Today’s ride, on which I vow to patent my cloak of invisibility

September 23, 2009 / / 9 comments

I’m not exactly a small man.

I stand six-foot-even, sans shoes, with a weight that clocks in on the plus side of 180, give or take. And today I was wearing a bright yellow jersey that just screams for attention. Which is kind of the point.

So it would seem the only reason someone wouldn’t see me is if they just didn’t want to. Yet somehow, three different drivers managed to miss me today.

And just barely, at that.

The first case was a classic right hook, as a driver passed on my left, then immediately cut back in front of me to make a right turn. Fortunately, I’ve learned to anticipate that possibility when a car passes me near a corner, so I was prepared for it.

A quick squeeze on my brakes to drop behind her, followed by a fast spin, and I found myself right next to her open window before she could even finish her turn. The only response I got was a startled look when I sarcastically yelled “Thanks for cutting me off!” before leaving her behind.

A few hours later, just a few miles from home, a driver passed me with less than a foot to spare after I’d taken the lane on a short downhill — nearly forcing me into the back of a parked car. I caught up to her at the base of the hill when she slowed for traffic, and said “You totally cut me off back there!” with all the equanimity I could muster under the circumstances.

Which admittedly wasn’t much.

And why I would revert to Valley-speak when ticked off is like, totally beyond me.

The speed and anger behind her response — “What’s your problem, a**hole!” — suggested she was probably mad before I ever said a word. Though whether at me or someone else, I have no idea.

So we traded insults until she turned off a few blocks later, mine in regard to her driving skills, or the lack thereof, and hers of a far more personal nature.

The last one came directly in front of my building, as I stopped at the stop sign and signaled for a right turn. But just as I started to go, a woman in a minivan pulled up on my left, rolling through the stop and angling right across my path.

Another right hook.

So I yelled until I finally got her attention, and she stopped directly in front of me. I asked — okay, yelled — “What am I, invisible?”, before making my turn and pulling up to my home, as she stared back at me with the sort of uncomprehending gaze I usually see only on sheep.

Not that we have a lot of those in L.A., but still.

Yet I can almost guarantee you that all three went home and complained about what jerks those cyclists are — especially Lance Armstrong wannabee Lycra louts like me.

And I can also pretty much guarantee that not one of them stopped to consider that maybe, just maybe, they’d actually done something wrong. Because most people just aren’t wired that way. Cyclists included.

It’s human nature to blame the other person. And yelling certainly doesn’t help matters any, although it’s hard to respond any other way when someone has just threatened your safety, intentionally or not.

So how do we communicate more effectively with drivers, to let them know that they need to drive more carefully around us — let alone how they can accomplish that?

Yelling doesn’t work. Gestures don’t work — at least not the ones we usually employ when threatened with motorized mayhem. A calm conversation can sometimes do the job, but that requires catching the driver long enough to talk.

And remaining that calm is a lot easier said than done.

And it’s not like most drivers read the sort of blogs where we discuss things like this. Although there was one notable exception — someone who seemed like a typical motorhead jerk at first, but turned out to be one of the classiest guys I’ve never met.

It’s also not like all drivers are that bad.

I couldn’t begin to tell you how many passed me safely or courteously waved me through an intersection today. It was a hell of a lot more than three, though.

But then, it only takes one bad driver to ruin your day.

Or your life.

………

We’re down to two candidates to replace Wendy Greuel following yesterday’s election in CD2. The Crenshaw Crush ride rolls this weekend through one of L.A.’s most fascinating and historic neighborhoods. Will Campbell counts bikes; I wonder if he counted himself while he was at it. How to dress for fall cycling — or winter riding here in semi-balmy SoCal — along with five essential tips for fall riding.  A fellow bike blogger compares biking accidents in Boulder, CO and Louisville, KY, and finds Louisville lacking. A writer in Charleston says the rules apply to cyclists, too, while an Aussie writer says we need to know the rules of the road. The Michigan Dept. of Transportation offers training in road design for bicycling; maybe we could send someone next time. Finally, Damien Newton, while waiting (patiently?) for the next Newton, reports that the LAPD is training campus police that riding in a crosswalk is illegal in L.A. Even though it isn’t.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

More songs about buildings and bikes: A panel discussion with David Byrne

September 22, 2009 / / Comments Off on More songs about buildings and bikes: A panel discussion with David Byrne

Byrne-BugI’m not easily impressed.

Especially not when it comes to celebrities.

Maybe it’s because I’ve met more than my share over the years. Then again, maybe that’s why I’ve met more than my share, whether through work, mutual friends, volunteer work or just everyday encounters. In other words, pretty much the way you’d meet anyone else.

And in my experience, the rich and famous are pretty much like anyone else. Except richer. And, uh, more famous.

So that’s exactly how I treat them — like I would anyone else. For the most part, they’ve seemed to appreciate that, though there have been some notable exceptions.

A few have impressed me, though. Like Stevie Ray Vaughan. Rev. Al Green. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. And Gov. John Connally, who was critically wounded in the Kennedy assassination.

I have a feeling David Byrne would be on that list if we ever happened to meet.

Not just because he was the lead singer of one of the most influential and impossible to imitate bands of the 80s. One of the few bands that didn’t sound like anyone else, before or since, and formed a large part of the soundtrack for my blissfully misspent youth.

But also for what he did during and after his tenure in the Talking Heads. Like collaborations that pushed the bounds of music, founding the Luaka Bop record label and promoting the work of musicians from around the world. Along with a simultaneous career as a world-class artist — including a series of New York bike racks designed to subtly capture a sense of the city.

Which is only appropriate, because he’s been riding his own bike throughout New York and around the world for over 30 years — leading to his own unique perspective on urban livability, including his take on our own humble city:

If a city doesn’t have sufficient density, as in L.A., then strange things happen. It’s human nature for us to look at one another— we’re social animals after all. But when the urban situation causes the distance between us to increase and our interactions to be less frequent we have to use novel means to attract attention: big hair, skimpy clothes and plastic surgery. We become walking billboards.

It’s also lead to Bicycle Diaries, his ironic and insightful observations of the world around him, as seen from behind the handlebars.

And next week, it will lead him to Los Angeles for a panel discussion “examining the bicycle’s role in transforming the urban experience” at the Aratani/Japan America Theatre in Little Tokyo on Friday, October 2.

Okay, so it’s not free. But the $25 admission — $20 for Library Associates — goes to support free cultural programs at the Central Library downtown.

Also on the panel will be Bicycle Kitchen co-founder Jimmy Lizama, UCLA urban planning professor Donald Shoup, and Michelle Mowery, Senior Bicycle Coordinator for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation — the people who introduced the term “currently infeasible” to the world of bike planning.

And if that doesn’t make for an interesting conversation, I don’t know what will.

Stop making sense, indeed.

Bicycle valet services will be provided by the LACBC. For more information or tickets, visit www.lfla.org/aloud/.

………

Santa Monica’s Cynergy Cycles offers a free lecture on Cycling For Health & Performance Wednesday at 7p. Treehugger notes that it’s illegal to ride a bike in a swimming pool in Baldwin Park. The Cato Institute says D.C.’s new state-of-the-art bike station is just a $4 million bike rack. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition asks why drivers are seldom held accountable for hitting cyclists. The Biker Chicks ask how to avoid a right hook on a group ride. If you’re in Portland tomorrow, here’s your chance to ride naked in a Flaming Lips video. Evidently, Scottish truck drivers actually look out for cyclists. The UK’s Daily Mail complains about Lycra louts who never say thank you, while Cycling England says drivers should be held responsible for cycling accidents. Finally, Catholic Charities brings their message — and breakfast — to Portland’s bikeways; throw in absolution for any gestures I might make on the way, and I’m there.

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Bike the vote in CD2

September 22, 2009 / / Comments Off on Bike the vote in CD2

As Stephen Box points out, today could turn out to be one of the most important days in determining the future of cycling in L.A.

That’s because today there’s an election to fill the city council seat recently vacated by former Transportation Committee Wendy Greuel. And whoever is elected to represent the 2nd Council District will have an outsize influence on the council, since many of the members currently on the council are in their final terms — and thanks to the effects of term limits, will soon be more focused on running for their next office than representing the district they currently serve.

Which is not so much a comment on our current council members as it is a comment on a highly flawed system that throws out the good with the bad.

As Box put it:

Los Angeles has a Mayor and a City Council made up of 15 Councilmembers. A significant number of those in office are lame ducks, politicians in their last term who can’t run for reelection. The person who wins the CD2 seat is in a position to set the tone for the next round of candidates who run for the even numbered seats in 2011. That’s seven seats and the person who wins today will be setting the pace for that race. As for today, there are ten candidates and it’s a bit late to try to cover the many issues and the many positions and the many debates and the many forums. Suffice to say that there are two kinds of candidates, those who embrace the Cyclists Bill of Rights and those who don’t.

I’ve written before how cyclists can have an outsized influence on the electoral process. In the CD5 primary, the winner was determined by a total of just 60 votes — votes that could have easily come from the cycling community.

60 votes.

And with 10 candidates in today’s election, this one could easily be closer. Which means that your vote may never mean more than it does today.

You can learn more on Stephen’s blog, where he has video from four of the candidates, and written statements from two more. And over at Streetsblog, Damien Newton has done a great job covering the race from a more general transportation perspective.

But whatever you do, if you live in this Valley district that wraps around the west sides of Glendale and Burbank, from Mulholland to the Verdugo Hills and west to Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks, get out and vote.

Because your vote today could determine how you ride tomorrow.

……..

A cyclist was injured in a collision behind the Orange Curtain. The hit-and-run epidemic has spread to the East Coast. New York cracks down on illegal rental bikes. Boston plans to put more bikes on the street to end its bike unfriendly image. There’s a new shockproof, waterproof bike mount for all you iPhone users. Bike & Brew reaches Kalamazoo. The wife of British gold medalist Bradley Wiggins was hit by a car while riding over the weekend; as usual, the driver claims he just didn’t see her. A ghost bike in Bogota. Finally, ride your bike to the polls when you Bike the Vote in CD2 today — after all, it’s World Carfree Day.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

An epidemic of aggressive roadway entitlement

September 21, 2009 / / 2 comments

The other day I was riding along one of my favorite routes through the Westside — a quiet, two lane street wide enough that cars can pass, while keeping me comfortably out of the dooring zone.

I came up behind an SUV that was stopped in the traffic lane, waiting to make a left turn onto a side street. A large pickup was stopped behind it; its wheels angled to go around the SUV on the right.

However, the driver appeared to be waiting for me to clear the area first. So I caught his eye in the mirror, nodded my thanks, and was about to ride through the gap when a car came speeding up on my left, blaring his horn for the other vehicles to get the hell out of his way.

Noticing the space I was about to move into, he cut sharply right to go around the other vehicles, forcing me to jam on my brakes. That meant he had to drive in the parking lane, though, and there was no way to complete his move without hitting the park car ahead of him.

So he was stuck right there, next to the pickup. And so was anyone else, since he’d boxed in the pickup in and was blocking my path, as well.

We all had no choice but to sit there until the SUV driver finally found an opening she was comfortable with, and made her left.

The gesture I made left little doubt what I thought of his driving skills. Yet his response surprised me. He merely pointed towards the other two cars, as if that explained everything — suggesting that they were responsible for what he had done, simply because the other drivers were in his way.

Once my path was clear, I rode off, wondering where that sense of entitlement comes from.

It’s not like he’s the only one. I see the same sort of thing just about any time I hit the streets, whether I’m on foot, on my bike or behind the wheel.

A car slows to make a right turn, and the driver behind will honk simply because he has to slow down. A stop light changes to red, and a trailing car zips around the cars ahead to go through the light anyway.

I’ve even seen a driver honk at a little old lady using a walker to cross the street, because she didn’t move fast enough for his satisfaction.

Then there was the truck driver who came to a sudden stop in the traffic lane ahead of me. And when I gestured to ask what was going on, he held out his cell and yelled, “I’m on the phone, a**hole!”

Oh, well that explains it then.

I used to think this was just an L.A. phenomenon. Or maybe the result of so many New York transplants bringing their famous impatience out west with them.

But as I’ve travelled around the country, I’ve seem similar behavior almost everywhere, even on the relatively bucolic streets of my old home town.

Of course, it’s not just drivers.

It’s the same attitude shown by pedestrians who step out in front of oncoming traffic in the middle of a block, expecting drivers to stop for them — even though they’re only a few feet from the next corner or crosswalk.

And the one shown by cyclists who blow through one red light after another, despite the presence of traffic, or who weave through traffic regardless of right-of-way. Even though the law, safety, common courtesy and common sense would seem to dictate otherwise.

I’ve tried to understand. Honestly, I have.

But I just can’t grasp the concept that one person’s convenience outweighs their own safety, as well as that of everyone around them. And it seems to be counterproductive, because it slows the overall flow of traffic as other road users are forced to respond.

So the net effect is that everyone deals with more congestion, more frustration. And more anger.

Maybe you can explain it.

Because I just don’t get it.

………..

The LACBC urges cyclists to urge the governor to sign the bicycle crosswalk and CA bike route bills. A writer for the Washington Post survives a week of biking in L.A. If you’re looking for somewhere to ride, Travelin’ Local offers a list of free days at L.A. museums. An Arizona newspaper applauds a police crackdown on cyclists who ignore traffic rules; evidently, drivers there never break the law. Why do so many drivers assume we think we’re invulnerable, when most cyclists have a keen sense of our vulnerability? The D.C. ghost bikes are gone once again. Yehuda Moon nails news coverage of cycling accidents. Biker Chicks crack down on two-abreast group riders. Town Mouse suggests that more bike lanes could keep us from having to become ninja cyclists. Finally, not bike related, but one the greatest Americans passed away in L.A. last week.

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Bikes and politics: Choosing the best candidate in CD2

September 17, 2009 / / Comments Off on Bikes and politics: Choosing the best candidate in CD2

Maybe you didn’t notice that we have yet another election next week, in L.A.’s 2nd Council District.

However, unlike the recent race in CD 5, I haven’t been involved in this one.

That’s partly due to the overwhelming number of candidates in the race. It was hard enough keeping up with a race with just six candidates, five of whom eventually submitted statements discussing their stands on local bicycling issues — including the eventual winner, Paul Koretz.

And partly due to plain old-fashioned political burnout, after last fall’s election, followed shortly by two elections in CD5 and the race in state Senate District 26, eventually won by Curren Price.

Frankly, by the time it was over, I didn’t want to hear from or about any more candidates. Even if they promised to turn the Santa Monica Freeway into the city’s first bike boulevard.

Fortunately, Damien Newton over at Streetsblog stepped in to pick up the slack.

So far, he’s managed to get responses from seven of the 10 candidates — which I’ve learned is no easy task. Some offered the typical by-the-numbers, guaranteed-not-to-offend anyone answers; yet a surprising number have shown real insight into this city’s many transportation issues.

Most of the candidates oppose the mayor’s plan to trade the city’s parking meters for a bundle of cash and a player to be named later, and oppose the automatic speed limit increases currently mandated by state law — something AB 766, sponsored by one of the candidates for the CD2 seat, would address. Even if some people don’t want to talk about it.

All seven seem to support cycling, as well as other forms of alternative transportation. And all support measures to help keep riders safer on the roads, with varying degrees of insight.

Cycling activist Stephen Box also seems to have made an impression on just about all of them. But then, he has a way of doing that. Just ask Tom LaBonge.

Even if you’re as tired of the endless electoral cycle as I am, though, this election matters.

And your vote matters.

So allow me, briefly, to be obnoxiously self-indulgent and quote something I wrote during the CD5 campaign. Because it’s just as appropriate today, in this election, as it was seven months ago.

One of these people will be the one we turn to when we need to address the lack of cycling infrastructure in this city. He or she will also be responsible, along with the other members of the council, for turning the Cyclists’ Bill of Rights from mere words to meaningful change, as well as addressing the future of transportation — and quality of life — in this city. And by extension, for every city in the surrounding metro area.

This same person will be the one you’ll reach out to whenever you have a problem or concern in this district — and hope that… he or she will actually listen to you, and do something about it.

It matters. Not just for the (2nd) District, but for the 4th, 12th and 15th. And every other district, and for every other cyclist, in the city.

In a race with this many candidates, and the notoriously low voter turnout in this city’s local elections, a single vote could actually make a difference.

Your vote matters. Your support matters.

It all matters.

No really, it does.

So take a moment to click on the links below and read what the candidates have to say. And if you live in CD2, make time to vote on Tuesday.

Assuming there’s a runoff — which is almost guaranteed with so many candidates — I’ll ask the winning candidates to get more specific about cycling issues before the next election.

Because we need to elect people who care about bicycling.

And about making this city a better place. For all of us.

Mary Benson

Chris Essel

Tamar Galatzan

Paul Krekorian

Michael McCue

Frank Sheftel

Zuma Dogg

Not responding as of Sept 17, 2009: Augusto Bisani, Jozef Thomas “Joe” Essavi, Pete Sanchez.

I won’t tell you how to vote. But considering that openness and responsiveness are two of important qualities a council member, failing to respond to Damien’s questionnaire really isn’t a good sign.

………

Santa Monica’s AltCar Expo will offer an expanded bike section, Oct. 2 &3 at the Civic Auditorium. The Anonymous Cyclist — whose secret identity I know, but you’ll never get it out of me — offers you a chance to write to anything you want about cycling. Anonymously, I assume. Damien drops Santa Monica from Friday’s Park(ing) Day Ride after Santa Monica drops Park(ing) Day. Alex gets the response he expected to his comments about bike theft vigilantes. The Valley gets its first Bike Kitchen/Bikerowave-style co-op. Elisa at Bike Skirt says just let her ride and don’t try to label her. Bob Mionske tells the tale of two young Canadians; one who grew up to be a cyclist, and the former Attorney General who went on to kill him. The Tucson Bike Lawyer says it actually is against the law to kill a cyclist in the bike lane, if they could only get someone to press charges. Finally, a cyclist in my home town is hit by a car; police say charges will depend on the extent of his injuries. Are they suggesting that it’s okay hit one of us, as long as you don’t kill anyone?

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

A simple proposal to make next week’s LACBC bike count count more

September 16, 2009 / / 6 comments

It’s bike count season.

From Nashville to Portland, and various points over, under, around and through. And next week L.A. will have its first count, courtesy of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition.

Counting bike riders may not seem like a big deal, but it will provide a baseline number of how many people ride bikes in a normal week – when students are back in school and people are back at work, so it accurately reflects typical riding patterns.

Then next year, we can count again.

That will provide an idea if ridership is going up or down. Which could indicate what effect street conditions are having, whether infrastructure changes are needed and how local laws and policies should be adjusted. In other words, the documentation we need to make things better for cyclists around here.

Unfortunately, I won’t be one of the counters, though I do hope to be among the counted. And I will somehow resist the temptation to ride through the same intersections repeatedly in order to boost the count. After all, a high count might look good now, but it could hurt us down the road.

I do have a suggestion for the LACBC, though.

One of the most common complaints that drivers have about cyclists is that we all run red lights and stop signs.

It’s not true, of course. I stop. And I’m clearly not the only one, since I frequently find other riders waiting right there next to me.

A recent London study found the same thing. Despite similar complaints from UK drivers, researchers for the Road Network & Research Team found that the overwhelming majority of cyclists — 84% — observe stop lights.

Another recent study was cited by a New York organization that calls itself the Coalition Against Rogue Riding — notice the acronym, if you want a little perspective on their perspective.

Their goal is to reign in the “epidemic of scofflaw cycling” and “sense of anarchy” plaguing the city’s streets and sidewalks. Yet the study doesn’t exactly support that:

In May the results a rigorous study conducted in April by the departments of sociology and urban affairs of Hunter College was issued. “Biking Behavior in Midtown” observed 5,275 cyclists at 45 intersections between 14th St. and 59th Sts. and First and Tenth Aves. It was found that nearly 38 percent of observed cyclists did not stop at red lights. Nearly a third did not use a designated bike lane. More than 17 percent were either riding the wrong way, or at various times both with and against traffic.

Sound damning, doesn’t it?

But look at it from another perspective. Nearly 62% did stop for red lights. Over 2/3 used a designated bike lane — and considering the frequent problems riders cite with cars and trucks blocking the bike lanes, it’s amazing that so many were able to ride within the lines. And 83% of riders did ride the right way; impressive in a city with so many one-way streets.

Unfortunately, L.A. cyclists don’t have any similar figures to rebut biased arguments from anti-bike fanatics. But LACBC can do something about that.

Long term, we need to work with a local university to design an effective, in-depth study of riding patterns in the city. But in the meantime, they could easily incorporate a simple study of whether cyclists stop for traffic signals into next week’s bike count.

At any location with a traffic signal or stop sign, in addition to counting bikes, just count how many stop when they should.

All it takes is adding two simple columns to the form. Or pencil in a couple headers in the margin indicating “stopped” and “didn’t stop.” And for each rider you count, just mark down whether they did. Or didn’t.

It might not be a scientific survey. But like the bike count itself, it would be a starting point. And it would tell us that L.A. riders are safer than many people think, or that we have a lot of work to do.

Either way, we’d know more than we do now.

……….

Dr. Alex asks if you’ve considered the consequences before giving that bike thief a beat down. GT shares the story and photos of his recent Eastern Sierra Century. Mavic introduces new magnetic pedals, which may eliminate the need for cleats for some riders. Evidently, Sen. McCain hates transit, while Sen. Coburn merely hates bikes. Instead of getting hit by cars, bike couriers are getting hit by the internet. Illinois considers penalizing drivers who recklessly endanger the health and safety of vulnerable road users, like bicyclists. Bob Mionske questions Ottawa’s recent crackdown on cyclists in response to violent hit-and-run driver. Finally, the State Assembly honors my good friend at Altadenablog for his efforts during the recent fire; couldn’t be more deserved.

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