The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that a 63-year old man riding a “battery-assisted bicycle” has been killed in a collision in San Diego’s Barrio Logan neighborhood.
Evidently, they’ve never heard of an ebike.
According to police, the victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding west on Harbor Drive near Beardsley Street around 9:30 this morning when he swerved to go around a box truck.
Police say there’s no evidence of intoxication, even though there’s not a single mention of a driver, as if the Charger was driving itself.
There’s also no word on how fast the driver was going; it seems unlikely that simply crashing into the side of the car would throw the victim over the hood.
There’s also no word on whether the truck was parked in the bike lane on Harbor or traveling in the right lane. And no explanation where the victim was riding prior to the crash.
This is at least the 45th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
He is also the seventh bike rider to die on SoCal streets just this month.
Update: Raw video from the scene shows the car, with a shattered windshield, but no visible damage on the right front side where police say the victim’s bike struck the car.
I’m not embedding the video because it shows the victim’s body in the roadway covered by a tarp, as well as his broken bicycle. So be sure you really want to see that before you click the link.
Thanks to T for the link.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
June 21, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Updating traffic violence news, Healthy Streets LA turns in 120,000 signatures, and OC applies for bikeway grant
Happy first day of summer! And belated Juneteenth and Father’s Day greetings!
Maybe one of these days I’ll actually catch up to the calendar.
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Let’s start by updating a pair of tragedies we mentioned yesterday.
Lionel Mares forwards photos from Saturday’s ride along the LA River with LACBC and California Sate Senator Maria Elena Durazo and LACBC Executive Director Eli Akira Kaufman.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Denver area sheriff’s deputies are looking for a man with a long criminal record who allegedly swerved his pickup onto the shoulder of a highway to attack a group of bicyclists Sunday morning, critically injuring one woman; deputies found his abandoned truck that night, after he had stopped briefly to dislodge a bicycle stuck underneath it.
The star of the documentary Q Ball was released from prison after 24 long years; he had been sentenced to life behind bars for his third strike conviction after Long Beach police found him in possession of a gun when they stopped him for riding his bike without a light. Otherwise known as a pretext stop, giving cops an excuse to stop and search someone.
File this one under bad ideas. President Biden is considering a temporary pause in the already too low federal gas tax, which hasn’t been raised in 29 years. There are better ways to address the pain of high gas taxes than cutting funds that support transportation spending. Like tax rebates funded by a windfall profits tax on oil companies.
A Portland man has filed suit against the city, alleging he was injured by a flashbang grenade and beaten by police during the 2020 racial justice protests, and unable to reclaim his bicycle after it was seized by officers.
This is who we share the road with. Six people were injured, three critically, when a New York cabbie hit a bike rider after rounding a corner, then jumped the curb, slamming into several pedestrians and pinning two women against a wall; once again, police suspect the driver may have suffered some sort of medical episode.
And once again, a bike rider is a hero. If only to our feathered friends.
This little pigeon walked right up to me as I was getting my bike out of the car and jumped up on to my arm. Seemed to be seeking shade and since it’s hot I filled a cap from my WD-40 can with my mix of water and cranberry juice I drink on rides, and now he’s a happy avian! pic.twitter.com/JaUOJZtVui
The proposal calls for building out the previously approved Mobility Plan 2035 whenever a street in the plan gets resurfaced; the city has currently built out just 3% of the plan in the seven years since it was adopted.
At that rate, they should call it Mobility Plan 2268, since that’s how long it would take the city to finish it.
If they actually did.
This proposal probably won’t have the teeth of the ballot proposal, which would require the city to carry it out.
But it’s still a big step forward, and would serve as a strong backup if the ballot measure fails at the ballot box this fall.
Although the second part of that should surprise exactly no one.
Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.
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Robert Leone forwards word that Camp Pendleton will be doing construction work affecting the bike path through the base.
1. From 22 June to 8 July, there will be constructions on Vandegrift near the intersection of Stuart Mesa Rd/Ash St. This construction will impact the bike path due to lane closure so cyclists need to be extra careful and maintain single file, per Base requirement.
2. From 9 July to 22 July, Vandengrift Rd west of the Stuart Mesa/Ash St intersection will be closed to inbound and outbound traffic 24/7 and that forces us to close the bike path from the Main gate to the Las Pulgas gate.
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Evidently, he did more than just play Auld Lang Syne every New Years.
Born on this day, June 19: Guy Lombardo (1902-1977), bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racer (wha…!?), shown here with actress Joan Marsh in Many Happy Returns (1934). Happy #bicyclebirthday, Guy!#botdpic.twitter.com/sN1mrJjXRs
Once again, bike riders are heroes. A group of Forth Worth bicyclists paused in the middle of their weekly ride to rescue a dog who had been abandoned on a bridge support.
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This may be the best, if not strangest, 11 minutes of your day.
I mean, after all, who wouldn’t fall for someone with a flying bicycle?
British drivers are up in arms over bicyclists with helmet and bike cams capturing their bad driving and reporting them to the police. Or maybe it’s just the British tabloids trying to stir up trouble to sell more papers.
An adjunct professor from Pacific Oaks College makes the case for the Arroyo Link, which would be the city’s first protected bike and pedestrian path, connecting Old Town Pasadena with the Arroyo Seco.
He was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The driver remained at the scene, and police don’t suspect they were speeding or under the influence.
The intersection is controlled with a traffic signal in each direction, with bike lanes on Bristol above Edinger. There’s no word on who may have had the green light in the moments before the crash.
Anyone with information is urged to call Santa Ana PD Cpl. W. Hadley at 714/245-8216.
This is at least the 44th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and already the seventh that I’m aware of in Orange County.
June 17, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Possible closure of Griffith Park Drive, more on bike chop shop ban, and fallen AIDS/LifeCycle rider remembered
My apologies for another unexcused absence yesterday.
I’m still battling debilitating bouts of dizziness and brain fog, which my doctors insist is a form of neurological migraines. But which haven’t responded to medication or drastic changes in diet.
Which makes me think maybe they missed the mark this time.
Most days I can struggle through it. But others, like yesterday, it knocks me on my ass.
While it’s shorter than the original proposal, this is a huge step forward in removing cars from the park, and reducing the kind of cut-through traffic that resulted in the April death of Andrew Jelmert on Crystal Springs Drive.
Parks should be for people. Not an alternative to driving the freeway.
Thank you! The original planned area to protect vulnerable road users was Griffith Park Drive from Zoo Drive to Crystal Springs.
Streetsblog’s Sahra Suliaman calls the new LA ordinance banning bike chop shops a remnant of outgoing CD15 Councilmember Joe Bucaino’s failed “broken sidewalks” campaign for mayor.
The proposal, which passed by an 11 to 3 vote, must go back to the council next week after failing to receive a unanimous vote for approval in its first reading. A second vote only needs a majority vote for approval, virtually guaranteeing its passage.
Meanwhile, Bike Portland’s Jonathan Maus points out that “laws enforced by police against vulnerable people have a way of being abused and unfairly implemented.”
The 57-year old Illinois man was on his third ride to raise funds and awareness to fight HIV/AIDS, after riding from Minneapolis to Chicago and Boston to New York.
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Let’s talk bike helmets.
Discover looks at the science behind bicycle helmets protecting bicyclists, pointing out the benefits of helmets, as well as the limited protection they offer at speeds above 20 mph. And how mandatory helmet laws can have a contradictory effect by reducing ridership.
The new $588 million Sixth Street Viaduct will finally open next month, three years late and $100 million over budget; the July 9th opening will be limited to pedestrians, with the following day open to bike riders and pedestrians, before the bridge opens to motor vehicles on July 11th.
Police in McKinleyville are looking for the heartless hit-and-run van driver who ran a red light and hit a man on his bike, then got out of her vehicle to look at him lying on the ground before getting back in and driving away.
Bicyclingexamines the current state of the manhunt for Kaitlin Armstrong, the accused killer of gravel cyclist Moriah “Mo” Wilson, including new clues to her whereabouts. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t appear to be available on Yahoo, so you’re on your own if the magazine blocks you.
EF Education has just two riders remaining in the Tour de Suiss, after four team members were forced to abandon after catching Covid. Which serves as yet another reminder that the disease hasn’t gone anywhere, as much as we might wish it was over.
Unfortunately, there’s no word on whether the victim had lights on their bike, or if the driver of the SUV was distracted. Or if there was some other reason why the driver were apparently unable to see someone on a bicycle directly in front of them.
Anyone with information is urged to call Deputy M. Lee or Deputy R. Castillo at the Victorville Police Station at 760/241-2911.
This is at least the 43rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all their loved ones.
June 15, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on LA approves ban on bike chop shops, and environmental groups pull support for awful Geary-designed LA River plan
The ordinance is intended to give police a tool to address the proliferation of chop shops dealing in stolen bicycles, often found in homeless encampments throughout the city.
He said the new law, which is modeled after a similar one in the city of Long Beach, would target people in possession of five or more bicycle parts, a bicycle frame with the gear cables or brake cables cut, two or more bicycles with missing parts, or three or more bicycles on public property.
It also is written to specifically exclude people with a valid business license, as well as someone fixing their own bicycle.
While bike theft and receiving stolen merchandise are already illegal, LAPD officers tell me it can be difficult to make a case, since most bikes are never reported stolen, and it’s almost impossible to identify a bicycle once it’s been dismantled.
Even if they can make a case, it’s usually just a misdemeanor, since it’s hard to prove the value of the stolen bikes are more than the $950 value for grand theft. Which means the suspects are usually back on the street doing business again within days.
Whether this will be successful in preventing bike thefts, or simply becomes a tool for harassing and criminalizing homeless people, remains to be seen.
ESPN’s ESPY award winner Jason McElwain was seriously injured when he was hit by a driver while riding his bike in Greece, New York; the autistic student manager of his high school basketball team, McElwain gained fame when the coach put him in near the end of the team’s final home game, and he responded by sinking seven three-point shots. He’s now a motivational speaker.
UPS is testing small battery-powered delivery trucks designed to operate in New York bike lanes. In other words, just one more obstacle putting bike riders at risk. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.
An Irish delivery rider has been acquitted of murder for stabbing a 16-year old boy to death, agreeing he acted in self-defense when he was attacked by a group of teenagers while trying to reclaim another delivery rider’s stolen bicycle.
He was thrown several feet into the middle of the intersection, and died after being taken to a nearby hospital.
The victim has been publicly identified only as a man in his 30s.
The driver speed off, evidently without stopping. Witnesses describe the vehicle only as a gray colored sedan.
Hopefully, we’ll get more information soon.
This is at least the 42nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 16th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County. It’s also the ninth in the City of Los Angeles.
Shamefully, 15 of those Southern California victims have been hit-and-run drivers, with six taking place in Los Angeles County, including five in the City of LA.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all his loved ones.
June 14, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on 6 years for hit-and-run death of Colton boy, LA votes on bike chop shop ban today, and demand Griffith Park bike safety
Thirty-seven-year old Riverside resident Rosendo Morales Caldera pled guilty earlier this month to hit-and-run resulting in death, with a sentence enhancement of fleeing the scene of a crime, after prosecutors dropped a misdemeanor count of driving without a license.
Caldera might not have faced any jail time if he’d just stopped his damn truck, since Colton resident Gonzalez and his friends were riding on the wrong side of the street.
However, it will exempt “people in possession of a single bike being repaired with the express purpose of allowing them to ride it again.” Which means you shouldn’t be subject to the law just for fixing your bike in public.
Key word, shouldn’t.
Although whether it will actually have an effect on bike theft remains to be seen.
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A Reddit post reminds us about the Griffith Park Advisory Board, which meets twice a month to discuss matters concerning the park.
Like how to keep bike riders safe from all the cars and drivers they let in to what should be a safe place for people.
He gets it. An op-ed from former Santa Monica City Manager and Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Rick Cole says stop spending billions on freeways. That money could be better spent on transit, biking and pedestrian projects to reduce the need to drive, instead of fueling it.
Kansas drivers are reminded to watch out for bike riders this month, as the Trans Am Bike Race and the Race Across America, aka RAAM, roll through the state, along with the annual Biking Across Kansas; three riders have been killed in the last five years.
A Calgary man was sentenced to three years and three months behind bars for the drunken crash that killed a bike-riding man as the driver was leaving a golf course; the judge rejected a defense plea for a lenient sentence, saying it wouldn’t deter other people from drinking and driving.
June 13, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Nine injured when LA driver jumps curb, LA County considers cutting speed limits, and leaving drivers in your dust
Today’s common theme is the recognition that people aren’t safe from drivers anywhere.
Or the two people who were killed, including an eight-year old boy, and another woman injured, when a speeding motorcyclist went off the shoulder of a New York State roadway and slammed into a group of pedestrians standing on a bike path.
Seriously, something is wrong when people who aren’t even in the roadway still aren’t safe from drivers and their deadly machines.
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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will consider a motion tomorrow to reduce speed limits on some streets.
Heartbreaking news from La Jolla, where a 90-year old man was killed riding an e-scooter when he was struck by an 80-year old driver. Once again raising the question of how old is too old to drive.
