Tag Archive for Los Angeles

Summer’s here and the time is right for riding in the streets*

Last week I was a nice guy; yesterday, I was an asshole.

The difference was that the seasons officially changed, June Gloom finally ended and local schools let out for the summer. And that lead to an exponential increase in the number of people on the Santa Monica and Venice portions of the Marvin Braude bike path — the Class 1 bikeway that runs along the beach from Palos Verdes to Pacific Palisades.

And that means it’s time to ride somewhere else for awhile.

From September to May, it’s one of the most pleasant rides in Los Angeles, offering beautiful views, lots of sunshine and no worries about traffic. Even as late as last week, it was still a pleasant place to ride.

As always, pedestrians ignored the faded No Pedestrian and Bicycles Only markings, and walked wherever they wanted. But for the most part, they were considerate of other users, and vice versa, and there weren’t so many that I couldn’t easily ride around them.

As I rode, I came across a young woman who had just fallen off her bike after hitting a patch of sand.

Fortunately, she wasn’t badly hurt. If she had been, the city could have been liable, because state law requires adequate warning of any hazards along an off-road bike path. And loose sand is a common problem on the bike path, frequently resulting in falls.

She did have a large road rash abrasion on her upper hip, though. So I stopped just long enough to offer an antiseptic wipe and a large bandage from my first aid kit. She and her friends thanked me, and I continued on my way.

Yesterday was a different matter.

The upper section of the path, from Pacific Palisades down to the Santa Monica Pier, was crowded but still ridable. Closer to the pier, though, it was virtually impassible.

Large groups of pedestrians blocked it in both directions, ignoring the yellow line down the middle — as well as the markings indicating they shouldn’t be there in the first place.

Some walked their dogs along the path, allowing the leash stretch across the bikeway, which could have been dangerous to me — and fatal to the dog — if I hadn’t seen it. Skaters swerved across the path, oblivious to the presence of anyone else, let alone the warnings blocked out by the earbuds from their iPods.

And tourists raced by on rental recumbents, gawking at the sights and paying no attention to which side of the path they were on. Or whether anyone else was in their way.

In other words, it was not a pleasant ride.

However, the tipping point came when I noticed three young children, all under the age or four or five, riding their tiny bikes and tricycles with no adult supervision.

Personally, I think anyone who leaves their children alone on a crowded bike path is guilty of child endangerment. But hey, that’s just me.

As you might expect, they were all over the place, swerving from one side to the other with total unpredictability, regardless of whether anyone else was occupying that space.

I watched as other people dodged out of their way, some annoyed, others thinking it was cute. But I’ve seen people seriously injured by little kids like that, including an older man who went over his handlebars when a toddler on training wheels drifted across the center line and crashed into his bike.

So I slowed to a crawl as I passed. And concerned for their safety, as well that of those around them, I called out to them to ride carefully.

For that, I was called an asshole.

The woman who said it was part of a group of pedestrians that clogged the better part of the bike path. And she seemed unaware of the irony, as they literally stood on a No Pedestrian symbol, just feet from a separate pedestrian walkway.

Yet somehow, I was the asshole.

It was over a month ago that Steve Lopez of the Times wrote about Santa Monica’s complete lack of enforcement of its own bikeway restrictions. He quoted city officials promising that steps would soon be taken to correct the problem.

It hasn’t happened yet. And I doubt we’ll see it anytime soon.

Or in my lifetime, for that matter.

And yet, the League of American Bicyclists cited this bike path as one of the prime reasons they recently gave Santa Monica a Bronze Award as a Bicycle Friendly City. And local cyclists consider it just one of many reasons why that award was undeserved and should be revoked.

So I’ll stop riding that part of the bike path for another summer, just like I do around this time every year. And yet another bike to the area’s overcrowded streets until school is back in session and the tourist season is over.

And we can once again use it for its intended purpose.

*With apologies to Martha and the Vandellas, the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen, among others.

……….

Streetsblog compares New York’s bike safety PSA with one from our own LADOT. Guess which one puts the blame on bikers? LAist reports the TransoComm will once again take up cycling issues tomorrow, and swears Alta Planning and the LAPD may actually show up this time. A local cyclist relates his recent ride up Mt. Baldy. Bicycle Fixation discusses a recent encounter with a false cycling prophet. LACyclist wrenches his way through C.R.A.N.K. Mob. Speaking of wrenching, Flying Pigeon encounters a rare Shanghai Forever. The governor of Texas decides cyclists don’t need to be safe in his state. The 91 year-old hit-and-run driver who injured 10 Arizona cyclists, leaving one with severe brain damage, gets three years probation — and sues the county for damages the next day. Opus analyzes the cost of wear and tear on the roads for bikes compared to cars and trucks, and Bob Mionske makes the case for cycling insurance. The next phase in Google Maps’ Streetviews is being done by tricycle. Finally, more uncoverage of the World Naked Bike Ride, as cyclists in London and Seattle celebrate the solstice.

They drive among us — this is so wrong in so many ways

Courtesy of the Tucson Bike Lawyer comes this letter to the editor, from a writer in Vail — no, not that one, the other one:

Re: the June 10 article “Man faces additional charges in cyclist death.”

Having a stroke or some other medical impairment, a tire blowout, equipment failure, are all potential causes for a driver accidentally killing a cyclist riding on the shoulder of a road.

Every person who chooses to exercise or train for competition via roadside biking (and that would constitute the lion’s share of all roadside cyclists) needs to recognize that there is ever-present danger, even when all parties are abiding by the rules of the road. I personally find it illogical to take on such a risk when the same goals may be accomplished in safer environments.

What of the lives affected and possibly ruined by the accidental taking of a human life? Given current road conditions and laws governing these matters, roadside cycling seems selfish.

John M. Towle
Self-employed, Vail

Let’s ignore the fact that cycling is one of the best ways to avoid having a stroke in the first place.

What I love here is the blame the victim mentality, merged with a severe case of carhead. In his mind, it’s not the driver’s fault that he killed a cyclist. It’s the cyclist’s fault for being there.

After all, shit happens when you’re behind the wheel of a two-ton instrument of mass destruction.

And it’s not like anyone’s responsible for that, or anything.

No, we’re being selfish for riding our bikes on the roads. It’s entirely our fault if someone should happen to ruin his or her life by killing us.

Got it.

………

Travelin’ Local walks the same Venice canals I rode through the other day, but her pictures are a lot mo’ betta than mine would be. Stephen Box reports on the TranspoComm meeting that sort of was, considering hardly any of the members showed up. Bike licensing in L.A. just won’t go away, no matter how many times we drive a stake through it. LAist interviews two L.A. riders on a 2,000 mile journey from Vancouver to Tijuana to fight plastics in the ocean. The local Boulder, CO newspaper says disobedience that could get cyclists killed isn’t very civil, after all. A Michigan cyclist suggests that Port Huron could use a law like the one that just passed in Columbia, MO. We could use one here, too. A bike blogger in Springfield, MO asks when is it okay to run a red light? Finally, it has nothing to do with cycling, but my good friend at Altadena Blog notes that the unfriendly, non-housebroken cat someone out there found looks a lot like a possum.

Yesterday’s ride, on which I stop traffic

Maybe it was the uptick in my mood after yesterday’s surprisingly pleasant encounter with the LAPD. Or maybe everyone was just in a good mood brought on by the Lakers parade.

But everywhere I went, people just seemed a little happier to share the road. Pedestrians — other than the hothead who touched off yesterday’s incident — thanked me for warning them when I was about to pass. Bus drivers waited patiently for me to ride out of their way, and even waved in thanks when I moved out of the way so they could turn.

But the highlight had to be the young mother waiting patiently to cross the street with her small daughter.

They were standing next to a crosswalk with no traffic signal. The kind where drivers are legally required to stop so people can cross.

But as I rode up, I watched several cars drive past without even pausing, leaving both mother and child stranded on the curb. So when I got there, I made a point of stopping, and nodded to indicate they could cross.

Just as they stepped off the curb, though, I noticed a car approaching on my left, clearly intending to pull around me and drive through the crosswalk. So I stuck my arm out, signaling him to stop — though it did occur to me later that he could have just as easily read that as a left turn signal.

Either way, it did the job. He stopped, and mother and child crossed safely.

About halfway across, though, she turned back to me and said “Thank You.” Then as she continued on her way, she added “You rock!”

Over 24 hours later, that still feels pretty damn good.

……..

Flying Pigeon adds Dutch bikes to their lineup of proletarian cycles. Damien Newton observes that yesterday’s Downtown street closures prove the city could host a ciclovia. Streetsblog also notes that cycling and pedestrian projects depend on federal funding, and examines the failure of the Chicago parking privatization plan our mayor wants to emulate. Curbed offers a suggestion to replace the 10 freeway with a bikeway, among other green improvements. A Hoboken cyclist addresses common concerns about adding new bike lanes — maybe LADOT should read it. The Fox News staffer who dragged a cyclist through Central Park has been arrested. And finally, the Beeb examines Britain’s ghost bikes.

Today’s ride, in which I thank the LAPD

I try to always be courteous when I ride, and respectful of other people’s rights and safety. All I ask is that I receive the same courtesy and respect in return.

Which doesn’t always happen.

Take today’s ride. My route took my down Ohio through Westwood, before cutting through the Veterans Center on my way to San Vicente.

Just west of Sepulveda, the wide sidewalk along the north side of Ohio is designated as a shared Class 1 (off road) bike path. Maybe it shouldn’t be; it’s not a great place to ride, and many cyclists prefer the street. Personally though, I find it preferable to dealing with the drivers along that stretch who try to squeeze by too fast and far too close.

Besides, I almost feel like we have to use whatever infrastructure we have — however crappy it may be — or our good friends at LADOT will question why we need a new Bike Master Plan — again, crappy though it may be — when we don’t use the infrastructure we’ve got.

So when I came up behind a couple of pedestrians blocking my way, I slowed down and moved as far to the side as possible, then politely said “Bike passing on your left.”

No response. At least not from the guy blocking my way, though the other pedestrian further away seemed to hear me clearly. So I said it again a little louder. This time, he turned around, and yelled at me to “get my fucking bike off the sidewalk and ride in the fucking street.”

Now, I could have responded by pointing out that it’s perfectly legal to ride on the sidewalk in Los Angeles. But the stronger argument seemed to be that he was, in fact, walking on a bike path.

He wasn’t having any of it, though, He pointed to a brief stripe on the asphalt and insisted it was a bike lane. And again told me to get my “fucking ass off the sidewalk.”

Now, most days, I might have just flipped him off and gone on my way. But I’ve challenged myself not to make any rude gestures or swear at anyone — no matter how deserving — while riding for the next three months.*

Yeah, I wouldn’t bet on it, either.

Besides, I was damned if I was going to let some indignorant a**hole chase me off one of the few Class 1 paths on the Westside.

So I walked over to the nearby Bike Path sign, and tapped on the arrow pointing to the sidewalk. He responded by showing me the rare double bird. At that point, it was rapidly becoming clear that I might need to defend myself, so I squared up to him and said, “you got a problem?”

“No,” he replied, “but you’re about to.”

At that exact moment, we both noticed a police car driving by in the opposite direction. And like the idiot he was, he yelled out to them for help. Then as the officers made a U-turn and pulled up next to us, he walked off — leaving me to deal with them.**

They both stepped out of their car and asked what was going on. So I explained the situation as carefully as I could, pointing out the sign indicating this was a bike path, and saying I was just trying to ride safely and courteously when I had indicated my presence. And complaining that it was bad enough dealing with people who aren’t willing to share the road, nodding at the cars that passed by, without having to deal with it on a bike path.

The senior officer nodded, and said, “You know, some guys are just jerks.” And then added, “We’ll go talk to him.”***

So I apologized that they had to get involved, thanked them both, and shook their hands, hoping that my bike gloves weren’t too sweaty yet. Then I rode off, taking extra care to come to a full stop and signal for my turn at the next light.

I just hope the other guy showed them more respect than he did me.

Well no, actually, I don’t.

*And no, I didn’t. Today, anyway.
**Highly abridged version of conversation.
***Ditto.

………

Lovers of bicycle comics can come in off the ledge now — Yehuda Moon is back. Damien Newton fills us in on today’s TranspoComm meeting, which most of the committee evidently considered less important than the Lakers victory parade. The lawyer for the pedestrian-killing Swedish hip hop star wannabe wants us to believe he beat a Hollywood jazz musician to death in self defense. The Cycling Lawyer suggests how to cover your ass since American insurance won’t cover cyclists. Thanks to the other cycling lawyer for calling attention to a plot by drivers to block an upcoming Colorado century ride. London’s cycling mayor thinks mirrors on stop lights could help save cyclists’ lives. Looks like my old stomping grounds are becoming bike-friendly, just a few decades too late to do me any good. Finally, a former downhill champion discovers weed dealing can take you down faster a good mountain bike.

Who runs this city, anyway?

Things are starting to get a little scary around here.

Lately, bicyclists have gotten a lot of support from the city council, from the passage of the Cyclists’ Bill of Rights — currently under review by the LADOT, which seems to be where good ideas go to die — to the repeal of the bike licensing program, which, after years of dormancy, had been revived by a few precincts of the LAPD.

Yet as Stephen Box pointed out recently, our elected officials don’t seem to have a lot of authority here in Los Angeles.

Council members repeatedly make motions instructing various city officials to take action. Then those motions are promptly ignored. Consider one of the examples Box cites:

Councilman Ed Reyes of Council District 1 introduced a motion that simply called on the Department of Planning to create a pilot project in his district consisting of a public workshop so that residents, bicyclists, businesses and others could weigh in on bicycle projects such as Bicycle Boulevards, Road Diets and Bike Stations. The input from his district which includes northeast Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium, Chinatown and MacArthur Park, would then be incorporated into the City’s Bicycle Plan.

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

I challenge you to scour the proposed new Bicycle Master Plan to find one Bicycle Boulevard, Road Diet or Bike Station, though. Or any indication that such a workshop ever took place.

Another example he cites is Council President Eric Garcetti’s request for a pilot project to explore the use of sharrows on Los Angeles streets.

I just happened to be in attendance at the Transportation Committee meeting when the representative from the LADOT Bikeways department was asked for an update. And yes, she said the delay was due to liability concerns — that they were researching what kind of paint to use, so that cyclists wouldn’t risk slipping on wet paint.

Never mind that sharrows have been in place for years in San Francisco, and countless other cities around the world that get far more rain than Los Angeles. Or that they could just pick up the phone and ask UCLA what kind of paint they use, since I roll over sharrows every time I ride through the campus.

And no, I haven’t slipped yet.

Now they’ve delayed the sharrows project for another year. Maybe the council should let the Department of DIY take a shot at it.

Then there was the recent council meeting during which a number of cyclists — myself included — responded to the LAPD blaming the victim in the recent Hummer incident.

The council responded by drafting a motion, signed by a third of the council members, asking the LAPD to report back on “recent bicycle incidents recent bicycle incidents and conflicts between bicyclists and motorists, as well as efforts to increase police officer training related to bicycling activities and applicable regulations and laws.”

The LAPD responded by absolving themselves of any errors in the Hummer case, and concluding that the cyclist hit the Hummer — even though that meant the injured rider defied the laws of physics by backing into the vehicle at high speed, then being thrown forward as a result of the impact. Then, supported by that some representative of the LADOT, they informed the council that cyclists ride in a dangerous manner, and failed to provide information on any other incidents or conflicts.

And they got away with it.

They also seem to be getting away with failing to address the second part of that motion, as well. As you may recall, I attended the recent meeting of the Bicycle Advisory Committee to point out that the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition had developed the Law Officer’s Guide to Bicycle Safety, in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In other words, a national standard for educating police officers about bike laws and investigating cycling accidents, freely available to any police organization.

The committee responded by voting unanimously to look into the MassBike program. One member even took it on himself to reach out to the LAPD, LADOT and the mayor’s office in support of the program.

Today, he received a response from that same LADOT representative, stating that LAPD is “aware” of the MassBike program, and “possibly have implemented some of it into their training.” But that because of budget restraints, it was almost impossible to retrain and staff for such a project now.

If Los Angeles can’t afford a $15 CD containing the full program, or provide a two-hour, self-administered training session without extensive retraining and re-staffing, this city is in a lot worse shape than I thought.

I mean, I’ll pitch in the 15 bucks.

But how we could possibly afford two whole hours of a police academy instructor’s time is beyond me. Maybe the city could request some more bailout funds, or use some of that Measure R funding they’ve promised for bike and pedestrian projects.

And clearly, they could use some help, because they aren’t even sure who is allowed to use a crosswalk in this city.

But all this brings up a bigger question.

If the city council doesn’t have the authority to compel the departments that supposedly work for them — such as the LADOT and LAPD — to respond, who does?

And if the council isn’t running this city, who is?

 

Maybe the solution to biking infrastructure is just better signage. A letter writer in Salt Lake City suggests better planning to help eliminate conflicts between buses and cyclists. The Washington Post hosted a live chat with a local sheriff on the rules of the road. Milwaukee hosts a bike ride to honor wounded warriors. A bicycling Brit pulls a shotgun on a constable, then runs off into the bushes. Finally, a Philadelphia writer ponders how to make the city a cyclist’s paradise, and says riding on the sidewalk is mostly not legal.

A whale of a ride

June Gloom makes me sick.

I mean that literally.

For reasons I’ve never really understood, the heavy, oppressive cloud cover that lingers over the coast this time of year causes major problems with my sinuses.

So I spend most of the month popping enough aspirin and decongestant fuel a minor meth lab. As well as struggling to cope with blurred vision that makes it difficult, if not impossible at times, to focus enough to read or work on a computer.

So if I haven’t been posting as much as usual, that’s probably the reason. Or at least a damn good excuse, anyway.

That’s also the reason why I can’t tell you whether the older SUV that nearly hit me after running a red light today was a Bronco or a Blazer. Though I could see well enough to observe that the woman driving couldn’t have cared less.

For some reason, though, riding usually makes me feel better. Besides, there was something unusual down in Marina del Rey that I really wanted to see.

Santa-Monica-450

Looking back from the Marina towards Venice and Santa Monica.

One good thing about the gloomy weather is that the beachfront bike path is virtually empty on days like this. As a result, this turned out to be one of the most pleasant rides I’ve had in ages, despite my aching head. And the fact that the clouds finally parted by mid-afternoon didn’t hurt matters, either.

Once I got to the Marina, I started walking, since bike riding is forbidden along the north side of inlet. With no idea where to go, I just followed everyone else, scanning the water as I went.

Nothing.

Pelicans-450Well, not exactly nothing. The views were beautiful, and while not exactly sunny, the weather was pleasant enough.

I was making plans to come back another time, when the reaction of the people around me made it clear that maybe I hadn’t missed out, after all. And sure enough, within a few minutes, the water rippled and a young gray whale just barely broke the surface before dipping back underneath.

Unfortunately, he seemed to be shy today.

That ripple in the water is actually a few inches of a 20-foot whale. No, really.

That ripple is actually the top few inches of a 20-foot whale. No, really.

While I was there, he never did more than emit a brief water spout or raise a few feet of barnacled back out of the water. Between his brief appearances and the slow shutter speed of my camera, I wasn’t able to get a decent shot.

But considering that I’ve never seen a free-range whale — let alone one this close to shore — that was enough.

And who knows. If I can make it back again before he packs his bags for Alaska, maybe he won’t be so camera shy next time.

Update: Courtesy of LAist, video of the shy gray whale.

 

Pedicabs may be making a comeback in L.A., if they can get around the ridiculous restrictions. Will samples REI’s new Bike Your Drive iPhone app, and documents a new bicycle land speed record. Brayj shares his response to the new Bike Master Plan. Flying Pigeon discovers imitation really is flattery. The Militant Angeleno notes that Metro could do a better job of indicating bike space on the subway. Rather than banning bikes, New York just resurfaces a popular biking route, making it impossible to ride. Texas’ new safe passing law is just waiting for the Governor’s signature. Two Tulsa cyclists are killed by an apparent drunk hit-and-run driver. A New York cyclist is dragged through Central Park on the hood of an SUV driven by a reporter for the New York Post — and you can guess what that Fox News outlet thinks about bikes. Finally, Marie Claire offers tips for picking up hot bike riders.

A couple of milestones

180. And 365.

The first represents the weight, in pounds, that I could comfortably lift using my legs on September 11, 2007. But that was before I ran into a swarm of bees as I was riding my bike along the beach the next day.

That led to a couple nights in intensive care, followed by another three and a half months of forced inactivity. And that led to a loss of strength — particularly leg strength — and an unshakable goal to get back to where I was before the accident.

One year, eight months and 26 days later, I finally made it. Not that I’m counting or anything.

Last night at the gym, I lifted 180 pounds for the first time since my accident. And not once, but three full sets of 10 reps — and I felt like I cold have done more.

Which means I have just one goal left to accomplish in order to get back where I was before. I used to be able to climb any hill, anywhere. Then turn around and do it again. And again. Now that I’ve built the strength back up, I want get back the hill climbing ability I used to have.

Hopefully, it won’t take another 20 months to get there.

The other number marks the first anniversary since my mother-in-law — my wife’s stepmother — passed away, one week short of her 96th birthday.

It was a hard loss to take. She was the last surviving member of my wife’s immediate family, and had accepted me into her family from the day we’d met. And I don’t think either of us could miss her anymore.

It seems like it should be a sad day. But there was a year full of sad days before this one, and having lost both of my own parents, as well as my father-in-law, I know the first year is usually the hardest.

Although I’ve always been rather fond of this quote from Oscar Wilde:

To lose one parent… may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.

It’s not that you ever stop missing them. But after awhile, it just doesn’t seem to hurt as much. And it keeps getting a little easier with time, even if that ache never completely goes away.

We also take comfort in knowing she had a very long, healthy and happy life. It was, simply, her time.

It seems strange to me, though, that these two milestones occurred on the very same day. Maybe it’s just coincidence.

But to me, it’s life’s way of saying it’s time to move on.

And today’s another day.

 

With a nod to Arthur C. Clarke, Streetsblog questions whether L.A. sharrows are just science fiction, while Portland explores buffered bike lanes. Also from Streetsblog, more proof there’s safety in numbers, and a suggestion that following the rules of the road isn’t just for drivers. New Orleans is working on an interactive bike map that will include road conditions, as well as recommended routes. Vancouver cyclists get directional signs, just like real drivers. Two Calgary riders end up in the hospital after colliding on a local bike path. A 10-year old Colorado cyclist impales himself on his brake lever, which the local reporter evidently can’t tell from a handlebar. Also in Colorado, a woman who killed two cyclists while driving under the influence of morphine and barbiturates — and without her glasses, no less — gets sentenced to three years. REI offers a free iPhone app that lets cyclists track, view and share their routes. Brits can ensure their bikes against loss and liability, instead of hoping you’re covered by homeowners, renters or car insurance like we do here. Finally, an Oregon cyclist questions his own self-righteousness.

Submitted without comment — they drive among us

A bit of web surfing the other day brought me to this.

Nothing too exciting. Just a nice little letter to the editor thanking a New Jersey Congressman for co-sponsoring The Complete Streets Act of 2009.

No, the interesting part came in the comments. Particularly three people who felt the need to share the biking wisdom they had evidently acquired through countless miles behind the wheel.

After all, who knows bike safety better than a driver?

I was going to offer my own comments. But really, what I could say that could possibly compare to this wisdom:

AviationMetal wrote:

I have some Safety Tips to share with the bicyclists:

1) You should have a bell on your bike to warn pedestrians. Shouting ‘on your left!’ is what the racers do when they leave the bell off to save weight.

2) Buy a rear view mirror for your bike. They have new mirrors now that mount to the handlebars with a Velcro strap, so you don’t need to carry a wrench to keep it adjusted. When you see a car in your mirror, move as far right as possible.

3) Wear a reflective vest

4) Buy lights for your bike. Even in daytime, lights add visibility, especially if you are riding in tree shade or if the sky is overcast. Blinking lights are better for daytime use, steady light at night.

5) Buy a basket for your handlebars. Even if you don’t carry anything, a basket will absorb impact if you crash. And you shouldn’t carry a bag in one hand while riding a bike.

6) Stop and look both ways before crossing any street, even if there is no stop sign.

7) Stop and wait for cars and trucks to go by before pulling out at any intersection or driveway.

8 ) Do NOT exceed 25MPH. If you go faster than 25MPH, you are racing your bike, and if you still have the owners manual that came with your bike, the warranty says ‘warranty void if the bike is raced’.

9) Wear Gloves. Cycling gloves are fingerless gloves to protect your palms if you fall off your bike. If you fall, you can break your fall by putting your palms down on the pavement.

10) Wear a helmet. I don’t put wearing a helmet #1 on the list, because it’s your last ditch protection after you fall from the bike. These other tips I gave prevent an accident, so you might not have to use your helmet.

11) Make sure the bike is the right size for the rider, and handlebars and seat are adjusted properly.

12) Make sure the bike has working brakes.

wooffie wrote:

Those were pretty good bike safety tips, and cost the taxpayers $0!

A couple more that are very important:

13. Ride WITH traffic, not against it. Pedestrians should walk against traffic, bikes NEVER. Riding against traffic is KID STUFF, grow up and pedal right!

14. NEVER PASS A CAR ON ITS RIGHT SIDE–THAT’S ITS BLIND SIDE–you’ll lose that one.

15. Drive like you would drive your car, only farther to the right. Anything else makes drivers nervous, and that could spell trouble for you. Keep everything calm.

16. Don’t be a wiseguy and go zipping past cars on the right at intersections and go through red lights. Obey traffic laws like the rest of us, and we will be much much less likely to hit you! We need you to be predictable, so we can stay the heck away from you – you’d like that, right?

17. Cars rule the road. Just keep that in mind and don’t cop an attitude, and everybody will stay cool and safe.

18. This is the best bike safety site I’ve ever seen http://bicyclesafe.com/

ugoddabekidding wrote:

Great safety tips. Here’s a couple more:

19) Men, don’t wear those stupid looking tight fitting biker outfits. They distract me from driving as I LMAO. Women, feel free to keep wearing them. It’s still distracting, but in a nice way.

20) Wearing a pointed aerodynamic helmet with attached rear view mirror is equivalent to wearing a pocket protector.

21) If there is a shoulder, ride as far to the right as you possibly can. If you like to ride with your wheels on the white line, do so at your own risk. I could never understand why bikers ride so close to traffic when there is a wide shoulder available.

22) If you like to ride two and three bikes abreast, the wise biker will always be as far away from traffic as possible while letting his friends take the risk of getting a vehicle enema. It is the responsibility of car and bike drivers to be safe, but the risk rests mostly on the bicyclist.

 

LACBC founder Joe Linton offers a reasoned critique of the new Bike Master Plan, and Curbed LA notes the anger among bike bloggers; meanwhile, Zach at LAist points out that here in L.A., paint on the street doesn’t seem to be a priority. Mikey Walley joins the chorus of cyclists decrying Santa Monica’s bronze award from the LAB; Metblogs picks up the story. In the wake of the crash that almost cost Denis Menchov the Giro, VeloNews explains who decides what’s safe. Reuters covers those fashionable New York cyclists. A workshop by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition helps cyclists trim risk. And finally, a Miltipas police officer employs his vast experience with accidents he’s observed — and yes, heard about — to note that the majority of accidents are the bicyclist’s fault. Yeah, no bias there.

At the BAC, good things come to those who wait

Eighty percent of success is just showing up.

— Woody Allen

Sometimes, it seems like the other 20% involves just sticking around long enough. At least, that’s how it seemed last night, at the meeting of the city’s Bike Advisory Committee.

Other than the council members themselves, there was only a small turnout — most of whom were there to discuss the many failings of the Bicycle Master Plan. And most of whom left — some in anger and frustration — once the committee turned to more mundane matters.

It wasn’t like I didn’t have anything to say on that subject. But after hearing all the other comments on the subject — and the DOT’s representative swearing she didn’t know anything about it — I didn’t think they really needed my two cents.

Besides, considering the state of the economy these days, that may be my retirement fund.

I was actually more interested in one of the last items on the agenda — a motion from the council that had been submitted in the aftermath of the recent Hummer incident, and eventually signed by six of the 18 council members:

Numerous incidents have been reported relative to bicycle and vehicle collisions and aggressive motorists (sic) attitudes to law-abiding people riding bicycles. Complaints have also been raised regarding the treatment of bicyclists by the Los Angeles Police Department. It is critical that the City respond to these situations and respond appropriately.

I THEREFORE MOVE that the City Council direct the Los Angeles Police Department to report on recent bicycle incidents and conflicts between bicyclists and motorists, as well as efforts to increase police officer training related to bicycling activities and applicable regulations and laws.

It was the last part in particular that interested me. Especially since LAPD had already found itself blameless in the Hummer incident.

When the time came, I spoke in support of the resolution, pointing out that it wasn’t just a problem here in L.A. Cyclists nationwide have complained about police officers who are unfamiliar with the laws regarding bicycling and the rights of cyclists, as well as institutional bias against cyclists — or in favor of motorists, depending on your perspective.

Then I pointed out that Massachusetts recently became the first state to require that police officers receive specialized training in bike law, as part of their new Bike Safety Law. And asked why that curriculum couldn’t be adapted for use in training officers at our own police academy.

Evidently, the committee members agreed. They voted unanimously to endorse the resolution, and to put the MassBike program on the agenda for the next committee meeting in July.

Afterwards, I emailed a link to the MassBike site to 4th Council District representative Larry Hoffman, who forwarded it to the rest of the BAC, as well as the mayor.

So, a small victory. But a victory none the less.

And one worth sticking around for.

 

If you’re missing a bike on the Westside, the police may have found it in a Venice Garage. Alex Thompson joins the chorus condemning Santa Monica’s bronze award from the League of American Bicyclists. Matt joins in on the other chorus, complaining about the failure of the new Bike Master Plan. Stephen Box questions why LADOT’s redundant bike map business stimulates the economies of Portland and Seattle, while Timur examines the maps that currently exist — and there are more than you might think (good to see you back!). Bike Girl wonders where you keep your bike(s). A writer for the Times rides the L.A. River bike path, evidently holding his nose the whole way. Even Iowa cyclists get sharrows; maybe LADOT can ask them what kind of paint they use so we can get some here. Bicycling’s biking lawyer examines whether cycling is a privilege or a right. And finally, just wait until Rush Limbaugh hears about this — Bike Portland outs the new SCOTUS nominee as a closet cyclist.

The L.A. Bicycle Master Plan — Imagine a great city. Or not.

Recently, I was going through my files, and stumbled across the this:

Thomas-Guide-Cover

When I moved back to Los Angeles — the city of my birth — a few decades back, my mother sent me the old 1951 Thomas Guide they’d used when they lived here. Why she kept it, I have no idea. Nor do I really know why I never bothered to look at it until a few weeks ago.

Inside, I found a few hand-written notes marking places our family had lived before I was born, as well as the usual lines and markings people make on maps, indicating routes they had taken and places they’d been.

I spent hours combing through every page, as if it was a personal message from beyond the grave, connecting me to a personal history I’d been too young to remember.

It also connected me to this city’s past. And as I looked through it, what struck me most was something that had long-since disappeared from L.A.’s streets — the many routes of a rail and streetcar system that had once connected virtually every inch of the metro area, as well as extending out to Orange, Riverside and San Bernadino Counties.

The legendary Red Cars of the Pacific Electric Railway, and the Yellow Cars of the Los Angeles Railway.

Thomas-Guide-2

It was, at one time, one of the finest interconnected mass transit systems in the world. Yet this particular map was notable for capturing a period that marked the rise of the freeway and the rapid decline of the Red Cars.

Thomas-Guide-3

Within another 10 years, the final passenger line was discontinued, and the Pacific Electric Railway would cease to exist — perhaps the biggest mistake Los Angeles has ever made, as we now spend billions of dollars to recreate a pale imitation of this once vibrant system.

Now the city is on the verge of another mistake rivaling the dismantling of the Red Cars.

At a time when L.A.’s bicycling community is growing stronger than ever before, and cyclists are demanding a greater voice in the political process, the city has tried to sneak out the much delayed Bike Master Plan by releasing it to neighborhood councils rather than letting cyclists see it — even those who have been deeply involved in the process.

Of course, cyclists soon got wind of the plan, since some serve on their neighborhood councils. And the overwhelming response was that the city had failed once again.

Instead of the bold plan that had initially been expected from the famed Alta Planning + Design, we got an underwhelming, water-down map completely lacking in vision.

No bold thinking. No bike boulevards — let alone bike boxes or even sharrows. No commitment to complete, livable streets that serve all users, rather than just moving vehicles in and out with ever decreasing efficiency. And most of the suggested new bike lanes, at least here on the Westside, came under the heading of “Proposed but Currently Unfeasible.”

It’s been suggested by members of the LADOT that Los Angeles is built out, and there’s no more room to accommodate bikes. But if New York — one of the most crowded and built out cities in the world — can dramatically increase their network of bike lanes, Los Angeles certainly can.

So instead of capitalizing on the momentum provided by the bike community and a rare opportunity to rethink, not just the nature of L.A. transportation, but the very nature of Los Angeles as a more livable city, we get yet another failure of leadership.

A failure that begins at the top, and works its way down through the bloated bureaucracy that actually runs L.A.

 

Liz points out the need for yet another ghost bike, as a cyclist is killed by a DWP truck in the Valley. While Los Angeles can’t figure out how to build, let alone pay for, biking infrastructure, Glendale proposes building a bike corridor using federal stimulus money. Bicycling Magazine reports on how L.A.’s DIY cyclists take the creation of infrastructure into their own hands — something likely to become more common, given the failure of the Bike Master Plan. Stephen Box joins the chorus commenting on LAB’s tarnished bronzes. JHaygood decides to take his kids to school in a Chariot. Flying Pigeon sponsors back-to-back dim sum rides. UBrayj casts a vote for the League of Bicycling Voters. And in Texas, the Safe Passing Bill is on the way to the governor’s desk.