If you’ve ever wondered if distracted driving is really a problem, don’t.
A Florida ad agency filmed 20 minutes of rush hour traffic on a local freeway to count how many drivers were doing something other than focusing on the road ahead of them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqBBVHzHV0c
Something tells me they could find even more by pointing their camera at LA surface streets.
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Team LACBC is holding a training ride for this year’s Climate Ride on Saturday.
They’re still looking for more riders who want to support the environment and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition while enjoying what could be the ride of your life. Or you can support some of the people already committed to riding it.
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We’ve featured a lot of news stories about bike racing the past few days.
Benjamin Goyette says there’s plenty of action right here at home, forwarding video of last weekend’s Pro Women US Cup race #1 at Bonelli Park in San Dimas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2y2NCrVtdA
He adds,
Despite her fresh injury after crashing hard last week, local favorite Larissa Connors collected precious UCI points with her 10th place finish in a strong field of Olympic athletes.
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Keeping up that theme, a rider for the Movistar team was injured by a rival rider’s disc brake during Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, while the rider stuck by a race motorcycle suffered only minor injuries. Road.cc sums up the madness of the race.
And American legend Davis Phinney lists his dream cycling team from back in the day. While he includes a lot of great riders, my favorite would have to be Raul Alcala, one of the most exciting riders I’ve had the pleasure of seeing race in person.
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Local
The Times offers a great graphic explaining why it’s so hard to get bike lanes built in California.
Momentum Magazine looks at next month’s inaugural Los Angeles Bicycle Festival; you can support the event and get your tickets by clicking on the ad to your right.
CicLAvia is giving away a case for your iPhone 6 to celebrate their 10,000th Instagram follower.
Santa Monica is hosting a bike swap on May Day.
Arcadia will host a meeting tonight to discuss June’s 626 Golden Streets festival featuring 17 miles of open streets in the San Gabriel Valley.
State
The Orange County Transportation Authority has partnered with Caltrans to identify problem areas on PCH, including several that put bike riders and pedestrians at risk. As anyone who rides the highway probably could have told them.
The OC Register’s David Whiting says Orange County is missing out on millions of dollars in revenue it could earn as a mecca for mountain biking. Nice to see Whiting is still hanging in there with all the changes at the paper; while I may have disagreed with him at times, he’s definitely one of the good guys.
Someone tossed a basketball-sized rock through the window of a Costa Mesa bike shop and made off with a $2,900 mountain bike.
San Diego’s ability to meet it’s climate plan goals will depend on increasing density and convincing people to bike, walk or take transit to work.
A Coachella Valley writer says au contraire, bikes do belong in the wilderness.
The lawyer for a Yolo County driver accused of intentionally running down three bicyclists withdrew his plea of mental incompetency after it was pointed out the man has a documented history of feigning mental illness to avoid criminal charges.
National
Great idea. A Seattle couple operate a business instructing people how to incorporate bicycling into their lives, including how to ride to work.
That bike-hating Seattle radio guy is at it again, finding a city councilmember to support his contention that the city shouldn’t kowtow to “the more extreme elements of the bicycle community” by repealing its ridiculous mandatory helmet law. Even though Seattle is one of the few cities in the country that forces grownups to wear a skid lid every time they get on a bike.
Yes, bike riders are required to stop for school buses just like drivers, whether in Washington or anywhere else.
Texas police identify the schmuck who ran away after pinning two children in a bike trailer under his car. Thanks to Steve Katz for the heads-up.
Missouri legislators join cyclists for an annual ride around the capital to call attention to bike legislation and the benefits of bicycling.
Chicago is in the midst of a protected bike lane boom, with plans to build nine miles this year and another 50 within three years; they currently have 290 miles of bike lanes, protected and otherwise, throughout the city.
Indiana University’s annual Little 500, made famous in everyone’s favorite bike movie, will roll for the 66th time this weekend.
Better late than never. Tennessee finally gets around to banning cars from bike lanes.
A DC paper seems surprised to find there’s actually a lawyer specializing in bicycle personal injury cases. You can thank the two great attorneys on the right who sponsor this site, and find a bunch more on the Resources page.
Caught on video: A Florida bicyclist suffered a broken orbital bone when he was sucker punched by teens in a Jeep.
International
HuffPo Canada says fewer children are biking and walking to school, and that hurts everyone.
A British grass track bike race was first held in the 1860s. But there won’t be a 125th edition this year.
Unbelievable. An Aussie man gets just 19 months behind bars for a fatal hit-and-run, despite not having a license — and despite a previous conviction for hit-and-run. And despite facing charges involving dishonesty 26 previous times. More proof that the failure to take traffic crimes seriously isn’t just an American problem. Thanks to David Huntsman for the link.
A New Zealand man fixes hundreds of bikes to give away to children each year.
Finally…
A new wireless speaker fits in your water bottle holder for when you want to annoy everyone else with your taste in music. And the 12 most ridiculous bicycling accessories.
Or bikes, for that matter.
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Thanks to John Hall for his generous donation to support this site.
It’s contributions like his that help keep this site going.
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After the excitement of next week’s Bike Week, hundreds of cyclists will converge in Northern California to wrap up Bike Month with this year’s Climate Ride. I invited Marc Horwitz, leader of this year’s LACBC contingent, to explain what it is, and why it matters.
Participating in Climate Ride is an amazing and life-transforming experience. But it’s also a big commitment. Riders must train and get ready for the physical challenge and procure all the necessary equipment, not to mention meet the minimum $2800 fundraising requirement. It’s a big ask, and you can help! Supporting Team LACBC is easy. Go to our team fundraising page and click the orange “support me” button. Alternatively, you can browse our roster and contribute to an individual rider.
Though the team is locked in for this year, Climate Ride is something you’ll definitely want to put on your radar for 2017. Membership is open to the public and we can accommodate riders of all levels. With a “no rider left behind” policy, we’ll guide you through each step of the process – from initial sign-up right through the event itself. Don’t let the fundraising aspect deter you. Nearly everyone who commits to raising the money winds up making it happen. It’s an incredible feeling to be riding with the support of your friends and family!
