Monterey Park cyclist killed in right hook earlier this month

November 28, 2014 / / 2 comments

Sometimes it takes awhile for bad news to get around.

Earlier this month, a bike rider was seriously injured in a right hook in Monterey Park. Now I’ve received word that she has died of her injuries.

According to the Pasadena Star-News, the victim, identified as 59-year old Ai-Nei Zhou of Monterey Park, was riding in the crosswalk on Garvey Avenue at Orange Avenue when she was hit by a car turning right onto southbound Orange around 3:30 pm on November 15th.

Zhou was hospitalized with serious injuries; the Cyclist Down Facebook page says she died the following day.

The Star-News reports the driver remained at the scene and cooperated with police.

It’s not clear from the article which direction Zhou was riding. Presumably, she was riding on the sidewalk when she entered the crosswalk; if she going west she should have been easily visible as she rode towards the driver. However, if she was riding in the opposite direction, drivers often don’t look for bikes on the sidewalk, and don’t anticipate cyclists riding out into the street.

Which does not in any way excuse the driver’s failure to see her or stop in time to avoid her. But it does explain why cyclists have to be extra careful when approaching an intersection from the sidewalk.

Look carefully for any approaching cars, especially from behind, and assume the drivers don’t see you. Then refuse to enter the street until all the cars have stopped for you or passed through the intersection.

This is the 80th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and 31st in LA County; both of those totals are comparable to this time last year.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Ai-Nei Zhou and all her friends and family.

Thanks to Carlos Morales for the heads-up. 

 

 

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

Update: 39-year old salmon cyclist killed in Venice Thanksgiving night

November 27, 2014 / / 5 comments

It wasn’t a good Thanksgiving in Venice Thursday evening.

The Los Angeles Times reports that a 39-year old Venice resident was riding the wrong way on South Venice Blvd just east of Speedway when she was struck by a car turning left onto the one-way street from southbound Speedway.

According to the paper, the collision occurred around 5 pm.

Venice 311 reports the victim, who has not been publicly identified pending notification of next of kin, was riding without a headlight shortly after sunset, which occurred at 4:44 pm. The website says she lost balance before being struck, and fell under the car before being dragged roughly 10 feet until the driver was able to stop.

The driver reportedly did not see her riding the wrong direction in the gathering dusk. The visitors from Spain remained at the scene, and immediately called for help.

She was not breathing when firefighters dislodged her from the car, and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The Venice 311 story includes a number of photos from the scene, including shots of the bike with the rear racks full and the contents of the handlebar basket spilling onto the street.

This collision serves as a tragic reminder to always ride with traffic, even on quiet streets; drivers won’t be looking for you coming from the wrong direction.

This is the 79th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 30th in LA County. It’s also the 11th in the City of Los Angeles.

Sadly, those numbers will grow, as I’m aware of one more recent fatality in the County of Los Angeles; more on that Friday.

Update: John Montgomery visited the site and offers his insights in the comments below, questioning why the driver took so long to stop, and observes that, as always, the victim is unable to give her side of the story. And notes that the LAPD has conducted a thorough investigation at the scene. 

Meanwhile, I’ve received some criticism for using the term salmon; Patrick Miller calls it a “condescending slur” to describe a cyclist riding against traffic — and New York’s famed Bike Snob, who some credit with originating the term, agrees.

While he undoubtedly popularized the term, it has been in use by cyclists for some time; I first heard it decades ago, and have been using it in conversation with other riders ever since. That is not to say Bike Snob did not come up with the term on his own; his original use of the term could easily have been the first time he and many others had heard it.

I have never considered it to be condescending or a slur in any way. It is simply an apt description of an act that is both dangerous and illegal, and one of the leading causes of bicycling collisions. 

No offense was intended. If any was taken, I apologize.

Update 2: The Free Venice Beachhead has identified the victim as 39-year old Summer Baker.

My deepest sympathy and prayers Summer Baker and her loved ones. 

Thanks to Joe Ryan and Venice 311 for the heads-up. 

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

Pre-Thanksgiving Morning Links: SaMo begins enhanced enforcement; stop bike thieves with a handlebar bomb

November 26, 2014 / / 6 comments
Local

LADOT Bike Blog shares a combination bike/transit route from NoHo to UCLA. And invites you to share your favorite route.

After throwing North Figueroa cyclists under the bus — potentially literally — Councilmember Gil Cedillo is hosting safety meetings for Marmion Way and Avenue 26. Meanwhile, Fig4All is holding a potluck to discuss it.

Culver City is installing over 100 bike racks throughout the town.

Pay extra attention to the letter of the law in SaMo this weekend, as the Santa Monica police will begin enhanced enforcement to improve bike and pedestrian safety on Saturday. This one will focus equally on violations by drivers, pedestrians or cyclists, as it should.

 

State

The Times reports that Huntington Beach cyclist busted with a large weapons cache was initially stopped for riding the wrong way without a light; he said he was heavily armed because it was just good to be prepared. For what, he didn’t say.

Great cause. Friday’s Tour de Tryptophan in Fullerton will raise funds for a cyclist who suffered a spinal cord injury, but is determined to walk and ride again.

Flashing headlights increase visibility but can annoy others on the road — and aren’t addressed in state law one way or the other.

A San Francisco lawyer faces up to four years in prison after pleading guilty to the hit-and-run death of a Chinese bike rider.

 

National

The Bike League looks at what bike equity means in light of the decision not to charge the cop who killed Mike Brown in Ferguson MO. Meanwhile, a Ferguson bike rider is arrested while attempting to video police, which is perfectly legal under the 1st Amendment.

Streetsblog says banning speed cameras puts lives at risk.

A post-ride rubdown helps your heart as well as your muscles.

A Kickstarter for a new folding cargo bike has raised nearly twice their goal with 24 days to go.

A Maryland man gets his burgled bike back after spotting the thief riding it.

 

International

Montreal’s threatened bike share system gets a reprieve for the next five years.

British Olympian Dani King thought she was going to die when she crashed after hitting a pothole.

Talk about a jerk. A UK driver faces charges for running three separate cyclists off the road.

 

Finally…

A new company wants to stop thieves by turning your bike into a rolling bomb; no, really, what could possibly go wrong? Heads-up courtesy of Bike Portland. Maybe this is how Santa Claus finances all those toys, as a man in a Santa cap robs a Solano Beach bank before making his escape by bike.

And Florida cyclist says that following a collision that left him seriously injured, the driver got out of the car, cussed him out, spit on him and left him lying in the middle of the road.

Nice.

………

I’ve got a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, starting with the amazing support I’ve received from visitors to this site over the past few days.

As bad as things have been this year, they could be a lot worse. And there are a lot of people out there facing far bigger problems than mine.

So I hope you’ll join me, and take just a moment amid all the football and feasting and early Black Friday specials to find something to be truly thankful for.

And if the opportunity presents, lend a hand to someone in need, because there’s always someone a little worse off, and it doesn’t take much to make a difference.

So please, have a great Thanksgiving, however you celebrate it.

I’ll see you back here after the holiday.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , ,

Morning Links: OC hit-and-run driver gets a slap on the wrist; Detroit’s Shinola opens a new store in Silverlake

November 25, 2014 / / 2 comments

Our Orange County source reports on the semi-successful conclusion of the case against the hit-and-run driver who critically injured a bike riding Santa Ana girl.

Arif Abdul Sattar accepted a plea deal yesterday. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with two days’ credit for time served, plus the usual fines & restitution. If he qualifies for home confinement, he can serve his time under house arrest instead. If not, he has the option of County or a city (a “pay-to-stay”) jail, though because of a change in his employment circumstances, he may not be able to afford city. His driver’s license was also suspended for a full year.

His lawyer had hoped to be able to get a no contest plea deal, because a nolo contendere cannot be used against him in the civil suit. The judge denied this request.

Terrifyingly, the judge cited some “mitigating circumstances” in allowing for the possibility of house arrest. One was the fact that he had called a lawyer right away after the incident. This is not a “mitigating circumstance.” This is Sattar’s tacit acknowledgement of his awareness that he had committed a crime. He probably didn’t even know which crime, because although he certainly deduced from the sudden opacity of his windshield that a collision of some sort had occurred, he was a little confused about the requirement to remain at the scene. For all we know, he was distracted and couldn’t remember what color his signal was at the time of the collision, and this factored into his choice to flee. The information that he proceeded thorough a green light comes from his young victim’s admission that she ran the red. Also, it was four days before he was interviewed by the police.

Another mitigating circumstance is Mr. Sattar’s “lack of priors.” Immediately after mentioning this, the judge then STATED HIS PRIOR, another vehicular crime which demonstrated the same selfish lack of consideration for others on the roadway, and was probably committed with the same vehicle.

I also only found out at the plea hearing that the family has had zero interest in assisting the prosecution. They’ve filed a civil suit (I have to check, but it may be just to cover medical bills, with no request for compensation for pain & suffering, etc). If I were a mama, I wouldn’t want my kid to have to face the evil fuck who snapped her bone like a twig and then left her for dead. Especially on a school day, y’know.

Nice to see yet another judge take hit-and-run seriously, especially even when it leaves a critically injured little girl bleeding in the street.

And yes, that is sarcasm.

……..

A suspected drunk driver is under arrest after clipping a Fullerton cyclist with his wing mirror, in a clear violation of the three-foot passing law. Although he doesn’t appear to have been charged with that yet.

The victim suffered serious injuries but is expected to survive. And as turns out it’s not the driver’s first DUI.

……..

Local

Somehow this one slipped under the radar, as Detroit-based Shinola opened their first West Coast store in Silverlake.

CICLE leads a leisurely holiday themed ride through Northeast LA on Saturday the 13th in conjunction with LADOT, LACBC and others whose names aren’t initials.

Santa Monica Spoke looks at the South LA CicLAvia, just two Sundays away.

 

State

A new petition calls on California to change the new three-foot passing law to allow drivers to safely cross the yellow line. Governor Brown has already vetoed a similar provision, so I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Bike Newport Beach is hosting a pre-Thanksgiving ride on Wednesday.

Boston’s Isolate Cyclist takes a critical look at those questionable San Diego stats blaming cyclists for most collisions. Meanwhile, a mind-reading San Diego-area letter writer knows why bike riders do those things we do.

Forty Riverside kids get free bikes, along with a talk by Olympic cyclist Amber Neben.

A cyclist takes you on a 70-mile ride around Santa Barbara — and describes how to control the lane in a dangerous situation.

 

National

People for Bikes offers an ode to the beater bike.

That nine-year old boy who said he was called by God to bike across the country has finished his journey, raising over $25,000 to fight cancer. No word on whether God gave him an attaboy at the finish line.

A good bike network is key for a successful bike share system. So much for LA’s planned system.

Forty-three year old pro cyclist Chris Horner will continue to ride, coming home to an unnamed American team for 2015.

My brother competed in the famed Iditarod sled dog race four times; this guy’s done it nine times, by bike. And without the help of dogs.

The Today Show discovers Cranksgiving.

Durham NC sets a policy allowing ghost bikes to stay indefinitely, unless someone complains.

 

International

Montreal’s threatened bike share system gets a reprieve for the next five years.

Turns out Sherlock Holmes is one of us. The modern, British heartthrob one.

The UK has nearly 10 million bike riders, one-fifth of whom ride every week.

The Australian National Museum is hosting an exhibition on bicycling Down Under.

 

Finally…

Scotts Valley police must employ brilliant interrogation techniques, as a man confesses to attempting to steal bikes after being caught red-handed inside a bike shop in the middle of the night after prying the door open. Another crack burglar is busted after falling through the roof of a Rohnert Park bike shop.

And evidently, action cams are nothing new. Wish that Rohnert Park idiot had been wearing one when he fell through the bike shop roof.

 

Category: Bikes & the Law, Hit-and-Run, Law Enforcement, Morning Links / Tags: , , ,

Morning Links: San Diego cyclists get blamed for collisions, and accused Eagleson killer enters not guilty plea

November 23, 2014 / / 8 comments

Evidently, it’s our fault.

Mostly, anyway.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, an analysis of San Diego bike crashes since 2011 shows cyclists at fault in nearly 60% of collisions.

Of course, those stats are based on police collision reports. And as the story notes, the results are subject to question.

Their accuracy depends largely on the individual officer’s knowledge and interpretation of bike law, ability to properly investigate bike collisions — especially when the injured cyclist is often unable to give his or her side of the story — and a lack of bias.

The simple fact is that few California police officers receive adequate, let alone in-depth, training in the rights and responsibilities of bike riders, as evidenced by the frequency with which riders are ticketed for things that aren’t actually illegal, such as riding in the traffic lane or two or more abreast.

And none are trained in the unique forensics of bicycle collisions, which differ dramatically from typical automobile crashes.

As for bias, with the exception of bike cops and officers who ride on their own time, most cops see the world from the same windshield perspective as other motorists.

All of which means that stats like this may provide support those who want to write bike riders off as law-breaking scofflaws.

But until we demand better bike training for traffic investigators — and police officers in general — they will have little basis in reality.

………

Local

Not even zoo animals are safe from LA’s hit-and-run drivers, as a big horn sheep is killed after escaping its enclosure, and the jerk behind the wheel just keeps on driving.

Velonews reports on the first day of the CXLA Weekend at the Greek, with victories by Katerina Nash and James Driscoll in the elite races. Cycling Across LA offers video of the race.

A ride will be held on December 7th to honor fallen cyclist Milt Olin, roughly three months after the DA dishonored him by refusing to file charges in the case.

BikeSGV delivers their monthly newsletter filled with upcoming events in the San Gabriel Valley

 

State

Neil Storm Stephany entered a not guilty plea Friday in the alleged intoxicated hit-and-run death of cyclist Shaun Eagleson in Newport Beach last month. Stephany faces a well-deserved murder charge based on a prior DUI conviction.

Short-sighted San Clemente votes not to include bike lanes in a coming reconstruction of Calle Frontera, apparently not realizing that giving people an alternative to driving could reduce traffic.

‘Tis the season: A Pismo Beach man donates 57 bikes to the local sheriff’s department to give away for Christmas.

 

National

Great news from Tucson, as former Rep. Gabby Giffords gets back on her bike three years after the near-fatal shooting.

A road raging Seattle driver faces just three to nine months in jail following her conviction for second-degree assault for intentionally running down a cyclist in a horrific attack.

An allegedly very drunk Chicago bike share rider is critically injured after being hit by two cars.

Turns out that Wolverine-playing song-and-dance man Hugh Jackman is one of us, as he goes for a cold weather ride on the streets of New York.

A father and daughter finish their 4,200 mile trip from Washington to Key West to benefit wounded vets.

 

International

E-bikes are on a roll in Europe, but just starting to catch on in the US.

Bikes will be banned from a bucolic garden bridge over the Thames because they would allegedly spoil the peaceful walking atmosphere. And as we all know, it’s impossible to ride a bike peacefully.

Caught on video: A London cyclist captures a first-hand perspective of what it’s like to be hit by an unseen cab; the footage is evidence in a civil case.

Down Under girls just want to have fun on fixies. That is, if they’re not collecting a menagerie of bikes.

A newborn Aussie baby is safe, thanks to the cyclists who discovered him hidden in a storm drain where he had been abandoned up to five days earlier.

 

Finally…

Turns out rocket powered cyclists are nothing new. British cyclists have a better knowledge of road safety than motorists do; not surprising, since people on bikes are a lot more vulnerable on the roads those who can rely seat belts, air bags and crumple zones.

And a Boston man confronts the thief who’s stealing his bike, and wins.

 

Category: Bikes & the Law, Injuries and Fatalities, Law Enforcement, Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , ,

Weekend Links: Video highlights of next month’s CicLAvia, upcoming events, and advice on booze and biking

November 22, 2014 / / One comment

Caught on video: CicLAvia highlights the upcoming December 7th South LA route from Leimert Park to historic Central Avenue. In just 46 seconds, no less.

……..

A few upcoming events:

Cyclocross racing comes to Griffith Park on Saturday and Sunday with UCI CXLA Weekend at the Greek.

Helen’s Cycles and Think Cure! invite you to join in a training event for The Life Ride this Sunday.

The LACBC hosts their second annual Open House on December 4th. If you made it last year, you know not to miss this one; if not, you owe it to yourself to find out what you’re missing.

Bike the Vote LA is holding a strategy meeting for next year’s city elections on December 6th.

……..

Local

UCLA records nearly 39,000 bike trips into the campus over the last year; the bike-friendly university is the only college in the US to have an actively displayed bike counter.

Santa Monica’s planned bike share is scheduled to open next year; Los Angeles Magazine suggests where the hubs should be. And LADOT promises it really is in the works for LA County, or at least LA and Pasadena, to start.

 

State

Laguna Beach residents envision a downtown with bike lanes.

Closing arguments begin in the trial of a San Diego area driver who nearly killed a cyclist by trying to beat out another car when two lanes merged; prosecutors have evidently dropped accusations that it was a road rage incident.

A Coronado RN encourages bike riders to wear light colored and reflective clothing. But if riders in dark clothing are so hard to see, how is it that she manages to see them?

The Santa Cruz paper looks at Red Kite Prayer’s Patrick Brady and his new book in advance of a reading on Saturday.

 

National

I Am Traffic explains how to avoid getting right hooked by trucks.

A new Portland start-up promises to build affordable US-made custom bikes in just 10 days, starting at less than two grand.

A Texas rider demonstrates the hard way that intoxicated cyclists are a danger primarily to themselves, unlike drunk drivers who are a danger to everyone.

The rich get richer, as New York will continue building bike lanes at the same pace as when Janette Sadik-Khan was head of the city’s DOT.

New York drivers may kill seniors walking in crosswalks, but the cops focus on ticketing — and tackling —  cyclists instead.

WaPo looks at biking with your furry best friend. I’d take the Corgi on my bike, but she’d flip me the first time she saw a squirrel. Or a French fry.

Bikeyface questions what else people who question why cyclists don’t wear helmets question.

 

International

Copenhagenize says the time has come to give the elderly the right to feel the wind in their hair as they ride. And Copenhagenize author Mikael Colville-Andersen looks at the rise of bicycling in France.

Save money by buying a used pro bike, as long as you’re willing to tweak it and go without a warranty; doping optional.

In what sounds like a bad comedy routine, the UK’s roads minister refuses to build segregated bikeways that would encourage more cycling until there are more cyclists to use them. Got it?

London cyclists are fined over £1million in a crackdown intended to improve bike safety; no word on how much drivers, who pose the greater risk, were fined.

Turns out there’s no speed limit for cyclists in London’s Hyde Park, even though a BBC radio host was ticketed for breaking it.

A big-hearted Scot cyclist on a round-the-world tour picks up a four legged hitchhiker in Turkey, carrying the wounded dog over 200 miles to find a new home.

Ireland’s new road safety czar calls on drivers to be more careful and stop running down bike riders.

Rwanda hopes to become the heart of African bike racing.

 

Finally…

Caught on video: I’ve often felt like I was flying on my bike, but it never occurred to me to actually add a propeller. How to indulge in booze and still ride the next day.

And if you’re riding a bike in Huntington Beach with a loaded gun, ammunition and a handful of knives, don’t go off half-cocked without the right equipment on it.

 

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