Day 153 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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Oops.
I got tied up with other things, and missed last night’s application window for the California Ebike Incentive Program.
Okay, I just forgot about it until it was too late. Which kinda tells you just how concerned I am about it after all the damn delays and fails.
But I’m told the program had announced they had accepted 1,000 applications less than half an hour after the window closed at 6 pm, so it must have gone okay for a change.
Even if they’re still throttling the application process, for no other reason than they can’t seem to process any more.
At this rate, it’ll only take four more years to give out all the available funds.
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No surprise here.
The new 2025 Happy City Index was released yesterday, revealing that many of the world’s happiest cities are also among the most bike-friendly.
Needless to say, Los Angeles isn’t among them, on either count.
In fact, the City of Angeles tied for a relatively sad number 70 — 36 places and 72 points below San Diego, which came in just one point ahead of Bruges and Amsterdam.
Yes, Amsterdam.
We’re also behind such remarkable garden spots as Columbus OH, Washington DC, and Beijing, China. Because everyone knows humid, swampy and politically riven DC is just this side of the happiest place on earth.
But at least we can take comfort in knowing we’re ahead of San Jose, Moscow and last place Pula, Croatia.
So take that, Pula.
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Life is cheap in Alhambra.
Not-so-Red Hot Chili Pepper Josh Klinghoffer walked without a day behind bars for killing a 47-year old man who was walking to an Alhambra grocery store, while Klinghoffer was “likely” driving distracted.
The guitarist, who toured with Pearl Jam recently after leaving the Chili Peppers in 2019, was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation and 60 days community service after pleading no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence.
Klinghoffer could have faced up to six years in prison for felony manslaughter without the plea deal.
More proof that it helps to be famous. And able to afford a good criminal lawyer.
Thanks to Nuance Enjoyer for the heads-up.
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The popular Finish the Run/Finish the Ride runs and rolls through Griffith Park this weekend.
The event raises funds and awareness for safer streets across California.
Tomorrow is reserved for the runners and walkers, with distances of 5K, 10K and a half-marathon, aka 13.1 miles, while Sunday is dedicated to riders and rollers, with rides of 12 miles, 20 miles, 35 miles and 62 miles.
Finish the Ride began with the crash that founder Damian Kevitt barely survived when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding on Zoo Drive, and dragged onto the the nearby 5 Freeway before he could free himself, as told to the LA Times in the video below.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A British man whose wife was killed by someone on a bicycle says he’s all in favor of giving life sentences to bike riders who kill pedestrians. Even though drivers who recklessly kill bike riders and pedestrians usually walk with a slap on the wrist. See Kinghoffer, above.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A Dublin, Ireland columnist writes that the biggest risk she faces on the roads comes from other bicyclists — especially men who get upset when they find themselves behind a slower woman, and pass her without a sound. But if they pass without a sound, how does she know they’re upset and not just assholes? And why does she just assume that other bike riders — not her, of course — have sense of superiority towards people in cars?
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Local
People for Mobility Justice is marking the end of Bike Month by hosting a community bike ride through the Florence-Firestone neighborhood on Saturday.
A bike corral operated by Hermosa Cyclery at last weekend’s Fiesta Hermosa in Hermosa Beach was filled with over 1,000 bicycles each day of the three-day festival, over half of them ebikes.
Credit the grassroots Car-Lite Long Beach with keeping the city’s bike lanes clear through their bi-monthly volunteer cleanup efforts.
State
Calbike argues that quick-build infrastructure projects improve safety and urges you to contact your assemblymember today to support AB 891, which would create a quick-build pilot at Caltrans.
A June 16th public meeting could decide the fate of mountain biking in San Bernardino County’s 855-acre Wildwood Canyon Park Property, as California State Parks gathers input on how the property should be classified and what it should be named.
West Sacramento opened a new bike and pedestrian bridge over a highway gash that has long divided it in two, allowing riders to safely cross between the north and south sides of the city. Correction: I originally located this in Sacramento, not realizing that Sacramento and West Sacramento are two different cities. Thanks to Debra for the heads-up.
Streets For All is expanding outside of Los Angeles for the first time, as the transportation PAC merges with San Francisco’s KidSafe SF to extend the reach of both groups; the new entity will be known as Streets For All San Francisco; follow them on Twitter/X and Bluesky.
It’s the beginning of the end for the AIDS/LifeCycle Ride, which sets out from San Francisco for the last time this Sunday; the ride will arrive in Los Angeles on Saturday.
National
Escape considers kits to fit a dad body.
A law enforcement website stresses the importance of better bike training, especially as more police agencies adopt ebikes.
Dallas approved its first new bike plan in 14 years, even as some councilmembers warned it’s not enough to keep up with other major cities. On the other hand, if they actually build it, they’ll be way ahead of Los Angeles.
A Chicago woman will be sentenced today after pleading guilty to killing a bike-riding university professor; she was driving in the bike lane at more than twice the legal alcohol limit when she ran him down from behind.
Police in Chicago blamed distraction and a failure to slow down for the city’s first bicycling death this year, along with the deadly front-end design, extreme weight and poor sight lines of the driver’s EV Hummer, even though the 18-year old victim was alleged to have run a red light.
Ebike advocates dodged a bullet when a committee in the New York legislature killed a bill requiring registration of ebikes — but Streetsblog warns it was just the first shot in an expected fusillade.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch argues that her cops have to give criminal summonses to scofflaw bike riders because they don’t have licenses that can be suspend — but many drivers continue to drive after their licenses are taken away.
While we’re on the subject of Commish Tisch, she defended her crackdown on ebike riders before city councilmember who fear it could hurt immigrants — even though ebike crashes and pedestrian injuries were both down by double digits in the four months before the policy went into effect.
A Florida sheriff’s department warns everyone to lock their bicycles securely, so they don’t end up a pile of parts, like this.
International
A new report from adventure travel company Explore Worldwide ranks the iconic Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina and Virginia as the world’s most beautiful bike route, with Montana’s Going-to-the-Sun Road close behind; Oregon’s Crater Lake route and Missouri’s Katy Trail are the only other US routes to make the list.
Life is cheap in the UK, where a speeding 75-year old driver was sentenced to a lousy ten months behind bars for killing a 63-year old woman as she was riding with a friend; he claimed he couldn’t see them because of the lights of an oncoming car, despite their hi-viz and bike lights. Once again raising the question of how old is too old to drive.
British bicycling deaths were down two percent last year — and a whopping 25% in the past ten years. Which shows what happens when the government actually gives a damn, unlike a certain North American superpower I could name.
Tennis star Novak Djokovic is one of us, after he took advantage of a break in the French Open to ride a bike around the Arc de Triomphe — something he doesn’t plan on doing again.
A new position paper from a German bicycle industry association seeks to put ebikes on an equal footing with regular bicycles by limiting ebikes to 750 watts and a support ratio of 1:4, although some industry leaders warn it could kill off the ebike business; ebike engine maker Bosch stands accused of protectionism for participating in the report.
Competitive Cycling
Hola! says hello to Mexican cycling star Isaac del Torro, taking a look at just who the history-making rider is.
Germany’s Nico Denz crossed the finish line nearly one full minute ahead of the pursing riders to win the Giro’s stage 18, while del Torro retained his 41-second lead over second place Richard Carapaz.
A Catholic website says new Pope Leo XIV will greet the Giro peloton when it makes a detour through Vatican City on Sunday.
Sad news from Belgium, where former pro Ludo Dierckxsens collapsed and died on the 600-mile Stand Up for Cancer ride; the former Tour de France stage winner was 60 years old.
Finally…
You’re not a gravel pro until you pee in your bibs. That feeling when someone actually questions whether bicycling is a good form of exercise.
And what makes newspaper columnists somehow assume they’re all experts on bicycling?
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
Cheating alleged in Lyft’s Metro Bike bid, questioning rescue of Georgia bikepacker, and PCH study comments extended
Day 143 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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My apologies to everyone who found an unfinished — or unstarted, for that matter — draft of today’s post in your inbox.
And yes, spellcheck, unstarted is a real word.
But’s that’s what happens when have too many windows open on your screen, and inadvertently hit the “publish” button when you try to click on one.
Not for the first time, I might add.
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Now that we have that out of the way —
Today is the unofficial start of the three-day holiday weekend. Which means lots of people leaving work early, and not paying attention to anything but where they wish they already were right now.
Like bikes, for instance.
And long weekends mean parties and barbecues — and a lot of drinking and other forms of imbibing.
So ride defensively all weekend, and assume every driver you see is under the influence of something. Because more than a few probably will be.
I just want to see you back here safe and sound on Tuesday.
And try to take a few moments to remember what this holiday is all about, anyway.
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Raise your hand if you’d be shocked to learn there may have been cheating in awarding the new Metro Bike contract.
Hello? Anyone?
Is this thing on?
Streetsblog reports Metro directors delayed what was expected to be a pro forma vote to award Lyft the contract to operate the city’s docked bikeshare program yesterday — despite a unanimous vote by the Metro Operations Committee to advance the contract.
And after two previous botched attempts at awarding the contract.
But according to LA Public Press, the vote was pulled after allegations were raised that Lyft had inside information giving them an unfair advantage, in violation of Los Angeles ethics rules.
And yes, we have ethics rules, as hard as it is to believe at times.
LA Public Press also reports that Metro was on the cusp of making the change despite limited cost savings that amount to a rounding error in the massive Metro budget.
It’s possible — likely, in fact — that the allegations are an effort by current program operator BTS and unionized Metro Bike mechanics to derail the shift in management.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.
And even if it’s not, is it worth risking the bikeshare program as the city prepares to host the World Cup and ’28 Olympics by shifting to a company which has had a spotty record in other cities?
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It’s been a little more than a week since the “miraculous” rescue of Georgia bikepacker Tiffany Slaton after she got lost in the mountains above Fresno, surviving three weeks on wild leeks and melted snow.
But apparently, not everyone believe her story.
According to the Los Angeles Times,
On the other hand, a Redditor had this to say.
Even the experts had questions. Experienced Sierra mountain guide Howie Schwartz didn’t doubt Slaton was lost.
But,
Never mind the Redditors who said she was probably crazy, embellished her story, or looking for a book deal or crowdfunding cash.
Which probably explains why her parents shut their crowdfunding page down. But not until it had raised over $23,000.
Then again, those same doubts also popped up in my own Twitter/X feed.
So what’s the answer? Don’t ask me.
Her story does seem kind of incredible. But the best stories usually are.
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Caltrans uses a lot more words than necessary to say they’re giving you more time to comment on the PCH Master Plan Feasibility Study.
Maybe they had to use them all before the weekend.
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Streets For All shares video of their virtual happy hour with LA City Attorney candidate Marissa Roy.
I never know how much to tip my virtual bartender. Or a Waymo driver, for that matter.
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Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, posts video of the recent die-in on the steps of City Hall.
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Active SGV hosts free two-hour ebike rentals this weekend.
https://twitter.com/ActiveSGV/status/1925644608425410632
Here’s the link if Elon is still screwing up proper embedding of Twitter/X posts.
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Of course a bicyclist who used to be a driver would have no idea what a traffic light is. Especially when it comes to right turns.
Or left.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Tres shock! New York’s police commissioner says her cops are only targeting reckless ebike riders for six offenses along 14 key corridors; Streetsblog says it ain’t necessarily so.
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Local
Streetsblog’s Sahra Sulaiman reports on the celebratory grand opening of the “transformative” Rail-to-Rail bike/walk path in South LA.
Long Beach is launching a 12-month pilot program allowing both private and shared e-scooters along the shoreline bike and pedestrian path.
State
Palm Springs bike riders demanded action on safety improvements while honoring fallen bicyclists at Wednesday’s Ride of Silence.
The Santa Barbara Independent says the city’s bicycling rates are inching up while bicycling injuries climb, making both bike and Vision Zero goals “distant.”
National
A magazine for lawyers examines the legal challenges facing bike riders injured by distracted and/or reckless drivers. Best advice, document everything and find a good lawyer to walk through your options. Like one of those guys over there on the right.
The Independent lists eight American cities that are surprising great for bicycling. Seven of which actually are. And yes, I’m looking at you, Houston.
The Today Show highlights a dad going viral for his daily bike rides with his seven-year old daughter.
Nice. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed the nation’s first law permitting shared streets, with a 10 mph speed limit and strict rules requiring people on bicycles to yield to pedestrians, and drivers to yield to bike riders. Which is how it should be, anyway.
Salt Lake City is pulling the plug on its ebike incentive program after funding nearly 300 vouchers last year, citing a flat budget for the coming year. But wouldn’t a flat budget mean they could fund everything they did the previous year?
An Idaho dancer says ballet is just like riding a bike. And he should know, since he rides a bike to stay in shape for ballet, mentally and physically.
Damn. A Texas jury gave the parents of an eight-year old bike-riding boy killed by a young man driving a family business truck just at tad more than the $1.1 million they were asking for, awarding them a whopping $80 million. Let’s hope that’s a very valuable family business they’ve got there.
Your next bike parts could come from a Topeka vending machine. Which wouldn’t be the first thing I’ve bought from a vending machine in Topeka.
International
Seriously? London emergency rooms are supposedly buckling because of a surge in demand due to “Lime bike leg,” caused by people trapped by the weight of collapsing ebikes that are “around four times heavier than regular cycles,” while a surgeon warns of “life-threatening injuries.” Call it the modern equivalent of bicycle face.
We know a guy on a bike can beat a someone in a car, but can a London bike rider beat another guy riding the Tube across one of the world’s busiest cities? Would I be writing this if he couldn’t?
A 2,000-mile circular relay ride will connect all 42 Anglican cathedrals in the UK. Or as they call them over there, cathedrals.
A British bike club is proving that age is no barrier to learning how to ride a bike.
Competitive Cycling
Your new US national time trial champs are Emily Ehrlich and Artem Schmidt.
Mexico’s Isaac del Torro continues to lead the Giro, as Olav Kooij of the Netherlands won a mass sprint Thursday with a leadout from Wout van Aert. Meanwhile, a reader named Steven points out that del Torro’s name translates to “laughter of the bull,” which seems oddly appropriate.
A Utah newspaper profiles 23-year old Utah native Natalie Quinn as she fights to rise in women’s cycling — without getting paid, after joining American team Cynisca Cycling midseason when the British team she was on folded. Which pretty much sums up the problems with the current state of women’s cycling.
Kenyan cycling coach Evan Wangai discusses his journey from boda boda driver to pro cyclist.
Finally…
Why line the bike lane with ugly yellow posts when you can have recycled red plastic tulips? Always use a bicycle as a getaway vehicle for your baby gator heists.
And who needs lube when you’ve got…sand.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
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