Enough with the posturing.
A new group called Westwood for All wants to know what local residents really think about bike lanes on Westwood Blvd.
This is from the press release announcing the questionnaire.
A community group called Westwood4all has released an online questionnaire to advance the discussion about bike lanes on Westwood Blvd. The aim is to provide accurate numbers about local support for bicycle facilities on Westwood Blvd. Results will be shared with elected officials so that they can make an informed decision.
When planning a transportation network, the opinion of local residents is just one factor in a very complex equation. An informed decision by elected officials will also consider the network as a whole, the effects on the neighborhood, on business, safety, parking, environment, congestion, public health, etc. But if the general attitude of the local community towards bicycle infrastructure is known, then a controversial issue can be settled more easily.
So far, the cycling community has posted a petition with 500 signatories. A number of UCLA stakeholders have also called for bike lanes. The Business Improvement District in the Westwood Village has recently voted for bike lanes in the village. One the other hand, the leadership of some local homeowner groups and of the Westwood Neighborhood Council have objected to the plan. Our effort may help to resolve this conflict by documenting local attitudes for or against bicycle infrastructure on Westwood Blvd.
You can take the short survey here.
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The first LA bike has been reported stolen using our new Bike Index stolen bike notice. So be on the lookout for a gold Rocky Mountain Bicycles full suspension mountain bike.
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Italian rider Elisa Longo Borghini won the women’s Tour of Flanders, while Alexander Kristoff took the men’s title. And an Irish rider won his weight in beer.
Although in the aftermath of the race, the story is more about who didn’t win than who did.
The real story, though, is that Shimano service cars took out two riders, one in a collision with another race vehicle; evidently, you’re not even safe from hit-and-run drivers in a bike race, as the video below shows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsexjF6Iaz0
Injured New Zealand cyclist Jesse Sergent is expected to be out about a month after successful surgery for a broken collarbone.
Meanwhile, American pro Peter Stetina will be out for the foreseeable future after he breaks his leg, kneecap and four ribs in a peloton pile-up in Bilbao, Spain.
And Jaguar and Pinarello came up with a unique suspension system to ease the discomfort of riding the cobbles, reducing road vibration 50% without adding significantly to the bike’s ultralight frame.
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Local
KCBS-2 looks at Reseda Blvd’s new protected bike lanes.
Evidently, close bicycle access to Mulholland Drive is now an amenity for new housing developments.
WeHo council candidates discuss whether bikes should be kicked off the city’s sidewalks.
A Pasadena mansion up for sale originally belonged to a man who made his fortune by inventing a more comfortable leather bike seat in 1892.
Metro, Bike SGV and CICLE invite you to take a tour of art, bikes and history in El Monte on April 26th.
State
In California, bicycling is somehow seen as a greater risk than polio and measles. Yet the state’s mandatory helmet law for kids, unlike voluntary vaccinations, shows no obvious benefit.
San Diego advocates call on the city to emphasize bicycling, pedestrian and mass transit infrastructure in the next budget. Meanwhile, the city gave approval a new retail development catering to cyclists and pedestrians.
Not exactly instant karma, but close. A San Diego County shooting victim was arrested, but evidently not convicted, in a 2006 head-on hit-and-run that seriously injured a cyclist.
A new three-mile stretch of the Coyote Creek Bikeway adds another link to the 66-mile OC Loop.
The popular Tour de Palm Springs could move to January.
This is why you always carry your cell phone when you ride. A Loma Linda mountain biker is rescued after injuring his head; a call to his wife following the fall triggered the search effort.
Santa Barbara will open a new bicycle skills park on April 19th.
Porterville residents pitch-in to buy a new bike for a Navy vet after the bike his great-grandson gave him was stolen.
A San Jose road diet gets mixed reviews, even though it seems to be working. I love this quote from a local resident, which should be recited at every public meeting to discuss one: “I suspect that folks truly wanting to speed are simply finding alternate routes, but who cares about them anyway?”
The Easter Bunny brought bicycles to 24 Suisun City kids at the annual egg hunt.
National
The right on red law, which was pioneered here in California, may make life easier for motorists but it raises the risks for everyone else.
The biggest thing keeping Americans from bicycling more is a fear of being hit by a car.
The Department of DIY gets to work in Salem OR as cyclists post their own homemade Bikes May Use Full Lane signs.
A Minneapolis writer says Pittsburgh should embrace bicycling because it makes a city more welcoming. Even though he won’t get on one for fear of being killed.
A Detroit man was killed when he was run over by a bus as he was trying to remove his bike from its rack.
A Muncie IN bike shop celebrates its 150th anniversary, although the shop has changed names, locations and owners. But other than that, it’s exactly the same, right?
Seriously? A Pennsylvania letter writer says bike lanes are a bad idea because they have to be maintained — unlike the rest of the roadway, evidently.
Florida police are ticketing drivers for violating the state’s three-foot passing law, but the courts are letting them off.
International
Bicycling looks at the race to the year record.
Two UK candidates blame immigrants for clogging the country’s bike lanes.
Two women are riding from London to Hong Kong to call attention to global food waste.
City Lab looks at the steps Paris is taking to become the world capital of cycling.
A new Spanish collapsible bike helmet appears to flatten down to the size of a large dog dish.
Indian villagers riot after police kill a cyclist while chasing down a driver who failed to stop for a DUI checkpoint.
An Aussie study says riding a bike at least once a week will lead to a higher quality of life. As long as you’re a man.
Bicycle sidecars remain a popular mode of transit in Myanmar.
China’s Flying Pigeon bike maker collaborates with a video website to introduce a “super” smart bike, which will incorporate a music player, navigation, social networking, health monitoring, anti-theft lock and turn signals. Or you could, you know, just ride a bike.
Finally…
Seven very tongue-in-cheek tips for urban cyclists, from always strapping a baby onto your bike, to politely taking up as little space as possible when you’re sprawled on the pavement. A Kiwi cyclist pedals to work in a giraffe-print onesie to calm aggressive driving; a requirement for adult animal-print onesies is no doubt being added to California’s proposed helmet and reflective clothing law as we speak.
And before you impatiently honk your horn and buzz a group of cyclists while shouting obscenities out the window, make sure it’s not a group of bike cops on a training ride.
Just a suggestion.
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