Yet another bike rider has been killed on deadly Foothill Blvd.
Just days after a bicyclist was killed on Foothill Blvd in Pacoima, another rider has lost his life in a crash just five miles away in Sunland.
According to the Daily News, a man was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle on a 9100 block of Foothill Blvd at 5:15 pm Tuesday.
The victim, who has been identified only as a man approximately 60 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained at the scene.
No other information is available at this time.
A street view shows a wide road with two lanes in each direction and a center turn lane, with a 40 mph speed limit and no bike lanes.
This is the 67th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 27th in Los Angeles County; it’s also the ninth in the City of Los Angeles. And this is the fourth bicyclist killed on Foothill Blvd in just the last three years.
Update: According to the LAPD, the victim, who has still not been publicly identified, was struck from behind while riding on the eastbound shoulder of Foothill Blvd.
The driver remained at the scene and called for help. He or she was found at fault for the crash, and the case will be presented to the DA’s office to determine if charges will be filed.
Update 2: The victim has been identified as Jeffrey Knopp.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jeffrey Knopp and his loved ones.
My sympathies go out to the victim and family.
Make no mistake– this section of Foothill is a very popular cycling route, as no adjacent streets go through– there’s no alternate. This section of Foothill also has a significant gradient, where, if the cyclist was descending Westbound, he could have easily been going 25-30 mph. If the cyclist was heading Eastbound on Foothill, there are K-Rails and fencing installed that forbid cyclists from riding outside the lane of traffic.
Ever since these K-Rails were installed (about three years ago) I’ve been frustrated by the dangerous drivers cyclists must confront ascending a steep hill at 5-10 mph while cars and trucks squeeze by (in the same lane!) at 55 mph. With I-210 construction clogging the freeway, cars and semi trucks are using this section as an alternate, and it’s just gotten worse.
I had assumed this had happened at the Wentworth intersection. Finding out it happened on the uphill, while still light out, is troubling since that’s what I’ll be doing again tomorrow morning. Going behind the k-rails is an option I’ll need to re-consider. They really should be pushed back another foot or two so cyclists can have more than a one-foot shoulder but with that fence, that’s not going to happen anytime soon.
Rode past the spot this morning. Found some chalk marks and a spoke near where I assume the accident took place. It was well before the k-rails and on the shoulder. Sigh.
Rode behind the k-rails for a change (and will continue to do so). Those fence posts are stuck in the road so, again, they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.
Thanks for the update MTS. Does it appear to you that the deadly collision took place on the ascent (Eastbound) of Foothill past Wentworth?
After the update above, I only really looked on the eastbound side this morning and that’s where I saw the spoke and chalk marks. I was on the descent last night but it was dark so I couldn’t see anything there except flare debris at the intersections.
We offer up our prayers for the family and friends of the victim.
RIP J. My prayers go out to everyone involved in this accident.
As I sit here on the east coast looking a Google street view, I can see it is an accident waiting to happen. It was not a matter of “if”; but a matter of “when”.
The installation of the guardrail shows a disregard for cyclists and pedestrians. I guess the jersey wall and fence is supposed to protect people from falling rocks? What is there to protect cyclists and pedestrians from cars? It puts the commuting cyclist with no choice except to ride into traffic.
Construction sites in cities protect pedestrians from falling objects with a simple wooden structure. Why couldn’t the same technique be used at that location with the chain link material?
Changes should occur. The guardrail should be shortened or asphalt should be extended away from the guardrail. This death should not be in vain.
Does anyone know for sure exactly where this accident happened–was it before the k-rails or on the stretch of road where the k-raild str located? I’m very familiar with this road, and it’s a travesty that cyclists are not supposed to ride inside the k-rails where it is safe. I do it all the time, but you have to get off your bike to do it.
My understanding is that it happened in the section with the k-rails.
As of the second week in April 2017, this section of Foothill Blvd. in Sunland has been narrowed from four lanes total to one lane in each direction. The two bike lanes are now painted thru the entire troubled “cliff” section of k-rails and is semi-protected from cars by numerous white traffic poles.
You can still take your chances with rocks falling down on you if you chose to ride or walk behind the steel safety netting.