The victim, publicly identified only as a 67-year old woman, was riding north Cottonwood Ave between Yucca and Main around 12:05 pm when she suddenly turned left, and was broadsided by the driver of a box truck following directly behind her.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The 20-year old driver of the furniture delivery truck stayed at the scene, and was reportedly cooperating with police.
As always, the question is whether any independent witnesses saw the crash, other than the driver and his passenger.
It simply doesn’t make sense that she would have been unaware of a large truck traveling directly behind her, or would have turned without looking over her shoulder first — especially on a street with a 45 mph speed limit.
But people’s actions don’t always make sense. And sadly, she’s not around to explain her side of the story.
Anyone with information is urged to call San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputies D. Holland or F. Zavala at 760/403-8026.
This is at least the 38th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all her family and loved ones.
July 28, 2021 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Canoga Park bike rider wanted for fatally shooting driver, and accused Oceanside hit-and-run driver pleads not guilty
The shooting took place around 2:18 pm, when the man on the bike shot into the driver’s car following some sort of dispute near the 6400 block of DeSoto Ave.
Forty-three-year old Glendale resident Mkher Alaverdian was pronounced dead after he was taken to a local hospital.
There’s no description of the shooter or his bicycle, and no word on whether this was a road rage dispute or some other kind of argument.
Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD Valley Bureau Homicide at 818/374-9550, or 1-877/LAPD-24-7 after business hours.
A few blocks north of where a driver killed a pedestrian in June on Allen Ave in @PasadenaGov drivers seem blissfully unconcerned with the speed limit. Notably, these are the speeds going UP hill. I can't imagine how fast they're going on the other side of the street. pic.twitter.com/kQAh0m21oO
A New York man is planning to bike 8,000 miles through ten states to get more kids on bicycles, raising funds to donate new bikes to underprivileged children around the country; the Black bike rider who grew up in the city’s low-income Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood says if he can do it, most people can.
“Grief makes you angry,” San Diego Bicycle Coalition executive director Andy Hanshaw said. “If there’s not a dedicated path that’s seperate from the road, then we need a safer bike lane on the street, and your typical white stripe is not safe enough.”
Beloved bicyclist and San Diego State University administrator Laura Shinn was killed on Pershing Drive last Tuesday. Police said she was in the bike lane, wearing a helmet, when a driver hit her from behind.
Graphics by tomexploresla
“A lot of people are feeling hesitant,” bicyclist Elizabeth Mayer said. “They don’t want this freedom option of transportation taken from them because they’re afraid of cars.”
Although someone might want to tell NBC-7 that not everyone who rides a bicycle is an “athlete.”
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Sad news from Wyoming, where former US Senator Mike Enzi has died following some sort of bicycling crash.
The magazine reports he had suffered a broken neck and broken ribs; there’s no word on whether he fell off his bike, or may have been the victim of a hit-and-run.
Regardless of whether or not you agreed with his politics, he devoted his life to serving his state and his country.
The Los Angeles City Council was recently forced to raise speed limits on sections of Olympic and Overland boulevards in West L.A. — where a woman was killed this year by a recklessly speeding driver.
Why? Because an outdated and absurd law essentially requires cities to set street limits based on how fast people are already driving on a stretch of road — not whether that speed is safe.
This law is based on a flawed methodology, according to a report released last year. It relies on the overly optimistic assumption that most drivers will drive at a safe and reasonable speed, and that it’s safer to set speed limits that reflect the “natural” flow of traffic.
The paper calls for passage of AB 43, which would modify the deadly 85th Percentile Law to allow cities and counties to lower speed limits by a modest 5 mph on streets with injury high rates of injuries, or heavy bike and pedestrian use.
What we really need is to repeal the 85th Percentile Law entirely.
But until we can get there, this is a start.
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This is what it looks like to ride the new bike lane on New York’s iconic Brooklyn Bridge.
Former San Luis Obispo councilmember Robert “Red” Davis passed away peacefully in his home over the weekend. The 76-year old bike advocate had served as president of the SLO Bike Club, as well as chairing the Morro Bay Citizens Bike Committee and the County Bicycle Advisory Committee; a local bikeway is named in his honor.
Raleigh wants to replace your car, too, for the low, low price of just $6,000. Apparently, “replace your car” is code for a cargo bike that costs as much as a used car.
Hats off to Mohammad Ashraf, who is completing a 2,300-mile ride across India, despite having to ride with just one leg after the other was paralyzed in a 2017 bicycling crash, which also limited use of his right hand.
Thank you to everyone for all the kind words. Your support really means a lot to me.
The good news is, taking most of last week off helped lower my blood sugar levels over 25%, down to a more normal level for diabetics.
It also allowed me to realize that not all the symptoms I’ve been dealing with were caused by my diabetes; the last medication my doctor put me on to lower my blood sugar was apparently caused a long list of damaging side effects.
So we’ll what happens now that I’ve stopped taking it.
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Maybe we’ll see some justice in San Diego County after all.
Thirty-eight-year old Adam David Milavetz allegedly ran away right after the crash and dumped a couple baggies of white powder over a fence, which police believe were filled with meth.
The murder charge suggests that Milavetz has at least one previous conviction for DUI, and was required to sign a Watson advisement indicating that he could be charged with murder if he killed someone while driving under the influence.
He was also arrested on a separate DUI count on the 1st of this month.
Thanks to Phillip Young for the Oceanside heads-up.
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It looks like the accused killer of a Palm Springs bike rider could be in the wind.
Proving once again that there is nowhere safe from the big, dangerous machines and the equally dangerous people piloting them.
Case in point, this is who was share the living room with.
Thanks to Ralph Durham for the video, who blames the house for not wearing hi-viv, for the link.
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Sunset4All is hosting a guided bike ride and happy hour this Wednesday. Meanwhile, the crowdfunding campaign for LA’s first public/private bike lane partnership stands at 57% of the $25,000 goal.
Take a ride up Pacifico Mountain with Gravel Bike California.
NEW GRAVEL GUIDE! Pacifico Mountain is important for two reasons: 1. It's our favorite ride in LA County 2. Without Pacifico Mountain, Gravel Bike California may never be. Watch and see why Pacifico is so special:https://t.co/fjEPEWyiNR@GravelCyclist@gravelgurutv
— Gravel Bike California (@GravelBikeCal) July 22, 2021
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Who needs a mail truck when you’ve got bike lanes?
Canada Post to test mail delivery tricycles in central Montreal. When you build bike lanes, this kind of thing is possible. https://t.co/R0R4RLCT3p
Nice story from San Diego, where a Chula Vista family has turned to tandem riding to overcome a near-fatal e-scooter crash, as well as the son’s blindness and chronic heart and lung disease, while helping others.
Who says bike riders aren’t tough? A Fresno woman got shot in both legs in a domestic violence incident — then got on her bicycle and chased down the man who shot her, following him until police arrived. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.
A Colorado man faces up to six years behind bars after being convicted of killing professional cyclist Benjamin Sonntag; oddly, there was no charge for hit-and-run, even though he tried to flee the crash on foot, and had to be restrained with a taser until police backup arrived.
The New York native who made headlines across the US for riding a bikeshare bike from New York to Santa Monica in search of a new home will now be living on Tulsa time.
Police in India arrested seven people for flying kites with nylon strings after several people riding bicycles and motorcycles were injured, including a 12th grade girl whose throat was slashed by a kite string as she rode her bike.
However, that seems unlikely if he saw the car bearing down on him as he turned, unless the driver may have been exceeding the 40 mph speed limit and closed the distance faster than expected.
I’ve been struggling with my diabetes for over a year, ever since my wife lost her job during the first pandemic lockdown, forcing major changes to my working habits.
That was exacerbated by a switch to Kaiser this year, forcing a change in one of the key medications that I’ve been on almost since my diagnosis seven long years ago.
Let’s just say that has not gone well.
The last two weeks have been the worst, however. I’ve struggled to get my blood sugar below 200 mg/dL — twice the normal level — while dealing with spikes as high as 250.
Any higher, and I’d be writing this from the emergency room.
As it is, I’ve been passing out from blood sugar spikes after nearly every meal, as the normal spikes after eating are compounded by a much higher baseline.
Which is what happened Monday night, when I passed out after dinner, and couldn’t wake enough to clear my head for over 16 hours.
As a result, I’ve made the difficult decision to put this site on hold for a few days, and take the rest of the week off to try and do something about my health.
It was not an easy choice to make.
I’ve always felt an obligation to post something here every day. Especially during the pandemic, on the assumption that you needed a few minutes of distraction as much as I did. Even if the news wasn’t what we all wanted to read sometimes.
In all honesty, though, it hasn’t been easy.
I’ve often found myself struggling to write after — or during — a blood sugar spike or crash, both of which can knock me on my ass for hours.
That’s on top of a change in my working hours with my wife home, when the work I used to do on this site during the day, while she was at work, shifted to the late night hours after she went to bed.
Which also shifted to later, since she didn’t have to get up in the morning.
That meant putting these pages, and myself, to bed after 4 am most mornings.
Add a puppy to that mix, and the extra time needed to care for it, and I’ve found myself getting to bed while the sun is rising lately.
The result has been a steady drop in my sleeping hours, accompanied by a steady increase in my A1C — rising from a pre-pandemic 6.1, to this year’s 8.3.
Or to put it another way, from a healthy non-diabetic level, controlled with medication, to uncontrolled diabetes.
So my plan is to take the next few days off, and get as much sleep as I can — or my wife and dog will allow, anyway — in hopes of lowering my blood sugar levels.
If not, I’ll be forced to make some hard decisions I really don’t want to make. Including the possibility, if not likelihood, of going on daily insulin shots.
Never mind the damage I’m doing to my body.
Either way, I’ll be back on Monday to make a fresh start. I hope to see you back here then, although I understand completely if anyone has had enough of our semi-regular schedule over the past 17 months.
Lord knows I have.
And I’ll be here if there’s any breaking news in the meantime.
But if you really want to help, keep your fingers crossed that someone, somewhere, gives my wife a job so we can both get our lives back.
The rider was found lying unresponsive in the roadway when first responders arrived, and died after being transported to a similarly unidentified hospital.
The driver reportedly remained at the scene, and was cooperating with investigators; no word on whether police suspect distraction or intoxication played a role in the crash.
Video from the scene shows a mangled road bike off to the side of the road.
This is at least the 36th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eleventh that I’m aware of already this year in San Diego County, which seems to be rushing to keep up with Los Angeles County, with roughly three times the population.
There is a regionally planned bikeway project on that same stretch that was supposed to begin construction in early 2020, which still hasn't https://t.co/1E9HvxX7ES
According to the paper, Shinn was a prominent architect and planner who regularly commuted to her work at San Diego State University, where she oversaw the planning and design of several campus facilities.
Laura Shinn worked as SDSU’s director of facilities planning and was serving as the 2021 president of the board of directors of the American Institute of Architects’ San Diego chapter. She also was a founding member of the Women in Architecture group in San Diego.
In a statement, SDSU described Shinn as “an incredibly talented architect who helped oversee much of our university’s development and growth.”
Shinn was run down from behind as she rode north on Pershing, which the paper says does have a bike lane.
Thirty-eight-year old Adam Milavetz was arrested on suspicion of DUI after allegedly drifting into the bike lane to strike Shinn.
The paper reports he was jailed on “suspicion of murder, gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs.” The murder count suggests this was not his first DUI, and he had likely signed a Watson advisement as a condition of a previous conviction.
He’s expected to be arraigned Thursday.
Yet another example of keeping a dangerous driver on the road until it’s too late.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Laura Shinn and all her loved ones.
July 19, 2021 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Unofficial Bixby bike lane opening on new Desmond Bridge, Beverly Hills popup on Sunday, and the cost of traffic violence
That long-planned bike lane over the replacement for the Gerald Desmond Bridge is finally still not open.
The bike advocating scion of one of Long Beach’s most prominent families, Bixby had fought for a bikeway along the bridge prior to his death ten years ago in a private plane crash, along with four other people.
Despite the ceremony for Bixby’s family and friends, the path is not expected to open to the rest of us for several more months, while a connector bridge leading to it won’t be ready for another year and a half.
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The former Biking Black Hole of Beverly Hills is demonstrating just how far they’ve come.
Meanwhile, this is what we could and should have here in Los Angeles.
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Hats off to LA’s Metro Bike workers on their successful campaign to form a union to protect their rights with the company that manages the Los Angeles bikeshare system.
CONGRATULATIONS to the workers @BikeMetro who have overwhelmingly voted to form a union with the TWU! This is another major step forward for bikeshare workers nationwide.
We look forward to good faith contract negotiations and making sure workers have a real voice on the job. pic.twitter.com/SmJ5E495yp
Mat George, co-host of "She Rates Dogs," a popular podcast known for his humorous takes on dating, pop culture and his identity as a gay man, was struck and killed by a car as he crossed the street on Saturday in what the authorities called a hit-and-run. https://t.co/llutCTePJo
As usual, there is a standing $50,000 reward for his killer.
Police are looking for the driver of a white BMW driving east on Beverly Blvd. Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD West Traffic Division detectives at 213/473-0234.
A road raging bike rider faces charges for attacking a lawyer on his way to court, after somehow getting blamed for the Indian equivalent of a right hook. A reminder to never resort to violence, no matter how justified it may seem at the time, because you’ll automatically get the blame.
Also in San Diego, a 65-year-old man suffered a skull fracture, fractured pelvis and multiple other injuries when he was run down by a suspected drunk driver while walking his ebike, after it had apparently run out of juice; fortunately, his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
Santa Cruz pulled up stakes on a popup bike lane, after saying they don’t have the money to make it permanent. Especially since it didn’t even get the full endorsement of a bicycling club.
Police in Arkansas used a pair of bait bikes worth nearly four grand to bust a bike thief suspected in a number of high-end bike thefts. But the LAPD still won’t use bait bikes to confront rampant bike theft in Los Angeles, thanks to a ruling from the City Attorney that it might be considered entrapment — despite their successful use in a number of other cities in California and across the US.
Heartbreaking news from New Orleans, where a baby was found stabbed to death in a bicycle trailer; police arrested the baby boy’s mother after finding a sharpened railroad spike covered in blood on her bicycle.
It’s not every day a pro cyclist turns hero. Chris Froome, Philippe Gilbert and BikeExchange’s Christopher Juul-Jensen were riding back to their buses at the end of stage 17 when they saw a bike-riding tourist ride off the road into a ravine after missing a turn, so they hopped off their bikes and climbed around 65 feet down to rescue him; the man was injured badly enough that he had to be evacuated by ambulance.
And how to spot a clown behind the wheel, without the big red nose and stuff.
Yesterday's Clown of the Day was, I think, showing off to his embarrassed passenger in the back seat. If you have a problem with my road positioning I'd be delighted to hear from you. #LondonCyclingpic.twitter.com/cx8cre0n0b
More bad news, as if we haven’t had enough already.
According to Zackary Rynew, a group of motorists came upon a bike rider lying unconscious in the roadway on Angeles Crest Highway around 8 am this morning.
Rynew later placed the crash just before the fire station on Highway 2; unfortunately, I can’t locate it on a map.
The victim was described only as a man with a mustache, who appeared to be in his 60s, and wearing an orange bicycle helmet.
Several people attempted CPR, but he was unconscious with no signs of life when paramedics arrived.
Terrible news: My friend came up on an unconscious cyclist at 8am in his 60s, orange helmet & mustached, on Hwy 2 (near Lukens TT) & no signs of a collision. Her sister (nurse practitioner) and others used CPR, but did not have a heartbeat when the ambulance came. @bikinginla
This is at least the 35th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eleventh that I’m aware of already this year in Los Angeles County.
He apparently suffered some sort of medical emergency while riding his Cervelo east on Angeles Crest, and collapsed on the spot.
Update 2: A comment from Mary Smith clarifies that all the people who discovered and attempted to revive Gerdes were motorists, and the only people who rode by on bicycles continued without stopping or offering to help.
Something to remember when the next time someone tries to assign motorists and bicyclists into irreconcilably conflicting camps.
My deepest sympathy and prayers Steve Gerdes and his loved ones.
Thanks to Zachary Rynew and Tim Rutt for the heads-up.
July 16, 2021 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Update: 27-year old man killed in Oceanside hit-and-run late Thursday; tenth bicycling death in San Diego County this year
Another day, another Southern California bike rider murdered by a hit-and-run driver.
There’s no word on whether he was wearing a helmet, which might have a difference in this case.
Or not, depending on the speed of his killer’s car.
Investigators believe he was riding east on Oceanside when he was run down from behind by the driver of a black 2014 to 2016 Nissan Versa Note hatchback, based at least in part on evidence left at the scene. The car is likely to have damage to the front grill, hood and undercarriage.
Anyone with informations urged to call Accident Investigator Kevin Lissner of the Oceanside Police Department at 760/435-4651.
This is at least the 34th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the tenth that I’m aware of already this year in San Diego County.
At least 14 of those deaths have been hit-and-runs, including four just in the last two and a half weeks.
Update: This is the cost of traffic violence.
Hi everyone, my boyfriend was killed Thursday night by a hit and run on Oceanside Blvd. If anyone has any information please reach out. It seems it was a 2014-2016Nissan Versa hatchback. Please share and help us find the person. Here’s some of my favorite photos of Jackson ♥️ pic.twitter.com/sStZieHil0
