26 to life for Riverside vehicular killer, SaMo bike network cuts crashes by 52%, and Ghost Tire placed for 15-year old boy

December 18, 2023 / / Comments Off on 26 to life for Riverside vehicular killer, SaMo bike network cuts crashes by 52%, and Ghost Tire placed for 15-year old boy

It’s the final week of the 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Just seven days left to support SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy.

Thanks to Alfred D, Jim W and Lilly L for their generous donations to help keep this site coming your way every day. 

So don’t wait — give now!

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Days left to launch the California ebike incentive program as promised this fall: 3

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Two quick reminders.

The WeHo City Council is scheduled to consider the city’s first Vision Zero Action Plan at tonight’s 6 pm council meeting, in the council chambers at the new West Hollywood City Hall, 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. It’s Item 5C on the Council agenda.

And if you haven’t already, sign the petition demanding a public meeting with LA Mayor Karen Bass to listen to the dangers we face just walking and biking on the streets of LA, and city’s ongoing failure to build the safer, more livable transportation system they promised.

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That’s more like it.

A Riverside man was sentenced to 26 to life behind bars for intentionally killing a man walking a bicycle in 2021.

Thirty-three-year old Sergio Reynaldo Gutierrez was driving his pickup when he saw 46-year old Benedicto Solanga walking his bike with a friend on the other side of the road, and flipped the men off.

Then he made a U-turn, came back and intentionally drove into Solanga, running him down from behind.

Solana died three days later.

Riverside police arrested Gutierrez three weeks later, after he had run a red light to shake witnesses who attempted to follow him after the crash.

He was convicted in September of first-degree murder with a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.

No motive was ever given for the attack.

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Bike riders in Santa Monica were ruled at fault in 26 of the city’s 72 crashes resulting in death or serious injury since 2010, while drivers were at fault in 31; the remaining 15 investigators were unable to assess blame.

That works out to 36% and 43%, respectively, which a local paper somehow thinks is almost even.

And let’s not forget that blame is usually assigned by cops suffering from a windshield bias and a lack of training in bike law and investigating bicycle crashes.

However, the good news is that crashes involving bike riders has dropped by more than half — 52% — since the city began building a safe bike network over a decade ago.

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Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, placed another ghost tire memorial yesterday, this time for a 15-year old boy killed by a driver while walking home from school in October.

This is from the press release for the event, which arrived too late for advance notice.

On 27 October 2023, 15-year-old Felipe Manuel Infante-Avalos (affectionately known as Pipé) was crossing the road at 110th and Main St in the crosswalk, on his way home from school, when he was hit by 34-year-old Arturo Mercado Garcia. Pipé was hospitalized and died from his injuries on 8 November 2023. Arturo, who fled from the scene of the collision, was later caught and arrested and is awaiting trial. Per the judge for the case, evidence was found that Arturo was watching TikTok videos while driving.

Pipé, who was autistic, was sweet and gentle and his family loved him dearly. He loved school and was part of the ROTC. He loved playing with his siblings and going on their many family outings.

Pipé’s death is part of a worsening public health crisis on the roads of Los Angeles that has been skyrocketing since 2020. Per LAPD reports (as of 9 December 2023) the total number of traffic fatalities is higher than this time last year by 7% at 307 lives lost. Keeping in mind that the 312 fatalities in 2022 were the highest in well over 20 years. What’s worse is the number of pedestrian fatalities is up by 11% (162 lives lost) compared to this time last year, the number of hit-and-run fatalities is up by 26%, and the number of DUI-related fatalities is up by 32%.

A Ghost Tire Memorial will be placed to remember Pipé by the non-profit Streets Are For Everyone. Pipé’s parents, friends, and family along with other community members affected by traffic violence will be present.

Over 30 family members and friends, many of whom have flown in from out of town, are expected to attend. Adriana, Pipe’s mother, will be demanding that Arturo Mercado Garcia be given the maximum penalties allowable by law for killing her son. She’ll also be calling for the Mayor of Los Angeles to do more to protect the lives of our communities.

The Ghost Tire Memorial was inspired by the Ghost Bike: a bicycle roadside memorial placed where a cyclist has been killed or severely injured by the driver of a motor vehicle. Ghost Tires are tires painted white and placed on the side of a road with the name and date of the person killed. Ghost Tires were created by the road safety advocacy organization Streets Are For Everyone, sometimes called by its acronym, SAFE.

You can do your part by signing the petition to demand a public forum with the mayor to hear our complaints about the dangers Pipé and the rest of us face just walking and biking in Los Angeles.

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Unbelievable.

Life is cheap in Hilo, Hawaii, where a 70-year old man faces a maximum of a 15 years behind bars for negligent homicide and hit-and-run — even though prosecutors say he intentionally killed a woman riding a recumbent bike because she was “going too slow all the time.”

The judge ordered him to undergo a mental health exam, which is probably a good idea under the circumstances.

They should also give one to the prosecutors who undercharged what should have been a murder case.

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Fallen standup comic Kenny DeForest continued to make an impact after his death riding an ebike near Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, donating seven of his organs to five people, to give them a second chance at life.

DeForest died a week after he reportedly rode his ebike into a parked car, suffering serious head injuries.

That could have happened for a number of reasons, from distraction to excess speed resulting from the ebike, or being crowded out by a driver’s too-close pass.

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‘Tis the season.

Electrek suggests last minute stocking stuffers and gear for ebike enthusiasts. I’d settle for getting the ebike vouchers we were promised, and that California taxpayers have already paid for. 

Slate offers a gift guide for bike riders, saying no drivers allowed.

‘Sweet’ Alice Harris continued a 40-year tradition of giving for the holidays, helping ensure 300 students from Watts and Compton area got new bicycles, toys and backpacks filled with school supplies and other essential items.

A Maui bicycling group teamed with a “grassroots movement dedicated to bringing joy to children and families impacted by the Maui wildfires” to bring holiday gifts and entertainment to local families, and distribute 80 bicycles to kids who had requested one.

Fayetteville, Arkansas revived the city’s long-running “Bicycle Man” bicycle giveaway program for underprivileged kids, which gave away over 60,000 bicycles over a 33-year period.

A local website says don’t let anyone tell you New Bedford, Massachusetts sucks, after a nine-year old boy gets his stolen bike back in what they call a Christmas miracle.

London bike riders brought Christmas shopping on the city’s iconic Oxford Circle to a standstill with their annual Santa ride.

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If anyone really has any question who is at fault here, they probably shouldn’t be allowed to drive.

https://twitter.com/ClownWorld_/status/1735342319069696457

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A powerful British short film attempts to humanize “bloody cyclists” after they were run down by motorists.

And yes, they mean that literally.

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GCN considers the bike upgrades that just aren’t worth it, but bicyclists insist on doing anyway. Along with how to avoid “getting a numb penis” while riding a bike.

They said it, not me.

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

No bias here. The Port of San Diego is now banning all ebikes, e-scooters, hoverboards and most pedicabs, even though non-electric versions of all of the above are still allowed.

It takes a major schmuck to vandalize the ghost bike for a Colorado triathlete and soon-to-be father — not once, but twice.

No bias here, either. An elderly man in Glasgow, Scotland man says he’s afraid to leave his house due to busy and confusing streets, construction barriers, trash everywhere and people biking on the sidewalks — but a British tabloid only frames it in terms of irresponsible ebike-riding food delivery workers blighting the neighborhood.

Someone has been deliberately sabotaging a London bike lane for over a year, repeatedly spreading drawing pins in an apparent attempt to puncture riders’ tires. While it may sound like a harmless prank, a sudden flat could lead to serious injury, as well as needless expense and inconvenience. 

Police in Birmingham, England insist they’re really trying to arrest the people responsible for violent robbery attacks on bike riders, after coming under fire for merely advising a crime victim to ride somewhere else.

But sometimes, its the people on two wheels behaving badly.

Clean Technica says let’s not overreact to the dark side of ebikes, after her bike is somehow blamed for the actions of a Canadian porch pirate.

A Singapore bicyclist risked an S$500 fine by riding inside a Metro station.

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Local 

Bike Talk discusses the departure of Santa Monica’s bike-friendly mayor, along with Maryland’s “Come By Bike Farm” — as well as discussing some of the latest headlines from BikinginLA.

 

State

San Diego adopted its first-ever Complete Streets policy.

Police arrested four men in Lemon Grove after tracking down a BMW that was used in an ebike theft spree.

Bad news from Moorpark, where a man riding a bike suffered major injuries when he was struck by a driver. But at least the woman who hit him stuck around afterwards.

Napa County opened the area’s first bike skills park.

A Napa County paper lists 20-year old pro cyclist and Sebastopol native Luke Lamperti among their 24 people to watch in 2024.

 

National

Men’s Journal says yes, you can run in the bike lane. Except where you can’t.

A kindhearted cop in my bike-friendly Colorado hometown worked with a local used bike shop to give a 13-year old boy a new bike after his was stolen in a burglary.

Police in Golden, Colorado are looking for two people who ran away from their abandoned car after running down three people riding bicycles, and injuring two of the victims — one seriously. No word on whether the crash may have been intentional.

A Texas bicyclist is able to fight the insurance company and win after he got right hooked, in part because he had front and rear bike cams.

This is who we share the road with. A Texas hit-and-run driver slammed into a pedestrian, then drove 38 miles to a Jack in the Box with the victim’s dead body in his car, after he went through the driver’s windshield; the man claimed he though he hit an animal. Sure, let’s go with that.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole a three-wheeled bike an Indianapolis mom bought for her autistic son for Christmas, before she could even give it to him.

Speaking of a special place in hell, that’s where whoever threatened a 13-year old New York girl with physical harm and stole her bike in a strong-arm robbery belongs.

The Washington Post looks at the effort in Congress to belatedly honor Black cycling legend Major Taylor, 124 years after he became world champion.

A Florida man shot a neighbor in the leg with a shotgun after the victim strayed onto his property looking for his stolen bicycle; the man said he shot him because he tried to break into his RV — even though police found the shotgun shell 150 yards away.

 

International

Three men responsible for robbing a number of South African bike riders have been arrested; the gang is accused of stealing their bikes and belongings, and fatally stabbing one man.

Interesting idea. Singapore hopes to promote bicycling by creating a “bike village” under a viaduct next to a transit station, in an area already popular with bicyclists, where they can shop for bicycle gear, grab a bite or meetup for rides.

This is why elections matter. The new Transport Minister for the newly conservative government in New Zealand has slammed the brakes on dozens of bike, pedestrian and public transit projects across the country.

 

Competitive Cycling

Congratulations to Palo Alto third-grader Mia Reyna, the new BMX national champ for her age group.

As if being a two-time Tour de France champ and double runner-up wasn’t enough, now Tadej Pogačar plans to go for a double by competing in the Giro, too.

 

Finally…

Your next bike tires could use NASA’s airless Mars Rover tech. Full-floating suspension for your butt.

And it’s just like the hubless, motorized Penny Farthing great-granddad used to ride.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

WeHo votes on Vision Zero Monday, not guilty plea in Magnus White death, and popular comic dies in solo ebike crash

December 15, 2023 / / Comments Off on WeHo votes on Vision Zero Monday, not guilty plea in Magnus White death, and popular comic dies in solo ebike crash

Just nine days left in 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

We’re running neck-and-neck with last year’s record-breaking total — which means we could easily set a new record for the ninth time in a row. Or fail for the first time ever. 

Which way it goes is entirely up to you.

Thanks to Nina N for her generous donation to support SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy, and keep it coming your way every day. 

So don’t wait.

Drop what you’re doing, and give now!

And if you have any money left, toss a few bucks to LA Streetsblog for their fundraising campaign. 

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Days left to launch the California ebike incentive program as promised this fall: 6

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If you live, work or ride in West Hollywood, clear your schedule for Monday night.

Because the WeHo City Council is scheduled to consider the city’s first Vision Zero Action Plan at Monday’s council meeting.

The meeting is set to begin at 6 pm in the council chambers at the new West Hollywood City Hall, at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. It’s Item 5C on Monday’s Council agenda.

As we’ve learned the hard way — hello, Los Angeles — a Vision Zero plan is only as good as the political will of city leaders to fund and implement it.

But so far, West Hollywood’s leadership seems committed to carrying out their decisions — including the recent decision to only build protected bike lanes.

So this one is worth showing up and fighting for.

Thanks to David for the heads-up.

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More on the arrest of the driver who killed 17-year old US Cycling Team member Magnus White in Boulder, Colorado earlier this year.

The 23-year old driver appeared in court Wednesday, and entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of vehicular homicide, a class 4 felony with a maximum of 6 years in prison, along with a potential fine ranging anywhere from two thousand to half a million dollars.

Yeva Smiliansk described herself as a Ukrainian refugee, with no criminal history there or here in the US.

According to Smiliansk, she ran down White as he rode on the side of the roadway because her steering failed, while prosecutors allege she chose to drive while sleep deprived, and fell asleep at the wheel.

White was training for the junior mountain bike world championships in Scotland, where he was scheduled to compete just weeks later.

Meanwhile, his parents discussed their grief over the loss of their son, who would have carried a 4.2 GPA into his senior year of high school, despite competing at an international level.

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In another followup, we’re learning more about the tragic death of popular standup comic Kenny DeForest, who died surrounded by family and friends in a Brooklyn hospital on Wednesday, nearly a week after crashing his ebike.

Despite initial reports that he was struck by a driver — and the subsequent anger of his fellow comedians — Deadline reports he was injured in a solo crash while riding near Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

However, police were not called to the scene, and there’s no word on what may have caused the crash.

The 37-year old comedian appeared on MTV Decoded, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Late Night With Seth Meyers, the Just For Laughs TV series Straight Up, Stand Up, HBO’s Crashing, and Comedy Central’s Tales From The Trip.

The Springfield, Missouri native had also recently released a standup special on YouTube.

A crowdfunding campaign to help pay his medical expenses has raised more than $178,000, easily topping the $150,000 goal.

I’m told that DeForest’s death hit close to home for LA writers, who got to know him during the recent writer’s strike, when he participated in several of the Bike the Strike rides.

Thanks to Mike Burk and Nina Moskol for the tip.

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‘Tis the season.

First responders in California’s Alameda County answered a little girl’s letter to Santa, giving her the bicycle she asked for, along with some milk for her baby brother.

Volunteers in Vancouver, Washington built 800 bikes to be handed out to children during the holidays.

The nonprofit Boise Bike Project will give away 500 bicycles to kids in need this year, despite a local driver’s best efforts to kill their building.

Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels will team with the founder of the Raising Cane’s restaurant chain to give away over 1,000 bikes to kids in cities across the US.

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Local 

Santa Monica cops will conduct another bike and pedestrian safety operation today, ticketing anyone who commits a violation that could endanger someone walking or riding a bike. So ride to the letter of the law until you cross the city limits, so you’re not the one who gets ticketed. 

REI is closing their very busy Santa Monica location, while a new ebike dealer opens its doors in the city.

Police in Redondo Beach asked parents to control their ebike-riding kids so they don’t have to.

The Acorn has more on the half-million dollar grant to build 11.5 miles of bike lanes in Agoura Hills.

 

State

A Bakersfield bicyclist was collateral damage when a driver ran a red light and slammed into a truck, which was pushed into the crosswalk where the victim was riding; he was taken to the hospital with critical injuries.

A Santa Barbara writer says the city needs to learn from the Netherlands by slowing traffic and building safe bike infrastructure to encourage higher bicycling rates.

 

National

The Biden administration has instructed federal employees to use sustainable transportation and zero-emission vehicles, including bikeshare, whenever possible.

Bike riders from across the US share what keeps them coming back to their favorite local bike shops.

Hawaii has seen a nearly 20% drop in traffic deaths this year, although bicycling fatalities reached their highest level yet, with nine riders killed this year.

Maine could soon follow California’s lead in limiting the number of gas-powered vehicles sold in the state.

Automated speed cams passed the Pennsylvania legislature, with the support of local advocacy groups.

 

International

Road.cc rates the best reflective bikewear and gear for the coming year.

 

Competitive Cycling

A writer for Men’s Journal says he dove into the deep end of ultra-distance bike racing so you don’t have to, encouraging others to learn from his mistakes in the 800-mile Bohemian Border Bash.

 

Finally…

Wear a lighted bike helmet without looking like a geek. And what it’s like to actually live with one of us.

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Chag sameach!

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Sleeping driver charged in death of 17-year old Team USA cyclist, and proportion of bike traffic deaths rising worldwide

December 14, 2023 / / Comments Off on Sleeping driver charged in death of 17-year old Team USA cyclist, and proportion of bike traffic deaths rising worldwide

We’re nearing the end of the 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive — just ten days left to support SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy!

Thanks to Kiersten S, Phaedrus L, Rob K, Ian D and James B for their generous donations to keep all the best bike news coming your way every day. And help keep the corgi in kibble.

So don’t wait.

Drop what you’re doing, and give now!

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Days left to launch the California ebike incentive program as promised this fall: 7

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If you haven’t already, take just a moment to sign the petion demanding a public forum with LA Mayor Karen Bass to listen to the dangers we face just walking or riding a bike in the City of Angels.

Then spread it to everyone you know, and ask them to sign, too. Because it’s long past time to take traffic violence seriously, and stop the needless carnage on our streets.

And if you’re one of the 139 people who’ve already signed it, thank you!

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Maybe Magnus White will see justice, after all.

The 23-year old driver who killed 17-year old US National Team cyclist Magnus White has been charged with vehicular homicide, six months after the Boulder, Colorado crash.

White was on a training ride, just weeks before he was scheduled to compete in the junior mountain bike worlds in Scotland, when Yeva Smilianska allegedly fell asleep before slamming her car into his bike.

According to Denver’s 9News,

Investigators came to this conclusion after interviewing Smilianska and people she knew, and by reviewing cell phone data, according to the affidavit. They also interviewed several people who had witnessed the crash or the aftermath, including another bicyclist who was riding behind White. That bicyclist also talked to the suspect on the scene, the affidavit says.

Police found a text Smilianska sent about 20 minutes before the crash. It read, “I’m falling asleep. So I’m going home.”

There was no indication that Smilianska was intoxicated, according to the affidavit.

Smilianska reportedly told investigators her steering malfunctioned, but admitted she hadn’t seen White, or another cyclist riding with him, prior to the crash.

And yes, you are legally required to be awake and alert when you operate a motor vehicle. Not to mention actually pay attention to others on the road with you.

She was released on $10,000 bond.

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The World Health Organization appealed to countries to improve safety for bicyclists, saying the proportion of bicyclists killed on the roads is rising, even as worldwide traffic deaths decline.

According to the WHO, despite a 16% decline in overall traffic fatalities per 1,000 people over the last decade, the proportion of bike riders among road deaths worldwide rose slightly, from 5% to 6%.

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The long and twisted tale of an Oregon DEA agent who killed a 53-year old woman in a collision as she rode her bike home from work gets another chapter, after a judge moved the trial to federal court.

That could allow the agent to claim immunity, arguing that he was performing his duties as an agent at the time of the crash.

The case was revived in August, after the Salem, Oregon paper accused the local police of a coverup in the case, apparently failing to conduct an investigation of the crash as a professional courtesy to the agent.

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‘Tis the season.

A Texas men’s group will give away over 500 bikes and electric scooters this weekend, in an event open to all kids.

Members of a South Florida Boys and Girls Club got the gift of freedom through a bike giveaway sponsored by a local car dealer.

Road.cc offers a gift guide for the pernickety pedaler in your life, while they insist the Raleigh Chopper remains the best holiday gift for kids everywhere. Today I learned that pernickety really is a word, while meaning the same thing as persnickety.

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Gabriel Wibmer presents five minutes and 41 seconds of singletrack gravel mania.

To mention some confused cows.

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

In what the Times of India calls “another example of rampant hooliganism,” a man was knocked off his bicycle by an idiot hanging all the way out of a motorized rickshaw.

No bias here. A New Zealand website says bike riders are causing problems on a new $17 million shared coastal pathway — then cites a pedestrian who says she was almost struck by someone on a bicycle, who she didn’t see riding towards her. So she wasn’t paying attention, yet it’s somehow the bike rider’s fault. Got it. 

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Local 

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton visits Pasadena’s one and a half-mile long Cordova Street Complete Streets project.

 

State

Calbike highlights ebike training resources currently available online.

The rich get richer, as San Diego received a $2.25 million federal grant to improve safety for bike riders and pedestrians with a pair of projects.

Palo Alto wants to preserve parking and traffic lanes on University Ave, while adding bike lanes and wider sidewalks, and transforming the thoroughfare to make it more vibrant. They also want to preserve the cake they just ate.

San Francisco’s transportation agency raised the possibility of installing protected bike lanes in place of the highly unpopular centerline bike lane on Valencia Street, which appears to be almost universally hated by people on every side of the debate.

A San Francisco writer says zero traffic deaths was an unrealistic goal for the city, and now they should focus on what actually works. Which is a fundamental misunderstanding of Vision Zero, which is the process of implementing safety measures to move towards zero traffic deaths, not the goal itself. 

 

National

A new US House report could result in higher prices for bicycles and bike parts, recommending restricting or banning some Chinese-made goods from the US.

Popular Science offers advice on how to fly with your bike.

An Oregon judge ruled a lawsuit against Portland can move forward, charging the city failed to comply with a 1971 law requiring a minimum investment in bicycling and walking infrastructure in tandem with major road projects.

Around a dozen people took to their bikes to call for expanding Medicaid in Kansas. Then again, given the population of Kansas, that’s a big turnout.

A popular New Hampshire bike shop was born when the owner was fired from his restaurant job 15 years ago.

Tragic news from Brooklyn, where stand-up comedian Kenny DeForest died Wednesday, five days after he was struck by a driver while riding his bicycle; the Missouri native has appeared on Comedy Central, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Late Late Show with James Corden, as well as HBO’s “Crashing,” and released his second comedy special in August.

New York unveiled a new 10-foot wide protected bike lane on 10th Ave, which a deputy mayor said would make life easier for people on bicycle, especially delivery workers. The city also announced plans for an 11-foot wide bike lane on 11th Ave, and 12-foot wide one on 12th Ave. And just wait until they get to 104th Street. 

Philadelphia got a $16 million federal grant to improve safety on the city’s High Injury Network.

An 80-year old former Florida councilmember got a lousy traffic ticket for killing a woman riding a bicycle, after claiming he somehow couldn’t see the woman riding across the street directly in front of him. And once again raising the question of how old is too old to drive. 

Police in Florida are looking for the driver who fled on foot after driving past traffic cops working security, and crashing into a competitor riding in an Ironman triathlon.

 

International

Life is cheap in British Columbia, where a truck driver walked without a day behind bars for killing a 28-year old man riding a bicycle; he got a lousy $1,150 fine for fatally right hooking the victim while turning from the center lane, rather than the right turn lane.

Quebec City, Quebec announced plans for the city’s first vélocité corridor, or bicycle superhighway.

A university in Nairobi, Kenya offers a “life-changing” bicycle leasing program just inside its front gates, giving students greater mobility in the traffic-choked city.

Police in Japan are resorting to yelling at bike riders who are wearing earbuds, as they struggle to differentiate between ear pieces that block outside noises and those that allow them to filter through.

 

Competitive Cycling

America’s most famous ex-Tour de France winner refuses to go away, explaining how he beat drug tests for so many years.

 

Finally…

That’s probably not Bill Gates riding that chopper bike. Your next e-cargo bike could be a scooter.

And a pizza delivery bike to boldly go where no pizza bike has gone before.

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Chag sameach!

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Elderly Oxnard man dies, weeks after he’s struck riding his bicycle

December 13, 2023 / / Comments Off on Elderly Oxnard man dies, weeks after he’s struck riding his bicycle

An elderly Oxnard man has died, over a month after he was left-crossed by a driver while riding his bicycle.

According to the Ventura County Star, 84-year old Oxnard resident Joseph Smart was riding east on West Fifth Street in Oxnard around 6:15 pm on Sunday, November 5th, when he was struck by a westbound driver turning left onto South K Street.

Oxnard police were told Tuesday about Smart’s death.

There’s no word on any tickets or charges; police don’t believe the driver was speeding or under the influence.

Evidently, killing someone through simple carelessness isn’t illegal anymore. However, the investigation is reportedly ongoing, so maybe there’s hope.

Anyone with information is urged to call Traffic Investigator Alexis Arellano at 805/200-5668, or email alexis.arellano@oxnardpd.org.

But one thing is certain. Anyone who is still riding a bicycle at that age deserved better.

This is at least the 69th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in Ventura County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Joseph Smart and his loved ones.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

New petition demands public traffic safety meeting with LA Mayor Bass, and new Calbike ED takes Caltrans to task

December 13, 2023 / / Comments Off on New petition demands public traffic safety meeting with LA Mayor Bass, and new Calbike ED takes Caltrans to task

Just 11 days left to support the 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Thanks to Beverly F, Ken F, Michael W and Todd T for their generous support to keep SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.

And a special thanks to Donna S for her attempt to donate, which was thwarted by international banking hiccups. 

Take a moment right now to join them to keep up the fight, and bring all the latest bike news coming to your favorite screen each morning. 

So don’t wait. Give now!

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Days left to launch the California ebike incentive program as promised this fall: 8

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I did a thing.

Like you, I’m fed up with the traffic violence on our streets, and mad as hell about how little is being done to to improve safety for those of us who aren’t safely ensconced behind a couple tons of glass and steel.

Let alone building a climate-friendly transportation system that’s not firmly routed in the last century.

So I created a petition demanding a public audience with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, similar to the bike summit held by former Mayor Villaraigosa over a dozen years ago.

I hope you’ll sign it.

And help support it, spreading the link far and wide — because if it relies on me alone, it will fail.

Thirteen years ago, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa held a public forum to listen to complaints from bike riders and pedestrians about the dangers we face on city streets. He heard us, and took action.

But since then, we’ve been ignored. Mayor Eric Garcetti introduced a number of traffic safety initiatives, but failed to follow through on any of them, and failed to listen to us or meet with us a single time. Now new Mayor Karen Bass has continued to ignore the dangers on our streets.

We’ve given her a full year to focus on homelessness, and housing unhoused Angelenos. Now it’s time to walk and chew gum at the same time, and refocus at least some of her attention on the ongoing carnage on our streets, as bike and pedestrian deaths climb to near record levels.

We demand another public forum with the mayor in attendance, to listen to our complaints about the dangers on our streets, and the urgent need to re-imagine how we all get around in Los Angeles.

Go ahead and sign it now. We’ll wait.

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She gets it.

Kendra Ramsey, the new Executive Director of the California Bicycle Coalition calls on Caltrans to change its ways, because California will never be the climate leader it professes to be until the state stops building freeways.

And yes, that includes highway widening and building new interchanges, too.

While Caltrans spends billions each year repairing and mitigating the damage done by extreme weather caused by climate change, it continues to create the conditions for more harmful emissions. A planned freeway expansion in Yolo County, between Sacramento and Davis, may involve improper environmental review and misuse of state roadway repair funds. The controversy led to the firing of Caltrans deputy director for planning and modal programs Jeanie Ward-Waller, who planned to blow the whistle on the alleged malfeasance…

Caltrans should be inducing demand for active transportation by building protected bikeways with protected intersections that connect to robust local and regional networks of safe bike routes. It should be adding bus-only lanes and bus boarding islands, widening sidewalks, and improving conditions for people who walk or take transit…

It’s a quick and easy read.

And more than worth the click to read the whole thing.

………

That’s more like it.

The stoned driver convicted of killing two Michigan men participating in a multi-day Make-A-Wish fundraising bike ride will likely spend the rest of her life behind bars, after she was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 35 to 60 years in prison.

Which means she’ll serve at least 70 years, with a maximum sentence of 120 years.

So if she does the max, she’ll be 164 when she finally gets out.

………

And on a lighter note…

………

‘Tis the season.

San Diego’s Mike’s Bikes, founded by a retired city employee, gives away about 300 bikes, scooters and skateboards each holiday season.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office gave away over 500 refurbished bicycles to local kids for the holidays. Although to be fair, the inmates at the county Honor Farm did most of the work.

A Baptist church hosted a bike exchange on the Navajo Nation, donating refurbished bicycles to kids who pledged to do good deeds or community service.

A Michigan nonprofit says they take bike-shaped rubble and refurbish it into rideable bicycles, donating 500 bikes to people in need this year.

And enough with the gift guides for bicyclists. Road.cc offers a guide for what not to buy for the bike rider in your life to avoid a festive faux pas.

………

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

No bias here. After San Diego adopted a new Complete Streets policy, the San Diego Reader said “bike lane totalitarians” objected to the numerous exemptions.

No bias here, either. After a British bike rider was mugged, hit in the head with a hammer and had his bicycle stolen while riding on a canal path, the cops just told him to maybe ride somewhere else in the future.

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

You’ve got to be kidding. After a Mississippi drunk driver was arrested for killing a man riding a bicycle, the local cops still blamed the victim for riding on a dark highway without lights, while praising the driver for doing the right thing by stopping and calling for help.

………

………

Local 

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton visits nearly-finished bike infrastructure in Little Tokyo, El Monte and Vincent, including the long-promised Alameda Esplanade.

 

State

No news is good news, right?

 

National

Turns out ebikes offer less range in cold weather.

Bicycling lists a number of bicycles and ebike discounted on pre-holiday sales, including the REI cargo bike CNN rated as the best overall ebike. This one doesn’t appear to be hidden behind the magazine’s paywall, so click away.

Mountain bikemaker Kona is having a BOGO sale on one of its bikes, too.

Major League Baseball recommends taking a leisurely bike ride or walk to visit minor league ballparks across the US.

The rich get richer. My Platinum-Level Bicycle Friendly Colorado hometown is getting a nearly $1 million federal grant to “find ways to maximize safety and comfort for local cyclists.” We could all use that.

 

International

Momentum recommends the best hybrid bikes for all-season bike commuting.

Canadian Cycling Magazine recommends five new tech tools to help keep your bike safe, including a power meter that incorporates Apple’s Find My technology.

The Ethical Choice asks if Brits should be paid to bike to work. Short answer, yes. Longer answer, yes, and over here in the US, too. 

Novel AI tools developed by a Zurich firm are helping to develop safer bike helmets and better shoe soles by bypassing “the time-consuming and intuition-based design process of metamaterials.” Let’s just hope they work better than most AI chatbots.

You can now get bicycles made by the world’s largest bikemaker, India’s Hero Cycles, at your friendly neighborhood Walmart.

 

Competitive Cycling

The former head of the Movistar cycling team explains why he gave Colombian pro Nairo Quintana a second chance, saying pro cycling wasn’t fair in banning him for testing positive for the narcotic painkiller Tramadol, which won’t be banned until next year.

 

Finally…

Now you, too, can own Tadej Pogacar’s very own time trial bike — although it still won’t make you as fast as he is. That feeling when you’re an award-winning actor and a bicycle crash first responder, too.

And a British Columbia teenager made his own “feature length” bike film — if you consider a hair under 30 minutes feature length.

But still.

………

………

Chag sameach!

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Aussie prof killed in Marina bike crash, protected bike lane mandate pays off, and CA has to walk the walk on emissions

December 12, 2023 / / 2 comments

Just 12 days left in the 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Thanks to Erik B, Lisa G, Samer S, Erik G and Gold Leaf Films for their generous support to help keep SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.

Don’t wait. Give now!

………

Days left to launch the California ebike incentive program as promised this fall: 9

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I’m gutted.

Yesterday we shared a photo depicting the aftermath of a Friday bike crash in Marina del Rey, which I later learned was taken by Ian Dutton.

Then last night I came across a story from an Australian news site reporting that a beloved college teacher had been killed riding along an unidentified California beach.

And later still, I saw a comment from Libby Starling, who identified herself as the victim’s sister-in-law, reporting that the victim in the Marina crash, Manhattan Beach resident Leland Dutcher, didn’t make it.

Yet I somehow failed to initially make the connection that it was the same person.

Somehow, posting that photo makes it feel personal to me, perhaps because I inherited my dad’s extra empathy gene.

I keep telling myself that it’s not about me.

What I do is about serving the victims of these crashes, and their families, and the greater bicycling community.

But it hurts, damn it.

It hurts.

………

We’ve linked to a number of stories about the bikelash in Cambridge, Massachusetts recently, where some drivers are up in arms over the profusion of new bike lanes on city streets.

But according to Velo, a new report from city officials shows the city’s first-in-the-nation mandate to building protected bike lanes has been an overwhelming success.

According to the report, since the policy was implemented four years ago,

  • 80 percent more protected bike lanes from cars than in 2004.
  • 9 percent of Cambridge residents bike to work, and 37 percent of residents walk or bike.
  • 25 percent of people visiting the business district arrive by bicycle.
  • 34 percent more people commute by bike since 2019, while 15 percent more people commute via sidewalks since 2019.
  • The number of children on bikes, in trailers, or cargo bikes has increased by 3.5 times.
  • Up to 80 percent fewer cyclists ride on sidewalks, resulting in fewer accidents between pedestrians and cyclists.
  • Bike lanes in the area have cut accidents between bikes and cars by 50 percent since 2012.
  • The proportion of crashes that did not result in injury is three times lower now than it was from 2004 to 2012. Incapacitating injuries are down by 84 percent in the same time frame.

All of which sounds like a pretty convincing argument to keep building them there.

And here.

………

They get it.

Planetizen says California has to walk the walk when it comes to reducing transportation emissions.

Because while the state is great at setting Complete Streets and climate change policies, it continues to waste billions on traffic and emission inducing highway projects.

………

LA in a Minute examines why white plastic bollards are popping up all over Los Angeles.

………

The mayor of Escondido has declared war on bike lanes, introducing an ordinance to prohibit future bike and transit improvements in the city.

https://twitter.com/TallDarknJewish/status/1734313400409415951

 

………

Well, of course he was one of us.

………

Megan Lynch forwards video of George Clooney and Jimmie Kimmel discussing what kids wanted from a bike back in the day.

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

No bias here. Bay Area bike advocates were justifiably up in arms over a story from the San Francisco Standard we linked to yesterday, which trotted out the usual bike-hating bile, including “People hate bike lanes, at least in part, because people hate cyclists. And in fairness, many cyclists give non-cyclists more than a few things to hate.” Because we all know all drivers operate their vehicles perfectly, and never, ever do anything that would give bike riders or pedestrians something to hate.

New York’s bike-hating, rightwing councilwoman demonstrates how to say you have no idea what you’re talking about without saying you have no idea what you’re talking about, while somehow assuming we’re all a group of millionaire cultists.

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

Bakersfield police arrested 12 people riding bicycles, 11 of them juveniles, for an undisclosed incident that happened at the city’s Valley Plaza Mall; a police sergeant said the group, which was organized through social media, was “causing road hazards, and not following the rules of the road.” Except that sounds more like a traffic violation, rather than a crime subject to arrest. And full disclosure, I used to write advertising for that mall. 

A bike-riding Massachusetts man faces an animal cruelty charge for allegedly beating a dog and knocking its 69-year old owner to the ground, after using his bike to separate his two dogs from the victim’s dog when they got into a fight. Using his bike to separate them was smart; beating the other dog afterwards, not so much. Or forgivable. 

………

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Local 

No news is good news, right? 

 

State

Encinitas is responding to the death of a 15-year old ebike rider in June by considering a slate of bike and pedestrian safety improvements on city streets, including left turn bike boxes.

San Diego adopted a new Complete Streets policy aimed at making local streets safer and more equitable. But as we’ve seen in Los Angeles, a policy without an enforcement mechanism can be pretty useless.

A Santa Barbara writer tries to explain what’s going on with the traffic diverters on Sola Street, as the city attempts to create a crosstown bikeway without removing parking spaces to install a bike lane.

Kindhearted Clovis, California cops bought a new bike for a local teenager after someone stole his locked bike while he was at school.

A nearly $125,000 bequest from the man known as the Legend of Mt. Diablo for his daily rides up the Bay Area climb is helping to fund a campaign to build safety turnouts on his favorite ride, two years after he was killed by a driver while riding his bike.

 

National

The New York Times examines the rise in pedestrian deaths, blaming distracted drivers and a lack of safe sidewalks, while too easily discounting the deadly design of SUVs.

Bike Snob’s Eben Weiss says most bike reviews are useless, so just get out there and ride them yourself.

Clean Technica says ebikes are radically more efficient than electric cars, while a writer for Electrek relates the lessons his wife learned from her first 100 miles commuting to work by ebike.

Oregon will now allow drivers to pass bike riding “obstructions” in No Passing Zones, as long as the person on the bicycle is riding at less than half the posted speed limit.

Great idea. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is visiting nearly 100 bike shops across the state to kick off their “support your local bike shop week.” Because if we don’t support them, they may not be there when you need them.

Kindhearted cops in Boston replaced a nine-year old boy’s bicycle after someone stole his bike from his backyard.

Sad news from Syracuse NY, where a man riding a bikeshare ebike was killed when a cop somehow turned his patrol car into him; the officer is now on administrative leave while the crash is investigated.

Tragic news from North Carolina, where a man was killed by a drunk driver while riding his bicycle, just hours after his father was killed in a collision, leaving their family to plan two funerals.

‘Tis the Season. Nearly 100 volunteer “elves” refurbished nearly 530 donated bicycles for a Georgia charity to give to local kids in need.

 

International

Momentum says the Dutch Reach is the simple solution to help stop dooring incidents. The only problem is actually getting drivers and passengers to use it. 

A British motorcyclist got three and a half years behind bars for crashing into a bike-riding woman while riding stoned, without a license or insurance, and with fake plates on his motorcycle; the victim ended up having her leg amputated.

The UK’s largest chain of bike shops is ridiculed for building bikes wrong, putting on all the right parts, “but not necessarily in the right places.”

The Jerusalem Post recommends the best helmets for your bicycle or motorbike riding dog — including a hard shell propeller beanie.

 

Competitive Cycling

Fox News continues its war on trans cyclists, quoting commentator Riley Gaines condemning a third place finisher as a “traitor to women” after she came to the defense of the trans women who finished ahead of her.

 

Finally…

Now you, too, can build your very own wireless bike brakes. Your next ebike could be a…Cervélo?

And nothing like finding a useless bike rack at the end of your ride.

………

Chag sameach!

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Update: Beloved Australian teacher killed riding ebike in Marina del Rey collision; death confirmed by victim’s family

December 12, 2023 / / 3 comments

I could just cry.

Yesterday, I posted a photo by Ian Dutton depicting the aftermath of a bicycling collision in Marina del Rey on Friday, (although I somehow mistakenly called it Santa Monica).

I added that I hoped the victim was okay, and linked to a TikTok video from the scene, in which the person who posted it prayed the victim would survive.

Sadly, our prayers weren’t answered.

In a comment to that post, Libby Starling, who identified herself as the victim’s sister-in-law, revealed that he didn’t make it.

The cyclist in the photo from Friday’s crash in Marina del Rey was my brother-in-law, Leland Dutcher, from Manhattan Beach. As you might anticipate from the damage to the windshield, he did not survive the impact. As you add him to your list of bicycle fatalities in Southern California, know that the world lost a great soul with his death.

I’m told by Streetsblog’s Joe Linton that the cash occurred where the beachfront Marvin Braude Bike Trail crosses Admiralty Way.

Right now, there’s no word on what time of day it happened, or why.

All we know from the photo — which I am not reposting here, since his loved ones are likely to see this — is that Dutcher’s white ebike came to rest in the right lane of what appears to be eastbound Admiralty Way, several yards in front of a stopped car with a smashed windshield, while firefighters tended to Dutcher in the middle of the roadway.

Hopefully, we’ll learn more soon.

This is at least the 68th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 33rd that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

And as Starling notes, we’ve lost a great soul, which is a tragedy for us all.

Update: An Australian news site offers more information about Leland Dutcher, describing him as a beloved teacher at an Adelaide college. He was here on leave from the school, and working as a content partner manager in Manhattan Beach.

Sadly, his father says he had just posted photos showing him riding along the beach the same day he was killed.

Update 2: I’m told the photo was taken around 2:15 pm Friday, which puts the crash sometime around 2 pm to 2:15 pm. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Leland Dutcher and all his loved ones. 

Thanks to Joe Linton, Libby Starling and David Drexler for the heads-up.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

Racial justice suit filed in SF police shooting, West LA ghost bike stripped, and bike rider injured in Marina del Rey crash

December 11, 2023 / / 2 comments

Just 13 days left in the 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive — less than two weeks to support SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy!

Thanks to Xochitl C, Robert K, Robert L and John H for their generous support to keep this site coming your way every day. 

We’re running way behind last year’s record pace right now. So it’s time to get your giving on, and donate today!

………

Days left to launch the California ebike incentive program as promised this fall: 10

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The San Francisco public defender’s office has filed suit over the shooting of a Latino man with mental health problems in August of last year, in what sounds like a major fuckup that began with a simple report of a stolen bicycle.

And escalated because of the replica handgun he carried to protect himself on the streets.

What ensued resulted in a street being blocked off, multiple San Francisco police units arriving — his attorney estimated nearly 80 officers– the appearance of two military-grade armored vehicles, and Corvera being shot at approximately 15 times from four different officers, including one shot that nearly missed his head, his attorney said.

Corvera was never charged with being in possession of a stolen bike.

Instead, he was charged with resisting arrest, brandishing a replica firearm and interfering with the lawful performance of a police officer. His trial began in early November, but ended in a hung jury, leading the public defender’s office to argue — not for the first time — that Corvera should never have been approached in the first place.

The public defender’s office has filed the case under California’s Racial Justice Act, which “allows defendants to raise issues of bias in their cases based on race, ethnicity or national origin.”

San Francisco should probably just back up the Brinks truck in this case.

………

That didn’t last.

My wife and I drove by the site where 46-year old Aaron Cobb was killed riding his bike on Santa Monica Blvd at the 405 Freeway yesterday, just two weeks this ghost bike was installed in his honor.

Photo by Danny Gamboa

Except it doesn’t look like that any more.

All that’s left now is a sad, lonely frame chained to the fence, after someone stripped all the parts off it.

Seriously, it takes a major schmuck to fuck with a ghost bike.

………

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton forwarded this photo by Ian Dutton, after someone riding an ebike was hospitalized after what looks like a pretty serious crash in Marina Del Rey on Friday.

Let’s hope the victim is okay, because that smashed windshield doesn’t look good.

Photo by Ian Dutton

Someone posted video of the same crash on TikTok, with a prayer for the victim’s recovery.

Amen to that.

………

‘Tis the Season.

Over two hundred kids got refurbished bikes in Stockton, California, thanks to the owner of a local motorsports dealer.

A group led by a man known as Bob the Bike Guy gave new bicycles to 150 kids in need in Springfield, Massachusetts, many immigrants from poor or war-torn countries.

One hundred children got new bicycles in a Bronx bike giveaway, as the chief development officer for a New York advocacy group notes that bikes have real staying power, unlike other gifts kids play with for awhile, then forget.

………

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

No bias here. A Cambridge, Massachusetts group calls themselves Cambridge Streets For All, but turns than name on its head by opposing bike lanes — so what they really want is to just keep the streets for drivers. And just because someone in their 70s can’t ride a bike is no reason to oppose bike lanes for others. The idea is to make it safe for people who want to bike, not require everyone to do so. 

A road raging North Carolina driver will spend a minimum of nine years behind bars for intentionally swerving into a man riding a bicycle, while his twin brother will serve time for helping him coverup his involvement in the man’s death.

No bias here, either. A British school bus driver is under investigation after making it clear he just doesn’t give a damn about human lives, telling a bike rider he’s “really not bothered” about killing someone on a bicycle, after he was challenged about an overly close pass.

A customer at a UK supermarket complained about a cargo bike blocking access to the store — even though it was locked to a bike rack and there was room to walk around it.

A hit-and-run driver in Singapore says oopsie, it wasn’t my fault and I didn’t know I hit anyone, after leaving his license plate behind when he crashed into someone riding a bicycle. Which probably explains why the bike rider was so pissed off. 

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

A couple teenagers on an ebike were busted after leading New York police on a lengthy chase, which began with a report of shots fired near an elementary school, and ended with a crash into a parked car.

Police in Philadelphia were looking for a man who attacked two people with a machete for no apparent reason while riding on a local bike path.

He’s got a point. A 70-something man in the UK says “bicycling is a good thing but not in the hands of idiots,” after he and his wife were nearly run down by someone on a bicycle who “had no regard for anyone else in a crowded situation.”

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Local 

Momentum says Santa Monica wants to be the bike capital of the world, as it unveils the new “Dutch style” protected bike lane on 17th Street.

 

State

The San Diego Association of Governments is trying to get commuters out of their cars by offering incentives to take transit, carpool or ride a bicycle.

The San Francisco Standard examines how the new Valencia Street centerline protected bike lane became a cultural flashpoint in the City by the Bay.

Sad news from Sacramento, where a man died days after he was run down by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bike. We’ve said it before, but drivers who flee the scene should face a murder charge because they’ve made a conscious decision to allow the victim to die, rather than stop and get help. 

 

National

The Verge considers how to successfully lobby for a bike lane in America, while noting that cities are finally moving away from the “dreaded” sharrows.

Business Insider offers advice on how to afford an ebike, observing that they’re more popular than electric cars.

It wasn’t that long ago that graphene was being hyped as the bike material of the future. Now GCN says it’s a new type of carbon fibre construction called fusion fibre.

Life is cheap in New Mexico, where a judge sent a clear message that killing someone while driving drunk and fleeing the scene of the crash is just no big deal, by cutting the nine-year sentence of killer, drunken Albuquerque hit-and-run driver in half, because someone else who was convicted of what may or may not have been a similar crime got off with a lighter sentence.

The owner of an Arkansas bike rental says assume drivers there can’t see you when you ride. Actually, that’s good advice everywhere, because drivers can’t see you when they’re looking at their phones, which they’re usually doing. Or not looking for you, period.

Officials in Fernandina Beach, Florida are accused of a coverup the new city manager’s drunken bike crash, less than two weeks after he took the job.

 

International

Cycling Weekly says bicycling isn’t cool anymore, and the in-crowd has moved on stand-up paddleboards, trading lycra for rubber suits.

Um, okay. A Scottish couple in their 50s just spent nearly two years riding their bikes around the world to raise funds for a children’s hospice, even though they don’t like bicycling.

An English “cycling agony aunt” offers advice on gifts for bicyclists. Hopefully none that will actually cause agony. 

Islamabad, Pakistan is planning a network of bike lanes along major routes in the city of 1.2 million people to provide an alternative to buses and cars.

A Nairobi woman says she had an epiphany to take up bicycling as she lay in the roadway with a badly broken leg after jumping off one of the local motor scooters known as a boda boda to avoid a drunk driver, and hasn’t looked back — even after a doctor recommended amputating her leg.

A new study of “bicycle accidents with respect to spatial heterogeneity” from Seoul, Korea offers results that aren’t really that surprising, concluding that more local buses on a roadway results in a reduction in bike use, and that the presence of bike lanes results in more bicycle crashes. Probably because there are more bike riders using them.

 

Competitive Cycling

Briton’s Sir Bradley Wiggins says he doesn’t remember standing on the Champs-Élysées after winning the 2012 Tour de France, and doesn’t ride a bicycle anymore because he doesn’t like who he became on it.

Belgian pro Cian Uijtdebroeks has signed to race with the Team Visma-Lease a Bike cycling team for next year. Or maybe not.

 

Finally…

Probably not the best idea to ride salmon in the traffic lane, while trying to attack cars with a broom. Now you, too, can own your very own Chinese-made, bicycle-powered roller coaster.

And maybe the real reason 700 million dollar man Shohei Ohtani left the Angels to sign with the Dodgers is because the Angels wouldn’t let him have a bike.

………

Chag sameach!

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Man riding bicycle struck and killed by 2nd driver after Coachella hit-and-run; 19th fatal SoCal bike hit-and-run this year

December 9, 2023 / / Comments Off on Man riding bicycle struck and killed by 2nd driver after Coachella hit-and-run; 19th fatal SoCal bike hit-and-run this year

A man riding a bicycle was struck by a hit-and-run driver in Coachella Thursday night, then left in the road for another motorist to finish the job.

Or maybe it was Indio. Or even Thermal.

Multiple sources reported on the crash, but couldn’t seem to agree on the location.

But Google Maps puts in it Coachella, so we’ll go with that.

The victim was reportedly riding south in the 54000 block of Grapefruit Blvd, north of Palm Street, when he was run down from behind by a heartless coward, who fled the scene, around 11:35 pm.

He was then struck by a second driver, who stuck around after the crash and called 911.

The victim was identified only as a 54-year old man from Coachella.

There’s no word on whether he was riding in the traffic lane when he was struck; a street view shows a two lane highway with a minimal paved shoulder he could have been using.

It’s also not clear how long after the initial impact he was struck by the second motorist, or if he could have survived if the first driver had the basic human decency to stop after hitting someone.

The second driver won’t face charges in the crash. The same can’t be said for the coward who fled.

Unfortunately, no description is available for vehicle used in the hit-and-run, or for the person driving it. Anyone with information is urged to call CHP Officer Windsor at 760/772-5300.

This is at least the 67th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the ninth that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

At least 19 of those SoCal bicyclists have been the victims of heartless hit-and-run drivers.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , , ,

Safety crackdown in Mission Viejo, Shimano parts may be built by slave labor, and bike book wins non-fiction award

December 8, 2023 / / Comments Off on Safety crackdown in Mission Viejo, Shimano parts may be built by slave labor, and bike book wins non-fiction award

It’s Day 15 of the 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Which means there’s just 16 days left to support SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy.

Thanks to Phillip Y, Ed R and Christopher T for their generous donations to help keep this site coming your way every day. 

So please, take just a moment to give now!

Pretty please?

And while we’re at it, happy Chanukah to everyone who lit a candle last night.

Chag sameach!

………

Days left to launch the California ebike incentive program as promised this fall: 13

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The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will conduct a major bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement operation in Mission Viejo this weekend, after pedestrian deaths have jumped nearly a third in the county over the past decade.

Which means the usual protocol applies — ride to the letter of the law until you leave the area, so you’re not the one who gets ticketed.

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Shimano is investigating a report from The Telegraph that consumers are buying parts made by virtual slaves in a Malaysian factory.

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The Buddha and the Bee, a book about a 2001 bike ride from Minnesota to California along America’s forgotten highways, has won the 2023 Reader’s Favorite Award for non-fiction.

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‘Tis the Season.

One hundred kids in Victorville, California got new bicycles as part of the 20th annual Doris Davies Memorial Bicycle Giveaway, named for the late civic advocate who founded the program.

Fayetteville, Arkansas’s Bicycle Man Foundation is unexpectedly back in business, a year after the widow of its eponymous founder retired a decade after his death; now the Bicycle Madea, whose own son was a beneficiary of the program, is reviving it and distributing one hundred new bikes to kids in need.

Meanwhile, 60 kids in another Fayetteville, this one in North Carolina, got bikes courtesy of a local insurance company, which gave a new bicycle to every 3rd grader at a Fayetteville elementary school.

And if you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift, you could do a lot worse than an autographed copy of Seattle Bike Blog editor Tom Fucoloro’s new book, Biking Uphill in the Rain: The Story of Seattle from behind the Handlebars.

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Local 

Agoura Hills received a half-million dollars in state funding to complete an 11-mile bike lane through the West LA County city, which will eventually be part of a regional bike network.

 

State

Sad news from Marin County, where officials identified the victim of Saturday’s fatal bicycling crash in San Raphael as a 70-year old randonneur who was well known in the area; he was on a 124-mile club ride across the county when he apparently fell off his bike while riding over a railroad crossing, and was run over by the driver of a pickup towing a trailer.

Bad news from Sacramento, where a 50-year old man was hospitalized with a “substantial” head injury after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bike.

 

National

Fast Company explains why 2023 was the year of the ebike and not the self-driving car.

Colorado Congresswoman and pistol-packing grandma Lauren Boebert is accused of dipping into campaign funds to cheer her boyfriend to a 774th place finish in the prestigious Leadville 100 mountain bike race, a month before they were caught fondling one another during a performance of Beetlejuice in a Denver theater; no word on whether she’s paid back the funds.

Sad news from Buffalo, New York, where friends remember the leader of a local bike club after he was killed in a fire at his home.

The rich get richer, as New York completed yet another Complete Streets project, redesigning dangerous intersections and adding nearly two miles of bike and bus lanes on Third Ave in Manhattan; Streetsblog says the wide bike lane is a good start, but the makeover still devotes too much space to cars.

 

International

Bike Radar explains why you should buy an endurance bike instead of a race bike. Having owned both over the years, I definitely preferred the ride of the former.

Former Ab Fab star Jane Horrocks is one of us, after breaking her wrist and bruising her ribs falling off her bike when she hit a patch of black ice.

Ford says the warning signals on the doors of their new European passenger van will protect bike riders by alerting passengers to their presence. After all, why build safer doors when you can just put warning signs on the deadly ones?

 

Competitive Cycling

Bicycling says it’s a good thing the planned merger of the Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep cycling teams fell apart earlier this fall, since it could have resulted in a superteam with too much top talent concentrated in a single team. As usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.

Pez Cycling talks with former pro Jordan Cheyne about what comes after a cycling career, after an unplanned retirement following a crash on a training ride that left him fighting for his life.

Cycling Today remembers climbing specialist Jose-Maria Jimenez, once touted as a successor to Miguel Indurain, 20 years after he died in a Madrid detox clinic.

 

Finally…

Now you, too, can see the bicycle owned by President William McKinley, who was killed by an assassin’s bullet in 1901. That feeling when you make a big impact on your “little” bike.

And a record-setting 80-mile “Look Ma, no hands!”

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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