Tag Archive for bicycling

Morning Links: Images from Sunday’s CicLAvia, and a NY cyclist is bumped by an SUV, then threatened with arrest

October 19, 2015 / / 2 comments

A few random images from Sunday’s CicLAvia.

Not every day you see a bike-riding banana

Not every day you see a bike-riding banana

That's a lot of people

That’s a lot of people

Downtown forms a backdrop for riders on the 4th Street bridge

Downtown forms a backdrop for riders on the 4th Street bridge

Yes, bikes are good for business

Yes, bikes are good for business

 

When you match the truck, or vise versa

When you match the truck, or vise versa

The Taiko drum performance was one of the highlights of the day

The Taiko drum performance was one of the highlights of the day

Any day that includes pudding is a good day

Any day that includes pudding is a good day

The obligatory MacArthur Park Lake balls shot

The obligatory MacArthur Park Lake balls shot

The littlest CicLAvian

The littlest CicLAvian

All in all, it was another great day in LA.

But was it my imagination, or was attendance off a little this year?

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Caught on video.

After a New York cyclist is bumped by a passing car, the driver gets out, claiming to be a cop, and tells the rider that bikes don’t belong in the streets before threatening to arrest him.

But he doesn’t look or act like a cop to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g479bH9h8JM&feature=youtu.be

Just to clarify, bikes are allowed on virtually every street, everywhere in the US.

And driving on after bumping a bike rider with your mirror is hit-and-run — and impersonating an officer is a felony.

………

Local

USC students bike to CicLAvia to promote the coming MyFig project.

Southeast LA residents come to the LA River bike path to reclaim their part of the river.

Evidently, voter apathy is nothing new in LA.

 

State

A transportation policy analyst with a libertarian non-profit group says Orange County should encourage bike commuting, and the best way do that without slowing traffic is to narrow traffic lanes to create two and a half to three foot wide bike lanes. Which is barely wider than the bikes and riders that would use them; the Federal Highway Administration says bike lanes should be a minimum of four to five feet.

Thirty cyclists ride the streets and bikeways of Coronado to protest the city’s decision to cancel plans to paint those vertigo-inducing bike lanes.

A 72-year old cyclist suffered life-threatening injuries in a collision in San Diego’s Miramar neighborhood; he allegedly attempted to cross the street against the light.

Two hundred wounded vets are making their way from Palo Alto to LA with Ride 2 Recovery.

San Francisco cyclists will soon get the city’s first raised bike lane, for two whole blocks.

A 9-year old Sacramento boy is recovering after one and a half months in an induced coma, following the July collision that took his father’s life as they rode their bikes; the driver was reportedly reading a text message when he plowed into them from behind.

 

National

A new rear-view right hand camera system developed by Honda promises to eliminate right hooks. Unfortunately, it’s activated when the driver puts on the right turn signal, so if the driver doesn’t signal, you’re screwed.

An armed Wyoming bike rider killed a hero bomb-sniffing dog who had won two Bronze Stars with his handler during two tours in Iraq; the bicyclist claimed the dog attacked him, even though no one heard it bark and the dog was shot from behind.

Kansas designates 487 miles of roadway as part of US Bicycle Route 76, which is planned to stretch from Oregon to Virginia.

Louisville bike riders enjoy the fourth yearly CycLOUvia open streets event.

A Maine driver is under arrest after fleeing a collision that left a 14-year old bike rider with critical injuries.

An Atlanta musician is expected to accept a 15-year sentence for attempted murder and a long list of other charges after he allegedly ran down a bike rider he’d argued with; his victim appears to have suffered permanent brain damage.

A Florida cyclist doesn’t seem to have been seriously injured after he was hit by a drunk driver who was over 2.5 times the legal limit when police tracked her down after fleeing the scene; it was her second DUI. Another example of authorities keeping drunks on the road until they injure or kill someone.

 

International

A Vancouver city counselor calls for licensing bikes to identify cyclists after a pregnant woman had a run-in with a bike rider. Never mind that a license large enough to be read at a distance would be too large to put on a bike.

A Brit Tour de France TV host says the conversation about cycling needs to move past lazy stereotypes about red light-running maniacs.

Cyclists are going to Goa to compete in the Indian region’s first International Mountain Bike Challenge.

New Zealand completes a soaring elevated bikeway over a complex interchange.

 

Finally…

When you’re carrying meth and drug paraphernalia on your bike and have an outstanding warrant, don’t ride salmon — let alone flee from police when they try to stop you.

 

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

Today’s post, in which we take a meandering look at Sunday’s CicLAvia

October 17, 2015 / / Comments Off on Today’s post, in which we take a meandering look at Sunday’s CicLAvia

We’ve come a long way.

It was six years ago, just after I joined the LACBC board of directors, when we were approached by a group with a crazy idea to shut down the streets of LA, and let people take over for a few hours.

Or maybe open the streets for the first time in decades.

They told us about a weekly festival down in Bogota, Columbia called a ciclovía. And said they wanted to try the same thing here in Los Angeles.

As I recall, there was a lot of skepticism in the room.

Not that we didn’t like the idea. But that was before then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Road to Damascus moment when he fell off his bike; in fact, he had yet to publicly utter the word bicycle. And there was little faith that the city would ever allow something like that.

Especially on my part.

But despite the doubts, it seemed like an idea worth pursuing.

And so one of my first acts as a board member was to vote to support the effort, and act as financial sponsor to help them raise funds.

It seems to have worked out okay.

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From that very first event on 10/10/10, it quickly grew to become America’s largest and most successful open streets event.

And yes, I was there, along 40,000 or so fellow Angelenos.

CicLAvia T-Shirt

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My favorite CicLAvia moment came in the very first one, when I looked up and realized I just happened to be riding next to the mayor.

So I struck up a conversation, thanking Villaraigosa for his new-found support of bicycling in general, and CicLAvia in particular.

But the conversation quickly shifted as we discussed his legacy as mayor, and he went off on an off-color rant about certain members of the city council.

And suddenly, we were just two guys chatting as we rode our bikes, surrounded by thousands of other people doing exactly the same thing.

That’s when I fell in love with CicLAvia.

………

Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of of the event, with a return to a slightly modified version of the original Heart of Downtown route.

And probably around 100,000 more people than the first time around. Although it’s pretty much guaranteed officials will undercount the attendance, just like they have every other time.

Admittedly, it is hard to take attendance when people come and go throughout the day, and not everyone rides, walks or skates the full route, while others do it multiple times.

But still.

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And that’s a key point the press often seems to miss.

Despite its origins within the bicycling community, and a name based on the original Bogota ciclovía, which translates to bike way, this is not a bike event.

It’s a human event.

And open to anyone who travels by human power, whether on two wheels, two feet, skates, scooters or skateboards. Or even chairs, if you want to just pull one up and watch the world go by.

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Speaking of CicLAvia, one of the early followers of this site recently realized his dream of opening his own microbrewery in Downtown LA.

Todd Mumford had frequently discussed beers and brewing, and the seemingly endless search for the right location, as he forwarded tips to various news stories.

Including his own painful run-in with a with an inattentive driver.

Now Mumford Brewing is finally up and running, and churning out some of the city’s best brews. And they invite you to visit them just off the Sunday’s CicLAvia course.

While you are out enjoying a lovely day rolling through the DTLA CicLAvia route, feel free to wander off course to visit Mumford Brewing and try one of their locally-made craft beers.  The team at Mumford welcomes all CicLAvia participants and has a water fill station on-site as well as ample space to park your bike.  Also, all day Sunday, CicLAvia participants can take advantage of 1$ off a full pour of any of Mumford’s beers.  Mumford Brewing is located at 416 Boyd St., LA 90013 (just a couple of blocks west of 3rd/Central, where the CicLAvia route will be passing through).  Kids are welcome at the brewery but must be supervised and with an adult at all times.  Please drink responsibly!

Mumford Brewing is a Los Angeles-based, family owned and operated microbrewery.  They focus on creating thoughtful and nuanced versions of the New American style of beers, along with a handful of Belgian influenced, seasonal and experimental ales.  They have an on-site tap room where their current offerings are available for people to enjoy on-site as well as fill up in Mumford’s branded containers to-go.  You can also find their beers on draft at select Los Angeles bars and restaurants. 

Stop in and have a Black Mamba ale or an L.A. Crema while you take a break from the action.

And tell ‘em I sent you.

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Just a few other CicLAvia related notes.

Time Out offers a guide to what to see along Sunday’s route; I had no idea Plan Check had opened a Downtown location.

The LA Daily News will be reporting live from the route on Snapchat.

Little Tokyo is planning to welcome CicLAvia participants.

If you need a pick-me-up, head to the 4th Street Bridge for some free cold brew coffee from the Wheelhouse.

And don’t forget to read, if not memorize, the Militant Angeleno’s Epic CicLAvia tour before you go.

Update: A few more late entries…

The LA Times looks at Sunday’s CicLAvia, and kind of misses the point; yes, it’s about a clean environment and good health, but more about returning the streets to the people, and seeing what our city could be. 

LAist offers a little more information on what’s happening along the route, including Cirque du Soleil on Penny Farthings.

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If you can’t make it up to LA for CicLAvia, you could try San Diego’s Bike for Boobs fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Fund.

Or ride on Saturday to protest the bizarre anti-bike lane insanity in Coronado.

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Finally, if your bike happens to get locked inside some establishment following the festivities on Sunday, don’t bust out a window to get it back. And don’t bother with a massage afterwards.

 

Category: Bike Events / Tags: , , ,

Morning Links: Don’t confront angry drivers, salmon cyclist injured in Boyle Heights, near miss in OC, and CicLAvia!

October 16, 2015 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Don’t confront angry drivers, salmon cyclist injured in Boyle Heights, near miss in OC, and CicLAvia!

Some stories are just too outrageous for words.

That was the case with yesterday’s murder of a bicyclist by a road-raging SUV driver who fled the scene after running down the victim near Expo Park following an argument.

We won’t rehash the whole story here.

But it serves as a tragic reminder that you never know who you’re dealing with on the roads. And if you encounter an angry driver, it’s better not to engage if possible.

Just pull over, and let them go on their way. A lesson I learned the hard way, after bouncing off the bumper of a road raging driver when I made the mistake of responding to her anger with a single raised finger.

Rule #1: Never flip off the driver behind you.

If they come after you, try to ride to a public place. Take your bike into a store if you need to.

Make a public display of calling 911, or ask witnesses to call the police.

I’ve also found that taking a photo of the driver and the license of the vehicle with your smartphone will diffuse most situations. Although pointing out that you’re recording everything on your helmet cam seems to have the opposite effect.

Try to speak calmly. Don’t yell or get into a shouting match. Just find a way to get out of the situation as quickly and painlessly as possible.

I don’t mean to preach.

That advice is a reminder for me as much as it is for you or anyone else.

I’ve got a long history of standing my ground and fighting for my right to the road through words and gestures. Even going so far as to block offending drivers with my bike and body, and shoving car doors closed to keep drivers or passengers from getting out and kicking my ass.

I’ve somehow managed to get away it. Except for that one time.

But as that case and this one make clear, it’s just not worth the risk.

………

A salmon cyclist suffered major injuries in a head-on collision in Boyle Heights Monday night.

………

A drunk driver lost control of his car and went off PCH in Huntington Beach, coming to rest in the sand; the driver and a passenger were arrested trying to flee on foot.

A friend reports she would have been passing through that exact spot at the time of the crash as she rode her bike home along the beach, if she hadn’t stopped to watch the lightening display and ended up talking with a driver who’d pulled over to watch, as well.

It’s funny how often little things like that can make all the difference in getting home safely.

………

CicLAvia returns to the scene of the crime for the fifth anniversary of the original Heart of Downtown event.

Speaking of which, the Militant Angeleno is back with his epic guide to Sunday’s CicLAvia route. Seriously, you need to memorize this, print it or download it to your phone before you head out on Sunday.

And there will be a feeder ride to CicLAvia from Culver City.

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In pro cycling, the Tinkoff-Saxo cycling team is now just Tinkoff, as the team lost Saxo Bank after eight years of sponsorship.

And it’s not just the riders facing a doping ban anymore, as USA Cycling extends a zero tolerance policy to its staff and contractors.

………

Local

The Alliance for Community Transit is hiring an Organizing Coordinator, and a Campaign and Communications Coordinator. And they’ll be hosting a community event in Grand Park on Monday to discuss what a sustainable, transit-rich LA could look like.

Jimmy Kimmel gives a non-bicycling staff writer a bike riding lesson behind his Hollywood studio.

Great news from the Valley, as design work begins for another 12 miles of bike paths along the LA River. Although the story doesn’t say if it will connect with the existing LA River bike path.

CiclaValley says Metro has plans for a bigger, bolder, and hopefully more bikeable NoHo. Let’s hope those plans include the long promised Lankershim bike lanes that were squashed by the unlamented Tom LaBonge.

It’s official. South Pasadena will host the second stage of next year’s Amgen Tour of California.

Long Beach needs volunteers for its eighth annual bike count on Sunday, which unfortunately takes place the same time as CicLAvia.

 

State

A Huntington Beach bicyclist suffered critical injuries when he was rear-ended while riding in the bike lane on Warner Ave.

Newly bike friendly San Diego is ranked as the 12th greenest city in the US.

A Santa Cruz writer plays Miss Manners for mountain bikers for a day.

San Francisco cyclists have an interesting new transportation option, as they can now lease a $2000 e-bike for $79 a month, including a lock, theft insurance and unlimited maintenance.

A Rancho Cordova cyclist is lucky to survive a collision with a light rail train.

I want to be like him when I grow up. A Granite Bay man celebrated his 90th birthday by riding his 200,000th mile on his bike. By my calculations, I only have somewhere around 18,000 miles and a few more decades to go.

 

National

Microsoft is working on predictive intelligence to prevent bicycle collisions before they happen. Except when they have to reboot the system, download and install upgrades or fight off a virus, that is.

CNET looks at the growing popularity and expanding choices in e-bikes.

Next City offers eight images and videos it says will make you fall more in love with bikeshare.

A new Portland apartment building is only 80% leased, but the bike parking is already overflowing.

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho police are looking for a hit-and-run cyclist who plowed into a jogger after calling “on your left,” then not doing it.

The driver who nearly killed a Denver bike cop who was protecting protesting high school students faces up to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to vehicular assault; he lied about an existing medical condition when he applied for a drivers license.

An Arkansas county sobriety court has started their own bikeshare program — actually more of a bike library — to provide transportation for drivers who’ve had their licenses suspended for DUI.

The Minneapolis StarTribune talks with Stephen Clark, the bicycle-friendly community program specialist for the League of American Bicyclists.

Evidently, not everyone loves Detroit’s Slow Roll Bike Rides.

A New York truck driver was high on coke when he killed a cyclist in an apparent right hook.

The NYPD doesn’t just think bike lanes are for parking, they’re also a dump for precinct garbage.

A Brooklyn paper offers a by the numbers look at bicycling in the borough.

City Lab says that DC church’s claimed opposition to bike lanes for religious freedom is really all about free parking. Oddly, I don’t recall Jesus saying anything about being able to park right in front of a house of worship.

 

International

City and state governments around the world are finally using data to harness the benefits of the bicycling boom.

Two Winnipeg men are under arrest for attacking a car after the right-turning driver had hit a bike rider as she came off the sidewalk.

A Toronto writer reflects on the intersection of bicycling and jazz, including a hair-raising ride from Hollywood to attend a recording session in Studio City with the great Lee Ritenour, aka Captain Fingers. I’ve often thought riding through traffic felt like a jazz improvisation, as you slide in and out of ever expanding and collapsing spaces, speeding up and slowing down with the flow around you.

The UK’s Cycling Weekly offers advice on winter riding, some of which actually applies in sunny Los Angeles.

Horrifying crime from Austria, as four masked men push a bike rider to the ground and carve a swastika into his forehead.

A commuter in Malta tried five different forms of transportation before concluding that riding a bike was the most efficient way to get to work.

A Singapore judge suggests cracking down on rash cycling with jail time or a fine up to the equivalent of $1800.

Aussie cops take the country’s mandatory helmet law to a ridiculous extreme by fining a helmet-wearing woman $70 because her strap wasn’t tight enough.

Only in Japan would separated bike lanes be intended to protect cyclists from pedestrians instead of cars.

 

Finally…

If you’re carrying a knife, sawed-off shotgun, drugs and trafficking paraphernalia, don’t ride on the sidewalk and put a damn bell on your bike. If you’re hiding a meth pipe on your bike, maybe it’s better not to ride with a .22-caliber rifle strapped to it.

And it may be smart, it may be electric, it may be a foldie, but if it doesn’t have pedals, it’s a freaking scooter, not a bike.

 

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bike Events, Car vs Bike, Morning Links, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , , ,

Update: Road raging driver intentionally kills bike rider in Exposition Park hit-and-run

October 15, 2015 / / 6 comments

KABC-7 is reporting that a bike rider was killed in a hit-and-run near LA’s Exposition Park Thursday morning.

The collision occurred around 9 am near South Vermont Ave and West 39th Place, which places it just west of the Coliseum.

No information is available on the victim or how it happened at this time.

The suspect vehicle is a silver or white full-size SUV with a male driver, last seen making a left turn onto 39th. The vehicle may have a broken driver’s side mirror.

That suggests the collision took place on northbound Vermont at or before 39th. A satellite view shows a four-lane street on Vermont with a median and center turn lane, while 39th is an undivided two-lane street.

Anyone with information is urged to call the LAPD.

This is the 58th bicycling fatality in Southern California, and the 23rd in Los Angeles County; it’s also the ninth in the City of LA.

Three of of those deaths in LA, and seven in the county, have been hit-and-runs.

Update: KTLA-5 identifies the victim as a 35-year old man, and places the location across the street from 3833 S. Vermont Ave, next to a bus stop. 

The report also says the driver was last seen fleeing north on Vermont, rather than turning onto 39th, as the initial report indicated.

Update 2: It gets worse. According to KABC-7, the driver intentionally ran down the victim following an argument over who had the right of way. 

A witness to the crash reports the victim had attempted to cross Vermont against the light while the driver had the right-of-way, leading to an argument between the two. 

The driver, who must have gotten out of his SUV, pushed the rider over before threatening to run over him.

Then he apparently got back in his car, and did exactly that.

That makes this murder, rather than just hit-and-and. As if that isn’t bad enough.

Update 3: The City of Los Angeles offers a standing $50,000 reward for any fatal hit-and-run. 

Update 4: KNBC-4 reports the victim’s bicycle is missing; however, the story is not online yet.

Update 5: I’m told a ghost bike will be placed at the scene at 6:30 pm tonight (Thursday).

Update 6: A report on KTLA-5 indicates that both the victim and the driver were headed north on Vermont before the altercation. They also report that vehicle may be a domestic SUV, and that the driver sped off with the bike still stuck underneath, which explains why it wasn’t found at the scene.

Update 7: Anyone with information is urged to call the LAPD’s South Traffic Division at 323/421-2577.

Update 8: According to My News LA, an arrest was made in this case four days after the incident, but apparently no public announcement was made. 

Thirty-one-year old Andrew Williams has been held on $1 million bond in the death of Ruben Wharton Vanegas, who had not been previously identified. 

Williams was scheduled to be arraigned on felony counts of murder and hit-and-run on Wednesday, November 4th; he faces 25 to life upon conviction. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.

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

Morning Links: New LACBC film, updates on Orange Line bike path closure and Stephany murder trial

October 15, 2015 / / 2 comments

Just a brief update today, since last night was lost in IRS hell getting my wife’s taxes ready in time for today’s final extension deadline.

On the other hand, mine were easy; it doesn’t take long when you don’t make any money.

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Let’s start with a new LACBC video prepared for last week’s New Urbanism Film Festival, as Executive Director Tamika Butler discusses her journey to bike advocacy and the coalition’s vision for the future of Los Angeles.

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Speaking of the LACBC, former board member and current LA Bicycle Advisory Committee member Kent Strumpell is leaving Friday on an extended solo bike tour to raise money for the California Bicycle Coalition and the Citizen’s Climate Lobby.

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We’ve had a few updates recently from danger d regarding the unannounced closure of the Orange Line bike path in the San Fernando Valley. Yesterday he went straight to the source to find out what’s going on.

At least it’s good news from the Orange Line bike path construction. Workers on site say they expect the fenced off section to be closed for 6 weeks, so they can build a new path on the other side of the trees in order to build the new flyaway bus stop and comply with ADA standards. The detour is set up but there is room to walk around the fencing on Victory and get back to the path. Workers say this is the only section that will be fenced off.

20151014_133846

20151014_134841

20151014_133921

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Our anonymous Orange County correspondent offers a brief update from the murder trial of Neal Storm Stephany, who was allegedly high on heroin and anti-addiction meds when he ran cyclist Shaun Eagleson down from behind on the coast highway in Newport Beach last year.

Today, Eagleson’s widow held it together as long as she could, but when the prosecution brought out photos from the crime scene again after lunch recess, she whimpered at the images of the gouges left in the asphalt by her husband’s bike, and then broke down so completely at the photo of Shaun’s shredded clothing that her family (& the extraordinary victim services specialist) escorted her out of the courtroom.

She didn’t return.

Court recessed early, and will continue next Tuesday.

Despite the heat, I wanted to go down to PCH. The gouges are still there. And despite the repeated use of the term “bike lane” by NBPD Sgt. Little on the stand and the prosecution, no designated bike lane exists at that location.

No word on whether the jury has gotten a glimpse of Stephany’s reputed “fuck the police” and swastika tatts under his new haircut.

She also adds a few thoughts about the Santa Ana courthouse, where the trial is being held.

I think Civic Center Drive (on the north side of the Santa Ana courthouse there) has preliminary markings for a buffered bike lane. (Or maybe upcoming sewer work, dunno.) New sensors were installed very recently, including a bike sensor, but it’s not marked yet.

Bike racks at the courthouse would be f’ing nice.

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State Assemblymember Chris Holden is holdin’ a meeting to discuss Southern California Transportation issues at 10 am today in Pasadena; if you can’t make it there on short notice, you should be able to view the session online at his website. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

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A few other key stories.

LADOT Bike Blog introduces the city’s first Complete Streets design committee.

Joel Epstein looks at transit envy and other thoughts on making LA the city it can be, including the need to embrace the mobility plan and bike infrastructure the way other cities have.

Streetsblog offers highlights from Wednesday’s meeting of the City Council Transportation Committee, which encouraged LADOT and the LAPD to find ways to reduce speeding in support of Vision Zero, and maybe even legalize the practice of locking your bike to a parking meter, which is currently banned in LA.

A San Francisco columnist calls on residents of a nearby town to stop their two-decade old guerilla tack war on cyclists.

A Chicago cyclist knocked on the window of a car that drifted into the bike lane he was riding in, and ended up under arrest when the driver turned out to be an off-duty cop.

I want to be like him when I grow up. An 85-year old man biked from Sacramento to Lake Forest IL to visit his alma mater.

Brooklyn cops commit an act of vandalism by painting parking spot numbers on a bike lane to illegally convert it to their use.

A DC church is fighting a planned bike lane because they claim it would infringe on their constitutional rights of religious freedom. No, seriously.

Georgia police apologize after one of their officers is caught on video buzzing a group of cyclists, and nearly hitting one.

A Florida driver won’t face charges for the hit-and-run collision that killed a cyclist because — get this — prosecutors say there’s no proof he knew he killed a human being, after the driver claimed he thought he’d hit a wild hog. That’s basically a Get Out of Jail Free card for every hit-and-run driver, everywhere.

A London cyclist is caught on video taking his anger out on the rider he just cut off after running a red light and making an illegal left turn. Actually, if you just cut someone off, it is their business.

Finally, just what every cyclist needs, a bike trailer with a built-in grill. But do we really need bike and pedestrian lanes inside an apartment building?

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Thanks to John Hall for his generous donation to support this site. If you’d like to join him in supporting the work we do here at BikinginLA, just click here. 

 

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Bikes & the Law, Legal Cases, Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Map of closed Orange Line bike path, dangerous Rowena, and Stephany too high to be responsible

October 14, 2015 / / 6 comments

Here’s the latest update on the unannounced closure of the Orange Line bike path.

Reader danger d maps the closed portion of the path, indicating that only the area near Woodley Ave is actually fenced off, although several blocks leading up to it are marked with detour signs.

Red marks fenced off area, orange is marked with detour signs, and green denotes the detour route around the construction

Red marks fenced off area, orange is marked with detour signs, and green denotes the detour route around the construction zone

Meanwhile, he keeps getting bounced from one agency to another in his attempts to determine who’s responsible for the closure, and why.

The county denied having anything to do with it, and referred him to the City of LA; he’s still waiting for a response from the LADOT Bikeways Section.

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Despite the recent controversy over the Rowena road diet, the street remains dangerous, as a pedestrian was struck trying to cross the street Sunday night.

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As we mentioned on Monday, trial began on Tuesday in the murder case against Neil Storm Stephany for the DUI hit-and-run death of cyclist Shaun Eagleson in Newport Beach last year.

Stephany’s defense attorney actually claimed his client was so high on a combination of heroin and two anti-addiction drugs than he had no idea he’d hit a human being.

Evidently, being so stoned that he didn’t have a clue what the hell he was doing behind the wheel is supposed to absolve him of any responsibility.

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The seemingly endless helmet debate rages on, as the Wall Street Journal asks if helmet laws do more harm than good, while the Guardian compares lessons on the subject from Seattle and Amsterdam.

Meanwhile, a Seattle writer says scrapping the city’s helmet law could improve bike safety.

But at least police in this country don’t usually assault cyclists for not wearing a helmet, then falsely accuse them of assaulting an officer.

And a Seattle writer says he’s seen the largely helmet-free future bike activists are trying to build, and we’re going to hate it

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The date has been announced for this year’s edition of Feel My Legs, I’m a Racer.

The oddly named event takes riders up 10 of LA’s steepest hills, and is recognized by those in the know as one of the nation’s toughest hill climb events.

If you think you’re up for the challenge, mark your calendar for November 8th at Sunset Triangle Plaza. And leave your entry fee and attitude at home.

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The Orange County Bicycle Coalition is hosting a Cycling Savvy: Safe and Legal Cycling class this Friday from 6 to 9 pm, and Saturday from 8 am to 3 pm at Jax Bicycle Center in Irvine; cost is $75 for the course.

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Local

Two hundred injured vets will set off from Palo Alto this Saturday on their way to the Los Angeles VA Medical Center in Westwood on the UnitedHealthcare Ride 2 Recovery California Challenge.

Westwood officials propose turning the northern end of Broxton Ave into a pedestrian plaza. It’s a small step in the right direction; what’s really needed to revive the dying district is to do the same with Westwood Blvd through the Village. That’s not likely while Paul Koretz is the area’s councilmember, though, since he’s promised local businesses that he won’t even allow bike lanes on the street that could bring them more customers.

CiclaValley reports Mulholland Drive will be closed west of Beverly Glen for construction of a water project this weekend from 8 am to 5 pm, Friday through Sunday.

If you don’t want to ride your bike at Sunday’s CicLAvia, you can always WalkLAvia.

Get ready for CicLAvia with a free bike safety check and adjustments at the Burbank Farmer’s Market this Saturday, courtesy of LACBC neighborhood chapter Walk Bike Burbank.

South Pasadena Police will also be offering free bike safety checks at a bike rodeo on Saturday.

Streaming service Hulu is the new title sponsor for the Santa Monica Breeze bikeshare system.

Long Beach police receive a $340,000 grant to combat an “alarming” increase in pedestrian and bicycle fatalities, as well as distracted and drug-impaired driving.

Long Beach bike advocate Brian Addison will be honored with Calbike’s inaugural Bicycle Dreamer Award on November 2nd. Brian was one of the most consistently reliable and insightful writers when I was guest editing Streetsblog LA.

 

State

Those electric skateboards and hoverboards that zoom past you in the bike lane will now be doing so legally.

A Huntington Beach bike rider was critically injured when a driver suddenly veered into a bike lane on Warner Ave, striking the cyclist.

SoCal Cross’ annual Spookycross Weekend moves down to Santiago Canyon in Orange County on the 24th and 25th.

Oakland considers installing a road diet and bike lanes to improve safety for bike riders on one of the city’s most popular and dangerous streets for cyclists.

Sad news from Stockton, as an 82-year old bike rider was killed in a collision.

After answering an online ad, Santa Rosa police bust a bike thief and recover an $8,000 Specialized.

 

National

People for Bikes reports that not every pro football player drives a massive SUV or high-powered sports car to work; at least one even rides a single speed.

Bicycling offers seven tips that you may be overdoing it. In my case, it was when riding a bike stopped being fun and started to feel like an addiction.

Treehugger says it’s time to stop blaming cyclists for ignoring stop signs, and make our roads work for everyone, instead.

The Path Less Pedaled wants your help in passing out some “do good” bike merit badges.

A federal judge rules a pair of Seattle-area cops can be tried for tasering a non-resisting black bike rider.

Salt Lake City’s new protected bike lanes are already boosting bike ridership and have the support of local businesses.

More proof cyclists are tough: A Lawrence KS man apparently rode his bike to the hospital after he suffered serious injuries in a stabbing.

Nice story about Oklahoma City’s unexpected attempt to redesign itself around people rather than cars, after being named one of America’s most obese cities.

Not something you see everyday, as a Dallas cyclist stumbled on a former college football star hacking a jogger to death with a machete.

A Chicago writer says unequal distribution of protected bike lanes and bikeshare stations are dividing the city into the rich and the poor. Which is exactly what it’s been for at least the last 50 or 60 years.

A British cyclist compares riding in New York and London, after getting hooked on bicycling in an unnamed SoCal college town.

Fifty representatives of the fresh produce industry will ride 300 miles from North Carolina to Atlanta to raise money for school salad bars.

 

International

A new product promises to make you more aero by putting a hump on your back. By that standard, the Hunchback of Notre Dame could have won the Tour de France if they’d just invented the bike a little sooner.

Two Polish brothers are attempting to bike the full length of the Amazon River, starting at the headwaters at Mount Mismi, Peru. Speaking of Peru, Lima will build an elevated boardwalk to give bike riders and pedestrians access to the beach.

Caught on video: A British Columbia bike rider gets doored by a car passenger when the driver fails to pull over to the right before letting her out.

Halifax, Nova Scotia police don’t seem to get it, as they blame a cyclist for apparently getting right hooked by a propane truck. But at least they’re ticketing drivers who park in a bike lane.

British police repeat the warning that social media apps may be responsible for an increase in high-end bike thefts.

Probably not the best idea to kick a car and slam your bike into it, like a Brit bicyclist did after a collision.

A Bollywood star says she got her bikini body for her latest film by riding a bike on location.

A 13-year old Israeli boy was stabbed as he rode his bike through East Jerusalem.

If you need a reason not to participate in Australia’s Ride2Work Day, getting your bike stolen is one of the best. Especially if it’s a custom-made bike worth the equivalent of $16,000 US.

An Aussie website says more people will bike when everyone accepts cyclists’ right to the road.

Eight lessons in letting go and having fun from a British adventurer who rode around the world, as he discusses his journey through Asia.

 

Finally…

Of all the things that can make you fall off your bike, stumbling onto Miss Bikini Ireland doing a topless photo shoot for breast cancer awareness is one of the better ones. Apparently bus bike racks aren’t just a place to store your ride, they also make a dandy perch for short fare-free ride.

And it’s not his fault if your bike-riding nephew jumps off his new bike to give you a hug, and breaks your wrist in the process. But it is your fault if you’re jerk enough to sue him for it.

 

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, Legal Cases, Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , ,

Guest Post: A detailed look at commuting mode share in Los Angeles, and how bikes lanes fit in

October 13, 2015 / / 2 comments

Not many people have the ability, or patience, to dig deep into various data sources to paint a detailed picture of just how people get to work in the City of Angeles.

And how bicycles fit into that portrait.

Dennis Hindman does.

He’s written a number of detailed analyses for this site, including a look at the causes of bike-involved collisions, and how the economy and bike lanes affect them.

Today he offers a look at the influence of bike lanes on LA commuting rates in the context of the overall commuting picture.

It’s fascinating stuff, and worth a few minutes to read. And maybe bookmark for future reference.

I’ll be back tomorrow with our usual Morning Links.

………

In 2008, there were 147 centerline miles of bike lanes in the city of Los Angeles, according to League of American Bicyclists survey results from 90 of the largest U.S. cities.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation substantially increased the centerline miles of bike lanes installed per calendar year after the 2010 bike plan was approved by the LA city council in 2011. The centerline miles of bike lanes is now at least 375, according to the bikeways inventory listed on the website ladotbikeblog. Which is 2.55 times more than in 2008.

Chart-1

There have been two periods of time since 2005, using Census Bureau household survey results (ACS), where the bicycle commuting percent of workers residing in the city of Los Angeles has increased. One was 2008 through 2009 after there was a sharp increase in the price of gasoline in 2008. Interestingly, the bicycle commuting share increased further in 2009 after the price of gasoline dropped, then dropped by 10% in 2010 (within the margin of error) and increased back to 1% in 2011 and 2012. According to the margin of error for the ACS results, it’s possible that the 2009 percent could be .9% as it is for 2010 and 2008, and then rose to 1% in 2011. Although if you look at the LAPD collision reports during that time, the bicycle collisions sharply increased in 2009 compared to 2008.

The number of bicycle commuters increased by an estimated 46% from 2007 through 2010.

Compare that to 2011 through 2014, when there was a 41% increase in the number of bicycle commuters and nearly 200 miles of bike lanes were installed.

There was a 143% increase in the ACS estimated number of bicycle commuters in the city of Los Angeles from 2005 through 2014 and a 9% increase in the amount of workers commuting by car, truck or van. Commuting by transit increased 15%.

Chart-2

Chart-3

When the number of bicycle commuters increased by 46% from 2007 through 2010 in the ACS results, the motor vehicle involved bicycle collisions reported by the LAPD increased by 61%.

If the installation of almost 200 miles of bike lanes from 2011 through 2014 had either decreased, or had no effect on the overall level of safety for bicycle riding on streets, then the number of motor vehicle involved bicycle collisions reported by the LAPD should have substantially increased based on the greater number of bicycle commuters — as happened from 2007 through 2010 when much fewer additional miles of bike lanes were installed.

It turns out that the LAPD reported motor vehicle involved bicycle collisions went from an increase of 7% in 2012, to less than a 1% increase in 2013 and a 6% decrease in 2014.

Chart-4

Traffic collisions and fatalities reported by the LAPD are given to the California Highway Patrol and these results can be obtained through their SWITRS data, as I have done for the chart above and below. These data collection results are about 7 months behind from when the collisions took place. Even given the incomplete data for 2015, the number of bicycling fatalities reported by the LAPD is already the second highest since 2001.

Chart-5

For comparison, here is my estimated number of car, truck and van commuters derived from ACS survey results on percentage chart S0801.

Chart-6

Also, the estimated percentage of workers who primarily commuted by car, truck or van and resided in the city of Los Angeles. Notice how the percentage has remained relatively stable from 2008 through 2014.

Chart-7

The ACS estimated number of transit commuters has not yet increased to the amount that it was in 2008, even though the estimated number of workers has increased by 3%. Metro’s transit boarding’s throughout the county decreased by 2.8% in calendar year 2014 and continued to fall through August of 2015.

Chart-8

The percent of workers residing in the city of Los Angeles who primarily use transit to commute. Metro transit rail boarding’s, along with bus boarding’s, fell in Los Angeles County in calendar year 2014. It might seem that increased bicycle commuting took away from rail ridership, but the average bicycle trip tends to be a shorter distance than an average transit rail trip. These two forms of transportation would tend to be more complementary, rather than competitive with each other.

Chart-9

The percent of workers residing in the city of Los Angeles who primarily work from home has increased from 2005 to 2014, probably due to greater use of the internet.

Chart-10

The last category of journey to work on the ACS data is primarily commuting by motorcycle, taxi or other means.

Chart-11

Adding together the ACS estimated percent of workers residing in the city of Los Angeles who primarily commuted by walking, bicycling or transit has, except for 2011, remained fairly stable from 2007 through 2014. I didn’t calculate the margin of error for this category.

Chart-12

……..

Dennis adds a few final notes on how he compiled the data and graphs.

I’ve tried to simply give data available from SWITRS, ladotbikeblog and ACS in the form of graphs. This is so that anyone can check the accuracy of this information quickly on-line. Unfortunately, to make it as unbiased and the changes between years as clear as I can, I created separate charts for each category. Combing categories made each category more of a straight line.
I used the Census Bureau American Community Survey chart S0801 which gives results in percent of workers and converted that into the number of workers using each type of transportation for journey to work. There are two other charts that give the estimated number of workers for each type of transportation, but they do not include the year 2005–which S0801 does.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category: Guest Columns, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , ,

Morning Links: Unannounced Orange Line bike path closure, Go Human in the wild, and still more legal cases

October 12, 2015 / / 5 comments

Grab some java and get comfortable. We’ve got a lot to catch up on today.

………

Your tax dollars at work.

Frequent contributor danger d sends word that the Orange Line bike path has been closed with no advance warning. And at one of the most inconvenient, if not dangerous, points.

Here’s the complaint he filed with the county, which seems to be responsible for the unannounced closure, since Metro denied having anything to do with it.

The bike path on Victory Blvd. From Woodley Ave to the 405 is fenced off. There was no notice of closure and traffic is rerouted to the street. Very Unsafe. NOT VISION ZERO. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY UNDER THE 405 FREEWAY THAT IS OFF STREET.

When will this reopen? Why is this path closed?

He hasn’t gotten a response yet; we’ll let you know if he does. And there’s no mention of it on the county map of bike path closures as of Sunday night.

Then again, there’s no mention of any of the other closures shown on their map, either.

………

We mentioned recently that SCAG, aka the Southern California Association of Governments, has developed a new ad campaign urging people to Go Human.

Now Spencer forwards a first look at one of the ads in the wild, with a message we can hope drivers take to heart.

Go Human Bus End

………

Seems like we just can’t get away from court cases.

Twenty-four-year old Neil Storm Stephany will go on trial for murder Tuesday in the hit-and-run death of Shaun Eagleson last October.

According to the Orange County Register, the self-described drug counselor was high on heroin when he plowed his truck into Eagleson as he rode in a Newport Beach bike lane. Stephany hit a guard rail as attempted to flee the scene, before being arrested later that day.

Following a previous DUI in 2011, Stephany had signed a legal advisement stating that he understood he could face a murder charge if he killed someone while driving under the influence any time in the future.

Which, sadly, is exactly what happened just three years later.

He also amassed an extensive criminal record in his 24 years, including convictions for felony assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and possession with intent to sell. In addition, he is also facing a separate domestic violence charge.

Stephany faces 15 years to life if he’s convicted.

A source in Orange County tells me he has grown his hair just long enough to cover the “fuck the police” tattoo on his forehead and the swastika tattooed on the back of his head, most likely on the advice of his lawyer.

I’m also told Eagleson was a regular reader of this site.

Let’s hope his family gets the justice they deserve. And that we can get a dangerous driver off the road for a very long time.

………

In an exceptionally generous offer, the judge in the case of fallen OC cyclist John Colvin offered hit-and-run driver Dylan Thomas Randluby a reduced one-year sentence in county jail; remarkably, his attorney wants to think it over.

If the case goes to trial, he faces four years in state prison.

………

Evidently, life is cheap in the Bay Area.

Even though he had already been convicted and sentenced for felony hit-and-run, an Alameda County judge retroactively reduced all the charges against the driver who killed a bike-riding Chinese tourist to misdemeanors, and sentenced him to just 30 days in jail, calling it an unfortunate accident.

Since when is driving drunk and fleeing the scene of a fatal collision an accident? Judges who refuse to take traffic crimes seriously are why people continue to die on our streets. Let’s hope voters remember this case when he’s up for re-election.

………

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Craig Buck is fighting for his life at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after suffering severe head trauma in a Santa Barbara bicycling collision.

CHP investigators blame him for riding on the wrong side of the road, even though the truck that hit him has allegedly been used in a prior road rage incident involving cyclists.

A Facebook page has been established to give him a thumbs-up.

………

Here’s an interesting new Kickstarter project.

The TurnCycle gesture-controlled wireless bike light promises to follow your hand gestures, and convert them to LED signals to indicate turns or stops; MSN picked it as one of the best Kickstarter inventions of the month.

It has a long way to go in the next 16 days for funding, however.

Thanks to John Jancsek for the heads-up.

………

Several of the top women’s cyclists have teamed together to launch Strongher, The Stage for Women Who Ride, a website and app to connect women riders with one another.

And when a pro team director went to pick up an injured cyclist at an Abu Dhabi hospital, they sent him to a psychiatrist. Although the story’s really about the kindness shown the rider by those who helped him get back to his team.

………

Local

Sign up for a free 30-minute tour of the LA Times’ historic Globe Lobby during Sunday’s CicLAvia.

There is a special place in hell for someone who would punch a Pasadena nine-year old in the face to rob him as he rode his bike to school. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the link.

Huh? A Hermosa Beach resident opposes a bike lane on Monterey Blvd because he’s sick of fiestas and volleyball tournaments, as well as bars and their patrons. And besides, most of the people who ride bikes in the city don’t live there, in his estimation. Which is kind of like saying don’t build a freeway because people who’ll drive on it are just passing through.

 

State

Santa Ana continues to become one of Orange County’s most bike and pedestrian friendly cities; all three of the active transportation projects approved for state funding in the county were in the city, out of 55 applications. Thanks to Nick Gerda for the heads-up.

The Examiner finally notices that former Corona del Mar bike advocate Frank Peters has moved to Portland, and meets with him to discuss his reasons for moving. They could have found out six months earlier by reading this site.

Firefighters rescued a mountain biker suffering from unspecified injuries from OC’s Barton Canyon on Sunday afternoon.

The San Diego Association of Governments has approved a $200 billion transportation plan that promises to continue the region’s reliance on cars.

San Diego will host Calbike’s annual California Bike Summit at the end of this month.

A woman rode 100 miles on Saturday as part of Oceanside’s sixth annual Bike the Coast just two years after having a heart transplant.

The Desert Sun endorses an environmental review of multiple routes for the Coachella Valley’s proposed 50-mile CV Link bike and pedestrian pathway. And says if Rancho Mirage still isn’t on board when the path is ready to build, then build it right up to the city’s borders on either side. I like the way they think.

Palo Alto is installing cameras to get an accurate count of how many kids are biking and walking to school.

More senseless tragedy, as a Richmond bicyclist was killed in a collision with a train after slipping through the crossing arms. And a San Francisco cyclist died after somehow getting caught between two Muni buses.

 

National

A new instagraphic from People for Bikes rebuts seven top myths about people who ride bikes. Memorize this one. It’ll come in handy when the bike haters bust out the torches and pitchforks at the next public meeting.

One sign bikes are gaining greater acceptance: There are now over 1,050 bike-friendly businesses in the US.

Bicycling offers advice on what to do when you crash your bike.

GQ provides suggestions on how to dial in your bike fit and ride the right way, as well as tips on how to get a six pack by riding your bike. Actually, that one’s easy. Step one, get on our bike. Step two, ride to the market. Step three, buy a six pack. Step four, ride home and drink it.

Seattle radio hosts say it’s pointless for the city to take over the nonprofit bikeshare system because the city is hilly. And it rains.

A Denver columnist says the city’s plan to make bicycling safer is vehicle-hostile, while laying sole claim to the streets for those on four wheels.

Chicago reaches 100 miles of protected bike lanes — or maybe not. Meanwhile, advocates call for more and better bike lanes in the city.

Memphis’ bicycle and pedestrian program manager will be honored by the White House as part of the Champions of Change program; crashes are down and ridership is up with 200 miles of bikeways in the city, and another 130 miles of bike paths on the way.

Maine cyclists call for greater enforcement of traffic laws, including ticketing other cyclists. Because it’s always other cyclists who break the law, right?

Vermont police continue to blame the victim in the death of bicycling physician, saying he was under the influence of three different antidepressants — even though police claim the driver, who was drunk and on Xanax, was passing the cyclist safely on the wrong side of the road when he suddenly made a U-turn directly in front of her. Sure, that sounds credible.

A Connecticut cyclist takes on the hills. And a green Lamborghini.

Hoboken NJ becomes the latest city to get bikeshare before Los Angeles. Yes, Hoboken.

There’s something wrong when even a Charlotte NC ghost bike isn’t safe from a reckless driver.

Nice story, as a Florida cyclist tracks down the pregnant army reservist who saved his life after a hit-and-run.

 

International

Bike Radar offers five reasons to bike to work.

A Canadian columnist is appalled by the loss of 48 rarely used parking spaces to make way for bike lanes.

Vancouver votes to move forward with what may be North America’s first bike lift. Meanwhile, more evidence there’s two sides to every story, as a Vancouver cyclist accused of a road rage assault on a pregnant woman says he was just trying to talk to her.

Caught on video: A Calgary driver honks at the cyclist ahead of him for a full 40 seconds, just for the crime of waiting for the light to change. People get pissed off when cyclists don’t stop at red lights, and more pissed off when we do.

A profile of London’s bike riding, very conservative and self-effacing mayor, who may be angling to be the next prime minister.

About 150 Amnesty International supporters rode around Brussels to protest the death penalty, visiting the embassies of the handful of countries that still allow it, including the USA.

A Helsinki driver gets four and a half years for intentionally brake-checking a cyclist in front of multiple witnesses; the rider was killed when he flew over his handlebars after hitting the back of the car, landing head-first on the pavement.

You know the bike boom is a worldwide phenomenon when the prime minister of Swaziland is calling for more bike lanes.

A South African farmer is under arrest for shooting a man on a bicycle following an argument over a first aid kit, a pillow, cap and shoe allegedly stolen from his home. Yes, he killed a man over a shoe and a pillow.

A South Korean cyclist won a 1 million won judgment against a woman after he was injured falling off his bike to avoid her dog in a bike lane. Which sounds impressive until you realize that’s the equivalent of $871.

 

Finally…

Caught on video, partly: Don’t slap a pedestrian standing in the street as you pass by on your bike, or he may get in his car and run you down. Bad enough Florida cyclists have to deal with drunk drivers, worse when the driver’s dog can’t manage to keep the car on the road.

And now you, too, can make your bike sound like a trotting horse.

But why stop there?

 

Category: Bicycle Safety, Bikes & the Law, Legal Cases, Morning Links, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Morning Links: Guilty in North Fig hit-and-run and meth-fueled Fiesta Island crash, & still more Coronado madness

October 9, 2015 / / Comments Off on Morning Links: Guilty in North Fig hit-and-run and meth-fueled Fiesta Island crash, & still more Coronado madness

It’s been a busy few weeks for courtroom drama.

In the latest case, 21-year old Alexis Virto has pled guilty in the horrifying hit-and-run death of bike rider Jose Luna.

Luna was crossing North Figueroa in a marked crosswalk with another rider last June when Virto’s car smashed into him at an estimated 60 to 80 mph, then sped away with his victim still on the hood of his car, carrying Luna’s body 200 yards from the crash site.

Police found his abandoned car, which led them to arrest Virto as he slept with his girlfriend just six blocks from where the collision occurred; still drunk, with windshield glass glittering in his hair.

EGP News reports he plead guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated as part of a plea deal; prosecutors are expected to drop additional counts of driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage causing injury, driving with a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol content causing injury, and hit-and-run resulting in death or serious injury to another person.

He’s due for sentencing on November 5th; the story does not say what sentence he faces as a result of the plea.

North Figueroa had been scheduled for a road diet intended to improve safety and slow speeding drivers. Had it not been summarily cancelled by Councilmember Gil Cedillo, it would have been completed long before this collision, though there’s no way to know if it would have made a difference in this case.

………

Not surprisingly, the meth-infused wrong way driver who plowed into a group of cyclists on San Diego’s Fiesta Island has been found guilty.

Despite her lawyer’s bizarre claim that she wasn’t impaired by the meth in her system. Or the meth hidden in her privates.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Theresa Owens was found guilty of felony DUI causing injury, as well as causing permanent paralysis to one victim and great bodily injury to three others.

She was also convicted on a misdemeanor possession count for the .15 grams of methamphetamine stashed in her vagina.

She now faces up to 18 years in prison.

Let’s hope wherever she ends up, it has a good rehab program.

………

More madness from Coronado, as a resident uses Google to discover various Vehicular Cycling websites, and cites them as proof that bike lanes don’t belong in the crazy little burgh.

Meanwhile, the San Diego Bicycle Coalition offers a more rational voice.

And the Coronado insanity neatly sums up this piece touting the craziest things that have been said about bike lanes.

………

A new study from the University of Arizona shows that wearing a bike helmet reduced the risk of severe traumatic brain injury in a collision by 58%, and the risk of death by 59%. The authors also note helmet use reduced the risk of facial fractures by 29%.

………

Evidently, the reward for winning the world champion’s rainbow jersey is the chance to play waterboy for your teammates in your next race.

………

Local

Outside Magazine looks at Madmen producer Tom Smut’s recent ride to the Emmys, and says what bicycling needs is the perfect A-list champion of bikes. The problem isn’t finding celebrities who ride bikes, it’s getting the world to pay attention. Unless maybe Russell Crowe, Katy Perry and Beyonce aren’t big enough, just to name a few.

South Pasadena students take part in Wednesday’s National Walk to School Day on foot and by bike; KPCC says Walk to School Day raises important safety issues.

Los Angeles Magazine looks at Culver City’s new bike friendly restaurant, The Cannibal.

Bike SGV invites you to attend the Grand Opening of their new Bicycle Education Center on the 25th, complete with Halloween Pet and Costume Bike Train.

 

State

San Diego advocates insist that transit lines and bike and pedestrian projects must move to the head of the line, as the San Diego Association of Governments, aka SANDAG, prepares to vote on a $204 billion transportation plan.

UC Riverside is the latest campus to combat bike theft using GPS bait bikes; so far, they’ve been stolen 17 times, leading to 13 convictions.

Bicycling says Marin County Mountain Bike Hall of Famer Charlie Cunningham needs your help after suffering a life-threatening subdural hematoma in a riding accident that forced him to crawl two miles out of the woods; a gofundme account has be established to help pay medical expenses.

Hollister police haven’t issued a single ticket for violating California’s helmet law for riders under 18 since 2011. Nor should they; a simple warning should be sufficient in cases like that.

A NorCal website explains the difference between Ordinary and Safety bicycles, in case you happen to find yourself in need of a ride in 1880s London.

 

National

Kevin McCarthy’s withdrawal from the race for Speaker of the House means the next leader of the US House of Representatives won’t be a California bike rider.

The Feds propose scrapping regulations that make it difficult to build Complete Streets.

Montana is the latest state to ditch the requirement that cyclists ride as far to the right as practicable; now riders will be allowed to ride as far to the right as they feel safety allows. Are you listening Calbike and CABO? This should be the next big change to California bike law. And while we’re at it, let’s ditch the must-use requirement for bike lanes and bike paths; different types of riders have different needs, and one lane does not fit all.

Bicycling is booming just about everywhere. Except Iowa, evidently.

A Nebraska man is biking the trail the Native American Ponca people were forced to march to their Oklahoma reservation.

Yet another bighearted cop, as a Texas police lieutenant replaces a man’s stolen bike.

One week after a Wisconsin boy finished building his custom BMX bike, a group of teenagers shoved a gun in his face and stole it.

The Wall Street Journal says bike lanes make riding in New York less challenging, but cyclists still face a number of obstacles, from bike lanes blocked by vehicles to lanes that stop and start without warning.

A Brooklyn councilman says the city’s Transportation Committee is more concerned about parking than the safety of bicyclists.

A Staten Island website says with a price tag of $300 to $400 million to add bike and pedestrian access to New York’s Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, just forget about it.

Bike New York offers advice on autumn cycling.

DC’s Metro system blames the city’s successful bikeshare system for their loss in ridership. The brilliance of LA Metro’s planned bikeshare system is that it is designed to be integrated into the transit system, not compete with it.

An OpEd in the Charlotte Observer calls for a Vision Zero there to end the cycling carnage on city streets.

 

International

Three successful women designers discuss women’s bike style beyond the usual shrink it and pink it approach.

A Toronto writer calls the so-called war on cars a mythical fabrication, and says cyclists deserve bike lanes that will allow them to ride in safety.

Two Lycra-clad British bike thieves walk into a bike shop and calmly walk out with a pair of bikes worth $6,600.

SF Gate takes a bike tour along the rugged coast of Ireland.

An Irish cyclist was fined the equivalent of $283 after he was convicted of careless driving for crashing into the back of a parked car.

The bike-riding mayor of Rome has been forced out over an expense scandal; he had won admirers for refusing to stop riding his bike despite mafia threats.

South Australia bicyclists will now enjoy the equivalent of a three-foot passing law and be allowed to ride on the sidewalk, while drivers will be allowed to cross over a double center line to pass cyclists when they have a clear view of approaching traffic and can safely do so. Jerry Brown vetoed legislation that would have allowed drivers to do the same thing here.

Instead of improving safety, the mayor of Melbourne wants to tell riders to just avoid certain streets.

 

Finally…

There’s nothing unusual about a car chase in Los Angeles; on the LA River bike path, not so much. Caught on video: Once again, a Brit rider has been smacked by a crossing bar while trying to beat a train.

And Donald Trump seems to have forgotten about that little bike race he once held.

 

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

Morning Links: DUI killer gets off with 5 years probation, community service at the urging of the victim’s family

October 8, 2015 / / 4 comments
The ghost bike for James Rapley on Temescal Canyon

The ghost bike for James Rapley on Temescal Canyon

Sometimes the generosity of people astounds me.

Like the family and girlfriend of fallen cyclist James Rapley, and plea deal they requested for the driver who killed him.

As you may recall, Rapley was just visiting our city on an extended layover at LAX in December of 2013, leaving his girlfriend behind in Chicago to visit his family in Australia.

He never got there.

His love of bicycling inspired him to rent a bike and ride up the coast on a sunny winter morning, just days before Christmas.

Maybe he wanted more of a challenge, or a more sweeping view of the coast. We’ll never know why he left the beach to ride up the steep hill on Temescal Canyon.

Because that’s where he was run down from behind as he rode in the bike lane at 9 am on a Sunday morning, by Mohammed Kadri, then 19-year old and still high from the night before. Rapley died there, a visitor to our city, thousands of miles from the people he loved.

Kadri could have faced significant jail time if the case went to trial, although as a first-time offender in a county cramped for jail space, that was unlikely. Even though an OC lawyer got four years for an almost identical crime earlier this year.

Yet despite their obvious grief, Rapley’s loved ones saw no good in sending a young man to jail. Instead, they pushed for significant community service in the hopes that Kadri could turn his life around and be a benefit to others.

Last Friday, they got their wish, as Karen Scott, James Rapley’s long-time girlfriend who moved with him from Australia, explains.

Kadri pleaded no contest to the felony charge of vehicular manslaughter. “No contest” is legally equivalent to guilty however they don’t say the words “guilty”. No contest means they are admitting guilt because they believe it is in their best interest to do so.

• 5 years probation which cannot be reduced in length (the max probation period). 8 days credit from time served in prison (I wasn’t aware that’s he’d served time in jail)

• 150 days community service, 30 days per year min for duration of the probation.

• Proof of enrollment in community service to be submitted to the court by Dec 1st.

• He can’t ever carry a firearm and will be considered more harshly on any future criminal acts due to the felony charge.

• He was registered on probation straight after the hearing and it all goes into place straight away.

Myself and James family believed that community service was the best outcome as James would have wanted this and also there is some good that may come from this for the community and hopefully Kadri will grow from the work he does. I can’t see how anyone who will be doing community service every week (or once a fortnight) for 5 years couldn’t come out of this a better person. 150 days is one of the highest number anyone had seen for court mandated community service, usually its 100 days or less. If we had decided to go down the jail route, as he didn’t have a history, he would probably have been given a maximum of 16 months in jail, but because the jails in LA are so full, he’d only serve half that, at 8 months. And with jail that is it, he wouldn’t do anything in the community and we just didn’t see that outcome being what James would want. We did want to make sure however that he plead guilty to the felony charge as we wanted it to be on his record and clear that he take responsibility for his actions.

Scott also gave me permission to post the Victim Impact Statement she read to the court.

It is a beautiful, loving and heartbreaking document, and one that is difficult to read. But it offers a clear picture of harm caused by traffic violence and driving the influence. And the enormity of the loss she suffered, along with his family.

Over the course of this case, I’ve come to know Karen Scott, through emails and finally, meeting in person when she came to LA for a hearing.

She is a petite, charming and generous woman, with a gentle accent that belies her origins Down Under; her love for James still evident nearly two years later. Yet she has born the incredible weight of this case on her small shoulders, bearing witness for his family when they could not bear to set foot in the city where their son died.

I can’t say I would have made the same choices they did. I would have pushed for jail, and the revocation of Kadri’s license.

But I admire their charity, for lack of a better word. And, if not forgiveness, a willingness to release the need for revenge and craft a punishment designed to make the killer of the man they loved whole again.

They also have me wondering, not for the first time, if there might not be a better way to punish those who kill behind the wheel.

………

After winning the Vuelta, Italian rider Fabian Aru could get the green light to lead the Astana team in the 2016 Tour de France.

A 20-year old Indian track cyclist becomes the first from her country to medal in the women’s elite category, taking five medals at the Taiwan Cup Track International Classic.

The new head of USA Cycling takes pride in being one of the few ex-pros who didn’t dope, saying his instinct is to throw dopers under the bus. There are exceptions, of course, but for the most part, there seems to be two kinds of pro cyclists from the past decade — those who doped, and those who didn’t get caught.

Speaking of which, banned doper doctor Michele Ferrari sues to halt distribution of Lance bio The Program.

………

Local

Streetsblog says Vancouver is a bicycling city with lessons for Los Angeles.

Explore site-specific art installations on the LA River bike path this Saturday with TEN FEET: Art Meets The River.

LAist looks forward to CicLAvia’s fifth anniversary on Sunday the 18th with a return to the Heart of LA route, where it all started on 10-10-10. And yes, I still have the T-shirt.

A writer for the Daily Trojan says bikes are an important part of campus life at USC, but the university needs to be made more bike friendly.

South Pasadena considers hosting a stage for next year’s the Amgen Tour of California. The anticipated $7,800 cost seems like a bargain; it should bring in far more than that in tax receipts from the additional sales local businesses will see.

Speaking of South Pas, a meeting will be held on October 20th to discuss traffic calming on Arroyo Drive. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

 

State

Jerry Brown signed AB 1096 clarifying the rules for e-bikes. Thanks to Mike Wilkinson for the tip.

The lawyer for a San Diego driver charged with driving head-on into a group of cyclists says yes, she had meth in her system but she wasn’t impaired by it. So evidently, she just drove the wrong way and crashed into them for fun.

The residents of Coronado react in the comments to the justified ridicule they received from the Late Late Show’s James Corden. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the link.

A bike rider in her 60s suffered major injuries in a Palm Desert collision Tuesday evening; the second major collision involving a cyclist in that town in just three days.

The Capitola city council will decide whether the safety of bike-riding school children is worth removing 99 parking spaces.

Sad news from Hayward, as the body of a missing mountain biker was found 150 feet down a park hillside.

A Contra Costa writer looks at the arrival of bicycles in California in the 1800s, 20 years after they swept the rest of the country.

Six miles of San Jose streets will go car-free for the city’s first ciclovía.

There won’t be any tolls charged for bicyclists or pedestrians to cross the Golden Gate Bridge, for the next five years, anyway.

 

National

Bicycling offers tips on how to keep your makeup flawless on a ride. Which is apparently the biggest problem women riders face.

Yakima WA releases a draft $6 million bike plan in hopes of getting off the list of the country’s 10 fattest cities.

Grist tells the ghost bike origin story, tracing them back to a 2003 St. Louis art project.

Loss of parking rears its ugly head in Ithaca NY, as residents and councilmembers want to reopen discussion of bike lanes on a major street, even though it’s too late to stop the project.

The Department of DIY strikes in NYC, as someone created their own protected bike lane by placing orange cones and flowers along an existing bike lane; it took four people less than 20 minutes and $516 to install. Are you thinking what I’m thinking, LA?

Norfolk VA unveils a draft bike and pedestrian plan designed to improve 12 critical corridors.

Atlanta cyclists hope the city’s new CBO — that’s Chief Bicycling Officer — can lead it back to two-wheeled glory.

The parents of a Palm Beach boy will receive a $12 million check from a condominium association, four years after their son was killed while riding his bike by an elderly resident who couldn’t see over the building’s untrimmed hedges.

 

International

A review website compares the new SitGo e-bike foldie to a Transformer. Although it looks more like a Star Wars droid to me.

Canada’s Halifax cycling Coalition calls for protective side guards on trucks to keep bike riders and pedestrians from falling underneath. Actually, those should be required everywhere. Now.

The Guardian tries out anti-pollution masks to protect bike riders from bad air.

A cute new magnetic, 80-decible bike bell is detachable and small enough to carry in your pocket. No word on whether it will be available in the US.

A 75-year old British bicyclist now teaches CPR with the 37-year old woman who saved his life when he suffered a heart attack while riding six years earlier.

A Swedish cyclist who “technically” had the right-of-way engaged in a 10 minute stand-off with a truck driver coming in the opposite direction.

Aussie cyclists say upgrading roads without installing bike lanes will only mean more congestion.

An Australian website accuses Melbourne of unveiling a radical plan to make the city bike friendly, including — gasp! — reduced speeds and separating bikes from pedestrians along a popular promenade.

 

Finally…

Seriously? Solve a Rubik’s Cube while riding a bikeshare bike through a London park with a 5 mph speed limit, and get reported to the police for endangering the safety of others. Your next ride could be on a 3D printed open sourced bike.

And no matter how mad you are at the driver who honked at you, don’t bash his car — and him — with your U-lock.

Just… don’t.

 

Category: Bikes & the Law, Legal Cases, Morning Links / Tags: , , , , ,
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