So much for that.
Councilmember Mike Bonin has announced plans to scrap the road diet on Jefferson and Culver Blvds in Playa del Rey. New plans call for removing the bike lanes and restoring one westbound lane; bikes and pedestrians will now share a single “protected” shoulder on one side.
Needless to say, the anti-road diet forces were quick to claim victory.
Which means we might as well give up on Vision Zero and the mobility plan; they mean absolutely nothing if every safety improvement can get reversed if drivers don’t like it.
Photo of Culver Blvd from Streetsblog LA.
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Councilmember David Ryu has introduced a motion that could allow dockless bikeshare in the City of Los Angeles.
Ryu’s motion would instruct LADOT and Bureau of Street Services to work with the City Attorney to develop a pilot program to test dockless bikeshare in the city; according to LAist, LADOT has already been in discussions with various bikeshare providers.
The problem with that is the people using those bikes will need safe places to ride, which they won’t find in Ryu’s district.
While he hasn’t actively opposed key bike lanes like some of his colleagues, he’s also done little or nothing to move them forward, in a distract starved for safe bicycle access.
And he has blocked implementation of a long planned and desperately needed road diet on 6th Street between Fairfax and LaBrea, despite the strong support of the local neighborhood council.
We’ll have more on that tomorrow.
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Heal the Bay is hosting a free, casual bike ride to explore Ballona Creek and the Ballona Wetlands this Saturday.
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Today’s common theme, collisions between people on bikes and on foot.
A woman in Spokane WA says she was run down by a bike rider while walking on a trail, and claims it may have been intentional because he was angry afterwards.
Two people — most likely a bicyclist and pedestrian — were injured in a crash on a popular Chicago pathway.
A British man is criticizing the police investigation of the collision that killed his wife, even though the bike rider who crashed into her as she crossed the street appears to have been riding legally at the time of the crash.
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The war on bikes goes on.
In a horrifying case, a Kansas driver is facing a first-degree premeditated murder charge after admitting that he intentionally sped up to run a bike rider down.
A North Carolina driver has been charged with simple assault for repeatedly punching a cyclist in the face after attempting to run him off the road; the one-sided fisticuffs were caught on dashcam video.
And a road raging driver drove onto a bike path in an attempt to deliberately run down an Australian bike rider, then made a U-turn to come after her again before she escaped by riding into traffic and hiding in the bushes.
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In non-bike news, Streetsblog LA founder Damien Newton has formed a group attempting to raise $1 million to buy the Santa Monica Daily Press, and run it as a non-profit.
As causes go, you could do a lot worse with your money.
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Once again, a cyclist blows a win by celebrating too soon. Though the site’s description of him as cocky and showboating seem pretty far off base.
Italian cyclist Stefano Pirazzi has been banned for four years for doping before the Giro d’Italia, joining a long line recent busted dopers. Which begs the question of whether the doping era is really over, or if cycling teams have just gotten better at hiding it.
Busted French motor doper Cyril Fontayne says he’s not the only one cheating by using a small electric motor hidden inside a bike frame, although he claims he was only using it to help his sciatica.
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Local
Streetsblog looks at UCLA’s new 130-bike bikeshare system.
LA Magazine says changes have to be made to make walking to the Grove and Beverly Center from the coming Purple Line a less frightening and dangerous experience. The same goes for riding a bike, as well.
Santa Monica has installed new bike boxes at the intersections of Broadway and 11th and Ocean and California.
The Santa Monica College student paper offers advice on how to get started and stay safe riding a bike.
Long Beach bike shop City Grounds has closed down it East Village retail outlet after nine years.
State
Governor Brown signed a bill making it legal to cross in a crosswalk while the timer is counting down, as long as you get to the other side before it expires. However, the law does not apply to older crossing signals without a timer.
San Francisco passes an otherwise toothless ordinance allowing authorities to confiscate bikes from bicycle chop shops, but without any legal consequences; homeless advocates object because selling bicycles that may or may not belong to them is one of the few ways homeless people can earn money.
A new pilot program will allow ebikes on three paved trails in the East Bay area.
Bike advocates from around the state are converging on Sacramento for Calbike’s annual California Bicycle Summit.
National
Bad ideas never die. A new bike is renewing the idea of a propelling a bicycle by moving the handlebars as well as pedaling, despite other failed attempts.
A bike-riding Illinois boy is a hero, after riding for help when he spotted a neighbor’s house on fire.
A Detroit woman out for an early morning bike ride was abducted, robbed and sexually assaulted by two men in a van. A tragic reminder that women face risks on the road that male riders don’t.
AAA is now offering bicycle services in the Detroit area. Meanwhile, SoCal AAA still doesn’t seem to understand that a lot of their customers ride bikes, too — and they might have more customers if they did.
The New York Times considers how to bike commute and stay fashionably dressed at work.
International
Cycling Weekly shares stories of bike riders who came to the rescue of others.
A British Columbia deer could face charges for assault on a bike-riding police officer, however, it may be hard to find without a license plate.
No surprise here. A new report shows half of the collisions on an Ottawa, Canada bike path result from right hooks; a Toronto paper offers advice on how to avoid those, and other road hazards.
Caught on video: A mountain biker takes a knife-edge ride across an Austrian mountain ridge.
In a landmark case, a South African driver has been sentenced to three years for a fatal hit-and-run; it marks the first time a driver has been sentenced for fleeing the scene after killing a bike rider in that country.
Finally…
Apparently, not riding your bike really can drive you crazy. Seriously, don’t believe the navigation system on your phone.
And Chinese dockless bikeshare giants Mobike and Ofo are in merger talks.
Let’s hope they do. And call the new company Mofo.
