It’s Election Day, so Bike the Vote, already; Block calls for Fountain Ave bike lane trial; and Metro bus lane parking enforcement

November 5, 2024 / / No comments
Just 56 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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If you haven’t already, get out and vote today; Streetsblog offers a list of election resources to help out.

And regardless of what some random guy on the internet told you, if your ballot isn’t at least postmarked by today, it won’t count. At least here in California; in other states, your mileage may vary.

Then get out on your bike, or take a walk, or bury yourself in your work until the polls close to distract yourself and preserve your sanity today.

Don’t forget that LA Metro is free today, including half-hour Metro Bike rides (use code 110524), to help you get to and from the polls, along with most other local bus systems.

Uber and Lyft are also offering half-priced rides to polling places. But only directly to and from the polls.

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West Hollywood city council candidate Larry Block calls for a short-term trial of protected bike lanes on Fountain Ave, to see if removing parking to install permanent protected bike lanes will work.

Which sounds reasonable, but will inevitably fail.

It takes time for drivers to adjust to any road change, let alone a major redesign involving the removal of parking spaces and a traffic lane on each side.

A pilot program of at least six months to a year could offer proof that the change will not result in the traffic and residential chaos opponents fear.

But anything less would just invite drivers to make temporary adjustments until the pilot project gets removed. Or just ignore it and embrace the chaos to force the hand of city planners.

Besides, concerns over similar projects are often overblown.

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Metro has begun using automated bus cams to issue warnings to drivers blocking bus lanes, which should help free up space for people on bicycles, too.

https://twitter.com/metrolosangeles/status/1853467376248820131

Chicago is starting bus lane enforcement this week, too.

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CicLAvia returns to the San Fernando Valley next month, with a route connecting Reseda and Canoga Park clearly designed for people afraid to make any turns on their bikes.

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It’s now 320 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 41 months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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Local  

Streetsblog visits the roughly 200-foot-long revamped and reconfigured Farragut Ave walkway in Culver City, which is often used as a shortcut by bicyclist, as well as walkers.

 

State

Calbike says California’s Daylighting Law will save lives, as the bill’s author follows up on the law that went into effect at the first of the year.

Worrying news from San Diego, where a 46-year old man suffered life-threatening injuries when he fell off an e-scooter.

San Diego natives might spot themselves riding in this throwback news video circa 1977.

A landmark agreement will finally allow a new ADA-compliant bike and pedestrian trail connecting Goleta and Santa Barbara.

The New York Times examines the great feud over San Francisco’s Great Highway, as residents vote today on whether to permanently close the coastal roadway, and turn it into a linear bike and pedestrian park.

 

National

A writer for Cycling Weekly says yes, flat bar gravel bikes are silly, but he’s into it now.

Leading used-bike retailer The Pro’s Closet is back, after two longtime employees agreed to assume the helm.

More on Denver bicyclists expressing their furor over the cancelling of a promised protected bike lane, as city leaders choose the convenience of curbside parking over protecting human lives.

A former Florida lawmaker is recovering from neck surgery after crashing her bicycle during a triathlon.

 

International

Cyclist reviews the best shoes for roadies.

Momentum highlights “hidden gem” bicycling routes for your adventure travel needs, including the United State’s Great Divide Mountain Bike Route; another two are US adjacent.

More proof life is cheap in the UK, as a cabbie walks without a single day behind bars for killing a 61-year old headteacher as he rode his bike to school, after the driver played the universal Get Out of Jail Free card by insisting the sun was in his eyes.

Vogue wants you to spend the fall at France’s bicycle-filled Île de Ré, offering over 60 miles of well-tended bike paths.

A New Zealand website says yes, you can travel without harming the environment, including on your bicycle. Just don’t leave your old tubes, CO2 cartridges or spent gel packs on the side of the road. 

Kiwi news site Stuff busts the top four myths about bicycling vacays.

ABC — no, the Australian TV network — says the bikelash is back, but this time it’s all about banning e-scooters.

 

Finally…

Apparently, Penny Farthings need parking, too. Now you, too, can build your own “dodgy” ebike made entirely of littered vape cartridges.

And not many people are aware that the ancient forebears of the modern bicycle lived in what is now Los Angeles during the Ice Age, as memorialized by these sculptures at the La Brea Tar Pits.

What.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Protected bike lanes preferred on PCH, road-raging footballers attack bike rider, and Pasadena makes best bike lanes list

November 4, 2024 / / 3 comments
Just 57 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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There may be hope for SoCal’s killer highway after all.

At least in Malibu.

According to the Malibu Times, a recent survey conducted by Caltrans showed that protected bike lanes were heavily favored over painted bike lanes by respondents, with one-way lanes on both sides slightly favored over two-way bike lanes.

According to Caltrans rep Ryan Snyder, California’s new law mandating Complete Streets on Caltrans projects requires bike lanes on the full stretch of highway through the ‘Bu.

“SB 960 mandates that we create bike lanes for the entire length of PCH in Malibu.” He said. “In what is often referredto as the 8 to 80 principle, we must adhere to the concept that bike lanes should be safe for any users between the ages of 8 and 80.  We propose that we build buffered/colored and/or protected bike lanes on Las Flores on the mountain side as well as between Las Flores Road and the Malibu Pier area and between the Pier area and the western city limits.”

Respondents preferred a landscaped median to other alternatives, while lane reductions and traffic circles are also under consideration to make space and slow traffic.

Photo shows Los Angeles demonstration demanding protected bike lanes.

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Evidently, getting cut from the football team following rape accusations wasn’t enough for a former University of Washington football player.

He had to follow it up with a road rage attack on a bicyclist.

In a case we’ve been following since March, the victim was riding his bike home after just learning about the death of his college roommate, when Tylin “Tybo” Rogers and his teammate, Diesel Gordon, began following him in their car, honking and yelling at him for the crime of simply being in front of them on the roadway.

The victim responded, as I probably would have, by flipping them off.

Rogers, who was already facing charges for the rape accusations, and Gordon then tried to hit him with their car, before getting out and chasing the victim down a stairwell.

That portion of the attack was captured on security cam video, which was released by investigators on Friday.

Gordon can be heard calling the victim a homophobic slur, then spits on him several times before Rogers shoves the victim to the ground. Rogers then hits him in the face with enough force to send his glasses flying, which he then stomps on.

Both players have pled guilty to misdemeanor assault — which is a gift under the circumstances.

They each face a maximum of just under a year in county jail, and a lousy $5,000 fine.

Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

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People For Bikes ranks the year’s best new bike lanes in the US.

None of which are in Los Angeles, of course.

However, Pasadena’s Union Street two-way protected bike lane comes in at a very respectable #6, which the magazine praises as a “cyclist-friendly corridor (that) connects key destinations and aligns with Pasadena’s commitment to sustainable transportation.”

The new 17th Street complex in Santa Monica was ranked 16th.

Maybe someday, a Los Angeles bike lane will once again make the exclusive list. But today is not that day, my friends

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It’s now 319 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 41 months 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.

Seriously? Residents of Queens are fighting a planned 16-mile bike path along the waterfront over fears it will turn the suburban area “into another bustling urban district” and attract scooter-riding bandits, amid the usual cries of “where are we going to put our cars?” I could make a suggestion.

An Ontario, Canada bicyclist says Provincial Premier Doug Fords plans to rip out bike lanes isn’t really about the lanes, it’s about bringing cancel culture to people who live differently from the rest; meanwhile, a Toronto columnist warns that Ford’s proposal is a trap.

A Scottish ebike rider says he suffers from PTSD and is scarred for life after he was run down by a road-raging driver and sent skidding 16 feet across the roadway; the driver was sentenced to a well-deserved 44 months behind bars for using his car as a “weapon.”

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

A British tabloid is appalled by the “shocking” moment a man on a Lime bike crashed into a small boy as he ran across a bike lane to get to a floating bike stop — before acknowledging the bicyclist did try to stop before hitting the kid, who darted out in front of of him.

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Local  

Culver City’s more conservative government continues to rip out the successful MOVE Culver City protected bike lanes, in an apparent effort to let drivers go “zoom, zoom!” to their heart’s content while returning the roadways to their previous dangerous state.

 

State

Sad news from San Jose, where a man has died 11 years after he was struck by a motorist while riding a bicycle in the city, and placed into long-term care; the victim was not publicly identified, and there’s no word on whether the driver ever faced charges.

Good question. Fast Company asks if San Francisco can’t turn coastal highway into into a linear park, who can?; the proposal to permanently close the 100-year old Great Highway faces a ballot measure Tuesday to keep it open.

A San Raphael lawyer and founder of an ebike advocacy group says he’s all in on ebikes, but there has to be restrictions on throttle-controlled electric motorcycles posing as bicycles.

 

National

Cycling Weekly considers what tomorrow’s presidential election means for bicyclists, before concluding it all really hinges on control of Congress.

A new product pledges to give you realtime bike tire PSI readings as you ride; evidently, a lot of people want it, because the Kickstarter campaign has raised more than $105,000 over the very modest $3,000 goal.

Bicyclists in Portland are calling for greater safety and accountability after two people were killed riding bikes in the same neighborhood on the same day.

Denver bicyclists took over a street to protest the city’s decision to backslide on a previously committed protected bike lane, after business owners protested the loss of a couple hundred parking spaces; the riders demonstrated the need for protection by lining the street with red solo cups marking out a bike lane, which were all run over within minutes.

Once again, a New York motorist has killed a bicyclist while fleeing from the cops, after a minivan driver fled a traffic stop and ran down a man in his 30s a few blocks away; NYPD cops are still looking for the hit-and-run driver.

Chappell Roan is one of us, going for a group ride with friends in New York, sans costume, prior to her Saturday appearance on Saturday Night Live.

How New Yorkers make room for their bikes in cramped apartments with no room for bikes.

Dockless bikeshare and e-scooter provider Lime says it’s ready for an IPO on the NYSE, once market conditions improve.

A 22-year old Florida man is back behind bars for stalking and shooting at a man driving away from a convenience store, just nine months after he was released on probation after killing another man in an argument over a bicycle when he was 17.

 

International

Bike Radar asks mountain bike brands why so many are getting into the gravel bike business. Short answer, because that’s where the money is. Longer answer, it’s the fastest growing category in the bicycle industry.

The Guardian’s Peter Walker says yes, speeding ebike riders are a menace, but the solution isn’t to kick bicycles into the roadway, as Birmingham, England considers banning all bicycles from the city’s pedestrianized streets — especially when the real problem is illegally souped-up ebikes belonging to food couriers.

A new UK government study shows that after taking a bicycle awareness course, driving instructors are less likely to believe that bike riders are “nuisances,” or that collisions are usually the bicyclist’s fault.

A Czech driver faces up to five years behind bars for allegedly fleeing the scene after running down a 42-year old man riding a bicycle, before returning to collect evidence of the crash, including the victim’s mangled bike wheel.

In this country, distracted drivers face a lousy ticket for using their phone behind the wheel; in Japan, distracted bike riders could face jail time for simply scrolling while pedaling. And don’t even think about biking under the influence, which could net you up to three years behind bars.

 

Finally…

Your next e-mountain bike won’t be a Yamaha, after all. American hit-and-run drivers often claim they hit a dog or a deer; Down Under, they claim it’s a kangaroo.

And mounting your exercise bike on a scooter does not a roadworthy vehicle make.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Time change means watch your ass next week, ebike rider killed in LA road rage shooting, and leave the car at home today

November 1, 2024 / / One comment
Just 60 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Thanks for your patience and understanding with this week’s absences, as I work through a number of seemingly unrelated health issues, which all seem to be coalescing at the same time. 

And trust me, it ain’t fun. 

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Don’t forget that Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday.

Which not only means you have to reset your clocks once again for no apparent reason, but it will also get dark an hour earlier the next time you ride.

So be sure to have a light on your bike if you plan on riding after sunset. And it can’t hurt to carry an extra light set with you on daylight rides, just in case something keeps you out on the road longer than planned.

It also pays to remember that the days after a time change are among the most dangerous for traffic collisions, so ride defensively for the next several days.

Not that you don’t, but still.

Photo from Pixabay.

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Sadly, this is who we share the road with, too.

Our worst fears were realized when authorities confirmed that the victim in Tuesday’s fatal shooting of an ebike rider was killed in an apparent road rage attack.

Police arrested the suspect, 50-year old Marvin Magana, after Magana turned himself in for killing 43-year old Jorge Guerrero Hurtado Tuesday afternoon, as well as another woman who was shot and killed in her car hours later.

Hurtado was riding on the 900 block of South Victoria Avenue in the Mid-Wilshire area of Koreatown when Magana allegedly knocked him off his bike with his car around 4:20 pm, then shot him five times as he was on the ground.

He died at the scene.

There’s no word on what may have led to either murder.

Magana is being held on $3 million bond.

Or make that $6 million bail, as he waits a December arraignment on two counts of murder, along with gun use allegations.

So much for the myth that the DA doesn’t ask for cash bail anymore.

The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to call the LAPD’s West Bureau Homicide office at 213/382-9470, or 877/LAPD-247.

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If you’re going to the Dodger’s World Series victory parade in DTLA this morning, leave your car at home and ride your bike or take Metro.

And leave the damn guns and fireworks at home, too.

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It’s now 316 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 41 months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

Meanwhile, the San Diego Union Tribune reports that Pedal Ahead, the San Diego nonprofit selected to operate the program, is facing multiple investigations, including at least one possible criminal count.

But they apparently think only San Diego residents could possibly be interested in the story, hiding the story behind a paywall for subscribers only.

Or maybe they think people in Santa Monica, Sausalito or Sacramento will want to pay for the paper just to get one lousy story if they lock it away from everyone who might possibly be interested.

Yeah, that’ll work.

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

Life is cheap in Florida, where a road-raging St. Pete Beach fire captain got off with a gentle caress on the wrist for attempting to run down a bike rider who had gone up onto a raised median to escape him, then got out of his truck to push the victim a couple times; he walked without a day behind bars, with just a lousy $2,000 fine. But at least he apparently lost his job after his arrest.

Ontario, Canada Premier Doug Ford’s war on bikes is claiming it’s first casualties, after proposed legislation to put the provincial government in charge of local streets was amended to remove three popular Toronto bike lanes, which were installed to improve safety on some of the city’s deadliest streets.

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Local  

Metro is offering free transportation on all buses, trains and Metro Bikes for Tuesday’s Election Day; enter “1-Ride” at the Metro Bike kiosk, online or in the Metro Bike app to redeem a free ride, although a credit or debit card will be required.

A new bike and pedestrian bridge opened over the Pacoima Wash in Cindy Montañez Natural Park in San Fernando, after 14-year old Elias “Eli” Rodriguez died when he was swept away by rushing water in 2017.

Seriously? Los Angeles fitness influencer Joe Hicks is getting criticism after he and his wife posed for a photo with their kids on the bike path in Santa Monica, with only the kids wearing bike helmets.

 

State

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department is looking for witnesses who may have seen a driver strike a boy riding a bicycle at Las Posas Road and Temple Ave on Monday. Or rather, a “vehicle,” since the story doesn’t even mention if it had a driver. 

Bakersfield is asking for input on the city’s proposed Active Transportation Plan.

 

National

Momentum ranks the top ten bike commuting cities in the US, with Portland and Seattle coming first and second; surprisingly, Los Angeles makes the list a number nine, at an average of 9.5 miles per trip.

Bicycling says ebikes are real bicycles, and great for everyone. But they apparently don’t want anyone to know it, either.

The University of Washington will have to pay $16 million to the family of a man who’s now in need of round-the-clock care after crashing his bicycle while attempting to avoid a notorious speed bump, which had already injured five other bike riders. One of the biggest factors that determines fault and drives up settlements is whether someone knew about a problem, and failed to fix it.

Sad news from New York, where a 24-year old man was killed when the driver of a fire truck on an emergency call crashed into his bicycle as he rode in a painted bike lane.

New York City’s transportation department is developing a new code of conduct after a lawmaker crashed a recent meeting to loudly and aggressively oppose extending a popular bikeway.

A comic essay from the Washington Post asks — and answers — why so few women ride bikes, when they have long been a feminist symbol.

 

International

Your next cargo ebike could seat a family of five.

A London man forced the police’s hand by conducting his own sting operation after spotting his stolen bike for sale on a website.

Even workers with the National Health Service are complaining after an English  town severed a popular bike route to add more traffic lanes, just so drivers can go zoom zoom a little faster.

A British woman says she’s now at peace after completing a fundraising ride started by her father, after the 64-year old man died of a heart attack halfway through his ride down the length of the country.

Bike riders in the UK are accusing officials of making bicycling more dangerous, as cities throughout the country are banning people from riding their bikes through the city centers.

An Irish website offers tips on how to ride safely during the dark and wet winter. Most of which will apply wherever you are.

The Netherlands is facing calls to restrict fat ebikes, after the country sees 96 emergency room visits resulting from them in a single week.

Aussie cycling champ Rohan Dennis received a six-week delay in his trial for the death of his wife, former Olympic cyclist Melissa Hoskins, to give his lawyers more time to negotiate an apparent plea deal.

 

Competitive Cycling

A British man finished 249th in the country’s National Hill Climb Championship, but first in the hand-cycling category, as the first and only paracyclist to compete in the competition; he said afterward that he thought it would be harder.

Dutch pro Demi Vollering, the 2023 Tour de France Femmes champ, interrupted her hike through the Greek countryside to rescue a goat from a well. Yes, an actual goat.

 

Finally…

Nothing like hundreds of witches on bikes or sketching out a 69-mile skeleton with your bike to celebrate Halloween. That feeling when even the person who put it there calls the object chained to the fence a Lump of Shit in the Shape of a Bike.

And seriously, who doesn’t want their very own Wout van Aert cuddly toy?

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Move along, nothing to see here — killer migraine edition

October 30, 2024 / / No comments

My apologies once again.

I’ve been battling a sick migraine all week, which got exponentially worse Wednesday. After battling it all day, I’m giving up on working and will try to sleep it off.

Hopefully, we’ll be back on Friday to catch up on what we missed.

Category: General /

Ebike-riding man fatally shot in LA’s Mid-Wilshire neighborhood, and Streets For All voter guide for Tuesday’s election

October 30, 2024 / / 2 comments
Just 62 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Breaking news, as a man riding an ebike was fatally shot in LA’s Mid-Wilshire neighborhood Tuesday afternoon.

And that’s about all we know right now.

The victim was shot multiple times while riding in the 900 block of South Victoria Ave around 4:15 pm.

The shooters reportedly fled in a dark blue or purple sedan.

Police don’t yet know the identity of the victim, or any reason for the shooting. It’s also unknown if this was a case of road rage, or if the shooters may have known the victim.

Hopefully, we’ll learn more as the investigation moves forward.

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It’s now 314 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 40 months 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.

More fallout from Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s war on bike lanes, as one site says the bill to restrict them contradicts experience, science and safety, and another says it’s just taking the province backwards.

The owner of an Oxford, England “ultra-low emission courier company,” aka a cargo bike delivery firm, warns that bicyclists and drivers are “warring factions, shaking angry fists and hurling expletives at each other.”

Damn. A Japanese truck driver turns himself in after the “worst close pass ever,” as he’s shown on video nearly brushing a bike rider — and somehow, commenters still find a way to blame the guy on the bike.

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

Dockless Lime bikes are accused of being a “constant menace” to London cabbies due to the “totally selfish actions” of riders. Because we all know cab drivers go out of their way to share the road and show consideration for other road users. 

A Singapore resident questions why bicyclists continue to ride on the city’s elevated bridges, despite clearly displayed signs telling them to dismount. That’s easy. Dismounting and walking is inconvenient, time-delaying and more difficult than riding, especially with cleats — even if it is rude.

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Local  

Streets For All offers their voter guide for Tuesday’s election.

Streetsblog takes a look at Westwood’s new Broxton pedestrian plaza.

The Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering will host a community meeting to discuss filling a gap on the LA River bike path through the San Fernando Valley tonight.

 

State

A Fresno bike rider was hospitalized with unknown injuries after they were struck by an undercover cop in an apparent unmarked vehicle.

No shit. San Francisco Streetsblog’s Roger Rudick says the local cops need to stop mindlessly exonerating killer drivers, arguing the hypocrisy shown in investigating two recent crashes is astounding.

Sad news from Oakland, where a 44-year old Emeryville man was killed when he apparently crashed his bike into a guardrail.

More sad news, this time from Cloverdale, where an 11-year old boy was killed  in a freak accident when he fell off his bicycle, and his handlebars hit his stomach.

 

National

Inertia rates the year’s best e-cargo bikes.

A new study published in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine shows that riding a bicycle over the course of your lifetime can result in a significant decrease in knee pain and osteoarthritis. It worked for me; I was told I needed a knee replacement nearly 30 years ago, and was able to put it off for another 25 years. 

Tariffs on ebikes have almost always “raised consumer prices and hurt sales.”

Police in Texas are on the lookout for thieves who stole a U-Haul truck, and used it to make off with $60,000 worth of ebikes from a New Braunfels bike shop.

 

International

Momentum lists their top urban bikewear and bicycling gear finds for the fall season, along with the best upright commuter bikes.

Momentum also examines “amazing examples” of bicycling solutions from cities around the world. None of which can be found in Los Angeles, or anywhere else in North America.

Topping off our Momentum trifecta, or rather quadfecta, the magazine notes seven reasons bicycles are perfect for the 15-minute city.

The Alpecin Cycling WorldTour team says you really should try riding gravel.

A Norwegian master’s student attempts to quantify the impact large transportation infrastructure like railways or highways have on bicyclists, a phenomenon known as the barrier effect.

Velo highlights the best gravel bikes from the Bespoked Dresden show, including one with a frame made entirely of wood.

 

Competitive Cycling

The stages were announced for next year’s Tour de France, including a stage up the “evil” Mont Ventoux; IDL Pro Cycling says the new route gives hope to cyclists not named Pogačar, Vingegaard or Evenepoel.

The longest ever edition of the modern Tour de France Femmes was also announced, featuring the Col de Joux-Plane and a “brutal” Col de la Madeleine summit finish.

 

Finally…

Why just ride a bike when you can peddle your way to the America’s Cup? Your next golf cart could be a funky three-wheeled ebike.

And why trip over your bike when you can levitate it?

Thanks to Steven for the link.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Fed grant to close gap in Chandler path, UK groups issue bike manifesto, and coyotes absolved for biting Irvine boy

October 29, 2024 / / One comment
Just 63 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Good news for San Fernando Valley bike riders.

US Representative Tony Cárdenas presented Los Angeles officials with a ceremonial check for $650,000 to help close a 2.7-mile gap between the Chandler Bike Path and Orange Line Bike Path.

The federal grant will help create a continuous 20-mile-long combination of protected, separated and offroad bikeways between Chatsworth and Burbank.

Thanks to Lionel Mares for the heads-up.

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Yes, please.

An alliance of the five largest providers in the UK’s cycle to work program has issued a manifesto to advance the country’s bicycle community.

The Manifesto for Cycle Commuting outlines a series of strategic proposals based on exclusive data commissioned through YouGov, including:

  • Enhanced safety measures: Urging the Department for Transport to include the needs of cyclists in its new Road Safety Review.
  • Improved infrastructure: Advocating for long-term funding to build safe and accessible cycling routes.
  • Expanded scheme access: Encouraging policy changes to include low-income earners and the self-employed in the Cycle to Work Scheme.
  • Support for e-bikes: Promoting the use of e-bikes as a key solution for older and long-distance commuters, while countering misconceptions about their safety.

Maybe we need to do the same thing over here.

Okay, no maybe about it.

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Last week, we mentioned a a ten-year old Irvine boy who was reportedly bitten by a coyote while riding his bicycle on the way to school.

Now comes word that no coyote DNA was found on his clothing, suggesting that he was probably bitten by your basic, garden variety stray dog.

Thanks to Don Sanders for the heads-up.

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We keep saying it. Bikes are good for business.

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So that’s where “war on cars” came from.

Figures.

Meanwhile, a Canadian news site suggests the Ontario premier’s attack on bike lanes could be a smokescreen for more highway building.

A Toronto writer accuses Premier Ford of making life more dangerous for the city’s delivery riders.

And a writer for Canada’s conservative — small C — National Post says the left is losing the battle over bike lanes, “as it should,” because traffic flow is what matters most.  Bicycling is neither liberal or conservative, but should be a viable option for anyone, regardless of political leanings.

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Evidently, killing one of us just once isn’t enough for some drivers.

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It was man against machine Saturday, as Mathieu van der Poel defeated multiple world rally champion Sébastien Loeb in a head-to-head matchup.

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It’s now 313 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 40 months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

While we can’t manage to get such a simple program off the ground, the UK’s Cycle to Work Program has helped over 2 million people buy bicycles to commute to their jobs, with much more to come.

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

Talk about not taking a crime seriously. Three Portland men face charges of charges of fourth-degree assault and reckless endangering for boobytrapping a bike path by stringing a spiderweb of wires across it, injuring a woman who unknowingly rode her bike into it. Maybe someday, someone, somewhere will actually prosecute people like that on terrorism charges for deliberately attempting to harm innocent people simply because they don’t like bikes.

No bias here. A conservative — again, small C — New York councilmember instructs everyone to be civil at a public meeting to to discuss a proposed bike lane, before nearly igniting a brawl by standing on a chair and shouting that opponents of the greenway should pick up and leave because their opinions wouldn’t be counted, before storming out.

No bias here, either. A Conservative — capital C — English councilor was criticized for a “reprehensible” rant arguing that “Lycra louts” who ride in the roadway instead bike lanes, which are often blocked or somehow substandard, deserve to suffer the consequences.

It’s a well-deserved three years and eight months behind bars for “very enraged” British motorist who deliberately rammed a 67-year old man off his bicycle, resulting in “serious, severe and long-lasting” injuries; he will also be banned from driving for nine years. Let’s hope drivers take license suspensions more seriously over there than they are here.

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

A Vietnamese website asks whether the problem of people bicycling on prohibited roads can ever be solved, arguing that “people disregard the law and ride bicycles on prohibited roads is considered an act that poses a risk of serious traffic accidents.”

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Local  

This is who we share the road with. A boy riding a minibike was killed in a hit-and-run after laying down his motorbike in a Koreatown intersection and getting struck by a driver, who fled the scene.

 

State

Calbike celebrates their 30th anniversary, while acknowledging that their work for safety isn’t finished.

Sad news from Berkeley, where an unconfirmed comment reports a bike rider was killed in a solo crash. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

An Amazon delivery driver was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run crash that left a 14-year old Castro Valley boy with minor injuries, and “demolished” the front wheel of the boy’s bike. However, the CHP didn’t seem very interested.

San Francisco unveiled a one-block long protected bike lane directly in front of city hall, while leaving the rest of the street what Streetsblog’s Roger Ruddick calls a “shit show.” Which is pretty much the definition of putting lipstick on a pig. Unless you’re into that sort of thing, of course. 

More sad news, as a 20-year old man was killed when he was run down by the driver of a semi while riding his bicycle in a Sacramento industrial neighborhood.

Megan Lynch also points to a Davis sidewalk to demonstrate how badly some sidewalk dining areas are done, leaving almost no room to get by — let alone walk a bike.

 

National

Turning old mountain bikes into new cargo bikes.

A writer for Cycling Savvy demonstrates how to tigger a vehicle detector embedded in the roadway. Which can be pretty damn complicated sometimes.

Bicycling offers the health benefits of riding an ebike. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t seem to be available anywhere else, so you’re on your own if the magazine blocks you. 

In yet another Arizona bicycling mass casualty event, a 21-year old Tempe was busted for crashing into a group of bicyclists, sending three people to the hospital. Although the three misdemeanor counts will likely result in a slap on the wrist, if that.

A couple of Arizona universities are collaborating on creating a virtual dashcam for bicycles, replacing the handlebar plugs with a camera and sensors to detect any vehicle passing within three feet, offering an audio/visual warning for the rider, as well as recording a video to capture the license plate of the vehicle, with a time and location stamp.

Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, the pistol-packing former bar owner kicked out of a “Beetlejuice” musical for getting too frisky with her date, is now taking aim at bicycling, inserting a provision in a GOP bill to remove the bicycling benefit for Dept. of the Interior staffers who bike to work.

A New York state judge put the brakes on a planned bike lane through an NYC industrial zone, after businesses along the route accused the city of bypassing a required environmental review.

 

International

Couldn’t have said it better myself. “If you design a city just for cars, you fail everyone, including the drivers.”

Oops. Evidently, the exact movements of world leaders — including Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris — can be tracked by the Strava apps of their bodyguards.

Momentum argues that bicycling delivers the freedom that cars can only promise.

Tragic news from Scotland, where a former rugby star died of a heart attack, just one day after completing a 1,000 mile fundraising ride; Ken MacAulay raised the equivalent of more than $18,000 for four different charities. He was 66.

She gets it. An Irish public health physician says we have to “wean ourselves off our love of large, fossil fuel-burning cars” if we’re going to meet climate and traffic safety goals.

Momentum says the Paris Olympics bicycle revolution offers lessons for Los Angeles, as well as other cities around the globe.

Even in the Netherlands, two out of five people are bothered by blinding bike lights. Which is why I angle mine down so they don’t shine in people’s eyes.

A star-struck Chinese man rode his bicycle over 8,000 miles from China to Saudi Arabia to meet soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for all of one minute.

 

Competitive Cycling

Tragic news from British Columbia, where 41-year old two-time provincial cyclocross and national track champ Lindsay Burgess was killed in a collision with a pickup driver, who apparently strayed onto a poorly marked cycling race course.

A new documentary shows the reaction in the peloton when Mark Cavendish broke the record for most Tour de France stage wins.

Radio France questions the dominance of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard, implying something fishy is going on, since neither was outstanding as a junior cyclist.

A writer for Cycling Weekly questions where the country’s next generation of cyclists will come from if the Tour de France is no longer broadcast on free TV. Probably the same place they do on this side of the pond.

Velo offers the “ultimate” guide to this year’s gravel racing season.

Velo also says at 6’7″, NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller is breaking the cycling mold, which only motivates him to try harder.

 

Finally…

If you’re going to steal a bicycle in broad daylight, always wear a bike helmet so people will think it could be yours. Now you, too, can be replaced by AI — even on your bicycle.

And no, there’s nothing new about road rage or fighting over bikeways.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

50-year old man killed in DUI collateral damage crash while walking bicycle in Rialto; 2-year old boy suffers minor injuries

October 28, 2024 / / No comments

Another day, another bicyclist killed in the Inland Empire.

According to KTLA-5, a man walking his bicycle in Rialto was collateral damage in a crash between two drivers — including one who was under the influence.

“Preliminary information indicates the female driver of the Dodge Caravan was driving southbound on Riverside Avenue and was turning left to go east on Etiwanda and failed to yield, [leading] the black Audi to collide with the Caravan,” Sgt. Smith confirmed to KTLA. “[The collision] caused the Caravan to go onto the northeast corner of the sidewalk, striking the pedestrian.”

The collision occurred around 6:26 pm Sunday at the intersection of Etiwanda Ave and Riverside Ave in Rialto.

The victim, identified only as a 50-year old man, died after being taken to a hospital.

A two-year old boy who was riding in the Audi with his father was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, as was the 32-year old driver of the other vehicle; police planned to arrest her for DUI upon her release.

The station oddly notes that the victim’s bicycle did not appear to have suffered significant damage.

Just the person who had been walking it.

This is at least the 45th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Move along, nothing to see here

October 27, 2024 / / No comments

My apologies. I’m not feeling well tonight, so no new post for Monday.

Hopefully, we’ll be back tomorrow.

Category: General /

Bike rider killed by hit-and-run driver in Riverside Saturday; 16th SoCal bicyclist killed in hit-and-run this year

October 27, 2024 / / One comment

Once again, someone riding a bicycle in Southern California has run down by a heartless coward, and left to die in the street.

This time in Riverside.

According to My News LA, the victim was struck while riding on Streeter Ave just north of Lantana Street around 7:55 pm Saturday.

The bike rider, who has not been publicly identified, died at the scene.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know right now. There’s no word on how the crash happened, or any description of the suspect vehicle or the person responsible.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Riverside Police Department at 951/826-8720, or email RMcHugh@RiversideCA.gov.

This is at least the 44th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in Riverside County; however, it appears the first one in the county since early May.

Sixteen of those SoCal deaths have been hit-and-runs.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and their loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Broxton ped plaza soft opening this weekend, and promise of carfree LA Olympic plan short on time and money

October 25, 2024 / / No comments
Just 66 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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The bouncing baby pedestrian plaza on Westwood’s previously nearly useless Broxton Ave is having a soft opening this weekend, apparently ahead of the official opening at some undetermined date in the future.

Rendering from Westwood Village website. 

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Evidently, the Los Angeles Times doesn’t buy the city’s promise of a carfree 2028 Olympic any more than the rest of us, politely noting it’s running short of time and money.

Which is putting it mildly.

Local officials have a litany of projects they want to complete ahead of 2028, including adding charging infrastructure and improving Metro stations close to venues, but so far attempts to secure federal funds have been hit-and-miss.

The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s $3.3-billion list of projects needed to make the Games run smoothly is 5.2% funded. If the money doesn’t come through soon, transit planners predict some critical projects may be scuttled — making it tougher for visitors and commuters to get around town.

Los Angeles has just four years to build the bus lanes, bike lanes and sidewalks necessary to move the hundreds of thousands of tourists likely to arrive for the Games.

And doesn’t even have a final list of the venues where it will take place. Let alone a plan for how to get it done, or the funding to do it.

Which just adds to the city’s long and ever growing list of transportation promises made and not kept.

Or have you forgotten all about Vision Zero and Garcetti’s Transportation Green New Deal? Not to mention the 2010 bike plan, and every failed bike plan that proceeded it.

This city is great at making transportation promises.

But keeping them, not so much.

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Santa Monica bicyclists will now enjoy concrete protection from motor vehicles and the people driving them on 26th Street.

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It looks like Culver City’s shortsighted and auto-centric decision to rip out the MOVE Culver City protected bike lanes could cost it nearly half a million bucks.

Oops.

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A new short film explores how Taiwan’s Liv Cycling came to be the world’s leading women’s bicycling brand.

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It’s now 310 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 40 months 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.

A Seal Beach cop had to inform a “well intentioned” letter writer that California bike riders aren’t required to licensed and/or registered, which would take a significant change in state law. And requiring big black license numbers to be painted on little kids bike helmets would be just a tad problematic, for a number of reasons.

No bias here. A Tucson, Arizona woman was killed in a hit-and-run as she rode her bike at 3:30 am, yet the cops somehow decided it was her fault for making an unsafe turn, even though they haven’t talked to the driver because they don’t even know who the hell killed her. Then again, what else would they expect on a road named Speedway?

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Local  

Seriously? The Beverly Press reports in detail on last week’s Fountain Ave protest demanding a halt to the plans for a lane reduction and protected bike lanes on the West Hollywood street. But somehow apparently failed to notice the larger demonstration held at the same time supporting them.

 

State

Calbike considers the state of protected bikeways, ten years after the Protected Bikeway Act of 2014 was passed by the legislature.

A San Francisco woman was collateral damage when she was struck by a driver being chased by the cops while riding her bicycle; the driver abandoned the car after hitting her and fled as a passenger in another vehicle, while a third driver drove off in the abandoned car, and was arrested after crashing into a building. I’d say this is yet another example of an innocent person being injured as a direct result of a police chase, but I’m still trying to figure out what the hell happened.

A Streetsblog guest post considers how the San Francisco mayoral candidates stand on safe streets. Hopefully on the curb.

 

National

Bicycling unveils their Gear of the Year for 2024, offering over 100 of the best bicycling components, clothing, devices and tools. Read it on AOL this time if the magazine blocks you. 

A new Chicago report shows the city’s investment in traffic calming and bike/ped safety measures has resulted in a 27% drop in traffic deaths since 2021.

After police recovered a bicycle stolen from a Walmart in upstate New York, the store fixed it up and donated it to a local high school student instead of selling it.

Philadelphia has finally gotten around to making it illegal to stop in bike lanes, which had been allowed for up to 20 minutes. And somehow, the decision is bizarrely considered controversial.

A Miami man has been sentenced to life for the “cold-blooded murder” of a 48-year old man on the city’s Rickenbacker Causeway, shooting the victim to death after knocking him off his bike with a motorcycle, as he rode in a peloton with his cycling club.

 

International

A longtime British Columbia bike rider patiently explains why a bicyclist could be in the way of your car, from cars parked in the bike lane to roads designed to be shared, speed differential be damned.

They finally get it. The Toronto Star changed a headline that initially read “Residents, cyclists clash at Etobicoke bike lanes meeting” to reflect the fact that people who ride bicycles are residents of the city, too.

A British appeals court is allowing a lawsuit challenging cuts to bike funding in England to move forward, saying the case, which could establish sustained, longterm funding for bicycling in the country, has a real chance of success.

Disgruntled motorists are calling a new Cambridge, England roundabout an obscene, chaotic and distracting “birthday cake” marked by 36 traffic lights, colored panels and bike lanes, but bike riders say it’s finally safe to ride.

It takes a major lowlife to steal bikes from a UK children’s bicycling club.

The British government has launched a new campaign urging consumers to “Buy Safe, Be Safe” when it comes to purchasing an ebike, saying if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

The city of Fukuyama, Japan is urging the country to recognize a scenic 20-mile bike route through Hiroshima Prefecture as a new National Cycle Route, adding to the six currently running through the country.

 

Competitive Cycling

Both road cycling and mountain biking have been kicked out of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, held every four years between British Commonwealth countries, as a cost-cutting measure; fortunately, track cycling events will still be held since that’s presumably cheaper.

 

Finally…

Well, who hasn’t been hogtied to a quad bike by an angry farmer while trying to retrieve your ebike? Or attempted to make the jump from snooker champ to Ironman competitor?

And yes, it is possible to live carfree in San Diego for a whole year.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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