Just one day after reporting on two bicycling deaths in Southern California, another man was killed riding in Desert Hot Springs sometime overnight.
And no, the coward behind the wheel didn’t bother to stick around. Or even call for help.
According to the Desert Sun, the victim was found lying next to his mangled bicycle around 5:45 this morning on Two Bunch Palms Trail near Cholla Drive in Desert Hot Springs. However, police were unsure on exactly when or where the crash occurred.
There’s no description yet of the suspect or the vehicle. There’s also no word on whether the victim had lights on his bike, or what kind of bike he was riding.
He was found lying in the eastbound lane on the lightly traveled road, leading a bicyclist passing by the crash scene to note that drivers can be blinded by the rising sun, which came up at 5:42 this morning — about the time his body was discovered.
With little traffic at that early hour, it’s likely the driver could have easily exceeded the posted 45 mph speed limit on the straight, unbroken roadway.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Palm Desert Police Officer Chris James at 760/329-2904, ext. 351, or the PDPD watch commander at 760/329-2904, ext. 302.
This is at least the 30th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in Riverside County.
It’s also the fifth bicycling death in the county in the past 30 days.
Police are looking for a maroon 2006-2009 Lexus IS250 sedan, last seen heading west on Two Bunch Palms Trail. Which would suggest that driver was headed away from the rising sun, not towards it.
Investigators determined that the victim was riding in the middle of the roadway, though they don’t know which way he was going.
Presumably, they mean in the middle of the lane, rather than down the center line. However, with no shoulder on either side, there’s nowhere else to ride without hugging the edge of the road.
It’s also important to note that it can be difficult, if not impossible, to determine the exact point of impact in bicycle collisions; police often rely on where the victim’s body and bicycle landed, which can have little or no relation to where they were hit.
July 8, 2020 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on White bar owner pulls gun on Black bike rider, pre-ride bike checks in the age of Covid-19, and support Sunset4All today
A couple of women responded by quickly stepping between them and urging the owner to put the gun away, while the man on the bike armed himself with a U-lock in self defense.
Which probably wouldn’t do much to stop a bullet.
This happened yesterday on 2nd ST in Old City Philly WHERE I WORK!! My friend Liz, the blonde in front of the man with the gun, was standing up for the young black man who only had A BIKE LOCK!!! We need answers!! @FOX29philly@6abc@NBCPhiladelphiapic.twitter.com/iRBUEHxO7W
Once again, you’re urged to support protected bike lanes on LA’s Sunset Blvd by spending your money to support a local business along the corridor; this time, it’s The Kitchen on Fountain Ave.
Tim Blumenthal is stepping down as president of PeopleForBikes after leading the bike industry advocacy group for the past 16 years; current COO Jenn Dice was scheduled to take his place on of the first of this month.
An English driver got ten months behind bars for crashing into a woman who was riding her bike while driving at twice the legal alcohol limit; he’ll also lose his license for 27 months.
According to My News LA, a bike rider was killed in a collision with a motorcyclist in Riverside Monday night.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was attempting to cross Magnolia Ave just east of Jackson Street around 10:25 pm when he allegedly rode directly out in front of a man riding west on a Harley.
He was killed instantly.
The motorcyclist and his passenger were taken to a hospital with unspecified injuries.
A police sergeant appeared to blame the crash on a lack of crosswalks in the area. Yet a street view clearly shows the intersection of Magnolia and Jackson controlled by a traffic signal, with a crosswalk in every direction, suggesting the crash may have been significantly east of Jackson.
Magnolia is a four lane divided street in a residential neighborhood, with bike lanes and a wide planted median, and a 40 mph speed limit.
The question is why the victim would ride out in front of such a loud motorcycle, even if he or she didn’t see it.
It’s possible they were under the influence or distracted in some way, or that the 54-year old motorcyclist may have been traveling at a high rate of speed.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Riverside Police Department’s Traffic Bureau at 951/826-8720.
This is at least the 29th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in Riverside County.
It’s also the fourth bicycling death in the county in the past 30 days.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his or her loved ones.
Yet another tragic reminder to never ride against traffic.
According the Pasadena Star News, 17-year old Los Angeles resident Ernesto Manzano Jr. was riding downhill on the wrong side of the road when he was hit dead-on by a driver headed in the opposite direction around 6:40 Friday evening.
The driver remained at the scene; police don’t believe drug or alcohol played a factor in the crash.
Unfortunately, riding salmon probably did.
Wrong way riding may seem safer, since it allows you to see oncoming traffic. However, it greatly increases the risk of a collision, because drivers don’t expect to see you coming towards them, while dramatically reducing reaction times.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Monterey Park Police Department watch commander at 626/307-1200.
This is at least the 28th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.
July 7, 2020 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Bike helmets don’t protect against cars, self-driving radar finally sees cyclists, and anti-racism in outdoor industry
“There are many misconceptions about helmets, unfortunately,” says Giro’s Richter. “We do not design helmets specifically to reduce chances or severity of injury when impacts involve a car. As mentioned earlier, the number of variables is too great to calculate – the speed of the car, the mass, the angle of impact, the rider, the surface, the speed of the rider, did the driver or rider swerve a little or hit the brakes before impact. All of these variables and more are unique in every instance, and there is no way to accurately predict what is going to happen or the forces involved.
“What we do is work to make riders more visible, create helmets that provide relevant coverage so that riders wear them whenever they ride, and advocate for better infrastructure to help reduce the chances that you’d encounter an impact with a car.”
In other words, ride defensively and fight for safer streets.
And wear a helmet to protect against falls.
But don’t count on it to protect against distracted or careless drivers, because that’s not what it’s designed for.
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The big problem with self-driving cars has been their inability to recognize bike riders and respond correctly.
Before a few weeks ago, it didn’t seem like the outdoor industry was very concerned with Black lives, but now that the calls for action are extending beyond BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) consumers, there’s a sudden interest. I will admit I still can’t believe that we’ve made it to a place where it’s frowned upon to be anything other than loud and emphatic about what your company is going to do to help protect Black lives. But here we are. This is a moment for action. White tears, white guilt, and empty words are a waste of everyone’s time and energy. The blinders are finally off, so what are you going to do now? What does action look like?…
Don’t just focus on Black grief and Black death. Include Black joy. We are more than our struggle, we aren’t just fighting to stop being murdered, we are fighting for the right and the ability to live full lives. We want to ride bikes, climb mountains, traverse slot canyons, and surf waves. Black folks deserve to enjoy the outdoors in every way. We all have to work together in order to make that experience feel truly free so that Black people don’t have to risk our lives to enjoy it. “
The 12-year old victim was riding his bike to Walgreens with his friends when he stopped to help a woman who was sobbing in the parking lot.
It was then that 29-year-old Brendon Kruse “ran up to him and began screaming epithets,” according to SFist.
Though the victim’s friends ran away, the boy held tight — perhaps because Kruse prevented the victim from taking his bike — while Kruse continued yelling insults at him; Kruse at one point showed his lightning bolt and skull tattoos and explained to the boy they meant he “kills [plural n-word].” Kruse allegedly also threatened to kill the boy.
Kruse faces well-deserved charges for “criminal threats, child endangerment and false imprisonment with hate crime enhancements.”
Seriously, there’s not a pit deep enough for someone who could do that.
And something tells me we know who made the woman cry, too.
While we’re on the subject of race, Velo Club La Grange, LA’s longtime leading cycling club, is taking a big step towards understanding what it means to bike while Black in the City of Angels.
On Tuesday, July 7th at 7 pm PT, La Grange will be hosting a virtual Town Hall where a number of local Black cyclists have agreed to share their perspective and experiences and then engage in an interactive question and answer session. The Town Hall is open to all. We invite you all to attend and hope you will join us for this critically important conversation. Please feel free to share with fellow cyclists and anyone interested!
Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum takes a look at the problems faced by Black bike riders in the US, and how bicycling could help drive racial equality, saying “It is time to dissociate racialist culture and bicycle culture; cycling in itself is agnostic to any culture.”
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This is who we share the road with.
A Seattle man faces two counts of vehicular assault for driving the wrong way up an offramp, around a road closure barrier installed by the state police, and onto a freeway that had been closed for a protest over police brutality.
He swerved around several cars that had been parked across the roadway to serve as barricades, and slammed into two of the protesters.
CicLAvia is now part of the Highline Network, which credits the organization with building a “unifying social fabric,” rather than permanent infrastructure.
A nearly $25 million state grant will build 74 low income apartments in Modesto, as well as rail improvements and a new 1.5 mile, high-quality bike path.
A Catholic paper briefly explains how the Madonna del Ghisallo became the patron saint of bicyclists, amid a story about the patron saints of various summer activities. Never mind that many of us don’t just ride in the summertime Still, a little devine intervention couldn’t hurt; I never ride without my helmet, or my Madonna del Ghisallo medal.
No bias here. A Scottish columnist tosses told water on Vision Zero, saying the only way to prevent traffic deaths is to ban cars, which he says is no more realistic than banning kitchen knives to prevent stabbings. Yet the example he uses is a 91-year old driver who killed a three-year old boy outside a toy store, as if nothing could have been done to ensure someone that old could safely drive car.
After walking out of the hospital, British BMX champ Jason Bynoe thanked the medical staff who cared for him after he somehow ended up under his car when he swerved to avoid a deer; he suffered multiple fractures, as well as horrific road rash, and feared he would never walk again, let alone compete.
July 3, 2020 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Covid closes SoCal beaches for holiday weekend, Metro reveals recovery plans, and a visit with a bike-riding paletero
That means a nearly unbroken string of city and county beach closures stretching from north of Camp Pendleton through Santa Maria. The closures include the beachfront bike paths in LA County, but it’s not clear if it includes bike path closures in other counties, so check before you go.
All of which means San Clemente is likely to get overrun with beachgoers this weekend.
Let’s just hope they’re right about coronavirus not spreading easily outdoors.
The only beach in Orange County staying open this weekend is San Clemente. Locals are worried this will mean large crowds descending upon their quiet beach town. https://t.co/oqvTmDmo2W
But wherever you ride, do it safely and defensively.
I don’t want to have to write about you, or anyone one else, this weekend.
Photo by David Drexler.
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Metro’s COVID-19 Recovery Task Force is out with plans for how the LA area can move forward as the city recovers from the coronavirus, without the seemingly inevitable gridlock as people go back to their auto-centric daily routines.
Streetsblog’sJoe Linton takes an in-depth look at Metro’s plans, including an increase in dedicated bus lanes, and possibly taking bikeshare in house to better meet the needs of underserved communities.
Then there’s this.
Metro’s task force recommends a “quick roll-out of more bike infrastructure.” The lack of safe, convenient places to bike has long been a limiting factor inhibiting bicycling in Southern California. What is tricky for Metro is that bikeways are largely out of Metro’s jurisdiction. Metro has roles to play, but municipalities – primarily cities – are ultimately responsible for the bike-unfriendly state of local streets. The task force says Metro should “partner with cities on strategies for rapid deployment of bike improvements.”
So let’s hope Metro can give LA a much-needed push in the right direction.
Linton also goes on to quote a certain bike website writer’s reaction to the plans.
But you’ll have to read his story to see what I had to say.
Mauro Rios Parra is one of the countless Angelenos, immigrant and otherwise, who depend on their bikes for transportation and to earn a living. And who are too often ignored by city planners and elected officials.
According to the story, Rios Parra hasn’t seen his family in Oaxaca for 16 years. But his modest pushcart has helped put one child through med school, and two others through law school.
Which he probably couldn’t have done if he had a car instead of a bike.
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Bicycles allow bike cops to respond quickly and quietly to rapidly changing situations. Unfortunately, that appears to include attacking seemingly peaceful Seattle protesters.
The actual Tour de France won’t take place until late next month, but a virtual version will kick off this weekend. Maybe they’ll have virtual jostling in the peloton, with virtual falls and virtual road rash. And virtual failed dope tests, too.
A New Zealand navy veteran plans to compete in cycling events in next year’s Invictus Games using a 3D-printed metal pedal spacer and cleat, after injuries from a helicopter crash left one leg shorter than the other.
You know I’m having problems when I can’t even manage to post to say I won’t be posting anything.
On another note, remember that tomorrow is a legal holiday.
It’s hard to say what it will be like in this extremely effed-up year, but three-day holidays usually mean an increase in traffic the afternoon before as people get off work early to get a jump on the weekend — often after stopping for a drink.
Or several.
Those who still have jobs, anyway.
So just be careful if you’re riding this afternoon.
Use a little extra caution, ride defensively and watch out for careless drivers. Because they won’t be watching for you.
Smith was arrested, but never charged, for resisting arrest when cops accused him of playing music too loudly while on a group ride, even though witnesses reported he responded to them respectfully.
Richmond’s mayor said arrest of the respected community leader was nothing more than a case of Biking While Black.
Police also destroyed his bicycle and the bike trailer he used to tow the sound system he routinely used when leading group rides, for no apparent reason.
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No surprise here. Unless you’re a driver.
Bike riders have been urging motorists to be patient for years, insisting that the time they spend following a bike rider only amounts to a few seconds out of their day.
“Bicycles are not likely to lead to reduced passenger car travel speed, despite their differences in performance capabilities,” says the study, conducted in Portland, Oregon, on roads without bicycle lanes.
“Bicycles do not reduce passenger car speeds by more than 1 mph,” add the study authors concluding that cyclists are not guilty of “negatively affecting travel speed or creating congestion.”
That negligible delay also means the common argument that bicycles cause increased auto emissions by delaying traffic is just so much smoke.
“A general concern of motorists [concerning] the presence of bicycles on roads without bicycle lanes is that they will impede motor vehicles because of their differing performance characteristics, which may serve to increase congestion and vehicle emissions,” explained the study, finding that a 1 mph differential in speed caused by the presence of cyclist would not cause congestion.
And by not being a cause of congestion, cyclists’ presence on roads is not a cause of increased emissions from motorists, either.
It also means that the common motorist maneuver of speeding up to pass someone on a bike, then cutting back in front of them — referred to here as MGIF, or “must get in front” — is just a needless waste of effort that increases danger for everyone on the road.
So the next time you have an impatient driver on your ass, keep your finger holstered. And tell them to just take a breath and get over it, already.
Looks like Calbike is finally endorsing speed cams.
The law invented the concept of officer discretion so white drivers could get fewer speeding tickets. If we want to have fair and equitable policing, we’ll have to get over our hatred for speed cameras.https://t.co/vMwcIoQWXt
— California Bicycle Coalition (@CalBike) June 30, 2020
Britain’s Prince Harry is one of us, after he was spotted, but not photographed, riding at Surfrider Beach in the ‘Bu. Hard to believe the paparazzi actually missed a celebrity, and a formerly royal one at that. And note to Hollywood Life: Merely stopping to watch the waves does not a surfer make.
A San Diego pediatrician is back riding his bike a month after he had titanium rods attached to his spine, after fracturing three vertebrae when he stepped in to protect a security guard who was being attacked by a patient at La Mesa’s Sharp Grossmont Hospital.
A writer for Forbes offers advice for women on how to buy a road bike. Assuming you can actually find one these days. A bike, that is. Although women are getting harder to find, too.
This is the definition of tragic irony. A woman who was critically injured in a collision with a Chicago Department of Transportation truck driver while riding her bike works as a safe streets ambassador for the department.
Britain’s Daily Mail offers a panicky report that e-scooters will be legal in the country as of Saturday, fearing that cities will be overrun and people may die. Never mind that the biggest risk scooter riders face comes from drivers, not scooters.
Due to rising #COVID19 cases all @CountyofLA beaches will be closing again temporarily this weekend, July 3rd through 6th. We had almost 3,000 reported cases just today. We cannot risk having crowds at the beach this holiday weekend.
As Hahn’s tweet states, the beach and bike path closures go into effect this Friday, and are scheduled to last through the following Monday, at least for now.
Although the sheriff says he won’t bother to enforce it.
BREAKING: L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva tells me he will NOT enforce the beach closure order for 4th of July weekend. Says LASD was not consulted, and they'll only enforce closing parking lots/traffic on PCH. Says "We are Care First, Jail Last" in shot at county. @FOXLA
As you can imagine, though not everyone is pleased. This is what one person, who asked to remain anonymous, had to say.
You don’t see me shoot profanities very often, but a re-closure of the bike path is pure bullshit!
Cyclists on a path are not the cause of increasing virus cases.
It’s bars, restaurant sit-ins, people socializing at people homes without masks, people I saw paying at parks together with no mask, people at the beach I saw often playing volleyball with no mask, it’s just stupid people who think they know better and don’t want to be told what to do along with a President that is not wearing a mask as an example of what everyone should do. Why is the President not on TV everyday with a mask telling people I wear mask and you should too.
We live in a country of A-holes and ignorants and that is why the virus is spreading.
Forgive my outburst — I can’t believe they need to punish cyclists and I needed someone to bitch to
That’s what I’m here for.
But make no mistake. The idea that Covid-19 would go away without severe restrictions has clearly revealed itself as the fairy tale it is.
And we’re likely in for a long, deadly battle that will touch most of us in some way before it’s over.
Photo of recent bike path closure by David Drexler
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That wasn’t the only email I received from a concerned bike rider yesterday.
Another person who asked to remain anonymous said he was attacked by a stoned homeless man over the weekend.
Just a brief heads up for your readers — watch out at those underpasses on the San Gabriel bike path, especially the one at Imperial Blvd in Norwalk. Regular riders of that bike path know Imperial Blvd because of all of the graffiti.
I was riding early Sunday morning and had a transient try to knock me off my bike as I came up from the underpass (with a kick). Presume they may have been after my bike. Not too smart as they chose someone much larger than they.
I’m fine, no worse for wear, knocked off balance but not off my bike. I reported to 911, so hopefully, the sheriff will keep an eye out, too.
Crazy times.
Attacks like that aren’t common, but they do happen. So just be careful anytime you find yourself isolated and hidden from public view.
Riverside’s mayor invites you to join a family friendly, socially distanced 4th of July bike ride.
Hey Riversiders! Dust off those bikes & gear up in your patriotic best for a bike ride on July 4th. This will be a smooth socially distanced ride with a contest for the best decorated bike & most patriotic family.
— Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson (@MayorLockDawson) June 29, 2020
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LADOT will host a webinar tomorrow to discuss what will be South LA’s first protected bike lane.
Join us for a webinar this Wednesday as we discuss how we're getting to work on Broadway. The Broadway safety project prioritizes human life by implementing improvements that will reduce speed and save lives. Visit the link to register https://t.co/JJVulDQvDapic.twitter.com/xDr7rJyL5I
— LADOT Livable Streets (@LADOTlivable) June 29, 2020
No bias here. The British lawyer who calls himself Mr. Loophole for his ability to get dangerous drivers off the hook is back with yet another anti-bike rant. (Scroll down to second item)
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A US Army Band member rode his bike 500 miles in 33 hours to raise funds for a startup organization to mentor high school students to get into college; it took 250 laps around a two-mile Baltimore circuit to complete the ride.
Once again, an English pedestrian has died in a collision with a bike rider as he was crossing a bike lane. This time, the man on the bike stayed at the scene, but probably doesn’t know the 51-year old victim died later; police were never called to the scene, so they want to talk with him.
Minnesota relief groups are fighting soaring food insecurity with pop-up distribution sites to make access easier for those in need. https://t.co/EkpT6wXTSy
Except that study was already conducted ten years ago, when the city studies, and unanimously adopted, an entire network of Slow Streets, then called Bicycle Friendly Streets, as part of the 2010 bike plan.
A plan whose entire existence seems to be forgotten these days.
He’s the 2-time defending national champ in a sport you may not be familiar with. From South Central LA, Justin Williams is the best Criterium Cyclist in the country and one of the only African-American riders. Now, he’s using his platform to grow his sport and support the current protests in a push for equality everywhere.
Note: If the video doesn’t show up on your browser, just click the link above.
Thanks to Jeff Vaughn for the heads-up.
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Major cities around the world are taking advantage of the pandemic slowdowns to install popup and permanent bikeways and pedestrian improvements.
For years, Mahatma Gandhi commuted to work on a bike on a 16km round-trip. Last year, a statue of Gandhi on a bike was unveiled in New Delhi—now that's the kind of statue I can get behind! pic.twitter.com/zjSufuhhO8
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Pasadena police busted a bike-riding armed robber after recognizing the description given by the victim as a local transient; officers recovered some of the money, as well as the bike he was riding. Which is cop talk for saying that was probably stolen, too.
Car clogged Mumbai is getting 24 bicycle councilors, one for each of the city’s 24 districts, with a goal of making the city the bicycling capital of the world by 2030.
