Anyone want to guess how much I want to write about bikes right now, after writing about at least the seventh person killed riding one in Southern California in the past two weeks?
Anyone?
I didn’t think so.
……….
In a bizarre story from Mississippi, a man awaiting trial on murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run charges for intentionally running down two bike riders dropped dead in his jail cell.
Fifty-seven-year old Shannon Thomas reportedly died of a heart attack last month, after he allegedly chased down and killed a 21-year old woman and attempted to kill the 36-year old man she was riding with in March.
To make things even stranger, Thomas was dating the mother of the woman he killed, and ran the couple down after an argument with the other man.
Which you’d have to think would adversely affect his relationship with the victim’s mom.
………
Yawn.
It’s Prime Day again, the two-day national holiday devoted to buying things you don’t need, just because the marked up price has been marked down to make it seem like an irresistible bargain.
Which isn’t to say you can’t actually get some good deals, but caveat emptor.
Ebike maker Gazelle is recalling roughly 1,032 of its Urban Arrow cargo bikes because the front bolt in the seat post clamp can break and make the seat come loose. Which is an oddly specific number to follow the word “roughly.”
He gets it. A Milwaukee County supervisor has put a stop to a planned 15 mph speed limit for bike trails, arguing it doesn’t make sense to impact legal trail users when the real problem is “unauthorized high-speed e-motos that should not be operating on these trails in the first place.” Maybe he could have a talk with some of our SoCal city leaders. Thanks to Megan for the heads-up.
In the most heartwarming story you’ll read today, a 96-year old great-grandfather was reunited with the bicycle he rode for decades, after his 67-year old daughter had it restored and delivered to the Cambridge, England care home where he now lives by members of his cycling club; he met his wife of 73-years when they both were riding back in 1947.
London office developers are strongly backing proposals to weaken the city’s bicycle parking requirements, after a new analysis showed that the vast majority of indoor bike spaces sit empty every day. Which I can understand, because I always insisted on taking mine into my office, rather than risking getting it stolen from an unsecured parking garage.
Damn. A 48-year old European commercial bond trader at JPMorgan’s London office declared “I’m not a cyclist” before taking part in a 500-mile fundraising ride, then proceeded to drop dead on the first day.
Eight years and 1 million crossings after Dutch engineers replaced the asphalt surface of a bike path with hollow panels made from recycled plastic, the trail has resulted in 50–70% lower carbon emissions, while rain storage reached 48% of capacity.
Francois joined the UC Irvine Department of Earth System Science in 2001 and quickly became an indispensable member of our community. He served as Chair of the department from 2021 to 2024. During his tenure, he helped the school navigate the aftermath of COVID-19 and worked to minimize disruptions for students and faculty members.
He was an internationally recognized leader in physical oceanography and ocean biogeochemistry, whose work helped deepen our understanding of global ocean circulation and global carbon and nutrient cycles. His research yielded foundational insights into the ocean’s role in regulating climate, including landmark studies on ocean ventilation, the global nitrogen budget, and the strength of the biological carbon pump. His work has equipped scientists with the tools to make more accurate climate predictions—a legacy that will benefit generations to come.
Francois was a dedicated leader, researcher, mentor, colleague, and friend. He will be remembered for his excitement in sharing mathematical insights and his enthusiasm for Bayesian statistics. His smile was always warm, and his door was always open. We were all fortunate to know him and to count him among our community. We have lost one of our best.
He is survived by his wife, Juno, and their son, Louis
However, that makes his death, not just a loss for his family and friends, but for all of us and the planet we call home. Not just for the research he will no longer conduct and the warming climate he will no longer work to forestall, but for the future scientists who won’t benefit from his teaching and guidance.
Primeau was killed while riding his bike at Standard and Warner avenues in Santa Ana around 6:15 pm Thursday.
Thirty-eight-year old Edjan Rocha turned himself in to Santa Ana police over the weekend, after investigators had discovered and impounded the vehicle he was allegedly driving. At last report, the Santa Ana resident was being held on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run.
And while they were unable to conclude that the bike lanes help businesses, due to the number of uncontrolled factors, they concluded that at the very least, the bike lanes don’t hurt business.
Despite what business owners everywhere will try to tell you.
The Chicago Department of Transportation last month published a report on the economic impacts of bike lanes that examined six commercial corridors with different types of bike lane projects. Researchers analyzed data as well as surveys and interviews with local businesses, residents and real estate developers.
The case studies compared the surveyed areas with “control” corridors nearby, and looked at the change in sales tax revenue, commercial property vacancy and employment, as well as safety and bike usage data since the lanes were installed…
According to the survey results and data gathered in the report, however, the six bike lane projects have not hurt business activity after their installation, although the study does not assert that the lanes themselves improved an area’s economic outlook.
The study found improved economic activity in most of the areas studied, although in some cases the control group outperformed the studied corridor on some metrics.
But there was no case where the bike lanes, whether painted or protected, made things any worse.
The city’s transportation department did not provide someone behind the report for an interview. In a statement, spokesperson Erica Schroeder said the studies show that bike lanes contributed to either “positive or neutral” trends along most of studied areas — and that the report “complements” the city’s analysis of improved and safer street design.
“Although it is not possible to isolate the effects of bike lanes from broader economic factors, the case studies show no evidence that bike lanes negatively impacted retail sales, commercial property values, or employment,” she said.
To which we can all anticipate a chorus of voices shouting “But they didn’t study my street, in my town, which is somehow unique from every other street in every other town.”
Because as we’ve learned, there is no way to convince some people unless you conduct a study on their exact street, under the exact same conditions under which they do business.
And even if you do, they won’t believe the results unless it confirms their preconceived bias.
Because, people.
……….
It’s Prime Day, uh Days.
Which is Amazon’s self-proclaimed shopping frenzy holiday, for anyone who chose this particular week to hide under a rock. And if you did, I don’t blame you.
But for those of you willing to wade into the online frenzy, credit card in hand —
An Irish woman is calling for a ban on angry honking after a school bus driver blasted his horn for 40 seconds as he followed her, incensed that he couldn’t pass as she rode her bike home from visiting her brother’s grave. It’s illegal here in California to use your horn for anything other than an emergency warning, not that it’s ever stopped anyone.
The state senate is poised to approve scaled-back legislation that would make it easier to get approval for bike and pedestrian projects in coastal zones, including in Santa Monica, after it was watered down to something everyone could live with. Legislation by committee is never a good idea, because you end up with a law that is acceptable to everyone, but barely for anyone.
“Both [walking and biking] are impacted by the availability of transit, because transit makes it possible to get to your destination on a trip that could involve both walking and transit,” (Martin) Morzynski (of Streetlight Data) said. “The availability of transit will impact this data. The availability of access to transit.”
What is clear is that 9 out of 10 U.S. counties with the highest levels of active transportation — walking and biking — have a population density of at least 4,000 people per square mile. For example, New York County, N.Y., which includes Manhattan, has the highest level of active transportation, where 48 percent of trips are taken via walking, 11 percent are taken by bicycle and 41 percent in an auto.
But while biking and walking as seen as key transportation elements that can benefit from density, those aren’t the only benefits.
Increasingly, walking and biking are seen as key pieces of the overall transportation ecosystem in a region spurring the development of infrastructure like bike lanes, mobility hubs and the advancement of micromobility programs for sharable bikes and scooters. And indeed, public transit is viewed as an enabler of active transportation, since if it were not an option, a number of biking and walking trips would simply become car trips, Morzynski said…
Increasing density can accomplish more than converting car trips to walking or biking. It can also help to solve housing shortages, urbanists have said. Researchers with the Urban Institute have cited studies showing increased density, coupled with reduced parking requirements, help to bring down the cost of housing, while also making smarter use of transit investments.
Metro is choosing parking spaces over a protected bike lane!
Metro is seeking feedback about the North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project. The BRT will add 19 miles of faster and more reliable transit and 22 bus stations between NoHo and Pasadena, connecting Burbank, Glendale, and Eagle Rock.
But…the latest design completely removed the protected bike lane on Glenoaks throughGlendale because it would have required removal of 30% of the on-street parking spaces.
Tell Metro that it’s unacceptable to choose parking over safety, and demand they restore the protected bike lane through Glendale!
There are six Metro community feedback meetings, attend as many as you can, and make your voice heard!
Meeting Details:
Virtual
Thursday, July 10, 2025
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Call-in: 213.338.8477
Webinar ID: 849 6832 2391 Link to Join
Pasadena
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Pasadena City College, Circadian Room
1570 E Colorado Bl, Pasadena, CA 91106
Glendale
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Adult Recreation Center
201 E Colorado St, Glendale, CA 91205
North Hollywood
Saturday, July 19, 2025
10:00am – 11:30am
East Valley High School
5525 Vineland Av, North Hollywood, CA 91601
Eagle Rock
Monday, July 21, 2025
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Yosemite Recreation Center
1840 Yosemite Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90041
Burbank
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Buena Vista Branch Library
300 N Buena Vista St, Burbank, CA 91505
Thank you for fighting for a safe, sustainable, and equitable future for Glendale and beyond!
………
In case you’ve been hiding under a rock lately, it’s Amazon Prime Days, giving you the opportunity to help pay off Jeff Bezos’ recent Venice wedding.
He then tried to walk away from the crash in his bare feet, offering cash to other drivers to give him a ride before flipping them off when they refused.
He was finally taken into custody at gunpoint by CHP officers, reportedly incriminating himself with his own statements afterwards.
Officers wrote a total of 34,548 during the enforcement period that began Wednesday evening and ran through Sunday night, 21,328 of those for issues related to speeding.
And no, I have no idea what “issues related to speeding” means, as opposed to just violating the damn speed limit.
Especially since all you have to do to catch a speeding driver in California is pick one and point a speed gun at them.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A Singaporean man filed a pair of formal complaints, alleging that reckless bicyclists and e-mobility users are endangering his pregnant wife by the way they ride on walkways, and leave their bikes blocking the way. Although when I look at the photos he submitted, all I see are hundreds of bicycles safely and considerately parked along the sidewalk, while leaving space for people to pass.
Calbike says don’t believe the misinformation coming from Big Highway — aka companies who profit from highway expansion — about mitigating Vehicle Miles Traveled, or VMT, offering a detailed explainer of why the highway builders are wrong.
Vista will remove berms and bollards from protected bike lanes, just months after they were installed, due to complaints from bicyclists who said they made them feel less safe. Although they don’t seem to have bothered to gather safety stats to determine whether they actually increased or reduced injuries.
The youngest of the four kids who killed an Albuquerque nuclear scientist as he biking to work by — allegedly — intentionally driving into him with a stolen car has been charged with murder, despite being just 12 years old; he was 11 at the time of the crime, and suspected of being involved in a string of burglaries dating back to when he was just ten.
Meanwhile, women are still racing, even if they’re overshadowed by the Tour, as Dutch pro Lorena Wiebes took a crash-filled stage three of the Giro D’Italia Donne, while Britain’s Anna Henderson retained the pink leader’s jersey after a late crash that involved all but 10 riders, resulting in almost the entire peloton receiving the same time.
October 9, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on A 20-year battle for bike access to VA cemetery, Prime Day bike deals, and prepping your bike for a hurricane
Just 82 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
………
I have a medical test that will keep me from writing tonight, so there won’t be a new post tomorrow. But I expect to be back as usual on Friday to catch up on anything we missed.
And if you have any extra prayers or good thoughts lying around that you don’t need right now, send ’em my way. Because this one scares me.
If you’re under 23, you’ve never ridden a bike from Westwood to nearby Brentwood using the safe and convenient short cut through the Los Angeles National Cemetery.
Not even in a child’s seat on your parent’s bike.
Yet that’s exactly what UCLA students and faculty did on a daily basis for decades prior to 9/11. But after that terrorist attack on New York’s Twin Towers and the Pentagon building in Washington DC, the gates were closed, and have never reopened.
In fact, you can’t even ride your bike into the cemetery to pay your respects to the many Americans who served their country with honor — and too often sacrificed their lives for it.
Apparently, they’re afraid of someone hijacking a bicycle and crashing it into the gravestones, sacrificing honored veterans who have been dead for years.
Now you once again have a chance to do something about it.
The Veteran Administration’s Advisory Committee on Cemeteries and Memorials will hold a pair of meetings later this month to discuss, yes, the administration of national cemeteries. Which gives you a chance to weigh in with your comments calling for reopening this vital route that was used for years without causing any significant problems.
Because your opinion matters. And given that we’re taking about the VA, it matters even more if you’re a veteran.
In that case, reach out to me and I can put you in touch with others who’ve been fighting this battle for over 20 years now, and can definitely use your help.
Six young Singaporean bicyclists will be prosecuted for allegedly “flouting multiple road cycling rules…in a manner that endangered both their own safety and that of other road users.”
No surprise here. A public defender has requested a mental competency test for Jesus Ayala, the 19-year old Las Vegas driver accused of intentionally running down retired Bell, California police chief Andy Probst just for the hell of it.
He gets it. An Evanston, Illinois writer says it may seem like it’s pedestrians versus bikes after a woman was injured by someone riding on the sidewalk, but the real problem is cars.
A Black neighborhood in Durham, North Carolina is still haunted by the death of a six-year old boy who was riding his bike when he was run down by a driver in a pickup; 35 years later, the area still has no sidewalks, damaged walkways, and roads with the high speed limits typical of too many Black neighborhoods.
The rich get richer. London now has 250 miles of bike lanes. Many of which look a lot better than most of the bike lanes over here.
This is why people keep dying on the streets. A stoned English driver walked without a single day behind bars, despite knocking a bike rider 20 feet in the air while driving at twice the legal limit for cannabis, on the wrong side of the road, leaving the victim with serious injuries.
A British man has been sentenced to a minimum of 21 years behind bars for intentionally running down a man riding a bicycle and leaving him on the side of the road, because he mistakenly thought the victim had ratted him out for employing illegal immigrants; another man got four years for helping him.
July 13, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Streets For All virtual happy hour tonight, SoCal’s killer highway getting bike lanes in OC, and Prime Day bike deals
Among the scheduled improvements are rehabilitating the pavement — whatever that means — replacing traffic loop detectors and guardrails, and upgrading facilities to Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
In addition, the plans call for adding Class II painted bike lanes, although they will be downgraded to a mere bike route in some areas, forcing riders to fight for road space with impatient drivers.
That could mean relying on the dreaded sharrows, which studies show could be worse than nothing. And which appear to exist only to help drivers improve their aim and thin the herd.
Additional plans call for $21.2 million to be spent on two projects in Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Seal Beach, including unspecified pedestrian and bicycle upgrades.
Heartbreaking story from the LA Times about a young Black man who lived alone and worked remotely, whose body was found five days after he logged off from work, after apparently dying in his sleep from an undetected heart condition; among his possessions was a new bicycle with just four miles on the odometer.
A speeding hit-and-run driver ran down a man riding a bicycle in San Francisco’s Mission District, driving off with the bike’s front wheel still stuck to their grill; fortunately, the victim is expected to survive. Although the driver may regret leaving the car’s license plate behind.
Unbelievable. A 40-year old Florida man faces vehicular homicide and hit-and-run charges for killing a 74-year old man who wasn’t even riding his bike at the time — or anywhere near the roadway; the speeding driver hit a mailbox on the wrong side of road before losing control, driving off the road and hitting the victim, then crashing into a building.
