Nonprofit overseeing CA ebike voucher program under investigation, and Gordon Ramsay says “wear your helmet”

June 17, 2024 / / One comment
Just 198 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.

Image by Maxfoot from Pixabay.

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And that, my friends, is when it all went to hell.

As you may know, we’ve been tracking the moribund California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which has now reached 178 days since we were promised it would open in fall of last year.

Spoiler alert — it didn’t.

It’s also a full three years since the plan was approved by the state legislature and signed into law by the governor. And counting.

And just two weeks before they’re guaranteed to miss the most recent promised launch date in the second quarter of this year, which has now been pushed back to sometime this summer.

They’re not likely to meet that one, either.

Because the program charged with operating the California ebike incentive program, San Diego nonprofit Pedal Ahead, could end up facing charges themselves.

In fact, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Pedal Ahead is currently facing not one, not two, but three ongoing investigations. (Although the paper’s newly even more draconian paywall means you’ll have to register with your email if you want to read it.)

It’s a confusing and convoluted story. But the gist of it is that Pedal Ahead is accused of being delinquent in filing the required paperwork with various government agencies, leading to investigations by San Diego County, the California Air Resources Board, and the California Department of Justice.

Yet somehow, they’re supposed to handle the increasingly complicated statewide program, which has now been funded with a still-too-small $31 million to distribute, even though that’s up from the initial $10 million fund, which was reduced to just $7.5 million after overhead.

And even though they’ve been removed as operators of the low-income ebike loan-to-own program launched by the San Diego Association of Governments two years ago.

Yet it was that “expertise” that formed the basis of their selection to operate the statewide program.

But at least that part of the story is clear.

It gets more confusing when the paper tries to explain the numerous nonprofit and for-profit companies opened by Pedal Ahead chief executive Edward Clancy in recent years, many with nearly identical names.

And many, if not most, of which either ran into problems, or apparently never got beyond the naming stage.

Then there’s the fact that Clancy wore a wire for the FBI’s probe into illegal campaign financing involving his former boss and a Mexican businessman, while skating on any possible charges himself.

Clancy was appointed as “bike czar” by former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, who resigned under a torrent of sexual misconduct accusations after less than a year in office.

According to the Union-Tribune,

Clancy was later reported to have been a confidential informant in an unrelated federal investigation into illegal campaign financing in San Diego County.

The Union-Tribune reported in 2014 that he wore a wire for the FBI, recording conversations with three people who were later charged with coordinating $500,000 in donations from Mexican businessman Jose Susumo Azano Matsura to Filner, then-District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and two Democratic political committees.

Clancy, who received qualified immunity from federal prosecutors and was never himself charged with any wrongdoing, maintained his political connections after he stopped consulting.

No problem, then.

It’s long past time that the state legislature conducted an open, public hearing into the problems with the state ebike incentive program that have led to its ongoing failure to launch, despite the clear intent of our elected leaders.

And shine a much-needed light on a program that has been utterly opaque up to this point.

Because something tells me what we’ve learned today is just the tip of an iceberg big enough to sink the Titanic all over again.

Thanks to Oceanside bike lawyer and BikinginLA sponsor Richard Duquette for the heads-up. 

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The common theme over the weekend, the one that sucked the air out of the news headlines, is Gordon’s Ramsay’s advice to wear your bike helmet.

Yes, the lovably irascible chef is one of us. Although “lovably” kind of depends on your perspective.

Ramsay revealed in a Father’s Day greeting that he had been the victim of a bad bicycling crash in Connecticut recently, lifting his traditional chef’s jacket to reveal a badly bruised torso. And crediting his shattered helmet and “those incredible trauma surgeons, doctors, nurses in the hospitals” that looked after him with saving his life.

Meanwhile, a writer for the Christian Science Monitor also says wear a helmet, and put front, and especially, rear lights on your bike, offering his own hard-won experience in Long Beach as proof.

Although he misses the mark in calling out bicyclists for riding “two, three or even four abreast.” forcing drivers to “swerve completely into the incoming traffic lane.”

Never mind that riding abreast helps prevent unsafe passing, and using the next lane to go around them is exactly what drivers are supposed to do.

Then again, even Dutch officials are calling for the country’s largely helmet averse population to change “because the brain is very vulnerable.”

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Nothing like have your bike stolen right in front of you on a Metro platform in broad daylight, as passengers look on.

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It’s not every day you actually see a positive report about new bike lanes on the local news.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdK5c-i6HDs

Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

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

No bias here. A writer for an off-road racing website blames a group of Atlanta bike riders for complaining when a cop ignored the speeding BMW driver who zoomed around them on the wrong side of the road, only to lecture them for some undisclosed reason. “We’ve all encountered entitled, difficult cyclists before,” he writes. “Maybe they’re riding three or four abreast, not letting cars get by, and acting aggressive towards any driver who does try to pass.”

A UK paper complains about the mythical war on cars over plans to fine drivers who step out into London bike lanes, as if the real problem is the penalty, and not the reason for it.

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

Bavarian police observed over 11,500 bicycling infractions over a one-month period of heightened enforcement.

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Local 

Discover Los Angeles reminds us about this Sunday’s CicLAvia on Western Ave in South LA.

Here’s your chance to tell Glendale you want a permanent calmer, safer North Brand Boulevard, after the city’s successful pilot project.

Pasadena is implementing a quick build safety improvement program on Allen Ave between Colorado Blvd and Villa Street, offering enhanced crosswalks, curb extensions and new bicycle lanes.

Active SGV offers a recap on the recent Active Streets: Mission to Mission, including an appearance by the inimitable Gabe the Sasquatch.

Malibu releases details on the upcoming safety improvements on deadly PCH. All of which only offer a downpayment on what the killer highway really needs. 

 

State

Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, says three speeding bills they support are moving forward in the state legislature, including bills to allow speed cams on PCH in Malibu, and increase penalties for speeding on highways.

Motor vehicle speeds aren’t the only concern for state legislators, however, as AB 1774 would prohibit the sale of any product or device that can modify the speed of an ebike.

The California Building Standards Commission wants your input to shape bike parking standards in the new state building code.

Just days after the heartbreaking death of a 17-year old San Diego boy killed by an Amtrak train while riding his bike across the tracks, comes news that California is the deadliest state for train collisions, with 38 fatal crashes last year, compared to just 21 in Florida, the next highest state.

The Orange County Power Authority is launching its own ebike voucher program, offering up to $1,500 for income-qualified buyers.

Beach cities aren’t the only ones freaking out about ebike safety, as cities in California’s Inland Empire attempt to rein in teenagers on electric bicycles. Although they often conflate ebikes and e-motorbikes.

The latest proposal to replace San Francisco’s widely loathed Valencia Street center-running bike lane would create a slalom course as the bike lane swerves around restaurant parklets.

 

National

A writer for Bike Magazine pens a Father’s Day ode to his favorite riding companion, and the man who gave him everything.

Despite the best efforts of rightwing culture warriors, the World Naked Bike Ride returned to Mad City, Wisconsin on Saturday.

There’s not a pit deep enough for the schmuck who stole an 11-year old boy’s lowrider bike he’d customized himself from a New Mexico museum display.

Hundreds of teenaged bike riders gathered in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley to call for nationwide bike safety improvements at the 10th annual national Youth Bike Summit.

In news that should surprise absolutely no one — but probably will — a new study from New Jersey’s Rutger’s University shows bike lanes calm roadways, improving safety for everyone.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever rode off after stealing a collection jar raising funds for a premature Florida baby.

 

International

The mayor of Quebec City offers a master class in how to respond to accusations that bicyclists don’t pay for the services we receive. Although you’ll need to read the subtitles if you don’t understand French. Thanks again to Megan Lynch. 

A neighborhood in Birmingham, England is now offering an e-cargo bikeshare service to help cut pollution.

The UK’s best bicycle-friendly homes, starting at just £225,000 — the equivalent of a little over $285,000. I’ll send y’all a postcard once I get settled.

 

Competitive Cycling

That’s Sir Mark Cavendish to you, now.

Twenty-year old Norwegian pro Johannes Kulset is demanding an apology from cycling’s governing body after he was banned from the Tour of Slovenia for using the ‘super tuck’ position, denying he used his chest or forearms for support.

A pair of best buds are hoping to set a new record for the fastest duo to cross the Atlantic City finish line for the Race Across America, aka RAAM.

 

Finally…

Now you, too, can own your very own Van Gogh bike. Ranking the Euro 2024 soccer teams based on how bike-friendly their cities are.

And there’s actually nothing funny about using laughing gas behind the wheel.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Update: 17-year old boy killed by San Diego Amtrak train after riding around crossing gates; 2nd SoCal bike death Friday

June 15, 2024 / / Comments Off on Update: 17-year old boy killed by San Diego Amtrak train after riding around crossing gates; 2nd SoCal bike death Friday

Sadly, there was more bad news for the Southern California bicycling community on Friday.

According to multiple reports, a 17-year old boy was killed when he was struck by an Amtrak train in San Diego’s University City neighborhood early Friday afternoon.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was crossing the railroad tracks on Sorrento Valley Blvd, between Sorrento Valley Road and Roselle Street, when he was hit by the southbound Amtrak Pacific Surfliner at 12:34 pm.

He died at the scene.

The victim was one of three boys who stopped their bikes at the railroad crossing gates to wait for a northbound train to pass. But as so often happens, he rode around the gates after that train had passed, not realizing another train was coming in the opposite direction.

Tragically, Fox5 reports that the victim’s parents arrived shortly after the crash, while officials were still removing his mangled bike from the tracks.

The other two boys were not injured. It’s not clear if they were riding with the victim, or just happened to stop together at the gates.

This is yet another tragic reminder to always wait until the gates go up to cross any rail tracks, regardless of whether it seems safe at the time.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Sheriff’s Department’s non-emergency line at 858/565-5200.

This is at least the 24th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in San Diego County.

Update: The victim has been identified 17-year old Alex Segal. He was a student at Torrey Pines High School in the Del Mar Heights neighborhood, and a member of the junior varsity soccer team.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Alex Segal and all his family and loved ones.

Thanks to Phillip Young for the heads-up. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , , ,

Update: Man riding bicycle killed in early morning rear-end collision near CSU Long Beach; 6th LA County bike death this year

June 14, 2024 / / 4 comments

Friday was a bad day for Southern California bike riders — starting with a deadly pre-dawn wreck in Long Beach.

According to My News LA, the victim was riding east on 7th Street at Bellflower Blvd around 5:05 am, when he was run down from behind by a driver traveling in the same direction.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, died at the scene before paramedics arrived.

The driver stopped after the crash. Police don’t believe that speeding, distracted driving, or driving under the influence were factors in the crash.

There’s no word on whether the victim had lights on his bike in the pre-dawn hour, or why the driver was apparently unable to see him riding directly in front of their vehicle.

It’s unclear exactly where the crash occurred, however, as Patch Long Beach places the location four-tenths of a mile away, at 7th Street and Campus Drive across from CSU Long Beach.

According to reports, the victim was riding in the right traffic lane when he struck by the driver, who also has not been publicly identified.

However, there is a bike lane on 7th, which the victim would likely have been riding in unless it was blocked, or he was moving across the roadway to make a turn.

Since his body was found on the sidewalk, it seems more likely that the driver drifted into the bike lane, knocking him to the right, than the other way around.

Anyone with information is urged to call Long Beach Police Detective Joseph Johnson at 562/570-7355, or Crime Stoppers at 800/222-TIPS.

This is at least the 23rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

Update: The victim has been identified as 42-year old Keith Moore, no city of residence given.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Keith Moore and all his loved ones.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Convenience over safety on Western, assaulting Redondo Beach ebikers, and proclaiming June CA Mountain Bike Month

June 14, 2024 / / Comments Off on Convenience over safety on Western, assaulting Redondo Beach ebikers, and proclaiming June CA Mountain Bike Month
Just 200 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
Stop what you’re doing and sign this petition demanding Mayor Bass hold a public meeting to listen to the dangers we all face on the city’s mean streets.

Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.

We finally made it up to 1,204 signatures! I’ll send this to the mayor’s office on Monday, so there’s still time to sign it!

………

Please forgive the recent unexcused absences, caused by my site crashing one night, and me the other, as caring for my wife’s and my unrelated injuries is still taking a toll on me. 

The good news is, my ribs are almost healed, and I’m getting PT for my back. The bad news, my shoulder is screwed. I’ll find out just how bad, and what that means going forward, next week. 

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San Pedro residents — and CD15 Councilmember Tim McOsker — got out the torches and pitchforks for Caltrans, and the state transportation agency’s efforts to build a much-needed Complete Street on Western Ave.

The project, scheduled to get underway in 2026, is slated to included bus lanes and bike lanes, as well as other traffic safety and streetscape improvements.

After all, who cares about saving lives and increasing livability on Western Ave if it inconveniences some people even a little bit?

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A Redondo Beach man faces charges for assaulting a group pf teenage ebike riders, after claiming they assaulted him first.

However, prosecutors say video evidence contradicts his comments, while also showing his girlfriend took a mighty swing at them with her purse.

Never mind that the “ebikes” in the photo accompanying the story are actually electric motorbikes.

Sort of like in the picture below.

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The state Assembly has voted to proclaim this month California Mountain Biking Month.

The bipartisan and bicameral ACR 152 now moves on to the state Senate for final approval, then onto the governor’s desk for his signature. And while Newsom has been hard to predict when it comes to bike bills, there shouldn’t be any reason why he’d say no to this one.

In the meantime, you’ll find mountain biking events throughout the state at the California Mountain Biking Coalition website.

So get out there and shred a few trails for me.

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Congratulations to San Diego bike advocates for successfully pressuring the city to add funding to fix the “Fatal 15” worst intersections.

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Active SGV is hosting an easy 17-mile ride tomorrow to explore the Emerald Necklace & Whittier Narrows.

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Sad news from San Francisco, where a 70-year old man died earlier this week after getting doored on his bike last month.

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Think you’re fast? Brazil’s Evandro Portela set a new assisted cycling record of 124 mph for riding on a public road behind a pace car

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It’s now 176 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And three full years since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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

Twice in the past week, road raging drivers have endangered riders taking part in Portland’s annual Bike Summer, aka Pedalpalooza, by speeding through group rides.

No bias here. Washington and Oregon GOP legislators suggest charging tolls to bicyclists on a new Interstate Bridge Replacement project, or banning bikes from the new span entirely, arguing that the project is too focused on non-drivers. Because evidently, only cars should have a right to cross it, and everyone else should just stay on their own damn side.

No bias here, either. After a local British politician tried to explain why getting more people on bicycles is a win for everyone, he had to turn off the comments within minutes to halt the bikelash.

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

A British woman has been sentenced to a very lenient eight months behind bars for plowing into a 64-year old woman, causing catastrophic injuries, after “flying” around a blind corner on her brakeless bicycle while riding drunk and highly impaired, with a bag of dog food in one hand and a broken wrist on the other — and was somehow still on the street despite a whopping 137 prior offenses.

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Local 

In a hard-hitting piece, Streetsblog’s Joe Linton argues that cities have no problem blocking off streets for rich residents, so “they shouldn’t be shy about using diverters/closures for prioritizing the safety and convenience of people getting around on foot and on bike.”

After four years of talking about it, Los Angeles finally decides to do something about having someone other than armed cops enforce traffic laws — study it. Which is what the city seems to do best; acting on those studies, not so much.

Metro will host an actual in-person meeting on Thursday to discuss active transportation proposals surrounding the LAX/Aviation Station Area on the C Line, nee Green Line.

Burbank is upgrading a mile of bike lanes along Front Street, to connect to the new Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station.

Long Beach Watchdog says the early support for a bike lane along PCH in the city is leaning towards the $47 million raised bike lane option. Which would be the first one I’m aware of in the Los Angeles area. 

E-scooters could return to Long Beach bike paths for the first time in being banned six years ago. Which is likely the trajectory we’ll see with the current ebike bans. 

 

State

Carlsbad State Assemblymember Tasha Boerner’s bill to regulate unlicensed ebike riders over the age of 12 is moving forward in the state legislature.

Cycling Weekly visits Strava’s ‘gothic leisure center’ headquarters in San Francisco.

The Bay Area’s Mt. Diablo is getting 22 new bicycle turnouts allowing bike riders to avoid drivers on blind curves, adding to the 17 already built, with another 28 still to come.

A Sacramento driver faces DUI and drug possession charges for allegedly killing a 36-year old bike rider while driving stoned.

Sad news from Stanislaus County, where an 11-year old boy was killed when he reportedly turned directly in front of an oncoming car.

 

National

Outside rates the best skid lids for road, gravel and mountain biking.

Politico says if you’re in the market for a new bike, you’d better act fast before Biden’s new China tariffs kick in.

A Portland photographer captures the city’s vibrant bike scene. Meanwhile, Portland bike riders will have to keep their pants on for another year, after organizers canceled this year’s ride.

Just hours after announcing an expanded schedule for Seattle’s carfree Bicycle Weekend program, it was pared back on orders from the Mayor’s office.

The New York City comptroller may team with other stakeholders to file suit to fight the governor’s attempt to block the congestion pricing plan that was supposed to go into effect at the end of the month.

This is the cost of traffic violence. Longtime DC-area bicycle and LGBTQ+ activist Scott Binde was killed when he was struck by a driver while riding his bike near Frederick MD; he was 64. Note to Alexandria Times — There’s a good chance there may have been a driver in that Toyota 4Runner that ran him down. 

 

International

Momentum celebrates the beauty and utility of upright bikes.

Electrek highlights the best finds from the recent Micromobility Europe 2024, including a hydrogen-powered ebike.

Bike Index co-founder Bryan Hance has tracked many of the West Coast’s high-end stolen bikes to a bicycle theft pipeline leading directly to one man in Jalisco, Mexico.

Vancouver custom bikemaker Paul Brodie displays some of his unique new designs in a show that’s part bike show and part art gallery.

London’s war on cars is heating up, as the city’s mayor vows to ticket one million speeding drivers by the end of the year, interfering with their God-given right to go “zoom zoom” to their hearts content, speed laws be damned.

No surprise here, as the wife of a US spy who fled the UK under diplomatic cover after the wrong-way, hit-and-run death of a 19-year old London motorcyclist failed to show up for a four-day inquest into his death; she has refused to return to the country, despite receiving an eight-month suspended sentence in exchange for pleading guilty over video.

A British police inquest can’t figure out whether a driver’s failure to look, or the victim’s lack of a helmet and hi-viz are to blame for an “unavoidable” collision that killed a popular bike club member. Although it sounds like they think that unavoidable crash could have been avoided.

A Singapore ebike delivery rider was spotted riding without the required helmet and license number, and with a sticker reading “Fuck LTA,” an abbreviation for the island city/state’s Land Transit Authority — which could allow other road users to file a police report for harassment for “potentially offensive content.”

 

Competitive Cycling

Britain’s Royal Parks Service cancelled a pair of time trials scheduled for London’s Richmond Park next month over fears competitors would break the park’s 20 mph speed limit; this comes after an elderly woman was killed by a speeding bicyclist while crossing a park street.

Jennifer Valente and Chloé Dygert will anchor the US track cycling team at next month’s Paris Olympic Games.

The women’s Tour de France, aka Le Tour de France Femmes, will expand from eight to nine stages next year, with a grand depart in Brittany.

Um, okay. UCI, cycling’s governing body, will try giving out yellow cards to offending riders to improve safety; no action will be taken against recipients now, but riders could face a seven-day suspension after the first of the year. Because that works so well in soccer, evidently.

 

Finally…

When you’re freelancing as a hit man, always ride an ebike. That feeling when you get an Olympic medal, after just 124 years.

And this, sadly, is who we share the road with.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: ,

Grossman gets 15-to-life for high-speed vehicular murders, and Hermosa Beach can’t tell ebikes from electric motorbikes

June 11, 2024 / / 2 comments
Just 204 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
Stop what you’re doing and sign this petition demanding Mayor Bass hold a public meeting to listen to the dangers we all face on the city’s mean streets.

Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.

We’re up to 1,196 signatures, so don’t stop now! Let’s get just four more to get it up to 1,200 before I send it to the mayor’s office!

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels.

………

That’s more like it.

Wealthy socialite Rebecca Grossman was sentenced to a well-deserved 15 to life for the vehicular murder of two little kids.

The co-founder of the famed Grossman Burn Foundation, Grossman was convicted of the high-speed deaths of 11-year old Mark Iskander, and his 8-year old brother as they crossed a Westlake Village street with their parents.

Here’s how the Los Angeles Times describes the crash.

The boys’ mother testified during trial that her older children had been walking ahead of her and her youngest son in the marked crosswalk on Triunfo Canyon Road when she heard engines roaring. Two sport utility vehicles were barreling toward them.

Iskander dived for safety, grabbing her 5-year-old son. Her next memory, she said, is of Jacob and Mark crumpled on the roadway.

Grossman was driving behind Scott Erickson, a former Dodgers player, who earlier in the day had been drinking cocktails with her at a nearby restaurant. She was driving as fast as 81 mph and traveled another half-mile after slamming into the children, according to evidence presented at trial.

However, the judge apparently took pity on her, sentencing Grossman to two concurrent terms for the murders, plus another three years for the hit-and-run to be served concurrently.

She could have been looking at 33 years before she’d be eligible for release. Instead, the 60-year old Grossman could get out when she’s a relatively young 75.

On the other hand, her victims would have been young men of 26 and 23, respectively, if the married woman hadn’t decided to race her then-boyfriend after drinking and taking valium.

Although it would be nice if Erickson had been held accountable for his not-insignificant role in the boys’ deaths, rather than given a walk by prosecutors.

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Hermosa Beach adopted an emergency ebike ordinance that mostly restates existing state law, but can’t seem to distinguish between electric bicycles and electric motorcycles.

And if it’s so effing urgent, why didn’t they include a link to the damn press release, and not bury it on their website?

Thanks to Dr. Grace Peng for the heads-up.

https://twitter.com/HermosaBchCity/status/1800198737479836037

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CicLAvia looks forward to their fourth open streets event of the year, and the 53rd overall, when they come to Western Ave in South LA on the 23rd, with a list of where to eat and shop along the route.

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It’s now 172 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And three full years since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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

No bias here. An Austin, Texas columnist complains the city is putting in all these bike lanes, when it just makes more sense to ride on side streets — which take riders out of the way and usually don’t have traffic signals. And says you should have to wear a numbered armband to ride in certain areas.

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

A Redditor rightfully complains about the “disgusting” amount of used gel packs, water bottles and other assorted detritus left behind following a mountain bike rice through the woods.

Once again, an elderly person has been killed in a collision with someone on a bicycle, this time a 70-year old woman in Dublin, Ireland. Note to Irish Cycle — putting an urgent call for more funding in the middle of a story about a woman getting killed by a bike rider probably isn’t the best look.

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Local 

Spectrum News 1 profiles Finish the Ride and Streets Are For Everyone founder — and all-around good guy — Damian Kevitt, as he dedicates his life to making the roads safe for everyone.

More on the teenaged, motorbike-riding assholes who attacked beach goers and businesses with fireworks in Hermosa Beach on Saturday, as the press continued to blame “ebike” riders, apparently incapable of distinguishing between a ped-assist bicycle and a battery-powered dirt bike.

 

State

Streetsblog’s Melanie Curry looks at the latest tranche of bike and transportation bills in the state legislature, including a bill to exempt bike lanes, bus lanes and pedestrian projects from the need for additional Coastal Commission studies.

The San Francisco Chronicle says the city is ready to throw in the towel on the deeply unpopular centerline bike lanes on Valencia Street, and replace them with some form of side lanes, even though putting the bike lanes in the middle of the street has reduced doorings. Which makes you wonder how the hell someone gets doored when they’re riding in the middle of the street.

Good news from Davis, where a member of the UC Davis cycling team finally awakened from a coma, five weeks after the freshman was struck by a driver while she was riding her bike.

 

National

Bloomberg says the goals of the 15-minute city are laudable, but questions whether it’s even possible to put retail, services and jobs that close to every resident. Hey, nobody said it was going to be easy.

Electrek considers why more American teens are choosing ebikes over driver’s licenses. Maybe they’re just a lot smarter than we give them credit for.

Velo examines whether Biden’s new Chinese tariffs will raise the cost of your next ebike, concluding it’s complicated.

Men’s Journal recommends their choices for Father’s Day gifts for bicyclists that won’t get stashed in the back of the drawer — including a liquor flask, in case you somehow feel the need to get sloshed during your next ride.

CNN Underscored once again considers the best bike locks, sticking with choices from Kryptonite and Hiplok.

A Brooklyn paper talks with the New York borough’s legendary bikeshare-riding stuntman famed for balancing various objects on his head.

Tragic news from upstate New York, where a teenaged boy was killed when he went off the top of a five story parking garage while riding an ebike with a group of friends. Although once again, what kind of ebike isn’t specified.

The annual 900-mile Remember the Removal Bike Ride bike ride is underway, as a group of bicyclists with Cherokee ancestry follow the infamous Trail of Tears their forebears walked from Georgia to Oklahoma.

 

International

Lime will bring the first bikeshare system to a First Nations community when they open an ebike system on British Columbia’s Squamish Nation.

If you build it, they will come. Just a month after critics said a new bike lane in Colchester, England was an accident waiting to happen and would cause carnage, bicycling rates are up 300% on the route while gaining positive reviews from riders.

More than half of bike riders in the UK say the roads are in terrible shape due to potholes and cracked pavement following months of rains.

British carmaker Ariel is releasing its first bicycle in 92 years; the company made the first mass-produced bicycle in 1871, but switched exclusively to cars in 1932.

UK police warn that drivers can’t see you if you’re wearing dark clothing. Even in broad daylight, apparently.

 

Competitive Cycling

Once again, a cyclist loses after celebrating too soon, this time in the women’s Tour of Britain when retiring Luxembourg champ Christine Majerus raised her arms in victory before losing at the finish line.

https://twitter.com/TourofBritain/status/1799821631201902952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1799821631201902952%7Ctwgr%5E7a41bc1f59a4e4d89f72caec2115b760319db438%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-11901174861121623140.ampproject.net%2F2405231944000%2Fframe.html

 

Finally…

That feeling when you take your new tall bike to extreme lengths. Or when your band performs on a bicycle built for six.

And when you’re on felony probation and carrying illegal weed on your bike, just stop for the damn stop sign, already.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Teen bike riders bomb Hermosa Pier visitors, OC bends law to crackdown on ebikes, and BC bike riders behaving badly

June 10, 2024 / / One comment
Just 205 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
Stop what you’re doing and sign this petition demanding Mayor Bass hold a public meeting to listen to the dangers we all face on the city’s mean streets.

Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.

We’re up to 1,195 signatures, so don’t stop now! Let’s get it up to 1,200 before I send it to the mayor’s office!

………

Seriously, guys, get a clue.

According to KTLA-5, a group of teenagers on ebikes tormented nighttime revelers at the Hermosa Pier Saturday night, setting off illegal fireworks in and around families and adults out enjoying the evening, resulting in a number of minor injuries.

They also caused damage to businesses along Pier Avenue, forcing patrons on the patio of Sharkeez bar to evacuate, as well as hitting a woman in the face with a firework.

I don’t care how immature they may be or how much the city considers cracking down on teen ebikers, there’s just no excuse for that kind of behavior.

………

The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to set new rules governing ebikes in the county, with four new categories of ebikes based on maximum speeds and the amount of power they’re able to generate.

They also require helmets for anyone over 16 riding a class 3 ebike, while banning anyone under 16 from riding them, and prohibiting multiple people riding on a single bike.

The new rules also prohibit riding more than two abreast on county roads, and set a maximum 28 mph speed limit for bicycles.

But only the state has the power to set traffic regulations, so where the new county regulations conflict with state law — such as limiting the number of people who can ride abreast, or setting bicycle speed limits that differ from that for motor vehicle — they are probably illegal and unenforceable.

………

A Vancouver, British Columbia newspaper goes all in on calling out reckless bicycle and ebike riders in a series of articles.

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Bike Talk has a very busy show this week.

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Active Towns talks with Streets For All founder Michael Schneider.

https://twitter.com/ActiveTowns/status/1799519512267563062

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It’s now 171 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And three full years since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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

No bias here. A Boston city councilor is taking fire for conducting a public hearing, and only selecting commenters who agreed with his opposition to bus and bike lanes. Sort of like former CD1 Councilmember Gil Cedillo did during the sham public meetings on the North Figueroa road diet.

No bias here, either. The London Telegraph worries that new half-ton articulated electric cargo bikes could pose a danger to pedestrians. Because evidently, the multi-ton cargo trucks they’re set to replace don’t. 

Residents of an English town are complaining about signs closing a bike lane and telling bike riders to dismount, arguing that no one ever tells drivers to get out of their cars and push.

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

A bike rider in Denton, Texas faces charges after breaking a driver’s windshield wipers, busting her side mirror and spitting on her window, causing $1,000 in damage, after allegedly crashing into her car while making a wide turn. And never mind the meth he was caught with.

The mayor of New York announced a crackdown on ebikes after a reckless hit-and-run rider just kept going after breaking the leg of a prominent rabbi. But he couldn’t seem to be bothered when the state’s governor cancelled the city’s congestion pricing plan in a blatantly political ploy. 

Speeding bicyclists are accused of forcing the closure of London’s Billionaires’ Row, the city’s most expensive residential street. Although something tells me they would have found another excuse if blaming bike riders wasn’t such a popular theme these days.

Residents of Glasgow, Scotland called for delivery riders to be forced to wear numbered jackets in an effort to hold them accountable, accusing them of bad behavior and removing the speed limitation devices on their ebikes.

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Local 

The South Pasadena city council voted narrowly to keep the bike lanes on Grand Ave in place, after a heavy turnout of bicyclists calling for their retention.

Metro’s Adopt-A-Bike program shares unclaimed bicycles that have been abandoned or recovered on the transit system.

As we’ve noted before, Caltrans is looking for your feedback on proposed bike lanes on PCH in Long Beach.

 

State

Sad news from Fresno, where a 40-year old man was killed Friday night when a truck driver rear-ended his bicycle. But at least the driver stuck around afterwards.

 

National

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that American teens are continuing to ride ebikes, even after they’re old enough to drive. Read it on MSN to get around the paper’s draconian paywall.

A writer for Electrek tested a hydrogen-powered ebike, and barely even noticed.

Bike Shop Girl looks at the effect of Biden’s new 25% tariff on Chinese-made ebikes, kids’ bikes and other key bike-specific parts. And it ain’t pretty.

A Portland, Oregon monthly says bike commuting is rebounding in the city after a rare dip last year, as people return to the office after working from home.

Anchorage, Alaska is experimenting with a pilot protected bike lane project, in an attempt to improve the city’s transportation system and the downtown area.

Congratulations to a Colorado boy who biked to school every single day of middle school.

Boston social media accounts are attempting to shame drivers who park in bike lanes. Then again, if they had any shame, they probably wouldn’t park in bike lanes to begin with.

New Orleans celebrated the World Naked Bike Ride on Saturday, with dozens of people turning out in various states of undress. And wipe down the damn seat afterwards if you’re using bikeshare.

Heartbreaking story from Florida, where a mother found her own son lying dead on the side of the road, just a block from their home, when he didn’t return after riding his bike home from work; the driver just kept going after veering into the bike lane where he was riding.

 

International

Bicyclists in Winnipeg, Manitoba expressed their outrage after a 61-year old man was killed in a hot-and-run while riding a bicycle, with dozens participating in a sit-in at the site of the crash. That compares with Los Angeles, where a few people sometimes express mild annoyance in the comment section following a fatal hit-and-run. If there even is a comment section. 

In a cheeky move, the London edition of the World Naked Bike Ride went directly in front of Buckingham Palace. No word on whether King Chuck came out to take it in. 

Where to ride your bike in Belfast on your next trip to Northern Ireland.

The Channel Island of Guernsey saw a 74% increase in bicycle traffic during the island’s Alternative Transportation Week. Now they just have to make it Alternative Transportation Year. And Decade. And Century.

Michal Sadílek of the Czech Republic’s national soccer team is one of us. But probably wishes he wasn’t right now, since he’ll miss the European Championship after injuring his leg while riding his bicycle. Meanwhile, former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Mike Conway knows just how he feels, since the broken ribs and collarbone he suffered in a bicycling crash will keep him out of this year’s race.

A 25-year old soccer player from Indian has quit her team, and is instead setting out to attempt a new world’s record for the fast ride around the world.

A Chinese woman riding her bike through Thailand has reportedly been kidnapped, with her captors demanding 25 million baht for her safe return — a tad less than $679,000.

A Philippine paper remembers the country’s bicycling priest of peace.

 

Competitive Cycling

Twenty-one-year old Israeli pro cyclist Guy Timor was killed by an unlicensed drunk driver trying to flee from police, while on his final training ride before leaving for the Czech Republic for a Grand Prix competition.

Bike Radar asks if gravel racing is saving the US cycling scene, as road racing continue to shrivel.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole all 14 Ribble Endurance SLR bikes being used by the UK’s Lifeplus-Wahoo bike team in the Tour of Britain, worth more than $63,000 in total.

 

Finally…

Seriously, don’t call the equivalent of 911 just because a pedal fell off your bike. That feeling when your bike seat pumps along with your butt cheeks. Nothing like casually wrapping an invasive Burmese python around your handlebars to save an alligator’s ass.

And, um, just…well, okay.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: ,

Man dies 4 days after he was rear-ended on his bicycle in Apple Valley; victim identified as 54-year old Victor Cunanan

June 8, 2024 / / One comment

Earlier in the week, we mentioned that a man had suffered major injuries when he was struck by a driver in Apple Valley on Monday.

Sadly, he didn’t make it.

The Victor Valley Daily Press is reporting that 54-year old Apple Valley resident Victor Cunanan died from his injuries at Loma Linda University Medical Center on Friday.

Cunanan was riding east on Thunderbird Road at Wichita Road around 9:10 pm Monday, when he was rear-ended by an SUV driver traveling in the same direction at a high rate of speed.

The 36-year old driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.

A message from his church the next day had asked for “fervent prayers” for Cunanan, as well as his wife and children.

The earlier story had said Cunanan was riding in the traffic lane when he was struck. However, that was not repeated in the second story reporting his death; there is a westbound bike lane on Thunderbird, but not headed east.

The crash remains under investigation. Any with information is urged to call the Apple Valley Station of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department at 760/240-7400, or Sheriff’s Dispatch number at 760/956-5001.

This is at least the 22nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Victor Cunanan and all his family and loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Update: Man killed riding bicycle on I-805 in Chula Vista last week; victim identified as 66-year old Victor Keith Fields

June 7, 2024 / / 3 comments

Once again, someone has been killed riding a bicycle on a Southern California freeway.

This time on the 805 in Chula Vista last week.

According to San Diego’s Fox 5, 66-year old Victor Keith Fields was riding on the shoulder of southbound I-805 around 7:40 pm on Wednesday, May 29th.

As he was approaching or exiting onto the Palm Ave offramp, the driver of a Toyota sedan swerved to the right without explanation and slammed into him — most likely striking Fields at freeway speeds.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

There’s no word on whether the driver was ticketed or charged. And as with other similar cases, there’s no information on why Fields was riding on the freeway.

This is at least the 21st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.

Update: A comment below from Ron Hidinger explains why Fields was riding on the freeway. He also points out that a bike path was supposed to be built parallel to the 805, but no work has started on it. 

I have the answer why the deceased was riding on the freeway shoulder. The section of I805 from Main St to Palm Ave is marked with signage allowing bicycles. Or at least it was, I haven’t been that way in a while. The reason is that there is no way to bike from Chula Vista to South San Diego without using the 805 without going way around. The toll road 125 is similarly marked.
I preferred the north bound side as it was relatively safer. The south bound exit at Palm is a typically chaotic, car centric CALTRANS design seemingly designed to imperil cyclists and pedestrians regardless of whether they’re on the ramp or not.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Victor Keith Fields and all his loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

Grossman sentencing Monday on hit-and-run, murder charges; and NY congestion pricing decision could jeopardize LA plan

June 7, 2024 / / Comments Off on Grossman sentencing Monday on hit-and-run, murder charges; and NY congestion pricing decision could jeopardize LA plan
Just 207 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
Stop what you’re doing and sign this petition demanding Mayor Bass hold a public meeting to listen to the dangers we all face on the city’s mean streets.

Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.

We’re up to 1,191 signatures, so don’t stop now! Let’s get it up to 1,200 before I send it to the mayor’s office!

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels.

………

Prosecutors rejected defense calls for probation for Rebecca Grossman, arguing the wealthy socialite is a narcissist who deserves life in prison.

Grossman was convicted on two counts of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter, and one count of hit and run for the high-speed deaths of 11-year old Mark Iskander and his eight-year old brother as they crossed a residential Westlake Village street with their parents.

The wife of Grossman Burn Center founder Dr. Peter Grossman, Grossman allegedly had Valium in her system and had downed at least two margaritas, before racing with her then-boyfriend, former Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson.

Her attorneys argued the wealthy philanthropist and mother of two has no prior criminal record and should be spared prison time, while prosecutors contend she deserves a heavy sentence because she hasn’t shown any remorse or accepted responsibility for the fatal crash.

Their recommendation of two consecutive sentences of 15-to-life, plus four years for the hit-and-run count, would mean the 60-year old would likely spend the rest of her life behind bars.

She’s scheduled to be sentenced on Monday.

Let’s just hope the judge agrees.

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More fallout from New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s unexpected decision to kill congestion pricing in New York City.

Curbed says the city needs congestion pricing and the governor blew it in trying to cancel the program, calling it a crucial tool that will benefit everyone, even if it doesn’t poll well.

New York Streetsblog questions whether the governor even has the legal authority to cancel congestion pricing scheduled to go into effect at the end of this month, and if she has a plan to replace the billions in lost revenue to fund the city’s transit network.

The Atlantic calls the governor inept, and says her decision to spike congestion pricing at the last second was terrible policy, and terrible politics.

But the conservative New York Post applauded Hochul for killing congestion pricing, and calls for making sure it stays dead.

While it may seem like a New York problem, her decision matters here in Los Angeles, too. Because if it stands, that will make it almost impossible to implement congestion pricing, which has proven successful in London, virtually anywhere in the US.

Including right here in the City of Angels and Traffic Congestion.

Metro is currently five years into their study of whether congestion pricing would work in Los Angeles.

Then again, that’s usually how the city kill any proposal they want to go away, by assigning a study no one will ever hear from again.

We can only hope that doesn’t happen this time.

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Better Bike Beverly Hills invites you to join Streets For All’s fundraiser and bike ride in the city tomorrow, with guest speakers California State Senator Ben Allen and Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath.

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BikeSD is sponsoring a bike ride tomorrow to show that bikes mean business, and encourage bike riders to use its coupon book to support businesses along Main Street in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood.

And vice versa.

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Gravel Bike California takes an epic two-wheeled offroad tour of Catalina Island.

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It’s now 169 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And three full years since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

Meanwhile, supporters of Minnesota’s ebike rebate program says it still has merit, even though it accepted just 80 applications before the website crashed, and the state cancelled the opening for now.

Which is 80 more than California has taken.

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

No bias here, as British broadcaster and bicyclist Jeremy Vine posts video of an unacceptably close pass by a black cab, and commenters can’t seem to grasp the concept that the driver could have slowed down and wait until there was space to pass safely.

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Local 

Hermosa Beach is banning ebikes and electric motorcycles from the city’s greenbelt, but will still allow them on The Strand and in Pier Plaza, as long as the motor is turned off — making them impractically heavy. Banning ebikes from bike paths and walkways is legal under state law; banning them from public streets is not. 

Long Beach released five years of data on e-scooter crashes since they were approved for use in the city in 2018, revealing 113 crashes — including two deaths.

 

State

A San Diego letter writer compares the city’s painted bike lanes with the well-protected bike lanes he enjoyed in Vancouver, and says San Diego’s may be dangerous, but at least no one uses them so there’s no traffic.

Speaking of San Diego, San Diego Magazine recommends an offroad ride through the spider web of trails in Balboa Park’s Florida Canyon.

Finishing our San Diego trifecta, a new report says cities in San Diego County aren’t making enough progress in meeting their climate goals. Although investing more to promote bicycling wouldn’t hurt. 

 

National

A new bill introduced by outgoing Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer aims to reinvigorate bicycle manufacturing in the United States — starting by waiving tariffs for bike components for ten years.

A University of Nevada-Reno news site says better bike paths in the newly approved regional active transportation plan offers one solution to the area’s heat and climate change-inducing traffic congestion.

Wisconsin celebrates the state’s Bike Week with a theme of Bikes Mean Business, as they highlight the economic benefits bicycling brings to the state. Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s mayor marked Bike Week with a five-mile public bike ride. LA’s mayor campaigned as a bike rider, yet couldn’t be bothered to even mention this city’s Bike Week, let alone take a ride with us.

Chicago Streetsblog says the solution to flooding in city’s curb-protected bike lanes is to build more raised bike lanes.

Lime will share its bikeshare and e-scooter rental data for DC and Bloomington, Indiana with the cities to help improve equity, safety and accessibility.

 

International

Bloomberg calls bicycle skills training and education programs aimed at women and minority groups the other kind of bike infrastructure that cities need to close stubborn access gaps and get more riders in the saddle.

Paris will transition to using cargo bikes for deliveries during and after next month’s Olympic Games.

Cyclist visits Copenhagen’s “City of Bikes” to explore what makes it the world’s most bike-friendly city. Words that you are unlikely to ever hear about Los Angeles. 

That’s more like it. Belgium is replacing its 50-year old Highway Code with a new Public Road Code, to reflect that cars are no longer the default standard while welcoming bicyclists and pedestrians; meanwhile, bike theft in the country’s capital has surged 70% since 2015.

An advocacy group in Goa issued a “fervent call” for the immediate implementation of a road safety plan to protect bicyclists on all highways and local roads in the Indian state.

 

Competitive Cycling

Thursday’s stage of the Criterium du Dauphine was halted mid-race due to a massive crash that that took down race leaders Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic, though both were able to get up afterwards.

In one of the more bizarre stories in recent memory, retired pros Laurens ten Dam and Thomas Dekker spent the night before the recent Unbound Gravel behind bars, complete with matching orange jumpsuits, after they were busted for public indecency trying to freshen up in a public parking lot after a three-hour training ride.

 

Finally…

That feeling when the city’s mayor films himself riding a bicycle on a street where bikes are banned. And when your stolen Penny Farthing comes back like a bad penny.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Two teens killed in crash where Vista Del Mar road diet removed, and elderly driver plows through a dozen French school kids

June 6, 2024 / / 2 comments
Just 208 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
Stop what you’re doing and sign this petition demanding Mayor Bass hold a public meeting to listen to the dangers we all face on the city’s mean streets.

Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.

We’re up to 1,190 signatures, so don’t stop now! Let’s get it up to 1,200 before I send it to the mayor’s office!

Photo by Artyom Kulakov from Pexels.

………

This is why people keep dying on our streets.

Back in 2019, a four-year old girl was tragically killed by a driver as she crossed the street in Koreatown, while holding hands with her mother.

In a crosswalk. With the light.

Alessa Fajardo and her mom did everything right as they crossed Olympic at Normandie that October day, yet she died anyway. Even though Los Angeles officials knew long before about the dangers of that area and intersection.

In fact, the school they were going to was ranked the city’s 13th most dangerous campus just six years earlier, while Koreatown as a whole was rated LA’s fourth most dangerous neighborhood for bike riders and pedestrians.

That’s pedestrians, like little kids crossing the street with their mothers.

It took four-and-a-half years, and a $9.6 million dollar settlement before anything was done about it.

Los Angeles Times reporter Ryan Fonseca took a deep dive into why.

Starting with the problem of each city councilmember acting like little kings in their own districts, responsible for identifying and approving any improvements before they are made.

Or not.

Neither former District 10 Councilmember Herb Wesson, who represented the district when Alessa was killed, nor his successor, Mark Ridley-Thomas, secured that funding. Ridley-Thomas was indicted on federal corruption charges, suspended from the council and later convicted and removed from his seat in late March 2022. Nobody represented the district until Heather Hutt was appointed that September.

Hutt identified and allocated $530,000 for the new signals in June 2023, but the installation work did not begin until April 2024, four months after the family’s suit against the city was settled.

District 10 staff would not comment on the record about why they could not secure the funds in 2020, 2021, 2022 and early 2023.

No surprise there.

Then again, even on the rare occasions when councilmembers really do try to do something, angry motorists too often rush for their torches and pitchforks — and threats of recall elections.

Tuesday night, two teenagers were killed, and three people seriously injured, in a head-on collision on Vista Del Mar in Playa del Rey.

And if that sounds familiar, it should.

Two years before little Alessa was killed in Koreatown, the city agreed to another $9.6 million settlement, this time with the family of a 16-year old girl killed crossing — wait for it — Vista Del Mar to get to her car after leaving Dockweiler Beach.

The same beach where the kids were killed on Tuesday.

Then-CD11 Councilmember Mike Bonin responded by ordering long-delayed safety improvements on Vista Del Mar, and a handful of other streets in Playa del Rey. Both because too many lives had already been lost on the deadly roadway, and because the next settlement, for the next inevitable death, would be exponentially higher.

Yet the resulting lane reductions and bike lanes were unceremoniously ripped out weeks later on the orders of then-Mayor Eric Garcetti, after angry residents and pass-through drivers from Manhattan Beach rose up in anger — aided by angry rants from conservative KFI shock jocks John and Ken.

Hence that failed recall, as well as a lawsuit from anti-urbanist group Fix the City.

It only took another four years before there was blood on Garcetti’s hands, and all those who chose their own convenience over the lives of others.

Now just three years after that, two more people have needlessly lost their lives on that same bloody stretch of road. And despite a breathless report from Fox-11, police reports said there was no indication either driver was under the influence.

Never mind that the settlement for this one will likely be exponentially higher than the last one, since Los Angeles installed, then removed, safety improvements that might have prevented it.

Yet despite at least four deaths on the same section of roadway in just nine years, some people still seem to think they should have the unfettered, God-given right to go zoom zoom whenever and wherever they want, innocent lives be damned.

If you want to know why we can’t manage to do anything about the ever-rising rate of needless deaths on our streets, that’s it.

And it would be nice if our current mayor and council would somehow show they actually gave a damn, since the previous ones clearly didn’t.

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Once again, a car was a weapon of mass destruction, when an elderly driver plowed through a group of 12 schoolchildren at a French resort.

Three of the kids were critically injured when the 83-year old driver hit them head-on as they rode single file, leaving the children screaming in terror and pain amid their mangled bikes.

She was arrested at the scene, then released and taken to a hospital after police concluded she wasn’t in a “fit state” for questioning.

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Speaking of deadly roadways, here’s your chance to fight for bike lanes on PCH in Long Beach.

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No surprise that a town known for wealthy, entitled NIMBYs would choose to prioritize their convenience over the lives of bike riders.

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Bike Culver City offers a full schedule of bike events this month, including a screening of mobility justice leader Yolanda Davis-Overstreet two short film docuseries on Biking While Black on the 13th.

https://twitter.com/BikeCulverCity/status/1798102948452651350

………

It’s now 168 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And three full years since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

For a change, though, California wasn’t the only state whose competency was question, after Minnesota’s planned ebike rebate program was called off for now when the website crashed within minutes of launching.

………

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

Police in Surrey, England released video of a violent attack on a bike rider, who was knocked off his bike by two “masked thugs” on a motorbike while riding on a bike path.

One of the UK’s leading young women’s cyclists is out of this year’s Tour of Britain after she was struck by a hit-and-run driver; Kate Richardson was on a training ride when she was knocked off her bike by the impatient driver, who came back to verbally abuse her before driving off again.

 

A man in Cork, Ireland was irate after a driver pulled over directly in front of him in a bike lane to chat with a friend on the sidewalk, while he was riding uphill with two kids on his cargo bike.

Campaigning for the European Parliament, a Dublin, Ireland politician went on a “jaw dropping,” “reactionary” anti-bike lane rant, in which she compare them to a Berlin Wall dividing the city in two.

A bike rider in Brussels, Belgium is lucky to be alive after he was knocked off his bike by a driver who tried to pass him and his companion while driving in a clearly marked bike lane, then the enraged motorist got out and slashed the victim’s throat with a knife; the victim managed to escape with just six stitches when the driver barely missed his jugular.

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

A New York rabbi suffered a broken leg when he was struck by a rogue, salmon-riding hit-and-run ebiker as he was crossing a bike lane.

Residents of Glasgow, Scotland called for food delivery ebike riders to be required to wear identifiable numbers on their backs, as a result of a number of collisions and near misses. You know, sort of like prison inmates, but without having to be convicted of anything.

A couple of teen ebike riders naturally got the blame after they quarreled with a “crew of cranky elderly” Aussies — even though the reporter admitted he had no idea what the discussion was about or who caused it.

………

Local 

Streets For All urges support for a proposed 28-mile The Hill to Sea transit corridor traversing 13 cities and unincorporated communities from Pasadena to Long Beach, which would “aggressively reduce car dependency by prioritizing high quality bus service, safe protected bike paths, and improved sidewalks for walking and businesses.”

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton asks what’s next for Measure HLA as Los Angeles continues to slow walk new bus and bike lanes.

Urbanize LA has more details on the planned Complete Streets makeover of Hollywood Blvd, with bike lanes scheduled to be on the ground next year.

Los Angeles is building more than four miles of bike and pedestrian corridors in South LA west of the USC campus.

Glendale is delaying a planned Complete Streets makeover of La Crescenta Ave to search for additional funding, after initial estimates came in over budget.

 

State

Orange County supervisors voted to crackdown on ebikes, including restrictions on sidewalk riding, imposing speed limits and reclassifying bikes that generate more than 750 watts through their motors — even though the latter two could put them in direct conflict with existing state law.

Police in Cathedral City released a description of the suspect vehicle in the hit-and-run death of a bike rider last month; they’re looking for a dark-colored 2014-2019 Nissan Versa with major front-end damage, as well as missing parts.

A 52-year old bike rider in Apple Valley was airlifted for treatment after suffering major injuries when the victim was rear-ended by a driver on Monday.

A Heyward man was sentenced to nine years behind bars after pleading no contest to vehicular manslaughter and hit and run in the death of a 52-year old man riding a bicycle while driving a stolen car.

 

National

CleanTechnica sings the praises of Bike Index for registering your bike, which you can do right here for free, for life.

Bloomberg talks with University of Colorado-Denver professor Wesley Marshall about his new book, Killed by a Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion that Science Underlies Our Transportation System; he’s the one who did a study several years back showing drivers and bicyclists break the law at the same rate — but bike riders do it for perceived safety, while drivers do it for their convenience.

Colorado took a step forward by creating a dedicated $7 million funding stream for “proven small infrastructure projects that improve safety for vulnerable road users,” such as bike lanes, sidewalks and other pedestrian improvements. While that’s far too little — even for a relatively small state — it’s a hell of a lot more than most are willing to commit to.

A Tulsa, Oklahoma man faces charges after he led police on a chase while driving on a bike and pedestrian pathway.

Police in Missouri are continuing to look for the SUV driver who nearly hit a man riding his bike, causing him to fall over a guardrail and down an embankment, where he lay in pain yelling for help for 13 hours.

Lawmakers in Michigan want to increase the penalties for drivers who strike vulnerable road users, while tightening the rules for who is considered one.

Vampire Diaries actress Nina Dobrev underwent successful surgery to repair an undisclosed issue resulting from an electric motorbike crash last week, as media sources continued to misidentify it as an ebike.

The Washington Post belatedly discovers bike buses can provide a viable alternative to the standard SUV school run.

Sad news from DC, where a 34-year old White House staffer was killed while riding his bike when he crossed the center line on a sharp curve during a fundraising ride, and was struck head-on by an oncoming motorist; Jacob Thomas Brewer was the husband of Fox News contributor Mary Katharine Ham.

 

International

Momentum explains why bicycles are the perfect vehicle for the 15-minute city, while offering policies to help your city go Dutch.

A writer for Cycling Weekly says forget talk about the “golden age” of bicycling, when there were ten times the number of bicyclists killed in the UK in 1950 compared to now.

A group of Queensland, Australia researchers consider what can be done about the bad weather, hills and dark nights that keep people from bicycling, particularly women. Ebikes can easily flatten the hills, but can’t help with the dark or bad weather.

 

Competitive Cycling

Bicycling reports the annual Red Bull Rampage freeride mountain bike competition will finally welcome women as something other than spectators. As usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.

People Magazine wants to catch you up on what’s happening with America’s best-known ex-Tour de France winner. But fails to explain why anyone should give a damn. 

Huh? Twenty-five-year old Australian cyclist Robert Stannard received a four-year ban for “abnormalities” in his biological passport, with the ban backdated to 2018. Which is pretty much the same as no ban at all.

Former pro Peter Sagan takes the party on the water in a new beer ad.

 

Finally…

Why spend thousands on a gravel bike, when you can do the Gravel Unbound on a Walmart cruiser? Who the hell would steal a Penny Farthing?

And Hitch was one of us.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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