It’s the last two days of the 8th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!
Just 48 short hours — or less, depending on when you read this — to get your donation in before we wrap things up, toss out the party hats, change the sheets, and get back to work after the 1st.
As things stand right now, we’re just $62 off last year’s record total — and less than $200 from breaking the seemingly impenetrable $5,000 barrier, after getting tantalizingly close last year.
So thanks to James S, Alexander H and James Z for their generous donations yesterday keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.
I can’t begin to express my gratitude to them, and everyone who has given so much to support this site this year.
If you haven’t donated yet, take a moment to give right now via PayPal or Zelle. Every contribution, no matter how large or small, is truly and deeply appreciated.
And please accept my sincere hope that you and all your loved ones find peace and joy this holiday season, with a very healthy, happy and prosperous year to come.
And one filled with bikes.
Lots of bikes.
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Today’s common theme is ebike rebate programs, or the lack thereof.
The $1.7 trillion federal new federal spending bill includes $45 million for active transportation projects, including funding for the new Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. But not the ebike rebates we were promised last year, which were cut from the earlier bill to appease a certain West Virginia senator.
Bend, Oregon will offer ebike rebates up to two grand to 75 low-income households.
Banff, Alberta is removing the budget cap on that city’s rebate program to allow more people to participate, with rebates up to $750 on ebikes costing up to five grand.
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San Diego’s Pedal Ahead ebike loan-to-own program is set to see a $10 million statewide expansion in the coming year.
The program loans ebikes to lower income residents on the condition that they commit to riding a minimum of 150 miles a month for two years, at the end of which they can own the bike.
However, inewsource reports only 50 of the original 400 participants met the conditions to keep the bike, with 35% exceeding the program’s $50,000 maximum income.
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Okay, I seem to see a problem here.
https://twitter.com/EntitledCycling/status/1606046106277666816
https://twitter.com/EntitledCycling/status/1606088894440607748
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The LAPD reminds you that if you’re going to street race, do it on a bicycle.
Okay, so maybe I added that last part.
LAPD Central Traffic Division Street Racing Public Service Announcement https://t.co/P67pn67VD7 via @YouTube @CBSLA @nbcla @KTLAnewsdesk @abc7 @FOXLA @bikinginla @TheEastsiderLA @knxnews @TrafficRacing @Dongrahamjr @LAPDVTD @LAPDWestTraffic @LAPDSouthTraff @24mx244 pic.twitter.com/rczYOvHBDb
— LAPDCTD (@LAPDCTD24) December 22, 2022
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‘Tis the season.
LA’s Bahati Foundation, founded by ten-time national cycling champ Rahsaan Bahati, held their 5th Annual Motion Equals Healthy Bike Giveaway at Carson’s Dignity Health Stadium Sports Park last Saturday.
The Pechanga tribe teamed with the San Diego Chargers of Los Angeles to distribute 150 bike to second and third grade students at Mayo Elementary School.
A Las Vegas county commissioner hosted a giveaway that saw 200 kids from ten elementary schools receive new bikes and toys.
Rapper A$AP Ferg demonstrated his bike-building skills by personally assembling the new bikes he donated to a Harlem toy giveaway.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Horrific story from Puerto Rico, where a police officer was convicted of assaulting a juvenile, as well as the resulting coverup, after shooting the victim in the back as he fled from police on his bike, then pistol whipping the boy while he lay with his hands bound after surrendering, and repeatedly punching the boy in the face as he sat handcuffed in the back of a patrol car.
There’s not a pit deep enough for the English man who yanked a 14-year old boy off his bike before stomping on it for the crime of coming too close to him while riding salmon.
Small hearted Brits take glee in an apparent bikepacker taking a spill after he took the full lane, calling it instant karma. Although it wouldn’t hurt if he learned to ride in a straight line.
https://twitter.com/FabulousEmmaLou/status/1498296448659693571
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Police in Cambridge
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Local
Los Angeles has secured funding for the $47.5-million Skid Row Connectivity & Safety Project along San Pedro Street in DTLA, between Temple Street in the north and the I-10 Freeway to the south, including 2.4 miles of buffered and protected bike lanes. Although whether the project serves the current residents of Skid Row, or ends up pushing them out and gentrifying the community, remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Streetsblog’s Sahra Sulaiman — not Suleiman, as I mistakenly wrote it yesterday — critiques disgraced councilmember Kevin de León’s video giving himself credit for securing the funding. Hint: It did not go over well.
Bicycle-themed 10 Speed Coffee is opening a new location on Sawtelle Blvd in West LA, following previous locations in Santa Monica and Calabasas.
Pasadena’s latest crackdown on traffic violations that could endanger bike riders and pedestrians resulted in 63 drivers receiving citations, along with seven pedestrians and four people on bicycles. Which means at least four bicyclists didn’t follow our advice to ride to the letter of the law during the crackdown.
Urbanize wants you to vote on LA County’s best “small” transportation project. Although I wouldn’t call starchitect Frank Gehry’s plan to cap the Los Angeles River small, in any sense.
State
Streestblog’s Joe Linton explores tiny Arcata on the NorCal coast by bike, which looks surprisingly welcoming to people on bicycles.
Like Linton, Streetsblog California’s Melanie Curry has just returned from a trip, though this one took her a little further afield, as she observes the bicycle culture in Zimbabwe and Rwanda, saying their tenacity makes Californians look like wimps.
California Conservation Corps crews are nearing completion of a new biking and walking trail through San Diego’s Balboa Park.
This is who we share the road with. A 39-year old Fresno driver faces a murder charge for the drunken hit-and-run that killed a high school student as he was crossing the street in front of the school; she had been given a Watson notice indicating she could be charged with murder if she killed someone while driving under the influence, following a 2008 DUI conviction.
The San Francisco Chronicle examines why New York is making more progress on its Vision Zero program than the fabled City by the Bay. Although any New York bike rider is likely to tell you the city isn’t making enough progress, let alone fast enough.
National
Make Use Of examines ebike automatic shifting, and whether you really want it. Meanwhile, Electrek considers the year’s weirdest and wildest ebikes and other EVs.
More on the Tucson bike rider killed by an ambulance driver yesterday; the victim was on a gas-powered bike without functioning brakes, and allegedly cut off the ambulance after cutting through a hospital parking lot.
Curbed hangs out with New York’s Citi Bike Boyz, performing jumps and stunts on clunky 45-pound bikeshare bikes.
International
Bike Rumor finds out what international bike mechanics really think about internal cable headsets. Hint: Not much.
Police in Bristol, England are looking for three armed men who attacked a man with machetes in an effort to steal his bicycle; fortunately, he was not seriously injured, but the thieves got away with his bike. Just to be clear, that’s three armed men, not three-armed men, which would be something completely different.
Men’s Journal says the ultimate way to explore Norway’s fjords is by bicycle. Read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.
The booming popularity of ebikes is demonstrated in the Netherland’s crime statistics, as thieves pilfered three times as many ebike batteries this year, compared to 2021, jumping from 1,500 to 4,500.
Two separate Indian bike riders recount the “horror” of Hyderabad hit-and-runs.
Competitive Cycling
Former American junior, U23 and elite ‘cross champ Gage Hecht reflects on his first European cycling campaign, which didn’t go as planned, and finding a purpose outside of cycling.
The National Cycling League introduced the Miami Nights and Denver Disruptors, the first two teams to join the fledgling crit series.
Finally…
When you build your one millionth foldie, you naturally take it on a world tour. The difference between scofflaw bicyclists and recalcitrant Amish buggy drivers.
And why let the pros have all the fun, when you can rig your very own DIY cargo bike snowplow?
Although it would take a helluva storm before we’re likely to need one here.
Ok it's rly cold out. pic.twitter.com/z4r2NqXgGZ
— Philip (@PhilipMarciniak) December 20, 2022
Thanks to Eric C. Lewis for the link.
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As usual, we’ll be off next week for our regularly scheduled end-of-year mental, physical and emotional collapse.
But I’ll be around if there’s any breaking news that can’t wait until we get back. So sign up for email alerts up there on the right to make sure you don’t miss anything, if you haven’t already.
And stay safe over the holidays.
I want to see you back here bright and early when we return on the 3rd.
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Happy Chanukah to everyone celebrating today.
Chag Urim Sameach!
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin, too.
