batmick:hanging out with friends at a bar and another patron literally shits in his pants

The data is collected by counts of actual cyclists at major commuter locations. The consistent increase in the number of cyclists coincides with record lows in traffic fatalities recorded over the past four years and the continued expansion of the City’s bicycle route network, which has increased road safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. The City has installed more than 390 lane-miles of bicycle routes since 2002. From 2000 to 2010, the average risk of a serious injury to bike riders declined by 72 percent.

"You're all going to get arrested for some ridiculous bullshit if you aren't slaughtered by the insane drivers first. Good luck."

"You're all going to get arrested for some ridiculous bullshit if you aren't slaughtered by the insane drivers first. Good luck."

And if your child walks, rides a bike or a skateboard to school, make sure they travel against traffic and always wears a helmet.

"And if your child walks, rides a bike or a skateboard to school, make sure they travel against traffic and always wears a helmet".

California's Legislature this week sent to Gov. Jerry Brown a bill that stiffens penalties for talking or texting on a cell phone without a hands-free device while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. For the first time, the bill would extend the state's 3-year-old cell phone ban to bicyclists, though with lesser penalties than motorists face...

For motorists, first-offense fines are to rise to $50 from $20, and to $100 for subsequent offenses. Combined with court costs and fees, total cost for a first offense would rise from an average of $189 to $309. Second offenses also would impose one point on a driver's record, which can lead to higher insurance costs.

For bicycle violators, the fine would be $20 for a first offense and $50 thereafter. There will be no added fees or driving-record points.

California's Legislature this week sent to Gov. Jerry Brown a bill that stiffens penalties for talking or texting on a cell phone without a hands-free device while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. For the first time, the bill would extend the state's 3-year-old cell phone ban to bicyclists, though with lesser penalties than motorists face...

For motorists, first-offense fines are to rise to $50 from $20, and to $100 for subsequent offenses. Combined with court costs and fees, total cost for a first offense would rise from an average of $189 to $309. Second offenses also would impose one point on a driver's record, which can lead to higher insurance costs.

For bicycle violators, the fine would be $20 for a first offense and $50 thereafter. There will be no added fees or driving-record points.

billd:A driver cut in front of a cyclist causing the cyclist to hit the side of his vehicle in Santa Monica. There's video of the aftermath. Lots of witnesses jump in to protect the cyclist because the psycho wants to keep attacking him and he keeps on threatening everyone in the general vicinity. He's not completely stupid though and limits it to threatening because there's no way he could handle that many guys in a fight.

http://www.bikesidela.org/jeffrey-ray-adams-assaults-santa-monica-cyclist-with-his-vehicle/
http://www.canyon-news.com/artman2/publish/santamonica/Man_Booked_For_Running_Down_Bicyclist.php

He was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.

The big surprise for me was how many witnesses jumped in to protect the cyclist. Major kudos to all of them.

DS: The main problem we already have in L.A. is the widespread abuse of handicapped placards. A disabled placard in California is like a “free parking” pass for the entire state. One of our students just finished his Masters thesis on placard abuse in downtown. He surveyed one block on Flower Street where there are 14 metered parking spaces. Most of the spaces were filled most of the time with cars that had disabled placards. For five hours of the day, all fourteen spaces were occupied by cars with disabled placards.

Although the meter rate was $4 an hour, the meters earned only 32¢ an hour in collections because most of the time the meters were occupied by cars that paid nothing. There’s a terrific financial incentive to abuse disabled placards as a free parking passes. Raising meter rates will further increase the incentive to abuse placards.

I think the city ought to have more frequent stakeouts to observe cars with placards and ask drivers when they return for the identification that comes with the placards. One city, Alexandria VA, did that because they are thinking of ending free parking at meters for placard users.

The police staked out a sample of cars with placards parked at meters and found that 90 percent of the drivers were illegally using the placards.

Some people are willing to cheat the system because they’re not willing to pay for parking. TV reporters and Los Angeles Times reporters have often interviewed placard abusers who are quite shameless, often complaining that the meters cost too much. The city ought to do more to penalize people who abuse placards.

Praxis:There's an article in today's paper about (if I recall correctly) utility/transportation cycling, on page E-1, with a cute little mixte graphic on the top of the front page directing readers. Unfortunately it's either not online or I don't remember enough of it to search for it well (it was in a machine; I didn't read the article).

"We live in a society where many people feel that children should be locked up in their parents' care at every single moment to avoid any and all risk."
— Robert Ping, State Network Project Director for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership

But there's a tradeoff to this reaction, warns Ping: "Children lose their quality of life through a lack of independence, they have no ability to learn through experience or how to have unstructured fun, and they often don't know their own neighborhoods and don't get to be free range kids anymore!"