Archive for Morning Links

Urgent Malibu PCH action alert, CA among weakest US DUI states, and more on CARB’s murder of ebike incentives

October 31, 2025 / / One comment
Day 304 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Happy Halloween!

If you’re still looking for a costume that will truly terrify your neighbors, consider going as a bike lane.

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If you live, work, commute or bike on or anywhere near PCH in western Malibu, take urgent action now to keep a vital safety project moving forward, which is currently in jeopardy before the Malibu Planning Commission.

Consider this alert from Streets Are For Everyone that went out yesterday; you’ll find a ready-made email response form on that link.

Choose Life Over Delay — tell the Planning Commission to Approve the Plan

On Monday, November 3, the Malibu Planning Commission will hold its final hearing to decide whether to approve the Caltrans PCH Safety Project — a $55 million once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rebuild and make PCH safer for everyone. Based on the last meeting, they are not likely to approve the plans unless people express strong support for the plans.

You can view that meeting here. The presentation, public comment, and debate start at 38:10 and continue for a couple of hours.

This plan would repave and reconstruct the western end of PCH from Cross Creek Rd to the Ventura County line while adding long-overdue safety improvements like:

  • 15 miles of new or upgraded bike lanes
  • 6,956 linear feet of new sidewalks in high pedestrian zones, including in front of Pepperdine University
  • 42 new dark-sky compliant light poles
  • The installation of 19 new guardrails
  • 22 new or upgraded curb ramps
  • Three new retaining walls
  • Two realigned intersections
  • A vehicle pull-out for law enforcement use
  • Median reconstruction at various locations
  • Associated roadway improvements along Pacific Coast Highway within the Public Right-of-Way between the Ventura County line and Serra Road

There are additional safety improvements that can and should be made after this. They will require additional funding and much more work to secure approval from agencies like the California Coastal Commission. The items above are changes that can be easily implemented with the funds immediately available.

If the Planning Commission fails to approve the project, the funding will vanish. The road will not be repaved, the safety upgrades will not happen, and Malibu will lose its only realistic chance to prevent more deaths on the western end of PCH for years or even decades.

This is not just another meeting — it’s a moral choice between action and inaction. Every year of delay means more preventable crashes, more empty chairs at dinner tables, and more families devastated by the same road we all depend on.

What We’re Asking You to Do:

Email the Malibu Planning Commission today and tell them to approve the Caltrans PCH Safety Plan. Ask them to prioritize lives over delays — to say YES to rebuilding PCH safely, responsibly, and collaboratively. We can continue to refine the details, but we cannot afford to lose the funding and start from zero.

Please also show up to the Planning Commission Meeting on Monday, 3 Nov, starting at 6:30 at Malibu City Hall. This is the link to the agenda.

You can also join and provide public comment on this virtually using this link.

This is Malibu’s last real chance to fix the western end of PCH.

Not mentioned is that failure to approve the plan means the money will be reallocated to other projects, somewhere else in the state. Which will set back desperately needed safety improvements on SoCal’s killer highway years, if not decades.

The Malibu Planning Commission doesn’t want to hear from me, since I haven’t set foot or wheel on PCH or in Malibu for years.

They want, and need, to hear from you.

Photo from Caltrans. 

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In what should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, CalMatters finds that California has some of the weakest DUI laws in the country.

California’s DUI enforcement system is broken. The toll can be counted in bodies.

Alcohol-related roadway deaths in California have shot up by more than 50% in the past decade — an increase more than twice as steep as the rest of the country, federal estimates show. More than 1,300 people die each year statewide in drunken collisions. Thousands more are injured. Again and again, repeat DUI offenders cause the crashes…

We found that California has some of the weakest DUI laws in the country, allowing repeat drunk and drugged drivers to stay on the road with little punishment. Here, drivers generally can’t be charged with a felony until their fourth DUI within 10 years, unless they injure someone. In some states, a second DUI can be a felony…

California also gives repeat drunk drivers their licenses back faster than other states. Here, you typically lose your license for three years after your third DUI, compared to eight years in New Jersey, 15 years in Nebraska and a permanent revocation in Connecticut. We found drivers with as many as six DUIs who were able to get a license in California.

Many drivers stay on the road for years even when the state does take their license — racking up tickets and even additional DUIs — with few consequences until they eventually kill.

Seriously, read it now. We’ll wait for you.

Back already?

Maybe you caught the part where they said “drunk vehicular manslaughter isn’t considered a “violent felony,” but DUI causing “great bodily injury” is. So breaking someone’s leg while driving under the influence can result in more jail time than killing someone.

Go figure.

Or that some California drivers have somehow remained on the road with up to 16 DUIs, until some innocent person pays the price. Or far too often, more than one.

And that arrests have dropped in half over the past 20 years, even as loosened cannabis laws and ready access to pharmaceuticals — legal and otherwise — mean more people than ever are likely driving under the influence of something.

This isn’t just theoretical for me.

One of my best childhood friends was killed by a drunk driver our senior year of high school. He was a state tennis champ deciding between a college scholarship and going pro when a woman somehow jumped a 50-foot median with guard rails on either side, and hit his car head-on, killing him and a passenger.

She walked away without a scratch. Or any jail time.

The same with my cousin, a rodeo queen killed when her father made a sudden turn, throwing her out of the back seat, then ran over her when he went back to get her.

So yeah, it’s personal.

And don’t even get me started on all the many victims of drunk and drugged drivers I’ve had to write about here over the last two decades.

Yes, this state just approved a law extending the ability of judges to order DUI drivers to install an interlock device. But that won’t do a damn thing to stop someone from getting behind the wheel stoned out of their mind.

Take this case in point. Or this one.

It’s long past time California got serious about drunk and drugged drivers, even if that means taking their cars away and not just their licenses. Or building a new effing prison to hold them all if we have to.

I’ll be happy to chip in to help pay for it, if it means a few more people will make it back home at the end of every day.

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More on yesterday’s story about the California Air Resources Board stabbing the bicycle community in the back by quietly stabbing the California Ebike Incentive Program in the front when no one was looking.

According to Streetsblog’s Damien Newton,

Despite demand for e-bike vouchers being so high that it crashed the website each time the state opened the lottery, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted at their last meeting to end the statewide program it oversaw, rolling the remaining $17 million of the original $30 million allocated by the legislature into its “Clean Cars 4 All” Program.

The concept of California E-Bike Incentive Project began had so much promise but was plagued with scandal and incompetence to such a level that one prospective applicant told Streetsblog last April, “If they were actively trying to sabotage the program, what would they do differently than this?”

Regardless of the intent, the effect is the same. The April application portal was the last time the program gave out certificates.

He adds that the most surprising thing is how quietly the program slunk out — or was tossed out — the back door, with no official announcement, no press release, and no mention on the program’s website.

There’s more. A lot more, in fact.

It’s all worth a read.

But what occurred to me yesterday is that this could leave CARB exposed to a lawsuit for age discrimination and violating the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Because by transferring the funds to a green car program, they are favoring people capable of driving over those who can no longer drive due to age and/or illness, and needed an ebike to provide greater mobility.

Could it win?

I have no idea. I’m not a lawyer, and have no expertise in ADA or age discrimination law.

But if someone needs a plaintiff, I know where they can look.

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LADOT reminds us they’re looking for feedback to finally fix dangerous Ohio Ave west of Westwood Blvd.

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Gravel Bike California explores the Breckenridge Mountain Loop, just a two-hour drive from Los Angeles.

Although the only Breckenridge I’ve ever ridden is just a tad further away.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

No bias here. The local paper says adding a movable barrier to the bike lane on the Richmond-San Rafael bridge is a good idea, allowing the state to close the bike lane on weekdays to make more room for cars. Because evidently, the convenience of drivers outweighs the convenience and safety of everyone else. 

An English politician complains that a few feet of pavement for new bikeway is changing the character of the city by covering over historic cobbled paving stones. But the city just says hold on, we’re not done yet.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A British man was surprised to learn a bikeshare company has no legal liability for the ebike rider who crashed into his bicycle, leaving him “hours from death.”

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Local 

Streets For All says the $2 billion — yes, with a B — LAX ATMP Roadway Improvement Project will only have the opposite effect, tearing up streets just before the Olympics, while making things more dangerous for pedestrians and people on bikes.

A Culver City paper offers more information on the official opening of the new Robertson Blvd Bus/Bike Lane Project.

Somehow, we missed this year’s Phil’s Cookie Fondo, hosted by former pro cyclist and Worst Retirement Ever host Phil Gaimon, to raise fund for the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club — but you can still donate to the fundraiser.

 

State

Around 1,600 people are expected to turn out for Saturday’s Bike the Coast in San Diego County, with distances ranging from seven miles to a century.

The annual two-day, 31-mile Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride is currently underway in San Diego.

That’s more like it. A 27-year old Bakersfield man was sentenced to 12 years behind bars for the drunken hit-and-run crash that killed a 30-year old woman riding a bicycle in 2022, despite turning himself in a few days later after sobering up. As lax as California’s DUI laws are, the state-s hit-and-run statutes are even worse, providing an incentive for drivers to flee if they’ve had a few.

Marin County bike riders were expected to turn out last night for the annual Pumpkin Head Ride, which requires participants to wear a lit pumpkin on their helmets, if not their heads.

Sacramento’s Bike Lab works to empower local people through a variety of community services, including free bike repairs for anyone who needs it.

 

National

Knog is recalling its Blinder 900 and Blinder 1300 Front Bicycle Lights because the lithium-ion batteries could catch fire, but they promise they’ll replace it for you.

No point in waiting, I guess. Bike Magazine is the first out of the gate with a holiday gift guide. For all your Halloween giving, evidently. 

Somehow, I’ve never heard anyone say they’d start riding if only ebikes had a bigger interactive touch screen.

Of all the crashes that are unsurvivable, getting run down by a cement truck driver ranks pretty high on the list.

A Utah woman got a custom postpartum bike fit to help her get back on her bike, addressing the unique physiological changes affecting women after having a baby.

This is how Vision Zero is supposed to work. Albuquerque, New Mexico is building a new HAWK signal at a bike trail crossing where a bike rider was killed three months ago. Except why do they always have to wait until it’s too late? And someone should tell that TV station that the victim probably had a name. Just saying. 

The leaders of a Kansas hospital chain got together to build 25 new bicycles to donate to children and families across the Kansas City area.

An Ohio city opened a new connector project, including a new bike and pedestrian bridge, stitching together multiple miles of bike trails.

Great idea. A Baltimore-area bike shop teamed with a bike builder and custom painter to build a tricked-out, one-of-a-kind bicycle, raising over nine grand for a local homeless outreach group.

A Florida op-ed writer argues that greater enforcement against bike riders and pedestrians is exactly what’s needed to improve traffic safety. Because we’re the real danger, apparently, not the people in the big, dangerous machines.

 

International

A Canadian writer got his custom built, carbon frame Frankenbike back, courtesy of a small town marketplace, a year-and-a-half after it was stolen from the teenager he passed it down to.

Somehow, Brompton goes electric doesn’t quite have the same feel as Dylan going electric at the Newport Folk Festival, but still.

Europe’s most influential bicycle trade show is in jeopardy, after two leading German bike groups pulled out of Eurobike.

The UK now has a “boozy bike trail” through vineyards just 90-miles from London. Because if there’s one thing dank and drizzly England is known for, it’s wine. 

That’s more like it. Lime is deploying 500 dockless ebikes with child seats installed on the back to the streets of Paris.

A travel writer takes his family on a first-of-its-kind Botswana safari to track lions and elephants by bicycle.

 

Competitive Cycling

I want to be like him when I grow up. A Grand Junction, Colorado newspaper celebrates a 77-year old local man’s second-place age-group finish on the world master’s cycling stage.

 

Finally…

That feeling when your new artistic bike rack becomes a sock library. Or when you invent the first aero bike by using balsa wood and mummy tape.

And evidently, you’re not supposed to hurl Lime bikes out the back of a van.

Who knew?

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Thanks to Ted F for his very generous donation to support this site, and help me stay in the fight for a few more rounds.

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Killer of OC bicyclist Jeff Rosenthal on trial for murder, CARB murders CA ebike incentive, and emulating Paris bike boom

October 30, 2025 / / No comments
Day 303 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Time served isn’t enough.

The bicycling community is being urged to turn out next week, when an Orange County driver with a long criminal record goes on trial for murder.

In this case, for fatally running down a man riding a bicycle, while — allegedly — under the influence of multiple drugs, so high he reportedly didn’t even know where he was after the crash.

And after signing a Watson notice following a previous DUI conviction, acknowledging that he could be charged with murder if he ever killed someone while driving under the influence anytime in the future.

And he did. Allegedly.

Thirty-seven-year old Los Angeles resident Zachary Thomas Haralson has been behind bars since his arrest in September, 2022, accused of killing 72-year old Jeff Rosenthal in Laguna Hills.

According to the Orange County Superior Court, Haralson is charged with felony counts of murder, hit-and-run with permanent and serious injury, and driving on a suspended license. Death being the “permanent and serious injury” in this case.

He has pled not guilty to all charges.

Haralson has been arrested at least ten other times since 2014, on charges including drug possession, illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, burglary, grand theft, and taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent — something most of us would call car theft.

Here’s what Bicycle Club of Irvine posted about the case.

Oct 27th update from Barbara Rosenthal (Ed: Jeff’s widow). “Just letting you all know – The trial for Jeff’s murderer, Zachary Haralson, is tentatively scheduled to begin on Nov 7th.  The court informed me that there will be 2-3 days of “housekeeping” (I.e., motions, jury selection, etc) before my family, friends and I are suggested to participate.  If you can/want to attend some of it, check with me or the following website:  OCCOURTS.org

Case # is 22HF1631.

It will be held at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.  You don’t need to come, but I wanted you to have the info.  Let’s give Mr. Haralson a looooong vacation and keep him off the roads!
Please spread the word to BCI members.
Anyone will be able to access the website with just the case #. It’s finally happening!!!”

The perpetrator has been incarcerated since killing Jeff and he deserves more than time served. Family and community outrage will help extend his punishment.

Another BCI post tells more about Jeff Rosenthal, how the crash happened, and the family he left behind.

So does this letter from his best friend, Orange County bike lawyer Ed Rubinstein, which was posted on this site shortly after Rosenthal’s death, before we learned his identity.

Thank you for your reporting, but I cannot let the rider who was killed remain anonymous. He was my best friend.

I do not have any information on how or why the crash happened, but I do know the wonderful human being whose life was snuffed out too soon.  His name was Jeff Rosenthal. He was 72 years old, retired, and he had just celebrated his 41st anniversary with his wife Barbara. Jeff, like me, originally was from Long Island, NY. He was an experienced cyclist who used to ride over 7000 miles per year until he reduced the frequency of his rides slightly as he recently got back into surfing.  He rode with the Bicycle Club of Irvine where we met about 10 years ago.  He was my best friend, the witness at my wedding and we rode together no less than weekly. Jeff had a quick wit and was always smiling. He was the friend you could always count on to help, but he never wanted to bother others. He was out riding Friday morning. He butt dialed me that morning. He told me he had a flat. and I offered to pick him up as it was hot outside. He said he was almost home, and would call me if he needed any help. I wish he had accepted my offer. I now suspect I was the last person with whom he talked to that day.  I am gutted and the world has lost someone precious.

My guess is this will be a relatively quick trial once they seat a jury, so make plans to attend if you can. With such an extensive criminal record, Haralson shouldn’t have been out on the streets, let alone behind the wheel.

Let’s hope he doesn’t see either one for a very long time.

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels.

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So much for that.

It looks like the long-promised second round of California’s Ebike Incentive Program is dead on arrival.

Because the program itself is now DOA, murdered by the overly car-centric California Air Resources Board.

According to Calbike, all the remaining funding has been shifted into getting people to keep driving, in ostensibly cleaner cars.

Because no car is really clean.

CARB’s decision to absorb the remaining funding from the E-Bike Incentive Project into Clean Cars 4 All is a telling political moment—one that mistakes “cleaner cars” for genuine progress. It’s easier to imagine replacing every gas car with an electric one than to imagine a California where people can move freely without cars at all. But the latter is what true climate leadership requires. The E-Bike Incentive Project wasn’t flawless, but it represented a rare, tangible step toward that future: a policy backed by funding that helped Californians drive less, not just differently. Reversing it is a step backward for the state and a disservice to the people who believed in it…

The state is taking the wrong lessons from the turbulence of the EBIP roll out; the overwhelming demand makes clear this is a popular program that people want. Tens of thousands of Californians lined up for each round of the e-bike incentives, waiting hours online for a chance at a modest voucher. Their wants and needs are clear and simple – a new, affordable, economical way to get to work, to school, to the grocery store without being locked into the cost and burden of car ownership.

Ending that opportunity now ignores that clear demand and walks back hard-won progress toward a more livable, affordable, and sustainable California.

This is a perfect example of the sheer and utter incompetency CARB has shown in mismanaging the program since its inception.

I don’t know about you, but I plan on emailing my state representatives before this day is over; you can find yours here if you’re as mad as I am.

The only reason I’m not doing it tonight is because I can’t trust myself not to say what I really think, in the language it deserves.

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Streetsblog USA takes a look at how Los Angeles can replicate the bike boom spurred by the 2024 Paris Olympics, focusing on the efforts of a group called Festival Trail.

And no, I never heard of them, either.

One answer is to combine community, philanthropy, and partnerships — co-aligning the once-in-a-generation investment during the 2028 Games with long-term goals of building the next LA. A project that embodies this ethos is the Festival Trail, a community-driven initiative for interconnected, non-vehicular corridors connecting the dispersed neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

The Trail route aims to connect major venues of the 2028 Games along current and planned transit connections, helping Angelenos safely move around the city car-free during the Games and for years after. Though the vision is bold, the Festival Trail is rooted in a strategic idea: closing a few key gaps in the network can open up Los Angeles in a big way…

In addition to building physical connections, the Festival Trail aims to shift the culture of bike ridership and car-free transportation more broadly in Los Angeles through public space activations. Festival Trail is partnered closely with CicLAvia on Open Streets events, citywide celebrations where Angelenos can walk and bike along streets temporarily closed to cars and reimagine what LA could feel like if it were designed for people.

It’s worth a read.

Although I might be more inspired if I hadn’t just watched the Dodgers tank their second game in a row.

But transforming this auto-centric city is, to put it mildly, an Olympian task. Especially since we have a city administration that’s already doing everything they can to tank Measure HLA.

That comes after years of city officials tanking Vision Zero, the Green New Deal, Mobility Plan 2035 and the 2010 Bike Plan. Which is exemplified by that fact that the Vision Zero website hasn’t even been updated in two-and-a-half years.

Never mind that traffic deaths are now far higher than they were when Vision Zero was adopted ten years ago. Or that the graphic on the top of this page says traffic deaths were supposed to have been ended here 303 days ago.

But maybe, just maybe, if Festival Trails cooperates with the groups that have been working on this for years, like Streets For All, Streets Are For Everyone and BikeLA, and somehow manage get Los Angeles 2028 on board, they might actually have enough leverage to get something done here.

We can hope.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

New homeowners in an Ohio development are furious because they paid a premium for privacy, but failed to notice plans for a bike path in the conservancy land behind their homes, which was in motion before the homes were even built.

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Local 

A reminder that the 4th annual Cal State Northridge Bike Festival takes place from 10 am to 2 pm this Sunday, with club rides beginning at 8 am.

 

State

Stanton became the latest Orange County city to crack down on ebike riders, approving a list of ebike violations that are already against state law, except for a 5 mph speed limit on sidewalks, and a 20 mph limit on city streets — which is blatantly illegal unless drivers are limited to the same speed.

San Marcos is also cracking down on ebikes, banning their use for riders under 12.

San Diego area triathletes just can’t win, coping with SoCal drivers in the streets, and great white sharks in the waters off La Jolla.

 

National

Seattle is painting 200 new “bike and scooter corrals” on the streets in an effort to rein in dockless bikeshare and e-scooter rentals. Maybe someone should explain to them what a bike corral really is, because this ain’t it. And they’re a great way to get more people to ride.

People in Iowa Amish communities are trading in their horses and buggies for ebikes.

A pair of liberal and conservative Minnesota legislators prove it’s possible to bridge our political divide if you ride bikes together.

No bias here. Police in Pennsylvania blamed a 16-year old boy for riding his ebike into the path of an oncoming van — after redacting an earlier statement that the driver was speeding, insisting the driver’s speed didn’t matter because the boy was at fault. Even though the kid likely based his decision to cross the street on the assumption the driver wasn’t speeding, and therefore had enough time to do it. 

This is how you do it. Arlington, Virginia officially opened a new $11 million Complete Streets project near the Pentagon that will eventually connect to an upcoming bike/ped bridge across the Potomac River, as well as another pedestrian bridge leading to Reagan National Airport.

 

International

Bike Radar offers advice on what to do if your head hits the ground, saying bicyclists are more cavalier about concussions than other athletes. Based on my experience, you regain consciousness wearing an oxygen mask, ride in an ambulance with lights and siren, and spend some quality time in the ICU. But what do I know?

Speaking of murder, a London woman is accused of using her Range Rover as a weapon to run down and kill a man riding an ebike following a high-speed chase, then hiring a man to run down her ex-boyfriend as he rode one — all because of a bad breakup.

Momentum says Antwerp, Belgium is an “effortlessly cool” city best toured by bicycle. Then again, every city is best toured by bicycle, if the city makes it safe and practical. And yes, I’m looking at you, Los Angeles.

 

Competitive Cycling

Speaking of concussions, Italian cyclist Filippo Baroncini is back on his bike, just two months after he was placed in an induced coma following a crash in the Tour of Poland.

 

Finally…

Nothing like setting a new Guinness record for hopping across ten car roofs on a single bike wheel in just one minute, when you’re still way too young to drink one.

And if Tamale, Ghana is as tasty and bike-friendly as it sounds, I’m moving there.

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Another bike rider critically injured on PCH in Orange County, and Caltrans proposes bike lanes on PCH in Long Beach

October 29, 2025 / / No comments
Day 302 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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At least the driver stuck around this time.

City News Service is reporting that yet another person was critically injured riding a bicycle on PCH in Orange County Tuesday morning.

The crash occurred around 8:30 am yesterday on northbound PCH near Fernleaf Ave in Newport Beach. Unfortunately, there’s no word on the identity or current condition of the victim, or how the crash occurred.

The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.

This comes just eight days after an allegedly stoned driver killed a popular pastor on PCH in Huntington Beach, and seriously injured two other people riding bikes with him.

Let’s hope the victim recovers quickly.

Photo by Artyom Kulakov from Pexels.

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SoCal’s killer highway may finally be getting a little safer.

At least in Long Beach.

Caltrans is proposing a lane reduction on PCH, from the city’s traffic circle to the Los Angeles River, reducing it from the current seven lanes to five, while installing protected bike lanes.

There are two designs on the table to improve safety on the city’s most dangerous roadway.

A public workshop will be held this evening to discuss the options. There is also an online survey for the next month, or you can email 99335@publicinput.com. Or the chronically offline can call 855/925-2801, Project Code: 11835.

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Lime is offering free ebike and e-scooter rides to the polls for Election Day next Tuesday, matching Metro’s free Election Day rides.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

A New York funeral home is calling on the city to rip out new protected bike lanes it says interferes with their hearses, in an apparent attempt to drum up new business.

No bias here. An English council supplied a newspaper with a quote saying bicyclists were disrupting funerals and riding through mourners to save 30 seconds using an unofficial shortcut, even though the initial press release simply said the cut-through was being used by bicyclists, pedestrians and scooter riders.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A 50-year old British man pled guilty to manslaughter for killing 91-year old man in a crash while riding an ebike on the sidewalk, as the man was putting out his garbage cans. Although once again, there’s no word on whether he was on a ped-assist bike, or an electric motorbike. 

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Local 

The Culver City council approved a proposal to move forward with research and design work for new bike lanes on Sepulveda Blvd, despite one councilmember arguing for saving parking since he owns a market on the corridor; the city hopes to finish the work before the 2028 Olympics.

Nearly 900 people turned out for the 8th annual Halloween-themed Finish the Ride and Finish the Run in Santa Clarita over the weekend.

Harrison Ford may be 83, but he still looks like he could drop most of us, as he rides on the beach bike path. Okay, maybe just me, but still. 

 

State

San Francisco Streetsblog examines new first & last mile bicycle connections for a North Berkeley transit station, calling it great bike infrastructure that needs more concrete.

The new shuttle service that replaced the bike lane on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge on weekdays began operations on Monday, with riders loading their bicycles into a cheap-ass open air industrial trailer before climbing into a van to get to the other side; operators expect to carry just a few people and bikes at a time. Proving once again that making bicycling exceptionally inconvenient somehow reduces ridership.

 

National

No surprise here, as People For Bikes says a study of 500 cities shows that more people buy bicycles in areas with safe and accessible places to ride. But they also want to know why people aren’t buying more bikes if they’re riding more.

Bloomberg City Lab says US companies are refurbishing secondhand ebikes in an effort to create a market for used ebikes and lower the barriers to ebike ownership.

A Las Vegas TV station says police are investigating e-scooter and ebike deaths, citing a rise in fatality rates with four and two, respectively. Even though they only started tracking them this year, and have no idea how many people were killed on them in any previous year.

Chicago bike riders are combating ICE raids by riding around the city buying out tamale stands so the workers can go home, then distributing the food to people in need.

A 25-year old New York man was killed when he was doored by a driver while riding a bikeshare bike — yet the driver hasn’t been charged due to an “ongoing investigation,” despite a state law requiring motor vehicle occupants to only open their doors when it’s safe to do so. We have the same law here in California, which should mean drivers are automatically at fault in virtually any dooring, but too often doesn’t.

In yet another example of authorities keeping a dangerous driver on the road until it’s too late, a 19-year old man pled guilty to killing a popular New Orleans bartender, by slamming into his bike without braking, then fleeing without stopping or slowing down — and still had a .7 BAC and coke in his system when he was finally tested 12 hours later; a TV station later found multiple alleged reckless driving crashes on his record, including allegedly crashing his car while doing 100 mph with a car full of teens.

 

International

What took so long? Look has finally introduced the first mass-produced clipless pedals with built-in lights that are visible up to 1 kilometer away, or slightly less than 2/3 of a mile.

To the shock of absolutely no one, a new London study finds near misses of bicyclists happen most often at rush hour and on streets without safe infrastructure. Because that’s when streets are busiest, and where they’re most dangerous.

Multi-modal bike commuters are afraid to lockup their bikes at a South London train station, in a neighborhood — excuse me, neighbourhood — termed a “hotbed of thieves.” Which makes sense, since the cops said they won’t investigate if people leave their bikes parked at a train station more than two hours.

Eleven British bicyclists have now been attacked by axe-wielding, mo-ped riding bike thieves.

Two-thirds of the bike lanes in Thessaloniki, Greece are considered high or very high risk due to a lack of protective barriers.

In a bizarre case, a Kenyan cop was fatally electrocuted while using the department’s electric car wash machine to clean his personal bicycle.

 

Finally…

That feeling when you ride over 3,500 miles a year, and still fall off your bike at red lights. Or when you end up in the hospital after going over your handlebars — but your lipstick is still perfect.

And repurposing one bicycling meme to reference another.

Thanks to Taco the Cat for the heads-up. 

— Kevin (@kevinsteinley.bsky.social) 2025-10-26T16:53:32.327Z

 

……… 

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Tell LADOT to build the Ohio Ave protected bike lanes HLA demands, and keep traffic violence from ruining your Halloween

October 28, 2025 / / No comments
Day 301 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

Damn straight.

Streets For All is urging you to demand that LADOT follow the legal mandate in Measure HLA, and put protected bike lanes on Ohio Ave between Westwood Blvd and Westgate Ave in West LA.

As someone who used to ride that stretch of Ohio several times a week, I can attest it would be a huge improvement over the current situation, which varies from wholly inadequate painted bike lanes to nothing.

Unless they’ve added sharrows to Ohio in the years since I stopped riding there, which studies show are literally worse than nothing.

Tell LADOT to add protected bike lanes on Ohio Ave!

LADOT’s Ohio Ave Safety and Mobility Project looks to reimagine Ohio Ave between Westwood and Westgate, as well as surrounding streets, to provide better connectivity between UCLA and areas West of the 405.

The Mobility Plan 2035 – now required under Measure HLA – mandates protected bike lanes between Federal and Westwood. Unfortunately, due to lack of political will, there are no planned bike facilities on Westgate, Rochester, Saltair, or Texas.

Take their survey and ask for protected bike lanes for the entire stretch

TAKE THE SURVEY

………

Streetsblog is recommending four ways you can help keep traffic violence from ruining your Halloween, which is the deadliest day of the year for children.

Which is something to remember before you get behind the wheel this Friday. Or better yet, a damn good reason not to.

Walk or ride a bike if you can, take transit if you can’t. Or at least try to get home before all the little rugrats hit the pavement just before or after dark.

………

The open streets event Active Streets: Corazón del Valle rolls this Sunday, transforming five miles of El Monte and South El Monte streets into a vibrant community space, just in time for Dia de los Muertos.

………

Christian singer Forrest Frank encountered a man singing one of his songs from an ebike on the Santa Monica bike path, and stopped to join in.

………

Thanks to Megan for forwarding this story of a family’s fight to keep their rail bike business going, which she says is a way to preserve rail corridors for future transit use.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

A Saint Paul, Minnesota group calling themselves Save Our Streets is suing to halt a bike trail project. Which, oddly, is exactly what the project is intended to do. 

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

He gets it. A Scottish writer says new laws intended to crack down on reckless bike riders are “pointless,” because only nine people were killed by bike riders in the six years leading up to 2022, while 30,000 people are killed or seriously injured by drivers in the UK every year — regardless of how the tabloids try to frame it.

………

Local 

Pasadena was set to adopt a Vision Zero plan in all but name at yesterday’s city council meeting, pledging to eliminate traffic deaths and significantly reduce serious injuries by 2035. Let’s just hope they take it more seriously than a certain nearby megalopolis we could name, which only managed to make things worse in a decade of neglect. 

The high desert community of Lancaster has transformed its downtown area with a nine-block, walkable and bikeable boulevard, as the initial $11.5 million investment has been repaid many times in the 15 years since it opened.

 

State

No, that wasn’t Britney Spears seen driving erratically in a viral video after leaving a Thousand Oaks restaurant in a white Mercedes that looks just like hers. Unless maybe it was.

Sad news from Bakersfield, where a man riding a bicycle was killed Saturday afternoon when he was run down from behind by a 32-year old woman, who tried to take evasive action after she “suddenly noticed” him while traveling up to 50 mph. Even though a grown man riding a bicycle in broad daylight should have been pretty easy to spot.

Horrible news from San Luis Obispo, where the Executive Director of Bike SLO County has been charged with a single count of a lewd act upon a child, with the victim reportedly under the age of ten; he’s pled not guilty. Let’s hope it’s just a misunderstanding, because there’s not a pit in hell deep enough if he actually did it.  

Redwood City cops weren’t able to find the schmuck who stole an 11-year old kid’s bicycle, but at least they found the boy’s bike secreted behind a nearby business.

Sorry, Bay Area bike commuters. The erstwhile bike lane on the Richmond-San Rafael bridge is now a breakdown lane for motor vehicles on most weekdays.

 

National

People For Bikes says this has been a record-setting year for expanding access for e-mountain bikes. Although whether that’s actually a good thing is still being debated. 

Hats off to Bike Portland’s Jonathan Maus, who got a shoutout from Northwestern University’s school of journalism, recognizing how he’s grown the site from a leading bike blog to a vital local news site.

A DA in Oregon’s Rogue Valley is reopening an investigation into an alleged reckless motorcyclist who killed a 17-year old boy riding an ebike after discovering new information, including that the boy’s bike did, in fact, have lights on it, and the motorcyclist had admitted to drinking “a little,” but was never tested for drug or alcohol use.

A Seattle bicyclist has launched what he calls a AAA service for ebikes, promising to come to your rescue if you get stranded on your ebike; however, it currently only serves the Seattle area. Although it sounds like reinventing the wheel, since the Better World Club and some regional AAA clubs have done that for years with conventional bikes, and probably now with ebikes, as well. 

Close, but no cigar. A Colorado Springs, Colorado TV station repeatedly gets it wrong, saying that bikes aren’t allowed on most streets with a few exceptions, then saying they are — but apparently meant to say it’s only legal to ride on the sidewalk on a handful of streets. I’d say the story was written by AI, but most AI systems would have done a much better job. 

Denver opens their final round of ebike rebates for this year, offering qualified residents vouchers up to $950, which can be combined with a state tax rebate of $450. That compares favorably to California’s one successful round of ebike rebates, period. 

Evidently, Los Angeles isn’t the only place that will have a Stranger Things bike ride with the upcoming Melrose CicLAvia, as cities around the US will host similar rides on November 23rd, including Houston.

He gets it. A Minnesota writer says it’s easy to complain about bike lanes and make fun of people in spandex, but it’s just a fig leaf for serious traffic safety concerns.

 

International

Your next bike saddle could be custom-made for your very own butt cheeks.

A new study shows how bike lanes can reveal the hidden inequities of our streets, with painted bike lanes too often “symbols of tokenism rather than transformation, a thin sliver of space separating cyclists from fast-moving traffic rather than a true reclamation of streets for human-scale movement.”

Unsurprisingly, the London man who was repeatedly struck with an axe by motorbike-riding bike thieves says he’s no longer comfortable bicycling by himself. Gee, ya think?

A man who was severely disfigured by a drunk driver while riding his bike became the first person in the UK to receive a custom-fitted, 3D-printed face. Yes, an entire face, which is pretty damned amazing. 

 

Finally…

If you left your muddy mountain bike in the New York woods, I think someone found it. That feeling when you bust into a bike shop disguised as a Beavis and Butt-Head character, and leave like J. Wellington Wimpy of Popeye fame (look it up, kids).

And nothing like being a 14-year old weight weenie.

……… 

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Car becomes WMD in Santa Monica, Incomplete Street on SaMo Blvd, and it’s science: bikeways make bikes safer

October 27, 2025 / / One comment
Day 300 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

Once again, a motor vehicle has become a weapon of mass destruction, in what sounds a lot like an intentional assault.

Even if no one is using that word yet.

According to multiple sources, four pedestrians were struck when a speeding, wrong-way driver suddenly swerved onto a busy sidewalk on Wilshire Blvd between Euclid and 14th in Santa Monica.

A man and a woman in their 60s were killed, and another two people were injured, including one who may have been in critical condition, though both were expected to survive.

Police are still looking for the driver, who fled the scene on foot.

Witnesses described the driver passing other vehicles on the wrong side of the road at a very high rate of speed, and repeatedly going on and off the sidewalk before the crash.

So the question remains whether this was “merely” a very dangerous driver who lost control of his car, or someone acting with murderous intent.

We may never know, unless and until the driver is caught.

But either way, it’s a prime example of what happens when a high-powered, lightly regulated machine is in the wrong hands.

By lightly regulated, I mean anyone can buy — or steal — one. And almost anyone can get a license to operate one, which is too easy to get, and too hard to lose.

And there’s nothing to stop you from continuing to drive, even if you do.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay.

………

Once again, Caltrans is ignoring their own Complete Streets policies, with an incomplete makeover of Santa Monica Blvd through Los Angeles.

The state announced a $70 million infrastructure project along two sections of Santa Monica Blvd through West LA and Hollywood to begin next year, along with another project through Echo Park on the same State Highway 2 corridor.

According to Westside Today,

The project includes pavement rehabilitation, new bus priority lanes, and accessibility improvements across three major sections:

  • West Los Angeles: Santa Monica Boulevard between Centinela Avenue and the I-405 freeway.
  • Hollywood: Santa Monica Boulevard between La Brea Avenue and the U.S. 101.
  • Echo Park: Alvarado Street and Glendale Boulevard between the U.S. 101 on- and off-ramps and the SR-2 terminus.

What’s missing is any mention of bike lanes.

And while bikes are legally allowed to use bus lanes in Los Angeles, that’s not the same as providing a separate lane for bikes, which would seem to be necessitated by state and agency rules requiring them to consider the needs of all road users in any work on state highways.

Unlike Metro’s work installing bus lanes on the Vermont Ave corridor, Measure HLA doesn’t apply because this is a state highway, rather than a city-owned street. And the work is being done by a state agency, without city involvement.

There’s no actual law requiring Caltrans to build Complete Streets, after a bill to do just that failed in the legislature.

But it’s hard to argue that any work that excludes bike lanes on any portion of the Santa Monica Blvd/SR2 corridor in the City of Los Angeles has reasonably considered the needs of everyone.

………

No surprise here.

A research study published in the Injury Epidemiology Journal cites the need for safer and calmer roadways, safer cars and better legislation to protect people on bicycles.

Cyclists face severe injury and death risks in both urban and rural settings. A safe system approach recognizes human vulnerability and the inevitability of mistakes. Engineering countermeasures, such as road separation, better lighting in rural areas, traffic calming, and vehicle safety features (i.e., guard rails, advanced headlights, and cyclist detection), support CMVC prevention. Public health campaigns and legislative action, along with equitable implementation across urban and rural areas, facilitate improving cyclists’ safety.

The study also notes that of the 83 people killed riding bikes, excluding children, head trauma was the most common injury across all age groups, and 62% of the victims weren’t wearing helmets.

However, they don’t say whether the victims actually died of head injuries, and whether the injuries could have been survivable, with or without one.

Until we know that, we still won’t know the true value or necessity of bike helmets.

………

Long Beach is the latest coastal city considering a crackdown on ebikes.

The un-cleverly named Long Beach “E-BIKES” law (Electric Bicycle Interventions to Keep Everyone Safe) proposal cites a non-existent gap in state and federal regulations requiring the city to step in.

Except ped-assist and other relatively low-speed ebikes are required to follow the same rules as any other bicycles, while faster ebike riders must follow rules for mo-peds or motorbikes, depending on their speeds.

And off-road dirt bikes aren’t legally allowed to ride on city streets, regardless of how they’re powered.

So if there’s a gap there, I can’t see it.

………

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has placed a bet on the Dodgers to win the World Series that will require her to ride a bike if they don’t.

Bass bet Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow that the mayor of the losing city will have to ride a bicycle wearing the other team’s jersey, with the distance determined by the run differential between the winning and losing teams.

Although any baseball fan can tell you that could be a negative figure, since the losing team could have a high margin in the games they win, and a have a close score in the ones they lose.

But it’s almost enough to make you pull for the Blue Jays, just to actually see Bass on a bike.

Almost.

………

Thanks to Jim for forwarding a reminder that you can now legally ride your bicycle through a red light on the leading pedestrian interval.

And yes, that includes all-way stops.

California vehicle code allows bikes to ride through an intersection when the pedestrian signal says “walk…”

SEC. 3.

Section 21456 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:

21456.

(a) If a pedestrian control signal showing the words “WALK” or “WAIT” or “DON’T WALK” or other approved symbol is in place, the signal shall indicate as follows:

(1) A “WALK” or approved “Walking Person” symbol means a pedestrian facing the signal may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal, but shall yield the right-of-way to vehicles lawfully within the intersection at the time that signal is first shown. Except as otherwise directed by a bicycle control signal described in Section 21456.3, the operator of a bicycle facing a pedestrian control signal displaying a “WALK” or approved “Walking Person” symbol may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal, but shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicles or pedestrians lawfully within the intersection.

………

Megan forwards a video from British TV with this description.

    Actor, writer, director Richard Ayoade is now so known for riding a Brompton (he rides it to the local London studio filmings he works on), that the most recent episode of The Last Leg is the SECOND time a show has “stolen” his Brompton as a bit of comedy for the show.

When they give it back to him on show, he actually unfolds it on camera, and rides off. The audience applauds the quick unfolding.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

Motorbike-riding British bike thieves are using axes now to steal bicycles, in a country where guns are hard to get. And frankly, if I had to choose which one might be used on me, I’d take the gun.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

No bias here. A London reporter took to the city’s streets to record edited video of bicyclists putting pedestrians at risk by jumping red lights and riding on the sidewalk. Which is bad enough, but just wait until someone tells them about cars.

………

Local 

As usual, rides will be free on Metro on next Tuesday’s Election Day, including Metro Bike rides.

Pasadena’s Water & Power Department will offer ebike rebates up to $1,000 to local residents. Which compares rather favorably to LA’s $0 rebates.

Pasadena residents were expected to turn out for the three-mile the Wilson Avenue Greenway Walk, to demonstrate the city’s efforts to improve walking and biking conditions across the 210 Freeway.

 

State

The San Diego Union-Tribune continues their multi-part series on the rise of ebikes — but you have to get pretty far into it before they distinguish between ped-assist bikes and electric motorbikes.

San Diego expected 3,000 people to turn out for CicloSDias, the city’s equivalent of CicLAvia, closing down two miles of streets to motor vehicles and inviting businesses to set up in the street.

An 84-year old Simi Valley man suffered life-threatening injuries when he allegedly swerved his ebike into the side of a car, and was thrown off; police note that he wasn’t wearing a helmet, without saying whether he suffered a head injury. Because we all know the driver couldn’t possibly swerved into his bike, especially if they were the only witness. Although you’ll have to find a way around the paper’s paywall if you want to read it. 

Oakland is finally removing telephones from the sidewalk-level bike lane on Fruitvale Ave.

 

National

Portland will install whimsical artwork from a contest involving everyone from kids to adults directly onto the pavement on bike paths and greenways.

That’s how you do it. Seattle took a dilapidated roadway uncomfortably shared by truckers and bicyclists, and turned it into a three-lane road rebuilt to carry up to 80,000 pounds, and a beautiful new, fully separated bike path with a wide median in between. Although there’s still a damn freeway on the other side, so there’s that. 

Paris continues to get more bike-friendly, announcing plans for a new bike lane and pavement work downtown. No, not the one in France, the one in Texas. 

Police in New York are once again looking for a hit-and-run driver who seriously injured a bike rider while fleeing for the cops; the 36-year old bike rider and a female officer were both hospitalized in stable condition, while the driver fled on foot.

The New York Times says the city’s new ebike speed limit is “taking the wind” out of bikeshare users “exhilarating commutes.”

A Reuters photo shows a man riding what looks like a bikeshare ebike with the US Capitol in the background. Which, unlike some other government buildings, is still standing.

A North Carolina teenager was collateral damage in a crash between a drunk driver and a 19-year old driver, which left the 19-year old with multiple serious injuries and killed a 14-year old bike rider; the drunk who caused it all was a mere 16-years old, with a 1.1 BAC.

Hundreds of Georgia residents turned out Saturday for a memorial ride to remember a 51-year old father of four who was killed by an accused drunk driver while riding his bike the previous weekend. If we could get that many people to show up for any victim of traffic violence, things might actually change around here. 

A proposed Florida law would require a driver’s license or learner’s permit to operate a Class 3 ped-assist ebike capable of speeds between 21 to 28 mph. Even though the real risk comes from illegal dirt bikes and electric motorbikes incorrectly classified as ebikes.

 

International

A writer for Bike Radar says ebikes are ruining mountain biking, because they make it too easy and take away the hard work.

A group of English bicyclists want plastic bollards installed on a bikeway to create a separated bike lane, but say pretty please just fix all the potholes first. Which does not seem like an unreasonable request.

A writer for a British women’s magazine says she hadn’t ridden a bike for 20 years, until she unexpectedly took up mountain biking at 44-years old.

 

Competitive Cycling

Tragic news from Italy, where 25-year old Italian cyclist Kevin Bonaldo has died, two months after he collapsed at the end of the Piccola Sanremo race on Sept. 21 in Sovizzo, Italy.

Cycling Weekly remembers British cycling pioneer Bill Mills, whose dream of becoming the first Brit to compete in the Tour de France ended in a pair of DNFs in 1933 and ’34.

Turns out that racing around the world in 130 days isn’t as hard as it sounds. Although it still sounds pretty damn hard.

 

Finally…

That feeling when the new rules mean hanging your bikes off the balcony. Apparently, even monsters like Dutch bikes.

And why not make your bicycle a key part of your costume this year?

……… 

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Accused PCH hit-and-run killer faces just 5 years, LA rejects HLA appeals without hearing, and LA not carfree best or worst

October 24, 2025 / / One comment
Day 297 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

We’ve learned a lot more about the man killed by a hit-and-run driver on PCH in Huntington Beach Monday morning.

The Daily Pilot reports a ghost bike has already been installed at the crash site for 45-year old Eric John Williams, a pastor and youth counselor who founded a Garden Grove church with his wife in 2011.

I’ve updated my story to reflect all the new details, so you can read about it here.

But in brief, the alleged driver, Amber Calderon, was arraigned on Wednesday, and we learned more about the condition of the other victims.

So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll quote myself this one time.

Calderon was charged with one felony count of hit and run causing permanent injury or death, and two felony counts of hit and run with injury.

Thanks to California’s lax hit-and-run laws, she faces a maximum sentence of 5 years and four months, according to the DA’s office. She did not enter a plea, and the hearing was rescheduled for Nov. 13 in the West Justice Center in Westminster…

The DA’s office says the other two victims, who should not be overlooked in the anger and grief over Williams death, suffered serious injuries “including spinal fractures, broken ribs, a broken ankle, as well as cuts and bruises.”

Calderon’s charges could be changed based on her toxicology report, which is still pending.

But 64 months hardly seems like justice for killing one person and severely injuring two others, then just driving away.

Compare that to a Florida hit-and-run driver who faces up to 30 years behind bars after accepting a plea for fleeing the scene of a fatal crash that took the life of someone on a bicycle.

Maybe something in between would be nice.

Photo by Kindel Media from Pexels.

………

Longtime LA bike advocate Joe Linton writes that Los Angeles is dealing with appeals over projects that should be governed by Measure HLA exactly the way we expected.

By rejecting them.

Now the city is responding to #MeasureHLA appeals – with rejection letters (three so far that I am aware of). Here's my rejection letter for bike lanes on Ohio Ave: labikas.wordpress.com/wp-content/u…

— Joe Linton (@lintonjoe.bsky.social) 2025-10-21T03:19:19.259Z

Linton writes that LADOT has begun sending out rejection letters, despite the lack of a hearing before the Board of Public Works, as required by the city’s HLA ordinance.

Evidently, our president isn’t the only one who doesn’t feel constrained by the rules.

Or maybe the city is just bored of Public Works.

Linton writes that the city’s rejection an appeal over a missing crosswalk at Western & Marathon is emblematic of their actions so far.

GM Rubio-Cornejo appears to have missed the point raised in the appeal: that the resurfacing – though mostly on Marathon Street – also overlapped with part of Western Avenue. See the overlap outlined in yellow in the above photo. The area where the crosswalk goes – along Western – was repaved.

The rejection of Western/Marathon is one of at least a half-dozen similar rejections. I haven’t had time to post them all here, but most are similar to Western/Marathon. An appellant requested the city add missing crosswalks on a PED street, and LADOT GM Rubio-Cornejo rejected the request, without it even going to a hearing of the Board of Public Works, which is where the city HLA ordinance states that appeals will be decided.

There are dozens of HLA appeals already filed – more than a dozen from me. Most of them are still waiting for any kind of city response. If you’re interested in filing a Measure HLA appeal, see my instructions.

The city’s attitude seems to be, “So sue us.”

Linton already has, filing suit over Metro’s rejection of bike lanes on the Vermont Ave corridor during their work to install bus lanes, even though they’re contained in the city’s Mobility Plan.

Metro’s argument is that as a city ordinance, HLA doesn’t apply to them as a county agency. Even though the work is being done on a city street, in junction with the city.

Something tells me Linton’s won’t be the last HLA lawsuit.

Especially at this rate.

………

More clickbait city ratings, this time from a storage website, which ranks the best and worst car-optional cities in the US.

Surprisingly, Los Angeles doesn’t make either one, but Santa Clarita and Lancaster both check in at the Bad Place, at #7 and #20.

Not surprisingly, no Southern California city appears in the Good Place. In fact, San Francisco is the only California city to make the list of the most car-optional cities, at #12.

And if a site pimping storage facilities and equipment doesn’t know all there is to know about living without a car, who does?

………

Cal State Northridge will host their third annual Bike Fest a week from Sunday.

………

Nice to know there are no serious crimes that need the attention of Glendale cops, or anything.

Not to mention that sidewalk riding would be legal in all of California if not for Governor Newsom’s almighty veto pen.

Today I witnessed #GlendalePD 🛑 a POC for riding on the sidewalk. They must be that bored to enforce one of the dumbest local laws. #BikeLÁ #BikeSFV #BikeCA @bikinginla.bsky.social @bikelanesla.bsky.social @streetsblogla.bsky.social @calbike.bsky.social @biketalk.bsky.socialw3w.co/rabble.bleak…

— Eddie the Lazor (@eddiethelazor.bsky.social) 2025-10-22T15:24:42.301Z

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

An Arizona man known locally as Bicycle Barry after he gave up driving for health reasons is now battling an ankle infection that could cost him his leg, ten months after he was nearly killed by a road-raging driver. Never mind that driving is so normalized that merely giving up your car is enough to earn you a bicycle sobriquet.

No bias here. A London train station draws complaints from commuters when a newly unveiled bike hub is only accessible by carrying your bike up and down a flight of stairs.

No bias here, either. An Irish city counselor says nobody wants bike lanes and no one uses the ones they’ve already got, anyway; local bike riders beg to disagree.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A Chicago man is blaming the cops for a $3,000 ambulance bill after he was struck by a young woman riding an ebike as he was getting out of his car, complaining that they let her go without a citation. Although the fact that they didn’t cite her just might suggest she wasn’t at fault.

Police are on the lookout for a 53-year old inmate who escaped from the Henderson County, Kentucky jail by simply riding off on a bicycle he had been repairing with two other inmates.

A Singaporean website examines the online debate after a video goes viral of a teenage bicyclist who failed to apologize after crashing into an elderly woman walking on a bike path.

An Australian mom is calling for stricter regulation of ebikes, a year after her toddler daughter was run down by someone riding one.

………

Local 

Streets For All wants you to take LADOT’s survey about the Westwood Safety and Mobility Project, and urge them to install protected bike lanes all the way down to National Blvd, rather than stopping at the Expo station. Although it’s kind of pathetic that we’re still fighting this same battle after more than a dozen years. 

LA’s new bike-trailer street sweeper custom built for the Hollywood Blvd bike lanes was powered by Olympic hopeful cyclist Kayla Hankins. At least for the official unveiling, anyway. 

Lime is introducing pedal-free throttle-controlled LimeGlider bikes to the streets of LA. Because honestly, what could go wrong?

A carfree Angeleno examines the promise of a carfree LA Olympics, even if Mayor Karen Bass walked it back just days later. Speaking of Bass, word is she bet the mayor of Toronto she’d ride a bike wearing a Blue Jays jersey if the Dodgers lose the World Series. Which I’m pretty sure is the first time she’s mentioned riding one since she was elected. 

Culver City officially cut the ribbon to open the Robertson Boulevard Complete Street project, complete with the bike lanes that make it that way.

Malibu marked two full years since the tragic deaths of four Pepperdine sorority sisters on PCH, victims of SoCal’s killer highway, as well as a speeding driver; a crowdfunding campaign is raising money to install a permanent memorial.

 

State

Everyone seems impressed with the first bike from Irvine-based Rivian’s new ebike spinoff, with Robb Report praising its whopping 100-mile range, while a writer for Outside calls it the most impressive bike he’s ridden all year, Velo says it’s absolutely wild — in a good way, and Singletracks writes it’s a full-suspension ebike “unlike any other you’ve seen.”

While everyone else was focused on Rivian’s new ebike, Gear Patrol asks if their new spinoff just invented the perfect bike helmet.

Seriously, it takes a major schmuck to take off after hitting a 12-year old kid riding a bicycle in El Cajon.

Mountain Bike Action looks back on the early days of downhill BMX racing in Corona, all the way back in 1975.

Volunteers with the Kern River Bike Patrol ride the popular bike path to aid bicyclists in need.

Despite a recent report showing Stockton’s bike fatality rate was six-times the national average as of 2023, recent safety improvements have brought that down to zero this year. More proof that bike deaths can be eliminated, if cities are willing to spend the money and do the work. Looking at you, Los Angeles.

 

National

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from Peter Flax, who writes for Bicycling about nine “badass” women who’ve raised millions for cancer research, calling them “the fiercest sisterhood in cycling.” Unfortunately, though, the story is hidden behind their paywall for members only. 

No surprise here, as the US bicycle industry is waking up to Trump’s “crushing” 50% tariffs on aluminum, with one bike shop owner comparing it to “screaming into the void.”

If you have a Favoto bike helmet, the Consumer Products Safety Commission says stop wearing it, cut the straps and toss it in the trash, because the helmets “violate the positional stability, certification and labeling requirements of the mandatory safety standard for bicycle helmets.”

Portland, Oregon bike riders demanded the city council either “approve or improve” a settlement negotiated with the city to resolve a lawsuit that alleged that the Portland Bureau of Transportation has violated a state law requiring the construction of bicycling facilities on major projects.

A Lubbock, Texas bike rider was lucky to escape without injuries, along with her dog, when she was struck by a sheriff’s deputy in an unmarked car; naturally, the person on the bike got the blame, and a citation. Because cops are never at fault, right?

Tulsa, Oklahoma firefighters honored a local teenager for helping to save the life of a friend after a mountain biking crash.

The mayor of Kansas City is proposing a ban on right turns on red in a school zone during school hours — a week too late for a nine-year old girl killed by a driver while riding her bike to school.

The same goes for an Illinois mayor’s call for safe streets and protected crossings, but only after a 13-year old boy was killed by a semi driver while riding his bicycle.

Good idea. A Cambridge, Massachusetts bike safety group works year-round to help bike-friendly politicians win local elections.

Florida now has its first glowing bike path, with the 4.4-mile, 12-foot wide bike path on Okaloosa Island giving off a blue glow at night, thanks to paving with bioluminescent rock.

 

International

An adventure site takes a deep dive into how adventure bicycling could benefit your mental health.

Sixty-six-year old Jean Louis, the only bicyclist named Sportsman of the Year for the Caribbean isle of Saint Lucia, was killed by a driver while riding in Ontario, Canada.

They get it. Momentum says Ontario, Canada’s plan to ban bike lanes is proof that “stupid is as stupid does.”

Yet another study, this time from an English university, shows that physical barriers separating bicyclists from drivers and pedestrians is key to safer streets.

A 20-something man in Oxford, England was stabbed in an unprovoked attack while riding on a bike path, after two men approached him and started an altercation, leaving on e-motorbikes afterwards.

Britain’s Liberal Democrats political party is urging the country’s National Crime Agency to set up a bait bike unit to catch bike thieves. No American political party has even mentioned bike theft since cars took over the roads. 

The 25-year old Ukrainian Bike Project is still building bicycles for “residents, service workers, educators, ministry leaders and the military,” despite the three-year old Russian invasion.

In a surprising move, a Russian court released French ultracyclist Sofiane Sehili, who was busted for an illegal border crossing while trying to set a new record for the fastest endurance ride from Lisbon to Vladivostok; he was released after being fined 50,000 rubles — the equivalent of $612.

 

Competitive Cycling

A New Zealand researcher says pro-cycling crashes may be dangerous, but slower bicycles aren’t the solution.

 

Finally…

Your next saddle could support each butt cheek separately, and rock with every peddle stroke. Who needs a naked bike ride when you’ve got a two-wheeled second line?

And if you’re riding your bike with outstanding warrants, try not to get hit by a driver while crossing the street.

Or better yet, just don’t cross against the light.

……… 

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Melrose CicLAvia visits the Upside Down, BikeLA hosts Bike Fest Happy Hour, and it pays to pay people to bike to work

October 22, 2025 / / No comments
Day 295 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

You’re invited to the Upside Down next month, after Netflix purchased full sponsorship of the year’s last CicLAvia for a Stranger Things themed open streets event.

Los Angeles, do you copy?

On Sunday, November 23, fans are invited to join the Netflix x CicLAvia—Melrose Ave: Stranger Things 5 One Last Ride – an epic event bringing fans together to bike, skate, or stroll along a car-free stretch of Melrose Ave in celebration of the cultural phenomenon’s fifth and final season.

For one day only, fans will step into the world of Stranger Things with immersive photo ops, pedal-powered activations, live entertainment, merch, giveaways, and an exclusive content drop – all taking place just days before Volume 1 hits Netflix on November 26th at 5pm PT.

We’re going full 1980s, and you’re invited to join the fun: show up as your favorite Hawkins character or monster of the Upside Down, or channel peak ‘80s vibes with neon, leg warmers, windbreakers, or any retro fit.

If that’s not enough for you, fans can also choose to take part in a special quest along the route. Rack up pins by completing various activities on our quest map to unlock additional surprises.

The event is open to all and no RSVP will be needed. Just grab your bike, board, skates, sneakers… even your stroller, and head on out to Melrose Avenue for a day of fun, community, and adventure.

Meanwhile, Active Streets will beat CicLAvia to the punch with the five-mile Corazón de Valle on November 2nd, which is the perfect opportunity to bust out your best Dia de Los Muertos outfit.

………

BikeLA, the former Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, will hold their annual Bike Fest fundraiser at Highland Park Brewery on Saturday, November 2nd.

………

Apparently, it pays to encourage people to ride a bike.

According to a new report, the UK’s bike to work program contributes the equivalent of $766 million to the British economy.

According to ebike website Cycling Electric,

Work commissioned by the Cycle to Work Alliance has found the economic benefit of the cycle to work scheme to be worth £573 million ‘across retail, productivity, health, and household savings.’

The research found that participants in the scheme saved £1,262 per year by switching out their commute from a car to a cycle, or e-bike and the incentive results in 38% of participants commuting by bike for the very first time.

That works out to $1,689 per person per year, just by ditching their car for a bicycle.

The way it works is you pick out the bicycle and safety gear you want, and your employer buys it for you. Then you pay it back through a monthly salary deduction.

So depending on the price of the bicycle and the payment period, you could turn a profit in the first year. Or pay it off quicker, and turn a profit every year after that.

Cycling Electric calls the program imperfect, because anyone who is unemployed or self-employed is left out, among other issues.

But it still beats the hell out of any bike to work program I know of in this country.

………

Streetsblog takes a look at the new Toronto barrier on the 3rd Street bike lane in DTLA.

What do you think of LADOT’s #TorontoBarrier bike lane pilot in #DTLA? Located on 3rd between Spring and Main

— Streetsblog L.A. (@streetsblogla.bsky.social) 2025-10-20T21:15:15.680Z

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

The mean streets of America are getting meaner.

A Portland driver was caught on video repeatedly ramming his SUV into a bike rider protecting a “No Kings” protest rally, yet the cops refused to even cite the driver because they said the victim shouldn’t have been blocking the street in the first place. Which is kinda like saying you can punch someone in the face if they’re jaywalking.

An Arlington, Virginia driver was arrested for intentionally ramming his car into a man on a bicycle, after the two men argued in a parking lot.

A Florida university professor faces an assault charge for knocking a teenager’s bike helmet off, after yelling at him to “slow down” while riding on a sidewalk; meanwhile, another Florida driver was busted for swerving towards a couple kids on ebikes for the crime of riding too fast.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

An 18-year old ebike rider received a formal trespassing warning after knocking a woman over — while riding inside a Folsom, CA Walmart.

………

Local 

Streets For All wants you to back their proposed Los Angeles City Charter reforms at today’s 4 pm Planning and Infrastructure Committee meeting.

Downtown Los Angeles News profiles LA’s Roadrunner Bags, which are handmade in DTLA “by cyclists, for cyclists.”

Culver City will hold a ribbon cutting today for the new Robertson Blvd bus/bike lanes.

Sheriff’s deputies are looking for a 20-year old at-risk man who went missing on a bike ride in Rosemead on Sunday.

 

State

Irvine-based e-truck maker Rivian continues to tease its new ebike — if you can call showing a full photo “teasing.”

A travel website says Stockton is America’s most dangerous city for bicyclists, with a jaw-dropping fatality rate six times the US average.

Berkeley-based travel company Backroads took its staff to Spain’s Costa Blanca to ride bikes just to get a taste of what the area has to offer.

A San Francisco bike ride next month will honor the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, or Ghoton, in the Tibetan language.

The bike lanes on the Bay Area’s Richmond-San Rafael bridge will now only be open to bicycles on Thursday evenings through Sunday, serving as a breakdown lane for cars the rest of the week. Because apparently, cars only break down on weekdays, and people only bike on weekends.

Calbike will host the next California Bike Summit in Sacramento next April.

 

National

Rapha is partnering with USA Cycling in hopes of reversing its eighth consecutive year of red ink. Sure, they may be losing money on every sale, but they make it up in volume.

A Las Vegas letter writer says the driver who killed a 12-year old riding a bike was at fault for not giving her a safe passing distance, but so was the person who illegally parked their SUV in the bike lane, forcing her out into traffic.

Um, okay. A Salt Lake City TV station says a pedestrian was killed in a collision while riding his bicycle across a street. Aside from the obvious tragedy, isn’t that like saying a pedestrian was killed while driving his car?

Horrible news from Colorado, where a man was found guilty of fatally shooting a 10-year old girl in the back after her father mistakenly confronted him about the girl’s stolen bike, firing several shots at the family’s car as they tried to drive away.

A Minnesota man is hoping to get his collection of rare BMX bikes back after someone stole four bikes valued at ten grand from his garage, though he says the sentimental value is worth more than the price tag.

Tragic news from upstate New York, where a 62-year old man was killed when he crashed his bicycle into someone he was riding with. Unfortunately, most of the story is hidden behind a paywall. 

They get it. New York Streetsblog says the problem with ebikes isn’t the relatively sedate ped-assist bikes, it’s the super-fast illegal ones.

A 71-year old North Carolina man was critically injured when he was struck by a driver after swerving into the car’s path — which actually seems to be the case for a change, since the crash was caught on a doorbell cam. The usual warning applies, so be sure you want to see it before you click on the link, because you can’t unsee it afterwards. 

 

International

Cycling Electric considers the year’s best long-range ebikes.

Bike Radar looks at the ten most controversial changes in road-cycling tech from the past century. I mean, who knew that derailleurs were controversial?

A pair of English teenagers were sentenced to three-and-a-half and four years, respectively, for a series of “well-planned,” violent attacks targeting people attempting to buy bicycles through Facebook Marketplace.

British Parliament members published a report calling for lifetime driving bans and stricter mobile phone laws to address a justice system they say is failing families of people killed by drivers.

An inquest ruled that a popular parish priest on the Isle of Wight died of injuries from a bike crash, a full 14 years after he was paralyzed falling off his bicycle.

A group of Dutch tourists learned the hard way to avoid local protests, when their bike tour took them into Valencia, Spain’s Old Town and they were surrounded by angry anti-tourism demonstrators yelling “Fuera, fuera!” (“Out, out”).

 

Competitive Cycling

Cyclist looks at the winners and losers in pro cycling’s new relegation system, as two French teams got the heave-ho.

The 2028 Tour de France has been bumped up to June to avoid a conflict with the ’28 Los Angeles Olympics, as Luxembourg and Prague contendi for the early Grand Départ.

 

Finally…

Surely, you joust. Now you, too, can give your bike a Diwali glow-up. If you’re going to dare the cops to come get you, try not to fall off your bicycle as you ride away.

And just another sumo wrestler on a bikeshare bike.

https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1979875604821643695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1979875604821643695%7Ctwgr%5E420d985aa9e1760605f5b0bef5c1bc68beb168e8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Froad.cc%2Fcontent%2Fnews%2Fcycling-live-blog-21-october-2025-316467

……… 

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

86-year old San Diego bike rider critically injured, La Quinta hit-and-run driver injures 2 teens, and check your bone health

October 20, 2025 / / No comments
Day 293 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Bad news from San Diego’s Barrio Logan, where an 86-year old man suffered life-threatening injuries when he was struck by a driver while riding his bike.

The victim reportedly suffered multiple broken bones, as well as a blood clot around the brain.

Anyone with information is urged to call the San Diego Police Department’s Traffic Division, or Crime Stoppers at 888/580-8477.

Let’s hope he makes a full and fast recovery. 

………

A driver faces multiple felony charges after he was arrested for the hit-and-run crash that left two teenage bike riders with serious injuries in La Quinta.

One of the boys, 14-year old Liam Cantu, remains in critical condition after life-saving brain surgery.

Unfortunately, I can’t get the page to load; hopefully it’s just a weekend server problem and the links will work when you try them. 

And let’s hope for a full and fast recovery for this kid, too. 

………

Good advice.

A longtime competitive cyclist in San Diego warns that bicyclists are prone to osteoporosis, which can lead to hip fractures and other broken bones.

Point Loma’s Greg Bowerman adds that “good bone health demands solid weight-bearing activity, such as pumping weights or practicing yoga” to prevent fractures as we age.

I’m dealing with the same problem myself after a lifetime of riding, on top of all my other health issues brought on by diabetes, despite weight training. Although I’ve been lucky that I haven’t broken anything yet.

………

Streets For All is hosting the hosts of the popular War on Cars podcast as they promote their new book next month.

Streets For All is excited to host The War on Cars podcast’s Sarah Goodyear & Doug Gordon as they celebrate the publication of their new book, Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile.

Speakers include Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez (District 13), Alissa Walker (Torched.la), Bill Wolkoff (co-executive producer, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), with more to be announced!

When: Monday, November 17th at 7:30pm
Where: Dynasty Typewriter, 2511 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057
Lots of transit options!

Optional VIP reception begins at 6pm (free if you are part of our Members Club with the purchase of a general admission ticket).

………

Local 

LA’s Critical Mass, described as “the nation’s largest and longest-running community bicycle ride,” will ride to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on Halloween night, bringing “costumed joy and solidarity” to young patients and their families.

The state approved $700 million in funding to repair and refurbish the Vincent Thomas Bridge in the Port of Los Angeles. Although it doesn’t say whether the work will include bicycle access, which is currently banned on the 60-year old bridge.

A Santa Clarita man says he feels like a broken record after repeated complaints about kids on ebikes. Although as we’ve repeatedly pointed out, the problems stem primarily from teens on electric dirt bikes and motorbikes, many of them illegal, rather than ped-assist ebikes. But almost no one seems to make that distinction. 

 

State

A La Jolla paper examines the roots of ebikes, which it says are “loved by riders and loathed by many who share the streets with them.” Although you may have to get past the paper’s paywall to read it. 

Sad news from Palo Alto, where a man in his 80s died over a week after he was struck by a driver in his 90s while riding his bicycle. Once again raising the question of how old is too old to drive safety. And like the man in Barrio Logan, anyone still riding a bike at that age deserves better. 

 

National

NPR examines why more parents are riding ebikes, and skipping the minivan.

Vox takes a look at the traffic revolution that’s making cities cleaner — and happier — as more cities are finally choosing bikes over cars. Unlike, say, a certain SoCal megalopolis we could name. And once again, you may have to find a way around their paywall. 

Nice. Lime rolled out a mobile bike bodega stocked with free snacks, everyday essentials and Lime merchandise that Denver riders could pick up throughout the day.

Denver business owners complain about bullying after they opposed bikeways in front of their stores, including doxxing, negative Yelp reviews and harassing phone calls. Seriously, don’t do that. We’re far better off in the long run winning the day with better arguments, not harassment.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota found that more than 87% of people who received one of the state’s ebike rebates ended up buying one. And many people who didn’t get one bought an ebike anyway.

They get it. A pair of Ohio teenagers are fighting for more bikeways and safer streets after a 13-year old boy was killed riding his bike, describing “too many close calls” riding their own bikes.

A volunteer group in Burlington, Vermont has recovered nearly 900 stolen bicycles in just three years.

 

International

A writer for Cycling Weekly finds herself surprisingly transformed after years as a solo rider when she joins the magazine’s lunchtime group ride.

An Anglican bishop in the UK raised funds for churches in South Africa by riding his bike 80 miles across his diocese.

A former English pastor was remembered as a “keen cyclist” known for riding around town delivering a basket full of food he had grown or cooked to local families, after he passed away at 90. Which is about as nice an epitaph as anyone could hope for. 

A man in the UK will spend the next 22 months behind bars for brandishing a knife during an argument to get his stolen bicycle back.

Adding tragedy to tragedy, a man sentenced to eight months behind bars for killing a woman riding a bicycle took his own life in a British prison as he awaited deportation to Poland, after guards didn’t bother to check on his welfare for the last six months.

This is what happens when you prioritize cars over people on the streets. A new report shows car traffic in the city center of Galway, Ireland, is up 6%, while bicycling is down an equal amount, and walking is down 22%. But at least transit use is up, too.

Velo looks at “the coolest bikes around” from across the world at this year’s Bespoked Show Dresden.

 

Competitive Cycling

A writer for the BBC learns the hard way what happens when you ride against Tadej Pogačar, even with a head start.

Despite his name, British rider Paul Double soloed to victory on the fifth stage of China’s Tour of Guangxi, taking his first WorldTour win at the ripe old age of 29.

After seven full months of racing, New Zealand’s Cam Jones and Argentine Sofía Gómez Villafañe captured the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix, following the rain and tornado shortened Big Sugar Gravel race.

Velo says pro cycling’s soccer-inspired relegation system is just a hot mess that solves nothing, as the richest teams keep winning and the smaller teams pay the price. Although one thing that might help is limiting the size of pro rosters or capping payrolls, so they have to spread the talent around a little.

 

Finally…

Your next e-foldie could come with a half-kilo of high-grade caviar. That feeling when bike crashes return with the fashions.

And now the feds are even shelling the CHP.

……… 

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,

The most dangerous intersections in deadly LA, injured Yaroslovsky staffer ID’d, and remembering Pepperdine PCH victims

October 17, 2025 / / No comments
Day 290 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

Thanks to Crosstown for analyzing Los Angeles Police Department data to determine the 20 most dangerous intersections in LA.

Particularly now that city officials longer seem to think we need to know such things.

Maybe because it points to what a colossal, stinking mound of crap they’ve given us when it comes to improving traffic safety here in the City of Angels.

Take Vision Zero, for instance.

Please.

In 2015, then-Mayor Eric Garcetti used an executive order to launch “Vision Zero,” an initiative designed to dramatically reduce traffic deaths through a wide-ranging set of proposed improvements to road design, education and more. Despite the aim of eliminating traffic deaths by 2025, road safety took a turn for the worse. This spring, the city released a lengthy audit of what went wrong.

Among the causes: Only half of the listed “actions” were ever completed. The plan lacked a program for accountability among city departments. There was poor coordination and diminishing participation from the LAPD’s traffic division.

In fact, traffic deaths have exceeded murders for the past three years. And already exceed the totals from 2015, with two full months to go.

The same with serious injury crashes, which have topped 1,500 for three years running, and likely will again.

The worst of the worst, though, is the notorious intersection of South Figueroa and Slauson.

Where South Figueroa crosses Slauson Avenue, bad things happen. Over the past four years, the intersection has been the scene of 17 felony hit-and-run collisions and five severe injuries. The crosswalks aren’t safe, either: seven pedestrians have been struck there.

All told, there were 66 serious collisions at the intersection, which is in the Vermont Slauson neighborhood in South Los Angeles, making it the most dangerous in the entire city during that period.

Then again, the rest of the South Figueroa corridor isn’t much better, with the intersections at Manchester, Florence and Gage also making the list.

Sepulveda makes the list three times, as does Western. Roscoe appears twice in just the top four, where it crosses Sepulveda and at Van Nuys.

Surprisingly, Sunset is only on there twice, where it crosses Highland, and a few blocks east at La Brea.

And Hollywood and Highland checks in a number 11. Which means it evidently wasn’t fixed in 2015 when all-way crossing was installed, after all.

So much for assurances from city officials.

Pedestrian deaths have exceeded the pre-Vision Zero totals for every single year after 2015, as have serious injuries and total traffic deaths.

Unfortunately, the stats don’t break out bicycling deaths, so we still don’t know how many bike riders have actually been killed on the mean streets of Los Angeles in recent years.

Other than too damn many.

Photo by Artyom Kulakov from Pexels.

………

More on the hit-and-run crash that severely injured a staffer for CD5 Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, and killed her beloved corgi.

The Beverly Press and Park LaBrea News identifies her as Thao Tran.

Never mind that I’ve known, and carefully avoided naming her, for two weeks now.

Tran, who serves as Yaroslavsky’s business development deputy, was taken to a hospital with multiple fractures. Kobe, who was frequently by Tran’s side at community events, died as a result of being struck by the pickup. Tran posted about the incident on Instagram on Oct. 13.

“It was one week ago on Sunday morning that a hit-and-run driver struck me and killed Kobe while starting our morning walk. I sustained three broken ribs, three fractured vertebrae, a fractured fibula and two fractures in my cheekbones that required surgery. Kobe … died at the ER vet,” Tran said. “I’m recovering at home now, mourning the loss of Kobe and trying to make sense of it all. I’ve received countless gifts of flowers, food and care packages and I’m sincerely grateful for belonging to such a generous and caring community. My injuries will eventually heal but the loss of Kobe is a heartache I’ve not felt since the loss of my parents.”

According to the paper, the driver, identified only as a Los Angeles woman in her 30s, allegedly ran the stop sign at Eighth Street and Cloverdale Ave around 8:30 am on Sunday, Oct. 5th.

She stopped briefly after striking them, then left the scene without getting out of her pickup, leaving Tran and her dog lying injured and bleeding in the street. She was released on her own recognizance after turning herself in later that day, pending charges of felony hit-and-run causing injury.

Police don’t believe she was under the influence at the time of the crash, although the delay in turning herself in means she could have had time to sober up, if she was.

If this whole damn thing has left you anywhere near as angry and heartbroken as I am, Tran asks for donations in Kobe’s memory to Queen’s Best Stumpy Dog Rescue, the corgi rescue she volunteers with.

………

It’s hard to believe its just been two years since four Pepperdine students were brutally killed by a speeding driver, collateral damage after he crashed into a row of parked cars, which crashed into them as they waited to cross LA killer highway.

Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, will host a press conference and remembrance today near the site of the crash, at the heartbreaking white PCH Ghost Tire Memorial.

Here is the group’s press release for the event, in case you want to attend all or part of it.

Honoring the Four Pepperdine Students
Killed on Pacific Coast Highway on the 2nd Anniversary of their Passing

October 17, 2025, Malibu, California –  On October 17, 2023, four Pepperdine University seniors — Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams — were struck and killed by a speeding driver on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu while walking along PCH after parking their car. All four were members of the Alpha Phi sorority and beloved members of the Pepperdine community.

Their tragic deaths sparked a wave of grief and outrage throughout Malibu and beyond, renewing calls for safety improvements along PCH — one of California’s most dangerous roadways. The tragedy galvanized city, state, and community leaders to honor the memory of these four young women whose futures were cut short by taking action to prevent future loss of life.

October 17, 2025 is the 2nd anniversary of this tragedy. While the focus of the press event is to remember four young lives tragically cut short–and the work of making progress improvements will never fully measure up to the families’ grief of lives lost–the important work of paying tribute by improving public safety continues. The urgency of improving safety is never more acute than on October 17 when we pause to remember their lives.

When:
  • Friday, October 17, 2025
  • Press Conference: 2:30 – 3:00 PM
  • Remembrance Event: 4:00 – 5:00 PM
Where:
  • PCH Ghost Tire Memorial
  • Pacific Coast Highway and Webb Way
  • Roughly 23661 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
PRESS CONFERENCE (2:30 – 3:00 PM)

Officials and advocates will honor the memory of the four Pepperdine students whose lives were tragically lost in 2023 and report on efforts to make the Pacific Coast Highway safer.

Confirmed Speakers:
  • Bridget Thompson, Roommate and close friends with Niamh, Peyton, Asha, and Deslyn (Opening remarks and emcee)
  • Senator Ben Allen, California State Senate
  • Lee Habor, Caltrans Representative
  • Rep for Supervisor Lindsey Horvath
  • Captain Jared I. Perry, CHP West Valley Area
  • Captain Dustin Carr, Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department
  • Councilmember Doug Stewart, City of Malibu
  • Michel Shane, Emily Shane Foundation & Fix PCH
  • David Rolston, Father of Niamh Rolston
REMEMBRANCE EVENT (4:00 – 5:00 PM)

Who: Open to the public — friends, families, students from Pepperdine University, and community members are all invited to attend.

Program:
  • Moment of Silence
  • Release of Four White Doves
  • Music by Skyla Woodward (vocals) and Alima Ovali (guitar), Pepperdine University students
  • Words of Remembrance: An open mic will be available for anyone wishing to share memories or reflections, guided by an emcee.
Memorial Benches Fundraiser

As part of the day’s events, Streets Are For Everyone, Fix PCH, and the Emily Shane Foundation are launching a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the installation of memorial benches at Point Dume in honor of the four girls.

This project began as Vinita Weir’s wish, in memory of her daughter, and has since been expanded — at the request of all family members — to honor all four Pepperdine students.

Donate or share the campaign here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/PCH-Pepperdine-Student-Memorial

For more information about Malibu’s fight for a safer PCH, including press releases, documents and statistics, visit: www.MalibuCity.org/PCHsafety.

I am so damn sick of traffic violence.

………

Streets For All is asking for people to turn out at 9 am Saturday to support their agenda for charter reforms in the City of Los Angeles, when they’ll be presenting to the Charter Reform Commission.

The meeting will take place at the Pacoima City Hall at 13520 Van Nuys Blvd.

Among their primary priorities are,

1. Make LADOT a chartered department that has responsibility to construct and maintain streets property line to property line, moving the Bureau of Street Services under LADOT.

Since being formed in 1979 under City administrative code, LADOT is responsible for planning nearly all of LA’s transportation projects without the ability to construct streets or sidewalks – a responsibility currently given to Public Works in the City Charter. Giving LADOT this authority would align LA with most large cities in the nation, where the department that manages streets safety and traffic flow also has the ability to effectively build and maintain streets and sidewalks.

2. Shore up street funding with a regular percent of city assessed property values.

LADOT and BSS have lost a significant number of staff in recent budgets and do not have the capacity to effectively deliver services in a timely manner. Currently in the City Charter, Parks and Rec and the Library departments are unique in receiving a dedicated percent of all taxable property values which ensures reliable funding for some of LA’s most vital public services. We believe streets, the City’s largest public space, should also be granted this privilege.

3. Change the City budget to a 2 year cycle and formalize a 5 year Capital Improvement Plan.

The benefits of both of these suggestions have been well researched and proposed by other groups, for the simple reason that not all infrastructure projects are going to fit neatly in a single city fiscal year. Long term planning can reduce costs and improve efficiency in delivering projects. While not every City formalizes a CIP in the City Charter, other large peer cities such as NYC, Houston, and San Jose do. A 2-year city budget and 5-year CIP process would allow departments to improve management of projects, staff capacity, and delivery timelines.

4. Replace the board of public works with a director position similar to other City departments.

The Board of Public Works is over 100 years old and has a unique management structure compared to other departments inside the City of LA by reporting to both a board and a director. It is also unique as a vehicle for structuring Public Works. The department should be run by a single director with a clear line of authority between the Mayor’s office, the department, and the Bureaus inside.

………

Gravel Bike California goes riding in Big Bear.

………

Nothing like a peaceful ride home, when suddenly a pub reaches out and grabs you by the collar.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

No bias here. After a stalled car caused a backup in morning rush hour traffic on a San Diego street, a local website naturally blamed bike lanes. But the very first comment linked to Momentum’s “comeback guide to all the anti-cycling arguments you’ll hear this year.”

City leaders in Leeds, England are calling for banning bicycles and ebikes from one of the busiest main streets in West Yorkshire, even though bikes represent just three percent of the 250,000 people who use the street every week. And once again, bicycles of every kind — both regular bikes and ped-assist ebikes — are lumped together with electric motorbikes, as one woman calls ebikes “a fatality waiting to happen.”

………

Local 

The California Transportation Commission, which is different from Caltrans, has awarded a $6.4 million grant to extend the Ballona Creek bike path from its current northern terminus into Mid-City Los Angeles.

The Beverly Press introduces the new Hollywood Blvd bike lane sweeper unveiled by CD13 Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, in partnership with Streets Are For Everyone.

Pasadena’s city council unanimously approved a $1.09 million contract to design greenways on four north–south corridors, despite a “divided” public debate.

Malibu will host a virtual community meeting with Caltrans from 6 pm to 7 pm this Wednesday to discuss the Quick-Build Roundabouts Project on PCH at El Matador State Beach and Encinal Canyon Road.

Calbike says LA County’s South Bay offers a case study in how car dependency dictates design.

 

State

More Orange County cities are considering cracking down on reckless ebike riding. But as usual, they don’t seem to distinguish between ped-assist ebikes and electric motorbikes. 

Westminster police busted a man with seven open felony warrants after a brief pursuit on his bicycle, and discovered he was carrying 200 grams of meth, 15 grams of fentanyl and “other items indicative of drug sales,” as well as being a convicted felon in possession of a gun. Although they don’t explain what justification they used to initiate a stop, let alone a police chase.

Rancho Cucamonga celebrated the opening of the Day Creek Channel Bike Trail with a seven-mile bike ride, after the path was extended by a mile-and-a-half.

A 44-year old man suffered severe injuries in a left-cross collision in Ventura when police say a driver turned in front of his ebike, impeding his right-of-way.

Now that’s how you do it. Police in Menifee conducted a bicycle and pedestrian safety operation, ticketing 23 people for not stopping for a cop in a crosswalk dressed in an inflatable dinosaur costume.

Palo Alto is planning to install separated bike lanes on three major thoroughfares on the south part of the city.

A pair of San Raphael men were termed “prolific bike thieves” after they were busted for stealing a number high-end ebikes, with police saying they had been arrested many times before for bike theft and drug possession.

San Mateo is working to revive a proposed 22-mile Grand Boulevard Initiative on El Camino Real, but will need Caltrans approval to replace parking with protected bike lanes. Which should be a given, considering the agency’s Complete Streets policy, but isn’t.

 

National

Now you, too, can have an ebike with a sidecar. Or as I call it, a corgi seat.

Cycling Savvy maps out how to successfully tame a multi-lane challenge.

Scientific American reminds us that a human on a bicycle is nature’s most efficient form of transportation, aside from a human in a velomobile. Although neither bicycles nor velomobiles were actually created by nature, but still. Thanks to Megan for the heads-up. 

No surprise here, as nearly 70 Bend, Oregon residents are reportedly “thrilled” after receiving $1,800 ebike rebates from the city. Which compares favorably to LA’s $0 rebates. 

A Las Vegas website says the deaths of two kids from traffic violence near city schools may be tragic and disturbing, but it’s “also predictable because of so many reckless Vegas drivers.” Kinda like drivers in every other American city. 

Philadelphia makes a change that will allow more bike lanes in the city, as long as you don’t mind sharing them with trucks being loaded and unloaded.

A new lawsuit alleges an NYPD officer intentionally swerved into a man as he was riding a mo-ped against traffic in a bike lane; the cop reported he swerved to avoid the victim, but surveillance video exactly the opposite.

The fiancée of a fallen North Carolina bicyclist tries to turn tragedy into life saving by urging the city council to use his death, as well as two other bicyclists who were also killed by a dump truck driver, as a catalyst to improve safety on local roads.

A Florida sheriff’s deputy crashed into a girl riding a bicycle while making a turn, but they don’t bother to explain how it happened, how old the girl is or if anyone was injured. Like the kid riding the bicycle, for instance.

 

International

Mountain biking website Off.Road.cc offers tips for making your night rides more enjoyable.

British Columbia bike advocates urge the local police to take a better approach to bike safety than cracking down on bike riders.

A British writer says you don’t really appreciate your bike commute until you start working from home, and don’t have one anymore.

They get it. Dublin, Ireland is working to encourage safer and more sustainable cycling by building up to 300 secure residential “Bike Bunker” storage units across the city.

Bicyclists in Bengaluru, India complain about the lack of safe infrastructure, and that what little they have is overrun by pedestrians and piled with dust and trash.

A Korean newspaper offers a simple guide to the country’s bikeways “for the uninitiated.”

 

Finally…

That feeling when you get DQ’d for your kinky seatpost. Now you, too, can get over $228,000 worth of bike parts and office furniture for a $3,500 bid.

And enjoy your aperitivo before dinner. But maybe after your next ride.

……… 

Nobody bug me after 5:30 today. The Dodgers are up 3-0 and Ohtani’s pitching. 

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yaroslavsky decries traffic violence, LAPD waits 5 months to ask for hit-and-run help, and just 4 CA safety bills signed into law

October 15, 2025 / / No comments
Day 288 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

At least now I can name the dog.

CD5 Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky discusses the hit-and-run crash that severely injured one of her staff members and killed the staffer’s beloved corgi — something I mentioned here last week — saying walking shouldn’t have to feel like an act of courage.

And yet, far too often, it does.

Last Sunday morning, someone driving a pickup truck struck a member of our team in a hit-and-run while she was walking her dog in the Miracle Mile neighborhood. She sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized with multiple fractures for several days. She is now in stable condition and recovering. Tragically, her beloved dog, Kobe, was killed in the crash.

Kobe was part of our office family. His playful energy and easy affection brought smiles to everyone who met him, whether in the office or out at community events like CicLAvia, where he was a familiar face. Our office feels emptier without him, and our thoughts are with our colleague as she recovers from both her injuries and this heartbreaking loss.
The driver has since turned herself in, but this devastating incident is a reminder that far too many Angelenos are hurt or killed on our streets every year. In 2024 alone, more than 300 people lost their lives to traffic violence, many while simply walking or biking in their own neighborhoods. Behind every death or injury is a family changed forever, a community left grieving.

As I mentioned, the victim is a friend of my wife’s and mine, and Kobe was probably our corgi’s best friend.

They were always together, every time we saw her. And our corgi would run to give her kisses, and around Kobe a like a lovesick puppy.

Which she probably was.

To say I’ve been devastated by this whole damn thing is probably the understatement of the year.

The most heartbreaking part was when she posted news of Kobe’s passing on Instagram, saying her final memory of the dog she adored was staring into one his eyes after the crash, both unable to move to comfort the other.

And if that doesn’t bring tears to your eyes, you’re a stronger person than I am.

There’s no word yet on whether the driver has been charged. But at most, she’ll face a maximum of four years and a fine up to $10,000 for felony hit-and-run causing serious injury. Which LA prosecutors will probably bargain down to misdemeanor to get a guilty plea, unless someone puts pressure on them.

And here in California, the hit-and-run murder of her dog is just a misdemeanor property crime.

He deserves so much better.

Rest in peace, my friend.

Rest in peace.

………

Seriously?

The LAPD is finally getting around to asking for the public’s help to find a hit-and-run driver, only five months after the fact.

Talk about letting the trail go cold.

The 64-year old victim, who hasn’t been identified, was reportedly riding on Hoover Street at 20th around 3:15 am on May 28th, when he was hit head-on in a left cross by a driver turning left onto Hoover.

Or maybe the driver was going west on Hoover Street and was making a left to go west on 20th Street, striking the victim as he rode across 20th Street in the crosswalk.

Who knew that both Hoover and 20th could go east and west?

What makes far more sense is if the victim was riding south on Hoover, and was struck by the northbound driver turning left onto 20th. Although you’d think that after five months the cops could get the damn details right.

The suspect vehicle, described only as a white sedan, was last seen headed west on 20th Street toward the 10 Freeway west on-ramp.

The victim was hospitalized with severe injuries. There’s no information on his current condition.

Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Holmes of the LAPD’s West Traffic Division at 213/473-0216.

And yes, there is a standing $25,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction in any serious injury hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles.

This is yet another reminder that the LAPD still refuses to use the hit-and-run alert systems provided by both the city and the state, both of which were patterned on Colorado’s successful system that has helped the Colorado state police reach a nearly 100% hit-and-run clearance rate.

Which compares somewhat favorably with the LAPD’s abysmal 1% clearance rate.

………

Streetsblog catches us up on the precious few bike and traffic safety bills that actually made it through the legislature and were signed by the governor this year, including —

  • SB 720 making it easier to install and enforce red light cams
  • AB 366 indefinitely extending the operation of breathalyzers for drivers found guilty of two DUIs
  • AB 383 lowering speed limits in school zones to 20 mph
  • SB 71 extends CEQA exemptions for bike, pedestrian, and transit projects past 2030

Governor Newsom also promised to sign a bill next year requiring interlock devices for anyone convicted of DUI, which would be a great step forward.

Maybe next year they could finally do something to stop hit-and-run, too. Because the LAPD sure as hell isn’t.

https://twitter.com/StreetsR4Every1/status/1977883748474794462

………

No surprise here.

A new study from an Austrian university found that reducing residential speed limits from 50km/h to 30 km/h — roughly 31 mph to 18 mph — would protect bicyclists while having little or no effect on traffic.

Reducing the speed limit to 30km/h across residential areas doubled the amount of bike travel on low-stress streets – creating a safer environment for children and less confident cyclists, said the study’s lead researcher, Dr Afshin Jafari.

“Slowing traffic makes bicycle riding less stressful, encouraging more people to choose bikes as a safe and viable mode of transport,” Jafari said…

Meanwhile, the study – which was published in Cycling and Micromobility Research – found car travel was barely affected by the 30km/h limit, as it was only applied on local streets rather than the busier roads – such as main roads or highways – that were designed to maximise the flow of traffic.

………

Now that’s a service dog.

When drivers fail to stop so a blind man can cross the street, his guide dog goes out and gives them a piece of his mind, telling them to stop in no uncertain terms.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

A writer for Cycling Weekly says he was passed so badly by a truck driver that an inch the wrong way would have meant he wouldn’t still be here to tell the story — and that’s normal for bicyclists, who are expected to just accept it. As the bard put it, “‘Tis true, ’tis pity, And pity ’tis, ’tis true.”

No bias here. An Irish TV commentator accuses “mouthy” wealthy cargo bike owners for a property crisis brought on by soaring home prices by trying to “ringfence cities as active travel playpens for the better off,” and forcing an entire generation to live at home with their parents. Although that doesn’t explain why we’re having the same problem over here. 

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

Alameda parents raised safety concerns after a teenager was injured crashing into another bike rider when he tried to pop a wheelie while riding to school.

A woman in Cape Cod, Massachusetts called for more regulation after she was struck by a ped-assist ebike rider, and somehow impaled under her eye by the handlebars.

………

Local 

President Trump threatened to move next year’s World Cup out of Boston, and take the 2028 Olympics away from Los Angeles, ostensibly because of potential safety concerns. Or more likely, because he just doesn’t like us, never mind that he doesn’t have the authority to do that.

Pasadena residents strongly backed slow speed greenways on El Molino Ave, Wilson Ave, Sierra Bonita Ave and Craig Ave, with over 1,000 people signing petitions backing them, and 18 local organizations endorsing the projects, as well as 200 emails and around 35 speakers who supported them at Monday’s council meeting.

Next door in South Pasadena, Huntington Drive and Fremont Ave are set to get Complete Streets makeovers, including lane reductions and lower speed limits, along with bikeways and better sidewalks.

 

State

Ocean Beach installed a stone memorial and plaque memorializing OB resident and UPS employee Steven Krueger on the bike path near Robb Field Skate Park; Krueger was killed when a plane crashed into his mail truck in 2021.

Sad news from Merced, where a 46-year old woman was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding her bike Monday afternoon; the driver was arrested after he was captured on surveillance video, despite trying to run away from the cops.

 

National

You’ve got to be kidding. US House Speaker Mike Johnson says Portland’s “emergency” naked bike ride was “the most threatening thing” he’s seen yet, adding “I mean, it’s getting really ugly;” meanwhile, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley applauded Portland residents for “demonstrating with joy and whimsy.” Although if Johnson thinks that was ugly, he hasn’t seem me naked on a bike.

As expected, 18-year old Jzamir Keys pled guilty to second-degree murder in the death of former Bell, California police chief Andreas Probst as he was riding a bicycle in Las Vegas, with a sentence of 18-to-life; Keys was a passenger in the car who laughed and filmed the murder as Probst was intentionally run down by 20-year-old Jesus Ayala, who pled guilty last week.

Heartbreaking news from Kansas City, where a ten-year old girl was killed by a van driver in a left cross collision while riding her bike in a crosswalk with the green light on her way to school.

He gets it. A Cambridge, Massachusetts letter writer says bike safety will be his voting priority in the upcoming city election. Which is exactly what we all should do. 

 

International

A professional bike tester writes that there are six things he never worries about when setting out for a ride, from tire pressure and chain lube to on-bike nutrition.

The Guardian offers “expert” advice on cleaning and maintaining your bike, including a tip that you could save hundreds just by giving your bike a bath once a fortnight. Or every two weeks for those of us on this side of the pond. 

Cycling Weekly says you probably haven’t checked the setting on your pedals in years, as the two smallest screws on your bike could have one of the biggest impacts on safety.

Britain’s Neil Campbell set a new world bicycle speed record of 175.89 mph by drafting behind a high-powered pickup truck at a competition in Arkansas last week, topping his previous record of 174.33 mph. And to think I was happy when I finally topped 30 on level ground. 

The BBC visits the 900 mile, “87% car-free, culturally rich and surprisingly accessible” Rhine Cycle Route, which follows the river from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea.

A Melbourne, Australia economist and bike advocate says the city is too car centric, and bicycles are just an afterthought.

 

Finally…

Your new t-shirt could honor an iconic, if “cheekily named,” two-wheeled BMW. Who needs a white picket fence when you’ve got bike frames?

And I’ve known more pig-faced cyclists than the other way around.

……… 

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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