Tag Archive for just the links

Morning Links: Reactions to the jump in traffic deaths, NIMBYs don’t give a rat’s ass, and hanging out with JT

September 2, 2016 / / One comment

Today’s common theme: the spike in traffic fatalities, and what to do about it.

NACTO says the spike in traffic deaths last year is a call to action.

Curbed’s Alissa Walker says traffic deaths will continue to rise until cities prioritize humans over cars. Which is exactly the argument I’ve been making.

City Lab writes the problem with Vision Zero is the need for increased enforcement while communities of color are already reeling from it; the story cites the LACBC’s Tamika Butler as an example of being stopped for driving while black.

………

Local

Cycling in the South Bay’s Seth Davidson says, despite their protestations, Palos Verdes NIMBYs don’t give a rat’s ass about the safety of cyclists. But they’re welcome to prove him wrong by attending the free Cycling Savvy course next month.

Santa Monica’s California Incline is now officially open; pedestrians and bicyclists had full use of the roadway for four hours before it officially opened.

CiclaValley goes riding in the Sierras and hangs out with Justin Timberlake. Best wishes to his mom; good to know she’s going to be okay.

 

State

More Coronado madness, as a woman is revolted by the idea of a bike/ped path on the Coronado Bridge, and expects little kids to hold their line when biking to school.

The area’s first separated bike lanes come to Palo Alto and Menlo Park, with others coming soon.

San Francisco’s new protected intersection will be just the fifth in the US.

A Petaluma man donates 23 bicycles to help victims of the recent Clayton fire in Lake County.

Chico police recover four suspected stolen bikes from homeless camps; two that had been reported stolen were returned to their owners on the spot, while the others were booked as unclaimed property. Always report a stolen bike to the police; one of their biggest complaints is the number of bikes that can’t be returned to their owners because they were ever reported stolen.

 

National

Outside takes an in-depth look at the real life Seattle anti-bike theft non-caped crusader.

A writer says riding a bicycle has made him a better runner.

Prohibited from driving due to poor eyesight, a BYU instructor is able to get around thanks to his e-bike.

Bad news struck close to home at the Denver Post, as a reporter with the paper was killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding or walking her bike in a crosswalk.

The Chicago Tribune urges cyclists to ride defensively, and drivers to be watchful and slow down, because the city’s streets aren’t a motorist vs. bicyclist Thunderdome.

A 99-year old member of the Bicycling Hall of Fame passed away in a Chicago suburb last week, five years after her last ride, and 87 years after she bought her first bicycle.

A Connecticut community comes together to replace a boy’s stolen bike.

The NYPD blames a salmon cyclist for a fatal collision, even though the driver was speeding. Yes the cyclist was in the wrong, but the driver should share the blame; if he hadn’t been speeding it’s possible he could have avoided the crash or the victim might have survived the impact.

 

International

Sales of MIPS helmets are booming; they’re designed to reduce the risk of concussion and rotational injuries in a crash.

Canada is nearing completion of a nearly 13,000 mile-long bike path crossing from Nova Scotia to Vancouver and up to the Yukon.

London’s mayor gives the okay to complete a north – south cycle superhighway through the city.

A bike-riding writer for London’s Evening Standard wonders why bicyclists make some drivers boil with rage. Good question; I suspect we’re just easy targets for people who are already pissed off.

A British website offers a complete guide to biking to work.

Horrifying assault in the UK, as a gang of bike-riding teenage hooligans beat a Polish immigrant to death after hearing him speak in his native tongue. This is the legacy of all the hate spilled in the recent Brexit campaign.

Police urge people to report “antisocial behavior” after a Brit mountain bike was badly injured when someone booby trapped a popular offroad trail. If someone caused a wreck by sabotaging a traffic lane, they’d call him a terrorist, not merely antisocial.

A Scottish company is introducing a device to automatically lube your chain while you ride, claiming it can result in a net gain of 12 watts.

Japanese authorities credit new laws requiring scofflaw cyclists to take three hour safety lectures with a 14.7% drop in bicycling fatalities.

 

Finally…

Once the machete comes out, it’s time to give up your bike. Evidently, the loss of just four parking spaces in exchange for a bikeshare dock constitutes a disaster of unmitigated proportions.

And now you can own your very own two-wheeled Aston Martin, as long as you have a spare $17,007 lying around.

 

Category: Bicycle Safety, Morning Links / Tags: , ,

Morning Links: Fundraiser for Joe4CD1, traveling LA by bike and Metro, and taking auto-eroticism a tad too literally

August 19, 2016 / / 2 comments

Josef Bray-Ali, who’s taking on anti-bike incumbent Gil Cedillo in the race for Los Angeles’ 1st Council District, is hosting a fundraiser at NELA’s Café de Leche on Sunday.

………

Wired looks at the physics of Olympic BMX, while the US took a different approach to training for the BMX events this year.

A Dutch rider managed to qualify for the next round despite smashing his bike on the BMX course and carrying it across the finish line.

Velonews says the Olympics have forced mountain biking into shorter race formats, which one rider describes as more like a long BMX race.

Colorado considers creating a major event to replace the USA Pro Challenge, which went belly up after six years of bringing top pro cyclists to the state.

Outside examines how to motor dope your own bike, while Cycling Weekly looks at what it’s like to ride one.

And a Russian soccer player insists all cyclists dope, saying cycling is “simply impossible without doping.”

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Local

An administrator for a Century City financial management firm touts the benefits of Santa Monica’s Breeze bikeshare.

When a Chatsworth actor’s car needed major repairs, he took to his bike and Metro. And found he actually liked being able to get around the city without a car, especially for the senior off-peak rate of just 35¢.

Cycling in the South Bay’s Seth Davidson says his heroes are the ones who show up for meetings about bike safety.

Sheriff’s deputies are looking for a serial bike-riding groper in Cerritos.

The Long Beach Gazettes looks at the new parking protected bike lanes on Artesia Blvd in North Long Beach. But why, pray tell, did they file it under “Entertainment?”

 

State

Good news from Salinas, as a teenager who was broadsided by a car is recovering from serious injuries.

Bad news from Palo Alto, as a 73-year old bike rider was killed after allegedly running a stop sign. Funny how often bicyclists are blamed for crashes when they aren’t around to tell their side of the story.

San Francisco advocates fight the removal of ghost bikes; city policy calls for any memorial to be removed after just two weeks.

A candidate for the San Francisco board of supervisors responds to a fellow candidate’s call to register bikes and license their riders, saying bike licenses make good crankbait, but bad policy. Is it too late to move to the Bay just so we can all vote for him?

San Francisco launches a pair of 15-second radio spots promoting the Vision Zero program in English and Spanish, without really saying anything.

 

National

A writer for science website PLOS examines the problems with painted bike lanes that are squeezed onto the side of the road, saying if a car can park there it’s not a bike lane, it’s just the side of the road.

A writer for a left-leaning website goes on an extensive anti-mountain bike diatribe, insisting they have no place in national parks, and are “inbred with a culture of lawlessness and aggression.” And we all know inbreeding is a bad thing, right?

Bike lawyer Bob Mionske calls on bike riders to show a little courtesy to other users on multi-use paths, noting that the way we treat pedestrians could influence the way they treat us when they get behind the wheel.

Life is cheap in Alaska, where a young woman was released after spending just 74 days behind bars for running down a cyclist and leaving him to die in the street, after a night of partying.

A Colorado letter writer points out that it’s not just bike riders who break the law, noting how rare it is to see a motorist who’s not illegally putting others at risk in some way.

Football players at a Texas university tackle a bike thief — literally — as he was riding off with a super fan’s bicycle.

An Illinois shop owner calls for action after his wife was killed in a collision with a bike rider as she stepped out of a restaurant. We all have an obligation to ride safely around pedestrians. But instead of calling for enforcement to keep cyclists off the sidewalk, why not call for making the streets safer so people on bikes don’t feel compelled to ride there?

The Chicago Tribune harvests honey with the city’s bicycling beekeeper.

In the wake of the Kalamazoo massacre, city officials consider a three-foot passing law. Which would have done nothing to prevent the drunk and stoned driver from plowing into any of the nine victims.

A New York actress was barred from driving in the state after killing a cyclist while driving distracted last year, even though a botched police investigation allowed her to escape charges. However, she can still drive in New Jersey, where she holds her license, despite four previous moving violations.

Virginia Tech researchers work on creating a rating system for bike helmets.

Atlanta cyclists let their money do the talking by holding a cash mob event to call for protected bike lanes and demonstrate that bike riders make good customers.

A former Air Force colonel is riding 2,500 miles down the East Coast to raise funds for families of fallen soldiers.

 

International

The World Health Organization has named former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg global ambassador for road safety, with a portfolio that includes preventing deaths from traffic collisions.

A British TV sports reporter is in a coma after contracting a rare form of malaria while bicycling 3,000 miles on a charity bike ride from London to Rio.

An author says the bicycle has become a tool for radical activism in Afghanistan, as he flies into the country to photograph the women’s national cycling team.

The Wall Street Journal says a luxury cycling tour of Japan with a pro racer as your guide will make you a better rider.

Take a bike tour of the remote Ha Giang region of Vietnam, which was recently opened to visitors. Unlike previous fully supported tours of the county operated by Uncle Sam, this one will set you back over three grand. But no one will be shooting at you.

 

Finally…

Why choose between bicycling and yoga when you can do both at the same time? If you’re going to use your bike to steal a cellphone from a car passenger, try to stay upright long enough to get away.

And an Iowa man is under arrest for having sex with a parked van.

Note that it says with, not in.

 

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: No motors at TdF, no more butts on the bike path, and no red light cams means more deaths

July 28, 2016 / / One comment

No major news to report today, so let’s get right to this morning’s linkage.

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No signs of motor doping were detected at this year’s Tour de France.

Winner Chris Froome got all the attention, but it was fellow Brit Adam Yates who had the breakout performance in the Tour.

Froome admits his career started with a little fraud and deception. Meanwhile, the new Bahrain bike team becomes a reality; never mind that the new team owner is accused of torture.

Cycling Tips asks what pro cycling can learn from the way the International Olympic Committee handles whistle blowers.

U.S.A. Cycling hopes the Rio Olympics will bring more attention to bike racing in this country.

………

Local

Santa Monica’s Breeze bikeshare closes in on 30,000 active users.

No more cigarette butts on the bike path in Hermosa Beach.

Cycling in the South Bay reports on a butt-numbing city council session that resulted in new bike-friendly signage in formerly bike-unfriendly Palos Verdes Estates. As well as an attempt by overly entitled homeowners in nearby Rancho Palos Verdes to ban bikes from “their” street in violation of state law.

 

State

The Voice of San Diego says it’s time to step up to save the city’s bikeshare system.

A Palm Springs street is getting new bike lanes following a road diet.

Oxnard discusses revitalizing the downtown area, in part by improving bicycle connectivity.

A Ventura judge concludes there’s enough evidence to hold the owner of a towing company over for trial in the hit-and-run death of a 14-year old bike rider.

A cyclist killed in San Luis Obispo County earlier this month was a world-class triathlete.

A Marin County motorist slams cyclists as dangerous law-breaking scofflaws who don’t pay their share and need to be licensed. Where to begin? Riding two abreast is legal in California, fast cyclists don’t belong on shared-use trails, and all of society benefits when people exercise and improve their health. And if he really thinks motorists and cyclists are no longer respectful of one another, maybe he should start by taking a good, long look in the mirror.

A local website offers five hidden mountain bike rides within an hour of Petaluma.

 

National

A new study shows traffic fatalities go up when cities turn their red light cameras off, like LA did a few years ago. One more example of the tough choices necessary if LA is serious about Vision Zero; red light cameras may not be popular with drivers, but they improve safety for everyone on the street.

A newlywed couple enjoy an “amazing” bike wedding, as a crazy idea becomes reality. In Portland, of course.

A Nevada state trooper rescues three brothers who took a wrong turn onto a freeway on their way to Walmart, riding their bikes along the center divider in 110 degree heat.

Maybe we need a change in the law, if killing a Colorado bike rider without a valid traffic license only merits a misdemeanor. Killing or injuring someone while driving without a license should automatically increase the offense to a felony.

Not surprisingly, the driver who injured a sleeping rider participating in Iowa’s RAGBRAI ride by running over his tent had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit.

Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is one of us, showing up for work at his new job as an ESPN analyst on a tandem with his fellow analyst brother.

Massachusetts riders may get their bikes stolen, but at least the thieves are leaving a substitute.

A new North Carolina law will allow drivers to briefly cross the center line in a no-passing zone to go around a bike ride, as long as they give the cyclist a four-foot passing distance. CA Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a similar measure here, putting riders at needless risk from close passes and angry tailgating drivers.

If you want to ride a bike on Alabama’s Redstone Arsenal, put on a helmet and a reflective vest first. No, seriously.

A bighearted Florida cop digs into his own pocket to buy a six-year old girl a new bicycle after hers was stolen.

 

International

A new study says working in an office increases your risk of death up to 60%, and poses more risk than obesity. But the cure is as simple as riding your bike an hour a day.

More than half of all Canadian drivers find bike riders annoying; surprisingly, only 46% of cyclists say the same about motorists.

A cyclist riding across Canada is able to resume his tour when the bighearted people of Regina buy him a new bike after his was stolen on a stop in the city.

Slap, meet wrist. A road raging corporate executive buys his way out of a conviction and walks out of an Irish courtroom a free man, despite knocking a cyclist off his bike and violently choking him.

A new Swedish attachment promises to turn your bicycle into an ebike for under $100.

A group of Iranian women are arrested for the crime of riding a bicycle in public, and forced to sign a statement promising not to do it again.

Cycling is growing in Sydney, Australia, despite the anti-bike efforts of the state government, whose roads minister believes he’s saving lives by discouraging people from riding.

 

Finally…

That Muslim-looking bike rider scaring the neighbors may be your son. If you’re carrying an unregistered concealed weapon, don’t ride salmon, already.

And we may have to deal with LA drivers, but at least we don’t have to dodge bush turkeys in the roadway.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,

Morning Links: Bad guys on bikes, a South LA primer for bike advocates, and don’t walk through a bike race, bro

July 19, 2016 / / 3 comments

Today’s common theme is bad guys on bikes.

Social media helps flush out a repeat shoplifter who tried to make his getaway by bicycle after stealing a number of U-locks from a San Pedro hardware store, and getting in a fight with the owner.

An attentive neighbor scares off a bike-riding package thief in San Diego.

It takes a seriously sick schmuck to stick a gun in the face of a nine-year old boy to steal his bicycle, then ride it to rob a Connecticut store.

A Florida man rode his bike to a local hospital, walked in through the emergency room, then wandered up to the third floor and fatally shot two people at random.

The Baton Rouge gunman was one of us, as a neighbor says there was nothing unusual about him, other than tearing through the neighborhood on a mountain bike.

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The peloton and staff of the Tour de France pay tribute to the great Fabian Cancellara in his final Tour. Peter Sagan may not win every race, but the Associated Press says he can win any way he wants to. Like this, for instance.

Bon Appetit explains, in case you’ve ever wondered, what pro cyclists eat on the bike to get them through each stage.

Boise’s Kristin Armstrong is in the running for her third gold medal at the Rio Olympics next month.

A new report shows Russia covered up 580 positive dope tests, including 26 involving cyclists. That’s all?

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Local

Streetsblog’s Sahra Sulaiman and Malcolm Harris of TRUST South LA discuss what bike advocates need to understand about South Central LA.

CiclaValley gets down and dirty at the LA Roubaix. And likes it.

 

State

Riverside is asking the public what they think about the 2.5 mile Brockton Ave bike lanes. Be sure to give your input if you ride in the area, because you know the bike haters will.

A San Bernardino man is in critical condition after being shot in a drive-by while riding his bike.

A new San Francisco study shows both drivers and cyclists prefer streets with separated bike lanes.

Sudwerk Brewing names their latest beer after the monthly Davis Bike Party.

 

National

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is considering joining their colleagues at NACTO by supporting protected bike lanes in less urban areas.

Utah’s two senators introduce legislation that would allow local managers to determine whether to allow bicycling in Federal wilderness areas, which was the policy prior to 1984.

A man from my hometown modified his cargo bike, which is built to carry up to 500 pounds of beer kegs, to give a lifelong cyclist suffering from ALS a chance to enjoy one last 232-mile ride across the Rockies.

A Cincinnati woman faces up to 17 years in jail after pleading no contest in the drug-fueled death of a bike rider while driving with a suspended license; she reportedly shoved bottles of pills in her bra as she tried to make her getaway.

A bighearted Maine boy is inspiring others by donating a bicycle he won in a reading contest.

A Boston letter writer acknowledges the need for protected bike lanes, but says there’s also a place for non-protected lanes, and too many places with no bike lanes.

A pair of cyclists ride nearly 900 miles, planting trees and raising funds for cancer research in honor of Massachusetts native Johnny Appleseed.

WaPo says stricter driving laws really do work. As long as they’re enforced, anyway.

A New York writer says bicycling infrastructure fails because local community boards have the power to veto lanes in their neighborhoods, resulting in an incomplete network. And police fail to keep the lanes safe.

 

International

Vancouver businesses embrace bicycling, six years after fighting bike lanes tooth-and-nail to preserve on-street parking.

Canadian lawyers complain about the lack of criminal penalties for killer drivers in Quebec.

Caught on video: An East London bike rider was subjected an obscenity-laced tirade from a carful of road raging motorists at 3 am.

Cyclist and royal-in-law Pippa Middleton is getting married. Your invitation probably be coming in the mail.

British cyclists complain about a pointless, six-foot long bike lane.

Once again, anti-bike terrorists have put the lives of others at risk by throwing tacks onto the route of a charity ride. Riders in similar attacks have suffered serious injuries after getting sudden flats while riding at speed.

A US Army reservist will ride 150 miles through Germany to raise funds and awareness for STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — education.

Now that’s more like it. Israel’s legislature considers a law that would require communities to build bike paths for commuters, and require buses and trains to accommodate bicycles.

Caught on video, too: Family members say a 92-year old Australian woman was lucky to survive after a cyclist plowed into her as she stepped into the street. The rider appears distracted, with no hands on the handlebars, but it also looks like the woman may have stepped out into the rider’s path.

 

Finally…

That’s not riot gear at the GOP convention, it’s mountain bike equipment. It could be open season on bike riders, with plans for a rail-to-trail conversion running right through a shooting range.

And caught on video 3: If you’re going to walk in the crosswalk, try not to do it when a bike race is going by.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbFy_cDBNEA

 

Category: Morning Links, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , ,

Morning Links: Tour de France enters final week; letter writer says protected lanes may tame scofflaw cyclists

July 18, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Tour de France enters final week; letter writer says protected lanes may tame scofflaw cyclists

It’s a light news day in the bike world, so let’s get right to it this morning.

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With a week of racing left to go, Chris Froome is tightening his grip on the Tour de France, while saying last-year’s seventh-place finisher Bauke Mollema is his chief rival.

The Guardian says the Tour must adapt to the constant growth in crowd sizes, but a Kiwi rider says fans aren’t the problem, it’s television, security, and the commercial aspects of the race.

Then again, maybe the real problem is wind and rocks.

You know it was a tough stage when half the peloton in the Tour of Poland abandons the race.

Cadel Evans says there will never be another cycling icon like Lance Armstrong. Which in some ways, we can only hope for.

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Local

Letter writers to the LA Times say protected bike lanes are good for public health, and can be done cheaply with parking protected lanes. Although there’s always one who has to complain about scofflaw cyclists, since evidently, drivers always obey the law.

Rick Risemberg says bikeshare is off to a good start in DTLA, but should have docks at the libraries in Little Tokyo and Chinatown.

Adam Sandler is one of us, as the comedian rides through Brentwood with his family.

Long Beach may install a pair of road diets in the Belmont Shore area to make room for diagonal parking and buffered bike lanes.

 

State

A San Diego grand jury warns the city’s bikeshare program may fail without greater cooperation between the city and transit officials.

The small Imperial County town of Brawley votes to build a network of bike lanes. Most of the story is hidden behind a paywall, however.

The wife of a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo dean was killed when a driver drifted onto the shoulder of a highway, striking her bicycle from behind. Someone should ask the CHP how can there be any question of responsibility when the driver couldn’t even stay in the damn traffic lane?

The Santa Cruz police department launches its own free bike registration program.

Sonoma police are looking for the driver who fled the scene after running down a cyclist from behind, leaving the rider with major injuries. Or maybe not, as since they can’t find any physical evidence of a collision, even though a witness saw it from a distance. A car doesn’t have to actually hit a cyclist to cause a wreck; a close pass can be all it takes. And leaving the scene afterwards is still hit-and-run.

Sacramento discusses allowing bike riders to attend bicycle traffic schools in lieu of a fine, which is now permitted under a new state law. Similar proposals are under discussion in LA, but haven’t gotten very far yet.

 

National

A new study from the National Highway Safety Administration says traffic collisions cost the US $871 billion a year. Money that would be better spent fixing the roads to prevent them in the first place.

Minnesota wheel maker Hed Cycling continues to prosper two years after its founder passed away and his wife took over.

Philadelphia hopes its nine-mile open streets event will set a model for the city. Or maybe not, since CicLAvia has been doing the same thing for nearly six years. And more than just once a year.

Studies show that a bike lane over a Charleston SC bridge could revitalize a depressed neighborhood, but the local councilmember refuses to believe it.

 

International

Tragic news from the UK, as British Olympic gold medalist and leading bike advocate Chris Boardman’s mother was killed in a collision while bicycling in Wales.

A Scottish lawyer says cyclists could benefit by changing the law to introduce a strict liability system, in which drivers are automatically held responsible for hitting a cyclist or pedestrian.

Apparently, all it takes to shut down an international bridge between Sweden and Denmark is a handful of bicyclists. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

 

Finally…

No, a helmet with a built-in cam won’t solve traffic disputes. And if you have to steal a boy’s bicycle to play Pokémon Go, you’re already a loser.

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Thank you to John Hall for his very generous contribution to support this site, and keep SoCal’s best source for bike news coming to you every morning.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,

Morning Links: An onslaught of future bikes, WeHo to pay for biking to work, and Burbank trike thief gets four years

June 21, 2016 / / One comment

Am I the only one tired of reading about all the various Bikes of the Future?

Most of which only seem to complicate a device which is already brilliant in it’s simplicity and functionality.

No offense to designers of concept bikes, but they seem to spend a lot of time trying to reinvent the wheel.

Sometimes literally.

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Nineteen-year old South African cyclist Keagan Girdlestone is showing improvement after suffering severe neck and throat injuries when he crashed into a team car while racing in Italy earlier this month; his team has been “blown away” by the support he’s received.

A writer for the Guardian remembers Dutch cyclist Mien Van Bree, who overcame hardships to become the women’s world champion in 1938.

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Local

West Hollywood considers paying the city’s senior managers $90 a month to walk, bike or take transit to work.

A career criminal gets four years for stealing a 13-year-old disabled boy’s $5,300 tricycle from a Burbank apartment complex; he later dumped it on the side of the road when the media coverage made the bike too hot. Not that the sentence isn’t deserved, but drivers rarely get that much time for killing someone, if any: case in point.

 

State

The Examiner examines OC’s fundraising Boob and Coast to Canyon Rides.

CiclaValley takes a family bike trip to SLO.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition finally named a new executive director after a seven month search, which began when the previous director abruptly stepped down after just eight months on the job.

This is why you let police deal with bike thieves. After a Manteca father confronted a man who appeared to be riding his daughter’s stolen bike, the man shot up his car.

 

National

How is bicycling good for your brain? Let us count the ways…

Bicycling offers advice for that post-ride itchy ass. And the magazine discusses how losing weight can improve your performance on a bike. Of course, improving your performance can also help you lose weight.

City Lab offers advice on how to bike to work without looking like a sweaty mess. Which was pretty much impossible the past few days.

Colorado authorities charge a prison inmate with the murder of mountain biking pioneer Michael Rust; the body of the Colorado Mountain Bike Hall of Fame member was discovered earlier this year after he disappeared in 2009.

An Idaho business writer confesses to not knowing the rules governing bike riders.

Rockford IL is hosting a 12-hour bike tour on city streets. Sort of like an extended ciclovía, but with all the cars still on the streets. Thanks to Ashley for the heads-up.

Minnesota takes the Idaho stop law a step further by installing new radar sensors that detect when a bike rider is approaching, and trigger a green light so the rider doesn’t have to stop.

Massachusetts state transportation officials will remake Boston’s Commonwealth Ave as a Complete Street, complete with 6.5 feet wide buffered and parking protected cycle tracks in each direction.

A DC group meets four times a year to cheer on every bicyclist who rides by in a bike lane.

 

International

The latest Mercedes-Benz commercial trucks will come with active brake assist, as well as new safety technology to warn if cyclists or pedestrians are present when turning. Which hopefully will reduce the risk of deadly right hooks.

Winnipeg cyclists complain that a 10-foot wide two-way protected bike lane isn’t wide enough for the projected jump in bicycling it would create.

Try to run down a British bike rider, then get out of your car to punch him in the face, and you can just keep on driving. Meanwhile, a new Brit bike passive safety device promises to detect threats, record offenders and call for help if you crash. But apparently doesn’t stop drivers from punching you in the face, or take their licenses away if they do.

Researchers in the Netherlands conclude EPO has no effect on performance. Does this mean Lance can come back now?

Now that’s more like it. Australia’s New South Wales budgets an additional $80 million for bicycling infrastructure, on top of $39 million that was previously announced.

 

Finally…

It’s okay if you don’t stop when you run over a rat while riding. Your next conference table could be a $13,000 tricycle.

And if you’re going to get caught on a security camera stealing a bicycle, at least put your underwear on the right end.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: Introducing LA’s Peace Bicycles, Giro starts today, and don’t ride with a pellet gun in your pants

May 5, 2016 / / 4 comments

The May BikinginLA LACBC Membership drive is now up to eight new members of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, with just 92 more to go before the end of this month. So sign up now and let’s get this into double figures today.

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I’m a firm believer in supporting SoCal bike businesses.

Which is why I want to take a moment to introduce you to LA-based Peace Bicycles, makers of some pretty good looking seven-speed Dutch-style city bikes, in both step through and straight bar models.

The step through is available in your choice of colors, while the non-step through version, like the Model T, appears to come in any color you want, as long as it’s black.

Although I particularly like the fact that you can get it in a fully loaded commuter package, complete with panniers, lights and a cup holder.

european-commuter-bikes-1

peace-bicycles-buy-bikes-4-

And a portion of every sale goes towards buying a bike for someone in need.

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Sad news, as 21-year old Dutch cyclist Gijs Verdick suffered a pair of heart attacks while in Poland for a race, leading to brain damage from a lack of oxygen.

Bleacher Report previews the Giro d’Italia, which starts today with a time trial, while a Canadian sportswriter calls it bike racing’s ultimate test. Unfortunately, the Amgen Tour of California starts just one week later, weakening the field for both races.

Bicycling Magazine highlights six tour packages to see the Tour de France.

Ironman will now start checking triathletes’ bikes for signs of motor doping. When they find hidden motors in their Speedos, it will really be time to worry.

A German Paralympic cyclist hopes to compete in Rio using a 3D-printed prosthetic leg.

And maybe race motos have a purpose after all; a new study shows three of them following ten inches off your wheel cuts drag as much as 14 per cent.

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Local

Caught on video: CiclaValley and friends get buzzed on Nichols Canyon.

Richard Risemberg says LA doesn’t need a bike month when we can ride the other eleven months as well, but as long as we have one, you might as well enjoy it.

Evidently, it’s a crime to ride your bike in Sherman Oaks with a pellet gun stuffed in your pants. Or maybe just really stupid.

Culver City Walk ‘n Rollers will host a Kidical Mass Fun Ride on May 15th. Isn’t there something else happening that day?

Pasadena police bust a thief after reports of a suspicious person stealing a bicycle, catching him with the stolen bike in a stolen car filled with stolen property.

More than 50 Glendale elementary school students rode their bikes on Bike to School Day, accompanied by members of Bike Walk Glendale.

 

State

Like Santa Monica’s recent crackdowns, Newport Beach police will be on the lookout for traffic violations that threaten the safety of cyclists and pedestrians on Saturday and Wednesday.

It takes a real schmuck to flee the scene after running down a Goleta teenager riding his bike to school — on Bike to School Day, no less; fortunately, he only suffered minor injuries.

San Francisco installs a new bike barometer to count cyclists on Valencia Street, to go with one already installed on Market Street, and two more on the way.

Oakland drivers can’t seem to figure out the new parking protected bike lanes on Telegraph Avenue. Then again, Cincinnati drivers still haven’t caught on after two years.

UC Davis students vote bicycling as the best form of transportation.

Oroville police are able to bust a bike thief off Craigslist because the victim’s parents had recorded the serial number. You can register your bike for free with Bike Index right here, including serial number and photos.

 

National

No surprise here. A new study shows bike riders absorb up to twice as much pollutants when riding in urban traffic than in low traffic or off-street routes.

Lifehacker offers a practical guide to biking in the city, while saying being too cautious on the road can be dangerous.

People for Bikes says the overly graphic Phoenix bike safety novels and Playmobil bike crash play set send the wrong message to kids. Gee, you think?

A much smaller Livestrong adjusts to life without Lance.

Forget riding across the US; an Ohio man ended his 8,300 mile ride around the perimeter of the US in Portland on Tuesday, raising over $16,500 for Habitat for Humanity.

Equestrians often blame bike riders for damaging trails; a group of Oregon horse riders prove it goes both ways.

No charges in the Boulder CO crash that seriously injured former pro cyclist Phil Zajicek this past March, as police determine the driver wasn’t at fault and decline to ticket Zajicek for crossing onto the wrong side of the road while descending. Evidently, they think the loss of his arm is punishment enough.

Denver will get new bike lanes and upgrades to existing ones, including a three-mile buffered bike lane and a green wave to keep riders from having to stop at red lights. Meanwhile, a Denver bike rider’s helmet is crushed when a bus door closes on it; he’s just grateful his head wasn’t in it.

A Cincinnati civil rights attorney rides his bike as a way of life.

Caught on video: A Tennessee bike rider can thank a 911 caller for saving his life; the caller was already on the phone with the 911 operator to report a near miss when a jerk in a pickup plowed into the rider and just kept going.

Things are getting better for Atlanta bike riders, though the city still has a long way to go.

 

International

If you build it, they will come. Vancouver has already exceeded it’s goal of a 7% mode share for bicycling by 2020 after building a network of protected bike lanes. Which shows what could happen here if LA ever gets serious about building a safe, connected network to get riders where they need to go.

After much debate, Toronto votes to install physically separated cycle tracks on a major street on a trial basis.

The head of Great Britain’s cycling organization resigns following accusations of sexism. Meanwhile, a writer for the Telegraph says without greater transparency, the scandal risks spreading to the country’s cycling team. Thanks to David Wolfberg for the heads-up.

A new theft-resistant bike light currently raising funds on Kickstarter is built into the handlebars, requiring someone to dismantle your bike to steal it. Which never stopped any committed thief before.

A London writer says ditch the Lycra because it’s bad for the soul and almost no one looks good in it. No one says you have to wear spandex, just as no one should tell you not to; what works for one rider and one type of riding doesn’t make it right or wrong for anyone else. So get over it, already.

Evidently not satisfied with merely running bike riders over, the head of Britain’s Ryanair says cyclists should be taken out and shot because bike lane construction interferes with parking his car. No, really. And at a conference sponsored by the US Embassy, no less. I’d say more, but I can’t figure out how to react to his comments without using words like “f***ing,” “twit” and “jackass.” Thanks to Erik Griswold for the link.

 

Finally…

Seriously, no matter how pissed off you get, don’t beat a driver and his car with your U-lock. Evidently, you can forget how to ride a bike, after all.

And if you’re going to steal a bike, make sure you wear shoes that will stay on — and leave the cocaine at home.

 

Category: Morning Links, The business of bikes / Tags: , , ,

Morning Links: Uproar over dope-tinged Strava KOMS, a bike lane by any other name, and Nessie viewing by bike

April 19, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Uproar over dope-tinged Strava KOMS, a bike lane by any other name, and Nessie viewing by bike

No major stories today, so let’s just get right to it.

Local

The Times looks at the uproar over Strava KOMs held by convicted PED dealer Nicholas Brandt-Sorenson.

The NoHo Arts District is looking for participants for the Reseda Arts Walk this June, including the possibility of a bike ride if anyone wants to put one together.

CiclaValley rides up the old Mount Wilson Toll Road in the heart of the San Gabriel Mountains.

 

State

Just Another Cyclist chats with US track sprinter, Team Novo Nordisk member and lifelong Type 1 diabetic Mandy Marquardt.

A champion Mixed Martial Arts fighter teams with a group of volunteers to give away 70 bicycles to needy families in Lucerne Valley, as well as feeding 200 people and providing complimentary haircuts.

Ebikes race for the first time at the Sea Otter Classic, for no apparent reason.

A Merced candidate for mother of the year flees the scene after running down a cyclist in front of multiple witnesses — including an off-duty cop — with her three-year old daughter in the car, sans child seat, of course.

Caught on video: A San Francisco bike thief uses power tools to steal a bike in broad daylight in front of multiple witnesses. And as usual, no one seems to notice or care.

Marin County attempts to bypass the usual bikelash by renaming bike lanes as “stripped shoulders” in a coming road reconfiguration.

I want to be like him when I grow up. A Sonoma Valley triathlete is still training for the future at age 78. I mean, besides the whole running and swimming part.

Seriously? A Chico woman starts a petition to halt planned safety improvements on the city’s Esplanade in order to preserve the street’s “historic integrity.” Evidently, dangerously auto-centric streets are now cultural artifacts.

 

National

Portland researchers are attempting to establish standards for the safest intersection designs for bicyclists.

Seattle demonstrates the wisdom of building protected bike lanes quickly, going from temporary paint and bollards to permanent planter barriers in just four months.

My hometown continues to get better for bikes by sacrificing business parking to convert what was once a risky route through town into a bike friendly street. Sadly, it only comes a few decades too late for me. Although the story does mention the joint where my mandolin maestro brother plays bluegrass from time to time.

Wisconsin police bust an off-campus bike chop shop plundering students at a local university.

Boston bicyclists have their own equivalent of the Marathon Crash Ride in the dark hours before the Boston Marathon.

High-end hair stylist Frédéric Fekkai is one of us, fracturing his wrist when he fell off his bike not far from Poughkeepsie NY.

A staff columnist for the student newspaper at North Carolina State U, who apparently has never ridden one, says bicycling is the worst form of transportation, in part because he has personally seen two bike wrecks; apparently he’s never seen cars collide. Thanks to former Bicycling Magazine editor-in-chief Peter Flax for the link.

This is the cost of driving under the influence. An Atlanta driver was allegedly high when he hit a car, then jumped the curb and hit three young boys riding their bikes on the sidewalk, killing one and leaving the other two in critical condition.

 

International

An expert in office space and productivity advices businesses to prioritize walking and bicycling facilities and forget about cars to maintain a productive workspace.

Cycling Weekly offers six tips on how to properly wear a cycling cap. Or you could just wear one any way you damn well want, which is what style is all about.

The union representing pro cyclists calls for a lifetime ban for anyone caught motor doping, while bike racing’s governing body seems confident they can catch them. Even though they apparently haven’t done too well so far.

Cycling legend the Cannibal says allowing disc brakes in the peloton was irresponsible and life-threatening.

The forgiving husband of a fallen London cyclist makes a successful plea to keep the distracted truck driver who killed her out of prison; the driver didn’t see her because he was too busy “tidying up” his cab.

Madonna is one of us, as she takes her mountain bike for a paparazzi-plagued spin through the streets of London.

Scotland’s first bikeshare program is mothballed due to a lack of interest.

A $100 Swedish clip-on rechargeable motor converts any bike into an ebike.

Not surprisingly, the New Zealand hotel that banned Lycra at breakfast is facing backlash online. But not backing down.

Seven weeks after they took effect, no one really seems to know what impact the draconian new bike laws in Australia’s New South Wales have had.

 

Finally…

This pedal-powered minicar may be a lot of things, but a bicycle, it ain’t. If you’re going to take your ebike out for a spin, try to do it sober.

And you can see a lot of things on a bike you might not notice from a car. Like the Loch Ness monster, for instance.

………

Thanks to Patti Andre for her generous donation to support this site; Monday was the fourth anniversary of the collision that took her brother’s life as he waited at a Palm Springs traffic light.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,

Morning Links: Even more bike racing news, fix LA traffic by biking to school, and FL gets serious about bikeways

April 10, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Even more bike racing news, fix LA traffic by biking to school, and FL gets serious about bikeways

Once again, there’s just too much bike racing in the news.

In a huge upset, Aussie journeyman domestique Mathew Hayman claims a surprise victory in Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix classic; the 37-year old rider says he’s proof dreams can come true. And that he’s sorry he won.

Britain’s Ian Stannard becomes the first rider from his country to podium at Paris-Roubaix, while Cycloscross Magazine looks at how cross riders fared in the race. Deadspin calls it a day in hell, but Vavel says it was one of the best Roubaix races in modern times.

And you have to see Peter Sagan put those bike skills to work by simply riding over another rider’s bike after a mass crash.

On the other hand, another bike race, another cyclist injured by a race moto.

Meanwhile, Alberto Contador says not so fast on those retirement plans after winning his fourth Tour of the Basque Country title.

British Olympic cycling gold medalist Laura Trott says the growth in women’s cycling is incredible.

Speaking of which, 41-year old Kristin Armstrong won the women’s title in the Redlands Classic, finishing 33 seconds ahead of defending champ Mara Abbott, who was riding with a broken collarbone; Matteo Dal-Cin wins for the men.

The pros weren’t the only ones competing, as over 600 children got their chance to ride across the finish line. As part of the Classic, people with disabilities learned how to ride adaptive bicycles.

And hundreds of local families have to say goodbye to the riders they’ve been hosting for the last week.

………

Local

An OpEd for the Times suggests four easy fixes for LA Traffic, including biking or walking to school. Which is now illegal at one Texas school.

New Echo Park Adult Literacy Coordinator Richard Risemberg complains about LA’s disconnected bike network, noting that bike riders have to keep going even when the bike lane ends. Which it usually does. And congrats to Rick on the new gig.

As if there wasn’t enough drama on the streets, a Beverly Hills play centers on the death of a London cyclist in 1958.

Metro CEO Phil Washington makes a surprise appearance at an El Monte workshop to explain plans for the new transportation tax.

Long Beach will hold an open house to discuss their new bike master plan on Thursday.

 

State

In a seriously cringe-worthy incident, a San Clement BMX rider was impaled in the abdomen when the seat came off his bike.

The Desert Sun says a planned Palm Springs road diet is likely to annoy the local anti-bike contingent, but isn’t likely to affect many drivers. And really, isn’t annoying the bike haters what it’s all about?

A local charity gives a 13-year old Cathedral City boy with cerebral palsy a new adaptive bicycle.

A San Francisco orthopedist says love your bike, but leave it more often, because crosstraining is vital for cyclists.

 

National

When his bike lock won’t open, a Spokane man learns you can use bolt cutters to free your bike with patrons from a crowded restaurant looking on, and no one will care. Somehow, this is not comforting.

No bias here. A Montana letter writer says the tiny minority of thrill seeking cyclists shouldn’t be allowed in wilderness areas, because mountain bikers are incapable of riding safely.

A New Hampshire driver is fined just $2,000 and loses her license for a whole 90 days for killing an 83-year old bike rider. And she can get that back if she just makes an equal donation to Safe Routes to Schools. Evidently, the life of an old man isn’t worth much in the Granite State. At least not if he rides a bike.

Gun control advocates are riding from Newtown to DC to honor the children and teachers killed in the Sandy Hook shooting; the governor of Delaware will join them on the ride to help deliver a petition to Congress.

Philadelphia will invest $300,000 in a network of protected bike lanes.

A Columbia University student learns it can be challenging to review a bikeshare system if you don’t know how to ride a bike

Now that’s more like it. Florida establishes a $25 million annual fund for building bicycle trails, financed by vehicle registration fees; the money will be used to complete a coast-to-coast trail across the state, possibly followed by twin 800 mile trails from Pensacola to Key West on either coast.

 

International

Next time you’re in Tijuana, be sure to show up at a bike delivery-based vegan taco shop by bicycle to get a 15% discount.

Caught on video: An English woman lets it rip on YouTube about being treated like a second-class citizen just because she rides a bike.

The leader of Britain’s Labour Party is captured riding his bike on Google Street View.

Brit bike scribe and historian Carlton Reid explains to motorists that the reason bike riders don’t always use bike paths is because they’re usually terrible. Which is often the case here, as well.

Local residents threaten disruption and possible violence in response to a bike event in the UK next weekend. The best way to tell you’re dealing with NIMBYs is when they assure you they’re not NIMBYs. And violence? Seriously?

An Irish mother refuses to ride a bike and won’t let her children ride on the streets after she was knocked off hers by an aggressive cyclist; maybe she should talk to some Aussie women about overcoming their fears.

An Indian randonneur says cycling is an addiction for him; he owns a world record for riding across eleven Himalayan passes. Meanwhile, a small but growing group of women take up recreational riding in Mumbai.

 

Finally…

Practice is good, even if it means a bike cop face plant. If you’re going to run down a cyclist and chase him with a metal bar, try not to do it directly in front of the cops.

And don’t you dare take your hands off the handlebars in Cyprus.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , ,

Weekend Links: Bighearted people and too much racing news, and an ebike maker says Mexico’s gonna pay for it

April 9, 2016 / / 3 comments

Today’s common theme is bighearted people.

An 87-year old Chico man gets not one, but two bikes from generous donors after his is stolen from a Walmart parking lot.

Generous Oklahoma TV viewers not only gave a disabled girl a new bike when hers was stolen, they bought another for her disabled brother. And fixed the brakes on her mom’s car, and paid next month’s rent on the apartment where they live after losing their home when a crooked contractor ran off with their money.

A Minnesota cop gave a young girl a new bicycle after hers was stolen and damaged when someone wedged it into a tree.

………

Too much racing news today.

PRI says the legendary Paris-Roubaix race goes over the worst roads possible, while CiclaValley says it’s required watching this Sunday.

The bike races must go on, as Belgium collectively shrugs off the threat of terrorism following the Brussels bombings.

Deadspin calls it the one of the best victory celebrations in cycling history as Italy’s Diego Rosa got off his bike before the finish line on a solo breakaway, held it over his head and walked across with the peloton over three minutes behind.

Former world champ Philippe Gilbert suffered a broken finger when he and a teammate were attacked by a pair of drunks who got out of their car to confront them.

A sharp-eyed bike shop employee helps recover a stolen four-wheeled adaptive bicycle in time for a disabled Marine vet to participate in the Redlands Bicycle Classic. Meanwhile, another disabled rider is competing in his seventh Redlands Classic, ten years after he was felled by a stroke.

Organizers of the Redlands Classic do their best to minimize the race’s impact on local businesses.

The annual Sea Otter Classic starts Thursday in Monterey.

And a podcast looks at Tillie Anderson and the fight for women’s place in bike racing —  a battle that’s been building since the 1890s. Although that looks like a very uncomfortable bike fit.

………

This Trump-inspired ebike video cracked me up. Especially the line “Mexico is gonna pay for it.”

………

Local

The Times asks Facebook users which streets are most in need of bike lanes. And of course, it immediately devolves into accusations of freeloading, scofflaw cyclists and stealing precious road space from motor vehicles. Don’t you just love social media?

Metro reminds us of the rules for taking bikes on their buses and trains.

Chris Brown and Benny Benassi ride their bikes along an oddly empty Strand in Hermosa Beach, as bikini-clad women writhe on the beach for some unexplained reason.

 

State

A new project to enhance the southern entrance to Corona del Mar will widen sidewalks and add landscaping, but fails to improve bike access despite community support.

A North San Diego County news group says painted lines are not enough after the Encinitas City Council votes to put a bikeway along Highway 101, rather than next to a rail line; another local paper likes both the result and the harmonious discussion.

A Coronado program takes a more positive approach to scofflaw riding by rewarding bike riders for obeying the law.

A Cathedral City letter writer says the traffic signals required for a proposed 50-mile bikeway around the Coachella Valley will cause traffic delays and more pollution.

SLO police use a bait bike to bust a transient bike thief.

More bad news from the central coast, as a 53-year Salinas old bike rider was killed in a collision on Thursday.

 

National

People for Bikes examines why the ride just outside your front door could be the best bike ride ever.

All of the sudden, the Dutch cargo bike that converts from bicycle with a kids seat to a stroller has millions of moms talking.

A free bikeshare program in Cheyenne WY proves a hit in its first week. Seriously, if bikeshare can succeed in cowboy country, it will work anywhere.

Coon Rapids MN goes for parking over bike lanes, and can’t even decide to paint sharrows to designate an already existing but unmarked bike trail.

 

International

Triple Pundit looks at a group of bike trail projects around the world they say are an urban cyclist’s dream.

Vancouver unveils its prototype bikeshare bike, which does look kind of cool; the system is scheduled to start this summer.

When Calgary built out an entire network of bikeways all at once, bike counts on those routes jumped 95% in just three months.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that over half of all British motorists confess to becoming more aggressive when they drive. The number here would likely be much lower. But only because American drivers probably wouldn’t admit to it.

A British QC — a senior lawyer appointed by the Queen (and yes, I had to look that up) — says juries are too eager to acquit dangerous drivers who injure or kill someone who isn’t in a motor vehicle.

A London truck driver gets just five months for the death of a cyclist that could have been avoided if the driver had used his turn signals and checked his mirror.

An Englishman says a new bike path has ruined his life by destroying the view outside his apartment and keeping him up with lights that stay on all night. Although the landscaping hasn’t been put in yet since it was just finished, and they’re waiting on programming to automatically dim the lights. Thanks to David Wolfberg for the heads-up.

Athens gets its first bikeshare station; it’s free for the first half hour, and 50 cents every half hour after that.

Caught on video: An Australian rider’s bike is run over by an SUV — whose driver doesn’t stop — while trying to undertake the car as it turns onto a roundabout; police blame the guy on the bike.

Not really caught on video: An Aussie cyclist apparently catches a tow on an 18-wheeler, although the video stops before he grabs ahold and starts up again after he lets go.

 

Finally…

When you’re already driving a stolen pickup, probably not the best idea to toss a GPS-enabled bait bike into the back. No, seriously, stealing a bike is nothing to brag about.

And there’s nothing wrong with operating a business out of your home, unless it’s running a successful bike theft ring.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,
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