Tag Archive for Los Angeles

Attention cyclists: just share the damn sidewalk, already. And don’t get killed in KY after dark.

May 20, 2011 / / 3 comments

KCET reports on rude cyclists unwilling to share the road — or the sidewalk, for that matter — with pedestrians. Even though we expect other people to share the streets with us.

But let’s face it. There will always be jerks on two wheels, just as there are countless jerks on four. And anyone who hasn’t encountered bipedal jerks on L.A.’s sidewalks hasn’t spent much time walking in this fair city. Or trying, with more or less success, to navigate around the pedestrians who sometimes clog the various off-road bike paths that bisect L.A.

But whatever mode of transportation and/or recreation we choose, we all have a responsibility to share common spaces safely and courteously, whether or not we think the other party belongs there.

As the most vulnerable users, pedestrians should be given the same sort of space we expect from passing drivers, regardless of how careless and clueless they may seem at times. Especially on the sidewalk, where they have every right to be safe from the rampages of rude, careless and barely under control riders.

Lord knows, I’ve come close to punching a few myself for riding close enough and fast enough to put my wife and I at risk while we walk.

And God help anyone who endangers my dog.

Not to mention that you’re significantly safer on the street — despite how it may seem — where you’re more visible and less likely to get right hooked or hit by drivers barreling out of driveways.

On the other hand, complaining about cyclists on a bike path is like complaining about all those damn cars on the 405.

Then again, it doesn’t seem to be a new problem.

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Instead of focusing on why the driver hit and killed a cyclist, Kentucky authorities question why he was riding his bike on a rural road at 9:15 pm.

How about because he wanted to, and had every right to be there?

Fortunately for the driver, he claims he just didn’t see Illinois Institute of Technology student Yishi Wei, which of course absolves him of any and all responsibility to operate his vehicle in a safe manner, or avoid people directly in front of him.

Police also question why Wei had a hand-drawn map listing distances between towns, yet had no change of clothes to indicate he was planning to stay overnight; clearly, they’re unaware that some cyclists actually enjoy long distance rides. Let alone ever heard of randonneuring.

An earlier article notes that he was wearing dark, non-reflective clothing, and that the bike had reflectors, but apparently not lights. Police make a point of mentioning that Wei wasn’t wearing a helmet.

While any non-distracted driver should have been easily able to spot a rear reflector, there is a reason why smart cyclists wear bright clothing and light themselves up like Christmas trees after dark.

And even then, it’s not always enough.

And for all those police spokespersons and reporters who seem to be endlessly unclear on the concept, there’s not a single bike helmet made anywhere on the planet that can protect the rider from a rear-end collision at highway speeds.

None. Nada. Zero. Zip.

Got it?

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AG2R’s John Gadret reeled in Katusha’s Daniel Moreno, the last survivor of the day’s breakaway, to win Stage 11 of the Giro. Cavendish wins the final sprint stage and goes home, while Contador holds almost a one-minute lead overall. And t-shirts sales have raised $22,000 so far for the family of fallen Giro rider Wouter Waylandt, who was laid to rest on Thursday with a eulogy from friend Tyler Farrar.

On the other side of the Atlantic, 39-year old Chris Horner of the RadioShack team won an impressive victory in Stage 4 of the AToC; he feels under appreciated after 17 years as a pro cyclist, and thinks he can win it all. A spectator is hit by a car and seriously injured near the end of the race.

Horner holds onto the leader’s jersey in Stage 5, won by 21-year old Slovakian cyclist Peter Sagan. The Amgen Tour of California heads to a big finish in Thousand Oaks, where a local cyclist will be honored as a cancer survivor two years after doctors gave her six months to live. A look at the man behind Team Type 1, established to call attention to the battle against diabetes.

And Just Another Cyclist considers what’s in a multi-hyphenated  name when it comes to AToC teams.

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Walk Eagle Rock takes an in-depth and insightful look at the many problems facing Eagle Rock Blvd. KCET offers eight off-road routes to celebrate Bike Week, which kind of defeats the purpose of Bike Week seeking to normalize cycling on city streets, doesn’t it? Streetsblog’s Bike to Work series continues with Michelle Chavez writing about the challenges of biking in the Antelope Valley. Will Campbell accompanies his wife on her first Bike to Work Day. Better Bike Beverly Hills’ Mark Elliot casts his insightful eye on Bob Mionske’s Bicycling and the Law. Streetsblog’s Damien Newton wants your stories, photos and videos of Bike to Work Day. The Times briefly covers Wednesday’s Downtown Ride for Bike Week; the Source offers a little more detail while LADOT Bike Blog offers the best coverage, as usual. Metro rewards bike commuters with their Human Powered Commuter Awards. Reimagining San Fernando Road as a more pleasant place to walk and bike; than again, anything would be an improvement. Flying Pigeon says L.A. is surrounded by cities that are trying a lot harder. LA Brakeless will have a public opening party on Saturday the 20th to celebrate their new pop-up location. Santa Monica Museum of Art offers a Cycle Chic Saturday to conclude Bike Week. The Beach Cities Cycling Club offers free bike corrals for events throughout the South Bay. Art of the Group Ride looks at the history of the Blessing of the Bicycles.

People for Bikes wishes you a happy Bike to Work Week. Five tips for bike commuting. New data on the economic benefits of cycling, which could be the forgotten answer to energy policy, as well. Turning your bike into a basket case. Tucson Velo visits Los Angeles. There’s finally a settlement in Portland’s infamous case of the disappearing bike lane, despite the ruling of an apparently incompetent judge. A St. Louis cyclist brushes off a close call. After receiving a Purple Heart as a result of an Iraqi IED, an Ohio veteran fights for his life after his bike is hit by a car. The NYPD backs off their heavy handed crackdown on Central Park cyclists.

A human life is worth about the price of a mid-sized TV in Ontario. How to tell when it’s time to find a new bike shop. Despite last year’s rash of bike deaths, London streets are the safest overall since records have been kept; a British MP calls for sensors that could spot a cyclist in a truck’s blind spot. London cyclists are getting mugged for their bikes. A Brit driver gets a whopping 100 hours of community service for the hit-and-run death of a 17-year old cyclist. An investigative journalist is out to eliminate Scotland’s popular Etape Calendonia because it closes local roads for three hours once a year — never mind that the roads are open the other 8757 hours every year. A third-tier Aussie cyclist faces a two-year ban after being caught using recreational drugs.

Finally, more former friends and teammates turn against Lance Armstrong, as Tyler Hamilton says he witnessed Lance taking EPO.

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

71-year old Canoga Park man killed by hit-and-run driver

May 19, 2011 / / Comments Off on 71-year old Canoga Park man killed by hit-and-run driver

In yet another fatal hit-and-run, a 71-year old Canoga Park man died of injuries he received while riding in a crosswalk around 12:15 pm Saturday.

According to the Daily News, Eduardo Perez was hit by a small black 4-door SUV in a right hook collision while riding his bike at the intersection of Sherman Way and Canoga Avenue. The vehicle was traveling east on Sherman Way when it hit Perez while turning onto Canoga; the driver fled without stopping.

Perez died Monday in a local hospital.

Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Danny Martinez at 818-644-8032 or Detective I. Krajchir at 818-644-8034; or cal Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

This is the 7th fatal hit-and-run in Southern California this year, and the 10th bike-related death in L.A. County since the first of the year.

In related news, police have identified a suspect in last month’s hit-and-run death of 17-year old Alex Romero, killed on De Soto Avenue when he was run down by a speeding driver attempting to pass a large vehicle on the right.

The LAPD is being tight-lipped about the details while they attempt to make an arrest.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities, Legal Cases / Tags: , , , ,

A random mediation on blessed bikes, Bike Week and the Ride of Silence

May 18, 2011 / / 3 comments

Some random thoughts as I catch up from the first few wet days of L.A. Bike Week.

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Bishop Jon Bruno, who clearly dressed for the occasion, though I suspect he didn't ride in that.

Despite my firm belief that the human body is incapable of sustaining life prior to 7 am, I found myself rising just after 6 yesterday to for the one hour ride downtown for the Blessing of the Bicycles.

It only took a few minutes of walking the corgi, who was none too pleased to be awakened at that hour — let alone dragged out into the rain — to decide that driving would be a much better option.

So I strapped my bike onto the back of my 17-year old car, which finally chugged past the 105,000 mile mark on the way, and made the drive to Good Samaritan Hospital.

Despite the rain, I  saw a surprising number of cyclists there, with more arriving throughout the hour-long event. Most of whom had the bedraggled look of someone who had braved the elements to get there.

The Buddhist representative warned children to stop doing dangerous tricks on their bikes, or he'd tell the Kung Fu Panda.

I’ll let the CicLAvia blog tell the story, as they were clearly taking much better notes than I was, focused as I was on sucking down some hot coffee and scarfing from the wide array of pastries and fresh fruit.

If the spread they put out for cyclists is any indication of the quality of care patients receive at Good Sam, I may need to switch my medical allegiance from the Jews to the Episcopalians.

Being of a very ecumenical bent, I don’t think God really cares which team you choose, as long as you choose one.

Our newly bike-friendly and apparently fragile mayor arrived with his foot in a cast — not, as might be guessed, the result of another cycling accident, but from wandering through a strange hotel room after dark.

(Insert joke here.)

DWP Employee Chris Bolivar is honored for his heroics in stopping a bike theft by bike owner and Good Sam VP Dan McLaughlin.

For me, though, the highlight was seeing DWP employee Chris Bolivar honored for his heroics in rushing off a Metro bus to stop a thief from stealing a new Trek Madone belonging to Good Sam VP Dan McLaughlin. And then watching him ride off with his wife on a newly-purchased red and white Schwinn tandem.

After listening to an array of Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish prayers for our safety — nice work on the shofar, Rabbi — I took my place in a long line of cyclists to be blessed by Episcopal Bishop Jon Bruno, walking my bike since the other half of my cleats were still in my car along with the shoes they’re attached to.

Frankly, I’ll take all the help I can get to safely navigate these city streets.

Evidently, I’m not the only one, as Will Campbell’s blessed ass made the front page of the Times’ Late Extra section.

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Councilmember Bill Rosendahl invites all to participate in Bike Week. KCRW’s Shortcuts blog reports on a soggy start to the week. Metro offers an interactive map to help you plan your route for Bike to Work Day. The afore mentioned Mr. Campbell looks forward to Thursday’s Bike from Work Happy Hour, which also takes place at Pourtal Wine Bar, among other bike-friendly taverns.

Ten deals and freebies for Bike Week. Bike-friendly UCLA observes Bike to Campus Week. More commuters are getting there by bike. Sensible gear for biking to work, and how to dress — or pack — for it.

Even, courtesy of Tucson Velo, if you’re a drag queen.

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Long Beach wraps up Bike Week with the Grand Opening of a new Performance Bicycle shop on Friday, their 100th nationwide. To celebrate, the first 100 people in line will have chance to win one of seven new bikes valued at a total of over $7,000. The store is located at Long Beach Town Center, 7611 East Carson Blvd in Long Beach; distribution of keys for the contest will take place at 8 am, with the doors opening at 9.

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Tonight marks the world-wide observance of the Ride of Silence, a slow paced memorial ride to honor cyclists killed or injured on the roads, raise awareness of cycling and ask that we all share the road safely.

And once again, it won’t be officially observed here in Los Angeles.

There will be ROS rides in other parts of Southern California, though, including Fullerton, Irvine, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino, San Diego, Temecula, Thousand Oaks and Ventura, if you live in those areas or can make the trip.

It will also be observed at the L.A. Velodrome tonight, as cyclists will ride 40 silent laps in honor of fallen riders. And we do have a long and tragically growing list of local riders to honor, including James Laing, Jim Swarzman, Danny Marin and Alex Romero, just to name a few.

I tried, and failed, to get an L.A. ride started this year, mostly because I’ve never organized a ride and had no idea what the hell I was doing.

However, I’m committed to getting one off the ground next year, and will start earlier to organize it and get the cooperation of local authorities and advocacy groups.

If anyone wants to help, just let me know.

And thanks to Kieron at the Velodrome for stepping up to make sure local riders won’t be forgotten this year.

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A fascinating look at the rich and powerful former New York DOT commissioner who may or may not be behind the backlash against the city’s successful and popular Prospect Park West bike lanes — despite being married to a leading, and presumably pro-cycling, Senator Chuck Schumer.

HuffPo’s Joel Epstein also offers his typically insightful thoughts on the subject.

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After Sunday’s hard charge up Mt. Etna, Contador still holds the leader’s jersey in the Giro; Bike Snob says he looks pretty in pink. In the wake of Wouter Wayland’s death in Stage 3 of the Giro, organizers have added extra safety measures for a difficult descent on Saturday’s Stage 14.

Colorado bike prodigy Taylor Phinney rides his first AToC. Team Sky’s Greg Henderson takes the overall lead after winning Stage 3 of the AToC; Phinney is currently the top American at 8th. Bicycling profiles the top young Americans in the race.

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LACBC gets a shiny new website, and unveils their latest video with Austin Nichols looking forward to the upcoming River Ride on June 5th. The Coalition also reminds cyclists that comments on the proposed L.A. County bike plan are due by June 3rd, and says it could be a lot better.

And don’t forget you can get a discount for River Ride through BikingInLA, and enter a contest to win a free River Ride.

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LADOT Bike Blog recaps the recent BAC Planning Subcommittee meeting, including implementation of the Bike Plan, extending the crappy, door zone Westwood Blvd bike lanes south to the planned Expo Line station, and bike lane projects around the planned Universal Studios expansion.

The last of which will happen over my dead body unless they allow the L.A. River Bike Path to extend through their property.

The expansion, that is. Not the bike lanes.

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Writing for Streetsblog, Mark Elliot of Better Bike Beverly Hills updates the status of the Westside’s black hole for cyclists; the LACBC’s Marissa Christiansen reports on the South Bay Bicycle Coalition and the area’s new Bike Master Plan. A UCLA student invites you to log your commute times by bike and car to prove bikes are faster for shorter trips. Richard Risemberg calls for a separated cycle track on Washington Blvd to close the gap in the beachfront Marvin Braude bike path through the Marina area. CicLAvia shares a photo from Sunday’s South L.A. ride; word is that July’s scheduled CicLAvia will be cancelled, but October’s will go forward with an expanded route into Boyle Heights. Eco-Village looks at the new bike lanes on Expo and MLK. Learn the art of track racing at the L.A. Velodrome. L.A. Creek Freak objects to “improvements” to the North Spring Street Bridge that would just allow more cars to go faster. Long Beachers are invited to participate in a bike safety study. Long Beach’s biking expats get an unplanned delay in starting their latest cross county adventure. A bike cam catches a car speeding through the Santa Cruz Mountains, only to come upon the same car upside down on the side of the road moments later.

DOT Secretary Ray LaHood calls on cyclists to join the 2 Mile Challenge to replace short cars trips with bikes and raise funds for three worthy organizations. The League of American Bicyclists lists events throughout May’s Bike Month, and partners with AAA to promote bike safety. Examining the myth that gas taxes pay for the roads motorists drive. Amazon discovers bike commuters. Momentum magazine jumps into the great helmet debate, while yet another study shows mandating helmet use is counterproductive; however, Brit James Cracknell credits his with saving his life. Sharrows make their way to small town Oregon. Bike Portland takes the local paper to task for biased reporting. A Tempe cyclist finds his bike on Craigslist the day after it’s stolen, A Denver cyclist is killed by a hit-and-run driver just weeks before participating in the 412-mile Ride the Rockies. Minneapolis cyclists could soon find bike supply vending machines along popular bike trails. Zeke puts his recent first aid training to use, determining that a tourniquet is probably not necessary for minor road rash.

Why even experienced cyclists sometimes ride on the sidewalk; Carlton Reid looks at the legalities of UK sidewalk riding, as well as confusion between cycle tracks and sidewalks. London cyclists win an important victory to keep bike lanes on a bridge with heavy bike commuter use. An around-the-world adventurer starts a campaign to give Scot children more space to ride to school. Even in rural Scotland, cyclists get honked at by drivers who could easily pass. British design and Chinese manufacturing — as if any western country makes much of anything these days — combine to build a cheap, colorful single-speed bike. For the second time in three years, someone has tried to sabotage the Etape Caledonia. Debuting at Cannes, a gritty, bike-centric modern fairy tale from Belgium; thanks to Rex Reese for the heads-up.

Finally, Pittsburgh police take different sides on citing a cyclist for Biking Under the Influence.

Category: General / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Tuesday’s Blessing of the Bicycles will go on rain or shine

May 16, 2011 / / Comments Off on Tuesday’s Blessing of the Bicycles will go on rain or shine

Despite today’s ample L.A. sunshine, the weather forecast calls for rain overnight and into tomorrow.

However, Katrina Bada of Good Samaritan Hospital confirms that the Blessing of the Bicycles will go on Tuesday morning, rain or shine. The multi-denominational event takes place from 8 to 9:30 am at Good Sam, 616 S. Witmer Street in Downtown L.A.

While L.A. streets are nowhere near as dangerous as your out-of-town relatives think, a little divine intervention never hurts.

And you can tell your mom you sort of went to church or temple this week.

Category: Bike Events / Tags: , , , ,

News from the pro world, Signh pleads not guilty, People for Bikes unveils Downtown bike video

May 15, 2011 / / Comments Off on News from the pro world, Signh pleads not guilty, People for Bikes unveils Downtown bike video

Oscar Gatto wins Stage 8 of the Giro d’Italia, as Contador makes a leap to 5th overall. And Bike Snob notes that there is another, much shorter and less intense race starting in Tahoe on Sunday.

Jens Voigt considers the risks of racing on the eve of the Amgen Tour of California, following the death of his friend Wouter Waylandt; Waylandt will be honored by the ToC peloton. The opening stage of the Tour of California may have to change course due to snow.

Meanwhile, Colorado’s upcoming pro tour adopts a good cause, and yet another really crappy name. The investigators going after Lance Armstrong look to the French for help, while UCI ranks every rider in the 2010 Tour de France on their odds of doping. Notably, UCI doesn’t deny it, but points out that suspicion is not the same as guilt.

Well, duh.

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Satnam Singh pleads not guilty in the drunken hit-and-run death of Nick Haverland, and injuring 5 other people in Ventura Tuesday evening; he faces up to 18 years if convicted on all counts.

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Metro staff recommends the full 7.7 mile Wilshire Blvd Bus (and bike) Only Lane, despite the objections of County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and L.A. Councilmember Bill Rosendahl; if approved, the project would include repaving of at least the right lane of what is now one of the city’s worst streets for bikes.

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People for Bikes unveils the Bikes Make Life Better video filmed recently in Downtown L.A. Yes, it was worth the wait. They also say for every mile you ride instead of drive, you save at least a buck. And Tim Blumenthal of Bikes Belong talks to cdmCyclist.

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Austin Nichols — yes, that Austin Nichols — debates where to park for next month’s River Ride. Gary raises red flags about the planned Expo Bikeway, which may not be much of what everything we expected. Preserving a little precious parking could mean a bike lane bypass on Foothill Blvd in the Valley. Steve Montalto says cyclists aren’t the only scofflaws on the road; sometimes you get hit whether you’re biking or walking. Bikeside surveys the candidates for the 36th Congressional District race. Battle lines are drawn at BPIT, while work moves forward. Downtown News looks at Tuesday’s upcoming Blessing of the Bicycles. KCRW’s Steve Herbert offers practical advice on the how-tos of commuting to work; Plan Bike’s Jody Brooks offers 10 good reasons to ride. L.A. Bike Week encourages Angelenos to rethink commuting by car. L.A. considers requiring more bike parking. LAPD experiments with electric bikes. L.A. Firefighters document the aftermath of a bike collision in Tujunga, implying the rider was at fault. Pasadena cyclists discuss the new bike plan. Thousand Oaks will soon get 2.5 miles of new bike lanes. Long Beach’s cycling expats prepare to set sail once again. San Diego gets sharrowed. Bike culture rises on the streets of San Francisco. Sacramento is rapidly becoming a cycle-tropolis. Now that’s what I call an urban bike shirt.

Nice thought: you don’t have to make a big change in your life to make a difference in the world. The bike boom bypasses women, and goes in reverse for children. Albuquerque may be bike-friendly, even if not all it’s streets are. Charleston MA installs bike lanes, removes said lanes, and paints them back again; not unlike Westwood’s Westholme Ave, where the sharrows were recently covered over by slurry coating — for the second time. New York launches their long-planned “Don’t Be A Jerk” campaign, directed at cyclists rather than the city’s notoriously jerkish drivers. A proposed new bill would make Complete Streets the law of the land throughout the U.S; another would pay you $40 a month to commute by bike, which you could use to get your boss to pay for your next tune-up. A DC survey shows Bike to Work Day can lead to lasting changes. Learning the hard way what happens after you get hit by a car. Maryland passes legislation toughening penalties for drivers who hit cyclists or pedestrians; bike attorney Bob Mionske applauds them for finding the middle ground. Georgia is the latest state to adopt a 3-foot law; California could be next. U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood cares about the safety of urban cyclists, but isn’t sure if that makes him a hipster; link courtesy of BikeBlogNY.

The U.S. has a lot to teach other nations about providing political support at the highest levels for sustainable transportation. The afore mentioned Bob Mionske asks if dooring is really an accident, saying Montreal police clearly don’t get it. New York Mayor Bloomberg backs the United Nation’s Decade of Action for Road Safety. Great Britain gears up for next month’s Naked Bike Ride. A Brit twit tweets about hitting two cyclists and fleeing the scene; turns out it was a cyclist with a very warped sense of humor. A British survey suggests whatever happens, it was probably your fault. Local bike paths mean higher home prices Down Under. Cyclists and pedestrians get to sample Glasgow’s newest highway, in sort of a one-time Scot ciclovia. Bob Marley was mellow, but did he ride a bike?

Finally, bikes must be dangerous, unlike all those big, fast metal things on the street. And a medical school professor — who really should know better — says bikes really are dangerous, but opposes bike lanes that might make it safer to ride them; thanks to Cyclelicious for the heads-up.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

It’s raining bikes, halleluiah! Our busiest weekend and Bike Week schedule yet.

May 14, 2011 / / One comment

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

Saturday, May 14th, Streetsblog LA will host a pre-Bike Week Westside Ride to the Venice Pier starting at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 11555 National Blvd, at 10:30 am.

CicLAvia is hosting a meeting to discuss expanding into Boyle Heights at 11 am Saturday in Room A208 of historic Roosevelt High School, 436 S. Matthews Street. Meanwhile, the previously scheduled South L.A. Ride is on after all; meet at the All People’s Christian Center at 822 E. 20th Street in Los Angeles at 11 am.

The annual Long Beach Bicycle Festival continues on Saturday, May 14th in Downtown Long Beach. The festivities include the Tour of Long Beach on Saturday, May 14th with rides of 4, 31 and 61 miles to benefit Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach.

Hermosa Beach offers the 3rd Annual Cycle Saturday Bike Education FUNshop from 10 am to 2 pm at Valley Park Amphitheater, at the intersection of Gould Ave and Valley Drive, offering safety and protocol education for all ages; maybe we need more events like this throughout the region.

Also on Saturday, May 14th Glendale Safe and Healthy Streets is sponsoring a free 12-mile Ice Cream Ride as part of the city’s Bike Month, beginning and ending at the Colina Drive entrance to Verdugo Park. Riders meet at 1 pm and set off at 1:30; minors must be accompanied by adults, and participants should bring money to purchase ice cream.

Further inland, the 2011 Tour of Riverside offers a family-friendly bike fest on Saturday the 14th from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm at Fairmount Park in Riverside. Events include 30 and 15 mile rides through downtown Riverside, children’s bike safety course, family run rides and a bike-a-thon, as well as exhibits, repair clinics, games, entertainment and free helmets for children.

Flying Pigeon will be busy this weekend, with the Spoke(n) Art Ride on Saturday, followed by the Get Sum Dim Sum Ride on Sunday. The Spoke(n)Art Ride meets at 6 pm at Flying Pigeon Bike Shop, 3714 North Figueroa Street in Highland Park, and rolls at 6:45, followed by a party at the Bike Oven next door to the shop. The popular Get Sum Dim Sum ride meets in front of the shop at 10 am Sunday, rolling at 10:30; click the link at the right of the page for more information.

Saturday and Sunday, May 14th and 15th, Bakersfield hosts the Safe Routes to School Bike Festival at Bakersfield Central Park at Mill Creek, 21st and R Street; Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm, including Bike Polo Tournament, BMX Competition and Bike Rodeo; Sunday from 7 am to 4 pm, with Bike Swap Meet and Crit.

The California State High School Mountain Bike Championship takes place this weekend in Los Olivos; thanks to Interbike Blog for heads-up.

The Amgen Tour of California kicks off on Sunday the 15th, with what may be a snowy ride around Lake Tahoe; Southern California stages include Solvang on Friday the 20th — including the Women’s International Time Trial Challenge — Claremont to Mt. Baldy on Saturday the 21st, and the final stage from Santa Clarita to Thousand Oaks on Sunday the 22nd. Daily TV coverage on Versus; check your local listings for time and station. This year’s ToC will honor Leopard-Trek rider Wouter Waylandt, who died this week in Stage 3 of the Giro d’Italia.

The Santa Monica Spoke is hosting Sunday in the Park on Sunday, May 15th from 3:30 to 5pm at Broadway Park, 2500 Broadway in Santa Monica; topics include what the Spoke is working on, bike talk and the Santa Monica Bike Action Plan.

For riders unafraid to venture behind the Orange Curtain, Bike Newport Beach is sponsoring a Family Fun Ride on Sunday, May 15th beginning at 8 am at the Oasis Senior Center, 801 Narcissus Avenue in Corona del Mar.

Also on Sunday, May 15th, the Pasadena Marathon takes to the streets of the City of Roses, including a 5:45 am bike tour before the runners hit the pavement. Riders and runners start and finish at Pasadena City College, 1570 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91106; thanks to Louie for the heads-up.

L.A.’s 17th annual Bike Week takes place May 16th through the 20th, with an emphasis on bike safety education, and events throughout the city.

  • Bike Week opens with an 8:30 am Monday, May 16th Kick-Off Event at the North Hollywood Metro Station
  • This year’s Blessing of the Bicycles will take place from 8 to 9:30 am on Tuesday, May 17th at Downtown’s Good Samaritan Hospital, 616 S. Witmer Street.
  • Ride with other cyclists through the streets of Downtown on Wednesday, May 18th; riders meet at 8 am at Union Station on Alameda Street
  • Bike to Work Day takes place on Thursday, May 19th, with morning pit stops throughout the greater Los Angeles Area, as well as a handful of Bike from Work happy hours; Metro is also looking for Bike Buddies to guide inexperienced cyclists to work.
  • Friday, May 19th is Bike to School Day

CICLE will celebrate Pasadena’s Bike Week with two special events:

  • Monday, May 16th is Bike Film Night with Streetsblog LA joining CICLE to present a series of Streetfilms and discuss how those lessons can be applied to Southland streets; 6:30 P.M. at Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 North Mentor Avenue, Pasadena.
  • The Mayor’s Ride & Family Night will take place on Tuesday, May 17th from 5:30 to 8 pm at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield; join with Pasadena mayor Bill Bogaard and other local officials at a family-friendly event to promote bicycle as a safe and sustainable transportation alternative.

Long Beach celebrates Bike to Work Day on Thursday the 19th, and Bike to School Day on Friday the 20th.

See Streetsblog’s amazing Bike Month Mega Page for more bike month listings throughout the greater Los Angeles are.

The Westside Council of Governments will meet on Thursday, May 19th, with lunch at 11:45 am and the business meeting beginning at noon; a program to coordinate bikeways through the Westside cities of L.A., Beverly Hills, Culver City, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood will be on the agenda. The meeting will take place in the Garden Terrace Room of the Annenberg Beach House, 415 Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica.

The San Diego Century ride takes place on Saturday, May 21st with rides of 37, 66 or 103 miles, starting in Encinitas, along with free admission to an expo featuring sports, local cuisine and live music.

Saturday, June 4th, the Palms Neighborhood Council and the LAPD’s Pacific Division is sponsoring the 2011 Bike Rodeo from 10 am to 2 pm at Palms Elementary School, 3520 Motor Ave; events include a bike safety course, safety inspection, radar speed test and a bike giveaway, as well as live entertainment and free food.

Join me, and thousands of other cyclists at L.A.’s favorite fundraiser ride on Sunday, June 5th with the 11th Annual River Ride; advance registration is open now. Volunteers are still needed — and trust me, as a volunteer last year, it’s about as much fun as you can have off your bike; email RRvolunteer@la-bike.org for more info and to sign up.

If you can make it up to Sacramento on Sunday, June 12th, Ride4Matt issponsoring a charity ride to benefit Matthew Wietrick, who was seriously injured while riding last February. Choose from routes of 10, 35 and 70 miles, with a $7 BBQ lunch after the ride; donations gratefully accepted.

Flying Pigeon Bike Shop will host a fundraising bike ride to benefit Streetsblog LA on Friday, June 17th, beginning and ending at Flying Pigeon, 3714 North Figueroa Street in Highland Park; ride meets at 6 pm, with party to follow at 8 pm.

The next two CicLAvias will take place on July 10th and October 9th; if you were at either of the first two, you’ve probably already marked your calendar.

Tuesday, August 30th, Santa Monica’s Library Alehouse will host a benefit night for Streetsblog LA; 5% of all food and drink purchases will benefit Streetsblog; 2911 Main Street.

And mark your calendar for the 2011 L.A. edition of the Tour de Fat on October 9th, unless you happen to be an observant Jew, since it falls on Yom Kippur this year.

………

It’s been a busy week with a lot of breaking news, so I haven’t been able to keep up with the news links this past week; I’ll try to catch up over the weekend.

And come back on Monday for great news on River Ride — and our first-ever contest.

Category: General / Tags: , ,

Giro kicks off, The Lancet calls for road safety, on-road portion of the Expo bikeway takes shape

May 8, 2011 / / 2 comments

The racing season starts for real as the legendary Giro d’Italia kicks off with a team time trial, which was won by HTC-Highroad.

Italian time trial champion Marco Pinotti wears the pink jersey — the Giro’s equivalent of the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. Bike Snob covers the race for Bicycling in his own inimitable style, while the magazine offers 10 riders to watch, including Contador, Sastre, Nibali, Cavendish and Petacchi.

Unfortunately, the field is weakened as a number of top teams have opted to take part in the competing Amgen Tour of California, which will roll during the Giro’s second week.

.………

An editorial in the respected medical journal The Lancet calls for reducing road dangers, both from collision and disease caused by over-reliance on automobiles.

3000 people die each day in accidents on the roads worldwide—nearly 1·3 million people a year. In addition, 20—50 million people are injured each year, many of whom end up with lifelong disabilities. 90% of road-traffic deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries, despite fewer vehicles in these countries. Without concerted action, road-traffic injuries are predicted to be the fifth leading cause of death by 2030 (after ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections)—a leap from being the ninth ranked cause of death in 2004. In those aged 15—29 years, road-traffic injuries are the leading cause of death. Just over half of all deaths on the roads are in those not travelling in a car.

These numbers are stark, but do not take into account the epidemic of chronic disease and obesity, or the effects on air pollution and climate change, which result from increasing reliance on motorised vehicles. Conversion of a road-traffic injury epidemic to one of obesity or heart disease needs to be avoided.

They conclude with a common-sense call to action I can back wholeheartedly.

Making towns and cities safer for pedestrians and cyclists, or promoting use of seat belts or helmets, might not be as cutting edge as stem-cell research but will save more lives this decade.

.………

The opening of Metro’s new Expo Line may be delayed once again — until next year this time — but the accompanying bike lanes are hitting the pavement on Expo Blvd now. And yes, we all hoped for an off-road bike path like the Valley’s Orange Line, but they’ve been saying for months we weren’t going to get it for the full length.

Evidently, they were right.

And I’m told that the eastbound lane transitions from asphalt to concrete in the middle of the lane; nothing like an uneven riding surface on a brand new bikeway.

Thanks to Patrick Murray for the heads-up.

.………

LACBC celebrates Bike Month by giving away a new IZIP electric bike; any new or renewing members are eligible. Cyclists tell the Source why they ride. Flying Pigeon calls on cyclists to support the bike advocacy group of their choice. Recent City Council candidate Stephen Box suggests LADOT’s acting head may have warn out his welcome. An anonymous writer for Bikeside says if you really want to understand planning, ride a bike. Matthew Ruscigno looks back at last month’s Feel My Legs, I’m a Racer. West Hollywood considers the possibility of a road diet and bike lanes on Fountain Avenue. The Santa Monica Daily Press says yes, you do have to stop for stop signs and traffic signals. Beverly Hills will host a bike workshop on Thursday, May 12th to get ready for Bike Week LA; Ron Durgin will be teaching, so count on expert instruction. Glendale will host a series of events for Bike Month. A look at Saturday’s L’Tape du California.

A San Diego writer looks back at his first week of bike commuting in the merry Bike Month of May; results so far, he’s tired. The SF Gate answers the concerns that keep women from commuting by bike. Five commuting tips to make every day Bike to Work Day. Three Bay Area counties are tracking cyclists through smartphone apps to collect data for future planning purposes. Benicia banishes downtown bike racks for being unsightly and diminishing the area’s historic character; something tells me they didn’t get rid of car parking for the same reasons. Those sporty spoilers can direct exhaust fumes directly to your head.

Lovely Bicycle reviews the Urbana bike; I offered my thoughts back in December. Nine years after his nephew is killed in a car crash, a Minot ND man honors his memory by giving away nearly 600 bikes to local children. A Detroit-area patrolman knew the cyclist he killed in a collision. Circling the heart of New York on the unfinished Manhattan Waterfront Greenway. A suspicious cyclist causes a scare at Ground Zero. Three Buffalo NY cyclists set out to complete the cross county bike ride they abandoned following a collision 25 years earlier.

A writer in VeloNews says it may be time to take on competitive cycling’s governing body; a new time trial shoe banned by the UCI fights back. CNN lists 15 bike-friendly cities around the world. Oxford’s new Lord Mayor vows to bike to work. One of the most gut-wrenching bike PSAs I’ve ever seen. Interrupting a bike ride to save a baby bunny. Bike-mounted cameras reveal the abuse Aussie drivers dish out.

Finally, an alleged drunk driver keeps going after killing a pedestrian in San Francisco, then smashes into a series of parked cars before coming to rest against a concrete planter. And Orange County authorities arrest an underage driver with a blood alcohol level of .30; so high, it causes police to say they’ve never seen anyone that drunk.

.………

My apologies for not updating the upcoming bike events this week; I was tied up preparing for a surprisingly successful Saturday morning workshop biking issues in the ‘Bu. Thanks to the Malibu Public Safety Commission for bringing open minds and truly listening to our ideas and concerns; hopefully this is the beginning of a new relationship with the City of Malibu and better safety for everyone on PCH.

Stranger things have happened.

I’ll try to update the Events page over the next few days. There’s a lot going on this month you won’t want to miss.

Meanwhile, Damien Newton offers a comprehensive listing of Bike Month events on Streetsblog.

Category: General, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , ,

Questions in the Silver Lake shooting death of Manuel Santizo, and lots of weekend links

April 30, 2011 / / 2 comments

Questions are being raised in the death of Manuel Santizo, the cyclist who was fatally shot in Silver Lake after being bumped by a car.

According to the Eastsider LA, Northeast Division homicide detectives say that while the suspects are believed to be gang members, there is no evidence that Santizo was involved in a gang.

“There is no indication that Manuel was a gang member. Nothing, nothing at all,” (homicide detective P.J.) Morris said.

The Eastsider LA adds that police are questioning something that had sounded odd to me in the original reports.

Also, Morris is puzzled by the fact that the shooters took the time to run down Santizo’s bike before opening fire. In most drive-by shootings, the suspects waste no time in firing their weapons and then fleeing from the scene. “It’s not indicative of a [typical] gang, drive-by shooting,” Morris said.

.………

The rider killed in a solo bike collision in Coachella last week had been identified as 63-year old Nemesio Herrera of Coachella.

.………

Witch on a Bicycle switches from confirmed vehicular cyclist to segregated infrastructure supporter, but warns that bad bike infrastructure is worse than no bike infrastructure.

.………

Bikeside’s Mihai Peteu looks at the Grand Opening of Long Beach’s protected bike lanes. LADOT Bike Blog looks forward to Bike Week. New lights come to the L.A. River Bike Path. Metro bike maps are making their appearance at local train stations. An Indian cyclist passes through the Valley on his way around the world to call attention to the environment. SoCal AAA offers their advice to motorists and cyclists on how to share the road together. A 10-year old Altadena boy is okay after being hit by a car in a SWSS.* When a horse is killed by an out-of-control car, no one says it shouldn’t have been on the road. Long Beach is hosting a meeting on the city’s proposed new bike plan on Tuesday.

Sometimes, bike safety progress comes in baby steps. A Newbury Park woman has ridden over 4,000 miles for charity. Best of luck for two UC Santa Barbara cyclists who have qualified for the National Championships. Bakersfield’s Bike Festival takes place in two weeks; and yes, I have walked those very streets. The latest nuptial trend is bike weddings, including this one at L.A.’s Mormon Temple. A 12-year old Modesto girl is in grave condition after being hit by a car. A Redwood City cyclist is beaten up in a 7-Eleven parking lot in a road rage dispute. Once you’ve downed a pint or two down, your risk of a bike crash goes up — as a Tulare rider just learned.

After getting hit by a car, a Kingman AZ teenager is cited for riding on the wrong side of the road and not having brakes on his bike. In a case that doesn’t quite add up, a 78-year old Missouri cyclist is killed when he runs into a Highway Patrol car parked on the side of the road; aside from the question of why he couldn’t see it, it would seem to require traveling at a surprising rate of speed. A Portland, Maine paper reports that a five-year old boy was injured when he collided a dump truck; no hint of press bias there. A New Hampshire woman moves to San Jose by bike. After the NY Post’s latest anti-bike diatribe, the paper publishes some voices of reason. New bike lanes are about to bloom in Philadelphia. Delaware tells cyclists they’re riding the wrong way. The Maryland Department of Transportation says cyclists are just being safe, not arrogant. A Georgia cyclist faces a charge of vehicular homicide a year after his alleged failure to yield causes the death of a motorcyclist; I wonder how many drivers have faced similar charges after cutting off bike riders? A Florida pastor plans to bike 1500 miles to New York to raise funds for Haiti.

Tips on how to bike commute safely. Large trucks continue to take their deadly toll on UK cyclists. A UK man is arrested for a drunken bike ride through the local supermarket in a chicken suit. The Dutch didn’t always ride like the Dutch, which gives hope to Dubliners, as well as the rest of us. Taylor Phinney’s hard-luck freshman year on the pro tour continues, as he crashes in the Tour de Romandie, shattering his bike but finishing on a spare. Bangalore University works to become bike-friendly through the country’s first university bike share program. A 10-day bike race wraps up in Ho Chi Minh City.

Finally, in an absolutely astounding case, after a Lancaster driver is stopped at a DUI check point, police notice his state of intoxication, as well as the fresh blood on the bumper of his car — and trace his route back to find a dead pedestrian lying on the side of the road.

*Single Witness Suicide Swerve

Category: Injuries and Fatalities, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , ,

Volunteers needed for Culver City bike count, and jam-packed bike weekend

April 30, 2011 / / 3 comments

Volunteers are needed for a bike count in Culver City next month.

As part of the Culver City Bicycle and Pedestrian Initiative, Culver City, the Culver City Bicycle Coalition, and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition will be conducting bicycle and pedestrian counts this May.  The last time counts were done was in 2009, so we need to get out there and document the changes.  Come join us and help Culver City become more bicycle and pedestrian friendly!

The counts will be held Wednesday, May 11th at 7 to 9am and 4 to 6pm and Saturday, May 14th from to 12 to 2pm and two volunteer training workshops will be conducted the Sunday afternoon (May 8th at 4pm) and Monday evening (May 9th at 6:30pm) at the Culver City Senior Center. It is really important that everyone attend one of the trainings as it’s where we’ll be passing count forms, providing you with location details, and making sure we’re all on the same page about how and what to count. Workshops will take about 1 hour to complete.

Volunteer Training Workshops:
When: Sunday, May 8th 4pm and Monday, May 9th 6:30pm
Where: Culver City Senior Center
Bicycle and Pedestrian Counts:
When: Wednesday, May 11th from 7 to 9am and 4 to 6pm and Saturday, May 14th from 12 until 2pm. 
Where: Sign up to volunteer and find out!!!
Please email either the Culver City Bicycle Coalition – jim@asylumdesign.com
or Alexis Lantz at LACBC – alexis@la-bike.org

.………

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

A bike ride will be held on Saturday, April 30th, to honor 17-year old German Alex Romero, who was killed by a speeding hit-and-run driver in Canoga Park last week. The ride will begin at 6 pm at the Reseda Orange Line bike path, ending at the crash site at De Soto and Valerio; participants are urged to wear white. Donations are being accepted to benefit Romero’s family at JB Bike Shop, 21527 Sherman Way.

Attention Boss fans — take in select screenings of the new Bruce Springsteen documentary The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town at a Laemmle Theatre near you, and half of all ticket sales will go to benefit the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition; screenings take place on Saturday, April 30th, Sunday May 1st and Monday the 2nd.

Sustainable Streets and Transition Culver City will be hosting a Confident City Cycling course for adult riders. The two-day course is intended to help bike riders gain the confidence and skill to ride a bike safely and legally in city traffic. The $75 course is limited to 12 people, and takes place Saturday, April 30th and Saturday, May 7th at 10 am to 2 pm at Linwood E. Howe Elementary School, 4100 Irving Place in Culver City; preregister at info@sustainablestreetsla.org.

Join Bikeside for Le Tour de Green Gardens, a tour of sustainable eco-friendly gardens on Saturday, April 30th, as they participate in the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase; meet at 11 am at 3141 Greenfield Avenue.

Also on Saturday, April 30th, the Conejo Valley Cyclists presents Cruisin’ the Conejo, offering rides from 21 mile to a 101 mile route that follows last year’s final leg of the Tour of California. The ride begins at the Skyworks parking lot located at 2504 W. Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks (aka Newbury Park);register online through April 28th.

The Dana Point Grand Prix will be held on Sunday, May 1st, featuring a .8 mile criterium; the start/finish will be located at the intersection of PCH and Del Prado in Dana Point.

If you can’t make it to Dana Point, don’t miss the May edition of the LACBC’s Sunday Funday Rides, with a tour of historic Northwest and Northeast L.A.; riders assemble at the Echo Park Boathouse at 9:30 am on May 1st.

Also on Sunday, May 1st, the Tour de Cure Ship to Shore rolls across the Vincent Thomas and Gerald Desmond bridges, starting from the Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway in Long Beach. Routes range from 8 to 100 miles, as well as an 11-mile route ending with a harbor cruise back to the starting point; in addition to the entry fee, riders are required to raise a minimum $150 in donations to benefit the American Diabetes Association. Thanks to GVDub for the reminder

Monday, May 2nd, Glendale Safe and Healthy Streets is sponsoring a free Bicycle Commuter Tips Workshop from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Sycamore Room of the Pacific Park Community Center, 501 S. Pacific Ave in Glendale. Topics include planning your route, what to do with work clothes, how to carry things and basic gear.

The BPIT (Bicycle Plan Implementation Team) will conduct its next monthly meeting at 2 pm on Tuesday, May 3rd in room 721 of the Downtown City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street.

Wednesday, May 4th, Glendale Transportation Management Associates and the LACBC team to host a free lunchtime Pre Bike to Work Expo at the courtyard between 400 and 450 North Brand Boulevard, from 11:30 am to 1 pm.

The Antelope Valley Conservancy sponsors the 16th Annual Antelope Valley Ride on Saturday, May 7th with rides of 20, 30 and 60 miles; check-in begins at 7 am at George Lane Park, 5520 West Avenue L-8 in Quartz Hill.

Also on Saturday, May 7th, celebrate the intersection of art, the environment and bicycling at the 20th Anniversary Santa Monica Fest, offering free admission, parking and bike valet. A special bike zone includes bike repair and maintenance advice from the Bikerowave, a Bike Learning Area sponsored by the City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development, a Bike Exhibition with Santa Monica Spoke and a Ticket to Ride from the Santa Monica Museum of Art. It takes place from 11 am to 6 pm at Cloverfield Park, 2600 Ocean Park Blvd in Santa Monica; free bike valet at 25th and Ocean Park.

Meet the members of Team HTC-Highroad before they compete in the Amgen Tour of California when Cynergy Cycles sponsors An Evening in Fast Company on Monday, May 9th from 6 to 10 pm to benefit the Right to Play organization. Your $100 donation includes dinner, drinks, raffle and gift card; 2300 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica.

Also on Monday, May 9nd, Glendale Safe and Healthy Streets sponsors a free Basic Bike Repair Workshop from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Auditorium of the Glendale Central Library, 501 S. Pacific Ave in Glendale. Topics include planning your route, what to do with work clothes, how to carry things and basic gear.

On Thursday, May 12th, there will be a party  to benefit the California Bicycle Coalition and preview the new state-of-the-art Bike Stations at Bikestation Long Beach, 211 E. 1st Street at the Promenade in Long Beach, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

The annual Long Beach Bicycle Festival takes place on Friday, May 13th and Saturday, May 14th in Downtown Long Beach. The festivities include the Tour of Long Beach on Saturday, May 14th with rides of 4, 31 and 61 miles to benefit Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach.

Saturday, May 14th, Streetsblog LA will host a pre-Bike Week Westside Ride to the Venice Pier starting at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 11555 National Blvd, at 10:30 am.

Also on Saturday, May 14th Glendale Safe and Healthy Streets is sponsoring a free 12-mile Ice Cream Ride as part of the city’s Bike Month, beginning and ending at the Colina Drive entrance to Verdugo Park. Riders meet at 1 pm and set off at 1:30; minors must be accompanied by adults, and participants should bring money to purchase ice cream.

For riders unafraid to venture behind the Orange Curtain, Bike Newport Beach is sponsoring a Family Fun Ride on Sunday, May 15th beginning at 8 am at the Oasis Senior Center, 801 Narcissus Avenue in Corona del Mar.

Also on Sunday, May 15th, the Pasadena Marathon takes to the streets of the City of Roses, including a 5:45 am bike tour before the runners hit the pavement. Riders and runners start and finish at Pasadena City College, 1570 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91106; thanks to Louie for the heads-up.

L.A.’s 17th annual Bike Week takes place May 16th through the 20th, with an emphasis on bike safety education, and events throughout the city.

  • Bike Week opens with an 8:30 am Monday, May 16th Kick-Off Event at the North Hollywood Metro Station
  • This year’s Blessing of the Bicycles will take place from 8 to 9:30 am on Tuesday, May 17th at Downtown’s Good Samaritan Hospital, 616 S. Witmer Street.
  • Ride with other cyclists through the streets of Downtown on Wednesday, May 18th; riders meet at 8 am at Union Station on Alameda Street
  • Bike to Work Day takes place on Thursday, May 19th, with morning pit stops throughout the greater Los Angeles Area, as well as a handful of Bike from Work happy hours; Metro is also looking for Bike Buddies to guide inexperienced cyclists to work.
  • Friday, May 19th is Bike to School Day

CICLE will celebrate Pasadena’s Bike Week with two special events:

  • Monday, May 16th is Bike Film Night with Streetsblog LA joining CICLE to present a series of Streetfilms and discuss how those lessons can be applied to Southland streets; 6:30 P.M. at Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 North Mentor Avenue, Pasadena.
  • The Mayor’s Ride & Family Night will take place on Tuesday, May 17th from 5:30 to 8 pm at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield; join with Pasadena mayor Bill Bogaard and other local officials at a family-friendly event to promote bicycle as a safe and sustainable transportation alternative.

The San Diego Century ride takes place on Saturday, May 21st with rides of 37, 66 or 103 miles, starting in Encinitas, along with free admission to an expo featuring sports, local cuisine and live music.

L.A.’s favorite fundraiser ride rolls on Sunday, June 5th with the 11th Annual River Ride; advance registration is open now. Volunteers are needed now and on the day of the ride, email RRvolunteer@la-bike.org for more info and to sign up.

If you can make it up to Sacramento on Sunday, June 12th, Ride4Matt is sponsoring a charity ride to benefit Matthew Wietrick, who was seriously injured while riding last February. Choose from routes of 10, 35 and 70 miles, with a $7 BBQ lunch after the ride; donations gratefully accepted.

Flying Pigeon Bike Shop will host a fundraising bike ride to benefit Streetsblog LA on Friday, June 17th, beginning and ending at Flying Pigeon, 3714 North Figueroa Street in Highland Park; ride meets at 6 pm, with party to follow at 8 pm.

The next two CicLAvias will take place on July 10th and October 9th; anyone who was at the one last Sunday probably doesn’t need a reminder to mark their calendars.

Tuesday, August 30th, Santa Monica’s Library Alehouse will host a benefit night for Streetsblog LA; 5% of all food and drink purchases will benefit Streetsblog; 2911 Main Street.

And mark your calendar for the 2011 L.A. edition of the Tour de Fat on October 9th, unless you happen to be an observant Jew, since it falls on Yom Kippur this year.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

Hollywood blocked bikeways may be common, but not legal; moving story on fallen cyclist Alex Romero

April 29, 2011 / / 7 comments

It something we’ve all gotten used to living here in the greater metaphorical Hollywood.

And something we shouldn’t have to.

If you’ve ridden much around this city, chances are, you’ve found your way blocked by a movie crew, TV set or a commercial photo shoot at some point, forcing you to wait until the scene or shoot is over.

Or maybe you’ve run into my pet peeve — movie crews parked along the side of the road, with orange safety cones placed in the middle of the bike lane to protect their precious trucks from passing cyclists, forcing you out into traffic with little or no warning.

And often as not, with no legal basis.

Take the photo shoot Todd Munson encountered on his way home last week on the Ballona Creek Bike Path.

They were set up near the eastern end. When I rolled up they had a scrim set up that was a good 10 feet high and as wide as the path. Because of it, I had to come to a full stop and announce my presence before they even noticed I was there. Based on how “fashionable” they all were I’m guessing they came from the nearby Smashbox Studio.

When I realized how much I was “hassling” them by having to move their equipment to make some room, I asked if they had a permit for the shoot. Everyone just sort looked at each other and mumbled incomplete sentences. The guy who was apparently in charge was the one covering his face in the first photo. The amazing thing to me was that nobody including him was at all apologetic. The best they could do was “Hey man, we didn’t think anyone would be here.” And a couple of them even tried getting tough.

The other funny part was that girl in the red shirt in photo number 3 asked that I not take anyone’s picture.

Good times.

Problem is, unless they did have a permit, what they were doing was completely illegal. Section 21211 of the California Vehicle Code reads:

21211.   (a) No person may stop, stand, sit, or loiter upon any class I bikeway, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, or any other public or private bicycle path or trail, if the stopping, standing, sitting, or loitering impedes or blocks the normal and reasonable movement of any bicyclist.

But it doesn’t stop there. It goes on to prohibit parking or placing anything on the bike path that would block it, as well.

(b) No person may place or park any bicycle, vehicle, or any other object upon any bikeway or bicycle path or trail, as specified in subdivision (a), which impedes or blocks the normal and reasonable movement of any bicyclist unless the placement or parking is necessary for safe operation or is otherwise in compliance with the law.

Of course, there are additional subsections specifying a handful exceptions, none of which apply in the situation Munson encountered. Or to the overwhelming majority of cases you might encounter that would delay your ride more than a few moments.

Then there’s the matter of blocked bike lanes.

As we’ve discussed before, bike lanes are considered traffic lanes by the LAPD, just like the larger lanes to their left. And just as it’s illegal to block any other traffic lane, it’s against the law to block a bike lane — whether with trash cans, orange cones or double parked vehicles.

The question is whether L.A.’s favorite industry enjoys a special exemption when it comes to their trucks.

The afore mentioned Mr. Munson, who seems to be having a rash of bad luck with this sort of thing lately, reached out to myself and Tony Arranaga, who works in the office of 11th District Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, after a recent encounter with bike lanes blocked by a movie crew on San Vicente Blvd in the Brentwood area.

Tony was kind enough to connect us with Geoffrey Smith, Director of Community Relations with FilmLA Inc, the agency responsible for overseeing the massive amount of filming that takes place in this city on a daily basis.

Once again, I’ll let Todd explain the situation:

The specific incident I encountered occurred in Brentwood along San Vicente last Thursday morning (3/24). A film production had vehicles parked on both sides of San Vicente near the golf course and had laid out large cones along the respective bike lanes.

The cones were placed on the outer edge of the bike line cutting down its width to the point that it was no longer safe to use. Any cyclist who chose to stay in the bike lane was faced with a lose-lose situation as they were forced to ride dangerously close to parked vehicles. Should a door swing open or a crew member walk out from between the vehicles, the tightly spaced cones to the immediate left eliminated any chance for a safe escape.

The only option for a cyclist wishing to avoid this mess would be to exit the bike lane and ride in traffic. This option was equally undesirable and dangerous as motorists tend to treat San Vicente as a mini freeway- especially during the morning rush hour.

Attached is quick diagram I made with the help of Google Street View illustrating the dangerousness of the situation.

To reiterate what Ted stated, those cones served no functional purpose other than creating a life-threatening situation for cyclists. Should the status quo be allowed to remain, it’s not a matter of if but when a deadly accident will occur.

That drew the following response from Smith, who answered promptly the next morning:

1)      No, the company should not have put cones in the bike path. It seems that the Transportation Captain was perhaps a little overzealous in trying to let everyone know that there was a trailer parked on the street. Why he felt that the general public would fail to see a trailer 8’ wide by 7’ high will undoubtedly remain a mystery.

2)      Yes, a company can close a bike path BUT, it requires submitting a traffic plan to DOT, showing what alternate route(s) are being created, via cones, barricades, signage, so that bicyclists are not forced into traffic. DOT has to approve of the closure before it will be allowed.

3)      As an FYI, FilmL.A. is 24/7. If you should run into this situation again, PLEASE call us 213/977.8600 ASAP. Let us check and see a) if there is a permit and b) if they have a closure of the bike path.

4)      I am also annoyed if they were parking on both side of San Vicente. Parking on the north side is not allowed.

I don’t know about you, but I’m putting that phone number in my speed dial.

.………

Dj Wheels, who has been very busy keeping up with local bike-related criminal cases lately, shares the news that 19-year olds Patrick Roraff and Brett Morin will face trial for the death of rising pro cyclist Jorge Alvarado in Highland one year ago.

Roraff and Morin were allegedly street racing at around 70 mph when Roraff lost control and hit Alvarado, who died on the side of the road, far from his family and friends in Mexico.

According to the Press-Enterprise, the two will be arraigned on May 12th on a single count each of vehicular manslaughter.

.………

Chances are, you’ve never heard of the San Fernando Valley Sun. But maybe you should.

Once again, they’ve written movingly about the death of yet another teenage Valley cyclist murdered by a hit-and-run driver.

Just six months ago, it was Danny Marin*; this time, it’s Alex Romero, run down by a speeding driver on De Soto Avenue in Canoga Park last week.

Consider the heart-rending pathos in the first paragraph alone:

Tomorrow, April 29, Maria De La Paz “Pacita” Romero will have to find the strength to bury her teenaged son. “Empty. I feel empty,” Maria said as she attempts to describe the loss of her son, German Alex Romero, a 17-year-old promising soccer player whose life was tragically cut short last week when he was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Canoga Park.

Remarkably, Romero’s family doesn’t bear any animosity towards the still unidentified driver; his mother saying “God bless him” of the man who killed her son.

The family would also like Romero’s death to serve a positive purpose. Their desire is for new bicycle markings to be placed on the street where he was killed, as well as additional lighting, a traffic light and cameras.

“We would like Alex’s sacrifice to be worth something,” Fuentes said. “He came to this earth for 17 years to give light to everybody, motorists and bicyclists, so that we may be more careful to make ourselves aware of everybody who’s on the road.”

Seriously, stop whatever you’re doing, and take just a few minutes to read a very well-written story about the massive hole a heartless driver has left in what appears to be a remarkable, and remarkably forgiving, family.

But don’t be surprised if you find a few tears in your eyes before you’re done.

*Unfortunately, the original Sun story is no longer available online.

.………

Finally, the LACBC reports that the peak hour restrictions limiting bikes on Metro trains have been lifted, effective immediately. While the bike ban has been widely ignored in recent months, the action of the Metro Board means you can now take your bike on any Metro train, any time, to any destination.

As train cars come in for servicing, they will have seats removed to create additional standing and storage room to provide more space for bikes, as well as other large objects such as strollers and shopping bags.

Category: Bikes & the Law, Car vs Bike, Injuries and Fatalities, Legal Cases / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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