Nothing like bad bike news to bring out the worst in people, bicycling makes your brain ripple, and add iron to make your bike go

April 1, 2026 / / Comments Off on Nothing like bad bike news to bring out the worst in people, bicycling makes your brain ripple, and add iron to make your bike go

He gets it.

A writer for Road.cc lives in rural Warwickshire, England, just outside of Stratford-upon-Avon, which he calls a beautiful part of the world.

One that he says is repeatedly voted as one of the best places to live, as well as a great place to ride a bike.

The cycling here is also amazing. You can find miles of quiet country roads, there’s plenty of mountain biking trails around, and there’s even a disused railway nearby where hundreds of children learn to ride every week.

But it only took the death of someone riding a bicycle to “reveal how sickeningly awful some people in your local community can be.”

Regardless of circumstances and fault, the overwhelming feeling I have is of sadness and loss – somebody lost their life while out on their bike. There is never a reasonable explanation for this, it’s always a tragedy.

However, when I look at the local Facebook group, you wouldn’t think somebody had died, because on posts about it people are instead focused on the person being a cyclist, so it was probably their fault…

It shows how publications like the Daily Mail, Daily Express, and the Telegraph have done their job. Cyclists are dehumanised, and the people in my community demonstrate this better than any study or focus group ever could. If you’re killed on a bike, you deserve it.

Looking at the comments section, there are 19 direct comments at the time of writing. 15 of them are the standard bingo card comments about cyclists’ behaviour with no sympathy for somebody being killed. It’s sickening.

It’s a phenomenon I’ve encountered hundreds of times in writing this site, as has anyone else who has dared venture into the comment section following a news story that even mentions someone on a bicycle. Or who has had the temerity to venture into social media.

If the victim of a crash was on a bicycle, it had to be their fault, because the commenter once saw someone run a stop sign or a red light. Or maybe it’s everyone on two wheels, because none of us ever obey the law.

It’s an automatic case of collective guilt, painting us with the same broad brush used to disparage any group somehow considered “other.”

Even when it comes to people who simply disagree about some simple civic or political matter.

I’ve had my stomach turned by what I’ve seen, heard and read so many times it feels like a washing machine on spin cycle, discovering once again just how truly awful people can be.

Just as it has when I’ve heard hateful comments from people who seemed decent enough until they opened their mouths, apparently assuming that their distasteful opinion is so obvious everyone must share it.

Too often I’ve just kept my mouth shut and turned away to avoid an ugly fight.

I wish I had an answer, some sort of magical solution that would show them just how wrong they are, and shame them for their lack of compassion.

But that seldom seems to work in the real world.

And almost never in the virtual one.

………

Bicycling makes your brain grow.

And ripple, apparently.

A new study published in the journal Brain Communications builds on a Chinese study release last year that showed even brief periods of bicycling can cause growth in the hippocampus.

The research, recently published in Brain Communications, was conducted on a much smaller test group, but the people involved all had a specific disorder, drug-resistant epilepsy, that the scientists were examining when they made their discovery.

So go out and ride hard.

And maybe someday you, too, can pass a whole bunch of cognitive tests just like our president.

………

Staying on the subject of health, a medical specialist in iron deficiency and anemia suggests that an iron deficiency could affect your performance long before you actually develop anemia.

So stop by your neighborhood bar and toss back a few rusty nails every now and then.

It’s for your health, after all.

………

Local 

Santa Monica is building a new curb-protected bike lane on Colorado Ave.

 

State

Streetsblog’s Damien Newton says the recent road rage incident in Newport Beach demonstrates the limits of painted bike lanes.

Irvine-based Rivian makes the obvious transition from electric truck builder to ebike maker to autonomous DoorDash delivery bot.

 

National

Surprisingly, the US Department of Transportation is making $1 billion available through the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, despite recent government cutbacks in active transportation funding.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole an adaptive ebike from a Las Vegas teenager with cystic fibrosis.

The traffic “expert” for a Denver TV station just can’t seem to figure out what the lines marking buffered bike lane are for — especially since he didn’t see anyone using it at the exact time he happened to be watching.

 

International

Cyclist looks at the year’s best insulated bicycling water bottles.

Bike Radar says anti-lock brakes could revolutionize mountain biking, even if they’re not quite ready for mass consumption.

It’s time to don your best tweed and hie thee to Saville Row for London’s most stylish bike ride.

A British bikeshare company is being investigated for false advertising for claiming to give you ten minutes free — but only after you pay to unlock their bikes.

A writer for Czech carmaker Škoda’s We Love Cycling website examines how to make bikeshare even better, starting with connected, physically separated bike lanes and more stations in under-served areas.

A 72-year old man was killed when he hit a low tree branch over an Australian bike path, even though officials had been warned about it a week earlier.

 

Competitive Cycling

IDL Pro Cycling says British cyclist Lorena Wiebes can still be beaten, despite achieving “Pogačar-like status in the women’s peloton.”

 

Finally…

If you left your bike on a US military base, get it from the MPs. Who needs a living room when you can have a fully equipped bike workshop?

And now you, too, can have your very own Cookie Monster bike. As long as you don’t need a seat, or pedals or anything.

Instagram post

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

West LA CicLAvia coming next month, LA speed cams and photo bike lane ticketing, and new helmet may be safest ever

March 31, 2026 / / Comments Off on West LA CicLAvia coming next month, LA speed cams and photo bike lane ticketing, and new helmet may be safest ever

Happy César Ch…uh, Farmworkers Day, to all who celebrate. 

And Erev Tov!

………

The next CicLAvia will roll just three miles from Westwood to West Los Angeles, along Westwood and Santa Monica Blvds on Sunday, April 26th.

The ride will offer an opportunity to consider long-gestating plans to build protected bike lanes on Westwood between Westwood Village and the E Line; an earlier proposal for painted bike lanes was killed by former CD 5 Councilmember Paul Koretz because he felt like it to satisfy wealthy homeowners.

………

Los Angeles is finally getting around to installing the speed cams authorized by a 2023 law.

The legislature, in a typical compromise to avoid passing any major traffic safety legislation, approved a pilot program allowing speed cams in six cities, three in Northern California and three in Southern California.

Streetsblog reports San Francisco and Oakland already have their speed camera programs up and running, while Long Beach and Glendale have finalized locations and approved vendor contracts; San Jose is the other NorCal city included in the program.

The law was later amended to allow a handful of desperately needed speed cams on PCH in Malibu, as well.

The six-city pilot program was a compromise to get a bill that would have legalized them statewide out of committee.

According to Streetsblog, Los Angeles was the last city to move forward with its program, as usual for the notoriously risk-averse and driver-shy city. But the city finally finalized the speed cam locations last week, and will send the contract out to bid with a goal of getting them installed and working by the end of the year.

Yay, us.

In other long overdue news, Streetsblog adds that Los Angeles is trying to work out the details on a program to use cameras to ticket drivers parked in bike lanes.

Here’s a thought.

Let the people who actually use the bike lanes enforce the law by submitting their own photos and videos of drivers blocking bike lanes, and just send the owners a ticket, already.

………

The new Si road bike helmet from Vancouver, BC’s PIKIO LABS has been rated as the safest bike helmet ever tested by the Virginia Tech Testing Lab.

The helmet scored a 4.61, more than two points better than the next highest rated helmet.

It’s based on the company’s proprietary OBLIK impact management system, designed to reduce both linear and rotational forces; the nearly 20-year old MIPS system only reduces rotational forces.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

Someone may or may not have tried to sabotage an Iowa bike path, after the bomb squad destroyed a suspicious device packed with nails and explosive materials left in a backpack along the trail.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

This is what it looks like when a hundred or so kids on bicycles and ebikes attempt to enter a San Francisco freeway the wrong way, even if the CHP can’t seem to hold the damn camera steady or even make a decent edit.

………

Local 

A new pocket park and recreation center called the Slauson Connect project will rise on a narrow strip of land along the north side of Slauson Ave between Budlong and Normandie Avenues next to the new Rail to Rail shared use path.

 

State

Two separate HIV/AIDS fundraising rides will replace the late, great AIDS/Lifecycle ride, with a three-day ride from San Francisco to Guerneville and back benefitting a Bay Area nonprofit, while the three-day Center Ride Out will take bicyclists from Los Angeles to San Diego, to benefit the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Santee is the latest California city to crackdown on ebikes, without apparently distinguishing between e-motos and non-street legal dirt bikes, and Class 1, 2 & 3 ped-assist ebikes.

A recent University of Arizona grad from Humboldt is setting off with his dad on a 9,600-mile ride to visit all 30 major league ballparks. Although if they really wanted a challenge, they should try riding to all 120 minor league parks in the US alone. 

 

National

A new bi-partisan bill in Congress would give the Consumer Product Safety Commission the authority to define and regulate ebikes and other electric micromobility devices at the national, rather than state, level. Although whether there’s anything left of the CPSC after Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts remains to be seen. 

Outside recommends the year’s best mountain bikes as chosen by the pros at Pinkbike. And they might actually be this time, for a change. 

There’s not a pit in hell deep enough for the co-founder of the Bellingham, Washington edition of the World Naked Bike Ride after he was busted on kiddie porn charges; he claimed he was doing research for a children’s book about a child who runs around naked — even though his book was published six years ago.

Alaska’s Lael Wilcox will attempt to beat her own 108-day women’s world record for riding around said planet, attempting to shave 30 days off her previous time for the 18,000 mile ride to beat the outright record of 78 days, 14 hours; she’ll set off from Chicago on June 7th.

Now drivers aren’t even waiting for bicycles to leave the shop before running them down, as a Colorado driver somehow plows in and through an Aurora bike shop.

 

International

An Oxford, England traffic cam installed to catch drivers making illegal left turns — the equivalent of a right over here — has generated the equivalent of nearly $800,000 at one of the most dangerous sites for bicyclists in the UK, which see around 12,000 daily bike trips per day when Oxford University is in session.

Bicyclists in the London borough of Havering have launched a safety campaign asking candidates for the local council to commit to building bike infrastructure where the city’s department of transportation has identified the need.

Former Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo looks back on her dozen years leading the French capital — which included a massive bike and pedestrian friendly makeover of the city streets — saying “Changing a city is complicated.” Which is probably why no one has succeeded here in the City of Angels, and few have even bothered to try. 

Authorities in The Netherlands are considering introducing a quality mark to show ebikes meet legal EU standards. Which would be a pretty good idea over here, too. 

A Delhi-based white-collar worker swaps his car for a bicycle to commute to work for four months to see if biking every day can help improve the city’s air quality crisis, and finds he can get to work on a bicycle as fast as in a car. A few years back, I spoke with a Delhi-based bike accessory maker, who was comfortable riding that city’s seemingly chaotic streets, but just couldn’t imagine how we manage riding the mean streets of Los Angeles. 

The London Times asks if Tokyo can manage to rein in its sidewalk surfing bicyclists, especially all those darn moms on their mamacharis. 

 

Competitive Cycling

Swiss prosecutors have closed their investigation into the death of 18-year old Swiss cyclist Murier Furrer without charges, concluding there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing even though it took 85 minutes before anyone even noticed she was missing following a crash in the 2024 Road World Championships in Zurich.

Somehow we missed this one last week, as a pro-Palestinian and environmental protestor caused a major smashup in the Tour of Bruges by sitting in the middle of the road as the peloton approached; the same man disrupted the finale of the 2022 Tour of Flanders by running across the roadway, splashed paint on Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring, tied himself to a goal post during the Belgian FA Cup final, and sprayed the British Embassy in Brussels with red paint. Yet somehow, he was still allowed within 50 miles of a bike race without adult supervision. 

A 21-year old Philippine food delivery rider set a new national track cycling record riding the same bike he uses for his delivery work, with the frame and wheels worth the equivalent of less than $250.

 

Finally…

Seriously, when you’re carrying a concealed gun, meth, and illegal prescription pills on your bike, and riding with an active arrest warrant, stop for the damn stop sign. Or if you nearly hit a police car while riding your bike drunk, put a damn light on it, already (the bike, not the cop car).

And your next ebike could be the world’s skinniest car.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

UK driver walks for trying to kill bicyclist, Whittier man shot riding past car, and CHP thwarts bicycle takeover of Bay Bridge

March 30, 2026 / / Comments Off on UK driver walks for trying to kill bicyclist, Whittier man shot riding past car, and CHP thwarts bicycle takeover of Bay Bridge

No major news stories this weekend, so let’s get right to it. 

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

Life is cheap in the UK, where a road-raging driver walked with a suspended sentence for deliberately attempting to slam into a semi-professional cyclist, even though the judge bellowed from the bench “What the bloody hell were you doing? Had you hit him and he went under you could have been facing a charge of manslaughter or causing death by dangerous driving. What were you thinking of? You are right to look ashamed.” And even after that, let him off with a slap on the wrist. 

A British parish council faces well-deserved backlash for reporting a group of kids to the cops for building a tiny dirt bike ramp, as locals ask why the council doesn’t have more important matters to attend to.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

The bomb squad was called out in San Diego when an apparently well-meaning man rode off on his bicycle after dropping off a bag full of high-powered ammunition at the Santee sheriff’s station; he just wanted the deputies to safely dispose of it and didn’t intend to cause a security incident.

The CHP seized a whopping 85 bicycles and cited dozens of people when participants in an apparent rideout attempted to take over the San Francisco’s Bay Bridge; the state police stopped the group as they tried to enter the bridge on an offramp after riding recklessly through the city.

………

Local 

The Eastsider wants to know if you’d be willing to reduce or eliminate curbside parking on Sunset Blvd to make room for bike and bus lanes. “Hell yeah!” doesn’t seem to be an option, so you’ll have to settle for yes. 

A Whittier man was hospitalized in unknown condition early Friday after he was shot when he rode his bicycle past a car, and two people inside fired multiple shots at him.

Once again, ebikes got the blame when a group of about 50 people riding “illegal electric motorcycles, pocket bikes and e-bikes” took over Long Beach streets late Friday afternoon, leading to the arrest of a 17-year old boy, police issuing five traffic citations and impounding five vehicles. Something tells me that not one of those ebikes would be legal under California’s Class 1, 2 or 3.

 

State

The LA Times catches up with the road rage harassment and attempted assault of two bicyclists in Newport Beach last week, and the subsequent arrest of one of the drivers allegedly involved, which we told you about on Friday. Ironically, the belated story was reported by the paper’s breaking news desk.

In a story that should sound familiar to Los Angeles bike riders, criticism directed at Caltrans for building a very short bike lane should have been directed at San Diego officials, who were supposed to build a new bike lane when a street was resurfaced for a water project, but neglected to budget enough for a complete resurfacing, and decided to just skip it, even though Caltrans didn’t.

The inaugural family-friendly Bike the Coast Ventura is scheduled for this June.

A Spanish architect completed a six-month, 1,200-mile bike trip retracing the route of the 1775 Anza expedition from Sonora, Mexico to the San Francisco Bay.

Speaking of San Francisco, the city’s transportation department released a map showing where the most collisions involving drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists occurred. Something that we were promised under Vision Zero, but which the city only maintained for a year or two.

Finishing our San Francisco trifecta, the city absurdly ripped out a DIY protected bike lane installed by a local advocacy group after a driver ran down and killed a two-year old kid last month — removing their yellow plastic posts and replacing them with white posts.

 

National

A Redditor is grateful for a random act of kindness after she fell off her bike on a rough patch of pavement, and a stranger ran over with his dog to was her off and help her get back up.

A website for people over 60 offer the best bicycle dad jokes — or grandad jokes, in this case — although “best” is doing a lot of work here.

A health website offers “the ultimate guide to choosing the best bike for every rider.” Which isn’t, and aren’t.

Seattle creates four “low-pollution neighborhoods” designed to reduce air pollution and increase access to transit and safe walking and biking infrastructure.

A Washington bike rider was lucky to escape with minor injuries when the driver of box truck jumped the sidewalk she was riding on, and fled the scene after hitting her; the driver was later arrested for reckless driving, hit-and-run and driving with a suspended license.

That’s more like it. Denver, Colorado is moving forward with a nearly $1 billion Complete Streets makeover of the city’s streets, with over 500 traffic calming projects which will reduce space for motor vehicles and replace it with wider sidewalks, bike lanes and dedicated bus lanes throughout the city; naturally, critics complain it will increase traffic congestion. However, you’ll have to find your own way past the paper’s paywall. 

That’s more like it, part two. A 24-year old Colorado ex-con was sentenced to 18 years behind bars for the hit-and-run death of a 41-year old man riding a bicycle in Boulder, Colorado, after he was paroled despite being previously considered a high risk to re-offend on drug crimes.

An Indiana bikemaker is urging the Trump Administration to level the playing field by imposing hirer tariffs on imported bicycles, in what could be a test case of the administration’s strategy of using import taxes to promote domestic manufacturing.

That’s more like it, part three. New Jersey officials threw the book at a hit-and-run driver for dragging the victim and their bicycle behind her car as she fled the scene; she was charged with vehicular assault, aggravated assault, and endangering an injured victim, as well as DUI, reckless driving and hit-and-run counts.

A five-year old Virginia boy was remembered with a 6th annual Easter event that gave away 20,000 eggs and 65 bicycles to families in need; he was shot point-blank by a neighbor while riding his bike in North Carolina in 2020.

You’ve got to be kidding. Police in Charlotte, North Carolina blamed the victim when an eight-year old girl was killed by a driver after she rode her bike out of the family driveway into the street — even though the driver was a) driving with a revoked license, b) driving without insurance, c) driving an unregistered vehicle, d) driving with a fictitious registration, and e) may or may not have been speeding.

Life is cheap in Louisiana, where a 36-year old man got just two and a half years behind bars for killing a 64-year old man riding his bicycle, despite pleading guilty to negligent homicide and a number of traffic infractions after striking the victim with a too-close pass. And even though sideswiping the victim’s bike is a prima facie violation of the state’s three-foot passing law. 

 

International

How to find yourself metaphorically singing in the literal rain while you ride.

Tres shock! It turns out that sucking high-sugar energy gels is bad for your teeth.

The UK’s Factor bike brand received a cease-and-desist letter from a Colombian bikemaker, which complained the Scarab logo for Factor’s new iridescent aero bike is too close to custom steel bikemaker Scarab Cycles name and logo, and likely to cause confusion in the market. And yes, they’ve got a damn good point.

A British soccer legend learns the hard way that being the Premier League record-holder for goals scored is no protection from hitting a nasty pothole on his bike.

A bicyclist in Malta dreams of a safer environment for riding.

Tragic news from India, where a 42-year-old businessman was killed by a speeding 17-year old hit-and-run driver, while on his very first bike ride after taking up bicycling to maintain his fitness.

Dubai announced the opening of 13 new cycle tracks to create a nearly 400 mile network, placing the Emirate on track to open over 630 miles of bikeways by 2030.

Starting next month, bike riders in Japan will be subject to traffic tickets and fines, just like drivers; parents fear it will make it more challenging to get their kids to school.

 

Competitive Cycling

A couple of men in Italy seriously stretched the definition of “fans” as Velo reports a “rampaging fan” climbed on top of the moving Visma-Lease a Bike team car during stage four of the Coppi e Bartali, attempting to steal a bike off the roof, while another “fan” punched and threatened the people inside; American teenager Ashlin Barry went on to claim his first victory for the team’s development squad.

Speaking of first wins, Aussie Brady Gilmore claimed his first WorldTour victory on the final stage of the Volta a Catalunya — even if Bicycling Australia takes until the final paragraph to mention almost in passing that Jonas Vingegaard captured overall victory.

Speaking of the Volta, British cyclist Tom Pidcock considered himself lucky to escape with relatively minor knee and wrist injuries from crashing down a steep ravine on Friday.

Good news from Italy, where Debora Silvestri is out of the hospital, more than a week after she suffered severe chest trauma going over a guard rail in a terrifying Milan-Sanremo crash, then landing on a service road after a ten-foot drop.

Texas Monthly says the next great American cyclist could be unassuming Amarillo 18-year old Beckam Drake. Although once again, you’ll have to get around their paywall. And never mind how the last great American cyclist from Texas turned out. 

Speaking of which, it turns out that women dope, too, as Italian cyclist Linda Laporta was provisionally suspended for testing positive for a banned substance during the recent UAE Tour Women. Although she has a long way to go to catch up with Lance’s record of seven ex-Grand Tour wins.

 

Finally…

That feeling when you “ingeniously” tow a mattress-laden boat with your ebike, unless maybe it was all stolen. Who needs carbon fiber or titanium when you can build your own frame from PVC pipes?

And why let tandem riders have all the fun, when you can build your very own unicycle for two?

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Arrest made in road-rage harassment of OC bicyclists, Trump halting bike lane funding, and K Line extension okayed

March 27, 2026 / / Comments Off on Arrest made in road-rage harassment of OC bicyclists, Trump halting bike lane funding, and K Line extension okayed

My apology to everyone who received an earlier email containing nothing but an outline.

Evidently, I hit the wrong button, and posted it instead of saving it so I could keep working.

And yes, I freely admit to being an idiot, or any other term that feels most appropriate rolling off your lips.

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. 

Now let’s get on with it.

Photo by Kindel Media for Pexels. 

………

Evidently, Newport Beach cops were paying attention.

Earlier this week, we brought you the news that cyclists Ben Byra and U-23 national crit champ Luke Fetzer were harassed and threatened by a BMW driver who tried to run them off the road while on a training ride in Newport Beach.

At last count, their videos of the attack have been seen over 10 million times by people all over the world.

One of those viewers must have been someone in the police department, because a suspect is now under arrest for the alleged road rage attack.

According to a press release from the Newport Beach Police Department reposted on Fetzer’s Instagram account, a man identified as Corona resident Samir Weiss was busted for assault with a deadly weapon, as well as a charge for obstructing traffic.

They seized the weapon used in the attack as evidence — Weiss’ blue BMW M3.

Instagram post

The obstruction charge was explained by the Orange County Register.

Video footage of the incident shows the blue sedan driving behind the cyclists in a bike lane, accelerating and honking. At one point, Fetzer’s friend is seen jumping onto a curb with his bike, apparently to avoid the vehicle. The footage also appears to show a passenger throwing water at Fetzer.

According to Fetzer, the situation escalated a few miles later near a Shake Shack, where the driver and several others exited their vehicles and confronted the cyclists. Fetzer said the driver and four other people blocked traffic lanes, made threats and attempted to tackle them off their bikes.

Bizarrely, Fetzer told the Register that Weiss had reached out to him. Not to apologize, as you might think, but to challenge him to fight, MMA style.

Fetzer also shared what he said was a direct message from the driver after the incident.

“Hey bro let’s both sign waivers and meetup for a consensual Full MMA sparring session,” the message reads. “Let’s settle this like men.”

However, I’ve always thought of fighting as something that happened back behind the grade school playground at recess or after class let out for the day.

Although despite the way KCBS frames it, the message didn’t rise to the level of an actual threat, legally at least, since it was framed as a challenge.

But as I learned after reporting an apparent threat I received on here to the LAPD, someone has to actually say they’re going to harm you, rather than just saying they want to.

Or challenging you to “settle it like men.”

………

Transportation for America warns that not only is the Trump administration trying to rip out a popular DC bike lane to make more room for cars, they’re trying to do the same thing across the country by cutting off funding before the lanes can even be built.

Not what you’d expect from the bicycle-loving founder of the infamous Tour de Trump, though.

Right?

Meanwhile. Scripps News reports that Congress is now looking at setting nationwide ebike safety standards, which will probably be enforced by masked ICE agents.

………

The Metro Board approved the northern extension of the K Line Cedars-Sinai, West Hollywood and the Hollywood Bowl, after a last-minute agreement to allow work on obtaining funding to move forward, while an additional one-year study of the effects of tunneling in the area around Lafayette Square is conducted.

According to the Los Angeles Times,

However, in the 24 hours before Thursday’s meeting, Bass met several times behind the scenes with West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman, a major backer of the K Line extension, to come up with an amended motion that allows West Hollywood and L.A. County to work on securing funding that will allow the project to accelerate while also calling for additional study of the Mid-City section and community engagement. The new amendment, Bass stressed before the board voted in favor, would not delay the project or its funding…

Explaining her push for a compromise, Bass said that Lafayette Square is one of Los Angeles’s most significant historic Black neighborhoods. She recounted the history of nearby Sugar Hill, a once thriving Black community that was “profoundly disrupted” by the construction of the 10 freeway.

The difference, of course, is that the Sugar Hill neighborhood was razed by white city leaders who saw no value in a Black community, while the train will go deep underneath the existing homes.

And to the best of my knowledge, won’t involve destroying an inch of the historic neighborhood.

But still.

No one wants to see historically Black neighborhoods harmed. So if it takes yet another study to calm fears while the project moves forward, so be it.

………

Good news for our neighbor to the south, who can really use it.

Bluesky post

………

Shifter discusses five bicycle advocacy mistakes you didn’t even know you’re making, from thinking it’s you versus the world, to making sure that political leaders who say “no” suffer consequences for their decisions.

………

Local 

The LA Times recommends an eight-mile bike ride to Cudahy with climate justice nonprofit Nature for All tomorrow. (Scroll down. No, keep scrolling.)

Get ready for yet-another bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement operation in Santa Monica tomorrow, with cops set to ticket any traffic violations that could endanger either one, regardless of who commits it or why. So once again, ride to the letter of the law until you cross back into Los Angeles or Culver City, so you’re not the one who gets written up. 

A local letter writer says Agoura is doing absolutely nothing about all those “little juvenile delinquents riding around in their (e)bikes.” Although when I was a juvenile delinquent, I always preferred to ride on my bike, not in it.

An El Segundo man was arrested for restriping crosswalks and adding his own DIY stop signs to protect children in the neighborhood, after the city decided the street didn’t have enough traffic to warrant actually doing anything about it.

 

State

Calbike is hosting a webinar April 6th on designing bike infrastructure for heat, flooding, and usability. As long as that last part includes fixing potholes and keeping cars out, I’m in.

A San Diego op-ed from a pair of local bike advocates responds to a previous argument against plans for a bike lane on Governor Drive in the University City neighborhood, saying there’s simply no other place to put it.

Speaking of juvenile delinquents, thanks to The Acorn for making it clear that the kid who was arrested after leading the cops on a wild chase was riding an “off-highway electric motorcycle,” rather than anything the state defines as an ebike.

The Great Redwood Trail Agency board approved a master plan to design and construct a 300-mile rail-to-trail project through the California wine country and ancient tall timbers, from Humboldt to San Francisco.

 

National

Washington State is rebooting their ebike rebate program, offering vouchers up to $1,200. That compares favorably to California, which no longer has an ebike program because CARB stole all the money and gave it to buyers of electric cars and trucks, forgetting that ebikes are EVs that help get other EVs and gas-burning vehicles off the roads. Schmucks. 

Texas is reminding drivers of their “Be Safe. Drive Smart” safety campaign to protect bicyclists and other vulnerable road users. Which replaces the previous slogan “Get the **** outta the way of my truck!”

Wisconsin offers safety tips for bicyclists, which mostly make sense for a change, noting that “in 2024, a bicyclist was killed or hurt about every 11 hours” in the state. Damn, that guy should be more careful.

Former Chicago Bulls basketball great and AA baseball player Michael Jordan was one of us, turning a bike ride with Chicago Bears defensive end Richard Dent into a pain-inducing 30-mile challenge.

For the 11th consecutive year, you can ride a bike to the Indianapolis 500, but only if you buy a ticket for the ride, never mind the race.

While Los Angeles has talked about getting ready for the World Cup, New York is actually doing something about it by opening a new bike lane connecting Union Square and the Brooklyn Bridge in time for this summer’s Copa Mundial.

Speaking of New York, when was the last time you saw an American mayor ride a bikeshare bike seven miles to attend an important fundraiser? I vote for never. But maybe your memory is different from mine. 

 

International

Momentum observes that the biggest bikeshare systems are transforming cities around the world, and safe bicycling networks matter.

A London man says he can’t even remember the birth of his own son after he faceplanted while riding his bike, trying to avoid someone who landed in front of him after jumping out the emergency exit on a double decker bus.

A new German study found that while ebikes can help older people ride a bike, older men without helmets face a particularly high risk of serious brain injuries. Gee, ya think?

 

Competitive Cycling

Former European ‘cross champ Eli Iserbyt was forced to call it a career, as the 28-year old Belgian cyclist announced that doctors had advised him to stop riding entirely due to years of persistent blood flow problems.

A writer for Psychology Today responds to rumors about Tadej Pogačar’s win in Milan–San Remo, arguing that while we should never forget previous doping incidents, suspicion can become a psychological defense, and “If every new level is interpreted only through the past, then the past begins to limit the future.” Yeah, what he said.

 

Finally…

Apparently, you have more in common with a horse than you might think (and not just a nasty case of foot and mouth). Now you, too, can build your very own bicycle designed to survive the next apocalypse.

And just because you can take an urban ebike off-roading doesn’t mean you should.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Driver killed 33-year old woman riding bicycle in Banning Tuesday night, 32-year old man riding bike seriously injured

March 26, 2026 / / 4 comments

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

We made it a full week without someone getting killed riding a bicycle somewhere on the mean streets of Southern California.

That ended Tuesday night, when a driver somehow managed to run down not one, but two people riding bikes in Banning.

One is expected to survive, anyway.

According to multiple sources, the victims were riding on the 5300 block of W. Ramsey Street near Apex Ave when they were struck by the driver, who stayed at the scene, a little before 9 pm.

A 33-year old woman suffered severe injuries and died at the scene, while the 32-year old man she was riding with was hospitalized with major injuries.

There is no word on how the crash occurred, or why the driver apparently failed to see two adults riding bicycles. However, police don’t suspect the driver of being under the influence.

Police believe the victims may have been homeless, which raises the possibility they may not have had lights on their bikes, though wheel reflectors can be seen in video from the crash scene.

And whether or not they were housed should not, and does not, lesson the tragedy in any way.

There is a painted bike lane with a narrow buffer in both directions on Ramsey, with nothing to slow drivers on the long, straight roadway at that hour.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Traffic Bureau of the Banning Police Department at 951/922-3170.

This the 24th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the third in Riverside County.

Which means someone has been killed riding a bicycle in Southern California an average of every three-and-a-half days since the first of the year.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victims and all their family and loved ones.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

LA mayoral race starts with Mayor Bass missing in action, and taking both sides of the K Line Northern Extension debate

March 25, 2026 / / Comments Off on LA mayoral race starts with Mayor Bass missing in action, and taking both sides of the K Line Northern Extension debate

That sound you heard Monday was the official start of the Los Angeles mayoral race.

Normally, any contest with a standing incumbent in Los Angeles makes paint drying seem absolutely thrilling.

Particularly since this year’s race starts with LA Mayor Karen Bass enjoying an eight point lead over her closest opponent.

Except CD4 Councilmember Nithya Raman currently has the support of just 17% of eligible voters. Which means that Bass’ seemingly insurmountable lead after four years in office is based on only has 25% support.

And over half of the electorate has a negative opinion of her, making the race anyone’s to claim at this point.

The kickoff for the campaign was Monday’s first debate, sponsored by Streets for All and Housing Action Coalition. Although Bass and reality TV star Spencer Pratt, in third place with 14%, apparently couldn’t be bothered to attend.

Or maybe she was just off on another diplomatic mission, like she was when a large section of the city burned to the ground last year.

According to LAist, the candidates who could be bothered to show up were —

  • Adam Miller, founder of a homelessness nonprofit and self-described lifelong Democrat, said the city is “broken,” physically and figuratively.
  • Nithya Raman, an L.A. city councilwoman, said the city is “challenged.”
  • Rae Huang, a Presbyterian minister, community organizer and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, said L.A. needs “new and fresh leadership.”

Apparently, the other 35 candidates qualified for the June primary were also otherwise occupied. Or maybe they just weren’t invited, since their combined support could be listed on the back of a postage stamp.

You know, those sticky things you used to put on snail mail to make it go places.

LA Public Press offers five takeaways from the debate, including a reminder that Nithya Raman has a masters in urban planning from MIT, adding to her urbanist bona fides.

You can watch the full debate below.

Please enjoy that photo of a bass by Gio Spigo from Pexels up there on the left, since Mayor Bass didn’t bother to show up for the debate.  

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Meanwhile, Mayor Bass’ insisted that her stance on the Northern Extension of the K Line is being misrepresented, and she’s really a big ol’ supporter of extending the line.

Twitter post

Except, as Streets For All points out, her support is actually a delaying tactic, calling for extending the line while offering an amendment to approve it without selecting a final alignment, even though it has already been studied to death.

And even though that will just lead to more delays, and a loss of funding.

Apparently, she learned a lot during her time in Washington. Like how to take both sides of an issue.

Twitter post

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Metro Bike is hosting a virtual meeting at noon today to discuss expanding the  city’s bikeshare system.

Twitter post

Meanwhile, Czech carmaker Škoda’s We Love Cycling website takes a look at Prague, Czech Republic’s successful bikeshare system to see what it takes to make one work — starting with broad availability.

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CicLAvia hosted a recent discussion on the state of open streets in the Los Angeles area, as Metro wants to tie all upcoming events to this summer’s World Cup and the ’28 LA Olympics.

Twitter post

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Active SGV is hosting a ride on April 4th to check out the new Whittier Narrows BMX pump track.

Twitter post

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

The video of Ben Byra and U-23 national crit champ Luke Fetzer being harassed by a road-raging BMW driver in Newport Beach has now been viewed more than eight million times.

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Local 

The deadline for input on the Monrovia Draft Bike Master Plan is this Friday, aka the day after tomorrow. So get it in, already.

 

State

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is warning parents after a group of kids rode electric motorbikes through a Santee neighborhood performing “dangerous pranks” that they described as “doorbell ditching,” or what we called “ding-dong ditch” back in the Dark Ages. Although granted, no one was riding an overpowered virtual motorcycle or likely to get shot by a frightened homeowner back in the day.

Caltrans intends to install a crosswalk with flashing beacons on PCH near the Neptune’s Net restaurant, just across the Los Angeles County line, where the speed limit is 55 mph. Because of course drivers will screech to a stop from highway speeds for a few beacons flashing in the roadway.

A 46-year old woman died after she was bitten by a rattlesnake in Thousand Oaks’ Wildwood Regional Park, about a week before a teenaged girl was bitten when she fell off her mountain bike in the same area; a Costa Mesa man died after lingering in a coma for weeks when he was bitten while mountain biking in Irvine February 1st.

San Francisco is completely reimagining the city’s Folsom Street with a Complete Street project designed to prioritize non-motorized traffic. Which compares favorably with virtually every street in Los Angeles, where only motorized traffic gets prioritized. 

Parking mania raised its ugly head in Santa Rosa, where city officials approved replacing a dying mall’s pedestrian plaza with parking spaces. Raising the eternal question of why a dying mall needs even more parking. 

 

National

A writer for Electrek makes the case for why small, seated scooter-type bikes should be classified as ebikes, even if they don’t have pedals. Call them any damn thing you want, as far as I’m concerned, just not ebikes.

Portland, Oregon is launching a $20 million ebike rebate program offering up to $1,600 for standard ebikes and $2,350 for cargo ebikes. Which compares favorably to Los Angeles, where a nonexistent ebike voucher program provides eligible recipients absolutely nothing.

The Bureau of Land Management is considering opening 220 miles of Colorado offroad trails to ebikes, after opening hundreds of miles around Moab, Utah.

The founder of Strider Bikes recalls how the urge to get his two-year old toddler riding the trails around his Rapid City, South Dakota hometown as soon as possible led to the development of the pedal-less bike that forever changed bicycle training for the training pants crowd.

A New York councilmember wants a bike lane on a major roadway crossing Central Park, arguing that more people would ride if they could get from one end of Manhattan to the other.

A 56-year old Florida driver was arrested following a midnight crash that seriously injured a man riding a bicycle, after police discovered he’d been living under a fake name for 30 years to dodge a 1997 arrest and extradition warrant.

 

International

Road.cc recommends a dozen of the best pretend bicycling apps, for when you and your bike are both stuck inside.

The head of e-bikeshare firm Bolt says cities need more bike lanes to reduce traffic congestion and pressure on public transportation.

Momentum recommends the best places in North America to see cherry blossoms from your bike, from BC to DC. Or you can just ride your bike anywhere in Los Angeles and see just about everything, flowering or otherwise.

Um, okay. A Vancouver, British Columbia family known for tall bikes has developed a stacked, double-decker tandem that allows riders to switch positions mid-ride, without stopping, and are now working on a four-passenger version.

Must be nice. The Edinburgh, Scotland city council is fighting back against accusations of covering up figures suggesting a decline in bicycling rates, arguing that the bike network is pulling its weight, and the city needs more bikeways, not fewer.

Cycling Weekly considers the recent British study that shows bicycling saves the country’s National Health Service the equivalent of nearly $100 million, aside from any other activities, arguing that everyone benefits when more people ride.

Ghost bikes are becoming a point of contention between bicyclists and the city government of Melbourne, Australia, which says they don’t come under the city’s “plaques and memorials” policy.

 

Competitive Cycling

Italian cyclist Debora Silvestri is still hospitalized on breathing support after suffering multiple crack ribs going over the guard rail in a high speed mass crash in the women’s Milan-San Remo.

Former Olympic and world time trial champ Grace Brown says she’s glad she got out of the sport alive, arguing that UCI’s “extreme” focus on safety regulations hasn’t kept the peloton from getting more dangerous, as the high speed women’s Milan-Sanremo crash demonstrated.

If you needed any more proof that all-everything champ Tadej Pogačar is riding at the next level these days, he won Milan-San Remo with a mad descent on a cracked frame with a rubbing disc brake, following a bad crash earlier in the race.

Road.cc considers whether modern road bikes are really that much faster, more aero and comfortable compared to bikes from the ’90s.

 

Finally…

Where would Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore mountain bike? That feeling when you scale a bridge with a bicycle on your back, then leave it flapping from the giant American flag at the top.

And why did the chicken use a pelican, puffin, toucan or tiger to cross the road — but not a pegasus, unless it was on a pony?

The chicken, that is.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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