April 7, 2016 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Morning Links: It’s a video Thursday, with a scofflaw LA BMX tour, rotating jazz bike and a knockout kick
Let’s make this a video Thursday.
Watch BMX rider Nigel Sylvester ride salmon on Broadway, nearly run people off the sidewalk and litter on Skid Row in a fast-paced tour of the City of Angels. Thanks to Mike Wilkinson for the heads-up.
New stats from the US Department of Transportation show over 86% of bikeshare stations in the US extend the reach of transit systems by connecting to another form of transit.
Co.Exist says cities keep installing sharrows because they’re fast and cheap, even if they don’t improve safety.
In the latest marketing gaff from Specialized, the company apologizes for putting up posters saying “Better bikes come from better bike shops” on a boarded-up non-Specialized dealer, after it was closed following a gas explosion. And offers $1,000 to make up for it.
Legislation under consideration in Vermont would require drivers to give cyclists a four-foot passing distance, and yield to cyclists before turning. But it would also require riders to stick to the edge of the pavement, allowing them to move towards the center of the lane only when the shoulder is unsafe.
A Rhode Island bike advocacy group is building a Bike Barn on a vacant lot to house their offices and a bike co-op.
The New York City council finally puts its money where its mouth is, considering a significant increase in funding for Vision Zero projects. Let’s hope LA follows their example.
In today’s alliterative news, a Baltimore man got a bullet in the butt thanks to a bike rider.
As if dodging dangerous drivers wasn’t bad enough, a British delivery driver was felled by a window pane falling from 21-stories up.
A Brit anti-doping scientist claims he would have caught Lance a lot sooner. Only if his test could somehow uncover collusion with cycling officials to hide the results.
Seville, Spain cuts car use 27% in just ten years, as bike modal share rises to nine percent. Tell that to the next person who says increasing bike use in LA won’t improve traffic congestion.
An Australian website says most Queensland drivers are giving bicyclists the required 1 meter passing distance, which rises to 1.5 meters when the speed limit is above 37 mph; the law will be made permanent following a successful two-year trial.
Fourth Street may finally be getting a little safer.
Those massive cracks, potholes and patches in the pavement along LA’s unofficial 4th Street bike boulevard could soon be a think of the past, as the city has finally agreed to fix the broken concrete through the Hancock Park neighborhood.
Several bike riders have suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious, including broken bones, as a result of bad pavement on the popular riding route. And filed suit against the city as a result.
However, to the best of my knowledge, there are no plans to reopen discussion of actually optimizing the street for bike traffic.
Plans for a bike boulevard were halted by former councilmember Tom LaBonge several years ago, largely because of local opposition to installing a stop light on Highland Blvd. Even though that was not actually part of the plan for the street.
When the course is too muddy for the traditionally muddy Paris-Roubaix, you know there’s a problem. Organizers also changed the race’s start time to keep the peloton from getting stopped by a train, unlike last year.
And the Santa Bernardino Sun lists five things you need to know about this week’s Redlands Bicycle Classic; including the tidbit that over 320 cyclists will bunk with local residents.
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Local
Metro CEO Phillip Washington discusses plans for the future of transportation in Los Angeles, including “billions” for pedestrian and bike paths across the city; a writer for the Daily Bruin says Metro should focus their efforts on Millennials to capture the “loyal ridership of the largest generation in American history.” Which makes sense, because unlike older generations, they may still be around to use it once the system is finally built out.
A ghost bike was scheduled to be placed in Studio City last night for the still unnamed victim of Tuesday’s bicycling collision.
A 12-year old San Dimas boy was airlifted to the hospital, apparently as a precaution because he wasn’t wearing a helmet when he reportedly crashed his bike into a car. Which sounds very strange; paramedics aren’t likely to waste an expensive medevac helicopter trip unless they suspect serious injury.
State
Bike racks and benches will be added to access points to the Strand in Dana Point, after a settlement is reached allowing public access to public beaches that have been locked to keep the public out.
Bike theft has become rampant in San Diego’s Pacific and Mission Beach neighborhoods.
A Santa Barbara urban hiking group says bike lanes belong on a quiet side street, not the busier commercial street where the city wants to put it. Which is fine, as long as you don’t want bike riders to frequent the businesses on the street.
A Colorado man plans to ride 15,000 miles — just seven months after he had quadruple bypass heart surgery — to promote the James Webb Space Telescope, due to be launched by NASA in 2018.
Seriously, what kind of schmuck would run away after crashing his Jeep into two kids being pulled in a bike trailer in Austin TX? Thanks to Steve Katz for the heads-up, who assures me it would be legal to shoot a hit-and-run driver in self-defense in the Lone Star State.
A Vermont website uses Burlington VT as a prime example of why local residents may not be able to stop moneyed interests from forcing bike lanes on them. Even though the overwhelming majority of voters in a recent election wanted the bike lanes, and those so-called moneyed interests only raised a little over $11,000.
A DC letter writer blames bicycling fatalities on appalling behavior by light-jumping, Lance Armstrong-style cyclists. Because people who ride legally never, ever get hit by cars. Right?
*The Associated Press announced over the weekend that Internet will no longer be capitalized when their new stylebook comes out in June. I’m just getting a head start on it.
So get comfortable. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.
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Evidently, bikeshare is safer than other forms of bicycling.
According to a new study, not one person has been killed while using a bikeshare bike anywhere in the US, with over 35 million rides in at least 94 systems.
And despite the overwhelming lack of helmet use.
That compares with an estimated fatality rate of 21 deaths per 100 million bicycling trips. Which means statistically, we could have expected at least seven bikeshare deaths so far. And there hasn’t been.
Among other factors, the study credits the heavy, slow bikes typical of bikeshare, and the fact that bikeshare trips are usually taken in urban areas where traffic tends to move slower.
My take is that in addition to being heavy, most bikeshare bikes are made with a step-through design, which makes them easy to jump off of in the event of danger or a fall.
Hopefully that track record will continue as bikeshare begins to spread through the LA area.
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Maybe we need a tape measure.
Streetsblog discovers a one-block long bike lane in Pleasanton that they say may be the shortest bike lane in California; a city official admits that yes, it’s short, but it’s a little better than nothing.
Don’t send the trophy up to the Bay Area yet, though.
It was just eight years ago when Slate declared a one-block long bike lane on Galey in Westwood the Stupidest Bike Lane in America.
A title it should hold on to, even if Pleasanton’s measures out a little shorter.
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My spies tell me the lane markers have all been stripped out on Washington Blvd between the Marina and Sepulveda Blvd, apparently so the lanes can be realigned, with the existing bike lanes extended all the way to Sepulveda.
Let’s hope the lanes are being moved to make room for a buffer. Or better yet, protected lanes.
After all, the new protected lanes on Venice look pretty comfy. Maybe once LA drivers get used to the ide, we can turn those bollards into planters.
Thanks to Margaret for the tip.
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In a piece that should be mandatory reading for everyone in the bicycle industry, British bike scribe and historian Carlton Reid says if bike makers and sellers want the bicycle market to grow, spending on advocacy is an investment, not an expense.
Many of the current crop of unpaid promoters of our products are burning the candle at both ends, working tirelessly in their free time to get more people on bicycles. With substantial financial and moral support these advocates could truly work wonders. It’s shocking, really, that the industry stays largely aloof from such a passionate and committed volunteer army. (Bikes Belong in the US, and the Cycling Industry Club initiative from the European Cyclists’ Federation are stand-out examples of how the worlds of advocacy and the industry can meet in the middle.)
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April Fools Day came and went. And as usual, it didn’t leave the bike world out.
Streetsblog says LA’s Great Streets will now be named after the councilmembers whose districts they’re in, which means Koretz and Cedillo will have their names permanently attached to failed streets they’ve made. We could only wish that one was true.
Meanwhile, a team mechanic became the latest person to be struck by a race vehicle when he was run down by an Etixx-QuickStep team car; no word on whether he was injured.
A writer for the Guardian says the death of Belgian pro cyclist Antoine Demoitié in a collision with a race moto — 66 years after a French rider suffered the same fate — should be a wake-up call for pro cycling’s overly crowded races. This crap is going to continue until race vehicles are required to remain behind the peloton. If a rider suffers a mechanical, he — or she — can wait until the peloton has passed, or just fix himself like the great riders of the past.
British world champ Lizzie Armitstead won the women’s Tour of Flanders in a photo-finish sprint to claim her fourth major victory of the year.
Eleven-time British world champ Anna Meares still suffers pain, eight years after she went from a wheelchair to the Olympic podium in just eight months following a bad fall while competing in Los Angeles.
A Taiwanese amateur cyclist feels the need, the need for speed, while an Aussie woman prepares to compete in triathlon at the Rio Paralympics just 18 months after taking up the sport — and despite being born with just one hand.
No bias here. A Santa Monica paper says a cyclist was arrested riding salmon while carrying burglary tools in a hot spot for break-ins. Chances are, they would never refer to the alleged thief as a motorist or pedestrian in the headline under similar circumstances.
The blog post may have come out on April 1st, but it’s no joke that Santa Monica’s Breeze bikeshare is ready for the opening of the Expo Line and all the people it will bring looking for a way to explore the city or travel the last few blocks to their destination.
A self-righteous Clovis letter writer says cyclists have to stop being self-righteous and “assume responsibility for the proper use of their toys.” Yes, toys.
San Francisco’s People Behaving Badly reporter goes looking for bicyclists with earbuds in both ears. Nice to know they’ve solved all the other safety problems in Bagdad by the Bay.
A writer from New Jersey outs himself and his family as a few of those tourists on rental bikes that people in Sausalito claim are ruining their fair city; no such objections seem to have arisen from their ride through Yosemite, though.
A Fairfield driver faces DUI charges for running down a drunk salmon cyclist; he told police he’d supported his two-gram-a-day habit by using meth 30 times that day before getting behind the wheel.
The Christian Science Monitor explains the benefits of bicycling attire, especially for long rides. Seriously, you don’t need spandex to enjoy your ride, but it does make a difference.
After high-stakes gambler Dan Bilzerian won his $1.2 million bet by riding from LA to Vegas in less than 48 hours, the New York post calls him the biggest jerk on Instagram. Judging by the little I’ve seen of his fascination for guns and boobs, you won’t get any argument from me.
A Colorado city will vote Tuesday on whether to require bicyclists to ride single file through town, despite a state law allowing cyclists to ride two abreast.
In a horrifying hit-and-run reminiscent of the crash that nearly took the life of Finish the Ride founder Damian Kevitt, a Texas woman survives after being dragged several blocks under a truck as the driver fled the scene. But unlike the jerk who ran down Kevitt, this driver was found and arrested, held on a $100,000 bond and an immigration detainer. Thanks to Steve Katz for the heads-up.
Great piece from the Washington Post refuting five myths about bicycling. Although I’d quibble with the suggestion that it wouldn’t make much of a dent in congestion even if more people rode bikes.
A North Carolina cyclist thanks the driver who said her tire was flat, and drove home to get an air compressor to fix it.
An Australian website says the risk of riding in large cities is extremely low, while the individual and social benefits are high.
Finally…
When you crash your car while driving under the influence with a suspended license while carrying drug paraphernalia and prescription meds, “borrowing” a bike to make your getaway may not be the best idea. Now you can print your own parts for an ugly ass ebike.
Welcome to today’s hopefully April Fools-free Morning Links. I’ve done my best to sort out the fake news, but my apologies in advance if something manages to slip through.
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Nothing like a self-appointed expert on bike law to ruin your ride.
John Montgomery actually collided with a driver making an apparent punishment pass as he rode in Venice, who blamed him for the minor collision, and proceeded to chastise him for riding in the traffic lane instead of hugging the curb.
Then stopped a little further down the street and got out of the car, with a generous offer to kick Montgomery’s ass.
As police officers have explained to me, a motorist can be charged with assault the moment he gets out of his car to confront someone.
Never mind the obvious harassment and violation of the three-foot passing law.
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New York designer Lorenzo Martone will open a pop-up shop for his monochrome bicycles, as well as accessories and his favorite active wear brands near Third and Orlando for the month of April.
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Local
Councilmember David Ryu’s staff continues to study the Rowena Ave road diet.
Santa Clarita’s Golden Valley Road bridge over Hwy 14 is in the midst of a widening project that will add two lanes, a pedestrian walkway and a bike path.
BikeSGV invites you to ride with them along Pasadena’s proposed bike-friendly, traffic-calmed street to visit the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens this May as part of Metro’s bike month; admission is free, but limited to just 30 riders.
State
A Laguna Beach writer says put bikeshare kiosks everywhere to help solve the city’s traffic problems, and complete the city plan that calls for a bike and pedestrian friendly downtown while they’re at it.
A Fresno bike thief is busted shortly after threatening the victim by saying “It’s not worth dying over” as the man tried to get his bike back.
Police bust a San Jose bike thief the easy way, after discovering a $3,000 bike they impounded was stolen and the thief already in custody on other charges; he and his partner allegedly took four high-end bikes from an apartment complex.
Marin County sheriff’s deputies will use radar guns to monitor the speed of bicyclists; riders on unpaved trails are limited to a maximum speed of 15 mph, and must slow to 5 mph when passing. So, how do you pass a rider doing 10 mph if you have to slow down 5 mph to do it?
My hometown becomes the latest city to get bikeshare before Los Angeles; the new 13-station system kicks off today.
It’s a virtual ciclovía in Yellowstone for the next two weeks, as bike riders are allowed into the national park before cars are let in on the 15th. But if there isn’t anyone else on the road, why are cyclists required to ride single file? It’s not like the bears and bison care.
Wisconsin tries to reduce hit-and-run by requiring drivers who hit anything to stop and investigate, eliminating the all-too-common excuse that they thought they hit a log or a deer, or something else non-human.
A Pennsylvania conference looks at the possibility of installing speed cameras to combat speeding drivers. That’s something we desperately need here in California, where speed limits are merely suggestions. Not to mention the risk speeding motorists pose to anyone not wrapped in a couple tons of steel and glass.
Baltimore police are looking for a cyclist who collided with a four-year old child despite ringing his bike bell. He rode on after stopping to ask if the girl was okay; unfortunately, the child was seriously injured and is now in a body cast.
Evidently, London’s Daily Mail has never heard swearing before, as they are astonished at the very brief four-letter tirade unleashed by a cyclist when he has to swerve to avoid a car. Then again, their windshield perspective is pretty obvious; someone should tell them it’s not a dashcam video if the user isn’t in a car.
Britain’s prime minister is caught riding a bike with his daughter while on vacation, both sans helmet, after he pinky swore not to do that again.
A British driver is found not guilty of attempting to run down the cyclist who ended up on his hood, saying he was just trying to get away after the group of riders harassed him.
I won’t bore you again with my own thoughts; I offered them last month upon learning that Rosendahl was nearing the end.
But I will say that LA is a better city today than it was just a few short years ago, and he had a lot to do with that.
And we are a much poorer city today without him.
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Somehow I missed Calbike’s endorsements of candidates for the state legislature in the upcoming June primary, including several in the LA, OC and San Diego areas.
Specialized had already apologised for the PR stunt, with chief marketing officer Slate Olson saying the brand “stands strong with female riders and we do not support the objectification of women in any way, in any region.”
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A New Zealand PSA shows how to stop a texting driver, and maybe get a little closer at the same time. Although it would be a kind of awkward from the seat of your bike.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM75ulDRkhI
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Not only has gambler and Instagram idiot star Dan Bilzerian begun his ride to Las Vegas to win a $1.2 million bet, at last report, he was just 25 miles from the finish line.
Then again, give me two chefs, a masseuse, doctor, bike mechanic and a police escort, and I’ll do it for half of that.
More on the planned opening of the new Modern Times microbrewery in DTLA’s South Park neighborhood; the founder of the San Diego craft brew maker says he was drawn, in part, by Downtown’s expanding bike lane network.
Construction is nearing completion on a several major projects in downtown Santa Monica, including a number of bicycling improvements.
Whittier police warn bike thieves to beware of their sting. It would be nice to see LAPD fight bike theft with a bait bike or two of their own.
State
Remarkably, some Encinitas residents fear turning a dirt trail that runs along a railroad track through Cardiff into a paved bike path, which will eventually run 44 miles from Oceanside to downtown San Diego, will somehow ruin the character of the city.
Nice piece by a Bay Area bike writer, who says sometimes bikes slow down cars — and sometimes cars slow down cars — and that’s okay.
San Francisco’s Bicycle Advisory Committee works for better bicycling by the bay. LA has one, as well; although it usually gets ignored by city officials, and most councilmembers seldom, if ever, meet with their representatives on the committee. And the city won’t even give them an actual website.
Portland restripes a bike lane, just one day after the Department of DIY struck by placing orange cones to mark the fading lines.
A Portland woman gets her bike back five years after it was stolen, thanks to registering it with Bike Index. You have registered yours, right? They offer free lifetime registration right at the top of this page, so don’t wait until it’s too late.
Now that’s more like it. A proposal in the Illinois legislature would require drivers on a highway to yield the right-of-way to any person riding a bicycle.
Caught on video: A British driver compiles “shocking” dashcam video of scofflaw cyclists, saying this is how accidents happen. Except none of the riders he shows seem to cause any collisions, and few, if any, close calls.
UK police are looking for a hit-and-run bike rider who broke a three-year old boy’s leg while riding on the sidewalk. Seriously, in any collision with a pedestrian — or another rider — stick around until you know they’re okay. Especially a little kid.
A new carfree Amsterdam tunnel uses design and lighting to create separate spaces for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Twenty-five Pakistani women ride to reclaim their space on the roads in the face of harassment, cheered on by around 60 supporters.
A new Aussie bike helmet with built-in cams records a 320 degree view of everything around you while offering a live rear view.
March 30, 2016 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Morning Links: Downtown bike lanes draw new brewery, new bollards on Vineland and a new LA Bike Fest video
Just a few short years ago, DTLA was a ghost town after dark. And wasn’t much better during the day.
Now, according to the founder of Modern Times Beer, it’s becoming “one of the most walkable, bike-friendly urban centers in the country.” Which is why the company plans to open a brewery, vegan restaurant and specialty coffee shop in the booming South Park neighborhood.
Just more evidence that bike lanes improve livability. And bikes are good for business.
Now if only the rest of the city would get the message.
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Maybe Vineland Ave is turning into LADOT’s testing ground.
CiclaValley offers video evidence of the new bollards that have been added to keep drivers out of the bike lane, which started out as a plain buffered lane before being painted green in sections, and now bollards.
Hopefully they’ll take the lessons learned there and apply them to other bikeways, new and existing, throughout the city.
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A new video promotes May’s Los Angeles Bicycle Festival, with a Kickstarter campaign attempting to raise $3,500 by the end of April.
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A writer for London’s Telegraph says pro cycling has some safety lessons to learn, because there’s been too many collisions with motorbikes in pro cycling over the past 12 months.
Metro’s planned bikeshare system could break new ground by making it a genuine part of the transit system, with transfers to and from buses and trains.
Glendora announces plans for an 11.5 mile network of urban bike and pedestrian trails along the San Dimas, Little Dalton and Big Dalton Washes.
Experience a mini-ciclovía or live out your Indy Car fantasies when organizers open the Long Beach Gran Prix course to the non-motorized public for a whole hour and fifteen minutes next Tuesday.
State
A Fullerton bike rider was struck by a hit-and-run driver after he tried to flee on foot from a cop who tried to stop him for an equipment violation.
A 37-year old transient was charged with murder in the stabbing death of 51-year old cyclist Sidney Siemensma on an Irvine bike path this January, as well as a separate charge for child pornography. Despite initial fears, it wasn’t a random attack; the two men were acquaintances who reportedly had an altercation that led to the stabbing. Thanks to Ed Rubinstein for the heads-up.
The Feds approved a grant for a new six-lane bridge, including sidewalks and bike lanes, over a deadly Oxnard railroad crossing.
Kindhearted Oakland police pitch in to give an 11-year old girl a new bicycle after her father was arrested for threatening her and her mother, just one week after he was released from prison on a previous domestic violence conviction.
National
Popular Mechanics explains how Ford’s recently patented automatic kickstands would work, allowing you to ride without ever putting your foot down. If you could manage to even get going with that much weight on your rear wheel.
The president of California’s Sustainable Trails Coalition says it’s inevitable that federal policy will be changed to allow bicycles in the nation’s wilderness areas. Possible, yes; inevitable, no.
A pilot protected bike lane through downtown Seattle will be extended and made permanent, with planter dividers replacing plastic posts.
A writer for the Wall Street Journal takes a stroll across the suddenly popular Brooklyn Bridge, and says it’s almost impossible for people on foot to avoid straying over the thin white line separating the bike and pedestrian sections, leading to abuse from riders who find their way blocked.
A St. Louis driver fleeing a traffic stop runs a stop sign, jumps the curb and hits a man riding his bike on the sidewalk. With three little kids in his car, no less.
A writer for HuffPo says New Orleans’ efforts to become bike friendly after Hurricane Katrina allow her to keep riding to work even though she’s nine months pregnant.
Make your reservations for Montreal’s French-flavored weekend long bike festival this May, including a 30-mile ride on closed-off streets that typically draws 25,000 people.
So just to clarify, there is nothing in California law requiring bicyclists to ride single file, nor is there any requirement that cyclists separate themselves by a few seconds distance.
In fact, bike riders are legally allowed to ride two or more abreast in any lane that can’t be safely shared with a motor vehicle — and it’s often safer to do so to increase visibility and control the lane to prevent unsafe passing. It’s also safer and more efficient for groups of cyclists to ride close together, rather than spaced out.
Despite his protestations, no passing zones prohibit drivers from crossing the center line to pass another vehicle; they are not intended to keep bicyclists from passing one another, or even slower cars, as long as they don’t cross the center line. There is also no requirement that cyclists enter the traffic lane to pass anyone if there is room to do it on the shoulder.
And someone should tell him who poses the real danger on our streets.
Because it ain’t the ones on bikes.
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Local
A Santa Monica writer says if you’re traveling through the city at rush hour, you either need to walk, skate board or ride a bike, or find a new age CD to keep calm in your car.
A proposed Metrolink station near Rio Hondo College in Whittier would connect to the San Gabriel River bike path, giving Eastsiders an alternative to driving the freeway. Or driving, period.
IBM is helping the US women’s track cycling team gain an edge as they prepare for the Rio Olympics.
Bicycling offers advice on how to avoid fading during a long ride. Tip #7: To avoid fading during your ride, don’t get faded before it.
In between races, Vermont-based cross-country pro cyclist Lea Davison mentors the next generation of female riders.
A local TV station looks at the lack of equity in Boston bikeways, as some neighborhoods have benefitted from decades of bike lane construction, while others remain virtually untouched. And you can probably guess which ones.
New Jersey officials are quarreling over bikeshare, as Jersey City complains that Hoboken’s Hudson Bike Share is hogging all the public bike racks that could be used by its own Citi Bike system.
March 27, 2016 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Morning Links: Belgian cyclist killed in wreck with race moto; 7 of the 8 most dangerous Valley intersections
It’s finally happened.
After far too many pro cyclists have been hit by race motos and support vehicles the past few years, it seemed inevitable that someone would be killed if changes weren’t made.
They weren’t. And someone was.
Sadly, 25-year old Belgium rider Antoine Demoitie died after falling off his bicycle and being run over by a motorcycle in Sunday’s 2016 Gent-Wevelgem.
The tragedy overshadowed Peter Sagan’s first victory since winning the world champion’s rainbow jersey, after a string of second-place finishes.
Former Belgian national champion Jens Debusschere was also hospitalized after suffering a concussion during the race.
It took Eritrean cyclist Mekseb Debesay 15 hours and 149 miles to complete Belgium’s 128 mile E3 Harelbeke race after getting lost along the course. But at least he arrived at the team hotel clean and feed, after a Good Samaritan took him home and offered him a shower and clean clothes.
Two Russian track cyclists were just the latest of their countrymen to test positive for the recently banned meldonium; 27 Russian athletes have failed drug tests since the first of the year.
Closer to home, the 32nd Redland’s Classic begins a week from Wednesday with over 300 men and women riders set to compete.
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Local
The LAPD and LADOT are working to improve safety at the eight most dangerous intersections in the San Fernando Valley, but the Daily News only manages to list seven. Evidently, the eighth one is a secret. Or maybe a tie between every other intersection in the Valley.
An Ohio cyclist pauses along the Central Coast on his ride around the perimeter of the US to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity and Save the Children; he’s ridden 7,300 miles so far with 24 states to go.
A passing bicyclist found a Merced-area bike rider lying injured on the side of the road after hearing the hit-and-run victim plead for help.
Traffic deaths in San Francisco haven’t gone down yet, two years after the city adopted a Vision Zero plan. As noted before, Vision Zero is a long process requiring a dramatic shift in infrastructure, attitudes and enforcement, making quick results highly unlikely.
A Marin columnist bizarrely suggests the billions spent on roadways is proportionately little compared to funding for bikes, and fails to grasp that bike commuting might increase, and roads get a little less gridlocked, if people had safer places to ride to work.
You’ve got to be kidding. A Sacramento bike rider gets hit by a driver, who then assaults him before driving off without exchanging license and insurance information. And the local police respond, in effect, “So?”
Chicago advocates think they can convince the city to build an elevated bike path connecting two branches of the Chicago River. Maybe something like that would work for some of the narrower sections of the LA River, as well.
Maybe he should stick to his specialty. A Michigan orthopedic surgeon says always wear your bike helmet to prevent concussions. Except most bike helmets don’t do that.
Writers for a paper in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley get it, saying the state needs to fund Complete Streets to improve safety and access for everyone.
Statistics show New York’s Citi Bike really is part of the city’s transit system, as commuters make up a large percentage of the bikeshare system’s users.
NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson and Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff will join People for Bikes in riding 400 miles to Atlanta starting this Wednesday; they’ll be joined by a pair of women from Trek and Specialized who’ll set their professional competition aside to advocate for safer streets.
A bighearted Florida man fixes up discarded bicycles and donates them to a homeless center; the program he started has given the shelter around 500 refurbished bikes since 2008.
International
Former NYDOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan tells a Canadian audience that bike and pedestrian friendly cities are worth fighting for. Meanwhile, Ottawa city councilors urge the city to take advantage of new federal funding to speed up construction of bicycling and pedestrian projects.
An Indian state plans to improve safety by installing a series of protected bike lanes, although a local cyclist says the only real solution would be fewer cars on the road.
Leaders of the South African metro area surrounding Pretoria call for more diversity in sport cycling after most of the competitors in a two-day mountain bike event were white.
Australian authorities are looking for a driver who deliberately swerved to run down a bike-riding father of two.
Los Angeles Vision Zero wants your input on how the city should prioritize projects that address roadway collisions.
The LA Weekly questions why Metro has budgeted $425 million to complete the LA River Bike Path by 2025. It’s fair to question the price tag. Which is not to say it isn’t worth it; completing the 51-mile bikeway would do a lot more good than the $1 billion spent to widen the 405 for no apparent reason.
Instagram star and gambler Dan Bilzerian has to start his $1.2 million ride from LA to Las Vegas by the end of this month, and complete the ride within 48 hours to win the bet; he’s gotten coaching from Lance and spent $125,000 to get his multiple bikes and crew of 17 ready.
An Escondido bike rider was seriously injured in a collision with an SUV after allegedly riding through a red light; police suspect the victim had been drinking.
Pardee Homes partners with the San Diego Mountain Bike Association to develop an off-road trail in Del Mar Mesa.
Bighearted Reno firefighters fix a boy’s bike after he was hit by a car while riding to school.
This is why people continue to die on our streets. An Illinois driver gets six years for running down a cyclist while driving under the influence — after four previous arrests for DUI, resulting in two convictions.
Chicagoist offers a beginner’s guide to biking on the mean streets of the Windy City. Which apply pretty much anywhere else, as well.
LA has Critical Mass on the last Friday of the month; Baltimore has the Baltimore Bike Party.
After a North Carolina state trooper responded to a collision involving a boy on a bicycle, he teamed with his wife and father to give helmets to 40 kids.
International
A London writer tosses political correctness — and logic — aside in claiming cyclists and their powerful backers are destroying the city. Evidently, it’s bikes, not cars, that cause pollution, and somehow, making space for bicycles on the roads makes it impossible for others to walk on the sidewalk.
So much for that screaming Kiwi driver who went ballistic after getting stuck behind a group of cyclists; turns out she was an actress hired to do a voiceover for the video.
The Aussie man who took out an ad looking for the owner of the bike he stole for a drunken ride home actually found her.
A new network of inner-city Auckland, New Zealand bike paths have proven to be even more popular than anticipated; 30% of the riders on one pathway are new to bicycling.
According to LAPD statistics presented at yesterday’s bike liaison meeting, bike-involved collisions are down dramatically throughout Los Angeles compared to this time last year.
49% reduction in bike collisions in the Valley Traffic Division, with serious injuries down 83%
18% reduction in bike collisions in the Central Traffic Division
30% reduction in bike collision in the South Traffic Division
No stats were available from West Traffic.
No reason was given for the sudden improvement in bike safety; as one officer said, it might just be luck.
But it’s a good way to start the year.
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Meanwhile, things aren’t looking as good in the Inland Empire.
Hit-and-run collisions involving pedestrians are up 73% in San Bernardino County and 51% in Riverside County over the last five years, while hit-and-runs involving cyclists are up 34% and 40%, respectively.
I’m normally not a big fan of the visibility arms race, in which it seems like every rider has to outdo everyone else to capture the attention of drivers.
But this new backpack seems like a great idea.
The Bluetooth-enabled Aster backpack from India’s Lumos Design Technology, currently raising funds on Indiegogo, lights up the night with side and rear LED lights, as well as forward white lights on the front straps. Not to mention turn indicators and automatic brake lights.
It also functions as a commuter backpack, unfolding completely to provide easy access to your stuff, while offering helmet and U-lock holders, and a detachable shoe compartment.
And it was designed for use in the US, and product tested right here in California, with feedback from 50 or so riders from the Bay Area.
As a special offer for BikinginLA readers, the first person to pledge at least $75 on the Aster Indiegogo page will also get their Lumos Thrillseeker Solar Daypack, designed to convert sunlight into electricity to charge your USB devices while you ride. Just include “BikinginLA” in the comments when you make your pledge.
But remember, this offer is limited to the first person to make a $75 or higher pledge; there’s no way of knowing if someone may have beaten you to it.
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Local
The LACBC’s Eric Bruins says that as planned, Metro’s proposed transportation tax increase will “build a fantastic system that people won’t feel safe walking and biking to.”
The lead guitarist for the band Pennywise is suing Uber after he was doored while riding in Hermosa Beach last year; the passengers stayed to help, but the driver fled.
The Armenian Youth Federation’s annual Cycle Against Denial will be held in Santa Monica for the first time on April 10th; the event marking the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide had previously been held in the San Fernando Valley.
Temecula’s Sarah Hammer is the first American cyclist to qualify for the Rio Olympics; the multiple silver medal winner hopes her third Olympics will bring gold. Although she may have trouble winning anything if they don’t get the track installed in time.
After a speeding tour bus driver crashed into pedestrians and a cyclist in a crowded San Francisco neighborhood, injuring 19 people, police basically say “oops.”
Someone must not like mountain bikers in Folsom Lake. Three riders were forced to take cover when bullets flew over their heads, even after they called out to stop shooting.
Police in my hometown finally make an arrest in the case of the courteous hit-and-run driver who apparently moved a bike and backpack to the curb, but left his victim lying in the street.
A protected bike lane in Nebraska suffers $2,500 in damages when a wrong-way driver plows into the concrete divider. On the other hand, without it, that could have been a bike rider.
When a Pennsylvania man walked over to the local police station to see if they’d found his stolen bike, a bighearted cop dipped into his own pocket to buy him a new one. Thanks to Mike Bike for the heads-up from his home town.
International
Bike Radar looks at ambitious mountain bike products that failed big time.
Folding bike maker Brompton calculates it costs the equivalent of $62 a month to store a bike in your London home. Not that you have a London home, of course. And not like they have a vested interest in suggesting you might want a bike that takes up less space.
