Day 140 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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My apologies for the extended absence.
The problems I was having with low blood pressure last week cascaded into a crisis over the weekend I was lucky to weather without ending up in the ER.
Although I probably should have, according to my wife, anyway.
I have no problem accepting my mortality, given that, as a diabetic in my late 60s, I have a life expectancy somewhere between a fruit fly and a green banana.
And I accept that I may never ride my road bike again. Or maybe any bike, for that matter.
But I worry about what happens to this site when the day finally comes that I can’t do it anymore.
In the meantime, I’ll do my best to keep things going on a regular basis. Or often as my aging body lets me, anyway.
So let’s get back to it.
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Let’s start with some good news.
The Georgia woman who had been missing in the rugged California mountains for three weeks was found safe.
Twenty-two-year old Tiffany Slaton disappeared while on an bikepacking trip above Fresno, after she was last seen stopping at a general store.
She was found when the owner of a mountain resort that had been closed for the winter went to get it ready to open, and found her hunkered down inside surviving on wild leeks and boiled snow.
She had lost most of her belongings, abandoning her ebike at a trailhead, and surviving 13 snowstorms in the process.
She had also lost ten pounds.
But she was safe and alive, and soon reunited with her parents, who were stunned and overjoyed by the news.
Photo by Gantas Vaičiulėnas from Pexels.
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Guilty.
An Orange County jury found 64-year old Richard David Lavalle guilty of 2nd degree murder for the meth-fueled death of a 12-year old bike rider.
The Long Beach man was convicted of killing Noel Bascomb as he was riding a bicycle with his father in a Costa Mesa crosswalk in December, 2020.
The boy’s father was forced to watch the crash that killed his son, screaming for Lavalle to stop his pickup before crushing Noel’s bicycle, and catapulting the boy roughly 120 feet through the air.
Police founds drugs in Lavalle’s truck, and he was unable to stand on one foot for a field sobriety test following the crash; a blood test found meth in his blood hours after the crash.
Although his wife, who was riding in the passenger seat, tried to claim the drugs were hers.
Lavalle had previously been convicted driving under the influence in San Diego County, which allowed prosecutors to upgrade the charge from manslaughter to murder.
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No surprise here.
Streets For All, the original sponsor of Measure HLA, took a look at the the status of HLA projects that the city reports on the official HLA website, and find it, well, lacking.
Tres shock!
They responded with a letter calling the city out for its failure, and urging it to work with them going forward.
Speaking of HLA, Streets For All urges you to support a version of the law in LA County tomorrow at the virtual meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Community Services Cluster.
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Nice to see Los Angeles recognized for something good for a change, as CNN makes the case for why Griffith Park may be the country’s greatest city park.
At 4,210 acres, Griffith outshines other extraordinary city parks of the US, such as San Francisco’s Golden Gate, which barely tops 1,000 acres, and New York’s Central Park, a mere 843 acres. Griffith’s peaks tower above those flat competitors too, with nearly 1,500 feet in elevation gain, making it practically vertical in orientation. And LA’s crown jewel of a park is still largely uncut, much of it remaining a wilderness area preserved more than 100 years ago, and barely developed, unlike the pre-planned “wild” designs of Golden Gate and Central Park.
Add its history, views, recreation opportunities, unique and hidden spaces, a free Art Deco observatory and museum, the most famous sign in America and the park’s overall star-power, and you have a compelling case that Griffith is not just epic in scope but the greatest city park in the nation.
There’s something for everyone there: a zoo, playgrounds and an old-timey trainyard for the kids; challenging and steep trails for hikers; dirt paths for equestrians; paved roads for bikers; diverse flora and fauna for nature enthusiasts; and museums for the science and history learners.
Take that, New York.
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Gravel Bike California makes a run for the border by riding the Taco Bell Century with Grizzly Cycles.
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Cate Blanchett is one of us.
Seriously. What could beat Blanchett on a bike?
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. A British paper says the only surprising thing about a London pedestrian being killed by an ebike rider earlier this year is that there aren’t more cases like it. Which is a pretty good indication that it’s not as big a problem as they’re trying to make it out to be.
An 18-year old New Zealand man was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after throwing a bottle at from the SUV he was riding in, striking participants in a local bike race — including an 11-year old cyclist.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
The notoriously anti-bike New York Post writes that the city must stop treating bicyclists like a special class, for everyone’s safety. Because it’s not treating bike riders like a special class at all when the cops give scofflaw bicyclists criminal summonses that drivers aren’t subject to, apparently (see National news below).
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Local
Speed cams are finally coming to Los Angeles, with operations scheduled to begin by the middle of next year — if they can survive the usual public comment period.
LA officials officially unveiled the first 5.5-mile segment of the Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor multiuse path linking three Metro train lines through South LA.
Streetsblog’s Joe Linton offers photos and an open thread from Sunday’s Pico-Union CicLAmini.
Metro is holding a series of meetings to gather feedback on the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project, starting with a virtual meeting this Wednesday.
The West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition will host their annual WeHo Pride Ride on Sunday, June 1st.
The Pasadena Ride of Silence will roll at the Rose Bowl Wednesday evening to remember fallen bike riders; Palm Springs will hold one on Wednesday, too.
Caltrans unveiled their draft feasibility study for safety changes on the 21 miles of PCH through the ‘Bu; needless to say, commenters immediately complained about plans for protected bike lanes.
A Venice man relates his attack by a ranting man who shouted that “all bikes must be destroyed” while he was walking his bicycle on the Santa Monica Pomenade recently.
State
Streetsblog says “here we go again,” as the California Ebike Incentive Program gears-up for their next attempt at a second round of ebike incentives, after failing so badly at two previous attempts.
No surprise here, either. Calbike says the state has got its transportation spending priorities wrong, as Newsom’s revised budget calls for continued highway spending, but fails to restore funding for active transportation that was cut last year.
Streets Are For Everyone says red light cams work and calls for support for SB 720, which would update California’s red light camera programs and allow cities and counties to opt in.
Encinitas held an open streets event this weekend, too.
No bias here, either. After the La Mesa council voted to build eight bike lane and sidewalk projects near the city’s schools, a San Diego TV station can only manage frame the story through the lens of the single councilmember who voted against it — then somehow says the city is divided.
Sad news from Santa Barbara, where a 36-year old woman faces multiple charges for killing an ebike rider — including gross vehicular manslaughter, DUI and driving without a license — yet somehow, police still managed to blame the victim for causing the crash.
National
A reporter for NPR says bike riding helps with long-term knee and health problems, even if like life, it doesn’t always make sense. True enough. Riding a bike helped keep my failing knee going for a couple decades after a surgeon told me it needed to be replaced. And hid my diabetes for at least that long.
Nevada’s attempt at a Stop As Yield bill died in the state legislature, victim of an arbitrary cutoff date.
Colorado authorities are asking for the public’s help finding a hit-and-run driver who killed a 41-year old man riding a bicycle in Boulder County on Sunday. Note that they asked for help right away, rather than waiting until the trail has run cold and people have forgotten key details, like the LAPD does.
In a story that hits a little too close to home, police still haven’t solved the fatal shooting of a 47-year old man riding a bicycle just 17 miles from my bike-friendly Colorado hometown.
A Manhattan Criminal Court judge gave scofflaw bike riders a good darn talking to on the first day of court for bicyclists given a criminal complaint by the NYPD, rather than a standard ticket for traffic violations; however, not everyone thinks that’s a good idea.
International
Bike Radar asks if the latest crop of ebikes have become too powerful, and could be harming the reputation of mountain biking.
You’ve got to be kidding. A British coroner ruled that the crash that killed a bicyclist was “unavoidable,” following testimony from the driver that the dark-clad victim “suddenly” appeared in front of her car after she “momentarily” looked down at her gear shift. Because a) bike riders don’t “suddenly” appear out of nowhere, and b) no crash is “unavoidable.”
An Irish writer says most of the complaints about Dublin bicyclists are actually people on bicycle-shaped objects, aka illegally modified mo-peds and electric motorbikes. Which is probably the case in California’s beach cities, too.
How Paris became Europe’s best city for young bike riders.
Horrible news from Japan, where a 70-year old Osaka man jumped or fell from a high-rise condo, and landed on a man riding a bicycle in the street below; the victim was believed to be a 59-year old man from a city over 300 miles away.
Sad news from Australia, where 63-year old former pro wrestler Mike Raybeck, aka Maxx Justin and Mike Diamond, was killed in a collision while riding his bike home from work.
Competitive Cycling
Cycling Weekly looks at 21-year old Mexican cyclist Isaac del Toro, after the Baja California native became the first Mexican cyclist to wear the pink leader’s jersey in the Giro.
Nineteen-year old British cyclist Matthew Brennan is making waves on the WorldTour with seven wins in just 23 days.
Good question. A Colorado public radio station asks why bike racing has struggled to succeed in the state when it has such a strong bicycling culture. Although it’s not just Colorado; pro cycling has struggled everywhere in the US, as former fans of the Tour of California can attest.
Cycling Weekly looks at this week’s 2025 USA Cycling Road Nationals — starting with 15 paracycling titles awarded on day one.
Finally…
You know your locked bike was stripped when thieves even take your handlebar grips. How do you celebrate a Spanish soccer championship? With a bike ride, of course.
And are you at risk for kyphosis bicyclistarum, or bicyclist’s stoop?
Thanks to Steven Hallet for that last one.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
