Morning Links: Tour de Tucson this weekend, yours truly gets right hooked, and bike theft by drone

November 13, 2018 / / 2 comments

It’s a light news day, so let’s get right to it. 

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Frequent contributor David Drexler sends a brief note asking for a mention of this weekend’s Tour de Tucson.

One of the best road bike rides/races in the USA that everyone can participate in, Tour de Tucson, is this Saturday.

Last minute registration is allowed on site on Friday I did that last year, can’t go this year.

I have raced it 4 times over the years.

100 miles, everyone get a timing chip and you can race/ride in your age class so it’s possible to come in 1st, 2nd or 3rd.

Tucson really turns out for it, broadcasting it, shutting down all roads, driveways, tons of police, raised over a million for charity.

At the front start are pros some from Olympics, Amgen, and the WorldTour.

Your name is published with finishing time.

Today is the last day for online registration for the Tour de Tucson. You can learn more about the race — a lot more — here.

Photo by Markus Spiske via Pexels.com.

………

Ride long enough, and you develop a sixth sense for when you’re about to get right hooked, long before a belated turn signal.

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Local

CiclaValley looks at the before and after images of the tragic Woolsey fire, comparing the aftermath to the scenes from some of his previous rides.

What could be more LA than watching a bike rider get hit by a car in the background as TMZ interviews comedian Mike Ross as he steps out of a WeHo bar?

 

State

An Op-Ed in the Orange County Register says lawsuits against scooter makers threaten innovation.

The San Diego Bicycle Coalition invites you to join them for the opening of a new bike art exhibition this Thursday, as I Love To Ride My Bicycle opens at San Diego’s SDSU Downtown Gallery.

They’re onto us, comrades. A Palo Alto writer says a plan to add bus lanes and protected bike lanes on a major street is just a scheme to increase congestion.

 

National

Bicycling takes a photographic look at the “long and glorious” history of cycling.

A Seattle website says it’s time to take #MeToo to the streets because planners need to listen to women who walk and bike.

Houston residents argue that public safety isn’t a public health issue, even though public health experts disagree.

 

International

A local magazine offers ten reasons why an Ontario town is a car-first community.

A new report says ebikes could replace up to 813,000 trips in London every day, reducing CO2 emissions by 184 metric tons.

A British county is raising funds to buy five children’s ebikes in an effort to fight childhood obesity.

A Scottish bike advocacy group calls for dropping speeds on rural roads to 40 mph to improve safety for people on bicycles.

Life is cheap in Ireland, where a careless bus driver loses his license — and probably his job — for four years for killing a woman as she rode her bike, but won’t spend a day behind bars.

Another one to add to your bike bucket list, as a bicyclist photographs her way through Crete.

Founders of Moscow’s massively popular bike parades say the city’s Department of Transport is muscling in on them with a goal of taking them over and shutting them down; the three-times a year rides attract as many as 30,000 people each time.

An Aussie website recommends using an ebike to pull yourself out of a rut.

Kyoto, Japan is addressing climate change by setting itself on a path to become the Copenhagen of Asia.

 

Competitive Cycling

Transgender world masters track champ Rachel McKinnon is still facing a backlash — including death threats — a month after winning the title. I’ll leave it up to others to determine if being born male gives her an advantage or not — but she followed the rules, and beat cyclists who had previously beaten her. And no one deserves that crap, especially over a damn bike race.

 

Finally…

When your ride is interrupted by wild Alaskan cows. If you’re going to get drunk and trash a bar, try not to crash into a police car as you pedal away.

And now we have to worry about airborne bike thieves.

Or not.

Because that doesn’t look staged at all.

No, really.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,

Update: Bike rider dies four days after he was rear-ended in Long Beach crash

November 12, 2018 / / 8 comments

People on bikes are taught to take the lane to improve their visibility and safety.

Sometimes that’s not enough.

And sometimes, all the doctors and nurses in world aren’t enough to undo the damage that can result.

According to a release from the Long Beach Police Department, 39-year old Crestline resident Bryan Lembke died Sunday, four days after he was struck by a driver.

Lembke was riding in the center of the right lane on westbound Spring Street through El Dorado Park around 4:40 am last Thursday, when he was run down from behind by a driver as he approached the San Gabriel River.

In other words, he was exactly where he was supposed to be. And was rear-ended anyway.

He suffered major injuries to his head and body, and was taken to a local hospital where he died.

The driver is identified only as a 53-year old man from Cypress. He remained at the scene, and was released pending further investigation.

No word on whether Lembke had lights and reflectors on his bike in the early morning darkness. And no word on whether police have obtained a warrant to check the driver’s phone to see if he was driving distracted.

Anyone with information is urged to call Accident Investigation Detective Sirilo Garcia at 562/570-7355. Anonymous tips may be submitted through LA Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800/222-TIPS (8477) or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.

This is at least the 45th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 23rd that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

Update: A comment below from the mother of Lembke’s son indicates that he did have front and rear blinking lights on his bike, as well as a solid white headlamp on his helmet. 

A crowdfunding campaign raising funds for his son’s education has raised over $15,000 of the $25,000 goal.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Bryan Lembke and all his loved ones.

Thanks to John McBrearty for the heads-up. 

 

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

Morning Links: Bikes and Veterans Day, bad air is bad for biking, and Wicksted murder arraignment delayed

November 12, 2018 / / 3 comments

Writing on the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, Forbes’ Carlton Reid notes that the first British soldier killed in what was once known as the “war to end all wars” was one of us.

Meanwhile, a New Zealand writer spent a month bicycling through the fields and cemeteries of France to remember the war’s dead, and contemplate the monster of endless war.

And veteran’s group in Oklahoma City uses bicycling to fight PTSD.

On a personal note, my own grandfather was a doughboy, and fought in the trenches of Belgium and France in WWI.

I wish I knew more about what he did. But the war wasn’t something he wanted to remember.

Let alone talk about.

I hope you’ll join me today in remembering him, and all those who have served our country, on this Veteran’s Day, and thank them for the sacrifices they made.

Let’s pray that our world will one day regain its senses, and learn to settle disputes without bullets and bombs.

But until then, let’s at least take better care of those who come back home.

And remember that not all scars are visible.

Thanks to J. Patrick Lynch, who wants a copy of that poster in the upper left, which was taken from the Forbes article, for the first link. 

Then again, so do I.

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Streetsblog has advice for confronting California’s wildfires — don’t bike until the air clears.

Smoke from a fire contains ash particles that can harm your lungs, as well as countless toxic chemicals that can do long-lasting damage.

Never mind the problems it can cause for allergy and asthma suffers.

So the best advice is, if you smell smoke, don’t ride. Or run. Or engage in any other physical activity outdoors.

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Arraignment was delayed once again for Sandra Marie Wicksted, who’s accused of murder for using her car to kill Leslie Pray as she rode her bike in a Claremont bike lane, as well as four counts of attempted murder for swerving at other bike riders before she killed Pray.

However, delays like that aren’t unusual.

Serious cases often see a number of postponements as prosecutors attempt to work out a deal, and defense lawyers get their cases together.

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In case you missed it over the weekend, family members identified the victim of Thursday’s fatal bike crash on Santa Monica Blvd in West LA as 31-year old Glendale resident Frank Guzman.

A GoFundMe account to help pay his funeral expenses has raised over $4,000 of the $5,000 goal in just two days.

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Local

UCLA ER physicians say they’re seeing a jump in scooter-related injuries, averaging one a day between their two facilities; they urge all scooter users to wear a helmet.

He gets it. A member of the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition compares road diet deniers to anti-vaxxers.

Wolfpack Hustle is postponing the Wolfpack Hustle All City Century scheduled for tonight due to poor air quality from the fires.

 

State

A carfree San Diego PR agency owner is attempting to combine social equity and healthy living.

Berkeley’s mayor takes advantage of a popular bike festival to promise quick action on a protected bike lane.

Robert Leone forwards news that Campbell police corralled a bike thief using a bait bike. The LAPD won’t use bait bikes because the City Attorney’s office fears claims of entrapment.

The San Francisco Examiner suggests the only thing more perilous than riding a bike in the Bay Area is leading the city’s bicycle coalition.

 

National

A tech website looks at how bikes have changed over the past 25 years. Thanks to Mike Wilkinson for the link.

Taking a road trip by bike to the Colorado National Monument.

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes is all too real. Three Portland men face well-deserved charges for booby trapping a popular bike path by tying strings across it at face and neck level; a woman suffered cuts and bruises around her eyes, chin and neck when she ride into them.

A Minnesota college is training engineering students to design and build bicycles, both to get jobs in the bike industry, and develop skills that will transfer to other fields.

Nearly 1,000 bicyclists turned out for the annual Cranksgiving ride in St. Louis to help raise funds and collect food to the distribute to the needy over the holidays.

A Cape Cod letter writer can’t seem to imagine any reason why anyone who isn’t in financial distress would ever want to ride a bike, let alone why the city should build Complete Streets to accommodate them.

LA bike riders aren’t the only ones having trouble with blocked bike lanes; New York bike riders are pretty ticked off about it too.

 

International

Horrifying news from Trinidad & Tobago where two bicyclists were killed — including a celebrity chef — and eight others were injured when a driver plowed into a club ride, despite a police escort; the driver claimed he lost control after blowing a tire. To make matters worse, a bike advocacy group says there are no trained traffic investigators in the country.

A London assembly member questions whether the city’s Metropolitan Police are doing enough to fight bike and pedestrian deaths.

Not many American bike riders can relate to Britain’s 16,500-mile bicycling network. But the fact that half of it is “crap” due to poor maintenance and pavement conditions, that most of us can relate to.

An English city is putting up signs welcoming polite bike riders.

The UK’s BikesUpGunsDown movement aims to stop gun and knife crime by building better bike skills.

A Brit writer says the perfect bike ride is one you do with friends.

Berlin gets its first protected bike lane.

A Kiwi writer suggests that dockless bikeshare and e-scooters means it’s time for new road rules to govern how we behave around others. Meanwhile, a new homegrown dockless bikeshare is subjected to the same abuse others have suffered.

An Australian news site says drivers subjected a leading bike advocate to vile abuse before he was killed in a crash last week. And apparently didn’t even stop then.

 

Competitive Cycling

Pro cyclists offer their thoughts on a proposed power meter ban in next year’s Tour de France.

 

Finally…

It takes a real schmuck to get out and swear at a crash victim before fleeing the scene — even if the driver is a woman. You can stop counting ballots, we have a winner in the worst bike name ever.

And is it okay to give someone the bird if you’ve got a smiley face on your glove?

 

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

Morning Links: Bikeshare ebikes, Long Beach bike rider seriously injured, and killer Claremont driver still in hospital

November 9, 2018 / / One comment

Today’s common theme is ebikes for rent.

LA’s Metro Bike officially unveiled new ebikes as part of their bikeshare program at Union Station.

Los Angeles isn’t the only major city experimenting with ped-assist ebikes, as Philly adds ten to their existing bikeshare program.

Paris is rolling out the world’s biggest fleet of ebikes, expanding to 20,000 ebikes available for long-term rental.

Although speaking of ebikes, nothing says your new electric vehicle has to has two wheels. Or any, for that matter.

Photo shamelessly borrowed from Metro Bike website.

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More bad news.

The Press-Telegram reports that a Long Beach bike rider was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after a crash on westbound Spring Street near the 605 early Wednesday morning.

And yes, the driver stayed this time.

It really shouldn’t be news when a driver remains at the scene. But thanks to LA’s epidemic hit-and-run culture, it is.

Thanks to John McBrearty for the heads-up.

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According to the Claremont Courier, vehicular murder suspect Sandra Wicksted remains in the hospital for injuries she suffered when she allegedly ran down Leslie Pray as she ride in a Claremont bike lane; she continues to remain in custody on $6.1 million bail.

Meanwhile, CLR Effect’s Michael Wagner offers a beautiful, moving look at the ghost bike ceremony and vigil for Pray.

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Local

A writer for City Watch says Metro and LA City Planning deserve Dubious Achievement Awards, in part because of a lack of bikeshare and accommodations for bike riders at new Purple Line stations, and the new transit neighborhood plan.

The LACBC wants you to tell them about blocked bike lanes — after you report them to LADOT.

An LA Times reader says impound distracted drivers cellphones. Or better yet, make them drive over their own phones; maybe the treat of that will actually make them put ’em down.

 

State

Grist looks at three climate change winners and three losers in this week’s California election — and includes people who ride bicycles and buses on the plus side.

Escondido is building a Missing Link Bike Path to connect two existing bike paths through the downtown area, with a combination of offroad bike paths and on-street protected cycle tracks.

Sad news from San Jose, where a 51-year old man died after he was hit by a driver on Saturday while allegedly running a red light on his bike.

Writing for the San Francisco Examiner, a bike lawyer explains the possible penalties for drivers who kill.

San Francisco approves plans for a combination parking-protect and curb-protected bike lane on busy Townsend Street leading to a Caltrain station.

Streetsblog SF calls Caltrain’s restricted bike cars easy picking for thieves, who can walk off with the unprotected bikes while their owners sit in other cars.

Twelve Sonoma high schools are attempting to cut their carbon footprints by developing safer routes to schools, allowing students to walk or bike.

 

National

A new report questions whether America’s love of driving has gotten stuck in traffic.

Bicycling says every bicyclist has to take part in an evening group ride. Even though many, if not most, never do.

Bike Portland says the jury is still out on the city’s new bike-friendly speed bumps, with channels cut into them to allow bicyclists to ride through, rather than over, them.

Tired of dealing with leaves piled in bike lanes, a Portland inventor built his own pedal-powered street sweeper.

The University of Oregon has kicked e-scooters off campus this year to give the school time to develop an official scooter policy.

Albuquerque bike riders say drivers are ignoring the 18 mph speed limit on the city’s bicycle boulevard, zooming through at up to 31 mph. I’d be happy if LA drivers just slowed down to 31 mph every now and then.

The Tulsa OK city council calls on the state to change the law to allow bike riders to legally take the lane.

An active transportation advocacy group worked with local residents to develop plans for a road diet and protected bike lanes on a deadly Chicago street.

One of the four Florida bicyclists critically injured by a 91-year old driver has died; he was described as an experienced, elite century rider who once finished third in the online Strava Challenge. Local residents have demanded safety improvements as a result of the crash.

 

International

Police in Derby, England are on the lookout for a bike-born serial groper who has been attacking women in the city center.

Bike riding has the second greatest gender gap among transportation modes in the UK, behind only motorcycles.

A British study concludes that driverless cars may have to be programmed to break the law at times to keep humans from taking advantage of them, while a US paper says they they may be programmed to kill you. So no different than human drivers, in other words.

Figures from Britain’s Department of Transportation show that an average of 10 pedestrians suffer lie-threatening injuries in collisions with people on bicycles each month, an increase of 17%. Which could be due entirely to more people walking and bicycling. And says nothing about who was actually at fault.

The Irish Times considers the best bike tech accessories.

A Maltese bike advocacy group says build safety infrastructure for pedestrians instead of criminalizing jaywalking.

Heartbreaking story, as an Australian bike advocate penned an open letter calling for safer streets just days before he was killed in a crash. In the wake of his death, Queensland police have decided to re-examine his complaints about dangerous passes by drivers.

Scofflaw cyclist and supermodel Elle Macpherson freaks out the Aussie press by going topless for a leisurely beachfront bike ride. Although in this case, that means without a helmet.

 

Competitive Cycling

Canadian pro Rob Brittan recounts his 1,000-mile bikepacking trip across the wilds of Western Canada to prepare for the world championships. Judging by his last place finish at the worlds, maybe his next trip should be a little shorter. Or longer. Or something. 

 

Finally…

When life gives you too many bike wheels, make spherical art. Putting a 102-year old, two-wheeled bullet-scarred WWI vet on public display.

And don’t ride your bike because it’s green; ride because it’s fun and annoys drivers.

 

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

Update: Bike rider killed in big rig crash on Santa Monica Blvd in West Los Angeles

November 8, 2018 / / 16 comments

This morning, I received two separate reports of a serious crash involving a bike rider and a tractor-trailer on Santa Monica Blvd in West Los Angeles.

David Drexler emailed to say he had driven past a crash involving a tractor-trailer at the southbound onramp to the 405 freeway on Santa Monica Blvd.

I could not get on the highway there at approx. 10 am, ramp was closed and highway patrol looked like it set up an investigation scene.  There was a very crumbled bicycle in the middle lane of the on ramp sitting at the back tires of the truck that was sitting in the lane as well.  The victim must have been removed earlier.

That was followed by this tweet from CG.

Twitter post

Then late this afternoon, Caltrans District 7 confirmed the death on Twitter.

Twitter post

As anyone who has tried to ride that section of Santa Monica Blvd knows, it is a very dangerous, poorly designed and overly crowded intersection, with a high risk of a right hook or left cross from drivers attempting to get onto the 405.

Not to mention the usual jockeying for position from too-often distracted drivers trying to snake through the congestion.

Most riders don’t try it second time, opting for the safety of Ohio Blvd a few blocks to the north; those who do usually stick to the sidewalks, which are often blocked by homeless people.

And even that requires coming off the sidewalk to ride past the onramp.

For whatever reason, this person sadly paid the price for that bad design.

This is at least the 44th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 22nd that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

Update: A GoFundMe page has identified the victim as Frank Guzman; it’s raised over $500 of the $5,000 goal in the first few hours.

A family member describes him like this.

Twitter post

She added this —

Frank was 31, lived in Glendale and is survived by his parents, two siblings, his girlfriend and niece who he adored. He worked full time and was also in school trying to further his education. He was a foodie. Loved to try new things & always seeking adventure.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Frank Guzman and all his loved ones. 

Thanks to David Drexler and CG for the heads-up.

 

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

Morning Links: CSUN dean looks to ban skateboards, bikes and scooters from campus, and bike election results

November 8, 2018 / / 3 comments

CSUN skateboard users may soon find themselves on double-secret probation.

Like the Deltas in Animal House, skateboards are being targeted by a college dean who apparently wants them booted off campus.

And bicycles and scooters, too.

Dr. Jerry Stinner, the dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at California State University Northridge, writes in an email to faculty members that he was recently knocked down by someone on a skateboard.

Which is a bad thing.

And for which the person responsible should be held accountable. Not everyone who tries to get around the CSUN campus by any means other than walking or driving.

Just wait until someone tells him about cars, and the dangers they pose to students and faculty on campus.

Although the image of a college dean pointing a speed gun at unsuspecting students making their way across the massive campus, undoubtedly from his hidden vantage point, is pretty laughable.

But for someone who heads up the mathematics department, he doesn’t seem to have a solid grasp on statistics and polling. His survey questions are clearly slanted to elicit an anti-skateboard/bike/scooter response, rather than any clear gauge of actual attitudes.

Maybe he could have one of those statistics professors draft an actual, unbiased poll that could go out to everyone, including students.

Let’s hope CSUN has some Deltas of their own who are willing to throw a toga party or two to fight injustice.

And show Dean Stinner, and the rest of the CSUN administration, just how ridiculous this is.

Or the next time a pedestrian bumps into him, he may try to ban walking.

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Streetsblog rounds up the transportation-related issues on California ballots in Tuesday’s election, saying Democratic super-majorities in the state Senate and Assembly bode well for climate change issues and a balanced transportation system.

Meanwhile, Bicycle Retailer catches up with bike-related elections around the US, including the failure of California’s Prop 6. The article notes that Madeleine Dean, wife of the CEO of Performance Bicycle parent company Advanced Sports Enterprises, was elected to represent Pennsylvania in Congress, which should give a good voice for people on bikes.

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Local

Sandra Marie Wicksted was due in court today to enter a plea in the murder of fallen bicyclist Leslie Pray, and the attempted murder of four other riders, in Claremont last Saturday. However, the hearing was delayed until Friday.

Metro Bike is bringing ebike bikeshare to Union Station in DTLA as part of a pilot program before rolling them out throughout the county.

Three public meetings will be held to discuss closing the eight-mile long gap in the LA River bike path from Elysian Valley to Vernon; the first meeting will take place at 6 pm tonight at Metro Headquarters in DTLA. If you’ve ever tried to make it through that gap section on surface streets, you know how badly the closure is needed.

The Santa Monica Daily Press looks at SaMo’s efforts to establish scooter and bikeshare parking on the streets; doing that throughout the LA area could eliminate complaints about haphazardly parked and abandoned scooters. Although the first thing that jumped out at me was not the parking space in front, but the stripped bike locked to a rack in the background.

 

State

The CEO of ebike maker Pedego is now officially one of Orange County’s most influential people.

A San Diego exhibition, titled I Love to Ride My Bicycle, explores the relationship between artists and their bicycles.

Ventura’s Channel Islands Bike Club will host a presentation on international bicycle tourism tonight, following an ebike demo last month.

More protected bike lanes are sprouting up on the streets of Los Altos.

Interesting study from San Francisco on bicycling’s gender gap, and what prevents women from taking environmental action.

 

National

Bike Index talks with the Russian developer of a free Android app for the bike registration service.

Bike Snob says stop dooring people, already. Bad enough that the illustration shows motorists hitting a bike rider and pedestrian with their doors; dooring a corgi is just going too damn far.

Ford went shopping, and scooped up e-scooter provider Spin for a mere $40 million.; the carmaker also runs San Francisco’s bikeshare program.

Portland’s newly elected city commissioner envisions a carfree future centered on the ability to have bicycles, and free and fast public transit.

Utah will once again consider an Idaho stop law, allowing bike riders to treat stop signs as yields. Which is only fair, since most drivers don’t come to a full stop, either.

A Montana couple rides a singletrack trail in the Bitterroot Mountains that they fear could disappear in the next few years.

A Dallas website says the city may only have 10.4 miles of bike lanes, but it does have some lovely paths and trails.

A New York letter writer says bicycling “idiots” are a menace to “the 99% of New Yorkers” who don’t ride bikes, and police should shred lawbreaking riders on the spot (second item). I’m oaky with that, as long as the same policy applies to people in cars, as well.

This is also the cost of traffic violence. A driver charged with killing the four-year old daughter of a Tony Award-winning actress and another one-year old boy in a crosswalk while they were in a crosswalk has killed herself. Knowing you took an innocent life would be a damn hard thing to live with for the rest of your life.

DC’s mayor tells the postal service, FedEx and UPS to stop parking in bike lanes. Good luck with that.

A Baltimore woman has made a career out of teaching kids how to ride a bicycle.

Florida is building a 2.4-mile, $2.6 million dollar bike path to close the final gap in a 100-mile trail connecting two counties, part of what will eventually be a 250-mile trail across the state.

 

International

London’s Sun newspaper asks what’s the point of lowering more speed limits to 20 mph when most drivers ignore it anyway — up to 94% during early morning hours. In that case, we might as well get rid of stop signs, legalize drunk and distracted driving and remove turn signals from cars, since many drivers ignore those laws, too.

Cellphone data from a British delivery service proves that bicycles really do move through an urban environment faster than motor vehicles.

A UK bicycling magazine says the Netherlands is ahead of the game once again by proposing to ban cellphone use while riding a bicycle.

Here’s a couple more for your bike bucket list. Cycling Weekly suggests that Madeira, Portugal may be the ultimate adventure cycling destination. Unless you’d prefer a bike tour through Hemingway’s Spain.

No bias here. An Israeli writer says forget the drunk driver, let’s blame the ebike-riding victim because some people don’t ride them safely.

 

Finally…

Your next bike light could be powered by magnets. This is what happens when you put a new bike path between two shooting ranges.

And Homer Simpson is definitely not one of us. Especially when he knocks a bike rider down as a result of donut-distracted driving .

https://gfycat.com/tinyjollygalago

Thanks to Steve for the heads-up.

 

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