No surprise here.
The father of the late Dijon Kizzee has filed suit against Los Angeles County for the shooting death of his son last year.
Kizzee was shot by sheriff’s deputies as he attempted to run away after they tried to stop him for riding his bicycle on the wrong side of the street.
Deputies alleged Kizzee had dropped a gun he was carrying, then picked it back up and pointed it at the two deputies.
However, witness statements and security cam video dispute that, suggesting Kizzee was unarmed and had his hands raised when deputies shot him 15 times, then let him die in the street instead of getting him prompt medical attention.
Several protests last year suggested that Kizzee was executed for Biking While Black by deputies angling to join a violent deputy gang.
………
Los Angeles helicopter traffic reporter Stu Mundel just happened to catch the LA edition of the World Naked Bike Ride as it rolled through DTLA on Saturday.
I love Downtown Los Angeles!!! There is always something to see!! pic.twitter.com/UO25EhXL7k
— stu mundel (@Stu_Mundel) September 18, 2021
Time Out features full-frontal photos of the surprisingly large turnout. But you may want to take a few antibacterial wipes with you if you’re planning to rent a Metro Bike in the near future.
………
This is the cost of traffic violence.
Tragic news from the road cycling world championships in Belgium, where former pro Chris Anker Sørensen was killed in a collision while riding his bike on the eve of the competitions.
The 37-year old Danish cyclist was struck by a van driver in Zeebrugge, where he was preparing to serve as an analyst for Danish TV.
Sørensen retired from the pro tour in 2018.
No word yet on how the crash happened, but investigators have apparently concluded that the driver was not at fault.
More proof, if we needed it, that even experienced bike riders are at risk on the streets.
Even in the most bike-friendly region of a bike-friendly country like Belgium.
………
This is what Paris looks like when you take cars away for a day.
Crowds flock to Champs-Elysees during Paris car-free day https://t.co/17NpFnNgDI pic.twitter.com/k0XSpwFK1l
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 19, 2021
………
Frightening UK bike crash caught on freeze frame, as a triathlete tumbles along the pavement with his bike flying high above him following a collision with a driver.
Fortunately, he was not seriously injured, as surprising as that seems.
………
Megan Lynch forwards a pair of videos from a comedic, bike-riding ophthalmologist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR_k-Wdm5_M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RweVU7WRHh4
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. Las Vegas police blame the bike-riding victim of a fatal collision for not having lights on his bike or wearing helmet — never mind that he was run down while riding in a bike lane by the driver of a high-end SUV. Police said speed and impairment weren’t factors, while apparently ignoring that driving in a bike lane was.
………
Local
The LA Times says start your holiday shopping now, because many things may not be available later due to shipping problems — especially bicycles.
The attempt to recall newly elected CD4 Councilmember Nithya Raman has collapsed, leaving the safe streets supporter safely in place, at least for now.
Streetsblog looks at the new two-way, curb and armadillo-protected bike lane on Elenda Street in Culver City, a Safe Routes To School Project designed to help students walking and biking to and from La Ballona Elementary School.
Speaking of Culver City, the newly bike-friendly community has started work on replacing the Higuera Street Bridge with a bike ramp connecting Higuera Street with the Ballona Creek Bike Path.
Thirteen kids and two adults with special needs received new adaptive tricycles in Long Beach last week, courtesy of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers’ Charities and SoCal Trykers, allowing many to ride a bike for the first time.
State
Calbike is gearing up for a return of the ten-day California Dream Ride Challenge next month, their Covid-era replacement for the annual California Dream Ride.
Advocates are questioning the safety of a painted bike lane through San Diego’s Balboa Park, after a 37-year old man was killed by a 17-year old driver while riding a Link dockless e-scooter, just blocks from where Laura Shinn was killed by a driver while riding her bike two months ago; the city is still waiting for the two-way buffered bike lane that was supposed to have replaced it by now.
San Diego hired Jorge Riveros to lead the city’s new standalone Transportation Department; Riveros previously served in leadership positions in Nashville and Austin. Maybe he can light a fire under that long-delayed Balboa Park bike lane.
National
NPR’s Planet Money talks ebikes and their growing popularity in the US — and how carmakers are taking notice. Meanwhile, Forbes looks at Zoomo’s ebike lease program, available for as little as $20 a month in New York, Miami and Los Angeles.
Vox looks at the epidemic of car crashes in the US, calling driving the most dangerous thing most Americans do every day, killing as many people as gun violence while severely injuring millions more.
An Anchorage, Alaska woman complains of becoming invisible when she rides her bikes, calling on city residents to help make it less dangerous on the city’s shared pavements.
The husband of Suzanne Morphew with face trial for her murder after pleading not guilty to killing the Colorado woman, who went out for a Mother’s Day bike ride and never returned; her body has still not been found.
A writer for Curbed takes a contrary stand, saying she wishes she liked the new bike lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge more than she does, calling it a symbolic victory.
Writing for the Daily News, a former Streetsblog editor says New York’s recent spate of fatal crashes — too many involving kids — show’s the city’s Vision Zero is stalled, and the streets must be reimagined now.
Another Daily News op-ed says automated speed and red light cams are the answer to the city’s traffic enforcement problems. Speed cams remain illegal in California after two bills failed in the legislature, while red light cams were all removed in Los Angeles because drivers didn’t like getting caught breaking the law.
A man in York, Pennsylvania took up bicycling to stave off boredom during the pandemic lockdown, he’s now put over 6,500 miles on his bike in the past 17 months, leads groups rides and served as a cover model for Bicycling.
Fox News seems none too pleased that Biden took a bike ride along a Delaware beach on Sunday, apparently convinced that meant he was ignoring multiple national crisis. Just wait until someone tells them how often the last guy spent the weekend playing golf.
DC residents were infuriated by a short video showing a driver swerve onto the wrong side of the road to pass another car, then blow through a stop sign and crosswalk, right next to a memorial for a five-year old girl killed riding her bike there the day before.
International
Mexico welcomed four Afghan women, honoring them as part of Mexico City’s weekly Sunday ciclovia representing the 391 Afghan refugees in the country.
A pair of British bicyclists also welcomed refugees, riding over 1,300 miles to spell out Refugees Welcome across southern England in the world’s largest GPS artwork. Although I fear some of their Brexiteer countrymen and women may not share the sentiment.
Police are looking for an 81-year old Ontario man who went out for a bike ride and never returned home.
An Edinburgh paper offers extensive photos of the city’s Fancy Women Bike Ride, one of 150 such rides around the globe on World Car Free Day. Unfortunately, Los Angeles doesn’t seem to have been one of them this year.
An English ebike conversion kit-maker walked away from the Brit equivalent of Shark Tank with lots of praise but no money, after refusing to move production to China.
After a UK driver was sentenced to nine and a half years behind bars for the hit-and-run death of a bike-riding man, a Yorkshire paper reveals his “shocking” history as one of the area’s most notorious criminals.
The world may finally catch to Dutch cyclists in a few hundred years or so, after the country gradually loses its height advantage.
A new German wheel reflector promises to give you 360° visibility on your bike; you can pre-order on Kickstarter for around $18.
A writer for a travel website relates how bicycling along a dusty Moroccan road helped save her marriage.
The Tehran Times highlights the eight most beautiful bicycling routes in Iran, in case you’re planning to visit the country any time soon.
Great article on the urban planner who is bringing a bigger focus on bicycling in Uganda, and changing the streets of Kampala, the country’s capital. Thanks to Stormin’ Norman for the heads-up.
There may be hope for ending the worldwide bike shortage, as Vietnamese factory workers return after the country lifted its Covid lockdown, although it may take half a year or more to catch up.
Competitive Cycling
Cycling Weekly offers five takeaways from the world championship time trial, with Italy’s Filippo Ganna leaving second place finisher Wout van Aert six seconds behind; the championships will continue through this week.
Longtime German pro Tony Martin is calling it a career, deciding to retire after the mixed team relay at this week’s worlds.
Finally…
Your next ebike could be a vintage motorcycle-inspired Harley. You can do lots of things while on a bike ride — like delivering a baby, for instance.
And why use ebikes to save the world, when you can turn them into weapons of war, complete with gun mounts.
………
Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
