Archive for May 7, 2013

Update: Due to a computer failure, BikinginLA will not be updated for now. My apologies.

May 7, 2013 / / 16 comments

I’m afraid my laptop died over the weekend. And took with it my abilty to maintain this blog.

So there won’t be any new updates until I can come up with a solution.

My sincere apologies.

Update: Thanks to Danilla, Mark, Vanessa and Jessica for contributing to help me get a new laptop, and to Patti for making the suggestion and Margaret for providing a link to my PayPal account in the comments below. I can’t begin to tell you what you’ve done to restore my faith after a very difficult few days. To say I’m blown away would be a massive understatement.

I have the best readers in the world. You guys amaze me.

Update 2: My earlier update may have given the wrong impression about the amount of money raised so far. While the total is less than $100, I’m just incredibly grateful that anyone would donate their own hard earned money to help me keep up this blog.

In the meantime, I hope to be back online next week with a borrowed pc. Keep your fingers crossed.

Update 4: Thanks to Todd, Michael, Joe, Nicholas and Brian for your contributions. You guys rock.

Update 3: Thanks to Todd and Michael for your contributions.

Category: General /

Raise funds for the L.A. River bike path, meet the candidates in CD13 and promote bike lanes in NELA

May 4, 2013 / / 5 comments

It’s one of the most frustrating things about riding in Los Angeles.

One of the city’s crown jewels, the L.A. River bike path may be a joy to ride where it goes. But it has too many gaps its way to the coast.

Now the LACBC is working to complete the path in just seven years, providing a single, continuous pathway from Canoga Park to Long Beach.

And you can help by signing up to raise funds. Or just contributing to one of the fundraising teams.

You could even win a bike trip to Tuscany, a bike from DTLA bikes or other prizes.

The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition has long been fighting for a safer, cleaner, quieter form of transportation for all Angelenos whether they bike, walk, or drive. The Annual Los Angeles River Ride provides much of the funds LACBC needs in order to transform the face of Los Angeles County and give future generations the option of enjoying Los Angeles by bike! This year’s Annual Los Angeles River Ride also incorporates a campaign to complete all 51 miles of LA River Bikeway. Imagine it: a completely car-free uninterrupted bike highway running right through the middle of Los Angeles, from Canoga Park to Long Beach!

When you raise funds for the River Ride you are contributing to this campaign. What a legacy to leave, the knowledge that you helped make such an enormous and positive change to the landscape of the 5th largest economy in the world. In addition to helping LACBC do such great work, high fundraisers win great prizes.

The top prize for the highest fundraiser is a bike trip to Tuscany, courtesy of VBT. We also have a prize for the fundraiser who gets the most people to donate to the cause: a bike from DTLA Bikes. Runner-up prizes include a New Belgium Brewing Cruiser Bike and signed copies of Where to Bike Los Angeles. Prizes are guaranteed for meeting fundraising minimums at the $100 (LACBC socks), $250 (River Ride jersey), $500 (access to the River Ride VIP tent and beer garden), $1000 (recognition at LACBC donor and supporter party), and $5000 (custom vintage cocktail mixology, tea ceremony, or dinner with our Executive Director and Board President) levels. Go to www.la-bike.org/riverride for more information.

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Seriously, could you run over this smiling face?

You, too, could wake up to a face like this.

Okay, so it’s not bike related.

But as someone who adopted a rescue dog a couple years ago, I can attest it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. You don’t rescue a rescue animal, they rescue you.

And here’s your perfect chance to get rescued at the city’s largest annual dog and cat adoption event, at the La Brea Tar Pits on Wilshire Blvd this Saturday and Sunday.

Ride your bike there, and spend an afternoon petting some cute furry friends who could use the love.

Or better yet, pedal home with a new best friend.

You won’t regret it.

………

Bike Talk airs every Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

Bike Long Beach hosts Bike Saturdays every weekend; ride your bike to participating local shops and business throughout the city to get special offers and discounts.

Photo courtesy of Richard Masoner of Cyclelicious

Photo courtesy of Richard Masoner of Cyclelicious

Caltrans is hosting Bike Local! Bicycles as Everyday Transportation (pdf), a month-long exhibition highlighting “a wide variety of affordable commuting and recreational bikes, classic bikes, materials on biking safely, illustrations of bike-friendly street-design, videos of bike commutes, a wall-size map of bike routes in Los Angeles County, and displays of biking accessories that make riding safer and easier.” The exhibit takes place in the Transportation Museum at District 7 Headquarters, 100 South Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Hours are Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm through June 1.

Saturday, May 4, The LACBC Civic Engagement Committee is invites you to Bike the Vote with an informal Meet and Greet with the candidates for L.A.’s 13th City Council District to replace outgoing councilmember and mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti; both candidates have promised to attend. The event takes place at Golden Road Brewing, 5410 West San Fernando Road, from 1 pm to 4 pm; Golden Road Brewing is promising participants $4 pint specials of their Point the Way IPA, GR Hefeweizen, and Get Up Offa that Brown beers. The event will be preceded by a short bike ride starting at Sunset Triangle Plaza at noon, departing for Golden Road Brewing at 12:15 pm.

Flying Pigeon LA hosts their monthly Brewery Ride on Saturday, May 4th; this month’s ride will visit some of the business in Northeast Los Angeles to show bikes mean business, and that proposed bike lanes on Colorado Blvd and North Figueroa are nothing to be afraid of. Meet at Flying Pigeon, 3404 North Figueroa, at 3 pm, departing at 3:30. Highly recommended for a very smart cause.

The next ride in the LACBC’s popular series of Sunday Funday Rides takes place on Sunday, May 5th with the L.A. State Historic Park Out ‘n’ Back ride. The ride meets at L.A. Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring Street in Chinatown at 10:30 am, rolling at 11 am for a fun, family-friendly 12-mile ride through the Arroyo Seco hosted by Board Member Trent Strong, followed by a BBQ with options for vegans and carnivores.

Warm up for Bike Week and River Ride with the Tour of Long Beach 2013 on Saturday, May 11th, featuring a bike fest and rides ranging from a 5-mile Family Fun Ride to 31 and 62 milers through the bike-friendly streets of Long Beach, along with a full century through Long Beach and down the SoCal coast to Laguna Beach. Proceeds go to support pediatric cancer research at Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach.

Ventura County and West Valley riders can take part in the 28th Annual Cruisin’ the Conejo Bike Ride on Saturday, May 11th. Rides range from a 12-mile children’s junior tour and 35-mile fun tour, to a 68-mile metric century and a 100-mile full century; all rides start and finish at 649 Lawrence Drive in Thousand Oaks.

The Amgen Tour of California rolls through the state starting in Escondido on Sunday, May 12th and ending in Santa Rosa on the 18th. This year’s race bypasses L.A.; the nearest stages are Stage 3 from Palmdale to Santa Clarita, and Stage 4 from Santa Clarita to Santa Barbara.

This year’s Bike Week will take place May 13th – 19th, starting with Fix Your Bike Day on Monday the 13th, Guided Ride Day on Wednesday, May 15th, Bike to Work Day on Thursday the 15th, and Bike Local Weekend from Friday, May 17th to Sunday the 19th, offering discounts to bicyclists who mention Bike Week. Pledge to ride your bike on Bike to Work Day and you could win a free bike from REI.

2013-posterThe 10th Annual Blessing of the Bicycles is scheduled for 8 am to 9:30 am on Tuesday, May 14th at Good Samaritan Hospital, 616 Witmer Street, between 6th and Wilshire. The multi-faith event is always one of the high points of Bike Week. And it never hurts to have a little divine protection when you ride.

Pasadena celebrates Bike Week as well, including Ladies Night on Wednesday, May 15th from 6:30 to 9:30 pm at Paseo Pasadena, 280 East Colorado Blvd.

Culver City-based Walk ‘n’ Rollers invites you to a family-friendly Bike Week Group Ride on Wednesday, May 15th from 2:30 to 3:30 pm. Meet at the pedestrian bridge over Ballona Creek.

Also on the 15th, the Antelope Valley’s High Desert Cyclists will screen the award-winning documentary Bicycle Dreams at 7 pm, at 1031 West Ave M-14, Suite A in Palmdale.

373034_423885610958180_1943767416_nThe annual Ride of Silence falls in the middle of Bike Week, on Wednesday, May 15th, honoring fallen cyclists and calling attention to the need for safety. The biggest ride in the Los Angeles area will take place at the Rose Bowl starting at 6:30 pm and rolling at 7; I also hear there may be a ride in Downtown L.A., details to follow. Other Southern California rides take place in Gardena, San Clemente, Temecula, Rancho Cucamonga, Thousand Oaks and Ventura, as well as the 2nd Annual Anthony Martinez Jr. Ride of Silence in Oxnard. Highly recommended to send an important message, as well as a little emotional healing.

The Education Committee of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council will host a Bike Rodeo at 10 am on Saturday, May 18th at Micheltorena Elementary School, 1511 Micheltorena Street. Children from 5 to 12 are invited to participate; free bikes and helmets will be available for those who need them.

Also on the 18th, the Eastside Bike Club is collaborating with the El Sereno Healthy Star Collaborative on a family-friendly slow is cool community ride starting at 12:30 pm at El Sereno Middle School, 2839 N Eastern Ave, departing at 1 pm.

The Plain Wrap Ride rolls through the Inland Empire on Saturday, May 18th starting at 8 am at Coates Cyclery, 760 East Foothill Blvd in Pomona. Online registration for a very affordable $25 ends May 15th; day of event registration is $35. Thanks to CLR Effect for the link.

The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition’s Civic Engagement Committee usually meets at 6:45 pm on the last Tuesday of each month. However, the May meeting has been cancelled to give members a chance to recover from the long, long campaign season; the next meeting will take place June 25th to discuss where we go from here, location TBD. You don’t have to be an LACBC member to participate; email bikinginla at hotmail dot com to be added to the discussion list.

Sunday, June 1st, women riders of all abilities are invited to take part in La Bella Preme. The event starts and finishes at the Triunfo Creek Vineyards, near the corner of Triunfo Canyon and Kanan Roads, with rides of 11, 31 and 63 miles along the Malibu coast. Click here to learn more.

Caltech Bike Lab teams with C.I.C.L.E. to offer a series of free defensive cycling classes; the next one take place on Saturday, June 8th at Caltech Y, 505 S. Wilson Ave in Pasadena. RSVP to bike@cicle.org with the date you want to attend.

Registration has opened for this year’s LA River Ride, to be held Sunday, June 9th, starting and ending in Griffith Park. If you haven’t done the River Ride, I highly recommend it; if you have, then why haven’t you registered already?

Now that you’ve had a taste of CicLAvia to the Sea, mark your calendar for the next edition when CicLAvia rolls down L.A.’s iconic Wilshire Blvd on Sunday, June 23rd. The ride rolls, walks, scoots and skates from Downtown to Fairfax — on both sides this time, I’m told —  from 10 am to 3 pm with a focus on exploring the city’s art and architecture. CicLAvia returns to an extended Downtown route on Sunday, October 6th.

Here’s your chance to bike the famed Las Vegas strip and the surrounding Las Vegas Valley, with the 6th Annual RTC Viva Bike Vegas Gran Fondo Pinarello on Saturday, September 21st. The event will offer routes for riders of all levels, from a 17-mile ride to 60-mile Metric Century and a 103-mile Gran Fondo; the longer rides will visit the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Lake Mead.

Category: Bike Events / Tags: , , , , , ,

Bad week keeps getting worse — Cyclist killed in Santee Friday morning

May 3, 2013 / / 3 comments

This is a week that started bad, and just keeps getting worse.

News is just breaking from multiple sources that a bike rider was killed in a collision in Santee, northeast of San Diego.

According to the Southwest Riverside News Network, 48-year old El Cajon resident Erik E. Gilbert was hit by a pickup around 5:20 this morning at the intersection of Vomac Road and Mast Blvd. No word on how the collision occurred.

Emergency personnel found Gilbert suffering from head injuries; he was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:30 am.

This is the 23rd cycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth in San Diego County. Gilbert is the 3rd cyclist to die in San Diego County in just the last two weeks, and the fifth SoCal bike rider killed in the last six days.

My prayers and condolences for Erik Gilbert and his loved ones.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Update: More bad news — 14 year old bike rider killed by school bus in Glendale

May 2, 2013 / / 16 comments

More bad news in what is turning out to be a horrible week for SoCal cyclists.

The Montrose-La Crescenta Patch is reporting that a 14-year boy was killed this afternoon when he was hit by a school bus.

The victim was riding his bike on the sidewalk around 2 pm when he was hit by the northbound bus at the intersection of Riverdale Drive and Columbus Ave, presumably when he attempted to cross the street.

The bus reportedly hit him at a slow rate of speed, pinning him underneath. He was pronounced dead at Glendale Memorial Hospital about an hour later.

The site reports his mother has been notified, but the victim’s name does not appear to have been released. He was a student at Theodore Roosevelt Middle School in Glendale.

This is the 22nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 11th in Los Angeles County — half the total for the entire seven county region.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all his family and friends.

Thanks to Stephen Messer for the heads-up.

Update: The Glendale News-Press reports the victim was riding west on the sidewalk on the south side of Riverdale when he entered the intersection against traffic, and was struck by the bus headed north on Columbus.

Witnesses said he was riding at a high rate of speed, which suggests he did not stop at the cross street, despite the four-way stop. The driver, who would have been looking in the opposite direction towards oncoming traffic, told police he never saw the boy coming.

Another tragic reminder that riding on a sidewalk is far more dangerous than it may seem. 

Update 2: KNBC-4 says that the victim was a 7th grade student, but that it isn’t clear if he attended the nearby Theodore Roosevelt Middle School. Thanks to gomerzed for the link.

Update 3: According to the Daily News, there were no passengers on the bus at the time of the collision.

Update 4: The Glendale News-Press identifies the victim as 13-year old Roosevelt Middle School student Jonathan Hernandez; Glendale police had initially said he was 14.

Reading between the lines, it would appear this collision occurred when the rider came off the sidewalk onto the street in front of the bus. The driver was likely focused on oncoming traffic, and may have pulled forward without looking directly ahead or to the right. Even if the driver had looked right earlier, she may not have seen the victim given the speed witnesses said he was riding. 

Whether or not this tragedy could have been avoided with more care on the driver’s part is debatable.

What is not debatable is that this was a slow speed collision, and was only fatal because the victim became trapped under the bus. If school buses and other large buses and trucks were required to have safety panels to keep victims from falling underneath in the event of a collision, this tragedy might never have happened.

Category: Bicycle Safety, General, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: ,

Today’s post, in which pent-up sarcasm breaks forth over our own month and the fight over bike lanes

May 2, 2013 / / One comment

By now, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the kind waves and smiles from the people you pass on the streets.

Not to mention the extra space drivers give you as they pass, and the care they take driving around you. Along with the spoken thanks for riding your bike, reducing the traffic congestion they have to contend with as they make their work to work or school.

Then there’s the way people are speaking up in meetings, requesting — no, demanding — bike lanes in their neighborhoods. And merchants requesting that a traffic lane or parking be removed from in front of their businesses, because they know more customers would spend more money, more often if they only felt safer on the streets.

That’s because it’s Bike Month.

And that changes everything.

Right?

Meanwhile, advocacy group People for Bikes joins with Volkswagen to celebrate with a new PSA calling for peace on our streets and urging cyclists and motorists to roll together.

Can’t speak for anyone else, but while I share the sentiment, this spot doesn’t really work for me.

………

Maybe we should be shocked! shocked! to learn that some San Pedro residents are up in arms over the recent installation of bike lanes.

Yawn.

Yes, while some appreciate the traffic calming and safer cycling the lanes afford, others cry out in fear of automotive Armageddon, as if the loss of a single lane will prevent them from ever getting home again.

Driver, please.

But the reaction has been largely one-sided. The problem, opponents say, is that no one seemed to realize the new lanes would take away traffic lanes.

“The neighbors are furious,” said David Rivera, a member of the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council’s issues committee. “Coming out of those shopping centers, you’re going to have to be real careful.”

Wait.

Shouldn’t drivers be careful exiting shopping centers anyway — let alone anywhere else?

Sounds like the road diets may be doing exactly what they were intended to do.

At the same time, the battle over bike lanes in North East L.A. spreads to — or more precisely, is centered in — the business community; maybe someone can tell me why opposition from a handful of business people outweighs the overwhelming support that has repeatedly been voiced in community meetings.

And tonight the proposed bike lanes on North Figueroa will be discussed at yet another Neighborhood Council meeting, where a small minority of bike lane opponents will undoubtedly attempt to pretend they represent the the wider community.

Richard Risemberg says battles like that are suppressing demand for bicycling, while Flying Pigeon smartly dedicates this weekend’s Brewery Ride to winning over some of those reluctant business owners.

If it sounds like I’ve grown weary of the seemingly endless battles over a simple stripe of paint, I have.

As NYDOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Kahn famously said while speaking here in L.A., it’s just paint. If it doesn’t work, paint over it.

Yet those opposed to bike lanes, let alone bikes, fight any attempt to accommodate riders on our streets as if we were irrevocably yanking out all access for motor vehicles. And turning over every inch of every road to the hordes of scofflaws they insist don’t exist, yet somehow blame for all the dangers on our streets.

The only rational approach would be for those opposed to let the bike lanes go in. Then study the results, and if the lanes successful, enjoy the benefits.

If not, then they can raise hell and get them removed, just as speeding pass-through drivers did on Wilbur Ave in the Valley.

Meanwhile, less contentious bike lanes go in on Figueroa from Wilshire to Cesar Chavez. And I captured a photo of the new bike lanes on Wilshire Blvd through the Condo Corridor.

Thanks to Margaret Wehbi for the San Pedro link.

SAMSUNG

Wilshire Blvd looking east from Beverly Glen

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The League of American Bicyclists announces their ranking of bike-friendly states — or unfriendly, as the case may be. California ranks 19th; with our bike-friendly weather and terrain, it takes some major screw-ups to rank that low.

………

Cycling in the South Bay offers a hard-hitting, and very disturbing, look at racism in bike racing, including accusations that L.A.’s own former National Crit champ is being unfairly singled out.

This policy of ignoring great black cyclists and turning a blind eye to the development of cycling in the black community isn’t limited to ignoring old heroes. The best black bike racer in cycling today, Rahsaan Bahati, former national champion and perennial force in big national crits, continues to be singled out by USA Cycling because he’s black.

Two years ago Bahati was deliberately crashed out at the Dana Point Grand Prix. The video is breathtaking. After the accident, Bahati slammed his sunglasses to the ground in anger, for which he was fined and suspended. [Update: Readers noted that Bahati actually threw his glasses at the oncoming pack, and later took responsibility for his fine and suspension.]

The rider who crashed him out received no penalty at all, even though the whole thing was on video and is one of the most brazen examples of evil and malicious bike riding you have ever seen. Check the video here if you don’t believe me. Seconds 39-42 are unbelievable, but not as unbelievable as the fact that the rider who got punished was Bahati.

You may or may not agree with what he has to say. Personally, I sincerely hope he’s overreacting, but fear he isn’t.

But you owe it to yourself to read it.

Then again, maybe it’s nit just a problem with pro cycling. Streetsblog suggests biking or walking while brown could be the city’s latest crime wave.

………

Paddy Cahill and Phillip de Roos, the founders of the Dutch in Dublin blog, have started a new blog called Cycling With. They plan to release a monthly interview with someone on a bike, with a goal of showing how normal and social city cycling actually is.

Their most recent video features a ride through Amsterdam with the city’s former mayor, Job Cohen.

………

A recent arrival from Portland is looking for collaborators to form a bike orchestra.

No, you won’t ride to performances.

You’ll actually play your bike.

………

Bicycling is becoming normal in L.A. Caltrans invites you to their new bike-themed exhibit (pdf) at their Downtown headquarters during bike month; thanks to Cyclelicious for the heads-up. LADOT offers notes from the most recent BPIT meeting. Los Angeles is asking for money to extend the L.A. River bike path into the Sepulveda Basin. The next CicLAvia will feature the art and architecture of Wilshire Blvd. A fatal car collision in South L.A. involved eight cars and a bike rider; no word yet on the cyclist’s condition. A salmon cyclist gets a ticket in Highland Park. A week after CicLAvia, residents demand repairs to Venice Blvd. As reported last week, the city is offering a $50,000 reward for the hit-and-run death of teenage cyclist David Granados. Just four months after barely surviving a head-on collision, a Santa Clarita bike advocate and amputee is selected to ride down the California coast in the Million Dollar Challenge. Congratulations to Caltech on being named a bronze-level Bike Friendly University. South Pasadena gets $400,000 to spend on bicycling. The Plain Wrap Ride rolls in Pomona on the 18th. Thanks to Road.cc, who reported on the Mulholland motorcycle crash that took out two cyclists and incorporated my story into theirs.

Two new bike bills in the state legislature; one smells like a poison pill to kill the 710 Freeway extension. There will be a Ride of Silence in Rancho Cucamonga on the 15th; I hear there are also last minute plans to hold one in Downtown L.A. A Redding bike rider was shot by a police officer last month after he allegedly tried to punch the cop. A Thousand Oaks letter writer says a proposed road diet is beyond stupid and a death sentence for everyone on the road. A protected bike lane in San Francisco is being held up by a paint shop. Turns out a drivers license really is a license to kill.

Don’t just watch Cookie Monster, ride him. What your bike looks like completely disassembled or if you somehow blew it up; Cookie Monster parts optional. Raisins are as effective as sports gels and jelly beans, but you knew that, right? An Oregon psychiatrist, who could probably use one himself, gets 30 days for sabotaging local mountain bike trails. A Washington state trooper recognizes the bike he just sold in the car of the guy who stole it afterwards. After a Seattle cyclist is killed at a dangerous intersection, the city’s mayor asks for ways to improve safety there; does anyone remember Los Angeles ever responding to a traffic fatality by demanding solutions? Anyone? In response to that death, readers of West Seattle Blog offer some of the most polite comments I’ve ever seen on a bike story. A South Dakota cyclist says a pickup driver used his truck to push him into a busy intersection. A paper in the Twin Cities says ditch the spandex for new bike commuter attire. After a sheriff’s deputy in my hometown cites a cyclist for not moving to the right — a law that was repealed four years ago — he Jerry Browns the rider in an apparent attempt to drive the point home, or perhaps, the rider off the road. Chicago residents are up in arms over plans to remove parking for a protected bikeway.

Rachel McAdams rides a bike, or two, in Toronto. You can smooth out that bumpy ride by putting slick tires on your mountain bike. British bike justice, as a rider receives a bigger fine for punching a driver than most drivers get for killing a cyclist. UK cyclist is killed in a gang drive-over, as opposed to a drive-by. The defense fund for journalist Paul Kimmage in his defamation fight against UCI appears to have been drained without anyone’s knowledge. A Spanish judge orders doping evidence from Operacion Puerto destroyed; the rest of the world smells a seemingly obvious cover-up. Can African cyclists achieve the same success the continent’s runners have? Maybe not, if Cycling in the South Bay is right.

Finally, how to use your bike for self protection. LAist offers a photo of what may be the most ironic blocked bike lane ever.

And Brent Kuhn forwards a wanted poster he spotted he spotted riding home on the L.A. River bike path; actually, it’s not unusual for riders and pedestrians to lose their heads there.

Headless man poster

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Anti-bike bias, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , ,

Update: Motorist allegedly murders cyclist in Downtown L.A.

May 1, 2013 / / 8 comments

Maybe they really are trying to kill us.

LAist reports a bike rider was killed in a hit-and-run collision in Downtown L.A. on Tuesday. And worse, police believe the driver may have deliberately targeted the victim.

The collision occurred in the 600 block of San Julian Street in the heart of L.A.’s Skid Row around 4:45 pm, when the rider was hit by a 1992-97 Mitsubishi Montero SUV. The vehicle will likely have damage to the right front end.

Needless to say, given the alleged deliberate nature of the crime, the driver fled the scene; he is described as Hispanic man with a mustache, around 45 to 55 years old.

The victim, identified only as a man in his 40s, died shortly later at a nearby hospital.

It’s long been a black joke among cyclists that if you want to kill someone, use a car instead of a gun to ensure you’ll get away with it.

We’ll soon see if there’s any truth to that.

This is the 21st fatal bicycling collision in Southern California this year, and the fourth fatal hit-and-run involving a bike rider. It is also the 10th cycling fatality in Los Angeles County, far beyond the totals for this time in both of the last two years, with four in 2012 and six in 2011.

My prayers and deepest sympathy for the victim of this crime and his loved ones.

Update: KCBS-2 offers a little more detail on the collision.

Witnesses reported that the suspect “appeared to intentionally point his SUV at the victim and accelerate at a high rate of speed,” according to a police statement. “Upon impact, the victim was propelled about 60 feet through the air. The suspect driver failed to stop and continued north on San Julian, then turned right on Sixth Street and headed west.”

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, Hit-and-Run, Injuries and Fatalities, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , ,

Update: Bike rider shot in Baldwin Park drive-by; four SoCal cyclists shot in three days

May 1, 2013 / / 3 comments

Maybe it’s time for bike riders to skip the helmets and start wearing body armor.

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports that a 22-year old bike rider suffered critical injuries in a drive-by shooting Tuesday evening.

According to the paper, the victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding at Downing Avenue and Ramona Blvd at 5:16 pm when a white pickup, possibly a Ford Ranger, containing three to five men drove by.

Evidently, either someone was riding in the back, or they were sitting on each other’s laps.

One of the people in the truck fired multiple rounds, striking the victim in the back before fleeing east on Ramona Blvd. He was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition, and reportedly didn’t see who shot him.

This is the third shooting of a cyclist in just three days, following shootings in Vermont Knolls and on the Rio Hondo bike path.

Fortunately, all the victims appear to have survived their injuries so far.

Update: It gets worse. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, a 17-year old bike rider was shot in Escondido around 5:15 pm yesterday in a suspected gang-related attack. The victim was riding on North Beech Street near East Lincoln Avenue when a man standing five feet away shot him in the arm; lucky for him, the shooter was apparently a crappy marksman.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities, Violence & Crime / Tags: , ,
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