Tag Archive for Griffith Park

Morning Links: Monterey Park votes for Complete Street, Griffith Park study released, and ebikes are trending

January 18, 2018 / / 5 comments
Monterey Park, Complete Streets

Bike SGV reports that Monterey Park approved plans for a 1.6 mile Complete Streets project and protected bike lanes along Monterey Pass Road.

This will be the first project to be implemented from the city’s 2014 bike plan.

Hopefully many more will follow. And other area cities will take the hint.

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CD4 Councilmember David Ryu released a study on access to Griffith Park and the Hollywood Sign, which could result in either more or less access to the park, depending on which proposals are implemented.

Not to mention a second Hollywood sign.

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CNN says ebikes are emerging as a hot trend in the US. Except in New York, that is, where they are banned for reasons no one can seem to explain.

However, sales have nose-dived in Malta, dropping 90% after the country required ebikes to be registered. Which should be seen as a warning of what could happen if bicycle registration laws are passed in the US.

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As if we didn’t have enough bikeshare news yesterday, there’s still more today.

A West Hollywood site offers more on the city council’s discussion of the WeHo Pedals bikeshare system, and the possibility of making it free for city residents.

Santa Cruz proposes removing 28 parking spaces to make room for bikeshare stations, featuring ped-assist ebikes.

Scottsdale AZ officials are less than thrilled with the results of a dockless bikeshare pilot program, which has led to blocked sidewalks and art installations being used as bike racks.

Oak Park IL is pulling the plug on its participation in Chicago’s Divvy bikeshare, saying for the cost of the program, they could buy every kid in town a new bicycle every other year. But they probably won’t.

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Local

CiclaValley takes you on a ride along the historic Old Ridge Route.

South Pasadena is looking at ways to fix commuter traffic, after the long-fought 710 Freeway was finally killed; councilmembers asked that projects in the city’s 2011 bicycle master plan be included after a consultant gave them a low priority.

El Monte police increase enforcement of traffic laws after a pair of fatal collisions involving older pedestrians.

Manhattan Beach approves the installation of three bike Fix-It stations around the city.

Long Beach approves plans for up to 120 new oil wells in exchange for restoration of wetlands on a depleted oil field, including installation of walking and bike paths.

 

State

Work began today to add buffered bike lanes and other safety improvements along San Diego’s Torrey Pines Road.

Bike Index co-stars with a group of DIY crime fighters to battle Bay Area bike theft. Which provides another chance to remind you to register your bike for free before anything happens to it. And report it to the nationwide Bike Index stolen bike database if anything does.

A Marin paper says it makes sense to remove a bike and pedestrian lane from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to make more room for more cars, instead of offering a safe alternative so people don’t have to drive.

A wanted felon doesn’t get far trying to outrun police on his bicycle in Humboldt County.

 

National

Why settle for a folding bike when you can have folding wheels, too?

Nissan wants drivers to control their cars with their minds. Too many people don’t seem to think behind the wheel now, so what makes them think wearing a funny hat will change that?

People for Bikes lists a dozen bucket list rides for 2018, including a Big Wheel spin around the City by the Bay.

A Honolulu woman faces charges for pointing a gun at a bus driver in a dispute over the fare, then stealing a passenger’s bicycle off the front rack.

These are the people we share the roads with. Police say an Oregon woman drove off after killing a bike rider while driving drunk last month. Then returned to the scene to yell at the victim’s companions.

The federal Bureau of Land Management will expand the nationally recognized Phil’s World singletrack network in southwestern Colorado, while protecting a nearby golden eagle nest.

They get it. A Wyoming task force calls for a police training curriculum for bicycling and walking enforcement, as well as testing a high-powered air-blower to clear debris off highway shoulders that could pose a hazard to bicyclists.

Burlington VT drivers are feeling squeezed by new protected bike lanes. Although the real problem seems to be parked cars and inadequate snow removal. But sure, it’s always easier to blame the bikes.

She gets it, too. A Massachusetts letter writer says building a safe bicycle network is like building another transit system.

New York City responds to fatal bike crashes with a plan for a pair of protected bike lanes crossing Manhattan. Unfortunately, changes like this usually only happen after it’s already too late.

The New York bike path terrorist who killed eight people on Halloween is reportedly asking for a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

Evidently, hit-and-run just isn’t a crime anymore. South Carolina authorities decline to charge a driver who left the scene of a fatal crash. If police don’t take hit-and-run seriously, why should drivers?

 

International

Mexico City is encouraging bicycling as more riders take to the city’s crowded streets, though safety risks remain.

Caught on video: A British bus driver is caught on a bicyclist’s helmet cam texting at the wheel.

Kindhearted Brits have started a crowdfunding campaign to replace a bicycle stolen from a midwife who used it to get to and from work.

Wired examines the physics of the bizarre 69-degree UK intersection that blinds drivers to the presence of bicyclists.

The 21-year old heir to a Florentine noble family was killed in a London collision while riding a brakeless fixie, though that doesn’t appear to have anything to do with the crash.

Record-setting Scottish round-the-world cyclist Mark Beaumont is planning to set a new hour record — on a penny farthing.

A new Barcelona study shows expanding bicycle networks across Europe could prevent 10,000 premature deaths a year on the continent.

A five-year old New Zealand program encourages truck drivers to ride a bicycle to learn how it feels on the other side of the street.

I want to be like him when I grow up. A Kiwi cyclist is still winning races at 83-years old, and doesn’t plan to quit.

 

Competitive Cycling

VeloNews looks at retired cyclist Iris Slappendel and her efforts to form a union for women cyclists.

Pro cyclist Nicholas Dlamini became the first black South African to wear a leader’s jersey in a World Tour race, leading the chase for the King of the Mountains at the Tour Down Under.

The Press-Telegram says it’s anyone’s guess how many people will actually show up for the Amgen Tour of California when it visits the city next May, after concluding that the official estimate of up to 225,000 who attended the event in 2007 was only off by around 190,000.

 

Finally…

It’s not every day a bike race is halted for a pending volcanic eruption. Probably not the best idea to participate in a triathlon five weeks after filing a claim for “incapacitating injuries.”

And forget exercise, chocolate and naps are the key to a long life.

 

Category: Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Dockless bikeshare comes to Griffith Park, the death of Vision Zero, and hope for Beverly Hills

November 6, 2017 / / 3 comments

Just days after a false alarm that the LimeBike dockless bikeshare had come to LA, Chinese dockless bikeshare provider ofo has apparently invaded our city.

Despite the fact that a proposed ordinance that would permit dockless bikeshare hasn’t yet made it to a single city council committee hearing.

Ofo tweeted Sunday morning, then deleted, that they were now live in Griffith Park.

They followed that up with a tweet saying they were partnering with the LA Department of Recreation and Parks to provide an easier way to ride through the park.

Brian Nelson confirmed that his wife saw four of the ofo bikes parked near the Greek Theater.

How that conforms to Councilmember David Ryu’s motion to permit privately owned dockless bikeshare in the city remains to be seen.

Especially since other providers, including LimeBike, are waiting patiently for their opportunity to come into the city.

It’s inevitable that dockless bikeshare will come to Los Angeles. The question is how — or if — it will be managed to avoid the problems that have plagued other cities.

Thanks to Erik Griswold and Zachary Rynew for the tips.

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The LA Weekly asks if LA’s ambitious Vision Zero plan to end traffic fatalities is already dead. And accurately quotes the very pissed off author of this site.

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I happened to run into Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse at the city’s Woofstock dog fest on Sunday, and was encouraged to hear her say that the coming bike lanes on Santa Monica Blvd are just the start.

As she tweeted later, she’s looking forward to more bike lanes and better mobility throughout the city.

Maybe there’s hope for the former Biking Black Hole yet.

At least as long as she’s in office.

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More on last week’s New York bike path terrorist attack.

A mass was held at New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral to honor the victims of the attack.

Bicyclists say the new K-rail protective barriers make the bike path less safe.

A writer for Time says the terrorist’s fearmongering has failed, while Cycling Tips captures the fear and emotion brought on by the attack.

Actor Jason Biggs lets the terrorist know what he really thinks.

And radical right scumbag firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos said “he was glad the only people hit were cyclists and ‘not actual human beings.’” Thanks to F. Lehnerz for the link.

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In Alberto Contador’s case, the N + 1 formula for how many bikes you need equals 42 or 43.

Nobody said working through the details for the Giro’s 2018 Jerusalem start would be easy.

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Local

If you ride the Rose Bowl loop, you owe it to yourself to attend tomorrow night’s meeting of the Pasadena City Council Parks and Recreation Committee, where the future of the popular riding route will be up for discussion. Thanks to Wesley Reutimann for the heads-up. Correction: This originally said it was a City Council meeting; thanks to Bike SGV for the correction.

With the help of a Metro grant, Bike SGV has formed what could be SoCal’s first bicycle traffic school in El Monte.

Manhattan Beach officials and the Manhattan Beach-based leader of Keep LA Moving —no irony there — are unhappy with the way the reversal of the Playa del Rey road diets is going, even though they won the battle. Apparently, they won’t be satisfied until the streets are deadly again.

The Long Beach Police Department has received a grant for traffic safety enforcement over the next year, including a focus on bike and pedestrian safety.

 

State

The Orange County Register correctly notes that the end of daylight savings time increases the dangers to drivers and pedestrians. Wrecks go up after the time change, so make sure you use lights after dark, and ride as if everyone else on the road is driving distracted and half asleep. Which they probably are.

A Chino Hills man rides to collect recyclables, tossing them into a trailer behind his bike, while yelling out to passing people to drive safely.

Los Angeles isn’t the only city being sued by bike riders for injuries caused by bad streets; San Diego is currently facing a trio of lawsuits.

A woman in San Diego’s Mira Mesa neighborhood was seriously injured when a tow truck driver rammed her bike as he left a parking lot.

The great bike debate goes on in the pages of the San Luis Obispo newspaper, as a letter writer says encouraging bicycling provides a great value for bicyclists, as well as the drivers we share the roads with.

A San Francisco street near Golden Gate Park is being converted into a “neighborway,” diverting and calming motor vehicle traffic to improve bike and pedestrian safety. Which sounds a lot like a bike boulevard by any other name.

Instead of the usual complaints that fire engines can’t get through narrow streets with bulb outs and protected bike lanes, San Francisco buys a more compact fire truck that can.

 

National

A BuzzFeed writer calls for banning cars from big cities; a conservative website seems to think it’s a leftist plot.

The Felt behind Felt evidently felt it was time to leave Felt.

Funk-meister Bootsy Collins quit drugs after being told he’d never play bass again when he flipped his road bike several times while riding high in the woods. And no, that’s not a reference to altitude.

Kindhearted Washington residents pitch in to buy new Air Jordans for a teenage Canadian tourist after his were stolen by a BMX-riding man armed with bear spray.

I want to be like him when I grow up. An Iowa man rode his bike 90 miles to celebrate his upcoming 90th birthday.

Police in Stillwater, Oklahoma are repairing abandoned bicycles to be used by residents of a local mission to run errands or look for work.

Nope, nothing odd about Kentucky Senator Rand Paul being attacked in his home by his bike-riding, rice vest-inventing next door neighbor; Paul suffered five broken ribs and bruised lungs.

Grist says Pittsburgh got the bike advocate it never knew it needed in former Trojan JuJu Smith-Schuster

Life is cheap in Florida, where a driver got five years probation for a fatal hit-and-run that killed a bicyclist. Naturally, he claimed he had no idea he’d hit anyone.

 

International

British Columbia considers raising their paltry $81 fine for dooring a bicyclist.

Montreal’s mayor denies he used his influence to muzzle a Toronto parking officer’s popular Twitter account, which he uses to call out scofflaw drivers; the officer vows he won’t be silenced after officials suspend his account. Thanks to Norm Bradwell for the link.

The co-founder of the aforementioned ofo says London will one day reach Amsterdam-like bicycling levels. You’ll note he did not say the same thing about Los Angeles. Or anywhere else in Southern California.

A new British study says bike commuting can lower your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, as well as overall mortality. As much as I’ve ridden over the years, I should live forever.

A driver in Britain complains about a bike rider’s misaligned, too-bright headlamp. Evidently, no one in the country has ever been blinded by a driver’s headlights.

Evidently, they don’t take using a car as a weapon seriously in the UK, either. But they do take DUIs seriously, sentencing a drunk driver who killed a cyclist to eight years.

Bicycling helped a British teenager control his epilepsy.

The rich get richer. Bike-friendly Copenhagen asks bike riders to identify where they feel uncomfortable riding to determine where infrastructure needs to be improved.

Now you, too, can take an eight-day cooking and bicycling tour of Sicily led by celebrity chefs Traci Des Jardins and Mary Sue Milliken for a mere $4,595.

An Australian website asks if bicyclists and pedestrians should be banned from using headphones. Never mind that drivers in today’s hermetically sealed motor vehicles have a hard time hearing a siren right next to them, even with the sound system turned down.

An Aussie paper traces the anatomy of a fatal hit-and-run, and how the police tracked down the unlicensed driver who killed a bicyclist.

A rider from Down Under learns the hard way not to accept fruit juice from his friends without asking if they’d spiked it.

 

Finally…

Probably not the best idea to stare at a woman’s chest when there’s a Google Maps camera car driving by. You know you’ve made it when you get mentioned in the GOP tax bill.

And don’t ride your bike down an escalator without a helmet.

 

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

Morning Links: No Expo Line bike path in Cheviot Hills anytime soon, and Griffith heirs fight park trail closure

May 2, 2017 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: No Expo Line bike path in Cheviot Hills anytime soon, and Griffith heirs fight park trail closure

Don’t hold your breath if you’re waiting for completion of the Trousdale Gap in the Expo bike path through Cheviot Hills; Metro reports construction isn’t due to be finished until 2021.

A lengthy gap was left in the path due to threatened lawsuits from wealthy homeowners in the area, who were convinced bike riding thieves would use the pathway to ride off with their silverware and flatscreen TVs. Metro concluded it was easier to avoid dealing with them and the engineering issues, and just skip that section.

Now it will take much longer to close the gap, and at a significantly higher cost.

Thanks to Henry Fung for the link.

Correction: I mistakenly wrote the path would be finished in 2017, rather that the actual 2021. My apologies for the mistake. 

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The heirs to the Griffith in Griffith Park say not so fast to the city’s closure of the closest hiking trail to the Hollywood sign, joining in a lawsuit to keep the trail open.

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California’s proposed Idaho Stop Law is currently awaiting a vote in the Assembly Transportation Committee, where it faces opposition from law enforcement and automobile groups.

The bill’s author says the current widespread civil disobedience demonstrated by riders blowing stop signs is an indication the law either needs to be changed or enforcement needs to be stepped up.

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The LA Weekly chimed in about Joe Bray-Ali Monday, describing what they termed his campaign’s strange downfall, and saying his Facebook mea culpa was more of a public meltdown.

Meanwhile, a blogger reports overhearing Cedillo campaign staffers at the next table discussing campaign tactics awhile back, and concluding they needed to attack Bray-Ali, since Cedillo was too unlikeable and had too many negatives. Which they have clearly done.

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The Dana Point Times provides photos from Sunday’s Dana Point Grand Prix, along with a complete list of winners.

The Redlands Daily Facts offers a preview of this week’s 33rd annual Redlands Bicycle Classic.

Chad Young, the 21-year old cyclist killed during a descent in New Mexico’s Tour of the Gila was studying mechanical engineering at a Colorado college.

A new competition for the best descender in the Giro d’Italia is met with criticism from the pro ranks for needlessly increasing risk in the race that starts on Friday, particularly in light of Young’s death.

The Amgen Tour of California will bring world class athletes to Southern California; a writer for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune calls it a big money maker for the region.

A rider for Team Sky gets a six week ban for racist language directed at a French cyclist during a race last week.

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Local

The LACBC urges the city to save lives by investing in Vision Zero, calling traffic violence the greatest health problem facing children in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the city will host a Vision Zero open house in Southeast LA tonight.

Streetsblog’s Sahra Sulaiman looks at USC’s plans to boot a popular bike mechanic from campus, after offering to move him to an isolated spot with no street access.

A Reddit user reports having a pair of bicycles stolen from a Burbank balcony. Another reminder that your bike isn’t safe just because it’s above ground or in a garage; they need to be securely locked to something solid, even if they’re out of view.

A member of the West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition calls on the city to adopt a more ambitious Pedestrian and Bicycle Mobility Plan. And actually implement it this time.

Santa Monica’s GoSaMo campaign is reportedly a success as it moves into a second year of encouraging residents to travel by bus, train, bike or on foot.

The SCV News digs into their bag of clichés to say safety is a two-way street for bicyclists and motorists during Bicycle Safety Month. Then illustrates the story with a motorcycle, of course.

 

State

Proposed new rules for California’s medical marijuana industry bizarrely ban bicycle deliveries, requiring all transportation or marijuana to be done by motor vehicles with a human driver.

Five bicycles worth a total of $30,000 were stolen from a Costa Mesa bike shop during a burglary.

Laguna Beach hosts Orange County’s largest Bike Rodeo and Safety Expo to help keep bike riders safe; the city credits their safety efforts for the lack of bicycle fatalities last year.

Two dozen riders left Santa Barbara on Sunday for the four-day Ride On for Red Nose Day ride to Las Vegas; as of this writing, it had raised over $79,000 to help end child poverty.

A kindhearted San Luis Obispo physician bought 82 bikes from the annual Cal Poly bicycle auction, and donates them to the sheriff’s department to refurbish and give to local kids for the holidays.

The San Francisco Weekly says the city’s Vision Zero failed this weekend, as two pedestrians and a man on a bicycle were killed in collisions.

Despite the weekend’s setback, San Francisco is moving forward with Vision Zero, voting on plans to install a two-block protected bike lane on Market Street tomorrow. Meanwhile, bike safety advocates form a human chain next to one bike lane to call attention to the need for protected lanes.

 

National

People for Bikes issued their annual report.

Surprisingly, the new stop gap budget agreement reached in Congress retains funding for the popular TIGER grants, as well as increasing funding for the National Park Service.

A Las Vegas bike shop owner is planning a 1,400-mile ride around the state to kickoff his run — or maybe ride — for the GOP nomination for governor.

Ohio bike riders can go through red lights that don’t function; drivers, not so fast.

A Buffalo NY writer tackles his first double century.

A group of Pennsylvania kids go viral after riding their bikes near Trump’s big weekend rally with a handwritten sign reading “Fuck Trump.”

 

International

A Canadian bike group says mandating bicycle helmets would do more harm then good.

A British bike rider suffered a broken nose and two black eyes when he was pushed off his bike by the passenger of a passing car.

I want to be like him when I grow up. An 81-year old man teamed with a ten-year old boy for a 110-mile ride through Wales to raise funds for a hospice.

A British study confirms what we already knew, saying the courts fail bicyclists when it comes to prosecuting dangerous drivers, who are likely to be allowed to stay on the roads to do it again to someone else.

A renowned Swiss climber was killed in a mountaineering accident near Mount Everest; in 2015, he ascended all 82 peaks over 13,100 feet in 62 days, travelling by foot, bike and paraglider.

A man from Nepal stopped in Qatar on his around the world bike tour, the 55th country he’s visited despite losing a leg to polio as a child.

 

Finally…

Apparently, dangerous drivers don’t respect cops on bikes, either. Nothing like a hopefully gentle push from behind when you get tired.

And don’t piss off your girlfriend, or she might give away your bike.

 

 

Category: Bike Access, Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Los Angeles selected for bike riding boost, and carfree plan moves forward for Mt. Hollywood Drive

January 25, 2017 / / 5 comments

Through the end of this month, BikinginLA is supporting local bike shops and other small businesses in the bike industry by offering deep discounts on our usual advertising rates. For more information, or to find out if your business qualifies, email the address on the Support and Advertising page.

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In case you missed yesterday’s big news, PeopleForBikes has selected ten cities for their inaugural Big Jump Project intended to double or triple ridership in select neighborhoods in just the next three years.

Surprisingly, Los Angeles made the cut, with efforts to focus on Downtown LA and adjacent University Park.

This was my take on it when the news broke around noon yesterday.

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In what could be the final step in a long, drawn-out battle to keep cars off Mt. Hollywood Drive in Griffith Park, the LA City Council’s Arts, Parks and River Committee approved plans for a shuttle system to take people up to the Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign; the proposal goes before the full council today for final approval.

BikinginLA sponsor Josh Cohen wrote an open letter to the council in support of the plan.

Dear Lovers of Griffith Park:

I have been a CD 4 resident and homeowner, employee and employer in one capacity or another since the late 1960’s. I have a wife and a five year-old girl. We all use Griffith Park at least once a week. I live in Franklin Hills. My parents are elderly and they live in Beachwood Canyon, right under the Hollywood Sign. They too use Griffith Park.

Many other users of Griffith Park and I have watched as the City has struggled with traffic problems and the issue of motor vehicle traffic on Mt. Hollywood Drive.

Griffith Park is and must remain a place for people, not cars. Colonel Griffith J. Griffith bestowed the Park to the people of Los Angeles as, “[…] a place of recreation and rest for the masses, a resort for the rank and file, for the plain people […] to make Los Angeles a happier, cleaner, and finer city.”

The absence of motor vehicles in the Park is a prerequisite to Colonel Griffith’s mandate. Car-free, natural and unspoiled venues in Los Angeles are rare and precious. The absence of motor vehicles makes the Park a safe haven from the hectic, break-neck pace of life in metropolitan Los Angeles. Families like mine can escape to its confines and breathe unspoiled air. Children can run free without fear of getting hit by motor vehicles.

These truths impart an inherent value that supersedes the need for vehicular access to touristic vistas. Tourists’ desires for photo opportunities cannot outweigh Angelenos’ need for an escape from the mechanized dangers of city life. Los Angeles and its amenities must first be a place for its own residents.

Many Angelenos struggle in their daily lives because they cannot afford cars. Commuting and navigating the City unfairly burden them with logistical difficulties. Merely crossing the street threatens them with becoming another of Los Angeles’ 20,000 annual hit-and-run victims. They often lack recourse because the choices that shaped our great City’s landscape failed to account for anything but cars. Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities are implicitly considered the cost of doing business.

For these reasons and more, Griffith Park must remain car-free to the fullest extent practicable. The Griffith Observatory Circulation and Parking Enhancement Plan keeps it so. It provides unprecedented transit access to the Park for those unable to afford a car, or for those who decide that one less car in the park is a good thing. Car-free policy lifestyle benefits the environment and Angelenos, and fulfills Colonel Griffith’s vision and mandate. And frankly, the tourists enjoy car-free Griffith Park more too.

The thousands who have signed petitions and attended meetings are pleased and grateful to know that Mt. Hollywood Dr. will remain motor vehicle free.

Thank you for protecting the Park’s wild interior and for improving the lives of Angelenos.

Joshua C. Cohen

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If you want to see the new documentary on Russia’s systematic doping program, you’ll have to get Netflix.

The four-stage Tour of Abu Dhabi will roll next month after moving from its previous October date.

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Local

LA-based battery maker Immotor plans to bring an ebike to market later this year as proof-of-concept for their advanced batteries.

Pasadena will host a public workshop tomorrow to get input on the city’s draft Street Design Guide.

ASSOS will be the title sponsor of the Malibu Gran Fondo for the next two years.

Violent crime may be up in Long Beach, but bike theft has dropped over 26%. Maybe they could tell LA how they did it.

Speaking of Long Beach, work has begun on completing the Ocean Blvd road diet, which should have bike lanes by Friday.

CiclaValley tackles the famed Gibraltar climb above Santa Barbara.

 

State

Fifteen San Bernardino students got new bikes and helmets for maintaining perfect attendance records.

A Morro Bay mother who lead the fight for a BMX bike park has been honored as the Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year.

A San Francisco cyclist was injured in a fall on a bikeway that’s been taken over by a homeless encampment, despite promises from the city to clean it up.

Davis is looking for input on new wayfinding strategies.

Not content with smashing windows at a Davis mosque and draping bacon over door handles, a woman was caught on security cameras slashing tires on bikes that were parked outside it.

A writer says bike riding is an opportunity for Calaveras County, but streets remain a major obstacle. Sort of like nearly everywhere else.

Instead of getting rid of rumble strips that pose a risk to Northern California cyclists, Caltrans just paints a wedge on the pavement to warn riders about them.

 

National

Soap opera star Martha Madison is one of us, as she recovers from a broken elbow after falling of her bike.

How is it that Los Angeles, where year-round riding is easy, doesn’t have a winter bike week, but Denver, where it isn’t, does?

It’s a win for Montana bike riders, as a bill that would have banned bicycles from most two-lane roadways has been withdrawn, and will be redrafted with bicyclists’ input; the lawmaker responsible for the bill says the new version won’t contain restrictions on walking or bicycling.

A new Colorado study shows, just like with anything else, familiarity breeds acceptance when it comes to ebikes on trails; once people try them, their resistance melts away.

Another salvo in the war on bikes, as a bike rider barely escapes injury when someone strung fishing line across a Wichita, Kansas bike trail.

Detroit breaks ground on a $4 million sports complex that will include a new velodrome.

The Bike League’s annual National Bike Summit will take place in Washington DC the first week of March.

A coalition of Virginia lawmakers proposes getting tough on distracted driving.

 

International

Bike Radar examines 12 cycling nutrition myths.

A new study says bikewear that promises to dissipate heat doesn’t actually work, and could prove harmful to older riders.

A pair of Vancouver bike riders will spend a week in jail and face a five year ban from US public lands after riding off-trail through environmentally sensitive lands in Yellowstone, as well as other US parks.

The war on bikes continues, as a British woman was pushed of her bicycle by the passenger of a passing car; fortunately, she was not seriously injured.

A kindhearted woman in the UK starts a fundraising campaign to buy a new bike for a woman who had hers stolen, after reading the note the victim left for the thief.

Several stars of Britain’s Tottenham Spurs go for a bike ride in Barcelona. Although those look more like scooters to me.

Road.cc asks what Brexit and the Trump presidency will mean for British bicycling, the short answer is, prepare for a major hit to the pocketbook.

Where to go on your next bicycling vacation to Denmark.

Caught on video: An Aussie cyclist swerves to avoid getting hit after he’s cut off by a U-turning driver, then gets a milkshake thrown at him by way of thanks; fortunately, the driver had really bad aim.

Now that’s love. A Chinese man rode over 1,200 miles in 15 days just to see his girlfriend on her 21st birthday. Although whether he loves her or bicycling — or both — remains to be explained.

The Chinese maker of Apple iPhones invests some of its profits in a bikeshare company.

 

Finally…

Now you can dress to match your new bamboo bike. Unless you’d prefer a paper bike to go with your paper helmet.

And if you can’t decide whether to dress for warmth or visibility on a cold winter’s night, there’s always the option of nothing.

 

Category: General / Tags: , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Griffith Park bike lane blocked, misguided Brit bike safety ad, and real Lance talks with fake Lance

September 27, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Griffith Park bike lane blocked, misguided Brit bike safety ad, and real Lance talks with fake Lance

The good news is, we’ve figured out what caused the problem with email notifications for new posts. Now that the tech supports are back from their annual conference, maybe we can get it working again.

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CiclaValley shares video of a Griffith Park bike lane obliterated by a load of dirt.

Which basically makes it impossible to ride there, forcing riders out into unforgiving, often high speed traffic.

But no big deal, it’s only a bike lane. Right?

I wonder what the reaction would be if someone dumped a pile of dirt into the right traffic lane, making it impossible to use.

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A new British road safety ad offers a number of things your shouldn’t get caught between, including a truck and a left turn — or right turn, in this country.

Even if the truck is overtaking the cyclist and illegally left-hooking him, apparently.

Needless to say, the online community was not pleased with the apparent victim blaming.

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Somehow I missed this earlier this month, as Lance Armstrong talks with actor Ben Foster, who played Lance in the film The Program about the doping scandal.

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Local

Metro officially approves $4.14 million for 17 open streets events in LA County over the next two years.

The Grove and Americana at Brand developer Rick Caruso promises new crosswalks and bike lanes at his latest project at San Vicente and La Cienega — if it gets built. Let’s hope he plans to install much needed bike lanes on La Cienega, and fixes that dangerous and confusing three-way intersection at La Cienega, San Vicente and Burton Way that’s almost impossible to ride through safely.

LA’s own Pure Cycles offers some great tips on how to bike to campus. Although maybe their next photo shoot could use a little more diversity.

Bike SGV is the latest advocacy group to endorse Measure M to improve transportation option in LA County, including dedicated funding for active transportation.

Evidently, Caltrans efforts to transform itself into a modern Complete Streets transportation agency hasn’t filtered down to the local level yet.

 

State

Cathedral City moves forward with its section of the 50-mile CV Link, even as other cities are fighting the planned bikeway around the Coachella Valley.

Sad news from Santa Barbara, as an 88-year old man was killed when a driver took his eyes off the road, and drifted into the bike lane where he was riding. Cars are big, dangerous machines; there’s never any excuse for not paying attention behind the wheel. And as this tragedy shows, the consequences for even a moment’s inattention can be deadly.

San Francisco has a plan to reclaim streets from automobiles.

It’s Car-Free Month in Davis, as the city and UC Davis partner to offer events, prizes and giveaways designed to encourage residents and students to bike, walk, or use transit or car-share. Although the latter wouldn’t seem to do much to reduce the number of cars on the road.

 

National

Bike Index helps return more stolen bicycles to their owners, as an off-duty Portland cop helps nab a prolific high-end bike thief. You can register your bike or report a stolen bike for free with Bike Index through this site. And yes, LAPD officers now use it to find the owners of bikes they recover.

Around 90 Portland cyclists rode against hate on Sunday, in response to an ugly incident in which a cyclist pepper-sprayed a family with young kids while yelling racial slurs.

Las Vegas is opening a bikeshare system in the downtown area this Friday.

A Boston man rode a bikeshare bike through a highway tunnel, to the shock of motorists and the chagrin of the city’s bikeshare system.

ABC News producer Michael Koenigs continues his journey by bicycle to cover the American election cycle, riding to Monday’s debate at Hofstra University after traveling to both parties conventions.

Jose Fernandez, the Miami Marlins pitcher tragically killed in a boating wreck over the weekend, once rode his bicycle 600 miles a week to get back into shape during the offseason.

 

International

Good essay from City Metric, saying it’s time to rethink how the world’s great cities manage traffic, as urban residents are forced to bear the burden for today’s flawed policies.

The Guardian offers images of World Car-Free Day from cities around the world. Needless to say, here in LA, it was just another day of car-filled streets and freeways.

A Swedish Vision Zero expert says if Toronto wants to get serious about protecting cyclists and pedestrians, it needs to lower speed limits and think about road safety in a completely new way. The same goes for LA; we’ll never achieve Vision Zero without reducing speed limits. Let alone the near freeway speeds on some streets.

Life is cheap on Canada’s Prince Edward Island, where a driver was fined a whopping $100 for an unsafe turn that left a bike rider paralyzed from the waist down.

The UK’s Cyclist Magazine writes in praise of the cycling jersey.

The Guardian says wearing a bike helmet may reduce the very small risk of injury even further, but that’s no reason to make them mandatory. Meanwhile, a writer for Sydney’s Daily Telegraph says it’s time to scrap Australia’s mandatory helmet law so bicycling will become safer as more people get on bikes.

A New Zealand man has possibly become the first person to bike every road in Singapore, traveling roughly 6,800 miles on his Brompton.

China’s Uber-equivalent bets big on bikeshare.

 

Finally…

Who needs a golf cart when you’ve got a trike? If you’re ever tempted to punch a 14-year old boy after your bicycles collide, just don’t.

And it’s finally easier to drink, uh, eat a cup of coffee while you ride.

 

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

Morning Links: Memorial ride for RPV cyclist, 11-year old advocate writes for Times & Mt. Hollywood stays car free

March 11, 2016 / / One comment

Most fallen cyclists are fairly anonymous, their deaths, while tragic, affecting only a relative few.

Then there are those who are well known in the local community, among their fellow riders as well as others.

Redondo Beach resident Pissanuk Jonathan Tansavatdi, known as Jonathan to his friends, fit that description.

According to Cycling in the South Bay’s Seth Davidson, the 29-year old rider, who lost his life descending Hawthorne Blvd in Rancho Palos Verdes this week, was a member of his Big Orange riding club.

He cites Matt Miller, another member of the club, who wrote a remembrance of his best friend.

Jon wasn’t just strong, either. He was kind. After the last bro ride, we sat on our top tubes for 10 minutes outside his apartment while he gently encouraged Bader to ride hard, but also to ride more safely and obey the rules of the peloton.

Off the bike He was a prodigious success. He was a founding member of the Rubicon Project, a tech startup that made it big. He just left to found another start up company that had already secured several million in investments.

Perhaps most impressively, Jon had invented his own photosharing app, nearly at the beta testing stage, that allows users to automatically share photos with friends nearby via bluetooth. We mused how useful an app like that would be on our rides.

More than anything, Jon loved his family. He spoke of his sisters and mother and wife with compassion, understanding, and a clear desire to protect them.

Clearly, he was someone who touched a number of people in his all-too-short life, and will be missed by many.

A memorial ride will be held this Saturday at the weekly FDR ride, departing from Miramar Park in Redondo Beach at 8:10 am.

………

I’ve often mentioned that homeowners and renters insurance can cover your bike if it ever gets stolen, even away from home. And recommended carrying high levels of uninsured motorist coverage on your auto insurance to protect you while you’re riding your bike.

But bike lawyer John McBrearty offered some good advice I hadn’t considered in a comment on yesterday’s post about the UCLA student raising funds to pay legal fees, after she was sued by the driver that hit her for damaging his car.

You are absolutely correct about Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist protecting you on the bike-possibly it’s the most important insurance a cyclist can have if the correct policy limits are purchased. However, while homeowners/renters insurance will not provide liability coverage while you are operating a motor vehicle it will cover you for liability if you are on a bike. Much the same way it covers you for liability if someone trips and injures themselves on your property or if your dog bites someone at any location. Of course, you should always read the “Exclusions” section of your policy to see what they don’t cover, some dog breeds are excluded from coverage but I have never seen an exclusion for a bike accident that was caused by the policy holder. Liability coverage only protects you from third parties who are making a claim against you. Again, that’s why UM/UIM coverage is so important for a cyclist also. UM/UIM will also protect you if you are walking, running or otherwise if you are hit by someone who is uninsured or underinsured.

Meanwhile, after mentioning it here yesterday, her gofundme account has reached over $7,000 of the $9,000 goal as of this writing.

………

Great piece from precocious traffic safety advocate and future mayor Matlock Grossman, who says LA streets should be safe for 11-year olds like him to ride a bike.

My vision of a livable city is one where kids like me can ride our bikes to school, or to orchestra practice, or wherever, and our parents don’t have to worry about our safety. Streets where cars can only go 20 to 30 miles per hour would be a great start. People driving would still be able to get where they are going in the same amount of time, but the roads would be much safer for everyone — young and old, rich and poor, motorists, cyclists and pedestrians…

By the time L.A.’s mobility plan is supposed to be in place in 2035, I will be 31. I don’t want my children to have to write newspaper articles to make it easier for them to ride their bikes to orchestra class. Safe streets belong to everyone.

It’s well worth reading the full piece.

I only wish most adults understood the need for safe streets as well as he does.

………

In a victory for hikers and bike riders, the city announced plans to charge for parking at the Griffith Observatory, while expanding shuttle service throughout the park — except for the highly contested Mt. Hollywood Drive, which will remain closed to vehicular traffic.

Give CiclaValley credit for telling the full story the news media based theirs on.

………

Local

The Nation asks if a revitalized LA River will become a playground for the rich, crowding out everyone else. Which is surprising, since I didn’t even know the former left wing bible was still around.

The Easy Reader News names Hermosa Cyclery the South Bay’s best bike shop.

Long Beach has a shiny new aqua-colored and still unnamed bikeshare system, which will eventually offer 500 bikes at 50 stations throughout the city. Down the road, it should be compatible with Santa Monica’s Breeze bikeshare, which is blowing through the Santa Monica College campus.

 

State

A Rancho Mirage resident says the city’s leadership doesn’t seem to represent people like her, who aren’t afraid of change and support the planned 50-mile CV Link bikeway through the Coachella Valley.

Even Barstow in getting bike lanes on its Main Street.

A San Francisco couple lived just five blocks apart, but they met, fell in love and got engaged at the Solvang Century bike ride; this year’s edition rolls Saturday.

No bias here. A San Francisco TV station says an Antioch cyclist wasn’t hit by a car, but collided with it, instead.

After nearly declaring war on bike-riding tourists last year, Sausalito plans to expand a Bike Ambassador program to help alleviate problems caused by too many people on two wheels. On the other hand, they never seem to complain about all the tourists on four wheels, which made my last visit there pretty miserable.

 

National

A scary new study says distracted driving is the new normal, as motorists spend over half their time paying attention to something other than the road.

Bicycling offers useful advice on how to make sure the bike rack you’re using is secure. Or you could just build your own.

After helping her husband Kurt set the new record for riding the most miles in a single year, Alicia Searvogel plans to tackle the women’s record.

An auto-centric Seattle radio host argues for keeping the streets dangerous and letting pedestrians die, fearing that advocates will lie about an uptick in pedestrian deaths to demand safer streets. Then again, he doesn’t sound like a prince on other subjects, either; thanks to NE Seattle Greenways for the latter link.

An Iowa columnist learns first hand what it’s like to bike like a bike cop.

A Houston weekly lists six streets where people “probably” won’t die riding their bikes. Maybe they should move to Boston, which claims to be tied with DC for the nation’s safest big city for cyclists and pedestrians.

A Missouri woman plans to ride 13,000 miles, stopping at churches in 37 states to raise awareness of sex trafficking.

Forget Vision Zero, says New York police commissioner — and former LAPD chief — Bill Bratton, who insists there will be traffic deaths as long as there are people on the roads. Maybe the city should find someone to do the job who doesn’t give up before he starts.

 

International

A writer for the Guardian offers 10 tips to conquer your bike commute.

A Scottish paper asks if the draconian new fines on Australian cyclists offer a lesson to be learned, or just make the state a laughing stock. You can probably guess how riders in New South Wales, who say they remain terrified on the Aussie state’s roads, would respond.

Seriously? Even the attorney for the former enforcer for Australia’s Banditos biker gang said he had “anger management issues” after getting out of his car and beating a bicyclist for not using a bike lane. Yet he walked with just a fine and a four month license suspension. Evidently, the only crimes they take seriously Down Under are cyclists riding sans helmets.

An Aussie woman insists she told the story of deliberately running down a bike rider who flipped her off hundreds of times, but only in an attempt to frighten off a man she thought was a “child rapist,” never imagining he might actually turn her into the police. Sure, let’s go with that.

A Kiwi bike commuter says he supports better bike facilities, just not if it involves closing his own street to vehicular traffic.

 

Finally…

Who needs real dog, when you can buy one made of recycled bike parts? If you’re going to steal a bike, don’t leave your old one covered in your DNA at the crime scene.

And Lance may have cheated, but he never put itching powder in his rivals’ shorts.

That we know of.

 

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, Injuries and Fatalities, Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Killer SD hit-and-run driver has a bad night; next Griffith Park access meeting on Wednesday

February 25, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Killer SD hit-and-run driver has a bad night; next Griffith Park access meeting on Wednesday

This is why so many people hate lawyers.

The attorney for a San Diego driver who fled the scene after driving though a bike lane, jumping the curb and hitting two young girls, leaving one brain dead, says she’s just a “really good person who obviously had a very bad night.”

Right.

The victims’ family had a worse one.

He goes on to give reasons that he says affected her ability to control her car, which may or may not be valid.

But the bottom line is, if you can’t operate a motor vehicle safely, for whatever reason, don’t get behind the damn wheel.

And nothing excuses running off like a coward, leaving a couple of little girls bleeding in the street.

Ever. Period.

………

A couple quick events, complete with massive graphics.

The next meeting to discuss access plans for Griffith Park, which could include frequent, yet inadequate, shuttle service on previously closed Mt. Hollywood Drive is scheduled for next Wednesday night.

Griffith Park Access

And CICLE is hosting a Bikes and Beats Community Bike Ride this Saturday.

Flyer_Bikes_and_Beats_Community_Bike_Ride_v3-1

………

A 31-year old transient is suspected in the stabbing death of cyclist Sidney Siemensma on an Irvine bike path last month; the suspect, an acquaintance of the victim, was already in custody on kiddie porn charges.

………

Bikeshare continues to expand across North America, with new programs coming to Evanston IL, Richmond VA and Vancouver, British Columbia, and another under consideration in Tacoma WA.

………

The website is up for live streaming of American cyclist Evelyn Stevens’ attempt to break the women’s hour record, starting at 10:30 am this Saturday.

My money is on her to smash it.

………

Local

Streetsblog looks at that crazy, unmarked detour around the LA River Bike Path, which has been closed to make way for the El Niño flood control barriers installed by the Army Corps of Engineers. And suggests it’s an opportunity to stripe bike lanes on a more direct route, if anyone at LADOT or the mayor’s office happens to be listening.

The LA County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help in finding the people who fatally shot a father of four last year as he rode his bike on a Compton sidewalk.

Richard Risemberg says horses have gone into war for millennia, but somehow can’t see a bicycle on the Mariposa bridge without suffering a heart attack.

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune says Temple City missed an opportunity to remake Las Tunas Drive and revitalize the city’s downtown, ensuring the city’s main drag will “remain a big drag, a four-lane plus turn-lane place to drive while going somewhere more interesting.” Not to mention keeping it dangerous for anyone not encased in a ton of steel and glass.

 

State

Streetsblog’s Damien Newton talks with Calbike’s Jeanie Ward-Waller about a proposal to rebate up to half the purchase price of a commuter bicycle.

A Camp Pendleton spokesperson discusses the new rules for riding on the base, but says the Boob Ride will go on.

Bike thefts have spiked in San Diego’s Hillcrest neighborhood, with reports of thieves breaking into apartment complex garages.

A man on a bicycle allegedly stabbed two people following an altercation at a Victorville gas station.

Palm Springs is adding bike lanes to five streets and improved signage and street markings to 17 others in the next few months, after painting green lanes on another five streets since last September.

Santa Barbara approves a new bike plan, although in yet another battle over bike lanes versus parking, the city just gives provisional approval to a bike lane on one commercial street after the city attorney raises questions about whether it requires an additional environmental review. I could have sworn we recently passed a law precisely to exempt bike plans from that.

A Fresno bike shop is considering closing after bike thieves broke in for the second time in just 10 days.

 

National

A new Boulder CO off-road cycling tour company promises to take you on mountain biking trails you’ve never heard of. Grammatically, that should be “of which you’ve never heard.” But screw that.

You’ve got to be kidding. A North Dakota driver gets a whopping six months — half of that to be served at home — and a lousy $1,000 fine for killing a cyclist because he was busy taking a selfie as he drove. Nice to see they take distracted driving seriously up there. And yes, that’s dripping with sarcasm. And contempt.

A Cincinnati councilman wants nearly a half mile of protected bike lanes ripped out so people can continue to park illegally; a local paper says the focus should be on scofflaw motorists instead.

Most snow belt cities ignore bikeways in the winter time, but Chattanooga TN has a cute little de-icing buggy for their protected lanes.

A Philadelphia bicycle company is working with local advocates this weekend to build 100 bikes to donate to community groups that were promised during last year’s papal visit.

A New York writer makes the case for enforcing red light laws against reckless bicyclists who blast through red lights, while maybe looking the other way when riders roll through more placid intersections.

A New Jersey website profiles the executive director of the state’s Bike and Walk Coalition.

 

International

Londonist says the future looks bright for London cyclists, but much depends on who wins the city’s upcoming mayoral election.

A British cyclist will attempt to ride up France’s famed Mont Ventoux by three separate routes, on a Brompton. So the question becomes, will he ride like the wind or fold like the bike?

Copenhagen is replacing all traffic lights in the downtown area with bike-friendly lights designed to recognize and favor bicycles.

I want to be like her when I grow up. A South African grandmother is still riding strong at age 87.

Bike ownership is no obstacle to joining the Singapore national cycling team.

 

Finally…

It does seem somewhat incredible two teams are withdrawing from the Movement for Credible Cycling because their test results aren’t. Here’s your chance to be a Cat 3 lab rat.

And if you really want to scare the hell out of drivers, this should do the trick.

 

Category: Bike Events, Injuries and Fatalities, Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Possible murder on Irvine bike path; public meeting tonight to discuss traffic in Griffith Park

January 20, 2016 / / 3 comments

A bike rider may have been murdered along a popular bike path in Irvine.

Police responded to a report of a man lying on the San Diego Creek Trail, which parallels the 405 Freeway, around 7 am Tuesday.

They found a man death from multiple injuries; a bicycle was lying nearby, but it was unclear if it belonged to the victim.

According to KNBC-4, the victim was later identified as 51-year old Irvine resident Sidney Siemens. Police are investigating his death as a homicide.

The station reports that a resident in a nearby apartment complex hear a loud argument around 4 am and realized something was wrong, but didn’t do anything because it wasn’t her problem.

Nice.

Thanks to Ed Ryder for the heads-up.

………

The Parks Department has come up with a plan to ease congestion in Griffith Park, by providing a free shuttle service to encourage people to park at underutilized lots at the base of the park.

The downside is that the plan calls for running the shuttles along Mt. Hollywood Drive, which has been closed to motor vehicle traffic for the last few decades. CiclaValley explains why this could be a disaster for bike riders.

A meeting will be held at 7 pm tonight to discuss the plan at the Friendship Auditorium, 3201 Riverside Dr.

Be there if you ride or hike in Griffith park, since this could directly affect your safety and enjoyment of the park. Or if you can’t attend, email your thoughts to the officials listed on the CiclaValley link.

………

You’re invited to attend a Bicycle Awareness Event hosted by the LAPD’s South Traffic Division from 10 am to 1 pm today at the northwest corner of Jefferson and Hoover near the USC campus.

Officers from the South Traffic Division will be accompanied by Southwest Division Senior Lead Officers and representatives of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition to educate students and bike riders about bicycle and motorist safety, as well as the laws affecting bicyclists.

………

The man killed by a train while walking his bike along the tracks near Oxnard on Monday has been identified as 18-year old Oxnard resident Lisandro Licea; the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death an accident.

………

A national consumer watchdog group calls the proposed tunnel to complete the 710 Freeway one of 12 highway boondoggles in the US. Glendale’s mayor prefers an option that would convert the current freeway stubs into great streets, including bike lanes and transit.

The group is no fan of the failed 405 widening project either, which added HOV lanes through the Sepulveda pass at a cost of $1 billion without improving traffic.

………

Local

Not too surprisingly, as Downtown LA has boomed, so has crime, including bike thefts. So always lock your bike securely, and in a highly visable public place whenever possible.

Bicycling talks with the president of Los Angeles-based Bike Angels, which loans bikes to people participating in charity rides.

Pierce Brosnan and family are one, uh, three of us, as they go for a beachy bike ride in the ‘Bu.

Santa Monica Spoke invite you to welcome New York’s Jeffrey Tanenhaus as he completes his cross-country journey on a bikeshare bike.

The route has been announced for Long Beach’s Beach Streets Downtown ciclovía, aka open streets event, on March 19th; parts of Fourth Street, as well as Pine, Linden and Cherry Avenues will be opened to non-motorized traffic.

 

State

Oceanside officials consider a road diet on the Coast Highway in response to the death of a 12-year old boy riding his bike to school last year.

The count is now up to 53 bicycles and three motorcycles confiscated for riding on a San Diego Marine base.

An injured mountain biker was airlifted off a Thousand Oaks hiking trail Tuesday morning; no word on the rider’s condition.

 

National

It probably won’t come as a surprise to most bike riders that many drivers think “share the road” signs mean you’re supposed to get the hell out of their way.

City Lab looks at the worldwide boom in bikeshare, which will now include downtown Las Vegas. Meanwhile, a new study shows bikeshare systems in the US aren’t reaching the poor. Not too surprising, when you consider that most require a credit card and membership fees.

A Texas driver gets nine years after being convicted of drunk driving for the ninth time. Evidently, the other eight weren’t enough to convince authorities he doesn’t belong on the streets.

Minneapolis cyclists call for lowering speed limits to 25 mph.

An Ohio man gets nine years for the drunken hit-and-run death of a cyclist last year.

New York’s mayor says Vision Zero is working, even if others think the city isn’t moving fast enough. Meanwhile, a cyclist says sometimes conflict zones aren’t the fault of a bad bike lane, but rather an inadequate sidewalk.

WaPo looks at what riders need to know to keep riding through the winter.

 

International

Norway has begun deporting refugees who exploited a loophole by bicycling across the border with Russia.

While Copenhagen moves forward with a series of bike and pedestrian bridges, some complain they’re focusing on spectacular designs over practicality.

A 59-year old Italian jazz musician with a passion for cycling has been banned from the latter for doping.

A drug-sniffing Swiss police dog travels via his own custom cargo bike. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the link.

A South African cyclist is recovering from severe injuries he received when someone shoved a stick through his spokes, then hit him with a brick to steal his cellphone.

When Brisbane’s city council refuses to take action to improve a dangerous intersection, cyclists commission their own plan for a $5 million bikeway.

Not content to hurl abuse, a carful of Aussie jerks came back to hurl a 1.25 liter soda bottle at a cyclist, denting her helmet and knocking her off her bike.

 

Finally…

If you still haven’t gotten your 2016 calendar, how about one featuring sober naked male cyclists? Who says bike helmets don’t grow on trees?

And maybe you could be a little more gracious when you ride your bike.

 

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Good news on Mt. Hollywood Dr; Calabasas driver busted for DUI after injuring two cyclists

July 24, 2015 / / 3 comments

Good news regarding Mt. Hollywood Drive at the Griffith Park Advisory Board meeting Thursday night, as reader dangerd explains.

The board motion was passed for currently closed roads to remain closed to private cars as per the vision plan for Griffith Park.

Also Superintendent of Recreation and Parks Operations Joe Salaices stated officially to the board that the Department recommends keeping Mount Hollywood Drive closed also.

They also discussed but did not motion that they would like to find a way to have a shuttle service that would loop around the park on the open roads to places such as the zoo, observatory, Fernwood and Travel Town and possibly out to the local subway stations if they could in order to help mitigate traffic in the park (not on the closed roads). As most of the people visiting are tourists with a majority of them from outside the USA (Europeans, this was found out in the “study” when the road was opened) and as such are used to public transportation so they would be receptive to this kind of service.

Some board members mentioned also trying to guide the tourists to view the sign from the observatory instead of guiding them up the closed roads and trails as the observatory is where there are bathroom facilities etc.

Hopefully the City Council will take their recommendations.

Speaking of the City Council, or ex to be exact, Tom LaBonge stopped by and talked on end about a million of his ideas about the park but did state also that he was in favor of keeping the road closed also.

The Board is definitely headed in the right direction as far as the roads and traffic mitigation is concerned and should be commended for their work to make the park a better place with less traffic.

………

Two cyclists were seriously injured when they were hit by a car on Mulholland Highway in Calabasas Thursday evening. The collision occurred just after 7 pm at the intersection with Old Topanga Canyon Road.

A street view shows bike lanes on Mulholland, with a 45 mph speed limit.

In a report that doesn’t appear to be online as of this writing, KNBC-4 reports that at least one of the victims became trapped under the car, and had to be extricated by emergency personnel.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Update: Chris Willig sends word that the collision may have occurred southwest of Old Topanga Canyon, where there are no bike lanes.

image

………

Romain Bardet soloed to victory in Thursday’s 18th stage of the Tour de France, as Chris Froome continues to cruise in the yellow jersey. Froome admits his rivals’ tactics are pushing him to the limit, even if he doesn’t seem to be breaking a sweat. Then again, maybe he did.

Teejay van Garderen says the hardest part of withdrawing from the Tour was looking his teammates in the eyes. One day after Teejay dropped out, fellow American Andrew Talansky leapt up to 12th; he has two more days in the Alps to make up over 16 minutes. It could happen, right?

The Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay looks at the seemingly endless rumors of motor doping, which Greg LeMond insists is already happening. Although that doesn’t include getting a tow from a support vehicle, even if Jakob Fuglsang did just get clipped by an official motorcycle.

And Ireland’s Nicholas Roche says pro cycling is cleaner than in Lance’s day. Which isn’t really saying much, is it? Most drug dens are cleaner than cycling used to be.

………

Local

Metro decides that bikeshare interoperability is kind of important after all, but doesn’t commit to actually doing anything about it.

The inconvenience caused by tearing down the current 6th Street Viaduct may be worth it, as the replacement promises to have a protected bike lane.

In what reads like a Greek tragedy, Better Bike says say goodbye to bike lanes on Santa Monica Blvd.

That stinky, often ugly flood control basin just off Washington Blvd by the bike path in Marina del Rey will finally get a much needed beautification makeover, including separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians.

The LA Times says you can fend off dementia by exercising, including riding your bike. After all, that same advice worked so well in helping me avoid diabetes, right?

Celebrate the first of LA’s planned Great Streets on the newly bicycle-friendly Reseda Blvd next Thursday.

 

State

San Diego has the nation’s eighth worst roads. Not surprisingly, LA streets are number two — in more ways than one.

BikeSD invites you on a conversationally paced 22-mile ride through San Diego’s Uptown and beach communities on the 1st.

Sometimes, you just can’t win. A Coronado senior citizen complains about bikes on the boardwalk, in the street, at the coffee shop and in the restrooms, as well as on bikeways that haven’t even been built yet.

A popular San Francisco bike route could get traffic circles instead of stop signs to calm motor vehicles without squeezing out bike riders.

 

National

The US Senate begins debate on the new transportation bill, which contains some good news for bike riders. The problem will be getting it past the rabidly anti-bike members of the House.

A new study says police crash report templates should be improved to collect better information from bicycle crashes. Something many of us have been long been advocating.

A writer for Slate says wait a minute, crashes really are accidents if they’re just the result of a momentary lapse in judgment. Sure, let’s go with that. No point in expecting people to actually pay attention in those big, dangerous machines.

An Oregon cyclist is suing the overly courteous driver who waived another motorist through to make a turn, directly into her bike.

A bike-riding Boise four-year old helps save a neighborhood home from fire.

The Department of DIY strikes again, as Michigan bike riders raise enough money to pay for their own four-foot wide bike lane.

New Jersey bicyclists call for a crackdown on double parking in bike lanes. Then again, you could substitute any other state in the Union and write the same story.

Queens NY is giving the Boulevard of Death a bike-friendly makeover.

It’s not always the pedestrians who get hurt in bike collisions; a New York salmon cyclist is critically injured when a man stepped into the street in front of him.

City Lab looks at what it’s really like to haul tourists around DC in a pedicab, while a DC writer says put the damn phone down when you ride.

 

International

I just can’t help being a fan of the Wheelies foldout tricycle mobile coffee bars, and evidently, I’m not alone; their latest version was 90% funded on Indiegogo after just 11 hours.

Caught on video: A Winnipeg cycling instructor gets Jerry Browned* by a honking bus driver passing on the wrong side.

In the last seven years, over half of all London bicycling deaths have involved large trucks; many, if not most, of those victims have been women. Meanwhile, hit-and-run is more than just an LA problem, as over 1000 London cyclists have been injured and two killed by fleeing drivers in just the last year alone.

Forget texting. One in five British drivers take selfies behind the wheel.

An Irish bike rider is fined for crashing his bike into the side of a car driven by his 75-year old parish priest. After all, a man of God couldn’t possibly have cut off the sidewalk-riding cyclist in the fog. Although I’d like to know how someone who’s just 23 could manage to rack up 30 previous traffic convictions.

Munich plans a network of 14 two-way, separated bike autobahns. Wouldn’t that be a radbahn?

 

Finally…

At least she managed to make it all the way across the country before her bike was stolen. If you’re going to bike under the influence, try not to ride into the side of a minivan; thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

And if you have to take a dump in the woods while riding your bike, try not to set the forest on fire.

 

*Passed at an unsafe distance, aka being buzzed. Named in honor of the California governor who twice vetoed safe passing legislation before finally signing a weakened three-foot passing law.

 

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Bicycle Safety, Car vs Bike, Injuries and Fatalities, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Bike the vote in Pasadena election; cyclists urged to defend Mt. Hollywood Wednesday

April 13, 2015 / / One comment

There seems to be an endless round of elections in the LA area these days.

While LA waits for the CD4 city council runoff next month, Pasadena prepares to elect a new mayor a week from today.

Boyonabike checks in with a detailed analysis of both candidates, concluding that current councilmember Terry Tornek is the best choice to bike the vote in the Rose City.

And Bike the Vote LA concurs.

……..

All hands on deck.

Anyone opposed to opening Mt. Hollywood Drive in Griffith Park to cars or trams is urged to attend Wednesday’s meeting of the Recreation and Parks Commissioners on Wednesday to speak on a public non-agenda item.

The meeting starts at 9:30 am at the Expo Center next to the LA Coliseum; you’re urged to arrive at 9 am to discuss strategy and ensure you’ll be allowed to speak at the meeting.

……..

Local

Ted Farber offers photographic proof that the long-discussed separated bike lanes near the Redondo Beach pier are about to become a reality.

Anthony Kennedy-Shriver will team up with the Beach City Cycling Club to promote the upcoming Special Olympics with four free rides in the South Bay this Saturday.

The two adults charged with mugging people on Santa Clarita bike paths last summer have been convicted after pleading no contest; three of the five youths arrested in the case have been placed in juvenile camps.

 

State

Cyclelicious asks if bike counts that only measure commuters undercount bike use. Short answer, yes.

The CHP is called out to investigate as someone tried to sabotage Sunday’s San Diego Gran Fondo by strewing hundreds of thumb tacks on the course. Let’s hope they take it seriously, since this sort of assault could result in serious injuries to a rider.

Phil Gaimon takes the men’s title in the Redlands Classic, while three-time runner-up Mara Abbott wins the women’s race; Gaimon also won in 2012.

A bike riding Hanford father and his three-year old son in a trailer behind him suffered major injuries when they were rear-ended by a driver doing an estimated 50 to 55 mph.

 

National

Bad stats never die. The National Law Review picks up on the highly flawed report on bicycling safety and fatalities from the Governors Highway Safety Association; those same states lead to the introduction of California’s proposed mandatory helmet law, which was recently withdrawn.

A new organization hopes to help guide cities in forming Vision Zero policies.

A Portland bike commuter learns what it’s like to be the one behind the wheel, while a petition drive seeks to strip the city of its platinum bike friendly status.

There’s a special place in hell for the jerk who stole a newly restored Stingray bike before it could even be given to an autistic Utah boy for his birthday.

Duluth MN attempts to brand itself as an urban mountain biking destination.

 

International

A Canadian website discusses why bike licensing programs simply don’t work.

Bike Radar looks at eight innovative ideas in bike security.

The head of Cycling Scotland calls for bicycle superhighways in the country. We could use a few of those right here.

If you need a good smile, Scot bike blogger Town Mouse races a little kid and nips him at the line.

The French state railway wants to give a legal spanking to the cyclists who rode through a crossing barrier moments before a high speed train blew by, while cycling’s governing body wants to know what the hell happened.

Caught on video: Three Russian cyclists are lucky to be alive after being sideswiped by a tanker truck; a car website wants to know who was at fault.

Great story as a young Rwandan is inspired to take up bicycling after seeing the national team riding by. And now rides for it, as the country struggles to put the 1994 genocide behind it.

The president of the Australian Cyclists Party insists the new political party made a difference in the country’s recent elections, even if it didn’t make a dent in the vote.

 

Finally…

British university town Cambridge posts a No Bike Parking sign, but only if you can read Latin or pseudo ancient Greek; so do you fail your course in ancient languages if you park there? A trailer has been released for bike racing’s equivalent to the Fast and Furious franchise from a Hong Kong director, although the original title of Breaking Wind has been changed, for obvious reasons.

And London’s Guardian tells the history of cities around the world by examining fifty buildings. So naturally, they choose a freeway interchange to represent LA.

 

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