Archive for Morning Links

Morning Links: Former Councilmember Bill Rosendahl near death; led fight to make LA better for bike riders

February 16, 2016 / / One comment
Bill Rosendahl addressing the city council to announce an end to cur culture in LA

Bill Rosendahl addressed the city council in 2010 to announce an end to car culture in LA

Heartbreaking news, as Councilmember Mike Bonin reports on his personal Facebook page that his predecessor and mentor, former Westside Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, is near death and receiving hospice care at home.

Rosendahl set the standard for what a city councilmember could and should be here in the City of Angels — caring, responsive and committed to doing the right thing, and serving the whole community. Whether or not it was the popular stand at the time.

As chair of the council’s Transportation Committee, it was Rosendahl, more than anyone else, who set the city on the path to becoming more welcoming to people on bikes, leading to the adoption of the Cyclist Anti-Harassment Ordinance and the 2010 bike plan, now part of Mobility Plan 2035. As well as revoking the city’s bike licensing requirement, which was often used by police as an excuse to harass riders.

It was Rosendahl who famously said “The culture of the car is going to end now!” in addressing the full council. And Rosendahl who got then new LAPD Chief Beck to sit down with cyclists and listen to their grievances, leading Beck to promise — and deliver — a new relationship between cops and cyclists on the streets of the city.

It’s hard to believe the bad old days for LA cyclists were just six years ago. And that so much has changed for the better in such a short time.

Admittedly, there were many catalysts for that change. The 2010 Bike Plan. CicLAvia. Mayor Villaraigosa’s road to Damascus conversion. A more assertive LACBC.

But in reality, it all began with Rosendahl, and his impassioned response to a driver who deliberately injured a pair of cyclists on Mandeville Canyon. And a promise to do everything in his power to prevent it from happening again.

And one he kept.

He will be sorely missed. This will be a much poorer city when Bill Rosendahl is gone.

But one he’s leaving much better than he found it.

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Local

The President of Fix the City calls plans for bike lanes in the city’s Mobility Plan 2035 a game of Three-Card Monte where the rules are constantly changing, and urges Councilmember Ryu to vote against the plan when it comes back before the council for approval. He’s a little late, though; the city council re-approved the Mobility Plan last year; the only thing under consideration now are a handful of amendments to the plan.

In yet another case of a car being used as a weapon, LA sheriff’s deputies arrested a driver on suspicion of murder after he ran down a man jogging in a Walnut bike lane before smashing through a hedge and into a home.

Registration is open to join the LACBC team for this year’s Climate Ride.

 

State

San Diego plans to install a buffered bike lane on a street where a skateboarder was killed recently.

A Santa Barbara social worker remembers a tireless advocate for the homeless who died in a fall while riding his bike earlier this month.

A San Francisco writer says courtesy is the key when cyclists and drivers share narrow hilly roads; otherwise, the legislature will step in to dictate behavior.

A man broke the window of a Fresno bike shop and stole a bicycle; it’s the second time thieves broke into the store in the last two years. Note to KFSN-30 TV: $500 is hardly an expensive bike.

 

National

A Wyoming man uses bicycling to fight back against a genetic lung disease.

Evidently, there’s a right way and a wrong way to use bike emojis, according to a DC writer.

 

International

A writer for the Guardian says bike touring may be the best way of meeting the world on its own terms.

The weekly blog roundup from the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain continues to offer a detailed look at bike news from around the world that puts this site to shame.

An Aussie writer says a three-foot passing law is a good start, but drivers should be required to give extra attention to cyclists and pedestrians at all times — especially when crashes are considered mere “bingles.” Although local police don’t seem sold on the new passing distance.

A new #helmetsarecool online campaign is gaining steam in Australia. Should we be suspicious that it’s backed by a helmet maker?

Evidently, NIMBYs are the same everywhere. Residents of Christchurch NZ urge the city council to rescind plans for a pair of bikeways out of fear that a) they will negatively impact safety and b) a loss of parking will be the death knell for local businesses. Never mind that bike lanes have been repeatedly shown to a) improve safety for all road users, and b) increase sales and property values, while bringing greater vitality to the neighborhood.

A Singapore website explains why some people are calling for bike licensing, and why it’s not likely to happen.

 

Finally…

It’s not a flag, it’s 33 years worth of driver repellant. When you’re riding with an old, rusty rifle over your shoulder and a drill in a suitcase you probably stole, remember to put a damn light on your bike.

And if you’re going to use a bike as your getaway vehicle, make sure you know how to ride it first.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: Bikes banned from Burbank bridge; defaced signs led San Diego cyclists astray

February 15, 2016 / / 16 comments

It’s official.

Burbank has now banned bikes from the Mariposa Street Bridge over the LA River — whether riding, walking with one, carrying it or standing perfectly still — after speakers in favor of the ban referred to bike riders as “arrogant scofflaws and jerks,” who are apparently incapable of following the rules.

A Burbank councilwoman voted in favor of the ban, apparently because a bike rider advocating for continued access to what was originally intended as a bicycle, equestrian and pedestrian bridge looked like someone who flipped her off once.

No, seriously.

Meanwhile, horse riders arguing in favor of the ban misrepresented LA municipal codes by saying bikes are banned entirely from Griffith Park trails, when the codes actually allow people to walk their bikes like any other pedestrians.

Calls for a compromise that would allow riders to walk their bikes across the bridge, or cross when no horses were on it, were dismissed by the council.

What’s sad is that the city council not only allowed their residents and others who ride bikes to be unfairly disparaged, they seem to have agreed with them.

Which does not bode well for Burbank bicyclists.

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In case you’ve wondered why so many mountain bikers have had their bikes confiscated for straying onto military property in San Diego, this defaced sign should give you a pretty good idea.

And give the riders a pretty good defense.

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Just weeks after calling the technology highly implausible, Cycling Weekly profiles an e-bike prototype from Lightweight that uses an electromagnetic wheel, based on maglev technology, that can reportedly generate 500 watts and reach speeds up to 62 mph.

Which should greatly enhance sprinting speeds once the pros figure out how to get their hands on it.

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Michael Eisenberg forwards video of a horrifying crash in which a rider was lucky to avoid serious injury when he was sideswiped by a merging truck.

Looking at the video, the cyclists were clearly in the through lane, riding to the left of an exit lane, rather than in the middle lane as the headline suggests; they appear to be positioned exactly where they needed to be in order to continue straight on the roadway.

It’s the driver who broke the law by continuing straight instead of exiting, and merging on the painted shoulder without apparently noticing the cyclists to his left.

Or perhaps, not caring.

And trust me, you really don’t want to read the comments.

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Local

Police at LAX give a regular Tuesday/Thursday group ride an official police escort, complete with a 3-Feet Please sign; Cycling in the South Bay thanks the officers for giving the riders protection instead of tickets.

Work is scheduled to begin this week on a road diet and bike lanes on Alamitos Ave in Long Beach.

Downey will host a four hour, 5.5 mile ciclovía on May 1st.

 

State

Tustin’s 22-year old Coryn Rivera is riding her way to Rio after winning 71 national championships.

A Sonoma County writer says the Amgen Tour of California helped make the area bike country.

Tragic news from Santa Rosa, as a four-year old boy is killed while riding in bike in an apartment building parking lot. There is something seriously wrong when children don’t have safe places to play and ride their bikes.

 

National

The suspension of Colorado’s USA Pro Challenge will mean the loss of $130 million for the state’s economy.

If you’re looking to challenge yourself, you could do a lot worse than this September’s West Elk Bicycle Challenge, a 134-mile timed Western Colorado road tour — 29 miles of that on dirt — offering 9,300 feet of climbing through some of the most beautiful country on earth.

A Maine editor remembers one of her favorite weddings, when the bride and groom rode in on bikes, along with all the guests.

Homeless people in South Carolina build their own BMX park.

After trying to jack a car, a Miami man hit a bike rider as he made his getaway in another vehicle. And somehow, the local press still calls it an accident.

 

International

London’s assembly votes to urge the next mayor to support bicycling, and vetoes a plan to let local residents veto bikeways.

A UK parish official was fined the equivalent of just $203 for forcing four cyclists off the road on a blind curve, then flipping them off on camera afterwards.

After riding his bike across six continents in the last six years, a British doctor finds the world is a friendlier and more welcoming place than he thought. But did he do it dressed as a super hero?

Britain missed the opportunity to become a Dutch-style bicycling nation in the ‘70s by dismissing bicycles as a form of recreation; now it will take the county decades to catch up. If ever.

Spend part of your summer studying Planning the Cycling City in Amsterdam. In English.

Germany is called a nation of cyclists, as 82% of people in the country ride a bike at least infrequently, though bikes trail cars and motorcycles in popularity.

A bike rider was swept away by massive floods in Portugal.

Aussie advocates fear new restrictions on cyclists and greater enforcement of helmet laws will cut down on beachfront bicycling in Sydney. Meanwhile, riders in Canberra may soon be allowed to ride sans helmet as long as they promise to go slow.

Ride your bike to visit the best temples in Cambodia.

In today’s history lesson, Japan used 6,000 bikes in a bicycle blitzkrieg to capture Singapore in WWII.

 

Finally…

You could do worse than looking for love on two wheels. Every bike rider gets flats; not every rider gets the Manx Missile fix them — and on Valentines Day, no less.

And evidently, driving a Zamboni is good training for working with a cargo bike moving company.

 

Category: Bike Access, Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , ,

Weekend Links: App for air pressure, new book from former NYDOT commish, and a tack attack on PCH

February 13, 2016 / / 2 comments

Mike Wilkinson sends word that you’re probably riding on the wrong tire pressure.

A lot of people do not have the right tire pressures on their bike. If your bicycle tire pressure is too low, your bike will handle poorly, you’re more likely to get a flat, and it will be harder to pedal. If it’s too high, the ride will be rough without really improving efficiency. What’s the sweet spot?

In 2007 Bicycle Quarterly published an article that recommended setting the pressure so the tire would compress 15% when loaded. That’s hard to measure, but never fear… an app is here!

The app (sorry, Android only) is available from Amazon and Google Play. The cost is $2.50. It has some handy preconfigured options and a custom option.

Entering the numbers for my go-fast road bike, I was surprised at how much the app wanted me to lower my tire pressure. I was happy to see that I had the recommended pressure in the front tire of our tandem, but the app said I should put a lot more air in the rear tire.

It’s great fun for bike geeks like me, and it might give you a better ride for less effort!

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Looking forward to reading this new book by former New York DOT Commissioner Samuel I. Schwartz, head of Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants and the man credited with coining the term gridlock.

So far, I’ve only made it through the prologue and first chapter as I rode home on the subway the other night, and already learned more than I knew before about how we got into this auto-centric mess we’re in, and how we can get out of it.

Schwartz-Book

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Streetsblog’s Joe Linton recaps Thursday’s meeting of the Planning Commission, which voted unanimously to keep Westwood Blvd and Central Ave in the LA Mobility Plan.

Wrong though he may be, at least Paul Koretz had the guts to show up in person to argue against the bike lanes on Westwood; fellow Councilmembers Curren Price and Gil Cedillo sent their staff to do their dirty work.

And the Wave newspaper reports on the protest against Price’s attempts to kill the bike lanes on Central Ave.

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Next time you fly Delta, you can see their Sky Magazine’s report on LA’s efforts to shed its reputation as the car capital of the world and become bike and pedestrian friendly.

Or you could just read about it here.

Thanks to the LACBC for the link.

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Be careful riding on PCH in Malibu, where someone has reportedly been sabotaging the roadway with tacks.

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Just a few new events we haven’t mentioned yet.

Greg Laemmle is hosting a moderately paced President’s Day Ride to visit streets and sites named after them.

CiclaValey invites you to come out for the Connect the Dots Great Streets event on Van Nuys Blvd next weekend, where he’ll be talking bikes and taking part in the Tour de Van Nuys.

Registration is now open for the 2016 Honor Ride Bear Claw in Simi Valley this April to raise funds for Ride 2 Recovery to help rehabilitate wounded vets.

The Los Angeles Bike Festival has put out a call for artists to participate in the May event.

And don’t forget today’s 7th annual Ride For Love.

Ride For Love

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Local

LA County opens the new Milton Street Park along the Ballona Creek bike path; the park will be a stop on a planned 13-mile trail connecting the Baldwin Hills to the beach.

Glendale approves a new 1.3-mile green bike lane on Sonora Avenue.

Long Beach’s Alamitos Ave will be getting a road diet and other improvements to make it safer for cyclists, pedestrians and other humans.

 

State

Laguna Beach votes to upgrade the Top of the World bike and pedestrian trail.

Irvine-based Pedego Electric Bikes introduces an e-foldie.

A San Diego woman who rides her bike to look for and paint over graffiti in Mission Beach was badly injured in a hit-and-run; police are questioning a person of interest in the case.

San Diego considers a proposal for a half-cent sales tax increase to raise $18 billion for road and transit projects — with less than $400 million set aside for bike and other active transportation projects.

A 67-year old bike rider was seriously injured in a collision in Ventura when he reportedly turned left into the path of a car traveling in the same direction. Thanks to Melissa Pamer for the heads-up.

Police find the badly damaged car they believe killed a San Jose cyclist in a hit-and-run early Friday, though the driver was nowhere to be found; a bottle in the back suggested he or she may have been drinking.

A Dublin lawyer who got a sweetheart deal from an overly lenient judge after killing a cyclist in a hit-and-run could face a year in jail after testing positive for coke while on probation.

A St. Helena council committee votes to move forward with a bike lane that will require the loss of 14 parking spaces in front of a senior center.

 

National

Bad news for racing fans, as Colorado’s USA Pro Challenge won’t take place this year; organizers hope to regroup under new ownership for 2017.

Corpus Christi TX recommends a 290-mile bike network, created in large part by moving cyclists onto widened sidewalks.

Elgin IL cops out by deciding to install sharrows to meet a requirement to include bike lanes in a street makeover so they can get a $2 million federal grant.

Akron OH proposes reimagining the city’s overbuilt streets as walkable, bikeable parkways. Be nice to see some of those approaches used here.

Chattanooga TN is named one of seven US cities where people can retire in “bicycling bliss.” My hometown is one of the other six.

 

International

A British Columbia man is suing his parents over a mountain bike crash that left him paralyzed as a teenager, in order to protect them from the muddled world of insurance law.

Someone continues to booby trap trails in a UK wood by placing camouflaged logs on blind corners to keep cyclists from using them; it may be the same person who has been attempting to poison dogs with adulterated food.

A London physician has ridden his bike through 73 countries on six continents to treat patients, surviving a broken leg, robbery, stabbing and dengue fever in the process.

A Manila bicyclist calls for protected bike lanes to save lives in a city that averages 125 bicycling fatalities a year, despite being less than half the size of Los Angeles.

 

Finally…

Yes, going carless can be sexy. According to this sign, keep the rubber side up.

And just what the Corgi needs, a Japanese bike designed solely to take your dog with you.

 

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

Morning Links: Planning Comm preserves Mobility Plan, PV bike lanes threatened, and register for River Ride

February 12, 2016 / / 2 comments

It looks like cooler and wiser heads prevailed.

Despite calls from representatives of three city councilmembers — Koretz, Price and Cedillo — for removing bike lanes planned for Westwood Blvd and Central Ave from the LA Mobility Plan, the city Planning Commission voted against removing them Thursday morning.

Or as LAist put it, bike haters failed to stop bike lanes from coming to Westwood and South LA.

Of course, that doesn’t mean they will actually be built.

As the head of the commission explained, the plan is an “aspirational document,” and there will be many public processes that will have to be completed before anything is painted on the streets. Which means those bike haters will have plenty more opportunities to derail them, starting with a hearing before the city council, on a date to be determined, which will consider the same amendments voted down by the commission.

But it’s a big win. And one that could mean safer streets, and a more complete bike network.

Someday.

Meanwhile, a writer for UCLA’s Daily Bruin came out strongly in favor of bike lanes on Westwood Blvd, saying ignorance is unsafe, irresponsible and completely inappropriate when forming transportation policy in Los Angeles; the paper also asks students whether the street is safe for cyclists.

However, Councilmember Paul Koretz vowed the day before the meeting to keep on fighting against bike lanes on the boulevard, promising to move them to some other, undetermined safer street. Which, like OJ and the hunt for the real killers, he apparently still hasn’t been able to find, despite years of searching.

Councilmember Curren Price explained his opposition to bike lanes on Central Ave, even though people in South LA demanded he change his mind.

And BikinginLA sponsor Josh Cohen wrote a detailed and insightful letter calling on the Planning Commission to keep the Mobility Plan intact; even though the vote is over, it’s worth taking a few moments to read.

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Next Tuesday, Rancho Palos Verdes will consider a request by the Terranea resort to replace the required bike lanes with sharrows.

The City Council will conduct a public hearing on Tuesday, February 16, 2016, at 7 p.m. at Hesse Park Community Building, 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes, to consider Terranea’s request to amend the Council-adopted Conditions of Approval to:

1) Restripe the entry driveway to create two inbound lanes and one outbound lane by replacing the required bicycle lanes with sharrow lanes (shared vehicle and bicycle lane) with no modification to the required parking spaces along the outbound lane; and,

2) Replace the turf at the Meadow Lawn area (adjacent to the ballroom facilities) with permeable pavers to facilitate the current practice of installing temporary tents in this area in connection with the ballrooms.

Thanks to Steve Herbert for the heads-up.

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Registration is now open for this year’s 16th Annual LA River Ride, which remains one of the most popular rides in the LA area. The ride raises funds to support the LACBC, which in turn, benefits everyone who rides in LA County.

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When you’re the stoker on a tandem — or maybe the Rear Admiral, of you prefer — you spend the whole ride staring at the butt ahead of you. Thanks to Mike Wilkinson for the heads-up.

Evidently, that hasn’t been a problem for Melba and Aubrey Provost, though, since they’ve been riding together since 1959.

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Pro riders says more invasive testing is warranted to detect motor-doping.

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Local

An Eastside community activist says we need to know how the demographics of bike riders who commute on North Figueroa compare with the demographics of the neighborhood before making a decision on whether bike lanes belong on the street. Even though I’ve never heard of that being taken into account before any traffic lane gets built, anywhere.

CiclaValley says the Marathon Crash Ride is back once again this year before Sunday’s LA Marathon; a Facebook page says keep the pace at a slow cruise and watch out for cars, people and equipment on the course.

Hermosa Beach plans to install bollards to keep cars off the bike and pedestrian-only Strand, after discovering Google sometimes directs motorists onto it; however, they note the bollards may not be enough to keep drunk drivers off the walkway.

 

State

A father and son severely beat a Huntington Beach cop who tried to stop the younger man on suspicion of biking under the influence, and was ambushed by the father. Fortunately, the officer is okay; both father and son have had previous run-ins with the police.

San Diego police recover the Vietnamese pedicab that was stolen just before the lunar New Year.

Prosecutors have dropped charges against an accused drunk driver four years after he killed a neurosurgeon who was riding his bike in Indian Wells; prosecutors reportedly plan to refile the charges after they had been unable to amend them.

The recent road rage epidemic moves to the Bay Area, as a hit-and-run driver dragged a screaming cyclist down the street with the bike trapped under the car.

Advice on how to bike in the rain in San Francisco works just as well in LA. El Niño is still lurking out there somewhere, and this pseudo-summer weather won’t last forever.

Berkeley advocates call on the city to extend bike lanes another two blocks after a UC professor riding her bike was nearly killed by an allegedly stoned driver.

 

National

Turns out Millennials aren’t the only ones driving less.

People for Bikes looks at how bicycles fare in President Obama’s final proposed budget.

Bicycling says you probably don’t have to worry about the degenerative brain condition CTE, even if you’ve had multiple concussions. Which is good news for my beat-up skull and contents.

Bike Lawyer Bob Mionske looks at group ride etiquette, admonishing riders to behave lest they give further fuel to the anti-bike forces out there. South Bay bike lawyer Seth Davidson would seem to disagree, though it’s hard to tell with his understated prose.

The Weekly Standard says Oregon’s “bike obsessed” Congressman Earl Blumenauer wants to force local governments to consider the effects their transportation projects would have on greenhouse gas emissions; evidently, they think that’s a bad thing.

Speaking of Oregon, the state legislature considers a bill that would allow drivers to be charged with third degree assault if they injure a vulnerable user while negligently operating a motor vehicle.

A Seattle writer asks if it’s time for the city to ditch its helmet requirement for bike riders. Considering it never should have had one, that would probably be yes; see Canadian study below.

A Colorado mountain biker receives a $1 million settlement after she was attacked by two Great Pyrenees sheep dogs during a race.

Topeka KS one ups LA with a two-day ciclovía beginning with a glow ride, pub crawl and concerts the first night.

A New Hampshire driver complains that bicyclists have a disproportionate influence on city government, even though they appear to be on the losing side in this case. Funny how many drivers seem to think they really do own the streets, and that bike riders should have to pay even more than we already do just for the privilege of using them.

 

International

Today is International Winter Bike to Work Day. Even if it feels more like summer here in SoCal.

A new Canadian study shows mandatory bike helmet laws have no effect on hospitalization rates; if they worked, you would have lower rates in areas with them than those without, which isn’t the case.

A Vancouver realtor finds it’s easier to get around the city to show homes by bike.

Evidently, aluminum frames are nothing new; the first ones appeared in the 1890s, and a British site called it the frame of the future over 70 years ago.

A writer for London’s Telegraph asks why drivers get away with attempted murder. Why, indeed? Thanks to J. Patrick Lynch for the link.

Caught on video: A paper from the UK asks who’s at fault when a van left hooks a bicyclist riding in a marked bike lane— the equivalent of a right hook in this country.

A Brit cyclist offers seven things you learn when you ride around the world.

A Singapore writer compares bike riders to litterers and scofflaw gum chewers in calling for licensing cyclists because one might possibly hurt someone someday.

 

Finally…

Who needs hi-viz when your clothes light up? If your bike has been stolen six times in four months, maybe it’s time to buy an alarm. Or a dog.

And if you’ve ever felt like a crash test dummy while riding the streets, Toyota may have an opening for you.

 

Category: Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , ,

Morning Links: A moving look at Dave Mirra and the need to succeed, and bike racers get blown and disinvited

February 9, 2016 / / 2 comments

Let’s just jump right in today.

Triathlete Jordan Rapp writes movingly about the suicide of BMX legend Dave Mirra, and the emptiness that comes with a constant need to excel at the highest level.

Rapp himself was nearly killed in a collision with a Camarillo hit-and-run driver in 2010, and survived only because a passing stranger saved his life. Yet came back just eight months later to nearly podium in the Ironman Arizona triathlon.

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Even in the off season, it’s hard to get away from racing news.

Let’s start with word that motor doping may have been going on a lot longer than anyone realized, as a video surfaces of an electric motor hidden in a 1970’s era road bike.

American cycling great Evelyn Stevens will attempt to set a new women’s hour record at the Olympic training center velodrome in Colorado Springs CO at the end of this month.

Russia, which appears to have returned to its Soviet-era state-sponsored doping, takes a page from the Lance/Lloyd playbook by denying any problems in its cycling program.

The world’s number one ranked cycling team gets treated like number two, as they’re disinvited from the Tour of Qatar for demonstrating a lack of respect — by taking too long to get dressed and walk to the podium.

And sometimes bike racing blows, as wind knocks cyclists competing in a Spanish race off their bikes. Thanks to joninsocal for the link

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Local

Here’s a warning for anyone riding Mulholland Highway, as a motorcycle site reports someone may be sabotaging the roadway by pouring oil on curves. That could pose a real danger for bicyclists as well, especially on fast descents.

Glendale residents discuss what changes they want for local parks; one calls for a bikeway along the Verdugo Wash.

The latest podcast from Streetsblog’s Damien Newton discusses Pasadena parklets and Complete Streets on Las Tunas Drive in Temple City.

Metro suggests 16 places you’ll be able to explore once the Gold Line extension opens, including the Duarte Bike Path and Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area. Or spice up your ride with a visit to the Sriracha factory.

 

State

You only have until end of business day today to offer comments on Caltrans plans to close eight miles of Highway 101 through San Luis Obispo County to bicyclists, cutting off a key route for bike tourists without providing any alternative.

When paving engineers work in a different department from city planners, the result can be dangerous for cyclists, as a recent Berkeley collision shows.

Sad news from Sacramento, as a bike rider was killed by a driver heading back to a Super Bowl party; somehow, the victim “came out of nowhere” despite being in the roadway. Seriously, no one, ever, comes out of nowhere; the question is why the driver failed to see him.

 

National

A Seattle writer tries to connect the dots to say there’s a vast bikeshare conspiracy in the city.

A Las Vegas paper looks at the city’s coming bikeshare program in the downtown area.

Tres shock! An El Paso TV station catches a pair of cyclists running a red light to catch up to their riding partner, who made it through on the green. Although you have to wonder how many scofflaw drivers they might have caught by leaving their camera running at the same location.

A $9,000 investment in enclosed showers and a camping area for cyclists helped save a Montana town at the crossroads of two major bike touring routes.

A Cincinnati protected bike lane comes under attack before it can even be finished, despite support from neighborhood councils.

Wisconsin legislators nix a plan for a contraflow bike lane through the Capital Square in Madison; instead, bike riders have to keeping going all the way around the square and up a hill.

Over 20% of residents in three DC districts commute by bike, pointing the out the need for better bikeways through the city.

A Virginia epilepsy foundation wants to eliminate bicycle collisions resulting in death or serious brain injury. So naturally, they tell kids to wear helmets, rather than urging people to drive safely.

Just weeks after a man rode one of New York’s Citi Bike bikeshare bikes across the US, a former Spice Girl evidently rode one all the way to Miami Beach. Or maybe the Daily Mail just has no idea what city they’re actually in.

 

International

London businesses overwhelmingly support a proposed new cycle superhighway through the city. Meanwhile, a London cop is caught on video taking advantage of one of the city’s cycle superhighways to bypass traffic with his emergency lights flashing. Which could be an argument for bikeways, since people often raise imaginary fears of emergency vehicles stuck in traffic to argue against them.

A British bicycling website sings the praises of bananas, calling them a superfood that proves God is a cyclist.

Not even the mayor of London can bike past security at a top secret high-end fundraiser ball for Britain’s Conservative Party.

Remarkably, no one was seriously hurt when a speeding Irish driver tried to pass a group of cyclists on a training ride, only to realize too late there was an island in the middle of the road and cut back in, hitting several riders; one rider was reportedly thrown 75 feet through the air.

South African police stress that bikes are not allowed on a freeway after a drunk driver plows into a group of 30 cyclists on a training ride, killing two.

Australian police issue 806 tickets in a three-week bicycle safety crackdown, only 89 of which went to motorists. And even then, mostly for driving or parking in a bike lane. If half of all safety violations involve riding without a helmet, maybe it’s the law, not the behavior, that has to change.

More proof bicyclists face the same problems everywhere, as a cyclist in the Philippines regrets her reaction but refuses to apologize to the driver who harassed her for riding in the traffic lane.

 

Finally…

Seriously, don’t go off on someone in a wheelchair when she asks you to move into the street so she can get by. If you really want to see that video of a Brit cab driver whacking off while he reads a porn magazine, feel free. Or you can just read about it, which seems like a much better alternative.

And for the equivalent of just $56,000, you can own a 92-year old British bike shop once bombed by the Luftwaffe.

 

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

Morning Links: Close encounter with a sidewalk cyclist, football players ride among us, and some bikes used for evil

February 8, 2016 / / 6 comments

My wife got hit by a bike rider yesterday.

We were walking back from brunch on a Sunset Blvd sidewalk, when we heard a bike bell from behind.

I quickly moved off to the side with our dog. But before my wife could figure out just where the rider was and which way to go, he zoomed past, brushing against her as he blew by.

And never looked back to see if she was okay.

Fortunately, she kept her balance and wasn’t hurt; it could have been much worse.

This is why I’m not a fan of bike bells. They tell you a bike is present, but the listener has to figure out first where the sound is coming from, and then what to do in response.

Make that mental calculation too slowly with the wrong rider, and you could end up on your ass.

Meanwhile, every bicyclist is equipped with a simple, yet effective means of letting people know where you are and what you intend to do.

Your voice.

It’s easy enough to politely say “excuse me,” and tell them you’re passing on their left or right. Politely being the key word.

Which brings up the question of courtesy, which is where this rider failed badly.

While he did the right thing by ringing his bell, he should have slowed down and waited for us to get out of the way. With the understanding that moving out of the way is a courtesy, not an obligation.

Sidewalks may be shared turf in LA, where riding on the sidewalk is legal, unlike many other cities in the area. But people on bikes have an obligation to ride safely and courteously around pedestrians, leaving plenty of room for the people on foot.

In other words, show the same courtesy to pedestrians you’d want drivers to show you on the street.

Another inch or two, and my wife could have been hurt badly. And we’d likely be looking for a hit-and-run cyclist, instead of just complaining about some jerk on a bike.

………

A key member of the newly minted Super Bowl champs is one of us, even though he had to sit out the game. So is former Pro Bowl tight end and San Diego resident Kellen Winslow II.

………

Bikes aren’t always used for good.

Bike-riding, mask-wearing German extremists torched or trashed 48 luxury cars to protest gentrification in Berlin.

And a suicide bomber on a bicycle killed eight people in Pakistan.

………

Local

A pair of community groups help beautify a stretch of Jefferson Blvd near USC before bike lanes will be painted on the street in the coming weeks.

Pasadena proposes a road diet, wider sidewalks, parklets and reverse angled parking, but no bike lanes, on a stretch of Colorado Blvd east of Old Town.

The San Gabriel Valley Bicycle Education Center operated by Bike SGV has new extended hours.

 

State

A non-profit group is building a home for a San Diego Marine vet who lost his legs in Afghanistan, just months after he rode 3,000 miles across the US to raise funds to support wounded Marines and their families.

A century ride through the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park east of San Diego had 26 volunteers this year. And just three participants. Correction: There were actually 225 riders who rolled across the start line. Blame a misleading lede, cut off too soon by a paywall. Thanks to Bill Clare for the correction. 

Fontana receives $3 million for a north-south bike and pedestrian trail due to be completed in 2018.

Sad news from Santa Barbara, as a long-time advocate for the homeless was killed in an apparent solo fall, possibly brought on by a stroke; tragically, he had purchased the bike just hours before.

In a twist on the usual complaints from business owners about the loss of car traffic, merchants on a San Francisco street are urging the city to make a ban on cars permanent.

The beloved founder of a one-man Sacramento bicycle food delivery service is battling leukemia; local restaurants are stepping up to raise funds for his medical expenses.

 

National

The author who outed Lance says motor doping could spell the end of pro cycling.

Utah is making a successful effort to get federal funds for bicycling enhancements; Idaho, not so much. Speaking of Utah, a bike builder builds a new business model by offering their own customized bikes over the Internet for up to 40% less than comparable bikes.

A Minnesota woman finished third in a frozen fat-tire endurance race — despite pausing to breast feed at each stop.

New York considers letting bicyclists join pedestrians in getting a head start over motor vehicles at some key intersections.

Uber is taking over Gotham’s bike messenger business, accused of undercutting traditional courier services by not paying worker’s comp for its riders.

Opponents to a proposed DC bike lane say it’s an attempt to run black churches out of town, and tell bike riders to take their “pastime” to a park.

The Daily Mail reports BMX legend Dave Mirra was making plans for the future before he took his own life; the mayor of his North Carolina hometown suggests multiple brain injuries may have led to his depression.

 

International

A newly minted Newfoundland roadie discovers the joy of winter fat bike riding.

Bike Radar talks with the developer of the Laserlight that projects an image of a bicycle on the pavement in front of your bike.

Nice piece from a former London bike courier, who appreciates the boom in bicycling but misses having the streets to herself.

Evidently, British royalty-in-law Pippa Middleton is one hell of a cyclist if she can complete a 54-mile bike ride “in a matter of minutes.”

A Brit writer relives his childhood by teaching his six-year old son to ride a bike, with both calling it the best day of their lives.

No, really. A Pakistani paper says keep riding because it makes your skin glow. So does riding through a nuclear plant.

Aussie merchants lament the effects construction of a new protected bikeway on their business, as well as the switch from diagonal to parallel parking.

 

Finally…

If you’re planning to steal a quarter ton of beef, always send a kid on a bike to scope it out first. When you’re riding with dope and a stolen Miley Cyrus sex doll in your backpack, remember to ride with traffic.

And evidently, things get boring when you’re driving a cab.

 

Category: Bicycle Safety, Morning Links, Roadway Courtesy / Tags: , , , , ,

Weekend Links: Support bicycling on your neighborhood council, stupid insurance tricks, and more bike events

February 6, 2016 / / Comments Off on Weekend Links: Support bicycling on your neighborhood council, stupid insurance tricks, and more bike events

There’s one sure way to make a difference on our streets.

Run for your neighborhood council.

LA’s neighborhood councils are where decisions are made on whether or not to support bike lanes, road diets and other bike-friendly improvements and livability issues. And they can have a big influence on elected officials, who are reluctant to do the right thing without public support behind them.

Yet while some councils get it, others are too often dominated by auto-centric nay-sayers who find it easier to just say no than to take the time to understand how bikeways can provide an alternative to driving and improve safety and livability for everyone.

You could change that by signing up to give a voice for bicyclists right where you live, work or study, as online registration is open now for 35 of the city’s 96 councils.

Naturally, mine is not among them. Nor is the Westwood council, which desperately needs some help.

Those you still have to register for the old fashioned way.

………

LA Bicycle Advisory Committee member Jonathan Weiss forwards news of a lawsuit that really should have been settled out of court.

According to a notice in the LA Daily Journal, a cyclist asked for $25,000 in damages after he was injured in a right hook while riding on Ocean Ave in Santa Monica; the insurance company countered with an offer of just $6,300, before doubling that to $13,000 just before trial.

The jury, on the other hand, awarded the cyclist over $78,000 — over three times what the rider was asking for — after a three day trial.

That’s what the insurance company gets for being cheap.

And that’s a good example of why you need to talk to a good lawyer if you get hurt while riding.

………

Even after last week’s massive listing of bike events, there are still more coming up in the next few weeks.

Streetsblog looks at the coming Great Streets Challenge Grant Events for February and March, starting today in Reseda.

CiclaValley reminds us he’s leading the LACBC’S Sunday Funday CicLAvia Preview Ride through the Valley tomorrow.

The LA Planning Commission considers amendments to remove bike lanes on Westwood Blvd and Central Ave from the recently approved Mobility Plan this Thursday; if you can’t be there, email your support for keeping the plan intact.

Santa Monica hosts a Valentines Day Kidical Mass Ride on the 13th.

A free screening of the acclaimed documentary Bikes vs Cars will be held at Debs Park in Northeast LA on the 17th; you can see a trailer for the film here. Thanks to Alice Strong and Harv for the heads-up.

On the 20th, Culver City Biking Buddies invites you to join in on the Family Ride: The Sustainability Tour.

There will be a Lunar New Year Bike Train celebrating the Tet Festival in El Monte on the 21st.

BikeSGV will Bike the Gold Line in celebration of the opening of the Gold Line extension on March 27th.

BikeSD is hosting a 20-mile Bikes & Beers SD ride through the streets of San Diego on March 26th.

And start training now for the eighth annual Pablove Across America ride from San Francisco’s East Bay to LA to raise funds to fight childhood cancer; October 2nd through 8th.

………

The LA Times says BMX legend Dave Mirra was the “reason little kids tried to create separation between a tire and the ground” while riding their bikes, as athletes and celebrities respond to his death.

Bicycling notes Mirra won the 2014 RAAM team competition with former pro Dave Zabriskie and two other riders, while gossip blogger Perez Hilton is unusually kind in posting a statement from Mirra’s wife.

………

The chips keep falling in pro cycling, as Russian cyclist Eduard Vorganov becomes the latest rider to be banned for doping; his Katusha team could face sanctions since he’s the second rider from the team to be banned in the past year.

A medical website says bike racing is rapidly reaching the point of no repair when it comes to doping and other forms of cheating, and asks where’s the outrage within the sport? Meanwhile, a writer for the Guardian says don’t judge the beautiful, brutal sport of cyclocross based on the motor doping scandal.

Cycling Weekly says motor doping comes out of the Wile E. Coyote section of the cycling rule book, along with painting tunnels on brick walls and dropping anvils on your competition.

And America’s only remaining Tour de France winner offers a six-point plan to eradicate motor doping. Which will undoubtedly be ignored by those in charge, just like his warnings about doping were.

………

Local

Don’t count on the LA River bike path through Silverlake and Atwater Village reopening anytime soon.

KPCC says not so fast on that report that LA is the most dangerous place in the US for pedestrians; the county ranks just 10th when ranked on a per capita basis. On the other hand, 10th may suck a little less, but it still sucks.

The Santa Monica Bike Center is looking for experienced part time tour guides. Or you could be an organizing rep for the Sierra Club, or maybe manage the new PUBLIC Bikes store in SaMo.

Support is growing for a bike ferry linking the beachfront Marvin Braude bike path across the Marina del Rey inlet.

Family and friends remember Long Beach bike courier Daniel Nguyen, who fell to his death while rescuing a fellow hiker on Mt. Baldy this week.

Long Beach’s Pacific Avenue bike corridor is being extended into Los Cerritos.

 

State

The Orange County Transportation Agency recommends riding the San Diego Creek Trail, calling it an inviting escape from the urban environment.

San Diego moves to improve safety on a one-mile stretch of one of the city’s most dangerous streets; as usual, local residents prefer keeping their parking to saving lives.

Three young Fresno-area men were shot while riding their bikes; fortunately, only one was seriously injured.

A Modesto bike rider suffered life threatening injuries when he was struck by a big rig truck.

Good news from Berkeley, as a research scientist who was critically injured in a collision while riding her bike is expected to pull through. The driver, an actor who lists cycling as a skill on his resume, has been charged with driving under the influence of drugs.

 

National

City Lab says it’s time to put sharrows to rest, and maybe get rid of centerlines while we’re at it.

Six-foot ten-inch Denver Nuggets basketball star Danilo Gallinari is one of us.

Bicycling looks at the unofficial Fat Bike World Championships in Crested Butte CO.

A Kentucky man has been charged with murder for running down a teenage bike rider while under the influence. Evidently, they take traffic crime seriously there.

Residents of New York’s Upper East Side rise up against plans to install painted bike lanes on six streets to calm traffic, even though they wouldn’t remove any parking or traffic lanes.

They take traffic crimes seriously in Florida, too, as a driver gets 12 years for the DUI death of a cyclist.

 

International

I want one. A British man has developed a $37 DIY device to measure how close cars come when they pass you. Maybe we can combine it with a sign to show their score as they zoom by.

The company behind that solar power-generating bike path in the Netherlands will apply the technology to 600 miles of French roadways.

Maybe you want to spend your next vacation sampling the local cuisine on a bike tour of Macedonia. Or discovering why cycling in the Middle East is so attractive.

 

Finally…

Memorize this list for the next time you need a good excuse for failing your urine test; then again, none of them worked, so maybe not. We can all be grateful for bike commuters, especially if they’re riding to make beer every morning.

And this may be the greenest Super Bowl ever, but don’t try to bike there.

 

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Bike Events, Morning Links / Tags: , , , , ,

Morning Links: Bike beats car in race to beach, Calbike wants your take on bike politics, and BMX legend dies

February 5, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Bike beats car in race to beach, Calbike wants your take on bike politics, and BMX legend dies

No surprise, really.

KPCC challenged three staffers to race from Union Station to the Santa Monica Pier in Monday morning rush hour traffic, travelling by bike, bus and car. Or rather, a funky three-wheeled motorcycle equivalent.

But whatever.

And just as has happened in other cities that have run similar races, the bike came out on top. Even though the rider failed to plan out his route, and dropped down to pothole-ridden Venice Blvd for his journey to the pier.

Had he planned it better, he could have cut a big chunk of time off his commute by taking Wilshire Blvd, which runs directly to the coast, and where bikes are allowed in the Bus Only lanes that operate during morning and evening rush hours. Even though the lanes skip Beverly Hills and the condo corridor in Westwood.

A simple jump over to the bike lanes on Santa Monica Blvd through Century City, then cut over to the Broadway bike lanes in Santa Monica and coast down to the coast.

He might have even been able to slow down a little.

And wear something other than spandex.

………

Calbike wants your input on candidates and issues that affect bicyclists, to help develop their endorsement strategy for the coming year; you can take the survey here.

………

Sad news from Greenville NC, as BMX legend and X Games star Dave Mirra died of an apparent suicide on Thursday.

If you’re thinking about hurting yourself, talk to someone. Anyone. There are people who care and want to help, no matter how bad things may seem now.

………

Local

Richard Risemberg doesn’t pull any punches, depicting CD1 Councilmember Gil Cedillo as the carpetbagger-in-chief while calling for a movement to draft Flying Pigeon owner Josef Bray-Ali to run against him. Somehow I missed this one when it was originally posted. And yes, Councilmember Bray-Ali does have a certain ring to it.

The Eagle Rock and Boyle Heights areas receive nearly $18 million in Complete Streets funding, including bike and pedestrian improvements.

Great piece from LAist, as they talk to the guy who rode a New York bikeshare bike across the US, ending in Santa Monica last week.

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton reports the Ride Report app for iOS has gone national; the app is designed to run in the background, allowing riders to track and rate their trips while crowdsourcing riding data.

 

State

San Diego’s KPBS discusses women’s professional bike racing, saying women riders are making progress, but there’s still a way to go.

Last year, we discussed the mobile bike repair shops from Beeline Bikes; now one is rolling into the Conejo Valley to serve cyclists in Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Agoura Hills.

A Salinas writer observes our streets are safe for everyone but people.

A writer from Modesto is up in arms that the city is paying $75,000 to house and feed riders in the Amgen Tour of California for one night. Never mind that the race will likely bring in a lot more that to local businesses.

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is barring bikes — and trees — from a proposed public park in Mountain View, apparently because other parks elsewhere have had problems with connectivity. Which is sort of like blaming all bike riders because you saw one run a red light once.

 

National

Horrible story of road rage from Portland. As usual, the police refuse to do anything about it unless the rider ends up bleeding in the street.

The Chicago Trib says riding a bike on the Las Vegas strip is just too damn scary. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been there.

Why does my Platinum Level Bicycle Friendly hometown have to keep making bicycling improvements decades after I left? What, they couldn’t have done any of this while I was still there?

Forget three feet, an Iowa legislator proposes a bill that would require drivers to change lanes to pass a bike rider. Thanks to Cyclelicious for the link.

Caught on video: A Michigan bike rider beats a ticket for obstructing traffic when a state trooper gets the law wrong, using the cop’s own dash cam video to make his case.

Not all DC churches think bike lanes infringe upon their freedom of religion; an African American church in the same neighborhood as the one fighting tooth and nail against a bike lane says protected bike lanes make the streets safer for everyone.

 

International

The owner of the UK’s Vulpine bikewear company says the great helmet debate only serves to put people off bicycling, while concluding: “Cycling is not a major killer. Putting people off cycling is.”

A British website says more needs to be done to make bicycling a safe and normal activity.

Let’s hope it was a damn good bike. A Brit entrepreneur traded his stake in the Swiftkey mobile phone app for a bike, only to watch his former partners sell it to Microsoft for $252 million.

Russian women’s track cycling champ Elena Brezhniva gets a four-year ban for an unspecified doping offense; her coach naturally writes it off as a case of mere negligence. Because no cyclist would ever intentionally cheat, right?

A Philippine bicyclist takes a thrilling and scary ride through Manilla’s Quezon City.

An Aussie driver talks to the mother of a teenage boy who rode out in front of her car.

 

Finally…

Someday, every bike with come with its own mushroom knife and fire pit. Now you can get a pedal-assist motor doping bike of your very own; meanwhile, Dutch researchers will pay you to dope as you climb Mr. Ventoux.

And how to discover if anyone on your club ride is motor doping.

It’s easy to tell if I have a hidden motor on my bike. Just watch to see if I pass someone. Anyone.

No, really.

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Car vs Bike, Morning Links / Tags: , , , , ,

Morning Links: Long Beach cyclist killed in Mt. Baldy hiking fall, and bike safety classes in Orange County

February 4, 2016 / / 2 comments

Sad news from the IE, as a Long Beach bike courier fell to his death while hiking on Mt. Baldy.

According to the Long Beach Post, Daniel Nguyen, a former CSU Long Beach cycling team member, fell 1,500 feet off the steep mountainside while trying to rescue a fellow hiker.

A gofundme account has been set up to help his family pay funeral costs; it’s raised over $12,000 in less than 24 hours.

………

My apologies for the late notice on this one.

The Orange County Wheelmen are hosting a two-day League of American Bicyclists Smart Cycling class tonight and Saturday; dinner and coffee are included in the Thursday session.

And next week the Orange County Bicycle Coalition is offering its Cycling Savvy course from the American Bicycling Education Association on Friday the 12th and Saturday the 13th.

They describe the course this way:

Cycling Savvy classes are incredible, intensely empowering classes, that are geared toward all bicyclists, not just “roadies”. Everyone can learn how to be a bicycle driver, and we really show folks how to do it.

………

Cycling Tips says creating an electromagnetic bike wheel is theoretically possible, but unlikely in practice. But I have faith; if pro cycling can find a way to cheat, it will.

Meanwhile, a writer says go ahead and let cyclists use motors when they race, but only at certain times and places. Or better yet, just put pedals on motorcycles and get it over with.

………

Local

It really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that LA County is the most dangerous place in America for pedestrians.

CiclaValley challenges you to recognize a pair of iconic climbs from above.

At least the Santa Monica section of the beach bike path is clear of sand, despite 15 miles of county-controlled pathway being closed; SaMo sweeps their limited section of the path five to seven days a week, depending on the season, while the county sweeps just twice a week.

The LACBC discusses setting priorities for Southeast LA County in a proposed future transportation ballot measure.

 

State

The San Diego State newspaper says everyone is at fault for problems with a new bike lane, which invites collisions with distracted pedestrians and didn’t solve problems with bikes on campus.

Los Altos Hills cites Strava data showing cyclists speeding along off-road trails as it moves to ban bikes from a popular preserve.

This is what happens when you try to shoehorn in a bikeway after a bridge is built, instead of incorporating it into the original design for San Francisco’s Bay Bridge. Although that circular ramp could be a blast to ride down; riding up, not so much. Thanks to Mike Wilkinson for the links.

Evidently Milbrae didn’t get the Complete Streets memo.

Community members in Eureka raised three grand to replace a bike stolen from a legally blind military vet.

 

National

A tri website says nothing good can come from confronting others in traffic, after a motorcycle rider records a road raging truck driver pulling a gun on him after flipping him off. I’ve had some interactions that ended well after I explained why I was riding the way I was. And others that didn’t.

Santa Fe considers a bikeshare program despite concerns over equity; the lack of a credit card or smartphone could keep low income people from using the system.

Outside says Crested Butte CO’s Fat Bike World Championships look like the most fun you can have on two wheels.

A documentary about LA’s Ovarian Psychos Bicycle Brigade will premier at the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin TX, date TBD.

A Cincinnati proposal would link four major bike trails to create a 42-mile loop connecting over half of the city’s neighborhoods.

Pittsburgh cyclists wonder why streets and sidewalks were cleared of snow, but bike lanes weren’t. Which is one problem we’re not likely to have in LA anytime soon.

A jury awarded an unarmed Florida man $23.1 million after he was shot four times and paralyzed by a Palm Beach sheriff’s deputy, who stopped him for the crime of riding his bike into traffic. Or maybe just biking while black. Thanks to Michael Eisenberg for the heads-up.

 

International

Good advice on how to stop thieves and protect your bike.

The BBC says cyclists will soon outnumber cars in central London.

A 77-year old UK man escapes jail for killing a cyclist because a judge decided he was too old to send to jail.

A British paper says increasing numbers of women are having labia surgery to make it more comfortable to ride a bike.

Caught on video: A kindhearted Brit rider consoles the driver who nearly hit him seconds earlier.

The Danish Crown Princess goes Viking biking with her kids in a cargo bike on their way to school, as her husband and dog tag along for good measure.

Sarah Jessica Parker is one of us, as she rents a bike and rides through Rome to hear the Pope speak.

Where have we heard this before? An Indian traffic expert says cycling lanes won’t work because the streets are too narrow, traffic volume is too high, and drivers too undisciplined.

Bicycling fatalities in Australia have dropped to their lowest level since 2009 while the number of riders has increased. With 32 cycling deaths last year, the country had just three more fatalities than LA County, despite having over twice the population.

 

Finally…

Now that’s one very cool 3D printed steel frame bike. Evidently, even owning two bikes isn’t enough to overcome a windshield perspective and stop complaining about “bike nuts” stealing precious territory from drivers.

And seriously, don’t be a jackass and make a right turn on your bike without slowing when there’s someone in the crosswalk.

Although it’s odd that someone who describes herself as a road cyclist would say it’s time for “them” to stop whining.

 

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

Morning Links: Beach bike path closed, slap on wrist in Glendale hit-and-run, and six years for drunken OC driver

February 3, 2016 / / 2 comments

Last Sunday’s storm wreaked havoc on the beachfront Marvin Braude bike path.

According to the LA County Department of Public Works, the winds drifted sand up to two feet deep on the path, resulting in its closure along Venice Beach, as well as from Ballona Creek south to Torrance Beach.

Work began on clearing the path on Tuesday, but it’s not expected to open until Friday. Just in time for what’s expected to be a warm and sunny weekend.

The Daily Breeze offers photos of riders trudging through the sand with their bikes.

………

This is why people continue to die on our streets.

A Glendale man gets just 360 days — less than a full year — after pleading no contest in the hit-and-run death of a four-year old girl.

A slap on the wrist for leaving a little girl to die in the street in front of her own family. If that.

And to top the outrage, the judge ordered his driver’s license suspended for just six months after his release.

Six whole months.

Never mind that he violated one of the most basic rules of driving, let alone human decency, by failing to stop at the scene of a collision and render aid as the law requires.

The law has to be changed. Now.

Let’s write our state representatives, and demand that any driver who leaves the scene of a collision should have his or her license automatically revoked. Not suspended.

And not for a limited period, but permanently.

Make them appear before a judge, after any sentence has been completed, to explain their actions and beg for the chance to apply for a new one.

………

There’s finally been justice in the case of fallen cyclist Matthew Liechty.

If you can call it that.

Michael Liechty reports that Antonio Magdaleno Jr. accepted a plea on Friday, nearly two years after he fled on three wheels from the DUI collision that killed Liechty’s brother while he was riding in a Newport Beach bike lane.

Magdaleno was originally charged with felony counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, fleeing the scene of a collision and hit-and-run with permanent and seriously injury; he had a BAC nearly two times the legal limit at the time of his arrest.

He received a six-year sentence after pleading to two felony counts, and was immediately taken into custody to begin serving his time behind bars. However, the DA handling the case reportedly said he can expect to serve just half that.

This is yet another case of California’s weak traffic laws allowing drivers back out on the streets after just a brief sentence, despite taking a human life with depraved indifference. And despite the best efforts of the Orange County DA’s office, which is one of the few in Southern California that actually takes traffic crimes seriously.

Liechty suggests that the law should be changed to mandate a charge of second degree murder for killing someone while driving under the influence.

I couldn’t agree more.

………

Make your reservations for March 1st, when Metro is hosting their 2016 Active Transportation Summit.

2016 Active Transportation Summit Flyer

………

Cyclelicious has created a real-time map of California bike collisions based on CHP dispatches. Which means that it includes reports that come into the CHP’s 911 dispatchers, but may not include those handled by local jurisdictions.

………

Once again, a cyclist celebrates prematurely, thinking he’s won the world U-23 ‘cross title even though there’s still a lap to go.

And the father and brother of that Dutch rider who figuratively gave the cycling world the bird by motor doping are charged with literally stealing a few.

………

Local

LAist explains why LA is a great city for bikeshare.

Tomorrow KPCC will feature the results of a rush hour race from Union Station to the Santa Monica pier by bike, transit and motor vehicle, to determine if the car is still king on the streets of LA. Here’s betting it isn’t.

A writer for the Daily Bruin calls for more dedicated bus — and bike — lanes prior to a possible 2024 LA Olympics, despite blowback from groups like the Westwood Neighborhood Council.

Facebook is expanding into new creative space in Playa Vista, complete with bike racks. Seriously? A development that large should be required to install a bike hub as part of the permitting process to encourage workers to leave their cars at home.

An OpEd in the Santa Monica Mirror says give the new Expo Line a chance. And put lights on your bike if you’ll be riding home from the station after dark.

A former bank building will be demolished to widen Newport Blvd in Newport Beach and make room to extend the bike lanes two blocks south to 32nd street.

The Pomona Valley Bicycle Coalition invites you to Ride Around Pomona this Saturday, and the first Saturday of every month.

 

State

Cyclists and government officials met with officials from Miramar to discuss why the Marines are confiscating bikes from trespassing riders. The official version is they don’t want you to get shot or blown up, and that warning signs on the trails get torn down as soon as they go up.

Someone stole a $2,000, three-wheeled pedicab from a Vietnamese community group in San Diego, who consider it a priceless cultural artwork.

I want to be like her when I grow up. A San Francisco woman planted herself in front of a van after a road rage assault, refusing to move until the police showed up. But all the police did was ticket the driver for violating the three-foot passing law, and ignored the threats and assault from the car’s passenger, who bravely ran away before the cops came.

A Berkeley bicyclist is in critical condition after being hit and dragged by a car.

A city planning consultant presents a bold vision for Oakland, suggesting it tear down a freeway that represents a “great gash” through the city, and replace it with a grand boulevard for walkers, cyclists and cars. Maybe someday we’ll see that kind of thinking here.

 

National

A Denver driver faces up to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty for the DUI death of a cyclist; he was two and a half times the legal alcohol limit when he crossed the double yellow line to pass at least two cars on a blind curve, hitting the 38-year old father head-on.

A Cincinnati cyclist says the city needs to take its bike plan off the shelf and stop treating bicycle safety like a line item in the budget.

Unlike LA, where too many neighborhood groups fight bike lanes tooth and nail, a New York community board approves taking away a traffic lane to install a protected bike lane on Amsterdam Ave; Streetsblog explains why arguments against it don’t hold up.

Philadelphia gets its first Complete Streets Commissioner.

Sounds like fun. Washington DC plans a massive 17-mile ride around the city’s many monuments this May.

A former New Orleans police recruit is charged with second degree murder for firing his gun six times as he chased a bike thief down the street, eventually shooting him in the back of the head; his lawyer says he somehow felt threatened by the man who ran away after attempting to take his bike. Listen, I hate bike thieves as much as anyone, but seriously, don’t kill them.

 

International

Caught on video: A rear view camera catches a driver speeding up to deliberately run down a cyclist before fleeing the scene; despite clear video evidence, the authorities declined to prosecute, saying they can’t prove who was behind the wheel.

Scottish stunt cyclist Danny MacAskill takes to the snow.

Afghanistan’s women cycling federation has been nominated for the Nobel Peace prize. You know it sucks in a country when just having the courage to ride a bike is enough to win international recognition.

After his son was killed when he hit a pothole while riding a bike, a Mumbai man takes it upon himself to fill potholes on the city’s streets. And yes, it was probably a motorbike, but that doesn’t lessen what the father is doing to keep it from happening to anyone else.

A writer says Malta is dangerously trapped in the auto-centric ‘50s, instead of emulating other cities where bicycling is as natural as walking.

 

Finally…

Some of our bike lanes may be useless, but at least they’re more than six feet long. People find lots of things while riding their bikes; like a human skull, for instance.

And now you can pedal away the pounds with your very own sitNcycle for just $19.95, including shipping and handling.

No, really.

………

One last note.

When I announced the winner of our bike contest giveaway, I lamented that we only had one bike to give away, despite two very deserving people.

So I’m happy to report that a very generous anonymous donor has volunteered to buy a bicycle for the second place finisher, and that she’s in the process of picking out her new bike.

Which makes this a win/win in the best possible sense.

 

Category: Bikes & the Law, Hit-and-Run, Legal Cases, Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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