Tag Archive for Los Angeles

Weekend rides, Tamale Throwdown and a heartbreaking comment from a recent bike widow

November 13, 2010 / / One comment

Lulu Laing, the widow of James Laing — the cyclist killed by an alleged drunk driver in Agoura Hills October 23rd — left a comment on here Friday in which she talks about, and to, her late husband.

But fair warning, don’t read it if you don’t want to cry.

I think Ross X, aka @dudeonabike, said it best in a tweet this evening:

Wow … just wow. The tears that must have fallen on her keyboard as she wrote that… For Lulu and James, we fight on.

The San Fernando Valley Bicycle Club is tentatively scheduled to hold a memorial ride for James Laing, next Saturday, November 20th beginning at 8 am at the Agoura Hills Bicycle John’s. Organizers say it will visit the site where Laing was killed on Agoura Road, with an easy pace to accommodate all riders.

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The landscaper accused in the death of OC cyclist Michael Nine returns to court on Monday, charged with vehicular manslaughter after pleading guilty of driving without a license; thanks to Lois for the heads-up.

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Friday and Saturday, November 12th & 13th, celebrate the city’s favorite cuisine by riding your bike to the LA Tamale Throwdown sponsored by the Eastside Bicycle Club at Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Rose Hill; free bike valet sponsored by Flying Pigeon LA bike shop.

Flying Pigeon and the Bike Oven host the free Spoke(n) Art Ride on the 2nd Saturday of every month; the next ride will take place on Saturday, November 13th, starting 6:30 pm at 3714 N. Figueroa St. in Highland Park.

Sample the route for the upcoming 2011 River Ride as the LACBC hosts a free ride from Griffith Park to Long Beach on Sunday, November 14. Riders will leave from the Autry Museum in Griffith Park at 7:30 am and arrive in Long Beach between 11 am and noon, then return by riding back or taking the Blue Line to L.A. Email erica@la-bike.org to RSVP; click to download the ride waiver or share a ride to the starting point.

Also on Sunday the 14th, tour Beverly Hills and talk about opportunities to make the city more inviting for cyclists with the inaugural Better Bike Beverly Hills Ride, starting at 2 pm at Peets Coffee at 258 South Beverly Drive.

Explore the effects of bicycles on art and culture at Re:Cycle — Bike Culture in Southern California, at U.C. Riverside’s newly relocated Sweeney Art Gallery at the Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts, 3834 Main Street in downtown Riverside, exhibition continues through December 31st.

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Police are looking for a Torrance hit-and-run driver who collided with an 11-year old cyclist, then ran over his leg. City Council candidate Stephen Box says L.A.’s planned construction on PCH is reminiscent of the construction work that resulted in the deaths of two cyclists in 2005. Gary reports on the recent meeting of Santa Monica’s Recreation and Parks Bike Committee. Hip, hot and in the know Sacramento girls on bikes. Coworkers remember a cyclist killed near Napa on Wednesday. The SF Weekly looks at last weekend’s successful San Francisco Bike Expo. Looks like that California middle school student can keep his flag after all. Tucson’s Director of Transportation has his own personalized parking space. Joining in on the great Cat 6 commuter race. An Iowa cyclist slowly recovers after being clotheslined by wire strung across a bike path. A Michigan drunk driver hit something, but kept driving because she wasn’t sure what it was; turned out it was the cyclist she killed. Bike Radar says don’t be afraid of clipless pedals. Advice from the first great depression, bike your way back to prosperity. The UK’s Cycle to Work tax benefit survives the country’s budget cuts, barely. A cycling Brit lawyer captures a death threat from a motorist on video, and can’t get anyone to do anything about it. Astana reloads to move past the Contador era; yeah, good luck with that. Cycling legend Gino Bartali will be honored for risking his life by working undercover to save the lives of Jews during WWII. NYDOT director Janette Sadik-Khan tells Sydney cyclists if she can do it in New York, they can do it there; if she really wants a challenge, why not try to do it here — after all, we have an opening right now. A South African cyclist is shot to death in an apparent road rage attack.

Finally, what do you call it when a New York cyclist is attacked by a naked man on the newly bike friendlier Queensboro Bridge?

Friday.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

Ride the 2011 River Ride route six months early — and free this Sunday only

November 12, 2010 / / 5 comments

Think of it as the 2010-and-a-half River Ride.

What started out as a chance for River Ride volunteers to experience the course they usually miss out on because they’re busy helping others enjoy it is now open to everyone. And its turned into the one of the biggest and best free bike rides of the year.

The L.A. River Training Ride is now open to riders of all levels, from beginners to experienced long distance cyclists — whether you volunteered with the River Ride last year or plan to next year, or want to get a head start on training for next year’s ride. Or just feel like getting out for a great ride with a great group of people along the L.A. River Bike Path.

And it will be led by experienced riders from the LACBC staff, as well as other volunteer ride marshals, to offer guidance, advice and encouragement every step, or pedal stroke, along the way.

Riders will meet at the Autry Museum in Griffith Park this Sunday, November 14, at 7:30 am, then ride to Long Beach for lunch. Those who arrive early enough may ride over to see a special showing of Riding Bikes with the Dutch at the Art Theatre in Long Beach. Other riders will have lunch in Long Beach before either riding or taking the Blue Line back to Los Angeles — making it the perfect opportunity for anyone who doesn’t want to do the full ride, or isn’t sure if they can make it all the way.

As well as your chance to overcome those nagging doubts about signing up for the real River Ride next May.

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Speaking of Riding Bikes with the Dutch, that special showing I mentioned is also open to the public, and will take place at 11:30 am this Sunday, November 14th.

I’ll let Tim Blumenthal of People for Bikes tell you about it.

  • When: Sunday, Nov. 14 at 11:30 a.m., 
Q & A with the filmmaker to follow at 12:15 p.m.
  • Where: Art Theatre, 2025 East Fourth Street, Long Beach, CA
  • Cost: $10 per person; tickets available online or at the box office

The filmmaker, American Michael Bauch, completed a home exchange in Amsterdam, and spent months living and documenting the bicycle-centric lifestyle of the Dutch. “The first time I stepped off the train in Amsterdam I was literally speechless,” said Bauch. “Everyone from three years old to 93 seemed to be tooling around the city on two wheels. There was a three level structure dedicated to just parking bicycles. This was too much to take in with just my own eyes. I needed to share this with everyone I could and this is why I made my film.”

Bicycling is booming in big U.S. cities, with more urban riders than ever. This film offers insights for Americans like us hoping to create more bike-friendly, livable communities in our own backyards.

Learn more about the film on the Riding Bikes with the Dutch website or by watching the trailer.

Happy trails,

Tim Blumenthal, peopleforbikes.org

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The LACBC says cyclists and local residents were shut out of an Ad Hoc committee to reconsider the Wilbur Ave road diet, while LADOT apparently has a super secret plan — developed without input from cyclists or local residents — to reconfigure the roadway.

If you’re pissed off — and you probably should be, especially if you live along Wilbur or ride in the Valley — you’re urged to email and voice your opinion.

TAKE ACTION
Write to the Northridge West Neighborhood Council members and Councilmember Smith to demand that this committee be fairly staffed with residents, homeowners as well as local cyclists.

Local residents, be sure to include your zip code.

And isn’t it time we had real leadership at LADOT to put a stop to this kind of crap stuff?

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The Eagle County DA attempts, and fails, to explain his highly flawed reasoning in declining to prosecute a rich money fund manager for felony hit-and-run. Bob Mionske says the DA is wrong on the law and picks the wrong battles to fight, while the Vail Daily urges him to prosecute the felony charges the crime merits.

Personally, I’d suggest that he either prosecute the driver for felony hit-and-run or resign and let someone else do it.

But that’s just me.

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The mainstream media discovers the proposed cyclist anti-harassment ordinance, as the Daily News, et al, publishes the story, while the Times draws comments from the usual bike-hating suspects; Mark at the C-Blog says it may not be as effective as I think. NoHo’s killer intersection may finally get a traffic signal. LACBC offers a new countywide resource guide. Bicycle Fixation relates a night of riding with Flying Pigeon and the editors of Momentum Magazine. Long Beach’s cycling expats say yes, they know they’re doing it wrong. Calabasas residents help plan a new off-road bikeway along Las Virgenes Creek. Ventura plans a new development where 25% of the parking spaces will be for bikes. People for Bikes says San Francisco sets the bar high. The proposed solution to two NorCal bikes deaths: ban cyclists from any road without a bike lane and require all cyclists to wear helmets, even though the first victim was killed while riding in a bike lane, and the helmet the second victim was wearing didn’t do her any good. A cyclist is killed by a 78-year old driver south of Yountville. A California middle school student is told to take an American flag off his bike to “avoid racial tension.”

An Oregon study of bike commuting injuries shows that injury prevention should focus on improving the riding environment, rather than on the habits and skills of riders. After attempting — and apparently failing — to fire the Executive Director, the directors of Seattle’s Cascade Bicycle Club face a recall. Even Cheyenne, Wyoming is working on becoming bike friendlier. A Chicago mayoral candidate promises to make it one of the most bicycle friendly cities in the world. A blind, nine-time cancer survivor who raised over $50,000 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital by riding a bicycle 400 miles from Chattanooga to Memphis has died at age 21. Would you ride to work if you had a guaranteed ride home if you needed it?

Someone may be sabotaging an oceanfront UK bikeway. A British cyclist has been arrested in the bike rage attack on a motorist who nearly doored him; in another UK attack, a cyclist smashes his bike into a driver’s windshield. Some schmuck(s) stole the jersey Marco Pantani’s wore to win the 1998 Tour de France. In interesting choice, Team Sky taps the other Texas pro, TdF veteran Bobby Julich, as team race coach. Aukland NZ pulls the plug on their bike share program. A Croation cyclist is fined for falling off his bike.

Finally, advice to riders — don’t ride near foliage because “Rats can jump out and scare you so badly, you’ll be propelled into traffic and, you know, die.”

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

Angelina Everett gets 90 days in Ed Magos hit-and-run case

November 11, 2010 / / 12 comments

Yesterday was a big day for cyclists. And showed just how far we still have to go.

Ten months after 37-year old fashion designer Angelina Everett left Ed Magos lying in the street begging for help after colliding with his bike on a Downtown Street, she was sentenced to 90 days in jail, along with community service and nearly $20,000 in restitution. According to the L.A. Times, she will be allowed to serve her sentence on weekends in the Glendale City Jail, in part because she has a young daughter.

This is case in which the authorities initially declined to press charges because the driver turned herself in an hour-and-a-half after driving away, until pressure from the cycling community led them to take another look at the case.

While cyclists celebrate that justice has finally been done — not just in this case, but in any hit-and-run resulting in injuries this side of death — it should be sobering, as well.

First because this case, like any hit-and-run, is doubly tragic.

Everett is every bit as as much a victim of her own actions as Magos is. Had she simply remained at the scene, there never would have been a case. Who was a fault would have been determined in civil court, rather than in a criminal case. And she would be able to spend her weekends with her daughter, rather than languishing behind bars.

The other reason this case should cause all cyclists to take a step back is this chilling excerpt from the Times:

In court Wednesday, prosecutor Michael Schwartz played 911 tapes from the incident.

In one, Everett called in to report that she had “collided” with a bicycle, and told the 911 operator that she kept driving after the accident because of heavy traffic. When she returned to the site of the crash, she went on, Magos was gone. She asked the 911 operator, “Am I going to jail?”

“No, ma’am,” responded the operator, who went on to tell Everett that people didn’t go to jail for hit-and-runs involving cyclists.

As the article notes, the LAPD has come a long way under Chief Beck’s leadership. And the department now has an effective point person in Sgt. David Krumer, giving us someone we can turn to when problems like this arise.

But this is just one case, in one city. And as the 911 operator’s comment makes clear, legal protection for cyclists is still the exception, rather than the rule.

And even in supposedly bike-friendly communities like Long Beach, authorities continue to make up their own rules, regardless of what the law actually says.

Category: General / Tags: , , , , ,

L.A. City Council unanimously approves drafting proposed anti-harassment ordinance

November 11, 2010 / / One comment

Sometimes, what happens inside is actually as inspiring as the view outside.

It’s hard to call it a victory when we’ve still got so far to go.

But I’ll take a unanimous vote in City Council any day of the week.

After a couple hours of contentious debates over smoking restrictions and solar panels, the City Council finally got around to discussing the proposed anti-harassment ordinance that would give cyclists the right to sue in civil court for harassment, threats and assault.

Although we seriously need to find a catchier name for it.

Regardless, 11th District Councilmember Bill Rosendahl — who’s taken the lead in shepherding this ordinance through the countless pitfalls City Hall is famous for — set the tone when he said this ordinance just gives cyclists rights we should already have.

He was followed by Deputy City Attorney Judith Reel, who explained the nuts and bolts of the proposed ordinance, including a maximum award of $1,000 or actual damages, whichever is higher. Along with a provision for attorney’s fees if you win your case, which in many cases could far exceed the damages awarded by the court.

As Rosendahl put it, “This plan has teeth.”

And lets not forget that it was Reel who had the stroke of genius to make harassment a civil violation, resulting in a lower burden of proof compared to a criminal case. And allowing cyclists to file suit themselves, rather than rely on police to witness a violation.

Michele Mowery, Senior Bike Coordinator at LADOT, told the council that this ordinance is necessary because many motorists still believe that cyclists don’t belong on the road, and consider it sport to throw things at riders.

4th District Councilmember Tom LaBonge and 1st District Councilmember Ed Reyes also spoke in support — though LaBonge seemed equally concerned with the problems posed by out-of-control sidewalk riders.

Under questioning from Rosendahl, Reel said that if the council approved the motion, the actual drafting of the ordinance would take up to 60 days. Rosendahl urged her to come back to the council with the finished ordinance sooner, rather than later, and to include the LACBC in the reviewing process.

In the end, the council voted 12 – 0 to move forward, with three members absent.

Which means that, through two committee sessions and hearing before the full council, not one vote has been cast in opposition to the City Attorney’s proposal.

And cyclists are one step closer to a first-of-its-kind anti-harassment law that could set the standard for communities around the world.

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Below are my comments from the council session.

I want to make sure you understand how important this measure is.

Every day, cyclists face a barrage of harassments and threats. I’ve received reports of cyclists being crowded, yelled at, honked at, having things thrown at them and forced off the road; female cyclists have had to endure unwanted sexual comments and touching while they ride.

Some people complain about rude cyclists swearing and making gestures. That’s because, until now, that’s all we’ve had to defend ourselves. But as Dr. Thompson clear showed, no word or gesture is a match for an angry driver in a two-ton vehicle.

The police are here to protect us, but they can’t be everywhere. And few people will do these sorts of things if there’s a cop around to see it.

This proposed ordinance is a brilliant solution to these problems. It’s the first of its kind anywhere, giving cyclists the tools to protect ourselves even if there isn’t a cop around. More importantly, it will act as a deterrent to protect the city’s most vulnerable road users, and encourage more people to get out of their cars and onto their bikes.

It will save lives.

Overnight, it will transform L.A. from a bicycling backwater to the world leader in protecting cyclists. It will be copied by cities around the world; already, I’ve received several requests from cyclists across the county for a copy of the City Attorney’s report.

That’s what you’re voting on today.

And yes, it is that important.

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Streetsblog’s Damien Newton explains why Livable Los Angeles has started an online petition urging Mayor Villaraigosa to conduct a real search for the next head of LADOT, and select a world-class leader to replace Rita Robinson.

And yes, I’ve already signed it.

Speaking of Damien, he wants to know when enough is enough; wouldn’t we all.

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Justice in the Ed Magos case, as Angelina Everett gets jail time, community labor and is ordered to pay restitution; more details as they come in. LACBC offers eight tips on what to do if you’re in a collision; here’s my take on the same subject. A look at the signal loop detectors that makes a Bike Friendly Street bike friendly. CicLAvia is looking for volunteers for Host Committees for next year, and wants your advice on what Sunday in April to hold the next one. Culver City approves a new bike and pedestrian plan. Santa Monica begins the long, hard process to cut the city’s unacceptably high rate of biking accidents. Lance likes our local Left Coast sky in the ‘Bu. The New York Times takes in the sights of L.A. on two wheels, touring the city on $100 a day; thanks to everyone who forwarded it to me. Cycling’s equivalent of Dr. Thompson strikes in Santa Cruz, as a cyclist threatens a group of children in a park, then deliberately rides over a toddler; Thompson got five years, this jerk deserves at least that much, if not more. Ross del Duca puts on a helmet at his wife’s insistence, and is glad he did.

Maybe it’s time for a U.S. version of strict liability. CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta prepares for his first triathlon. It’s true, biking is far more social than driving. A Tucson cyclist signs a pro contract just three years after taking up the sport. Speaking of the NYT, they interview cycling attorney Bob Mionske on the Eagle County DA’s inexplicable decision not to file felony charges against a rich hit-and-run driver; meanwhile, Witch on a Bicycle offers an exhaustive recap of 30 separate takes on the same subject. Springfield Cyclist stops to work on his ride to work. A Cleveland driver gets three years for intentionally hitting a cyclist he mistakenly thought had stolen his son’s bike. A heavily bundled Katy Perry rides a bike in New York; the question is, how do they know it’s her? Baltimore joins L.A. in becoming the second city to pass the Cyclists’ Bill of Rights. A hit-and-run driver is convicted after his plates are captured by a red light camera.

Eco Velo offers 10 kinder, gentler rules for urban bike commuting; Town Mouse responds with 10 rules for rural commuting from the Scottish countryside. Evidently, bike rage is the new trend, as a Brit cyclist beats a driver into a coma after a near-dooring. UK cycling casualties are up while other road deaths and injuries are down. The Guardian asks if the law takes killing a cyclist seriously enough; if they’re anything like us, the answer is no. A policewoman is disciplined after calling a 16-year old girl a scumbag after she’s killed by a speeding police car. Instead of focusing on making cyclists more visible, police should tackle poor driving. An online exhibition of James Straffon’s the Art of Cycling. A man in Guyana stabs a man several times after he’s called a bike thief.

Finally, Patrick Pascal goes out for a ride in Griffith Park, and is magically transported to an alternate reality where Spandexed riders on Penny Farthings pose beneath the Hollywood sign.

Yeah, like that would happen in real life.

Photo courtesy of Patrick Pascal

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

Breaking News: Dr. Christopher Thompson appeals conviction in Mandeville Canyon case

November 10, 2010 / / 15 comments

Seriously.

You knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.

This morning I got an email from Steve Magas, one of the out of state lawyers listed over there on the right. And someone who’s rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers about bicycling issues.

Case in point, his latest piece in which he brilliantly eviscerates Eagle County, Colorado DA Mark Hurlbert — the prosecutor who inexplicably refused to file felony charges against a wealthy local resident accused of critically injuring a cyclist/transplant surgeon in a hit-and-run.

Because it might, you know, affect his ability to keep earning massive commissions managing financial portfolios for his multi-millionaire clients.

Tres tragique, mais non?

I’m sure Dr. Christopher Thompson wishes the local D.A.’s office had considered his ability to earn a living and dropped the charges against him in the Mandeville Canyon case.

Then again, you could probably say the same thing about everyone behind bars right now.

Although after seeing how expertly Magas picks the case apart, I definitely wouldn’t want to be the opposing attorney who has to face off against him in a court of law.

Anyway, since he’d referenced the Thompson case in his piece, Magas wanted to know if I knew the current status of the Good Doctor. Like if and where he was in jail, and whether he still had his medical license — and if he was appealing his conviction.

You can probably tell where this is going already.

Frankly, I’d been curious about that myself. So I set my work aside, and started doing a little digging.

First up, I used California’s shiny new Inmate Locator page, which revealed that Dr. Thompson is currently incarcerated at the medium security California Rehabilitation Center in Norco.

A little searching on the website of the Medical Board of California led to the discovery that his medical license has been suspended — not exactly a problem at the moment, since he won’t be in any position to use it for a few years — as well as an apparently unrelated malpractice conviction.

The remaining question was a little harder to answer.

In fact, I didn’t have a clue how to find out if he’d filed an appeal.

So I reached out to a couple of the other lawyers there on the right — Ross Hirsch, currently representing hit-and-run victim Ed Magos, and Daniel Jimenez, a cyclist and attorney who frequently contributes to these pages. And either of whom I’d want on my speed dial if I needed a lawyer.

And after a brief exchange of emails, Jimenez emailed back with the news we’ve probably all been expecting and dreading in equal measure.

Thompson’s attorney filed a notice of appeal with the 2nd District Court of Appeal in January, with the opening brief filed on the 4th of last month. The response from the California Attorney General’s office is due on December 3rd, with a reply from the defendant due about three weeks later. Arguments will then be heard sometime around February or March in Division 7 on the 3rd floor of the Ronald Reagan State Building Downtown.

And yes, it will be open to the public.

In case you want to keep up with it yourself, you can track the status of case on the appellate court’s website, using Appellate Case #B221794.

So you can relax. For now.

Dr. Thompson will remain safely behind bars for at least the next few months. And if current vote counting trends continue, it may be up to the man whose office helped put Thompson away to make sure he stays there.

But keep your fingers crossed.

Because if this appeal goes the wrong way, he could be back on the streets, brake-checking cyclists by spring.

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KCRW’s Kajon Cermak offers a great history of L.A.’s proposed anti-harassment ordinance that would make any threats harassment or assault against a cyclist a civil violation, subject to an award of up to $1000. As she notes, it will be heard before the full City Council Wednesday morning at Downtown City Hall; if it’s approved there, it will go back to the City Attorney’s office to draft the actual ordinance.

See you there.

But not Kajon; she has to work, and help get all those people stuck on the 405 safely to their exit of choice.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

Fixing a dangerous NoHo intersection a little too late; Cyclecross in Griffith Park, events & weekend links

November 6, 2010 / / 3 comments

Efforts are underway to get a traffic signal at the North Hollywood intersection where cyclist Robert Painter was killed last December by a heartless driver who fled the scene and left him to die in the street. Unfortunately, it’s too late for two little girls; one killed and the other in critical condition as a result of a driver who hit them in the same marked crosswalk.

Update: Earlier I’d written that the driver who hit the girls had fled the scene, rather than the driver who killed Robert Painter. That was my error; thanks to Michele for calling it to my attention.

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Looks flat, right? Didn't use to.

Greg forwards a photo of the Marina Bike Path between Mindanao and Fiji Ways. It may not look like much, but he says the simple fact that it’s flat is a big improvement as some of the tree roots that have forced the pavement up have been ground down.

On the other hand, it was still pretty bumpy last time I rode through.

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In upcoming events:

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

Help the South Bay Bicycle Coalition conduct vital a bike count to help prepare for the upcoming South Bay Bike Master Plan on Saturday the 6th from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm; volunteers are still needed. Thanks to Steve Montalto for the heads-up.

Flying Pigeon host their next Brewery Ride to the Eagle Rock Brewery on Saturday, November 6, starting at 3:20 pm at the Flying pigeon LA bike shop on North Figueroa.

Cyclocross racing comes to Griffith Park as the SoCal Cross Prestige Series hits town on Saturday and Sunday, November 6th and 7th, from 9 am to 4 pm both days. The event takes place in the Vermont Canyon Park and Parking Lot next to the Greek Theatre. You’re invited to join in on the 2:30 pm Saturday Fun Cross Relay for Charity, free for LACBC members.

Flying Pigeon invites riders to ride and share a beer with Momentum Magazine co-founders Mia Kohout and Tania Lo on Wednesday, November 10 from 6 pm to 8:30 pm, starting at Flying Pigeon’s North Figueroa location.

Friday and Saturday, November 12th & 13th, celebrate the city’s favorite cuisine by riding your bike to the LA Tamale Throwdown sponsored by the Eastside Bicycle Club at Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Rose Hill; free bike valet sponsored by the very busy Flying Pigeon LA bike shop.

Flying Pigeon and the Bike Oven host the free Spoke(n) Art Ride on the 2nd Saturday of every month; the next ride will take place on Saturday, November 13th, starting 6:30 pm at 3714 N. Figueroa St. in Highland Park.

On Saturday, November 20th, the San Fernando Valley Bicycle Club is tentatively scheduled to hold a memorial ride for James Laing, the cyclist killed by an alleged drunk hit-and-run driver in Agoura Hills on October 23rd. The ride is scheduled to begin at 8 am at the Agoura Hills Bicycle John’s, 29041 Thousand Oaks Blvd; it will have an easy pace to accommodate all riders, and visit the roadside memorial where Laing was killed.

Explore the effects of bicycles on art and culture at Re:Cycle — Bike Culture in Southern California, at U.C. Riverside’s newly relocated Sweeney Art Gallery at the Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts, 3834 Main Street in downtown Riverside, exhibition continues through December 31st.

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LADOT Bike Blog offers a detailed report on Thursday’s Planning Commission meeting; sorry I missed it earlier. Stephen Box says cyclists should have input into the selection of the new LADOT chief or City Hall will once again face the wrath of the riders. Thanks to the efforts of cyclists and local residents, Burbank’s Verdugo Avenue road diet survives for at least another six months. Get a discount at Local in Silver Lake when you ride your bike. Bicycle Fixation considers the last patch job on the massive 4th Street pothole known as the Hudson River. The Inland Empire Women Cyclists celebrated Halloween with their Great Pumpkin Ride; thanks to the Claremont Cyclist for the link. San Francisco holds their Bike Expo on Saturday. The cyclist killed by a big rig near Portola Valley on Thursday was a nurse, mother and avid cyclist out to make the roads safer; every death on the roads leaves a hole in someone’s world. A Petaluma writer says fix the roads first and screw the proposed bike boulevard.

A Times writer takes a sunrise bike ride down Maui’s Haleakala volcano; personally, I’d rather ride in Barcelona or maybe visit a shrine to the patron saint of cyclists. More on the culture clash dividing the nation’s largest cycling club. A roadway confrontation in the Colorado high country results in the conviction of both the driver and a cyclist. The mysterious Muskegon bike artist strikes again. A Connecticut garage owner graphically demonstrates the dangers of distracted driving. The Philadelphia-based hipster bicycle video game you’ve been waiting for will soon be available from the Apple App Store. South Carolina’s car-free Bicycle City breaks ground next month; now that I think about it, BikingInSC has a ring to it.

British bike deaths declined 10% last year, but rose the first part of this year. An innovative bike anti-theft device is being tested in Portsmouth, UK; if someone tries to move the bike it triggers a security camera. Definition of irony: A Brit cyclist is run over by a trailer full of London’s Boris Bikes. A presumably dope-free Floyd Landis finishes 4th in New Zealand’s Tour of Southland. An Aussie driver who killed a former cricket star who was riding with friends loses his license and gets a whopping $900 fine; of course, that coverts to a much stiffer $913 U.S.

Finally, how to terrorize an entire city on two wheels; gravity is the only law you have to obey. Then again, the Eagle County CO District Attorney really knows how to terrorize a community, as a Vail-area driver escapes felony charges for seriously injuring a cyclist in a hit-and-run because a conviction could hurt his ability to earn a living.

No, seriously.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

Cyclists storm Planning Commission to demand bike plan changes — and the Commission listens

November 5, 2010 / / 6 comments

Just a few of the heroes who deserve our thanks; photo courtesy of LACBC.

It’s a lesson I’ve learned the hard way over the last couple of years.

As much as I’d like to be involved in everything that affects cycling in Los Angeles and attend every important meeting, I can’t. Especially weeks like this, when something important took place every day of the week.

While quantum physics suggests that I can, in fact, be in two places at once, I’ve yet to find a way to apply that real life.

And for some odd reason, my wife still expects me to earn a living; maybe if she rode a bike she’d realize that unpaid advocacy work is far more important than something as trivial as paying the bills and keeping a roof over our heads.

So yesterday I looked at a calendar crowded with the Planning Commission’s consideration of the bike plan, a meeting of Beverly Hills new Bicycle Ad Hoc Committee and a biking presentation in Long Beach, as well as a couple of court hearings. And realized that I wasn’t going to be able to attend any of them.

Fortunately, there’s no shortage of people who give a damn about bicycling in this megalopolis we call home. Case in point, the previously mentioned meeting of the Planning Commission.

Despite the early hour, the room reportedly was crowded with cyclists; Joe Linton reported that 25 – 30 were still there 3.5 hours later when the item finally came up on the agenda. And there were still a number of riders in the room when the meeting finally ended around 5 pm.

I won’t offer a recap of a meeting I didn’t attend. You can read a full report on Streetsblog today. And you can get a flavor for the meeting from a great Twitter feed put together by Bicycling Nate, which allowed me to follow the progress of the meeting in real time when I should have been working.

However, reports are that a number of cyclists spoke eloquently and forcefully. And the Commission heard them, forming a subcommittee to consider the complaints from cyclists and report back on December 16th.

And yes, I’ve already marked my calendar. Even if I already have two other can’t-miss meetings scheduled for that same 24-hour period.

This was probably the best possible outcome. The Commission didn’t kill a plan that has a lot of good elements in it, but also didn’t blindly forward a plan that still has a number of obvious flaws.

It will be interesting to see what they come back with next month. Just like it would be to see the original work from Alta Planning, which reportedly never made it into the plan the public saw — and risked their hard-earned reputation as one of the nation’s leading bicycle planning firms.

But one thing we don’t have to wonder about is the hard work done by representatives from the LACBC, Bikeside and the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, as well as a number of individual cyclists.

They deserve all the credit for what looks right now like a huge win. And they deserve our thanks.

They have mine.

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More on the bike plan that was considered by the Planning Commission on Thursday. Council candidate Stephen Box called on the commission to reject the plan. Gary encouraged riders to show up en masse at the hearing. Alex Thompson writes that everyone agreed that the bike plan needs fixing. LACBC offered talking points for the meeting. Herbie offered an insightful look at what the plan is and isn’t, and offers the questions she wanted answered. LAist reports that cyclists were united against the plan; of course, there’s a big difference between wanting to fix something and being against it.

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Streetsblog’s Damien Newton writes that the City Hall rumor mill has either John Fisher or Amir Sedadi being promoted to take over LADOT. The question is, how can you change the culture of a notoriously dysfunctional and auto-centric agency by promoting from within?

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Long Beach cyclists reclaim bikes seized by police during Friday’s failed Critical Mass ride, and prepare to bring their complaints to the City Council on Tuesday. Richard Masoner of Cyclelicious reports that there seems to be no legal basis for the seizure, while Gary says it’s the dark side of bicycle registration. A online publication reminds the LBPD that repression breeds resistance. And BikeBiz clearly demonstrates that they have no idea that Long Beach and Los Angeles are two different places.

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Mihai Peteu continues his excellent coverage of the Shawn Fields case, the driver accused of killing teenage cyclist Danny Marin in a drunken, late-night hit-and-run on October 2nd.

He reports that Fields entered a not guilty plea yesterday, and that a preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 7th. According to Mihai, the defense complained about a “mean-spirited internet posting” about Shawn; a reminder to all of us — myself included — to let the legal system take its course and not let our anger interfere with the case.

Even if the comments left by his friends break your heart.

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In today’s daily doping news, Alejandro Valverde loses his appeal of his drug ban, while Vuelta runner-up Ezequiel Mosquera denies rumors that his case has been dismissed. The French anti-doping agency wants back into the Tour de France, while 2008 TdF winner Carlos Sastre films a Spanish anti-doping spot. Here’s your chance to ride the full route of next year’s Giro. Next year’s inaugural Quiznos Pro Challenge will roll over some serious mountain territory, even if it’s stuck with a name only a sandwich marketer could love.

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Stephen Box says the City Council is about to pass the Cyclists’ Bill of Rights and a Complete Streets Policy; unfortunately, it’s the Baltimore City Council. UCLA offers a new guide to getting around Los Angeles without a car; maybe they could work with the L.A. Convention and Visitors Bureau to make a version for tourists, too. A Caltrain study shows that cyclists are bumped from their trains just .02% of the time, while riders report a much higher rate. The next time you feel like you’re burning up the road, maybe you really will be. An unnamed woman is killed by a big rig while riding on Alpine Road near Portola Valley.

Bicycling offers readers’ tips on how to survive anything, along with advice on how to fly up hills. Orange gear to ride safe in hunting season; here in L.A., cyclists are always in season. The newly empowered far-right backlash begins as the Weekly Standard says the road to hell is paved with bike paths. A new iPhone app guides you through what to do if you’re in a bike wreck. The bike community loses its best friend in Congress, as Minnesota’s Jim Oberstar goes down to defeat. A Tempe AZ driver intentionally hits a pedestrian he accused of stealing his bike, leaving the man with life-threatening injuries; at this point, a stolen bike would seem to be the least of his problems. Police are unable to locate an Iowa driver charged in the July death of a cyclist. In a perfect example of schadenfreude, Minnesota man steals a bike and rides it off a 75-foot embankment when police give chase. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is accepting public comments on proposed rule changes that will affect children’s bikes, fixies and recumbents.

Oxford police stop an average of one rider without lights every 90 seconds. A Brit cyclist gets away with a warning after hitting a 4-year old girl while riding illegally on the sidewalk. A British rider offers his perspective on road rage. Dublin needs 4,000 more bike parking spaces thanks to a one-third increase in ridership.

Finally, after a very un-Dutch call for children to wear helmets in the province of Zeeland, Amsterdamize notes that an Amsterdam cyclist will die of bike-related in injuries an average of once every 63,368 years.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

Last chance to influence the bike plan, Karabian pleads no contest, cyclecross comes to Griffith Park

November 3, 2010 / / 3 comments

Your final chance to comment on the latest draft of the 2010 bike plan comes at 8:30 am on Thursday, when the Los Angeles City Planning Commission meets in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

However, you may not want to rush, since it’s item 10 on a very crowded agenda. You may want to pack a lunch.

LADOT Bike Blog says the long process is finally coming to an end, while Joe Linton examines what a long, strange trip its been.

Damien Newton says TranspoComm chair Bill Rosendahl promises that he won’t let the plan leave committee until the cycling community is happy with it, but it’s better to fix it now — and notes there are still problems to fix.

The ultimate local cycling odd couple of CicLAvia meister and LACBC founder Joe Linton and Bikeside President Alex Thompson join with Bikeside’s Rach Stevenson to say cyclists will be worse off if the bike plan is adopted, and offer a detailed evaluation to back it up.

Stephen Box says when it comes to the bike plan, the city Planning staff is guilty of embellishing reality. And Josef Bray-Ali had previously called it the best looking pile of horseshit he’s seen in ages.

The LACBC contends no plan is ever perfect, and this one includes a number of hard-fought recommendations — including giving priority to projects that will benefit low-income riders and provisions for accountability — and deserves our support.

My take is that, as it stands now, the plan provides a decent framework to move forward, but could still stand significant improvement. Whether or not it will make a difference on our streets depends entirely on what kind of support it gets at City Hall, and how it’s interpreted by the next head of LADOT.

If Mayor Villaraigosa can somehow entice New York’s Janet Sadik-Khan or Long Beach’s Charlie Gandy to come to Los Angeles, this plan could make L.A. a cyclist’s paradise. But if the city promotes or hires someone with the same old auto-centric focus that has destroyed the livability of so many parts of our city, it will be a roadmap to failure.

But the real question is, what do you think?

If you can’t make it Downtown on Thursday, you may want to drop into room 280-A of Beverly Hills City Hall to hear an update from that city’s new Bicycle Ad Hoc Committee; the meeting begins at 9 am.

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Walter Karabian, the former State Assembly leader who drove his car into a parking lot attendant at a USC game — apparently intentionally, since he hit her several times — pled no contest to a lesser charge on Tuesday. He was sentenced to a paltry 40 hours of community service and three years probation.

So the next time a parking attendant won’t let you into a full lot, feel free to run her/him over; evidently, it’s really not that big a deal.

.………

The Long Beach Post interviews Ronnie Sandler, one of the organizers behind Friday’s failed Long Beach Critical Mass, who details their many attempts to get a permit for the ride — the lack of which was cited as a primary reason for the heavy-handed police crackdown.

The article also states that Long Beach courts have already ruled that fixed-gear bikes don’t need a separate brake, since they are able to comply with the requirement that a bike be able to leave a skid mark on clean, dry pavement — which seems to be one of the key issues here.

It will be interesting to see how the city attempts to rebuild the bike-friendly image that has been shattered virtually overnight, or if they simply ignore it and hope we’ll all forget.

And there were problems with the Los Angeles Critical Mass, too, as bike cops reportedly waived cyclists through red lights while motorcycle cops ticketed the riders for following their instructions.

.………

USA Cycling considers a ban on helmet cams, and carbon bikes for junior riders. UCI president Pat McQuaid says the ban for doping cyclists should be doubled to four years. Disgraced ex-Tour de France winner Floyd Landis and his coach face charges for hacking into the French anti-doping lab. The Los Angeles grand jury not officially investigating Lance Armstrong will hear from long-time teammate Yaroslav Popovych today. The first-ever champions of the new Colorado High School Mountain Bike League.

And clear your schedule for the weekend, as cyclecross racing comes to Griffith Park this Saturday.

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LACBC joins with LADOT and other city officials to examine the proposed 4th Street Bike Boulevard, while Stephen Box points out the city’s failure to fix the roads extends even there. LACBC introduces their new and improved bike valet. LA Streetsblog has a new Facebook page. The Daily Bruin says riding to campus just got easier, thanks to UCLA’s new bike library. Will timelapses his ride through the Arroyo Seco, parts of which seem more mojado than seco. Flying Pigeon offers a new online store. A view from Canada at the Wilbur Ave road diet dispute doesn’t bode well for that country’s cyclists. If you’re looking for work, Felt needs a Demo Driver Sales/Tech Rep in Irvine/Ontario. In yet another case in which cyclist discourtesy has nothing to do with Orange County collisions, a Placentia rider is hit by a red light running driver. Momentum offers a look at cycling in San Diego, from one of my favorite writers at Bike San Diego. A new bike advocacy group takes root in El Dorado Hills.

More than $1 billion in federal funding for bike and ped projects this year; don’t count on that next year with the GOP in control of the House. The 50,000 mile interstate bike route may become a reality. How to safely use a bike lane. Daily exercise such as cycling can improve your immune system, cutting the risk and severity of colds. The country’s most bike-friendly city still doesn’t have a single singletrack trail. Mas macho advice on urban commuting.  A Kansas lawyer warns drivers that some cyclists know the law. A Carolina cyclist hit while riding on her birthday dies 10 days later. The hard part of vehicular cycling is feeling guilty because you’re in someone’s way. An American set a new world record by riding a stationary bike 222 hours, 22 minutes and 22 seconds.

Bell’s newest helmets feature built-in headlights, but is that enough to overcome the geek factor? The Guardian looks at the race to improve nighttime visibility. Great Britain’s transportation department wants children to play a game where they get run over if they aren’t wearing bright colored clothes — even if they do everything else right. A 10-year old cerebral palsy victim has a life-changing operation that may allow him to fulfill his dream of riding a bike. An Aussie police chief says cyclists who ride without headlights are just as dangerous as drivers who don’t use them; as the Witch on a Bicycle points out, he could use a refresher course in physics. Cyclelicious looks at Japan’s mamachari blog focusing on that country’s Mama bikes.

Finally, Dan Maes, the tinfoil hat-wearing candidate for Colorado governor who suggested that Denver’s bike share program was a UN plot, may not have been the night’s biggest loser, but with just over 10% of the vote, he was close. And the bike-friendly Denver mayor behind the program was elected as the state’s new leader.

Category: General / Tags: , , , , ,

Update: Anti-harassment ordinance clears Public Safety Committee

November 1, 2010 / / 2 comments

Just a quick update on this morning’s Public Safety Committee meeting.

After a surprisingly brief and mostly supportive discussion  — including comments from Ross Hirsch, the attorney for hit-and-run victim Ed Magos, along with BAC chair Glenn Bailey and Alexis Lantz of the LACBC — the committee members voted unanimously to endorse the proposal previously put forward by the Transportation Committee.

With one member missing from the meeting this morning, that means 9 of the 15 council members have now voted to support the measure, without a single vote against it.

Now my understanding is that it will go before the full City Council for approval before being sent back to the City Attorney’s office to actually draft the ordinance.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

An open letter to the L.A. City Council Public Safety Committee

November 1, 2010 / / 2 comments

Monday morning, I intend to make the following remarks to the members of the Los Angeles City Council’s Public Safety Committee when it considers the proposed bicycle anti-harassment ordinance.

The Chairman of this committee was recently quoted in the L.A. Times suggesting that cyclists make up just 2% of the city’s population, compared to the 98% who drive cars.

Yet the city’s own 2010 bike plan suggests that over 5% of Los Angeles residents ride a bike on a weekly basis — and up to half ride at least occasionally. And many would ride more if they felt safer on the streets of this city.

One reason they don’t is a lack of infrastructure and roads designed with the safety of all road users in mind, like the recently improved Wilbur Avenue. But another reason is the harassment we face on a daily basis.

The Dr. Christopher Thompson case was just the tip of the iceberg.

I challenge you to talk to any local cyclist. Virtually all have been forced off the road or had objects thrown at them, sworn at, honked at, short-stopped, passed in a threatening manner or told to get off the road.

All of which has happened to me in recent months. And any of which can cause cyclists to lose control of their bikes, resulting in possible injury. Or worse.

In just the last week, I’ve been deliberately crowded off the road by one driver, and intentionally cut off by another — even though I was riding in a designated bike lane with the right-or-way.

These people feel safe harassing cyclists because they know the odds of being caught are virtually nil. It seldom occurs when a police officer is around, which means that in most cases, the only options we’ve had to defend ourselves are our own words and gestures.

And no word can defend against an angry driver in a 2,000 pound car.

This proposed ordinance would be the first step in allowing cyclists to defend themselves, in a civil, rather than criminal, court — which means that a police officer would not have to witness the incident.

The chances of winning any given case might be small. But the deterrent effect would be huge, as drivers realize for the first time that they could be held accountable for their actions. And virtually overnight, L.A. would change from a bicycling backwater to a world leader in protecting the rights of the city’s most vulnerable road users.

But it has to has teeth to be effective. It must provide a minimum $1,000 fine for violations, and a provision for lawyers fees so we can have someone fighting in our corner.

This isn’t about Ridazz or racers, wrong-way cyclists or sidewalk riders. It isn’t even about whether you like or respect cyclists. It’s about protecting the rights and safety of a sizable percentage of this city’s citizens — your constituents.

And make no mistake. It will protect the public safety and it will save lives.

And isn’t that the purpose of this committee?

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Help the very active South Bay Bicycle Coalition conduct vital a bike count to prepare for the upcoming South Bay Bike Master Plan on Thursday, November 4th from 3 pm to 6 pm, and again on Saturday the 6th from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm; volunteers are still needed. Thanks to Steve Montalto for the heads-up.

.………

Maybe Long Beach isn’t so bike friendly after all.

“The group known as Critical Mass travels from city to city and as a matter of practice engages in dangerous conduct, violating every rule of the road and endangering the public.” said Police Chief Jim McDonnell. “We take bicycle safety seriously in Long Beach and will not stand by idly while any person or group acts with blatant disregard for safety of the residents of our community.”

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A look at L.A.’s first bike corral, temporary though it may be. Bike cops are back on the streets of Escondido. A board member of the South Bay Bicycle Coalition says yes, there are bad cyclists, but they’re far from the majority. Colorful mystery bikes appear in Muskegon MI. A teenage cyclist is killed by an off-duty Connecticut cop. Bicyclists aren’t always the good guys. A month later, a cyclist lingers in a coma, and South Carolina police still haven’t explained how a driver could fail to see 20 cyclists on the side of the road directly in front of him. The nation’s deadliest state for bicyclists claims yet another victim. Opera singer Andrea Bocelli doesn’t let a lack of sight stop him from riding a bike. A Japanese man traveling the world on a bamboo bicycle is hit by a car and injured in Illinois. A famed cycling photographer appears to label three-time TdF champ Greg LeMond a fool. After the original 2012 Olympic Road route is deemed not tough enough, local London residents want their race back. The 2012 Tour de France will lay siege to Liège. By 2014, you could find bike lanes on the Champs-Elysées in the City of Lights. Bike cops on the beat in Amsterdam. A survey says safety concerns ware what keep Indian cyclists off the road.

Finally, officials may name a public bike trail through the Folsom Prison grounds made famous by country singer Johnny Cash in his honor.

I hear those bikes a comin’, they’re comin’ round the bend. I ain’t seen the sunshine, since I don’t know when. I’m stuck in Folsom Prison…

Category: General / Tags: , , ,
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