Tag Archive for bike theft

Morning Links: High-end bikes stolen in Irvine, escape from a bike-crushing bus, and LA River meeting tomorrow

December 9, 2016 / / One comment

Irvine bike thieves are caught on a security camera as they make off with a trio of high-end Pinarello bikes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzo7kng55_o&feature=youtu.be

Keep your eyes open in case they show up for sale somewhere. You can find a full description of the bikes on the East West Bikes Facebook page.

Thanks to Lois for the heads-up.

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David Wolfberg forwards video of an Indian woman barely escaping in time as a bus driver runs over the bicycle she’s walking — directly in front of a cop.

And soon, an angry mob.

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Don’t forget tomorrow’s meeting to discuss safety on the LA River bike path in Elysian Valley.

Thanks to Terence Heuston for the reminder.

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Local

Damien Newton talks about the new bike park under construction in El Monte with David Diaz of Day One and Bike SGV.

 

State

Placentia plans to revitalize the Old Town area by developing Complete Streets through downtown.

San Diego makes the wrong choice, paying $235,000 in damages to an injured cyclist instead of fixing the potholes on Torrey Pines Road that led to her injuries; several other bike riders have filed complaints and lawsuits as result of the same section of roadway.

Opponents and supporters voice their opinions about a planned road diet and protected bike lanes on San Diego’s dangerous Pershing Drive. Doesn’t anyone ever bother to explain that even though a roadway may lose a lane, it usually improves traffic flow — and can actually reduce congestion?

As long as we’re on the subject of San Diego, the San Diego Bicycle Club is hosting its 29th annual Light Up A Life Holiday Toy Ride tomorrow.

Safety improvements are coming to a Hayward freeway interchange, too late for a 26-year old bike rider.

 

National

Bicycle manufacturing is making a comeback in the US, rising to half a million bicycles after bottoming out last year.

The inimitable Elly Blue offers motorists advice on how to safely drive around bicyclists.

The photographer behind the Radavist blog tells the story behind his most striking bike images from this year.

A Portland driver will stay in jail after a judge refused to reduce his bail on a manslaughter charge in the death of a cyclist; he was charged in the death because his SUV was not in safe drivable condition.

A Colorado bicycle trade-in program is looking for bike shops to expand nationwide; submitting just two photos of your bike will get you a firm trade-in valuation at a participating bike shop.

Homeowners in a Texas town complain about new signs for a bicycle boulevard, saying they’re too big and will drive down property values. Never mind that bike boulevards usually increase property values.

Detroit police release video of a bike rider suspected of fatally shooting a police officer.

After originally allowing the state police to investigate the case, the Detroit Police Department has taken over the investigation of collision in which one of their own officers killed a bike rider; naturally, they conclude the victim was at fault.

The new North Star Bicycle Route is designed to carry riders from St. Paul MN to the Canadian border. Just in case you were thinking of leaving.

A Virginia columnist says compassion and forgiveness are wonderful things, but that doesn’t mean a driver who killed a bicyclist shouldn’t be in jail.

A Raleigh NC letter writer thanks a cyclist for giving up his bike, saying people like him shouldn’t have to drive in fear of those damn bike riders, and suggests bicyclists should stick to bike paths so people like him can have the roads to themselves.

 

International

A writer for the Guardian says killer drivers are the real stranger danger, and when distracted drivers kill, they should face up to life in prison.

London’s Bike Project plans to give nearly 1,000 bicycles to refugees seeking asylum as they attempt to rebuild their lives.

A British bike group calls for a change in the law requiring drivers to yield to bicyclists at intersections to avoid the equivalent of a right hook; naturally, a trucking organization says it will cause, rather than prevent, collisions.

A 16-year old British boy was the victim of a brutal strong-arm robbery as he was knocked off his bicycle, beaten with a rubber mallet and threatened with a machete before giving up his bike, cellphone and other belongings.

A UK website says mindfulness can make you a better bike rider.

Bicycling shows a slight decline in the UK, even though more women are active than ever before.

A trio of Rwandan cyclists have been nominated for the best African cyclist of the year, recognizing the rider — or in this case, riders — who contributed most to African cycling.

An Aussie writer notes there is no war between cyclists and drivers, and it just takes a little consideration for everyone to get along.

 

Finally…

It’s not just a bus bike rack, it’s a step ladder naked people. No, you can’t power your house by riding a bike.

If you’re going to ride your bike to steal packages off people’s porches, don’t take just any crappy box. No, literally.

And nothing to do with bikes; just wax royals and sweater-wrapped Corgis.

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Category: Morning Links, Stolen Bikes and Bike Crime / Tags: , , , , ,

Morning Links: A reminder to register your bike for free, ranking the cyclists, and does Metro bike cost too much?

November 16, 2016 / / 6 comments

I received the following email from David Drexler after he sent the photos of the sadly stripped bike at the Expo Line Bundy Station earlier this week.

I registered my bikes today at BikeIndex with pics. I had them always registered somewhere else.

You know — more people should register with pics on BikeIndex.

It was a sobering experience when I took 30 minutes to peruse the listings of bikes stolen.  Keeping in mind that the ones listed are not all that have been stolen — many don’t register at Bike Index — and there were a ton.  And when I put in my LA zip code and just using a 1 mile radius or 1 mile of Santa Monica beach zip code — the results were staggering.

I took the time to study what folks wrote about where the bike was when stolen and what kind of lock and basically all different locks and places and times of day. There was no safe haven lock or place from what I could see.  And it was insignificant if there were cameras around. It is almost as if there are professional bike thieves just on a constant roam of Southern California ready with tools and portable saws at all times.  Bikes have been stolen from every imaginable location including one guy that reports that he turned his back on a bike he brought into a convenience store for safety and someone ran out with it, from cars, from bike racks where a person cable and u-locked it to the rack.  Thieves just tore apart the rack to get at the bike.

As a matter of fact, there are professional bike thieves roaming SoCal communities on a constant basis. Along with people stealing to support drug habits, homeless encampment bicycle chop shops, and people willing to steal your ride just because the opportunity presents itself.

And quite frankly, the odds of ever seeing your bike again once it’s gone are somewhere on a continuum between slim and none.

But you can raise those odd considerably by taking his advice and registering your bike for free with Bike Index right here on this site, and reporting it to the police if your bike is stolen.

And yes, police do check those listings when they find a stolen bike, and have returned bikes to their owners as a result.

Lots of bikes.

So don’t wait. Take a few minutes to register your bike right now.

You have nothing to lose. Except maybe your bike if you don’t.

Full disclosure: This site does not receive any compensation, financial or otherwise, from Bike Index for hosting their registration and stolen bike listings. We just want to help you fight back against bike theft.

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Cycling Weekly ranks the year’s 100 top cyclists; the top ranked American is Megan Guarnier at #6, while the highest ranked American man is Andrew Talansky down at #84.

Belgian cyclist Greg Van Avermaet describes the mountain bike accident that left him with a broken ankle.

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Local

An editorial in the LA Daily News says the Metro bikeshare system is a good idea, but it costs too darn much.

CiclaValley tells the tale of his Veteran’s Day bike excursion into the Sierra foothills, while Milestone Ride’s Johnny Lam goes deeper into the Sierras for Adventure Cycling.

Long Beach gets a $50,000 grant to put on bike and pedestrian safety workshops.

 

State

The Orange County Transportation Authority will produce two videos focusing on the leading causes of bike and pedestrian injuries and deaths, once they figure out what they are.

Evidently, craft beer and bike lanes aren’t enough to get Millennials to move to San Diego. Then again, they don’t seem to be sticking around LA, either.

Plans are moving forward for the 50-mile CV Link bike path around the Coachella Valley, though bike riders and wheelchair users could be forced to use the dangerous Hwy 111 in places after two cities refuse to participate.

Ventura County cyclists are invited to take a survey on regional bicycle wayfinding.

This is how Vision Zero is supposed to work. San Francisco will install a protected bike lane on a street where a woman was killed riding her bicycle earlier this year.

 

National

People for Bikes says Americans voted for bicycles in a big way, including passage of LA’s own Measure M.

The Guardian asks if Chicago’s proposed floating bikeway could overcome the doubters and reconnect the city.

The New York Times says blame mobile apps for the largest spike in traffic fatalities in 50 years.

New York police finally arrested a killer hit-and-run driver for deliberately running down a bicyclist as he rode in a bike lane.

An 83-year old Virginia man fought, and failed, to get a red light at an intersection near his home; it cost him his life this past weekend as he walked his bicycle in the crosswalk.

A New Orleans woman writes about ghost bikes in the city following the death of her friend. Yet the website oddly files it under “The Lighter Side.”

 

International

A writer for Bike Radar says the world may be a mess, but it’s still a beautiful place to explore on a bike.

London’s Mirror says the answer to the question of whether an ebike is worth buying is not quite yet.

London’s mayor kills plans for one of the city’s cycle superhighways, meaning the city probably won’t have any segregated bikeway from central to west London anytime soon.

A British mother is looking for an apology from the hit-and-run cyclist who knocked down her five-year old daughter and just kept going.

A man in the UK says cyclists should be required to carry liability insurance if they insist on riding in the roadway; his petition has garnered nearly 30,000 signatures.

Irish prisoners have refurbished 2,000 bicycles to give to school children in Africa; meanwhile, bikeshare has come to the continent despite a near total lack of infrastructure.

A TV host in Zimbabwe faces charges in the death of a bicyclist who was riding in a cycle track.

Even when a bike lane doesn’t work out, it only cost an Aussie city a total of $20,000 to paint it and rip it out again.

As internet-based bikeshare gains popularity in China, providers struggle for a share of public space.

 

Finally…

Now you can ride the famed Little 500 on a board when you’re bored. The impetuous, alcoholic and bushy-bearded inventor of the Pedersen bike.

And rising from the dead to ride nearly 2,000 miles, minus an arm and a leg.

 

Category: Morning Links, Stolen Bikes and Bike Crime / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: Photos from Saturday’s Beach Streets in Long Beach, LA bike thefts, and BMUFL wars in PVE

November 14, 2016 / / 4 comments

Mike Wilkinson and his wife Angela took in Saturday’s Beach Streets event in Long Beach.

This past Saturday Metro and the City of Long Beach presented Beach Streets Midtown, a 2.5 mile open streets event along Anaheim Street from PCH to Orange Avenue. My wife and I put the doggies in their trailer, saddled up on our tandem bike and hit the road at the eastern end of the route. The four of us were quite a sight, but we were just one among many unique conveyances along the way.

Whether they were on foot, bike, skateboard or something almost indescribable, the participants were relaxed and friendly. We said “hi” to a wider variety of people in two hours than we have in the past year. Everyone seemed to be having fun, and riding right down the middle of what is usually a big, busy street was liberating and almost joyful.

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All photos by Angela Wilkinson

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You can download these photos, and a few others, from his Google Drive account.

The Cal State Long Beach paper took in the day, as well.

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LA bike thieves strike again, this time snatching a beautiful Geekhouse Woodville touring bike from one of the authors of the Radavist. Thanks to Bryan Hance of Bike Index for the heads-up.

stolenbike

Meanwhile, David Drexler noticed the aftermath of another semi-successful bike theft at the Bundy station on the Expo Line, which was stripped after the thieves were able to cut through one U-lock, but not the other.

dd-bike-theft

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And no, to answer the question we’re all asking, he didn’t get the make of the yellow lock.

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Local

The Daily Breeze looks at the nasty battle over the proposed installation of Bikes May Use Full Lane signs in Palos Verdes Estates, which has refused to post the signs despite the recommendation of their own Traffic Safety Committee, at least for now. Although you’d think three cyclists killed on the peninsula in the last year, and another critically injured, would create some sense of urgency. But apparently, you’d be wrong.

 

State

An OC man was stabbed and his bicycle stolen after two men challenged him over gang affiliations in the parking lot of the Santa Ana zoo.

Laguna Beach is improving access to the Top of the World singletrack trail from the Top of the World Drive in the Top of the World neighborhood to make it accessible to a wider range of non-Top of the World people.

Sunnyvale police are looking for witnesses to a wreck that sent a bike rider to the hospital with multiple skull fractures.

 

National

Road.cc says Donald Trump’s promise to rebuild America’s infrastructure could be an opportunity to convince him to support building more bikeways.

Nearly one thousand Las Vegas cyclists took part in Sunday’s ride to benefit Ride 2 Recovery.

Gary Johnson, New Mexico resident and distant third place finisher in last week’s election, will now dedicate himself to health and fitness, riding the 2,768 Great Divide Mountain from Banff to Antelope Wells NM next June.

The Guardian looks at a proposal for a floating bike path along the Chicago River.

Can we vote for him here? The vice mayor of Cambridge MA says the city’s bicycle safety efforts are the difference between life and death, even if that means drivers will be inconvenienced and parking will be lost.

The operator of a New Orleans bike tour company wants to know why a woman wasn’t given a sobriety test after doing a slow roll over several bikes being ridden by his patrons. Which is a damn good question.

 

International

Canadian traffic safety advocates are focusing on distracted driving and lowering speed limits as public health issues.

A British bike rider died after he was kicked off his bike by a group of youths, not long after he was released from prison after 24 years behind bars.

A jazz musician in the UK performed seven shows in a single day, towing his keyboard behind his bike between gigs as he rode to each one.

A Belfast councilor was kicked off his bike by a group of young men after he tried to stop one from taking a dump on a memorial to a Northern Irish politician while the others filmed it.

Call it a reverse dooring. A Dublin councilor was knocked out by a hit-and-run salmon cyclist who ran into his car door as he was getting out.

Pakistani cyclists ride to raise awareness of breast cancer, while Islamabad restores a network of cycle tracks that had fallen into disrepair.

Cyclists from around India turn out for a nationwide event to promote bicycling.

A new Australian study shows biking or walking can improve artery health in people with Type-2 diabetes.

A Malaysian cyclist returns home after spending the last 16 months riding through 22 countries, losing 22 pounds in the process.

A Jakarta paper asks if wooden bikes can prevent global warming.

 

Finally…

Nothing like auctioning a cow to raise funds for bicycling. Crash your mountain bike, and wake up to a new career as a competitive beard growing champion.

And if you’re going to ride drunk, try not to run into any police cars.

 

Category: Bike Events, Morning Links, Stolen Bikes and Bike Crime / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: Bike collection stolen in burglary, Bike the Vote LA endorses, and new AZ bike safety PSAs

October 11, 2016 / / One comment

My continued apologies for the lack of email notifications for subscribers. None of the suggested fixes have solved the problem yet.

Which may be why I once again failed to win the Nobel Prize for bike blogging.

Maybe next year.

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Keep your eyes peeled for a collection of Cicli Devotion team kits and bikes, parts tools and other gear stolen from a Calabasas storage unit, along with a number of other personal items.

stolen-bikes-gear

Which should serve as yet another reminder to register your bikes for free with Bike Index before anything like this happens to you.

Thanks to Bryan Hance for the heads-up.

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Bike the Vote LA has been busy in the weeks leading up to the November election, including an endorsement of US Representative Janice Hahn for LA County Supervisor in the 4th District.

They also voice their support for LA County Measure A to build and rehabilitate parks, beaches, natural areas, and multi-use trails used by bike riders. As well as Metro’s Measure M sales tax increase to build out the county’s transit system, and provide funding for bicycling and walking projects.

bike-the-vote

Thanks to Michael MacDonald for the tip.

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Tucson-based Look Save A Life — founded by a cyclist and former firefighter who was nearly killed by a distracted driver — has introduced a series of public safety videos made in conjunction with local law enforcement.

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Sadly, the bike rider who died of a heart attack during the Long Beach Marathon on Sunday was a well-known member of the South Bay cycling community, and a board member of Lightening Velo.

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Pro cyclist Tom Dumoulin is no dummy, but his stand-in is.

Irish cyclist Daniel Stewart talks about stepping away from international cycling to battle his depression.

A new Israeli cycling team becomes the first to compete in the World Championships, let alone in an Arab country; meanwhile, an Iranian woman becomes the first from her country to finish the Kona Ironman Triathlon.

The New York Times dives into the world of bike messengers and last weekend’s North American Cycle Courier Championship.

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Local

CiclaValley discusses the conflict between bicyclists needing a safe place to ride on Forest Lawn Drive and people parking in the bike lane near the Mount Sinai cemetery for the High Holidays.

A German filmmaker offers a documentary about the battle over the Burbank Mariposa bridge and the ongoing efforts of equestrians to keep bike riders the hell off it. Thanks to Doug Weiskopf for the link.

BikeSGV reports the Pasadena city council will vote on the Union Ave protected bikeway at their 4pm meeting today. So if you live, work or ride in the area, be sure to attend the meeting to support safer bikeways.

Speaking of BikeSGV, mark your calendar for their annual Noche de las Luminarias awards night on Thursday, November 10th.

Cycling in the South Bay reports the Palos Verdes Estates city council bizarrely voted not to install Bikes May Use Full Lane signs. Even though that remains the law, with or without the signs.

 

State

KPCC asks if California’s roads are ready for recreational marijuana, which appears likely to be approved by California voters next month. There shouldn’t be any major issues beyond what we already face; afterall, anyone who wants dope can get it now by claiming some sort of physical problem. Like nausea caused by the presidential campaign, for instance.

A Santa Maria credit union uses their Columbus Day holiday to build 200 bicycles to donate to abused and neglected children.

With LA’s CicLAvia coming this Sunday, Salinas hosts a 1.5 mile ciclovía of their own.

Sad news from Sacramento, as a man was killed in a collision with a bus while he was riding his bike.

 

National

You can find a lot of things when you ride, including some you really don’t want to. Like a human body in a Washington retaining pond.

Seattle opts to replace their failing bikeshare system with a city-wide fleet of ebikes.

Nice gesture from the Oklahoma State University marching band, as they pay tribute to a member of the Baylor marching band who was killed in a hit-and-run while riding his bike last week.

A Missouri columnist writes about the dangers of right hooks and dooring, suggesting cyclists should always ride in the traffic lane. Whether or not PVR posts signs saying you can.

Country singer Luke Bryan explains his solo bike crash at the end of a 28-mile ride last week; he had surgery to repair a broken clavicle over the weekend.

A Rochester NY pastor could soon be jumping through flames again; his prayers were answered when someone returned the 80 pound, custom-made bicycle he lost when it fell off his rack as he drove home from an August performance. On the other hand, riding through flames without divine intervention probably isn’t the best idea.

A man riding a Citi Bike bikeshare bicycle was beaten and robbed by five teens in New York’s Central Park.

Philadelphia police are looking for a bike-riding man suspected of attacking two prostitutes in recent days; he is believed to be the same man who killed one woman and attacked another earlier this year.

Kindhearted Philly police buy a new bike for a kid riding a beat-up borrowed chopper during the city’s Peace Ride.

 

International

Despite the efforts of Toronto’s former mayor to rip out the city’s bike lanes, it’s now a bicycling role model for other cities.

Caught on camera: A London bus driver clips a bike rider, apparently intentionally, for the crime of not getting the hell out of his way.

A Brit bicyclist is crowdfunding a motion-sensor theft alarm that emits an ear-piercing shriek as loud as a jumbo jet focused directly at anyone on the bike.

The creepy clown phenomenon has spread to the UK, as a bike rider gets harassed by masked occupants of a car.

A little windshield bias from Romania, where cyclists are blamed for causing 630 collisions since the first of the year. However, they fail to mention what percentage of bike crashes that represents, implying that the people on two wheels caused all of them, which is highly unlikely.

IKEA unveils their new belt-drive, car-replacement bicycle Down Under.

Life is cheap in New Zealand, where a truck driver gets community service and a curfew — yes, a curfew — while losing his license for a whole year for killing a bike-riding Chinese tourist.

 

Finally…

Why use an expensive parking lot to store cars for your dealership when you can just park them in the bike lane? You can thank a cyclist for every Ford that runs you off the road.

And this time of year, everyone needs to know what beer to pair with Halloween candy after a long ride.

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Thanks to Vincent Malgren and John P. Lynch for their generous donations to support this site. If everyone who visits this site today donated just $10, it would fund BikinginLA for a full year.

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On a personal note, thanks to everyone who expressed concern for the Corgi; she’s doing a little better, and seems to be on the road to recovery after a full weekend on the extreme weight loss plan.

Although she is in mourning right now.

Thanks to Erik Griswold for that last link.

 

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Bicycle Safety, Morning Links, Stolen Bikes and Bike Crime / Tags: , , , , ,

Morning Links: Study shows bike helmets work, every lane is a car lane, and possible knifepoint bike jacking

September 22, 2016 / / 3 comments

The good news is, we’ve figured out what caused the problem with email notifications for new posts. Now the problem is figuring out how to fix it. Hopefully we’ll have it working again soon.

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Yet another shot has been fired in the contentious helmet wars.

An Australian meta-analysis study finds that bike helmets reduce the risk of suffering a head injury by 50%, a serious head injury 69%, and the risk of a fatal head injury by 65%, without increasing the risk of neck injuries.

However, it seems like quite a stretch to suggest that other studies, which have not found helmets as effective, or that suggest they could cause neck or diffuse axonal brain injuries, are “crazy” junk science.

Or that there is some undefined “silent majority” that wants helmet laws, and only a “small and vocal minority group” oppose them.

And lets not forget that, effective or not, bike helmets should be considered a last resort when all else fails. It’s far better to avoid crashes than to count on your helmet to save you.

Meanwhile, Bike Radar looks at how to identify a concussion and what to do about it.

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CiclaValley posts a bike cam video proving, contrary to Metro’s message, that every lane is a car lane.

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I’ve received an unconfirmed report that a mountain biker had his bike stolen at knifepoint on the popular Fullerton Loop in the City of Fullerton on Monday evening, on the bridge where the train tracks and the trail cross under Harbor Boulevard.

Whether or not that turns out to be accurate, it’s a reminder to always be aware of your surroundings, and to take extra caution when riding through dark areas or when out of public view.

Thanks to Lois for the heads-up.

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Marvin Davis sends word of the upcoming 2016 Revolution Bike Fest at Orange County’s Irvine Lake November 4th through 6th.

The event is being held at Irvine Lake in the OC. There are several excellent rail accessible bicycle routes that lead to the bike fest. The Serrano Creek trail provides a dirt path through Lake Forest to MTB trails in Whiting Ranch, the Aliso trail provides both paved and dirt trails and there is also a mostly dirt route from San Juan Capistrano. The AMTRAK/MetroLink stations in both Irvine and San Juan Capistrano and also the MetroLink station in Laguna Niguel provide pretty good access to these routes. AMTRAK Pacific Surfliner requires advance reservation (impossible to get on weekends) for bicycles and allows only 6 bikes per train. No reservation required for MetroLink and no specified limit to number of bikes. Or for the more vigorous, just roll from home.

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Local

LADOT released their 2015-16 annual report, including discussions of bikeshare and Vision Zero; the report cites 1,190 miles of bikeways on the city’s 7,500 miles of streets. However, that includes nearly 300 miles of sharrows and bike routes that are of little benefit. And those totals reflect lane miles, which count each direction separately, rather than both directions on a single street as one mile.

LA councilmembers blame distracted drivers — and pedestrians — for traffic fatalities in a debate over whether to accept a half-million dollar grant to promote Vision Zero. CD1 CM Gil Cedillo points the finger at pedestrians wearing headphones and texting in crosswalks, even though those weren’t factors in any of the recent deaths in his district.

A nutritionist writing for the Daily News recommends commuting by bicycling, walking or taking transit, or at least getting out to ride or walk if you have to drive to work.

Kurt Russell used to be one of us; he tells GQ he went into acting as a child star so he could buy bicycles for his sister and himself.

 

State

Sad news from Forestville, as a cyclist was killed after he allegedly clipped a tractor-trailer while splitting lanes and weaving through traffic. He was the second bike rider killed in the Bay Area in 14 hours; another man was killed while riding in Fairfield Tuesday night.

The Department of DIY strikes again in San Francisco, as a group called SFMTrA is marking their own protected bike lanes with orange cones.

A writer for the Sacramento Bee calls a route out of Foresthill one of the best cycling rides in the country, and the best you’ve never done.

 

National

The long legal battle over New York’s Prospect Park West bike lanes is finally over, as wealthy opponents finally drop their legal battle after five needlessly long years.

Both people were seriously injured when New Jersey bicyclist crashed into a 16-year old boy as he was crossing the road. One more reminder to always ride carefully around pedestrians, who can be every bit as unpredictable as motorists accuse cyclists of being.

A Pittsburg area cyclist is back on his bike, despite being prohibited from riding as he awaits trial on eight criminal charges for riding in the middle of the traffic lane and harassing drivers who try to pass.

Moving piece from a woman in North Carolina, who finished the bike tour her partner had registered for before passing away unexpectedly, and credits training for the ride with saving her life.

A 28-year old Florida woman broke the 78-year old women’s mile record in just four months, averaging over 200 miles a day; a former U-23 racer, she got back on her bike after overcoming both a hole in her heart and a collision that left her with a broken back and a brain injury.

 

International

London cyclists get the blame for putting deer at risk by discarding their empty gel packs while racing in the city’s Richmond Park.

A British bike advocate calls for stronger laws against scofflaw cyclists after she was knocked out in a collision with a sidewalk rider. Seriously, pedestrians should always be given the right-of way on any sidewalk, where it may or may not be legal to ride. And you’re usually safer on the street, anyway.

Sweden slashes taxes on repairs of bicycles and other products in an attempt to encourage re-use and bring an end to today’s throw-away society.

A writer for an Aussie paper gets it, saying driving is a privilege and not a right, and that many older drivers are a danger to themselves and others, and shouldn’t be behind the wheel.

 

Finally…

When you’re carrying heroin in your wallet and have outstanding warrants for drug possession, don’t ride salmon. We may have to deal with LA drivers, but at least we don’t have to worry about pythons on the side of the road.

And don’t be like this Austin TX councilmember’s alter ego and use bike lanes to get to work.

No, really.

Richard Mason notes that the councilman is a member of the local Tea Party, and once lectured a group of Hispanic Boy Scouts visiting the council about getting jobs and not relying on government handouts.

 

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bike Events, Morning Links, Stolen Bikes and Bike Crime, Streets and Infrastructure, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: Arrest made in LA River Bike Path shooting, and Los Angeles ranked 24th best bike city in US

September 20, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Arrest made in LA River Bike Path shooting, and Los Angeles ranked 24th best bike city in US

My apologies. We haven’t been able to correct the problem with email notifications yet. So if you’re not getting emails when new posts go up, rest assured we’re working on it.

And just keep coming back each day until we get it corrected.

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An arrest has been made in the shooting of two men on the LA River Bike Path in Elysian Valley earlier this month.

Nineteen-year-old David Umana was taken into custody this past Thursday for the incident, which began when he allegedly tried to steal the bikes belonging to the victims, who were riding with their wives.

Despite earlier suspicion of gang involvement, Umana does not appear to have gang ties. No word on whether police have identified his alleged accomplice.

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Bicycling Magazine is out with their latest biennial ranking of America’s 50 best bike cities; Chicago ranks number one, with San Francisco placing second.

Crain’s says the Windy City may be number one, but it’s a long way from perfect.

My hometown ranks 12th, as part of a bike friendly Colorado triumvirate with Denver and Boulder at 11 and 10, respectively.

Surprisingly, Los Angeles checks in at 24, seemingly more out of respect for what it could be than what it currently is; meanwhile, Long Beach inexplicably follows four points lower at 28, while Santa Monica didn’t even make the list.

It’s hard to imagine anyone who has actually ridden those three cities agreeing with that.

Thousand Oaks just makes the cut at 49.

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Local

Work is finally set to begin on the MyFigueroa project this October; the Complete Streets project will feature protected bike lanes linking USC with Downtown.

An LAX bike cop is credited with working with another officer to save the life of a suicidal Korean man.

CiclaValley offers his fall cycling preview.

It’s a well-deserved life without parole for a Pomona man who was captured on his bicycle after cutting out his girlfriend’s lung and heart.

LA County Sheriff’s officials have identified the deputy who shot an unarmed, homeless bicycle rider in Castaic last month.

Zac Efron is one of us, as are a handful of other stars who competed in Sunday’s Malibu Tri.

Santa Monica is encouraging everyone who lives or works in the city to go carfree on October 7th.

 

State

Tragic news from Orange County, as a 15-year old Anaheim boy is in a medically induced coma in critical condition after he was hit from behind by an erratic driver who fled the scene; the victim was riding in a bike lane and reportedly doing everything right when he was struck.

The Bay Area’s BART train system says your U-lock may not be that secure after all.

Plans have been approved to add a 10-foot bidirectional bike and pedestrian lane to the upper deck of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

 

National

The LA Times asks if Oahu’s Honolulu Century Ride is the best bicycle workout ever.

When St. Paul MN trades parking for bike lanes, a student complains that she might have to get a bike because parking is too hard to find. Which is kind of the point, yes.

Kalamazoo MI votes to give bicyclists a five foot passing distance. Which is meaningless unless it’s actually enforced.

A St. Louis student says she feels like Mufasa from the Lion King, as she succumbs to a wildebeest-like herd of swarming bicyclists as she makes her way across campus.

Great piece from Brooklyn Spoke, who says it’s hard to see Vision Zero when you’re looking through a windshield.

A New Orleans man is suing the phone company alleging that a low hanging phone line caused him to fall off his bike. Wait. They still use land lines in the Big Easy?

 

International

The Financial Times says cycling really is the new golf, but ride with a diverse group because nobody wants groupthink.

A London writer says an ebike helped her overcome her fear of riding in the city, without breaking a sweat.

Britain’s bicycling countess sets off on her 450-mile castle-to-castle ride, saying she’s terrified, as father-in-law Prince Phillip — aka Queen Elizabeth’s husband — calls her mad. No, seriously.

Caught on video: A British driver illegally uses his handheld phone to record cyclists riding legally.

Shades of Coronado. A UK mayor says putting bike lanes on a historic walkway would be vandalism.

This is why people continue to die on the streets. An 83-year old Australian man killed a cyclist after he was allowed to keep driving despite failing two driving tests following a stroke.

Evidently, a cable tie a day does not, in fact, keep Aussie Magpies away.

Bikeshare is becoming more popular in Seoul, Korea, with 100,000 members and no serious wrecks.

 

Finally…

Apparently, swallowing up a bicycle is enough to get on the shortlist for tree of the year. Bicycling may not cause erectile dysfunction, but it can give you a numb vagina.

And why count sheep when you can use your bike to chase them?

 

Category: Bikes & the Law, Morning Links, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Shooting on LA River bike path, Emerald Necklace opens, and write your own anti-bike screed

September 12, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Shooting on LA River bike path, Emerald Necklace opens, and write your own anti-bike screed

In case you missed it over the weekend, two bike riders were shot on the LA River bike path Friday night when they refused to give up their bikes to suspected gang bangers.

Let that be a reminder to always be careful riding through unlit areas after dark, especially when you’re out of view from the street and can’t be seen by other people.

And it can’t stressed it enough. If someone tries to take your bike, let them have it — especially if they’re armed.

No bike is worth your life, no matter what it cost or how much you need it.

………

The first phase of the San Gabriel Valley’s Emerald Necklace bike path officially opens this Thursday.

emerald-neckace

………

Great interactive piece from Chicago magazine on how to write an anti-bike diatribe without the inconvenience of actual thought.

It’s more than worth a few seconds of your time to write one of your own.

Here’s mine.

screen-shot-2016-09-12-at-12-59-25-am

………

Speaking of great pieces, a British cop explains the real problems on the roads — hint, it ain’t the people on two wheels. And offers advice that includes don’t bother looking drivers in the eye and don’t count on hi-viz to make you seen.

Although it can be challenging to muddle through for those of us on this side of the Atlantic, where English isn’t the English the English use.

………

A 56-year old man went out for a bike ride, and accidently ended up leading the fourth stage of the Tour of Britain.

Caught on video: A fan steps out in front of the Peloton at the Vuelta, knocking a rider off his bike.

The head of the International Cycling Union swears that cycling is on top of the doping problem, unlike other sports. Maybe they should be checking the fans, too.

Semi-banned Lance Armstrong is keeping a hand in cycling anyway by creating a new Aspen CO mountain bike event.

………

Local

Los Angeles unveils a vision of the city’s transportation future that relies heavily on self-driving vehicles, making street parking obsolete and opening space for bicycles. Before you hold your breath, make sure you have an oxygen tank on hand.

Caught on video: CiclaValley captures the bumpy pavement on the 7th Street bike lane in DTLA. Having ridden that one several times, I can attest that it was one of the most desperately needed bike lanes in town, yet is usually blocked by cars and delivery trucks, with pavement that would be rejected in most third-world countries.

The wife of fallen cyclist Rod Bennett has sued LA Fitness, alleging that they knew or should have known that hit-and-run driver Lucas James Guidroz was addicted to heroin; he was sent home from work early on the day he killed Bennett because he appeared to be under the influence, putting him behind the wheel without a chance to come down first.

Good news from Playa Vista, as Councilmember Mike Bonin announces a bike plan for the area, including a new bridge on Lincoln and a bike bridge over Ballona Creek; Bonin was one of just two councilmembers to vote against removing Westwood Blvd and Central Ave from the LA Mobility Plan.

Cycling in the South Bay says, to paraphrase in as few words as possible, don’t be such a dick when you ride.

The contribution page is now up for city council candidate and bike shop owner Josef Bray-Ali, who is running to unseat anti-bike incumbent Gil Cedillo. Bray-Ali is hosting a fundraiser at the Good Girl Dinette Tuesday evening.

 

State

San Francisco bike riders continue to push for safer infrastructure.

Ford is looking beyond the private car by buying a San Francisco crowdsourced shuttle bus company and investing in the city’s bikeshare system.

The Bay Area’s BART system comes up with a brilliantly simple idea, installing straps on train cars to help keep bicycles upright.

Napa is working to improve plans for roundabouts to make them safer for bicyclists.

A Sebastopol cyclist was killed during a police fundraising ride when the driver of an oversized pickup allegedly insisted on passing without room to get by, sideswiping her boyfriend before killing her.

More kind hearts, as a Lodi pub gives away 13 bicycles to children under 13.

A Davis columnist says the solution to dropping gas tax revenues is to raise the gas tax, rather than charge a vehicle mileage fee, then complains that cyclists don’t pay for the roads they ride. By that standard, neither do the owners of $75,000 Teslas or other e-cars, who still won’t pay a gas tax no matter how much you increase it.

 

National

The Christian Science Monitor says a bicycle is one of the things you should never go too cheap on, but says you can get a decent commuter bike for $300 to $400 — pretty good savings over the $8,698 average cost of operating a car.

Now that’s more like it. An Iowa driver gets 35 years — yes, three and a half decades — for the drunken crash that killed two motorists while driving over twice the speed limit. Now if we could just get them to take crashes involving bike riders seriously. Or better yet, keep people like this off the roads to prevent them in the first place.

Evanston IL officials respond to complaints about a new protected bike lane by saying it would cost nearly $1 million to rip them out, while noting that the lane is improving safety just like it’s supposed to.

NPR looks at bicycling in Reading PA, where it says most people ride out of necessity, despite a lack of infrastructure.

A North Carolina columnist gets it, saying drivers need to by hyper-vigilant on the roads, and expect to see cyclists any time of the day.

 

International

Ten laughably bad bikeways from around the world.

I want to be like her when I grow up. Reuters talks with a 90-year old Chilean grandmother who still rides regularly, calling her bike her compadre and the reason for her longevity.

A Canadian bicyclist gets a speeding ticket for riding too fast in a school zone.

An editor for London’s Express gets it, saying all hit-and-run cases should be treated as manslaughter.

Once again, a bike rider is a hero, as a Brit bicyclist saves the life of another rider who was trapped up to her waist in mud after falling into a ditch.

Someone is sabotaging Welsh mountain bike trails, yet a regional land manager just says they’re aware of a dispute between riders and local residents. More like an act of terrorism that could get someone seriously hurt. Or worse.

Nice piece from Ireland’s Lovely Bicycle on the many different meanings of cycling and cyclists.

A news columnist takes to the streets of Berlin, where he says everyone rides a bike, but the dangers on the streets demand more and better bike lanes. Which sounds a lot like LA, except for the first part.

A New Zealand bike shop chain got busted for charging full freight for bikes that were supposed to be on a half price clearance.

Singapore residents still view bicycling as a leisurely pursuit rather than a means of transportation, complicating government efforts to create a car-lite society.

 

Finally…

We may have to deal with LA drivers, but at least we don’t get mistaken for road kill. Another reason to wear a helmet — it protects against getting bashed in the head with a skateboard.

And your next bike could be a shapeshifter, which you could ride in your lovely new glow-in-the-dark knitted vest.

………

On a personal note, today is the anniversary of the worst bike wreck of my life, when a massive swarm of bees didn’t lay a stinger on me, but I ended up in the ICU with a tube up my you-know-what and a massive blood bump on my hip anyway. 

I may have my problems these days, but I’m glad as hell to still be here. 

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bike Events, Bikes & the Law, Morning Links, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Two men shot in apparent bike jacking on LA River Bike Path Friday night

September 10, 2016 / / One comment

Two men were shot during an attempted bike theft on the Los Angeles River Bike Path Friday night.

The LA Times reports the victims, a 27-years old man and his 47-year old father-in-law, were riding with their wives in the Elysian Park section of the bikeway near Riverside Drive when they were confronted by two men at 8:55 pm.

According to KCBS-2, the two suspected gang members demanded the men’s bicycles; when they refused to hand them over, they were both shot in the legs.

The black-clad thieves, estimated as approximately 16 and 30-years old, fled with one of the bicycles.

Both men were transported to a local hospital; KNBC-4 says one of the victims may be in critical condition. Their wives were uninjured.

They reportedly live in the surrounding neighborhood, and were simply out for an evening bike ride.

While the area is generally considered safe, there have been other reports of bike riders confronted by thieves in the area. In 2013, two members of the Frogtown gang were arrested for assaulting and robbing a cyclist on the bike path.

This should be a reminder to always use extra caution when riding on any bike path after dark, where you may be hidden from public view.

Category: Bikes & the Law, Stolen Bikes and Bike Crime, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , ,

Morning Links: Stolen bike recovered through Bike Index; OC rider critically injured; cyclist jailed for riding in traffic

September 6, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Stolen bike recovered through Bike Index; OC rider critically injured; cyclist jailed for riding in traffic

LA may have seen its first stolen bike recovered through Bike Index.

According to the Beverly Press, when LAPD detectives arrested a suspect on weapons charges last month, they recovered a bicycle they believed to be stolen.

After checking the Bike Index stolen bike registry — the same one you’ll find right here on this site — they were able to identify the owner and return the bike.

The story also notes the department recommends Bike Index as “a valuable tool for reuniting owners with stolen bicycles.”

It’s good the see the LAPD is checking the listings, and recommending it. And even better that a hot bike has finally made its way back home because of it.

But don’t wait until it’s too late.

Register your bike for free with Bike Index now, so you’ll have all the information available in an instant if anything should ever happen to it.

Think of it as the cheapest anti-bike theft insurance you can get.

And as this shows, one of the most effective.

Just to be clear, this site receives no compensation for hosting or promoting the Bike Index registry, financial or otherwise. Just the satisfaction of helping stolen bikes get back to their rightful owners.

………

Prayers are needed for an Orange County woman after she and her husband were hit by a car while riding in San Juan Capistrano.

Leonie Mckenna reportedly was in critical condition with major trauma, including head injuries, after a driver rear-ended the couple as they rode together on newly opened La Pata Avenue Saturday morning; her husband, Kevin B. Mckenna, was less seriously injured.

………

Authorities are attempting to revoke the bond of a Pittsburgh PA area man for the crime of riding a bicycle.

The 57-year old cyclist is charged with delaying traffic by riding in the middle of a traffic lane, preventing drivers from passing, not once, not twice, but eight times since 2012.

He was released from jail after posting bond in February, after apparently spending seven months behind bars without being convicted of a crime — for a damn traffic violation, no less — on the condition that he not ride a bicycle.

Never mind that bike riders are taught to ride in the traffic lane to avoid the door zone and debris on the shoulder, while increasing visibility and preventing unsafe passes.

Whether he was riding safely and legally, or took taking the lane to a dangerous extreme remains to be determined. But there is something seriously wrong when a simple traffic violation results in a single day in jail, let alone months.

And let alone without a conviction.

Although he’s clearly no saint; he also faces charges for threatening the staff of the DA’s office with a rock and several knives last year.

………

Like any good serial, some bike stories keep revealing new twists and turns as they go on. And on.

Eighty-nine-year old former New York Mayor David Dinkins insists he had no idea he hit a bike rider as he rushed his wife to the hospital, and returned to the scene as soon as someone told him about it. He swears the rider hit him, rather than the other way around. Which seems strange; if he didn’t even know it happened, how could he know how it happened?

The Toronto cyclist who was run off the road by a cab driver faces charges himself for allegedly reaching into the car to assault the driver before the attack caught on viral video.

The road raging driver who repeatedly attacked bike-riding BBC personality Jeremy Vine last week says he provoked her; police evidently disagree, arresting the woman on an assault charge.

Meanwhile, former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson says it was extremely rude of Vine to selfishly ride safely outside of the door zone, blocking the poor angry driver from whatever imaginary emergency she most likely wasn’t rushing to.

………

It shouldn’t be a spoiler at this point to say Nairo Quintana may have put the Vuelta away over the weekend, as long as he can stay upright the rest of the way.

A man is caught on video pulling down a barrier in a French bike race, causing six riders to crash.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=489luAvLY50

Worse, it was the father of one of the competitors who did it; Jonathan Boyer’s dad reportedly did it in anger because the peloton failed to wait for his son after he fell earlier in the race.

And an Aussie Paralympian apologizes for doping after he’s sent home for using EPO. Funny how people only seem to apologize after they get caught.

………

Local

A 17-mile July bike ride explored environmental injustice along the LA River.

Santa Monica police say to prevent theft by locking your bike in a well-lit and populated area, and secure it with a U-lock. Although that didn’t help one guy, even though he was able to buy it back after it was stolen.

A new rest stop on the San Gabriel River Bike Trail in Pico Rivera features a Fixit station with tools and an air pump for minor bike repairs.

 

State

A new poll shows 83% of San Franciscans think bicycling is good for the city, and over half report riding a bike occasionally themselves.

Heartbreaking news from Oakley, where a 14-year old boy was killed in a traffic collision, just a month before he was scheduled to receive a kidney transplant from his mother after a lifetime of kidney disease.

 

National

As we all know, good beer and bicycling go together; a beer publication offers advice on where to plan your next brewery ride in the US.

Two injured vets in my hometown credit bicycling with saving them from depression and disability.

Nebraska revises the law to give cyclists the right-of-way in a crosswalk where a bike path crosses a roadway.

Columbus OH is the latest city to ditch Share the Road signs for the much clearer Bikes May Use Full Lane signs. Although drivers are often confused when the signs go up, thinking they give riders new rights, rather simply clarifying the rights we already have.

More kindhearted people, as a New Jersey paramedic went to Walmart to buy a new bicycle for a 10-year girl who had been impaled by the brake handle of her bicycle; the Walmart manager donated a bicycle after hearing the story. This sort of injury happens far too often; there’s clearly a major design defect when children are put at risk by their own bikes.

An 89-year old man now faces up to 30 years behind bars after being convicted in the hit-and-run death of a former pro football player as he rode in a Florida bike lane. Even with good behavior, he could be well over 100 years old before he gets out.

 

International

A British cyclist discusses the 16,000 mile ride around North America he took after learning he had early onset Alzheimer’s at age 39.

Bicyclists say some of the existing portions of the nearly finished 15,000 mile bike path across Canada are better on paper than in reality.

A British driver gets nine years for killing a cyclist while texting — after eight previous convictions for using his phone while driving. You’d think that after three or four convictions, someone would have taken his phone away. Or maybe his car. Or both.

Dublin is ordered to stop work on bicycle projects, after funding is pulled and resources diverted in favor of a massive traffic project. Proving once again that cyclists are second-class citizens virtually everywhere.

A 22-year old Namibian man hung himself following an argument with his brothers over who could use the family bicycle.

A New Zealand teen is building a prosthetic hand so his younger brother with cerebral palsy can ride a bike two-handed for the first time.

Maybe you could wear a disguise. Not only do magpies Down Under attack bike riders they perceive as a threat, they also remember and attack again the next time they see you. And every time after that.

A new bicycling jacket from New Zealand can automatically signal your turns. Manufacturers continue their attempts to improve bike safety by turning us all into cars, instead of expecting people in cars to operate them safely.

 

Finally…

If you’re going to use your bike as a getaway vehicle after torching your ex’s car, make sure it’s the right car first. Your next bike could be a treadmill.

And everything you need to know before letting a helicopter drop you off for your next downhill ride.

 

Category: Bikes & the Law, Law Enforcement, Morning Links, Stolen Bikes and Bike Crime / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: The perils of cable locks, Rose City cycle track meeting, and how to greet a fellow bicyclist

August 9, 2016 / / One comment

David Drexler strikes a cautionary note in warning about the dangers of even the best cable locks. Even when firmly attached to your car in public spaces.

They almost had my bike yesterday.

Parked in the In-N-Out Burger on Beach Blvd in Huntington Beach for 30 min.  Parked right in front in a high traffic area at the entrance .

My hybrid bike was on the hitch rack with the tires and the downtube clamped in.  For added security I wrapped the pictured thickest Kryptonite cable through the tires and the rack frame.

DD Bike Cable

Hanging by a thread

In the time I was in the store, thieves unlatched the two tire clamps and cut the cable pictured, in one more minute they could have had the bike but something scared them off?

Brazen for them to be working in such a high profile visible location.

He added this in a follow-up email.

Sunday was a real wake up call—I let my guard down and left my hybrid bike on a rack unattended twice for more than 30 minutes each time with just a cable lock on it.  I would never do that if it was not on a car rack. I felt comfortable in Huntington Beach in a high profile parking space and cable locked. I did not believe that someone would approach my car with tools and attempt to take a bike in a busy parking lot with me close by inside.  The rack is new—just got it three weeks ago and I will adjust my security accordingly.  The bike will be both cable locked and u-locked on the rack if I need to leave the bike unattended–same as I do when locking it up around LA and the OC to go in stores.

Bike chained to car rack

Bike chained to car rack

What the thieves were after

What the thieves were after

 

It seems like overkill sometimes, but I try to keep my bike with me whenever I can.

If not, I field strip my bike, removing anything that can be easily stolen. Then take off my front wheel, and lock it to my rear wheel with a heavy U-lock through the frame, then wrap the whole thing with a cable lock.

And never, ever leave it unattended on a car.

It’s a pain in the ass, but it’s worked so far.

Knock on wood.

And don’t forget to register your bike, just in case.

………

Wesley Reutimann forwards word of an informational meeting to discuss the proposed Union Street Cycle Track in Pasadena next week.

Want to weigh in on the Union Ave Cycle Track project?  The City of Pasadena will be hosting two meetings on the same day Tuesday August 16th (one AM, one PM), following a request by the Pasadena Playhouse District Association.

Union Street Cycle Track Informational Meeting

Pasadena’s newly-adopted Bicycle Transportation Action Plan identifies a two-way cycle track along Union Street between Hill and Arroyo Parkway. Learn about project design, implementation, potential impacts, and funding at meetings hosted by the City of Pasadena.

  1. WHERE: Pasadena Presbyterian Church, Gamble Lounge, 585 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91101
  2. WHEN: Tuesday, August 16, 2016
  3. TIMES: 8:30 – 9:30 am or 5 pm – 6 pm

If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like to participate in the process, please contact Rich Dilluvio, Pasadena Department of Transportation, at (626) 744-7254 or rdilluvio@cityofpasadena.net.

………

Thanks to Dave R for forwarding this video offering six ways to greet a fellow cyclist, which garnered nearly 60,000 views in its first day online. And is sure to bring a smile to even the most curmudgeonly rider.

I’m a master of the quick nod and handlebar hand raise, myself.

………

The head of UCI, bike racing’s governing body, says don’t blame us for the dangerous road course in Rio, blame all those injured bike riders for screwing up, although others may beg to differ. Then again, safe courses reduce the risk of rider error. Not to mention it couldn’t hurt to allow a few practice runs on the course without having to share the roads with vehicular traffic.

Good news from one of those injured cyclists, as Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten says she’ll be fine, despite suffering a concussion and three fractured vertebrae. Thank goodness she has some random guy on Twitter to tell her how to ride a bike properly.

Cycling Weekly questions whether Peter Sagan did the right thing in dropping out of Saturday’s road race. Greg Van Avermaet’s victory says no, while the injuries to van Vleuten, Geraint Thomas and Vincenzo Nibali, et al, say yes.

Meanwhile, an Aussie track cyclist was hospitalized after her pursuit team crashed while training.

NBC previews tomorrow’s men’s time trial. Lets hope they do a better job covering the women’s time trial, also on Wednesday, than they did the women’s road race.

New York Magazine says doping is only going to get harder to detect, especially when gene splicing becomes a thing in the very near future. Although that sounds a lot better than dosing with whiskey, egg whites, and strychnine.

………

Local

CiclaValley takes a look at what cyclists lost in the recent Sand Fire.

Arizona’s Kimberly Lucie won the women’s pro race at the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix on Sunday, while LA’s Justin Williams took the men’s title.

The San Diego Reader suggests biking along the beachfront bike path to visit Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach, which it calls LA’s last real beach towns.

Long Beach officially cuts the ribbon on the first segment of what will eventually be two miles of parking-protected bike lanes on the city’s North Side.

 

State

Orange County puts its money where its mouth is, approving nearly $20 million to fund 13 bicycle corridor projects in the county and six OC cities; an additional bicycle boulevard in Huntington Beach could be funded if they can keep the cost of the project below $488,000.

Anaheim’s draft bike plan calls for 120 miles of additional bikeways. Of course, as we’ve repeatedly seen in LA, any plan is only as good as the city’s commitment to it.

San Diego’s Bike the Bay rolls at the end of this month, allowing 3,500 participants a once-a-year opportunity to ride over the sweeping Coronado Bay Bridge. And arrive in the city where bike lanes make people dizzy.

A proposal would give Stockton Street in downtown San Francisco a bike and people friendly makeover, converting it “from yet another auto sewer into a car-free pedestrian-transit-bicycle mall.”

The Department of DIY strikes in the Bay Area, as San Francisco bicyclists take safety improvements into their own hands.

Forget making America great again. The new director of the UC Davis Bicycle Program wants to make riding a bike fun again. They also offer a smart program to store students’ bicycles for the summer, safe from thieves and out of the elements, for just $20.

 

National

Co-Exist says protected bike lanes and bikeshare systems are the key to making cities safer.

Bike riders on Hawaii’s Big Island are turning to bike cams for protection, in a story that reads like a press release for the Fly6 and Fly12 cams, which it probably is. Seriously, they could have at least mentioned any of the other numerous bike and helmet mountable action cams on the market. GoPro, anyone?

The Colorado State Patrol blames the victim in Sunday’s fatal Ironman crash, saying she swerved out of a lane blocked off for competitors and hit a truck in the next lane.

I want to be like her when I grow up. A 77-year old Minnesota woman rides 660 miles to attend her 60th high school reunion in Cheyenne WY. Except I have no interest in attending a high school reunion. Or living in Minnesota.

A federal appeals court rules against a Michigan woman who sued Target for selling her a bike with defective brakes after she fell off and hurt her shoulder; the court said she’s entitled to a fair jury, but “not one that believes whatever she says.”

New York considers a proposal to add wider bike and pedestrian lanes to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Drivers using bike lanes as de facto passing lanes seems to be a universal problem, even in Greensboro NC.

No bias here. A Miami bike rider gets the blame for colliding with a police cruiser, even though the cops were making a U-turn in the middle of a causeway.

 

International

OMG! The Brit press freaks out when One Direction’s Harry Styles is caught riding without a bike helmet, which is perfectly legal in the country. And perfectly safe, as long as you manage to stay upright.

It’s better not to hit a bike rider than to try and save his life afterwards. Just a suggestion.

The UK’s Radio X lists the greatest songs about bicycling. Mark Ronson’s The Bike Song apparently didn’t make the cut.

A Dublin woman calls on the city to make immediate safety improvements after too many near-death experiences riding her bike to work. The photo illustrating the story of a rider squeezing between city buses is truly terrifying.

After carrying them nearly 25,000 miles around the world, an English couple’s bikes go missing at Ireland’s Shannon Airport, along with the rest of their belongings.

Bicycling offers nine lessons learned from riding in the Swiss Alps. Or you could take the road less travelled and explore the Tatra Mountains between Slovakia and Poland.

Caught on video: Copenhagen somehow manages to keep a bikeway open next to a construction site, despite a road crew lifting hundreds of pounds of dirt over riders’ heads. Maybe they could teach us something about being a less litigious society, as well as being more welcoming to bike riders. Because something like that would never fly here.

 

Finally…

Don’t Pokémon GO on the go in Taiwan. The Rio road course may have been dangerous, but at least there weren’t any wallabies.

And please, can we just give the whole “Be a Roll Model” thing a rest, already?

 

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Morning Links, Stolen Bikes and Bike Crime, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , ,
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