It’s the second Friday of the 8th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!
Just 22 days left to show your support, and help keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.
So why wait?
Just take a moment right now and donate via PayPal or Zelle, then go gently into the weekend knowing you did your part.
And thanks to Catherine DL and Matthew R for their generous donations yesterday!
So who wants to break the ice today?
Seriously, don’t make our fundraising spokesdog cry. Give now!
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Don’t ever let anyone tell you your vote doesn’t matter.
A measure in Culver City that would allow 16 and 17-year olds to vote in local elections hangs in the balance by just three votes.
Which means that if those votes are split, the vote of one single person will determine whether it passes or fails.
And whether local teens will get a jump on the ballot box.
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It shouldn’t be hard to convince LA’s new mayor that hit-and-run is a problem in the city, after her daughter was a victim Thursday morning.
The unnamed daughter of Mayor-elect Karen Bass escaped serious injury when she was struck by a group of men in a white SUV while driving in the West Adams neighborhood.
Four men fled from the car, abandoning it on the street as they ran away.
Just one more example of the city’s out of control hit-and-run epidemic. Which no one in City Hall seems to take seriously.
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Go ahead and call it murder.
LA County Sheriff’s investigators are.
A driver for Mt. San Antonio College was killed while walking on the campus of the Walnut community college Thursday morning, in a crash they say appears to have been intentional.
The driver was hospitalized in unknown condition.
Just one more example of someone allegedly using his vehicle as a weapon — one with no background check or waiting period.
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Stop by during Sunday’s CicLAvia, and tell CD9 Councilmember Curren Price, Jr. it’s time for safer streets in South LA.
As part of this open-streets event, #TeamPrice will be coordinating a resource fair at my District Office (4301 S. Central Ave.) alongside a host of City Departments and local organizations. Did I mention we’ll have a DJ and other goodies? (3/3) pic.twitter.com/tM1P5Wx5GZ
— Curren D. Price, Jr. (@CurrenDPriceJr) December 1, 2022
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ActiveSGV isn’t just active in name only.
So take a few minutes, and help one of SoCal’s most active advocacy groups build a better Rush Street.
We want YOUR feedback to revitalize
Rush Street in #SouthElMonte! We now have a brand new survey with 4 design alternatives. 🛣️Submit your feedback at https://t.co/7G5EObryLg. Surveys are available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Vietnamese.
⏰Get your input in by 12/16/22. pic.twitter.com/bmX8OT4J9P
— ActiveSGV (@ActiveSGV) December 1, 2022
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A Portland bike commuter was ticketed for violating the state’s mandatory sidepath law, which requires bicyclists to use a bike lane if there’s one available — even though Bike Portland calls it the city’s worst bike lane, full of parked cars, potholes and debris. Thanks to Victor Bale for the heads-up.
Nothing like a road raging British driver admitting to being drunk after suggesting a bike rider doesn’t belong in the road.
No bias here. A driver in the UK tells a safety meeting called to address speeding drivers that little kids on bikes need to take more responsibility for causing crashes. Because evidently, they’re the ones who have been tested, licensed and insured to operate deadly vehicles.
Sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A road raging Salt Lake City bike rider could face charges for breaking a bus driver’s hip in an altercation that began when the rider apparently complained about the way he was passed by the bus. Which serves as yet another reminder that violence is never the answer, as tempting as it may be in the moment. And only serves to transform you from victim to perp.
An English man was sentenced to the equivalent of community service after he was busted for “wobbling all over the place” while riding drunk on a freeway.
Police in the UK found a car full of drugs after chasing a suspect on a stolen bike.
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Local
And they say bicyclists are entitled. San Monica suspended enforcement of a new ordinance banning parking on driveway aprons and parkways bordering roadways after entitled drivers got out the pitchforks and torches, complaining about the city taking away their God given right to park wherever the hell they want.
State
Southern California News Group reporter Josh Cain looks at deadly Ortega Highway, the winding 90-year old roadway connecting Orange and Riverside Counties, where 214 people have been killed in less than eleven years — making it the deadliest non-freeway in Southern California.
A Menifee boy suffered a major head injury when he was struck by a driver after allegedly riding his ebike through a red light on the wrong side of the street; thankfully, however, he’s expected to recover. Although from the description, it sounds like the victim may have been riding in the crosswalk, where there is no right or wrong direction, marked or otherwise.
He gets it. San Francisco Streetsblog’s Roger Ruddick calls on the city’s transportation department to stop calling bike lanes separated by car-tickler plastic bendy posts “protected,” saying that “makes as much sense as gluing the posts to the front bumpers of cars as a way to protect cyclists.” Now someone explain that to LADOT.
‘Tis the season. Volunteers pitched in to help an East Bay nonprofit build 500 bikes to distribute to kids at youth agencies and foster homes for the holidays, with an assist from a storage company.
National
Sports Illustrated looks at the best bike helmets for kids and adults. Although they wouldn’t mind if you use the included links to buy them, so they can get a little kickback on it.
CityLab sings the praises of DIY guerrilla crosswalks and the scofflaw vigilantes who paint them.
A Portland nonprofit bike co-op fixes up whatever donated bikes that can be repaired and salvages any usable parts, then recycles the rest — amounting to 50,000 pounds of bicycle scrap every year.
More on the Oregon study showing bike boxes improve safety at intersections for people on bicycles by placing bike riders in a position where they are more visible to drivers, better able to see other traffic, and able to move out of the way in an emergency.
Kindhearted community members pitched in to buy a new bike for an Arizona boy after his was stolen. And a local bike shop helped out by giving them a discount.
She gets it. A Tacoma, Washington letter writer argues that the local paper should stop blaming victims for not wearing a helmet, because bike helmets were never designed to protect against motor vehicles.
A Texas hiker discovered an old mountain bike under a rotted tree with skeletal remains nearby, five years after a Dallas firefighter disappeared while riding his bike in the area.
New York is improving safety on Queens bike lanes by “hardening” the green lanes with protective concrete barriers. Proving that a) existing bike lanes can be made better, and b) it’s possible to offer actual protection instead of the car-tickler plastic bendy posts favored by a certain SoCal megalopolis.
Streetsblog says the recent viral New York Times article about the rising rate of traffic deaths in the US is just the tip of the iceberg, and things are even worse than they said.
NPR discusses the play Straight Line Crazy, which explores the legacy of legendary New York planner Robert Moses, who was singlehandedly responsible for inflicting the city, and the country, most of the auto-centric road designs we’re struggling to undo today.
Lime is offering free ebike and e-scooter rides to the polls for next week’s Georgia runoff election.
International
A Toronto website suggests ten ways the city could improve safety for bicyclists if it gave a damn, saying riding in Toronto isn’t for the timid. All of which could apply to any other city that actually gives a damn, unlike a certain SoCal megalopolis.
Cycling Weekly looks at the problem of exercise addiction, after a British man working in Germany died of a heart attack, just days after telling the magazine he felt addicted to bicycling, despite suffering chest pains.
Speaking of Cycling Weekly, the magazine also says it’s possible for smaller bicyclists to get a good bike fit, too.
A British bike shop burglar will spend the next 27 months behind bars after fleeing from police at speeds up to 115 mph; police found five bikes in his panel truck worth nearly $38,000, which suffered over $8,000 in damage as a result of his crimes.
Another British burglar got nine years for killing a bike rider in a collision while attempting to flee from police after breaking into a drug store.
Amazon is expanding their ebike delivery fleets in the UK, enabling the retail giant to improve deliveries to residential areas, while lowering operating costs and improving sustainability.
Add this one to your bike bucket list. A 500-year old Italian mountain pass outside Venice. No, not the one in Los Angeles. Or Florida, for that matter.
Hanoi is introducing a 94-station, 1,000-bike bikeshare system, with half hour rides available for as little as 20¢.
Competitive Cycling
Taking a break from their recent paywalls, VeloNew examines USA Cycling’s plans to nurture the next generation of gravel cyclists. Hint: Keep them out of Texas, and away from jealous girlfriends.
Seriously? Pez Cycling News recommends five of the world’s most popular bike races, yet somehow leaves the Tour de France off the list.
Finally…
That feeling when you have a 99% chance of getting away with bike theft because the cops are too busy to deal with it. Nothing like a “Boobs and Brains” themed fundraising ride.
And Lamborghini goes gravel.
WHAT. IS. THIS.
You absolutely must watch (with sound) Lamborghini's latest debut video. If you make it to 25 seconds, there's no turning back. pic.twitter.com/ZCBVDH2L8S
— Engineering Explained (@jasonfenske13) December 1, 2022
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin, too.
