Tag Archive for Angeles National Forest

Bike-riding victim ID’d in Azusa motorcycle cop crash, Angeles NF crashes, and murder charges in 2020 Venice shooting

We finally know what happened.

Yesterday, we complained about a lack of transparency from the Azusa Police Department, which still hadn’t explained why happened when a motorcycle cop killed a bike rider in a collision in the unincorporated Charter Oak area on Monday.

Now the victim has finally been identified as 67-year old Xueqi Li.

Li was reportedly crossing Cienega Ave at Asherton Ave when he was struck by the off-duty officer, who was traveling east on Cienega on his way home.

The officer remains hospitalized in stable condition.

However, there’s no explanation for why the crash happened. Or why Li’s age had been estimated as anything from his 40s or 50s, or why he was originally identified as a pedestrian.

The collision remains under investigation by the CHP. Anyone with information is urged to call the Southern Division Investigative Services Unit at 323/644-9550.

Hopefully we’ll learn more soon.

Photo by Brett Sayles from Pexels.

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This is the downside of riding in the Angeles National Forest above Los Angeles.

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Something tells me they could use this in the rest of the country right about now.

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Mitt Romney was one of us, riding a bike during his Mormon mission in France in 1968.

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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 county councilor complains that a decision to invest the equivalent of $13.5 million in new bikeways is “not money well spent,” arguing that it doesn’t make sense to spend 10% of the transportation budget on bicycling when only 1% commute by bike. Which is exactly why more people don’t.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly. 

Police at Louisiana State University are looking for a theft suspect who was last seen riding away on a bicycle.

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Local

Two men face murder charges in the fatal shooting of a young mother outside bike rental shop on the Venice Boardwalk in December 2020.

 

State

The new federal infrastructure bill will require California to spend 15% of Highway Safety Improvement Program funds on protecting vulnerable road users, under a provision for states where bicycling and pedestrian deaths make up over 15% of overall traffic deaths.

Despite a business owner insisting she never sees anyone using San Diego’s new 30th Street bike lanes, a recently installed bike counter shows an average of 282 people using them on a daily basis.

The death of a recumbent rider outside a Fresno park last month was due in part to a 2008 decision making it difficult to access unless you’re in a car.

Berkeley ripped out a block of brand new barrier protected bike lanes after discovering that truck drivers couldn’t access a medical center campus. Which they probably should have figured out before they built it.

A Gold Country writer sets out for her first bike ride in a couple years, and surprises herself with how much she enjoys it.

 

National

Travel site Lonely Planet recommends the best bike trails for your next trip to Bozeman, Montana.

That’s more like it. A pedaling Minneapolis pastor is on a one-man mission to get bicycle traffic reports on the local public radio station, rather than just the usual auto-centric traffic updates.

The state’s decision to take back a San Antonio, Texas roadway to halt a planned road diet is called a big blow to safe bicycling in the city.

A New Jersey man faces charges of vehicular homicide, speeding, reckless driving, careless driving and improper passing for killing a 62-year old woman riding next to another person; he was doing 75 mph in a 50 mph zone, and trying to pass on a blind hill when he swerved back into the victim to avoid a driver coming from the opposite direction.

DC is pledging to build another ten miles of protected bike lanes this year, with a goal of doubling the current 24 miles of protected lanes within the next few years.

She gets it. The head of Georgia’s Department of Transportation blames bad driver behavior for a jump in traffic fatalities, saying nine out of ten times a driver is at fault.

 

International

Canada’s Global News offers advice on how to keep riding your bike through the winter. Some of which even applies down here in sunny California.

A London ebike rider captures the moment he was barely able to avoid a bikejacker, who sprinted towards him from the side of the road; another person had his bicycle stolen at knifepoint in Birmingham.

The Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain and Luxembourg all pay people to commute by bike, so why doesn’t the US?

 

Competitive Cycling

Pez Cycling News recalls pro cyclists who were never the same after suffering serious crashes.

 

Finally…

That feeling when you almost run over Oprah on your moped. Or when a mortician refuses to ride a bike in a bike lane.

And here’s the perfect note to end the week on.

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Update: Mountain biker found dead after search in Angeles National Forest

An overnight ground and air search for a missing mountain biker led to bad news in the hills above Altadena.

According to KCBS-2, a Torrance man was found dead in the Angeles National Forrest around 10:30 Saturday morning, after going missing while riding on Friday.

The victim, whose name has been withheld pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced dead after his body was discovered on the Brown Mountain Truck Trail.

There were no apparent signs of trauma, which suggests he may have died of natural causes, or perhaps succumbed to exposure from being lost on the mountainside overnight.

This is the 10th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second in Los Angeles County.

Update: The Pasadena Star News reports that, contrary to the earlier report, the victim did show trauma consistent with a fall. His body was discovered a short distance from his bike, which had been spotted by a hiker around 10 am about three miles up the trail. 

He had gone for a ride Friday morning; a search was initiated at 9 pm Friday when his cellphone was traced to an SUV parked at the trailhead.

Update 2: SFV Media identifies the victim as 49-year old Torrance resident Evan Bruce Sisson. The site reports he was discovered partway down a cliff, with his bike at the base.

Update 3: The LA County Coroner confirmed that Sission died from ischemic heart disease and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, rather than a fall.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Evan Bruce Sisson and his loved ones.

Update: Bike rider killed in close pass on Mt. Baldy Road last Saturday

No name.

One lousy paragraph.

Evidently, that’s all the life of a Fontana cyclist is worth, as the Claremont Courier reports a bike rider was killed on Mt. Baldy Road last Saturday.

According to the paper, the 59-year old victim was riding south on Mt. Baldy Road near Evey Canyon around 7 am on Saturday, June 14th, when a 77-year old driver attempted to pass him. She hit him with the passenger side mirror of her SUV, knocking him to the ground with great force.

He died after being airlifted to USC Medical Center with severe head trauma. The paper notes that he suffered the injuries despite wearing a helmet, which suggests a significant impact.

No other information is available at this time, including the names of the victim and driver.

The collision is still under investigation. However, even without the new three-foot passing law going into effect until September, this would appear to be a clear case of unsafe passing at the very least.

This is the 46th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 19th in Los Angeles County.

Update: Comments from Cheryl and Sierra Ornelas identify the victim as Carlos Vasquez, who was riding with his son at the time of the collision.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Carlos Vasquez and his loved ones.

Thanks to Erik Griswold for the heads-up.