Tag Archive for California legislature

WeHo Council approves Fountain Ave project, dismal year for CA safety bills, and road rage driver threatens NY ambulance

September 16, 2025 / / No comments
Day 259 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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There’s good news on Fountain Ave for a change.

After three-and-a-half hours of public discussion, a deeply divided West Hollywood City Council voted to move forward with a Complete Streets makeover of the deadly corridor — including curb protected bike lanes.

It’s going to take awhile to digest everything, in part because the actual vote got a little confusing when they broke the motion into three parts.

But here’s how things broke down.

First up was a vote to approve staff recommendations 1 & 3, which passed 3-2:

  • Consider approval of 30% Plans for Phase 1 of the Project;
  • Approve Amendment No. 2 to the Agreement for Services with Fehr & Peers in the amount of $131,040 to provide Construction Administration and design contingency for Phase 1 of the Project;

Second, the council voted unanimously to approve recommendations 2 & 4, amended to include an assessment of removing peak hour parking:

  • Provide direction on recommended immediate traffic calming measures that can be made in the next 1-2 months ahead of the delivery of Phase 1 of the Project;
  • Authorize Staff to initiate Phase 2 of the Project, including the release of a Request for Proposals for a Phase 2 consultant, and the expansion of the Steering Committee to guide the visioning process;

Finally, they approved recommendation 5 to exempt the project from CEQA by another 3-2 vote:

  • Find Phase 1 of the Fountain Avenue Streetscape Project statutorily and categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Public Resources Code sections §21080.25, §15301(c), and §15304(h).

By my count, public comment broke down 25 to 18 in favor of the project, though there were a handful of comments that required a secret decoder ring to figure out whether they were for or against.

And a few even that didn’t work for.

While the final outcome is great news, the close vote means it would only take a change of one vote to halt things in its tracks when the project returns to the council next year to approve a construction contract.

So it’s still fingers crossed for now. But things are looking pretty good.

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On the other hand, things aren’t looking great in the state legislature, as Streetsblog reports only a few traffic safety-related passed both houses before the deadline.

  • AB 366 extends the operation of interlock devices indefinitely after a driver is found guilty of a DUI and repeals related reporting requirements
  • SB 71 streamlines CEQA review requirements for public transportation and bike and pedestrian infrastructure projects that reduce car dependency
  • SB 720 modernizes state regulations allowing municipalities to create and operate red light camera programs

On the other hand, a number of good bills failed to advance.

  • AB 891 would have required Caltrans to develop quick-build projects to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians
  • AB 939 would have placed a bond on next year’s statewide ballot to fund sustainable transportation throughout California
  • AB 954 failed to pass despite being significantly watered down, going from a mandate requiring that Caltrans build bike highways, to merely defining them in state planning documents
  • SB 445 would have created deadlines for permitting Complete Streets and sustainable transportation projects to prevent local governments from dragging out the process while they barter for concessions

Finally, one failure was good news, as AB 697, which would have allowed the expansion of State Route 37 through protected habitats and wetlands in Sonoma County, suffered a welcome death.

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This is who we share the road with.

A road-raging driver in New York’s Hudson Valley faces multiple charges, after chasing an ambulance that passed him while responding to an emergency call with lights and siren — then brake-checking the ambulance after he caught up to it.

Although all the charges are misdemeanors and traffic citations at this point. But let’s hope it’s enough to keep the 47-year old man from driving again until he’s 87.

Or maybe ever.

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Active SGV is hosting bike rides in Montebello and El Monte this Saturday.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

An economist with the libertarian Hoover Institution is convinced new bike lanes on El Camino Real between Menlo Park and Sunnyvale aren’t worth the lost business during construction work and a loss of parking, because he and his wife only saw on bike rider at the exact moments they happened to go by. Never mind that bikes can be harder to see because bike lanes move riders more efficiently than traffic lanes, and that bike lanes usually result in higher retail sales.

A Florida man with a history of road rage assaults got out of his truck to threaten a 19-year old bike rider, who yelled at him about speeding, then told him to “shut the fuck up” when the driver responded by flipping him off. Thanks to Mike for the heads-up. 

Road Rage on Bayshore
byu/Ancient_Hyper_Sniper intampa

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Local 

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton offers photos and an open thread from Sunday’s Historic South Central meets Watts CicLAvia.

Pasadena finally approved a sweeping update to the North Lake Ave Specific Plan after a 10-year public process, including wider sidewalks and bike parking, but no bike lanes despite providing access to a Metro train station.

Writing for Cycling West, Peter Abraham says he was excited by Caltrans’ plans to install new bike lanes on deadly PCH through the ‘Bu, until he learned about the 11 to 20-year timeline — and that’s if they can get funding of up to $268 million. So we might as well get more ghost bikes and white tires ready, because we’re likely to need them before they get this damn thing fixed.

 

State

British adventurer Matt Garman set out from San Diego to ride across the US, with a single bag containing just one set of clothes, a cellphone and a credit card, to raise funds for a children’s charity. And that ain’t gonna protect him from any early winter weather along the way.

Eureka will begin work this weekend to complete a bicycle blvd on the city’s C Street.

 

National

Olympic speed skater Jordan Stolz is one of us, making a comeback on the rink after suffering a deep gash in his leg when he went over his handlebars and into a ditch when his chain unravelled while riding near his Wisconsin home.

An 80-year old Boston man describes how he was the first bike rider to crash because of new speed bumps installed in a local state park.

She gets it. A Philadelphia lawyer says we need to start treating bicycling fatalities as “the natural outcome of a system that prioritizes cars above people,” and “commit to making sure they can walk, ride, and bus to class without fear.”

Heartless Virginia Beach thieves made off with an adaptive recumbent bike that a 69-year old woman was using to complete her recovery from a massive ischemic stroke that initially left the left side of her body totally paralyzed.

A Virginia group is working for safer streets through an online dashboard that allows bike riders and motorists to report near-miss collisions due to driver or infrastructure issues.

 

International

A split screen British advertising campaign is putting posters on firetrucks calling for giving bike riders and others more space on the road.

 

Competitive Cycling

Twenty-three-year old American cyclist Matthew Riccitello signed with the French Decathlon CMA CGM team for the next three years, after finishing fifth at the Vuelta and winning the white jersey for best young rider.

Pro cyclists say that next time it will only get worse, after pro-Palestinian protesters managed to disrupt the recent Vuelta, leading to the shortening of several stages, including the final.

UCI understandably questioned Spain’s ability to host major events going forward, while WorldTour cycling teams considered boycotting the Israel-Premier Tech team in future races; meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for Israel to be banned from international competition.

The Philadelphia Cycling Classic is making an unexpected comeback next year after a ten-year hiatus, promising a return of world-class — though not necessarily WorldTour — cyclists.

I want to be like her when I grow up. An 82-year old woman nicknamed “Granny McGnarly” is still shredding downhills in mountain bike races.

 

Finally…

Well, why wouldn’t you build a new space capsule docking prototype from spare mountain bike parts? That feeling when your impromptu DIY cycling podium is made from ice chests.

And just call it Living La Vida Vaca.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Bike safety bills limp to the finish in CA legislature, building a prop-propelled bike, and who really needs 2 tires, anyway?

September 3, 2025 / / No comments
Day 246 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Let’s hold a moment of silence for all the good bike and traffic safety bills that won’t make it through this session of the state legislature.

California Streetsblog offers an update on the status of traffic-related bills that are still alive, although some can’t be voted on until next year.

Like AB 891 Quick-Build Project Pilot Program, which would require Caltrans to develop safety projects on state highways for bicyclists and pedestrians;

AB 939, The Safe, Sustainable, Traffic-Reducing Transportation Bond Act of 2026, which would have placed an initiative on next year’s ballot to fund sustainable transportation throughout California;

AB 954, The Bike Highways Bill, which has been watered down to merely define what a bike highway is, allowing jurisdictions to fund and build their own bike highways, rather than mandating Caltrans to build them;

And SB 445, Transportation: Planning: Complete Streets Facilities: Sustainable Transportation Projects, would impose permitting deadlines on companies and jurisdictions, so they can’t draw them out.

On the other hand, a few good bills are moving forward, though some have been severely watered down.

Take AB 366, Ignition Interlock Devices, which would have expanded the interlock program for convicted drunk drivers, but now just indefinitely extends the existing program;

SB 71, California Environmental Quality Act exemptions for transit projects, streamlines CEQA requirements for public transportation, bike and pedestrian projects that reduce car dependency, and just needs to pass the full assembly;

SB 720, Automated Traffic Enforcement System Programs, changes state regulations so cities can create and operate red light camera programs, or do it better in cities with existing programs, now needs to pass the Assembly Appropriations Committee and the full Assembly.

On the other hand, one very bad bill is still in the running.

AB 697, Protected Species: Authorized Take for State Route 37 Expansion, would allow the construction of additional travel lanes on State Route 37 between Vallejo and State Route 121 in Sonoma County, even though it would run through protected habitats and wetlands.

Nothing like destroying a little fragile habitat for another induced-demand inducing highway project that flies in the face of California’s climate goals.

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Someone stole my idea to put a propeller on a bicycle, dammit.

Thanks to Steven for the heads-up. 

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Who really needs both tires, anyway?

Literally just riding along
byu/Natac_orb inJustridingalong

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

Several Edinburgh, Scotland bike lanes could be at risk, as officials dither in the face of a deadline to make temporary bike lanes permanent, while bike advocates warn that “every bike could be another car making congestion worse.”

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Local 

Courtesy of Los Angeles Streetsblog comes word that ActiveSGV and Amigos de los Rios will host an Easy Access ride exploring the Emerald Necklace greenway this Saturday. 

 

State

Oceanside will move forward with completion of an unfinished half-mile segment of the Coastal Rail Trail, the 44-mile bike and pedestrian trail connecting Oceanside and San Diego.

Sad news just keeps on coming, as the Kern County coroner identified a 42-year old Bakersfield man who was killed Friday when his bicycle was struck by one driver, and he was thrown into the roadway where he was struck by another one; CHP investigators were quick to blame the victim for riding at night with no lights on his bike, even though relatives say the first driver was drunk and speeding. A crowdfunding campaign for the victim’s funeral expenses has raised just $250 of the modest $4,500 goal.

 

National

Ultra-endurance icon Kilian Jornet plans to summit every 14,000-foot peak in the continuous 48 states, linking them all by bike and foot. Which means he can skip everything north, south and east of Colorado; Utah, Arizona and Oregon can sit down, too. 

“Tax-averse” Wyoming is considering plans tp charge mountain bikers $10-20 annual trail fees, on top of state park entrance fees, after federal funding was cut off. Although maybe someone should tell them that, too, is a form of taxation.

Um, okay. An Omaha, Nebraska TV station says bike riders are applauding a new road diet and bike lanes, even though neighbors are questioning the changes, like local residents everywhere. But they couldn’t seem to find any of those questionable questioners to talk with.

Chicago bike riders enjoyed a carfree Lake Shore Drive on Sunday, even as the state abandoned plans to redefine the eight lane highway separating the city from Lake Michigan, while making the roadway even more car-centric.

A reporter for an Illinois website says hey, she’s a bicyclist now, after claiming an old bike from her parent’s garage — and setting out for her first ride sans helmet and without making sure it was in rideable condition. But we all had to start somehow, right?

Philadelphia bike riders plead for safer streets after a 67-year-old man was killed in a hit-and-run while riding his bike yesterday, while family members begged for information.

Dashcam video captures the hit-and-run that left a Richmond, Virginia bike rider sprawled in the street, but what really bothers the victim is that no one stopped to help afterwards.

An 80-year old Florida man faces felony manslaughter and hit-and-run charges for killing a nine-year old boy riding a bicycle, then speeding off as witnesses tried to stop him with the kid’s bicycle still trapped under his pickup; he claimed he knew he’d hit a bicycle, but “didn’t think there was a kid on it.” Once again raising the question of how old is too old to drive — and whether a judge will really send an elderly man to prison against the wishes of the boy’s very forgiving parents. 

 

International

Bike Radar says gravel bikes have finally outgrown their awkward years.

Luxury Travel Magazine says Slovenia should be your next ebike adventure destination. You could even visit the somewhat creepy semi-faceless bronze statue the purports to represent local girl Melania Trump — or you could, if it hadn’t been stolen after the original wooden version was set on fire.

 

Competitive Cycling

The training crash that injured Chris Froome was a lot worse than we were initially led to believe, as the four-time Tour de France champ suffered life-threatening heart damage, along with a broken back and five broken ribs, when he clipped a curb and crashed head-on into a road sign at 30 mph; Froome’s wife says he now faces a long recovery, and will be off his bike for the foreseeable future.

Twenty-five-year-old Italian cyclist Filippo Baroncini is going home with a contract extension, after a gruesome crash in Stage 3 of the Tour de Pologne in early August that required putting him in an induced coma and extensive facial reconstruction.

No surprise here, as seemingly inevitable winner Jonas Vingegaard is back in the red leader’s jersey after yesterday’s mountaintop finish in Stage 10 of the Vuelta.

Dutch rider Ide Schelling is calling it a career at the tender age of 27, saying it became clear he “didn’t want to do this for the next five to ten years.”

Cycling News offers a guide to streaming pro cycling this month for those of us in the US. Let’s just hope the Canadian bike races won’t be subject to Trump’s tariffs.

 

Finally…

Probably not the best idea to interrupt your bike ride to threaten someone with a loaded flare gun. Sorry, but an e-assisted pedal boat does not a water bike make.

And like we didn’t already know good coffee and bikes just naturally go together.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Calbike lists legislative agenda, ignores hit-and-run (again); and LA council committees belatedly consider HLA

February 26, 2025 / / Comments Off on Calbike lists legislative agenda, ignores hit-and-run (again); and LA council committees belatedly consider HLA
Day 57 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Calbike updated their legislative agenda for the coming year, calling for better and faster bike infrastructure, while reclassifying electric motorcycles and mopeds that are illegally marketed as ebikes.

Which, as we’ve repeatedly pointed out, are what are driving most of the complaints mistakenly directed towards electric bicycles.

Which they ain’t.

Other priorities include safe routes to schools, assessing the vulnerability of California cities to climate change, and removing roadblocks to bikeways and sustainable transportation projects.

Calbike also called for a halt to the recent rash of bikeway removals in the state, specifically in Culver City and San Mateo.

Although I keep hoping that someone, somewhere, will finally decide that hit-and-run drivers, who cause roughly a third of SoCal bicycling deaths, and are involved in up to half of all crashes in the City of Angels, are a problem, and actually do something about it.

Maybe someday.

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Streetsblog reports the LA Transportation and Public Works Committees will belatedly get around to considering two Measure HLA measure they put off earlier this month, ’cause they just didn’t have time to get around to them after dealing with constituents angry over another matter.

And that’s after failing to consider it in any of the previous 11 months following the measure’s overwhelming victory last March, of course.

Wednesday 2/26 – The L.A. City Council will host a joint meeting of its Transportation and Public Works Committees at 8:30 a.m. at L.A. City Hall room 401. The agenda includes two Measure HLA items postponed from earlier this month (see earlier SBLA coverage previewing HLA items and recapping the meeting when they were postponed

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Walk ‘n Rollers will host a Walk More Bike More Festival at Ivy Station in Culver City this Saturday, as Bike Culver City looks for bike valets.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

Detroit cops demonstrate their windshield bias by ticketing bicyclists for riding in the roadway, incorrectly insisting they have to stay in the bike lane — even if it’s full of snow. And asking to see their licenses, which people who ride bikes don’t need.

You’ve got to be kidding. A so-called London “journalist” says that violent armed bikejackers “are doing society a favor” by targeting people whose only crime is riding a bicycle in the early morning hours, saying bicyclists have turned Regent’s Park into a circle of hell. Maybe he’d feel a little differently if they were mugging newspaper columnists, instead.

No bias here. Bicyclists complained about the BBC’s claim of “a war on our roads,” calling out the false equivalency of framing it as a battle when only one side suffers most of the losses.

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Local  

They get it. The Los Angeles Times also calls on Culver City not to backslide on their ambitious safe street redesign, arguing that we will “never have safe streets and quality transit if the region’s political leaders scrap or scale back projects when there is opposition to change.”

This is who we share the road with. A 33-year old social media influencer faces DUI and manslaughter charges after allegedly leaving a Malibu 4th of July party after drinking, and killing a rideshare driver in a head-on crash after jumping the center divider on PCH.

 

State

Costa Mesa will present a comprehensive bicycle safety education class, developed in consultation with Culver City nonprofit Walk ‘n Rollers.

Santa Barbara approved an amendment to the city code to provide more enforcement tools to rein in “excessive” ebike riders, even though excessive bicycling isn’t a crime, electric or otherwise. And even though it was inspired by a close call with a pocket bike, which is a mini motorbike governed by the state vehicle code, and not a bicycle subject to city regulations.

A long-delayed, one-and-a-quarter mile, $12 million bike trail connecting Morro Bay and Cayucos along the coast in San Luis Obispo County is now nearly funded and could break ground soon, providing a safer alternative to riding on PCH.

The Napa Valley Transportation Authority is looking for public input as they belatedly develop the county’s first active transportation plan.

The CHP is looking for a hit-and-run driver who left a Sacramento bike rider with major injuries earlier this month.

 

National

American bikemakers are facing yet another economic challenge thanks to Trump’s new tariffs on steel and aluminum, amid fears it will price out some customers and hurt demand.

Cycling Weekly takes an angle grinder to angle grinder-resistant bike locks to rate their resistance to, yes, angle grinders.

DoorDash says that San Francisco is the nation’s biggest market for bicycle deliveries, with 76% of the company’s deliveries done on bikes, ebikes and scooters, compared to 58% in New York and 57% in DC. Although my understanding is a lot of New York deliveries are made directly through the restaurant, without relying on a third-party service. 

My bike-friendly Colorado hometown is considering building a bike park on the site of the former college football stadium, where I used to smuggle booze for the marching band inside my tuba.

The governor of Arkansas signed a new bill allowing lift-access downhill mountain bike parks to help boost bicycle tourism, in a state where that is actually a priority. Unlike a certain populous Left Coast state I could name, although we seem to do okay attracting bike tourism, anyway.

 

International

Cyclist looks at the game-changing tech that has transformed bicycling over the past ten years.

Yanko Design recommends the top five “essential” bike gear upgrades for every bicyclist. None of which actually is. Essential, that is. 

A 33-year old beginning driver will spend the next two years behind bars for killing a 55-year old English man when he drifted onto the wrong side of the road for no apparent reason, and crashed head-on into the victim’s bicycle.

A British pro cycling site says semiconductors are even improving singlespeed bikes, despite their simplicity.

Momentum recommends four “fantastic” bike routes that showcase the best of Paris, for your next trip to the City of Lights, which is rapidly becoming the City of Bikes.

A Punjabi official insists that no government funds were expended on a Lahore, Pakistan bike lane that is already fading after less than a year, and will be repainted under warranty.

 

Finally….

That feeling when your pro cycling diet is a “hate crime against food.” Your new handlebar tape could look like a horned owl.

And for everyone who dreamed of riding a Raleigh Chopper through the Alps back in the day, someone has finally done it for you.

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Sac school boosts attendance by giving students bikes, and more CA bike bills awaiting the governor’s signature

September 10, 2024 / / Comments Off on Sac school boosts attendance by giving students bikes, and more CA bike bills awaiting the governor’s signature
Just 112 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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That’s more like it.

A Sacramento middle school was able to reduce tardy arrivals and boost attendance by giving bicycles to students with attendance problems, so they can ride to school.

According to the local CBS NEWS station,

“Attendance is everything,” said Michael Rosales, an attendance technician at Mills Middle School. “The child cannot learn if they aren’t here. The child can’t be social if they aren’t here.”

“Traffic is horrible around here, and sometimes, if we can alleviate that where the child can ride to school, it helps the parents get the other students to their schools on time,” he said.

Now all they need is enough safe infrastructure to protect the kids on their way to class, and make their parents feel comfortable letting them ride there.

Photo by Ch Jawad for Pexels. 

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Calbike recounts the bills passed by the legislature this year that they want to governor to sign, including:

  • Safer Vehicles Save Lives Bill, SB 961 (Wiener): The second half of Senator Wiener’s street safety package, which CalBike sponsored along with the Complete Streets Bill, will require most cars, trucks, and buses sold in California to include passive intelligent speed assist (ISA) by 2030. ISA gives drivers a signal when they exceed the speed limit by 10 miles per hour and can help prevent speed-related collisions, saving lives. It is already required in Europe and uses existing technology that is widely available.
  • Transportation Accountability Act, AB 2086 (Schiavo): An excellent complement to the Complete Streets Bill, this measure will require Caltrans to account for where California’s transportation dollars go. It will be an essential tool for advocates who want to make sure our spending matches our climate and equity goals.
  • Banning Bridge Tolls for People Walking and Biking, AB 2669 (Ting): This bill makes permanent a measure that sunsets next year. It allows toll-free crossings for people who walk or bike across toll bridges. It will have the biggest impact in the Bay Area, which has several toll bridges with bicycle and pedestrian lanes.
  • Bike Lanes in Coastal Areas, SB 689 (Blakespear): This bill limits the ability of the Coastal Commission to block the development of new bikeways on existing roads in coastal areas.
  • Limits on Class III Bikeways, SB 1216 (Blakespear): Class III bikeways are lanes shared by bike riders and car drivers. While they may be appropriate for neighborhood streets and some other contexts, they are sometimes used in place of more protective infrastructure because the cost is much lower. This bill would limit the use of state funding to create Class III bikeways on high-speed routes. It was originally in conflict with a provision of AB 2290, but since that bill died in the Senate Appropriations Committee, we’re happy to see this measure reach the governor’s desk.
  • E-Bike Battery Safety Standards, SB 1271 (Min): This bill requires all e-bikes sold in California to use batteries with safety certifications. It will help prevent most, if not all, battery fires, as those are usually caused by substandard batteries.
  • Unsafe Speed Penalties, SB 1509 (Stern): Continuing the speed theme, this bill would increase penalties for speeding more than 25 mph over the speed limit on roads with speed limits of 55 mph or less.

Not included on the list are some key bills that didn’t make it through the legislature, including bills to create a quick build bike lane pilot program at Caltrans, and once again pass a Stop As Yield bill for the governor to veto.

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In a followup to yesterday’s lead story, Meredith Gaudreau, the wife of fallen bicyclist and NHL star Johnny Gaudreau, announced at the funeral of Johnny and his brother Matthew that she is pregnant, too, just like Matthew’s wife — which mean’s neither kid will ever know their father.

Meanwhile, Katie Gaudreau, sister of the two Gaudreau brothers, revealed she learned about her brothers deaths on  the day of her wedding, and engraved their initials into her wedding ring as a memorial to them.

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It’s now 264 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 39 full months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

No bias here. A New Jersey radio broadcaster says he’s going to feel really bad when he hits your kid “doing stupid stuff” on his bike.

A Miami cop got fired for driving off when witnesses to a fatal hit-and-run asked him to help the victim, who had been riding an ebike, telling them to find someone else. And he should have been, too.

No bias here. A Toronto cop got into a heated exchange with people on a memorial ride for a fallen bicyclist, insisting they needed to keep moving after they paused near the crash site for a moment of silence.

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

A London writer says progressive politicians and responsible bicyclists need to speak up against the “everyday menace of antisocial behavior by cyclists” who dump ebikes and casually break the rules, giving us all a bad name.

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Local 

Streetsblog reminds us about this Sunday’s CicLAmini on Broadway in Lincoln Heights.

 

State

A Laguna Nigel man completed a cross-country fundraising ride from Seattle to New York last month, but is still collecting donations in an attempt to raise $25,000 for the 13 American service members who were killed in the bombing at Kabul airport in Afghanistan three years ago.

San Diego officials defended the planned Normal Street Promenade in the Hillcrest neighborhood — complete with a fully separated bikeway — despite a nearly 50% increase over previous estimates, calling it a model for park-deprived neighborhoods throughout the city.

San Francisco’s successful, but highly unpopular Valencia Street centerline protected bike lane will be moved to a more traditional curbside position, possibly as soon as January.

After a local news site asked a police use-of-force expert to review the recent pepper spraying and arrest of a couple teenagers by a Redding cop, the expert concluded that the cop never gave them the required warnings or attempted to de-escalate the situation.

 

National

She gets it. A writer for Clean Technica says we can’t let governments regulate ebikes to death.

Glamour recommends the best gifts for bicyclists — some of which you might actually want,  for a change.

The tony resort town of Vail, Colorado is offering six free ebikes to essential low-income workers employed in the town, defined there as earning less than $58,000 a year.

Here’s another reason to ride a bike. A Texas couple got married in front of 1,800 people at a Waco bike race because bicycling brought them together. No one can guarantee you’ll find true love, of course. Except you’ll probably love your bicycle. 

This is why people keep dying on our streets. A 68-year old man riding near the end of a Fort Worth, Texas group ride was killed when a woman entering from a side street drove through the group, hitting the victim with enough force to kill him instantly — but won’t be charged after she remained at the scene, and was very distraught. Although I imagine the victim’s loved ones were even more distraught. 

This is why people stop riding their bikes. A 70-year old Texas man says he’s never getting on another bike after he was the victim of a hit-and-run.

He gets it. A Mad City driver and bicyclist says yes, there are several factors causing traffic problems in the city, but the bike lanes ain’t one of ’em.

A New York father faces charges for failing to secure his guns after his 11-year old son came out carrying a shotgun, and ordered a 13-year old boy riding a bicycle to get away from their house. But it’s okay, ’cause he never pointed it at the kid or anything. 

 

International

Bike Radar offers a size guide for women’s bikes of every type.

The Department of DIY struck in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where someone spray painted their own bike lane and bike box at an intersection where a woman was fatally right hooked by a cement truck driver last year.

Oops. Belfast, Ireland opened a new Grand Central Station for buses without a single bicycle parking space, forcing people to lock their bikes anywhere they can.

A new survey says no, New Zealanders aren’t “sick and tired” of spending tax money building bike lanes, despite what the country’s Transport Minister claims.

 

Competitive Cycling

Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic tied the record by winning his fourth Vuelta on Sunday, finishing over two and a half minutes ahead of second place Ben O’Connor, while Enric Mas finished third. Sepp Kuss was the top American finisher at 14th.

Brennan Wertz and Lauren Stephens won the men’s and women’s US Gravel National Championships this past weekend.

Thirty-five-year old former pro Serghei Tvetcov successfully transitioned to gravel racing after leaving the WorldTour when he was diagnosed two years ago with chronic myelogenous leukemia, an incurable blood cancer.

 

Finally…

Bicycling is where carmakers come to die. Who needs a car for a 24-hour Nürburgring endurance race when you’ve got a bicycle?

And that feeling when your campaign ad features your goggle-wearing dog riding in a bucket bike.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Aussie cyclist Melissa Hoskins killed in crash by former world time trial champ Rohan Dennis, and Calbike recaps 2023

January 2, 2024 / / Comments Off on Aussie cyclist Melissa Hoskins killed in crash by former world time trial champ Rohan Dennis, and Calbike recaps 2023

Nothing lasts forever.

We had another successful BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive. But for the first time iever, we failed to top the previous year’s total, falling about $600 short.

I can’t begin to express my gratitude to all those who gave from their hearts this year, along all with the kind comments that accompanied so many donations.

So thanks to Cleaveran L, Liam W, David D, Joel F, Mark J, Todd R, Glen S, Penny S, John M, Mark G, Gregory C, Greg M and Carol K for their generous donations after we last spoke to keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.  

It’s the kindness and generosity of all those who donate to this site, along with our sponsors over there on the right, who enable me to do this work full-time. 

And thank you for coming here for another year. Because without you, none of this means a thing. 

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13 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch in the fall, as promised; 30 months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law.

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Say it ain’t so, Rohan.

News broke yesterday that Australian Olympic cyclist Melissa Hoskins was killed in a traffic collision in Adelaide Saturday night.

And her husband, former pro cyclist and world road time trial champ Rohan Dennis, was arrested for killing her.

Multiple sources report Dennis was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, endangering life and driving without due care.

Initial reports indicated Hoskins was riding her bike at the time of the collision, but later news stories suggested she had jumped onto the hood of the couple’s Volkswagen pickup and grabbed for the door handle as Dennis attempted to drive away.

She fell to the ground and was reportedly dragged for some distance along the street.

The 32-year old mother of two competed for the country in both the London and Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and was a member of the 2015 world champion team pursuit squad. She also rode for several years with Australia’s GreenEDGE women’s cycling team.

Former teammate Annette Edmondson described Hoskins as a “Fun, loving, hilarious person…A force to be reckoned with, she took the track and road cycling world by storm, before pursuing her next dream, starting a family and becoming the ultimate Mum.”

Dennis, 33, was released on bail after he was booked.

Thanks to Mike Wilkinson for the heads-up.

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Calbike offers a recap of legislative wins and losses for active transportation in last year’s state legislature session, as well as a recap of the best and worst of 2023.

The latter piece fittingly sums up the state’s worst response to the climate emergency as “Every. Single. Thing. We. Do.”

However, while Calbike mentioned the $18 million the state added to the ebike incentive program, they forgot to list the seemingly moribund program’s continued failure to launch under their recap of the year’s worsts.

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Oceanside bike lawyer and BikinginLA sponsor Richard Duquette calls our attention to a new law requiring cops to tell you why they stopped you.

AB 2773 requires police officers to state the purpose of a traffic or pedestrian stop before asking any other questions. Officers can only skip stating the reason for the stop if they deem it necessary to protect life or property from an imminent threat. The new law is intended to prevent pretextual stops, in which an officer stops a vehicle or pedestrian for something minor, with the intent of searching to determine if a larger crime is evident.

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The new fully separated bike lanes on Arbor Vitae connecting to the upcoming LAX/Metro station get an early vote of approval.

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Bike Talk offers another great program, with LA bicycling writer Peter Flax, Redwood City urbanist Bella Chu, and UCLA parking meister Donald Shoup, among others.

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If you haven’t already, sign the petition demanding a public meeting with LA Mayor Karen Bass to listen to the dangers we all face just walking and biking on the streets of LA, as well as the city’s ongoing failure to actually care enough to do anything about it.

Then please share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

A San Diego man riding a bicycle was killed in a shooting witnessed by a couple cops, who said the murder followed an apparent argument between the victim and the occupants of an SUV. Although that doesn’t necessarily mean it was road rage; the victim could have known his killer, or there could have been some other reason for the argument and shooting. Thanks to Phillip Young for the tip. 

An Oklahoma man faces life behind bars after he was charged with murder for allegedly waiting for a man riding a bicycle at an intersection, then intentionally running him down before fleeing the scene; he told police he “snapped out of it” after driving into a ditch while high on fentanyl.

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

A self-identified recreational bicyclist wants to know why so many Chicago bike riders are “totally derelict when it comes to norms regarding safety measures,” like the one he yelled at for riding without a helmet while using a cellphone — five years ago. I’ll let you decide which one was actually behaving badly.

There’s a special place in hell for the London, England man who was caught on security cam video riding his bike down the sidewalk in a Hassidic Jewish neighborhood, knocking men’s hats off, injuring a child and punching Jews in the face.

https://twitter.com/Shomrim/status/1740006475710247388

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Local 

A lawyer referral site reports someone was killed riding a bicycle in South LA the day after Christmas. However, I have been unable to find any confirmation of the crash. 

The Los Angeles Times says speed cams are expected to go up throughout Los Angeles, Glendale and Long Beach later this year, after a pilot program was approved by the state legislature and signed by the governor.

A writer for RealClearInvestigations calls a disputed Los Angeles bike path their “Waste of the Day,” after dog owners complain the $58 million pathway would cut into a San Fernando Valley dog park. Thanks to Phillip Young for the link. 

A man who calls himself “La Comadreja jajaja,” or “The Weasel hahaha” in English, juggles and dances for tips from drivers as he stands next to his bicycle at a Pacoima intersection; he worked as a clown in his native El Salvador before emigrating to the US.

WaPo says the bankruptcy of Santa Monica-based Bird means dockless bikeshare ebikes and e-scooters will be harder to find in cities across the US.

 

State

Twenty-year old Encinitas bikemaker Electra Bicycle Company is becoming an ebike success story, after building their brand with the popular Townie beach cruiser.

SANDAG continues work on San Diego’s new Border to Bayshore Bikeway, with construction along Beyer Boulevard between Dairy Mart Road and Del Sur Boulevard. Thanks to Robert Leone for the tip.

A Ventura County man feels lucky to have escaped with minor scrapes after a rogue wave knocked him down as he stood along the beach with his bicycle, while other people ran for their lives.

To the surprise of no one, San Francisco failed to meet their Vision Zero deadline to eliminate traffic deaths in the city by 2024. Los Angeles has one more year to meet its deadline, but won’t.

Sad news from Sacramento, where a 38-year old man faces gross vehicular manslaughter and DUI charges for killing a 24-year old man riding a bicycle early Christmas morning.

 

National

NPR considers the latest revisions to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, aka MUTCD, which offer improvements for bike riders and pedestrians, although some say it doesn’t go far enough. Thanks again to Phillip Young. 

The Guardian says the US is finally seeing an ebike boom after years of false starts. No thanks to the moribund California Ebike Incentive Program. 

Someone broke into a Michigan warehouse and stole 35 new and antique bicycles worth “over $3,500.”

I want to be like him when I grow up. The Guinness Book of World Records has confirmed that a 78-year old Michigan man is officially the oldest person to ride a bike across the US.

An Indianapolis boy on the autism spectrum received multiple bikes thanks to kindhearted strangers, who responded after the bike his mother had planned to buy him for Christmas was stolen from the seller’s yard.

An Ohio county judge faces charges for crashing head-on into a bike rider while recklessly passing other vehicles, yet inexplicably isn’t facing hit-and-run charges despite fleeing the scene. The story also doesn’t mention whether the person on the bike was injured.

Heartbreaking story from North Carolina, where a father of five was killed in a hit-and-run while riding the bike his family gave him for Christmas, after a medical condition prevented him from driving.

I want to be like him when I grow up, too. An 85-year old Florida man has topped 60,000 miles on his bike in the 20 years since his wife and kids gave it to him.

 

International

Momentum explains why bicycles are the perfect form of transportation for the 15-minute city.

Momentum also recommends three beneficial ways to use bike cams, and the ten best bicycle movies to watch over the holidays, which are already over. Unless you observe the Julian calendar, in which case, carry on.

Men’s Journal asks if Mexico City will become the next cycling destination, as bike riding booms south of the border.

Toronto residents are parking their cars in favor of bikes, thanks to the proliferation of ebikes and bike lanes.

A trauma expert is calling on Halifax, Nova Scotia civic leaders to do more to address bicycle safety, as the number of bicycling injuries has doubled every year since 2019. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

I want to be like him when I grow up, as well. An 81-year old British man is known as the Bike Whisperer after 65 years of fixing bicycles.

The UK’s Liberal Democrats accuse the country of decriminalizing bike theft, after more than 365,000 cases went unsolved over the past five years.

More than one hundred years of tradition came to an end in Westport, Ireland as the city’s mail carriers traded their postal bicycles for new electric vans.

Eight people were killed riding bicycles in all of Ireland in 2023. That compares with at least 23 bicycling deaths in Los Angeles last year, which has over 1.3 million fewer people than the Emerald Isle. 

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar is one of us, sharing a bike with his daughter on vacation in the Maldives.

China’s staid, utilitarian and once-ubiquitous Flying Pigeon is reinventing itself to stay relevant and competitive as the country’s consumer tastes change.

 

Competitive Cycling

NPR profiles Colombian cyclist Rigoberto Urán, arguing that winning isn’t the point for the country’s most beloved cyclist, who has built a career on almost winning.

 

Finally…

Your next ebike could be a woodie. Choosing the right ebike for the collapse of modern society.

And if you’re riding your bike with meth, fentanyl and weed in your backpack, put a damn light on it.

The bike, that is, not the backpack.

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Bike bills advance in CA legislature, DIY zebra crosswalks in East Hollywood, and CD11 candidates discuss transportation

March 30, 2022 / / One comment

A handful of bike and pedestrian bills moved forward in a four hour hearing at the California capital Tuesday.

Streetsblog reports the bills all passed in the bike-friendly Assembly Transportation Committee, most by large margins.

The measures include:

  • AB 1713 reprises last year’s Stop As Yield bill vetoed by Gavin Newsom
  • AB 2147 would legalize jaywalking under most circumstances, also vetoed by Newton last year
  • AB 2264 requires pedestrian lead intervals when traffic lights are replaced
  • AB 2336 would authorize a limited test of speed cams in six California cities
  • AB 1909, the Omnibus Bike Bill, makes several tweaks to state law, including requiring drivers to change lanes to pass a bike rider, when possible.

The bills now move on to other committees, where they are likely to find a less friendly reception.

Meanwhile, San Jose’s mayor was one of the primary speakers pushing for the speed cam bill.

Photo from Ekaterina Bolovtsova on Pexels.

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The Department of DIY has struck again, this time painting some very professional looking crosswalks in East Hollywood when the city wouldn’t.

Now if we can just get them to do a few bike lanes.

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Streets For All posted video of Tuesday’s virtual forum for the candidates running to replace Mike Bonin in Westside’s CD11.

Meanwhile, Streetsblog posted an illuminating recap of their answers to whether they would re-install the safety improvements in Vista Del Mar that were ripped out after pass-through drivers got out their pitchforks and torches.

And I know who I’d be voting for if I lived in the district.

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Metro is hosting a pair of virtual public meetings this week.

First up is this evening’s Community Meeting for LA Metro’s Active Transportation Strategic Plan (ATSP) Update, which Streetsblog’s Joe Linton notes they periodically update before putting it back on the shelf to gather dust.

Next is Friday’s meeting to discuss the agency’s proposed Street Safety Policy, which appears to follow the recent trend of not using the term Vision Zero to describe Vision Zero plans.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

No bias here. Get hit by a lawbreaking driver, and get a bill from the insurance company.

https://twitter.com/benbolliger/status/1508954714540425217

 

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

A Charlotte NC couple complain they were attacked by a gang of teenage bike riders after the driver “just kind of beeped the horn,” and were further traumatized when the cops said there was no point in pressing charges because it happens all the time.

A hearing impaired Singapore woman says a bike rider slapped and verbally abused her when she failed to give way when he rang his bike bell. Contrary to popular opinion in some quarters, a bike bell or “on your left” are both polite warnings, not commands meaning “get the eff out of my way.”

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Local

The LACBC is teaming with Metro to offer an in-person class in bicycling street skills in Commerce City tomorrow.

She gets it. CD 5 council candidate Katy Yaroslavsky, daughter-in-law of longtime LA politician Zev Yarolslavsky, says LA should be one of “the greatest bike cities in the world,” but isn’t because people don’t feel safe on the streets.

An LA mom uses her bike to bounce back from a sudden, tragic loss.

 

State 

Streetsblog offers some alternatives to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposal to give gas tax rebates to wealthy drivers who don’t need them, which would only encourage them to keep wasting gas.

The Press-Enterprise provides a primer on the use of ebikes and e-scooters, for anyone who hasn’t been paying attention up to this point.

More on Carlsbad’s crackdown on ebikes in the beachfront city, after collisions involving ebikes jumped from 39 in 2020 to 63 last year. Which likely corresponds with the jump in ebike usage over the last year. And just wait until someone tells them about cars.

 

National

A Chinese man is biking across the US to call attention to the fight for democracy in Hong Kong.

CleanTechnica says the US should offer ebike rebates to help starve Putin out of Ukraine.

Cycling Tips says put some foam inserts in the tires on your gravel bike.

Iowa City, Iowa reminds drivers not to park in bike lanes. Which shouldn’t need a reminder, but evidently does.

Country star Dierks Bentley is one of us, riding a mountain bike century through the Tennessee hills in a relatively balmy 40 degrees.

A Staten Island teen will spend the next four years behind bars after stealing a car, crashing into a bike rider, and leading police on a wild chase; the man on the bike suffered a broken nose and several other injuries, but wasn’t seriously hurt.

A recommendation for bicycle and e-scooter parking and ebike charging stations on the ground floor of a coming Coral Gables, Florida mobility station ran into opposition from the mayor, who is insisting on ground floor retail to offset some of the construction costs.

 

International

Bike Radar offers the “ultimate” beginners guide to buying a bicycle this year.

Rouleur provides a masterclass in the “structural, neurological and psychological repercussions” of bicycling injuries.

A British man credits his survival from a heart attack while riding to a pair of quick-thinking friends and a nearby defibrillator.

I want to be like her when I grow up. A Bollywood star’s 83-year old mother gets back on her bike after 25 years. Although maybe without the two and a half decade layoff.

Singapore actress Jaime Teo is one of us, breaking her collarbone trying to pass a large group of bicyclists on her bike when she bumped another rider.

 

Competitive Cycling

British bike hero and former Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins says keep using time trial bikes on the road, but get rid of all the distractions.

 

Finally…

The Mounties not only got their man, they crashed into him. That feeling when you get run over by a Key West tourist trolley.

And don’t brag about your bike skills until you can ride no hands while balancing a bundle of banana leaves on your head.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cbj-wl9AcgV/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=c9ffcf18-bbbb-4418-b12c-c666aec61815

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,
 
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