Tag Archive for World Naked Bike Ride

CicLAvia and World Naked Bike Ride this Sunday, and ruining a good buffered bike lane with plastic posts

June 21, 2024 / / 2 comments
Just 194 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Don’t forget Sunday’s CicLAvia on Western Ave in South LA, where you’ll find the good folks from Bike Talk and KPFK hosting a booth at the Western/Florence Hub.

Or if CicLAvia seems a little too formal for your last, the Los Angeles edition of the World Naked Bike Ride rolls tomorrow. Tip: Bring lots of sunscreen. And a few disinfectant wipes if you’re using a bikeshare bike.

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Evidently, some people just don’t like separated bike lanes.

Or what Los Angeles insists on calling “protected,” even though the usual flimsy plastic car-ticklers wouldn’t stop a Yugo, if you could even get one running.

That was driven home in a new post by Cycling Savvy’s Keri Caffrey.

She explains how she was never a fan of bike lanes. Until moving to California, that is, when she got to experience her first wide buffered bike lane.

But some people insist on ruining those “good enough” buffered lanes by adding little white plastic bendy posts and other assorted permeable and semi-permeable barriers.

In her opinion, anyway.

Imagine my horror at seeing a movement to convert these bike lanes to “separated” bikeways by adding barriers such as flex posts, bollards, curbs, and a host of other innovations.

I get the desire to feel protected from cars, but at what cost? First of all, “feel protected” is all you get. Posts and curbs will not stop a moving car. They will, however, cause a bicyclist to crash. This is a known hazard which causes actual casualties, including serious injuries. Yet, these crashes don’t show up in national crash data, because it counts bicycle crashes only if they involve a moving motor vehicle.

She also takes issue with the stat up there on the right from the Federal Highway Administration.

The research behind the FHWA’s claim didn’t include junctions, only mid-block segments.

The only relevant crash type is a mid-block overtaking crash, around 5% of total crashes for all roads, including ones with no bike lane. The majority of overtaking crashes are actually sideswipes in narrow lanes (the motorist misjudges the space). We have a robust dataset from Mighk Wilson’s crash analysis in Orlando. In it, overtaking crashes on streets with bike lanes were 1.5% of crashes. The majority of bike lanes in the area are narrow and non-buffered. Paul Schimek’s study in Boston came to a similar conclusion.

I get what Caffrey is saying. And it’s worth reading to get a different perspective from what we usually share here.

My personal take is that separated bike lanes aren’t for confident bike riders like her who are comfortable riding nearly anywhere. They’re for the people who would like to ride, or ride more, but are afraid to mix it up with the people in the big dangerous machines.

Although calling them protected does a disservice to everyone by overpromising on safety.

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Any kind of separation or buffer might have helped those Texas bicyclists who were run down by a drunk driver in a crash caught on bike cam earlier this week.

The driver who was allegedly three sheets to the wind at more than three times the legal blood alcohol limit has been identified as an American Airlines cargo worker.

Which could explain why your bags always seem to get lost or crushed beyond all recognition.

Thirty-one-year old Benjamin Hylander has been booked on two counts of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury, accident involving injury, and driving while intoxicated with a BAC greater than 0.15.

Meanwhile, the victim shown getting run over by Hylander’s SUV after the initial impact, retired physician Tom Geppert, credits his bicycle with saving his life. And allowing him to walk away — if that’s the word for it — with “just” a concussion, injured left hamstring, a fractured rib and a severe laceration.

The other victim, Deborah Eads, suffered a severe laceration as well.

We can only be grateful it wasn’t much worse.

Maybe someday, carmakers will be required to use already-existing technology to ensure intoxicated people can’t get behind the wheel.

And can’t go anywhere if they do.

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It’s now 182 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And three full years since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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

An English town has waived fines for bicyclists targeted by “cowboy” traffic wardens who wrote them up for breaking a nonexistent ban on biking through the city center.

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Local 

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton takes a look at the new $11.2 million 1.4-mile Pacoima Wash multi-use path, expected to open this fall.

Santa Clarita has begun work on the new Bouquet Canyon shared-use pathway.

LAist offers a reminder that Caltrans needs your input on a proposed protected bike lane on PCH through Long Beach.

Long Beach hosts the city’s 12th Annual Kiddical Mass bike ride this Sunday.

 

State

No news is good news, right?

 

National

Yes, you can go bikepacking on an ebike.

Congress is considering the Domestic Bicycle Production Act, which would use a combination of tariffs and incentives to reshore American bike manufacturing.

Streetsblog says there’s a pedestrian death and injury crisis in New York City this year. Unlike Los Angeles, where there’s always a pedestrian death and injury crisis.

Tragic news from Michigan, where an 83-year old Florida man on a cross-country bike ride was killed when he was rear-ended by driver, who was allegedly distracted for some undisclosed reason.

 

International

Cycling Electric makes the case for why ebikes are the best vehicles for the environment.

Road.cc offers tips on how to avoid getting scammed buying a used bike on Facebook Marketplace.

Momentum recommends a new bike route that “glides along rainforests and epic beaches” on the west coast of Canada’s Vancouver Island.

A community group in Glasgow, Scotland has launched bikeshare service using refurbished bicycles, allowing anyone to rent a bike for free, or purchase one for whatever they can afford.

I want to be like him when I grow up. A Scottish man is marking his 90th birthday by taking part in a 460-mile fundraising ride.

Not all the news from Scotland is good, however, as a 17-year old boy faces a murder charge for killing another 17-year old boy as he rode an ebike.

Country star Blake Shelton is one of us, as he posts a picture of himself biking back to his hotel in Italy after drinking too much for his birthday.

An Aussie architecture site asks if ebikes and e-scooters could be the answer to the country’s affordable housing crisis, since removing a single car from a household could cover the full cost of a $300,000 mortgage.

 

Competitive Cycling

Road.cc takes a look at what all the best teams will be riding in the Tour de France this year.

The Visma-Lease a Bike cycling team unveiled their line-up for next month’s Tour de France, headlined by two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard and former points winner and three-time world champ Wout van Aert.

British two-time Olympic track champ Katie Archibald is out of next month’s Paris Games, after breaking her leg in two places tripping on a garden step.

A Palestinian paracycling team is working to keep the dream of competing in the Paris Paralympics alive for cyclists in Gaza.

 

Finally…

That feeling when a drivers prefer a genuine horse’s ass to a butt on a bike seat. And when your new e-foldie comes with a name that reminds you size doesn’t matter, except when it does.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Joining the war on Megacars, LA Times likes new LeMond doc, and naked biking in LA apparently not news

June 26, 2023 / / One comment

Let’s start with a nascent movement to drive massive trucks and SUVs off the roads.

Or at least rein them in a little.

New York advocacy group Transportation Alternatives has just released a report they call the Megacar Crisis.

Death. Congestion. Costly road repairs.

So what’s the upside of SUVs?

Injuries from crashes involving supersized cars increased in New York City by 91 percent and fatalities are up 75 percent between 2016 and 2019, according to a new report that highlights not only the rising road violence, but also the damage to roadways caused by America’s ongoing obsession with exceptionally large cars and trucks.

They go on to report that, even before electrification added hundred of pounds of vehicle weight, the average weight of passenger vehicles has shot up a half ton in the last 40 years, while the average weight of pickups has increased 24%.

Something you can see with your own eyes, just by looking at the changes in a Ford F150 pickup over the past 20 years. Never mind the ever-increasing Ford F250 and F350 pickups, with their high, flat grills virtually designed to kill.

Then there’s this.

Studies show that for every 1,000-pound increase in vehicle weight, there is a 46-percent increase in motorist fatalities. That gruesome statistic is borne out by the latest report on roadway fatalities: In 2022, as Streetsblog reported, more pedestrians were killed than in any year in more than four decades. And since 2010, there has been a stunning 77-percent increase in pedestrian deaths, rising at a rate more than three times faster than the rest of the traveling public, for whom fatalities increased 25 percent over the same period.

It’s worth taking the time to read the full report.

Because these days, whether you survive a crash — walking, biking or driving — could depend more than ever on just what vehicle hits you.

Which is why America Walks wants you to tell the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, aka NHTSA, that dangerous vehicles shouldn’t receive top safety ratings, whether that danger stems from excessive vehicle size, poor visibility or unrestrained speed capability.

Meanwhile, California Assembly Bill 251 would require the California Transportation Commission to establish a task force to examine the relationship between vehicle weight and injuries to vulnerable road users like bike riders and pedestrians, as well as the damage they do to the roadways.

The bill would also require the task force to study the costs and benefits of charging a weight fee for passenger vehicles. Let’s hope they include pickups that aren’t actively used as work trucks, too.

The State of New York is considering a similar bill.

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The Los Angeles Times reviews The Last Rider, which chronicles the career of America’s only remaining Tour de France winner, while focusing on his dramatic come-from-behind win in the ’89 Tour.

Cycling Weekly calls it a timeless tale of perseverance, love and America’s true Tour de France hero.

And frequent contributor David Drexler says it’s inspirational, after seeing it over the weekend.

He adds ore than just a bicycle movie, it’s a real motivational movie for everyone, showing how someone can rise back up from adversity and serious medical problems to become a world champion with focus, discipline and determination.

And an incredibly supportive spouse.

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The World Naked Bike Ride rolled through several US city’s over the weekend.

A Milwaukee paper rode along with that city’s naked bike, and reports on what they, um, uncovered.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles hosted two separate versions of the World Naked Bike Ride, and no one seems to have noticed, with both rides going off without a peep in the local media.

And if they were mentioned on social media, I must have missed it.

Which says a lot about the shock value, or lack thereof, of seeing naked people on bicycles in this city.

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Congratulations to the team at Streetsblog on another well-deserved LA Press Club Award.

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Call it effective marketing.

And while I appreciate the artwork, I don’t think I’d actually want this one on my wall.

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

The Wall Street Journal offers what should be a really helpful article on how to keep your bike from getting stolen. Or at least it would be, if they didn’t hide everything but the first sentence behind the paper’s draconian paywall.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole six adaptive bikes specially made for people with disabilities from a Manchester, England park; police recovered four of the bikes, with values up to $16,000, but each had “irreparable damage.”

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

Police in San Diego are looking for the bike-riding man who shot another man in the neck after an argument; fortunately, the victim survived in wounds.

It takes a major schmuck to run down a New York mom pushing her toddler son in a stroller, then just ride away on their ebike as if nothing happened. Which serves as yet another reminder that hit-and-run laws are the same for people on bicycles as they are for people in cars. Even though the people in cars have a bad habit of ignoring them.

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Local 

The Los Angeles Times says mark your calendar for October’s ArroyoFest, which will close down six miles of the 110 Freeway connecting Los Angeles and Pasadena for the first time in 20 years, and open it up for 7 hours to anyone who wants to walk, bike, skate, scoot, roll or run.

Velo’s Urbanist Update examines how Santa Monica’s Ocean Ave got a curb-protected bike lane in a single day, thanks to the city’s new concrete extrusion machine.

 

State

San Mateo is moving forward with plans to become more bike friendly, including plans for a new bike boulevard and bike lanes.

San Francisco hosts a Women and Nonbinary Bike Ride every other Friday.

The San Francisco Chronicle asks if a popular East Bay bike trail is becoming a hot spot for bike-jackers. Apparently not noticing that it’s been going on for well over a year now. 

 

National

The price you pay for a kid’s BMX bike at Walmart depends on whether you want purple or black.

A lifelong bike rider and former car critic says he’s sitting out the ebike craze, suggesting it’s just a passing fad. Even though modern ped-assist ebikes have been around for three decades now.

Authorities in Oahu would like you to stay the hell out of the bike lanes if you’re not on two wheels.

Life is cheap in Seattle, where a hit-and-run driver got just 21 months for killing a man riding a bicycle, despite evading capture for a year and a half.

Sad news from Texas, where an 89-year old man was killed in a collision just trying to ride his ebike across the street. Anyone still riding any kind of bike at that age deserves a hell of a lot better. 

Ten Cherokee women returned to Oklahoma after completing the 950-mile Remember the Removal Bike Ride; the ride retraced the northern route of the infamous Trail of Tears.

New York City is receiving $25 million in federal emergency funds to build a series of ebike charging stations throughout the city, in an effort to reduce the risk of ebike battery fires. Meanwhile, the New York Daily News says lithium-titanate batteries are better and safer and never explode.

This is who we share the road with. The FBI has arrested a North Carolina man for his one man, year-long racist reign of terror, including running a Black couple’s car off the road with a pickup decked out in Confederate and Trump flags.

Taking a page from the Blues Brothers, a North Carolina pastor is riding his bike across the US on a mission from God.

Why, indeed. A New Orleans TV station asks why bike riders are being killed there at a higher rate than other cities.

 

International

A British man is planning to ride the first three stages of this year’s Tour de France to raise money to buy bikes for victims of modern slavery.

A man in the UK probably won’t win father of the year, after abandoning his family on vacation to get a new limited edition version of the iconic Raleigh Chopper bike.

That’s more like it. A British man got seven and a half years behind bars, along with a 10-year ban on driving, for killing a man riding a bike, while he was drunk and high on coke.

Despite recent reports that Italy will force people on bicycles to register and license their bikes, a European website says it ain’t necessarily so.

An Indian man still rides the “priceless” 100-year old British-made Hercules bike he inherited from his father, after his granduncle bought it secondhand.

Discussions of plans to downgrade a pandemic-era protected bike lane in the Philippines to sharrows have ground to a halt, leading to fears of further reductions in bicycling infrastructure.

 

Competitive Cycling

Chloe Dygert enjoyed her victory in the time trial at the US National Championships so much, she followed it up by edging Coryn Labecki for the women’s road title; meanwhile, 22-year old Quinn Simmons won a shortened men’s race by 37 seconds over second place Tyler Williams. FloBikes offers full standings from both national championship road races.

SoCal’s own Coryn Labecki won the US women’s crit title over Kendall Ryan, while Luke Lamperti took the men’s race in a threepeat.

The Guardian says the death of Swiss cyclist Gino Mäder’s at the Tour de Suisse highlights the dangers of elite level cycling in advance of the Tour de France, which starts on Saturday; Cycling News offers a comprehensive team-by-team preview.

Thirty-eight-year old Chris Froome won’t compete for a record-tying fifth Tour de France title after he was left off the Israel-Premier Tech team for the race.

Bicycling asks if pro cycling is too dangerous. Short answer, yes. Longer answer, hell yes. Read it on AOL if the magazine blocks you. 

Velo talks with former Irish national road race champ Imogen Cotter about coming back from a near-death experience after she was hit head-on by a van driver while training last year.

Seven-time ex-Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong, who knows a thing or two about cheating, wonders whether it’s possible to be supportive of the transgender community while questioning the fairness of trans athletes competing in women’s sports, without being labeled a transphobe or a bigot, insisting he’s not afraid to be cancelled. On the other hand, I just want to know if it’s possible to not cancel Lance, while still wishing he’d just go away. 

 

Finally…

Who needs a bike trailer when you can pull an Airstream with your ebike? Your next bike helmet could be full of hot air — or cold, for that matter.

And when you’re riding a stolen ebike, don’t ride salmon.

And maybe don’t threaten to kill the cops with pinky shears, either.

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Thanks to David E for his generous and unexpected donation to help keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way every day. 

Donations are always welcome and truly appreciated, whatever your reason to give. 

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

Oh, and Yevgeny Prigozhin says fuck Putin, too.

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

Lawsuit filed in Kizzee shooting death, World Naked Ride rolls through DTLA, and former pro Sørensen killed in crash

September 20, 2021 / / Comments Off on Lawsuit filed in Kizzee shooting death, World Naked Ride rolls through DTLA, and former pro Sørensen killed in crash

No surprise here.

The father of the late Dijon Kizzee has filed suit against Los Angeles County for the shooting death of his son last year.

Kizzee was shot by sheriff’s deputies as he attempted to run away after they tried to stop him for riding his bicycle on the wrong side of the street.

Deputies alleged Kizzee had dropped a gun he was carrying, then picked it back up and pointed it at the two deputies.

However, witness statements and security cam video dispute that, suggesting Kizzee was unarmed and had his hands raised when deputies shot him 15 times, then let him die in the street instead of getting him prompt medical attention.

Several protests last year suggested that Kizzee was executed for Biking While Black by deputies angling to join a violent deputy gang.

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Los Angeles helicopter traffic reporter Stu Mundel just happened to catch the LA edition of the World Naked Bike Ride as it rolled through DTLA on Saturday.

Time Out features full-frontal photos of the surprisingly large turnout. But you may want to take a few antibacterial wipes with you if you’re planning to rent a Metro Bike in the near future.

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This is the cost of traffic violence.

Tragic news from the road cycling world championships in Belgium, where former pro Chris Anker Sørensen was killed in a collision while riding his bike on the eve of the competitions.

The 37-year old Danish cyclist was struck by a van driver in Zeebrugge, where he was preparing to serve as an analyst for Danish TV.

Sørensen retired from the pro tour in 2018.

No word yet on how the crash happened, but investigators have apparently concluded that the driver was not at fault.

More proof, if we needed it, that even experienced bike riders are at risk on the streets.

Even in the most bike-friendly region of a bike-friendly country like Belgium.

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This is what Paris looks like when you take cars away for a day.

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Frightening UK bike crash caught on freeze frame, as a triathlete tumbles along the pavement with his bike flying high above him following a collision with a driver.

Fortunately, he was not seriously injured, as surprising as that seems.

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Megan Lynch forwards a pair of videos from a comedic, bike-riding ophthalmologist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR_k-Wdm5_M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RweVU7WRHh4

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

No bias here. Las Vegas police blame the bike-riding victim of a fatal collision for not having lights on his bike or wearing helmet — never mind that he was run down while riding in a bike lane by the driver of a high-end SUV. Police said speed and impairment weren’t factors, while apparently ignoring that driving in a bike lane was.

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Local

The LA Times says start your holiday shopping now, because many things may not be available later due to shipping problems — especially bicycles.

The attempt to recall newly elected CD4 Councilmember Nithya Raman has collapsed, leaving the safe streets supporter safely in place, at least for now.

Streetsblog looks at the new two-way, curb and armadillo-protected bike lane on Elenda Street in Culver City, a Safe Routes To School Project designed to help students walking and biking to and from La Ballona Elementary School.

Speaking of Culver City, the newly bike-friendly community has started work on replacing the Higuera Street Bridge with a bike ramp connecting Higuera Street with the Ballona Creek Bike Path.

Thirteen kids and two adults with special needs received new adaptive tricycles in Long Beach last week, courtesy of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers’ Charities and SoCal Trykers, allowing many to ride a bike for the first time.

 

State

Calbike is gearing up for a return of the ten-day California Dream Ride Challenge next month, their Covid-era replacement for the annual California Dream Ride.

Advocates are questioning the safety of a painted bike lane through San Diego’s Balboa Park, after a 37-year old man was killed by a 17-year old driver while riding a Link dockless e-scooter, just blocks from where Laura Shinn was killed by a driver while riding her bike two months ago; the city is still waiting for the two-way buffered bike lane that was supposed to have replaced it by now.

San Diego hired Jorge Riveros to lead the city’s new standalone Transportation Department; Riveros previously served in leadership positions in Nashville and Austin. Maybe he can light a fire under that long-delayed Balboa Park bike lane.

 

National

NPR’s Planet Money talks ebikes and their growing popularity in the US — and how carmakers are taking notice. Meanwhile, Forbes looks at Zoomo’s ebike lease program, available for as little as $20 a month in New York, Miami and Los Angeles.

Vox looks at the epidemic of car crashes in the US, calling driving the most dangerous thing most Americans do every day, killing as many people as gun violence while severely injuring millions more.

An Anchorage, Alaska woman complains of becoming invisible when she rides her bikes, calling on city residents to help make it less dangerous on the city’s shared pavements.

The husband of Suzanne Morphew with face trial for her murder after pleading not guilty to killing the Colorado woman, who went out for a Mother’s Day bike ride and never returned; her body has still not been found.

A writer for Curbed takes a contrary stand, saying she wishes she liked the new bike lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge more than she does, calling it a symbolic victory.

Writing for the Daily News, a former Streetsblog editor says New York’s recent spate of fatal crashes — too many involving kids — show’s the city’s Vision Zero is stalled, and the streets must be reimagined now.

Another Daily News op-ed says automated speed and red light cams are the answer to the city’s traffic enforcement problems. Speed cams remain illegal in California after two bills failed in the legislature, while red light cams were all removed in Los Angeles because drivers didn’t like getting caught breaking the law.

A man in York, Pennsylvania took up bicycling to stave off boredom during the pandemic lockdown, he’s now put over 6,500 miles on his bike in the past 17 months, leads groups rides and served as a cover model for Bicycling.

Fox News seems none too pleased that Biden took a bike ride along a Delaware beach on Sunday, apparently convinced that meant he was ignoring multiple national crisis. Just wait until someone tells them how often the last guy spent the weekend playing golf.

DC residents were infuriated by a short video showing a driver swerve onto the wrong side of the road to pass another car, then blow through a stop sign and crosswalk, right next to a memorial for a five-year old girl killed riding her bike there the day before.

 

International

Mexico welcomed four Afghan women, honoring them as part of Mexico City’s weekly Sunday ciclovia representing the 391 Afghan refugees in the country.

A pair of British bicyclists also welcomed refugees, riding over 1,300 miles to spell out Refugees Welcome across southern England in the world’s largest GPS artwork. Although I fear some of their Brexiteer countrymen and women may not share the sentiment.

Police are looking for an 81-year old Ontario man who went out for a bike ride and never returned home.

An Edinburgh paper offers extensive photos of the city’s Fancy Women Bike Ride, one of 150 such rides around the globe on World Car Free Day. Unfortunately, Los Angeles doesn’t seem to have been one of them this year.

An English ebike conversion kit-maker walked away from the Brit equivalent of Shark Tank with lots of praise but no money, after refusing to move production to China.

After a UK driver was sentenced to nine and a half years behind bars for the hit-and-run death of a bike-riding man, a Yorkshire paper reveals his “shocking” history as one of the area’s most notorious criminals.

The world may finally catch to Dutch cyclists in a few hundred years or so, after the country gradually loses its height advantage.

A new German wheel reflector promises to give you 360° visibility on your bike; you can pre-order on Kickstarter for around $18.

A writer for a travel website relates how bicycling along a dusty Moroccan road helped save her marriage.

The Tehran Times highlights the eight most beautiful bicycling routes in Iran, in case you’re planning to visit the country any time soon.

Great article on the urban planner who is bringing a bigger focus on bicycling in Uganda, and changing the streets of Kampala, the country’s capital. Thanks to Stormin’ Norman for the heads-up.

There may be hope for ending the worldwide bike shortage, as Vietnamese factory workers return after the country lifted its Covid lockdown, although it may take half a year or more to catch up.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cycling Weekly offers five takeaways from the world championship time trial, with Italy’s Filippo Ganna leaving second place finisher Wout van Aert six seconds behind; the championships will continue through this week.

Longtime German pro Tony Martin is calling it a career, deciding to retire after the mixed team relay at this week’s worlds.

 

Finally…

Your next ebike could be a vintage motorcycle-inspired Harley. You can do lots of things while on a bike ride — like delivering a baby, for instance.

And why use ebikes to save the world, when you can turn them into weapons of war, complete with gun mounts.

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

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

Morning Links: AIDS/LifeCycle Ride arrives with Pride, Gotcha wants ya, and World Naked Bike Ride around the world

June 10, 2019 / / One comment

Over 2,000 bike riders rolled up to LA’s Fairfax High School on Saturday during LA Pride celebrations, ending the 545-mile AIDS/LifeCycle ride that began in San Francisco last Sunday.

US Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy was the top fund-raiser for the ride, bringing in over $238,000 to benefit the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and HIV/AIDS services at the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

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New San Gabriel Valley e-bikeshare provider Gotcha is looking to fill several positions in the LA/SGV area to help get the system up and running, including —

I might consider the first one, but only if they changed the title to Minister of Propaganda.

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Bike riders around the world dare to go bare for the World Naked Bike Ride, calling for better bike safety by asking “Can you see me now?”

Rides took place in Chicago, Cleveland, New Orleans, Mexico City, London and throughout the UK,

Meanwhile, bike riders in Laredo, Texas kept their clothes on while lighting themselves up.

But seriously, are you really naked if you’re armed to the teeth?

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This is who we share the roads with.

A North Hollywood motor scooter rider was killed by a speeding driver while stopped at a red light, who proceeded to crash into several parked vehicles after fleeing the scene, then tried to walk away after her car caught on fire.

Police said it was unclear if drugs or alcohol were involved, demonstrating that they really do have a sense of humor.

Thanks to Evan Burbridge for the heads-up.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes is all too real.

An off-duty New York firefighter used his car as a weapon to deliberately try to run over a bike rider after smashing the rider’s cell phone, when the bicyclist had the audacity to complain about nearly getting run down by the red light-running motorist. Naturally the driver says it’s no big deal.

And someone intentionally placed an old railroad tie across the entrance to a Portland bike path in an apparent attempt to injure riders.

Seriously, this shit has got to stop.

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Local

City  Councilmember Bob Blumenfield say the new bike lanes on Winnetka Ave  “won’t prevent all accidents, but it certainly will save some lives.” The new lanes close the gap where Ignacio Sanchez Navarro was killed by a hit-and-run driver two years ago.

Architectural leaders say LA architects have to step up their game, like designing more buildings to accommodate bicycles, because cars may be a thing of the past due to the city’s “notorious traffic congestion.” We can only hope.

Evidently, riding a bicycle on LA freeways is a thing now.

A meeting will be held tomorrow in Pico Rivera to discuss the city’s first protected bikeway.

A Santa Clarita writer looks at the faces behind the area’s many roadside memorials, including ghost bikes for Teresa Mae Angeli and Rod Bennett.

 

State

San Diego city planners are refining efforts to make the city’s iconic Mission Blvd safer and more welcoming to people, whether they travel on two feet or two wheels.

A salmon cyclist was luck to escape with just a broken leg when he was hit by a driver in San Diego; he also had a passenger on his bike, who wasn’t injured.

Great idea. Chico residents celebrate the city’s 10th annual Bicycle Music Festival by riding to several locations to hear live music, all the while being serenaded by a musician on a bike, amplified with a pedal-powered generator.

Bike author Richard Fox offers safer alternatives to get around locations where bike riders were killed in the Coachella Valley.

Sad news from Bakersfield, where an elderly man riding a bicycle was killed in a collision.

Roughly 100 Santa Barbara teens turned out for a Ride Out on Saturday, sending drivers into a tizzy; good thing they didn’t try it today, when the city is conducting a bike and pedestrian safety sting.

A Santa Cruz writer says you can reduce your carbon footprint by riding a bikeshare ebike.

 

National

The Flagstaff AZ city council backed off plans to ban ebikes from gravel trails, and will continue to allow soused riders to pedal home.

Boulder CO has placed a monument in a local park to honor the late, great Red Zinger Bicycle Classic and the legendary Coors Classic bike races.

The former head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Grizzly Bear Recovery Team says yes, mountain bikers pose a grave threat to grizzly bears in the Yellowstone area.

Young descendants of the Cherokee tribe made their way through Southern Illinois on the Remember the Removal bike ride, retracing the route taken by tribal members in the infamously brutal Trail of Tears.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole a disabled Michigan man’s new bicycle just minutes after he bought it.

Louisville KY bicyclists rode to honor Muhammad Ali, the self-proclaimed greatest fighter of all time.

Maine bike riders say the way to deal with gridlock on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park is to take your bike and leave the car at home. But they don’t expect tourists to take that advice.

Nice piece in the New York Times profiling a historic black bike club in Brooklyn that may have produced America’s next track cycling star. Thanks to George Wolfberg for the heads-up.

WaPo says your GPS is breaking your brain.

No surprise here. A poll of DC residents shows drivers are worse than bike riders and pedestrians — or scooter riders, for that matter — when it comes to breaking traffic laws. Meanwhile, a DC writer says it’s time to take a stand against car supremacy, and dethrone cars from their policy throne.

A Florida bicyclist says it was the camaraderie and sense of belonging he found with his fellow bike riders that got him through chemo.

 

International

Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton is one of us, relaxing between races by riding his mountain bike.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation says studies show bike lanes boost urban businesses.

No bias here. Calgary bike riders caught riding just 6 mph over the city’s 12.4 mph bike path speed limit could face a $400 fine; a driver would have to be doing nearly 20 mph over the limit to face a fine that high.

Montreal merchants are carefully aiming a shotgun at their feet by demanding the cancellation of plans for a bike lane that would result in the removal 275 parking spots. Even though studies consistently show bike lanes are good for business, and bike riders spend more per month than drivers do; see the CBC report two stories up.

A writer for The Guardian says even riding the French Alps is no sweat on an ebike. Meanwhile, another article in the paper recommends some of Europe’s best easy bicycling holidays.

A bronze Mahatma Gandhi rides a bicycle to promote food safety. Even if he does look more like Dobby in the photo.

For years, we’ve joked about airbags for bike riders. You can stop joking now, thanks to an Indian inventor.

Rising Palestinian cycling champ Alaa al-Dali is making a remarkable comeback as a paracyclist after losing a leg to an Israeli sniper

Unbelievable. An 18-year old Saudi Arabian boy faces beheading for leading a bike protest during the Arab Spring when he was just ten years old. Yes, ten.

A South African bike rider learns the hard way that there’s a lot we don’t know about concussions after losing consciousness for several minutes after a fall on her way home.

An Australian father reached out and tried to pull his 12-year old son out of the way as a van driver careened out of control, smashing into them and critically injuring a pedestrian. Although it might be nice if the writer didn’t wait until the very end to even mention that the van had a driver. And then only in passing.

It takes a real schmuck to steal a Kiwi woman’s bicycle as she’s trying to rescue a loose goat.

 

Competitive Cycling

VeloNews considers the women who ride the Dirty Kanza.

What do you do if you crash your bike in sight of the finish line? Just make a run for it.

 

Finally…

If someone steals your bike, just pull a page from Reservoir Dogs. What do you do if you’re diagnosed with a grave medical condition? Ride a ‘bent across the US, of course.

And don’t try to snatch the Governator’s bike — at least not when his bodyguards are on duty.

Thanks to Evan Burbridge for that last one.

 

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

Morning Links: Another successful CicLAvia, riding sans culottes for safer streets, and bizarre SaMo road rage

June 12, 2017 / / 2 comments

Grab some coffee and settle in, because we’ve got a lot of ground to cover today.

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Let’s start with a quick look at yesterday’s Glendale to Atwater Village CicLAvia.

Given the short course, I left my bike at home, and set out to walk it with my wife and dog in tow, starting at the Atwater Village hub.

Unfortunately, we didn’t make it past the Central Hub, after both succumbed to the intermittent sunshine and a pace slowed by the curse of a cute dog, as countless hands stopped us to pet the Corgi along the way.

We were able to catch a pedicab back to Atwater, which was good news since they were both done for the day at that point. It was the Corgi’s first time on a bike, and she took to it like a kid at Disneyland — especially when we picked up speed on the steep downhill.

So I only got to see the southern half of the route. But what I saw was countless happy people on their bikes, as well as a handful of skaters and fellow pedestrians.

And a lot of bored cops and paramedics, which is always a good sign.

As always, businesses that cater to CicLAvia riders are richly rewarded

Bluegrass band performing outside the Atwater farmers market

I foolishly forgot to get this kid’s name; he bravely struggled up the steepest hill on the route, with much encouragement from his father

Glendale’s finest engage in a little community relations of the Corgi kind

My wife immediately recognized this as the Glendale Train Station, thanks to the Militant Angeleno’s guide

Bike Walk Glendale was busy giving CicLAvians a taste of what the city could be

So what was your experience?

Leave a comment below to offer your thoughts on the day, especially if you made it the Brand Hub, and saw the part of the route I missed.

Meanwhile, LAist recaps yesterday’s CicLAvia with a handful of photos.

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CicLAvia wasn’t the only ride of note this weekend.

The World Naked Bike Ride rolled over the weekend, resulting in a bunch of not exactly safe for work photos and videos of bike riders around the world, as people shed all, or nearly all, to call for better safety on the streets.

Including some of our fellow Angelenos.

https://twitter.com/VTheMovieGirl/status/873651987279040512

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Seriously, I don’t even know what to say about this one, which started when a road raging driver in Santa Monica attempted to give a bike rider a piece of his mind.

And apparently, didn’t have any to spare.

The driver jumped out of the truck to confront the bicyclist at Broadway and  Second Avenue near the busy Third Street Promenade. That’s when a third man got into the Toyota and tried to drive off with it. The driver tried to stop the thief. In the process he was hit by his own truck. The pick-up went a little farther and hit a person in a wheelchair. Witnesses said the wheelchair was dragged for some distance.

When the truck came to a stop, a traffic officer and a witness stopped the thief from getting away. Police arrested him officers said.

Thanks to dammannjohnj for the heads-up.

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The Irish Times celebrates the 200th anniversary of the bicycle — or at least, the forerunner of the bicycle — while offering ten reasons bikes are better than cars.

Meanwhile, CNET looks at what the dandy horse begot. And the NY Post celebrates 200 years of the bicycle.

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Good piece from a Toronto writer about the double standard in how the press commonly absolves drivers of blame in collisions — intentionally or not — while doing just the opposite for bicyclists.

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Timbuk2 is hosting a CycleHack meetup in their Venice store tomorrow evening. Here’s how their press release describes it.

Starting June 13, Timbuk2 Venice is kicking Summer Sessions off with a special CycleHack Meetup, meant to inspire innovation within the city’s cycling community. All season long the shop will host bumpin’ parties, kickin’ deals, and hitting the streets for rides full of general revelry with numerous events, parties, and partnerships that will span from now until the end of September.

As the official start to Summer Sessions, the Venice shop has teamed up with, CycleHack, a worldwide movement that organizes an annual 48-hour think-tank in cities all over the globe to inspire and aid people to find solutions to their city’s cycling barriers. Leading up to the official event in September, Timbuk2 Venice is hosting a special CycleHack meetup on June 13, where the community can come together, learn about the organization’s mission, enjoy complimentary food and drinks, and discuss local cycling issues. Together, Timbuk2 and CycleHack are on a mission to make cycling more accessible, safe, and fun for all, so don’t miss out and RSVP here.

The Timbuk2 Venice CycleHack Meetup is one of many events that are taking place at the store this season. With several others like rides to the Abbot Kinney Fest and a community beach clean-up, you’ll want to keep up with the official schedule here.

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Local

Silicone Beach entrepreneurs are up in arms over the Playa del Rey road diets. Evidently, they’re fine with keeping the streets dangerous if fixing them means adding a few minutes to their commute.

A writer for the LA Daily News recommends riding a bicycle as part of a personal commitment to live up to the Paris climate accord, even if the US is pulling out.

Curbed catches up with last week’s news that 17 miles of bike lanes will be coming to South LA and the San Fernando Valley. Meanwhile, a total of zero bike lanes are coming to Hollywood.

La Verne is working on its first new general plan in 19 years, which is expected to feature a greater emphasis on active transportation.

Here’s the reason you won’t be riding Angeles Crest anytime soon.

No, Malibu Times, the San Francisco to Los Angeles AIDS/LifeCycle Ride is not a race. Bizarre how some people can’t comprehend that anyone would ride bikes together unless if there’s a finish line and podium at the end.

 

State

Calbike wants to know what you think their priorities should be for the next five years.

That South African rhino-towing cyclist has made it to OC on his way down the left coast in an effort to save the species.

Santa Ana begins a program to improve safety for people traveling by bike or on foot; the city ranks first among California cities over 250,000 for DUI collisions and collisions involving kids under 15, and third for bicycling collisions.

The Ocean Beach Planning Board discusses a possible bike boulevard through the San Diego neighborhood.

The Press-Enterprise offers photos of Sunday’s Santa Ana River Trail Bike Ride and Festival.

A Ventura letter writer is convinced that bike riders should be taxed and licensed (scroll down) because, in his mind, a) almost as much road space is dedicated to bikes as to cars, b) the massive amount of bike signage has created a visual mess, c) bicyclists have more rights than drivers, and d) when a bike rider gets hurt, the taxpayers have to pick up the bill. Because obviously, no bike rider could possibly afford insurance, and no drivers ever pay up after a crash. Maybe he should look into a new career writing for the Weekly World News.

CiclaValley wants to know what the hell is going on with parking in Santa Barbara bike lanes. According to the DMV, it’s legal to park in a bike lane as long as you don’t block a bicyclist. Which is pretty much impossible.

A Bakersfield drunk driver could get away with killing a bike rider because she was in dark clothes, didn’t have a helmet and wasn’t in a crosswalk — none of which is illegal — even though the driver could have faced a murder charge since it’s his second DUI arrest. Of course, none of that could have anything to do with the fact he’s part of a well-connected local farming family.

 

National

I want to be like him when I grow up. An 82-year old man will spend the next week riding 447 miles through the Colorado high country as part of the Denver Post’s Ride the Rockies.

Heartbreaking news from Massachusetts, where a boy hailed as a hero last year for trying to save a kayaker was hit by a train while trying to retrieve his bike from the tracks.

Maryland discovered the hard way that it was perfectly legal to run over a bicyclist in a crosswalk. And to their credit, fixed it.

Florida homeowners are all in favor of improving safety for students on their way to school. As long as it doesn’t involve a bike path through their neighborhood.

 

International

A new study says overly cautious medical advice could be scaring pregnant women off their bikes.

The Guardian goes for a ride in a team car, and discovers a world of controlled panic. Meanwhile, keep an eye on the paper this week, as they explore the state of bicycling around the world.

The British prime minister took a bath in the recent elections, as did a pair of MPs (Members of Parliament) known for being anti-bike. Road.cc says the opposition Labour party needs to focus on bicycling to retain younger voters.

A BBC presenter explains why he never wears a bike helmet, believing drivers will give him a wide berth because of his white hair. Which will do nothing to protect his head if he hits a pothole or other road obstacle.

A man in the UK was running late, so he took a taxi to a job interview. Then stole a bike because he didn’t have any money to get back home.

Ireland considers a proposal to force riders to use bike lanes, many of which are overcrowded and in poor condition.

France’s new president is one of us, as he goes for a bike ride with his wife. We’re not likely to see the US president on one anytime soon. Unless Mike Pence somehow takes over.

China invades Kazakhstan as part of their secret plan for world bikeshare domination.

Apparently, you don’t want to spit on the ground while bicycling in the Old City of Jerusalem.

A New Zealand man built a modified ebike that allows him to attach his Parkinson’s-afflicted wife’s wheelchair to the handlebars.

Seriously? Chinese bikeshare company Ofo is introducing a new “princess bike” to encourage more women to ride.

 

Finally…

If you’re going to go to all the trouble of busting into a bike shop, at least take something. Nothing like having a group of armed bandits argue over which one gets to steal your bike.

And here’s today’s candidate for headline of the year.

Thanks to Megan Lynch for the last one.

 

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

Morning Links: Justice at last for OC’s Michael Bastien, and the bike world strips for the World Naked Bike Ride

June 13, 2016 / / 2 comments

It’s taken two years, but there’s finally been justice for Michael Bastien.

And with far more jail time than initial reports would have suggested.

This comes from our anonymous Orange County correspondent —

On a sunny Labor Day afternoon, Michael Bastien and his son Matt were riding their bikes down Bolsa Chica when they were hit from behind by a drunk driver. Michael was killed; his son survived.

On Friday, June 3rd, Michael John Perez accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 10 years in state prison for felony vehicular manslaughter. He’ll be out in half that, of course. His ass is currently in County awaiting transfer to Wasco.

Michael Bastien’s brother is still calling the collision that resulted in his brother’s death a “DUI accident,” which is pretty damn big-hearted of him, because I consider “repeat drunk driving” and “vehicular manslaughter” to be crimes, not accidents, and I am incredibly disturbed at the idea that the collision (whose aftermath I passed on my daily commute) was in any way unavoidable and free of blame.

Once again, the Orange County DA’s office has gotten a conviction in a traffic case resulting in serious jail time. While other local district attorneys don’t even care enough to try.

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Hundreds of people turned out for the LA edition of the World Naked Bike Ride Sunday; a surprising number chose to bare all on a cloudy morning. (Both links NSFW).

Riders also turned out in force for the Toronto and London editions.

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Michigan lawmakers respond to the Kalamazoo bike crash tragedy by introducing a bill that would impose up to 15 years in jail for causing serious injury or death with a motor vehicle.

Nice gesture from Lance Armstrong, who will join members of the victims’ cycling club to finish the ride they started before the crash.

Meanwhile, the judge ordered the killer held without bond on Friday.

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Former German world champ Rudi Altig has died of cancer at age 79; Altig once spent 18 days in the leader’s yellow jersey in the Tour de France.

Peter Sagan set a new record by winning his 12th stage of the Tour of Switzerland.

The New York Times looks at efforts to hold bike racing motor doping at bay.

An Aussie website talks with veteran cycling announcer Phil Ligget.

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Local

A 10-year old girl was the victim of a drive-by shooting in Boyle Heights, as someone fired multiple shots at a bike rider in an apparent gang attack, and hitting her in the head instead; at last report she was in critical condition.

Good looks at LA’s Great Streets Initiative, saying the city is reinventing itself one street at a time.

A writer for the LA Times goes for an illuminating LA Noir Ride with the Los Angeles Explorers Club.

Richard Risemberg says don’t be a blockhead, put some sunscreen on any uncovered skin when you ride. You won’t get any argument from me; I’ve already had cancers carved out of my nose and calf as a result of riding unprotected in my youth.

Around 300 people turned out for the Rod Bennett Memorial Bike Ride in Santa Clarita on Saturday; Bennett was killed in a hit-and-run while riding on Placerita Canyon last month.

 

State

A Santa Barbara newspaper says the new sharrows being installed in the city may be useless. Sort of like most sharrows, in other words.

A new mural remembers a Salinas man who was killed in a hit-and-run two years ago; his killer was never found.

Sad news from Campbell, as a bike rider was killed in a collision Sunday afternoon.

 

National

The Federal Bureau of Land Management has created a map of the nation’s 20 top mountain bike destinations, only one of which is in California.

NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson, Josh Wise and Landon Cassill are each one of us, as they take a 71-mile bike ride with their crew members through Michigan’s Irish Hills.

In another case of bighearted cops, when DC police officers were unable to fix a 12-year old boy’s bicycle, they pitched in to buy him a new one.

 

International

Bicycling under the influence may not be illegal in Canada, but it’s not recommended. But it is illegal in California, with a fine up to $250, but no points against your driver’s license.

A bike commuter writing in the Guardian says too many drivers forget we’re all human; motorists will survive being delayed a few seconds by a bike rider, but the rider may not survive their anger. Case in point: A bicyclist in the UK suffered a serious eye injury when someone threw an egg at him from a passing car.

A Scottish rider visits Copenhagen, and says cycling utopia really does exist.

In a new study from the University of Duh, British researchers discover that kids who bike as children are more likely to ride as teenagers.

An eight-year old Kenyon boy breaks down in tears when he’s given a new mountain bike for finishing at the head of his elementary school class.

 

Finally…

Having a bike stolen sucks — especially if you haven’t even gotten it out of the box yet. If you’re not happy with a bike shop’s prices, don’t run off with their tip jar.

And forget bike Nazis; we’re now a “cycling Taliban” forcing unwanted changes on poor, oppressed drivers.

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Come back later this morning, when we’ll have a heartbreaking guest post from the daughter of one of the victims in the Moorpark distracted driving crash that left two people dead; the Ventura County DA has inexplicably filed the charges as misdemeanors, against the wishes of the CHP and any form of common decency.

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Thanks to an anonymous donor for her generous donation to support this site.

 

Category: Bikes & the Law, Legal Cases, Morning Links / Tags: , , , , ,
 
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