It’s been a rough few days in Santa Monica.
Starting with the death of a man who was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Santa Monica’s Ocean Park neighborhood Friday night.
The victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, was riding a privately owned e-scooter headed south on the 2700 block of Third Street, when he apparently fell off and was struck by the driver’s car.
The driver initially stopped but fled the scene before police and paramedics arrived.
That was followed by another crash in front of the Santa Monica Public Library on Sunday afternoon.
A teenaged girl described as an experienced bicyclist suffered a broken jaw when she was struck by the driver of a Metro bus while riding in the bike lane on Santa Monica Blvd.
Unfortunately, no other details are available.
David Drexler came upon the scene shortly after the crash, and took photos of the scene.
Unfortunately, things didn’t get any better on Monday.
Evan Burbridge came across the aftermath of another scooter rider who struck by a driver.
I just saw the aftermath of a woman hit by a car here in Santa Monica. She was riding north on 14th across Olympic and the car was turning left onto Olympic. My coworkers actually saw the incident, and she apparently went onto the driver’s windshield and broke it. By the time I got there, all I saw was the ambulance driving her away and the mangled scooter on the center median.
The frustrating thing is the conversations I had with people after the incident. A woman at Tacos Por Favor who saw the accident said we should ban all scooters. I informed her that it sounded like it was the car’s fault, and that cars cause hundreds of deaths every day in America. Then, my coworkers used the classic victim-blaming argument, “she should have been wearing a helmet.”
I try my best to explain the facts to people, and point out their biased perspective on the incident, but it’s so deep seeded that I don’t think people will ever let it go.
Then again, things weren’t much better in Los Angeles, where Josh Steich, aka Kierkegaarden Cop, reported seeing the aftermath of a crash involving a bike rider on his commute through Eagle Rock Friday evening.
That was followed by another crash involving a pedestrian a few minutes and several block later.
No word on the condition of either victim.
Let’s hope all the victims make a full and fast recovery. And offer our deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim of Friday’s night’s scooter crash.
Photo is of a broken Lime scooter on my block in Hollywood.
………
Today’s common theme is justice for dangerous — and too often deadly — drivers.
An unlicensed Colorado driver got six years behind bars for the hit-and-run death of a woman riding her bike; she had a string of traffic violations dating back to 2005.
A drunken, hit-and-run driver was sentenced to up to 15 years for killing an Indiana bike rider; she was over twice the legal limit at the time of the crash.
And a Florida drunk driver got a well deserved nine years for the hit-and-run death of a bike rider. He fled the scene, leaving the victim lying in the street, where he was run over by another driver; it was the second crash that actually killed him.
……….
The war on bikes continues. Except this time, it’s another bike rider who kicked the victim off his bike, leaving him in critical condition.
………
Local
Downtown News looks at the 15 new drop zones for dockless bikes and e-scooters in DTLA.
CD1 Councilmember Gil Cedillo continues his one man war against any form of transportation with less than four wheels, as he attempts to ban e-scooters from Chinatown in DTLA, as well as the rest of his district.
LAist wants to hear your complaints about parking in Los Angeles. And yes, that includes parking in bike lanes.
Los Feliz residents are calling for improvements on deadly Hyperion Avenue, two years after they first raised the alarm — and before a woman was killed by an out-of-control driver as she stood on the sidewalk. Needless to say, they’ve never received a response.
The Urbanist talks with LA chief design officer Christopher Hawthorne about the disastrous green bike lane blunder on Spring Street in DTLA.
A spokesman for the twice-weekly Rose Bowl Ride says Pasadena’s recent safety improvements are just an attempt to kill the 60-year old ride, and do nothing to make it safer for pedestrians and casual bicyclists.
Pasadena Now looks forward to this weekend’s Bike MS:Los Angeles, as 500 bicyclists are expected to turn out for the annual century ride, with a goal of raising $750,000 for research.
It looks like the unofficial LA Marathon Crash Ride is unofficially back this Sunday, after a failed attempt to make it legit. And more expensive.
State
A writer for the San Bernardino Sun explains how people should drive around hoverboard users, which basically boils down to use a little caution and courtesy, and don’t be a dick — on both sides.
San Francisco extended a protected bike lane in record time following the death of a bike rider, making advocates wonder why they can’t do that all the time.
National
I want to be like them when I grow up. A pair of bighearted, 82-year old Tucson bicyclists help refurbish used bikes for kids, as part of a group that gives away over 300 bicycles a year.
Yes, you can still race a Penny Farthing in Texas.
A Wisconsin lawmaker proposes expunging the record of first-time drunk drivers in an apparent attempt to keep dangerous drivers on the road. Seriously, what could possibly go wrong?
A Chicago area official was lucky to escape without serious injuries when he was run down by a teenage driver who didn’t bother to scrape the frost off his windshield, even though he was riding on an eight-foot shoulder; the driver walked with a couple of tickets.
Chicago bike riders share their stories of being attacked fists, fluids and motor vehicles after confronting drivers parked in bike lanes.
New Jersey legalized ebikes and e-scooters, with a maximum speed of 20 mph and 19 mph, respectively.
International
It may be counterintuitive, but docked bikeshare systems and dockless bikeshare can flourish in the same city. Which offers hope for LA’s Metro Bike.
A tech industry analyst says forget bicycling, the micromobility revolution will be motorized.
Forbes highlights five exotic bicycling adventures, from a mountain bike safari from Zululand to Mozambique, to a coast-to-coast crossing of Sri Lanka. If you happen to have an extra several thousand dollars lying around.
The Guardian’s Peter Walker skillfully dismantles the latest misguided proposal to require licenses and liability insurance for bike riders in the UK.
A Scottish woman got her bike back six weeks after it was stolen after she confronted the teenager riding it, with the help of her boyfriend and a security guard.
Turns out the US ambassador to Greece is one of us, too.
A Maltese bike advocate says it’s very clear that whoever wrote the country’s bicycling strategy doesn’t ride a bike.
Competitive Cycling
Once again a young cyclist has been killed in collision; 19-year old Stefan Loos died when a race marshal mistakenly sent a group of riders off the course, where they collided with a delivery van.
Finally…
Who needs an ebike when you can power one with compressed air? Your next bike used to be a wine barrel.
And yes, you can be charged with DUI, whether or not you’re on four wheels.
Even if you’re on four hooves.
