Friday was a bad day for Southern California bike riders — starting with a deadly pre-dawn wreck in Long Beach.
According to My News LA, the victim was riding east on 7th Street at Bellflower Blvd around 5:05 am, when he was run down from behind by a driver traveling in the same direction.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified, died at the scene before paramedics arrived.
The driver stopped after the crash. Police don’t believe that speeding, distracted driving, or driving under the influence were factors in the crash.
There’s no word on whether the victim had lights on his bike in the pre-dawn hour, or why the driver was apparently unable to see him riding directly in front of their vehicle.
According to reports, the victim was riding in the right traffic lane when he struck by the driver, who also has not been publicly identified.
However, there is a bike lane on 7th, which the victim would likely have been riding in unless it was blocked, or he was moving across the roadway to make a turn.
Since his body was found on the sidewalk, it seems more likely that the driver drifted into the bike lane, knocking him to the right, than the other way around.
Anyone with information is urged to call Long Beach Police Detective Joseph Johnson at 562/570-7355, or Crime Stoppers at 800/222-TIPS.
This is at least the 23rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.
June 14, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Convenience over safety on Western, assaulting Redondo Beach ebikers, and proclaiming June CA Mountain Bike Month
Just 200 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.
We finally made it up to 1,204 signatures! I’ll send this to the mayor’s office on Monday, so there’s still time to sign it!
………
Please forgive the recent unexcused absences, caused by my site crashing one night, and me the other, as caring for my wife’s and my unrelated injuries is still taking a toll on me.
The good news is, my ribs are almost healed, and I’m getting PT for my back. The bad news, my shoulder is screwed. I’ll find out just how bad, and what that means going forward, next week.
The project, scheduled to get underway in 2026, is slated to included bus lanes and bike lanes, as well as other traffic safety and streetscape improvements.
However, prosecutors say video evidence contradicts his comments, while also showing his girlfriend took a mighty swing at them with her purse.
Never mind that the “ebikes” in the photo accompanying the story are actually electric motorbikes.
Sort of like in the picture below.
L: This is an e-bike. R: This is what lazy media, anti-cycling activists, and uninformed policy-makers are calling “e-bikes”. They’re not. They’re electric motorcycles. Not even close. Lack of clarity on this basic distinction is really fucking things up for getting good policy. https://t.co/SktmCOr7Lepic.twitter.com/JNohsUA5Yr
The bipartisan and bicameral ACR 152 now moves on to the state Senate for final approval, then onto the governor’s desk for his signature. And while Newsom has been hard to predict when it comes to bike bills, there shouldn’t be any reason why he’d say no to this one.
Congratulations to San Diego bike advocates for successfully pressuring the city to add funding to fix the “Fatal 15” worst intersections.
Big win tonight for safe streets and saving lives.
It's a validation of our team's efforts this past year, and of our advocacy strategy.
We identify a problem, and remind the public over and over again who can solve it, through press & more. That's what we did, and it worked. https://t.co/rczmywmPIq
Active SGV is hosting an easy 17-mile ride tomorrow to explore the Emerald Necklace & Whittier Narrows.
………
Sad news from San Francisco, where a 70-year old man died earlier this week after getting doored on his bike last month.
We were heartbroken to hear that a 70-year-old man died last night from injuries resulting from being doored while riding his bike on May 30 in the Bayview, on Fairfax St near Newhall. Though his identity is not yet known, our hearts are with his family and friends today.
No bias here. Washington and Oregon GOP legislators suggest charging tolls to bicyclists on a new Interstate Bridge Replacement project, or banning bikes from the new span entirely, arguing that the project is too focused on non-drivers. Because evidently, only cars should have a right to cross it, and everyone else should just stay on their own damn side.
In a hard-hitting piece, Streetsblog’s Joe Linton argues that cities have no problem blocking off streets for rich residents, so “they shouldn’t be shy about using diverters/closures for prioritizing the safety and convenience of people getting around on foot and on bike.”
After four years of talking about it, Los Angeles finally decides to do something about having someone other than armed cops enforce traffic laws — study it. Which is what the city seems to do best; acting on those studies, not so much.
No surprise here, as the wife of a US spy who fled the UK under diplomatic cover after the wrong-way, hit-and-run death of a 19-year old London motorcyclist failed to show up for a four-day inquest into his death; she has refused to return to the country, despite receiving an eight-month suspended sentence in exchange for pleading guilty over video.
A British police inquest can’t figure out whether a driver’s failure to look, or the victim’s lack of a helmet and hi-viz are to blame for an “unavoidable” collision that killed a popular bike club member. Although it sounds like they think that unavoidable crash could have been avoided.
A Singapore ebike delivery rider was spotted riding without the required helmet and license number, and with a sticker reading “Fuck LTA,” an abbreviation for the island city/state’s Land Transit Authority — which could allow other road users to file a police report for harassment for “potentially offensive content.”
Um, okay. UCI, cycling’s governing body, will try giving out yellow cards to offending riders to improve safety; no action will be taken against recipients now, but riders could face a seven-day suspension after the first of the year. Because that works so well in soccer, evidently.
Wealthy socialite Rebecca Grossman was sentenced to a well-deserved 15 to life for the vehicular murder of two little kids.
The co-founder of the famed Grossman Burn Foundation, Grossman was convicted of the high-speed deaths of 11-year old Mark Iskander, and his 8-year old brother as they crossed a Westlake Village street with their parents.
The boys’ mother testified during trial that her older children had been walking ahead of her and her youngest son in the marked crosswalk on Triunfo Canyon Road when she heard engines roaring. Two sport utility vehicles were barreling toward them.
Iskander dived for safety, grabbing her 5-year-old son. Her next memory, she said, is of Jacob and Mark crumpled on the roadway.
Grossman was driving behind Scott Erickson, a former Dodgers player, who earlier in the day had been drinking cocktails with her at a nearby restaurant. She was driving as fast as 81 mph and traveled another half-mile after slamming into the children, according to evidence presented at trial.
However, the judge apparently took pity on her, sentencing Grossman to two concurrent terms for the murders, plus another three years for the hit-and-run to be served concurrently.
She could have been looking at 33 years before she’d be eligible for release. Instead, the 60-year old Grossman could get out when she’s a relatively young 75.
Although it would be nice if Erickson had been held accountable for his not-insignificant role in the boys’ deaths, rather than given a walk by prosecutors.
………
Hermosa Beach adopted an emergency ebike ordinance that mostly restates existing state law, but can’t seem to distinguish between electric bicycles and electric motorcycles.
And if it’s so effing urgent, why didn’t they include a link to the damn press release, and not bury it on their website?
CicLAvia looks forward to their fourth open streets event of the year, and the 53rd overall, when they come to Western Ave in South LA on the 23rd, with a list of where to eat and shop along the route.
Once again, an elderly person has been killed in a collision with someone on a bicycle, this time a 70-year old woman in Dublin, Ireland. Note to Irish Cycle — putting an urgent call for more funding in the middle of a story about a woman getting killed by a bike rider probably isn’t the best look.
The San Francisco Chronicle says the city is ready to throw in the towel on the deeply unpopular centerline bike lanes on Valencia Street, and replace them with some form of side lanes, even though putting the bike lanes in the middle of the street has reduced doorings. Which makes you wonder how the hell someone gets doored when they’re riding in the middle of the street.
If you build it, they will come. Just a month after critics said a new bike lane in Colchester, England was an accident waiting to happen and would cause carnage, bicycling rates are up 300% on the route while gaining positive reviews from riders.
Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.
We’re up to 1,195 signatures, so don’t stop now! Let’s get it up to 1,200 before I send it to the mayor’s office!
………
Seriously, guys, get a clue.
According to KTLA-5, a group of teenagers on ebikes tormented nighttime revelers at the Hermosa Pier Saturday night, setting off illegal fireworks in and around families and adults out enjoying the evening, resulting in a number of minor injuries.
They also require helmets for anyone over 16 riding a class 3 ebike, while banning anyone under 16 from riding them, and prohibiting multiple people riding on a single bike.
The new rules also prohibit riding more than two abreast on county roads, and set a maximum 28 mph speed limit for bicycles.
But only the state has the power to set traffic regulations, so where the new county regulations conflict with state law — such as limiting the number of people who can ride abreast, or setting bicycle speed limits that differ from that for motor vehicle — they are probably illegal and unenforceable.
………
A Vancouver, British Columbia newspaper goes all in on calling out reckless bicycle and ebike riders in a series of articles.
A man writes that some bike riders treat other trail users as badly as drivers treat them. That’s something I’ve long noticed here in Los Angeles, too, confirming my belief that there are always assholes among us, regardless of how we or they travel. And those of us who pose the greater risk to others have the greater responsibility to look out for their safety.
It was great talking to Nick and @Taylor_Nichols7 on @biketalkpfk about THE ART OF CYCLING, the limits of rational thinking, and doping in elite sport:
Speeding bicyclists are accused of forcing the closure of London’s Billionaires’ Row, the city’s most expensive residential street. Although something tells me they would have found another excuse if blaming bike riders wasn’t such a popular theme these days.
Heartbreaking story from Florida, where a mother found her own son lying dead on the side of the road, just a block from their home, when he didn’t return after riding his bike home from work; the driver just kept going after veering into the bike lane where he was riding.
International
Bicyclists in Winnipeg, Manitoba expressed their outrage after a 61-year old man was killed in a hot-and-run while riding a bicycle, with dozens participating in a sit-in at the site of the crash. That compares with Los Angeles, where a few people sometimes express mild annoyance in the comment section following a fatal hit-and-run. If there even is a comment section.
Cunanan was riding east on Thunderbird Road at Wichita Road around 9:10 pm Monday, when he was rear-ended by an SUV driver traveling in the same direction at a high rate of speed.
The 36-year old driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
A message from his church the next day had asked for “fervent prayers” for Cunanan, as well as his wife and children.
The earlier story had said Cunanan was riding in the traffic lane when he was struck. However, that was not repeated in the second story reporting his death; there is a westbound bike lane on Thunderbird, but not headed east.
The crash remains under investigation. Any with information is urged to call the Apple Valley Station of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department at 760/240-7400, or Sheriff’s Dispatch number at 760/956-5001.
This is at least the 22nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Victor Cunanan and all his family and loved ones.
There’s no word on whether the driver was ticketed or charged. And as with other similar cases, there’s no information on why Fields was riding on the freeway.
This is at least the 21st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
I have the answer why the deceased was riding on the freeway shoulder. The section of I805 from Main St to Palm Ave is marked with signage allowing bicycles. Or at least it was, I haven’t been that way in a while. The reason is that there is no way to bike from Chula Vista to South San Diego without using the 805 without going way around. The toll road 125 is similarly marked.
I preferred the north bound side as it was relatively safer. The south bound exit at Palm is a typically chaotic, car centric CALTRANS design seemingly designed to imperil cyclists and pedestrians regardless of whether they’re on the ramp or not.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Victor Keith Fields and all his loved ones.
June 7, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Grossman sentencing Monday on hit-and-run, murder charges; and NY congestion pricing decision could jeopardize LA plan
Just 207 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
Grossman was convicted on two counts of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter, and one count of hit and run for the high-speed deaths of 11-year old Mark Iskander and his eight-year old brother as they crossed a residential Westlake Village street with their parents.
The wife of Grossman Burn Center founder Dr. Peter Grossman, Grossman allegedly had Valium in her system and had downed at least two margaritas, before racing with her then-boyfriend, former Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson.
Her attorneys argued the wealthy philanthropist and mother of two has no prior criminal record and should be spared prison time, while prosecutors contend she deserves a heavy sentence because she hasn’t shown any remorse or accepted responsibility for the fatal crash.
Their recommendation of two consecutive sentences of 15-to-life, plus four years for the hit-and-run count, would mean the 60-year old would likely spend the rest of her life behind bars.
She’s scheduled to be sentenced on Monday.
Let’s just hope the judge agrees.
………
More fallout from New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s unexpected decision to kill congestion pricing in New York City.
New York Streetsblog questions whether the governor even has the legal authority to cancel congestion pricing scheduled to go into effect at the end of this month, and if she has a plan to replace the billions in lost revenue to fund the city’s transit network.
While it may seem like a New York problem, her decision matters here in Los Angeles, too. Because if it stands, that will make it almost impossible to implement congestion pricing, which has proven successful in London, virtually anywhere in the US.
Including right here in the City of Angels and Traffic Congestion.
BikeSD is sponsoring a bike ride tomorrow to show that bikes mean business, and encourage bike riders to use its coupon book to support businesses along Main Street in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood.
And vice versa.
To demonstrate that, we’ve partnered with a few businesses along 30th street that will be offering discounts for bicyclists. (2/3) pic.twitter.com/NsY7JnnRGP
Hermosa Beach is banning ebikes and electric motorcycles from the city’s greenbelt, but will still allow them on The Strand and in Pier Plaza, as long as the motor is turned off — making them impractically heavy. Banning ebikes from bike paths and walkways is legal under state law; banning them from public streets is not.
Back in 2019, a four-year old girl was tragically killed by a driver as she crossed the street in Koreatown, while holding hands with her mother.
In a crosswalk. With the light.
Alessa Fajardo and her mom did everything right as they crossed Olympic at Normandie that October day, yet she died anyway. Even though Los Angeles officials knew long before about the dangers of that area and intersection.
In fact, the school they were going to was ranked the city’s 13th most dangerous campus just six years earlier, while Koreatown as a whole was rated LA’s fourth most dangerous neighborhood for bike riders and pedestrians.
That’s pedestrians, like little kids crossing the street with their mothers.
It took four-and-a-half years, and a $9.6 million dollar settlement before anything was done about it.
Starting with the problem of each city councilmember acting like little kings in their own districts, responsible for identifying and approving any improvements before they are made.
Or not.
Neither former District 10 Councilmember Herb Wesson, who represented the district when Alessa was killed, nor his successor, Mark Ridley-Thomas, secured that funding. Ridley-Thomas was indicted on federal corruption charges, suspended from the council and later convicted and removed from his seat in late March 2022. Nobody represented the district until Heather Hutt was appointed that September.
Hutt identified and allocated $530,000 for the new signals in June 2023, but the installation work did not begin until April 2024, four months after the family’s suit against the city was settled.
District 10 staff would not comment on the record about why they could not secure the funds in 2020, 2021, 2022 and early 2023.
No surprise there.
Then again, even on the rare occasions when councilmembers really do try to do something, angry motorists too often rush for their torches and pitchforks — and threats of recall elections.
Two years before little Alessa was killed in Koreatown, the city agreed to another $9.6 million settlement, this time with the family of a 16-year old girl killed crossing — wait for it — Vista Del Mar to get to her car after leaving Dockweiler Beach.
The same beach where the kids were killed on Tuesday.
Then-CD11 Councilmember Mike Bonin responded by ordering long-delayed safety improvements on Vista Del Mar, and a handful of other streets in Playa del Rey. Both because too many lives had already been lost on the deadly roadway, and because the next settlement, for the next inevitable death, would be exponentially higher.
Now just three years after that, two more people have needlessly lost their lives on that same bloody stretch of road. And despite a breathless report from Fox-11, police reports said there was no indication either driver was under the influence.
Never mind that the settlement for this one will likely be exponentially higher than the last one, since Los Angeles installed, then removed, safety improvements that might have prevented it.
Yet despite at least four deaths on the same section of roadway in just nine years, some people still seem to think they should have the unfettered, God-given right to go zoom zoom whenever and wherever they want, innocent lives be damned.
making everybody sit in traffic improves safety but it destroys quality of life. There's a whole bike path that already runs parallel to Vista Del Mar and goes all the way up Culver Blvd. There was no need for the redundant bike lane which only caused headaches for 99.9% of us
Three of the kids were critically injured when the 83-year old driver hit them head-on as they rode single file, leaving the children screaming in terror and pain amid their mangled bikes.
She was arrested at the scene, then released and taken to a hospital after police concluded she wasn’t in a “fit state” for questioning.
………
Speaking of deadly roadways, here’s your chance to fight for bike lanes on PCH in Long Beach.
Reminder Long Beach residents! Join @CaltransDist7 for a public meeting to learn about an upcoming bike lane project on Thursday, 6 from 6pm to 7pm at the Guidance Center. pic.twitter.com/Lir1Cnp9ZR
— Caltrans District 7 (@CaltransDist7) June 3, 2024
A bike rider in Brussels, Belgium is lucky to be alive after he was knocked off his bike by a driver who tried to pass him and his companion while driving in a clearly marked bike lane, then the enraged motorist got out and slashed the victim’s throat with a knife; the victim managed to escape with just six stitches when the driver barely missed his jugular.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Streets For All urges support for a proposed 28-mile The Hill to Sea transit corridor traversing 13 cities and unincorporated communities from Pasadena to Long Beach, which would “aggressively reduce car dependency by prioritizing high quality bus service, safe protected bike paths, and improved sidewalks for walking and businesses.”
Orange County supervisors voted to crackdown on ebikes, including restrictions on sidewalk riding, imposing speed limits and reclassifying bikes that generate more than 750 watts through their motors — even though the latter two could put them in direct conflict with existing state law.
Colorado took a step forward by creating a dedicated $7 million funding stream for “proven small infrastructure projects that improve safety for vulnerable road users,” such as bike lanes, sidewalks and other pedestrian improvements. While that’s far too little — even for a relatively small state — it’s a hell of a lot more than most are willing to commit to.
Sad news from DC, where a 34-year old White House staffer was killed while riding his bike when he crossed the center line on a sharp curve during a fundraising ride, and was struck head-on by an oncoming motorist; Jacob Thomas Brewer was the husband of Fox News contributor Mary Katharine Ham.
June 4, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Silence marks World Bicycle Day in City of Angels, living carfree in LA, and what a real 3-foot passing violation looks like
Just 210 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.
We’re up to 1,178 signatures, so don’t stop now! I’ll forward the petition to the mayor’s office in the next few days. So urge everyone you know to sign it now!
………
Yesterday was World Bicycle Day.
Or as it’s known here in Los Angeles, Monday.
While other cities around the world marked it to greater or lesser degrees, Los Angeles observed the day by ignoring it entirely.
There was no official proclamation from the mayor, who seems to have forgotten we exist, after claiming to be one of us when she needed our votes.
Ditto for the city council, which offers us only vague promises that they can ignore later.
The silence was just as deafening coming from county leaders, the governor and the state legislature.
Then again, my inbox wasn’t exactly full of messages from state and local advocacy organizations using the day as a springboard to call for safer streets, better infrastructure, and other steps to get more people on fewer wheels.
Let alone the urgent need to provide safe and efficient alternatives to driving, at a time when our world is literally burning.
Instead, World Bicycle Day was just another opportunity for our elected leaders to once again swipe left, and remind us all that they’re just not that into us.
Thanks to Culver City-based multimedia producer and Loyola Marymount University Professor Emeritus Art Nomura for forwarding a couple non-commercial video series about the joys of going carfree.
The first, Carfree, Season 1, is described as a 12-part mini-documentary series released last year about the joys and challenges of living carfree, or carfree lite, in Southern California; Carfree, Season 2 is currently in production.
The second is Carfree Epiphany, a series of self-produced 30 second to two minute stories of how people have become and/or are becoming carfree. You’re invited to contribute your own video, with instructions on how to submit it included on the link.
I gave up driving several years ago. And don’t miss driving in this hot mess of a city one bit.
………
Define “three-foot passing violation.”
Or at least it would be, if video evidence of misdemeanors and traffic violations counted for anything in California.
Driver hits my handlebar with her rear view mirror
Proving just how quick and easy it can be when the people in charge actually give a damn, and don’t have their skulls firmly embedded between their buttocks.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Horrifying story from Missouri, where a man was found badly injured 13 hours after somehow surviving a 22-foot fall, after he had to jump off his bike and over a concrete barrier to avoid getting run down by a hit-and-run driver.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
After three cygnets — aka baby swans — were killed along an English trail, suspicion immediately fell on reckless bicyclists, despite the lack of any actual evidence pointing in that direction. If bike riders were really responsible, there would have been feathers everywhere from the impact with the bike tires.
An LA County judge rejected wealthy socialite Rebecca Grossman’s bid to have her conviction overturned for killing two little kids as they rode their skateboard and kick scooter across the street with their parents, citing her speeding and drinking that night, as well as a previous warning from police about the dangers of speeding.
A British driver is on trial for killing a 52-year old triathlete as she was competing in a time trial in 2022, plowing into her from behind despite clear visibility and an open lane to her left — and later telling police he had no memory of the crash, but admitting that he “must” have hit her. Which would seem kinda obvious under the circumstances.
A new book argues that the Netherlands isn’t the bicycling paradise people think, and communities — even the ones filled with people on two wheels — should ask deeper questions about what their streets are really for. While the country may not be perfect, it’s still a hell of a lot better than pretty much anywhere here in the US. Especially LA.
Tragic news from Brazil, where 42-year old cycling champ Lais Saes was killed in a hit-and-run while training with three other women on a dirt mountain road, when she was struck by the driver of a utility vehicle; it took more than an hour for help to arrive at the remote location.
Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.
We’ve jumped up to 1,173 signatures, so don’t stop now! I’ll forward the petition to the mayor’s office in the next few days. So urge everyone you know to sign it now!
I’m finally starting to feel a little better, almost two months after falling and injuring my ribs and back, and re-injuring my shoulder. My ribs are almost back to normal, and my back is getting there. On the other hand, I think my torn rotator cuff is just screwed at this point.
Also, a very kind person reached out to me last week and offered to come over and help around our apartment — the second time that’s happened since my wife and I have both been injured, after another BikinginLA reader generously offered to come do our shopping for us.
I won’t embarrass them by sharing their names, but I truly appreciate their offers of help. And the kindness and generosity of the readers of this site, which I see every year during our fund drive, and throughout the year.
So my sincere thanks to both of these people, and everyone who has given from their heart to help keep this all going.
Not only did they move quickly to remove the protected bus and bike lanes, combining them into a single shared lane, but they made the move without conducting the required environmental review.
If you can make it, show up to show your support for the Friends and Families for MOVE Culver City, aka FFMCC, who filed the suit. And let me know what happens.
Here’s a press release from the group explaining the case.
Friends and Families for Move Culver City Invites Members of the Public to Attend the Hearing on June 5th for its Lawsuit Against City’s Planned Removal of Protected Bike Lanes and Pedestrian Protections from MOVE Culver City Project
Culver City, CA – Friends and Families for MOVE Culver City (FFMCC), a local advocacy group, invites members of the public to attend the hearing for its lawsuit to stop Culver City’s removal of critical infrastructure without proper California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review on June 5th at 1:30pm in Department 15 at 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. The group first raised concerns and filed a lawsuit challenging the Culver City Council’s plans to remove key transportation upgrades in October 2023. The Culver City Council disregarded its own data, hundreds of public comments, letters and warnings from the community, elected officials, businesses, lawyers and environmental and mobility advocates when it first voted to begin the process of removing elements of its MOVE Culver City project in April 2023. Local advocates assert that the City Council’s approval of a CEQA exemption to these modifications is a violation of the law, as it would remove a protected bike lane and pedestrian features to accommodate an additional lane of vehicular traffic without disclosing, analyzing, or mitigating the impacts of those changes in an Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
Despite the warning, in January 2024, the Culver City Council voted to approve funding for a construction contract related to the removal of safety upgrades in the Move Culver City Corridor.
Following the vote, FFMCC filed a lawsuit in October 2023. A copy of the opening brief can be viewed here.
“We’re confident in the strength of our case and expect the judge to rule in our favor,” says Yotala Oszkay Febres-Cordero, Chair of Friends and Families for MOVE Culver City, the plaintiff in the case. “The city clearly violated CEQA by voting to exempt the project from environmental review, ignoring the indisputable fact that replacing a protected bike lane with an additional lane for cars, and removing pedestrian safety features, poses significant threats to public health and safety. This is precisely why CEQA was enacted, to provide notice to and protect communities when a planned project generates these environmental threats.” FFMCC is represented by attorneys Ellis Raskin, Jillian Ames, and Jenny Dao of Hanson Bridgett LLP.
In moving forward with this trial, FFMCC hopes to show the City that proper CEQA review pursuant to state law must be adhered to before any environmentally hostile modifications are made to the MOVE Culver City corridor.
About Friends and Families for Move Culver City
Friends and Families for Move Culver City was formed in response to the Culver City Council’s 3-2 vote to declare modifications to the MOVE Culver City project exempt from CEQA and to proceed with the removal of protected bike lanes, pedestrian protections and safety measures, and the addition of vehicle lanes along Washington Blvd and Culver Blvd in Culver City. Following the council vote on 9/11/2023, a GoFundMe was organized which raised more than $15,000 in less than two weeks, with nearly 200 donations from community members opposing the City’s plans.
………
Bike Talk talks with the author of The Art of Cycling in this week’s episode, dropping on Thursday.
Yesterday was my last day at Tern, and today, I am launching Cargo Bike Life to build a community and resources for those who want to be part of something bigger.https://t.co/iBl3tfAZjlpic.twitter.com/ruRolIqwFy
— Arleigh Greenwald (@bikeshopgirlcom) June 2, 2024
The annual AIDS/LifeCycle Ride is underway, with people from around the world riding 540 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles this week; the fundraising ride will end in LA this weekend.
Paramedics in Anchorage, Alaska gave a young girl a new bicycle after a “distressing” incident that left her impaled by the brake lever on her bicycle, threatening her femoral artery.
Thanks to Cassandra Fulgham for her donation to help support this site — and possibly help defray that ambulance ride and ER visit. As you probably know by now, donations of an amount, no matter how large or small, are always welcome and appreciated, whatever the reason.
………
Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
