Archive for Morning Links

Morning Links: Turns out most bike riders don’t run red lights after all, and TdF winner LeMond fixes le flat

April 29, 2014 / / One comment

The next time someone tells you all bike riders run red lights, show them this.

According to a new study from Portland State University, an overwhelming 94% of bicyclists in four Oregon cities — not just bike-friendly Portland — stopped for red lights. And 89% were observed obeying the rules perfectly, while 4% jumped the light just before it changed.

Only a paltry 6% actually blew the lights.

The study was based on a review of over 2,000 videos from intersection crossing cameras. Which means there was no observational bias from researchers at the scene, or riders acting on their best behavior because they knew they were being watched.

As Bike Portland’s Michael Anderson notes, that compares to an estimated 36% to 77% of drivers who break the speed limit.

Which makes you wonder just who the real scofflaws are.

Interestingly, the study also notes that nearly four times as many helmetless riders ran their lights than helmet-clad riders.

Make of that what you will.

……..

America’s only remaining Tour de France winner responds to that recent video of Lance Armstrong fixing a flat with one of his own. And proves he’s a real blowhard in the best possible sense.

And speaking of TdF winners, the first women’s winner in recent years will be crowned with one-day circuit race before the men arrive on the Champs-Elysees on the final day.

……..

Local

Looks like there will be 10 of those new LA bike repair stations in the initial rollout.

NELA’s anti-bike Boulevard Sentinel accuses bicyclists of successfully hijacking this past weekend’s Neighborhood Council elections; a better description might be democracy in action.

BikeSGV is looking for bike count volunteers starting this weekend.

Long Beach ranks third on a list of the country’s 20 most bicycle-friendly cities behind San Francisco and Austin; Portland ranks a surprisingly low 15th.

The Long Beach Post looks at Stylish by Bike, part of the city’s annual Bike Fest this Saturday.

 

State

Bicycling suggests a few classic rides to create your own tour of California.

A Newport Beach city council member says improve safety on the Back Bay, rather than restricting usage as some have called for.

Bike share is coming to La Jolla and the rest of the San Diego area this June. Meanwhile, LA’s bike share program is scheduled to open a week from who the hell knows.

Riverside cyclists can look forward to a Cinco de Mayo ride next Monday.

The Times offers more details on that 17-year old Sacramento County driver who deliberately chased down a 10-year old boy after someone threw a water bottle at her SUV. The victim was riding bikes with his brother when the girl attacked him, dragging him 10 feet beneath her vehicle; according to a CHP spokesperson, she was non-remorseful and didn’t seem to care that she’d just committed assault with a deadly weapon.

 

National

Forget hockey — if you really want organized violence, try bike polo. But do we need yet another story saying cycling is the new golf?

Utah police can’t explain how a collision that took the life of two bike riders happened, but somehow conclude the driver wasn’t at fault.

Denver cyclist with early-onset Alzheimer’s plans to ride 100 miles to fight the disease.

Dallas considers repealing its rarely enforced helmet law to encourage bicycling and allow a successful bike share program.

America’s most famous college bike race — and the setting for Breaking Away — took place with another successful Little 500 last weekend.

The NYPD cracks down on Critical Mass while ignoring speeding drivers. So which one poses the greater threat to the public, I wonder?

 

International

Sadly, a British adventurer on a round-the-world bike tour is killed in a Bolivian collision.

People for Bikes offers three lessons from Calgary’s great bike leap forward.

Bike racing’s governing body establishes a commission to promote non-competitive events. Despite what the article suggests, there is no governing body for riding your bike down the street.

Caught on video: A Brit driver deliberately runs down a bike rider from behind, then backs up and flees the scene.

Evidently, Aussie women go out of their way not to commute by bike.

 

Finally…

There’s a new poster child for drunk driving, as an intoxicated motorist drove onto an off-road trail — and plowed into a marathon raising funds to fight drug and alcohol abuse.

And I don’t even know what to say about this one, as a Santa Rosa woman assaults customers and staff in a Dollar Store, steals not one but two bikes, and is finally arrested with Vicodin, a meth pipe and some things she stole from the store.

 

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

Morning Links: A disgustingly auto-centric driver, and the rest of the story on that biking tech exec beating

April 29, 2014 / / 11 comments

They drive among us.

Commenting on the Facebook page Look! Save A Life / Arizona, a gigantic motorhead asshole driver makes it clear he could care less about the lives on any cyclists who happen to ride — legally — on the road.

BmW_hdECEAEjFXk

Thankfully, jerks like this are a very small minority of drivers, most of whom do their best to drive safely and accommodate everyone.

As for the others, comments like this live forever on the internet. And can be used as evidence if he ever does hit someone.

Thanks to Cyclelicious and Brendan Lyons for the heads-up.

……..

Speaking of Richard Masoner of Cyclelicious, trust him to get the whole story on that bike riding Silicon Valley tech exec arrested for beating the crap out of a driver.

Turns out the driver did hit the cyclist, as the exec had claimed. And both people in the truck — including the guy behind the wheel — were reportedly drunk, and got out to throw the first punches.

Which makes it a case of self defense against a drunken idiot, rather than the vicious assault the local press implied.

……..

And it turns out there’s a lot more to that story of the sick, twisted Ontario, Canada driver who sued the parents of the teenage bike rider she killed for her pain and suffering in having to live with what she did — including the incredible pain of the boy’s parents and allegations of police misconduct.

There’s a special place in hell for people like that.

Thanks to Stanley E. Goldich for the links.

……..

More on Sunday’s Finish the Ride from KNBC-4, as well as KCBC-2 and USC’s Annenberg TV. Maybe the word is finally getting out about hit-and-runs. As usual, though, it takes Streetsblog’s Sahra Sulaiman to offer real insight and put it all in perspective.

And an LA mom says f*** you to speeding drivers and actually rides her bike on the streets of LA.

………

Local

CicLAvia co-founder Aaron Paley says we need to get rid of the us vs. them attitude on our streets.

New bike lanes appear next to LA’s Eco-Village, and vandal-resistant bike repair stations pop up on LA’s not-quite Eastside.

Naomi Watts rides a bike in Brentwood.

Repeat after me. If you’re carrying a stolen Glock and a high-capacity magazine on your bike in Pasadena after dark, put a damn light on it. The bike, not the gun.

I love this one. Three bike-riding Palos Verdes financial advisors dig into their own pockets to donate 100 bikes to underprivileged kids. Seriously, hats off to these guys.

 

State

Huh? HuPo offers seven spots in California you can only reach by bike. Like auto, transit and pedestrian-accessible Downtown San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Venice Boardwalk, where bikes aren’t even allowed.

Oakland is racing to meet the demand for bike lanes for non-racing riders.

In a move that could improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians, Google promises their self-driving cars can now recognize objects better than a human driver can — including gestures made by bike riders. Yeah, but can they recognize this one? Thanks to Ed Cable for the heads-up.

A teenage Sacramento driver deliberately chases down and pins a 7th grader to a tree after someone throws a water bottle at her SUV. Yeah, that’s equivalent force.

 

National

Grist sort of answers whether it’s safer to ride a bike or drive a car; thanks to Kevin Hopps for the link.

A new wearable bike light promises to be fashionable, but doesn’t look very noticeable.

Kansas residents pitch in when a man suffering from arthritis has his three-wheeled bike stolen.

An aggressive Austin driver intentionally targets — and fortunately misses — pedestrians and cyclists.

An LSU football player is arrested for bike theft, and says he’s very sorry. Well, okay then.

Two women take off on a bike tour of the East Coast. In 1944. Thanks to Chris K for the tip.

Shockingly, the father of a hit-and-run driver who killed a Florida cyclist says it wasn’t his son’s fault, he wasn’t intoxicated, he didn’t flee and it was all that damn bike rider’s fault. For a change, the police disagree.

 

International

Calgary’s city council votes to defy the bike haters and build three separated bike lanes as a pilot project.

A new bike lock promises to be unpickable. But does anyone actually bother to pick bike locks these days?

Caught on video. A bike riding Dutch woman breaks up a fight the hard way.

This might not be the best time for a politician to ride a bike in the Ukraine, as the mayor of the country’s second largest city is shot while riding his.

Aussie streets are designed to tolerate minor “bingles” but bicyclists aren’t. Is it just me, or does bingle sound like the name of an elf?

 

Finally…

Letters reveal the great feminist author Simone de Beauvior and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre rode bikes to help organize the French resistance in World War II.

It was de Beauvior who brilliantly wrote “There are two kinds of people in the world: human beings and women. And when women try to act like human beings, they’re accused of trying to be men.”

Which I learned from a Doonesbury cartoon.

 

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

Morning Links: Successful Finish the Ride, state hit-and-run bills advance, and an Agenda 21 conspiracy fail

April 27, 2014 / / 2 comments
Hit-and-run survivor Damian Kevitt speaks at Finish the Ride. Photo courtesy of Joni Yung.

Hit-and-run survivor Damian Kevitt speaks at Finish the Ride. Photo courtesy of Joni Yung.

By the sound of it, Sunday’s Finish the Ride turned out to be a very successful event.

Even if I couldn’t be there, much to my regret (more on that later).

The Times takes an early look at the ride intended to call attention to the problem of hit-and-runs, while ride creator Damian Kevitt says they’re a sign of “the moral decay of America.”

Unfortunately, he’s right.

There’s something seriously wrong with any society where it’s become commonplace — if not socially acceptable — to run away like a coward and leave a stranger bleeding in the streets.

A rider who arrived later in the day emailed this brief description.

Finish the Ride was a huge success. The ride was over but the party was still in full swing when I rolled up, and the sheer diversity of booths was impressive. Poor Damian was still playing meet-and-greet and posing for photos with a variety of well-wishers. He was in his usual good cheer but he’s probably exhausted.

There were at least 638 riders, judging by the highest bib number I saw. The organizer couldn’t provide a total or guess at the number of “day-of registrants” since they were still tallying all the participants.

LAPD had eight bike officers for the escort, and several weren’t just on duty, they were sporting bibs too! The CHP had a booth so I spoke to an officer (who recognized me from the task force meeting), and there’s still no solid leads, but they’ll take tips til the statute of limitations runs out.

Riding back through Chinatown, I spoke with two riders who had done the hilly route, and weren’t about to return to start the same way, but were happy to do it once, “for Damian.”

……..

Local

Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell will dedicate at new bike repair station at Polka Dot Plaza Monday morning.

Richard Risemberg points the finger at South Pass for blocking a road diet on the York Blvd bridge. And directs your attention to an in-depth examination of the unloved and unneeded 710 Freeway extension and more viable alternative.

Neon Tommy looks at Santa Monica’s upcoming MANGo Greenway, which promises to protect SaMoHi students from dooring.

Pico Rivera awaits a grant to fund a planned 8,000 square foot bike hub.

 

State

Streetsblog offers their weekly update of transportation-related bills before the state legislature; and yes, good things are happening on the bike and hit-and-run fronts.

San Diego cyclists take on a grueling 136 mile course to raise funds for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, which also benefitted from Finish the Ride.

San Francisco prepares to double down on bikeways to improve safety and ease of riding.

 

National

A writer for Bicycling tracks down America’s first international bicycling champion. From 1870. Meanwhile, Elly Blue is pretty sure she could outrun a Portland bike cop.

When nearly every street is over capacity, bikeways can go in anywhere. Which makes this a great time to be a bike rider in Detroit. Yes, Detroit.

Lowell MA’s motorhead mayor wants to undo a road diet and remove its bike lanes to move as many cars as possible in and out of the city. Oh, and parking revenues are down.

Interesting idea, as a New York lawyer sues Honda for failing to put a light or audible device on its vehicles to prevent dooring (last line).

The new poster child for distracted driving? A North Carolina woman is killed when she posts to Facebook while driving about how happy Pharrell’s Happy makes her.

 

International

A Calgary paper offers an in-depth look at the debate over proposed protected bike lanes, which is pretty much the same debate that goes on everywhere else. Meanwhile, a motorhead columnist takes issue with the whole damn thing.

The London Guardian looks at the best of the worst bikeways around the world.

Pee in public, get banned from Brit rides.

Thousands of Scottish cyclists Pedal on Parliament to demand safer streets. With good reason, since only 10% of Scot drivers who hit cyclists are ever prosecuted.

A Chinese company is now offering one day bike tours to North Korea. Though you might want to think twice about it unless you’re Dennis Rodman.

 

Finally…

When a spectator offers to take an injured mountain bike rider’s bike down the course for him, they both end up in the same ambulance.

And an Agenda 21 conspiracy nut claims bike paths are part of a plot to ban cars. Except if we banned cars, we wouldn’t need bike lanes, would we?

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,

Weekend Links: Four out of five LA hit-and-run never solved; road raging Silicon Valley cyclist beats driver

April 25, 2014 / / 2 comments

First up, one last reminder about Sunday’s Finish the Ride, as the Glendale News-Press interviews hit-and-run survivor Damian Kevitt.

Meanwhile, KNBC-4 says four of five Los Angeles hit-and-runs are never solved; half are never even investigated due to a lack of evidence or witnesses.

……..

A Marin County tech exec faces charges for severely beating a motorist earlier this month in a dispute over whether the truck’s mirror had hit his bike.

No matter who you are or what’s happened, there’s never any justification for violence. If you feel your anger boiling over, do whatever it takes to remove yourself from the situation. Then call 911 and let the police handle it.

The question is, why did the local police sit on the story for over a week?

Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

………

This could be a big step forward. New traffic signs in San Diego’s North County ban right turns on red lights when bikes or pedestrians are present.

Note: Alex Hirsch says there’s been a similar signal on southbound Galey in Westwood for the past couple years. The question is whether it bans rights on red at certain hours due to traffic conditions, or if it functions on demand to protect vulnerable road users.

……..

Local

Metro agrees to create a level paying field for bike and pedestrian projects seeking funding from the state.

One of Hollywood’s seven most powerful women is a cyclist, which means we’ve only got six more to go.

CICLE unveils the full schedule for next month’s Bike Week Pasadena.

A 46-year old Whittier cyclist is critically injured in a Friday morning collision in Downey.

Huntington Park City Council approves a new bike plan with 23 miles of new bikeways, which compares favorably to the current zero.

 

State

San Diego rider is named the city’s bike Commuter of the Year.

This is why you don’t try to recover your stolen bike by yourself. A San Francisco woman is assaulted and pepper sprayed trying to steal hers back.

Elk Grove gets its first bike and pedestrian bridge.

Keep your eyes on Craigslist and Ebay for 36 Trek demo bikes stolen from behind a Folsom bike shop. To help recover them, that is, not score a hot bike.

 

National

Park your bike, bang a gong, get it on.

Intriguing new urban bike offers six great features, a very cool frame and a wait list to buy it.

The Furnace Creek 508 ultra-marathon bike race moves to the Silver State for 2014.

When even cowboy-centric Cheyenne, Wyoming gets a new bike plan, it’s a pretty good indication bikes are booming everywhere. And here to stay.

A survivor of 28 cancer surgeries has been cycling around the world for the last 26 years.

A Pepperdine research paper looks at who supports New York bike lanes and why.

 

International

A Toronto cyclist uses Craigslist to explain safe cycling to the driver who yelled at her to get the f*** out of the way.

A Brit driver gets a measly three months for deliberately ramming a cyclist into a guard rail. Then again, it’s never a good idea to assault a lawyer.

Evidently, in Scotland strong-arm bike thieves wear hi-viz, too.

Bike-on-bike collisions are on the rise in the Netherlands, leading to concern about anti-social cycling in the world’s bike paradise. Seems like you’ll find jerks everywhere, regardless of transportation mode.

 

Finally…

After getting caught riding drunk twice in two months, a judge suggests a cyclist get rid of his bike for his own good. Especially if he happens to be riding this very cool 1991 Lotus track bike.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,

Morning Links: An inspiring and horrifying interview, outrageous bike news, and send a guy on Climate Ride.

April 24, 2014 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: An inspiring and horrifying interview, outrageous bike news, and send a guy on Climate Ride.
Send this boy to camp. Or rather, Climate Ride.

Send this boy to camp. Or rather, Climate Ride.

Lots of news to catch up on before the weekend. So let’s jump right in.

……..

Sweet Ride USA’s Steve Isaacs offers an amazing, horrifying and ultimately inspiring interview with hit-and-run survivor Damian Kevitt in advance of Sunday’s Finish the Ride. Choose between the short 4:15 minute version and the full 16 minute one.

Unfortunately, it looks like illness is going to keep me from attending on Sunday, despite my best intentions. So if you’re planning to attend and would like to share your thoughts or photos, let me know.

……..

Here’s an intriguing invitation.

Inventor Eric F. has come up with what he describes as a “revolutionary bicycle safety device (US and international patent pending) that will save lives and visibly change the urban landscape.”

He’s looking for volunteers to participate in a focus group at Helen’s Cycles’ Santa Monica location, 2501 Broadway, on Monday, May 5th from 7 – 8 pm.

You can start your Cinco de Mayo celebration a little later. And it’s a good chance to check out the new green bike lanes in front of the shop.

Just watch out for drunks on your ride home.

……..

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition’s Team LACBC on exceeding their fundraising goal for this year’s California Climate Ride.

But several of the team members are still short of the money they need to raise to participate in the ride.

I can personally vouch for everyone on the list, all of whom deserve to go on the bike adventure of a lifetime. And each of whom deserves your support for all they do to support your right to ride safely and enjoyably in the City and County of Angels.

In fact, I have never known a more committed and hardworking group of staff and volunteers, and as a board member for the past five years, I’m honored for the small part I play in supporting their work. Which is something I don’t say nearly enough.

But I’d like to call your attention to just one of those potential riders, and ask you to help him get from the California Wine Country to Sacramento next month.

Alex Amerri, President of the LACBC Board of Directors, has done an incredible job of guiding the organization through some turbulent times — often at the expense of his own career and personal life.

I’ve watched as he’s often put in more than full-time work in an unpaid, volunteer position. When he leaves the board — which hopefully won’t be anytime soon — he’ll leave the LACBC a far stronger, more stable and successful organization than he found it, positioned for even greater growth and influence in the years to come.

And you can’t ask any more than that of anyone.

However, the time he’s put in solving problems and creating opportunities for the coalition lately has meant he hasn’t had time to raise the funds he needs to participate in the Climate Ride. In fact, he’s less than a third of the way to his $3,500 goal.

So let’s send a boy to camp.

Or rather, a man to ride.

If you’ve got a little extra money laying around, make a donation to a good cause to support sustainability and improve our environment. And do it in the name of someone who truly deserves a few uninterrupted days on his bike.

And if not Alex, then help one of the other team members who do so much to help you.

Note: Alex has no idea I’m writing this. So let’s not tell him. Just let him be surprised when the donations start coming in, with no idea where they’re coming from or why.

……..

Prepare to be outraged.

It’s not unusual to find a story or two that makes a mockery of justice, and reminds us all that cyclists are still second-class citizens on our streets.

But today’s news carried three examples of just how far we have to go. And how self-centered, heartless and cruel some people can be.

First up, a Massachusetts woman is convicted of a reduced charge in a fatal hit-and-run when the judge rules that a second vehicle that hit the victim afterwards could have caused the fatal injuries. Never mind that the trailing vehicle would never have hit the rider in the first place if the hit-and-run driver hadn’t plowed into her and left her lying in the street.

Or there’s this, as Pennsylvania authorities refuse to file charges against a driver who killed a teenage cyclist — even though she was under the influence of cocaine and prescription drugs at the time. Nice to see them taking DUI so seriously.

And in a truly disgusting demonstration of genuine overly entitled, self-absorbed heartlessness, an Ontario — Canada, not California — driver sues the family of the teenage cyclist she killed for the emotional turmoil that taking his life has caused her. Evidently, she’s the real victim here, not the kid who lost his life, the parents who lost a child or the brother who OD’d because he couldn’t deal with the loss.

I never to wish ill on anyone. But I’m sorely tempted to make an exception in her case.

……..

Local

UCLA’s Herbie Huff and Madeline Brozen offer a rebuttal to the recent report showing bike lanes don’t cause traffic congestion if they’re put in the right place.

Cultural Weekly explains why CicLAvia has struck a chord with Angelenos. Although I’m not really sure that’s it.

Variety promotes this weekend’s first-of-the-year bike-in movie in Reseda Park.

KCRW’s DnA will host Reinventing the Wheel, a discussion on the future of mobility at the Helms Bakery complex on May 18.

Santa Monica police use a bait bike to get two bike thieves off the streets.

Long Beach offers a bike map of six downtown routes.

Santa Clarita plans a number of events around hosting a pair of stages in next month’s Amgen Tour of California.

 

State

The Idyllwild man who created the Stagecoach 400 mountain bike race finally finishes the route he designed after three failed attempts.

Streetsblog looks at last week’s California Transportation Choices Summit.

VeloNews rides the Amgen Tour of California route in reverse with the Rapha Women’s Ambassadors.

 

National

A new Strava map offers a detailed look at where people who use Strava run and ride bikes, which seems to be pretty much where people live. Then again, people who don’t use Strava ride everywhere.

A proposed MiniBrake promises to let parents stop their children’s bikes by remote control. Seems a little dangerous to stop a kid’s bike without warning, but it could keep them from riding into danger.

Treehugger lists five ways bicycling is getting better in the US. And one way it’s not.

A severely auto-focused Texas jerk letter writer says “You ‘need’ a car for business, shopping and taking your kids to Burger King. You only ‘want’ to ride your bike…” which places “an unreasonable safety burden on drivers of other vehicles.” Right. And maybe if those kids walked or rode to Burger King they might be healthier now, and as adults.

 

International

After a Brit thief steals a $4,200 e-bike, he calls the local dealer for advice on how to charge it. Which turns out to be the same guy he stole it from.

Lance says he’s still the winner of all those Tours de France, regardless of what anyone else says, while former Armstrong lieutenant George Hincapie promises an unvarnished look at pro cycling’s doping era in a new book.

Osaka police crack down on reckless cyclists — or any, for that matter — at the urging of local merchants.

 

Finally…

A cute 30-second video suggests the more you ride, the more calories you can take in. Not necessarily true, though, as I’ve learned the hard way.

 

Category: Bike Events, Bikes & the Law, Car vs Bike, Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: BOLO alert for Brentwood hit-and-run driver

April 23, 2014 / / 5 comments

The LAPD wants your help in tracking down the hit-and-run driver who seriously injured a bike rider in Brentwood last November.

Brentwood BOLO

Then again, they might have better luck if they didn’t wait five months to ask for help next time.

Just a suggestion.

……..

Local

The LA Times offers the latest reminder about this weekend’s Finish the Ride to call attention to the problem of hit-and-run.

Wrap up next month’s Bike Week with the first Bike Night at Union Station.

KCRW’s beginning LA bike rider takes a Confident City Cycling course and concludes that drivers need bike education, too.

The Bike League looks at the Santa Monica Bike Center, now a Platinum-level Bike Friendly Business. And managed by the instructor of the afore mentioned CCC course.

Long Beach police are on the lookout for a bike riding groper.

 

State

Mark your calendar for the Honor Ride Irvine this August.

San Francisco motorists demand the restoration of balance in the city’s transportation planning; in other words, a return to all cars all the time.

I like it. San Francisco police virtually dare thieves to steal a bait bike. And pass out “Is this a bait bike?” stickers to post on your bike to make thieves think twice.

San Francisco’s bike share program expands to the East Bay despite the Bixi bankruptcy.

California’s proposed bike tax becomes a potential $5 fee on cars to repair and maintain bike paths in regional parks. Although I wonder how many voters, aka drivers, will be willing to tax themselves to fund bikes — especially when it requires a two-thirds majority.

 

National

This should be fun, as recently retired pro Dave Zabriskie commits to riding this year’s RAAM to promote Yield to Life as part of the Legends of the Road team.

A petition asks online fences websites Craigslist and EBay to require serial numbers on all bike ads. Of course, sellers could just lie about them, but still.

USA Today names Davis CA the best cycling town in America; my hometown comes in at number two.

Portland teens injure two people by throwing bricks at passing bike riders; one victim nearly loses an eye.

Ottumwa, Iowa Shriners are expecting 70 – 80 riders for a 30-mile Ride With the Clowns. Something like that could draw hundreds here; just don’t sniff any flowers.

Submitted without comment. North Carolina’s 21-time national champ admits to doping with amphetamines, synthetic testosterone and EPO. At age 62.

 

International

A Vancouver company plans bicycling sunglasses with a heads-up display.

A new World Health Organization report says if London achieved Copenhagen-like riding levels, it could save 500 lives a year and create 8,000 jobs.

David Hembrow looks at the good, the bad and the ugly of on-road bike lanes.

This time the tainted meat excuse actually works, as former Aussie world time trial champ Michael Rogers is cleared of doping charges after blaming Chinese meat.

 

Finally…

For the English-challenged members of the media, there is a big difference between “watch out for bike riders” and “beware of bicyclist.”

Seriously.

 

Category: Hit-and-Run, Law Enforcement, Morning Links / Tags: , , , , ,

Morning Links: Wrist slap for drunken hit-and-run killer; Breaking Away’s Dave Stoller was sort-of real

April 22, 2014 / / One comment

As expected, Wendy Villegas was sentenced to three years and eight months in an overly generous plea deal for the drunken hit-and-run death of Andy Garcia that left two other riders seriously injured, and robbed his fiancé of both her heart and future.

Yes, justice may have been served. But the time does not begin to suit the crime.

Especially for a driver who left Garcia laying in the road to be run over by a second vehicle, and was reportedly still drunk when she was arrested the next morning.

Had she stopped after the collision, it’s likely that the van that followed might have seen her and her victims, and managed to stop in time to avoid them. And Andy Garcia might — might — still be alive today.

We’ll never know.

Meanwhile, the judge made it clear that if Villegas did it again after she’s released, she’d face a minimum 15-years for murder.

So let’s get this clear.

You have to get drunk and kill a second person before the legal system takes it seriously. But you get a virtual pass on the first one.

Even if you don’t show any sign of giving a rat’s ass that you took the life of another human being, and shattered countless others.

Good to know.

If that pisses you off as much as it does me, join Damian Kevitt on Sunday as he finishes the ride interrupted by a hit-and-run driver last year.

……..

A preliminary hearing reveals 18-year old Sommer Gonzales had failed two drug tests while on probation for undisclosed crimes. And yet somehow, she was still allowed on the road to kill 21-year old cyclist Joe Robinson while driving under the influence.

Nice.

Gonzales has additional court hearings scheduled for May 19th and June 6th.

……..

Who knew?

Turns out there was a real Italian-obsessed, bike prodigy, Little 500-winning inspiration for the Dave Stoller character in Breaking Away, the movie that inspired my own lifelong obsession with bicycling. And Steve Tesich, who won an Academy Award for the screenplay, was his teammate in the winning race.

On the other hand, it looks like the hometown Cutters team was fictional, dammit. Although in a case of life imitating art, one was formed in response to the movie.

……..

Local

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton looks at the city’s Second Year bike lane implementation list, offering the kind of detailed analysis only he can. And says there’s more low-hanging fruit out there, despite official denials.

Flying Pigeon looks at the real victims of Councilmember Gil Cedillo’s inaction on Figueroa bike lanes, and calls on riders to Bike the Vote for Saturday’s Neighborhood Council elections.

A new petition calls for passage of AB 1922 to promote California greenways, particularly along the LA River.

Another reminder that Kidical Mass is coming to Santa Monica on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Annenberg Community Beach House along SaMo’s beachfront bike path celebrates its fifth anniversary this weekend; bike valet will be provided.

 

State

The Daily Pilot says don’t force OC cyclists onto dangerous Jamboree Road — ban cars from the Back Bay Drive, instead. I like the way they think.

Orange County cities are urged to compete for new funding for bike and pedestrian projects, while OCTA officials argue that bikes aren’t just for recreation. Thanks to Nick Gerda for the heads-up.

An HIV positive hemophiliac cyclist is setting of from Newport Beach on his third cross-country ride to raise funds for people with bleeding disorders.

A Sacramento man uses his bike to bypass heavy traffic from a major highway repair project.

 

National

Train for your next — or first — century in just seven weeks. Probably a better approach than my first century, which came when I misread a map and rode about 60 miles further than I intended.

The Alliance for Biking and Walking looks back at the National Open Streets Summit held recently in Los Angeles. And check out their great GIF from the Wilshire CicLAvia.

A Las Vegas cyclist learns the hard way that bike riders have to stop for emergency vehicles, too.

Detroit isn’t the exclusively auto-centric hellhole it used to be.

The body of an upstate New York man has been found nearly four years after he disappeared while riding his bike.

The NYPD says screw you to owners of impounded bikes, including the family of a fallen cyclist.

 

International

One of two surviving ex-Beatles rides a rental bike. The cute one. The Beatle, not the bike.

London’s transport authority apologizes after a driver cuts off a cyclist and calls him a knob; I know a lot of cyclists who’ve complained to LA’s Metro, but none who ever got a mea culpa in return.

A road raging UK motorist is given 10 months in jail and called a danger to cyclists after knocking a rider off his bike because they were riding two abreast. He also loses his license for three years.

Behavioral Science could help motorists drive more safely around bike riders. Maybe it could help them decide if this is a pill or a 90 mph bicycle.

Even Abu Dhabi is getting a new walking and cycling master plan.

A Sydney paper lists the world’s top 10 bicycling cities. Shocked! Shocked! I am that not a single US city made the list.

 

Finally…

Chicago doctor declares fast cyclists unfit for military service due to “bicycle heart.” In 1898.

And repeat after me. If you’re riding your bike at 5 am with five outstanding warrants while carrying meth and a Billy club, put a damn light on it already. The bike that is, not the Billy club.

 

Category: Bikes & the Law, Legal Cases, Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Torrance father rides for his daughter, and court hearings for Wendy Villegas and Jose Gonzales

April 21, 2014 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Torrance father rides for his daughter, and court hearings for Wendy Villegas and Jose Gonzales
Metro unveils their new Bike Week flyers. So what do you think?

Metro unveils their new Bike Week flyers. So what do you think?

A Torrance father is going the extra mile for his daughter.

Or rather, 300 miles.

On May 3rd, Joel Elliot will ride his bike 24-hours straight, with a goal of riding 300 miles in that time, to call attention to the rare disease that renders his daughter unable to speak.

The purpose of my ride is to bring attention to Hannah, to Selective Mutism, and to the failure of Torrance Unified to properly address Hannah’s needs.

My ride will take place on the 1-mile industrial loop just outside of the Strand Brewing Co tap room. I invite you all to come do the first few laps with me to kick off my 24 hours. After a few laps, I will continue solo and the group will move into the tap room to celebrate and prepare to help support my long ride. We will do something similar on Sunday when I finish. I would love to have a large group of riders as there is a good chance local news will be there.

Thanks to Lynn Ingram for the heads-up.

……..

A couple of important court hearings today.

First up, cyclists will ride to attend the sentencing of Wendy Villegas for the drunken hit-and-run death of Andy Garcia.

And riders are encouraged to attend the pre-trial hearing for Jose Gonzales, charged with vehicular manslaughter in the death of Pasadena cyclist Phillip O’Neill.

Sometimes it seems like justice moves slowly. And it doesn’t often seem sufficient in cases involving bike riders.

But at least prosecutors seem to be paying attention these days, in part because cyclists are turning out for cases like this.

……..

I plan to spend a lot of time checking out this website about Vintage Trek bikes.

My 33-year old steel-frame Trek is still parked in my office, waiting for the funds to fix it up and get it back out on the streets where it belongs. It may not be as fast as my LeMond, but it hugs the road like it’s on rails, and you won’t find a smoother ride anywhere.

My wife has suggested selling it more than once. But after roughly 130,000 miles stretching from LA to LA — Louisiana to Los Angeles — I’d no more get rid of it than I would her.

……..

Local

West LA Councilmember Mike Bonin helps a city work crew prepare for Backbone bike lanes on Manchester Ave.

Flying Pigeon says South Pasadena’s Public Works Commissioners should be sued for refusing to close a dangerous 528 foot gap connecting with LA’s new bike lanes on York Blvd.

The Hollywood Reporter reviews the new women’s cycling documentary Half the World, and finds it not to their taste.

The Eastside’s Ovarian Psychos Brigade will screen the Saudi Arabian bike-themed movie Wadjda as a fundraiser this Wednesday.

CICLE is looking for volunteers for next month’s Bike Week Pasadena.

The local mountain bike racing season starts at the end of next month.

 

State

Mad props to the 75 fifth graders — yes, I said 5th graders — who rode their bikes 267 miles from Yuma AZ to Carlsbad CA over spring break, riding up to 53 miles a day and up a five-mile climb. At that age, I was happy to ride to the other side of my own neighborhood without falling over much.

A new San Diego River bike path allows cyclists to ride from Ocean Beach to the 805 Freeway.

Frequent contributor and ghost bike documentarian Danny Gamboa will be curating the Bike Love Art Show next month in Ventura. Knowing Danny, I’d highly recommend checking it out.

Cyclelicious looks at the need to develop a traffic safety culture.

UC Berkeley student with Crohn’s Disease will ride to LA to raise funds for a cure.

A San Francisco cyclist is understandably critical of the way the city’s police deal with cyclists after they let the driver who rear-ended her and her son drive away without even a ticket.

Tiny Arcata CA — population 17,726 — could soon have one more bike boulevard than massive Los Angeles, which currently has none for its over 3.8 million residents. Correction: Richard Risemberg writes to remind me that LA does actually have a bike boulevard, aka bicycle friendly street on Yucca Street in Hollywood, though it doesn’t actually connect to anything.

 

National

The national traffic fatality toll is bad enough; now it turns out it doesn’t include motor vehicle deaths that don’t occur in traffic situations. So add another 6,483 deaths and 91,000 injuries from 2008 to 2011, 39% of whom weren’t in cars.

The publishers of Momentum Magazine says it’s time to move the conversation beyond helmets. I couldn’t agree more; there are lots of good reasons to wear one, but no adult should ever be compelled to.

Bicycling’s Heidi Swift says riding through a cemetery isn’t disrespectful, it’s showing respect for life. Someone should explain that to the director of the Los Angeles National Cemetery, which continues to ban bikes for reasons I will never understand.

A Texas woman gets a well-deserved 10 years for killing a bike rider while drinking, using her cellphone and falling asleep at the wheel.

Cincinnati proposes killing trees to preserve parking while making way for a protected bike lane.

A writer for the Times rides along with Boston’s equivalent of LA’s Marathon Crash Race.

 

International

Great Britain is opening a memorial to bicyclists killed in war; turns out the first British soldier killed in WWI was a 15-year old bike rider who lied about his age — and may have been killed by friendly fire.

The reward for recovering a stolen Brit bike is home-made banana bread.

Once again, a cyclist is caught on video narrowly avoiding getting hit by a train, this time in India; the rider had to abandon his bike on the tracks to get away.

 

Finally…

If you’re going to steal a bike, don’t park it at the local Walmart, then go inside and fall asleep on a bean bag chair.

And Gothamist totally freaks out over a helmetless Orthodox father riding a Citi Bike with his helmetless daughter on his hip.

 

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

Morning Links: Eleven years in drunken Victorville hit-and-run, great Arizona three-foot law video

April 20, 2014 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Eleven years in drunken Victorville hit-and-run, great Arizona three-foot law video

Now that’s more like it.

According to the Victorville Daily Press, 28-year old Jason Thomas Scott of Victorville was sentenced to 11 years for the — allegedly — drunken hit-and-run that took the life of a cyclist two years ago.

Apple Valley resident David Epperson was walking his bike along Ridgecrest Road just east of Victorville when he was plowed down from behind by Scott’s vehicle, which dragged him over 60 feet before leaving Epperson to die on the side of the road.

Scott was reportedly driving with a suspended license due to a previous DUI conviction at the time of the collision. He’s been behind bars since his arrest in June, 2012; the paper reports he could be out in another three-and-a-half years with good behavior following his plea deal.

Five-and-a-half years behind bars barely seems sufficient. But it’s far more than many other drivers have served under similar circumstances.

And it’s nice to see the life of a bike rider taken seriously for a change.

……..

Great short video from Arizona looks at the state’s three-foot passing law. And clearly demonstrates just what three-feet looks like on the road.

……..

Local

Note to David Shaffer of Woodland Hills: It is perfectly legal to ride a bike on the sidewalk in Los Angeles, as long as it’s done in a safe and non-aggressive manner.

Streetsblog looks at the highlights from Thursday’s LADOT and City Planning webinar on the second year study corridors for the LA bike plan.

You could be the next director of LA2050.

A series of Hermosa Beach workshops could determine the future of bicycling in the city, among other things.

Something is seriously wrong when a cyclist gets run down from behind in Palos Verdes Estates, and sheriff’s deputies write it off as “just an accident” before the investigation is even complete.

 

State

An Orange County cyclist has to be recued from the Santa Ana River bed when he’s thrown 15 feet off a Katella Ave overpass after hitting an object in the roadway.

I like it. Silicon Valley bike riders are challenged to Bike to Shop during next month’s Bike Week.

Oakland’s famed Telegraph Avenue could soon sport parking protected bike lanes.

 

National

Arizona officials are trying to determine who killed a cyclist and how after the victim is found on the side of the road covered by a blanket, with his “unique” bike missing.

Boulder County CO officials tweak those ubiquitous black-tube vehicle counters to distinguish between bikes and other vehicles, which could revolutionize bike counts.

Cincinnati cyclists and business owners are engaged in a classic battle over protected bike lanes versus lost parking and reduced road capacity.

Not only is Beyonce one of us, she gives a shout out to a Chicago bike shop.

The Washington Post says more cyclists really does make for safer streets.

Turns out the Archbishop of New Orleans is one of us, too. Then again, he’s just following the Pope’s advice.

 

International

Bicycling is booming in Santiago, Chile even though bad road design forces many riders onto the sidewalk.

The Ottawa Bicycle Club offers a great decision matrix for deciding when to take the lane and ride abreast, and when to hug the shoulder single file.

British cycling legend Beryl Burton is finally getting the attention she deserves prior to the UK start of the Tour de France, with an amazing 122 national titles over five decades.

The UK’s Emma Pooley discovers winning a women’s world championship barely pays enough to pay the bills.

A road raging Brit van driver loses his job and gets convicted of assault after getting caught on helmet cam head-butting a cyclist.

Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert wins the Amstel Gold classic for the third time. No word on who won the Amstel Light.

An Aussie website asks if cyclists are fair game. Game, yes; fair, no.

 

Finally…

This is why you don’t spit in the face of a truck driver, even if he did almost hit you. Aside from the fact that it’s rude and disgusting — and illegal — and the driver will get away with stomping on your bike.

 

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

Morning Links: A long list of good and bad Good Friday bike news

April 17, 2014 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: A long list of good and bad Good Friday bike news
Apropos of absolutely nothing, I kind of like this shadow shot from the recent Wilshire CicLAvia.

Apropos of absolutely nothing, I kind of like this shadow shot from the recent Wilshire CicLAvia.

It’s Friday. It’s Passover. It’s Good Friday. It’s spring break. It’s nice out. And no one is in the mood to work anyway.

So grab an extra cuppa joe and waste invest a few minutes — or maybe hours — catching up on all the latest bike news.

Or at least, everything that was interesting enough to include here.

………

Local

KPCC interviews Stan’s Bike Shop owner and Eastside Bike Club founder Carlos Morales. Carlos may have lost a few hundred pounds riding his bike, but you won’t find a bigger heart anywhere.

The LACBC updates their Bike Smart Rules of the Road for cyclists, with just about everything you need to know to ride safely and legally, in English and Spanish.

LA rider Johnny Lam chucks it all for a new career in bicycle touring. Nice work if you can get it.

LA’s Bicycle District hosts the LA Culture Collide block party this Saturday.

Get an early start to Bike Week with the Long Beach Bike Fest on May 3rd.

 

State

Turns out that bike stolen from an injured Santa Barbara cyclist wasn’t.

A Fresno hit-and-run leaves a father of four paralyzed; the coward who left him lying in the street still on the loose.

Nine years in jail for the Dublin teenager who bragged on Twitter about speeding before he killed a cyclist at 80 mph.

San Francisco encourages children to bike, roll or walk to school next week. If they wait a few weeks, they could do it on a shiny new contraflow bike lane.

Maybe they really have changed. Caltrans announces $360 million in new funding for healthy living projects.

 

National

Elly Blue asks you to pledge to never combine texting and driving in any way, while Boing Boing interviews her in a new podcast.

Enhanced visibility may not always be a good thing if it encourages target fixation. And if this jacket doesn’t do it, nothing will.

A Seattle cyclist is the victim of road raging driver in a hurry.

An ill-conceived Dallas helmet law stands in the way of the city’s planned bike share program.

Once again, a single misguided business owner attempts to block a protected bike lane, this time in Cincinnati.

A Minnesota salmon cyclist collides with car while riding under the influence — while on his way to work, no less.

A PA cyclist suffers a broken neck and ribs in a T-bone collision. With a deer.

New York bike commuting increased an average of 11% a year from 2006 to 2012.

Auto-centric Jefferson Parrish — the area surrounding New Orleans — proposes 460 miles of new bikeways in a new draft bike plan. Which is 460 miles more than they had two years ago.

 

International

Famed writer and Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote about scofflaw Columbian cyclists back in the 1950s.

Oops. A vial of pills that fell out of a rider’s kit during the Paris-Robaix classic has been passed on to UK anti-doping authorities. And yes, they know who dropped it.

American pro Chris Horner is officially out of the Giro after suffering a punctured lung and four broken ribs when he was hit with a mirror from a Range Rover; the 70-year old driver claims he didn’t know he hit anyone.

Road raging Aussie driver intentionally bumps a cyclist following an argument, then drives off dragging the victim’s bike underneath his car.

 

Finally…

Un-effing-believable. Two Texas men faces charges when they’re caught trying to dump the body of a cyclist they killed in a hit-and-run, after the victim landed in the bed of their pickup. Hopefully, a lot of charges with very long prison terms.

And if you’re a convicted felon carrying meth and burglary tools on your bike, you probably shouldn’t ride with a stolen shotgun poking out of your backpack.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,
« Older Entries   Recent Entries »
Wordpress Theme by ThemeZee