Sad news from Long Beach.
Octavio Orduño, one of the world’s oldest bike riders, passed away recently at the age of 106.
Orduño rode his three-wheeled bike nearly every day, after giving up his two-wheeler at the insistence of his wife — at the ripe old age 100.
Here he is riding on his 104th birthday, captured on bike cam by his good friend and neighbor, former Long Beach mobility coordinator and Calbike board vice president Charlie Gandy.
I don’t even know what to say.
Except we should all be so lucky as to live and ride that long.
Rest in peace, Octavio. You’ll be missed.
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More on your chance to bike the vote in this spring’s elections.
Flying Pigeon points out how easy it is for a few voters to make a big difference, thanks to LA’s dismal voter turnout. Which could be a big opportunity for bike riders — if we get out and vote for our own self-interests.
With that in mind, be sure to make your reservation for the CD4 Livable Streets Candidate Forum at the Hollywood United Methodist Church on February 5th to meet the candidates in LA’s most competitive district. And yes, I’ll be there, after moving into the district a few weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the LACBC has developed a list of hard-hitting questions for city council candidates to gauge their support for bicycling in their district.
Can’t speak for anyone else, but I won’t vote for anyone who doesn’t complete it.
After all, let’s not forget that CD1 Councilmember Gil Cedillo didn’t respond to the LACBC’s questionnaire when he was running for office two years ago, despite promising elsewhere to support the planned bike lanes on North Figueroa.
And look how that turned out.
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Interesting idea.
Instead of insuring their bicycles, some riders are forming syndicates by agreeing to pitch in to pay for each other’s bikes if they get stolen, so they only have to pay up if something bad happens.
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Local
A cyclist who lost his leg when a big rig truck cut a corner on Alameda Street now struggles to lead a normal life and support his family.
An OpEd in the Daily News says we should embrace climate change as an opportunity to rethink transportation in LA, and get people out of their cars by making it easier to walk, bike and use transit.
KCRW talks with Streetsblog’s Joe Linton about LA’s proposed bike share program.
Boyonabike joins in on a exploratory ride through east Pasadena to raise awareness of the need for better bike infrastructure. Or virtually any, for that matter.
The Milt Olin Foundation and Yield to Life are sponsoring a fundraising rally against distracted driving next month.
State
Yet another bike rider has been killed by a heartless hit-and-run driver, this time in Berkeley.
Oh, please. Despite successful bike share programs around the world, the Orange County Register concludes it just doesn’t work, based strictly on the recent failure of the Fullerton system. Evidently, they think the world ends at the Orange Curtain.
National
The conservative AASHTO bikeway guide, the bible for street planners across the country, is slowly moving towards endorsing protected bike lanes.
Cyclelicious offers photos of Viking biking from the East Coast blizzard.
Young professionals come out in force to support endangered bike lanes proposed for Cheyenne WY.
The Oklahoma City council calls for uniform regional bike regulations after turning down a ridiculous reverse three-foot law requiring bikes to stay three feet from motor vehicles.
A pair of mixed-use developments in New Orleans and Baton Rouge are offering their own private bike share programs.
Now that’s what I call a good life. A 93-year old South Carolina woman passed away Saturday; she’d toured Europe by bike shortly after the end of WWII.
International
Bike riding is up in Calgary thanks to warmer weather; I’d love to see a bridge like that over the LA River.
London’s Mayor Boris gives the okay to begin work on two protected bikeways crisscrossing the city at a cost of over $88 million.
London planners ask for one bike parking space per bedroom to approve a new residential project.
Celebrate the Cannibal’s birthday with a $17,500 limited edition Eddy Merckx bike.
Egyptian women defy conservative social norms to ride bikes; actually, it doesn’t sound all that different from what women bike riders complain about here.
At least that’s one thing we don’t usually have to deal with here. South Africa attempts to increase cycling despite a rash of bikejackings.
Finally…
Evidently, kangaroos have declared open season on cyclists Down Under. You may never have to wash your bike again.
And repeat after me: When you’re carrying a stolen driver’s license and credit card, don’t swerve in and out of traffic while riding salmon.
