Archive for Morning Links

A year in jail for killer Moorpark driver, cyclist hit by Maserati on Rock Store climb, and your Morning Links

March 24, 2014 / / 7 comments

Somehow, this one fell through the cracks last month.

Susan Levy, a cousin of fallen Moorpark cyclist Bernie Cooper’s widow, reported that the driver who killed him pled guilty to felony hit-and-run and two related misdemeanor counts.

Twenty-two year old Ridgecrest resident Nicholas Santiago was sentenced to one year in jail and five years probation.

Santiago hit Cooper’s bike as he was riding on Tierra Rejada Road with enough force that Cooper’s body was thrown into a nearby tree. Santiago fled the scene, but apparently had a change of heart and returned half an hour later to accept responsibility.

Thanks to Levy for keeping us in the loop. And my apologies for the delay in reporting this.

……….

Reports are a cyclist was airlifted to a hospital after being struck by a Maserati on the Rock Store Climb — aka the Snake — on Mulholland yesterday morning. No word on the condition of the rider.

Paul Herold, the famed photographer who documents the activity on that contested stretch of roadway — and offered advice here on how to stay safe there — somehow managed to capture the male victim in midair following the initial impact. Personally, I think it’s in poor taste to post a photo of someone in the process of being injured, so use your own judgment on whether to click the link.

However, it should also be noted that Herold was seen comforting the victim until help arrived.

And of course, the comments devolve into whether cyclists should be allowed on the crowded roadway, especially on weekends. A better question is why speeding motorists are allowed to test their limited skills there.

Thanks to David Huntsman for the links.

……….

Interesting idea. Denver has an Amber Alert-type system to warn the public to be on the watch for hit-and-run vehicles, called a Medina Alert. Oregon is considering a similar system, which was named after a 21-year old man killed in a hit-and-run.

Maybe we should push our City Council members and state legislators to get a similar system in place here. Especially one that notifies every body shop to be on the lookout for a car matching the description of the suspect vehicle — with serious penalties for failing to report it the police.

Of course, the problem with any citywide program is that drivers could sidestep the law by taking their vehicles across the city limit, where compliance would be voluntary rather than mandatory.

On the other hand, the city can usually move much faster than the lumbering state legislature to get something like that in place.

Thanks to our anonymous OC/South Bay source for the tip.

……….

Local

Friday’s Critical Mass will honor hit-and-run victims with a candlelight vigil.

A LAPD officer and a bike rider both suffered injuries in a South LA fight after the rider refused to accept a vehicle code citation. Or maybe they’re predicting the future, since the article — dated today — says the fight occurred, or maybe will occur, at 9:35 tonight. Though I assume they meant last night.

Outside Magazine looks at the recent uncanceled Marathon Crash ride, while the LA Weekly offers a comparison of the Ballona Creek bike path and the Elysian Valley section of the LA River bike path.

Errands by bike are easier when you add the Red Line to your route.

USC’s Neon Tommy looks at the benefits and challenges of riding in LA, and offers a vision for the future.

Cynergy Cycles offers a free seminar on making extreme cycling events easier with science on Wednesday.

If you still give a damn about the Lance Armstong saga, the Times reviews two new books on the subject.

Long Beach’s Charlie Gandy offers a detailed look at the city’s streetdecks.

 

State

More proof that bike riders aren’t always the good guys as a Riverside County cyclist stabs a driver in the neck and steals his vehicle.

A 23-year old driver turns himself in for killing a cyclist in a Half Moon Bay hit-and-run. Maybe he had enough time to sober up before coming forward.

Fruit of the poisonous tree? A Napa man is arrested for meth possession after being stopped for texting while riding his bike. Except texting on a bike isn’t illegal in California, which could call the stop and everything that followed into question if he has a good lawyer.

A Yuba City program teaches people with disabilities to ride a conventional two-wheeled bike independently; I’d love to see a program like that here. And everywhere.

A local cyclist with nearly 50-years riding experience writes the book on Northern California’s best riding routes.

 

National

A Tucson women develops an LED/reflective harness to improve bike and pedestrian safety.

Tulsa gets its first mile-long bike lanes following a road diet; do I really have to say some residents aren’t happy?

An Ohio rider is killed by a 78-year old driver while on a 200-mile group ride.

New York’s highly successful and suddenly embattled bike share program faces a possible cash shortfall, as the mayor refuses a bailout and Alta is accused of shoddy maintenance.  But if it survives, you can (illegally) add an e-motor to your rental ride for just $1,350.

CNN looks at New York’s Worksman Industrial Cycles, the oldest large-scale bike manufacturer that actually makes its bikes in the US, in operation since 1898.

 

International

Huh? A Hamilton Canada letter writer says don’t build bike lanes to make bicycling safer because it’s too dangerous for motorists when cyclists ride in the winter. Oh, and fix those damn potholes first.

Tragic news from across the Atlantic as a British father of three is killed by an 18-year old drunk driver while on a 24-hour, 248-mile solo charity ride. He’d hoped to raise £1000 for the mental health charity; after his death, over £40,000 in donations have poured in. A 19-year old man has also been arrested.

The UK’s Independent looks at the rise of the female cyclist, while two teenage girls have been arrested for attempting to decapitate one.

My favorite Scottish bike blogger writes about getting caught in a stinging rain and offers advice for surviving such. And appropriately closes with this line: “Anyone commenting to the effect that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing, will be hunted down and drowned.”

Copenhagenize conducts a little bike archeology, and comes up with 10 former bike features worth reviving.

A Philippines congressman calls for bike lanes on the country’s major thoroughfares.

A Bangkok airport offers bike riders a new 14-mile off-road bikeway.

 

Finally…

In a man bites dog twist, a Florida man was arrested for leaving the scene after drunkenly colliding with a SUV.  On a bike. And in a case of man bites cop, a  Sacramento rider is under arrest for biting the officer who tried to stop him for a traffic violation, and assaulting another.

Makes that South LA case look pretty tame.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, Injuries and Fatalities, Legal Cases, Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , ,

Santa Monica police blame the victim in a new bike safety video, two better videos and your Morning Links

March 20, 2014 / / 2 comments

Santa Monica police are offering up a new PSA suggesting that stopping for stop signs while riding a bike is child’s play. And the best way to ensure you’ll get home to yours.

Children, that is.

It’s not like their message isn’t reasonable — both the law and common sense dictate that we should observe traffic signals just like anyone else. But while they’ve undoubtedly scored points with bike-hating residents, they could have done a lot more good by focusing on the need for motorists to pay attention and drive safely around bike riders.

Which is what share the road really means, despite the way some drivers — and police departments, apparently — try to twist it these days.

After all, even the most dangerous cyclists pose a risk primarily to themselves, while dangerous drivers pose a risk to everyone around them.

I don’t have any records on what may have caused bike injury collisions in Santa Monica. But neither of the two bicyclists killed in Santa Monica in recent years ran a red light or stop sign. Antonio Cortez died after riding into an open car door while allegedly riding drunk, while Erin Galligan was run down from behind by while riding home from work on PCH.

Even if he was as stumbling drunk as SMPD officials implied, Cortez would probably still be alive today if a driver hadn’t left his car door open in violation of California law.

And to the best of my knowledge, no one has ever suggested that Galligan did anything wrong, other than occupy the same road space as the speeding hit-and-run driver who killed her.

Maybe the SMPD’s next bike safety videos should focus on closing your damn car door and not running away like a coward after you kill someone.

Then again, this is the same department that has promised to crackdown on scofflaw cyclists more than once. Even though they can’t legally focus enforcement on specific violators as opposed to violations.

That is, they can legally ticket everyone who rolls stop signs, for instance. But they can’t direct their enforcement towards cyclists as opposed to everyone else on the road.

And they should know that.

……….

As long as we’re sharing videos, here’s one from the Encino Velodrome’s recent Swap Your Legs Race.

http://vimeo.com/pfcycles/encino-velodrome

Meanwhile, a great video says it’s time to fix LA’s broken sidewalks. And even our Twitter-using mayor liked it.

……….

The Daily News is the latest to notice that current LA law bans kids playing on or near streets.

LA’s first protected bike lane has already seen better days.

How many people get to work car-free in your neighborhood?

A writer for City Watch says the Pacoima Wash bike and pedestrian pathway recently approved by the San Fernando City Council has the power to transform the area.

Zev says you’ll soon be able to sponsor your own section of bike path in LA County.

Drivers can — and should — cross into a bike lane to make a turn, even when there’s a solid white line. California law requires drivers to make a right from the lane closest to the curb, and never turn across a bike lane.

Fair warning to Los Angeles, as Oakland agrees to pay out $3.25 million to a cyclist seriously injured after hitting a pothole. The city had received numerous complaints about the pothole-ridden road but failed to fix it.

Across the bay, San Francisco is on its way to becoming a bike utopia.

How bicycling helped build Kickstarter.

A new helmet attachment promises to keep you cool by soaking your head. No, really.

Turns out the wicked witch of the Wall Street Journal was wrong, while famed lawyer Alan Dershowitz says it’s time for vigorous law enforcement against reckless drivers before they kill someone, not after.

Drivers are at fault for injury collisions with bicyclists in a Georgia county two-thirds of the time. But why did they illustrate the story with a crashed motorcycle?

A documentary maker for the BBC moves to LA, but gives up bicycling to work due to “distracted drivers going 50 mph in the dark.” But isn’t that half the fun? Thanks to Jim Pettipher for the heads-up.

Funny how often totally insane cyclists attack perfectly innocent motorists for absolutely no rational reason. Seriously, no one should ever attack anyone else on the roadway or use their U-lock as a weapon. But something tells me there’s probably another side to stories like this.

The owner of Soigneur magazine looks at five up and coming bicycling groups, and manages to be only somewhat offensive, particularly in regards to women riders.

A writer for the Guardian says cyclists aren’t the enemy, and it’s time to end the us versus them mentality.

An Australian writer suggests bike cams have been beneficial, but oddly worries about privacy concerns even though nothing that occurs in public view is ever private.

Your next helmet could look like an alien brain if you’re willing to spend more than $1000 for the privilege.

Finally, after an Aussie BMW worker calls for intentionally dooring cyclists and posting the videos online, the story somehow devolves into a debate over licensing cyclists, rather than protecting them from illegal assaults by bike-hating jerks.

And Boyonabike found this bike lane fail at Cal Poly Pomona. Are they trying to tell us something?

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Category: Bicycle Safety, Car vs Bike, Law Enforcement, Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,

LA-style cyclist anti-harassment laws continue to spread, but there’s a catch; plus your Morning Links

March 19, 2014 / / 5 comments

Oakland is the latest city to consider an LA-style bicyclist anti-harassment ordinance.

However, there’s a hidden problem with these kind of ordinances, as LA bike lawyer Josh Cohen recently pointed out.

LA’s law, and most, if not all, of the similar ordinances that have followed throughout California, allow the court to award lawyer’s fees if you win your case, as an inducement for attorneys to take cases that might not otherwise be worth their time.

The problem is, lawyers usually collect their fees from insurance companies when they win a case. But insurers don’t pay for intentional acts. And the whole point of the anti-harassment ordinance is to punish drivers for their intentional actions in harassing riders.

Which, by definition, lets the driver’s insurance company off the hook for any damages, including attorney’s fees.

So unless the driver who harasses you has a major bank account or significant assets that can be converted into cash, it may be difficult to find an attorney to take your case. Which is no knock on lawyers; while some may take a case pro bono when they can, they still need to pay the bills like anyone else.

And that means lower income drivers could have carte blanche to threaten you on your bike with little fear of any consequences.

The short term solution is to act as your own attorney in small claims court; Cohen says he’s working on an online tool kit that that will teach riders how to build a case and guide them through the legal process.

A longer term solution is to pass a statewide version of the anti-harassment ordinance, so enforcement no longer depends on invisible city limit lines. An offense that occurs in Santa Monica or San Gabriel is just as offensive as one that takes place in Los Angeles, and the offender should face the same consequences.

And while we’re at it, let’s change the law to require insurance companies to pay for all adverse traffic acts, intentional or not.

Maybe when they face the costs for the threatening actions of the drivers they insure, they’ll actually do something about it.

And maybe get some of these jerks off the road once and for all.

……….

Streetsblog’s Damien Newton takes an in-depth look at the proposal to increase the sales tax to fix LA’s streets and some, but not all, sidewalks.

While virtually everyone benefits from better streets — bike riders not the least — there needs to be a firm commitment to build out the bike plan as streets are repaved and striped, rather than the vague promises we’ve been offered so far.

And since everyone walks, there should be at least as much commitment to fix every broken sidewalk as there is to repave failed streets.

The question is whether Angelenos will swallow yet another sales tax increase that places the burden of street repair on everyone, whether or not they use them.

Or whether they contribute to the disrepair of our streets by rolling massively oversized multi-ton and highly destructive vehicles over them.

……….

LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin hosts a free Fireside Chat on Transportation: The 405, Traffic, Transit, Biking & More on Friday, April 11th. That’s one I’d like to attend.

LADOT and City Planning are hosting a webinar on Year Two of the bike plan rollout (pdf) on Thursday, April 17th from 7 to 8 pm

Frequent contributor Erik Griswold looks at the city that bans play; yes, that would be our very own LA.

Flying Pigeon says the bike infrastructure infection is spreading. Meanwhile, those new green bike lanes in Santa Monica may be nice, but they’re not what cyclists were promised, and there’s still more work to do. Not the least of which is figuring out what to do with the city’s airport, which may be best done by bike.

Now this sounds like fun, as a planned May ride will visit the murals of Northeast Los Angeles.

LA students call for fixing San Fernando Road, including bike lanes and better sidewalks.

How Sweet Ride USA’s Steve Isaacs went from musician to creating a unique mash-up of bikes and deserts.

Mark your calendar for California Bike Advocacy Day on May 21st.

A Riverside hit-and-run driver gets nine months for leaving a seriously injured bike rider to bleed in the street. More than a slap on the wrist, but hardly what the crime deserves.

This is why you always carry ID when you ride. Oakland police were trying to identify a man who was critically injured in a solo fall when he went over the handlebars; fortunately, the 80-year old rider was eventually identified. Your loved ones deserve to know where you are and what happened if you’re too injured to speak for yourself, and you deserve to have them by your side.

Can protected bike lanes push bicycling into the mainstream? If they can’t, maybe the rise of the combination bike shop/bar can.

A new team-based East Coast track cycling league is set to roll out next year.

My hometown is nominated as one of the nation’s top 10 bicycling cities; needless to say, Los Angeles isn’t, and neither are leading local candidates Long Beach and Santa Monica. Wait, what the hell is Malibu doing on the list?

Fargo cyclists may be afraid to use a new bike lane because motorists certainly aren’t.

Eighty-two-year old Omaha driver opts to kill the person on two wheels rather than collide with the vehicle stopped ahead of her.

Nothing stops Minneapolis bicyclists from riding, even in the dead of winter. Same with most LA riders, as long as it’s at least 70 degrees out.

More proof that hit-and-run isn’t just an LA problem, as a Pennsylvania Amish buggy driver hit an SUV twice before trotting sedately from the scene.

He still doesn’t get it. The Aussie cab passenger who doored a cyclist refuses responsibility, but does admit to acting like a jerk afterwards. And Melbourne’s top bike cop says the city’s patchwork bike lanes give riders a false sense of security.

Finally, chances are, you’ve already seen this one by now. But if not, you definitely need to, as a cyclist is hit by a mattress carried by a passing truck — which miraculously flips under him and cushions his fall, saving him from serious injury. Thanks to Michael Eisenberg for the heads-up.

And it’s been over a century. So where’s my flying bicycle, already?

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Bikes & the Law, Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , ,

Morning links: Your Tuesday morning bike reading list

March 18, 2014 / / 3 comments

Boyonabike says riding a bike is not a lifestyle choice, it’s about life, period.

How to submit a request for street repairs through LADOT. If I reported every crappy street I ride on, that’s all I would ever do. Is it possible to just submit Los Angeles?

Orange 20 says until things get better, it’s up to you to avoid gambling with your own safety.

Help choose the route for Wolfpack Hustle’s forthcoming Long Beach crit.

The world is still shocked that Angelenos and other Californians are driving less.

Streetsblog looks at how the award-winning BikeSD is changing the way people get around in our neighbor to the south.

Quadriplegic cyclist rides an e-bike from Arizona to San Diego.

A Palo Alto engineer says the bike lobby is responsible for impeding safer cycling.

Great read on the dos and don’ts when it comes to introducing people to bicycling from People for Bikes. Seriously, the hardest thing about taking up bicycling is simply deciding to do it.

Must read from a Utah writer who explains why motorists are at fault in most bicycling fatalities.

New York courts worker fights desecration of courthouse by blue bike share bikes.

Maybe there’s hope. Things are actually getting better for pedestrians in the long-time deadliest state in the nation for walkers and bicyclists.

A London study shows vigorous exercise — like riding a bicycle fast — can help ward off the flu. In fact, there are so many health benefits to riding I probably achieved immortality decades ago.

A Welsh cyclist rides through a train tunnel, causing a 14-hour delay while authorities searched for him in vain.

Scandal in the UK as eight MPs bill taxpayers a whopping £417.48 — $692.31 — for bicycling related expenses.

In a horrifying collision, a French high-speed train travels 25 miles with the body of a bicyclist it hit clinging to the front of the train.

Belarus police stage a bike crash to see if anyone cares. Not surprisingly, few do.

Finally, another great read as an Aussie writer offers 10 things he wishes would happen to improve bicycling. And a South African writer says riding a bike shouldn’t be playing Russian roulette.

………

The mailman has been good to me lately, delivering the latest line of Mojo bars from my friends at Clif Bar, and a new fast water filtration pitcher from Camelbak.

I’ll let you know what I think after I try them out.

Mojo-bars

Camelbak-web

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,

Morning links: LA cyclist is shocking collateral damage, fatal San Diego bike-by, NC writer gets it so wrong

March 16, 2014 / / 4 comments

The LACBC is hosting a workshop to empower local bike advocates this Thursday. Be there if you want to make a difference in your own neighborhood.

A Buena Park cyclist is collateral damage as a driver knocks over a fire hydrant, then knocks down a power line, which falls in the water and shocks the passing rider. Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to have been seriously injured.

The Times interviews a Dutch cyclist who’s riding 17,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina to raise funds for education and children’s programs. And destroys the myth that the Dutch don’t wear helmets, at least over here.

Huntington Park is seeking grants for a CicLAvia-style open streets event, as well as a second annual Gran Prix in conjunction with the LACBC and Wolfpack Hustle.

Sometimes bike riders are the bad guys, as a San Diego cyclist kills an SUV driver in a ride-by shooting; thanks to Sam Ollinger for the heads-up.

I Bike Kern offers a great overview of California bike laws; I think I need to add this link to the Resources page.

Fresno police auditor wisely tells the department to reconsider the way they pursue suspects on bicycles. Using a police vehicle to run down a rider should always be considered deadly use of force.

A Pittsburgh CA cyclist is in grave condition after being hit head-on while riding salmon. Don’t do that. Just don’t.

Elly Blue offers advice on how to be a bike angel to new riders in your town.

Yet another experienced cyclist has been killed by yet another elderly driver, this time in Omaha.

Clearly, hit-and-run isn’t just an LA problem, as Grand Rapids MI suffers a 50% jump in fleeing drivers. I have some distant relatives out that way; I hope they have enough sense to stick around after a collision. Or better yet, just don’t hit anyone.

Remember that New York Times writer who blogged about his cross-country ride a few years back? It’s a book now.

That obnoxious fight over proposed bike lanes in Alexandria VA has finally ended with a unanimous council vote in favor of bike lanes over parking spaces.

A North Carolina letter writer gets it so wrong I don’t even know where to start. Like bike riders have the same rights as motorists, but should give way when an impatient driver honks and attempts to pass dangerously on a curve? I’d probably bail, but only to save my life, not to be polite.

This is what happens when Chilean velodrome officials neglect to remove a starting gate.

A Brit bike rider refuses to put her back into it, while another gives up bike commuting — and stops his or her son, too.

The right bike can make all the difference in your commute, though.

A British bishop takes to his bike and gives up his car for Lent. I’ve given up abject poverty for Lent, but my bank account doesn’t seem to have noticed yet.

An Aussie cyclist is run down from behind — despite taking the lane — by a driver who surely should have seen him in a collision caught on camera. Warning: you need a strong stomach to watch this one, even though the story says he seemed okay.

That driver must feel like small potatoes, as one of his countrymen manages to take out six cyclists in a single blow. The good news is, one of the six didn’t need medical attention, one has been released after treatment and the other four are in stable condition. Thanks to Michael Eisenberg for the heads-up.

Finally, this happened on my ride through Santa Monica on Friday. And you might want to turn down the sound if impressionable ears are around.

To be fair, the removal of bike lane markings in preparation for new green bike lanes on Main Street may have contributed to the driver’s jerkishness confusion.

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

Morning links, a defensive riding tip, a BAC Bikeways Committee Agenda, and a Metro ciclovia of your very own

March 13, 2014 / / 3 comments

Just a few quick notes to wrap up the week.

……….

First up, let’s go back to that video we shared yesterday, in which I was Jerry Browned by a pair of our fellow cyclists.

But this time, instead of looking at what they did, take a look at what I did. Or more precisely, didn’t do.

Which is, react.

Notice that in both cases, I held my line without swerving in either direction.

Not exactly the easiest thing to do.

It’s human nature to react — or too often, overreact — to the unexpected, either by swerving away from it or, counter intuitively, swerving into it. Many people react to being startled by turning to look towards whatever it is that surprised them. And naturally, if they’re on a bike, their bikes follow.

Either one can increase your risk exponentially, as a rider startled by an unexpected pass on the left could swerve right into parked or turning cars, or risk injury by falling or crashing over a curb. Meanwhile, a swerve to the left can result in a crash with the person or vehicle that startled you, or a cutting dangerously or falling in front of traffic.

If I’d reacted to the first rider by jerking my bike to the right, I could have collided with the cars in the right turn lane; to the left, I could have been hit by the cars going straight.

That’s why one of the most important skills you can develop — and a key to defensive riding, as well as driving — is learning not to react unless you need to.

Practice holding your line — that is, continuing to ride in the same path you were headed — regardless of what is going on around you.

And learn not to overreact to a situation that may already be over before you can respond — like a swinging door when you’re already riding outside the door zone, for instance — as was the case with both of these riders.

It could make all the difference between a minor annoyance and a major disaster.

……….

Metro wants to hold a ciclovia in your neighborhood.

The Metro Board approved the Open Streets Program in September 2014 to include up to $2 million annually for open street events in Los Angeles County that will be distributed through a competitive grant application process. Open streets are events which temporarily close the streets to automobiles and open them up to people to re-imagine and experience their streets while walking, biking, rollerblading or pushing a stroller in a car-free environment. The goals of the program are to encourage sustainable modes of transportation (biking, walking and transit), provide an opportunity to take transit for the first time, and provide an opportunity for civic engagement that can foster the development of multi-modal policies for cities.

The Metro Open Streets Program application is now available to cities to apply for grant funding and the deadline to apply online is Friday March 14, 2014. For more information contact Avital Shavit at shavita@metro.net.

Click here for the Metro Open Streets Application

………

The LA Bicycle Advisory Committee’s Bikeway’s Subcommittee meets next Wednesday, March 19th — despite the date on the agenda below. The public is invited to discuss upcoming improvements on the city’s streets.

Planning-Agenda

………

Mark your calendar. According to the LACBC, the MyFigueroa project is due back before the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee on the 25th of this month.

The Times editorial board is no fan of the Supreme Court’s ruling against the Rails to Trails movement.

The first step in becoming a biker in LA: buying a bike.

Big bike-friendly changes are coming to Downtown Santa Monica. But once again, much needed safety improvements in LA only seem to come after someone gets killed.

Calbike’s Dave Snyder says there may be hope for Caltrans yet.

Twelve-year old middle school student was injured in a collision with a Chevy Suburban in Whittier. No word on what happened or who was at fault.

Once again, a foreign visitor comes to this country and is sent home in a box, as a Dutch cyclist is one of two victims of a murderous Austin TX driver who injured 23 other people — 5 critically — when he plowed into crowds at the South By Southwest festival. The suspected drunk driver was fleeing from police, and now faces two counts of capital murder and 23 counts of aggravated assault. If only we could get the authorities to take less high profile cases so seriously. Thanks to Danny Gamboa for the heads-up.

Minneapolis police reopen the case of a cyclist killed in a hit-and-run over five years ago.

WaPo says maybe we’ve reached peak car, which is bad news for global auto makers. And as we’ve noted recently, that seems to hold true for California, as well.

Brit bike rider makes friends with a golden eagle.

Pyscho cyclist terrorizes a Brit couple in a road rage incident. Or at least, that’s one side of the one-sided story.

Now here’s a great idea. Paris makes their Velib free for three days to combat dangerous air pollution. I wonder what other city that suffers from bad air could benefit from something like that? Oh wait, we don’t have a bike share system here.

Tracing the growth of Parisian bike culture.

Bet that comes out of his salary, as pro cyclist Marcel Kittel smashes his $11,000 Giant Propel bike into the asphalt.

The Cannibal, possibly the greatest un-banned cyclist of all time, says that Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso could be the best thing to happen to (pro) cycling. Oddly, he’s not expected to have any significant impact on recreational riding or bike commuting.

Finally, despite six previous DUI convictions — and seven arrests — an Ohio driver was still on the streets so he could kill a cyclist in a drunken hit-and-run. I’d like to know why the hell someone like that wasn’t banned for life from getting behind the wheel — let alone not behind bars already?

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bike Events, Morning Links /

Seriously, don’t be a two-wheeled Jerry Browning jerk, and your Morning Links

March 13, 2014 / / 5 comments

It’s bad enough when drivers pass far to close.

It’s another thing entirely when the danger comes from being buzzed by other bike riders who really should know better. Especially when there’s no damn reason for it.

In the first case captured in the above video, a rider blew by with no warning whatsoever, apparently  because he couldn’t be bothered to squeeze his brakes long enough to announce his presence and make a safe pass. Had I moved more than a few inches off my line — which would have happened as soon as I thought it was safe to pass the rider ahead — we would have collided.

And probably ended up beneath the cars to our left.

The second rider evidently felt the need to risk my safety by remaining firmly inside the frequently ignored solid yellow no-passing line, brushing by as close as humanly possible without making actual physical contact.

If I had even turned my head to look behind me, she would have hit me. She must have recognized my obvious skill and was confident in my ability to hold my line.

Right.

So let’s get this straight.

What passes in the peloton doesn’t play on the street. Or the bike path, for that matter, which tends to be over populated with the least skilled riders and pedestrians,.

If you’re going pass another human being — on a bike or otherwise — give them at least an arms-length passing distance, if not the full three feet you’d expect from a motorist.

If for any reason you can’t give sufficient passing distance or if there’s any danger of conflict, call if out before you pass. A simple “On your left” can avoid most problems, and is often, though not always, greeted with a thank you and a move to the right.

Which is exactly what I would have done if the woman on the bike path had just announced her damn presence.

And if the guy on the street had yelled it out before blowing by, at least I would have known not to move left, which I was about to do.

While I’m no fan of bike bells, even that helps by offering a friendly announcement that you’re there, if not where you’re going.

And lets everyone know an angel just got it’s wings.

Always pass on the left whenever possible, and never undercut a rider by passing in the door zone he or she is carefully avoiding. If a car door happens to swing open, it could knock you into them, and you could both end up under passing traffic.

Or better yet, just treat other riders the same way you want drivers to treat you. And simply don’t pass until it’s safe to do so.

Better to lose a few seconds off your Strava time than spend a few hours in the ER.

Or force someone else to.

Update: In the comments below, Chuck questioned whether the first rider was really as close as he seemed, noting he passed the rider in front of me at over an arms length.

While he goes by far too fast in the video to tell just how close he is, this still should give a better idea. Clearly, not as close as the near-shoulder brushing rider on the bike path, but still too close for safety, let alone comfort.

Especially at that speed.

Way too close for comfort.

Way too close for comfort.

………

Nice.

Some walking — or in this case, rolling — human scum used sleeping homeless people as props for BMX stunts in Downtown’s Skid Row.

I don’t care how much of a self-absorbed jackass you may be, show some respect for other human beings. Especially those less fortunate than you.

………

Abbott Kinney gets a pair of surprise bike corrals; LADOT Bike Blog offers full details on the design and construction, while Streetsblog says the city is taking applications for more. I expect rioting from parking-challenged Venice motorists over the loss of two spaces.

Even so, Flying Pigeon suffers from infrastructure envy.

Meanwhile, the needlessly embattled MyFigueroa project is gaining key support from neighborhood councils, and is due back before the city council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee any day. Hopefully, we’ll get some advance notice of the hearing so supporters can actually show up.

At least one candidate for Glendale city council supports bicycling.

Bike Long Beach invites you to join them for a low-speed Sunday morning bike ride to remember city leader and bike advocate Mark Bixby, killed in a plane crash three years ago Sunday. A more permanent memorial to Bixby is the city he helped transform, where a downtown cycle track has boosted bicycling 33% while reducing bike-involved collisions 80%.

Outgoing County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky looks at Metro’s Bicycle Roundtable; has it really been four years since so many cyclists showed up for the first one?

If you need inspiration, you’ll find it here, as the Orange County Register talks to a recumbent-riding Wounded Warrior who’s not letting cancer kick her ass. Thanks to the Register for sharing this one.

Riverside’s long-debated Brockton Ave road diet and bike lanes finally gets a final approval.

Five-foot wide bike lanes are coming to Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas, while green bike lanes are coming to a deadly intersection in Goleta.

More evidence that Caltrans is hopelessly locked in the auto-centric past as they propose widening Highway 1 to six lanes in Pacifica to possibly save 5 minutes drive time 20 years from now. But at least they did include bike-friendly 10-foot wide shoulders in the plan.

Does San Francisco’s MTA spend more on Post Its than bike projects?

More on the unanimous committee approval of AB 1532, which would suspend licenses and create minimum sentences for any hit-and-run.

Two Utah bike commuters were killed by a driver who apparently didn’t see them. No one will ever be safe on our roads until that’s an admission of guilt instead of a Get Out of Jail Free card.

An off-duty Chicago cop who drove away after hitting a cyclist gets one whole year probation and 30 days community service.

New York firefighters will ride 18-days from Ground Zero to the Navy Seal Museum in Florida, towing an I-beam from the World Trade Center.

Very cool bike murals from Buenos Aires. I wonder if I could fit an entire wall in my carry on? Then again, I have not idea how I’d get to Argentina to begin with.

An Ontario Canada triathlete gets $75,000 restitution for taking a beating from a road raging driver, yet, as usual, no jail time for his attacker.

Lots of people swear at cyclists, but this guy may have been going for the record as a road raging Brit driver is caught on video swearing at a cyclist 25 times in just 35 seconds.

Finally, stealing a bike is nothing unusual. Stealing a penny-farthing for a drunken Christmas Day ride home, on the other hand, is.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bike Cam Video, Morning Links, Roadway Courtesy / Tags: , , , , ,

Morning links: Undead bike lanes in Beverly Hills, 11 routes to the Valley, and a harrowing Brit Jerry Brown

March 11, 2014 / / 5 comments

Maybe those Santa Monica Boulevard bike lanes through Beverly Hills aren’t dead yet, as residents in the Biking Black Hole call on council members to reconsider their extremely misguided vote.

And maybe LA leaders shouldn’t be allowed to drive, period.

Another Perfect Day ranks 11 routes from the Westside to the Valley. And says avoid Laurel Canyon at all costs.

Metro continues their monthly Why You Ride series by interviewing bike commuter and multi-cultural advocate “Rio” Jill Contreras.

Long Beachize maps out where bike share should work best in LA County.

The family of fallen Whittier rider Arturo Ornelas publicly disagrees with how his death was depicted in the local paper; can’t say I disagree after getting comments from eye witnesses. Thanks to Danny Gamboa for the heads-up. 

Nearly one in four household trips in California are now taken by some means other than motor vehicles; bike trips have nearly doubled from .08 in 2000 to 1.5% in 2010 – 2012.

A Santa Barbara paper offers good advice on bike path etiquette.

A Chico man is arrested for accidently shooting at a cyclist in an argument, after his friend calls police to falsely claim the unarmed rider had shot at them several times. I’m sure it made sense at the time.

State Assembly Member Mike Gatto’s bill mandating a six month license suspension for any hit-and-run passed the Public Safety Committee on a unanimous vote Tuesday. The bill would also provide up to six months in jail and a $1000 fine.

Fascinating long read on how we came to accept — or perhaps ignore — a culture of roadway deaths.

Speaking of which, five ideas from New York’s Vison Zero plan worth stealing.

Cyclist Collyn Ahart decries the “cult of the beginner” in women’s cycling. Wait, why can’t we appeal to experienced riders and beginners, hard core roadies and Cycle Chic cruisers? There’s no one right way to ride; we should have an all-of-the-above approach to promoting bicycling.

A close-passing British driver updates Monty Python’s dead — or maybe not quite — parrot skit.

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, the first Irish-made bicycle in 40-years goes to that legendary Irishman Barack O’Bama.

Finally, a British driver loses his job over one of the most frightening intentionally close passes I’ve seen. Can we still call it Jerry Browned if it’s across the pond? Thanks to Carlton Reid for the link.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,

Morning links: Arraignment in the Phillip O’Neill case, and a preview of this weekend’s Donut Ride

March 10, 2014 / / 7 comments

One quick note before we get started.

I’ve been a little under the weather lately, so today I finally got out for my first good ride in a couple of weeks.

And proceeded to get buzzed by two cyclists in two separate incidents — one male and one female — each one passing just an inch or two from my shoulder.

Maybe I should be impressed by their skill in somehow managing to just miss me as closely as possible; instead, I was awed by their overwhelming jerkishness and willingness to risk a total stranger’s safety.

So let’s make one thing clear.

Whenever you pass another rider on a city street or bike path, call it out to avoid startling them and causing a bike-on-bike collision. A simple “On your left” or “Passing left” can make all the difference.

And don’t pass on the right. Just don’t.

If you can’t give another rider at least an arms-length passing distance — if not the three feet you’d expect from a motorist — then don’t pass, dammit.

You can wait a few seconds until it’s safe to pass, just like drivers can.

………

Ghost bike for Phillip O'Neill; respectfully borrowed from Ghost Bikes-LA

Ghost bike for Phillip O’Neill; respectfully borrowed from Ghost Bikes-LA.

A source who prefers to be anonymous reports on the recent arraignment of the driver charged with taking the life of cyclist Phillip O’Neill in Pasadena last year.

According to her report, the motorist, who wasn’t named, did not appear; his lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for him and a pretrial date was set for this month, However, the prosecutor is expecting the defendant to plead out.

On the other hand, the prosecutor said he’d never seen so many people show up to support the victim at an arraignment.

……….

The authors of Where to Bike Los Angeles are joining with the LACBC for their monthly bike tour of the LA area, this time through the Palos Verdes area.

And they’re expecting more perfect weather for the ride, so don’t rub it in when you talk to your friends in other parts of the country.

The Donut

When: Saturday, March 15, 2014

Time: Meet at 8:30am; ride at 9:00am

Where: Wilmington Waterfront Park

Drive south on the 110 Freeway to the C Street exit in Wilmington. Then, continue east a short distance to the Park. We will meet at the small parking lot at the Park’s east end off Lagoon Avenue. Here’s the to map the Park: Wilmington Waterfront Park

This is a San Pedro version of the classic “Donut” tour around the Palos Verdes Peninsula. We’ll start (and finish) with an easy warm-up (and cool down) through the port city of San Pedro where we will see everything nautical (tankers, container ships, old battleships, merchant vessels, cruise ships, lighthouses, seagulls). Then, we’ll ride into PV proper and tackle the famous switchbacks (the one big climb of the day). From there we’ll continue around to Malaga Cove (rest stop), Point Vicente, Abalone Cove, and Fort McArthur. We should have many wonderful vistas of the South Bay, Catalina and the Port of Los Angeles as we ride back to San Pedro and Wilmington.

Ride Length:  43 miles.

Ride Duration:  Approximately 5-6 hours, including stops.

Difficulty:  Recommended for intermediate-level riders, aged 16 and up. Expect a mix of city and rural riding conditions—busy bike paths and city streets from the start to the switchbacks, then bike lanes and quieter roads circling the peninsula. We’ll tackle one climb at the beginning, then mostly rolling terrain, for total elevation gain of roughly 2,500 feet.

Rain Policy:  Torrential rain, snow, earthquake or fierce wind cancels the outing. Otherwise, we ride.

What to bring:  A road-worthy bike, extra inner tubes, a patch kit and pump, drinking water, a pocket snack (such as an energy bar, banana or trail mix), a helmet and money for refueling stops and post-ride refreshments.

Parking:  There’s plenty of street parking around Wilmington Waterfront Park

RSVP:   Strongly encouraged, via wheretobikela@gmail.com, so we can send you last-minute advisories, particularly about weather.

Touring Los Angeles County with LACBC and Where To Bike Los Angeles is a series of rides that are free and open to every LACBC member, plus one guest.

……….

People for Bikes selects six new cities for their second Green Lane Project; needless to say, LA ain’t one of them. I wonder if the recent lack of support for bike lanes from a handful of city council members had any anything to do with our non-selection.

On the other hand, Santa Monica is installing new green lanes on Broadway and Main.

The Daily News talks to Damien Kevitt about his plans to Finish the Ride that cost him a leg in a still unsolved hit-and-run last year.

The Weekly goes on the off and then unexpectedly back on Marathon Crash Ride, but fails to obey the rules, unlike the less aggressive rider representing Streetsblog.

A Bakersfield rider gets pinned between two cars by a suspected stoned driver; fortunately, the cyclist only suffered moderate injuries.

Baseball legend Barry Bonds is one of us, even if the writer can’t resist the usual steroid/doping comparisons.

The Supreme Court throws an unexpected wrench into the Rails to Trails movement; the family bringing the suit would rather have a train on their land than a bunch of us nasty bike riders.

Consider it a Mood Ring for your head. A new helmet tracks your stress levels and transmits them to your iPhone. Because it’s so hard to know when your stressed while riding your bike, right?

Finding an alternate path to equity for women’s cycling.

A nine-foot travel lane costs less than a 12-foot lane, and can make everything better.

Bike tourism goes to the next level as Oregon builds a network of Overnight Bike Pods.

The New York Times offers a number of gadgets to improve bike safety, and correctly notes the most common mistake new riders make is not riding predictably. Which means riding in a straight line, with traffic, signaling and obeying the right-of-way; now that’s not so hard, is it?

Virginia legislators vote to keep it legal to tailgate bicyclists. After all, what harm could possibly come from that?

The World Naked Bike Ride pops up in Peru; evidently, Peruvians are growers not show-ers.

London plans a network of bicycle Quietways to shift riders onto underutilized side streets. Can’t call them Quietways here because this city is seldom silent.

Don’t piss off this 91-year old Baroness, or she’ll whack you with her handbag — then re-enact it for the cameras.

Finally, in LA we dodge cars; in Florida, golf balls.

Category: Bike Events, Legal Cases, Morning Links / Tags: , , ,

Morning links: More ghost bikes needed, watch out for drowsy drivers and a call for historical women on bikes

March 9, 2014 / / One comment

This was not a good weekend for SoCal cyclists, with four riders losing their lives in three separate collisions.

If you don’t want the details — and trust me, I understand if you don’t — stop reading at the end of this post. The only thing you’ll miss from over the weekend is the weekly listing of events, which you can find on the Events page above.

……….

On a related note, the unusually and unacceptably high rate of bicycling fatalities in Los Angeles County this year has depleted the stock of bikes available for ghost bikes.

If, like me, you support the ghost bike movement to remember fallen cyclists, and unlike me, you have an unneeded bike that can be turned into a moving memorial and a warning for all to ride and drive safely, email Danny Gamboa at danny@zkofilms.com to arrange a donation.

And if you question just how moving a two-wheeled memorial can be, you’ll find the answer here.

……….

The first workday after clocks are turned forward or back reportedly show a big jump in traffic collisions, as sleepy drivers struggle to adjust their internal clocks to the new reality.

So take fair warning, and ride extra defensively today.

It couldn’t hurt, right?

……….

A good friend of mine will be leading a Women’s History Ride on Saturday, March 22nd starting at the Angeles-Rosedale Cemetery, start time TBD.

There’s no shortage of notable LA women on bikes in the modern era, or during the first bike boom of the early last century. However, she’s having trouble finding information on women’s cycling from the ‘50s through the ‘90s; she notes even the 1932 LA Olympics didn’t have a single woman cyclist.

If you have any knowledge of female riders from the last half of the last century, whether in the news or tales passed down through your family — or maybe even experienced first hand — leave a comment below or email the address on the About page and I’ll pass it along.

……….

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy will help fund the Arroyo Seco Bike Trail in South Pasadena; thanks to Steve Messer for the heads-up..

LA bike lanes will soon be crossing the York Street bridge to connect with lanes in South Pasadena.

Glendale approves $138,000 in bicycling improvements.

A born again Wilmington rider — in the bike, not the religious sense — recalls a childhood on two wheels. And a 1900-mile Buffalo Soldier ride from 117 years ago.

Cycling in the South Bay offers a list of 10 ways to upgrade your ride. And unlike virtually every similar list I’ve ever read, this one really does make sense. All of it. For virtually every rider. So read it, already.

Not sure if this one refers to a bicycle or a motorcycle. Either way, don’t hit cars with your helmet. Just don’t.

A Bakersfield woman holds signs telling motorists to slow down after witnessing the death of an 11-year old bike rider.

A Contra Costa writer tells drivers how to make a right turn when there’s a bike around. Hint: It doesn’t involve cutting the rider off, then wondering why you got the finger.

Speaking of just don’t, a Colorado driver used coke for two days before killing a cyclist last September while on her way to court for a previous DUI arrest.

A Connecticut cop is suing the state over allegations he covered up for his drunken son in the death of a 15-year old bike rider. And blaming the victim, saying the boy appeared drunk and drifted into traffic lanes before he was killed. Schmuck.

Turns out 20 year later, a Boston writer was just two degrees of separation from the fallen rider who motivated him to always wear a helmet.

The New York Times looks at the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, a unique eight-mile bike and pedestrian trail helping to revitalize the city.

A Florida driver gets a well-deserved 13 years for the drag racing death of a cyclist. Compare that to a case closer to home, in which the driver who killed pro cyclist Jorge Alvarado while allegedly racing another car got a whopping 90 days from the San Bernardino County courts. Clearly, life is cheap in the Inland Empire — especially if you get about on two wheels.

Bike riders face a 10 times higher risk in South Carolina — and throughout the unforgiving roads of the Southern US — than in Oregon.

A BBC survey says 90% of drivers report having trouble spotting cyclists.

If you’re dealing ketamine and ecstasy, don’t sample your own products before riding your bike.

A government minister promises a cycling revolution in Northern Ireland; let’s hope it goes better than the non-cycling one in the Ukraine.

Lovely Bicycle recalls a story of the bike as an escape tool; far too many women and girls can sing a variation on the same tune. I promised myself as a young man I’d never be that guy; that’s one promise I think — and hope — I’ve kept.

Aussie riders celebrate a very colorful World Naked Bike Ride.

Finally, it turns out it’s illegal to play catch in Los Angeles. And cyclist Wes High captures an extremely close call as a driver attempt to make a left turn around a bus — without a clue what’s hidden behind it.

………

A special thanks to Elizabeth Trautmann, Will Campbell, Bryan Beretta and Margaret Wehbi for your generous donations to support this site over the weekend. I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am.

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