My apologies.
Sunday was one of those days I warned about last week, when the pain and medications combined to knock me out for most of the day.
I’ll try to be back tomorrow to catch up on what we missed.
Update: Riverside road cyclist left dying in the street by hit-and-run driver
Yet another Southern California bike rider has been killed by a cowardly hit-and-run driver.
According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, Riverside police found the 53-year old victim lying in the westbound bike lane on Victoria Avenue, just west of Myers Street, around 7:45 Saturday morning, after receiving a report of a bicyclist down.
He was transported to a local hospital, where he died.
Police initially thought the man, who has not been publicly identified, had fallen off his bicycle. However, hospital officials reported his injuries were consistent with being hit by a motor vehicle.
Unfortunately, no witnesses have come forward, so there is no description of the suspect or the vehicle used in the crime.
Video from the scene shows a black road bike and silver helmet lying on the side of the road.
No other information is available at this time.
Regardless of how the crash may have happened, there is simply no excuse, ever, for leaving a crash victim bleeding in the street. The driver should face a murder charge for making a conscious decision to let the victim die, rather than calling for help and providing assistance as the law requires.
We’ll never know if he might have survived if he’d gotten help right away.
Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Zach Fishell at 951-826-8723, or email zfishell@riversideca.gov.
Let’s hope they find the coward responsible for this crash. And that prosecutors treat this needless death with the seriousness it demands.
This is at least the 14th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first I’m aware of in Riverside County.
Update: The Press-Enterprise has identified the victim as 52-year old Riverside resident Brian Sabel.
Despite wearing a helmet, he died of a head injury at Riverside Community Hospital roughly 45 minutes after he was found in the roadway.
No word on how long he had been lying there before help arrived.
This would appear to be his Strava profile.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Brian Sabel and his loved ones.
Thanks to John McBrearty for the heads-up.
Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: bicycling fatality, Brian Sabel, hit-and-run, Riverside, Riverside County
Man riding bicycle killed after allegedly riding in front of driver in Oxnard crash
Once again, a bike rider is dead after somehow magically appearing in front of a driver.
According to the Ventura County Star, the victim was struck by an 18-year old driver on Saviers Road near Iris Street in Oxnard around 8:10 pm Thursday, although a local TV station places the time of the crash shortly after 10 pm.
The driver was headed south on Saviers when he said the victim, identified only as a man in his mid-20s, “suddenly appeared in front of (his) vehicle.”
The bike rider was taken to Ventura County Medical Center, where he died.
The driver, who hasn’t been publicly identified, stayed at the scene, telling police he was unable to avoid the man’s bicycle.
There’s no explanation given for why the driver wasn’t able to see the victim or his bike.
However, in any case like this, where there doesn’t appear to be any surviving witnesses other than the driver, it’s important to remember that we’re only getting one side of the story.
It’s entirely possible that the victim somehow rode out in front of the driver’s car. But it’s also possible that he may have been riding safely in the bike lane on southbound Saviers, and the driver just didn’t see him.
Because no one, ever, comes out of nowhere.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Senior Officer Paul Knapp of the Oxnard Police Department at 805/385-7750 or email paul.knapp@oxnardpd.org.
This is at least the 13th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first I’m aware of in Ventura County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
Morning Links: 63-year old bike rider killed in Pomona drive-by, Culver City bike petition, and free bike tourism doc
Tragic news from Pomona, where a 63-year old man riding a bike was killed in a drive-by shooting early Thursday morning.
Pomona resident Robert Arthur Fausto was shot at 12:49 am by the occupants of a small blue car, and pronounced dead at the scene.
Shootings like this usually turn out to be gang related, although the victim’s age might argue against that in this case.
Either way, he’s one more needless victim of violence. And one death too many.
Thanks to Henry Fung for the heads-up.
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LACBC neighborhood chapter Bike Culver City wants your signature on a petition calling on the city to stand by its ten-year old promise to complete a bike network and build infrastructure by the end of next year.
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J. Patrick Lynch forwards a new documentary from a Pittsburgh public TV station, as they take a 335-mile ride along the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath from Pittsburgh to DC.
Or as he put it, “Lots of interesting places and people, pared with some stunning scenery.”
The video is available free until the end of this month.
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Local
US News & World Report — yes, it’s still around — questions why Los Angeles is so dangerous for bike riders. Then fails to answer the question, and digs about as deep into the subject as scraping your fingernail through the dust.
You’re invited to help form a “ginormous” human bike sculpture at the Rose Bowl next month.
The Santa Monica Mirror credits LACBC neighborhood chapter Santa Monica Spoke for working with the city to improve safety for pedestrians as well as bicyclists through Leading Pedestrian Intervals.
A new 47-unit housing complex rising in Long Beach will have just 40 parking spaces, along with bike storage and a bike lounge where residents can work on their bicycles.
State
Just what the world needs. A $7,000, 45 mph ped-assist e-mountain bike made by a California company that would qualify as an electric motorcycle under state law, and requires a license, license plate and helmet. And isn’t likely to be allowed on any public trails.
La Jolla has unveiled new artistic bike racks as part of a redesign of the Children’s Pool Plaza. Thanks to Robert Leone for the links.
Santa Barbara is starting a weekly series of Cycling Without Age rides to help older people experience the joys of bicycling.
Palo Alto will take another crack at bikeshare, after last year’s pilot program failed due to staffing problems.
San Francisco settled for an undisclosed amount with a bike rider who was injured when a cop pulled his car into the bike lane he was riding in.
A Bay Area writer hopped on an e-scooter, and rode as far from civilization as he could before the battery gave out. Or until it locked up when it didn’t show up in the app anymore.
After months of discussion, Marin County finally approves allowing ebikes on paved bike paths and multiuse trails in county parks.
National
Bicycling talks with the person behind a parody instagram account that pillories sexist cycling ads.
Bike Snob’s Eben Weiss says there’s no such thing as just one bike you’ll love riding for the rest of your life.
A new children’s book examines the perils of bicycle face and riding while female.
There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole an 87-year old Texas man’s customized adult e-tricycle; it was his his only form of transportation after his eyesight started to fail.
A Queens NY newspaper says bike riders should stay in their lane, and not speculate about how a fatal bike crash happened or say bad things about the driver. Which might be valid if the NYPD didn’t have a long established bias against bicyclists, and a history of wrongly blaming bike riders for crashes. Which inevitably leads people to question their conclusions.
If you’re going to honor a fallen Philly pastry chef, a dessert-themed scavenger ride and bike rodeo makes sense. And calling it the ProfiteROLL, a stroke of genius.
A Virginia couple will ride across the US to raise funds to fight preeclampsia in honor of their son, who died just days after being born prematurely; they’ve raised over $5,000 of the $9,000 goal.
Charlotte NC plans to trade a traffic lane for the city’s first protected bike lane.
International
A new foldout bar end bike mirror is designed to give you a rear view when you need it and fold away when you don’t.
Good question. A Canadian paper asks what good is a dedicated bike lane if drivers park in it?
A bike rider says breaking his arm in a fall restored his faith in his fellow Londoners, and convinced him the world hadn’t gotten as mean as it seems.
Bicyclists in Manchester, England could soon get a winding, snake-style bike and pedestrian bridge as part of a $180 million bicycling and walking transportation plan.
Ebikes are boosting bike sales in Germany, with sales up 36% in the last year; one out of every four bikes sold in the country is electric.
Competitive Cycling
After finally getting around to banning Tramadol from the pro peloton, pro cycling’s governing body is looking to ban all corticosteroids next year; some — such as the asthma spray that raised questions about Chris Froome — have been allowed under a therapeutic use exemption, or TUE.
SoCal’s Coryn Rivera will wear the stars and stripes as she competes in Europe this year, after winning the US national championship last summer.
The Highland Community New says there was plenty of great racing at this year’s Redlands Classic; too bad almost no one showed up to watch.
Finally…
When riding the 1,600-mile Baja Divide on two wheels is one wheel too many. And the bike-riding wizarding world of fire investigation.
Category: Morning Links / Tags: bicycling, Bike Culver City, drive-by-shootings, fatal shooting, Great Allegheny Passage, Los Angeles, Pomona
Morning Links: DA bargains away drunk driving charge against actor, and a Silver Lake bike theft in reverse
This is why people continue to die on our streets.
An actor on the Showtime series Ray Donovan walked with just three years probation and a six month license suspension after the LA District Attorney’s office bargained down his drunk driving and child endangerment charges.
Marion “Pooch” Hall was arrested in Burbank last year after crashing into a parked car with a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit.
Yes, three times.
And with his two-year old son on his lap, no less.
In fact, witnesses reported the child was holding the wheel as Hall weaved in and out of traffic.
So Hall gets to keep his license. And in six months, he’ll be back on the streets. Hopefully sober this time.
But I wouldn’t count on it.
And next time, someone else could pay the price.
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Call it a reverse bike theft.
Someone broke into a Silver Lake studio while the owners were away, and instead of taking anything, just left a nice folding bike behind.
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Local
Just one week after Pasadena reconfigured the Rose Bowl ride and bicyclists warned someone would get hurt, that prophecy came true when a rider went over his handlebars after rolling over the base of a warning cone.
An 18-year old mountain biker was rescued from the hills above Altadena after he fell off his bike and attempted to hike out.
KCBS-2 catches up with the proposal from Hilda Solis’ to build more protected bike lanes in LA County.
Santa Clarita sheriff’s deputies will conduct another bicycle and pedestrian safety operation on Monday. Usual protocol applies; ride to the letter of the law until you’re outside their jurisdiction so you’re not the one who gets ticketed.
State
Del Mar has approved a one-year pilot bikeshare program; reading between the lines, it sounds like a mix of dockless bicycles and ebikes.
Santa Barbara will install reverse angled parking on Cabrillo Drive as part of a road diet to improve safety and make room for bike lanes in each direction.
There’s a special place in hell for whoever rode his bike up to a Turlock 7th grader and yelled racial slurs before flashing a knife at her.
San Francisco has responded to the demands of bicyclists for safer streets by announcing plans to extend the protected bike lanes on Howard Street to the waterfront, after a woman was killed riding on an unprotected section of the roadway.
Speaking of San Francisco, the city is considering plans to make more streets carfree to improve safety; plans are already underway to remove cars from iconic Market Street. Make a fist and count your fingers; that’s how many carfree streets you’ll find in Los Angeles.
Oakland bike riders are getting impatient with the city’s still unfulfilled plans to fix the streets, in part due to a number of vacancies in the city’s Department of Transportation.
The Sacramento Bee says two recent deaths in San Diego and Santa Monica show just how dangerous e-scooters are. But fails to mention that the Santa Monica victim was killed by a hit-and-run driver after falling off his scooter.
Sacramento residents are upset that someone who apparently doesn’t get the concept locked a pair of Jump dockless ebikes to a fire hydrant, and no one’s done anything about it. Seriously, the point of dockless bikeshare is that you don’t have to lock them up, you just leave them when you’re done — hopefully out of the way and not on the sidewalk. And never blocking a fire hydrant.
National
Gear Patrol says your brain should thank Trek for its new WaveCel bike helmets, designed to help prevent concussions as well as protect your skull.
If you have a Stromer ST5 ebike, it may be recalled due to a risk of the stem breaking.
Wyoming says yes to ebikes, adopting the same regulations pioneered by California.
Looks like it will stay against the law to ride a bike or a horse under the influence in North Dakota, after the state Senate killed a bill that would have changed that.
The Department of DIY is back, with permission this time. A Montana advocacy group installed its own temporary traffic circle to calm traffic, along with cameras to measure how effective it is.
New York bike advocates are calling for a temporary, weekend-only bike lane on the iconic Verrazano Bridge this summer. And say if it turns out a weekend-only bike lane causes too many problems, just make it permanent.
The New York Post says the city has hated bicycles for 200 years.
New York will install speed cameras around every public school in the city, after cameras previously installed at some schools cut speeding 60% and resulted in a 50% drop in fatalities. Yet another reminder that speed cameras save lives. And that they’re still illegal in California.
A Boston group is auctioning a $10,000 Boston Strong-themed bicycle commemorating the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing that was ridden in the 2015 Amgen Tour of California; the money will benefit a man suffering from ALS.
A Massachusetts town is “torn,” and “a town in crisis,” by a state proposal to install a rail-to-trail conversion. Seriously, if that’s the biggest problem they have, they should let go of each other’s throats and throw a party to count their blessings.
New Orleans officials travelled to Seville, Spain for ideas on how to improve bike infrastructure and safety in the Crescent City.
A New Orleans man will spend 33 years behind bars for a long string of crimes, including a half-dozen robberies and the hit-and-run death of a bike rider while driving a stolen car.
International
Now that’s what I call a beautiful ebike.
Horrifying case from the UK, where a 14-year old boy riding on a pathway with friends was beaten, kicked in the face and doused with beer — after the attackers stole his bike.
Bike riders formed a people protected bike lane in a British city.
No surprise here, as US bike companies are finding ways to work around Trump’s China tariffs.
Finally…
No, seriously. If you’re already wanted for kidnapping, robbery with a deadly weapon and accessory to a felony, don’t ride salmon. If you’re riding your bike with an outstanding warrant, nearly 7 grams of meth and a thousand bucks, put a damn light on it, already.
And if you’re carrying meth and drug paraphernalia on your bike, try not to get hit by the mayor.
Category: Morning Links / Tags: bicycling, bike theft, drunk driving, DUI, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County District Attorney, Silver Lake
Morning Links: Incycle bike thieves busted, elected officials in Hollywood, and finally a better bike helmet
Good news.
Chino police have busted three people accused of running over an Incycle bike shop manager after stealing a $10,000 bike.
Incycle store manager Megan Rodriguez ran into the parking lot in an attempt to stop them after they walked out with the bike, and slipped under the truck’s wheels when they refused to stop.
Fortunately, she’s been released after being hospitalized with critical injuries. A crowdfunding page raised over $35,000 for her medical care.
Kern County residents Ronald Wolfe, Kyle Stewart and Nichole Stewart were booked on suspicion of robbery, conspiracy and attempted murder for the Incycle heist. Police say they may have conducted similar crimes — without running over anyone else — throughout Southern California.
Let’s hope authorities take this case as seriously as those potential charges suggest.
Thanks to Erik Griswold for the heads-up.
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Here’s a great opportunity to advocate for bikes and safer streets. Or maybe just give officials a piece of your mind.
Representatives for city, county, state and federal elected officials will be gathered under one roof at the Will & Ariel Durant Library in Hollywood from 3 pm to 6 pm today.
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it, even though the library is just walking distance from my home. Or would be, if I could actually walk these days.
So feel free to show up in my place, and demand some serious action on improving street safety in Hollywood, and throughout the LA area.
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Big news on the bike helmet front, as Trek’s Bontrager division introduces what they claim is the safest helmet ever made.
According to the company, the new WaveCel design is 48 times more effective at preventing concussions than tradition foam helmets, without adding much weight.
And it offers significantly greater protection than MIPS helmets, which had been the gold standard for preventing concussions.
The downside is, it will cost you at least $150. But if you’re a helmet user, it could be worth it.
Speaking for myself, after spending time in the ICU when my helmet failed to prevent a serious concussion in the infamous beachfront bee incident, I may be the first in line to get one once I can ride again.
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Somehow, we missed this one last year.
But if you’ve got eleven minutes to kill, you could do worse than watching pro mountain bikers shred on tiny bikes.
Or spend just half the time taking in this Streetfilm of bike advocates sharing the most ridiculous comments they’ve heard in opposition to bike lanes.
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Local
Streetsblog LA announces the honorees for their May 9th fundraiser; the list now includes Active SGV, Jason Islas, Asm. Laura Friedman, Justice for Woon, and the David Bohnett Foundation. You can get tickets here.
After pulling the plug on its WeHo Pedals bikeshare, West Hollywood will go forward with an 18-month pilot program for dockless ebike bikeshare, though with strict limits on where they can be parked — which kind of defeats the purpose of dockless systems. And still no e-scooters will be allowed in the city.
Seriously, the former Governator riding his e-fat bike to the gym just isn’t news anymore.
State
A proposed bill in the state legislature would double the penalty for a fatal hit-and-run from four to eight years; the bill will move forward after emotional testimony from the widow of the hit-and-run victim it’s named after.
San Diego has finally thrown in the towel and given their long-suffering docked bikeshare provider the boot; the city is looking to dockless bikeshare to take up the slack.
Berkeley pulls a page from LA’s former playbook and continues to let the city’s streets deteriorate, saying they would cost $120 million to fix, and another $50 million to transform them into Complete Streets. Which is probably cheaper than the legal settlements they’ll pay out for not fixing them. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the link.
San Francisco bicyclists rally to demand more protected bike lanes. Meanwhile, a San Francisco city supervisor’s call for lowering speed limits butts into the deadly 85th Percentile Law. Maybe if San Francisco joins LA in demanding changes, we might actually get somewhere.
Gear Patrol reveals the winners from last weekend’s North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Sacramento.
National
A website from the American Society of Landscape Architects recounts the recent National Bike Summit to examine why bicycling has flatlined in the US.
Bike Snob’s Eben Weiss says confronting the driver who almost killed you is never worth it. As someone who’s done exactly that for most of my riding career, I’ve had some very positive conversations with drivers who’ve unintentionally threatened my safety. But the bad outweighed the good by a significant margin.
Schwinn is introducing a 28 mph gravel ebike, which would require a helmet in California. And you’ll have to be over 16 to ride it.
Bicyclits say a popular Portland bike path is virtually unridable due to homeless encampments and piled up trash.
Interesting idea. A Boulder CO bike shop is offering a certified pre-owned program for bikes, including a pre-defined trade-in or buyback schedule to encourage buyers to trade their bikes back in ever 18 months.
Iowa City, Iowa is conducting a road diet on a major street, stressing that it’s being done to improve safety and that the extra space for bike lanes is just an added benefit. No word on whether the locals will revolt like West LA’s entitled drivers.
A Houston congresswoman has proposed federal legislation to improve bike safety by adding it to driver’s license exams, improving street signage, and leveraging funds to build bike lanes.
Now there’s some honesty for a change. The mayor of Philadelphia says the streets of the city suck when it comes to safety. And used exactly that word.
A North Carolina bill would require bike owners to license their bicycles for a $10 annual fee, with the funds going to support bike safety projects. Except studies have shown that it would cost more to license bikes than a program like that would bring in. And result in more bikes rusting in the garage once the registration expires.
Atlanta drivers who stop or park in a bike lane will now be subject to a $100 fine. If it’s actually enforced, which is usually the problem.
No surprise here. The drunk driver who slammed into several bike riders at a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade, killing two innocent people, was over twice the legal limit; police estimate his BAC was around .215 at the time of the crash. Also no surprise that he’s asking for a reduction in his half-million dollar bail.
Heartbreaking news from Mississippi, where a 12-year old boy is in an induced coma and facing multiple surgeries after he was badly mauled by a pack of dogs, who knocked him off his bike and dragged him into a ditch. The dogs were put down, but owner won’t face any charges because there are no regulations for dogs in the county.
The Juice is no longer loose. Orlando, Florida’s Juice docked bikeshare is shutting down after two years in the face of competition from dockless bikeshare; the city hopes to bring it back in a dockless form.
International
Specialized’s new MIMIC saddle line promises to provide greater comfort for women with a design specifically made for a woman’s body.
Mexico City’s famed Paseo de la Reforma now has its own all-woman bike cop squad.
Great Britain’s Royal Mail is trying out eight e-trikes in an attempt to help clean up London’s dirty air. Maybe they need to bring back Pashley-riding posties.
Britain considers lifting a ban on e-scooters that dates back nearly two centuries before they were invented.
We may have to deal with distracted LA drivers. But at least we hardly ever have to worry about getting live cobras stuck in our wheels like these Indian bike riders.
Competitive Cycling
Britain’s dominant Team Sky will now be known as Team Ineos, as Britain’s richest man assumes sponsorship.
Finally…
If you’re going to flee the scene after a crash, take the front end of your car with you. Pedaling with pornstars.
And seriously, if you’re wanted on a murder charge, wear a damn helmet when you ride a bike if that’s what the law requires.
Category: Morning Links / Tags: bicycling, bike helmets, Chino, Hollywood, Incycle, Kyle Stewart, Los Angeles, Megan Rodriguez, Nichole Stewart, open house, Ronald Wolfe