Tag Archive for L.A. Bicycle Film Festival

A quick clip of bad driver behavior, and a long list of October bike events

October 13, 2012 / / 3 comments

I think I’m getting better at this bike cam video thing.

Here’s the latest, as two drivers cut me off at the same intersection within just a few seconds, a few blocks from my home. And of course, the last one flips me off for being annoyed that he almost ran me over.

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Bike Talk airs every Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

Bike Long Beach hosts Bike Saturdays every weekend; ride your bike to participating local shops and business throughout the city to get special offers and discounts.

A new support group has formed for people who have been involved in a bicycle collision. Everyone is welcome to share your experiences, gain insight and understanding into your emotional state and develop new coping strategies. The group will meet Saturdays from 11:30 am to 1 pm at 6310 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 401. Current LACBC members receive a discount. To learn more, contact Aurisha Smolarski at 323/203-1526 or email aurisha.smolarski@gmail.com.

Move fast, or you’ll miss the last High Desert Cyclists Brunch Ride of the 2012 season, starting at 7:30 am Saturday at Marie Kerr Park, Avenue P and 30th West in Palmdale; High Desert Cyclists will have their monthly meeting Monday from 7 to 9 pm at Nick’s Pizzaria, 43755 15th Street W in Lancaster.

Saturday, October 13th marks the return of the monthly Spoke(n) Art Ride tour of art galleries in North East L.A., hosted by the Bike oven and the Flying Pigeon L.A. bike shop. Riders meet at the Flying Pigeon LA bike shop, 3404 North Figueroa Street, at 6 pm Saturday, rolling at 6:30 pm. Bikes are available to rent.

Also on Saturday and Sunday, Cyclocross returns to Camarillo as the Newbury Park Bike Shop presents the SoCalCross Pacifica Crossfest, with registration starting at 7:30 am at 1722 S. Lewis Rd in Camarillo.

The weekend’s big news is the return of the Bicycle Film Festival, with screenings at the Downtown Independent theater from 11 am to 10 pm on Saturday the 13th, and an all-ages DTLA block party from 10 am to 6 pm Sunday. Convergence rides are planned for the various events. Email volunteerla@bicyclefilmfestival.com for more information or to volunteer.

Redlands area cyclists also get a bike film festival of their own this weekend, October 12 through 14, as the Inland Empire Biking Alliance sponsors the Bike Film Fest at the Fox Theater, 123 Cajon Street.

The L.A. County Bicycle Festival takes place at the Fairgrounds in Pomona on Saturday and Sunday, October 20th and 21st, including the annual Spooky Cross cyclocross race and a Velo Swap Meet and Market to raise funds for the Pomona Valley Bike Coalition.

Run or bike with the men and women in blue as the LAPD’s Metropolitan Division hosts the 5th Annual Randy Simmons 5K Challenge Run on Saturday, October 20th, with rides of 26 and 52 miles. The rides start at 1880 North Academy Road; register by Thursday, October 18th.

Also on Saturday the 20th, the Antelope Valley High Desert Cyclists host the High Desert Fall Memorial Century, starting at 7 am at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster; registration closes on Friday the 19th.

Sunday, October 21st, Hemet High School hosts a Grad Night Poker Ride featuring five climbs on a 55 mile route. First place prize for the best poker hand is $500, with a $50 prize for the worst hand; lunch provided by Sweet Baby Jane’s BBQ. Thanks to Scott Boyd for the tip.

Wednesday, October 24th, Multicultural Communities for Mobility — the new social justice and mobility organization born from the LACBC’s former City of Lights program — will host the third annual Bicycle Awards Dinner honoring LADOT’s Michelle Mowery, bike lawyer Howard Krepack and John Jones III from Eastside Riders Bicycle Club. The event takes place from 7 pm to 9:30 pm at La Fonda Supper Club, 2501 Wilshire Blvd.

Newport Beach will sponsor a memorial ride for fallen cyclists Sarah Leaf and Dr. Catherine “Kit” Campion Ritz on Saturday, October 28th. The easy, 1.2 mile ride will begin at 8 am, starting from the northwest corner of Santa Rosa and Newport Center Drive, and rolling at a processional pace. A longer, unofficial ride will follow, visiting a number of sites where riders have been injured or killed in the area, as well as the soon-to-be-installed CdM sharrows. The ride will feature a fundraising drive for bike safety improvements, with the city matching all donations on a 3-to-1 basis up to $450,000.

Now here’s a great idea for a ride. The Arthritis Foundation is teaming with one of the L.A. area’s favorite Cuban bakeries and cafés to offer the first ever Tour de Porto’s starting at 8:30 am on Sunday, October 28th. The ride starts at Porto’s in Glendale, travels a short distance to the Burbank Porto’s, then down the L.A. River Bike Path to the restaurant’s Downey location. If the entry fee includes a Cubano or Medianoche, count me in.

The same day, Bike SGV will host a Halloween Bike Train and BBQ, with rides of 25 and 60 miles, as well as a Walk/Jog/Run. The rides start at 9 am and 8 am, respectively, starting at 776 Santa Anita Ave in South El Monte, followed by bike and rider costume contests, barbeque and pumpkin carving.

The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition’s Civic Engagement Committee meets at 6:45 pm on the last Tuesday of each month. The next meeting will be Tuesday, October 30, at Johnnie’s Pizza at Museum Square, 5757 Wilshire Blvd. This month we turn our attention from the November election, and start focusing on next March’s L.A. mayoral and City Council elections. Email bikinginla at hotmail dot com to be added to the email list.

The LACBC’s second Tour de Taste is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, December 2nd; mark your calendar for a unique combination of bikes and great food.

Category: Bike Events, Car vs Bike / Tags: , , ,

A little this, a little that — a rash of road rage, a Cycle Chic kerfuffle and a scofflaw driver on video

July 26, 2012 / / 8 comments

Maybe it’s something in the water, as today’s news brings a rash of road rage and otherwise intentional assaults, mostly involving cyclists.

First up, a Leavenworth KS driver pulls a Dr. Thompson, slamming on his brakes before backing up and swerving his truck into a group of cyclists; thanks to David Huntsman for the heads-up.

A pregnant Michigan cyclist may have been intentionally targeted in a hit-and-run last month. A Florida driver is dead after attacking a cyclist with an ax handle in a road rage attack, then collapsing after taking a punch to the face. A UK driver is convicted of beating up a cyclist who clipped his mirror, even though the rider didn’t cause any damage.

Not surprisingly, when an off-duty cop gets killed riding his bike, they consider it homicide; when anyone else does, it’s just an accident.

An Oregon man arrested for repeatedly sabotaging a popular mountain bike trail. And a Tiburon man is arrested for trying to run over a pedestrian because he didn’t his plaid jacket.

No, really.

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There’s been quite a conversation about the Cycle Chic movement going on online over the past few days, sparked by a critique Copenhagenize’s Mickael Colville-Andersen offered by the incomparable Elly Blue.

The Reno Rambler calls it fascism, while Modal Mom defends the movement. And the over 50 comments to Blue’s original article are well worth reading, including this one by Lizbon.

As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter what you ride, where you ride, how you ride, why you ride or what you where.

Wear whatever you want, and just ride.

Then again, there’s more than one way to express cycle chic.

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I thought I had reported on this story last week, but can’t find it anywhere.

According to KTLA-5, an arrest has been made in the case of Alex Patrick Silva, the 25-year old Fontana cyclist who was killed in a Rancho Cucamonga hit-and-run earlier this month.

Fifty-seven-year old Fontana resident Mark Sanders reportedly turned himself in to sheriff’s deputies at the Rancho Cucamonga station while detectives were searching his home after serving a warrant. He was booked on a charge of hit-and-run resulting in death, and is now free on $100,000 bail.

My apologies for not reporting this earlier.

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A San Francisco photographer asks your help to finance a project on Kickstarter to capture images of ghost bikes throughout the East Coast and Midwest.

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The Bicycle Film Festival returns to Los Angeles this October, with a kick-off party at historic El Cid in Silver Lake on the 11th, followed by the debut of The Contender, the first BFF-produced film at Cinefamily on the 12th.

Other screenings will take place at the Downtown Independent theater from 11 am to 10 pm on Saturday the 13th, with an all-ages DTLA block party the next day from 10 am to 6 pm. Convergence rides are planned for the various events. Email volunteerla@bicyclefilmfestival.com for more information or to volunteer.

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I had an interesting meeting this morning with Odysseus Bostick, who just announced his candidacy for L.A. City Council in District 11, currently held by Councilmember Bill Rosendahl.

It should be an interesting race; Bostick is a cyclist and a strong supporter of bicycling, while Rosendahl has been the L.A. cycling community’s best friend on the council.

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Streetsblog’s Damien Newton offers an exceptionally in-depth two-part interview with L.A.’s bike and transportation-oriented mayor. A Pasadena Gran Fondo rider says that cop didn’t need to ticket him for running a stop sign — just to be clear, there is no requirement in the California Vehicle Code to put your foot down to come to a full stop; thanks to Meghan Lynch for the tip.  San Diego cyclists ride to call attention to the dangers on local streets, urging cyclists and divers to use the roads safely. A writer makes a wise call for greater safety in the cycling community.

Traffic fatalities are up over 13% for the first quarter of 2012. How to file a claim for bike damage following a collision. An Oregon rider asks if you have a mangina. The Alaska schmuck man who repeatedly punched a seven-year old girl to steal her bike has been convicted. A Boulder CO intersection claims a second cyclist in just three years. Red Kite Prayer reports on RAGBRAI. A Boston writer decries the 400 bikes soon to be added to the city’s bike share program. A DC study says the way to encourage employees to bike to work is to provide showers and bike parking.

A writer calls Australia’s mandatory helmet law a disaster. The tragic dooring of a New Zealand cyclist leads a coroner to ask if bike riders should be required to use bike lanes.

Finally, if you really want drivers to see you at night, skip the hi-viz clothing and get a glow-in-the-dark bike. And everyone knows only cyclists run stop signs or use the wrong side of the road, right?

Category: General, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , ,
 
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