Lime has become the second company to win official approval to deploy scooters in the City of Los Angeles.
The company follows Uber-owned JUMP, which received its permit a month ago.
However, the hopes of many Angelenos that Lime would bring its dockless ebikes to the streets of LA may remain unfulfilled, at least for now.
Scooter photo from Lime website.
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Leave it to Minnesotans to show LA’s supposedly progressive leaders how to deal with traffic and climate change.
As part of the city’s new housing and transportation plan, Minneapolis is eliminating parking minimums throughout the city.
But that’s just the beginning.
The plan calls for discouraging new surface parking lots, and prohibits new gas stations and drive-throughs. It also bans auto-oriented land use, such as auto repair shops, near transit stations, along with even stricter parking restrictions.
And in a move that would send Los Angeles NIMBYs running to their lawyers, it calls for increased density near traffic, and allows triplex apartments in every neighborhood — even those currently zoned for single family homes.
The goal is to — wait for it — cut the number of local driving trips by 40%, while reducing emissions 80% in the next 30 years.
Compare that to the current Los Angeles policy, which is to hope that self-driving electric cars will somehow magically save us from having to make any tough choices.
Good luck with that.
These are all actions LA should take as quickly as possible, since California is already failing to meet its climate change goals.
And would, if the actions of our “progressive” leaders equalled their pro-environment, anti-climate change words.
Instead, they’ll continue to fiddle while Rome burns in fear of further aggravating already angry drivers, and the dwindling number of homeowners who can actually afford a million-dollar single family starter home.
Never mind making the hard choices the city, and our world, demand.
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A little closer to home, Sacramento followed the Minneapolis model by voting to ban new gas stations, drive-through restaurants and auto repair shops within a quarter mile of light rail stations, while requiring a conditional use permit with a half mile.
The city will also eliminate off-street parking requirements within a quarter mile, and loosen restrictions in a half-mile radius around transit stations.
Meanwhile, here in Los Angeles,
<crickets>
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Evidently, the popular Kickstarter sensation the Ottolock may be pretty and convenient, but may not protect your bike from thieves.
In fact, it can apparently be cut through in just seconds.
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It may not be the Twelve Days of Christmas yet.
But it is first day of the last 12 days of the 4th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive, as we begin the final countdown on our year-end fundraiser!
Please take a few moments to join the 34 others who’ve already given their hard-earned money to support SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy, and help keep this site coming your way every day.
You can donate via PayPal, or through Zelle with the banking app that’s already on your phone, using the email address you’ll find on this link.
Anything you can give helps, and is truly and deeply appreciated, no matter how large or small.
Or if you own a business, consider buying an ad on BikinginLA to show your support, while you spread your message to thousands of bike riders in Southern California and around the world. Then write off the full cost on your taxes next year!
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Local
LA County approved 58 miles of multi-use, hiking, mountain-biking and equestrian trails in the Santa Susana Mountains near Santa Clarita.
Bicycling looks at the international manhunt that belatedly brought Andrea Dorothy Chan Reyes to justice in the hit-and-run death of Agustin Rodriguez, Jr. as he rode to work in Whittier nearly two years ago.
CiclaValley continues his tale of ‘cross crashes and victory.
State
San Diego bike advocates cautiously support the creation of a new mobility board that combines the previous bicycle advisory and parking advisory boards. Yes, parking.
The planned Complete Streets makeover of San Francisco’s Market Street gets a $15 million infusion from the feds.
Marin residents debate whether to allow ebikes on the trails recognized as the birthplace of mountain biking, as bike riders explain how the bikes allowed them to return to the activity they love, despite advancing age, illness and injuries. The local paper sort ofendorses approving ebikes, while saying safety is paramount.
Napa bicyclists are giving back with their time and money to help maintain the Napa Valley Vine Trail.
National
People For Bikes calls for mobility for all.
Steve Carell is one of us, describing his “fun fan encounter” with the woman who ran him down from behind on his bike. Eighty-eight-year old Gene Hackman is one of us, too.
Clean Technica says urban planners should ignore the reactionary anti-ebike steps taken by Israel and New York, because ebikes offer strong benefits to cities and counties.
Pink Bike considers the future of bike industry trade shows in a wake of Interbike’s announcement it won’t hold a show in 2019. Or maybe ever.
No surprise here. Oregon’s $15 tax on the sale of all new bicycles over $200 is bringing in far less revenue than expected, collecting less than half of the projected $2.1 million.
This is why people continue to die on our streets. After a 92-year old holocaust survivor was killed by an Oregon motorist, the local police rushed to blame the victim and exonerate the driver.
The Seattle Times endorses plans to complete the missing link in a 20-mile bike trail with a protected bike lane in the public right-of-way, despite alternative facts from area business owners.
A Washington man who helped preserve the area’s last undeveloped natural space will be honored with a permanent memorial where he died after suffering an aneurism while mountain biking.
The usual debate over bike lanes and road diets rears its ugly head in Colorado Springs CO, as supporters and opponents confront the topic at a city council meeting.
‘Tis the season. Residents at a Wisconsin retirement home received two three-wheeled pedicabs from the Cycling Without Age program as an early holiday present.
Boston bike riders want to city to cancel plans to remove flex posts that mark a protected bike lane on a bridge over the Charles River; the city plans to take them out to make it easier to salt and plow the bridge for motorists.
The usual battle over who owns the streets is heating up in Harrisburg PA, as the city installs a number of projects intended to slow traffic and give more space back to local residents, bicyclists and pedestrians.
International
A lawyer and former paramedic describes what it’s like to be on the receiving end of emergency treatment after experiencing the dreaded death wobble while descending on his bike at 40 mph.
Not only did the authors of Vancouver’s Modacity bring their own Christmas tree home by bicycle, they’re collecting photos of other people around the world doing the same thing.
Victoria, British Columbia asks the court to dismiss a lawsuit from the Canadian Federation of the Blind alleging that the design of the city’s protected bike lanes violate the human rights of sightless people.
London plans to remove parking to make room for the first of the city’s cycle superhighways in South London.
No bias here. A British paper automatically concludes a bike rider was at fault in a road rage dispute with a London cab driver who accused him of riding off after crashing into a pedestrian. From what I can see, they both come off as a pair of total jerks.
The UK’s Cycling magazine offersa reminder that booze and bicycling don’t mix.
Oslo crowdsources traffic data using children biking and walking to school. And discovers it works better than expected.
Bikeshare comes to the streets of Tehran.
A Syrian social movement has gotten over 4,000 women on bicycles, despite harassing catcalls and a country disrupted by civil war.
This is the cost of traffic violence. The curator of South Africa’s world-famous Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden died after he was hit by a car while riding his bike earlier this month.
A pair of ill-prepared roadies take part in The Pioneer trail race in New Zealand, part of the grueling Cape Series.
No shit. The widow of an Australian bicyclist complains about the inadequate charges against a road raging driver who caused his death after getting out of his car to confront him; he faces a maximum of a lousy two years for three traffic offenses.
Competitive Cycling
In a surprise announcement, British broadcaster Sky is pulling the plug on its sponsorship of Team Sky after next season, leaving the future of the cycling’s most dominant team up in the air. Meanwhile, the BBC asks why now and what’s next?
As Sky leaves, McLaren moves in. The English Formula One giant will become half owner of Vincenzo Nibali’s Bahrain-Merida team.
Rouleur continues its interview with cycling great Bernard Hinault.
Finally…
Forget Rapha; now you can wear Peter Sagan. Bicycling’s most WTF moments of 2018.
And now you’ll be able to get a safety warning from the driverless car that’s about to run you down.
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Thanks to Michael W for his generous donation to the BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive to help keep this site coming to your screen every morning!
