BikinginLA

Finally, more details on the death of SoCal randonneur Matthew O’Neill outside of Santa Maria earlier this month.

According to the Santa Barbara Independent, O’Neill was riding far to the right on a straight, if narrow, stretch of roadway and was “lit up like a Christmas tree” when he was hit by a truck driven by the unnamed 16-year old son of former Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado.

A spokesman for the CHP says the investigation will take some time, and that all factors — including speed and distracted driving — are being considered. However, they do not believe drugs or alcohol use played a role.

There’s also some question whether the boy was legally allowed to drive the truck and horse trailer, as California law prohibits drivers under 18 from operating a vehicle with a passenger under the age of 20 unless accompanied by an adult over 25 years old. The only passenger in the truck was his 18-year old brother; he was also a passenger when his mother was involved in another fatal collision on the same stretch of roadway two years earlier.

Reading between the lines, it sounds like an inexperienced driver attempted to squeeze past the victim’s recumbent bike without changing lanes, and sideswiped him with the truck or trailer.

Whether that’s enough for the CHP to recommend charges against a member of a politically powerful family remains to be seen.

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Good read from Streetsblog’s Sahra Sulaiman on how bikes can help reclaim public space for marginalized communities.

There is no earthly reason that men of color should feel that the act of walking or riding a bicycle down the street is akin to extending an embossed invitation to police to stop, question, and frisk them, hand them bogus tickets (for not having bike lights in the day time, for example), or worse.

Amen, sister.

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Matthew Gomez writes to report the city of Arcadia just installed new bike lanes on 1st between Colorado and St. Joseph. It’s only three blocks, but it’s a start.

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Local

LA cyclist Zachary Rynew looks at the anatomy of a bike wreck, which, like most, clearly didn’t need to happen; he reports the injured riders still aren’t back on their bikes.

A occasionally bike riding columnist for the Pasadena Star-News just doesn’t get the animosity some drivers and San Marino residents have for cyclists.

KCET looks at plans for an Emerald Necklace greenbelt around LA County.

 

State

Despite increasing ridership rates, bike versus pedestrian injuries have declined in New York and California.

More than 1,000 riders of every description — including the city’s bike riding mayor — turn out to ride in support of San Diego cyclist Juan Carlos Vinolo, paralyzed by an alleged drunken wrong way driver on Fiesta Island last week.

San Diego’s Bike the Bay rolls this weekend, giving cyclists a once-a-year opportunity to ride the iconic Coronado Bay Bridge.

Our neighbor to the south unveils a website for San Diego’s new Bicycle Advisory Committee.

San Bernardino authorities are looking for a hit-and-run driver who fled on foot after striking another car, then spinning into a cyclist, leaving the critically injured rider in a medically induced coma.

Not surprisingly, San Jose merchants object to the removal of parking spaces in order to install bike lanes. Just like virtually every other merchants in virtually every other city — even though it’s been repeatedly shown bike lanes are good for business.

 

National

Lance still believes he won seven Tours de France; then again, he was there.

Six things to like about Seattle’s new two-way separated bike lanes.

Marijuana-related traffic fatalities are up 100% in pot-friendly Colorado.

Somehow, a South Dakota driver didn’t break any laws in killing a bike rider — despite being cited for failure to use due caution and failure to yield. But other than that…

A new, narrow bike lane may have contributed to a fatal New Hampshire dooring.

New York won’t consider bike lanes or other infrastructure on Park Avenue, despite the recent deaths of three bicyclists.

Caught on video: New York police search for a hit-and-run driver who made a U-turn to intentionally run over a pedestrian.

 

International

Chilean students design a bike that doesn’t need a lock. Because it is one.

If legendary rock drummer Ginger Baker hadn’t been hit by a car while riding his bike when he was 16, he might have become a professional cyclist, instead; he credits long-distance riding with the stamina needed to play the drums.

Despite calling for them now, London cyclists fought separated bike lanes 80 years ago.

In yet another anti-bike terrorist attack, a young British girl is nearly decapitated when someone strings a bike brake cable across a popular pathway.

If cyclists are breaking the law, there’s a problem with the street.

Caught on video: A Dublin tour guide is a Facebook hero after tackling a bike thief.

French pro Thomas Voeckler suffers his fourth broken collarbone in a collision with a car.

The author of an anti-bike Aussie Facebook page now calls for détente between cyclists and motorists.

 

Finally…

There’s got to be a story here, as a Burlingame cyclist gets into an argument with a man whose dog peed on his bike helmet; hopefully, he wasn’t wearing it at the time.

And forget driverless cars; a Chinese firm is developing an autonomous, self-riding bike. But then, what would be the point?