Morning Links: Garcetti skips White House run, bike riding bank robber, and Colville-Andersen thinks you’re lazy

It looks like we’ll have Eric Garcetti to kick around for the next few years.

The LA Times is reporting that Garcetti has decided not to run for president, after spending the last couple years seemingly distracted by modern day Wormtongues whispering visions of occupying the Resolute Desk in his ear.

Now maybe he’ll finally get back to fighting for his own policies like Vision Zero and the Great Streets program, which have suffered from a significant backlash while Garcetti has been crisscrossing the county testing tepid waters.

Or maybe just start fighting.

According to the article, Garcetti says he’s skipping a run for the White House because he wants to finish the work he stated.

Let’s hope he means it. And shows a lot more backbone than we’ve seen so far.

Photo shows LA Mayor Eric Garcetti signing the Vision Zero proclamation; photo from lamayor.org.

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From track cyclist, to French Foreign Legionnaire, to bank robber.

In today’s must read, Chicago Magazine tells the convoluted tale of Olympic track cycling hopeful Tom Justice, who would rob banks dressed in business attire, then change into Lycra and make his getaway by bicycle.

And a high-end handmade bike at that.

He’d throw the money in the trash, or leave it where homeless people would find it. At least until he developed a crack habit, and needed money to buy that bike.

His undoing came as he was making his latest getaway, when a cop wondered why a Lycra-clad roadie on an orange bike would be carrying a messenger bag.

It’s long read, but definitely worth your time.

But if you’re in a hurry, you can catch the Cliff Notes version here.

Thanks to J. Patrick Lynch for the heads-up.

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Apparently, Mikael Colville-Andersen, the host of Copenhagenize and self-appointed ambassador of Danish bicycling, isn’t a fan of ebikes, or the people who ride them.

Maybe he missed the studies that show ebikes can improve your health, while getting people who might not otherwise ride out on bicycles.

As for unfollowing him, some of us never did.

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Some people have to make an effort to take part in International Winter Bike to Work Day on February 8th.

Chances are, you’ll just have to roll out into the SoCal sunshine and ride.

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Local

Christian Bale is one of us, going for a casual anniversary bike ride with his wife along the beach in the Palisades.

Ford-owned Spin is hosting a free panel discussion on enhancing mobility, with a focus on equity, safety, and partnerships next Wednesday, as they prepare to join the LA scooter wars.

West Hollywood has stepped up enforcement of the state’s universally ignored anti-gridlock law, which forbids drivers from entering an intersection if they can’t make it all the way across, in a bid to improve safety for pedestrians and bike riders.

Turns out Lime scooters have been programmed to automatically slow down on the beach bike path through Santa Monica. Which is odd, since they’re officially banned from there and subject to confiscation.

The Long Beach Post says the city is losing a ton of money by failing to regulate dockless e-scooters.

State

Sad news from Stallion Springs, where a Bakersfield woman was killed in a crash. The Bakersfield Californian felt the need to say she wasn’t wearing a helmet, but failed to note whether she died of a head injury or if her injuries could have been survivable with one.

National

Fast Company looks at that brilliant takedown of Peloton ads we linked to yesterday, and says you’ll never look at them the same way again.

People for Bikes offers a baker’s dozen rides to add to your bike bucket list this year.

A Portland writer says no, you don’t need an ebike for family biking.

An Iowa college professor has developed a virtual reality version of bicycle Frogger to teach pedestrians how to cross the street without getting hit by a bike rider. Sad that something like that is even necessary.

Denton TX joins the universal battle over parking versus bike lanes, as business owners once again ignore studies showing they’re better off with the latter.

Bighearted Texas police surprise a boy with a new bicycle after seeing him walking his beat-up bike home.

An Ohio letter writer says she’s tired of nearly getting run down by bicyclists on a shared path. And for a change, offers reasonable advice on how to avoid it.

Rhode Island high school students competed to develop a better bike path crossing in response to a six-year old boy who was killed crossing the road on one.

Philly welcomes the UPS three-wheeled e-cargo delivery bikes with welcome arms.

In the never-ending saga of Baltimore’s drunken, texting hit-and-run bishop, the deservedly de-frocked Heather Cook has asked the court to let her spend the rest of her sentence for killing a bike rider at home.

Oops. Baltimore officials are rushing to rewrite legislation that would impose a $1,000 fine and 30 days in jail for riding a dockless scooter too fast; the penalty was supposed to apply to the scooter providers, with riders subject to just a $20 fine.

New US House Transportation Chair Peter DeFazio says the country needs to move beyond fossil fuels and improve streets for bicycling and walking.

Durham NC is getting its first buffered bike lane.

Um, maybe not. The Boston Globe suggests exploring the nation’s most dangerous state for bike riders by… wait for it… bicycle.

A Florida driver spotted a bicyclist riding on the shoulder of a highway, towing his dog in a trailer, and moved over the the left lane to give him room. Except he cut off another driver, who swerved into the right lane, clipping the first car and spinning into the bike rider. At least the dog survived; his owner wasn’t so lucky.

International

A British business insurance company built a fake Brompton bike shop for an ad campaign warning about online phishing attempts.

Life is cheap in the UK, where a driver got just four months behind bars for killing a bike rider, claiming he didn’t see the victim even though he was “lit up like a Christmas tree.”

A road raging Brit bus driver ran over a man’s bicycle, forcing him to jump out of the way as he tried to block its path.

An Indian sports site profiles record-breaking para-cyclist Aditya Mehta, calling him an inspiration for many athletes.

An Israeli MD has developed a startup to collect data on the severity of car crashes, so emergency room physicians have a better idea of what to expect when a patient is brought in. Call me crazy, but wouldn’t it be better to just avoid crashes in the first place?

That Aussie driver who filmed himself driving on a bike path while screaming abuse at a pair of bicyclists riding in the roadway turned himself into police and will answer to a number of charges, including using a cellphone while driving, offensive language and driving on a bike path. And no, there is no 1st Amendment right to swear your ass off in most other countries.

In a case of life imitating art, a Japanese man has had to make his fiancé fall in love with him every day for the last nine months, after she suffered severe amnesia following a bicycling collision.

Competitive Cycling

Accusations of sexual harassment come to pro cycling, as Quick Step rider Iljo Keisse was accused of rubbing his dick against a teenage Argentine waitress while posing for a photo with his teammates. Or more precisely, it’s always been a boy’s club where crap like has been accepted, and remains all too commonplace.

Chris Froome gets down in the gravel on his time trial Pinarello.

Forget power meters. The well-dressed cyclist will soon be wearing a patch to analyze his or her sweat.

Finally…

Probably not the best idea to get drunk and steal a bike from the local police. Or get drunk and ride one, for that matter.

And sometimes it might be better not to stop for red lights, especially if you’re carrying six bags of heroin in your sweaty hands.

Morning Links: Celebrity Tuesday, playing driver guessing games, and your next bike could be from Wham-O

Evidently, it’s celebrity Tuesday on today’s BikinginLA.

Christina Milan is one of us, going for a bike ride on the Venice Beach bike path with her daughter and boyfriend.

Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn ride among us, too, as they go for a spin on the Westside. Although judging by her frown, Goldie may not be a fan of riding in traffic. Then again, who is?

And Busy Phillips is no fan of e-scooters, especially after helping a woman who fell off one in WeHo on Sunday. Although it should be pointed out that the scooters are officially banned in West Hollywood, but good luck enforcing that.

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CiclaValley plays a guessing game with a careless driver.

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Sometimes, the dangers are people with guns instead of people in cars.

Two armed men bike-jacked a 19-year old man in New Orleans, one getting out of a Jeep with a handgun to demand the bike, while the other pointed a rifle at him from behind the wheel.

And a Florida man threatened three kids with a BB gun when they chased after him for stealing a bicycle. While the the TV report calls his weapon a toy, BBs can still cause serious injuries, as too many bike riders can attest.

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This is what Critical Mass looks like in Nairobi.

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Great Twitter thread calling out the ridiculously upscale Peloton ads and magazine placements.

Just click on the date and scroll down. And keep scrolling. And scrolling.

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Your next ebike foldie could come from Wham-O.

Yes, the same Carson-based people behind the Frisbee, Hula Hoop and Silly String.

And now, a new bike that looks like a very strange pair of eyeglasses.

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Local

If you ride in the San Fernando Valley, stop by tonight’s open house to discuss proposed bike lanes on Winnetka Blvd between Vanowen and Oxnard Streets.

Metro is attempting to solve the first mile/last mile problem with a new app that will allow users to hail a shared car ride to one of three Metro rail stations for just $1.75. I’d much rather see improved bus and bikeshare service that would get more cars off the roads. Including shared ones.

A West Hollywood writer says WeHo’s image as a walkable city is a myth, with pedestrians constantly endangered by distracted and speeding drivers.

State

In a study that should surprise absolutely no one who walks or rides a bike in California, researchers determined that cellphone use by drivers increased last year, with 4.5% of all drivers using their phones illegally at any given time. The only real surprise is that the figure is that low.

San Diego is honoring Somali immigrants in the City Heights neighborhood by installing a camel-shaped bike rack. Which hopefully isn’t as offensive at it sounds.

The San Diego Padre’s annual Pedal for the Cause bike ride donated nearly $3 million for cancer research.

A Santa Barbara man tells the story of how his handmade bike from a local builder was stolen. And how he got it back thanks to a Good Samaritan who spotted it in a pawn shop, and paid $200 to get it out of hock.

Sadly, San Francisco isn’t about to get invaded by three-wheeled e-assist dockless pedal pods.

The mayor of Richmond has written a scathing response to Marin officials who want to cut the pilot period for a new bike lane on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge from four years to just six months, reminding them which city the bridge is named after.

National

Inspired by the jerk driver who wrote a non-apology to the kid he crashed into, Bike Snob’s Eben Weiss pens his own non-apology letters to others on the street. Thanks to Jeff Vaughn for the heads-up.

The stoned driver who killed a Bend, Oregon bike rider had 11 different drugs in her system at the time of the crash — including Xanax prescribed for her dog. When you start stealing drugs from the dog, it’s time to get help..

Unbelievable. A Las Vegas driver fled the scene after killing a bike rider was fleeing the scene after causing another crash; he ran into a casino and changed his clothes twice in an attempt to get away before he was caught. Sadly, the victim’s family lives here in Los Angeles; my sympathy and prayers go out to them.

Albuquerque NM will start ticketing drivers who park in bike lanes. Setting a good example for nearly every other city in North America.

A weekly paper accuses the Chicago police of using racial profiling to catch bikeshare thieves.

A Minnesota town says narrowing streets will improve more than just safety and livability; it will also help improve water quality by reducing the amount of runoff from impervious street surfaces.

A Pittsburgh letter writer says the city needs a commuter bicycling network to overcome the harm caused by motor vehicles.

A Boston-area bike rider was the victim of sidewalk rage when she lost control of her bike and hit a pedestrian, who responded by repeatedly kicking her.

NYPD officers have arrested the bike rider who was caught on video going berserk on a driver’s car, repeatedly whacking it with his U-lock before stomping on the roof and screaming at the sky. He reportedly was weaving in and out of traffic before attacking the car and its driver. Seriously kids, don’t do this. Ever.

No irony here. Brooklyn residents claim a new parking-protected bike lane has made their street more dangerous than ever, citing an elderly man who “nearly” got killed when he “almost” got hit by a bike rider. Never mind that two kids actually got killed by a driver the year before, which is why the changes were made.

A writer for the New York Times recounts the tale of his $12,900 hosted bike tour from Casablanca to Ghana’s Cape Coast, covering nearly 4,000 miles through seven African countries.

This is why our streets stay deadly. A Maryland driver was sentenced to a lousy five years behind bars for the hit-and-run death of a bike rider. Even though he already had five — count ’em, five — previous DUIs. Yet another example of officials keeping a dangerous driver on the road until it’s too late.

Chattanooga TN residents are mourning the death of local fixture Sandy the Flower Man, who spent decades riding his bike through the downtown area festooned with streamers and flags, and handing out flowers to strangers.

A serial Florida bike thief was busted yet again for stealing two bicycles, following four previous convictions for the same offense.

International

In what may be a first, a bike site has a list of tips I actually agree with, as Bike Radar offers 14 tips for safer city cycling.

Police in Victoria, British Columbia recover two of a bike shop owner’s three bikes just hours after they were stolen, after shifting priorities to recover hot bikes; they recovered five bicycles worth $10,000 the first day alone. So it can be done — if police are willing to devote sufficient resources to fight bike theft.

A 71-year old sexual predator will spend the rest of his life in jail after he was convicted of abducting and murdering 12-year old Vancouver girl as she was riding her bicycle 40 years earlier.

Eight bike riders have been injured in “inexplicable” falls on a single roadway in York. No, the old one in the UK, not the new one across the pond.

A British paper makes the case for how bicycling can help transform cities and dramatically improve health and wellbeing.

Streetsblog talks with “The Cycling Professor” of Amsterdam about how the Netherlands developed its bicycling culture.

An Italian city plans to pay people to bike to work; trips between work and home will be compensated at 36¢ a mile.

Competitive Cycling

Pro cyclists will be subjected to testing for the opioid painkiller Tramadol starting at the Paris-Nice classic. Violators will get a spanking and be sent to be without their supper.

Finally…

If you’re going to steal a bike from an elementary school, try not to get caught on the security cam — especially if you have a bunch of other hot bikes at home. When your job is working as a bike shop mechanic, just read the instructions, already.

And if you’re an unregistered sex offender carrying coke on your bike, put a damn light on it.

On second thought, don’t.

Morning Links: Hope for LACBC, Paul Smith ghost bike removed already, and study on the dangers of e-scooters

One quick note before we get started.

Last Friday, I had a very pleasant talk with Communications Director Dana Variano and new Executive Director Eli Akira Kaufman of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, aka LACBC.

I won’t go into details, since everything we discussed was off the record. But we had a very frank and open discussion about the state of bicycling in general, and the state of the LACBC in general.

Suffice it to say that Kaufman recognizes that he’s got a steep learning curve to get a firm grasp on LA bike culture and street safety.

And he’s well aware of the problems facing the LACBC after drifting far too long without effective leadership.

But he’s committed to listening and improving communications, which has been a major problem as long as I’ve been involved with the coalition, as a member and former board member.

And to making the hard decisions the LACBC will need to return to being an effective voice for LA bicyclists.

I left the meeting feeling like the LACBC is in good hands.

And with a little hope for the first time in a long time.

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Disappointing news from Seal Beach, where Eric Dalton reports the ghost bike for Paul Smith has already been removed, less than three weeks after he was killed.

The popular church leader was riding on PCH at Seal Beach Blvd when he was run down from behind by an allegedly speeding driver.

At this point, there’s no word on who removed the ghost bike, or why.

But it’s heartbreaking that someone apparently didn’t think he was worth remembering for even a month.

Let alone reminding drivers of the dangers of SoCal’s killer highway.

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A new UCLA study shows e-scooters pose pretty much the same risks you might think.

Of the nearly 250 people treated by UCLA medical centers in Westwood and Santa Monica as a result of scooter injuries, the overwhelming majority of injuries were suffered by the people riding them — not pedestrians struck by them, as we are so often led to believe.

“In this study of a case series, 249 patients presented to the emergency department with injuries associated with electric scooter use during a 1-year period, with 10.8% of patients younger than 18 years,” says the January 25 paper by Tarak K. Trivedi, Charles Liu, and Anna Liza M. Antonio.

“The most common injuries were fractures (31.7%), head injuries (40.2%), and soft-tissue injuries (27.7%).”

“Only 10 riders were documented as wearing a helmet, constituting 4.4% of all riders,” the report notes. “Twelve patients (4.8%) had physician-documented intoxication or a blood alcohol level greater than 0.05%

Of course, there’s no word on the severity of the head injuries, which could have been anything from simple cuts to concussions, skull fractures or cranial bleeding.

And no way to know whether helmets could have prevented them.

Then there’s this from Forbes.

Not all of the injured patients had been riding scooters. Eleven had been hit by scooters, and five had tried to lift scooters. Another five had simply tripped over parked scooters, which is what can happen when there are Bird or Lime droppings on the sidewalk.

In other words, despite the panicked response to this study in the media, over 90% of the injuries were to the people riding them. So just like with bicyclists, even the most careless riders are a danger primarily to themselves.

Just wait until the study authors discover how many people get hurt by cars every day.

Which is not to say everyone shouldn’t ride safely, so they don’t pose a risk to themselves or anyone else.

And for chrissakes, don’t leave your damn scooter on the sidewalk, or anywhere else it can pose a danger to anyone.

Especially people with handicaps.

Thanks to David Drexler for the heads up.

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NHL All-Stars Marc-Andre Fleury and Kris Letang apparently didn’t get the memo that scooters are dangerous, arriving at the game on a pair of Lime e-scooters.

https://twitter.com/GoldenKnights/status/1089303215332483072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nhl.com%2Fnews%2Fshort-shifts-marc-andre-fleury-kris-letang-all-star-game-electric-scooters%2Fc-304245710

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Howard Valai forwards video of what it looks like when an LA Metro bus passes about a foot off your handlebar.

If anyone had opened the door on any of those cars, he could have seriously injured. Or worse.

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Life is cheap when you ride a bicycle.

A Colorado truck driver gets an all-too-brief 90 days behind bars, and 120 days work release, for running down a 17-year old boy from behind as he rode in a bike lane, then fleeing the scene and leaving his victim seriously injured in the street.

A speeding hit-and-run Maryland driver got just 18 months behind bars for running a red light and killing a Smithsonian IT specialist who was riding his bike to work last September.

A teenage driver walked with community service for killing a bike rider in the UK by trying to pass on a narrow country road at 60 mph — which the driver’s lawyer wrote off as a simple misjudgment. One that cost an innocent man his life.

But sometimes justice gets done.

Like the Florida driver who got over 13 years behind bars for the drunken, high-speed crash that killed a man on a bicycle.

Or the Japanese man who got a well-deserved 18 years for the road rage death of a motorbike rider, intentionally slamming into him after briefly chasing his bike. Thanks to Norm Bradwell for the link.

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I don’t even know what to make of this one.

In a video posted to an anti-bike group, an Aussie driver drove down a bike path to swear at a couple of cyclists for riding in the roadway instead of on the parallel path.

No, seriously.

Needless to say, opinions on the auto-centric site ran in favor of the foulmouthed driver, with one poster calling for him to be named Australian of the year.

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If you haven’t already, mark your calendar for International Winter Bike to Work Day on February 8th. We should be able to show a good turnout here in Southern California, where Viking Biking means you might have to put fenders on your bike.

UCLA will host a panel discussion on Transportation as a Public Health Issue this Wednesday, with Dr. Muntu Davis of the LA County Department of Public Health, Juan Matute of UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies, and LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds.

The LACBC will hold a historic tour of San Fernando and Pacoima Sunday morning as part of their monthly Sunday Funday rides, which promises to get you home in time for the Super Bowl.

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Local

Cycling scion and three-time national time trial champ Taylor Phinney takes his new team on a tour of the City of Angels and prove he knows it well, including stops at Bicycle Coffee and Golden Saddle Cyclery.

The editor of USC’s Daily Trojan takes a very auto-centric view of Metro’s proposed congestion pricing, saying transportation will always be a citywide struggle. Meanwhile, that Metro proposal also includes possible ride-hailing fees on Uber and Lyft, and shared-mobility fees on dockless bikeshare and e-scooters.

South Pasadena has accepted $332,000 from Metro to pay for the upcoming 626 Golden Streets open streets event through South Pas, Alhambra and San Gabriel this May.

A Santa Clarita letter writer says please leave your bikeshare bikes in the racks where you’re supposed to, rather than abandon them anywhere.

Long Beach police are looking for a serial groper on a distinctive lime green bicycle who’s attacked four women in separate assaults.

Former pro cyclist and current Long Beach Bike Ambassador Tony Cruz had his bicycle stolen last week; be on the lookout for an $8,000 Felt FR1 carbon bike with Sram e-Tap shifters and $1,300 Mavic Carbon Cosmics wheels.

State

State workers can now get reimbursed for their dockless ebike and scooter rides.

Some things never change. Nice to see the OC Register is still giving voice to ridiculously conservative anti-transit op-eds, despite layoffs and ownership changes, and a Congressional map that’s turned solid blue. The paper also says drivers probably don’t know what a sharrow is, which is probably true.

Bike advocate Roberta Walker has begun a rehab program after suffering extensive brain and spinal injuries when she was run down by a driver on PCH in Leucadia last month, while Encinitas has begun rehabbing the roadway to keep it from happening to someone else. A crowdfunding page has raised over $97,000 of the $125,000 goal to help pay her hospital and rehabilitation expenses.

Camarillo police are looking for a man in his 20s who assaulted a woman who was walking on a bike path; fortunately, she was able to fight them off.

An Oakland woman has been charged in the hit-and-run crash that critically injured a 14-year old boy, who was dragged three blocks under her car after she hit his bike; she was already on probation for a DUI conviction last fall.

As we mentioned last week, Marin transportation officials want to cut the four-year pilot program for a bike and pedestrian lane on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to just six months, so they can declare it a failure and turn it back over to people in cars.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole 24 bikes from a bicycling club at a Modesto elementary school. And just the opposite for a kindhearted people who replaced 20 of them.

The CHP does more than catch speeders on the freeway. A Redding mountain biker was airlifted to a hospital after apparently breaking his leg in a fall.

National

Great. The plague of LA-based traffic safety deniers has gone national, forming the new agitprop group Keep the US Moving to spread their virtually fact-free campaign to keep our streets deadly and halt all road diets, anywhere. Thanks to Peter Flax for the tip.

Okay, now I’m impressed. Idris Elba is one of us, going for a casual bike ride with his fiancé in Hawaii.

The route has been announced for this year’s 450-mile Ride the Rockies, featuring 28,000 feet of elevation gain through the Colorado high country.

A Minnesota singer found the inspiration for her debut album in the hum of her bike chain.

She gets it. A columnist for the New York Post says drivers are getting away with murder.

New York is still trying to figure out how to deal with ebikes and scooters.

Big Apple Mayor Bill de Blasio says the city doesn’t have the resources to go after drivers who block bike lanes. Which is odd, since most of them seem to be NYPD cops.

Mississippi bicyclists ride 6.6 miles in honor of fallen cyclists.

International

Drivers and doors aren’t the only things we have to worry about. A Vancouver bicyclist was killed when he somehow collided with the friend he was riding with, and fell into the path of a truck.

Canada has cancelled plans for a $65.9 million bike path paralleling a scenic highway through the Rocky Mountains due to environmental concerns and high costs. But all those cars spewing smog are just fine, thank you.

Calgary’s new e-assist bikeshare is a huge hit, even in the winter cold and snow.

The UK could save the equivalent of over $420 million if bicycling could be made as popular in the rest of the country as it is in London.

Well deserved. A British triathlete was fined the equivalent of more than $1200 for aggressively passing a horse and rider on the curb side, colliding with them as causing the horse to bolt, injuring the rider.

The German ambassador to Pakistan went out of his way to find a locally made bike, because he wanted that Made in Pakistan stamp to show his support for the country’s people.

A bighearted South African boy broke open his own piggy bank to buy a new bicycle for a gas station attendant he befriended.

Sad news from New Zealand, where a 32-year old elite cyclist is dying of intestinal cancer, saying she should have pushed harder for a diagnosis after suffering from years of stomach pain.

A Singaporean news channel examines why the island city has yet to become a bicycling paradise, pointing a finger at the heat and rain, and a lack of safe space on the road.

Competitive Cycling

Long Beach will host this year’s Paratriathlon National Championships in June.

Cycling Tips looks at how a little known cyclist from Cuba beat the world’s best women’s riders in the Cadel Road Race.

Road.cc offers advice on how to step up from riding sportives to your first actual bike race.

The LA Times says Zwift’s new esports league is just like pro cycling, but without the turns or crashes, and with actual pro cycling teams.

Finally…

You may not have to worry about drivers on a bike path, but keep your eyes peeled for pigs. How to build a bicycle sidecar out of an empty beer keg; make it a full keg, and you’ve got a deal.

And nothing sells Danish beer like a good bike ride.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vh_ipdt2y4

Morning Links: Metro talks congestion pricing, induced demand goes both ways, and FilmedByBike this Sat

Metro’s board of supervisors considered congestion pricing to discourage driving and fund the 28 by 28 initiative at their monthly meeting on Thursday, but decided not to decide until next month.

The plan would provide funding to complete 28 transit projects in time for the 2028 LA Olympics. Metro’s CEO has also discussed using congestion pricing funds to provide free bus and train rides throughout the LA area.

LA’s ever-worsening traffic congestion means we have a choice between encouraging people to leave their cars behind by making it more convenient to ride a bike or use transit, or taking painful steps to force them to.

But the city’s ever-present NIMBYs, entitled drivers and traffic safety deniers have fought to block bike lanes, and too many spineless city officials have caved in to them.

So now congestion pricing is on the table. Whether they like it or not.

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More evidence that induced demand goes both ways.

The Seattle Times looks into where the 90,000 drivers who formerly used the city’s shorefront Alaskan Way Viaduct every day went once it was closed down, and before the new tunnel meant to replace it opens.

The paper concludes that some drivers moved to another highway, some switched to transit, and some took to their bicycles.

But most, they say, either changed their commutes, or simply stayed home.

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Looks like LAist and LA Magazine know a good thing when they see them.

LAist recommends The Frogtown Show comedy night at the Spoke Bicycle Cafe along the LA River Bike Path in Elysian Valley Saturday Night.

And both recommend FilmedByBike — Los Angeles at the Boomtown Brewery in Aliso Village on Sunday. Admission includes two movie screenings, a panel discussion, raffle and 25 exhibitors with bike demos. Correction: Earlier I wrote it was on Saturday; it’s actually Sunday. Thanks to Joe Linton for the correction.

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An impatient driver forced his way through an Oakland protest, running over a bicycle — after the rider jumped off — then ran over the leg of a blind homeless man, while driving on the sidewalk.

Remarkably, no arrest was made, as police appeared to make excuses for the driver.

You can see some of the event below, despite the shaky camera work.

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You can’t keep a good man down.

Or off an arena with his camera crew, evidently.

A British court ruled that YouTube star Ryan Taylor can legally post video of his scofflaw BMX ride on top of London’s massive O2 Arena.

Even if it encourages others to copy his dangerous stunt.

And eve if his ride was interrupted by a police helicopter.

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Local

This is who we share the roads with. A woman was arrested for killing a MacArther Park pedestrian Wednesday night; the victim was walking in a crosswalk when he was run down by the driver, who was viewing messages using WhatsApp.

LADOT is hosting a mixer for community-based organizations and community leaders on February 19, from 3 to 6 pm.

More on the selection of homegrown Long Beach bike service provider Pedal Movement to operate and expand the city’s bikeshare program.

State

Santa Cruz, which already has the state’s second-highest bike commuting rate, will raise downtown parking fees to finance efforts to further increase bike and transit use.

Bay Area bike riders say not so fast to plans to steal back a long-promised bike and pedestrian lane on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and give it to the same drivers who claim the other five lanes.

A San Francisco TV station honors Richmond’s Rich City Rides for its work building community around bicycle rides and projects.

National

Entrepreneur talks with William Shatner, the new captain of the starship Pedego.

No bias here. A Seattle website accuses “anti-car ideologues” at area DOTs of forcing bicycles on an unwilling populace.

Oh, well that’s okay, then. A hit-and-run driver who killed a bike rider in Salt Lake City told police he fled the scene because he was scared. Even if that was the case, he should have turned himself in the next day — after he sobered up, most likely.

A 19-year old Wyoming man’s self-funded film captures the spirit of freeride mountain biking.

Dallas isn’t afraid of road diets, unlike a certain SoCal city I could name. The Texas city approved plans to reduce a major streets from six lanes to four to make room for bike lanes and wider sidewalks. The same sort of six-to-four lane reduction was what made some Mar Vista drivers apoplectic, demanding its removal.

E-scooters could finally get the green light in Gotham, as scooter companies descend on the city to lobby for their approval. However, Gothamist warns there could be roadblocks ahead.

A 62-year old Brooklyn bike rider was awarded $2.25 million after suing the city accusing a police detective of shoving him into a parked car, suffering permanent injuries; needless to say, the officer denied touching him, bur security video — hidden from the defense for four years — showed otherwise.

US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will be confined to a wheelchair and walker for the next several months as she recovers from a painful broken pelvis and hip socket suffered in a bicycling crash; still no word on whether if was a solo fall or if she was hit by a driver.

A proposed DC ordinance would give scooter and ebike riders involved in crashes the same rights as regular bicyclists and pedestrians.

Bighearted North Carolina police pitch in to replace a bike that was stolen from a young girl, whose father is suffering from stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Life remains cheap in Louisiana, where the driver who got just 90 days for killing a bike-riding city councilman gets another 90 days for injuring his riding companion. But he’ll serve just 17 days of that.

Georgia thieves steal a page from the Middle Ages and the Old West, laying a tree branch across a bridge to force a bike rider to stop; when he tried to move it, they popped out with guns and stole his cellphone. Although victims in the Middle Ages and Old West hardly ever carried cellphones with them.

He gets it. A Gainesville FL writer considers his transportation options, and concludes that cars are expensive and cumbersome, and nothing beats a bike.

The Tampa Bay Times says it’s time to make the dangerous city — and the entire state of Florida — safer for people walking and on bicycles.

International

Bike Portland looks at the bikeways of Baja.

Singer, rapper and producer Ray J plans to stay involved in the business, after selling his e-scooter company to a Canadian concern for a price tag in the high seven figures. The money will help rollout the scooters throughout North America.

A Vancouver newspaper asks if a proposal to put bike lanes and a walkway down the center of an existing bridge is smart planning or the first step towards Carmaggedon.

A British Columbia bike rider asks if the impatient driver who nearly ran her down was as frightened by it as she was. Probably not.

A Saskatoon, Canada teenager just became the youngest person to ride a bike around the world, covering nearly 20,000 miles through 16 countries.

A new report says building community bike hubs could encourage more bicycling in the Toronto suburbs; the hubs provide access to bicycles, repairs, tools and other items and services to promote bicycling in areas with no bike lanes and very few bicyclists.

The younger brother of royal spouse Kate Middleton is one of us, as he takes his two dogs for a cargo bike ride.

An “anti-social” bike mob is accused of frightening shoppers at a local mall, riding directly at them while hurling abuse.

It’s not every day that a bike thief asks to be put in prison to break his spiral of addiction; a Belfast judge was happy to oblige. Because everyone knows there are no drugs behind bars. Right?

Retired pro cycling favorite Jens Voigt tells an Indian newspaper that the problem with Millennials is they want to be millionaires in two weeks, and life doesn’t work that way. Don’t blame me, take it up with Jensie.

An Indian environmental website says bicycling would have huge benefits for the country, but the high cost of bicycles and a lack of a bicycling ecosystem are holding it back.

NIMBYs are everywhere. Even in South Africa, where white homeowners are fighting to have a new separated bike lane removed from their street.

A Singapore paper says don’t give up on dockless bike sharing yet.

Competitive Cycling

CiclaValley offers scenes from the SoCal Cross season finale.

Finally…

Turning bike parts into art. Even cartoon pigs have to wear bike helmets, ven if they originally didn’t.

And seriously, when you’re carrying meth on your bike after dark, put a damn light on it.

It might even help see the soft dirt when you flee from the police.

Morning Links: Don’t walk the streets of Bakersfield, Wag heads enter scooter wars, and bike hating deer

Even Buck Owens would probably think twice about walking the streets of Bakersfield these days.

The Central Valley city is the seventh most deadly city for people to walk in the US, and the only one in the top nine that’s not in Florida.

Then again, you probably don’t want to walk at all in the Bible Belt.

Surprisingly, though, Los Angeles didn’t even make the top 20.

………

A new Los Angeles-based startup created by the founders of the Wag dog walking service has hit the streets of San Diego.

Jonathan and Joshua Viner are positioning Wheels as the next generation in dockless personal mobility, a cross between an e-scooter and mini-bicycle that allows the rider to be seated instead of standing.

You can even recharge your cellphone. And play your music while you’re at it.

………

We may have to deal with distracted LA drivers, but at least we don’t have to worry about taking a massive header over a bike-hating deer.

Usually.

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Turns out the left lane isn’t always the fast lane.

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Local

Sahra Sulaiman writes that Leimert Park bike crew Black Kids on Bikes passed the community service torch to a younger generation of bike riders at this year’s King Day Parade.

Streetsblog says the Arroyo Seco Bike/Walk Path is damaged from the recent rains, but still passable.

Popular Mechanics recommends three affordably priced bikes from Burbank’s Pure Cycles.

Homegrown bike service company Pedal Movement will take over operation of the Long Beach Bike Share, which will be expanding into more areas of the city.

State

The Orange County physician who prescribed drugs to driver who fatally ran down Costa Mesa firefighter Mike Kreza has pled not guilty to charges of illegally prescribing opioids; drugs from the alleged Dr. Feelgood also made their way into the hands of the Borderline shooter.

An Anaheim man was killed in a suspected gang shooting while riding his bicycle Tuesday night.

Bike SD co-sponsored a one-night Holiday Lane last December, closing down a major Pacific Beach street for a carfree community celebration.

Hats off to a group of kindhearted Thousand Oaks teenagers, who are collecting 400 bicycles, as well as wheelchairs, crutches and shipping costs, for impoverished kids in Puerto Rico and Africa.

A San Luis Obispo Facebook group forms the basis of a 280 member, all female mountain biking group called SLO Dirt Girls.

Sad news from Fresno, where a bike rider was killed when a driver was briefly blinded by another car’s headlights.

Candidates for the board of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition are being challenged on whether the bike advocacy group should accept money from car companies.

The Marin transportation board wants to steal a lane on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge back from pedestrians and bicyclists just a tad sooner than expected, cutting a promised pilot program from four years to six months so they can give it back to motorists.

Friends can’t explain why a Marin County man was riding bike on a freeway, where he was struck and killed by at least three separate drivers as he swerved back and forth across all three traffic lanes.

National

He gets it. In a Newsweek op-ed, a GOP advisor questions why car-choked cities are banning e-scooters. More proof that common sense traffic solutions are not a partisan issue.

A new analytical tool based on publicly available cellphone data allows cities to get a more detailed picture of how many people are walking and biking, and where they’re going.

CNN recommends walking or riding a bikeshare bike to maintain a healthy lifestyle while traveling for business.

The Shift Up podcast discusses why a Denver man shuttered his bike shop, and started his own line of $800 DIY cargo bike kits.

Denver gives its Vision Zero program a passing grade, even though traffic fatalities are up in the Mile High City.

You may soon be able to get drunk and ride your bike in North Dakota. Or your horse.

They get it. A Minnesota newspaper tells readers to be a hero and don’t drive distracted.

Seriously? A Minnesota police chief is serving a one week suspension for choking a 12-year old boy he mistakenly thought was trying to steal his mountain bike, when the kid was actually just trying to pick it up after it had been knocked down. I hate bike thieves as much as anyone, but he should have been fired the moment he put his hands on the kid’s neck.

New York police are looking for a bike rider who attacked an Uber driver and his car with a U-lock, then jumped on the roof and hood when the driver attempted to get away. There’s never an excuse for violence. But you’d think the press might wonder what the driver might have done to provoke it.

Residents of New York’s West Village complain about derelict bicycles left on the sidewalks.

A New Orleans artist yarn bombed a bikeshare bike, covering everything but the wheels and pedals.

Fort Lauderdale FL is banning e-scooters during spring break, apparently preferring to jam the streets with smog belching cars than allow partying students to get around on small, clean machines.

A Miami TV station shows video of the Wheels Up, Guns Down protest in Miami that led to a white driver pulling a gun and yelling racial epithets at a group of black teenagers; the bike riders were protesting the redevelopment of a housing project. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime.

International

Road.cc tests whether the new Pinarello Nytro ebike is faster uphill than a lightweight roadie.

Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry discusses why he loves riding his Vogue Elite bicycle around London. Note to Christies — it’s called a Dutch-style bicycle, not a ladies bike.

Sad news from Columbia, where a former dean from Vassar College was killed less than two-thirds of a mile into a planned 750-mile ride through the country.

Bolivia’s famed Death Road proved aptly named for a New Zealand bike rider, who slipped off a rain-slicked roadway and down a cliff while on a mountain bike tour with his fiancée.

Victoria, British Columbia plans to sacrifice a tree in one of the city’s busiest intersections to make room for bike lanes and a scramble crosswalk; urban forest advocates say not so fast.

For a monthly fee, a Dutch startup provides a working transportation bike and handles all the maintenance and repairs.

The most shocking thing about this video of a Swiss synchronized cycling team isn’t their amazing performance, it’s that AOL is still around.

National Geographic looks at the new 1,500-mile bike path that will connect cities and towns in eight Balkan countries when it’s completed. Thanks to the Previn Report for the heads-up.

A 27-year old Afghan man is trying to improve children’s literacy by riding his bike across the country handing out free books.

A homeless Australian man pled guilty to the hit-and-run death of a bicycling Dutch tourist; he was speeding at twice the speed limit in a stolen car on his way to buy drugs when he crashed the car.

Finally…

Now you, too, can be a virtual pro cyclist. Cars burst into flames, bikes aren’t supposed to.

And maybe there’s a better place they could have put this.

Just saying.

Morning Links: Armed man threatens black teens, Americans buy climate change, and yes, Harrison Ford is a man

Here’s a truly disgusting story from Miami.

A racist asshole white motorist was arrested for pulling a gun on a group of young black teens riding their bicycles in the city’s Martin Luther King Day Wheels Up, Guns Down protest.

He got out of his expensive Mercedes SUV with the weapon when the woman he was with complained that one of the teens ran over her foot, after she had gotten out to demand that the riders get the hell out of their way.

He then approached them, gun in hand and screaming racist taunts, according to the Miami New Times.

“Get the fuck out of here!” the man yells as he confronts the teens. 

“You fucking losers. You fucking stupid n*****s. You’re all fucking dumb-ass fucking n*****s,” he says while he paces around the group. Even as he finally walks away, he continues to call the kids the N-word…

On Instagram, Miami Commissioner Keon Hardemon said Bartlett should be hit with more serious charges. “Assault with a deadly weapon and calling them n——rs sounds like a hate crime to me,” he wrote. 

Sounds about right to me.

See for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktLdxhiiRTw

………

Apparently, it only takes an unending series of major natural disasters for Americans to finally accept climate change.

According to a Yale study, 73% of Americans now accept that climate change is real, and 72% say it’s personally important to them.

Unfortunately, our current president remains in the remaining 27%.

And time is rapidly running out.

………

In today’s LA edition of He’s One of Us, we look at the age 70+ celebrity contingent rolling on our streets.

If Arnold Schwarzenegger wore a camo jacket and rode a camo fat ebike through Los Angeles in hopes no one would notice him, it didn’t work.

Seriously? A British tabloid zooms in on Harrison Ford’s bike shorts as he goes for a ride in Marina del Rey, and seems surprised to discover he’s a man.

………

Local

UCLA’s Daily Bruin looks at LA’s controversial speed limit increases, which allow police to once again use speed guns to enforce them.

LA’s favorite ex-pro cyclist is teaming with the LACBC this Saturday for the 4th Annual Clean Up Mulholland With Phil Gaimon to clear trash from one of the city’s most popular riding routes.

Pasadena is looking for input for their proposed Complete Streets Blueprint Tool to guide the makeover of the city’s streets.

State

A new San Diego company will come out and pick up all those unwanted e-scooters and dockless bikes for free, charging the dockless companies to come pick them up.

San Jose’s mayor talks with a local radio station about his recent “scary” bike wreck. As opposed to all those calm and relaxing bike wrecks, I guess.

Once again, a man has been found dead on the side of the road near his damaged bicycle as the result of an apparent hit-and-run, this time near Covelo in rural Mendocino County. So when the hell will officials finally take this deadly crime seriously, and do something to crack down on the statewide epidemic of drivers who flee the scene of a crash?

National

CityLab considers the great divide in how Americans commute to work, saying the country is cleaving into separate nations where one favors biking, walking and transit, while the other continues to revolve around their cars.

Seattle’s bike hating shock jock says city leaders will pursue congestion pricing and more bike lanes at their peril.

Speaking of Seattle, bike commuting has spiked in the first week of the Seattle Squeeze — the period between the closure of a major coastal highway and before a new tunnel opens in a few weeks. Maybe some of those new bike riders will decide they like it and keep riding. And support for those bike lanes will go up.

Bighearted Las Vegas school police pitched in to buy a boy a new bicycle after his was stolen off his grade school campus.

The overwhelming majority of Minneapolis bike crashes take place on just 3% of the city’s streets.

Life is cheap in Indiana, where a stoned driver got off with just two years behind bars and six years probation for killing an eight-year old boy as he played in his own backyard; she felt the bump as she ran him down, but kept going because she thought it was a bicycle and she might as well finish parking. I would have given her the full eight years for killing the kid, with another eight for fucking stupidity.

New York safe streets advocates rallied outside the studio where The View is shot to protest Whoopie Goldberg’s anti-bike lane comments.

DC gets serious about Vision Zero following a rash of traffic deaths, creating a dedicated Vision Zero office and hiring a new director. Maybe Los Angeles could take the hint and follow their example.

A New Orleans bike rider was critically injured after somehow crashing with a motorcycle cop escorting a funeral.

I want to be like him when I grow up. An 87-year old Pensacola man affectionately known as Bill the Bike Man refurbishes bicycles and gives them to homeless men and women.

International

Good idea. Bike Magazine suggests putting a spare car key on your bike’s multitool. Although a better idea might be just getting rid of your car altogether.

A St. Vincent bike thief swears he just borrowed it and was bringing it back when he got busted. Sure, let’s go with that.

If you build it, they will come. A Toronto newspaper says the city should get moving on expanding a network of separated bike lanes after a pilot program resulted in a tenfold increase in ridership, while collisions dropped 73%. More proof that safe bike lanes work — if they actually connect and form a real network. Even in cities where the average January temperatures are just a tad below LA’s balmy 68°.

On the other hand, Toronto advocates say the city has failed to deliver on its ambitious bike plan. Sort of like a certain SoCal city I could name that adopted an ambitious bike plan back in 2010, then put it on the shelf.

Finishing our trifecta from north of the border, Toronto police cracked down on distracted drivers, writing 670 citations in just two days.

When police in an English city were too busy to help a newspaper editor recover his stolen bike, his staff jumped into action and stole it back for him.

British bike exports rose 16.1% ever the past five years to the equivalent of over $93 million; exports to Asia more than doubled. US exports, not so much.

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes goes on. Especially in the UK, where a bicyclist was lucky to avoid injuries when a jerk in passing a van reached out and pushed him off his bike.

Apparently Britain has a problem keeping elderly drivers off the road, as the 92-year old queen goes for a drive just days after her 97-year old husband rolled his Rover, after cutting off another driver.

The European Parliament decides that EU ebike riders won’t have to carry liability insurance after all.

When bike stunts go wrong. Popular Italian bike collective Dafne Fixed posted their blooper reel.

A bike-riding Pakistani woman writes that the government should have protected women planning a bike rally, and men “need to reflect on their own culpability for making this country so unsafe for women.”

A Ugandan entrepreneur is specializing in building bamboo bikes for just $350 to $450 apiece.

A South African website offers advice on flying with a bike. I’ve flown mine several times, but seldom on purpose. And the landings usually weren’t very pretty.

Competitive Cycling

The BBC offers beautiful photos from the 14th annual Strathpuffer 24-hour mountain bike challenge in the Scottish Highlands.

BMX Freestyle competitions have been axed from the first-ever Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) World Beach Games, set to take place in San Diego this September.

Finally…

The game to play when you have a burning urge to do a backflip off the Eiffel Tower on a tandem bike. No, you can’t just dump a privately owned dockless bikeshare bike in the dump.

And when you’re carrying meth and riding a stolen bike, stop for the damn red light, already. And if you lost a $2,500 bicycle around Santa Monica lately, check with the police.

Update: San Bernardino man killed while riding bike in Highland hit-and-run

Now we have a little more information about yesterday’s fatal bike crash in Highland.

The Highland Community News is reporting that sheriff’s deputies received a call of a someone lying in the street around 8:30 pm Monday.

Deputies responded to the intersection of Sterling Avenue and Ninth Street, where they found the victim. They determined he’d been riding his bike when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver headed south on Sterling.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The San Bernardino Sun identifies the victim as 54-year old San Bernardino resident Dereck Alexander.

In a story that’s not online yet, KCBS-2 reports Alexander was a cancer survivor who’d fought for his life after having an ear and part of his skull removed.

A street view of the Highland itersection shows a four lane roadway with center turn lane on Sterling, with one general lane and a bike lane in each direction on Ninth; the intersection is controlled by a traffic signal in every direction.

Without witnesses, there’s no way to know who may have had the right-of-way at the time of the crash.

Anyone with information is urged to call San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies at 909/425-9793.

When the driver is caught, he or she should face a murder charge for making a conscious decision to let Alexander die in the street.

This is at least the fourth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.

Update: That heartbreaking KCBS-2/KCAL-9 story is now online.

According to the report, Alexander was wearing a hi-viz vest while riding home on Sterling Ave. Yet the driver apparently didn’t see him, and never bothered to stop.

His niece called his killer “heartless,” as the family struggles to understand how anyone could just leave him like that — just like the loved ones of virtually any victim of hit-and-run.

And who can blame her? That’s about the mildest term I would use.

But perhaps most heartbreaking of all is the image of his dog by the gate, waiting for an owner who will never come home.

GoFundMe account to help pay his funeral expenses has raised $125 of the $8,000 goal in the first several hours.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Dereck Alexander and all his loved ones.

Thanks to Erik Griswold and Jeff Vaughn for the heads-up.

Morning Links: Highland cyclist killed, Arroyo Seco Bike Path washed away, and more fallout from Whoopiegate

In case you missed it yesterday, an LA-based traffic safety denier penned a virtually fact free, alternative universe op-ed attacking road diets and Vision Zero that was inexplicably published in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, apparently without the benefit of fact checking.

You can see my dissection and rebuttal of his arguments here.

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Tragic news from Highland, where Erik Griswold forwards word that bike rider was killed in a collision yesterday.

No other information is available at this time.

We’ll have more details when they become available.

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The Eastside Bike Club reports that a section of the Arroyo Seco Bike Path washed away in the recent storms.

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More fallout from Whoopiegate, as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo becomes just the latest high profile figure to incorrectly blame New York City’s traffic problems on bike lanes and pedestrian plazas.

This comes after Whoopie Goldberg blamed delays in her daily car commute from New Jersey on a New York bike lane that doesn’t even exist.

Meanwhile, the mother of a fallen bicyclist ripped Whoopie over her comments. And New York’s Families for Safe Streets asked to be invited on the View to explain how bike lanes might have saved their loved ones.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes goes on. Especially in the UK.

An English farmer got off with just 12-months probation for a punishment pass on a bicyclist with his tractor, followed by a brake check that nearly rammed the rider into the spikes on his equipment, followed by a physical assault, all because “They [cyclists] are always in the way; always annoying like that.”

A British bicyclist was shot with a pellet gun while riding at an offroad BMX and mountain bike track.

And the latest in a rash of violent bike-jackings in the UK.

………

Peshawar, Pakistan’s first-ever woman’s bicycle rally was cancelled after three conservative religious groups threatened to protest it; a spokesperson for one group accused the women spreading obscenity by riding bikes.

Pakistanis reportedly reacted in outrage at the cancellation. Or at least, some did, anyway.

And organizers blamed another group for risking the lives of participants by leaking plans for the event.

Meanwhile, sad news as two members of the Pakistani national cycling team suffered life-threatening injuries in a training crash; no word on whether there was a driver involved.

Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

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No sympathy from BBC presenter Jeremy Vine, who trolled Prince Philip with bike cam video of a careless driver cutting off a bicyclist, just days after His Royal Husband rolled his Rover after apparently cutting off another driver.

Naturally, the 97-year old prince played the universal Get Out of Jail Free Card, claiming he was “dazzled” by the sun.

Although a better play might have just been to say “my wife is the Queen.” Even if the other driver does want him prosecuted.

As with any elderly driver, though, the question is who could actually get him to stop driving, even if he does pose a risk to others.

Thanks to John Dammon for the tip.

………

Um, okay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9yoEMiCOP0

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Local

According to Spectrum News 1, CD5 Councilmember Paul Koretz is working to make LA a leader in environmental action. Although I don’t understand how blocking pre-approved, shovel-ready bike lanes and maintaining the deadly automotive hegemony on our streets makes Los Angeles a leader in anything except dangerous streets and worsening air.

The new cable news channel did redeem itself, however, by doing reports on ghost bikes, and bike theft in DTLA.

The national Winter Bike to Work Day will finally be coming to the City of Angels, as the LACBC announced it will be observing the event on Friday, February 8th. Now the ball is in LADOT’s and Metro’s court to promote the event. Or even mention it, for that matter.

LADOT is hiring an assistant general manager for external affairs.

The Los Angeles Times looks at LA County’s attempt to shove the e-scooter genie back in the bottle, as it struggles to avoid becoming another Venice or Santa Monica. Because really, who would want more clean, efficient personal transportation when you can still squeeze a few more cars onto the streets?

Speaking of the Times, the paper endorses congestion pricing on LA freeways, but questions whether Metro can do it in a way that is both effective and fair. Although using the funds to expand bus service and bikeways, while eliminating transit fares, is a good start.

Hollywood is hopping on the ebike bandwagon, with everyone from Miley Cyrus and Vin Diesel to Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres and William Shatner getting on the pedals.

Downey is launching its new docked bikeshare program this Thursday, in conjunction with Metro.

A new law will allow Santa Monica’s Breeze docked bikeshare to integrate more smoothly with bikeshare systems in surrounding cities.

State

The allegedly stoned driver accused of running down Costa Mesa Fire Captain Mike Kreza as he rode in a Mission Viejo bike lane has entered a not guilty plea; 25-year old Stephen Taylor Scarpa is being held on a $2 million bond.

Thieves broke into a bike shop in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood early Sunday, making off with three bikes worth up to $3,000.

Reminiscent of the Trousdale Gap in the Expo Line bike path, the operators of a Bakersfield golf course and local residents complain about plans for a bike path, fearing it would allow nefarious bike riders access to their properties. Trousdale residents blocked the bike path through their neighborhood, afraid bike-riding burglars would ride off with their flatscreen TVs.

The San Francisco Chronicle suggests three great rides through the wine country around Healdsburg, ranging from 11 to 33 miles.

Bad news from Marin County, where a bike rider was killed after reportedly swerving his bike across all five lanes of southbound Highway 101.

A Redding writer says bicycles mean freedom for kids. Funny thing, it works that way for adults, too.

National

In what may be the best news in today’s briefing, Bicycling says new research shows swearing can make you a better bicyclist. Although if that was really true, I’d be wearing a yellow jersey by now.

There may be hope yet. The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices has ordered traffic engineers to consider pedestrian and bicycle activity on streets when setting speed limits, which could finally mark the beginning of the end for the deadly 85th Percentile Law.

A police website calls walking, biking and mounted patrols fundamental elements to community policing.

Seattle residents want more and better transit; bike lanes, not so much.

A Colorado Springs CO bike advocate says the solution to traffic congestion is not more cars; it’s giving people more choices.

Horrifying news from Michigan, where a bike rider was dragged several hundred feet after getting hit by the driver of a snow plow; the driver claimed he never say him and didn’t realize he’d hit anyone. Remarkably, the victim survived, though he’s in critical condition.

The New York Times considers the physical and psychological toll of brutal car commutes; an LA study showed extreme evening freeway traffic led to a 9% increase in domestic violence. Of course, there’s an easy solution to that — if you don’t have to drive, don’t. And support bikeways that make it easier to make that quality-of-life saving choice.

A DC columnist says there are too many misfits rolling on the streets.

A 24-year old Virginia man has spent the last 14 years sending donated bicycles around the world to people in need, founding the nonprofit organization Wheels to Africa when he was just ten years old.

Am I the only one who thinks Los Angeles needs more bike path-adjacent outdoor beer gardens, like this one in New Orleans?

The head of a Macon, Georgia ministry explains how a recycled bicycle can change a person’s life.

International

Road.cc endorses what they consider essential wet weather cycle clothes and gear. Which comes just a little too late for LA’s great flood of 2019.

Canadian Cycling Magazine asks when is it too cold to ride a bike? In Los Angeles, that’s usually any time the temperature dips down into the 60s. Brrrrr.

Carlton Reid talks with Vancouver bike advocates Chris and Melissa Bruntlett — the couple behind the Modacity site and authors of Building the Cycling City: the Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality — about their upcoming move to the Netherlands, where Chris will take over as international communications manager for the Dutch Cycling Embassy.

Can a story be heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time? After an eight-year old British Columbia boy who loved trucks was killed in a collision while riding his bike, over 150 truck drivers turned out in a massive convoy in his honor.

A new Toronto report makes a compelling case for protected bike lanes; a pilot cycle track project increased total street capacity and improved safety at very little cost.

This year’s London edition of the World Naked Bike Ride will take place on the Queen’s birthday, with organizers planning to sing a naked birthday salute outside Buckingham Palace.

A British mountain biker says dogs are a bicyclist’s best friend.

An 84-year old, blind UK veteran and lifelong bike rider has gotten back on a tandem bike for the the first time since he lost his sight twenty years ago.

As private delivery services move towards using various forms of ebikes, the Irish postal service announces plans to eliminate bicycle and walking deliveries by the end of the year.

Germany has opened the first three miles of what will eventually be a 62-mile, completely carfree bicycle superhighway.

I’m putting this one on my own bike bucket list. Once it’s completed, a new European bike path will extend 1,200 miles through eight European countries, connecting Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia and Macedonia through a series of singletrack, gravel and paved pathways through the Balkans.

Unlike Pakistani women, Egypt’s She Can Ride initiative has been met with approval as they work to get more women on bikes, with over 600 participants ranging from three years old to 57.

An Indian state approves plans to resume distributing bicycles to residents, as long as they aren’t crappy. The bicycles, that is, not the residents.

A 22-year old Japanese man says he’s on a mission to become the youngest person to ride from Cape Town, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt, after riding through much of Europe. But he ran out of time to continue his ride through the US.

Welcome to Christchurch, New Zealand, home of the red light-running motorists.

It’s now against the law to ride your bike drunk in Thailand. Then again, the fine is the equivalent of just $15.71.

Competitive Cycling

The era of doping may be over, but somehow, bike racers keep getting caught — and not just the pros. Forty-two-year old Miami masters cyclist Michel Carrillo was banned for four years for doping with Lance’s drug of choice, EPO, as well as steroids and testosterone.

Attorney and former US Cycling Team member David Huntsman says if you’re interested in bike racing, reach out to him on Twitter to learn more.

Finally…

Repeat after me. When you’re a convicted felon with two outstanding felony drug warrants riding a bicycle while carrying an illegal concealed weapon, put a damn light on it already. Who could turn down a bike-riding unicorn raising funds for a sick kid — let alone two of them?

And soon, your bike won’t even need you anymore.

Vision Zero is not a fad — and it’s not making our streets more deadly

A traffic safety denying op-ed in the Wall Street Journal claims both. And couldn’t be more wrong.

………

No Morning Links today.

I had planned to take Martin Luther King Jr. Day off, and post some inspirational words to remind us all to treat everyone like our own brothers and sisters, especially in these turbulent times.

But I felt it was necessary to address an op-ed that was inexplicably published in the Wall Street Journal on Saturday, without the apparent benefit of senior editors or fact checkers.

We’ll be back tomorrow with a massive four days worth of links to the latest bike news stories from over the weekend.

Today we’re going to discuss Vision Zero, road diets and traffic safety deniers.

Because sometimes, these people just piss me off.

………

Awhile back, I coined the term traffic safety deniers to describe people who reject the well-established science of traffic safety.

Just like climate change deniers reject the established science behind climate change, for no other reason than they choose not to believe it, or the experts in the field, evidence be damned.

Like lawyer and writer Christopher D. LeGras, who penned a virtually fact free, alternative universe op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, claiming that Vision Zero is nothing but a “road diet fad.” And that it’s having the opposite effect of what is intended, by somehow magically increasing the death toll on our streets.

Or I should say former lawyer, since he apparently gave up his membership in the bar to write full time, resulting in a collection of short fiction published by the small LA-based imprint Rare Bird Books.

Unfortunately, his op-ed reads like a work of fiction, as well.

He starts innocently enough, telling the tale of a 65-year old woman who broke her leg falling on the sidewalk in Mar Vista, suffering a compound fracture. And says it took the fire department paramedics ten minutes to get there, even though the station was just five blocks away.

But in which direction, he doesn’t say.

Yet somehow extrapolates that to blame the road diet on Venice Blvd — and every road diet everywhere else — and Vision Zero in general.

Los Angeles, like cities nationwide, is transforming its streets. In July 2017 the city installed a “road diet” on a 0.8-mile stretch of Venice Boulevard in Mar Vista, reducing four lanes to two and adding bike lanes separated from traffic by parking buffers. The project is part of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Vision Zero initiative, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities in the city by 2025. Launched in 2015, Vision Zero is the most radical transformation of how people move through Los Angeles since the dawn of the freeway era 75 years ago.

By almost any metric it’s been a disaster. Pedestrian deaths have nearly doubled, from 74 in 2015 to 135 in 2017, the last year for which data are available. After years of improvement, Los Angeles again has the world’s worst traffic, according to the transportation research firm Inrix. Miles of vehicles idling in gridlock have reduced air quality to 1980s levels.

Well, it ain’t necessarily so

Problem is, the road diet on Venice was part of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Great Streets program. A community driven project that had been in the works since 2015, and had nothing to do with LA’s Vision Zero, which was only announced in August of the same year.

In fact, Vision Zero in Los Angeles was just vaporware until the Vision Zero Action Plan was released in January, 2017 — two years after community groups began work on a Complete Streets makeover of Venice Blvd, and the same year the Mar Vista Great Streets project was installed.

Never mind that the road diet on Venice reduced it from a massive six lanes to a more manageable four, to reduce crossing distances to improve safety for pedestrians and increase livability.

Not two lanes, as LeGras inexplicably claimed.

Then there’s the claim that pedestrian deaths spiked in 2017, two years after Mayor Garcetti announced the Vision Zero program.

But somehow, before any significant work had been done on Vision Zero, because the action plan, and the High Injury Network it’s based upon, weren’t even released until that year.

Not to mention that none of those pedestrians were killed on streets where Vision Zero improvements had already been installed. So rather than being the fault of Vision Zero in some vague, unidentified way, they can be blamed on the dangerous, deadly LA streets that Vision Zero is intended to fix.

Which is about like blaming the vet because your cat got pregnant after he fixed your dog.

And don’t get me started on LeGras’ laughable implication that Vision Zero is somehow responsible for LA’s worsening traffic and air pollution.

Traffic is bad on streets throughout the LA area, including the other 85 or so other cities in LA County that don’t have Vision Zero programs. Let alone on the streets that haven’t seen any Vision Zero improvements at all. Which is most of them.

Oddly, traffic also sucks on most, if not all, LA-area freeways, which have yet to see a single bike lane or road diet.

The reason LA traffic is getting worse is a population that’s growing by an estimated 50,000 a year, with most of the new arrivals bringing cars with them, or buying one as soon as they get here.

Along with countless kids who receive or buy a car as soon as they’re old enough to drive, resulting in four or five cars cramming the driveways of many family homes. When they’re not out helping to cram the streets.

Combine all that with a record number of miles driven in the US last year, as lower gas prices encouraged more people to drive more. Something that’s reflected in dropping ridership on LA Metro, as more people switch from buses and trains to private vehicles — adding to the traffic LeGras complains about.

And no, LA air quality is nowhere near 1980 levels.

Then again, he also seems to confuse normal traffic congestion with gridlock — defined as a situation in which drivers are unable to move in any direction.

If you can get through a traffic light in two or three cycles, or turn in any direction to get out of it, it ain’t gridlock.

It’s traffic.

By my count, that’s six false statements in just two paragraphs. Unfortunately, he didn’t stop there.

Nothing succeeds like the successes of Vision Zero

Like the next paragraph, where he somehow concludes that light rail lines have anything to do with Vision Zero. (Hint: they don’t.)

Or the following one, where he implies that Vision Zero projects in the Big Apple have failed to make significant improvements. Even though, after five years of Vision Zero, and countless road diets and other safety projects, New York traffic fatalities are at their lowest level since motor vehicles took over the streets. And pedestrian deaths are at their lowest level since 1910.

While bicycling fatalities have gone up in New York, that’s more reflective of a massive 150% increase in ridership as more people feel safer on the streets.

And rather than leading to increased traffic congestion, the changes have actually improved traffic flow.

While individual firefighters may complain that bike lanes delay response in emergencies, as LaGras claims, the facts don’t bear that out.

In fact, more fire departments are realizing that safety improvements on the streets reduce the need for dangerous emergency responses. Which means fewer people they have to scrape up off the streets and try to patch back together.

Meanwhile, more enlightened cities are deciding that is better to build fire engines that fit the streets, rather than widen streets to fit the fire engines.

The myth of the Foothill Blvd evacuation disaster

Then there’s this.

During the 2017 La Tuna Fire, the biggest in Los Angeles in half a century, a road diet on Foothill Boulevard the in Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood bottlenecked evacuations. After the fire a neighborhood association voted to go off the road diet. The city ignored the request and instead added another one to La Tuna Canyon Road.

That’s a myth that has been circulating in the anti-road diet, traffic safety denier community for some time.

While the road diet on Foothill has unfairly gotten the blame, the real problem stemmed from the closure of the 210 Freeway further up the road. Traffic backed up from that closure down to, and through, Foothill Blvd — not from Foothill back.

Officials never considered it a serious enough problem to remove the bollards protecting the bike lanes, or to introduce other emergency measures, including contraflow lanes, on Foothill.

I’m told that an engineer involved in the evacuations said that people on Foothill were never in danger. And fire officials said they had no problem getting through.

With or without a road diet, relying on private motor vehicles to evacuate any population center will always be problematic, as cars break down and run out of gas, and fallible human drivers try to squeeze in and turn around without sufficient space to do so.

LeGras is correct, however, that a road diet was implemented on deadly La Tuna Canyon, following the near fatal crash that left Keith Jackson in a coma for three weeks.

One of the few things he got right.

But rather than reducing road space, it merely reduced the amount of traffic lanes in places — leaving exactly the same amount of space available in the event of an emergency as there was before.

He closes this way,

It’s noble to want to make America’s streets as safe as they can be. But government officials shouldn’t impose projects on communities that don’t work, inconvenience residents, hurt businesses and impede emergency responders in the process.

Had he bothered to do the slighted bit of research, he might have discovered that most people like the Complete Streets that result from the implementation of road diets and bike lanes.

And that road diets and bike lanes have proven good for businesses across the US. And Canada, too.

Emergency response times tell the real tale

As for impeding emergency responders, let’s go back to that 65-year old Mar Vista woman with the broken leg.

A ten minute response time in any emergency should be unacceptable. But countless things can take place to delay emergency responders that have nothing to do with road diets.

It took far longer than that for paramedics to arrive when my father-in-law suffered a fatal heart attack. And that was in a residential neighborhood, in the afternoon, before Vision Zero and road diets were a gleam in Eric Garcetti’s eye.

Responders can be delayed by the same sort of traffic congestion you’ll find on any other major street in Los Angeles, with or without road diets or any other form of traffic calming or safety improvements.

Never mind motorists who don’t have the sense to pull to the right like the law requires. Which seems to be the majority of LA drivers these days.

But if there was a significant problem, it would show up in the fire department’s response times. Yet the average response for Mar Vista’s Station 62 is just four seconds slower than the average EMS response for the city as a whole.

Four seconds.

I sincerely hope Renee Khoury’s mother Rebecca recovers completely from her broken leg.

As for Mr. LeGras, it’s probably a good thing he’s not practicing law anymore, if he built his cases on such flimsy, easily disproven evidence.

But I do hope he continues to write.

Judging from this op-ed, he should have a fine future in fiction.

Thanks to Alissa Walker and Felicia G for their help in researching this piece.

Morning Links: Tamika Butler moves to LA’s Toole Design, suspect busted in Hyperion hit-and-run, and LA SciFi Bike

She’s back.

After stepping away from local bike advocacy for a few years, Tamika Butler is stepping back onto the field.

The former head of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition is taking a position as Director of Planning, California, and Director of Equity and Inclusion for Toole Design Group, working out of their Los Angeles office.

This is how the company announced the hire.

A civil rights attorney with a diverse background in law, nonprofit leadership, and community engagement, Tamika brings a unique perspective to the intersection of transportation, inequality, community, and shared values. Formerly the executive director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Tamika helped the LACBC shift its advocacy platform to include and incorporate the voices of communities of color, LGBTQ communities, and young people into its work improving active transportation in Los Angeles County. Her three-year tenure leading the LACBC brought numerous advocacy wins and earned the organization national attention for its work on ensuring that bicycle planning and programs across Los Angeles County includes and acknowledges its community members’ values and lived experiences.

In addition to her responsibilities on planning projects, Tamika will also lead Toole Design’s internal efforts to become a more diverse, inclusive workplace that employs people of all backgrounds. This includes collaborating with Human Resources on recruiting and hiring practices, leading trainings for staff, and serving as a resource for colleagues across the country.

Let’s hope they know what they’re getting into.

During her too-brief stay with the LACBC, Butler quickly rose to national prominence as a public speaker and community leader, challenging the predominately white world of bike advocacy to broaden its horizons and refocus its efforts on creating genuine equity on our streets. A role she continued after she left the coalition.

As the above link shows, she’s not one to pull her punches, which has led to inevitable pushback, and sometimes anger, from those she challenges.

But she’s opened far more eyes, and caused countless people in and out of the advocacy world to rethink their approaches to communities of color.

Myself included.

I’d say I hope Toole allows her to keep up her fight for inclusiveness. But knowing Tamika, from my own time with the LACBC, I doubt she would have taken the job if they had restricted her voice in any way.

So let’s welcome her back.

And look forward to many more years of speaking truth to power, and challenging us all.

………

A suspect has been arrested in the hit-and-run death of a mother who was gathering recyclables on Hyperion Ave to pay for her daughter’s college tuition.

Meanwhile, a crowdfunding page in her honor has already raised nearly $4,000 over the $15,000 goal.

I’m told that community members reached out to LADOT and Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell’s office over two years ago to request safety improvements to the intersection where she died, but never got a response.

Let alone any action.

Which sadly shouldn’t surprise anyone.

………

Your next bike could have levers instead of pedals.

A new Kickstarter campaign from an LA-based inventor promises to let you ride more efficiently with less effort. And on a very cool, if very strange, SciFi-looking frame.

All for the low, low price of $3,600 for just the frame and drive system; all the other components — wheels, seat, handlebars, etc — are on you.

Although so far, it’s raised just $211 of the $347,000 goal, with 28 days to go.

………

Local

The LACBC’s next Sunday Funday Ride will take a tour of historic San Fernando and Pacoima on February 3rd, for anyone who’d rather ride than watch the Super Bowl pregame. Which should be just about everyone, unless the Rams win on Sunday.

London’s Evening Standard offers what they call the ultimate feel good guide to Los Angeles — as long as Los Angeles doesn’t extend much beyond the Westside. But at least they recommend renting a bike and riding the beachfront Marvin Braude bike path.

Culver City will hold a ribbon cutting next Friday for segment 7 of the Park to Playa Trail, a 13-mile regional trail connecting Baldwin Hills to the Pacific Ocean.

State

A proposal in the state legislature would eliminate the need for duplicate federal and state environmental reviews for roadways, bikeways and pedestrian projects, reducing costs and speeding the approval process.

Encinitas may cut the speed limit on the Coast Highway from 35 mph to 30, in advance of construction on new bike lanes and sidewalks.

Perhaps making up for the demise of Interbike, the opening day of the inaugural CABDA West bike expo in Del Mar drew 1,200 retailers, mostly from Southern California.

Robert Leone forwards this story about the UC San Diego fencing team deciding to wear helmets any time they bike or skateboard, noting that fencing was one of the first sports to require helmets. Then again, they also have swords, which should help immensely in slicing through traffic or cutting across campus.

A San Diego man is asking for the public’s help in identifying the thief who stole the bicycle he was using to recover from injuries suffered in a motorcycle crash. On the other hand, that’s about what you can expect when you leave an unlocked bike on your front porch.

A Canadian writer goes mountain biking at SkyPark at Santa’s Village near Lake Arrowhead.

A year in, not everyone in Santa Cruz is happy with Jump’s dockless ebike program.

A new San Francisco bike brand can be ordered online and built up for whatever kind of riding you want, from gravel to touring. And then a local bike shop or mechanic will put it together for you.

National

Nothing like a DARPA designed foldie for the next time you need to jump out of a plane and hit the ground rolling.

This is why you shouldn’t fight with a bike thief. An Albuquerque man was fatally shot after struggling with a man who tried to take his bike as he waited for a bus. Seriously, just let it go. No bike is worth your life.

The company behind the late, lamented Interbike trade show floats a trial balloon, saying they could combine a bike trade show with Denver’s Outdoor Retailer shows.

Bicycling injuries and fatalities spiked in Dallas last year; a local magazine blames the introduction of bikeshare on streets without bike lanes. Although as others have told me, correlation does not equal causation; blaming bikeshare is meaningless until we know how many of those deaths and injuries happened to bikeshare riders.

A Boston area bicyclist and former selectman says bike lanes would be great, but they’re a luxury until the crappy pavement is fixed.

Bicycling says Whoopie couldn’t be more wrong about bike lanes, and the one she complained about on The View doesn’t even exist. She didn’t seem any calmer the next day, either. Meanwhile, a writer for Denver Streetsblog says he still loves Whoopie, even though she hates bikes.

A Philadelphia councilmember wants to know if e-scooters are good for black neighborhoods not served by the city’s bikeshare system. Although a better option would be a bikeshare system that serves everyone.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is in a wheelchair as she recovers from a broken hip socket and pelvis suffered in a recent bike crash.

Orlando FL follows Santa Monica’s lead, and installs parking boxes where dockless bikeshare ebikes can be left and picked up without blocking sidewalks. Los Angeles, not so much.

Good Samaritans use a floor jack to rescue a Florida bike rider after he was run over by a pickup driver and trapped under the truck.

International

Road.cc considers 15 things they say every cyclist loves. Which, of course, not everyone does.

Bicycling as a moving meditation to keep you grounded. I’ve long considered riding a bicycle a form of meditation, and the only place I’ve ever experienced the Zen state of satori.

A UK columnist says bicyclists should have properly policed, protected bike lanes, and drivers should have to retake their driver’s test every seven years.

A British man faces serious charges after he was busted for the hit-and-run bike crash that left a 70-year old woman with life-changing injuries.

A bike-riding Brit hit man has been convicted of two murders, tied to the crimes by his fitness tracker. Note to the wise: If you plan to kill anyone, leave the Apple Watch and Fitbit behind.

Only in Ireland would a story on bike safety begin by quoting George Orwell and the poet Philip Larkin.

No bias here. A former Irish mayor describes bicyclists as “vicious.”

You can now legally use your e-scooters and hoverboards in Denmark’s bike lanes.

A New Zealand driver slammed into a group of bicyclists riding home from a race, hitting two directly, while several others fell like dominos; fortunately, none of the victims were seriously injured. And do we really need to say the driver kept going without stopping?

An Aussie news site offers tips on what kind of bike you should get.

Complaints about bikeshare were up 450% in Shanghai last year, making up nearly 20% of all complaints the city received.

Also in Shanghai, a man got a month in detention for running down a bike rider while still drunk from the night before.

Competitive Cycling

The Amgen Tour of California releases this year’s designs for the leader’s jerseys.

Bike Snob’s Eben Weiss says drug testing a 90-year old cyclist is just going too damn far.

Finally…

Yes, it may wrap around your waist and sit on your hip, but don’t call it a fanny pack. The key to preventing bike theft is finding a safe place to park it.

And Lance Armstrong, venture capitalist.