Bike-riding Garden Grove family run down by hit-and-run driver, and charges in 2022 death of Newport Beach bike rider

July 8, 2024 / / No comments
Just 176 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Before we start, I’m scheduled to have surgery for my torn rotator cuff next month. 

They tell me I can expect to be unable work for anywhere from two to four weeks afterwards, depending on my tolerance for pain. 

Rather than letting this site go dark for an extended period, I’m hoping someone will be willing to step into my shoes, whether for a few days or a few weeks. 

You wouldn’t need to do everything I do. Or anything I do, for that matter.

Anything at all would help, from one or more people to take over this site for a day or two a week, to writing a single guest post to help fill this space. And it could be anything you want to share with the local bicycling community, as long as it’s related to bicycles or traffic safety. 

Just email me if you’re interested in volunteering. You can find the address on the About page above. 

Photo by Artyom Kulakov from Pexels.

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In breaking news, a hit-and-run driver ran down an entire family out for a bike ride in Garden Grove Sunday evening.

The victims were apparently two adults towing their children in bike trailers.

Reports variously report that one person was hospitalized in critical condition, while others say two children and one adult were critical; the others were said to be in stable condition.

The crash occurred around 7:30 pm near Haster Street and Twintree Lane in Garden Grove.

A witness followed the driver as they fled, but again, there are differing reports on whether an arrest has been made.

Hopefully we’ll learn more today.

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A 58-year old man is facing belated felony charges for killing a bicyclist in Newport Beach two years ago.

Ronald Elston Benjamin was charged with felony counts of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated without gross negligence and driving under the influence of a drug causing injury, along with misdemeanor child abuse and endangerment, with a sentencing enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury on the victim.

The victim in the June 10, 2022 collision is identified only as George H., but neither the name or date correspond with anything in my records.

There’s no word on why it took so long to file charges. However, the misdemeanor count and hidden identity of the victim suggest he may have been a child, although there may be other explanations.

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Tragedy struck the cycling world once again over the weekend, when 25-year old Norwegian cyclist Andre Drege was killed during the Tour of Austria on Saturday.

Drege was descending the Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain, when he somehow crashed, leaving the Tour de France peloton in shock. The only witness, Slovenia’s Jaka Primožič, offered no details beyond saying the crash should never have happened, and was nobody’s fault.

The race’s final stage was cancelled, with the planned competition changed to a memorial ride in Drege’s honor.

The rider for UCI Conti team Coop-Repsol was set to join the WorldTour next year.

Meanwhile, former Italian champ Marta Cavalli was lucky to survive when she was struck by a driver while on a training ride near her home in northern Italy; she was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

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The holiday death toll in the US ranged from 10-years old in Houston, Texas, to 83 in St. Petersburg, Florida; only one of those drivers cared enough and had the basic human decency to stop afterwards.

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Bike Talk talks with California Assemblymember Laura Friedman, who is virtually guaranteed to be my new Congresswoman.

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Yes, please.

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Britain’s anti-bike whack job Jacob Rees-Mogg was one of the Conservative Members of Parliament shown the door in last week’s UK election.

https://twitter.com/jonburkeUK/status/1809112773072212437

Although maybe someone should tell New York’s governor that support for congestion pricing actually wins elections.

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It’s now 200 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 37 full months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

No bias here. After San Diego attempted to improve safety on Convoy Street by removing parking and installing bike lanes, all the local media seems capable of addressing is a resulting lack of street parking, even as officials work to mitigate it; another station calls it “parking chaos.”

No bias here, either. London’s Daily Mail writes that people in Hove, England are furious over plans for a lane reduction and two-way bike lanes, as the price balloons to ten times the original estimate, with some motorists making the usual prediction for the usual driving nightmare.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A red grouse chick was the victim of unauthorized mountain biking in a Welsh natural preserve; a hiker discovered the chick with a bicycle tire mark across its dead body. Seriously, don’t do that crap. There’s usually a reason they say “not here.”

In a prime example of major assholism, a British man allegedly assaulted a teenaged girl after her mom stopped short while backing her car out of the driveway, causing the man to fall off his bicycle; he reportedly responded by slamming the car door into her, then slapping her. There is never an excuse for violence, no matter how justified you may feel in the moment. If you feel that anger building, just get on your bike and ride away.

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Local 

Better bike paths, safer sidewalks, more trees, and reduced traffic could be coming to El Sereno, thanks to funding left over from the defunct 710 freeway extension project. Just imagine what we could build by cancelling every highway expansion project.

 

State

A California resident won a $2,200 judgement against ebike maker Delfast over the company’s failure to deliver their newest model after an apparently successful crowdfunding campaign.

Ventura County has approved a new $1.7 million bike lane on Santa Rosa Road in the unincorporated portion of the county between Camarillo and Moorpark.

The Bay Area will take a big step backward this fall, with construction slated to begin on ripping out the bike and pedestrian lane on the Richmond-San Raphael bridge, to use the space for an emergency motor vehicle overflow lane Monday through Thursday, though officials plan to offer a bike shuttle bus when the lane is closed.

 

National

The Washington Post examines whether self-driving cars can stop the carnage on American streets, saying bicyclists are split on whether to love or loathe them. Considering how crappy food delivery robots have proven to be, I fall in the latter camp, at least for the foreseeable future.

A kid in Colorado was lucky to escape with minor injuries when someone shot at the child and their father as they tried to reclaim a stolen bicycle from shooter’s yard, leading to a barricade situation with SWAT officers.

A Kansas City man is using lowrider bicycles to help keep kids out of trouble while building valuable life skills along with their bikes.

A Chicago letter writer reminds drivers we’re only as safe as they make us.

Here’s another one for your bike bucket list, exploring Maine’s Acadia National Park using 45 miles of historic gravel carriage roads.

A crowdfunding campaign is raising funds to establish a nursing scholarship program in memory of a fallen 25-year old nurse from Rhode Island who was killed when she was run over after falling off her bike.

The National Park Service will begin limiting access to Georgia’s Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park by banning cars, and only allowing bicycles when shuttle buses aren’t operating.

Page Six reminds us that Jennifer Lopez is one of us, as she goes for a casual bike ride in the Hamptons with her “good friend” and vocal coach — but the site fails to recognize Einstein’s “cryptic quote” about life being like a bicycle.

Lyft is hiking the price of New York’s Citi Bike bikeshare system 20%, leading to complaints from users.

Residents of St. Petersburg, Florida still get their mail delivered by bicycle, one of just three such cities in the US. Although there really should be more.

 

International

Momentum considers how to build a 15-minute city with bicycles at the center, like a two-wheeled Tootsie Pop.

A Toronto bike rider visits Montreal to explore why it’s one of North America’s best cities for bicycling.

Vanity Fair reports British Crown Prince William is zipping around London’s Windsor Castle on an electric scooter “like a spring break-ing teen.”

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is one of us, taking a bike ride through the streets of Amsterdam, as one does, prior to girlfriend Taylor Swift’s concert in the city.

Traditionally conservative Toowoomba, Queensland, is making a bold move towards bicycling, in an effort to become the Copenhagen of Australia.

 

Competitive Cycling

Bike Radar ranks the bicycles of the Tour de France in order of retail price.

He finally did it. Mark Cavendish set a new record for Tour de France stage wins, breaking the legendary Eddy Merckx’ “unbreakable” record of 34 stages; Cavendish tied Merckx at 34 three years ago, and put off his planned retirement in an effort to break the mark. But he also got a slap on the wrist for not holding his line in the sprint to the finish.

Tadej Pogačar held on to the yellow leader’s jersey on Sunday, though he was unable to drop his rivals on a course featuring 20 miles of gravel roads; France’s Anthony Turgis sprinted for the win.

Jonas Vingegaard was able to remain in competition Sunday despite suffering two flats on the gravel and finishing the race on a teammate’s bike; he currently sits third overall behind Remco Evenepoel.

Pogačar barely avoided disaster when several riders went down in stage 5, using his bike skills to avoid a center divider and remain upright — although it’s arguably his moves that caused the riders behind him to go down.

UCI proved once again that it has no sense of humor or romance, fining French cyclist Julien Bernard for stopping to kiss his wife during the individual time trial on stage seven; Bernard said it was worth it for the dream moment.

 

Finally…

The future of cargo deliveries could have four wheels and pedals. Your next bicycle could have two chains.

And some people will just park anywhere.

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

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