Archive for Streets and Infrastructure

Morning Links: Segways and scooters banned from Venice Boardwalk — and possibly the Venice bike path

June 24, 2014 / / 2 comments

Good news.

I think.

If I’m reading this right, the LA City Council not only voted unanimously to ban Segways on the Venice boardwalk, but on the LA segments of the adjacent Marvin Braude bike path through Venice, as well.

And since the ban applies to other “multiple-wheeled motor scooter-type devices“ and “multiple-wheeled electric personal assistive mobility-type devices,” it should also apply to those damn rental e-tricycles too often piloted by clueless tourists too drunk, and children too young, to operate them safely.

Let’s hope that’s really the case.

Because it could make the crowded bike path safer for the bike riders it was designed for, as well as the pedestrians who use it anyway, despite the numerous bike-only stencils on the pathway.

And don’t even get me started on that one.

It’s a lost cause.

Note: I have an email in to someone at Councilmember Mike Bonin’s office, who represents the Venice area, for clarification. I’ll let you know what I find out.

Update: An article from the Santa Monica Mirror says Segways and similar devices will still be allowed on the bike path.

Update 2: Just heard from Paul Backstrom at Bonin’s office, who says Segways are still allowed on the bike path; presumably, that extends to other mobility devices, as well.

………

Local

Bike liability lawyer — and BikinginLA sponsor and sometimes guest writer — Jim Pocrass answers reader’s questions on Streetsblog; first up is advice on what to do following a collision, whether or not you’re in it.

Not all road diets reduce parking; some can actually increase parking spaces.

New LADOT head Seleta Reynolds faces her first committee confirmation hearing today.

Ovarian Psychos are hosting a bike-in movie night to screen two ghost bike documentaries in Boyle Heights tonight.

Another Perfect Day has a near perfect day at the LA River Ride. Meanwhile, Greenway 2020 is working to complete the LA River Bike path from the Valley to Long Beach within the next six years.

Longtime Santa Clarita resident, cyclist and 2014 River Ride participant Kevin Korenthal applies for that city’s Parks Commission.

The new bike and pedestrian friendly Gerald Desmond Bridge is already at least a year behind schedule.

 

State

A Bakersfield man is competing with 42 other bike riders in the cross country Trans Am Race from Oregon to Virginia; can’t say I ever heard of that one.

Actually, there’s no reason for drivers not to signal, even in the rare situations where it’s not required. The same goes for bike riders as long as removing a hand from your brakes or handlebars won’t pose an unnecessary risk.

 

National

Bicycling tours a baker’s dozen of the nation’s most unusual velodromes; none in California and only one on the left coast. Is it just me, or is the magazine showing a decided East Coast bias these days?

A new bike horn allows you to sample any sounds you want. I’ll take the Flight of the Valkyries at maximum volume, thank you.

Nice. Reconstruction plans for a major Colorado highway include a 15-mile, 12-foot wide separated bikeway.

Possibly the world’s oldest paperboy passes away; the 91-year old bike-riding Illinois newsie insisted on finishing his route even after he fell ill.

Riding across the country to save the life of an Alabama boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Florida increases penalties for hit-and-run to remove the incentive for drunk drivers to flee, something we desperately need to do here. Assuming we can even get authorities to care enough prosecute it.

Riding on a sidewalk is no protection from Florida’s out of control killer drivers.

 

International

A Brit study shows most bike injuries don’t involve cars; those that do could be prevented by increasing separation.

That absurd ban on Scottish TV ads depicting helmetless bike riders has been officially overturned.

The LA Times looks at Paris’ new Velib kids bike share.

Ex-doper Ángel Vázquez is unceremoniously jerked from a Spanish Gran Fondo. And yes, I copied that name from the website to capture those cool Spanish accent marks.

 

Finally…

If you’re dealing heroin out of your Glendale home, don’t steal a bike from an underground parking garage. Or don’t get caught riding it by the victim’s sister, anyway.

And an alligator lying in the middle of the road photobombs a Louisiana bike rider, causing him to take a tumble to the pavement. I dodged a few myself when I lived and rode down there, and bigger ones at that. Fortunately, alligators on land are slow and don’t have a taste for bike tires.

 

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

Morning Links: Drivers give more distance to riders in bike lanes; cyclist hurt at Sunday’s LA River Ride

June 23, 2014 / / 3 comments

Interesting.

Bike lane opponents often claim the painted lanes encourage drivers to pass at an unsafe distance. But a new study from the UK (pdf) finds just the opposite.

The study compared urban streets with and without bike lanes; drivers on the streets with bike lanes were shown to pass cyclists at a greater distance than on those without, with fewer cases of unsafe passing.

That doesn’t exactly jibe with my personal experience, though.

I find drivers in the lane next to a bike lane don’t usually move over to provide a safe passing distance. Especially bus drivers. Even if you’re hugging the left side line to avoid the door zone.

But then, I’ve never conducted an independent study of the matter.

Then again, the new three-foot passing law that goes into effect in September does not include an exemption for passing riders in bike lanes, so hopefully drivers will learn to give a little more space here, as well.

……..

I wasn’t able to make it this year, for the first time since I’ve been a board member.

But word has it the LACBC’s 14th annual LA River Ride was another great success; Cycling Across LA takes you on the century ride in just four minutes.

……..

Speaking of the LACBC, their new 2014 team kits are now available for pre-order at a discount before July 5th.

Team-LACBC-Jersey

 

If you’re a spandex-clad member like me, you’ll want to wear the coalition’s colors with pride. But you don’t have to be a member — or even live in the LA area — to wear it. Anyone who wants to look and feel good on a bike is welcome place an order.

And yes, you will look good.

I’ve got the previous all black version, which is the only jersey I own that is actually flattering and doesn’t make me look like a total bike geek.

And the bright black coloring is surprisingly cool and very noticeable during daylight hours; with the new white back panel and reflectorized details, it should stand out even more, day or night.

……..

Local

Burbank Congressman Adam Schiff becomes the first US Representative to complete the AIDS/Lifecycle Ride from San Francisco to LA.

LADOT compromises on the North Figueroa bike lanes, now promising no delay at all for motorists at Avenue 26; Metro insists it’s not opposed to the road diet after all.

Meanwhile, Richard Risemberg takes Councilmember Gil Cedillo to task for misrepresenting the facts about North Fig.

And speaking of LADOT, the Bike Blog looks at the future of bikes at Union Station.

 

State

The hit-and-run epidemic hits our neighbor to the south, as San Diego has its deadliest year for hit-and-runs since 2009. And it’s only June.

Sadly, the husband of California’s first female Episcopal bishop is killed in a bicycling collision with an 83-year old driver. Thanks to Biker395 and Mike for the heads-up.

Shades of failed 1980’s road design, as a Mountain View bike lane sacrifices rider safety for the sake of automotive throughput.

 

National

HuffPo explains how to look like a lady while riding your bike. Then again, maintaining your modesty on a bike is a lot easier when you don’t have paparazzi trying to shoot up your skirt.

Bad enough we have to worry about dangerous drivers; a Kansas City cyclist is apparently killed by a downed power line.

A teenager with cerebral palsy is participating in a 250-mile group ride across western Michigan. No, really, what’s your excuse?

New York’s mayor lowers the speed limit to 25 mph as part of the city’s Vision Zero plan. But the NYPD can’t be bothered to investigate most collisions involving bike riders, unless the victim is a pedestrian.

Charlotte NC cyclists call for more to be done to improve safety after a rider is killed.

 

International

A Canadian publication asks if there’s any hope for détente in the war between bikes and cars. But can we please drop any further reference to the mythical war on cars?

You can see a lot of things riding a bike. For instance, two Brit cyclists may have witnessed a murder.

A writer asks if Madrid is too dangerous for the city’s new e-bike share system; then again, they said the same thing about New York before Citi Bike opened.

Despite reports to the contrary, it looks like bicycling in Australia is actually getting safer.

Your bike helmet may have been designed to provide safety for a dummy, not a real head like yours.

A New Zealand truck driver admits to careless driving in the death of a bike rider; he plays the universal Get Out of Jail Free card, claiming he just didn’t see her. But why was a 75-year old man behind the wheel of a 10-ton truck in the first place?

 

Finally…

A bike! A bike! My kingdom for a bike! Infamous English King Richard III could spend the rest of eternity in a bike rack. And if you’re going to harass a group of cyclists, first make sure one of them isn’t an off-duty cop.

 

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

Weekend Links: Mayor Garcetti names new head for LADOT, LA River Ride rolls this Sunday & your is life worth $300

June 20, 2014 / / Comments Off on Weekend Links: Mayor Garcetti names new head for LADOT, LA River Ride rolls this Sunday & your is life worth $300

Big news today, as LA finally gets a new leader for the Department of Transportation.

After more than a year in office — and nearly 8 months after letting the previous department head go —  Mayor Eric Garcetti nominated Seleta Reynolds, leader of the Livable Streets subdivision of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to be General Manager of LADOT.

According to a press release from the mayor’s office, Reynolds is currently working to launch a pilot bike share program, as well as implementing safety projects to help the city reach its Vision Zero goals. Both will come in handy here, where the planned bike share program has failed to materialize, and no one in city government has had the courage to even mention Vision Zero up to now.

“Seleta is the right person at the right time. L.A. is poised to expand transportation choices, improve mobility and design safer, more vibrant streets, and Seleta brings the innovative vision and strategies needed to lead LADOT at this critical moment,” said Janette Sadik-Khan, principal at Bloomberg Associates and former NYC transportation commissioner. Sadik-Khan helped support the search for a general manager, advising and assisting Mayor Garcetti and L.A. officials throughout the extensive selection process. “L.A.’s streets are its most valuable resource, and Mayor Garcetti’s selection is a key step toward making them great streets for walking, biking, living, and business.”

In talking with LA Streetsblog, Reynolds promised to bring a fresh perspective to Los Angeles, and not try to impose Bay Area solutions on the city.

“We can’t do it in L.A. the way we did it in San Francisco,” she stressed that “we need to always fit the neighborhood and the context.” Though she says that L.A. and S.F. share many similar transportation issues, including “serious congestion,” one big difference is size. For Los Angeles, she stated “the canvas is bigger” and there are “huge opportunities to work at a neighborhood scale.”

LA has suffered from a lack of strong leadership at LADOT in recent months, as councilmembers have arbitrarily halted bikeways previously approved in the 2010 bike plan, including bike lanes on Westwood and Lankershim Blvds, and North Figueroa Street, as well as a Bicycle Friendly Street long planned for 4th Street.

Hopefully, she’ll go to bat for these much needed projects, as well as bringing a genuine commitment to complete streets and livability to the mayor’s Great Streets program.

Not to mention convince Garcetti to adopt a much needed Vision Zero plan for the City of Angeles.

Because the streets and drivers of this city are creating far too many new ones.

……..

Local

Turns out the proposed road diet on North Figueroa won’t affect traffic at Avenue 26 after all.

Metro honors bike rider Wesley High with their Bicycle Ambassador Award.

KNBC-4 looks forward to Sunday’s LA River Ride.

 

State

Previously bike unfriendly San Diego adds 39 miles of bike lanes in the past year.

Solving hit-and-runs isn’t enough. We need to prevent them in the first place.

The Indio police department faces a wrongful death suit in the 2013 shooting of a bike rider.

The state legislature waters down the proposed vulnerable user law, deciding your life is only worth $300.

The San Francisco Bay Guardian asks if the DA’s office is biased against bike riders after a jury acquits a rider who collided with a jaywalking pedestrian.

 

National

One third of the recent growth in bicycling has come from people over the age of 60; so much for the anti-bike crowd who say new bike lanes won’t benefit older riders.

Unbelievable. An Iowa driver is not expected to face charges despite hitting two cyclists from behind, killing one, in a failed attempt to pass. Thanks to Ralph Durham for the link.

A Swiss rider competing in the RAAM is slightly injured in a chain-reaction collision when her support vehicle is rear-ended by a semi.

The Louisville KY city council puts the brakes on new bike lanes until the city comes up with a bike plan backed by solid statistics.

A road-raging Georgia driver faces charges after getting out of his truck, attacking a cyclist and stomping his $10,000 bike. And of course, insists he did nothing wrong.

 

International

A Vancouver man goes for a drive after his bike is stolen, then spots the thief riding it.

Lovely Bicycle goes postal.

An Irish writer moans that cycling isn’t stylish anymore.

An Aussie paper, via a Kiwi website, ranks the 10 best bicycling movies of all time.

 

Finally…

When you’re high and carrying dope, don’t ride your bike in circles around a parking lot firing a stolen gun. And don’t ride an e-bike in Australia without a helmet while carrying your 16-month old equally helmetless nephew under your arm.

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Category: Advocacy & Politics, Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure /

Morning Links: A shameful plea for money, bike corrals hit contested streets and the worst bike injury ever

June 19, 2014 / / 5 comments

Before we start, just a quick reminder that this site is advertising and donation supported.

You can help keep SoCal’s best bike news coming to your screen every day by donating directly through PayPal via bikinginla@hotmail.com; any amount is deeply appreciated. Or make a tax-free donation by check or credit card through LA Streetsblog; email the address above to make arrangements.

And if you market to bike riders, BikinginLA offers one of the area’s most affordable and highly targeted ways to reach cyclists in Southern California, as well as riders throughout the US and around the world. Email advertising@bikinginla.com for more information.

Finally, let me offer my sincere gratitude to our sponsors, and to everyone who has donated help support this site. We couldn’t do this without your help.

Thank you.

Update: Thanks to Jim Lyle and Mark Jones for their generous donations.

……..

More on last week’s waste of two hours Councilmember Gil Cedillo’s vanity session public meeting to discuss the proposed North Figueroa road diet and bike lanes.

Meanwhile, LADOT installs new bike corrals on North Figueroa and Lankershim; hopefully Council Members Cedillo and Tom Labonge, respectively, will stop blocking blocking safety and livability for everyone so the bike lanes promised for both streets can follow soon.

Seriously, even AARP is in favor of road diets.

……..

Sad news, as a Topanga man dies of a heart attack after a bike ride through Topanga Canyon with his new husband, just a month after they were married. Sounds like we lost a great guy. My prayers and condolences to all his loved ones.

……..

The Pasadena Mountain Bike Club is hosting a Bike Swap Meet this Sunday.

swap meet

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Local

KCRW traffic maven Kajon Cermak says it’s time to do something about LA’s hit-and-run epidemic and get the creeps off the road. You’re preaching to the choir, sister.

The Hollywood Fringe Festival presents Bike Odessey LA on Saturday, a combination bike tour and multi-location theatrical event.

A new section of the LA River bike path opens up for bikes and pedestrians from Sherman Oaks to Studio City.

Culver City’s Chubby Bikes offers a free Confident City Cycling Clinic, social ride and after party on Saturday; thanks to Walk ‘n Rollers for the tip.

Speaking of Walk ‘n Rollers, they’re sponsoring a series of monthly family rides, starting July 5th in Culver City.

Santa Clarita sheriff’s deputies continue to arrest additional suspects in a rash of bike path robberies.

 

State

Three Santa Ana men are under arrest for critically injuring a bike rider in a possible gang-related assault.

The Sacramento cyclist who was intentionally run down by a road raging driver after slashing his tire says he did it in self-defense.

San Francisco cyclists get new left turn bike boxes.

Santa Rosa riders team up to recover their stolen bikes.

Salinas cyclists protest mud and debris from farm trucks blocking a bike lane.

 

National

A new tire and tube repair tool promises to fix any flat in seconds without taking the tire off. Although I don’t know how you can fix a flat if you don’t know where the leak is until you get the tube off, which is usually the case.

New bike lane design offers protected intersections for bike riders.

Life is cheap in Washington state, where a driver gets off with a $175 fine for killing a teenage cyclist riding in a crosswalk.

A Kansas cyclist is deliberately hit and run off the road by a road raging driver.

A New Hampshire boy rides his bike to school for an entire year, regardless of the weather. Sad that something like this is actually news.

Colorado-based Oskar Blues Brewery is opening a combination beer and bike ranch near the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina.

 

International

London’s Mayor Boris gets credit for the city’s bike share program, even if it was his predecessor’s idea.

A writer for London’s Guardian discovers the joys of social cycling.

 

Finally…

Seriously. This has to be the most cringe-inducing bicycling injury ever.

And when you’re riding a bike through Santa Monica with burglary tools and stolen credit cards, just stop for the damn stop sign, already.

 

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

Morning Links: CABO opposes protected bikeway bill; Brit driver kills 5-year old, then says shit happens

June 18, 2014 / / 4 comments

Once again, CABO — the California Association of Bicycling Organizations, not to be confused with the California Bicycle Coalition — has come out in opposition to a measure that would benefit the overwhelming majority of bike riders in the state.

AB 1193 would legalize protected bike lanes, which are currently considered experimental under California law, creating a fourth class of bikeways in the state to go along with Class 1 off-road bike paths, Class 2 bike lanes, and Class 3 bike routes.

The bill, sponsored by the CBC, would require Caltrans to work with local jurisdictions to establish minimum safety requirements for protected, or separated, bike lanes, rather than rely on Caltrans’ antiquated rules that have severely limited innovation and safety.

I have no doubt CABO is sincere in their opposition, which appears to be based on maintaining the overly conservative Caltrans standards they helped create.

But their opposition stands in the way of encouraging more people to get on their bikes, and improving safety for all road users. And gives needless support to those in the legislature who oppose bicycling and bike infrastructure in general.

Instead of opposing a very good and necessary bill, they should find a way to support it. Or at the very least, stay neutral.

Or they will continue to find themselves out of step with most riders, and further marginalized in a state where the CBC has become the voice of mainstream bicycling.

……..

Local

Richard Risemberg asks what part of traffic calming doesn’t councilmember Gil Cedillo understand?

A Pasadena bike rider is assualted and robbed by passing motorists, possibly at gunpoint.

Nice. LA’s Milestone Rides prepares to ride from Vancouver to San Francisco.

 

State

San Diego City Beat goes drinking with BikeSD advocate Sam Ollinger.

The inaugural Big Bear Cycling Festival rolls at the end of next month.

A pipe bomb is found next to a Pacific Grove bike trail. The question is, did someone just hide it here, or were they targeting bike riders?

 

National

Good read, as Vice Sports says you can kill anyone with your car, as long as you don’t really mean it.

Great ideas never die. Okay, sometimes. But the self-inflating bike tire is back after a six year absence.

Utah will put rolling billboards on six semi-trucks to promote the state’s three-foot passing law. But will the drivers practice what they preach?

Two New Mexico bike riders find a missing 9-year old girl.

Biased much? A Denver TV station says cyclists are at fault in several bike vs car collisions, but fails to back it up in any way.

If you want to get away with murder, use a car. A Philadelphia judge acquits a driver of vehicular manslaughter for running down his bike-riding romantic rival.

A North Carolina bike lawyer explains why it’s often safer to ride abreast.

 

International

Paris’ Velib bike share system has added kids bikes to their rental fleet.

German bike rider poses for photos atop wrecked cars.

The Deutschland high court wisely rules that not wearing a helmet is not contributory negligence in the event of a collision; I’m told some American juries are starting to find otherwise.

 

Finally…

Sidi unveils a new camo mountain bike shoe. You know, for all those cyclists who want to be even less visible when they ride. Then again, whenever I see someone wearing camo, I want to walk up to them and say “I can totally see you.”

And a Brit lawyer insists his client really is remorseful, despite saying “Shit happens, life goes on” after being convicted of killing a five-year old bike rider while driving at over twice the speed limit.

Big heart, that guy.

 

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Figueroa for All comes to a head tonight; Bloomberg looks at the Biking (and Transit) Black Hole

June 11, 2014 / / One comment

Writing for Flying Pigeon, Rick Risemberg accuses Councilmember Gil Cedillo of lying — again — in his opposition to bike lanes on North Figueroa.

Which is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the resentment many riders and NELA community members seem to feel over the Councilman’s apparent attempts to tip the scales in opposition to the planned North Fig road diet and bike lanes.

And all for reasons known only to Cedillo, who has yet to take a public stand on the issue despite the obvious efforts of his office to torpedo the already approved, funded and shovel-ready project designed to improve safety and livability for everyone along the corridor.

It’s scheduled to come to a head tonight as yet another public hearing will be held to consider the matter.

The project enjoyed overwhelming public support at the last meeting on the subject, even though Cedillo and his staff refused to let most supporters be heard in a bizarre attempt at balancing those in favor and against the project. Which only served to amplify the voices of the minority opposition far beyond the limited support they actually had.

Anyone who lives, works or rides in the area is urged to attend. And wear green to show which side you stand with, even if they try to muzzle supporters once again.

6 pm to 8 pm
Franklin High School
820 North Avenue 54

………

Local

In the wake of the recent video showing a bike rider deliberately buzzed by a Metro bus driver, the Source offers advice on how to share the road with buses.

KCET says the road to better health runs through the city’s proposed Mobility Plan. Maybe so, but only if we can stop rogue councilmembers from blocking bike lanes before they can get into it.

Bloomberg looks at the bike and transit unfriendly Biking Black Hole of Beverly Hills, and finds it an obstacle to progress in neighboring cities.

Santa Monica votes to lower speed limits on some streets.

Long Beach bike shop The Bicycle Stand moves to a new, improved location half a mile away.

Streetsblog — and BikinginLA ­— sponsor Jim Pocrass is taking your legal questions to answer on the site next week.

 

State

Corona del Mar becomes a little more bike friendly, as new bike racks are installed in the city’s Business District.

The bike riding Silicon Valley tech exec charged with severely beating a motorist pleads not guilty in the alleged road rage case.

Streetsblog SF says the rear-end collision that injured a San Francisco cycling instructor shows sharrows don’t cut it.

 

National

Train your dog to ride on your bike.

Too much bad news on the national front today, as a 70-year old German tourist riding across the US is killed in Walla Walla WA; the driver claimed he was blinded by the sun, which should be excuse enough to avoid any adverse consequences.

Boise Idaho rips out their six-week old buffered bike lanes despite support from the mayor and city council.

Very sad. The 2012 US masters national points race champ is killed when his wheel overlaps another rider’s in a Colorado Springs velodrome collision; tragically, his daughter, the current 15-16 national track champ, was competing in the same race.

Dallas finally repeals its helmet law, at least for adult cyclists.

A Brooklyn DJ is killed in a collision on his way to a job interview as a bike messenger, yet the NYPD doesn’t seem to know anything about it.

 

International

The owner of a Vancouver bike shop is shot in the street in front of his store; police take the 61-year old shooter into custody.

A Toronto paper says you belong in the bike lane if one or both of your hands are holding a bicycle handlebar; if not, not so much.

London bike safety improves as serious injuries drop sharply in 2013, though fatalities are unchanged.

The ultimate guide to cross-county cycling. If the country you’re cycling across is Russia.

 

Finally…

If you’re going to steal a bike from a bike shop, don’t break it on the way out and don’t run into a passing homicide detective. And a writer for the Times looks forward to this weekend’s LA edition of the World Naked Bike Ride, though noting that most folks should never be naked after birth; must make for some awkward showers at his place.

 

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , ,

Morning Links: Is this the smoking gun? Leaked email behind Koretz’ 2013 veto of Westwood Blvd bike lanes

June 8, 2014 / / 10 comments
Email addressed have been removed to protect recipients' privacy.

Email addresses have been removed to protect recipients’ privacy.

This will be a sad week for Westside cyclists.

Even if they don’t know it yet.

As I was out on Sunday, I discovered a freshly repaved Westwood Blvd from Santa Monica Blvd south to at least Pico.

Normally that would be good news, as bike riders benefit from smooth pavement as much as drivers do. If not more, since cars are at little risk from the pits and cracks in the roadway that can throw riders dangerously to the street.

But the problem comes when the traffic lanes on Westwood are restriped. Because they won’t include the bike lanes promised in the 2010 bike plan, thanks to the apparent whim of CD5 Councilmember Paul Koretz.

In an email recently forwarded to me, dated November 11, 2013, Koretz announces to bike lane opponents that he is on their side, and that no amount of information will ever convince him to support bike lanes on the boulevard. And so he is killing the project, rather than wait on the results of an LADOT feasibility study of the proposed floating bike lanes.

And even though I’m told the nearly completed study would have showed no negative impact on traffic or local businesses.

After all, why wait for the facts if they might conflict with his already made-up mind?

The self-proclaimed “big fan of bike lanes” and strong supporter of bicycling somehow seems to think bike riders traveling between the new Westwood Expo Line Station and the UCLA campus will go blocks, if not miles, out of their way for bike lanes on Sepulveda Blvd — which currently exist only in sporadic pieces — or in Century City far to the east, which don’t exist at all.

Let alone Westwood-area side streets, which have yet to be proposed by anyone.

His reasoning in killing the bike lanes is that he didn’t want them to be included in the city’s new Mobility Plan, where they might take on a life of their own. Even though his own words cite the need to include bicycling in the Mobility Plan as a way to travel to and from the Expo Line.

After all, why allow the lives and safety of cyclists to take precedence over the convenience of motorists and the preferences of overly entitled local home and business owners?

It’s one of the great flaws of LA city government that a single elected official has veto power over a project contained in a plan that was unanimously approved by the city council — including Koretz himself — in 2011.

Just as CD1 Councilmember Gil Cedillo has taken it upon himself to delay, if not kill, the shovel-ready road diet and bike lanes previously approved for North Figueroa.

This email isn’t quite the smoking gun bike lane supporters have been looking for.

But it makes it clear that Koretz’ talk about listening to all sides and trying to find a workable solution for Westwood was exactly that.

Talk.

……..

Local

The LA Police Commission hosts a series of three meetings to gather input on the re-appointment of LAPD Chief Charlie Beck. In the five years he’s been chief, relations between cyclists and the LAPD have improved dramatically over the dark days of the relatively recent past.

The LACBC reports that a public records request confirms the road diet and bike lanes planned  for North Figueroa will have no impact on emergency response times.

Malibu and other cities surrounding the Malibu/Agoura Hills seek input on their proposed bike plan, including possible routes through the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Eastside Bike Club founder Carlos Morales organizes a Riff Raff Ride into exclusive — and bike unfriendly — San Marino next month.

Pedal Love’s Melissa Balmer hosts an upcoming webinar on developing effective media strategies for bike advocacy.

 

State

Newport Beach bike cops go ebike.

Pedacabs come to downtown Bakersfield.

San Francisco attempts to crack down on bicycle chop shops.

 

National

I want to be like her when I grow up. Ninety-year old bike-riding founder of a Utah charity ride encourages others to take up bicycling.

A Colorado teenager with cystic fibrosis — and a huge heart — is riding 1,000 miles to raise funds for the state’s Children’s Hospital.

Chicago is halfway to the mayor’s goal of installing 100 miles of protected bikeways, though not all are finding approval from riders.

Florida continues to be a dangerous place for cyclists and pedestrians.

 

International

An 86-year old Saskatoon competitive cyclist calls for a more bike-friendly city after a groove in the pavement throws him off his bike, most likely ending his riding career.

A UK study shows texting behind the wheel is even more dangerous than drunk driving.

Road raging Brit driver attempts to run over a cyclist, and misses. And crashes into a hair salon instead.

A Yorkshire farmer plans to watch the local stage of the Tour de France somewhere else after catching a naked cyclist pooping in his field.

 

Finally…

Bicycling magazine patiently explains why you’re not riding in the Tour de France. And a letter writer explains how local planners can ensure cyclists continue to ride dangerously in highway traffic; vetoing planned bike lanes is a good way to start.

 

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , ,

Morning Links: New study shows benefits of protected bike lanes; OC cyclist threatened and harassed on PCH

June 2, 2014 / / 17 comments

Any debate over the benefits of protected bike lanes should end today.

In what’s being called a groundbreaking study of nine bike lanes (pdf) in five cities across the US, researchers funded by People for Bikes found big benefits for protected lanes.

According to Bike Portland,

The facilities included in the sample — hand-picked bikeways from Austin, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Chicago and Portland — showed a massive increase in bike traffic, received high marks for improving safety of all road users, and have won over the hearts and minds of people whether they use them or not.

The story goes on to say a quarter of riders say they ride more because of the protected lanes, while protected lanes increase bike traffic an average of 72% in the first year alone. In addition, 96% of people using the lanes felt safer, and 76% of people living nearby support building additional protected lanes, whether they use them or not.

Meanwhile, 10% of the riders switched from other modes of transportation.

And most significant of all, in an analysis of 144 hours of video footage, nearly 12,900 cyclists passed through the intersections under study without a single collision.

Or even a near collision, for that matter.

Game, set, match.

………

Caught on video: Despite riding in a separated bike lane on PCH, an Orange County cyclist is threatened and harassed by jerks in a pickup, who throw water bottles at him and try to run him off the road; KCAL-9 offers a detailed report.

Hopefully authorities will be able to make out the license and press charges for assault. And hopefully they’ll take it as seriously as they say they will.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HlZXCWha6Q&feature=youtu.be

Thanks to John McBrearty for the heads-up.

………

Local

Mayor Garcetti will announce the city’s first 15 Great Streets on Tuesday, one for each council district. Including North Figueroa, where Councilmember Gil Cedillo has been actively blocking the bike lanes and road diet that would help make it great.

Bicycling interviews LA Bike Train’s Nona Varnado, even though the LA Weekly says LA is still a car town, and it’s damn well going to stay that way. So there.

The LA edition of the World Naked Bike Ride rolls on Saturday, June 14th. I’d go but I don’t have a thing to wear.

Registration opens Thursday for Wolfpack Hustle’s Civic Center Crit 2 on July 12th.

A new white paper examines how Santa Monica’s school district can embrace bicycling; thanks to Dr. Michael Cahn for the link.

Evidently, Burbank Congressman Adam Shiff really is one of us; he’s on this year’s edition of the AIDS/LifeCycle ride as we speak.

A group of cyclists will depart from Malibu on Wednesday on a cross-country tour to raise money and awareness for Hope for Warriors.

 

State

Calbike releases their summer report.

Speaking of the AIDS/LifeCycle ride, four participants were right hooked by a driver Monday morning; fortunately, none appear to be seriously injured.

A high school exchange student learns the hard way that Shasta Lake is no Holland when it comes to bikes.

 

National

It’s been a bad week for Wyoming cyclists, as two riders are killed by suspected drunk drivers in three days, and a third rider — the wife of one of the victims — was seriously injured. The state is in freefall when it comes to bike-friendliness, dropping 25 spots in just four years.

San Antonio votes to throw $1.74 million down the toilet by removing new bike lanes, even though they don’t slow traffic flow.

Despite gloom and doom predictions, not one person has died using New York’s Citi Bike bike share program in over 8.75 million journeys.

Bike Snob astutely asks when the hell a bike lane ever stopped a cab driver from parking, and who do you think will police blame when a driverless car hits a cyclist, since they already blame the rider anyway?

A DC father invents an add-on kid seat for bike share bikes, and gets a cease-and-desist order for his trouble.

 

International

A new Canadian study says bike helmets do what they’re supposed to do, while an Aussie study says cyclists really do make better drivers, at least around other riders.

A road raging driver repeatedly punches a teenage Brit cyclist, who declines to press charges.

France experiments with paying commuters to bike to work; thanks to new LACBC board member Patrick Pascal for the tip.

Even in car-choked Rome, the new mayor promotes bicycling as a viable option.

Bike racing’s governing body enters bicycle advocacy. After all, they’ve done so well running the dope-free world of racing, right?

 

Finally…

When a father tries to teach his daughter to ride a bike, a neighbor comes out to offer his advice. Then threatens him with a shotgun when he doesn’t take it. And evidently, drivers aren’t the only ones who hate bikes, as a deer follows an employee into a bike shop before knocking him down and trashing the place.

………

Don’t forget to go out and Bike the Vote today. It’s only when bike riders stay home — or don’t vote their interests — that we get the sort of elected leaders who actively stand in the way of safer streets.

Category: Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , ,

Morning Links: Help fund a People St plaza for Granada Hills, and a documentary on a bike-riding comic

May 30, 2014 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Help fund a People St plaza for Granada Hills, and a documentary on a bike-riding comic

Now here’s a project we can get behind.

Granada Hills resident Linda Williamson proposes transforming a right turn lane into a bike and pedestrian friendly plaza, like the popular Sunset Triangle Plaza in Silver Lake.

The plaza would be build under the city’s new People St program, which is dedicated towards helping local residents reclaim underused roadways as public spaces. Oddly, though, some people don’t seem to get it, fearing that a turn lane allowing motorists to drive past their storefronts would somehow be better for business than a plaza that would draw people to them.

Which is a pretty good indication of just how auto-addled our city has become.

And even though it would only be built on a 12-month trial basis, allowing the decision to be reversed if it didn’t work out.

As if.

You can show your support by signing a petition backing the project, and contributing to a Kickstarter project to raise $11,000 to fund construction of the plaza.

And if you live or ride in the area, it wouldn’t hurt to stop by some of the local businesses that would directly benefit from the plaza — whether they realize it or not — to encourage them to back the project.

Because you’ll probably be back a lot more often and spend more money if they just make it more inviting to come and stay awhile.

………

Meanwhile, a new Kickstarter project funds a documentary about a bike-riding comedian’s attempts to kickstart his comedy career.

After all, as the title of the piece says, what’s the worst that could happen?

………

Local

More on the next year’s first Valley CicLAvia.

Streetsblog says the bike lanes on Grand Avenue in DTLA are getting even grander with an extension into South Los Angeles.

Most candidates for the Glendale city council oppose more bike lanes within the city, apparently preferring a return to auto-centricity. Meanwhile, both Glendale and Burbank failed to apply for funding to host an open streets event.

I love it. The Eastside Bike Club is hosting a Riff Raff Ride into San Marino, whose residents — some, anyway — worry bike lanes would bring outsiders into their overly exclusive community.

Redondo Beach’s Catalina Coffee Co. is recognized as the South Bay’s first bike-friendly business.

Downey joins the 21st Century by ditching a 1958 law requiring bike licenses.

Gizmodo interviews former LA and current Long Beach transportation planner Nate Baird.

 

State

In a closely watched case from the Bay Area, a teen driver who killed a Pleasanton cyclist and injured her husband while driving at 83 mph — in a 40-mile zone, no less — gets nine well-deserved years.

Surprisingly, though, he’s not one of the motorheads backing a San Francisco ballot measure to maintain automotive hegemony over the streets. I’m only surprised no one has proposed something like that here yet.

 

National

In a major disconnect, the US House Appropriations Committee calls on the Department of Transportation to cut bike and pedestrian deaths at the same time the House is trying to gut active transportation funding.

Good for them. Members of my old fraternity are riding from San Francisco to DC to raise money and awareness for people with disabilities, while People for Bikes rides on Chicago to raise funds and awareness.

A 93-year old Idaho cyclist puts safety first, and isn’t afraid to correct other riders. If he can catch them.

As usual, when bus, bike and car commuters race, the bike wins. Even in Des Moines.

What is it with self-absorbed young women who don’t seem to care about the harm they cause? In yet another example, an Ohio judge nearly doubles the sentence of a 20-year old driver who killed a cyclist while high on dope because of her lack of remorse.

A driver is charged with murder in a Louisiana cold case after police conclude the death of a cyclist was an intentional act.

A Clemson University study says people who ride bikes are happier than other commuters. But you already knew that, right?

 

International

It’s seldom a bike lane in Toronto if everyone else is parking in it.

A London neurosurgeon goes against the grain of the medical community by saying bike helmets are worthless.

Mikael Colville-Andersen of Copenhagenize fame says Australian cities are years behind others around the world in providing bike infrastructure.

Kiwi drivers speed down bike lanes. Then again, Kentucky drivers don’t do any better.

 

Finally…

Proof you can carry anything on a bike. Even a goat. And pro cyclist Peter Sagan does some impressive mountain biking.

But seriously, can he carry a goat?

 

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

Morning Links: A slightly less sucky Westside intersection, victory for cyclists on PCH, and spreading ciclovias

May 30, 2014 / / 2 comments

It still sucks.

Although maybe a little less.

Despite the city’s best efforts — that would be Los Angeles, not Beverly Hills — the dangerously convoluted intersection of Burton Way and San Vicente and La Cienega Boulevards near the Beverly Center remains a confusing and dangerous place to ride a bike.

Writing for Flying Pigeon, Richard Risemberg notes that Los Angeles has added a bike lane along northbound San Vicente, with sharrows directing cyclists riding through to Burton Way.

The southbound side, which evidently is within the Beverly Hills city limits, currently has none. Nor am I aware of any plans to paint any bike lanes anywhere within the city other than the two already in existence, including one that matches up with LA’s lanes on Burton Way.

As it turns out, I found myself riding home from a meeting Downtown on Wednesday night, so I gave the newly restriped intersection a try.

To be honest, the bike lane on San Vicente was a significant improvement. While you still need eyes in the back of your head to watch out for speeding drivers on the overly wide lanes, I was able to ride more comfortably on the street than I ever have before — especially since parking is confined to an access road, eliminating the risk of dooring.

The problem comes in attempting to continue through the intersection on San Vicente or navigate the turn onto Burton Way.

Either of which requires contending with busy traffic on the multi-laned intersection, while somehow avoiding vehicles jockeying for position to end up reasonably close to where they want to go.

Meanwhile making the turn onto Burton Way requires crossing over three traffic lanes, then waiting for the light to change on sharrows in the middle of the street — which disappear in the middle of the intersection where you need them most to let drivers know you are, in fact, in the right place, and not just riding in the middle of the damned intersection for the hell of it.

It was bad enough at 10 pm when light traffic allows drivers to turn San Vicente into their own private speedway. I can’t imagine attempting it in the unforgiving traffic at rush hour.

I applaud the city for trying.

But unless and until bike-specific signalization is installed to give riders a head-start before motorized traffic is released, this will remain a dangerous place for bikes to be.

And I will continue my long standing practice of avoiding the intersection entirely by turning left at Colgate, then right on Holt to illegally, but safely, cross over to westbound Burton.

……..

After a cyclist on a group ride is illegally ticketed by LA County Sheriff’s Deputies for the unforgivable crime of riding abreast in an unsharable traffic lane on PCH, Cycling in the South Bay teams with the LACBC’s Eric Bruins to win the right riders should have already had.

And got the ticket dismissed when the officer fails to appear in court.

……..

CicLAvia-style Open Streets events will soon be spreading throughout LA County, including the long-rumored San Fernando Valley CicLAvia and a possible 50-mile(!) CicloSGVia through the San Gabriel Valley.

……..

Local

The LA City Council votes to sponsor a California-wide Medina alert to notify the public about serious hit-and-runs. Hopefully, this one wasn’t serious enough to qualify.

LA’s Bicycle Advisory Committee — the city’s only official voice for bike riders — meets Tuesday at Pan Pacific Park. Meanwhile, the next community meeting to discuss the inexplicably troubled North Figueroa bike lanes is scheduled for June 12th.

A new Facebook group has been formed to Bike the Vote in Los Angeles.

KCET looks at getting your bike ready to ride with a visit the Bicycle Kitchen.

Turns out Angelenos are sort of fit, after all.

The LAPD offers advice on how to keep your bike from being stolen.

Plans to save the old Riverside Drive Bridge for bicyclists and pedestrians goes down in flames.

Beverly Hills’ Parks and Recreation director says local kids have no safe places to ride a bike in the city. Then again, adults don’t have many, either.

Long Beach gets new sharrows by the shore.

 

State

The Newport Bay Conservancy won’t back a ban on cars on the Back Bay; oddly, they didn’t seem to have a problem restricting bike use, though.

San Diego cyclists raise $425,000 for cancer research.

The road-raging San Diego driver who seriously injured a cyclist on a charity ride is bound over for trial. The aptly named Douglas Lane, who failed to remain in his, could face up to three years behind bars.

Riverside County authorities ask for the public’s help in finding the hit-and-run driver who took the life of an Eastvale bike rider.

In attempting to reopen a long-settled matter of law, a professor argues that San Francisco’s bait bikes are a form of entrapment designed to target poor people. As long as those poor people happen to carry bolt-cutters with them.

Cyclelicious notes “the sun was in my eyes” is the not-so-secret password of the vehicle code. Oddly, it only seems to work for drivers, though.

 

National

Motor vehicle crashes cost every American an average of nearly $900 a year. And $871 billion to American society.

Bicycling is the fastest-growing mode of commuter travel.

Elly Blue examines what it really costs to ride a bike.

What would it cost to make the whole country as bikeable as Minneapolis.

New York City gets serious about Vision Zero, passing 11 bills to improve traffic safety.

Pro cycling scion Taylor Phinney has a second successful surgery to repair injuries he suffered during Monday’s national road championship.

 

International

A London writer says police inaction jeopardizes every cyclist.

A writer for London’s Telegraph asks if bike racing is the world’s worst spectator sport.

Adelaide cyclists cause gridlock by riding the streets at rush hour; clearly, all those cars had nothing to do with it.

Seriously? An Aussie woman calls the country’s helmet law sexist because it forces women to suffer helmet hair.

 

Finally…

Champion cyclist at 18, international drug kingpin at 32. If you’re riding under the influence, just stop for the damn stop sign. Or at least, for the cops chasing you.

And eHarmony offers 15 reasons to date a cyclist. I’ve always wondered why riders aren’t in greater demand, since anyone who can spend several hours in the saddle isn’t likely to collapse in exhaustion after five minutes of usuallly less strenuous exercise in bed. I’m just saying.

……..

Please forgive the lack of Morning Links yesterday; between Wednesday night’s meeting followed by a bad bout with bouncing blood sugar levels, writing just wasn’t an option. Hopefully today’s extended version will make up for it.

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