Advocacy groups call for implementing daylighting law, one last AIDS/Lifecycle Ride, and next CA ebike fail tomorrow

May 28, 2025 / / No comments
Day 148 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Calbike and California Walks called on cities yesterday to implement the state’s daylighting rules.

A 2023 bill passed and signed into law sought to improve safety by prohibiting drivers from parking near intersections, providing better sightlines for drivers approaching them, as well as bike riders and pedestrians.

And better enabling those last two to be seen by the former.

The bill provided a built-in one-year grace period before full implementation. But as of the first of this year, cities were allowed — but apparently not required — to ticket drivers who parked within 20 feet of a crosswalk.

And in California, every intersection is presumed to have a crosswalk, whether or not it’s painted, unless crossing is specifically prohibited.

Yet few, if any, cities in the state have begun issuing tickets. Meanwhile others, such as San Francisco, have watered down the requirement by painting red curbs extending 10 feet from the crosswalk, instead of 20. Something cities are allowed to do if they pass an ordinance justifying the need for the change — which San Francisco hasn’t done.

According to a press release from the groups,

CalBike and California Walks urge municipal leaders and public works departments to:

  • Educate parking enforcement officers and empower them to write citations for parking within daylighting zones. No signage or curb paint is required to take this step.
  • Educate residents about the need to leave sightlines clear near crosswalks as an act of community care.
  • Install signage and red curb paint marking the 20-foot no-parking space wherever feasible.
  • Harden daylighting zones as much as possible by adding bike parking corrals, bike or scooter share docks, benches, planters boxes, bioswales, or other community amenities.
  • Use planned road maintenance projects as opportunities to demarcate and harden daylighting zones.

They’ve got a point.

We can pass all the safety measures in the world. But they won’t save a single life if no one uses them.

Photo by Labskiii from Pexels.

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California Senator Adam Schiff will be the first sitting US senator to take part in the annual AIDS/LifeCycle Ride.

Make that the final AIDS/LifeCycle Ride.

Which is kind of sad, on both counts.

Schiff was the first member of Congress to take part in the annual ride in 2014 — and will be the last, even if he only completes the final leg into Los Angeles due to votes in the senate.

The ride has raised over $300 million over its all-too-brief 31-year history to support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Meanwhile, a writer for Daily Kos expresses his sadness that this year’s AIDS/LifeCycle Ride marks the end of his own 26-year history with it.

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CARB, aka the California Air Resources Board, is back with another attempt at a second round of ebike incentive vouchers, after totally screwing the pooch the last time around.

So what’s the over/under on whether they somehow manage to screw it up again, given their pathetic track record and intentionally throttled funding?

Asking for about 150,000 friends.

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Metro will hold a series of community meetings this week to release the latest plans and cost estimates for a new rail line along the Sepulveda Transit Corridor, traveling under and/or over the Sepulveda Pass.

Although any plan that doesn’t provide a direct connection to UCLA will be an abject failure out of the gate.

  • Wednesday, May 28: 5:30–7:30 p.m., Presentation will begin at 6 p.m., Veterans Memorial Building Rotunda Room, 4117 Overland Avenue, Culver City, CA 90230.
  • Thursday, May 29: 5:30–7:30 p.m., Presentation will begin at 6 p.m., Westwood United Methodist Church, 10497 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024.
  • Saturday, May 31: 3-5 p.m., Presentation will begin at 3:30 p.m., Sherman Oaks East Valley Adult Center, 5056 Van Nuys Boulevard, Building B, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403.

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

No bias here. In a prime example of a grand jury run amok, a Bakersfield grand jury questions whether the city’s green bike lanes are more of a nuisance than a benefit, and says Bakersfield shouldn’t install any more unless they cost less than $15,000 a mile. Which is about what it costs to stripe a two-lane street, without any bike lanes.

Life is cheap in North Carolina, where a man walked without a single day behind bars when a judge imposed a lousy 45 day suspended sentence for intentionally crashing an ATV into 56-year old man riding on a bike path, leaving the victim with serious injuries.

A British jury saw a doorbell cam video capturing the events leading up to the allegedly intentional crash that killed a 25-year old mother riding an ebike with another person; prosecutors allege the 23-year old driver finally succeeded in ramming the bike on his fifth attempt.

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Local 

USC Annenberg Media examines the opening of the first 5.5-mile segment of the Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor, a rail-to-trail conversion connecting Metro rail lines in South LA.

The Glendale City Council got an update on the city’s “slow and methodical approach” to its Vision Zero Action Plan.

Pasadena, Day One and the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition are wrapping up Bike Month by hosting the family-friendly Pie & Ice Cream Are Friends Ride this Saturday, for anyone with a sweet tooth and a bicycle.

Active SGV will host a community bike ride this Sunday leading to and from a public meeting to learn more about the Rio Hondo Ecosystem Reclamation Project to create multi-use bike and walking paths, along with other environmental benefits.

Long Beach will mark the end of Bike Month with the official unveiling of the Great Artesia Boulevard Project on Saturday, complete with a bike rodeo and free bicycle tune-ups.

 

State

The San Diego Union-Tribune says bike lanes proposed by SANDAG, aka the San Diego Association of Governments, are still hamstrung by delays, as they finally green lighted a $27 million project on University Ave that began planning in 2013.

No bias here. According to the New York Times, the anger over converting San Francisco’s Great Highway into a park remains, with the transformation into a pedestrian promenade setting off a clash over the city’s anti-car culture. Or maybe, just maybe, they could have talked to the many people who love the new linear park, a large percentage of whom undoubtedly drove to get there and have nothing against cars, but recognized that the former highway was no longer needed. 

A lawsuit filed by the California Native Plant Society, Marin Audubon Society, and Marin Conservation League that was settled last year is blocking ebikes from using a trail on Mount Tamalpais, regarded as the birthplace of mountain biking.

 

National

A Tulsa, Oklahoma man will take part in the 1,645-mile Black Wall Street to Wall Street Ride for Equity, connecting Tulsa’s Black Greenwood District destroyed in a 1921 race riot with the nation’s financial center; the ride is organized by Black Leaders Detroit to “amplify national conversations about racial wealth gaps, Black entrepreneurship and community resilience.”

Security cam video captured the moment a three-year old girl darted into the path of a man riding an ebike in a New York bike lane, giving the man no time to avoid a crash after she ran out from between two parked cars; fortunately, she only suffered minor injuries.

The Transportation Committee of a West Side Manhattan community board — equivalent to LA’s neighborhood councils, but with more power — voted unanimously to oppose giving criminal summons to scofflaw bike riders, arguing that more enforcement of lawbreaking bicyclists may be needed, but the NYPD policy is too extreme.

Speaking of New York, the city’s DOT, police and community organizations have been collecting bicycles to donate to people in underserved communities, with 253 bikes collected so far this year.

Atlanta was selected as the first city to get Lime’s new LimeBike ebikes, which the company says is geared towards women, older riders and commuters who need extra room for storing stuff when they ride.

 

International

A writer for Tom’s Guide explains what to consider when buying a bike helmet. All of which you could probably have figured out for yourself.

No surprise here. A French travel writer says a bike is the best way to find the secluded beaches on St. Mary’s Island, off the coast of Cornwall, England.

The Irish taoiseach, or prime minister, apologized before the country’s parliament, along with his chief deputy and the country’s justice minister, for the failures that allowed a driver with 40 previous convictions to remain on the road 14 years ago for the hit-and-run crash that killed a 23-year old man riding a bicycle, despite a court order that should have kept him behind bars. And if you wonder why people keep dying on our streets, that’s a good place to start. 

A newspaper in the Czech Republic city of Brno — apparently founded during a Middle Ages vowel shortage — takes stock of the city’s bike infrastructure, or the lack thereof, arguing that the city should be a haven for bicyclists due to its short distances, but isn’t. Sort of like Los Angeles should, thanks to our mostly flat terrain and ideal weather. But isn’t.

 

Competitive Cycling

It was a brutal day in the Alps for most of the Giro peloton on Tuesday, following an attack by Richard Carapaz that helped the Ecuadorian cyclist leap up the GC standings, leaving 21-year old Mexican phenom Isaac del Torro still leading, but just 26 seconds ahead of Brit Simon Yates, with Carapaz another five seconds behind in third.

Carpaz vows to fight all the way to Rome after emerging as the race’s biggest disrupter. Unless you count del Torro, who already disrupted the race a week earlier. 

Pre-race favorite Primoz Roglic abandoned Giro Tuesday, after being caught in yet another crash.

Italian cyclist Alessio Martinelli was conscious and in stable condition following a frightening 50-foot fall down a ravine, after he slid off his bike crashing on a rain-slicked curve during Tuesday’s stage of the Giro.

Joe Goettl and Flavia Oliveira Parks won the men’s and women’s editions of Utah’s Belgian Waffle Ride, with Carter Anderson and Courtney Sullivan finishing second.

 

Finally…

Great moments in bad headline: No, a man isn’t riding 480 miles for pancreatic cancer, he’s riding to fight it.

And that feeling when you feel compelled to prove your street cred by hating on bicycles.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Mass teen rideout leads to violence as man shot in Baldwin Park confrontation; Glendale hosts open streets Saturday

May 27, 2025 / / One comment
Day 147 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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A mass rideout of teens and young adults on bicycles has once again led to violence in Southern California.

But this time, one of the riders was the victim.

According to Baldwin Park News, an adult man was shot following a brief confrontation in the middle of an intersection, during a ride involving hundreds of bicyclists.

The incident came around 2:45 Saturday afternoon, at Main Ave and Olive Street in Baldwin Park.

The man was riding his bike when he was confronted by an unknown person, who pulled out a gun and fired moments later, striking the victim in the lower body. He’s reportedly in stable condition with a single gunshot wound.

There’s no word on what may have led to the confrontation or why it escalated to violence, although it’s not unusual for motorists to become enraged by bike riders taking over the entire roadway or performing stunts as they ride.

There’s also no description of the suspect, or whether the shooter was in a motor vehicle.

This shooting comes after at least three other rideouts have led to violence on the streets of Los Angeles. However, in each of those cases, it was the people on bicycles who attacked drivers and cars after confrontations with motorists.

A 16-year old boy was also allegedly murdered by a motorist accused of intentionally crashing into him after an argument during a rideout near BMO stadium last November, following the victim into a parking lot to run him down.

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Glendale will host an open streets event on Saturday.

https://twitter.com/heybikela/status/1927059765533818886

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

No bias here. The New York Times explores why the city’s drivers get off with a simple traffic ticket, while scofflaw bike riders end up in criminal court, even though people in cars are far more likely to kill someone.

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Local 

No news is good news, right?

 

State

Nearly 200 Chula Vista kids got new bikes, courtesy of the city’s Rotary Club.

Hats off to a Palm Desert couple who parked their car and sprang into action when an ebike rider suffered a “significant” head wound after losing control and falling into the street, working to stop his bleeding before paramedics arrived.

It takes a real schmuck to flee the scene after running down a six-year old San Francisco girl riding a bicycle and her mother; fortunately, their injuries aren’t thought to be life-threatening.

A San Francisco website asks if Davis, home to the nation’s first bike lane, is still the state’s bicycling capital, even if local residents don’t ride as often as they used to.

 

National

The Trump administration wants to ban your bike from federal property under a new proposal from the Department of Homeland Security would “prohibit the unauthorized use, operation, parking, locking, or storage” of bicycles and scooters on federal property. Because evidently, we’re much more dangerous and disruptive than those people in the big, dangerous machines.

A motorsports website considers what urban bike riders can learn from NASCAR safety protocols, arguing that a bike helmet, preparation, and riding defensively are key to getting back home in one piece.

I want to be like him when I grow up. Two years after he set a record as the oldest person to ride a bike across the US, an 80-year old man with Parkinsons is doing it again, this time riding from south to north along the route of the Underground Railroad.

A Dallas, Texas man was lucky to survive after becoming just the lated victim of a police chase, when a man being pursued by the cops slammed into the back of his bicycle as he rode with a group along the side of a highway — then was carried more than a mile on the hood of the driver’s car until another crash threw him off.

Hats off to the Tallahassee teenager who built a mountain bike repair station on a popular trail as his Eagle Scout project.

 

International

Bike Radar considers what not to do that could ruin your next ride to work.

Maybe they’re out to get us. A Vancouver, British Columbia man was killed when a deer crashed into him as he rode his bike down a steep hill; meanwhile, a Swiss woman died after hitting a cat on her ebike.

Apparently, it takes more than an hour to get an unlocked bike stolen in a busy crime-ridden London neighborhood.

BBC reporter Anna Holligan says her whole world has gotten smaller and slower, after thieves in the Netherlands stole the cargo bike she used for news reports from the bike path.

A writer for Travel + Leisure says a bicycling safari is the best way to see wildlife in Africa’s Kalahari Desert.

An Aussie city installs a traffic light giving bicyclist a head start before drivers get a green. And of course the people on two wheels love it, and the ones on four, not so much.

 

Competitive Cycling

Kristen Faulkner out-sprinted Lauren Stephens and Katherine Sarkisov to repeat as the US elite road cycling national champ.

Quinn Simmons won the men’s elite road race with a solo breakaway, finishing nearly three-minutes ahead of second place Evan Boyle, with Gavin Hlady winning a mass sprint for third, another two-and-a-half minutes back; it was Quinn’s second national title after winning in 2023.

The U-23 road cycling titles were won by Ella Sabo on the women’s side, and the aforementioned Gavin Hlady for the men.

US cycling legend Bobby Julich said winning the national championship the ultimate honor of his cycling career.

Twenty-one-year old rising Mexican cycling star Isaac Del Toro finished a very unexpected full week in the Giro’s pink leader’s jersey.

Mathieu van der Poel’s preparations for the Tour de France got more complicated when he broke his wrist in a mountain bike race in the Czech Republic over the weekend.

Speaking of the Tour de France, cycling stars Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard have blasted plans to have the Tour end on Paris’ Montmartre climb, saying the hilly, curving course that worked for the recent Olympics would lead to chaos, putting riders and fans at risk.

Red Bull profiles 28-year old Colombian cyclist Dani Martínez, calling him the complete package after finishing 2nd in last year’s Giro in just his send year with the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe team.

Road.cc tells “the amazing story of Wong Kam-po, the cycling king of Hong Kong,” who won the world championships, beat future winners of the Tour de France, and was called the world’s best non-pro bike racer.

 

Finally…

When you’re under the influence and driving with coke and weed in your car, maybe stick to the road and not the bike path. That feeling when a pair of bikeways make the list of 50 stupidly dangerous designs that defy logic.

And a man riding in Yellowstone was lucky he didn’t find out how it feels to get buffaloed. Or bisoned.

Or whatever.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: ,

Cheating alleged in Lyft’s Metro Bike bid, questioning rescue of Georgia bikepacker, and PCH study comments extended

May 23, 2025 / / Comments Off on Cheating alleged in Lyft’s Metro Bike bid, questioning rescue of Georgia bikepacker, and PCH study comments extended
Day 143 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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My apologies to everyone who found an unfinished — or unstarted, for that matter — draft of today’s post in your inbox. 

And yes, spellcheck, unstarted is a real word.

But’s that’s what happens when have too many windows open on your screen, and inadvertently hit the “publish” button when you try to click on one.

Not for the first time, I might add. 

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Now that we have that out of the way —

Today is the unofficial start of the three-day holiday weekend. Which means lots of people leaving work early, and not paying attention to anything but where they wish they already were right now.

Like bikes, for instance.

And long weekends mean parties and barbecues — and a lot of drinking and other forms of imbibing.

So ride defensively all weekend, and assume every driver you see is under the influence of something. Because more than a few probably will be.

I just want to see you back here safe and sound on Tuesday.

And try to take a few moments to remember what this holiday is all about, anyway.

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Raise your hand if you’d be shocked to learn there may have been cheating in awarding the new Metro Bike contract.

Hello? Anyone?

Is this thing on?

Streetsblog reports Metro directors delayed what was expected to be a pro forma vote to award Lyft the contract to operate the city’s docked bikeshare program yesterday — despite a unanimous vote by the Metro Operations Committee to advance the contract.

And after two previous botched attempts at awarding the contract.

But according to LA Public Press, the vote was pulled after allegations were raised that Lyft had inside information giving them an unfair advantage, in violation of Los Angeles ethics rules.

And yes, we have ethics rules, as hard as it is to believe at times.

Anne Marie Drolet, a bike mechanic and shop steward with the bike share union Transportation Workers Union Local 320, told LA Public Press that the allegations, if proven, should disqualify Lyft from the bidding process.

“Lyft’s bid once again seems very unfair, like they’re getting a leg up,” Drolet said. “One of their subcontractors helped write the [request for proposals]. I think it’s ridiculous [Lyft is] still in the running.”

Alta Planning + Design, a transportation design company founded in 1996 with offices in the U.S. and Canada, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. Metro has previously hired the company to do things like design transportation plans that capture the highest number of riders at transit stations.

LA Public Press also reports that Metro was on the cusp of making the change despite limited cost savings that amount to a rounding error in the massive Metro budget.

Lyft’s proposal claims it can cut costs, build new docking stations, add more e-bikes to the fleet, and develop a new bike share app.

But Metro documents show Lyft’s current proposal offers minimal cost savings. The company said it can operate bike share for $198 million, while BTS says it can operate the program for $202 million.

Opponents of the company’s bid have also pointed out current CEO David Risher’s comments that the company’s takeover of bike share programs is part of a push to get more people using Lyft for ride-hailing.

It’s possible — likely, in fact — that the allegations are an effort by current program operator BTS and unionized Metro Bike mechanics to derail the shift in management.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.

And even if it’s not, is it worth risking the bikeshare program as the city prepares to host the World Cup and ’28 Olympics by shifting to a company which has had a spotty record in other cities?

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It’s been a little more than a week since the “miraculous” rescue of Georgia bikepacker Tiffany Slaton after she got lost in the mountains above Fresno, surviving three weeks on wild leeks and melted snow.

But apparently, not everyone believe her story.

According to the Los Angeles Times,

(Fresno County Sheriff spokesperson Tony) Botti defended Slaton, saying that the woman didn’t report herself missing and “there is no evidence to show she knew we were searching for her.”

Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni called Slaton’s journey “an incredible story of perseverance, determination and survival” saying it is “something that you may see on TV that they would make movies about.”

On the other hand, a Redditor had this to say.

“I’m glad to see that other people don’t believe this story. So many things don’t add up, I hope this office investigates fully since resources were used,” a person wrote on the sheriff’s office’s Facebook. “It’s embarrassing to think people believe someone fell off a cliff, survived 2 hours unconscious (guess she was timing it), popped her knee back into place, and traveled 20 miles after splinting her leg.”

Even the experts had questions. Experienced Sierra mountain guide Howie Schwartz didn’t doubt Slaton was lost.

But,

“It doesn’t seem like a story you can really wrap your head around,” Schwartz told The Times. “Falling off a cliff, having to splint her leg. You don’t splint your leg unless your leg is broken and if your leg is broken, you’re not walking miles on it.”

Never mind the Redditors who said she was probably crazy, embellished her story, or looking for a book deal or crowdfunding cash.

Which probably explains why her parents shut their crowdfunding page down. But not until it had raised over $23,000.

Then again, those same doubts also popped up in my own Twitter/X feed.

So what’s the answer? Don’t ask me.

Her story does seem kind of incredible. But the best stories usually are.

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Caltrans uses a lot more words than necessary to say they’re giving you more time to comment on the PCH Master Plan Feasibility Study.

Maybe they had to use them all before the weekend.

ADDENDUM ADDED TO THE PCH MASTER PLAN FEASIBILITY STUDY AND EXTENSION OF THE COMMENT PERIOD

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is pleased to announce that an addendum has been added to the PCH Master Plan Feasibility Study. The addendum, described in Section 7, Project Prioritization/Phasing of the Draft Study, consists of a qualitative evaluation matrix assessing the Study’s recommendations for alignment with the Study’s goals as well as statutory mandates and guidelines related to long-range corridor planning. By demonstrating alignment with mandates and guidelines related to corridor management, the Study is better positioned for additional funding opportunities to support the implementation of its recommendations. The results of the evaluation matrix can be found in Appendix E: Evaluation Matrix.

To ensure the public and stakeholders have time to review the update, the comment period has been extended from June 9, 2025, to June 16, 2025. The updated Draft Study can be viewed here.

Caltrans invites members of the public, stakeholders, and any interested individuals to review the Draft Study and leave your thoughts in the comment box provided here or via email to 07-pchmpfs@publicinput.com. When providing comments via email, please include the relevant section title, page number, figure, or table number when applicable to help us accurately locate the part of the document you’re commenting on.

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Streets For All shares video of their virtual happy hour with LA City Attorney candidate Marissa Roy.

I never know how much to tip my virtual bartender. Or a Waymo driver, for that matter.

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Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, posts video of the recent die-in on the steps of City Hall.

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Active SGV hosts free two-hour ebike rentals this weekend.

https://twitter.com/ActiveSGV/status/1925644608425410632

Here’s the link if Elon is still screwing up proper embedding of Twitter/X posts.

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Of course a bicyclist who used to be a driver would have no idea what a traffic light is. Especially when it comes to right turns.

Or left.

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

Tres shock! New York’s police commissioner says her cops are only targeting reckless ebike riders for six offenses along 14 key corridors; Streetsblog says it ain’t necessarily so.

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Local 

Streetsblog’s Sahra Sulaiman reports on the celebratory grand opening of the “transformative” Rail-to-Rail bike/walk path in South LA.

Long Beach is launching a 12-month pilot program allowing both private and shared e-scooters along the shoreline bike and pedestrian path.

 

State

Palm Springs bike riders demanded action on safety improvements while honoring fallen bicyclists at Wednesday’s Ride of Silence.

The Santa Barbara Independent says the city’s bicycling rates are inching up while bicycling injuries climb, making both bike and Vision Zero goals “distant.”

 

National

A magazine for lawyers examines the legal challenges facing bike riders injured by distracted and/or reckless drivers. Best advice, document everything and find a good lawyer to walk through your options. Like one of those guys over there on the right. 

The Independent lists eight American cities that are surprising great for bicycling. Seven of which actually are. And yes, I’m looking at you, Houston.

The Today Show highlights a dad going viral for his daily bike rides with his seven-year old daughter.

Nice. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed the nation’s first law permitting shared streets, with a 10 mph speed limit and strict rules requiring people on bicycles to yield to pedestrians, and drivers to yield to bike riders. Which is how it should be, anyway. 

Salt Lake City is pulling the plug on its ebike incentive program after funding nearly 300 vouchers last year, citing a flat budget for the coming year. But wouldn’t a flat budget mean they could fund everything they did the previous year?

An Idaho dancer says ballet is just like riding a bike. And he should know, since he rides a bike to stay in shape for ballet, mentally and physically.

Damn. A Texas jury gave the parents of an eight-year old bike-riding boy killed by a young man driving a family business truck just at tad more than the $1.1 million they were asking for, awarding them a whopping $80 million. Let’s hope that’s a very valuable family business they’ve got there.  

Your next bike parts could come from a Topeka vending machine. Which wouldn’t be the first thing I’ve bought from a vending machine in Topeka.

 

International

Seriously? London emergency rooms are supposedly buckling because of a surge in demand due to “Lime bike leg,” caused by people trapped by the weight of collapsing ebikes that are “around four times heavier than regular cycles,” while a surgeon warns of “life-threatening injuries.” Call it the modern equivalent of bicycle face.

We know a guy on a bike can beat a someone in a car, but can a London bike rider beat another guy riding the Tube across one of the world’s busiest cities? Would I be writing this if he couldn’t?

A 2,000-mile circular relay ride will connect all 42 Anglican cathedrals in the UK. Or as they call them over there, cathedrals.

A British bike club is proving that age is no barrier to learning how to ride a bike.

 

Competitive Cycling

Your new US national time trial champs are Emily Ehrlich and Artem Schmidt.

Mexico’s Isaac del Torro continues to lead the Giro, as Olav Kooij of the Netherlands won a mass sprint Thursday with a leadout from Wout van Aert. Meanwhile, a reader named Steven points out that del Torro’s name translates to “laughter of the bull,” which seems oddly appropriate.

A Utah newspaper profiles 23-year old Utah native Natalie Quinn as she fights to rise in women’s cycling — without getting paid, after joining American team Cynisca Cycling midseason when the British team she was on folded. Which pretty much sums up the problems with the current state of women’s cycling.

Kenyan cycling coach Evan Wangai discusses his journey from boda boda driver to pro cyclist.

 

Finally…

Why line the bike lane with ugly yellow posts when you can have recycled red plastic tulips? Always use a bicycle as a getaway vehicle for your baby gator heists.

And who needs lube when you’ve got…sand.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Colorado solves hit-and-runs while LAPD keeps public in dark, and CARB pinky swears they’re really ready this time

May 22, 2025 / / Comments Off on Colorado solves hit-and-runs while LAPD keeps public in dark, and CARB pinky swears they’re really ready this time
Day 142 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Funny how that works.

Just one day after the Colorado Highway Patrol asked for the public’s help finding the hit-and-run driver who killed a man riding a bicycle outside Boulder, a suspect was arrested.

Imagine that.

Denver, Colorado developed the hit-and-run alert system, later adopted by the state, that the ones in Los Angeles and California are patterned on.

The difference is, they actually use them. We don’t.

Which might be why the CHP solves nearly two-thirds of felony hit-and-run cases in the state. No, the other CHP, in Colorado.

In California, that number is about 20%, while in Los Angeles, it’s less than 10%.

But here’s a crazy idea.

Maybe those numbers would go up if they didn’t wait weeks, or months — or never — to even let the public know there was a hit-and-run, let alone ask for our help solving it. Never mind actually use the hit-and-run alert systems we fought so hard to give them.

The City of Los Angeles also offers an automatic $50,000 reward for information that helps the cops solve a fatal hit-and-run, with rewards ranging up to $25,000 for less severe crashes. But no one stands a chance of collecting if we don’t even know about it.

And maybe that’s the idea, trying to save the severely over-strapped city a few bucks so the cops can buy more helicopters.

They should be ashamed.

Or maybe sued.

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay.

………

The California Air Resources Board promises that the state’s ebike voucher program is really, honest-to-gosh ready for the anticipated demand this time, after two mostly failed attempts.

Pinky swear.

Then again, they’ve only had two attempts. And you know what they say about the third time.

The first distributed somewhere around 1,500 vouchers, but deliberately throttling the applications left more than 100,000 frustrated and angry Californians waiting at the gates, blocked from even getting a chance to apply.

The second attempt was even worse, when the system crashed as soon as it opened as potential applicants once again exceeded the system’s limited capacity, and the whole damn thing was shut down with just minutes remaining in the application window, frustrating the lucky few who had somehow managed to get in.

Myself included.

The Los Angeles Times quotes CARB spokesperson Lisa Macumber defending the total clown show, citing the heavy demand.

“As a result, automatic security measures were activated and the website operated and controlled by California Air Resources Board’s third party administrator Pedal Ahead was temporarily unavailable,” said Lisa Macumber, spokesperson for the state agency.

The technology is never 100% certain and it could have happened under any administrator running a program like this, Macumber said.

Sure it could.

But here’s a thought. If each teeny, tiny application window has more than 150,000 presumably qualified people desperately trying to somehow squeeze themselves in, maybe offer more than a few thousand measly vouchers at a time, and give us a much larger window to get those applications in.

And if that many people are willing to suffer this much indignation just for a chance to get a voucher, maybe go back to the state and ask for enough money to actually meet the damn demand.

But have no fear.

Macumber promises they’ll be ready this time.

No, really.

“It’s like getting tickets to a Taylor Swift concert, it can be really hard to get through the technology, and then at the end of the day, find out whether or not you’re successful,” she said. “So we really understand the frustration.”

The agency has rescheduled the second application window for May 29 and says this time it’s ready for droves of prospective applicants.

To ensure they don’t have the same problems this time, they’ve hired the same people who failed so badly last time to do it again, hoping for different results.

And you know what they call that.

So get your documents ready. Mark your calendar for 6 pm on May 29th.

And keep your fingers crossed.

No, all of them.

You can read the Times story on Yahoo if the paper’s paywall shuts you out.

………

About damn time.

CD13 Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez introduced a motion to explore using cameras to catch drivers who block bike lanes, starting with a pilot on Hollywood Blvd.

This follows a successful test in Santa Monica, where automated cams captured 1,700 violations in six weeks.

Which, based on my own observations, suggests they weren’t trying very hard.

……….

Thanks to our old friend Megan Lynch for forwarding this TV news story highlighting a San Francisco bike center as a “pillar of the community” for fixing bikes for free to get people riding.

………

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

A San Diego letter writer complains about the new traffic configuration at the city’s Balboa Park, warning that one lane for buses, a lane for bicycles, and a single lane for cars causes traffic to back up on busy weekends, calling it “another problem dreamed up by the city traffic engineers.” Apparently, it’s never occurred to him to use one of those other lanes by taking the bus. Or maybe even riding a bike. Because it’s a damn park, already. 

No bias here. London’s Telegraph says new safety data shows that bike advocates are wrong about cars being a bigger problem in the city’s parks, even though the data actually highlights the dangers of serious injuries caused by cars and the people in them.

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

London is now filing criminal charges and imposing fines equivalent to more than $500 for bicycling violations like running red lights and blowing through crosswalks.

………

Local 

Luxury Travel Magazine examines why Los Angeles is the best last-minute summer vacation spot. Because all the other cities were already booked?

Beverly Hills police will conduct a bicycle and pedestrian safety operation today, targeting violations that could put either group at risk, regardless of who commits them. So once again, ride to the letter of the law until you pass the city limits sign today, so you don’t celebrate bike month by getting a ticket. 

 

State

Out Sports talks with openly gay pro skier and Olympic medalist Gus Kenworthy about why he’s taking part in the final San Francisco to LA AIDS/LifeCycle Ride next month.

Huntington Beach police and the OC Sheriff’s Department will host a free ebike training session at a Huntington Beach middle school on the last day of the month.

Sad news from Tulare County, where a man was killed when a driver rear-ended the bicycle he was riding; unsurprisingly, the driver was uninjured.

San Francisco “activists” called on the city to recommit to Vision Zero, after six pedestrians have been killed there already this year. Los Angeles officials can’t recommit to Vision Zero, because they never committed to it in the first place. And maybe those “activists” are just people who don’t want to get killed crossing the street.

 

National

Former Calbike chief Dave Snyder assures bike advocates we’re doing the right thing, saying local bike advocacy is good resistance. So make like Andor, and join the rebellion, already. 

No surprise here. In a survey of how 75,000 Seattle commuters actually feel about how they get to work, bike commuting came out on top by a wide margin.

Police in Greeley, Colorado are looking for the ebike-riding asshole who shot a dog last month. But at least the dog survived, even if the person’s last remaining shred of human decency didn’t.

BLM — no, the Bureau of Land Management — will determine whether ebikes are allowed on federal trails in western Colorado, after 64% expressed an interest in using them in a recent survey.

Bicycling crashes in Wisconsin were up nearly 25% over a five-year average last year. It would be nice if someone, anyone, could tell us how many there were in California last year. But keeping actual running stats on traffic deaths would just be too much work, apparently. 

 

International

The leaders of many of the top bikeshare providers called on cities to “move beyond pilot thinking and treat shared bicycles as a permanent, integrated part of the public transport system,” arguing that it’s not an optional add-on or a “climate gadget.”

Once again, a man was killed after a fight over a bicycle. A 34-year old man in Middlesborough, England was convicted of murder for fatally stabbing a man who had borrowed his bike to ride to a pub for a drink. Yet another reminder that no bicycle is worth a human life. Seriously, just let it go.

The “best sommelier in Catalonia, Spain” recommends her favorite route for a meditative bike ride through the region’s Llémena Valley.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cycling Weekly examines the journeys of five champion paracyclists, from initial injury or disability to victory.

 

Finally…

If you find a small snake lying in the bike path, just leave him the hell alone, already. That feeling when that cute little Norwegian e-pedalcar company goes belly-up before you even get a chance to buy one.

And that feeling when you can finally get the 12-foot high banana seat bike of your childhood dreams.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

CA legislature making bike-unfriendly sausage, and bike riders deserve more than bare minimum — but usually get it

May 21, 2025 / / Comments Off on CA legislature making bike-unfriendly sausage, and bike riders deserve more than bare minimum — but usually get it
Day 141 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

The California legislature continues to make the sausage this year.

Or maybe not.

Momentum says California remains on-track for a “game-changing” new bike highways program.

Ventura Assemblymember Steve Bennett’s AB 954 would create a Caltrans pilot program in two parts of the state, instructing the agency to connect existing bikeways into bicycle highways.

If it passes, that is. Which is a big “if” right now, since it remains in the Appropriation Committee’s Suspense File.

Unfortunately, there’s no suspense about what happens if it doesn’t get out. Calbike has a quick email format to urge the committee chair to bring it up for a vote before it dies for this year.

Meanwhile, Calbike put out an urgent call to help get the Quick-Build Project Pilot Program out of committee before Friday, when it must either advance or die for the year.

Santa Monica Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur’s AB 891 instructs Caltrans to develop quick-build bike lane and intersection projects on state roadways to improve safety for people walking and on bicycles.

If it’s passed into law, Zbur’s bill would require that Caltrans speed up its glacial planning process, which can easily take years from inception to construction, no matter how desperately it’s needed.

Case in point, PCH, where we’re just now seeing a draft of possible improvements.

And possible improvements have never saved a single life.

Photo by Ján Števonka from Pixabay.

………

He gets it.

Responding to the Boulder County, Colorado hit-and-run we mentioned yesterday, Velo’s Alvin Holbrook quotes The White Line Foundation in stressing that bicycling deaths are preventable.

Then he goes on to add,

Still, cyclists doing everything right can still be hit by a car. Reflective gear isn’t enough to prevent cyclists from being hit by cars, either.

Bike lanes are proven to make streets safer for everyone, and ensuring cyclists have proper infrastructure that protects them is the bare minimum.

Problem is, that’s exactly what too many places do, Los Angeles included.

The bare minimum.

………

The annual Ride of Silence to remember fallen bicyclists will roll tonight, with local rides at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (scroll down) and in Koreatown.

You can find other locations on the Ride of Silence website, though not every ride leader registers with the site, so there may be other rides in your area.

……….

Streets For All is hosting their monthly virtual happy hour tonight, with City Attorney candidate Marissa Roy.

Personally, I’m voting for ABHFS — anyone but current LA CA Hydee Feldstein Soto.

………

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

Despite pleading poverty, San Francisco wasted no time in ripping out DIY neighborhood-installed safety improvements along the city’s popular Wiggle bike route, including benches, bike racks and planters installed less than a month ago.

Hats off to New York Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, who is doing her best to keep the streets of Brooklyn deadly by personally blocking new bike lanes in the borough, despite the high rate of bicyclists killed or seriously injured in the district.

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

Sad news from the UK, where a man in his 60s died over a month after he was struck by an ebike rider after stepping out from in front of a bus while crossing the street.

………

Local 

He gets it. Colin Bogart, Active Transportation Director at Pasadena nonprofit Day One, says if you saw an ebike going any faster than 28 mph, it’s not an ebike — even if it had pedals.

You’re invited to celebrate the grand opening of Long Beach’s Artesia Great Boulevard Project on the last day of this month, featuring “family-friendly activities, a ceremonial ribbon cutting and a community bike ride.” Although you wouldn’t think they’d make it so hard to find the damn date. 

Streetsblog examines the new sidewalk-level curb-protected bike lanes on Long Beach Blvd in the eponymously named city.

 

State

Newport Beach gave the boot to bicycles, ebikes, pedicabs and motorized bikes from the sand on the beach, as well as any other assorted bikes, boards and scooters.

New protected bike lanes in Vista are just the latest to cause controversy in San Diego County, where the media seems to search high and low for people hating on any new bicycling improvements.

Bakersfield’s triathlete-favorite Finish Line bike shop is just the latest in the state to go belly-up.

Both a sidewalk memorial and a crowdfunding page are growing for the Santa Barbara man killed by an alleged drunk driver while riding his ebike home from work Sunday night; 29-year old Joel Gonzalez leaves behind a nine-year old daughter.

Showing an unusual degree of spine, Caltrans put its foot down and is adamant that new protected bike lanes will remain part of the repaving project for the Bay Area’s Tiburon Blvd, despite predictable opposition from the Belvedere city council.

Sad news from Sacramento, where a 76-year old man died in the hospital, eight days after he was struck by a heartless, cowardly hit-and-run driver while riding his bike; a 29-year old suspect was booked and released following the crash.

 

National

The famed Mayo Clinic offers moderately useful tips on how to avoid injuries on your bike, including all-time favorites like wear a helmet and don’t fall off.

US Senate Republicans are prepared to ignore the chamber’s parliamentarian to overturn waivers granted to California by the EPA, which enable the state to regulate emissions and fuel efficiency for gas-powered cars, and could cause chaos for carmakers if they were cancelled.

A Chattanooga, Tennessee man faces attempted murder charges after he came to a woman’s apartment to return her bicycle, then stabbed her in the chest, palm and thigh when he refused to leave.

 

International

Sarah Ruggins, a Canadian woman living in England, succeeded in her attempt to set a new record for biking up and down the full length of the UK, riding 1,677 miles from John O’Groats to Land’s End and back in five days, 11 hours and 14 minutes, despite suffering from a rare neurological disorder that left her unable to walk as a teen.

Anyone know good lawyer in the UK? A British doctor reportedly gave “false, outdated and misleading” information to a colleague just days before a 13-year-old girl died of sepsis, more than a month after the girl fell off her bike, injuring her pancreas.

Heartbreaking news from Palestine, where a beloved member of the Gaza Sunbirds paracycling team was killed in an Israeli strike on Khan Younis, ten years after losing his leg in another Israeli bombing.

 

Competitive Cycling

Mexico’s Isaac del Toro spent a second day in the pink Giro leader’s jersey, as Dutch cyclist Daan Hoole upset overwhelming favorite Josh Tarling to win the stage 10 time trial. Something tells me I’ll smile just as big every other day del Toro leads the race, too.

The Tour de France’s final stage ascent of Paris’ famed Montmartre promises plenty of spectacle, if nothing else.

Watch the elite classes of this year’s 2025 Unbound Gravel for free on the Life Time Grand Prix YouTube channel.

 

Finally…

That feeling when Wired rates bike helmets, which is kinda like Bicycling rating rack servers. Or when you set off on a fundraising ride around the world with only the most essential gear — like your pickleball paddle.

And how to ride a bike with your dogs — and how not to.

I tried to ride a bike with our corgi, but her feet didn’t reach the stoker’s pedals.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

50-year old man killed in apparent mountain biking fall in San Diego’s Mission Trails Regional Park

May 20, 2025 / / Comments Off on 50-year old man killed in apparent mountain biking fall in San Diego’s Mission Trails Regional Park

Tragic news from San Diego, where a 50-year old man died after apparently falling on a mountain bike trail in Mission Trails Regional Park.

According to San Diego’s 10 News, the victim, who hasn’t been publicly named, was discovered by a married couple lying badly injured near the Mission Trails Rim Trailhead around 6:32 pm Monday.

He was bleeding from the nose and mouth when the woman, identified as Claire Viriyavong, moved his hand to perform CPR.

But despite their efforts, and the efforts of first responders, he was declared dead before being moved from the trail.

He was found near a rock, and an SDFD battalion chief said he appeared to have landed face down, suffered traumatic injuries despite wearing a helmet and other protective gear.

Which is yet another sad reminder that nothing offers complete protection.

This is at least the 15th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.

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

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

Missing bikepacker found safe, guilty verdict in meth-fueled death of 12-year old OC boy, and letter demands action on HLA

May 20, 2025 / / Comments Off on Missing bikepacker found safe, guilty verdict in meth-fueled death of 12-year old OC boy, and letter demands action on HLA
Day 140 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

My apologies for the extended absence. 

The problems I was having with low blood pressure last week cascaded into a crisis over the weekend I was lucky to weather without ending up in the ER.

Although I probably should have, according to my wife, anyway. 

I have no problem accepting my mortality, given that, as a diabetic in my late 60s, I have a life expectancy somewhere between a fruit fly and a green banana. 

And I accept that I may never ride my road bike again. Or maybe any bike, for that matter. 

But I worry about what happens to this site when the day finally comes that I can’t do it anymore. 

In the meantime, I’ll do my best to keep things going on a regular basis. Or often as my aging body lets me, anyway.

So let’s get back to it. 

………

Let’s start with some good news.

The Georgia woman who had been missing in the rugged California mountains for three weeks was found safe.

Twenty-two-year old Tiffany Slaton disappeared while on an bikepacking trip above Fresno, after she was last seen stopping at a general store.

She was found when the owner of a mountain resort that had been closed for the winter went to get it ready to open, and found her hunkered down inside surviving on wild leeks and boiled snow.

She had lost most of her belongings, abandoning her ebike at a trailhead, and surviving 13 snowstorms in the process.

She had also lost ten pounds.

But she was safe and alive, and soon reunited with her parents, who were stunned and overjoyed by the news.

Photo by Gantas Vaičiulėnas from Pexels.

………

Guilty.

An Orange County jury found 64-year old Richard David Lavalle guilty of 2nd degree murder for the meth-fueled death of a 12-year old bike rider.

The Long Beach man was convicted of killing Noel Bascomb as he was riding a bicycle with his father in a Costa Mesa crosswalk in December, 2020.

The boy’s father was forced to watch the crash that killed his son, screaming for Lavalle to stop his pickup before crushing Noel’s bicycle, and catapulting the boy roughly 120 feet through the air.

Police founds drugs in Lavalle’s truck, and he was unable to stand on one foot for a field sobriety test following the crash; a blood test found meth in his blood hours after the crash.

Although his wife, who was riding in the passenger seat, tried to claim the drugs were hers.

Lavalle had previously been convicted driving under the influence in San Diego County, which allowed prosecutors to upgrade the charge from manslaughter to murder.

………

No surprise here.

Streets For All, the original sponsor of Measure HLA, took a look at the the status of HLA projects that the city reports on the official HLA website, and find it, well, lacking.

Tres shock!

They responded with a letter calling the city out for its failure, and urging it to work with them going forward.

Speaking of HLA, Streets For All urges you to support a version of the law in LA County tomorrow at the virtual meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Community Services Cluster.

……….

Nice to see Los Angeles recognized for something good for a change, as CNN makes the case for why Griffith Park may be the country’s greatest city park.

At 4,210 acres, Griffith outshines other extraordinary city parks of the US, such as San Francisco’s Golden Gate, which barely tops 1,000 acres, and New York’s Central Park, a mere 843 acres. Griffith’s peaks tower above those flat competitors too, with nearly 1,500 feet in elevation gain, making it practically vertical in orientation. And LA’s crown jewel of a park is still largely uncut, much of it remaining a wilderness area preserved more than 100 years ago, and barely developed, unlike the pre-planned “wild” designs of Golden Gate and Central Park.

Add its history, views, recreation opportunities, unique and hidden spaces, a free Art Deco observatory and museum, the most famous sign in America and the park’s overall star-power, and you have a compelling case that Griffith is not just epic in scope but the greatest city park in the nation.

There’s something for everyone there: a zoo, playgrounds and an old-timey trainyard for the kids; challenging and steep trails for hikers; dirt paths for equestrians; paved roads for bikers; diverse flora and fauna for nature enthusiasts; and museums for the science and history learners.

Take that, New York.

……….

Gravel Bike California makes a run for the border by riding the Taco Bell Century with Grizzly Cycles.

………

Cate Blanchett is one of us.

Seriously. What could beat Blanchett on a bike?

Cate Blanchett having the time of her life, as captured by photographer Annie Leibovitz.#BicycleBirthday Cate BlanchettBorn May 14, 1969

— Cool Bike Art (@coolbikeart1.bsky.social) 2025-05-14T20:01:24.143Z

………

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

No bias here. A British paper says the only surprising thing about a London pedestrian being killed by an ebike rider earlier this year is that there aren’t more cases like it. Which is a pretty good indication that it’s not as big a problem as they’re trying to make it out to be. 

An 18-year old New Zealand man was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after throwing a bottle at from the SUV he was riding in, striking participants in a local bike race — including an 11-year old cyclist.

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

The notoriously anti-bike New York Post writes that the city must stop treating bicyclists like a special class, for everyone’s safety. Because it’s not treating bike riders like a special class at all when the cops give scofflaw bicyclists criminal summonses that drivers aren’t subject to, apparently (see National news below).

………

Local 

Speed cams are finally coming to Los Angeles, with operations scheduled to begin by the middle of next year — if they can survive the usual public comment period.

LA officials officially unveiled the first 5.5-mile segment of the Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor multiuse path linking three Metro train lines through South LA.

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton offers photos and an open thread from Sunday’s Pico-Union CicLAmini.

Metro is holding a series of meetings to gather feedback on the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project, starting with a virtual meeting this Wednesday.

The West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition will host their annual WeHo Pride Ride on Sunday, June 1st.

The Pasadena Ride of Silence will roll at the Rose Bowl Wednesday evening to remember fallen bike riders; Palm Springs will hold one on Wednesday, too.

Caltrans unveiled their draft feasibility study for safety changes on the 21 miles of PCH through the ‘Bu; needless to say, commenters immediately complained about plans for protected bike lanes.

A Venice man relates his attack by a ranting man who shouted that “all bikes must be destroyed” while he was walking his bicycle on the Santa Monica Pomenade recently.

 

State

Streetsblog says “here we go again,” as the California Ebike Incentive Program gears-up for their next attempt at a second round of ebike incentives, after failing so badly at two previous attempts.

No surprise here, either. Calbike says the state has got its transportation spending priorities wrong, as Newsom’s revised budget calls for continued highway spending, but fails to restore funding for active transportation that was cut last year.

Streets Are For Everyone says red light cams work and calls for support for SB 720, which would update California’s red light camera programs and allow cities and counties to opt in. 

Encinitas held an open streets event this weekend, too.

No bias here, either. After the La Mesa council voted to build eight bike lane and sidewalk projects near the city’s schools, a San Diego TV station can only manage frame the story through the lens of the single councilmember who voted against it — then somehow says the city is divided.

Sad news from Santa Barbara, where a 36-year old woman faces multiple charges for killing an ebike rider — including gross vehicular manslaughter, DUI and driving without a license — yet somehow, police still managed to blame the victim for causing the crash.

 

National

A reporter for NPR says bike riding helps with long-term knee and health problems, even if like life, it doesn’t always make sense. True enough. Riding a bike helped keep my failing knee going for a couple decades after a surgeon told me it needed to be replaced. And hid my diabetes for at least that long.

Nevada’s attempt at a Stop As Yield bill died in the state legislature, victim of an arbitrary cutoff date.

Colorado authorities are asking for the public’s help finding a hit-and-run driver who killed a 41-year old man riding a bicycle in Boulder County on Sunday. Note that they asked for help right away, rather than waiting until the trail has run cold and people have forgotten key details, like the LAPD does.

In a story that hits a little too close to home, police still haven’t solved the fatal shooting of a 47-year old man riding a bicycle just 17 miles from my bike-friendly Colorado hometown.

A Manhattan Criminal Court judge gave scofflaw bike riders a good darn talking to on the first day of court for bicyclists given a criminal complaint by the NYPD, rather than a standard ticket for traffic violations; however, not everyone thinks that’s a good idea.

 

International

Bike Radar asks if the latest crop of ebikes have become too powerful, and could be harming the reputation of mountain biking.

You’ve got to be kidding. A British coroner ruled that the crash that killed a bicyclist was “unavoidable,” following testimony from the driver that the dark-clad victim “suddenly” appeared in front of her car after she “momentarily” looked down at her gear shift. Because a) bike riders don’t “suddenly” appear out of nowhere, and b) no crash is “unavoidable.”

An Irish writer says most of the complaints about Dublin bicyclists are actually people on bicycle-shaped objects, aka illegally modified mo-peds and electric motorbikes. Which is probably the case in California’s beach cities, too. 

How Paris became Europe’s best city for young bike riders.

Horrible news from Japan, where a 70-year old Osaka man jumped or fell from a high-rise condo, and landed on a man riding a bicycle in the street below; the victim was believed to be a 59-year old man from a city over 300 miles away.

Sad news from Australia, where 63-year old former pro wrestler Mike Raybeck, aka Maxx Justin and Mike Diamond, was killed in a collision while riding his bike home from work.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cycling Weekly looks at 21-year old Mexican cyclist Isaac del Toro, after the Baja California native became the first Mexican cyclist to wear the pink leader’s jersey in the Giro.

Nineteen-year old British cyclist Matthew Brennan is making waves on the WorldTour with seven wins in just 23 days.

Good question. A Colorado public radio station asks why bike racing has struggled to succeed in the state when it has such a strong bicycling culture. Although it’s not just Colorado; pro cycling has struggled everywhere in the US, as former fans of the Tour of California can attest.

Cycling Weekly looks at this week’s 2025 USA Cycling Road Nationals — starting with 15 paracycling titles awarded on day one.

 

Finally…

You know your locked bike was stripped when thieves even take your handlebar grips. How do you celebrate a Spanish soccer championship? With a bike ride, of course.

And are you at risk for kyphosis bicyclistarum, or bicyclist’s stoop?

Thanks to Steven Hallet for that last one.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Update: Man riding bicycle killed in collision Friday in Baldwin Park industrial area; just the 3rd bike death reported in LA County this year

May 17, 2025 / / Comments Off on Update: Man riding bicycle killed in collision Friday in Baldwin Park industrial area; just the 3rd bike death reported in LA County this year

A man riding a bicycle was killed in Baldwin Park Friday morning.

Something we might not know about if it wasn’t for a single report from a local news source.

Which is one more than we usually get these days, unfortunately.

According to Baldwin Park News, the victim, identified only as a man in his 50s, was struck by a driver at Live Oak and Stewart avenues in Baldwin Park around 4:56 pm.

Despite the efforts of police and paramedics, he died at the scene.

The driver stayed at the scene, and police don’t suspect they were under the influence. Which isn’t surprising given the hour and industrial area surrounding the crash site.

There’s no word yet on how the crash occurred, or whether the victim had lights on his bike more than an hour before sunrise.

This was at least the 14th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and just the third that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

Which either means this is the county’s best year on record, or there are a lot of crashes we’re just not hearing about.

I’d put my money on the latter.

Update: Baldwin Park News — which is still the only source to report on the crash — reports the victim has been identified as 55-year-old David Conteras, after notification of next of kin.

The paper also reports the driver left the scene, and police spotted the damaged pickup about a mile from the crash site.

There’s no explanation for why that wasn’t considered a hit-and-run.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for David Conteras and his loved ones. 

Thanks to dangheck.bsky.social for the heads-up. And thanks to Baldwin Park News for reporting and staying on top of this story.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Today’s post called on account of bad meds and old age

May 16, 2025 / / One comment

My apologies once again.

I had hoped to be back today, but I’m not doing well at all today. I’ve fallen a couple times due to extremely low pressure, and given up on a new med that was supposed to help but only made things worse.

Best advice, don’t get old. It’s no damn fun.

Hopefully, we’ll be back on Monday.

 

Category: General /

Happy Bike to Work & Bike Anywhere Day!

May 15, 2025 / / Comments Off on Happy Bike to Work & Bike Anywhere Day!
Day 135 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

Happy Bike to Work, and/or Bike Anywhere Day!

I know of bike pitstops this morning in Beverly Hills and Pasadena, and I’m pretty sure Santa Monica is doing something, too. If Los Angeles is doing anything for Bike to Work Day, they seem to be keeping it secret.

Then again, I’m pretty sure most LA city leaders are keeping their eyes and ears closed, and trying to pretend we don’t exist.

Metrolink trains are free for anyone with a bicycle, and Metro trains and buses are free, along with DASH buses. And Metro Bikes are free for half hour rides.

Unfortunately, I’m having trouble finding a balance between two of my medications. My blood pressure has been in the toilet all day, and I’m currently flat on my back with the world spinning around me, so I’m not up to writing tonight.

Or anything else, for that matter.

So get out and ride your bike today, whether to work, school, shopping or anywhere else.

I’m just going to keep a tight grip on this mattress, and see you tomorrow.

 

Category: General / Tags: ,
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