The victim, identified only as a man in his mid-30s, died at the scene, his mangled yellow road bike lying nearby in the crosswalk.
Unfortunately, security video was too blurry to provide a description of the suspect vehicle or driver, and there doesn’t appear to be any immediate witnesses.
Anyone with information is urged to call the LAPD South Traffic Division at 323/421-2500, or anonymously via Crime Stoppers at 800/222-8477 or lacrimestoppers.org.
As always, there is a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the driver for any fatal hit-and-run in the City of LA.
This is at least the 16th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, the fourth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County, and just the second we’ve learned about in the City of Los Angeles — which is likely a dramatic undercount.
This is also at least the fifth bike rider killed by a hit-and-run driver in Southern California this year.
Separated bike lanes were the safest, apparently referring the plastic bollard demarcated bike lanes that pass for protected in Los Angeles.
Of course, the problem with any bike lane — aside from drivers who use them as parking or traffic bypass lanes — comes at intersections, where the risk to riders is the greatest.
………
You’ve got to be kidding.
The Unbound Gravel race was nearly disrupted by a wild police chase through the countryside around Emporia, Kansas early Saturday morning, when sheriff’s deputies had to block a pickup driver from crashing through the course after he blew through a closed intersection.
At one point, he tried to pass patrol cars attempting to stop him by driving in a ditch, rolling his truck after he crashed into a sheriff’s vehicle when he tried to drive back out — and kept going anyway.
The chase finally came to an end about half an hour after it began when deputies once again spotted the truck, blocking it in and taking the driver and his passenger into custody.
They both face multiple, and well-deserved, charges.
Yet somehow, it all appears to have happened without the participants in the race knowing how close they came to disaster.
Meanwhile, Americans were shut out of the Unbound Gravel podium for the first time, with Kiwi Cameron Jones winning the men’s race, and Switzerland’s Simon Pellaud second, after they worked together on a 50-mile breakaway to capture the win.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will meet on Tuesday, June 3rd and consider moving a LA County version of Measure HLA forward.
The agenda item is #17 “Equity, Accountability, and the Accelerated Implementation of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Master Plan.” You can read the full motion here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
MOST IMPACTFUL:
Attend the meeting live and make public comment in support of Item 17!
IN PERSON
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025 at 9:30am
Board Hearing Room 381B
500 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
VIA PHONE
Call (877) 226-8163 and enter Participant Code: 1336503. Press 1 to be added to the public comment queue
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Denver, Colorado bike riders are concerned after the city removed plastic bollards marking a downtown protected bike lane, apparently because someone thought it would be more attractive without them — but increasing the risk of riders crashing into the low protective barriers that remain.
Seriously? A new study from the UK suggests bike riders could be their own worst enemy, with local politicians blaming riders’ “rudeness” for their own reluctance to support bicycle projects, concluding “nothing we ever do will make cyclists happy.” Which is probably because politicians seldom do enough to begin with.
Portland is a “cyclist’s paradise,” according to a new study that rated it the most bike-friendly America city; New York, San Francisco, Denver and Minneapolis round out the top five, which could come as a surprise to a lot of people who live and ride in them. Needless to say, Los Angeles didn’t make that list, or the five after that. And probably wouldn’t have made the next ten, either.
Nineteen-year old Brit Matthew Brennan captured the first tour win of what looks likely to be an impressive career, winning the final stage of the Tour of Norway to capture the general classification.
Day 153 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
………
Oops.
I got tied up with other things, and missed last night’s application window for the California Ebike Incentive Program.
Okay, I just forgot about it until it was too late. Which kinda tells you just how concerned I am about it after all the damn delays and fails.
But I’m told the program had announced they had accepted 1,000 applications less than half an hour after the window closed at 6 pm, so it must have gone okay for a change.
Even if they’re still throttling the application process, for no other reason than they can’t seem to process any more.
At this rate, it’ll only take four more years to give out all the available funds.
Needless to say, Los Angeles isn’t among them, on either count.
In fact, the City of Angeles tied for a relatively sad number 70 — 36 places and 72 points below San Diego, which came in just one point ahead of Bruges and Amsterdam.
Yes, Amsterdam.
We’re also behind such remarkable garden spots as Columbus OH, Washington DC, and Beijing, China. Because everyone knows humid, swampy and politically riven DC is just this side of the happiest place on earth.
But at least we can take comfort in knowing we’re ahead of San Jose, Moscow and last place Pula, Croatia.
The guitarist, who toured with Pearl Jam recently after leaving the Chili Peppers in 2019, was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation and 60 days community service after pleading no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence.
Klinghoffer could have faced up to six years in prison for felony manslaughter without the plea deal.
More proof that it helps to be famous. And able to afford a good criminal lawyer.
The event raises funds and awareness for safer streets across California.
Tomorrow is reserved for the runners and walkers, with distances of 5K, 10K and a half-marathon, aka 13.1 miles, while Sunday is dedicated to riders and rollers, with rides of 12 miles, 20 miles, 35 miles and 62 miles.
Finish the Ride began with the crash that founder Damian Kevitt barely survived when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding on Zoo Drive, and dragged onto the the nearby 5 Freeway before he could free himself, as told to the LA Times in the video below.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A Dublin, Ireland columnist writes that the biggest risk she faces on the roads comes from other bicyclists — especially men who get upset when they find themselves behind a slower woman, and pass her without a sound. But if they pass without a sound, how does she know they’re upset and not just assholes? And why does she just assume that other bike riders — not her, of course — have sense of superiority towards people in cars?
West Sacramento opened a new bike and pedestrian bridge over a highway gash that has long divided it in two, allowing riders to safely cross between the north and south sides of the city. Correction: I originally located this in Sacramento, not realizing that Sacramento and West Sacramento are two different cities. Thanks to Debra for the heads-up.
Dallas approved its first new bike plan in 14 years, even as some councilmembers warned it’s not enough to keep up with other major cities. On the other hand, if they actually build it, they’ll be way ahead of Los Angeles.
A new report from adventure travel company Explore Worldwide ranks the iconic Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina and Virginia as the world’s most beautiful bike route, with Montana’s Going-to-the-Sun Road close behind; Oregon’s Crater Lake route and Missouri’s Katy Trail are the only other US routes to make the list.
Life is cheap in the UK, where a speeding 75-year old driver was sentenced to a lousy ten months behind bars for killing a 63-year old woman as she was riding with a friend; he claimed he couldn’t see them because of the lights of an oncoming car, despite their hi-viz and bike lights. Once again raising the question of how old is too old to drive.
British bicycling deaths were down two percent last year — and a whopping 25% in the past ten years. Which shows what happens when the government actually gives a damn, unlike a certain North American superpower I could name.
Tennis star Novak Djokovic is one of us, after he took advantage of a break in the French Open to ride a bike around the Arc de Triomphe — something he doesn’t plan on doing again.
Day 149 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
………
Just a quick note.
I always try to thank people who submit stories, because I truly appreciate the help finding stories I might not otherwise see.
After hearing from a few people, however, I am changing my policy to identify people just by their first names going forward, in order to protect their privacy.
I mean, you’ll still know it’s you. But everyone else doesn’t need to.
………
Um, okay.
Police in Chino arrested a woman who drove roughly five miles or more to Montclair with a shattered windshield, and an ebike embedded in her bumper, after fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run crash that left the victim with a head injury.
Police found the woman by tracking an AirTag hidden on the ebike across multiple cities.
What they don’t say, though, is how much time elapsed between the crash and the arrest, and whether the driver would have had time to sober up first.
Because something tells me she might have needed to.
Thanks to Jeffrey for the heads-up.
………
Mark your calendar for the next CicLAvia next month, as Historic South Central Meets Watts.
Here’s how a press release describes the open streets event.
6.4-Miles of Open Streets Connecting Historic South Central, Florence, Firestone, and Watts Via S Central Ave and 103rd Street to Enjoy this ‘Pop-Up’ Park for the Day in One’s Favorite People-Powered Way for All Ages and Abilities
On Sunday, June 22; between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. CicLAvia will celebrate its 61st car-free open streets event catalyzing vibrant public spaces, active transportation and good health through car-free streets. CicLAvia—Historic South Central meets Watts connects historic South Central, Florence, Firestone, and Watts, welcoming everyone of all ages and abilities to enjoy this day-long 6.4-mile pop-up park. Always free, you can enjoy the day,by walking, jogging, biking, roller skating, skating, or simply spectating at CicLAvia. Participants can show up anywhere along the route between 9am-4pm to enjoy the open streets, take the time to explore, and see where the day takes you.
Imagine streets alive with joy, laughter, and the freedom to roam. CicLAvia is a non-profit organization that has been opening streets throughout Los Angeles County for nearly 15 years now. It transforms city streets into a car-free celebration of community, connection, and possibility — places where participants can slow down, connect, and appreciate the city in a new way. CicLAviais about reimagining our city streets as welcoming spaces for everyone — places for walking, running, rolling, skating, cycling, gathering, and enjoying the moment.
As a nonprofit organization, CicLAvia relies on the public’ssupport to continue bringing opportunities for meaningful community connections, mindful exploration, and greater understanding across Los Angeles.
CicLAvia—Historic South Central meets Watts includes five (5) hubs filled with plenty of activities and programs along the route. Hubs are walking zones (mandatory dismounts) and meeting points along the route which includes theHistoric South Central Hub located on Central Ave, just south of Washington Blvd.; Jazz Park Hub located at 41nd Place and Central Ave; Florence Firestone Hub located on Central Ave near 61st St; Central Ave Hub located on Central Ave near E. 84th St; and the Watts Hub locatedon E 103rd St and Success Ave. Hubs offer family-friendly activities, restrooms, free water refilling stations, free basic bike repair, bike parking, places to sit and meet up with friends and family, and first aid. Free pedicab rides are available at each hub’s information booth.
(Please note, if you are biking to and from CicLAvia along any streets that are open to cars, it is at the discretion of the individual.)
“South LA is always one of the highlights of CicLAvia’s schedule,” says CicLAvia Executive Director Romel Pascual. “Along South Central Ave, LA’s dynamic culture can be seen in the local businesses and restaurants, community parks, and public art that are on the route. It gives Angelenos the opportunity to see new things, which reminds us of what makes our city a remarkable and special place.
………
As long as we’re doing press releases, the Orange County Transportation Authority, aka OCTA, says there’s still time to pledge to ride a bike this month.
While OCTA encourages people to ride all year long, May is National Bike Month, which is also celebrated all month long in Orange County.
OCTA invites people of all ages and abilities to take part in Bike Month, and there’s still time to pledge to ride a bicycle – for commuting, for fun, or for fitness.
This year’s “Every Ride is Your Story” campaign encourages participants to ride at least once during May. Those who pledge online will be entered in a raffle to win a commuter e-bike prize package that includes an Avant Agile Commuter E-Bike, along with accessories including an adult helmet, child helmet, bike lock, and baby seat.
Pledges must be received by the end of the day on Saturday, May 31, at www.octa.net/bikemonth. A winner will be announced in June.
In addition to the Bike Rally, OCTA continues to promote safe cycling habits for all riders, including those using e-bikes. Resources and safety tips are available at www.octa.net/bikeand www.octa.net/ebike.
Orange County offers more than 1,000 miles of bikeways, from beach paths to mountain trails, making it easier than ever to ride safely and explore the region on two wheels. Over the last 15 years, OCTA has invested approximately $437 million in active transportation, including cycling and more than half (54%) of the county’s primary roadways include bike lanes.
Over 80 riders made a 4-mile bike ride from the Orange Metrolink Station to OCTA headquarters for a Bike Rally Wednesday morning to promote active transportation throughout the county.
………
No bias here.
The anti-bike New York Post is trying to whip a nonissue into an “explosive” campaign issue, after an ebike rider crashed into a three-year old girl who apparently got out of a double-parked car and darted into the bike lane he was riding in, making a crash virtually unavoidable.
And the result could have been far worse if she had darted in the other direction. But no one seems to be calling for removing dangerous traffic lanes from the roadway.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A 2023 bill passed and signed into law sought to improve safety by prohibiting drivers from parking near intersections, providing better sightlines for drivers approaching them, as well as bike riders and pedestrians.
And better enabling those last two to be seen by the former.
The bill provided a built-in one-year grace period before full implementation. But as of the first of this year, cities were allowed — but apparently not required — to ticket drivers who parked within 20 feet of a crosswalk.
And in California, every intersection is presumed to have a crosswalk, whether or not it’s painted, unless crossing is specifically prohibited.
Yet few, if any, cities in the state have begun issuing tickets. Meanwhile others, such as San Francisco, have watered down the requirement by painting red curbs extending 10 feet from the crosswalk, instead of 20. Something cities are allowed to do if they pass an ordinance justifying the need for the change — which San Francisco hasn’t done.
According to a press release from the groups,
CalBike and California Walks urge municipal leaders and public works departments to:
Educate parking enforcement officers and empower them to write citations for parking within daylighting zones. No signage or curb paint is required to take this step.
Educate residents about the need to leave sightlines clear near crosswalks as an act of community care.
Install signage and red curb paint marking the 20-foot no-parking space wherever feasible.
Harden daylighting zones as much as possible by adding bike parking corrals, bike or scooter share docks, benches, planters boxes, bioswales, or other community amenities.
Use planned road maintenance projects as opportunities to demarcate and harden daylighting zones.
They’ve got a point.
We can pass all the safety measures in the world. But they won’t save a single life if no one uses them.
Schiff was the first member of Congress to take part in the annual ride in 2014 — and will be the last, even if he only completes the final leg into Los Angeles due to votes in the senate.
The California E-Bike Incentive Project is back—with improvements! The application opens May 29, offering up to 1,000 income-eligible Californians vouchers worth up to $2,000 toward a new e-bike & a revamped process makes applying easier than ever.
Metro will hold a series of community meetings this week to release the latest plans and cost estimates for a new rail line along the Sepulveda Transit Corridor, traveling under and/or over the Sepulveda Pass.
Although any plan that doesn’t provide a direct connection to UCLA will be an abject failure out of the gate.
Wednesday, May 28: 5:30–7:30 p.m.,Presentation will begin at 6 p.m., Veterans Memorial Building Rotunda Room, 4117 Overland Avenue, Culver City, CA 90230.
Thursday, May 29: 5:30–7:30 p.m., Presentation will begin at 6 p.m., Westwood United Methodist Church, 10497 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024.
Saturday, May 31: 3-5 p.m.,Presentation will begin at 3:30 p.m., Sherman Oaks East Valley Adult Center, 5056 Van Nuys Boulevard, Building B, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Life is cheap in North Carolina, where a man walked without a single day behind bars when a judge imposed a lousy 45 day suspended sentence for intentionally crashing an ATV into 56-year old man riding on a bike path, leaving the victim with serious injuries.
A British jury saw a doorbell cam video capturing the events leading up to the allegedly intentional crash that killed a 25-year old mother riding an ebike with another person; prosecutors allege the 23-year old driver finally succeeded in ramming the bike on his fifth attempt.
Active SGV will host a community bike ride this Sunday leading to and from a public meeting to learn more about the Rio Hondo Ecosystem Reclamation Project to create multi-use bike and walking paths, along with other environmental benefits.
No bias here. According to the New York Times, the anger over converting San Francisco’s Great Highway into a park remains, with the transformation into a pedestrian promenade setting off a clash over the city’s anti-car culture. Or maybe, just maybe, they could have talked to the many people who love the new linear park, a large percentage of whom undoubtedly drove to get there and have nothing against cars, but recognized that the former highway was no longer needed.
A lawsuit filed by the California Native Plant Society, Marin Audubon Society, and Marin Conservation League that was settled last year is blocking ebikes from using a trail on Mount Tamalpais, regarded as the birthplace of mountain biking.
The Transportation Committee of a West Side Manhattan community board — equivalent to LA’s neighborhood councils, but with more power — voted unanimously to oppose giving criminal summons to scofflaw bike riders, arguing that more enforcement of lawbreaking bicyclists may be needed, but the NYPD policy is too extreme.
Atlanta was selected as the first city to get Lime’s new LimeBike ebikes, which the company says is geared towards women, older riders and commuters who need extra room for storing stuff when they ride.
The Irish taoiseach, or prime minister, apologized before the country’s parliament, along with his chief deputy and the country’s justice minister, for the failures that allowed a driver with 40 previous convictions to remain on the road 14 years ago for the hit-and-run crash that killed a 23-year old man riding a bicycle, despite a court order that should have kept him behind bars. And if you wonder why people keep dying on our streets, that’s a good place to start.
A newspaper in the Czech Republic city of Brno — apparently founded during a Middle Ages vowel shortage — takes stock of the city’s bike infrastructure, or the lack thereof, arguing that the city should be a haven for bicyclists due to its short distances, but isn’t. Sort of like Los Angeles should, thanks to our mostly flat terrain and ideal weather. But isn’t.
Carpaz vows to fight all the way to Rome after emerging as the race’s biggest disrupter. Unless you count del Torro, who already disrupted the race a week earlier.
Day 147 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
………
A mass rideout of teens and young adults on bicycles has once again led to violence in Southern California.
But this time, one of the riders was the victim.
According to Baldwin Park News, an adult man was shot following a brief confrontation in the middle of an intersection, during a ride involving hundreds of bicyclists.
The man was riding his bike when he was confronted by an unknown person, who pulled out a gun and fired moments later, striking the victim in the lower body. He’s reportedly in stable condition with a single gunshot wound.
There’s no word on what may have led to the confrontation or why it escalated to violence, although it’s not unusual for motorists to become enraged by bike riders taking over the entire roadway or performing stunts as they ride.
There’s also no description of the suspect, or whether the shooter was in a motor vehicle.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. The New York Times explores why the city’s drivers get off with a simple traffic ticket, while scofflaw bike riders end up in criminal court, even though people in cars are far more likely to kill someone.
A San Francisco website asks if Davis, home to the nation’s first bike lane, is still the state’s bicycling capital, even if local residents don’t ride as often as they used to.
National
The Trump administration wants to ban your bike from federal property under a new proposal from the Department of Homeland Security would “prohibit the unauthorized use, operation, parking, locking, or storage” of bicycles and scooters on federal property. Because evidently, we’re much more dangerous and disruptive than those people in the big, dangerous machines.
I want to be like him when I grow up. Two years after he set a record as the oldest person to ride a bike across the US, an 80-year old man with Parkinsons is doing it again, this time riding from south to north along the route of the Underground Railroad.
A Dallas, Texas man was lucky to survive after becoming just the lated victim of a police chase, when a man being pursued by the cops slammed into the back of his bicycle as he rode with a group along the side of a highway — then was carried more than a mile on the hood of the driver’s car until another crash threw him off.
Quinn Simmons won the men’s elite road race with a solo breakaway, finishing nearly three-minutes ahead of second place Evan Boyle, with Gavin Hlady winning a mass sprint for third, another two-and-a-half minutes back; it was Quinn’s second national title after winning in 2023.
Speaking of the Tour de France, cycling stars Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard have blasted plans to have the Tour end on Paris’ Montmartre climb, saying the hilly, curving course that worked for the recent Olympics would lead to chaos, putting riders and fans at risk.
Red Bull profiles 28-year old Colombian cyclist Dani Martínez, calling him the complete package after finishing 2nd in last year’s Giro in just his send year with the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe team.
Day 143 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
………
My apologies to everyone who found an unfinished — or unstarted, for that matter — draft of today’s post in your inbox.
And yes, spellcheck, unstarted is a real word.
But’s that’s what happens when have too many windows open on your screen, and inadvertently hit the “publish” button when you try to click on one.
Not for the first time, I might add.
………
Now that we have that out of the way —
Today is the unofficial start of the three-day holiday weekend. Which means lots of people leaving work early, and not paying attention to anything but where they wish they already were right now.
Like bikes, for instance.
And long weekends mean parties and barbecues — and a lot of drinking and other forms of imbibing.
So ride defensively all weekend, and assume every driver you see is under the influence of something. Because more than a few probably will be.
I just want to see you back here safe and sound on Tuesday.
And after two previous botched attempts at awarding the contract.
But according to LA Public Press, the vote was pulled after allegations were raised that Lyft had inside information giving them an unfair advantage, in violation of Los Angeles ethics rules.
And yes, we have ethics rules, as hard as it is to believe at times.
Anne Marie Drolet, a bike mechanic and shop steward with the bike share union Transportation Workers Union Local 320, told LA Public Press that the allegations, if proven, should disqualify Lyft from the bidding process.
“Lyft’s bid once again seems very unfair, like they’re getting a leg up,” Drolet said. “One of their subcontractors helped write the [request for proposals]. I think it’s ridiculous [Lyft is] still in the running.”
Alta Planning + Design, a transportation design company founded in 1996 with offices in the U.S. and Canada, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. Metro has previously hired the company to do things like design transportation plans that capture the highest number of riders at transit stations.
LA Public Press also reports that Metro was on the cusp of making the change despite limited cost savings that amount to a rounding error in the massive Metro budget.
Lyft’s proposal claims it can cut costs, build new docking stations, add more e-bikes to the fleet, and develop a new bike share app.
But Metro documents show Lyft’s current proposal offers minimal cost savings. The company said it can operate bike share for $198 million, while BTS says it can operate the program for $202 million.
Opponents of the company’s bid have also pointed out current CEO David Risher’s comments that the company’s takeover of bike share programs is part of a push to get more people using Lyft for ride-hailing.
It’s possible — likely, in fact — that the allegations are an effort by current program operator BTS and unionized Metro Bike mechanics to derail the shift in management.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.
And even if it’s not, is it worth risking the bikeshare program as the city prepares to host the World Cup and ’28 Olympics by shifting to a company which has had a spotty record in other cities?
(Fresno County Sheriff spokesperson Tony) Botti defended Slaton, saying that the woman didn’t report herself missing and “there is no evidence to show she knew we were searching for her.”
Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni called Slaton’s journey “an incredible story of perseverance, determination and survival” saying it is “something that you may see on TV that they would make movies about.”
On the other hand, a Redditor had this to say.
“I’m glad to see that other people don’t believe this story. So many things don’t add up, I hope this office investigates fully since resources were used,” a person wrote on the sheriff’s office’s Facebook. “It’s embarrassing to think people believe someone fell off a cliff, survived 2 hours unconscious (guess she was timing it), popped her knee back into place, and traveled 20 miles after splinting her leg.”
Even the experts had questions. Experienced Sierra mountain guide Howie Schwartz didn’t doubt Slaton was lost.
But,
“It doesn’t seem like a story you can really wrap your head around,” Schwartz told The Times. “Falling off a cliff, having to splint her leg. You don’t splint your leg unless your leg is broken and if your leg is broken, you’re not walking miles on it.”
Never mind the Redditors who said she was probably crazy, embellished her story, or looking for a book deal or crowdfunding cash.
Which probably explains why her parents shut their crowdfunding page down. But not until it had raised over $23,000.
Her story does seem kind of incredible. But the best stories usually are.
………
Caltrans uses a lot more words than necessary to say they’re giving you more time to comment on the PCH Master Plan Feasibility Study.
Maybe they had to use them all before the weekend.
ADDENDUM ADDED TO THE PCH MASTER PLAN FEASIBILITY STUDY AND EXTENSION OF THE COMMENT PERIOD
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is pleased to announce that an addendum has been added to the PCH Master Plan Feasibility Study. The addendum, described in Section 7, Project Prioritization/Phasing of the Draft Study, consists of a qualitative evaluation matrix assessing the Study’s recommendations for alignment with the Study’s goals as well as statutory mandates and guidelines related to long-range corridor planning. By demonstrating alignment with mandates and guidelines related to corridor management, the Study is better positioned for additional funding opportunities to support the implementation of its recommendations. The results of the evaluation matrix can be found in Appendix E: Evaluation Matrix.
To ensure the public and stakeholders have time to review the update, the comment period has been extended from June 9, 2025, to June 16, 2025. The updated Draft Study can be viewed here.
Caltrans invites members of the public, stakeholders, and any interested individuals to review the Draft Study and leave your thoughts in the comment box provided here or via email to 07-pchmpfs@publicinput.com. When providing comments via email, please include the relevant section title, page number, figure, or table number when applicable to help us accurately locate the part of the document you’re commenting on.
………
Streets For All shares video of their virtual happy hour with LA City Attorney candidate Marissa Roy.
I never know how much to tip my virtual bartender. Or a Waymo driver, for that matter.
………
Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, posts video of the recent die-in on the steps of City Hall.
………
Active SGV hosts free two-hour ebike rentals this weekend.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Tres shock! New York’s police commissioner says her cops are only targeting reckless ebike riders for six offenses along 14 key corridors; Streetsblog says it ain’t necessarily so.
Nice. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed the nation’s first law permitting shared streets, with a 10 mph speed limit and strict rules requiring people on bicycles to yield to pedestrians, and drivers to yield to bike riders. Which is how it should be, anyway.
Salt Lake City is pulling the plug on its ebike incentive program after funding nearly 300 vouchers last year, citing a flat budget for the coming year. But wouldn’t a flat budget mean they could fund everything they did the previous year?
Damn. A Texas jury gave the parents of an eight-year old bike-riding boy killed by a young man driving a family business truck just at tad more than the $1.1 million they were asking for, awarding them a whopping $80 million. Let’s hope that’s a very valuable family business they’ve got there.
Mexico’s Isaac del Torro continues to lead the Giro, as Olav Kooij of the Netherlands won a mass sprint Thursday with a leadout from Wout van Aert. Meanwhile, a reader named Steven points out that del Torro’s name translates to “laughter of the bull,” which seems oddly appropriate.
A Utah newspaper profiles 23-year old Utah native Natalie Quinn as she fights to rise in women’s cycling — without getting paid, after joining American team Cynisca Cycling midseason when the British team she was on folded. Which pretty much sums up the problems with the current state of women’s cycling.
Day 142 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
………
Funny how that works.
Just one day after the Colorado Highway Patrol asked for the public’s help finding the hit-and-run driver who killed a man riding a bicycle outside Boulder, a suspect was arrested.
Imagine that.
Denver, Colorado developed the hit-and-run alert system, later adopted by the state, that the ones in Los Angeles and California are patterned on.
The difference is, they actually use them. We don’t.
Which might be why the CHP solves nearly two-thirds of felony hit-and-run cases in the state. No, the other CHP, in Colorado.
In California, that number is about 20%, while in Los Angeles, it’s less than 10%.
But here’s a crazy idea.
Maybe those numbers would go up if they didn’t wait weeks, or months — or never — to even let the public know there was a hit-and-run, let alone ask for our help solving it. Never mind actually use the hit-and-run alert systems we fought so hard to give them.
The City of Los Angeles also offers an automatic $50,000 reward for information that helps the cops solve a fatal hit-and-run, with rewards ranging up to $25,000 for less severe crashes. But no one stands a chance of collecting if we don’t even know about it.
And maybe that’s the idea, trying to save the severely over-strapped city a few bucks so the cops can buy more helicopters.
The California Air Resources Board promises that the state’s ebike voucher program is really, honest-to-gosh ready for the anticipated demand this time, after two mostly failed attempts.
Pinky swear.
Then again, they’ve only had two attempts. And you know what they say about the third time.
The second attempt was even worse, when the system crashed as soon as it opened as potential applicants once again exceeded the system’s limited capacity, and the whole damn thing was shut down with just minutes remaining in the application window, frustrating the lucky few who had somehow managed to get in.
“As a result, automatic security measures were activated and the website operated and controlled by California Air Resources Board’s third party administrator Pedal Ahead was temporarily unavailable,” said Lisa Macumber, spokesperson for the state agency.
The technology is never 100% certain and it could have happened under any administrator running a program like this, Macumber said.
Sure it could.
But here’s a thought. If each teeny, tiny application window has more than 150,000 presumably qualified people desperately trying to somehow squeeze themselves in, maybe offer more than a few thousand measly vouchers at a time, and give us a much larger window to get those applications in.
And if that many people are willing to suffer this much indignation just for a chance to get a voucher, maybe go back to the state and ask for enough money to actually meet the damn demand.
But have no fear.
Macumber promises they’ll be ready this time.
No, really.
“It’s like getting tickets to a Taylor Swift concert, it can be really hard to get through the technology, and then at the end of the day, find out whether or not you’re successful,” she said. “So we really understand the frustration.”
The agency has rescheduled the second application window for May 29 and says this time it’s ready for droves of prospective applicants.
To ensure they don’t have the same problems this time, they’ve hired the same people who failed so badly last time to do it again, hoping for different results.
And you know what they call that.
So get your documents ready. Mark your calendar for 6 pm on May 29th.
This follows a successful test in Santa Monica, where automated cams captured 1,700 violations in six weeks.
Which, based on my own observations, suggests they weren’t trying very hard.
……….
Thanks to our old friend Megan Lynch for forwarding this TV news story highlighting a San Francisco bike center as a “pillar of the community” for fixing bikes for free to get people riding.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A San Diego letter writer complains about the new traffic configuration at the city’s Balboa Park, warning that one lane for buses, a lane for bicycles, and a single lane for cars causes traffic to back up on busy weekends, calling it “another problem dreamed up by the city traffic engineers.” Apparently, it’s never occurred to him to use one of those other lanes by taking the bus. Or maybe even riding a bike. Because it’s a damn park, already.
Beverly Hills police will conduct a bicycle and pedestrian safety operation today, targeting violations that could put either group at risk, regardless of who commits them. So once again, ride to the letter of the law until you pass the city limits sign today, so you don’t celebrate bike month by getting a ticket.
San Francisco “activists” called on the city to recommit to Vision Zero, after six pedestrians have been killed there already this year. Los Angeles officials can’t recommit to Vision Zero, because they never committed to it in the first place. And maybe those “activists” are just people who don’t want to get killed crossing the street.
Bicycling crashes in Wisconsin were up nearly 25% over a five-year average last year. It would be nice if someone, anyone, could tell us how many there were in California last year. But keeping actual running stats on traffic deaths would just be too much work, apparently.
International
The leaders of many of the top bikeshare providers called on cities to “move beyond pilot thinking and treat shared bicycles as a permanent, integrated part of the public transport system,” arguing that it’s not an optional add-on or a “climate gadget.”
Once again, a man was killed after a fight over a bicycle. A 34-year old man in Middlesborough, England was convicted of murder for fatally stabbing a man who had borrowed his bike to ride to a pub for a drink. Yet another reminder that no bicycle is worth a human life. Seriously, just let it go.
Ventura Assemblymember Steve Bennett’s AB 954 would create a Caltrans pilot program in two parts of the state, instructing the agency to connect existing bikeways into bicycle highways.
Santa Monica Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur’s AB 891 instructs Caltrans to develop quick-build bike lane and intersection projects on state roadways to improve safety for people walking and on bicycles.
If it’s passed into law, Zbur’s bill would require that Caltrans speed up its glacial planning process, which can easily take years from inception to construction, no matter how desperately it’s needed.
Hats off to New York Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, who is doing her best to keep the streets of Brooklyn deadly by personally blocking new bike lanes in the borough, despite the high rate of bicyclists killed or seriously injured in the district.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
New protected bike lanes in Vista are just the latest to cause controversy in San Diego County, where the media seems to search high and low for people hating on any new bicycling improvements.
Both a sidewalk memorial and a crowdfunding page are growing for the Santa Barbara man killed by an alleged drunk driver while riding his ebike home from work Sunday night; 29-year old Joel Gonzalez leaves behind a nine-year old daughter.
Sad news from Sacramento, where a 76-year old man died in the hospital, eight days after he was struck by a heartless, cowardly hit-and-run driver while riding his bike; a 29-year old suspect was booked and released following the crash.
US Senate Republicans are prepared to ignore the chamber’s parliamentarian to overturn waivers granted to California by the EPA, which enable the state to regulate emissions and fuel efficiency for gas-powered cars, and could cause chaos for carmakers if they were cancelled.
Mexico’s Isaac del Toro spent a second day in the pink Giro leader’s jersey, as Dutch cyclist Daan Hoole upset overwhelming favorite Josh Tarling to win the stage 10 time trial. Something tells me I’ll smile just as big every other day del Toro leads the race, too.
He was bleeding from the nose and mouth when the woman, identified as Claire Viriyavong, moved his hand to perform CPR.
But despite their efforts, and the efforts of first responders, he was declared dead before being moved from the trail.
He was found near a rock, and an SDFD battalion chief said he appeared to have landed face down, suffered traumatic injuries despite wearing a helmet and other protective gear.
Which is yet another sad reminder that nothing offers complete protection.
This is at least the 15th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
Cheating alleged in Lyft’s Metro Bike bid, questioning rescue of Georgia bikepacker, and PCH study comments extended
Day 143 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
………
My apologies to everyone who found an unfinished — or unstarted, for that matter — draft of today’s post in your inbox.
And yes, spellcheck, unstarted is a real word.
But’s that’s what happens when have too many windows open on your screen, and inadvertently hit the “publish” button when you try to click on one.
Not for the first time, I might add.
………
Now that we have that out of the way —
Today is the unofficial start of the three-day holiday weekend. Which means lots of people leaving work early, and not paying attention to anything but where they wish they already were right now.
Like bikes, for instance.
And long weekends mean parties and barbecues — and a lot of drinking and other forms of imbibing.
So ride defensively all weekend, and assume every driver you see is under the influence of something. Because more than a few probably will be.
I just want to see you back here safe and sound on Tuesday.
And try to take a few moments to remember what this holiday is all about, anyway.
………
Raise your hand if you’d be shocked to learn there may have been cheating in awarding the new Metro Bike contract.
Hello? Anyone?
Is this thing on?
Streetsblog reports Metro directors delayed what was expected to be a pro forma vote to award Lyft the contract to operate the city’s docked bikeshare program yesterday — despite a unanimous vote by the Metro Operations Committee to advance the contract.
And after two previous botched attempts at awarding the contract.
But according to LA Public Press, the vote was pulled after allegations were raised that Lyft had inside information giving them an unfair advantage, in violation of Los Angeles ethics rules.
And yes, we have ethics rules, as hard as it is to believe at times.
LA Public Press also reports that Metro was on the cusp of making the change despite limited cost savings that amount to a rounding error in the massive Metro budget.
It’s possible — likely, in fact — that the allegations are an effort by current program operator BTS and unionized Metro Bike mechanics to derail the shift in management.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.
And even if it’s not, is it worth risking the bikeshare program as the city prepares to host the World Cup and ’28 Olympics by shifting to a company which has had a spotty record in other cities?
……….
It’s been a little more than a week since the “miraculous” rescue of Georgia bikepacker Tiffany Slaton after she got lost in the mountains above Fresno, surviving three weeks on wild leeks and melted snow.
But apparently, not everyone believe her story.
According to the Los Angeles Times,
On the other hand, a Redditor had this to say.
Even the experts had questions. Experienced Sierra mountain guide Howie Schwartz didn’t doubt Slaton was lost.
But,
Never mind the Redditors who said she was probably crazy, embellished her story, or looking for a book deal or crowdfunding cash.
Which probably explains why her parents shut their crowdfunding page down. But not until it had raised over $23,000.
Then again, those same doubts also popped up in my own Twitter/X feed.
So what’s the answer? Don’t ask me.
Her story does seem kind of incredible. But the best stories usually are.
………
Caltrans uses a lot more words than necessary to say they’re giving you more time to comment on the PCH Master Plan Feasibility Study.
Maybe they had to use them all before the weekend.
………
Streets For All shares video of their virtual happy hour with LA City Attorney candidate Marissa Roy.
I never know how much to tip my virtual bartender. Or a Waymo driver, for that matter.
………
Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, posts video of the recent die-in on the steps of City Hall.
………
Active SGV hosts free two-hour ebike rentals this weekend.
https://twitter.com/ActiveSGV/status/1925644608425410632
Here’s the link if Elon is still screwing up proper embedding of Twitter/X posts.
………
Of course a bicyclist who used to be a driver would have no idea what a traffic light is. Especially when it comes to right turns.
Or left.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Tres shock! New York’s police commissioner says her cops are only targeting reckless ebike riders for six offenses along 14 key corridors; Streetsblog says it ain’t necessarily so.
………
Local
Streetsblog’s Sahra Sulaiman reports on the celebratory grand opening of the “transformative” Rail-to-Rail bike/walk path in South LA.
Long Beach is launching a 12-month pilot program allowing both private and shared e-scooters along the shoreline bike and pedestrian path.
State
Palm Springs bike riders demanded action on safety improvements while honoring fallen bicyclists at Wednesday’s Ride of Silence.
The Santa Barbara Independent says the city’s bicycling rates are inching up while bicycling injuries climb, making both bike and Vision Zero goals “distant.”
National
A magazine for lawyers examines the legal challenges facing bike riders injured by distracted and/or reckless drivers. Best advice, document everything and find a good lawyer to walk through your options. Like one of those guys over there on the right.
The Independent lists eight American cities that are surprising great for bicycling. Seven of which actually are. And yes, I’m looking at you, Houston.
The Today Show highlights a dad going viral for his daily bike rides with his seven-year old daughter.
Nice. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed the nation’s first law permitting shared streets, with a 10 mph speed limit and strict rules requiring people on bicycles to yield to pedestrians, and drivers to yield to bike riders. Which is how it should be, anyway.
Salt Lake City is pulling the plug on its ebike incentive program after funding nearly 300 vouchers last year, citing a flat budget for the coming year. But wouldn’t a flat budget mean they could fund everything they did the previous year?
An Idaho dancer says ballet is just like riding a bike. And he should know, since he rides a bike to stay in shape for ballet, mentally and physically.
Damn. A Texas jury gave the parents of an eight-year old bike-riding boy killed by a young man driving a family business truck just at tad more than the $1.1 million they were asking for, awarding them a whopping $80 million. Let’s hope that’s a very valuable family business they’ve got there.
Your next bike parts could come from a Topeka vending machine. Which wouldn’t be the first thing I’ve bought from a vending machine in Topeka.
International
Seriously? London emergency rooms are supposedly buckling because of a surge in demand due to “Lime bike leg,” caused by people trapped by the weight of collapsing ebikes that are “around four times heavier than regular cycles,” while a surgeon warns of “life-threatening injuries.” Call it the modern equivalent of bicycle face.
We know a guy on a bike can beat a someone in a car, but can a London bike rider beat another guy riding the Tube across one of the world’s busiest cities? Would I be writing this if he couldn’t?
A 2,000-mile circular relay ride will connect all 42 Anglican cathedrals in the UK. Or as they call them over there, cathedrals.
A British bike club is proving that age is no barrier to learning how to ride a bike.
Competitive Cycling
Your new US national time trial champs are Emily Ehrlich and Artem Schmidt.
Mexico’s Isaac del Torro continues to lead the Giro, as Olav Kooij of the Netherlands won a mass sprint Thursday with a leadout from Wout van Aert. Meanwhile, a reader named Steven points out that del Torro’s name translates to “laughter of the bull,” which seems oddly appropriate.
A Utah newspaper profiles 23-year old Utah native Natalie Quinn as she fights to rise in women’s cycling — without getting paid, after joining American team Cynisca Cycling midseason when the British team she was on folded. Which pretty much sums up the problems with the current state of women’s cycling.
Kenyan cycling coach Evan Wangai discusses his journey from boda boda driver to pro cyclist.
Finally…
Why line the bike lane with ugly yellow posts when you can have recycled red plastic tulips? Always use a bicycle as a getaway vehicle for your baby gator heists.
And who needs lube when you’ve got…sand.
………
Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
Share this:
Like this: