“It’s always darkest before it turns absolutely pitch black.”
— Paul Newman
Actually, things are finally looking up with my scratched cornea. It’s slowly healing, and improving a little more every day.
The problem is, I have two eyes.
And the other one is recovering now after getting an injection in the eye to address a bleeding retina caused by diabetes.
Yes, I said in the eye.
So now I’m dealing with two balky, blurry eyes that can read the headlines, but can’t make out much of anything underneath.
As a result, I’m going to take the rest of the week off to rest my eyes and try to get my eyesight back to normal. Or whatever passes for normal these days.
We’ll be back bright and early Monday morning to catch up on all the weekend news.
I managed to survive my birthday, but woke up Saturday with corgi hair in my eye. By the time they finally got it out at urgent care, my cornea was scratched so badly I can’t a thing.
This included, so if I screw something up, please forgive me.
Hopefully, my sight will clear up and we’ll be back tomorrow. If not, we’ll be back once I can see again.
In the meantime, take advantage of this great weather and get out for a ride.
September 22, 2023 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Las Vegas teens face life in Probst murder, bicycling up 37% in US, and SAMOCAN talks with Streets For All founder
Yesterday I found out the hard way what happens when you accidentally inject long-acting insulin directly into a vein, rather than the fat surrounding it.
The result was a rapid fire, 300 point blood sugar swing that knocked me on my ass for the rest of the day.
Good times.
So if I had any sense, I’d be in bed already.
Instead, I’m going to try to get through this, then pull a pillow over my head and sleep for the rest of the weekend. Or maybe the rest of the month.
Which is the best way I know to face another birthday, anyway.
So Gamar hatimah tovah to everyone observing Yom Kippur on Monday.
The two teens were held without bail on several charges, including murder and attempted murder. However, due to their ages, they won’t face the death penalty, since Nevada law imposes a maximum sentence of 20 years to life in state prison for murder committed before the age of 18.
The driver, Jesus Ayala, was 17 at the time of the crime, while Jzamir Keys, the passenger who recorded the attack, is just 16.
Ayala now matches his age with 18 criminal counts, including murder, and already has a lengthy record as a juvenile. So if he’s lucky, he might be out in 30 years.
Meanwhile, Streets For All is hosting a fundraiser tomorrow featuring guest speakers including Councilmember Katy Yuroslavsky, Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur and State Senator and Congressional candidate Anthony Portantino.
The group says pay what you can if you can’t afford the full $100 ticket price.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A writer for City Journal cries “E-nough,” arguing that ebike and gas-powered mopeds are “reversing more than a decade’s progress in making New York’s dense streets safer for pedestrians and traditional cyclists.” Or maybe they’re just encouraging more people to get out of cars, which pose the real risk, and onto two wheels, which don’t. Although I’d distinguish between ped-assist ebikes and any kind of throttle-controlled or gas-guzzling bikes.
Houston could soon have two docked bikeshare systems, as the Harris County Metropolitan Transit Authority considers opening its own bikeshare to compete with Houston’s struggling BCycle system
September 21, 2023 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Killer Las Vegas teens charged as adults; Huntington Beach drafts new bike regs; Marina Freeway removal gains support
Seventeen-year old Jesus Ayala and 16-year old Jzamir Keys will both be charged with murder for running down Probst with a stolen car as he rode his bike in Las Vegas.
Ayala is accused of being the driver who killed Probst, while Keys laughingly recorded the crime on his cellphone.
They will both face charges of murder with a deadly weapon, battery and attempted murder. Ayala also faces another case in Las Vegas juvenile court, where he is also eligible to be charged as an adult.
The plan, which would replace the virtually useless spur with a new Marina Central Park, has received the support of the Del Rey Neighborhood Council, as well as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who has requested a $2 million federal grant to fund a feasibility study for the project.
However, Culver City councilmembers objected to being asked to take the lead on the project, noting that it is mostly in LA’s 11th Council District.
The paper also seemed to object to the “outsized influence” of project co-sponsor Streets For All, after previously reporting on the “cycling advocacy group’s involvement with the planning and implementation of the so-called ‘road diet’ on Venice Boulevard in Mar Vista well before any of the affected neighborhoods’ councils were notified.”
In other words, they object an advocacy group being involved in…advocacy.
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Metro Bike is offering a half-priced yearly membership tomorrow.
Twitter post
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
The recent spate of horrific violence against people riding bicycles just keeps on coming. On Monday, a student at Canada’s University of Winnipeg was intentionally rammed by a road raging driver who somehow became incensed when the student gestured for another motorist to give him more room after that driver cut him off. Fortunately, he had stepped off his bike, and managed to dive away to escape injury before the truck driver rammed his bike and drove off with it still trapped underneath.
A Toronto man faces multiple charges after allegedly using his motorcycle to slam into a man riding a bicycle, in a road rage attack that began when he sped his motorcycle out of a driveway and nearly crashed into the other man.
Maybe mountain biking is safer than we think. Bicycling reports a new study in the medical journal PLoS ONE shows a much lower risk of injuries than anticipated, suggesting that its perception as an extreme sport is exaggerated. Which kinda takes some of the fun out of it, somehow. As usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.
The Chicago Tribunehighlights bike trails around the Midwest, from the site where Field of Dreams was filmed to a 50-mile Wisconsin trail modeling the solar system to scale.
The Guardianexamines the state of bike theft in the UK, where most thefts aren’t violent but few get solved, while noting that the crime can leave victims financially and emotionally crushed.
A French company has created the first ebike that doesn’t need a battery, relying on a supercapacitor that recharges during easy stretches and as the bike brakes, which not only eliminates the the need for environmentally sensitive rare earth minerals, but also the risk of lithium-ion battery fires.
San news from the world of pro cycling, as Belgium’s Nathan van Hooydonck was forced to retire from the WorldTour after having an internal defibrillator fitted because of a heart muscle anomaly; the 27-year old cyclist was injured recently when he crashed after becoming ill while driving.
We’re learning more about the vehicular rampage in Las Vegas that led to the intentional hit-and-run death of 64-year old retired Bell, California police chief Andreas Probst.
Including that Probst wasn’t the first bike rider attacked by the two teens.
Not surprisingly, X/Twitter owner Elon Musk drove much of the attacks, after accusing the media of a lack of sufficient outrage to meet his demands.
On Sunday morning, Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, amplified one of the screenshots, posting “An innocent man was murdered in cold blood while riding his bicycle. The killers joked about it on social media Yet, where is the media outrage? Now you begin to understand the lie.” That post had 68.2 million views as of Monday evening…
The Review-Journal’s social media accounts and other staff also received vicious attacks. When Schnur shared that she’d received 700 notifications on X and an onslaught of angry emails and voicemails, editors jumped in to support her and make sure she was safe.
Executive editor Glenn Cook said that during his 30-plus years in journalism, he’d never seen vitriol of this volume or intensity. “It’s like a fire hose of hatred to the face,” he wrote in a column about the social media outrage.
The attacks were also driven by other rightwing sources, including far-right commentator Laura Loomer and Fox News host Greg Gutfield.
Forty-six-year old Benedicto Solanga was walking with a friend when Gutierrez drove by in his pickup, flipped the men off for no apparent reason, then made a U-turn to come back and slam into Solanga from behind. He died in a hospital three days later.
The Riverside jury also convicted Gutierrez a sentence-enhancing allegation of using his truck as a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
There’s no word on whether Gutierrez knew Solanga, or if this was a case of road rage. Or if there was some other reason for his murderous attack.
Gutierrez is currently being held without bail at Riverside’s Robert Presley Jail, with a sentencing hearing scheduled for December 15th.
Deputy Director of Planning and Modal Programs Jeanie Ward-Waller, the former Advocacy Director for the California Bicycle Coalition, is reportedly being “reassigned” in the department.
Curry speculates that the move may have come because Ward-Waller argued too strongly for incorporating the state’s climate plan in highway projects, as “some Caltrans planners are still pushing strategies to get around changing state regulations.”
If so, that is troubling. But sadly, not surprising.
In my efforts to catch up from my unexcused diabetic crash and burn a few weeks ago, I have been remiss in not mentioning next month’s LA Bike Fest, hosted by BikeLA, the former Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition.
Twitter post
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Huntington Beach is the latest city to consider overwriting state traffic laws to regulate bicycles, including a ban on riding against traffic on the sidewalk.
Even though sidewalks aren’t directional, and a newly passed state law will legalized sidewalk riding throughout the state, if it’s signed by Governor Newsom.
The regulations would also ban going around stopped of slowed traffic, and includes a vague ban on riding in an unsafe manner, and a provision allowing impounding bikes belonging to juvenile scofflaw riders.
Any and all of which could be tossed out by the courts, since the state, not cities, is responsible for regulation all forms of traffic under California law, on two wheels as well as four.
Twitter post
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
The founder of Streets For All is reminded that plastic bollards are no protection against LA drivers.
Twitter post
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Los Angeles is asking the federal government for up to $10.3 million in grant funding for a series of new active transportation and public open space projects, including proposals to reconnect bisected MacArthur Park by closing Wilshire Blvd, and studying the possibility of capping the 101 Freeway in Hollywood to build a new park over it; the city is also teaming with Metro to request another $86 million for new bus lanes, bike lanes, and other active transportation and transit infrastructure projects.
The Cities of Los Angeles and San Fernando are hosting a non-CicLAvia open streets festival from 10 am to 2 pm this Saturday “promoting an active lifestyle and community engagement, all while celebrating the joy of biking, walking, and rolling.”
Sad news from Bakersfield, where a 39-year old woman was killed by a driver when she allegedly rode her bike in front of the oncoming car. Although what actually happened hinges on whether there were any independent witnesses, or if investigators are relying solely on the driver’s statement, since the victim can’t give her side of the story.
Palo Alto parents are demanding steps to improve traffic safety after two children were struck by drivers in separate incidents, including a middle school student who was critically injured while riding his bike.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has introduced a new 12-point ‘code de la rue’ (street code), in addition to France’s existing code de la route (highway code), to help bike riders, drivers and pedestrians better share the city’s streets; the rules include giving pedestrians priority and banning all two-wheeled vehicles from sidewalks, as well as a ban on drinking before driving, biking or scooting.
And repeat after me. When you’re riding your bike under the influence, while carrying controlled substances and already wanted on an outstanding warrant, put a damn light on it.
The bike, that is. Not the warrant.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Among the bills that passed are measures to legalize a speed cam pilot program, provide transparency on highway building and emissions, require daylighting at intersections, and prohibit criminal charges for transit fare evasion.
Bicycling bills that made it to Newsom’s desk would create a Caltrans bike czar, legalize sidewalk riding throughout the state, allow vehicle-mounted cameras to enforce bike lane parking restrictions, and require landlords to let tenants store and charge ebikes and e-scooters inside.
Based on Newsom’s previous actions, I’d expect the sidewalk bill to face the greatest veto risk, followed the ebike charging bill, due to the risk of fires.
Other measures would unbundle parking costs from rent, allow businesses to share excess parking, require a human driver in autonomous trucks, and study the costs and benefits of imposing a weight-based vehicle fee.
Bills that didn’t make it include the ban on pretextual traffic stops, free transit passes for youths, and requiring the state to take climate change into account on highway projects and monitor air pollutants.
The 17-year old driver was recorded on a now-viral video deliberately aiming his car at retired Bell police chief Andreas Probst as he rode his bike in a Las Vegas bike lane last month.
It’s also no surprise that the car was stolen, one of several auto thefts the teen is accused of taking part in that day. Or that the driver had used it to sideswipe another car moments earlier, apparently just for the hell of it.
Reaching that goal is vital to the city’s health. The increased use of bikes usually means the decreased use of cars, which will shrink the city’s carbon footprint and its need for costly parking spaces. At a time when the T is slow or undependable, cycling can not only fill gaps in the transit system but can also be the most efficient mode of travel.
Moreover, bicycles add to the vibrancy of street life, a potential boon to neighborhood stores, restaurants, and cafes. And let’s face it, we could all use a bit more exercise.
Yes, it will require a network of safe, connected bike lanes, the paper argues.
But it will also take adult bike classes, and bicycle training in elementary schools. Along with state and local ebike subsidies, and tax deductions to help defray the cost of bike commutes or pay for Uber rides in bad weather.
As well as growing Boston’s docked bikeshare system.
All of which applies equally well right here in Los Angeles, or pretty much anywhere else in the US.
Longtime Los Angeles bike advocate and former LACBC board member Kent Strumpell will interview Streets For All founder Michael Schneider, founder of the Streets For All PAC, in a webinar hosted by Climate Action Santa Monica this Thursday.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. San Diego’s KPBS is once again raising the panic over ebike and e-scooter injuries, as ER doctors cite a painfully small study showing a jump in injuries coinciding with the rise in e-scooter use. Although as any middle school science student could tell you, correlation does not equal causation. And an increase in injuries is to be expected with any increase in usage; the question is whether that rise exceeds what would be expected with greater usage.
Friends and family members are looking for answers after the beloved assistant director of the New York Chinatown Head Start program died days after she was struck by a hit-and-run ebike rider while walking to work.
Life is cheap in Illinois, where a 76-year old driver walked without a single day behind bars for the hit-and-run death of a 20-year old bike-riding man, after the judge suspended his entire five-year sentence for negligent homicide. But at least he’ll be 101 before he’s allowed to drive again.
