an implanted defibrillator. And local racer Rahsaan Bahati donated a limited edition Cannondale Graffiti Bike to raise funds for World Relief and Chicago Cubs Charities.

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Park(ing) Day prepares to take over the city on Friday, with parking space parks from the Bikerowave and Flying Pigeon; Green LA Girl directs your attention to sites from Santa Monica Spoke and de Lab, as well as the website for Park(ing) Day LA.

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LADOT Bike Blog creates a Google Map showing all the department’s bicycling facility projects completed or underway this year. LACBC reports progress on bike racks in the McArthur Park, Pico Union and Rampart Village areas, and calls on cyclists to support improvements in the new West Hollywood General Plan. A USC writer calls for a real plan to deal with the 10,000 to 15,000 cyclists on campus. Claremont may play host to a stage in next year’s Tour of California. A writer for the Orange County Register joins with the OC Wheelmen to challenge other bike clubs to enforce safety rules for their members. A gutter bunny transforms into safer cyclist. Compared to Singapore, bicycling in Las Vegas isn’t that bad. Who says bikes don’t have turn signals? Biking Cape Cod in the fall. In a doubly tragic event, a driver hits a cyclist after leaving a birthday party — then kills himself after realizing he’d just killed the man who’s birthday he’d been celebrating; link courtesy of Witch on a Bicycle. The cyclist killed by a New York City bus on Saturday after being doored by a driver has been identified as a 23-year old woman who rode her bike everywhere; the driver was charged with unlicensed operation of a vehicle. An Oklahoma driver unexpectedly pleads no contest to first degree manslaughter and DUI for the death of two cyclists last year. The Interbike Trade Expo returns to the Anaheim Convention Center next year, and moves up to August.  Handcrafted fixies will go on display in London next month. More offerings to drool over from Eurobike. including the latest foldies. Brit riders can visit the birthplace of the Titanic in Northern Ireland this weekend. Cyclists wanting to lose weight should cut down on carbs, not cut them out.

Finally, transform your two-wheeled steed into a real one. Well, sort of.

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Monday morning links: big news in the Vuelta, fighting bike theft, who’s at fault in collisions?

September 13, 2010 / / 4 comments

Vicenzo Nibali of the Liquigas Doimo team takes over the leader jersey in the Vuelta, after overall leader Igor Anton crashes out just 7 km from the finish of stage 14 at an estimated 50 mph; teammate Egoi Martinez also crashed out of the race, causing initial, apparently false, reports they had touched wheels. Rodriguez gets the stage win, while Nico Roche and Frank Schleck move up to fifth and sixth, respectively.

Quickstep’s Carlos Barredo wins Sunday’s stage 15 by over a minute in a solo breakaway up Spain’s most celebrated climb, and one he first rode as a child.

Spoiler alert: skip this line if you recorded Monday’s Vuelta to watch later. There’s a new leader as Nibali cracks in today’s mountainous stage 16; Schleck moves into striking distance, but is it too late?

………

Sometimes you just need the right motivation. Travelin’ Local looks forward to this Friday’s Parking Day. A ride up the San Gabriel’s Glendora Mountain Road. Cyclists help rescue a woman trapped in her car. Remembering a jazz musician, father and cyclist killed in a late August hit-and-run. No charges for the teenage driver who killed a cyclist last May when his flip flop got tangled on the gas pedal. Introducing the new Surly Cargo Trailer. A New York woman is killed after being doored by a driver and knocked into the path of a bus; the driver who allegedly caused the collision left the scene to attend a baby shower. A triathlete collides with a car that somehow got onto the bike segment of the course; fortunately, there was a doctor at the scene. Crains says bike storage is the latest must-have apartment amenity. An Ottawa woman faces charges for stealing a car, driving drunk and killing a teenaged cyclist. After a parade of anti-bike mayoral candidates, Toronto finally sees one come out in support of cycling. Bicyclists who ride religiously now have their own church. Brits fight to save Cycling England from being dismantled in government budget cuts. Is $75 too much for a single tube and tire that will never go flat? The makes of a new auto safety device claim it will end car vs bike collisions once and for all. Yeah, right. A bike thief offers advice on how to keep yours from being stolen. Taiwan police arrest a man for bike theft — then pitch in to buy him one. Recycle your old bicycle to benefit people in Third World countries. Cyclists in Sydney refuse to use the new bike lanes, even if they will eventually lead to Russell Crowe’s house. An Aussie cyclist says the extra 10 seconds it takes to pass a bike safely isn’t going to ruin anyone’s life. Budapest’s Critical Mass will be more like critical chaos as riders are directed to ride a route in either direction with no start time or place.

Finally, a study of traffic collisions in Berlin shows that cyclists are responsible for half of all collisions and most biking fatalities, while an Aussie study found drivers responsible for most crashes — and 85% of drivers involved had previous traffic violations on their records.

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Your weekend links: this week’s events, a Vuelta victory bunny hop & a Brit bike-hating twit

September 11, 2010 / / 2 comments

Upcoming events for this week:

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

The Spoke’n’art ride rolls on Saturday the 11th, visiting five galleries along the route.

On Sunday, September 12, attend a free screening of the film Bogotá Change at Busby’s East, 5364 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles; screening starts at 4 pm, with discussion to follow at 5 pm. RSVP via EventBrite.

Sunday also features the LA Tamale Throwdown at 3 pm, complete with bike valet, and again at 7 pm on the 14th; locations to be announced.

Bikeside will hold its third organizing session for their Life Before License campaign on Sunday the 12th, as well.

Make your plans for Parking Day LA on Sept. 17th.

Saturday, September 18th, decorate your bike for the Bicycle Beauty Pageant, 8 pm to midnight, at 3191 Casitas in Atwater Village; $10 admission benefits CicLAvia and includes one free beer, free admission and one beer if you enter the pageant.

Celebrate the third anniversary of C.R.A.N.K. MOB at C.R.A.N.K.MAS III, 9 pm on Saturday, September 18th and 7 am Sunday, September 19th; costumes mandatory.

Also on Sunday the 19th, the Los Angeles Wheelmen celebrate their 65th anniversary with century and half-century rides; $5 of the $30 ride fee will go to the LACBC.

Click on the Events page for more events beyond this week.

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After winning his first stage of the Vuelta yesterday, Mark Cavendish repeats on Stage 13 — and does a bunny hop over the finish line to celebrate. The Manx Missile — aka Cavendish — is now positioned to win the overall points classification, which is different from the general classification, still lead by Igor Anton.

Meanwhile, the Tour of Britain kicks off on Saturday; BikeRadar looks at the contenders. And Lance Armstrong’s Team RadioShack is snubbed by next month’s Tour of Lombardy.

………

LADOT Bike Blog continues its excellent series on local laws on sidewalk riding throughout L.A. County; if you get a ticket for riding on the sidewalk after this, it’s your fault — although a little local signage would be nice. LACBC shares a listing of the city’s upcoming bike plan meetings. Glendale needs volunteers for this month’s bike count. More on Councilmember Grieg Smith’s proposal to let Neighborhood Councils veto review biking infrastructure. Now appearing in Hollywood, ice cream, $295 cargo shorts, $158 pink sweatpants and pre-assembled fixies. Claremont Cyclist shares another of his favorite rides. Bike valets hit the City by the Bay. Bike Lawyer Bob Mionske says if a police officer tells you to stop, stop — and if he’s wrong, then deal with it in court. Sauced cycling is legal in Illinois; but don’t try it in California. Is that your bike seat or are you just happy to see her? A Vancouver driver uses his dash cam to record law-breaking bicyclists. Bicycling looks at trends from EuroBike you could seeing in your LBS soon. How to become a better hill climber. Bike share comes to Dumphries, Scotland; well, maybe not quite yet. Evidently, London’s Boris Bikes are increasing property values; maybe because some riders are being seriously overcharged. British university professor Dr. Ian Walker says bike helmets are a “red herring.” All I know is I’ll never ride without mine; it’s been two years and 364 days since it saved my life. Speaking of which, Just Another Cyclist wants to know what you think about them.

Finally, a local UK official says “bikes are more dangerous than any car” and “should be paying road tax” — which hasn’t existed since 1937 — “and have insurance.”

I say we give him a choice between getting hit by a car or a bike, and see which one he actually picks.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

You mean I shaved my legs for this?

September 9, 2010 / / 3 comments

i didn't shave my legs just for days like this.

In 30 years of riding, I’d never succumbed to the temptation to shave my shave my legs.

Somehow, it just never seemed necessary.

Even if club riders sometimes rolled up next to me at red lights, and seemed to find me somehow lacking after gazing at my hairy calves. And my manly leg fur sent a clear and concise message that I was not one of them.

I could live with it.

Besides, I always assumed that, minimally hirsute though I am, it kept my legs a little warmer on those cool winter days.

But for the past year or so, I kept thinking back to one particular ride early last year when I gouged my calf on the chainring, resulting in a half dozen rivulets of blood streaming down my ankle to pool in my shoe. And found myself attempting a dry field shave with a dull penknife, in a vain attempt to get a bandage to stay on long enough to make it home.

So one day this spring, I carried a razor into the shower with me, and stepped out with legs as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Okay, maybe a scarred and stubbly baby’s bottom, as it took me more than a few weeks to get the hang of it.

Funny thing is, the shock and awe I anticipated from family and friends never materialized. In fact, no one even noticed. At least, not until I mentioned it; then I got that classic double take as they looked me up and down, finally noticing my follicle-free lower extremities for the first time.

And to be honest, it really didn’t seem to make a difference.

I’ve thankfully managed to remain upright all summer and keep my epidermis blissfully intact; my first aid kit coming out of my bike bag only to patch up the occasional tourist who failed to negotiate a sand-covered curve.

Not that I’m complaining.

Though I have complained loud and long about this year’s endless winter, as the temperature seldom rose above the mid-60s on the coast, even on days when the rest of the city sweltered. Not that anyone could do anything about it, of course.

It just seemed like a waste of a good shave.

So now L.A.’s summer, such as it was, seems as if it’s nearly over. And it already feels like an early fall, even if that should still be weeks away.

I’m not sure if I’ll keep it up this winter, or let my hairy calves return until I confront the question of whether to do it again next spring.

Although my lack of leg hair didn’t seem to make me feel any colder, even on those frequent cool and cloudy days when I found myself donning winter riding gear in the middle of summer.

But it did seem to buy me a little street cred, as more than one rider swathed in spandex pulled up next to me and glanced down, then gave me a silent nod in recognition.

I guess I can live with that.

………

Mark Cavendish finally cracks the finish line in stage 12 of the Vuelta, edging Tyler Farrar in a mass sprint to the finish, and sets his sights on the green jersey for the overall points winner. Milam rider Roy Sentjens gets the boot from the Vuelta after a positive drug test; maybe we should level the playing field by making doping cyclists compete on these.

Make your reservations for the 2011 and 2012 US Championships. And not surprisingly, the Amgen Tour of California is a money losing proposition, as many cities are being priced out of hosting a stage.

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Decorate your bike for the Bicycle Beauty Pageant, 8 pm to midnight on Saturday, September 18th, at 3191 Casitas in Atwater Village. Your $10 admission benefits CicLAvia and includes one free beer; free admission and a beer if you enter the pageant.

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In LADOT Bikeways news, former bike rack meister Carlos Morales is now the new Bicycle Coordinator in Omaha, while LADOT Bike Blog offers the full story on the disappearing Westholme sharrows and LADOT’s promise to get them back ASAP.

And speaking of LADOT BB, it now includes up-to-date information on current bike lane and bike path projects. Hey, Rita Robinson, isn’t it time to offer that guy a real job? He’s way too good to risk losing to somewhere else.

Like, uh, Omaha, for instance.

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Apparent anti-bike L.A. Councilmember Grieg Smith proposes throwing a Neighborhood Council road block in the city’s biking infrastructure plans; intriguingly, bike advocates aren’t entirely opposed to the idea. It might be interesting to know what the NCs think about it; maybe you can find out on Saturday at PlanCheckNC, when Neighborhood Council members meet with officials from the Planning Department over coffee and cookies.

………

L.A. Creek Freak spots new light poles along the L.A. River Bike Path in Elysian Valley. The LACBC’s BiciDigna Bike Repair Co-op receives a $5000 grant from REI. Travelling the country and sampling different bikes and riding styles along the way. Bike San Diego says that city needs a bike attitude adjustment to catch up to Long Beach — or even Tijuana, for that matter. A week after I took a writer to task for advising cyclists to avoid road rage by never, ever doing anything to piss a driver off, he offers advice for drivers — and gets it right this time. The good news is traffic deaths fall to their lowest level since 1950 and bicycle fatalities declined 12% last year, the bad news is 33,808 people — including 630 bicyclists — still died on American roads last year; the question is why? Turns out, bicycling isn’t as scary as you might think. How to bike with your dog. Why buy a custom bike when you can DIY? While L.A. dithers on bike share, Des Moines moves forward; we also continue to fall behind in infrastructure as even Missoula cyclists get their first separated bike lane. Advice for Houston’s bike riding bank robber. A bike lane grows in Brooklyn. Note to New York Post: Cycle studs? Seriously? TV’s latest dancing, pre-law midriff-baring cheerleader is an avid, helmet-less cyclist. More reports on the latest rides from Eurobike, including fixed gear bikes, mountain bikes and new Colnagos. It’s official: the world record for biking around the globe is now 163 days 6 hours and 58 minutes. Hangzhou China offers to lend 50,000 bikes to 1,200 cyclists for their annual bicycle touring day; for the math challenged among us, that works out to nearly 42 bikes per rider.

Finally, newly comment-friendly The Source has photographic proof of a new green bike box in Hollywood; no, not this one — that one.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

Stopping for stop signs — or not

September 9, 2010 / / 9 comments

Experience says there's a 50/50 he didn't stop — and about a 95% chance he didn't stop completely.

If our elected leaders really want to balance their budgets, all they have to do is start enforcing stop signs.

Take the one on the corner near my building.

Simple observation — standing on the corner and counting cars — reveals that maybe one in 20 drivers comes to a full stop if there are no pedestrians or cross traffic. About the same number blows through the stop even when someone else has the right of way.

The remaining 90% are evenly divided between drivers who slow down to a near stop before rolling through — known around the world as a California stop — and those who just slow slightly or blow through if there’s no one else at the intersection.

And while I’ve never conducted a similar study of cyclists, I suspect the same percentages would probably hold true.

After all, most of us drive as well as ride. And we tend to carry the same habits with us, good or bad, as we switch from four wheels to two.

As for myself, I fall somewhere between the 5% that comes to a full stop and the 45% that slows to a near stop before rolling through the intersection.

I confess. I didn’t use to.

I’ve always made a point of stopping if someone else had the right-of-way. But when no one else was around, I’d usually slow just enough to verify that the intersection was clear, then ride across without stopping.

That ended the day I was crossing an intersection near my home — one that I always blew through because it lay in the middle of two hills. If I didn’t stop, the momentum I carried from zooming down the first one would carry me over the second.

This time, though, I noticed a man walking near the corner with his young son. Then just as I sailed through the stop, I saw the boy point at me and heard him say, “I want to be just like him!”

And I realized I’d just taught a little kid to run stop signs.

That was the last time I ever did it.

These days, I brake to a near stop as I approach the intersection. If there’s no one there, I’ll wait until the exact moment my bike stops forward motion, then release my brakes and let momentum carry me forward.

Otherwise, I’ll hold the brakes, doing a brief track stand until I have the right-of-way, then continue on my way — but only after making eye contact with any drivers who may pose a risk before I move forward. And I try to never put my foot down unless I have to wait for traffic to clear.

There are a couple reasons for that.

First, it’s my experience that bad things happen at intersections; studies have shown that’s where most bike/car collisions occur. And there’s been far too many times when I’ve had to dodge out of the way of drivers who weren’t paying attention, or move quickly to avoid cars spinning out of control after a collision.

If I’m still in the pedals, I can respond instantly by moving forward or turning to either side. If my foot is planted on the ground, though, I’m a sitting duck. By the time I can get my foot back on the pedal and try to move out of the way, it could be too late.

In fact, I’ve only seen a cyclist hit by a car on two occasions; both times, they were stopped at an intersection with a foot on the ground.

One of them was me.

The other reason is, contrary to a common misperception — and despite what some riders and police officials insist – there is absolutely no requirement in the California Vehicle Code that cyclists have to put a foot down to come to a full stop.

The applicable codes are CVC 21200, which says cyclists are  “…subject to all the provisions applicable to the driver of a vehicle…,” and CVC 22450a, which says that the driver of any vehicle approaching a stop sign must stop at the entrance to an intersection or at the limit line, without entering the crosswalk.

That’s it. Nothing about how to stop or how long you have to stop, and no special requirements for stopping on a bike.

Look at it this way — a driver doesn’t have to stop at a stop sign, shift into neutral and put on the emergency brake before releasing the brake, shifting back into drive and going on his or her way.

And neither do you.

If you cease forward motion and allow vehicles with the right-of-way to go through the intersection before you do, you’re complying with the law, whether or not you put your foot down. And even if you only come to a near stop and continue to roll forward slowly while waiting for your turn, you should be good as long as you observe the right-of-way.

I’ve done that countless times in full view of police officers, and never had a problem.

That said, whether or not you actually came to a stop is a judgment call. And it is possible to get a ticket if a cop thinks you didn’t stop completely.

It’s also possible to encounter one of those misinformed officers who thinks a cyclist can’t come to a stop without putting a foot on the pavement. And have the misfortune of ending up in front of a judge who agrees.

Because it’s not always what the law says that determines what’s legal.

But how it’s interpreted — or misinterpreted — by those who enforce it.

Update: Mark points us to a section of the vehicle code that I missed; CVC 587 defines “Stop or stopping” as “any cessation of movement of a vehicle, whether occupied or not.”

………

Stage 11 of the Vuelta takes the peloton to Principality of Andorra and the Pyrenees, as Igor Anton bounces back on the final climb to claim a three second victory and reclaim the leader’s jersey. Yesterday’s leader Joaquin Rodriguez drops to fourth overall; Nicolas Roche and Frank Schleck are the best known riders still in the top 10, at 8th and 9th, respectively. Tour de France champ Alberto Contador says Anton could win it all.

Meanwhile, the best known American Pro-Am takes place this coming weekend in Souderton PA. And Kiwi track cyclist Adam Stewart receives a two-year ban for importing EPO and Human Growth Hormone.

………

Formerly bike-unfriendly Beverly Hills unveils its first ever bike plan; cyclists band together to demand that it includes a safer Santa Monica Blvd.

On a related subject, LADOT Bike Blog relates dates and locations for L.A.’s Bike Plan public meetings and webinar, as well as why it matters.

………

Malibu publications report on the concerns of cyclists at last week’s Public Safety Commission meeting. (Note to Malibu Surfside News: when an item is reposted on another website, you cite the original source — not the repost, capice? Even the AP says it’s okay to credit bloggers.) The City Council Transportation Committee gears up for the Metro Call for Projects. Metro’s The Source gears up to accept comments — but watch your f***ing potty mouth. This weekend’s Spoke’n’art ride features a collection of 9/11 memorabilia; if you’re looking for something a little tastier, maybe you’d prefer Sunday’s LA Tamale Throwdown, complete with bike valet. Those in colder climbs are gearing up for winter biking already; here in coastal L.A., we’re still waiting for summer to get here. In yet another example of the DMV encouraging drivers to park in bike lanes, Brent forwards this question (#6) he encountered while studying to renew his driver’s license.

Speaking of bike lanes, the NYPD loves them so much they park in one themselves. Don’t steal bamboo bikes, bro. A Gallaudet University employee dies after falling from his bike — and waiting 15 minutes for campus security to show up. A Tuscaloosa physician is killed when his bike is hit by a car; in a rare occurrence, the driver is seriously injured as well. A St. Petersburg city councilwoman is seriously injured in a collision with a hit-and-run fellow cyclist. A St. Louis bridge has an opportunity for a beautiful bike and pedestrian makeover. A bike stolen from a cross-country cyclist in Missouri is discovered in Tom Sawyer’s Cave, or close to it, anyway. Cyclelicious takes a detailed look at the newly unveiled Schlumpf Belt Drive System. A new device could give drivers 20 seconds warning before colliding with a bike. Lower speeds limits mean a better quality of life. Bicycling offers nine tips for faster fitness.

Russell Brand rides an ill-fitting bike in New York, while scofflaw cyclist Jude Law breaks the law by riding on London sidewalks. Scotland gets it’s first bike share program. A Scottish bicyclist dies in the lap of a drunk driver’s passenger after being hit at 70 mph and thrown through the car’s windshield. Something UK drivers and cyclists can agree on, as both protest plans to turn off streetlights. Brit cyclists deliver a postal protest in an attempt to keep Posties on their Pashleys. A British cyclist dies riding without a helmet after downing eight or nine drinks. A three-year old is banished from the local park because his training wheels are deemed a threat to “health and safety.” Don’t carry your chain lock over your handlebars, seriously. Biking in Estonia, circa 1930-ish.

Finally, here’s your chance to be the proud owner of a second-hand Brompton.

A 24-carat gold-plated Brompton.

For all those celebrating today, l’shana tova! or Eid saeedi!, respectively. And respectfully.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

Ventura County cyclist critically injured; a discussion of bike deaths in OC

September 8, 2010 / / 6 comments

In yet another Southern California bike collision, a Ventura man was critically injured when he was hit by a car Tuesday afternoon.

According to the Ventura County Star, 54-year old Curtis Reese was riding across Ventura Avenue on Warner Street when he was hit by a southbound vehicle driven by Jason Friedman, also of Ventura. No other information was given about how the collision occurred or who was at fault.

The paper notes that, in an all-too-rare occurrence, the driver stopped at the scene. And not surprisingly, was uninjured.

Thanks to DC for the heads-up.

Update: A press release on the City of Ventura website, apparently based on the official police report, indicates that Reese was broadsided by Friedman’s vehicle and thrown from his bike, suffering major injuries.

Update 2: In a little good news, the Ventura County Star reports that Reese is in stable condition and recovering at the hospital.

………

David Whiting, cyclist, and editor-at-large/columnist for the Orange County Register, will discuss OC’s one-a-month rate of biking fatalities at the monthly meeting of the Orange county Wheelmen Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, two Orange County girls are critically injured, along with seven other people, when an alleged drunk driver jumps the curb and hits a group of pedestrians in Santa Ana.

………

Irmanol Erviti wins stage 10 of the Vuelta in a solo breakaway, while Joaquin Rodriguez claims the leader’s jersey. Saxo Bank gives Andy Schleck and Stuart O’Grady the boot from the Vuelta for an unauthorized tipple.

In other racing news, Bradley Wiggins and Emma Pooley win the men’s and women’s British Time Trial Championships, and the legendary Jeannie Longo wins yet another cycling title, this time in Steamboat Springs CO.

………

LACBC releases an English Language version of their Central LA Better Bike Routes Map. Rach Stevenson reports on last week’s bike-focused meeting of the Malibu Public Safety Commission. Where’s the former Anonymous Cyclist been — besides fixing classic bikes and writing for Bike Rumor, that is? Bicycle Fixation celebrates new bike racks on Wilshire Blvd and at the Trader Joe’s at 3rd and La Brea. CicLAvia needs volunteers starting this week, and invites your family to join the MidDay Ridazz.  A view from Philly at Long Beach’s green bike priority lanes.  Dave Moulton discusses the right and wrong ways to ride in a group. Zeke contemplates what he’s learned in three years back on the bike. Oregon Live says if bikes can’t keep up with traffic, get out of the lane. Portlanders shouldn’t have to choose between bikes and baseball. A cyclist has his bike stolen after a 3,000 charity ride. Biking the most scenic road in North America. Missouri police seek a driver who intentionally ran down a cyclist. Fighting the proposed bike ban in St. Charles County MO; turns out Sag Harbor NY has had a bike ban on the books for 24 years. A cab crashes into an NYC coffee shop, injuring five people, including two cyclists passing by; commenters blame a separated bike lane for confusing the driver. A Philadelphia area man faces multiple charges in the hit-and-run death of a 16-year old boy. A man rides his bike to a garage sale, only to have it sold by mistake. Remembering a Florida minister killed in a hit-from-behind collision over the weekend. Vancouver drivers will soon confront a traffic-calming panic-inducing hologram. Prince Charles gets on, but apparently doesn’t ride, a Brompton. London bike commuting jumps as Underground workers go on strike; thanks to George Wolfberg for the link. Mark Ronson rides a bike in his latest video. A Brit woman is cleared of killing a cyclist when medical experts testify she may have blacked out at the wheel. News roundups from last week’s Eurobike, including the latest wheels, ‘cross bikes, an interview with Saxo Bank’s Jens Voight and a very sexy new bike from the Cannibal, as well as a new belt drive system. A YouTube look at the Netherlands’ Strict Liability law; thanks to Kirk for sending the link.

Finally, a poignant story from the Charlotte Observer about learning to ride again after being struck by a car.

His fingers, hand, wrist, pelvis, hip, femur and knee all fractured in one blow the day after Thanksgiving 2008. A motorist turning left struck Wiseman’s oncoming bicycle in Rowan County. The motorist said he never saw the bike.

“The right leg does 70 percent of the work,” said Wiseman of his body’s limitations now. The left just doesn’t remember anymore.

“I couldn’t pick my left leg up to get it on the pedal. I couldn’t move my leg up and down.”

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

Labor Day links: Palm Springs cyclist killed; witness the birth of ciclovía

September 5, 2010 / / 4 comments

A cyclist was struck and killed near Palm Springs on Saturday.

Thirty-six year old Palm Springs resident Milen Dimitrov was hit by a full-sized pickup truck traveling the same direction on Highway 111 northwest of Overture Drive at 6:30 am. He died at the scene less than half an hour later.

The driver stopped at the scene, and police don’t believe drugs or alcohol were involved.

Kind of a sad commentary when it’s news that a driver didn’t flee after a crash.

………

On Sunday, September 12, attend a free screening of the film Bogotá Change, including the birth of ciclovía, at Busby’s East, 5364 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles; screening starts at 4 pm, with discussion to follow at 5 pm. RSVP via EventBrite.

………

In Saturday’s 8th stage of the Vuelta, Cofidis mountain specialist David Moncoutié takes the stage win, while Anton Igor moves into the leader’s jersey. David Lopez, a domestique for the now-banned Alejandro Valverde, wins stage 9 in a solo breakaway. Britain’s Team Sky withdraws from the race following the death of soigneur Txema González; the peloton observes a moment of silence in his honor.

Lance Armstrong faces yet another investigation, as arch-nemesis Floyd Landis files a federal whistlebower lawsuit; he isn’t the only one, as Italian authorities widen an investigation into sprinter Alessandro Petacchi.

………

Three LAPD bike officers are involved in the shooting death of a knife wielding man in Westlake. Johnny Knoxville at the L.A. Bicycle File Festival, on one of Flying Pigeon’s Nihola bikes. L.A. Observed writer Kevin Roderick spots Arnold and Maria, aka Gov. and Mrs. Schwarzenegger, biking on Santa Monica’s Main Street; maybe they were checking out the route for that city’s ciclovia. A writer for the Daily Beast says stylish women lead the increase in bike ridership across the U.S. A Colorado trucker is cited for violating the state’s three-foot passing rule after striking a cyclist; yet when a Massachusetts cyclist is grazed by a passing car, it somehow does not violate that state’s three-foot law. Doing Denver by bike, even if local police are targeting cyclists riding on the sidewalk. A ghost bike is installed for a 19-year old cyclist killed in New Mexico while on a cross county ride to raise money for cancer research. A Utah mountain biker is critically injured when he loses his front wheel. BikeRadar talks with Keith Bontrager; yes, that Bontrager. NYC backs off on a plan to remove ghost bikes. A retired priest rides 5,000 miles from the Pacific Northwest to Key West. Over a million cyclists have crossed a Vancouver bike bridge, but a safety expert says that isn’t enough. The mother of a woman who rode into a truck while listening to headphones urges cyclist to learn from her mistake. Building a bike lane from Denmark to Deutschland. British Olympian James Cracknell gets back on his bike six weeks after nearly being killed in an Arizona collision — and just one day after being released from the hospital. London prepares for escorted bike rides as Tube workers plan a strike for Monday. Britain’s heir to the throne is criticized for taking a train to promote biking as green transportation. Singapore police arrest a serial molester who stalked his victims by bike.

Finally, London Mayor BoJo, Olympic Champion Chris Hoy and model Kelly Brook lead 85,000 cyclists on a 15 kilometer tour of the City, though the tabloids note the biking Brook seemed a little wobbly, despite her high heels and high visibility top.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,
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