No surprise here.
The Los Angeles City Board of Public Works heard another three Measure HLA appeals filed by Joe Linton.
And all three were denied, naturally.
Here’s is how Linton described the appeals.
- Hyperion Avenue – As part of installing speed tables, LADOT reconfigured striping making Hyperion Avenue. This moved cars a couple feet further to the right, where cyclists ride, making the street even less safe for bicycling. I content that this reconfiguration triggers bike lanes and accessibility improvements approved in the city’s 2015 Mobility Plan. The city contends [staff report] that the reconfiguration was “restriping without other improvements” and therefore did not trigger HLA.
- Vernon Avenue – As part of a peak-hour lane removal project (my reporting on similar projects), the city added more than a mile of new parking on Vernon Avenue. I contend that this project triggered HLA bus/walk/access upgrades. The city contends [staff report] the reconfiguration was “restriping without other improvements” and therefore did not trigger HLA.
- Terra Bella Street – As part of a Metro-L.A. City light rail project, the city is working with Metro to remove Van Nuys Boulevard bike lanes and add partial bike lanes on Terra Bella Street as a replacement. The city plans omit the block of bike lanes closest to the new light rail station. I contend that the Terra Bella bike lanes trigger HLA, and that the city should proceed with the full planned extent, not dropping the bike lanes next to the station. The city contends [staff report] that the Terra Bella bike lanes do not trigger HLA because the city plans to slurry seal the street before making modifications.
The denial of the appeals means Linton can, at his discretion, file a lawsuit to force the city to comply.
He has already filed one lawsuit against Metro for failing to include the bike lanes required by HLA in the Vermont Avenue Bus Lane project; HLA requires the city to build out projects included in the city’s mobility plan whenever significant road work takes place.
And reworking the entire Vermont corridor would seem to be significant.
Or rather, make that two.
Because Linton filed a second HLA lawsuit yesterday.
This time he’s going after the city for using numerous loopholes to avoid complying with the requirements of HLA — including LA Street Services ridiculous invention of the term “Large Asphalt Repair.”
That’s the city’s term for avoiding repaving projects that would trigger HLA, as well as requiring the installation of curb cuts to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
To the best of my knowledge, no other city in the world uses the term Large Asphalt Repair. Or would have the temerity to.
The new lawsuit alleges a number of violations, including, according to Linton,
- Cesar Chavez Avenue/Sunset Boulevard (Figueroa Street to Alameda Street): Announced city project would follow a community plan updated after HLA cut-off; the announced version includes unprotected bike lanes, but the project triggers protected bike lanes.
- Eagle Rock Boulevard (Avenue 32 to York Boulevard) – Late 2025 “large asphalt repair” projects over 660 feet long trigger protected bike lanes and pedestrian enhancements.
- Hollywood Boulevard (Gower Street to Virgil Avenue) – 2024 “large asphalt repair” and reconfiguration triggers adding one missing curb ramp.
- Ohio Avenue (Centinela Avenue to Bundy Drive) – 2026 slurry seal project triggers protected bike lanes.
- Victory Boulevard (Lankershim Boulevard to Clybourn Avenue) – 2025 peak hour lane removal project triggers adding bike lanes.
- Western Avenue (Washington Boulevard to Cambridge Street): 2025 and 2026 “large asphalt repair” projects totaling over 660 feet trigger bus lanes and pedestrian enhancements.
- The fact that city leaders are going so far out of its way just to avoid building the mobility plan they already approved demonstrates why we need new leadership, in my relatively humble opinion.
Mayor Bass, and the majority of the city council, seem to be doing anything and everything they can not to make the streets of this city any safer, or any more welcoming to anyone not encased in a couple tons of steel and glass.
Nor do we even hear them talk about it, even when the mayor is urged to declare a state of emergency to deal with traffic violence, let alone implement Vision Zero.
Bass frequently ties herself in knots patting herself on the back for how much crime has dropped, while failing to mention that crime has dropped nationwide, in cities she’s never been to, let alone led.
But it has not gotten any safer on city streets for bike riders and pedestrians, who continue to die at record rates.
In fact, the city has gone out of its way to hide the effects of traffic violence, no longer updating Vision Zero maps or releasing information about traffic deaths and injuries.
I don’t know who would make a better mayor for this city at this point.
Streets For All has endorsed Nithya Raman. And while I trust their judgement, I want her to show commitment to safer streets, and finding the funding to implement them.
But in the meantime, count me in the Anyone But Bass camp. And Linton’s lawsuits just scratch the surface of why I’m pitching my tent there.
Apropos of nothing, today’s photo is a corgi celebrating her 6th birthday by barely fitting into a Metro Bike basket.
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Speaking of Joe Linton, while his lawsuits and appeals have been filed in his personal capacity, here he takes a tour of the coming curb-protected bike lane on Colorado and Broadway in Santa Monica in his role as editor of Streetsblog LA.
And frankly, I had no idea he could ride that fast.
New curb-protected bike lanes under construction in #SantaMonica – on Colorado and Broadway
— Streetsblog L.A. (@streetsblogla.bsky.social) 2026-04-08T01:08:39.540Z
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An interesting bill in the state legislature would allow families to change death certificates after a driver is convicted of a crime.
When someone is killed in a collision, the death certificate typically lists cause of death as “accident.” But SB 1071 would allow the cause of death to be amended to “homicide” if the driver is convicted of felony DUI, hit-and-run, or other felony charges.
However, in this case, homicide isn’t synonymous with murder. It simply means that the death was directly caused by the actions of another person, without implying intent.
But it does make clear that a death resulting from a traffic crime isn’t an accident.
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This is why people keep dying on our streets.
A Texas woman will spend the next two years behind bars for child endangerment after letting her drunk 14-year old son drive her car, and killing someone riding a bicycle
And that after he was already stopped by police while driving her car two other times. The only reason she wasn’t charged with manslaughter prosecutors couldn’t prove she knew the boy was under the influence.
Although you’d think authorities might have done something the first time the kid was stopped by the cops, instead of waiting until he actually killed someone.
But, you know, Texas.
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Streets Are For Everyone recaps a recent webinar on completing the LA River Bike Path before the 2028 Olympics.
That was originally part of former Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Twenty-eight by ’28 list of transportation projects that were to be finished before the Games, until Los Angeles and Metro moved the goalposts by taking out the projects that were just too hard.
Because evidently, trying harder to accomplish the hard things just isn’t in our playbook.
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They’ve got a point.
Those little white car-tickler plastic bendy posts just ain’t gonna protect anyone from anything.
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Local
Public radio’s Marketplace visits LA’s Bike Oven co-op, calling it bike repair shop dedicated to giving you everything you need to learn how to fix your bike yourself.
Temporary bus and bike lane detours are in effect on Sepulveda Blvd for the next year and a half while Metro builds a new bridge for the G (Expo) Line, with work expected to be completed in December, 2027.
La Verne approved building a short two-way protected bike lane to connect to a longer lane in Pomona, providing bike access to the Pomona North Metro Station.
State
A bill from Encinitas State Senator Catherine Blakespear to redefine ebikes and create a new class of electric motorbikes unanimously passed the Senate Transportation Committee; SB 1167 would require that ebikes have operable pedals and a maximum engine output of 750 watts or less, the same limit required under European Union rules.
This is who we share the road with. A 69-year old Apple Valley man faces a charge of assault with a deadly weapon after first attempting to push a kid off his dirt bike, then getting in his car and attempting to run him down when the boy went to his father to tell him what the man had done.
Santa Barbara reopened the Maria Ignacio Bike Path after a temporary bridge was installed to repair storm damage from earlier this year.
Police in Manteca cracked down on road takeovers by wheelie-popping kids on bikes, impounding 18 bicycles under a new city ordinance allowing their seizure and slapping 25 teenaged riders with $200 tickets.
National
The Minnesota state Senate is considering three ebike-related bills, including a bill that would redefine ebikes and e-motos, similar to California’s SB 1167.
Tennessee is adding more than 1,000 miles of gravel trails to the state’s bike network, in addition to 52 paved routes for bicyclists.
Megan forwards news that the National Park Service is still semi-functioning, opening up a seven-mile segment of the historic Colonial Parkway in Virginia’s Colonial National Historical Park for a carfree open streets event.
Huntsville, Alabama is preparing to host its 17th annual Mayor’s Bike Ride, led by the city’s sitting mayor. Los Angeles hasn’t had a bike ride led by the mayor since Richard Riordan was mayor back in the ’90s. Which is also the last time a Republican held the office.
International
Police in Waterloo, Ontario charged a driver with making an unsafe turn and driving with an obstructed view after he hit a 12-year old girl riding a bicycle, sending the girl to the hospital with serious injuries — then slapped her parents with a ticket for allowing their daughter to ride without a bike helmet.
A Welsh bicyclist complains that it costs twice as much to rent a bike locker in Cardiff as it does in most London neighborhoods; prices for bike storage in the UK range from the equivalent of $160 a year in Cardiff, to as little as $15 in Scotland.
Ultra cyclist Justyna Jarczok somehow got her stolen bike back, albeit looking somewhat worse for wear, days after it was stolen with all of her belongings from a British gas station; her other things were found later in a nearby park.
An addendum to yesterday’s mention of the new DuoBell bike bell from Czech carmaker Škoda, which is actually just vaporware at the moment; designed to defeat noise cancelling headphones, the bell is a prototype, and may or may not make it into actual production.
A Philippine bicyclist says he felt weird wearing his bike helmet on a visit to Taiwan, where bicycling is so normalized it feels more like walking.
Competitive Cycling
Mexico’s Isaac del Toro was forced to abandon the Itzulia Basque Country after he tore his right thigh muscle in a bad crash in stage 3 of the race; there’s no prognosis on his recovery and return to racing at this time.
The driver of the official Itzulia Basque Country race doctor’s car was unceremoniously kicked out of the race and fined the equivalent of $632 for causing local star Mikel Landa to abandon the race after he collided with the car and fell heavily on a high speed descent; but apparently, bike racing means never having to say you’re sorry.
Finally…
Your old bike frame could have a second life as a hotel chair. When a night at the pub leads to a 525-mile bike ride to watch a soccer match, it might be time to cut back on drinking just a tad.
And that feeling when the “sadistic” coverage of a bike racing crash beats the hell out of any horror flick.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
