BikinginLA

Personally, I’m planning to be around to open gifts under the tree next week.

But you might want to settle in to read all these links today, just in case the Mayan calendar really does strike twelve at midnight.

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LA/2B, a joint effort of the L.A. Departments of City Planning and Transportation, takes a look at the city’s approach to complete streets. Bike scores are announced for 25 cities; L.A. checks in at number 19. The L.A. Weekly examines Don Ward’s — aka Roadblock’s — DIY hit-and-run investigation in an article that somehow went under the radar for the past week. Streetsblog looks at the LACBC’s plans for the coming year. UCLA Transportation offers advice on how to ride in the rain; fenders are a good start. A DTLA man gets his bike back two days after he left it unlocked. Orlando Bloom gets his bike fixed in Beverly Hills, while Anne Hathaway falls of hers and breaks her arm, then keeps it quiet for months.

Looks like Newport Beach may use the funds raised through the city’s Memorial Bike Ride fund to fix a pair of killer and near-killer intersections; you can still contribute through the end of the year. Fontana kids get 50 new bikes for Christmas. Just days after being the victim of a hit-and-run, pro cyclist Andy Jacques-Maynes is dropped by his team — and learns about it via Twitter; USA Cycling announces 15 pro teams for next year, none of which include him. A lucky white or hispanic, male thirty-something cyclist could get $1500 to star in a Bay Area Verizon commercial; seriously, they can’t conceive of a black, asian or female bike rider representing their company? A Marin County man manages to wedge his car onto a bike/pedestrian bridge after reportedly mistaking it for an onramp — and was allowed to drive himself home afterwards. Sebastopol becomes the latest city to adopt an L.A.-style cyclist anti-harassment ordinance. Two drivers plead not guilty to killing cyclists in separate Napa Valley cases.

How to get more women to ride. A Colorado university fires its cycling coach after he’s accused of helping a third athlete dope; I guess the first and second ones didn’t count. The USA Pro Challenge unveils their route for next year’s race; the penultimate stage ends in my hometown. San Antonio police plan a sting to enforce the city’s three-foot passing law; we can’t even get our governor to sign one, let alone get police to go undercover to enforce it. A Michigan driver hits and kills a walking mother of five, dragging her body the equivalent of two football fields, then gets out to move it out from beneath her car before driving off; then again, the killer probably didn’t know — or care — it was a mom he or she had just murdered. A Pennsylvania driver gets 32 months to six years for hit-and-run; the victim’s family says that’s not enough. A doored DC cyclist sues for $70,000. Dave Moulton compares gun and vehicle ownership, and finds the rules governing cars lacking. Seven more tips on how beginning riders can avoid collisions; actually, it’s good advice for anyone, and so was the first set. The media is shocked — shocked! — to discover that the Miami Heat’s LeBron James actually rides a bike to his games.

The BBC gets in line to strip Lance Armstrong of an award. A UK game show host is highly offended when riders respond to his unfair criticisms. An angry UK driver gets out and punches a cyclist, while a Brit rider suffers possible permanent facial nerve damage after he’s mugged for his Brompton. A full 17 years to build a 1.1 mile Aussie bikeway, because some argued it would be bad for the environment. Australian authorities inexplicably pick road raging cricket player Shane Warne to front a road safety campaign; maybe the theme of the campaign is “do as I say, not as I do.” Remarkably, a Kiwi rider no longer holds any anger seven months after she was severely injured by an 18-year old driver.

Maybe it was a burglary in reverse, as a man cleans out his garage and finds someone else’s bike.  A New York cyclist uses his GPS to wish everyone a happy holiday.

And take a few minutes to go for a musical ride with Luka Bloom, trust me, you won’t regret it, especially if it’s the last bike song any of us ever hears; thanks to Martyn Jones for the link.

Funny how the less time I spend in malls, the more I love this time of year.

So whether you’re gearing up for Christmas, or preparing to light the third candle on your menorah — or just enjoying a nonspecific holiday season — take some time to get away from the hustle and bustle, and spend a little quality time out on your bike.

You can both thank me later.

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I had a very pleasant conversation last week with Denise Guerra, a student journalist with USC’s highly respected Annenberg School of Journalism.

She’s working on a story about bicycling collisions and hit-and-runs, and would like to speak with anyone who’s been through either — or preferably, both. So if you’ve been hit by a car, shoot her an email at deniseimrad@gmail.com.

Especially if the heartless S.O.B. who did it drove off and left you lying in the street.

Maybe Dottie can drop her a line, as one of America’s most popular bike bloggers is the victim of a hit-and-run driver, yet not surprisingly, still manages to look on the bright side.

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Portland’s bicycling mom appears on Ricki Lake, and Ricki Lake appears in Flying Pigeon’s bakfiets. The Long Beach Post names local cyclists their person of the year. World bike travelers Russ and Laura offer their suggestions for holiday gifts; can we still call them Long Beach’s biking expats after they’ve been gone so long and taken up semi-permanent residence in Portland?

Orange County residents are fighting the missing link in the Santiago Creek bike trail because they fear it will increase crime; no, really, that’s what they say. Costa Mesa takes steps to slow traffic on a dangerous street, including adding bike lanes, much to the chagrin of some drivers. A lack of bike racks makes Thousand Oaks less than bike friendly. A convicted bike doper asks the courts to end her probation so she can practice law. A Santa Cruz-area cyclist is killed, despite wearing what the Mercury News calls protective gear; unfortunately, the paper doesn’t specify whether that meant a helmet, chain mail or full body bubble wrap. A big rig truck driver is under arrest for the hit-and-run death of a Fresno County cyclist. A Vacaville couple are looking for the woman cyclist who helped save the bike riding husband’s life. In Davis, the new old road means the old old road could soon be a new old road for bikes and pedestrians. Tragically, an East Bay cyclist is killed after hitting gravel when he pulled onto the shoulder of a roadway to let traffic pass.

A list of the country’s most bike-friendly baseball stadiums shows maybe Dodger Stadium isn’t that bad for bikes after all. Perhaps you’d like a bike horn that sounds like a car; I suspect I’d just instinctively flip myself off anytime I used it. A committed vehicular cyclist says he’s not interested in ruining the streets just so you can have a damn bike lane; yes, that’s what he really said. A Michigan man is sentenced to prison for assaulting a group of teenage cyclists while under the influence. Michigan installs a highway bike lane with a seven-foot buffer lane. A New York cyclist thinks it was an unmarked police vehicle that dragged him across an intersection before fleeing the scene. Jersey City is about to get nearly 55 miles of new bikeways. A Florida driver says it’s up to you to avoid obstacles blocking the bike lane, without getting the hell in his way — and it wasn’t his fault he hit that kid, either.

A UK cyclist who dedicated his life to working for safer streets is killed while riding on the streets he fought to improve. British TV viewers volunteer to kill a helmet cam wearing bike rider in the wake of a BBC look at the conflict between drivers and cyclists, while a professional driver says maybe he was wrong to Jerry Brown a bicyclist. Even world champions get run off the road by angry, aggressive drivers. A Brit motorist is charged with deliberately running into a 15-year old bike rider six months after threatening to do just that. We have a new contender for the world’s shortest and most useless bike lane.

Finally, as much as I dislike drunk drivers, shooting them to death seems like a rather extreme response. And if you won’t stop for Santa Claus, you belong on the naughty list.

For all who observe it, please accept my best and warmest wishes for a very happy Chanukah.

Lots of news piled up in my inbox over the weekend, resulting in a massive link backup that took the entire morning to clear up.

So lean back, put your feet up and click away.

It’s Monday, it’s December, it’s raining. And no one really wants to work anyway.

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I received an email recently from Brian Work, an Ojai cyclist and beginning screenwriter working on new a bicycling comedy. According to Brian, he’s got some interest from a major producer, and is looking for sponsors as well as a more experienced writer to partner with on the script.

If you’re interested on either count, email him at info@banzaiinojai.com.

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Just in time for holiday shopping, Forbes offers a gift guide for bike riders. Or how about a balance bike made from reclaimed beetle-killed Colorado pine trees for the pre-pedaling set?

Meanwhile, bicycling appears to be reaching lower case critical mass as H&M discovers men’s bikewear — sorry ladies, but your money just isn’t good enough for them, evidently — and Target once again offers a designer bike. And staid Cole Haan introduces a line of high fashion hi-viz women’s footwear.

Although personally, this is what I call hi-viz biking attire. And I double dog dare any driver to claim he doesn’t see it.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for more altruistic places for your disposable funds, here’s a somewhat dated list of bicycling charities.

And I hope to have a few suggestions on what else you can do with those excess piles of cash begging to do a little good a little later this week.

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Ex — not former — Tour de France winner Alberto Contador says he’s worn out; you’d think he would have gotten lots of rest while he was all too briefly briefly banned for doping. And speaking of Contador, the man who supposedly delivered the supposedly tainted meat that allegedly got him banned is elected president of the Spanish cycling federation. Couldn’t be a payoff for taking the alleged fall, could it?

Meanwhile, a three-member panel will investigate ties between cycling’s governing body and recent doping scandals.

And not only does America’s only official Tour de France winner Greg LeMond join other pro bike leaders in calling for real racing reforms, but he’s planning to run for president of the UCI.

Funny how the fallout from l’affaire Lance has changed LeMond’s public perception from a whiner pointing the finger at everyone but himself to the one true voice speaking for much needed reform of pro cycling.

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A couple of good reads from Rick Bernardi on Bob Mionske’s Bicycle Law blog.

First up is a look at red light running cyclists and the scofflaw drivers who hate them. Which is followed by an examination of whether biking under the influence should be treated the same as driving under the influence.

The two stories may not seem to have a lot in common. But both offer a similar theme focusing on the question of relative harm.

As in, a bicyclist who blows through a red light poses far less danger to others than a driver who does the same. And a drunk on a bike is a danger primarily to him or herself, while a drunk behind the wheel is a danger to everyone in the vicinity, on or off the road.

The law should reflect that.

And in some states — including California —it does.

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A new Glendale Hyperion bridge could provide better access to the L.A. River bike path; how about designing in separated bikeways the full length of the bridge itself while they’re at it. The joy of fenders. Flying Pigeon hosts their monthly Spoke(n) Art Ride this weekend. As a apparent holiday gift to motorists, Santa Monica police are targeting bad bicyclist behavior this month. Boyonabike! celebrates the new ownership of Stan’s Bike Shop in Monrovia. Maybe it’s just me,  but it seems like bikes hardly ever crash into churches when it rains — or knock them down if they do. By the pricking of my thumbs, something muddy this way comes, courtesy of Will Campbell and his Malibu Creek State Park encrusted mountain bike. And speaking of muddy, how ‘cross is changing women’s cycling. Center Line Rule says goodbye to 40-year framebuilder Brian Bayliss.

After a Santa Ana man is mugged for his bicycle, he gives vainly gives chase on a borrowed bike. The Orange County Register looks at OC’s new women’s bike shop. A San Diego toddler is injured when a suspected drunk driver Jerry Browns his mom’s bike; a day earlier, another suspected drunk hit a cyclist but was arrested when she came back to watch the damage she caused. Bakersfield wants the public’s input on how to improve the city’s bikeways. Cyclelicious reviews Elly Blue’s Everyday Bicycling. A San Francisco newsman takes on bike lane blocking drivers.

A graphic guide to bicycling hand signals, although they leave out what seems to be the most popular one. How to move a Christmas tree by bike; I assume the directions would work just as well for a Chanukah bush. Use of specialized bicycle traffic signals spreads across the U.S. A Loveland CO city councilmember is seriously injured in a left cross collision; fortunately, it looks like he’ll be okay. A Montana man reminisces about buying a bike on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. Wisconsin residents want free parking, not bike lanes. Chicago cyclists are about to get their first two-way protected bikeway, but is that enough to protect them from victim-blaming hit-and run cops? New bike helmet signals your stress level; do you really want passing motorists to know just how stressed out you are? Bikeshare appears to be booming in Beantown, but people ride in winter, too. A bike’s eye view of New York. Austin TX cyclists demand safer streets. LSU police crack down on campus cyclists, but not, apparently, in coordination with Santa Monica PD. Miami’s Critical Mass riding LeBron James is named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year; you’d think the story might mention their Sportswoman of the Year, as well, but you might be wrong.

An Alberta driver was three times the legal limit for alcohol when he ran down and killed a cyclist last summer. A Winnipeg driver says he panicked after killing a cyclist, and he’s really, really sorry he ran away so he could dump a case of beer before getting caught; and yet, they still manage to blame the victim. London plans to spend nearly £1 billion — roughly $1.6 billion — on bikeways over the next 10 years. The Independent says cyclists need a code of conduct and a new mindset and license plates, while The Mail calls us arrogant, abusive and oh-so smug; the last time I encountered something like that last link, I had to scrape it off my shoes. A Very British Dude offers a far more readable and rational response. Brit bicyclists prepare to be ambushed by the BBC; brief excerpts are offered here — including “If I can touch your cab, you’re too close.” Amen, brother. Tired of bikes being stolen from their clientele, a UK pub rents bike locks to its customers. What good is a bike lane if taxis — and police vans — are allowed to park in it; then again, there’s more than one way to block a bike lane. A planned bike lane in a Scot roundabout is panned as a cyclist blender. India prepares for its first pro tour.  An Aussie cyclist is punched by a passing motorcyclist. And you thought parked cars were a problem; a Borneo cyclist is nearly decapitated by a steel cable anchoring telephone pole in the middle of a bike lane.

Finally, a Bay Area woman attempts to stop a bike thief with bear spray and a wooden Japanese training sword. Courtesy of Marvin Davis, a reminder that we ride because bicycling is beautiful, warts and all.

And in honor of the recent weather, it looks like those old dry L.A. rivers aren’t so dry anymore.