Bicycles

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News

‘Too many close calls’: why some US cyclists quit riding bikes on streets. the main concern for the overwhelming majority was road safety; many had either personally been hit by a motorist or had seen too many reports of bicyclists getting struck by motorists to want to keep cycling. However, the reason behind this concern for road safety from those who got in touch differed; some described an influx of distracted driving – drivers on cell phones – as well as blocked bike lanes from double-parked delivery vehicles and users of motorized scooters now sharing the lanes. Meanwhile, others talked about motorists harassing cyclists, aggressive drivers, roads not designed for bicyclists and an increase in bicycling traffic adding to the dangers they faced. Some readers noted a lack of respect that motorists seemed to have for cyclists, whether in the form of road rage – or worse. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/12/us-cyclists-quit-riding-bikes-streets

Why Bikes Make Smart People Say Dumb Things. http://gizmodo.com/why-bikes-make-smart-people-say-dumb-things-1601280182

East County grandmother Marjie Barnes-Grant recovering from injuries in bike crash. Driver admitted to falling asleep at wheel. http://www.10news.com/news/east-county-grandmother-marjie-barnes-grant-recovering-from-injuries-in-bike-crash-012714

Fear and loathing and cycling in L.A.: Tales of a bike commuter. “People give me a hard time every day for offenses big and small, whether I have committed them or not,” she says as we sit at an airy eatery in Brentwood. “There is never a day when I get on my bike when I am not harassed by someone. Every single day, someone honks at me, yells at me — ‘Go to the park! Get on the sidewalk!’ That’s why we need a cultural shift in this city. Bicyclists should be accepted on the surface streets. You have to build a little fortress of strength when you go out on a bike.” A lot of what she’s doing as executive director of the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition — a nonprofit membership organization, not a department of county government — involves figuring out ways “to make Los Angeles County a safer, healthier and more fun place to ride a bike.” http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-jennifer-klausner-commutes-bike-20131119,0,2789253.story

SAN DIEGO - Some bicyclists are upset about bike lanes being blocked by trash cans, and they are urging the city of San Diego to handle what they call a safety issue. Tyler Bergin and his friends ride their bikes just about every day, both to get around and for exercise. However, lately, a leisurely bike ride has turned into a game of dodge the trash bins. "It's definitely dangerous," said Bergin. http://www.10news.com/news/illegal-lane-blocking-upsets-bicyclists

Controversial_motorist_bicyclists_sign_in_East_County_1383790529904_1222589_ver1.0_320_240.jpg
A controversial and heavily misspelled sign is threatening the lives of San Diego's bicycling community. It is a white wooden sign nailed to a tree on private property along Honey Springs Road east of Jamul. The black painted words read, "It is better to run over a bicyclest [sic] then to get in a head on accedent [sic] because they don't share the road." "Bicyclest" and "accedent" are spelled wrong and the sign-maker used "then" instead of "than." English grammar and spelling aside, the sign has enraged the cycling community. "It's lawless," said Hi-Tech Bike owner Buzz Burnett. "I think it's probably a lack of understanding of the motorists of what it's like to be on a bicycle out in that beautiful area." The East County is a cycling hotspot on weekends. Several people stopped to talk with 10News reporter Joe Little while he was investigating the sign but no one wanted to comment on camera. Several of them said they supported the sign because they say cyclists do not obey the law and sometimes purposely disrupt traffic. "Everywhere it's intense with bicyclists and motorists," said Burnett. 10News could not track down the property owner or the person responsible for the sign. A San Diego County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman told 10News the sign is protected free speech. Burnett said it was intense and people need to relax. "I think everybody needs to get on a bike and go for a ride," he said. http://www.10news.com/news/controversial-sign-in-the-east-county-suggests-motorists-should-run-over-bicyclists-11062013

Bike Lanes Are Much More Than Transportation. In our global economy businesses can choose to locate anywhere in the world. Quality of life is increasingly becoming a determining factor, if not the most important factor, for both businesses and young people when deciding where to locate. It is no surprise cities that continually rank among the best places to live have made significant investments in bicycle infrastructure. More and more cities are realizing these benefits go far beyond merely providing their citizens with another form of transportation. http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/opinion/article_f4e5b9e8-9587-11e1-ba30-0019bb2963f4.html

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday passed a pioneering new law intended to protect bicyclists from harassment by motorists. The law, which backers described as the toughest of its kind in the nation, makes it a crime for drivers to threaten cyclists verbally or physically, and allows victims of harassment to sue in civil court without waiting for the city to press criminal charges. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bicycle-law-20110721,0,3219222.story

A driver in an apparent road-rage incident that left a bicyclist dead in downtown Los Angeles has been released, though police say he may still be criminally charged. A 62-year-old bicyclist was killed Tuesday after being struck by one of two drivers in the midst of a dispute near 8th and Francisco streets. The crash was still under investigation. The driver of a Chevrolet Avalanche, a 37-year-old man, was detained for questioning by police. He has since been released, with a “possibility of filing later on,” said LAPD Sgt. J. Jennerson. The driver of a Kia compact car, a 23-year-old woman, remained on the scene but was not detained, police said. The drivers apparently had some dispute while heading north on Figueroa Street. They turned left on 8th Street, and near Francisco Street, the driver of the Avalanche tried to pass the Kia on the right. While doing so, he allegedly struck the bicyclist, police said. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/alleged-road-rage-driver-who-hit-bicyclist-released.html

L.A. Council considers law to protect bicyclists from harassment. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/la-council-considers-law-to-protect-bicyclists-from-harassment.html

Cycling advocates air concerns after Culver City crash that injured 11 riders An online cycling group posts a video re-creating the road conditions near Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in Culver City on the night of a crash, suspected to have been caused by a drunk driver. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bicyclists-20110620,0,4195396.story

Cargo bikes. http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2010/06/22/cargo-bikes

At long last, the feds have said the needs of pedestrians and cyclists must be placed alongside, not behind, those of motorists. In what amounts to a sea change for the Department of Transportation, the automobile will no longer be the prime consideration in federal transportation planning. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the needs of pedestrians and cyclists will be considered along with those of motorists, and he makes it clear that walking and riding are “an important component for livable communities.” Read More http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/03/lahood-policy-statement/#ixzz0iiwNOGA0

bike trails

links

Tucson http://webcms.pima.gov/government/the_loop/

Hiking where locomotives once chugged. Twenty thousand miles of old U.S. rail lines have been converted into recreational trails for hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders. California has more than 100 distinct trails. http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-railtrails-20110705,0,1606050.story?obref=obnetwork

Hiking where locomotives once chugged Twenty thousand miles of old U.S. rail lines have been converted into recreational trails for hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders. California has more than 100 distinct trails. http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-railtrails-20110705,0,1606050.story

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eiluj/sets/72157624124345635/with/4932915629/

http://www.grist.org/biking/2011-04-01-the-beauty-of-just-getting-on-your-bike-video

http://www.efgh.com/bike/redroute.htm

Along the L.A. River, an interactive map of paths and landmarks in celebration of the brand-new Elysian Valley Bike Path. http://www.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=107055154745761649800.000496606a4f5b67175d6

routes_t630.jpg
Cyclists' mecca a smooth cruise. Two-wheeled travel a way of life in Coronado. http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/aug/29/two-wheeled-travel-way-life-coronado/?metro

the red routes of San Diego County http://www.efgh.com/bike/redroute.htm#pacificbeach

San Diego Area

SD area

san diego regional bike map May 01, 2014 http://www.icommutesd.com/Bike/BikeMap.aspx

Uptown Regional Bike Corridors Project. http://www.keepsandiegomoving.com/RegionalBikeProjects/uptown_intro.aspx

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/20/san-diego-bike-paths/

Bayshore Bikeway

San Diego For Free – Biking the San Diego Bay. http://sandiegofreepress.org/2012/09/san-diego-for-free-biking-the-san-diego-bay/#.UEv-e47B7nZ

http://www.sandag.org/index.asp?projectid=63&fuseaction=projects.detail

Letters: Bayshore Bikeway. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/mar/10/letters-bayshore-bikeway/?page=1#article

Bayshore Bikeway limits Barrio Logan parking http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/mar/08/bayshore-bikeway-limits-barrio-logan-parking/

San Diego Bay Bike Route. http://www.efgh.com/bike/rsdbay.htm

Work began Monday on a 1.1-mile extension of a bikeway that will eventually run around San Diego Bay. The $5.2 million extension of the Bayshore Bikeway will begin at 13th Street in Imperial Beach and run along an unused set of railroad tracks through the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge toward the Western Salt Works, according to the San Diego Association of Governments. "By creating more and safer bike trails, we can make it easier for San Diegans to get out of their cars and onto their bicycles," county Supervisor Greg Cox said. "That can lead to cleaner skies and healthier San Diegans, and that's a good thing." Joining Cox at a news conference in Imperial Beach to announce the project were Rep. Bob Filner, D-San Diego, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, San Diego City Council President Scott Peters and Councilman Ben Hueso. Work is scheduled to be completed in February. They also announced the formation of an "2010 Active Transportation Campaign" to pursue $50 million in federal funding for the region for walking and biking projects. Peters said investing in pedestrian and biking infrastructure can "actually remove cars from our streets and enhance quality of life, now and into the future." When it is ultimately completed, the Bayshore Bikeway will stretch 24 miles around San Diego Bay. http://www.10news.com/news/17766133/detail.html?rss=sand&psp=news

projectid_63_8838.jpg

http://www.sandag.org/?projectid=63&fuseaction=projects.detail

http://www.sandag.org/uploads/projectid/projectid_63_7234.pdf

Rose Creek Bikeway

Bike bridge at Mission Bay under way. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/29/bike-bridge-mission-bay-under-way/

LA Area

Arroyo Seco bicycle path. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arroyo_Seco_bicycle_path

SF Area

Best cycling routes for safe, beautiful ride http://www.sfgate.com/outdoors/article/Best-cycling-routes-for-safe-beautiful-ride-5461465.php#photo-4322409

Best of Bay Area bike trips get a lift from public transit. http://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Best-of-Bay-Area-bike-trips-get-a-lift-from-5275398.php#photo-5938024

Bike Groups

BikeSD.org is a resource by and for San Diego bicyclists. We seek to strike a balance between street-level activism, the advocacy efforts of groups like the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, and the participatory nature of online discussion forums. Our focus is on transportational bicycling, which we interpret broadly to include commuters, shoppers, and anyone riding a bicycle for transportation. http://www.bikesd.org

https://twitter.com/WolfpackHustle

http://la.streetsblog.org/

So that bicycle has been sitting in the spare bedroom for months now. Who knew pedaling around San Diego streets could be so intimidating? Buck up would-be biker, Thom Bahde and the newly organized San Diego Bike Union are here to tell you that bicycling is “not intimidating or frightening.” Nor, continues Bahde, clearly on a roll, “do you have to be a super athlete who commutes from Chula Vista to Kearney Mesa.” http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/01/group-forms-cyclists-who-pedal-comfortable-shoes/ http://www.sdbikeunion.org/

The California Bicycle Coalition is a non-profit education and lobbying organization working to improve bicycling conditions throughout the State of California. CBC's mission is to create safe, healthy and livable communities in California by promoting bicycling for transportation and recreation. http://www.calbike.org/about.htm

SDCBC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to making bicycling better in San Diego. We do that through educational programs, promoting awareness of bicyclists and bicycling issues, reviewing infrastructure improvements, and acting as a voice for bicyclists to elected officials and decisionmakers throughout the San Diego region. http://www.sdcbc.org/about.htm

Shops

Bray-Ali and his brother, Adam, own the Flying Pigeon LA bicycle shop in Cypress Park, where their specialty is the Flying Pigeon brand bike. The clunky two-wheeler, with its old-school fenders and chain guard, is used by millions of Chinese as their basic transportation. The bicycle is so ubiquitous that it is considered a cultural icon there. In the 1970s, the Chinese government defined prosperity as "a Flying Pigeon in every household." http://flyingpigeon-la.com/

links

http://nycyclechic.blogspot.com/

http://thesource.metro.net/2010/05/19/metro-releases-new-bike-map-of-l-a-county/

Bike Metro wants to support your trip and help get you to your destination. You'll be able to go further with your bike when combining your trip with Metro Rail and bus. Whether it's using the bike rack on the bus, bringing your bike on a train, or parking your bike at a Metro station, we have many solutions to assist you on your trip. But first, please take some time to learn the bike rules when using Metro. http://www.metro.net/around/bikes/bikes-metro/

The City of San Diego and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) have partnered in an effort to promote safety among cyclists, motorists and pedestrians. The Lose the Roaditude campaign is aimed toward increasing the awareness of common rules and curbing aggression among these three groups. We consider people's willingness to ignore these rules or act in negligence as "Roaditude." This campaign encourages people to "Lose the Roaditude" through a positive series of heightened reminders promoting safety and respect on the road, such as:

  • Crossing at crosswalks
  • Looking both ways before crossing
  • Yielding to pedestrians crossing at intersections
  • Watching your speed
  • Stopping at stop signs and signals
  • Bicycling with the flow of traffic
  • Sharing the road when no bike lane is present
  • Wearing bright colors at night

Through the Lose the Roaditude Campaign, we strive to foster respect among cyclists, motorists and pedestrians and encourage them to share the road safely by reducing aggressive attitudes while biking, driving and walking. Ultimately, the campaign goal is to modify the behaviors of these three groups in order to decrease the number of crashes, injuries and fatalities.http://www.sandiego.gov/engineering-cip/projectsprograms/losetheroaditude/index.shtml

Danny and the Demoncycle http://www.ep.tc/problems/31/index.html

Manufactures

http://www.worksmancycles.com/

http://www.hiwheel.com/

Hanter International http://hanter-intl.com/

California Vehicle Code Division 11 - Rules of the Road

Chapter 1. Obedience to and Effect of Traffic Laws
Article 4. Operation of Bicycles
http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/tocd11c1a4.htm

Equipment Requirements

21201. (a) No person shall operate a bicycle on a roadway unless it is equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make one braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement. (b) No person shall operate on the highway a bicycle equipped with handlebars so raised that the operator must elevate his hands above the level of his shoulders in order to grasp the normal steering grip area.

(c) No person shall operate upon a highway a bicycle that is of a size that prevents the operator from safely stopping the bicycle, supporting it in an upright position with at least one foot on the ground, and restarting it in a safe manner.

(d) A bicycle operated during darkness upon a highway, a sidewalk where bicycle operation is not prohibited by the local jurisdiction, or a bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, shall be equipped with all of the following:

(1) A lamp emitting a white light that, while the bicycle is in motion, illuminates the highway, sidewalk, or bikeway in front of the bicyclist and is visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and from the sides of the bicycle.

(2) A red reflector on the rear that shall be visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle.

(3) A white or yellow reflector on each pedal, shoe, or ankle visible from the front and rear of the bicycle from a distance of 200 feet.

(4) A white or yellow reflector on each side forward of the center of the bicycle, and a white or red reflector on each side to the rear of the center of the bicycle, except that bicycles that are equipped with reflectorized tires on the front and the rear need not be equipped with these side reflectors.

(e) A lamp or lamp combination, emitting a white light, attached to the operator and visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and from the sides of the bicycle, may be used in lieu of the lamp required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (d).

Amended Ch. 723, Stats. 1979. Effective January 1, 1980. Amended Sec. 1, Ch. 232, Stats. 2007. Effective January 1, 2008.

Bicycle Lights

21201.3. (a) A bicycle or motorized bicycle used by a peace officer, as defined in Section 830.1 of, subdivision (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), or (i) of Section 830.2 of, subdivision (b) or (d) of Section 830.31 of, subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 830.32 of, Section 830.33 of, subdivision (a) of Section 830.36 of, subdivision (a) of Section 830.4 of, or Section 830.6 of, the Penal Code, in the performance of the peace officer's duties, may display a steady or flashing blue warning light that is visible from the front, sides, or rear of the bicycle or motorized bicycle. (b) No person shall display a steady or flashing blue warning light on a bicycle or motorized bicycle except as authorized under subdivision (a).

Added Sec. 65, Ch. 877, Stats. 1998. Effective January 1, 1999.

Reflectorized Equipment

21201.5. (a) No person shall sell, or offer for sale, a reflex reflector or reflectorized tire of a type required on a bicycle unless it meets requirements established by the department. If there exists a federal Consumer Product Safety Commission regulation applicable to bicycle reflectors, the provisions of that regulation shall prevail over provisions of this code or requirements established by the department pursuant to this code relative to bicycle reflectors. (b) No person shall sell, or offer for sale, a new bicycle that is not equipped with a red reflector on the rear, a white or yellow reflector on each pedal visible from the front and rear of the bicycle, a white or yellow reflector on each side forward of the center of the bicycle, and a white or red reflector on each side to the rear of the center of the bicycle, except that bicycles which are equipped with reflectorized tires on the front and rear need not be equipped with these side reflectors.

(c) Area reflectorizing material meeting the requirements of Section 25500 may be used on a bicycle.

Amended Ch. 399, Stats. 1980. Effective July 11, 1980 by terms of an urgency clause.

Operation on Roadway

21202. (a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations: (1) When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.

(2) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.

(3) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this section, a "substandard width lane" is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.

(4) When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.

(b) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway of a highway, which highway carries traffic in one direction only and has two or more marked traffic lanes, may ride as near the left-hand curb or edge of that roadway as practicable.

Amended Sec. 4, Ch. 674, Stats. 1996. Effective January 1, 1997.

El Cajon Municipal Code

12.08.100 Riding bicycles upon public sidewalk prohibited. No person shall ride a bicycle upon any public sidewalk within the city. (Ord. 3033 § 1, 1976.) http://qcode.us/codes/elcajon/view.php?topic=12-12_08-12_08_100&frames=off

10.08.010 Applicability to persons riding bicycles and animals. Every person riding a bicycle or riding or driving an animal upon a highway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by Chapters 10.04 through 10.32, except those provisions which by their very nature can have no application. (Prior code § 17-4.)

P. Drive or ride a bicycle, motorcycle, automobile or any other vehicle on any pedestrian walk, as distinguished from an automobile road or a designated bicycle path, unless authorized by the director of recreation or designee. No person shall drive any such bicycle, motorcycle, motor vehicle or other vehicle at a greater speed than that specified by traffic ordinance by the city council for a road within a city park or city playground and indicated by a sign or signs placed along such road;

Q. Ride or drive any bicycle, motorcycle, motor vehicle or other vehicle at a greater speed than ten miles per hour at the entrance or exit thereto, or at a greater speed than fifteen miles per hour at any other place therein. No person shall drive any such bicycle, motorcycle, motor vehicle or other vehicle at a greater speed than that specified by traffic ordinance by the city council for a road within a city park or city playground and indicated by a sign or signs placed along such road;

9.42.030 Bicycle, scooter, skateboard and roller skate riding prohibited within the Expanded Civic Center area. It is unlawful for any person to ride a skateboard, scooter or roller skates within any public facility or upon any public grounds in the Expanded Civic Center area or the public property between Main Street and Douglas Avenue, including that area commonly referred to as the Prescott Promenade. It is unlawful for any person to ride a bicycle in the Expanded Civic Center area of the public property between Main Street and Douglas Avenue, including that area commonly referred to as the Prescott Promenade, unless upon a bike path, alley, street or highway. (Ord. 4682 § 4 (part), 2001.)

http://qcode.us/codes/elcajon/