Tag Archive for West Hollywood

LA committee votes to request report on installing bike lane barriers in-house, WeHo bike lane whine, and GOP both pissed-off and missing

October 22, 2026 / / One comment

One quick note before we start. 

I’m going with a shorter format today, after running out of time to keep working as the clock leaves 4 am in the rearview mirror.  

The problem stems from my attempt to set our apartment on fire with an overheated wok last night, said attempt failing only after I remembered the $28 fire blanket I bought last year and stashed next to the stove, thinking I might need it someday. 

That someday was yesterday. 

So we’ll go with the day’s main stories for now, and catch up on the rest tomorrow. And if it seems like my heart’s not in it today, I can assure you it’s on the saddle and in the bike lane, where it always is.

My head, on the other hand, is another matter. 

Today’s photo of 3rd Street Toronto barriers shamelessly stolen respectfully borrowed courtesy of Streetsblog’s Joe Linton

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Sort of good news today, as the LA City Council Transportation Committee voted to install new concrete Toronto barriers on the city’s protected bike lanes.

Just kidding.

The committee actually voted unanimously to request a report from LADOT on what it would take to install the barriers internally, rather than rely on the Bureau of Street Services to install them.

Which should raise the question of why LA city departments continue to be siloed, with one agency tasked with planning city streets, another with engineering them, and a third with actually building them.

But this being LA, no one bothered to ask that.

Instead, assuming the motion passes the full council, the department will be tasked with compiling yet another report to report back to the council on, reporting why they should or shouldn’t install the barriers themselves, or if they even can.

So I will report on the report, if and when they actually report on it.

And people wonder why nothing reportedly gets done around here.

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Seriously, would you like some cheese with that whine?

A WeHo Online op-ed complains that West Hollywood City Councilmember Lauren Meister was treated unfairly in her attempt to undo what the council had already done in voting to approve the planned protected bike lanes on Fountain Ave.

Meister, said the mister who wrote it, “demonstrated something increasingly rare on the West Hollywood City Council: a willingness to listen, reconsider, and think beyond the confines of a predetermined political position.”

According to the op-ed,

Her proposal was neither radical nor unreasonable. It simply asked whether there might be a better way to achieve safety for ALL users of Fountain Avenue.

Which is what the council had already done, in approving a plan that considered the needs off all road users, rather than just the ones who want to keep parking on it.

Apparently, all the councilmembers who supported the plan were unreasonable, if not downright rude, in their refusal to reconsider the votes they had cast mere months before, while those who didn’t were perfectly reasonable in requesting that they do.

Then there were the several dozen written comments originating from ZIP codes well beyond West Hollywood. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but the voices of outside advocacy networks should not be confused with those of residents who will live with the consequences of these decisions every day. Their interests deserve particular consideration, not dismissal as obstacles to someone else’s ideological vision.

Which would make perfect sense, if this was a matter that only affected residents of the city. But Fountain Ave has long been used more by people attempting to drive — or bike — through WeHo to some other destination, than as a quiet side street for those who live along the busy corridor.

If memory serves, Blake Ackerman, whose ghost bike sits at Fountain and Gardner, was riding home from work in DTLA to an apartment in Beverly Hills when he was killed by a hit-and-run driver just last year.

Countless studies show that improving safety on Fountain will benefit everyone who drives, bikes or walks along the corridor, while improving the quality of life for those who live nearby.

So it is not unreasonable for councilmembers to stick to a previous decision that was made after years of street studies and public meetings. It is, however, unreasonable to demand that it be reconsidered every few months.

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Apparently, the Central Valley Young Republicans are opposed to a proposed sales tax measure on next month’s ballot.

No, really opposed.

According to a letter to the editor in the GV Wire,

The Fresno County Transportation Sales Tax, otherwise known as Measure S, is a scam. The measure will extend the already high sales tax throughout Fresno County. And, while its creators promise “better roads” and “safer streets,” it will not improve either.

Instead, it pads the pockets of the nonprofit CEOs who wrote it and prioritizes the fundamental transformation of our beautiful, family-friendly Central Valley into a dump, similar to what the once beautiful city of San Francisco has become today.

This measure’s main objective is to create a more urban, public transit-dependent, cluttered way of life, similar to the disasters of Los Angeles and San Francisco, with unending bike and bus lanes driving cars off the road, funded and supported by the same elites and politicians who destroyed California and now want to destroy Fresno County.

Okay, but how do they really feel?

Because, evidently, clogging local streets with more and more cars, trucks and SUVs will somehow maintain their high quality of life, while providing alternatives to driving will destroy it.

Never mind the non sequitur of nonprofits padding their pockets.

There is a valid argument to be made about resisting higher taxes, or at least considering them very carefully. There can also be a discussion as to where and when to build bus and bike lanes.

But this ain’t it.

I only wish LA had “unending bike and bus lanes driving cars off the road.” Because what’s really driving cars off the road are all those other drivers in other cars, with increasingly less space to maneuver because of all the other drivers driving them off the road.

And they wonder why Republicans are an endangered species in California.

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Finally, we’ll end on the sad saga of ICE agents crashing into, detaining and breaking the arm of an American citizen in Long Beach on Saturday.

According to My News LA, four California lawmakers — US Representatives Nanette Barragán, D-San Pedro, and Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, as well as Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, both D-California — sent a strongly worded letter to Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari demanding an investigation into the ICE attack on Ricardo Gonzalez.

But what’s missing from the letter — aside from the likelihood that it will be taken seriously under current DHS leadership — is the presence of any lawmakers with an R following their names.

Maybe I’m dating myself, but I remember when government agents in black SUVs detaining — let alone attacking — an American citizen would have drawn howls of protest from the GOP, as well Democrats.

Maybe someday, our Republican leaders will find their missing integrity. But today is clearly not that day.

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

Fountain bike lanes win in WeHo, ICE pinky swears they didn’t hit Long Beach ebike rider, and bike rider dead after Cleveland rampage

October 21, 2026 / / 2 comments

Safety won out over convenience after all.

According to LAist, the effort to replace plans for protected bike lanes on Fountain Ave parking failed following a tense West Hollywood City Council vote, failing by the slimmest possible margin.

The motion: Meister’s motion, which critics said came at the last minute, aimed to avoid the loss of 60% of the street’s parking as a result of the roadway changes. Meister said on Monday her motion was an attempt to weigh the approved plan against an alternative that “might accomplish the same safety objectives while preserving parking.”…

The vote: The motion failed in a 3-2 vote on Monday night. It would have directed staff to evaluate an alternative plan for the road that maintained street parking but didn’t include bike lanes. West Hollywood City Councilmembers Chelsea Byers and John Erickson and Vice Mayor Danny Hang voted to reject the motion. Mayor John Heilman and City Councilmember Lauren Meister, who introduced the motion, supported the effort.

Except, of course, it wouldn’t have accomplished the same safety goals. Studies show that protected bike lanes increase safety for all road users by as much as 90%. But forcing riders to use the traffic lane, or risk riding in the door zone, would make the street even less safe than it is now.

And right now, it’s pretty deadly.

Bluesky post

Today’s photo: Maybe we’ll have fewer ghost bikes now, like this one installed for Blake Ackerman last year on Fountain Ave. But let’s hope they move fast, because who knows what will happen after next month’s election. 

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No surprise here, as ICE swears they didn’t ram their SUV into a Long Beach man before detaining him Saturday, breaking his arm in the process.

Yet video shows the SUV speeding the wrong way on a one-way street before swerving into the path of Ricardo Gonzalez’ ebike, apparently based on nothing but the color of his skin.

A statement from ICE says Gonzalez hit their wing mirror. Which is hard not to do when a massive SUV cuts right in front of you.

An ICE officer can be seen jumping out, gun drawn. Gonzalez was tased and wrestled to the ground before ICE agents pinned him face down in the gutter, his hands cuffed behind his back.

Never mind that Gonzalez is a native-born American citizen who works for the City of Long Beach.

According to the New York Times,

In the video footage, Mr. Gonzalez can be heard yelling. “You hit me with your car. I’m a U.S. citizen!” he says, using several expletives.

Mr. Gonzalez was later taken to a hospital for his injuries, the Long Beach police said. The police was not involved in immigration enforcement and did not make any arrests at the scene, the department added. It said its officers were called in for backup by ICE, which had reported that vehicles were being vandalized and that a person needed medical attention. The extent of Mr. Gonzalez’s injuries was not clear on Tuesday.

It gets worse.

In its statement, a spokesperson for ICE said the agency had been conducting a targeted operation to arrest a “criminal illegal alien.” The agency did not say whether it thought Mr. Gonzalez was that person. The agency also said its officers had used “the minimum amount of force.”

“ICE did NOT hit an individual on a bike. An individual was arrested after he smashed the mirror of a government vehicle,” the spokesperson wrote.

ICE described the man, whom the spokesperson did not name, as a “rioter.”

So evidently, getting hit by federal agents with their SUV, tased, cuffed and having your arm broken in an apparent case of mistaken identity is “rioting.”

Got it.

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Heartbreaking story from Cleveland, where police are looking for the driver who killed a 35-year old man riding a bicycle, after striking several other vehicles.

According to Cleveland’s WKYC, the tragic series of event began as police were directing traffic just before the end of the Brown’s football game. After officers observed the driver of a pickup truck squealing his tires, they tried to get him to stop, but he just fled on the wrong side of the road.

He struck one vehicle, then several others as he fled down the road, eventually losing a wheel. Despite that, he continued driving before striking and killing the victim.

He then abandoned the truck, fleeing the scene on foot.

Compounding the tragedy, the victim, William Mays, was riding a bicycle he was given him by the suburban Highland Hills Police Department this past July, after officers learned the bicycle he used to get to and from work had broken down.

They posted a memorial to Mays following his death, calling him a beloved member of the community, “remembered for his kindness, warm smile, and the joy he brought to our department.”

The only good news in this whole mess is that no one else was injured in this traffic violence rampage.

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Boy, does he get it.

A Scottish columnist says city councilors in Edinburgh and Glasgow need to ride the bike lanes in their cities — or try to, anyway — because the bike lanes “appalling” condition amounts to a roadway apartheid. And that bike lanes should be in better condition than the regular traffic lanes, anyway.

He says that parts of the city are beginning to feel like Amsterdam, thanks to more segregated bike lanes, or what we would call protected bike lanes.

But – and this is a big But – very few people will be able to get from A to B on segregated lanes alone. For virtually every cycle journey, however much you try to avoid busy roads without segregated lanes, it will prove impossible.

However, in my experience, it’s far worse than that, as older cycle lanes may well be all but invisible or in a decidedly poor condition, if not also litter, leaves and debris-strewn. I would go so far as to describe the worst examples as roads apartheid – smooth running for cars while cyclists have to put up with bumpy, rutted surfaces.

I believe where that has occurred, councils have got their priorities all wrong. The condition of cycle lanes should be as good as or better than that of the main carriageway – not the other way round.

Unfortunately, the story is hidden behind a paywall for the paper’s “premium” users. But it’s worth finding a way around it to read the whole thing.

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Note the lovely smoking factory in the background neatly framed by the tire.

Bluesky post

 

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Toronto protesters erected a sculpture to fallen bicyclists, composed of stacked red bicycles, along one of the bike lanes the Ontario provincial government is in the process of ripping out.

Thanks to Donna for the heads-up. 

Reddit post

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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 clip resurfaced this week of Texas Republican congressional candidate and “gunfluencer” Brandon Herrera fantasizing about killing bicyclists for the crime of being in front of him on the road — “They want to be treated like vehicles, like cars. But they’re not, they travel at fucking arrestable speed limits of not being a fucking car. And they expect you to respect the fact that they just want to be an asshole on Sunday mornings. I had fucking fantasies of running them all over and, you know, maybe one of these days I will.” Nice guy.

No bias here, either. A writer for London’s The Independent — yes, the same paper sportswriter Trent Crimm worked for on Ted Lasso — says now that the UK’s new prime minister is fining people who play loud music without using headphones, he needs to tackle the problem of people who ride bicycles on the sidewalk. Which sounds reasonable, until you consider that no one rides on the sidewalk if the street next to it is safe.

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Local 

CD14 Councilmember Ysebel Jurado is one of us, taking part in the recent Heart of LA CicLAvia.

 

State

Congratulations, California. We’re number 2 — in more ways than one — on the list of states with the most bicycling deaths. Although with a population more than 24% larger than Texas, the next largest state, it would be surprising if we didn’t rank near the top. 

More than 50 veterans and first responders are taking part in the 400-mile Project Hero Ride down the California coast to raise funds to support recovery from PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.

The parents of a 13-year old Garden Grove boy killed when he crashed his e-motorbike into a pole at 40 mph now face charges of child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a child for buying their son a “faster and more powerful E-Moto,” despite multiple previous injuries.

Streetsblog reports that speed cams work where they’re installed. And right now, they’re installed and working in San Francisco. Maybe someday, LA. Maybe someday. 

 

National

Relatives of a fallen Seattle elementary teacher have filed suit against a garbage company, alleging the driver of one of their trucks abruptly right hooked him as he rode his bicycle, running over him and his bike. And there ain’t no helmet that can protect against that. 

He gets it. An op-ed from a New York bike advocate says the city needs smarter rules for Central Park, where pedestrians have access to all 51 miles of streets in the park, while bike riders are confined to a single 6.1-mile roadway shared with runners, rollers, walkers and dogs.

 

International

London, Ontario bicyclists called for safer roads during Saturday’s Critical Mass ride, which is kinda the point of Critical Mass.

Sad news from England, where one of the best known bicyclists in rural Cumbria died after a short illness; 87-year old Gerard McCarten was locally famous for his fundraising rides, as doctors listened in to his radio-transmitted heartbeat as he rode after his heart attack ten years ago.

Bike advocates in the UK are calling for action from Prime Minister Andy Burnham to provide safer bike routes for women, after a local task force found that three-quarters of the country’s bike lane users are male.

A 24-year old man from County Cork, Ireland has resumed his 7,500-mile fundraising ride from his hometown to the Mt. Everest basecamp, after returning home for three months to wait out monsoon season.

 

Competitive Cycling

Polish Olympic silver medalist Daria Pikulik was stripped of her results for a two-year period after skipping three doping tests over an 18 month period. But the doping era is over, right? Right?

 

Finally…

Your next single-speed belt-drive bike could be a Ralph Lauren. You could have been the proud owner of an antique Leo Grundle chemist delivery bike for the equivalent of a mere $1,366.

And I only wish this wasn’t true.

Twitter post

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

 

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

Waiting on word from WeHo, lengthy prison terms for killer drivers, Florida cop patrols at 3 times legal BAC, and ebike jousting is now a thing

October 20, 2026 / / No comments

Just a quick update today, since I wasted too much time trying to learn more about Saturday’s ebike death in Huntington Beach. You’d think I’d know better by now. 

And still no word from West Hollywood about the city council vote on replacing the promised protected bike lanes on Fountain Ave with curbside parking. 

Hopefully we’ll learned more today. 

And apropos of nothing, this is my only companion as I work in the dark tonight, while my wife and corgi — no, two separate beings, thank you — sleep in the other room. 

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

A 27-year old Florida man faces felony child abuse charges for allegedly pushing a child off his bicycle following a brief altercation; he insists he didn’t push the kid, but merely knocked the boy off his bike by kicking its front tire. Which somehow doesn’t seem to make it any better.

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

A London man says a bike rider ran a Putney red light and crashed into him as he walked in a crosswalk, then punched and kicked him until impatient drivers honked their horns, but did nothing to intervene.

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Local 

As usual, Metro buses, trains and Metro Bikes will be free on Election Day, which should be a paid holiday, but isn’t.

Local residents are calling for an anti-camping zone for the new park scheduled to open under the 6th Street Bridge next year. Although they’ve managed to fuck up everything else with the four-year old bridge, so they might as well fuck up the park, too. 

Secret Los Angeles spills the secret on the planned Westwood bike lanes that will — finally — connect UCLA to the Westwood/Rancho Park E Line station. And eventually connect the E Line to the D (Purple) Line.

 

State

A 40-year old Rohnert Park man was lucky to escape with non-life threatening injuries when he ignored railroad crossing gates, a train’s horn and warning lights to ride his bike across railroad tracks as a SMART train was crossing. Seriously, train crashes are the easiest collisions to avoid, since they’re confined to a narrow space and usually provide ample warning that they’re coming. And they’re fucking loud. 

Three years after allowing ebikes on an East Bay trail, an unscientific survey finds 80% of trail users feel unsafe around them. Although I wonder if the survey included ebike riders, too. 

Golden State Report’s Paul Thornton says San Francisco’s Prop G is the most LA thing on the city’s ballot; the measure would rip out the popular sunset Dunes Park to restore the former Upper Great Highway. Which clearly wasn’t so great, or they never would have shut it down to create a linear park in the first place. 

 

National

Velo picks the year’s best road bikes, starting with their $2,500 “budget” bike.

PeopleForBikes says that e-mountain bikes are changing the way Forest Service land managers work. Which makes sense, since they cost less than a good horse, and are way cheaper to feed.

A couple of New York legislators who can’t seem to undo the caps lock key on their keyboard propose allowing scofflaw bicyclists to watch a video instead of paying a fine, inspired by a similar London law. If I have to watch a video, I’ll take Casablanca, please.

A bill in the New Jersey legislature would exempt Class 1 and 2 ebikes from the state’s draconian licensing and registration requirements.

A 33-year old Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 10 to 40 years behind bars for beating another man to death with his own bicycle, after pleading guilty to 3rd-degree murder while insisting he didn’t remember doing it, but admitting video evidence was likely to sway a jury. The article kept disappearing on me, but maybe you’ll have better luck. 

An Alabama woman received 25 years behind bars for killing a 13-year old middle school student as he was riding his bicycle, while she was speeding, “under the influence of multiple substances,” and ran the red light he was legally crossing.

This is who we share the road with. A Florida cop was busted for driving drunk while on duty, in his patrol car, with a BAC three times the legal limit.

Thousands of creepily clad costumers climbed on their bikes for Key West’s annual four-mile Zombie Ride.

 

International

Yucatán Magazine looks at the dangers faced by bike riders in Mérida, the Mexican state’s capital city, from disconnected and poorly maintained bike lanes to hazardous urban corridors. Sounds kinda like a certain SoCal megalopolis we could name. 

A fourth person has been arrested protesting Ontario’s moves to rip out a Toronto bike lane, as dozens of people continue their effort to block the roadwork.

A 27-year old London woman was sentenced to a relatively modest ten years and nine months behind bars for killing a music student as he rode his bike in the city’s Hackney neighborhood, while she was high on laughing gas and doing 53 mph in a 20 mph zone. Although typical of British reports, the make of car she was driving seems to be the most important detail.

A new joint German-Israeli study used a robotic bike — no, not what you think — to determined that “dynamic, trunk-related control that keeps the upper body stable while the world tilts beneath the wheels” is more important than general steadiness on two feet in keeping older bike riders balanced and stable on their bicycles.

 

Competitive Cycling

Two-time Leadville 100 champ Melisa Rollins is leaving offroad cycling behind to embark on a new road cycling career.

 

Finally…

Yes, your toddler needs a nearly $700 titanium-frame balance bike. While your kid toddles on ti, your next bike could be made from thermoplastics.

And that feeling when Lime says using their bikes for the noble sport of ebike jousting is a big no-no.

Instagram post

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , ,

All hands call to save Fountain Ave bike lanes, ICE attacks ebike-riding CA native in Long Beach, and bike lanes are conservative

October 19, 2026 / / No comments

Man, that was a rough week.

I can’t remember the last time a migraine knocked me out like that, or affected me so badly for so long after the pain was finally gone. 

I’m told my migraines, and the associated dizziness, stem from a traumatic brain injury suffered in the infamous beachfront bee incident that put me in the ICU for a few days 20 years ago.

The impact knocked me cold for several minutes, erasing any memory of the crash and leading to one of those life-after-death visions you read about, which, real or hallucinated, both shattered and cemented my own personal faith. 

The ER doctors at Santa Monica’s St. John’s hospital told me my helmet probably saved my life. But in those pre-MIPS days, it did nothing to prevent the concussions I suffered.

The first migraine I ever had came four years after that, and they’ve continued to grow more frequent and worse in the years since. 

I’ve often been a critic, not of bike helmets, but of the overpromises made by so many people who equate bike helmets with seat belts or air bags, as if they would somehow magically protect you from a multi-ton motor vehicle traveling at highway speeds.

They won’t. 

Even the best bike helmets are intended to protect you from relatively low speed falls off your bike, not collisions. But as I’ve learned the hard way, that limited protection can still make a huge difference in your health decades after a crash. 

Now the Canadian-made Pikio Si Oblik has been rated the safest ever by the testing institute at Virginia Tech. It’s hard to recommend a helmet that costs nearly $400, especially when you can get a decent MIPS model for so much less.

But based on my own experience, it might be worth it. 

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As we said last week, tonight there’s an all hands on deck meeting of the West Hollywood City Council, as WeHo Councilmember Lauren Meister is once again attempting to kill the long-promised protected bike lanes on Fountain Ave.

Meister tells WeHo Online that the council didn’t receive any other options other than the bike lanes when they voted to approve the project — even though the street was subject to nearly a decade of discussion and public meetings — and she prefers a plan that would replace the bike lanes with parking spaces, calling it a “compromise.”

Although the C-words I would use are “capitulation,” and “convenience,” as in a surrender to the whims of motorists who are used to parking on the deadly street.

Never mind that protected bike lanes have been shown to improve safety up to 90% for all road users, while maintaining parking would only serve to keep the corridor deadly by forcing bike riders to use the single remaining lane or ride in the door zone.

Streets For All explains how you can help by attending tonight’s meeting, or sending an email to the councilmembers in advance of the meeting.

Parking proponents will undoubtedly be out in force at the meeting, and will need to be met with an equal and opposite demand to improve safety for everyone. The alternative will be to keep Fountain Ave unrideable and unsafe to walk along and cross, as well as to drive.

If that’s the plan, they might as well save the money to pay for ghost bikes and white tires for all the victims yet to come.

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More evidence that ICE is out of control, after a Long Beach man was intentionally run down by ICE agents as he was riding an ebike and struck with an unmarked vehicle, then tased twice and handcuffed face down in the gutter, suffering a broken arm in the attack.

Ricardo Gonzalez was attacked by agents on Saturday, apparently because of the color of his skin, since they had no other means of determining his immigration status as he was riding his bike. Never mind that Gonzalez was born in Hanford, California, making him a US citizen by birth, despite Trump’s efforts to change that.

The agents also rifled through his wallet, and confiscated his ID and Meta glasses.

A crowdfunding campaign for Gonzalez has raised over $13,000, more than doubling the initial $6,500 goal.

Note to ICE agents: Maybe try to determine someone’s citizenship and immigration status before you run them down with an SUV — or better yet, just don’t run them down in the first place.

Thanks to Megan for the heads-up.

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He gets it.

A Bakersfield writer says bike lanes are a conservative cause, so it’s time to stop targeting them and the leaders who advocate for them.

Here’s what these critics miss: A bike lane makes a road safer even when no one is riding in it. Wide lanes invite speeding and inattention. Narrowing them slows traffic, and the striped buffer puts extra feet between moving cars and people on the sidewalk. Federal data cited by city staff show bike lanes on arterial roads cut car-bicycle crashes roughly in half. If anything, the city should go further and add bollards or other barriers, so a drifting driver hits a barrier before a person. That would also make riders feel safe enough to use the lanes more.

Now consider the money. Many roads in northwest and southwest Bakersfield were built with two lanes each way but enough pavement for three or four, on the theory that traffic would someday need it. At the pace we grow, that day is decades away, if it comes at all, and these roads will need rebuilding long before then. Where were the fiscal watchdogs when we paved all that unnecessary asphalt? Repurposing a few feet of it for the safety of everyone is a bargain by comparison…

And when it comes to bike infrastructure itself, fiscal conservatives have been making the case for years. The Kern County Taxpayers Association, hardly a group of free spenders, has long pushed for a better network of bike and walking paths across the city, including more than 50 miles of trails along abandoned and underused rail lines. When the region’s leading fiscal watchdog says safe places to walk and bike are worth the investment, critics who call it waste should take note.

None of this is a liberal plot to take away anyone’s car. It’s about two things conservatives have always championed: freedom of choice and public safety. People should be free to choose how they get around, whether that’s driving, biking, walking or some mix, to save money on gas, to get some exercise, or to let their kids gain a little independence. But that choice only means something if every option is reasonably safe. Too often, it isn’t. A parent may hesitate to let a 12-year-old ride to school. A retiree may not be able to safely walk to the corner store. Someone who can’t afford a car, or can’t drive one, may be taking their life in their hands just crossing the street. Keeping people safe is among the most basic jobs of local government, and the right to get home alive shouldn’t depend on being encased in a car. Responsible spending, personal choice, public safety and strong families are supposed to be conservative values. Safe streets serve all four.

Maybe someone should show this to Sean Duffy, our current Secretary of Transportation, and tell him enough with the “DEI bike lane” crap.

And I say “current,” because no one seems to have job security in this administration, except for those who seem to least deserve it.

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A San Francisco writer discusses the difference riding a bicycle has made in his life over the past ten years, improving it in ways he couldn’t have imagined.

My colleague Lily Janiak, our San Francisco Chronicle theater critic who bikes to shows and everywhere else, coaxed me along like a mother duck, warning me about the risks of tires sticking in streetcar rails, getting “doored”, and even other cyclists. Struggling to remember it all, I felt certain I was going to die.

Instead, I was reborn. 

Or at least rebranded. Riding a bicycle has become as much a part of my Chronicle job as exploring new spaces, hanging out with cool old people and breaking big Pacifica Taco Bell news. I now take my bike and public transportation to assignments as a rule.

In the process, I’ve gotten healthier, spent less money and saved time cruising past traffic jams. But the results extend beyond all that (and the smugness that often comeswhen cyclists lecture about health, money and traffic). I’ve become a better journalist and a better community member. I may not live longer — did I mention that I bike in San Francisco? — but I’m definitely doing a better job working for you.

Unfortunately, the story is hidden behind the paper’s draconian paywall. But it’s worth finding your way around it if you can to give it a read.

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The Hollywood Reporter examines the bicycling documentary The Perfect Road, which premiered recently at the London Film Festival.

Years ago, Maximilian Schnell left his job and his life in Paris and began a nomadic lifestyle on his bicycle. The road has given him freedom and adventure. And he has set himself grueling physical and mental challenges.

Perfect Road, a documentary from Danish directors and cousins Adam and Christian Bonke, follows him on an extreme journey through some of Europe’s highest mountain passes, while also providing a meditation on modern life and character study. For one, even in an age of digital nomads, Schnell’s lifestyle pushes the envelope. And then, his relationship with his partner Nina makes him question his life priorities.

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We’ve seen this video before, depicting a Slovakian mountain biker outrunning a bear, possibly without even knowing he was doing it.

But an animal website uses this 2017 encounter as a launching pad to consider what you should do if you run into one while riding out in the woods. Hint: Unless you can ride faster than 35 mph, you may lose the race. 

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

A Florida convenience store owner is facing a second-degree murder charge after intentionally driving his car into a 14-year old boy riding an ebike, because he thought the boy had attempted to burglarize his store.

In one of the most shameful episodes I’ve seen, a Quebec City family called off a planned ghost bike ceremony for their 11-year old son after receiving “hateful” messages; a member of the group Souliers et vélos fantômes Québec — Ghost Shoes and Bicycles Quebec — called the comments “wildly inappropriate.” Seriously, there’s not a pit deep enough for anyone who’d send something like that to parents whose child had just been killed, under any circumstances. 

A woman is seen on video being chased by a man with a machete for undetermined reasons as she rides her bicycle alone through Kenya.

Twitter post

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Local 

The Los Angeles Times profiles UCLA law student Jonathan Hale, and his DIY campaign to paint the crosswalks the city won’t.

Pasadena is asking for your comments on proposed safety improvements to the St. John and Pasadena avenue corridor.

 

State

Irvine has decided to put the city’s CicloIrvine open streets program on hold while they work through their budget problems. Once again, you’ll have to navigate the OC Register’s draconian, self-defeating paywall. 

Sad news from Visalia, where a man riding a bicycle was killed by a heartless coward hit-and-run driver.

Sleepy Santa Cruz ranks as the sixth most dangerous California city for bicyclists, as Huntington Beach checks in at #1, to the surprise of no one who has been paying attention, while Bell ranks a surprising second; Palo Alto and Gardena were the two safest cities. In a case of good news/bad news, Los Angeles didn’t make either list. 

There’s a special place in hell for anyone who would crash into two six-year old kids as they’re riding their bikes in Half Moon Bay, and just drive off leaving them on the side of the road; 37-year old Robert Schumann faces multiple charges after cops used a drone to track him down as he bravely hid in the woods to avoid capture. Fortunately, the children are hospitalized in stable condition. Once again, however, you’ll have to work your war around yet another unproductive paywall.

 

National

Aussie pro cyclist Lachlan Morton succeeded in setting a new record for the old Pony Express route last week, beating the relay team that carried Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address to California by nearly 12 hours, while covering the 1,966-mile route in 6 days, 21 hours and 15 minutes. Although Morton did have the advantage of paved roads, pneumatic tires and something slightly more aero than a horse. 

A Salt Lake City letter writer says the city’s bicycle and pedestrian improvements may be confusing for drivers, but the benefits are worth it.

My bicycle-friendly Colorado hometown held a third annual bike parade to honor a ten-year old boy killed by a distracted driver in 2023.

Dallas, Texas is looking for feedback on an interactive map of proposed bike safety improvements, as advocates push to turn research into legislation protecting bicyclists.

New Hampshire state police are investigating after a local mayor and state representative got into a brief “verbal altercation” with someone riding an ebike; the man says he only got out of his car to retrieve his wife after she got out to have words with the bike rider.

New York Streetsblog says Central Park is long overdue for the kind of perimeter bike lanes found at the city’s other parks, and complains that the half-measures implemented after New York banned cars from the park have only made things worse.

 

International

A Nobel Prize winner examines the anti-aging industry, and concludes that the humble bicycle is one of the most effective anti-aging tools out there.

Bike Radar considers how many headlamp lumens you really need to see and be seen after dark. Personally, I’ll settle for roughly 3.9 octillion, which is only slightly brighter than the sun. 

Momentum looks at seven of the longest off-road bike trails in North America.

Ottawa, Ontario identified seven bike lanes that could be impacted by a new provincial law that limits removing traffic lanes to add bike lanes during road reconstructions.

A London writer who wisely chooses to remain anonymous justifies why they’ve ridden though roughly 40,000 red lights and have no plans to stop, although kindly choosing not to ride through red lights and crosswalks when pedestrians are present.

Another London writer says the city has spent the last 15 years building for bikes, before now deciding the bikes are the problem.

Drivers in Scotland have been told to stop driving on a bike path as a shortcut around construction delays.

For the second consecutive year, the UK is holding a series of bike rides across the country to highlight the need for safer routes for women riders.

A British city counselor attends a conference on designing streets through a child’s lens first, and explains that “towns that are safe for children are safe for everyone.”

British actor Taron Egerton paid a fine and received points on his driver’s license after bicycling content creator CyclingMikey filmed him using a mobile phone while driving.

Sri Lanka’s head cricket coach takes time out for a little mountain biking in Pakistan, praising Islamabad’s natural beauty.

Two German men are retracing the route of China’s Long March by bicycle; the military maneuver by the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army became a defining chapter in modern Chinese history, leading to the defeat of the forces of Chiang Kai-shek in the Chinese Civil War.

 

Competitive Cycling

Former cycling scion Taylor Phinney finished eighth in the men’s individual pursuit at the 2026 UCI Track World Championships, while beating his personal best by a massive 11 seconds, nearly seven years after he retired from road racing. Although his wife Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney is still kicking ass on the women’s road circuit. 

 

Finally…

Now even the rocks are out to get us, as a 76-year old Florida woman was killed by a falling boulder while riding in Pennsylvania. Then again, London sewage seems to be out to get us, too.

And maybe it’s just me, but this seems like a bad thing.

Instagram post

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

 

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

All hands on deck — WeHo Council to consider proposal to eliminate promised protected bike lanes on Fountain Ave at Monday’s meeting

October 15, 2026 / / 5 comments

I’m sorry, I truly am. But I have to put off our usual morning links for yet another day.

The good news is my migraine pain finally went away, but left me so dizzy that I’m only managing to avoid tossing my cookies through the marvels of modern pharmacology.

However, I want to alert you to yet another threat to the previously settled dispute over installing protected bike lanes on Fountain Ave.

According to WeHo Times, the West Hollywood City Council will discuss an alternative proposal at this Monday’s meeting that would preserve parking on Fountain at the cost of the planned and promised protected bike lanes.

In other words, sacrificing human lives for the sake of convenience. Evidently, the death of Blake Ackerman on Fountain Ave wasn’t enough for them.

Opponents of these bike lanes will undoubtedly come out in force, and will need to be met with an equal and opposite force of supporters demanding that the council stick with the already approved plans.

This is an all hands on deck situation. If you ride on Fountain Ave — or would if it wasn’t at the risk of your life — or live or work nearby, you owe it to yourself to attend the meeting, or contact the councilmembers in advance.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go lay down before my stomach overturns the medication keeping it in check.

Category: Advocacy & Politics / Tags: , , , ,

Another mass casualty crash by elderly driver, WeHo denies all blame in Ackerman death, and more on Forest Lawn backdoor deal

September 4, 2026 / / No comments

It’s happened again.

A 90-something driver was involved in a mass casualty crash, this time right here in Los Angeles. And in a Trader Joe’s parking lot, no less.

The 91-year old driver reportedly drove into a group of pedestrians at a high rate of speed, killing one person and injuring four others.

The crash occurred in the parking lot of the Trader Joe’s on Fairfax and Third, directly across from The Original Farmer’s Market and The Grove.

According to KTLA-5,

Witnesses said that for some reason, the driver lost control as she was entering the parking lot, sped up, slammed into a parked car, then veered into a group of people near a parking attendant stand before her car crashed into the (parking attendant) stand.

It’s unknown at this point exactly what caused the elderly driver to crash. Investigators at this time do not believe this was an intentional act of violence, but rather a horrible accident.

A “horrible accident.” You know, just another “oopsie.”

KABC-7 reports the crash occurred about 1:30 pm Thursday.

One victim, described only as a woman in her 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene, while four others were taken to a hospital, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Those injured included a 19-year-old man who suffered serious injuries and two women ages 30 and 57 with minor injuries, according to the fire department.

The driver, a 91-year-old woman, was also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, the LAFD said. No arrest was announced.

Then there was this, also from KABC.

“[The driver] was pretty shell shocked, and she got out she didn’t realize what was happening. She said she tried to stop the Tesla, it was accelerating and she couldn’t stop it,” said Drake Piscione.

“She said her foot was on the brake, but it kept going. She got out and couldn’t believe what happened and didn’t realize she had killed someone”.

Yes, it’s possible that the Tesla malfunctioned, particularly if it was in a self-driving or assisted driving mode. But it’s far more likely that she was stomping on the accelerator, thinking she was hitting the brake, as has happened in countless crashes across the country involving elderly drivers.

You only have to think back to the 99 Ranch Market crash on Westwood Blvd this past February, when a 92-year old driver hit a bicyclist, then continued down the sidewalk on the wrong side of the street for a full block before she crashed through the side of the market, killing three people.

Because this, or some other similar incident, was the entirely predictable outcome of allowing someone that age to keep her license and continue driving.

It’s not being ageist to recognize that mental and physical abilities decline with advanced age. It is easier for someone that age to lose control of a vehicle, and become confused about how to respond afterwards.

There are rare exceptions, as there are with any other generalities. But most people reach a point where they simply should not be allowed to keep driving.

There was a huge outcry from older drivers when the California DMV reinstated a requirement for drivers over 70 to pass a written test, as well as an eye exam. The requirement had been suspended during the Covid pandemic, and the state was simply going back to the policy that had been in place since the ’70s.

Needless to say, the requirement was suspended. You don’t fuck with the Geritol generation.

I say this as someone who will be 70 later this month, and gave up driving several years ago, in part due to medications I was, and am, taking that inhibited my ability to drive safely.

And just like the vast majority of elderly drivers, I also don’t see as well as I did even five years ago.

We’ve got to find a way to weed out people who can no longer drive safely as they age. Because not everyone will willingly give up their keys.

And things like this will continue to happen until we do.

………

No surprise here, either.

We said yesterday it wasn’t surprising that the family of fallen bicyclist Blake Ackerman would file a lawsuit against the hit-and-run driver who killed him, as well as West Hollywood for maintaining a roadway known to be dangerous.

It’s also not surprising that WeHo denies any liability.

According to WeHo Times,

The City of West Hollywood is pushing back against a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the mother of a 27-year-old cyclist who was killed in a hit-and-run crash on Fountain Avenue, denying allegations that the city’s roadway design contributed to his death.

Court documents reveal the city’s answer filed March 23 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where the city denied “generally and specifically each and every allegation” in the complaint brought by Robin L. Ackerman, the mother of Blake Adam Ackerman and successor-in-interest to his estate. The city also denied that Ackerman was damaged as alleged or “at all.”

The city also blames the victim, alleging that Ackerman was “careless, reckless and negligent” and that his conduct somehow contributed to any injuries or damages.

You know, like death.

From what I’ve heard, however, Ackerman was doing everything right when the driver slammed into him from behind, then kept going without stopping. The only mistake anyone has charged him with was simply riding on Fountain to begin with.

It goes on, of course. The city’s attorneys throw everything they can at the wall, hoping that something sticks.

It may be enough. But chances are, the city will end up settling for something in the low seven figures to keep from having the case go in front of a jury, where the damages could be a lot steeper.

………

Streets For All is urging you to tell Governor Newsom to veto the Forest Lawn loophole.

TELL GOVERNOR NEWSOM:
VETO THE FOREST LAWN LOOPHOLE

The legislature and cemetery lobbyists inserted language at the 11th hour into the California state budget to make it harder for LA to implement the Forest Lawn Safety and Mobility Project. This is a dangerous precedent that, if allowed to become law, would entice any wealthy Californian to create their own law.

We need Governor Gavin Newsom to veto SB 194.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Email to request a VETO from Gavin Newsom

EMAIL GAVIN NEWSOM TO STOP THIS BILL

ICYMI – Context on What Happened:

The cemetery has enough customers.

Just 16 days ago, another horrific crash killed someone on Forest Lawn Drive.

This is a road where 95 crashes occurred between 2013 and 2023, three people were severely injured or killed, and nearly 3 in 4 drivers drive at a deadly speed in the event of a crash.

After years of work, LA finally has a plan to make Forest Lawn Drive safer. Mayor Bass paused it in May.

Now Sacramento is threatening it.

SEC. 2. Section 1811 is added to the Streets and Highways Code, to read:
1811. (a) A city with a population of 2,000,000 or more shall not reduce the number of vehicle travel lanes on a street that provides the only access to two or more adjacent cemeteries without prior approval of the governing body and the concurrence of the mayor of the city.
(b) Prior to approval of a reduction in the number of vehicle travel lanes pursuant to subdivision (a), the governing body of the city shall do both of the following:
(1) Conduct a duly noticed public hearing regarding the proposed vehicle travel lane reduction.
(2) Consider and make written findings regarding all of the following:
(A) Whether there are alternatives that would allow for proposed street modification without a vehicle travel lane reduction.
(B) The impact of the vehicle travel lane reduction on emergency access to the cemeteries and the surrounding community.
(C) The impact of the vehicle travel lane reduction on emergency response to very high and high fire hazard severity zones
Text from SB 194 that threatens the Forest Lawn Safety project, ok’d by Assemblymember Zbur and Senator Durazo

Friday night, two hours before the deadline to amend bills, lawmakers introduced SB 194—language threatening the long-planned safety project after opposition from cemeteries along the route.

Yes, they’re really trying to put this into state law. And they could send it to the Governor by Monday.

This is what it looks like when politics and powerful interests are put ahead of human lives.

We have 48 hours to kill this disastrous precedent and misguided, last minute back room deal. Read our full statement here.

Forest Lawn Drive should be a road that passes a cemetery—not one that sends people to it.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Email to request a VETO from Gavin Newsom

EMAIL GAVIN NEWSOM TO STOP THIS BILL

………

On a related subject, Streets Are for Everyone sent out this notice yesterday.

This Saturday, we’re asking you to stand with us on Forest Lawn Drive.

On August 13, 2026, a single-vehicle crash on Forest Lawn Drive ended with a vehicle engulfed in flames, killing one person. Details about the crash are unknown, but we know this is not the first deadly crash on Forest Lawn Drive, and without meaningful safety improvements, it won’t be the last.

SAFE recently released a report detailing the urgent need for these safety improvements, after documenting that more than half of drivers regularly exceed the speed limit. The report highlights how a fully funded safety project designed to reduce known dangers on the 1.1-mile road was indefinitely paused by Mayor Karen Bass after nearby cemeteries successfully lobbied to stop the safety improvements.

Streets Are For Everyone, People’s Vision Zero, and Streets For All will be hosting a Ghost Tire Memorial on September 5th, 2026, at 10:00 AM to honor 70-year-old Bijan Yousefian, a victim of traffic violence who died in a fiery crash on Forest Lawn Drive.

Please join us this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. as we remember a life lost and demand that our local leaders stop killing road safety improvements at Forest Lawn Dr and across Los Angeles.

Event Details:
Date:

September 5th, 2026

Time:

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Location:

Forest Lawn Drive (across the street from Malinow and Silverman Mortuary) click here for the exact meeting location and see image below:

………

Evidently, the bike leg of a triathlon is your only chance to beat a hungry, hungry hippo.

Twitter post

………

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

No bias here. A Berkeley neighborhood group is suing to prevent the city from installing protected bike lanes on Hopkins Street, accusing it of violating the city’s bike plan. Which is kind of funny, considering Los Angeles has done nothing but violate its bike plan.

No bias here. A pro-driving group is accusing the Bristol, England city council of “ignoring road safety” with its so-called “cycling propaganda” — for the crime of showing someone riding a bicycle without a helmet.

………

Local 

Um, okay. A writer for The Argonaut calls ebikes a menace on the Marvin Braude Bike Trail, complaining about “30–60-year olds clocking more than 25 mph without head gear on the narrow path;” however, he’s no fan of pedestrians, either, griping about “clueless and inconsiderate pedestrians” annoying bicyclists by walking on the bike path instead of the walkway. No offense, but he comes off like an old man yelling for kids to get off his lawn.

Streetsblog reports sections of the popular San Gabriel and Rio Hondo river path will be closed for several years starting October 1st, as the Army Corps of Engineers begins a “high urgency” $735 million project to repair the Whittier Narrows Dam.

 

State

Encinitas is urging Governor Gavin Newsom to veto a budget measure that will keep them from ripping out a new protected bike lane on Santa Fe Drive.

Axios San Diego suggests beating the heat with a bike ride on the Solana Beach Rail Trail, a fully protected bike path located between Highway 101 and the Coaster train tracks. Although this weekend, wind and rain from a rare Pacific coast hurricane could be more of a problem.

The carnage continues in Northern California, as a man in San Jose was killed by the driver of a dump truck while riding an ebike in the bike lane. And yes, what’s left of the bike looks like an actual ped-assist ebike.

The NorCal news gets worse, after a Sacramento woman was killed by a hit-and-run driver as she tried to her bicycle on the side of the road.

 

National

Cycling Electric says that studies from around the world prove that ebikes are not cheating, and the workout they provide is similar to the effects of a regular  bike.

A Seattle podcaster says bicycles are medical devices, after he took up bicycling to treat his type 2 diabetes and get in shape, losing 30 pounds, and improving his health and wellbeing. On the other hand, bicycling and a healthy diet hid the most of the effects of my type 2 diabetes, causing me to go undiagnosed for more than 20 years, and doing major damage to my health. 

Kentucky’s governor announced plans for a new pedestrian and bicycling bridge to provide better access to a Civil War battlefield.

This is the cost of traffic violence. An MIT professor described as “an expert in ancient metallurgy” died two weeks after he was was struck by a driver while riding his bicycle.

Atlanta is rolling out another round of the city’s ebike rebate program, with $1 million in funding to offer rebates up to $1,600. Which compares favorably to LA’s zero dollars in funding, with rebates up to not a damn thing.

 

International

Road.cc offer bicycling hacks to provide cheap alternatives to expensive products to keep you riding this winter.

The Times of London dropped their paywall to say that gravel biking will be the next great MAMIL-ian obsession. And here I thought it was pickleball. Although the cheapest of the three gravel bikes they recommend retails for the equivalent of $13,500, which makes pickleball look a lot better. 

An English hotel manager raised the equivalent of over $5,400 for a Welsh children’s hospice with a 180-mile ride between all nine of the company’s hotels in England and Wales, completing the ride in under 12 hours.

That suddenly shuttered bike shop in the UK is promising that everyone who left a bike to be repaired will get it back, even as someone reported the shop for stealing his bike — but if you put down a deposit on a new bicycle, you’re screwed.

Tragic news from Australia, where a second person has died following last week’s mass casualty crash in Canberra, Australia, when a 40-year old woman plowed into a group of bicyclists; a 39-year old man died in the hospital this week, after a 32-year old woman died at the scene.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cal State Dominguez Hills has founded what officials there say is the only varsity collegiate cycling team in California, one of just 20 other varsity collegiate cycling teams in the US; so far, it seems to have just one member, student-cyclist Alejandro Che.

Enric Mas strengthened his hold on the Vuelta’s red leader’s jersey, gaining nearly 30 seconds on second-place Primož Roglič.

The BBC is covering everything but the actual Tour of Britain, showing far more interest in flower-covered bikes and Spitfire flybys.

A writer for PeopleForBikes says that when the Philadelphia Cycling Classic returned to the city for the first time in ten years, it found a new cycling team and bike club from his own neighborhood.

 

Finally…

Your next cargo bike could have just a basket upfront, and no battery anywhere. Riding a bicycle to map the city’s crappy sidewalks.

And more proof that trees are out to get us.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

 

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

Failed bike bill wins in principle, Trump’s war on DEI bike lanes mirrors state’s attack on Forest Lawn Dr, and WeHo sued over Ackerman death

September 3, 2026 / / No comments

Calbike writes that there is victory in defeat for Encinitas State Senator Catherine Blakespear’s SB 569.

The bill would have prohibited the removal of any bike lane without ensuring that whatever follows provides a safe and accessible environment for bicyclists.

Yet the legislature affirmed the general principle behind the bill by adding a budget amendment limiting the application to the Santa Fe Drive project in Encinitas, which motivated SB 569 in the first place.

The budget bill prevents Encinitas from removing the bike lane on Santa Fe Drive, which was built using state General Fund money, unless the city can ensure that bike riders will be as safe without the bike lane as they are with it.

According to Calbike,

In doing so, the underlying principle behind the bill has now been validated by the Legislature: public investment in safe bikeways should have the same presumption of durability we expect from other roadway investments, especially if we expect people to shift how they travel.

The concept underlying SB 569 is bigger than protecting any particular strip of pavement. At CalBike, we see it as protecting the integrity of public investment. A bikeway is part of a network, so removing one segment can cause damage well beyond that block: a comfortable route to a school can suddenly have a dangerous gap, a connection to transit can become inaccessible to many riders, and a network that took years to assemble is often only as strong as its weakest link. When faced with such gaps, many would-be bike riders find the risk intolerable and opt into more car trips.

Which is a lot of words to say that bicyclists rely on an entire bike network to get where they’re going safely, and removing any one segment can make the entire network less safe, and less practical to use.

So even though the larger bill lost in this session, at least the legislature seems to get that bike networks need to be maintained in their entirety. And that losing one link degrades the whole damn thing.

Then again, the same could be said of not building promised bike lanes, which is what Metro is being sued over on the Vermont corridor.

And what the legislature actively prevented on Forest Lawn Drive.

………

Even People magazine has picked up the story of the Trump Administration’s bizarre war on “DEI” bike lanes, as if bikes were part of a secret commie plot to disadvantage white male drivers in favor of trans nonwhite women on bicycles.

The story includes this gem —

In an email statement to NPR, a DOT spokesperson said it “continuously reviews its policies to ensure each promotes safety, efficiency, and common sense.”

“Since nearly 80% of the population uses cars to get to work and their important medical appointments, we are taking a closer look at federal guidance to ensure American families have the infrastructure they need,” the statement said, per the outlet. “This is a common sense approach despite the Left’s belief that everyone should ride a bike to their shoebox-sized apartment to eat crickets to achieve a phony climate agenda.”

I would like it on the record that I, for one, have never knowingly eaten a single cricket, though I do sometimes sleep with my mouth open, so who knows.

Then again, our own state legislature has joined in that same war on bike lanes, DEI or otherwise, by passing legislation at the financial behest of Forest Lawn and Mt. Sinai cemeteries, that will make it difficult, if not impossible, to improve the bike lanes and traffic safety on Forest Lawn Drive.

So it’s not just the right making bizarre decisions to block bike lanes and keep our streets and highways dangerous.

And yes, this tweet from Elmo — no, not that one — pretty well sums it up.

Twitter post

Or this, for that matter.

Twitter post

………

No surprise here, as the family of fallen bike rider Blake Ackerman has filed a lawsuit against the city of West Hollywood, as well as the alleged hit-and-run driver who killed him.

WeHo Times writes,

According to court records obtained by WEHO TIMES, Robin L. Ackerman filed the lawsuit individually and as successor-in-interest to the estate of her son, Blake Adam Ackerman. The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, names Douglas Morton Adams, the driver accused of striking Ackerman, along with several unidentified government entities and other defendants.

The lawsuit alleges negligence, a dangerous condition of public property and wrongful death. It seeks damages to be determined at trial and requests a jury trial.

The family could have a good case, considering the city’s dithering over building the long-promised protected bike lanes on Fountain Ave that might have prevented his death.

As the lawsuit alleges, the city knew the roadway was dangerous for bicyclists but failed to make the necessary safety improvements.

West Hollywood is moving forward with the project now, although with the usual glacial speed. But as usual, the decision to move forward comes too late for Ackerman.

………

I recently received a request to add a specialized mountain bike suspension shop in Irvine to our list of bike shops on the Resources page.

However, I’m planning to remove that page, because it’s nearly impossible to keep it current the way bike shops come and go these days. So I responded with a counter offer to allow them to introduce themselves to you.

And yes, I’m open to any other bike shops who want to send me a similar description.

ST Tuned is a mountain bike suspension shop based in Irvine, CA, specializing exclusively in suspension service, tuning, and setup for Fox, RockShox, Öhlins, Cane Creek and DVO. We’re not a general bike shop — suspension is the only thing we do, which means every rebuild, tune, and setup gets the kind of dedicated attention a shop juggling a dozen other services simply can’t offer.

Owner Mike Boon brings over 20 years of experience to every bike that comes through the shop, with a factory-level approach to rebuilds, custom valving, and bushing work. Whether a rider needs a full damper rebuild, a simple sag and setup session, or help troubleshooting a fork or shock that just doesn’t feel right anymore, the goal is always the same: get the suspension performing the way it was actually designed to.

One of the things that sets us apart is our on-trail suspension setup service. Rather than just dialing in numbers in a parking lot, we’ll go out on the actual trail with a rider and fine-tune sag, rebound, and compression based on how the bike feels over real terrain — roots, chunk, drops & jumps, whatever that rider actually rides. It’s a level of setup that’s hard to get anywhere else, and it usually ends with a rider feeling a difference they can’t believe they’d been riding without.

While ST Tuned is based in Irvine, we work with riders throughout Southern California — not just Orange County — and also offer mail-in suspension service for riders further out who want the same level of service without the drive.

Riders can find more information & book a service at sttuned.com or call the shop at (714)213-3083.

………

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

Murrieta is taking the fight against reckless teen ebike riders a step further, with a new ordinance that penalizes not only the rider, but also the parents of kids who ride recklessly on electric bicycles — even though the problem isn’t actually ebikes, but illegal e-motos and dirt bikes that are inexplicably mistaken for bicycles.

………

Local 

Something to look forward to, as you could be banned from using certain streets during the ’28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with a travel network set aside for the exclusive use of Olympic traffic.

As the late, great John Prine said, your flag decal may not get you into heaven anymore, but your Santa Monica library card could get you discounts are local shops, including Bike Attack Electric and Road Runner Sports, among others.

 

State

Something called Fast Food Club lists ten California towns that are “perfect for a long, happy retirement,” many of which are bike friendly. And none of which are Los Angeles. 

Sad news from Kern County, where an ebike rider was killed in Taft on Wednesday when he was right hooked by the driver of a utility truck while riding against traffic on the sidewalk. And yes, sidewalks are bidirectional, and there’s no restriction on which way you can ride, but drivers too often won’t be looking for you as they look the other way for oncoming traffic. 

Police in Redwood City busted a serial bike thief for the second time, after receiving 10 separate reports of bicycle thefts from the Caltrain commuter line, one year after arresting the same man for the same crime.

Sad news from Auburn, where a 41-year old man was killed Monday when he was struck by three separate drivers as he tried to cross a highway on his bicycle.

Still more sad news from Northern California, where a 62-year old man was killed by a driver while riding a bicycle in Hayward on Monday.

 

National

A writer for Cycling West says local bike shops are fighting for their lives amid Trump’s up-and-down tariffs, and competition from direct sales, big box stores and online retailers. Which is why you should ride to your favorite LBS today and buy something. Anything. 

Portland, Oregon is about to experience its own Carmageddon, encouraging motorists to ride their bikes, while at the same time warning bike riders about increased dangers on the streets when the southbound portion of I-5 shuts down for five weeks.

Unlike the Pennsylvania story a little further down, police in Utah got it right, citing a driver for failure to yield after right-hooking a 14-year old kid riding a bike in the same direction as the driver.

New York bike riders now have a new 5.5-mile protected bike lane between Sunset Park and Dumbo. Insert elephant joke here.

Bystanders in Prospect Park, Pennsylvania came to the rescue when a woman riding an ebike was pinned under a VW bug after she was right hooked, lifting the car off her to free her. Although the local TV station bizarrely framed it as demonstrating the dangers of ebikes and not wearing a helmet, rather than drivers not using their damn mirrors before making a turn. 

She gets it. A North Carolina YMCA cycling instructor talks bike safety in the wake of the recent Milligan University massacre, reminding drivers that the speed limit is the maximum speed allowed, not how fast they have to go, and end with this — “Our roads belong to all of us. Every person using them has responsibilities, and every person using them deserves to get home safely.”

 

International

A bicycling club in Ontario, Canada celebrates their last tandnnmnnffffffsk            em ride of the season for visually impaired bicyclists. Okay, that’s where I fell asleep while typing. Well, one of the places. 

As we mentioned the other day — no, not that one, the other one — a British bike shop specializing in ebikes left customers hanging when they abruptly closed after 34 years, including one customer who paid the equivalent of more than $14,000 for two ebikes that were never delivered.

A writer for France Today invites readers to explore the country’s roads and bicycle routes — and asks French drivers to show a little understanding.

 

Competitive Cycling

Twenty-one-year old British “super-sprinter” Matthew Brennan won his third stage of the Vuelta on Wednesday’s stage 11, as race leader Enric Mas retained his 1:18 lead over Primož Roglič.

British cyclist Lewis Askey won the opening stage of the men’s Tour of Britain yesterday, finishing two seconds ahead of Italian Fillipo Ganna in a sprint finish.

Even Geraint the dog, named for British cycling great Geraint Thomas, turned out to line the course for the first stage of the Tour of Britain.

Nineteen-year old Ezra Caudell of the Modern Adventure Pro Cycling team remains hospitalized with what’s described as “multi-system trauma” after crashing hard with Lotto-Intermarché rider Milan Menten at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic; there’s no word yet on Menten’s condition.

 

Finally…

That feeling when the city paints a bike lane on the sidewalk, even though the same city bans bikes on sidewalks. Or when it’s harder to pedal your bike in rent-burdened neighborhoods.

And seriously, if you’re riding a bicycle after dark with coke hidden in your sock, put a damn light on it, already.

The bike, that is, not the sock. Or the coke.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

 

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

San Diego completes 75% of bike plan, stoned double killer appeals murder convictions, and WeHo opens ebike voucher portal

August 6, 2026 / / Comments Off on San Diego completes 75% of bike plan, stoned double killer appeals murder convictions, and WeHo opens ebike voucher portal

San Diego, you’re looking good.

In a story hidden behind their usual draconian paywall, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that a new study from San Diego State University shows the city has completed 75% of the bike infrastructure called for in the city’s 2013 bicycle master plan.

Which compares favorably to Los Angeles, which has completed somewhere south of 5% of its plan adopted a few years earlier.

In addition, just over 80% of the city’s major streets have some sort of bikeway, even if most have disconnected sections forcing riders to fight their way through traffic, and only 8% of that is protected.

According to the paper,

The report also pointed to the need for more low-stress biking options, such as designated bikeways or multi-use paths dedicated to cyclists and pedestrians — types of infrastructure where riders face less traffic stress. While 63% of the network is considered low-stress, over 30% of the network is considered high-stress, the study found.

“While a majority of the network is technically bikeable, a substantial portion consists of high stress segments that may discourage use, particularly among the ‘interested but concerned’ population,” the authors wrote.

Still, it seems like they’re doing a lot more, and a lot better, than their much larger neighbor to the north, even if the city is experiencing some bikelash right now.

Meanwhile, another report shows that despite a recent dip on eight monitored corridors, San Diego bike ridership is still up 17% since 2019.

While San Diego makes progress, today’s image offers the view from Los Angeles. 

………

Once again, most of the story is hidden behind a paywall.

But there’s enough left uncovered to know that Mandy Marie Benn, the now 46-year old woman who was (allegedly) stoned out of her mind on prescription drugs and participating in a live Facebook chat when she killed two men taking part in a 300-mile Michigan Make-A-Wish fundraising ride in 2022, is appealing the murder convictions that resulted in a minimum 70-years behind bars, alleging prosecutors failed to prove a required element of the crime.

Benn was sentenced to two consecutive 35-to-60 year terms, which would make her about 160-some years old if she served her full terms. Which somehow seems a little unlikely.

So I’ll settle for her getting out at a tad over 112 years old even if she serves the minimum. Because that’s someone who should never see the light of day again, but you never know what the courts will do.

………

West Hollywood is accepting applications for their new ebike incentive program, offering up to 50 vouchers covering the full cost of purchase, plus maintenance.

That compares favorably with Los Angeles, which instead is considering cracking down on ebikes, seeing ebikes as a problem to be squashed, rather than an asset to encourage.

Meanwhile, a Los Angeles teenager warns about the dangers of ebikes after she was severely injured going over the handlebars “at a really high speed” last year.

Which is a pretty good indication that she was probably riding an illegal e-moto, or at least an illegally hacked ebike, rather than an electric bicycle.

Thanks to Andrew for the heads-up. 

………

Local 

WeHo will new require dockless ebike and e-scooter users to park in mandatory designated areas.

 

State

Irvine has officially been crowned as the least-stressed city in Southern California, and the 7th in the nation by WalletHub, and oddly, scored exactly the same rankings as SoCal’s fittest city and the 7th in the US, according to the American Fitness Index.

Australian bike retailer BikesOnline has opened their first physical US location in San Clemente.

A new report shows San Francisco is experiencing a higher number of severe crashes now than when the city adopted Vision Zero in 2014. Or as we say here in LA, welcome to the club.  

 

National

Triathlon site Slowtwitch discusses the most common mistakes new cyclists make. Actually, the most common mistake new cyclists make is trying to become cyclists, instead of just learning to enjoy riding a bicycle before trying to win a Grand Tour.

A pair of college students rode across the US, raising $15,000 for lone soldiers in Israel. Although maybe someone can explain what the hell a lone soldier is, and why they need our financial support.

A Cedar Rapids, Iowa nonprofit is working with the city to refurbish bicycles and distribute them to people who lack reliable transportation.

A Michigan woman is impressed by a young man she saw riding a bicycle on the gravel shoulder of the road as she drove by, assuming from his fast food uniform that he must be a dedicated worker riding to and/or from work dressed like that. If she’s that impressed, maybe she should leave her car at home and try it herself next time. 

New York’s city council is considering at least 17 bills cracking down on ebikes and e-motos, which is like comparing apples and IndyCars; meanwhile, New York Mayor Mamdani orders 42 makes of illegal ebikes to stop selling in the city.

 

International

The CBC talks with the first “excited” bicyclists and pedestrians to cross the newly opened multi-use path on the newly opened Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan.

Talk about not getting it. The UK is closing a number of shared-use paths located near major roadways, because the nearby traffic makes them too heavily polluted.

Shocking, I know. But despite the 134 “cycle streets” in Brussels, Belgium, where drivers are limited to 19 mph and not allowed to overtake bicyclists, bike riders still worry about their safety because too many drivers refuse to follow the rules.

The 18-year old grandson of legendary Australian ultracyclist Bob Montgomery remembers his 82-year old grandfather and riding companion, who died suddenly just one day after completing a ride across the continent to raise funds for a Motor Neurone Disease charity.

 

Competitive Cycling

For the first time in four days, the yellow jersey remained on the same shoulders as Marlen Reusser defended her narrow 12 second lead, while Demi Vollering outsprinted Kasia Niewiadoma and Reusser to win the 5th stage of the Tour de France Femmes.

Former Swiss champ Noemi Rüegg was knocked off her bike when a race moto clipped her handlebars in the “chaos” of the Tour’s 5th stage; she got back on her bike and finished the stage, but it was unclear if she was injured.

Aussie triathlete Tilly Offord is working her way back to competing in the LA Olympics in two years, after her road to the ’24 Paris Games was derailed by a near-fatal distracted driver while on a training ride in 2022.

 

Finally…

It took a bicycling food vendor for us to discover there’s a California in Trinidad & Tobago. Your next bike could be a sit-down electric scooter with pedals.

And your next cup of Joe could help fund safer streets.

………

One last note.

I just got my first order of these T-shirts, and even I have to admit they look damn good, and even better in person. So order one, already.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

 

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

LA media claims opposition is growing to planned Overland Ave bike lanes, and 3 LA area open streets events compete on Sunday

July 15, 2026 / / One comment

No bias here.

According to Fox-11, opposition is growing to bike lanes on Overland Ave in Culver City, as some residents claim to represent all, or at least most residents, in opposing the Better Overland plan.

And as usual, they brought out the standard list of objections, claiming we’re taking space away from cars, and that protected bike lanes — which have repeatedly been proven to improve traffic safety for all road users — would somehow make the street more dangerous.

Never mind that it’s already dangerous, with speeding drivers zooming past a couple schools, two cemeteries and a library.

Naturally, they complain, like locals everywhere who haven’t been paying attention, that the city hasn’t done enough outreach. Because apparently, more than two years of outreach just isn’t enough.

One man even claimed that he drove both directions on Overland and didn’t see a single bike rider at the exact time and locations he happened to be passing by. And bringing to mind the old saying that just because you don’t see anyone swimming across the river, that doesn’t mean you don’t need a bridge.

Honestly, it would be funny if it wasn’t just so damn sad. Because you can hear exactly the same comments at any public meeting for any traffic safety project, in every neighborhood of every city.

And I have.

Wash, rinse and repeat.

I used to think the loudest voices, voicing the most complaints, represented the majority of people. Until Measure HLA passed by an overwhelming two-thirds majority. Which told anyone paying attention that most people — or at least, most people who bother to vote — want safer, more livable streets.

Unfortunately, that message seems to have somehow bypassed LA’s mayor and city council.

Let’s hope Culver City’s leaders get the message, anyway.

………

It’s going to be a very busy weekend.

Because not one, not two, but three open streets events will take place on the same day this Sunday.

The list starts with the very popular Meet the Hollywoods CicLAvia connecting Hollywood with West Hollywood along Hollywood Blvd, Highland Ave and Santa Monica Blvd, from 9 am to 4 pm.

Then there’s Beach Streets in Downtown Long Beach, offering four hubs along Cherry, Broadway and Pine from 11 am to 4 pm, with the added bonus of the World Cup finale on a 16-foot LED TV, featuring Spain and a team to be determined at the North Pine hub.

Finally, there’s the COAST 2026 open streets festival in Santa Monica from 10 am to 6 pm, extending more than a mile in downtown on Ocean, Colorado, and Arizona aves, Third Street Promenade, and the Santa Monica Pier; they will also have a World Cup watch party, along with music and entertainment on four stages.

Which means if you plan it right, you could theoretically ride CicLAvia from WeHo to Hollywood in the morning, catch a train to Long Beach to watch the World Cup, then hurry your ass up to Santa Monica before they roll up the streets at 6.

I said it’s possible, not plausible.

Unfortunately, I’m going to miss all three, as well as the World Cup finale, because I have been told that celebrating my wife’s birthday with my in-laws trumps any and all other plans.

I just wish they were at least soccer fans.

………

Apparently, scientists still can’t figure out why a bicycle works.

………

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

As if it wasn’t bad enough competing for space on the streets, San Jose bicyclists had to cope with three people illegally riding their motorcycles on a local bike path; one person who was arrested, and had his motorcycle impounded, had covered his license plate in an attempt to avoid getting caught.

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

A Sacramento CBS station is stoking the flames of panic after a large bicycle group accused of swarming cars and appearing to strike them announced plans for another ride in the area. Although it’s not clear if they meant a large group of bicyclists, or a group that rides large bicycles.

Um, okay. A bike-riding Dublin, Ireland city councilor says it was “really lovely” to see a city-sponsored campaign depicting bicyclists riding through red lights, because no one else is documenting how ofter bike riders do it. Other than virtually every TV station and newspaper, anyway.

……….

Local 

Next time you ride the LA River bike path, keep your eyes and ears peeled for musicians, including renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Streetsblog says LADOT is making progress on a $7 million, 3-mile extension of the popular Chandler bikeway.

Culver City Walk ‘n Rollers is hosting a family friendly Sweet Streets Ride this Saturday to sample some of the tastiest treats the city has to offer.

 

State

Three people were hospitalized when someone on an ebike allegedly crashed into the side of an SUV in Fullerton late Monday night, although there’s no word on how badly anyone was injured, only that the ebike rider and two people in the SUV suffered “injuries of varying severity.” There’s also no word on what type of ebike it was, since the cops seem to lump anything with a battery together as ebikes, whether legal or otherwise. 

In yet another story hidden behind their draconian paywall, the San Diego Union Tribune explains what it means when federal authorities, aka ICE, say a car is weaponized. Something that virtually every bike rider is clear on, even if the feds aren’t.

Sad news from San Mateo County, where a 34-year old bike rider was killed in a head-on collision when the driver of a Porsche crossed onto the wrong side of the road; the CHP said speed was definitely a factor.

More sad news from San Francisco, where a man who appeared to be in his 50s was killed when he was struck by a driver while riding his bike early Tuesday.

San Francisco is considering a nearly $2 million settlement with the family of a 70-year old man who died 12 days after he was doored by a city worker while riding his bike.

A San Francisco writer says “It’s a short path from winning on bike lanes to becoming social-justice scolds,” arguing that the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition now considers it a racist act to report a bike theft.

A 71-year old man will face multiple charges, including murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and hit-and-run causing death, for killing two 17-year old girls riding their bicycles in West Sacramento last year; the defense claims he wasn’t really drunk, just bipolar.

 

National

A slide show curated by AI highlights 13 US cities that excel at carfree living. Because really, who knows more about living carfree than some lifeless, legless artificial intelligence program? 

Velo recommends the year’s best road bikes, which actually might be, for a change.

Cycling West offers a beautiful bicycle watercolor by artist Moh’d Bilbeisi.

No bias here. A Bend, Oregon paper examines whether the city should ban right turns on red lights, making an effective case for the increased risk they pose — then concludes that the city’s current policy of making a case-by-case determination works just fine, thank you.

Good news from Kansas City, Kansas, after an eight-year old boy who disappeared while riding his bicycle was found safe, and apparently unharmed.

We can add Somerville, Massachusetts to the very short list of towns that have made Vision Zero work; the town credits “tried-and-true best practices for traffic safety” for why they’ve now gone three years without a traffic death. Although having a population under 85,000 doesn’t hurt.

New York Streetsblog says 16,000 fewer daily car trip on the Queensboro Bridge means it’s time to convert a traffic lane into a bikeway to accommodate the increasing number of bike riders.

While we’re on the subject of New York, the Department of Transportation is phasing out the traditional “Mushroom Head” stencil of a helmeted, stick-figure riding a bicycle in favor of a plain bicycle stencil.

A Philadelphia driver was charged with attempted murder for nearly killing a man riding a bicycle, in what reportedly began as a dispute over a stolen BMX bike.

Atlanta residents are calling for changes to a protected bike lane, after discovering the city’s drivers apparently lack the necessary skill to avoid crashing into the barrier protecting the bike lane. Although it’s better to crash into the barrier than the people riding on the other side.

 

International

Road.cc rounds up 14 of the best bike-related TED talks from around the interwebs. Every time I open my mouth is a Ted talk.

I want to be like him when I grow up. An 83-year old man just set a new record for riding the full length of Great Britain, covering over 1,000 miles in under 11 days.

Good idea. The UK’s largest bicycle trade group is launching a campaign to tag actual ebikes so customers can distinguish road legal ebikes and from illegal electric motorbikes.

Momentum says US cities should pay attention to Paris, which grew bicycling rates by 240% in just five years. To which every American city responded, “But we’re not Paris!”

Instead of just dropping a couple new ebikes into the marketplace, Volkswagen developed an entire automotive-inspired ecosystem around the bikes, “which riders can call upon to ride safer, faster, and more connected.”

The New Indian Express says ultracycling is “the new vogue” in Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, drawing bicyclists who see it as a test of endurance.

China Daily says Chinese bicyclists are making a beeline to Shenzhen in Guangdong province for new bicycling facilities, including a 125-mile bike trail connecting “more than 10 of the city’s major peaks, 17 nature parks, eight large reservoirs, over a dozen historical and cultural sites and nine key urban development areas,” as well as a coastal bikeway linking parks, fishing harbors, docks and ancient villages.

 

Competitive Cycling

Four-time Tour de France champ Tadej Pogačar feasted on the tears of his enemies with another crushing victory in yesterday’s hilly 10th stage, for his third stage win in this year’s Tour, and a lead of more than three-and-a-half minutes after just a week and a half of racing.

Fans have taken to booing Pogačar, apparently because of his dominance in the race, although maybe it was just because he shamed the French riders on Bastille Day.

Cyclist takes a look at the books to see who and what the WorldTour team sponsors really are, while Bike Radar considers how much Tour de France bikes have changed in 124 years.

Thirty-three-year old South African cyclist Willie Smit was booted from the China’s Tour of Magnificent Qinghai after just one stage for recording the race on his AI-enabled Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses; UCI rules only allow cameras to be mounted directly on a bicycle, not the rider.

Philadelphia Magazine profiles the hairstylist and bicyclist responsible for reviving the Philadelphia Cycling Classic after a ten-year absence.

Keep your eye on nine-year old Nino O’Connell, who found out this weekend’s single-speed race for his age group had been dropped, so he’ll be lining up against the grownups, with every intention of winning.

 

Finally…

Like they say, a friend will help you move, but a real friend will help you move a body on a bicycle in the heavy rain. No, the bike rack on the front of a Metro bus is not intended for temporary seating.

And that feeling when the damn rules get in the way of the really cool stuff.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

 

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

It’s not even safe to have lunch anymore, fleeing a crash is no big deal anymore, and the Hollywoods won’t be separate much longer

July 8, 2026 / / One comment

This is who we share the road with.

Even people dining on a restaurant patio aren’t safe from cars, after a driver plowed into tables on the sidewalk outside a Boyle Heights restaurant.

At least two three people were injured when a motorist somehow lost control of their SUV and drove onto the sidewalk at Los 5 Puntos near Lorena Street and Cesar Chavez Ave around 3 pm Tuesday.

A woman dining at the restaurant suffered severe leg injuries, while her daughter was shaken but not seriously hurt; a passerby was also injured when the SUV shoved a trash can into him.

Local residents said the intersection is prone to crashes, yet, typically for Los Angeles, nothing seems to have been done about it.

………

Apparently, fleeing the scene of a fatal crash is just no big deal anymore.

Consider Kansas, where a 21-year old man walked without a day behind bars for killing a 57-year old man riding a bicycle, after a judge sentenced him to a lousy 36 months probation.

Then there’s Minnesota, where the 70-year old former owner of a popular Minneapolis area restaurant walked without a day behind bars for killing a bike rider with his catering truck, despite getting out to check on the victim, then getting back in his SUV and driving away, leaving his dying victim in the middle of the road.

Which raises the question of why wouldn’t you just drive off after a crash, if the worst you’re going to face isn’t even a slap on the wrist?

Especially here in Los Angeles, where you have a 99% chance of getting away with it, and most non-fatal hit-and-runs don’t even get investigated.

………

West Hollywood offers a reminder about next weekend’s Meet the Hollywoods CicLAvia on Sunday, the 19th.

………

Encinitas State Senator Catherine Blakespear has posted video of her recent webinar examining the challenges and solutions for ebike safety — which starts with her bill to clearly define ebikes, and prohibits the wink-wink selling of electric motorbikes mislabeled as ebikes.

………

Now you, too, can get a real, honest-to-gosh Tour de France bicycle at a discount.

Maybe.

………

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

Lime has refused to take any responsibility after an underaged boy illegally riding one of their dockless ebikes crashed into a woman in her 60s walking in a pedestrianized London square, resulting in 36 days in a hospital and 18 months learning how to walk again.

………

Local 

The Southern California Association of Governments, aka SCAG, invites public feedback on the six-county regional transportation plan. That’s easy. Stop wasting taxpayer money on highways, and invest it all in transit, biking and walking projects that will do more good. 

Los Angeles DA Nathan Hochman warns parents that Orange County isn’t the only place where they could face criminal charges for knowingly allowing their kids to ride an ebike in an unsafe or illegal way that leads to a serious crash.

LA drivers could now get fined a whopping $63 for violating the state’s daylighting law by parking too close to the corner.

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton examines the nearly completed La Crescenta Ave. Bikeway in Glendale. Which looks good, although those white plastic bollards won’t keep anyone or anything out.

Burbank lawyer Adrianos Facchetti is once again asking for nominations for his law firm’s Kids for Bikes program, looking ten local kids between the ages of 6 and 17 who deserved to be honored with a new bicycle, helmet and a t-shirt; they must live within ten miles of the firm’s office at 4444 W Riverside Drive in Burbank.

A South Pas website examines the city’s popular bike bus.

CBS LA, nee KCBS-2, says Santa Clarita’s new $7 million Haskell Canyon Bike Park is already becoming one of the leading mountain bike destinations in Southern California.

 

State

The family of 6-year old fallen bicyclist Hudson O’Laughlin has filed a claim against San Diego, arguing the city should have known that the Pacific Beach sidewalk and street where he was killed by a hit-and-run driver was dangerous.

Bad news from Hesperia, where a 67-year-old man suffered major injuries when he allegedly swerved his bicycle into the side of a pickup driven by an 84-year old Apple Valley man. As usual, a lot depends on whether there were any independent witnesses who observed the crash, because “bicyclists swerving into vehicles” usually means the elderly driver drifted into the bike rider.  

Albany approved an active transportation plan Monday evening, featuring a protected bike lane on one side of the city’s main merchant corridor.

The Napa Valley Register explains when and why bicyclists can take the lane, which even the DMV recognizes is often the safest thing for riders to do. And it’s legal to do in any lane that’s a substandard width, which is most of the right traffic lanes in Southern California, particularly when they allow parking on the right side. 

A Reno TV station reports an ebike rider is in critical condition after a crash in Mammoth Lakes, even though the victim was struck by a driver, and what kind of bicycle they were on didn’t seem to have anything to do with it.

 

National

The American Discovery 250 Relay kicked off on July 4th, with hikers and bike riders passing batons containing a copy of the Declaration of Independence as they traverse the 6,800-mile American Discovery Trail from Point Reyes, California to Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware.

Members of my college fraternity are biking across the US in both directions for the 33rd straight year to call attention to people with disabilities, with separate teams riding east to west and west to east. Although not my chapter, which was dissolved by the Supreme Chapter a few years after I left, for reasons that were never publicly explained, and which I hopefully had nothing to do with.

Apparently, platinum level status is not guarantee of safety, as a woman riding a bicycle was killed by the driver of a semi while she was trying to get around a street repaving project, on a street in my bicycle friendly Colorado hometown where I used to walk, bike and drive on a regular basis.

A pair of Texas teens have now been arrested for the hit-and-run crash that killed a 43-year old man riding a bicycle — one for fleeing the scene, and the other for lying to the cops to protect the kid behind the wheel.

San Antonio, Texas will open a second round of $1,000 ebike vouchers for lower-income residents. Which compares favorably to LA’s voucher program, which doesn’t exist.

Northwest Arkansas’ Tri-Region E-Bike Incentive Program intends to distribute 5,800 vouchers worth up to $1,200 off the price of an ebike. Which compares favorably to California’s Ebike Incentive Program, which no longer exists because electric cars are more important. 

Sad news from St. Paul, Minnesota where a 67-year old man riding a bicycle was killed in a dooring, yet the driver wasn’t ticketed or arrested. No matter what state you’re in, drivers are required to make sure there’s no one in their way before opening a car door, yet police too often treat it as just another “oopsie.”

There’s a special place in hell for whoever shot a five-year old Detroit boy as he rode his bicycle outside his home.

Anne Hathaway’s production company plans to flip the script, and produce a movie about four young women competing in Indiana University’s famed Little 500 bike race, made famous in Breaking Away, and still the best bike movie of all time. Go ahead. Take my money now.

Vermont mountain bikers are building an ambitious 485-mile multi-use trail known as the Velomont that will span the entire length of the state, and is designed to be accessible to anyone, regardless of disabilities.

A Washington DC website looks back at the cross-country Bikecentennial bike rides in 1976, as several hundred small groups rode across the US in both directions to mark the nation’s bicentennial.

A Virginia news anchor rode his bike across the state to mark the country’s 250th birthday.

 

International

In kind of a strange move, bicyclists and local residents in Edmonton, Alberta came together to protest a plan for a road diet and protected bike lanes, in favor of retaining street parking and settling for painted bike lanes.

Residents of Exeter, England want to reopen a road that was closed to vehicular traffic six years ago, while continuing to retain a “low speed environment” that prioritizes “walking, wheeling and cycling whilst retaining access for two way traffic.” Which could be difficult considering how narrow the street is. 

Wales intends to become a bicycling destination, a goal they think will be helped by hosting the final leg of next year’s UK Grand Depart for the Tour de France. Although it would help if anyone could pronounce the names of the local towns.

An Irish man is on a 2,200-mile fundraising ride around Ireland, in hopes of raising £2,200 — the equivalent of $2938 — or a pound a mile.

A Wisconsin man is riding 8,000 miles across Asia to raise awareness for cancer and transplant treatments.

 

Competitive Cycling

It looks like you’ll see the Russian cycling team compete in the ’28 LA Olympics, after the International Olympic Committee lifted the country’s suspension for invading Ukraine, even though they’re still bombarding Ukraine on a daily basis. Russia, that is. Not the IOC.

Mads Pedersen sprinted to victory on stage 4 of the Tour de France, leading a strong breakaway that survived to the finish line, and put Norway’s Torstein Træen into the yellow jersey with a nearly eight-minute margin over previous leaders Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard, four years after Træen was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Road.cc examines how Tour de France bikes have changed over the past 32 years. I’ll take that steel frame ’94 Pinarello, thank you.

Visma-Lease a Bike’s black kits demonstrate that fabric matters more than color when it comes to keeping riders cooler in Europe’s excessive heat.

Twenty-two-year old Mexican star Isaac del Toro’s win in stage two of the Tour has his fellow countrymen continuing to think “¿Y si sí?”, or “What if he did?” win the entire race. Although the chances of that happening this year aren’t much better than their World Cup team, unless something drastic happens to team leader Pogačar.

Cycling News considers the eternal question of why do cyclists shave their legs. Maybe they’re all secretly sponsored by Gillette.

 

Finally…

Yellow cards aren’t just for soccer players anymore. Your next ebike could actually be one.

And how to breathe life into a formerly fucked-up bike.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin.

 

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