Despite fierce opposition from Beverly Hills NIMBYs, the Los Angeles D Line can now take you from Downtown LA to Beverly Hills faster than anything except a helicopter, Joe Linton, Streetsblog LA Editor, reports. As proof, Streetsblog LA will host a race between a cyclist, a driver, and a D Line rider.
Taylor gets one last session on bike tour readiness before his SF to Michigan ride from the Adventure Cycling Customer Experience Coordinator Josh Bowden.
17:10
P.L. and Kristen Meindertsma of Cycle 5 To Survive are making good on their pledge to bike five continents over five years while raising $500,000 from each of 5 different charities.
31:22
Bridge Street Elementary parents Lauren Kaskey and Howard Moore start a bike bus to their Northampton, Massachusetts elementary school for Walk, Bike and Roll Day.
UC Davis’ “Justice 4 Lincoln” group demands separated and protected bike lanes and pedestrian corridor, a “Lincoln Loop,” where UC Davis student Lincoln Sabini was killed by a car driver. With Aaron Shaw 13:30.
Taylor and Nick discuss whether a mother’s criminal liability for her son’s e-moto killing of an elderly man is justified, and whether our concern is proportionate to the percentage of traffic deaths involving ebikes with our bike lawyer, Jim Pocrass (24:24).
The worst bike lane contest, bike month, and taking charge of designing complete streets in Pasadena with Jonah Kanner of the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition (30:23).
The Kittie Knox Plays “in place” (and on bikes) dramatize the story of the 21 year old bi-racial African American woman seamstress and cycling enthusiast. Winner of the League of American Bicyclists’ Kittie Knox Award, Kittie Knox Plays playwright Patrick Gabridge talks bikes and history from Northampton, Massachusetts (45:10).
At the California Bike Summit April 23–24, advocates met with legislators to champion safer streets and better bike infrastructure. CalBike Executive Director Kendra Ramsey reports on the Summit (10:45).
The Car Harm study by corresponding author Patrick Miner finds that cars are destructive to every aspect of life. With Patrick and Bike Talk listener Kevin Grishkot (23:30)
The venerable La Grange bike club of Los Angeles joins forces with The Challenged Athletes Foundation. Taylor talks with challenged athlete coach Deb Carabet of the La Grange Bike Club (41:13).
Taylor talks with featured advocate Bronwyn Brightener and Director Ben Wolf of the documentary Changing Lanes about the contested Road Diet on McGuiness Boulevard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn(2:15).
A concerned listener and bike safety designer/advocate, Abe a.k.a. Sundance, offers his “lane saber,” a light-up safety flag/space bar, for Taylor’s May trip up Highway 1(9:18).
The second installment of a series on Gloria Ines getting a bike. Taylor and Gloria decide that Taylor will give her a bike to fix up at a bike co-op, the Los Angeles Bike Oven (15:38).
Listener Email: Solidarity for Taylor’s ride through Minneapolis from Brett McGraw, another biker who wears backpacks, Nietifa Van Suiker on Bluesky, and another vote for more ebike power from BirdmanStevens, also on Bluesky (18:38).
In Northampton, Massachusetts, complete streets opponents are claiming that fixing the unsafe downtown streets will hurt the town’s kids by taking money from schools. Proponents of the Picture Main Street redesign say most of the money comes from a Department of Transportation grant, not the city. Also, where are kids supposed to go after school? Math teacher Ray Paquette, a bike rider who’s an active member of the Northampton teacher’s union, NASE, along with Northampton Strong Towns members Jen Nery and Benjamin Spencer (22:38).
72nd st. on New York City’s Upper West Side will get a two-way protected bike lane, converting four lanes of traffic to two, thanks to Mayor Mamdani’s Department of Transportation. Taylor talks to Carl Mahaney, Director of Streetopia Upper West Side (39:38).
Why is CicLAvia, Los Angeles’ open streets event, so great? CicLAvia Chief Strategist Tafarai Bayne contextualizes the next event, on LA’s West Side April 26 (54:14).
A school bike bus is recognized by the Burbank, California City Council for promoting safe, active Transportation. With Alfonso Directo, Jr. Advocacy Director of Act-LA and Roosevelt Elementary School parent (2:53).
“Changing Lanes,” a documentary about the conflict over a protected bike lane in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on McGuinness Boulevard. Taylor talks with the Director of Changing Lanes, Ben Wolf (10:28).
Listener Email: Julian disputes Asha Weinstein’s take on high powered bikes from Bike Talk’s 26/12 episode (15:04).
Taylor plans a May bikepacking trip from San Francisco to Michigan.
A listener explains why she uses a backpack instead of panniers, and Tim Dyet’s review says “everyone gets a seat at the (Bike Talk) table.” (5:15)
The Safe Speeds Act will require the CSPC to distinguish ebikes from illegal emotos, if passed. However, the CSPC, charged with protecting consumers from things like exploding e-bike batteries, was gutted by the Trump administration for regulating lithium ebike batteries. Caron Whitaker, Deputy Director of the League of American Bicyclists, explains (8:04).
The Mamdani administration has reversed the Adams administration policy of criminalizing ebikes. Oonee bike storage founder Shabazz Stuart and Streetsblog NYC reporter Sophia Lebowitz put it in context (18:21).
Terence Heuston spent ten years fighting for Sunset For All, a protected bike lane on the famous arterial Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Now he’s burned out, because the city spends too much time seeking community input on data-supported street safety designs that save lives (37:00).
Hands Off DC bike lanes, says the Washington Area Bicyclists Association in the face of the Trump administration’s intention to remove a key part of their bike network. Kalli Krumpos, Advocacy Director, gives WABA’s perspective (2:34).
Voices from the March 24-26, 2026 National Bike Summit in Washington, DC from bike messenger/reporter Joel Gwadz: Terry Lansdell, ED of Walk Bike North Carolina, Niles Barnes, Deputy Director of East Coast Greenway Alliance, Natasha Smith, Coordinator of Bike Walk Bowling Green in Kentucky, Patrick Martin, President of Bike ABQ in Albequerque, NM, Steven Hardy-Braz, a board member of BikeWalk NC, and Desiree Squire, Education Manager at Bike Durham in North Carolina (13:36).
Charlie’s News: Bike East Bay’s Celebrate Trails Day ride supports the Bay Skyway. Queensland may implement strict e-bike regulations. The T’s bus service will exceed pre-pandemic levels this spring. Emmanuel Grégoire has won the Paris mayoral election (23:22).
Los Angeles is finally adding 125 speed cameras (25:41).
Truck crash survivor Marianne Karth created the Stop Underrides Town Hall April 15 because she’s hoping lives will be saved by this commonsense legislation -already law in Europe- mandating sideguards on trucks (27:53).
“Which bike should I buy?” Taylor gets answers to the eternal question for Gloria Ines, who’s in the market, from Battle Road Bikes owner Jim Cadenhead (27:53).
Taylor talks with Brent Muth at Ojai’s MOB bike shop and then at a farmer’s market with Annette, a member of the international nonprofit Cycling Without Age, which takes the elderly out for free bike rides (1:33).
Cambridge, Massachusetts has seen a 250% ridership increase over two decades, with a crash rate decrease. There will be a National Town Hall on April 15th for the Stop Underrides Act of 2026. Bike lanes next to the National Mall are set to be removed despite lower crash rates and faster car travel times. The NYPD will stop giving cyclists criminal summonses for minor offenses (10:18).
Listener Email: Terry Fitzgerald questions our “cyclists can do no wrong” approach, but gets Bike Talk stickers for a positive review on Apple (13:09).
A metastudy on how Autonomous Vehicles can be safer yet may increase Vehicle Miles Traveled and displace transit. With Farah Naz, University of Texas-Arlington, co-author of the study(16:05).
Bob Mittelstaedt and Asha Weinstein Agrawal discuss the Mineta Transportation Institute report on ebikes and an e-moto “rogues gallery” of illegal ebikes(31:28).
The irrational fear of ebikes in Massachusetts and a Micromobility report by MassBike, with Galen Mook, a.k.a. “Mookmaster Bikes,” the Executive Director of MassBike, and friend-of-the-show bike shop owner/mechanic Jim Cadenhead (49:34).
The study showing biking may reduce dementia(54:59).
Listener emails: a request for Kevin Grishkot’s bike poem “I ride,” and Stephen Bingham on House and senate bills mandating side underride guards on new trucks (3:44).
Charlie’s News: a protected bike lane for Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The Magnus White Safe Streets Act would require auto-braking to detect cyclists in new cars. Caltrans rips up already inadequate bike lanes in Oakland. Parisian bike friendly Mayor Anne Hidalgo will leave office, and the Mayoral election will decide whether safe streets are rolled back in Paris (6:37).
NY Minute: NY Governor Hochul’s bill will lower driver insurance cost and payouts to crash victims to make it cheaper to drive. With Streetsblog NYC Editor Gersh Kuntzman (8:38).
How new ebike laws will affect civil cases that arise from crashes. With James Pocrass (10:28).
The Adventure Cycling Association restructures (17:00).
Taylor joins hundreds of Los Angeles bike people in the pre-dawn Marathon Crash Ride last Sunday to preview the 26 mile route of the 2026 LA Marathon. With Joe Borfo and Joni Yung (0:20).
New Jersey’s anti-ebike law from New York and California points of view. With Justin Hu-Nguyen, Bike East Bay and Anne Savage, New York Bicycle Coalition (7:15).
Resistance, Solidarity and Bicycles-bikes as protest in fascist Europe during World War Two and a vehicle of female empowerment. By Michela Grasso of the Urban Cycling institute (23:57)
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