August 12, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Bicyclist dies two days after rural Hemet collision; 10th SoCal bike rider killed in past 30 days
Things clearly aren’t getting any better out there.
For the 10th time in the past 30 days, someone riding a bicycle in Southern California has been killed by a driver, this time in Hemet.
According to the Hemet Police Department, the victim died two days after suffering what initially appeared to be moderate injuries in a collision Friday evening.
My apologies. I’ve been dealing with a killer sick migraine since noon Sunday, which has so far failed to respond to medication. Hopefully, we’ll be back tomorrow if my head doesn’t explode.
I’m officially giving up on this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week.
One that started with my wife nearly coding on the way to the hospital, and ended with the fourth fallen bicyclist this week, and the 8th in just 16 days.
Although the good news is she finally came home yesterday, and is doing well.
But after all that, I’ve just got nothing left. And at nearly 1 am, it’s too damn late to starting writing now.
So I’m throwing in the towel tonight. Let all just come back bright and early on Monday and pretend this week never happened.
August 8, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Man walking bicycle killed crossing Long Beach street Wednesday evening; 8th SoCal bike rider killed in last 16 days
I just can’t.
For the eighth time in the last 16 days, someone riding a bicycle has been killed in Southern California, an average of one every other day.
Or in this case, just walking a bicycle across a Long Beach street.
He was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police don’t believe speed, impaired driving or distracted driving contributed to the crash.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was reportedly walking outside of a crosswalk at the time of the crash. That’s legal under California law as long as it’s safe to cross; it could have looked that way to the victim before he started across the four lane street.
There’s also no word on which side of Wardlow he was on, or where he was in relation to the intersection. However, there is an A Line train station and bus stops north of Wardlow; it’s possible he was walking his bike to the station when he was struck.
Unfortunately, with the limited information we have at this time, there’s no way to know what really happened, or why. Hopefully, we’ll learn more soon.
Pacific Avenue, which becomes Pacific Place at Wardlow, has been among the city’s deadliest streets in recent years, recording nine deaths in vehicular collisions since 2020, most of them being pedestrians.
City officials are redesigning the street to slow traffic and enlarge spaces for bikers and walkers.
Maybe they should hurry.
Anyone who witnessed the crash is urged to call Detective Efrain Pineda of the Long Beach Police Department’s Collision Investigation Detail at 562/570-7355.
This is at least the 33rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 12th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
August 7, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on $4.2 million project to fix beach bike path, wall blocks bike path access in Marina del Rey, and Hyundai sued in Probst death
Day 219 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
………
They’re finally going to fix it.
LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath announced a $4.2 million project to repair the beachfront Marvin Braude Bike Trail, which was washed out at the Santa Monica Canyon Channel outlet along Will Rogers Beach during heavy rains in February of last year.
The project qualifies for Federal Emergency Management Agency funding due to the federal disaster declaration. LA County Public Works will oversee the restoration work aimed at making the trail “stronger, safer, and more resilient,” according to Horvath’s office.
The paper reports the separate bike and pedestrian paths will remain open during the six-month construction project, though some beach access points may close temporarily.
………
Meanwhile, a few miles further south, a new wall is blocking a popular short cut to the Marvin Braude Trail in Marina del Rey.
According the Westside Current, the wall replaced a door-sized gap in a fence between Yvonne Burke Park and a Ralph’s supermarket parking lot late last month, angering local residents, bike riders and pedestrians accustomed to using it to get to the bike path.
Instead, bike riders now have to use dangerous Lincoln Blvd, where drivers routinely ignore the 35 mph speed limit, to reach the trail at Admiralty and Bali Way.
A petition calling for restoring the access currently stands at over 760 signatures. Correction: That petition is actually for local condo residents angry over losing their exclusive private access to the park, and has nothing to do with the wall blocking access to the bike path.Here’s a link to the actual petition calling to reopen the gate.
According to the lawsuit, the Hyundai was sold without anti-theft protection, allowing the two teenage suspects to steal the car using the “TikTok method” shared on social media.
The two suspects are not scheduled to face trial for Probst’s murder until next year. No word yet on when the civil suit will be heard.
Note to Hays, Kansas Post — If a shooting victim collapses and dies after riding his bike away from the scene of the crime, “escaped” may not be the appropriate word.
Seriously? A prolific bike thief in the UK walked without a day behind bars, despite hitting a man with a wheel after he tracked his stolen bike to the thief’s bicycle chop shop, and “inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent.” Although whacking someone with a bike wheel would seem to suggest intent, but what the hell do I know?
That’s more like it. A British appeals court increased the sentence for a South London bus driver who killed an eight-year old girl riding a bicycle on the sidewalk, while driving with three-times the legal limit for weed in his system; the man was resentenced to six years and eight months behind bars after the prosecutor argued the original four-year sentence was too lenient. And yes, they can do that there.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified, died at the scene.
The driver remained following the crash, and cooperated with investigators. Police do not believe that person was under the influence, while a toxicology report for the victim is pending.
There’s no word at this time whether the victim was riding in the traffic lanes or on the shoulder of the freeway. There’s also no information on why he was on the freeway, or whether it is legal in that area; generally, bicycles are prohibited from limited access highways in California if there is an alternate route, which would seem to be the case here.
Anyone with information is urged to call the CHP San Diego Area at 858/293-6000.
This is at least the 32nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
