Tag Archive for Cycling Savvy

CicLAvia and World Naked Bike Ride this Sunday, and ruining a good buffered bike lane with plastic posts

June 21, 2024 / / 2 comments
Just 194 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Don’t forget Sunday’s CicLAvia on Western Ave in South LA, where you’ll find the good folks from Bike Talk and KPFK hosting a booth at the Western/Florence Hub.

Or if CicLAvia seems a little too formal for your last, the Los Angeles edition of the World Naked Bike Ride rolls tomorrow. Tip: Bring lots of sunscreen. And a few disinfectant wipes if you’re using a bikeshare bike.

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Evidently, some people just don’t like separated bike lanes.

Or what Los Angeles insists on calling “protected,” even though the usual flimsy plastic car-ticklers wouldn’t stop a Yugo, if you could even get one running.

That was driven home in a new post by Cycling Savvy’s Keri Caffrey.

She explains how she was never a fan of bike lanes. Until moving to California, that is, when she got to experience her first wide buffered bike lane.

But some people insist on ruining those “good enough” buffered lanes by adding little white plastic bendy posts and other assorted permeable and semi-permeable barriers.

In her opinion, anyway.

Imagine my horror at seeing a movement to convert these bike lanes to “separated” bikeways by adding barriers such as flex posts, bollards, curbs, and a host of other innovations.

I get the desire to feel protected from cars, but at what cost? First of all, “feel protected” is all you get. Posts and curbs will not stop a moving car. They will, however, cause a bicyclist to crash. This is a known hazard which causes actual casualties, including serious injuries. Yet, these crashes don’t show up in national crash data, because it counts bicycle crashes only if they involve a moving motor vehicle.

She also takes issue with the stat up there on the right from the Federal Highway Administration.

The research behind the FHWA’s claim didn’t include junctions, only mid-block segments.

The only relevant crash type is a mid-block overtaking crash, around 5% of total crashes for all roads, including ones with no bike lane. The majority of overtaking crashes are actually sideswipes in narrow lanes (the motorist misjudges the space). We have a robust dataset from Mighk Wilson’s crash analysis in Orlando. In it, overtaking crashes on streets with bike lanes were 1.5% of crashes. The majority of bike lanes in the area are narrow and non-buffered. Paul Schimek’s study in Boston came to a similar conclusion.

I get what Caffrey is saying. And it’s worth reading to get a different perspective from what we usually share here.

My personal take is that separated bike lanes aren’t for confident bike riders like her who are comfortable riding nearly anywhere. They’re for the people who would like to ride, or ride more, but are afraid to mix it up with the people in the big dangerous machines.

Although calling them protected does a disservice to everyone by overpromising on safety.

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Any kind of separation or buffer might have helped those Texas bicyclists who were run down by a drunk driver in a crash caught on bike cam earlier this week.

The driver who was allegedly three sheets to the wind at more than three times the legal blood alcohol limit has been identified as an American Airlines cargo worker.

Which could explain why your bags always seem to get lost or crushed beyond all recognition.

Thirty-one-year old Benjamin Hylander has been booked on two counts of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury, accident involving injury, and driving while intoxicated with a BAC greater than 0.15.

Meanwhile, the victim shown getting run over by Hylander’s SUV after the initial impact, retired physician Tom Geppert, credits his bicycle with saving his life. And allowing him to walk away — if that’s the word for it — with “just” a concussion, injured left hamstring, a fractured rib and a severe laceration.

The other victim, Deborah Eads, suffered a severe laceration as well.

We can only be grateful it wasn’t much worse.

Maybe someday, carmakers will be required to use already-existing technology to ensure intoxicated people can’t get behind the wheel.

And can’t go anywhere if they do.

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It’s now 182 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And three full years 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.

An English town has waived fines for bicyclists targeted by “cowboy” traffic wardens who wrote them up for breaking a nonexistent ban on biking through the city center.

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Local 

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton takes a look at the new $11.2 million 1.4-mile Pacoima Wash multi-use path, expected to open this fall.

Santa Clarita has begun work on the new Bouquet Canyon shared-use pathway.

LAist offers a reminder that Caltrans needs your input on a proposed protected bike lane on PCH through Long Beach.

Long Beach hosts the city’s 12th Annual Kiddical Mass bike ride this Sunday.

 

State

No news is good news, right?

 

National

Yes, you can go bikepacking on an ebike.

Congress is considering the Domestic Bicycle Production Act, which would use a combination of tariffs and incentives to reshore American bike manufacturing.

Streetsblog says there’s a pedestrian death and injury crisis in New York City this year. Unlike Los Angeles, where there’s always a pedestrian death and injury crisis.

Tragic news from Michigan, where an 83-year old Florida man on a cross-country bike ride was killed when he was rear-ended by driver, who was allegedly distracted for some undisclosed reason.

 

International

Cycling Electric makes the case for why ebikes are the best vehicles for the environment.

Road.cc offers tips on how to avoid getting scammed buying a used bike on Facebook Marketplace.

Momentum recommends a new bike route that “glides along rainforests and epic beaches” on the west coast of Canada’s Vancouver Island.

A community group in Glasgow, Scotland has launched bikeshare service using refurbished bicycles, allowing anyone to rent a bike for free, or purchase one for whatever they can afford.

I want to be like him when I grow up. A Scottish man is marking his 90th birthday by taking part in a 460-mile fundraising ride.

Not all the news from Scotland is good, however, as a 17-year old boy faces a murder charge for killing another 17-year old boy as he rode an ebike.

Country star Blake Shelton is one of us, as he posts a picture of himself biking back to his hotel in Italy after drinking too much for his birthday.

An Aussie architecture site asks if ebikes and e-scooters could be the answer to the country’s affordable housing crisis, since removing a single car from a household could cover the full cost of a $300,000 mortgage.

 

Competitive Cycling

Road.cc takes a look at what all the best teams will be riding in the Tour de France this year.

The Visma-Lease a Bike cycling team unveiled their line-up for next month’s Tour de France, headlined by two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard and former points winner and three-time world champ Wout van Aert.

British two-time Olympic track champ Katie Archibald is out of next month’s Paris Games, after breaking her leg in two places tripping on a garden step.

A Palestinian paracycling team is working to keep the dream of competing in the Paris Paralympics alive for cyclists in Gaza.

 

Finally…

That feeling when a drivers prefer a genuine horse’s ass to a butt on a bike seat. And when your new e-foldie comes with a name that reminds you size doesn’t matter, except when it does.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

San Diego bicycling death confirmed, a little LA gravel grinding, and fresh paint coming to Burbank Blvd

January 24, 2020 / / One comment

A couple quick notes before we get started. 

Thanks to the efforts of Phillip Young, we now have confirmation of the fifth bicycling fatality in San Diego last year. 

As we noted Tuesday, we had received numerous reports that the victim of a collision on San Diego’s Moreno Blvd last November had passed away after he was hospitalized, but were unable to confirm the death. 

Now we know that 27-year old Dylan Herrick died as a result of the crash. 

I’ll followup with the long-delayed story over the weekend. Because like every fallen bike rider, he deserves to be remembered, even if it’s two months late. 

Photo is fallen bicyclist Dylan Herrick.

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In better news, we now have a new advertiser over there on the right. 

CyclingSavvy, one of just two national organizations offering bike safety training, along with the Bike League, is now offering online training modules. 

I wish safety training like this wasn’t necessary. But until we have safer streets and better infrastructure, it’s vital to know how to keep yourself safe out there. 

As a result, I’m providing them with an ad on this site for the next few months. Use the code bikinginla, and you’ll get a 25% discount on the training sessions.

At the same time, I’ll also get small amount for each person who signs up. 

Check it out, and let me know what you think. 

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Here’s evidence that it’s possible to show a little humanity in the worst situations.

If it’s real, that is.

A man storms into store, accusing a customer at the counter of stealing his custom-built bicycle, and demands it back.

But when the customer tells him he bought the bike for $10 to get to work, the man quickly changes his tune, and says he can borrow it for now. Then says he can keep it once he finishes the bike he started building when the first one was stolen.

But there’s more than a few red flags to suggest this one may have been staged, which is why I’m not embedding the video here.

I’ll let you decide.

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Nothing like a little gravel, past and future, to start your day.

And apparently, women cyclists like gravel, too.

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CiclaValley’s Zachary Rynew isn’t just into rough trails, though. He’s got a pretty good eye for bouncing baby bike lanes, too.

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

A 57-year old man was stabbed in the head by a younger man who fled by bike, in an apparent random attack near New York’s Times Square.

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Local

The guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers is one of us. Or was, anyway; Josh Klinghoffer got the boot after riding his bike over to Flea’s house, to make way for original band member John Frusciante.

The North Hollywood Neighborhood Council rejects the ridiculous plan to widen the already too wide and too fast Magnolia Blvd.

 

State

San Diego’s El Cerrito community is mourning a beloved neighborhood postal worker who served the area for 25 years; 56-year old Kevin Wilson was murdered by a hit-and-run driver on Monday.

A kindhearted cop in Sanger arranged to get a new bike for a young boy, after the one he received as part of a Christmas bike giveaway was stolen.

California’s cap-and-trade program is paying for walking trails, sidewalks and bike lanes in disadvantaged Fresno neighborhoods.

A San Jose op-ed argues that no bikes of any kind belong on the area’s trails, ebikes or otherwise.

San Jose is focusing on a number of Vision Zero improvements this year to fight the rising tide of traffic deaths in the city. Los Angeles, meanwhile, is making room on the shelf for Vision Zero, right next to the city’s dusty mobility plan and the 2010 bike plan it subsumed.

 

National

No surprise here. No SoCal business made the Bike League’s list of new or upgraded Bicycle Friendly Businesses; the nearest one was a San Luis Obispo government agency, which upgraded to a gold level.

PeopleForBikes announces their latest list of community grants, none of which are in California. Hate to say it, but their name just looks awkward jammed together into one word like that. Says the guy from BikinginLA.

Once again, a bike rider is a hero, after an Austin TX bicyclist spotted the hand of a man who’d been trapped in a drainage tunnel for over 24 hours; it took over an hour for rescuers to get him out.

Justice delayed doesn’t always mean justice denied. A Michigan man was arrested for a five-year old hit-and-run that left a then-18-year old man on a bicycle seriously injured; fortunately, the victim has made a full recovery.

Nashville TN is the latest city to adopt an Americanized version of Vision Zero.

New York Governor Cuomo calls for legalizing ebikes and scooters in the state, with mandatory helmets for ebikes that can go over 25 mph. And says he needs to see more data before calling for car helmets. And yes, he’s serious.

New York City’s notoriously anti-bike crusading reporter demands to know why ebike riders should be required to wear helmets, but other riders aren’t. Maybe because most bike riders don’t go over 25 mph on a routine basis. And bike helmets aren’t designed for those kinds of speeds, anyway.

The Brooklyn borough president says double parking is fine as long as the scofflaw drivers are going to church. Let’s hope they pray for the bike riders they’re endangering while they’re in there.

A kindhearted Pennsylvania community came together to raise $400 to buy a new bicycle for disabled man known as the town’s unofficial mayor, after his was stolen.

There’s a special place in hell for any driver who’d flee the scene after hitting a kid; fortunately, they caught the woman behind the wheel, and the five-year old Florida boy she hit was not seriously hurt.

 

International

A writer for Bike Radar makes the case for why every bike should have a kickstand. Not on my roadie, you won’t.

Sadly, no surprise here, either, as the US refuses to extradite the spy’s diplomat’s wife who killed a British motorcyclist in a hit-and-run, then fled the country claiming diplomatic immunity; officials say it would set a bad precedent to bring a cowardly killer to justice.

An English man is asking for help recovering his $7,200 ti mountain bike, one of just 500 worldwide, after thieves threatened him at knifepoint.

Puducherry, India — population just under 250,000 — becomes at least the sixth Indian city to get a bicycle mayor. Los Angeles, with a population twelve times larger, still doesn’t have one. Or any other sort of mayor devoted to improving bicycling in the city.

 

Competitive Cycling

Aussie Ritchie Porte took the ochre leader’s jersey in the Tour Down Under as the peloton passes through regions devastated by recent fires. Be honest, who actually knew what color ochre is without looking it up? I didn’t think so.

 

Finally…

When it’s just too hard to move a badly parked dockless bike. I don’t have a problem with ride outs, but this is pretty much how you define the term effing idiot.

And your next bike ride could be on a turn-of-the-century carousel.

No, the other century.

 

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

Morning Links: Bike theft victims wanted, how to use LA micromobility, and your right to take the lane

December 18, 2018 / / 2 comments

Just six days left in the 4th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Time’s running out to support SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy. Donate in just minutes via PayPal, or through Zelle with the banking app that’s already on your phone, using the email address you’ll find on this link.

Any amount will help, and is truly and deeply appreciated, no matter how large or small. 

Or if you own a business, consider buying an ad on BikinginLA to show your support for this site, while you spread your message to thousands of bike riders in Southern California and around the world.

Not to mention you can write off the full cost as an advertising expense on next year’s taxes.

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If you’ve had your bike stolen, the new 24-hour Spectrum 1 News channel wants to talk to you. 

Reporter Jada Montemarano is looking to talk to current and former victims for a possible story on the bike theft epidemic. 

You can email her at jada.montemarano@charter.com if you’ve got a stolen bike story to tell. 

Maybe shining a little light on bike theft will get the city to actually do something about it. 

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LA Curbed offers everything you need to know to use bikeshare, e-scooters and dockless bikes in the City of Angels, but probably hadn’t thought to ask. 

The field has gotten more crowded in the past weeks, as Jump has dumped both ebikes and e-scooters onto the streets, while Lyft and Razor — yes, that Razor — have jumped into the LA scooter wars. 

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Cycling Savvy has released a new video just for California bike riders spelling out our legal right to take the lane under most circumstances. 

As instructor Gary Cziko explains, 

“The exceptions to the far-to-the-right requirement of CVC 21202 provide clear recognition by the vehicle code that bicycling far to the right often exposes bicyclists to unnecessaryrisk, and makes it legal to avoid this risk by controlling the lane.”

https://cyclingsavvy.org/cvc21202/

Thanks to Cziko and our old friend Karen Karabell for the heads-up. 

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The LACBC is hosting their last Operation Firefly event to provide free bike lights in Pasadena tonight. 

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‘Tis the season.  

Canadians are taking their Christmas trees home by bike. 

Thirty Santas, elves and other assorted holiday types turned out for a Santa ride in the unlikely location of Fethiye, Turkey.

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Local 

An op-ed in the LA Times says Los Angeles doesn’t have to be a city of parking lots, in part thanks to bicycles, bike lanes and the growth of micromobility. UCLA parking meister Donald Shoup has said DTLA has more parking per acre than anywhere else on Earth. So why are we wasting valuable curb space to provide car storage at the city’s expense when it could be put to better use?

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from the LA Daily News, which takes a look at the safety improvements, including separate bike lanes, along La Tuna Canyon in the San Fernando Valley.  

How the popular Rock Store survived the Woolsey Fire that scorched the section of Mulholland Highway known as The Snake. 

State

The CHP highlights changes in traffic laws on January 1st, including one that removes any doubt that bike riders are subject to hit-and-run laws on Class 1 bikeways. In addition, bike riders under 18 will now get fix-it tickets if they’re caught riding without a helmet, while adults will no longer need one to ride an e-scooter. But you still can if you want. 

Great offer from the San Diego Bicycle Coalition. They’ll give the first 100 people who donate $50 to the group a free Boomerang CycloTrac GPS anti-theft system. 

National

A writer for Boing Boing sums up his experience commuting by ebike, calling it a total game changer for non-cyclists. 

Smart Cities Dive gazes deep into its crystal ball to look far into the future, and predicts what’s in store for dockless bikes and scooters in the year to come. 

A Hawaiian woman celebrates her 40th birthday with a 40-mile uphill ride into the wind from the ocean to the top of Maunakea on the Big Island, finishing in a not-so-speedy eight hours. 

Seattle questions whether the city’s water taxi service should charge extra to bring bicycles onboard. 

Uber executives were warned in advance that its self-driving cars were too dangerous not long before one hit and killed Elaine Herzberg in Tempe, Arizona. That jackpot sound you hear is her lawyers calculating just how much that bit of information will cost Uber in the inevitable settlement. 

La Crosse WI will remove bike lane markers along one of the city’s busiest streets to avoid confusion caused by new bulb-outs. Which, of course, will probably cause more confusion. 

The vice mayor of Cambridge MA calls for lowering speed limits to 20 mph throughout the city, while bike riders would be happy just to get cars out of the bike lanes. 

International

The Conversation says Toronto history proves that induced demand works for bicycles, too. 

A rose by any other name. London will rebrand their cycle superhighways to “detoxify” the image that they’re nothing more than motorways for Lycra louts. 

London announces a five-year plan to triple the amount of protected bike lanes to form a single, unified bike network across the city to get more people onto their bikes. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has its own 25-year bike plan to get more people riding, which is currently on the shelf gathering dust, and likely to stay there for the foreseeable future. 

A Welsh driver admits to running over the 75-year old mother of British cycling hero Chris Boardman after she fell off her bike in a roundabout. 

British insurers are surprised to learn they’re going to be offering a discount to bicyclists who pass the country’s Bikeability class.  

A Polish radio station is holding an on-air auction today to benefit 72-year old former Olympic cycling medalist Ryszard Szurkowski, who was paralyzed after crashing in a masters race in Germany last June. 

Over 5,000 people have signed up to use the 300 ebikes in New Delhi’s new bikeshare system. 

Competitive Cycling

The toughest rider in this year’s Tour de France tells his story firsthand for the first time, as American Lawson Craddock describes what it was like to ride the entire race with a broken collarbone.

VeloNews talks with the incredible Katie Compton about her 15th consecutive national cyclocross title. Next year they should just hand her the trophy, and let everyone else fight it out for second place. 

Finally…

That feeling when your endo goes viral in a friend’s selfie. And the perfect bicycle for when you have an extra ten grand burning a hole in your bike budget.

Or you could just buy five to ten pretty damn good bikes, instead. 

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Thanks to Anne F, Dennis E and George W for their generous donations to the BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive to keep this site coming to your favorite screen every morning! 

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

Morning Links: Policy change for Camp Pendleton bike access, and recovering a stolen bicycle with Bike Index

July 16, 2018 / / 4 comments

Decades of relatively easy bike access to Camp Pendleton is coming to a close.

According to an email from Major Chad David Walton, anyone wanting to ride the popular cycling route through the Camp Pendleton Marine base will now need to register with the new Department of Defense Biometric Identification System.

And it will have to be done on the base at Pendleton, not online as has been the case in the last few years.

The passes will be valid for one year, and good for one adult only; you can bring a minor with you to bike on the Marine base, but no adult guests will be allowed to enter Pendleton without their own pass.

If you have a current pass, it will be good through September.

After that, you may have to enlist if you want to ride through Camp Pendleton without one.

Thanks to Richard Masoner and David Drexler for the heads-up.

Photo of Retired U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. Fernando Andrade by Lance Cpl. Dalton Swanbeck.

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This is why you should register your bike with Bike Index.

A Redditor got his bike back a full year after it was stolen, when someone checked Bike Index after buying it on Craigslist.

You can register your bike for free — or all your bikes — right here on this site, or report a theft to add it to the nationwide Bike Index database. And you can check to see if a bike was stolen right here, for no cost.

Maybe someone should tell the LA City Council about that, before they decide to reinvent the bike registration wheel.

Full disclosure — I don’t get a dime from Bike Index for hosting or promoting their site. I just hate bike thieves, and want to see every bike find it’s way back home.

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A pair of British bike riders were sideswiped by a driver who clearly needs a lesson in safe passing distance.

One rider suffered broken bones and a concussion, while another lost part of an ear, but both are recovering.

Needless to say, the 81-year old driver will be free to get behind the wheel again after losing his license for just two years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3A5moaYo_E

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Hey Los Angeles media — can someone please hire the BBC’s Naga Munchetty and bring her here to the City of Angels?

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone shut down an anti-bicycling crank so effectively.

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Stop what you’re doing, and take a few minutes to read this piece from Cycling Savvy’s Keri Caffrey on how to survive riding around large trucks.

Seriously. It could save your life.

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Local

Nice piece from the Daily News, on how the community came together to recover the stolen bicycle belonging to fallen teenage cyclist Sabastian Montero.

She gets it. Curbed’s Alissa Walker says instead of banning scooters, cities should redesign streets to make room for them.

 

State

OMG! Some people in San Diego are using bikeshare bikes and e-scooters to commit crimes. Sort of like they use personal bikes, skateboards, cars, feet, rental cars, horses, and any other form of human conveyance.

Officials say the Coachella Valley’s 50-mile CV Link multi-use pathway will save lives, as Palm Desert approves plans for the design.

Sad news from Santa Cruz, as a long-time bike rider was killed in a collision while riding across a bridge. Naturally, police blame the victim, insisting he somehow veered into traffic, which usually means the driver didn’t see him until it was too late; something that happens so often it’s commonly called a SWSS, or Single Witness Suicide Swerve

San Francisco bike riders are protesting delays in implementing much needed safety projects.

One of the four bike riders run down by a hit-and-run driver in Marin County describes in his own words what it’s like to nearly get killed just for riding a bike.

 

National

Streetsblog offers eight tips for cities to make the most out of dockless bikeshare and e-scooters.

A Denver man is using his bicycle to rebuild his life, commuting 20 miles a day to classes after becoming homeless following a car crash; now he’s preparing for a 120-mile ride over three high mountain passes.

Colorado’s new Idaho Stop law could lead to confusion — and tickets — since it leaves implementation to local communities; as a result, it could be legal to ride through a stop sign on one side of an intersection, and illegal on the other.

Iowa officials say no charges will be filed against two bicyclists who lost control on a bike path and killed a 79-year old woman before riding off.

Little Rock gets it. Instead of blaming the victims, the Arkansas city is developing an educational program for drivers on how to share the road with people on bicycles, modeled after a similar program in my hometown.

An adaptive bicycling program in Minnesota’s Twin Cities is allowing people with handicaps to get on bicycles, sometimes for the first time.

No bias here. A Minneapolis commentator assumes the people behind the dockless Bird e-scooters must be California hippies.

Kentucky becomes the latest state to adopt a three-foot passing law; 35 states now require at least a three-foot distance to pass someone on a bicycle.

Talk about not getting it. Newport RI officials want the state Department of Transportation to improve safety on a major street, while backing off from plans to install a bike lane and new turning lanes — and making it safer for pedestrians by removing a crosswalk. Sure, that will work.

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes goes on, as someone sabotaged a Boston bike lane with thumbtacks for the second time in a month.

Streetsblog offers a brief history of New York mayors on bicycles, as the current mayor takes a dockless bikeshare bike for a spin.

No bias here, either. There were several ways to describe the attacker who fatally stabbed a Philadelphia developer following an argument. But he rode a bicycle, so of course they chose “cyclist.”

Evidently, officials in bike friendly DC are no better than those in Los Angeles, as bicyclists continue to die as promised Vision Zero projects gather dust on the shelf.

 

International

Donald Trump’s trade war could mean you’ll have to pay more to fix your bike.

Don’t stop in Winnipeg if you want to keep your bike on a cross-country tour of Canada.

The BBC investigates how dangerous it really is to ride a bike on the streets of Toronto, while a college student says major changes are needed. Even though the city is safer for bicyclists than Phoenix, Philadelphia and yes, Los Angeles.

Speaking of Toronto, bicyclists have started a #NearMissToronto hostage campaign to report dangerous incidents and drivers, and call for safer streets. Maybe we should copy it; #NearMissLA has got a good ring to it.

A British writer raises a good point, asking if there’s a class divide in cycling, as rising equipment cost separate riders into those who can afford the best gear, and those who can’t. Or who just get turned off by the perception of high cost, and don’t bother trying.

 

Competitive Cycling

If you haven’t caught up on your Tour de France viewing, skip this next section. We could say the same about the Giro Rosa, except no one bothers to broadcast women’s bike racing.

In today’s semi-spoiler free Tour de France report, classics specialist John Degenkolb had a very good day.

Tour de Suisse champ Ritchie Port is out of the Tour de France, abandoning after apparently breaking his collarbone following a crash near the start of Sunday’s stage nine; Tony Martin is also out with a spinal fracture.

The Telegraph describes Sunday’s stage as a day of chaos on the cobbles.

No, you can’t butt heads in the peloton or bash everyone else out of the way, even on Bastille Day.

Lawson “Crash” Craddock has now raised over $92,000 for a Houston Velodrome by riding in the Tour with a broken scapula; no word yet on whether he survived Sunday’s cobbles.

Nice gesture from the UnitedHealthcare Pro team, which named a five-year old speech therapy patient “Pro Cyclist for a Day” at this year’s Twilight Criterium in Boise, Idaho; they gave her a new bike, helmet and autographed team jersey.

Yes, there was a women’s race, which was largely ignored even though it wasn’t tainted by questions of doping with asthma medication; as usual, a Dutch rider won the race, including the final stage, though an Australian team took the title. Maybe someone can explain to me why any race still has podium girls, let alone a women’s race.

 

Finally…

Nothing like riding 10,000 miles together to inspire a little romance. If you’re going to Comic Con, don’t ride your bike inside. No, really.

And no, being a state legislator does not give you diplomatic immunity from speeding tickets.

Thanks to Evan Burbridge for that last link.

 

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

Morning Links: State may legalize California stop; bike rider shot by Santa Ana PD; free Cycling Savvy class in OC

August 2, 2016 / / 6 comments

The California legislature could be taking your life in its hands.

Brenda Miller, founder of the PEDal advocacy group, writes that a new bill currently flying under the radar would legalize the California stop at red lights. According to her, SB 986 jeopardizes the safety of cyclists and pedestrians by eliminating the requirement that drivers remain stopped until they check for traffic before making a right turn on the red.

The result, she says, is that most drivers will simply roll through the intersection without stopping. Or looking.

You can read more of her comments on the bill here.

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An apparently homeless bike rider was shot and killed by Santa Ana police Monday morning after struggling with officers.

Let’s hope the altercation didn’t start just because he was riding on the sidewalk in violation of local law. Thanks to Mike Wilkinson for the heads-up.

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The Orange County Wheelmen is hosting a free class this Thursday to discuss your rights and responsibilities to help keep you safe on the road.

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Two common themes in today’s news, starting with still more kindhearted people.

An Ohio man’s co-workers pitch in to buy him a new bike after his was stolen while he was working.

In a nice gesture, Schwinn will donate 100 bicycles to Louisville KY kids.

A Connecticut cop gives a 15-year old boy his own bicycle after the teen’s bike was stolen.

The owner of a New Jersey bike shop is giving back to the community by purchasing 41 bicycles that will be given to underprivileged kids in the city’s toughest neighborhoods.

Sheriff’s deputies give a bike to a 16-year old boy so he wouldn’t have to walk four miles to the library in the Florida heat to study.

………

And the opposite, as road raging drivers form a far too common theme.

A Spokane driver faces a first-degree murder charge for deliberately chasing down a rider and smashing into him following a dispute.

Caught on video: An Atlantic City woman is under arrest for smashing her car into several parked cars in a deliberate attempt to run down a bike rider, who is shown throwing his bike at her car multiple times; police are looking for another suspect, presumably the man on the bike. The driver should be charged with attempted murder; the bike rider with bicycle abuse, if nothing else.

A Florida cyclist’s cross-county dream came to an abrupt end in Alabama when a road raging driver first threatened him with a knife, then ran over ran over his bicycle; the driver faces charges of reckless endangerment and second-degree criminal mischief.

Caught on video too: An Aussie truck driver is now under investigation after he posted video of himself deliberately drenching a group of riders with water, while cackling that he wishes he could run them over instead. It’s bad enough to pull crap like this, but what kind of idiot posts video online of himself doing it?

………

Peter Sagan confirms that he will be moving to current second-tier team Bora-Hansgrohe for next season when it moves up to WorldTour status, while Nicholas Roche jumps to BMC.

Bicycling offers seven reasons to get excited about the Tour of Utah, going on now in, that’s right, Utah.

A transgendered Canadian cyclist wins a key human rights complaint over what she considers a humiliating sex-verification process, as well as being denied needed hormones because they’re banned under anti-doping rules.

………

Local

KPCC notes that Los Angeles is currently holding focus groups to fine-tune its Vision Zero plan, with public meetings to come later.

DTLA’s Metro Bike bikeshare system, which remains in desperate need of a good nickname, is now open to walk-up users at a reduced rate of $1.75 per half hour through September. Meanwhile, Next City asks if bikeshare should cost the same as a bus.

CiclaValley rides Critical Mass.

Santa Monica’s California Incline, including new bike lanes, is finally set to open one month from today.

A UCLA doctor on the final leg of a seven-day charity ride saves the life of another rider who was suffering a heart attack in Malibu. Thanks to Evan G for the link.

 

State

The dozens of bicycles in a Santa Barbara couple’s garage testify to their lifelong love of bike riding.

San Bruno approves its first comprehensive walk and bike plan.

A San Francisco man is charged with murder in the hit-and-run death of a bicyclist in June while driving a stolen car.

 

National

Surprisingly, using Uber has done nothing to cut the rate of drunk driving deaths.

Portland police track down a Vietnam vet’s custom hand-bike after the double-amputee’s bicycle was stolen.

Once again, a bike rider has been killed while inexplicably riding in the fast lane of a freeway, this time in Portland.

The parents of the first, and so far only, cyclist killed while riding a bikeshare bike have filed a wrongful death suit against the truck driver who hit her and his employer.

Brooklyn bike riders get a new parking-protected bike lane, replacing the existing unprotected lane. Which is a natural progression that can and should be followed on many, if not most, LA bike lanes.

A man rides off with a $5,500 bicycle from a Florida bike shop after giving them the keys to a non-existent car as collateral for a test ride.

 

International

Ottawa, Canada cyclists and residents opposed to ghost bikes have been battling it out at the scene of a cyclist’s death; after the city removed her ghost bike, bike advocates and the victim’s family would draw one on the wall, then someone else would come and wash it off at night. Now, someone has upped the ante by illegally painting it on the wall where she died.

A Toronto columnist says why not build Pokemon Go lanes, since he’s convinced there are more Pokemon Go players than there are bike riders.

A London father uses security camera footage and Facebook to track down the teenage thieves who stole his daughter’s bicycle.

 

Finally…

Throw away your sports drinks; soon you’ll be quaffing nasty-tasting ketones, while you ride a $3,000 entry-level bike. Singing while you ride is one thing, playing a cello is another.

And parking in a bike lane is bad enough without using it as a staging area to climb a tower on the Bay Bridge.

 

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Bicycle Safety, Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Long Beach cyclist killed in Mt. Baldy hiking fall, and bike safety classes in Orange County

February 4, 2016 / / 2 comments

Sad news from the IE, as a Long Beach bike courier fell to his death while hiking on Mt. Baldy.

According to the Long Beach Post, Daniel Nguyen, a former CSU Long Beach cycling team member, fell 1,500 feet off the steep mountainside while trying to rescue a fellow hiker.

A gofundme account has been set up to help his family pay funeral costs; it’s raised over $12,000 in less than 24 hours.

………

My apologies for the late notice on this one.

The Orange County Wheelmen are hosting a two-day League of American Bicyclists Smart Cycling class tonight and Saturday; dinner and coffee are included in the Thursday session.

And next week the Orange County Bicycle Coalition is offering its Cycling Savvy course from the American Bicycling Education Association on Friday the 12th and Saturday the 13th.

They describe the course this way:

Cycling Savvy classes are incredible, intensely empowering classes, that are geared toward all bicyclists, not just “roadies”. Everyone can learn how to be a bicycle driver, and we really show folks how to do it.

………

Cycling Tips says creating an electromagnetic bike wheel is theoretically possible, but unlikely in practice. But I have faith; if pro cycling can find a way to cheat, it will.

Meanwhile, a writer says go ahead and let cyclists use motors when they race, but only at certain times and places. Or better yet, just put pedals on motorcycles and get it over with.

………

Local

It really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that LA County is the most dangerous place in America for pedestrians.

CiclaValley challenges you to recognize a pair of iconic climbs from above.

At least the Santa Monica section of the beach bike path is clear of sand, despite 15 miles of county-controlled pathway being closed; SaMo sweeps their limited section of the path five to seven days a week, depending on the season, while the county sweeps just twice a week.

The LACBC discusses setting priorities for Southeast LA County in a proposed future transportation ballot measure.

 

State

The San Diego State newspaper says everyone is at fault for problems with a new bike lane, which invites collisions with distracted pedestrians and didn’t solve problems with bikes on campus.

Los Altos Hills cites Strava data showing cyclists speeding along off-road trails as it moves to ban bikes from a popular preserve.

This is what happens when you try to shoehorn in a bikeway after a bridge is built, instead of incorporating it into the original design for San Francisco’s Bay Bridge. Although that circular ramp could be a blast to ride down; riding up, not so much. Thanks to Mike Wilkinson for the links.

Evidently Milbrae didn’t get the Complete Streets memo.

Community members in Eureka raised three grand to replace a bike stolen from a legally blind military vet.

 

National

A tri website says nothing good can come from confronting others in traffic, after a motorcycle rider records a road raging truck driver pulling a gun on him after flipping him off. I’ve had some interactions that ended well after I explained why I was riding the way I was. And others that didn’t.

Santa Fe considers a bikeshare program despite concerns over equity; the lack of a credit card or smartphone could keep low income people from using the system.

Outside says Crested Butte CO’s Fat Bike World Championships look like the most fun you can have on two wheels.

A documentary about LA’s Ovarian Psychos Bicycle Brigade will premier at the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin TX, date TBD.

A Cincinnati proposal would link four major bike trails to create a 42-mile loop connecting over half of the city’s neighborhoods.

Pittsburgh cyclists wonder why streets and sidewalks were cleared of snow, but bike lanes weren’t. Which is one problem we’re not likely to have in LA anytime soon.

A jury awarded an unarmed Florida man $23.1 million after he was shot four times and paralyzed by a Palm Beach sheriff’s deputy, who stopped him for the crime of riding his bike into traffic. Or maybe just biking while black. Thanks to Michael Eisenberg for the heads-up.

 

International

Good advice on how to stop thieves and protect your bike.

The BBC says cyclists will soon outnumber cars in central London.

A 77-year old UK man escapes jail for killing a cyclist because a judge decided he was too old to send to jail.

A British paper says increasing numbers of women are having labia surgery to make it more comfortable to ride a bike.

Caught on video: A kindhearted Brit rider consoles the driver who nearly hit him seconds earlier.

The Danish Crown Princess goes Viking biking with her kids in a cargo bike on their way to school, as her husband and dog tag along for good measure.

Sarah Jessica Parker is one of us, as she rents a bike and rides through Rome to hear the Pope speak.

Where have we heard this before? An Indian traffic expert says cycling lanes won’t work because the streets are too narrow, traffic volume is too high, and drivers too undisciplined.

Bicycling fatalities in Australia have dropped to their lowest level since 2009 while the number of riders has increased. With 32 cycling deaths last year, the country had just three more fatalities than LA County, despite having over twice the population.

 

Finally…

Now that’s one very cool 3D printed steel frame bike. Evidently, even owning two bikes isn’t enough to overcome a windshield perspective and stop complaining about “bike nuts” stealing precious territory from drivers.

And seriously, don’t be a jackass and make a right turn on your bike without slowing when there’s someone in the crosswalk.

Although it’s odd that someone who describes herself as a road cyclist would say it’s time for “them” to stop whining.

 

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