Archive for Morning Links

Morning Links: Counting distracted drivers, join Team LACBC for Climate Ride, and SoCal women’s bike racing

April 12, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Counting distracted drivers, join Team LACBC for Climate Ride, and SoCal women’s bike racing

If you’ve ever wondered if distracted driving is really a problem, don’t.

A Florida ad agency filmed 20 minutes of rush hour traffic on a local freeway to count how many drivers were doing something other than focusing on the road ahead of them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqBBVHzHV0c

Something tells me they could find even more by pointing their camera at LA surface streets.

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Team LACBC is holding a training ride for this year’s Climate Ride on Saturday.

They’re still looking for more riders who want to support the environment and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition while enjoying what could be the ride of your life. Or you can support some of the people already committed to riding it.

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We’ve featured a lot of news stories about bike racing the past few days.

Benjamin Goyette says there’s plenty of action right here at home, forwarding video of last weekend’s Pro Women US Cup race #1 at Bonelli Park in San Dimas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2y2NCrVtdA

He adds,

Despite her fresh injury after crashing hard last week, local favorite Larissa Connors collected precious UCI points with her 10th place finish in a strong field of Olympic athletes.

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Keeping up that theme, a rider for the Movistar team was injured by a rival rider’s disc brake during Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, while the rider stuck by a race motorcycle suffered only minor injuries. Road.cc sums up the madness of the race.

And American legend Davis Phinney lists his dream cycling team from back in the day. While he includes a lot of great riders, my favorite would have to be Raul Alcala, one of the most exciting riders I’ve had the pleasure of seeing race in person.

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Local

The Times offers a great graphic explaining why it’s so hard to get bike lanes built in California.

Momentum Magazine looks at next month’s inaugural Los Angeles Bicycle Festival; you can support the event and get your tickets by clicking on the ad to your right.

CicLAvia is giving away a case for your iPhone 6 to celebrate their 10,000th Instagram follower.

Santa Monica is hosting a bike swap on May Day.

Arcadia will host a meeting tonight to discuss June’s 626 Golden Streets festival featuring 17 miles of open streets in the San Gabriel Valley.

 

State

The Orange County Transportation Authority has partnered with Caltrans to identify problem areas on PCH, including several that put bike riders and pedestrians at risk. As anyone who rides the highway probably could have told them.

The OC Register’s David Whiting says Orange County is missing out on millions of dollars in revenue it could earn as a mecca for mountain biking. Nice to see Whiting is still hanging in there with all the changes at the paper; while I may have disagreed with him at times, he’s definitely one of the good guys.

Someone tossed a basketball-sized rock through the window of a Costa Mesa bike shop and made off with a $2,900 mountain bike.

San Diego’s ability to meet it’s climate plan goals will depend on increasing density and convincing people to bike, walk or take transit to work.

A Coachella Valley writer says au contraire, bikes do belong in the wilderness.

The lawyer for a Yolo County driver accused of intentionally running down three bicyclists withdrew his plea of mental incompetency after it was pointed out the man has a documented history of feigning mental illness to avoid criminal charges.

 

National

Great idea. A Seattle couple operate a business instructing people how to incorporate bicycling into their lives, including how to ride to work.

That bike-hating Seattle radio guy is at it again, finding a city councilmember to support his contention that the city shouldn’t kowtow to “the more extreme elements of the bicycle community” by repealing its ridiculous mandatory helmet law. Even though Seattle is one of the few cities in the country that forces grownups to wear a skid lid every time they get on a bike.

Yes, bike riders are required to stop for school buses just like drivers, whether in Washington or anywhere else.

Texas police identify the schmuck who ran away after pinning two children in a bike trailer under his car. Thanks to Steve Katz for the heads-up.

Missouri legislators join cyclists for an annual ride around the capital to call attention to bike legislation and the benefits of bicycling.

Chicago is in the midst of a protected bike lane boom, with plans to build nine miles this year and another 50 within three years; they currently have 290 miles of bike lanes, protected and otherwise, throughout the city.

Indiana University’s annual Little 500, made famous in everyone’s favorite bike movie, will roll for the 66th time this weekend.

Better late than never. Tennessee finally gets around to banning cars from bike lanes.

A DC paper seems surprised to find there’s actually a lawyer specializing in bicycle personal injury cases. You can thank the two great attorneys on the right who sponsor this site, and find a bunch more on the Resources page.

Caught on video: A Florida bicyclist suffered a broken orbital bone when he was sucker punched by teens in a Jeep.

 

International

HuffPo Canada says fewer children are biking and walking to school, and that hurts everyone.

A British grass track bike race was first held in the 1860s. But there won’t be a 125th edition this year.

Unbelievable. An Aussie man gets just 19 months behind bars for a fatal hit-and-run, despite not having a license — and despite a previous conviction for hit-and-run. And despite facing charges involving dishonesty 26 previous times. More proof that the failure to take traffic crimes seriously isn’t just an American problem. Thanks to David Huntsman for the link.

A New Zealand man fixes hundreds of bikes to give away to children each year.

 

Finally…

A new wireless speaker fits in your water bottle holder for when you want to annoy everyone else with your taste in music. And the 12 most ridiculous bicycling accessories.

Or bikes, for that matter.

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Thanks to John Hall for his generous donation to support this site.

It’s contributions like his that help keep this site going.

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

Morning Links: Even more bike racing news, fix LA traffic by biking to school, and FL gets serious about bikeways

April 10, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Even more bike racing news, fix LA traffic by biking to school, and FL gets serious about bikeways

Once again, there’s just too much bike racing in the news.

In a huge upset, Aussie journeyman domestique Mathew Hayman claims a surprise victory in Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix classic; the 37-year old rider says he’s proof dreams can come true. And that he’s sorry he won.

Britain’s Ian Stannard becomes the first rider from his country to podium at Paris-Roubaix, while Cycloscross Magazine looks at how cross riders fared in the race. Deadspin calls it a day in hell, but Vavel says it was one of the best Roubaix races in modern times.

And you have to see Peter Sagan put those bike skills to work by simply riding over another rider’s bike after a mass crash.

On the other hand, another bike race, another cyclist injured by a race moto.

Meanwhile, Alberto Contador says not so fast on those retirement plans after winning his fourth Tour of the Basque Country title.

British Olympic cycling gold medalist Laura Trott says the growth in women’s cycling is incredible.

Speaking of which, 41-year old Kristin Armstrong won the women’s title in the Redlands Classic, finishing 33 seconds ahead of defending champ Mara Abbott, who was riding with a broken collarbone; Matteo Dal-Cin wins for the men.

The pros weren’t the only ones competing, as over 600 children got their chance to ride across the finish line. As part of the Classic, people with disabilities learned how to ride adaptive bicycles.

And hundreds of local families have to say goodbye to the riders they’ve been hosting for the last week.

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Local

An OpEd for the Times suggests four easy fixes for LA Traffic, including biking or walking to school. Which is now illegal at one Texas school.

New Echo Park Adult Literacy Coordinator Richard Risemberg complains about LA’s disconnected bike network, noting that bike riders have to keep going even when the bike lane ends. Which it usually does. And congrats to Rick on the new gig.

As if there wasn’t enough drama on the streets, a Beverly Hills play centers on the death of a London cyclist in 1958.

Metro CEO Phil Washington makes a surprise appearance at an El Monte workshop to explain plans for the new transportation tax.

Long Beach will hold an open house to discuss their new bike master plan on Thursday.

 

State

In a seriously cringe-worthy incident, a San Clement BMX rider was impaled in the abdomen when the seat came off his bike.

The Desert Sun says a planned Palm Springs road diet is likely to annoy the local anti-bike contingent, but isn’t likely to affect many drivers. And really, isn’t annoying the bike haters what it’s all about?

A local charity gives a 13-year old Cathedral City boy with cerebral palsy a new adaptive bicycle.

A San Francisco orthopedist says love your bike, but leave it more often, because crosstraining is vital for cyclists.

 

National

When his bike lock won’t open, a Spokane man learns you can use bolt cutters to free your bike with patrons from a crowded restaurant looking on, and no one will care. Somehow, this is not comforting.

No bias here. A Montana letter writer says the tiny minority of thrill seeking cyclists shouldn’t be allowed in wilderness areas, because mountain bikers are incapable of riding safely.

A New Hampshire driver is fined just $2,000 and loses her license for a whole 90 days for killing an 83-year old bike rider. And she can get that back if she just makes an equal donation to Safe Routes to Schools. Evidently, the life of an old man isn’t worth much in the Granite State. At least not if he rides a bike.

Gun control advocates are riding from Newtown to DC to honor the children and teachers killed in the Sandy Hook shooting; the governor of Delaware will join them on the ride to help deliver a petition to Congress.

Philadelphia will invest $300,000 in a network of protected bike lanes.

A Columbia University student learns it can be challenging to review a bikeshare system if you don’t know how to ride a bike

Now that’s more like it. Florida establishes a $25 million annual fund for building bicycle trails, financed by vehicle registration fees; the money will be used to complete a coast-to-coast trail across the state, possibly followed by twin 800 mile trails from Pensacola to Key West on either coast.

 

International

Next time you’re in Tijuana, be sure to show up at a bike delivery-based vegan taco shop by bicycle to get a 15% discount.

Caught on video: An English woman lets it rip on YouTube about being treated like a second-class citizen just because she rides a bike.

The leader of Britain’s Labour Party is captured riding his bike on Google Street View.

Brit bike scribe and historian Carlton Reid explains to motorists that the reason bike riders don’t always use bike paths is because they’re usually terrible. Which is often the case here, as well.

Local residents threaten disruption and possible violence in response to a bike event in the UK next weekend. The best way to tell you’re dealing with NIMBYs is when they assure you they’re not NIMBYs. And violence? Seriously?

An Irish mother refuses to ride a bike and won’t let her children ride on the streets after she was knocked off hers by an aggressive cyclist; maybe she should talk to some Aussie women about overcoming their fears.

An Indian randonneur says cycling is an addiction for him; he owns a world record for riding across eleven Himalayan passes. Meanwhile, a small but growing group of women take up recreational riding in Mumbai.

 

Finally…

Practice is good, even if it means a bike cop face plant. If you’re going to run down a cyclist and chase him with a metal bar, try not to do it directly in front of the cops.

And don’t you dare take your hands off the handlebars in Cyprus.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , ,

Weekend Links: Bighearted people and too much racing news, and an ebike maker says Mexico’s gonna pay for it

April 9, 2016 / / 3 comments

Today’s common theme is bighearted people.

An 87-year old Chico man gets not one, but two bikes from generous donors after his is stolen from a Walmart parking lot.

Generous Oklahoma TV viewers not only gave a disabled girl a new bike when hers was stolen, they bought another for her disabled brother. And fixed the brakes on her mom’s car, and paid next month’s rent on the apartment where they live after losing their home when a crooked contractor ran off with their money.

A Minnesota cop gave a young girl a new bicycle after hers was stolen and damaged when someone wedged it into a tree.

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Too much racing news today.

PRI says the legendary Paris-Roubaix race goes over the worst roads possible, while CiclaValley says it’s required watching this Sunday.

The bike races must go on, as Belgium collectively shrugs off the threat of terrorism following the Brussels bombings.

Deadspin calls it the one of the best victory celebrations in cycling history as Italy’s Diego Rosa got off his bike before the finish line on a solo breakaway, held it over his head and walked across with the peloton over three minutes behind.

Former world champ Philippe Gilbert suffered a broken finger when he and a teammate were attacked by a pair of drunks who got out of their car to confront them.

A sharp-eyed bike shop employee helps recover a stolen four-wheeled adaptive bicycle in time for a disabled Marine vet to participate in the Redlands Bicycle Classic. Meanwhile, another disabled rider is competing in his seventh Redlands Classic, ten years after he was felled by a stroke.

Organizers of the Redlands Classic do their best to minimize the race’s impact on local businesses.

The annual Sea Otter Classic starts Thursday in Monterey.

And a podcast looks at Tillie Anderson and the fight for women’s place in bike racing —  a battle that’s been building since the 1890s. Although that looks like a very uncomfortable bike fit.

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This Trump-inspired ebike video cracked me up. Especially the line “Mexico is gonna pay for it.”

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Local

The Times asks Facebook users which streets are most in need of bike lanes. And of course, it immediately devolves into accusations of freeloading, scofflaw cyclists and stealing precious road space from motor vehicles. Don’t you just love social media?

Metro reminds us of the rules for taking bikes on their buses and trains.

Chris Brown and Benny Benassi ride their bikes along an oddly empty Strand in Hermosa Beach, as bikini-clad women writhe on the beach for some unexplained reason.

 

State

A new project to enhance the southern entrance to Corona del Mar will widen sidewalks and add landscaping, but fails to improve bike access despite community support.

A North San Diego County news group says painted lines are not enough after the Encinitas City Council votes to put a bikeway along Highway 101, rather than next to a rail line; another local paper likes both the result and the harmonious discussion.

A Coronado program takes a more positive approach to scofflaw riding by rewarding bike riders for obeying the law.

A Cathedral City letter writer says the traffic signals required for a proposed 50-mile bikeway around the Coachella Valley will cause traffic delays and more pollution.

SLO police use a bait bike to bust a transient bike thief.

More bad news from the central coast, as a 53-year Salinas old bike rider was killed in a collision on Thursday.

 

National

People for Bikes examines why the ride just outside your front door could be the best bike ride ever.

All of the sudden, the Dutch cargo bike that converts from bicycle with a kids seat to a stroller has millions of moms talking.

A free bikeshare program in Cheyenne WY proves a hit in its first week. Seriously, if bikeshare can succeed in cowboy country, it will work anywhere.

Coon Rapids MN goes for parking over bike lanes, and can’t even decide to paint sharrows to designate an already existing but unmarked bike trail.

 

International

Triple Pundit looks at a group of bike trail projects around the world they say are an urban cyclist’s dream.

Vancouver unveils its prototype bikeshare bike, which does look kind of cool; the system is scheduled to start this summer.

When Calgary built out an entire network of bikeways all at once, bike counts on those routes jumped 95% in just three months.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that over half of all British motorists confess to becoming more aggressive when they drive. The number here would likely be much lower. But only because American drivers probably wouldn’t admit to it.

A British QC — a senior lawyer appointed by the Queen (and yes, I had to look that up) — says juries are too eager to acquit dangerous drivers who injure or kill someone who isn’t in a motor vehicle.

A London truck driver gets just five months for the death of a cyclist that could have been avoided if the driver had used his turn signals and checked his mirror.

An Englishman says a new bike path has ruined his life by destroying the view outside his apartment and keeping him up with lights that stay on all night. Although the landscaping hasn’t been put in yet since it was just finished, and they’re waiting on programming to automatically dim the lights. Thanks to David Wolfberg for the heads-up.

Athens gets its first bikeshare station; it’s free for the first half hour, and 50 cents every half hour after that.

Caught on video: An Australian rider’s bike is run over by an SUV — whose driver doesn’t stop — while trying to undertake the car as it turns onto a roundabout; police blame the guy on the bike.

Not really caught on video: An Aussie cyclist apparently catches a tow on an 18-wheeler, although the video stops before he grabs ahold and starts up again after he lets go.

 

Finally…

When you’re already driving a stolen pickup, probably not the best idea to toss a GPS-enabled bait bike into the back. No, seriously, stealing a bike is nothing to brag about.

And there’s nothing wrong with operating a business out of your home, unless it’s running a successful bike theft ring.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,

Morning Links: Sierra Club endorses in Tuesday CC election, and results from Redlands Bicycle Classic

April 8, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Sierra Club endorses in Tuesday CC election, and results from Redlands Bicycle Classic

Just a quick update today after a far too busy yesterday.

Not to mention I’m in mourning after my DU Pioneers lost in the semifinals of the Frozen Four.

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The Sierra Club endorses Daniel Lee, Councilwoman Meghan Sahli-Wells, and Thomas Small in Tuesday’s Culver City election.

Which corresponds perfectly with Bike the Vote LA’s ranking of the candidates.

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Defending women’s champ Mara Abbott won Thursday’s stage of the Redlands Bicycle Classic despite suffering a possible broken clavicle in a fall; unknown 22-year old Colorado rider Sepp Kuss won the men’s stage.

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Local

The Times says building a bike lane will finally get easier when the state gets around to writing to CEQA rules to correspond with a change in the law eliminating the requirement for an environmental review for one.

A Manhattan Beach man is riding across the country to raise $10,000 for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.

This year’s edition of Finish the Ride rolls through Griffith Park this Sunday. And yes, there’s free beer for every adult rider.

Also Sunday, you’re invited to ride through Northeast LA with the LAPD’s senior lead officers for the area. This would be a great time to bring up the need for better bike and pedestrian infrastructure in the area, especially on North Figueroa.

 

State

A state appeals court rules that a convicted drunk driver can withdraw his guilty plea for killing a seven-year old Fresno boy as he rode in a crosswalk with his family. Apparently, he wasn’t satisfied with his well-deserved 12-year prison term.

Fat bikes are gaining popularity among Sonoma County cyclists.

 

National

April is Distracted Driver Awareness Month. Something few bike riders actually need a month to be aware of.

Momentum Magazine looks at nine examples where bike infrastructure had a positive impact on cities and their local economies.

A new study says sleep deprived teenagers take more chances, such as riding a bike without a helmet.

Plans for a Portland bike trail are in jeopardy because of fears it will harm wildlife, while a Portland paper looks at attempts to open wilderness trails to mountain bikes.

A Oregon bicyclist is looking for the stranger who saved him when he became disoriented after a fall.

A Seattle cyclist proposes building a protected bike lane on a busy Interstate highway through the downtown area.

A Pee-Wee Herman-ish Flagstaff AZ bike rider says it’s time to take over the city council to make the city bike friendly.

A Wisconsin teenager apologizes from behind bars to the family of the cyclist she killed while driving a car in 2012, when she was just 13 years old.

A six year old Georgia boy was accidently shot by a friend as he rode his bike.

 

International

Business Insider talks to British world champ Lizzie Armistead, who has been torching the women’s cycling circuit this year. But despite the headline, as amazing as she is, she is not the world’s fastest pro cyclist.

The Guardian asks why so few British frame makers are women. A better question is why are there so few women bike builders anywhere.

A writer for Bike Biz says the shortfall in bicycling infrastructure is hitting women the hardest.

Cycling Weekly asks if Rapha is one of the UK’s biggest cycling success stories, or just a triumph of branding.

Nothing like getting doored by a London cop.

At least that’s perseverance. After a Brit bike rider is escorted off a freeway leading to Heathrow Airport by police, he gets back on the freeway and does it again.

If you’re not doing anything this June, how about a three-day bike race through the Kalahari desert?

A teenage bike rider hopefully learned the error of his ways when he groped a Kiwi kickboxer.

 

Finally…

At least no LA bike path has ever been closed on account of Wapati. Maybe Boaty McBoatface isn’t the best name after all.

And a proposed amendment to a bill repealing Nebraska’s requirement for cyclists to use sidepaths when available would require cyclists to use sidepaths when available; thanks to Mark Elliot for the heads-up.

Just politics as usual.

 

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

Morning Links: It’s a video Thursday, with a scofflaw LA BMX tour, rotating jazz bike and a knockout kick

April 7, 2016 / / 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.

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See a Brazilian jazz band perform inside a rotating, pedal-powered giant wheel.

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A cyclist in an undetermined country defends himself against a pushy antagonist, knocking the man out with a single kick before riding away.

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Local

Congrats to LADOT for winning a National Planning Award for their successful People Street program, which is responsible for dozens of plazas, parklets and bike corrals.

The Eastsider asks the seemingly eternal question of when that flood control barrier blocking the LA River bike path will finally come down.

Mark your calendar for your nearest public meeting to discuss Metro’s proposed 2016 transportation ballot measure.

KPCC looks at the push to use the word crash instead of accident to describe collisions in order to emphasize driver responsibility.

You’re invited to examine the new Long Beach Bicycle Master Plan at a public open house one week from today.

 

State

Twenty-five-year old Cuban rider Ruben Companioni wins the first stage of the Redlands Classic.

Fresno deputies surprise a 10-year old girl with a new bike after hers was stolen in a burglary last month.

Sad news from Turlock, as a bike rider died after being stuck by two vehicles; the first driver stopped, while the second fled the scene.

Once again, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is hiring a new Executive Director. Although you might want to know why the last one quit before taking the job.

 

National

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.

A new theft-resistant, app-enabled ebike unlocks automatically when you touch the frame.

Men’s Journal says this is the most comfortable saddle you can get for under $100.

The founder of Angie’s List says maintain your bike.

A writer on LinkedIn explains to CEOs why bicycling is good for their companies.

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.

 

International

Bike racing’s governing body will meet next week to discuss the dangers of race motorcycles. And talking is probably all they’ll do.

Women in the UK get on their bikes to encourage other women to ride.

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.

A San Francisco woman touring India would rather ride her bike in the daytime heat than battle the country’s traffic.

An Emirati writer suggests cycling in the early morning or after dark to avoid the country’s blistering heat.

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.

 

Finally…

If you’re going to ride under the influence, try not to crash into a police car. And the only requirements for a popular bike club are ride a bike and don’t be an ass.

Which probably counts me out.

 

Category: Bike Cam Video, Morning Links / Tags: , , ,

Morning Links: LA’s 4th Street non-bike boulevard to finally be fixed, and taking a stunt break from pro cycling

April 6, 2016 / / 2 comments

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.

And even though the kind of improvements that were planned have been shown to improve safety and livability, reduce crime, eliminate cut-through traffic and increase property values.

Which was apparently never explained to the local homeowner groups.

Because seriously, who would want that?

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Fox Sports is suitably impressed by these death-defying freestyle bike stunts performed by Tinkoff team pro cyclist Vittorio Brumotti.

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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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW7rIc5MRzQ

In other bike racing news, by late June, you too should be able to wear the new retro-style Team USA cycling kit from Assos.

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 fundraiser will be held this Saturday at MacLeod Ale in Van Nuys to support the LACBC’s entrants in this year’s Climate Ride.

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.

Forty top pro mountain bikers will compete at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds this weekend.

 

National

Bicycling suggests ways to get in more regular riding time.

A cool new bike accessory puts an analog face on digital bike computer.

Yoga comes to the rescue for those aches and pains that come from hours on a bike.

Evidently, a new protected bike lane in Salt Lake City violates the fire code.

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?

 

International

Maybe you should have that steaming latte while you ride instead of after.

A Calgary newspaper says innovative new ideas are spurring the creation of bikeshare systems almost everywhere.

London’s Telegraph offers 20 quotes that capture the beauty of bicycling.

An alarming Dutch report says the overwhelming majority of young late night bike riders are wasted. But City Lab says not so fast.

A cyclist recently rode his bike over 6,000 miles from Germany to Pakistan.

A new Chinese smartbike is strong enough to lift a Lamborghini. Because apparently that’s something we all have to do on a regular basis.

 

Finally…

Your next bike could be just half of one. Or maybe you’d prefer an internet enabled Brompton.*

And when someone tells you to go jump in a lake, no one says you have to take it literally.

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*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.

 

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

Morning Links: Bikeshare safer than cycling, challenging LA’s stupidest bike lane, and re-striping Washington Blvd

April 3, 2016 / / 2 comments

It was a busy weekend in the bike world.

So get comfortable. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.

………

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.

Though there are exceptions.

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.

……….

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.

………

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.

………

bikesbelongposterIn 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.)

………

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.

West Hollywood comes up with a brilliant name for their coming bikeshare system — Bikey McBikeface.

Cyclocross Magazine says the 19-year old Belgian motor-doper is making a comeback at the Sea Otter Classic’s e-mountain bike race.

How about a bike helmet that doubles as a pour-over coffee maker?

And Google launches a self-driving bicycle in the Netherlands. Although that may not be as much of a joke as they seem to think.

………

Lots of news from the racing world this weekend.

Slovakian pro Peter Sagan won Belgian’s Tour of Flanders on Sunday, overcoming a string of second-place finishes to claim his first Monument.

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.

And a London doctor claims that he helped dope 150 athletes, including unnamed top British Tour de France cyclists; the Telegraph says a 39-year old amateur cyclist rolled over on the doc to get a reduced sentence from doping authorities.

………

Local

Councilmember David Ryu’s staff continues to study the Rowena Ave road diet.

Streetsblog suggest supporting the inaugural Los Angeles Bicycle Festival on Kickstarter, while Bike Talk talks with LABF founder Nona Varnardo, as well as our friend and frequent linkee Richard Risemberg.

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.

 

State

San Diego’s Downtown News looks at opposition to the city’s bike and pedestrian plan for the downtown area.

The 32nd annual Redlands Bicycle Classic starts this Wednesday, while fans of vintage bicycles will want to turn out for Paso Robles’ annual three-day Eroica California starting this Friday.

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.

Marin sheriff’s deputies will be lying in wait for the rogue one percent of mountain bikers who exceed the 15 mph speed limit on county trails.

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.

 

National

Bicycling offers advice on how to climb hills.

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.

Las Vegas police stopped the driver of an off-road vehicle but somehow let him go, just one hour before he killed a bicyclist while driving under the influence.

A Boulder CO company acts like a legal chop shop by breaking down bikes and selling the parts on eBay.

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.

Thanks to a Michigan company, your next bike may have a spring instead of a down tube.

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.

 

International

Bike Radar lists seven rookie mistakes that could ruin your ride to work.

Chances are, you sit on something made by the most powerful woman in cycling every time you ride.

An anti-bike British lawyer says police are ignoring law-breaking cyclists, to which nearly everyone else says au contraire.

A new study says Brits support bike lanes across virtually all age and political groups, even if it means a longer commute.

Caught on video: A British bike rider tries to pass a bus. And fails.

Protected bike lanes come to Belfast, though drivers don’t seem to get it yet.

A new bike tour takes tourists on a post-midnight ride through the streets of Mumbai. Now that sounds like fun.

A Maltese cyclist says animals get more respect than bike riders; “No one honks at a horse, but cyclists are often harassed.”

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.

And good luck selling this stolen bike.

 

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bikeshare, Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure, The business of bikes / Tags: , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Non-April Fools edition — Punishment pass in Venice, and a designer bike pop-up on Third Street

April 1, 2016 / / One comment

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.

………

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.

………

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.

………

Local

Councilmember David Ryu’s staff continues to study the Rowena Ave road diet.

CiclaValley previews this weekend’s San Dimas Stage Race.

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?

 

National

Anchorage AK becomes the latest city to adopt a Vision Zero plan.

Gambler and Instagram celeb Dan Bilzerian wins his $1.2 million bet to ride from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in 48 hours without dying in the process.

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.

 

International

The Guardian offers practical advice on how to conquer hills.

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.

Despite the popularity of London’s new bikeways, opponents call them a 20th Century solution to a 21st Century problem. Meanwhile, a high-level panel discusses how to get more people riding in the city.

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.

Crowdfunding for a $3,100 Chinese smartbike raises $690,000 in just eight days.

 

Finally…

When carrying a massive load of boxes on your three-wheeled e-cargo bike, be sure to leave a tunnel you can see through. Shockingly, bike racers tend to bang into other riders while they race.

And what are bike lanes for? Street racing at speeds up to 85 mph before crashing into a house, evidently.

 

Category: Bicycle Safety, Car vs Bike, Morning Links, Road Rage / Tags: , , , , ,

Morning Links: Former CM Rosendahl passes away, Calbike endorsements, and holding hands to stop texting

March 31, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Former CM Rosendahl passes away, Calbike endorsements, and holding hands to stop texting

Sad news on Wednesday, as former Westside city Councilmember Bill Rosendahl lost his long battle with cancer.

Streetblog’s Damien Newton considers how his friend changed the conversation regarding bikes and transportation in the City of Angeles, while current Councilmember Mike Bonin remembers his mentor.

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.

………

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.

………

Maybe they get it, after all.

Specialized has killed their Playboy-branded ebike a week after a Playboy-themed promotion at the Berlin bike show blew up in their faces, saying “it does not align with our brand values.”

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.”

………

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

………

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.

………

Local

The LADOT Bike Program officially unveils its shiny new website.

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.

CiclaValley says Legoland could use a little Copenhagenization.

I want to be like him when I grow up. Congratulations to 91-year old Santa Maria resident Bob Mettauer, who reached his goal of riding 90,000 miles before his 92nd birthday.

A San Jose writer offers advice on how to ride a bike with your dog.

Caught on video: The Bay Area’s public TV station looks at Oakland’s Scraper Bike Team.

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.

 

National

Gizmodo says building highways through cities was a huge, but fixable, mistake.

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.

Protected bike lanes could be coming to the main drag of the Motor City.

A Vermont website explains what bike turn signals mean, while suggesting it might be better just to point out where you’re going.

A Pennsylvania court says a cyclist can’t sue for his injuries because he can’t prove the state DOT knew the pothole he hit was there.

WaPo says real estate developers are offering more “trail-oriented” communities to meet the demand for bikeable and walkable places to live and work.

 

International

A Canadian writer says cycling’s real image problem is that it’s just too much fun.

A Windsor, Ontario letter writer says cyclists have to take responsibility for making drivers feel haunted by the memory of killing them.

A writer for London’s Telegraph says if safety was really pro cycling’s foremost priority, they’d stop cycling.

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.

 

Finally…

Maybe the real problem is crappy headlights instead of ninja cyclists. Will a new bike shop disturb a part-man, part-goat, part-sheep creature who lives under a railroad trestle?

And threatening a clerk with your U-lock to steal pornography probably isn’t the best use for it.

I’m just saying.

 

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

Morning Links: Downtown bike lanes draw new brewery, new bollards on Vineland and a new LA Bike Fest video

March 30, 2016 / / 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.

………

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.

………

A new video promotes May’s Los Angeles Bicycle Festival, with a Kickstarter campaign attempting to raise $3,500 by the end of April.

………

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.

Meanwhile, a pro cyclist says it’s time to limit the number of motorcycles on the course and teach their riders how to operate around the peloton; the Daily Mail says that may be easier said than done.

………

Local

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.

Chris Horner and Kristin Armstrong headline next week’s Redlands Bicycle Classic.

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.

An Athens GA website explains why Complete Streets are good for everyone.

We only have to dodge LA drivers. In Florida, bike riders have to dodge BB guns and sword-swinging drivers.

 

International

A Canadian writer says cycling’s real image problem is that it’s just too much fun.

Cyclists in Victoria, British Columbia call for faster implantation of planned protected bike lanes to improve safety.

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.

Britain’s government wants to increase biking and walking, but the country’s leading bike advocacy group says the plan won’t be worth the paper it’s printed on without adequate funding.

Cyclelicious looks at a British study that says driving really does make you fat. And illustrates it with a slightly dated traffic photo from Wilshire and Alvarado, right here in LA.

Working with computer simulations, Swedish researchers conclude bike helmets reduce the risk of concussion 54%.

National Geographic talks with Scottish BMX ace Danny MacAskill.

If you want to impress the Aussie press, try carrying a couch across Melbourne on your bike.

 

Finally…

How to be a dick at your local bike shop. Why wait for a train to pass when you can grab your bike and hop on board?

And is it really risking your life to ride from Los Angeles to Las Vegas when you have a half-dozen bikes, two chefs, a masseuse, stunt drivers, doctor and a bike mechanic?

 

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