Tag Archive for just the links

Morning Links: Sierra Club endorses in Tuesday CC election, and results from Redlands Bicycle Classic

April 8, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Sierra Club endorses in Tuesday CC election, and results from Redlands Bicycle Classic

Just a quick update today after a far too busy yesterday.

Not to mention I’m in mourning after my DU Pioneers lost in the semifinals of the Frozen Four.

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The Sierra Club endorses Daniel Lee, Councilwoman Meghan Sahli-Wells, and Thomas Small in Tuesday’s Culver City election.

Which corresponds perfectly with Bike the Vote LA’s ranking of the candidates.

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Defending women’s champ Mara Abbott won Thursday’s stage of the Redlands Bicycle Classic despite suffering a possible broken clavicle in a fall; unknown 22-year old Colorado rider Sepp Kuss won the men’s stage.

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Local

The Times says building a bike lane will finally get easier when the state gets around to writing to CEQA rules to correspond with a change in the law eliminating the requirement for an environmental review for one.

A Manhattan Beach man is riding across the country to raise $10,000 for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.

This year’s edition of Finish the Ride rolls through Griffith Park this Sunday. And yes, there’s free beer for every adult rider.

Also Sunday, you’re invited to ride through Northeast LA with the LAPD’s senior lead officers for the area. This would be a great time to bring up the need for better bike and pedestrian infrastructure in the area, especially on North Figueroa.

 

State

A state appeals court rules that a convicted drunk driver can withdraw his guilty plea for killing a seven-year old Fresno boy as he rode in a crosswalk with his family. Apparently, he wasn’t satisfied with his well-deserved 12-year prison term.

Fat bikes are gaining popularity among Sonoma County cyclists.

 

National

April is Distracted Driver Awareness Month. Something few bike riders actually need a month to be aware of.

Momentum Magazine looks at nine examples where bike infrastructure had a positive impact on cities and their local economies.

A new study says sleep deprived teenagers take more chances, such as riding a bike without a helmet.

Plans for a Portland bike trail are in jeopardy because of fears it will harm wildlife, while a Portland paper looks at attempts to open wilderness trails to mountain bikes.

A Oregon bicyclist is looking for the stranger who saved him when he became disoriented after a fall.

A Seattle cyclist proposes building a protected bike lane on a busy Interstate highway through the downtown area.

A Pee-Wee Herman-ish Flagstaff AZ bike rider says it’s time to take over the city council to make the city bike friendly.

A Wisconsin teenager apologizes from behind bars to the family of the cyclist she killed while driving a car in 2012, when she was just 13 years old.

A six year old Georgia boy was accidently shot by a friend as he rode his bike.

 

International

Business Insider talks to British world champ Lizzie Armistead, who has been torching the women’s cycling circuit this year. But despite the headline, as amazing as she is, she is not the world’s fastest pro cyclist.

The Guardian asks why so few British frame makers are women. A better question is why are there so few women bike builders anywhere.

A writer for Bike Biz says the shortfall in bicycling infrastructure is hitting women the hardest.

Cycling Weekly asks if Rapha is one of the UK’s biggest cycling success stories, or just a triumph of branding.

Nothing like getting doored by a London cop.

At least that’s perseverance. After a Brit bike rider is escorted off a freeway leading to Heathrow Airport by police, he gets back on the freeway and does it again.

If you’re not doing anything this June, how about a three-day bike race through the Kalahari desert?

A teenage bike rider hopefully learned the error of his ways when he groped a Kiwi kickboxer.

 

Finally…

At least no LA bike path has ever been closed on account of Wapati. Maybe Boaty McBoatface isn’t the best name after all.

And a proposed amendment to a bill repealing Nebraska’s requirement for cyclists to use sidepaths when available would require cyclists to use sidepaths when available; thanks to Mark Elliot for the heads-up.

Just politics as usual.

 

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

Morning Links: It’s a video Thursday, with a scofflaw LA BMX tour, rotating jazz bike and a knockout kick

April 7, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: It’s a video Thursday, with a scofflaw LA BMX tour, rotating jazz bike and a knockout kick

Let’s make this a video Thursday.

Watch BMX rider Nigel Sylvester ride salmon on Broadway, nearly run people off the sidewalk and litter on Skid Row in a fast-paced tour of the City of Angels. Thanks to Mike Wilkinson for the heads-up.

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See a Brazilian jazz band perform inside a rotating, pedal-powered giant wheel.

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A cyclist in an undetermined country defends himself against a pushy antagonist, knocking the man out with a single kick before riding away.

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Local

Congrats to LADOT for winning a National Planning Award for their successful People Street program, which is responsible for dozens of plazas, parklets and bike corrals.

The Eastsider asks the seemingly eternal question of when that flood control barrier blocking the LA River bike path will finally come down.

Mark your calendar for your nearest public meeting to discuss Metro’s proposed 2016 transportation ballot measure.

KPCC looks at the push to use the word crash instead of accident to describe collisions in order to emphasize driver responsibility.

You’re invited to examine the new Long Beach Bicycle Master Plan at a public open house one week from today.

 

State

Twenty-five-year old Cuban rider Ruben Companioni wins the first stage of the Redlands Classic.

Fresno deputies surprise a 10-year old girl with a new bike after hers was stolen in a burglary last month.

Sad news from Turlock, as a bike rider died after being stuck by two vehicles; the first driver stopped, while the second fled the scene.

Once again, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is hiring a new Executive Director. Although you might want to know why the last one quit before taking the job.

 

National

New stats from the US Department of Transportation show over 86% of bikeshare stations in the US extend the reach of transit systems by connecting to another form of transit.

A new theft-resistant, app-enabled ebike unlocks automatically when you touch the frame.

Men’s Journal says this is the most comfortable saddle you can get for under $100.

The founder of Angie’s List says maintain your bike.

A writer on LinkedIn explains to CEOs why bicycling is good for their companies.

Co.Exist says cities keep installing sharrows because they’re fast and cheap, even if they don’t improve safety.

In the latest marketing gaff from Specialized, the company apologizes for putting up posters saying “Better bikes come from better bike shops” on a boarded-up non-Specialized dealer, after it was closed following a gas explosion. And offers $1,000 to make up for it.

Legislation under consideration in Vermont would require drivers to give cyclists a four-foot passing distance, and yield to cyclists before turning. But it would also require riders to stick to the edge of the pavement, allowing them to move towards the center of the lane only when the shoulder is unsafe.

A Rhode Island bike advocacy group is building a Bike Barn on a vacant lot to house their offices and a bike co-op.

The New York City council finally puts its money where its mouth is, considering a significant increase in funding for Vision Zero projects. Let’s hope LA follows their example.

In today’s alliterative news, a Baltimore man got a bullet in the butt thanks to a bike rider.

 

International

Bike racing’s governing body will meet next week to discuss the dangers of race motorcycles. And talking is probably all they’ll do.

Women in the UK get on their bikes to encourage other women to ride.

As if dodging dangerous drivers wasn’t bad enough, a British delivery driver was felled by a window pane falling from 21-stories up.

A Brit anti-doping scientist claims he would have caught Lance a lot sooner. Only if his test could somehow uncover collusion with cycling officials to hide the results.

Seville, Spain cuts car use 27% in just ten years, as bike modal share rises to nine percent. Tell that to the next person who says increasing bike use in LA won’t improve traffic congestion.

A San Francisco woman touring India would rather ride her bike in the daytime heat than battle the country’s traffic.

An Emirati writer suggests cycling in the early morning or after dark to avoid the country’s blistering heat.

An Australian website says most Queensland drivers are giving bicyclists the required 1 meter passing distance, which rises to 1.5 meters when the speed limit is above 37 mph; the law will be made permanent following a successful two-year trial.

 

Finally…

If you’re going to ride under the influence, try not to crash into a police car. And the only requirements for a popular bike club are ride a bike and don’t be an ass.

Which probably counts me out.

 

Category: Bike Cam Video, Morning Links / Tags: , , ,

Weekend Links: Give your input on Vision Zero; LA Weekly questions the LA River bike path’s big Metro budget

March 26, 2016 / / 3 comments

Let’s just get right to it today.

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Local

Los Angeles Vision Zero wants your input on how the city should prioritize projects that address roadway collisions.

The LA Weekly questions why Metro has budgeted $425 million to complete the LA River Bike Path by 2025. It’s fair to question the price tag. Which is not to say it isn’t worth it; completing the 51-mile bikeway would do a lot more good than the $1 billion spent to widen the 405 for no apparent reason.

CiclaValley offers video evidence of just why protected bike lanes are needed on Spring and Main Streets in DTLA.

Instagram star and gambler Dan Bilzerian has to start his $1.2 million ride from LA to Las Vegas by the end of this month, and complete the ride within 48 hours to win the bet; he’s gotten coaching from Lance and spent $125,000 to get his multiple bikes and crew of 17 ready.

Downtown’s Just Ride LA is hosting a Bike 101 workshop starting at 11:30 this morning.

LAist looks at the inaugural 17-mile 626 Golden Streets coming to the San Gabriel Valley this June.

 

State

A Santa Ana bike rider was shot to death in an apparent gang-related drive-by; another man on foot was killed shortly later. And yet another man was shot while riding his bike in San Bernardino County.

An Escondido bike rider was seriously injured in a collision with an SUV after allegedly riding through a red light; police suspect the victim had been drinking.

Pardee Homes partners with the San Diego Mountain Bike Association to develop an off-road trail in Del Mar Mesa.

San Jacinto resident Luis Aranda Llamas will be sentenced in May after pleading guilty to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the death of 55-year old Matthew Carp as he rode in a Menifee bike lane; compounding the tragedy, Carp’s son took his own life after his father was killed.

Ventura students call for justice in the double hit-and-run death of 14-year old bike rider Jonathan Hernandez. Thanks to Anthony Navarro for the heads-up.

A Salinas man is hit by an SUV just 28 miles into his plan to ride at least 40 miles a day for 40 days to raise money for the homeless.

 

National

A new safety vest responds to your voice commands to signal your turns.

Bikeshare is expanding around the US, but often needs public subsidies to survive. Sort of like every other form of transportation, including private cars.

Bicycling lists 16 bike movies besides Breaking Away.

Bighearted Reno firefighters fix a boy’s bike after he was hit by a car while riding to school.

This is why people continue to die on our streets. An Illinois driver gets six years for running down a cyclist while driving under the influence — after four previous arrests for DUI, resulting in two convictions.

Chicagoist offers a beginner’s guide to biking on the mean streets of the Windy City. Which apply pretty much anywhere else, as well.

A Massachusetts bike trail is being redesigned to make it safe and informative for blind and visually impaired riders.

LA has Critical Mass on the last Friday of the month; Baltimore has the Baltimore Bike Party.

After a North Carolina state trooper responded to a collision involving a boy on a bicycle, he teamed with his wife and father to give helmets to 40 kids.

 

International

A London writer tosses political correctness — and logic — aside in claiming cyclists and their powerful backers are destroying the city. Evidently, it’s bikes, not cars, that cause pollution, and somehow, making space for bicycles on the roads makes it impossible for others to walk on the sidewalk.

The Guardian says there’s a fine line between bending cycling’s rules and breaking them; a Reno masters rider is just the latest to cross it.

Bike riders in the Netherlands will need bike registration and a helmet for any e-bike capable of speeds over 15 mph.

So much for that screaming Kiwi driver who went ballistic after getting stuck behind a group of cyclists; turns out she was an actress hired to do a voiceover for the video.

The Aussie man who took out an ad looking for the owner of the bike he stole for a drunken ride home actually found her.

A new network of inner-city Auckland, New Zealand bike paths have proven to be even more popular than anticipated; 30% of the riders on one pathway are new to bicycling.

 

Finally…

Is it the perfect first mile/last mile solution, or just a grown-up balance bike? Evidently, dark chocolate is a performance enhancing drug.

And ET, ride home!

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,

Morning Links: Entrada Drive to get a little narrower, a call for safer driving, and your next bike may not need you

March 13, 2016 / / 3 comments

Are bicyclists about to lose their place on Entrada Drive?

Cyclist Guy Seay forwards notice of a plan to install a much needed sidewalk on Entrada Drive as it winds along the hillside between Santa Monica and Los Angeles on its way to the coast.

Entrada Notice

But as he points out, the plan calls for narrowing the roadway three feet, potentially taking up the excess space that keeps slow moving riders — as shown in this short video — from having to take the lane in front of drivers headed up the short, steep hill.

It couldn’t hurt to slow drivers down, going uphill and down; I’ve frequently had to dodge drivers who take the corner too fast. And narrowing the roadway could do that.

But lets hope they’ve taken the needs of the many bike riders who use that route to connect the bike lanes on San Vicente Blvd with PCH and the beachfront bike path into account, as well.

Update: A comment from Mark, who lives near Entrada, says he’s been involved in the planning process, and that there will be room for bikes in both directions after the project is finished. 

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Local

The wife of a South Bay cyclist asks drivers to remember that the bike rider in the lane ahead of them is someone’s husband, wife or child, and thanks an LAX cop for taking it on himself to keep riders safe.

The Hollywood Reporter reviews the new documentary about the Eastside’s own Ovarian Psychos Bicycle Brigade as it premiers at South by Southwest.

The LACBC wants you to nominate someone to join their diversity team as a supported rider for this year’s Climate Ride.

 

State

Local residents complain about the planned location of an Ojai bike park, citing the possibility of noise and yes, the loss of parking. Because cars are more important than giving kids a safe place to ride, right?

A San Francisco columnist crawls inside Lance Armstrong’s brain by moderating a conversation with America’s greatest ex-Tour de France winner, and says Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth had nothing on him.

A Marin columnist says the solution to Bay Area traffic congestion is to not give people any alternatives to driving, by voting against all regional measures, as well as politicians who support an admittedly expensive bikeway across the Bay Bridge.

Two Sausalito woman are under arrest for a drunken hit-and-run that injured a cyclist; they stopped their minivan a few miles away to switch seats in an apparent attempt to cover up who was behind the wheel, even though police say they were both under the influence.

When a writer says Portland should use it for a role model for bicycling, you know Davis is doing something right.

 

National

A writer with the Frontier Group says bicycling isn’t the answer to global warming, but it can be a tool for transformation to lead cities toward the next steps in de-carbonization.

Tucson cyclists are reporting near misses to collect data to improve safety.

So much for that bill requiring Iowa drivers to change lanes to pass bicyclists; it died in a legislative committee, even though 70% of Iowans support the measure.

A Philadelphia professor says it’s time for drivers to stop treating bicyclists like vehicles, and start treating them like they would pedestrians.

Will Smith is one of us, at least in his new movie shooting now in the Big Apple.

 

International

More anti-bike terrorism, as someone booby trapped an English bike path by stringing barbed wire at neck level.

Welshman Geraint Thomas is the winner of this year’s Paris-Nice stage race, beating Alberto Contador by just four seconds.

An 87-year old Spanish driver is under arrest for slamming his SUV into a group of cyclists without stopping, then driving on to a nearby restaurant where he finally reported the wreck.

An Australian bicycling group develops a code of etiquette to encourage cyclists to ride “impeccably” so they won’t piss off motorists and pedestrians. Which of course says nothing about drivers who can’t seem to see the rider in the lane directly in front of them, let alone what can be done about it.

Not even Superman uses a phone booth anymore. So Thailand is converting them to bike repair stations.

Bicycle tourism is bringing benefits to the people and economy of an Indonesian island.

 

Finally…

Apparently, a bicycle makes an effective getaway vehicle if you’re going to steal an electric guitar from a Chinatown music shop. So if bike counters are triggered by the metal of a passing bike, does that mean riders on carbon and bamboo bikes don’t count?

And who needs a bike rider when your e-bike can ride itself?

 

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

Morning Links: New women’s hour record, Ed Begley Jr. bikes the Oscars, and no more $10k tech bikes

February 29, 2016 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: New women’s hour record, Ed Begley Jr. bikes the Oscars, and no more $10k tech bikes

She did it.

American cyclist Evelyn Stevens not only broke the hour record, she shattered it, beating the women’s record set just last month by nearly seven-tenths of a mile.

The former Wall Street analyst, who was 25-years old before she raced for the first time, rode 29.81 miles in 60 minutes, setting the record just seven years after she turned pro.

By comparison, the men’s record, held by British pro Bradley Wiggins, is roughly 4 miles further.

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Once again, Ed Begley Jr. rode his bike to the Oscars from his Burbank home, carrying his tux in his pannier and changing once he arrived.

You can read his live tweets from the ride and during the ceremony on his Twitter page.

And when he’s not getting chewed on by bears, new Best Actor winner Leonardo DiCaprio is one of us, too.

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Local

Richard Risemberg says it’s easy to get bike racks installed in Los Angeles.

LAist asks what could possibly go wrong by renting bikeshare bikes to tourists in the Biking Black Hole of Beverly Hills without adding bike lanes on major streets. The good news is, Cedars-Sinai is just a few minutes away.

The Glendale News-Press offers a good look at LACBC local chapter Walk Bike Glendale’s efforts to hand out free bike lights to lightless riders as part of the coalition’s Operation Firefly.

Whittier rallies around the Tricycle Man, after the well-known local man’s adult trike is destroyed in a left cross collision; over $12,000 has been raised for a new bike, far surpassing the original $1,000 goal. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the link.

CORBA will offer a free mountain bike skills seminar at Malibu Creek State Park this Saturday.

 

State

California approves $133 million for 59 trail projects and separated bikeways in the new budget.

A San Marcos flood-control project intended to revitalize the city’s downtown area will include a bike and pedestrian pathway on the levee above San Marcos Creek, along with bike lanes across two new bridges.

Times are hard in Silicon Valley, as tech start-ups are giving away fewer $10,000 custom-made bikes as signing bonuses.

Sacramento cyclists flock to examine the bikes and gear at the 12th annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show. Lucky bastards. We either need to find a way to get the show down here, or get me up there.

 

National

A Seattle artist offers some nice illustrations of downtown bike messengers and delivery people.

More proof bicycling is good for you. A Nebraska man lost 136 pounds over three years by walking and biking, making a planned lap-band surgery unnecessary.

Members of a Texas cycling team were lucky to walk away after eight of the twelve riders were hit, and three injured, when they were left-crossed by a van driver. Thanks to Steve Katz for the heads-up.

After a Texas rider complained about a close pass by another rider on a bike path, the second cyclist responded by pulling a gun on him.

Great idea. A Wisconsin after-school program teaches bike maintenance to middle school students. I’m told Orange County’s Bicycle Tree offers a similar program; thanks to Calvin Design for the tip.

A Vermont OpEd bizarrely insists a road diet will make cyclists more vulnerable because no one have been killed on that particular street yet, while suggesting bike riders are safer on pathways and sidewalks, even if that means paving the latter over.

A New Jersey paper provides a very auto-centric guest column from a Hoboken minister who seems to forget that God loves those who don’t drive, too.

 

International

The Canadian government concludes truck side guards don’t save lives after all, despite widespread acceptance overseas.

More outrage from the UK, as a man takes up six train seats for himself and his bike. I think we can all agree it’s boorish behavior. But I wonder if anyone politely asked him to move his bike so they could sit?

Who needs bikeshare when you’ve got a bike bank? A British program loans bicycles to anyone who needs one.

Apparently upset at a collision with a sidewalk riding cyclist, an angry English pedestrian takes it out on the rider’s bike.

A Parisian family revives a line of hand-made, high-end bicycles that once counted Marlene Dietrich, Maurice Chevalier, Edith Piaf and Josephine Baker as customers; the standard model will set you back $12,000, while an e-bike runs $17,000. Thus pricing beyond the reach of most tech startups.

Residents of a Mumbai neighborhood demand a cycle track.

Two hundred Aussie riders strip down for what was billed as the final Melbourne edition of the World Naked Bike Ride.

Caught on video: A rear-view dashcam captures a cyclist knocked down in a violent hit-and-run; fortunately, the victim walked away with just some nasty road rash.

An Australian writer evidently thinks their equivalent of a three-foot passing law means bicyclists have to stay that far from cars, as well. And that if you give cyclists a meter, they’ll take a kilometer.

 

Finally…

Who needs a weather balloon when you have a bicycle? At last, a bike for people the rest of us have to look up to.

And apparently, driving a car 280 miles a week and not riding a bike since you were 12 makes a person an expert on bike safety.

 

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

Morning Links: A moving look at Dave Mirra and the need to succeed, and bike racers get blown and disinvited

February 9, 2016 / / 2 comments

Let’s just jump right in today.

Triathlete Jordan Rapp writes movingly about the suicide of BMX legend Dave Mirra, and the emptiness that comes with a constant need to excel at the highest level.

Rapp himself was nearly killed in a collision with a Camarillo hit-and-run driver in 2010, and survived only because a passing stranger saved his life. Yet came back just eight months later to nearly podium in the Ironman Arizona triathlon.

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Even in the off season, it’s hard to get away from racing news.

Let’s start with word that motor doping may have been going on a lot longer than anyone realized, as a video surfaces of an electric motor hidden in a 1970’s era road bike.

American cycling great Evelyn Stevens will attempt to set a new women’s hour record at the Olympic training center velodrome in Colorado Springs CO at the end of this month.

Russia, which appears to have returned to its Soviet-era state-sponsored doping, takes a page from the Lance/Lloyd playbook by denying any problems in its cycling program.

The world’s number one ranked cycling team gets treated like number two, as they’re disinvited from the Tour of Qatar for demonstrating a lack of respect — by taking too long to get dressed and walk to the podium.

And sometimes bike racing blows, as wind knocks cyclists competing in a Spanish race off their bikes. Thanks to joninsocal for the link

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Local

Here’s a warning for anyone riding Mulholland Highway, as a motorcycle site reports someone may be sabotaging the roadway by pouring oil on curves. That could pose a real danger for bicyclists as well, especially on fast descents.

Glendale residents discuss what changes they want for local parks; one calls for a bikeway along the Verdugo Wash.

The latest podcast from Streetsblog’s Damien Newton discusses Pasadena parklets and Complete Streets on Las Tunas Drive in Temple City.

Metro suggests 16 places you’ll be able to explore once the Gold Line extension opens, including the Duarte Bike Path and Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area. Or spice up your ride with a visit to the Sriracha factory.

 

State

You only have until end of business day today to offer comments on Caltrans plans to close eight miles of Highway 101 through San Luis Obispo County to bicyclists, cutting off a key route for bike tourists without providing any alternative.

When paving engineers work in a different department from city planners, the result can be dangerous for cyclists, as a recent Berkeley collision shows.

Sad news from Sacramento, as a bike rider was killed by a driver heading back to a Super Bowl party; somehow, the victim “came out of nowhere” despite being in the roadway. Seriously, no one, ever, comes out of nowhere; the question is why the driver failed to see him.

 

National

A Seattle writer tries to connect the dots to say there’s a vast bikeshare conspiracy in the city.

A Las Vegas paper looks at the city’s coming bikeshare program in the downtown area.

Tres shock! An El Paso TV station catches a pair of cyclists running a red light to catch up to their riding partner, who made it through on the green. Although you have to wonder how many scofflaw drivers they might have caught by leaving their camera running at the same location.

A $9,000 investment in enclosed showers and a camping area for cyclists helped save a Montana town at the crossroads of two major bike touring routes.

A Cincinnati protected bike lane comes under attack before it can even be finished, despite support from neighborhood councils.

Wisconsin legislators nix a plan for a contraflow bike lane through the Capital Square in Madison; instead, bike riders have to keeping going all the way around the square and up a hill.

Over 20% of residents in three DC districts commute by bike, pointing the out the need for better bikeways through the city.

A Virginia epilepsy foundation wants to eliminate bicycle collisions resulting in death or serious brain injury. So naturally, they tell kids to wear helmets, rather than urging people to drive safely.

Just weeks after a man rode one of New York’s Citi Bike bikeshare bikes across the US, a former Spice Girl evidently rode one all the way to Miami Beach. Or maybe the Daily Mail just has no idea what city they’re actually in.

 

International

London businesses overwhelmingly support a proposed new cycle superhighway through the city. Meanwhile, a London cop is caught on video taking advantage of one of the city’s cycle superhighways to bypass traffic with his emergency lights flashing. Which could be an argument for bikeways, since people often raise imaginary fears of emergency vehicles stuck in traffic to argue against them.

A British bicycling website sings the praises of bananas, calling them a superfood that proves God is a cyclist.

Not even the mayor of London can bike past security at a top secret high-end fundraiser ball for Britain’s Conservative Party.

Remarkably, no one was seriously hurt when a speeding Irish driver tried to pass a group of cyclists on a training ride, only to realize too late there was an island in the middle of the road and cut back in, hitting several riders; one rider was reportedly thrown 75 feet through the air.

South African police stress that bikes are not allowed on a freeway after a drunk driver plows into a group of 30 cyclists on a training ride, killing two.

Australian police issue 806 tickets in a three-week bicycle safety crackdown, only 89 of which went to motorists. And even then, mostly for driving or parking in a bike lane. If half of all safety violations involve riding without a helmet, maybe it’s the law, not the behavior, that has to change.

More proof bicyclists face the same problems everywhere, as a cyclist in the Philippines regrets her reaction but refuses to apologize to the driver who harassed her for riding in the traffic lane.

 

Finally…

Seriously, don’t go off on someone in a wheelchair when she asks you to move into the street so she can get by. If you really want to see that video of a Brit cab driver whacking off while he reads a porn magazine, feel free. Or you can just read about it, which seems like a much better alternative.

And for the equivalent of just $56,000, you can own a 92-year old British bike shop once bombed by the Luftwaffe.

 

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

Morning Links: Close encounter with a sidewalk cyclist, football players ride among us, and some bikes used for evil

February 8, 2016 / / 6 comments

My wife got hit by a bike rider yesterday.

We were walking back from brunch on a Sunset Blvd sidewalk, when we heard a bike bell from behind.

I quickly moved off to the side with our dog. But before my wife could figure out just where the rider was and which way to go, he zoomed past, brushing against her as he blew by.

And never looked back to see if she was okay.

Fortunately, she kept her balance and wasn’t hurt; it could have been much worse.

This is why I’m not a fan of bike bells. They tell you a bike is present, but the listener has to figure out first where the sound is coming from, and then what to do in response.

Make that mental calculation too slowly with the wrong rider, and you could end up on your ass.

Meanwhile, every bicyclist is equipped with a simple, yet effective means of letting people know where you are and what you intend to do.

Your voice.

It’s easy enough to politely say “excuse me,” and tell them you’re passing on their left or right. Politely being the key word.

Which brings up the question of courtesy, which is where this rider failed badly.

While he did the right thing by ringing his bell, he should have slowed down and waited for us to get out of the way. With the understanding that moving out of the way is a courtesy, not an obligation.

Sidewalks may be shared turf in LA, where riding on the sidewalk is legal, unlike many other cities in the area. But people on bikes have an obligation to ride safely and courteously around pedestrians, leaving plenty of room for the people on foot.

In other words, show the same courtesy to pedestrians you’d want drivers to show you on the street.

Another inch or two, and my wife could have been hurt badly. And we’d likely be looking for a hit-and-run cyclist, instead of just complaining about some jerk on a bike.

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A key member of the newly minted Super Bowl champs is one of us, even though he had to sit out the game. So is former Pro Bowl tight end and San Diego resident Kellen Winslow II.

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Bikes aren’t always used for good.

Bike-riding, mask-wearing German extremists torched or trashed 48 luxury cars to protest gentrification in Berlin.

And a suicide bomber on a bicycle killed eight people in Pakistan.

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Local

A pair of community groups help beautify a stretch of Jefferson Blvd near USC before bike lanes will be painted on the street in the coming weeks.

Pasadena proposes a road diet, wider sidewalks, parklets and reverse angled parking, but no bike lanes, on a stretch of Colorado Blvd east of Old Town.

The San Gabriel Valley Bicycle Education Center operated by Bike SGV has new extended hours.

 

State

A non-profit group is building a home for a San Diego Marine vet who lost his legs in Afghanistan, just months after he rode 3,000 miles across the US to raise funds to support wounded Marines and their families.

A century ride through the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park east of San Diego had 26 volunteers this year. And just three participants. Correction: There were actually 225 riders who rolled across the start line. Blame a misleading lede, cut off too soon by a paywall. Thanks to Bill Clare for the correction. 

Fontana receives $3 million for a north-south bike and pedestrian trail due to be completed in 2018.

Sad news from Santa Barbara, as a long-time advocate for the homeless was killed in an apparent solo fall, possibly brought on by a stroke; tragically, he had purchased the bike just hours before.

In a twist on the usual complaints from business owners about the loss of car traffic, merchants on a San Francisco street are urging the city to make a ban on cars permanent.

The beloved founder of a one-man Sacramento bicycle food delivery service is battling leukemia; local restaurants are stepping up to raise funds for his medical expenses.

 

National

The author who outed Lance says motor doping could spell the end of pro cycling.

Utah is making a successful effort to get federal funds for bicycling enhancements; Idaho, not so much. Speaking of Utah, a bike builder builds a new business model by offering their own customized bikes over the Internet for up to 40% less than comparable bikes.

A Minnesota woman finished third in a frozen fat-tire endurance race — despite pausing to breast feed at each stop.

New York considers letting bicyclists join pedestrians in getting a head start over motor vehicles at some key intersections.

Uber is taking over Gotham’s bike messenger business, accused of undercutting traditional courier services by not paying worker’s comp for its riders.

Opponents to a proposed DC bike lane say it’s an attempt to run black churches out of town, and tell bike riders to take their “pastime” to a park.

The Daily Mail reports BMX legend Dave Mirra was making plans for the future before he took his own life; the mayor of his North Carolina hometown suggests multiple brain injuries may have led to his depression.

 

International

A newly minted Newfoundland roadie discovers the joy of winter fat bike riding.

Bike Radar talks with the developer of the Laserlight that projects an image of a bicycle on the pavement in front of your bike.

Nice piece from a former London bike courier, who appreciates the boom in bicycling but misses having the streets to herself.

Evidently, British royalty-in-law Pippa Middleton is one hell of a cyclist if she can complete a 54-mile bike ride “in a matter of minutes.”

A Brit writer relives his childhood by teaching his six-year old son to ride a bike, with both calling it the best day of their lives.

No, really. A Pakistani paper says keep riding because it makes your skin glow. So does riding through a nuclear plant.

Aussie merchants lament the effects construction of a new protected bikeway on their business, as well as the switch from diagonal to parallel parking.

 

Finally…

If you’re planning to steal a quarter ton of beef, always send a kid on a bike to scope it out first. When you’re riding with dope and a stolen Miley Cyrus sex doll in your backpack, remember to ride with traffic.

And evidently, things get boring when you’re driving a cab.

 

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

Morning Links: Bad weekend for pro cyclists, a crib sheet on protected bike lanes, and OCR’s David Whiting nails it

January 25, 2016 / / 4 comments

It was a bad weekend for pro cyclists.

Movistar rider Adriano Malori was hospitalized in intensive care after a massive crash due to a pothole in the Tour de San Luis in Argentina; he was the second place finisher in the time trial at last year’s Worlds.

Meanwhile, six members of the Giant-Alpecin team were injured when they were hit by a wrong-way driver while training in Spain; riders Chad Haga and John Degenkolb were the most seriously injured. Thanks to Michael Eisenberg for the heads-up.

And former French pro and world track champion Robert Sassone died far too young at age 37.

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I usually avoid linking to items sent to me by businesses, let alone embedding them, since they’re often nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt at SEO marketing.

However, this infographic offers some great information about physically separated bike lanes, gathered from a number of studies. And clearly shows that protected bike lanes increase ridership while reducing crashes and injuries.

Consider it a crib sheet for your next public meeting.

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Local

A “crowd” of people turned out for Councilmember Bob Blumenfield’s third annual Community Bike Ride on Saturday, followed by a workshop to highlight the Sherman Way Concept Plan.

Burglaries and bike thefts are up in LA’s upscale Brentwood neighborhood; the LAPD’s senior lead officer for the area urges residents to keep their bikes inside, and lock them up even if you keep yours inside a garage.

Richard Risemberg offers a noir tale involving private dicks, a nasty crack and an injured cyclist. All that’s missing is a femme fatale.

A Long Beach woman plans to raise funds and awareness by biking and walking the LA River from the coast to the tributaries in the San Gabriel Mountains.

 

State

The Orange County Register’s David Whiting nails it with a column saying too many bicyclists have died on the county’s streets, and it only takes two seconds off your life to help ensure a longer one for someone on a bike. Although we’ve got to get him back on his own bike after the loss of a friend.

The LA Times looks at the recent crackdown on mountain bikers at Miramar.

Oceanside approves a road diet, complete with wider bike lanes and buffers along the Coast Highway. Calling safety improvements a pilot study is a great way to overcome initial opposition and give it a chance to prove it works.

Nearly 7,000 bike riders took part in Sunday’s Tour de Palm Springs.

Bakersfield cyclists host a monthly full moon ride.

San Francisco police arrest one suspect and search for another following a brief pursuit when an officer saw the driver flee after hitting a bicyclist; however, the rider was gone when police went back to look for him.

A bighearted Stockton driver — yes, that’s sarcastic — checks his car for damage after rear-ending a 15-year old bike rider, asks if he’s okay, then just drives off after agreeing the bike was seriously messed up in the wreck.

The Chico newspaper calls for banning bikes from the city’s Esplanade and its frontage roads, apparently unaware that would be illegal. CA state law allows bicycles on any public roadway where motor vehicles are allowed, with the exception of some limited-access highways. So if they want to ban bikes, they’d have to ban cars, too.

 

National

A Denver writer says bike lanes serve to improve safety and livability for everyone, not just bike riders.

Now that’s a bike-friendly university. My hometown college is boosting campus bike parking to 18,000 spaces, as well as offering showers for bike riders in the new chemistry and biology buildings and the soon-to-be-built on-campus stadium.

A Buffalo NY couple open a year-round cargo bike delivery service.

Plain white rapper Vanilla Ice dodges jail for burglary and bike theft by completing 100 hours of community service in Florida.

 

International

Here’s another reason to register your bike. An English rider who was unable to tell rescuers who he was following a collision was identified through the registration on his bicycle. You should always carry multiple forms of ID when you ride; unscrupulous people have been known to steal wallets from cyclists after collisions or solo falls. Personally, I never leave the house without my Road ID, whether or not I’m on my bike.

Belfast embarks on a “radical” plan to remake the city’s streets by improving existing infrastructure, building a bike-only street, and replacing car parking with cycle tracks.

In the ongoing saga of bike-riding Syrian refugees who exploited a loophole to cross the border into Norway from Russia, the latter country refuses to take them back after the former decided to boot them out. Nice to see so much human compassion for people fleeing the proxy wars in their battle-scared county.

Now that’s a bikeshare program. Hangzhou, China’s eight-year old program offers over 3,500 stations with 84,000 bikes.

 

Finally…

Sure, it was cycling commentator Phil Liggett who made Lance a star; evidently, winning all those bike races had nothing to do with it. Talk about windshield bias; even on a cycle track, it’s the cyclist’s responsibility to avoid the drivers using it.

And it’s better to have people think you’re a Trump supporter than let them know you only have one bike.

 

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

Morning Links: Dockweiler Beach bike path still closed, fund for homeless man who saved bike rider’s life

January 12, 2016 / / One comment

Just one more week to help someone you know win new bicycle. Read more about our first-ever bike giveaway and suggest who deserves to win a free bike from Beachbikes.net!

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The Marvin Braude bike path on Dockwieler Beach in Playa del Rey remains closed due to damage from last week’s rains and heavy surf. And is likely to stay that way for some time.

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In a heartwarming story from Montebello, a Sherman Oaks triathlete sets up a gofundme account for a wheelchair-bound homeless man who suffered two broken legs when he was hit by a car while on his way to a hospital for follow-up care for a leg infection.

She met him while riding a double metric century before the holidays; completing the circle, the man, who once worked as an EMT, helped save the life of a stranger who had collapsed from a heart attack while riding his bike last year.

As of this writing, the fund had raised just over $3,000 of the $5,000 goal.

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Local

The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition is pushing for 10% of a possible transportation sales tax measure to be set aside for biking and walking projects, while noting that other areas commit more.

LADOT Bike Blog talks with Bridget Smith, the department’s new chief of staff.

Melissa McCarthy is one of us, going for a pre-Golden Globes ride with her family.

Streetsblog’s Damien Newton kicks off a new series of podcasts focused on sustainable transportation in the San Gabriel Valley by talking with Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian and Bike SGV’s Andrew Yip.

The Steering Committee of BikeCulverCity, formerly the Culver City Bicycle Coalition, meets tonight at Kay ‘N Dave’s Cantina on Culver Blvd.

A new art exhibit just opened in Culver City focusing on works sculpted from bicycle wheels.

Santa Monica’s bike share coordinator offers tips on how to use the city’s Breeze bikeshare system.

LA Magazine looks at the LA Public Library’s San Pedro Book Bike.

 

State

Formed by a then-13-year old kid, Redlands’ rapidly expanding GS Andiamo Junior Cycling Development Program is helping to introduce teenage riders to the sport of cycling.

Bakersfield police are looking for a hit-and-run driver who injured a bike rider last month.

Improvements in bicycling safety appear to be paying off in San Luis Obispo, as bike collisions are down 20% since 2009 even as ridership increases; overall traffic collisions in the city reached their lowest point in 15 years.

Great piece from the Bay Area looking at streets that are dangerous by design for bicyclists and pedestrians to an extent that would be unacceptable for roads designed for motor vehicles. The story notes that traffic fatalities are three times higher in California cities on streets laid out after 1950, before California’s deadly auto-centrism took over.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s interim director begins work while a search goes on for a new leader.

Fairfield police use a bait bike to bust five bike thieves. As the story implies, most bike thieves don’t suffer any real consequences; we need to change the law to make the theft of any bike a felony, regardless of value.

 

National

Bicycling offers advice on how to deal with angry drivers. Nothing defuses an angry confrontation faster than pulling out your phone and taking a photo of the driver and his or her license plate, while making a show of dialing 911 will almost always get them to drive away. Just don’t stand in front of their car while you do it.

Seattle moves forward with a one-mile protected bike lane on a popular riding route that preserves 90% of parking along the street, but at a surprising political cost for a city that supports bicycling.

As fat-tire bicycling gains popularity, bike theft becomes a year-round problem in Alaska.

A Colorado driver gets eight years for killing a bicyclist while driving drunk; the judge wanted to show more leniency, but the driver showed no hint of remorse or taking responsibility for his drinking. Contrast that with a Georgia case where a motorist got off with one year of probation after pleading to vehicular homicide in the death of a cyclist.

Kentucky considers a bill requiring children under 12 to wear a bike helmet.

Kirstie Alley is one of us, riding through New York with her friends helped her lose 50 pounds and keep it off for the past year.

Seriously? New Jersey considers forming a commission to study how to better protect bicyclists and pedestrians. Because it takes a commission to find proven solutions like protected bike lanes, better crosswalks, slower speeds and prioritizing people over motor vehicles?

A Baltimore man was stabbed to death and robbed following a confrontation with a group of men while riding his bike; two teens are charged with his murder while police look for other suspects. Always try to ride away from confrontations, and remember no bike — or anything else you have on you — is worth you life.

 

International

A Winnipeg bike rider captures close calls with motorists on his helmet cam. That squeeze play with the semi is scary as hell.

A British cyclist lost her life because of a water-filled pothole that was supposed to have been fixed weeks earlier — and finally was, two days too late.

Britain plans a permanent memorial to fallen cyclists, inspired by the man who brought the first World Naked Bike Ride to Cambridge.

UK track cyclist Victoria Williamson is expected to make a full recovery after shattering her pelvis, ribs and several vertebrae in a crash with a Dutch competitor last week.

A new study from the Netherlands shows bicycling is so popular the country’s bike lanes are bursting at the seams. Note to City Lab: Referring to the Netherlands as Holland is like calling the US West Virginia.

That solar bike path in the Netherlands has proven successful after a full year of use, although the energy produced is far more expensive than other sources.

An Italian photographer catches images of Rome’s crumbling 20-mile riverside bike path.

A website in the United Arab Emirates offers an interesting look at the history of the bicycle, and looks admiringly as bicycling moves to the mainstream in NYC.

 

Finally…

Apparently, hemp seeds are dope when it comes to building muscle. Never mind its ability to take you places or improve your health, a bike is just one big fashion accessory.

And now you, too, can blog about bikes for fun and profit.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: Too much bike tech, cyclocross nationals, and riding your bike pony through an LA El Niño

January 6, 2016 / / One comment

Someone you know needs a new bicycle.

Just click here to read about our first bike giveaway and nominate someone who deserves to win a free bike from Beachbikes.net.

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Is there such a thing as too much tech?

Like maybe a bike helmet with a built-in brake light, turn signals and a Bluetooth speaker, that calls for help if you crash. Pick it up if you drop it, or you may find paramedics knocking on your door.

Uni-directional bike cams are so passé. New helmets from Giro and Bell will feature a 360° video camera, though there doesn’t seem to be a road bike version planned for the near future. Then again, maybe what you need is a mini-bike cam that wraps around your wrist.

And Garmin unveils a new heads-up display that projects turn-by-turn GPS directions, texts and notifications directly onto your glasses, as well as radar alerts of traffic approaching from behind. Or you could learn to look behind you, or get a mirror, and leave all that crap behind and just enjoy the ride.

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The amazing Katie Compton discusses battling depression, an antibiotic-resistant staph infection and a rare, cramp-causing genetic disorder, none of which has prevented her from reigning as America’s greatest cyclocross racer.

Meanwhile, North Carolina expects to see a boost in tourism from this week’s USA Cycling Cyclo-Cross National Championships, while VeloNews offers a video preview of the course. Note to press: You can call it the Nationals, Nats or the National Championships, but please don’t call it the Nationals Championships.

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Local

LADOT Bike Blog offers timely advice on how to ride your bike through an LA El Niño, although speeding up the red lights for cyclists would be nice, too. Or you could take my approach, and just pull the covers over your head until next week.

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton looks forward to what 2016 could bring for livable streets, including bikeshare in DTLA, protected bike lanes on Venice Blvd and showdowns over the Mobility Plan.

LA gets new bike lanes on Edgemont Street near LA Community College.

The Weekly looks on as LA’s underground bike racing culture says goodbye to the iconic Sixth Street Bridge, which will be replaced by a more modern, bike and pedestrian friendly one.

Nice piece from Jessica Langlois about acquiring her first fixie, even if the name of the bike was a tad unusual.

The Wheelhouse, a bike-centric coffee and pastry shop, comes to Downtown’s Arts District next week.

Metro’s one and only Bike Hub will be hosting a free flat tire clinic in El Monte on the 27th.

 

State

It took just five minutes for someone to get out of a car and steal a teenager’s unlocked bike outside a San Diego Target.

The annual Tour de Palm Springs rolls on the 23rd; if your legs have anything left the next day, you can stick around for a half marathon.

That planned 50-mile bikeway circling the Coachella Valley will now be subject to a vote in Rancho Mirage.

A Santa Barbara writer says trading your car for a bike can save you thousands while still allowing you to live comfortably.

HBO is looking for bike riding extras for a new series filming in Monterey.

 

National

A barely intelligible rant from an anonymous Portland woman accuses a bicyclist of “secretly incubating a veliciraptor’s (sic) egg inside (her) womb” for defending her right to the road, before she hauled off and hit the writer’s boyfriend when he confronted her for hogging it. Boy, would I like to hear the other side of this one.

Seattle residents — and a ranting writer — think a new cycle track designed to improve safety will actually make things worse for pedestrians, and ask the city to impose a 10 mph speed limit and force cyclists to stop at each of the 18 pedestrian crossings along the way. Which would be the best way to ensure riders won’t use it; besides, studies show protected bikeways improve safety for everyone, not just the people on bikes.

Now that’s more like it. A Fargo bike thief faces up to ten years in prison for stealing a $10,000 bike. I’d settle for seeing thieves serve just one year for stealing a bike worth up to a tenth of that.

Double good news from Illinois, as a pair of business owners pitch in to get a wounded vet a new adaptive bike after his was stolen; meanwhile, police recovered his bike, which will be repaired and sent to someone else with disabilities.

An unlicensed teen is charged with fleeing the scene on foot after killing a cyclist while driving a stolen car; as an 18-year old, he will likely charged as an adult. Which means he should be going away for a long time.

 

International

As most cyclists already know, beer and exercise go together. Though not always at the same time.

A famed cycling photographer is being forced to sell the barely-ridden dream bike that won best in class at last year’s UK hand-built bike show, due to a degenerative bone disorder.

A road raging London cabbie is charged with using his taxi as a weapon to ram a bike rider off the road after a dispute over parking in a bike lane.

French bicycle mechanics no longer have to be certified by the government.

A video compilation shows a series of close calls for cyclists on the streets of Malta. Which doesn’t look a lot different than riding the sometimes mean streets of LA.

Leave it to the Dutch to develop the Boncho, a stiff-front bicycle poncho. Which would certainly come in handy in LA this week; then again, so would pontoons.

A Jordanian man who wears a suit as he rides to work in Abu Dhabi says he’s never seen another Arab commute by bike.

A Namibian man rides to work in style on his self-customized bike, complete with handlebar-mounted radio and two rearview mirrors.

 

Finally…

Speaking of pontoons, why ride next to the bay when you can ride on it? Next time, try riding the bike to make a getaway instead of throwing it at the security guard.

And why settle for cowboy dreams when you can turn your bike into your very own pony?

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,
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