Tag Archive for Bird

Proposal for bike-friendly Hollywood Blvd, where to ban cars from LA streets, and a bigger Bird hits Los Angeles

CD13 City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell unveiled proposals for a much-needed head-to-toe makeover of Hollywood Blvd.

The plans calls for reducing or eliminating parking, widening and fixing the already wide sidewalks, and installing bike lanes on either side.

However, the plans don’t call for protected bike lanes, or closing the boulevard entirely to create a pedestrian plaza at Hollywood and Highland.

If approved — and it still has a long damn way to go — they could create the first east-west bike lanes in Hollywood.

And no, sharrows don’t count.

They could also improve safety for the tens of thousands of tourists who visit the street every day, while improving livability for the rapidly growing residential population in Hollywood.

O’Farrell reports that $4 million in funding has already been secured for the project, which could go a long way towards making it a reality.

Rendering by Gensler.

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As we’ve discussed for the past few weeks, cars are now officially banned San Francisco’s formerly busy Market Street.

The LA Times throws down the gauntlet, saying if the Bay Area city can close one of its largest and most iconic streets to motor vehicles, Los Angeles can do it, too.

Streetsblog then picks it up, suggesting ten LA-area streets from Pasadena to Santa Monica that could use a similar treatment — including the afore mentioned Hollywood Blvd; we mentioned Curbed’s seven suggestions earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Car and Driver wants to know how far this carfree streets thing is going to spread, and Fast Company lists 11 additional cities where it already has.

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Call it Big Bird.

C|net reports that Bird is introducing a heavier, more durable and hopefully, more vandalism resistant e-scooter they’ve dubbed Bird Two.

The vehicle comes with “autonomous damage sensors” that are designed to detect potentially dangerous maintenance issues. It has puncture-resistant tires, an anti-tipping kickstand and “enterprise level anti-theft encryption.” And its design minimizes exposed cables and screws.

“The absence of excessive exposed screws helps create a sleeker design while also reducing injuries and vandalism,” the company said in a statement. Bird said this feature will also help with safety (which makes sense considering some scooter haters like to cut brake cables).

The site says the company is introducing the scooters in San Francisco, then eventually rolling them out to other cities.

Evidently, they forget to tell that to their LA-area staff.

I spotted this one while walking the foster corgi in Hollywood; other Twitter users reported seeing them along the Figueroa corridor.

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

Long Island police are looking for a bike-riding man who stole $3,000 from an unlocked car. Then again, what kind of idiot leaves three grand in his car, and doesn’t bother to lock it?

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Local

A Larchmont newspaper profiles all four candidates in the CD4 race — incumbent David Ryu and challengers Sarah Kate Levy and Nithya Raman, as well as write-in candidate Susan Collins; both Levy and Raman have been endorsed by Bike the Vote LA. And speaking of Levy, she’s asking transit and mobility fans to canvas for her this weekend.

Santa Monica could cut the number of dockless bike and e-scooter providers in the city by half under new rules approved by the city council.

 

State

Eroica California returns to Cambria this April, now with rides for modern and classic bikes on different days.

Tragic news from Galt, 27 miles south of Sacramento, where a 34-year old man riding a bike was killed in a collision with a motorist.

A Sebastopol writer talks with a zero-waste, locavore, electric vélomobile owner.

Plans for a median-protected bike lane move forward in Modesto, despite the inevitable complaints from local businesses that it would take space away from cars.

 

National

Streetsblog says the national transportation policy proposed by the Democrats in Congress has a lot to offer, even if it has little chance of becoming law.

A writer for Mashable tries out a $4,000 ebike for a year, and is surprised to learn it’s heavy, and can replace a car, but only in good weather. Never mind that lots of people ride ebikes and regular bikes year ’round, in all kinds of weather.

Ebike prices continue to drop, like this barely sub-$1,000 bike from Propella. And no, I’ve never heard of the brand, either.

A new active transportation advocacy group intends to make Spokane WA friendlier for people on bikes and on foot.

Once again demonstrating that the Bureau of Land Management has no respect for the land they’re supposed to manage, the BLM has put two parcels up for oil and gas drilling near Moab, Utah, even though it could result in irreversible damage to the famed Slickrock mountain bike trail.

You’ve got to be kidding. Life is really cheap in Wisconsin, where a hit-and-run driver got a lousy three months behind bars for the drunken crash that injured a bike rider; he hit the victim as he was driving to another bar, and blew over twice the legal limit when he was arrested.

Tragic news from Brooklyn, where a bike rider was killed in a collision with the driver of a flatbed truck, becoming the first bicyclist killed in New York this year after the city suffered a nearly three times increase in bicycling deaths last year. As usual, the driver wasn’t ticketed or detained, despite being caught on video making an illegal U-turn. Warning — that last link clearly shows the victim getting hit, so be sure you really want to see that before clicking it. Thanks to Victor Bale for the heads-up. 

A North Carolina mother is under arrest after her four-year old son was found riding his tricycle naked at 12:30 am, in front of a bar, in 40° weather.

Nice gesture from a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe, which is hosting a block party to call for bike and pedestrian safety at the site of the drunken crash that killed two bike riders and injured several others during last year’s Mardi Gras celebrations.

 

International

A young man from Matamoros, Mexico just graduated from a college in Brownsville, Texas, thanks in part thanks to the $40 flea market bicycle he rode across the border every day.

A London woman describes how she went a full year using only her feet or bicycle for transportation.

The mayor of Paris says if she’s re-elected, every street in the city will by bicycle-friendly by 2024.

SUVs should be banned from urban areas, according to a Brussels-based safety think tank, which called for urgent action to protect bike riders and pedestrians.

A Belgian ex-cyclist-turned-journalist makes, then deletes, then apologizes for a sexist joke about how little an Argentine reporter was wearing; apology not accepted, evidently, after she responded by calling him a brontosaurus.

Vienna is offering free admission to museums and concerts to people who leave their cars at home in an effort to cut traffic and pollution.

VeloNews goes to Germany to jerk their chains. And otherwise test 13 of the most popular bike chains.

A South African radio station says it could be the death of motoring, as Millennials and Gen Zers are falling out of love with cars.

It better be a damn big reward. Indonesian authorities want a volunteer to take a motorcycle tire from around a 13-foot crocodile’s neck.

 

Competitive Cycling

A Colorado man looks back on a half-century as a cyclocross racer, starting long before most American cycling fans ever heard of the sport.

Still more sad news, as British cyclist Josephine Gilbert was killed last week when she was struck by a truck driver while riding in the UK; the 25-year old rider was called an inspiration by her teammates. She becomes just the latest in a long line of professional and amateur racers killed or seriously injured by drivers in recent years.

 

Finally…

It may be broken English, but “Abandoning boy to death” drives the point home better than the more pedestrian “hit-and-run.” If you want to keep passing as a blind beggar, leave the SUV at home.

And this is who we share the roads with. And yes, it’s pretty much the definition of an entitled driver.

Morning Links: BOLO alert for stolen Cervélo S1, a handful of bike events this week, and a Bird in the hand

CBS2 news anchor Jeff Vaughn is asking everyone to be on the lookout for a bicycle that was stolen from a member of the station’s charity cycling team.

According to Vaughn, a Cervélo S1 belonging to Erez “Eric” Setty was stolen from outside the Woodland Hills Ralph’s market at 21909 Ventura Blvd on Tuesday, October 2nd at 2:49 pm.

He found security camera footage from inside the market that showed the thief making off with his bike.

The theft has been reported to the police. So if you happen to spot the bike on the street, or see a suspiciously low priced Cervélo S1 being sold on Craigslist or some other forum, contact the detectives at the LAPD’s West Valley Division.

If you’re not sure if a bike is hot, you can check Bike Index’s free nationwide stolen bike registry, which has helped return over 5,000 stolen bikes to their original owners.

I don’t know how the bike was secured in this particular case.

But let this be yet another reminder to never leave your bike unlocked and unattended even for a few moments; even a lightweight cable lock or chain could be enough to deter a thief while you run in for a quick errand.

If you need to lock your bike up for a longer period, use a heavy chain to secure the frame and both wheels, or remove the front wheel and secure it to the frame and back wheel with a heavy U-lock. Or a combination of both.

You can find more tips on how to lock your bike here.

It’s a pain in the ass to carry around a heavy lock with you everywhere you go. But it’s a lot better than coming back and finding your bike missing.

Even if it isn’t a Cervélo.

And if you haven’t already, stop what you’re doing and take a few moments to register your bike for free with Bike Index or some other service.

Before something like this happens to you.

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Streetsblog’s This Week in Livable Streets offers news of a trio of bike events.

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Local

Curbed looks at the new left-side, parking-protected bike lane on Spring Street in DTLA. And wishes drivers would just stop parking in it.

Long Beach is ranked as the 27th best bike city in the US, even if a pair of councilmembers are standing in the way.

CiclaValley takes a ride up Mount Gleason. Which probably wasn’t named for Jackie.

 

State

CityLab says San Francisco fought the e-scooters, and the scooters won.

Tragic news from Sacramento, where a bike rider was killed in a collision with the driver of a truck.

 

National

Bicycling names the year’s best bike gear.

NPR examines the safety concerns that are rolling into American cities along with the e-scooter rollouts. The best way to improve safety for scooter users is the same as with bike riders — build out an actual network of safe, protected bike lanes.

Life is cheap in Hawaii, where a former Honolulu cop faces a $2,000 fine and up to one year in prison after being found guilty of misdemeanor negligent homicide for the on-duty crash that killed a bike rider; he was acquitted on charges of evidence tampering and filing a false police report.

Curbed asks if New York is ready for the e-scooter revolution. Then illustrates it with a photo of Bird riders on the beachfront bike path in Venice, where they’re prohibited.

Huh? A Louisiana letter writer says Baton Rouge isn’t safe for bicyclists and doesn’t need a bikeshare program, then complains that certain areas were left out. And says he conducted his own survey of how many people ride in the city — while he was driving — then fails to share those undoubtedly accurate stats.

A Miami jury sided with Bell Sports in a $17.5 million lawsuit alleging that the company’s Giro Skyla bike helmet caused a triathlete to suffer brain damage when she fell during a competition; the company’s lawyers allege she failed to follow the instructions in fitting the helmet.

Even sleepy Key West, where many people get around on two wheels, can be deadly for people on bikes; two bike riders have been killed in the last two weeks, and another was airlifted after a crash on Friday.

 

International

Authors Melissa and Chris Brunlett discuss how to turn a car town into a cycling city.

Forget drones, cargo bikes are the future for urban deliveries.

A European website asks if the European Union should be doing more to promote ebikes. Short answer, yes. So should everyone else if we’re serious about fighting climate change.

This is who we share the roads with. A driver in Northern Ireland lost his license for just one year for cutting off a group of bicyclists, causing an experienced rider to fall and fracture his elbow — then telling the riders to fuck off and flashing the bird as he sped away. Sounds like a nice guy. No, really.

A Scottish woman is scheduled to arrive in Berlin on Thursday, shattering the women’s record for riding around the world by a full 20 days.

New York Magazine examines the plans of Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo to reduce the city’s reliance on motor vehicles, saying it could be a guide for Gotham. Not to mention Los Angeles.

Advocates in Switzerland, which recently added bicycling to the constitution, call for the equivalent of a nearly five-foot passing law; similar laws are already in effect in Germany, Ireland, Spain and Portugal.

Police in a town in the United Arab Emirates “improved safety” by confiscating 500 bicycles belong to allegedly reckless cyclists, as well as motorbikes used by unlicensed food delivery people. I think everyone in the city will rest easier know that they’ve removed a few hundred bicycles and their riders from the streets.

Lime’s e-scooters have established a beachhead in New Zealand.

 

Competitive Cycling

Trek-Segafredo team director Steven De Jongh was hospitalized with a concussion after police spotted him lying unconscious in a ravine; his wife had reported him missing for several hours when he failed to return from a training ride.

Cyclist ranks the top ten pro cyclists of the year. For a change, Peter Sagan only comes in third.

Cycling Tips offers photos from the recent Il Lombardia, calling it the neglected Monument.

Canadian university professor Rachel McKinnon became the first transgender woman to win a women’s world track cycling championship in Los Angeles on Sunday; needless to say, conservative news sites did not approve. Meanwhile, VeloNews talks with her about the win, and the objections to it.

At least three bike races have been cancelled by organizers in a Louisiana parish, after it passed an anti-bike ordinance requiring bicyclists to wear fluoro hi-viz and ride single file in groups of ten or fewer.

 

Finally…

One stolen bike is bad, 24 is about two dozen times worse. Nothing like banning hunting after it’s already too late.

And just a quick reminder that…

…is worth two in the bush.