Tag Archive for traffic deaths

The most dangerous intersections in deadly LA, injured Yaroslovsky staffer ID’d, and remembering Pepperdine PCH victims

October 17, 2025 / / No comments
Day 290 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Thanks to Crosstown for analyzing Los Angeles Police Department data to determine the 20 most dangerous intersections in LA.

Particularly now that city officials longer seem to think we need to know such things.

Maybe because it points to what a colossal, stinking mound of crap they’ve given us when it comes to improving traffic safety here in the City of Angels.

Take Vision Zero, for instance.

Please.

In 2015, then-Mayor Eric Garcetti used an executive order to launch “Vision Zero,” an initiative designed to dramatically reduce traffic deaths through a wide-ranging set of proposed improvements to road design, education and more. Despite the aim of eliminating traffic deaths by 2025, road safety took a turn for the worse. This spring, the city released a lengthy audit of what went wrong.

Among the causes: Only half of the listed “actions” were ever completed. The plan lacked a program for accountability among city departments. There was poor coordination and diminishing participation from the LAPD’s traffic division.

In fact, traffic deaths have exceeded murders for the past three years. And already exceed the totals from 2015, with two full months to go.

The same with serious injury crashes, which have topped 1,500 for three years running, and likely will again.

The worst of the worst, though, is the notorious intersection of South Figueroa and Slauson.

Where South Figueroa crosses Slauson Avenue, bad things happen. Over the past four years, the intersection has been the scene of 17 felony hit-and-run collisions and five severe injuries. The crosswalks aren’t safe, either: seven pedestrians have been struck there.

All told, there were 66 serious collisions at the intersection, which is in the Vermont Slauson neighborhood in South Los Angeles, making it the most dangerous in the entire city during that period.

Then again, the rest of the South Figueroa corridor isn’t much better, with the intersections at Manchester, Florence and Gage also making the list.

Sepulveda makes the list three times, as does Western. Roscoe appears twice in just the top four, where it crosses Sepulveda and at Van Nuys.

Surprisingly, Sunset is only on there twice, where it crosses Highland, and a few blocks east at La Brea.

And Hollywood and Highland checks in a number 11. Which means it evidently wasn’t fixed in 2015 when all-way crossing was installed, after all.

So much for assurances from city officials.

Pedestrian deaths have exceeded the pre-Vision Zero totals for every single year after 2015, as have serious injuries and total traffic deaths.

Unfortunately, the stats don’t break out bicycling deaths, so we still don’t know how many bike riders have actually been killed on the mean streets of Los Angeles in recent years.

Other than too damn many.

Photo by Artyom Kulakov from Pexels.

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More on the hit-and-run crash that severely injured a staffer for CD5 Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, and killed her beloved corgi.

The Beverly Press and Park LaBrea News identifies her as Thao Tran.

Never mind that I’ve known, and carefully avoided naming her, for two weeks now.

Tran, who serves as Yaroslavsky’s business development deputy, was taken to a hospital with multiple fractures. Kobe, who was frequently by Tran’s side at community events, died as a result of being struck by the pickup. Tran posted about the incident on Instagram on Oct. 13.

“It was one week ago on Sunday morning that a hit-and-run driver struck me and killed Kobe while starting our morning walk. I sustained three broken ribs, three fractured vertebrae, a fractured fibula and two fractures in my cheekbones that required surgery. Kobe … died at the ER vet,” Tran said. “I’m recovering at home now, mourning the loss of Kobe and trying to make sense of it all. I’ve received countless gifts of flowers, food and care packages and I’m sincerely grateful for belonging to such a generous and caring community. My injuries will eventually heal but the loss of Kobe is a heartache I’ve not felt since the loss of my parents.”

According to the paper, the driver, identified only as a Los Angeles woman in her 30s, allegedly ran the stop sign at Eighth Street and Cloverdale Ave around 8:30 am on Sunday, Oct. 5th.

She stopped briefly after striking them, then left the scene without getting out of her pickup, leaving Tran and her dog lying injured and bleeding in the street. She was released on her own recognizance after turning herself in later that day, pending charges of felony hit-and-run causing injury.

Police don’t believe she was under the influence at the time of the crash, although the delay in turning herself in means she could have had time to sober up, if she was.

If this whole damn thing has left you anywhere near as angry and heartbroken as I am, Tran asks for donations in Kobe’s memory to Queen’s Best Stumpy Dog Rescue, the corgi rescue she volunteers with.

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It’s hard to believe its just been two years since four Pepperdine students were brutally killed by a speeding driver, collateral damage after he crashed into a row of parked cars, which crashed into them as they waited to cross LA killer highway.

Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, will host a press conference and remembrance today near the site of the crash, at the heartbreaking white PCH Ghost Tire Memorial.

Here is the group’s press release for the event, in case you want to attend all or part of it.

Honoring the Four Pepperdine Students
Killed on Pacific Coast Highway on the 2nd Anniversary of their Passing

October 17, 2025, Malibu, California –  On October 17, 2023, four Pepperdine University seniors — Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams — were struck and killed by a speeding driver on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu while walking along PCH after parking their car. All four were members of the Alpha Phi sorority and beloved members of the Pepperdine community.

Their tragic deaths sparked a wave of grief and outrage throughout Malibu and beyond, renewing calls for safety improvements along PCH — one of California’s most dangerous roadways. The tragedy galvanized city, state, and community leaders to honor the memory of these four young women whose futures were cut short by taking action to prevent future loss of life.

October 17, 2025 is the 2nd anniversary of this tragedy. While the focus of the press event is to remember four young lives tragically cut short–and the work of making progress improvements will never fully measure up to the families’ grief of lives lost–the important work of paying tribute by improving public safety continues. The urgency of improving safety is never more acute than on October 17 when we pause to remember their lives.

When:
  • Friday, October 17, 2025
  • Press Conference: 2:30 – 3:00 PM
  • Remembrance Event: 4:00 – 5:00 PM
Where:
  • PCH Ghost Tire Memorial
  • Pacific Coast Highway and Webb Way
  • Roughly 23661 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
PRESS CONFERENCE (2:30 – 3:00 PM)

Officials and advocates will honor the memory of the four Pepperdine students whose lives were tragically lost in 2023 and report on efforts to make the Pacific Coast Highway safer.

Confirmed Speakers:
  • Bridget Thompson, Roommate and close friends with Niamh, Peyton, Asha, and Deslyn (Opening remarks and emcee)
  • Senator Ben Allen, California State Senate
  • Lee Habor, Caltrans Representative
  • Rep for Supervisor Lindsey Horvath
  • Captain Jared I. Perry, CHP West Valley Area
  • Captain Dustin Carr, Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department
  • Councilmember Doug Stewart, City of Malibu
  • Michel Shane, Emily Shane Foundation & Fix PCH
  • David Rolston, Father of Niamh Rolston
REMEMBRANCE EVENT (4:00 – 5:00 PM)

Who: Open to the public — friends, families, students from Pepperdine University, and community members are all invited to attend.

Program:
  • Moment of Silence
  • Release of Four White Doves
  • Music by Skyla Woodward (vocals) and Alima Ovali (guitar), Pepperdine University students
  • Words of Remembrance: An open mic will be available for anyone wishing to share memories or reflections, guided by an emcee.
Memorial Benches Fundraiser

As part of the day’s events, Streets Are For Everyone, Fix PCH, and the Emily Shane Foundation are launching a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the installation of memorial benches at Point Dume in honor of the four girls.

This project began as Vinita Weir’s wish, in memory of her daughter, and has since been expanded — at the request of all family members — to honor all four Pepperdine students.

Donate or share the campaign here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/PCH-Pepperdine-Student-Memorial

For more information about Malibu’s fight for a safer PCH, including press releases, documents and statistics, visit: www.MalibuCity.org/PCHsafety.

I am so damn sick of traffic violence.

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Streets For All is asking for people to turn out at 9 am Saturday to support their agenda for charter reforms in the City of Los Angeles, when they’ll be presenting to the Charter Reform Commission.

The meeting will take place at the Pacoima City Hall at 13520 Van Nuys Blvd.

Among their primary priorities are,

1. Make LADOT a chartered department that has responsibility to construct and maintain streets property line to property line, moving the Bureau of Street Services under LADOT.

Since being formed in 1979 under City administrative code, LADOT is responsible for planning nearly all of LA’s transportation projects without the ability to construct streets or sidewalks – a responsibility currently given to Public Works in the City Charter. Giving LADOT this authority would align LA with most large cities in the nation, where the department that manages streets safety and traffic flow also has the ability to effectively build and maintain streets and sidewalks.

2. Shore up street funding with a regular percent of city assessed property values.

LADOT and BSS have lost a significant number of staff in recent budgets and do not have the capacity to effectively deliver services in a timely manner. Currently in the City Charter, Parks and Rec and the Library departments are unique in receiving a dedicated percent of all taxable property values which ensures reliable funding for some of LA’s most vital public services. We believe streets, the City’s largest public space, should also be granted this privilege.

3. Change the City budget to a 2 year cycle and formalize a 5 year Capital Improvement Plan.

The benefits of both of these suggestions have been well researched and proposed by other groups, for the simple reason that not all infrastructure projects are going to fit neatly in a single city fiscal year. Long term planning can reduce costs and improve efficiency in delivering projects. While not every City formalizes a CIP in the City Charter, other large peer cities such as NYC, Houston, and San Jose do. A 2-year city budget and 5-year CIP process would allow departments to improve management of projects, staff capacity, and delivery timelines.

4. Replace the board of public works with a director position similar to other City departments.

The Board of Public Works is over 100 years old and has a unique management structure compared to other departments inside the City of LA by reporting to both a board and a director. It is also unique as a vehicle for structuring Public Works. The department should be run by a single director with a clear line of authority between the Mayor’s office, the department, and the Bureaus inside.

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Gravel Bike California goes riding in Big Bear.

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Nothing like a peaceful ride home, when suddenly a pub reaches out and grabs you by the collar.

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

No bias here. After a stalled car caused a backup in morning rush hour traffic on a San Diego street, a local website naturally blamed bike lanes. But the very first comment linked to Momentum’s “comeback guide to all the anti-cycling arguments you’ll hear this year.”

City leaders in Leeds, England are calling for banning bicycles and ebikes from one of the busiest main streets in West Yorkshire, even though bikes represent just three percent of the 250,000 people who use the street every week. And once again, bicycles of every kind — both regular bikes and ped-assist ebikes — are lumped together with electric motorbikes, as one woman calls ebikes “a fatality waiting to happen.”

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Local 

The California Transportation Commission, which is different from Caltrans, has awarded a $6.4 million grant to extend the Ballona Creek bike path from its current northern terminus into Mid-City Los Angeles.

The Beverly Press introduces the new Hollywood Blvd bike lane sweeper unveiled by CD13 Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, in partnership with Streets Are For Everyone.

Pasadena’s city council unanimously approved a $1.09 million contract to design greenways on four north–south corridors, despite a “divided” public debate.

Malibu will host a virtual community meeting with Caltrans from 6 pm to 7 pm this Wednesday to discuss the Quick-Build Roundabouts Project on PCH at El Matador State Beach and Encinal Canyon Road.

Calbike says LA County’s South Bay offers a case study in how car dependency dictates design.

 

State

More Orange County cities are considering cracking down on reckless ebike riding. But as usual, they don’t seem to distinguish between ped-assist ebikes and electric motorbikes. 

Westminster police busted a man with seven open felony warrants after a brief pursuit on his bicycle, and discovered he was carrying 200 grams of meth, 15 grams of fentanyl and “other items indicative of drug sales,” as well as being a convicted felon in possession of a gun. Although they don’t explain what justification they used to initiate a stop, let alone a police chase.

Rancho Cucamonga celebrated the opening of the Day Creek Channel Bike Trail with a seven-mile bike ride, after the path was extended by a mile-and-a-half.

A 44-year old man suffered severe injuries in a left-cross collision in Ventura when police say a driver turned in front of his ebike, impeding his right-of-way.

Now that’s how you do it. Police in Menifee conducted a bicycle and pedestrian safety operation, ticketing 23 people for not stopping for a cop in a crosswalk dressed in an inflatable dinosaur costume.

Palo Alto is planning to install separated bike lanes on three major thoroughfares on the south part of the city.

A pair of San Raphael men were termed “prolific bike thieves” after they were busted for stealing a number high-end ebikes, with police saying they had been arrested many times before for bike theft and drug possession.

San Mateo is working to revive a proposed 22-mile Grand Boulevard Initiative on El Camino Real, but will need Caltrans approval to replace parking with protected bike lanes. Which should be a given, considering the agency’s Complete Streets policy, but isn’t.

 

National

Now you, too, can have an ebike with a sidecar. Or as I call it, a corgi seat.

Cycling Savvy maps out how to successfully tame a multi-lane challenge.

Scientific American reminds us that a human on a bicycle is nature’s most efficient form of transportation, aside from a human in a velomobile. Although neither bicycles nor velomobiles were actually created by nature, but still. Thanks to Megan for the heads-up. 

No surprise here, as nearly 70 Bend, Oregon residents are reportedly “thrilled” after receiving $1,800 ebike rebates from the city. Which compares favorably to LA’s $0 rebates. 

A Las Vegas website says the deaths of two kids from traffic violence near city schools may be tragic and disturbing, but it’s “also predictable because of so many reckless Vegas drivers.” Kinda like drivers in every other American city. 

Philadelphia makes a change that will allow more bike lanes in the city, as long as you don’t mind sharing them with trucks being loaded and unloaded.

A new lawsuit alleges an NYPD officer intentionally swerved into a man as he was riding a mo-ped against traffic in a bike lane; the cop reported he swerved to avoid the victim, but surveillance video exactly the opposite.

The fiancée of a fallen North Carolina bicyclist tries to turn tragedy into life saving by urging the city council to use his death, as well as two other bicyclists who were also killed by a dump truck driver, as a catalyst to improve safety on local roads.

A Florida sheriff’s deputy crashed into a girl riding a bicycle while making a turn, but they don’t bother to explain how it happened, how old the girl is or if anyone was injured. Like the kid riding the bicycle, for instance.

 

International

Mountain biking website Off.Road.cc offers tips for making your night rides more enjoyable.

British Columbia bike advocates urge the local police to take a better approach to bike safety than cracking down on bike riders.

A British writer says you don’t really appreciate your bike commute until you start working from home, and don’t have one anymore.

They get it. Dublin, Ireland is working to encourage safer and more sustainable cycling by building up to 300 secure residential “Bike Bunker” storage units across the city.

Bicyclists in Bengaluru, India complain about the lack of safe infrastructure, and that what little they have is overrun by pedestrians and piled with dust and trash.

A Korean newspaper offers a simple guide to the country’s bikeways “for the uninitiated.”

 

Finally…

That feeling when you get DQ’d for your kinky seatpost. Now you, too, can get over $228,000 worth of bike parts and office furniture for a $3,500 bid.

And enjoy your aperitivo before dinner. But maybe after your next ride.

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Nobody bug me after 5:30 today. The Dodgers are up 3-0 and Ohtani’s pitching. 

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

No Week Without Driving in car-centric LA, fight for safe & simple red light cams, and 16-year old kid killed in e-motorbike crash

September 30, 2025 / / One comment
Day 273 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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This is day two of a Week Without Driving.

Or as it’s known here in Los Angeles, just another week.

Because officials in this city would never want to suggest to drivers that they might want to leave their car at home for even a week, no matter how good the cause.

And this is a very good cause.

According to the website,

If you can drive or afford a car, you may not understand what it’s like to rely on walking, rolling, transit and asking for rides. But for nearly a third of people living in the United States – people with disabilities, young people, seniors and people who can’t afford cars or gas – this is our every day.

We created the Week Without Driving experience so that those who have the option to drive can learn firsthand about the barriers and challenges that nondrivers face and work with nondrivers to create more accessible communities for all.

And one of those barriers, as I learned last week, is just how difficult it is to replace a lost ID here in California if you don’t drive a car.

Unlike drivers, who can request a new license online with just a few clicks and get it days later, non-drivers have to fill out a form, and schedule an appointment to appear in person at the DMV.

Since evidently, anyone who doesn’t drive is such a strange thing they have to ensure we actually exist.

Never mind that the next available appointment here in Los Angeles is mid-November.

Yes, November.

Then, and only then, according to the DMV’s website, you can expect a replacement ID to arrive in your hot little hands “just” three to four weeks later.

Which means it will be just a couple weeks before Christmas before I’ll once again have a little piece of plastic to tell anyone who the hell I am if I should get hit by a bus.

All because my wallet fell out of my pocket while riding one.

Yet when my wife realized she’d somehow become separated from her driver’s license when the paramedics took her to the hospital recently, she received a replacement little more than a week later.

So not only should drivers use this week without driving to walk in our shoes, officials in this state should try giving up their licenses to see how the DMV treats anyone crazy enough to live without a car in car-centric California.

Go on. I double-dog dare ’em.

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Streets Are For Everyone is urging, well, everyone to email or call California Governor Gavin Newsom to demand — okay, politely ask in a very firm manner — that he sign SB 720, the Safer Streets Program.

The bill is intended to modernize and simplify the regulations for red light cameras in California, to overcome the problems that have prevented their installation and, in too many cases, led to their removal.

And yes, I’m looking at you, Los Angeles.

This is how SAFE describes the problem, taken from a summary of their report.

California’s roads tell a grim story. SAFE reviewed the data. Since 2013, severe injuries and fatalities tied to intersection violations have surged 96.1%. In 2023 alone, red-light violations were linked to 195 deaths and more than 1,200 severe injuries. And these aren’t just drivers—the victims include cyclists and pedestrians, who made up nearly one in five of those killed or seriously injured.

Even seasoned drivers admit they hesitate after a light turns green, waiting to see if someone will barrel through the intersection. That hesitation isn’t paranoia—it’s survival.

Never mind the economic costs.

The human toll is incalculable, but the economic cost is staggering. Using the CDC’s WISQARS Cost of Injury calculator, SAFE estimated the financial burden of intersection crashes between 2021 and 2023:

  • $985 million in costs from severe injuries, nearly a third of it from medical expenses.
  • $6.96 billion in costs from fatalities.

Altogether, more than $7.9 billion was drained from California in just three years. That’s money that could have gone into schools, hospitals, infrastructure, and community programs—but instead was lost to preventable crashes.

SB 720 is designed to address the problem by improving red light enforcement.

There is a better way. Senate Bill 720—the Safer Streets Program—offers a critical chance to modernize California’s red-light enforcement. Modeled after the state’s successful speed safety camera bill (AB 645), SB 720 would:

  • Eliminate facial photography, capturing only license plates.
  • Treat violations like parking tickets, keeping enforcement simple and privacy intact.
  • Require revenue from citations to be reinvested into safety improvements—not city general funds.
  • Reduce the cost of citations to a flat $100 for the first citation and increase fines for those who repeatedly run red lights in proportion to the number of violations.

This approach has already proven effective in other states. Red light camera programs across major U.S. cities have reduced fatal crashes by 21% and saved an estimated 1,300 lives in a single year. When programs are dismantled, crashes and fatalities climb again.

It’s already passed both houses of the legislature, and is just waiting for Newsom’s signature, which is anything but a sure thing.

And that’s where you come in.

Once again, here’s how SAFE sums it up.

The data is clear. The solutions exist. And yet, lives continue to be lost every day California delays reform. SB 720 is now in the Governor’s hands, representing a chance to save lives and reclaim billions of dollars for our communities.

The question is not whether red-light running is preventable—it is. The question is whether California will finally choose to act.

Because every number in these statistics is more than a data point, it’s a life, a family, and a future stolen. And the cost of inaction is simply too high.

You’ll find a sample letter here, along with links to email, tweet or call.

I’m also told that anyone who gets at least ten people to sign will get a super cute photo of this super cute corgi.

And if that doesn’t seal the deal, I don’t know what will.

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A 16-year old boy died in an Orange County hospital on Friday, three days after he was injured in a Newport Beach ebike crash last Tuesday.

Although he was reportedly riding an electric motorcycle, rather than a ped-assist bicycle.

Which does not make it any less tragic.

The crash occurred about 5:55 pm September 23rd, near Superior Ave and Nice Lane. There’s no word on whether this was a solo crash, or if there was a driver involved.

Anyone with any information is urged to call the Newport Beach Police Department at 949/644-3747 or email alaverty@nbpd.org.

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

A London law firm has claims pending from a dozen clients who say they were injured by faulty Lime Bikes; meanwhile, a London columnist says “Good,” because maybe it will reduce the number of dangerous bicyclists. Yeah, that’s worked really well to get dangerous drivers off the road, hasn’t it.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A Secaucus, New York Uber Eats deliverista faces charges for fleeing from police following a dispute with a customer, then whacking a cop over the head with a bike lock and vase trying to get away.

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Local 

No news is good news, right?

 

State

Calbike calls for codifying language for self-driving cars to include a high standard for safety around bicycles and other vulnerable road users.

Berkeley has reimagined three interconnecting streets in the neighborhood below the UC campus to improve safety for bike riders, walkers and transit users through the use of bus boarding islands, concrete curbs and parking protected bike lanes.

San Francisco Streetsblog’s Roger Rudick says let’s all thank Oakland for building a bike cut-through they previously said was impossible.

It was a bad weekend in Northern California, where a 63-year old man was killed when he was struck by two drivers while riding a bike in Oakland after reportedly failing to stop for a stop sign, a bike rider was struck by a driver, and possibly killed, in Stanislaus County, and someone apparently stole a Carmichael hit-and-run victim’s ebike while leaving him to die in the street rather than calling 911.

 

National

A surprising new study shows that road bicycling is actually more dangerous than mountain biking, especially for older riders. So, go out and shred to your heart’s content. But be careful biking to the corner market, let alone riding your next century.

A French pastry chef opened a popup patisserie in a Seattle bicycle store, in other words, a bake shop in a bike shop.

Indianapolis has set a new record for bicyclists hit and killed on the streets this year, just three-quarters into the year.

Bike counters showed an average of 486 cyclists per hour on New York’s Vanderbilt Ave when it was closed to car traffic, demonstrating a high demand for safe infrastructure, despite dithering from the city’s lame duck mayor.

The New York Times visits Brooklyn’s massive and still-growing Bike Flea Market; meanwhile, the New York borough is getting a “game-changing” Dutch-style bike hub.

Tragic news from New Jersey, where two kids were killed when a driver broadsided the ebike they were riding.

Dozens of people rode their bikes through Opelousas, Louisiana to raise awareness and support for families living with the devastating effects of sickle cell disease.

Forty-five-year old Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen is one of us, going for a casual Miami bike ride with her jiu-jitsu trainer boyfriend.

 

International

A British woman says once she hit 60, she rented out her apartment and set out on her bike with just a tent; seven years and 24,000 miles later, she has no plans to stop.

Spanish motorcyclist Aleix Espargaro is one of us, even if it means he’s out of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix after crashing his bicycle.

A man rode his bike 1,250 miles from London to Prishtina, Kosovo to raise funds in honor of his father, after the older man died of pancreatic cancer. Which is the same damn disease that killed my mother 25 year ago.

A New Zealand woman known as the Helmet Lady has died, 31 years after her successful campaign to make bike helmets compulsory for all bicyclists in the country, following the bicycling crash that left her 12-year old son paralyzed from the neck down.

 

Competitive Cycling

Twenty-year old British cyclist Max Hereward is trying to raise the equivalent of  over $15,000 to join a European development team, saying he’s gone as far as he can in his home country. Which is a pretty good indictment of what’s wrong with the sport these days. 

 

Finally…

Nothing goes together like bespoke bikes and craft beer. Your next e-cargo bike could be solar powered.

And nothing like making ICE an internet laughing stock when they can’t catch a single taunting guy on a bike.

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Apparent road rage driver kills Long Beach hazmat driver, and Pedal Ahead finally out as CA ebike incentive operator

September 19, 2025 / / One comment
Day 262 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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This is who we share the road with.

A San Diego driver is under investigation for a fatal Long Beach crash that appears have been the result of road rage.

The Times of San Diego reports that two drivers were weaving through traffic on eastbound Seventh Street at high speeds when one of the drivers, in a 2023 Tesla Model 3, crashed into the rear of a box truck carry hazardous materials, killing the driver and injuring two passengers. The driver of the Tesla was also taken to a local hospital with undisclosed injuries.

Fortunately, none of the hazardous material was released.

The other driver, in a dark-colored Subaru, apparently fled the scene.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Collision Investigation Detail Detective Ashley Van Holland of the Long Beach Police Department at 562/570-7355, or anonymously at 800/222-TIPS (8477).

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San Diego’s scandal-plagued nonprofit Pedal Ahead may finally be out as the operator of California’s problem-plagued ebike incentive program.

Not that we weren’t told they had been 86’d long before now, while still managing to manage the latest round of incentives, where they finally got it right.

Although it certainly makes you wonder what the hell took them so long.

Thanks to Ellectrek for the heads-up.

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Longtime British talk show host Graham Norton is one of us, showing up for the Dish podcast by bicycle.

Then again, so did hosts Steve Coogan and Chris Evans.

Thanks to Megan for the heads-up. 

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

Berkeley police say a man riding a bicycle was injured when he was intentionally run down by a driver traveling at an estimated 45-50 mph, after the driver had deliberately crashed into two other people; students and parents at a nearby elementary school were concerned when the man they know as Mr. Bob didn’t show up to help keep morning drop-offs moving.

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Local 

Seriously? A law firm reports that a 13-year old girl was injured in a “horrific” collision in Newhall — even though a local radio station says she only suffered minor injuries. Which kinda makes you wonder what their definition of horrific is. And what they’d call it if someone really was badly hurt.

 

State

Sad news from Atwater, near Merced, where someone riding a bicycle was killed by a driver near the local high school. Although the story didn’t even mention that the car had a driver until the last sentence.

Alameda is joining “Week without Driving,” a national campaign sponsored by American Walks and Disability Rights Washington to get people to leave their cars at home for the week of Sept. 29 to Oct. 5. Or at it’s known here in Los Angeles, just another week to clog the roads and run over anyone in your way. 

An 11-year old Roseville boy says he’s thankful for his fellow middle school students, who tended to his injuries for 30 minutes, until his mom arrived, after he fell off the back of a friend’s ebike.

 

National

Momentum recommends eight of the leading bicycle advocacy groups they think you should check out right now; along with the usual suspects is Santa Barbara’s Bici Centro.

You could win a custom handmade mountain bike built by some of the most respected framebuilders in the bike industry by donating ten bucks to the Builders for Builders trailbuilding fundraiser.

YooxArmor is recalling about 1,780 of their Chinese-made multi-purpose kids’ helmets, which were sold on Amazon, because they violate US safety standards.

New York has distributed 400 new ebikes to delivery workers as part of the city’s trade-in campaign to eliminate unsafe ebikes and batteries.

 

International

Road.cc recommends the “real ultimate commuting checklist” for bicyclists, including a good bike cam and social media accounts to post video of misbehaving drivers, along with spidey senses, and a good belt.

The Guardian recommends ten safety essentials you shouldn’t leave home on your bike without. Not that they don’t have a small financial interest in you buying them or anything.

London borough Richmond upon Thames is criticized for prioritizing electric vehicle use as a “key strategic pillar,” while treating bicycling and walking as an afterthought.

A British man was awarded the equivalent of $2,700 after he was detained by police following a fatal crash involving a bike rider and a speeding driver, even though he was only a witness to the crash — not to mention the only nonwhite person at the scene.

If you’re still riding a bicycle in your 80s, you deserve better than to be killed by a heartless hit-and-run coward, like this 80-year old man in Ireland was.

The Washington Post digs into the story of French ultra-endurance bicyclist Sofiane Sehili, who was arrested for illegally crossing into Russia from China while trying to set a record for the fastest crossing of Eurasia by bicycle, despite having a valid visa to enter the country.

 

Competitive Cycling

Rwanda is set to host this year’s UCI Road World Championships starting on Sunday, in a first for any African country.

Cyclist talks with 2024 Tour de France Femmes Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney. And yes, she’s married to exactly who you probably think.

There’s not a pit deep enough for whoever stole a $35,000 custom-made handcycle apparently belonging to a member of Canada’s paracycling team.

 

Finally…

Now you, too, can own your very own lightly used retro pro bike. And when you’re dealing coke, MDMA, weed and ketamine, and out riding your bike while high on the latter, maybe try stopping for red lights.

Assuming you’re not too stoned to even see them, of course.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Blaming bad drivers for the real problem on our roads, teaching a sainted pope to ride a bike, and ICE-y bike lanes in DTLA

July 29, 2025 / / Comments Off on Blaming bad drivers for the real problem on our roads, teaching a sainted pope to ride a bike, and ICE-y bike lanes in DTLA
Day 210 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

He gets it.

In an op-ed for the Washington Post, a Colorado auto and traffic safety writer says it’s long past time to address the real problem behind the 845,000 deaths on American roadways.

The poorly trained drivers behind the wheel.

Approximately 94 percent of car crashes involve some form of driver behavior like speeding, distraction, failing to yield or DUI identified as a contributing factor, although this doesn’t mean the driver is always solely responsible — bad roads, confusing or obscured signage, wildlife darting into the road, mechanical failures and other factors play their part, too.

But mostly, the problems lie with us. We aren’t very good drivers. And there is a potential solution: better driver training. If we can fix bad driving, at least partially, we can save thousands of lives.

Although he adds that better eduction of drivers can only do so much to lower the appalling death rate on our roads.

It would be wonderful to lower the death rate from 30,000 deaths a year to 25,000 or 20,000. I don’t think anyone thinks we’re going to get to zero. Some people will just be rotten drivers all their lives, and others will always ignore the rules.

But if we change the narrative and empower people to drive safely and skillfully, that’s a start.

His stats are just a tad out of date, though, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration celebrated last year’s drop to “just” 39,345 traffic deaths, the first time this decade it’s been below 40,000.

And he may be right about never getting to zero, at least as long as humans are doing the driving.

But we can do a hell of a lot better than 20,000 to 25,000 people sacrificed to the almighty motor vehicle every year.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay. 

………

Not many people can claim to have taught both a pope and a saint to ride a bike.

Even if it was the same person.

A Roman Catholic website recounts the story of the legendary Gino Bartali, a two-time winner of both the Giro and the Tour de France, as well as a member of the Italian resistance honored as Righteous Among the Nations for saving an estimated 800 Jews during WWII.

The modest Carmelite Catholic never told his own story, which only came to light after his death.

As if that wasn’t enough to stake his claim to fame, he’s also said to have taught Pope John XXIII, who was canonized in 2014, how to ride a bike.

That alone should be the first miracle to get him sainted.

………

This may not be why people keep dying on our roads.

But it sure as hell doesn’t help.

………

Bicycling lifestyle brand Rapha joined with Los Angeles area bicyclists to mount a ghost bike on Stunt Road for Marvin Cortez, who was killed by a reportedly speeding and reckless driver last month.

Thanks to Aaron for the heads-up. 

………

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

London’s Kensington and Chelsea council said “oopsie,” and cancelled a fine equalling the equivalent of $133 issued to a university professor for the crime of riding his bike in a shared bicycle and pedestrian lane, exactly where he was supposed to.

………

Local 

The Ballona Creek Bike Path will be closed for the next two days for maintenance from Overland Ave to Higuera Street between 6 am and 4 pm

 

State

Singletracks looks at five of California’s best mountain bike trails.

A San Diego public radio station examines Vista’s plans to rip out newly installed protected bike lanes, because drivers just couldn’t deal with them, and a number bicyclists didn’t like them, either.

Santa Barbara County is recruiting bike-riding volunteers to offer direct feedback on “comfort factors” like lane width, and traffic speed and volume, to confirm the results of an AI survey of county streets.

Oakland has broken ground on a $5.4 million project to build a barrier-protected bike lane near the city’s Lake Merritt, to be named for a four-year old girl who was killed there while biking with her father two years ago.

 

National

Electrek calls ebike rebate programs a rare win-win offering cleaner air, less traffic and more mobility for people who need it most, as more cities and states provide them.

Seattle Bike Blog says no, those new lines are fog lines, not bike lanes.

A People Magazine podcast questions whether a University of Idaho student was the victim of a serial killer, after she disappeared while riding her bike to her sister’s house in 1981 and her dismembered body was found floating in the Snake River nine days later.

A new study from an Arizona law firm shows that North Dakota paid the highest dollar cost for bicycling deaths at $14,177 per 1,000 residents between 2020 and 2023, followed by Alaska, Montana and South Dakota. Although the story doesn’t explain how they calculated that cost, and doesn’t provide a link to the study.

This is how Vision Zero is supposed to work. Two years after a teenage boy was killed by a driver while riding on a residential Chicago street, and another bike rider badly injured, the city removed a traffic lane and converted it to a far safer neighborhood greenway.

CNN is finally starting to catch on, as Elon Musk’s The Boring Company promises to solve Nashville’s traffic problems, after the company’s vaporware solutions in other cities.

A Senator from Vermont has introduced a bill to restore the tax deduction for riding a bike to work, which was killed by Republicans during the first Trump administration after nine years, while expanding it to include ebikes, bikeshare and scooters.

The Washington Post provides a reminder that Cycling Without Age allows infirm elderly people to feel the wind in their hair while riding in a pedicab.

 

International

The New York Times “Wellness Around the World” series joins pre-dawn bicycle “trains” in Bogota, Columbia, as groups of up to 100 riders join together for protection against thieves and get their days off to a great start.

A Vietnamese bike touring company is introducing a “bold” ten-day gravel bike tour starting in Saigon, and traveling past tea and coffee-growing highlands, ancient Cham ruins, quiet fishing villages and bustling coastal towns, and the memorial to the infamous My Lai massacre, ending in the UNESCO World Heritage site Hoi An.

 

Competitive Cycling

USA Cycling awarded 40 titles at last week’s four-day 2025 USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships. Seriously, when I was that age, I barely knew bike racing was a thing, let alone track cycling.  

Dutch cyclist Lorena Wiebes won Monday’s stage of the Tour de France Femmes in a “furious” sprint, as race favorites Demi Vollering and Kim Le Court were caught in a late crash, allowing Marianne Vos to reclaim the yellow jersey after Le Court held it for just two days. But does that mean Le Court has to give up her new yellow bike?

The crash left Vollering “limping and emotional” with pain in the knee, glutes and back.

 

Finally…

That feeling when you end the world’s most famous bike race with a fiancé, instead of a trophy.

And that looks like fun.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

US bike deaths climb as traffic deaths drop, falling down a water bike rabbit hole, and a summer solstice bike ride Friday

June 18, 2025 / / Comments Off on US bike deaths climb as traffic deaths drop, falling down a water bike rabbit hole, and a summer solstice bike ride Friday
Day 169 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

Talk about a blast from the past.

Cycling West reports that the federal government released their latest stats on traffic violence in the US.

For 2023.

It’s always taken the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, the better part of a year to compile and release the nationwide statistics on traffic deaths and injuries, but nearly a year and a half seems a tad extreme.

Although even that may look good next year, after DOGE cuts decimated the agency.

The good news is that overall traffic deaths dropped 4.3% compared to the previous year.

The bad, bicycling deaths went the opposite direction, going up 4.4%, while bicycling injuries jumped even more, increasing by 8.2% over the year before.

And yes, that includes ebikes as well as traditional bicycles, as well as any other pedal-powered vehicle; presumably, that also includes the faster and more powerful electric motorbikes that at usually lumped in with ebikes.

It’s very disturbing that bicycling deaths continue to climb, as motor vehicles get safer inside and more dangerous outside. Never mind the people operating them.

Equally troubling is that 23% of the 1,166 bicycling deaths in the US two years ago involved hit-and-run drivers, which means there’s a one-in-four chance a driver won’t stick around after a crash, no matter where you live.

………

Amphibious cars are making a comeback, but amphibious bikes have been here all along, with a history going back 160 years.

Thanks to Steven for the heads-up, whose discovery of the term Cyclomer led him down a water bike rabbit hole.

………

Bike Culver City is hosting a Summer Solstice Ride this Friday to celebrate the longest day of the year.

https://twitter.com/BikeCulverCity/status/1935029132808831394

………

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

This is why people keep dying in our streets. A Portland, Oregon bike rider describes what happened when he alleges a road-raging driver intentionally crashed into him as he rode with another person on the popular Pedalpalooza ride; a poorly trained cop blamed him for riding in the “car lane,” before refusing to file charges against the driver because of “conflicting stories.”

………

Local 

Pasadena rejected all bids for a planned North Raymond Ave traffic-calming project aimed at slowing speeding drivers after all the bids exceeded estimates.

 

State

Los Gatos has received funding for a $14.7 million highway widening project intended to relieve summer gridlock from people headed to the beach — although it’s more likely to just make things worse due to induced demand. But at least it includes funds for safer sidewalks and bike lanes.

 

National

Good idea. Oregon legislators are adding an ebike rebate and bike path funding back into the new transportation bill, while increasing the sales tax on luxury cars to fund them. Taxing luxury cars in California could probably fund every bike path in the state. 

A Dallas photographer famed for riding his bike through the city to take “perfect” photos of the city’s skyline is out of commission for awhile, after someone broke in and stole his bicycle — then days later, he confronted another would-be thief inside his apartment.

An Illinois man will have to stay behind bars pending trial for killing a 12-year old boy on a bicycle while driving at more than twice the legal alcohol limit.

The family of a fallen bicyclist has sued the police department in Indianapolis, after the 34-year old father of two was killed when a cop responding to a home invasion drove onto the sidewalk to avoid another driver, and hit his bike head-on.

Some people never learn. A 27-year old Indiana man faces a raft of charges and sentencing enhancements after he was arrested for drunk driving with a blood alcohol level at least twice the legal limit, ten years after he killed a 22-year old woman biking with her cousin while driving with a B.A.C. over three times the legal limit; he served just 4.5 years of a six-year sentence for that one.

Good for him. A 12-year old boy filed suit after New York’s mayor cancelled plans to protect a Williamsburg bike lane, which is currently full of parked cars whose drivers are undeterred by the painted bike lane.

A New Jersey woman is fantasizing about taking a baseball bat to the headlights of the next driver who comes too close to someone she loves, after repeatedly being endangered by entitled drivers during a vigil for a bike-riding child killed by a driver.

Over 55 local, state and national organizations are calling for bike and pedestrian lanes on Maryland’s new Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which will replace the bridge knocked down last year by an out-of-control freighter.

 

International

Your next e-cargo bike could be a four-wheeled, pedal-powered Honda delivery van.

A 75-year old English man became the first person in the country to get a 3D-printed face, after suffering severe burns when he was trapped under a vehicle driven by a drunk and distracted driver while bicycling with two friends, who were also injured.

A record number of British bicyclists sent videos of dangerous drivers to the police for potential prosecution, as 58% of the country’s drivers had no idea how close they could legally pass someone on the bicycle. The law in the UK allows for video evidence of traffic violations, unlike most, if not all of the US, which is still operating in the pre-video — let alone digital — age.

Life is cheap in the UK, where a 22-year old man was sentenced to just 15 months behind bars — of which he’ll be required to serve only 2/5 — for destroying evidence of the hit-and-run that killed a 19-year old man riding a bicycle, as well as two other counts of dangerous driving police found on his phone (see above); however, he wasn’t charged for killing the victim due to a lack evidence.

Japanese bike riders will face fines for minor traffic violations beginning April 1st, including the equivalent of $84 for distracted bicycling. And no, that’s not a premature April Fools joke. 

 

Competitive Cycling

Twenty-year old British cyclist Ben Wiggins is following in the footsteps, uh, pedal strokes, of his more famous, knighted, Tour de France-winning dad.

 

Finally…

That feeling when your bike-riding barber makes house calls. When you’re out riding with friends, maybe try not to ride through a military live-fire exercise.

And why wait until the bikes leave the shop before crashing into them?

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

April Fools-free edition — sadness and schadenfreude on Highland Ave, and let’s impound the cars of repeat scofflaw drivers

April 1, 2025 / / One comment
Day 91 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

Well, this is not fun anymore. 

I found myself struggling to breathe Sunday afternoon, accompanied by a spike in blood pressure and a drop in blood oxygen.

Fortunately, the situation resolved before it got serious, but left me feeling like I’d been hit by a truck for the rest of the night. 

So my apologies for yesterday’s absence. 

I’m starting to realize why my doctors all warned that combining Covid and diabetes probably wasn’t the best idea.

Anyway, let’s get on with today’s April Fools-free update.  

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay.

………

This is who we share the road with.

And why.

Over a decade ago, there was a movement to build LA’s first bicycle boulevard on 4th Street through Hancock Park.

But it didn’t take long for local residents to get out their torches and pitchforks in opposition to it, despite our best efforts to explain how it would benefit them, from eliminating cut-through traffic to increasing property values.

The greatest conflict, however, was over finding a safe way to get bike riders across busy Highland Ave.

Each proposal was soundly booed, whether a traffic circle, stop light or on-demand crosswalk. Even though it would have made Highland much safer for everyone, on foot, a bike or in a car — or just living in the general area.

It didn’t take long for then Councilmember Tom LaBonge to fold, promising not to make any changes to the dangerous intersection, and dooming the entire proposal to the scrapheap of history.

Although someone later saw the light, and belatedly installed a push-button on-demand traffic light. Which helps people cross the street, but does little or nothing to slow speeding drivers.

So it was with a combination of sadness and schadenfreude that I heard local residents complain about speeding drivers using the wide, straight divided roadway as a race track, after the driver of a Lamborghini ran away from a fatal hit-and-run on the street.

No, literally.

On foot, leaving the smashed supercar behind.

All just blocks from where that proposed traffic circle would have forced drivers to slow down, improving safety along the entire corridor.

It’s common for people everywhere to oppose change. But in an effectively run city, the final decision would be made with an eye to safety, after listening to objections and incorporating any reasonable suggestions, knowing that most people will come around to support it once they get used to it.

But in Los Angeles, the only voices usually heard are the loudest — and too often, wealthiest.

So Highland will continue to be a racetrack, just like Sunset and Hollywood boulevards.

And innocent people will continue to die.

………

This is who we share the road with, too.

And why people keep dying on our streets.

A 35-year old mother was killed, along with her two young daughters, when a speeding driver slammed into another car, and careened into them as they walked in a New York crosswalk; at last report, her four-year old son was still clinging to life in critical condition.

Yet the 32-year old woman behind the wheel was still driving despite a suspended license, suspended registration and expired insurance, as well as 15 school zone speeding and red-light tickets in just the last 12 months.

Yes, 15.

New York Mayor Eric Adams described as a “tragic accident of a Shakespearean proportion.”

But in reality, it was the entirely predictable result of allowing a woman who has shown a clear disregard for traffic laws and the courts to keep a car she could no longer legally drive.

Virginia just passed a law allowing judges to require repeat excessive speed drivers to install speed limiting technology, making it impossible to exceed the posted speed limit; New York State is considering a similar law.

Now we need to take the next step of impounding the cars of people with suspended driver’s licenses until they regain the right to drive legally.

………

Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor is one of us — or at least his son is now — using a towel as a sling to help the kid learn how to ride a bike.

………

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

Houston is ripping out a vital protected bike lane in the city’s Mid-City neighborhood, replacing it with sharrows and putting bike riders at needless risk, because drivers found it a little inconvenient.

A Tennessee man faces charges of reckless endangerment, aggravated assault and criminal littering for threatening a group of bicyclists on a rural road, driving his car at them and throwing beer bottles out the window, leaving two of the victims with visible bruises; he then made a U-turn and came back to run over one man’s bicycle, after the rider managed to jump out of the way.

Boston is joining Houston in ripping out protective curbs and bollards on a trio of newly installed bike lanes, after the mayor initiated a review of all the city’s safety and bus infrastructure projects, bowing to impatient drivers as she prepares to run for re-election, as it they are the only voters.

An English city was forced to install bollards on a new bike lane outside a hospital, after drivers immediately turned it into a parking lane.

No surprise here. British women continue to be frightened off their bikes by threatening and intimidating drivers, compounded by a lack of safe infrastructure.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.   

A former English cop complains that he’s being taunted by ebike-riding “yobs” after he was fired for ramming his patrol car into a couple of teens with long criminal records, when they “taunted” him by riding past his car on their bikes.

………

Local  

Metro is hosting a series of meetings this week to discuss the Sepulveda Transit corridor, with in-person meeting on Thursday and Saturday, and a virtual meeting on Friday; Streets For All urges you to voice support for heavy rail under the Sepulveda Pass, rather than the inefficient monorail preferred by wealthy Bel-Air homeowners who don’t want to be disturbed by underground construction.

The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition with host their monthly virtual meeting on Monday, highlighted by presentations on the San Gabriel Valley Greenway Network and a local carbon-free electricity campaign; they’ll also host a family-friendly ride on April 12th showcasing homes with native California landscaping.

The South Pasadena Public Library will host a Repair Café on April 19th offering free repairs on a number of items, including bicycles.

 

State

French startup Upway opened their first SoCal location in Redondo Beach over the weekend, buying and selling refurbished e-bikes, similar to Carvana or CarMax for motor vehicles.

About two dozen Fontana kindergarteners got new bicycles, courtesy of All Kids Bike.

A Simi Valley letter writer complains about a recent ebike editorial, asking if there are “excellent bike lanes” traversing the city, where are they?

Your next ebike could charge in just 15 minutes, thanks to a new bike mountain biking legend Gary Fisher plans to introduce this month at Monterey’s Sea Otter Classic.

The threatened protected bike lane on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge is safe for now, after Caltrans withdrew a proposal to turn it back into a motor vehicle lane on weekdays.

 

National

A tech website asks why buy your bike accessories when you can just 3D print them?

Momentum teams with People For Bikes to dispel the most common myths about bike riders, ranging from not many people ride bicycles to we’re all rich, lawbreaking and fearless.

Juiced Bikes is rising from the dead after the ebike maker shut down operations last year, amid efforts from the founders of Lectric EBikes to revive the brand.

America’s seven-time ex-Tour de France champ says if you want to feel safe on a bike, ride a gravel bike so you can go onto any surface, and avoid long straight stretches of roadways to reduce the risk of distracted drivers.

Here’s another one for your bike bucket list, with the Great Plains Gravel Route that stretches 3,800 miles through Texas, Kansas and five other Midwestern states.

Life is cheap in Idaho, where the driver of a gravel truck got a whole 90 days behind bars for the hit-and-run death of a 14-year old kid standing on the side of the road next to his bicycle, but at least he’ll have to spend every holiday behind bars for the next two years, along with both his and his victim’s birthday.

The 24-year old woman accused of killing 17-year old Magnus White went on trial yesterday, nearly two years after running down the rising US National Team cyclist in Boulder, Colorado; prosecutors say she fell asleep at the wheel after staying up all night partying.

San Antonio, Texas becomes the latest city to offer ebike vouchers, providing 244 $1,000 vouchers for low-income residents. Meanwhile, California’s deliberately throttled voucher program remains just this side of moribund.

A 64-year old Galveston, Texas man was sentenced to 35 years behind bars for using his truck to murder one man and injure another as they tried to get away on their bicycles, all over over a paltry five buck debt, as well as another 25 years for assaulting a third man. Which means he’d be 124 if he survives to serve his full terms, which seems just a little unlikely. 

The Illinois legislature is considering over a dozen bike-related bills, from including tricycles in the legal definition of a bicycle to plainly stating that bicyclists are intended users on every roadway.

A kindhearted Ohio man gave away dozens of refurbished bicycles to anyone who needed one, just because he could.

People For Bikes flew a group of bicycle industry leaders to DC to advocate for tariff relief and trade fairness.

 

International

Severance star Britt Lower is one of us too, riding a bicycle through the streets of Toronto to get a better understanding of the character she plays in the upcoming film Darkest Miriam.

Welsh advocates warn that budget cuts are threatening to put the government’s efforts to promote bicycling at risk.

Momentum offers 20 reasons why the Netherlands is a bike rider’s paradise.

Stars and Stripes celebrates the joys of biking in Deutschland.

Nice work if you can get it. A 28-year old British woman says her 9-to-5 job is riding her bicycle from her English hometown to Singapore to raise funds for a mental health charity; meanwhile, a 31-year old British man is one year into his ride around the world to raise money for a children’s hospital.

A pair of 15-year old Japanese junior high students spent 13 days riding over 600 miles around Taiwan. At that age, my parents barely let me ride around my own hometown. 

 

Competitive Cycling

Tour de Big Bear is adding a 50K cross-country mountain bike race to their August lineup, promising a “a thrilling 36 miles, starting with a 4-mile neutral rollout before immersing riders into demanding single-track and double-track trails.”

Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij crashed just as he attempted to respond to an attack by eventual winner Mads Pedersen at Gent Wevelgem, suffering a broken collarbone.

Slovenian Primož Roglič won an “explosive” final stage of the Volta a Catalunya ahead of Laurens De Plus and Lennert Van Eetvelt, vaulting into first place in the overall standings, points and mountains classifications.

 

Finally….

Fight off bike thieves with a U-lock that smells like something died. Your next NFL draft baseball cap could have a bike on it, but only if you’re a Packers fan.

And always remember to bungie your corgi before you ride.

@tedrogerla.bsky.social Grabbed this from a Kiwi Corgi FB group. The owner takes "Spud" everywhere on the bike. She says Spud is harnessed in and loves it.

— (@nzdebs.bsky.social) 2025-03-31T23:26:17.058Z

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

NM kids face murder in death of bike-riding scientist; killer Playa street claims fresh victim; Metro threatens suit to prevent safer streets

March 20, 2025 / / Comments Off on NM kids face murder in death of bike-riding scientist; killer Playa street claims fresh victim; Metro threatens suit to prevent safer streets

This is getting old.

Nearly two weeks in, I’m still struggling with Covid, and need a few more days before I get back to our usual updates. Just another of the many joys of diabetes, which can make Covid hit harder and last longer than it might otherwise.

Hopefully, we’ll be back on Monday to catch up on what we missed.

But there are a few stories this week that can’t really wait, so let’s do a quick update in the meantime.

………

It’s happened again.

Or rather, it happened last year, and the authorities are just now catching up.

According to multiple sources, three Albuquerque teenagers face charges for stealing a car, and intentionally crashing it into a man riding a bicycle while they recorded themselves laughing.

And if that sounds familiar, it should. And more than once.

The victim, a beloved physicist at the nearby Sandia National Laboratory, was killed when the kids “bumped” him with the car.

The 13-year old driver and the 16-year old egging them on from the back seat both face murder charges — as could the 11-year old waving a gun and laughing from the passenger seat.

Yes, I said eleven. With a rap sheep of violent crimes that makes John Gotti seem like an extra from Westside Story.

Apparently, New Mexico law allows them to be publicly named, and charged as adults.

Police became aware of the video shortly after the May 29, 2024, murder of 63-year old Scott Habermehl, but it apparently took until now to uncover the identities of his teen and preteen killers.

Habermehl was a dedicated bike commuter who was said to have ridden more than a quarter million miles over the last 30 years, and did absolutely nothing to cause his death.

The older teens each face felony charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily harm or death, and unlawful possession of a handgun.

The younger boy is likely to join them.

Thanks to Joel Falter for the heads up. 

……….

It’s happened again, again.

Because once again, an innocent person has been killed on Vista del Mar in Playa del Rey, eight years after then Councilmember Mike Bonin tried to fix the deadly street, only to have then Mayor Eric Garcetti rip it out after caving to angry pass-through drivers.

According to the Los Angeles Times, two cars — excuse me, drivers — collided in the 8200 block of southbound Vista del Mar, near Dockweiler Beach, with one car spilling over the embankment and killing a woman walking below.

Twentynine-year old Cecilia Milbourne died at the scene. A 70-something man also suffered minor injuries.

The crash occurred exactly where a road diet had been installed by Bonin after the city paid $9.5 million to the family of 16-year old Naomi Larson, who was killed by a cab driver as she was crossing the street in 2015.

That road diet was removed, along with other nearby bike lanes and other safety improvements, when Garcetti pulled the rug out from under Bonin, ordering them to be ripped out to appease drivers who were apparently willing to sacrifice a life or two if it meant they could have a little faster commute.

And reverting the road to a four lane speedway.

It only took a few years after that before the deadly roadway claimed another life. And two more after that.

Now, after another woman has been killed — at least the fifth in just ten years — that blood is on Garcetti’s hands, and everyone who demanded the removal of the safety improvements just so they could continue to go “zoom! zoom!”, innocent victims be damned.

Not to mention whoever designed the damn thing.

………

Metro has bizarrely come out against bus lanes and safer streets.

According to a post from Streets For All, the ostensibly safety-oriented county transportation agency is threatening to sue if they are forced to comply with Measure HLA when they make changes to the streets.

Even though the law clearly applies to any significant street projects, regardless of who is responsible for them.

Which is kind of like Metro arguing that speed limits and traffic signals don’t apply to them, either.

Here’s how Streetsblog’s Joe Linton responded to Metro’s threat.

So, Metro will fight the city in order not to install bus lanes, bike lanes, crosswalks, curb ramps, all approved a decade ago.

Metro is blocking routine upgrades to all the ways their riders get to bus stops and rail stations, plus blocking bus lane facilities that would improve Metro bus speeds.

Really.

Really, indeed.

It’s worth noting that Metro’s board is made up of elected officials and appointees from cities throughout LA County, and led by board chair and County Supervisor Janice Hahn.

So you know where to direct your anger.

………

Finally, Glendale is hosting their own CicLAvia-style open streets event May 31st on South Glendale Ave, in conjunction with Metro and Community Arts Resources (CARS).

Here’s how the press release describes it:

GLENDALE, Calif. (March 18, 2025) — Southern California’s newest open streets event, Let’s Go Glendale, will transform a portion of S Glendale Ave into a car-free space on Saturday, May 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The community is invited to explore the area on foot, bike, scooter, wheelchair or any other way that moves you.

The City of Glendale’s Open Streets Event, Let’s Go Glendale, is presented by Metro and produced by Community Arts Resources (CARS). This free day features a full schedule of carefully curated performances and activities along a meaningful vehicle-free route through the city’s south. People of all ages are invited to discover local businesses, enjoy delicious food, listen to live music and connect with the city’s vibrant cultures in the open streets. It’s an opportunity to walk, roll, shop and stroll through Glendale with a whole new perspective! A full schedule of event locations, activations and a detailed route map will be announced in April.

WHEN: Saturday, May 31 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

WHERE: City streets along S Glendale Ave will be closed to car traffic and opened to pedestrians. Full route details will be released soon.

ADMISSION: This event is free to attend and open to the public.

MORE INFORMATION: For more information visit, letsgoglendale.com

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

US traffic deaths down but California deaths up, and worldwide bicycling rates flat but up significantly over 2019

November 27, 2024 / / Comments Off on US traffic deaths down but California deaths up, and worldwide bicycling rates flat but up significantly over 2019
Just 33 days until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 
But no LA city leader has even mentioned the impending deadline. Let alone done anything about it. 

………

We’ll be taking the next couple days off for the Thanksgiving holiday, and what used to be known as the day after Thanksgiving — better known these days as Black Friday. 

Which means you can spend your time haunting the malls and online retailers in search of the best bargains. Or you can get out on your bike and just be thankful for awhile. 

I know which one I’d choose. 

As always, we’ll be around in case of breaking news over the weekend — hopefully including an arrest in the road-rage murder of 16-year old bike rider Jonathan Flores. 

And come back on Friday, when we’ll kick off the 10th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive, so you can watch me grovel and beg for just a small part of your hard-earned funds to help keep this site going for awhile longer, and maintain the corgi kibble fund. 

………

At last, a little good news.

After years or rising rates, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, aka NHTSA, is reporting that early estimates show traffic fatalities actually declined in the US over the first six months of this year, including pedestrian deaths.

According to the NHTSA,

As compared to the first half of 2023, fatalities in key subcategories in 2024 decreased:

  • 12% during out-of-state travel
  • 9% in ejected passengers
  • 8% on urban interstates
  • 7% in passenger vehicle occupants less than 10 years old
  • 7% in unrestrained occupants of passenger vehicles
  • 7% in passengers
  • 6% in passenger vehicle rollover crashes
  • 6% in passenger vehicle occupants
  • 6% in speeding-related crashes
  • 5% in rural or urban collector roads/local roads
  • 5% involving roadway departure crashes
  • 4% at night
  • 4% during weekends
  • 3% in pedestrians

On the other hand, traffic deaths in California were up slightly over this time last year, climbing a statistically insignificant 0.03%. Although if your loved ones were part of the 0.03%, it’s not so insignificant at all.

Unfortunately, there’s no word yet on bicycling deaths this year.

………

A bicycling website asks if the rate of bicycling around the world is rising or stagnating.

Short answer, yes.

A new report from Eco-Counter, a French company founded just to count bicyclists and pedestrians across every continent, shows that bicycling traffic trends in 14 countries declined 1% last year, compared to 2022.

But that still represents an 11% jump over 2019.

And the news is good here in the US, especially when it comes to bike commuting.

For example, in the US, bicycle volumes went up by 1.7% between 2023 and 2022. Whereas counts on recreational bike facilities decreased by 2.1% during this period, counts on commuter paths increased by 6.9%. Bicycle usage is reverting to pre-pandemic profiles, meaning more weekday riding to work and school and less leisure activity.

Which suggests that if we really want bike commuting rates to grow, we need to invest in safe, convenient routes to major employment centers, rather than focusing on recreational paths.

Maybe someone can give LADOT the memo.

Meanwhile, this is what we could have. But don’t.

………

Our friends to the south are raising funds for safe routes to schools this holiday season.

https://twitter.com/sdbikecoalition/status/1861584562788409398

………

It’s now 343 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 41 months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

………

Local  

The LA city council has finally voted to stop forcing most developers to needlessly widen streets in front of their projects, which UCLA urban planning professor Michael Manville called “probably the dumbest regulation” he has ever encountered; the brief street widenings were often incorrectly blamed on nonexistent plans for future bike lanes.

Westside Today offers more on Metro’s efforts to claw back $435,000 it awarded to fund the successful MOVE Culver City street safety project, after the city’s idiotic decision to rip out the protected bike lanes Metro helped pay for.

An e-scooter rider led South Pasadena police on a moderate speed pursuit, reportedly running multiple red lights at speeds up to 35 mph, which was what got their attention in the first place; the suspect was found carrying a replica handgun and an illegal butterfly knife

 

State

Plans for the permanent closure of San Francisco’s Great Highway are still in the concept state, but the early news is more bike lanes, and less parking.

A Sacramento op-ed explains why the city is converting the downtown area to two-way streets, noting that 100% of fatalities resulting from cars crashing into people occurred on one-way streets.

 

National

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton takes a look at the protected bike lanes and bike/walking paths in a pair of Southern Oregon cities.

A Florida bicyclist and triathlete offers her tips on how to stay safe on the road, but really doesn’t say much, except know and follow the rules for where you live. Which you already do, right?

 

International

Road.cc recommends splurge-worthing presents for bicyclists, for when money is no object. Most of which really aren’t that expensive. Key word: most.

Your prayers for an off-road Brompton have been answered at last.

Good news from Vancouver, where a 15-year old girl is emerging from a coma over a month after she was severely injured in a mountain biking crash, although she faces a very long road to recovery; a crowdfunding campaign to help defray her medical expenses has raised over $71,000 of the $75,000 goal.

Things are looking up on the ‘crash not accident’ front in the UK, where most police departments are now using “incident,” rather than the a-word.

Dockless ebike providers could face fines in London for “willful obstruction” of sidewalks due to “problematic” bike parking. Even though it’s usually their users who dump bikes everywhere but where they’re supposed to be.

Czech carmaker Škoda’s We Love Cycling site considers seven wonders of bicycling infrastructure. None of which are in Los Angeles. Or North America, for that matter.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cyclist looks back at the year’s “record-breaking and heartbreaking” pro cycling season.

The latest battle in pro cycling doesn’t involve people on bicycles, but people arguing about them, as Jonathan Vaughters, head of the EF Education-EasyPost team, blasted “fat cats who have never raced so much as a child’s tricycle” after the director of the Tour de France blamed recent crashes on riders “going too fast.”

Happy 146th birthday to the legendary Major Taylor.

 

Finally…

Maybe Bicycle Face is a thing, after all. When you’re fleeing your 13th arrest, at least do it on a bicycle.

And who says you can’t carry 330 pounds of flagstone on a bike?

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Black Friday. And Putin. 

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

Not so much for safety as a shared responsibility, more or less on bike lanes, and just try surviving without one

November 22, 2024 / / 2 comments
Just 38 days until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 
But sure, raise your hand if you’ve heard a single LA city leader so much as mention it. 

………

He gets it.

A writer for Fast Company says the common refrain of “safety is a shared responsibility” — or “a two-way street” in the parlance of too many newspaper editors — misses the point, absolving those who are really responsible for this country’s inexcusably high rate of traffic deaths.

Innocuous though it may seem, the refrain encapsulates much of what’s wrong with road safety in the U.S., where crash death rates are at least double other rich countries, from Japan to Finland to Canada.

In reality, the duty to prevent collisions should fall on the road engineers, car companies, and public officials who create the system in which people drive, bike, or walk—and not on road users themselves. By lumping everyone together, the phrase blurs that distinction, allowing those who can do the most to save lives to dodge accountability.

It’s worth giving it a quick read, because there are a lot of people to blame for the rising death toll on our streets.

Starting with the people who build and market oversized and over-powered vehicles virtually designed to kill. Not to mention the engineers and politicians who build the roads they speed on.

But the actual victims, not so much.

Graphic from Bike Santa Clarita. 

………

Today’s common theme is bike lanes, And more bike lanes.

Or fewer bike lanes, even, in a few cases.

Velo says bike lanes make the road safer for everyone, not just bicyclists, citing a new study showing that adding bike lanes to a busy intersection makes drivers slow down, whether going straight or turning right.

No surprise here, as San Diego’s notoriously anti-bike lane OB Rag picked up the anti-bike lane screed from the Washington Post we debunked yesterday. And trust me, you don’t want to read the comments. 

A Petaluma op-ed considers the health benefits of the city’s bike lanes, including encouraging people to bike instead of driving.

You’ve got to be kidding. Quebec’s anti-bike provincial government covers its bases by amending the bill allowing them to overrule local governments to rip out bike lanes, by absolving themselves of any liability for anyone killed or injured after one is removed.

Seriously? City officials in Bangkok ripped out a new bike lane just one day after it was installed, reopening the lane to motor vehicles and apologizing for the traffic “chaos” it caused. Never mind that drivers likely would have adjusted to the change if they gave them half a chance.

And heading back to Quebec, a tongue-in-cheek new game clarifies the risks to riders once the lanes are removed. I lasted a whopping 51 seconds before dying in a dooring; thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up. 

………

The OC Wheelmen say it’s starting to look a lot like party time.

………

Yes, that pretty much sums up the value of hi-viz.

………

It’s now 338 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 41 months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

………

Local  

You’re invited to attend the official opening of the new Bouquet Canyon Trail in Saugus this Monday.

 

State

Calbike is hosting a Zoom meeting December 3rd to unveil their priorities to make California’s streets safer and more sustainable.

More bad news from the Victorville area, where a man riding a bicycle was critically injured by a hit-and-run driver in nearby Apple Valley Thursday night.

Ventura nonprofit Bikes 4 a Cause will offer a free class to teach kids to ride a bicycle tomorrow.

Bad news from Northern California, where a man was killed while either riding or walking his bicycle in Del Norte County.

 

National

Singletraks offers 13 gifts for the “badass” modern mountain biking women in your life.

If you bought your kid a Nerf Barrage Bike Helmet from Walmart, it’s been recalled because they don’t meet mandatory federal safety regulations and could result in a head injury. Never mind why the hell you’d put your kid in a Nerf helmet to begin with. 

That’s more like it. A 27-year old Las Vegas man will spend up to ten years behind bars — and at least four — after copping a plea to killing an ebike rider while speeding and driving under the influence with a suspended license. Although maybe someone should tell the TV station the victim probably had a name, too. 

A writer in my bike-friendly Colorado hometown says the site of the old Colorado State University Rams football stadium would make the perfect site for a bike park to serve kids and adults. I once saw the Rams kicker set the NCAA record for the longest field goal there — which lasted about half an hour until someone else at another college broke it. 

Des Moines, Iowa opened a new bike and pedestrian bridge over the Racoon River.

A Texas man will spend the next 42 months behind bars after pleading guilty to stealing six bikes worth more than $100,000 from Lance Armstrong’s storage locker; no word on whether Lance ever got them back. Although if it makes you feel better, one of the bikes was only worth 500 bucks.

Tragic news, as it turns out the Mississippi woman killed in a dispute over a bicycle that we mentioned yesterday was shot multiple times by her own 29-year old daughter, who now faces a murder charge along with another man.

 

International

Road.cc recommends budget-friendly gifts under the equivalent of $68 for the bicyclist in your life. Hint: You’re probably the bicyclist in your life. Just saying. 

Here’s another one for your bike bucket list, as Momentum offers a guide to biking in Reykjavik, Iceland. Better yet, you’re only 40 miles or so from the active volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula. 

That’s more like it. A British driver with a history of speeding got a well-deserved eight years behind bars for killing a 12-year old boy riding a bicycle, after recklessly weaving while speeding through traffic and roaring his engine.

I want to be like him when I grow up. A 90-year old Irishman — from Tipperary, no less — is keeping fit by riding his new ebike, after years riding a racing bike.

Aussie adventure cyclist Jimmy Ashby — named Australian Geographic’s Young Adventurer of the Year for 2019 — spent the last 11 months riding his bike from Asia to the Middle East to North America and home again. So what did you do this year?

 

Competitive Cycling

British road champion Pfeiffer Georgi still won’t watch video of her crash at the Tour de France Femmes, when she went over her handlebars in a mass crash and fractured her neck, but she says she’s ready to get off her sofa and back onto her bike — and hopefully make it back to the Tour next year.

Remco Evenepoel’s road to the 2025 Tour de France runs through an American wind tunnel.

 

Finally…

Your next bike could be both recycled and recyclable. You can never have enough lights on your bike — or a jersey that says you’re packing.

And if the cops can catch a violent bikejacker less than a day after installing bike path security cams, maybe they should have done it just a tad sooner.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

San Diego traffic deaths climb 10 years after Vision Zero, rigid bollards pose risk to bikes, and who we share the road with

November 13, 2024 / / 2 comments
Just 47 days until LA fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

Meanwhile, San Diego’s Vision Zero program is working about as well as most, including here in Los Angeles, as a new report says pedestrian and bicycling deaths have continued to climb in the ten years since the program was adopted.

The difference is that San Diego actually took major steps to improve safety, building new bike lanes and pedestrian improvements throughout the city. Although it’s arguably — and demonstrably — not enough.

But whether cities can ever do enough to compensate for bigger, faster vehicles and drivers distracted by smartphones and dashboard video screens is highly debatable.

………

A new German study confirmed the complaints of some San Diego bicyclists who’ve argued that rigid bike lane bollards pose a high risk for bicyclists, and can result in serious injuries to riders who hit them.

The authors conducted an experiment to test the risks to riders.

To assess the risk posed to cyclists by rigid bollards, DEKRA conducted two identical collision tests at its Crash Test Center in Neumünster, Germany, with a three-wheeled e-cargo bike driven at a speed of 25 km/h (about 15-16 mph), one against a flexible post and the other against a rigid one.

“In the test against the rigid post, there was a strong deceleration [slowing down] that threw the dummy from the saddle towards the handlebars. The bollard buckled and then acted as a ramp. The rear of the bike was lifted up, throwing the dummy off and causing the bike to tip over.”

“In a real-life situation, the person riding the bike would have suffered serious injuries,” Egelhaaf said.

On the other hand, flexible plastic bollards — like the car-tickler bendie posts preferred by LADOT — allowed riders to simply roll over them, with little or no risk of serious injuries.

But flexible bollards also do nothing to keep inattentive or uncaring drivers out of the bike lanes, and are often flattened within weeks, if not days, of their installation.

So the question becomes whether the risk of falls outweighs the risk posed by motorists and their big, dangerous machines.

I don’t know how to answer that.

The only way to get a actual answer would be to try a real world test on comparable roadways, and measure the rate of injuries on both after six months and a year.

And to the best of my knowledge, no one has done that. Or plans to.

………

This is who we share the road with.

A Santa Monica collision resulted in unexpected tragedy after a pickup driver collided with a motorcyclist on the 1400 block of Cloverfield Blvd, near the Specialized bike shop at Cloverfield and Santa Monica.

The motorcyclist only suffered minor injuries. But as he walked back to the truck to talk with the driver, he heard a shot ring out as the driver pulled out a gun and committed suicide, for reasons known only to himself.

………

This is who we share the road with, part two

A cop found a Lubbock, Texas man dead from complications of diabetes, which apparently resulted from injuries he suffered in an earlier road rage crash.

Witnesses said a driver seemed to intentionally crash into the victim’s motorcycle, after the motorbike rider waved a gun as the two men argued moments before the crash.

The driver claimed he accidentally hit the motorcycle while attempting to flee from the gunman — then he did flee immediately after the crash, turning a road rage incident into a fatal hit-and-run.

Or maybe even a homicide.

………

No bias here.

A panel of sadly misinformed Aussie broadcasters called for banning all bicyclists from the roads, especially the ones who “wear Lycra and have large guts,” while calling a three-wheeled recumbent bike a child’s toy tricycle.

All because video showed a driver correctly slow down behind the recumbent rider to wait for a safe opportunity to pass, before a truck driver slammed on his brakes to avoid running up the driver’s ass, and nearly hit an oncoming car headed in the other direction.

And somehow, they managed to conclude this was all the bike rider’s fault.

………

Drivers often act like we’re invisible.

Sometimes, it may actually be true.

………

Maybe Santa will bring me the new Tern do-it-all e-cargo bike for Christmas.

It could happen, right?

………

It’s now 329 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 41 months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

………

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

No bias here, either. A Boston bike commuter says the city’s new bike lanes are a metaphor for the Democratic Party, since they were built to appease a “small, highly vocal minority,” a “depressing number” of whom consider the resulting traffic congestion a benefit, not a trade-off. Tell us you don’t understand traffic calming without saying it. 

If you’re going to hate on bicycles, might as well do it poetically, as a British letter writer pens an ode to the local city council’s “absurd” and “crazy” “cycle crusade.”

Now we’re being attacked by elderly Florida dog walkers and British people on e-scooters.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.   

A Long Beach bike rider learned the hard way that when you’re carrying a bag of meth on your bike, don’t ride salmon. And don’t lie to the cops about having a gun, for chrissakes. 

Police in Brighton, England are investigating after a teenaged ebike rider crashed into a 75-year old woman, who had to be hospitalized.

………

Local  

Lucky us. Even more bicyclists get to participate in Waymo’s beta test, willingly or not, as the autonomous cab company expands into more Los Angeles neighborhoods, and opens up to all users.

WorldTour cyclist Neilson Powless and US crit champ Coryn Labecki led a 25-mile bike ride through the streets of Pasadena, before returning to a new private school to help the students build bicycles for underprivileged youth.

They get it. A Pasadena study session will consider how to revitalize North Lake Ave and turn it into a Complete Street to make it more inviting to bike riders and pedestrians, as it currently “suffers from excessive space allocated to cars.”

Manhattan Beach students will now be required to display a sticker saying they’ve taken an approved ebike safety course if they want to park them on campus.

Streetsblog hosts an open thread on Saturday’s relatively sparsely attended Beach Streets open streets event in North Long Beach, including Joe Linton’s always great photos.

 

State

Costa Mesa will host Micromobility America, a trade show for ebike and e-scooter makers, and others in the micromobility industry, this Thursday and Friday.

The Guardian examines the backlash to the closing of San Francisco’s Great Highway, as if it hadn’t just been approved by a majority of the city’s voters.

Sad news from Sacramento, where a 32-year old woman was killed when she was stuck by a driver while trying to ride across the street; naturally, the CHP blamed the victim for riding directly into the car’s path, without mentioning whether the driver may have been speeding or gone through a traffic signal.

 

National

Momentum writes in praise of community bike co-ops.

Bicycling considers how to say goodbye to the rider you used to be. A lesson I’ve struggled to learn myself. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t seem to be available anywhere else, so you’re on your own if the magazine blocks you.

National Geographic — yes, it’s still a thing — picks the best ebikes to “make cycling adventures a breeze,” while the National Council on Aging selects the best ebikes for old farts older Americans.

Bike Portland says last week’s election bodes well for bicycling in the city.

Colorado county commissioners nixed a hotly debated proposal for a mountain bike park, although the decision left developers demoralized.

NBA star Klay Thompson is one of us, riding his bike to relax between games after signing with the Dallas Mavericks.

A YouTuber rides the rough streets of Dallas to confirm whether it’s really the country’s most unbikeable city.

That’s more like it. An Illinois driver faces up to 61 years in prison for the drugged-driving crash that killed a man riding a bicycle, after he was convicted on four counts of aggravated DUI causing death and one count of reckless homicide.

A Vermont police officer was placed on administrative leave after killing a 38-year old man who was pulling a bike trailer behind his bicycle; officials unofficially exonerated the driver of the police cruiser by insisting it was rainy and dark, and the street was wet. Which is usually what happens when it rains.

Kindhearted McDonalds coworkers bought a new bicycle for a Cambridge, Massachusetts man after his bike was stolen.

New York completed the final phase of a Vision Zero makeover of the city’s former “Boulevard of Death,” which has already resulted in a dramatic reduction in deaths and serious injuries for all road users, while increasing bike use up to 450%.

Prosecutors in New Jersey are headed to the grand jury to seek a formal indictment of 43-year old Sean Higgins, accused in the drunken, high-speed crash that killed the hockey playing Gaudreau brothers as they rode their bikes on the shoulder of a New Jersey highway the night before their sister’s wedding.

Once again, someone riding a bicycle fell off a Florida drawbridge, when a 72-year old man fell after holding on for dear life after the bridge opened as he was riding across; fortunately, the victim’s injuries weren’t life threatening.

 

International

Canadian Cycling Magazine looks at city bicycling rules that need to be changed.

The BBC takes a look at bike riders who are taking things into their own hands, and tracking down their own stolen bicycles when the cops won’t. Speaking of which, Amazon has Air Tags on sale for just $19, or $70 for four. 

Life is cheap in Wales, where an 84-year old driver walked without a single day behind bars for killing a bike rider after claiming he just couldn’t see the victim, he was apparently spared jail time by virtue of being old. And once again raising the question of how old is too old to drive, if you can’t even see a grown man on a bicycle. 

An English police department is employing “scarecrow” bikes to frighten off bike thieves.

A British doctor suggests wearing a hot and slightly cumbersome face mask that may take some getting used to when you ride a bike on city streets.

Add riding a bike through the streets of Istanbul to your bicycle bucket list. Singing “Istanbul (not Constantinople)” while you ride is optional.

An American experiences “dirt, sweat and philosophical enlightenment” while gravel biking across Morocco.

Streetsblog considers what the US can learn from Africa’s bike mayor, asking what we can “learn from developing countries where car dependency hasn’t yet taken root.”

The New York Times looks at the thinking behind the massive five-hour bike ride that brought tens of thousands of Chinese people out on a search for dumplings, which became so popular the government shut it down. Cycling Weekly says with enough belief, we could all have our own viral Chinese dumpling ride.

Cycling Up To Date examines the ten biggest scandals in cycling history, culminating with our old doper buddy Lance.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cyclist looks back to Connie Carpenter’s — now Connie Carpenter-Phinney — win in the first women’s Olympic road cycling race at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, 40 years before the next American woman would take gold at this year’s Paris Olympics.

 

Finally…

Now you can crash your bike without ever leaving your living room. Even ungulates are breaking into bike shops these days.

And you really can carry a sofa on a bicycle. Or what looks like a love seat, anyway.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Injuries and Fatalities, Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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