BikinginLA

This hasn’t been a good weekend for teenage cyclists in Southern California.

Just two days after a Pacoima rider was shot in an apparent gang-related attack, a 16-year old Orange County cyclist was critically injured after a collision with a car in Santa Ana Sunday afternoon. According to the Orange County Register, the cyclist was riding across Lacy Street between Fifth Street and Santa Ana Blvd when he collided with a vehicle traveling north on Lacy — the story subtly assigns blame to the cyclist while noting the accident is still under investigation.

Meanwhile, Gustavo Arellano of the Orange County Weekly, author of the popular Ask A Mexican column, was on the scene to witness the aftermath of the collision.

Arelleno said that the car hit the rider — rather than the other way around — with enough force to shatter the windshield, leaving a massive dent in the vehicle and breaking the bicycle in two. While no blood was visible, Arelleno did not see the rider move his hands or legs, and says “the teen’s tortured gasps for air were a sound I hope to never hear again.”

He credits police and fire personnel for arriving on the scene within minutes of the 1pm collision, and places blame on the conflict between the city’s “ambitious plans to remake its downtown core and the head-in-the-sand approach to the area’s actual needs.”

“This is already a neighborhood that’s way overcrowded,” said a lady who identified herself only as Yuri. She had no idea of the city’s plans for her neighborhood, which include squeezing in high-rise apartments. “We need parks, not more buildings–there’s already too many apartments! With more people and more cars on these small streets, there’s going to be more accidents!”

………

Even after everything, Murrieta’s Floyd Landis still loves cycling. San Diego’s San Louis Rey River Trail is extended three more miles. Get your free Ride a Fucking Bike sticker here. A Georgia insurance executive says bike riders face risks on the road, and there’s not much consolation in saying “it wasn’t my fault.” A 60-something cyclist in my home town is critically injured in a collision; no information on his name, direction or travel, whether the driver was distracted, wearing a seatbelt or whether charges might be filed. An 11-year old Iowa cyclist is critically injured in a hit-and-run; police say the driver may not even know she hit anything. Cell phone use while driving is even more dangerous than previously thought. Over 2300 riders roll the roads of New Zealand, despite warnings from police. Brisbane’s shared bike/pedestrian paths turn into danger zones as both users compete for space. Will a better water bottle holder revolutionize cycling? A 19-year old Brit cyclist hopes to raise £1 million to thank a hospital for saving his life. Instead of charging cyclists to use the roads, we should get tax cuts and the thanks of motorists.

Finally, a writer claims that most cars carrying two or more passengers have a smaller carbon footprint than the average man on a bike.