A tragedy in Colorado; and a reminder that helmets don’t always make a difference

May 6, 2010 / / 3 comments

Former U.S. Cycling Team member Allison Kellagher died days after colliding with a pedestrian in a Boulder, CO crosswalk.

Kellagher, who counseled others after overcoming addiction, was riding with her husband Saturday night when another couple activated the crosswalk warning lights and stepped out into the street. Reports indicate that she failed to see the flashing lights and clipped a man, causing her to lose control and crash into the roadway; the pedestrian suffered only minor injuries.

And yes, she was wearing a helmet.

Those cracks may look small, but without the helmet, they might have been in my head.

Too many people — cyclists and non-riders alike — assume that helmets are the key to bike safety, but a helmet alone can’t keep you safe. Even the most expensive bike helmets are designed to provide full protection against impacts up to 12 mph, and partial protection up to 20 mph. Above that, it’s nothing more than a fancy hat.

While the standards refer to the force with which your head hits the ground or some other object, that does have a strong correlation to your speed and the speed of the any vehicle you might collide with.

I don’t know about you, but I often find myself riding at well over 20 mph — and don’t know many motorists who drive slower than that.

At the same time, mandatory helmet laws may do more harm than good; statistics suggest that Sweden’s helmet law is discouraging children from riding.

Don’t get me wrong. I would never suggest that you shouldn’t wear a helmet.

In fact, I’ve often credited my helmet with saving my life during the infamous beachfront bee encounter a few years ago. But that’s exactly what helmets are designed for — the kind of relatively slow speed impact that’s most likely to occur when you fall or collide with a slow moving vehicle.

It will not protect you at higher speeds, and it will not prevent trauma to any other part of the body.

In other words, a helmet may help, but it’s not your best protection as a rider.

Staying safe means remaining alert and vigilant at all times, riding defensively and improving your skills in order to avoid collisions in the first place.

And never forgetting that even the most skilled and experienced riders can make mistakes.

………

The newly formed League of Bicycling Voters LA will have its first organizational meeting at 10:30 am on Saturday, May 15th, in room 1347 of the UCLA Law School building. Anyone who bikes and is eligible to vote in the County of Los Angeles is encouraged to attend.

………

SCAG plans improvements to La Cienega Blvd through Baldwin Hills, but evidently doesn’t consider bike and pedestrian infrastructure improvements. Green LA Girl is giving away free tickets to the Long Beach Bike Film Festival if you comment today. Not every woman rider needs help crossing the street. More on the successful Hollywood e-bike rental program. Sharrows, bike lanes and landscaping, oh my. U.S. Airways destroys a RAAM competitor’s $9000 carbon bike. America’s leading chronicler of biking collisions and how to avoid them has his hand-made custom bike stolen; fingers crossed that you’ll get it back soon, Opus. Just 3.9% of road stimulus spending went towards non-motorized transportation.  Lance’s new Team RadioShack and Trek join up to ride for cancer survivors. High school team bike racing takes root in the U.S. Is the bike man’s greatest invention, or does it only seem that way sometimes? A Boulder County Sheriff’s Deputy gets a ticket after hitting a cyclist in the bike lane. U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood says hands-free devices don’t make safer drivers. NYC bike policy is clearly working as ridership rises and injuries drop. Florida cyclists urge the governor to veto a new bill that includes mandatory bike lane use and opens bike paths to motorized vehicles. Cyclists should be allowed to pay registration fees if it comes with insurance coverage. Bike events around the world; personally, I’m looking forward to next month’s World Naked Bike Ride. A Brit driver loses his license for a whole year for carelessly killing a cyclist. A pedestrian is injured after stepping in front of a cyclist on a controversial English cycling path.

Finally, for those who may have missed it, Yehuda Moon — the bike world’s own online daily comic strip — is back after a brief break, effectively chronicling the cycling community’s newest hero. And this one is a classic. Seriously.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

Unsafe at any speed

May 5, 2010 / / 9 comments

Just one day after I got back in the saddle, I found myself sitting in an L.A. courthouse, a winner — or loser, depending on your perspective — in the annual jury duty lottery.

It quickly became clear I wouldn’t be serving on the case for which I was called.

It was a simple traffic case, resulting in injury. And I was just a little too knowledgeable about traffic issues, and too open in expressing my opinions, for the comfort of either attorney.

What struck me, though, was when the judge asked if anyone in the jury pool, or a close friend or relative, had ever been involved in a collision resulting in significant injury. Almost every hand shot up; the only one that didn’t belonged to the only person in the room who had never held a drivers license.

What followed was a litany of auto-involved mayhem. A grandfather killed while bicycling, a neighbor who died behind the wheel just last week. Others spoke of undergoing years of physical therapy, while some were still undergoing treatment.

I told about the time my car was rear-ended while waiting at a red light, resulting in recurring back problems that continue two decades later. Yet somehow, I forgot about the injuries from the road rage incident that happened while I was riding.

I purposely left out the childhood case in which my cousin fell, or tried to escape, a car driven by her intoxicated father, landing in directly in front of the rear wheel and resulting in a death no one in her family ever recovered from.

Or another incident my senior year of high school, when a lifelong friend was killed after a drunk driver crossed a 20’ wide highway median to hit his car head on.

As a cyclist, I’ve never been anti-car. The truth is, I love to drive; the only thing that approaches the joy I feel on a good ride is cruising down an open road in the middle of the night with the radio playing and the dark filled with endless possibilities.

Yet yesterday’s experience drove home, once and for all, just how extensive the harm caused by cars truly is, touching virtually everyone in our society.

We’ve spent half a century making safety improvements that increase the survivability of the auto occupants, yet have done virtually nothing to reduce the frequency of collisions or the risk to those outside the vehicle.

The focus always seems to be on making the car safer, even though the overwhelming majority of collisions are caused, as my dad liked to say, by the loose nut behind the wheel.

As a society, we’ve become far too comfortable in our cars, losing the sense that the vehicles we rely on every day are dangerous machines.

We text and talk on cell phones, believing we can still drive safely even while acknowledging that others can’t. And routinely ignore laws designed for everyone’s safety — including our own — to the point that a gas company decides it’s a good marketing position to insist they’re on the drivers’ side by creating an app to get out of tickets.

Yes, it’s a joke.

But the problem is that violating the law is so commonplace that we’re all in on the joke.

And did you notice the disclaimer — in white on a light colored background — that says the best way to avoid a ticket is not to speed? I didn’t until I watched it online several times, despite seeing this same spot on TV countless times each day.

The problem is, as traffic-meister Tom Vanderbilt noted the other day, that a drivers license is too easy to get and too hard to lose.

Yet stiffer penalties that would get bad drivers off the road — or cause most drivers to change their behavior behind the wheel — are unlikely to pass anytime soon because most people don’t see a problem, or any viable alternatives to driving.

And instead of focusing on the harm caused by dangerous drivers, auto organizations have a knee-jerk reaction to any loss of pavement that creates space for other road users.

But we have to do something.

Because we’ve reached the point where 40,000 +/- deaths each year is considered an acceptable cost just to get from here to there.

………

I’m really starting to like the idea of DIY group rides; after all, you need something to do while you wait for next month’s River Ride. Next up is Will Campbell’s Watts Happening Ride, while L.A. Cycle Chic plans the Moms Ride for May 16.

………

Writing for CicLAvia, Joe Linton follows Janette Sadik-Khan’s comments by suggesting 12 cheap bike projects L.A. could do right now, and note also that Bikes Belong has written CicLAvia a nice big check — literally. Meanwhile, Joe also takes a spin up Orange County’s Aliso Creek. Enci Box suggests adequate bike parking would make L.A. a more bike friendly city. L.A.’s best guide to hometown tourism reminds us the Amgen Tour of California will be coming to town May 22nd. Courtesy of my friend at Altadenablog comes word that a mountain biker fell 50 feet from a Mt. Lowe trail over the weekend. The Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project is finally going to happen, including a multipurpose walk and bike trail. Bicycling tells you how to avoid five common cycling collisions; that’s just a normal ride in L.A. They take away a lane in Milwaukee, and the world doesn’t come to an end. Evidently, Germans don’t need cycle tracks, and neither do the women of Chester County, PA. A fund has been set up for a woman rider seriously injured during a Critical Mass in South Florida. Navigating New Orleans by bike. Cincinnati plans to double the number of cyclists by 2015, while L.A. has no idea how many cyclists we have now. London cyclists offer an 8-point plan to Beat the Thief.

Finally, it has nothing to do with bicycling — other than being my favorite epithet for rude drivers — but this article from the Yale Law Review, by way of LA Observed, is one of the funniest things I’ve read in years.

Category: Best of, Bicycle Safety, Car vs Bike, Roadway Courtesy / Tags: , , ,

I’m back in the saddle again

May 3, 2010 / / 3 comments

Back when I lived in Denver, the company I was working for announced it would be going out of business in a few months.

The local economy was in the tank, as Denver struggled to shift from a cyclical oil-based marketplace to a more diversified model, and it was clear that I wasn’t likely to find work anytime soon.

So I marked date on my calendar, and promised myself I’d take a solo ride from Denver to Key West if I didn’t find work by then. And I started training, riding at least 50 miles a day, every day — sun, rain, sometimes even snow; 25 miles before work, 25 after, and 50, 60 or more on my days off; often more after I was laid off.

My target date came and went; and I began to seriously prepare for my ride. Then a few weeks from my planned departure, a bout of overconfidence led to my first serious riding accident, resulting in a broken arm and painful road rash from ankle to chin. My ride was canceled; a job offer and a move to San Diego soon followed.

Once healed, I settled into the same pattern there — 25 miles before work, 25 after, 50 or more on the weekend. Except now I wasn’t training for anything, just riding.

A few years later, I was getting ready to ride on morning when it suddenly occurred to me that I didn’t want to. When I tried to remember the last time I really enjoyed riding, I came up blank.

So I put my bike back and quit cold turkey for a few months.

Then one day, I was surprised to discover that I actually wanted to get on my bike again, and went out for an easy spin. The sun was shining, birds were singing, dolphins were playing in the bay.

And it felt good to be back in the saddle again.

I was thinking about that today, because a bad bout with bronchitis had kept me off my bike for the last couple weeks. Even though I wasn’t feeling 100% yet, it was a beautiful day and I wanted to ride. So I took an easy spin down to the beach, keeping my speed down and my distance well below my usual 30 or more miles.

Still, I was pretty shaky, which became clear when I tried to pass a couple of DWP trucks that were blocking most of the bike path so they could work on the overhead wires. Someone stepped out from between the trucks, and instead of easily swerving past, as I normally would, I found myself sailing off into the sand.

My speed carried me a little more than a bike length off the path before the deep, soft sand grabbed my wheels, momentarily freezing me in time and space. It quickly became clear I was going to fall; the only question was how much it was going to hurt.

Out of habit, I automatically clipped out on the right side, just as my bike began a comically slow fall to the left, taking a good three seconds or more to land. To their credit, the workers didn’t laugh, even as I lay there like a beached whale trying to clip out on the other side.

I’m not sure I would have been able to maintain the same self-control if the bike shoe had been on the other foot.

Fortunately, the slow speed and soft surface prevented any injuries, while the left-side landing kept the sand out of my components. So I eventually righted myself and brushed off the sand, and continued on my way.

I seemed to gain strength as I rode, though, and finished the ride feeling better and more confident than I had started it.

Once again, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, dolphins were playing in the bay.

And it felt good to be back in the saddle again.

………

Santa Monica burnishes it’s bike-friendly credentials by turning one-sixth mile of Ocean Park Blvd. into a “complete green street;” in L.A., we’re still waiting for sharrows. LAPD takes a case where a motorist flees the scene after injuring a pedestrian far more seriously than a similar case involving a cyclist; the comments reveal another cyclist-involved case the authorities ignored. UC Riverside police plan to crack down on cyclists, rather than the people who drive the big, dangerous vehicles. Robert Downey Jr. on bike, with gun. A Baltimore writer says sharing the road is hardly a hardship, asking “How would Jesus Drive?”; a reader responds calling it “condescending, holier-than-thou commentary.” Only in Massachusetts — a Republican candidate actually rides a bike in a campaign ad. Innovative city bike design from someone who has clearly never ridden one. Alejandro Valverde tops the world rankings while cycling’s governing body tries to build a doping case against him.

Finally, in Copenhagen, they take pavement from cars in the middle of the night; sounds like the mirror image of the U.S.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

Fresh hot links to start your week

May 3, 2010 / / Comments Off on Fresh hot links to start your week

In honor of National Bike Month, AAA urges drivers not to kill us. As little as five minutes of green exercise — like biking — can boost your mood and self esteem. Times’ columnist Steve Lopez stalks distracted drivers with the LAPD. A cyclist is killed in a collision with a mini-van in Sacramento. Bicycling down the Las Vegas strip. A 67-year old Illinois woman gets a whopping 42 21 days behind bars for intentionally impaling a cyclist’s bike on her bumper. Wichita considers revising its bike laws. For one day, New York cyclists rule the Five Boros. A pedestrian in my hometown pleads with cyclists not to warn him when they’re passing. A look at Denver’s veteran bike couriers. Paris prepares for a bold plan to ban cars from the banks of the Seine. A new Brit website caters to women cyclists, promising absolution for all your cycling sins. Brit cyclists don’t pay the Road Tax, then again, no one else has for 73 years. Biking in suits to take back the streets of Bucharest. A Kiwi rider competes in the Japanese full-contact keirin bike racing.

Finally, a New York cyclist stops for red lights just to see if it can be done, and finds it rather pleasant — even if little old ladies leave him in their dust.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

Cyclists shot in Koreatown bike theft; LAPD didn’t think you needed to know

April 30, 2010 / / 5 comments

Evidently, “protect and serve” doesn’t necessarily mean inform.

As in giving us the information we need to protect ourselves — like the fact that there’s a potentially homicidal thief targeting cyclists.

Just when you think the LAPD’s relationship with the cycling community has finally turned the corner, comes word that two cyclists have been shot by a bike thief in Koreatown.

Almost a month ago.

At a time when many cyclists have had enough and have begun fighting back against bike thieves, the Los Angeles Police Department has known for nearly four weeks that at least one thief was willing to kill in order to get away with his prize.

The incident occurred at about 3 am on April 4th when two cyclists stopped at a catering truck at the intersection of Pico Blvd and Westmoreland Avenue, and left their bikes unlocked and unguarded while they bought food. Two thieves walked up and grabbed the bikes while they were distracted; the police have surveillance video showing one of the thieves snatching the bike.

When the cyclists tried to stop them, one thief pulled out a handgun and shot the first victim twice, then fired at the second rider as they rode off on the victims’ bikes, hitting him in the shoulder.

The L.A. Times writes that the first rider suffered life-threatening injuries that kept him hospitalized until last week.

“They nearly killed him,” said LAPD Det. Dennis Bopp, who is investigating the shootings. “It was a crime of opportunity that turned to violence.”

According to the LAPD blog —

Both suspects are described as Hispanic between 17 to 19 years of age.  The first suspect stood between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds.  He was last seen wearing a black shirt and blue jeans.

The second suspect stood between 5 feet 5 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 150 pounds.  He was last seen wearing a blue or black baseball cap, blue sweater with white long-sleeves with the letters ‘LA’ on the chest and blue jeans.

Video footage of one of the suspects was captured on tape and is available at www.lapdtv.org.

Anyone with information regarding this crime is urged to call Olympic gang detectives at  213-382-9430.

So let’s be careful out there. No matter how much you love it, a bike can be replaced.

Your life can’t.

And let’s hope that next time, the LAPD tells us when there’s something we need to know.

………

In better news, police arrested three bike thieves at Sunset Blvd and Figueroa Street in Downtown L.A. when they attempted to steal two bikes while detectives were setting up a bicycle-theft sting operation. And in a final ironic touch, one of the bikes the thieves rode up on had been stolen from an L.A. County sheriff’s deputy in 2004.

………

In weekend ride news, Flying Pigeon rolls to the Eagle Rock Brewery on Saturday, while Will Campbell kicks of the first ride in his Bike Every (Satur)Day in May with the 10 Bridges Ride. Saturday, May 1st also marks the beginning of Bike Month in Glendale, L.A.’s increasingly bike friendly neighbor to the north; city officials visit Berkeley for inspiration. And Sunday is your chance to celebrate the one year anniversary of Bike Day LA.

Meanwhile, Green LA Girl offers to help with the fund-raising for this year’s Brita Climate Ride for one woman who’s already registered.

Here’s your opportunity to Ride Like the Dutch at the upcoming Long Beach Bicycle Festival in the self-described most bicycle friendly city in America, May 7 – 9; I’d be happy if Los Angeles just aspired to be the most bike friendly city in the county, though that would require asking Long Beach to move to Orange County first.

And the next Streetsblog LA fundraiser rides June 18th starting at Flying Pigeon in Highland Park and following the former Red Car route.

………

L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa says L.A. needs to walk and bike more. LADOT celebrates the council’s unanimous vote in favor of the city’s first bike corral. Semi-bike-friendly Santa Monica has big plans for more bike parking. A cyclist rides the Long Beach Bikeway Route 60 at the same time his biking brother gets hit by a car in San Diego, while a San Diego triathlete says cyclists need to embrace their vulnerability and stop blocking the lane. A non-standard — but clearly better — Share the Road sign appears in Tucson. Bike-friendly Salt Lake City gets a promotion. The bike lane that spurred the infamous Tony Kornheiser rant hits the street. New York authorities seek the identity of a cyclist killed in a collision with a car; a reminder to always carry ID when you ride. Starkville MS cyclists ride to protest a mandatory helmet law. Cannondale comes up with a very cool limited edition graffiti-style bike to benefit the Bahati Foundation. Ottawa needs to close car lanes to encourage cycling; well, who doesn’t? Eight Brit cyclists are fined for riding their bikes on a bike path. English footballer Frank Lampard — that’s soccer on this side of the pond — backs his Range Rover over a 14-year old’s bike, then hands over twice the bike’s value, in cash.

Finally, Traffic-meister Tom Vanderbilt says a drivers license is 2 easy to get, 2 hard to lose. I couldn’t agree more.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

Local bike cases slowly wind their way through the courts

April 29, 2010 / / 2 comments

Cyclist, attorney and court case correspondent Dj Wheels emailed today to catch us up on the current status of the all-too-many mostly bike-related cases winding their way through the local court system.

First up is the case of Patricia Izquieta, charged with the hit-and-run death of Don Murphy in Newport Beach last December.

Patricia A. Izquieta (Case #09HF2198) – Victim – Don Murphy

The Pretrial conference for April 16 was heard, but apparently the Preliminary Hearing which was scheduled for April 26 was cancelled and rescheduled. There is now a Pretrial conference scheduled for May 14 and the Preliminary Hearing for June 17.

She is charged with:

1) one felony count of hit and run with permanent and serious injury – CVC 20001(a)(b)(2)

2) a special allegation of inflicting great bodily harm, which is attached to the hit and run – Penal Code 12022.7(a)

3) one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence – Penal Code 192(c)(2)

4) one misdemeanor count of driving without a valid driver’s license – CVC 12500(a)

Next up is Marco Antonio Valencia, the hit-and-run driver who was reportedly high on alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana when he killed Joseph Novotny and injured three others.

Marco Antonio Valencia (Case # PA065011) – Victim – Joe Novotny & 3 other injured cyclists

There were pretrial conferences heard on March 23 and April 8 at the San Fernando Courthouse. Another pretrial conference was scheduled for May 18.

1) one felony count of murder with malice aforethought (2nd degree) – PC 187(a)

2) one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence – PC 191.5(a)

3) one felony count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury – CVC 23153(a)

4) one felony count of driving with a BAC over .08 causing bodily injury – CVC 23153(b)

5) four felony counts of hit and run causing serious or permanent injury – CVC 20001(a)

6) one felony count of driving with a suspended or revoked license due to a prior DUI – 14601.2

Robert Sam Sanchez is charged with the hit-and-run death of Rod Armas and seriously injuring his son Chris in Malibu during the L.A. Wheelmen’s Grand Tour last year.

Robert Sam Sanchez (Case # SA071910) – Victim – Rod Armas & Chris Armas injured

The Preliminary Setting conferences scheduled for March 11 and April 19 were both heard at the Malibu Courthouse. Another Preliminary Setting conference was scheduled for Friday May 7 at 1:30pm. What’s interesting is that the docket says, “VICTIMS WILL BE PRESENT TO MAKE STATEMENTS.” I called the DA’s office in Malibu to find out what this meant. Deputy McIlvain explained to me that May 7 is a Preliminary Setting Conference, and a disposition (plea bargain and sentencing) may be possible on that day. However, she is not allowed to disclose the terms of the offer for the plea at this point. If it is accepted, the case may reach a resolution that day, otherwise they’ll move forward with the Preliminary Setting conference to schedule a date for a Preliminary Hearing. I’m going to make my best effort to be there next Friday.

Charges are still the same as previously reported:

1) one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence – PC 191.5(a)

2) one felony count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury – CVC 23153(a)

3) one felony count of hit and run causing serious or permanent injury – CVC 20001(a)

Celine Mahdavi is charged with the West Hollywood hit-and-run (notice a common theme here?) that seriously injured professional cyclist Louis “Birdman” Deliz.

Celine Mahdavi (Case #SA073459) – Victim – Louis Deliz

Preliminary Setting conferences were heard on March 22 and April 23 at the Beverly Hills Courthouse. A date of June 11 was scheduled for the Preliminary Hearing.

Charges:

1) one felony count of hit and run causing serious or permanent injury – CVC 20001(a)

2) one infraction count of a minor driving with a BAC over .01 – CVC 23136(a)

William Keith Square was arrested in the hit-and-run death of a still-unnamed cyclist in Carson earlier this month; at last report, authorities had not been able to locate the victim’s last address or next of kin.

William Keith Square (Case #TA11183201) – Victim – not named

On April 17, Square killed a cyclist in Carson with his car and left the scene. Luckily a witness wrote down his license plate # and Sheriffs arrested him at his home in Long Beach. The Inmate locater page says the arraignment is scheduled for May 5 at Compton Municipal Court. It also says that Mr. Square was arrested on April 18, assigned to permanent housing on April 24 at 4am, and then released from custody at 7:47 am. This is strange because usually it will also state the bail amount, but it doesn’t in this case. Bail for something like this should be something like $100,000, of which a bail bonds company usually asks for 10% to post bond for you.

Charges: (I haven’t seen the docket yet, but I’m assuming the charges are going to be these.)

1)one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence PC 191.5(a)

2) one felony count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury – CVC 23153(a)

3) one felony count of hit and run causing serious or permanent injury – CVC 20001(a)

Former state legislator Walter Karabian faces charges for assaulting an unnamed parking lot attendant with his car during a USC football game last fall.

Walter Karabian (Case #0EA00275) – unnamed parking lot attendant near USC campus

The Pretrial conferences for March 24 and April 23 were heard. At the last hearing, Karabian’s defense attorney, Joseph Gutierrez, was granted a motion for sanctions against Classic Parking for failure to provide subpoenaed documents. Classic Parking is to pay the defendant $500. Another Pretrial conference is scheduled for May 13 at the East L.A. courthouse.

Finally, no charges yet in the death of Bahati Foundation cyclist Jorge Alvarado, who came to this country to fulfill his lifelong dream of riding professionally, only to be killed when 18-year old Patrick Roraff allegedly lost control of his car while street racing.

Patrick Roraff (Case #?) – Victim – Jorge Alvarado

This 18 yr old man killed Jorge Alvarado of the Bahati pro cycling team on April 8 while street racing on Greenspot Road out in San Bernardino. According to the SB County Court online case info page, charges have still not been filed against Roraff.

Hopefully, the local authorities know that the cycling communities of two countries are watching this case closely; the comments in Spanish from the people who knew him are truly heartbreaking.

Special thanks to Dj Wheels for his amazing work in keeping us on top of these cases; if anyone needs a good young lawyer who knows bicycling, let me know.

………

In better news, the jury in the case of the New York Critical Mass-bashing cop returned a verdict of guilty for filing a false criminal complaint, but acquitted him of misdemeanor assault.

………

A former Republican candidate for Lt. Governor in Wisconsin offers a first-person account of an intentional attack by a truck driver; unclear is whether he was attacked for his politics or because he was on a bike.

………

LACBC encourages you to say thanks to your yes-voting council member. USC’s Neon Tommy takes a look at Bikeside, which endorses Winograd for Congress. Stephen Box celebrates a successful campaign to get safe bike parking at the new police headquarters; on the other hand, UCLA’s bike lockers could use some work. Carless Valley Girl debates whether to ride bespectacled; always cover your eyes with something says the man who’s seen bees bounce off his lenses, among other things. You might want to stay off the road while the mayor’s girlfriend is on it.Cyclelicious talks to the producer of the upcoming Major Taylor biopic. A Long Beach intersection gets a road diet, creating more space for diners, walkers and bike racks. Ciclovia comes to San Diego starting tomorrow.

The mindset of the female bike commuter, who rides faster and looks better than the boys do. Biking in Chattanooga — no relation — directs your attention to an exceptional biking artist. The Maryland Senate passes five bike-friendly bills, including a three-foot passing law. The cross-country travelling, penta-biking Pedouins are approaching Portland. A Fort Myers FL ministry donates bikes to the homeless. A kosher Crown Heights bike loan shop turns to sales. NPR offers songs for the urban cyclist.

More doping rumors for pro cyclist Alejandro Valverde. After yet another London cyclist is killed, Mayor Boris calls for more stringent testing of drivers. What to do when you’re riding in Scotland and your wheel falls off. A new British motorists’ guide urges cyclists to claim the lane, while a leading bike group says cyclists could hold the key to the upcoming election. A bike racing Canadian novelist comes to the defense of Lycra with rants tips for cyclists. A day after Lexus announced their high-concept bike, Volkswagen unveils a folding electric prototype.

Finally, Bike Portland discovers, as many of us do sooner or later, that middle fingers do not lead to productive dialogue; I like the advice someone else gave him, “The peace sign only takes one more finger.”

I think I’ll have that tattooed on the back of my hand so I see it when I ride.

Category: General / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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