Tag Archive for shelter at home

LA not ticketing stay-at-home violations, but SaMo might; Dockweiler quarantine zone; and dropped by bionic runners

March 26, 2020 / / Comments Off on LA not ticketing stay-at-home violations, but SaMo might; Dockweiler quarantine zone; and dropped by bionic runners

Despite recent rumors, the LAPD is not stopping, ticketing or arresting people for violating the LA and California stay-at-home orders.

However, Santa Monica police are now authorized to issue fines for violating the stay-at-home order, though walking and bicycling are still allowed.

For now, anyway.

Photo courtesy of LAPD Central Bike Unit.

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You might want to think twice about riding the Marvin Braude bike path through Dockweiler Beach for the foreseeable future.

All those matching vehicles in the RV park will be used to quarantine coronavirus victims who can’t isolate themselves at home, for whatever reason.

Authorities recommend avoiding the area entirely, for reasons that should be obvious.

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You could get dropped by a runner in the not-too-distant future.

A new paper published in the journal Science Advances suggests a mechanical exoskeleton based on bicycle mechanics could propel a runner as fast as 46 mph, just a hair below the speed where bike riders max out.

And no, I can’t ride that on my best day.

Which is long behind me, anyway.

Now if they can figure out how to apply that to a bike rider’s legs, we might be on to something.

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Here’s your chance to weigh in on first mile-last mile connections to the coming L Line station, for the train formerly known as the Gold Line.

But at least they didn’t change it to an unpronounceable symbol.

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Newport Beach confirms that Back Bay Drive remains open to people traveling by foot or bicycle.

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The deeply tongue-in-cheek Tour de Quarantine continues with a recap of Stage 4.

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Local

As promised, Uber has filed suit against Los Angeles over the requirement to provide realtime user data for their Jump dockless ebikes and e-scooters. The only surprise is that they managed to find a court that’s still open.

Time to find an alternative route if you ride the Burbank Blvd bridge over the 5 Freeway.

House of Cards star Robin Wright leads off the latest round of celebrity bike riders getting away from sheltering at home for awhile, as she goes out for a fat-tired ebike ride through Brentwood with her husband.

Liev Schreiber is one of us, too, as he goes for a bike ride through Venice with his girlfriend. Except lose the Yankees cap, you’re in LA now.

Hats off to former gubernator Arnold Schwarzenegger, who donated a cool million to buy medical supplies to fight Covid-19, before going for his usual ebike ride through Santa Monica. But maybe don’t split lanes while riding salmon.

Bike the Vote LA is looking for phone volunteers to support city council candidates in Culver City and Santa Monica.

A Long Beach bicycle courier service finds itself in greater demand delivering meals directly to customers’ doors.

 

State

The confusion continues, as it turns out Orange County parks and trails apparently remain open, but the parking lots serving them are closed.

San Diego triathlon manufacturer De Soto Sport has joined the tide of companies making masks and headwear for doctors and nurses.

Despite the state’s coronavirus shutdown, the Sacramento City Council moved forward with an $8.4 billion transportation plan.

Tahoe’s 29th annual America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride has been pushed from this June to September, on the hope this crap will be over by then. Let’s hope so, but don’t hold your breath.

 

National

No surprise here. America’s most prolific serial killer began his criminal career with a stint in reform school for stealing a bicycle.

The annual Filmed by Bike festival isn’t letting a little thing like a worldwide pandemic stop the fun; they’ll be hosting the Global Bike Festival on YouTube April 4th.

Bicycling offers advice on how to support local bike shops, nonprofits and ride promoters in their time of need. Meanwhile, their staff discusses whether they’re still riding during the coronavirus crisis, and why.

A woman complains about concerned bike riders asking if she’s okay when she gets off her bike, preferring they just leave her alone; Miss Manners politely says suck it up, lady. Albeit in a somewhat more mannerly way, of course.

Lyft is pitching in to help during the pandemic by offering free bikeshare passes for hospital workers, first responders and transit workers in New York, Boston and Chicago.

A Montana writer submits his updated version of a Bicyclist’s Creed.

A Minnesota woman rides along with her husband on his bike commute through streets emptied by the coronavirus crisis.

This isn’t the first global pandemic a 102-year old Queens bike shop has survived.

No surprise here, either, as speeding is out of control on New York’s newly quiet streets. We’ve seen multiple anecdotal reports of the same thing here in Los Angeles.

A writer for Streetsblog New York says instead of complaining about rude treatment from more experienced bike riders, it’s time for new riders to get radicalized.

A kindhearted Virginia firefighter raised money to buy a new three-wheeled bike for a man with Down’s syndrome after the one he relied on for transportation was stolen.

Maybe keep it to yourself next time. A South Carolina man interrupted his bike ride to take a phone call from someone who wanted to know where he was. After telling him, the acquaintance drove up and shot him in the leg.

A Florida woman was busted for a hit-and-run that left a bike rider with minor injuries when she stopped to buy a couple beers, with a BAC nearly twice the legal limit; she was already on probation for ripping off an 81-year old patient at the rehab facility where she worked.

 

International

Cities around the world are exempting bike shops and building bike lanes as the coronavirus crisis forces changes in transportation. Los Angeles, however, is not one of them, at least as far as bike lanes are concerned.

Now that’s more like it. Road.cc recommends a dozen bike upgrades under the equivalent of $60, as well as protective eyewear below $54.

Officials conclude bike shops are essential in Ontario, but not in Quebec, while a Vancouver transportation advocate says you’re better off just staying home these days, anyway.  Actually, bike shops are essential everywhere, whether or not the government wants to admit it.

Yes, Brits can still ride their bikes, despite the country’s coronavirus lockdown; Britain’s biggest bike retailer reopened its stores after bike shops were deemed an essential service.

A bicycle in a Sarajevo museum serves as a reminder of the 1,425 day siege of the city during the 1990s ethnic cleansing war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

An Indian writer complains that bicyclists are ignoring the country’s order to self-isolate, saying nobody cares about your Strava record now.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole an ebike from a New Zealand ICU nurse while she was working a 15-hour shift treating Covid-19 patients. But at least she got it back after a sharp eyed person spotted it outside a store. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

 

Competitive Cycling

Pro cyclist Alex Pavon is on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis, working as a Tucson, Arizona EMT when she’s not racing. Unfortunately, though, it’s a reminder of the inequity in the pro cycling world, where women cyclists have to hold a full-time job in addition to racing.

Fellow rider Taylor Wiles offers a pro cyclist’s perspective on the coronavirus pandemic from her indoor pedaled perch during Italy’s complete lockdown.

Belgium extends the country’s cycling season through Halloween, but the cancelled Tour of Flanders is unlikely to be made up this year.

The 19-year old driver who killed professional cyclist Benjamin Sonntag in Colorado could face a vehicular manslaughter charge for driving an estimated 65 mph in a 35 mph zone. There are some pretty horrifying details here, so be prepared if you click the link.

 

Finally…

Lots of people go paddle boarding; not many pull a stolen five grand fat bike out of the water. Business is booming for smart bikes that don’t go anywhere.

And a lockdown becomes just a tad more tolerable when you can get cold craft beer delivered by cargo bike.

Unless you’d rather have meals delivered to you by a topless driver.

 

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

Why we can’t have nice things — Ballona Creek, other LA area trails close because Angelenos won’t practice social distancing

March 23, 2020 / / Comments Off on Why we can’t have nice things — Ballona Creek, other LA area trails close because Angelenos won’t practice social distancing

Angelenos couldn’t manage to keep away from each other over the weekend.

Let alone stay home.

So now we have a lot fewer places to do it.

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority has closed all the parks and trails under their authority, including the popular Ballona Creek bike path, and at least some portions of the LA River bike path.

Which exactly the wrong move when bicycling is one of the safest forms of transportation for avoiding exposure to the Covid-19 coronavirus.

And it severely limits safe options for bike riders used to using the creekside trail to bypass busy and dangerous Westside streets.

Think of it as akin to closing the nearby 10 Freeway, which would be unthinkable for most Angelenos. But is, apparently, all too easily done when it involves people on bicycles.

This comes after numerous reports of people crowding the beachside bike path in Santa Monica, which has also been shut down as of Sunday afternoon. As well as images from Runyon Canyon, which drew condemnation from across the US over the weekend.

Along with other sites in the LA area, and up and down the state.

Not to mention several sightings of spandexed idiots riding closely in pacelines, as if they and everyone they know or encounter were somehow immune to the disease.

Malibu’s Solstice Canyon is also closing effective today, after the CDC concluded that the necessary distancing couldn’t be achieved.

So let’s make it as clear as we possibly can.

Stay the fuck home.

Go out for necessities and essential services only. Which doesn’t mean shopping at Target, Costco or anywhere else because you’re bored.

Get what you need and go home. Because every stop you make, and every moment you spend out, increases the risk that you could catch Covid-19 or spread it to those you love.

Or to total strangers, some of whom may not survive it.

As a diabetic, my risk of death from coronavirus is much higher than most. And my wife, who suffers from a number of medical issues, is almost guaranteed to suffer serious complications if she is exposed.

And we’ll both lose our medical insurance at the end of next month if she can’t get back to work by then.

Our lives, and those of countless others, are literally in your hands.

So wash them, already.

Yes, you can go out to exercise and get some air. Walking and bicycling are highly recommended.

But when you do, practice social distancing by staying at least six feet away from anyone you don’t live with.

If not for us, then because they’ll take that away too if you don’t.

Just ask the people of Italy and Spain.

And now, France, where jogging more than one mile from your home is prohibited, and bicycling banned entirely.

There are very few people alive today who have ever seen a pandemic like this.

And unless they’ve already caught it, no one alive has immunity to it.

No even you.

Thanks to Michael Taggart for the heads-up.

Photo of non-social distancing on the Santa Monica bike path by David Drexler.

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Bike riders are turning out to be heroes in our nation’s hour of need.

Bike Portland says bike delivery pros are proving their value — and their mettle — in the age of coronavirus.

I want to be like him when I grow up. A 94-year old rides his bike 45 miles a day delivering food for Meals on Wheels, even during the Covid-19 outbreak.

A biking Brooklyn bartender is riding door-to-door to deliver mixed spirits to lift his customers’ spirits.

New York bicyclists are volunteering to buy groceries for older people who can’t get out on their own.

Bike riders in Tampa FL are pitching in to deliver food for local restaurants after they were shut down except for takeout and delivery.

And speaking of bicycle heroes, Italian bikewear company Santini has put padded shorts on hold while they devote their efforts to making as many as 10,000 medical masks a day.

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The mayor of Watsonville discusses a recent police crackdown as part of the city’s Vision Zero effort.

But let’s be clear.

Bike helmets aren’t Vision Zero. Bike lights aren’t Vision Zero. And neither are traffic tickets.

Yes, they all may help. But Vision Zero is recognizing that people will always make mistakes, and redesigning streets so those mistakes don’t become fatal.

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If you have a few extra bucks lying around, you can’t ask for a better cause.

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If you’re bored at home — and who isn’t? — get the crayons or markers out and do a little coloring.

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That feeling when a 10-year old can ride rings around you. Or over you.

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Most people would just settle for a helmet cam.

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No argument here. Although this was probably someone’s not-too-distant relative.

Thanks to Ted Faber for the link.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes keeps going on.

As British track cyclist Lauren Bate would undoubtedly agree.

https://twitter.com/LaurenBatee/status/1240998997332054021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1240998997332054021&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Froad.cc%2Fcontent%2Fnews%2Flive-blog-man-drives-lauren-bate-272077

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Local

Bike Talk talks LA bike politics this week.

Colin Hanks is one of us, taking his daughter for an ebike ride through the streets of LA.

Dennis Quaid is one of us, too, as he goes for a ride through Pacific Palisades with his fiancé.

And while we’re at it, we can’t forget Adam Sandler, who took a spin through the ‘Bu on his Pedego ebike.

 

State

Sad news from Santa Maria, where a 48-year old man was killed in a hit-and-run while riding his bike; he was found off the side of the road next to his mangled bicycle.

A woman takes a ride through San Francisco with her 15-year old son after the lockdown, and finds a city neither recognizes.

San Francisco rejected calls to close RFK Drive in Golden Gate Park to provide safe walking and biking space.

Sad news from Modesto, where a man died as a result of an apparent medical event while riding his bike; first responders found him down on the ground, still straddling his bike.

 

National

A writer for Outside sets his course in life with a BMX faceplant in the driveway when he was seven years old.

A Missoula, Montana newspaper talks with locals who refurbish and ride vintage steel road bikes.

Yet another example of keeping a dangerous driver on the road until it’s too late. A Minnesota man faces charges for allegedly being under the influence when he struck and killed a 16-year old boy; he has two previous DUIs, as well as at least six convictions for driving without a valid license, and a handful of criminal convictions.

An idea who’s time has come amid the coronavirus crisis, as New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson called for closing some streets to cars to make more room for pedestrians for social distancing, and to declare bike shops essential businesses during the virus closures. Unfortunately, New York’s governor disagreed, ruling bicycle repair was non-essential, despite the city’s recent surge in ridership, before eventually changing his mind.

Meanwhile, New York’s mayor responded with temporary protected bike lanes on two major corridors.

New York isn’t the only city seeing a bike boom. Ridership in Philadelphia has more than doubled since the first of the month, compared to the same time last week; one corridor saw a 471% increase. Then again, it’s boom times for bikes that don’t move, too; scooters, not so much.

 

International

Experts are calling for countries to generously fund bikeways in response to a worldwide jump in bike use due to Covid-19.

Mexico City’s mayor shut down the city’s popular ciclovía on Sunday to avoid spreading coronavirus.

Good question. A Canadian paper wants to know why things aren’t getting better after so many cities have embraced Vision Zero.

The Guardian’s Peter Walker says the UK should encourage bicycling during the country’s coronavirus lockdown.

Bike Radar tries to answer all your burning coronavirus bicycling questions.

Pretty much the definition of tragic irony, as a London bike rider was critically injured in a collision with an ambulance driver.

A British father is still on the road after quitting his job on a whim to ride 28,000 miles around the world for the last two years.

India’s biggest bikemaker has shut down to protect its workers from Covid-19.

Think you know how to harden up? Try riding a paracycle 250 miles across Kenya while steering with your chin the entire way.

 

Competitive Cycling

USA Cycling has pulled the plug on American bike racing through May 3rd. But don’t be surprised if we’ve seen the last bike race for quite awhile.

Yes, the pros are on lockdown, too.

American cyclist Lawson Craddock is in self-quarantine in his Texas home after returning from the abbreviated Paris-Nice stage race, to prevent inadvertently spreading the virus to his family.

When there’s no bike racing, there’s nothing to talk about except recent cycling kerfuffles.

 

Finally…

Just want we need — a Mercedes pickup made just for bicyclists. Who says there’s no bike racing now?

And maybe there’s a reason why downhillers don’t use roadies.

 

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

California goes on lockdown while bicycling — and bike shops — get a pass, and some newly free coronavirus reading

March 20, 2020 / / 2 comments

The other shoe has finally dropped.

All 40 million Californians are now expected to remain at home except for essential activities for an unspecified time due to the coronavirus crisis, while Los Angeles residents are expected to be self-shut ins for at least the next month.

Except we’re all encouraged to get out and walk, hike, run or bike to maintain our health, mental and otherwise. As long as you maintain a six-foot distance from anyone other than the people you’re with.

And not in groups larger than ten.

Even Fox News says so.

And yes, you can still get your bike repaired, and likely get a new one. Which is the best possible way to support your local bike shop.

https://twitter.com/rosshoppe/status/1240821090831568896

The same holds true in San Francisco, too.

Although LA County apparently needs to get onboard.

Thanks to Active SGV for the last tweet.

Photo by Serjj from Pexels.

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Cycling magazine Rouleur says stay the eff home, and read their back issues for free.

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Local

Very disappointing news, as the LA Times suggests we may have a clue why the FBI raided the offices of outgoing CD14 Councilmember José Huizar, one of the city’s most bike-friendly officials, and why his wife dropped out of the race to replace him. Because a political fundraiser pled guilty to delivering nearly a half million dollars in bribes to an unnamed member of the LA city council who seems to match Huizar’s description. Say it ain’t so, José. Say it ain’t so.

Michael Keaton is one of us, as he rides his ebike through Pacific Palisades.

CiclaValley rides the tunnels to nowhere in Shoemaker Canyon.

 

State

You could win $5,000 for claiming the KOM for the fastest woman to make it up the iconic Old La Honda climb outside Palo Alto before April 15. Somehow, Queen of the Mountain just sounds kinda sexist to me.

A Pleasanton bike club is calling on Caltrans to fix an intersection over a newly widened expressway where light cycles are too short for bike riders to get safely across, leaving them stranded in the middle of a busy street.

Bay Area mobility advocates recommend ways to build protected bike lanes that work for elderly and disabled people, as well as people on bicycles.

 

National

Bicycling offers advice on how to ride safely during the coronavirus crisis. Most of which is how I usually ride anyway.

A bike industry insider says the coronavirus could result in a new bike boom, as people try bicycling and discover they like it.

Seated dockless e-scooter provider Wheels follows Lime’s lead, and suspends operations until next month — not just on the West Coast, but throughout the US.

The Cherokee Nation has announced the nine participants in this year’s Remember the Removal Bike Ride, which covers 950 miles from Georgia to Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma. And remembers one of the greatest injustices and atrocities in American history.

A crowdfunding campaign is raising money to support a youth cycling education program for children on Arizona’s Yaqui and Tohono O’odham reservations.

Idaho authorities have arrested a suspect in the hit-and-run death of a woman whose body was found in a ravine three days after she was hit while riding her bike.

A Boston bicyclist rides through the mostly carfree streets of downtown in the age of Covid-19. In case you’re wondering, I prefer to the non-hyphenated version carfree because it looks like carefree. Which it would is. 

Instead of the usual group ride, a Buffalo NY slow roll ride encourages people to ride together separately, while staying at least six feet apart.

No surprise here, as car crashes are down by a third in New York as people stay home from work, willingly or otherwise. And bicycling injuries are up 43% over the same week last year, with more people are taking to their bikes rather than risking the viral lottery on the city’s subways; New York’s mayor swears he’ll do something to help.

The jump in New York bikeshare ridership has ended, but is still at normal levels despite a massive drop in overall commuting rates. Meanwhile, the usually anti-bike New York Post says bikeshare is one of the safest ways to travel during the coronavirus crisis, but fails to note that riding your own bike is even safer.

Bike shops are once again considered essential as Philadelphia shuts down.

A Florida public radio commenter observes that cities are realizing that roads aren’t just for cars. And says coronavirus is a speed bump, not a stop sign.

Bike lawyer Bob Mionske reports that all charges have been dropped against the 18-year old bike rider arrested for fleeing from an officer and resisting arrest for the crime of rolling a stop sign. As well they should be. And the officer should be given a little retraining. Okay, maybe a lot.

 

International

Two-year old World Bike offers paid, guided mountain bike tours in Nepal and Guatemala, with Peru and Lesotho planned for later this year, using the funds to help get women in those countries into the sport.

Mexico City may follow the lead of Bogota, Columbia by expanding the city’s bike paths virtually overnight to slow the rate of coronavirus infections. Los Angeles could take advantage of the traffic slowdown to do the same thing, so it would be ready when the city comes back to life. 

A former Canadian soldier who served in Syria, Bosnia and two tours in Afghanistan received a $1 million settlement from the city of Vancouver, after he have to leave the military due to injuries he suffered when he was forced to jump off his bicycle to avoid a driver who ran a stop sign. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t explain why the city was held liable for injuries that would seem to have been caused by the actions of the driver.

No bias here. Residents of a wealthy English town say bike riders who don’t wear hi-viz make them feel “unsafe” while they drive their expensive SUVs. Evidently confusing their safety with that of their potential victims.

France has banned bicycling entirely in an effort to fight the new coronavirus.

A German professor at an Indian University is remembered fondly as the Bicycle Lady, riding her bike across the length and breadth of the campus, while arguing that cars don’t belong there. I like her already.

A Japanese man is on trial for sneaking into a bike shop to steal the equivalent of $910, and killing a female employee when she screamed.

 

Competitive Cycling

A community paper in Highlands, CA mourns the loss of this year’s Redlands Classic, but notes there was no other choice.

Coronavirus has wreaked havoc on Olympic qualifying, forcing USA Cycling to make adjustments on the fly.

Five-time Tour de France champ Bernard Hinault says we shouldn’t hesitate to cancel the race it that’s what’s called for, because life is more important than cycling.

 

Finally…

Seriously, who needs spokes?

And Merry Christmas, indeed. Even if spring just started.

Thanks to Ted Faber for the forward.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,
 
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