May 8, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Bike rider killed in South LA hit-and-run last month; LAPD just now bothering to tell us and ask for our help
The victim, who still has not been publicly identified, was riding their bike north on Central Avenue near 120th Street in South LA around 10 pm on Sunday, April 20th, when they were run down from behind by a speeding driver.
The victim died after being rushed to the hospital.
And that’s all we know.
There’s no description of the suspect vehicle or the driver, or not even the age or sex of the victim. We don’t even know whether the victim has been identified, and if so, why the identification is being withheld.
Which gives us absolutely nothing to go on, other than the time and location, after the police inexplicably waited to release any information until the trail was so cold you could almost see your breath.
And didn’t bother to use the hit-and-run alert systems approved by the city and state a decade ago to try to reduce the epidemic of fleeing drivers.
It also raises the question of how many other people have been killed riding a bicycle — or walking or driving — that they haven’t bothered to tell us about.
And just who decided to keep us in the dark, and why.
Anyone with information is urged to call the LAPD’s South Traffic Division at 213/677-9791, or 877/527-3247 evening or weekends.
As always, there is a $50,000 reward for any fatal hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles. Although it’s unlikely anyone will collect, given the dearth of information and such an extensive delay in asking for the public’s health.
This was at least the 13th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and just the second that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County. And it’s the first we know of in the City LA, which seems highly unlikely this far into the year.
This is also the fourth SoCal bike rider killed by a hit-and-run driver since the first of the year.
Someone needs to investigate this crap to find out what the hell is going on here.
May 8, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on NYPD’s heavy-handed crackdown on bike riders, pose your bike in front of a relic, and WeHo promises Bike2Work pitstop
Day 128 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
Which isn’t to say those infractions aren’t serious.
But you’re not likely to see a driver get the same treatment for speeding or using a smartphone behind the wheel, even though motor vehicles and the people in them pose significantly more danger to everyone around them.
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Bike Culver City says take a photo of your favorite bicycle “in front of your favorite relic” at Saturday’s car show, and show ’em which one is really the future of transportation.
Just don’t try to take a picture in front of me, or I’ll wack you with my walker.
No bias here. A former British weatherman calls for a law prohibiting “idiotic” bike riding, writing “A speeding bicycle with only a bell as a warning is a dangerous weapon.” Because no one knows more about traffic safety than an ex-TV weather guy. Maybe he’d be happier if we just yelled “Get the f*** out of the way!”
Huh? An Imperial PD captain says a 14-year old was arrested for riding an ebike on a local highway because ebikes aren’t street legal, without explaining why this particular ebike wasn’t. Because most electric bicycles and electric motorcycles are both very street legal, although 14-year olds aren’t allowed to ride some of them; only illegally modified ebikes and those that violate California’s ebike regulations are banned.
An Arizona judge refused a defense request to dismiss 11 of the 12 misdemeanor charges against Pedro Quintana-Lujan, the commercial driver slammed his truck into a group of bicyclists in Goodyear AZ, killing two people and injuring 19 others. As if misdemeanor counts weren’t already a gift, after the DA refused to file felony charges.
The US Forest Service wants ebike riders to bail out their $380,000 in red ink for Colorado’s Maroon Bells, with a proposal to charge everyone on a electric bicycle $5 to access the area. That’s half of the entry fee for drivers, even though people on ebikes don’t cause any significant damage to the roadway or the environment, unlike the people in the big, dangerous and yes, stinky machines.
A British doctor won a £4.5 million settlement, the equivalent of nearly $6 million, after he was paralyzed when the carbon fork of his Planet X gravel bike sheared in two on a grassy hillside.
A writer for Cycling Weekly explains how she managed a six-day gravel ride through Sri Lanka, even though she didn’t own a gravel bike, and had only ridden a total of 29 miles in the previous ten months — and with just six weeks to train.
Competitive Cycling
Colombian cyclist Miguel Ángel López lost his appeal against a four-year ban for doping in the international Court of Arbitration for Sport; Ángel López was caught using and holding Menotropin, a female fertility drug that can stimulate production of testosterone in men, during the 2022 Giro. But the era of doping is over, right?
Day 127 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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As we mentioned yesterday, Long Beach will close a pair of streets to cars, while opening them up to everyone else this Saturday with the return of the city’s popular Beach Streets.
The closures will affect Willow Street from Santa Fe Ave to Long Beach Blvd, and southbound Santa Fe Ave from Willow Street to 20th Street, apparently leaving northbound Santa Fe to the people in the big, dangerous machines.
“The Beach Streets West event will include multiple live performances along the event route, including DJ Otro Patrick Miller on the Willow Street bridge overlooking the I-710 Freeway,” the city said, “DJ Desirable D on the corner of Willow Street and Santa Fe Avenue, and DJ Dennis Owens at Long Beach Beer Lab.”
Various local businesses, community groups, and business districts will also host various activities along the Beach Streets route.
Meanwhile. Glendale will followup with with an open streets event of their own at the end of the month.
Here’s what their press release has to say.
Let’s Go Glendale is Southern California’s newest open streets event which will transform a portion of S. Glendale Ave. into a car-free space on Saturday, May 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The community is invited to explore the area on foot, bike, scooter, wheelchair or any other way that moves you. Presented by Metro and produced by Community Arts Resources (CARS), Let’s Go Glendale is a free and open event that welcomes people of all ages to discover local businesses, enjoy delicious food, listen to live music and connect with the city’s vibrant cultures in the open streets.
The event features a full schedule of activities along the vehicle-free route filled with arts and cultural performances, civic booths, interactive activities, food trucks, free water, first aid, bike repair and information on local programs. Glendale’s streets will come alive with music and dance from groups such as the all-female mariachi band, Las Colibrí, Armenian folk group, Lernazang Ensemble and Herbert Hoover High School’s Hoover Tornado Marching Band plus Herbert Hoover Jazz. Students from Cerritos, Marshall and Mann Elementary schools will present poetry readings throughout the day. Attendees can also connect and learn more about the city services with representatives from Community Services & Parks, Verdugo Jobs Center, Glendale Fire Department, Bookmobile, the Glendale General Plan Update, the Garden River Bridge Project and much more.
Let’s Go Glendale will be held on 1.3 miles of streets closed to car traffic through S. Glendale Ave. between Lexington Dr. and Chevy Chase Dr. Street closures begin at 6 a.m. with full route closures in place by 9 a.m. The streets are open to participants from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the route will be fully returned to cars by approximately 6 p.m.
None of which are in Los Angeles, of course. But San Diego’s Pershing Bikeway made the list.
Winding through Balboa Park and connecting the North Park neighborhood to downtown, the 2.3-mile Pershing Bikeway is a marquee example of how cities can design for safety and comfort. Developed by SANDAG as part of its Regional Bike Plan, the Pershing Bikeway includes one-way and two-way protected lanes, a separate bike path, and dramatically improved intersections. A newly constructed 75-foot bridge, a traffic-calming roundabout, and pedestrian crossing upgrades—including 70 new street lights—underscore the emphasis on accessibility and visibility. The project’s years-long journey from planning to construction involved extensive public input and overcame initial opposition from motorists concerned about traffic flow.
According to former Kent International CEO Arnold Kamler, because of the tariffs, a Chinese-made wheel that would have cost between $10 and $12 now costs about $30.
And making the same parts in the US would be even worse.
“I can’t even calculate that high,” Kramer said about what he thinks a bike would cost to produce here. “I’ll just tell you one quick story. There was a company that came to us a couple years ago. They wanted to make handlebars for us. Now we used to make our own handlebar for about a dollar-and-a-half, and we saved some money by buying it from Asia. And this company took three months to give me the quotation for a simple BMX handlebar. And the price came back at $12. I said, ‘$12? It’s about 80 cents of steel. How could you be?’ ‘Well, there’s a lot of work.’ And I said, ‘OK, thank you, you can lose my number.’ So, you can take that (as) kind of (an) example…I mean, a $100-bicycle here would be a $1,000 if all the parts were made here right now.”
Which would seemingly put it out of reach for the typical Walmart customer.
Meanwhile, Trump’s tariffs don’t seem to be having any negative effect on Chinese bikemakers yet, with the only real pain felt by American companies.
The Orange County Registerposts their favorite photos from the past month, including an adorable shot of toddlers testing out their balance bikes on the opening day of the San Clemente Pump Track.
Rescuers are searching for a missing 27-year old black woman who disappeared on a bikepacking tour in the Huntington Lake area, and was last seen at last seen at a general store in Shaver Lake on April 24th; Tiffany Slaton was headed for Mono Hot Springs on a blue Lectric ebike puling a red and yellow trailer.
Streetsblog says the NYPD’s new crackdown on bicyclists has unleashed the worst instincts of individual cops, who shamelessly ticket riders for the slightest infraction — including one rider cited for disorderly conduct and failing to yield to a pedestrian when a cop stepped directly in front of him, forcing him to swerve around him, then stopping to yell at the cop for risking his safety.
Six years after Colorado’s last pro cycling race, a British company is attempting to bring the pro peloton back to the state with a five-stage race beginning in 2026; the challenge is overcoming declining sponsorship revenue and increasing costs, as well as finding space in the crowded pro racing calendar.
This year’s event route will feature Willow Street and Santa Fe Avenue. Entertainment hubs along the route will feature live music, a kid zone, food trucks and more. More information regarding this year’s event, including a more detailed event route, entertainment, activities and other highlights, will be provided by the City at a later date.
Come enjoy a more pedestrian-oriented, car-free experience at CicLAvia’s 60th Open Streets event, CicLAmini—Pico Union, taking place on Sunday, May 18, between 10 a.m.–3 p.m. The public is invited to enjoy this compact neighborhood route for the day to explore Pico Union along Pico Blvd between Normandie and Union Aves. For all ages and abilities, CicLAmini—Pico Union offers walkers, joggers, bikers, skaters, and those who simply want to play with one’s favorite people-powered way to enjoy this 1.4-mile unique “pop-up park.” Always free, CicLAvia participants just show up anywhere along the route at any time to enjoy the open streets and to take the time to explore one of the most historic neighborhoods in all of Los Angeles…
“CicLAmini—Pico Union includes two hubs, where you’ll find the essentials, community partners, resource booths, photo ops, and more, plus activities for all ages sprinkled throughout the route. CicLAvia encourages participants to jog, walk, ride, skate, and bike along the open space. Free pedicab rides are also available next to each information booth to ensure that everyone, regardless of age or ability, is able to enjoy open streets. Please visit the CicLAvia website for updates regarding local gems, additional activities, and specials offered by local businesses along the route.
Which means 33-year old Jenia Belt could face a murder charge, assuming she signed the required Watson notice informing her she could be charged with murder if she killed someone while driving under the influence anytime in the future.
Compounding the tragedy, the 18-year old Levi, a three-year captain of his high school tennis team and four year league tennis champ, was living in Manhattan Beach because his family’s home was destroyed in the Palisades Fire.
This is yet another tragic example of the many people who continue to drive — and yes, drive under the influence — after their licenses are suspended.
We will never know just how many of those we share the road with are driving without a license, because only a handful ever get caught. But even one is one too many.
It’s not enough to take away a driver’s license. We also need to impound or immobilize the driver’s car until they get their license back.
It’s clear that nothing else will stop a percentage of suspended drivers — perhaps a sizable percentage — from getting back behind the wheel anyway.
Which means they could be revived, but it’s usually just a way to kill a bill without leaving fingerprints, so no one can be blamed for it.
To make matters worse, AB 697, which would allow SR 37 to be widened between Vallejo and SR 121 in Sonoma County moved forward, even though the project would run through protected habitats and wetlands, while endangering protected species.
Widening the highway also runs against California’s climate policies. Although it does make me wonder if we could get bicyclists and pedestrians added to California’s endangered species list.
And whether that would make any difference, given this misguided bill.
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A group of cops and their loved ones are riding over 800 miles through the heart of California to honor fallen officers.
Law Enforcement United is a group of federal, state and local officers, along with survivors who pedal their bikes to remember the surviving families, according to Rich Gallo, long-ride division director of Law Enforcement United.
“We started in San Francisco on April 30; we’ll end in San Diego on May 7. That’s 851 miles since we went via Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Fresno, Bakersfield to Tehachapi and now into Santa Clarita. Tomorrow, we’ll do the circuit through and around Los Angeles and then down into Camp Pendleton into San Diego,” Gallo said.
Get ready to connect, collaborate, and chart a path forward at the 2025 Safe Routes to School Virtual Summit! The 2025 Summit is completely virtual, and early bird tickets are now on sale for just $99!
We’re planning three days of engaging presentations, hands-on trainings, and educational conversations focused on topics that matter most to Safe Routes practitioners, including:
Quick win projects
Rural Safe Routes programs
E-bike safety and education
Walking school buses and bike trains
Creative partnerships
…and so much more!
Speakers are currently being confirmed, but you can expect useful tools, inspiring stories, and a community working to make walking and rolling safer and more accessible for communities throughout the country!
Culver City issued a proclamation in support of Bike Month. Which unfortunately didn’t include restoring the MOVE Culver City protected bike lanes they ripped out, which is probably the only proclamation most of us want to hear from them.
ActiveSGV hosts a three-hour Bikes and Boats Tour this Saturday; the ride will explore the San Gabriel River Bike Path, the Whittier Narrows Recreational Area and the Merced Ave Greenway project, as well as including a free 30-minute paddle boat ride at Legg Lake. Although we all remember what happened with the last three-hour tour. Right, Gilligan?
State
Police in Westminster will hold a bicycle and pedestrian safety operation today, ticketing anyone who commits a violation that could endanger either group. As usual, ride to the letter of the law until you cross the city limits so you’re not the one who gets written up.
Popular ebike maker E-Cells was the latest bikemaker to bite the dust, bringing the company’s all-wheel-drive, extremely high performance fat tire ebikes to a grinding halt, in part because of Trump’s 170% tariffs on Chinese-made bikes.
Speaking of Ontario, a small town is celebrating its new crossrides, as opposed to crosswalks, allowing bicyclists to cross the intersection without dismounting. Or, go with me on this, they could just allow bicycles to use the already existing crosswalks.
Sports Illustrated celebrates Colorado’s three-day Durango to Silverton Iron Horse Classic, calling the festival founded in 1971 America’s second-oldest bicycling event. Although it’s kind of sad that the second oldest bike event is only 54-years old, which says a lot about this country’s inability to sustain bike races and other bike events.
May 5, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Officials stonewall on ebike voucher fiasco, and CA Supreme Court rules cities are obligated to maintain safe streets
Day 125 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
And he sounds as frustrated with all the stonewalling as we are.
State officials have not explained why the enrollment program keeps crashing. Instead, a department spokesperson acknowledged the errors and said the board is committed to figuring out what went wrong and doing a more effective job going forward…
A San Diego charity called Pedal Ahead won the state e-bike contract in 2022. The entity was founded by former political consultant and FBI informant Edward Clancy, who also set up a for-profit company with the same name.
No one from Pedal Ahead responded to requests for comment…
Clancy, who left Pedal Ahead last year, has not replied to multiple requests for comment since the civil and criminal investigations were disclosed. His successor, Scott Anderson, also has not responded to requests.
Aside from all the “no comment” comments, McDonald’s story is probably the best insight we’re going to get into what the hell is going on with this clown show, at least for now.
And there’s no word on when — or honestly, if — we’ll get a redo on the 2nd application window, which suddenly slammed shut on everyone who had somehow managed to get through the crashed website into the application waiting room.
As I said last week, at least part of the problem was opening the window for just one hour, then encouraging everyone to apply early — virtually ensuring they would overwhelm the apparently meager servers and crash the system.
And yes, McDonald had the excellent good taste to quote yours truly.
But you’ll have to read the story to get my take.
Thank you to CARB and Pedal Ahead for allowing me to dig out my favorite fail photo one more time.
The case involved cyclist Ty Whitehead, who suffered a traumatic brain injury during a charity training ride after hitting a large, obscured pothole on Skyline Boulevard in Oakland. Although Whitehead had signed a release form as part of the event, the Court ruled that such waivers cannot excuse a city from its statutory duty to maintain safe public roads. The Court unanimously found that exempting cities from liability in these cases violates California Civil Code section 1668, which prohibits contracts that waive responsibility for a violation of the law…
The ruling clarifies that municipal liability cannot be sidestepped through fine print and reaffirms that cyclists are entitled to the same legal protections as any other road user. It is especially significant at a time when more Californians are choosing bicycles for health, transportation, and environmental reasons.
That means that if you hit a pothole or crack in the road, or if safety markings are worn or missing, the city could be legally responsible for any injuries, even with a liability waiver.
And I know some damn good lawyers if you ever need one.
Crosstown says walking in Los Angeles is becoming increasingly deadlier, with 39 pedestrians killed on the streets and sidewalks of LA through April 12th of this year, up 50% from a decade ago — and they point the finger, as so many others have, at the city’s failure to fully implement Vision Zero.
Momentumlists the top ten bicycling cities in the US, according to figures from Strava. And despite everything, Los Angeles actually made the list at #9, with an average commute of 9.5 miles. So much for all those people who say no one would ever bike more than three miles to work, if at all.
This is the cost of traffic violence. The popular and influential synthwave artist known as “Starcadian” was killed in a dooring in New York; 44-year old George Smaragdis slammed into the door of a Mercedes when the driver flung it open, then fell under a delivery box truck. And no, I don’t know what synthwave is, either.
Sad news from North Carolina, where an 18-year-old Mormon missionary was killed, and another rider injured, when they were struck by a driver who literally ran away from the crash.
May 2, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Waymo claims autonomous cabs protect peds and bike riders, and tariffs endanger threatened American bike industry
Day 122 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
The company’s cars have completed 56.7 million miles in operation, resulting in a total of 96 crashes with just four serious injuries.
That compares with an average of roughly 78 serious injury crashes over the same distance for human drivers.
I took my first ride in a Waymo yesterday, and while appreciated the way it braked when necessary due to cars pulling out in front of it, I ended up getting carsick due to the frequent turns to avoid major streets.
Lime is planning to add 2,000 dockless ebikes across the Los Angeles area, adding to the company’s thousands of e-scooters, calling it the start of a new green era in preparation for the 2028 Olympics. Although the way things are going in Los Angeles, it may be the about only green transportation for the Olympics.
Pasadena police will conduct a bicycle safety operation on Friday, May 16th, focusing on behaviors and violations by drivers that put people on bicycles at risk — although once again, it’s illegal to target any one particular group, rather than all road users.
State
The owner of specialty fire-glass manufacturer SAFTI FIRST donated 50 new mountain bikes to UC Merced, which will be distributed to several campus organizations including the bike club and the campus bicycle loaner program.
Oregon Republicans want to eliminate funding for all transit, rail and bicycle programs, requiring the state transportation department to focus on its “core mission” to support car and truck drivers. Thanks to Erik Griswold for the heads-up.
Cyclist talks with Spanish ultra-endurance cyclist and runner Juan Dual, who has competed in some of the world’s toughest races, despite having his large intestine, rectum, stomach and gall bladder removed due to a genetic condition causing cancer of the digestive system.
