Just 68 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
Photo courtesy of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
………
Let’s start with news of a November EPA webinar to discuss a Mexican bicycle-based recycling program.
Something we could easily do here.
EPA webinar: Recyclables Collection Using Source-Reduced Vehicles
On November 13th at 9 am PT, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is offering a free webinar on recyclables collection in México, using bicycles. The webinar will feature an overview of ‘source-reduced’ vehicles, followed by presentations from Hermosillo-based Biciclando and México City-based Bike Recycling MX. Register here.
Thanks to André Villaseñor for the heads-up.
………
California’s two transportation agencies seem to be taking different approaches to the state’s new Complete Streets law.
Streetsblog accuses the California Transportation Commission of trying to rush through new highway funding guidelines before a new state law goes into effect, so they can avoid having to adhere to it.
On the other hand, Caltrans has created a new equity tool in an effort to avoid the highway building mistakes of the past, which bulldozed low income neighborhoods and ignored the needs of anyone not inside a motor vehicle.
………
A writer for Slate looks at CicLAvia and sees a vision of what Los Angeles could be, suggesting the city follow the Parisian model of building carfree facilities for the 2028 Olympics, then converting them to daily use afterwards.
Which would require a lot more foresight than we’ve seen from city leaders so far.
But still.
………
It’s now 308 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 40 months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. An English police department is criticized for stoking culture war by staging the poorly named Operation LYCRA targeting scofflaw bike riders.
In the wake of a Parisian bike rider allegedly murdered by a road-raging driver, Cycling Weekly writes that cars can be weapons, as any bike rider can tell you. Or as I learned the hard way courtesy of my own road-rager, cars are bigger than me, and they hurt.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Singaporeans are incensed after a couple spandex-clad bicyclists are caught on video having a conversation while riding in a bus lane, as a bus follows slowly behind them.
………
Local
Metro is providing free bus, train and Metro Bike rides on Election Day, making it even easier to bike the vote.
Streetsblog’s Joe Linton looks at the debate over a lane reduction and bike lanes on Fountain Ave that’s currently roiling the contest for city council.
State
Calbike is holding a fall sale on their bicycling merch.
A Huntington Beach teenager was cited after recklessly riding an illegal ebike through the town while disregarding all traffic laws. And once again, a news outlet confuses an electric motorcycle with an electric bicycle.
A 64-year old man was seriously injured after losing control of his ebike in San Diego’s Balboa Park, with injuries ranging from a fractured pelvis, facial bones, clavicle and ribs to a brain bleed; fortunately, none were considered life-threatening.
He gets it. A Petaluma father says bike lanes increase freedom for everyone, whether it’s to school or the supermarket.
Sad news from Napa Valley, where a 45-year old man was killed striking a curb on his bike after drinking, and hitting his head on utility box.
National
A Seattle writer says ebikes aren’t cheating and nothing to be jealous about, because they’re the future of bicycling.
Dallas city leaders are inviting bicyclists to their annual ride to City Hall with today. Which serves as yet another reminder that bike-riding Los Angeles Mayor Bass has done absolutely nothing to reach out to the bicycling community since taking office.
A Chicago council committee advanced a bill that would cut the default maximum speed limit from 30 mph to 25 MPH. Which isn’t exactly “20 is plenty,” but it’s a start.
This is who we share the road with. A speeding New York driver caused a chain reaction crash that injured 17 people, and left a couple crumpled SUVs on a historic bike path; fortunately, none of the injuries were serious. But tell me again about that bike rider you saw run a stop sign.
DC’s Friendly Heights is about to get a pair of friendly protected bike lanes.
International
Momentum writes in praise of riding slow and leaving the spandex at home.
While the premier of Ontario wants to limit bike lanes to side streets, the CBC looks at studies from around the world to conclude that bike lanes actually ease congestion and reduce emissions. And are good businesses. And don’t get me started on the difference between the British Commonwealth and US meanings of “table” something.
The charity responsible for operating London’s Royal Parks is requesting legislation allowing the prosecution of bicyclists who exceed the park’s 20 mph speed limit.
A British bicyclist wonders whether it’s time to stop reporting traffic crimes to the police, since they just ignore it, anyway.
Momentum takes a look inside the massive Parisian bike parking garage at the even more massive Gare du Nord rail station, as the city is rapidly becoming a dream city for bicyclists.
Road.cc says the myth about Chinese carbon wheels being weaker than other wheels is exactly that.
Competitive Cycling
Why bother buying UCI-approved frames for your cycling team, when you can just slap some UCI inspection stickers on a bunch of Chinese knockoffs? You can read it on Yahoo if Bicycling blocks you.
No surprise here, as multi-disciplinarian Mathieu van der Poel was named the Dutch cyclist of the year Monday night, while Marianne Vos won for an exceptional tenth time.
Cyclinguptodate considers whether American cycling has ever recovered from Lance. Nope.
Finally…
Why ride the roads when you can pedal the rails? When you’re carrying a glass pipe with meth on your bike, put a damn light on it — and when that’s only meth “residue,” get yourself a good lawyer.
And you might get your next driving ticket from an ebike-riding cop.
………
Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin
