Morning Links: Vote for bikeways in South OC, how to deal with road rage, and punched out for not running a red

June 5, 2014 / / One comment
Local

A UCLA professor discovers that even after four or five decades, riding a bike is just like riding a bike.

Next weekend’s Santa Monica Festival features a bike rodeo and annual Bike Exposition.

Burbank’s US Representative Adam Shiff reports from the road on the AIDS LifeCycle ride. I’m starting to like this guy.

 

State

Voice your opinion on potential South OC bikeways.

A SoCal cyclist rides from San Diego to New York to raise money for starving children.

A 21-year old Moorpark park man struggles with a serious brain injury after the front wheel came off his bike in April; a reminder to always check your bike before you ride.

Chico hosts a Bicycle Music Festival this weekend. No, I don’t know what that is either, but it sounds like fun.

Nice to know there are few, if any, consequences for hitting a cyclist, fleeing the scene and threatening witnesses when you’re a homophobic pro football star.

 

National

Elly Blue offers advice on how to deal with your own road rage. My best advice is to focus on all the drivers who don’t piss you off, rather than the one who did.

The father of newly freed POW Bowe Bergdahl was an Olympic cyclist who lost his chance to compete when the US boycotted the Moscow Olympics over the Russian invasion of, yes, Afghanistan.

A Casper newspaper says it’s time to get serious about making changes in attitude and infrastructure to save cyclists’ lives, even in Wyoming.

Great idea. A cycling website in my home town gives a free crash kit to injured riders, including a new helmet, sunglasses, Road ID and comfort food, among other items. Almost makes it worth the wipeout.

A Wisconsin bike rider is called a hero for rescuing a 12-year old stabbing victim.

The Atlanta man caught on video attacking a cyclist and calling him anti-gay slurs turns himself in to police.

 

International

Mikael Colville-Andersen looks at the bikes of Brazil, which is quite different from the Boys from Brazil.

Edmonton CA moves forward with a new four-year bike plan.

Calgary bike gangs welcome new members; no word on whether you have to get a tattoo, wear leathers or go through a beat down initiation.

Caught on video: A Dublin bus driver threatens to run over a cyclist, even though he was in a bike lane.

How to leave the house on a bike in 13 very complicated but amusing steps.

Twenty-five-year old American Tejay van Garderen hopes to put a bad spring behind him and lead his team at the Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de France.

An Australian cyclist is killed after he was apparently deliberately run off the road by an “arrogant and aggressive” motorcycle rider.

 

Finally…

If you’re carrying oxycodone tablets you don’t have a prescription for, don’t force firefighters to evacuate an entire apartment building by parking your leaky gas-powered bicycle in a hallway.

And instead of complaining about cyclists running red lights, a Boston driver punches one out when he refuses to.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,

Morning Links: Maybe you do need bike self-defense, two new bike jobs and a jewel-encrusted mountain bike

June 4, 2014 / / 7 comments

There seems to be a common theme today, as at least five bike riders are attacked or robbed in news stories from around the world.

Fortunately, there’s also a story on how to use your bike for self defense. Let’s hope it works.

……..

Just because paint goes on the street doesn’t it will stay there.

Boise prepares to remove bike lanes even though they don’t slow traffic and haven’t caused any wrecks, while San Antonio riders protest a vote to remove lanes there.

Meanwhile, bicycling explodes on streets with two-way cycle tracks, even though they may not be a good idea. And People for Bikes says intersections on protected bikeways are jaw-droppingly safe.

……..

Local

No surprise here, as Los Angeles commuters face the nation’s worst traffic. Or at least, the ones who don’t ride bikes or take transit do.

The BAC gives Councilmember Gil Cedillo’s rep a well-deserved earful on North Figueroa.

If you need a new job, CicLAvia needs a new Director of Community Engagement. And CalBike is looking for a Development and Communications Director, which would seem to require two distinct and unrelated job skills.

You’re invited to Ride Around Pomona this Saturday.

 

State

As if we didn’t have enough to worry about from motorists, a Fontana bike rider is robbed at gunpoint by occupants of a passing car.

This year’s San Francisco to LA AIDS LifeCycle ride raises $15 million for HIV/AIDS-related services.

The CHP is searching for a truck driver who fled the scene after hitting a Sonoma cyclist.

 

National

Yahoo Finance says if you want to save money, buy a bike or transit pass.

A new gyroscope-equipped bike takes the falls out of learning to ride, but will kids who learn that way be able to balance a regular bike on their own later?

Seriously, if Anchorage can be one of the nation’s top cities for bike commuting, what the hell is our problem? I mean, besides elected officials who single-handedly block much needed bike lanes?

A Tucson cyclist is used for target practice by a thankfully aim-challenged gunman.

Denver’s mayor calls attention to the hit-and-run epidemic, which clearly knows no boundaries.

Dallas police use the city’s misguided helmet law to target poor and minority riders, rather than enforce safety.

An Ohio man is riding cross-country on an ebike. At age 80, I think we can cut him some slack.

Stylish New Yorkers pose with their bikes; clearly, they have a different definition of stylish than I do.

An Atlanta runner attacks a bike rider after shouting anti-gay slurs.

 

International

I now qualify for Team Novo Nordisk, which is competing in Canada this week. Or I would if I was a lot faster these days.

An English writer does his best to suck all the joy out of riding with his 17 rules to not be a “fish and chips” cyclist, whatever the hell that means.

A UK driver gets away with killing a cyclist while speeding because authorities used the wrong kind of speed limit sign.

An Oxford, England rider is dragged off his bike by a scissor-wielding attacker.

Caught on video: A South African cyclist is bike jacked at gunpoint, and catches the theft — and thief — on his GoPro. Note to would-be thieves: always take the camera.

A different kind of bicycling injury, as a Singapore woman is in a coma after being hit by a bike wheel thrown from an apartment.

 

Finally…

How to use your bike for self-defense; yes, a similar piece ran last year, but this one has cool animated GIFs. A news columnist admits to parking — and driving a race car — in Toronto bike lanes, but insists the riders who complain about it are the real problem.

But would he still try to block you if you were riding a solid gold, jewel encrusted mountain bike?

Probably.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , ,

Morning Links: Better Biking on SM Blvd, an East Coast view of West Coast bike paths, and busted for bike sex

June 3, 2014 / / 3 comments
Local

Mayor Garcetti officially unveils LA’s first Great Streets.

However, Streetsblog’s Joe Linton questions whether just $800,000 worth of improvements on 15 streets will really make a difference.

Better Bike offers suggestions on what can be done right now to improve safety for bike riders on Santa Monica Blvd through Beverly Hills, which could be a great street if officials in the Biking Black Hole cared enough to do anything about it.

 

State

Former LADOT Bike Blogger Christopher Kidd looks at the murky truth behind California sidewalk riding laws, which only serve to confuse virtually everyone, everywhere.

Meet champion cyclist and coach Connie Paraskevin in Corona del Mar next Tuesday.

An Ontario cyclist is in critical but stable condition after being dragged 1,000 feet under a car when the driver failed to stop. The 70-year old motorist thought he hit something, but didn’t know what — so naturally, he just kept going. He was not cited at the scene, since there appears to be no obligation to stop if you only think you hit something.

Three women riders are honored with Santa Barbara’s Velo Wing awards.

The Bike Hut offers a refuge for Bay Area cyclists riding south of Half Moon Bay. Do we have anything like that here in SoCal? If not, maybe we should.

 

National

Seriously? Bicycling magazine offers a very East Coast-centric look at the best boardwalks for bicycling; only the misnamed Marvin Braude bike trail and San Diego’s Mission Beach to PB path make the cut here on the Left Coast.

More on the protected bike lane study we discussed yesterday, as they appear to increase ridership wherever they go in.

A Minnesota writer says if Vehicular Cycling actually succeeded, it wouldn’t. Some things I might quibble with there, but an interesting read.

The sad thing is that a new law is even necessary to force New York police to prosecute drivers who hit pedestrians or cyclists that have the right-of-way.

 

International

A new study shows caffeinated carb gels really do improve performance.

Want. A British artist crafts die-cast bicycling figurines, including Breaking Away’s Cutter Dave Stoller.

A UK student develops the world’s most cut-proof bike lock.

The winner of the Giro, Columbia’s Nairo Quintana, receives a pink jersey blessed by the pope.

 

Finally…

A dog rides an invisible inverse bicycle.

Which makes far more sense than this story about a Scotsman convicted of having sex with his bicycle, which presumably was incapable of giving consent. And no, I don’t even know how you’d do that — and don’t want to. Thanks to John McBrearty for the heads-up.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,

Morning Links: New study shows benefits of protected bike lanes; OC cyclist threatened and harassed on PCH

June 2, 2014 / / 17 comments

Any debate over the benefits of protected bike lanes should end today.

In what’s being called a groundbreaking study of nine bike lanes (pdf) in five cities across the US, researchers funded by People for Bikes found big benefits for protected lanes.

According to Bike Portland,

The facilities included in the sample — hand-picked bikeways from Austin, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Chicago and Portland — showed a massive increase in bike traffic, received high marks for improving safety of all road users, and have won over the hearts and minds of people whether they use them or not.

The story goes on to say a quarter of riders say they ride more because of the protected lanes, while protected lanes increase bike traffic an average of 72% in the first year alone. In addition, 96% of people using the lanes felt safer, and 76% of people living nearby support building additional protected lanes, whether they use them or not.

Meanwhile, 10% of the riders switched from other modes of transportation.

And most significant of all, in an analysis of 144 hours of video footage, nearly 12,900 cyclists passed through the intersections under study without a single collision.

Or even a near collision, for that matter.

Game, set, match.

………

Caught on video: Despite riding in a separated bike lane on PCH, an Orange County cyclist is threatened and harassed by jerks in a pickup, who throw water bottles at him and try to run him off the road; KCAL-9 offers a detailed report.

Hopefully authorities will be able to make out the license and press charges for assault. And hopefully they’ll take it as seriously as they say they will.

Thanks to John McBrearty for the heads-up.

………

Local

Mayor Garcetti will announce the city’s first 15 Great Streets on Tuesday, one for each council district. Including North Figueroa, where Councilmember Gil Cedillo has been actively blocking the bike lanes and road diet that would help make it great.

Bicycling interviews LA Bike Train’s Nona Varnado, even though the LA Weekly says LA is still a car town, and it’s damn well going to stay that way. So there.

The LA edition of the World Naked Bike Ride rolls on Saturday, June 14th. I’d go but I don’t have a thing to wear.

Registration opens Thursday for Wolfpack Hustle’s Civic Center Crit 2 on July 12th.

A new white paper examines how Santa Monica’s school district can embrace bicycling; thanks to Dr. Michael Cahn for the link.

Evidently, Burbank Congressman Adam Shiff really is one of us; he’s on this year’s edition of the AIDS/LifeCycle ride as we speak.

A group of cyclists will depart from Malibu on Wednesday on a cross-country tour to raise money and awareness for Hope for Warriors.

 

State

Calbike releases their summer report.

Speaking of the AIDS/LifeCycle ride, four participants were right hooked by a driver Monday morning; fortunately, none appear to be seriously injured.

A high school exchange student learns the hard way that Shasta Lake is no Holland when it comes to bikes.

 

National

It’s been a bad week for Wyoming cyclists, as two riders are killed by suspected drunk drivers in three days, and a third rider — the wife of one of the victims — was seriously injured. The state is in freefall when it comes to bike-friendliness, dropping 25 spots in just four years.

San Antonio votes to throw $1.74 million down the toilet by removing new bike lanes, even though they don’t slow traffic flow.

Despite gloom and doom predictions, not one person has died using New York’s Citi Bike bike share program in over 8.75 million journeys.

Bike Snob astutely asks when the hell a bike lane ever stopped a cab driver from parking, and who do you think will police blame when a driverless car hits a cyclist, since they already blame the rider anyway?

A DC father invents an add-on kid seat for bike share bikes, and gets a cease-and-desist order for his trouble.

 

International

A new Canadian study says bike helmets do what they’re supposed to do, while an Aussie study says cyclists really do make better drivers, at least around other riders.

A road raging driver repeatedly punches a teenage Brit cyclist, who declines to press charges.

France experiments with paying commuters to bike to work; thanks to new LACBC board member Patrick Pascal for the tip.

Even in car-choked Rome, the new mayor promotes bicycling as a viable option.

Bike racing’s governing body enters bicycle advocacy. After all, they’ve done so well running the dope-free world of racing, right?

 

Finally…

When a father tries to teach his daughter to ride a bike, a neighbor comes out to offer his advice. Then threatens him with a shotgun when he doesn’t take it. And evidently, drivers aren’t the only ones who hate bikes, as a deer follows an employee into a bike shop before knocking him down and trashing the place.

………

Don’t forget to go out and Bike the Vote today. It’s only when bike riders stay home — or don’t vote their interests — that we get the sort of elected leaders who actively stand in the way of safer streets.

Category: Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , ,

Finish the Ride results in a large check, a 9% drop in hit-and-run — and your chance to help take up the fight

June 2, 2014 / / 2 comments
Over a year later, Damian Kevitt finishes the ride; photo courtesy of Finish the Ride.

Over a year later, Damian Kevitt finishes the ride; photo courtesy of Finish the Ride.

I got to meet one of my heroes last week.

Okay, two.

I was at the LACBC Board of Directors meeting Wednesday night when someone stepped up behind me and said he wanted to introduce himself.

I turned to see a tall man with a huge smile and a face I knew from countless news stories. A quick, almost involuntary glance down revealed an artificial leg he made no attempt to hide, and suddenly no introduction was necessary.

For reasons I will never understand, Damien Kevitt wanted to shake my hand.

I think he had that backwards.

I’ve been wanting to shake his ever since he fought his way back from one of the most horrific hit-and-run collisions I’ve ever heard of. Just surviving what he went through took more courage than most of us will ever need in our lifetimes.

And that was long before his amazing Finish the Ride campaign made him the public face of the fight against motorists who run away like the cowards they are, rather than stopping to take responsibility for their actions.

Under similar circumstances, most people would be happy just to survive. Let alone display the determination to get back on his bike as quickly as possible, despite the loss of a leg.

And even more to start a movement dedicated to justice, if not for himself, then for others victims of hit-and-run.

……..

Crowds at start of Finish the Ride; photo courtesy of Finish the Ride.

Crowds at start of Finish the Ride; photo courtesy of Finish the Ride.

It was a little later, after he had made a presentation to the board, that I gave a hug to another hero of mine.

Kevitt was accompanied by a woman who turned out to be one of the most awe-inspiring people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.

His mother, Michele Kevitt Kirkland.

Her name popped up from the very beginning in news stories about his collision. And virtually every story after that as she spoke for — and fought for — her son until he was able to do it for himself.

I have no doubt that it was her will and determination, as much as the skill of his medical team, that helped bring Kevitt through the first few days when his survival was in doubt.

Let alone every seemingly impossible step that followed.

……..

Congressman Adam Shiff addresses the crowd; photo courtesy of Finish the Ride.

Congressman Adam Shiff addresses the crowd; photo courtesy of Finish the Ride.

Kevitt was at the board meeting because he had named the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition as one of the beneficiaries of the event, along with the Challenged Athletes Foundation — in the unlikely event there were any profits to benefit from — and the coalition provided the organizational support necessary to pull it off.

At the last minute, though, sponsors started pouring in, from local bike shops to a major car dealership, as well as BikinginLA sponsor Pocrass & De Los Reyes. And news started spreading, not just here in LA, but across the US and around the world.

In the end, the turnout far surpassed anyone’s expectations. And the ride not only broke even, it resulted in one of the largest private donations the LACBC has ever received.

  • Over 700 participants
  • Five elected officials both speaking and riding, including a US Congressman
  • Over 16 media outlets represented
  • 26 festival booths
  • 22 entertainers performing for the crowd
  • $25,000 raised for the LACBC and the CAF

But the biggest success may have come as a surprise to everyone.

According to LAPD Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff, after rising steadily for years, the rate of hit-and-runs in Los Angeles has declined 9% since the first of the year.

A drop he attributed in large part to the publicity Finish the Ride received, and the message of responsibility behind it.

Which goes to show that the battle to stop drivers from fleeing may actually be winnable after all.

……..

From left: Jennifer Klausner, Damian Kevitt, JJ Hoffman, Michele Kevitt Kirkland and Alex Amerri

From left: Jennifer Klausner, Damian Kevitt, JJ Hoffman, Michele Kevitt Kirkland and Alex Amerri.

After a victory like that, anyone else would sit back and relax. Or maybe start thinking about next year’s ride.

Clearly, Damian Kevitt is not like anyone else I’ve ever met.

He not only credits everyone else with the success of Finish the Ride, he’s taking the fight to the next level.

Tomorrow night he’s hosting the first Hit and Run Summit — Gathering of the Minds at a church in Hollywood. And inviting you, and everyone else committed to doing something about this deadly, life-shattering epidemic, to attend.

Join us Tuesday, June 3, 2014 at 7:00pm for the first “Hit and Run Summit – Gathering of the minds.”

Gather your voices and be part of something that will help change the streets of Los Angels in a positive light for young and old alike.

Join in on a united mission to make Los Angeles County a healthy, safer, and fun place to walk, run, and ride bicycles.

Come and network with a diverse community of people that believes in advocacy, education, and community building over dinner.

Please share this with anyone that could possibly benefit from this event. We will be providing useful contact information for various groups, and organizations for volunteer and/or assistance purposes.

Schools, mothers, clubs, and non-profit organizations are highly encouraged to attend and participate.

Address:
Hollywood Lutheran Church, Rear Gallery
1733 North New Hampshire, Hollywood, CA 90027
 
Time:
7:00PM Summit Opens, 7:20 Summit Starts, 7:50PM Dinner Served
 

*Keynote speakers will include experts in the following areas.

  • CREATING SOLUTIONS TO MAKE LA STREETS SAFER FOR EVERYONE
  • CAMPAIGNING ON HANDLING HIT AND RUN
  • CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LAW AND HIT AND RUN
  • CURRENT AND FUTURE LEGISLATIONS REGARDING HIT AND RUN
  • STATISTICS AND FACTS OF HIT AND RUN
“Safer roads in LA County for everyone!”

I’m not making many commitments these days as I work to get my own health back under control. But I plan to attend even if I have to drag myself there.

And I hope you’ll be there, as well.

 

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Bicycle Safety, Hit-and-Run / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: Stunning Phinney crash photo, Better Bike examines the candidates for county supervisor

June 1, 2014 / / One comment

Let’s start with a brief bit of racing news.

A stunning photograph captures the moment Taylor Phinney crashed and broke his leg in two places during last week’s national road championships in Chattanooga. You can see him still falling after hitting the guard rail, while the rider behind struggles to stay upright and the moto rider who caused the crash puts a foot down to steady himself.

Meanwhile, 1984 Olympic gold medalist Connie Carpenter Phinney — Taylor’s mom — discusses the aftermath of his collision.

Nairo Quintana becomes the first Columbian to win the Giro d’Italia, while Bicycling magazine profiles Marianne Vos, who may just be the best cyclist of our generation.

And Jaguar redesigns Team Sky’s Pinarello Dogma for the Tour de France.

………

Local

Better Bike digests the responses supervisor to the LACBC’s candidate questionnaires for District 3 county supervisor with a side-by-side comparison of their stands on the issues. Take a look at the responses, and go Bike the Vote on Tuesday.

 

State

San Diego celebrated Bike to Work Day on Friday after a two-week delay due to the recent fires.

Four Riverside County cities team up to create a 12-mile bike and walking trail.

The Wild West Charity Bike Ride rolls in Banning this coming weekend.

 

National

The quality of bike lanes — how many riders actually use them — matters more than quantity.

Portland prosecutors decline to file charges in an alleged road rage case, saying they don’t think they the case is winnable.

After an urban terrorist attempts to injure New York cyclists by stringing a rope across a park roadway, the NYPD struggles to give a rat’s ass.

A North Carolina Ironman competitor is injured when an SUV driver slams on her brakes in front of competitors.

Members of the Cherokee Nation begin their annual 950 mile Remember the Removal ride in honor of the 1839 Trail of Tears, one of the most shameful moments in American history.

New Orleans launches new bike trains patterned after our own LA Bike Trains.

Caught on video: Ft. Lauderdale police take down a Critical Mass rider; thanks to Erik Griswold for the heads-up.

 

International

A British Columbian randonneur is shot from a passing pickup during the Cache Creek 600 an apparent random attack; fortunately, he wasn’t seriously injured.

It’s not really a bike lane if everyone else in Toronto is parking in it, is it?

 

Finally…

Portland police offer advice on how not to be offended by the upcoming World Naked Bike Ride, like pull the shades down and turn up the TV. No, really. And Cyclelicious says bike handling skills could save your life.

……….

Check back later today for some good news in the fight against hit-and-run, as I get to meet one — or make that two — of my heroes.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,
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