No major bike news stories today, so let’s get right to it.
You can find updates to yesterday’s lead stories about missing bike advocate Dennis Hindman and fallen Big Orange cyclist Rob Dollar in yesterday’s post.
Update: Dennis Hindman has been found safe in a local hospital. More details when they’re available.
CiclaValley examines the planned increases in speed limits in Los Angeles due to the deadly 85th percentile law, most of which will be in the San Fernando Valley. Which makes sense, since the Valley has more straight, wide streets that encourage speeding.
A Palm Springs TV station send its crack investigative reporting team out to look at completely non-controversial bike trails similar to the inexplicably controversial CV Link trail proposed for the Coachella Valley.
Watsonville police bend over backwards to blame the victim, saying a woman killed while riding her bike “came out of nowhere” into the path of a moving vehicle, even though witnesses reported the driver may have been street racing. No one, anywhere, has ever defied the laws of physics to come out of nowhere, let alone to get hit by a car.
A new app being tested in eight US cities that aren’t Los Angeles promises to the be Waze of bicycling by helping riders find the safest routes to get around.
An experienced Spokane rider patiently explains how not to be an asshole on a bike path. My word, not his. But he’s right; the only change I would make would be to say “Passing on your left,” rather than just “On your left,” which can confuse people. Or maybe just “Excuse me,” which almost always seems to work.
A New Hampshire letter writer says his town’s appointment of a bicycle mayor is just a Trojan Horse to slap a tax on bicyclists. But at least he recognizes that bike riders already pay for the roads.
A Florida scumbag gets a well-deserved 20 year behind bars for running down a bicyclist, dragging his body to a ditch and covering him with palm fronds, then setting his car on fire, reporting it stolen, and blaming a relative.
Russel Crowe goes for a bike ride with his assistant, and takes her to the pool with him. Which is more than enough for the British press to conclude they’re dating.
An Australian writer argues against what he calls the “myth of equal reciprocity” on the roads, suggesting bike riders who believe they have to earn the respect of drivers are suffering from the Lycra equivalent of Stockholm syndrome.
Hernandez was taken to a local hospital, where he died half an hour later.
A street view shows a four lane street with a left turn lane in every direction at the intersection, which is controlled by a red light. There appears to be a bike lane on Sunset, but nothing on Francisquito.
In a rare concession, the police said either Hernandez or the unnamed motorist apparently ran the red light, rather than automatically blaming the guy on the bike.
Although they followed-up by saying the crash is being investigated as an accident, even though it may have been caused by either the driver or the victim breaking the law.
This is the 55th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 24th in Los Angeles County. It’s also the fourth bicycling death in West Covina since 2013.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Alberto Velez Hernandez and all his loved ones.
Hindman is one of the city’s best bike safety and policy wonks, capable of digging into the smallest details of a project to highlight a specific issue, or uncover hidden problems or unexpected benefits.
He has been a supporter of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition for nearly a decade, if not longer. During my time on the board he was an active participant in virtually every committee I was involved in, and never failed to volunteer for the bike count or attend any LACBC event.
Let’s hope this is just a big misunderstanding, and he turns up safe and sound, with a good explanation for why he’s been gone.
If you have any information on his disappearance or where he might be, please contact me and I’ll forward it to the right people.
Update: I’ve received more information from Hindman’s niece.
His family is concerned that he may have had a diabetic episode; apparently he was hospitalized at the end of August for extremely high blood sugar.
His rent was last paid in mid-September, and has not been paid for this month; a police officer visited his apartment and discovered the milk in his refrigerator had expired in August and his bicycle was missing.
Where he was been for the last two months remains a mystery.
Update 2: Dennis Hindman has been found safe in a local hospital. More details when they’re available.
I first encountered Sam when she emailed me asking what one person could be do to help make what was then a very challenging and bike-unfriendly city a little safer for people on two wheels.
I have no idea what I told her.
But I’ve watched as she’s become one of California’s leading bike advocates, helping pave the way for women to rise to the highest ranks of advocacy.
There’s no doubt that she will do well at whatever she chooses to do next.
But San Diego bicyclists owe her a huge debt. And the city will be much poorer without Sam’s voice.
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As we’ve noted before, the war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes is all too real.
On the other hand, bike riders aren’t always the good guys. Or the victims.
Tragic irony, as a 91-year old New Hampshire woman who had travelled the world by bicycle with her husband was killed in a collision with a bike rider as she walking along a roadway.
However, let’s not forget that, regardless of how the media portrays it, the person on the bike is not always at fault.
You should always use extreme care around pedestrians, grant them the right-of-way, and slow down to pass them with the same sort of margin you’d expect from a driver.
But people can be unpredictable under the best circumstances. I’m sure most of us have had someone step into the roadway to cross without looking, or make an unexpected turn into your path.
Just as drivers have an obligation to avoid us, we have an obligation to avoid crashing into people on foot if it’s at all possible.
But if it isn’t, it’s not always the person on two wheels who should get the blame.
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After all that, we could all use a little good news.
The LAPD blames the victim — and the press parrots it — after a pedestrian was killed in a Venice crosswalk when a driver stopped for him in the right lane, and a speeding driver whipped around him on his left. Yet somehow, the police say the victim stepped out into traffic, even though he was in a crosswalk with the right-of-way. Take this as a warning to never cross a street, on your bike or on foot, until every driver stops.
This is the callousness some drivers — and some prosecutors — have. After a pickup driver slammed into two women walking in a crosswalk near the 101 Freeway in Calabasas, killing one and injuring her daughter, the driver got out and dragged the dead woman to the side of the road, then backed up, parked her truck and pretended to be a witness to the crash. And the LA County DA’s office refused to file the serious charges recommended by the CHP, opting for just a single misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter count with a max of one year in jail.
Two new studies suggest self-driving cars could lead to even greater congestion, while forcing bike riders off the road. Although at this point, you can probably find a study suggesting autonomous vehicles will lead to everything from a bicycling Nirvana to an automotive apocalypse.
No disconnect here. A New York writer says nine bicyclists has been killed in the city so far this year, then goes on to say “bicyclists are the most dangerous group on NYC roads.”If getting killed makes you dangerous, then baby harp seals must be the most vicious animals on earth.
An anonymous writer pens a heartbreaking letter to the speeding driver who killed his or her teenage sister as she rode her bike; decades later, the family is still waiting for an apology.
If you build it, they will come. A protected bike lane in Manchester, England is recording over 5,000 trips a day, comparable to London’s cycle superhighways.
A British bicyclist learns that a travel insurance policy offering “comprehensive cover while cycling” doesn’t exactly mean comprehensive. Or cover what you go cycling on.
Drivers in West Australia will now face a $400 fine and four points against their license for passing a bike rider closer than the equivalent of roughly three feet at up to 37 mph, or four and a half feet over that speed. In California, it’s just a $35 fine for passing closer than three feet at any speed. And even that is optional if the driver slows down to pass closer at a closer distance.
File this one under you’ve got to be kidding. An Australian writer says bikeshare is a terrorist’s best friend, because a bomb could be hidden in one. After all, it’s just so hard to find a cheap bicycle, or steal one, for that matter. Or some other object that could conceal an explosive device, like a car, backpack or baby carriage.
According to witnesses, Lien was riding west with traffic on 1st when he turned left at Center, and was struck by a driver headed in the opposite direction on 1st.
He was taken to UCI Medical Center, where he passed away.
The driver remained at the scene; police don’t suspect he was under the influence.
A street view shows Center connecting with 1st in a T-intersection controlled by a red light, with three lanes in each direction on 1st and a center left turn lane.
Given his age, it’s possible that Lien may have started across the street with the light, and was unable to finish crossing before the light changed. However, that is just speculation at this point.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Santa Ana Police Department at 714/245-8200.
This is the 54th bicycling fatality in Southern California, and the 10th in Orange County.
Macmillian was reportedly riding north on the sidewalk on the southbound side of Main Street when rode out into traffic, and was hit by the driver of a 2005 Corvette.
However, it’s very unclear what that means.
A street view shows a T-intersection controlled by a red light, with three lanes in each direction on Main.
It could be that he came off the curb mid-block and rode into traffic on the wrong side of the street, or he could have attempted to cross Main.
There’s also a a utility box and light pole blocking the sidewalk just past Columbine, which could have caused him to enter the street to go around it.
The Register says it’s still unknown whether Macmillian was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The question is whether his actions on the bike suggest he was drunk or stoned, or if police suspect that merely because he was living on the streets.
This is the 53rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the ninth in Orange County. It’s also at least the 11th bicycling death in Santa Ana since 2011.
That compares to 66 in SoCal this time last year, and ninth in Orange County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for David Lee Macmillian and all his loved ones.
Jim Lyle forwards the sad news that Dan Martin, a member of the popular Big Orange Cycling was hit by a motorist while riding home from a club ride on Sunday. He’s currently in the ICU suffering from a broken neck, and faces a long recovery.
Streetsblog offers suggestions on how Councilmembers Englander and Krekorian could respond to injuries to bike riders, instead of their motion to remove bike lanes — including supporting Vision Zero and reading the 2010 bike plan, which includes an unimplemented requirement to inspect and maintain bike lanes. Only two of six lawsuits recently settled by the city actually occurred on streets with any kind of bicycling facilities.
Ride a Ford GoBikes bikeshare bike in the Bay Area, and you could earn miles on Alaska Airlines. Whether you could earn enough to actually go anywhere is another matter.
A Portland garbage company blames the victim after one of their drivers fatally left-crossed a woman riding her bike; the company said she didn’t have a front light on her bike, wasn’t wearing hi-viz, and was riding under the influence.
Boulder County CO is testing a pair of road signs that tell drivers to give three feet to pass a bicyclist, or instructing them to change lanes to pass a bike.
A Michigan man hit the road on his recumbent following his divorce, spending the last three years traveling the country and living on his modified bike, which, counting him and a trailer, now weighs 600 pounds.
Caught on video: A London TV newsman uses bolt cutters to free his bicycle after someone chained a child’s bike to it, then bought a new chain to replace the one he cut. However, it’s a common bike theft technique for thieves to chain a cheap bicycle to one they want to steal, then come back for it later when there are fewer witnesses.
Caught on video: An Aussie driver confronts a group of cyclists who were riding at the speed limit on the road ahead of him; it took him less than a minute to get around them.
