It’s been ten long years since a friend suggested holding a fund drive to help pay for this site, allowing me to turn pro.
It started as a joke, but quickly turned into an important source of funding, as people like you surprised me by opening their hearts and wallets to us.
And by us, I mean me and my four-legged assistant down there at the bottom.
It’s been ten years of good news and bad, happy and, yes, sad. Because I always try tell you the truth about what’s happening on our streets, to the best of my ability, so you know what’s going on out there.
I admit, it’s been a challenge this year, as my wife and I have both struggled with a litany of issues. It’s meant I haven’t been able to keep this up every day, though I’ve done my best to bring you the most important news, and catch up on anything we’ve missed.
Now it’s your turn.
If you think we bring something of value to your life, maybe you can share just a small part of your hard-earned income, and a kick a few bucks this way. Or more than a few, if the spirit moves you.
I won’t turn it down.
You can donate with just a few clicks by using PayPal. Or by using the Zelle app that is probably already in the banking app on your smartphone; just send your contribution to ted@bikinginla.com.
You can also use Venmo@BikinginLA now. Or at least I think you can. Let me know if it works.
As always, any amount, no matter how large or small, is truly and deeply appreciated. And needed more than ever in this challenging year.
But either way, I hope you’ll keep coming back here, and keep reading in the days to come.
And please join me in thanking everyone who’s given so far for their kindness and generosity in supporting this site.
Thanks to James L, David R, Eric L, Arthur B, Stephen T, Scott R, John C, Joni Y, André V, Glenn C, Jordan G, Michael G, David M, Joseph R, Michael S, Mark J, Stephen M, Patrick M, Steven F, Steven S, Brian N, Robs M, and Smiling Corgis.
Let’s hope tomorrow’s list is just as long. So donate today!
Weiss writes how wealthy Cheviot Hills residents successfully fought the installation of the Expo Bike Path after unsuccessfully fighting the Expo Line train, resulting in the notorious Northvale Gap that has forced bike riders and walkers to use difficult bypass routes.
And how they’ve used means both legal and otherwise to deter outsiders from besmirching their neighborhood.
But there may finally be light at the end of the tunnel, after ten long years.
As for finally closing the Northvale Gap, I am cautiously optimistic now that Katy Yaroslavsky is the Los Angeles City Councilwoman for Cheviot Hills. She is pro-active-transportation and is also on the Metro board. Already, her office has obtained additional funds from Metro to close the Northvale Gap. Her staff regularly meets with relevant departments (LADOT, Engineering, City Attorney) to solve problems. The latest (2022) fact sheet available through LADOT’s “Exposition Bike Path (Northvale Segment)” website says “Construction is anticipated to begin Spring 2024.” The Council Office expects construction to start some time in 2024.
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In an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, Streets For All founder Michael Schneider says the city needs safe streets, not more signs warning drivers to “watch your speed.”
The official responses to proven traffic hazards are woefully inadequate — mere gestures, if even that.
In 2021, after Monique Muñoz was killed on Olympic Boulevard at Overland Avenue by a driver going more than 100 miles per hour, the city placed a “Watch your speed” sign, politely asking drivers to slow down. Unfortunately, in the over two years that have passed, the city has yet to meaningfully redesign Olympic Boulevard to prevent a crash like this from happening again.
People don’t drive based on signage. They drive based on the design of the street. In the case of Olympic Boulevard in West Los Angeles, the design screams “wide open highway,” a lot like the Pacific Coast Highway. Hazardous as this is to all people (including drivers), it is most dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists.
Take a few minutes from your busy Cyber Monday to read the whole thing, because, as Schneider concludes, “The problem is carnage in the streets, and we know the solutions.”
Indeed we do.
We just need leaders with the courage to implement them, which seems to be sadly lacking in this town.
CicLAvia looks forward to their final event of the year, as the nation’s most successful ongoing open streets festival finds its way to South LA this weekend.
Which would normally give us another opportunity to chide California for the interminable delay in launching the state’s ebike rebate program, but screw it.
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Of course Bill Nye the Science Guy is one of us.
"There's no machine known that is more efficient than a human on a bicycle. Bowl of oatmeal, 30 miles – you can't come close to that." -Bill Nye, science communicator
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. Georgetown historian Thomas Zimmer writes on Mastodon that certain members of the far right are promoting “aggressive anti-bikeism” as part of their political agenda, even though bicycling is far less socialist than the massive public subsidies paid for cars. Unfortunately, I can’t embed his post, but you can read this thread and other Mastodon posts without having an account with the social media company; thanks again to Megan Lynch for the link.
Britain’s Daily Mail offers a panicked assessment of the “staggering 10,000 cyclists” delivering fast food across Scotland’s cities and towns, saying they pose a threat to pedestrians and even cars by flouting traffic regulations and riding on sidewalks. Never mind that an additional 10,000 people driving cars to make fast food deliveries would pose an greater risk to everyone.
West Hollywood will team with the West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition to host a WeHo Mobility Popup on Santa Monica Blvd tonight, giving away free bike lights on a first-come, first-served basis for people with bicycles, along with other complimentary giveaways for everyone.
In a rare occurrence, someone was killed in a bicycling crash, and it wasn’t the person on two wheels. A driver in San Gregorio was killed when he struck a bicyclist riding on the shoulder, then went off the road and struck a tree; compounding the tragedy, the bike rider was hospitalized with what was described as severe injuries.
Sad news from Lodi, where a 56-year old homeless man was killed riding his bike after allegedly swerving head-on in front of a 19-year old driver; investigators blamed the victim for possibly being stoned
Bloomberg’s CityLabtalks with the mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey about the steps the city has taken to improve street safety, which has resulted in no traffic deaths for the past six years. And proves that Vision Zero is achievable — if our leaders actually give a damn, and have the political will to make the tough choices.
The one time of year when we beg, plead and cajole to get you to give just a small part of your hard-earned cash to help keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.
Sort of like the membership drive for your local public radio station, but just once a year, and we don’t interrupt the whole reason you come here just to harangue you for money.
Well, not much, anyway.
And you get cute corgi pictures, real and otherwise. So that’s a plus.
The money you give helps cover the costs of running this site throughout the year, and tide us over until our sponsors start to renew in the spring.
Not to mention keep that corgi down there in kibble.
It couldn’t be easier to donate with just a few clicks via PayPal. Or by using the Zelle app that is probably already in the banking app on your smartphone; just send your contribution to ted@bikinginla.com.
Every donation is very needed and deeply appreciated, no matter how large or small; I know just how hard it can be to give on a limited budget.
Just 48 short hours — or less, depending on when you read this — to get your donation in before we wrap things up, toss out the party hats, change the sheets, and get back to work after the 1st.
As things stand right now, we’re just $62 off last year’s record total — and less than $200 from breaking the seemingly impenetrable $5,000 barrier, after getting tantalizingly close last year.
So thanks to James S, Alexander H and James Z for their generous donations yesterday keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.
I can’t begin to express my gratitude to them, and everyone who has given so much to support this site this year.
If you haven’t donated yet, take a moment to give right now via PayPal or Zelle. Every contribution, no matter how large or small, is truly and deeply appreciated.
And please accept my sincere hope that you and all your loved ones find peace and joy this holiday season, with a very healthy, happy and prosperous year to come.
And one filled with bikes.
Lots of bikes.
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Today’s common theme is ebike rebate programs, or the lack thereof.
The program loans ebikes to lower income residents on the condition that they commit to riding a minimum of 150 miles a month for two years, at the end of which they can own the bike.
However, inewsource reports only 50 of the original 400 participants met the conditions to keep the bike, with 35% exceeding the program’s $50,000 maximum income.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Horrific story from Puerto Rico, where a police officer was convicted of assaulting a juvenile, as well as the resulting coverup, after shooting the victim in the back as he fled from police on his bike, then pistol whipping the boy while he lay with his hands bound after surrendering, and repeatedly punching the boy in the face as he sat handcuffed in the back of a patrol car.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Police in Cambridge
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Local
Los Angeles has secured funding for the $47.5-million Skid Row Connectivity & Safety Project along San Pedro Street in DTLA, between Temple Street in the north and the I-10 Freeway to the south, including 2.4 miles of buffered and protected bike lanes. Although whether the project serves the current residents of Skid Row, or ends up pushing them out and gentrifying the community, remains to be seen.
Pasadena’s latest crackdown on traffic violations that could endanger bike riders and pedestrians resulted in 63 drivers receiving citations, along with seven pedestrians and four people on bicycles. Which means at least four bicyclists didn’t follow our advice to ride to the letter of the law during the crackdown.
Like Linton, Streetsblog California’s Melanie Curry has just returned from a trip, though this one took her a little further afield, as she observes the bicycle culture in Zimbabwe and Rwanda, saying their tenacity makes Californians look like wimps.
This is who we share the road with. A 39-year old Fresno driver faces a murder charge for the drunken hit-and-run that killed a high school student as he was crossing the street in front of the school; she had been given a Watson notice indicating she could be charged with murder if she killed someone while driving under the influence, following a 2008 DUI conviction.
As usual, we’ll be off next week for our regularly scheduled end-of-year mental, physical and emotional collapse.
But I’ll be around if there’s any breaking news that can’t wait until we get back. So sign up for email alerts up there on the right to make sure you don’t miss anything, if you haven’t already.
And stay safe over the holidays.
I want to see you back here bright and early when we return on the 3rd.
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Happy Chanukah to everyone celebrating today.
Chag Urim Sameach!
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
December 16, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on LA city officials back off “aspirational” mobility plan, CD13’s Hugo Soto-Martinez talks bikes, and still more bike giveaways
We’re on the cusp of the last full weekend of the fund drive, just slightly ahead of last year’s record pace. But we need your help to push it over the top, and best last year’s total for the 8th consecutive year!
So thanks to Matthew L and Tom C for their generous donations to keep all the latest bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.
But that’s what I do, all day and every day, confronting misinformation and disinformation about bikes and the people who ride them. And working to shine a light on the problems we face just trying to get from here to there in one piece.
So if you value that work, and have a few extra bucks to spare, ask yourself what it’s worth to you, and donate now to help keep this vital work going.
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Today’s must read comes from Streetsblog’s Joe Linton, who calls out Los Angeles city officials for their mealymouthed support of the city’s Mobility Plan 2035, which we are once again told is merely “aspirational,” despite its overwhelming approval by the city council.
But what has been disturbing has been the city’s wholesale backing off of the Mobility Plan as a plan. Instead city staff – from the Planning Department, Chief Legislative Analyst, Department of Transportation, and others – are casting doubt on the city’s approved plan. This occurred repeatedly in an October 6 CLA memo and a November 30 City Council Public Works Committee meeting [audio] discussing the city council’s alternative version of HSLA.
CLA staff repeatedly characterized MP2035 as just “a policy foundation,” “a working guide,” “not an implementation tool with specific projects,” and “street segments indicated on the network concept maps represent potential opportunities.” (emphasis added).
He goes on to add this.
At the committee meeting, (Department of City Planning) Planner Emily Gable stated that MP2035 is “guidance” for a “general vision.” MP2035 network maps are “guides for decision-makers.” She called the plan “aspirational” and emphasized its “flexibility.”
It’s instructive to note the pernicious double standard of how the city is treating other aspects of the Mobility Plan.
Bus lanes? Guidance.
Bike lanes? Policy foundation.
Safe walking? Aspirational.
Car capacity? Build it exactly as the plan specifies.
Then again, that’s nothing new.
Just weeks after the 2010 Bike Plan was approved, which was later subsumed into the mobility plan, we were told by an LADOT official that it was merely, yes, aspirational.
But here’s the thing.
While the city may consider the mobility plan aspirational, people who ride bikes just aspire to do so without fear.
We aspire to have safe routes allowing us to ride across the city, and through our own neighborhoods.
We aspire to be treated as equals on the road.
We aspire to have secure places to park our bikes when we get to our destination.
And we aspire to have city officials who actually give a damn whether we live or die.
It’s a good piece. So take a few minutes to give it a read.
Then get mad as hell.
Because your safety and right to ride should never be just aspirational.
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If, like me, you missed Streets For All’s virtual happy hour with newly installed CD13 Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez on Wednesday, the transportation PAC has posted a recording online so we can all catch up.
This is how they describe it.
In this month’s happy hour we give an update on Venice Bl and our state efforts, talk about upcoming neighborhood council elections, and go over some wins and fails. Our special guest is Hugo Soto-Martinez, newly elected Councilmember for District 13, City of Los Angeles. We discussed many possible bike, bus, and pedestrian projects, including Fountain Ave, Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood Bl, Vermont, and capping the 101 freeway.
The Bike League wants you to contact your Congress members to push for a return of the Bicycle Commuter Benefit in any year-end tax or spending legislation. Maybe they could also push for the ebike rebate the feds teased us with earlier this year.
Frightening story from Wales, where a 14-year old boy’s heart suddenly stopped while on a group ride with his stepdad, even though he was an experienced mountain biker; he survived, despite four days in a coma, because one member of the group performed CPR while others raced for a defibrillator.
The nascent National Cycling League announced $7.5 million in startup funding from a diverse group of investors, including NBA All-Star Bradley Beal; the league will consist of teams made up of eight men and eight women, who will compete for a slice of the $1 million purse in closed course crits in cities across the US. Although it’s kind of sad that a relatively paltry $7.5 million reflects the largest ever investment in US bike racing, when it’s just a rounding error on Beal’s annual salary.
Track cycling fans should head down to the Velo Sports Center in Carson for a full weekend of racing, starting tonight.
November 30, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on LA ignores Park to approve $1.6 million Westside bike project, Streetsblog raises funds, and what LAX could be
Your support allows me to keep this site going full-time, albeit at far less than full-time wages. And keeps my wife from insisting I go out and get a “real” job.
So take a moment and donate now via PayPal or Zelle to keep SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.
And while we’re at it, let’s thank Stephen T, Lionel M and Sun Y for yesterday’s generous donations on Giving Tuesday.
Seriously, don’t make our intern and chief fundraiser howl. Give now!
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The Los Angeles City Council approved $5.1 million for Westside transportation projects requested by outgoing Councilmember Mike Bonin, including $1.6 million for construction of the Rose Avenue Pathway and Protected Bike Lane Project.
The council voted to fund the projects over the objections of newly elected Councilmember Traci Park, who asked them to hold off until she takes office in two weeks.
Which could be read as a collective eff you to Parks. A final pat on the back to Bonin. Or simply approving projects that had already been in the pipeline.
Vancouver plans to rip out a pandemic-era bike lane through a park, and replace the previous traffic lanes and streetside parking before Christmas. Because apparently bike riders don’t celebrate the holidays. Or ride during them, or something.
Skip all the begging, pleading and groveling, and donate now via PayPal, or with Zelle to ted @ bikinginla.com.
Maybe you didn’t notice there’s no paywall here.
No subscription fee.
Not even a beg button asking for your hard-earned money.
Although maybe there should be.
Nothing to prevent you, or anyone else, from coming here as often as you want. Or keep you from sharing the information you find here with anyone you want.
That’s partly philosophical. I believe information wants to be free.
But more importantly, I think the information we present here is important, and needs to get out to as many people as possible.
And by we, I mean me and my corgi intern and chief fundraiser. And everyone who sends links and information to share with the rest of us.
And that’s where you come in.
Because while this site is free, creating it isn’t.
Our advertisers over there on the right cover about half the annual costs to keep this site up and running, and allow me to focus all my efforts on bringing you all the freshest bike news from around the world, and around the corner.
Along with ongoing advocacy efforts to make our streets more comfortable and inviting for everyone, and help keep you safe on the road.
But the simple fact is, I rely on you to make up that shortfall. Even though asking for money doesn’t come easy for me.
In most cases, I’d rather go without or find a way to scrape by rather than ask for help. I know we’re all struggling now, and you have problems of your own.
So this is the one time of year when I ask for your help.
Okay, beg.
The money you give now is what will keep me going for the coming year, and keep all the best news and advocacy flowing your way.
Not to mention keep that fuzzy intern in kibble.
I truly value and appreciate any help you can give, no matter how large or small. Because I know all too well how hard it is to give when you just don’t have it, and want to help anyway.
So just take a moment, and ask yourself what this site is worth to you.
Then give what you can. And don’t sweat if you can’t.
You don’t want to see me grovel.
Donate now via PayPal, or with Zelle to ted @ bikinginla.com.
Thanks to Anne F for her generous donation to help keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.
Right now, we’re running a full week ahead of last year’s record pace! So let’s keep it going!
Any amount, no matter how large or small, is truly and deeply appreciated. And very needed after a difficult couple years.
So give now via PayPal, or with Zelle to ted @ bikinginla.com.
Go ahead. We’ll wait.
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You’ve got to hand it to Warner Bros, who couldn’t have done a better job of discouraging people from riding their bikes to work, let alone on the studio lot, if they tried.
Being the friendly sort, she waved at her otherworldly visitors, causing some to instantly vanish, while others came right up to her.
She says they examined her with lasers, before vanishing with a burst of infrared light. Which is a little odd, since infrared isn’t usually visible to the human eye.
A cast member on The Real World Homecoming: Los Angeles opened up about his recent collision when he was struck by a truck driver while riding his bike in DTLA just before filming started, leaving him with a serious head injury, a broken clavicle, wrist and possibly broken ribs; on a possibly related subject, other cast members had to remove all the alcohol from the set because of his excessive drinking.
The Bike League has teamed with autonomous vehicle artificial intelligence provider Argo AI to develop a detailed set of guidelines for makers of self-driving cars to protect bike riders on the roadways, including mapping local infrastructure and laws, and expecting typical bicyclist behavior while being prepared for uncertain situations.
Denver residents want some temporary roundabouts removed after several bike riders have been injured by drivers; they were installed as part of the Slow Streets program, but never removed when roads were reopened to cars.
A Texas man will spend the next five years behind bars after repeatedly violating his probation for the hit-and-run death of a bike rider in 2008; the judge said she only wished she could sentence him to more.
November 26, 2021 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on It’s the 7th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive! Donate today!
Donate now via PayPal, or with Zelle to ted @ bikinginla.com.
It’s that time of year again.
No, not the holiday season, which seems to start around Halloween these days.
It’s that wonderful time of year when, just like that guy with the red kettle front of the market, we shamelessly, beg, plead and/or cajole you for your hard-earned cash.
But without all the bells.
I could give you a sob story about how tough this past year has been with my wife and I both out of work. Or what a challenge it’s been to keep this site up on a daily basis as my own body seems determined to kill me.
But hey, we’ve all got problems.
Instead, I’ll ask you one simple question.
Do you enjoy getting all the best bike news on your favorite screen every morning? Or almost every morning, anyway.
And if so, how much?
Okay, so that’s two questions.
The simple fact is, it takes hours every day to scour the internet for news sites, from around the corner and around the world, to find all the latest news from the wild, wonderful and sometimes wacky world of bicycles.
And hours more to present it to you as clearly and succinctly as possible, to help keep you on top of everything you need to know in just a few minutes each day.
Well, almost everything.
Trust me, there are some things you just don’t want to know.
So what’s that worth to you?
I count on your donations to get through the usual dry spell before our sponsors start to renew each spring, assuming they do. Not to mention keep our spokesdog in kibble until things turn around.
But if you can’t afford to give, don’t worry about it. Everyone is welcome here, no questions asked.
Or if you can only afford to give a little, believe me, any amount is deeply appreciated, no matter how large or small. I know how hard it can be when you’re struggling to get by.
Or I may have to start ringing that damn bell on here.
And trust me, I have one.
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Special thanks to Robert L, Eric L, David V, Mitchell G and Olivia K for their generous donations to the 7th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive, even before we officially kicked things off this morning!
Thankfully, that led to my first haircut in three months, before I was forced to become a hermit and move to a shack in Montana.
Which doesn’t sound all that bad, given the year we’ve all had.
So thanks to everyone who opened their hearts and wallets to help keep Southern California’s best source for bike news and advocacy coming to your favorite device every morning.
And the Bike League offers a recorded webinar discussing how ebikes can replace car trips in your community.
Did you miss our webinar yesterday about how to advocate for eCargo bikes to take the place of car trips in your community? It's now online and ready for you to watch when your schedule allows! Thanks to @sarisofficial for partnering with us on this: https://t.co/UCXDC8Z9EXpic.twitter.com/TN6Z2K0Db1
Life is even cheaper for the driver who walked with community service for killing a bike-riding father, after playing the universal Get Out of Jail Free card of claiming the sun was in his eyes; the victim’s wife insists “picking up litter is not justice” for taking a human life.
Thanks to Arthur B, Eric L, John C, Stephen T, David R, Michael S, the Muir’s , Michael F, Paul F, Andrew G, Alan C, Mike B, Andrew B, Mark J, Robert K, Glenn C, Theodore F, Domus P, Patrick J. M, Michael C, Lisa G and Michael V for their very generous support to help keep bringing SoCal’s best bike news and advocacy you way every day!
Be safe, and stay healthy. And wear a mask, already.
The simple fact is, it takes hours every day to scour the internet for news sites, from around the corner and around the world, to find all the latest news from the wild, wonderful and sometimes wacky world of bicycles.
But 
