One quick note before we get started.
The LACBC has extended the deadline to apply for the Executive Director position (pdf). If you think you’re up to the challenge of leading one of the nation’s most vibrant and innovative bike advocacy organizations — or know someone who is — you’ve got just a few more weeks to apply.
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The League of American Bicyclists has decided not to actively support Cherokee Schill, the Kentucky cyclist arrested for the crime of riding her bike in the traffic lane.
After analyzing the unique qualities of the state’s antiquated traffic laws, they determined that an argument could be made either way. And since it doesn’t have national implications, they’d rather work to change the law than help fight in court for her right to ride.
Their reasoning makes perfect sense.
But I can’t help thinking they’re leaving her alone to face the legal lions, when they could easily step in to lend a hand.
Because moral support ain’t worth a damn on the streets. Or in the courts.
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LocalThe lawyer for the South LA bike rider allegedly beaten by police offers his side of the story.
Bicycling magazine describes the merits of bike-friendly city #28 on their list, also known as the City of Angels.
Santa Monica College is the first California community college to be designated a Bicycle Friendly University.
State
California’s own — and now America’s only — Tour de France winner moves forward after 12 years of hell for taking a stand against doping in the peloton.
Laguna Beach riders get a new, continuous north-south route that avoids dangerous PCH.
The Newport Beach City Council is scheduled to vote on adopting the city’s new Bicycle Master Plan on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, friends and family come to the support of the wife of fallen cyclist Shaun Eagleson, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Newport Beach last week.
A teenage bike rider may have suffered serious head trauma when he was hit by a car in Phelan in San Bernardino County.
An estimated 10,000 people turn out for Santa Barbara’s second annual open streets event.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife is going to the mattresses to stop scofflaw off-road riders in the Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve; thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.
Mountain bikers compete in a 24-hour endurance race in Oroville.
National
Bicycling is the new wonder drug.
A new smart bike helmet promises to beam data on your heart rate, calories and performance to your cell phone.
Corvallis OR police are puzzled by a 100% increase in bike thefts over last year.
A Springfield MO man gets seven years in the death of a cyclist who was killed as the man’s girlfriend attempted to flee from him as he chased her through the streets of the town in a stolen car after flashing a gun. Sounds like he got off way too easy.
A Clarksville TN mountain biker wanted a challenging trail to ride, so he built one. Then got hired by the city to build more.
A Chicago cyclist is critically injured when he’s hit by a stolen semi-truck; the driver is arrested after fleeing the scene.
New York’s financially troubled Citi Bike is purchased by a real estate company that owns other bike share programs in North America and Australia.
International
I want to be like him when I grow up. A 76-year old UK track cyclist sets a world’s record in the over 75 class.
The Afghan Women’s National Cycling Team has Olympic dreams, despite the difficulties facing women — let alone women cyclists — in their home country.
Nearly 50% of Aussies would bike to work if they received financial incentives to do it.
Evidently, cyclists in Singapore face the same anti-bike clichés as riders in the US. And everywhere else, apparently.
Clearly, distracted driving isn’t just an American problem, as a Chinese bus driver faces criminal charges for killing an elderly bike rider while checking his cell phone. (Fair warning, this story includes video of the collision from the driver’s perspective — something you may not want to see. I know I didn’t.)
Finally…
If spandex impacts cyclists’ ability to observe stop signs, then it must affect drivers as well, since 80% of today’s clothes contain at least some of the material. No, seriously, when a highway patrol officer tells you to move your bike, don’t threaten him with a knife.
And in a brilliant idea, Edinburgh, Scotland bans cars from school zones in an attempt to improve safety, something that would undoubtedly cause parental rioting here.
