As if cars weren’t deadly enough, a new study shows 4.2% of drivers sleep while behind the wheel. Really.

Yet another reason to have physically separated bike lanes for cyclists. You never know when some snoozing driver might drift right into you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m56glR0WLuI

Knowledgable West Hollywooders already know that the city is hard at work on a redesign on the avenues south of the Pacific Design Center. New streetscapes, sidewalks, lighting, and street furniture are in the works.

A few weeks ago, the city hosted an open house to show off some potential plans and gather feedback from residents. Here’s some news coverage — along with appearances by numerous locals, officials, and cycling aficionados!

We’ve updated our bike-info resource with some stats on the heavy death toll attributable to cars.

Among the grim statistics: car crashes are the leading cause of death among children between 1 and 4. Check out our resource for more stats on just how harmful cars are.

LA Weekly recently called LA’s hit-and-run problem an “epidemic” — the comparison of car crashes to a deadly disease is quite apt.

Exciting news: the city of West Hollywood is putting out an RFP to update the bike & ped mobility plan. Tthe RFP specifically says that they’ll be working with the WeHo Bike Coalition and the community to update the plan for an expected completion date of late 2013. Details are here:

Big big thanks to the city of West Hollywood for bringing bike lanes to San Vicente! We had a grand opening this weekend, and now there’s a dedicated lane from Santa Monica all the way down to Beverly. Yay! Here’s some photos from the event:

We are totally thrilled to see new bike racks appearing in West Hollywood! Yay! But remember, park your bike lengthwise along the rack, not sticking out into traffic. That way people can get by without bumping into your bike.

In other words, don’t do this, spotted last night on Santa Monica Blvd:

Good news: Beverly Hills is taking some steps forward on bike routes and racks! But they need support to make it happen. Your presence is urgently needed at one of two upcoming meetings to advocate for streets that are safe and comfortable for cyclists of all ages and skill levels.

Here’s the details:

• When: April 11, April 25, and May 9 from 7pm to 9pm
• Where: April meetings at Public Words Bldg, 345 Foothill Road; May meeting at City Hall Room 280-A, 455 North Rexford Drive

And of course, cruise over to the Beverly Hills “Bicycle Ad Hoc Committee” Web page for official news and updates.

See you there!

Bill Nye the Science Guy predicts that bikes will figure big in the cities of the future. What do you think of his idea for wind louvres, so that no matter which way you’re going you always have a tailwind?

Remember a few weeks ago, when the Westside Council of Governments (WSCOG) was collecting public input on closing gaps in bike routes? Well, your input paid off: the recommendations were approved!

But that doesn’t mean those lanes are going to get built. Now, it’s up to individual jurisdictions to create those lanes in accordance with the recommendations (or to come up with their own plan — the WSCOG recommendations are non-binding).

That means that the WeHo Bike Coalition will continue to press city officials to implement bike routes on the recommended streets — Santa Monica and San Vicente — in addition to other roads around town. And you can help! Come to our next meeting, April 17th at 6pm in the Plummer Park community building. See you there!

Next time you’re endlessly circling a parking garage, cruising up and down the street for a space, or spending $2.6 million on a robot car-lifter at City Hall, just think about how easy it is for this woman to lock up her bike alongside the 10,000 (!) others at this Netherlands train station.

(Skip to 1:43 for the good part.)