The news on Ramona bike rider Michelle Scott is heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time.
According to the Ramona Sentinel, Scott is showing slight progress towards recovery even as she remains confined to a rehab facility, seven months after she was severely injured by a hit-and-run driver while riding to work last October.
The driver who put her there, 35-year old Chase Richard, faces trial on multiple charges next month, including two felony hit-and-run counts, and remains in custody on a $2 million bond.
But even if Richard is found guilty, he likely faces just four years behind bars.
Yet another example of the failure of our society to take traffic violence seriously.
………
Peter Flax examines what he calls the “infuriating” conclusion of the NYPD’s investigation into the death of Robyn Hightman, who was killed by a truck driver who claimed he never saw the victim.
And never stopped, despite witness reports that he had to know he’d hit someone.
Not surprisingly, the decidedly bike-unfriendly NYPD blamed the victim for the crash, even though the 20-year old bike messenger was an experienced bicyclist, and a New York bike lawyer says Hightman was probably doing everything right.
Which sadly doesn’t count for much in the auto-centric city.
Flax had written about Hightman’s life and needless death for Bicycling shortly after the fatal crash.
………
Boston public radio station WGBH will host a webinar with former LACBC Executive Director and social justice advocate Tamika Butler, among others, to discuss “how cycling, transit, and other systems and infrastructure in our cities and neighborhoods perpetuate the excessive monitoring and policing of Black and Brown bodies in public spaces.”
But you’ll have to register in advance. And get up early, because it starts at 9:30 am Eastern Time on Friday.
That’s 6:30 am here.
Coming up! https://t.co/DwcEF0F52p
— tamika butler is @tamikabutler@mastodon.social (@TamikaButler) June 24, 2020
………
For once, the people South LA aren’t being forgotten as the city moves forward with implementing the Slow Streets program.
More slow streets coming, this time in South LA! pic.twitter.com/YSGytfin2J
— Streets For All (@streetsforall) June 24, 2020
………
Local
The LA Times says a guided multi-day bike tour could be your safest vacation bet this summer.
Gear Patrol says the new MIPS helmet from LA-based Thousand will actually make you want to wear your helmet.
The South Bay’s Easy Reader asks whether the current bike boom will outlast the pandemic.
State
California ski resorts are open for mountain biking, with the usual post-pandemic restrictions.
One-legged bicyclist Leo Rodgers is moving to Costa Mesa to pursue his dream of “influencing and inspiring people,” while a crowdfunding page for his new foundation has raised just over $2,300 of the $10,000 goal; Rodgers was featured on the cover of the latest issue of Bicycling.
The Daily Pilot looks at Newport Beach-based ebike maker Electric Bike Co, whose first brick-and-mortar location is opening in the city on the 4th of July.
Work is continuing on San Diego’s Rose Creek Bikeway, but no estimate was given for completion of the construction project. Thanks to Robert Leone for the heads-up.
Bonita’s new bike park is finally back open, but with a mask requirement to get in, and riders have to stay at least six feet apart.
Supporters of Vision Zero ask if opponents of San Jose’s plan are really that selfish. Yes, they are.
National
Bicycling says stats on aerodynamics are great, but what really matters is how much they affect how you ride. On the other hand, Road.cc says forget wheel weight and just focus on getting more aero.
Bicycling considers just what it takes to stay safe on your bike in the age of Covid-19.
A hand and wrist physiotherapist explains the causes and treatment of cyclist palsy, the nerve irritation caused by gripping your handlebars for extended periods.
Brit+Co says we’re all riding bikes now, so you need some bike gear that’s actually cute. Assuming you’re a woman, that is; evidently, men don’t need cute bikewear.
Yahoo says this tiny folding e-scooter is the future of bicycling. Hint: It’s not.
A free Colorado e-bikeshare program is helping chronically homeless people get back on their feet.
A St. Louis man and woman were busted for riding bikes that were stolen during the looting that followed the death of George Floyd.
Document Journal examines the New York social justice cycling collective that brought 10,000 bike riders out to the streets of Gotham to support Black Lives Matter. Which is about 9,900 more than have ever turned out in Los Angeles, with the exception of Critical Mass.
A former New York transportation commissioner is proposing a new carfree bridge to connect Manhattan and Queens to accommodate the boom in bike riding; although some advocates aren’t exactly thrilled with the idea.
New York is doubling the amount of temporary protected bike lanes in the city in response to the jump in bike ridership, although that’s still just an increase from nine miles to 18. However, that’s 18 miles more than LA has installed.
Two New Jersey men were busted for mugging a bike rider, just hours following their release after getting busted as porch pirates.
Kindhearted Pennsylvania cops gave a new bike and pump to a man who was saving up to buy a bicycle, while riding multiple buses to two jobs to support his five kids.
A South Florida bike shop teamed with a local foundation to donate a new tandem bike to a blind nine-year old boy so he can ride with his father for the first time.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett is teaming with community leaders and police in his Florida hometown for a two-day bike ride to build stronger community bonds. However, the wisdom of doing that in the middle of a pandemic, in a state with surging Covid-19 cases, is highly debatable.
International
The Conversation considers how cities can keep the new riders create by the Covid-19 bike boom on their bicycles.
She gets it. A Canadian columnist says if a Toronto woman is convicted of DUI, while already on parole and a ten-year driving ban for the drunken hit-and-run that took the life of a bike-riding man, she should never be allowed to drive again. Then again, she wasn’t supposed to be driving now, so the question is what are they willing to do to stop her.
The BBC examines whether the coronavirus crisis has brought us any closer to tackling climate change.
A Scottish bike rider is dead because an 84-year old man with failing eyesight ignored his doctor’s instructions not to drive.
A British man convicted of stealing a nurse’s bicycle while she was at work treating Covid-19 patients gets a slap on the wrist with less than four months behind bars.
A Dutch traveler’s association is calling for lower speed limits on bike paths, as more people are taking to bicycles to avoid public transit during the coronavirus pandemic; bicyclists are currently allowed to ride up to 27 mph.
Flanders, Belgium is giving away 10,000 free bikeshare rides in an effort get more people on bicycles during the pandemic.
The bike boom is exploding across Germany, too.
Taiwan’s “Pokémon Go grandpa” now has 64 smartphones spread out like peacock feathers on his handlebars to help him play the game. Although that means he probably can’t see the road right in front of him.
Competitive Cycling
Pro cycling will look different this year in the wake of Covid-19, and here won’t be any hugs or kisses on the podium at this year’s Tour de France. Which means this is the perfect opportunity to get rid of podium girls once and for all.
NPR considers the ups and downs of Everesting in the wake of Lachlan Morton’s new record, set just outside my hometown.
Finally…
If your life’s dream is to own a Segway, you’d better hurry. Who needs a hotel when you can tow your own RV?
And how not to wash your bike.
………
Be safe, and stay healthy. And wear a mask, already.
