Day 23 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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It’s our third light bike news day in a row, as some guy in Washington seems to be sucking up all the news space. Which just means I can get to bed that much earlier.
Although it’s questionable how much sleep I’ll get, as smoke from yet another not-too-distant LA fire infiltrates our apartment once again.
Today’s photo: apropos of nothing, a bike hanging on a wall of a defunct coffee shop.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. British drivers complain about bikeshare bikes, calling them a “blight” on the sidewalks, but parking cars on said sidewalks appears to be just fine.
A road-raging UK driver will spend the next 18 months behind bars after being convicted for using his car as a weapon by deliberately ramming a bike rider following a punishment pass, then getting out of his car and yelling at the victim as he lay helpless on the street.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
The Imperial County DA’s office says they’ll be cracking down on riders of ebikes and electric motorcycles for unspecified violations. Which seems like illegal selective enforcement, unless they crack down on violations by other road users to the same degree.
A 44-year old Oregon woman pled not guilty to charges including vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run and DUI for allegedly just driving off after hitting two men riding bicycles in San Luis Obispo, killing an 87-year old Avila Beach man and injuring his 74-year old companion.
This is the cost of traffic violence. A man describe as a “powerful pedaling force” for the Albuquerque, New Mexico bicycling community was killed by a driver while riding his bike home after spending the day refurbishing bicycles for children in need; 64-year old Chuck Malagodi, who led bike tours around the world before moving to the city, was just a mile from his home when he was killed, after he had refused a ride from a friend.
The BBC insists that a TV show attacking ebikes and lumping low-speed ped-assist ebikes together illegally modified electric motorbikes was “fair and impartial and clearly not an attack on the e-bike industry,” despite complaints by viewers and a trade association that it was exactly that.
Day 20 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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Well, this ain’t good.
The National Weather Service is calling for a return of Santa Ana winds up to 100 mph starting this afternoon — the same conditions that fueled the deadly wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena exactly two weeks ago.
So beware of dangerous wind gusts that can rise suddenly, keep an eye out for any sign of fire or smoke, and keep your phone handy for any wind or evacuation alerts.
After last time, we’ve all seen what could happen. So if you smell smoke, wear a mask. And if there’s a fire anywhere around you, get the hell out.
Please.
⚠️POWERFUL & DAMAGING SANTA ANA WINDSTORM INCOMING!!⚠️
Take action now to prepare your home and loved ones for another round of EXTREME WIND and FIRE WEATHER, staring tomorrow afternoon! Worst winds Mon afternoon – Tue morning. #CAwx#SantaAnaWindspic.twitter.com/CuhRHgOTjF
Tony Parsons died after the driver drove away, leaving him propped against a fence overnight. The driver came back with his brother the next day and buried Parsons in an unmarked grave in the woods, along with his bike and belongings, where his body wasn’t found for another three years.
Alexander “Sandy” McKellar was sentenced to 12 years behind bars, while his twin brother Robert got five years and three months.
They probably would have gotten away with it if Sandy McKeller hadn’t taken his girlfriend to the burial site in 2020, and confessed the whole crime to her.
She promptly reported it to the police. Yet it wasn’t until the next year that the grave was finally discovered and the McKellers arrested.
It’s questionable whether most drivers will ever grasp the concept that riding abreast and controlling the lane makes us safer, while making it easier for them. It just requires a little patience.
Spot on by the cyclists. The camera looks to be from an HGV.
Needs at least 1.5m to pass. Going side by side the cyclists make their line shorter. A clear piece of road appeared, pass to the offside is safe.
Police in Spartanburg, South Carolina are on the lookout for two suspects, after the passenger in a car threw a drink cup at a man riding a bicycle; the cops were able to find the cup, so it’s conceivable they may be able to lift prints. That happened to me so often riding in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that I could have opened my own convenience store. Although it must not have been illegal there, because I eventually gave up on trying to get a cop to take a report.
One last bike-friendly federal bill before the new administration takes over, with the signing of the Biking On Long Distance Trails (BOLT) Act, which will require the feds to build at least 10 long-distance bicycle routes throughout the US, and identify potential routes 10 more using existing roads and trails.
This is why people keep dying on our streets. Heartbreaking news from Florida, where a 53-year old man without a license was busted for his third DUI — but not until he ran a stop sign and killed six-year old kid riding a bike. Just one more example of why it’s not enough to suspend the driver’s license after a second DUI. The driver’s car should have been impounded for the full term of his license suspension.
A pair of Aussie bicyclists were seriously injured, and their bikes significantly damaged, when they were run down from behind by a hit-and-run driver. Raising the obvious question of how anyone fails to see not one, but two grown men on bicycles directly in front of them.
Two-time Tour de France camp Jonas Vingegaard calls for an immediate end to carbon monoxide doping, the latest not-yet-illegal fad among the pro racing crowd. Which raises the question of whether LA cyclists would fail a CO test simply for breathing the air around here these days.
The former sports director for Belgian women’s cycling team Proximus-Cyclis, now Team Velopro–Alphamotorhomes, was banned for five years on Friday after being accused of inappropriate psychological and sexual harassment; the team manager was banned for 18 months and fined the equivalent of $5,500 for failing to report it. Is there really such a thing as appropriate psychological and/or sexual harassment?
Investigators also seized two cars after serving a search warrant at a home in Los Angeles.
According to witnesses, a group of around forty teenage bike riders got into a verbal dispute with the driver of a blue BMW while riding south on Figueroa Street.
They rode into the parking lot at BMO Stadium to get away, but were followed by the driver of a second car, described as a Honda sedan. That driver plowed into Flores, who wasn’t involved in the initial confrontation, before fleeing the parking lot.
Flores died at the scene.
The cars seized by the CHP were a blue BMW, and a Honda Accord, corresponding with the witnesses description.
However, no arrest has been made, as the CHP is urging the person of interest to turn himself in.
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It should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been following this site that hit-and-run deaths in Los Angeles continue at near record levels, accounting for nearly a third of all traffic deaths in the city.
And things aren’t not much better this year, with just five fewer people dying in hit-and-runs through the end of October, compared to last year.
Also not surprising, people in DTLA and South LA bore the brunt of the problem, without a single neighborhood in the wealthy Westside showing up on a list of the 13 worst neighborhoods for hit-and-run this year.
Then there’s this.
Also increasingly at risk are bicyclists. According to LAPD data, nine cyclists have died in hit-and-runs so far this year; the recent annual high for bicycle hit-and-run deaths was nine in 2019 and again in 2023.
Altogether this year, 21 bicyclists have been killed in collisions, according to Traffic Division Compstat data. Another 130 people suffered serious injuries.
Michael Schneider, founder and director of transportation-focused advocacy group Streets For All, said bicyclists are “being pushed to the margins” of the roads. With streets in the city being designed like freeways, with wide lanes and synchronized traffic lights, the result, he said, is more speeding, which endangers cyclists and pedestrians.
Never mind that a total of 151 people have been killed or seriously injured riding a bicycle in LA this year.
And you wonder why I’ve been warning that my totals were probably an undercount.
I’ve long called for taking the crime more seriously, including revoking, not suspending, the license of any driver who flees the scene of a collision, regardless of severity.
Along with impounding their cars as evidence until their case is settled, then selling them upon conviction, with any proceeds going to the victims.
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Failure continues to stalk the bike industry, with three more bike-related companies going belly up or suspending sales.
French sportswear maker Le Coq Sportif also went into receivership; the firm made all the yellow jerseys for the Tour de France for more than four decades, noncontiguous though those decades may have been.
And Swiss bikemaker Stromer is immediately suspending sales of its Stromer and Desiknio bike brands in the US and Canada, after it was unable to find a North American distributor willing to take it over. Thanks to Ellectrek for the heads-up.
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Black Friday is once again rearing its ugly head. Although now it’s a week, if not a month, instead of a single day, making it much harder to ignore.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
More than 30 Evanston, Illinois business owners decided to shoot themselves in the foot by urging city officials to drop plans to expand a protected bike lane, apparently not wanting the increase in foot and bike traffic, and higher retail sales and property values, that usually come with such projects.
More bad news from Northern California, after someone riding a bicycle was killed by the driver of a massive Yukon SUV in Concord on Sunday. Although a collision with a vehicle that big is unlikely to be survivable, anyway. Which is why drivers of large vehicles should have a greater responsibility to drive safely, but unfortunately don’t.
National
Hawaii celebrated the opening of a new bike lane through Central Oahu that was decades in the making. Which demonstrates the needless and ridiculous delays we face nearly everywhere in the US in getting much needed safety improvements on the streets.
Our former president isn’t the only one skating on criminal charges, after an Oregon judge granted a DEI agent immunity from prosecution on charges of blowing through a stop sign and killing a woman riding a bicycle in Salem last year. Although you’ll have to figure out a way around the Oregonian’s paywall if you want to read about it.
Just 76 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
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Western was supposed to get bike lanes, until it wasn’t, apparently.
Which could be a Measure HLA violation.
Or not.
Ken Shima forwards news that Western Avenue and 1st Street in San Pedro recently got a makeover, adding a central turn lane — while removing space for a long-promised bike lane.
LA’s Mobility Plan 2035, which subsumed the city’s 2010 bike plan, includes bike lanes on Western. That means they have been planned for at least 14 years; according to Ken, they were finally scheduled to be installed in 2027.
But the new center turn lane recently installed by the city removed curbside parking, moving the right traffic lane right up to the gutter.
And in the process, removed any possible space for the promised bike lane.
Which means that unless the city is planning a road diet, they are no longer planning on the promised bike lanes.
Yet Measure HLA, which passed with an overwhelming majority earlier this year, requires the implementation of any street safety measures contained in the mobility plan anytime an eighth-mile or more of street gets resurfaced.
And that looks like more than an eighth-mile to me.
But maybe they’re trying to get around HLA by restriping the street without resurfacing.
Ken tells me he’s reached out to Councilmember Tim McOsker’s office, which represents the district, for clarification.
I speculated about various possible causes, but without more information, all I could do was guess.
However, there’s no word on why he may have lost control. It’s possible he could have struck a pothole or some sort of obstacle while riding at speed, lost a tire, or been the victim of a too-close pass — which would make it hit-and-run.
There’s also no word on whether he had a cycling computer or Strava account that could shed some light on what happened. So unless investigators find a witness or video of the crash, we may never know the cause.
Now longtime San Diego bike advocate Serge Issakov visits the scene to fill in the blanks.
Issakov reports the site is at the bottom of a descent with a typical 4% grade, where road cyclists typically reach speeds of 26 to 30 mph, while a KOM could be somewhere in the 40 mph range.
The typical car-ticker plastic bollards show clear signs of being run over more than once, and would likely have been virtually invisible under the typical Del Mar marine layer — let alone if there was any coastal fog or haze in the morning hour.
But even without hitting the post, the cracks visible in the pavement could have easily destabilized the victim, which could have been enough to send him into the curb or the grate in the gutter, and onto the sidewalk.
And at those speeds, it might not have mattered whether he was wearing a helmet.
All I can say, after watching Issakov’s video, is I hope the victim’s family has a good lawyer.
If not, I can sure as hell recommend one.
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Talk about misreading the data.
The former Streets Officer for London TravelWatch says ebike crashes are pushing up bicycling death rates in the Netherlands, while the bicycling death rate is declining in the UK.
British bicyclists were properly horrified by a recent column in the conservative Telegraph newspaper that called for driving dangerous bike riders off the road, as Tory MPs ignored bike safety in calling for a crackdown. I wanted to link to the original Telegraph piece yesterday, but it disappeared behind the paper’s paywall before I could.
A German truck driver will spend the next four years in an Italian jail after he was sentenced for the hit-and-run death of former Italian cyclist Davide Rebellin; Rebellin, a three-time winner of Fleche Wallonne, as well as winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Amstel Gold Race, was run down while he was on a training ride.
October 3, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on A $7 million SD safety fail, U-T sharrows fail, and taking a pass on what passes for record CA traffic safety investment
Just 88 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
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L’Shana Tova to everyone celebrating the new year today!
And apropos of nothing, I’m happy to report I wrote today’s entire post wearing a T-shirt with a bear riding a bicycle, as bears are wont to do.
Just saying.
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Call it a $7 million fail — one that ultimately cost the life of a San Diego bike rider.
That’s the amount the city paid out to the family of Marc Woolf, who died 17 months after he was struck by a pair of drivers and paralyzed from the next down, dying of sepsis 17 months later.
Woolf was on his way home from his job at the San Diego zoo in May, 2021 when a driver coming out of a blind driveway backed into him, knocking him onto the other side of the street, where he was hit again by second driver.
But instead of blaming the drivers, Woolf’s legal team accused the city of creating and maintaining poor road conditions.
The case highlights the potential dangers of “sharrows,” marked bike routes that require cars and bicycles to share portions of roadway instead of giving cyclists areas reserved only for them.
I’m no fan of sharrows, which studies have shown to be worse than nothing when it comes to protecting the safety of bike riders.
But that’s a discussion for another day.
The paper was clearly mistaken, at best, in blaming any and all sharrows for this particular crash, rather than the poorly designed and implemented sharrows on this one particular street.
I’ve heard that some San Diego bicyclists have called on the paper for a retraction.
And they may have a point this time.
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California is making a record investment in traffic safety and enforcement as traffic deaths continue to rise, according to the Governor’s office.
The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is awarding a record $149 million in federal funding for 497 grants that expand safe biking and walking options and provide critical education and enforcement programs that will make roads safer throughout the state. This is the third consecutive year of historic funding, exceeding last year’s amount by $21 million.
Yet that record spending to “expand safe biking and walking options” includes just $13 million for bicycle and pedestrian safety programs, up a modest 12% from the previous grant cycle.
Even though bicyclists and pedestrians account for most, if not all, of the recent increase in traffic deaths.
Meanwhile, a whopping $51 million will go to law enforcement agencies to conduct what’s described as “equitable enforcement targeting the most dangerous driving behaviors such as speeding, distracted and impaired driving, as well as support education programs focused on bicycle and pedestrian safety.”
In other words, more daylong — or usually, just a few hours — enforcement actions targeting violations that could put bicyclists and pedestrians at risk, regardless of who commits them.
Which, to the best of my knowledge, hasn’t been proven to do a damn bit of good reducing deaths or serious injuries among either group.
So if that’s what passes for a record investment, I’ll pass.
Never mind that the city’s barely competent and very conservative City Attorney’s Office continues to drag its feet on crafting guidance for city departments regarding the measure, nearly seven months after it went into effect after passing overwhelmingly.
And remember, lane-miles means they count each side of the road separately, so we’re only talking a measly 11.25 miles of actual street.
Then there’s this.
While there is some year-to-year variation, and some lag time between project planning getting underway and on the ground upgrades, the first full fiscal year does not look like a promising start for Mayor Karen Bass. Bass has prioritized critical housing issues and not paid much attention to safer multimodal streets – at least not yet. FY2024 did see Mayor Karen Bass appoint Laura Rubio-Cornejo to head the city Transportation Department (LADOT). Rubio-Cornejo replaced interim GM Connie Llanos last September.
No shit.
If anyone has heard Bass even mention safer and/or multimodal streets, let me know. Because I sure as hell haven’t heard it.
Then again, the city’s freeze on resurfacing projects to avoid implementing HLA hasn’t helped.
The CHP has received a $1.55 million federal grant for year-long initiative focusing on “educating the public and enforcing traffic safety laws for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.” Maybe they could spend some of the money on educating their patrol officers a little better on bike law and how to investigate collisions involving bicyclists.
Momentum offers ten “amazing coastal cities” in the US for bicycling; Santa Barbara is #9 on the list, while Huntington Beach is #2 — even though three people lost their lives riding in the city in just the last 12 months.
An editorial from a local Boston paper says bicycling isn’t safe in the city. Then again, the same could be said in virtually any city in the US. Los Angeles included.
I’ve been out for over a month after surgery to replace two tendon and fix a number of tears in my right shoulder. I’m now looking at a long recovery, with six months of rehab before I’m back to normal, let alone get back on a bike.
Or whatever passes for normal at my age.
I’ll do my best to keep this site going on a regular basis, but may face some issues going forward depending on how well rehab goes.
Before we move on, though, let’s take a moment to consider that the new tendons holding my shoulder together came from caring people who donated their bodies after death.
We tend to think of organ donation as involving hearts and lungs, livers and kidneys. But corneas, skin, bones and yes, tendons, also stem from that same kindness.
And I couldn’t be more grateful for them.
So if you haven’t signed your organ donor card, what the hell are you waiting for?
Now let’s catch up on some of the bigger stories we missed over the past 34 days, before we get back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.
The brothers were run down on a rural road in Oldmans Township on Thursday, August 30th, the night before they were supposed to be groomsmen in their sister’s wedding.
Needless to say, the wedding is off for now.
They were run down from behind after the driver, identified as 43-year old Sean Higgins, passed one car on the left, then attempted to pass an SUV on the right when it moved left to go around the Gaudreaus.
Higgins failed a field sobriety test, telling police he had five or six beers before the crash, and that his drinking probably contributed to “his impatience and reckless driving.”
He was arrested at the scene, and charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
SB 960 requires Caltrans to follow their own Complete Streets policies
SB 961 is a severely watered-down version of the bill which would have forced automakers to prevent drivers from speeding more than ten miles over the speed limit; the law now just requires an audible warning
SB 1297 extends the states speed cam pilot program to PCH in Malibu
SB 1261 limits the placement of sharrows to streets with speed limits of 30 mph or less
SB 689 eliminates the need for a separate Coastal Commission study in order to convert a traffic lane to a bike or transit lane
SB 1271 requires that only ebikes with UL or EU certification can be sold in the state
In 2021 the City began a high-level study which envisioned the Wash as a nine mile green space from its confluence with the LA River up to Crescenta Valley Park. It includes bike and pedestrian trails with access to business and entertainment venues, and connects several important city centers, services and a multitude of neighborhoods that make up a large core of Glendale.
Walk Bike Glendale urges you to attend or call into the meeting, or email the individual council members in advance.
Once again, the Los Angeles County Sheriff department demonstrated how little their deputies know about bike law, when former LA-based pro Phil Gaimon — star of the Worst Retirement Ever videos on YouTube — had to educate one on why the ticket he was about to get was against the law.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
After a 14-year old boy was seriously injured by a garbage truck driver while riding to school in La Mesa, California, the city’s NBC station demonstrated how to get the story wrong, with a headline suggesting the boy collided with the truck, rather than the other way around. Nope, no bias there.
Police in Dublin, Ireland are investigating an apparent road rage attack by a driver who pushed a bicyclist up against a barrier and repeatedly hit him with his fists as bystanders tried to stop the attack.
Caltrans is still conducting its Pacific Coast Highway Master Plan Feasibility Study to determine just what safety improvements people want — or rather, are willing to tolerate. So if you bike, walk or drive along PCH in Malibu, you owe it to yourself and everyone else to take part.
Streetsblog’s Joe Linton examines the first six months since Measure HLA passed with overwhelming support, mandating the city to build out the eight-year old mobility plan whenever a street gets resurfaced. So far the news isn’t good, with work on Reseda Blvd moving forward while everything else stalled out — including the city’s workaround on Vermont Ave in South LA to avoid triggering HLA.
A man riding his bike on Highway 1 suffered several injuries — and got a couple traffic tickets — after falling over 100 feet when he ignored “road closed” signs and a warning that he would probably die by attempting to ride across a rock slide that shut down the highway. And he nearly did.
Apple TV+ premiered Ghost Bike, a short film about a mother who meets a stranger in a Greek diner, who may hold the key to solving her son’s untimely death — apparently on a bicycle.
A writer for BuzzFeed offers 22 very tongue-in-cheek reasons why wearing a helmet is “literally one of the absolute worst decisions a person can make.”
A new German report says distracted bicycling is on the rise, blaming it for a significant, but undetermined, increase in crash risk. Never mind that many of the 10 to 17% of bicyclists who use their smartphones while riding are probably just using navigation or bike apps.
July 19, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Ramos faces up to 20 years for killing five-year old in drunken hit-and-run, and wannabe Trump assassin was one of us
Just 165 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
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A few people have volunteered to write guest posts to help keep this site from going dark when I’m out next month for surgery on my torn rotator cuff.
So if you’re interested in filling in here for a few days, or joining them in submitting a guest post or two, just email me at the address on the About page above.
Ramos, who had a blood alcohol content of .22% at the time of his arrest, now faces a charge of vehicular manslaughter, as well as felony counts of driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury, driving with blood alcohol of .08% or more causing bodily injury, and hit and run with injury, with sentencing enhancements for leaving a victim comatose or paralyzed and inflicting great bodily injury.
If he is convicted on all counts, Ramos could spend the next two decades behind bars. But the most likely result is that the DA will allow him to plead to a reduced sentence in order to guarantee a conviction.
The lack of a murder charge indicates this is probably Ramos’ first DUI arrest, or he at least hasn’t been convicted before.
The good news, if there is any in this mess, is that Jacob’s six-year-old sister has been released from the hospital after undergoing surgery for her injuries. However, the children’s father is still in a coma due to a fractured skull and bleeding in the brain.
Meanwhile, Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, will install a ghost bike for Jacob Ramirez later today.
He then ditched his bike in full view of cops and crowds of people before climbing onto to warehouse roof and opening fire on the former president.
Which kinda raises the question of why no one noticed a man riding a bicycle while carrying a rifle at a political rally, whether it was in or out of a case.
And he bizarrely says bicyclists should slow and come to a complete stop at any intersection without a green light, which would mean pissing off drivers by stopping at every uncontrolled intersection.
Then again, we seem to piss off drivers if we stop for stop signs, as well as when we roll through them.
And God help you if you find yourself blocking a driver’s turn because you stopped for a red light.
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Gravel Bike California marks their 5th Anniversary by revisiting their favorite LA Area route.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
The solemnity of a poignant Birmingham, England slow ride in memory of a fallen bicyclist was interrupted by angry drivers blaring on their horns over the momentary inconvenience of having to slow down to go around them. Which kinda made the bicyclist’ point for them.
But sometimes it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Once again, cops and the news media conflate electric motorcycles and ebikes as if they’re the same thing, with sheriff’s deputies complaining about kids on illegal off-road electric motorcycles — not electric bicycles — terrorizing customers at an Orange County mall with air-soft guns.
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Local
LAistreports on the health effects of chronic noise, as the US Department of Transportation says Los Angeles is one of the country’s loudest counties, thanks largely to our incessant traffic.
Writing for Streetsblog, former Southland resident Melissa Balmer says it’s time to revive the 1990’s Bikes Belong campaign to help deliver needed funds for active transportation infrastructure, and stop killing people.
Emergency responders were caught off guard when they found themselves in the middle of a Colorado gravel race as they responded to a bicyclist injured in a multi-rider crash, with competitors reportedly swerving in front of the ambulance. Seriously guys, give emergency vehicles a wide berth, regardless of whether you’re competing in a race or just riding to the corner market. Someone’s life could depend on it.
Just 169 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
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I’m still looking for anyone interested in filling in here after my shoulder surgery next month, whether you’re willing to take over for a day or two a week, or simply submitting a guest post or two.
The victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, was riding her mountain bike eastbound in the 13100 block of Rancho Peñasquitos Blvd around 8:40 am, when a driver traveling in the same direction swerved into her.
Police are looking for a mid-sized, silver or charcoal gray SUV of an undetermined make. There’s no description of the driver, who was reportedly driving erratically prior to the crash.
Anyone with information is urged to call the traffic division of the San Diego Police Department 858/495-7823; or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 888/580-8477.
Hopefully, the victim will recover from her injuries, and they’ll find — and prosecute — the heartless coward who did it to her.
According to the San Diego County DA’s office, Christian Joshua Howard pled guilty on Thursday to a single felony count of hit-and-run causing death, along with a misdemeanor count of destroying or concealing evidence for the March 17th collision that killed 51-year old Oceanside postal carrier Tracey Gross.
Howard reportedly dragged Gross’ bike two miles underneath his car as he fled the scene, running her down as she rode her bike home after going into work at the post office on Sunday night.
Writing for a Santa Clarita paper, a retired LAPD motorcycle cop somehow feels the need to remind bike riders that the law applies to them, too. Funny how no one ever seems to feel the need to remind drivers about that, even though they break the law just as often, with far deadlier consequences.
Simi Valley will get a new bike plan, after the city awarded a nearly quarter-million-dollar contract to develop a new plan, including an outreach program featuring at least three community workshops, 10 local events, and web and social media engagement. Although as we’ve learned the hard way here in Los Angeles, even the best plan is only as good as the commitment of city leaders to actually build the damn thing.
July 12, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on 5-year old hit-and-run victim declared brain dead, Burbank law firm’s bike giveaway, and speed cams coming to Long Beach
Just 172 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
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Truly heartbreaking news, as the five-year old boy critically injured in a Garden Grove hit-and-run isn’t going to make it.
Jacob was injured when 29-year old Ceferino Ramos allegedly plowed into the family on Sunday as Jacob’s mother and father were riding their bikes, towing their three young children behind in child trailers.
The entire family was initially hospitalized, with Jacob, his father and six-year old sister critically injured, while his mother and eight-month old sister were released the next day.
Let’s just hope his parents donate Jacob’s organs so something good can come from this nightmare.
Meanwhile, Ramos was arrested after being followed by a witness to the crash, after which he had a .22 blood alcohol level — nearly three times the legal limit.
He faces charges that including DUI causing bodily injury and hit-and-run with permanent injury or death; however, if he has a previous DUI on his record, that will likely be upgraded to murder sometime after Jacob is declared dead on Friday.
Do you know a special child aged 6 to 17 who goes above and beyond to do something nice for someone else? Or who positively impacts their siblings, classmates, or community? We want to reward these exceptional kids with a brand-new bike, helmet and t-shirt! Nominate a child who you believe deserves this special recognition. Share their story and let us know why they stand out.
Winners will be announced on July 26th, so you have about two weeks to get your noms in.
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Long Beach is working to improve safety by installing speed cams as part of a pilot program, with revenue going to first pay for the program, then be used for traffic-calming measures at the affected sites.
Live in LA County? Low income? Get a $150/mo mobility wallet for 1 year. You can even save up multiple months and buy your own ebike! Apply now. 2000 people selected at random from all applicants @bikinginlahttps://t.co/EHDNUYvuOU
This is who we share the road with, part two. A longtime Ontario city counselor has been arrested for hit-and-run and DUI; Jim Bowman has been on and off the Ontario city council for the last 40 decades. Apparently they don’t have effective term limits there. Or someone to take away his keys.
Good question. SF Gate wants to know why the streets of San Francisco are still dangerous, ten years after the city adopted Vision Zero. Then again, Los Angeles is only one year behind them in our epic Vision Zero fail.
Gear Junkiesays buy your new ebike now, because Biden’s new China tariffs are already raising prices. To which California’s ebike rebate program says…nothing.
July 8, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Bike-riding Garden Grove family run down by hit-and-run driver, and charges in 2022 death of Newport Beach bike rider
Just 176 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
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Before we start, I’m scheduled to have surgery for my torn rotator cuff next month.
They tell me I can expect to be unable work for anywhere from two to four weeks afterwards, depending on my tolerance for pain.
Rather than letting this site go dark for an extended period, I’m hoping someone will be willing to step into my shoes, whether for a few days or a few weeks.
You wouldn’t need to do everything I do. Or anything I do, for that matter.
Anything at all would help, from one or more people to take over this site for a day or two a week, to writing a single guest post to help fill this space. And it could be anything you want to share with the local bicycling community, as long as it’s related to bicycles or traffic safety.
Just email me if you’re interested in volunteering. You can find the address on the About page above.
Reports variously report that one person was hospitalized in critical condition, while others say two children and one adult were critical; the others were said to be in stable condition.
Ronald Elston Benjamin was charged with felony counts of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated without gross negligence and driving under the influence of a drug causing injury, along with misdemeanor child abuse and endangerment, with a sentencing enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury on the victim.
The victim in the June 10, 2022 collision is identified only as George H., but neither the name or date correspond with anything in my records.
There’s no word on why it took so long to file charges. However, the misdemeanor count and hidden identity of the victim suggest he may have been a child, although there may be other explanations.
Although maybe someone should tell New York’s governor that support for congestion pricing actually wins elections.
Labour wins a record 4 out of 5 seats in London just two months after @MayorofLondon Sadiq Khan swept to a third term. This isn't *despite* fury over the city's low-emission zone but *because* of strong support for policies that have transformed the city. https://t.co/EoKPwT5ms0
In a prime example of major assholism, a British man allegedly assaulted a teenaged girl after her mom stopped short while backing her car out of the driveway, causing the man to fall off his bicycle; he reportedly responded by slamming the car door into her, then slapping her. There is never an excuse for violence, no matter how justified you may feel in the moment. If you feel that anger building, just get on your bike and ride away.
The Bay Area will take a big step backward this fall, with construction slated to begin on ripping out the bike and pedestrian lane on the Richmond-San Raphael bridge, to use the space for an emergency motor vehicle overflow lane Monday through Thursday, though officials plan to offer a bike shuttle bus when the lane is closed.
A kid in Colorado was lucky to escape with minor injuries when someone shot at the child and their father as they tried to reclaim a stolen bicycle from shooter’s yard, leading to a barricade situation with SWAT officers.
Pogačar barely avoided disaster when several riders went down in stage 5, using his bike skills to avoid a center divider and remain upright — although it’s arguably his moves that caused the riders behind him to go down.
