Tag Archive for just the links

Eastside teen cyclist critically injured; murder charge in last week’s Cathedral City DUI hit-and-run

April 18, 2013 / / 4 comments

The Eastsider reports a teenage bike rider was critically injured in a Glassel Park collision on Tuesday.

The student at the Alliance Environmental Science and Technology High School was making a left from westbound San Fernando Road to Fletcher Drive when he was hit by a car and dragged underneath the vehicle, suffering severe head injuries.

And no, he wasn’t wearing a helmet. In this case, it might have made a difference.

My prayers for a fast and full recovery.

Thanks to Patrick Pasqual for the heads-up.

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Twenty-seven year old Palm Springs resident Brandon Royce Melton has been charged with homicide in the DUI hit-and-run death of Edward James Shaieb in Cathedral City last Saturday.

This is Melton’s second DUI case; under California law, a previous conviction for DUI can elevate the charges to second degree murder. In addition, he faces charges for DUI, gross vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run resulting in death or injury.

Unless prosecutors completely screw up the case, he should off the streets for a very long time.

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LAist offers a list of the best bike rides in the L.A. area, including my all-time favorite L.A. ride. Great job by LAist’s Lauren Lloyd.

Meanwhile, SFist could only come up with five great rides by the Bay.

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LADOT Bike Blog implores you to stop running stop signs and red lights.

They’re right, though I might argue for different reasons; running stops greatly increases your risk of a collision — for which you’ll be found at fault — and virtually eliminates any chance of a financial recovery afterwards.

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I don’t usually link to fundraisers that benefit individuals unless they’ve been injured in riding collisions; after all, most of us could use a little help, myself included.

But I’m going to make an exception for this project for Michele Chavez, one of the top bike advocates in the Antelope Valley. She’s run out of funds after going back to school to develop the skills to work full-time in bike advocacy, and currently finds herself just under $800 short of her 4th quarter tuition.

I can personally vouch for Michele and the job she’ll do to make the world a better place for bike riders.

And maybe you followed the recent links to the heartbreaking, and ultimately triumphant, story of Patrick Brady’s newborn son. Now you can contribute to a Kickstarter project to publish a book of the Red Kite Prayer writer’s best work — some of the most beautiful bike writing anywhere — to help defray their heavy medical costs.

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The Veggie Grill is offering a free meal to anyone who bikes in during the next seven days.

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Everything you need to know for this Sunday’s CicLAvia, along with four feeder routes from South L.A. and more from the Westside. The Weekly says CicLAvia could see tightened security, including undercover cops mixed in with the crowd. And Will Campbell shows how CicLAvia can be used for an unusually pleasant bike commute.

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The LAPD asks If you see something, say something to fight terror; I wonder if that extends to the terror on our streets, where I see speeding and distracted drivers every day. USC’s Daily Trojan looks at the upcoming MyFig project, which should benefit the school’s many bike-riding students. Evidently, L.A. Street Services has figured out how to seal street surfaces without covering over sharrows, as they did in Westwood last year. Sign, sign, everywhere a sign — except on the L.A. River bike path, which will be the sight of a walk and bike-in movie on the 27th. Santa Monica will soon allow pedicabs, but not on the bike path. Popular cycling route Topanga Canyon Blvd could be designated a state scenic highway from PCH to the Ventura County Line. Another look at bike-centric Calabasas farm-to-table eatery Pedaler’s Fork, which opens next Monday, and will host the first ever Moots boutique. Black and brown bicyclists band together to demand justice in the Gardena hit-and-run that took the life of bike rider Benjamin Torres. Cyclists debate the safety of a planned two-way cycle track through Redondo Beach; thanks to Jim Lyle for the link. Long Beach will have have it’s own mini-ciclovía Thursday, courtesy of the Long Beach Grand Prix. Every bike shop should have a dog.

A call for justice for an Indio bike rider who was shot by police in a case of mistaken identity. Why shouldn’t Big Bear students ride a bike to school; why indeed? A San Diego program uses bikes to help keep ex-cons from returning to jail. If a San Diego brewer meets its Kickstarter goal, they’ll make a $2,200 donation to BikeSD. San Diego wants to know where you want a bike rack. The 28th annual Crusin’ the Conejo Bike Ride rolls through the Thousand Oaks area on May 11th. A Santa Rosa motorcyclist wasn’t at fault in a collision with a cyclist, but broke the law by fleeing the scene. An Apple bike is finally photographed in its natural habitat, and turns out to be underwhelming. Cyclelicious updates pending bike legislation in Sacramento; the much hated bill that would absolve government agencies for liability for defective bike lanes may be dead or dying. Bad grades turn a pending art school dropout to a life of bike crime.

People for Bikes is planning a bike hackfest next month. Apparently, riding can beat dementia; including the craziness of driving when you could ride. Bicycling reviews the latest city bikes. Denver city council makes bike and pedestrian safety its top budget priority. Boston cyclists will soon get enhanced sharrows. In light of the recent bombings in Boston, NYC’s Five Boro Bike Tour pulls ads showing flames at the starting line; good call. New York’s new bike share program sells 5,000 memberships in the first two days, leading New York’s bike-hating Daily News to call for panic on the streets. A road diet may be on the way for Brooklyn’s most dangerous street for pedestrians. Remarkably, a New York cyclist can’t sue for injuries following a collision with an unleashed dog, even though the owner called on the dog to cross his path. There is no war on cars, despite what some auto-centric AAA directors may tell you.

Actor Gerald Butler rides a bike share bike in Mexico. Brit bike scribe Carlton Reid provides a preview of his free e-book, the upcoming Roads Were Not Built For Cars. London’s Guardian looks at why male cyclists shave their legs; I’ve done it ever since I found myself trying to field shave a badly cut calf so I could get a bandage to stay on long enough to ride back home, besides, I’ve got the legs for it. London mayor Boris proclaims himself a wily, curb-hugging cyclist. Dutch bike riders are most likely to have their bikes stolen while shopping. Turns out Lance failed four doping controls in the ’99 TdF. Great read from the Wall Street Journal on an American woman supporting the budding yet banned women’s bike movement in Afghanistan. An Aussie rider says unsanctioned races could be the future of cycling.

Finally, the family of a fallen Albuquerque cyclist is understandably upset about repeated vandalism and theft of his ghost bike; but did they really have to post the story under Paranormal? And it turns out green bike lanes aren’t the only problem Hollywood has with today’s Downtown; it’s all those damn people.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, Car vs Bike, General, Hit-and-Run, Injuries and Fatalities, Legal Cases / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Vote now for Bicycle Friendly Business Districts; new bike study shows what we already know

April 15, 2013 / / 2 comments

I was just about to put this when the news broke about the bombings in Boston.

Somehow, posting it then just didn’t seem right. But maybe, by now, you need a break from the fast flying rumors.

Lord knows I do.

And while I’m tempted to just wait until tomorrow, these links aren’t getting any fresher. And this piece is certainly long enough as it is.

So here’s today’s post, just as it was it going to be earlier today. I haven’t changed anything, so if something comes off wrong in retrospect, I apologize.

Just remember, in regards to what happened today, much, if not most, of what you’ve read and heard today will later turn out to be wrong.

So let’s wait to point the finger.

And take the news with a grain, if not a bag, of salt. The truth will come out soon enough. 

And in the meantime, I hope you’ll join me in offering a prayer, or whatever you’re comfortable with, for all those killed or injured in the bombings. No one should ever die or suffer a life-changing injury just because they ran, or watched, a race.

Just as no one should ever die just because they rode a bike.

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Only two more days to vote for a proposal to create Bicycle Friendly Business Districts throughout the Los Angeles area. If you haven’t voted yet, take a moment and do it now.

Or if you need another good cause, CicLAvia is in the running for some money, as well.

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Minneapolis conducts a study of bicycling collisions, and concludes that the safety in numbers effect is real and quantifiable.

They also discover that most bike crashes are a result of drivers not seeing or yielding to bicyclists, and bicyclists not riding in a predictable matter.

In other equally startling results, they found that the sun usually does rise in the east, and the bear does, in fact, poop in the woods.

As it turns out, spandex-clad scofflaws are actually more law abiding than the general driving public. But you knew that, right?

And US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood calls for zero tolerance for drivers who don’t respect the rights of bicyclists on the road. No further word on LaHood’s impending retirement; personally, I move we make him DOT chief for life.

Meanwhile, a new study says thinking may be the most dangerous thing a driver can do behind the wheel.

Which suggests that many motorists may have nothing to worry about.

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Always carry a spare when you’re riding on the bike path.

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Still no suspects in the gruesome hit-and-run that dragged cyclist Damian Kevitt onto the 5 Freeway. The LAPD points out, correctly, that while a traffic collision may not be a crime, driving away from one is. The eighth edition of L.A.’s toughest hill climb event takes place on the last Sunday of this month. The search continues for the killer of bike-riding artist Sam Michel in Koreatown last year. Would Brentwood residents be willing to give up part of their front yards to make Bundy Drive safer for cyclists? KCET Departures examines fixed-gear trick riding. The Times looks at four new bike helmets. Pedicabs could soon go into business in Santa Monica. It seems cities with progressive bike infrastructure have us surrounded. Injured mountain biker rescued in Altadena. Cal Poly Pomona will host a pair of traffic safety forums this Thursday, followed by an online forum later that evening. Patients from Miller Children’s Hospital kick off the month leading up to May’s Tour of Long Beach. Long Beach-based Women on Bikes offers a new column from a professional triathlete.

Turns out you can live without a car, even in Orange County. Newport Beach extends the deadline to apply for the city’s Bicycle Master Plan Oversight Committee to April 26th. For once, drivers weren’t complaining it was bikes that slowed traffic on PCH in Corona del Mar. In a sparse report, a bike rider is injured on PCH in Huntington Beach; I’m starting to realize that when a newspaper says more details to come, it’s code for we’ll never report on this story again. San Diego-area cyclist Gordy Shields owns master’s criterium records in three separate age categories, and probably set another one as the only competitor in the 95+ age group Sunday. If you’re going to rob a man at knifepoint, you might choose a faster getaway vehicle than a beach cruiser. Temecula residents ride bikes to replace tykes’ stolen trikes. Riverside residents will have a chance to debate a planned road diet, while a Ukiah letter writer predicts disaster if a road diet there goes through. A Santa Maria run will honor a 19-year old cyclist killed by a distracted driver in 2009. Caltrans’ botched resurfacing of Highway 1 north of Cambria will keep most cyclists off the popular riding route through fall of this year. A 79-year old San Raphael man is killed after falling under a passing vehicle, which may or may not have hit him; either way, if he hadn’t been Jerry Browned by the car it wouldn’t have run over him.  A 15-year old San Lorenzo boy is killed playing chicken with a moving train. Damning with faint praise, a San Francisco paper says bike and pedestrian enhancements don’t necessarily hurt businesses, when actually the study they cite shows the results are overwhelmingly positive; thanks to Ralph Durham for the heads-up. Durham also sends word that a newly completed bike path will allow cyclists to ride from Downtown San Jose to Palo Alto using almost no surface streets. And he forwards this story of a San Jose man sentenced to a well-deserved 41 years for the road rage murder of two elderly men.

Andy Schleck plans to come back from last year’s season ending injury at this year’s Amgen Tour of California; on the other hand, his doping-suspended brother won’t. Cannondale’s Peter Sagan will be here, too. If you can get to a National Park this week, your admission is free; and if you get run over, the FBI could investigate, as the death of a rider on the Natchez Trace Parkway demonstrates. A automotive website asks if this is the world’s most beautiful e-bike. The Oregonian says streets are for unoccupied car storage, dammit. A Utah woman receives a piddling 210 days in jail for killing a bike rider because she couldn’t be bothered to scrape her windshield or stop for an oncoming train. A pair of Utah writers debate bicycling progress in SLC. A long-time Nebraska bike cop is sued for colliding with a 63-year old pedestrian. Minneapolis police arrest two children in the case of a cyclist attacked with a Molotov cocktail; would a good spanking followed by being grounded until the age of 47 be considered cruel and unusual punishment? A bicyclist leads police on a slow speed chase in Austin TX. A Long Island mother turned herself in, but denies guilt, for a September hit-and-run that dragged a cyclist under her car for 500 feet — with her five-year old in the car next to her. A New York cyclist offers an introduction to urban cycling. An NYC bike tour may not have to pay for police protection after all; thanks to George Wolfberg for the link. Signups begin today for Gotham’s new CitiBike bike share program. A Newark cyclist is dragged 30 feet following a collision, but survives with minor injuries. Baton Rouge, capital of the other LA, demonstrates that cities can demonstrate the effects of a road diet before making it permanent; note to Hollywood location scouts — evidently, they even have green lanes in the deep south these days. Florida cyclists ride to the state capital to call attention to bike safety. Moving the needle downward on bicyclist and pedestrian deaths.

A Toronto hit-and-run driver blows through a red light escaping a collision, killing a cyclist, before causing a five car collision. Toronto debates whether ebikes belong in the bike lane; the same debate is soon to come to a city near you, if it hasn’t already. One of the world’s leading experts on global warming is killed by a truck while riding in London. A writer for the London Guardian says the anti-bike lobby has run out of plausible arguments. Vandals target a UK cycling event, scattering tacks on the route and removing direction signs; let’s call this what it really is — domestic terrorism targeted at bike riders. If Oxford University can create its own bike brand, can USC and UCLA bikes be far behind? The Cycling Embassy of Great Britain offers their typically extensive round-up of links that puts my humble efforts to shame. Scot cyclists call for strict liability legislation. Cyclodeo wants to be a cycle-centric take on Google Street View. A Chinese bike rider has her cell phone stolen by a pickpocket using chopsticks.

Finally, yet another house is the victim of a drunken driver; if only they’d all use lights and wear hi-viz. A UK toddler is saved by his helmet, but not the way you might think. And the Detroit Free Press talks to a bike, or rather trike, riding Winnie the Pooh.

Congratulations to Chris of the Westwood Helen’s, who has been promoted to a buyer at the Santa Monica location. Couldn’t be more deserved, or happen to a nicer guy.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

A call for justice for Damien Kevit; Redwood City police blame 14-year old cyclist for her own death

March 23, 2013 / / 5 comments

The fight for justice continues in the case of Damian Kevitt.

As you may be aware, the cyclist lost a leg — as well as suffering a number of other horrific injuries — when he was dragged onto the 5 Freeway by a hit-and-run driver last month.

Tonight I received the following email attempting to mobilize the community to find the heartless bastard who did it.

And I use that term advisedly.

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COMMUNITY MOBILIZING TO FIND HIT & RUN ASSAILANT

WHAT:  Members of the media are invited to attend a public outreach event in the continuing search for the driver who hit cyclist Damian Kevitt last month.

Volunteers and community organizers will be distributing fliers to inform the public of the hit-and-run collision and the $25,000 reward being offered for information leading to the arrest of the assailant(s).

Damian was struck on Sunday February 17, 2013 at 11:30AM, the timing and distribution area correlate to the time and location of the hit-and-run one month ago.  There is a strong possibility the assailant was playing soccer at or near the field prior to the accident.

WHEN:
Sunday March 24, 2013
10:30AM Check-In
Public outreach from 10:45AM-12:00PM
 
WHERE:
John Ferraro Athletic Fields – Griffith Park
Meet at the Giant Soccer Ball adjacent to the soccer field parking lot
4701 Zoo Drive
Los Angeles, CA 91207

BACKGROUND: On Sunday February 17, 2013, Damian Kevitt was struck by a light colored minivan, possibly a gray Toyota Sienna which might have had a “for sale” sign posted in the rear window, on Zoo Drive near the Ferraro Soccer Complex and Dog Park.  The driver was possibly wearing a soccer jersey.

A $25,000 reward is being offered by the City of Los Angeles and the CHP to find the hit-and-run driver.  Anyone with information is asked to call CHP’s Altadena station at (626) 296-8100 or (323) 259-2010

Damian Kevitt was struck on on Feb. 17 around 11:35 a.m. when a minivan made a hard left, that struck and dragged him 600 feet down the Interstate 5 on-ramp until he fell from the vehicle.  The violent collision broke 20 bones and crushed his right leg.  Doctors had to amputate his right leg below the knee.  His left foot is missing tissue and skin and may also need to be amputated the road rash was so severe, it was down to the bone on Kevitt’s left elbow, and his buttocks will need skin grafts.

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In a heartbreaking case, police blame a 14-year old Redwood City bike rider for her own death in a right-hook collision.

The official conclusion is that she undertook a truck that was signaling for a right turn, and got squeezed out when the road narrowed at a bulb-out. However, it’s far more likely that the truck overtook her, then cut her off by turning in front of her.

Unfortunately, the victim isn’t around to tell her own side of the story.

But a local rider does a pretty good job of telling it for her; link courtesy of LadyFluer.

But regardless of how it happened or who was at fault, there’s something terribly wrong with expecting a 14-year old to ride and react like an experienced cyclist just to stay alive on her way to school.

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The family of fallen hit-and-run victim Benjamin Torres still hope for justice, six months after he was killed while riding to work. Boyonabike looks at Thursday’s LACBC-sponsored discussion on making bike-friendly places. An LMU student tells what it’s like to crash the LA Marathon with thousands of other riders. Will Campbell enjoys the irony of biking to the DMV. Pasadena City College installs a self-serve bike repair station; thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up. Streetsblog is throwing itself a 5th birthday party and Streetsie Award dinner on Saturday, April 27th.  C.I.C.L.E. hosts a Street Art Ride for the Pasadena Earth and Arts Festival on Saturday, April 20th. Ride with the mayor of increasingly bike-friendly Glendale on Saturday, April 6th. Santa Monica bike riders deliver Meals on Two Wheels. A Valencia woman faces up to four years for seriously injuring a bike rider in a hit-and-run. Long delayed Calabasas bike-centric farm-to-table restaurant Pedalers Fork is scheduled to open April 15th; let’s see, that’s only a 52 mile roundtrip ride from my place…

A look at San Diego bike paths. Residents are divided on a proposal to right-size a roadway in Riverside; that’s the new, more PC term for a road diet. Riverside’s mayor invites the public to join him on a bike ride today. A Hemet bike rider is airlifted to a trauma center following a collision. More — and more secure — bike racks coming soon to Bakersfield. In a bizarre case, a Fresno cyclist stabs two men after claiming another driver hit his bike when he stopped to help a stranded motorist. If you’re going to break the law by riding on the sidewalk in a city that bans it, leave the meth at home. A bike rider is hit and killed by a pickup in Clear Lake. Don’t plan on renting a bike in Yosemite anytime soon; not even for a guided fundraising ride to dismantle the park’s Hetch Hetchy reservoir, which never should have been built in the first place.

People for Bikes invites you to turn your bike into art. Those woodpecker-inspired cardboard bike helmets should be on the market this summer, while a new prototype headlight projects your current speed onto the roadway in front of you. Tell Bicycling about your favorite ride, and you could win a new bike valued at up to $4,999; my favorite ride is usually the one I’m on. Car commuters, even those who work out, put on more weigh than active commuters. How to ride to work and still wear a suit. Idaho bike club bands together to buy their own Watch for Bikes signs. How to build protected bike lanes even confident cyclists will use. A Minnesota city ends its experiment with advisory bike lanes, deciding a permanent bike lane is preferable. A New York bike rider breaks the rules of subway etiquette. New York bicyclists demand the NYPD get off its collective ass and hold killer drivers accountable; okay, some of that anger might actually be mine. Atlanta cyclists struggle to co-exist with motorists. Two Miami-area mayors ride to work for National Bike to Work Day, which doesn’t actually take place until May. Cycling Weekly gets the skinny on biking scion Taylor Phinney.

The long and ever-growing list of very high-end bikes from exclusive auto manufacturers. The difference between UK and US police is the Brits apologize after they hit you. British cyclists understandably take offense at being called Lycra-clad lemmings. A British pro soccer player credits his helmet with saving his life when a driver swerves into his bike. Road rage strikes even in the middle of a bike race, as a team car not-so-gently nudges a motorcycle out of the way. The Cannibal, AKA legendary cycling great Eddy Merckx, should be back on his bike in a couple weeks after getting a pacemaker. Spanish bicyclists seek asylum at European embassies to protest anti-bike legislation. Here’s your chance to help buy bikes for orphans in Kenya. The first African pro team to compete in a spring classic surprisingly wins the first time out. Tanzanian cyclists ride to support victims of sickle cell disease. New Zealand rider Jack Bauer — no, not the fictional terrorist fighter — suffers a nasty concussion in a racing crash. Safety issues discourage Aussie women from riding. Taiwan needs to lower its speed limits to become a bicycling island. A Thai bike rider’s body is scattered like roadkill in a horrific multiple hit-and-run; seriously, unless you have a strong stomach, you may not want to read that one.

Finally, an amputee makes his own prosthetic finger out of spare bicycle parts. Patrick at Red Kite Prayer continues to remind us that there are things far more important than riding a bike, as heretical as that may seem sometimes. Latest word is the surgery went well, but prayers and good thoughts, whatever you’re comfortable with, are still needed.

And ending on a more upbeat note, UK band British Sea Power becomes the latest group to offer a bike-centric music video. I say it has a nice beat and it’s easy to ride to.

Update: Courtesy of Richard Masoner of Cyclelicious, here’s a story I missed last night, as a very pregnant Seattle woman gets out of a car, pulls a stun gun out of her bra and shoots a bike messenger in the face twice. The male driver of the car also got out and swung a second stun gun at the messenger, both apparently in retaliation for the messenger kicking the car’s wheel well in a crosswalk dispute.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, Hit-and-Run, Injuries and Fatalities, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Sometimes, no news is just no news, so let’s get on with a long list of bike links

March 19, 2013 / / 5 comments

That’s how it goes sometimes.

I started collecting links for a new post on Friday, but breaking news has kept it offline. And in the meantime, they aren’t getting any fresher, as some of the stories I’ve been hoarding are rapidly nearing their expiration date.

Meanwhile, there’s still no more news on the cryptic reports of cyclists killed in Blythe and Pomona, let alone identification of the rider fatally doored in Hollywood earlier this month. And the bike liaisons for the area appear to be ignoring my request for more information, after apparently thinking no one would be interested in hearing about it at the LAPD bike task force meeting last week.

God, I miss Sgt. Krumer.

Although you’d t least think the death of a bicyclist would make the local news in small town like Blythe, but evidently, it’s less important than announcing the winner of the local rabbit show.

And details on the rider killed in Pomona appear to be a state secret, as no more details appear to have been released by anyone, let alone the authorities. An unconfirmed, and somewhat distasteful, comment to my story suggests the victim was an older man who may have died from a head injury.

So rather than wait for details that don’t appear to be coming, let’s get these links out and make a little more room on the shelf.

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The battle over bike lanes goes on.

A forum is scheduled to discuss bike lanes in NELA March 27th, while Brentwood residents say no to bike lanes on Bundy; you can sign a petition to support the Bundy and Centinela bike lanes here. And in a surprisingly rational approach, North Hollywood cyclists and business owners agree to actually sit down and talk with each other.

Meanwhile, Councilmember Tom LaBonge officially unveils new bike lanes on Rowena Ave, saying the city’s plan is to make L.A. more bike friendly “where appropriate.”

So where exactly is bike safety inappropriate?

And Better Bike insightfully asks whether the proposed Bundy bike lanes will be the canary in the coal mine that tests the city’s commitment to balancing road safety with political commitment.

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The Times’ new transportation reporter offers a look at the Wolfpack Hustle Marathon Crash Race; estimates of riders participating the highly praised event range from 3,000 to 5,000.

Meanwhile, hand cyclists compete in the L.A. Marathon. And if you can’t manage to plan your driving around a highly publicized event that’s scheduled a full year in advance, maybe you shouldn’t be driving.

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Help fund a series of bike-in movies on the L.A River. Photos from the funeral of fallen Cal Poly Pomona cyclist Ivan Aguilar. The 5th annual Santa Clarita Century rolls on the 30th. Despite what some drivers think, PCH is not a freeway, which is exactly the problem. An alleged L.A. gang member is injured in a ride-by shooting, which happens far more often than you might think. This Thursday, the LACBC Planning Committee hosts a discussion of how bike friendly places are made; highly recommended. LACBC storms DC for the National Bike Summit earlier this month. Better Bike updates the sad state of bicycling in the Biking Black Hole of Beverly Hills, including possible, but not necessarily likely, bike lanes on Santa Monica Blvd. WeHo News looks at balancing peds, bikes and cars on busy La Brea Avenue. UCLA continues to make progress in reducing auto dependency. Santa Monica suggests making Colorado Ave a one-way street with a two-way cycle track. Glendale makes a number of bike-friendly improvements, though how censoring intersections will help is beyond me; maybe they meant sensors, instead.

California police promise a crackdown on distracted driving next month; how about cracking down on it every day, instead? The Orange County Bicycle Coalition says OC representative Diane Harkey hates bicyclists, as shown by her bill that absolves cities of any liability for bad bike lane design or maintenance. Newport Beach is accepting applications for the new Bicycle Master Plan Oversight Committee; first action for the committee should be a slightly less unwieldy name. San Diego’s new mayor pledges to make the city the bicycling capital of the nation, if he can only win over the auto-centric people who live there. The rough rides on Highway 1 above Cambria may finally be coming to an end, but not before May. Bakersfield will require more bike racks at new buildings. The Amgen Tour of California will host its third annual elite women’s time trial in San Jose; once again, women riders get crumbs when they should have their own parallel tour. Is Palo Alto improving road safety for cyclists? BART tries out a full week of access for bikes. San Francisco should have bike share by August. The CHP cracks down on a West Marin Sunday morning ride, just as they’ve threatened to do in the Santa Monica Mountains. A Sacramento writer says Californians will continue to rely on their cars, so deal with it.

Long Beach ex-pats the Path Less Pedaled offer five reasons why bike tourism matters. People for Bikes says bike commuting is one of the best ways to stay in healthy. Your Facebook, Twitter and GPS are the latest tools for bike thieves, but a new Kickstarter project promises to employ GPS to protect your bike, while automatically reporting crashes. A new bike computer tracks how much gas you save by riding yours. A guide to how not to put warning signs in bike lanes. Utah bike rider waits for a train to pass, then gets killed by a second one he didn’t see coming. The mere presence of a bike rider on the road is enough to cause a Utah student driver to flip his car. Bad news for women’s bike racing as last year’s inaugural Exergy Bike Tour won’t be repeated; the teams say they saw it coming. Denver’s bike share program gets a $1.3 million boost from the Feds. My hometown of Fort Collins CO narrows their search for a bike program manager to four finalists; regrettably, I’m not one of them. A new Colorado company promotes beer and bike tourism in bike-friendly Fort Collins, where even the thieves are on two wheels. An Iowa cyclist is awarded $1.2 million after mud causes a fall on a bike path. An Illinois man is charged with throwing his bike at the conductor after being thrown off a train. An Indiana man dies of gunshot wounds suffered while riding his bike — 33 years after he was shot. A Queens councilmember says a little speeding never hurt anyone. Bicycling offers photos of the recent Bike Summit in Washington DC.

A new warning system puts sensors — not censors — on bikes to warn truck drivers of their presence. The editor of an automotive website says there’s no war between drivers and cyclists and it’s actually possible to enjoy both; thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up. London police criminalize Critical Mass. When two cyclists fall 20 feet into a subway at the same site just three year apart, maybe they should consider fixing the damn barrier. In a bizarre coincidence, the founder of Aston Martin was inspired to build motorcars after one ran his bicycle off the road, then was killed in a bicycling collision 45 years later. A Scot driver is clocked doing 138 mph, just a tad over the local speed limit. One hundred thirty five riders survive a Milano-Sanremo classic so brutal it gives suffer face a whole new meaning and the riders had to be bused mid-race; Taylor Phinney bounces back from a career and character defining last place finish to come in seventh despite a snow-crusted helmet. The Afghan women’s cycling team fights for their right to ride in public, let alone compete. A Malawi driver kills three members of the same family walking along a roadway; naturally, uninvolved bicyclists get the blame. A South African writer calls for a shift in behavior on the roads. The cyclist will bounce back from a South African collision, but what about the antelope? A bike rider is killed on one of New Zealand’s most popular, and dangerous, riding routes. A Polish cyclist will ride a seatless bike 2754 steps up the 100 story Shanghai World Financial Center; wait, he already did.

Finally, how many times do I have to say it? If you’re going to carry nine grams of meth in your hat, put a damn light on your bike. Congratulations to the Sydney Daily Telegraph for one of the worst articles on bicycling I’ve ever read, which is saying something. And a Bakersfield bike bum — and I mean that in the best possible way — has some great stories to tell.

You really should read that one.

Category: General, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , ,

Today’s post, in which I offer a few helpful corrections for the Newport Beach PD

March 12, 2013 / / 5 comments

The Newport Beach Police Department offers advice for cyclists riding in the city.

And for the most part, they get it right.

Where they fail is the admonition that bike riders should position themselves farthest to the right of the lane, ignoring the many exceptions to that requirement contained in CVC21202.

  1. When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.
  2. When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
  3. When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this section, a “substandard width lane” is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
  4. When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.

And never mind that all of that only applies to bicyclists riding below the normal speed of traffic; if you can keep up with the cars on the street at that time — which is usually pretty easy at rush hour — you can ride anywhere you want on the roadway.

All of which explains why the LAPD says “Ride where it’s right, not to the right.”

There is also no requirement under California law to ride single file, despite what some law enforcement agencies will tell you. As long as riders aren’t impeding traffic — which is defined as five or more vehicles stuck behind a slow moving vehicle and unable able to pass — there is nothing to prohibit riding side-by-side in a non-shareable lane.

Especially on a four lane roadway where drivers can use the other lane to go around.

And riding two abreast is often safer than riding single file, allowing bicyclists to control the full lane to prevent dangerous passing where there’s not enough room for drivers to do it safely. Yet many motorists will try it anyway unless riders take steps — like riding abreast — to physically prevent it.

Of course, just because it’s not against the law doesn’t mean they won’t give you a ticket for it.

And no, bicycles are not considered vehicles under California law, though riders are subject to the same rights and responsibilities of vehicle operators.

Thanks to David Huntsman for the heads-up.

Update: This is not intended as criticism of the NBPD, but rather, of the website posted under their name. From what I’ve been told, the Newport Beach Police Department is one of the more progressive departments in Southern California when it comes to working with bicyclists.

However, it remains a common problem that police can misinterpret the laws regarding bicycling, and provide inaccurate information to bike riders and drivers that can cause bicyclists to ride in an unsafe manner, and drivers to think we don’t have a right to the roadway.

When a well-intentioned website like this, which serves to provide safety information for both groups, gives incorrect information, it can do more harm than good and lead to needless conflicts on the road.

………

Don’t forget to vote for Walk and Rollers for the Lakers’ Youth Foundation March YOU GRANT. This is a great, locally based program to encourage children to walk and bike to school more often, and more safely. And one I endorse without reservation.

………

LADOT recounts the recent first-year bike plan meetings. Some of these meetings — and projects — were highly contentious; you can still offer support for your favorite bike lanes, which may need it.

………

A writer for the Wall Street Journal tours L.A. in a Day with Bikes and Hikes LA. L.A. fashion photographer and retailer the Cobrasnake talks tight clothes and L.A. bicycling for H&M; does it hurt my hipness quotient if I never heard of him? This is how you can tell it was a good ride. Gear up for the next battle in the war over parking and bike lanes in North Hollywood. New bike lanes on Rowena Blvd. Santa Monica police bust a bike thief. The Honor Ride for Wounded Veterans rolls in Agoura Hills on April 27th. Manhattan Beach police plan a crackdown on people who walk on the beach bike path, or ride on the Strand; thanks to Margaret Wehbi for the link. The Pomona Valley Bicycle Coalition calls for a Metrolink Bicycle Access Plan. Boyonabike looks at the not-entirely-unexpected Cal Poly Pomona Bike Lane Brush-Off; unless and until parents of students, and prospective students, decide the auto-centric school is too dangerous for their kids nothing is likely to change.

Here’s your chance to apply for the planned Newport Beach committee to oversee development of a new bike master plan. The San Diego City Council unanimously prioritizes bike safety improvements, but misses the point about the city’s deadly freeway onramps. Caltrans will test a fix a popular bike route on Highway 1 north of Cambria, after a recent chip seal ruined it for riders; this is what happens when they only consider the needs of drivers. The World Naked Bike Ride hit San Francisco on Saturday, despite the city’s recent ban on public nudity. GEICO partially blames a San Francisco cyclist for the actions of driver who doored her, despite proof to the contrary; and this is exactly what’s wrong with liability insurance in California, where cases too often end up in court for no apparent reason. Manteca plans to triple the amount of bike lanes in the city. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat calls on drivers to share the road, and for Sonoma county officials to pass the first countywide L.A.-style cyclist anti-harassment law; at least five cities have passed a similar law, but no test case has been filed anywhere yet.

Fat Cyclist deservedly takes a bikewear manufacturer to task for their needlessly sexist and borderline offensive ad and asinine, virtually incomprehensible marketing philosophy. The Bike League offers advice on how to approach political leaders gleaned from interviews with Congressional staffers. After a Denver-area cyclist is killed in a hit-ad-run, the driver calls police to claim he didn’t know he hit anyone; if any driver is so careless, drunk or distracted he doesn’t even know he killed someone, he or she shouldn’t be allowed behind the wheel. More on the NYPD dropping the term accident from it’s traffic investigations; now maybe we can get the LAPD — and the press — to do the same. Nearly 600 cyclists are injured by dooring in Great Britain every year. Former pro Laurent Jalabert was seriously injured when he was hit by a car headed in the opposite direction.

Finally, I’ve often said that Red Kite Prayer’s Padraig writes more beautifully about bicycling than just about anyone else who’s attempted to set pen to two wheels. But today, he offers a heartbreaking perspective, reminding us that some things are far more important than riding.

If you don’t read anything else I’ve linked to today, read that one.

Category: Bikes & the Law, Law Enforcement / Tags: , , , ,

A little light bike reading to start your weekend

March 9, 2013 / / 8 comments

I didn’t have a chance to update the bike events list today.

Fortunately, the Bird Wheel has you covered with enticing bike-related riding, eating and drinking events starting this weekend and going through the 19th of the month.

………

One non-bike item I might add for my fellow dog lovers:

Woofstock 90210 takes place this Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm at Roxbury Park, at the corner of Roxbury Drive and Olympic Blvd. You’ll find countless dogs available for adoption from L.A. Animal Services and a number of rescue groups, as well as food trucks, entertainment and more dog swag than you can shake your tail at.

As someone who adopted a rescue dog, it was easily one of the best decisions we’ve ever made; somehow, I suspect the Corgi might agree. I suspect she rescued us more than the other way around.

And it may be the only time I recommend visiting the Biking Black Hole of Beverly Hills for any reason.

………

Finally, someone gets serious about drunk driving, as a New Mexico bill would prohibit anyone convicted of drunk driving from buying alcohol in the state.

Granted, it wouldn’t keep those covered by the law from getting someone else to buy booze for them. And it would undoubtedly lead to drunken liquor runs across the state border.

But it’s the strongest step yet in stopping one of the leading, and most needless, causes of traffic deaths.

Now if we could just get a law prohibiting anyone ticketed for distracted driving from owning a cell phone.

………

The Times says bikes and their riders are better for society than cars, and sees no benefit in taxing them. More on the memorial ride and ghost bike for fallen Cal Poly Pomona student Ivan Aguilar. Newport Beach will consider forming an oversight committee to develop a new bike master plan. The San Diego branch of the International Rescue Committee refurbishes bikes for refugees. A pair of road makeovers will result in wider streets with bike lanes in Yucaipa and Calimesa. How to maintain your dignity while riding in a miniskirt; if I had any dignity I wouldn’t ride in spandex. The SF Weekly says cyclists aren’t just stop-sign blowing pricks in skinny jeans. After a member of the San Raphael high school mountain bike team has his bike stolen, the local community pitches in to replace it. A Hanford cyclist is killed in a T-bone collision as he tried to cross a busy highway.

Helmets save lives, but the reduction in injuries resulting from helmet laws may be due to fewer people on bikes. Bicycling talks with Republican Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard; yes, Republican, proving once again that bikes are neither liberal nor conservative. Two dozen cyclists will ride from Newtown, Connecticut, and join with riders from Virginia Tech to call for common-sense gun laws. A New York cyclist is killed riding against traffic when he’s hit by one car and knocked into the path of another. Long Beach biking expats the Path Less Pedaled looks back on this past week’s National Bike Summit in Washington DC; Jonathan Maus of Bike Portland offers his final thoughts, while DC Streetsblog says bicycling means business. A safety-conscious homeless bike rider is killed in a Charlotte NC SWSS. After decades of fixing and donating bikes for kids in need, Raleigh NC’s Bicycle Man needs help with medical expenses. Florida authorities blame a driver for carelessly killing a cyclist, and the rider for being on the road in the first place. Even World War II bomber crews biked to work.

More on the pending bike-friendly makeover of London; seriously, if they can do it, what’s our excuse? A UK paperboy’s death serves as a tragic reminder to maintain your children’s bikes, and always make sure their brakes are in working order. You wouldn’t put Mark Cavendish on a Penny Farthing, or maybe you would. Italian supercar maker Lamborghini celebrates their 50th anniversary by partnering with BMC on a limited edition — and very expensive — bike. An Indian bus driver sets off a chain reaction collision by striking a cart pulled by a bull, causing the bull to run amok and hit a five-year old riding a bike, fatally knocking the boy under the cart. A passing motorist saves a South African cyclist from a pit bull attack.

Finally, 96-year old Ralph the Bike Guy is being honored as Grand Marshal of a Kansas City-area St. Patrick’s Day Parade, two months after he lost his wife of 72 years.

This is one of the nicest profiles I’ve read in months. If you can finish reading it without a tear in your eye, you’re a far stronger person than I am.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

Pleitez literally runs — and bikes — for mayor; WA Representative blames bikes for global warming

March 3, 2013 / / 4 comments

After a busy and needlessly heartbreaking week, I finally have a chance to catch up on all the latest bike news.

So put your feet up and get comfortable.

This could take awhile.

………

Pleitez riding to Venice on Saturday; note his helmet cam.

Pleitez riding to Venice Saturday; note helmet cam.

Mayoral candidate Emanuel Pleitez is running for office this weekend.

No, literally.

Long considered the fifth place candidate in Tuesday’s mayoral election, the 30-year old Pleitez is running and biking 100 miles across the city to promote his campaign and connect with voters.

He rode 22 miles from Boyle Heights to Venice with a group of supporters on Saturday, mostly along Venice Blvd. Sunday you’ll find him walking from LMU to the Watts Towers, while Monday takes him down to San Pedro.

Is it working?

We won’t know until Tuesday night — or most likely, sometime Wednesday — when the votes come in. But in a five-way race, it doesn’t take a lot of support to work your way into a top-two runoff.

While it may be a stunt, it’s the best one I’ve seen in the 20-plus years I’ve called this city home. It also beats the hell out of the mudslinging his fellow candidates have substituted for actual campaigning in recent days.

And it’s making me take a second look at a campaign I’d dismissed weeks ago.

Pleitez team setting off; Emanuel Pleitez is in the center.

Pleitez team setting off; Emmanuel Pleitez is in the center.

………

The LACBC isn’t just getting L.A. candidates on the record these days.

Local affiliate chapter South Bay Bicycle Coalition deserves major credit for getting responses from several candidates for that city’s council.

Although I’d like to think one of those who responded could offer a tad more detail than the 43 words he submitted.

………

If you want to see a clear example of why you should cast your vote carefully, consider this exchange between a bike shop owner and a Washington state representative.

Republican Representative Ed Orcutt says he’s not a fan of most tax plans, but supports a proposal to slap a $25 tax on all bike sales over $500.

Because of the greenhouse gases emitted by breathing bicyclists.

Also, you claim that it is environmentally friendly to ride a bike. But if I am not mistaken, a cyclists (sic) has an increased heart rate and respiration. That means that the act of riding a bike results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider.  Since CO2 is deemed to be a greenhouse gas and a pollutant, bicyclists are actually polluting when they ride.

Yes, far better to put all those riders back in cars where they’ll do less harm to the environment, right?

And don’t even get me started on that same old — and long disproven — argument that drivers pay for the roads and we don’t.

Let alone that most bike riders are drivers.

………

A 72-year old San Diego area cyclist suffered a life-threatening head injury Saturday morning when he fell from his bike in Torrey Pines State Preserve north of La Jolla.

And a Lakewood bike rider is collateral damage in a collision between an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy and another driver on Friday.

………

The Glendale News-Press offers the most in-depth coverage yet of the hit-and-run collision that cost cyclist Damian Kevitt his leg after he was dragged onto the freeway near the L.A. Zoo. Kevitt was riding with his wife on their way from the L.A. River bike path to the zoo when he was struck.

It’s frightening how quickly a pleasant bike ride can turn to horror at the hands of a heartless human being — if you can use that word to describe someone who could do this to another person.

A letter writer says the overpass where Kevitt was hit is a potential death trap for cyclists and pedestrians.

Meanwhile, friends and fellow students of fallen Cal Poly Pomona bike rider Ivan Aguilar mourn his death.

………

Bike blogger and wreck survivor Opus the Poet is having a rather unusual contest on his blog: design a tattoo to cover up a large scar on his leg and you could win $500. The appendage in question goes up on his website Sunday.

………

Streetsblog says kiss your buffered bike lane in front of formerly bike-friendly LAPD headquarters goodbye. An interactive guide to the last 139 years of Los Angeles transportation. Evidently, you can carry anything on a bike, even a cello. Flying Pigeon considers the argument that bike lanes might delay drivers ever so slightly, and finds it sadly lacking. LA Weekly reviews the new Spring Street parklets, and concludes they need more bike parking. CD5 city council candidate Mark Herd threatens to shoot someone with his antique gun if they try to put a bike lane on Westwood Blvd; load up, dude, while I paint a target on my ass. Santa Monica students will track their car-free miles as they pledge to bike or walk to school. Culver City-based Walk and Rollers needs your support to win a $5000 grant from the Lakers Youth Foundation. CLR Effect says just open the new tunnel on the San Gabriel River Trail already. Women on Bikes wants you to take their spring survey even if you’re not a woman; you could win a handcrafted bracelet, again, even if you’re not a woman.

Are drivers in Corona del Mar speeding through previously quiet neighborhoods just to avoid sharrows on the Coast Highway? An Orange County writer says drug testing should be eliminated in professional sports. San Diego will enjoy its first ciclovia — make that CicloSDias — in August. Riverside considers a road diet, including bike lanes. Just Another Cyclist says knock off the fear mongering already. A San Francisco writer offers advice on how to drive around cyclists, including instructions to stay the f*** out of the bike lane. BART will give bikes another test run. A Merced cyclist is killed in a rear-end collision after the driver saw him riding on the side of the road, but hit him anyway. How to take photos of bike racing.

Turns out the National Highway Safety Board hasn’t made a single bike safety recommendation since I graduated from junior high; trust me, that was a long damn time ago. NPR looks at the benefits of bicycling as part of a healthy lifestyle and smarter transportation. Shouldn’t pedestrians at least be safe from cars on the sidewalk? Women rise to the forefront of the bicycling movement at next week’s National Women’s Bicycling Forum; so wait, we’re a movement now? A first hand, or rather helmet, view of a white tail deer cyclocross collision. An Austin planned community goes green, as in bike lanes. Now why couldn’t Baton Rouge have gotten bike friendly when I lived down there, instead of making me dodge doors and flying beer cans? A hero Louisiana bike shop owner waddles into a burning house in bike shoes to save a woman’s life. After a Chicago cyclist is doored, then run over by a second driver who fled the scene, the original driver is cited — not for carelessly opening his door, but for failing to yield to a horseback rider. The New York DMV correctly determines that collisions aren’t accidents. Two New York men decide they, not you, own the sidewalk, offering penalty cards for anyone who doesn’t use it the right way, or rather, their way. New York wants to put speed cameras on the streets; a few of those on my street could balance L.A.’s city budget in a couple weeks. A Massachusetts driver gets out of his car and slaps a cyclist after Jerry Browning him. A proposed Maryland mandatory helmet law could make streets less safe. Charlotte streets are growing progressively less safe for cyclists and pedestrians.

Every city should have it’s own Lucha Libre superhero defender of the public pedestrian right-of-way. Should Vancouver cyclists be allowed to roll stop signs? The local press says hell no. A bike riding UK father survives a hit-and-run road rage attack. Edinburgh surgeons cross scalpels over the benefits of helmet use. A Scot writer demonstrates his massive heart by wishing he’d thought sooner to shove a pipe through a rude cyclist’s spokes, or elsewhere; note to writer, violence isn’t witty. Turns out Scarlett Johansson enjoys drunken bike bar hopping in Amsterdam. Strasbourg plans a spider web of bikeways, guaranteeing a minimum cruising speed of 12.4 mph. An Aussie triathlete says most drivers would give cyclists a meter of space — or roughly three feet — if they saw them as real people. New Zealanders call for calm in the wake of a road rage attack that left a triathlete seriously injured. A driver and cyclist debate the battle on New Zealand streets; a Christchurch pathologist says you can’t just look for bikes, you actually have to see them.

Finally, when one helmet cam just isn’t enough, how about seven cameras recording in every possible direction. It turns out that massive crocodile a cyclist spotted in the River Thames was a prop from a Bond film.

And a masturbating seat stalker proves that even bike paradise has its sick f***s deeply disturbed individuals.

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Bicycle Safety, General / Tags: , , , , ,

L.A. bikes the vote, kneejerk anti-bike bias rears it’s ugly head, and a massive weekend list o’ links

February 23, 2013 / / 3 comments

A busy week of bike meetings and breaking news meant pushing back a lot of stories.

So grab a cup and settle in for a full weekend worth of the latest bike news from L.A. and around the world.

………

The LACBC provides responses to candidate surveys from 13 candidates for L.A. city council; surprisingly, some very bike-friendly candidates, such as Odysseus Bostick in CD 11, failed to respond.

Meanwhile, a writer for the L.A. Times offers a one-sided windshield-perspective look at the CD 11 candidates; I thought the Times had outgrown that sort of crap in recent years.

And I’m sick to death of people who don’t ride a bike stating with presumed authority that no one would ever ride from the Westside — or the Palisades — to Downtown when there are riders who do that, or its equivalent, every day.

I make the Westside to Downtown ride several times a month myself. And find it easier, cheaper, faster, more enjoyable — and yes, safer — than driving a car. But it’s so much easier to claim no one would do it than talk to someone who does.

As for the race for L.A. Mayor, Streetsblog offers video interviews from all five leading candidates. And the Times sort of makes up for their misstep above by getting them on the record for their stands on transportation issues, including bicycling.

If you want to do more than just cast a vote to ensure the city’s next leaders support bicycling — or any other city in L.A. County for that matter — come to the the LACBC’s Civic Engagement Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 26th at 6:45 pm at the Johnnie’s Pizza at Museum Square, 5757 Wilshire Blvd.

………

Has it really been two years since L.A. adopted a new bike plan? The city is making real progress, but anti-bike critics remain.

LADOT considers floating bike lanes for Westwood Blvd, but an LA Observed writer with a terminal case of windshield perspective says those damned bike lanes are going to ruin the streets for the rest of us. Examined Spoke responds, while Boyonabike smells anti-bike bias.

Rampant anti-bike NIMBYism rears its ugly head at the Westside bike lane meeting, as local neighborhood councils and business owners came in with minds already made up and their ears closed. On the other hand, Rancho Park Online offers a surprisingly well reasoned analysis of the Westwood proposal.

Meanwhile, Eagle Rock business owners question whether bike lanes are good or bad for business; that pretty much depends on whether their business can benefit from bike riders’ money. The Toluca Lake Neighborhood Council says keep bike lanes off Lankershim and put them on Vineland, instead; if you want to see a perfect example of irrational anti-bike bias, read the comments — seriously, elitist bike Nazis? And NoHoArtsDistrict tries to get the facts straight.

………

In one of the most outrageous cases in recent memory, a Buenos Aires driver runs down a cyclist, then flees with his victim’s body still on the hood of his car for 17 kilometers — 10.5 miles — until he’s stopped at a toll both.

And when the attendant pointed out he had a body on his car, he responded “Does that mean you’re going to charge me twice?”

Thanks to Ralph Durham for the heads-up.

Meanwhile, closer to home, the Glendale News-Press finally reports on last Sunday’s horrible hit-and-run collision in which a cyclist was knocked off his bike and dragged onto the 5 Freeway by the fleeing minivan; I’ve updated the original story.

………

Even pro teams are victims of violence these days.

According to Cycling News, the Jamis-Hagens Berman team was on a training ride outside otherwise bike-friendly Tucson when a car pulled up next to them and the driver started swearing at them.

The car then swerved into the lead riders before speeding off, causing the riders to crash; fortunately, no one was seriously injured. And just as fortunately, the team car was following the paceline and managed to get photos of the driver’s license plate.

Hopefully, there will be an arrest — and serious charges — soon.

………

KNBC-4 recommends the LACBC’s ‘80s Bike Prom this Saturday, as do I; if I wasn’t still keeping a close eye on my wife thanks to her foot-dragging insurance company, I’d be there myself. Streetsblog is hosting a fundraiser with outgoing councilmember Bill Rosendahl the same night. A Midwestern transplant discovers you can bike in L.A. without dying, and borrows this blog’s name in the process. Here’s your map for April’s CicLAvia to the Sea; there will be a community meeting to discuss it next Thursday. New pavement and bike lanes for Cypress Park. Burbank adopts its new general plan; naturally, the only no vote came because the plan includes a bigger bike network. Universal Studios will fund projects to alleviate Burbank traffic caused by their expansion, and extend the L.A. River bike path they’ve long tried to block. Long Beach wants to help you become a street savvy cyclist.

A La Habra teen is stabbed by two men for his bike. Huntington Beach plans to widen Atlanta Avenue and add bike lanes in both direction; hopefully they won’t follow the murderous OC pattern of striping wide lanes to encourage more speeding drivers. A Coronado driver says yes, it is my job to make you obey the law. Not so fast on those new bike lanes on the Coast Highway in Leucadia. San Diego plans to add bike lanes and sidewalks to fix a dangerous stretch of road in San Ysidro. Temecula’s Sarah Hammer takes gold in the women’s individual pursuit at the World Championships. This has got to be the crappiest name ever for a bike ride; no, I mean literally. Camarillo adds two miles of bike lanes. Cambria riders push Caltrans to fix the damage they did to one of California’s favorite riding routes. Turn any shoes into cleated bike shoes. Cyclists on San Francisco’s King Street are at the mercy of cars once the bike lane ends mid-block. San Francisco police bust a fugitive sex offender for riding on the sidewalk. Supporters of a fallen Oroville cyclist says it’s time to end hit-and-runs.

The man whose name graces my bike says he wants to get back into the business; makes sense since he’s now America’s only Tour de France winner. Not surprisingly, traffic fatalities rose nationwide in 2012. The USDOT questions whether dead cyclists and pedestrians count enough to count. L.A.-style bicyclist anti-harassment laws are spreading nationwide. Dave Moulton says lighter isn’t always better. Ninety members of my old fraternity plan to bike across the county to raise awareness for disabilities this summer. Sorry Wired, fat bikes don’t huck and bikes can’t outrun wolves. Washington considers a $25 fee on the sale of any bike over $500; even the woman who wrote the bill doesn’t support it. A bike rider is killed by a train because a Utah driver couldn’t be bothered to clean the frost off her windshield. Rocky Mountain National Park considers its first off-road bike trails. If you’re stopped for biking under the influence on your birthday, it’s probably not a good idea to celebrate by strangling the cop. A Chicago newsman panics over planned bikeways and bus lanes on the Loop. Now that’s more like it, as an Indiana driver gets 18 years for killing two teenage bike riders after smoking meth. New York plans a crackdown on bike delivery riders. Former Bogota mayor Enrique Penalosa says Gotham could be more livable. A Philly writer wisely suggests that instead of focusing on how to get women to ride, we should consider what works for everyone; Elly Blue says just invite everyone to the party. Bike safety goes down in flames in Virginia legislature. Wannabe Latin pop star Carlos Bertonatti finally pleads guilty in the 2010 drunken hit-and-run death of a Miami cyclist; Bertonatti faces up to 35 years, but it’s unlikely he would have changed his plea if there wasn’t a deal in place.

Once again, a study supports the obvious conclusion that lower speeds and separated bike lanes significantly reduce the risk of cycling injuries. Five lessons from the world’s most bike friendly city, winter edition. How to travel with your Brompton. Looks like next year we can look forward to the Giro d’Eire. A look at the five best Hollywood bike scenes from a Brit perspective, without mentioning Breaking Away, American Flyers or Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. A major failure of education and traffic planning, as English children are banned from biking or walking to school. A New Zealand writer asks if hi-viz makes you a target. Australia, which mandates bike helmets for everyone, also requires bike bells in an apparent attempt to help more angels get their wings. Adelaide police statistics show drivers are at fault in an overwhelming 80% of all collisions; thank God Aussie cyclists have their bells to protect them.

Finally, this is why some people hate lawyers. A defense attorney claims his client wasn’t impaired when she killed a cyclist, but only took the drugs afterwards — apparently to cope with just having killed someone while driving distracted at over 70 mph.

Or maybe you just need a little bike rap to kick off your weekend; the language may be offensive to some, including heavy abuse of the dreaded n-word.

………

Thanks to Chris and the gang at the Westwood Helen’s, I no longer have a busted bearing in my bottom bracket. And neither does my bike.

If you’re looking for a great LBS, tell ‘em I sent you.

Category: General, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Restaurant run down, cyclist collateral damage in Venice police chase; plus major Fat Tuesday linkage

February 12, 2013 / / One comment

A cyclist was collateral damage in a Venice police chase Sunday night.

Police reportedly spotted a pickup driven by a parolee driving too fast the wrong way on a one-way street just off the beach at Venice Blvd and Speedway. Following a short chase, the cyclist was struck at the intersection of Lincoln and Brooks before the truck crashed into the Wurstküche restaurant a few blocks away at Vernon.

Fortunately, the rider is relatively okay; the Times reports that he suffered a broken leg in the collision.

But these chases are getting far too frequent and dangerous.

And the next person to become collateral damage may not be so lucky.

………

As hard as it is for me to admit at times, there are other issues besides bicycling in this year’s race for mayor of Los Angeles. Candidate Kevin James offers a detailed position on animal issues for of us who care about the city’s four-footed residents; I’d like to see what the other candidates have to say on the subject.

………

Streetsblog posts video of Sunday’s CD 1 candidates debate; I’m told there may be a problem with one candidate’s responses. UCLA’s Daily Bruin looks at Saturday’s ride for more bike lanes in Westwood. Santa Monica’s first complete green street opened on Ocean Park Blvd on Saturday. Santa Monica College gets a spectacular new bike parking lot with space for 400 bikes — and skateboard parking, too. If you’re on probation and in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, maybe you should steal a cheaper bike. Better Bike is back to bug the Biking Black Hole of Beverly Hills into becoming less bike unfriendly. Occidental College and NELA want your bike art for a gallery exhibition opening later this month. The Path Less Pedaled offers their typically great photos from their recent trip back to SoCal. The podcast of Saturday’s edition of Bike Talk hosted by the LACBC’s Colin Bogart is available online now. Cyclelicious reveals the face of a bike thief. Learning to ride safely with dead batteries. A cyclist is critically injured by a drunk driver in Fresno. As a cyclist, nothing scares me more than sharing the road with a cement truck; a San Francisco woman lost her life to one on Saturday.

We need more research on the effects of bicycling on the brain. Bob Mionske offers advice on dealing with the door zone. The Bike League forms a new Equity Advisory Council to reach beyond the usual voices. A 72-year old Scottsdale AZ woman is killed by a 20-year old driver in an apparent right hook. A hero Spokane cyclist saves a jogger from her attacker, then rides off without leaving her name. A Colorado woman is fined a whopping $100 after apologizing for running down a cyclist before running away. Chicago Tribune says Gen Yers are falling out of love with cars; maybe I’m younger than I thought. Ignoring all the available evidence, Illinois puts the brakes on a protected bike lane in Chicago by pretending they’re unproven. A Wisconsin man rides over 800 miles to visit friends in New Orleans, then gets run down from behind and killed just miles from his destination. Brooklyn is New York’s most dangerous borough for cyclists for the third year running. Dear Mr. Obama, give us another Ray LaHood, please. Maryland’s proposed mandatory helmet law would make cyclists less safe. A Florida cyclist commits suicide by car; the driver wouldn’t have faced charges if he’d stayed at the scene.

A cyclist is killed by a speeding ambulance in Guyana. A 16-year old UK cyclist tracks his stolen bike four miles through the snow to get it back. Dealing with anti-social cyclists. Sure, you could say one in five Oxford, England cyclists run red lights — or you could realize that means an overwhelming 80% don’t. Brit trucks drivers say bike safety shouldn’t rest solely on their shoulders. London’s Sunday Times says Strava is turning cyclists into dangerous speed maniacs; bike writer Carlton Reid says not so fast. That sound you hear is a Scottish politician backpedalling furiously when it comes to cycling targets. Israel lacks sufficient infrastructure to keep cyclists safe on intercity highways.

Finally, an apparently older writer says the privilege of driving is far too important to test drivers over 80 for cognitive impairment, and somehow equates getting dangerous older drivers off the road to Nazi Germany; thanks to Todd Munson for the heads-up.

And I thought I had a close call with a Big Blue Bus recently; this guy nearly lost his head.

Happy Mardi Gras! Throw me something, mister!

Category: Bicycle Safety, Car vs Bike, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , , ,

Whole lot of linking going on — a hit-and-run presser, charges in SD, a bike celebration in Santa Monica

February 6, 2013 / / Comments Off on Whole lot of linking going on — a hit-and-run presser, charges in SD, a bike celebration in Santa Monica

L.A. authorities plan a press conference this Thursday to announce a person of interest in the hit-and-run death of bike rider Sergio Rodriguez last December.

Meanwhile, news finally comes out that San Diego is pursuing a vehicular manslaughter charge against Francis Henry Zegler, the driver who killed cyclist Chuck Gilbreth last April. The question is why it took a Freedom of Information request to learn that charges were filed last August.

Doesn’t the public have a right to know — especially in cases like this where there’s a genuine demand for justice within the cycling community?

So much for open government in our neighbor to the south.

………

Friends remember former surfer Jonathan Koontz, the homeless man killed in collision with another rider while riding or walking his bike on the Santa Ana River Trail last December.

The fact that he was homeless does not make this case any less tragic; that such a well-loved and promising person ended up on the streets just adds to the pathos.

………

Don’t miss the official grand opening of the new Ocean Park Complete Green Street in Santa Monica this Saturday. Doors open at 11 am with a review of the city’s Bike Action Plan and a look at plans for the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Greenway, before a ride to nearby Ocean Park Blvd for the ceremony.

And did I mention there will be free food?

………

L.A. is becoming a bike town. Los Angeles approves the planned expansion of Universal Studios, which now includes a commitment to build a park and bike/pedestrian path, presumably an extension of the L.A. River bike path. Santa Monica plans to cut traffic by reducing parking. Will Campbell says Pasadena and Glendale have left Los Angeles in the bicycling dust. CLR Effect has a frightening story of a rider ignoring the warning signs of a heart attack until it was too late — and struck in the middle of a crit.

Cycling Unbound says better enforcement of traffic laws is a myth; sort of like the NRA’s argument that better enforcement of current laws is the sole solution to gun violence. Despite a highly concerned cycling community following the deaths of two bicyclists last year, the Newport Beach Bicycle Safety Committee is on hold while the city works to get its shit together renew its charter. People take precedence over cars in new plans for Solano Beach. Being blind doesn’t mean giving up bike racing — evidently, neither does heart surgery, kidney and pancreas transplants, broken bones or an amputated toe. Bay Area cyclists are looking forward to riding just halfway across the new Bay Bridge.

Bicycling says Cannondales’ Peter Sagan could be the new Eddy Merckx; how about just letting him be the first Peter Sagan? Under the heading of who really gives a rat’s ass, banned ex-Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong is told he can keep using Strava; no, seriously, I don’t give a whit. MSNBC host Chris Hayes joins the not-so-exclusive club of bike theft victims. A whopping 182 days in jail for a New Mexico man who killed a cross-country cyclist in 2010 while most likely drunk; he seems a little confused about which one was the victim but didn’t break the law by posting a hate-filled tantrum on his Facebook page. Denver man charged in the hit-and-run death of a cyclist walking his bike in the crosswalk tries to hang his own brother out to dry. Those Mormon missionaries aren’t any safer on their bikes than anyone else. Despite weather problems, last weekend’s world cyclocross championships were a success. As the world of Greg LeMond turns, he suffered a serious back injury after losing consciousness and crashing his car, he’s starting a new company focused on his indoor trainer, and still wants to run the International Cycling Union; not like it’s starting to seem like a soap opera or anything. A Manhattan lawyer is sentenced to three-and-third to ten years for critically injuring a cyclist while driving drunk in the Hamptons. DC’s newest bike lane is instantly co-opted for parking. A Washington cab driver causes a collision between cyclists, but police say it’s no one’s fault. Some people just don’t get it, as a DC area driver complains about law breaking cyclists — and the ticket he got for going nearly 50% over the speed limit. Shocking news, as a North Carolina cyclist rides a whole six miles — each way! — to school every day; yes, the boy should be applauded, but if our society had its priorities right, it wouldn’t be that big a deal. Yes, people like this really do drive among us. New Orleans bike lane more than triples the number of cyclists using the street. A Florida man is ticketed for riding he wrong way on a one-way street and failure to come to a complete stop, as an over-zealous deputy cracks down on the first-time rider in front of his own house. On the other hand, no hint of favoritism here, as Florida troopers fail to cite a truck driver they know for the death of a cyclist last September. A Myrtle Beach cyclist is punched with brass knuckles as he’s riding for no apparent reason.

An international adventurer concludes it’s better to bike 35,000 miles than walk 3,500. New cars could soon feature airbags to protect cyclists and pedestrians, or drivers could just, you know, stop running into us; thanks to Patrick Pascal for the heads-up. Buenos Aires builds new bike lanes in a bid for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. An Ottawa driver pleads guilty to running down a cyclist while probably very intoxicated, in front of police officers, moments after hitting several cars in a parking lot, with coke and oxycodone in the car. Make it safer for Brits to bike, and they will, but if ideas for better cycling infrastructure are ignored, nothing will change. Truckers consider changing delivery times in London to cut back on killing cyclists. A UK man loses his memory of his entire life and family following a cycling collision. Pro cyclist Johnny Hoogerland — the rider who won a worldwide following for continuing to ride after crashing through barbed wire — is seriously injured when he’s hit by a car while training in Spain. Drivers turn a new Dubai bikeway into a high speed raceway for overpowered cars. An angry Aussie driver hits a cyclist with a wooden pole, then goes back to his car and tries to run the rider over. A bizarre Australian study concludes that cyclists without helmets are more likely to ride drunk; a more reasonable interpretation of the data might lead to the conclusion that people who take risks are more likely to take risks. An Aussie father dealt drugs to fund his late cyclist son’s riding career; now the son’s home may be seized because it was purchased with drug money. Tokyo police plan to crack down on cyclists rather than the drivers who hit them. An artistic attempt to discourage Japanese cyclists from parking on the sidewalk. Shockingly, some cyclists break the rules, even in Singapore.

Finally, no, just no. And it’s technically illegal for women to wear pants in France unless holding handlebars or horse’s reins.

Or maybe you’d prefer a bike-riding kitty in a sombrero.

Category: General, Hit-and-Run, Legal Cases, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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