Tag Archive for car vs. bike

A threatening Beverly Hills driver offers a reminder that we still have a long way to go

January 28, 2011 / / 6 comments

I got a good reminder yesterday that we still have a long way to go to secure our place on the streets.

I was riding through Beverly Hills, scouting a route for the LACBC’s I ♥ the Westside Ride next Sunday, when I pulled up to a four way stop to make a left.

Yes, I did stop. And even signaled.

I waited for the first car coming the other way started his left, then pulled out to make mine. And while I was still in the middle of the intersection, the car that had been behind that one aggressively pulled out to make a left as well, putting him on a direct collision course with me.

So I jammed on the brakes, and yelled out “What the f***!” as he blew by.

Next thing I knew, the driver screeched to a stop on the far side of the intersection, then whipped around 180 degrees to put himself the same direction I was going.

I’ve learned the hard way that there’s nothing more dangerous than having an angry driver behind me. And it was pretty clear that I was probably going to have to defend myself.

So I quickly pulled over to the side of the road, positioning myself between two parked cars that offered protection from his car, and got off my bike.

He screeched up to a stop next to me, and stared at me in a threatening manner. So I pulled out my cell phone and held it out so he could see me dialing.

“911,” I said. “Do you want to stick around to see what happens next?”

With that, he screeched off down the road, still clutching the illegally hand-held cell phone he’d had plastered to his face the whole time.

I jumped back on my bike and chased after him, holding out my cell phone to take a photo of his license plate, but lost him in traffic before I could get a clear shot. Then rode home angrily replaying the situation in my head, with images of going all De Niro on his ass.

In the end, I think I handled about as well as I could, responding to the threat without escalating the situation — or crossing the line myself.

Just another angry interaction on the streets, serving as a reminder that things may be improving for cyclists in a lot of ways. But there are still angry, dangerous drivers out there.

And we’re still at risk from them.

It also shows once again why L.A.’s proposed bike anti-harassment ordinance is so vital for our protection. This was a textbook example of exactly the sort of incident it’s intended to address.

Even if it wouldn’t apply on the mean streets of Beverly Hills.

.………

I got an email earlier this week from a reader who recommended the CitySourced app for the Windows, Droid, iPhone or Blackberry smartphones, or Garcetti 311 for iPhones.

These applications allow reporting of all sorts of biking problems in Los Angeles. For example, I was biking up the bike lane on Westwood Avenue a day ago and saw 2 cars parked in the bike lane within a matter of 2 minutes. I often see this illegal parking in the bike lane on Gayley Avenue going past In-and-Out as well. You can now report this with a quick picture of their car/license plate/bike lane (in same photo). You can also report abandoned bicycles, potholes, sidewalk cracks (e.g., Westwood park abandoned bike path), etc. Your reports are saved so you can review them in the future.

On another subject, he also wanted to note that he recently emailed the Westfield Century City mall to ask about bike parking, and was happy to get a response indicating that they have bike racks near the valet station. And he was even more please that they agreed with his suggestion to add that information to their website.

It always makes me a little happier when people become more aware that people use bicycles to shop just like anyone else. And then they respect bike lanes more when they are aware that we’re important customers too.

From what I’ve seen, the bike parking at Westfield Century City could use a lot of improvement.

But he’s right. When businesses understand that cyclists spend money just like drivers do — or as some studies have shown, even more — they’ll make sure we have the facilities we need.

And that our rights are respected in their business, and on the streets around them.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Car vs Bike / Tags: , , , , , ,

Driver: “I didn’t hit him, I just brushed him a little;” Mark your calendar for my first group bike ride Feb 5

January 15, 2011 / / 10 comments

Scroll down for news of the first ever BikingInLA/LACBC group ride on Sunday, Feb 6

Strange how life works out sometime.

I was riding around the Marina on my way to Ballona Creek when I spotted a rider down on the side of the road. Next thing I knew, the other rider with him was chasing after a beat-up pickup that had just pulled out of the lot behind them.

Fortunately, the driver stopped to argue with the other rider, which gave me time to call 911. The driver insisted he didn’t hit anyone, while the rider, a man named Craig, I later found out, demanded he pull over right away.

Meanwhile, I was on the phone with the 911 operator, who completely understood when I interrupted as she answered, asking her to write down the license number before the driver could get away. So she listened patiently while I carefully read the plate digit by digit, then repeated it back to me before asking where I was or what happened.

I don’t know who she was. But I do know that if I ever need help, I hope she’s the one who answers the call.

She passed me on to the sheriff’s department, who passed me onto the highway patrol; for some reason, they investigate traffic collisions in the area, even though the Marina sheriff’s station was just two blocks away.

Meanwhile, the driver finally pulled back around and parked his truck. As he walked past, he looked at me, still on the phone with the CHP dispatcher, and said “I didn’t hit him! I only brushed him a little bit.”

To which I responded. “Brushing him is hitting him.” And then into the phone, I asked “You heard that, right?”

As we waited for the highway patrol to arrive, I pulled out my first aid kit and did my best to patch up the first rider, named Jeffery, who fortunately only seemed to have cuts and scrapes. I did my best to talk him into letting the paramedics come take a look; my experience is that once the adrenalin and other stress hormones wear off, it often uncovers more serious injuries.

Which is why I always recommend getting medical care after a collision. Because chances are, you’re hurt worse than you think. You just don’t know it yet.

He declined, though. So once I got off the phone, they explained what had happened.

They were chatting in the parking lot of the shipbuilder after both had visited there. The truck driver had come up behind them, and demanded that they get out of his way — while talking on his cell phone, of course.

Not an unreasonable request under the circumstances. But the driver didn’t wait for them to get out of his way; instead he stepped on the gas as soon as he thought he had an opening.

He didn’t.

His truck ran over the rear wheel of Jeffrey’s bike while he was still straddling it. The bike went down, and so did Jeffrey. All because an impatient driver wasn’t willing to wait the extra second or two that it would have taken a couple of men to get out of his way.

After a lot of discussion, the driver seemed to take responsibility for his actions, exchanging insurance information and offering to pay for the bike. Although he continued to look at the damage to the bike, such as a shredded rear tire, and insist that he couldn’t have done that.

As if any cyclist would have been able to ride anywhere with the sidewall of his tire ripped out on both sides.

The interesting thing, though, for me at least, came as we continued to wait for the CHP to arrive — which never happened while we were there, despite waiting nearly an hour after the 911 call.

As we talked, I mentioned that I was with the L.A. County Bike Coalition. The injured rider, Jeffrey, said he’d just gotten an email from the LACBC about an upcoming ride. Something about a 30 mile ride through the Westside set to begin at the Santa Monica Pier on Super Bowl Sunday.

“Yeah, I know,” I said. “I’m leading it.”

In fact, that’s why I’d been there to help, because I was checking out the route I’d planned.

One more thing, though, before I change subjects. There were two cyclists about 20 yards ahead of me when all his happened, who should have been in perfect position to see the collision. So if you happened so see a truck hit a cyclist in front of one of the shipbuilders on Fiji Way Friday afternoon, let me know.

.………

Now then, about that ride.

Mark your calendar for Sunday, February 6th, when I’ll host my first ever group ride as part of the LACBC’s new Sunday Funday Rides.

Since it will be in February, and just a week before Valentines Day, we’ll be riding in search of the beauty and romance West L.A. and its surrounding cities with a ride themed “I ♥ the Westside.”

We’ll meet at the Santa Monica Pier at 9:30 am, and start rolling at 10. The ride will take in Main Street and the sharrows on Abbott Kinney before working our way up to Culver City and Beverly Hills, then down through Brentwood and Santa Monica, before heading back along the coast to the pier.

At least that’s plan; construction on the Ballona Creek bike path already threatens to throw a monkey wrench in that segment, so some flexibility may be in order.

While I’m still working out the exact route, we should be looking at a total distance of around 30 to 35 miles from start to finish. The course will be mostly flat, with a moderate pace, and best suited for intermediate riders or above. It should last about three hours, allowing for stops along the way — which should have you home well before kickoff of the Super Bowl.

It gets cold at the beach on February mornings, so dress warmly — preferably in layers you can remove as we move inland and the day warms.

And yes, despite what my wife might tell you, I do have enough sense to come in out of the rain. So in the event of bad weather, we’ll postpone or cancel.

The ride is free to LACBC members, and you’re allowed to bring one guest. If you’re not a member and want to ride along, we’ll sign you up on the spot at a reduced rate.

So if you’ve ever want to ride with me, this is your chance.

.………

This week’s upcoming events —

Bike Talk airs Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

Bike Talk is also holding their first-ever benefit event on Saturday, January 15th from 7:30pm-midnite at Vlad the Retailer, 4314 Melrose Ave., at the intersection of Heliotrope & Melrose. Admission is just $10, with food, music, door prizes and Fat Tire Ale on tap.

Bikerowave is offering a free bike-fitting workshop at 6 pm Saturday, January 15th at 12255 Venice Blvd. Los Angeles CA; RSVP to info@bikerowave.org.

Streetsblog joins with KPCC, American Institute of Architects, Pasadena and Foothill Chapter, and Pasadena Magazine to discuss Planning the Future of Our Streets from 7 to 9 pm on Tuesday, January 18th at the Crawford Family Forum at 474 South Raymond Street in Pasadena.

Also on the 18th, the LACBC is calling on cyclists to support the proposed Main Street road diet at the board meeting of the Venice Neighborhood Council, from 7 – 10 pm, at 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice.

Click on the Events page for more upcoming bike events.

.………

The city is offering a $50,000 reward in the murder of 14-year old Taburi Watson, who was shot while riding his bike just before New Years. Anyone with information is urged to call 77th Division Criminal Gang/Homicide Detectives at 213/485-1383. Thanks to George Wolfberg for the tip.

.………

Streetsblog looks at LADOT’s bike applications in Metro’s Call for Projects. Usually bike-friendly Councilmember Bill Rosendahl acts as a committee of one to cut the heart out of the Wilshire BRT, the proposed bus (and bike) only lane. To the surprise of no one, Manuel Gallegos, the cyclist who recorded apparently violent police action at the May Critical Mass, filed suit against the city. A look at the January Downtown Art Walk, and an exhausted pedi-cab driving Josef Bray-Ali. An update on last week’s meeting of the UCLA Bicycle Academy. Matthew Ruscigno reminisces about the 2010 Feel My Legs, I’m a Racer, and says the date of this years competition is still up in the air. The revitalization of the L.A. River could be derailed by the Union Pacific Rail Yards. The Claremont Cyclist diagnoses a few cases of Auto-Dependency Syndrome. Friends react to the death of Kevin Unck, the champion masters cyclist killed when he lost control of his bike and slid in front of an oncoming SUV last Sunday.

A driver is expected to get a slap on the wrist for killing a cyclist, despite driving with a known history of seizures.  A violent alleged shoplifter leads SF police on a wild bike pursuit. A Sacramento cyclist is killed in yet another hit-and-run, while San Luis Obispo rider died five days after getting hit by a truck.

U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood meets with cyclists, and voices his support for cycling; you wouldn’t see that under a Palin administration. Arizona considers an Idaho Stop bill, allowing cyclists to treat stop signs as yields. Tucson Velo looks at winter riding in my hometown. Hoboken says the speed limit may be 25 mph, but 20 is plenty. A NJ legislator withdraws her bill to put license plates on bikes, while New York’s most biased bike-hating major daily cheers a proposal to stick ID tags on bikes. A truck driver is convicted of entering the country illegally, but walks on killing a cyclist; is it just me, or is that horribly backwards?

How to ride offroad more responsibly. A fear of London traffic appears to be behind the lower than expected use of the city’s new bike share program. A photographic view of cycling in Oxford; definitely worth checking out. A Parliament member from Cambridge breaks his arm while riding Down Under. The 2011 Vuelta will ride through the beautiful — and sometimes restive — Basque country. A look at the Tour de France back when men were men and rode their bikes that way.

Finally, the reader who wrote in last month asking for help finding a 64-65 cm lugged steel frame emailed today to report that he’d found — and won — exactly what he was looking for.

Ride it in health. And keep the rubber side down.

Category: Bicycle Safety, Car vs Bike / Tags: , , ,

Blaming the victim — some drivers say cyclists are just asking for it

November 15, 2010 / / 26 comments

It wasn’t that long ago that a woman was just as likely to be blamed as the man who attacked her.

All too often, a woman would report a sexual assault, only to be asked why she was out that late or what she was doing in a place like that. And if a case overcame the odds and made it to court, a judge or jury might conclude that her short skirt or tight top meant that she was asking for it.

Or if a woman was the victim of domestic violence, she was likely to encounter an attitude that she was the one to blame because she shouldn’t have made her husband or boyfriend that mad to begin with.

Case dismissed.

Fortunately, times have changed. That sort of attitude went out with the onset of the women’s movement, when it slowly dawned on society that a woman had a right to say no or stand up for herself. And that we all need to be held accountable for our own actions, regardless of what anyone else does or doesn’t do.

Except, it seems, when it comes to sharing our streets.

The last socially acceptable vestige of that blame-the-victim attitude is firmly on display whenever the subject turns to bicycling and a riders’ right to the road — and the wisdom of putting our wheels on the asphalt some motorists claim as their exclusive domain.

Consider the L.A. Time’s recent Talk Back L.A. post asking for comments on the proposed anti-harassment ordinance, for instance.

By now, we’ve become accustomed to attitudes like this one that merely express a misguided hatred for anyone who moves on two wheels.

EVERY single person i know hates bicyclists. Your cute little mass protest rides have pissed off a lot of people. Your very existence on busy, clogged streets is an annoyance. Learn to drive or bust a gut-check and pay for gas like the rest of us.

No, the problem comes from those who absolve themselves of any responsibility for their own actions. It’s the cyclists’ fault for being where we shouldn’t be, in the eyes of the outraged and inconvenienced drivers.

ban all bicycles from main roads and their riders won’t get hurt or killed. they can’t keep up with traffic and provide no passenger protection. automobile drivers have enough to worry about when on the road, traffic rules, stop lights, pedestrians and now we have to watch over these cry babies who think they are special, really.

Yes, drivers have enough to worry about without watching out for other traffic on the road. And there’s certainly no need to acknowledge that a car or truck is a dangerous machine and must be operated carefully.

It’s just those two-wheeled crybabies who think they’re special, and insist on using the roads as if the law said they could.

Which it does, of course.

If you ride a bicycle on the street, you’re taking your life in your own hands. Bikes are too slow, too hard to see and take up space in the lane preventing cars from driving around them.

It’s the cyclists, they insist, who are risking their own lives; it’s not the drivers’ responsibility to look for them or pass safely. So if you hit one, it’s really his or her fault, not the fault of the careless, distracted or overly aggressive person behind the wheel.

On a busy 8 lane (8 lane!) street I had a bicyclist pull up in between my truck and another car at the stoplight at one of the busiest intersections in the city like he was on a motorcycle or something. Ridiculous. Just an accident waiting to happen. He perfectly could’ve use the available bike lane and cross walk. But no, he uses a major throughfare as his preferred route of transportation. And guess who’s fault it is when they get hit?

Honestly, the nerve. A cyclist riding on the street like it was a safe, legal and reasonable thing to do. Which it is — or at least, should be.

Then there are others who make the connection more directly.

Rather than a new law, enforce the current laws, laws that bicyclists are supposed to follow. If they drove as they are supposed to drive, harassment would become a non-issue.

From their perspective, drivers are entitled  to harass cyclists because cyclists break the law, or at least they’re not acting unreasonably if they do. Never mind that, despite what some people seem to think, a drivers license does not authorize vigilante enforcement of traffic laws.

I had to hit her, your honor. She made me so mad, I just couldn’t help myself.

Then again, there are some who bend over backwards to blame the victims.

This conviction (of Dr. Christopher Thompson) was total B.S. The doctor DID NOT hit the bicyclists. They ran into the BACK of the doctor’s car. The bicyclist that went thru the car’s back window was going 40 mph at the time. Why was he going so fast? Because he was CHASING the doctor’s car.

Even when a motorist is clearly breaking the law, it’s never the law-breaking driver who’s to blame — as in this heartless comment about the death of cyclist James Laing in Agoura Hills last month.

You have no idea what you are talking about, but that doesn’t stop you from hollering with your righteous indignation.
 Don’t want to get killed? Then stay off the streets, there are PLENTY of parks with bike paths. Insist on your “right” to participate in inherently dangerous behavior, then expect there to be tragedies like this.

No, it couldn’t be the fault of the driver who got behind the wheel after drinking and ran down a cyclist riding on a wide road in a well-marked bike lane. It’s the fault of the cyclist for simply for being on the road.

Or just being born, perhaps.

And it’s not just Los Angeles. And not just anonymous motorists.

A father who tragically lost his daughter in a cycling collision concludes, not that the driver who took his daughter’s life should have been more careful, but that bikes don’t belong on the street.

When are people going to realize bicycles and cars don’t mix? I have had horrible days driving along Highway 1 in Marin County, where the bikers are so thick that they force cars to pass on the opposite side of the road — in many cases on blind curves. We need some strict laws that restrict bicycles to roads specifically designed with bike lanes. How about a registration and helmet requirement to ride on streets and highways? Anything else should be illegal and subject to a citation. How many more people need to die before something is done?

Never mind that the law clearly prohibits passing on blind curves, or that it only takes a few extra seconds to pass safely in most cases.

The fact is, it’s not easy to have a collision.

It requires one or more people violating the law or using the road carelessly; if everyone drove and rode carefully, paying close attention to the traffic and circumstances around them, while observing the law, it would be virtually impossible to have a collision. And wrecks, whether between motor vehicles, bikes, pedestrians or any combination thereof, would become so rare that a simple fender bender would be front page news.

Because most accidents aren’t accidents.

But even the newly elected mayor of Toronto says it’s cyclists’ own fault if they get killed — whether or not they’re riding in a traffic lane.

What I compare bike lanes to is swimming with the sharks, and sooner or later you’re going to get bitten. And no wonder, roads are built for buses, cars, and trucks. And my heart bleeds for them when someone gets killed, but it’s their own fault at the end of the day.

No need for drivers to be careful.

No need to slow down or put down that cell phone, watch the road or take alternative transportation if you’ve been drinking.  It’s not your fault, really.

It’s those darn cyclists who just don’t belong on the road.

They made me do it.

Case dismissed.

.………

In a truly astounding example of a driver refusing to take responsibility for his actions, a convicted drunk driver sues the parents of the bike riding boy he killed for allowing him to ride without a helmet — even though no helmet on earth would protect against a car moving at 83 mph in a 45 mph zone.

.………

And in case you ever wondered just what a harassing driver looks like, they seem to look kind of sheepish when they get caught.

.………

In a horrific weekend for New Zealand cyclists, two men are killed and a woman critically injured in a collision that left a bike embedded in the side of a car, and another woman killed by a car during a training ride, leading a cycling organization to call for urgent action; meanwhile, a Christchurch cyclist is seriously injured after colliding with a pole.

.………

Herbie says Google responded very quickly to a suggested change for a more appropriate riding route. The paparazzi catch Gwen Stefani teaching her son to ride with training wheels in West Hollywood. Bike lanes are coming to Valencia exactly where they’re not needed most. A Corona del Mar cyclist traces his route to bike advocate. A biking and baseball literary doping doubleheader can be yours for just $5. It’s your bike, ride it the way it feels right to you. Orem, Utah plans to become more bike and pedestrian friendly. Hats and scarves for cold weather riding. Police reports are often wrong. Yet another case of a cyclist suddenly materializing out of nowhere. As Witch on a Bicycle aptly put it, one zero-emissions vehicle collides with another. Evidently, L.A. isn’t the only city where the roads are falling apart. Sometimes, a sacrifice to the biking gods may be in order. Ivan Basso wants his first bike back. Italian police raid the home of Lance Armstrong teammate Yaroslav Popovych.

Finally, a tongue-in-cheek study shows that electric cars take up as much space as the gas-driven ones.

Category: Advocacy & Politics, Best of / Tags: , , ,

Better bike courtesy won’t keep cyclists alive

September 22, 2010 / / 2 comments

Note: there were too many important news items today to include in this morning’s post. Come back a little later this morning for news about AAA attacking bike and pedestrian funding, the Mayor calls for a bike friendlier Metro, cyclists urged to ride right at Critical Mass, and a Maryland driver runs over a deer who turned out to be a candidate for Senate.

………

Maybe he just doesn’t get it.

Or maybe we’re just not going to convince David Whiting that all the courtesy in the world won’t keep careless, dangerous or distracted drivers from running down even the most polite cyclists, pedestrians and yes, other drivers.

Whiting — the OC Register writer who wrote last week that the solution to the county’s one-a-month rate of bike deaths was for bike clubs to ride single file and stop running red lights and stop signs — now says the answer could be as simple as being more courteous to drivers.

Seriously.

Even though a failure to show the proper deferential politeness hasn’t been a factor in any of the deaths I’m aware of.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a firm believer in roadway courtesy. I make a point of signaling, and often wave drivers across the intersection in front of me if there’s any question who has the right-of-way. And I do my best to let drivers behind me pass anytime it’s safe to do so.

But not just to be nice.

I’ve learned the hard way that there are few things more dangerous than having a frustrated, angry jerk stuck on your rear wheel. And I’d much rather signal my intentions or let someone else go first than risk any misunderstanding that could result in us both attempting to occupy the same space at the same time.

I’m also a big believer in obeying traffic laws, as well as avoiding unnecessary distractions while I ride. Not because it’s the right thing to do, but because it keeps me safer on the streets.

But let’s be honest. Bike courtesy wasn’t a factor when nine-year old Nicolas Vela was run over by a monster truck whose driver couldn’t see the little kid riding his bike across the crosswalk directly in front of him.

Nor did it come into play when Donald Murphy was run down by a woman high on prescription medications, who kept driving with his bike still stuck under her car. Or when Alan Earl Miller was killed by a truck that drifted off the roadway while he was riding on the shoulder.

And it certainly wasn’t a factor when a car veered off the road, killing Christy Kirkwood and injuring another rider.

So if Mr. Whiting or anyone else wants to start a campaign to increase courtesy on the streets, count me in. Though I do look forward to the companion campaign, in which drivers are urged to show more courtesy to other road users by passing safely, observing the speed limit, stopping for stop signs, signaling, sobering up before driving, and turning off their cell phones when they get behind the wheel.

But let’s not pretend for one minute that it has one damn thing to do with the tragic and completely unacceptable rate of cyclists killed on the streets of Orange County.

Because it doesn’t.

And pretending it does will only mean more deaths until we stop blaming the victims and address the real problems.

………

While we’re in Orange County, the OC Register reports that the senior cyclists cited for riding on the sidewalk — despite a sign saying it was legal to do just that and a cop who seemed to suggest they should— recently had their day in court.

And won.

Orange County Superior Court Commissioner Max DeLiema ruled in favor of the two-wheeled scofflaws, delivering a not guilty verdict for both.

“According to the Judge, since there is no signage that directs bicyclist to exit the sidewalk, then the interpretation of the law is that ‘riding your bicycle on the sidewalk’ is OK!” Leslie Smith told us by e-mail. “We have spent three days in court (one for my husband, Duane, to enter a plea of not guilty, one for me to enter a plea of not guilty, then today in court to testify)! Such a waste of taxpayer $$$….”

Now maybe Newport Beach should consider improving their signage.

And maybe the police should offer a well-deserved apology.

Thanks to David Bain for the link.

………

Enjoy the confluence of bikes and poetry on L.A.’s Eastside with the Spokes & Words Back to School Ride this Thursday. Flying Pigeon is featured on the Green Jobs California web site. KCRW discusses CicLAvia and biking in LA (no, not me); not surprisingly, the first comment is about how dangerous those darn bicyclists are. Riding a bike while towing a device for riding a bike in place. A Santa Monica council candidate talks local issues, including how to make the city bike friendlier. A look at the Whittier Greenway. San Diego area authorities opt for cheap sealant on a local $10 million bike bridge, which means it will be out of action for the next two weeks. A San Jose cyclist is killed in a apparent hit-and-run. Cyclo-cross comes to Las Vegas this week. Speaking of Vegas, Cyclelicious visits Interbike. An Oregon cyclist is killed trying to beat a train across a crossing. Two Portland cyclists are run down in rapid succession, apparently by the same possibly intentional hit-and-run driver. The New York law that allows cyclists to bring their bikes into their office buildings hasn’t worked as planned. Bicycling as a way of life to reclaim America’s streets. Construction begins on the London 2012 velodrome track. A Labor candidate for London mayor tries to out-bike BoJo. The IMBA joins with component manufacturers to improve European Mountain biking. A Kiwi mother is knocked cold by a hit-and-run cyclist.

Finally, the widow of a man killed by a cyclist last year in NYC gets an apology from the city’s DOT commissioner; no doubt she’s cleared her schedule for the next few weeks to apologize to the relatives of all the cyclists killed by drivers.

And happy World Car-Free Day, a holiday that will no doubt be little noticed on the streets of L.A.

Category: General / Tags: , , , , ,

Monday morning links — more bike complaints, Vuelta wraps and youth triumphs in the U.S.

September 20, 2010 / / One comment

There seems to have been a common theme to online bike stories over the weekend.

As in, some people just don’t seem to like us.

For instance, a Boston writer who took up biking again as an adult criticizes the behavior of his fellow cyclists; while he may have some legitimate complaints, these sound like the rants of a gutter bunny who hasn’t yet learned the rights of cyclists.  Another Massachusetts writer takes a far more objective look at maintaining the delicate balance on the roads.

Then there’s this hopefully there’s this attack from a Victoria BC columnist who blames cyclists for terrorizing all those law-abiding motorists in their Bentleys. Maybe if they stepped out of their multi-ton cars and spent a little time in a more vulnerable road state, they might understand who’s really being terrorized.

In recently bike friendly New York, complaints rise about the rapidly rising number of cyclists and seemingly inevitable conflicts with pedestrians that results. Meanwhile, the patron saint of New York cycling, NYDOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, may be getting a little blowback from a new less than bike friendly boss.

Meanwhile, a Minnesota cyclist responds to bike-baiting columnists in the local paper, while Dave Moulton drives and rides to the letter of the law, Baltimore Spokes uncovers a 13-year old paper in which a psychology professor says road rage is a culturally acquired habit and Portland Tea Partiers complain about bike Nazis initiatives.

………

The final mountain stage of this year’s Vuelta features a climb steeper than the legendary Mont Ventoux, as hometown favorite Ezequiel Mosquera wins the stage while Vicenzo Nibali clinches the race. Tyler Farrar wins the final sprint, while Cavendish wins the points championship. Bicycling offers video highlights.

Here in the states, rising star Taylor Phinney edges Levi Leipheimer to win the U.S. time trial championship, while 21-year old Ben King wins the road title and announced he’s the newest member of Team RadioShack. Bicycling says youth was served in a Trek-Livestrong sweep.

And Floyd Landis finds himself banned from the upcoming World Championships, and doesn’t like it.

………

Bicycle Fixation offers a detailed guide to bike tires. Gary offers images from the Santa Monica Spoke’s Park(ing) Day site; LAist looks at sites in East Hollywood and Silver Lake. Kate Hudson, her celeb parents and musician boyfriend bike by the Santa Monica Pier. Long Beach’s cycling expats publish Panniers and Peanut Butter, an ebook on bike touring gear and tips with a great title. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood says people aren’t dying in distraction crashes, they’re being killed by distracted drivers. A Massachusetts cyclist takes construction blocking the bike lane in stride, saying sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. A look at the popular Minuteman Bikeway. Cycling missionaries and the bike of Mormon. The New York times looks at Critical Mass in Prague. A look at the world’s fastest human-powered bikes; I dare you to try one of this at your next crit. A Brit rider plans to attempt a world speed record on an all-wood bike. Sussez police receive over 20,000 complaints about anti-social drivers.

Finally, Zeke discovers the downside of a cycling tan, returning from the beach with a tricolor complexion. And his L.A.-based biking brother David points us to an attempt to build a bike powered washing machine; as the designated laundry specialist for my household, I think I’ll pass.

Category: General / Tags: , , , , ,

Ventura County cyclist critically injured; a discussion of bike deaths in OC

September 8, 2010 / / 6 comments

In yet another Southern California bike collision, a Ventura man was critically injured when he was hit by a car Tuesday afternoon.

According to the Ventura County Star, 54-year old Curtis Reese was riding across Ventura Avenue on Warner Street when he was hit by a southbound vehicle driven by Jason Friedman, also of Ventura. No other information was given about how the collision occurred or who was at fault.

The paper notes that, in an all-too-rare occurrence, the driver stopped at the scene. And not surprisingly, was uninjured.

Thanks to DC for the heads-up.

Update: A press release on the City of Ventura website, apparently based on the official police report, indicates that Reese was broadsided by Friedman’s vehicle and thrown from his bike, suffering major injuries.

Update 2: In a little good news, the Ventura County Star reports that Reese is in stable condition and recovering at the hospital.

………

David Whiting, cyclist, and editor-at-large/columnist for the Orange County Register, will discuss OC’s one-a-month rate of biking fatalities at the monthly meeting of the Orange county Wheelmen Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, two Orange County girls are critically injured, along with seven other people, when an alleged drunk driver jumps the curb and hits a group of pedestrians in Santa Ana.

………

Irmanol Erviti wins stage 10 of the Vuelta in a solo breakaway, while Joaquin Rodriguez claims the leader’s jersey. Saxo Bank gives Andy Schleck and Stuart O’Grady the boot from the Vuelta for an unauthorized tipple.

In other racing news, Bradley Wiggins and Emma Pooley win the men’s and women’s British Time Trial Championships, and the legendary Jeannie Longo wins yet another cycling title, this time in Steamboat Springs CO.

………

LACBC releases an English Language version of their Central LA Better Bike Routes Map. Rach Stevenson reports on last week’s bike-focused meeting of the Malibu Public Safety Commission. Where’s the former Anonymous Cyclist been — besides fixing classic bikes and writing for Bike Rumor, that is? Bicycle Fixation celebrates new bike racks on Wilshire Blvd and at the Trader Joe’s at 3rd and La Brea. CicLAvia needs volunteers starting this week, and invites your family to join the MidDay Ridazz.  A view from Philly at Long Beach’s green bike priority lanes.  Dave Moulton discusses the right and wrong ways to ride in a group. Zeke contemplates what he’s learned in three years back on the bike. Oregon Live says if bikes can’t keep up with traffic, get out of the lane. Portlanders shouldn’t have to choose between bikes and baseball. A cyclist has his bike stolen after a 3,000 charity ride. Biking the most scenic road in North America. Missouri police seek a driver who intentionally ran down a cyclist. Fighting the proposed bike ban in St. Charles County MO; turns out Sag Harbor NY has had a bike ban on the books for 24 years. A cab crashes into an NYC coffee shop, injuring five people, including two cyclists passing by; commenters blame a separated bike lane for confusing the driver. A Philadelphia area man faces multiple charges in the hit-and-run death of a 16-year old boy. A man rides his bike to a garage sale, only to have it sold by mistake. Remembering a Florida minister killed in a hit-from-behind collision over the weekend. Vancouver drivers will soon confront a traffic-calming panic-inducing hologram. Prince Charles gets on, but apparently doesn’t ride, a Brompton. London bike commuting jumps as Underground workers go on strike; thanks to George Wolfberg for the link. Mark Ronson rides a bike in his latest video. A Brit woman is cleared of killing a cyclist when medical experts testify she may have blacked out at the wheel. News roundups from last week’s Eurobike, including the latest wheels, ‘cross bikes, an interview with Saxo Bank’s Jens Voight and a very sexy new bike from the Cannibal, as well as a new belt drive system. A YouTube look at the Netherlands’ Strict Liability law; thanks to Kirk for sending the link.

Finally, a poignant story from the Charlotte Observer about learning to ride again after being struck by a car.

His fingers, hand, wrist, pelvis, hip, femur and knee all fractured in one blow the day after Thanksgiving 2008. A motorist turning left struck Wiseman’s oncoming bicycle in Rowan County. The motorist said he never saw the bike.

“The right leg does 70 percent of the work,” said Wiseman of his body’s limitations now. The left just doesn’t remember anymore.

“I couldn’t pick my left leg up to get it on the pedal. I couldn’t move my leg up and down.”

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

Friday’s ride, on which I concede an angry driver has a point

September 4, 2010 / / 6 comments

Funny how life found a way to contribute to this morning’s topic.

And gave quick lesson in shutting up long enough to grasp someone else’s perspective.

I’d taken a quick spin down to the South Bay in the afternoon, and was making my up Abbot Kinney Blvd on my way home.

About a block after crossing Venice Blvd — oddly, almost exactly where the randomly placed arrow ended up on the Google Map — a driver headed in the opposite direction made sudden, very illegal U-turn in the middle of the block and stopped directly in front of me to back into a parking space.

I shot a quick look over my shoulder and saw that I had just enough room to swing around him. And knew it shouldn’t be a problem, since the cars behind me would either have to stop, or make an illegal — and très L.A. — maneuver to cross over the double yellow line and go around the car blocking their way.

Because it’s so not acceptable to, you know, stop or anything.

I stuck out my arm to signal what I was doing, and in the same motion, leaned to the left to carve a perfect curl around the car in my path, only briefly occupying the space between it and the yellow line to my left.

As I did, though, I heard a quick honk from behind. I could tell it wasn’t close enough to present a danger, though, so I leaned back to the right, sailing back to my normal position along the sharrows.

Funny how quickly I’ve gotten used to them.

A minute or two later, a car pulled up on my left and a very angry looking man stared my way, shaking his head. His window was down, so I simply said “I had the right of way,” and pedaled on my way.

But he pulled up on my left once again, and leaned over to yell “you cut me off!”

Again, I said I had the right of way, considering that all the explanation required. After all, I’d been riding in the lane, right where the sharrows indicated, and was the only one positioned to go around the car blocking the lane — and the only one who could have done it legally.

Again, though, he said I’d cut him off. So I repeated myself one last time.

But this time, his response was different. “You just stuck your arm out and cut in front of me!”

Which, I realized, was exactly what I had done.

So I just said, “you’re right.”

There was no need to explain the rest of the story. Like how, as experienced cyclists, we learn to read traffic situations and anticipate what is most likely to happen. And our how well-honed reaction times and more responsive vehicles allow us to react so much faster than the drivers we share to road with.

Or from his perspective, how he barely had time to see what I was doing and tap his brakes before I was in front of him and gone again. And how he could have overreacted, potentially risking a collision with the car behind him.

Even if he was in the middle of a dangerously illegal maneuver by attempting to go around us both on the wrong side of the road.

We understood each other.

So I nodded, and he nodded back.

And we both went on our way, with perhaps a little better understanding of each other’s perspective.

………

In upcoming events:

The L.A. Bicycle Film Festival continues through Sunday; check the website for schedule and locations.

Bike Talk airs every Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

Since it happened to pop up in my inbox, I’ll pass along word that PV Bicycle Center in Palos Verdes is having a sale this weekend, and hosting public time trial up the PV Switchbacks on Sunday morning (women start at 9:30 am, men at 10), followed by free barbeque, call 310/377-7441 or toll-free 888/377-7441 for more information. Note to PVBC — if you put events like this on your own website, someone might actually be able to link to it.

Flying Pigeon hosts a book signing with photographer and former D.A. Gil Garcetti (you may also know his son Eric) for his book Paris: Women and Bicycles on Thursday, September 9 at 7:30 pm. I had a chance to look it over at this year’s River Ride; if you love beautiful photographs of beautiful women on beautiful bikes in one of the world’s most beautiful cities — and who doesn’t? — this is a beautiful opportunity to meet the man behind the lens.

Make your plans for Parking Day LA on Sept. 17th.

Celebrate the third anniversary of C.R.A.N.K. MOB at C.R.A.N.K.MAS III, 9 pm on Saturday, September 18th and 7 am Sunday, September 19th; costumes mandatory.

Also on Sunday the 19th, the Los Angeles Wheelmen celebrate their 65th anniversary with century and half-century rides; $5 of the $30 ride fee will go to the LACBC.

Hearings for the proposed bike plan are scheduled for September 25, 29, 30 and October 2, with a noontime  Webinar scheduled for Wednesday the 29th.

Explore the effects of bicycles on art and culture at the Grand Opening of Re:Cycle — Bike Culture in Southern California, October 7th – 9th, at U.C. Riverside’s newly relocated Sweeney Art Gallery at the Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts, 3834 Main Street in downtown Riverside. A reception will be held from 6 – 10 pm Thursday, October 7th; the exhibition continues through December 31st.

New Belgium Brewery’s Tour de Fat makes its first L.A. stop on Saturday, October 23rd. The following day, Sony sponsors their bikeless Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon.

………

More on the victory of Alessandro Petacchi in stage 7 of the Vuelta; no major changes in the standings as the riders prepare to head into the mountains. The soigneur for Team Sky, Txema Gonzalez, dies of an infection in Seville, Spain. Tour de France champ Alberto Contador will skip the World Championships later this month. And an interesting insight on why the Lance Armstrong investigation is taking place here in L.A., and why now.

………

In only semi-bike related news, everyone seems to be bailing on Colorado’s tinfoil-hat wearing Republican candidate for governor — the man who claimed Denver’s new bike share program was part of a UN plot for world domination. But he insists on staying in the race, no doubt much to the relief of his bike-friendly opponent.

………

Public radio program Living on Earth looks at the state of bicycling in Los Angeles, concluding it’s no Copenhagen; thanks to Patrick for the link. Gary offers the good news and bad news from Wednesday’s Agensys meeting. LACBC says there are no more potential bike lanes in L.A.’s new potential bike plan. Crosswalk sting nabs two cyclists for riding with headphones; CHP says use them in one ear only, thank you; a Brit biking fatality could illustrate why. New video promotes bike-friendly Long Beach. The Santa Cruz Sierra Club says bikes are worse than heroin. A Sonoma cyclist says we are to pedestrians what cars are to us. New bike lanes coming to Downtown Tucson. Arizona cyclists can take a class and avoid a fine for a ticket. Turning cars into a bike sandwich. Tampa letter writers say cars are the real problem, no, bikes are. James Cracknell, the British Olympian critically injured by a truck in Arizona earlier this year, finally returns home after an extensive hospitalization. How to deal with common bicycling ailments. Young punks on bikes disturb elderly Scots. Why is it always the driver in the Prius? On a very bad day in New Zealand, a little good news as world track cycling medalist Jesse Sergent signs with Lance Armstrong’s Team Radioshack; thanks to the Trickster for the heads-up. The world’s five most bike-friendly cities.

Finally, yet another reason to always wear a helmet — it protects from magpie attacks.

Update: One more link, sent in by David. A rider is killed after getting right hooked by a bus while riding in Honolulu crosswalk; if you’re going to ride on the sidewalk, take extra care at intersections.

And three day weekends mean more drunks and distracted drivers on the road, so keep your eyes and options open, and  be extra careful riding this weekend.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

Don’t ever do anything that could possibly piss a driver off

September 3, 2010 / / 10 comments

No.

Oh, hell no.

It’s true, like it or not, that our behavior on the road can affect how drivers respond to us. And yes, we have as much responsibility for avoiding confrontations on the streets as drivers do, even though they have to potential to do far more harm.

Sharing the road goes both ways, requiring all road users to observe the law and show courtesy and respect for others. And yes, that includes you and me.

But you can take that philosophy too damn far.

A bicyclist and writer for New West does exactly that, arguing that cyclists must “do what they can to stop angering and inconveniencing motorists.”

It’s not like the writer is completely out of line. Of the five pieces of advice he offers, four make perfect sense. For the most part, anyway.

He tells riders to hold your line, noting that riding in a straight line is “perhaps the best habit a cyclist can have,” in terms of safety and allowing drivers to maneuver around you.

He suggests wearing bright clothing — which is something I’ve always advocated, despite the current fashion for muted earthtone bikewear — as well as using lights and reflectors in low-light conditions.

And as many others have, he notes that there is safety in numbers, and that more bikes on the roads means drivers will get more used to sharing them with us. However, he also says cyclists should ride single file; mostly true, even though it can be safer to ride two abreast in some cases in order to control the lane and increase visibility.

He also instructs riders to obey traffic laws. Again, good advice, although there can be cases where what’s safe and what’s legal aren’t always the same thing in a world where traffic laws weren’t written with cyclists in mind.

So far, so good.

The problem comes in the final bit of advice — the first in his list —  where he accuses “too many” riders of angering drivers with a “holier-than-thou attitude” and thinking they have special rights.

So tell me. How can any driver — or any other cyclist, for that matter — know what someone’s attitude is without stopping and asking them? Stepping behind the wheel of car or onto the saddle of a bike does not make me or anyone else a mind reader. And whatever attitudes I may ascribe to those I share the road with is more a projection of my own state of mind than any deep psychological insights into others.

Besides, what some may see as a “holier-than-thou” attitude may reflect nothing more than a thorough knowledge of the law and our right to the road.

He goes on to suggest that you never, ever do anything to tick off drivers.

Basically, be constantly careful not to give motorists any reason to dislike cyclists. Don’t take over a road. Don’t inconvenience motorists. Pull over when you have traffic backed up. When waiting at a stoplight, leave room for motorists to turn right on red. Be considerate.

Reward politeness with politeness. Smile and wave when a motorist gives some courtesy and space. Be careful you wave correctly so it isn’t misinterpreted as an obscene gesture.

Yes, it is often courteous to move a little to the left at a red light, so cars can use the right turn lane; however, in places without a turn lane, it’s not always safe to do so.

And you should allow others to pass when it’s safe and there’s enough room. Although nothing says you have to pull over and stop unless there are five or more cars backed up behind you and unable to pass.

Simply put, if they can go around you, you aren’t impeding traffic. Period.

I also believe in giving a wave of thanks when a driver shows me courtesy or operates with unusual safety. But I have a right to be there, and thanking a driver for merely giving me the space the law requires just reinforces the mistaken idea that streets are for cars and that bikes don’t belong there.

And whatever you do, he says, don’t ever express anger or talk to a driver to let them know that they did something dangerous.

Reward meanness with kindness. Even when a motorist cuts you off, yells obscenities or hazes you, don’t yell back or offer up the universal salute. Don’t ride over the driver’s side window for a little chat; this almost never has a good outcome. Again, smile and wave. Nothing will change that incident; but next time, the motorist might feel and behave differently. Suck it up; take one for the team; do it for all cyclists who will come down that road after you do. Guilt is a powerful motivator.

Yeah, I’m just going to smile and wave and take one for the team when a driver leaves me in a bloody heap in the road.

I don’t think so.

And as the cyclist who may come down the road after you, I’d strongly prefer that you politely let a driver know when he or she does something dangerous. My life may depend on it.

Look, I understand where he’s coming from. A little courtesy goes a long way towards making everyone’s trip safer and more enjoyable. And in any confrontation, the cyclist is the one who is most likely to come out on the losing end; after all, we’re not the ones armed with two-ton weapons of mass destruction.

But the sort of condescending obsequiousness he suggests only reinforces the common, but mistaken, attitude that we’re interlopers on the drivers’ turf.

Finally, he concludes by repeating his call for bike riders to be “ambassadors for everybody who rides a bicycle, now and in the future.”

So lets make this very clear.

I am not an ambassador for bicyclists, any more than any driver is an ambassador for every other motorist on the roads.

An ambassador is someone who represents others in a foreign land. But these streets are not foreign territory belonging to motorists.

I belong here. I have a right to be here.

And I’m not going to apologize for it.

………

Meanwhile, a new survey shows 65% of Brits think biking is normal, and only 7% think cyclists are strange. And 43% wish they were on a bike while they sit stuck in traffic.

I’m not sure I want to know what a similar stateside survey would show.

………

Allesandro Petacchi jets to victory in a mass sprint in stage 7 of the Vuelta. Christian Vande Velde looks to make a comeback at the Vuelta, if he can stay in one piece. And the Times says new evidence may have surfaced implicating Lance Armstrong in the government doping investigation.

………

Funding approved for the first phase of the West Valley Greenway. The Southern California Association of Governments prepares to take a collaborative approach by launching a BikePed Wiki website next month. UCLA Today looks at Ayla Stern, new BAC member and co-founder of the Valley Bikery. LACBC looks at Wednesday’s Monthly Mixer. Claremont Cyclist looks back at the weekly Wednesday Griffith Park Ride. Courtesy of dudeonabike, proof that even cars in Oregon can support bikes. Santa Rosa installs a 65-foot obelisk made of recycled bikes in the middle of the city’s automotive district; isn’t every city an automotive district? Cyclists complain about getting bumped from Caltrain. Struggling to focus on the road while riding through Big Sur. A San Francisco conservative — there’s an endangered species for you — ridicules Obama for wearing a helmet, a year after he was criticized for not wearing one; sometimes you just can’t win. The University of Arizona opens an on-campus bike valet. A Spokane city councilman starts a flame war with cyclists, insisting he can be rude if they can and suggests banning bikes “if this ignorance continues to happen here.” A look at the court case that established your right to ride on the road, hard to believe it’s only been 10 years; the lawyer who handled that case says you have to fight for your rights. A cross-country cyclist has his bike and gear stolen in Missouri. Why Chicago is falling behind other biking cities. Some drivers take the blame and some pass it. A cyclist gets hit twice in one month in Downtown DC; bad luck or bad biking? Florida cyclists complain about misplaced rumblestrips on roadway shoulders; at least that’s one problem we don’t have on PCH. Yet. A helmetless Ottawa cyclist dies in a solo accident after flipping over the handlebars. An Irish cyclist is found dead on the side of the road, with no sign of a collision. Bonnie Prince Charlie joins with British Cycling to promote bikes as sustainable transport. A Brit cyclist falls off his bike and punches the paramedic who tries to help him after downing 12 pints. Photos of the latest bikes from Eurobike 2010; the latest bike shorts have a fly. Police in North Wales says no race marshals from the local cycling association, no race. Doubling the number of Danes who bike to work. Yet another warning to beware of middle-aged men in Lycra, aka Mamils.

Finally, in yet another example of heartlessness, a Sacramento cyclist is killed when a driver hits him from behind at 55 mph, then stops, sees a body lying in the roadway, and continues driving for another hour before calling to 911 to report that she thinks she hit a dog.

I swear, there is a special place in hell…

Category: General / Tags: , , , , ,

LAPD intervenes to fight anti-bike harassment at a highly personal level

August 27, 2010 / / 16 comments

Yesterday, I received the following email from a local cyclist named Aaron, relating his experience with a bike-hating driver. And a successful, and surprisingly personal, intervention from the LAPD.

………

I’m a regular reader of your blog and avid cycling commuter, and I’ve been excitedly following Police Chief Beck and Mayor Villaraigosa’s recent progress on the issue of cycling.  I know the city is really trying to take strides in its approach to cyclists, and I think the cycling community needs to give credit where credit is due.  In that spirit, I feel compelled to share my own recent mind-blowingly great experience with the LAPD regarding a motorist that had been repeatedly harassing my fiancé and me on our morning ride over the course of several weeks.

An ordinary looking car, with an angry driver inside.

To give you some background, my fiancé and I try to be model cyclists on our commute from Silver Lake to K-Town (we wear helmets, yield to pedestrians, stop at stop signs, stay to the right of the road where safe to do so), but occasionally we’ll still encounter some maniac who feels like he/she owns the road and targets us for harassment.

Over the past six weeks, we’ve had a series of unpleasant encounters with the same woman who apparently shares at least a few blocks of our morning commute.  It started when, on a quiet, residential stretch of Vendome one morning, we noticed a tan Toyota sedan driven by a middle-aged woman barreling past us in excess of the speed limit and honking; the car then swerved dangerously close to another cyclist up ahead, still honking.  When we (cyclists and motorists) all arrived at the same red light half a block later, all of the cyclists glared at the woman because of her dangerous and aggressive driving while we waited for the light to change.  She saw this and rolled down her window and started screaming that we have to “get out of the road” and other such nonsense.

We kept seeing this woman again over the coming weeks on the same block of Vendome, often waiting at the same red light with her, and whenever we saw her, she would honk, roll down her window and yell, give us the finger, etc.  This all came to a head this Monday (8/23), when she launched into a particularly toxic rant while we were waiting at the red (she kept calling my fiancé a “stupid bitch” claiming that cyclists have to “follow the law” by “stay[ing] out of the road,” telling us that she “recognizes” us, etc.).  We tried to explain that we had a right to be in the road and that she shouldn’t harass cyclists, but this just set her off screaming even more.  I mad a point of taking photos of her and her license plate before the light turned green.

Sgt. David Krumer juggles three phones at once; he may need more to handle the calls from cyclists.

We were feeling pretty intimidated at this point after weeks of harassment from this obviously unhinged woman, so using info from the LA County Bicycle Coalition, I contacted Sergeant David Krumer with the LAPD via email, explained the situation, and asked him if there was anything he could do to help with the situation.  Within a couple of days (he actually apologized for this short delay saying he was on vacation!), he called me up and we talked about the incidents further.  He explained that, because there were no elements of assault or specific credible threats, things had not yet escalated to a criminal issue (which I had figured from the start).  What blew me away is what he said next.

Sergeant Krumer explained that, even though no crime had been committed, the motorist was clearly behaving wrongly and, since I had her license plate number, he would have a talk with her.  He took down the details about where exactly the encounters took place and told me that he would either wait at the intersection in an unmarked car the next morning and pull her over when she drove by or go make contact at her home. That same night, Sergeant Krumer contacted me again and said that he had already met with the woman.  Here is his description of the encounter:

I had a pretty lengthy conversation with her with regards to a cyclist’s road position, the door zone, and under which circumstances a cyclist needs to cede the roadway.

We also had a discussion about honking horn, etiquette, and unnecessary provocations.

She indicated she understood and also stated that she will be using an alternate route to prevent future encounters.

He also told me that, after seeing me take her picture, she had actually gone to the police herself to try to tell her side in anticipation of me reporting her.  I guess she must have realized that she had let things get out of hand at that point.

So, in the span of a few days, the LAPD was able to contact a motorist that had been terrorizing me for weeks, personally educate her on traffic laws, cyclist safety and etiquette, and even get her to change her route in the morning!!!  All the while, Sergeant Krumer was incredibly courteous and professional, and he has asked me to contact him should I have any more trouble or need further assistance.  I’m extremely impressed with the degree of personal attention and seriousness that the LAPD devoted to me.  I can only conclude that the LAPD is serious about taking a new approach to cyclists.

Incidentally, after he helped me, I mentioned to Sergeant Krumer that I might like to share my story with some of the local cycling blogs that I follow.  He was very receptive, saying:

Chief Beck made a commitment to improving relations with cyclists and making a sincere effort to address their concerns.  I know that many cyclists have had negative contacts with law enforcement.  Anything that you can contribute that would let cyclists know that the LAPD is making a sincere and genuine effort to better our relationship would be greatly appreciated.

So that’s why I’m writing to you.  It’s just a minor issue involving a couple of cyclists and one motorist, but I hope that you see fit to share my story as one of the “small victories” that can be replicated around the city.  We’ve all heard a lot of talk lately from city institutions about how they’re taking our concerns seriously.  Now, after my interactions with the LAPD, I’m inclined to believe that talk.

Update: Sgt. Krumer offered a clarification in the comments to this post; I’m moving it up here for everyone who doesn’t read the comments.

Hello All,

Thank you very much for the positive comments. Just to clarify a few points: The driver volunteered to take a different route on her own without any suggestion or proding from me. It appears she recognized on her own the prudence of that decision.

While I did say that I would attempt to be at the intersection at the approximate time of the encounters (if necessary), my intent was to observe…not pull her over (unless a dangerous situation ensued).

Finally I did not “meet” with her but had a telephonic conversation in which we discussed all of the aforementioned issues. I left a message for her that she promptly returned. After our discussion a face to face did not appear warranted.

I am hopeful that the issue is resolved and that there will be no further incidents!

Take care,

David

………

Big bike happenings in the Valley. It looks like Wilbur Avenue really will get two miles of bike lanes; LADOT Bike Blog says Wilbur is getting bike lanes because it got a road diet, not the other way around. Meanwhile, new bridges at Tampa and Winnetka Aves mean work can proceed on two miles additional miles of the LA River Bike Path between Mason and VanAlden.

………

Streetsblog gets the first second photo of a real Give Me 3 poster on the street. Ten public spaces you can visit along the CicLAvia route on 10/10/10. Green LA Girl reports on Wednesday’s Streetsblog fundraiser. LACBC follows up on the Mayor’s Bike Summit, including the bike plan, Complete Streets and the proposed three-foot passing and vulnerable user laws. Bikeside says the only question in the Santa Monica bikeway vs Agensys dispute is how to make the bikeway happen. Is San Diego’s Critical Mass a victim of its own success? San Francisco remembers the German cyclist killed in an alleged drunken hit-and-run. SF cyclists “with an anti-establishment attitude” protest BP and a dangerous bike lane next to an ARCO station. Tucson police “suppress” cyclists behaving badly. A semi right hooks an SLC cyclist, leaving the rider with life-threatening injuries. Bike lawyer Bob Mionske notes that three-foot passing laws — like the one Mayor Villaraigosa and Council Member Rosendahl propose — only work if they’re actually enforced. Three ticketed cyclists challenge the constitutionality of the Black Hawk CO bike ban. A Colorado women describes what it’s like to hit a cyclist from the driver’s perspective; fortunately, the rider wasn’t seriously hurt — and the driver took full responsibility. Is that Mario Kart bike lane a genuine Banksy? In a twist on bike share, the Twin Cities host a successful bike library for low income adults. Officials fear bikes and pedestrians flooding the streets of Elmhurst. In the most dangerous state for bicyclists, a ninja cyclist is hit and killed by a Florida Sheriff’s deputy. The Cervelo men’s team folds, as the women’s team may continue; Garmin-Transitions will be on Cervelo bikes next year. On the other hand, India’s cyclists may not be on any bikes for the Commonwealth Games. Cambridge England creates a website to act as a suggestion box for cyclists; maybe L.A. cycling’s new BFF — aka the Mayor — should consider the idea. The body of a Brit cyclist is found stuffed in a sports bag; maybe it’s just a coincidence that he worked for MI6. A Brit teenager on a stolen bike critically injures a pedestrian in a two-wheeled hit-and-run. Now this sounds like a perfect ride to me.

Finally, a Kansas writer says cyclists make bad criminals, in part because bikes make awful getaway vehicles. And yet, that doesn’t stop a lot of bank robbers from trying.

Category: General / Tags: , , , , , ,

Three cyclists hit on Mulholland, two critically injured

August 23, 2010 / / 13 comments

Bikeside LA reports that three cyclists were hit this morning at the intersection of Mulholland Hwy and Los Virgenes Road in Calabasas, with two cyclists transported to the hospital in critical condition.

I’ve also received word that a bicyclist may have been killed in the L.A. area over the weekend. I’m still waiting for confirmation, and will provide any news as news comes in; if anyone has more information, let me know.

Update: The Daily News reports that the cyclists were riding west on Mulholland, and were struck by an eastbound car driven by an 81-year old woman that turning left onto Stokes Canyon Road around 7:30 am, the third cyclist received minor injuries.

Update 2: Brent confirms the name I was given earlier of the cyclist who was killed, and provides a link to a Facebook page reporting that Doug Caldwell was killed and Scott Evans was injured on their way to work at JPL on Friday.

Update 3: In the Calabasas collision, the Times now reports that three riders suffered major injuries, while a 4th rider suffered minor injuries and was released at the scene. KTLA has video of the aftermath.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,
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