Tag Archive for Army Corps of Engineers

Morning Links: LA River bike path reopens, and app-based bikeshare could pose a challenge for Metro

Today’s big news is the reopening of the LA River bike path.

According to the Army Corps of Engineers, the bike path was finally reopened following months of repair and maintenance on the stretch below Griffith Park, after it was closed to install needless flood barricades for the storms that never came last winter.

Now weekday riders can finally stop following that circuitous and bike-unfriendly detour that was put in place to get around the construction work. Or more likely, start riding the path again after finding other routes or modes of transportation for the past several months.

Here’s the link to the Corps LA River page that was included in the above tweet.

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Another Chinese-style app-based bikeshare system is coming to the US, as San Mateo’s LimeBike has raised over $12 million in venture capital funding. The company says its bikes will rent for $1 for 30 minutes, and can be picked up and left anywhere, rather than at a dock.

That could pose a significant challenge to the more traditional bikeshare programs — if you can call something that only gained significant US acceptance in this decade “traditional.”

Programs like LA’s Metro Bike, which costs nearly three times as much if you don’t have a membership while offering less flexibility, could struggle to compete against cheaper competition that will inevitably arrive within the next few years — at a significant cost to the taxpayers footing the bill.

If Metro Bike, and others like Santa Monica’s Breeze and West Hollywood’s WeHo Pedals, are to succeed, they will have to expand quickly into currently unserved areas, while somehow addressing the issue of affordability.

Because, as the taxi industry has learned the hard way, it’s a lot more convenient to just pick up your phone to find and pay for a ride.

Whether you’re on four wheels. Or soon, two.

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Local

Los Angeles Magazine offers advice on how to keep ridership surging on the Expo Line, including a call for better pedestrian access. The same could be said for bicycles, as Westside bikeways leading to and from the Expo Line aren’t just bad, they’re virtually nonexistent.

Santa Monica will have four bike valets for the LA Marathon on Sunday; however, three Breeze bikeshare stations will be disabled for the day.

Grab your bike, hop on Metro and hit the bars.

CiclaValley is starting a campaign to bring a former LACBC intern from the Netherlands back to compete in the Amgen Tour of California.

The Street Librarians will hold their monthly ride to restock street libraries on the 26th, while reading selections from the poet Rumi.

 

State

Speaking of app-based bikeshare, San Francisco approves rules for the dock-less systems, which seem more like an attempt to regulate them out of business.

A San Francisco driver faces charges for attempting to flee the scene after hitting a bike rider; fortunately, the victim is expected to recover.

 

National

Bicycling, the magazine, gets it right, as contributors say bicycling, the sport/transportation/activity, is the key to a lifetime of pure, unadulterated joy. Although my personal joy has been adulterated on numerous occasions by angry drivers, bad roads and bees on the beach. Not to mention my own damn carelessness from time to time.

Speaking of Bicycling, after the magazine offered seven reasons why bicycling was better than running, Running, the magazine, responds with a whopping 37 reasons why they think their sport is better.

A writer for a design site says building the new Ikea bike was the worst hour of his life. Besides dental work and real emotional loss, that is.

A new Portland bicycling collective composed of women of color is attempting to crack the city’s overwhelmingly white and male cycling scene. And doing it with a donut ride, which is always a smart move.

WaPo belatedly discovers the glowing Texas bikeway everyone was talking about last month. Or last year, even.

Instant karma strikes hard in Little Rock AR, where a wrong way truck driver fleeing a previous hit-and-run was killed in a collision with a bike rider, who also died in the crash.

Caught on video: A Minnesota driver faces charges after brake checking a bike rider, then threatening to kill him before nearly running over his foot. All for the crime of being in the driver’s way at a red light.

Life is cheap in Michigan, where a judge refuses to reconsider her original sentence of just one year in county jail for a killer drunk driver who was over twice the legal limit when he ran down a bike rider; sentencing guidelines called for a minimum of nearly two and a half years in state prison, with a max of 15 years.

Indiana homeowners — and passing bike riders — have to literally dodge bullets escaping from a nearby gun range.

Courses were unveiled for the US national road cycling championships in Knoxville KY this June.

An Ohio letter writer says it’s unfair to segregate bike riders onto bike paths, because people on bikes have to get to businesses and residences just like anyone else.

New York releases plans to make bicycling safer for commuters looking for an alternative after the L train shuts down for 18 months of repair work.

 

International

A new study shows bicycling really does improve your memory.

A Philippine actor tells fans he’s okay after he was injured in a bicycling crash.

Don’t bother biking to the airport in Bangkok for the next seven months.

 

Finally…

If you don’t want the cops to shoot at you, put a damn light on your bike — and don’t flee when they try to stop you. If you have to pee while you ride, try not to do it in view of the breathless British press.

And why settle for a time trial when you can have a six-legged obstacle course?

Morning Links: Important LA River bike path meeting tonight, and hard-hitting Aussie road safety videos

Just a quick reminder before we start.

Chances are, if you rode your bike to work today, it’s going to be dark before you head back home. So make sure your lights are fully charged or have fresh batteries before you ride tonight.

And even if you never ride after dark, throw a set of inexpensive lights in your seat bag in case you get delayed by a flat or mechanical problem.

I’ve learned the hard way that unexpected things can happen to keep you out later than you planned. And it can be scary as hell trying to make it back home without lights surrounded by angry and aggressive drivers.

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As CiclaValley reminds us, the Army Corps of Engineers is holding a meeting tonight to discuss the most recent closure of the LA River bike path, after apparently concluding that people in LA don’t ride bikes after Labor Day.

We need to let them know just how wrong that is.

The LA River trail is a vital link, not just for recreational riders, but for countless people riding to work and school. And closing a large section down for six months when the city is trying to encourage bike commuting makes no more sense than shutting down a major roadway.

The meeting starts at 6:30 this evening, ending at 8:30 pm, at the Friendship Auditorium, 3201 Riverside Drive.

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Jeffrey Fylling forwards a series of road safety PSAs put together as part of a student competition sponsored by Australia’s Amy Gillett Foundation, named for a track cyclist killed in a collision while training in Germany eleven years ago.

I might question the last one, but there’s some damn good work here. Especially for students.

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A former World Gravel Race champ and world traveler says let’s keep the golf out of cycling.

There have always been unwritten rules in regards to what to wear, how the colour of your bar tape has to match your seat and about what bike you ride. But at the end of the day, it really didn’t matter how much your bike was worth because the enjoyment of the sport, the company of your friends and the accomplishment through your legs overruled any blatant materialism.

But it seems, there is a new trend creeping in.

The capitalism-induced search for a new status symbol has changed the reason why people ride bikes. Cycling has become pretty, elitist, materialistic with a seemingly insurmountable wall to be climbed to be accepted into a group. Until then, you will be shamelessly ignored as a hubbard or fred.

That scares me.

It’s a great piece. So take a few minutes to read the whole thing.

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Don’t forget to Bike the Vote when you cast your ballot tomorrow.

bike-the-vote

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Local

The Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay takes a look at Gran Fondos, including Phil Gaimon’s Malibu Gran Cookie Dough yesterday, saying they’re as fun or as challenging as you want, and a great way for pro cyclists to connect with their fans. Although he was disappointed pro cycling’s retiring Cookie Monster only ate five cookies along the way.

Richard Risemberg talks multi-modal commuting.

Bike SGV is partnering with the Eastside Bike Club for a pet-friendly — or Pet-acular, as they call it — ride in conjunction with the SoCalCross cyclocross race at Legg Lake on the 19th.

 

State

An Oxnard man suffered non-life threatening injuries when he was shot while riding his bike early Saturday.

San Francisco installs speed humps in Golden Gate park where a woman was killed by a speeding hit-and-run driver while riding her bike earlier this year. Once again, too little too late. But maybe it will help prevent the next one.

Oakland’s mayor and California’s Lt. Governor get on their bikes to promote a local measure to fix the roads, upgrade public facilities and build affordable housing.

 

National

Your next tire may never go flat. And throw away your air pump while you’re at it.

Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer urges you to bike the vote by riding to cast your ballot.

That didn’t take long. Seattle drivers are parking in a new bike lane before it’s even opened.

A New York man was badly injured in a collision with a hit-and-run bicyclist while he was crossing the street.

The Washington Post says Lance Armstrong is using his new podcast to turn his image around. He could start by working to improve safety on our streets where his voice could really make a difference.

New Orleans becomes the latest city to adopt a bikeshare system.

 

International

Experts argue that self-driving cars may eliminate the need for bicycling infrastructure, but cyclists and pedestrians may take advantage of all those poor cars once they learn the cars have to stop for them.

Bike Radar asks if you’re better off standing on your pedals or sitting when you ride up a hill. And concludes the answer is yes.

HuffPo writes in praise of the upright bike.

A British Columbia driver somehow slammed into a group of six cyclists, killing one and critically injuring another.

A Canadian writer explains why he rides a bicycle, which he calls mankind’s most civilized invention.

The Isle of Wright votes to lower speed limits to 20 mph in built-up areas in an effort to save lives.

It’s quicker to ride a bike than to drive on some sections of a London highway near Heathrow. Maybe they should allow bikes on the freeway so people could choose the more efficient option.

A Brit website looks at why getting more bicyclists on the road means fewer fatalities.

A British man admits to being a hypocrite by running red lights on his bicycle because he doesn’t want to wait, but rolling his eyes when he sees someone else do it while he’s driving.

Prague holds its annual Penny Farthing race.

An Indian couple discovers romance on wheels by riding together.

 

Finally…

If you’re going to ride behind a reporter doing a live broadcast, make sure you wheel is firmly attached. Irish police lock up a pair of bike chasing terrorist terriers.

And the next time someone says bike riders need to pay their fair share, give ‘em a nickel.

 

 

Thank El Niño — Marvin Braude bike path closed on Dockweiler Beach, LA River bike path may close through April

No Weekend Links this weekend due to other obligations.

But first we need a quick update on the bike path front following this week’s storms.

Starting with a section of the Marvin Braude bike path between Manhattan Beach and Playa del Rey that may be closed for the foreseeable future.

According to the LA County website, the closure runs from Culver Blvd to Imperial Highway, while Redondo Beach Patch — yes, it still exists — places the closure along Dockweiler Beach between the lifeguard station at 8600 Vista del Mar and a county Department of Beaches and Harbors maintenance facility at 8255 Vista del Mar.

A bypass is reportedly in the works, most likely directing riders onto Vista del Mar.

Judging by photos tweeted by County Supervisor Don Knabe, it could be some time before the path reopens.

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The other bad news is a possible closure of the LA River bike path through Griffith Park, Silver Lake and Atwater Village until next spring.

According to the LA Times, the Army Corps of Engineers will be installing temporary flood control barriers along the river to reduce the risk of flooding this winter.

The Eastsider reports it will cover a three-mile stretch of the river, and may require closure of the bike path, while Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, who represents the area, says sections will be closed on an “as needed” basis through mid-April.

Construction is expected to start on Monday and take several weeks. Chances are that section of the path will be closed, in all or in part, during the construction phase; whether it reopens afterwards remains to be seen.

Thanks to Patrick Pascal and BikeSGV for the heads-up.