Bike rider killed one week ago in Chino

March 14, 2015 / / Comments Off on Bike rider killed one week ago in Chino

Sometimes it takes time for news to filter out from remote locations. Though you wouldn’t think that would apply to someplace like Chino.

Yet that’s what happened here, as news finally broke that a bike rider was killed while riding in the city last Sunday.

The weekly Chino Champion reports that 28-year old Pomona resident David Alas was riding east on Philadelphia Street at 6:51 pm when he was hit by a car traveling north on Benson Ave. He died a short time later at Chino Valley Medical Center.

No other information is available at this time.

A satellite view shows a four-way intersection controlled by traffic signals in every direction, suggesting that either the victim or the driver may have run the red light. It’s also possible that the light may have changed while the victim was in the intersection, and unable to make it across in time.

Anyone with information is urged to call Chino PD Traffic Investigator Scott Trosper at 909/334-3153.

This is the 10th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first in San Bernardino County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for David Alas and all his loved ones.

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

Weekend Links: Marathon Crash non-Race is back on for Sunday, along with a long list of upcoming bike events

March 13, 2015 / / 4 comments

The popular event formerly known as the Marathon Crash Race is back on for this Sunday.

After being cancelled by city officials last year, the officially unofficial ride — now renamed the Marathon Hustle Ride —  will follow the LA Marathon route on closed streets hours before the runners take to the course.

Meanwhile, KPCC profiles Finish the Ride’s Damian Kevitt as he prepares to run the marathon this Sunday, two years after he lost his leg in a horrific and still unsolved hit-and-run.

He may have lost a leg, but clearly, his heart is fully intact.

……..

An open house will be held this Saturday to discuss the complete street makeover of Western Avenue through San Pedro and Rancho Palos Verdes; opposition is anticipated to bike lanes planned for the street so bicyclists are encouraged to attend.

Bike the Vote LA hosts an organizing meeting this coming Monday, March 16th. The new group has taken the lead in getting Los Angeles-area bike riders involved in this year’s election process.

Stan’s Bike Shop in Monrovia is hosting a Taco Night on Saturday, March 21st to raise funds for the shop’s Tour de Cure team.

A new app will allow you to soak in the sounds of next Sunday’s Valley CicLAvia, providing walkers with an “interactive soundscape” of the San Fernando Valley for the March 22nd open streets event. And yes, I’ll be there on my bike.

Kickstand-Kids-flyerKickstand Kids will host a Family Bike Event in Fullerton on Sunday, April 12th to raise funds to buy bikes for the children of New Alternatives. They’re asking for donations of kids and adult bikes, as well as helmets or other gear in good shape; contact daniswid@gmail.com, or donate online through their GoFundMe site.

Don’t forget LA Bike Week starting May 11th through 15th, including the annual Blessing of the Bicycles at Good Samaritan Hospital on Tuesday the 12th.

The Eastside Bike Club celebrates Bike Month with their annual Dodgertown Bike Ride on Saturday, May 16th, riding from El Sereno to take in a game at Dodger Stadium.

And the 15th annual LA River Ride rolls on Sunday, June 28th; the River Ride just keeps getting bigger and better every year.

……..

Local

LA Times readers react to the paper’s story about the proposed California bike helmet law; the Orange County Bicycle Coalition’s Pete van Nuys gets it right.

UCLA’s Daily Bruin calls on the Westwood Neighborhood Council to approve the much-needed bike lanes on Westwood Blvd; the new Remove Nothing plan would do exactly that, adding bike lanes to the busy street without removing a single lane or parking space. So what’s the problem?

The LAPD explains the story behind that Tweet we linked to earlier in the week about a Newton division officer pitching in to help replace a 4th grader’s stolen bike.

Manhattan Beach residents want more money for bicycling in the city budget.

Glendale police respond to a fatal hit-and-run by targeting traffic violations, including headphone wearing and sidewalk riding cyclists.

 

State

The Bike League has issued a report card showing why California has jumped into the top 10 bike friendly states, and what we still need to work on. Personally, I’d much rather see modified strict liability, placing greater responsibility for avoiding a collision on the larger and more dangerous vehicle, than the vulnerable user law they suggest.

Laguna Beach will host a bike rodeo on Sunday, March 22nd.

Seal Beach’s Main Street Cyclery celebrates its grand opening under new ownership this Saturday.

San Diego is working on solutions to roadblocks facing the 24-mile Bayshore Bikeway.

A Merced elementary school principal is said to be improving after he was critically injured in a collision with a pickup.

A San Francisco TV station’s People Behaving Badly segment looks at brazen bike thieves in the city’s Bayview District.

A Sausalito councilwoman wants to limit the number of rental bikes allowed into the city; evidently, all those rental cars, and non-rental cars, are okay, though.

 

National

A cabal of elder engineers is apparently dedicated to stamping out what they perceive as deviant bikeway designs.

A new Bluetooth bike lock unlocks automatically through your phone and shrieks at potential thieves.

New Mexico’s annual Tour of the Gila is back on after an anonymous Colorado cyclist steps forward to sponsor the event.

A Wisconsin man is combining his love of biking and baseball by riding to all 30 major league stadiums this summer.

New York police are looking for a cyclist who wacked a motorist with his U-lock during a dispute. Seriously, no matter what the other guys says or does, never resort to violence.

New York’s MTA isn’t even interested in testing a rear wheel guard that could prevent cyclists and pedestrians from being crushed under the rear wheels of a bus.

Baltimore bike riders can get a full year of free, secure parking.

Atlanta police apparently aren’t interested when a driver A) leaves the scene after hitting a bike rider, and B) pulls a gun and threatens to kill the cyclist after the rider follows him home to talk about it.

Good Samaritans, including a corrections officer, save the life of a Florida cyclist when he collapses while riding his bike.

A Florida bike rider continues her fight for a 76-mile bikeway from Naples to Miami, although some Native American’s aren’t so sure it’s a good idea.

 

International

Good offers a good explanation of Vision Zero and why it matters, while City Fix says if you want a cycling city, design for traffic safety.

A 39-year old British soldier with early-onset Alzheimer’s embarks on a nearly 10,000 mile ride around the US and Canada.

London’s Evening Standard says the city’s new 20 mph speed limit will save lives, and drivers will just have to deal with it.

Scottish cyclists call for a version of Strict Liability, which assumes drivers are at fault in any collision with cyclists or pedestrians; thanks to John McBrearty for the heads-up.

A new Dutch bike shakes its handlebars to warn of potential danger from the front, and its seat to warn of danger coming from behind. With our traffic, it could become the worlds first publicly rideable vibrator.

Caught on video: Bike racing becomes a full-contact sport — as if it wasn’t already — as a spectator grabs the handlebars of Australian rider Loren Rowney during a race in the Netherlands, resulting in a major endo and a broken collarbone as she sprints for the finish.

German carbon wheel and frame maker Lightweight combines with Audi to create the latest overpriced, high-tech racing bike from a carmaker dabbling in bikes.

A sidewalk riding New Zealand cyclist faces charges for running down a pedestrian and breaking his hip.

 

Finally…

As if LA drivers aren’t bad enough, now we have to worry about killer cows. A Florida bike rider somehow shot himself in the chest when the gun in his pocket discharged.

And no. Just…no.

 

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

51-year old San Diego police detective died from solo fall earlier this month after being taken off life support

March 12, 2015 / / 7 comments

Too often, when bike riders are seriously injured, it never makes the news.

Especially if there’s not a car involved.

That appears to be the case here, as a San Diego police detective died after being taken off life support earlier this month, following a solo fall.

According to a press release from the San Diego Police Department, Det. Tim Williams was seriously injured when he somehow fell off his bike on February 27th near the end of a 30-mile ride.

The 51 year old cyclist, a near 30-year veteran of the department, was revived at Palomar Hospital and placed on life support; he died minutes after being taken off on March 4th, surrounded by friends and family.

San Diego’s CBS8 places the location of the fall as near Carmel Ridge Road and Ted Williams Parkway, but doesn’t give a time of day or specify what road he was riding on. There’s also no word on what caused him to fall.

According to the department, it had been his wish to donate his organs in the event of his death; three people gained a new chance at life thanks to his kindness.

He leaves behind a wife and four children; a memorial service was held earlier today.

This is the ninth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third in San Diego County. He is also the first cyclist to die in a solo fall this year.

My prayers and deepest sympathy for Tim Williams and all his family, as well as his comrades with the SDPD.

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

Is California’s new three-foot passing law making a difference?

March 12, 2015 / / 8 comments

Things may be looking up for SoCal cyclists.

As noted at the end of last night’s story about the heartbreaking death of a 13-year old bike rider in Boyle Heights, bicycling fatalities are down significantly compared to this time last year.

Through March 11th, just eight bike riders have been killed in the seven-county Southern California region. That compares to 25 in 2014 — over three times as many — in what turned out to be a very bad year, with 85 bike riders losing their lives.

Although I hesitate to use the word “just” when even one death is one too many.

Yet even last year was an improvement over 2013, when 89 people died riding their bikes in Southern California — the highest total since at least 2005.

Which raises the question of whether California’s new three-foot passing law making a difference.

Maybe.

Though it’s too early to tell.

There has been a significant reduction in bicycling fatalities since the law took effect in September of last year.

From September, 2014 through February of this year, 29 bicyclist lost their lives, all as a result of traffic collisions.

In the same period through the fall and winter of 2013-14, 45 bike riders were killed, all but three in crashes with motor vehicles.

However, the reduction wasn’t instant; as the chart below shows, it wasn’t until December that any improvement in bicycling fatalities became apparent.

3-foot-law-deaths

Which suggests that it may have taken a few months for drivers to adjust to the new rules and start passing bikes more safely.

On the other hand, there’s no difference compared to September 2013 through February 2014, with 29 deaths in the same five month period.

So the jury’s still out.

A lot will depend on what happens from here, when spring and summer weather bring more riders, and more less experienced riders, onto the streets.

But it’s looking good so far.

Update: As Serge points out in the comments below — and I should have noted — correlation is not causation. While deaths are down since the implementation of the three-foot law, that does not necessarily mean it is responsible for the decrease.

The three-foot law won’t have any impact on left-cross collisions, for instance, or wrecks due to right-of-way violations. 

The data simply isn’t there yet to tell what, if anything, is responsible for the decrease in fatalities; it may be just a temporary lull, as we’ve seen before.

But it’s a question worth asking, and one we’ll want to keep an eye on.

 

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

13-year old boy killed while walking his bike in Boyle Heights

March 11, 2015 / / 7 comments

Somehow, I missed this one.

La Opinion reports that a 13-year old boy was killed when he was hit by a car in Boyle Heights on Monday.

According to the Spanish language newspaper, the collision occurred near the intersection of Sheridan and Cummings Streets while he was walking his bike. KCBS-2 places the time of the collision around 7:50 pm; both sources say he died about four hours later.

The driver remained at the scene. No other details about the collision are available at this time, though KCBS says the car “slammed” into the boy, suggesting a relatively high-speed impact.

The victim was identified by La Opinion as Chris Rodriguez, described as a cheerful boy who frequently rode his bike around the neighborhood.

An altar with flowers and a helium balloon had appeared at the site by morning; the paper reports family members gathered around it, weeping inconsolably.

Adding to the tragedy, Rodriguez’ father had asked him not to go out that night, but the boy went out for what would be his last ride anyway.

Speeding cars make the intersection dangerous for children riding their bikes and skateboards, according to people in the neighborhood, who say a simple speed limit sign might have made a difference.

This is the eighth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth in the County of Los Angeles; it’s also the first in the City of LA. That compares to 25 in the seven-county Southern California region this time last year, and 13 in the county.

As those numbers suggest, this has been one of the safest years in memory for SoCal cyclists so far.

But as this tragedy reminds us, even one death is one too many.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Chris Rodriguez and all his family. 

Thanks to LA Streetsblog‘s Joe Linton and Sahra Sulaiman for the heads-up.

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

Morning Links: Bike share is booming, Finish the Ride’s Damian Kevitt prepares to run the LA Marathon

March 11, 2015 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Bike share is booming, Finish the Ride’s Damian Kevitt prepares to run the LA Marathon

There seems to be a common thread to today’s news.

LA Magazine looks at the long and winding road to bike share in LA County; in the meantime, private bike share programs are stepping in to fill the gap.

San Diego’s bike share system plans to expand to the popular Pacific Beach nightlife and tourist zone by summer.

And plans are already in the works to expand the Phoenix bike share program after a successful first three months; Cincinnati’s program is in a growth phase, too.

……..

Local

KTLA-5 profiles Finish the Ride’s Damian Kevitt as he prepares to run the LA Marathon this Sunday, despite losing his leg to a hit-and-run driver just two years ago.

Flying Pigeon discovers signs of hope in the form of bike racks adorning the Biking Black Hole of Beverly Hills. Unfortunately, none are within walking distance of the many doctors I see in the city.

The president of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce says the city must choose between a bikeable, walkable and livable future or a return to the dangerous plans of the past at the city’s Planning Commission meeting on Thursday the 18th.

 

State

KNBC-4 looks at the ill-advised legislation to require all California bike riders to wear a helmet, while a new Tumblr site offers photos of people on bikes who would become criminals under the law. Just to be clear: I never ride without a helmet, but they are not the bicycling equivalent of seat belts or air bags; bike helmets are designed to protect against low speed falls, not high speed collisions; mandating their use in all situations will do more harm than good.

The Tour of Murietta continues to grow as it reaches it’s 10th year.

Grist cites an advocate from San Bernardino County to say building bike lanes provides a path to social equity.

San Francisco’s Oak Street Bike Lane is now attractively protected, proving that neither bike lanes nor traffic dividers have to be ugly.

 

National

The 15th annual National Bike Summit opens in Washington DC.

A Portland bike thief is in custody after a friend of the victim spotted the purloined bike. Meanwhile, a Port Angeles WA bike thief reportedly said nothing as he pointed a gun at his intended victim; then again, I’d think the gun spoke volumes.

Now that’s more like it. Chattanooga police start efforts to improve bicycle safety — including a radar and camera equipped bike to catch drivers violating the three-foot passing law.

A Florida cyclist is critically injured during a police chase after a woman steals a Cadillac from a car wash. And another bike rider from the same state suffered life-threatening injuries in a hit-and-run collision with yet another stolen car.

 

International

Cycling legend Jeannie Longo was not among the French athletes killed in a tragic helicopter collision that took the lives of ten of her countrymen in Argentina Monday.

Your old bike parts could be powering a green economy in Guatemala.

A Brit cyclist is “nudged” off her bike by a hit-and-run double decker bus.

British bike scribe Carlton Reid says it’s time for the formerly bike riding country to go Dutch.

Speaking of which, Amsterdam has everything but enough bike parking.

 

Finally…

Tampa is getting a new green bike lane, which will look a lot like this one in LA, which doesn’t look like that anymore. But at least the local press recognizes where the danger comes from.

And one of my life’s goals has always been to get a speeding ticket on my bike; a British rider succeeded, doing more than twice the 20 mph speed limit in a London park.

 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,
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