BikinginLA

After a 70-year old cyclist was found dead on the side of the road near Fillmore, authorities conclude that he died of natural causes.

The rider, who has not yet been publicly identified, was discovered on Guiberson Road roughly three miles east of Chambersburg Road in Ventura County around 10:30 am Tuesday.

According to the Ventura County Star,

The 70-year-old man was riding his bicycle when he pulled off the road, collapsed and died, said Armando Chavez, a senior deputy Ventura County medical examiner. An autopsy was not performed, but there were no signs of trauma Chavez said. The man had an extensive history of medical problems, he added.

So in other words, they’re guessing that he died of natural causes, since it sort of looks that way. No sense wasting time and money on an autopsy; after all, he was just  a cyclist with a history of medical problems.

Thanks to a regular reader for tipping me off to the story.

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There’s still time to attend tonight’s City of Lights 2nd Annual Awards Dinner at La Fonda Supper Club, 2501 Wilshire Blvd, followed by music and dancing. L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and L.A. Times columnist Hector Tobar will be honored, and ticket prices have been reduced to $45 for everyone.

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San Francisco elects to put cyclists at further risk by allowing cab drivers to stop in bike lanes.

According to the San Francisco Examiner, at least some cabbies feel justified in blocking the lane since some bike riders break the law.

Ed Healy, another driver, said cabbies miss out on fares because they’re reluctant to pull over to the curb for fear of getting a ticket.

“The bicyclists may not like this, but I don’t think they can complain about much, considering they run red lights all the time,” Healy said.

But doesn’t allowing drivers to stop in a bike lane violate state law, since it’s a legitimate lane of traffic — albeit one reserved for bikes?

I hope the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has a good lawyer on their payroll.

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Gary looks at the good, the bad and the ugly in Santa Monica’s new bikeways. Here’s your chance to work at Santa Monica’s new Bike Center. L.A. cyclists are finally going to get our first wayfinding signs. Joe Linton asks how long it takes to get sharrows on the street. A good discussion on the Eastsider website about police traffic stops that place cyclists in jeopardy — except for the kind of semi-illiterate bike-hating troll who always seems to show up in any story about bikes, and threatens to wrap his Camry around any rider who goes through a stop sign; thanks to Mike for the heads-up. Advice on how even Angelenos can ride in the rain. Don’t miss the Velo Cult Bike Swap on November 5th, even though I will, since I’ll be getting ready for the California Bike Summit later that day. Hermosa Beach becomes the latest city to adopt the new South Bay Bike Plan.

An OC cyclist confronts a driver who admits that yes, she was trying to hit the rider with her car; you’d think that would be something the authorities might take just a little more seriously. An interview with Elk Grove cyclist Scott Brown following his recent finish in the Furnace Creek 508. The body of a Roseville cyclist missing since the 16th of this month has been found, dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. Shasta County turns to eminent domain to acquire a .12 acre sliver of land needed to complete a bike path. Levi Leipheimer calls Sonoma County the best place on earth to ride a bike.

Elly Blue takes an intelligent look at running stop signs and drivers who complain simply because she’s in the road; although there can be consequences for jumping lights. When a Phoenix truck driver flees the scene after killing a cyclist, a second driver uses his truck to protect the victim. A Tucson cyclist killed last week did have brakes on his bike, though witnesses say he didn’t appear to be panicking as he rode through a stop sign into oncoming traffic. Once again, Utah good Samaritans lift a car off an injured person, this time a bicyclist. Exploring Denver by B-Cycle. A Tulsa cyclist survives a crash into a parked car that sent him through the rear windshield and into the vehicle, where he had the presence of mind to call 911; the Witch on a Bicycle says he may have been forced into it by another car. Chicago authorities line up mannequins along a busy street to demonstrate pedestrians killed in the city so far this year. Once again, a driver admits to not seeing a cyclist before killing him, this time in Michigan, and once again, police ignore the confession and let the driver off; if you ever want to murder someone, just use your car then claim you didn’t see the victim. A Cincinnati student newspaper directs Halloween thrill seekers to the site of a cyclist’s death. This is so wrong in so many ways, as New York police blow off the family of a recent cycling victim and crack down on reckless cyclists after giving the driver a pass because he didn’t know he’d killed anyone (see above). Mobile AL becomes the latest city to adopt its own three-foot passing law; somehow, they managed to pass what our governor vetoed. After a cyclist is killed by a fire truck, Florida officials demonstrate a complete and total ignorance of fixed-gear bikes, asserting the only way to stop a brakeless fixie is to put a foot down or fall off, apparently unaware that fixies can stop if the rider just stopz pedaling; seriously, how is it that police are allowed to be so damned ignorant about the very subject they’re investigating? A study from the most dangerous state for cyclists and pedestrians shows that drivers really do base passing distance on cyclist’s sex and attire, as well as how far you ride from the curb; from now on, I’m wearing a dress and taking the lane. And no, it won’t be pretty.

The Canada Safety Council bizarrely declares traffic calming a waste of money; clearly, not everyone agrees. A Canadian driver on trial for hit-and-run claims he thought he hit a deer — though not many deer have reflectors and a tail light. A $110 fine for fatally dooring a cyclist on Ottawa. After a campaign by a grieving father, the Ottawa coroner will review cycling deaths in an attempt to improve safety. London’s much derided cycling superhighways have seen their first fatality, as anger turns to Mayor BoJo and Transport for London (their LADOT-equivalent). The only cyclist to fail a drug test at this year’s Tour de France gets fined a whopping $1,000, yet a former Paralympic champ gets a two year ban. An Australian court rules it’s okay to punch a cyclist in the face, breaking his glasses and drawing blood, if the cyclist calls you names and tries to write down your license number. An Aussie helmet cam study shows drivers at fault in 9 out of 10 potential collisions. A look at delivery bikes in India carrying far more than you’d think they — or you — could. Japanese authorities crack down on cyclists following an increase in bike vs. pedestrian crashes following the recent earthquake.

Finally, a Eureka cyclist credits his helmet after bouncing 20 feet off a car’s windshield and landing in traffic; the driver was turning her car with the sun in her eyes and the rider in a blind spot — so needless to say, the police wrote it off as “just one of those things.”