Just a quick update while we all wait for Sunday’s CicLAvia.
Speaking of which, Flying Pigeon is hosting a feeder ride from NELA; you can find other feeder rides and walks on the CicLAvia website.
Meanwhile, Tito’s Tacos does a turnaround and announces they’ll welcome CicLAvia after all, after threatening to sue over a misplaced fear of lost business.
And don’t forget to read the Militant Angeleno’s guide before you ride.
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The LA Times complains that while Mayor Garcetti is as appealing and articulate as ever, he’s avoiding tough or controversial decisions.
A lot of bike, walking and safety advocates would agree with that.
Garcetti was nowhere to be seen, publicly at least, during the fight for bike lanes and sidewalks on the Glendale-Figueroa bridge, and the conflict over bike lanes on Westwood and North Figueroa. Much to the chagrin of many who expected him to step up and get involved.
He had a lot of support from the bike community when he ran for mayor two years ago. But aside from making a great choice to lead LADOT by appointing Seleta Reynolds, we’re still waiting for him to show us we made the right choice.
It’s the mayor’s job to lead the city.
So far, at least, he seems to be content to let the city council take the lead. And let a handful of councilmembers act like feudal lord in their little fiefdoms.
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Local
Mrs. CiclaValley has her bike stolen from the NoHo Metro station, which is quickly becoming ground zero for bike thefts.
South Bay cyclists will soon get a bike lane connecting Sepulveda Blvd with the Strand in Manhattan Beach.
State
The Union-Tribune explains how San Diego’s new bikeshare system works.
Huh? The local paper says bicycling collisions are up in San Luis Obispo because better infrastructure and bicycle education encourage more people to ride — even though bike-related ER visits have dropped significantly since 2009. So collisions are up, but injuries are down, and better infrastructure and education are to blame. Thanks to John McBrearty for the link.
San Francisco bicyclists jokingly puts a $100,000 bounty on a TV reporter who’s been critical of cyclists. At least, let’s hope it’s a joke; if it was serious, they probably wouldn’t have been posted it on Craigslist.
A San Francisco cyclist suffers life-threatening injuries in a collision with a house.
Sad news from Marin County, as the driver accused of running down a cyclist in a road rage attack reportedly committed suicide. A tragic reminder that over-the-top anger can be a sign of depression.
Sacramento bicyclists call for a tougher sentence for a driver who killed an experienced cyclist last year, while the judge in the case tosses out a proposed plea deal that left the victim’s family feeling blindsided.
The main road through Truckee could get bike lanes and roundabouts.
National
The Bike League offers new model laws for better biking, including allowing drivers to cross double yellow lines to safely pass bicyclists, and let bike riders make their own choices regarding lane positioning instead of the outdated ride to the right regulations.
A Denver commenter somehow concludes that a drunk on a bike is more dangerous than a drunk driver. Never mind the higher speeds and two-ton difference in vehicle weight.
Will Olson, the mountain biker killed in a Colorado enduro race last weekend, is described as a legend; the Crested Butte event was going to be his last race before moving to Vermont.
A Nebraska community college gets its own five bicycle bikeshare program.
The laws are a lot tougher in Texas, but the results aren’t. An Austin driver faced up to 30 years in prison for the hit-and-run death of a bike rider; he ended up getting the minimum sentence of just two years. Thanks to Steve Katz for the heads-up.
Boston residents freak out when a flip flop-wearing bicyclist rides on a local freeway. Considering he’s shown riding in the left center lane, they’ve got a point.
After a Boston bike rider is killed by a semi-truck driver who left the scene, the focus is on improving truck safety rather than fixing the city’s most dangerous intersection.
A Florida cyclist faces battery charges for touching the hat of a driver who almost hit her.
International
The jury is still out on the presumed safety in numbers effect.
There goes the bike vote. A Canadian bicyclist is told to bug off after complaining that the prime minister’s campaign bus was parked in a Toronto bike lane.
An injured Welsh cyclist is forced to wait 70 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
Finally…
Now you can own a bike that was actually touched by Prince Harry. A letter writer apparently mistakes sharrows for bike lanes, and misses the point entirely. FYI, bike riders pay taxes to maintain the roads, just like everyone else.
And evidently, Hitchcock was right.
