Update: 57-year old Hemet woman left to die in San Jacinto hit-and-run

October 1, 2017 / / 7 comments

Yet another bike rider has been killed by a heartless hit-and-run driver, left to die on the side of a road just outside San Jacinto in Riverside County.

According to the Press-Enterprise, the victim was found on lying on the eastbound side of the Ramona Expressway, about 590 feet east of Alessandro Avenue, and pronounced dead at 6:26 am.

She was identified as 57-year old Hemet resident Vivian Thomas.

There’s no word on how long she may have been there, or if she might have survived her injuries if the driver had stopped and called for help, as required by law.

Let alone basic human decency.

If and when the hit-and-run driver is caught, he or she should face a 2nd degree murder charge for making a conscious decision to let the victim die. But probably won’t.

This is the 49th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth in Riverside County.

Seventeen of those SoCal deaths have been the result of hit-and-run.

Update: The Press-Enterprise reports Thomas was struck from behind by a Chevrolet or GMC truck or SUV. She had been dead about six hours when she was found, placing the time of the crash sometime around or before midnight. 

Anyone with information is urged to call the CHP San Gorgonio Pass office at 951/769-2000.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Vivian Thomas and all her loved ones.

 

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

Breaking news: Bike rider killed by apparent drunk driver on Imperial Highway in Hawthorne

October 1, 2017 / / One comment

The Hawthorne Police Department is reporting that a bike rider was killed crossing Imperial Highway Saturday afternoon.

According to a press release from the department, the victim was riding south across the roadway on the 4300 block of West Imperial Highway when he was struck by a westbound car around 3:50 pm.

He was thrown approximately 100 feet, which suggests he was struck at a significant rate of speed. The car veered into the center median before slamming into a palm tree, sheering it off at the base.

The victim, who hasn’t been identified, was taken to Harbor UCLA Medical Center, where he later died.

Thirty-year old Hawthorne resident Andrew Figueroa was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drunk driving, and could face a manslaughter charge.

A street view shows a divided roadway with three lanes in each direction, with an unsignalized intersection at either end of the block.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective John Dixon of the Hawthorne Police Department Traffic Bureau at 310/349-2701.

This is the 48th bicycling fatality in Southern California, and the 21st in Los Angeles County.

And it should be yet another reminder to always carry ID whenever you ride.

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

Morning Links: Upcoming bike events, possible Topanga Canyon closure, and bike boulevards coming to East LA

September 29, 2017 / / 4 comments

Let’s start by catching up with a few bike events coming in the next few weeks.

The LACBC will be hosting a ride along the lower LA River in Paramount this Saturday. That will be followed the next day by the monthly Sunday Funday ride in Elysian Park.

Walk Bike Burbank is holding their Burbank Bike Festival this Sunday.

Warm up for next week’s CicLAvia when Santa Monica’s COAST Open Streets Festival returns for a second year this Sunday.

This Wednesday is National Walk/Bike to School Day.

SoCal cyclocross season starts next weekend in Irvine.

CicLAvia returns to the Heart of LA on October 8th.

With the Olympics coming back to LA, this is a great time to meet legendary ’84 LA Olympic cyclist Nelson “The Cheetah” Vails at Stan’s Bike Shop on October 14th.

Long Beach is bringing back an expanded edition of their popular Beach Streets ciclovía on October 28th.

………

If your weekend plans included riding Topanga Canyon, you might want to consider another route.

The road will be closed overnight on Saturday and Sunday from PCH to Grand View Drive; the article is unclear whether it will be closed entirely to bikes and pedestrians, or just until 5 am.

………

Local

In a remarkably one-sided report, the Los Feliz Ledger says opponents of the successful Rowena road diet are awaiting the results of a safety study in hopes of reversing the lane reductions, and are feeling empowered by the reversal of the Vista del Mar road diet.

Metro will be installing a pilot bikeshare kiosk in Echo Park in time for next week’s CicLAvia in an effort to gauge demand for bikeshare in the area.

The anti-road diet mania in Los Angeles apparently hasn’t cowed county officials, who are moving forward with plans for at least one on the Eastside, as well as several other bike safety projects, including a pair of bike boulevards.

A cyclist helped come to the rescue when a car went off the road on Glendora Mountain Road yesterday.

The LA Times says greater density is the solution to California’s environmental and affordable housing crises, not sprawl-inducing developments like Newhall Ranch, however environmentally friendly they may strive to be.

 

State

A 21-year old plan to improve downtown Del Mar is finally moving forward, including widened sidewalks and bike lanes on Camino del Mar.

San Francisco police are looking for a bike-born dog-napper who threatened the dog’s owner with a golf club.

San Francisco Streetsblog asks whatever happened to the word “allegedly,” as the press is quick to blame the person on two wheels in any crash. I’d like to know the answer to that one myself.

Sports Illustrated takes in a San Francisco hill climb competition with inclines up to 21%. Which would elicit yawns from anyone who’s competed in LA’s own Feel My Legs I’m A Racer seven hill climb. (Correction: It’s a ten hill climb; thanks to CiclaValley for the tip.)

Thirteen bicyclists are riding from Reno NV to San Francisco to honor EMS workers who have died recently.

Horrifying story from Stockton, where three boys forced an eight-year old kid into a house and beat him severely, before stealing his bicycle and $16 — then posted the video on Instagram.

Evidently, San Jose hasn’t gotten the memo that road diets are evil, either.

Great article from Sacramento, where Sactown Magazine makes a call for tactical urbanism, from filling potholes with daisies to DIY protected bike lanes.

 

National

The new GoPro promises to unshake your bike cam videos.

A Navajo Nations cop has been charged with murder for crashing into a bicyclist after drinking all night while attending a conference in Arizona; his blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal alcohol limit.

A long-time Iowa radio DJ and a member of the state’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was killed when he allegedly turned his bike into the path of an oncoming car.

Life is cheap in New York, where a negligent driver, whose boat detached from the car pulling it and killed a 21-year old woman riding her bike, will serve just 60 days behind bars.

A new interactive New York map will tell you when bikeshare is your fastest travel option. And it usually is.

Philadelphia adopts a Vision Zero plan, vowing to end traffic deaths by 2030.

 

International

If you own a Brompton made in the last four years, take it back to the dealer; the company is recalling all models made between 2014 and 2017 due to a problem with the bottom bracket.

A new London play was inspired by a ghost bike installed for the victim of a 2009 bicycling crash.

The British press is in an uproar over brakeless fixies, even though a fixie is a brake in the hands of a skilled rider. The problem comes when inexperienced cyclists try to ride brakeless, without the skills or leg strength to stop their bikes.

A British woman complains that her husband loves his bike more than her.

The Italian supreme court has officially ruled that cycling legend Marco Pantani wasn’t murdered.

 

Finally…

Before you ride 7,500 miles to pedal your bike around a famed racetrack, make sure they allow bicycles. Go ahead and pedal your bike while drunk, but don’t paddle your canoe.

And maybe the problem is too many American drivers are selfish assholes.

 

Category: Bike Events, Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,

Update: Bicyclist killed in fall on Santiago Canyon Road Wednesday

September 28, 2017 / / 10 comments

More bad news.

According to the Orange County Register, a 56-year old Aliso Viejo man was killed when he fell off his bike on Santiago Canyon Road on Wednesday.

The paper reports he suffered significant injuries when he fell west of the 241 Freeway, suggesting he may have been traveling at a high rate of speed.

He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Photos from the scene show around eight to ten other riders waiting as police investigate, suggesting he may have been on a group ride when he crashed.

He is the third SoCal cyclist whose death has come to light in the past 24 hours, all of whom appear to have been involved in solo crashes or falls while riding with a group.

This is the 47th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth in Orange County. It’s also at least the third fatal bike crash on Santiago Canyon in the last six years.

Update: I’m told the victim was Aliso Viejo resident John Smith; reports indicate his front tire blew out after hitting a sharp rock at 40 mph.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for John Smith and all his loved ones.

 

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

Morning Links: Bike riders rescue woman in Santa Clarita, and dumping bikeshare bikes in all the wrong places

September 28, 2017 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Bike riders rescue woman in Santa Clarita, and dumping bikeshare bikes in all the wrong places

Let’s call this Morning Links lite.

Writing about bicycling fatalities in San Diego and Laguna Canyon — with a third in Santiago Canyon still to come — left limited time to write today’s post.

So we’re just hitting the highlights today. Or lowlights, in some cases.

We’ll be back with a more detailed report tomorrow.

……….

Local

Bike riders, including a retired police officer, come to the rescue when a 70-year old woman was attacked on a Santa Clarita bike path; a 29-year old transient from Orange County was arrested on an attempted murder charge. Thanks to Jeff Vaughn for the heads-up.

Santa Monica’s Breeze bikeshare is getting an updated look, and a new Instagram contest to help promote it.

You could soon find yourself sharing Santa Monica bike lanes with new rental e-scooters.

 

State

Bicycle safety is now officially part of the curriculum in Atascadero elementary schools.

Pleasanton has installed a permanent memorial to a 72-year old woman killed in a bicycling crash last year, following a number of bike and pedestrian safety improvements after her death.

Sad news from Petaluma, where a 74-year old bike rider was killed in a collision while making a left turn.

 

National

Your next Trek could come with batteries.

Bicycling offers advice on how to climb up a really tough hill. Without resorting to an ebike, that is.

Life is cheap in Colorado, where a driver still hasn’t started his five-month sentence for killing an eight-year old girl as she rode her bike, despite accepting the slap-on-the-wrist plea deal in April. Which means he would have been out already otherwise.

A Chicago weekly looks at female Mormon missionaries and their bikes.

Michigan considers requiring a statewide five foot passing distance in the wake of last year’s Kalamazoo massacre.

The organizers of a St. Louis century ride apologize to the Jewish community for scheduling the ride on Yom Kippur.

New York’s mayor throws bike riders under the bus, ignoring stats from his own Department of Transportation showing protected bike lanes improve safety for everyone and enhance compliance with traffic laws.

Now that’s more like it. A South Carolina woman was sentenced to ten years behind bars for the hit-and-run death of a bike rider.

 

International

A Toronto writer says bicycling brings out the worst version of herself. If that’s as bad as she gets, she should be a candidate for sainthood.

Caught on video: A total jackass records himself leaning out of a car window to shove a London bicyclist off his bike and into a bus stop sign, as his equally obnoxious passengers laugh. Hopefully they’ll catch these jerks and give them the jail time they so richly deserve.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole a customized adaptive bike from a severely disabled British man with cerebral palsy.

The war on bikes continues, as a man in the UK is on trial for allegedly punching a passing bike rider in the face, and sending him crashing through the rear window of a van.

An Aussie website calls Warsaw, Poland, the picturesque bike-friendly European capital you’ve never heard of.

Just like dockless bikeshare systems around the world, Australian bikeshare bikes continue to be dumped in all the wrong places. Although Aussies may be taking “wrong places” to a whole new level.

 

Finally…

As long as you’re riding your bike on a river anyway, you might as well clean it up a bit.

And Phil Gaimon’s Worst Retirement Ever takes on Boulder CO.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , ,

Update: LA County Sheriff’s Deputy dies after falling in San Diego century ride

September 27, 2017 / / 5 comments

Sad news from San Diego, where a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy died nearly two weeks after falling in a century ride.

Brian Villa, a 29-year veteran of the department, fell while riding in the Orange County Wheelmen’s Amtrak Century on September 9th.

He suffered a severe head injury, and was taken to a local hospital in grave condition; he was taken off life support and passed away on the 21st.

The crash apparently occurred somewhere between Solano Beach and Torrey Pines in San Diego County.

Villa was training for the annual Police Unity Tour. He leaves behind a wife and two teenage children.

A ride will be held in Irvine on October 28th to raise funds for his family, while a GoFundMe page has raised over $25,000, $10,000 more than the $15,000 goal.

This is the 46th bicycling fatality in Southern California, and the fourth in San Diego County. Six of those have been the result of solo falls.

Update: I’m told Villa was 56 years old, and may have been a resident of Orange County. He had participated in the Unity Tour in 2015.

A source places the location at 200 Camino Del Mar in Del Mar. The photo of the site below showing a deep pothole suggests why he may have crashed.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the Brian Villa and all his loved ones. 

Thanks to Bill Sellin, Ellen Steel and Greg “Sarge” Christopherson for the heads-up.

Photo from GoFundMe page

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