Tag Archive for cicLAvia

Evidence spring has sprung along the 10 Freeway; bike lawyer says CicLAvia streets aren’t safe to ride

April 18, 2011 / / 5 comments

Funny how much beauty you can find in the most unexpected places when you ride a bike.

I spotted this on a recent ride to check out the newly rebuilt section of the Ballona Creek Bike Path in Culver City; I doubt the drivers speeding by have any idea it’s there.

Im not sure what the wooden structure was originally intended for, but it makes a lovely rustic wildflower planter.

Viewed from the other side, the planter disappears and youre left with just a hillside covered in flowers.

Its only on closer inspection that you realize its a rare island of beauty on the edge of an ugly freeway.

Then again, the new section of the bikeway looks pretty good, too; maybe someday, it will look like that all the way into the Marina.

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A Los Angeles attorney says it just isn’t safe to ride the recent CicLAvia route when cars are allowed.

Event participant Greg Pincus stated that it is Los Angeles is a different place without all of the vehicles. But Attorney Ehline says: “Los Angeles has a long way to go before anyone should consider riding a bicycle on that 7.5 mile stretch that they shut down last Sunday.”

Lawyer, please.

I usually ride that exact route along 4th, 6th and 7th Streets when I go Downtown, and I’m not dead yet. In fact, I choose those streets because I feel a lot safer there than I do on busier boulevards just a few blocks away, even at rush hour. As do hundreds, if not thousands, of other cyclists every day.

And while I’m not exactly a cheerleader for L.A. streets, I’ve ridden with relative safety throughout the city for nearly two decades, as have countless other riders.

Yes, bad things can and do happen.

Despite the recently adopted bike plan, L.A. stills lacks proper infrastructure, and will for decades to come until the plan is finally built out. Even then, it will take a massive investment to repave and patch the city’s crumbling streets before they offer the safety Angeleno cyclists deserve.

Then there’s the city’s notoriously careless, aggressive and distracted drivers, many of whom seem would seem to require major surgery to pry their precious cell phones from their faces. Let alone their foot off the gas pedal.

Yet in the overwhelming majority of cases, it only takes a modicum of care to get from here to there safely. And enjoyably.

I don’t know Michael P. Ehline, Esq. For all I know, he may be an excellent and caring attorney, exactly the sort of person every cyclist wants in his or her corner when it all hits the fan.

But to suggest that cyclists take their lives in their hands to ride on what are actually some of the city’s better bike streets isn’t exactly the best way to demonstrate expertise in the subject.

I mean, seriously.

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No surprise as Danae Marie Miller pleads not guilty in the February death of world class triathlete Amine Britel, Miller was allegedly under the influence and texting when she ran down Britel as he rode in a Newport Beach bike lane, and had at least 15 traffic citations in the previous 6 years; thanks to Lois Rubin for the link.

Meanwhile, the deputy who initially stopped Marco Antonio Valencia confirmed on the witness stand that Valencia told him “Shoot me, my life is over” as he was being detained. The arrest came minutes after the hit-and-run collision that took the life of Joseph Novotny and seriously injured three other riders, suggesting that Valencia was well aware of what he had just done.

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Yo! Venice! sounds the alarm over bike theft by the beach; if you’re looking for suspect, you might want to start with Bill Effing Murray. Santa Monica Spokers Brian and Cynthia ride foldies in Oregon with the Long Beach bike expats. Retailers are gearing up to meet the needs of female triathletes. Richard Risemberg says the real junk miles are the ones spent racing and training, as opposed to actually going somewhere; personally, I say there are no junk miles. Damien Newton says thanks to everyone who attended or helped make an amazing Friday fundraiser possible. More great photos and video from Thursday’s Bike Night at the Hammer Museum. A new TV and online show follows a cyclist touring the country car-free, by whatever means available including an odd assortment of bikes. Actors Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen ride through Studio City. Santa Monica’s Cynergy Cycles plans a special charity event on May 9th featuring the 2011 Tour of California HTC-Highroad men’s team, benefitting Right to Play. A Confident City Cycling course will be held in Culver City starting April 30th; maybe a certain lawyer might benefit by attending.

A few fond looks back at this month’s San Diego Custom Bike Show. A driver leaving a San Jose party hits and kills his own friend; initial reports indicate the cyclist was riding in the middle of the street, despite bike lanes on either side of the road. A Vallejo man was killed when he hit a power pole support cable while riding on the sidewalk. A Monterrey paper reports on last weekend’s Sea Otter Classic.

Now you can ride with no air down there. Former framebuilder Dave Moulton tells physicists nice experiment, but that’s a push toy, not a bike. Bike Noob says you’re going to fall sooner or later so learn how first, citing my advice on the subject in part. Bike Hugger looks at this year’s Bicycle Leadership Conference. Elly Blue makes the economic case for secure on-street bike parking. Advice on what to do if you’re chased by a dangerous dog — and a first hand view on what happens if it catches you. Illinois offers new Share the Road license plates. The Cutters win Indiana’s Little 500 for the 5th year in a row. A civil rights attorney says you can’t be arrested for talking back to a cop, at least in New York, while the Post continues its smear campaign against cycling in the city; any pretense of journalistic objectivity went out a window a long time ago. A wheelchair-bound Florida man is accused of ramming a female cyclist after chasing her through a parking lot the previous two days.

In Montreal, everyone thinks they have the right-of-way. A writer for the London Mail says Lycra Louts should not be above the law. A cheap mirror could save the lives of London cyclists. A drunk cyclist has to be pulled out of a UK river. Maserati is the latest high-end automaker to produce their own bicycle. Police in the United Arab Emirates begin a bike safety campaign; why is it that bike safety campaigns always focus on cyclists, rather than the drivers who can, and sometimes do, kill us? South Korea’s president says bicycling is a key component of the country’s green growth. A Philippine Senator files a bill calling for bike lanes and bike parking throughout the island nation. Aussie cyclist Matthew Lloyd is confident he’ll be back after being fired from the Omega Pharma Lotto team.

Finally, a truck-driving Bakersfield father asks other drivers not to hit his son anymore when he rides in a local bike lane. And advice from my hometown on how cyclists and horses can share the trail; oh wait, L.A. equestrians say that’s impossible.

Category: Bikes & the Law, General / Tags: , , , , , ,

Catching up on CicLAvia, Magas on driver/cyclist tension, a nice gesture from Swarzman family

April 14, 2011 / / 5 comments

A few random thoughts on Sunday’s second CicLAvia, in no particular order.

• Let’s start with the size queens at KCBS-2, who somehow pegged the number of participants at 130,000 — with no explanation of where they got their figures. From my perspective, the turnout was at least two to three times larger than last October’s, which was estimated at around 100,000.

Let’s put it this way. Last year, it took no more than two light cycles to cross Vermont on 4th; this year, I barely made it through after five. The Alliance for Biking and Walking puts the figure at a far more credible 200,000 to 500,000, but since KCBS said it first, their figure is the one everyone is — mistakenly — quoting.

• Speaking of that backup at Vermont, I finally experienced my first ever bike traffic jam. And for the first time, gridlock brought a smile to my lips.

• As I arrived, I just happened to fall in with a group of riders that included a number of bike cops on my way to the Bicycle District. When I looked up to my left, I just happened to see I was riding next to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; for someone famous for falling off his bike, he seems to have gotten a handle on it. No sign of that Lance guy, though.

Photo courtesy of George Wolfberg

• There were far too many paramedic calls. I passed at least five riders injured seriously enough to require emergency medical attention, along with at least three other paramedic units speeding by under lights and sirens that may or may not have been carrying or rushing to CicLAvia participants.

• At least part of the problem stemmed from the large mass of riders of all abilities; several times I found myself dodging riders who swerved into my path with no warning, or stopped at random. Going forward, there should be a better effort to educate participants on how to ride in large groups — including efforts to slow down the riders who cut through the crowd at dangerously high speeds.

• Note to cyclists: Just because you can ride fast doesn’t mean you should. I cut my usual 18 – 20 mph cruising speed down to 12 mph; not just because it was safer in the massive crowd, but because it allowed me to better enjoy the sights and experiences of the day.

• Another problem was the seemingly unnecessary choke points at streets that remained open for cross traffic, where people were forced into a single lane or two to wait out the red lights. Too often, it resulted in riders struggling to work their way into the suddenly narrowed space where there wasn’t enough room to accommodate the suddenly congested bike traffic. I don’t know what the reasoning was for narrowing the road crossing points, but whatever it was, it didn’t work.

• For an event that was supposed to open up city streets for whatever people wanted to do, there was far too much emphasis on bicycle throughput — just like there’s too much emphasis on moving cars the rest of the time.

Last year’s event saw people sitting in the middle of downtown streets eating lunch or making ornate chalk drawings on the street; this year I found myself following a motorcycle cop who ordered standing people out of the street, and instructed riders to keep right in order to keep people moving — exactly the opposite of what CicLAvia is supposed to be.

Josef Bray-Ali nails it when he complains about the bike bias evident in this year’s first edition of CycLAvia; while I disagree about the need for more choke points from a safety standpoint, I couldn’t agree more with every other word he writes. If this is going to be a bike-only event, let’s move it to the L.A. River bike path and call it River Ride. Update: Damien Newton says we need to make it safe for everyone to come out and play.

• As I rode back from the Bicycle District, I once again found myself riding next to the Mayor. So this time I introduced myself, and thanked him for his recent support of both CicLAvia and bicycling in the City of Angeles. And I soon found myself having a surprisingly candid conversation, which I won’t repeat here. But I will say is, for the first time I got a feeling for who he is as man, rather than as the mayor. And that this is a guy I’d love to have a beer with sometime.

And that’s one of the great things about CicLAvia. It brings the entire city together, and makes us all equal on the streets. There’s no class strata, none of the usual L.A. self-segregation between us and them. Just people joining together to enjoy the city, where you were just as likely to find yourself meeting a high-powered lawyer as a recent immigrant. Or a mayor, or some guy named Lance.

• After awhile, it started to seem like the Mayor was stalking me; every time I thought I’d left him far behind, I’d stop to talk to someone or get something to eat, then turn around and there he’d be in the crowd behind me, or gathered by the water dispenser at the other terminus in Hollenbeck Park. On the other hand, he seemed to enjoy it as well.

• I loved the incredible variety of people and bikes, from beach cruisers that had clearly been removed from the garage for the first time in ages, to children on tricycles, teenagers on bright colored fixies, and spandex-clad riders on high-end racing bikes. Not to mention tall bikes, road skimming recumbents and fabulous foldies, and just about anything and everything in between. And every variety of person onboard.

Photo courtesy of George Wolfberg

• For me, the highlight of the day was witnessing the Biking Circle of Life, when I saw a Spanish-speaking family with a little boy riding on training wheels, his father on a road bike and grandma on an adult three-wheeler. And realized that’s exactly what local activists and advocates are working for.

• However, the highlight of the day came long after I got home, and read the column by the Times’ Sandy Banks talk about riding CicLAvia. And loving it.

I may have criticized her just a little — okay, maybe a lot — after she wrote about her opposition to the Wilbur Avenue road diet. But her new column revealed the open mind I’d long to expect from her. And if she wants to experience the streets of L.A when cars are allowed, I’ll ride with her anytime.

Now we just need to work on that Krikorian guy down in Long Beach.

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Nice obituary for Jim Swartzman in yesterday’s L.A. Times. A memorial will be held today at noon at Forest Lawn, and the family asks requests that a donation be sent to the LACBC in lieu of flowers — a very kind and moving gesture to help other riders in their time of grief.

Maybe you’ll join me in observing a moment of silence at noon to remember someone most of us may not have known, and now we’ll never get the chance. And from everything I’ve heard, that sounds like our loss.

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Ohio Bike Lawyer Steve Magas — you’ll find him over there on the right — offers an insightful look at the tensions between cyclists and drivers; seriously, this one is definitely worth the click.

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Jumping back into the great helmet debate, an Aussie professor of Public Health says mandatory helmet laws are counterproductive and should be repealed. Meanwhile, a NZ study shows helmets reduce the risk of head injury by just 43%, and may increase the risk of neck injury. A Canadian paper says wise cyclists will work to make helmet use unnecessary, but wear one just in case. And like me, leading bike writer Carlton Reid says he’s pro helmet and anti-compulsion — and tired of the media blaming the victim.

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Just discovered this great page of best ever cycling quotes.

“People love cycling but hate cyclists.”
Peter Zanzottera, senior consultant at transport consultancy Steer Davies Gleave, to Scottish Parliament’s Transport Committee, November 24th 2009

Ned Flanders: “You were bicycling two abreast?”
Homer Simpson: “I wish. We were bicycling to a lake.”
The Simpsons, ‘Dangerous Curves’ (Episode 2005), first broadcast, November 10th 2008

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Metro is finally ready to drop restrictions on peak hour cyclists. LACBC announces One Tree Hill’s Austin Nichols — aka @Aus10Nichols — as Grand Marshall for June’s 11th Annual River Ride; meanwhile, river riders are invited to help clean it up. People for Bikes visits Los Angeles to film a PSA. Santa Monica Spoke looks back fondly on CicLAvia, while Orange 20 Bikes notes that some businesses showed a big boost in their Sunday business. Will Campbell offers proof that the world does not collapse when timelapse videographers collide. Bicycle Fixation will lead a Miracle Mile Art Ride on Saturday the 16th. The South Bay Bicycle Coalition hosts an Earth Day fun ride this Saturday. A report on Sunday’s San Diego Gran Fondo. Head north this Sunday for a Full Moon Ride with Bike Bakersfield. Better bike access is coming to downtown Sacramento. Just Another Cyclist says if you’ve got to fall and break a bone, it’s not a bad one to break even if it is kind of cliché; heal fast, my friend. Frank Peters of cdm Cyclist visits biking’s platinum paradise of Boulder, CO.

The web is buzzing with news that Frontier Airlines is dropping their fee for checking a bike. Trek’s CEO argues for continued bike transportation funding. A radical new frame design promises 10 times the vertical flex and 60 times the shock absorption of traditional frames, while retaining the same lateral stiffness and pedaling efficiency. A new bike parking design takes a Ferris Wheel approach. A writer explains why he doesn’t consider himself a cyclist anymore; you may already know my take on that. A Portland man is charged in a dooring hit-and-run. Biking in Heels manages the rare feat of a civil conversation with the driver who just buzzed her, while a writer in the Baltimore Sun says some cyclists and drivers deserve each other.  New York’s embattled Prospect Part West bike lanes get a big boost as over 700 riders turn out for a family ride to show their support. Another planned Brooklyn bike lane bites the dust. A cranky New York cyclist compares riding in Amsterdam to the former New Amsterdam. Competitive Cyclist looks at Lebowskis in wetsuits and competitive pro rankings.

Bike Lane Wars: P.J. O’Rourke and the myth of the pinko cyclist. In 2009, no UK pedestrians were killed by cyclists, while 426 were killed by motorists — so guess which one Parliament considers cracking down on? The Guardian says it won’t help, while the Beeb asks if dangerous cycling is really a problem; nearly 1500 comments later, it appears they struck a chord. Plan Bike offers a nice look at small town European bike infrastructure, and finds it heavenly. Garmin-Cervelo rider Johan Van Summeren takes a surprise victory in the Paris-Roubaix classic, while Fabian Cancelara closes a near two minute gap to take second. Hidden cameras show only 6.9% Melbourne cyclists run red lights, which is inexplicably called “an alarming rate.”  Seven thousand Queensland cyclists were ticketed last year — but 6400 of those were for violating the mandatory helmet law; 96 used there cell phones while riding.

Finally, it’s evidently been a problem for a long time — a Dutch writer complains about pedestrians and parked vehicles blocking the bikeway. In 1906.

And don’t forget tonight’s Bike Night at Westwood’s Hammer Museum, starting at 7 pm at 10899 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood. Free admission, free food, drinks and screenings of the 1986 BMX classic Rad.


Category: General / Tags: , , , , ,

Memorial service for Jim Swarzman, photos from CicLAvia, party with People for Bikes

April 12, 2011 / / One comment

A few quick bike notes, starting with the most important.

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There will be a memorial service on Thursday for Jim Swarzman, the Encino cyclist killed by a hit-and-run driver in North San Diego County early Sunday morning. It will take place at noon at Mount Sinai Memorial Park, just off the 134 Freeway near Burbank and Griffith Park. The address is 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles CA 90068; (323) 469-6000.

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Santa Monica Spoke reports on an important city council meeting in that city tonight, including a discussion of bike lanes and road diets planned for the downtown area. The meeting takes place a 6:30 pm in the council chambers of Santa Monica City Hall.

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I had planned to include this with my thoughts on Sunday’s CicLAvia, but haven’t been able to get that online yet due to more pressing matters. However, I do want to call your attention to great photo sets from Harry Dougherty from CicLAvia, as well as the LACBC Sunday Funday ride on the 4th.

George Wolfberg was also kind enough to forward photos, which I will share later along with my thoughts.

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Don’t forget to attend tonight’s meeting of the Northridge West Neighborhood Council, or email your protest of the ridiculously punitive proposal to license all bikes for a minimum of $150 per year — clearly an attempt to force most cyclists off the road.

I don’t know if it’s possible to recall a member of a neighborhood council, but if it is, Valley cyclists should give it some serious consideration.

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If you’re downtown tonight, you may want to attend the filming of People for Bike’s newest PSA, which promises to combine Djs, food and performance art. And you’re encouraged to bring your bike to join in. Full details below.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

Your consummate link guide to SEE-klaw-VEE-uh; a massive load of upcoming events

April 9, 2011 / / 4 comments

Let’s face it.

CicLAvia outweighs everything else this weekend. And we’ve got a long list of links to prove it, in no particular order.

Repeating from my last post, Joel Epstein says he’s longing for CicLAvia in an insightful HuffPo piece, linking Sunday’s event with the fight against obesity and diabetes, and fellow HuffPo writer Aaron Paley says it’s about overthrowing the tyranny of the automobile.

Long-time L.A. bike advocate and LACBC co-founder Ron Milam sees CicLAvia as the next step in the history of efforts to make the city friendlier to cyclists. LACBC offers photos from Friday’s press conference. KNBC-4 says our streets, no cars and lots of bikes — and free, too — while Fritz Coleman tours the CicLAvia route with a helmet cam. Militant Angeleno offers an epic tour of CicLAvia sites. Brand X says CicLAvia is on a roll.

Annenberg Radio News reports on the second coming of CicLAvia. Will Campbell calls it CicLAviawesome. KPCC says car-free streets are back and offers a list of road closures and crossing points. March to support rail in Los Angeles on car-free L.A. streets. You’ll find great food throughout the CicLAvia route. Good offers advice on how to play in the street. The Daily News offers an overview, and San Diego offers an alternative.

South L.A. cyclists can ride in on the proposed route for a future CicLAvia in their own neighborhood. LACBC affiliate Santa Monica Spoke will host a ride in from the Santa Monica Pier; I’ll be joining in as they pass through Century City. C.I.C.L.E. will ride in from South Pasadena, and other feeder routes will flow in from throughout the city. Metro offers advice on getting there by transit.

In case you find yourself bike challenged on Sunday, Flying Pigeon is offering rental bikes. Bikerowave is closing down on Sunday for CicLAvia; meanwhile, the Bicycle Kitchen is open extended hours to serve CicLAvia riders. Damien Newton says he’ll see you there.

Collect each of the four new CicLAvia buttons; I understand LACBC may have some cool stuff, too. And CicLAvia says be nice, be safe, share, enjoy and slow traffic ride to the right.

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Bike Talk airs Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

The San Diego Custom Bicycle Show takes place this weekend through Sunday at Golden Hall in San Diego, 3rd Ave and B Street. Single day admission is $15; a four-day pass including professional workshops on Thursday, April 7th is $45.

Celebrate CicLAvia eve with T-Shirt Revival Night with artist Kelly Thompson on Saturday, April 9th from 7 to 10 pm at Outpost HQ, 1268 N. Ave 50 in Los Angeles; have a sharrow symbol silkscreened on the item of your choice for just $6.

Evidently, the night before CicLAvia is dedicated to art, with the 5th Anniversary Spoke(n) Art Ride rolling at 6:30 pm, Saturday, April 9th from the Flying Pigeon Bike Shop, 3714 N. Figueroa St. in Highland Park.

If you’re in San Diego for the bike show, don’t miss the 3rd annual Gran Fondo Colnago Sunday the 10th, with rides of 60 and 105 miles.

Get a head start on CicLAvia on Sunday, April 10th with the 2011 edition of Feel My Legs, I’m a Racer, a 10 stage race up some of the city’s steepest hills. Competitors will assemble at 7:45 am at the intersection of Sunset and Griffith Park Blvds; maybe Lance will be up for the challenge. Or not.

On Tuesday, April 12th, People for Bikes will celebrate their 210,000 pledges to support cycling with a video shoot in Downtown L.A. Called Bikes Make Life Better, it will offer a massive light show using stationary projectors as well as some mounted on bikes to transform streets and buildings into massive bike-themed animations. You’re invited to bring your bike and join in with free food and music from local DJs, from 7 – 10 pm at the corner of 5th and Olive, across from the Pershing Square Metro Station.

Keep the post-CicLAvia good bike feelings going on Thursday, April 14th with Bike Night at the Hammer Museum, starting at 7 pm at 10899 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood. Free admission, free food, drinks and screenings of the 1986 BMX classic Rad.

Celebrate tax day with the second annual Streetsblog fundraiser at Eco-Village on Friday, April 15th from 6 to 10 pm at 117 Bimini Place; suggested donation is $20, but L.A. Streetsblog editor Damien Newton says no one will be turned away.

The Culver City Bicycle Coalition hosts a special Family Ride on Saturday, April 16th to tour the bicycle and pedestrian improvements planned for the Safe Routes to School grant recently awarded to Linwood Howe Elementary School; riders meet at Town Plaza near the Culver Hotel at 10 am. with the ride starting at 10:30 or 11.

Saturday, April 16th, C.I.C.L.E. invites you to join in on the Lorax Ride II to celebrate Earth Day and Pasadena’s greener side; ride begins and ends at Pasadena Memorial Park, from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.

Sunday, April 17th, join in the races, or watch the racers go by at the L.A. Circuit Race at Los Angeles International Airport, open to riders from beginners through Masters and Elite categories. The race takes place on the north side of LAX on what is described as a fast, challenging course; direction and sign-up information on the link above.

Join Bike SGV on the Earth Day Community Bike Ride in Monterey Park on Saturday, April 23rd from 7:30 am to 9 am, beginning and ending at Barnes Park.

Thursday, April 28th, help craft the Glendale Bikeway Master Plan at the first community meeting for the updated plan. The meeting will be held at the Glendale Central Library, 222 East Harvard Street from 6 pm to 9 pm.

The Dana Point Grand Prix will be held on Sunday, May 1st, featuring a .8 mile criterium; the start/finish will be located at the intersection of PCH and Del Prado in Dana Point.

The Antelope Valley Conservancy sponsors the 16th Annual Antelope Valley Ride on Saturday, May 7th with rides of 20, 30 and 60 miles; check-in begins at 7 am at George Lane Park, 5520 West Avenue L-8 in Quartz Hill.

The annual Long Beach Bicycle Festival takes place on Friday, May 13th and Saturday, May 14th in Downtown Long Beach. The festivities include the Tour of Long Beach on Saturday, May 14th with rides of 4, 31 and 61 miles to benefit Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach.

L.A.’s 17th annual Bike Week takes place May 16th through the 20th, with an emphasis on bike safety education, and events throughout the city. This year’s Blessing of the Bicycles will take place as part of Bike Week from 8 to 9:30 am on May 17th at Downtown’s Good Samaritan Hospital, 616 S. Witmer Street. And Metro is looking for Bike Buddies to guide inexperienced cyclists on Bike to Work Day.

The San Diego Century ride takes place on Saturday, May 21st with rides of 37, 66 or 103 miles, starting in Encinitas, along with free admission to an expo featuring sports, local cuisine and live music.

L.A.’s favorite fundraiser ride rolls on June with the 11th Annual River Ride; advance registration is open now. Volunteers are needed now and on the day of the ride, email RRvolunteer@la-bike.org for more info and to sign up.

The next two CicLAvias will take place on July 10th and October 9th.

And mark your calendar for the 2011 L.A. edition of the Tour de Fat on October 9th; unfortunately, Yom Kippur also falls on that date this year, so cyclists of the Jewish Persuasion will have to choose between atoning and having something else to atone for.

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It may soon be legal to carry your kids in a bakfiets in L.A. It’s time for UCLA to take off the training wheels and truly become bike friendly. Riding on the sidewalk may be legal, but that doesn’t mean it’s popular — or safe, for that matter. The Wilbur road diet heads to a compromise conclusion that isn’t likely to please anyone. A blind California man uses echolocation to ride his bike. As the recent experience in Japan shows, your bike could be a vital part of your disaster kit.

Modern day futurists see a bright future for bicycles. Six steps to beginning zen bicycling. An biking undercover cop and the driver who nearly ran him down kiss and make up. Fourteen days in jail for hitting a Kansas cyclist in a road rage incident. Marian University looks to take over a formerly world-class Indiana Velodrome. Bike lanes are coming to Philly, and he doesn’t seem happy about it. A Twitter based backlash causes a Carolina TV station to pull a story blaming the victims in a bike crash. It only takes a split second to take — or spare — a life.

A new taillight provides GPS tracking for your bike. Insurance company research says a lack of bike lanes put cyclists at risk; we could have told them that. Bikes are back on London’s South Bank. Budget cutbacks put Brit cops on bikes and in specialist lubricated underwear. The Guardian asks what do you do with a loved, but worn out bike? Looking forward to this weekend’s Queen of the Classics; a legendary four-time winner says Cancellara will be the one to tie his record. Evidently, hit-and-run is considered professional behavior for Aussie attorneys. It’s Bike Week, or weekend anyway, in Phuket. South Koreans get paid to commute by bike.

Finally, the family of Adam Rybicki, the cyclist critically injured by an alleged underage, DUI driver on Sunday, has created a CaringBridge website to track his progress.

See you at CicLAvia!

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

Better news on Adam Rybicki, LA engineers get bike/ped training, CA considers 15 mph passing law

April 6, 2011 / / 5 comments

Good news on the condition of Adam Rybicki, who was critically injured in a collision with an allegedly drunk, underage driver in Torrance on Sunday.

Jim Lyle forwards the following comment from the original story in the Daily Breeze:

A number of physicians ride on this ride and were instrumental in initially saving Adams life. Richard Brenner is one of our riders and is also a physician. Here’s what he has to say about his visit to Adam tonight: “I just returned from visiting Adam at Harbor General. He is in the ICU 3 West. He is still in a coma but shows responsiveness in his extremities. 
He has a trach tube but is not on a ventilator. He has a drainage tube in the head but they haven’t needed to drain anything. The nurse, a great guy, 
told me that his ICP, intracranial pressure, was excellent. He had a cervical collar on and has not been to the MRI. His vitals were good. His face looks a lot better than I expected. There is some swelling but I didn’t see any of the lacerations I was expecting. The nurse noted that Adam has been improving in his responsiveness during his shift. Say a prayer.

Also, in answer to questions I’ve gotten from several people, cyclist/attorney Dj Wheels confirms that the passengers in the car driven by Jaclyn Garcia could not be legally required to take a breathalyzer test, even though they were underage and allegedly drunk at the time of the collision. Under California law, only the driver is required to prove sobriety.

The officers investigating the crash could have given them field sobriety tests to test for underage drinking or public intoxication, however. Wheels also notes that police would not have allowed them to leave on their own if they were too drunk to take care of themselves, and could have taken them into custody until they sobered up or someone came to get them.

The passengers also bear no legal responsibility, according to Wheels, either for the collision itself or for allowing Garcia to drive under the influence, unless they were actively interfering with her ability to drive. That’s something we should look at trying to change; anyone who knowingly allows someone to drive after drinking should bear some responsibility for whatever follows.

And contrary to my understanding, while the person(s) who sold, served or supplied the girls with alcohol could be held responsible for violating state liquor laws, they bear no responsibility for the collision itself under California law.

For anyone who may have missed it yesterday, it appears the initial comments by a Torrance Police spokesperson were wrong. All reports I’ve received from people on the scene of Sunday’s collision indicate the Torrance police conducted a fair, thorough and unbiased investigation, and that the officer who’s comments suggested police were blaming the cyclists was not involved in the investigation and had no direct knowledge of the case.

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One of my biggest complaints over the years, and one I’ve frequently heard from other cyclists, is that bike infrastructure too often looks like it was designed by someone who had never been on a bike.

From bike lanes that start and stop at random and place cyclists squarely in the door zone, to bike paths that double as sidewalks and force riders to navigate through turning motor vehicle traffic.

Now the LACBC is working with LADOT and the Mayor’s office to do something about it.

Since the Mayor’s Bike Summit last year, the LACBC has been working quietly behind the scenes to arrange a training program in complete streets and bicycle and pedestrian safety design. Now it’s finally going to take place later this month, with an intensive two-day training session, not just for Bikeways staff, but for all of the city’s roadway engineers.

Maybe we can use this as a springboard for a Vision Zero plan for Los Angeles to achieve a rate of zero cyclists and pedestrians killed on city streets by 2020.

With the new bike plan, better relations with and enforcement from the LAPD, a bike-friendly mayor, a soon-to-be adopted anti-harassment ordinance, and now bike and pedestrian safety training for the people who design our streets, the pieces are finally in place.

It might be hard, but it is doable.

.………

Cyclelicious reports on the latest attempt to approve a three-foot passing law in the California legislature. As the bill now stands, it contains not only the three-foot provision, but also a requirement that drivers pass cyclists at a maximum 15 mph speed differential.

While most reasonable people understand the need to slow down to pass a cyclist, this appears to be an unenforceable standard as it now stands, requiring drivers to slow from 60 mph or more on some highways to 30 or 40 mph — or less — when they pass a cyclist riding on the shoulder.

A better standard might be to require the maximum speed differential when passing a cyclist in the same lane.

Even then, such a speed differential would be virtually impossible to objectively measure, requiring an officer with a speed gun to measure the relative speeds of both the cyclist and the passing vehicle. And frankly, police usually have better things to do with their time.

The only time something like this might come into play would be in the event of a collision, when it could be proven that the vehicle did not slow down before hitting the cyclist.

Which makes me wonder if it’s really just a straw dog — something that could be negotiated away in order to gain approval for the three foot provision.

Or does someone else have some insights on this that I don’t?

.………

CicLAvia is still looking for volunteers for Sunday, as well as the days leading up to L.A.’s new favorite biking, walking, sitting and just generally hanging out event. Fill out this form to volunteer on Sunday, or this one to volunteer to help get ready on Friday and Saturday; email CicLAviaVolunteer [at] gmail [dot] com for more information.

.………

LADOT Bike Blog offers an interview with new BAC chair Jay Slater. Damien Newton looks at the county’s proposed bike plan and not surprisingly, finds it lacking, with no plan to implement any of it. Steven Box writes that is has been a long road to relevance for L.A. cyclists, but this is just the beginning. Santa Monica unveils their proposed Bicycle Action Plan on Wednesday. Answering questions about the coming weekend’s 2011 Feel My Legs, I’m a Racer event. Richard Risemberg rolls with the monthly Vélo Rétro ride. L.A. Cyclist recounts the restoration of a Nishiki with a bizarre front freewheel. Cynergy Cycles invites you to be one with your bike this Thursday. What to do to keep from getting dropped on group rides. A look back at Santa Monica bicycling history. Evidently, there’s a new Pashley in town. The Times offers a story on biking the steep trail to Little Pine. April is Distracted Driving Month in California — which means don’t do it, rather than encouraging it.

The Quiznos Pro Challenge thankfully abandons their horrible sandwich huckstering name and will hereby be known as the USA Pro Cycling Challenge; now that sounds like something I might actually watch. A new study shows that the percentage of who rides is nearly equally divided among economic groups, with lower income riders making up the largest group and upper income the smallest — so much for the idea that only rich yuppies ride bikes.

Twelve reasons to start using a bike for transportation. The U.S. once led the world in cycling. Minneapolis’ success offers a lesson in how to beat the bikelash. A cycling physician is killed when a driver has a sneezing fit. DC bike commuting on the increase. A cyclist participating in an annual Florida cycling event is killed when a driver attempts to retrieve a dropped cell phone; am I the only one who thinks calling this the event’s first fatality sounds like they’re planning for more?

In what’s sure to be seen by Tea Partier’s as yet another plot for world domination, the UN is now tweeting about road safety. After riding 1750 miles across Europe, a group of Brit soldiers riding for to raise funds for charity are forced to complete the journey on foot due to safety regulations. Mayor Boris considers establishing the London Marathon on Wheels. Saxo Bank SunGuard rider Nick Nuyens takes the Tour of Flanders in a final breakaway with Sylvain Chavanel and Fabian Cancellara; proof the strongest rider doesn’t always win. An Aussie man gets a slap on the wrist after setting a trap for mountain bikers, then changing his mind and warning riders.

Finally, Gothamist offers a hilarious take on the New York Post’s idiotic attempt to link their irrational hatred of New York bikeways and the woman behind them to — wait for it — 9/11.

I’m in catch up mode this week, so please bear with me. I’ve got lots of good stories in the queue, including a guest post from Eric Weinstein on Sunday’s Crosstown Traffic Ride, updates on bike-related criminal cases from Dj Wheels, bike lanes blocked by movie crews, and photos of the crappiest bike lane on the Westside — yes, even worse than Westwood’s Ohio Ave.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, Injuries and Fatalities, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Wednesday links — more CicLAvia, memorial ride for Daniel Marin and a lot of bike news

October 13, 2010 / / 2 comments

I’ve got too many links for just one post. So click away, and come back later today for my take on Saturday’s auto-centric column by the Times’ Sandy Banks.

.………

More great videos from CicLAvia, including the first L.A. Streetfilm paid for by user donations, as well as EzraHome and Los Angeles Cycle Chic, and photo sets from L.A. Cycle Chic and the Koreatown Youth and Community Center. Chimatli catches a little rocker in one of those perfect vignettes that defined the day. Or spend a few hours catching up with the 101 and counting CicLAvia videos currently on YouTube. Mark Elliott writes why CicLAvia matters, while a writer in the Times says he enjoyed CicLAvia, but would rather have more bike paths, instead. The CSUN Daily Sundial says it was a lot of pros, with a few minor cons mixed in.

And while we’re at it, here’s Mayor Villaraigosa’s somewhat underwhelming bike safety video to go along with the Give Me 3 campaign created by the LACBC and Midnight Ridazz.

Note: Initially, I mistakenly called the mayor’s Give Me 3 campaign; while he was involved in the approval and unveiling, he was not involved in the creation of the poster campaign.

.………

There will be a memorial ride this Friday in honor of Daniel Marin, the 17-year old cyclist killed on Laurel Canyon Blvd on October 1st; link courtesy of Claremont Cyclist.

.………

A lawsuit has been filed in the case of four cyclists injured on PCH when Caltrans allegedly left unmarked hazards and debris on the shoulder for an entire weekend, despite warnings. After last week’s rain induced washout, Santa Monica students celebrate Bike It! Walk It! Day today. LADOT Bike Blog interviews the team behind the new SCAG Bike/Ped Wiki. Bikeside unveils the details behind the Life Before License campaign. L.A. County is about to have a new bike riding health services director. CNN offers a view of what L.A. could look like in the near future.

Long Beach makes Bicycling’s list of five up and coming bike cities. Clint Worthington, formerUltraMarathon record holder for biking from San Diego to Seattle in 4 days, 18 hours and 29 minutes, ison the ballot for city council in San Juan Capistrano. Thirty-one cyclists ride from Mammoth Lakes to Big Bear to raise funds for the U.S. Adaptive Recreation Center; sounds like a worthy cause to me. Cyclistsneed taming in Santa Cruz; to be honest, I ignore most “walk your bike” signs, too. The San Francisco cyclist killed by a Muni bus is remembered by his aunt. A Modesto college student recognizes her stolen bike, follows the rider and gets it back.

Attention male cyclists — just because a woman looks a lot better on a bike than you do does not mean she has any less knowledge or skills, capice? A new Portland store opens with more parking spaces for bikes than cars. Just days after getting fired, the former head of the 13,000 Cascade Bicycle Club willreturn for the next 6 months while they find a replacement; hey, I’m available. Then again, Maine’s Bicycle Coalition is looking for a new Executive Director, too. Colorado’s high school mountain bike racing league is taking off. An 89 year old Boulder CO man is injured in a collision with another cyclist. After sharrows are installed, Austin TX cyclists enjoy a 5.5 foot cushion from parked cars, compared to one foot before. Baton Rouge extends a bikeway on the Mississippi River levee, with plans to eventually extend it all the way to New Orleans; that was just a pipe dream for cyclists when I lived down there. A Philadelphia area woman is killed after being shot seven times while riding her bike. A memorial ridewill be held Sunday for Roger Grooters, the former USC athletic staffer killed last week on a cross country ride. A Tampa man hits a stranger eight times with his bike; no word on what caused the altercation.

A new ghost bike for a Canadian First Nation rider who died doing what he loved. Toronto cyclists and drivers don’t know what to make of the city’s new bike boxes, while the local branch of the Department of DIY installs bi-directional sharrows. Peugeot eyes a comeback to the world of biking. The UK’s Carbon Trust wants to get other people to reduce their carbon footprint, but won’t let their own employees ride bikes. Note to L.A. officials — London’s new bike share program is the city’s only transport system on its way to turning a profit. Australian cyclist Stephen Hines has been banned for two years for using clenbuterol, the same drug three-time Tour de France winner says he got by eating tainted meat. UsingPortland as a model for Melbourne, where cyclists will be able to get their next helmet from a vending machine — for just $5.

Finally, if you find yourself riding your bike past Paris Hilton’s house, don’t knock on the door.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

¡Viva CicLAvia! Part 2, and why you need to know the law

October 12, 2010 / / 6 comments

photo from LADOT Bike Blog

I really had no intention of talking more CicLAvia today.

To be honest, I’ve been itching to get to the Time’s Sandy Banks’ misguided motorhead perspective on the Wilbur Avenue road diet.

But frankly, everyone is still talking about Sunday’s CicLAvia. I spent all day yesterday just trying to keep up with all the great coverage popping up online — and these are just the ones that crossed my radar, without looking for them.

Urban Adonia writes about CicLAvia from the perspective ofone of the key movers who helped make it a reality. LADOT Bike Blog recounts his day at CicLAvia, and offers my favorite photo of the day (see above) among others. LAist calls it 7.5 miles of 100,000 smiles. Curbed says it brought out the best of L.A. Blogdowntown offered photos and live updates throughout the morning. Where the Sidewalk Starts offers an overview of key reviews, while Neon Tommy suggests there were only 50,000 people there, not the 100,000 the Times reported. KPCC says thousandslived the fantasy of a car-free L.A. for a few hours. El Chavo says cyclists want three feet, but wouldn’t give CicLAvia walkers the same consideration. LA Loyalist calls it a unique and wonderful experience.Maddie looks at CicLAvia from an urban planning perspective.

Stephen & Enci Box interview a handful of leading CicLAvistas, and CD4 candidate Stephen offers his view on the day. Sunday featured biking, walking, skating — and marriage. Alex Thompson employs his usual great eye behind the camera. Bicycle Fixation isn’t too bad behind the lens, either. The Source’s Steve Hymon offers more great photos; that view leading to the First Congregational Church was my favorite vista of the day, but then, I’m a sucker for traditional religious architecture. And still more photos from Melissa F, Joel Epstein, Megan Hirsch and GTWODT. KCBC Channel 2 says there wasn’t a car in sight, and Ohai Joe posts a great video record of the day. Even the formerly alternative curmudgeons at the L.A. Weekly say maybe they got it wrong.

But maybe Unja sums it up best, by saying you just had to experience it for yourself. And you could have a chance as soon as next August, with the possibility of three more before the end of next year. Personally, I vote for another one next spring.

One suggestion for next time — put out some donation buckets at major intersections where everyone will see them, and ask people to drop in a dollar. I have a feeling if they’d done that this time, it would have more than paid for the next one.

In the meantime, maybe you can satisfy that bike urge at the Tour de Fat in two more weeks.

.………

Just a quick reminder why you need to know the law at least as well as the authorities.

A cyclist in San Anselmo CA was hit by a car while riding through a crosswalk last week, and the local police demonstrated their failure to keep up with the actions of the state legislature.

According to a local report, a spokeswoman for the San Anselmo police department said that “if a cyclist rides his or her bike from the sidewalk into the crosswalk, then the cyclist is legally at fault.”

So for any cyclists — or yes, law enforcement personnel — who are unclear on the concept, CVC 21650 (g), which took effect last year, specifically permits cyclists to ride in the crosswalk anywhere riding on the sidewalk is allowed.

This section does not prohibit the operation of bicycles on any shoulder of a highway, on any sidewalk, on any bicycle path within a highway, or along any crosswalk or bicycle path crossing, where the operation is not otherwise prohibited by this code or local ordinance.

Riding on the sidewalk may or may not be legal in San Anselmo. After scouring the city’s website and its 2008 bike plan, I couldn’t find anything that addressed the matter.

But if it isn’t prohibited, the victim was perfectly within his rights to ride in the crosswalk; if it is, the violation occurred long before he got to the intersection, which the police spokeswoman fails to note.

I hope he’s got a good lawyer.

.………

Reuters reports on an interesting study of 11 New York city bike lanes by Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, finding that the success of Gotham’s growing network of bikeways is being undermined by just about everyone. The most common violations include salmon and red-light running riders, as well as cars and pedestrians blocking bike lanes — and police using the lanes to bypass traffic even when there’s no emergency. But even with the problems, it’s evidently still a great way to see the city. Thanks to Matthew Spence for the heads-up.

.………

LACBC’s City of Lights program celebrates new bike parking in Pico-Union. Gary gets another response from a candidate of Santa Monica City Council. Becks and his boys bike along Venice Beach; hint to the $250 million man — your kids’ helmets would work better if they buckle the straps. If you haven’t OD’d on bike photos yet, the South Bay Bicycle Coalition offers shots of Sunday’s PedalPalooza. San Diego State University unbans bikes after building a separated bike and skateboard path; maybe USC should be taking notes. Evidently, the mean streets of San Francisco’s are that way because they’re full of potholes. Bike zombies invade Oakland; probably because potholes drove them out of Bagdad by the Bay. Levi Leipheimer leads 6,000 riders in Sonoma County’s King Ridge Grand Fondo; riders included TV star Patrick Dempsey, who seems to be on his bike everywhere but L.A. Unfortunately, one of the Grand Fondo riders remains in serious condition after a hit-and-run on the ride.

Portland bike maven Elly Blue says there’s bike safety in numbers, and offers the research to back it up.Biking infrastructure is all the rage throughout the U.S. AAA now offers bike coverage in Oregon and Idaho, but their policies still are anti-bike; competitor Better World Club — which offers bike coverage here — calls it greenwashing. Will a bike that makes you virtually lie forward make you a faster rider? The Virginia Bicycling Federation says same road, same rules, rights, and responsibilities. Charleston police crack down on salmon and sidewalk cyclists. An interview with cyclocross champ Katie Compton.

A popular Victoria bike and hike trail is reopened after people repeatedly tear down barricades blocking it. Dorset’s pedaling plumber takes to his bike to avoid pre-Olympic traffic jams. Attempting to set the world’s land speed record for wooden bikes. It was a deadly weekend on the roads for UK cyclists. A Scot schoolboy is impaled on his BMX bike when a stunt goes wrong. Riding on the Appian Way.

Finally, detectives are being driven ape dealing with the case of a teenage cyclist in Rocky Point NY who suffered minor injuries when he was punched by two people in gorilla suits, while a third suspect in a chicken suit rode off with his bike.

No, seriously.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

¡Viva CicLAvia!

October 11, 2010 / / 15 comments

I’m won’t waste your time talking a lot about yesterday’s first ever CicLAvia.

There’s already been a lot written on the subject — some of which you’ll find below — and there will be a lot more in the next few days.

Instead, I’ll let the pictures tell the story.

But I will say, this was one of the most successful events I’ve experienced in L.A. And one that has the potential to change the way we see and experience out city.

We owe a big thanks to the people behind it.

And like virtually everyone who was there, I can’t wait for the next one.

 

Obligations at home kept me from getting there until after 1 pm when things were well under way, so I didn't waste time joining in.

 

 

 

The LACBC hosted one of the pit stops; even though the crowd was estimated at up to 100,000, it never felt crowded.

 

 

My late arrival meant that I didn't time to stop for the best tamales Mexican-style mocha in town; but clearly, a lot of people did.

 

 

Contrary to what you may have read, not all of the Give Me 3 posters face away from oncoming traffic; this day, though, no one needed the reminder.

 

 

People made themselves at home on the streets; I saw a group enjoying a picnic in the middle of a normally bustling Downtown intersection.

 

 

People paused for various musicians and other performers along the way, a sitar performance ended before I could get a photo.

 

 

Everyone observed the few rules, although I did see a walker nearly step in front of oncoming traffic as he spoke on his cell phone.

 

 

The beautiful 4th Street Bridge was a popular gathering spot for riders; just imagine what it will be once the river is restored to a more natural state.

 

 

Some Angelenos used the opportunity to take a stand on a perfect SoCal day; I wish I'd been there early enough to see the mayor on his bike.

 

 

The bored looking police said a lot about how well-organized the event was; they seemed to appreciate the frequent thanks from people passing by.

 

 

Virtually every flavor of Angeleno represented a CicLAvia; even the four-legged variety joined in on the ride.

 

 

With my own bike out of commission, I was glad to have this Urbana bike on loan; everyone who tried it said it rode like a dream.

 

Just a few additional thoughts.

The overwhelming majority of people I saw were on bikes. While there were a relative handful of skaters, boarders and pedestrians, we need to find a way to get word out to the larger community beyond those of us on two wheels.

Especially the people who live in the area.

For me, the saddest moment of the day came when a couple of young boys stopped me as I was leaving to ask if it was a race or a bike ride. I watched their faces brighten as I told them no, it’s CicLAvia, and you can do anything you want. Bike, walk, play, even — taking note of the boards tucked under their arms — skateboard.

Then I watched those faces fall as I had to add that it was over now.

And suggesting that there should be another one in a few months and maybe they could come out for that one didn’t seem to help.

That’s a long way away when you’re about seven years old.

.………

Just a few of the many, many anticipated reports from CicAvia, from Bicycle Fixation, the Claremont Cyclist, Straight Out of Suburbia — who rates it awesome — and Orange 20 Bikes, along with a great timelapse video and panoramic shot from Will Campbell. This Girl’s Bike offers a great photo of Downtown as seen from the 4th Street Bridge. Gary called it life changing, while Ubrayj says the city looked the same afterwards, so it must be something inside him that changed. L.A. Cycle Chic provides unedited video of a friend’s ride, while L.A. Creek Freak offers a couple of videos, including one of the thousands of small children who rode the route. Damien delivers three stories from Sunday, but says the most important number was 0 — as in the number of incidents reported. The L.A. Times says an estimated 100,000 people were there; no wonder I couldn’t find most of the people I was looking for. KPCC’s Larry Mantle discussed it on his AirTalk program; a podcast should be online soon. And in perfect L.A. fashion, Green LA Girl starts her day Downtown and finishes up on the beach. Even the LA Weekly finally got on board just hours before the kickoff. CicLAvia wants your pictures and stories, while the Mayor says this was his favorite shot of the day.

.………

Alberto Contador says that’s his story and he’s sticking to it, or he’ll sue. The count in the Spanish doping scandal now stands at seven. Australia owns the biking events at the Commonwealth Games, while Uganda riders have to make do with old gear and Kiwi riders get slapped — literally. Bicycling explains why next year’s Amgen Tour of California should be a good race, even though it may never be a great one. The next great American cyclist could be starting his racing career right now.

.………

The Ride 2 Recovery to help wounded war vets reclaim their lives comes to a successful conclusion at the Santa Monica Pier; thanks to Stanley for the heads-up. Gary gets two more questionnaires back from candidates for Santa Monica City Council. The L.A. Time’s Sandy Banks looks at the Wilbur Ave road diet from a decidedly windshield perspective. At least some people in Orange County think it will take more than better manners to reduce to their one-a-month rate of bike deaths, as new sharrows hit the pavement in Newport Beach and a writer makes a suggestion to improve a dangerous intersection. Maybe you can’t ride the L.A. Marathon anymore, but you can ride the Long Beach Marathon next weekend. The C-Blog offers good advice on how to ride in a group; he may be doing a lot of that now he’s got a new bike. Long Beach’s cycling expats travel from Philly to New York, dodging a flood and a close call with a falling branch along the way.  Four people were arrested in Stockton after attempting to rob a cyclist and shooting at a witness who tried to intervene. It’s not cars that’s killing off bike messengers, it’s the economy.

As we’ve discussed before, being pro-bike doesn’t mean you have to be anti-car. A how-to video on safe bicycling for children, courtesy of Madison WI and the NHTSA, and a look at the man behind a plan for a 20% bike share in Mad City by 2020. A physician in my hometown uses exceptionally dubious statistics to suggest that the local paper should only show photos of people wearing helmets, while another couple argue that bike paths lower property values, contrary to all available evidence. The Wall Street Journal jumps heads-first into the great helmet debate, though they miss the point on when helmets offer protection — and when they don’t; link courtesy of San Diego bike lawyer Amanda Benedict. Good to know — 12 emergency bike fixes. Learn how to carve a corner. Nevada cyclists get a chance to break in the new Hoover Dam bypass bridge, but why can’t the media figure out the difference between a ride and a race? Don’t build a Maine casino, build a bike tourism industry instead. Biking is getting better in New Orleans, resulting in the nation’s 6th highest level of bike commuters for larger cities.

Bikes are the latest amenity for upscale boutique hotels. Maybe more people would ride to work if they didn’t face death traps along the way. London’s Guardian newspaper endorses the city’s new bike share program. Separate looks at biking in Rome, and the wine country of Tuscany. If you’re tired of driving your Mini Cooper, now you can ride one.

Finally, by far the best report I’ve seen on the death — and more importantly, the extraordinary life — of endurance great Jure Robic.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

Ask and you shall receive, CicLAvia and you shall find

October 7, 2010 / / 10 comments

They said it couldn’t be done.

No, wait. That was me.

As I recall, when I first heard about plans to shut down L.A. city streets for no apparent purpose, my exact words were, “yeah, right.”

I was wrong.

Against all odds, the capital of car culture is going to host its first ciclovía on Sunday, closing down 7.5 miles of streets through East Hollywood, MacArthur Park, Downtown, and Boyle Heights from 10 am to 3 pm.

And not for a race, a ride, a parade or a street festival. But just because it struck everyone involved as a damn good idea.

Even the mayor got onboard early on, long before his Road to Damascus conversion to bike advocate. In fact, the first time he ever mentioned bicycling as Mayor — back when we still didn’t think he knew what a bike was — it was in support of what we now know as CicLAvia.

That’s see-claw-vee-uh.

A peculiarly Los Angeles variation on a Spanish word that translates to “bike path.” And a uniquely L.A. variation on a popular Latin American event that we’re about see translate from Bogotá to the City of Angeles.

Of course, they couldn’t just call it Bike Path, because then it would take ten years just to get the damn thing approved, let alone built. And all the wealthy homeowners along the Expo Line would be against it.

So what is it?

Who knows?

The simple fact is, no one really knows what’s going to happen Sunday. We can make a reasonably educated guess, based on the original in Bogotá as well as the countless other ciclovías that have spread throughout Latin America, and other recent events in the U.S.

Even New York has their own version. Though in typical New York fashion, they insist on calling it something else to fool people into thinking they invented it.

But L.A., in its own inimitable way, will do it our way.

There will be people on bikes, or course; chances are, lots of people on bikes. You can even borrow a bike if you don’t have your own.

Not to mention people on foot. On skates and skateboards. And in all probability, on lawn chairs and loungers and hammocks and stilts and maybe even pogo sticks.

There may be people playing music, or dancing to it. People playing games, and playing hooky from work or church. People in fancy costumes, and people wearing the same costumes they wear everyday. People visiting museums — for half price, no less. People eating and drinking, and restaurants and coffee shops and food trucks.

Lots of food trucks.

Not to mention L.A.’s best non-profit tamales. And what has been called the best pastrami on the planet.

You’ll see L.A. neighborhoods you’ve never seen before. Or never seen this way.

Without cars. And filled with people wondering where all the cars went — and why it can’t be like this all the time.

Best of all, you’ll see Angelenos being Angelenos, in all their glory. And that alone should be worth the price of admission.

Which is free, by the way.

And even here in auto-centric L.A., the only ones who seem to be against it are those arch-conservatives at the no-longer counter culture L.A. Weekly.

Go figure, huh?

And one more added attraction, just to seal the deal. According to the L.A. Times, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the bike community’s new BFF, is planning to ride the entire route.

With helmet and elbow pads, of course.

Now that’s something I want to see.

Volunteers are still needed; email CicLAviaLA@gmail.com.

………

No point in traveling to a car-free event by car, is there? Gary says CicLAvia could be history in the making. LA Snark invites Angelenos to actually ride their bikes outside for a change. Tips for wheelchair participants. Wear your biking best, because you could be photographed; and not just by the paparazzi for a change. LADOT Bike Blog looks at volunteer opportunities and opportunities for fun, too. LA Eastside says we need it here more than ever. It’s a great way to experience the city, says Daily Sundial. Maybe you can meet up with someone, or maybe even a blogger, but make sure you get the day right. If you’re feeling political, join in on the rally to Kick Coal and Oil Out of Los Angeles. And the Daily Trojan says this is your chance to take to the streets when there’s no Lakers riots scheduled until next spring.

Then again, there is an alternative event for those of you in the South Bay. And Santa Monica’s ciclovía, which had been planned for the same day, has been postponed for now.

………

A cyclist riding cross country to raise funds for victims of the Gulf oil spill is killed on Wednesday when he’s hit from behind by a pickup just 200 miles from his Florida destination. Roger Grooters of Gulf Shores, Alabama was keeping a blog of his journey; the last entry was dated Tuesday evening, after riding 100.7 miles for the day.

He was 66.

………

Former national champion and Postal Service rider Kirk O’Bee has been banned for life after a 2nd doping violation; the American Arbitration Association rules that Aussie rider Nathan O’Neil was intimately involved in his doping program. Italy’s top anti-doping prosecutor says all cyclists are on drugs and it should be legalized — or not.

And in another sterling example of sportsmanship, an Aussie cyclist flips off the judges after he’s disqualified for dangerous riding.

On the other hand, Mark Cavendish shows some class by refusing a 5-star hotel to stay with his teammates at the Commonwealth games.

………

Red light cameras could be used to catch drivers using cell phones; of course, that’s not the only cause of distracted driving. LACBC hosts its first Streetside Outreach Pitstop, and looks for volunteers this month. Long Beach is still looking for volunteers for next week’s bike count, too. San Clemente gets new sharrows; oddly, the city traffic engineer discusses bike lanes, instead. Unbelievably, the man whose lawsuit brought San Francisco’s bike plan to a grinding halt for four years says he plans to appeal. A bike recall for the youngest members of the peloton. Where to ride for the best fall colors. How to uncork a bottle of wine with your bike pump. A warning to beware of glare — and not from the driver you just cut off. Just days after riding in Maine, Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey says Tyler, Texas is his favorite place to ride. Arlington County VA installs bike counters on bike lanes and paths to get an accurate count; why can’t we do that here? A teenage bike thief is arrested after trying to sell a stolen bike back to its owner. An off-duty cop kills a cyclist in the nation’s deadliest state for cyclists. A 72-year old British man is killed after colliding with a cyclist, who was also injured.

Finally, why do anti-bike curmudgeons go so far out of their way to tell you how much they used to ride before their asses outgrew their saddles?

His words, not mine.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

Fear mongering at its finest, events & weekend links

September 25, 2010 / / 10 comments

Seriously, they should know better.

On KABC Channel-7’s 5 pm Friday news broadcast, they teased a report on the then-upcoming L.A. Critical Mass by urging viewers to find out “what police are doing to keep it from becoming violent.”

So let me get this straight.

After a week of police and cycling community leader’s efforts to get CM riders to stay on the right side of road, not block intersections and stop for stop signals, the take away for one of the city’s leading news stations was that the LAPD was concerned about the ride becoming violent.

And with one 5 second tease, they managed to plant the suggestion that L.A. cyclists are aggressive thugs hell bent on rioting and/or assaulting innocent motorists.

So the next time a motorist cuts you off or runs you off the road, just remember he’s only acting in pre-emptive self-defense.

And you have KABC to thank for that.

The actual news report — which wasn’t available online as of midnight — was only slightly less biased, focusing on asking drivers if it was okay for cyclists to block intersections. And goading them into a negative response when most didn’t seem too concerned about it.

I have no idea what they said after the ride, or if they even covered it at all on the 11 pm news, since I decided to opt for a little less fear mongering with my nightly news. And switched to KNBC Channel 4, who said it turned out to be a smooth ride, after all.

And evidently, one without violence.

Despite what some other channels might have implied.

Update: Thanks to Aaron for providing a link to KABC’s 11 pm story on Critical Mass; to their credit, it was a much better report than their earlier efforts to frighten the driving public.

………

LADOT Bike Blog interviews two of the driving — or in this case, non-driving — forces behind the upcoming CicLAvia on 10/10/10.

And the L.A. Weekly makes clear that their days as a credible alternative publication are long past, as they demonstrate a surprising windshield bias against the upcoming CicLAvia. As a number of the comments point out, an event held on secondary streets — on a Sunday, no less — is highly unlikely to contribute to the city’s gridlock, despite the Weekly’s exceptionally negative take on it.

Maybe fear mongering is contagious.

………

Jure Robič, five-time winner of the ultra-endurance Race Across America, was killed in a collision with a car on Friday while on a training ride in his native Slovenia. The 45-year old rider was the winner of this year’s RAAM, as well as other ultra-endurance events and a holder of the world 24-hour endurance record. Thanks to Zeke for the heads-up.

Meanwhile, Riverside County officials released the name of the rider killed in Wildomar on Wednesday; 53-year old Lake Elsinore resident Peter Anthony Zupan died at the scene after being hit by a pickup while crossing Mission Trail.

And still no official confirmation on the rider who died after a collision on Mulholland Highway and Cornell Road in Agoura Hills last weekend.

………

In upcoming events:

Bike Talk airs Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

Volunteers are needed for the Glendale bike count on Saturday the 25th.

The annual Abbot Kinney Festival takes place on Abbot Kinney Blvd between Venice Blvd and Main Street this Sunday; expect massive crowds and scarce parking, so take advantage of the bike valet.

Hearings for the proposed bike plan are scheduled for September 25, 29, 30 and October 2, with a noontime Webinar scheduled for Wednesday the 29th.

The second Folk Art Bike Ride rolls on Sunday, October 3rd at 12:30 pm, starting and ending at the Craft and Folk Art Museum at 5814 Wilshire Blvd. The easy, 6.5 mile route stops at several restaurants, galleries and cultural centers along the way; the first one got rave reviews, so don’t miss this one.

The Long Beach Green Port Fest takes place on Saturday, October 2, with bike valet and guided rides to the event departing every 45 minutes, as well as a guided pre-event bike tour beginning at 9 am.

Visit the Events page for more upcoming happenings, including CicLAvia and Santa Monica’s ciclovía on 10/10/10 and Tour da Fat on Oct. 23rd.

………

Gary says ridership is up 11% in Santa Monica, but bike collisions are up 78% — even though other cities tend to show a corresponding decrease as more people ride bikes. Tim Robbins bikes through Venice. Must be some kind of trend — Berkeley police crack down on stop sign running cyclists, Boston cracks down on rule breakers and Park City police let a stop-sign running rider off with a warning. Forgiving distracted drivers won’t keep anyone safe. Bike Snob says it’s okay to keep riding in the off-season. Salem OR removes a traffic lane to improve congestion. Independence MO bans harassment of cyclists, runners, pedestrians and roadway wheelchair users. It’s not the press who oppose the first Critical Mass in Aurora IL, it’s other riders. Kentucky authorities are looking for a driver intentionally targeting cyclists with his pickup truck. A Flying Pigeon spotting in Boston. An arrest has been made in the murder of a DC cyclist last month; the shooter — just 16-years old at the time — shot Eric Foreman as he rode by, then walked over and shot him twice more after he fell from his bike. Five reasons why your neighborhood cyclist hates you. A Google contest donates $1 million for a recumbent operated monorail system; Reuters says there must have been 149,996 stupid ideas if that was one of the five winning suggestions. The Department of DIY Toronto branch strikes again, graphically asking where’s our bike lane? Fixie-riding cyclists introduce polo vélo to Parisiens. Evidently, Barclay’s isn’t winning many friends for sponsoring London’s bike share program. Cycling England, the agency behind the Bikeability program to teach British children to ride safely, is rumored to be on the chopping block; instead of cutting it, how about exporting it? A promising young Belize cyclist is killed in an apparent hit-from-behind collision.

Finally, courtesy of our Kiwi correspondent the Trickster, comes a two part video tour of Australia’s World Championships course hosted by Robbie McEwen. And Aussie police tell cyclists not to run red lights or ride four abreast — even if they are training for next week’s World Championships.

Think they’ll enforce that during the race, too?

………

In case you were wondering what was in that big box last week...

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