Tag Archive for transportation planning

Boston bike advocate & transportation planner killed while biking to work, and virtual meeting tonight for bike/ped bridge over PCH

July 16, 2026 / / One comment

Once again, a city transportation planner has been killed while riding a bicycle. This time, in Boston.

Unfortunately, most of the news and reactions have been hidden behind paywalls, like this piece in the Boston Globe. Or this one, for that matter.

Or even this one.

However, the basic facts at that 36-year old bike advocate and Boston transportation planner Louisa Gag was killed by a truck driver while riding her bike to work last Thursday, sparking calls to improve safety on the city’s streets.

Not to mention vague “oopsies” and promises to do better from the mayor’s office.

Fortunately, this piece from Boston public radio station WGBH tells the story in heartbreaking detail.

In it, Tori Bedford, a guest host for the station, speaks with Galen Mook, the executive director of statewide bicycling coalition MassBike, who had worked with Gag at a local advocacy group before she went to work for the city.

Bedford: In her first administration (Boston Mayor Michelle Wu), back in 2023, Boston launched the Mission Hill Transportation Planning Project. I think they dedicated $300,000 to that initiative. They held meetings and at those meetings, city officials identified the intersection, a number of intersections, but the intersection where Louisa Gag was killed as one of the most hazardous areas in the project study area. StreetsblogMASS reported that the plan was to move forward with plans to improve visibility, build curb extensions, reduce pedestrian crossing distances. They were going to put in a crosswalk. That was all supposed to be put together by 2024, but at the end of that year, that hadn’t happened. The city had used less than half of its budget for the project. Then in 2025, Mayor Michelle Wu initiated a review of the city’s transit and safety improvement projects, and after that review, the city ripped out protective bollards on bike lanes. They halted work on dozens of transit and safety plans around the city, including that Mission Hill safety project. And then in the city’s 2027 fiscal budget, that Mission Hill project was removed entirely.

Take a minute to digest that.

A woman who spent her life working to improve safety for others was killed at an intersection where the city not only didn’t make the safety improvements they had promised, but actually removed the ones they did.

Then there’s this.

Bedford: Yeah, she did so much. We found this clip of her talking about Go Boston 2030, which is a transportation plan to improve safety and access in Boston. This is from a meeting filmed by The Forum Network in 2019:

“The system is not working for people. People’s buses and subways are not showing up on time. They feel unsafe while they’re walking and biking and it’s really hard to get around. And their frustration was really clear and something that we heard a lot. And these issues absolutely echo the priorities that are featured in Go Boston 2030.”

It’s worth reading the full story, because it paints a picture, not just of the city’s failures, but of Gag as real person, not just a victim.

Her death came just over a month after Chicago Complete Streets planner Riley O’Neil was killed in a dooring while riding his bike in a painted bike lane. He was just a year younger than Gag.

It’s only sheer luck we haven’t seen something like that here.

I know a number of bicycle advocates who’ve had some very close calls, myself included. In fact, I used to think the odds were stacked against me, if only because I spent more time on my bike than I did anywhere else except bed.

And as anyone who’s followed the fight over Measure HLA, Vision Zero and Garcetti’s Green New Deal can tell you, Los Angeles has repeatedly failed to follow through on its commitments to improve safety — not just for bike riders, but for pedestrians, drivers, transit users, and anyone else who ventures out on our streets.

We’ve also had some truly lovely people lose their lives on our streets, too often through no fault of their own. People who became victims and statistics the moment they hit the pavement, and are soon forgotten outside a small circle family and loved ones.

That’s if we even learned anything about them in the first place, other than the barest facts of what happened. If that.

As the late, great — and yes, largely forgotten — Phil Ochs sang,

And I’m sure it wouldn’t interest anybodyOutside of a small circle of friends.

It’s up to us to make sure it matters. And that doesn’t happen to anyone else.

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A virtual meeting will be held tonight to discuss plans for the Potrero Canyon Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge Project, something my friend George Wolfberg had been working on for some time before he died.

The project will provide a bridge over PCH to connect Will Rogers State Beach to George Wolfberg Park in Pacific Palisades. Although I’m told some local residents have already got the torches and pitchforks out to halt the project, or at least get bicycles kicked off it.

I know it’s late notice; I’ve already got another commitment tonight. But try to attend if you can, because every voice will matter to move this forward into reality.

Thanks to Joe for the heads-up.

¡Bienvenidos! Para ver esta información en español, HAGA CLIC AQUÍ.

You’re invited!

The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering (Engineering) and Councilwoman Traci Park (Council District 11) are excited to announce the upcoming online community meeting for the Potrero Canyon Pedestrian / Bicycle Bridge Project.

Learn how the Bureau of Engineering Team proposes to:

  • Improve safety when crossing Pacific Coast Highway
  • Enhance pedestrian and bicycle access to and from the beach
  • Support a more connected park and open space environment that contributes to overall community health and well-being

Community members are invited to attend, ask questions, and share feedback as the project moves forward.

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Register Today

Meet the team, learn about the benefits, explore proposed improvements, and share your feedback.

Join Online

Be sure to share with a friend and save the date for our upcoming Zoom webinar. Click the button below to register and learn more.

Thursday, July 16, 2026

5:30 – 7:00 PM

Register HERE!

Be sure to tell a friend!

Zoom Registration: https://bit.ly/potrerobridgewebinar

Webinar ID: 883 8804 6930

English call-in (audio only): (213) 338-8477

Spanish call-in (audio only): (571) 317-3122

Access code: 287-406-717

Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be provided for those who need language assistance.

We look forward to connecting with you soon.

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Do you need to catch up?

Whether you are new to the project or just need a refresher, watch the last Community Meeting Video to get caught up.

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Project Overview

Located on the coast near the Pacific Palisades community, the Potrero Canyon Pedestrian / Bicycle Bridge Project is led by Engineering, in collaboration with Council District 11. The City of Los Angeles recognizes that the Pacific Palisades and many north Los Angeles communities have endured significant hardship due to wildfires, including the loss of family and friends, homes, businesses, and cherished community spaces.

With deep respect for these experiences, this project is being advanced thoughtfully and in close coordination with the local community. Engineering seeks to work in close collaboration with area residents and stakeholders to develop a pedestrian and bicycle bridge to cross the Pacific Coast Highway, providing a safer connection between the City’s George Wolfberg Park and Will Rogers State Beach. The intent is to improve crossing safety, restore access and connectivity to open spaces that are integral to the neighborhood’s identity and well-being and which serve all Angelenos, as well as support long-term community recovery and a return to a sense of place.

This project is part of the City’s broader efforts to enhance connectivity and accessibility to recreational areas while prioritizing safety, resilience, and environmental stewardship. The bridge will be designed with sensitivity to its surroundings, contributing to the responsible revitalization of the area and supporting the community’s path forward as it heals and rebuilds.

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Stay Connected

There will be multiple public meetings over the next couple of years, and we want to keep you up to date as the project moves forward. Sign up to receive updates and meeting invitations at PotreroCanyonPedBridgeContact.org and let us know the best way to stay in touch, be it by email, text and/or postal mail. To share a commentor contact the project team, please email: Eng.PotreroCanyonPedBridge@LACity.org

Visit the project website (PotreroCanyonPedBridge.org) to learn more.

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This is who we share the road with.

The governor of Nevada makes an itty bitty faux pas while driving, and gets pulled over by a Las Vegas cop for failing to stop when making a right on a red light.

Oops.

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

No bias here. A new London lawsuit claims a proposed Holland Park roundabout and bike lanes will dangerously and “disproportionately benefit the most privileged commuters at the expense of the most vulnerable,” like the elderly. Because as we all know, people who ride bicycles are all extremely privileged, and not the least bit vulnerable. And never, ever elderly. 

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Local 

Hats off to the Major Taylor Los Angeles bicycling club, which is is hosting its inaugural Golf tournament in Manhattan Beach August 30th to benefit the Los Angeles Mission and LA Regional Food Bank, as well as introducing Wheels to Wellness as the new outreach department of the organization.

Santa Monica Next observes that the new curb-protected bike lanes being installed as part of the Broadway Safety Project have now reached the eastern terminus at 26th Street.

If you don’t have any plans for 2028, LA28, the organization sponsoring the ’28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is looking for 60,000 volunteers to staff the events. So feel free to invite a few friends, give or take 60k.

 

State

This is who we share the road with. A 21-year old trucker from Yuba City was sentenced to four years and eight months for causing an eight-vehicle crash that killed 3 people in Ontario last October, after he was convicted of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and reckless driving; he entered the country illegally from India four years ago, but was able to obtain a commercial driver’s license under state and federal policies in place at the time.

A new $3 million federal grant will help complete the final 2.85-mile missing link in a five-mile bicycle and pedestrian pathway connecting Highland and Redlands, bypassing a deadly street corridor.

San José will showcase more than 300 bicycles, including antique and custom-made bikes, at the annual Sunny Side Up bike and classic car show this Sunday.

A 30-year old man was arrested for last month’s Stockton hit-and-run that killed a man riding a bike and two dogs he was pulling behind him in a shopping cart; the suspect has been booked on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter; let’s hope they tack on a couple of animal abuse charges for the dogs.

 

National

You can now ride your ebike in RAGBRAI, aka the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, but you’ll have to behave yourself.

A Kansas City, Missouri cop recovered an ebike that was stolen from a woman with stage 4 breast cancer on Mother’s Day, who then suffered a stroke two days after watching someone ride off on her bike; the officer made the arrest and recovery after spotting someone riding her repainted bike.

They get it. A couple of bicyclist and educators — one a high school teacher and the other a university professor — argue that the word “driver” too often gets left out of headlines and news stories about a crash between a bike rider and a vehicle. That’s exactly the point I’ve been trying to make, thank you. 

No, a Waymo didn’t strike and injure a bike rider in Miami on Tuesday, it took a U-turning human driver to do that; the Waymo just happened to be stopped nearby.

 

International

In truly horrible news, an 89-year old year old man was somehow crushed by a 22-ton asphalt roller while walking his bicycle just 656 feet — just over two football fields — from the safety his home in San Rafael, Argentina.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit, Michigan with Windsor, Ontario will open to motor vehicles on July 27th, despite President Trump’s threats to keep it closed — but won’t open to bike riders and pedestrians until a week later.

A 20-year old Welsh man was sentenced to seven years behind bars for killing a 72-year old man riding a bicycle; the driver had been up the night before using booze and coke, and had failed a driver’s test weeks earlier; the judge also banned him from driving for nine years and eight months. Hopefully, that stats after he gets out, not concurrently.

You still have time to get to the UK for Bristol, England’s edition of the World Naked Bike Ride next month.

Ted Lasso star and Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham has been added to the cast of Jason Statham Stole My Bike, starring the eponymous actor as some version of himself, which is shooting now in the UK and Malta. Speaking of which, if the US Men’s National Team wanted to finally make it past the round of 16, why not get a proven coach like Lasso instead of that Pochettino guy?

Tragic news from Italy, where German bicyclist and influencer Laura Viktoria Härtig died three weeks after she was stuck head-on while riding her bike, by a motorcycle ridden by former Italian Olympic skier Peter Runggaldier; the 30-year old Härtig was on her honeymoon at the time of the crash.

Aussie archaeologist and cyclist Sam Wood is following the route of Odysseus’ journey outlined in Homer’s epic — no, not that Homer — on two wheels, though the effort is complicated by some debate as to where Odysseus and his merry band actually travelled, as well as the lack of Sirens and Cyclops in the modern world. Although you will have to sign into The Guardian to read the story now.

Bike riders in Delhi, India are complaining that bike paths are meant for bicycles, not motor scooters and motorcycles; a harrowing photo shows a small girl riding on a pathway with training wheels on her bicycle as a motor scooter bears down on her.

Thanks to Robert for forwarding a mini documentary about a retro bike parking garage from Japanese broadcaster NHK.

 

Competitive Cycling

Belgian pro Jasper Philipsen was relegated, then un-relegated, following a chaotic bunch sprint on stage 11 of the Tour de France won by everyone’s favorite, Norway’s Søren Wærenskjold, with Olav Kooij second and Philipsen third, then not, then third again.

Cyclists in the Tour peloton have to overcome the intense heat before they can even think about overcoming Pogačar and Vingegaard.

Now you, too, can experience all the thrills of the peloton, when L’Étape Romania by Tour de France presented by Decathlon stages a one-day faux stage in the middle of Bucharest. Because when I think Tour de France, I think Bucharest, I think. 

The ever-popular Tour de Big Bear returns to Big Bear Mountain Resort the weekend of July 31st through August 2nd, for the 16th consecutive year, with “bigger races, bigger prizes and more family fun than ever.”

Cycling News follows a WorldTour team into a wind tunnel to discover what it takes to kit them out in the latest high tech fabrics and designs. Unlike the good ol’ days when Bartali and Coppi would show up in whatever woolen jersey they had lying around. 

 

Finally…

It turns out that designing a bicycle is hard; I mean, who knew? Your next light set could generate its own power from a tiny frictionless dynamo, but only if you have aluminum wheels.

And expect to shell out twenty grand if you want Pogačar’s bike.

Well, not his. But one just like it, more or less.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

 

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

San Diego’s transformative new transportation plan, and Munich shows how bike lane bypasses should be done

December 3, 2021 / / 2 comments

It’s Day 8 of the 7th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Thanks to Dongyi L, Alan C, Gregory S and Todd T for their generous donations to keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.

So take a moment to give now via PayPal, or with Zelle to ted @ bikinginla.com.

Any amount, no matter how large or small, is truly and deeply appreciated. 

Seriously, go ahead and do it right now. We’ll wait. 

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San Diego is about to show California how its done.

San Diego Forward, a new 30-year plan presented by the San Diego Association of Governments, better known as SANDAG, offers a transformational vision of what the city can, and should, be.

Here’s how Streetsblog explains it.

It is unlike any previous regional plan in San Diego, or in California. That’s in part because SANDAG got into a bit of trouble over its last, very inadequate draft plan, which pretended to be forward-looking but, like many regional transportation plans, was mostly a warmed-over rehash of previous plans that prioritize freeways. The previous SANDAG plan included some transit and bike improvements, but those investments were all put on the back burner, and highway expansions came first.

Not this time. The new draft plan – written under new SANDAG leadership – presents a utopian vision of what a connected, equitable, easy-to-navigate transportation system could be, focusing on new technologies for managing vehicle traffic, improving transit, and building streetscapes that work for people on foot and on bike.

Although the 3o-year timeline is about 20 years too late for the planet, which needs to see drastic shifts in how we get around in the next ten years to avoid catastrophic climate changes.

The other challenge is the cost, with an unfunded $160 billion price tag — yes, with a b — to build out.

And as we’ve learned the hard way here in Los Angeles, the key to its success is actually building it, rather than letting it turn into dust sitting on the shelf, like LA’s mobility plan.

Which so far hasn’t been worth the silicon it’s printed on.

However, San Diego leaders have actually shown a willingness to live up to their commitments, such as the city’s climate action plan.

So maybe there’s hope of real change down there, even if it may take too long.

Now if they could just show the rest of us how it’s done.

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Ralph Durham offers a followup to Monday’s photo of a spacious bike lane bypass through a Munich construction zone, protected by a sturdy metal barricade.

It gets better.

We were walking towards the intersection where I took pictures of the detour at the intersection. This time we tried to cross the bridge. The bridge is undergoing major construction and is down to two lanes from four. No sidewalk use either. However, on both sides there are temporary bike ped bridges. Four in total because there is a small island in the river.

Here is a picture of one of the temporary bridges. Yes that is snow.

Photo by Ralph Durham

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That feeling when an anti-bike British lawyer demands his God-given right to dangerously pass a group of bicyclists who are legally riding two abreast to control a narrow lane.

And the cops politely say not today, Satan.

Twitter post

Although the police use a painful analogy to correct him on another one.

Twitter post

Unfortunately, we can only imagine what it would be like to have police back us up like that in this country.

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

The California Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of a man who killed an off-duty LA County Sheriff’s deputy along with another man over 15 years ago, and left his bicycle at the scene as he fled afterwards.

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Local

Santa Monica will be building protected bike lanes on 17th and Steward Streets in the Pico Neighborhood on the eastern part of the city, along with improved crosswalks and safe routes to school for the area’s Edison Language Academy.

 

State

San Diego officials confirmed the identity of a man who was murdered by a driver as he was riding his bike near the Silverwing Recreation Center; police say 40-year old Octavio Mendoza was intentionally run down as the hit-and-ru driver apparently chased him across a grass field with his SUV. Thanks to Phillip Young for the heads-up.

An Escondido bike shop owner is a repeat winner of the National Gingerbread House Competition, despite only recently taking up competitive baking, as opposed to biking.

A 43-year old Oakland mother suffered major injuries when she was doored while riding her bike in Berkeley, then immediately struck by another motorist as she fell to the street.

A Sonoma paper looks back fondly to bicycling’s local heyday in the ’80s and ’90s. No, the 1880s.

 

National

Fast Company says electric cars won’t be enough to save our cities.

A planned Portland lawsuit over the city’s decision not to build a bike lane is up in the air, after the ostensible plaintiff moved to Amsterdam despite crowdfunding $13,000 to fund the suit.

Tragic news from Arkansas, where a bike-riding paramedic was killed during the Little Rock Marathon when he grabbed onto a utility vehicle to respond to an injured runner and was pulled under the vehicle’s wheels; the state governor ordered flags flown at half-staff for two days in his honor.

Talk about a life well-lived. A developmentally disabled Wisconsin man spent 12 years riding his bike to raise funds for a local food bank, covering more than 75,000 miles and raising over $42,000 before his death last week at 75. We should all have a heart that big.

Chicago rolls out Lyft’s new ebikes as part of its bikeshare system.

A Michigan man faces up to 30 years behind bars after admitting to using meth and weed, and using Facebook Messenger while driving at highway speeds when he fatally ran down a woman riding her bike earlier this year.

The bike boom is straining New York’s Citi Bike bikeshare system, which is struggling to keep up with demand in some areas.

Philadelphia solves two problems at once by installing bike corrals to keep drivers from parking in front of fire hydrants.

Heartbreaking news from Florida, where police revealed that the 14-year old Palm Beach boy who was murdered while riding his bike had been stabbed repeatedly in the head by a homeless man, in a totally senseless random attack; his killer had recently spent time in a mental institution after a similarly random attack on an Atlanta man.

 

International

Road.cc recommends essential tools for bike riders who do their own maintenance. And yes, I had all of those. Even if my wife won’t let me work on my bike in our apartment any more.

Vancouver is a little more colorful after installing artwork designed by university art students at five bike parking facilities near rail stations around the city.

Twin British brothers have been charged with murder in the death of a 63-year old man, whose body was found earlier this year after disappearing four years ago during a charity ride in Scotland; there’s no word on why he was killed, however.

Israel’s Knesset has given preliminary approval to a bill that would require license plates on ebike and e-scooters.

The former chairman of Fly6 and Fly12 maker Cycliq discovered the hard way that bike cams don’t stop thieves, after burglars made off with a trio of rare racing bikes from his garage.

 

Competitive Cycling

The reluctance of Quick-Step GM Patrick Lefevere to form a women’s cycling team was behind sponsor Deceuninck switching its alliance to the Alpecin-Fenix team next year.

Twenty-five-year old American ‘cross cyclist and mountain biker Ellen Noble is stepping away from racing indefinitely to deal with health issues caused by an auto-immune disorder and a crash that fractured her spine in three places.

If you’re not doing anything tonight, here’s your chance to dip a toe into track cycling.

Twitter post

 

Finally…

That feeling when you hope someone else buys a 20-year old custom-made cycling team bike so you don’t have to. Your next ebike could be a Porsche — and priced like it, too.

And people on bicycles hardly ever threaten anyone with a gun over bike parking.

Just saying.

Twitter post

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

 

 

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

Weekend Links: App for air pressure, new book from former NYDOT commish, and a tack attack on PCH

February 13, 2016 / / 2 comments

Mike Wilkinson sends word that you’re probably riding on the wrong tire pressure.

A lot of people do not have the right tire pressures on their bike. If your bicycle tire pressure is too low, your bike will handle poorly, you’re more likely to get a flat, and it will be harder to pedal. If it’s too high, the ride will be rough without really improving efficiency. What’s the sweet spot?

In 2007 Bicycle Quarterly published an article that recommended setting the pressure so the tire would compress 15% when loaded. That’s hard to measure, but never fear… an app is here!

The app (sorry, Android only) is available from Amazon and Google Play. The cost is $2.50. It has some handy preconfigured options and a custom option.

Entering the numbers for my go-fast road bike, I was surprised at how much the app wanted me to lower my tire pressure. I was happy to see that I had the recommended pressure in the front tire of our tandem, but the app said I should put a lot more air in the rear tire.

It’s great fun for bike geeks like me, and it might give you a better ride for less effort!

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Looking forward to reading this new book by former New York DOT Commissioner Samuel I. Schwartz, head of Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants and the man credited with coining the term gridlock.

So far, I’ve only made it through the prologue and first chapter as I rode home on the subway the other night, and already learned more than I knew before about how we got into this auto-centric mess we’re in, and how we can get out of it.

Schwartz-Book

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Streetsblog’s Joe Linton recaps Thursday’s meeting of the Planning Commission, which voted unanimously to keep Westwood Blvd and Central Ave in the LA Mobility Plan.

Wrong though he may be, at least Paul Koretz had the guts to show up in person to argue against the bike lanes on Westwood; fellow Councilmembers Curren Price and Gil Cedillo sent their staff to do their dirty work.

And the Wave newspaper reports on the protest against Price’s attempts to kill the bike lanes on Central Ave.

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Next time you fly Delta, you can see their Sky Magazine’s report on LA’s efforts to shed its reputation as the car capital of the world and become bike and pedestrian friendly.

Or you could just read about it here.

Thanks to the LACBC for the link.

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Be careful riding on PCH in Malibu, where someone has reportedly been sabotaging the roadway with tacks.

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Just a few new events we haven’t mentioned yet.

Greg Laemmle is hosting a moderately paced President’s Day Ride to visit streets and sites named after them.

CiclaValey invites you to come out for the Connect the Dots Great Streets event on Van Nuys Blvd next weekend, where he’ll be talking bikes and taking part in the Tour de Van Nuys.

Registration is now open for the 2016 Honor Ride Bear Claw in Simi Valley this April to raise funds for Ride 2 Recovery to help rehabilitate wounded vets.

The Los Angeles Bike Festival has put out a call for artists to participate in the May event.

And don’t forget today’s 7th annual Ride For Love.

Ride For Love

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Local

LA County opens the new Milton Street Park along the Ballona Creek bike path; the park will be a stop on a planned 13-mile trail connecting the Baldwin Hills to the beach.

Glendale approves a new 1.3-mile green bike lane on Sonora Avenue.

Long Beach’s Alamitos Ave will be getting a road diet and other improvements to make it safer for cyclists, pedestrians and other humans.

 

State

Laguna Beach votes to upgrade the Top of the World bike and pedestrian trail.

Irvine-based Pedego Electric Bikes introduces an e-foldie.

A San Diego woman who rides her bike to look for and paint over graffiti in Mission Beach was badly injured in a hit-and-run; police are questioning a person of interest in the case.

San Diego considers a proposal for a half-cent sales tax increase to raise $18 billion for road and transit projects — with less than $400 million set aside for bike and other active transportation projects.

A 67-year old bike rider was seriously injured in a collision in Ventura when he reportedly turned left into the path of a car traveling in the same direction. Thanks to Melissa Pamer for the heads-up.

Police find the badly damaged car they believe killed a San Jose cyclist in a hit-and-run early Friday, though the driver was nowhere to be found; a bottle in the back suggested he or she may have been drinking.

A Dublin lawyer who got a sweetheart deal from an overly lenient judge after killing a cyclist in a hit-and-run could face a year in jail after testing positive for coke while on probation.

A St. Helena council committee votes to move forward with a bike lane that will require the loss of 14 parking spaces in front of a senior center.

 

National

Bad news for racing fans, as Colorado’s USA Pro Challenge won’t take place this year; organizers hope to regroup under new ownership for 2017.

Corpus Christi TX recommends a 290-mile bike network, created in large part by moving cyclists onto widened sidewalks.

Elgin IL cops out by deciding to install sharrows to meet a requirement to include bike lanes in a street makeover so they can get a $2 million federal grant.

Akron OH proposes reimagining the city’s overbuilt streets as walkable, bikeable parkways. Be nice to see some of those approaches used here.

Chattanooga TN is named one of seven US cities where people can retire in “bicycling bliss.” My hometown is one of the other six.

 

International

A British Columbia man is suing his parents over a mountain bike crash that left him paralyzed as a teenager, in order to protect them from the muddled world of insurance law.

Someone continues to booby trap trails in a UK wood by placing camouflaged logs on blind corners to keep cyclists from using them; it may be the same person who has been attempting to poison dogs with adulterated food.

A London physician has ridden his bike through 73 countries on six continents to treat patients, surviving a broken leg, robbery, stabbing and dengue fever in the process.

A Manila bicyclist calls for protected bike lanes to save lives in a city that averages 125 bicycling fatalities a year, despite being less than half the size of Los Angeles.

 

Finally…

Yes, going carless can be sexy. According to this sign, keep the rubber side up.

And just what the Corgi needs, a Japanese bike designed solely to take your dog with you.

 

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

US DOT Secretary LaHood says bikes are good

March 15, 2010 / / 4 comments

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood tweeted this in support of bikes on Monday:

We’re not anti-car; we’ve paved our share of roads. But bikes must have a seat at the table.

But that doesn’t begin to compare with what he had to say on his blog:

Today, I want to announce a sea change. People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning. This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.

We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects. We are discouraging transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians. And we are encouraging investments that go beyond the minimum requirements and provide facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.

To set this approach in motion, we have formulated key recommendations for state DOTs and communities:

  • Treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes.
  • Ensure convenient access for people of all ages and abilities.
  • Go beyond minimum design standards.
  • Collect data on walking and biking trips.
  • Set a mode share target for walking and bicycling.
  • Protect sidewalks and shared-use paths the same way roadways are protected (for example, snow removal)
  • Improve nonmotorized facilities during maintenance projects.

Now, this is a start, but it’s an important start. These initial steps forward will help us move forward even further.

The Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation does a good job of explaining just what that means.

But evidently, the planners working on a replacement for the Gerald Desmond Bridge in the Port of Long Beach didn’t get the memo.

………

A police sting catches a Downtown bike thief, and nearly stings a nearby pedestrian in the process. The Dodgers could learn a lot from the new Yankee Stadium when it comes to bike parking. Will offers video of his trek down the Orange Line Bikeway, and he’s shocked by the Times’ front page coverage of last weekend’s Fargo Street Hill Climb. The LACBC’s City of Lights program is featured in a Streetfilms video from the National Bike Summit. The hit-and-run epidemic hits Berkeley. A new ghost bike goes up in Sacramento. Security cameras capture the last images of a Portland cyclist missing for nearly a month. A Spokane-area bar owner pleads not guilty to the hit-and-run death of a cyclist earlier this month. Drivers now form the minority in Detroit. Dave Moulton looks back at the King of the Classics. Maybe you just need a better soundtrack for your commute. Riding from Paraguay to the U.S. to save the trees. Bike sharing in Tehran. The failure of London’s new bike plan. Bspoke bikewear fit for the office. More on the London bike death of musician and fashion designer Shivon Watson, aka Shiv Lizzy; Dutch experts say London’s mayor could do more to cut deaths and get more riders on the road. Maybe they should consider an underwater stage for next year’s Tour. Thanks to the Trickster for word that Melbourne-area roads are getting smarter.

Finally, Copenhagenize looks at Ciclovia in Mexico City; if you like what you what you see, don’t just imagine it in L.A. Do something about it.

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