Still haven’t gotten my laptop back after having the hard drive replaced, following last week’s unexpected failure.
So after three successive days of saying maybe tomorrow, I’m throwing in the towel and giving up on this week’s Morning Links.
Let’s just call it an unplanned vacation.
We’ll see you back here on Monday, unless there’s breaking news before then.
Yet another bike rider has been killed by a heartless coward who fled the scene, this time in Fountain Valley.
According to multiple sources, 41-year old Fountain Valley resident Bihn Ngo was riding a mountain bike north on Brookhurst Street just south of Ellis Ave when he was struck at 12:54 am.
He was reportedly riding in the curb lane when he was struck from behind and thrown 50 to 60 feet into a parked car.
The driver fled north on Brookhurst, and was last seen turning right onto Ellis.
Police are looking for a red 1990s Ford Mustang with damage to the front end. Anyone with information is urged to call the Fountain Valley Police DepartKent at 714/593-4485.
This is the 42nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth in Orange County.
It’s also the second fatal hit-and-run in Fountain Valley in the last three weeks, following the death of popular Orange County runner Juan Garcia; an arrest was made in that case.
Update: According to KTLA-5, 25-year old Huntington Beach resident Justin German was arrested later the same day after a tip from someone who recognized the car. Thanks to Peter for the heads-up.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Bihn Ngo and his loved ones.
Still waiting to get my laptop back with a new and improved hard drive so we can get back to work. With luck, we’ll be back tomorrow. Hopefully.
In the meantime, be sure to include this in your weekend plans.
Still no Morning Links due to continued computer problems. Hopefully we’ll get everything sorted out tomorrow.
One important note in the meantime, however.
The Mar Vista Comunity Council will consider two motions to reverse the Venice Blvd Great Streets project at tonight’s meeting.
Click to access 34485419-9138.pdf
It’s imperative that everyone who supports the safer street and protected bike lanes voice their support, either at the meeting or by email.
The meeting will begin at 7 pm at the Mar Vista Recreation Center Auditorium, 11430 Woodbine St.
Or email board@marvista.org, and cc: councilmember.bonin@lacity.org.
This is the direct result of reversing the lane reductions on Vista del Mar, which has emboldened opponents of Vision Zero and the Great Streets program.
And if it fails in Bonin’s district, we’re unlikely to see many more councilmember’s with the courage to prioritize safety and livability over driver convenience.
My apologies. Due to an unexpected hard drive fail, we won’t have the Weekend Links or bike events updates I promised.
With luck, we should be back online by Tuesday.
So get out and ride your bike. And we’ll see you next week.
Sad news from LA’s Miracle Mile district, where a bicyclist was killed in a collision Wednesday night.
Unfortunately, there’s almost no information about the crash.
According to the City News Service, the wreck occurred in the area of Olympic Blvd and Ridgeley Drive; another site places the time of the crash around 11 pm.
The victim died at the scene.
Raw news video from the scene shows what appears to be a mangled mountain bike resting next to a pair of shoes in the street, and identifies the victim as male.
The driver remained at the scene; news footage shows a sedan with a broken windshield. However, that site places the crash a few blocks further east on the 5500 block of Olympic.
No other details about the victim or the crash are available at this time.
This is the 41st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 20th in Los Angeles County. It’s also the seventh in the City of Los Angeles.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
Heartbreaking news from Van Nuys, where a woman was left to die by a pair of heartless cowards Wednesday night.
According to multiple sources, the victim was struck by a speeding driver around 11:23 pm at the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Stagg Street, and thrown nearly 120 feet by the force of the impact.
The driver, later identified as 24-year old Van Nuys resident Erik Limon, fled the scene, leaving his victim lying unprotected in the street.
Another driver ran over her as she was lying in the street; that driver also fled without stopping.
The victim, who has been identified only as a woman in her 50s, died at the scene.
Police suspect her bicycle was stuck under Limon’s car as he fled, and disposed of later; as of this writing, it has still not been found.
His car was recovered, and he was arrested at his home around 3:15 Thursday afternoon.
The second driver, reportedly a woman in an older gold Camry, is still at large.
KABC-7 reports the victim was in a crosswalk when she was struck by Limon’s car. However, according to KCBS-2, she may have been riding against traffic.
Anyone who finds a damaged bicycle in the area, or who has other information about the crash, is urged to call the LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division at 818/644-8000.
There is an automatic $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the driver, or in this case, drivers, in any fatal hit-and-run in the City of LA.
This is the 40th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 19th in Los Angeles County. It’s also the sixth in the City of Los Angeles.
Fourteen of those SoCal deaths have been the result of hit-and-runs, half of those in LA County.
Update: Surveillance video on KNBC-4 shows the victim riding northbound in the southbound lane, where she was struck by the Limon’s car as he turned right. Despite earlier reports, he does not appear to be speeding at the time of the crash.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and her loved ones.
LA’s bruising street fight is starting to get international attention, as World Magazine looks at the battle over road diets in Los Angeles. And has the good taste to quote yours truly.
Meanwhile, the battle to undo those road diets has spread east, where a petition calls for removing the bike lanes and bollards on deadly Foothill Blvd, as well as Sunland Blvd.
As of this writing, it had garnered over a thousand signatures. Not to mention a lively, if somewhat misinformed and frightening, debate on the local Next Door.
And someone should tell them those bollards are flexible, and can be driven over in case of an emergency.
Thanks to Doug Moore for the heads-up. Road diet photos from the USDOT Federal Highway Administration website.
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Speaking of debates, David Wolfberg forwards one from the Free Range Kids site asking if kids are learning to ride their bikes at an older age. Or maybe not at all.
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Former USC and current Pittsburgh Steelers star JuJu Smith-Schuster is one of us.
https://twitter.com/TeamJuJu/status/904857339827597313
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Don’t try this at home. A hi-viz clad Aussie salmon cyclist decides to make a sudden U-turn across, and through, three lanes of oncoming traffic.
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The lead stays the same, if a little less so, following a brutal climb in the Vuelta. Cycling Weekly offers five talking points from the stage.
More carnage from the Tour of Britain, where several riders crashed into the back of a car parked on the race course. Meanwhile, two cyclists have been disqualified for riding on the sidewalk to attack the peloton.
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Local
In the latest settlement due to LA’s crappy roads, the city council voted to pay a Sherman Oaks bike rider $6.5 million for injuries suffered when he hit a pothole on Valley Vista Blvd. Money that could have been much better spent trying to prevent crashes like this in the first place.
Bono tells KROQ that Brandon Flowers of The Killers is one of us, after he wiped out on his bike like the U2 front man did awhile back.
CiclaValley questions whether the planned East Valley Transit Corridor will underwhelm cyclists and the Valley alike.
Not only will Santa Monica’s Cynergy Cycles measure your butt to find the perfect saddle, they’ll also keep a digital record of your nether regions stored for future reference. At least when someone builds a statue of me after I’m gone, they’ll have a perfect record of my ass.
State
The San Diego Union-Tribune offers an in-depth look at the removal of 15 beachfront bikeshare stations.
A Calabasas letter writer says the purpose of a planned bike lane is solely for safety, not recreational riding.
Caught on video: The local paper offers a thrilling — and bouncy — firsthand view of mountain biking down the highest peak in San Luis Obispo County. Meanwhile, a local man goes on an epic 3,500 word rant accusing San Luis Obispo of “ramming a bicycle freeway” through an unwilling neighborhood, destroying residents’ quality of life and apparently ending life as we know it.
A Ceres man leaves a note thanking the cop who arrested him, saying he needs help after he was busted for meth while riding a stolen bicycle.
Santa Clara County’s $6 billion transportation project is on hold, thanks to a single woman who is suing to stop the whole thing to protect an ancient aquifer under a planned BART station. As opposed to all those modern aquifers, evidently.
You’ve got to be kidding. A Portola driver won’t be charged, despite being found at fault for plowing head-on into a group of cyclists last month, injuring six people.
National
When an Albuquerque street turned out to be narrower than expected, planners naturally responded by narrowing the bike lane while leaving the spacious traffic lanes intact.
An admitted Massachusetts gang member accuses police officers of harassment after he was stopped for riding without a helmet, which isn’t illegal, and riding salmon, which is.
Next time you’re in New York, take a 38-mile bike tour around Manhattan.
A Jersey Shore bike rider won a $1.58 million judgment after she was struck by the driver of a city-owned vehicle.
International
Residents of a Canadian town complain that bicyclists continue to ride abreast in the traffic lane, instead of single file in the new, apparently substandard bike lane. Just a thought: If you want bicyclists to actually use it, don’t build a crappy, poorly marked gutter bike lane in the first place.
Let’s see if I’ve got this one right. After she’s released from prison two years early for the drunken death of a bike rider, an English woman gets drunk at a concert, and proceeds to punch a stranger who told her boyfriend to stop peeing on the woman sitting in front of him.
Britain’s prime minister says the country may consider new laws to target dangerous cycling, after a woman was killed by an out-of-control fixie rider. Meanwhile, no charges are expected after a British bike rider was killed when a “reckless” pedestrian stepped in front of him; in fact, there’s currently no law against wanton walking. And unlike the bike case, no plans to create one, either.
A cyclist in the UK says horses don’t belong on modern roads, sounding just like the drivers who say the same thing about bicyclists.
The mayor of Paris plans to make it the world’s most bikeable city.
Riding the boardwalk on the Israeli coast from Tel Aviv to Jaffa.
An Aussie writer calls for relaxing the country’s strict bike helmet law, because he says we need more cyclists.
Caught on video too: Seriously, don’t run a red light right next to a Kiwi motorcycle cop. Or better yet, just don’t run red lights, period.
Finally…
Enjoy your Yellowstone ride, but keep your distance from the bears and wolves — and the bison. Nothing like having your bike crash recorded for posterity on Google street view.
And it’s probably more credible to claim you’re not a violent man if you don’t get caught on video threatening to follow a cyclist and fuck his life.
I’m just saying.
Clearly, the battle over the Venice Great Streets project is far from over.
Despite the recent vote by the Mar Vista Community Council to keep the project in place while requesting more data, opponents of the project are back at it again, demanding that the street be returned to its previous six lane configuration.
The latest attack comes tonight, when the MVCC Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will consider two motions to reverse the lane reductions and protected bike lanes, under the false flag of improving safety for bicyclists. Along with motions to require all bike riders to wear a helmet and have “reflective night-lights” installed on their bikes.
Whatever that means.
Maybe someone should tell them that bikes are already required to have lights after dark. And nightlights are what you install in your kids’ bedroom so they won’t be afraid of the dark, or so grandma won’t trip in the bathroom at night.
Then again, they also want to see laws banning people from looking at their “mobile electronic devices” while crossing the street. Because everyone knows distracted pedestrians are the real problem, not all those texting drivers in their multi-ton SUVs.
Right.
Sound more like the leadership of the committee is suffering from a serious case of windshield bias, and can’t wait until they’re free to go zoom zoom down the boulevard once again.
And never mind that the paint used to create the current configuration costs roughly $50,000 a mile, plus the cost of the plastic bollards, while the permanent road reconfiguration and paved off-road bike paths they propose could add up to tens of millions of dollars, if not more.
I suppose they could have a bake sale to pay for it.
And if they think people are pissed off now, just wait until they try to take their parking spaces away.
This email, from someone who requested that her name not be used, sums it up nicely.
I live in Mar Vista & just got this agenda for the neighborhood council meeting tomorrow. It is chock-full of anti-bike motions, from getting rid of the Venice Blvd bike lanes immediately to supporting mandatory helmet & reflector laws and banning texting while crossing the street to discourage obstacles (er, “distracted pedestrians”) from entering the roadway.
They are trying to frame killing the Venice bike lanes as pro-safety by couching it within a seemingly thoughtful proposal to build out a bunch of off-road bikeways through the neighborhood on side streets, which is great except that probably won’t happen anytime soon and will definitely be less convenient/slower than what we have now. As far as I can tell the short term proposal is to restore 3 lanes of traffic on Venice and put the bike lanes next to the cars again.
Super-shady that they announce these things with 24 hours’ notice…. hope some other bikers in the neighborhood have time to make it.
The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 to 9 pm tonight at the Windward School, in room 1030 of Building C (by the baseball diamond), 11350 Palms Blvd.
Note: The meeting agenda says it’s scheduled for 7:30 pm to 9 pm, despite the email to community members linked to above that incorrectly says 6 pm. Sorry for any confusion. Thanks to rob kadota for the heads-up.
Be there if you can make it.
Because they’re counting on the short notice to pack the house with bike lane and road diet opponents tonight, and crowd out any support for the project.
And while you’re at it, contact CD 11 Councilmember Mike Bonin’s office, and tell him you support the Venice Blvd Great Streets Project to improve safety and increase livability in one of LA’s previously neglected neighborhoods.
Because he’s the one who will ultimately make the decision.
And your voice matters.
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Speaking of Bonin, a writer for Medium outs fellow progressive and self-described Berniecrat Alexis Edelstein as one of the leaders of the NIMBY-led effort to recall him.
Mike Bonin is one of the most progressive members of the council, and he has a track record of leading on the issues that matter most to the progressive movement. Bonin is the author of the $15 minimum wage, author of the most comprehensive clean money campaign-finance reform in the recent history of Los Angeles, author of the fracking moratorium and the effort to reach 100% clean energy and I am writing this to call out Alexis’ effort as nothing more than a NIMBY assault on a true progressive. Alexis, like most Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) activists got activated when something happened in his backyard — in this case a street safety measure (reduced lanes/added bike lanes) that the department of transportation installed with Bonin’s support and approval, which caused some additional traffic. Trying to make your community a safer place for pedestrians has never been more vilified than in this situation. Is this really grounds for a recall? Absolutely not!…
As he has sought to raise money for the recall effort, Alexis has started tapping into networks and groups that were established to continue moving forward the progressive agenda that was deeply ingrained within us during the presidential primary, the good ole’ days. I do not appreciate my movement being hijacked by someone who is so angry about an effort to save people from speeding cars in his neighborhood that he would call for a recall of a progressive Councilmember. Alexis’ actions distract elected officials and community activist from important matters that need to be address within the district. Alexis’ underhanded and misleading tactics need to be called out.
He goes on to decry a lack of transparency in the campaign, while adding what he sees as the real reason behind Edelstein’s efforts.
The recall has already allowed Alexis to frequent alt-right radio programs to promote and solicit funds for the recall, and every time he has gone on these shows to cozy up to racist shock jocks, he has made sure to use the social media accounts he set up for the recall to share his media appearances and promote himself. The voters of CD 11 made their voices heard loud and clear during March’s Election, but Alexis is behaving like a scheming opportunist who is blatantly rallying against Bonin because he thinks it will get him some press and boost his fledgling political career.
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Somehow, this one slipped under the radar.
So let’s all offer a belated congratulations to Evens Stievenart of LA’s Big Orange Cycling for successfully defending his championship in the solo category of the 24 Hours of LeMans Cycling last month.
A former race car driver, Stievenart set a new record by riding a whopping 593 miles in the 24 hour period.
You can read the original news story in French, or settle for a bad Google translation.
Thanks to Jon for the heads-up.
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It’s more of the same in the Vuelta following Tuesday’s individual time trial; Cycling Weekly offers video highlights.
Andrew Talansky, one of America’s top cyclists for the past several years, has announced his retirement at the ripe old age of 28.
Nothing like having Jens Voigt show up to compete in your local club time trial. Twice.
Pro cycling’s infamous dope doctor gets a whole nine months behind bars after being convicted as the kingpin of a doping network that incited amateur athletes to cheat.
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Local
Self-described transportation justice advocate Monique López, Deputy Executive Director of Advocacy for the LACBC, describes what she thinks about when she rides her bike through the mean streets of LA.
A cyclist riding in Malibu’s Latigo Canyon was run down by a hit-and-run motorcyclist over the Labor Day Weekend (scroll down), suffering a shattered wrist and elbow; the moto rider stopped briefly to give a possibly fake name, and explain that he was trying to pass the bike rider on the right after hitting some gravel. Then again, it’s not the first time something like that has happened.
CiclaValley writes how the weekend’s massive La Tuna fire hit close to home in more ways than one.
State
San Diego’s struggling DecoBike bikeshare system will remove 16 popular docking stations from the boardwalks in beach communities at the urging of local residents and business owners. Which will make it more difficult for bikeshare users to ride to San Diego’s popular beaches, defeating the whole purpose of trying to get people out of their cars.
The pedestrian critically injured when a Hemet driver had a sneezing fit was a 16-year old girl walking with her bike-riding boyfriend; she remains in critical condition with major injuries following two emergency surgeries.
Riverside authorities are still looking for the hit-and-run van driver who killed Forrest Holmes as he rode his bike on Limonite Ave in Jurupa Valley one year ago today.
A 40-year Hollister cyclist says things have gotten a lot better for bicyclists in the area in recent years.
Mountain View parents say a road diet has made it nearly impossible to drop their kids off at school. Never mind that the project is still under construction. Or that maybe they could bike or walk to school with their kids once it’s finished.
National
Forbes says Oregon’s new $15 tax on bikes over $200 as part of a $5.3 billion transportation package could represent the future of infrastructure funding.
A pair for researchers are urging Seattle to force private bikeshare companies to provide helmets for riders, in an apparent attempt to kill bikeshare in the city a second time.
A section of a bike path through the University of Idaho will be renamed after three-time Olympic gold medal cyclist Kristin Armstrong.
A Philadelphia writer says the city’s first parking-protected bike lane isn’t good enough.
Kindhearted Orlando FL cops pitch in to buy a new bike for a young boy after his was stolen off his porch.
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump evidently prefer to do their cycling inside their DC home.
International
A Canadian father complains about parents who park in a bike lane to drop their kids off at school. More proof that bike riders everywhere face the same problems.
An arrest has finally been made in the hit-and-run death of the mother of British cycling legend Chris Boardman last year; a man and a woman have been charged in the death and subsequent cover-up. Meanwhile, Guardian readers react to his recent claim that Britain’s streets are too dangerous to ride.
Bicycle Dutch explains why there’s no such thing as jaywalking in the Netherlands.
A group of Malaysian endurance athletes have become the first to ride and carry their mountain bikes up Nepal’s 26,545 Annapurna, one of the world’s highest mountains.
Finally…
Bicycles, the choice of supermarket meat thieves everywhere. No, refusing to give your name after getting busted for bike rustling won’t keep you out of the slammer.
And once you start down the stairs, don’t hit the brakes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAVRhUlY6Vc
Three day weekends are always dangerous times for people on bicycles.
And this one was no exception.
According to multiple sources, a bike rider was struck by a car on Artesia Boulevard near Felton Lane in Redondo Beach around 9:15 Monday night.
The victim has been publicly identified only as a man; he was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The female driver remained at the scene; police do not suspect intoxication.
No other information is available at this time.
A street view shows Artesia is a wide, divided commercial street with two lanes and a left turn lane in each direction, and no bike lane. There’s no word on where the victim was riding at the time of the crash.
Anyone with information is urged to call Redondo Beach PD Investigator Clint Daniel at 310/379-2477 ext. 2721.
This is the 39th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 18th in Los Angeles County. It’s also the second bicycling death in Redondo Beach this year.
Update: The Beach Reporter has identified the victim as 52-year old Redondo Beach resident Greg Trawick, known to his friends as Bama Greg.
He was just a block from his home when he was killed.
According to the paper, Trawick was headed north on Felton when he made eye contact with a driver waiting to turn left onto Felton from westbound Artesia. But when he started to cross the street, he was hit by a second car headed east on Artesia.
Which makes it strange that police say no charges are likely to be filed since Felton is a signalized intersection at Artesia.
In order for the crash to have occurred as it’s described, either Trawick or the driver had to have gone through a red light. And there’s no suggestion in the story that Trawick did.
He leaves behind an ex-wife and a 16-year old daughter.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Greg Trawick and his loved ones.
