Are Bicycle Lanes Really Green?

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"Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pedaled his bicycle in a bike-only lane in Venice Beach when a taxicab swerved suddenly and stopped in front of him. The mayor clutched his brakes but it was too late. He fell and broke his elbow.

When the mayor’s accident made headlines in July 2010, the incident energized the city’s cyclists and bike commuters around Los Angeles’ ambitious plans to make 1,600 miles of bike lanes in this auto-centric metropolis. Yet little progress has been made in the year and a half since the mayor’s fall because of an unlikely hurdle: California’s environmental laws.

Much of the blame — or kudos, depending on where your politics lie — for the delays can be placed on Rob Anderson, a 69-year-old with a salt-and-pepper beard who lives 400 miles north in San Francisco. To the fixed-geared hipsters and bicycle utopians he’s a pariah. The city’s cycling boosters have called him a “magnificent jerk” for standing in the way of safer streets for cyclists, a “scumbag” and a “cynical dickhead” in comments on his blog."

Prayers For Atheists - Bike Song

Prayers For Atheists - Bike Song from ScenicRoots on Vimeo.

SCATTO

Why I Ride

Why I Ride from Jeff Consiglio on Vimeo.

Fortune 700 @ The Pasadena Rose Bowl

All my Pictures of this years Fortune 700 are located here...  You can take them, cross post them, please just give me credit when possible.  Thanks.

What I expected to be a "chill" 40 mile ride to Pasadena Rose Bowl, for the Fortune 700,  and back turned out to be an epic all day event.  Michael from, "ClaremontCyclist.Blogspot.com", Kevin and I rode to Pasadena on Saturday. We arrived there about 15 minutes late but the organizers were still staging racers for the Team Time Trials.

The Fortune 700 is an all fixed, all the time, race.  This year it consisted of two events.  The first was a Team Time Trial that consisted of three 3.3 mile loops around the rose bowl.  The second was a 20 mile crit. The TTT was fast and furious as racers made their way around the Rose Bowl.  Some teams made good use of their energy, trading off pulls, while others had significant gaps between them. It took awhile for the Crit to get underway.  Between the TTT and Crit, I spoke with a few racers.  The gearing of choice was 48 x 16 for both events.

There was quite a diverse field of racers including; crit racers, tracks stars, urban street racers, a father son duo and even Dorothy Wong of So Cal Cross was there representing.  It was a beautiful day, mid 80s, sunny, with a slight breeze.  The atmosphere was friendly and very relaxed.  Unlike some road races I've attended, spectators and racers were very friendly and talkative.

Fortune 700, A Few More Pics

Ride of My Life, The Story of the Bicycle (Part Four)

Fortune 700 Pics Coming Soon ...

Today I rode down to Pasadena Rose Bowl to what this years Fortune 700.  I will post all pics soon but here are a few.

Ride of My Life, The Story of the Bicycle (Part Three)

Ride of My Life, The Story of the Bicycle (Part Two)

Pista Libre @ Encino Velodrome

Be there Feb. 25, 2012.

Ride of My Life, The Story of the Bicycle (Part One)

Unstoppables

Unstoppables from black train films on Vimeo.

Link Located Here ...

It's All About The Bike

Tomorrow I will post the first 14 minutes of this documentary. This is a summary but the documentary is very interesting.

Zombie Cutter

Zombies beware!

Ticket Master, NYPD.

I found this interesting article regarding NYPD issuing almost 50,000 in bicycle tickets.

Read the Entire Article Here ...

The NYPD doled out 48,556 summonses to bike riders in 2011. That figure was reported by Executive Officer of the Transportation Bureau, John Cassidy at a hearing held by the NY City Council Wednesday on NYPD policies for traffic investigations.

About 250,000 people ride a bike each day in New York city, and  about 500,000 ride at least several times a month, according to the New York City Department of Transportation.

Men of Cyclocross

CX Season is over and  already miss it!

"Cyclocross racers Tim Johnson, Ryan Trebon and Todd Wells give their personal perspectives of what it takes to be among the best and what compels them to excel in the sport we love."


Men of Cyclocross from Zipp Speed Weaponry on Vimeo.

The Love Handle

Videotect 2: The Love Handle from Architecture Minnesota on Vimeo.

RAP - Ride Around Pomona

Glendora Mountain Road - Fixed (Fork Plus 3.97)

"It's by riding a bicycle the you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them" -Ernest Hemingway

I learned this a long time ago. Hills, and inclines go unappreciated and unnoticed in a car, but by bike you feel them, you get to know them.  You grow to appreciate the apex of a climb and the imminent downhill.

Riding fixed gear has only enhanced my appreciation for the road. On a fixed gear bike you ride every mile, every hill climb and and every descent. 

Today I headed out on my bike to GMR.  My goal was to go farther than I did the last time.  So this means I needed to do more than Fork Plus 2.  When I left the house it was cold and it never did warm up.  I left later than usual so there were quite a few riders heading up with me.  I managed to drag my butt to Fork Plus 3.97 and them some.  I am getting closer to my goal, Mt Baldy Fixed.

Kevin rides Sundays so the whole time I was looking for him.  We never did cross paths but he rode to the First Saddle Plus 1.5. 

Sex on Wheels

"SEX ON WHEELS documents the role that cycling plays in one woman’s quest for love in the big city. Amanda, who has never learned to ride a bike, is convinced that balancing on two wheels will lead to romance. This film is a lighthearted look at bike culture among hip, urban 20 something’s."


Sex on Wheels from Amanda Feder on Vimeo.

$6 million, wow this guy must have been hurt pretty bad.  But why was he all hoped up on Xanax and marijuana?  I wonder if he was in his right mind would he have seen the Shuttle Bus coming?  But then again, those shuttle drivers are CRAZY! 

Article From the Orange County Register

"A corporation has agreed to pay $6 million to a 32-year-old bicyclist injured in an accident with a shuttle bus near John Wayne Airport, say attorneys for the bicyclist.

The Santa Ana law firm of Callahan & Blaine called the case one of the largest bicycle-accident settlements in Orange County history in a news release this week.

The names of everyone involved are confidential under the terms of the settlement agreement in the case that was headed for a jury trial in March.

According to release, here's what happened:

The biker was injured Nov. 12, 2009, when an airport shuttle pulled out in front of him, rolling over the man and fracturing his pelvis in several places. The cyclist was left with chronic pain in his neck, back and pelvis and other internal injuries.

The shuttle driver admitted to not seeing the bicyclist and failing to yield, plaintiff's attorneys said.

The defendant corporation said in court filings the bicyclist was impaired because he had taken Xanax and marijuana. Furthermore, the defense said the accident occurred at night with the bicyclist wearing dark clothing and no reflective safety features, the plaintiff's release said."

Happy Valentine's Day

BicycleFriends.com wishes you a happy Valentine's Day.  This is a day to spend with someone you love.

The Man Who Lived on His Bike

THE MAN WHO LIVED ON HIS BIKE from Guillaume Blanchet on Vimeo.

Cyclists Prefer Bikes to Sex

A friend of mine forwarded this to me.  Well, we like cycling just as much as we like sex. And women prefer cycling over sex!  This is absolutely amazing but if I absolutely had to choose between one or the other, well, I would have to go with ...

Read the Entire Article Here ...

"In a recent survey carried out by Bicycling magazine, 50 percent of men and 58 percent of women said that, if they had to choose between bikes or sex... they'd choose the bikes. Man, their sex lives must be bad."

Bike Lanes

From www.dmv.ny.gov

"Bicyclists and skaters have the legal right to share the road on most public highways. Bicyclists and skaters are not allowed on interstate highways and expressways. The jurisdictions that manage other controlled-access highways, for example parkways, can prohibit all bicycles."


bike lanes from Casey Neistat on Vimeo.

Bicycle Law - Stay 4ft Away and Don't Cut Me Off!

One foot, two feet, two inches it doesn't matter.  As an avid cyclist I've had a few close encounters with cars.  Share the road?  Well in theory we cyclist have the sames rights to the road as cars but I don't think our fellow motorist realize this.  I remember riding down Brea Canyon in the early morning.  The road was quiet and NO traffic coming from the opposite direction.  A lone truck was coming up on me from behind and came so close to me, had I gotten spooked or decided to veer out just inches, the truck would have hit me. Sometimes I think motorist are trying to hit me!

Pennsylvania: "Gov. Corbett Signs Bicycle Safety Bill Into Law. In short, it requires drivers to stay a minimum of four feet away from bicyclists as they pass them on the highways and byways of our fair Commonwealth. All the better, one supposes, so as not to smush them. The bill also prohibits motorists from making sudden right turns in front of a cyclist who is proceeding in the same direction.

"Bicycling is great exercise and an effective, efficient mode of transportation," Miller points out, not adding that it becomes better exercise if you are pedaling frantically so as not to get smushed by a passing motorist. "We need to do all that we can to promote the activity and protect bike enthusiasts that makes it safer for them to enjoy their sport."

Read The Entire Article Here ...

La Bicicleta by La Candela

"A little boy breaks free from the confines of the mini-van to cruise the streets on two-wheels. Though not without a snag along the way..."

La Bicicleta by La Candela (English Subtitles) from Mark Beaty on Vimeo.

Shit Cyclist Say!

How much does this weigh? Is that carbon? All of it is true, we are all different yet the same. Our crazy obsession with all things cycling is laughable. I'm guilt, you're guilt ...

Wouldn't Another BIke Be Nice?

I think I want another bike, maybe fixed gear with TWO water bottle mounts for epic rides.  I rarely see fixed gear bikes with two water bottle mounts! 

I want to do 100 miles on a fixed gear bike.

Shit Mountain Bikers Say

Yo Follow My Line! Epic! So Stoked!

Mountain Bikers are an interesting group.  Sure enough, some will get a flat and NOT have a tube.  "Brown Pow!" Someone is going to crash.  My fork is tuned or not tuned and can I borrow your tools, I forgot mine.

Glendora Mountain Road Fixed - Fork Plus Two

I have it in my head to ride to Mt Baldy on my fixed gear bike. Riding fixed gear is a new challenge.  Today I decided to ride Glendora Mountain Road with the idea to do Fork Plus Two.  

When I first started riding GMR, I had one goal, to ride to Mt Baldy.  That's when I came across GlendoraMTNRoad.com. Annette had a system of getting to Mt Baldy one mile at a time.  Train to get to East Fork, then progressively add another mile past the fork until you make it to Mt Baldy.  I've been to Mt Baldy many, many times on my geared bike.  Its fun and a great exercise but now I want to try it on my fixed gear. 

When I left my house at 7:30am it was still pretty cold.  Maybe 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which is cold for my California blood.  Unlike last week, I was a little more prepared for the cold weather.   I had arm warmers, vest and wool cycling cap to keep my core warm.

As I made my way west on Foothill I knew I was in trouble.  I just didn't have any power.  It was a stressful work week and by Friday, I was exhausted. So I decided to work on turning circles and I managed to pull it together and get to Sierra Madre and Glendora Mountain Road. 

Between Boulder Springs and Big Dalton on GMR the grade is, well,  STEEP!  This proved to be an unwelcome shock to my system.  Ugh! If I wasn't so stubborn and didn't have it in my head to do Fork Plus 2, I would have turned around at that point.  Man did that climb hurt.

Fast Forward - Fork Plus 1.99 and then some.  I turned around just past the 1.99 mile marker sign.  I stopped to take a few pictures.  It was a clear morning.  So far the weather has been amazing in Southern California.

Annette and Bill were out as usual.  If its Saturday you can always count on seeing both Annatte and Bill out on GMR. 

On the way down I spotted Matt and a Motorcyclist talking just below Newmans.  I guess a skateboarder crashed and they were making sure he was alright. 

Setting up the shot - Annette and I joked about setting up our photographs.  You need to be zipped up, back flat, aero race position, smile and say cheese!

Riding up GMR this time around was hard.  I was tired. The thought of turning around crossed my mind many times.  Riding fixed gear is painfully fun!  Its a different type of challenge going both up the mountain and down it. I am sure I will be sore tomorrow but one of these days I am going to see mile marker 12.  Mile marker 12 means my goal is accomplished and I made it to Mt Baldy.  It may take awhile, but I'll get there.

F*ck You, I'm on a Bike!

F*ck You, I'm on a Bike! [SONG] from Josh Bass on Vimeo.

Stop in the Name of the Law

I was 18 years old the first time I was pulled over by a Police Officer.  I was riding my bike home after work and coming up to a stop sign located at the top of a small hill.  Not wanting to lose my momentum, I simply blew past the stop sign.  Sure enough, a Cop saw the whole thing and pulled me over.  I got a scolding from the Police Officer and was let off with a warning.

About 18 years have past and I am still guilt of the "California Stop".  Sure I am mindful of cross traffic but the fact is slowing down is an inconvenience.  

The article below discusses two bills, one of which proposes allowing cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs.

Read The Entire Article Here ...

"Two bills that could have a major effect on riding bikes in Arizona advanced through the state’s House Transportation Committee yesterday. 

A bill allowing cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs (HB2211) and a bill banning texting while driving (HB2512) advanced past the Transportation Committee for the first time in four and six years respectively. Both votes were 6-2 in favor of the bills.

The bills’ co-sponsors caution that there are still challenges to getting the bills in front of the legislators for a vote.

Rep. Daniel Patterson, D-Tucson, has been trying to get the yield law passed for the last four years. He said now that the bills have passed the Transportation Committee they go on to the Rules Committee.

Patterson said the support from the 15-20 cyclists that showed up at the hearing went a long way toward getting the yield law approved.

He said one cyclist told the members about his commute through Phoenix that takes him past 50 stop signs. He told them about how inefficient it is to stop 50 times during a commute."

Bicycle Culture in Los Angeles

Bicycle Culture in Los Angeles from Jimena Cuenca on Vimeo.