Tag Archive for bicycling

Riding with a Greasy Wiener, Manhattan non-cyclists ticketed, the Vuelta rolls in España

August 28, 2010 / / 4 comments

Only in L.A. could a quick spin along the coast lead result in a Greasy Weiner, getting chased by a Balrog and discovering a badly malfunctioning calendar.

Let’s take that in reverse order.

Seriously, August skies should not look like this in Southern California.

On an otherwise hot and sunny August day, I rolled into Venice and stopped near the pier to scarf down a quick snack. And found myself suddenly transported into mid-January, as the fog rolled in and the temperature dropped a dozen or so degrees in a matter of minutes.

Maybe it’s just me, but I want a do-over on this summer. While the rest of the country has sweltered in record-breaking heat, L.A. cyclists have been donning cold weather gear when we head to the beach.

In August, no less.

Fortunately, the skies cleared a few hundred yards north as I continued on my way, even if it didn’t warm up all that much. Then as I approached Santa Monica, a work crew was setting up the stage for that evening’s concert on the pier.

Evidently, they were doing a sound check, using a bass drum to tap out a steady rhythm so they could check out the levels.

Maybe I’ve read the Lord of the Rings too many times over the years. But as soon as I entered the tunnel under the pier, the boom of the drum reverberating through the timbers, I was instantly transported to the Mines of Moria, with an angry Balrog hot on my trail.

Doom. Doom. Doom…

Fortunately, I managed to escape out the other side, without the assistance of Gandalf the Grey. And found myself surrounded with something far more frightening — a path clogged with tourists as far as the eye could see.

I’ll take Balrogs and Orcs over tourists any day. Nothing personal.

Somehow, though, after numerous stops and starts, swerves and shouted warnings, I managed to make it past the pier area and continued north to where the path ends, dumping riders who want to continue just a little further into the parking lot above Temescal Canyon.

A Greasy Wiener on the beach. Damn, that just cracks me up.

And as I rounded the curve into the final lot, I spotted one of the leading celebrities in L.A.’s food truck boom.

It could just be me. But there was something funny as hell in the idea of stumbling upon a Greasy Weiner on the beach.

Maybe I just need a little more sleep.

………

In the most shocking news since the Mayor’s conversion to bike activist, a rollerblader is actually ticketed for skating on the Marvin Bruade bike path in Manhattan Beach — despite years of nearly universally ignored “bike only” markings. According to the Beach Reporter,

But the juxtaposition of bicycles, joggers, skateboarders and rollerbladers can lead to disaster on the bike path, according to city police, and bike path violations lead to an infraction and court date.

“It’s dangerous,” said Manhattan Beach Traffic Lt. Andy Harrod. “Bicycles and skaters and joggers just don’t mix.”

Note to Santa Monica: Evidently, it’s actually possible to enforce that restriction, after all. Who knew, huh? Thanks to Jim Lyle for the heads-up.

………

The media jumps in on the helmet debate, as an ER physician says wearing a helmet is “the single most important thing you can do to determine whether you live or die” in a bike accident, while the BBC notes it may not offer as much protection as you think. A Chicago writer and bike commuter says she didn’t know the subject was up for debate, but Obama has decided to wear one after all; I wonder if the GOP will call that a flip-flop. And bike injuries and deaths cost the country over $5 billion a year.

Meanwhile, a bill requiring mandatory helmet use for underage snowboarders awaits the governors signature, a mandatory bike helmet law for adults could be next; thanks to Brent for the tip.

(For anyone who’s not clear on the subject, I’m for helmet use but against making them mandatory, with all due apologies to our new mayoral BFF.)

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The last of the year’s Grand Tours kicks off this weekend, as the legendary Vuelta a España — aka, Tour of Spain — starts with a team time trial; Contador is out, which means the field is wide open. My money is on Andy Schleck, but I’d like to see what a healthy Christian Vande Velde can do.

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In upcoming events:

Chinatown Summer Nights hosts its final weekend in Downtown’s Chinatown District from 5 pm to midnight, with DJs, food trucks, and cultural and cooking demonstrations, among other activities; free bike valet courtesy of LACBC.

Sunday, August 29th, LACBC hosts a breakfast and brainstorming session for River Ride volunteers; RSVP by email for more information and location.

Sunday must be volunteer day; CicLAvia is looking for volunteers for outreach canvassing along the CicLAvia route, starting at 3:30 pm on the 29th at Shatto Park; other volunteer opportunities will take place over the coming weeks. Email CicLAviaVolunteer [at] gmail.com if you’d like to pitch in.

LACBC hosts their second monthly mixer from 6 to 8 pm on Wednesday, September 1st at LACBC’s Downtown headquarters, 634 S. Spring Street. It’s a great chance to meet the staff, learn what the organization is doing and maybe even join up yourself or bring in a prospective member.

The curtain parts on the L.A. Bicycle Film Festival this Wednesday, September 1st and runs through the 5th; check the website for schedule and locations.

Flying Pigeon hosts a book signing with photographer and former D.A. Gil Garcetti (you may also know his son Eric) for his book Paris: Women and Bicycles on Thursday, September 9 at 7:30 pm. I had a chance to look it over at this year’s River Ride; if you love beautiful photographs of beautiful women on beautiful bikes in one of the world’s most beautiful cities — and who doesn’t? — this is a beautiful opportunity to meet the man behind the lens.

Make your plans for Parking Day LA on Sept. 17th.

Celebrate the third anniversary of C.R.A.N.K. MOB at C.R.A.N.K.MAS III, 9 pm on Saturday, September 18th and 7 am Sunday, September 19th; costumes mandatory.

Explore the effects of bicycles on art and culture at the Grand Opening of Re:Cycle — Bike Culture in Southern California, October 7th – 9th, at U.C. Riverside’s newly relocated Sweeney Art Gallery at the Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts, 3834 Main Street in downtown Riverside. A reception will be held from 6 – 10 pm Thursday, October 7th; the exhibition continues through December 31st.

New Belgium Brewery’s Tour de Fat makes its first L.A. stop on Saturday, October 23rd. The following day, Sony sponsors their bikeless Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon.

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Streetsblog reports on Wednesday’s fundraiser. Gary looks back at last Sunday’s successful Tour da Arts. A San Diego cyclist rides 15 miles to celebrate surviving a near fatal head-on collision one year earlier. Courtesy of Cyclelicious, a common sense guide for fat cyclists; one thing I’ve noticed about overweight riders, if you keep at it, you probably won’t be overweight very long. Your next bike jersey could be made from coffee beans; that should perk you up on those early morning rides. An Iowa cycling champion is seriously injured in a collision with a car. An NYC cyclist is critically injured in a hit-and-run. An OKC writer says the roads are crowded with bad and inexperienced drivers, so bikes don’t belong on there; it’s been a long time since I studied Logic in college, but something just doesn’t seem right with that argument. Yet another misguided bike ban, as a Texas town bans bikes from any roads under construction; seriously, they swear it’s for our own safety. Baltimore bikers are getting beaten up by teenagers; maybe they should ban bikes there so we’ll be protected from B-town beat downs. The Onion says Lance has something to tell us, but you have to promise not to get mad (remember, it’s satire, folks). Should London’s bike share program provide helmets for riders who want them? A tip for lazy riders: pick a route with lots of hills. One more reason to ride — you won’t have to drive a car that runs on fecal matter.

Finally, now Copenhagen cyclists get bike butlers to pamper their illegally parked bikes; I need to live a good life so I can go there when I die.

Category: General / Tags: , , , , , ,

LAPD intervenes to fight anti-bike harassment at a highly personal level

August 27, 2010 / / 16 comments

Yesterday, I received the following email from a local cyclist named Aaron, relating his experience with a bike-hating driver. And a successful, and surprisingly personal, intervention from the LAPD.

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I’m a regular reader of your blog and avid cycling commuter, and I’ve been excitedly following Police Chief Beck and Mayor Villaraigosa’s recent progress on the issue of cycling.  I know the city is really trying to take strides in its approach to cyclists, and I think the cycling community needs to give credit where credit is due.  In that spirit, I feel compelled to share my own recent mind-blowingly great experience with the LAPD regarding a motorist that had been repeatedly harassing my fiancé and me on our morning ride over the course of several weeks.

An ordinary looking car, with an angry driver inside.

To give you some background, my fiancé and I try to be model cyclists on our commute from Silver Lake to K-Town (we wear helmets, yield to pedestrians, stop at stop signs, stay to the right of the road where safe to do so), but occasionally we’ll still encounter some maniac who feels like he/she owns the road and targets us for harassment.

Over the past six weeks, we’ve had a series of unpleasant encounters with the same woman who apparently shares at least a few blocks of our morning commute.  It started when, on a quiet, residential stretch of Vendome one morning, we noticed a tan Toyota sedan driven by a middle-aged woman barreling past us in excess of the speed limit and honking; the car then swerved dangerously close to another cyclist up ahead, still honking.  When we (cyclists and motorists) all arrived at the same red light half a block later, all of the cyclists glared at the woman because of her dangerous and aggressive driving while we waited for the light to change.  She saw this and rolled down her window and started screaming that we have to “get out of the road” and other such nonsense.

We kept seeing this woman again over the coming weeks on the same block of Vendome, often waiting at the same red light with her, and whenever we saw her, she would honk, roll down her window and yell, give us the finger, etc.  This all came to a head this Monday (8/23), when she launched into a particularly toxic rant while we were waiting at the red (she kept calling my fiancé a “stupid bitch” claiming that cyclists have to “follow the law” by “stay[ing] out of the road,” telling us that she “recognizes” us, etc.).  We tried to explain that we had a right to be in the road and that she shouldn’t harass cyclists, but this just set her off screaming even more.  I mad a point of taking photos of her and her license plate before the light turned green.

Sgt. David Krumer juggles three phones at once; he may need more to handle the calls from cyclists.

We were feeling pretty intimidated at this point after weeks of harassment from this obviously unhinged woman, so using info from the LA County Bicycle Coalition, I contacted Sergeant David Krumer with the LAPD via email, explained the situation, and asked him if there was anything he could do to help with the situation.  Within a couple of days (he actually apologized for this short delay saying he was on vacation!), he called me up and we talked about the incidents further.  He explained that, because there were no elements of assault or specific credible threats, things had not yet escalated to a criminal issue (which I had figured from the start).  What blew me away is what he said next.

Sergeant Krumer explained that, even though no crime had been committed, the motorist was clearly behaving wrongly and, since I had her license plate number, he would have a talk with her.  He took down the details about where exactly the encounters took place and told me that he would either wait at the intersection in an unmarked car the next morning and pull her over when she drove by or go make contact at her home. That same night, Sergeant Krumer contacted me again and said that he had already met with the woman.  Here is his description of the encounter:

I had a pretty lengthy conversation with her with regards to a cyclist’s road position, the door zone, and under which circumstances a cyclist needs to cede the roadway.

We also had a discussion about honking horn, etiquette, and unnecessary provocations.

She indicated she understood and also stated that she will be using an alternate route to prevent future encounters.

He also told me that, after seeing me take her picture, she had actually gone to the police herself to try to tell her side in anticipation of me reporting her.  I guess she must have realized that she had let things get out of hand at that point.

So, in the span of a few days, the LAPD was able to contact a motorist that had been terrorizing me for weeks, personally educate her on traffic laws, cyclist safety and etiquette, and even get her to change her route in the morning!!!  All the while, Sergeant Krumer was incredibly courteous and professional, and he has asked me to contact him should I have any more trouble or need further assistance.  I’m extremely impressed with the degree of personal attention and seriousness that the LAPD devoted to me.  I can only conclude that the LAPD is serious about taking a new approach to cyclists.

Incidentally, after he helped me, I mentioned to Sergeant Krumer that I might like to share my story with some of the local cycling blogs that I follow.  He was very receptive, saying:

Chief Beck made a commitment to improving relations with cyclists and making a sincere effort to address their concerns.  I know that many cyclists have had negative contacts with law enforcement.  Anything that you can contribute that would let cyclists know that the LAPD is making a sincere and genuine effort to better our relationship would be greatly appreciated.

So that’s why I’m writing to you.  It’s just a minor issue involving a couple of cyclists and one motorist, but I hope that you see fit to share my story as one of the “small victories” that can be replicated around the city.  We’ve all heard a lot of talk lately from city institutions about how they’re taking our concerns seriously.  Now, after my interactions with the LAPD, I’m inclined to believe that talk.

Update: Sgt. Krumer offered a clarification in the comments to this post; I’m moving it up here for everyone who doesn’t read the comments.

Hello All,

Thank you very much for the positive comments. Just to clarify a few points: The driver volunteered to take a different route on her own without any suggestion or proding from me. It appears she recognized on her own the prudence of that decision.

While I did say that I would attempt to be at the intersection at the approximate time of the encounters (if necessary), my intent was to observe…not pull her over (unless a dangerous situation ensued).

Finally I did not “meet” with her but had a telephonic conversation in which we discussed all of the aforementioned issues. I left a message for her that she promptly returned. After our discussion a face to face did not appear warranted.

I am hopeful that the issue is resolved and that there will be no further incidents!

Take care,

David

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Big bike happenings in the Valley. It looks like Wilbur Avenue really will get two miles of bike lanes; LADOT Bike Blog says Wilbur is getting bike lanes because it got a road diet, not the other way around. Meanwhile, new bridges at Tampa and Winnetka Aves mean work can proceed on two miles additional miles of the LA River Bike Path between Mason and VanAlden.

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Streetsblog gets the first second photo of a real Give Me 3 poster on the street. Ten public spaces you can visit along the CicLAvia route on 10/10/10. Green LA Girl reports on Wednesday’s Streetsblog fundraiser. LACBC follows up on the Mayor’s Bike Summit, including the bike plan, Complete Streets and the proposed three-foot passing and vulnerable user laws. Bikeside says the only question in the Santa Monica bikeway vs Agensys dispute is how to make the bikeway happen. Is San Diego’s Critical Mass a victim of its own success? San Francisco remembers the German cyclist killed in an alleged drunken hit-and-run. SF cyclists “with an anti-establishment attitude” protest BP and a dangerous bike lane next to an ARCO station. Tucson police “suppress” cyclists behaving badly. A semi right hooks an SLC cyclist, leaving the rider with life-threatening injuries. Bike lawyer Bob Mionske notes that three-foot passing laws — like the one Mayor Villaraigosa and Council Member Rosendahl propose — only work if they’re actually enforced. Three ticketed cyclists challenge the constitutionality of the Black Hawk CO bike ban. A Colorado women describes what it’s like to hit a cyclist from the driver’s perspective; fortunately, the rider wasn’t seriously hurt — and the driver took full responsibility. Is that Mario Kart bike lane a genuine Banksy? In a twist on bike share, the Twin Cities host a successful bike library for low income adults. Officials fear bikes and pedestrians flooding the streets of Elmhurst. In the most dangerous state for bicyclists, a ninja cyclist is hit and killed by a Florida Sheriff’s deputy. The Cervelo men’s team folds, as the women’s team may continue; Garmin-Transitions will be on Cervelo bikes next year. On the other hand, India’s cyclists may not be on any bikes for the Commonwealth Games. Cambridge England creates a website to act as a suggestion box for cyclists; maybe L.A. cycling’s new BFF — aka the Mayor — should consider the idea. The body of a Brit cyclist is found stuffed in a sports bag; maybe it’s just a coincidence that he worked for MI6. A Brit teenager on a stolen bike critically injures a pedestrian in a two-wheeled hit-and-run. Now this sounds like a perfect ride to me.

Finally, a Kansas writer says cyclists make bad criminals, in part because bikes make awful getaway vehicles. And yet, that doesn’t stop a lot of bank robbers from trying.

Category: General / Tags: , , , , , ,

Fighting over red lights: To stop or not to stop

August 26, 2010 / / 19 comments

I confess, I make a point of stopping for red lights.

Last week, another rider wanted to fight me because of it.

As an experienced cyclist, I feel an obligation to set an example — both for other riders, and to show drivers that we don’t all run red lights.

Not that they usually notice, of course.

Human nature being what it is, they may not notice the riders stopped next to them waiting for the light to change. But they’ll sure as hell see any rider who happens to blows through it.

Besides, it’s not only courteous and safer to stop on reds, it’s the law. And evidently, that’s what got the pugilistically inclined cyclist upset.

Maybe he was just hopped up on testosterone, driven to distraction by a riding companion whose figure, to steal a line from Woody Allen, “described a set of parabolas that could cause cardiac arrest in a yak.”

Or maybe he was just a jerk.

Either way, I was riding north in the bike lane on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica just south of Colorado Avenue, when I stopped at the red light at the on and off ramps for PCH. I probably could have continued through the intersection safely; the only danger I faced in going through the light was that a car turning onto Ocean from the onramp might carelessly stray into the bike lane.

But I’ve learned over the years never to count on a driver doing the right thing. And I recognize that red lights usually exist for a reason, even if I may not always understand or agree with it.

So I sat patiently and waited. The two riders I’d passed a little further up the block didn’t.

They rolled by on my right and continued through the red light; as they passed, the guy sarcastically commented, “Seriously, a red light? In the bike lane?”

So I simply glanced over and responded, “That’s the law.”

The next thing I knew, he was off his bike and standing in the roadway, fists balled and coming towards me. Fortunately, the light changed and I continued on my way, shaking my head that anyone would feel compelled to fight over something so trivial. And not the least bit concerned that he might catch up to me, as I glanced back a few moments later to see him pedaling furiously in my wake, yet falling further behind with every pedal stroke.

That’s not to say that I never run red lights.

In fact, I ran one just the other day on my way to the Mayor’s Give Me 3 press conference, when I found myself at a light where my bike couldn’t trigger the sensor and there was no pedestrian button to push.

So when traffic going in the opposite direction got the green and I didn’t, I waited until all the cars in the left turn lane went through, then rode through the light. And hoped that the stop light that held back cars on the busy street I was crossing wouldn’t change while I was still in the intersection.

I also recognize there are situations where it may actually be safer to ride through the red than to sit at a dangerous intersection waiting to get hit.

But the fact remains that the law require cyclists to stop for red lights, just like cars, trucks, buses and pedestrians. And as much as I would prefer to see an Idaho stop law here, to the best of my knowledge, it doesn’t currently exist anywhere outside of the Famous Potato state.

On the other hand, that doesn’t mean I’m going to tell you to stop. Or chase you down and berate you in an attempt to police our sport if you go through a light. I assume you’re a grownup and fully capable of making your own decisions, whether or not I happen to agree with them.

But what I can’t accept are riders who insist on going through the light when someone else has the right-of-way.

Like the two fixie riders I recently watched weave their way through a crosswalk crowded with pedestrians, forcing the only road users more vulnerable than we are to get the hell out of their way or risk getting hurt.

(For anyone unclear on the concept, as long as they’re not crossing against the light, pedestrians in a crosswalk always have the right of way.)

Or the three riders I watched blow through the busy intersection of Santa Monica and Beverly Glen in Century City over the weekend, laughing as the drivers crossing on the green light had to brake or swerve to avoid them. And making me cringe with the expectation that one of those drivers might not be able to stop in time — whether to avoid the riders or the other cars scattering in their wake like so many pinballs.

Somehow, they made it across safely. Though one or more could easily have ended up adding to last weekend’s carnage.

Which brings up one last point.

Few things are riskier than going through a red light when opposing traffic is present. As bike lawyer Bob Mionske has pointed out, if you get hit after running a red light, you’re the one who’ll be held at fault, regardless of what the other person did or didn’t do.

And good luck getting your medical expenses paid after that. Or any kind of settlement, for that matter.

So when the light turns yellow, I’m reaching for my brakes. And making a quick calculation about whether I can make it through the intersection before it turns red, or if I need to pull those levers and wait until the light changes again, just like the drivers next to me.

Whether or not you choose to stop is your decision.

But just remember, going through the light is often dangerous.

And always illegal.

………

Gary says it’s time to stop letting the roadway bullies win. LADOT Bike Blog looks at sidewalk riding in the South Bay. Claremont Cyclist offers the history of roads in response to the KSU writer who claimed roads are for cars, explaining that roads are for general transportation and “not the hegemony of a single mode of transportation over others.” NorCal residents struggle to reclaim the street Caltrans turned into a highway; thanks to Brent for the link. More bicycle scorchers in 19th Century Denver. Zeke writes about his experiences on the Blue Ridge Breakaway. Bicycling Magazine offers seven steps to pain-free cycling. Austin on Two Wheels says the new riding stats from New York should be the death knell of vehicular cycling. A Maryland cyclist is killed in a right hook with a semi. Now that looks like a nice commute. A New Orleans community activist plans a 1600 mile bike ride along the Gulf Coast to raise awareness about fuel dependence in the wake of the BP oil spill. Bicycling through Tokyo at the speed of light. A insurance company plants unlocked bikes around London to show how easy they are to steal; turns out, no one wants them. Riding without brakes is illegal in the UK, and usually not smart. Miss Scotland rides a bike.

Finally, a Connecticut driver encourages cyclists to share the roads, but please act like adults and leave your egos at home. Somehow, I get the feeling he doesn’t like us very much.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

I tweet therefore I am, Streetsblog parties and the Mayor says Give Me 3

August 25, 2010 / / 5 comments

Today I finally enter the Twitter age, only a few years after everyone else on the planet.

I’d been reluctant to add yet another demand on an already overcrowded schedule. But my friend GT — who writes eloquently about struggling to complete his first major climb after his recent heart attack — talked me into it to make it easier to keep you up with new content and breaking news.

So you can now follow me @bikinginla. And I’m now taking suggestions on who I should follow.

And in case you’ve missed it, there’s an interesting — and decidedly in-depth — discussion about helmet use going on at the Survival Tactics page.

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Don’t miss tonight’s Streetsblog LA Re-Launch Fundraiser and Party, complete with silent auction courtesy of Green LA Girl. And set your browser for tomorrow’s official re-launch of the city’s leading — and most important — transportation news site. I have other commitments this evening, but will make a brief appearance before the night is over.

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L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa continues his surprising support for safe cycling.

L.A. cycling’s new BFF continues to support the biking community.

Yesterday, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa held a press conference to announce the winner of the recent contest to create a slogan for bike safety campaign — something that was in the works long before what London’s Guardian newspaper called his Road-to-Damascus conversion to cycling evangelist.

The Mayor autographs the Give Me 3 poster.

The contest, and resulting poster, were the result of a joint effort between the LACBC, Midnight Ridazz, LADOT and the LAPD, as well as the Mayor’s office.

Yes, that’s just as strange a coalition as it sounds. And one that would have been unimaginable just a year earlier.

The winning slogan, “Give Me 3,” was submitted by cyclist Danny Gamboa, and the poster was designed by L.A. based cyclist and graphic artist Geoff McFetridge.

The poster was also signed by many of the people who worked to make it happen.

According to the Mayor,

“California law currently requires drivers to give a ‘safe passing’ distance, but drivers may not know what safe means. Three feet is a safe passing distance and will help keep bicyclists out of the door zone.”

While the new campaign merely encourages drivers to give a minimum three feet distance when passing bike riders, Villaraigosa promised to work with cyclists and the state legislature to pass a state-wide three-foot passing law. A previous attempt to pass the law in 2006 failed to get out of committee after opposition from the trucking industry and the California Highway Patrol.

Who ever thought we'd see the Mayor flanked by cyclists and their bikes?

The website Three Feet Please says 15 states and the District of Columbia have passed three-foot laws, along with four cities — Austin and San Antonio Texas, Boise Idaho and Tupelo Mississippi. In fact, Mississippi recently became the latest to mandate a minimum three feet.

If they can manage to give cyclists a full yard on the narrow roads of the deep south, California drivers shouldn’t have any problem.

A phalanx of bikes storm the steps of power.

Villaraigosa also made a point of encouraging cyclists to wear a helmet, but did not mention his previous threat call for a mandatory helmet law. The event was followed by filming of a pair of PSA spots featuring the Mayor that will encourage safe driving and helmet use.

Other sites have already covered the press conference in greater detail, including the LACBC, LADOT Bike Blog, Streetsblog and the Mayor’s office; LADOT Bike Blog also offers a full listing of other coverage of the campaign.

A cross sections of cyclists sought shade while waiting to film the PSA.

It will be interesting to see what effect the Give Me 3 campaign will have on the streets of L.A.

In my experience, most drivers already pass at a safe distance, so the question is what influence it will have on the minority of drivers buzz cyclists — intentionally or not.

Or if they’ll only give a safe distance to riders who look like Gumby.

As I rode home, I spotted this poster just blocks from City Hall.

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People for Bikes reaches 50,000 pledges to support cycling in the U.S.; if you haven’t signed up yet, you can do it here. I signed up a few months back.

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Complaints surface about LADOT’s tendency to make infrastructure changes without public notice. Ten things to do at CicLAvia. Gary takes Agensys to task fighting a much needed biking link through Santa Monica. Glee’s Lea Michele rides a lavender cruiser through the streets of L.A. Headphones are legal while riding in most states, though California limits it to one ear only; then again, your choice of music could affect your performance. Rabobank, sponsor of one of the leading pro cycling teams, positions itself for next year’s Tour of California; thanks to George Wolfberg for the link. After receiving 110 units of blood to save his own life, a former CA police officer rides 4,000 miles across the country to thank blood donors; meanwhile, a Brit cyclist rides 3400 miles less across the U.S. to fight cancer; then again, she’s only seven years old. A Tucson bike-grabbing road grate gets a quick fix. If you get run over while talking on a cell phone while riding in Arizona, the courts could rule that distracted riding is relevant to your case. A Portland bike lane gets the Mario Kart treatment from the Department of DIY. A look at Dora Rinehart, the greatest female cyclist of the 1890s; from Colorado, of course. If you want to do a little climbing this weekend, how about 24.5 miles — and 7,700 vertical feet — up Pikes Peak? Somehow, a Kansas State student can get all the way to college, and still think that riding a bike in the street is annoying, rude and has to stop, regardless of what the law says. It takes real food, not energy bars, to get you through the long rides. British police crack down on anti-social cyclists — that sounds so much scarier than scofflaws, doesn’t it? UK authorities are set to reject a call to reduce the BAC limit from .80 to .50. How to adjust your front and rear derailleurs. Racer Rosa Bicycles strives to be cleaner and greener than the rest. Eleven months and 23,000 kilometers of riding across Africa. A New Zealand driver admits to falling asleep and killing a cyclist on Easter Sunday.

Finally, he’s doing it on two feet instead of two wheels, but a tenacious walker is about to finish a remarkable stroll from Rockaway Beach, NY to Rockaway Beach, OR; thanks to Brent for the heads-up.

Category: General / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Just the links: A threatened SM bikeway, more injured cyclists and better bike etiquette

August 24, 2010 / / 2 comments

A long planned bikeway through Santa Monica is in jeopardy, thanks to the building plans of a major bio-tech company. If Agensys gets its way, they will block completion of the planned Michigan Ave bike path for the next 50 years, cutting off access to the upcoming Expo line from many parts of the city; somehow, they can safely accommodate cars and pedestrians, but bikes would present too much of a danger. Barbara Filet and Kent Strumpel have full details at Santa Monica Spoke.

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Adding to the worst weekend for SoCal cyclists in recent memory, two women riders on the Cool Breeze Century ride were injured when one was struck by a semi-truck on Highway 101; thanks to DC for the link.

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Ten public art works along the planned CicLAvia route. Green LA Girl offers a look at Sunday’s Tour da Arts, and says she’ll see you at tomorrow’s Streetsblog fundraiser. San Diego sees its first bike wedding; one writer calls it the best wedding ever. When it gets this hot, slow down to Tweed speed. A 17-year old cyclist is killed in Milpitas. A Chico bike trail will soon be marked with 15 foot steel sprockets. Now this is a bike. Free parking in Eugene OR could mean the loss of 288 bike spaces. Good wants you to spend a day with bike and without car, and send them a doodle to illustrate it. Kansas State students are assigned to identify physical barriers to biking. New York gets a new protected bike lane. Charleston police crack down on cyclists. A DC cyclist is fatally shot on his ride home from work. Anchorage needs a vulnerable user law, not an anti-vulnerable user law. Speaking of bike weddings, top pro Frank Schleck is officially off the market. Robbie McEwen gets left off the Aussie team for their home turf world championships. Here’s your chance to get a jersey autographed by three-time Tour de France champ Greg leMond. Guilty of nude cycling — and stopping to chat with an 11-year old girl.

Finally, traffic etiquette for cyclists — written in 1933, but it could have been written yesterday:

On corners you attempt, wherever possible, to brush the person or persons who dare to stand there. It is best if you’re travelling fast enough that you manage to knock one of them over. Then you can confirm beyond a doubt that the person in question was in your way or, in other words, ”That taught them a lesson!”…

In the courtyard you discard the bicycle as carelessly as possible, in order to give any potential bystanders the impression that you’re cool (superior in intelligence).

Ensure that the bicycle is placed so that anyone and everyone can trip over it. You’ll quickly discover that the person who trips over it will pick it up and place it politely against the wall – usually under a sign that reads: ”Bicycles will be removed”.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

Leading local scientist and investor killed Friday morning while riding to JPL

August 23, 2010 / / 4 comments

I received an email last night from a reader named John, saying that a friend of his had been killed by a speeding motorist while riding his bike in the greater L.A. area, and that another rider had been hospitalized.

So far, there’s been no official confirmation of the report, either from the authorities or in the media. However, Brent pointed out in a comment that Scott Evans wrote the following on his Facebook page:

Thanks everyone for your well wishes! For those who haven’t heard, on Friday morning my buddy Doug Caldwell and I were hit by a car while we were riding our bikes to work at JPL. Unfortunately, Doug did not survive. I was very lucky and only ended up with a 48 hour stay in the hospital and some broken teeth.

As of now, I have no other details about the collision or where it occurred, other than that the driver stayed at the scene; however, unconfirmed reports indicate that Caldwell was taken off life support over the weekend.

Brent also pointed to a LinkedIn profile that appears to be the same Doug Caldwell, listing him as an investor in Pasadena Angeles, a Chief Architect in Renewable Energy Solutions at Boeing, and a principal at Angeles Energy, as well as a former lecturer in Applied Physics at CalTech and a Project Manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Other sites seem to confirm that, including a Facebook posting that referred to his death on Saturday — which has since disappeared — and identified him as a co-founder of Ecliptic Enterprises.

In light of today’s Calabasas collision on Mulholland Hwy, in which a car driven by an 81-year old woman caused major injuries to three riders, many people are questioning the ease of getting — and keeping — a drivers license; as Traffic-meister Tom Vanderbuilt put it, a license is too easy to get and too hard to lose.

As John put it in his email,

I’ve read enough news accounts (and your blog as well) to know how it’s going to go. People will say it was an “accident,” when really it’s an artifact of our society’s treatment of driving as a birthright. We hand out drivers’ licenses like banks used to hand out credit cards, and we never seem to take them back.

Let’s remember that we still don’t know the details of either incident, and no one has yet been ticketed or charged in the Calabasas collision — even though it’s easy to infer what probably happened in Calabasas.

But as a society, we have to do something to regain the long-forgotten sense that cars are dangerous machines that must be operated with extreme care, rather than the casual carelessness far too many drivers adopt behind the wheel.

And that there are some people who simply shouldn’t drive, because of declining capabilities.

Or their own actions on the road.

My condolences to the family and friends of Doug Caldwell, and best wishes to Scott Evans for a fast and full recovery.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

Better bike data, bike ramps at the beach and an increasingly crowded calendar

August 21, 2010 / / Comments Off on Better bike data, bike ramps at the beach and an increasingly crowded calendar

It looks like we may finally get some solid data on bike usage in the L.A. area. Metro CEO Art Leahy announced that Metro and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) have received a Caltrans grant to develop a Bicycle Data Clearinghouse to measure and report bike usage in Los Angeles County.

………

After 4th District Council Member Tom LaBonge called on the city to investigate bike friendly staircases, George Wolfberg reminds us that bike ramps were installed in the walkway under PCH at West Channel Road a few years ago, after a request was made to LADOT Bikeways Coordinator Michelle Mowery.

I should have remembered that, since I use that walkway on a semi-regular basis, though I usually carry my bike.

………

LADOT Bike Blog offers detailed coverage of last week’s Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting, and promises to report on future meetings to make up for the dearth of information about the BAC. And he makes a great point about the BAC’s lack of any significant online presence.

I couldn’t agree more that the BAC needs to do a better job of communicating to the public, as well as creating some way for people who can’t make it to the meetings to weigh in on the issues under consideration. And I look forward to his ongoing, and much needed, coverage of the BAC.

………

A crowded calendar of upcoming events:

This Saturday, LACBC invites you to hear cellist/singer/songwriter Ben Sollee at the Fold in Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd in Los Angeles; Sollee is touring the U.S. by bicycle in his Ditch the Van Tour 2010, sponsored by Adventure Cycling and the League of American Bicyclists.

Chinatown Summer Nights continues in Downtown’s Chinatown District from 5 pm to midnight every Saturday in August, with DJs, food trucks, and cultural and cooking demonstrations, among other activities; free bike valet courtesy of LACBC.

Bikeside Speaks is scheduled for Saturday, August 21st in conjunction with Santa Monica’s Cynergy Cycles, Specialized and the Disposable Film Festival; speakers include Mike Bower, Gary Kavanagh and CD 4 candidate Stephen Box.

The Santa Monica Museum of Art hosts the Cause for Creativity: Tour da Arts, vol. 2, on August 22; the bike tour is full, but other activities include spoke card workshop and a closing party.

This Tuesday at 10 am, LACBC and Midnight Ridazz join L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for a press conference to unveil the new Bike Awareness and Safety Campaign, at 1st and Main Downtown across from the new LAPD building. Cyclists are invited to attend and stay afterwards to help film a new bike safety PSA; email to RSVP, and bring your helmet.

Living Streets invites you to learn about creative pilot projects and share your ideas to transform L.A. streets into people-friendly places, at the RailLA Exhibit at Downtown’s Jewel Box/City National Plaza, 525 S. Flower Street, from 6 to 8:30 pm on Tuesday, August 24.

Streetsblog LA resumes regular publication on Thursday, August 26. The night before, Damien will be hosting a re-launch party and fundraiser starting at 7 pm on Wednesday the 25th at St. Andrews Lutheran Church, 11555 National Blvd.

Sunday, August 29th, LACBC hosts a breakfast and brainstorming session for River Ride volunteers; RSVP by email for more information and location.

Make your plans for Parking Day LA on Sept. 17th.

Celebrate the third anniversary of C.R.A.N.K. MOB at C.R.A.N.K.MAS III, 9 pm on Saturday, September 18th and 7 am Sunday, September 19th; costumes mandatory.

Explore the effects of bicycles on art and culture at the Grand Opening of Re:Cycle — Bike Culture in Southern California, October 7th – 9th, at U.C. Riverside’s newly relocated Sweeney Art Gallery at the Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts, 3834 Main Street in downtown Riverside. A reception will be held from 6 – 10 pm Thursday, October 7th; the exhibition continues through December 31st.

New Belgium Brewery’s Tour de Fat makes its first L.A. stop on Saturday, October 23rd. The following day, Sony sponsors their bikeless Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon.

………

As promised, Metro installs a video camera on their underground bike parking at Union Station. City Watch’s provides the full text of BAC Chair Glenn Bailey’s eloquent statement from the Mayor’s Bike Summit. A cyclist files suite against Santa Barbara County after breaking a hip on an algae-slicked roadway. Mr. and Mrs. Cyclelicious walk into a gang fight, but at least they didn’t ride into a gunfight. The alleged drunk driver who killed a German cyclist in San Francisco pleads not guilty, not surprisingly. Seattle Transit users are about to get nearly 300 new bike parking spaces. PubliCola calls for a vulnerable users law, ASAP. An architectural look at the first Bicycle City currently being built in Columbia, SC. Ex-president George W. Bush and Peloton One sample a Niner 29-incher. John McCain continues to campaign against bike projects, while supporting federal government interference with local transit decisions — isn’t that the opposite of what he says he believes? Levi Leipheimer holds the lead in the Tour of Utah. Lance Armstrong agrees to speak at next year’s High Point College commencement; exactly what message will he send if he’s under indictment like Roger Clemens? A Savannah cyclist says always be ready to yell a warning. CommuteOrlando Blog asks, if you don’t stand up for Reed Bates, who will stand up for you? The New York Times takes a rational look at the city’s recent anti-bike hysteria. A South Dakota cyclist is memorialized with a ghost bike after a head-on collision; the driver was on prescription medication with over 4.5 times the legal blood alcohol level. A driver hits a bike rider and flees the scene; for a change, so does the cyclist. How to master the Bunny Hop. Copenhagenize says where there’s a will, there’s a cycle way. Taking your bike on a plane is easier said than done. The race to design a better urban bike.

Finally, L.A. may have a crooked sharrow, but at least our bike lanes don’t look like they were painted by drunks; maybe they were using a PedalPub.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

Run a stop sign, kill a cyclist, flee the scene, get probation

August 20, 2010 / / 8 comments

Evidently, life is cheap in the East Valley.

On the morning of September 23rd, 2008, Naira Margaryan blew through a stop sign in her Mercedes Benz, hit a cyclist and fled the scene, leaving Gerado Ramos lingering in a coma for over a year before he finally died of his injuries.

This Tuesday, she was sentenced for her actions.

Correction: The Glendale News Press had said that Margaryan fled the scene; they have since corrected the above story to indicate that she stayed at the scene following the collision.

Not for the jail time that such a crime would seem to call for. Instead she received 700 hours of community service.

And a restricted driver’s license.

I got a stiffer punishment from the ruler-wielding nuns back in catechism class.

Meanwhile, her victim, who authorities found equally responsible for the collision, received the death penalty for the crime of riding his bike on the sidewalk. Which may or may not have been legal in the exact spot where he was struck, given the confusing nature of Glendale’s Municipal Code.

Apparently, riding on the sidewalk is legal anywhere except a business district. But business district is defined so broadly that pretty much any location that isn’t made up exclusively of single family homes would seem to qualify.

CVC 240(c) All churches, apartments, hotels, multiple dwelling houses, clubs, and public buildings, other than schools, shall be deemed to be business structures.

So one ran a stop sign and killed another human being; the other rode his bike on the sidewalk.

Yeah, those seem like equivalent crimes to me, alright.

But only one of them gets to walk away.

Update: This story has been edited to remove any additional references to hit-and-run, based on the News Press correction.

………

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa provides his own perspective on this week’s Bike Summit on the Huffington Post, and promises to follow-up with answers to the most popular questions on his Google Moderator page. Blogdownton responds that cyclists are looking for progress, not promises, while Bikeside accuses the Mayor of declaring helmet war on cyclists.

And leading Brit bike site Road.cc notes that the Mayor is turning into a cycling evangelist, and things seem to be changing for the better here in L.A.; any story that quotes me can’t be all bad.

………

LACBC urges cyclists to write in support of the suddenly threatened bike lanes on Wilbur Avenue in the Valley; the problem is local resistance to a planned road diet to make room for the lanes, not a shortage of roadway paint.

………

The Source looks at Wednesday night’s Moving Beyond Cars event, and offers highlights from last week’s Metro Bicycle Roundtable. Streetsblog looks forward to this weekend’s Bikeside Speaks, while Gary offers an updated speaker list. Never thought I’d be envious of a bike route through Claremont, but that’s one pretty ride. Police crack down on Tucson’s Tuesday Night Bike Ride. If a cyclist riding the wrong way hits a jaywalking pedestrian, do they cancel each other out? Bob Mionske says if you buzz pedestrians, you give all of us a bad name. Bicycling looks at the best up-and-coming American riders. The Thin Bike promises to take up less space in your crowded apartment. A Colorado man takes a bat to a $4,800 bike because he’s tired of “old guys…hogging the road;” Dave Moulton asks, was it worth it? From my home town, cyclists say You know me, I ride a bike. Texas cyclist Reed Bates is found guilty of reckless driving for not riding as far right as possible, the judge says whether or not it’s safer to ride in the middle of the lane, it’s still reckless; Andy Clarke explains why the League of American Bicyclists didn’t get involved. What if bike racks could pay for themselves — or maybe even make money? Michigan cyclists raise money to repave a popular riding road. Two Indiana cyclists are killed in separate incidents just hours apart. The most dangerous state for cyclists promotes its new three foot passing law. Anti-bike scaremongering reaches the boiling point in New York, even though collisions between cyclists and pedestrians have dropped by more than half. MIT’s Copenhagen Wheel, capable of turning any bike into an electric-assisted bicycle, wins the U.S. round of the James Dyson Award; the Guardian says it’s too clever for it’s own good. The local bike shop in Altlandsburg, Germany shouldn’t be hard to find. York, England authorities are puzzled by an unexpected surge in bike thefts. Private street rangers plan to crack down on London’s sidewalk riding cyclists. A Brit cyclist deals with sexist idiots by exposing them on her blog, 101 Wankers.

Finally, bounce back from your next hard summer ride with a post-ride recovery beer. Now there’s a cycling supplement program I can support.

Category: General / Tags: , , , , ,

For one brief shining moment, détente between cyclist and motorist

August 18, 2010 / / 9 comments

Sometimes, it seems like there may actually be hope for these streets.

Just a day after the Mayor called for an end to L.A. car culture at Monday’s Bike Summit, I experienced an unusually positive interaction with a driver. Even if it was next door in Santa Monica.

I’d just crossed over 7th Street, riding in the San Vicente Blvd bike lane on my way to the coast. I was still accelerating, in a section where I usually hit about 25 mph, when an SUV went by on my left and immediately began slowing down.

That often means the driver is about to do something stupid. So I slowed my cadence and feathered my brakes; sure enough, shortly after passing, she cut in front of me and pulled to a stop at the curb.

I braked hard, then rolled to a stop next to her window.

She had a cell phone in her hand, and it quickly became clear that she had done the right thing — although in the wrong way — by pulling to the curb to take her call, rather than break the law against using a handheld phone while driving. Which made me a little more sympathetic than I might have been otherwise.

So when she rolled down her window, I told her as calmly as possible that it was very dangerous to cut in front of me like that, explaining that I could have rear-ended her.

Surprisingly, she wasn’t the least bit defensive. Instead, she listened quietly, then said simply “I’m sorry.”

I continued be saying that what she should have done was to pull in behind me, then move over to the curb only after I was out of the way.

She smiled, and said “Okay, sweetie. I will next time.”

I thanked her and we wished each other well, then she turned her attention back to her call while I continued on my way. And while I can’t speak for her, I left feeling a lot more hopeful about the relationship between cyclists and drivers than I have in a long time.

Although I could have lived without that “sweetie.”

………

More on L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Bike Summit:

London’s Guardian newspaper observes that the Mayor’s Road to Damascus conversion to bicycle advocacy is proof that God is a cyclist. And they have the good taste to quote yours truly.

LAist says cyclists are excited about 11th District Council Member Bill Rosendahl’s proposal for a three-foot passing law, but not so much about Mayor Villaraigosa’s call for a mandatory helmet law.

Streetsblog notes that helmets are not required for driving and walking, which both result in as much or more risk than bicycling.

Gary predicted this moment over a year ago, but thought he was joking; as usual, his photos are amazing, including a nice B&W shot of the LACBC’s Aurisha Smolarsky and your humble scribe.

The Bike District says the driver’s lack of intent in Villaraigosa’s accident doesn’t absolve him of responsibility.

The Source concludes that cyclists left with a favorable, but wait and see attitude; I’d say that pretty well sums it all up.

Still more Summit links at Streetsblog L.A.

………

Gardena is offering a $10,000 reward in the hit-and-run death of pregnant cyclist Jennifer Costlow. Anyone with information should call Investigator Sergio Borbon at (310) 217-6135.

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Tonight, Good sponsors Moving Beyond Cars in celebration of L.A.’s alternative transportation; the event takes place from 7 to 10 pm Downtown at City National Plaza, 525 S. Flower, in conjunction with railLA, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and de LaB.

Also on tonight, the LACBC Board of Directors meets in the mezzanine at 634 Spring Street from 6:45 to 8:45 pm; as always, the meeting is open to the public.

………

LADOT Bike Blog’s excellent survey of where it is and isn’t legal to ride on the sidewalk pedals down to the South Bay. LACBC celebrates a successful City of Lights Awards Dinner. Ten reasons for CicLAvia, with ten historic structures you’ll see on the way. The Bus Bench’s Browne Molyneux says one reason more women don’t bike is because they need to be able to pick up the kids. Claremont Cyclist gets results with the trash bins in the bike lane. An Oakland man is under arrest for the hit-and-run death of a bicycling German tourist; the SF Chronicle says it shows the need for better bike lanes.

The NY Times says Google’s bike map service isn’t perfect, but it’s not bad. NYPD is cracking down on Upper East Side cyclists. NYC will test a wireless bike share program. Now that New York is mapping pedestrian deaths, I’d suggest watching out for left turning drivers hopped up on testosterone; thanks to George Wolfberg for the links. A driver is arrested for turning a local park into a throughway in a deliberate attempt to run down cyclists; Boston Biker wonders about drivers who go into a rage over a little damage to their cars, but don’t consider the damage they’ll do when they hit someone. Turns out CNN’s Anderson Cooper is one of us, too. Houston’s Metro removes seats for cyclists; maybe L.A. Metro should give ‘em a call. The bare essentials for bike commuting. Firing back at the Seattle Times over negative coverage of a proposed road diet. A 16-year old Chicago boy is killed while riding to visit his mother; his parents say the collision was the result of a police chase. Villaraigosa isn’t the only mayor injured while cycling recently. Three-hundred bicyclists give a rolling send off to a Michigan cyclist who had ridden despite suffering from cerebral palsy. Ten years after being paralyzed from the chest down in a cycling collision, a Colorado cyclist continues to ride.

The reshuffle of the pro bike teams continues as Carlos Sastre opts for a new team. Twenty-three year old former Liquigas rider Gianni Da Ros sees his doping ban cut from 20 years to 4. Just days after L.A.’s Mayor calls for a mandatory helmet law, Aussie researchers call for its repeal, while a Canadian study shows that helmet laws don’t discourage ridership; Cyclelicious interviews one of the study’s authors. Now that’s what I call utility cycling. Cyclists and drivers trade blame in New Zealand; ignore the location and the story could have easily been written here.

Finally, three-hundred bicyclists give a final rolling send off to a Michigan cyclist who rode despite suffering from cerebral palsy, while a Colorado cyclist continues to ride, ten years after being paralyzed from the chest down in a cycling collision.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

Cyclist killed yesterday at Canoga and Sherman Way

August 17, 2010 / / 3 comments

At yesterday’s Bike Summit, Mayor Villaraigosa began the meeting with bad news, saying that a cyclist had been killed in the San Fernando Valley earlier that morning.

After scouring the news feeds for the past day without finding any mention of a bike collision — let alone a fatality — I reached out to the LAPD’s bike liaison Sgt. David Krumer for whatever information he might have.

According to Krumer, a Hispanic man in his 20s was riding west on Sherman Way at Canoga Blvd. A truck traveling south on Canoga was preparing to make a left turn onto eastbound Sherman Way. The truck driver had the green light and was waiting for some pedestrians to finish crossing the street.

According to several witnesses, the driver pulled forward once the intersection was clear, just as the rider rode through the red light. Unaware he had hit anyone, the driver continued down the street after running over the cyclist, returning to the scene once he was flagged down several blocks later.

Evidently, the death of a single rider in the valley doesn’t merit a mention in the local media, even when the Mayor himself makes the announcement in a room full of reporters.

But take this as a warning. Red lights exist for a reason.

Bikes are required to stop for red lights in every situation, just as drivers are. While it’s never smart to run a light, it’s especially dangerous when other vehicles are present.

The saddest part is, this tragedy was entirely avoidable.

Yes, the driver should have looked to his left, where he may or may not have seen the rider in time to avoid the collision. But evidently, the cyclist gambled with his own life.

And lost.

Thanks to Sgt. Krumer for the information.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,
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