More climate arson courtesy of Gavin Newsom’s veto pen.
Or pocket veto, anyway.
The California governor drove the final stake through what once was a very good bill, which in its original form would have paid Californians five grand a year not to own a car.
State Senator Anthony Portantino’s SB 457 was watered down as it made its way through the legislative process, until the final form passed by the legislature provided just $1000 for carless households.
Meaning if one person took the bus or rode a bike, while their partner drove, they’d get nothing.
But apparently, even that was too much for Newsom, who returned the bill unsigned.
Newsom’s veto message says he wasn’t signing the bill because it created a nearly $1 billion unfunded obligation each year, despite California’s record budget surplus.
Then again, he could have covered the entire thing by just moving a billion from Caltrans $20 billion budget.
Photo by Kevin Malik from Pexels.
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Looks like you’ll have to negotiate the streets through Culver City for the next week.
Thanks to Ted Faber for the heads-up.
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No bias here.
Tragic news from Houston, where an eight-year old boy was killed while riding his bike near his home on Monday.
Then the local cops added insult to literal injury, claiming the street wasn’t safe for someone on a bike. Or on foot, for that matter.
But as this photo makes clear, if this one isn’t, what street is?
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Cycling Tips attempts to break the 58-year old, 142-mile record for cycling between Derry and Dublin, Ireland.
And manages to shatter it by over an hour.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A Montana man says he’s not a fan of bike lanes, suggesting they increase risk for riders while providing a false sense of comfort. Although the problems he points out still exist with or without them.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A Colorado man bolted from the local courthouse after a judge ordered him taken into custody on felony charges, before making his escape by bicycle; no word on whether it was his bike.
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Local
Los Angeles Council President Nury Martinez wants the city to commit to building 100 miles of bus lanes every year, which can be shared by people on bicycles. Although even better would be committing to building 100 miles of bus lanes and bike lanes every year.
Caltrans will tear down a 63-year old pedestrian bridge over the 101 Freeway in Encino this weekend because it doesn’t offer enough vertical clearance for oversized vehicles; the agency pinky swears to develop even better freeway crossings for bike riders and pedestrians, though, after local residents vetoed plans for a replacement bridge.
Los Angeles is finally making plans to fix San Vicente Blvd between Olympic Blvd and La Brea Ave, reducing the number of lanes on the up to ten-lane residential street, while improving walkways and installing parking protected bike lanes.
ActiveSGV is teaming with the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments to introduce an 840-bike, subscription-based bikeshare system.
Sad news from Long Beach, where an e-scooter rider was killed near Downtown Tuesday morning, after allegedly running a red light at Seventh Street and Chestnut Ave.
A man on a bicycle suffered undisclosed injuries when he was run down by a hit-and-run driver in Pomona Tuesday night.
State
Carlsbad is taking action to improve bicycle safety after declaring a state of emergency last month, including accelerating plans to repave and restripe streets to create space for walkers and bicyclists, while conducting a citywide review of speed limits. Meanwhile, the city will remove a traffic lane from the Coast Highway, reducing it to a single southbound lane to make room for a two-way buffered bike lane.
A reporting team from The New York Times goes for an autonomous car ride through the streets of San Francisco, describing the self-driving vehicle as the overly cautious opposite of the famous car chase from Bullitt. And ended up walking when the car mistakenly detected a possible crash, and refused to budge.
Sad news from Sausalito, where a man died several days after he was injured in a collision with an ebike rider on a local trail.
National
The Wall Street Journal says the hottest new car isn’t a car, it’s an ebike. And for once, the story isn’t hidden behind their draconian paywall.
Wired makes their picks for the best bike computers, ranging from $45 to $750.
Nebraska bike riders are planning protests to fight the removal of Omaha’s first and only protected bike lane, after the city concluded it would be incompatible with a planned streetcar.
Three people suffered “significant but non-life-threatening injuries” when they were struck by a hit-and-run driver as they were leaving a Houston Astros game in a pedicab.
A 20-year old Texarkana, Texas man faces a manslaughter charge for the collateral damage death of a bike rider; he was driving nearly twice the 45 mph speed limit when he crashed into pickup and continued on to hit the man on his bicycle.
Chicago is fighting a long history of drag racing in a wetlands park by ticketing drivers who park in the bike lanes.
A Syracuse NY man completed a 16,600-mile ride through each state capitol, along with Washington DC, in a single year — while donating blood eight times along the way.
DC is following the lead of New York to become just the second US city to ban right turns on red, as advocates hope it marks the beginning of a nationwide trend.
International
Get ready for your next public meeting with a rousing round of SIM NIMBY, the utterly useless SIM game that doesn’t allow you to build anything, anywhere.
A London borough council is calling for a ban on “illegal and dangerous” ebike chargers, in the wake of a series of recent fires; the targeted chargers aren’t designed for use with ebike lithium-ion batteries.
A 45-year old Scottish woman who holds the record for bicycling across the UK from Lands End to John O’Groats suffered a broken pelvis when she was struck by a hit-and-run driver pulling farm equipment.
An Indian woman created her own bicycle child’s seat using a kid’s plastic chair attached over the rear wheel.
You can’t legally ride handsfree in Australia. Or while gargling in Arizona, or in a Los Angeles swimming pool.
Competitive Cycling
The Vatican — yes, that tiny Roman Catholic enclave in Rome, Italy — sent a one-man cycling team to last weekend’s world road cycling championship; despite the heavenly connection, 40-year old Rien Schuurhuis did not win. Or finish, for that matter.
Angry Mathieu van der Poel fans are posting scathing reviews for a Sydney, Australia hotel, after the Dutch cyclist was convicted of chasing a group of teenage girls who repeatedly knocked on his room and ran while he was trying to sleep before competing in the Worlds.
New Zealand’s Niamh Fisher-Black had to pay her own way to the Worlds — and won the first-ever U-23 women’s title anyway.
A writer for Road.cc pens a love letter to ‘cross, calling it cycling’s silliest discipline.
Finally…
Why leave your furry friends at home, when you can pack them into your new throttle-controlled ebike? More proof you can carry anything on a bike — even if it’s not yours.
And your next touring bike could come complete with a built-in table, chair and bed.
No, really.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin, too.
