The victim was pronounced dead at a local hospital. He has been identified only as a 61-year old Riverside resident pending notification of next of kin.
The collision is still under investigation; however, the 52-year old driver was arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence.
Anyone with information is urged to call Riverside Det. Ken Madsen at 951/826-8723.
This is the 74 bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 12th in Riverside County this year; that compares with 12 in the county for all of last year. It’s also the fourth bicycling death in the city of Riverside since the first of the year.
Update: The Press-Enterprise has identified the victim as Riverside resident Ronald Williams.
Update 2: According to the Press-Enterprise, 52-year old Gail Wilkins of Jurupa Valley was cited for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter and released, after originally being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of prescription drugs.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Ronald Williams and his loved ones.
Thanks to Mark Friis and Carlos Morales for the link.
It was a little over two-and-a-half years ago when a Los Olivos mother crossed the center line on Foxen Canyon Road near the city, and plowed her SUV into a group of cyclists while under the influence of prescription medication.
With her eight-month old daughter in the car.
Two of the eight cyclists, who were participating in a riding camp, were injured. One woman suffered arm and leg fractures; the other, 57-year old Gary Lynn Holmes, suffered serious brain injuries, and was still unresponsive when 32-year old Alicia Gilbert was charged in the collision three months later.
He never recovered.
Santa Barbara County prosecutors were clearly as incensed as local cyclists were, charging her with driving under the influence of a drug and causing bodily injury, failing to provide accurate information at the scene of an accident, child endangerment, false personification of another and driving with a suspended license.
Gilbert eventually accepted a plea bargain, pleading no contest to a single felony count of driving under the influence causing injury; she was sentenced to four years and four months in state prison.
Unlike most revolving door sentences that allow guilty parties to serve just a fraction of their time, sentencing guidelines require her to serve 85% of her sentence before she’s eligible for parole.
That works out to just over three years and eight months, making her up for parole in July, 2016; the state inmate locator confirms that she is still behind bars.
Her daughter, eight months old at the time of the collision, will be nearly five before she even has a chance to get out. And return to a daughter who will barely know her.
Meanwhile, Holmes, a former champion triathlete, remained unresponsive, and was returned to his Memphis-area hometown where he could be near family.
I knew Gary when I attended the same Tri camp in 2011. He was a great guy, full of stories of his 20+ Ironman races. He seemed to enjoy the training for the camaraderie as he would wait by the side of the road to cheer people on and take photos and video. His tri club members said that he would ride with anyone, anytime, anywhere, any speed.
As she points out, he was not from here.
But his life effectively ended as one of us, on a lonely, winding road outside of a picturesque California town, at the hands of a woman who couldn’t manage to stay out of her car when she was too stoned to drive.
There is simply no excuse, ever.
And the price paid by family and loved ones, of both the victim and his killer, is just too damn high.
My thanks to Barbara Danzi for the news, and my deepest prayers and sympathy for Gary Holmes and all his family and loved ones.
More bad news from the Venice – Santa Monica area.
Kaitlin Kolvet reports her brand new Linus bike was stolen on Monday from the Ralph’s market in Santa Monica, 910 Lincoln Blvd.
The three-speed bicycle was attached to the bike rack by just the front wheel when she went into the market around 5:20 pm; when she returned, only the front wheel and lock remained.
Less than 10 days old Linus Roadster Sport (3 speed)
Color: Marine
Serial Number: L4E0301489
Purchased at the Abbott Kinney Venice Location
If you see the bike, contact the LAPD Pacific Division, then email Kaitlin at kaitlinshay@gmail.com. Such a nice new bike should be easy to spot.
On October 29th, three bikes were stolen out of my garage. They were actually locked to rings on the wall — and the cuts were clean so it looks like some bike thief pros. The CAADX was less than a week old (and I was really loving it).
Two of the bikes are pictured here, along with a reference photo of the Dolce Apex. I’d appreciate any heads up if you happen to come across one of them on the market. You can reach me via email: johnmont (at) fxguide.com
Details as to the makes/models:
56cm Scott CR1 Team (Black & Red) with HED JET 4 Wheels
(Serial Number TBD — docs are back in Chicago)
51cm Cannondale CAADX 105 (Black and White)
Serial Number EM33381
50cm Specialized Dolce Apex (White & Green)
Serial Number WSBC 602 059 086F
Keep your eyes open and contact the LAPD Pacific Division if you see something matching these descriptions for sale anywhere, and email John at the address above.
October 28, 2014 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Morning Links: More criticism of the GHSA bike safety report; register now for SoCal state highway safety summit
The Alliance for Biking and Walking says those scary numbers the report cited for California add up to just 6.3 deaths per 10,000 bike commuters in the state, and that the real scary data is how little states spend on bike and pedestrian safety.
The Bike League says the tone deaf press release doesn’t even mention speeding or driving behavior, and yes, bicycle safety is a national issue. And People for Bikes suggests that the safety in numbers effect means biking has been getting dramatically safer as Americans ride more.
The State of California is updating its Strategic Highway Safety Plan, described as a “holistic, statewide plan” that coordinates the efforts of a wide range of organizations to reduce traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries on the state’s roadways.
There are currently over 400 stakeholders participating in the process, from state and federal agencies to police departments, regional transportation agencies, tribal governments and private individuals.
As part of the update process, a Southern California summit will be held to collect public input on how to improve safety on the state’s roadways.
November 12, 2014
8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
California State University, Los Angeles
Golden Eagle Student Union
Advance registration is required no later than November 5th at
A writer for City Watch bizarrely asks if LA’s walkable streets and bike lanes are only for the creative class, before arguing that the streets will be incomplete if they don’t include street food vendors.
Writing for Streetsblog, former city council candidate Odysseus Bostick asks if Los Angeles can fix roads and sidewalks, invest in rail and bike share, and complete other needed infrastructure projects without raising taxes. Good question.
Great idea, as the University of Louisville gives over 1,000 students $400 vouchers redeemable at local bike shops when they agree not to buy a campus parking permit for at least two years. Are you listening, parking-challenged UCLA?
A DC website asks if city residents will be willing to make the unpopular decisions necessary for Vision Zero to succeed. LA needs to ask itself the same question, now that it’s finally official policy here.
International
Cycling Weekly offers advice on how to ride in the rain, which is about as much winter as we ever get around here.
Cycling Central argues that women riders don’t need their own Tour de France, but should have a pro tour of their own somewhere else. Probably because that would make it easier for TV and the press to ignore.
Life is cheap in Singapore, as a driver gets a whopping two weeks in jail for the death of a cyclist. But at least he won’t be driving — legally, anyway — for the next three years.
Finally…
No bikes involved, as Michigan man in a zombie costume tries to scare passing motorists, with predictable results; police are still looking for the driver. Speaking of which, you’ll need this bike for the coming zombie apocalypse.
And Cycling in the South Bay’s Seth Davidson reports on the 2nd Annual South Bay Cycling Awards in his own inimitable style, tongue planted deeply in cheek.
The problem is, the study presents the bare stats without the necessary context for them to have any real meaning or usefulness.
For instance, they note that 69% of bicycling fatalities occur in urban areas, which correlates to a 62% increase in bike commuting since 2000. But fail to note that the 16% increase in overall bicycling fatalities no doubt corresponds to an increase in overall bicycling rates.
In fact, it’s entirely possible that bicycling is actually getting safer, since no one has any clue how much ridership has increased in that same three-year period, since virtually no one bothers to count it.
They also say that California has the highest number of bicycling fatalities, with Florida coming in second. However, they fail to mention that California has the largest population of any state, so it could be reasonably expected to have the most fatalities.
They repeat the same mistake in observing that six states — California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Michigan and Texas — represent 54% of all bicycling fatalities. Yet don’t bother to point out that those are also the five most populated states, with Michigan coming in at a close ninth, representing over a third of the US population and most of the major urban centers.
Far more meaningful is the fact that bicycling deaths represent just over 4% of all traffic fatalities in California, twice the national average. At least that figure is in context, and clearly sends a message that far too many bike riders are dying here in the late, great Golden State.
Now that’s something we can work with to demand safer streets.
Unfortunately, it goes on.
The study observes that two-thirds of fatally injured bike riders weren’t wearing helmets in 2012. Which sounds significant, until you consider that nowhere do they attempt to determine how many of those fatal injuries resulted from head wounds.
Helmets are useful items — I never ride without mine — but they are designed to protect against relatively slow speed impacts, not high speed traffic collisions. And they don’t do anything to protect against internal injuries or bleeding.
It is worth nothing that 28% of the bike riders over the age of 16 that were killed in 2012 were over the legal limit for drunk driving. A clear indication that booze and bikes don’t mix, since it impairs your judgment and slows your reflexes — exactly the opposite of the skills you need to survive on the streets.
On the other hand, I would much rather see drunks ride their bikes, where they are a danger primarily to themselves, than get behind the wheel of a car and pose a danger to everyone around them.
Finally, the study correctly notes that our current roadway system was not designed with bicyclists and pedestrians in mind, and that integrating the streets poses challenges. They conclude that cyclists are safest on separated cycle paths, but note that such separated facilities are rarely feasible.
That’s true.
But only because our current leadership doesn’t have the courage or political will to make it happen.
It hasn’t proven to be a problem in places with strong leaders committed to improving safety on our streets, like New York and Chicago, which have somehow found a way to shoehorn those “infeasible” bikeways onto the streets, for the benefit of everyone — cyclists and drivers alike.
I’m not saying the study has no value. It clearly points out that too many of us are dying on American — and Californian — streets.
Then again, one is one too many.
And it’s long past time we did something about it.
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A new PSA gets people across LA to promise not to text and drive. Or at least to lie about it, anyway.
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Local
LA Bike Trains helps Los Angeles bike riders get to work safely while inspiring similar programs around the country.
The LAPD and USC’s DPS take victim blaming to a new level, attempting to protect bike riders and pedestrians by — wait for it — ticketing bike riders and pedestrians, rather than the people in the big, dangerous machines. And bizarrely, they ticket a cyclist for entering an intersection while the red Don’t Walk hand is flashing, which is just as legal for bicyclists as it is for motorists.
A new UCLA study points out the many public health and economic benefits of pathways along LA’s rivers; improving health and fitness is a lot cheaper than treating diseases like obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
A Vancouverite goes bicycling on some of the best bikeways the City of Angels has to offer, and not surprisingly, finds it not to her liking.
New York cuts speed limits to 25 mph in all five boroughs to improve safety; needless to say, not everyone approves. If LA’s leaders had the courage to do that and actually enforce it — which they don’t — it would not only improve safety but most likely, traffic flow as well.
Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber ride through New York on their family-sized Dutch bike.
In an OpEd piece for the Washington Post, a cyclist asks why people who don’t drive have to subsidize parking for those who do. Maybe we deserve a discount on rent and shopping.
The Guardian asks if it’s possible to look stylish while riding to work; not to spoil the surprise, but it would be a very short story if the answer was no.
Once again, saying they just didn’t see a cyclist proves to be the universal Get Out of Jail Free card, as not one, but two Brit drivers get off after claiming the sun was in their eyes.
Two years after a Kiwi cyclist warned about the installation of bollards on a bike path, they’re being removed after his wife was seriously injured falling on them.
October 27, 2014 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Correction: Bike rider survives East LA collision with critical injuries
News is just coming in that a bike rider was killed in East Los Angeles this afternoon.
According to My News LA, the victim, who has not been publicly identified, was hit by a vehicle at the intersection of Indiana and Percy Streets in East Los Angeles around 1:45 pm. Unfortunately, he or she died while being transported to a hospital.
A street view show a two lane street with businesses on Indiana below Percy, and an unlaned street on Percy; neither appears to have any bicycling infrastructure.
More information as it becomes available.
Update: It wasn’t apparent from the street view, however, there is a middle school on the northwest corner of this intersection; Erick Huerta, aka El Random Hero, tells me traffic is often heavy in the area as a result.
Update 2: An earlier report from KNBC-4 shows an arial view of the collision, with a road bike just in front of, or partially under, the left front fender of an older burgundy sedan. The car is positioned over the center line, and angled to suggest the car was turning left.
Correction: I’ve just gotten off the phone with Carlos Morales of the East Side Bike Club, who informs me that earlier reports were incorrect.
Carlos, who also owns Stan’s Bike Shop in Monrovia, explained that he spoke with the CHP officer who investigated the collision, and was told that the victim was still alive as of Tuesday morning, although in extremely critical condition.
According to the officer, the collision actually occurred on 4th Street near Indiana and Whittier, which I am unable to find on the map. When a driver on 4th stopped to allow another vehicle to exit the alley, the cyclist passed around him on the left side, crossing over the center line, and was hit head-on by a car coming in the opposite direction.
The victim, described only as a Hispanic male in his 20s, was transported to a hospital with severe head trauma. And no, he was not wearing a helmet, though it is unclear if it could have made a difference in this case.
Unfortunately, the prognosis doesn’t sound good; your prayers or good wishes are definitely in order in this case.
The LACBC has extended the deadline to apply for the Executive Director position (pdf). If you think you’re up to the challenge of leading one of the nation’s most vibrant and innovative bike advocacy organizations — or know someone who is — you’ve got just a few more weeks to apply.
After analyzing the unique qualities of the state’s antiquated traffic laws, they determined that an argument could be made either way. And since it doesn’t have national implications, they’d rather work to change the law than help fight in court for her right to ride.
Their reasoning makes perfect sense.
But I can’t help thinking they’re leaving her alone to face the legal lions, when they could easily step in to lend a hand.
Because moral support ain’t worth a damn on the streets. Or in the courts.
California’s own — and now America’s only — Tour de France winner moves forward after 12 years of hell for taking a stand against doping in the peloton.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife is going to the mattresses to stop scofflaw off-road riders in the Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve; thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.
A Springfield MO man gets seven years in the death of a cyclist who was killed as the man’s girlfriend attempted to flee from him as he chased her through the streets of the town in a stolen car after flashing a gun. Sounds like he got off way too easy.
Clearly, distracted driving isn’t just an American problem, as a Chinese bus driver faces criminal charges for killing an elderly bike rider while checking his cell phone. (Fair warning, this story includes video of the collision from the driver’s perspective — something you may not want to see. I know I didn’t.)
Finally…
If spandex impacts cyclists’ ability to observe stop signs, then it must affect drivers as well, since 80% of today’s clothes contain at least some of the material. No, seriously, when a highway patrol officer tells you to move your bike, don’t threaten him with a knife.
And in a brilliant idea, Edinburgh, Scotland bans cars from school zones in an attempt to improve safety, something that would undoubtedly cause parental rioting here.
An LAPD officer is accused of beating and kicking a bike rider in South LA.
According to the LA Times, 22-year old Clinton Alford was riding on the sidewalk on Avalon Blvd near 55th Street — something that’s perfectly legal in Los Angeles — on October 16th when a police car pulled up behind him and he was ordered to stop.
However, Alford kept riding, since he says the person failed to identify himself as a cop. After a brief pursuit, he voluntarily laid down on the street and put his hands behind his back, making no attempt to resist as officers restrained him.
That is, until another very large officer arrived on the scene. And immediately stomped Alford as the other officers held him down.
The officer then dropped to the ground and delivered a series of strikes with his elbows to the back of Alford’s head and upper body, sources said. Alford’s head can be seen on the video hitting the pavement from the force of the strikes, two sources recounted. Afterward, the officer leaned his knee into the small of Alford’s back and, for a prolonged period, rocked or bounced with his body weight on Alford’s back, the sources said. At one point, the officer put his other knee on Alford’s neck, a source said.
It gets worse.
The paper describes the officer kicking Alford’s head like a football, before several officers carried his limp body into a patrol car.
Alford was booked for drug possession and resisting arrest, and released on his own recognizance after pleading not guilty — likely to be tossed for a lack of probable cause in making the initial stop.
Meanwhile, the officers involved have been relieved of duty — with pay — pending an internal investigation.
……..
Oh please.
The campus police at San Diego State University say bike collisions are up in the area surrounding campus — and that it’s usually the cyclist’s fault. Oh, and those scofflaw cyclists cause psychological trauma to the poor drivers by getting blood on their bumpers.
No victim blaming there.
……..
Local
The LAFD is now the first fire department in the nation to post response times online; and yes, this matters, since your life could depend on how fast help arrives if you’re injured in a fall or collision.
LADOT is testing traffic signals that give pedestrians a head start before cars are allowed to cross the street; hopefully, they’ll try giving bikes the same four-second safety margin.
Figueroa For All says Koretz’ fellow councilmember Gil Cedillo is putting politics over people by diverting two hundred grand from housing funds to pay for a new traffic signal at a dangerous intersection — when the same amount could pay for the entire already-funded road diet he killed for the same street.
In another case of cops gone wild, Idaho police detain five BMX riders for the crime of being in a skate park 12 minutes after closing time — then illegally tell them they don’t have any legal rights when one tries to record the confrontation.
A road raging Kansas driver intentionally veers into a cyclist, knocking him into a ditch, then turns around and rams him again before fleeing the scene. All in front of a sheriff’s deputy and two witnesses who saw the whole thing.
Laguna Beach addresses recent cycling fatalities by voting to install a bike lane and bike routes marked by sharrows and signage, as well as a beefed up police education and enforcement campaign.
No surprise, sadly, as Palm Desert cyclists have to inform the local police investigator about the new three-foot passing law after one of their group members is hit by a car.
Motorists are seldom even injured in bicycling collisions. But in a rare and tragic case, a Sacramento cyclist is killed, along with the occupants of the SUV that hit her, when the vehicle hits a tree and bursts into flame after ramming the rider. Thanks to George Wolfberg for the heads-up.
National
HuffPo says bike cams are changing things for cyclists everywhere. And that the video really does hold up as evidence in court.
Caught on video: A Georgia cyclist wants a driver prosecuted for attempting to run him off the road; I’ll have to take his word for it since I couldn’t get the video to load.
International
That Brit cyclist shown on video getting kicked off his bike is being blamed for instigating the attack by boxing another rider in. But let’s be clear: Violence against another rider — or human — is seldom, if ever, justified, no matter how much you think they might deserve it at the time.
Ooh, scary. UK police are searching for a road raging bike rider who terrified a motorist by slapping the car’s window and shouting abuse at the driver. British drivers must frighten easily.
And talk about Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You. This is taking the standard excuse of “I just didn’t see him or her” to the extreme, as a Louisiana bike rider is hit by a legally blind driver with a suspended license.
Wait, who gave her a license to begin with?
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Scroll down — or click here — if you missed yesterday’s massive late morning link fest.
