Call for Martinez and De León to resign after racist rant, CicLAvia returns to DTLA, and vehicular murder in Griffith Park

October 10, 2022 / / 4 comments

Let’s start with a story that has nothing to do with bicycles.

And everything to do with all of us in Los Angeles.

A recording surfaced yesterday of City Council President Nury Martinez, Councilmembers Kevin De León and Gil Cedillo, and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, using racist language while breaking down redistricting arguments strictly along racial lines.

Never mind calling their gay fellow councilmembers a “bitch” and a “diva.” Or referring to Oaxacan immigrants as ugly little people.

I won’t get into all it. You can, and should, read it on your own. Because as ugly as I make it sound, the reality is far worse.

Suffice it to say that Martinez described the Black toddler son of fellow Councilmember Mike Bonin and his husband as a monkey and a fashion accessory, while De León compared him to a Louis Vuitton handbag.

Both Martinez and Kevin De León have supported bikes in recent years, and the bike community have supported them in kind. And both have apologized for their comments.

But that’s not good enough.

Which is why I’m joining with countless other Angelenos and LA organizations calling for their resignations.

There is no place for open racism in our government at any level. It is simply unacceptable, and beneath contempt.

And if they don’t have the integrity to quit, we’ll may have recall them to force them both out.

The only reason I’m not calling for Cedillo’s resignation is that he has already, and deservedly, lost his bid for re-election. But if he had any dignity, he’d leave on his own, right now.

Which in his case is a pretty damn big if, given what we already know about him.

Meanwhile, this is also more proof that it’s time to take redistricting entirely out of the council’s hands, and let a civilian commission have the final say.

Photo of our intern and mascot on the new 6th Street Bridge during yesterday’s CicLAvia.

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In happier news, a good time was had by all at yesterday’s Heart of LA CicLAvia.

Or nearly all, anyway. A couple of firefighters indicated the day was mostly event free, despite a wave of injuries at the beginning of the day.

The route, which for the first time led to Echo Park and the new 6th Street Bridge, saw a massive turnout as Angelenos took advantage of the near perfect weather.

My wife and I, and corgi, included.

Here are a few photos to capture the day.

Nikita of the Real Rydaz poses with her bike.

Both award-winning bikes were built by Will of the Real Rydaz.

Frank Gehry’s new The Grand LA adds to the LA skyline.

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This is who we share the road with.

What started out as yet another a hit-and-run in Griffith Park ended with a murder charge.

News broke Saturday evening that a pedestrian had been killed by a driver earlier in the day. The woman fled the scene, leaving her victim to die in the street on Fern Dell Drive.

The driver was arrested the following day, after investigators concluded that the 70-year old victim’s 32-year old girlfriend had intentionally run him over — using his own car — following an argument.

Sonia Sovereign reportedly confessed to the crime, and is being held on a murder charge on $1 million bail.

And it may not have been her first brush with the law, as a woman with the same name, and the right age, led Colorado police on a drunken chase half a decade earlier.

Just one more argument for why cars don’t belong in the park. Or any park, for that matter.

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Michael Siegal of South Pas Active Streets forwards news of a successful first Walk and Roll at two South Pasadena elementary schools.

Local community organization South Pas Active Streets organized three “bike bus” rides to school on October 5th to Arroyo Vista and Marengo elementary schools. Coinciding with South Pasadena Walk or Bike to School Day, these chaperoned, safety-in-numbers bike rides created an active way to get to school for children who otherwise might not have the opportunity.

Over 30 children and 20 adults participated in one of three different routes to school.  With a core group of riders starting the ride at one end, participants would join the bike bus along its route as it wound its way toward school.  Besides parents, volunteers on these rides included members of DUDES South Pasadena and Mayor Michael Cacciotti.

South Pas Active Streets seeks to provide safe opportunities for active mobility, supporting our childrens’ health, independence, and well-being.  With the success of Wednesday’s first-ever South Pas Walk and Roll, the organization will be coordinating more bike buses and walking buses in the future.

More information on the event, the routes and photos are at southpasactive.org/home/south-pas-walk-and-roll

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I’d be more impressed with the new protected bike lanes on San Vicente if they weren’t half in the gutter.

But at least the city is building something in the mobility plan, for a change.

https://twitter.com/streetsforall/status/1578168132589346816

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As we mentioned last week, CSUN is hosting a family-friendly Bikefest in two weeks.

Thanks to Steven Hallett for the heads-up.

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

A failed candidate for state legislature took credit for throwing a red plastic cup full of cider at a Chicago alderman, as he rode past on his bike with about 50 other people to examine existing bike infrastructure and brainstorm improvements. If you can call it “credit,” that is.

No bias here. Louisville KY writer complains about “militant” bicyclists, who hide their anti-car agenda “behind code words like safety, health, vibrant and even equity.” Um, sure. Let’s go with that.

Someone is sabotaging a DC bike lane by repeatedly dumping construction nails into it.

In an apparent attempt to thin the herd, a separated bike lane in Manchester, England, is shared with truck drivers headed the opposite direction to a delivery bay, resulting in a bizarre game of chicken as drivers go head-on towards people on bikes.

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

Police in Santa Barbara are looking for a blond man who allegedly fled the scene by bicycle after beating a man to death, before possible stealing a car to complete his getaway.

An English man faces charges for mowing down two bicyclists while speeding downhill and riding salmon in a London park, and barely missing another rider.

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Local

An op-ed in the LA Times looks at the new law decriminalizing jaywalking in most circumstances, and the historic automotive hegemony that led to jaywalking laws in the first place.

A man in his 50s was critically injured in a Westminster hit-and-run while riding his bike Thursday evening.

 

State 

Camarillo approved a proposal to authorize just over $910,000 to hire engineering and environmental consultants for a planned $6 million bike lane extension on Central Ave. Although that’s a hell of a lot of money for just a third of a mile of bike lanes, so let’s hope there’s more to it than that.

Sad news from San Jose, where a man riding a bicycle was killed when he was struck by two separate motorists, one of whom fled the scene.

The Stanford student paper examines the presence of roundabouts on campus, explaining that they serve to slow drivers below 25 mph.

Just days after Alameda’s mayor killed plans for a protected bike lane, he raised it back up from the dead.

A planned 47-mile bike trail through the Napa Valley wine country could turn it into a bicycling destination to rival Provence.

 

National

A writer for an RV site recommends ebikes for the RV life.

Seventy-seven years after the end of WWII, an Italian man is riding from Seattle to Phoenix to retrace his grandfather’s journey as an Italian prisoner of war.

A Utah truck driver bought a new bike for a five year old boy because he felt bad about the crash that sent the kid to the hospital.

A Denver writer applauds the city for moving quickly to expand its bike network while listening to feedback from the community.

My bike-friendly Colorado hometown is getting its first advisory lane on a street I grew up riding. Something tells me it will go a little better than a similar street design did in San Diego.

Life is cheap in Massachusetts, where a 91-year old driver walked with a lousy traffic ticket for right-hooking a bike rider, who was seriously injured when he landed in the car’s back seat after crashing through the closed rear window. But at least the police asked to have his driver’s license revoked.

A rescue swimmer used a borrowed beach cruiser to save an elderly Florida man and woman, and their dog, following Hurricane Ian.

 

International

Engadget proclaims this the age of the cargo bike. Thanks to Victor Bale for the tip.

The newest Roman Catholic saint was one of us. Italian Artedime Zatti was famed for riding his bicycle throughout the Argentine town of Viedma with a medical case to care for the sick.

She gets it. An op-ed by a Toronto advocate says if we want to get more people on bikes, we have to change our cultural and political deference to cars first.

Nice BBC report on an Indian man who has opened a museum to house his collection of over 150 bicycles, many of which he restored himself. And insists he’s not doing it for the money, but just wants to share them with the world. Thanks to Norm Bradwell for the link.

New Zealand’s Stuff says cycling clubs are disappearing because they can’t afford the onerous traffic management plans.

 

Competitive Cycling

Two-time Tour de France champ Tadej Pogačar edged Enric Mas to defend his title at Il Lombardia, the year’s final Monument; the race also marked the last competitions for former Grand Tour champs Alejandro Valverde and Vincenzo Nibali, who care calling it a career.

Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert is also calling it a career after one last race in Sunday’s Paris-Tours, which was won in a sprint by defending champ Arnaud Démare.

France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the inaugural women’s gravel World Championship, while Belgium’s Gianni Vermeersch upset Mathieu van der Poel to take the men’s title.

Italian time trial specialist Filippo Ganna shattered the hour record, traveling 56.792 kilometers in 60 minutes — 1.2 km further than the previous record, set by Britain’s Dan Bigham less than two months ago. That works out to a whopping 35.289 miles.

Ganna not only broke the record, he unified the title by also beating Chris Boardman’s 26-year old “superman” record.

Cycling Tips offers photos from Ganna’s record-setting ride.

Five weird ways cyclists bent, if not broke, the rules.

British bike scribe and historian Carlton Reid profiles L39ion of Los Angeles co-founder and CEO Justin Williams.

 

Finally…

Britain’s wackiest bike race. That feeling when your competitor for a city council seat rescues your stolen ebike bike from a homeless camp, and you still have to run against him.

And now you, too, can race your own hologram.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

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

Man killed riding bike Tuesday in Rancho Cucamonga collision; victim 63-year old San Bernardino man

October 7, 2022 / / 3 comments

For the past few days, word has been circulating that a bike rider was killed in Rancho Cucamonga earlier this week.

Sadly, we’ve now received official confirmation.

Jeffrey Rusk forwards a NIXLE notification from the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department reporting that a man riding a bicycle was killed in a collision Tuesday evening.

The crash occurred at 5:44 pm at Rochester Ave and Victoria Park Lane in Rancho Cucamonga.

According to the report, the victim was riding west on Victoria Park, when he apparently turned right onto Rochester Ave. He was struck by a driver headed north on Rochester.

He was taken to a local hospital, where he died.

The driver, a 30-year old man from Rancho Cucamonga, remained at the scene.

The intersection is controlled with a traffic signal in every direction; the report makes no mention who had the right-of-way. However, I’m told witnesses say the pickup driver ran the read light, and hit the victim from behind.

The victim has not been publicly identified, but friends say he was 60-year old San Bernardino resident James Zoltan Williamson.

Rusk describes Williamson as a 63-year old teacher at Heritage Intermediate school. He says he was the “friendliest guy, and a beast on the bike.”

And adds poignantly, “I will miss him.”

Anyone with information is urged to call the Rancho Cucamonga Police Department, a division of the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, at 909/477-2800; ask for Deputies B. Ogas or G. Coss Y Leon.

This is at least the 70th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the ninth that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.

He is also the third bike rider killed in Ranch Cucamonga since the end of June.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for James Zoltan Williamson and all his loved ones. 

Thanks to Jeffrey Rusk and CLR Effect’s Michael Wagner for the heads-up.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Support bike lanes on WeHo’s Fountain Ave, talk ebikes with Redondo Beach cops, and learn to ride smarter

October 7, 2022 / / One comment

West Hollywood wants to know what you think about plans for a lane reduction and bike lanes on Fountain Ave.

The bike lanes would replace the existing sharrows, which seemed like a good idea at the time. But uncomfortably place bike riders in front of impatient drivers, who use the street as an alternative to traffic-choked Santa Monica and Sunset Blvds.

And who often show no reluctance to take out their frustrations at finding someone on a bicycle in the lane ahead of them.

Which is why most riders I see on the street prefer to take their chances in the door zone, instead.

Here’s what the LACBC had to say about it in their latest newsletter.

The City of West Hollywood is considering significant changes to Fountain Avenue, including new bike facilities and widened sidewalks. Fountain currently has a high-collision rate, substandard sidewalks and few street trees.

Please attend the virtual workshop on Thursday, October 20th @ 6:30 PM to learn more about the alternatives and tradeoffs and let us know your preferences and priorities for an improved Fountain Avenue.

An online survey is also available to share your preferences and priorities and provide written public comments.

Online Survey Link: surveymonkey.com/r/FountainAveSurvey

YOU MAY PARTICIPATE AND VIEW THE MEETING VIA THE ZOOM PLATFORM: https://fehrandpeers.zoom.us/j/83481873891

It’s important to voice your opinion, because opponents already have their knives out to fight this plan — including a city council candidate who says he’s running to “kill the council’s dumb ideas” like making Fountain two lanes.

Although it would still have four lanes if the plan goes through.

Two of them would just be reserved for people on bicycles.

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It should be interesting to hear what they have to say on the topic.

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Walk ‘n Rollers wants to help you be a safer bicyclist.

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A quick reminder that LA’s ongoing automotive hegemony is a choice made by our elected leaders.

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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 mayor of Alameda CA joined with a pair of council members to kill plans for protected bike lanes on the street that she lives on. Even though she should have recused herself for exactly that reason.

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Local

KCRW’s Greater LA program talks with CicLAvia executive director Romel Pascual about how Sunday’s people-powered event can help you see Los Angeles differently.

A former LA city planner says the city isn’t doing enough to combat climate change, noting that Mayor Garcetti’s LA Green New Deal will be circling the drain the minute he leaves office; he calls for a number of changes, including bike and scooter lanes throughout the city.

The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Cal State Northridge will host the “first annual” BikeFest on Sunday, October 23 to promote bicycling to and on campus, along with a job fair promoting jobs in the bike industry. Although you’d think a university would know it’s not annual event until you have the second one.

 

State 

An 18-year old Vacaville woman owes her life to a crew of inmates on cleanup duty on a local bike path, after they stopped a man who they saw stabbing her in what appears to be a random attack; the 18-year old man was booked on suspicion of attempted homicide.

There’s a special place in hell for the women ran down a couple of bike-riding kids in a pair of separate hit-and-runs in San Francisco’s Rohnert Park on Wednesday. Seriously, what kind of person could just drive off and leave a little kid bleeding in the street?

 

National

Swift Bicycle Bags with nine-inch rubber straps are being recalled because the straps could break, causing them to come loose and fall. And likely causing the rider to do the same.

An urban developer website argues for reclaiming streets for humans by building a series of Barcelona-style superblocks.

A Seattle photographer created a Twitter account to post photos of cars blocking bike lanes in an effort to shame the drivers. Good luck with that; it’s hard to shame someone who feels that entitled.

Ebikes aren’t cheating, according to a Colorado writer, who notes that banning ped-assist bikes from natural-surface trails just penalizes people for their physical limitations.

Theft and vandalism are depleting Chicago’s bikeshare fleet, making it harder to find a bike when people need one.

Nice move from Amazon, which donated $50,000 to provide every kid at a Cleveland elementary school with a new bike helmet. Let’s hope someone follows up with a new bicycle for each of the kids, too.

A Harvard student survived being run off the road by more than one reckless driver while riding across the US from his Orange County CA home to the university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

This is who we share the road with. Ten people were injured, including two children, when a pair of NYPD cops responding to a report of a stolen car hit another vehicle after crossing onto the wrong side of the street, then careened onto the sidewalk into a crowd of bystanders. Yet somehow, the New York Times blames the patrol car, and not the cop behind the wheel.

A former history teacher is helping kids in Baton Rouge, Louisiana learn skills like mechanics, welding and bicycling safety by building their own bicycles, while also providing them with mentoring, academic support and job training opportunities.

 

International

A British Columbia writer talks with seven disabled people to get their thoughts on how to make urban walking and bicycling more inclusive and accessible.

Life is cheap in the UK, where two men were sentenced to 18 and 14 months behind bars, respectively, after hitting a man riding a bike with his family, while racing along roadway at speeds up to 100 mph in a 40 mph zone, and leaving the victim with life-changing injuries.

Interesting study from a German university, which reversed the usual planning process of adding bike lanes one at a time to meet demand; instead, the authors created a virtual model with bike lanes on every street, then gradually removed less used streets from the network, showing how to meet demand at minimal cost.

A writer for Czech carmaker Škoda’s We Love Cycling website lists ten bicycling products she can’t live without. All of which are good ideas, but none of which you can’t live or ride without.

An Aussie bike rider credits the driver who knocked him off his bicycle with saving his life, after doctors discovered a potentially fatal heart blockage when he was taken to the hospital.

 

Competitive Cycling

Who needs a gravel bike? Dutch pro Mathieu van der Poel is tackling the inaugural Gravel World Championships on a road bike. Meanwhile, Off-Road.cc examines what’s a gravel bike, anyway?

 

Finally…

That feeling when there’s a bounty on your head for building illegal mountain bike trails. And your favorite former newsstand could soon be an ebike charging station.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: ,

Arrest made in Redondo Beach hit-and-run, and Venice Blvd protected bike lane extension approved — and delayed

October 6, 2022 / / 2 comments

Maybe it’s a secret.

LA County Sheriff’s deputies made an arrest in the hit-and-run that left a 15-year old Redondo Beach boy with severe road rash, after the driver dragged the teen and his bike under his truck last month.

But they’re not telling us who the suspect is, or giving any details about him.

The driver was arrested after the deputies spotted the truck in Rolling Hills Estates on Tuesday.

Unfortunately, he’s likely to face just two years behind bars due to California’s overly lenient hit-and-run laws.

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LADOT told the Mar Vista Community Council that the new extension of the Venice Blvd protected bike lanes and bus lanes will be moving forward.

Sort of.

Mar Vista Voice offers a detailed thread capturing the highlights — or lowlights — of the meeting, including the power of local NIMBYs to delay, if not halt, vital safety projects.

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The world reached a tragic milestone this week — and one to which the US contributes more than its share.

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Meet LA’s cute little bike lane mini sweeper.

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

Four men have been arrested in the stabbing death of a 21-year old man in a London suburb; the men ran the victim down with their car and knocked him off his bike when he rode off after colliding with them.

A London bus driver lost his appeal to keep his job after he was fired for dangerously swerving onto the wrong side of the road to pass a bicyclist he thought was delaying him, then brake checked the bike rider, forcing him to ride up on the curb to avoid plowing into the bus.

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Local

You can look forward to bike lockers and bike racks at many stations when Metro’s K Line, aka Crenshaw Line, opens this Friday.

Streetsblog gives a rave review to GoSGV, the new monthly ebike rental program from ActiveSGV and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments.

More on the groundbreaking for Baldwin Park’s first urban bike and pedestrian path; the $1.15-million commuter bikeway will take you to Kaiser Permanente and the In-N-Out HQ.

 

State 

The Huntington Beach City Council voted unanimously to approve construction of a half-million dollar bicycle boulevard on Utica Ave.

Goleta approved the $28.3 million San Jose Creek bike and pedestrian path connecting the downtown area with the beach and bike path on the other side of the 101 Freeway; the plan moves forward after languishing on the books for over 30 years.

Berkeley will reconsider previously approved protected bike lanes on Hopkins Street in North Berkeley, after learning it will require the removal of twice as many parking spaces as previously estimated. Because as we all know, places to store cars when they aren’t being used are far more important than protecting human lives — let alone giving an economic boost to local businesses. 

Unbelievable. A San Mateo County woman is dead after a truck driver slammed into her bicycle while driving on the wrong side of the road last month, because he was working on just two hours sleep and driving with a puppy on his lap; he veered onto the wrong side of the road when the puppy fell off and he bent over to pick it up. He faces a well-deserved charge of felony vehicular manslaughter.

 

National

A car site tries out Audi’s Cellular Vehicle-To-Everything (C-V2X) safety system to alert drivers to the presence of bicycles, and the other way around. Although it only works if both the bike rider and the driver have it installed.

A writer for Forbes says Rad Power’s RadRunner Plus electric utility bike is the best ebike for college students. Never mind that he admits he hasn’t tried the other bikes, owns two Rad Power bikes already, and his son rides one on his California campus. So, totally objective, then.

Speaking of Rad Power, the ebike maker faces another lawsuit after one of their bikes allegedly “malfunctioned and failed catastrophically,” causing a fire that damaged a Pennsylvania man’s home and car.

They get it. A New York website says we need ebike incentives, not bans.

 

International

After spending four years riding around the world, a man discovers that travel isn’t about the destination.

Good question. A Toronto paper wants to know why there are still thousands of ring-style bike racks on the streets, even though the city has known for more than a decade that they’re subject to theft; after the current rate, they’ll finally replace the last one sometime between 2041 and 2050. Canadian law may vary, however, knowing about the problem and failing to fix it could means the city can be held liable if a bike is stolen from one.

A European site questions why bicycles have remained largely unchanged for 150 years, despite the a number of “demonstrably superior” designs.

A Scottish teenager set a new record by riding to 76 of the country’s castles, covering 480 miles in six days.

Britain’s active transportation nonprofit Sustrans calls on the country’s new government to make protected bike lanes on school routes an urgent priority.

Go truffle hunting by bicycle on Tuscany’s fabled Strade Bianchi gravel roads, while staying at an 800-year old wine estate.

We Love Cycling, the bike-focused website from Czech carmaker Škoda, takes a look at some of the lesser known bike-related world records. Maybe we should all take a crack at the world’s highest bunny hop; I’m pretty sure I can clear at least an inch. Maybe two.

Israeli medics treated 2,741 people for bicycling injuries over Yom Kippur, when people traditionally take advantage of the empty streets to ride their bikes.

A comprehensive review of existing literature by an Australian university on the reasons why people don’t ride bikes points the finger at “fear of motorist aggression” and poor quality and badly maintained bike lanes. Other reasons include a lack of bike education, mandatory helmet laws, and overly hilly bikeways.

 

Competitive Cycling

The high-tech National Cycling League will offer a $1 million dollar purse, in addition to prize money for individual crits in Miami, Atlanta, Denver and DC.

Here’s your chance to become a fully supported endurance cyclist. Three people will be selected for the Ultra Distance Scholarship, each of whom will receive a custom Stayer Cycles bike, full Albion bike kit and nine months of training support from Velogi Cycle Coaching in preparation to compete in next year’s Pan Celtic Race.

This is the crap women’s cyclists have to deal with. After Dutch pro Lorena Wiebes rode to victory in Belgium’s Binche-Chimay-Binche, she had to contend with an overly handsy and persistent race official, despite making it clear she was uncomfortable having his hands on her body.

 

Finally…

Where else can you go for a bike-friendly drag brunch in DTLA? Your next aluminum-frame ebike could be assembled at home using an ancient Chinese woodworking technique.

And that feeling when a 90-year old man chases a thief down and beats the crap out of him for stealing his wallet, after the man got in by claiming he fell off his bike.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

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

Sunset4All, protected bike lanes at Transportation Committee; free Metro and Metro Bike for Sunday’s CicLAvia

October 5, 2022 / / Comments Off on Sunset4All, protected bike lanes at Transportation Committee; free Metro and Metro Bike for Sunday’s CicLAvia

Let’s start with some quick reminders.

The LA City Council Transportation Committee will meet at City Hall at noon tomorrow.

On the agenda are motions regarding implementing the multimodal Sunset4All Complete Streets plan, as well as installing protected bike lanes on Riverside Drive east of Fletcher Drive, and continuing onto Stadium Way in Elysian Park.

The meeting will also consider the city’s Slow Streets Program, as well as a proposal to put cameras on Metro buses to catch driver’s who illegally park in bus lanes.

Sunset4All urges you to call in to make a public comment in support of the plan, or email your support to CD13 Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell’s office.

And don’t forget the return of CicLAvia to the Heart of LA this Sunday; forecasts call for perfect LA weather.

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Metro’s new K Line — not to be confused with Detroit Tigers great Al Kaline — better known as the long-awaited Crenshaw Line, opens on Friday. The LA County transportation agency will celebrate with free bus, train and bikeshare rides all weekend, from Friday through Sunday.

Which will come in very handy for getting to and from Sunday’s CicLAvia, as well as for anyone who wants to use Metro Bike to explore the route.

Metro is also free today to mark California Clean Air Day.

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Take a three minute mountain bike break with French downhill pro Flo Payet.

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

A British man is using a megaphone to warn other bicyclists about sharp blocks next to a bike lane under a dark bridge, where he was injured in a recent fall; the local government responded that there’s no reason for anyone to ride a bike there — despite the bike lane.

Unbelievable. Violent assault, with and without a deadly weapon, is apparently no big deal in the UK. Because the victim was just, you know, a bicyclist.

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Local

After getting four bills they sponsored signed into law this year, Streets For All is looking for volunteers, as well as ideas for transportation and safety legislation that can be introduced in the next legislative session.

The LA County Sheriff’s Department is encouraging students and parents to take part in Walk and Roll to School Day next Wednesday.

The daughter of late TV star Michael Landon is demanding answers, after she says her 24-year old son was killed by a hit-and-run Metro bus driver while walking in a Rancho Palos Verdes bike lane nearly two months ago; the driver has escaped charges after claiming he didn’t know he’d hit anyone.

 

State 

Huntington Beach considered a half million dollar plan to build a bicycle boulevard on Utica Ave at last night’s council meeting; no word yet on how the vote went.

Encinitas says it will probably follow Carlsbad’s lead in cracking down on young ebike riders.

An Oakland bike rider was lucky to escape serious injury when he was sideswiped by a driver who managed to evade police in an hours-long high speed pursuit.

 

National

This is the cost of traffic violence. A bike-riding woman killed in a collision with the driver of a semi-truck in front of a Portland, Oregon high school was identified as a well-known, award-winning local chef.

So many kindhearted people responded to an Arizona mother’s Facebook post about her daughter’s stolen bicycle that it turned into a DIY bike drive, with over 100 bicycles donated so far.

Arizona’s State Bicycle Company is sponsoring three Arizona State University basketball players with new bicycles, under the NCAA’s new name, image and likeness, aka NIL, rules.

In news that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, dashcam video shows speeding Minneapolis drivers using a curb-protected bike lane to pass slower traffic. If the design allows drivers to get into a bike lane, they will. Whether they’re in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, or anywhere else.

Just heartbreaking. A Minneapolis man was driving distracted and high on meth when he ran a stop sign and killed an eight-year old girl riding her bike to the market, as her mother watched from her car.

They get it. A Schenectady NY paper says the decade-long delay in passing Complete Streets legislation in the state can be measured in thousands of needless deaths.

A New York jury awarded a man $1.6 million after he was allowed to test ride a bike in a Walmart Garden Center, and was injured when the brakes failed.

The fading coal-mining town of Confluence PA saved itself from near-certain death by embracing bike tourism, while reinventing and reviving itself as a haven for bike riders.

Police in Pennsylvania are looking for a couple who stole a $13,000 Cannondale Super Six by distracting the staff at a local bike shop, and rolling it out the front door.

The DC city council approved a proposal to allow bike riders to treat stop signs as yields, while also banning right turns on red; the law will take effect in two years if it’s signed.

Police in Fort Lauderdale, Florida are looking for whoever approached a woman from behind as she rode her bicycle, and stabbed her in the back for no apparent reason.

 

International

Cycling News debates whether you really need a bike computer.

Somehow, a Chicago bikeshare bike ended up in Santa Ana Maya, Mexico, over 2,000 miles from where it should be docked.

Blame bad training. A London cop orders a bicyclist not to ride in the middle of the lane, despite the country’s new Highway Code saying that’s exactly where he should be.

Bicycling says there are more bikes than ever in Afghanistan, but women are forbidden from riding them. As usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.

A Kiwi university lecturer looks to Copenhagen to explain the difference a committed mayor can make in transforming a formerly car-centric city.

Tragic news from New Zealand, as a 70-year old man died of a heart attack while attempting to ride his bike the length of the country to raise funds for an endangered native falcon.

A Chinese bike brand found a way to skirt US and European restrictions on ebike speeds with an over-the-air software update that instantly increased speeds more than 50%.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cyclist examines why Remco Evenepoel quit soccer to focus on cycling, despite serving as captain of Belgium’s under-16 team; the 22-year old clearly made the right choice, after winning both the Vuelta and the Worlds this year.

 

Finally…

Meet the bike all the fast cool kids are riding. That feeling when you use Strava to spell out the name of Iranian martyr Mahsa Amini — in Persian.

And evidently, being a former mayK-Lor and current city councilor doesn’t mean a thing to a ebike thief.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

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

WeHo merchant calls for licensing cyclists, racist Palo Alto road rage attack, and Hugo calls for carfree Hollywood Blvd

October 4, 2022 / / Comments Off on WeHo merchant calls for licensing cyclists, racist Palo Alto road rage attack, and Hugo calls for carfree Hollywood Blvd

No bias here.

The owner of West Hollywood’s gay-forward novelty boutique Block Party says forget bike lanes and install EV chargers instead, while trotting out all the old cliches about licensing bike riders.

Fast forward to 2022, a debate about removing the parking lanes on Fountain and to install bike lanes in their place, eliminating two for cars to drive. Those bike lane people are ferocious in their arguments. If you had to drive a bike and cars whipped past you it might cause a sense of anger that you deserve a safe space too. But perhaps bike riders who choose to use the road should also be licensed. Maybe they should pass a written test to travel 40 miles down the road. Perhaps they can pay a license fee to help offset the cost of these installations. As a partially sighted part-time driver I can say that it is difficult to drive past the bikes who often show little respect for the road weaving in lanes. But that is another story.

Because apparently, our tax money doesn’t count — even though it pays for the roads he drives, whether we use them or not.

Never mind that studies have repeatedly shown that a licensing program for bicyclists would cost more than it would bring in, while dramatically reducing ridership exactly when we need more people on bikes. Or that bike riders pose a lot less risk to others than people in cars do.

Especially people with bad eyesight.

Besides, are you really going to tell a six-year old she can’t ride her bike because her license expired?

So maybe the next time you’re in WeHo, stop in and tell him why you’ll be spending your money somewhere else.

Besides, not many of us can really pull off the spangled banana hammock look.

Not that our significant others would actually want us to try.

………

Crap like this really pisses me off.

A Black Palo Alto man was the victim of a racist road rage attack and hit-and-run last week, for the crime of riding his bike in the traffic lane.

In other words, exactly where he should have been.

The victim had moved into the lane to pass a driver who was attempting to park. Yet when he stopped at the next stop light, he was accosted by a white pickup driver for “riding in the middle of the road.”

The two men began arguing, at which point the truck driver called the cyclist, who is Black, a racial epithet. The victim reported to police that the driver spat on him, reached out to grab his arm, and then drove the truck into the side of the bicycle. The cyclist fell to the ground.

The cyclist said the truck drove over his bicycle, and the driver turned north on Webster Street and then east on Lytton Avenue. The cyclist later saw the truck turn back onto University Avenue heading east and continue driving. The cyclist’s leg had a small laceration, which paramedics treated at the scene. His bicycle was damaged but remained rideable, police stated.

It’s possible that the victim could have moved into the lane suddenly, without signaling or checking behind him, and cut off the driver. Or not.

None of which justifies violence, let alone racism.

The local police are investigating it as a hate crime, as well as an assault with a deadly weapon and injury hit-and-run.

Which is good, because there’s just no excuse for this. Ever.

Period.

And no pit deep enough for someone who could do something like this.

………

Things could finally be looking up in Hollywood.

While CD13 Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell has called for a much needed Complete Streets makeover of Hollywood Blvd, challenger Hugo Soto-Martinez has raised the ante with a call for pedestrianizing sections of the iconic tourist attraction.

Meanwhile, Los Angeleno examines the race between O’Farrell and Soto-Martinez; while O’Farrell has been justly criticized for blocking bike and traffic safety plans until recently, Soto-Martinez is calling for more bike lanes in the district.

………

Finish the Ride and the LACBC hosted a Clean Air Ride over the weekend.

Speaking of which, Metro will offer free bus, train and bikeshare rides tomorrow for California Clean Air Day.

………

Someone did an impressive job trolling St. Louis officials by installing old bike helmets and an official looking public notice calling on pedestrians to use them crossing the street.

All to call attention to the city’s unacceptably high death rate.

………

Evidently, ebikes have been around a lot longer than you may think.

https://twitter.com/CoolBikeArt1/status/1565791573530509317

………

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

Horrible story from the UK, where police are looking for four men who chased down a 21-year old bike rider with their car, then got out and stabbed him to death, apparently because the driver had crashed into the victim.

No bias here, either. A victim-blaming road sign in England’s Hertfordshire county instructs bike riders to “Please consider other road users.” Because anti-social bike riders kill so many motorists, evidently.

………

Local

Streetsblog eyes the new bike lanes on 1st, 3rd and 7th Streets in DTLA.

Your next bike could have a “Los Angeles” frame with a camo finish. Although that color choice may not be the best option if you actually want drivers to see you.

Santa Monica announced a crackdown on scofflaw drivers who park on the city’s sidewalks and parkways starting next month, urging people to “stop parking like a jerk.” Now tell them to do bike lanes, where the city has allowed delivery drivers to park for decades with no repercussions.

 

State 

Streets For All offers a full recap on transportation-related bills signed or vetoed by Governor Newsom, as well as bills that died in the state legislature. Meanwhile, Streetsblog offers a similar roundup of active transportation, transit and climate bills.

LAist takes a deep dive into California’s new Freedom to Walk Act, which doesn’t actually legalize jaywalking after all; it’s still technically illegal to cross the street in the middle of a block, but police are now directed not to cite it unless crossing poses an imminent danger. However, California’s restriction against jaywalking only applies to blocks with a traffic signal on each end, so it’s already completely legal anywhere else.

The CHP has received a $1.2 million federal grant to “promote the importance of drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians looking out for one another so that everyone can safely share the road.” Maybe they could put the money to better use by giving their officers more training in bike law and bicycle crash investigations.

The victim in Sunday’s fatal head-on crash in Fresno County has been identified as a 51-year old Anthropology professor at Clovis Community College; the driver of the Acura supercar who needlessly took her life as she rode her bike has been identified as a 47-year old Clovis man. Thanks to Keith Johnson for the heads-up.

 

National

Streetsblog talks with Elizabeth Creely, of the San Francisco-based grassroots advocacy organization Safe Street Rebel, on how to start a grassroots safe streets movement in your city. Or you could ask Streets For All founder Michael Schneider, who’s done a helluva job in just a few short years.

Singletracks revisits their most popular mountain bike product reviews.

Great idea. Bentonville, Arkansas will host the first-ever bike festival for deaf bicyclists next week.

Eleven scenic Hudson Valley bike rides for your next trip to the Empire State.

Philadelphia is investing $23 million in the city’s Vision Zero budget for next year, $6 million more than originally proposed. That compares with $38.5 million in Los Angeles, which has a population 2.5 times higher; LA would have to spend another $20 million to match Philly’s per capita spending.

Mississippi’s Gulf Islands National Seashore has reopened with the first phase of a new bike and pedestrian pathway, with the second phase due in two years.

 

International

The fourth annual Ebike Future Conference will be held virtually next week, including a virtual expo that will run automatically for the next 22 days.

Bike Radar examines why people and businesses are swapping cars for bikes, transforming their lives and operations by taking to two wheels.

Forget micromobility. The latest trend is minimobility, with three and four wheeled vehicles designed to carry one or two people and fill the gap between bicycles and motor vehicles. Which is a pretty damn big gap, if you ask me.

While bicycling fatalities continue to climb in the US, British bike deaths dropped 21% last year.

Brussels is the latest major European city learning to love the bicycle; the Belgian capital has already come a long way from its car-centric past.

Here’s another one for your bike bucket list, as two riders explore archeological relics and forested parks — and the local hospitality — by biking Jordan’s ancient trade route.

No, an Indonesian bike shop isn’t giving away free ebikes in response to a government gas price hike.

Former Italian pro Omar Di Felice announced plans for a record bike ride across Antarctica, riding to the South Pole and across the continent to the base of the Leverett Glacier and back.

 

Competitive Cycling

Once again, the pro peloton is justifiably complaining about race conditions, saying “UCI doesn’t care about our safety,” after complaints about dangerous conditions in the CRO Race were ignored by officials.

Pinarello unveiled the world’s fastest 3D-printed bike, allowing maximum customization for Filippo Ganna in his attempt to set a new hour record.

Red Bull looks at L39ion of Los Angeles founder and multiple national crit champ Justin Williams, and his mission to change bike racing for the better.

 

Finally…

Get a Covid shot, get a shot at winning a bicycle. Apparently, bike surfing is an effective way to make sure drivers see you at night.

And few people realize that sharrow is a portmanteau of arrow and sheep.

………

G’mar chatima tova to all observing Yom Kippur tonight. 

Thanks to Matthew Robertson for his latest monthly donation to help keep all the best bike news coming your way every day. Any donation, no matter how large or small, is always deeply appreciated. 

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

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

CA doubles driver insurance requirements, state legalizes jaywalking, and Sunset4All goes to council committee Thursday

October 3, 2022 / / One comment

Let’s start by catching up with a few items sent into us by Oceanside bike lawyer and newly renewed BikinginLA sponsor Richard Duquette.

While we away last week, Governor Newsom signed Assemblymember Laura Friedman’s Bicycle Omnibus Bill, which addresses four separate bike safety and bike law issues:

  • Requires drivers to change lanes to change lanes to pass someone on a bicycle whenever possible;
  • Improves access for ebikes by clarifying where they can and can’t be prohibited;
  • Clarifies that bikes are allowed to use leading pedestrian intervals and other walk signals;
  • Bans mandatory bike licensing laws, though voluntary bike licensing programs are still allowed

Duquette also sends word that Newsom signed SB 1107, which raises the minimum coverage for auto insurance policies once it takes effect in 2025.

  • $30,000 injury or death to one person, up from $15,000
  • $60,000 injury or death to more than one person, up from $30,000
  • $15,000 property damage, up from $5,000

Those amounts increase to $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000 in 2035

Finally, he sends word that applications to fill Calbike’s vacant Executive Director position are due before midnight on Sunday, October 16th. So if you know someone who would be a good fit, tell ’em to get on it, already.

………

A couple more bill signings of note.

Thanks to Gavin Newsom’s signature, it will now be legal to cross the street, after the new law goes into effect on January 1st.

And active transportation and transit projects will continue to be exempt from environmental review requirements for the foreseeable future.

………

The Sunset For All compete streets plan is finally getting a hearing at City Hall this Thursday, if only because CD13 Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell is feeling his opponent breathing down his neck in the lead-up to next month’s general election.

But whatever the reason for his Road to Damascus turn to support the much-needed plan, we’ll take it.

This is what Sunset For All had to say in a recent email.

Great News:

Sunset4All is up for consideration at the City Council Transportation Committee thisThursday at Noon!  WE NEED YOU TO SUBMIT YOUR SUPPORT TO THE COUNCIL FILE TODAY!

By clicking on the buttons below you will send a message to the city council that Sunset4All should be one of their top priorities.  This is an essential step to achieving a Sunset4All!  Don’t wait!  Send in your public comment TODAY!

Make Public Comment on the Council File

Send an Email to CD 13 to Support the Motion

………

Megan Lynch did a little research, and came up with the date and location for this race, too.

Which just happens to be exactly 129 years ago today.

https://twitter.com/may_gun/status/1576802524111073280

………

Seriously? No, I can’t.

………

That about sums it up.

………

Don’t mind me.

I’m just going to sit here and stare at this for awhile.

Click on the image if it doesn’t fully load.

………

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

A British nurse was lucky to escape serious injury when she was knocked off her bicycle in a drive-by egging, which she suspects was a social media prank.

Someone in France has definitely had enough of drivers parking in bike lanes.

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

A Studio City man suffered a shattered scapula, collapsed lung and three broken ribs when he was attacked with a pipe by a homeless man who was riding a Door Dash bicycle.

An Illinois State University administrator died four days after he was struck by a bicyclist riding on the sidewalk.

………

Local

Baldwin Park has broken ground on a new 2.3-mile bike/walk path along Big Dalton Wash and the San Gabriel River.

Not only was Jason Bateman one of us as a kid, he almost ran over Michael Jackson while riding his bike around Universal Studios.

A man is in stable condition after he was shot in the chest while riding his bike on the Los Angeles River bike path near Long Beach Blvd in Long Beach.

 

State 

The Encinitas Advocate looks at the numbers behind Carlsbad’s bicycling state of emergency, with nearly 250 bicycle-involved crashes since 2019, half involving motorists.

Sad news from Fresno County, where a woman in her 50s was killed when the driver of an Acura supercar veered onto the wrong side of the road on a curve, and hit her bicycle head-on.

A San Francisco website looks back on 30 years of Critical Mass, noting that it has never been anti-car, but rather, pro-bicycle.

The UC Davis student newspaper offers advice on how to ride a bike around campus, noting that you’re better off with a secondhand bike because it’s less likely to get stolen.

 

National

Streetsblog takes a deep dive into roundabouts, explaining that they’re not all the same when it comes to bike safety, with some designs actually increasing the risk to riders.

Forbes talks to “industry experts” to pick the best bicycles for everyone from beginners to pros.

More proof bikes are good for business. Despite fears from business owners that it would kill their businesses, a new protected bike lane on Queens’ Skillman Ave actually resulted in a 12% increase in sales, and a 10% jump in new businesses.

 

International

Over 100 people lit up downtown Toronto with phones, fairy lights and bike lights to demand better rights and safety for people on bicycles.

Forget corking. Scotland allows leaders of bike buses to control red lights using a military-grade encrypted signal until the last riders have passed.

Three-quarters of Brits don’t expect police to even investigate a stolen bicycle. The sad news is, they’re probably right.

Actor Jared Leto is one of us, taking a purple-haired Parisian bikeshare ride with a woman friend.

A German expat explains how the United Arab Emirates got the bicycling bug, 20 years after he opened a bike shop in Dubai.

A full 44% of Swiss bike riders don’t wear bike helmets, which the country only requires for users of fast ebikes.

The Jerusalem Post says riding a bike with friends or through the desert is the perfect way to contemplate self-improvement in the days leading up to Yom Kippur. It’s also one of the best times to ride a bike in Israel, thanks to nearly empty streets on the holiday.

A Malaysian website offers seven ways bicycling is good for your mental health, including as meditation. I’ve used riding as a moving meditation for years, usually until some jerk in a car pulls me out of it.

Over a thousand Philippine bicyclists turned out in matching purple jerseys to call for a switch to renewable energy.

 

Competitive Cycling

Spain’s Enric Mas topped Tadej Pogačar to win the Giro dell’Emilia, in a tuneup for the year’s final Monument.

 

Finally…

Who needs a boat when you can just ride a gigantic water unicycle (thanks to Steven Hallett for the heads-up). Someone tell them you don’t need a massive  flatbed tow truck for a single e-scooter.

And we may have to deal with drivers in massive SUVs, but at least we don’t have to cope with mountain goats on steroids.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

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

Update: Man riding bicycle killed in South LA’s Florence neighborhood; 22nd SoCal bicyclist killed in hit-and-runs this year

September 30, 2022 / / Comments Off on Update: Man riding bicycle killed in South LA’s Florence neighborhood; 22nd SoCal bicyclist killed in hit-and-runs this year

This isn’t the news anyone wanted to end our week with.

The LAPD is looking for a hit-and-run driver who killed a man riding a bicycle in the Florence neighborhood of South Los Angeles last night.

The victim, identified only as an adult male, was riding north on Wall Street at 61st Street when he was run down by the driver of a westbound panel van around 11 pm Thursday.

He died at the scene.

The driver continued without stopping, dragging the victim around 30 feet underneath the van. Police say he had to have felt the impact and known he’d hit something.

The crash, which was caught on security cam, took place on a quiet residential intersection controlled only by two-way stop signs on Wall. KCBS-2 suggests the victim may have run the stop sign, though that is unclear at this time.

Police are looking for a white commercial panel van with a roof rack and conduit carrier, possibly a 1996 to 2022 GMC Savana or Chevrolet Express, with likely front end damage.

Investigators speculate the driver may be a plumber or construction worker who lives in the area.

Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD Officer Alex Guizar, Central Traffic Detectives, at 213/833-3713 or email 39761@lapd.online, or call the Central Traffic Division Watch Commander at 213/833-3746.

As always, there is a standing $50,000 reward for any fatal hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles.

This is at least the 69th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 21st that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County; it’s also the 11th in the City of Los Angeles.

Twenty-two of those SoCal deaths have been hit-and-runs.

Update: The victim has been identified as 72-year old James Ledford. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for James Ledford and all his loved ones.

 

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

This is who we share the road with, new 1st Street bike lane in DTLA, and call to end freeway widening in LA County

September 30, 2022 / / Comments Off on This is who we share the road with, new 1st Street bike lane in DTLA, and call to end freeway widening in LA County

Let’s start with a quick look at who we share the road with.

A hit-and-run driver was arrested by police after he killed a man and his three dogs walking in Downtown Los Angeles early yesterday, then crashed into several parked cars trying to flee; police used a stun gun and baton to take the man down.

And a 20-year old woman faces 25 to life after allegedly using her car to kill a Cypress man she thought was trying to run over a cat; she thoughtfully recorded the confrontation on her cellphone, in case prosecutors needed more evidence to put her away. No word on whether the cat escaped with all nine lives intact.

………

Another new bike lane in DTLA.

Now if they’d just put a few in the rest of the city.

https://twitter.com/multimodalLA/status/1575700094510280705

………

Seriously, someone tell Metro and Caltrans to take the hint, already. And stop wasting billions on induced demand-inducing freeway projects.

………

More news from Gavin Newsom’s veto pen, as he signs a bill requiring bike parking in new multifamily construction, but vetoes a bill requiring the state to put its climate change money where its mouth is.

………

Just a reminder that there are still good people in the world.

Although it’s also a reminder not to post videos online that start or end where you live.

https://twitter.com/clarkstbikelane/status/1575669587663761408

………

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

Life is cheap in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where killing a woman and injuring another bike rider as they took part in a fundraising ride only merits a lousy ticket for a bad lane change. Although that’s still more than the driver would get in some other places.

Police are looking for the bike rider who viciously attacked a disabled London man while threatening to kill him, after the driver tried to let him know he was behind him. As we’ve said before, violence is always wrong. But something tells me there’s another side to this story.

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

Police in Eugene, Oregon busted a man with an outstanding warrant after he went over his handlebars while trying to flee the cops on his bicycle.

The New York man who killed Gone Girl and Cocktail actress Lisa Banes faces one to three years behind bars after pleading guilty to running her down with his moped.

………

Local

South Pasadena will observe the annual Walk or Bike to School Day on Wednesday.

 

State 

The Orange County Transportation Authority is urging people to walk, bike, use transit, share a ride or work from home during next week’s Rideshare Week.

Police in Carlsbad are asking for witnesses to the ebike crash that left a 61-year old woman with serious injuries; it’s not clear if she was the victim of a hit-and-run or a solo crash.

Goleta will host a public meeting Tuesday to discuss the San Jose Creek Bike Path Project.

Sad news from Redwood City, where a man was killed when a semi driver crossed the double yellow line and hit his bicycle head-on; the driver was arrested on a charge of involuntary manslaughter with gross negligence.

San Francisco bicyclists are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the original Critical Mass tonight.

Richmond’s Rich City Rides is as important to the East Bay Community as the East Side Riders are down here. Right now, they’re 13% of the way to their $10,000 fundraising goal to keep giving away free bicycles and bike repair to people in need. Just in case you have a little extra money lying around.

 

National

Bicycling looks at the best bike shorts with pockets to stash your essentials. As usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.

Forbes examines whether you can get a DUI on a bicycle. Short answer, in California, yes. In other states, it depends.

Vision Zero is failing in Seattle, where traffic deaths continue to climb despite the commitment to end them by 2030.

A Spokane writer visits the Netherlands to examine how the western Washington city could elevate itself to the ranks of bike friendly cities like Copenhagen, Mexico City and Portland. All of which would work just as well in Los Angeles.

Salt Lake City’s efforts to get more people on two wheels is paying off, with a 19% jump in bike commuting rates over the past two years.

Just one day after pledging to rip out the city’s only protected bike lane — and hours after a protest from bike riders — the mayor of Omaha, Nebraska says the bike lane will stay in place until construction begins on a planned streetcar.

Slate examines why Houston cops would say a quiet residential street “isn’t safe for pedestrians or people riding bikes” after an eight-year old boy was killed doing just that.

That’s more like it. A 44-year old Peoria, Illinois woman has been sentenced to 22 years behind bars for the drunken, hit-and-run crash that killed a ten-year old boy riding an ebike.

The Boston Globe says bike riders and runners are turning to gravel trails as a safe refuge from aggressive drivers. Or it could just be because it’s fun. Or both, maybe.

New York’s attorney general took a few minutes off from suing the Trump Organization to warn New Yorkers about the dangers of improperly charging ebike batteries.

Great idea. A New York City council member has proposed a bounty for reporting a blocked bike or sidewalk; the program would pay a reward equalling 25% of the $175 fine.

New Jersey is establishing a committee to create a statewide Vision Zero program. First step is to actually fund the damn thing, unlike a certain SoCal megalopolis we could name. 

 

International

Road.cc considers the pros and cons of using a single bike helmet across various bicycling disciplines.

Litelok claims their new lightweight, axel grinder-resistant U-lock is five times more theft proof than the best performing locks currently on the market.

Edmonton, Alberta is investing $170 million to build 62 miles of new bike lanes. Although some people think the money could be better spent on other things.

A new Dutch ebike promises to last forever, with a modular design that allows you to swap out parts as they become worn or obsolete.

A 34-year old man is riding over 18,000 miles from Thiruvananthapuram, India to London, passing through 35 countries in 450 days.

Bicycles have taken over the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover, as other forms of transportation become impractical or prohibitively expensive.

Bike advocates in Jerusalem are seeing progress in making the ancient, hilly city more welcoming to people on two wheels.

Your next Chinese ped-assist bicycle could be powered with hydrogen instead of electricity.

 

Finally…

The first Harley-Davidson had pedals. Now you, too, can own your very own Bugatti urban bike for a mere $75,000 or so.

And a reminder that refrigerators don’t belong in bike lanes any more than cars do.

https://twitter.com/wildbell/status/1575520496111603712

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

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

Tax rebate for carfree households vetoed, Ballona Creek path closure, and cops claim quiet street too dangerous for bikes

September 29, 2022 / / Comments Off on Tax rebate for carfree households vetoed, Ballona Creek path closure, and cops claim quiet street too dangerous for bikes

More climate arson courtesy of Gavin Newsom’s veto pen.

Or pocket veto, anyway.

The California governor drove the final stake through what once was a very good bill, which in its original form would have paid Californians five grand a year not to own a car.

State Senator Anthony Portantino’s SB 457 was watered down as it made its way through the legislative process, until the final form passed by the legislature provided just $1000 for carless households.

Meaning if one person took the bus or rode a bike, while their partner drove, they’d get nothing.

But apparently, even that was too much for Newsom, who returned the bill unsigned.

Newsom’s veto message says he wasn’t signing the bill because it created a nearly $1 billion unfunded obligation each year, despite California’s record budget surplus.

Then again, he could have covered the entire thing by just moving a billion from Caltrans $20 billion budget.

Photo by Kevin Malik from Pexels.

………

Looks like you’ll have to negotiate the streets through Culver City for the next week.

Thanks to Ted Faber for the heads-up.

………

No bias here.

Tragic news from Houston, where an eight-year old boy was killed while riding his bike near his home on Monday.

Then the local cops added insult to literal injury, claiming the street wasn’t safe for someone on a bike. Or on foot, for that matter.

But as this photo makes clear, if this one isn’t, what street is?

………

Cycling Tips attempts to break the 58-year old, 142-mile record for cycling between Derry and Dublin, Ireland.

And manages to shatter it by over an hour.

………

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

A Montana man says he’s not a fan of bike lanes, suggesting they increase risk for riders while providing a false sense of comfort. Although the problems he points out still exist with or without them.

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

A Colorado man bolted from the local courthouse after a judge ordered him taken into custody on felony charges, before making his escape by bicycle; no word on whether it was his bike.

………

Local

Los Angeles Council President Nury Martinez wants the city to commit to building 100 miles of bus lanes every year, which can be shared by people on bicycles. Although even better would be committing to building 100 miles of bus lanes and bike lanes every year.

Caltrans will tear down a 63-year old pedestrian bridge over the 101 Freeway in Encino this weekend because it doesn’t offer enough vertical clearance for oversized vehicles; the agency pinky swears to develop even better freeway crossings for bike riders and pedestrians, though, after local residents vetoed plans for a replacement bridge.

Los Angeles is finally making plans to fix San Vicente Blvd between Olympic Blvd and La Brea Ave, reducing the number of lanes on the up to ten-lane residential street, while improving walkways and installing parking protected bike lanes.

ActiveSGV is teaming with the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments to introduce an 840-bike, subscription-based bikeshare system.

Sad news from Long Beach, where an e-scooter rider was killed near Downtown Tuesday morning, after allegedly running a red light at Seventh Street and Chestnut Ave.

A man on a bicycle suffered undisclosed injuries when he was run down by a hit-and-run driver in Pomona Tuesday night.

 

State 

Carlsbad is taking action to improve bicycle safety after declaring a state of emergency last month, including accelerating plans to repave and restripe streets to create space for walkers and bicyclists, while conducting a citywide review of speed limits. Meanwhile, the city will remove a traffic lane from the Coast Highway, reducing it to a single southbound lane to make room for a two-way buffered bike lane.

A reporting team from The New York Times goes for an autonomous car ride through the streets of San Francisco, describing the self-driving vehicle as the overly cautious opposite of the famous car chase from Bullitt. And ended up walking when the car mistakenly detected a possible crash, and refused to budge.

Sad news from Sausalito, where a man died several days after he was injured in a collision with an ebike rider on a local trail.

 

National

The Wall Street Journal says the hottest new car isn’t a car, it’s an ebike. And for once, the story isn’t hidden behind their draconian paywall.

Wired makes their picks for the best bike computers, ranging from $45 to $750.

Nebraska bike riders are planning protests to fight the removal of Omaha’s first and only protected bike lane, after the city concluded it would be incompatible with a planned streetcar.

Three people suffered “significant but non-life-threatening injuries” when they were struck by a hit-and-run driver as they were leaving a Houston Astros game in a pedicab.

A 20-year old Texarkana, Texas man faces a manslaughter charge for the collateral damage death of a bike rider; he was driving nearly twice the 45 mph speed limit when he crashed into pickup and continued on to hit the man on his bicycle.

Chicago is fighting a long history of drag racing in a wetlands park by ticketing drivers who park in the bike lanes.

A Syracuse NY man completed a 16,600-mile ride through each state capitol, along with Washington DC, in a single year — while donating blood eight times along the way.

DC is following the lead of New York to become just the second US city to ban right turns on red, as advocates hope it marks the beginning of a nationwide trend.

 

International

Get ready for your next public meeting with a rousing round of SIM NIMBY, the utterly useless SIM game that doesn’t allow you to build anything, anywhere.

A London borough council is calling for a ban on “illegal and dangerous” ebike chargers, in the wake of a series of recent fires; the targeted chargers aren’t designed for use with ebike lithium-ion batteries.

A 45-year old Scottish woman who holds the record for bicycling across the UK from Lands End to John O’Groats suffered a broken pelvis when she was struck by a hit-and-run driver pulling farm equipment.

An Indian woman created her own bicycle child’s seat using a kid’s plastic chair attached over the rear wheel.

You can’t legally ride handsfree in Australia. Or while gargling in Arizona, or in a Los Angeles swimming pool.

 

Competitive Cycling

The Vatican — yes, that tiny Roman Catholic enclave in Rome, Italy — sent a one-man cycling team to last weekend’s world road cycling championship; despite the heavenly connection, 40-year old Rien Schuurhuis did not win. Or finish, for that matter.

Angry Mathieu van der Poel fans are posting scathing reviews for a Sydney, Australia hotel, after the Dutch cyclist was convicted of chasing a group of teenage girls who repeatedly knocked on his room and ran while he was trying to sleep before competing in the Worlds.

New Zealand’s Niamh Fisher-Black had to pay her own way to the Worlds — and won the first-ever U-23 women’s title anyway.

A writer for Road.cc pens a love letter to ‘cross, calling it cycling’s silliest discipline.

 

Finally…

Why leave your furry friends at home, when you can pack them into your new throttle-controlled ebike? More proof you can carry anything on a bike — even if it’s not yours.

And your next touring bike could come complete with a built-in table, chair and bed.

No, really.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

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