I love it when someone does my work for me.
Today it’s the LA Times that takes a look at the sometimes contentious relationship between bike riders and drivers, just a day after columnist Steve Lopez took a moving look at the ghost bike phenomenon.
And quoted yours truly in the process.
The Times follows up with twin videos offering a look at biking in LA from both a motorist’s and cyclist’s perspective.
They’re not exactly hard-hitting. But both step away from the angry give-and-take that too often defines the discussion. Even between cyclists.
And maybe they can start a more civil conversation about how to safely make room for everyone on the streets.
Meanwhile, they kick off the conclusion of their RoadshareLA series with a look at the state’s new mandate for complete streets.
Yet oddly, drawing no conclusion in the process.
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Just a few other quick notes.
Huntington Beach police are using Facebook to identify a bike thief; thanks to Geri for the heads-up.
LAist may have misstated the purpose of this website, which does a lot more than just chronicle fallen riders. But they offer a haunting series of ghost bike photos, along with a brief documentary, from ghost bike builder and photographer Danny Gamboa.
A Santa Cruz writer says we can do more to protect cyclists. And we should.
If you see something, say something. The NYPD is urging residents to call 911 if they see a dangerous threat to peace and security in the city — like bicycle pizza delivery people riding on the sidewalk.
Got to be more to this story, as a Texas man is shot to death in a dispute over a bicycle. As much as I love my bike, once the guns come out they can have it.
Does anyone really buy this “Dear Abby” style story of a Toronto cyclist who repeatedly rams into right-hooking drivers — on purpose? In real life, I’d suspect that’s the sort of thing someone might try once, as the bruises and broken bones dissuade a second attempt. Let alone a third.
Good news for Virginia drivers as dooring remains perfectly legal. So get out there and slam a few bike riders in the name of freedom.
As if aggressive and careless drivers weren’t enough, now we have to worry about suicidal rabbits.
If you have more time to kill, take a couple minutes — or maybe a few hours — the check out the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain’s massive list o’ bike links.
I hadn’t ridden past the Santa Monica pier for awhile. So I was surprised to see a new bike corral has sprouted on the sand next to the bike path. Great idea.
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As you may have noticed, I’m trying something a little different today.
When I first started linking to news stories about bicycling, there weren’t many stories out there. Sometimes I had to struggle to fill a single paragraph.
These days, the explosion in bicycling has resulted in an equal explosion in news stories. Which is why I end up with those massive lists of links that take nearly a full day just to write, let alone read. And why you now only see them a few times a week.
So I’ve been thinking about offering a daily list of just the best links instead, sort of like you see above. Which would mean you’d get a daily fix of bike news from around the world. Just less of it, more often.
And still have time to actually have a life once you’re done reading.
So what do you think? Would you like to see something like this every day? Or would you prefer to keep doing what we’ve been doing?
Any thoughts?
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Finally, a brief reminder that if you like this site, you can help support my work through a much needed and deeply appreciated personal donation, advertising or sponsorship. This is a more than full-time job, and the only income I receive these days is what comes through this site.
