Tag Archive for bicycling

Strike one in Linton’s Measure HLA lawsuit, and driver charged in Long Beach hit-and-run death of Lori Ann Carreon

April 16, 2026 / / No comments

Sorry for yesterday’s unexcused absence. 

I was pretty out of it from the effects of my meds Tuesday night — don’t even ask me how many tranquilizing pharmaceutical I take on a daily basis — and facing an early medical appointment yesterday. 

So like Brave Sir Robin, I bravely gave up and ran away to get some sleep. 

I’m just glad I’m not driving these days. And so is everyone else, whether or not they know it. 

Today’s photo is a bike coral outside a building on 3rd Street in West Hollywood.

And while I appreciate the gesture, the racks are so close to the building they’re virtually useless, allowing you to lock up the wheel of your choice, while thieves make off with the rest of your bike. 

………

Christopher Bryant was formally arraigned for the hit-and-run death of 54-year old occupational therapist Lori Ann Carreon as she rode bike back to her home in Long Beach’s Bluff Park neighborhood.

The 40-year old Bryant was charged with felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, hit-and-run resulting in death and reckless driving.

Prosecutors allege he ran a stop sign at Second Street and Redondo Avenue on Feb. 7, then sped away without stopping. Bryant turned himself in three days later, after calling the police dispatcher the next day to confess, giving himself plenty of time to sober up.

If he was under the influence, that is, which he hasn’t been accused of.

Bryant was released on a mere $50,000 bond. Once again demonstrating just how un-seriously the courts take traffic crime.

………

That’s strike one in Joe Linton’s lawsuit against Metro and Los Angeles, alleging the transit agency violated Measure HLA by leaving out the bike lanes promised under the mobility plan from the semi-Complete Street makeover of the Vermont Ave corridor.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled against the administrative portion of Linton’s three-part lawsuit, dismissing the allegation that the city’s HLA ordinance undermines HLA as passed by voters.

However, that still leaves the main part of his suit standing, alleging that Past Vermont Avenue service road resurfacing should have triggered HLA, and that future Vermont Avenue bus (BRT) improvements should trigger HLA.

Here is how he explains it.

Chunks 1 and 2, if I win, will result in on-the-ground changes on Vermont Avenue. Chunk 3 is basically about the city’s ordinance (approved in 2025) that specifies the internal processes to administer HLA: who can appeal, when, how. When HLA was approved by voters it did not specify a deadline for when an individual could file an HLA lawsuit against the city, so people effectively had three years to file a lawsuit when a city project appears to not comply with HLA. Under the ordinance, people now have 30 days to file a city-level appeal, then if that appeal is denied (to date the city Board of Public Works has fully denied 22 of 24 appeals, and partially approved just two – conceding HLA was triggered but denying new bike and walk infrastructure), the appellant has only six months to file a lawsuit.

The city ordinance restricts HLA lawsuits; only people who appeal a project in the first 30 days can file a lawsuit later.

If the whole damn thing is hard to understand, I think that’s part of the point. The city process was written to make it hard to file an appeal, and even harder to file a lawsuit under the city’s interpretation of the measure.

So let’s all give Linton a round of thanks for undertaking this process, and fighting a process that most of us can’t even understand.

Or maybe it’s just me.

………

A winded Cincinnati cop tries, and fails, to catch a scofflaw on a bicycle, in a battle royal caught on video.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

San Diego’s mayor suggested balancing the budget on the backs of bike riders, cutting a number of proposed bike projects to address the city’s red ink.

A British letter writer calls for license plates and charging “road tax” — which no longer exists in the country — to “either moronic, uncaring or uneducated cyclists.” So if you don’t fit in any of those categories, carry on, evidently.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

You’ve got to be kidding. A Florida woman was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for throwing a couple beer bottles at a toddler who kindly came over to check on her after she fell off her bike; she told sheriff’s deputies that she thought she was being attacked. Yes, by a toddler.

A Polish bike thief tried to make his getaway by joining a breakaway, attempting to escape the cops by blending in with the peloton in a local bike race — then standing out by catching, and briefly joining, the leaders.

………

Local 

Los Angeles is considering a ban on ebikes on all equestrian, hiking and recreational trails, allowing them only on paths specifically intended for bicycling. And as usual, they seem to be lumping all ebikes together, from ped-assist bicycles to illegal dirt bikes.

West Hollywood Sheriff’s deputies will conduct a bicycle and pedestrian traffic safety operation from 5 am to 3 pm on Monday, ticketing any violation that could put anyone in either group at risk, regardless of who commits it. Which is the definition of a legal traffic operation, without biased enforcement. 

You may not be able to ride a bike with LA’s ostensibly bike-riding mayor, but Saturday you can ride with the mayor of Culver City to mark Earth Month.

A Portland, Oregon man is making a second attempt to complete a 1,320-mile ride down the Pacific Coast, five years after he was nearly killed by a Los Angeles driver, leaving him with a broken leg, shoulder, 10 broken ribs and punctured lungs; a crowdfunding campaign has raised less than $500 of the modest $1,300 goal to pay for expenses.

 

State

Calbike applauds California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s efforts to alert consumers to the difference between legal ebikes and faster, and somewhat less legal, e-motorbikes, but says now we need some actual enforcement.

A 14-year old boy was seriously injured when he was left-crossed by a driver in the Encanto area of San Diego, suffering a broken ankle, brain bleeds and other injuries. Although someone should tell San Diego’s Fox 5 News that a dirt bike is not a bicycle.

A 77-year old man was seriously injured when he fell off his ebike in San Diego’s Oak Park neighborhood, and struck his helmetless head on the pavement.

La Mesa will honor basketball Hall of Famer and noted bicyclist Bill Walton by naming an honorary street near his old high school after him. Because they certainly wouldn’t want to go to the trouble of actually renaming an actual street or anything. 

Fresno County residents turned in over 30,000 signatures to qualify the “Better Roads, Safe Streets” measure for the county ballot, which would increase the sales tax by half a percent, dedicating 65% to fixing local roads, 25% for public transit, 4% for innovative transportation and 5% to regional projects, including the Fresno airport; it would also commit to building 120 miles of bike lanes.

A San Francisco driver was caught on video pulling his Mercedes out from the curb cutting off a bike rider, then zooming to the corner and right-hooking a man riding a bicycle in the parking-protected bike lane — and then just keeps on going, leaving the victim lying in the street.

Scraper bikes are still a thing in Oakland. But apparently, only if you’re in Oakland.

Caltrans has lowered the speed limit from 55 mph to 45 mph on a five-mile stretch of PCH in Monterey County to improve safety. Which makes you wonder why they can’t do the same thing in Malibu, where the casualty count continues to rise. 

Sad news from ostensibly bike-friendly Davis, where a 20-year old UC Davis student was killed by a driver while riding his bicycle near campus.

 

National

Tune in, turn on and ride a “gorgeous” bike in honor of Albert Hoffman on Bicycle Day this Sunday.

Seattle will host an open streets event nearly every weekend this summer, banning cars from the city’s Lake Washington Blvd from Friday evening to Monday morning every weekend but one, from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

No, you don’t have to press the pedestrian button anymore at one Fayetteville, Arkansas intersection.

A Vanderbilt University survey shows that 71% of Nashville residents are in favor of more bike lanes.

Tragic news from Cape Cod, where an 86-year old man was killed by the driver of a box truck while riding a bicycle. Anyone still riding a bike at that age deserves better. Then again, so does anyone else. 

New York proposes a crosstown, river-to-rive protected bike lane, connecting key bikeways in Manhattan.

A New Orleans letter writer calls for curb-protected bike lanes to protect riders from dangerous drivers — and says people from outside the city can sue the city for more than $75,000 for dangerous roadway design if they’re injured biking on city streets, which could force the city to do something.

A Florida man is accused of driving over 80 mph with a BAC over twice the legal limit when he struck and killed a 31-year old man riding a bicycle last July; he faces a charge of DUI manslaughter.

 

International

This is who we share the road with. A 19-year old Ontario man offered a passenger in his truck $100,000 to lie for him, and claim they were behind the wheel when he killed someone on an ebike after drinking.

Almost 81,000 people went to the ER in the Netherlands due to bicycling crashes last year, up 25% from a decade ago.

A German writer gets pulled over in Switzerland for using his cellphone while riding and letting his nine-year old son ride a bike in the street, without actually ever getting pulled over.

Delhi, Dhaka and Accra, India are building bike lanes for the people they want to encourage to ride bicycles in wealthier areas, rather than protecting the low-income people who already do.

No more holding an umbrella while you ride in Japan, although it will only cost you the equivalent of 31 bucks.

South Australia’s top traffic cop is facing an internal police investigation for the crime of taking a selfie while riding on a suburban street, and posting it to his Strava account. Which is apparently a no-no Down Under. 

 

Competitive Cycling

Twenty-three-year old Spanish cyclist Jaume Guardeno remains in critical condition in intensive care, two weeks after he was struck by a driver while on a training ride following March’s Volta a Catalunya stage race; he had been on track to lead his Caja-Rural cycling team in the Tour de France.

Cycling scion Taylor Phinney may have been out of the game for a few years, but he’s planning to make a comeback in track cycling for the ’28 LA Olympics, aiming for team pursuit.

A 27-year old Utah special ed teacher has made the rare transition from Indiana University’s Little 500 to a wild card entry at this year’s Life Time Grand Prix series, starting with this week’s Sea Otter Classic gravel race.

 

Finally…

The surprising joys of getting ‘bent. Your next bike could be a Ralph Lauren — as long as you don’t mind riding downhill on level ground.

And now you, too, can have your very own slightly worn yellow jersey.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Promoting the 3-foot law on a license plate, muddling the already muddled ebike waters, and Tour de Watts rolls Saturday

April 14, 2026 / / No comments

Before we get started, I hope you’ll join me in thanking Cohen Law Partners for renewing their ad and their support for another year. 

Looking back, they’ve helped sponsor this site for 13 years now.

It’s their support, and that of our other sponsors, that allows me to keep bringing this site your way every day. 

………

Now that’s more like it.

I saw this Tennessee license plate while riding in my wife’s car in West Hollywood on Sunday. And could only wish we had something like it in California.

A Bicycle Awareness license plate was in the works a few years back, but to the best of my knowledge, it ever got enough pre-orders to go into production, though I’d love to be corrected on that.

But even that wouldn’t directly address the three-foot passing law, or any other specific bike safety laws, like specifying our right to take the lane in most cases.

But we can hope, I guess.

………

WTF?

Patch offers a muddled, barely comprehensible look at the rise of ebikes, focusing primarily on enforcement and injuries, while not only conflating the usual ped-assist bikes and e-motorbikes, but also tossing e-scooters into the mix while they’re at it.

In fact, they offer only one sentence addressing the difference between legal ebikes and illegal e-motos.

Law enforcement and researchers alike caution that rising injury numbers mirror the explosion in ridership. Still, confusion between legal e-bikes and higher-powered “e-motos” continues to complicate enforcement and policy. That confusion has triggered a wave of legislation.

That’s it.

Then there’s this, as they loop older, helmetless e-scooter jockeys into the mix.

Because they can, I guess.

Not all accidents or scofflaws involve children or teens. On Wednesday a 61-year-old Petaluma man traveling on the wrong side of a sidewalk on an electric scooter without a helmet collided with a pedestrian. However, accidents are more common among youth. And a study by the Mineta Institute reported that existing evidence points to a wide variety of people using electric bicycles for transportation, including children, older adults, and people with disabilities. The study’s authors also noted that electric bicycle patients 65-years and older had both the highest hospitalization rate and highest head injury rate.

They also say a part of the problem is a lack of age limits, while failing to mention that California passed a law last year allowing cities to ban ebikes for younger riders, and faster e-mopeds and e-motos require a license.

And that Class 3 ebikes are limited to riders over 16 — as are e-scooters and hoverboards, for that matter.

But the last half of the piece is devoted entirely to a debate over Lamorinda Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan’s AB 1942, which would require visible licenses for all ebikes, and Encintas State Sen. Catherine Blakespear’s SB 1167, which creates a clear distinction between ebikes and e-motos, while banning deceptive advertising promoting the latter.

In case anyone needs a refresher, here is how ebikes are currently classified under California law.

Meanwhile, a retired lawyer and ebike advocate examines and rates the many ebike bills in the state legislature, reserving the highest praise for Blakespear’s bill, while giving Bauer-Kahan’s the most criticism.

PeopleForBikes had praise for Blakespear’s bill, too.

And rightly so, on both counts.

………

Streetsblog LA’s “This Week in Livable Streets” is always a must read to keep up on all the meetings and events happening each week in safer streets and livable communities, as well as our own wonderful world of bicycles.

This week’s listing is even more indispensable than usual, including:

  • A one-week screening of the safer streets doc Changing Lanes,
  • Input meetings SCAG’s Planning for Main Streets
  • A meeting to discuss Pasadena’s Vision Plan for removing the city’s 710 stub
  • Listening sessions to help shape Metro’s overall governance structure
  • And the annual Tour de Watts

………

You’re kidding, right?

Kentucky’s AAA offers advice to drivers and bicyclists on how to operate safely around one another, which consists only of riding in the same direction as traffic and obeying traffic signals for people on bikes, while drivers should avoid getting too close to bike lanes, and both should minimize distractions.

So apparently, the people in the big, dangerous machines don’t have to obey traffic signals or pass safely if someone on a bike isn’t in a bike lane.

Never mind all the other little things like not speeding, not driving distracted as long as you minimize the distractions, or even swigging some swill before getting behind the wheel.

And bike riders are free to do all kinds of stupid and potentially dangerous things, as long as they don’t ride salmon and stop for red lights.

Got it.

………

Gravel Bike California rides the Redlands Strada Rossa XII(4K).

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

A 64-year old Pennsylvania driver tried to blame the victim, despite facing charges for a road rage incident in which he allegedly tried to brake check a kid on a bicycle before intentionally ramming them with his car, saying the crash never would have happened if the kid just stayed in his lane, and hadn’t tried to “purposely upset him.”

Police in Florida went out of their way not to blame an elderly driver for a collision that injured two triathletes, using the most passive language possible by reporting that “The driver and bicyclists ‘did not identify” each other ‘until the crash was unavoidable'” — even though the 74-year old driver right-hooked them on a lane that was supposed to be closed to traffic.

Resistant landowners have held up 117 miles of carfree bikeways across the UK, sometime for decades, forcing advocates to develop a new toolkit to help rural communities find a solution.

………

Local 

Streetsblog’s Damien Newton catches up on Joe Linton’s second lawsuit over the city’s efforts to drive a truck through imagined loopholes in Measure HLA, as well as the latest round of denied appeals.

Visit California explains how to get around Los Angeles without a car, but somehow forgets to mention walking or riding a bike. Or even renting a damn scooter, for that matter.

 

State

Bakersfield cops escalated the usual crackdown on bicycle rideouts by making a number of arrests, including kids as young as 14, when a crowd of mostly teens took over a parking lot, then a roadway after police ordered them to disperse.

 

National

Gadget Review correctly notes that a good bike fit matters more than whether you invest in a separate seat for each cheek.

PeopleForBikes has developed a new toolkit to help companies in the bicycle industry improve conditions for bikes in their own backyards. Which is great if the companies care enough to use it; too many have no interest in getting involved, even if it helps their own businesses. 

A pair of Navy vets plan to ride from California to Shanksville, Pennsylvania and on to New York City to mark the 25th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, while benefitting the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. California is a big place, though, so maybe they should mention where they’ll be leaving from. 

There’s not a pit in hell deep enough for anyone who’d drive off and leave a seriously injured kid lying in the road, like this Ohio hit-and-run driver who’s facing his second OVI — the equivalent of a DUI — in ten years after running down a child riding a bicycle.

Princeton University is banning all ebikes from campus, unless you can prove you’re an off-campus commuter.

Heartbreaking news from Spartanburg, South Carolina, where two kids were killed by an alleged drunken, unlicensed driver violating the open container law; the victims, just 9 and 12-years old, were riding their bikes on the sidewalk when the driver jumped the curb.

Great idea. Baton Rouge, Louisiana is holding its 8th Annual 8th Pedaling for Peace Bike Ride this Friday to honor crime victims and promote peace, unity, and positive community engagement through bicycling.

 

International

Before we get started, I hope you’ll join me in thanking Cohen Law Partners for renewing their ad and their support for another year. 

Looking back, they’ve helped sponsor this site for 13 years now. Their support, and that of our other sponsors, is how I can continue to keep bringing this your way every day. 

………

Now that’s more like it.

I saw this Tennessee license plate while riding in my wife’s car in West Hollywood on Sunday. And could only wish we had something like this in California.

A Bicycle Awareness license plate was in the works a few years back, but I don’t think it ever got enough pre-orders to go into production, though I’d love to be corrected on that.

But even that wouldn’t directly address the three-foot passing law, or any other specific bike safety laws, like specifying the right to take the lane.

But we can hope, I guess.

………

WTF?

Patch offers a muddled, barely comprehensible look at the rise of ebikes, while focusing primarily on enforcement and injuries, and conflating not only the usual ped-assist bikes and e-motorbikes, but tossing e-scooters into the mix while they’re at it.

In fact, they offer only one sentence addressing legal ebikes and illegal e-motos.

Law enforcement and researchers alike caution that rising injury numbers mirror the explosion in ridership. Still, confusion between legal e-bikes and higher-powered “e-motos” continues to complicate enforcement and policy. That confusion has triggered a wave of legislation.

That’s it.

Then there’s this, as they loop older, helmetless e-scooter jockeys into the mix.

Because they can, I guess.

Not all accidents or scofflaws involve children or teens. On Wednesday a 61-year-old Petaluma man traveling on the wrong side of a sidewalk on an electric scooter without a helmet collided with a pedestrian. However, accidents are more common among youth. And a study by the Mineta Institute reported that existing evidence points to a wide variety of people using electric bicycles for transportation, including children, older adults, and people with disabilities. The study’s authors also noted that electric bicycle patients 65-years and older had both the highest hospitalization rate and highest head injury rate.

They also say a part of the problem is a lack of age limits, while failing to mention that California passed a law last year allowing cities to ban ebikes for younger riders, and faster ebikes require a license.

And that Class 3 ebikes are limited to riders over 16 — as are e-scooters and hoverboards, for that matter.

But the last half of the piece is devoted entirely to a debate over Lamorinda Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan’s AB 1942, which would require visible licenses for all ebikes, and Encintas State Sen. Catherine Blakespear’s SB 1167, which would create a clear distinction between ebikes and e-motos, while banning deceptive advertising regarding the latter.

In case anyone needs a refresher, here is how ebikes are currently classified under California law.

Meanwhile, a retired lawyer and ebike advocate examines and rates the many ebike bills in the state legislature, reserving the highest praise for Blakespear’s bill, while giving Bauer-Kahan’s the most criticism.

PeopleForBikes had praise for Blakespear’s bill, too.

And rightly so.

………

Streetsblog’s “This Week in Livable Streets” is always a must read to keep up on all the meetings and events happening each week in safer streets and livable communities, as well as our own world of bicycles.

This week’s listing is even more indispensable than usual, including:

  • A one-week screening of the safer streets doc Changing Lanes,
  • Input meetings SCAG’s Planning for Main Streets
  • A meeting to discuss Pasadena’s Vision Plan for removing the city’s 710 stub
  • Listening sessions to help shape Metro’s overall governance structure
  • And the annual Tour de Watts

………

You’re kidding, right?

Kentucky’s AAA offers advice to drivers and bicyclists on how to operate safely around one another, which consists only of riding in the same direction as traffic and obeying traffic signals for people on bikes, while drivers should avoid getting too close to bike lanes, and both should minimize distractions.

So apparently, the people in the big, dangerous machines don’t have to obey traffic signals or pass safely if someone on a bike isn’t in a bike lane.

Never mind all the other little things like not speeding, not driving distracted as long as you minimize the distractions, and go ahead and swig a few gallons of booze before you drive.

And bike riders are free to do all kinds of stupid and potentially dangerous things, as long as they don’t ride salmon and stop for red lights.

Got it.

………

Gravel Bike California rides the Redlands Strada Rossa XII(4K).

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

A 64-year old Pennsylvania driver tried to blame the victim, despite facing charges a road rage incident in which he allegedly tried to brake check a kid on a bicycle before intentionally ramming them with his car, saying the crash never would have happened if the kid just stayed in his lane, and hadn’t tried to “purposely upset him.”

Police in Florida go out of their way not to blame an elderly driver for a collision that injured two triathletes, by using the most passive language possible, reporting that “The driver and bicyclists ‘did not identify” each other ‘until the crash was unavoidable'” — even though the 74-year old driver right hooked them on a lane that was supposed to be closed to traffic.

Resistant landowners have held up 117 miles of carfree bikeways across the UK, sometime for decades, forcing advocates to develop a new toolkit to help rural communities find a solution.

………

Local 

Streetsblog’s Damien Newton catches up on Joe Linton’s second lawsuit over the city’s efforts to drive a truck through imagined loopholes in Measure HLA, as well as the latest round of denied appeals.

Visit California explains how to get around Los Angeles without a car, but only focuses on Metro, and forgets to mention you can also walk or take a bike. Or even rent a scooter, for that matter.

 

State

Bakersfield cops escalated the usual crackdown on bicycle rideouts by making a number of arrests, including kids as young as 14, when a crowd of mostly teens took over a parking lot, then a roadway when police ordered them to disperse.

 

National

Gadget Review correctly notes that a good bike fit matters more than whether you invest in a split seat.

PeopleForBikes has developed a new toolkit to help companies in the bicycle industry improve conditions for bikes in their own backyards. Which is great if they care enough to use it; too many bike shops and manufacturers have no interest in getting involved, even though they all should. 

A pair of Navy vets plans to ride from California to Shanksville, Pennsylvania and on to New York City to mark the 25th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, while benefitting the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Although California is a big place, so they might want to mention where they’re leaving from. 

There’s not a pit in hell deep enough for anyone who’d drive off and leave a seriously injured kid lying in the road, like this Ohio hit-and-run driver who’s facing his second OVI — the equivalent of a DUI — in ten years after running down a child riding a bicycle.

Princeton University is banning all ebikes from campus, unless you can prove you’re an off-campus commuter.

Heartbreaking news from Spartanburg, South Carolina, where two kids were killed by an alleged drunken, unlicensed driver with an open container in his car; the victims, just 9 and 12-years old, were riding their bikes on the sidewalk when the driver jumped the curb.

Great idea. Baton Rouge, Louisiana is holding its 8th Annual 8th Pedaling for Peace Bike Ride this Friday to honor crime victims and promote peace, unity, and positive community engagement through bicycling.

 

International

The Guardian offers advice on how to perform basic maintenance on your bike to help fight rising fuel costs.

A town in Norfolk, England is being criticized for spending nearly $700,000 to build a mile-long bike lane, which has supposedly made it less safe by narrowing the street, even though that’s been shown to slow drivers while improving safety for everyone — although bicyclists have a legitimate complaint because haven’t kept delivery drivers from blocking them.

British cycling hero Sir Chris Hoy completed his first ride since his leg was shattered in a “horror crash” while riding his bike in November; Hoy is still suffering from stage 4 prostate cancer.

Swiss bicyclist Adrien Liechti has completed his 10,700 mile ride from Africa’s northernmost point to its southernmost point, crossing 17 countries with nearly 390,000 feet of elevation gain, in just 96 days — despite a two week stay in a Congolese jail.

Aussies are ditching their cars and buying bicycles and ebike subscriptions as gas prices spike, thanks largely to our war with Iran. Cloud, meet tiny little silver lining. 

Former world champ and Olympic medalist Rohan Dennis is criticizing the media for creating a false narrative over the death of his wife, Australian Olympian Melissa Hoskins in 2023, even though he pled guilty to recklessness for driving off as she was clinging to his car, although he was not held criminally responsible.

 

Competitive Cycling

USA Cycling lists the winners on the final day of the national paracycling championships.

The Athletic takes a deep dive into how Wout van Aert overcame a career full of scars to win Paris-Roubaix; van Aert dedicated his win to former teammate and friend Michael Goolaerts, who died of a heart attack during the 2018 race.

The AP correctly notes we’re living in a golden age of cycling, with “weekly brilliance and once-in-a-lifetime rivalries,” thanks to Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard. And you can add Demi Vollering, Lorena Wiebes, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and the incomparable Marianne Vos, as well.

Australian cyclist Luke Durbridge is calling it a career after 14 years on the pro tour, all with the same team.

L39ION of Los Angeles pro Eder Frayre won the men’s elite Redding Classic general classification, while Lauren Stephens of Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment won the women’s GC title.

 

Finally…

What good’s a bike lane when it’s full of trucks. That feeling when it’s the guy on the bike who’s busted for DUI after a crash.

And pie first, then we ride.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

A town in Norfolk, England is being criticized for spending nearly $700,000 to build a mile-long bike lane, which has supposedly made it less safe by narrowing the street, even though that’s been shown to slow drivers while improving safety for everyone; although bicyclists have a legitimate complaint because the city hasn’t kept delivery drivers from blocking the lane.

British cycling hero Sir Chris Hoy completed his first ride since his leg was shattered in a “horror crash” while riding his bike in November; Hoy is still suffering from stage 4 prostate cancer.

Swiss bicyclist Adrien Liechti has completed his 10,700 mile ride from Africa’s northernmost point to its southernmost point, crossing 17 countries with nearly 390,000 feet of elevation gain in just 96 days — despite a two week stay in a Congolese jail.

Aussies are ditching their cars and buying bicycles and ebike subscriptions as gas prices spike, thanks largely to our war with Iran. Cloud, meet tiny little silver lining. 

 

Competitive Cycling

USA Cycling lists the winners on the final day of the national paracycling championships.

The Athletic takes a deep dive into how Wout Van Aert overcame a career full of scars to win Paris-Roubaix; van Aert dedicated his win to former teammate and friend Michael Goolaerts, who died of a heart attack during the 2018 race.

The AP correctly notes we’re living in a golden age of cycling, with “weekly brilliance and once-in-a-lifetime rivalries,” thanks to Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard. And you can add Demi Vollering, Lorena Wiebes, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and the incomparable Marianne Vos.

Australian cyclist Luke Durbridge is calling it a career after 14 years on the pro tour, all with the same team.

L39ION of Los Angeles pro Eder Frayre won the men’s elite Redding Classic general classification, while Lauren Stephens of Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment won the women’s GC title.

Former world champ and Olympic medalist Rohan Dennis is criticizing the media for creating a false narrative over the death of his wife, Australian Olympian Melissa Hoskins in 2023, even though he pled guilty to recklessness when he hit the accelerator as she was clinging to his car, though he was not held criminally responsible.

 

Finally…

What good’s a bike lane when it’s full of trucks. That feeling when it’s the guy on the bike who’s busted for DUI after a crash.

And pie first, then we ride.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Alleged speeding drunk driver kills two peds in NoHo, e-motos ain’t ebikes, and an alien abduction on 4th Street Bridge

April 13, 2026 / / No comments

This is who we share the road with.

An alleged speeding and drunk driver killed two people in North Hollywood who had just gotten out of a parked car around 2:25 am Sunday, then careened down the street before striking multiple parked cars and slamming through the wall of a house blocks away.

The victims were identified only as a man in his 30s, and a woman in her 50s. Three people who remained in the car suffered minor injuries.

Thirty-two-year old Pacoima resident Vidal Cruz Jr. was booked on two counts of murder, and being held on $4 million bond.

The murder charges suggest that Cruz may have received a Watson advisement after a previous DUI.

Yet he was still behind the wheel and on the streets until he managed to kill someone.

………

Here’s the ebike problem in a nutshell.

Police in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado got in hot water when they spotted a group riding dirt bikes, e-motos and four-wheelers popping wheelies, weaving through traffic, and ignoring traffic signals before fleeing from the cops.

They only managed to capture a single 30-year old rider, as all the others slipped away.

The problem came when they talked about it on social media and described the vehicles as ebikes, even though none would have met the definition of an ebike under Colorado law.

Or most other states, including California.

Yet the cops, the media and most of the public somehow lump all forms of two and three-wheeled electric vehicles together as ebikes.

Never mind how powerful or fast they are, whether they have functional pedals, or have been illegally modified to exceed legal speed limitations.

As far as they’re concerned, they’re all ebikes, whether you’re talking about a ped-assist road bike with a barely noticeable battery, or something that looks, rides and feels like a motorcycle.

And so we end up with laws like the one recently passed in New Jersey that requires a license and registration for any bike with an electric motor, without distinguishing one from another.

Or in California beach towns, which restrict where and how fast ebikes can be ridden, banning ped-assist bikes from bike trails along with electric motorbikes.

Meanwhile, Fortune looks at a new bike that’s technically a Class 2 ebike — except it rides like a moped, has barely functional pedals, and weighs 176 pounds.

And looks like a damn Cybertruck.

………

He gets it.

In a column that seemingly has little to do with bicycles, the LA Times’ Steve Lopez takes a walking tour of the blight surrounding City Hall, from an abandoned memorial out front to the largely derelict Los Angeles Mall across the street.

And has this to say.

Nobody wants to hear about budget constraints from people who helped create them, or that’s it’s someone else’s responsibility, or that making improvements is complicated.

It’s really that simple.

Whether you’re talking about the blight at City Hall, or potholes in the streets, bike lane “barriers” in need of replacement, or a mobility plan that never seems to get built.

The leaders of this city have put us on the brink of bankruptcy, and then complain about a lack of funding to get anything done.

Either fix the damn city, or get the hell out of the way and let someone else do it.

………

The early bird may not get the worm.

But you could get the tickets, in this case.

Twitter post

………

This appears to be the 4th Street Bridge over the 101 Freeway in DTLA.

Even most alien abductions seem to take place in the Valley.

https://bsky.app/profile/coolbikeart1.bsky.social/post/3mj62qzh6uk2n

………

Local 

I’m not sure if it’s a benefit for the Los Angeles budget or a reflection of just how bad our drivers are, but Streetsblog reports camera citations for bus lane violations in the city generated nearly $20 million last year. Although I kinda prefer the Toronto approach. 

Streets For All follows their endorsement of Nithya Raman for LA Mayor with a list of mostly expected endorsements for other city offices.

Not only is RJ Decker star Scott Speedman one of us, he can also ride with both hands on his helmetless head.

 

State

A San Diego woman learns to ride a bike at 65.

Sad news from Calistoga, where a bike rider was killed after being rear-ended by a driver when they allegedly crossed in front of the oncoming car. As always, the question is whether there were any independent witnesses, since the driver has an inherent interest in seeing their own action in the best possible light. 

 

National

Popular Science digs into the eternal question of why you never forget how to ride a bike, because the brain stores skills differently than facts, making them easier to remember.

A writer for Business Insider started letting her kids bike around the neighborhood with friends when they were eight years old, and says, despite her worries, it’s taught them responsibility and independence.

Self-driving cars Waymo and Waze are teaming up to map America’s potholes so they can be fixed.

A new report from the Transportation Research Board urges airports to make room for travelers and employees to bike to the airport, and park their bikes once they get there.

A 66-year old grandfather’s life changed when he ignored a diagnosis of aortic stenosis and continued to ride — until the day he fainted on his bike and woke up in the emergency room.

A woman learns by doing that 57 is not too old to ride a tandem across the US with her new husband. Then again, 75 isn’t too old, either. 

Hundreds of Salt Lake City bike riders turned out for the city’s weekly 999 Thursday night rides, which seem to be officially tolerated, if not sanctioned.

Speaking of Aurora, Colorado, a local bike shop fights to stay in business after being burglarized nine times in just three years.

A Denver attorney shares the story of ripping her leg open in a harrowing mountain bike crash in the Colorado backcountry, and relying on the satellite feature on her iPhone to call for help.

A team of people with Parkinson’s will marked the centenary of America’s iconic Route 66 by riding the 1,600 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles, in part to show how physical activity can fight off the effects of the disease.

Declining bike sales haven’t place a damper on Detroit bicycling groups.

 

International

A British Columbia writer says he gave up his road bike and took up gravel riding because he wants to keep riding as he gets older.

Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher is one of us, too, riding his bike through the British countryside up to four times a week — yet a British tabloid still tries to draw him into the wrong side of a battle over a bike lane in wealthy St. John’s Wood.

Dozens of bicyclists turned out in Donegal, Ireland to call for more respect on the roads after four bike riders were injured when they were struck by a driver.

A 59-year old Irish naval officer is now in a coma, one of the four bicyclists seriously injured when they were struck by a driver shortly after arriving on the coast of Spain.

A British expat makes the case for why she loves the long distance bike paths of France.

An Indian man risked death more than once to photograph the country, while riding his bicycle nearly 12,000 miles across all 28 Indian states.

 

Competitive Cycling

Wout van Aert edged out Tadej Pogačar to win Paris-Roubaix and claim his first cobbled Monument victory; Mathieu van der Poel was dropped when he tried to swap bikes with a teammate after a double puncture, and couldn’t clip in because of incompatible pedals, while Tadej Pogačar lost time because suffered a flat and had to accept a neutral wheel from a race moto.

On the women’s side, Germany’s Franziska Koch outsprinted Marianne Vos to win just the sixth Paris-Roubaix Femmes, as Escape Collective explains how the Visma-Lease a Bike team could ride a perfect race and still lose on the cobbles.

Just stop pilfering the Paris-Roubaix cobbles, already.

Forget the airbag bike helmet. French bike brand Van Rysel is launching a full-body airbag skinsuit for the pro tour that can deploy is 60 milliseconds in the event of a crash.

San Diego’s velodrome is now hosting USA Cycling sanctioned bike races that exclude trans women.

 

Finally…

That feeling when the first rule of the festive century relay is don’t be a dick. If there’s no snow, build mountain bike trails — and make ’em adaptive from Day 1.

And nothing like having a furry stoker upfront.

Reddit post

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Update: Ghost Tire installation at Westwood’s 99 Ranch Market, new Venice Metro Bike dock, and Rio velodrome burns again

April 10, 2026 / / No comments

Update: This event has been rescheduled for May 9th. 

Hard to believe it’s been over two months since an elderly driver smashed through Westwood’s 99 Ranch Market.

The driver, a 92-year old woman, was apparently attempting to make a left turn when she hit a bike rider, then continued down the bike lane on the wrong side of Westwood for a full block before slamming into the market.

Three people — 28-year old Zih Dao, 42-year old Deris Renoj, and 52-year old Leonel Mateo — died at the scene, while six others were injured, two critically.

Surprisingly, the bike rider escaped with only minor injuries.

Not surprising, given the circumstances, the woman’s driving privileges were suspended at the scene.

This tragedy once again raised the inevitable question of how old is too old to drive. And how can were identify drivers who can no longer operate their vehicles safely before something like this happens, rather than responding after it’s too late.

Streets Are For Everyone will host a Ghost Tire Memorial, similar to a ghost bike, but for other victims of traffic violence, at the site of the crash tomorrow to commemorate the people who were killed.

SAFE will be hosting a Press Conference and Ghost Tire Memorial on April 11, 2026 to honor the victims of the mass traffic fatality at 99 Ranch Market and call on our local government to take immediate action to prevent tragedies like this…

The Ghost Tire Memorial uses white-painted tires placed at fatal crash sites to honor victims of traffic violence and raise awareness about road safety.

Event Details:

Ghost Tire Memorial & Press Conference

Date: April 11th, 2026

Time: 10:00 am to 11:20 am

Location: 1360 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Event Timeline

10:00 am – Event begins

10:05 am – Ghost tires decorated

10:20 am – Carry ghost tires to the location

10:21 am – Moment of silence

10:22 am – SAFE founder Damian Kevitt introduces family members of victims

10:25 am – Family members of victims Speak

10:45 am – Family members of victims Conclude Speaking

10:46 am – Damian speaks, drops open letter & introduces coalition partners

10:50 am – Coalition partners speak

11:15 am – Coalition partners conclude speaking

11:20 am – Event concludes

Ghost Tire photo from SAFE Website. 

………

Forget trying to find parking at the beach this summer.

Let alone high gas prices.

Metro Bike has opened a new bikeshare dock right on the sand in Venice Beach. So all you have to do is check out a bike somewhere, ride it to the beach, then just dock it and walk away.

Something tells me this is going to be the busiest bikeshare dock in the city. Never mind the opportunity to admire all the native art.

………

The roof to the velodrome built for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics burned in a dramatic fire early Wednesday morning. Bizarrely, it was the third time the roof had burned since 2017; the first two fires were blamed on faulty lighting.

Maybe it’s just be me, but they might want to consider using a somewhat less flammable material for the roof next time.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

A suspected hit-and-run driver was arrested after barreling down a Colorado bike path at a high rate of speed, then fleeing on foot when he crashed into the guardrail separating the path from Interstate 70 through the mountains; police suspect he was under the influence. Well, no shit. What was their first clue?

………

Local 

The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments received a quarter-million dollar federal grant for the East San Gabriel Valley Sustainable Multimodal Improvement Project to improve pedestrian, bicycle and transit throughout the region.

 

State

Seventy-three-year old Corona del Mar resident Mark Strauss is planning to leave next Friday on a 3,388-mile ride across the US to raise a remarkable $1 million for No Kid Hungry. A lot more people start across the country than actually finish, but raising that much is a worthy goal if he can pull it off. 

Mark your calendar for April 21st, when the Encinitas Rotary Club will host record-breaking bicyclist Denise Mueller-Korenek, who will share the story behind her 183.9 mph land-speed record. Of course, that means you’ll have to hang out with a bunch of Rotarians, but still.

A local mom teamed with a La Jolla artist to build a community-driven campaign to Save the La Jolla Bike Path from an AT&T cell tower.

A UC San Diego professor makes the case for why physical activity needs to change from an individual pursuit to a societal priority if we’re going to see widespread public health benefits.

 

National

Houston bicyclists say a street is significantly less safe after a “safety project” pushed by the city’s mayor, which replaced barrier-protected bike lanes connecting a pair of bayous with a sign reading Bike Land Ends.

Meanwhile, a Houston teenager discovers that you can find a lot of things while riding your bike — like a woman’s body in a lake.

Chicago residents demanded safer streets and the capture of the hit-and-run driver who killed an 18-year old delivery rider after blowing through a red light, and injured two other people in a motor vehicle, before literally running away from the crash scene.

Sad news from Vermont, where longtime bike journalist, and former International Mountain Bicycling Association and BikesBelong/PeopleForBikes chief executive Tim Blumenthal has passed away after a two-year battle with cancer; he was 70 years old. I was flattered when Blumenthal reached out to me personally shortly after PeopleForBikes founded, that the head of the nation’s largest bike advocacy organization would even think a small-time bike blogger like me was worth his time.

Streetsblog got its hands on internal Boston city government polling documents showing broad support for transit and bicycle projects, even if that means removing parking spaces.

New York Mayor Mamdani will team with the city’s Department of Transportation to give out free bike lights and helmets throughout the city to promote safe bicycling. That compares favorably with Los Angeles, where officials seem to be doing their best to prevent it.

Bike riders in Richmond, Virginia raised six grand to buy their own volunteer driven — or rather, bicycle towed — bike lane sweeper, after they got tired of maintenance problems and other issues preventing the city from doing the job.

Once again, a bike theft victim spotted his bicycle for sale on Facebook, this time in a Florida city, where the thief was met by cops when he arranged a meeting with what he thought was a potential buyer for the $1,200 ebike. That’s the right way to handle it, even though the cops aren’t always so willing to get involved. 

 

International

A London bike advocate says bicycling in the city is safer than ever, but still has a long way to go to before people stop being nervous when they ride; the city’s mayor promises that new traffic lights will make a big difference.

Once again, a motor vehicle was a weapon of mass destruction, this time in Spain, where a driver plowed into a group of six bicyclists on the popular Costa Brava scenic route, seriously injuring three Irish tourists in their late 50s; another rider was treated at scene for minor injuries.

A British man is planning to ride up Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji later this year to mark three years of sobriety, after taking up bicycling to avoid alcohol; last year he rode up Mt. Vesuvius. Even if riding up an active volcano brings his actual sobriety into question. 

 

Competitive Cycling

Cyclist offers a preview of Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, aka the Hell of the North; meanwhile, the Visma-Lease a Bike team was up in arms after UCI banned them from using self-inflating tire tech just two days before the race, leaving them scrambling for a replacement.

Emily Ehrlich of Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28 cycling team won the women’s time trial on stage 1 of the Redlands Classic by an astounding 36 seconds, while Project Echelon Racing’s Eric Brunner won the men’s race, with just a slim nine-second margin separating the top four finishers.

Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28 won again in stage two of the Redlands Classic, as local native Ella Sabo led a one-two finish of the women’s race ahead of teammate Olivia Cummins, while Skylar Schneider of L39ION of Los Angeles finished third.

Meanwhile, the leaders remained tightly bunched on the men’s side of the Redlands Classic, as Canel’s–Java’s Sebastian Mata outsprinted Olinka’s Carlos Garcia and Luke Elphingstone of Project Echelon.

Forget doping. New Zealand cyclist Kiaan Watts accepted a 25-day ban for punching another rider in the head during last month’s one-day Salverda Bouw Ster van Zwolle in the Netherlands; he was also fined the equivalent of $253 and had 25 UCI points deducted. Which means he’ll have to work that much harder to get enough points for a free Jumbo Jack.

 

Finally…

That feeling when your brake cable is the literal definition of “hanging by a thread.” Who needs a bicycle-shaped object when you can get an object-shaped bicycle (seriously, you try it first, I’ll just stay here and watch).

And who needs Jordans when you can get your own BMX-themed Nike Airs?

Oh, wait, they are Jordans.

Never mind.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

2nd lawsuit filed over LA HLA failures, changing “accident” on death certificates, and 14-year old DUI driver kills bike rider

April 9, 2026 / / 2 comments

No surprise here.

The Los Angeles City Board of Public Works heard another three Measure HLA appeals filed by Joe Linton.

And all three were denied, naturally.

Here’s is how Linton described the appeals.

  1. Hyperion Avenue – As part of installing speed tables, LADOT reconfigured striping making Hyperion Avenue. This moved cars a couple feet further to the right, where cyclists ride, making the street even less safe for bicycling. I content that this reconfiguration triggers bike lanes and accessibility improvements approved in the city’s 2015 Mobility Plan. The city contends [staff report] that the reconfiguration was “restriping without other improvements” and therefore did not trigger HLA.
  2. Vernon Avenue – As part of a peak-hour lane removal project (my reporting on similar projects), the city added more than a mile of new parking on Vernon Avenue. I contend that this project triggered HLA bus/walk/access upgrades. The city contends [staff report] the reconfiguration was “restriping without other improvements” and therefore did not trigger HLA.
  3. Terra Bella Street – As part of a Metro-L.A. City light rail project, the city is working with Metro to remove Van Nuys Boulevard bike lanes and add partial bike lanes on Terra Bella Street as a replacement. The city plans omit the block of bike lanes closest to the new light rail station. I contend that the Terra Bella bike lanes trigger HLA, and that the city should proceed with the full planned extent, not dropping the bike lanes next to the station. The city contends [staff report] that the Terra Bella bike lanes do not trigger HLA because the city plans to slurry seal the street before making modifications.

The denial of the appeals means Linton can, at his discretion, file a lawsuit to force the city to comply.

He has already filed one lawsuit against Metro for failing to include the bike lanes required by HLA in the Vermont Avenue Bus Lane project; HLA requires the city to build out projects included in the city’s mobility plan whenever significant road work takes place.

And reworking the entire Vermont corridor would seem to be significant.

Or rather, make that two.

Because Linton filed a second HLA lawsuit yesterday.

This time he’s going after the city for using numerous loopholes to avoid complying with the requirements of HLA — including LA Street Services ridiculous invention of the term “Large Asphalt Repair.”

That’s the city’s term for avoiding repaving projects that would trigger HLA, as well as requiring the installation of curb cuts to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

To the best of my knowledge, no other city in the world uses the term Large Asphalt Repair. Or would have the temerity to.

The new lawsuit alleges a number of violations, including, according to Linton,

  1. Cesar Chavez Avenue/Sunset Boulevard (Figueroa Street to Alameda Street): Announced city project would follow a community plan updated after HLA cut-off; the announced version includes unprotected bike lanes, but the project triggers protected bike lanes.
  2. Eagle Rock Boulevard (Avenue 32 to York Boulevard) – Late 2025 “large asphalt repair” projects over 660 feet long trigger protected bike lanes and pedestrian enhancements.
  3. Hollywood Boulevard (Gower Street to Virgil Avenue) – 2024 “large asphalt repair” and reconfiguration triggers adding one missing curb ramp.
  4. Ohio Avenue (Centinela Avenue to Bundy Drive) – 2026 slurry seal project triggers protected bike lanes.
  5. Victory Boulevard (Lankershim Boulevard to Clybourn Avenue) – 2025 peak hour lane removal project triggers adding bike lanes.
  6. Western Avenue (Washington Boulevard to Cambridge Street): 2025 and 2026 “large asphalt repair” projects totaling over 660 feet trigger bus lanes and pedestrian enhancements.
  7. The fact that city leaders are going so far out of its way just to avoid building the mobility plan they already approved demonstrates why we need new leadership, in my relatively humble opinion.

Mayor Bass, and the majority of the city council, seem to be doing anything and everything they can not to make the streets of this city any safer, or any more welcoming to anyone not encased in a couple tons of steel and glass.

Nor do we even hear them talk about it, even when the mayor is urged to declare a state of emergency to deal with traffic violence, let alone implement Vision Zero.

Bass frequently ties herself in knots patting herself on the back for how much crime has dropped, while failing to mention that crime has dropped nationwide, in cities she’s never been to, let alone led.

But it has not gotten any safer on city streets for bike riders and pedestrians, who continue to die at record rates.

In fact, the city has gone out of its way to hide the effects of traffic violence, no longer updating Vision Zero maps or releasing information about traffic deaths and injuries.

I don’t know who would make a better mayor for this city at this point.

Streets For All has endorsed Nithya Raman. And while I trust their judgement, I want her to show commitment to safer streets, and finding the funding to implement them.

But in the meantime, count me in the Anyone But Bass camp. And Linton’s lawsuits just scratch the surface of why I’m pitching my tent there.

Apropos of nothing, today’s photo is a corgi celebrating her 6th birthday by barely fitting into a Metro Bike basket. 

………

Speaking of Joe Linton, while his lawsuits and appeals have been filed in his personal capacity, here he takes a tour of the coming curb-protected bike lane on Colorado and Broadway in Santa Monica in his role as editor of Streetsblog LA.

And frankly, I had no idea he could ride that fast.

Bluesky post

………

An interesting bill in the state legislature would allow families to change death certificates after a driver is convicted of a crime.

When someone is killed in a collision, the death certificate typically lists cause of death as “accident.” But SB 1071 would allow the cause of death to be amended to “homicide” if the driver is convicted of felony DUI, hit-and-run, or other felony charges.

However, in this case, homicide isn’t synonymous with murder. It simply means that the death was directly caused by the actions of another person, without implying intent.

But it does make clear that a death resulting from a traffic crime isn’t an accident.

………

This is why people keep dying on our streets.

A Texas woman will spend the next two years behind bars for child endangerment after letting her drunk 14-year old son drive her car, and killing someone riding a bicycle

And that after he was already stopped by police while driving her car two other times. The only reason she wasn’t charged with manslaughter prosecutors couldn’t prove she knew the boy was under the influence.

Although you’d think authorities might have done something the first time the kid was stopped by the cops, instead of waiting until he actually killed someone.

But, you know, Texas.

………

Streets Are For Everyone recaps a recent webinar on completing the LA River Bike Path before the 2028 Olympics.

That was originally part of former Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Twenty-eight by ’28 list of transportation projects that were to be finished before the Games, until Los Angeles and Metro moved the goalposts by taking out the projects that were just too hard.

Because evidently, trying harder to accomplish the hard things just isn’t in our playbook.

………

They’ve got a point.

Those little white car-tickler plastic bendy posts just ain’t gonna protect anyone from anything.

Twitter post

………

Local 

Public radio’s Marketplace visits LA’s Bike Oven co-op, calling it bike repair shop dedicated to giving you everything you need to learn how to fix your bike yourself.

Temporary bus and bike lane detours are in effect on Sepulveda Blvd for the next year and a half while Metro builds a new bridge for the G (Expo) Line, with work expected to be completed in December, 2027.

La Verne approved building a short two-way protected bike lane to connect to a longer lane in Pomona, providing bike access to the Pomona North Metro Station.

 

State

A bill from Encinitas State Senator Catherine Blakespear to redefine ebikes and create a new class of electric motorbikes unanimously passed the Senate Transportation Committee; SB 1167 would require that ebikes have operable pedals and a maximum engine output of 750 watts or less, the same limit required under European Union rules.

This is who we share the road with. A 69-year old Apple Valley man faces a charge of assault with a deadly weapon after first attempting to push a kid off his dirt bike, then getting in his car and attempting to run him down when the boy went to his father to tell him what the man had done.

Santa Barbara reopened the Maria Ignacio Bike Path after a temporary bridge was installed to repair storm damage from earlier this year.

Police in Manteca cracked down on road takeovers by wheelie-popping kids on bikes, impounding 18 bicycles under a new city ordinance allowing their seizure and slapping 25 teenaged riders with $200 tickets.

 

National

The Minnesota state Senate is considering three ebike-related bills, including a bill that would redefine ebikes and e-motos, similar to California’s SB 1167.

Tennessee is adding more than 1,000 miles of gravel trails to the state’s bike network, in addition to 52 paved routes for bicyclists.

Megan forwards news that the National Park Service is still semi-functioning, opening up a seven-mile segment of the historic Colonial Parkway in Virginia’s Colonial National Historical Park for a carfree open streets event. 

Huntsville, Alabama is preparing to host its 17th annual Mayor’s Bike Ride, led by the city’s sitting mayor. Los Angeles hasn’t had a bike ride led by the mayor since Richard Riordan was mayor back in the ’90s. Which is also the last time a Republican held the office. 

 

International

Police in Waterloo, Ontario charged a driver with making an unsafe turn and driving with an obstructed view after he hit a 12-year old girl riding a bicycle, sending the girl to the hospital with serious injuries — then slapped her parents with a ticket for allowing their daughter to ride without a bike helmet.

A Welsh bicyclist complains that it costs twice as much to rent a bike locker in Cardiff as it does in most London neighborhoods; prices for bike storage in the UK range from the equivalent of $160 a year in Cardiff, to as little as $15 in Scotland.

Ultra cyclist Justyna Jarczok somehow got her stolen bike back, albeit looking somewhat worse for wear, days after it was stolen with all of her belongings from a British gas station; her other things were found later in a nearby park.

An addendum to yesterday’s mention of the new DuoBell bike bell from Czech carmaker Škoda, which is actually just vaporware at the moment; designed to defeat noise cancelling headphones, the bell is a prototype, and may or may not make it into actual production.

A Philippine bicyclist says he felt weird wearing his bike helmet on a visit to Taiwan, where bicycling is so normalized it feels more like walking.

 

Competitive Cycling

Mexico’s Isaac del Toro was forced to abandon the Itzulia Basque Country after he tore his right thigh muscle in a bad crash in stage 3 of the race; there’s no prognosis on his recovery and return to racing at this time.

The driver of the official Itzulia Basque Country race doctor’s car was unceremoniously kicked out of the race and fined the equivalent of $632 for causing local star Mikel Landa to abandon the race after he collided with the car and fell heavily on a high speed descent; but apparently, bike racing means never having to say you’re sorry.

 

Finally…

Your old bike frame could have a second life as a hotel chair. When a night at the pub leads to a 525-mile bike ride to watch a soccer match, it might be time to cut back on drinking just a tad.

And that feeling when the “sadistic” coverage of a bike racing crash beats the hell out of any horror flick.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hoboken goes 9 years without a traffic death while LA gives up; and Streetsblog tracks transportation bills in CA legislature

April 8, 2026 / / 2 comments

Hoboken proves once again that Vision Zero works.

But only if a city actually commits to it.

The New Jersey city, famous as the home of Frank Sinatra, has now gone nine full years without a traffic death.

Not one bicycling death. Not one pedestrian.

Not even someone driving or riding in the big, dangerous machines.

According to The Good Men Project,

Sixteen years in, about two-thirds of Hoboken’s intersections are now furnished with physical deterrents, and the city has hundreds of high-visibility crosswalks and dozens of curb extensions.

After especially extensive road upgrades in 2022, Hoboken saw 18% fewer injury crashes and a 62% reduction in serious injuries from 2022 to 2023.

The key, according to outgoing Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who oversaw the project for the past eight years,

Bhalla successfully rallied support from within and outside of government, launching Hoboken’s Vision Zero Task Force in 2019. Public engagement, Francese says, was and is core to this. Community surveys and meetings allowed leaders to hear from multiple voices, “not just the loudest,” he says, and piloting changes at one or two intersections first allowed people time to test and assess new infrastructure before commitments were made on a larger scale…

Not only did community members come to better understand the reasons for certain changes, but many also got on board once they saw the changes in action. Community members now play a role themselves, flagging when infrastructure needs fixing and asking for specific upgrades at intersections that don’t have them. Public reporting of “near-miss” data also supplements close calls caught by city cameras that are being piloted around the city.

No one said it’s easy, or cheap.

Vision Zero failed in Los Angeles because the city failed to adequately fund it. And the first time there was significant pushback, city officials ran scared, cancelling fully funded and shovel ready projects in multiple council districts, including dangerous and deadly streets like North Figueroa and Temple Street.

Now there’s a campaign urging Mayor Bass and the City Council to declare a state of emergency regarding traffic violence — although that may fall to her successor, whoever that may be, after June’s election.

You’ll find my name on the petition calling for it.

If you haven’t already, add yours. Do it right now; it only takes a few moments.

Then demand that our city leaders follow suit now, during the campaign, when they need our votes.

And let’s hold them to it this time.

Instagram post

Photo from Streetsblog LA shows former Mayor Eric Garcetti signing Vision Zero proclamation at his big, beautiful desk.

………

Streetsblog offers a detailed update on transportation-related bills in the state legislature, including bills to increase the penalty for DUI and limit the power of ebikes to the same cap as in European nations, while another bans passengers on ebikes not designed for two people.

It’s worth taking a few minutes to read the entire list — and making a few calls to your representatives to make sure they pass.

Well, most of them, anyway.

………

Now you, too, can build your own DIY bike frame. But whether you should is another question.

………

Nothing like crash-landing on the roof of a car.

Relatively on purpose, for a change.

Instagram post

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

No bias here. A San Diego writer says recent news that ridership on the city’s 30th Street bike lanes has risen to record levels is absurd, because she and her friends hardly ever see someone using it from their comfy seats at a local cafe, bike counters be damned. And the bike lanes aren’t accepted by the local community, and never will be. So there.

San Francisco police staged a ticket crackdown blitz on bicyclists and other micromobility users at the intersection of Powell and Market, following the release of the city’s latest High Injury Network map. Never mind that the real danger comes from motorists, it’s also illegal selective enforcement to focus on one group of road users at the exclusion of another. So unless they also ticketed drivers during that enforcement operation, all of those tickets can and should be dismissed.

………

Local 

A Los Angeles woman tallies up the cost of giving up her previous carfree lifestyle nine months ago. But you’ll have to find a way around Business Insider’s paywall, or sign up for a free trial that will automatically renew at 13 bucks a month unless you cancel it. 

Hats off to the Pasadena City Council for declaring five key “sacrosanct” budget priorities protected from budget cuts, including improving roadways and implementing pedestrian and bike safety strategies. Maybe they could have a little chat with LA’s city leaders. 

 

State

Apropos of our earlier discussion, San Francisco officials caved to angry drivers by removing a neck-down that had been shown to improve safety, making their ostensible commitment to Vision Zero “meaningless.”

Sad news from Mono County, where a 34-year old man was killed by a driver as he walked his bicycle along a highway after dark.

 

National

Dwell looks at the world of online urban planning influencers.

The bicycle industry has been protected from the latest round of Trump’s tariffs, after industry leaders came together to oppose a proposal by a kid’s bikemaker and an aluminum trade group to include bicycles in the 50% tariff on imported aluminum and steel.

Honolulu’s bikeshare system is given only a 50/50 chance of survival after a series of setbacks left it with just half the number of bikes it needs to operate sustainably. Funny how many cities refuse to adequately subsidize bikeshare, active transportation and transit, but have no problem pumping hundreds of millions into subsiding the motor vehicle network.

Seriously, it takes a special kind of asshole to steal an adaptive ebike from a Las Vegas Make-A-Wish kid with cystic fibrosis.

Speaking of which, ebike sales are surging at one Las Vegas bike shop, as gas prices top $5 a gallon. Never mind what gas costs here in LA.

A Salt Lake City bicycle collective refurbishes 5,000 bicycles a year to help Utah families, while a Rockford, Illinois “bike surgeon” fixes up old, unwanted bicycles to donate to families in need.

A Brooklyn man was caught on video jumping off his bicycle, just before it was completely run over by a wrong-way driver.

A Pennsylvania man is biking 6,000 miles across the US to visit every Ronald McDonald House to raise awareness and funds for families in need.

DC letter writers complain about the Trump administration’s efforts to rip out a popular bike lane in the city, which they say improves safety for everyone.

 

International

Your next set of bike fenders could set you back a thousand bucks.

Hundreds of Cayman Island bicyclists are expected to turn out next month to finish the ride of a father and triathlete who was killed by a driver last Easter.

Canadian MTB profiles airbrush artist Dylan Forbes, who they say is responsible for some of the “sickest” mountain bikes and helmets out there.

Ignorance is apparently bliss for a large subset of British motorists who somehow think signs reading “no motor vehicles” actually means “cars and motorcycles only”.

A new study from the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and the Environment has found that ebikes offer clear benefits for older people and those with health conditions, but could reduce overall fitness among younger users.

A man from the Netherlands has spent the last 400 days bicycling along and across some of the world’s most challenging borders, questioning why he can pass so easily when so many others can’t.

Czech carmaker Škoda has developed a bike bell designed to penetrate even active noise cancellation headphones. Although the real question is whether it can pierce hermetically sealed motor vehicles with the windows up and the sound system turned to 11. 

A couple students from a Parisian political science institute learn the hard way that just because Manilla, Philippines is considered an “emerging cycling city” that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a smooth ride.

 

Competitive Cycling

People picks up the tragic story of Masters cyclist Colin “Creepy” Wilson, whose wife Tricia Jeffers was watching live online when he swerved to avoid a fallen cyclist during a race in Trinidad and Tobago, and severed his neck on the fence circling the course; his final words as he left for the race were “Tricia I going, I going to put us on the map.” Which he did, though not in the way either expected. 

Bike Radar answers the rocky question of why Paris-Roubaix is raced on cobbled roads never meant for bicycles. Kinda answers itself, doesn’t it?

Cyclist offers photos from the just completed Tour of Flanders. Insert gag about Bart and Homer’s neighbor here.

 

Finally…

Why climb to Everest Base Camp when you can ride there on a vintage foldie? That feeling when a press release for the 13th Annual Amgen Tour of California somehow pops up in the daily news — even though the race was cancelled six years ago.

And who really needs the whole front half of your bike, anyway?

Instagram post

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Disinformation campaign opposes Better Overland project, and Florida adults rough up kid for pulling ebike wheelies

April 7, 2026 / / No comments

She gets it.

A writer for Culver City Crossroads complains about a lawn sign campaign to “Save Overland” from the Better Overland Complete Streets project.

She argues that the opposition campaign is “both amazing and shocking. Also, laughable.”

The slogans on these signs are not just false, they are complete reversals of truth. That is organized disinformation.

So, first of all, there is no plan to remove all the parking from Overland Ave. Making this the top slogan shows that the people leading this campaign are consciously using a bait-and-switch approach to getting your attention.

She goes on to make the case that the project has been thoroughly vetted, and if people didn’t know about it, it’s only because they weren’t paying attention.

Actual, verifiable facts: The Better Overland project has been in process since May of 2024, and has been approved twice by the Culver City Council. Twice.

City staff held eight public meetings for the community, in addition to multiple private meetings with smaller organizations that were stakeholders in the process.

There were QR codes posted along the entire length of Overland Avenue so that everyone using the street could post their thoughts and ideas regarding Overland directly to the project portal. They received more than a thousand public comments, the vast majority in favor of the project.

It’s typical whenever a project like this goes in that some people will somehow insist there wasn’t enough public outreach, no matter how many times they were given an opportunity to provide their input.

Or that they were never informed, despite repeated efforts to do just that.

That was what happened in Playa del Rey, when opponents said they were never informed about the road diets to Vista del Mar, Pershing Drive and Manchester Ave, or given a chance to voice their objections.

Even though the project was designed by local residents, part of a multi-year public process that included several meetings at a local school, as well as outreach efforts to contact local residents.

So if anyone didn’t know about it, it was because they had their heads firmly buried in the sand at Dockweiler Beach.

Never mind that any increased congestion usually goes away as motorists find other routes, or other ways to get around, like walking or riding a bicycle.

Then there’s the ultimate trump card for the driving public, which seems to be in play with Better Overland, that officials are coming for your parking spaces.

Even though most homes have driveways, and the curb space along the street belongs to the city, not local homeowners. And any actual loss of parking is usually mitigated nearby.

It’s inevitable that no matter what a city does to prepare residents for road changes, some people will always complain. It’s human nature to resist change.

But as former New York DOT director Janette Sadik-Khan put it, people always fight to prevent changes. Then once they get used to it, they’ll fight to keep it.

………

A group of at least five adults are being investigated for allegedly roughing up a kid in Palm Beach, Florida who was doing wheelies on his ebike, while a woman heckled the boy from the sidelines.

They are also accused of stealing the boy’s phone, which contained video of the altercation.

No matter what the boy was doing, or what kind of ebike he was riding, they had no right to put hands on him or take his property.

If he was actually causing a problem, call the cops. That’s what they get paid for.

@sab.trader445

Crazy, who do you thinks at fault? – #fyp #viral #ebikekid #karen #xyzcba

♬ original sound – CrazyClips

………

Streets For All is endorsing CD4 Councilmember Nithya Raman for Mayor of Los Angeles, calling her the change agent the city needs.

https://twitter.com/streetsforall/status/2041309360010494095

………

LADOT is looking for input on creating a low-stress bikeway along Marmion Way and Monte Vista Street, rather than implementing the road diet long planned for the deadly, high-speed North Figueroa corridor.

The Complete Streets project was killed by former Councilmember Gil Cedillo, who was for it before he was against it. Cedillo conducted a series of sham public meetings, which ostensibly gauge public opinion, while blocking comments from those in favor of the project.

Twitter post

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

Sad news from Tulare County, where the CHP was quick to blame the victim when someone riding a bicycle was killed after allegedly veering left in front of an SUV driver — which a local paper TV station reported by saying “it” veered in front of the SUV. Talk about a great job of dehumanizing someone. Never mind that what actually happened depends entirely on whether there were any independent witnesses, or if the CHP relied entirely on the driver’s perspective. 

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

Schmuck. A British bike rider is justifiable criticized after posting video of himself telling a pedestrian to “use a bit of fucking common sense” when the man steps out in front of him as the bike rider ran the red light. Seriously, don’t do that. 

………

Local 

No significant action yet on Joe Linton’s lawsuit to force Metro to comply with Measure HLA by installing bike lanes on the Vermont Avenue project, after the first day in court last week.

 

State

Sad news from San Jose, where a man was killed trying to put out an ebike battery fire in his apartment; a woman was able to escape without serious injury. A tragic reminder to only use UL or European certified lithium-ion batteries, as well as a battery that’s made for your bike.

That’s more like it. Santa Rosa is installing 120 new U-shaped bike racks in key locations along the city’s bicycle network.

 

National

Portland, Oregon is launching a $20 million ebike rebate program to help pay for more than 6,000 ebikes over the next three years. Which compares favorably to Los Angeles, which has invested exactly $0 in ebike rebates to help improve traffic congestion and air quality by getting cars off the road.

Washington State is rolling out another round of ebike rebates up to $1200 for a Class 1, 2 or 3 bike, with recipients chosen by lottery. That compares favorably to California’s ebike rebate program, which now only pays for electric cars after the funding was stolen by the California Air Resources Board, aka CARB. Thanks to Megan for the heads-up. 

You’ve got to be kidding. A 52-year old Arizona man died in police custody after he was repeatedly struck and tased by cops for fleeing a traffic stop — because he didn’t have a damn headlight on his bicycle.

A Las Vegas writer says you can easily bike to any of the city’s three major sports arenas in ten minutes or less from the Las Vega Strip, with bike parking available at each site.

A Wyoming group is opposing a bike trail over fears it would cut off a vital migration route for a mule deer herd, even though supporters says it would be on the opposite side of a lake and wouldn’t affect the herd.

A writer for Cycling West recounts her experiences exploring the bikeways of the Grand Tetons National Park, easily among the most beautiful spots in the US.

A pair of sisters in their 60s are riding more than 2,000 miles from Miami to Cape Cod along the East Coast Greenway to raise climate awareness.

Hats off to a group of Fort Meyers, Florida nonprofits, who provided eight adaptive bicycles to local kids with disabilities.

 

International

Momentum offers 20 reasons why the Netherlands is a bicyclist’s paradise, as if we needed any convincing; the magazine also shares six lessor-known bike-friendly cities around the world. None of which is Los Angeles. Or even on the West Coast. 

I want to be like him when I grow up. A 72-year old Indian man is joining six other men to ride more than 2,200 miles across Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Prices for Chinese ebikes are going up, as the price of raw materials goes up and the country reduces trade-in incentives.

A 33-year old Australian man faces culpable homicide and DUI charges after a woman was killed in a skitching incident last year, when she lost her grip on the man’s SUV and fell into the car’s path.

 

Competitive Cycling

Tadej Pogačar could etch his name in history as just the fourth cyclist to win all five Monuments, including the great Eddy Merckx; Pog has already won Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and Il Lombardia, and only needs a win at Paris-Roubaix to complete the cycle.

The 40th edition of the Redlands Bicycle Classic kicks off tomorrow with a time trial at Lake Perris.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole the bike and belongings of Polish endurance cyclist Justyna Jarczok, which she described as everything she owns, including her house keys, when she stopped at a gas station after winning one of the UK’s toughest bikepacking events; her belongings were found at a local park, but her rare Kona mountain bike is still missing.

 

Finally…

That feeling when you somehow find humor in the idea of running someone down with an SUV.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Drunk driver plows into Lao New Year celebration injuring 15, and Moriah “Mo” Wilson murder comes to Netflix doc

April 6, 2026 / / No comments

So much for that.

Despite taking Friday’s post off, I still don’t have my taxes done.

I got up early Friday and got straight to work on them, only to run into a software problem that required nearly an hour trying to get past the company’s uncomprehending AI-based help line to actually speak to a human, who solved the problem in about five minutes. 

Which left me wanting to punch the first robot I saw rolling down the sidewalk. 

As a result, I didn’t actually get started on my taxes until Friday night, when I ran into a question with my wife’s forms that couldn’t be answered until the office in question opened Monday morning. 

Good times. 

And in my tax-driven stress Thursday night, I forgot to wish a happy Easter to all those who marked the day yesterday, so please accept my best wishes and apologies a day late. 

………

This is who we share the road with.

Fifteen people were injured, several seriously, when an alleged drunk driver plowed into a Loa New Year parade just outside of Broussard, Louisiana.

According to The Independent, 

Todd Landry, 57, of Jeanerette, faces 18 counts of first-degree negligent injuring, driving while impaired and careless operation of a vehicle, among other charges, police said. Police do not believe the incident was an intentional act based on a preliminary investigation, officials said.

That’s good to know.

So it was just plain old-fashioned intoxication and stupidity, not terrorism. Which somehow doesn’t seem to make it better.

………

Time Magazine looks at the new Netflix doc The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson, which premiered last week.

The movie tells the story of Kaitlin Armstrong’s 2022 murder of rising gravel pro Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson in Austin, Texas, as well as Armstrong’s escape from custody to flee the country and avoid prosecution.

Armstrong was convicted a year later, after she was caught living in Costa Rica with a new face and identity.

Former gravel champ Colin Strickland says he walked away from bike riding after Armstrong, his former girlfriend, murdered Wilson in a fit of jealousy.

He says now he just works alone in his repair garage, and regrets everything he’s ever done, wishing he’d never started racing so he would have never met Armstrong or Wilson, and she’d still be alive today.

………

If anyone wants to get me an Easter/Passover gift, I’m registered here.

https://bsky.app/profile/coolbikeart1.bsky.social/post/3miov7mm2m22w

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

No bias here. Denver blocked a key bike lane leading through downtown and to the city’s Major League stadium for opening day, while allowing drivers full use of the street. Because evidently, no one would want to bike to the stadium in the bicycling city, while they could ride in their big, dangerous machines, instead.

A 46-year old Colorado man is finally in custody, nearly a year after he used his car as a weapon to run down and seriously a man he knew while the other man was riding his bicycle; he was tracked down with the help of the FBI.

Seriously? British tabloids have yet another of their stupid “who’s at fault” debates after a truck driver passes a “cycling vigilante” way too close, claiming it’s the bicyclist’s fault because he wasn’t in the bike lane. Even though close passing laws are the same, no matter where you are on the roadway or why.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

One juvenile is under arrest after around 200 kids riding bicycles and ebikes knocked a motorcyclist off his bike at a red light, then swarmed him and began kicking and punching him as a lay on the ground, for no apparent reason.

There’s a special place in hell for the rock-throwing bike rider who paused his ride to bust into an East Sacramento karate dojo and steal a priceless 17th-century wakizashi samurai sword that has been in the same family for over 400 years.

A 53-year-old Key West man was arrested on DUI and drug charges after he plowed his ebike into someone riding an adult tricycle; fortunately, no one was seriously injured.

………

Local 

Protected bike lanes are coming to a 1.2-mile stretch of Spring and Alameda in Chinatown.

West Hollywood will consider installing secure bike lockers at city facilities.

The Santa Monica Daily Press looks forward to the new West LA CicLAvia later this month.

 

State

A bill in the state Assembly, AB 1976, would cut the red tape preventing transformational bike and pedestrian projects, impacting everything from pedestrian malls and neighborhood greenways to safe routes to schools projects.

San Diego is cracking down on ebike “speed demons” on the city’s oceanfront boardwalks during spring break.

Good news from Ventura, where a 14-year old girl is recovering from the rattlesnake bite she got while mountain biking in Newbury Park two weeks ago; she was bitten after falling off her bicycle into some bushes.

That’s more like it. Over 100 people turned out for an organized rideout in Hayward on Saturday, to “create a safe and respectful place to carry on the tradition of what’s dubbed ‘bike life,’” and deter violence in the bicycle community.

 

National

People are pointing fingers back and forth after a Eugene, Oregon coalition devoted to sustainable transportation and better infrastructure for bike riders and pedestrians fell apart.

More than 50 years ago, over 1,200 Portland, Oregon bike riders turned out to demand carfree spaces for their bikes.

A crowdfunding campaign has raised over $50,000 for a Golden, Colorado woman who remains in critical condition in an induced coma, over ten days after she was struck by a drunk driver who blew through a red light while she riding her bicycle.

Nice gesture from the Corpus Christy, Texas bike community, which came together for a memorial ride to honor a local man best known as “Mr. Pointy Boots,” after he died of stage 4 prostate cancer.

Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Project Dudeman encourages men to show up as they are and ride bikes, to combat the stigma associated with mental health.

Even El Paso, Texas is putting Los Angeles to shame, installing over 1,000 miles of new cycling facilities over the last decade.

A Chicago bike rider was killed and two other people injured when an SUV driver blew through a red light and plowed through an intersection at 1:30 am Sunday, slamming into the bicyclist before continuing on to hit a car; the driver then abandoned his vehicle and literally ran away.

A Rochester, New York nonprofit gave away over 500 free bikes to local children in their 5th annual Easter giveaway.

Charlottesville, Virginia will release another 36 vouchers in the city’s ebike rebate program. That compares favorably to Los Angeles, which doesn’t have one, and California, which just gave up and gave the money to electric car buyers. 

A 62-year old woman was killed riding her bike in New Orleans Sunday morning, in a tragic reminder to never trust other drivers to stop when someone stops to let you cross a street; the victim waited for traffic to clear, and started across when a driver in the right lane stopped for her, but an oncoming driver in the left lane didn’t.

 

International

Cubans rode their bikes to protest Trump’s embargo of the island, which has led to frequent nationwide blackouts.

London plans to provide two new east-west bike routes, after riders are banned from Oxford Street once it becomes pedestrianized. Hard to imagine a carfree Oxford Street, which was one of the busiest car sewers I’ve ever seen, second only to the Champs-Élysées in Paris. 

England’s Lizzie Hermolle became the fastest woman to Everest offroad, shattering the old record even though a dog ate the donuts she was counting on for energy.

A British cardiologist and five-time Masters track champ explains the risks and benefits of bicycling as you mature, saying there’s no reason you can’t start or continue riding, but check with your doctor first.

British tabloids are up in arms over “the country’s most expensive bike lane,” which is costing the equivalent of nearly $6.6 million for less than a mile, while claiming it’s the locals who are angry and insist no one will use it. But just wait until someone tells them what it costs to build a mile of highway.

No bias here. A man in the UK received a warning from the police about his “dangerous” bicycling, after submitting helmet cam video of drivers illegally using their phones behind the wheel.

Bike riders in Dublin, Ireland will be allowed to turn left on a red light — the Irish equivalent of a right on red — but only at one specific intersection as part of a trial program.

The Guardian explains how former Paris Mayor Anne Hildago was responsible for “planting 155,000 trees, adding several hundred kilometers of bike lanes, pedestrianizing 300 school streets and banning cars from the banks of the Seine,” but not without significant resistance. Fortunately, newly elected Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire is committed to continuing her work.

A South African website says a woman from Norway bicycled to South Africa in a series of TikTok videos. Although she probably did it in real life, too.

I want to be like him when I grow up. After Chinese man lost his entire family over a period of two years in his 60s, he started bicycling, spending the next three decades criss-crossing the country, eventually switching to a tricycle as he continues riding at 90 years old. I mean, not about the bad stuff, but still.

 

Competitive Cycling

Heartbreaking story from Trinidad and Tobago, where the wife of cyclist Colin Wilson watched as he was killed during an Easter Sunday race, slashing his neck on the fence lining the course while trying to avoid a fallen cyclist.

Race winner race winner Tadej Pogačar could be in deep doo-doo with Belgian authorities after he ran a red light at a railroad crossing, along with another 20 or so riders, in violation of race rules as a train was bearing down on them.

Dutch cyclist Demi Vollering won the women’s race, without apparently violating any choo-choo rules, while the legendary Marianne Vos had to drop out after the death of her father.

Two Colorado bike races were named among the top ten in the US by USA Today, including the iconic Tour of the Moon featured in American Flyers, staring some guy named Kevin Costner; the Hotter’N Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls, Texas topped the list.

Canadian Cycling Magazine helps former cyclist Gord Fraser reunite with his 1986 Bertrand racing bike, when someone emailed the magazine to say they had it after Fraser wrote that he regretted selling it.

 

Finally…

Presenting the weird, wacky and wonderful world of bicycles; thanks to Steven for the heads-up. That feeling when an iconic beachfront bike path started life as a fortified WWII military installation.

And the winner for greater LA’s worst intersection is….

Instagram post

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Streets For All legislative agenda speeds safer streets and redefines high-powered e-motos, and April Fools in the bike world

April 2, 2026 / / No comments

Chag Pesach Sameach!

………

Streets For All introduced its legislative package for the 2026 session, sponsoring ten bills while requesting a $200 million annual addition to California’s Active Transportation Program.

Among their sponsored bills,

AB 1740 (Zbur)  makes it easier to build bike lanes, bus improvements, infill housing, and other multimodal projects in urban coastal communities. Right now, even straightforward street safety projects can get bogged down in the coastal permitting process. This bill would let qualifying urban communities move more quickly on projects that improve safety and reduce emissions, while still preserving coastal access and protections.

AB 1837 (Mark González) extends transit lane and bus stop camera enforcement and makes that authority permanent statewide. Illegal parking in bus lanes and at bus stops slows buses, creates unsafe boarding conditions, and makes transit less reliable. This bill would help keep transit moving and make bus service faster and safer for riders.

AB 1976 (Wicks), the Safe Streets Streamlining Act, tackles the process barriers that delay or kill good street safety projects. It changes local input requirements, ends unreasonable petition requirements for traffic calming, updates the pedestrian mall law, and creates a clearer path for cities to actually deliver the bike, pedestrian, and transit projects they have already said they want. California cannot keep saying yes to safe streets in theory while allowing them to be endlessly blocked in practice.

SB 1167 (Blakespear) cracks down on high-powered “e-motos” being sold as e-bikes. It tightens definitions, changes labeling rules, and requires sellers to clearly disclose when a device is actually a motor vehicle and not a legal e-bike. Real e-bikes are an important transportation tool. But that only works if the category remains clear and trustworthy.

AB 2015 (Wicks) helps cities keep slow streets actually slow by stopping navigation apps from routing cut-through traffic onto neighborhood streets that have been intentionally designed for local access, walking, and biking. If a city has decided that a street should function as a calm neighborhood street, app-based routing should not undermine that decision.

AB 1599 (Ahrens) creates a centralized California Transit Stop Registry. Transit stop data is often fragmented, inconsistent, and confusing across agencies. A statewide registry would make transit data more accurate and useful, improve coordination, and help create a better rider experience. The bill will also help us get more data on what amenities are at transit stops.


SB 1292 (Richardson) gives cities stronger curb management tools to enforce parking violations in places like loading zones, bike lanes, and crosswalks. Curb space matters, and mismanaged curb space creates safety problems, transit delays, and chaos on the street. This bill gives local governments more tools to manage that space better.

AB 2284 (Dixon) requires CHP to publish a list of devices that are being marketed as e-bikes but are not actually legal e-bikes. That kind of transparency would help consumers, schools, local governments, and law enforcement better understand what devices comply with California law and which ones do not.

AB 1833 (McKinnor), the Consumer Driving Data Protection Act of 2026,allows drivers to voluntarily opt into insurance telematics systems, with privacy protections, to better align insurance rates with actual driving behavior. This bill is about allowing safer driving to be reflected more fairly, while preserving strong guardrails around consent, data use, and consumer protection.

SB 1423 (Stern) would steer half of one of California’s biggest transportation funding sources toward projects that actually make streets safer. The bill would dedicate half of STIP funds, one of the state’s largest transportation pots of money, to projects that improve safety for people walking, biking, and taking transit. It would also simplify the application process for the state’s top safe streets grant program and elevate its identity as California’s flagship source of funding for street safety.

Budget Ask: A $200 million annual addition to the Active Transportation Program (ATP), which is our state’s premier pot of street safety funding. Last year, ATP only funded about 30 of the 350 projects that applied.

They’ll host a webinar to discuss their support for the bills on Thursday, April 16th at high noon.

………

Pink Bike highlights the best April Fools gags from around the bike industry.

Meanwhile, Road.cc wrote that BP — the former British Petroleum — is encouraging drivers to deal with rising gas prices by skipping the pump and riding a bike instead. Which actually had me fooled at first. 

Strava joined in with a gag about opening a dating platform. Although that might not be the worst idea. 

Then there was the electrolyte gravy, a fish tank bike saddle and skinsuits that come pre-crashed so you don’t have to worry about messing them up.

On the other hand, an Aussie writer says paying people to ride a bike is no joke, despite what an April Fools gag said.

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

An op-ed from the executive director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association decries demands from the Trump administration for the National Park Service to rip out a popular bike lane that has cut injuries by 91%; meanwhile, Bloomberg’s CityLab considers why Trump’s war on DC streets matters, as the administration exerts control over the city while sidelining its residents.

No bias here. A San Diego letter writer says if you really want to help kids, skip the bike lanes and use the money for libraries, instead. Which sets up a false dichotomy between libraries, which should get better funding, and bike lanes, which improve safety for everyone on the streets, not just kids. Although you’ll have to find a way around the paper’s paywall to read it. 

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

Great use of police resources. The Macomb, Georgia Police Department put their new drone to use in less than 24 hours by capturing a 14-year old kid speeding on his ebike. Next they’ll use it to bring in other dangerous desperados, like maybe a bunch of littering nuns. 

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Local 

The LA Times examines how to stay safe on an ebike, starting with knowing the difference between a ped-assist bicycle and an electric motorbike.

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton takes an in-person look at new protected bike lanes going in on Colorado and Broadway in Santa Monica, and Washington and Adams in Culver City.

 

State

Orange County’s Newport-Mesa Unified School District is considering a proposal to ban all ebikes for elementary and middle school students, and allow only Class 1 ebikes for high school students with parental consent.

San Francisco’s transportation department is working on plans for hardened daylighting, installing barriers like bike racks or bollards to keep drivers from speeding around the corners newly opened by California’s daylighting requirement.

Longtime Michelin starred San Francisco chef Roland Passot is one of us, balancing work with his passion for road cycling.

 

National

A prolific Portland burglar will spend the next five years and five months behind bars, after he was convicted for stealing over 30 bicycles and ebikes over a three-year crime spree.

A Eugene, Washington program is teaching residents of homeless shelters how to become bicycle mechanics.

Bodycam video is raising questions about a Texas cop’s takedown of a 16-year old kid, who make the simple mistake of trying to call his dad when the cop stopped a group of teens for rolling a stop sign; after taking the kid down, the cop then seized and searched the boy’s phone without a warrant.

A Providence, Rhode Island event demonstrates Intelligent Speed Assist, which could be authorized to rein in chronic speeding and reckless drivers under a bill in the California legislature, as well.

Life is cheap in Charlotte, North Carolina, where a driver faces just a misdemeanor charge for killing an eight-year old girl riding a bicycle, even though he was driving with a revoked license and an unregistered vehicle — and even though witnesses said he revved his engine and sped up just before the crash.

 

International

A British bike rider is suing three police departments for the equivalent of $6.35 million, alleging they covered it up when a driver knocked him off his bike; the cops said he just fell off his bike, even though a witness said she saw the driver clip him. Which sounds a lot like when I was run down by a road-raging driver, and the LAPD concluded I somehow defied the laws of physics by falling to the left while making a right turn, but it never occurred to me to sue them. 

Bicycling Australia says that country is seeing a renewed interest in bicycling as a result of the fuel crisis caused by the war in Iran, but no full blown bike boom — yet.

Velo considers why bicycling in Taipei feels safer than riding in Portland (scroll down).

China’s longtime bikemaker Flying Pigeon is shedding its traditional image as a self-destructing bicycle-shaped object, and using combination of flexible sensors, artificial intelligence algorithms and the internet of things to redefine the bikes from a simple form of transport into an “intelligent health management terminal.” Unless China Daily is pulling an April Fool’s joke, in which case they got me.

 

Competitive Cycling

Filippo Ganna overcame a snapped handlebar and late bike change to win Dwars door Vlaanderen, while Swiss cyclist Marlen Reusser shocked herself by winning the women’s edition.

The Athletic looks, not at the pros taking part, but the Belgian super fans on the sidelines of De Ronde van Vlaanderen, aka the Tour of Flanders.

A 17-year British amateur, part of the country’s development team, was left brokenhearted when an insurance company refused to pay for three stolen Pinarello Dogma bikes worth a total of $20,000 because the thieves weren’t violent enough, and just walked away with the bikes instead of breaking in or causing major damage.

Austria’s eight-time national junior was lucky to walk away with a broken arm and a shattered bicycle when he was cut off by a driver on a training ride, and slammed into the back of the driver’s car.

Instagram post

 

Finally…

Playing bike polo, aka riding a bicycle with a big wooden hammer in your hand. And that feeling when your bike-on-bike collision is memorialized for the masses on Google Street View.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , ,

Nothing like bad bike news to bring out the worst in people, bicycling makes your brain ripple, and add iron to make your bike go

April 1, 2026 / / No comments

He gets it.

A writer for Road.cc lives in rural Warwickshire, England, just outside of Stratford-upon-Avon, which he calls a beautiful part of the world.

One that he says is repeatedly voted as one of the best places to live, as well as a great place to ride a bike.

The cycling here is also amazing. You can find miles of quiet country roads, there’s plenty of mountain biking trails around, and there’s even a disused railway nearby where hundreds of children learn to ride every week.

But it only took the death of someone riding a bicycle to “reveal how sickeningly awful some people in your local community can be.”

Regardless of circumstances and fault, the overwhelming feeling I have is of sadness and loss – somebody lost their life while out on their bike. There is never a reasonable explanation for this, it’s always a tragedy.

However, when I look at the local Facebook group, you wouldn’t think somebody had died, because on posts about it people are instead focused on the person being a cyclist, so it was probably their fault…

It shows how publications like the Daily Mail, Daily Express, and the Telegraph have done their job. Cyclists are dehumanised, and the people in my community demonstrate this better than any study or focus group ever could. If you’re killed on a bike, you deserve it.

Looking at the comments section, there are 19 direct comments at the time of writing. 15 of them are the standard bingo card comments about cyclists’ behaviour with no sympathy for somebody being killed. It’s sickening.

It’s a phenomenon I’ve encountered hundreds of times in writing this site, as has anyone else who has dared venture into the comment section following a news story that even mentions someone on a bicycle. Or who has had the temerity to venture into social media.

If the victim of a crash was on a bicycle, it had to be their fault, because the commenter once saw someone run a stop sign or a red light. Or maybe it’s everyone on two wheels, because none of us ever obey the law.

It’s an automatic case of collective guilt, painting us with the same broad brush used to disparage any group somehow considered “other.”

Even when it comes to people who simply disagree about some simple civic or political matter.

I’ve had my stomach turned by what I’ve seen, heard and read so many times it feels like a washing machine on spin cycle, discovering once again just how truly awful people can be.

Just as it has when I’ve heard hateful comments from people who seemed decent enough until they opened their mouths, apparently assuming that their distasteful opinion is so obvious everyone must share it.

Too often I’ve just kept my mouth shut and turned away to avoid an ugly fight.

I wish I had an answer, some sort of magical solution that would show them just how wrong they are, and shame them for their lack of compassion.

But that seldom seems to work in the real world.

And almost never in the virtual one.

………

Bicycling makes your brain grow.

And ripple, apparently.

A new study published in the journal Brain Communications builds on a Chinese study release last year that showed even brief periods of bicycling can cause growth in the hippocampus.

The research, recently published in Brain Communications, was conducted on a much smaller test group, but the people involved all had a specific disorder, drug-resistant epilepsy, that the scientists were examining when they made their discovery.

So go out and ride hard.

And maybe someday you, too, can pass a whole bunch of cognitive tests just like our president.

………

Staying on the subject of health, a medical specialist in iron deficiency and anemia suggests that an iron deficiency could affect your performance long before you actually develop anemia.

So stop by your neighborhood bar and toss back a few rusty nails every now and then.

It’s for your health, after all.

………

Local 

Santa Monica is building a new curb-protected bike lane on Colorado Ave.

 

State

Streetsblog’s Damien Newton says the recent road rage incident in Newport Beach demonstrates the limits of painted bike lanes.

Irvine-based Rivian makes the obvious transition from electric truck builder to ebike maker to autonomous DoorDash delivery bot.

 

National

Surprisingly, the US Department of Transportation is making $1 billion available through the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, despite recent government cutbacks in active transportation funding.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole an adaptive ebike from a Las Vegas teenager with cystic fibrosis.

The traffic “expert” for a Denver TV station just can’t seem to figure out what the lines marking buffered bike lane are for — especially since he didn’t see anyone using it at the exact time he happened to be watching.

 

International

Cyclist looks at the year’s best insulated bicycling water bottles.

Bike Radar says anti-lock brakes could revolutionize mountain biking, even if they’re not quite ready for mass consumption.

It’s time to don your best tweed and hie thee to Saville Row for London’s most stylish bike ride.

A British bikeshare company is being investigated for false advertising for claiming to give you ten minutes free — but only after you pay to unlock their bikes.

A writer for Czech carmaker Škoda’s We Love Cycling website examines how to make bikeshare even better, starting with connected, physically separated bike lanes and more stations in under-served areas.

A 72-year old man was killed when he hit a low tree branch over an Australian bike path, even though officials had been warned about it a week earlier.

 

Competitive Cycling

IDL Pro Cycling says British cyclist Lorena Wiebes can still be beaten, despite achieving “Pogačar-like status in the women’s peloton.”

 

Finally…

If you left your bike on a US military base, get it from the MPs. Who needs a living room when you can have a fully equipped bike workshop?

And now you, too, can have your very own Cookie Monster bike. As long as you don’t need a seat, or pedals or anything.

Instagram post

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , ,
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