Search results for bikes have rights

Battling anti-bike bias in the ‘Bu

July 8, 2010 / / 13 comments

The tranquility of the beach belies the dangerous conditions and hostility cyclists face getting there.

Pity poor Malibu.

Blessed with an idyllic location along the sun-drenched Pacific Coast, the city draws countless visitors, from celebrity hunting tourists to motorists speeding — often literally — along scenic PCH.

It also attracts countless cyclists.

And that, in the eyes of some locals, is the problem.

Not the dangerous, poorly designed highway. Not the near total lack of cycling infrastructure. Not even the deaths of Rod Armas, Scott Bleifer and Stanislav Ionov in recent years.

No, the problem is those bad, bad cyclists who ride side-by-side, running red lights and blowing through stop signs. And keeping wealthy homeowners from being able to back out of their driveways.

Though anyone who has to back out onto a major highway should seriously consider investing a little money to reconfigure their parking situation.

Bleifer and Ionov were killed by a catering truck in September, 2005 when the driver deliberately failed to brake or swerve around them because another person was illegally cooking in the truck’s kitchen area when the truck was in motion. Despite traffic traveling at 50 mph or higher, they were forced to ride in the lane because of an obstacle blocking the shoulder where they’d been riding.

In an astounding display of compassion — or the lack thereof — following the deaths, Malibu Public Safety Committee Chairperson Carol Randall was quoted by the Malibu Times as expressing fears about anything the city might do that could encourage cycling on PCH, “particularly where it is lined by driveways in eastern Malibu.”

“It’s very irresponsible to encourage something that we know is not safe,” she said. “I invite them to try to back out of my garage on any weekend onto PCH.”

Yeah, being able to back out of a driveway certainly trumps bike riders’ right to use the road in a safe and legal manner. Let alone to return home in one piece.

Then again, she wasn’t the only one. Defending Malibu’s unshakable commitment to do virtually nothing, Council Member Pamela Conley Ulich, who claimed to bike on PCH herself, was quoted in the same article as saying:

“The bikers need to work with us,” Conley Ulich said. “They have [a motive] here: they don’t want to die.”

Amazingly, both still hold the same positions within Malibu’s apparently cold-hearted city government.

Of course, it’s hard to work with someone who refuses to work with you. Malibu’s solution to the riders who pass through the city every day has apparently been to ignore them in hopes we’ll go away.

And if that doesn’t work, crack down on bicyclists, rather than the roadway and drivers that put their lives at risk.

It’s an attitude exemplified by former council candidate and current Public Safety Committee member Susan Tellem in her recent letter to the editor in the Malibu Times, Bikers be warned.

As a Malibu Public Safety Commissioner, I have been disturbed by the high number of bicyclists who do not follow the rules of the road. While many do obey the vehicle code, just as many do not. They run red lights, do not stop at stop signs and ride three abreast even though the law is clear about what is safe and what is not. Motorists become frustrated and rude in turn, and this leads to ugly confrontations, not just here in Malibu, but everywhere.

She goes on to say that enforcement is the key. And announces a campaign called Share the Road – Share the Tickets to encourage “the sheriff, CHP and LAPD to ticket cyclists who break the law.”

This is a winning campaign in that everyone will be safer once cyclists realize that laws for them will be enforced. Tickets will decrease and maybe even disappear as the word gets out about enforcement. The biggest payoff? Motorists will be less likely to threaten bike riders and much more willing to “share the road.”

So let me get this straight. In Tellem’s opinion, it’s the fault of bike riders that we’re threatened by motorists.

Yes, cyclists are subject to exactly the same road rules as drivers. We’re required to signal — not that most drivers do — and stop for stop signs — ditto — and red lights. And if not, we can be ticketed, just like drivers.

On the other hand, I don’t recall any case of a motorist being killed by a cyclist in Malibu. And last I heard, drivers are already required to share the road, and under California law threatening another human being is illegal, regardless of motivation or self-justification.

Just ask Dr. Christopher Thompson.

And let’s not forget that it’s a Malibu city employee who’s charged with killing Rod Armas in a drunken hit-and-run last year.

I should also point out that cyclists are legally allowed to take the lane when appropriate, and despite what Tellem writes, there is nothing in the California Vehicle Code that prohibits riding side-by-side as long as the riders don’t block traffic. So on a roadway with two or more lanes in each direction, cyclists can legally occupy an entire lane as long as drivers can safely go around them.

Of course, what the law allows and what the police and courts enforce aren’t always the same thing.

Tellem has taken her campaign to Facebook, where she continues to criticize cyclists and misrepresent California law — including the frequently misstated and misunderstood requirement that cyclists ride as far to the right as practicable — while asserting her rights as a private citizen.

…You cannot legally impede traffic on PCH, or ride side by side and you must ride as far right as safely possible. If you get a ticket and come to court in Malibu for any of these infractions, you will lose every time. All I am asking for is safe riding. Stop at red lights and stop signs. As for saying I am “overtly hostile” to bicyclists – please show me proof. Your claim that I should be “investigated” is patently ridiculous as safety comes first. Finally, this site has nothing to do with the City of Malibu or the Commission. Just like you I am entitled to free speech…

Yet as a member of the city government, she has a higher responsibility to be truthful, not just as she sees it, and to protect the rights and safety of all road users.

I’ll leave the final word to John Abbe, in a letter published yesterday in the Malibu Times.

The PCH through Malibu is one of the most dangerous stretches of road in California and cyclists are not the problem. Like it or not, every weekend thousands of cyclists ride PCH to enjoy riding thru the beautiful canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains. They all have as much right to the PCH as those driving cars and trucks…

He goes on to cite the cases of Armas, Bleifer and Ionov, as well as Tracey Clark, a 26-year old triathlete killed on PCH in 1990, for whom the Dolphin Fountain at the famed Malibu Country Mart was dedicated.

The truth is that they all were not annoying obstacles to traffic on PCH, or a hindrance to homeowners trying to exit their driveways on PCH. They were all somebody’s husband, somebody’s father, somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son, somebody’s loved one-lives now gone forever!

And he concludes by quoting from pro cyclist Dave Zabriskie’s website, Yield to Life.

“We all travel life’s roads. I stand before you to ask for your cooperation in providing safe space for cyclists. When you see a cyclist on the road, please, yield to life”.

For the sake of full disclosure, I don’t ride PCH through Malibu anymore, tempting as it might be at times. While I never met Scott Bleifer, I knew his father through his medical practice, and his son’s death struck a little too close to home. As a result, my wife asked me to stop riding on PCH, and I have respected her request. And while Tellem may be biased against bicyclists, she can’t be all bad; she’s the founder of a local Tortoise rescue program along with her husband.

Update: Damien Newton has picked up the subject, and Gary of Gary Rides Bikes has joined in with an exceptionally detailed and insightful examination of Tellem’s Facebook group; Tellem herself has responded on Streetsblog.

………

Mark Cavendish sprints to victory in Stage 5 of the Tour de France, while the overall standings remain unchanged; no major moves are likely until the riders reach the mountains. More on 4th stage winner Alessandro Petacchi, who won his second stage of the Tour at age 36, which could bode well for another older rider — if he can put up with the heckling.

Rumors of mechanical doping continue to follow the Tour, particularly surrounding current leader Fabian Cancellara’s performance in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix; a German bike shop owner shows how it can be done.

………

Bike Lawyer Bob Mionske says adding better bike infrastructure helps create more riders, while EcoVelo says more separated bikeways could help beginning riders feel more comfortable. Paris proves it takes more than a bike share program to be bike friendly. And research shows that women prefer off-road paths, bike lanes and streets with low traffic that actually go where they need to go.

Meanwhile, lobbyists for the electronics industry want to preserve the right of distracted drivers to run you off the road.

………

Damien Newton asks if L.A. cyclists can fix the sharrows study without killing it. Oaklavia reveals what this September’s CicLAvia might look like. A look at last week’s Tour LaBonge, where police handcuffs double as bike locks. Santa Monica is adding 400 bike racks, and has a new bike share program for city employees. If you’ve been suffering from a shortage of seriously cute in your life, check out this 4th of July parade, courtesy of my friends at Altadenablog. ESPN looks at Kristina Ripatti-Pearce, the paralyzed former LAPD officer who just complete the Race Across America (RAAM). A 21-year old Reno area rider is declared brain dead two days after being rear-ended by a Sheriff’s SUV. A Portland rider successfully defuses a road rage situation, ending in a handshake; another close call in Eugene OR ends more the way you’d expect. The Museum of Arts and Design in New York will be hosting Bespoke: The Handbuilt Bicycle through August 15. A biking 4th in Birmingham AL. Mississippi authorities are looking for the victim of a YouTube prank, in which two men in a truck purposed smoked out a cyclist. A new bike lane in York — the old one, not the new one — results in problems on nearby streets. The European Cross Country Mountain Bike Championships come to Haifa, giving a local Israeli rider the hometown advantage. The hit-and-run driver who ran over the son of a former Israel Supreme Court Justice after drinking and smoking hashish faces manslaughter charges.

Finally, when a dangerous bus driver nearly runs a cyclist over, it helps if the cyclist works for the company that runs the buses.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

L.A. survives Critical Mass; plus weekend rides, races and fireworks

June 25, 2010 / / 11 comments

Evidently, Friday night’s LAPD-accompanied Critical Mass was a success, with reports of police corking intersections, passing out lights and one officer riding a tall bike.

Now that’s something I’d like to see.

Update: Read more at Bicycle Fixation, Streetsblog and BikesideLA. Some of the news outlets reported on CM Friday night, but don’t seem to have the stories online as of noon Saturday.

………

In this weekend’s riding news, Saturday marks the Eastside Bicycle Club’s 2nd Anniversary Celebration in Lincoln Park, with fireworks at sunset; Stephen Box and the LAPD’s bike point man Sgt. David Krumer will be honored with the club’s 1st Annual Golden Crank Award.

Saturday will also see the Los Angeles Wheelmen’s 52nd Annual Grand Tour, with rides from 200 to 400 miles. It was on last year’s Grand Tour that Rod Armas was killed and his son critically injured when they were struck by a truck allegedly driven Robert Sam Sanchez, who fled the scene.

On Sunday, Flying Pigeon looks forward to the second annual Pershing Square Discovery Bike Ride, while Claremont Cyclist looks at Sunday’s 49th Annual Manhattan Beach Grand Prix.

………

Maybe sharrows are contagious; after suddenly appearing in Los Angeles, signs suggest they’re about to make an appearance in Santa Monica. Flying Pigeon offers photos of the recent Streetsblog fundraising ride. The birth of a (fast) bike. Riding under the 405 on Wilshire just got a lot safer. More on the arraignment of two San Bernardino teens charged with killing pro racer Jorge Alvarado. San Francisco cyclists won’t ride the city’s new sharrows; even the city’s lead traffic engineer says no way. Bike fashions for on and off your ride. A new rider makes the slow transition to serious cyclist, but can’t quite work up the nerve to shave his legs. How to corner at speed. Ten riders to watch in the 2010 Tour. How to ride wisely as you age. Portuguese soccer star Christiano Ronaldo shows what he does when he’s not competing in the World Cup; evidently, cycling is sexy. London cracks down on rogue road users, on two or four wheels. UK police look for a hit-and-run schmuck cyclist who left an elderly woman badly injured in the street. The department of DIY moves north as homemade sharrows hit the pavement in British Columbia.

Finally, bike lawyer Bob Mionske offers advice on what to do when you really, really have to go.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

A look at tonight’s Critical Mass

June 25, 2010 / / 9 comments

I confess. I’ve never ridden a single Critical Mass.

It’s not that I’m against it. Although personally, I don’t think we win friends by reinforcing the motoring public’s perception that bikes never stop for red lights or that we inconvenience drivers needlessly.

And it would be fun to celebrate our right to ride with a few hundred — or in tonight’s case, more likely a few thousand — like-minded riders. Especially when there’s a point to be made following last month’s Critical Mass Takedown.

If I was still single, I’d probably be a regular at rides like this.

Then again, if I was single, there’s a lot of things I’d do that I don’t do now.

However, as a married man, I have other obligations. Which means that events that take place on nights and weekends are usually out for me, as much as I might like to join in on the fun.

But in my book, family comes first.

Then again, it’s not like anyone is likely to miss me. Tonight’s CM promises to be one of the largest the city has ever seen, including a number of the local biking community’s more prominent members who don’t normally participate on a regular basis.

Representatives from the LACBC will be there. Bikeside will undoubtedly be there, along with the Ridazz. And the rapidly growing Eastside Bicycle Club — which celebrates its second anniversary at Lincoln Park on Saturday — will no doubt be represented.

Even the LAPD’s point man for bike issues, Sgt. David Krumer, will be there — in fact, he’s hoping to have his picture taken with Plebis Power, author of the popular CM poster parody.

And he won’t be alone.

The Los Angeles Police Department will not only be attending the ride, they expect to participate in some way. While they readily acknowledge that this is an experiment, they’re committed to finding a way to more effectively police and support the ride, without the heavy-handed problems of last month.

Police cruisers, they promise, will be kept in the background unless needed. And there won’t be a crackdown on “ticky tacky” violations as some riders have feared — such as bikes without side reflectors, for instance.

But cyclists will be expected to have lights and brakes — defined as being able to skid on dry pavement, for you fixie aficionados. And anyone under 18 needs a helmet, as required by state law.

The department is encouraging leaders within the ride to step — or maybe roll — forward to help self-police the ride to keep officers from feeling the need to step in themselves.

And they offer three key points to remember as you ride tonight —

  • People are encouraged to follow the rules of the road
  • The police will not be corking intersections — though they reserve the right to change their mind if it becomes necessary
  • Riders will be expected to stop at all red lights unless instructed otherwise

I’d also like to add a little advice that Sgt. Krumer offered earlier this month, not just for Critical Mass, but anytime you find yourself dealing with the police —

  • Stop if a police officer instructs you to
  • Be polite and respectful, even if you don’t think you did anything wrong — “No sir” or “Yes ma’am” will go a long way towards avoiding any problems
  • Don’t try to correct the officer, even if you know the law better than he or she does — some officers may see that as being combative, which could cause things to escalate unpleasantly
  • If the officer writes a ticket, just accept it quietly and fight it in court later

Finally, if you think you’ve been treated unfairly, contact the watch commander at the officer’s precinct. Or contact anyone involved with the department’s Bike Task Force — such as myself, the LACBC, Bikeside, Carlos Morales or bike activist extraordinaire Stephen Box, just to name a few, and we’ll contact the department on your behalf.

And yes, you do have a right to film or photograph any police officer in the performance of his or her duties — despite what you might have seen — as field officers were recently reminded.

But you might not want to push the point, especially if you value your iPhone.

Now have fun.

And stay out of the news.

………

The teenage suspects in the car racing death of pro cyclist Jorge Alvarado plead not guilty. The LACBC calls on LADOT to do sharrows right, and endorses the Wilshire Bus (and bike) Only Lane along with the Green LA Transportation Working Group. Council Member Tom LaBonge’s police-accompanied group ride along the new 4th Street sharrows was “like Critical Mass, but with gray hair and guns.” Your tentative route for CicLAvia is unveiled. A Bay Area cyclist is killed after broad-siding a truck, possibly while trying to set a downhill speed record. A Folsom man dies shortly after falling from his bike on a local bike path. Bike Attorney Bob Mionske looks at the Black Hawk bike ban and not surprisingly, finds it violates Colorado law. A leadership vacuum on bike issues in Chicago; sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Ikea tries to veto bike lanes in Brooklyn.­ Even in Missouri, you can have a ride from hell — although that loud long horn could be a friend trying to say hi. A student riding across country to raise money for charity is killed by a car in New Mexico. The new Oklahoma law that allows cyclists to run red lights that don’t change doesn’t actually allow cyclist to go through red lights after all. FedEx says call the police if one of their trucks blocks a bike lane because their not going to do anything about it. A Pittsburgh area cemetery — final resting place of perhaps the greatest player in baseball history — opens its gates to cyclists. Who needs bike parking when you’ve got a good fence? UK cycling rates are up, while deaths are down. If you’re planning a bike ride, it helps to know where the keys are. A driver loses her license for killing a cyclist while trying to toss a spider out of her car. A woman barely survives a brush with a massive truck as horrified bystanders look on.

Finally, I dare anyone to run you off the road on this bike.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

When my lips move, who’s doing the talking?

June 22, 2010 / / 4 comments

But it’s all right now, I learned my lesson well. You see, you can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself. — Rick Nelson, Garden Party

I really didn’t think I needed to explain this.

I mean, it seems pretty obvious. And I always assumed my readers have sufficient intelligence to grasp the concept.

Then again, you’re not the problem.

So let me make this as clear as possible. I am not a journalist.

I have never worked for a newspaper, magazine, TV or radio station. At least, not since I edited my high school newspaper back in the Dark Ages.

And when I attend a meeting, I’m there to participate, because I think I have something to add to the conversation. Not to sit there silently taking notes.

Don’t get me wrong. I admire journalists. I don’t believe our society or system of government could survive without their under-appreciated and under-paid efforts.

But that’s not what I do.

So anyone who accuses me of violating journalistic ethics might as well accuse me of violating the Hippocratic Oath. Because I’m not a physician, either. Or a hippo, for that matter.

And this is not a news site, even though I link to a few.

What it is, is my opinion.

I may relay news that other people have reported if I think it’s important. Or I may relate something from my own experience, or a story someone has sent me or that I found online to illustrate a larger point. I may even break a story every now and then, as I did last summer.

But always from my own perspective.

That’s not to say that I don’t have my own standards. I always strive to be honest on here and tell you the truth the best I can, as I understand it. I try never to indulge in personal attacks, tempting though it may be at times. I try to be objective, and give you both sides of an argument when I can. And I’ll often link to or write about pieces that challenge my own assumptions, even if I don’t necessarily agree with them.

And I try always, above all, to be fair.

Do I always succeed?

Of course not.

I count on my readers to keep me honest. Just like Chewie did when I had the not-so-brilliant idea of creating the Idiot A**hole of the Month Award. And for which I’m still grateful.

Just like I count on you to catch my mistakes. Show me where I got something wrong, and I’ll fix it. If we disagree, I’ll usually present your argument as well as mine. But never forget that what you’re reading here is my opinion.

Which brings up the other point I want to make today.

I recently became a board member for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. However, that does not mean that I speak for the members and staff of the LACBC, or for the board. Or that they dictate what I say on here.

No one put words in my mouth in the 19 months I wrote this blog before I joined the LACBC, though some tried. And no one has in the months since.

Then again, they don’t need to. The LACBC has a highly competent and effective staff, more than capable of speaking for themselves. So if I support something the group says or does — or that anyone else says or does, for that matter — it’s because it has value.

No more, no less.

And just to clarify, when I wrote about John Fisher recently, for which I was so viciously attacked, not one person within the LACBC contributed a single word or thought to the piece, or reviewed it before it went online. Neither the LACBC nor anyone else vets what I write on here in any way.

If you like it, I get the credit. If you don’t, the blame is mine and mine alone.

As for the other side of the coin, I am just one of several board members. I do not lead the board and I don’t speak for it. Nor do I want to — on either count — whether I’m writing on here or speaking in public.

Anyone who tries to say otherwise has absolutely no idea what they’re talking about, and not one iota of fact to base it on.

One more thing.

When I was first approached about joining the LACBC board, I was flattered. And not interested.

While I was impressed with the work Aurisha Smolarski, Allison Mannos and Dorothy Le were doing in fighting for the rights of cyclists in front of the City Council, I had been a semi-regular critic of the organization. And my overall impression of it wasn’t always that favorable.

I was wrong.

As I investigated further, I found an organization committed to meeting the needs of a widely diverse community of cyclists, and making the streets safer for riders of all types. As well as one of the most dedicated and talented staffs, both employees and volunteers, that I’ve encountered in any organization.

And trust me, I’ve encountered a lot of organizations.

But what won me over was when board president Chet Kostrzewa said he considered critics such as myself to be the LACBC’s best friends, because they point out areas that need improvement. He also insisted that, board member or not, I continue to speak my own mind and push them to be a better and more effective organization.

And that I should continue to criticize the LACBC anytime I think it’s necessary.

So far, it hasn’t been.

If and when it is, I’ll let you know.

………

Interesting stats from London, where over 3,200 people were killed or seriously injured in traffic collisions in 2009 — and that’s an improvement. On the other hand, overall cyclist casualties were up 15%, and 76% of fatalities involved people outside of vehicles, such as cyclists, pedestrians and moped, scooter and motorcycle riders. And the city’s planned bike superhighways will get convex mirrors at intersections to help truck drivers spot cyclists.

Meanwhile, bike deaths in Scotland dropped by nearly half last year.

………

The Times uncovers the mystery behind the shrine to a dead father on the L.A. River Bike Path. Cyclist Joe Borfo calls for Project Civil Obedience at Friday’s LAPD accompanied Critical Mass. Council Member Tom LaBonge rides the new 4th Street sharrows Wednesday night — your chance to help LACBC lobby for the 4th Street Bike Boulevard. CicLAvia makes it into the latest draft of the city’s proposed bike plan; speaking of which, Oakland hosts Oaklavia this weekend. LADOT Bike Blog offers a great look at the LACBC’s City of Lights program. Texting while biking could soon be illegal. Cordova Street in Pasadena is going on a road diet. A proposed Santa Clara County ordinance threatens to end large group rides entirely. Caution: flying cyclists. Seattle gets its first buffered bike lanes; San Francisco is up next. An alleged drunk driver drags a Chicago bike cop over 30 feet during an attempted stop. A Cincinnati cyclist is killed by a driver who backs up and hits him again. One of the joys of biking is catching the jerks at the next red light. The good news is Tucson police were ticketing speeders; the bad news is, they were stopping them in the bike lane. Good reason to wear a helmet — that could have been his head. Two cyclists save a stranger from armed robbery. Pro cyclist Kim Kirchen emerges from his coma following his heart attack during the Tour of Switzerland, while Bike Radar looks at the upcoming Tour de France. A five-time British Olympic rower is seriously injured in a fall near the end of RAAM. A cyclist dies on Europe’s largest charity bike ride; evidently, so does a marriage. After getting hit by a car, a Canadian cyclist faces a fine for riding on the sidewalk. Your next bike could be a carbon/bamboo singlespeed fixie.

Finally, hats off to former LAPD Officer Kristina Ripatti-Pearce, paralyzed from the chest down in an on-duty shooting in 2006, who finished the RAAM ultra-endurance race on Monday along with the other members of her relay team.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

Today’s ride, in which I decide to emulate my new role model

June 5, 2010 / / One comment

It was towards the end of a 44 mile ride down the coast.

I’d planned on a half century, but got tired of riding on sand where bike path was supposed to be, and turned back short of my destination.

And yes, Manhattan Beach, I’m talking to you.

Despite that, it was a good ride, aside from multiple motorhead jerks who looked me right in the eye before pulling out directly in front of me or turning too closely across my path.

Somehow, though, I managed to resist temptation and kept my fingers wrapped firmly around my handlebars, other than to give one driver the classic school teacher “oh no you don’t” finger wag as she passed after left-crossing me. She slowed down just a moment, as if to verify exactly which finger I extended, then sped off with a small smile visible in her rear-view mirror.

In fact, it was a good enough ride that I added an extra, completely unnecessary and only slightly out of my way climb about 35 miles in.

But it was near the end of my ride as I was sitting at an intersection in Brentwood, waiting for the light to change, that I discovered my new role model.

A young man, maybe high school age, was riding a fixie up the cross street and positioned about three feet from the parked cars, exactly where he should have been.

Cars going forward were able to easily go around him; unfortunately, that wasn’t good enough for a woman who found her path to the right turn lane blocked by the rider. She was too close to the intersection to go around him and still make her turn, so she blared her horn at the sheer audacity of someone blocking her way for even a few seconds.

He looked back to see who had honked, then did something absolutely amazing.

Nothing.

No response, no gestures, not even a change in expression or riding position. It was almost like he didn’t care, as if the driver’s impatience and anger meant absolutely nothing to him.

He simply kept riding exactly as he had before, making his right at the intersection and getting on with his life, as she had no choice but to follow patiently behind him.

Maybe he was a teenage Zen master, maybe just unusually calm.

Or maybe he really didn’t care.

All I know is, when I grow up, I want to be just like him.

………

This Sunday marks the return of the LACBC’s 10th Annual River Ride, with rides of 100, 70, 50 and 35 miles, along with a 15 mile family ride and a free kid’s ride. While online registration is closed, you can still sign up the day of the event in Griffith Park.

I won’t be riding this year; instead, you can find me at the LACBC’s booth at the Autry Center, where I’ll be working as a volunteer Sunday afternoon.

Stop by and say hello if you get the chance. Or bring your computer with you and maybe I’ll autograph my blog for you.

You can warm up for River Ride with something a little more casual on Saturday, as Flying Pigeon rides to the Eagle Rock Brewery to share a pint or two.

And on Saturday, June 19th, explore art and culture with the Folk Art is Everywhere Bike Tour, an easy 3.5 mile ride through Echo Park and historic Filipinotown.

………

As forecast earlier Friday, a claim was filed against the city by Manny Gallegos, who recorded the now infamous You Tube video of the LAPD’s Critical Mass Takedown — before allegedly being beaten by police and having his iPhone stomped by officers in an apparent attempt to destroy the evidence.

If the claim is dismissed, as expected, his attorneys will file suit in Federal court alleging violations of his 1st, 4th and 14th Amendment rights. Reports indicate that his lawyers, the law firm of Moreno & Perez, have heard from several other cyclists claiming to be victims of the police during last week’s Critical Mass ride.

A word of advice to the city. You’re holding a losing hand — settle this case while you can, before we all end up on the hook for a lot more.

………

The LACBC submits a letter calling on Mayor Villaraigosa to step up and support cycling in Los Angeles in light of the Critical Mass mess:

  1. We urge the Mayor to work with the LAPD to actively support the bicycling community by partnering to sponsor bicycle events, including the street opening event CicLAvia.
  2. We urge the Mayor to work with the LADOT to immediately implement multiple high-profile bicycle lane projects already approved in the city’s 1996 Bicycle Master Plan and the 2009 Downtown Street Standards.
  3. We urge the Mayor to step forward and publicly voice City support for bicycling as a valid means of transportation in the City of Los Angeles.

………

The San Francisco police arrest a suspect accused of running down four cyclists in a deliberate hit-and-run assault after the owner of the SUV involved walked into a police station to report a carjacking; police say significant evidence points to the vehicle’s owner.

And there’s a not guilty plea in the case of a Bay Area hiking advocate charged with slashing cyclists with a hacksaw.

………

The LAPD offers tips to keep your bike from getting stolen. A bill to ban cell phones and texting while biking advances in the state legislature. Santa Monica High School suggests leaving the car at home, while the Santa Monica Library doubles its bike parking by removing space for just two cars. L.A. Cycle Chic offers a look at a Seersucker Social; and they say no one looks good in spandex? A Riverside rider gets dangerously buzzed — by a cop. San Diego cyclists are ordered to keep their clothes on during the Naked Bike Ride. NBC Sports looks at the upcoming Race Across America, which kicks off in Oceanside this Tuesday. Oakland has an exhibit on bikes in the airport. A rolling stone gathers no moss, but no one said anything about bikes. Evidently, we’re facing a spreading epidemic of jerk drivers. Riding from Austin to Anchorage to beat cancer, while a priest rides cross county to fight poverty. A Tucson rider gets his bike back over a month after it was stolen. Springfield Cyclist encounters a foolish rider desperately in need of an education in safe cycling. Rap stars and racers converge at the Harlem Cycling Classic. Advice on what not to do when you’re hit by a car, by someone who just went through it. What you get when you cross a bike seat with a sex toy. Portraits of everyday cyclists in South Africa. An Oxford student demonstrates how to steal a bike in broad daylight as unconcerned bystanders look on. A new British study shows that spending for cycling returns a minimum of three dollars (or pounds) for every $1 invested. German scientists invent a helmet that smells like stinky cheese when it needs to be replaced.

Finally, in non-biking news, the Westside’s long-planned Subway to the Sea and other L.A. are rail projects may actually be built in our lifetime finally become a reality, as the Obama administration officially endorses the Mayor’s 30/10 plan.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

You’re the next victim of the Critical Mass Takedown; mass bike assault in San Francisco

June 4, 2010 / / Comments Off on You’re the next victim of the Critical Mass Takedown; mass bike assault in San Francisco

Not surprisingly, the first lawsuit over last week’s LAPD Critical Mass Takedown is about to be filed.

I received an email last night indicating that a press conference will be held Downtown this afternoon to announce the filing on behalf of Manny Gallegos. You may know him as the cyclist who recorded the now infamous YouTube video showing an officer apparently kicking a passing bike, only to be taken down himself by officers who seemed to understand the first amendment about as well s they did rights of cyclists.

Which is to say, not at all. Then again, that seems to be an ongoing problem for them.

And that makes it your problem, too.

Even though you’ve never assaulted a cyclist or denied a photographer his rights, you’re going to end up picking up the tab, once the financially strapped city eventually reaches a settlement with the victims.

A settlement that will come out of your taxes, just as it did when the police clashed with May Day protesters in MacArthur Park in 2007.

It’s not that the victims in these cases don’t deserve something. From what I’ve seen, the city might as well open its checkbook right now.

But we’d all be better off if the LAPD learned to avoid incidents like this in the first place. Because we’re all about to pay for their misguided actions.

………

If you ever wondered if drivers were out to get you, the answer may be yes.

In a horrific attack on apparently random riders, four San Francisco cyclists were struck — apparently intentionally — by a hit-and-run driver in four separate assaults over a six minute period. The driver then fled the scene after crashing his car, leaving broken bikes and bodies strewn in his wake.

Fortunately, no one was killed. Yet the injuries ran the gamut, with three riders hospitalized — one in critical condition, one serious and one fair — with the fourth treated and released at the scene. Injuries included two broken legs and a head injury that left the victim floating in and out of consciousness; fortunately, all are expected to survive.

Police Lt. Lyn Tomioka said all the victims “do appear to be targeted. We don’t know if they were known victims, or if it’s because they were on bicycles or what the issue was.”

The SUV involved, a blue Nissan Rogue, was left at the scene of the final assault after colliding with two other vehicles, then hitting a pole. The car does not appear to be stolen, and as of Friday morning, the police were still looking for the suspect.

………

LAist reminds readers that the 10th Annual River Ride takes place this Sunday, starting at Griffith Park. The LACBC meets with representatives of several regional bike groups. If you’re going to look cool pooping your pants, you definitely need a bike in the background. A look at some of the less tangible benefits of biking. A San Francisco cyclist says church goers who park in the bike lane are worshipping the wrong God. A report from yet another Tweed ride. It only takes one jerk to ruin a ride. Now you can charge your Nokia cell phone while you ride. The misguided bill requiring Florida cyclists to stay in the damn bike lane now awaits the governor’s signature; does he sign it and piss off cyclists, or veto it and risk his chances in the upcoming Senatorial race? DC area park police urge drivers to share the road, which might not be necessary if they weren’t blocking the bike lane. A road-raging senior citizen cyclist smashes a car that infringed on the crosswalk. Greg “Everyone Dopes But Me” LeMond says he feels vindicated by Floyd Landis’ unsubstantiated charges. Bike lawyer Bob Mionske offers his take on the inexplicable dropping of charges against Toronto cyclist killer Michael Bryant. Cyclists get no respect in British Columbia. Pro cyclist Fabian Cancellara laughs off charges that he cheated with an electric boost; Copenhagenize says real bikes don’t have motors. A UK motorist apologizes for carelessly killing a bike riding father, which evidently makes it okay as the driver walks away with a suspended sentence and community service. After a London cyclist is hit by a taxi, he’s strangled to unconsciousness with his own scarf by the angry driver; he goes on trial next week — the cyclist that is, not the driver.

Finally, France’s new Street Code offers common-sense solutions to sharing the road in the truest sense. If anyone at LADOT or the Department of Planning is listening, there’s your new blueprint to really revitalize Downtown.

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

What does Friday’s Critical Mass Takedown say about police/cyclist relations in LA?

June 1, 2010 / / 9 comments

Things had been going so well.

Just this last February, Chief Beck and Asst. Chief Paysinger came to a meeting of the City Council Transportation Committee to speak — and more importantly, listen — to cyclists. A meeting where the Chief got an earful, and responded by saying “We will do better for you.”

“Don’t listen to what I say,” Chief Beck said, “but watch what I do.”

That was followed by the formation and growth of the LAPD’s Bike Task Force, from a group that included a relative handful of cyclists to one that now includes representatives from the BAC, Bikeside, LACBC, the East Side Bike Club, among others, as well as yours truly.

The result has been, or at least seemed to be, a new era in the department’s relationship with the bicyclists who ride its streets.

There was even a new training video that went out to patrol officers throughout the city that clearly explained the rights and responsibilities of cyclists, which has been seen by roughly two-thirds of the city’s police force so far.

Maybe that’s the problem.

If two-thirds of the of department’s 9,000 plus officers have completed the training, that means somewhere around 3,000 haven’t.

Maybe they were the ones patrolling the streets of Hollywood Friday night, when officers are accused of violently assaulting cyclists — and violating the first amendment rights of a rider who tried to record the night’s events — in the LAPD’s Critical Mass Takedown.

Maybe they’d seen the training, but their supervisors who ordered the massively inappropriate response hadn’t — including the Watch Commander who allegedly hung up on Stephen Box not once, not twice, but four times when he attempted to report the alleged abuse. Just a bad connection, I’m sure.

Or maybe it just takes a long damn time to change the attitudes and actions of an organization as large and entrenched in their own way of doing things as the LAPD.

As many others have noted over the past several days, the infractions for which the cyclists were stopped were simple traffic violations, like running a red light and failure to have lights and reflectors at night. And the police were well within their authority to write-up every legitimate violation that occurred during the ride.

Whether they had the capability to do so is another matter. As is the wisdom of attempting it in the first place — let alone use of force for a simple traffic violation.

Or do they make a habit of violently forcing motorists off the road for running a red light, and routinely taking down and cuffing drivers caught with a broken brake light?

According to the LACBC, Asst. Chief Paysinger has personally ordered an investigation into the matter. And as I write this, cyclists are confronting representatives of the LAPD at tonight’s meeting of the Bike Advisory Committee.

But the problem goes beyond the actions of a few out-of-control — or possibly overwhelmed — officers. Or any single division, for that matter.

The LAPD has to find a way to deal with large groups of cyclists that doesn’t involve driving patrol cars into packs of riders, herding them into dangerous situations or risking serious injury by knocking cyclists off their bikes.

Other cities have found ways to accommodate Critical Mass and other large, unofficial group rides without violence or aggressive, antagonistic responses. As the LACBC’s blog points out, rather than trying to halt their CM, Chicago smartly assigns bike officers to ride along with it, going so far as to allow officers to block intersections and cork uncooperative drivers.

If the result of this investigation is the disciplining of a handful of officers, the department will have failed once again. What’s needed is new policies that will prevent this kind of violent, heavy-handed overreaction from ever happening again.

Not to mention official, department-wide recognition that every citizen of the United States has a first amendment right to record the actions of officers on the street, without fear of interference or retaliation.

It’s time for real action that results in new policies on the streets. And a new, more effective relationship that demonstrates real respect for riders and concern for their safety, even when stopping them for whatever reason.

This should never have happened. But since it did, it’s up to the LAPD to ensure it never happens again.

We’re watching now, Chief.

………

Writing for Eco Village, Joe Linton says that the police only have to look at the streets around them to see how little respect riders get in Los Angeles. And suggests that the city could easily do something about that by moving forward with a number of inexpensive, previously approved projects  — some dating back to 1996 — that could transform cycling in L.A. virtually overnight.

………

Four years later, Operación Puerto catches up to #1 ranked pro cyclist Alejandro Valverde in the form of a two-year suspension; interesting that the hundreds of non-cycling professional athletes implicated in the scandal have yet to face any serious repercussions. Meanwhile, Swiss star Fabian Cancellara denies rumors that he used a tiny engine hidden inside his bike to win two major races earlier this year.

………

At least some officials in San Diego understand that widening the freeway is only a short-term solution to traffic congestion; I’m still waiting for someone to figure that out up here. Imagine what L.A. could due with the $450 million currently being spent to widen a few miles of the 405 to relieve congestion for just a few years.

………

LADOT #2 John Fisher — who has previously been accused of treating local bicycling that way, too —  talks traffic, bikes and pedestrians with The Atlantic; the comments on Streetsblog’s coverage are worth the read. Creek Freak says don’t tear down the historic Spring Street Bridge for cyclists’ sake. More on last week’s Caltrans 7 Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting. A Cycle Chic Sunday in Santa Monica. Brand X reports that the Department of DIY isn’t just limited to the bike world. San Jose is the latest city to host a ciclovia. A cyclist gets brushed by a passing truck, resulting in a parking lot altercation that ends with two riders stabbed and the driver behind bars. A Florida bike cop explains bike safety. Bystanders lift a car off an injured cyclist; although what his helmet has to do why he got hit is beyond me. Chicago turns Lake Shore Drive over to bikes for a day, or five hours, anyway. Can drivers and cyclists co-exist in the City of Brotherly Love? An Indiana legislator proposes strengthening the laws protecting cyclists; the commenters demonstrate how little they understand bicycling, or spelling for that matter. Efforts are underway to make the federal government more bike friendly; who wants to bet the feds get there before L.A. does? Bob Mionske links to the executive summary of the inexplicable dropping of charges against the former Ontario Attorney General who killed bike messenger Darcy Allan Sheppard. One-third of Canadian parents aren’t worried that their children will be injured while biking; is that good news or bad news? A bike advocate looks at tensions between drivers and bicyclists in BC. Britain’s new Transportation Minister dashes the hopes of cyclists, saying the “war on motorists” must end — and suggests that riders are responsible for their own safety. A London bike advocacy group proposes solutions to online fencing of stolen bikes. Video evidence of a fatally substandard bike lane. This year’s Tour of Ireland is cancelled due to funding issues.

Finally, thanks to the Trickster for tipping us to the story of Kiwi bus drivers who took to two wheels to understand what it feels like to share the road with a 12 ton bus.

Any time Metro — or any other local bus operators — want to try that here, just drop me a line.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

Misinterpretation of bike safety trumps state law in Pasadena

May 29, 2010 / / 3 comments

L.A. cyclists are just beginning enjoy a police department committed to fair enforcement of the law and respecting the rights of cyclists.

Unfortunately, riders in other local jurisdictions aren’t always as lucky.

While Pasadena works to become more bicycle friendly, the Pasadena Police Department has clearly failed to grasp the concept.

In an astounding display of the department’s failure to understand either state bicycle laws or basic bike safety, a certified cycling instructor has given up after spending $4000 to fight a ticket for riding too slowly and too far out in the traffic lane in Pasadena.

Riding on a street with narrow traffic lanes, Chris Ziegler took the lane exactly as cyclists are taught to do for their own safety.

Yet the officer — and evidently, the department — seems to believe that “as close as practicable to the right-hand curb” meant riding to the far right regardless of whether Ziegler thought that would put him in jeopardy.

And regardless of whether he was legally entitled to take the lane.

That’s right. In what we can only hope is a horrible misquote, Pasadena Police Lt. Randall Taylor said that the department’s incorrect assessment of bicycle safety trumps the traffic laws of the State of California.

“Someone who has ridden a bike for more than 20 years obviously knows more about bicycling than I do,” he said. “But it comes down to common sense.”

Taylor, who is assigned to the traffic section, said safety may dictate asking cyclist (sic) to do things that run contrary to the law.

“The street may be too narrow and the law might say that he should ride in the middle of the street,” Taylor said. “But here is a 2,000-pound car and you have a 30-pound bike. Do you want to be in the middle of the street where a driver isn’t looking for you?”

Yes, he actually said that the police may require bicyclists to break the law.

Cyclists are taught that we are more visible riding in the lane than hugging the curb, and that riding too far to the right in a substandard lane only encourages drivers to pass in an unsafe manner.

In fact, the California DMV has this to say on the subject:

How Far to the Right?

Ride on the right, but not so far that you might hit the curb. You could lose your balance and fall into traffic. Do not ride too far to the right:

  • When avoiding parked vehicles or road hazards.
  • When a traffic lane is too narrow for a bicycle and vehicle to travel safely side by side.
  • When making a left turn.
  • To avoid conflicts with right-turning vehicles.

Unfortunately, the PPD — and the judges who accepted their misinterpretation of the law in order to uphold the ticket — evidently never read that.

Or simply don’t care whether they violate state law and put cyclists at needless risk if it fits their concept of safety.

So for the time being, you may want to ride in Pasadena at your own risk.

………

Evidently, the publicity helped this week, as a tipster turns in the 74-year old driver who ran down 22-year old Benjamin Zelman — after the city council increased the reward by $25,0000. Now if they could just put as much emphasis on finding the killers of Robert Painter and Ovidio Morales.

………

Ivan Basso bounces back from his two-year suspension to take the lead in the Giro D’Italia, coming from 2:27 back gain a :51 advantage. And for a change, a pro cyclist is found innocent of recent doping charges, after former world champ Alessandro Ballan is cleared in an internal investigation by his BMC team.

………

In this weekend’s rides and other assorted bike activities, Bike Town Beta 3 takes place in and around the Fairfax District. Will takes riders past the high points of historic West Adams, including the site of the infamous Black Dahlia murder. The SoCal Cycle Chic Ride rolls this Sunday for anyone who “rides in normal clothes.”

Wait, you mean spandex isn’t normal?

The California Car-Free Challenge begins next week. And you’re just over a week from the 10th Annual River Ride on Sunday, June 6.

………

The great sharrows volunteer study begins, with paint on the ground promised in two weeks. Mechanically inclined volunteers wanted for BiciDigna, the community bike repair space sponsored by the LACBC, Bicycle Kitchen and IDEPSCA. L.A. Creek Freak says the answer to future oil needs is more riding, not more drilling. In Pasadena, burglars escape by bike, or try to anyway; thanks to Altadenablog for the heads-up. An Orange County man faces 25 years in prison for keying his neighbor’s car. Cyclelicious says he’ll respect motorists’ privilege to use the roads when they learn to obey the rules; amen, brother. Leave your car at home and pedal your way to the Indy 500. A budget conflict sinks this year’s Tour of Missouri. The Bike League apologizes for mentioning the big, evil retail giant in their newsletter. A Santa Cruz area father is shot at trying to retrieve his son’s stolen bike. Colorado raises the penalties for careless driving resulting in death to a level that will automatically mean loss of driving privileges. New York cyclists get a European-style right-side bike-only left turn lane. A blonde American woman bikes through the Middle East and survives to write a play about it. Cyclists offer their support to DOT Secretary Ray LaHood for his support of cycling. A North Carolina man is charged with six counts of felony hit-and-run after plowing into a group of cyclists earlier this month. A look at the bike that won the Giro for Andy Hampsten in ’88. After this week’s dismissal of the Darcy Allan Sheppard, Canadian bike messengers are officially roadkill. A Brit cycling group starts a campaign to keep Posties on their Pashleys.

Finally, Barclays buys the naming rights to London’s new bike share program for £25 million — about $36 million — which should give a hint about how L.A. could finance our long-discussed pilot program if anyone at LADOT or city hall is listening.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

East Coast AAA goes on the PR warpath; Chicago drivers think assault is OK

May 10, 2010 / / 5 comments

The Mid-Atlantic AAA went into full PR defense mode after earlier declaring that a new bike lane on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC – that little street that goes past the White House — is part of a “war on drivers.” After getting an earful from bicyclists and bloggers, including some of their own members who apparently have cancelled their memberships, they now want to make it very clear that they are only concerned about the environment and the safety of cyclists. Oh, and following the proper processes, which they could have been a part of, if they had only bothered to participate.

Why does this matter here?

Consider it a cautionary tale of the battles we’ll have to fight here if the newly revised bike plan comes back with any real teeth. Or do we dare hope that Southern California’s leading drivers’ organization more enlightened than their eastern counterparts?

At least the north-of-the-border equivalent of AAA understands that bikes use the roads, too.

………

Somehow, this one went under the radar last week. A Chicago-area driver fled the scene after hitting a cyclist with her car, then backing up and hitting him again — in front of at least four witnesses — after a dispute over road space. Amazingly, there’s no follow-up on whether the driver was arrested. And not surprisingly, many of the comments suggest the rider had it coming.

So me get this straight.

If a driver gets mad at someone and responds by pulling out a gun and shooting them, would there really be any question about whether a crime occurred or if the victim deserved it?

So what difference should it make if the weapon of choice is two tons of steel and glass?

………

Can bikes bring life to Chinatown after dark? Getting hit on — instead of hit — by the driver you started out arguing with. A Lake Elsinore cyclist died Sunday, three weeks after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver. A look at this past weekend’s Long Beach Bike Festival. The Daily Breeze looks at the South Bay Bicycle Coalition. A master in the fine art of bicycle forensics; I only wish he worked for the LAPD crime lab. A visit to Santa Barbara’s first bike fashion show. The rider who took the podium for last year’s Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race wasn’t the one who entered, criminal charges are pending. Bespoke bikes on display at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design. Memphis prepares to become more bike-friendly. An Arkansas cyclist is killed on a group ride, just a month after her husband died while riding. A Missouri cyclist says newly bike-friendly Springfield needs bikes. Riding from brewpubs to wineries on Missouri’s Katy Trail. Riding to raise money for stroke victims. American Tyler Farrar takes stage two of the Giro D’Italia, Cadel Evans Vinokourov wears the leader’s jersey. A reporter rides along with London’s pedaling paramedics, while a London writer takes a very pessimistic look at the city’s new bike share program. After bike officers made over 100 arrests last year, a UK police chief orders his officers onto two wheels. The four British bike team members injured in Belgium are improving. For some reason, I suddenly want to ride through Scotland. Sydney’s mayor says cycling could save the city’s commuters from chronic diseases. Athens bicyclists ride to demand their rights. Eight cyclists are robbed at gunpoint in South Africa. A Danish right-side left turn lane just for bikes.

Finally, a Boston rider says it’s a cyclist’s responsibility to avoid collisions with drivers, not the other way around; just like when someone gets shot, it’s the victim’s fault for standing in front of the damn bullet. A Las Cruces, NM rider offers much better advice for both sides.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

Can a driver be at fault if he doesn’t actually hit you?

April 26, 2010 / / 9 comments

Let’s say you’re driving your car.

I know, but just go with me here, even if you’re of the car-free persuasion.

You’re approaching an intersection and have the green light. Suddenly, a car blows through the red light on the cross street, forcing you to jam on the brakes and swerve to avoid it, only to collide with the car next to you.

So who’s at fault?

Is it your fault? The car you hit? Or the one who broke the law and caused you both to take evasive action?

I think most reasonable people would conclude that the red light-runner should be held responsible, even though he wasn’t directly involved in the collision. And based on previous cases I’ve been aware of, I think most police officers would agree.

Now consider a similar situation, in which a driver darts out of a driveway directly in front of you, causing you to collide with another car as you react to avoid it. But fortunately, someone was able to chase the driver down and urge him to return to the scene of the accident he caused.

Again, most people would conclude that the driver who broke the law by cutting you off would be responsible for causing the collision. But is it hit-and-run if he didn’t actually hit anyone?

Now let’s use your imagination one more time.

Let’s say you’re on your bike, riding in the bike lane, when that car darts out in front of you. So you try to make a panic stop, and end up flipping over your handlebars and crashing to the street with a broken collarbone, while the driver who caused it calmly drives off.

Fortunately, a witness sees it happen and chases the driver down. But the driver refuses to return to the scene, insisting that it’s not hit-and-run because she didn’t hit anyone.

That’s exactly what happened on Sunset Boulevard in Silverlake yesterday.

As Stephen Box tells the story, the witness flagged down a passing police car, and the driver ultimately returned to the scene. But the police inexplicably concluded that not only did the driver not flee the scene, but that no violation occurred. No report, no crime.

This, despite a clear violation of CVC 21804, as Box points out —

21804. (a) The driver of any vehicle about to enter or cross a highway from any public or private property, or from an alley, shall yield the right-of-way to all traffic, as defined in Section 620, approaching on the highway close enough to constitute an immediate hazard, and shall continue to yield the right-of-way to that traffic until he or she can proceed with reasonable safety.

And yes, a bicycle is traffic.

As he explains —

1) The motorist violated the cyclist’s right of way.
2) The violation of the cyclist’s right of way caused the cyclist to take evasive action resulting in injury.
3) The motorist left the scene of an “incident” that was her responsibility.

Of course, any cyclist could tell you that the driver was responsible. But two police officers, the division Watch Commander and a traffic division Watch Commander concluded otherwise.

Which is why police officers need better training, not only in bike rights and law, but in bicycle accident investigation. Because a driver making a panic stop without hitting anyone isn’t likely to result in any injuries. But a cyclist responding to a careless, law-breaking driver can.

And did.

It’s also one more reason why we need to change the law in California to ensure that any cyclist riding legally in a bike lane enjoys the same level of liability protection as a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Because the mere presence of a bike lane — or sharrows, for that matter — should be adequate notice to any driver to anticipate cyclists, just as a crosswalk suggests the presence of pedestrians.

And you should have a right to be safe when you’re doing what you’re supposed to do, exactly where you’re supposed to be.

………

I’ve received an unconfirmed report that the cyclist involved in the hit-and-run on Oxnard Street April 16th has died. If anyone has more information, let me know.

………

This time, a drunken hit-and-run driver kills a teenage pedestrian and seriously injures her friend.

………

Josef Bray-Ali writes in the Los Angeles Business Journal that L.A. needs to change its parking policies to allow bike parking instead of cars.Will hears, and witnesses the aftermath, of a dooring (even though the cyclist didn’t want to involve the police, the driver could still face hit-and-run charges later if she fails to report it). Altadenablog covers the Mt. Wilson Bicycling Association’s pancake breakfast over the weekend. Courtesy of The Source, Grist’s look at what a car-free metro L.A. could look like; as The Source says, “The point is to show how much space is taken up by roadways and how little that leaves behind for those things known as pedestrians and cyclists.” A 57-year old cyclist dies of a heart attack in San Jose during the Mt. Hamilton Challenge. It seems pretty obvious that if you hit a cyclist, you didn’t observe the three-foot passing law. A Miami cyclist rear-ends a bus parked in the bike lane. A 70-year old Indiana driver turns directly into two cyclists, and swears she didn’t hit anyone. After people in a passing car throw a full drink at him, a South Bend cyclist thanks all those drivers who don’t, Experienced cyclists need to encourage less experienced riders. An Arizona woman says local drivers — and the police — just don’t understand cyclists. Tucson hands out free lights to ninja cyclists. A DC court rules it’s still drunk driving, even if you’re on a bike. The NY Times looks at the two-wheeled tribes of New York. Master framebuilder Dave Moulton writes about a 1940 Campy derailleur — which required reaching backwards and ratcheting the rear wheel. Vinokourov bounces back from a two-year doping ban with victory in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège; evidently, not everyone is pleased. Evidently, there are no fixie-riding hipsters in China. Brit bike thieves may just be joyriding, which could be why bike theft is up 8% while other crimes are down. London’s Guardian defends a new bike lane, noting that it’s standard width even if the resulting vehicle lane isn’t. An Ottawa rider gets goosed on the bike trail, literally. A Canadian widow wants to know why no ticket was written for the parked truck that killed her husband. A Vancouver cyclist turns outlaw by defying the mandatory helmet law.

Finally, after a cyclist is killed during his first bike race, his heart lives on in another rider, while a cyclist rides to promote blood donations three decades after receiving 110 pints to save his life. A reminder that, with a little forethought, some good can come from even the worst situations.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,
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