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Cyclists Illegally Use L.A. Freeway, Beat Traffic

laist.com — In a city ruled by built for cars, why is it that you can get places faster on bikes? About 30 bicyclists and 3 rollerbladers hit an LA freeway to demonstrate the use of a bicycle. It worked -- they beat traffic on a road where cars should.

Who dugg this? Made popular May 14, 2008

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  • fsweep, on 05/14/2008, -3/+158The cars have to be moving to be dangerous.
  • hayzeus, on 05/14/2008, -3/+153LA during rush hour? You could get there faster standing still.
  • inactive, on 05/14/2008, -9/+101Don't these hippie bike riders know that the terrorist win if they don't sit idling in their car on the 405 for 3 hours?
  • pogfreak, on 05/14/2008, -13/+99Riding on the freeway may been a success, but trying to power the web server with a stationary bike was not :(
  • EserVerx, on 05/14/2008, -2/+78 In a city ruled by built for cars.
  • andy314159pi, on 05/14/2008, -3/+71The car of the future is a bicycle.
  • AYork, on 05/14/2008, -5/+54I really get irked at critical mass. They go out once a year and ignore all the traffic laws, running red lights, holding up traffic, yelling at motorists, and basically acting like jerks. They then go home and get up the next morning to ride their cars or the bus to work.
    And then I hop on my bike the next morning and have to deal with all the motorists that are righteously pissed at any and all cyclists. Share the road, sure, but cyclists: WE HAVE TO OBEY THE LAW, TOO. Stop at stop signs. Stop at red lights. Signal. Look before crossing lanes of traffic. Pick the sidewalk or the street and stick to it, stop weaving through driveways to avoid stoplights. Stay off the freeway. Hug the curb & let cars pass when you can.
    Drivers see us as "them", just like we see drivers as "them". When many of the cyclists out there act like jerks, we are all popped into the same category, and drivers start treating us *all* like the jerk that *you* are.
  • technomageender, on 05/14/2008, -18/+65thats ballsy, they could have been killed with this stunt.
  • davidrools, on 05/14/2008, -2/+45Wouldn't it be wonderful if freeways had bike lanes in the median (with k-rails or walls separating them from traffic)? Then there could be offramps that either go up to pedestrian walkways or down to street level when the freeway passes overhead. That would make bicycling a 10-30 mile commute a very realistic and convenient possibility.
  • LiveWire530, on 05/14/2008, -7/+47Rain is their kryptonite
  • teh_techie, on 05/14/2008, -3/+42Youtube Video of cruising the freeway on a bike, faster than cars.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NLmiuyLa98
  • helloiambrad, on 05/14/2008, -4/+36In other news, Cars illegally use sidewalk without helmets.
  • Asvetic, on 05/14/2008, -6/+38Worse, those balls could have gotten caught in the gears or chain...
  • inactive, on 05/14/2008, -1/+31One man, One bike, in a world built for four wheels... Matt Damon is, BIKEATRON
  • bgrah449, on 05/14/2008, -3/+33... 30 cyclists dared to refuse the rules.
  • GunbladeVIII, on 05/14/2008, -1/+29Usually, there's one douchebag driver in a traffic jam who decides to turn the shoulder into his own personal lane, and flies down it at about 60 MPH when everyone else is stopped. I wouldn't want to be a bike in front of him.
  • Krosm, on 05/14/2008, -4/+32There, there, now isnt the time to let your latent gay fantasies come out...
  • gharding, on 05/14/2008, -3/+32Less dangerous than my bike commute, by far. Kudos to these guys though. It'd be kind of a bummer to be sitting in your $30,000 car idling away the gas money that keeps going up and watching people fly by you on an $800 bike.

    Oh, and there are also highways in CA where biking is legal.
  • chanop, on 05/14/2008, -1/+26While looking at that, I found this one....This is ***** awesome
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-MYwHr_pEA&feature ...
  • wrathbone, on 05/14/2008, -0/+24People open their car doors on the freeway all the time.
  • gincarnated, on 05/14/2008, -2/+27I cycled on a highway once (route17 to be exact) and it was one of the scariest moments of my life. Especially when passing the off ramps. Never again.
  • Kenzan, on 05/14/2008, -0/+23This is good for awareness, but I really hope no one thinks that this is the solution.
    My vote?
    Skytubes for Bikes FTW.

  • dondara, on 05/14/2008, -0/+19You get passed by old ladies with walkers, I've seen it!
  • mandrakeRaptor, on 05/14/2008, -2/+20Um...i hope they're wearing gas masks.
  • ProjectGSX, on 05/14/2008, -1/+20Dug for crashing the server.
  • Joe_rigby, on 05/14/2008, -0/+17Some dumb ass puppies.
  • cptshamrock, on 05/14/2008, -1/+18I agree. A lot of bikers in Chicago do the same thing. They want to be treated as traffic like cars and trucks but do not want to obey the same laws that they do like stopping at red lights and stop signs, you know just basic laws that EVERYONE, including pedestrians, must follow.
  • blackgt93, on 05/14/2008, -6/+30I know you're gonna get dugg down into oblivion (and probably me too), but yes, I hate that *****. Those spandex clad pansies always give me a dirty looks because I'm riding an MTB in jeans (shocker!) and regular shoes (oh n0es!).
  • crimson117, on 05/14/2008, -4/+23Kind of pointless imo... yes, you can ride a bike through traffic. You could also jog through traffic, or ride a motorcycle or moped through traffic. It be best (safest, too) if they just added bike lanes to more roads.
    ============

    Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NLmiuyLa98

    "In a city made for cars, why are bicycles getting places faster?"

    Los Angeles, CA (May 12, 2008) — Beginning in April, as commuters were mired in the typical Friday rush-hour traffic logjam, members of an organization calling itself CRIMANIMALZ [krim-an-i-muhlz] have taken to two of Los Angeles' busiest freeways on bicycles in a flash mob-type protest aimed at raising questions about transportation. Weaving in and out of choked traffic, cyclists surprised frustrated motorists with a spirited sprint on the region's most clogged and polluted arteries. More rides are planned.

    Friday, April 18th, 2008
    The time (5:30 p.m.) and day (April 19) were carefully chosen after considerable research and scouting over a two-week planning stage. Based on unverified data and rider speculation, motor vehicles were moving at a speed between 5 and 10 mph. There was no strategy on what to do when actually on the freeway, as the group's riders agreed to an "every rider for themselves" approach in regards to possible police retaliation.

    Starting in Santa Monica, 15 bicyclists boarded the Cloverfield on-ramp (Santa Monica Fwy/I-10) and rode 0.87 miles to the Centinela off-ramp. They re-entered the 1-10 Fwy at Bundy and rode 0.44 miles to the I-405 N on-ramp and rode another 1.56 miles to the Santa Monica Blvd. exit. The ramp to the I-405 N was a steep grade and 0.65 miles in length. Riders spanned a total of 2.87 freeway miles.

    Media Information
    ____________________

    YouTube
    CRIMANIMALZ - If You Rode A Bicycle You'd Be Home By Now
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=4NLmiuyLa98

    Website
    http://www.crimanimalz.com

  • inactive, on 05/14/2008, -4/+20some dumb ass hippies
  • h37s3m, on 05/14/2008, -1/+16broken legs are their kryptonite
  • brstilson, on 05/14/2008, -6/+23Biking on a road with no intersections and all traffic going one way is more impressive than navigating downtown NYC on a bike through intersections and opposing traffic?
  • FlagrantDrugUse, on 05/14/2008, -0/+16lol, only if you're 100 years old and you're wearing short-shorts and no undies.
  • BryanJK, on 05/14/2008, -4/+21diggs != site traffic
    comments != site traffic
    site traffic = site traffic
  • itsradBrad, on 05/14/2008, -7/+22Down already? Pathetic.
  • smaisch, on 05/14/2008, -1/+15I'm so glad you have some common sense, unlike some that partake in critical mass in the manner you mentioned. Thank you.
  • DiggzDE, on 05/14/2008, -2/+16The difference is NYC is much closer together then LA; geographically speaking. The true LA area extends very far out and as it stands most people who work in the downtown LA area don't live anywhere near it. That is why there are so many freeways around the L.A. area. Comparing bicycle use in NYC to LA is just stupid. It is a clear sign that you have only visited or lived in one of the two places if you do so. The primary mode of transportation in LA is car, the primary mode of transportation in NYC is public transportation and cabs. That is one reason you can get away without ever getting a license or learning to drive in NYC. You could never seriously do that in LA.
  • Otnehs, on 05/14/2008, -0/+19This Summer in a theater near you comes...
  • imitokay, on 05/14/2008, -1/+15diggers try to use web link, they get beat by traffic
    (sites down already)

    gotta love that digg effect
  • spdorsey, on 05/14/2008, -6/+18Wow. You're a real dick.
  • Totz83, on 05/14/2008, -3/+16If they claim to be a single organism in motion Im sure it would have the mandatory horsepower for a freeway for it to be legal, but the toll booths will suck ballz
  • itsradBrad, on 05/14/2008, -6/+20The difference is that they are on a FREEWAY. Thats very different and far more impressive that getting around NYC on a bike.
  • leerayIG88, on 05/14/2008, -0/+12omg, I live in Seattle, Wa. I know who you are. I know where you live too.
    >_>-------+
  • stevetron, on 05/14/2008, -5/+18Sometimes the middle of the lane can be the safest place for the cyclist and the motorist. It may cost you an extra ten or thirty seconds to pass a cyclist safely, but it will cost him months or years of rehab if you hit him with your door at speed. Keep it in perspective and be rational when you're operating a motor vehicle. A minor inconvenience to you is not worth a life changing event for both of you.
  • hobbers, on 05/14/2008, -3/+15L.A. is the perfect example of county development plans gone horribly horribly stupid. Let's have dense suburbs sprawl the countryside such that public transit like buses and light rails will not be effective, so everyone will own a car and commute all over the place. Then coat the land with highway after highway. This is exactly why there should be no "medium density residential" zoning. There should be high density urban where public transit works fine. And low density rural where a regular 2 or 3 lane highway is plenty to support the car population.
  • WizardGns, on 05/14/2008, -1/+13They're lucky they didn't pass out from inhaling all the fumes and smoke from those hundreds of idling cars. lol
  • sneakeykop, on 05/14/2008, -17/+32WGAF? they've been doign this on the East Coast for years..!
  • chsonNU, on 05/14/2008, -0/+10More like $75 off Craigslist!
  • piesforyou, on 05/14/2008, -0/+10Or you're trying to have sex with your bike.
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