According to the paper, 53-year old San Diego resident David Sheridan was struck by the driver of a Toyota Camry around 5:15 am on the southbound State Route 163, near the transition to State Route 52 in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood.
Earlier reports indicated the driver’s car was traveling at 60 mph as she transitioned from westbound SR-52 to southbound SR-163. She crashed into Sheridan’s bicycle after the driver ahead of her swerved to avoid Sheridan as he rode in the traffic lane ahead of her.
He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died at 11:38 am Wednesday.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
There’s no explanation given for why Sheridan would have been riding on a major freeway where bicycles are not allowed.
A satellite view shows a four lane freeway on the southbound side, with a double transition lane entering from both directions of SR-52.
It’s possible Sheridan may have been riding on the shoulder of the freeway, and was caught in traffic when he tried to cross the entrance lanes. However, that is just speculation.
There’s no word on whether he had lights on his bike at that pre-dawn hour. The U-T also notes that he was wearing a helmet, even though it wouldn’t have done a damn bit of good under those circumstances.
This is at least the 27th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
And this is the third SoCal bike rider killed while riding on a freeway in recent memory.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for David Sheridan and all his loved ones.
“It’s just created havoc,” says John Russo of KeepLAMoving, an organization that sued the city to remove the Playa del Rey bike lanes. That Venice Boulevard already had a bike lane (albeit an unprotected one) and hadn’t seen a cyclist death since 2010 has only added to the outrage. “I don’t think we’ve ever gotten a good explanation as for why Venice Boulevard needed a road diet,” says Selena Inouye of Restore Venice Blvd., a neighborhood group opposed to what it calls the L.A. Department of Transportation’s “lane theft.”
Which suggest that drivers do, in fact, own the roads. Or at least think they do.
However, there is another side to the argument.
In a region with the world’s worst traffic congestion (for six years running, according to transportation analytics firm INRIX), it’s hard to fault people who would rather drive than bike for being impatient. But it’s also hard to blame people who opt out of driving and choose to pedal. “Our streets are already built out,” says Rogers. “There’s no room to expand them. So the only way to guarantee the failure of our streets is to do nothing. If you keep doing exactly what we’re doing now, we will reach a dystopian future where our streets are so gridlocked that nobody can move at all.”
And yes, that’s me he’s quoting there.
It’s worth reading the full piece.
Then maybe get mad, and demand that the lives of human beings start taking priority over the convenience of selfish drivers.
And do something to save our lives, and our city, while we still can.
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Let’s catch up with a few upcoming events to add to your calendar.
Pasadena bought new Complete Streets software to identify gaps in the street networks, and design solutions while keeping the public involved, in hopes of avoiding more disastrous meetings like the one that killed plans for a lane reduction on Orange Grove Blvd.
Portland’s famed Velo Cult bike shop is closing its doors, six years after moving from San Diego. The shop, which was unable to keep up with requirements to maintain it’s license to serve beer, will now focus exclusively on e-commerce, which does not require a local liquor license. Thanks to brer bear for the heads-up.
If you know a diocese that’s looking for a killer bishop with a drinking problem — who apparently still refuses to take responsibility for her actions — former Baltimore Episcopal bishop Heather Cook has applied for work release from her well-deserved sentence for the drunken hit-and-run death of a bike rider in 2014.
Police in the UK are looking for two young mountain bikers who punched a driver after blocking his car. As usual, no word on what the driver might have done to encourage the assault. Which does not make it right in any way.
It’s raised over $2,100 of the $10,000 goal in less than 20 hours. And hopefully can reach the rest of the way, as his family struggles to cope with his loss.
Maybe someone who lives or rides in Cudahy can give us some insight on what needs to be done to improve safety in the city, so this doesn’t happen again.
Santa Clarita is painting “Heads Up!” on local bike paths in an effort to get bike riders to pay more attention to their surroundings. Which doesn’t exactly seem like the biggest threat riders face.
A website for gay and bi women lists the top 25 cinematic dykes on bikes — their words — with no distinction between women on bicycles or motorcycles. Or spin classes, for that matter.
A road raging New Mexico driver faces up to five years behind bars after being charged with intentionally backing into a group of bicyclists, seriously injuring one of the riders. He denies any responsibility, claiming the victims just ran into his car when he stopped after they flipped him off for no apparent reason.
A Minnesota paper talks with Melody L. Hoffmann, author of Bike Lanes Are White Lanes: Bicycle Advocacy and Urban Planning, about the invisible cyclists and the need for equity in advocacy.
Not satisfied with getting off with a slap on the wrist for killing a woman on a cross-country bike ride, an Ohio woman is asking the court to seal the record of her conviction so she can “heal from this accident.” And apparently not suffer any repercussions, unlike the victim and her family.
A North Carolina bike rider was collateral damage in a police chase, losing his leg when the driver of a stolen car slammed into him after fleeing police at speeds up to 100 mph. Warning: This story includes a deeply disturbing bodycam video of the police tending to the victim, who is in extreme pain and in fear for his life. The newspaper showed a severe lack of judgement in posting it.
Evidently it’s not just Los Angeles. Officials in South Carolina rip out a road diet and bike lanes after complaints from angry drivers. Which leaves the situation just as bad as it was before, if not worse.
A Tampa bike rider says bicyclists don’t ride on the sidewalk because they want to, but because it’s safer. However, studies have repeatedly shown just the opposite, demonstrating that bicyclists are safer on the street than on sidewalks, where multiple driveways and limited sight angles dramatically increase the risk.
A Montreal cemetery that has been open to the public for the past 166 years is now banning bike riders. Though I’m sure it would welcome any run down on the roads after losing a safe place to ride.
Peter Sagan vowed to continue in the Tour after the world champ misjudged a corner and crashed into the forest on Wednesday; fortunately, nothing was broken.
The ordinance will prohibit shared mobility devices from being placed in any public right-of-way or on public property, operated in any public-right-of-way or on public property, or offered for use anywhere in the City of Beverly Hills.
That would appear to apply to dockless bikeshare bikes as well as e-scooters.
However, the legality of that dockless vehicle ban is highly questionable.
While Beverly Hills does have the authority to ban the placement of dockless devices in the city, it’s unlikely that they have the authority to ban the use of a vehicle that is legal under state law on public right-of-ways.
Let alone the deep pockets to fight the companies in court.
The question is whether they are willing to force tourists off their bikes and scooters as they ride into the city from other places and fine violators, risking a public relations disaster that could harm tourism in a city that depends on it.
Let alone whether the police will be willing to devote resources that are better spent elsewhere to enforce it.
Either way, it’s a big step backwards for a city has has been working to overcome its previously well-deserved reputation as the LA area’s biking black hole.
Meanwhile, David Drexler reports that e-scooters have been officially banned from Santa Monica’s beachfront bike path.
Naturally, people have responded exactly the way you might expect. By ignoring it and using the scooters anyway.
As the photo shows, not everyone is a fan of e-scooters.
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As long as we’re on the scooter beat, here’s a few more pieces to consider.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes goes on.
And this time it hits close to home, as CiclaValley reports that he was hit with a water balloon from a passing car.
Twitter post
While it may sound like a harmless prank, throwing anything from a moving vehicle at another human being is a crime. And one that could have caused him to lose control and crash, possibly with catastrophic results.
Fortunately, in this case, he just got wet. And understandably angry.
LA-based former pro Phil Gaimon has posted the final video in his epic grudge match battle with fellow ex-pro Fabian Cancellara.
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Proof that not all radical right wackjobs are eligible for social security, as a much younger YouTuber sees last weekend’s Go Human Demonstration Project in West Covina as an attempt to impose a carfree, Agenda 21-driven future on all us real Americans.
Be sure to listen closely as he boos the mayor pro-tem of Ontario, who is also the president of the Southern California Association of Governments, aka SCAG, around the 3:30 mark.
Which I’m sure is why he booed him. And not because he was the only one wearing a yarmulke.
And for anyone who needs a refresher, Agenda 21 is a harmless, non-binding UN action plan calling on all nations to work towards a more sustainable future, and not some secret cabal hellbent on destroying our gas-driven way of life.
San Diego approves a hard-fought bike plan that promises to greatly increase bike use, and includes a proposal to provide bicycle eduction for fourth grade students; however, the plan has no deadlines for completion. Let’s hope they don’t follow the Los Angeles model, and end up putting it on the shelf indefinitely while individual councilmembers slowly gut it.
This is the exact opposite of Vision Zero. Bike riders in South Lake Tahoe call for a safe crossing on the highway that serves as the town’s Main Street where a bicyclist was killed in a hit-and-run earlier this month. Naturally, Caltrans can’t fix it without conducting a study first, and says it’s too late to conduct one before they rebuild the roadway.
National
Actor Dennis Quaid is one of us, going from a banana seat Sting Ray, to starring in Breaking Away, to riding 100 miles a week on his roadie. Thanks to Jeff Vaughn for the heads-up.
Heartbreaking story from Denver, where a bike commuter did everything right, only to end up paralyzed by a careless driver, and a second collision with a hit-and-run driver as he lay in the street.
Chicago talks with the founder of a DIY website for posting photos of vehicles blocking bike lanes, with the possibility that the city may end up ticketing the drivers. I’d love to see LADOT start a website like that here, and send tickets to the owners of the vehicle with legible plates.
A month-long Florida lane reduction project was successful in reducing speeding by 53%, while the protected bike lanes resulted in a 50% jump in bicycling rates and a 38% boost in walking.
And sure, he may be a pro cyclist competing in his first Tour de France, but he’s also a poet and a proponent of the Oxford comma.
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Thanks to Mark J for his generous donation to help support this site; any contribution, in any amount to help keep this site coming your way (almost) every morning is deeply and truly appreciated.
Especially since we didn’t win the half billion dollar lottery yesterday.
My sincere apologies for the lack of a new post today.
One of the joys of diabetes is dealing with the unexpected spikes in blood sugar, followed by a sudden crash. Which often leads to another spike trying to recover from the crash.
That’s the roller coaster I’ve been on since about 9 pm last night. And trust me, it’s not a fun one.
Hopefully, I should have things back under control by morning. As usual, we’ll be back tomorrow to catch up on anything we missed.
And let this serve as a warning. If you’re at risk for diabetes, do everything you can to avoid it. Work out, ride your bike, eat right, lose weight, and follow your doctor’s advice.
The victim, described only as an adult Hispanic man, was riding east on Santa Ana Street at Atlantic Avenue at 11:50 am, when he made a left turn onto Atlantic Ave.
He was stuck by the driver of a 2010 Dodge Charger traveling west on Santa Ana after apparently turning into the path of the car.
He taken to a nearby hospital with a major head injury, and died following surgery.
No other information is available at this time.
A street view shows one lane in each direction on Santa Ana with a right turn lane eastbound at Atlantic, and left and right turn lanes in the opposite direction.
This is at least the 26th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 12th in LA County.
Update: The victim’s family has identified him as Bellflower resident Daniel Romero; he died just 10 days after his 23rd birthday.
