The idiocy of Move Culver City removal, deputies seek bike-raging Cervelo rider, and NACTO says no plastic bendy posts

March 31, 2023 / / 6 comments

Seriously, this is getting old.

My apologies, once again, for yesterday’s unexcused absence. 

Let’s just say the transition to daily insulin has not gone as well as I would have hoped. 

Today’s photo comes from a report on the successful Move Culver City project, which some conservative Culver City counselors want to remove. 

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In response to Wednesday’s post, which featured the American College of Surgeons call for a kinder, gentler bike helmet mandate, Barry Tantlinger reminds us of Calbike’s stance on the matter.

And not surprisingly, they say no.

Or maybe, hell no.

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A new short video accurately captures the sheer idiocy of Culver City’s newly conservative city council attempting to rip out the Move Culver City bus and bike lanes that have made the downtown area more livable.

Or maybe we should just say livable, period.

Because it wasn’t that great when it was a car sewer, even for people in cars.

The council will vote on the proposal on April 24th.

Which gives you a little over three weeks to let them know you’re happy with things the way they are now, thank you.

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LA County Sheriff’s deputies are looking for a bike-raging man riding a high-end red and black Cervelo road bike, who allegedly shattered the windshield of a car in Westlake Village with a metal water bottle after yelling at the driver through the closed passenger window.

Anyone with information is urged to call LA Crime Stoppers at 800/222-TIPS (8477).

This is yet another reminder that violence is never the right answer, and only serves to make you the aggressor, no matter what the driver may have done, or how tempting it may be in the moment.

And yes, we’ve all been there.

Although something tells me there’s another side to this story. Besides, I don’t see any metal bottles in that photo, just a pair of plastic bidons.

Thanks to Geri for the heads-up.

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They get it.

NACTO, aka the National Association of City Transportation Officials, says bike lanes on streets with speed limits over 30 mph need protection.

And LADOT’s favorite flimsy plastic car ticklers don’t count.

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The drumbeat of public corruption in the City of Angels goes on, with the conviction of former County Supervisor and current recused LA City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas.

His conviction on bribery charges meant to benefit his son at USC means he will be forced to resign from the city council, requiring a special election or the permanent appointment of his replacement.

Ridley-Thomas’ 10th Council District is currently being represented by former staffer Heather Hutt.

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Looks like you’re going to have to find another route up to Angeles Crest from Glendora this weekend.

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Gravel Bike California grinds it out above Orange County, with DTLA in the distance.

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Thanks to Zachary Rynew for the link. 

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We may have featured this animation a few years ago, but it’s definitely worth revisiting.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.

A North Carolina man faces a murder charge for intentionally running down a 27-year old man riding a bicycle, who died a week later; police don’t have a motive for the killing, and say there was no apparent connection between the two men.

Seriously? A hit-and-run Port St. Lucie, Florida cop walked with a lousy warning citation after he “bumped” a 14-year old boy who was riding his bike across a street with the walk signal; the cop lied about even being involved in the crash, but got off with a gentle caress on the wrist anyway.

Belgian cycling star Wout van Aert was nearly roadkill following a punishment pass from the road-raging, horn-blaring driver of a cement truck, according to retired pro and training partner Jan Bakelants.

Someone is sabotaging a bike trail in Australia’s New South Wales with “an alarming number of tacks, screws and nails,” which have resulted in injures to bike riders, and forced some to walk miles with flat tires.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

Philadelphia police busted the city’s “Bicycle Burglars,” following a six week crime spree.

A man accuses bodyguards for Floyd Mayweather Jr. of giving him a beatdown after he asked the bike-riding boxing legend for an autograph in Miami Beach.

An English mother is calling for reckless bike riders to be subject to penalties similar to reckless drivers, after the bicyclist responsible for the crash that killed her motorcycle-riding son walked with the equivalent of a lousy $1,200 fine.

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Local 

Alhambra considers early plan concepts to reconfigure the stub end of the 710 Freeway, which unceremoniously dumps drivers off in the city; options include plans for a separated bike path to reduce motor vehicle traffic.

 

State

Streetsblog offers suggestions on how to improve California’s public right-of-ways.

A Calbike press release from two months in the future call for an end to racial profiling and pretextual stops, arguing that bicycling is not a crime, regardless of the neighborhood or color of the rider.

While the LAPD partners with Bike Index to register bicycles to combat bike theft, the Costa Mesa Police Department has joined other Orange County jurisdictions by signing up with Project 529 for the same purpose.

San Francisco’s misguided and deeply unpopular plan to build a two-way center lane bike lane in the middle of Valencia Street is on track for approval next week.

 

National

Business Insider argues that America’s lack of safe bicycling infrastructure is keeping people off their bikes.

Jalopnik points out what should be obvious to anyone who has observed emergency vehicles trying to navigate their way through a sea of drivers ensconced in their hermetically sealed cars and SUVs lately, that modern motor vehicles are so good at blocking out exterior noise that drivers can’t even hear a fire truck bearing down on them with sirens blaring.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says if you bought a bike helmet on Amazon from JBM International Electric, you might want to get your money back; the CPSC also says if you own a Campagnolo Ekar-equipped OPEN Cycle gravel or road bike, you shouldn’t ride it until you get the brake hose replaced.

A new Congressional bill to close gaps in urban protected bike networks would honor decorated American diplomat and fallen bicyclist Sarah Debbink Langenkamp, who was killed riding her bike after returning to DC from her last posting in war-torn Ukraine.

A plus-size writer for Well + Good says riding an ebike is a reminder that exercise doesn’t have to make you suffer. Just don’t tell that to the avid roadies, for whom suffering is a way of life.

Apple is working on an Apple Watch ebike detector that would calculate your energy expenditure when you ride.

School Library Journal recommends 16 kid’s books about learning to ride a bicycle. No word on which ones have been banned in Florida because they might possibly offend someone who is easily offended.

Portland’s chief bike planner says he’s stumped about why the rate of bicycling has declined in the ostensibly bike-friendly city.

A Eugene, Oregon letter writer says technology can be a bitter pill to swallow, as he warns against anti-ebike men in their 60s and early 70s on a local bike path who will curse you and the electric horse you ride.

An Apple AirTag led to the recovery of an Utah man’s ebike two years after it was stolen.

State Bicycle Company announced they will supply the bikes for Indiana University’s iconic Little 500, made famous by the equally iconic Breaking Away.

Still no motive for the shooting that took the life of a Pittsburgh-area man, who was murdered as he rode his bike to play baseball with his friends.

A Pennsylvania cop faces charges for last month’s distracted driving death of a 75-year old man riding a bicycle; he lost control of his patrol car while looking at his onboard computer as he responded to a call about an erratic driver. Which is the same irresponsible behavior that killed music executive Milt Olin on Mulholland Drive a decade ago. Except no one was ever charged for that crime.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole a three-year old Maine kid’s Spider-Man bicycle while he was in a store with his mom. Schmuck.

No bias here. A New York site does the math, and concludes there’s just not enough room for protected bike lanes on the city’s side streets. And besides, they’d make life too difficult for the garbage collectors.

A New Jersey man is on trial for murder in the stabbing death of his 51-year old neighbor, who confronted him for forcing the victim’s 17-year old son off the road as the boy rode his bike hours earlier.

A Florida crash report alleges that Dartmouth College football coach Buddy Teevens was at fault for failing to yield, and didn’t have lights on his bike, in the crash that left him with serious injuries as he rode home from a nearby restaurant

 

International

Bored Panda ranks the world’s 50 best examples of urban planning.

A new small study confirms what you already knew — bicycling fights aging in middle age, helping retain more muscle mass and composition than non-bicyclists. But you have to average at least 83 miles a week for 15 years or so to benefit. If those benefits last after you stop riding that much, I’ll live forever; if not, I’m screwed.

Auto Evolution looks at five car and motorcycle makers jumping on the ebike bandwagon; meanwhile, Jalopnik lists all the carmakers around the world who are branching out into ebikes.

She gets it. A Toronto writer describes SUVS as dinosaurs headed for extinction, arguing that huge cars don’t suit human life in cities, and their time is over.

Bicycling belatedly catches up to the news that bike riders now outnumber motorists in central London. Something Forbes reported on the first day of March, and we mentioned here a day later; as usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.

London’s mayor says protests against the city’s Ultra Low Emission Zones have been hijacked by far right groups, including Nazis, anti-vaxxers and Covid deniers.

Slate considers how Paris kicked out the cars, transforming itself into an “unlikely utopia” for bike riders and pedestrians.

One third of the drivers in fatal Finnish crashes were under the influence, with 283 drunk drivers causing the deaths of 308 people between 2017 and 2021, including six people on bicycles and three pedestrians.

A Ghanan website says the country’s plan to use bamboo bikes to solve its transportation problems may be farfetched, since most of the country’s roads lack safe bicycle infrastructure.

Ouch. An Australian man discovered the dangers of homemade ebike batteries the hard way when the battery on his bike exploded as he was riding it.

 

Competitive Cycling

Rouleur looks forward to Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, the most important date on the Belgian cycling calendar, which has been held every year since 1919.

Cycling Weekly spends a week with 20-year old WorldTour rookie Oscar Onley, as the Scottish cyclist has a difficult introduction to the big leagues.

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians explains why they supported the annual Redlands Classic with a total of $140,000 that enabled the race to expand to five days.

 

Finally…

Specialized says seriously, who needs seat post, anyway? When you’re riding with drug paraphernalia on your bike and meth in your bra, put a damn light and reflectors on it — the bike that is, not the bra.

And anything that manages to combine corgis and metal bollards will always get my undivided attention.

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Ramadan Mubarak to all observing the Islamic holy month. 

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: ,

Surgeons call for kinder, gentler mandatory helmet laws; and new OC wilderness park opens this weekend

March 29, 2023 / / One comment

The American College of Surgeons has once again called for the adoption of mandatory bike helmet laws for both children and adults.

However, the group also recognized the need for equitable and fair enforcement, after numerous reports of bike laws unfairly targeting people of color; Seattle dropped one of the nation’s few adult helmet laws last year due to enforcement targeting homeless and Black bicyclists.

According to the group,

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1,000 people die and 350,000 people are treated in emergency departments each year due to bicycle injuries in the US. Bicycle crashes accounted for $5.4 billion in medical costs in 2020 and an additional $7.7 billion in lost lives, work, and productivity.

Helmet use has been shown to significantly decrease the risk of fatal and nonfatal head injuries. Estimates indicate that helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 48%, traumatic brain injury by 53%, facial injury by 23%, and fatal injury by 34%.1

However, they fail to mention that bike helmets are designed to protect against relatively slow speed falls, not the collisions implied in the first paragraph.

Or that a far better solution is to redesign motor vehicles to reduce injuries to people walking and biking, and reimagine streets to prevent collisions in the first place. Not to mention slowing cars to reduce their lethality.

But somehow, they don’t call for that.

Yes, bike helmets can significantly reduce injury and death. But they should always be seen as the last resort when all else fails, not the first line of defense for bike safety.

And they should never be required by law, which would only reduce ridership at a time when we need to get more people on bikes in the face of a climate emergency.

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The new Saddleback Wilderness park is opening this Saturday, offering 3.3 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails in the OC Parks’ Irvine Ranch Open Space near Silverado.

The wilderness park used to be the site of the country’s first off-road motorsports park, but nature was allowed to reclaim it after the park closed in 1984.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.

San Luis Obispo’s car-forward columnist is back with another screed complaining about the city’s “illogical transportation agenda,” which includes new protected bike lanes and bike boulevards, as well as promotion of ebikes, which he somehow considers motor vehicles.

No bias here. London’s Daily Mail seemingly applauds vigilante “freedom fighters” who torched planters blocking motor vehicles from “deeply unpopular” Low Traffic Neighborhoods — even though LTN supporters outnumber opponents three to one. Along with a driver who confronts “eco-zealots” trying to block her from illegally driving through an LTN in violation of a No Cars sign.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A bicycle-riding purse snatcher knocked a 74-year old Florida woman to the ground after riding up from behind, then grabbing her purse and riding away — but all he got was a water bottle and her keys.

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Local 

A West Hollywood man complains that riding a scooter on the sidewalk resulted in a $37 ticket he can’t afford, but he’ll keep doing it because he doesn’t want to die riding in the street.

Your next ride along the San Gabriel River should be a little more pleasant, after the Army Corps of Engineers removed 144 tons — yes, tons — of trash from it.

Avril Lavigne is one of us, riding her throttle-controlled ped-assist ebike along the beach in a one-legged Superman pose.

 

State

An environmental website recommends seven “incredible” bike trails in the mountains and along the coast in San Diego.

San Diego State University received a $10 million grant to study how to make streets safer, more livable and more equitable for people biking and walking.

San Jose police arrested a 27-year old woman for killing a mother and a dog in a hit-and-run, as the victim was out walking the dog with her young daughter.

San Francisco Streetsblog calls on readers to join the fight for a Dutch-style protected bike lane on Valencia Street, rather than the center-lane bike lane the city has chosen.

Sad news from Stockton, where a 52-year old man riding a bicycle was killed when he was struck by the driver of a big rig truck.

 

National

A new federal study shows building protected bike lanes result in a gradual reduction in bicycling crashes. It also shows fewer bicycling crashes on streets with no parking in at least one direction.

Esquire says the author of Carmeggedon makes “an oddly compelling case to ditch your car.”

A writer for left-leaning magazine The Nation calls for “mass action and solidarity (to) force those in power to change our streets for the better,” arguing that people on bicycles deserve the right to free movement.

Streetsblog examines laws that restrict walking and biking, arguing that they are used to unfairly restrict the mobility of Black people.

Fed up with drivers parking in bike lanes, and the city’s inaction in dealing with the problem, a Seattle bike rider printed and posted his own No Parking signs; days later, one was missing and the other had been run over.

Illinois prosecutors have filed first degree murder and reckless homicide charges against an alleged DUI driver who killed a bike rider while driving under the influence of drugs.

Tragic news from Pittsburgh, where a transportation planner and former city intern was fatally shot in the head as he was riding his bike to baseball practice; police arrested a suspect but didn’t have a motive for the shooting.

Pennsylvania school bus drivers are selling 150 donated bicycles to help people in need. Then again, they could probably help them more by giving the bikes to people in need to provide cheap and efficient transportation.

A Chattanooga, Tennessee letter writer says bike safety is horrendous in the city, and city officials don’t care.

Dashcam video captured a Florida hit-and-run, as a driver went through a red light and clipped the front wheel of a 65-year old woman as she rode her bike in the crosswalk; she ended up with numerous cuts and scrapes, and may lose vision in one eye.

 

International

A Scottish physician and “keen cyclist” calls for something to be done about poorly paid and poorly trained workers delivering often unhealthy junk food on ebikes in an unsafe way to people sitting on their sofas.

A new documentary tells the story of a French man with no legs who used a handcycle to finish the Race Across America, aka RAAM, in just 12 days.

An Aussie council considers banning ebikes from an oceanfront pathway along the sea wall, where all bikes were banned until 1995.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cycling Weekly says Belgian cycling star Wout van Aert allowed top lieutenant Christophe Laporte to win at Gent-Wevelgem, ensuring his support for Sunday’s Tour of Flanders. Then again, that should have been a given from his teammate, anyway.

SoCal Cycling reports on the Victorville Stage Race, written by the winner of the U23 jersey.

Belgian ultra endurance cyclist Matthieu Bonne set a new Guinness world record for total distance ridden in a single week, riding over 2,248 miles in and around the Phoenix area.

A new Montana study used isotope tracers to examine calorie usage and physiology in a 24-hour mountain bike race.

 

Finally…

Kitsbow may be going out of business, but you can still buy their clothing if you don’t mind used bikewear. That feeling when the dance club is a bike.

And a look at the science behind why you don’t fall over on your bike.

Unless maybe you do, of course.

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Ramadan Mubarak to all observing the Islamic holy month. 

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Family looks for answers in Newport Beach crash, CicLAvia rolls at tax time, and share your thoughts on CA bicycling

March 28, 2023 / / Comments Off on Family looks for answers in Newport Beach crash, CicLAvia rolls at tax time, and share your thoughts on CA bicycling

Let’s start with an update on Sunday’s Newport Beach crash that appeared to leave a bike rider seriously injured.

The crash, which occurred on on the west side of Newport Coast Drive just south of San Joaquin Hills Rd, resulted in an hours long road closure as police investigated.

Yesterday I heard from a lawyer for the victim’s family, who shared that he survived the impact, but remains very seriously injured and unable to communicate.

As a result, they are desperate for any information to understand what happened to their loved one.

So if you saw the crash, or have any information about it, call Pajman Jassim of Jassim Law at 619/395-2668.

And be sure to keep the victim of this crash in your thoughts or prayers, or whatever you’re comfortable with.

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Mark your calendar for the next CicLAvia in less than three weeks.

CicLAvia — Mid City meets Pico Union rolls on Sunday, April 16th, on a four-mile route along Venice and Washington boulevards between Hoover and La Brea.

California’s multiple disaster designations means the deadline to file your federal and state taxes has been extended until October 15th, so you won’t have to rush home to get your taxes forms in order for the next day.

Let’s just hope the seemingly endless series of atmospheric rivers is over by then, so we can count on a typically sunny SoCal spring morning.

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UC Berkeley’s SafeTREK program is conducting a survey about conditions facing bicyclists in the state of California.

You are invited to participate in a UC Berkeley study about the factors that make roads more or less bicycle friendly. The survey involves answering some questions about your cycling experience and then viewing and responding to short videos of bicycling on road segments. The survey takes 15-20 minutes to complete. The closing date for the survey is Friday, April 14, 2023.

Those who complete the online survey at the link below may enter a drawing to receive one of six gift cards. One $150 card, two $75 cards, and three $50 cards are available. Please encourage your peers and colleagues to complete this survey as well. Download our flyer: English | Spanish.

Click here to take the survey in English.

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Santa Monica wants to know what you think about a proposal to allow pedicabs on the beachfront bike path through the city.

https://twitter.com/santamonicacity/status/1640422227001655308

My take is the path is just too crowded as it is, particularly on weekends and summer afternoons and evenings, and adding commercial activity would just make a bad situation worse.

But maybe they could consider offering it during off-peak hours.

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Go ahead. Make my day.

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Disconnected bike lanes that don’t go anywhere don’t really help anyone, and clearly demonstrate just how little city and state officials actually care.

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Portland officials are moving quickly to address a decline in ridership by introducing a purple cartoon frog.

Yeah, that should fix everything.

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A new scientific journal will focus on research into bicycling and micromobility.

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Lady Gaga is one of us.

Although we may not want to admit it until she loses that weird whale hat.

Or maybe it’s a dolphin. Or a shark.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.

No bias here. A Toledo, Ohio bike path already under construction is on hold in a dispute over property rights next to a local country club, as the club argues it would be unsafe because an errant shot might hit a car, and the driver could crash into people on the bike path. Or maybe a unicorn might dart out of the 7th hole and stampede into bike riders on the path, which seems almost as probable. 

The bizarre war on 15-minute cities and the UK’s Low Traffic Neighborhoods — the equivalent of Slow Streets in the US — continues, as a successful petition drive results in an independent investigation into LTNs, and calls for a referendum on implementing 15-minute cities in the country.

A writer for Bicycling describes getting buzzed by a driver while riding two abreast in Spain, and reacting by flipping the driver off and exchanging obscenities — resulting in a road rage chase as they rode uphill, followed by threats with a tire iron, folding chair and razor blade before the driver and his passenger finally calmed down. Read it on AOL if the magazine blocks you.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A Florida home health aide learned the hard way that if you’re going to steal a gun from your 76-year old patient, maybe don’t ride home with the gun in plain site in your bike basket.

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Local 

Streetsblog rides the newly extended parking-protected bike lanes on eastbound Venice Blvd between McLaughlin and Overland avenues. Which at least use chunkier plastic bollards that won’t actually stop a car, but look like they might.

An op-ed by former Santa Monica city manager and Los Angeles assistant mayor Rick Cole considers a historic opportunity to reunify the heart of Pasadena by reclaiming the scars left by Caltrans for the abandoned 710 Freeway stub.

We’ve mention Long Beach teenager Liam Garner’s bike ride from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina before, but didn’t know the 17-year old didn’t even tell his dad he was going until he was already on the road.

 

State

San Diego residents took advantage of a rare opportunity to ride their bikes on the closed SR-15 Freeway.

Santa Barbara continues to extend its bike network, building a series of bike paths and bicycle friendly streets that will connect the east and west sides of the city. And unlike LA’s flimsy plastic car-ticklers, they are using actual steel bollards to protect bike riders from motorists.

This is who we share the road with. Police in San Jose arrested a suspect who allegedly fled the scene after running down a woman and her daughter as they were walking their dog; the mother and dog died at the scene, while the little girl is hospitalized.

SF Gate explains everything you need to know about the Wiggle, San Francisco’s two-mile long zig-zagging bike route that avoids the city’s infamous hills.

A Yuba County woman will spend the next ten years behind bars after accepting a plea deal in the DUI death of a 37-year old neighbor as he was riding his bike; she was trying to drive home at twice the legal limit after having multiple drinks at a local bar.

 

National

He gets it. A writer for Jalopnik says it’s not the bike lane’s fault that you’re a bad driver, and maybe people should pay attention when they drive instead of complaining about them.

Bicycling lists nine Subreddits you should follow to connect with other riders and get answers to all your bike questions. However, the article is an exclusive for Bicycling members, which doesn’t explain why it’s also available on Yahoo, as well as AOL.

The popular Colorado certified pre-owned bicycle dealership The Pro’s Closet will henceforth be known simply as TPC.

It’s a sad commentary when neighbors say crashes happen all the time at a Texas intersection where drivers ignore stop signs, leading to a motorist crashing into the bike trailer carrying a six-year old girl; fortunately, both she and her father, who was riding the bike pulling the trailer, will be okay.

A Florida man and his small dog were both killed when they were struck by a pickup driver while he was walking the dog alongside his bicycle; the dog suddenly darted into the road, pulling his bike into the traffic lane.

 

International

A Canadian website explain why mandatory bike registration and requiring bike riders to pay for our own infrastructure probably isn’t a good idea.

A Nova Scotia newspaper offers decent advice on how drivers can safely share the road with people on bicycles, although they fail to mention passing at a safe distance. But then spoil it by framing the story as “How to drive with cyclists at your bumper,” as if we all tailgate en masse.

A writer for The Guardian insists on seeing the death of a 77-year old English woman who was knocked off her bike by an angry pedestrian as nothing more than a tragic oopsie, rather than the result of a sidewalk vigilante attempting to enforce the law against sidewalk riding herself.

New bicycles, children’s bikes and ebikes are selling at discounts up to 80% in a massive online auction after a British bike distributor went belly up. But you have to live in the UK to get it.

Your next trip to Paris could feature on-demand, chauffeur-driven, covered e-pedicab service.

French composer Ernest Chausson was one of us, dying in a bicycling crash at the height of his career when he lost control of his bike on a steep hill and crashed into a brick wall in 1899.

Sad news from Italy, where famed framebuilder Ugo De Rosa passed away at the ripe old age of 89; the company will continue under his sons. Once again, read it on AOL if Bicycling blocks you. 

Tragic news from Bangladesh, where a man took his six-year old daughter to the hospital, and was beaten to death by ambulance drivers and Islamic militia members after he was mistaken for a bicycle thief.

A new Australian study says women just want to ride their bikes without fear or harassment, which can be addressed by building more separated bikeways.

 

Competitive Cycling

Over 1,000 high school and middle school mountain bikers will compete in the annual Granite Bay Grinder this weekend at the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area; the race returns following a three-year pandemic hiatus.

 

Finally…

It’s a lot like riding a bike on a high wire line, but a lot closer to the ground. Your next fully functional bicycle could be less than a foot high.

And that feeling when an AI bot writes a better anti-bike screed than the famed bike hater it’s imitating.

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Ramadan Mubarak to all observing the Islamic holy month. 

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Bike riders seriously injured in Carlsbad and Newport Beach, and Culver City NIMBYs go after downtown bus/bike lanes

March 27, 2023 / / 3 comments

Let’s start with the bad news from Carlsbad and Newport Beach.

A 77-year old man riding a bicycle suffered life-threatening injuries when he was run down by a hit-and-run driver on Aviara Parkway near Black Rail Road in Carlsbad Friday afternoon.

The driver was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence and hit-and-run after he was found a couple miles away, showing “objective symptoms of alcohol intoxication.”

He was being held on $100,000 bond.

Meanwhile, I’ve heard from two people about someone on a bicycle appears to have been seriously injured in Newport Beach on Sunday, on the west side of Newport Coast Drive just south of San Joaquin Hills Rd.

There’s nothing in the news yet, which is usually a good sign. However, I’m told that the road was closed for several hours, which suggests the victim may have suffered critical, possibly life-threatening injuries.

https://twitter.com/serena_grace/status/1640154158920769536

In addition, a 43-year old man on a high-end road bike was seriously injured when he was apparently sideswiped by a passing driver in Del Mar just before midnight Friday; fortunately, his injuries aren’t considered life-threatening.

Thanks to Phillip Young, Serena Grace and David Huntsman for the heads-up.

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Nothing good last forever, if NIMBYs get their way.

It was only a few weeks ago that I visited downtown Culver City for the first time since the Move Culver City Complete Street makeover went in, and discovered for myself just how much more pleasant it was to walk through the city without the constant threat from cars and their drivers.

But now a new conservative majority on the city council wants to rip out the new bike and bus lanes, and restore Washington Blvd to the dangerous car sewer it was for decades prior to the improvements.

Yes, improvements.

So mark your calendar for what may be the last chance to save them next month.

https://twitter.com/AlexFischCC/status/1639658005146009601

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Traveling through Mid-City West is about to get a lot easier, and a helluva lot more pleasant.

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Looks like we’ve got a new bike lane on the ground in Pico Rivera.

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Although they’ve got a long way to go to catch up to Santa Monica.

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More proof bicycles can transport just about anything.

https://twitter.com/duzer/status/1640056571278360579

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Paris proves that the only thing holding us back is our own leadership. Or the lack thereof.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.

No logical disconnect here. When you’re urging people to come protest a bike lane, always encourage them to come by bike or transit due to a serious lack of parking.

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No bias here. An Arizona state representative thinks Portland has somehow imploded, and bike lanes are to blame; the local paper aptly describes the backlash as “road diet rage. Thanks to Erik Griswold for the link, who calls your attention to the “delightful” comments to the original tweet.

https://twitter.com/JosephChaplik/status/1638968986556862467

An impatient, road raging driver drove up onto the sidewalk and onto the grass before trying to go through a die-in being held to protest the death of a bike rider in Sheffield, England.

No bias here, either. Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson writes that he’s glad bike sales have dropped below pre-pandemic levels in the UK, bizarrely comparing people on bicycles to the East German secret police, and arguing that riding a bike isn’t a cheap and healthy alternative to taking the car, but rather, “a political statement, pure and simple. It’s anti-capitalism with handlebars.”

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

Police in Nova Scotia are investigating a man who rode his bicycle through town wearing a Nazi flag draped over his shoulder. In the US, that would be protected under the 1st Amendment, but I’m not sure about the laws up there in the Great White North. Or Northeast, in this case.

London’s bicycling czar was punched in the face by an angry man on a bike, after he chastised the man for riding through a crosswalk at an Amsterdam-style floating bus stop without stopping for pedestrians. On the other hand, at least London has a bike czar, unlike a certain SoCal megalopolis I could name.

………

Local 

The city of San Fernando — you know, the one with the mission that the valley is named after — broke ground on a new 1.4-mile multi-use path along the Pacoima Wash Friday morning

 

State

Streetsblog accuses the Democratic author of a new state bill of hiding its real intent, using equity and emissions to argue for expanding car capacity on the Richmond-San Rafael bridge, and converting the hard-fought-for bike lane into a lane for motor vehicles.

A La Jolla high school student worked with firefighters to promote safety at a school event, five months after he was hit by a driver while riding his bike; he’s also calling for speed bumps to slow drivers where the crash occurred.

The San Diego Union-Tribune writes that community groups are working with state and federal agencies by using murals and parks to reconnect neighborhoods severed by highway construction. However, the story is hidden behind a paywall, so you’re on your own trying to see it. Thanks again to Phillip Young. 

Bad news in San Jose, where a woman riding a bike was murdered by a hit-and-run driver Sunday night.

 

National

A writer for Slate discusses the new bill calling for a $1,500 federal ebike tax credit, saying environmentalists are finally recognizing the world can do better than electric cars, and starting to act like it.

PeopleForBikes and the League of American Bicyclists will team to offer a new ebike-specific rider safety curriculum this summer.

If you’ve ever wished your ebike had more power, consider that ebikes are legally restricted to no more than 1 horsepower in the US.

The Wall Street Journal examines when your kid will be old enough to ride an ebike. And they’ll welcome you through their draconian paywall for the low, low price of a buck a week. 

A new study shows that self-driving cars won’t significantly reduce demand for parking. On the other hand, promoting bicycle and transit use, as well as walking, can.

An Anchorage, Alaska cop was allowed to walk without charges for beating, kicking and pepper spraying a man he and his partner had stopped for riding with no lights on his bike, then unlawfully arresting him, after the victim recorded and taunted the man; prosecutors dropped charges against him after he agreed not to work in law enforcement again.

Denver’s highly successful ebike rebate system returns tomorrow; no word on how many vouchers will be available this time.

A Dallas, Texas man is facing seven years behind bars after agreeing to a plea deal for the hit-and-run death of a father riding a bicycle, along with drug possession and the illegal use of a car.

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of us, going for a chilly bikeshare ride on the streets of New York.

Over 300 bike riders turned out to honor a Norfolk, Virginia bike shop owner who was killed while riding his bicycle in a South Carolina collision.

An 80-year old Florida man was killed when his bike was left-crossed by a 69-year old woman driving a golf cart.

 

International

The former director of Colombia’s national police is one of us, as retired general Rodolfo Palomino suffered a hip injury when he was struck by a driver while riding his bike, before crashing into another car.

A 72-year old man from Canada’s Prince Edward Island has virtually ridden around the world, traveling the equivalent of of the Earth’s circumference — nearly 25,000 mile — on local streets in less than four years.

A London writer says she’s bored by the abuse and vitriol she faces as a woman riding a bicycle in the city, because the benefits far outweigh any negatives; meanwhile, the situation’s not much better for women in the Philippines, either.

No bias here, either. The family of a British woman, who was sentenced to three years behind bars for fatally knocking a 77-year old woman off her bicycle and into the path of an oncoming car for riding on the sidewalk, says she shouldn’t be in prison, arguing the judge failed to consider her learning difficulties and mental state after the death of her sister, and describing her as childlike, disabled and partially blind. Then again, she didn’t offer much consideration for the woman she sent to her death, either. 

An 81-year old English man has been known as the area’s “bicycle whisperer” for more than six decades, after surviving a devastating flood that hit the region when he was just eleven.

First aid class paid off for a group of English cops, as they were called to rescue an unconscious bike rider just days after being trained for that exact scenario.

A new Belgian study shows bicycling crashes are vastly under-reported in the country, with up to six times as many bike crashes as shown in official statistics, many caused by potholes in the country’s roads.

Croatia will invest the equivalent of nearly $180 million in bicycle infrastructure over the next five years.

Turkmenistan has elected a new parliament with no members of the opposition, with all 125 members loyal to the country’s bicycle-riding president.

A Malaysian bicyclist writes about how to get better at traveling on two wheels.

Vigilantes have sabotaged a new $15 million multiuse path in Australia’s New South Wales by sprinkling tacks and nails along the pathway at least three times since it opened just two weeks ago, in an apparent effort to cause flats and injuries.

 

Competitive Cycling

The Ineos Grenadiers cycling team says they’re still counting on Egan Bernal for this year’s Tour de France, after the 26-year old former Tour de France winner crashed out of the Volta a Catalunya as he struggles to regain his form after last year’s near-fatal training crash.

You know you’re dominating the race when you can take a wrong turn near the finish, and still win by nearly three minutes, like Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser did in winning the women’s Gent-Wevelgem classic in a 25-mile breakaway.

Begian’s Wout Van Aert had his best week of the new racing season, starting with a win in the E3 Saxo Classic last week as he outsprinted Mathieu Van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar for the win. As usual, read it on Yahoo if Bicycling blocks you. 

Van Aert continued his success with a second place finish in the men’s Gent-Wevelgem, finishing just behind teammate Christophe Laporte as the rest of the peloton struggled with the rain and wet cobbles; however, he was nearly DQ’d when a mechanic lubed his chain leaning out of the team car. Once again, read it on Yahoo if Bicycling blocks you. 

 

Finally…

Walk the dog while you ride. Your next handlebars could be illegal gun parts in disguise.

And seriously, it’s true.

Twitter post

………

Ramadan Mubarak to all observing the Islamic holy month. 

……….

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Advocate says regulate ebikes before fed tax credit, Amsterdam drops ebike speed limits, and Westside NC endorsements

March 24, 2023 / / 3 comments

My apologies for yet another unexcused absence, as I continue to struggle with the transition to insulin for my diabetes. 

Hopefully, they’ll get it dialed in soon, because I’m sick and tired of feeling sick and tired all the time. 

So if you’re at risk, get tested and do whatever you have to avoid becoming diabetic. Because you seriously don’t want this crap. 

………

The Bike League says ebikes are electric vehicles, and should receive the same incentives as the four-wheeled kind.

They’re urging you to contact your representatives in Washington to support the new Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment (E-BIKE) Act, which provides up to a $1,500 tax credit to buy one.

Or will if it passes, anyway.

Because it faces long odds in the GOP-controlled House, as Republicans push for cuts in federal spending.

Meanwhile, longtime Orange County bike advocate Bill Sellin stakes out a contrarian position in an open letter he penned in opposition to the bill.

I was excited when I first saw this – but this looks like just a way to hand out our limited tax dollars (& line the pockets of the bicycle manufacturers), not help establish any standards or safety for people who ride electric bicycles.

Will the proposed legislation get Class III ‘speed’ electric bicycles added to the responsibility of the Consumer Protection Safety Commission like Class 1 & 2 “low speed” electric bicycles currently are?

Will we get the regulations to require electric bicycles to be UL certified to prevent burning down homes when cheap and unregulated charge systems fail?

Will the cash hand-outs be limited to actual legitimate E-Bikes or will they also be given out to the over powered and over speed out of class electric vehicles – that have never been submitted for certification by the NHTSA to be allowed on streets as mopeds or motor driven cycles or electric motorcycles, but are sold by some manufacturers as “electric bicycles”?

I am shocked that Class 2 low speed throttle bikes are being sold to and driven by children under 16, while Class 3 are restricted – and worse, that the industry is doing little to stop the blatant sales of vehicles that clearly exceed the 20 mph throttle ‘assist’ or have over 750 watts of power but are marketed as eBikes.

These out of class electric vehicles are illegal to drive on bikeways or public roads and their operators are giving electric bicycles such a bad name that I fear they may be banned before I can enjoy buying one…

I will ask my representatives to FIGHT this boondoggle unless some standards are implemented as a result, and certainly only for credit towards a legitimate actual electric bicycle.

He has a point.

As much as I support ebike incentives — or any incentives to get more people on bikes, electric or otherwise — it’s long past time for US government ebike standards to replace the current unwieldy patchwork of state and local laws.

It’s true that some two-wheeled vehicles sold as ebikes are little more than low-speed motorbikes and mopeds, and there’s a legitimate question whether that’s what we want to promote through federal spending.

………

Shortly after I received Bill Sellin’s letter, I received another email featuring a Dutch approach to ebike speeds.

For the past few years, as ebikes have exploded in popularity, I’ve seen dozens stories about the problems caused fast ebikes on crowded bikeways in the Netherlands, including bikes hacked to exceed the EU’s 15 mph speed limitations for regular ped-assist ebikes, or 28 mph for so-called “speed bikes.”.

D-J Haanraadts forwarded news that Amsterdam is dealing with the problem by reducing ebike speed limits on city bikeways.

According to DutchNews.nl,

Amsterdam officials want to set a 20 kph speed limit on electric bikes within the city’s boundaries to improve safety for other cyclists.

E-bikes can often travel faster than 30 kph, boosting the range of speeds on cycle tracks and endangering children and elderly cyclists, city transport chief Melanie van der Horst has told city councillors.

However, national legislation would be required to legally reduce bike speeds and Van der Horst says she is now lobbying for change in The Hague.

In the meantime, the city is considering using technology known as ‘intelligent speed adaptation’ which warns cyclists they are entering a lower speed zone via an app. It is also planning a pilot to shift fast e-bikes from cycle paths to the roads – if the cyclist wants to continue at high speed.

You can also read the story in the original Dutch, if you prefer.

Assuming you can, of course. Which I can’t.

………

Streets For All offers their endorsements for Westside neighborhood councils, such as Mar Vista, Venice, Palms, South Robertson, Del Rey and West LA-Sawtelle.

You are eligible to vote for NC candidates in person this Sunday “if you live, work, have a kid that goes to school, worship, own property, or otherwise have an ongoing and substantial connection in the neighborhood.”

………

The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.

Chicago residents says tickets and signs aren’t stopping drivers from parking in bike lanes, even after the deaths of two people riding bikes.

No bias here. A Chicago hardware store blames the failure of its business on the three-year old bike lanes in front of the store, and not, say Covid, online sales, or any of the other factors hammering mom and pop stores.

A road raging English car passenger was convicted of chasing down a bike rider and beating him with a crutch, in anger over the way the rider passed by as he was getting out of the car.

The Alliance of British Drivers argued there can be “extenuating circumstances” for some close passes, apparently forgetting that it’s possible to slow down and wait until it’s safe to pass someone on a bicycle.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A Chicago bike rider was caught on video hopping off his bike to steal packages from a local residence, then getting back on and riding off with them.

………

Local 

Only slightly off topic, LAist has the best cheap fast eats in Koreatown after dark. Because everyone knows bike riders gotta eat.

London’s Daily Mail tells Dick Van Dyke to get a bike, after the 97-year old actor’s car skidded in rain and crashed into the gate of his Malibu home.

A Westlake Village equestrian says trail etiquette dictates that bike riders yield to hikers, and everyone yields to horses.

 

State

A new bike seat cushion from Newport Beach-based Ergo21 redundantly promises to improve blood flow and circulation in your nether regions.

The death of fallen bicyclist Nelson Esteban in Palm Springs last week provoked a community outcry for safer streets, along with the installation of a ghost bike.

Streetsblog accuses the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition of blinking in the fight for Dutch-style protected bike lanes on Valencia, as the site examines the dangers of center lane bike lanes like the ones planned for the street.

 

National

Trek is hopping on the cargo bike bandwagon. I’ll take the longtail, as long as I can add a front corgi carrier. 

TechRadar says a new $3,500 3D-printed ebike from Superstrata looks cool, but it costs too much and “the ride’s not up to scratch.”

CleanTechnica offers advice on how to reduce the risk of ebike fires. Although the easiest solution is to just ride a regular bike. 

An Idaho tow truck driver was convicted of vehicular homicide in the death of a well-known triathlete as she was riding her bike; he had smoked weed before crash, and still had meth in his system from the night before.

Houston mountain bikers are up in arms after the Howard Hughes Corp shut down unauthorized trails on their property, which they say is unsafe and not open to the public.

This isn’t the least bit confusing. An Illinois website says “do not drive, park, or stand in a bike lane,” even if there’s no one on a bike present. Then in the next sentence, says it’s okay to park in a bike lane as long as there’s not a No Parking sign nearby. Glad they cleared that up. And someone please tell them that bike lanes and sharrows are two different things.

An Indianapolis Catholic charity is collecting gently used bicycles to provide much needed transportation for immigrants and refugees.

New York will finally lift its ban on ebikes in city parks this summer.

This is who we share the road with. Six Maryland construction workers were killed when one motorist sideswiped another, sending the out-of-control car smashing into the victims working on the center of a freeway; the workers were protected by k-rails, but the car went through a gap in the protective barrier.

Time Bicycles is building what they claim will be the nation’s largest carbon fiber bicycle factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

A new design is being finalized for a bike and pedestrian bridge over a busy eight-lane street on the campus of Florida International University, five years after the disastrous collapse of a previous bridge killed six people and injured ten others.

 

International

Just keep pedaling. A new European study says high fitness levels can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death in men with high blood pressure.

Cyclist takes a deep dive into how frame geometry affects handling.

A writer for We Love Cycling talks with an AI chatbot, which suggests naked bike commuting and riding on worn-out mountain bike tires.

La Prensa calls Uruguay’s capital of Montevideo a no-man’s land for people on bicycles.

A Toronto letter writer responds to fear mongering by a mayoral candidate, saying they prefer to travel on foot or by bicycle — which is also where they feel most unsafe.

An Ottawa cop commandeered a bystander’s bicycle to chase down an unlicensed driver who fled on foot to avoid arrest. And yes, he did get his man, and the bystander got his bike back.

A new children’s book focuses on a longtime Montreal bike activist to let kids know “how you could be a little crazy and yet may be right.”

London’s mayor will consider the safety of the city’s new floating bus stops, as blind bus riders complain crossing bike lanes to get to the buses puts them at risk of collisions with bike riders.

He gets it. A former Deputy Leader of the London borough of Lambeth says forget all the 15-minute city conspiracy theories, and just focus on making every neighborhood a great place to live.

A Dutch gardener is embarking on an epic 18,640-mile bicycle ride from London to India to raise awareness about soil degradation.

Your next bike could pay homage to the landscapes and colors of Norway. No, really.

Vienna, Austria plans on building a modest 12 miles of bicycling infrastructure this year, after just ten miles last year.

We may have to deal with LA’s feral drivers, but at least we don’t have to cope with wild elephants, like the one that stormed out of an Indian jungle and attacked a father and son sharing a bicycle, killing the older man and injuring his minor son.

Tragic news from Jenin, Palestine, where a 14-year old boy was shot and killed by covert Israeli forces while he was riding his bike outside the shop operated by his parents; he appears to have been collateral damage as the Israelis targeted a pair of men on a motorcycle. Thanks to rafe ebike crazy guy for the link.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cycling Weekly has more information on the cyclist knocked down by a female spectator at Spain’s Vuelta a Extremadura as she was attempting to film the action. Yet oddly, no one has yet identified the rider who was taken out.

Speaking of Cycling Weekly, the magazine considers how the field for this year’s Tour de France is shaping up with 100 days to go, and provides a guide to gravel races near you, if you happen to live near one.

A 46-year old trans cyclist with the LA Sweat team won the women’s Randall’s Island Crit, saying she felt like a superhero in the team kit; her win came just days after a former women’s ‘cross champ angrily quit the sport after finishing between two riders she derisively called “men.” Meanwhile, conservative media seemed none too pleased with her victory. Or her existence, for that matter.

A local paper looks forward to next month’s five-stage Redlands Bicycle Classic, although the paracycling race has been cancelled this year.

The three stage Victorville Stage Race will result in road closures around Victorville and the Cajon Pass, starting today.

Mark your calendar for May’s Pasadena Senior Games, which will include cycling competitions.

And that feeling when you faceplant trying to keep up with the peloton.

Twitter post

 

Finally…

For anyone who’s been waiting with bated breath to swap batteries between your ebike power tools, your day has come. If you need a new bike, Jim Carrey says just pray to the Virgin Mary.

And that feeling when SEO spammers urge you to protect your “brian.”

Oh, and “snuggly” has two Gs.

Thanks to Marc for the catch, which I missed until he called it out.

………

Let me offer a special thanks to Nathan F for his generous donation to help support this site, and keep all the best bike news coming your way every day. 

His unexpected donation helped lift my spirits in the midst of a very depressing day, when the problems with my diabetes and the seemingly endless drumbeat of bad news was more than I could take. 

………

Ramadan Mubarak to all observing the Islamic holy month. 

……….

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin, too.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Update: Man riding bicycle killed by hit-and-run driver in Pomona; 6th SoCal bicyclist killed by hit-and-run drivers this year

March 22, 2023 / / One comment

Once again, someone riding a bicycle was murdered by a hit-and-run driver.

This time in Pomona.

According to KTLA-5, the victim was trying to cross East End Avenue at Mission Blvd when he was run down by a passing motorist shortly after 5:30 this morning.

The victim, identified only as a man who appeared to be in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver fled the scene, apparently without stopping.

There’s no word on whether the victim had lights on his bike in the early morning darkness. Then again, there’s no word on whether the driver was using his.

The fact that the victim was riding his bike in this weather suggests he had no other option, possibly just trying to get to work in the rain.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Pomona Police Department at 909/802-7741 or 909/620-2048.

This is at least the 14th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

Six of those SoCal deaths have been hit-and-runs.

Sadly, the overwhelming majority of hit-and-run drivers get away with it. But in the unlikely event they do catch the driver, California’s lenient hit-and-run laws mean they will likely face just four years behind bars, at most.

Even then, prosecutors usually bargain down from that low level in order to get a guilty plea.

Which means most drivers just get a slap on the wrist for making the conscious decision to flee the scene, and leave an innocent victim to die alone in the street.

If they get caught. Which is a big if.

Update: The victim has been identified as 71-year old Pomona resident J. Guadalupe Perez-Nunez. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for J. Guadalupe Perez-Nunez and his loved ones.

Thanks to Johnson Attorneys Group for the heads-up. 

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,
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