Day 287 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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It looks like lots of people loved Sunday’s Heart of LA CicLAvia.
One that I missed out on, since neither my wife or corgi were up to it — one because still recovering from a heart attack, and the other after getting a bunch of shots at the vet.
I’ll leave it up to you to decide which was which.
Beutner was a big supporter of bicycling when he first ran for mayor a little over a decade ago, following a bike crash led him to change careers from building a successful business to serving as Antonio Villaraigosa’s deputy mayor.
We’ll have to see if that’s still a priority for him this time around.
This is shaping up to be our best Santa Clarita event ever, and we can’t wait to see you there.
As a reminder, advance registration prices end at midnight on October 25—register now to lock in the best rate!
Whether you’re riding or running, you’ll be supporting Streets Are For Everyone’s mission to make our roads safer—and we couldn’t be more grateful for your help.
As usual, there will be an amazingraffle at the event! You can pre-purchase tickets, pick them up at packet pickup, or at our merchandise table during the event!
Thank you for being part of this important cause. We can’t wait to see you at the starting line!
♂️♂️ Costumes are encouraged, but optional for participation! ♂️
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
It’s happened once again, again. A day after we discussed a Massachusetts driver who used his car as a weapon to run down someone on a bike, we learn that police in the UK are looking for a hit-and-run van driver who ran over a 49-year old man’s bicycle after first “racially abusing” the victim, then deliberately trying to run him over.
Fullerton residents called for protected bike lanes and better street lighting at last week’s city council meeting, after two Cal State Fullerton students were critically injured when they were struck by a truck driver while sharing an e-scooter. Although someone should tell the CSUF student newspaper that most trucks still usually have drivers.
National
NBC News offers video of Portland’s rain-soaked emergency naked bike ride to protest Trump’s militarization of the city; the reported thousands of riders were also confronted by a few dozen counterprotestors. But if the riders are wearing clear rain ponchos, are they really naked?
A college senior in my bicycle-friendly Colorado hometown credits a free bike helmet she got as a freshman with saving her life when she went headfirst over her handlebars, returning to the same event as a volunteer four years later to hand them out herself. And yes, that’s exactly the kind of relatively slow speed crash bike helmets are designed for, not protecting riders from massive SUVs as most drivers seem to assume.
The Guardian looks back on Tadej Pogačar’s total domination of the cycling season, despite battling a bout of mid-season depression, while Tour de France Femmes champ Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s extreme weight loss proves almost as divisive as trans women in amateur bike races.
The University of Colorado highlights the return of paracyclist Jason Macom, whose track cycling career ended with a severe knee injury that eventually resulted in an amputation, then a second career as a paracyclist ended when his prothesis irritated his knee; a new procedure that grafted a prothesis directly onto the bone has allowed him to make a comeback, qualifying for this week’s 2025 Para-cycling Track World Championships in Rio de Janeiro.
He was allegedly captured on surveillance video swerving his SUV into the 42-year old victim’s bike at a high rate of speed, with no sign of braking. He then drove off, abandoning his vehicle about three minutes later.
Police say he knew the victim, who had texted a woman living with the suspect just minutes before the fatal crash; she also had a bloodied bag the victim was reportedly carrying at the time of the crash.
Adding another twist to the case, a witness reported seeing a gun lying on the ground after the crash, but the weapon was gone when the police arrived.
Just one more reminder that no one needs a gun when you’ve got a motor vehicle. And every driver is at the wheel of multi-ton potential weapon of mass destruction. Fortunately, most people never use their cars that way.
But in the wrong hands, or under the wrong circumstances, they can be.
The mayor of Salisbury, England was joined by his wife and several members of the city council for a ride through the city center, highlighting their efforts to promote sustainable and active travel in and around the city.
Our current mayor, Karen Bass, campaigned insisting that she was one of us, and enjoyed riding a bike, though she preferred sticking to paths and trails over fighting it out with drivers on the streets.
But if she still does, I don’t know anyone who has seen her on one since becoming mayor.
That was when he was knocked off his bicycle by a cab driver back in 2010, despite being surrounded by police and security personnel, while learning to ride a bike so he could ride with his girlfriend.
All of which peaked with former Mayor Eric Garcetti dragging his bigass desk out to Boyle Heights to sign his Vision Zero proclamation. Which, like most of his other visionary proclamations, was never followed up on, as risk-averse city officials watered it all down until the whole damn thing went down the drain.
So maybe if Mayor Bass would ride with us once or twice — or maybe even hold her own bike summit — she might fight a little harder for her self-proclaimed fellow bike riders, rather than just ignoring us.
If not actively fighting against us, as with her ongoing efforts to avoid implementing Measure HLA.
We could hope.
She might even have a shot at regaining our support before next year’s mayoral race, which threatens to turn into a runoff between Rick Caruso and Austin Beutner.
Okay, maybe just a small shot.
But still.
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Thanks to Norm for forwarding a pair of videos
The first punctures the myth of the “Arrogant Cyclist” — the idea that cyclists are selfish, reckless, and entitled — to reveal who’s really acting entitled on our roads.
And it ain’t us.
The second examines a new Dutch-style protected intersection in Montreal, which some local drivers have labelled an “anti-car labyrinth.”
Although, to be honest, I’d be totally down with that.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. Bodycam footage shows a Portland cop blaming the victim of a road rage attack — who happened to be a Licensed Cycling Instructor familiar with the law — for the crime of riding legally in the traffic lane, which apparently enraged a motorist to the point of, yes, using his car as a weapon. Then again, that cop would probably blame a shooting victim for standing in front of the bullet.
It was a rough weekend for bike riders in Northern California, with bicyclists suffering serious injuries when they were struck by drivers in Martinez, Fresno and Sacramento County.
Sacramento police have arrested three men on murder charges, three months after a man was reported missing when family members found his bicycle abandoned near a creek trail, not far from from blood stains and spent bullet casings, as officers termed his disappearance “suspicious in nature.” Gee, ya think?
Tadej Pogačar capped his dominance of the cycling world by winning Il Lombardia for the fifth time in a row, tying the legendary Fausto Coppi’s record wins for the year’s final Monument, while becoming the first man since Eddy Merckx a full 50 years ago to win three Monuments, the Tour de France and a world title in a single season.
And he would know, because he used to ride a bicycle before he gave it up because of all those dangerous drivers out there.
I’ve finally reached the conclusion that it’s all about narcissism. It’s all about appearance. It’s all about ego. People want to look cool. Dark helmets and clothes are cool. Bright helmets and clothing are not. Apparently, they are only for nerds.
It’s commonplace knowledge that we live in a culture of narcissism where one’s appearance and self-presentation are everything. And part of the culture of narcissism in Boulder is the desire to appear to others to be living life effortlessly and successfully without restrictions, just gliding masterfully through life, exempt from fear, looking good. It’s this same desire that results in motorcyclists (“organ doners,” (sic) as professional truckers call them) riding without helmets. I have a friend who spent a summer during college working in a clinic for people with head injuries. They were all men, and a high portion were motorcyclists. He said that after that experience, you could not pay him to ride a motorcycle.
Yes, unlike, say, human beings, bike riders base their entire decision on what to wear on whether they like it, and think it looks good on them.
When we all know that anyone who cared about safety would put on their oversized shoes, bright yellow vests and full clown makeup before ever leaving home.
Oh, and a screaming neon bike helmet, because everyone knows a little bit of plastic on your head will make your body impervious to any injury that might otherwise be inflicted by a speeding, distracted driver in massive SUV.
Seriously, I’m as safety conscious as anyone.
I try to wear clothing that contrasts with the environment — bright at night and cloudy days, dark on bright, sunny ones. Not because I’m a raging anti-narcissist, but because decades of experience tell me it can help get the attention of drivers.
Okay, some drivers.
And yes, I also wear a helmet, not because it’s the moral equivalent of seat belts, air bags and crumple zones, but because it might offer some degree of protection should my thick skull make contact with the pavement.
Although recognizing that bike helmets are designed to protect against relatively slow speed falls, not high-speed crashes — and acknowledging that other people may make other choices, informed or otherwise.
Because that’s what other people do.
I also believe in lighting my bike up like a Christmas tree, day and night, not because those flashing lights look pretty, but because it’s the best way I know to try to catch the attention of the people in a big, dangerous machines.
And trust me, if I knew a better way, I’d do it in a New York minute. Which somehow seems to be faster than other minutes, through some strange quirk of quantum physics.
Never mind that if you’re going to live your life in fear, you might as well just stay home hiding under the couch cushions.
And I don’t know about you, but I refuse to live that way.
As the late, great Damon Runyon wrote, “All life is 6 to 5 against.” You accept that, do what you can to improve your odds, and live your life anyway.
Narcissism be damned.
Unfortunately, the Boulder op-ed is hidden behind the paper’s paywall, so you may have trouble seeing it. Because, apparently not fully grasping how the internet works, they somehow expect you to subscribe to newspaper a thousand miles from Southern California that you may never read again.
And yes, I know print media struggling, and needs all the help they can get.
But that’s not the way to make it work. Especially when drawing more distant eyeballs could help raise ad revenue.
Today’s photo of a narcissistic ninja by Iren Fedo from Pexels.
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Rebecca forwards news of a teenaged girl killed by a hit-and-run driver while walking in Monrovia on Sunday. And even though this site is about bicycling, it’s worth sharing in an effort to find some justice for the victim, identified as Sulmy Merary Lopez.
A 16 year old was killed on Sunday in Monrovia in a hit and run. I haven’t seen much public about it yet, but the Monrovia police department has a request out for information on their socials, which has been picked up by Monrovia Now.
There is also a gofundme out. I cannot confirm the validity of this. I certainly hope it is valid, but I have no personal information.
The crowdfunding page, which is in Spanish, reads,
To all kind-hearted people who would like to contribute to the funeral of my little sister Sulmy, who was born on January 9, 2009, and passed away yesterday, October 5, 2025, at just 16 years old. She was hit by a car in a terrible accident. I hope the police can investigate these events and give us the answers we so desperately need. We sincerely ask for your help so we can repatriate her to Guatemala. My mother, Juana López, and my brother, Breily Rivas, will be grateful to any kind people who want to contribute. Thank you and many blessings.
As of this writing, the page has raised just $465 of the modest $3,500 goal.
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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 reporter for The London Telegraph stood on a corner in the city’s virtually carfree Bank District and counted 172 bike riders running red lights in a single hour, claiming it’s only a matter of time before someone gets killed. No one should ever go through a red light or crosswalk when people are crossing or riding in the other direction, but they seem to be mistaking bicycles for big dangerous machines that hurt a lot more when they hit you.
Los Angeles County’s proposed Urban Natureways initiative would reimagine the region’s underutilized flood control channels and utility corridors as “vibrant” greenways; the key corridors identified for the first phase include Compton Creek, the San Gabriel Valley’s Emerald Necklace, the Lower Los Angeles River and the Pacoima Wash.
This is why people keep dying on our streets. A 48-year old Oakland woman was arrested on DUI and hit-and-run charges after allegedly injuring a Berkeley bike rider — despite having an open DUI case from last year. Maybe we should require interlock devices as a condition of bail for anyone arrested on a DUI charge.
National
An adventure travel site ranks the top ten bicycling destinations in the US, with San Diego at number two. And yes, riding the city’s streets was definitely an adventure back when I lived down there.
This is how Vision Zero is supposed to work. A Northern Kentucky bridge is getting a Complete Streets makeover, removing a traffic lane in each direction while installing buffered bike lanes, in response to demands for change after a woman was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding across the bridge with her boyfriend. But why do changes like this always seem to come only after it’s too late?
A Pittsburgh woman credits total strangers with saving her life, as well as her ability to walk, after she flipped her ebike into a ditch and felt her neck snap; a man who had just proposed to his girlfriend spotted her bike while driving by and got out to help — and the couple just happened to be a nurse/paramedic and an EMT.
Cycling Weekly calls Tern’s compact e-cargo bike the ultimate family vehicle, saying it’s “so easy to ride and so adaptable, it can help anyone get ‘stuff’ done.” Which I only mention because it’s exactly what I would buy, if only I could afford the price of a decent used car, which I can’t.
The CBC says some people in the local bicycling community have been scared off their bikes in Prince George, British Columbia due to a lack of safe infrastructure, in the months since one man was killed and another seriously injured when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver while training for a charity bike ride; the driver faces DUI, hit-and-run and dangerous driving charges.
Arguably the country’s largest and most popular open streets event, CicLAvia returns to the streets of DTLA, Boyle Heights and Westlake/MacArthur Park almost exactly fifteen years to the day after the original 10/10/10 event.
And yes, I still have the T-shirt, though I now keep it safely packed away for posterity.
And no, that has nothing to do with a little apparent shrinkage affecting the mid-section.
A new annual cycling and recovery event in partnership with The Phoenix & Trudging Buddies
Ojai, CA — This fall marks the inaugural SoCal Resilience Ride, a first-of-its-kind weekend bringing together cyclists, people in recovery, and community members for three days of connection, challenge, and healing. Held November 14–16, 2025 at Lake Casitas Campground in Ojai, the event blends purpose-driven rides, wellness activities, and recovery-centered fellowship.
The SoCal Resilience Ride is co-presented by Trudging Buddies and The Phoenix, two nonprofit organizations dedicated to creating recovery communities rooted in strength, service, and hope. Together, they are laying the foundation for what will become a signature annual event for Southern California’s cycling and recovery communities.
“This first year is about building something lasting. The SoCal Resilience Ride combines the healing power of community, the challenge of cycling, and the spirit of recovery into one unforgettable weekend.” — Dave O’ Brien Trudging Buddies Board Chair
What to Expect — Three Days, One Journey
Friday, November 14 — Arrival and check-in at Lake Casitas Campground, community welcome, and dinner.
Saturday, November 15 — The ride! Choose between 20, 38, or 88-mile routes with full on-route support. Non-cyclists can enjoy hikes, kayaking, and other outdoor activities. All meals provided.
Sunday, November 16 — Breakfast, morning activities, and closing community circle before departure.
With bagged lunches, full SAG and mechanical support, rest stops, and community programming, the SoCal Resilience Ride ensures a safe and memorable experience for riders of all levels.
“We’re proud to partner with Trudging Buddies to bring the SoCal Resilience Ride to life. This event creates space for resilience, unity, and sustainable recovery.” — Andy Short, The Phoenix
Sponsored by Community
This first-year event is made possible through the generosity of sponsors.
Spots are limited to 200 riders and 50 volunteers. Secure your early-bird registration before October 15 and join us for a weekend of cycling, community, and recovery.
The Los Angeles Police Department told NBC4 Investigates exclusively that the woman was taking her dog for a walk in the area of 8th Street and Cloverdale in the Miracle Mile neighborhood at around 8:30 a.m. Sunday when she – and the dog – were struck by a Toyota pickup truck.
When the truck, which may have run a stop sign, pulled over, the passenger from the car got out, but the people in the truck quickly took off from the crash site without offering to help the victim, according to the LAPD.
The story goes on to say that the driver turned herself in Sunday night. Which would have given her plenty of time to sober up if she was under the influence at the time of the crash.
Fortunately, our friend is going to recover. But her dog, who was our corgi’s best friend and the sweetest boy ever, was killed — okay, murdered — by someone who didn’t have the basic human decency to stop afterwards to see if they were okay.
And while felony hit-and-run resulting in serious injury is punishable by u to four years behind bars in this state, you can expect LA’s overburdened prosecutors to plea bargain it down to a misdemeanor, which carries a max of six months in county jail.
But since the woman turned herself in — albeit belatedly — she’ll probably walk with nothing more than probation, especially if it’s her first offense.
Meanwhile, dogs are just considered property under California law, so fleeing the scene after killing it carries a penalty of a very limp slap on the wrist.
If that.
To say I’m angry, sad and disgusted all jumbled together is the understatement of the year.
I’m also heartbroken to think our friend will come home from the hospital to an empty house, surrounded by reminders of the dog she loved.
And that none of us will ever get to see that sweet boy again.
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BlueSky user Glenn with 2 Ns offers great thread recounting a recent ride through the newly reopened Monrovia Canyon Park.
So maybe there’s hope for Los Angeles yet, if city leaders would just get their heads out of their asses take providing alternatives to driving seriously.
Calbike explains what all the various bikeway signs mean. Like the one that says No Motor Vehicles, which isn’t actually a Latin term for “drive here,” despite what some motorists seem to think.
Indiana children’s bikemaker Guardian Bikes called on the Trump administration to steeply increase tariffs on bicycles and bike frames, as well as the aluminum content of ebikes with motors greater than 250 watts, arguing that reshoring would eliminate over 200 million pounds of steel imports and 40 million pounds of aluminum imports. Even though it would probably be the death knell for the rest of the American bicycle industry (see San Diego bike shop, above).
A Pittsburgh judge ordered a local business association to post a $40,000 bond if they want to halt work on a new bike lane, as business owners once again, and predictably, try to shoot themselves in the foot by blocking bike lanes, even though they have been repeatedly shown to boost business.
Safety improvements are finally underway in Bethesda, Maryland, three years after US diplomat Sarah Langenkamp was killed by a driver while riding her bike, just weeks after moving back with her family to escape the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
International
Cycling Weekly says bike bells may be deeply uncool, but every bicyclist should have one, because you can’t rely on your free hub to tell people you’re there. Something I’d totally agree with if most bike riders didn’t already come equipped with a voice, which can do the same work more effectively, if not as charmingly.
The editor of an English-language newspaper in Florence, Italy fondly remembers her first issue, when her husband loaded stacks of the paper onto his bicycle for distribution, grateful for their 20 years printing the paper, after he died from Alzheimer’s earlier this year. A reminder that bicycles so often figure prominently in many people’s best memories.
Seriously? Bike racing journalist and analyst Thijs Zonneveld says pro cycling has a Tadej Pogačar problem, arguing that he could continue his current dominance of the sport for years. Just like the sport had an Eddy Merckx problem before him, or a Jacques Anquetil or Fausto Coppi problem, right? Never mind that American guy who shall not be named.
Day 281 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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Call it a mental health day.
I couldn’t get my head straight after writing about Sunday’s fatal bicycling crash in Lemon Grove, and just didn’t have it in me to write anymore about bikes yesterday. Or anything else, for that matter.
All these years of writing about fallen bike riders is really weighing on my heart, and I honestly don’t know how long I can keep it up.
Although you could have fooled me on that last part.
And only an infinitesimal amount of LA’s hit-and-runs ever results in an arrest.
Here’s an idea of how rare that is. There were more than 7,000 known hit-and-run accidents in Los Angeles from 2022 to 2024. While only a small percent of the hit and runs resulted in death, the troubling, eye popping statistic was that an infinitesimal number of hit-and-run drivers were ever arrested. How infinitesimal? Exactly 1%.
It gets even worse. The number of hit and runs, according to Los Angeles Police Department figures, have dropped in the last year. But not in South Los Angeles, where a disproportionate number of the hit and runs occur. And as the figures show, the likelihood of an arrest is slim to almost none.
He also goes on to explain the most common reasons drivers flee.
A driver who strikes another vehicle or — worse a pedestrian — often panics. They fear arrest, jailing and potentially a conviction and imprisonment.
There are many circumstances that cause hit-and-run accidents. The most common are drug and alcohol impairment, speeding, driver distraction, cell phone use and sleep deprivation drowsiness.
Drivers that hit and run flee because they have been involved in a crime, lack a valid driver’s license and/or insurance, are intoxicated or on drugs. At the very least, a driver involved in a hit and run fears not just prosecution but loss of a driver’s license.
These days, you can add immigration status to that, as people fear they could be deported by ICE if they get arrested, let alone convicted, of a traffic crime.
Hutchinson goes on to add that even LA’s standing $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of killer hit-and-run drivers isn’t enough to get witnesses to come forward, who too often fear getting involved.
The solution, according to Hutchinson, is a proposal to create special multi-agency law enforcement hit-and-run task force, followed by tough prosecution of the drivers.
All I can say is about damn time.
And good luck with that.
Because California’s lenient hit-and-run laws actually provide an incentive to flee, since the penalty for hit-and-run is often lower than for DUI or other crimes. And LA prosecutors usually bargain away serious penalties to get a guilty plea, rather than go to trial.
But even if a driver is sentenced to jail time, California’s overcrowded penal system means it’s too often a revolving door that results in an unwarranted released after serving just a fraction of their term.
If you’ve been reading this site for awhile, you know what I propose to address, if not solve, the problem.
But one way or another, we have to do something.
Because failing to make an arrest, let alone get a conviction, not only means the driver won’t be held accountable.
It means the victims have to bear to full cost of recovering from their injuries.
And more California drivers will just continue to flee.
Today’s photo may be from Long Beach’s popular Beach Streets open streets event, but it’s a gentle reminder for drivers after a crash, too.
The crash was recorded by Probst’s killers, and shared with their fellow high school students. And quickly became one of the highest profile crashes in a nationwide rash of deliberate vehicular assaults on bike riders by teens in stolen cars, and recorded for social media.
According to Las Vegas News 3, the driver, Jesus Ayala, faces a sentence of 20 years to life after pleading guilty to felony counts of robbery, battery with the use of a deadly weapon, and second-degree murder.
The deadly weapon being a car, in this case.
Jzamir Keys, the passenger who filmed the attack and laughed afterward, is scheduled to enter a guilty plea on Tuesday of next week.
Probst’s wife and children have filed a lawsuit against Ayala and Keys, as well as Hyundai Motor Company, alleging that a defect in Hyundai Elantras enabled them to steal the car they used to murder him.
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The Victorville community is rallying to support a 13-year old boy who was severely injured by a DUI driver while riding his bike last week, according to the Victorville Daily Press.
A crowdfunding campaign has raised nearly $5,000 for the victim, identified as Manuel Sanchez.
According to his uncle, he’s hospitalized on a breathing tube, with injuries including a broken leg, broken arm, lacerated liver and kidney, internal bleeding in his stomach, as well as bruised lungs and injuries to his small intestine and spleen.
Thirty-six-year old Victorville resident Rosalie Marie Morales was released on $250,000 bond, after she was booked on suspicion of DUI involving both alcohol and drugs causing severe bodily injury.
Although LA drivers probably still wouldn’t know how to navigate one.
In the 1920s, Wilshire and Western was one of the busiest intersections in LA. Chaos ensued when city planners adopted the use of a roundabout to control traffic in those pre-traffic signal days, and newspapers published graphic tutorials for motorists. pic.twitter.com/ScTbkiYGh1
Dr. Grace Peng rightfully complains that bicyclists are not allowed to use the “beautiful newly widened underpass where PCH crosses the old Pacific Electric Railway in Manhattan Beach.”
The only problem is, Manhattan Beach refuses to allow bikes to use it. @calbike.bsky.social @streetsforall.org @bikinginla.bsky.social @streetsblogla.bsky.social
Don’t miss the latest edition of Bike Talk, which has shifted from its original local Los Angeles focus to a national perspective.
@strongtowns.org founder Chuck Marohn with Strong Townish Love Letter to Suburbia author Diane Alisa, @ericbrightwell.bsky.social on the fight for bikes in WeHo, Boston Bikeway Block Party, Bikes, Birds, & BART with @bikingmzstacey.bsky.social, and more. soundcloud.com/biketalk/253…
Police in the UK complain about “inaccurate” news reports that they won’t investigate bike thefts from train stations if the bikes have been parked for more than two hours, before confirming that it is, in fact, true.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A San Diego TV station says a new road diet and parking-protected bike lanes on the city’s Claremont Drive draws a mixed reaction from drivers and bicyclists — while apparently talking to exactly two people. And for the woman worried about evacuating in a fire, in the event of an emergency, feel free to use the center turn lane and wide bike lane buffer, which probably mean there’s actually more room for cars to escape, not less.
The organizers of Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride have set this Sunday as the date for their “emergency ride” in response to President Trump’s efforts to deploy the National Guard in the city. Which gives you plenty of time to get up there and join in, no suitcase necessary.
Cycling Weeklyasks if bike paths are doomed, as Donald Trump declares war on bicycles, and cities in the UK just don’t use available funding to build them.
A Canadian radio program discusses a world-traveling adventure cyclist, who returned home to ride from one end of Edmonton, Alberta to the other, and posted the video to YouTube. Although it’s kinda hard to see the video on the radio broadcast. Thanks again to Megan for the heads-up.
An op-ed writer says if anyone is truly outraged that the country spent €100,000 — the equivalent of $116,000 — to build secure bike parking at an Irish hospital, they should see what car parking costs, let alone the country’s “investment in congestion, pollution and the continuation of car-first planning.” Yes, credit Megan for that link, too.
A Senegalese bicyclist is using social media to bring calm to the roads and end the transportation culture wars, arguing that “We’re not the enemy, and drivers aren’t either.” Which is true, except only the drivers are operating multi-ton weapons of mass destruction.
Yet another young cyclist is throwing in the towel, as 23-year old Alexandre Vinokurov announced his retirement from the XDS-Astana cycling team, saying he’s “been riding in fear and pain” since a devastating crash in March when he was struck by a driver while training in Greece.
Something I’ve had to stop doing because I don’t have many pieces left these days.
Bogart addressed a Life Kit article we touched on recently offering tips for bike and pedestrian safety, zeroing in on the problems with it much more effectively than I did.
Here’s just a portion of what he wrote.
I’m sure your intent was good, but there is so much we don’t do in our country to protect vulnerable road users that a piece like yours becomes victim blaming. The advice isn’t inherently bad (well, some of it is), but in the context of how poorly we as a country prevent crashes, it becomes ridiculous if you don’t address drivers directly.
You mentioned in your piece, “DON’T put yourself in danger just because you have the right of way. While drivers are responsible for driving safely, road safety is everyone’s responsibility.” I could pick apart every single recommendation you gave, but this is the worst part of your piece. No bicyclist can ride on the road, no pedestrian can cross a street, without the expectation that one’s right of way will be respected. To then say that road safety is everyone’s responsibility ignores the imbalance between vulnerable road users and motor vehicle drivers. My responsibility as a bicyclist is NOT the same as someone driving a two ton vehicle capable of high speed. It simply isn’t the same. The responsibility of the driver is far greater. And that’s why we are required to have a driver’s license and insurance to operate a motor vehicle and we’re not required to be licensed to ride a bike or walk. But it doesn’t end with a license or an insurance payment. It extends to behavior on the road and drivers should be held to a much higher standard than they currently are. We’ve lost sight of the inherent differences between drivers and vulnerable road users by stating that we’re all equally responsible. That statement also doesn’t take into account children, the elderly, or people with disabilities. There should be more onus placed on licensed drivers, simply because the act of driving a motor vehicle creates the greater risk in the first place.
And yes, it’s worth clicking on the link to read the whole thing.
Preferably after reading the Life Kit piece, which seems pretty benign at first glance, until you give it a little more thought.
“What’s going on everybody?” he said breezily. “We’re back with another stream and this one is going to be a little different from the previous ones.”
A few minutes later, he started to explain: “In a neighboring town, unfortunately, two girls were killed in a hit-and-run crash,” he said. “There has been a lot of misinformation going on over the internet. But I will say this: I wish my sincerest condolences to those girls, lost in that tragic accident.” He then said that he was “not authorized to talk about the whole thing,” and moved on.
No shit.
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Gravel Bike California goes riding with current gravel world champ and Paris-Roubaix winner Mathieu Van Der Poel.
Lucky bastards.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.
The New York Times says the pedestrians, equestrians and ebike riders are competing for space in Central Park, blaming the ebikers for making the park’s roadways “increasingly chaotic” as they move through at high speeds. Yet they somehow illustrate the story by showing people riding their bikeshare ebikes rather sedately.
Results of a survey published in the journal Human Reproduction show that riding a bike with a padded saddle could reduce your chances of becoming a father, showing up to a 25% lower chance of getting a partner pregnant; riding a hard road saddle didn’t appear to have any effect. Which could cause a rush on padded bike seats among single straight men.
Day 276 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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He almost gets it.
A columnist for the Washington Post writes about the onslaught of teens on e-motos, almost — but not quite — distinguishing the “e-bike menace” of non-street legal electric motorbikes and dirt bikes from standard ped-assist ebikes.
I was in Hermosa Beach, California, the sweetest little beach town your toes can dig into, when I pressed the crosswalk button. The flashing lights came on, meaning: let’s go. I was one step into the street when a kid about 13 on a bike nearly sent me to my obituary.
But not just any bike. This was one of those e-motorbikes. Have you seen these things? They look like Suzuki dirt bikes, only cooler, quicker and deadlier, since you don’t hear them coming…
But this kid wasn’t just riding his. He was pulling a wheelie on the thing while doing about 40 mph. His front wheel was up so high, it nearly took my face off. Which means he wasn’t looking at any stupid flashing crosswalk lights.
Never mind that under California law, and most states who’ve copied it, ebikes are limited to a max of 28 mph, making anything that can go anywhere near as fast as he said the kid was doing illegal.
But then, he seems to have considered that.
There are tons of e-bike rules and regs, but somehow it’s legal in many states to ride an e-moto on streets as long as it has pedals and can’t go over 28 mph. Kids just go on YouTube and learn how to defeat the speed limiter.
All of which points out the need to clarify the distinction between ped-assist ebikes and e-motorbikes, which Calbike pushed the state legislature to consider this year.
And which they rejected.
Which leaves us with the same problem we’ve faced for the past few years. People who want — or need — a ped-assist ebike to exercise, run errands, replace the family car, or use as a mobility device, are getting lumped in with kids riding overpowered e-motos, and using poor judgement.
Sort of like kids have always done. But with a lot more speed and power at their disposal.
Which means we all get tarred with the same brush.
A success that consisted of exactly one misdemeanor arrest, three illegal e-motorcycles seized, 22 stops for various traffic violations, and just eight tickets.
Which would suggest that maybe the problem isn’t as big as advertised.
And maybe they would have been better off cracking down on the people in the big, dangerous machines, rather than the little annoying ones.
Complicating matters even further, Westfield, New Jersey Police Chief Christopher Battiloro is a close family friend and neighbor of one of the victims.
The same could presumably be said of the local school district and yes, the police department headed by his “distant” relative, who apparently did nothing to stop him.
Candidates for mayor of Montreal insist they don’t oppose bicycling, but some don’t support expanding the city’s bike network, even though the limited loss of parking has generally been offset by an increase in retail sales and livability.
You’ve got to be kidding. Life really is cheap in the UK, where a 32-year old man walked without a day behind bars for killing a 54-year old woman participating in a bicycling time trial, despite admitting he never saw the victim because he was way too busy looking at his phone. But at least he was banned from driving for a whole year. So if you want to know why people keep dying on the streets, overly lenient sentences like this are a damn good place to start.
He also faces a count of assault with a deadly weapon for using his car to attack the victim, as well as additional enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury, personal use of a deadly weapon and gang activity.
Prosecutors allege he contacted the 39-year old victim before the intentional vehicular assault, then crashed into a parked car as he fled the scene; police arrested him after finding his damaged car half-a-mile away.
Speaking of murder and using a motor vehicle as a weapon, the news broke today that the two 17-year old New Jersey girls killed in a hit-and-run while riding an ebike were the intentional victims of a stalker.
Neighbors alleged the boy had stalked one of the girls for several months, parking outside her house, as well as stalking her online and at school. A local TV station reported that school officials had known about the stalking for months.
Although it’s still unknown what led him to kill them.
Again, allegedly.
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Streetsblog’s Joe Linton says funding is partly in place to close the eight-mile gap in the LA River bike path through DTLA and Boyle Heights.
As SBLA noted earlier, the delays are mainly caused by the lack of a public agency that will be responsible for path operations and maintenance.
When Metro expands freeways, the state (Caltrans) maintains them. When Metro expands rail or bus facilities, Metro maintains them. When Metro expands bicycle and pedestrian transportation… it depends…
But Metro representatives state that Metro will not maintain the L.A. River path because Metro doesn’t own the right-of-way it will be built on.
The project was originally part of former Mayor Garcetti’s Twenty-Eight by ’28 program, one of the 28 green transportation projects originally intended to be finished in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
But as we noted yesterday, the project list has been repeatedly watered down, with one project after another replaced by something easier, cheaper and/or faster.
And this was one of the first to go.
Linton also notes that construction costs have risen in the half-dozen years while Metro has dithered waiting for someone, anyone, to step up to act as the maintenance agency.
Which means that the previous funding isn’t enough to cover the current estimates of roughly $1 billion.
If and when it ever gets built.
Here’s Linton again.
It is unclear how this project gets built any time soon. For years, Metro staff have been unsuccessful in arranging for someone else to pay for facility maintenance in perpetuity. It will likely take leadership from L.A. City and L.A. County elected officials (all facing their own budget issues) to get this project out of the limbo it has been trapped in for the last half-decade.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.
Once again, business owners try to shoot themselves in the foot, after a judge paused construction of a new Pittsburgh bike lane when business owners and a local business association requested an injunction against it. Maybe the judge could politely point out that bike lanes are actually good for business, making the area around it more walkable and livable, while boosting retail sales.
Um, okay. A Philadelphia city council member held off authorizing a vote to build new bike lanes around city hall, releasing a statement saying he needs to see them in action first. Although maybe he can explain how exactly he proposes to see them in action without building the damn things.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Family members are still waiting for justice, a year after a London woman was severely injured by a 19-year old hit-and-run ebike rider, and seven months after she died in the hospital.
San Diego opened its first Climate Week on Wednesday, with more than 100 community-led events planned around the county — starting, naturally enough, with yesterday’s bike ride.
This is why people keep dying on our streets. An ex-con faces a murder charge for the 2022 hit-and-run that killed a man riding a bicycle in Fairfield, as well as hit-and-run and weapons charges, thanks to his three — yes, three — previous DUIs; however, the trial was rescheduled for November because the prosecutor asked for a delay. Just another example of lenient prosecutors, judges and policies keeping a dangerous driver on the road until it’s too late.
My former Iditarod mushing and cross-country bicycling brother’s new home of Port Angeles, Washington is planning construction of a new downtown bike network, complete with buffered bike lanes and two-way protected bike lanes in the sub-20,000 population town.
Authorities believe a missing 53-year old woman may be traveling on a teal-colored ebike, after finding her car partially submerged in a canal. Although if she tried to drown the car, it suggests that she doesn’t want to be found. Or if she didn’t, she’s probably not riding a bike.
An Aussie writer says the country needs to remove five million internal combustion vehicles from the roads over the next ten years to meet its climate goals. And he has a two-wheeled suggestion — e- and otherwise — on how to do it. At least they’re trying, unlike a certain backsliding North American superpower we could name.
Or rather, just put Metro in charge, and let ’em rip.
Joshua Seawell, head of policy at the Inclusive Abundance Initiative, says Metro showed what it could do during the pandemic, by closing Wilshire Blvd to traffic for two weeks to finish a leg of the D Line subway ahead of schedule.
That success tells us how to serve Angelenos, let alone the world: Let Metro cook. Empowering the agency — with its ever-increasing competence, guaranteed funding stream, mandate straight from voters, and accountability to a board of electeds — would be a smart way to resolve stasis and reduce regulatory headwinds.
Sure, a reform package from the state or county should generally obligate Metro by default to follow each city’s permitting standards and to make good-faith efforts to modify projects at the request of cities. But it should formalize an expectation that cities, in turn, move quickly and put up funds or match funds to the best of their ability (perhaps drawing on their own allocations under Measures M and R). Metro should also be allowed to judge when those standards and modifications are sufficiently specific, objective and cost-effective.
He clearly has more faith in Metro than I do — especially in light of the agency’s failure to include bike lanes required by Measure HLA on Vermont Ave, asserting that the measure doesn’t apply to it as a county agency.
But he has a point, in that no one — no person, department or agency — is fully responsible for streets and transportation in LA County.
We have far too many hands stirring the pot. Yet not one has the authority to cut through red tape to get things done, and no one is accountable.
Which is the best way to ensure that little or nothing ever gets done. And what does get done takes far too long, and costs too much.
In a report to the Legislature in January 2025, the CHP said that of the three devices installed, only one generated data which the CHP could analyze on a web-based interface. All three devices were found to be “inadequate as a standalone enforcement tool and unsatisfactory in their ability to identify individual offending vehicles to the degree necessary for enforcement action,” the CHP concluded.
The devices had technical problems, location limitations, there were privacy concerns, and there also was the possibility that any revenue generated from tickets using these noise cameras would not cover maintenance and staffing costs for them, the CHP report said. Based on the study’s results, the CHP did not recommend using the cameras as a standalone enforcement tool for ticketing drivers suspected of exhaust noise violations.
So you can look forward to many more years of floor-shaking bass, blaring car horns and thundering muffler-free motorcycles, cars and trucks.
Because once again, the CHP said no, just like they do with everything else.
The family members known as Papa, Neenee and Aunt Megan all died at the scene, while five other members of the family were hospitalized, some in critical condition.
The Florida-based driver was charged with three counts of moving violation causing death, and five counts of moving violation causing serious impairment of a body function.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.
Someone clearly missed the irony of posting red and green colorblindness tests to remind London bike riders to stop for red lights, when studies show the people on four wheels are more likely to break the law than the people on two — and more likely to cause a near miss or crash when they do.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Speaking of which, the Pasadena Department of Transportation is teaming with local nonprofit Day One and the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition to sponsor the city’s eighth annual Walkober.
A career criminal in Houston, Texas is suspected of breaking into homes and stealing bicycles — yet was somehow out on the streets despite a series of prison sentences totaling 99 years behind bars. And this in a state that’s supposed to be tough on crime.
Members of the horrorcore rap group Insane Clown Posse stepped up to donate to a crowdfunding page for a 12-year old Indiana girl, who was killed when she was struck by the driver of a semi-truck while riding her bike across a roadway, after her family posted a photo of the girl wearing the group’s t-shirt.
Boston will test several different kinds of bike lane barriers in hopes of replacing the flimsy car-tickler flexposts currently in use — and too often favored by Los Angeles officials — with something more durable.
Authorities in New Jersey are continuing to investigate the hit-and-run crash that killed two high school girls sharing an ebike; the driver was arrested after literally running away from the collision. And even then, the radio station insists on saying the two best friends were somehow killed by a Jeep, rather than a driver in one.
Philadelphia residents fought it out in the endless battle of bike lanes versus parking during a contentious five-hour city council meeting, as drivers argued bike riders need to compromise, while bike riders said their lives are at stake. So, apparently, they just expect us to compromise our lives. Seems reasonable.
No surprise here. A Russian court has extended the pre-trial detention of French ultracyclist Sofiane Sehili until November, after he was arrested last month for illegally entering the country while attempting to set a new record for crossing Eurasia by bike, despite holding a valid visa. Like others arrested in the authoritarian country, he will likely be used as a bargaining chip to gain concessions from other countries.
And now you, too, can own Albert Einstein’s bicycle seat. So maybe you can solve the unified field theory by putting it on your own bike.
Got a few extra euros in your pocket? You can pick up Einstein's SADDLE… his bike seat from which he uttered that magic phrase "I thought of that while riding my bike"https://t.co/lK8AoXeT2tpic.twitter.com/snUYfH6btc
Or as it’s known here in Los Angeles, just another week.
Because officials in this city would never want to suggest to drivers that they might want to leave their car at home for even a week, no matter how good the cause.
And this is a very good cause.
According to the website,
If you can drive or afford a car, you may not understand what it’s like to rely on walking, rolling, transit and asking for rides. But for nearly a third of people living in the United States – people with disabilities, young people, seniors and people who can’t afford cars or gas – this is our every day.
We created the Week Without Driving experience so that those who have the option to drive can learn firsthand about the barriers and challenges that nondrivers face and work with nondrivers to create more accessible communities for all.
And one of those barriers, as I learned last week, is just how difficult it is to replace a lost ID here in California if you don’t drive a car.
Unlike drivers, who can request a new license online with just a few clicks and get it days later, non-drivers have to fill out a form, and schedule an appointment to appear in person at the DMV.
Since evidently, anyone who doesn’t drive is such a strange thing they have to ensure we actually exist.
Never mind that the next available appointment here in Los Angeles is mid-November.
Yes, November.
Then, and only then, according to the DMV’s website, you can expect a replacement ID to arrive in your hot little hands “just” three to four weeks later.
Which means it will be just a couple weeks before Christmas before I’ll once again have a little piece of plastic to tell anyone who the hell I am if I should get hit by a bus.
All because my wallet fell out of my pocket while riding one.
Yet when my wife realized she’d somehow become separated from her driver’s license when the paramedics took her to the hospital recently, she received a replacement little more than a week later.
So not only should drivers use this week without driving to walk in our shoes, officials in this state should try giving up their licenses to see how the DMV treats anyone crazy enough to live without a car in car-centric California.
Go on. I double-dog dare ’em.
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Streets Are For Everyone is urging, well, everyone to email or call California Governor Gavin Newsom to demand — okay, politely ask in a very firm manner — that he sign SB 720, the Safer Streets Program.
The bill is intended to modernize and simplify the regulations for red light cameras in California, to overcome the problems that have prevented their installation and, in too many cases, led to their removal.
California’s roads tell a grim story. SAFE reviewed the data. Since 2013, severe injuries and fatalities tied to intersection violations have surged 96.1%. In 2023 alone, red-light violations were linked to 195 deaths and more than 1,200 severe injuries. And these aren’t just drivers—the victims include cyclists and pedestrians, who made up nearly one in five of those killed or seriously injured.
Even seasoned drivers admit they hesitate after a light turns green, waiting to see if someone will barrel through the intersection. That hesitation isn’t paranoia—it’s survival.
Never mind the economic costs.
The human toll is incalculable, but the economic cost is staggering. Using the CDC’s WISQARS Cost of Injury calculator, SAFE estimated the financial burden of intersection crashes between 2021 and 2023:
$985 million in costs from severe injuries, nearly a third of it from medical expenses.
$6.96 billion in costs from fatalities.
Altogether, more than $7.9 billion was drained from California in just three years. That’s money that could have gone into schools, hospitals, infrastructure, and community programs—but instead was lost to preventable crashes.
SB 720 is designed to address the problem by improving red light enforcement.
There is a better way. Senate Bill 720—the Safer Streets Program—offers a critical chance to modernize California’s red-light enforcement. Modeled after the state’s successful speed safety camera bill (AB 645), SB 720 would:
Eliminate facial photography, capturing only license plates.
Treat violations like parking tickets, keeping enforcement simple and privacy intact.
Require revenue from citations to be reinvested into safety improvements—not city general funds.
Reduce the cost of citations to a flat $100 for the first citation and increase fines for those who repeatedly run red lights in proportion to the number of violations.
This approach has already proven effective in other states. Red light camera programs across major U.S. cities have reduced fatal crashes by 21% and saved an estimated 1,300 lives in a single year. When programs are dismantled, crashes and fatalities climb again.
It’s already passed both houses of the legislature, and is just waiting for Newsom’s signature, which is anything but a sure thing.
And that’s where you come in.
Once again, here’s how SAFE sums it up.
The data is clear. The solutions exist. And yet, lives continue to be lost every day California delays reform. SB 720 is now in the Governor’s hands, representing a chance to save lives and reclaim billions of dollars for our communities.
The question is not whether red-light running is preventable—it is. The question is whether California will finally choose to act.
Because every number in these statistics is more than a data point, it’s a life, a family, and a future stolen. And the cost of inaction is simply too high.
Although he was reportedly riding an electric motorcycle, rather than a ped-assist bicycle.
Which does not make it any less tragic.
The crash occurred about 5:55 pm September 23rd, near Superior Ave and Nice Lane. There’s no word on whether this was a solo crash, or if there was a driver involved.
Anyone with any information is urged to call the Newport Beach Police Department at 949/644-3747 or email alaverty@nbpd.org.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.
A New Zealand woman known as the Helmet Lady has died, 31 years after her successful campaign to make bike helmets compulsory for all bicyclists in the country, following the bicycling crash that left her 12-year old son paralyzed from the neck down.
EXCLUSIVE: Earlier today ICE agents chase after a man in downtown Chicago after he made verbal comments but no physical or threatening contact. The man was able to get away. pic.twitter.com/uOiHXSmQny
returns to the streets of DTLA, Boyle Heights and Westlake/MacArthur Park almost exactly fifteen years to the day after the original 10/10/10 event.
