Restaurant run down, cyclist collateral damage in Venice police chase; plus major Fat Tuesday linkage

February 12, 2013 / / One comment

A cyclist was collateral damage in a Venice police chase Sunday night.

Police reportedly spotted a pickup driven by a parolee driving too fast the wrong way on a one-way street just off the beach at Venice Blvd and Speedway. Following a short chase, the cyclist was struck at the intersection of Lincoln and Brooks before the truck crashed into the Wurstküche restaurant a few blocks away at Vernon.

Fortunately, the rider is relatively okay; the Times reports that he suffered a broken leg in the collision.

But these chases are getting far too frequent and dangerous.

And the next person to become collateral damage may not be so lucky.

………

As hard as it is for me to admit at times, there are other issues besides bicycling in this year’s race for mayor of Los Angeles. Candidate Kevin James offers a detailed position on animal issues for of us who care about the city’s four-footed residents; I’d like to see what the other candidates have to say on the subject.

………

Streetsblog posts video of Sunday’s CD 1 candidates debate; I’m told there may be a problem with one candidate’s responses. UCLA’s Daily Bruin looks at Saturday’s ride for more bike lanes in Westwood. Santa Monica’s first complete green street opened on Ocean Park Blvd on Saturday. Santa Monica College gets a spectacular new bike parking lot with space for 400 bikes — and skateboard parking, too. If you’re on probation and in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, maybe you should steal a cheaper bike. Better Bike is back to bug the Biking Black Hole of Beverly Hills into becoming less bike unfriendly. Occidental College and NELA want your bike art for a gallery exhibition opening later this month. The Path Less Pedaled offers their typically great photos from their recent trip back to SoCal. The podcast of Saturday’s edition of Bike Talk hosted by the LACBC’s Colin Bogart is available online now. Cyclelicious reveals the face of a bike thief. Learning to ride safely with dead batteries. A cyclist is critically injured by a drunk driver in Fresno. As a cyclist, nothing scares me more than sharing the road with a cement truck; a San Francisco woman lost her life to one on Saturday.

We need more research on the effects of bicycling on the brain. Bob Mionske offers advice on dealing with the door zone. The Bike League forms a new Equity Advisory Council to reach beyond the usual voices. A 72-year old Scottsdale AZ woman is killed by a 20-year old driver in an apparent right hook. A hero Spokane cyclist saves a jogger from her attacker, then rides off without leaving her name. A Colorado woman is fined a whopping $100 after apologizing for running down a cyclist before running away. Chicago Tribune says Gen Yers are falling out of love with cars; maybe I’m younger than I thought. Ignoring all the available evidence, Illinois puts the brakes on a protected bike lane in Chicago by pretending they’re unproven. A Wisconsin man rides over 800 miles to visit friends in New Orleans, then gets run down from behind and killed just miles from his destination. Brooklyn is New York’s most dangerous borough for cyclists for the third year running. Dear Mr. Obama, give us another Ray LaHood, please. Maryland’s proposed mandatory helmet law would make cyclists less safe. A Florida cyclist commits suicide by car; the driver wouldn’t have faced charges if he’d stayed at the scene.

A cyclist is killed by a speeding ambulance in Guyana. A 16-year old UK cyclist tracks his stolen bike four miles through the snow to get it back. Dealing with anti-social cyclists. Sure, you could say one in five Oxford, England cyclists run red lights — or you could realize that means an overwhelming 80% don’t. Brit trucks drivers say bike safety shouldn’t rest solely on their shoulders. London’s Sunday Times says Strava is turning cyclists into dangerous speed maniacs; bike writer Carlton Reid says not so fast. That sound you hear is a Scottish politician backpedalling furiously when it comes to cycling targets. Israel lacks sufficient infrastructure to keep cyclists safe on intercity highways.

Finally, an apparently older writer says the privilege of driving is far too important to test drivers over 80 for cognitive impairment, and somehow equates getting dangerous older drivers off the road to Nazi Germany; thanks to Todd Munson for the heads-up.

And I thought I had a close call with a Big Blue Bus recently; this guy nearly lost his head.

Happy Mardi Gras! Throw me something, mister!

Category: Bicycle Safety, Car vs Bike, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , , ,

A brief observation on walking the dog, as it relates to dangerous drivers and surviving on two wheels

February 11, 2013 / / 2 comments

Let’s talk dog walking.

Or rather, walking the dog as it relates to dangerous drivers. And how that relates to riding a bike in the swirling cesspool of human interaction we call traffic.

Seriously, could you run over this smiling face?

Seriously, could you run over this smiling face?

Take what happened last week.

I was walking the Corgi a few blocks from our home, after dark, during rush hour traffic. The last building on the block we were on featured that 1960’s style covered parking in which the front of the building overhangs the parking spaces, with the sidewalk passing between the driveway apron and the parking spaces.

As we were strolling in front of the building, a car pulled up on the side street in front of us, barely paused at the stop sign, then suddenly pulled onto the wrong side of the busy street we were walking along and turned left, making a shallow U into a parking space just in front of us.

Fortunately, I was able to pull her back in time and took a quick step back myself, allowing the driver to zoom by without hitting either of us.

I was not, however, able to control my own reaction, calling him a jackass as we walked past and rounded the corner.

Moments later, though, the driver came running up after us on the dark side street we’d turned onto. As he approached, I moved the dog behind me and balled my fists, prepared to defend myself against the jerk who’d just threatened our safety.

Since we rescued the then four-year old Corgi a few years ago, we’ve developed an interesting dynamic. She’s taken it upon herself to protect my wife, and more than once has shown signs that she would fight to the death to defend her — even standing up to a coyote over twice her size that dared to walk through our urban neighborhood.

On the other hand, she’s also made it clear that she trusts me to protect her, lowering her guard when I walk her in a way she never does with my wife alone. And I take that trust very seriously.

Threaten my safety with your car and I’ll be pissed. But God help you if you endanger my dog.

What happened next caught me completely off guard, though.

He apologized.

He said he hadn’t seen us, and was sorry if he had frightened my dog. Never mind that he’d scared the crap out me.

No apologies for the dangerous stunt he had pulled — and probably not for the first time, since he appeared to live in the building. And no explanation how it was that he failed to see a grown man and a light colored dog on a well-lighted sidewalk.

I was still too angry to politely discuss the situation, so I simply accepted his apology, shook his hand and turned away to walk home, shaken by the close call.

The very next night, I was once again walking the Corgi when we ran into another, all-too-common situation.

We were alongside a large apartment building on a busy side street when a driver entering the parking lot paused to let us safely cross the driveway. However, that left the rear of his car extending out into the traffic lane, much to the chagrin of the driver behind him who was forced to briefly pause in his mad dash through the residential neighborhood.

So needless to say, that second driver leaned on his horn, blasting an angry rebuke that anyone might have the audacity to stop in his way, with no idea why it washappening.

In other words, he was more than willing to let someone else run us over if it meant he didn’t have to slow down for even a moment.

Never mind that he could have simply gone around the other car. Which is exactly what he did after treating us to his rage-filled car horn soliloquy.

And never mind that his honking could have startled the driver ahead of him, possibly leading to tragic results.

And there, in a nutshell, is the problem on our streets. Or one of them, anyway.

Too many of today’s drivers have lost any sense of the danger their vehicles pose to others. They feel entitled to their place on roadway, and have little or no fear of the reckless stunts they pull, having gotten away with them too many times in the past.

Even though getting away with it doesn’t mean it’s legal. Or safe, for that matter.

The problem is, you can only get away with something until you don’t. At which point, it’s too late for anything but the too-often tragic consequences.

Then there’s the sense of entitlement, to use that phrase again, that allows some — not all, but far too many — drivers to feel they have a right to move unimpeded along the streets. And that anyone in their way, be it other motorists legally slowing or stopping for a turn or to let a pedestrian pass, or a bicyclist in the lane in front of them, is committing some offense by delaying their progress by even a second or two.

I see it every day on the busy street in front of my building, as some speeding jerk lays on his horn because a car is stopped in the left lane, legally, to make a turn. Or slows down to safely make a right, rather than taking the corner at a dangerously high speed, as too many do.

Even though using a horn for any reason other than a safety warning is against the law.

And don’t get me started on the drivers who see a car stopped ahead of them, then whip around on the right or left without considering that there may be a reason why they stopped. Other than the other driver just felt like it, that is.

Like maybe a pedestrian or bicyclist crossing the street.

Which is why I politely refuse any invitation from a driver to cross an intersection in front of them unless I know for a fact that every other motorist in the shares their courtesy and inclination.

And yes, before you say it, there are countless reckless, self-entitled jerks on two wheels — and two feet — as well.

The difference being that a reckless cyclist or pedestrian poses a danger primarily to him or herself, while reckless drivers pose a danger to everyone around them.

There may be hope, though.

Some drivers get it when they see the potential consequences of their actions. Like the driver who apologized for nearly running down the Corgi and I.

Though whether that will keep him from pulling the same stunt next time remains to be seen.

Then there’s the valet driver I had a brief conversation with in Santa Monica last week.

I was riding past a large hotel on Ocean Ave when a car exited the parking garage right in front of me. And as too often happens, another car followed closely behind him, on a collision course with my bike.

So I yelled out a warning, and the driver came to a sudden stop just a few feet from my right.

He caught up to me at the next light, waiting to make a right as I sat on his left to go straight.

“Dude,” he called out, “I wasn’t going to hit you. I do this all day long, every day.”

“Yeah, but how do I know that?” I responded. “I don’t have any choice but to assume you don’t see me.”

“Oh.” He sat for a moment, letting it sink in.

“So, you’re just doing what you have to do to stay alive. Okay, I get that.”

The light changed and I rode on as he turned away, a little more hopeful than I’d been just a few moments before.

………

Speaking of Santa Monica, still no response seven days later to the complain I filed about being forced to share a bike lane with a Big Blue Bus.

And that’s frightening.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Car vs Bike, Roadway Courtesy / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Bike rider killed in Blue Line collision; Metro once again fails to inform the public

February 10, 2013 / / 9 comments

According to the L.A. Times Sunday edition, a bike rider was killed in a collision with the Blue Line Metro Train yesterday.

According to the paper, the collision occurred about 12:50 pm at the intersection of Grandee Avenue and Century Blvd, apparently in an unincorporated area of South L.A.

The identity of the male rider was unknown at the time of printing; the photo shows a mountain bike with a tacoed and twisted front wheel.

Unfortunately, no other information is available at this time.

The photo is not available on the Times’ website, and no information is available online from the Times, L.A. Metro, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department — which evidently investigated the death — or any other news source. If I hadn’t happened to read the California section of the Times’ print edition just now, I wouldn’t have known about it.

Maybe it’s just me, but I consider it shameful that Metro doesn’t post information about fatal collisions involving their buses or trains as soon as possible after they happen. Or at all, in too many cases.

They have an obligation to keep the public informed about the safety of their operations, and far to often, fail to fulfill it. Which isn’t to say the Sheriff’s Department couldn’t do a much better job, as well.

This is just the third bicycling fatality in Southern California so far this year, and the second in the County of Los Angeles.

My sympathy and prayers for the victim and his family.

Update: Streetsblog has identified the victim as 26-year old Sylvester Henderson.

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

Busy bike weekend — Ride Westwood, Ocean Park Green Street, Ride 4 Love and Ride Figueroa

February 8, 2013 / / Comments Off on Busy bike weekend — Ride Westwood, Ocean Park Green Street, Ride 4 Love and Ride Figueroa

Bike Talk airs every Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK; this week features the estimable Colin Bogart, Education Director for the LACBC.

Bike Long Beach hosts Bike Saturdays every weekend; ride your bike to participating local shops and business throughout the city to get special offers and discounts.

A new support group is forming for people who have been involved in a bicycle collision. Everyone is welcome to share your experiences, gain insight and understanding into your emotional state and develop new coping strategies. The group will meet Saturdays from 11:30 am to 1 pm at 6310 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 401. Current LACBC members receive a discount. To learn more, contact Aurisha Smolarski at 323/203-1526 or email aurisha.smolarski@gmail.com.

The UCLA Bike Coalition and the LA County Bicycle Coalition invite you to join in the West Area Community Ride – Ride Westwood! on Saturday, February 9th at 10 am for a fun community ride to showcase existing and future bike facilities in the Westwood area. Did I mention a light breakfast and lunch will be provided?

Don’t miss the official grand opening of the new Ocean Park Complete Green Street in Santa Monica this Saturday. Santa Monica Spoke and the City of Santa Monica kick things off at 11 am in the Community Room at 502 Colorado Ave with cinnamon rolls, coffee and a review of the city’s Bike Action Plan, followed by pizza and a look at plans for the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway. That’s followed by a 1:30 pm ride to nearby Ocean Park Blvd for the official ceremony, including live jazz and ice cream from Peddler’s Creamery, between 5th and 6th on Ocean Park.

Caltech Bike Lab is hosting a pair of free bike repair classes on Saturday, February 9th at their location on East California Blvd in Pasadena; evidently, the actual street address is a closely guarded secret. Basic Bike Maintenance and Repair will be discussed from 11 am to 1 pm, with Advanced Repair: Bearing Assemblies (aka How to Make Your Wheels Go Faster!) from 3 pm to 5 pm.

Also on the Saturday the 9th, the East Side Riders Bike Club is combining their Ride 4 Love with a ride for social justice in honor of hit-and-run victim Benjamin Torres. The ride kicks off at 12:30 pm at W.L.C.A.C., 10950 South Central Ave, riding to the site where Torres was killed in Gardena, before riding on to Gardena City Hall and back to the starting point. Highly recommended for a great cause.

Flying Pigeon is hosting  the monthly Spoke(n) Art Ride on Saturday, February 9th. The ride assembles 6 pm at 3404 N. Figueroa St, departing at 6:30 pm for a tour of Northeast LA galleries. The ever popular Get Sum Dim Sum ride follows on Sunday, February 17th.

On Sunday, February 10th, the LACBC invites you to join in on the Ride Figueroa to explore and promote planned bike lanes on Figueroa and Colorado in North East L.A. The ride meets at 10:30 am, rolling at 11 am, at Greayer’s Oak Part at Figueroa and Marmion Way; followed by a candidate forum for Council District 1 to replace bike-friendly Councilmember Ed Reyes at 1 pm at Herrick Memorial Chapel Lower Herrick Room at Occidental College.

L.A. Planning and LADOT kick off a series of public hearings on implementing streets in the new bike plan with the Northeast LA Bike Lanes Public Hearing on Wednesday, February 13th from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at the Los Angeles River Center & Gardens, California Building, 11214 W. Exposition Blvd.

In an apparent attempt to increase divorce rates among cyclists, or possibly assuming that bike riders can’t get dates, L.A. Planning and LADOT will host the Central Area Bike Lanes Public Hearing on Thursday, February 14th — aka Valentines Day — from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at the Caltrans District 7 Building, Room 01.040, 100 S. Main Street Downtown.

Flying Pigeon isn’t the only group hosting brewery rides these days, as Brewcyclers provides a beer doubleheader with a ride to Brew-Ligion Brewhouse and Aftershock Brewing Co on Sunday, February 17th. The 30 mile loop kicks off at Brew-Ligion, 39809 Avenida Acacias in Murrieta at 8:30 am, rolling at 9 am.

Also on Sunday, February 17th, the Eastside Bike Club rides to Stan’s Bike Shop in Monrovia, recently purchased by Eastside bike advocate Carlos Morales. The slow, family friendly ride meets at the new parklet at 4910 Huntington Drive N, rolling at 10:30 am.

If you’re as tired of cyclists and pedestrians being left to bleed in the streets as I am, mark your calendar for Tuesday, February 19th when the LAPD reports back to the Police Commission on hit-and-run stats requested by the city council; the meetings usually take place at 9:30 am at the new, officially unnamed police headquarters across from City Hall at 1st and Main.

Stand up for bike lanes on the Westside as L.A. Planning and LADOT host the West Area Bike Lanes Public Hearing on Tuesday, February 19th from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at the Medina Parking Enforcement Office, 11214 W. Exposition Blvd at Sepulveda Blvd.

The Orange County Bike Film Festival screens from Wednesday, February 20th through Monday, March 11th; times and locations vary.

The series of bike lane public hearings wraps up on Thursday, February 21st as L.A. Planning and LADOT host the Valley Area Bike Lanes Public Hearing from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at the North Hollywood Regional Branch Library, 5211 Tujunga Ave in North Hollywood.

C.I.C.L.E. hosts the family-friendly Wild, Wild West Ride through Chatsworth on Saturday, February 23rd, in partnership with Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch Englander. The easy, eight-mile ride meets at the Chatsworth Depot Metrolink Station at 10 am, returning at 1:30 pm.

LACBC will host the city’s first Bike Prom from 8 pm to midnight on Saturday, February 23rd, at the American Legion Hall Post 206, 227 N. Ave 55 in Los Angeles. Similar events have been very popular in other cities, so this could be the bike social event of the year — get your tickets early.

Also on Saturday the 23rd, the annual L.A. Chinatown Firecracker Bike Ride will offer a 20-mile route along the LA River for families and casual riders, and a more challenging 30-mile on city streets for more advanced riders. The LACBC will provide a free bike valet.

The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition’s Civic Engagement Committee meets at 6:45 pm on the last Tuesday of each month. This month’s meeting will take place at Johnnie’s Pizza at Museum Square, 5757 Wilshire Blvd on Tuesday, February 26th; this will be the last meeting before the March elections. You don’t have to be an LACBC member to participate; email bikinginla at hotmail dot com to be added to the discussion list.

Registration is open for the 2013 UCLA Complete Streets Conference on Thursday, February 28th at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 120 South Los Angeles Street Downtown.

The Encino Velodrome begins an intensive six week introduction to track racing on Wednesday, March 6th, starting at 7 pm and continuing weekly through April 10th. Sessions cost just $10 each, or $50 in advance; 17301 Oxnard Street in Encino.

This should be a major party, as the infamous semi-official Wolfpack Hustle Marathon Crash Race takes place on St. Paddy’s Day, Sunday, March 17th, starting at 3:30 am at Tang’s Donuts, 4341 West Sunset Boulevard. Better start training now in case there’s green beer at the finish line.

Make your plans for the Malibu 7-Canyon Ride on Saturday, March 23rd with rides of 100 miles, 100 kilometers and 50 miles. The fully supported ride will begin at Zuma Beach, and pass through Latigo, Encinal, Decker, Mulholland, Little Sycamore, Yerba Buena and Deer Creek Canyons, with over 9,000 feet of climbing on the century ride. Early bird pricing is available through February 16th.

Caltech Bike Lab teams with C.I.C.L.E. to offer a series of free defensive cycling classes; the next ones take place on Sunday, April 7th and Saturday, June 8th at Caltech Y, 505 S. Wilson Ave in Pasadena. RSVP to bike@cicle.org with the date you want to attend.

The Classic Gran Fondo San Diego rolls on Sunday, April 14th, starting and ending in the city’s Little Italy neighborhood. If you go, make sure your taxes are done first, since they’re due the next day.

The next CicLAvia rolls out on Sunday, April 21st from 10 am to 3 pm, following a new route from Downtown to Venice Beach — or as Yo! Venice! puts it, from Dogtown to Downtown — along Venice Blvd. Future events will follow Wilshire Blvd from Downtown to Fairfax on Sunday, June 23rd, before returning to an extended Downtown route on Sunday, October 6th.

Registration has opened for this year’s LA River Ride, to be held Sunday, June 9th, starting and ending in Griffith Park. If you haven’t done the River Ride, I highly recommend it; if you have, then what are you waiting for?

Category: Bike Events / Tags: , ,

Big surprise — ex-LAPD cop killer doesn’t like bikes, either; big silence from Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus

February 8, 2013 / / 6 comments

You knew there had to be a bicycling connection in there somewhere.

Here in L.A., local news reports have been commandeered by the manhunt for Chris Dorner, the former LAPD officer who allegedly murdered three people in a bizarre attempt at getting justice for his firing.

Note to anyone considering a similarly unhinged rampage in an attempt to set the record straight: It won’t work. All it will do is convince the world that you’re crazy, and that they were right all along.

In an attempt to justify his actions, Dorner posted a rambling online manifesto (trust me, you’re better off with the Cliff Notes version) in which he professes his support for Tim Tebow, Charlie Sheen, Dave Brubeck’s Take Five and Michelle Obama’s bangs. Not to mention his love and admiration for a long list of female performers, and his thanks to unnamed individuals for some great and not-so-great sex over the years.

Oh, and a list of those deserving of death at his hands.

But surely, anything that long and convoluted has to mention bikes somewhere, right?

Dorner does not disappoint.

Near the end of his meandering philippic, he vents his spleen on those of us who take to two wheels.

Cyclist, I have no problem sharing the road with you. But, at least go the fucking speed limit posted or get off the road!!! That is a feasible request. Livestrong you fraudulent assholes.

How surprising that a former cop wouldn’t understand our right to the road. Then again, he was fired before the LAPD released its groundbreaking bike training video for its officers.

I guess we should just be glad that we didn’t make it onto his high-value target list.

But he’s not completely irrational. He does call for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammo clips.

You know, to keep them out of the hands of people like him.

And Streetsblog notes that coverage of the story shows the need for a separated bike lane in front of LAPD headquarters.

Thanks to Erik Griswold and Jim Lyle for the heads-up.

………

Still no follow-up from Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus about the complaint I filed this week, following Monday’s close call in which I found myself sharing a bike lane with a speeding bus.

Despite leaving my phone number when I filed the complaint, as well as leaving it on the voice mail of their head of security, I’ve heard absolutely nothing from them. Which is even more disturbing since the woman I spoke with refused to view my video of the incident or take down a link to the video, saying they have their own cameras on every bus.

Maybe so.

But they don’t have anything that shows it from the perspective of a bike rider who came less than two feet from getting run down by a driver who should never have come close to the bike lane. Let alone passed me with two wheels inside it.

Kind of makes me wonder if they just don’t give a damn.

But we’ll see.

………

Bike Portland say new LACBC board member April Economides is bringing bicycling to business. L.A. wants your help to eradicate wheel-grabbing storm drain covers. New parklets open up on Spring Street next to the semi-green bike lanes; one features stationary bikes so you can pedal in place while other people ride by. They’re not the first ones in L.A., though. CD 11 candidate Mike Bonin promises to keep building out the district’s bicycle network if he’s elected. Flying Pigeon hosts its monthly Spoke(n) Art Ride this weekend. Training tips for this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Wolfpack Hustle Marathon Crash Race; nothing about chugging green beer at the finish line, though. USC’s first feeble stab at accommodating — or perhaps channeling — bikes gets mixed reviews; the school’s Neon Tommy looks at the proposed My Figueroa project. Learn how to track ride with an intensive six-week course at the Encino Velodrome. Turns out there’s a city election in WeHo next month, as well; at least one candidate charges they’ve neglected East West Hollywood. A badly decomposed body is found next to the San Gabriel River bike path; why are bike paths such popular places to dump bodies? CLR Effect interviews an Irish rider with the local Full Circle Cycling team. Boyonabike reviews City Cycling.

The 15th annual Tour de Palm Springs rolls this Saturday. A cyclist is injured in a collision on the Coast Highway in Corona del Mar, but apparently not badly. San Diego commits to making the city safer for cyclists; considering the high speed virtual highways that pass for surface streets, they have a long way to go. San Luis Obispo students conduct a mock trial in a fake hit-and-run case that left an imaginary cyclist injured. Yes, it’s illegal to run over a cyclist, no matter how much he or she may annoy you; you’d probably get away with it, though. San Francisco cab drivers are learning to make room for bikes. A Tracy cyclist is killed by a hit-and-run driver as he tried to get back on his bike after a fall.

Forget road diets, the goal is now right-sizing streets to create great public spaces. Oh how the mighty have fallen, as Lance is now the most hated athlete in America. Can Seattle have a successful bike share program with a mandatory helmet law? Denver offers cyclists a separated bike lane complete with bike boxes, green mixing zones and a special signal giving riders a head start on vehicular traffic at a dangerous intersection, yet local bike advocates say it’s not good enough; someone should tell them not to let the perfect be the enemy of the pretty damn effing fantastic. Even tiny Hays Kansas — population 21,000 — is getting a bike-friendly makeover. Des Moines plans to make the bikeable city even better. Bikes may use full lane, except in New York. A Louisiana driver kills a 14-year old cyclist while drunk, and a grand jury concludes it’s no big deal. Maryland cyclists oppose a proposed mandatory helmet law.

Uruguay tries to cut violence by trading bikes for guns. Evidently, life is cheap in London, as a driver gets a six month suspended sentence for carelessly killing a cyclist, but at least he won’t be able to legally drive for the next three years; on the other hand, his victim won’t ever drive again. A rising young British cyclist was killed after losing control and crashing into a stone pillar at 40 mph at a dangerous corner, which should have been fixed long before someone got killed. A UK truck driver attempted to delete the texts he was sending when he killed a 13-year old bike rider. Cycling deaths and serious injuries are headed the wrong way in the UK. A lawyer says a new bike superhighway could make things more dangerous for British riders. Current Tour de France champ Bradley Wiggins is voted Britain’s funniest celebrity. It’s hard to obey the cycling restrictions if you can figure out what the hell they are. Can Scotland copy the Netherlands success in cycling; then again, can anyone? Speaking of the Netherlands, the risk of death for Dutch riders over 80 is 80 times higher than for younger riders. A Kenyan pick-up driver disappears after a bike is crashed beyond repair in a collision; unfortunately, so was the person riding it. A new documentary charts the rise of the Rwanda national cycling team. A new national map of dooring spots is making waves in New Zealand. A Kiwi bike racer rides away from a terrible drug and gang-related past, including prison, molestation and the murder of his father.

Finally, Gotham insults don’t travel well when a young rider moves to the Midwest. And if your winter beard gets caught in your bicycle’s components, you’ve let it go too far.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Car vs Bike, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , , ,

Whole lot of linking going on — a hit-and-run presser, charges in SD, a bike celebration in Santa Monica

February 6, 2013 / / Comments Off on Whole lot of linking going on — a hit-and-run presser, charges in SD, a bike celebration in Santa Monica

L.A. authorities plan a press conference this Thursday to announce a person of interest in the hit-and-run death of bike rider Sergio Rodriguez last December.

Meanwhile, news finally comes out that San Diego is pursuing a vehicular manslaughter charge against Francis Henry Zegler, the driver who killed cyclist Chuck Gilbreth last April. The question is why it took a Freedom of Information request to learn that charges were filed last August.

Doesn’t the public have a right to know — especially in cases like this where there’s a genuine demand for justice within the cycling community?

So much for open government in our neighbor to the south.

………

Friends remember former surfer Jonathan Koontz, the homeless man killed in collision with another rider while riding or walking his bike on the Santa Ana River Trail last December.

The fact that he was homeless does not make this case any less tragic; that such a well-loved and promising person ended up on the streets just adds to the pathos.

………

Don’t miss the official grand opening of the new Ocean Park Complete Green Street in Santa Monica this Saturday. Doors open at 11 am with a review of the city’s Bike Action Plan and a look at plans for the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway, before a ride to nearby Ocean Park Blvd for the ceremony.

And did I mention there will be free food?

………

L.A. is becoming a bike town. Los Angeles approves the planned expansion of Universal Studios, which now includes a commitment to build a park and bike/pedestrian path, presumably an extension of the L.A. River bike path. Santa Monica plans to cut traffic by reducing parking. Will Campbell says Pasadena and Glendale have left Los Angeles in the bicycling dust. CLR Effect has a frightening story of a rider ignoring the warning signs of a heart attack until it was too late — and struck in the middle of a crit.

Cycling Unbound says better enforcement of traffic laws is a myth; sort of like the NRA’s argument that better enforcement of current laws is the sole solution to gun violence. Despite a highly concerned cycling community following the deaths of two bicyclists last year, the Newport Beach Bicycle Safety Committee is on hold while the city works to get its shit together renew its charter. People take precedence over cars in new plans for Solano Beach. Being blind doesn’t mean giving up bike racing — evidently, neither does heart surgery, kidney and pancreas transplants, broken bones or an amputated toe. Bay Area cyclists are looking forward to riding just halfway across the new Bay Bridge.

Bicycling says Cannondales’ Peter Sagan could be the new Eddy Merckx; how about just letting him be the first Peter Sagan? Under the heading of who really gives a rat’s ass, banned ex-Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong is told he can keep using Strava; no, seriously, I don’t give a whit. MSNBC host Chris Hayes joins the not-so-exclusive club of bike theft victims. A whopping 182 days in jail for a New Mexico man who killed a cross-country cyclist in 2010 while most likely drunk; he seems a little confused about which one was the victim but didn’t break the law by posting a hate-filled tantrum on his Facebook page. Denver man charged in the hit-and-run death of a cyclist walking his bike in the crosswalk tries to hang his own brother out to dry. Those Mormon missionaries aren’t any safer on their bikes than anyone else. Despite weather problems, last weekend’s world cyclocross championships were a success. As the world of Greg LeMond turns, he suffered a serious back injury after losing consciousness and crashing his car, he’s starting a new company focused on his indoor trainer, and still wants to run the International Cycling Union; not like it’s starting to seem like a soap opera or anything. A Manhattan lawyer is sentenced to three-and-third to ten years for critically injuring a cyclist while driving drunk in the Hamptons. DC’s newest bike lane is instantly co-opted for parking. A Washington cab driver causes a collision between cyclists, but police say it’s no one’s fault. Some people just don’t get it, as a DC area driver complains about law breaking cyclists — and the ticket he got for going nearly 50% over the speed limit. Shocking news, as a North Carolina cyclist rides a whole six miles — each way! — to school every day; yes, the boy should be applauded, but if our society had its priorities right, it wouldn’t be that big a deal. Yes, people like this really do drive among us. New Orleans bike lane more than triples the number of cyclists using the street. A Florida man is ticketed for riding he wrong way on a one-way street and failure to come to a complete stop, as an over-zealous deputy cracks down on the first-time rider in front of his own house. On the other hand, no hint of favoritism here, as Florida troopers fail to cite a truck driver they know for the death of a cyclist last September. A Myrtle Beach cyclist is punched with brass knuckles as he’s riding for no apparent reason.

An international adventurer concludes it’s better to bike 35,000 miles than walk 3,500. New cars could soon feature airbags to protect cyclists and pedestrians, or drivers could just, you know, stop running into us; thanks to Patrick Pascal for the heads-up. Buenos Aires builds new bike lanes in a bid for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. An Ottawa driver pleads guilty to running down a cyclist while probably very intoxicated, in front of police officers, moments after hitting several cars in a parking lot, with coke and oxycodone in the car. Make it safer for Brits to bike, and they will, but if ideas for better cycling infrastructure are ignored, nothing will change. Truckers consider changing delivery times in London to cut back on killing cyclists. A UK man loses his memory of his entire life and family following a cycling collision. Pro cyclist Johnny Hoogerland — the rider who won a worldwide following for continuing to ride after crashing through barbed wire — is seriously injured when he’s hit by a car while training in Spain. Drivers turn a new Dubai bikeway into a high speed raceway for overpowered cars. An angry Aussie driver hits a cyclist with a wooden pole, then goes back to his car and tries to run the rider over. A bizarre Australian study concludes that cyclists without helmets are more likely to ride drunk; a more reasonable interpretation of the data might lead to the conclusion that people who take risks are more likely to take risks. An Aussie father dealt drugs to fund his late cyclist son’s riding career; now the son’s home may be seized because it was purchased with drug money. Tokyo police plan to crack down on cyclists rather than the drivers who hit them. An artistic attempt to discourage Japanese cyclists from parking on the sidewalk. Shockingly, some cyclists break the rules, even in Singapore.

Finally, no, just no. And it’s technically illegal for women to wear pants in France unless holding handlebars or horse’s reins.

Or maybe you’d prefer a bike-riding kitty in a sombrero.

Category: General, Hit-and-Run, Legal Cases, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Yesterday’s ride, in which I nearly left a Big Blue load in my pants

February 5, 2013 / / 14 comments

Talk about scaring the crap out of a guy.

I was returning home from a quick ride along the coast, riding in the bike lane on eastbound San Vicente Blvd when I was Jerry Browned by a Santa Monica Big Blue Bus.

No warning.

I hear a large vehicle coming up on my left. And next thing I know, there’s a bus actually sharing the bike lane with me — without slowing down.

Not only did I not get a three-foot passing margin, thanks to our governor’s two-timing veto pen, but my position in the middle of the bike lane meant the bus passed me at less than an arm’s reach before I bailed to the right.

In a sense, I was never in any real danger; the whole thing was over and I was safe — scared to death, but safe — in less than a second, tops. But another foot or two to the right, and I might not be here now to complain about it.

And no, I haven’t filed a complaint with the bus company yet.

But trust me, I will.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bike Cam Video, Car vs Bike / Tags: , , , , , , ,

January was a good month, hero San Diego cyclist, Colorado bans bike ban and BMUFL comes to DTLA

February 4, 2013 / / 6 comments

Just a few quick notes to start the week.

………

There’s good news on the safety front, as January saw just two bike riders killed in the Southern California region.

While even one fatality is one too many, this is notable because January has been one of the worst months for cyclists over the past few years, with seven cyclists killed in 2012 and nine in 2011.

Maybe it was the unusually cold and wet weather that kept all but the most committed bike riders off the road for much of the month. Or maybe motorists are finally getting used to looking for riders sharing the road with them.

Or perhaps it’s just a fluke. Although it seems to have continued into the first weekend of February, when we were blessed with near perfect riding weather.

And that’s not to say that riders aren’t being injured; I’ve seen multiple reports of riders seriously hurt, both in collisions with vehicles and solo falls throughout the region.

But whatever the reason, let’s hope it continues. After the carnage of the last few years, with over 70 riders losing their lives in the seven county region each year — including unacceptably high fatality rates in Orange and San Diego Counties — we could definitely us a break.

Hopefully a permanent one.

Thanks to Eric Griswold and Ralph Durham for the heads-up.

……..

A San Diego cyclist is being hailed as a hero for rescuing a 14-month old toddler from the collision that killed his nanny.

The anonymous rider was one of the first people on the scene following the fatal collision, and noticed the child dangling from the straps of his stroller underneath the vehicle. So she freed him from the straps and pulled him away from the SUV, where he could get treatment for injuries including multiple fractures and a ruptured spleen.

Of course, it raises questions why police have not taken action yet when they say the driver ran a red light — in fact, she allegedly hit the nanny and child while they were walking with the light in the near crosswalk, pushing them across the intersection to the opposite crosswalk.

And initial reports indicated the driver said she looked up at the last moment and saw them in her path, which is about as close to a confession to distracted driving as you’re likely to see.

The SDPD has a reputation for blaming cyclists for collisions while ignoring violations by drivers. Let’s hope that doesn’t extend to pedestrians in this case.

Yes, there’s reason to show sympathy to the driver, who reportedly had just given birth herself in the previous 24 hours.

But maybe that’s why she shouldn’t have been on the road to begin with.

……..

Good news from Colorado, where courts have ruled that bikes cannot be banned by local governments.

The historic mining town of Black Hawk, which has sold its soul to legalized gambling in recent years, banned bikes from the only street connecting local highways. Effectively preventing riders from passing through the city, and blocking a long-popular riding route that I’ve taken myself many times before gambling was legalized in the area.

The reason the tiny, 100-resident town gave sounded almost reasonable, as they cited the high number of oversized tour buses on the narrow mining-era streets, saying it was in the riders’ best interest to avoid the area.

Even if they had to be forced to do so.

Of course, what that really translates to is that bikes slow down tour buses and make drivers actually pay attention, so let’s get them out of the way so gamblers can lose their money and fill city coffers that much quicker. And don’t even consider limiting the size of buses so they don’t pose as great a risk to humans who happen to be in the vicinity.

Fortunately, rational minds ruled on the state level, as the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that bicycles are a matter of state concern, and that local governments can’t ban bikes from any roadway unless there’s an alternate path available within 450 feet.

……..

Finally, hidden in the middle of that fisheye helmet cam grab blow is a blurry sign reading (Bikes) May Use Full Lane.

No big deal, really. Especially since it’s lost in the construction site at 7th and Figueroa in Downtown LA, where it’s unlikely to be seen by virtually anyone at the intersection.

But it’s the first one I’ve seen in the City of Los Angeles.

And hopefully, far from the last.

Bike May Use Full Lane Sign

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Pigskins and Pedals (Super Bowl) Sunday Funday Ride, a Brewery Ride and free Mountain Bike clinic

February 2, 2013 / / One comment

Bike Talk airs every Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

Bike Long Beach hosts Bike Saturdays every weekend; ride your bike to participating local shops and business throughout the city to get special offers and discounts.

A new support group is forming for people who have been involved in a bicycle collision. Everyone is welcome to share your experiences, gain insight and understanding into your emotional state and develop new coping strategies. The group will meet Saturdays from 11:30 am to 1 pm at 6310 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 401. Current LACBC members receive a discount. To learn more, contact Aurisha Smolarski at 323/203-1526 or email aurisha.smolarski@gmail.com.

Flying Pigeon will host their monthly Brewery Ride on Saturday, February 2nd, starting at 3404 N. Figueroa St and rolling three miles to the nearby Eagle Rock Brewery. The ride assembles starting at 6 pm, rolling at 6:30 and returning around 8:45 pm.

Develop your mountain biking skills on the first Saturday of every month as CORBA offers a free Introduction to Mountain Biking Skills Clinic at Malibu State Park. This month’s session takes place today, February 2nd, from 9 am to 1 pm.

The next LACBC Sunday Funday ride rolls this Sunday, February 3rd with the aptly named Pigskins and Pedals: A Sunday Funday Tour of L.A.’s Historic Football sites. Meet at the world famous peristyle entrance to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 3939 S. Figueroa Street, at 9:30 am, rolling at 10 am for a tour of the city’s pervious — and possibly forthcoming — Super Bowl sites. The ride is free for LACBC members and a guest; discount memberships are available at the start of the ride.

The UCLA Bike Coalition and the LA County Bicycle Coalition invite you to join in the West Area Community Ride – Ride Westwood! on Saturday, February 9th at 10 am for a fun community ride to showcase existing and future bike facilities in the Westwood area. Did I mention a light breakfast and lunch will be provided?

Caltech Bike Lab is hosting a pair of free bike repair classes on Saturday, February 9th at their location on East California Blvd in Pasadena; evidently, the actual street address is a closely guarded secret. Basic Bike Maintenance and Repair will be discussed from 11 am to 1 pm, with Advanced Repair: Bearing Assemblies (aka How to Make Your Wheels Go Faster!) from 3 pm to 5 pm.

Also on the Saturday the 9th, the East Side Riders Bike Club is combining their Ride 4 Love with a ride for social justice in honor of hit-and-run victim Benjamin Torres. The ride kicks off at 12:30 pm at W.L.C.A.C., 10950 South Central Ave, riding to the site where Torres was killed in Gardena, before riding on to Gardena City Hall and back to the starting point. Highly recommended for a great cause.

On Sunday, February 10th, the LACBC invites you to join in on the Ride Figueroa to explore and promote planned bike lanes on Figueroa and Colorado in North East L.A. The ride meets at 10:30 am, rolling at 11 am, at Greayer’s Oak Part at Figueroa and Marmion Way; followed by a candidate forum for Council District 1 to replace bike-friendly Councilmember Ed Reyes at 1 pm at Herrick Memorial Chapel Lower Herrick Room at Occidental College.

L.A. Planning and LADOT kick off a series of public hearing on implementing streets in the new bike plan with the Northeast LA Bike Lanes Public Hearing on Wednesday, February 13th from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at the Los Angeles River Center & Gardens, California Building, 11214 W. Exposition Blvd.

In an apparent attempt to increase divorce rates among cyclists, or possibly assuming that bike riders can’t get dates, L.A. Planning and LADOT will host the Central Area Bike Lanes Public Hearing on Thursday, February 14th — aka Valentines Day — from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at the Caltrans District 7 Building, Room 01.040, 100 S. Main Street Downtown.

Flying Pigeon isn’t the only group hosting brewery rides these days, as Brewcyclers provides a beer doubleheader with a ride to Brew-Ligion Brewhouse and Aftershock Brewing Co on Sunday, February 17th. The 30 mile loop kicks off at Brew-Ligion, 39809 Avenida Acacias in Murrieta at 8:30 am, rolling at 9 am.

Also on Sunday, February 17th, the Eastside Bike Club rides to Stan’s Bike Shop in Monrovia, recently purchased by Eastside bike advocate Carlos Morales. The slow, family friendly ride meets at the new parklet at 4910 Huntington Drive N, rolling at 10:30 am.

If you’re as tired of cyclists and pedestrians being left to bleed in the streets as I am, mark your calendar for Tuesday, February 19th when the LAPD reports back to the Police Commission on hit-and-run stats requested by the city council; the meetings usually take place at 9:30 am at the new, officially unnamed police headquarters across from City Hall at 1st and Main.

Stand up for bike lanes on the Westside as L.A. Planning and LADOT host the West Area Bike Lanes Public Hearing on Tuesday, February 19th from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at the Medina Parking Enforcement Office, 11214 W. Exposition Blvd at Sepulveda Blvd.

The Orange County Bike Film Festival screens from Wednesday, February 20th through Monday, March 11th; times and locations vary.

The series of bike lane public hearings wraps up on Thursday, February 21st as L.A. Planning and LADOT host the Valley Area Bike Lanes Public Hearing from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at the North Hollywood Regional Branch Library, 5211 Tujunga Ave in North Hollywood.

C.I.C.L.E. hosts the family-friendly Wild, Wild West Ride through Chatsworth on Saturday, February 23rd, in partnership with Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch Englander. The easy, eight-mile ride meets at the Chatsworth Depot Metrolink Station at 10 am, returning at 1:30 pm.

LACBC will host the city’s first Bike Prom from 8 pm to midnight on Saturday, February 23rd, at the American Legion Hall Post 206, 227 N. Ave 55 in Los Angeles. Similar events have been very popular in other cities, so this could be the bike social event of the year — get your tickets early.

Also on Saturday the 23rd, the annual L.A. Chinatown Firecracker Bike Ride will offer a 20-mile route along the LA River for families and casual riders, and a more challenging 30-mile on city streets for more advanced riders. The LACBC will provide a free bike valet.

The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition’s Civic Engagement Committee meets at 6:45 pm on the last Tuesday of each month. This month’s meeting will take place at Johnnie’s Pizza at Museum Square, 5757 Wilshire Blvd on Tuesday, February 26th; this will be the last meeting before the March elections. You don’t have to be an LACBC member to participate; email bikinginla at hotmail dot com to be added to the discussion list.

Registration is open for the 2013 UCLA Complete Streets Conference on Thursday, February 28th at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 120 South Los Angeles Street Downtown.

This should be a major party, as the infamous semi-official Wolfpack Hustle Marathon Crash Race takes place on St. Paddy’s Day, Sunday, March 17th, starting at 3:30 am at Tang’s Donuts, 4341 West Sunset Boulevard. Be sure to wear green — or better yet, ride a kelly green bike festooned with shamrocks and leprechauns.

Make your plans for the Malibu 7-Canyon Ride on Saturday, March 23rd with rides of 100 miles, 100 kilometers and 50 miles. The fully supported ride will begin at Zuma Beach, and pass through Latigo, Encinal, Decker, Mulholland, Little Sycamore, Yerba Buena and Deer Creek Canyons, with over 9,000 feet of climbing on the century ride.

Caltech Bike Lab teams with C.I.C.L.E. to offer a series of free defensive cycling classes; the next ones take place on Sunday, April 7th and Saturday, June 8th at Caltech Y, 505 S. Wilson Ave in Pasadena. RSVP to bike@cicle.org with the date you want to attend.

The Classic Gran Fondo San Diego rolls on Sunday, April 14th, starting and ending in the city’s Little Italy neighborhood. If you go, make sure your taxes are done first, since they’re due the next day.

The next CicLAvia rolls out on Sunday, April 21st from 10 am to 3 pm, following a new route from Downtown to Venice Beach — or as Yo! Venice! puts it, from Dogtown to Downtown — along Venice Blvd. Future events will follow Wilshire Blvd from Downtown to Fairfax on Sunday, June 23rd, before returning to an extended Downtown route on Sunday, October 6th.

Registration has opened for this year’s LA River Ride, to be held Sunday, June 9th, starting and ending in Griffith Park. If you haven’t done the River Ride, I highly recommend it; if you have, then what are you waiting for?

Category: Bike Events / Tags: , , , , , ,
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