Tag Archive for road rage

San Bernardino man killed while riding bike, innocent victim of road rage argument between two drivers

June 5, 2018 / / One comment

This morning, we mentioned a report that a man had been killed in a road rage dispute between a pair of San Bernardino drivers.

Sadly, that new has been confirmed.

The San Bernardino Sun reports that the victim was struck as he was crossing Fifth Street near Ramona Ave around 7 pm, collateral damage in a dispute between two drivers.

According to the paper, 32-year old Rosendo Ortiz and 28-year old Karina Saucedo, both from San Bernardino, became involved in a road rage incident as they headed east on Fifth near Meridian Ave.

They were still arguing as they approached Ramona, nearly two miles from where the incident started.

Ortiz crashed into the victim, identified as 45-year old San Bernardino resident Efrain Garcia. Saucedo, who was following slightly behind, crashed into a parked car to avoid them.

Garcia died at the scene; both drivers were reportedly cooperating with police.

Remarkably, no arrests were made at the scene. Anyone with information is urged to call San Bernardino Police Det. Peck at 909/384-5664.

If Garcia’s death really is the result of road rage, both drivers should face murder charges. But probably won’t.

This is at least the 23rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third in San Bernardino County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Efrain Garcia and all his loved ones. 

Thanks to Victor Bale for the heads-up.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: BOLO Alert for bike-riding sexual assault suspect, and road and bike rage rears their ugly head

April 24, 2018 / / 2 comments

Beverly Hills police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a bike-riding sexual assault suspect who attempted to rape a woman early Sunday morning near the Beverly Hilton at Wilshire and Santa Monica Blvds.

He is described as a Hispanic man in his 30s, around 5’6″ with black hair pulled back in a ponytail and facial hair, riding a red single speed bicycle.

Police think someone in the bike community may know him due to his riding skills.

Anyone with information is urged to call BHPD detectives at 310/285-2158.

Security cam photos from Beverly Hills Police Department.

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Today’s common theme: road rage and bike rage rears their ugly head.

This is who we share the roads with. A driver in DTLA intentionally ran down four pedestrians because he was mad that they woke him up from a nap in his car.

A DC bike advocacy group discusses trail etiquette after a man was deliberately knocked off his bike by a rider passing in the opposite direction.

Bike anger rages even in the Netherlands, where a mountain biker pushed an 80-year old man off his bicycle after the older man complained about getting cut off. Seriously, it takes a special kind of jerk to attack an 80-year old man.

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Local

You can now use bikeshare systems in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and UCLA interchangeably with a single membership, and ride from one system to another without penalties.

Interesting piece from a part-time wrench in an LA bike shop, explaining to a Middle Eastern audience the business model of fixing bikes sold by big box stores so people can actually ride them.

A writer for City Watch calls LA Mayor Eric Garcetti a bully for doubling down on Vision Zero “based on lousy science, lousy presumptions, and a lousy narrative that somehow Angelenos don’t care or do enough for pedestrians and bicyclists.” Even though a) most bike riders can tell you Angelenos don’t car or do enough for pedestrians and bicyclists, and b) city leaders don’t seem to take Vision Zero seriously.

Streetsblog reports on Sunday’s CicLAvia in the San Gabriel Valley. Meanwhile, CicLAvia gears up for a return to the northern San Fernando Valley June 24th.

 

State

Auto-centric opponents of a plan to reconfigure the Coast Highway in Leucadia have appealed to the state Coastal Commission to stop the project, saying that the plan to make it safer to visit the coast without a car “fails to consider public access to the coastline, that fails to adequately consider public safety, and fails to give adequate consideration to environmental concerns.” Sure, let’s go with that.

San Diego’s University Avenue is one of the nation’s most dangerous streets for bicyclists.

Mountain bike legends Tom Richey and Thomas Frischknecht have teamed with a Carmel couple to open a bike-themed coffee shop.

Sad news from Manteca, where a bike rider was killed when he crashed into the rear of a pickup and fell under the wheels of the boat trailer it was pulling; witnesses said the victim didn’t appear to even see the truck and trailer in front of him until it was too late.

Sacramento begins installing the city’s first parking-protected bike lanes.

 

National

Honolulu honors a bike rider who was killed in a 2010 hit-and-run by naming a new bike path after him.

While Seattle fights over every inch of bike lanes, opposition has melted away in nearby Vancouver, where bicycling numbers are up and driving rates down after the city built a network of protected bike lanes. Vancouver faced the same sort of bikelash we’ve seen in Los Angeles, but city officials had the courage to move forward anyway.

The murder trial is set to begin in the case of the stoned driver who killed five bike riders in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, and injured four more; he faces life in prison if he’s convicted.

Bicycling catches up with five New York bicyclists to discuss their plans for getting to work when the city shuts down a major subway line for maintenance next year.

In a very tongue-in-cheek piece, a Virginia writer says he hates the Amish, farmers, equestrians and especially cyclists for startling him when he looks up from his phone while driving, and forcing him to slow down for a few seconds. But commenters don’t get the joke.

 

International

Next City offers an excerpt from Copenhagenize author Mikael Colville-Andersen’s new book explaining how design can reclaim our life-sized cities.

The Guardian looks at the international Warmshowers network, giving bike tourists a floor to sleep on, a place to clean up, and someone to listen to your tales of life on the road.

A pair of Hamilton, Ontario bike riders were struck by a 72-year old driver when they stopped in the curb lane to fix a bike trailer. Another reminder to move your bike out of the roadway if you need to stop for any reason, because too many drivers won’t be looking for you.

Road.cc looks at the highlights of Britain’s only handmade bicycle show.

The Beeb asks if ebikes are the future, while a travel website questions whether they’re the best or worst thing to happen to bike tours.

Dublin bicyclists will hold a die-in on the government steps tomorrow. Something we desperately need to do here in Los Angeles if we could get enough people to show up.

Italian cycling legend Gino Bartali will be awarded honorary Israeli citizenship prior to next month’s start of the Giro d’Italia for his role in saving Jews during World War II, 18 years after his death.

A Kiwi adventurer is stranded in South America after riding from Philadelphia to Alaska, then down the Pacific Coast, when a merger between shipping companies costs him his planned ride on a container ship.

There’s always another side to the story. A New Zealand mountain biker insists the trail crash that left another rider paralyzed from the neck down wasn’t his fault. On the other hand, he’s not the one who ended up in a wheelchair.

China’s Mobike dockless bikeshare company promises to stop putting more bikes in oversaturated cities, and to share their data with local governments.

 

Competitive Cycling

A Monterey County weekly catches up on the action with photos from last weekend’s Sea Otter Classic.

Bicycling reports on Saudi Arabia’s first-ever women’s bike race.

No surprise here: World champ Peter Sagan is cycling’s most valuable social media persona; one Facebook post alone generated $330,000 worth of exposure for his sponsors.

Efforts to revive the women’s La Route de France Féminine have failed after the withdrawal of a host city.

 

Finally…

Bad bike infrastructure doesn’t speak, but it does tweet. Pedal your way across the Greek islands from above.

And sometimes, riding a bike is poetry.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Forsyth Cup this Saturday, SGR Trail closure, and road raging driver assaults CO cyclist

April 10, 2018 / / One comment

Cancel your plans for the weekend.

BikinginLA sponsor Thomas Forsyth is hosting Wolfpack Hustle: The 2018 Forsyth Cup at the Encino Velodrome this Saturday, offering a full day of intense track cycling under the sun.

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The San Gabriel River Bike Trail will be closing for two weeks in Seal Beach later this month.

The pathway will be closed from 2nd Street to Marina Drive between 9 am to 3 pm, Monday through Friday, from April 23rd to May 4th. So plan to take another route for a few days.

Thanks to Michelle Mowery for the heads-up.

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As we’ve noted before, the war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes is all too real.

The latest example comes from Colorado, where a road raging SUV driver yelled at a pair of bicyclists after they made a safe and legal lane change, including signaling, to position themselves for a left turn.

Then circles back and physically assaults one of the riders for the imagined crime of flipping him off, which both riders denied doing.

Granted, things may be different in Colorado.

But LAPD officers have told me that a road raging driver can be charged with assault the moment he or she leaves a vehicle to confront someone, whether or not they actually become violent.

Something to remember the next time it happens to you.

And yet another reminder of why having some sort of cam on your bike isn’t optional anymore.

Thanks to Frank Lehnerz for the heads-up.

………

 

Local

KPCC looks at what ten years and $20 million dollars will buy on South Figueroa, where construction on the long delayed My Figueroa complete streets project is expected to wrap up later this month.

CiclaValley offers his thoughts on the tragic death of 15-year old cyclist Sebastian Montero Easter Sunday.

A Halifax, Nova Scotia musician left Los Angeles by bike on the first leg of a tour across the US in support of his new EP, and to raise funds for a Canadian mental health organization.

A website says the most dangerous time to drive a car in Los Angeles is around 4 pm on Friday. Which likely correlates to the most dangerous time to walk or ride a bike, as well.

Robertson Blvd is the most dangerous street in West Hollywood for car crashes when adjusted for traffic volume. Which likely makes it one of the most dangerous streets for bike riders and pedestrians, as well.

Santa Monica is hosting a free lunch tomorrow to discuss plans for Bike to Work Month.

 

State

San Diego orders a DIY kids pump track closed due to liability issues.

Apparently, Los Angeles isn’t the only city where angry drivers complain about road diets and insist no public outreach was done, as a San Jose columnist points out the significant public outreach before one was installed last year.

Uber has purchased dockless e-bikeshare provider Jump, as it moves to become an urban mobility company, rather than just a taxi substitute; the purchase is not expected to affect San Francisco’s pilot program.

A Marin judge has blocked plans to allow bicycles on a singletrack trail, after ruling that the county failed to conduct a full environmental impact study.

 

National

Bicycling says don’t throw your hi-viz away yet, despite recent studies that say it may not do any good.

Oregon is considering allowing ebikes on some state park and coastal trails.

Coast Guard officials in Seattle remind people not to leave their bicycles on the ferry; not surprisingly, some are bikeshare bikes, but most belong to the people who apparently forget they rode a bike that day, too often leading to a man-overboard search.

Seattle bicyclists take one last ride across the Alaskan Way Viaduct before it’s torn down to improve views of the coast, and replaced by a new underground tunnel.

A seven-lane Detroit boulevard is going to lose two lanes to make room for improved sidewalks and protected bike lanes. Let’s hope motorists in the Motor City have more sense than those in Los Angeles, who rose up in arms over a similar project on Venice Blvd.

Jersey City becomes just the latest American city to adopt a Vision Zero plan. But as we’ve seen in Los Angeles, adopting a plan is the easy part; actually making the hard choices necessary to save lives take political courage that is too often missing.

No irony here. A Pennsylvania motorcyclist notes the differences between how bicycles and motorcycles are treated under the law, without apparently recognizing the primary differences between the two.

 

International

Researchers from the University of Duh conclude that bad weather can get people to change their travel plans, especially those on foot and bikes; plans are underway for heated and cooled bike lanes to address those problems in some cities.

A Winnipeg woman is looking for a bike-riding caregiver for her Parkinson’s afflicted husband as they prepare to take a bicycle tour across the US and Canada.

After apparently running out of children to order off his lawn, a British academic says dockless bikeshare is a menace.

An English man proves the benefits of ebikes, as an 88-year old stroke survivor stuns his doctors with his recovery after borrowing his neighbor’s ped-assist bike.

Tragic case from the UK, where a 27-year old man died after a slow-speed collision with a bike rider; for once, no one appears to be blaming the man on the bike.

A Saudi woman now enjoys riding her bicycle in public, which would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. And looks forward to driving a car, which will soon be legal for women there for the first time.

A new study suggests that the mandatory bike helmet law in Australia’s New South Wales state wasn’t responsible for the drop in bicycling deaths usually attributed to it.

Seoul, Korea opens a new red-colored, one-way bike lane on the city’s most prominent street, complete with solar-powered lane markers, and posts at intersections to prevent right hooks.

 

Competitive Cycling

An investigation has been opened into the death of Belgian cyclist Michael Goolaerts during Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix classic. He reportedly crashed after riding off the road at high speed, but it’s unknown whether he suffered a heart attack before or after the crash.

Lost in Sunday’s sad news was the race run by cycling scion Taylor Phinney, who finished a surprising eighth in what may be the world’s toughest single day bike race.

 

Finally…

When the ticket for speeding on your ebike reads 62 mph. The poetry of cyclocross — no, literally.

And when your ride has a message. And the message is f*ck cars.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Vision Zero motion held over to next week, LA Fountain Ave road rage assault caught on video

February 19, 2018 / / 2 comments

Good piece from Streetsblog’s Joe Linton on last week’s Vision Zero motion at the LA City Council Transportation Committee.

Despite the fears created by traffic safety deniers Keep LA Moving, the anticipated ambush didn’t occur.

In fact, I was told by someone from committee Chair Mike Bonin’s office that the motion is a benign attempt to make people feel more comfortable with the data used for LA’s Vision Zero.

And no one seems to know why Keep LA Moving felt such urgency to support it.

Bonin wisely held the motion over to the next meeting on February 28th to give its authors a chance to review the language, and make sure there’s nothing in it that would reduce the effectiveness of Vision Zero.

My fear is that it may give Vision Zero opponents an excuse to challenge the data used for the program, possibly in court.

However, I’ve been told that it’s been reviewed by the City Attorney’s office, who didn’t find any problems with it.

Although it wouldn’t hurt to do it again.

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It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from Wes High, who recently had the pleasure of a punishment pass, followed by getting deliberately doored while riding on Fountain Ave in Los Angeles.

While riding on the sharrows.

Hopefully, he’s reported this to the LAPD, since this is clear evidence of assault with a deadly weapon — in this case, a motor vehicle.

And it’s perfect evidence for a case under LA’s cyclist anti-harassment ordinance.

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A Facebook post is circulating asking for any witnesses to last week’s death of cyclist Mark Kristofferson in the Tour of Palm Springs to contact the Riverside County District Attorney’s office.

They’re particularly looking for anyone who saw the suspect vehicle before the crash, witnessed the actual crash or had contact with the suspect afterwards.

Especially if you have video footage of the any of the above.

The link includes instructions on how to handle the footage and who to send it to.

Thanks to Victor Bale for the heads-up.

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Local

Sounds like fun. Buried among the restaurant news is word of a Long Beach Ride & Dine to a local restaurant — and possible stops for ice cream and beer — tomorrow night.

 

State

The San Diego Union-Tribune says the city’s goal of getting 22% of residents who live within half a mile of transit to walk, bike or take public transportation to work by 2020 is a fantasy.

San Diego opens another mile of the Bayshore Bikeway; 16 miles of the planned 24-mile route around San Diego Bay are now open.

No windshield bias here. Montclair decides to blame the victims by making it illegal to cross the street while texting, talking on your phone or listening to ear buds. And yes, that’s just as idiotic as it sounds.

 

National

The Adventure Cycling Association offers a not-so-brief history of fat bikes.

HuffPo examines the efforts to bring bike equity to bikeshare.

Streetsblog examines how Baltimore bike lane opponents used a 20-foot minimum standard street width for fire engines to block a planned protected bike lane network. Even though it’s never been a problem before, in a city where many streets don’t meet that standard.

Heartbreaking news from Austin TX, where writer Andrew Tillin was killed in a collateral damage bike crash, when two cars collided and slid into his as he was fixing a flat on the side of the road. He was a frequent contributor to Outside, and the author of The Doper Next Door.

 

International

Riding to Che’s hideout in the hills of Cuba.

An Ottawa, Canada columnist can’t imagine why anyone would object to a decision to ban bikes from the city’s new light rail line during rush hour. Apparently, he’s never heard that bikes offer a solution to the first mile/last mile problem, which helps get more people out of their cars.

Bicycling is the leading form of rush hour transportation in London, where all other forms of transportation have decreased 30%. Which goes to show what is possible when you build a safe bicycling network, as London did with their cycle superhighways. Especially in Los Angeles, where the weather is much better.

A trio of very cool looking cylindrical glass bike storage towers has made the short list in a competition to remake a London roundabout.

Caught on video: An elderly man in the UK was pushed off his bike by jerks in a passing car, who apparently thought it was funny.

Even in bike-unfriendly Mumbai, a bike barely loses a race across town.

Note to world: Not every group of people on bikes riding together is a race. Sometimes they just ride to raise funds, or call attention to a cause, or just for the hell of it. Even in Afghanistan.

Sydney, Australia is cutting parking spots and increasing bicycle facilities in an effort to reduce traffic congestion.

This is why you need a camera on your bike. An Aussie motorcyclist has lost his license for 18 months and will have to attend anger management classes after a close pass and road rage assault on a pair of cyclists.

Seriously? Bike tourists in New Zealand are told not to ride at night to avoid the summer heat because it puts those poor, vulnerable truck drivers at risk.

Dockless bikeshare has saved China $2.6 billion in reduced traffic costs in just two years.

A Swiss father and stepmom rode their bikes 10,000 miles to watch their son compete in the PyeongChang Olympics. But Angelenos think people people won’t bike five miles to go to work.

 

Finally…

Bike shop by day, bands at night. A two-wheeled Malaysian quokka encounter.

And now you can own bike the Queen was too ashamed to let Princess Diana.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Road raging New York mobster, LA transforming to city of the future, and a kindhearted bike gift

January 2, 2018 / / 8 comments

These are the people we share the roads with.

An 82-year old New York mobster skated on charges that he participated in the legendary 1978 Lufthansa heist that inspired the movie Goodfellas.

But now he’ll spend the next eight years behind bars after using a law enforcement database to track down a driver who cut him off on a freeway, and setting the man’s car on fire.

Evidently, road rage is dish best served cold.

Unless you get caught.

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Nice KCRW interview with UCLA urban planning professor Bryan Taylor, who says LA’s traffic problems are the result of the city transforming from a “bucolic Southern California bungalow environment” to an “urban global city of the future.”

And one in which people will walk, bike and take transit in denser communities — and where the 30-mile commute is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

I think that the idea that we should build a system that allows someone to live 30 miles from where they work is ridiculous. If you went that far in Tokyo, you’d cover an area that has most of the population for California. The expectation that someone should be able to get in their car and drive through one of the largest cities in the world unimpeded from one end of the metropolitan area to the other is an expectation that could have existed when L.A. wasn’t a global city of that scale. We now have 17 million people. It’s just not going to be possible for them to live in in Pasadena and drive to Santa Monica and feel like they can do that comfortably. Those days are over.

Which is a point I’ve been trying to make with drivers and reporters for some time, with limited success.

As in none.

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This is by far the best news story of the day.

After an Indiana woman’s bike broke down on her way to work Christmas Eve, a kindhearted stranger stopped to help. And ended up giving her a bicycle she’d bought for her grandchild’s Christmas present.

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Local

Metro Bike is planning to expand into the San Gabriel Valley, Culver City and around USC, while it struggles to meet ridership projections in the face of competition from dockless bikeshare.

Curbed offers 18 things to look forward to this year, including the opening of the long-delayed My Figueroa Complete Streets project on South Figueroa, and September’s Disney Hall to Hollywood Bowl CicLAvia.

You have until noon tomorrow to vote for Streetsblog’s annual Streetsie Awards for Elected Official, Civil Servant, Media/Journalism, Individual Advocacy, and Advocacy Group of the year.

The latest episode of Bike Talk interviews prolific bike writer Peter Flax, one of the journalists nominated for a Streetsie this year.

South Bay bike riders can now go to bicycle traffic school instead of paying a fine for traffic tickets. Los Angeles has been talking about doing that, but so far, it doesn’t appear to have moved beyond talk at this point.

A man on a bicycle shot a Norwalk man in the hand after talking with him briefly; police suspect it may have been gang-related.

 

State

San Diego opens the new bicycle-themed Bikeway Village along the bayfront bike path in Imperial Beach.

An Aussie BMX champ vowed to walk down the aisle to marry his fiancé on New Year’s Eve in San Diego, where he’s in rehab for a training accident that left him paralyzed for awhile.

A couple hundred Bakersfield riders get the new year started right with an early morning ride. Although that doesn’t compare to riding with a wind chill factor of 12 below.

Things are getting better for bicyclists on the Bay Area’s Mount Diablo after a number of safety improvements designed to reduce conflicts with motorists.

Sad news from San Raphael, where a bike rider died after hitting an object on a paved trail.

 

National

Motor vehicles are now the leading source of CO2 emissions in the US, as what now passes for the EPA is busy dismantling regulations intended to protect us.

Oregon’s new $15 tax on new bicycles over $200 went into effect yesterday.

A Tucson woman is looking for the beloved bike belonging to her late brother, which was stolen shortly after he died of pancreatic cancer.

Life is cheap in New Mexico, where a man convicted of careless driving in a crash that severely injured a woman riding her bike walks with just 90 days probation, and a whopping $156 court fee that the judge may have waived.

Engineering students at the University of Colorado build an adaptive bike for a girl with autism and limited motor skills.

A Denver paper says ebikes could help reduce traffic congestion, but questions whether they belong on singletrack trails.

While some Los Angeles residents are demanding that the city rip out bike lanes, residents of Amarillo TX are begging the city to put bike lanes in their neighborhood to slow speeding traffic.

A San Antonio man is finally under arrest, seven months after he fatally ran down a bike rider while struggling with a couple of passengers trying to stop his out-of-control driving.

A recovering addict from Missouri rode 3,300 miles across the US to promote recovery.

 

International

A new book tells the story of four young Canadian women who took off on a 400-mile bike ride in the middle of WWII.

I want to be like him when I grow up. An 81-year old man rode 4,300 miles across Canada. So much for all those people who say older people can’t ride bikes.

Young Toronto residents are passing on getting a driver’s license, and choosing to live in complete communities where walking, biking and transit take precedence.

Bike advocates are fighting plans to block an abandoned British rail tunnel, hoping it can be converted to the country’s longest underground bikeway instead.

No bias here. A non-scientific survey of Brit drivers shows 73% want to force cyclists to wear hi-viz, and 80% want bike riders to carry mandatory liability insurance.

A UK letter writer says bikes were here first and it’s not the fault of bicyclists that roads are getting more dangerous, while another letter writer reminds motorists that cars are dangerous machines, and says drivers who kill should be banned for life.

Finland plans to become a bicycling mecca by 2050, with most commuters riding company-supplied ebikes. But why wait another three decades?

Sweden is now offering a 25% rebate on the purchase of an ebike, as research shows electric bicycles often replace cars.

Caught on video: A Polish mountain biker completes the world’s first backflip in the Superman position.

A 19-year old Indian woman will attempt to set a new record for being the youngest and fastest woman to complete an unsupported, 18,000-mile ride around the world.

Caught on video too: An Aussie bicyclist is caught in a left hook crash, the Down Under equivalent of our right hook, as the writer says the driver was legally at fault but the victim shares the blame.

Caught on video three: A trio of Australian bike riders were lucky to stay upright when they were passed way too close and too fast by the driver of a massive truck.

After two Australian cyclists were sideswiped by the driver of a rental camper van, all the driver had to say was “Big mirror. Sorry.”

Nothing like having to dodge a car thief speeding down an Australian bike path.

Britain’s Sky News says abandoned dockless rental bikes have turned into a social menace in China. Meanwhile, CNN says Chinese dockless bikeshare has turned into a bubble.

 

Finally…

Nothing like a purple, bike-riding octopus. Go for a New Year’s swim, come up with a new bike.

And don’t steal a bike from a pack of Santas.

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Thanks to Gil S for his generous donation to help support this site. While the annual holiday fund drive may be over, contributions are always welcome.

And on a personal note, today is the first day my wife has been back at work in nearly two months. So let me offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone who have offered so many kind words and support over the past several weeks.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , ,

Morning Links: Gardena motorcyclist murdered by road raging driver, Brompton recall, and bike giveaways

December 22, 2017 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Gardena motorcyclist murdered by road raging driver, Brompton recall, and bike giveaways

It’s penultimate day of the 3rd Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Just two days left in this fundraising campaign, the only time all year we beg shamelessly for your financial support.

You can help keep SoCal’s best bike news coming your way with just a few clicks by using PayPal. Or by using the Zelle app that is probably already in the banking app on your smartphone; send your contribution to ted @ bikinginla dot com (remove the spaces and format as a standard email address).

Any donation, in any amount, is truly and deeply appreciated.

As an added bonus, frequent contributor Megan Lynch will provide a free download of her CD Songs the Brothers Warner Taught Me to anyone who makes a contribution during the fund drive. If you’ve already contributed and would like a copy, just email me at the address above and I’ll forward it to her.

Thanks to Jennifer S, Katherine D and Richard S for their generous contributions to help keep this site coming your way every day. And to everyone else who has opened their hearts and wallets over the past month.

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This is the cost of traffic violence.

A 21-year old motorcyclist was killed by a road raging driver in Gardena yesterday, and the driver arrested on a murder charge.

One life has ended far too soon, leaving a hole that can never be filled in the lives of his loved ones. And another life has been thrown away, facing years behind bars.

What a senseless waste.

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If you bought a Brompton in the last three years, your bike could be subject to a recall.

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‘Tis the season.

Forty-one Dana Point children got new bicycles, locks and helmets through an earn-a-bike program run by the YMCA.

The family of a fallen bicyclist donated 13 bicycles to troubled Kentucky kids in memory of the man, who was killed by a drunken hit-and-run driver; his killer is serving a 35-year sentence for the crime.

An Ohio counseling center gave 50 bicycles to children with a history of abuse, neglect, and abandonment.

A Georgia Baptist church gives 160 new bikes to local kids as part of their annual bike giveaway.

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Local

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton samples LA’s three dockless bikeshare systems, with LimeBike coming out the clear winner.

Despite the anti-road diet hysteria on LA’s Westside, the Eastside’s Alhambra Ave will be getting a road diet and new bike lanes in the El Sereno neighborhood; work is scheduled to begin next month.

A Burbank bike rider finally achieves his goal of getting a contestable ticket for riding a bike on the Mariposa Bridge leading to Griffith Park, where equestrians have succeeded in getting bicycles banned.

Long Beach will offer a free bike valet at their monthly 4th Fridays on 4th Street tonight.

Another great piece from Peter Flax, who created his perfect year on the bicycle by cutting the tech cord and embracing his life as a bike commuter and advocate.

 

State

A San Diego weekly issues a call to arms to fight a proposal to allow bicycles in wilderness areas, accusing a mountain biking group of working with Republicans to roll back protections of public lands. Although they seem somewhat confused about what a wilderness area is, since neither of the places they mention would be affected by the bill.

The CHP has found the damaged Prius that was involved in the hit-and-run that left a Fallbrook bike rider seriously injured last week, but haven’t been able to locate the driver.

A Visalia restaurant owner thanks the strangers who came to her aid when she was hit by someone riding a bike on the sidewalk; she is recovering despite being knocked unconscious in the crash.

Sad news from San Jose, where a bike rider was killed in an early morning hit-and-run as he rode in a bike lane.

A Berkeley cycle track made People for Bikes list of the country’s best new protected bike lanes.

Sad news from Santa Rosa, too, where a 67-year old man died nearly three days after his bicycle was rear-ended by a driver.

Oher cycling groups jump in to help after the Santa Rosa Cycling Club lost $150,000 worth of bikes and equipment when a wildfire destroyed the home they were renting for their headquarters.

Bighearted Chico fifth graders spent a month refurbishing old bicycles to give to kids through the Boys & Girls Club.

 

National

After Seattle bicycling rates drop .3% to a 2.6% mode share — still a number most cities, including Los Angeles, would envy — a radio host says bicycling will never catch on in the hilly city, despite “placating militant bicyclist activists.” Or maybe they’re just average people who want a safe place to ride their bikes.

A Phoenix homeowner was pepper sprayed by a bike riding “porch pirate.”

A Chicago bicyclist says the way the city designs protected bike lanes makes them death traps for bike riders.

Treehugger says bike riders in New York and Toronto are dead because trucks aren’t required to have side guards.

Business owners in Queens, New York blame a new bike lane for a drop in sales.

Pitch Perfect star Elizabeth Banks is one of us, shown riding an NBC Universal bike in a New York Times profile.

 

International

Life is cheap in Canada, where the death of a 17-year old girl riding her bike is officially considered just a tragic accident.

Calgary bicyclists say riding in foot-deep snow is no big deal. Meanwhile, Los Angeles drivers insist that no one will ride a bike in a sunny SoCal winter.

A letter writer says he can spot bike thieves from his seat at a popular Canadian diner in the middle of the night; he knows they must be bike thieves because they ride a different bike every night, and don’t use lights or reflectors.

After Canadian police recover a bicycle stolen from a British bike tourist in Niagara Falls, he donates it to a woman whose family helped him when he was stranded in the town.

Life is cheap in the UK, too, where a killer driver walks with just probation in the death of a bike rider, despite being convicted of careless driving.

The head of a British bike advocacy group was infuriated to have his own folding bike stolen from a train while he was talking bike safety with a stranger.

Caught on video: An Irish bicyclist is clipped by a driver after failing to signal or look before swerving into traffic.

Solar-powered ebikes outfitted with trailer chairs are serving as ambulances in Namibian villages.

In what has become an all-too common crime in South Africa, a cyclist was pushed off his bicycle and beaten with a pipe by robbers who took his bike and cellphone.

An Aussie rider received a six-figure court judgement three years after he was forced off the road by a truck driver, who was never identified; now fully recovered, he’s planning to ride as part of a two-person team in next year’s Race Across America, aka RAAM.

An Australian website explores what bikeshare programs need to succeed.

 

Competitive Cycling

A transgender Canadian cyclist is suing cycling’s governing body after she was forced to undergo humiliating gender verification exams, contending that rules allowing unqualified people to conducts the tests amount to a violation of human rights.

VeloNews names Dutch pro Anna van der Breggen their female cyclist of the year.

Chris Froome’s reputation is tarnished forever according to Lance Armstrong, who should know.

Suspended New Zealand cyclist Karl Murray will have to restart his nearly completed two-year doping ban after he illegally coached two young riders.

 

Finally…

Do you really need a concierge to tell you to ride a bike on Christmas Day? If your significant other won’t ride with you, don’t take it out on the koi.

And yes, car makers really are trying to kill us.

………

Please accept my best wishes for a very happy holiday.

And stay safe out there this weekend. Remember that many drivers will be drinking, and those who aren’t are likely to be more focused on finishing their shopping than on looking for you.

I’ll be taking Monday and Tuesday off, but will probably be back with a post or two next week.

Merry Christmas!

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: Mar Vista Great Streets success, 6th Street safety open house, and road rage around the world

October 12, 2017 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Mar Vista Great Streets success, 6th Street safety open house, and road rage around the world

My apologies for yesterday’s unexcused absence.

My hard drive cable failed just as I was finishing yesterday’s post. Fortunately, I was able to get it replaced, and recovered most, though not all, of what I had written.

As a result, today’s post includes news from both days. So grab your favorite beverage and settle in; we’ve got a lot of ground to cover.

And come back tomorrow, when we’ll have even more bike and safety news we couldn’t squeeze into today’s post.

………

It’s working.

Despite the claims of road diet opponents, the three-month safety stats show the Venice Great Streets project in Mar Vista is working exactly as promised, with collisions, injuries and speeding down, while resulting in what should be an easily tolerable delay in rush hour traffic.

Which should put the debate to rest, but probably won’t.

Meanwhile, a new Toronto study shows what Mar Vista has to look forward to, as controversial separated bike lanes on a downtown Toronto street have significantly improved safety, while boosting business in the surrounding area.

Like Mar Vista’s Venice Blvd Great Streets Project, Toronto faced near-constant demands from drivers to remove the Bloor Street bike lanes, as well as merchants angry over the loss of parking spaces.

It’s been successful in Toronto.

And it will be in Mar Vista, if local leaders can fight off the demands to remove them.

Thanks to Norm Bradwell for link to the Toronto study.

………

Speaking of traffic safety improvements, CD4 Councilmember David Ryu is hosting an open house on Saturday, October 21st, to discuss the desperately needed changes to 6th Street between Fairfax and La Brea.

As we’ve noted before, even though the Mid City West Community Council has voted unanimously to support lane reductions on 6th, Ryu has dragged his feet on the project, despite his oft-stated promises to listen to the local community.

He has suggested an alternative that would keep two lanes in each direction, while adding left turn bays at several intersections and removing parking spaces near intersections.

This would actually have the opposite effect of the safety improvements the local community has been begging for, speeding the flow of traffic rather than slowing it, while increasing the risk to bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as drivers.

It’s important that everyone who uses the street in any way, or cares about traffic safety, attend to if you can to demand a safer 6th Street.

………

Long Beach bike advocate and Pedal Love founder Melissa Balmer teamed with Minnesota writer and consultant Jay Walljasper to author a new study on the Surprising Promise of Bicycling to be released today.

The study focuses on the “untapped demographic potential, growth of bike share and infrastructure, the deepening influence of grass roots advocacy,” as well as the promise of ebikes.

………

Today’s common theme is road raging drivers.

And bike riders, too.

An Arkansas man faces charges for crashing into a man on a bike — evidently intentionally — then threatening him with a machete, apparently because the rider sprayed a couple dogs with a water bottle when they chased after him.

Witnesses say a driver appeared to intentionally cross over the yellow line to smash into Georgia teenager as the boy signaled for a left turn on his bike.

The Chicago bike rider who was hit with a drum by a road raging driver — after smashing the man’s rear window with his U-lock — has started a crowdfunding campaign to get his damaged teeth fixed.

An Ohio lawyer could face disbarment for brake-checking a bike rider and smashing his cellphone in a road rage incident.

Evidently, there’s no shortage of road rage in Asheville NC. Police are looking for a bicyclist who allegedly hit a driver several times with his helmet, kicked him, and stole his eyeglasses and $80. This comes just two weeks after a driver was caught on dashcam video punching a cyclist.

A London cab driver tells a bike rider to “go back to f***ing Poland” or wherever he’s from after the rider complains about the driver stopping in a bike box.

………

We’ll catch up with a long list of bike events tomorrow, but I want to mention just a couple today due to the tight timelines.

Bike SGV is hosting the BEST Ride: Bike Art Night Pasadena tomorrow night, offering a free two-wheeled tour of the Pasadena art fest with stops at several venues.

And AIDS/LifeCycle is holding a pair of Kickoff AIDS/LifeCycle 2018 rides starting at Balboa Park this Saturday, to officially start training for next year’s 545-mile ride down the California Coast. You can choose from rides of 14 or 43.7 miles, with a free lunch provided for registered participants.

………

Local

In what’s just the latest multimillion dollar settlement due to the city’s dangerous streets, the LA city council voted to pay $15 million to a man who suffered permanent brain damage due to a substandard Hollywood crosswalk. That’s $15 million they could have used to fix several dangerous intersections, instead of paying for not fixing one.

Paramedics at LAX will now make their way through the terminals by bicycle.

Volunteers are needed for the tenth annual Long Beach bike count.

Sports Illustrated reviews the new book Draft Animals from LA’s own former pro Phil Gaimon.

The SGV Connect podcast remembers Bike SGV staff member Brian Velez, who passed away unexpectedly last month. A memorial ride will be held in his honor this Sunday.

 

State

Governor Brown once again pulls out his veto pen to strike down a bike bill, negating a law that would have required the California Department of General Services to expand an employee bikeshare program it currently runs for staffers in Sacramento to other departments, and other areas of the state.

Goleta considers building a separated bike and pedestrian path through the city.

The very cool new Johnny Cash Art Trail officially opens in Folsom this Saturday.

San Francisco is preparing to issue permits to an e-bikeshare operator, portentially violating the non-compete agreement they have with Ford’s GoBike.

Oakland explores a new approach to fixing a dangerous intersection with paint and bollards, by adding bike lanes and a widened median for pedestrians, in just ten weeks for a mere $30,000. The result has been a 7% drop in speeding with no decrease in median speeds, and a whopping 86% increase in drivers stopping for pedestrians in the crosswalk.

A seven-year old Oakland bike shop provides local youth with job training and affordable transportation.

A Marin writer questions the wisdom of reopening a closed-off tunnel for bike and pedestrian use.

A new study from UC Davis shows that many trips that could be made by foot, bike or transit are now being made by Uber and Lyft, adding to the congestion on our streets.

 

National

Doctors call for cities to do more to keep bike riders and pedestrians safe, as the US faces its biggest jump in traffic deaths in 50 years.

If you’ve spent much time walking or riding a bike, you may be surprised to learn that traffic engineers have an ethical duty to protect public safety, which they’ve too often ignored. Okay, maybe shocked is a better word.

Yes, it is possible to ride a bike from the airport in major cities around the US, including Los Angeles.

An article in Bicycle Times calls bicycling the ultimate social sport.

No irony here. A Nebraska bike rider was hit by a car on the way home from a bicycle safety meeting; needless to say, the driver wasn’t ticketed.

A retired Wisconsin legislator says the state’s governor is no friend to bicycling.

A pair of Detroit men have been arrested for at least three separate daylight abductions and sexual assaults of women as they rode their bicycles. Let’s hope they get thrown into a deep pit for a very long time.

An Indianapolis man entertains passing drivers by juggling and riding his bike backwards in a parking lot.

Massachusetts’ abolition-themed 1854 Cycling Company hires recently released inmates, giving them a second chance in life; the owner grew up in South Central LA.

New York police are targeting people on bikes, rather than focusing on the operators of more dangerous vehicles.

Lawyers are challenging a recent New York Vision Zero law making right-of-way violations a misdemeanor offense; three judges have found the law unconstitutional on the grounds that people can’t be held accountable for violations they don’t know they’re committing.

There’s a special place in hell for the guys who tried to jack a New York bikeshare bike from a 13-year old Hasidic boy; police are investigating it as a possible hate crime.

Delaware is now officially the second state to authorized the Idaho Stop law, allowing bike riders to treat stop signs as yields on two-lane streets.

Officials say a proposal to build a bikeway alongside a North Carolina freeway could reduce congestion while boosting the local economy.

There is something seriously wrong when a soldier can receive multiple Purple Hearts on four overseas deployments, only to be killed in a collision while riding a bicycle back to his Georgia base; he was an advocate for wounded vets through the Operation Enduring Warrior program.

 

International

This is what happens when people who ride bicycles get involved in the political process, as both major candidates in Montreal’s mayoral election court the bike vote. Unlike, say, Los Angeles, where bicyclists should be a major political block, but aren’t.

A writer for a Canadian university says traffic laws apply to those cocky cyclists too, while apparently confusing the rate of fatalities caused by bicyclists with those caused by motorists.

An independent commission has urged London’s mayor to be bold in reducing congestion and air pollution, and create transportation system centered on walking, bicycling and transit.

A British bike rider has been jailed for three weeks for crashing into a four-year old kid while riding brakeless.

Britain’s Chris Boardman offers a ten-point plan to enjoy bicycling in your middle age. I can shorten that to two points: 1) get on your bike, and 2) ride it.

A councilmember in Bengaluru, India has demanded that the city fix the streets and make it pothole-free within 15 days. Let us know if it works; I know a few other cities that could use it.

A writer for the Nikkei Asian Review says a simple formula can reflect the affluence of a country by measuring those who ride a bike because they choose to, as compared to those who ride because they have no alternative.

 

Finally…

No, attaching a flashing light to your helmet will not ward off magpie attacks. Forget Pinarellas and Conalgos; if you really want to impress the guys on your club ride, show up on a gold-plated Giant.

And your new $4,000 BMW ebike would offer as much torque as a small car.

Okay, a very small car.

………

A special thank you to Linda Campbell for her generous contribution to help support this site. Or maybe to the BikinginLA computer repair fund.

 

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Morning Links: Worldwide war on bikes, and suicide prevention fundraising team honors SD advocate Bill Davidson

October 10, 2017 / / 2 comments

Let’s start with a few dispatches from the war on bikes raging on our streets.

Streetsblog recaps Sunday’s horrific Petaluma hit-and-run in which a pickup driver apparently rammed four cyclists on purpose before speeding away. As they point out, this case is a reminder why it’s so important to ride with a bike cam if you can afford one.

A road raging British driver is on trial for tackling a female triathlete as she rode her bike; afterwards, he sort of apologized, telling her he thought she was “a bloke.”

After an angry Chicago bicyclist broke the rear window of a van following a dispute, the driver returned the favor by smashing the rider over the head with a drum. Thanks to J. Patrick Lynch for the heads-up.

As the late Rodney King said, can’t we all just get along?

………

Brian Nilsen forwards news of a fundraising walk for suicide prevention, and the Ride on for Bill Team that’s raised over $6,000 in honor of well-known San Diego cyclist and advocate Bill Davidson, who took his own life last year.

If you have a few extra dollars you can spare, I can’t think of a better cause.

………

Reports indicate the man who killed pro cyclist Michele Scarponi last April was watching a video on his smartphone when he ran the Italian rider down.

That didn’t last long. Alberto Contador’s retirement from pro cycling lasted a whole month, as he comes back to compete in a Chinese crit at the end of the month.

LA’s Phil Gaimon answers the nine things you’ve always wanted to ask a pro cyclist, and reflects on why he doesn’t miss the sport; his new book Draft Animals gets released today.

Reverting to form, Lance doesn’t miss a chance to get back at the Irish sports writer who helped uncover his cheating, after the journalist receives a well-deserved backlash for writing a character reference for a friend who had been convicted of sexually abusing a 16-year old girl.

………

Local

A writer in the LA Times complains about all the traffic on Angeles Crest Highway, never seeming to recognize that he’s part of it, despite jamming on the brakes to avoid running over cyclists.

Streetsblog looks at Sunday’s Heart of LA CicLAvia.

A Skid row activist and reformed street robber uses his custom, handmade low-rider bicycles to call attention to his cause.

Important topic from SoCal Cycling, offering advice on what to do if you suffer a head injury while riding.

 

State

While everyone else was struggling to evacuate from a fire in the Anaheim Hills, one man made his escape by ebike, passing out masks and water bottles to stranded residents.

Only one percent of San Diego city employees bike to work on a regular basis; 81% drive.

Streetsblog offers a wrap-up of last week’s Calbike California Bicycle Summit.

 

National

Bicycling is set to get a new parent company.

Dirt Rag talks with mountain biking legend Gary Fisher.

Bike Sob explains how to find cycling bliss, which mostly seems to involve finding excuses to stop for food and drinks along the way.

A Portland driver was still legally drunk 17 hours after he killed a bike rider while street racing, even though he told police he’d only had two drinks.

The Seattle Times offers advice on how to be seen now that the days are getting shorter. Although sometimes it seems like the best way to guarantee that every driver sees you is to ride through a stop sign or commit some other traffic infraction.

An Idaho driver whines about whining, freeloading cyclists. You know, the ones who pay more than their share in taxes to maintain the roads, even though they only get a tiny fraction of dedicated road space and cause virtually no wear and tear on the streets.

Sad news from Colorado, where triathlete Dan Hohs died after he was bitten by a rattlesnake while hiking in the mountains; he had written recently about how he was saved from his bi-polar disorder by endurance sports.

A Detroit woman was abducted while riding her bicycle in broad daylight; it’s the second time a woman has been abducted while riding a bike in the city in just over a week.

Passes for the Pittsburg transit system now include free use of the city’s bikeshare system.

A New Jersey non-profit raised enough funds to give 130 bike and helmets to kids this holiday season.

A Philadelphia paper asks if bicycles parked in handicapped spaces should be towed. It’s pretty damn jerkish behavior to leave a bike or anything else in a handicap space.

Louisiana property owners are blocking access to construction crews hired to build a bike path along the Mississippi River levee.

 

International

Chances are, you will never ride around the world in 78 days. But you can own the bike that did.

Guardian readers offer breathtaking photos of their favorite rides from around the world. Thanks to Jon for the link.

Paris’ famed Velib bikeshare system is getting competition from a home-grown dockless bikeshare system.

Unlike some countries we could name, it’s actually hard to get a driver’s license in France. And not cheap, either. Thanks to Steve Katz for the tip.

After introducing the world to dockless bikeshare, several Chinese cities are putting the brakes on further expansion.

 

Finally…

Don’t ride salmon if you’re carrying crack cocaine on your bike — and put a light on it, already. How to get that healthy glow when you ride.

And if you’re going to make fun of bicyclists while discussing haute couture bike shorts, at least spell pedaller right.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: Strange news — bear spraying road raging driver, and club-wielding driver isn’t what he seems

August 28, 2017 / / One comment

It’s been a strange weekend for bike news

Take the bizarre story of a Wyoming bicyclist who used bear spray to take down a road raging driver.

According the Jackson Hole News & Guide, a drunk driver rear-ended another car. Then instead of confronting the other driver, he stumbled to a bike path and mistakenly threatened the bike rider, who responded by pulling a gun.

A witness tried to de-escalate the situation by tossing the rider a can of bear spray; when the driver came at him again, he used it.

First responders had to cut off all the driver’s clothes and rush him to the hospital, where he was booked on multiple charges.

Although now that I think about it, there are a lot of bears here in LA…

………

Second place goes to the wife of the Canadian driver who was caught on video sitting on a 74-year old bicyclist and beating him with a club, as she insists it wasn’t what it looks like.

At this point, we have no way of knowing how the dispute started.

But unless that club was some sort of Nerf stick, it was exactly what it looks like.

………

The California Transportation Commission takes the bronze with their strange questioning of a Calbike representative.

According to Streetsblog, Jared Sanchez of the California Bicycle Coalition was attempting to discuss a recent letter outlining ten principles for transportation justice that should be considered for funding under the state’s new gas tax.

But instead of responding to any of that, all the members of the commission wanted to talk about was Calbike’s stand on a bicycle license fee. Even though no one at the state level had even proposed one, for very good reasons.

And even though anyone can already register their bicycles for free.

Thanks to Erik Griswold for the heads-up.

………

The Vuelta is taking today off for the race’s first rest day; catch up on the ninth stage here.

Former world champ Lizzie Deignan, better known as Lizzie Armistead before her marriage, won the one-day GP de Plouay race in France on Saturday; the top American was Lauren Stephens at seventh.

The American-based Cannondale-Drapac team is in danger of folding after losing a sponsor for next year.

A business website talks with the Irish women’s tandem duo that’s been dominating nearly every race in the paracycling road world cup, in advance of the world championships at the end of this month.

Keep your eyes on this 13-year old women’s racer, who finished second in a Tennessee juniors race, then came back three hours later and won the women’s Cat 4-5 race.

And our own former pro Phil Gaimon answers questions you never dared to ask a pro cyclist.

……….

Local

Metro bikeshare will officially come to Venice on September 7th. Meanwhile, Pasadena’s new Metro Bike system is already nearly matching the usage of the year-old system in DTLA.

Bighearted Arcadia firefighters bought a new bicycle for a teenager after his was destroyed in a crash; credit Helen’s Cycles in Arcadia for helping, as well.

A Santa Clarita writer calls for Vision Zero in the Santa Clarita Valley, saying current efforts don’t go far enough.

A physician from north of Los Angeles describes how her Pedego ebike has allowed her to commute to work without fear or pain.

A Malibu letter writer says something has to be done to slow drivers and motorcyclists who turn Latigo Canyon into a speedway every weekend, putting residents, dogs and bicycle riders at risk.

Long Beach isn’t just bike-friendly; it’s been named the tenth most walkable city in the US for the second time in a row.

Winning the 1995 Junior National Downhill Mountain Bike Championships, followed by a stint in beach volleyball, helped Long Beach’s Jon Mesko develop the competitiveness he needed to succeed in business.

Long Beachize explains that a new roundabout at 6th and Park is part of the 6th Street bike boulevard. And it’s actually a good thing, even if drivers don’t get it.

 

State

San Diego bicyclists enjoy their one chance all year to ride across the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge.

A Rancho Mirage woman was arrested on suspicion of DUI after injuring two bike riders in a Friday night crash.

A Berkeley bike rider was killed in Guerneville as he stood checking his phone on the shoulder of the roadway; the driver abandoned his blacked-out BMW several miles away.

Stanford will donate $5 million to build a new bicycle and pedestrian overpass or underpass over Caltrain tracks.

 

National

People for Bikes looks at the new generation of bike lane separators that are starting to arrive on the market.

Portland police recover several stolen bicycles when they bust bike chop shop in a homeless camp.

When a Portland man was hit by a car while he was riding his bike to view last week’s eclipse, hospital workers took him outside to view it once they stabilized him.

An Arizona man has been sentenced to ten and a half years behind bars for killing two bicyclists and injuring three others while on meth; a lawsuit against the driver and his former employer settled for $11 million.

No bias here. A Wisconsin paper says cycling becomes more dangerous when cars and cyclists don’t pay attention. Maybe they don’t get that self driving cars aren’t a thing yet.

An Illinois couple open their home to bike tourists as part of the Warm Showers program.

An Ohio man swears off fixing neighborhood kids bikes after unwittingly abetting a teenage crime wave.

A group of stunt-riding kids accompanying a candidate for mayor are ordered out of a Boston Caribbean Carnival Parade mid-route, because parade rules bans bikes, dogs and snakes.

An upstate New York engineer used bicycling to lose weight and beat diabetes.

David Beckham’s college student son is one of us, as the former soccer star rides to pick him up from school in New York.

Louisiana’s West Baton Rouge Parish is putting the final touches on a network of bikeways, including a five-mile bike path on top of the west levee on the Mississippi River.

 

International

A writer for the Guardian says she’s proud to ride an ebike and whiz past outdated macho attitudes to cycling.

Protesters are furious that bicyclists will now be allowed to ride through a 115-year old pedestrian tunnel under the Thames River.

Just a slight overreaction. A British newspaper columnist calls for prison terms for repeat sidewalk cyclists.

No, seriously. Don’t try riding across the third rail on an electrified English rail line.

Ireland’s Road Safety Authority will distribute 80,000 hi-viz vests to school children this year. It’s a sad commentary when you have to dress kids up like glow-in-the-dark clowns just to keep them safe on the way to and from school.

An Aussie bike commuter calls distracted pedestrians the scourge of those who ride.

Seriously? After an Australian woman was assaulted by three men while riding her bike home from work, police tell her she shouldn’t be riding at that time of night.

 

Finally…

When you already have an outstanding warrant, probably not the best idea to carry a replica rifle on your handlebars. There are probably better place to ride your bike than the middle of a busy freeway.

And yes, experts recommend having a flasher on your bike; no, this is not what they had in mind.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: Laguna driver runs down cyclist and tries to hit another, stolen bikes, and Vision Zero news

August 15, 2017 / / 2 comments

Talk about getting the story wrong.

The Daily Pilot reported yesterday that a Laguna Beach driver had attempted to crash his car into a bicyclist who tried to stop him after he’d hit another rider.

But what they failed to mention was that the first crash was intentional, as well.

The Laguna Beach Police Department reported on their Facebook page that the driver fled after intentionally crashing into a man riding his bicycle, then trying to run over the second rider as he attempted to confront him.

Thankfully, he missed.

Fifty-three-year old Laguna Beach resident Kevin O’Neill was arrested on Saturday, after witnesses and victims picked his photo out of a lineup following the twin attacks Thursday morning at Bluebird Canyon Road and South Coast Highway.

No word on the condition of his victim.

Fortunately, this took place in Orange County, where the DA takes traffic crime seriously. We should expect a charge of assault with a deadly weapon, at the very least.

But let this serve as yet another reminder that it’s not worth your life to confront an angry driver.

Gather whatever information you can, from the make, model, color and license of the vehicle to a description of the driver, as well as any photos or video, if possible.

Then get hell out of the way and let the police deal with it.

Mug shot of Kevin O’Neill from Laguna Beach Police Department Facebook page.

………

Let’s catch up with a couple of quick stolen bike announcements.

Bobby Close of LA’s popular Velo Club La Grange sent the following notice.

One of our members had his bike stolen recently in Ventura California, his name is Marc Thomas. His bike should be easy to spot as it’s a 66cm custom made Landshark bicycle YES Marc IS TALL!!! Marc is one of the great members we have in LaGrange as he is constantly teaching new and old cyclists in his world famous “ Drills for Skills” clinics. Along with being a key member of the club he was one of the many people instrumental in making the Brentwood Grand Prix happen for so many years.

Attached is a picture of the stolen bike. The bike should stand out as only NBA basketball players are tall enough to ride it.

I’ve asked for additional information on exactly when and where the bike was stolen, but haven’t heard back yet.

And Mina Moskol of the LACBC’s Santa Clarita Chapter forwards a flyer for a bicycle stolen from one of the competitors in the World Police and Fire Games staying at a Palmdale hotel last week.

………

In the never-ending battle over the Playa del Rey traffic safety improvements, the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa will debate a motion to approve a letter calling for a reversal of the all the Playa del Rey lane reductions at tonight’s meeting.

Despite what opponents of the Venice Blvd Great Streets project are saying, Sweet Lucie’s Ice Cream in Mar Vista may be closing, but it has nothing to do with the lane reductions.

And a new online petition asks you to show your support for Vision Zero in the face of attacks from angry drivers and talk radio jocks.

………

Forget the worst retirement ever; LA’s own former pro Phil Gaimon ranks the top ten cookies in the United States.

……….

We’ll catch up with bike events later this week, but I can’t resist this one. Which could be the best idea for a kid’s bike safety workshop ever.

Correction: This event takes place on Saturday the 19th, not on the 21st. Thanks to the LACBC for the correction.

……….

Spoiler alert: If you haven’t the final stages of the Colorado Classic yet, skip this section.

And if you haven’t, what the hell are you waiting for?

Italy’s Manuel Senni and Romanian Serghei Tvetcov held off the peloton to win the inaugural Colorado Classic after a two-man breakaway in Saturday’s Stage 3, as Colorado’s Alex Howes lost the lead he gained on Stage 2.

Despite the accusations that her birth sex gave her an unfair advantage, trans cyclist Jillian Bearden finished in the middle of the women’s field, while 21-year old Canadian Sara Poidevin swept to victory.

The race introduced a number of young American cyclists to international competition. Or maybe the other way around.

Cycling Tips offers some great photos from the four stage race, as well as the women’s two-stage competition.

A Denver business site offers a look at the festival that accompanied, and helped pay for, the bike race.

Cycling News points out a number of problems with the race and accompanying festival, but the chairman of the Colorado Classic says based on feedback, the race will probably be back next year.

……….

Local

The Source offers photos from Sunday’s CicLAvia, while some local businesses in San Pedro complain about traffic and say they weren’t consulted. CicLAvia always puts a significant effort into outreach, for as long as a year prior to a new event; businesses that respond and cater to the people passing by are usually richly rewarded; those who don’t, aren’t.

The Expo Line bike path was abruptly closed for the next three months between Centinela and Stewart Street for undisclosed maintenance work on Monday; Santa Monica Next says the detour around the work zone could be made safer simply by moving a few parking spaces.

A new bike and pedestrian pathway and bridge along the Pacoima Wash should offer a significant cut in non-motorized travel times through the northern San Fernando Valley.

While LA is busy battling NIMBYs, Burbank is reinventing itself as a denser, more walkable and bikeable community.

The LACBC is offering a free indoor class on basic bicycling skills tonight.

CiclaValley offers video evidence that going down Mt. Baldy is a lot faster than going up.

 

State

San Diego sheriff’s deputies are looking for the hit-and-run scumbag who left a 29-year old woman in a medically induced coma after running her down in Encinitas on Friday.

A San Diego mountain biker was airlifted out of Sycamore Canyon suffering from head and neck pain.

In a horrific crime, San Francisco police are looking for a man on a bicycle who blinded a woman by pouring bleach on her after telling her to leave.

San Francisco bikeshare bikes are vandalized once again, as a local columnist says bikeshare is resented as a sign of gentrification.

A kindhearted San Francisco cop bought a new bike for a ten-year old boy after his was stolen.

Nineteen bicyclists with Type 1 diabetes finish a 4,248-mile from New York to Napa County.

Tragic news from Sacramento, where yet another hit-and-run coward killed a man riding his bike on the shoulder of a roadway.

 

National

The National Transportation Safety Board recommends reforming the deadly 85th Percentile Rule, which allows speeding drivers to dictate speed limits. Or better yet, just get rid of the damn thing entirely.

People for Bikes offers free photos and a detailed explanation of what makes an effective neighborhood greenway, formerly known as bicycle boulevards. AKA bicycle friendly streets here in LA, though no one seems to have any plans to actually build any anytime soon.

Bicycling offers advice on how to get police to take your bike cam video seriously. Which is a problem with most police departments — including here in LA.

Bike Snob says “on your left!” needs to die already, even though there’s no way to pass anyone on a trail without scaring the crap out of them. I’ve found that simply adding the word passing, as in “passing on your left,” in a polite, conversational tone solves the problem almost every time. But what the hell do I know?

Treehugger says cars really should wear hi-viz, their drivers should wear helmets, and car radios should be banned. The latter would have the added benefit of keeping radio shock jocks from fueling drivers’ anger and contributing to road rage.

A Washington bike rider was killed by a driver with a suspended license. Proving once again the difficulty of keeping dangerous drivers off the road unless their vehicles are impounded as well. Thanks to Erik Griswold for the link.

Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park invites you to bike the park on September 30th.

An Arkansas man finishes an extreme Alaska triathlon just within the cutoff time, despite losing a leg 32 years earlier.

The famed Cleveland Clinic offers advice on how to get back to riding a bicycle. And why.

Despite testifying that he was simply riding safely by taking the lane, the Pennsylvania cyclist on trial for obstructing traffic was convicted last week; sentencing is in three months, even though he’s already served a full year in jail awaiting trial. It sounds like the real problem was that he was too militant about his rights as a bicyclist, refusing to move over even when traffic backed up behind him.

New York tells dockless bikeshare companies to get lost.

The NY Daily News says only in New York could a truck driver leave the scene after running down a bike rider, and not be charged. Obviously, they’ve never been to Los Angeles.

Speaking of Bike Snob, as we were earlier, his alter ego offers 15 unwritten rules of bicycling in New York City you’re probably breaking. Or maybe would be, if you actually rode there.

Delaware state police blame a rider for wearing dark clothes in low light conditions and taking the lane after he’s rear-ended by a driver. Correction: I originally criticized the police for bending over backwards to blame the rider after noting that the crash occurred two hours before sunset. However, as Andy S pointed out, the crash actually took place before sunrise, not sunset. I apologize for the confusion.

A Louisiana astronomer has been riding across the US for the last 450 days to educate Americans about next week’s solar eclipse, covering over 9,000 miles before his planned finish in Nashville on Monday.

 

International

A fifth of all bicycling deaths in Montreal are caused by collisions with trucks, usually when riders are right hooked and dragged under the truck. Something that could be avoided by requiring sideguards.

A London court is told a fixie rider could have avoided a fatal collision with a pedestrian if he hadn’t been riding brakeless; he blamed the woman for walking distracted, instead.

Bicycle Dutch reviews the world’s biggest bicycle parking garage.

Cycling Weekly lists seven rides in Italy to add to your bicycling bucket list.

An Aussie parliament member who opposes same sex marriage says he loves the guys he bikes with, but he doesn’t want to marry them. And apparently doesn’t get it, either.

An Australian study shows men are more likely to commit acts of violence on the road, but women drivers tend to be angrier.

 

Finally…

The problem isn’t potholes, it’s the fairies. Most bike riders only have to worry about dog bites, not two-foot long iguanas — or bears.

And just what every single cyclist needs, bicycle speed dating.

 

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