Day 64 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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Maybe there’s hope for Caltrans yet.
That’s because a new bill introduced by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, who represents a sprawling district stretching from Santa Monica to Glendale, would require the agency to develop quick-build bike lane and intersection projects on state highways.
Streetsblog defines a quick build project as a “temporary, easily adjustable infrastructure improvement that can be installed rapidly using readily available materials,” installed as a pilot project to gauge community feedback, or as a temporary placeholder for a larger, more permanent project.
The point of the bill, AB 891, is to get something on the street quickly while reducing planning and engineering costs, rather than waiting years to go through the usual process that moves with the speed of a snail stuck in molasses.
According to Streetsblog,
Santa Monica has made use of quick-build projects on local streets in recent years. Some examples: the plastic-bollard parking protected bike lane on Broadway in 2023, a series of Safe Routes to School’s Projects also in 2023, and the city is planning to use quick build for the East Pico Safety Project.
One example of a state highway that would benefit from this legislation is the Pacific Coast Highway, State Route 1. Following a high-profile fatal crash in 2023, the City of Malibu has worked with the state to change the character of the highway which currently features high speed limits, beautiful views of the ocean and mountains and high volumes of bicycle traffic.
We can only hope.
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Good news for all of us who struggle to control our language after getting cut off by a driver, or yet another too-close pass.
And by us, I mean me.
Because new research shows that swearing can increase hypoalgesia, aka improve your tolerance for pain.
Foul language has also been shown to improve physical strength, improve memory, bolster social bonds, and ease the pain of rejection.
So go the hell ahead and swear up a mother-effing blue streak.
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Finish The Ride is going back to the beach to finish the job they started.
Save the date for CLEAN RIDE CREW. We're going BACK to the beach at Playa del Rey Beach Path to finish the work we started last month!
Be sure to join us to make a tangible difference!#CleanRideCrew #BeachCleanUp #BeachCleanUpLA #LABeach #PlayadelRey pic.twitter.com/NwePNwpBCM
— Finish The Ride (@FinishTheRide) March 4, 2025
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Clear your schedule this Sunday for the first ever Cargopalooza.
Weather looking good. Bring the family along the LA River Bike Path Sunday for our first Cargopalooza!@bikinginla.bsky.social @streetsforall.org @streetsblogla.bsky.social gravelbikecalifornia.com/cargopalooza…
— CiclaValley (@ciclavalley.bsky.social) 2025-03-05T00:08:44.173Z
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Yeah, this British ad kinda gets the point across.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Bloomington, Indiana wants bike riders to stop not stopping, as the city council votes to re-install stop signs along a protected bike path, after they were removed because bicyclists complained about losing their momentum having to repeatedly stop while riding up and down hills. And because there was no reason to have them there in the first place, let alone the second place. Thanks to Ben Fulton for the heads-up.
An Irish bike advocacy group highlights the anti-bike lies, exaggerations, misinformation and disinformation that local leaders take all too seriously.
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Local
Pasadena explains California’s new Daylighting Law that prevents parking within 20 feet of an intersection, but doesn’t say when the city will begin enforcement.
Pasadena’s iconic Colorado Street Bridge will close to cars for a one-night party on July 19th, but you’ll need a ticket to take part.
State
San Diego will take advantage of a 2022 state law addressing “speed creep” due to the deadly 85th Percentile Law by reducing speed limits on 17 road segments.
National
A writer for Bicycling says modern bike computers can tell you everything but what time it is. This time you can read it on MSN if the magazine blocks you.
US bikemakers say if you want a bargain on a new bicycle, buy it now before Trump’s tariffs take hold.
Your next bicycling sunglasses could have a built-in dashcam and AI-powered heads-up display.
A Nebraska man traveled 400 miles to testify in support of a bill to stiffen penalties for drivers who kill bicyclists, after the drunk driver who killed his 76-year old father got off with a lousy year behind bars and a thousand dollar fine.
Georgia legislators apparently put more value on the wallets of drivers than the lives of school kids, as they push to ban speed cameras in school zones.
International
Canada’s National Observer say ebike sales are booming, and the country’s cities and laws need to catch up or squander the opportunity.
A new report says one out of every ten Lime bikes on London streets has bad brakes, which could be just a tad inconvenient.
A professional football, uh, soccer player for England’s third tier Mansfield Town appeared in court to plead guilty to killing a 33-year old man riding a bicycle by “careless or inconsiderate driving,” which has a maximum five-year sentence, then started a match for his team team just hours later.
Women now make up a quarter of the membership of Cycling UK, the country’s national bicycling nonprofit.
Residents of the Netherlands bought 858,000 new bicycles last year, a drop of 7% over the year before, while nearly half were ebikes.
A European environmental website profiles Olso, Norway’s cargo bicyclist, who traded his delivery truck for a box cargo bike.
Czech carmaker Škoda’s We Love Cycling website says you need a mountain bike to improve your riding skills.
Finally….
Your next e-foldie could fit in a suitcase. Who wouldn’t want purple bike brakes — or a Grateful Dead ebike, for that matter?
And that’s one way to open a gate.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
