It’s the final week of the 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!
Just seven days left to support SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy.
Thanks to Alfred D, Jim W and Lilly L for their generous donations to help keep this site coming your way every day.
So don’t wait — give now!
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Days left to launch the California ebike incentive program as promised this fall: 3
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Two quick reminders.
The WeHo City Council is scheduled to consider the city’s first Vision Zero Action Plan at tonight’s 6 pm council meeting, in the council chambers at the new West Hollywood City Hall, 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. It’s Item 5C on the Council agenda.
And if you haven’t already, sign the petition demanding a public meeting with LA Mayor Karen Bass to listen to the dangers we face just walking and biking on the streets of LA, and city’s ongoing failure to build the safer, more livable transportation system they promised.
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That’s more like it.
A Riverside man was sentenced to 26 to life behind bars for intentionally killing a man walking a bicycle in 2021.
Thirty-three-year old Sergio Reynaldo Gutierrez was driving his pickup when he saw 46-year old Benedicto Solanga walking his bike with a friend on the other side of the road, and flipped the men off.
Then he made a U-turn, came back and intentionally drove into Solanga, running him down from behind.
Solana died three days later.
Riverside police arrested Gutierrez three weeks later, after he had run a red light to shake witnesses who attempted to follow him after the crash.
He was convicted in September of first-degree murder with a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
No motive was ever given for the attack.
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Bike riders in Santa Monica were ruled at fault in 26 of the city’s 72 crashes resulting in death or serious injury since 2010, while drivers were at fault in 31; the remaining 15 investigators were unable to assess blame.
That works out to 36% and 43%, respectively, which a local paper somehow thinks is almost even.
And let’s not forget that blame is usually assigned by cops suffering from a windshield bias and a lack of training in bike law and investigating bicycle crashes.
However, the good news is that crashes involving bike riders has dropped by more than half — 52% — since the city began building a safe bike network over a decade ago.
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Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, placed another ghost tire memorial yesterday, this time for a 15-year old boy killed by a driver while walking home from school in October.
This is from the press release for the event, which arrived too late for advance notice.
On 27 October 2023, 15-year-old Felipe Manuel Infante-Avalos (affectionately known as Pipé) was crossing the road at 110th and Main St in the crosswalk, on his way home from school, when he was hit by 34-year-old Arturo Mercado Garcia. Pipé was hospitalized and died from his injuries on 8 November 2023. Arturo, who fled from the scene of the collision, was later caught and arrested and is awaiting trial. Per the judge for the case, evidence was found that Arturo was watching TikTok videos while driving.
Pipé, who was autistic, was sweet and gentle and his family loved him dearly. He loved school and was part of the ROTC. He loved playing with his siblings and going on their many family outings.
Pipé’s death is part of a worsening public health crisis on the roads of Los Angeles that has been skyrocketing since 2020. Per LAPD reports (as of 9 December 2023) the total number of traffic fatalities is higher than this time last year by 7% at 307 lives lost. Keeping in mind that the 312 fatalities in 2022 were the highest in well over 20 years. What’s worse is the number of pedestrian fatalities is up by 11% (162 lives lost) compared to this time last year, the number of hit-and-run fatalities is up by 26%, and the number of DUI-related fatalities is up by 32%.
A Ghost Tire Memorial will be placed to remember Pipé by the non-profit Streets Are For Everyone. Pipé’s parents, friends, and family along with other community members affected by traffic violence will be present.
Over 30 family members and friends, many of whom have flown in from out of town, are expected to attend. Adriana, Pipe’s mother, will be demanding that Arturo Mercado Garcia be given the maximum penalties allowable by law for killing her son. She’ll also be calling for the Mayor of Los Angeles to do more to protect the lives of our communities.
The Ghost Tire Memorial was inspired by the Ghost Bike: a bicycle roadside memorial placed where a cyclist has been killed or severely injured by the driver of a motor vehicle. Ghost Tires are tires painted white and placed on the side of a road with the name and date of the person killed. Ghost Tires were created by the road safety advocacy organization Streets Are For Everyone, sometimes called by its acronym, SAFE.
You can do your part by signing the petition to demand a public forum with the mayor to hear our complaints about the dangers Pipé and the rest of us face just walking and biking in Los Angeles.
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Unbelievable.
Life is cheap in Hilo, Hawaii, where a 70-year old man faces a maximum of a 15 years behind bars for negligent homicide and hit-and-run — even though prosecutors say he intentionally killed a woman riding a recumbent bike because she was “going too slow all the time.”
The judge ordered him to undergo a mental health exam, which is probably a good idea under the circumstances.
They should also give one to the prosecutors who undercharged what should have been a murder case.
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Fallen standup comic Kenny DeForest continued to make an impact after his death riding an ebike near Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, donating seven of his organs to five people, to give them a second chance at life.
DeForest died a week after he reportedly rode his ebike into a parked car, suffering serious head injuries.
That could have happened for a number of reasons, from distraction to excess speed resulting from the ebike, or being crowded out by a driver’s too-close pass.
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‘Tis the season.
Electrek suggests last minute stocking stuffers and gear for ebike enthusiasts. I’d settle for getting the ebike vouchers we were promised, and that California taxpayers have already paid for.
Slate offers a gift guide for bike riders, saying no drivers allowed.
‘Sweet’ Alice Harris continued a 40-year tradition of giving for the holidays, helping ensure 300 students from Watts and Compton area got new bicycles, toys and backpacks filled with school supplies and other essential items.
A Maui bicycling group teamed with a “grassroots movement dedicated to bringing joy to children and families impacted by the Maui wildfires” to bring holiday gifts and entertainment to local families, and distribute 80 bicycles to kids who had requested one.
Fayetteville, Arkansas revived the city’s long-running “Bicycle Man” bicycle giveaway program for underprivileged kids, which gave away over 60,000 bicycles over a 33-year period.
A local website says don’t let anyone tell you New Bedford, Massachusetts sucks, after a nine-year old boy gets his stolen bike back in what they call a Christmas miracle.
London bike riders brought Christmas shopping on the city’s iconic Oxford Circle to a standstill with their annual Santa ride.
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If anyone really has any question who is at fault here, they probably shouldn’t be allowed to drive.
https://twitter.com/ClownWorld_/status/1735342319069696457
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A powerful British short film attempts to humanize “bloody cyclists” after they were run down by motorists.
And yes, they mean that literally.
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GCN considers the bike upgrades that just aren’t worth it, but bicyclists insist on doing anyway. Along with how to avoid “getting a numb penis” while riding a bike.
They said it, not me.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. The Port of San Diego is now banning all ebikes, e-scooters, hoverboards and most pedicabs, even though non-electric versions of all of the above are still allowed.
It takes a major schmuck to vandalize the ghost bike for a Colorado triathlete and soon-to-be father — not once, but twice.
No bias here, either. An elderly man in Glasgow, Scotland man says he’s afraid to leave his house due to busy and confusing streets, construction barriers, trash everywhere and people biking on the sidewalks — but a British tabloid only frames it in terms of irresponsible ebike-riding food delivery workers blighting the neighborhood.
Someone has been deliberately sabotaging a London bike lane for over a year, repeatedly spreading drawing pins in an apparent attempt to puncture riders’ tires. While it may sound like a harmless prank, a sudden flat could lead to serious injury, as well as needless expense and inconvenience.
Police in Birmingham, England insist they’re really trying to arrest the people responsible for violent robbery attacks on bike riders, after coming under fire for merely advising a crime victim to ride somewhere else.
But sometimes, its the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Clean Technica says let’s not overreact to the dark side of ebikes, after her bike is somehow blamed for the actions of a Canadian porch pirate.
A Singapore bicyclist risked an S$500 fine by riding inside a Metro station.
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Local
Bike Talk discusses the departure of Santa Monica’s bike-friendly mayor, along with Maryland’s “Come By Bike Farm” — as well as discussing some of the latest headlines from BikinginLA.
State
San Diego adopted its first-ever Complete Streets policy.
Police arrested four men in Lemon Grove after tracking down a BMW that was used in an ebike theft spree.
Bad news from Moorpark, where a man riding a bike suffered major injuries when he was struck by a driver. But at least the woman who hit him stuck around afterwards.
Napa County opened the area’s first bike skills park.
A Napa County paper lists 20-year old pro cyclist and Sebastopol native Luke Lamperti among their 24 people to watch in 2024.
National
Men’s Journal says yes, you can run in the bike lane. Except where you can’t.
A kindhearted cop in my bike-friendly Colorado hometown worked with a local used bike shop to give a 13-year old boy a new bike after his was stolen in a burglary.
Police in Golden, Colorado are looking for two people who ran away from their abandoned car after running down three people riding bicycles, and injuring two of the victims — one seriously. No word on whether the crash may have been intentional.
A Texas bicyclist is able to fight the insurance company and win after he got right hooked, in part because he had front and rear bike cams.
This is who we share the road with. A Texas hit-and-run driver slammed into a pedestrian, then drove 38 miles to a Jack in the Box with the victim’s dead body in his car, after he went through the driver’s windshield; the man claimed he though he hit an animal. Sure, let’s go with that.
There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole a three-wheeled bike an Indianapolis mom bought for her autistic son for Christmas, before she could even give it to him.
Speaking of a special place in hell, that’s where whoever threatened a 13-year old New York girl with physical harm and stole her bike in a strong-arm robbery belongs.
The Washington Post looks at the effort in Congress to belatedly honor Black cycling legend Major Taylor, 124 years after he became world champion.
A Florida man shot a neighbor in the leg with a shotgun after the victim strayed onto his property looking for his stolen bicycle; the man said he shot him because he tried to break into his RV — even though police found the shotgun shell 150 yards away.
International
Three men responsible for robbing a number of South African bike riders have been arrested; the gang is accused of stealing their bikes and belongings, and fatally stabbing one man.
Interesting idea. Singapore hopes to promote bicycling by creating a “bike village” under a viaduct next to a transit station, in an area already popular with bicyclists, where they can shop for bicycle gear, grab a bite or meetup for rides.
This is why elections matter. The new Transport Minister for the newly conservative government in New Zealand has slammed the brakes on dozens of bike, pedestrian and public transit projects across the country.
Competitive Cycling
Congratulations to Palo Alto third-grader Mia Reyna, the new BMX national champ for her age group.
As if being a two-time Tour de France champ and double runner-up wasn’t enough, now Tadej Pogačar plans to go for a double by competing in the Giro, too.
Finally…
Your next bike tires could use NASA’s airless Mars Rover tech. Full-floating suspension for your butt.
And it’s just like the hubless, motorized Penny Farthing great-granddad used to ride.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin
