Distracted Driving: Playing a Risk for Drivers and Cyclists

March 26, 2012 / / 5 comments

I’ve been otherwise occupied by out-of-town guests this past weekend.

Not to mention dealing with a 17+ hour internet outage, which is why you didn’t see a post this morning, and I haven’t gotten around to answering my email yet.

Thanks, Verizon. 

Fortunately, Brooke Kerwin has stepped into the breach, offering her thoughts on one of my favorite topics, the ever-increasing risk posed by distracted driving.

And distracted cycling.

……..

There’s no question that automobiles and drivers play a large risk to cyclists every day. In the last few years, technology has certainly had an effect on society, in both a positive and negative light. When it comes to transportation, technology had served as a major distraction to both drivers and cyclists everywhere.

In 2012, smart phones and other tech devices serve as a risk for those using them on their bikes, as well as a risk from people who are driving distracted. The issue of distracted driving is one that is at the forefront for a number of different bicycling advocacy groups right now. While the risk to other drivers is often spotlighted, the risk that is presented to cyclists is often overlooked.

Personally, I can say that I’m guilty of certain times becoming distracted both on a bicycle and operating an automobile. With the increase in accidents, deaths and general injuries related to distracted driving in the past few years, I’ve tried to be more cautious in both forms of transportation. There’s no doubt that this has been the general consensus, yet there’s still plenty of awareness to be had and people to reach.

Legislation is a good step forward in getting awareness of the ground and though the ultimate goal should be a nationwide restriction, it’s likely to continue to stay in the hands of individual states for the near future.

Just as many things that go back and forth between the driving and biking communities, one issue has developed in the form of whether or not texting laws should include cyclists. As someone who both drives and rides a bike, I believe it should. Texting and distracted driving have certainly played a role in a number of different injuries and accidents involving cyclists, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t look to protect cyclists as well.

Already in some large cities such as Philadelphia, legislation has crossed over to include a texting ban while operating a vehicle or a bicycle. The next great move is likely to be here in California, which is a good thing because being one of the larger states in the union, what is done here is likely to be looked at closely by other states.

It’s my general thought that distracted driving and biking can only begin to come down with a combination of things coming together in the future.  It won’t just be limited to increasing legislation and influence from larger states and cities. There will also need to be continuing work to communicate the dangers that distractions and texting can cause to both drivers and cyclists.

……..

The California legislature passed a bill last year to increase penalties for distracted drivers, while banning handheld cell phone use by cyclists, which is currently legal — despite what some websites might say.

Unfortunately, the law was vetoed by Governor Brown, who said he thinks the currently penalty is strict enough to stop most drivers from using handheld phones.

Clearly, he doesn’t get out enough.

I’ve counted ratios ranging anywhere from one in 10 to one in four drivers blissfully ignoring the ban at various times — including uniformed police officers on patrol. And nearly been hit by cyclists using theirs, as well.

Meanwhile, Chicago recently banned cyclists from texting or speaking on a handheld device while riding.

And the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that cell phone use be banned entirely for all drivers, handheld or otherwise.

Thanks to Brooke Kerwin for the contribution.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, Guest Columns / Tags: , , , ,

BOLO Alert — Two bikes stolen from Culver City

March 25, 2012 / / 4 comments

I’ve been forwarded news this morning that two bikes were stolen from a Culver City woman yesterday. So be on the lookout when you’re on the street — or especially on Craiglist, eBay or other reseller marketplaces.

If you see them, contact the Culver City police at 310/837-1221, or your own local police department. Then email the owner ay virginia dot solomon at gmail dot com.

; you can find my email address on the About page.

Thanks to Eric Bruins for the heads-up; as he notes, there’s a special place in hell for bike thieves.

Ritte Bosberg –
White, external routing, size small
FSA alloy compact K Wing bar
Ritchey WCS stem
Specialized 155 ruby Saddle
FSA Gossamer alloy PC7 SRM
Ultegra pedals
Ritchey WCS maybe 57mm (?) rims with Vredestein tubulars.
Black Fizik bar tape
Swobo Sanchez –
Silver, size 50
Blue Oury grips
some random low rise MTB bar
Ritchey Pro stem
Specialized Toupe saddle
105 front wheel
hand built salsa delgado rim laced to a surly flip flop hub rear wheel
old dura ace cranks
toe clip pedals
black rack, probably planet bike…
Category: Stolen Bikes and Bike Crime / Tags: , , , ,

SaMo bike corral opening, Eastside taco night, Malibu planning meeting and a postponed USC ride

March 24, 2012 / / One comment

Bike Talk airs every Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

Bike Long Beach hosts Bike Saturdays every weekend; ride your bike to participating local shops and business throughout the city to get special offers and discounts.

Culver City’s Sports for Eve female-focused athletics shop is holding a going out of business sale now through March 31st. Stop by their store at 3849 Main Street for great closeout deals on biking, running and athletic gear and apparel. And don’t feel left out, guys; they have a lot of unisex bike gear and accessories, too.

Saturday, March 24th marks the “unofficial” grand opening of Santa Monica’s first on-street bike corral at 2439 Main Street, events take place from 11 am to noon, with free coffee, muffins, balloons and more. Santa Monica Spoke will lead a group ride from the Bike Center at 2nd and Colorado at 10:30 am sharp.

The Eastside Bike Club invites you to join them for Taco Night to raise funds for Tour de Cure to call attention to diabetes in the East L.A. community. Get three tacos, rice and beans and a beverage for just $10. It takes place from 5 pm to 10 pm at Stan’s Monrovia Bike Shop, 880 South Myrtle Avenue in Monrovia.

The 28th Annual Redlands Bicycle Classic will take place on March 22nd through 25th in Redlands, offering one of the state’s most intense cycling competitions, as well as a joyful celebration of bicycling for cyclists of all ages.

The 7th Annual Feel My Legs, I’m a Racer one-day bike stage race rolls on Sunday, March 25th; participants will tackle the 10 toughest hills in Los Angeles in a single day. Meet at the new pedestrian plaza at the intersection of Sunset and Griffith Park Blvds at 7:45 am, and rolling out at 8:30 sharp.

Update: This Sunday’s ride with the USC Cycling Team has been rescheduled due to predicted rain; the new date is Sunday, April 29th. Your choice of three rides of increasing speed and difficulty, all starting at 9:30 am at Bike Effect, 910 W. Broadway in Santa Monica. Suggested $20 donation supports the 2012 USC Cycling race program.

Update: The first meeting of the newly formed LACBC Civics Committee has been postponed until Wednesday, April 18th at the Downtown Pitfire Pizza, at 2nd and Main across from the new police headquarters. The committee will serve to give the LACBC a voice in the local political process to help ensure the election of bike-friendly candidates; Efren Moreno Jr and yours truly will serve as Co-Chairs.

Streetsblog LA hosts another fundraiser at the Library Ale House on Tuesday, March 27th, 2911 Main Street in Santa Monica. Streetsblog events are always fun and the money goes to keeping us all informed about local transportation issues; great food and beer just makes it that much better.

Also on Tuesday, March 27th, the Glendale City Council will review the city’s new Draft Bicycle Transportation Plan starting at 3 pm at Glendale City Hall, 613 East Broadway. Opposition to the plan is expected, so cyclists are urged to attend to voice your support.

If you’re looking for a serious challenge, consider the CORPScamp Death Valley, five days of biking in Death Valley National Park featuring 300 miles or more of riding, including the Hell’s Gate Hundred, March 27th through 31st.

Help plan for future expansion of CicLAvia into the San Fernando Valley from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm on Thursday, March 29th at the San Fernando Regional Pool Facility, 208 Park Ave in San Fernando.

Malibu takes the next step in their surprising turnaround to becoming bike friendly with a pair of meetings to discuss design work to improve the existing bike route west of the city limit on PCH. The meetings are scheduled for 10 am to noon on Saturday, March 31st, and 6 pm to 8 pm on Wednesday, April 4th at Malibu City Hall, 23825 Stuart Ranch Road.

Saturday, March 31st, the Eastside Bike Club joins with the Salesian Boys & Girls Club to host a fun, family friendly bike ride to explore community gardens in Boyle Heights and El Sereno as part of Mayor Villaraigosa’s Day of Service. The ride meets at 8 am at Salesian Family Youth Center, 2228 East 4th Street.

The next LACBC Sunday Funday ride rolls on April 1st, hosted by Bici Libre Program Coordinator Brenda Yancor. The ride starts at Bici Libre, 1205 W. 6th Street, and rides 17 miles (34 miles roundtrip) to a little fun in the sun at Dockweiler State Beach, retuning in the late afternoon or early evening.

Bike Long Beach will celebrate April Fool’s Day with a Bike for Art Scavenger Hunt and after party on Sunday, April 1st from 9 am to 4 pm at the Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave in Long Beach.

The 2012 SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments) Regional Conference will take place April 4th through 5th at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Downtown L.A., with the theme of “Towards a Sustainable Future in Transportation.”

The 10th Annual Laurel Foundation’s Ride for AIDS will take place with a two-day century ride from San Diego to Santa Monica on April 14th and 15th, and a one day ride from Santa Monica to Redondo Beach and back on April 15th.

If you enjoyed the last CicLAvia, you’ll love the next one on Tax Day, April 15th from 10 am to 3 pm; the route will follow the same expanded course as last October’s. You can still support this year’s CicLAvia by contributing on Kickstarter.

While you’re enjoying CicLAvia, stop by Orange 20 Bikes at the west end of the route, at the intersection of Heliotrope and Melrose, for a book signing with Eben Weiss, aka BikeSnobNYC, starting at 10:30 am.

Shifting Gears Cycling sponsors the 17th (or possibly 16th) Annual Santa Barbara Double Century on Saturday, April 28th and Sunday, April 29th. The two-day supported ride will travel 100 miles from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara, returning the next day.

It might be worth the long drive to Davis CA for the first ever Legends Gran Fondo sponsored by the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame on May 6th, featuring America’s first Tour de France winner Greg LeMond — the man whose name is on my bike —  as well as former World Champion Ruthie Mathes, Olympic silver medalist Nelson Vails, and other members of the Hall of Fame.

May is Bike Month. The first National Bike to School Day is scheduled for May 9th, with National Bike to Work Week taking place on May 14th through 18th, and National Bike to Work Day on Friday the 18th.

Good Samaritan Hospital’s annual Blessing of the Bicycles will take place on Tuesday, May 15th from 8 am to 9:30 am in front of the hospital at 1225 Wilshire Blvd. Expect a great breakfast and bike swag, with non-sectarian bike blessings from virtually every faith found in L.A.

L.A.’s favorite fundraising bike ride rolls out on Sunday, June 10th with the 12th Annual L.A. River Ride; this one just keeps getting bigger and better every year. Six different rides, from an easy family ride to a fast, flat century. Funds go to support the LACBC in building a better, more bikeable L.A. County; save $10 if you register by May 15th.

Bikes are normally banned from the famed San Diego – Coronado Bay Bridge, but you can ride it on Sunday, August 26th, during the 5th Annual Bike the Bay, to benefit the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition. Get an early registration discount through April 30th.

Early registration has opened for the national Pro Walk/Pro Bike® conference to be held September 10th through 13th in Long Beach. The 17th annual conference is sponsored by the National Center for Bicycling and Walking, and Project for Public Spaces.

Category: Bike Events / Tags: , ,

A little this, a little that — thank you LADOT, a SaMo bike corral and a new oldest living cyclist

March 23, 2012 / / 4 comments

As you may be aware, one of my pet peeves is people who park in bike lanes.

As in, they really piss me off.

And yes, peeves make lousy pets.

So I was far from happy as I was riding on San Vicente Blvd the other day, and spotted this Mercedes parked so badly the rear of the car was sticking out into the bike lane.

I signaled the cars coming up from behind that I was moving to my left — most of whom seemed to be blissfully ignoring the speed limit as well as my presence. And had to wait until a half dozen or so cars passed before I could safely move around this its jutting ass.

So imagine my delight as I rounded the front of the car and saw a parking ticket tucked under the wiper.

Of course, chances are, the ticket was for violating the daytime no parking restrictions, rather than illegally blocking the bike lane.

But either way, it felt damn good to see.

So thank you to LADOT — or maybe LAPD — for writing it.

……..

Later that same day, I found myself riding up Main Street in Santa Monica the other day on my way back from the Marina. And noticed that a new bike corral had sprouted alongside the northbound bike lane.

So I wasn’t too surprised when I received an email inviting me — and yes, you too — to the Grand Unofficial Opening of the city’s first on-street bike corral.

Join in on Saturday morning at the bike corrals between 11 and 12 for coffee, muffins, balloons, music, ribbon cutting, speeches, politicians, drum rolls, bike type activities, media coverage, lights, cameras. And more. Much more!  It’s a party!  Be there.

Spoke, a sponsor of the Opening and Santa Monica’s Bike organization have organized a group bike ride from the Bike Center at 10.30 to arrive in time for the opening.

Santa Monica Bike Corrals
Grand Unofficial Opening
Saturday 11 am
2439 Main StreetOutside Peets at the Edgemar Center
(on the Main Street bike lanes)

……..

Looks like West Hollywood bike touring and rental company Bikes and Hikes LA is going to have a reality show on Bravo. And they need to find a cyclist who ended up on film in Hancock Park.

If that’s you, or you know who it is, let them know.

They want to make you a star.

……..

This has been a busy week for emails. So if I haven’t gotten back to you yet, be patient.

One that disappointed me, though, was the news that Culver City women’s sports apparel and equipment retailer Sports for Eve is going out of business at the end of the month.

I’ve long thought it was a great idea to have a sporting goods store just for women. And the store always felt comfortable and inviting, with a great selection and friendly, knowledgeable staff. Even if I wasn’t exactly the target market.

So I’m very sad to see it go.

On the other hand, you now have an opportunity to get a great deal on top quality cycling, running, yoga and workout gear. And as they reminded me, bike bags, lights and other bike accessories are unisex, so guys can take advantage of the clearance sale as well; I already got a great deal on a chain cleaner.

You’ll find them 3849 Main Street in Culver City.

But hurry, because they’re closing the doors — permanently — at the end of this month.

……..

Another email I received on Thursday offers a new way to carry a companion on your bike.

Half the Wheels, Twice the Fun: Companion Bike Seats creates the first ever rear mounted bike seat.  Featured at SXSW, the Companion Team was in full force giving FREE rides to popular hotspots. The simple yet strong design can safely carry an adult, while comfortably enjoying the ride on a padded seat and foot rests.  The optional locking stashbox has many uses not to mention perfectly holds a 6-pack with ice.  The Companion is available now on Kickstarter for a reduced pre-order price, http://kck.st/zLQ2Pm.

Companion Bike Seats was created by two best friends who share a deep love and appreciation for biking.  Always having friends over but never having enough bikes, they wanted to share the joy and benefits of riding with everyone.  The solution was to create the world’s first commercial rear mounted bike seat that allows one bike to safely and comfortably carry two people.  Companion believes that biking is not only beneficial but also a ton of FUN!  Biking is more than a mode of transportation… it’s a lifestyle and now you can share that lifestyle with a Companion.

Through Kickstarter, Companion hopes to raise the necessary funds to begin manufacturing.  In appreciation for helping to reach the goal, Kickstarter backers enjoy reduced rates: Companion $85 (Retail $100), Companion with “Stashbox” $115 (Retail $150).  Thanks for helping to make this product a reality!

Kickstarter – http://kck.st/zLQ2Pm
@CompanionSeats
https://www.facebook.com/CompanionBikeSeat
http://www.thebikeseat.com/

Think I could get them to send me a prototype in time to take the Corgi to CicLAvia next month?

……..

Maybe the courts are finally starting to take traffic crimes against cyclists seriously, as an Illinois woman is sentenced to 10 years for the drunken hit-and-run death of a cyclist. And a Florida man gets 15 years for a similar crime.

When even Florida, the most dangerous state in the nation for cyclists and pedestrians, treats killing a bike rider treats like the crime it is, things are really starting to change.

On the other hand, maybe not so much, as a 72-year old Sonoma County woman is arrested for DUI for the sixth time in just nine years; thankfully, she doesn’t seem to have killed anyone.

Yet.

……..

Surprisingly enough, it looks like Long Beach’s Octavio Orduño isn’t the oldest living cyclist after all — or even the oldest in Southern California. Victorville’s 108-year old Charlie Barcio has him beat by four years.

And yes, I want to be like them when I grow up.

……..

Great quote from Chicago bike and transportation blogger Steve Vance, who Tweeted that Volvo making kid’s bike helmets is like Smith & Wesson making bulletproof kid’s vests.

……..

A 63-year old Brooklyn cyclist is critically injured in a horrific collision, as an 80-year old driver first hit a school bus, then crashed into the rider and a parked SUV trying to flee the scene.

One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was tell my father-in-law he was never going to drive again; after a lifetime of mobility and self-sufficiency, losing the privilege to drive meant a major change in lifestyle and self image.

But as this story shows, there comes a time for most drivers when someone needs to take the keys away. For their good, and the safety of everyone around them.

……..

Former multi-sport star athlete Bo Jackson will team with Lance Armstrong to ride across Alabama to raise funds for last year’s devastating series of tornadoes. If you can’t ride, you can still donate.

……..

Bike journalist Carlton Reid examines the document that lead to paved roads in the United States. And no, it didn’t come from motorists.

……..

It’s a return to form for Will Campbell, who gained fame for devastatingly entertaining reports from his experiences as a bike commuter, until he started working from home.

Now he’s commuting again, this time as a volunteer with the local branch of the SPCA; one thing that’s long been clear about Will is that he has a humongous heart and has seldom, if ever, met an animal he didn’t like.

The other thing is that he doesn’t put up with a lot of crap from the idiots he meets on the road. Like the distracted driver who flipped him off, and a honey badger of a red light running bicyclist.

Welcome back, Will.

……..

Finally, local San Gabriel Valley councilmembers seem to feel justified in standing in the way of bike projects because they say nobody bikes there.

So if you ride anywhere in SGV, send a photo of you on your bike, or other riders on theirs, along with the location of the photo, to LACBC affiliate chapter BikeSGV — aka @bikeSGV on Twitter.

Let’s prove ‘em wrong.

……..

Update: Erik Griswold reminds me of a story I had meant to include today, as an Irish driver will miss out on the first five years of his soon-to-be-born child’s life, after being convicted of running down — the deliberately running over — a cyclist in a jealous rage.

……..

The good news is, my sister and her family are coming to L.A. for a visit over the next several days. The bad news is, that may mean my posting on here could be a little sparse until after midweek. So let me apologize in advance if I’m not able to keep up. Then again, this could be a good time to send in a guest post if you’ve got anything you want to say on the subject of bikes or bicycling. Or even Corgis, for that matter.

Just a hint.

Category: General, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , ,

Breaking news — police make arrests in murder of San Diego cyclist Jordan Hickey

March 22, 2012 / / One comment

Finally, a little good news from our neighbor to the south.

Just over eleven months ago, 21-year old Jordan Hickey was shot and killed while riding his bike in the Lincoln Acres neighborhood of National City, southeast of downtown San Diego.

The developmentally disabled man was returning home from visiting his girlfriend, and just blocks from his home when he was gunned down.

For nearly a year, police had no suspects or any motive for the shooting.

That changed last month, when Hickey’s mother and long-time girlfriend appealed for anyone with information to step forward.

Following leads developed as a result of that appeal, San Diego Sheriff Bill Gore today announced the arrest of 21-year old Juan Ignacio Gomez and 19-year old Humberto Emanuel Galvez. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, while both men are associated with a gang, they did not appear to know their victim and the case does not appear to be gang related.

The paper also notes that it did not look like Hickey was robbed; no motive was given for the shooting.

Of the nine fatal shootings of Southern California cyclists last year, this is the only one that occurred outside of Los Angeles County, and only the second which did not appear to be a result of gang violence.

Category: Bikes & the Law, Injuries and Fatalities, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , ,

Update — salmon San Diego cyclist killed after being hit by multiple vehicles

March 22, 2012 / / 10 comments

You knew it couldn’t last.

After going the first three weeks of March without a single SoCal cycling fatality, San Diego’s KFMB-8 reports that a bicyclist has been killed this morning.

The rider, identified only as a white male, was traveling against traffic on eastbound Balboa Avenue at the I-805 onramp shortly after 7 am when he was hit by a Ford Expedition, followed by two other vehicles.

While facing traffic may seem safer to some people, it dramatically reduces reaction times while increasing the force of impact in any collision. Despite the presence of either a bike lane or painted shoulder on Balboa, drivers would have had no way of anticipating a cyclist riding the wrong way on the roadway, with virtually no time to react before hitting the rider.

This is the 10th cycling fatality in Southern California this year and the 2nd in San Diego, following a disastrous year in which 12 riders were killed in San Diego County in 2011 — nearly twice the county’s six-year average of 6.8 cycling deaths per year.

Update: The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the first driver to hit the victim said she had the sun in her eyes as she entered the roadway, and never saw the rider; she pulled over after feeling the impact. The paper also notes that the victim was killed on impact and wasn’t wearing a helmet.

Note to Union-Tribune — bike helmets are designed to offer protection at impact speeds up to just 12.5 mph; at speeds significantly above that, it doesn’t really matter whether the rider is wearing a helmet or a propeller beanie. Not to mention the rider was hit three separate times, by three separate vehicles; if you can find a helmet that would make a damn bit of difference under those circumstances, let us all know so we can buy one.

Update 2: The Union-Tribune identifies the victim as 29-year old David Ortiz of Pacific Beach; thanks to billsd for the link.

Comments below suggest that the police got it wrong, pointing out that Ortiz would have been riding east from Pacific Beach to his work, rather than the other way around — which means he would have been on the right side of the road riding with traffic. 

And that would make it a completely different matter; instead of the rider being at fault, the first driver who hit him should bear responsibility for breaking the basic speed law by driving too fast for conditions; if she couldn’t see, she should have slowed down until she could.

Update 3: Bike San Diego offers a good follow-up on this case, agreeing with the commenters that Ortiz had been riding with traffic, rather than against it. And suggesting that this may be yet another case of San Diego police jumping to a false conclusion.

My prayers and sympathy for David Ortiz and his family and loved ones.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

And in happier news, I beg, L.A. cyclists crash the marathon and bike activists crash Capitol Hill

March 21, 2012 / / One comment

Let me start with a personal note.

My nephew will be in town this weekend to visit film schools — I know, I know, but he’s actually pretty good — and would like to visit a production set while he’s here to see how it’s really done.

If anyone can get him and his parents backstage at a TV or film shoot between this Saturday and next Wednesday morning, I’d consider it a personal favor.

You can find my email address on the About page.

……..

The Atlantic Cities looks at last weekend’s Wolfpack Hustle Marathon Crash race, while Ride San Francisco offers a good play by play. Great photos and video from Predator Cycling. Or maybe you’d prefer a helmet cam perspective. Oh, and it was evidently followed by some sort of foot race, too.

Meanwhile, the Claremont Cyclist looks at a more official race that also took place over the weekend, the Men’s and Women’s San Dimas Stage Race. The 28th annual Redlands Bicycle Classic kicks off tomorrow, including the Women’s Prestige Cycling Series; not everyone is happy about it.

And pro cyclist Tom Boonen says modern sprinters are getting out of control.

……..

The first ever National Women’s Cycling Forum discusses how to get more women on bikes, as riders head to Capitol Hill for the annual National Bike Summit. Professional cyclists and CEOs ride from to the event from Boston to raise funds for the Bikes Belong Foundation.

……..

We now have a date for this year’s Blessing of the Bicycles, hosted by Good Samaritan Hospital on Tuesday, May 15th. The non-denominational event features blessings from representatives of virtually every faith found in L.A., as well as food and bike swag.

And now that I think about it, I don’t remember getting a flat since I got my bike blessed last year.

……..

LADOT commits to nearly 16 miles of new bike lanes. Streetsblog looks at the women of East L.A.’s Ovarian-Psychos Bicycle Brigade. If you’re looking for a good cause, the Bicycle Kitchen is raising funds to buy a new permanent home. Letter writers to the Times support the green Spring Street bike lane. Next month’s CicLAvia will coincide with Chinatown’s inaugural Springfest; you’ve got just two weeks left to support CicLAvia on Kickstarter. The biking black hole of Beverly Hills considers the city’s Western Gateway — excluding cyclists, of course; evidently, they don’t want any input from us, either. And Beverly Hills misses a chance to improve a dangerous street. Culver City already has wayfinding signage; L.A. is working on it. Walk Eagle Rock offers thoughts on outdated bikeway designs. KCET Departures picks the LACBC’s JJ Hoffman as one of their 31 Days of Extraordinary Women; couldn’t agree more. One of my favorite reporters picks up the story of the Woodland Hills bike shop that will work with the car dealer across the street to take your car in trade this week. School teachers stop a bike thief in Valinda; and no, I never heard of it either. The New York Times experiences 36 hours in bike-friendly Long Beach. The popular San Gabriel River bike path is undergoing resurfacing this week; if the weather cooperates, the work should be done next Monday.

The cdm Cyclist joins with Enrique Penalosa to rethink the automobile. The OC Weekly takes up the story of hand-sanitizer drinking former Long Beach fire captain and hit-and-run driver John David Hines. The Cal State Fullerton bike team hopes to be competitive this year. A San Diego cyclist is seriously injured after reportedly running a red light; and yes, that looks like blood on a sharrow. A San Francisco CEO bikes 525 miles to L.A., and offers a highly compressed bike video to prove it. A 67-year old San Francisco cyclist is found dead after going missing in Death Valley.

Bicycling offers advice on how to knock out knee pain. An Aspen thief returns the bike he stole with a note of apology, saying he was drunk. New York’s Central Park is going on a road diet. New York Senator Chuck Schumer is caught riding in the Prospect Park West bike lane his wife has been leading the fight against; can she make a sitting Senator sleep on the couch? A Boston writer suggests that all cyclists are jerks, or maybe just 99%. Drive drunk, kill a cyclist, get 6 months probation; evidently, life is cheap in PA. A Fairfax VA rider offers a first-person example of why the DC area needs a cyclist anti-harassment ordinance; then again, so does every other city. A Tennessee study says wider bike and walking paths can lead to skinnier kids. A former Atlanta cop gets a lousy $5,000 fine for beating the crap out of a cyclist in an off-duty road rage incident. An Alabama driver faces a misdemeanor homicide charge in the death of a cyclist touring the country for Habitat for Humanity last year. Still no justice for the cyclist killed by Miami pop singer and accused hit-and-run driver Carlos Bertonatti, as his trial is delayed for the ninth time.

A Canadian cyclist finds a baby left in a pile of leaves; that’s not something anyone would have noticed from a car. A writer with a severe case of windshield perspective says it’s up to pedestrians and cyclists to make themselves more visible, not drivers to notice them; funny how the solution to any problem always seems to require someone else to do something. Thunder Bay residents just can’t seem to get the hang of a recent road diet. Manitoba considers a mandatory helmet law, even as a pair of British physicians argue that bicycle helmets may not do any good. A Vancouver cyclist who wasn’t wearing one dies after colliding with a jogger. Great Britain considers privatizing the roads, at the possible expense of cyclists. A very good question, as a leading UK blog asks why can’t Londoners be given the option of not driving. Ten more arrests in Spain’s ongoing Vuelta scandal. The Cannibal rode his entire career with a potentially fatal heart condition. An opposition attack on the $40 million Aussie bike path program stalls when a member is shown opening one of the new paths. Oops.

Finally, in case you missed it, 25 pickup lines for cyclists. And the son of the world’s 7th richest man kills a cyclist while behind the wheel of his $450,000 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren outside Rio; father and son defend his actions on Twitter. Anyone want to give odds on whether he gets away with it? But at least he paid his victim’s funeral expenses, though the value of his car keep rising.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

California traffic deaths continue to drop, but OC bike fatality stats just don’t add up

March 20, 2012 / / 11 comments

Evidently, 2010 was a very good year for Orange County cyclists.

Or maybe not.

According to official statistics released recently by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, only three cyclists were killed in the county in 2010.

This in a county that averages one bicycling fatality a month. And one that suffered 21 bike deaths just five years ago, in 2006.

Judging by the stats, the county has shown a remarkable — or perhaps miraculous — improvement in bicycle safety.

Then again, things aren’t always what they seem.

Overall, the state of California showed continued improvements in roadway safety, with the total traffic fatalities in the state dropping from 4,240 in 2006 to 2,715 in 2010 — a decrease of over 1,500 in just five years.

Then again, one death is one too many.

And 2,715, while much better than previous years, still reflects the ongoing carnage on streets, as far too many people leave their homes or jobs, and never return again.

I’ll leave it to others to speculate why we’ve seen such a dramatic drop in motorist deaths.

But just imagine how much that figure could be improved if we could just get people to stay the hell away from their cars when they’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Or leave their damn cell phones and other distractions behind once they slide behind the wheel.

Although fighting distracted driving looks like a losing battle as manufacturers seem intent on building distraction into their dashboards in order to bring that death rate right back up.

You have to scroll down to the middle of the NHTSA’s page for California before information on bicycling fatalities finally appears.

Surprisingly, even that shows significant improvement over the last five years, with a drop from 141 cyclists killed on California streets in 2006 to 99 in 2010. That matches the total for 2009, although the percentage of the total traffic fatalities represent by cyclists rose from 3% to 4% as other traffic fatalities dropped even more.

Then again, that number may not be entirely accurate. Because a breakdown of the totals on a countywide basis shows one highly questionable total.

And yes, I’m looking at you, OC.

To put those figures in perspective, we can add in last year’s unofficial totals from my own records, along with an average for the six-year period.

As you can see, the totals for 2010 pretty much fall in line with the six-year average, even though several counties showed a dramatic increase for last year.

With one glaring exception.

Remarkably, Orange County experienced, by far, the greatest improvement in the state, dropping to the lowest rate per capita (pdf) of any county in the California reporting even a single death, with just 0.10 cycling fatalities per 100,000 population.

By comparison, OC reported .37 bike deaths per 100,000 population in 2009, while L.A. showed .22 for both 2009 and 2010.

Maybe it’s a fluke.

Maybe the county did have an exceptionally good year. Maybe far fewer cyclists really did die on OC streets than might otherwise have been expected.

The problem is, at least two cyclists died after being hit by cars on Orange County streets that weren’t included in that total. Published news reports indicated that at least five cyclists died as a result of traffic collisions in the county that year.

In order to clarify the situation, I downloaded the entire list of 1318 bicycling collisions in Orange County from the CHP’s SWITRS database — every bike-involved collision that was reported to police in the county in 2010.

And like the FARS data, it showed just three fatalities within the county.

  • 4/20/10, Beach Blvd & LaHabra Blvd, La Habra, 49F
  • 7/15/10, Spyglass Hill CT, Newport Beach, 35M
  • 12/22/10, Brookhurst & Villa Pacific Dr, Huntington Beach, 69M

Those dates, locations and ages correspond to the tragic deaths of Annette Ferrin-Rogers, Michael Nine and Jurgen Ankenbrand.

The list also showed 59 other collisions in which a cyclist was severely injured.

Of those, two corresponded to fatal collisions that had been reported in the press:

  • 8/3/10, Newport Coast and RT 73, Newport Beach, 65M
  • 11/17/10, Walnut and Browning Avenues, Tustin, 22M

The first matches up with Dan Crain, who died 12 days after he was hit by a car, and Marco Acuapan, who lingered in a coma until April of last year following the hit-and-run collision that eventually took his life.

Maybe the problem is that they initially survived the collision, only to die days or months after the initial impact.

It could be argued that Dan Crain died as a result of the surgeries he was subjected to following his collision; however, those surgeries were performed to treat injuries he received in collision and would not have been necessary otherwise. Meanwhile, Acuapan’s death was a direct, if somewhat delayed, result of the collision that put him in a coma until the day he died.

Maybe Orange County authorities are splitting hairs by excluding their deaths.

But that appears exactly the argument Orange County is making by excluding their deaths from the county’s reported fatalities. Even though it’s hard to argue that Crain and Acuapan might not still be here if they hadn’t both been hit by cars.

Which makes me wonder if there were other deaths that year that we don’t know about. In the absence of any other news reports — and trust me, I’ve looked — we can only hope that no other deaths are hidden among the other 57 severely injured cyclists included in the SWITRS data that never made the news.

After all, it’s only in the last year or so that the press has started taking cycling collisions seriously as bicycling gains in popularity and riders press for more accurate reporting; in years past, it wasn’t unusual for cycling deaths to go virtually unnoticed by the mainstream press.

But even if you count all five fatalities, instead of just the three that were officially reported, 2010 would seem to be an exceptionally good year for Orange County cyclists. And by far, the county’s safest year on recent record.

Sadly, though, it’s not one local authorities can much take credit for; it appears to be a fluke, as cycling fatalities bounced right back with at least 13 deaths the following year.

And just three months into this year, Orange County has already seen three cyclists killed in traffic collisions — as well as a fourth who may have died of a heart attack as a result of a fall while riding, or perhaps the other way around.

Clearly, the county has a lot of work to do to make their streets safe for all users.

Regardless of what may or may not have occurred two years ago.

*Based on primarily on published news stories, as well as CHP reports.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , ,

Drunken street racers critically injure Apple Valley cyclist; both drivers under arrest

March 19, 2012 / / Comments Off on Drunken street racers critically injure Apple Valley cyclist; both drivers under arrest

In a case tragically reminiscent of the street racing death of pro cyclist Jorge Alvarado, an Apple Valley cyclist has been critically injured after getting struck by a drunken street racer.

According to the Victorville Daily Press, the victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding on the north shoulder of Bear Valley Road near Algonquin Road around 2:50 pm Sunday. A car came off a dirt road and hit the rider, seriously injuring him; an aerial view shows several dirt roads in the immediate area.

Witnesses report that two drivers had been racing when the rider got caught between them; both were arrested for driving under the influence causing injury.

At last report, the victim was still in critical condition after being airlifted to a hospital.

My prayers to for the cyclist for a full and fast recovery.

Thanks to Dj Wheels for the heads-up.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Car vs Bike, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Wrist slap rescinded, as drunken hit-and-run driver John Hines resentenced to 4 years in state prison

March 17, 2012 / / Comments Off on Wrist slap rescinded, as drunken hit-and-run driver John Hines resentenced to 4 years in state prison

So much for that slap on the wrist.

Former fire captain John David Hines, scion of a leading Long Beach fire fighting family, had the book thrown at him by an angry judge, turning a one-year sentence in a relatively plush pay-to-stay cell into over four years of hard time in the state penitentiary.

Hines had been sentenced for the drunken hit-and-run that left cyclist Jeff Gordon lying severely injured on a Seal Beach street, after drinking himself silly at a Long Beach bar last April Fools Day. When police arrested him at his home, drenched in urine soaked pants, Hines had a BAC of .24 — three times the legal limit.

In what many cyclists — or maybe just me — considered an overly lenient sentence, Santa Ana Superior Court judge Erick Larsh sentenced the former fireman to four years and four months in state prison — then suspended the sentence in lieu of one year in the Orange County jail and five years probation.

And rather than force him to consort behind bars with OC’s criminal element, the judge allowed Hines to buy his way into the Huntington Beach jail, where he could serve his time in greater comfort.

All he had to do was stay out of trouble for a few months.

Yet the former EMT-certified fire captain, trained to save the lives of victims just like the one he left lying in the street, couldn’t even manage that.

This past January, jailers noticed him wobbling, and discovered he had extracted alcohol from hand sanitizer by filtering it through salt. Then he drank enough of the resulting extract to result in a blood alcohol level of .22 — almost as high as when he nearly killed Gordon.

And enough to turn that gentle slap on the wrist into a good swift kick into the state pen.

That’s exactly what happened on Friday, as Judge Larsh ruled that Hines had violated his probation, and resentenced him to the full four years and four months of his original sentence, saying “I can’t fix you.”

Don’t get me wrong.

I have no sympathy for hit-and-run drivers. And even less for anyone who gets behind the wheel after drinking — let alone nearly taking the life of another human being.

But Hines is clearly a very sick man.

Whether he’ll get the help he needs behind bars is highly questionable. We can only hope he comes out of prison a much healthier man than when he went in.

……..

I’m told that Danae Miller, the DUI/distracted driver convicted of running down world-class triathlete Amine Britel in Newport Beach last year, is settling in nicely at the Chowchilla women’s prison, where she can expect to spend most of the next four years.

……..

On a slightly less serious note, reader Mark Pryor sends a warning that Huntington Beach will host the 2012 Surf City Open later this month, from March 29th through April 1st.

And no, it’s not a bike race. Or even a surfing championship.

It’s a paint ball tournament. Which means that cyclists can expect to be used for target practice.

Consider Mark’s story —

In Spring of 2008 I was shot at close range with a paintball gun on PCH in Seal Beach while heading towards HB. I stayed up and was unaware of what happened, until a relative explained what it was later that day.

I was informed the next day that a major PB Tourney for Pros was underway in HB. I did report the incident to OC Sheriffs, but they were uninterested since I was OK.

My back was beet red from the injury, although nothing appeared to penetrate the skin.

Moral of the story: when the PB Players are in town, cyclists will be considered as easy targets.

Its shameful that the tournaments are allowed when people are victimized this way by participants traveling to and from the events.

……..

Today’s news kept me from updating this week’s events tonight; hopefully I can get to that later this weekend.

But don’t forget Saturday’s Get Sum Dim Sum ride, or the early morning Wolfpack Hustle Marathon Crash race prior to the L.A. Marathon on Sunday; over 1,300 riders have already registered to take part.

Saturday is also St. Patrick’s Day, which means tens of thousands of amateur drunks will be on the roads all day.

So assume every driver you see on the streets has had about three green Guinness too many.

And ride accordingly.

Update: If you’re looking for something dry to do tonight, the Now Pro Women’s Cycling Team unveils their 2012 roster starting at 7pm at Cynergy Cycles, 2300 Santa Monica Blvd in Santa Monica.

Category: Bikes & the Law, Legal Cases / Tags: , , , , ,
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