Archive for Injuries and Fatalities

Update: Cyclist killed in North Hollywood collision

October 12, 2012 / / 2 comments

Word is just coming in from multiple sources that a cyclist was killed in North Hollywood this morning.

According to virtually identical reports from LAist, KABC-7 and North Hollywood – Toluca Lake Patch, the rider was headed west on Oxnard Street at Radford Avenue around 6 am when he was struck by a vehicle turning right onto Oxnard from southbound Radford.

The victim has only been identified as a man in his 60s, pending notification of next of kin. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

No word on whether he was using lights and reflectors at that early morning hour, or which party had the right-of-way; there is a traffic signal at that intersection.

The driver remained at the scene, and reportedly is cooperating with investigators. And how sad is it that something like that even needs to be mentioned.

This is the 64th cycling fatality in Southern California this year, which equals the annual average for the last seven years. And it’s the 20th bike death in Los Angeles County, as well as the fifth in the City of L.A., which equals last year’s total.

My deepest sympathy for the victim and his loved ones.

Update: A source with the LAPD confirms that the driver of a truck stopped at the light before making a right turn onto Oxnard. He didn’t see the cyclist crossing in front of him as he made his turn. 

The victim’s bike did have a light. However, collisions like this are why it is so important to make eye contact with any driver that poses a potential risk while you ride. If you can’t see the driver’s eyes, you have to assume he can’t see you and doesn’t know you’re there.

The officer says the rider was found with earbuds, which he may or may not have been using at the time of the collision; you can use an earbud in one ear when you ride, but it’s illegal to wear earbuds or headphones in both ears.

Update: The victim has been identified as Jose Heredia, age 64,

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , ,

Torrance bike commuter killed Wednesday in Gardena hit-and-run

October 11, 2012 / / 10 comments

Once again, a driver has run down a SoCal cyclist. And left him to die, his crumpled body lying helplessly in the street.

According to the Daily Breeze, 49-year old Benjamin Torres was on his way to work early Wednesday morning when he was hit by a vehicle while riding east on 135th Street at Wilton Place in Gardena.

Oddly, the intersection appears to be controlled by a red light in just one direction on 135th, with a stop sign on the cross street. (Update: It’s actually a one-way fire station signal.)

His body was found by a nearby worker after Torres was already dead. Whether he could have been saved if the coward behind the wheel had stopped and called for help may never be known.

Personally, I think every driver accused of a fatal hit-and-run should be charged with murder, since the delay in getting help inevitably contributes to the victim’s death if the collision was in any way survivable.

Torres’ stepdaughter reports that he always rode his bike from his home to his job at Brek Manufacturing on 132nd Street at 4:15 each morning, saying he felt it was pointless to pay for gas to go to work.

Police say he was struck sometime before 4:30 and 5 am. No witnesses have come forward; given the early hour, none are likely.

The paper says investigators found debris from the vehicle, including headlights, suggesting it’s likely to have significant front-end damage, most likely on the right side. Police are using that debris to determine the make of the vehicle; however, they had no other description at this time, including the color.

No mention is made of whether Torres was using lights or reflectors at that early hour.

He suffered severe head injuries despite his helmet. However, bike helmets are only designed to protect against impacts up to 12.5 mph; they are no match for a car moving at speed.

Torres leaves behind a wife of 17 years, as well as five stepchildren and their 12 children.

Gardena police urge anyone with information to call Investigator Matthew Hassoldt at 310/217-6189.

This is the 63rd bicycling death in Southern California this year, and the 19th in Los Angeles County. Torres is the 13th bike rider killed in a hit-and-run in 2012; three of the 10 riders killed in traffic collisions in L.A. County this year have been victims of hit-and-run.

My prayers and sympathy for Torres and his family.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

Update: Inglewood bike rider killed in early morning collision with Sheriff’s Deputies

October 8, 2012 / / 12 comments

Did L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputies make a fatal mistake in trying to stop a bike-riding suspect?

Or did they use their patrol car as a weapon in a deadly use of force?

According to a very brief press release from the Sheriff’s Department, a marked patrol car collided with a bicyclist at 1:25 am today on the 3500 block of West 107th Street.

The deputies were reportedly attempting to contact the cyclist, who they believed was armed with a handgun; a search was underway for the weapon, which was not recovered at the time.

And yes, they did make contact with the victim, who has not been publicly identified.

Fatally.

The Daily Breeze reports the rider was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital in full cardiac arrest. The paper says Inglewood police are investigating the incident; the sheriff’s department patrols in nearby Lennox, which is next to where the collision occurred.

There’s no word on how the collision took place.

However, it’s not unusual for police to use their doors or patrol cars in an attempt to stop a bike rider, not realizing that a simple bump can have deadly consequences for a bicyclist. Any physical contact with a moving bike should be considered a use of force, and subject to the same restrictions as an officer firing his gun at a suspect.

This is the 62nd bicycling death in Southern California this year, and the 18th in Los Angeles County; the victim is the first SoCal cyclist killed due to the actions of law enforcement officers in recent memory.

My prayers for the victim and his family.

Thanks to Tim Rutt from Altadenablog and Danny Gamboa of ZKO Films for the heads-up.

Update: The victim has been identified as 45-year old Alfonso Cerda, a father of three who lived in the area where he was killed; he was reportedly on his way to a friend’s house when he was killed. No gun has been found; family members suggest he may have been carrying a flashlight.

According to LAist, authorities report the officers attempted to stop Cerda, who initially complied before taking off on his bike. They say he then pointed what the deputies thought was a gun at them; one officer took cover, while the other chased Cerda down with his patrol car, hitting Cerda as he attempted to get ahead of him.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, Car vs Bike, Injuries and Fatalities, Law Enforcement / Tags: , , , ,

It ain’t necessarily so — new study proclaims L.A. one of the nation’s most dangerous places to walk or ride

October 3, 2012 / / 14 comments

This morning, the L.A. Times discovered the unacceptably high rate of bike and pedestrians deaths in this city. Quickly followed by a number of other news outlets.

Only problem is, they got the story wrong.

The study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute looks at bicycle and pedestrian fatalities in New York and Los Angeles, compared to other large cities in the U.S.

They concluded that while bicyclists represent 1.7% in other cities nationwide, they make up 2.8% of traffic fatalities here in Los Angeles. And pedestrians fare even worse, with nearly three times as many deaths on L.A. streets, as a percentage of total traffic fatalities, as in the rest of the nation.

Needless to say, New Yorkers fared even worse, with cyclists making up 6.1% percent of all traffic fatalities, and pedestrians nearly half.

And the media took that limited and misleading information and ran with it, proclaiming — loudly and falsely — that L.A. and New York are exceptionally dangerous places to walk and bike.

The problem is, as stated above, this study only considered these deaths as a percentage of overall traffic fatalities. Which means that if motor vehicle fatalities in those cities — which make up the overwhelming majority of traffic fatalities nationwide — were lower than the national average, it would skew the results and make bike and pedestrian deaths look disproportionately high.

And guess what?

Driver and passenger deaths in New York accounted for just 43.6% of traffic fatalities and 63.6% in Los Angeles, compared to a whopping 86.3% nationwide.

In other words, because fewer people are getting killed in motor vehicles in New York and L.A., it incorrectly suggests that more people who bike or walk are getting killed.

What’s missing from the study is an appendix with hard numbers of how many bicyclists and pedestrians were killed in each city, rather than just a percentage. As well as individual stats for each city that was included in the study, rather than a national aggregate.

Because the one statistic that would allow us to compare apples to apples is the number of deaths per capita for each city.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to access stats for individual cities from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s FARS database today, which would allow us to figure that out. And let us determine whether Los Angeles is really a more dangerous place to ride a bike than Dallas or Des Moines. Or any other city of any size in the U.S.

What I can tell you is that in 2011, Los Angeles County had the lowest per capita bike fatality rate of any county from Santa Barbara to San Bernardino and south to the Mexican border, with the single exception of sparsely populated — and even more sparsely biked — Imperial County.

And the City of Los Angeles had just one bicycling fatality for every 763,940 people who call L.A. home. That’s one for every three-quarter of a million people in this city.

Which sounds like pretty damn good odds to me.

In fact, that compares with one cycling death for every 189,454 people in San Diego. One for every 116,394 in Long Beach. And one for every 69,050 residents of Pasadena.

Don’t get me wrong.

One death is too many. Let alone the four the city has already suffered this year. And nothing in this study, or the press reports that followed, considers the city’s rate of serious cycling injuries, as opposed to fatalities.

But one of that nation’s most dangerous places to ride a bike?

Far from it. At least as far as your risk of dying is concerned.

And study’s authors — and the media who ran with it — would have known that if they’d just dug a little deeper.

Thanks to Harris M. Miller II and Where to Bike Los Angeles co-author Jon Riddle for the heads-up.

Update: Evidently, I wasn’t the only one who had a WTF response to this study and the hype that followed. The Native Angeleno had a similar reaction, as did our friends at Los Angeles Walks, who offer suggestions on how to improve safety for our fellow bipedalists. And L.A. Streetsblog meister Damien Newton looks at the over-the-top — and highly repetitive — media response.

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On a related note, Pasadena public radio station KPCC responds to the study by asking for your help to map the area’s most dangerous intersections. It’s a great idea.

Although checking out the map Bikeside LA already put together would have been a nice place to start.

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OC Bike lawyer David Huntsman forwards word of a road raging Dr. Thompson wannabe.

The Press-Enterprise reports that 38-year old Carl Albert Robbins of Temecula “accidently” hit a rider after intentionally swerving at four cyclists riding on Rainbow Canyon Road near Temecula around 8 am Monday. Robbins reportedly drove his car at the riders in the back, then swerved again at the lead rider, hitting the rider’s hand with the car’s mirror.

According to a Riverside Sheriff’s spokesperson, Robbins claimed the riders didn’t belong on the road, but he didn’t intend to actually hit one.

So let me get this straight.

If I try to fire a warning shot past your head, but miss and blow your ear off, it’s just an accident, right?

Evidently the authorities disagreed with Robbins, as well as the paper, booking him on $25,000 bond.

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A full-time — and apparently very sarcastic — parking lieutenant for LADOT, among his many other jobs, is running for president of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council. Walk Eagle Rock sends word that he doesn’t seem to be exactly bike friendly; you’d think an LADOT parking enforcement official would know not to put a business sign in a bike lane.

And sarcastic or not, suggesting someone light up a joint seems a tad inappropriate for a city official. Let alone a potential NC president.

But maybe that’s just me.

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My good friends at Altadenablog send word that Cher, the original singularly named recording and Hollywood star, apparently hates PCH cyclists.

Or maybe just cyclists in general.

But she swears, cross her heart, that she would never text from behind the wheel. Honest.

We can only encourage her to Cher the road.

Thanks to Century City cyclist and attorney Stanley E. Goldich for the heads-up, as well.

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It’s been a busy few days in my inbox.

George Wolfberg forwards a link to this New York Times story of a lovely journey by bike through the French countryside.

And he send us another NY Times story from over the weekend saying cities need to lose the helmets to promote bicycling.

Or at least bike share programs.

But lets stop for a moment to consider the claim that Dutch cyclists don’t wear helmets.

Dutch cyclists enjoy some of the world’s best biking infrastructure, and ride relatively heavy, slow bikes that are easy to step off of in the event of a fall.

Most American’s don’t

American bikes tend to be faster, lighter machines that usually take the rider down with them when they go down. And American roads don’t begin to compare with Dutch bikeways, in either quality or separation from vehicular traffic.

Whether or not you wear a helmet is your choice.

Personally, I never ride without mine, bearing in mind that they’re not magic hats that prevent all harm to the wearer; you’re far better off avoiding a collision than counting on your helmet to save you from it.

But let’s stop using the Amsterdam experience to argue against helmet use here. Because it just doesn’t translate from the Dutch.

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Cyclist Jim Lyle send news that Hermosa Beach has rejected a plan to put bike lanes on Aviation Blvd.

HB City council members claimed the 2 – 3 person Public Works Department had more pressing issues, and couldn’t afford the 10 to 20 hours a month it would take to save cyclists’ lives plan the bikeway.

“Once we pave our streets, let’s talk about bikes,” Mayor Pro Tem Kit Bobko said.

Although you’d think with such a small staff, they might know how many people actually work for them.

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Finally, my adventure cycling, Iditarod dog sled racing brother Eric offers a heads-up about the 100-year old former French bike racer who set a new 100 kilometer age group speed record.

I plan to race him myself when I turn 100; my brother, not the Frenchman.

Of course, I may have an unfair advantage, since he’ll be 109.

Category: Best of, Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, Car vs Bike, Injuries and Fatalities, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

News just coming in: Bike rider killed in Corona crosswalk on Sunday

October 2, 2012 / / One comment

The Press-Enterprise is reporting that an unidentified cyclist was killed in Corona on Sunday.

The man was riding south in a crosswalk on the west side of Garretson Avenue at East Grand Avenue when he was hit by an Acura Integra driven by Simitrio Martinez of Corona. According to the paper, he died at the scene.

The Riverside County Coroner places the time of the collision as 8:48 pm, and lists the same time of death, suggesting he was killed instantly.

Neither the coroner or the Press-Enterprise offer any information on how the collision occurred.

The fact that the rider died on impact would suggest a high rate of speed. A street view shows Grand is uncontrolled at the intersection, while Garretson has a stop sign in both directions, making it most likely that the driver was traveling on Grand when he hit the cyclist.

However, that is merely a guess based on extremely minimal evidence.

There is a street light right next to the crosswalk, but there’s no way of knowing if it was working at the time of the collision, or if the rider was using lights.

This should serve as a reminder to everyone to always carry ID every time you ride. I keep my driver’s license in my seat pack, as well as emergency contact information in a small ziplock in my jersey or pants pocket.

And despite their annoying commercials, Road ID or other similar products are always a good idea.

This is the 61st cycling fatality in Southern California so far this year, and the 11th bike-related death in Riverside County; nine of those were a result of traffic collisions, while the other two were a result of health issues that may have been caused by riding.

My prayers for the victim and his family and friends.

Update: The victim has been identified as 55-year old Ignacio Prado Cuevas of Corona.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , ,

Update: Bicyclist killed in Palmdale collision; 60th SoCal cycling death this year

October 2, 2012 / / One comment

The L.A. Daily News is reporting that a man was killed riding his bike in Palmdale last night.

Details are still very sketchy at this point. However, according to the paper, he was riding his bike south on or near 30th Street East around 9:15 pm, and was hit by an eastbound Chevy Tahoe as he was crossing Palmdale Blvd.

No word on how the collision occurred, whether it took place at the intersection or if the rider, who has not been publicly identified, was crossing the street at another location. And no information is given on whether his bike had lights, or the speed of the SUV that hit him or whether the collision may have been avoidable.

A Sheriff’s spokesperson said the investigation is still ongoing, and that alcohol did not seem to be a factor in the collision.

This is the 60th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, putting us well ahead of this same time last year, when the region had suffered 53 traffic-related bicycling fatalities on the way to a total of 71 deaths for all of 2011.

It also marks the 17th cycling death in Los Angeles County since January 1st, which is an improvement over the total of 19 at this time last year.

My deepest sympathy for the victim and his loved ones.

Update: The Daily News has identified the victim as 19-year old  Raymond Paris Amadea of Palmdale. Still no details on how the collision occurred.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , ,

San Diego hit-and-run nearly carried live on local TV

September 29, 2012 / / One comment

TV stations in San Diego just missed broadcasting a hit-and-run that appeared to leave a cyclist seriously injured as it happened on Thursday night.

San Diego cyclist Bill Davidson sends word that San Diego’s XETV-6 reported the collision occurred just before 10 pm as news vans were gathered to report on flooding from a broken water main in the parking lot of this shopping center at Rosecrans and Cauby Streets.

Multiple news vans were on the scene BEFORE the collision because there was flooding in the area. They were parked in the shopping center maybe 50 yards inside the driveway. The news crews were still in their vans preparing to do live coverage of the flooding at 10pm when they heard a loud thump. They called 911.  EMT’s on the scene in approximately 6-7 minutes.

Victim appeared to be in his 50’s or 60’s.  He had lights and a reflective safety vest. He was alive and conscious but obviously seriously hurt. No helmet.

Two witnesses. California plate 717229, sliver truck. Mirror on the truck broke off and was lying in the road.

Davidson adds that the reporters said they didn’t hear skidding before the collision, though the heavy insulation on the trucks could have masked the sound. The victim’s bike was resting just steps away, directly in the entrance to the shopping center.

Unfortunately, the story hasn’t been posted online, and there doesn’t seem to be any update on the condition of the victim or whether the driver has been apprehended.

If anyone has additional information, let us know.

……..

Friday’s breaking news kept me from updating this weekend’s events.

However, the big weekend bike news is Carmageddon.

Not that the end of the world is nigh, as cars will once again be banned from from the 405, but that bikes are taking over the streets presumably abandoned by motor vehicles. Streetsblog has all the information you need on the weekend’s three remaining major rides, while ARTmageddonLA starts on Saturday.

And if you’re bold enough to brave the freeways, the 2012 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships will be taking place all weekend at the Home Depot Center VELO Sports Center.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Hit-and-Run, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

San Diego triathlete dies of injuries received in left hook collision last weekend

September 23, 2012 / / 13 comments

Last weekend took a horrible and tragically growing toll on Southern California cyclists.

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, 35-year old San Diego resident Scott Folck died today of injuries he received a week earlier.

Folck was riding east on Woods Valley Road in Valley Center, northeast of Escondido, around 6 am on Sunday, September 16th, when a Mitsubishi 3000GT driven by a 22-year old San Marcos man turned left in front of him onto Cool Water Ranch Road in an apparent left hook. The paper reports the driver hit his brakes when he saw the rider, but was unable to stop in time.

Despite the early hour, police don’t think alcohol was a factor.

Folck was transported to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido with multiple serious injuries; despite what was termed aggressive surgical intervention, his condition continued to decline and he was pronounced dead at 12:40 this morning.

San Diego’s KCBS-8 reports he was training for an upcoming triathlon when he was injured.

Folck was struck the same weekend that nutritionist Sarah Leaf and Dr. Catherine Campion Ritz were killed in Newport Beach, along with riders in Buena Park and Riverside; neither of the later victims have been publicly identified.

This is the 58th cycling fatality this year, and the 11th in San Diego County.

My prayers and sympathy for Scott Folck and all his family and loved ones.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

Update — third cyclist killed in OC last weekend; Newport Beach hit-and-run driver charged

September 19, 2012 / / 3 comments

The Orange County Bicycle Coalition is reporting that a cyclist was killed in a Buena Park traffic collision last weekend.

According to the site, the male rider, whose name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, collided with a motor vehicle while riding on Artesia Blvd east of Stanton Ave around 7:45 pm Sunday.

No other details are available at this time.

This follows the death of nutritionist Sarah Leaf while riding on East Coast Highway on Friday, and Dr. Catherine Campion Ritz in a hit-and-run on Saturday.

The driver who killed Campion Ritz has been charged with felony hit-and-run causing death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence; prosecutors are asking for $100,000 bond. Reports are that he was allowed to keep driving despite a conviction for possession of a controlled substance, and a host of driving offenses that were dismissed as a result of his guilty plea.

And that is exactly how authorities help keep dangerous drivers on the streets until they finally kill someone.

In addition, another Orange County rider died last Wednesday from injuries suffered in an apparent solo fall on August 31st, and a 52-year old Riverside cyclist was killed in a collision with a minibus on Friday.

This is the 57th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 11th in Orange County — including four OC riders who have died in the last week.

My heartfelt prayers for the victim and his family.

Thanks to Lois for the heads-up.

Update: the Orange County Coroner confirms the fatality, without naming the victim; thanks to CK for the link.

Update 2: The OCBC has confirmed that the rider who was killed on Sunday was a 51-year old male resident of Buena Park. He was riding without lights or reflective gear, despite the full darkness at that hour, and was not wearing a helmet; whether that could have made a difference is still to be determined.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Yet another Orange County cycling death, and a long list of bike links for your midweek reading

September 19, 2012 / / 4 comments

Word is just crawling in, as an aside to another story, of yet another cyclist succumbing to fatal injuries last week.

Seventy-four year old Orange County resident Lafayette “Lafe” Parkin fell while training for the California Coast Bicycle Classic near the UC Irvine Medical Center on August 31st, resulting in a severe head injury.

His 32-year old son Josh took his father’s place on the tour, finishing the ride on Sunday; his father passed away on Wednesday while his son was filling in for him.

This is the 56th cycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 10th in Orange County. Parkin is the second rider to die in a solo fall in Orange County in 2012, and the 13th in the seven-county SoCal region.

My deepest condolences and prayers for Parkin, and all his family and loved ones. And my respect for Josh; I can’t imagine the emotions he went through riding in his father’s name under such difficult circumstances.

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Elly Blue questions the obvious sexism in bicycle marketing; Bicycling’s Fit Chick says that’s one thing she won’t miss about missing this year’s Interbike.

Seriously.

I have nothing against using sex in advertising. But only when there’s a genuine connection with the product being sold.

Otherwise, it’s just annoying. And ineffective.

And stupid.

Meanwhile, Kent’s Bike Blog brilliantly puts the process of bike shopping in perspective.

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Two and a Half Men star Jon Cryer suffers some nasty road rash during Sunday’s Malibu Triathlon, crediting his helmet with saving his skull after experiencing the dreaded Wobble of Death.

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I seriously want this jersey, featuring one of the greatest, and sadly least known, cyclists of all time. Last day to order is September 25.

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After last year’s humongous non-event, I’m not falling for the massive hype of Carmageddon II — The Sequel this time.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of the relatively car-free streets that should result, as a number of bike rides and events are being planned for the weekend.

First up, Streetsblog and the Bikerowave team up for a night of Streetfilms and fun to benefit C.I.C.L.E. founder Shay Sanchez on Friday the 28th, starting at 7 pm.

Culver City-based Walk ‘n Rollers is hosting a series of rides through the Westside on Saturday, September 29th, with family-friendly routes from eight to 22 miles. The same day, a pair of Valley rides roll along the Orange Line Bike Path and other nearby bikeways.

And Metro and C.I.C.L.E. are joining forces to promote the 2.5 hour, eight-mile Carmageddon Valley Ride on Sunday the 30th.

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The next BPIT meeting is scheduled for 1 – 4 pm on Tuesday, October 2nd. Instructors from the LAPD’s bike patrol patrol Interbike for new gear. Downtown will soon have an ice cream shop churned by bike power. CLR Effect looks at ways to carry your stuff on your bike; Boyonabike considers larger options. Cyclicious encounters the LACBC’s own Bobby Gadda as he makes his way back down the coast on his tallbike. Gary considers walk and bikenomics from last week’s Pro Walk/Pro Bike in Long Beach. The Bike League declares last week’s National Women’s Bicycling Summit, part of Pro Walk/Pro Bike, a huge success; they aren’t the only ones.

Fallen Newport Beach cyclist Sarah Leaf is described by friends as funny, inspirational and extraordinary. Maybe a selfish driver who forced a 4th grader out of a crosswalk isn’t such a petty complaint after all. Should be a great party next week, as BikeSD officially launches as a citywide bike advocacy group; any organization formed by Sam Ollinger has my unqualified support — and hopefully, yours, as well. San Diego could have a bike share program of their own as soon as next spring; L.A., Irvine and Long Beach provider Bike Nation is one of the contenders. An apparently suicidal cyclist reportedly rides his bike into the path of a Redlands driver. Evidently they get it in NorCal, as a Red Bluff man is sentenced to 11 years in prison for killing a 73-year old cyclist while driving under the influence; I just wish courts down here placed that much value on a human life. Then again, not so much in Lompoc, either.

CNN considers why young Americans are bypassing the automotive right of passage — without once mentioning the word bike. Bicycling interviews bicycling actor Patrick Dempsey. An Arizona writer looks at life differently after surviving a bicycling collision. The Colorado Highway Patrol is looking for a driver who honked behind two cyclists for several minutes rather than passing. A board member of advocacy group BikeTexas is run down from behind and killed while riding her bike. Both sides in a Chattanooga debate agree that cyclists need to do our part to avoid collisions; make that all three sides, as I concur. How to conquer your fears as a beginning cyclist. Boston Daily asks why so many cyclists are dying on the streets, suggesting a summer-long truce between bike riders and motorists has ended. New York decides safety is more important than speed for delivery riders. The New York Daily News says it’s time to rethink bike share if it’s going to succeed. Brooklyn cyclists complain about the latest obstacles blocking bike lanes. I love this turn of the century postcard. Philadelphia finds more riders mean fewer collisions — not accidents, thank you. A Florida man is under arrest for faking a hit-and-run collision; his story was done in by one of those seemingly ubiquitous security cameras. A beginner’s guide to not dying while biking in the Everglades.

Why do so many people love cycling but hate cyclists? Intentionally run down a Brit cyclist, get a fine of less than $570. A mother finds her 27-year old cyclist son dead on the side of the road after he doesn’t return home from a ride. Olympic cyclists call for making British roads safer for bikes. A Scott writer calls for investing in bikeways while making cyclists liable for all the harm we do; wait, it is bike riders who kill tens of thousands of innocent people on roadways around the world every year, right? A Welsh writer complains about cyclists travelling at abnormal speeds while wearing supersonic helmets; bet I could have found one of those at Interbike. Retired Olympic gold medalist Alexandre Vinokourov auctions his bike for nearly a quarter million dollars, with the money going to charity. Police take mandatory helmet laws to the extreme, as a retired cyclist dies in a tussle with officers over his lack of a head gear.

Finally, no, this isn’t from The Onion — the Biking Black Hole of Beverly Hills really is pursuing a bike share program. No, really.

Even if they can’t manage to paint a single inch of bike lane in the entire city.

Category: Bicycle Safety, General, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , , , ,
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