Despite recent rumors, the LAPD is not stopping, ticketing or arresting people for violating the LA and California stay-at-home orders.
However, Santa Monica police are now authorized to issue fines for violating the stay-at-home order, though walking and bicycling are still allowed.
For now, anyway.
Photo courtesy of LAPD Central Bike Unit.
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You might want to think twice about riding the Marvin Braude bike path through Dockweiler Beach for the foreseeable future.
All those matching vehicles in the RV park will be used to quarantine coronavirus victims who can’t isolate themselves at home, for whatever reason.
Authorities recommend avoiding the area entirely, for reasons that should be obvious.
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You could get dropped by a runner in the not-too-distant future.
A new paper published in the journal Science Advances suggests a mechanical exoskeleton based on bicycle mechanics could propel a runner as fast as 46 mph, just a hair below the speed where bike riders max out.
And no, I can’t ride that on my best day.
Which is long behind me, anyway.
Now if they can figure out how to apply that to a bike rider’s legs, we might be on to something.
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Here’s your chance to weigh in on first mile-last mile connections to the coming L Line station, for the train formerly known as the Gold Line.
But at least they didn’t change it to an unpronounceable symbol.
YOUR INPUT NEEDED by Sunday, March 29th! Proposed walking/biking improvements to/from the future Glendora Gold Line station.
View proposals and submit your comments here: https://t.co/4tgdO2deUT@StreetsblogLA @lacbc @bikinginla @boyonabike62 @sgvbikepaths @LosAngelesWalks pic.twitter.com/xUx6Rg0ywu
— ActiveSGV (@ActiveSGV) March 25, 2020
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Newport Beach confirms that Back Bay Drive remains open to people traveling by foot or bicycle.
Hi David, On March 23, the City closed Back Bay Drive to vehicular traffic, providing more room for recreational users to maintain at least six feet of separation from others. Cycling is still allowed, but not in groups of people who are not part of your household.
— City of Newport Beach (@newportbeachgov) March 25, 2020
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The deeply tongue-in-cheek Tour de Quarantine continues with a recap of Stage 4.
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Local
As promised, Uber has filed suit against Los Angeles over the requirement to provide realtime user data for their Jump dockless ebikes and e-scooters. The only surprise is that they managed to find a court that’s still open.
Time to find an alternative route if you ride the Burbank Blvd bridge over the 5 Freeway.
House of Cards star Robin Wright leads off the latest round of celebrity bike riders getting away from sheltering at home for awhile, as she goes out for a fat-tired ebike ride through Brentwood with her husband.
Liev Schreiber is one of us, too, as he goes for a bike ride through Venice with his girlfriend. Except lose the Yankees cap, you’re in LA now.
Hats off to former gubernator Arnold Schwarzenegger, who donated a cool million to buy medical supplies to fight Covid-19, before going for his usual ebike ride through Santa Monica. But maybe don’t split lanes while riding salmon.
Bike the Vote LA is looking for phone volunteers to support city council candidates in Culver City and Santa Monica.
A Long Beach bicycle courier service finds itself in greater demand delivering meals directly to customers’ doors.
State
The confusion continues, as it turns out Orange County parks and trails apparently remain open, but the parking lots serving them are closed.
San Diego triathlon manufacturer De Soto Sport has joined the tide of companies making masks and headwear for doctors and nurses.
Despite the state’s coronavirus shutdown, the Sacramento City Council moved forward with an $8.4 billion transportation plan.
Tahoe’s 29th annual America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride has been pushed from this June to September, on the hope this crap will be over by then. Let’s hope so, but don’t hold your breath.
National
No surprise here. America’s most prolific serial killer began his criminal career with a stint in reform school for stealing a bicycle.
The annual Filmed by Bike festival isn’t letting a little thing like a worldwide pandemic stop the fun; they’ll be hosting the Global Bike Festival on YouTube April 4th.
Bicycling offers advice on how to support local bike shops, nonprofits and ride promoters in their time of need. Meanwhile, their staff discusses whether they’re still riding during the coronavirus crisis, and why.
A woman complains about concerned bike riders asking if she’s okay when she gets off her bike, preferring they just leave her alone; Miss Manners politely says suck it up, lady. Albeit in a somewhat more mannerly way, of course.
Lyft is pitching in to help during the pandemic by offering free bikeshare passes for hospital workers, first responders and transit workers in New York, Boston and Chicago.
A Montana writer submits his updated version of a Bicyclist’s Creed.
A Minnesota woman rides along with her husband on his bike commute through streets emptied by the coronavirus crisis.
This isn’t the first global pandemic a 102-year old Queens bike shop has survived.
No surprise here, either, as speeding is out of control on New York’s newly quiet streets. We’ve seen multiple anecdotal reports of the same thing here in Los Angeles.
A writer for Streetsblog New York says instead of complaining about rude treatment from more experienced bike riders, it’s time for new riders to get radicalized.
A kindhearted Virginia firefighter raised money to buy a new three-wheeled bike for a man with Down’s syndrome after the one he relied on for transportation was stolen.
Maybe keep it to yourself next time. A South Carolina man interrupted his bike ride to take a phone call from someone who wanted to know where he was. After telling him, the acquaintance drove up and shot him in the leg.
A Florida woman was busted for a hit-and-run that left a bike rider with minor injuries when she stopped to buy a couple beers, with a BAC nearly twice the legal limit; she was already on probation for ripping off an 81-year old patient at the rehab facility where she worked.
International
Cities around the world are exempting bike shops and building bike lanes as the coronavirus crisis forces changes in transportation. Los Angeles, however, is not one of them, at least as far as bike lanes are concerned.
Now that’s more like it. Road.cc recommends a dozen bike upgrades under the equivalent of $60, as well as protective eyewear below $54.
Officials conclude bike shops are essential in Ontario, but not in Quebec, while a Vancouver transportation advocate says you’re better off just staying home these days, anyway. Actually, bike shops are essential everywhere, whether or not the government wants to admit it.
Yes, Brits can still ride their bikes, despite the country’s coronavirus lockdown; Britain’s biggest bike retailer reopened its stores after bike shops were deemed an essential service.
A bicycle in a Sarajevo museum serves as a reminder of the 1,425 day siege of the city during the 1990s ethnic cleansing war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
An Indian writer complains that bicyclists are ignoring the country’s order to self-isolate, saying nobody cares about your Strava record now.
There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole an ebike from a New Zealand ICU nurse while she was working a 15-hour shift treating Covid-19 patients. But at least she got it back after a sharp eyed person spotted it outside a store. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.
Competitive Cycling
Pro cyclist Alex Pavon is on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis, working as a Tucson, Arizona EMT when she’s not racing. Unfortunately, though, it’s a reminder of the inequity in the pro cycling world, where women cyclists have to hold a full-time job in addition to racing.
Fellow rider Taylor Wiles offers a pro cyclist’s perspective on the coronavirus pandemic from her indoor pedaled perch during Italy’s complete lockdown.
Belgium extends the country’s cycling season through Halloween, but the cancelled Tour of Flanders is unlikely to be made up this year.
The 19-year old driver who killed professional cyclist Benjamin Sonntag in Colorado could face a vehicular manslaughter charge for driving an estimated 65 mph in a 35 mph zone. There are some pretty horrifying details here, so be prepared if you click the link.
Finally…
Lots of people go paddle boarding; not many pull a stolen five grand fat bike out of the water. Business is booming for smart bikes that don’t go anywhere.
And a lockdown becomes just a tad more tolerable when you can get cold craft beer delivered by cargo bike.
Unless you’d rather have meals delivered to you by a topless driver.
