The victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, died at the scene after being knocked onto the sidewalk.
There’s no word on whether the 69-year-old woman behind the wheel swerved into the bike lane, or if the victim left the bike lane for some reason. However, police don’t believe drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.
The driver was hospitalized for non-life threatening medical care, though it was unclear if she was injured in the crash or was treated for some sort of health condition.
Anyone with information is urged to call Escondido Police Officer Pete McCollough at 760/839-4930.
This is at least the 56th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
My deepest prayers and sympathy for the victim and all his loved ones.
August 11, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Healthy Streets LA ballot measure qualifies for ballot, moves to city council; and Paris moves to be 100% bikeable
Correction: I got a couple things wrong in the following piece.
First off, the Healthy Streets LA initiative has qualified for the 2024 ballot, not this fall as I originally wrote.
Second, my sloppy wording implied that the city council had the option of changing the wording on the initiative, but they don’t. They have the option of adopting the initiative as written, or adopting their own ordinance based on the initiative.
Or as an alternative, the city council could skip the whole hassle of campaigning for the next two years, and adopt the measure outright, which is what Streets For All is pushing for.
Twitter post
The measure would simply require that the city implement the already approved mobility plan whenever streets in the plan get resurfaced, whether repaved or coated with a slurry seal.
The council can adopt the plan outright, adopt their own alternative version based on the plan, or vote to place it on the ballot.
Some people, including longtime leading pedestrian advocate Jessica Meaney, have called for the city to adopt the alternative version including a plan for implementation with a focus on equity.
The problem with that is that it could be amended or revoked by a simple vote of the city council at any time, for any reason. So if the next Gil Cedillo or Paul Koretz decided they didn’t want bike lanes in their district, they could easily have them removed.
Adopting the proposal outright would give it the force of law, and would require a vote of the people in order to modify it. And nothing prevents the city council from approving both the Healthy Streets LA proposal, as well as the council’s version, with a focus on equity in the resurfacing schedule, to govern how it will be rolled out.
Which would be the best of all possible worlds, and what Streets For All is recommending.
Meanwhile, the LA Times looked at the ballot measure, and the willingness of city officials and the public to make real changes to the streets to increase safety and livability.
In the city where the car is king, activists are pushing to claim strips of the biggest boulevards for bicyclists and walkers.
Their fight has played out at Griffith Park, where streets were recently closed after a cyclist was killed. It spilled out along the steps of City Hall where advocates staged a die-in. And now, it could make its way to the ballot box in a vote that will test traffic-weary Angelenos’ willingness to put themselves on a so-called road diet to make streets safer and the air cleaner.
But what jumps out from the story is a comment from a board member from NIMBY advocacy group Fix The City.
“If you take away vehicle lanes, you are creating congestion,” said Mike Eveloff, a board member of the nonprofit Fix The City. The group successfully sued Los Angeles over its mobility plan, mandating that an extensive outreach plan accompany new projects for 10 years. “This will result in even more lawsuits against the city. There are no costs disclosed. This represents a ‘hidden’ tax.”
Eveloff said he once loved to cycle but not anymore. “The infrastructure is incompatible with cars, bikes and pedestrians sharing the same space.”
He clearly doesn’t recognize the irony of that statement.
Because that same lack of safe infrastructure keeps many people from riding their bikes or walking to the market. And the fixes the Fix The City group opposes are exactly what would allow him to ride a bike once again.
Who knows, he might even like it.
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This is what Los Angeles could be doing.
Paris has invested the equivalent of 154 million dollars to transform itself from a typically auto-centric, car-choked city to one where both residents and visitors can choose to get anywhere in the city on two wheels.
The city is increasing its investment to $258 million to build 621 miles of bike lanes and 186 miles of cycle tracks, along with 30,000 bike racks, with 1,000 spaces reserved for cargo bikes, and 40,000 new secure bicycle parking spaces.
They’re also planning for 8,400 ebike charging stations.
This is the sort of wholesale transportation changes we were promised with the adoption of LA’s mobility plan, before we were all told it was merely “aspirational.”
And forgettable, evidently.
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Robert Downey Jr. is one of us, as he makes a sepia toned call for more bike lanes.
Sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
The widow of a man murdered by a bike-riding man while their family was on vacation in Myrtle Beach SC is demanding the death penalty or life in prison for his killer; the victim was shot eight times after agreeing to give the down-and-out stranger a ride
Speaking of Silicon Valley tech firms, Ralph Nader urged the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, aka NHTSA, to recall Tesla’s full self-driving technology, calling it “one of the most dangerous and irresponsible actions by a car company in decades.”
August 11, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on 42-year old man killed riding ebike against traffic in Huntington Beach, 70-year old driver arrested for DUI
Once again, Southern California’s killer highway has claimed a life.
But this time, the victim was at least partly at fault for riding salmon — even though he was struck by an allegedly stoned driver.
According to the Daily Pilot, 42-year old Huntington Beach resident Timothy John Briley was killed when he was struck by a driver while riding an ebike against traffic in Huntington Beach Tuesday evening.
He was taken to a local hospital, where he died 40 minutes later.
Front remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators; she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence at 7:40 pm.
There are no bike lanes or other bike infrastructure on PCH north of Admiralty, and no word on whether Briley was riding in the parking lane or traffic lanes.
There’s also no word on why he was riding against traffic, although some people mistakenly believe they’re safer facing oncoming traffic. However, the reality is just the opposite.
Anyone with information is urged to call Huntington Beach traffic investigator Jeremy Rounds at 714/536-5670.
This is at least the 55th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 11th that I’m aware of in Orange County.
My deepest prayers and sympathy for Timothy John Briley and all his loved ones.
Thirteen previous crashes, including a 2020 crash that totaled both vehicles. And yet she was somehow allowed to keep driving, despite demonstrating a clear inability to do so safely.
Either that, or she was plagued by some of the worst luck in the history of driving.
Linton was formally charged with six counts of murder — one for each victim — along with five counts of vehicular homicide. The unborn child of the pregnant woman killed in the crash accounts for the discrepancy; the death of the eight-and-a-half month unborn baby is eligible for a murder charge, but not vehicular homicide.
LA County DA George Gascón concluded her prior crash record indicated she was aware of the risks of driving in a dangerous manner, making her eligible for the murder charges.
Linton faces up to life behind bars upon conviction. She’s currently being held without bail after the previous $9 million bond was revoked.
Thanks to How The West Was Saved for the heads-up.
Police investigators are trying to determine if drugs or alcohol played a role in the fiery crash.
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I once made the mistake of telling a bikemaker I didn’t see a market for ebikes, because I assumed everyone would want the exercise and health benefits of a standard bike.
So if anything happens to your bike, you’ll have all the information you need to add your bike to Bike Index’ nationwide database of stolen bikes. And increase your chances of getting it back, wherever its found.
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Streets For All is hosting their latest virtual happy hour this evening.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. A new San Francisco group demanding the reopening of JFK Drive through Golden Gate Park to cars has issued their full set of demands, including parking on every street, no parking-protected bike lanes, and no bike lanes replacing parking.
An Irish road and cyclocross racer is back to riding just two weeks after he suffered four broken ribs and two broken vertebrae, as well as a partially collapsed lung, when someone sabotaged a mountain bike trail with a rope strung across the path; Seán Nolan warns that its only a matter of time before someone gets killed.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Sen. Scott Wiener’s SB 922 passed the state Assembly with almost unanimous support; the bill expedited bike, pedestrian, light rail, and rapid bus projects by exempting them from the California Environmental Quality Act, aka CEQA. It now goes back to the Senate for a final vote before going to the governor’s desk for a signature.
Santa Barbara’s Parks and Recreation Commission approved the removal of 34 trees to build a bike path on the city’s Modoc Road, which will require moving the roadway 12 feet so the path won’t go through sensitive wildlife habitat near Arroyo Burro Creek; the project is less controversial than another one along Modoc Road in Santa Barbara County, which will require removing 40 to 61 trees.
The woman accused of killing two men participating in a Michigan Make-A-Wish fundraising ride while driving under the influence is due back in court for a prelim next week; the crash left nine kids without their fathers.
August 9, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on 35-year old woman riding ebike dies after collision with SUV driver in Carlsbad; her 16-month old daughter unhurt
Because of last night’s breaking news, there will be no Morning Links today.
We’ll be back tomorrow to catch up on anything we missed.
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Three crashes. Three deaths. Three counties. Two hit-and-runs.
All in less than 20 hours.
A horrible weekend for the bicycling community finally concluded with the last of three innocent victims, who died simply because they rode their bicycles on Southern California streets.
She was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries, and died the next afternoon. Her child appeared to be unhurt, but was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
At least the driver stuck around this time, unlike the other two crashes.
The 42-year old woman reportedly cooperated with police investigators, who don’t believe drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.
Unfortunately, there’s no word on how the crash may have occurred. A street view doesn’t offer any help, showing a pair of two-lane residential streets, controlled with a four-way stop.
Anyone with information is urged to call Carlsbad Police Corporal Matt Bowen at 442/339-2282.
This is at least the 54th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
My deepest prayers and sympathy for Christine Embree and all her loved ones.
August 9, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on 53-year old La Habra man riding bike killed in Sunday hit-and-run; teenaged boy and father arrested next day
Three crashes. Three deaths. Three counties. Two hit-and-runs.
All in less than 20 hours.
A horrible weekend for the bicycling community continued with the second of three innocent victims, who died just because they rode their bicycles on Southern California streets.
According to the La Habra police department, a male bicyclist was found lying in the roadway in the 500 block of West La Habra Boulevard around 4:43 pm Sunday.
The victim, identified only as a 53-year old La Habra resident, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.
He died sometime later.
Twitter post
Police described the suspect vehicle as an extended cab Chevrolet Silverado pickup, white with stock rims and a construction rack in the truck bed, with damage to the center grill, hood and driver’s side headlight.
The 17-year old La Habra boy was booked on charges of felony hit-and-run and possession of a stolen vehicle, while his father, 35-year old La Habra resident Mario Popsuc, was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, and aiding and abetting in the collision.
Anyone with information is urged to call La Habra police at 562/383-4305.
This is at least the 53rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the tenth that I’m aware of in Orange County.
Eighteen of those deaths have been hit-and-runs.
My deepest prayers and sympathy for the victim and all his loved ones.
