Morning Links: Closer to ID of Twitter driver pushing cyclist, Justice for Woon, and new bike lanes on La Tuna

Maybe we’re just a little closer to identifying one of the road raging drivers we linked to on Twitter yesterday.

The violent attack shown below, where a driver tweeted video of himself pushing a bicyclist off his bike from a passing car, probably occurred in Northern Ireland’s Londonderry County.

No word on the identity or condition of the rider.

And video of the attack still hasn’t been taken down by Twitter, nor has the person responsible been banned from the site.

Preferably for life.

Let’s at least hope Twitter has informed the authorities about his real ID and location.

Because this video is both evidence of a crime. And a confession.

Hopefully there’s a new set of bracelets waiting for this jerk.

………

Local

KCAL-9 reports from last night’s memorial for fallen rider Frederick “Woon” Frazier, as his mother and friends demand justice for the driver who ran his down and left him to die on a South LA street; 23-year old Mariah Kandise Banks still hasn’t been charged despite turning herself in May 11th as police were closing in.

CiclaValley takes a look at the desperately needed new semi-buffered bike lane on deadly La Tuna Canyon.

 

State

A San Francisco pedicab driver suffered life-threatening injuries when his bike was hit by a driver on the Embarcadero, where plans call for an as yet unbuilt protected bike lane. A GoFundMe account has been set up for the victim.

Sacramento is installing a new painted bike lane, but advocates are angry it’s not protected.

 

National

Curbed considers the potential boost bikeshares can receive from ebikes.

Bicycling looks at how mindfulness can help make you a better bicyclist. I’ve often used riding as a form of moving meditation to find peace and insight, on and off the bike.

An Iowa newspaper says the public deserves answers to what happened when a 79-year old woman was killed in a collision with a hit-and-run bike rider, even if no charges are warranted. Although the police later said they were looking into it after all.

Nashville is investing in wayfinding signs, complete with distance and estimated riding time to popular destinations. Needless to say, in LA you’re on your own.

It’s life behind bars after all for the Tennessee driver who fled the scene after knocking a man off his bike on the Natchez Trace; he’s on his way to jail after violating his probation by swilling a half pint of vodka every day.

Family members and New York politicians demand justice for a four-year old hit-and-run victim, after police said the driver didn’t know he or she had just run over the girl and her mother was they walked on the sidewalk. Seriously, you have to be pretty damned drunk or distracted to not know you hit two people hard enough to kill one of them.

The former track star who ran down a Florida father as he rode on a bike path with his sons had turned himself in at a police station two weeks earlier, threatening to hurt someone if he was allowed to leave — then attacked his public defender after he was detained on a mental health hold.

 

International

A new Canadian survey says bike riders are responsible for most of the conflict on the roads, even though a British study shows just the opposite; people in Winnipeg bucked the trend by blaming the people on four wheels.

The same survey suggests how Canadians feel about bike lanes depends on what city they live in. Speaking of which, women in Hamilton, Ontario rode to city hall in sundresses to demand bike lanes.

Toronto has approved an additional $22 million in Vision Zero funds to go with $13 million approved earlier in the year, after the fail of the program up to this point.

A Toronto paper watched a busy intersection for an hour at rush hour, as drivers blocked the intersection or the crosswalk on nearly every red light cycle. An experiment that would probably have exactly the same results here in Los Angeles.

A Toronto op-ed says life-saving traffic solutions already exist, and it’s time to use them.

Britain’s Cyclist magazine looks at the best small and lightweight bike locksThe best bike lock is the one you’ll actually take with you and use.

Cyclist also visits Italy’s legendary Colnago factory, maker of some of the world’s most beautiful and historic performance bicycles.

Denmark has approved the use of “super” ebikes capable of doing 27 mph, which would require a helmet and motorcycle license in California.

 

Competitive Cycling

Eleven-time world track cycling champ Kristina Vogel is in stable condition after undergoing spinal surgery following a crash with another rider at nearly 40 mph; no word on her prognosis.

Writing for Cycling Tips, Peter Flax looks forward to the greatest race between now and next week’s Tour de France, with the not-so-grudging grudge match between Fabian Cancellara and LA’s own Phil Gaimon. This all started when Gaimon accused Cancellara of motor doping in one of his books, so maybe the race will look something like this.

Business Insider takes a ride on a $13,000 Tour de France bike.

Cycling scion Taylor Phinney will ride his second Tour de France in support of Columbian Rigoberto Uran.

 

Finally…

Canadian ‘bent riders were run off the road by an apparently driverless SUV. Someone tell Geico they should have settled.

And if the gate is always locked, how are alarmed pedestrians supposed to get out?

Photo from Beverly Press

2 comments

  1. David says:

    Just one thing – https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1096

    Seems that “class 3 speed e-bikes,” or “super ebikes” as your article calls them, do not require a motorcycle license in CA. However, the state does mandate helmets and a minimum age of 16, as well as leaving trail and greenway access up to the local ordinances (I think e-bikes are allowed on most LA bike paths, but this is just a hunch)

  2. The jerk with the Twitter post showing the assault on the cyclist has been banned from Twitter. The report Twitter sent me was two pages long.

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