Tag Archive for die-in

Morning Links: Successful die-in at City Hall, Lee moves to rip out Reseda bike lanes, and more Peloton ad fallout

December 4, 2019 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Successful die-in at City Hall, Lee moves to rip out Reseda bike lanes, and more Peloton ad fallout

Let’s start with yesterday’s die-in at City Hall, where around 30 Los Angeles bike riders turned out in hopes of not doing it for real on the streets.

According to LAist,

Fed up by the lack of progress on reducing traffic deaths in Los Angeles, dozens of protesters staged a die-in outside City Hall Tuesday, calling on city leaders to take swift, bold action to make streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

“We have all the tools and solutions to solve this crisis,” said cyclist and organizer Andres Quinche. “What we are lacking is the courage and the conviction from our city council members, our mayor, (and) the Department of Transportation to stand up and say that safety matters more than speed, and that someone’s life is more valuable than a driver losing 10 seconds on their way to work…”

“I call the mayor’s office once a week to ask about this,” he said. “And I always get a response that someone’s going to get back to me about it. And it’s been maybe like two months since the last protest we staged and I haven’t heard anything.

But then, that’s about what you’d expect from a city that considers installing speed feedback signs a Vision Zero improvement.

Streetsblog’s seemingly ubiquitous Joe Linton described the die-in this way.

Though L.A. drivers are on track to kill more than 200 people in 2019, speakers emphasized the especially horrific deaths of Marlene and Amy Lorenzo, and of Alessa Fajardo – all kids on their way to school. In a crosswalk near Exposition Park in April, a driver killed sisters Marlene (14) and Amy (12) while they were walking to school. In a Koreatown crosswalk in October, a driver killed Alessa (4) as her mother walked her to nursery school.

Speakers criticized L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and the L.A. City Council for lacking courage and conviction to put their leadership behind the Vision Zero policies they approved. In attendance were three pro-Vision Zero candidates hoping to be elected to the City Council in 2020.

Needless to say, none of LA’s elected officials bothered to stop by. But as Linton notes, three candidates running for city council next year did.

https://twitter.com/hippierunner/status/1202006332087255041

Remember that when you go to mark your ballot next year.

Meanwhile, Streetsblog offers five Vision Zero tips for suburban cities.

Maybe LA officials could take a hint.

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In a move that’s pretty much the opposite of Vision Zero, recently elected CD12 Councilmember John Lee continues to make his anti-bike and traffic safety bones with a resolution aiming to “improve” or remove the hard-won bike lanes on Reseda Blvd.

But before you put all the blame on Lee, notice who seconded the motion.

That’s right.

The same formerly bike-friendly councilmember who single-handedly blocked the Lankershim Blvd Great Streets project that would have brought a much needed, shovel-ready protected bike lane to the boulevard.

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A teenaged boy in Oxford, England made the medical journals after hitting the handlebars in a slow speed bike crash — and suffering what may be one of the most gruesome injuries in bicycling history.

Just be forewarned, however, because you can’t unread the graphic description. Especially if you have a scrotum, or know someone who does.

And no, a bike helmet wouldn’t have helped.

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How about some very cool freeriding through the streets of London and Paris?

You’ll want to watch this one full screen. But maybe take your motion sickness pills first.

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If it’s any consolation for LA bike riders, you may have to deal with flooded streets, but at least you don’t have to worry about treacherous snowpacked and icy bike lanes.

Then again, it would be nice to have more bike lanes, period.

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Active SGV invites you to join them on their annual holiday lights ride this Friday.

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More fallout from that much-loathed Peloton ad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pShKu2icEYw

So far, it’s gotten local coverage from Los Angeles, San Jose and Boston,

CNN picked up the story, while CBS News wasn’t impressed, and Cosmo considered what to give your husband in retaliation return. Although it didn’t keep NPR’s reporters from wanting one.

Apparently, Wall Street didn’t like the ad, either.

Seriously, though, it takes real skilled to make an ad so universally loathed that it garners millions of dollars worth of free press.

But wait, here’s another one. At least it’s a little more middle class.

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‘Tis the Season.

Thanks to a sporting goods chain and a player with the Atlanta Falcons, more than 1,500 kids will get a new bike this year.

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

A hockey player for the Ottawa Senators clotheslined a bike-riding thief to keep him from riding off after stealing a backpack from a car.

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Thanks to Lisa G and View-Speed Inc. for their generous donations to the 5th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Your support for this site helps keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.

Which could come in handy when your ride gets rained out. Like today.

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Local

Voyage LA talks with East Side Riders founder John Jones III. He already has my vote whenever CD15 Councilmember Joe Buscaino decides to step down.

Streetsblog explains exactly what last night’s Complete Streets meeting in Beverly Hills was all about, including biking, walking and transit improvements.

 

State

If you’re in the mood for a ride up the coast, SRAM will hold an open house and fundraiser for World Bicycle Relief at their San Luis Obispo HQ on December 13th.

A bicycle columnist for a Gold Country newspaper says helmets might help, but the real problem is a lack of good infrastructure.

Somehow we missed this one last month, as a UC Davis researcher says more bicycling could bring huge health benefits to the state. Thanks to Robert Leone for the heads-up.

 

National

Cycling Tips tests the top bike chains. Meanwhile, another Cycling Tips writer says self-driving cars may improve safety in urban environments, but not as much as improvements in bike infrastructure.

Interesting take from Bike Snob’s Eben Weiss, who says ticketing bicyclists is pointless and cruel because on the streets, survival is more important than strict adherence to the law. I’m firm believer that we’re all safest when we follow the rules, except when we’re not. Your safety is what matters most when you ride. And only you can decide what that means at any given moment.

A writer for Streetsblog says Europe is laughing at us for installing parking protected bike lanes because it only incentivizes driving.

Even in bike-friendly Portland, neighborhood groups want bike lanes somewhere else.

An Iowa letter writer describes how — and why — she gave up riding her bike after moving from bike-friendly Minneapolis, blaming the hatred drivers have for people on two wheels.

You’ll have to wait until spring to ride a bikeshare ebike in the Windy City.

Evidently, Minneapolis police aren’t fans of Viking biking.

Former Massachusetts governor and second-place presidential finisher Mike Dukakis is no fan of driving. Which makes you wonder where we’d be today if an oilman hadn’t won that race.

New York will try out ebike delivery service for Amazon, DHL and other package-trucking companies.

A New York cab driver was busted 20 minutes after running down a bike rider. But only after his passenger begged him to go back.

 

International

When is a Victoria, BC bike lane not a bike lane? When it’s a parking lane literally half the day.

Seriously, how much of a heartless coward do you really have to be to leave a very pregnant English woman bleeding in the street after running her bike down with your car?

Royal-in-law James Middleton — Kate and Pippa’s brother — is getting good use out of his cargo bike, first taking Pippa’s brother-in-law for a ride with his dogs, followed by going Christmas tree shopping with his fiancé. Even if she had to walk along next to it.

I want to be like him when I grow up. An 85-year old Irishman races 50 miles every weekend and holds a national age group record. Even if he is a stickler for the rules.

An Australian bike rider has died a week after he became collateral damage in a police chase, when he was struck by a driver fleeing from the cops.

Singapore will require ebike and e-scooter users to pass a license test, and may require all users to carry liability insurance.

 

Competitive Cycling

American triathlete Brandon McDonald describes competing just ten weeks after undergoing open heart surgery.

So much for taking over. Four transgender women discuss what it’s like to compete in cycling and other women’s sports with little or no chance of winning.

 

Finally…

Maybe a little Christmas spandex will get you in the holiday spirit. (Insert celebrity name here) is one of us, too.

And who needs winter bike gloves when you’ve got heated handlebars?

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

Morning Links: Still more bike giving to celebrate the season, and PVE cyclists die in protest so others won’t

December 15, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Still more bike giving to celebrate the season, and PVE cyclists die in protest so others won’t

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‘Tis the season.

CicLAvia is giving back to the community, donating 15 scooters, 50 sneakers and 53 bikes so far.

San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System surprises 160 elementary school kids with new bicycles.

The Tulare County sheriff’s department gives 20 new bikes to kids who have excelled in school.

One hundred twenty Madera CA third grade students are surprised with free bicycles after thinking they were just getting a lesson in bike safety from the CHP.

A Colorado Whole Foods teams with a craft brewery’s charitable foundation to give 113 new bikes to disadvantaged elementary school kids at the opening of the new store.

A Chicago-area housing authority gave away 50 bicycles to children whose families might be having financial difficulties.

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World road champ Peter Sagan says clean cyclists could bring back sponsors to pro cycling, comparing the current testing regimen to being in jail with no chance to cheat without getting caught.

A Belorussian pro turns to the power of Twitter to save his cycling career after he was dropped by the Lampre-Merida team. After all, it worked for a certain president elect we could name.

American cyclist Joe Dombrowski wants to create an uphill hour record.

The Big Bear paper offers results of last Saturday’s California State Fat Bike Championships.

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Local

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton reports on the Palos Verdes Estates die-in on Tuesday to call for better bike safety in the exclusive community. Note the half-dozen cops standing watch in the background of the accompanying photos.

Cycling in the South Bay’s Seth Davidson observes that the die-in seemed to get a lot of support from passing motorists and pedestrians, but not so much with the city council. But as he points out, they’ll get the message the next time someone is killed, injured or harassed and decides to hold the city accountable.

CiclaValley is trying to scrape together parts to build and donate a Frankenbike to help get a young rider into road racing.

 

State

Three hundred chefs will ride 300 miles in three days next May, starting in Santa Rosa, to raise $2 million for the No Kid Hungry campaign.

Castroville gets a new bike and pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks. And no, the town isn’t named after the Cuban revolutionary.

Uber’s driverless cars briefly take to the road in San Francisco before state regulators run them off. Although video of one of the cars running a red light proves they really do drive as well as humans.

Talk about burying the lead (or lede, if you prefer). A San Francisco website reports on Sunday’s distracted-driving hit-and-run death of a bike rider in Watsonville. But fails to mention the driver was booked for being the influence until the very last sentence, never mind that her license was already suspended for DUI.

 

National

Elly Blue writes there may be more common ground between sport and transportation bicyclists than it would seem. In my case, they’re one and the same, depending on where I’m going and why.

Trek could be recalling your Bontrager lights.

A Portland website takes a look at the new UPS ebike delivery trikes.

Dirt Rag strives to understand Floyd Landis, who briefly held the Tour de France title before it was stripped away for doping, and who now markets marijuana-infused products under the Colorado-based Floyds of Leadville banner.

An Idaho bike mechanic warns you get what you pay for when you buy a bicycle online. And not in a good way.

A Louisville KY bike rider describes what it’s like to be a victim of a hit-and-run after being left for dead by a heartless driver; he has no memory of the wreck or anything that happened before being found three hours later.

Chicagoist says tip your bicycle delivery person more when the weather sucks. Which should be tonight in LA if the forecast holds.

Pittsburgh business owners warn that a planned bike lane would ruin street parking and crush their businesses. Never mind that businesses usually thrive after bikeways are installed, despite any loss of parking spaces.

A Pennsylvania hit-and-run driver gets probation after his big-hearted, bike-riding victim forgives him.

A Vermont man faces charges after using a stun gun on a 14-year old boy to recover a bicycle he thought had been stolen from his friend a few weeks earlier; however, the boy had a good alibi, since he’d purchased the bike three months ago.

Cambridge, Mass gets two new separated bike lanes, the first of what will hopefully become a citywide network.

Someone has posted fliers urging drivers to call the city to complain about the loss of five parking spaces for a New York City bike lane. Even though it was only four. And even though people are parking in it anyway.

A Florida paper asks if the shade of some new green bike lanes is too jarring. Only if Hollywood producers get a look at it.

 

International

Toronto is lowering speed limits on 14 streets in an effort to save lives.

An English woman was left with multiple wounds after an apparently random attack by someone who rode his bike up behind her and hit her over the head with an unknown object.

An Edinburg website asks if a new line of high-end bikewear designed by cyclists could be the next Rapha.

A Northern Ireland website offers 16 gift ideas for the cyclist in your life. Or yourself.

A UK man saves himself from depression by taking up bicycling following a bankruptcy and divorce.

Madrid gives itself a pre-holiday gift by banning cars from the city center for nine days. The restrictions will end this Sunday, so hurry up and grab your passport.

Australian police are looking for a road raging cyclist who smacked a car, striking the hand of a 74-year old woman passenger, after the driver honked at him for being in the way. Once again, there’s never any excuse for violence, no matter how justified your anger may seem at the time.

A New Zealand cop won’t face charges for knocking a teenage boy off his bike when the boy swore at him, but will have to offer an apology to the boy and his family.

A blind Australian woman falls in love with bicycling after taking to the back of a tandem bike, finding it easier than she expected.

 

Finally…

Road rage is one thing; a driver armed with a machete is another. Even back then, Barack Obama was one of us.

And there are worse ways to spend three and a half minutes than watching some of the most bizarre bike ads ever.

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

Morning Links: Dying for safety in PVE, ‘tis the season for bike giveaways, and construction starts on MyFigueroa

December 13, 2016 / / 3 comments

Give so snark can live. Support the 2nd Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive today!

Don’t miss yesterday’s guest post by Delia Park and Kristie Fox about the die-in planned for today in Palos Verdes Estates, calling for Bikes May Use Full Lane signs to be installed in the exclusive, and extremely insular, city.

Meanwhile, Cycling in the South Bay points out there’s another vital item on the PVE council agenda to improve safety for kids walking to school. And offers a graphic example of what bikers really want.

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‘Tis the season.

San Gabriel Valley Rotary Clubs buy 200 bicycles to distribute to children ranging from toddlers to ten year olds.

Ninety Tustin 3rd grade kids are surprised with new bicycles courtesy of a San Diego bike non-profit; if watching video of the event doesn’t put a smile on your face, something is seriously wrong. Thanks to Melissa Pamer for the heads-up.

Members of a Del Mar high school water polo team refurbished 21 bicycles for needy kids with the help of a local cycling club.

A Palm Springs charity gives over 400 bicycles to deserving 4th graders nominated by their teachers.

One hundred volunteers with the Simi Valley Rotary assemble 250 bicycles to give to low-income families.

Trusties at a Louisiana sheriff’s department spend all year refurbishing bicycles for the department’s Christmas giveaway; in 23 years, they’ve donated over 3,800 bikes to area children.

Kindhearted Tampa Bay cops help an eight-year old boy finish a seven-mile fundraising ride just three months after learning to ride a bike; the ride raised money to purchase of bicycles for at-risk and foster kids, to go along with 750 bikes donated by the local NHL team.

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Bicycling’s Bill Strickland comes up empty handed in life-long search for the legendary Eddy Merckx Alphabet, only to learn it doesn’t exist. So he sits down with Merckx and Peter Flax to write one.

A new movie follows an Alaskan woman as she competes against her own father and other cyclists on the Anchorage winter bike racing circuit.

A report says a new indoor velodrome could make Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley the epicenter of cycling in the United States.

The California state cyclocross championship will be held in Bakersfield this coming weekend.

CiclaValley proves you can hit the dirt riding ‘cross and still make the podium.

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Local

The driver wanted for causing the crash that killed a five-year old boy as he was sleeping in his own apartment has turned himself into police; investigators found the boy’s letter to Santa asking for a new bicycle in the debris after the crash.

Construction has officially started on the long-delayed MyFigueroa Complete Streets project.

Adopting a Vision Zero plan to end traffic deaths in Pasadena by 2027 would require a significant shift in funding priorities.

The LACBC talks with Walk Bike Glendale’s Steven Nancarrow about riding in Glendale and this Sunday’s Holiday Bike Ride.

 

State

A 30-year old Vista bike rider suffered severe head injuries in a collision with a motorist Monday morning; police report the victim was not wearing a helmet. However, there’s no word on how fast the driver was going or whether it might have made a difference.

More bad news from Central California, as a 34-year old man was killed when his bike was rear-ended by a suspected drunk and admittedly distracted driver who fled the scene; she was stopped nearby, and faces multiple felony counts including hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Once again, the failure to maintain surface streets proves costly in more ways than one, as Morgan Hill settles with a bike rider who was seriously injured after hitting a pothole.

Bay Area bike riders gather for a holiday lights tour in Alameda.

 

National

The Department of DIY strikes again, as Portland bicyclists use bales of hay to conduct their own road diet to show it would not significantly impact traffic.

A Portland man with special needs will get his stolen bike back after a six-year old spots it and leads police to the suspect.

A study from DePaul University shows that bicycles are usually the fastest way to travel between two points, and recommends adopting the Idaho Stop Law, including allowing cyclists to proceed through red lights after stopping when there’s no cross traffic.

A new 240-foot bike bridge connects two disparate parts of an Ohio town.

After getting a slap on the wrist for killing a Michigan bike rider, a convicted drunk driver is back in court asking for his license back so he get a job. Evidently, it’s not possible to walk or ride a bicycle to work in the Great Lake State, so everyone should just trust that he won’t do it again. Right?

New Jersey proposes adding questions about bike and pedestrian safety to the state’s driver’s license exam.

One of the runners-up for CNN’s hero of the year was Craig Dodson, a former professional cyclist who founded the Richmond Cycling Corps in Richmond VA, which uses bikes as a platform to help at-risk children.

An Orlando FL TV station highlights the risks of buying a bicycle in a box from Walmart or Target.

 

International

Cycling Weekly discusses 14 things that bicyclists can never seem to agree on.

In light of the rapidly oncoming holidays, Bike Biz offers a reminder of their remarkably in-depth, 20-part report on counterfeit bikes and parts, to help avoid finding some under your tree or menorah.

Toronto bike advocates are fighting a proposal to allow drivers with accessibility permits to temporarily stop in protected bike lanes if they’re loading or unloading someone with mobility issues.

A former member of Great Britain’s cycling team says bicycling appeals to obsessive-compulsive high achievers. Of course, it also appeals to people who just enjoy riding a bike, as well.

The Dutch Transport Minister proposes prohibiting bicyclists from using their smartphones while riding.

The Netherlands improves safety for cyclists by devoting road space to bicycles, while shifting motor vehicles to highways.

One in three bike riders in one Australian state admit to distracted riding and bicycling under the influence.

An Aussie writer gets it, saying if the sight of a bike rider makes you mad enough to affect your driving, you don’t belong on the road.

Another day, another drunk driving on a bike path, this time in Australia’s New South Wales.

A Malaysian bicyclist gets more than he bargained for when he stopped to take a selfie and discovered a body.

 

Finally…

Nothing like taking a flipping flip into the dip. Your next full-suspension mountain bike could have three front forks. Yes, three.

And if you’re going to break into a home to steal a gun and a bicycle, don’t leave tracks in the snow leading directly to you when you ride off.

Writing and maintaining this site is a full-time job. Your support, and that of our sponsors, enables us to keep bringing the freshest bike news to you every day, from LA and around the world.

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

Guest post: Cyclists call for die-in tomorrow in bike-unfriendly Palos Verdes Estates

December 12, 2016 / / Comments Off on Guest post: Cyclists call for die-in tomorrow in bike-unfriendly Palos Verdes Estates

There’s been a significant movement to protect the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians in Southern California in recent years. However, there have been some notable exceptions.

One of those is on the Palos Verdes peninsula, where challenging hills and stunning views have made it one of the region’s most popular riding areas.

Yet despite three riding deaths in just the past year, exclusive Palos Verdes Estates has repeatedly refused to take even the most basic steps to improve safety, rejecting calls from their own safety committee to install Bikes May Use Full Lane signs. Which only confirm what the law already allows, even though many motorists — and some police departments — may be unaware of the fact.

As a result, cyclists have called for a die-in tomorrow afternoon to protest their decision and call for better safety in the community.

Delia Park and Kristie Fox explain.

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WHAT: Die In protest. Bring your bikes with you, if possible. Lay down with us in Malaga Cove Plaza, Palos Verdes Estates to show passing motorists the bloody reality of what happens when bikers get hit by cars.

WHEN: ‪4:00 – 5:00 PM this Tuesday, December 13, 2016.

WHERE: Malaga Cove Plaza, Palos Verdes Estates

WHY #1: To demand that the city install bicycle safety signage that says, “Bikes May Use Full Lane” (BMUFL signage) which have been recommended by the Palos Verdes Estates Traffic and Safety Committee but rejected by the PVE City Council for no reason other than opposition by a handful of angry residents.

WHY #2: This year, over a three-month period, three cyclists were killed in bike-car collisions on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. This is an unprecedented number of fatalities for this location. Protest activities began after the last of these fatalities, a hit and run in which no one was ever apprehended.

After working patiently with the city council, and with dozens of cyclists attending many council and committee meetings, the BMUFL signs were unanimously approved and recommended by the traffic and safety committee but rejected by the PVE City Council, who caved in to the localism for which PVE has become globally recognized via media exposure of the Lunada Bay Boys, a local group that has allegedly impeded non-local surfers from using local public beaches.

The new target of localism has become cyclists. A small contingent of Lunada Bay residents mobilized and ultimately swayed the City Council to vote against the recommendations of its own traffic engineer and its own traffic safety committee, which recommended installation of the BMUFL signage.

After decades of complaints, the PVE City Council has finally begun to address the Lunada Bay Boy surfer issues following a public outcry through intense media scrutiny, surfer protests, and a class action lawsuit alleging gang activities against members of the surfer locals. However, the same discrimination that has impacted surfing in Lunada Bay for decades is now directed towards cyclists. The PVE City Council chose to side with the local residents and protect their convenience and “way of life” over the lives and safety of cyclists.

It is time for all cyclists to join in solidarity and support safe cycling for everyone in the LA region, particularly PV, where thousands of cyclists come to enjoy the coastline views and hills that have served as training grounds for locals and professionals for decades.

Show up tomorrow in Malaga Cove ‪at 4:00 PM and support the effort to advance cycling safety and awareness!

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Cycling in the South Bay’s Seth Davidson discusses the die-in, as well as calls to install a crosswalk for kids walking to school.

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Category: Advocacy & Politics, Bicycle Safety, Guest Columns / Tags: , , , , ,

Morning Links: Come play dead in PVE next Tuesday, and talk Rail to River with Metro in Bell tonight

December 8, 2016 / / 3 comments

Keep SoCal’s best bike news coming your way every day. Give to the 2nd Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive today!

December 13th is a good day to die on Palos Verdes Estates.

Just not literally.

Cycling in the South Bay’s Seth Davidson calls for bike riders to participate in a die-in next Tuesday to protest the wealthy enclave’s inexplicable reluctance to post signs saying Bikes May Use Full Lane.

That shouldn’t be the least bit controversial. Because that’s the law in California, which allows bicyclists to use the full lane on any traffic lane that’s too narrow for a bicycle and motor vehicle to safely share, while still allowing a three-foot passing distance.

Which is most, if not all, of the traffic lanes in PVE.

So what exactly is the problem?

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Glenn Bailey, chair of the LA Bicycle Advisory Committee, forwards news from Metro about tonight’s meetings in the City of Bell to discuss the planned Rail to Rail/River Active Transportation Corridor Project, which is in desperate need of a catchier name.

Community meetings for Rail to Rail/River Active Transportation Corridor Project to be held today

Metro is hosting two community meetings in the City of Bell as part of the Rail to Rail/River Active Transportation Corridor Project. Both meetings will be held at the Bell Community Center, 6250 Pine Avenue, Bell, on Thursday, Dec. 8. The first meeting will take place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and the second will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bell Community Center. The evening meeting will also be streamed live online here.

For more information contact the project helpline at 213.922.9228. Para información en español, llame al 213.922.9228.

Metro is conducting the Alternatives Analysis (AA) for segment B of the Rail to Rail/River ATC Project. As part of the AA process, the community is invited to attend to get an update on the project and also to provide input on the evaluation process for a set of alternatives to connect the Metro Blue Line Slauson Station to the Los Angeles River.

The Rail to Rail/River ATC Project consists of one corridor that will be built in two phases. Segment A is the Rail to Rail component and Segment B is the Rail to River component. Together they form one route, stretching from South Los Angeles to the Los Angeles River.

Segment A

  • The “Rail to Rail” segment extends 6.4 miles between the future Crenshaw/LAX Line’s Fairview Heights Station to Santa Fe Avenue.

Segment B

  • The “Rail to River” segment extends 2.8 to 4.3 miles between Santa Fe Avenue to a future connection with the Los Angeles River.

It is anticipated that the environmental clearance work on segment A will be completed in June 2017 while the AA work on segment B will be completed in March 2017.

Once constructed, the project will increase transit options, provide access for bicyclists and pedestrians to surrounding neighborhoods and improve regional bicycle connections. The active transportation facilities will connect residents and workers to transit, jobs, schools, shopping districts and parks.

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Local

It’s been three years since music executive Milt Olin was killed by a distracted sheriff’s deputy while riding on Mulholland Highway. His wife channeled her grief into creating the Milt Olin Foundation, which is dedicated to confronting the dangers distracted driving through its #HandsOff campaign; a Go Fund Me page to support the campaign has raised over $31,600 of the $35,000 goal. Lets see if we can help that go over the top.

You’re invited to help former pro Phil Gaimon and the LACBC clean up Mulholland once again this Saturday.

Pure Cycles invites you to join them for a fast-paced hour discussing bicycling issues and advocacy on January 19th. And yes, there will be beer. Although it can’t be that fast paced if the hour discussion is scheduled for two hours.

 

State

Sunday’s annual Palm Springs Tinsel Triathlon will honor a police officer killed in an October shooting; the course skirts the school where she had been a student.

An Oceano driver has pled not guilty to a single misdemeanor count of vehicular homicide in the death of a world class triathlete as she rode her bike earlier this year.

San Francisco Streetsblog asks why bicyclists’ injuries aren’t enough to get safer streets.

A nearly incoherent Chico letter writer complains about the costs of bike paths he — or she — says are just trashed drug shooting galleries for the homeless, while scofflaw cyclists run rampant on the city’s streets.

 

National

Bust out the EPO. Strava says American men are just the fourth fastest country on our bikes; American women do slightly better, checking in at number three.

Bicycling Magazine discusses how to ride your bike to a badass life of leisure. I’ve got the leisure part down, willingly or otherwise; just need to figure out the badass part.

Bike lawyer Bob Mionske talks bike lights.

Cyclelicious looks at the role of bike messengers in delivering news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 75 years ago — including a Japanese-American messenger who rode through falling bombs to deliver news of the impending attack to the general in charge of the base, just a tad too late.

UPS is now making deliveries in Portland via e-cargo bike.

Despite the common complaint that bike riders ignore stop signs, a new video shows 64% of drivers rolled a four-way Chicago stop. Which raises the question of who really poses the greatest risk when they treat stop signs as yields?

Milwaukee hosts a massive pre-holiday bike bazaar featuring 60 vendors and 600 buyers. LA used to have something like that until declining interest and rising costs for convention center space put an end to it. Thanks to Opus the Unkillable Poet for the heads-up.

Charges have been dropped against the original suspect in the fatal shooting of a Detroit university police officer. Even though police say he is no longer a suspect, they still believe the shooter was riding a bicycle when the officer attempted to stop him.

A Pittsburgh area man has lost 106 pounds, in part by riding a bicycle each weekday as he trains to tackle a 12 summit hill climb on his leisure bike.

Nice story from Florida, as two homeless families now have new clothes and bicycles, a job, and a roof over their heads, thanks to a kindhearted deputy; it all began with a broken bike chain.

 

International

A new study from the University of Duh suggests older cyclists may have more balance issues than younger riders.

No bias here, as Edmonton, Canada police call scofflaw sidewalk cyclists “undesirables.” Never mind that few people, desirable or not, would ride on the sidewalk if they felt safe on the street.

A Russian émigré discusses life in London, as well as her blog devoted to stylish cycling in the British capital.

Three London teenagers have been convicted of manslaughter for fatally stabbing a 17-year rapper in a fight over a stolen bicycle.

A five-year old English boy tells bike thieves “please don’t steal things that aren’t yours” after they make off with his father’s bike and the bike trailer he rode in.

A British expert calls on private companies to help with the costs of improving cycling infrastructure to boost employee health.

Police in the UK are complaining about a dangerous new trend in which teenagers ride their bicycles in and out of vehicular traffic. Although apparently, it’s not just a British problem.

A German website says making bicyclists wear helmets could do more harm than good, and calls for better infrastructure instead.

Reuters looks at the women of Afghanistan’s first freestyle cycling club.

An Aussie magazine determines that cyclists using ear buds can hear traffic noise better than drivers with their windows rolled up.

 

Finally…

Now you, too, can pretend you’re a Top Gun pilot while you ride. Yes, it’s possible to cross the Donner Pass by bicycle without having to eat anyone.

And don’t let anyone say cyclists don’t make good mannequins.

………

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