Morning Links: Introducing LA’s Peace Bicycles, Giro starts today, and don’t ride with a pellet gun in your pants

May 5, 2016 / / 4 comments

The May BikinginLA LACBC Membership drive is now up to eight new members of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, with just 92 more to go before the end of this month. So sign up now and let’s get this into double figures today.

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I’m a firm believer in supporting SoCal bike businesses.

Which is why I want to take a moment to introduce you to LA-based Peace Bicycles, makers of some pretty good looking seven-speed Dutch-style city bikes, in both step through and straight bar models.

The step through is available in your choice of colors, while the non-step through version, like the Model T, appears to come in any color you want, as long as it’s black.

Although I particularly like the fact that you can get it in a fully loaded commuter package, complete with panniers, lights and a cup holder.

european-commuter-bikes-1

peace-bicycles-buy-bikes-4-

And a portion of every sale goes towards buying a bike for someone in need.

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Sad news, as 21-year old Dutch cyclist Gijs Verdick suffered a pair of heart attacks while in Poland for a race, leading to brain damage from a lack of oxygen.

Bleacher Report previews the Giro d’Italia, which starts today with a time trial, while a Canadian sportswriter calls it bike racing’s ultimate test. Unfortunately, the Amgen Tour of California starts just one week later, weakening the field for both races.

Bicycling Magazine highlights six tour packages to see the Tour de France.

Ironman will now start checking triathletes’ bikes for signs of motor doping. When they find hidden motors in their Speedos, it will really be time to worry.

A German Paralympic cyclist hopes to compete in Rio using a 3D-printed prosthetic leg.

And maybe race motos have a purpose after all; a new study shows three of them following ten inches off your wheel cuts drag as much as 14 per cent.

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Local

Caught on video: CiclaValley and friends get buzzed on Nichols Canyon.

Richard Risemberg says LA doesn’t need a bike month when we can ride the other eleven months as well, but as long as we have one, you might as well enjoy it.

Evidently, it’s a crime to ride your bike in Sherman Oaks with a pellet gun stuffed in your pants. Or maybe just really stupid.

Culver City Walk ‘n Rollers will host a Kidical Mass Fun Ride on May 15th. Isn’t there something else happening that day?

Pasadena police bust a thief after reports of a suspicious person stealing a bicycle, catching him with the stolen bike in a stolen car filled with stolen property.

More than 50 Glendale elementary school students rode their bikes on Bike to School Day, accompanied by members of Bike Walk Glendale.

 

State

Like Santa Monica’s recent crackdowns, Newport Beach police will be on the lookout for traffic violations that threaten the safety of cyclists and pedestrians on Saturday and Wednesday.

It takes a real schmuck to flee the scene after running down a Goleta teenager riding his bike to school — on Bike to School Day, no less; fortunately, he only suffered minor injuries.

San Francisco installs a new bike barometer to count cyclists on Valencia Street, to go with one already installed on Market Street, and two more on the way.

Oakland drivers can’t seem to figure out the new parking protected bike lanes on Telegraph Avenue. Then again, Cincinnati drivers still haven’t caught on after two years.

UC Davis students vote bicycling as the best form of transportation.

Oroville police are able to bust a bike thief off Craigslist because the victim’s parents had recorded the serial number. You can register your bike for free with Bike Index right here, including serial number and photos.

 

National

No surprise here. A new study shows bike riders absorb up to twice as much pollutants when riding in urban traffic than in low traffic or off-street routes.

Lifehacker offers a practical guide to biking in the city, while saying being too cautious on the road can be dangerous.

People for Bikes says the overly graphic Phoenix bike safety novels and Playmobil bike crash play set send the wrong message to kids. Gee, you think?

A much smaller Livestrong adjusts to life without Lance.

Forget riding across the US; an Ohio man ended his 8,300 mile ride around the perimeter of the US in Portland on Tuesday, raising over $16,500 for Habitat for Humanity.

Equestrians often blame bike riders for damaging trails; a group of Oregon horse riders prove it goes both ways.

No charges in the Boulder CO crash that seriously injured former pro cyclist Phil Zajicek this past March, as police determine the driver wasn’t at fault and decline to ticket Zajicek for crossing onto the wrong side of the road while descending. Evidently, they think the loss of his arm is punishment enough.

Denver will get new bike lanes and upgrades to existing ones, including a three-mile buffered bike lane and a green wave to keep riders from having to stop at red lights. Meanwhile, a Denver bike rider’s helmet is crushed when a bus door closes on it; he’s just grateful his head wasn’t in it.

A Cincinnati civil rights attorney rides his bike as a way of life.

Caught on video: A Tennessee bike rider can thank a 911 caller for saving his life; the caller was already on the phone with the 911 operator to report a near miss when a jerk in a pickup plowed into the rider and just kept going.

Things are getting better for Atlanta bike riders, though the city still has a long way to go.

 

International

If you build it, they will come. Vancouver has already exceeded it’s goal of a 7% mode share for bicycling by 2020 after building a network of protected bike lanes. Which shows what could happen here if LA ever gets serious about building a safe, connected network to get riders where they need to go.

After much debate, Toronto votes to install physically separated cycle tracks on a major street on a trial basis.

The head of Great Britain’s cycling organization resigns following accusations of sexism. Meanwhile, a writer for the Telegraph says without greater transparency, the scandal risks spreading to the country’s cycling team. Thanks to David Wolfberg for the heads-up.

A new theft-resistant bike light currently raising funds on Kickstarter is built into the handlebars, requiring someone to dismantle your bike to steal it. Which never stopped any committed thief before.

A London writer says ditch the Lycra because it’s bad for the soul and almost no one looks good in it. No one says you have to wear spandex, just as no one should tell you not to; what works for one rider and one type of riding doesn’t make it right or wrong for anyone else. So get over it, already.

Evidently not satisfied with merely running bike riders over, the head of Britain’s Ryanair says cyclists should be taken out and shot because bike lane construction interferes with parking his car. No, really. And at a conference sponsored by the US Embassy, no less. I’d say more, but I can’t figure out how to react to his comments without using words like “f***ing,” “twit” and “jackass.” Thanks to Erik Griswold for the link.

 

Finally…

Seriously, no matter how pissed off you get, don’t beat a driver and his car with your U-lock. Evidently, you can forget how to ride a bike, after all.

And if you’re going to steal a bike, make sure you wear shoes that will stay on — and leave the cocaine at home.

 

Category: Morning Links, The business of bikes / Tags: , , ,

Update: Cyclist killed riding wrong way in Lincoln Heights collision

May 4, 2016 / / 13 comments

Once again, riding on the wrong side of the road has claimed the life of a Los Angeles bike rider.

The Eastsider reports a bike rider identified only as a Latino man in his early thirties was hit and killed in Lincoln Heights early this morning.

The victim was riding south on Humboldt Street on the wrong side of the road when he was struck by a driver traveling north on Avenue 26 at 1:30 am. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

No other information is available at this time. The site notes the investigation is ongoing.

A street view shows an intersection with four lanes on 26th, with an offset crossing at Humboldt controlled by a stop sign.

While some people believe riding against traffic is safer because they can see cars coming, it’s actually one of the most dangerous things you can do. According to the LAPD, riding salmon is leading cause of serious bicycling collisions in many parts of Los Angeles.

In this case, the victim would have been hidden from view by the upholstery shop on the right side of the street, as well as any cars parked on the lot until the last moment — particularly if the vehicle was traveling at speed, which is likely given the hour. And the vehicle would have been hidden from his sight, as well.

This is the 36th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 12th in Los Angeles County; it’s also the third in the City of Los Angeles.

Update: The Eastsider has updated its story to identify the victim as 22-year old Los Angeles resident Giovanni Cali.

He was riding with a companion who saw the car and was able to avoid it; unfortunately, Cali did not see it in time. The driver remained at the scene, and was not under the influence.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Giovanni Cali and his loved ones.

Thanks to Patrick Pascal for the heads-up.

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

Morning Links: LA County pays $1.3 million in death of bike rider, and SD sailor faces hit-and-run charges

May 4, 2016 / / 2 comments

We’re now up to six new members of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition after day three of the BikinginLA LACBC Membership drive, with just 94 more to go to reach our goal by the end of this month.

So tell your friends, family and fellow riders to sign up now to give bike riders a greater voice in our local communities, and help make LA County a better place to ride a bike for all of us.

And get some great bike swag, too.

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LA County approves a $1.3 million settlement in the death of Alfonso Cerda, who was run down on his bike by overzealous sheriff’s deputies who mistakenly thought he might have a gun.

As Cerda’s son put it, “If he was on his bike he had a flashlight, his wallet, and that’s it — and his happiness.”

Note: The original story from KNBC-4 said the settlement was for $1.7 million, but later revised it to show the amount as $1.3 million. I have revised this piece to reflect that. Thanks to Opus the Poet for the correction.

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A Camp Pendleton sailor will face trial on felony hit-and-run and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges in the 2014 death of bike rider Philip White.

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Bike lawyer Bob Mionske says most cops are motorists and many see the world from a windshield perspective, which is why they often get the law wrong and blame the bicycling victims.

In a similar vein, New York bike advocates justifiably demand the NYPD stop automatically blaming the person on two wheels.

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Local

Streetsblog’s Sahra Sulaiman rides along with last Sunday’s third annual Unity Ride from Little Tokyo to Watts.

The publisher of the Jewish Journal says ebikes could be the best way to beat LA traffic.

The West Hollywood city council says no go to WeHoGo as the name for the city’s coming bikeshare system.

Alex de Cordoba shares photographic proof that people really are riding bikes in LA. Although someone appears to left their child locked to a Trader Joe’s bike rack.

Seriously, how stupidly car addicted do you have to be to drive away from a Van Nuys probation hearing about your double DUI license suspension?

 

State

The OC Register offers truncated results from Sunday’s Dana Point Gran Prix.

An Oceanside teenager was injured when he crashed into a truck while riding down a steep hill on a bike he’d just gotten hours earlier.

CiclaValley shares details of a recent ride through San Luis Obispo.

 

National

It’s National Bike to School Day. Bicycling Magazine offers advice on how to get your kid’s bike ready for the ride.

Portland’s Oregonian offers a beginner’s guide on how to ride to work. Thanks to Pedal Love for the link.

There’s something seriously wrong when a Seattle bike rider isn’t even safe on the sidewalk from man driving while high. Or maybe low, since he says he was on a depressant.

An Iowa driver faces up to 25 years in prison for running down a cyclist while driving at three times the legal alcohol limit.

Ohio AAA now offers road service for bike riders. So when will SoCal AAA get around to realizing that a lot of their customers ride bikes, too?

Is a possible $500 fine enough to stop Connecticut drivers from carelessly crashing into bicyclists and pedestrians? I didn’t think so.

What are New York bike lanes for? Evidently not bicycles.

A DC writer describes the life-changing magic of riding your bike to work. It’s worth the click just for the amazing illustration that accompanies the story.

A New Orleans man faces life in prison for shooting two teenage brothers after they allegedly pushed him off his bicycle; he called a friend to deliver the murder weapon he used in the shooting.

 

International

The Guardian gives tips on how to fix a flat, even if you don’t have tire levers. Or a spare tube. Or a patch kit.

An Amsterdam man invented bikeshare in the 1960s, even though it took decades to catch on, and his own city never embraced it.

Apparently not having injured enough cyclists, the disk brake trial may return to the pro peloton next month.

Add daydreaming to the list of motorists’ Get Out of Jail Free cards, as an Aussie driver walks after killing a cyclist because she just wasn’t paying attention.

China appears to have a love-hate relationship with ebikes.

 

Finally…

Nothing like coming wheelie close to a moving bus. If you can’t jack a bike, might as well steal a car instead.

And seriously, don’t head-butt the cop if you get stopped for reckless riding.

 

Category: Bikes & the Law, Legal Cases, Morning Links / Tags: , , ,

Morning Links: Adventures in crappy bike parking, and a plethora of open streets events coming your way

May 3, 2016 / / 2 comments

We already have five shiny new members of the LACBC on just the first full day of the first ever BikinginLA LACBC Membership drive. Which means there’s only 95 more to go to reach our goal of 100 new or renewing members by the end of this month.

So stop what you’re doing, and click on this link to join Southern California’s leading bicycle advocacy organization, and help make LA County a better place to ride a bike for all of us.

Not to mention you’ll get some great bike swag while you’re at it.

And a special thank you to those who have already joined. Or are about to.

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Thanks for the effort, but seriously.

Few things are more important to encouraging bike riding than finding a safe place to park your bike once you get where you’re going.

And few things are so often neglected.

As much as I’d like to, I won’t ride my bike to my doctor’s office because the only bike parking to be found in a several block radius is an old wheelbender rack hidden deep within the parking garage, where a thief would have time to pitch a tent as he leisurely sawed through my lock.

So I drive the three and a half miles, in as much time and with far more aggravation than it would take me to ride it.

I’m reminded of that because David Butler-Cole sent a photo of a series of relatively flimsy staple racks in the underground parking garage at the Target at Santa Monica and La Brea in West Hollywood. Which not only are hidden away where no one is likely to use them, but have clearly been converted to shopping cart parking.

bike parking

Then again, at least a developer a little further down La Brea had his heart in the right place.

In preparing a retail space on the trendy boutique-lined corridor for rent, they apparently considered the current boom in bicycling, as well as studies showing bike riders spend more at retail establishments over the long run than motorists do, while taking up far less space.

And so, invested in a trio of brand new staple racks before the unit is even occupied.

Unfortunately, they located them so close to the storefront that they’re virtually useless to any cyclists over the age of five.

La Brea bike racks 2

But I’m sure we all appreciate the gesture.

Right?

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Today’s common theme is open streets.

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton recaps Sunday’s sparsely attended open streets event in Downey, calling it a great event overall.

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune examines next month’s massive 626 Golden Streets, an 18-mile ciclovía winding through seven SGV cities.

Yet another event in the San Gabriel Valley, as El Monte and South El Monte team up to host their own event on Sunday, June12th.

Of course, let’s not forget the granddaddy of them all, as CicLAvia visits LA’s Southeast Cities in less than two weeks.

And while it may not be an open streets event, Monrovia’s bike friendly music and beer-filled festival on the same day doesn’t sound bad, either.

MDMF FLYER

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Local

TV’s Inside Edition puts a GPS device in a $2,500 bait bike borrowed from Helen’s to see how long it would take someone to steal it. Short answer: not very.

The Eastsider says the removal of flood control barriers on the LA River bike path will take several weeks. And even then, only the west side of the river along Griffith Park will be cleared. Barriers will remain on the east side of the river and only be cleared enough to allow access to an equestrian crossing and pedestrian bridge, apparently leaving the bike path closed indefinitely.

CiclaValley offers a jam-packed calendar of Bike Month events, two of which we’ve already missed. Although he somehow neglected to include the BikinginLA LACBC Membership Drive; just an oversight, I’m sure, especially since I neglected to tell him about it.

Speaking of the LACBC, they talk with Valley bike rider Erika Moreno as part of a new Bike Month series profiling people from around LA County.

The Echo Park Improvement Association will host a panel discussion this Thursday on Bicycling in LA “from the multiheaded bike god transforming civic politics in LA;” the speaker list reads like a who’s who of LA urban bike advocacy.

Santa Clarita is challenging businesses to get their employees to ride to work on Bike to Work Day on the 19th; the city is also looking for volunteers to help out at the finish of Stage 2 of the Amgen Tour of California on the 16th.

 

State

Over 400 Southern California police officers will ride in this year’s three-day, 280 mile Police Unity Tour to remember fallen law enforcement personnel. If any SoCal officers sill need to raise funds, send me a link to your fundraising page and I’ll give you a shoutout.

Writing for the Examiner, Edward Rubinstein says the Amgen Tour of California is coming, so batten down the hatches and prepare for severe weather.

The Times looks at the recent PCH safety study calling for significant improvements for the 37-mile segment of highway through Orange County. And it touches on the real problem; as long as we approach the highway from a city by city basis, rather than improving safety on the entire 37 miles, it will continue to be dangerous and dysfunctional.

Nearly 1,300 Orange County mountain bikers took part in the 50-mile offroad Ride for Rwanda to raise money to buy transportation bikes for people in Africa.

The Dana Point Times offers a look at last weekend’s Gran Prix.

Palm Desert provides a pop-up to show what San Pablo Ave could look like as a Complete Street.

Streetsblog’s Damien Newton talks Bike Month with Tony Molina of the Fresno County Bicycle Coalition. Meanwhile, a Fresno man lost 40 pounds after he took up bicycling, and reversed his Type 2 diabetes in the process.

A driver who commutes into San Francisco calls it the car-hating capital of the Bay Area, and says cyclists on busy streets are either road hazards or have a death wish. Although “very few” is not the right answer to his question of whether there are restrictions on what streets cyclists can ride; the correct answer is bikes are allowed on any public streets where motor vehicles are allowed, with the exception of limited access highways where there are alternate riding routes.

 

National

Bicycling Magazine wants to know how much you know about riding uphill.

Bike Portland looks at a new ad for Stromer ebikes, which uses the time-tested car ad model to sell a far greener form of transportation.

My hometown paper talks with local mountain biker Georgia Gould, who took bronze in the 2012 Olympics.

Forget riding to work; Providence RI will celebrate bike week with the H.P. Lovecraft-themed Tour de Tentacle. Cthulhu would undoubtedly approve.

Long Island cyclists call on the NYPD to start enforcing laws against blocking bike lanes, which motorists seem to do with impunity.

Pennsylvania cyclists will soon get a new 14-foot wide bike and pedestrian bridge over the Schuylkill River.

Once again, a bicyclist has been killed while riding on I-10, this time 1,900 miles away in New Orleans.

 

International

David Wolfberg sends word that the British Library is now posting one million copyright-free images online, including a treasure trove of classic bicycling images.

If current trends continue, bike commuters will outnumber car commuters in central London in just two more years.

A British charity ride has raised nearly $1.5 million to support over 14,000 Palestinian families.

A UK mountain biker wants to find the Good Samaritan who stayed with him and looked after his sons when he broke his neck in three places after a jump went bad.

A Glascow writer says she wants to cycle without being a cyclist. Which is sort of like saying you want to drive a car without being a driver.

Tel Aviv cyclists just got banned from the sidewalk, especially anyone on an ebike.

Singapore will now require developers to submit plans considering safety, convenience and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists in any new development design.

 

Finally…

Evidently, the NYPD is now offering a flat repair service, not that that’s a bad thing. You may not be able to afford a titanium frame, but at least you can have a ti bike lock.

And when you’re carrying a loaded flare gun in your waistband, don’t ride on the damn sidewalk, let alone with no regard for pedestrians.

And hope like hell it doesn’t accidentally go off.

 

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

Morning Links: Kick off Bike Month — and get bike swag — with the first ever BikinginLA LACBC Membership Drive

May 2, 2016 / / 5 comments

Bike month officially started yesterday with the beginning of the National Bike Challenge.

And to celebrate, I’ve started my own bike challenge.

I’m challenging you — yes, you — to become a member of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition this month. Or if you’re already a member, to renew your membership through this site before the month is over.

Because this marks the beginning of the first ever BikinginLA LACBC membership drive, with a goal of 100 new or renewing members during the month of May.

That’s just over three people a day.

In other words, you and two others.

Or looking at it another way, less than 1% of the people who will visit this site this month. Okay, a lot less.

Get your friends to join. Your co-workers. Your sister. Your brother-in-law. Anyone who rides a bike in LA County, whether you’re a bike commuter, a committed roadie, an offroad rider or someone who cruises along the beach every now and then.

You don’t even have to own a bike, or live here in LA. Just support a better, more livable and bikeable community for all us.

Simply put, the LACBC is the leading voice for bike riders in the City and County of Angels, advocating for safety, equity and justice for cyclists in the halls of government, with elected leaders and before boards like Metro and the Southern California Association of Governments.

As well as with cities and universities throughout the county through the LACBC’s local chapters and Neighborhood Bike Ambassador program, giving you a far more powerful voice in your own community.

Of course, it’s not all about fighting the good fight.

The LACBC is also about doing the right thing. Like handing out over 2,000 free bike lights through their Operation Firefly. Creating a free pocket guide to the rights and responsibilities of cyclists. Doing the job the city should do by conducting bi-annual bike counts. And working tirelessly to pass and defend LA’s new bike-friendly Mobility Plan.

It’s also about having fun, with monthly Sunday Funday rides. The annual Open House and Firefly Ball. As well as various other activities throughout the year, including the upcoming, hugely popular LA River Ride.

Not to mention discounts at bike shops, restaurants and retailers throughout the LA area.

Better yet, sign up as part of this membership drive, and you’ll get cool bike swag through an exclusive arrangement with the LACBC, with memberships starting at an ultra-low $20.

So what are you waiting for?

Show your support for the LACBC — and BikinginLA — and sign up today.

Full disclosure: After six and a half years as an LACBC board member, I’ll be leaving the board after the June meeting due to my ongoing health issues; I’m simply not able to devote the time and effort I feel the position deserves. However, I continue to support the LACBC, and will remain a member for as long as I’m able to ride a bike in this city, and maybe longer; in fact, I just renewed my own membership.

This membership drive will be my last official act as a board member before I step down. So please, let’s make it a successful one.

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Speaking of the LACBC, they’re in the market for a senior programs director and an organizer, both full-time, as well as a policy and outreach intern.

They’ve also opened up the search for new members of the Board of Directors.

And no, not just to replace me.

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LA gets its first permanent ghost bike memorial to honor Australian tourist James Rapley, who was killed by a stoned driver while riding in the uphill bike lane on Temescal Canyon.

ghost bike

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The Daily Breeze offers an update on the condition of Palos Verdes muralist Steve Shriver, who was critically injured when he was hit by two cars while riding on PCH in Malibu as he was heading home as part of a club century ride.

The paper reports he’s out of the ICU, but no word yet on whether he will suffer lasting injuries.

So far, a fund to help cover his medical expenses has raise nearly $82,000 out of a requested $250,000.

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Cycling in the South Bay’s Seth Davidson is always funny. But some days, he also offers important information for anyone who rides a bike.

Today is one of those days, as he tells you how to file a police report about a threatening driver.

And why you have to.

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South Pasadena is gearing up to host the second stage of the Amgen Tour of California on the 17th; Cycling Weekly offers a stage-by-stage breakdown of the race.

Pro cyclist Simon Yates escapes punishment, at least for now, as British Cycling says the banned substance he was busted for was an inhaler for his documented asthma problems. And yes, many elite cyclists really do have exercise-induced asthma.

Pro cycling’s governing body is using a specialized scanner they say is highly effective in examining bikes for hidden motors. On the other hand, if they haven’t uncovered any motor doping after examining over 500 bicycles, is it because no one is cheating or because the scanner’s not as effective as they think?

Cyclists rally around four-time national champion Mark Scott at this past weekend’s Dana Point Gran Prix, organizing a bone marrow drive for Scott, who needs a transplant to live.

And once again, a race moto caused a major cycling crash, as nearly the entire peloton competing in New York’s Red Hook Classic piled into the lead motorcycle after it stalled on the course just seconds after the start of the race.

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Local

Work will finally begin on removing the flood control barriers blocking the LA River bike path, although there’s no timetable for completion.

The head of the LA County Health Agency reacts to being called a faggot while riding his bike. Although it’s unlikely the jerk called him that because he somehow intuited that he was gay; for a subset of indignorant drivers, that’s the term for anyone who rides a bike. Because “real men” drive cars, of course.

Richard Risemberg got cut off by an SUV driver who was clearly in the wrong, but chose not to respond in kind after the driver took it out on him anyway. As he says, it’s an old story, and one we’ve all seen too many times.

Santa Monica will host its first ciclovía on June 5th, with a two-mile route along Ocean, Colorado and Main through downtown SaMo.

Glendora will host a family bike safety rally next Saturday.

Unmapped utility lines and other objects are causing unexpected delays in remaking Carson’s eponymous main street into a Complete Street, adversely affecting businesses along the route.

 

State

A bill in the state legislature, AB 516, would require temporary plates on all new vehicles. The lack of temporary plates makes it nearly impossible to identify hit-and-run drivers, which is one reason they’re required in many other states.

A Hesperia cyclist suffered major injuries when he was rear-ended by the driver of an SUV.

Santa Barbara appears ready to choose parking over bike lanes, shunting riders off to a side street and away from the businesses that could use their patronage.

A San Jose columnist explains what sharrows are all about, and actually gets it right.

A 29-year old Texas man was fatally shot while riding in a bike lane in Oakland; no motive has been established, but police don’t believe it was robbery.

Sacramento police bust a bike thief and recover 60 stolen bikes.

 

National

A pair of British Bobbies biking down the full length of the left coast make a stop in Oregon.

Denver installs a bollard-protected gutter, unwittingly turning the painted bike lane to its left into a loading zone.

A team at the University of Colorado is crowdfunding a bicycle designed for people who weigh up to 450 pounds; the leader of the team lost 160 pounds himself.

Thirty thousand bike riders turn out for New York’s annual Five Boro Bike Tour.

Black Girls Do Bike is expanding with chapters around the US after starting with a Pittsburgh woman’s Facebook group.

Amtrak adds carry-on bike service on the Vermonter from DC through New England.

A New Orleans man is found guilty of manslaughter for fatally shooting the man who was stealing his bicycle; his ex-girlfriend testified that he beat her with a shotgun while she was pregnant.

 

International

A cyclist raced a transit user and a driver to downtown Calgary during the morning commute. And as usual, the bike rider won — even though he was just 11 years old.

Call it Lili’s Secret, as a woman in the UK makes padded women’s cycling underwear that looks more like lingerie.

Caught on video: Usually police look for hit-and-run drivers; a London cop was one as he drove off after hitting a Critical Mass cyclist and destroying his bike.

Paris continues to restrict the use of motor vehicles in order to fight toxic smog levels.

A Swiss canton will install fences to protect bike riders and hikers from killer cows. Yes, cows. Now try not to have nightmares about that one.

Even members of India’s Parliament face speeding drivers, harassment from police and risk having their tires punctured when they ride to work.

An Australian bike rider is threatened with a fine for a law that doesn’t even take effect until next year; meanwhile an Aussie cyclist makes a very tongue-in-cheek call for licensing kangaroos, insisting the animals act like they own the road.

A track cyclist and bike commuter says she’s had it with riding Down Under after she’s punched by a pedestrian, who said he wouldn’t respect her until she got a license and paid road tax.

A Kiwi driver deliberately runs down a cyclist to recover the mountain bike the other man had stolen from him.

Five hundred people applied to take part in last year’s Tibet Challenge, a 10-day ride through the snow-covered peaks of China and Tibet; just 31 were selected. And only nine finished.

A two-year old girl is dead after a speeding driver plows into two separate bicycles in a Bangkok serial hit-and-run; the owner of the car is under arrest on drug charges after turning himself in several hours later, but claims he wasn’t behind the wheel. Don’t watch the video on that link. Trust me.

A Hong Kong man is riding nearly 12,000 miles to Norway on a homemade bamboo bike.

 

Finally…

Get hit by a car while riding your bike, and have a miracle post-menopause baby — and wake up speaking French with a South African accent. Probably not the best idea to steal a bike in front of a martial arts class.

And not even horses are safe in bike lanes.

 

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,

South El Monte bike rider killed crossing Rosemead Blvd

April 29, 2016 / / One comment

A man was killed in a collision while riding his bike near South El Monte Wednesday.

According to the San Gabriel Tribune, 39-year old South El Monte resident Jose Antonio Resendez was crossing Rosemead Blvd at Rush St at 9:35 pm when he was struck by a car headed north on Rosemead in unincorporated LA County.

No word on which direction Resendez going or who had the right-of-way; he died at the scene around 15 minutes later.

The driver remained at the scene.

The story notes both the bicycle and the car suffered moderate damage; as usual, the victim fared worst in the impact.

This is the 35th bicycling collision in Southern California, and the 11th in Los Angeles County. That compares with 17 in SoCal this time last year, and eight in the county.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jose Antonio Resendez and his family. 

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