No bias here.
According to Fox-11, opposition is growing to bike lanes on Overland Ave in Culver City, as some residents claim to represent all, or at least most residents, in opposing the Better Overland plan.
And as usual, they brought out the standard list of objections, claiming we’re taking space away from cars, and that protected bike lanes — which have repeatedly been proven to improve traffic safety for all road users — would somehow make the street more dangerous.
Never mind that it’s already dangerous, with speeding drivers zooming past a couple schools, two cemeteries and a library.
Naturally, they complain, like locals everywhere who haven’t been paying attention, that the city hasn’t done enough outreach. Because apparently, more than two years of outreach just isn’t enough.
One man even claimed that he drove both directions on Overland and didn’t see a single bike rider at the exact time and locations he happened to be passing by. And bringing to mind the old saying that just because you don’t see anyone swimming across the river, that doesn’t mean you don’t need a bridge.
Honestly, it would be funny if it wasn’t just so damn sad. Because you can hear exactly the same comments at any public meeting for any traffic safety project, in every neighborhood of every city.
And I have.
Wash, rinse and repeat.
I used to think the loudest voices, voicing the most complaints, represented the majority of people. Until Measure HLA passed by an overwhelming two-thirds majority. Which told anyone paying attention that most people — or at least, most people who bother to vote — want safer, more livable streets.
Unfortunately, that message seems to have somehow bypassed LA’s mayor and city council.
Let’s hope Culver City’s leaders get the message, anyway.
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It’s going to be a very busy weekend.
Because not one, not two, but three open streets events will take place on the same day this Sunday.
The list starts with the very popular Meet the Hollywoods CicLAvia connecting Hollywood with West Hollywood along Hollywood Blvd, Highland Ave and Santa Monica Blvd, from 9 am to 4 pm.
Then there’s Beach Streets in Downtown Long Beach, offering four hubs along Cherry, Broadway and Pine from 11 am to 4 pm, with the added bonus of the World Cup finale on a 16-foot LED TV, featuring Spain and a team to be determined at the North Pine hub.
Finally, there’s the COAST 2026 open streets festival in Santa Monica from 10 am to 6 pm, extending more than a mile in downtown on Ocean, Colorado, and Arizona aves, Third Street Promenade, and the Santa Monica Pier; they will also have a World Cup watch party, along with music and entertainment on four stages.
Which means if you plan it right, you could theoretically ride CicLAvia from WeHo to Hollywood in the morning, catch a train to Long Beach to watch the World Cup, then hurry your ass up to Santa Monica before they roll up the streets at 6.
I said it’s possible, not plausible.
Unfortunately, I’m going to miss all three, as well as the World Cup finale, because I have been told that celebrating my wife’s birthday with my in-laws trumps any and all other plans.
I just wish they were at least soccer fans.
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Apparently, scientists still can’t figure out why a bicycle works.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
As if it wasn’t bad enough competing for space on the streets, San Jose bicyclists had to cope with three people illegally riding their motorcycles on a local bike path; one person who was arrested, and had his motorcycle impounded, had covered his license plate in an attempt to avoid getting caught.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A Sacramento CBS station is stoking the flames of panic after a large bicycle group accused of swarming cars and appearing to strike them announced plans for another ride in the area. Although it’s not clear if they meant a large group of bicyclists, or a group that rides large bicycles.
Um, okay. A bike-riding Dublin, Ireland city councilor says it was “really lovely” to see a city-sponsored campaign depicting bicyclists riding through red lights, because no one else is documenting how ofter bike riders do it. Other than virtually every TV station and newspaper, anyway.
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Local
Next time you ride the LA River bike path, keep your eyes and ears peeled for musicians, including renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Streetsblog says LADOT is making progress on a $7 million, 3-mile extension of the popular Chandler bikeway.
Culver City Walk ‘n Rollers is hosting a family friendly Sweet Streets Ride this Saturday to sample some of the tastiest treats the city has to offer.
State
Three people were hospitalized when someone on an ebike allegedly crashed into the side of an SUV in Fullerton late Monday night, although there’s no word on how badly anyone was injured, only that the ebike rider and two people in the SUV suffered “injuries of varying severity.” There’s also no word on what type of ebike it was, since the cops seem to lump anything with a battery together as ebikes, whether legal or otherwise.
In yet another story hidden behind their draconian paywall, the San Diego Union Tribune explains what it means when federal authorities, aka ICE, say a car is weaponized. Something that virtually every bike rider is clear on, even if the feds aren’t.
Sad news from San Mateo County, where a 34-year old bike rider was killed in a head-on collision when the driver of a Porsche crossed onto the wrong side of the road; the CHP said speed was definitely a factor.
More sad news from San Francisco, where a man who appeared to be in his 50s was killed when he was struck by a driver while riding his bike early Tuesday.
San Francisco is considering a nearly $2 million settlement with the family of a 70-year old man who died 12 days after he was doored by a city worker while riding his bike.
A San Francisco writer says “It’s a short path from winning on bike lanes to becoming social-justice scolds,” arguing that the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition now considers it a racist act to report a bike theft.
A 71-year old man will face multiple charges, including murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and hit-and-run causing death, for killing two 17-year old girls riding their bicycles in West Sacramento last year; the defense claims he wasn’t really drunk, just bipolar.
National
A slide show curated by AI highlights 13 US cities that excel at carfree living. Because really, who knows more about living carfree than some lifeless, legless artificial intelligence program?
Velo recommends the year’s best road bikes, which actually might be, for a change.
Cycling West offers a beautiful bicycle watercolor by artist Moh’d Bilbeisi.
No bias here. A Bend, Oregon paper examines whether the city should ban right turns on red lights, making an effective case for the increased risk they pose — then concludes that the city’s current policy of making a case-by-case determination works just fine, thank you.
Good news from Kansas City, Kansas, after an eight-year old boy who disappeared while riding his bicycle was found safe, and apparently unharmed.
We can add Somerville, Massachusetts to the very short list of towns that have made Vision Zero work; the town credits “tried-and-true best practices for traffic safety” for why they’ve now gone three years without a traffic death. Although having a population under 85,000 doesn’t hurt.
New York Streetsblog says 16,000 fewer daily car trip on the Queensboro Bridge means it’s time to convert a traffic lane into a bikeway to accommodate the increasing number of bike riders.
While we’re on the subject of New York, the Department of Transportation is phasing out the traditional “Mushroom Head” stencil of a helmeted, stick-figure riding a bicycle in favor of a plain bicycle stencil.
A Philadelphia driver was charged with attempted murder for nearly killing a man riding a bicycle, in what reportedly began as a dispute over a stolen BMX bike.
Atlanta residents are calling for changes to a protected bike lane, after discovering the city’s drivers apparently lack the necessary skill to avoid crashing into the barrier protecting the bike lane. Although it’s better to crash into the barrier than the people riding on the other side.
International
Road.cc rounds up 14 of the best bike-related TED talks from around the interwebs. Every time I open my mouth is a Ted talk.
I want to be like him when I grow up. An 83-year old man just set a new record for riding the full length of Great Britain, covering over 1,000 miles in under 11 days.
Good idea. The UK’s largest bicycle trade group is launching a campaign to tag actual ebikes so customers can distinguish road legal ebikes and from illegal electric motorbikes.
Momentum says US cities should pay attention to Paris, which grew bicycling rates by 240% in just five years. To which every American city responded, “But we’re not Paris!”
Instead of just dropping a couple new ebikes into the marketplace, Volkswagen developed an entire automotive-inspired ecosystem around the bikes, “which riders can call upon to ride safer, faster, and more connected.”
The New Indian Express says ultracycling is “the new vogue” in Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, drawing bicyclists who see it as a test of endurance.
China Daily says Chinese bicyclists are making a beeline to Shenzhen in Guangdong province for new bicycling facilities, including a 125-mile bike trail connecting “more than 10 of the city’s major peaks, 17 nature parks, eight large reservoirs, over a dozen historical and cultural sites and nine key urban development areas,” as well as a coastal bikeway linking parks, fishing harbors, docks and ancient villages.
Competitive Cycling
Four-time Tour de France champ Tadej Pogačar feasted on the tears of his enemies with another crushing victory in yesterday’s hilly 10th stage, for his third stage win in this year’s Tour, and a lead of more than three-and-a-half minutes after just a week and a half of racing.
Fans have taken to booing Pogačar, apparently because of his dominance in the race, although maybe it was just because he shamed the French riders on Bastille Day.
Cyclist takes a look at the books to see who and what the WorldTour team sponsors really are, while Bike Radar considers how much Tour de France bikes have changed in 124 years.
Thirty-three-year old South African cyclist Willie Smit was booted from the China’s Tour of Magnificent Qinghai after just one stage for recording the race on his AI-enabled Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses; UCI rules only allow cameras to be mounted directly on a bicycle, not the rider.
Philadelphia Magazine profiles the hairstylist and bicyclist responsible for reviving the Philadelphia Cycling Classic after a ten-year absence.
Keep your eye on nine-year old Nino O’Connell, who found out this weekend’s single-speed race for his age group had been dropped, so he’ll be lining up against the grownups, with every intention of winning.
Finally…
Like they say, a friend will help you move, but a real friend will help you move a body on a bicycle in the heavy rain. No, the bike rack on the front of a Metro bus is not intended for temporary seating.
And that feeling when the damn rules get in the way of the really cool stuff.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
