Tragic news from Costa Mesa, where an 18-year veteran of the fire department is fighting for his life after he was run down by an allegedly stoned driver.
Fire & Rescue Captain Mike Kreza was riding on Alicia Parkway in Mission Viejo around 8 am when he was struck by a car driven by 25-year old Stephen Taylor Scarp, who remained at the scene.
Scarp was being held on $100,000 bond after police found multiple prescription medications in his car.
Kreza remains unresponsive; the Costa Mesa Fire Department tweeted that the next several hours will be critical.
*Captain Kreza Update*
Captain Mike Kreza is still unresponsive and in critical condition, the next several hours are critical.
Captain Kreza is surrounded by his family & friends, including his fire family. pic.twitter.com/r1OTrYZO6a
— Costa Mesa FD (@CMFD_PIO) November 4, 2018
A crowdfunding campaign has raised over $70,000 in just 24 hours, nearly triple the original $25,000 goal.
Let’s all say a prayer, or whatever you’re comfortable with, for Mike Kreza’s full and fast recovery.
Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.
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In case you missed it over the weekend, there was more bad news from Claremont, where a bike rider was murdered by a driver who allegedly used her car as a weapon.
Police say that Leslie Pray, a 54-year old Claremont resident, was intentionally run down by 61-year old Sandra Wicksted, also from Claremont.
Wicksted reportedly had swerved in the direction of other bicyclists just moments before turning her wheel towards Pray, and swerving across the roadway to slam into her bike as Pray rode in the bike lane on North Mills Avenue near Radcliffe Drive.
Police found several empty liquor bottles in Wicksted’s car after the crash. She was arrested on suspicion of murder, and being held on a $2 million bond.
Tragically, Pray had only started riding a few months earlier.
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The combative hit-and-run driver who killed a Van Nuys bike rider hours after Halloween, then fought with police who tried to take him into custody, has been identified as 20-year old Santa Monica resident Alexander Daniel Furtado.
No word yet whether he was actually in the military, as he claimed, or if the camo fatigues he was wearing were just a Halloween costume.
Furtado is being held on $50,000 bond for suspicion of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
The victim still has not been publicly identified.
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The LACBC’s annual Operation Firefly campaign, which hands out free bike lights to riders who need them, kicks off in San Pedro tonight.
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Lest ye forget, tomorrow is Election Day. And your chance to Bike the Vote for awhile.
Speaking of which, Bike the Vote LA offers their indispensable voters guide for tomorrow’s election.
The LA Times provides their total list of 2018 election endorsements.
LAist has advice on how to pick a judge to vote for.
Los Angeles Magazine explains what all those confusing propositions actually mean. And has a list of businesses that will give you a deal if you come in with your I Voted sticker .
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Local
No surprise here. Bird has filed suit against Beverly Hills and their misguided total ban on dockless bikes and scooters. The only question is what took them so long?
The map has been released for next month’s CicLAvia as it returns to the Heart of LA.
California announced the latest round of Bicycle and Pedestrian Education Grants, including $550,000 to SCAG’s Go Human campaign, and a total of $375,000 to the City of LA; Pasadena and Long Beach received $175,000 and $150,00, respectively.
Streetsblog’s Joe Linton digs into the lawsuit from self-appointed NIMBY activists Fix the City trying to halt desperately needed growth along the Expo Line. And apparently not grasping that more residential building means less traffic, not more.
State
Riverside has opened its first bikeshare system with 55 ped-assist ebikes.
Ride through the Anza Borrego Desert State Park on November 17th, and get rewarded with a cold beer.
Hundreds of bike riders rode through Ventura County in the annual fundraising ride in honor of Mike Nosco, 14 years to the day after he was killed when his truck collided with an unlighted farm vehicle.
A new $13 million bike and pedestrian bridge with provide Palo Alto residents with a crucial link over the massive Highway 101 for the first time in 60 years.
San Mateo County bicyclists now have a safer, green bike lane across a dangerous bridge. Even if the photo clearly shows an SUV driving in it.
Uber’s JUMP Bikes ped-assist dockless e-bikeshare system has expanded throughout the Sacramento area, including bike friendly Davis.
National
Good question. A drivers website asks why hit-and-runs are at an all-time high nationwide, but doesn’t really come up with an answer. Although someone should tell them hit-and-run is a crime, not an accident.
General Motors is getting into the ebike biz — and they want you to name it.
A Portland homeowner posted a huge sign in his or her window demanding that bike riders cut some slack when they try to access their own driveways.
The Houston Chronicle says walking and biking in the city can be way too dangerous. Meanwhile, a Houston bike advocacy group is increasing the frequency of their bike safety classes, including what to do in an emergency situation, in the wake of a deadly year for the city’s bicyclists.
Once again, Texas copies California — this time our hit-and-run drivers, and the low bail for the crime. Thanks to Stephen Katz for the heads-up.
A Cincinnati TV station reminds us of the dangers to bike riders and pedestrians after yesterday’s time change. Speaking of which, this is what you look like to drivers in the dark without lights.
This is the cost of traffic violence. A Wisconsin driver smashed into a group of girl scouts at they were picking up trash along the shoulder of a highway before fleeing the scene; three girls were killed along with a parent, and another girl is in critical condition.
A 57-year old New Hampshire man rode 5,000 miles across the US, accompanied by his eight-year old dog following behind in a trailer.
A New York resident tries various ways of getting around the city, giving ebike riding an A+ rating — if you can tolerate universal loathing.
A DC website says Philadelphia is kicking the district’s butt on Vision Zero, while a Philly magazine says the city is making progress, but still has a long way to go. Never mind that they’re both miles ahead of LA.
A year after Hurricane Irma, a beachfront Hollywood FL bike path is still covered in sand.
One of the four Florida bicyclists run down by a 91-year old driver last week has been released; two others remain in serious/critical condition, while a fourth is in stable condition.
International
Evidently, it’s open season on bike riders in Canada. The father of an Ottawa crash victim called the verdict a disgrace as a driver was acquitted in the speeding, hit-and-run death of his bike riding son; the driver claimed he fell asleep at the wheel and had no idea he hit anything, despite awakening to a loud bang.
An English bike rider is snatching phones from unsuspecting women as he rides by.
Shocking yes, but not surprising. Six out of seven drivers who kill bike riders in the UK get off without any jail time. And only a third lose their licenses. It’s probably no different on this side of the Atlantic.
Horrible story from Britain, where an injured bike rider froze to death waiting for help in a cemetery, after police drove off when they didn’t find her when they responded to a call.
Great idea. An Irish politician proposes offering financial incentives to encourage kids to bike to school, similar to the country’s bike to work program.
No bias here. An Irish columnist calls for detente and cooler heads in the conflict between bicyclists and drivers — while painting bicyclists are crazed maniacs willing to go to war with the poor motorists, who have no choice but to drive.
How to plan your fall culinary tour of Copenhagen.
Caught on video: A 24-year old German artistic cyclist performs stunts Peter Sagan could only dream of.
Your spare parts could help keep riders on the road in Kampala, Uganda.
Logging the way to better Kiwi mountain biking.
Melbourne, Australia’s Green Party proposes a 10-mile, multi-lane bike superhighway as the centerpiece of the city’s nascent bicycle network.
The Australian version of Lifehacker considers weather you should get an ebike; among the downsides, they say, is people will hate you and you might hate yourself.
Competitive Cycling
Former Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins defends his defense of Lance Armstrong, saying he’s “sick of being told how to feel about the sport by people who have never ridden a bike.”
The Cannibal heads Rouleur’s inaugural Cycling Hall of Fame class, along with famed bike builder Ernesto Colnago and British icon Beryl Burton.
VeloNews debates the merits of next year’s Tour de France versus Giro d’Italia routes.
Finally…
Forget bike riders, golfers should be the ones wearing helmets. If you’ve wanted to see Lance suffer, you finally got your wish.
And Apple wants to copy cycling’s pelotons for their electric cars.
Hopefully they’ll avoid taking half of it down by crossing wheels.
Pretty sad when someone cycling on Alicia Parkway in Mission Viejo is not safe and someone operating a vehicle can’t avoid hitting someone.
The Costa Mesa firefighter passed away this morning the department reports on Twitter.
We offer up our prayers for the family and friends of Captain Mike Kreza.