September 20, 2016 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Morning Links: Arrest made in LA River Bike Path shooting, and Los Angeles ranked 24th best bike city in US
My apologies. We haven’t been able to correct the problem with email notifications yet. So if you’re not getting emails when new posts go up, rest assured we’re working on it.
And just keep coming back each day until we get it corrected.
Nineteen-year-old David Umana was taken into custody this past Thursday for the incident, which began when he allegedly tried to steal the bikes belonging to the victims, who were riding with their wives.
Despite earlier suspicion of gang involvement, Umana does not appear to have gang ties. No word on whether police have identified his alleged accomplice.
My hometown ranks 12th, as part of a bike friendly Colorado triumvirate with Denver and Boulder at 11 and 10, respectively.
Surprisingly, Los Angeles checks in at 24, seemingly more out of respect for what it could be than what it currently is; meanwhile, Long Beach inexplicably follows four points lower at 28, while Santa Monica didn’t even make the list.
It’s hard to imagine anyone who has actually ridden those three cities agreeing with that.
When St. Paul MN trades parking for bike lanes, a student complains that she might have to get a bike because parking is too hard to find. Which is kind of the point, yes.
A St. Louis student says she feels like Mufasa from the Lion King, as she succumbs to a wildebeest-like herd of swarming bicyclists as she makes her way across campus.
Great piece from Brooklyn Spoke, who says it’s hard to see Vision Zero when you’re looking through a windshield.
Britain’s bicycling countess sets off on her 450-mile castle-to-castle ride, saying she’s terrified, as father-in-law Prince Phillip — aka Queen Elizabeth’s husband — calls her mad. No, seriously.
September 19, 2016 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Morning Links: Trader Joes worker back at work after bad bike wreck; Iranian Paralympian cyclist killed in road race
My apologies. We haven’t been able to correct the problem with email notifications yet. So if you’re not getting emails when new posts go up, rest assured we’re working on it.
And just keep coming back each day until we get it corrected.
And British world champ Lizzie Armistead was late to her own wedding to another pro cyclist when her driver was delayed by a slow moving bike rider, and didn’t want to squeeze past on the narrow roadway.
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Local
This weekend’s Malibu Triathlon raised over $1,226,000 for the Pediatric Cancer Research Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
The Long Beach Press-Telegram talks with 16-year old Ivan Schmidt about why he rode 1,800 miles from British Columbia to Mexico to create awareness for rheumatoid arthritis.
Former Bicycling editor-in-chief Peter Flax writes that dump trucks seem to have priority over bicycles in North American cities, and saving lives should mean more than maximizing truckers’ productivity.
Just weeks after Virgin owner Richard Branson survived a bad bicycling crash, his son suffered road rash after hitting oil on a charity ride, along with several other riders.
London charity groups are reconditioning abandoned bikes to give to refugees and asylum seekers, and offering workshops to give them basic maintenance and riding skills.
A British cyclist has found it much harder than expected to break the 77-year old women’s year record; she still has 8,000 miles to go in the next three months.
We haven’t been able to correct the problem with email notifications yet. So if you’re not getting emails when new posts go up, we’re working on it.
And just keep coming back each day until we get it corrected.
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Nothing like reading an article, and finding one of your own comments cited to support the observations of one of your favorite writers.
Curbed’s Alissa Walker writes that it will take more than bike lanes to make bicycling safe, noting that while cities are “working hard to stripe streets with green lanes and helmeted stick-figure icons,” few have managed to build a continuous, protected and highly visible network of bike lanes.
She observes that US cities need to start with a grand gesture like the plan in Paris to turn a prominent riverfront highway into a grand boulevard for biking and walking, showing that biking is a “vital, valued part of Parisian street life.”
The best way to make biking safer is not to hide our bikes on a “quiet” side street, but to put them on display in the busiest part of the city—a vibrant, active, healthy city.
That’s something LA has yet to do, even though a complete network of bike lanes is called for on many of the city’s major boulevards under the new Mobility Plan.
Instead, we’ve moved the other way, removing major streets from the plan and shunting riders off onto those quieter side streets, where they won’t be seen or heard.
Or probably even ride, since that’s not where they want to go.
Which was what my comment was about.
For all the talk about LA moving past its auto-centric past into a more complete, multi-modal future, it remains just that.
Talk.
Let’s hope that the release of LA’s Vision Zero plan, which is due sometime this month, spurs some real commitment, let alone bold action, on the part of the city.
Because actions speak louder than words.
And right now, when it comes to bicycling, Los Angeles has its hands over its mouth, and fingers planted firmly in its ears.
Plans for a new and improved LAX include a network of bike lanes to provide safe access to the airport, which currently is extremely unwelcoming for cyclists.
Streetsblog looks at the new report calling for mobility sharing to help remove 100,000 vehicles from LA’s streets in just five years.
A Pasadena councilmember asks LA Mayor Garcetti to help kill the much-hated 710 Freeway extension, saying the money would be better spent on a north-south boulevard, more bike lanes and widening other nearby north-south streets.
Cycling in the South Bay discovers that most Palos Verdes Estates residents don’t actually hate cyclists, despite the impression given on unsocial media.
An electric vehicle website finds what they consider the perfect bike rack for your new Tesla. Other than obscuring the license plate, which is illegal in most, if not all, states.
File this one under you’ve got to be kidding. A state senator from Queens NY says the city should keep cyclists safe by installing traffic signals instead of bike lanes. Never mind that, despite his assertions, bike lanes have been studied and reviewed by the city, and proven to improve safety.
British police go undercover on bicycles to nab drivers making unsafe passes; motorists are given the choice of prosecution or a 15-minute lesson in how to pass a bicyclist safely. Thanks to Ed Ryder for the heads-up.
September 16, 2016 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Morning Links: Feds adopt bike/ped Vision Zero; Emerald Necklace Gateway opens; partial Ballona Creek closure
One quick note.
It’s come to my attention that the email notification informing subscribers about new posts on this site has stopped working for some reason. So if you’re not getting emails when new posts go up, we’re working on it.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll just keep coming back every day until we can get it fixed.
Thanks to Marvin Davis for the heads-up.
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Big news from DC, as the Federal Highway Administration has adopted Vision Zero.
The FHWA’s new strategic plan calls for reducing bicycling and pedestrian deaths by 80% by 2031, and eliminating them entirely in the next 20 to 30 years.
It also calls for a 50% increase in trips under five miles for bicyclists and one mile for pedestrians by 2025.
All by promoting better design standards, better data collection and reducing traffic speeds on urban streets.
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Thursday marked the opening of the first phase of the Emerald Necklace Gateway.
However, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports the bikeway is only half finished, despite being in the works for more than a decade; the full path is not scheduled to be completed until 2021 at best.
Santa Monica police will conduct another of their bicycle and pedestrian enforcement days today, followed a second one on Monday. Standard rules apply; obey the letter of the law while riding in the city so you’re not the one who gets ticketed.
Cycling in the South Bay calls for cyclists to turn out in support of Bikes May Use Full Lane signs at the Palos Verdes Estates city council meeting on Sept. 27th, even though it may require a lot of sitting.
Work has begun on two bridge widening projects in Carpinteria required to widen Highway 101, which will eventually include two new coastal bike lanes. Isn’t it cute how officials pretend widening highways will actually solve their traffic problems?
Holy one-man crime wave, Batman! A Ventura man is under arrest after stealing two crucifixes from the San Buenaventura Mission, then using them as weapons to attack people, before busting the window of a thrift shop and stealing a bicycle.
Other football programs get in trouble with the NCAA because their players tool around in Escalades and sports cars someone bought for them; at Stanford, it was a $3,500 bicycle.
A San Francisco woman was beaten and robbed by three bike riders when she approached them at an intersection to talk. Seriously, 3:24 am is probably not the best time to engage strangers in conversation, whether or not they’re on bikes.
The distracted driver accused of killing a Georgia bike rider while high on prescription drugs had two other DUIs in the last three months, and had a severe drug dependency problem for at least four years. And yet she was allowed to keep driving until she actually killed someone.
A security camera shows 18 other vehicles pass by in the two minutes leading up to the crash, which may have been caused by the driver of a white van shown following within a few feet of Bacon seconds before he was killed.
Palos Verdes Estates police say they’ve spoken with the man, who is considered a suspect, but no arrest has been made.
The driver of a truck matching the description of the suspect vehicle had reportedly harassed a number of bicyclists in the same area in the weeks leading up to the crash.
CICLE hosts their second annual ice cream ride and walk on the 24th.
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American Denise Mueller set a new women’s world’s record for the fastest speed on a paced bicycle, but failed to break the overall world record of 167 mph.
On the other hand, 147.75 is nothing to sneeze at.
Los Angeles announces ambitious plans to remove 100,000 vehicles from the streets within five years through rideshare, bikeshare and improved transit. However, other than bikeshare, bicycling and bikeways don’t seem to be part of the plan.
Newly elected neighborhood councilmember Richard Risemberg reports that a motion to support a desperately needed road diet on LA’s 6th Street passed on Wednesday; now it’s up to LA Councilmember David Ryu to show his support for traffic safety.
Apparently, it’s not that big a deal to kill your motorcycle-riding husband by running him off the road in Texas, as long as he was cheating on you. Thanks to J. Patrick Lynch for the heads-up.
A writer for the Boston Globe offers his rules for bike path etiquette, including banning the use of “On your left.” Sorry, but I say “on your left” for my safety, as well as yours; I’ve had far too many close calls with careless bicyclists and pedestrians.
A British mountain biker was the victim of a bizarre strong arm robbery when a thief pushed him down a steep trail as he stood planning his descent, and made off with his custom-made bike.
A new rear facing radar system for large trucks and buses is designed to alert drivers when a bike rider is coming up from behind or beside the vehicle. However, a supercomputer it’s not, despite what the story says.
Now that’s more like it. An Australian woman is sentenced to eleven years in prison for killing a cyclist and fleeing the scene; the judge called her actions morally reprehensible.
The half-cent sales tax extension is projected to raise $120 billion over its 40-year lifespan, with $4 billion set aside for bike and pedestrian projects
The remainder will be invested in transit projects and wasted on highways.
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The only good thing about these next few stories is there were no bicycles involved.
Hawthorne is the latest city to announce their police department will be stepping up enforcement of violations that can cause bike and pedestrian crashes tomorrow. So ride to the letter of the law until you cross the city limits; thanks to Margaret for the heads-up.
The next phase of the project to widen Highway 101 through Carpinteria began Monday; plans include sidewalks and bike lanes — hopefully separated from the highway.
Santa Barbara County will clear out supposedly abandoned bicycles in student-friendly Isla Vista, despite giving only two days notice; if your bike disappears, check with the sheriff’s department.
Caught on video: A Utah bike rider walks away after being run down from behind by a distracted driver; remarkably, the 16-year old driver wasn’t even cited, despite saying she never even saw the cyclist. Which should be taken as an admission of guilt, not an excuse.
A Houston paper asks if the city’s comprehensive new bike plan, which calls for 1,700 miles of “safely designed bike lanes and trails,” will end the battle between bicyclists and drivers. Only if they actually build it, unlike most bike plans in most cities. And it’s not much of a battle when ones on two wheels are the only ones getting hurt.
A new study from Virginia’s James Madison University says consuming protein supplements while you ride may help build muscle, but won’t improve your performance.
A driver in the UK will face private prosecution for killing a cyclist after a crowdfunding campaign raises $60,000 to fund the trial; government prosecutors twice refused to file charges. Too bad we can’t do that here.
Caught on video: A British motorcyclist gets off his bike to threaten a bicycle rider after he and a second rider nearly take him out passing on both sides on a roundabout, even though he’s hugging the side of the roadway.
A new poll says that one in four Brits are worried about having a wreck while they bike, while “only” 9% of British workers ride to work. There aren’t many places in the US that wouldn’t be overjoyed to have half that many bike commuters.
September 13, 2016 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Morning Links: Arrest made in beating of Beverly Hills doctor, and more on bike lanes removed from Mobility Plan
They got one of them, anyway.
KABC-7 reports a 19-year old Whittier man has been arrested for allegedly pistol whipping a prominent Beverly Hills doctor after demanding $150 dollars, and claiming he had somehow damaged his bicycle.
Jerome Ingram was booked on charges of attempted robbery, battery, assault, and false imprisonment by violence.
No word on whether police are closing in on the woman and another man suspected of involvement in the attack.
Both KPCC and Curbed report on last week’s city council vote to removed Westwood Blvd and Central Ave from the LA Mobility Plan, shunting riders off onto problematic side streets.
The best way to guarantee the failure of any bikeway is to put it where others want people ride, instead of where the people on bikes want to.
Or already do.
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You’re invited to ride with East LA’s own four-time national road race champ “Fast Freddie” Rodriguez in the free Powered by Pink Taco Event this Sunday; Compton’s national crit champ Rahsaan Bahati will be there as well, along with LA native Justin Williams, a two-time national champ.
Streetsblog asks if San Francisco cyclists are guilty until proven innocent, after a bike rider is blamed for the crash that left him seriously injured, based strictly on the testimony of the motorists that hit him, even though that would have been physically impossible. In other words, just like cyclists everywhere else.
Inspirational story, as a Denver lawyer has walked or biked up 58 of Colorado’s 14,000 foot high mountains and 47 peaks over 13,800 feet, as well as riding or walking from one climb to the next — despite being told as a teenager his severe asthma would confine him to an oxygen tank by the time he was 30.
The best part of the Wall Street Journal’s story about a 57-year old female bodybuilder who balances working out in the ring with long distance bike rides is the headline.
No bias here. A black Brooklyn bike rider says the road raging passenger of a passing car called him a racial slur and spat on him, before he was intentionally doored by the driver after catching up to the car, then repeatedly punched and his bike run over. Yet somehow he was the one who spent a night in jail.
The head of a Canadian truck association says trucks are bigger than bikes and should have the right-of-way, dammit. And bikes should be forced to stop prior to an intersection so we won’t interfere with turning trucks by making them run over us.
A Montreal website asks what it will take to make it bike friendly, saying they just want the city on their side so they can get to their destination safely. Which is pretty much what bike riders everywhere want, and seldom get.
September 12, 2016 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Morning Links: Shooting on LA River bike path, Emerald Necklace opens, and write your own anti-bike screed
Let that be a reminder to always be careful riding through unlit areas after dark, especially when you’re out of view from the street and can’t be seen by other people.
And it can’t stressed it enough. If someone tries to take your bike, let them have it — especially if they’re armed.
No bike is worth your life, no matter what it cost or how much you need it.
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The first phase of the San Gabriel Valley’s Emerald Necklace bike path officially opens this Thursday.
It’s more than worth a few seconds of your time to write one of your own.
Here’s mine.
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Speaking of great pieces, a British cop explains the real problems on the roads — hint, it ain’t the people on two wheels. And offers advice that includes don’t bother looking drivers in the eye and don’t count on hi-viz to make you seen.
Although it can be challenging to muddle through for those of us on this side of the Atlantic, where English isn’t the English the English use.
Los Angeles unveils a vision of the city’s transportation future that relies heavily on self-driving vehicles, making street parking obsolete and opening space for bicycles. Before you hold your breath, make sure you have an oxygen tank on hand.
Caught on video: CiclaValley captures the bumpy pavement on the 7th Street bike lane in DTLA. Having ridden that one several times, I can attest that it was one of the most desperately needed bike lanes in town, yet is usually blocked by cars and delivery trucks, with pavement that would be rejected in most third-world countries.
The wife of fallen cyclist Rod Bennett has sued LA Fitness, alleging that they knew or should have known that hit-and-run driver Lucas James Guidroz was addicted to heroin; he was sent home from work early on the day he killed Bennett because he appeared to be under the influence, putting him behind the wheel without a chance to come down first.
Good news from Playa Vista, as Councilmember Mike Bonin announces a bike plan for the area, including a new bridge on Lincoln and a bike bridge over Ballona Creek; Bonin was one of just two councilmembers to vote against removing Westwood Blvd and Central Ave from the LA Mobility Plan.
A Davis columnist says the solution to dropping gas tax revenues is to raise the gas tax, rather than charge a vehicle mileage fee, then complains that cyclists don’t pay for the roads they ride. By that standard, neither do the owners of $75,000 Teslas or other e-cars, who still won’t pay a gas tax no matter how much you increase it.
Now that’s more like it. An Iowa driver gets 35 years — yes, three and a half decades — for the drunken crash that killed two motorists while driving over twice the speed limit. Now if we could just get them to take crashes involving bike riders seriously. Or better yet, keep people like this off the roads to prevent them in the first place.
Evanston IL officials respond to complaints about a new protected bike lane by saying it would cost nearly $1 million to rip them out, while noting that the lane is improving safety just like it’s supposed to.
I want to be like her when I grow up. Reuters talks with a 90-year old Chilean grandmother who still rides regularly, calling her bike her compadre and the reason for her longevity.
Once again, a bike rider is a hero, as a Brit bicyclist saves the life of another rider who was trapped up to her waist in mud after falling into a ditch.
Someone is sabotaging Welsh mountain bike trails, yet a regional land manager just says they’re aware of a dispute between riders and local residents. More like an act of terrorism that could get someone seriously hurt. Or worse.
A news columnist takes to the streets of Berlin, where he says everyone rides a bike, but the dangers on the streets demand more and better bike lanes. Which sounds a lot like LA, except for the first part.
On a personal note, today is the anniversary of the worst bike wreck of my life, when a massive swarm of bees didn’t lay a stinger on me, but I ended up in the ICU with a tube up my you-know-what and a massive blood bump on my hip anyway.
I may have my problems these days, but I’m glad as hell to still be here.
Two men were shot during an attempted bike theft on the Los Angeles River Bike Path Friday night.
The LA Times reports the victims, a 27-years old man and his 47-year old father-in-law, were riding with their wives in the Elysian Park section of the bikeway near Riverside Drive when they were confronted by two men at 8:55 pm.
According to KCBS-2, the two suspected gang members demanded the men’s bicycles; when they refused to hand them over, they were both shot in the legs.
The black-clad thieves, estimated as approximately 16 and 30-years old, fled with one of the bicycles.
Both men were transported to a local hospital; KNBC-4 says one of the victims may be in critical condition. Their wives were uninjured.
They reportedly live in the surrounding neighborhood, and were simply out for an evening bike ride.
If you haven’t read it yet, don’t miss yesterday’s guest post Letter From St. Louis, from CyclingSavvy’s Karen Karabell.
Go ahead. We’ll wait.
Then buckle in. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover today.
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Don’t bother showing up for this weekend’s triathlon in Torrance.
Word comes from Todd Munson that the race has been called on account of apparent greed and billing irregularities from the cities involved, and not involved.
This is what the organizers had to say.
Yesterday, the city of Torrance canceled the 2016 LA Triathlon at Torrance Beach. With much regret, we are forced to announce this cancellation to our participants and sponsors only 4 days prior to race day. We understand that the cancellation will come with great disappointment to those of you who have worked hard and prepared for months toward this year’s triathlon. We are disappointed by the unexpected and unprecedented circumstances and demands that have unfolded to cause this cancellation.
We have listed the key points that led to the city’s cancellation of our event in an effort to offer some immediate transparency to all participants:
On August 31st, the City of Torrance sent to Pacific Sports an email demanding advanced payment, in full, to the city, prior to the event, for city services. There was no detail of the charges, simply amounts in total and the requirement to bring two cashier’s checks by 5pm. This is not standard practice in other municipalities and certainly not in those where all previous invoices had been paid in a timely fashion.
In the same email on August 31st, we were informed that a significant separate payment was also required to be paid to the neighboring City of Palos Verdes, a city in which we have no footprint, no permit, no participants enter their city as part of our course, no liability coverage, and no relationship of any kind. This demand is unprecedented in our 36 year history as an event production company, and to our knowledge unprecedented in the event industry in the United States. This payment is demanded by Torrance (to be paid to Palos Verdes) although we have never been made aware of the apparent business relationship (although it has been requested) between Torrance (where we do have permits) and the city of Palos Verdes.
Also in this email, it was finally revealed by the City of Torrance, after an audit requested by Pacific Sports, the city had significantly overbilled us by an amount in excess of 30% to the total in 2015 for city services. We have strong evidence that the 2014 invoice may have been overbilled as well. Importantly, we have no reliability that the advance payment demanded for 2016 (without detail of its calculation) is backed up by verifiable charges which will only be available after the event has occurred.
Since August 31st, we have worked tirelessly with all levels of the city government including the city council and Mayor’s office in an attempt to bring resolution. We offered a structured and fair written compromise on these issues in attempt to insure the event went on as planned on September 11th. Ultimately, the city offered no compromise or proposed solution and informed us they had unilaterally canceled the event.
We are upset and deeply disappointed by the cancellation, but the requirements were unreasonable and excessive. Accepting the terms would have compromised the entire event and were untenable for us to continue at the current site for the LA Triathlon.
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Yet another teenager has been injured riding her bicycle in Riverside, where it’s apparently open season on bike-riding school kids.
A 14-year old girl is in stable condition after being hit by a pickup while riding in a crosswalk just 100 feet from her school Wednesday morning. The driver fled the scene after stopping briefly; she was taken into custody on a nearby highway about 10 minutes later.
Although despite what the story says, it’s hard to imagine the driver was “fully cooperative” with police when she tried to make a getaway before being caught.
Is cycling in traffic safe? I can find statistical support for any answer I want: yes, no, who knows. My own experiences suggest the answer should be no, not safe. In 2009 I was rear-ended while riding on Los Feliz Boulevard; last year I was brushed (side-swiped) on Fountain Avenue. I can recount several other close passes, terrifying moments — the usual stuff that you will hear from almost any cyclist. I shrugged off these experiences when they happened, but they still haunt me. They’ve also made me into a poor advocate; I cannot argue for cycling’s essential safety, I am a personal testament to its dangers. As much as I want to believe the opposite, little by little I’ve had to admit to myself that I don’t feel safe on the road. I never feel safe out there.
It’s a very well-written and challenging piece, and one that poses some very difficult questions.
If anyone wants to respond to it, let me know. I’ll be happy to share your thoughts here.
The team contacted him a few hours after the video went online to apologize.
They should give him an autographed team bike, at the very least. And a new pair of shorts, since he probably needs them after that.
Meanwhile, Lance’s doping ban has been partially lifted, so he is now free to compete in non-bike related Olympic sports, like ski jumping, pole vaulting and synchronized swimming.
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Local
Props to CD1 Councilmember Gil Cedillo for beginning work to create a pedestrian plaza, including bike racks, on the Hoover Triangle in University Park. Now if he could just do something to make it safer to bike or walk there.
WeHoVille examines the 18-month timeline to reconstruct Santa Monica Blvd through Beverly Hills; the street will be widened, providing enough room for the bike lanes that won’t be installed. Increased costs and the objections of residents to widening one narrow section of the street was given as the reason not to install much-needed bike lanes on the boulevard. So why won’t they commit to adding them now that the street is being widened anyway?
Fresno jurors find an accused career criminal not guilty of attempted murder of a police officer in a struggle that began when the cops tried to stop him for riding without a light.
Zocolo Public Square says modern roads resulted from a coalition of early bicyclists and rural farmers banding together to demand better streets, only to see cyclists squeezed out with the advent of the automobile.
Build your own DIY ebike that looks like it would probably alert the bomb squad.
The Tacoma teenager tackled by police as she rode her bicycle through a mall parking lot is suing the police department, as well as the officer in question, the mall and its security company.
A Chicago area writer can’t seem to figure out if he’s pro or anti bike, saying allowing bicycles in wilderness areas is a bad idea, but giving bicyclists the same rights as drivers is a good one — especially if it means more riders get tickets.
An Op-Ed writer in the Chicago Tribune complains about a parking protected bike lane, and insists that bike riders can’t be ticketed — or pay fees — because they don’t have operators licenses. Never mind that most bicyclists have driver’s licenses, like most other human beings in this country, and can be ticketed even without them.
Cleveland officials say the bike lane that was removed to provide parking for the Hilton hotel wasn’t really removed because it was never really a bike lane to begin with.
Ottawa officials say it’s okay that bike lanes on a newly opened bridge are too narrow to meet official guidelines, because they’re not really bike lanes. Evidently, they’ve been talking with the people in Cleveland.
An Aussie writer calls for a network of segregated cycle routes to replace painted bike lanes, augmented by a network of shared quietways where cars don’t own the roads. Which sounds a lot like the apparently forgotten Bicycle Friendly Streets called for in LA’s Mobility Plan.
Finally…
Bicycling may be good for your health, but good sex may kill you. Seriously, if you’re already on probation for drug charges and carrying an “unknown white substance” on your bike, don’t ride on the damn sidewalk.
