Day 86 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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Well, this is fun.
Evidently, Covid’s so nice I’m doing it twice.
Which puts me in the less than 3% of people who get a rebound infection, according to my pharmacist.
Yay, me.
At least I’ve been able to work through it this time. So let’s get on with it.
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A French Fulbright scholar working in the US to research bicycle commutes in Los Angeles and San Francisco wants your help with a brief survey on your bike commuting habits.
So take a few minutes to give him your honest answers. Because this is the kind of actual scientific research that’s so out of favor in government circles these days.
Survey: Long-distance (over 3 miles) bike commutes in LA
Hello everyone,
Are you a bike commuter? Do you commute by bike or electric bike and cover long distances (over 3 miles) as part of your daily mobility? Please complete this brief survey.
Conducted as part of an academic research project on sustainability and initiated by a French researcher in environmental social sciences (and in California for 6 months), this questionnaire will help better understand the practices, obstacles, levers and motivations of active mobility in LA.
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Pasadena public radio station and website LAist examines Metro’s “transformational” bus rapid transit on Vermont Ave, and why it’s become a flashpoint over Measure HLA.
According to the site,
The Vermont Transit Corridor project will add dedicated side-running bus lanes and 13 stations along a more than 12-mile-long stretch of the busy corridor. It’s slated to be up and running by the 2028 summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The project will also include infrastructure upgrades that help with pedestrian accessibility and decrease the distance people have to walk to get to bus stops.
But what it doesn’t include, and what’s required under HLA, is bus lanes.
The question is whether the city ordinance that was overwhelmingly passed by voters applies to Metro, which is a county transportation agency.
Metro has already threatened to sue if they’re required to comply with the ordinance.
(Streets For All founder Michael) Schneider said the argument isn’t as simple as saying Metro doesn’t have to comply with Measure HLA because it isn’t a city entity.
“The city permits Metro’s work,” Schneider said. “They contribute financially to Metro’s work. City planners sign off on Metro’s work, so it’s sort of a technicality who’s leading the project.”
Schneider also said public funds would be wasted if the bike and bus lanes don’t go in at the same time.
It’s worth reading the full article, which offers a detailed primer on the project, as well as the ongoing debate.
Then consider tuning in for the livestream of today’s 10 am Metro board meeting where a vote is scheduled to approve the Vermont project. Or show up in person at Metro HQ in DTLA to support it.
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Call it Revenge of the Living Dead.
According to LA Streetsblog, “zombie” road widening is still occurring in Los Angeles, even though that requirement would be illegal today.
But a 54-story apartment building at Olympic and Hill that was already under construction when the rules changed. And so they were required to add a 12-foot traffic lane to previously 60-foot wide Olympic Blvd, which exceeds the road width called for under the city mobility plan.
But that’s okay, because they made up for it by building substandard width sidewalks, too.
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Streets For All’s next virtual happy hour will take place on Wednesday, April 9th, featuring Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Randall Winston.
Maybe I’ll actually be over this damn Covid by then.
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Congratulations to Virginia on passing the nation’s first law allowing judges to order drivers to install intelligent speed limitation tech, restricting them to going no faster than the posted speed limit.
A similar bill is being considered in the California legislature, if it can get past Gov. Newsom’s veto pen.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Advocates are complaining about a “serious downgrade” at a popular roundabout in Norwich, England, leaving no safe route to the local hospital for bicyclists and pedestrians. Which could unironically lead to more of both going there.
No bias here. A Scottish satirist is accused of spreading bike hate with a parody take on the poster for the Tour de France Edinburgh depart, replacing “France” with…well, read it yourself.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Neighbors are mourning the death of a 49-year old Brooklyn man, who was killed in a collision with an ebike rider last week. And yes, the bike rider stuck around after the crash.
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Local
Children from across Los Angeles received new adaptive bicycles to mark World Down Syndrome Day last Friday.
Glendale is moving forward with the city’s pilot speed cam program, asking for your input on where the cameras should go. Which is a hell of a lot more than Los Angeles has done so far.
State
Orange County will begin to enforce new ebike regulations next month, which are targeted mostly at more powerful electric motorbikes, rather than slower ped-assist bicycles.
The San Diego Union-Tribune examines strategies to get people to actually act more sustainably, such as peer pressure, role models and rewards, financial and otherwise. You know, like riding a bike instead of driving.
San Francisco advocates are calling for a “no-brainer” protected bike lane on Oak Street along the Panhandle. Problem is, too often the “no-brainers” seem to be ones in charge.
National
Seattle Bike Blog says a proposed ebike tax would “be awful” for Washington’s struggling bike shops, particularly in the face of Trump’s on-again, off-again, on-again-again tariffs.
New Mexico has passed the full Idaho Stop Law, allowing bicyclists to treat stop signs as yields, and proceed through red lights after stopping when safe to do so. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed Stop As Yield laws twice, apparently believing there’s something special about California that means what’s been proven to improve safety other places somehow won’t work here.
New York advocates are making an urgent call for better street safety after a 57-year old man was killed riding a bike in the Bronx over the weekend, along with a pedestrian in Brooklyn.
The best places to ride a bike in Athens, Georgia, for your next visit to the land of REM, The B-52’s and other assorted musical dinosaurs.
International
Bike Radar questions why there’s been so little innovation under your feet, as the first new pedal design in four decades hits the market.
Life is cheap in Ontario, Canada, where a 35-year old man will spend a whole 15 months behind bars for the drunken hit-and-run death of a 79-year old bike-riding woman, plus another two months for a second crash three weeks later; evidently, his show of remorse and promises to change overcame a long history of alcohol addiction and a six-year criminal history in the judge’s mind.
Forget “Mind the gap.” Mind the new rules banning ebikes from the Tube and other London train lines, unless you’re riding a foldie.
Competitive Cycling
Triple Tour de France champ Tadej Pogačar is preparing to tackle the infamous cobbles Paris-Roubaix, aka the Hell of the North, for the first time; he may be riding a sparking new model of Colnago.
Finally….
Your next ebike could be a Rivian — yes, the e-truck maker. Your next bicycle pump could be electric, even if you don’t have an electric bike. Or truck.
And your toddler’s next balance bike could be made from eco-friendly, sustainable carbon fiber.
No, really.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to wrap myself in a blanket, watch the Dodgers home opener, and try not to cough myself to death.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
