Tag Archive for Ceferino Ramos

16 years for killer Santa Ana DUI driver; Burbank approves $3.3 million Chandler Bikeway extension “with trepidation”

November 24, 2025 / / No comments
Day 328 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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It’s kind of a quiet news day, as the holiday week doldrums hit the bike world. Or at least the press that usually covers it. So let’s just dive right in, for those of us who are still around this week. 

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That’s more like it.

A Santa Ana man was sentenced to 16 years and four months behind bars for killing a five-year old boy, and critically injuring his father and 6-year-old sister as they all rode their bikes in Garden Grove.

Thirty-year old Ceferino Ascencion Ramos was convicted of driving at nearly three times the legal alcohol limit when he ran down the entire family of five last summer.

According to KTLA-5,

The incident took place on Sunday, July 7, 2024, shortly after 7 p.m. Angel Ramirez and Angela Hernandez-Mejia were riding e-bikes with their three young children near Haster Street and Twintree Lane. Angela led with the couple’s 7-month-old daughter in a bike trailer, while Angel followed with a trailer carrying their 5-year-old son, Jacob, and 6-year-old daughter.

A witness told police that the family was riding on the right side of the road when Ramos struck all five members and drove away. The witness followed Ramos until authorities could stop him. His blood alcohol level was later measured at .22, nearly three times the legal limit of .08.

Jacob died at the scene.

The family’s bones and abrasions may have healed by now.

But the family itself never will.

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Burbank officials approved a $3.3 million plan to extend the popular Chandler Bikeway “with some trepidation,” despite a near total lack of public opposition.

And even though it’s only been in the works for a mere 20 years.

After all, what’s the safety, convenience — and yes, enjoyment — of thousands of bike-riding families when there’s a whole 53 parking spaces at risk?

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Streets For All is hosting their Holiday Bash and Mobility Champion Awards on the 13th of next month.

Meanwhile, Streets Are For Everyone is looking for people to help clean up the Reseda, Blvd bike lanes the same day.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

Chicago ripped out part of an already installed protected bike lane because the local alderwoman didn’t like it. Proof that there are, in fact, other cities with leadership as crappy as ours. Or maybe even worse, if that’s possible. 

Police in Cambridge, Massachusetts continued their search for the thumbtack-wielding anti-bike terrorist who tossed the tiny tacks across a bike lane, resulting in flat tires for several riders. While it may sound like a relatively petty form of protest, it can be expensive and inconvenient to replace a tire, and potentially dangerous — or worse — if a tire pops at speed.

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Local 

LA-based professional mountain bikers Eliot Jackson and Katie Holden are on a mission to grow bicycling by tearing “down the barriers to entry in cycling for marginalized communities.”

 

State

A San Francisco med student makes the case for AB 981, which would create a test program requiring Intelligent Speed Assist systems for serious or repeat speed violators — in other words, using software to cap speeds for drivers who can’t keep their damn foot off the gas; the bill was left hanging in the Appropriations Committee when the last legislative session ended, and will need public support to move forward.

Sad news from Petaluma, where a hit-and-run driver left a man to die alone in the street, after his body was found hours after he was struck while riding his bike. Cases like this should be investigated as second-degree murder, because the driver made a conscious decision to drive off and let the victim die, rather than calling for help. 

 

National

A writer for a military website says yes, it’s okay if you replace running with bicycling for fitness training sometimes. Or maybe all the time. 

It seems like formerly American-based Felt has changed hands more than a Las Vegas card table, now on its fourth owner in less than ten years.

An 18-year old Texas man faces a felony hit-and-run charge for killing a 77-year man riding a bicycle in Galveston, after turning himself in five days later. Which gave him plenty of time to get whatever he might have been on at the time of the crash out of his system.

An off-duty Texas cop was struck by a driver while riding a bicycle on Sunday. And yes, the driver stuck around.

Newton, Massachusetts spent half a million bucks building a new elevated bike lane, then ripped part of it out after residents who initially supported it complained it was poorly executed, with one calling it a “clusterfuck.”

An Atlanta driver was allegedly doing 91 mph in a 35 mph zone when he hit and killed a 61-year old man riding a bicycle.

 

International

Cycling Weekly examines when and why bicycling suddenly became part of the mental health conversation, and vice versa, beyond just making us happy. I’ve long talked about how biking has gotten me through the toughest and darkest times of my life. The experts are just catching on now. 

Meanwhile, Cycling Weekly readers take the seemingly wacky stance that it’s possible to just enjoy riding your bike, without the slavish focus on heart rate, cadence, et al.

Life is cheap in Hamilton, Ontario, where a bicyclist says “the laws are not there to protect you,” after prosecutors allow the driver who fractured his hip off on a lessor charge; the bike rider complained he was struck during an aggressive pass, while the driver insists he never actually made contact with the victim. Which shouldn’t matter, since a close pass can do as much damage as an actual collision.

Life is even cheaper in the UK, where the mayor of an English town walked with a fine of 3,000 pounds — the equivalent of $3,900 — for the drunken hit-and-run that knocked a man off his bike; the mayor denied hitting the victim until police found the passenger mirror from his car at the scene of the crash.

Britain’s iconic Brompton foldie is now officially middle-aged, just like the Hollywood stars and “condescending hipsters” who love them.

While Los Angeles continues to dither on installing speed cams, Jersey unveiled the British self-governing island’s first mobile speed cam. Funny how an island famous for cows is moving forward faster than a city known for its deadly drivers. 

A travel writer insists that touring the tiny islands off the coast of Ireland by bicycle makes no sense at all, yet it’s utterly tranquil and addictive.

A Milan bike lane represents the dividing line in Italy’s politics, with the right promising to rip it out, and the city’s center-left mayor calling the conservative head of the country’s senate a NIMBY. In other words, kind of like the left-right divide in much of the world, and especially right here in the good ol’ USA. 

A 26-year old driver in Cyprus faces charges for killing a 20-year old Syrian immigrant riding a bicycle, while allegedly speeding and both drunk and stoned.

Tragic news from Malaysia, where a driver managed to kill not one, but two young boys sharing a bicycle.

 

Competitive Cycling

Once again, a pro cyclist has been struck by a driver, as 28-year old Frenchman Thibault Guernalec suffered multiple fractures, as well as a concussion, when he was run down while on a training ride this this week, only days after Dutch cyclist Lorena Wiebes was also struck by a hit-and-run driver.

Twenty-nine-year old Danish pro Jonas Gregaard joins the ranks of relatively young cyclists who have recently walked away from the sport, contending the risks and toll it takes just isn’t worth it.

Life is cheap in Colorado, where fallen cyclist Magnus White could see less than half-justice, after corrections officials moved the killer of the 17-year old USA Cycling Team member to a halfway house, just six months into her four-year sentence.

Cycling Weekly explains why Africa’s Gravel Burn is the world’s toughest offroad stage race, and talks to the people behind ultra-endurance cycling dot-watching.

 

Finally…

Your next bike computer could light the road and pump your tires. That feeling when your spouse harbors newfound midlife dreams of BMX glory.

And that feeling when a pro motorcyclist has his $23,000 bike stolen, and it’s not even the one with a motor.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Ramos faces up to 20 years for killing five-year old in drunken hit-and-run, and wannabe Trump assassin was one of us

July 19, 2024 / / Comments Off on Ramos faces up to 20 years for killing five-year old in drunken hit-and-run, and wannabe Trump assassin was one of us
Just 165 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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A few people have volunteered to write guest posts to help keep this site from going dark when I’m out next month for surgery on my torn rotator cuff. 

So if you’re interested in filling in here for a few days, or joining them in submitting a guest post or two, just email me at the address on the About page above.

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Twenty years.

Charges have been refiled against Ceferino Ascencion Ramos for the alleged drunken hit-and-run that killed five-year old Jacob Ramirez, and injured his entire family, as they were enjoying an evening bike ride in Garden Grove nearly two weeks ago.

Ramos, who had a blood alcohol content of .22% at the time of his arrest, now faces a charge of vehicular manslaughter, as well as felony counts of driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury, driving with blood alcohol of .08% or more causing bodily injury, and hit and run with injury, with sentencing enhancements for leaving a victim comatose or paralyzed and inflicting great bodily injury.

If he is convicted on all counts, Ramos could spend the next two decades behind bars. But the most likely result is that the DA will allow him to plead to a reduced sentence in order to guarantee a conviction.

The lack of a murder charge indicates this is probably Ramos’ first DUI arrest, or he at least hasn’t been convicted before.

The good news, if there is any in this mess, is that Jacob’s six-year-old sister has been released from the hospital after undergoing surgery for her injuries. However, the children’s father is still in a coma due to a fractured skull and bleeding in the brain.

Meanwhile, Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, will install a ghost bike for Jacob Ramirez later today.

The ceremony will take place at 7:30 pm on the 12300 block of Haster Street at Twin Tree Lane in Garden Grove.

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Wannabe Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks was one of us, as reports suggest he used his bicycle to scout the rally where the shooting took place last Saturday.

He then ditched his bike in full view of cops and crowds of people before climbing onto to warehouse roof and opening fire on the former president.

Which kinda raises the question of why no one noticed a man riding a bicycle while carrying a rifle at a political rally, whether it was in or out of a case.

Meanwhile, a writer for a conservative website writes, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, forget guns, it’s time to ban bicycles.

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A Seal Beach police captain answers a reader’s question to say yes, bicycles are considered vehicles under California law, subject to the same rules and regulations as drivers.

But he doesn’t get it quite right, insisting bike riders can’t use a handheld phone, even though that law specifically applies to motorists only.

And he bizarrely says bicyclists should slow and come to a complete stop at any intersection without a green light, which would mean pissing off drivers by stopping at every uncontrolled intersection.

Then again, we seem to piss off drivers if we stop for stop signs, as well as when we roll through them.

And God help you if you find yourself blocking a driver’s turn because you stopped for a red light.

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Gravel Bike California marks their 5th Anniversary by revisiting their favorite LA Area route.

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It’s now 211 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 37 full months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

The solemnity of a poignant Birmingham, England slow ride in memory of a fallen bicyclist was interrupted by angry drivers blaring on their horns over the momentary inconvenience of having to slow down to go around them. Which kinda made the bicyclist’ point for them.

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

Once again, cops and the news media conflate electric motorcycles and ebikes as if they’re the same thing, with sheriff’s deputies complaining about kids on illegal off-road electric motorcycles — not electric bicycles — terrorizing customers at an Orange County mall with air-soft guns.

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Local 

LAist reports on the health effects of chronic noise, as the US Department of Transportation says Los Angeles is one of the country’s loudest counties, thanks largely to our incessant traffic.

 

State

A writer for Forbes explains how to love living carless in California. It’s long past time stories like this lost any shock value, when up to a fifth of Angelenos don’t own cars, and seem to manage okay without one. 

A San Francisco writer asks if the city’s most harrowing bikeway is about to become a thing of the past, as a new water taxi promises to replace the narrow chasm of the Posey Tube’s bike/pedestrian sidewalk, which he describes as the “ninth circle of cycling hell.”

 

National

Strong Towns looks at ways to build a biking culture to make your city stronger.

Writing for Streetsblog, former Southland resident Melissa Balmer says it’s time to revive the 1990’s Bikes Belong campaign to help deliver needed funds for active transportation infrastructure, and stop killing people.

Planetizen says specially equipped data bikes can help government agencies better understand conditions on bike paths by collecting information on trail accessibility and pavement conditions to prioritize maintenance projects. That’s if anyone actually cares about conditions on bike paths once they’re built, let alone budget for it.

PeopleForBikes says a simple bike bus helped transform a south Tempe, Arizona neighborhood, while reconnecting students and their parents with joy.

Emergency responders were caught off guard when they found themselves in the middle of a Colorado gravel race as they responded to a bicyclist injured in a multi-rider crash, with competitors reportedly swerving in front of the ambulance. Seriously guys, give emergency vehicles a wide berth, regardless of whether you’re competing in a race or just riding to the corner market. Someone’s life could depend on it. 

Boston officials refute claims that new bike lanes and road diets are slowing ambulance response times, saying roadways are engineered to provide room for emergency vehicles, and ambulances can drive through bike lanes when necessary to get around stalled traffic.

This is the cost of traffic violence. The woman killed in a Philadelphia collision while riding her bike Wednesday night has been identified as a 30-year old medical resident specializing in pediatric cancer patients at a Philly children’s hospital.

 

International

Momentum says the health benefits of bike commuting mean it could be one of the best decisions you ever make, cutting your risk of dying from any cause nearly in half.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever tethered an 18-month old horse to an old bicycle wrapped in barbed wire in an English field, without food or water, leaving the horse emaciated and covered in lice; fortunately, it has made an “astonishing” recovery since after it was rescued five months ago.

Heavyweight boxer Derek Chisora is accused of headbutting a food delivery rider outside a London restaurant, after the victim refused Chisora’s demands that he dismount instead of riding near the fighter’s kids.

Business is booming for a British man who launched a cargo bike sandwich delivery service last month, saying he just used his bike to deliver a few ham sandwiches, and things took off from there.

 

Competitive Cycling

Thursday’s stage of the Tour de France went to former hour record holder Victor Campenaerts, who came out in front of a three man sprint to the finish, while the race leaders held back for the day.

Road.cc says Tadej Pogačar could have ridden a heavier mid-tier bicycle and still matched the time of second-place finisher Remco Evenepoel over the Galibier.

 

Finally..

That feeling when they won’t let you use the drive-thru, so you ride your bike up to the counter inside, instead. Why settle for single wheel propulsion when you can ride a two-wheel drive ebike?

And why steal one bike, when you can use a fork lift to make off with four at once?

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Five-year old Jacob Ramirez dead following Garden Grove DUI hit-and-run; his father and sister remain in comas

July 16, 2024 / / 2 comments

I really didn’t want to write this one.

For over a week now, we’ve followed the story of the Garden Grove family who  were run down by an allegedly drunken hit-and-run driver as the parents rode their bikes, towing their children behind in child trailers.

The crash left the father and two of the kids critically injured, while the mother and their eight-month old baby were hospitalized in stable condition, and released a few days later.

However, the news about their five-year old son, Jacob Ramirez, continued to get worse; by Friday, we learned he had been declared brain dead.

Now KABC-7 is reporting that Jacob has been discontinued from life support.

The crash occurred shortly after 7:30 pm on Sunday, July 7th, on the 12300 block of Haster Street near Twin Tree Lane, when they were apparently run down from behind by Santa Ana resident Ceferino Ascencion Ramos.

Ramos fled the scene, but was arrested shortly later after he was followed by a witness to the crash.

He reportedly had a .22 blood alcohol level at the time of his arrest — nearly three times the .08 legal limit. The station reports he was on his way to buy more beer at an Anaheim liquor store when he slammed into the family.

He has been charged with felony counts of hit-and-run with permanent and serious injury, failing to stop at a hit-and-run accident with injury, and driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, with sentencing enhancements for leaving a victim comatose or paralyzed and inflicting great bodily injury.

More charges will be pending now, including a likely murder charge if Ramos has a previous DUI on his record.

It’s also possible that the news could get worse.

The story reports that Jacob’s father, 27-year old Angel Hernandez Mejia and his seven-year old sister remain in comas over a week after the crash.

A crowdfunding campaign for the family has raised over $64,000 of the $100,000 goal, though it’s likely they’ll need a lot more than that before this is over.

This is at least the 29th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in Orange County.

It’s also worth noting that reports have indicated none of the family members were wearing bike helmets, which are legally required for children under 18.

However, there’s no way to know whether that would have been enough to prevent their injuries in this collision.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jacob Ramirez and all his family and loved ones. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , , , ,

5-year old hit-and-run victim declared brain dead, Burbank law firm’s bike giveaway, and speed cams coming to Long Beach

July 12, 2024 / / Comments Off on 5-year old hit-and-run victim declared brain dead, Burbank law firm’s bike giveaway, and speed cams coming to Long Beach
Just 172 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Truly heartbreaking news, as the five-year old boy critically injured in a Garden Grove hit-and-run isn’t going to make it.

KNBC-4 is reporting that doctors have declared little Jacob Ramirez brain dead, but his mother asked for another day before she has to let him go.

Jacob was injured when 29-year old Ceferino Ramos allegedly plowed into the family on Sunday as Jacob’s mother and father were riding their bikes, towing their three young children behind in child trailers.

The entire family was initially hospitalized, with Jacob, his father and six-year old sister critically injured, while his mother and eight-month old sister were released the next day.

Let’s just hope his parents donate Jacob’s organs so something good can come from this nightmare.

Meanwhile, Ramos was arrested after being followed by a witness to the crash, after which he had a .22 blood alcohol level — nearly three times the legal limit.

He faces charges that including DUI causing bodily injury and hit-and-run with permanent injury or death; however, if he has a previous DUI on his record, that will likely be upgraded to murder sometime after Jacob is declared dead on Friday.

Photo from Ramirez Family GoFundMe page.

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A Burbank lawyer is giving away ten bicycles to “deserving” kids this summer, and looking for nominations.

The Law Offices of Adrianos Facchetti is hosting their 3rd annual bike giveaway, and looking for kids who live within ten mile of the accident attorney’s office at 4444 W Riverside Dr #308 in Burbank.

Do you know a special child aged 6 to 17 who goes above and beyond to do something nice for someone else? Or who positively impacts their siblings, classmates, or community? We want to reward these exceptional kids with a brand-new bike, helmet and t-shirt! Nominate a child who you believe deserves this special recognition. Share their story and let us know why they stand out.

Nominate a Child

Winners will be announced on July 26th, so you have about two weeks to get your noms in.

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Long Beach is working to improve safety by installing speed cams as part of a pilot program, with revenue going to first pay for the program, then be used for traffic-calming measures at the affected sites.

Los Angeles and Glendale were also approved for the program by the state in Southern California, along with three NorCal cities.

A bill to permit them on deadly PCH in Malibu continues to move forward in the state legislature.

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Those new bike lanes on Hollywood Blvd are looking pretty good.

Although the tents on the sidewalk remind you it’s still, you know, Hollywood.

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Metro is extending their mobility wallet program, and looking for new applicants.

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Bike Talk is getting pretty high level guests these days, including one of America’s most respected bike scribes, along with one of the country’s leading traffic safety advocates.

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It’s now 204 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 37 full months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

A Portland driver somehow got onto a fully separated and protected bike path alongside the I-5 Freeway, using it as their own personal speedway.

Seriously? Someone in Louisville KY called the cops on an eight-year old kid for riding her bike on the street.

No bias here. A local Conservative leader in the UK calls people who support bike lanes the “active travel Taliban.”

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

A woman crossing the street near New York’s Central Park was struck by a bikeshare rider who allegedly ran the red light; witnesses said she must be from out of town because locals know red lights are meaningless in the city.

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Local 

Los Angeles considers a bold plan to close Wilshire Blvd through MacArthur Park in an effort to reconnect the bifurcated park; the city is ordering a $2.5 million study to decide what we already know — cars don’t belong in parks.

This is who we share the road with, part one. Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is being sued for wrongful death after killing a pedestrian who was crossing in an Alhambra crosswalk while Klinghoffer was allegedly driving distracted earlier this year.

Mark your calendar for the return of CicLAvia to the Hollywoods, East and West, in another five short weeks.

 

State

Calbike says SB 960, the Complete Streets Bill, has passed out of the Assembly Transportation Committee by a wide margin, but in a weaker form than before it was amended.

Calbike also offers an update on all the active transportation bills still alive in this year’s legislative session. Thanks to Oceanside bike lawyer and BikinginLA sponsor Richard Duquette for the heads-up.

The California Transportation Commission will hold a public workshop next Wednesday to discuss plans for the next round of Active Transportation funding, which was cut by two-thirds to just $200 million this year.

The Orange County Register has more on the 58-year old Irvine man who was arrested on suspicion of felony vehicular manslaughter and driving while stoned following the death of a man riding a bicycle in Newport Beach two years ago. No word on what the hell took them so long, however. 

This is who we share the road with, part two. A longtime Ontario city counselor has been arrested for hit-and-run and DUI; Jim Bowman has been on and off the Ontario city council for the last 40 decades. Apparently they don’t have effective term limits there. Or someone to take away his keys. 

Some questions just answer themselves. Streets For All founder Michael Schneider asks if the Coachella Valley is too car centric in a Palm Springs op-ed.

Good question. SF Gate wants to know why the streets of San Francisco are still dangerous, ten years after the city adopted Vision Zero. Then again, Los Angeles is only one year behind them in our epic Vision Zero fail.

A San Francisco fitness influencer who works for Apple in Cupertino says he loves his 50-mile, three-hour bike commute to work, even if other people think it’s crazy.

San Francisco merchants get out the torches and pitchforks after learning the city’s nearly finalized bike network plan could result in the loss of “a lot” of parking. Because as we all know, people on bicycles never buy anything, right?

A Berkeley website remembers longtime bicyclist Howard Sutherland, who literally wrote the book on bicycle repair. The site reports Sutherland died peacefully in his sleep; he was 75.

 

National

Gear Junkie says buy your new ebike now, because Biden’s new China tariffs are already raising prices. To which California’s ebike rebate program says…nothing. 

A Las Vegas writer escapes the broiling heat for a bike ride along the Oregon coast.

In a story that sounds like it could have come from Los Angeles, a Chicago program to ticket drivers who park in bike lanes still hasn’t gotten off the ground after 16 months.

Police are looking for an Indianapolis man who offered to mow a woman’s lawn, then made off with her lawnmower and bicycle.

The mayor of Parsippany, New Jersey vowed to improve safety after an eight-year old boy was killed in a collision while riding his bike this week. Just a tad late. But still. 

 

International

Momentum says prioritizing bicycles can save cities money and boost local economies, and also rates the year’s top ten “coolest summer bikes.” Although what makes something a summer bike, as opposed to spring or fall, I have no idea.

No surprise here. Luxury Travel magazine rates the best countries for bicycling, none of which are in North America.

Public bikeshare is making big gains in Canada, with double-digit growth in cities across the country.

An Ottawa, Canada website warns that the city has work to do, as pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists remain at risk from drivers.

In a surprising outcome, an Oxford, England bike rider was acquitted on a charge of causing bodily harm by wanton or furious driving — yes, driving — for a pathway collision that resulted in the death of an 81-year old woman, after crashing into her with his bicycle: a witness was criticized for bias by prosecutors for testifying that the victim fell, rather than being knocked over.

Dutch ebike maker Cowboy pulled its new augmented reality ebike racing game after complaints from government officials, including the mayor of Amsterdam, for encouraging riders to race one another on the country’s streets.

German researchers call for more separated and well-built bike lanes to reduce the number of bicycling collisions in the country, where four bike riders are killed and 50 seriously injured each week.

Thor is one of us, as Chris Hemsworth goes for a leisurely bike ride with his wife and kids in Barcelona.

That’s more like it. A British man was sentenced to 22 years behind bars for intentionally ramming a man riding a bicycle in Cyprus with his car, after fighting with him outside a nightclub.

A South African website explores the world’s most bicycle-friendly travel destinations. None of which are Los Angeles.

 

Competitive Cycling

Two-time Tour de France champ Jonas Vingegaard won Wednesday’s stage 11, outsprinting Tadej Pogačar despite getting dropped earlier in the race. Read the first link on Yahoo if Bicycling blocks you. 

Just days after becoming the first Black African to win a stage in the Tour de France, Biniam Girmay won his third stage in a mass sprint at the end of Thursday’s stage 12; Tadej Pogačar continued to lead the general classification by 1 minute 6 seconds over Remco Evenepoel, with Vingegaard in third by eight seconds.

Newly crowned Tour stage win record holder Mark Cavendish was relegated following a mass sprint at the end of stage 12, in what could be one of the final sprints of his storied career.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole 11 Enve bikes worth more than $167,000 from the TotalEnergies cycling team at the Tour de France, including the main bike ridden by stage 9 winner Anthony Turgis.

Egyptians are angry after a 19-year old woman was selected for the country’s Olympic team despite swerving into a competitor and knocking her into a cement barrier; she was chosen even though she had received a one-year ban from the Egyptian Cycling Federation as a result.

SoCal’s “most prestigious cycling event” takes place this weekend with the return of the 61st Annual Chevron Manhattan Beach Grand Prix on Sunday.

Escape Collective considers the “weird and wonderful world of American bike racing.”

 

Finally…

Now you, too, can ride the legendary Alpe d’Huez without breaking a sweat. There are many accepted uses for a bicycle, but throwing one at a passing woman isn’t one of them.

And maybe if you wear this, they might get the point.

Or not.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Garden Grove mom fears for gravely injured 5-year old hit-and-run victim, and Caltrans discusses PCH safety feasibility

July 10, 2024 / / Comments Off on Garden Grove mom fears for gravely injured 5-year old hit-and-run victim, and Caltrans discusses PCH safety feasibility
Just 174 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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My apologies, again. 

On top of everything else I’ve been dealing with lately, I’ve had a major flare-up in my diabetic neuropathy, which knocked me on my ass Monday night. Or maybe it was just everything I took trying to control it. 

Also, let me know if you’re interested in filling in for me when I’m out of commission next month, whether you’d like to pen a single post, or take over this site a day or two.

Anything goes, as long as it’s related to bicycles or traffic safety. 

Just email me at the address on the About page if you’re interested in volunteering. 

And thanks to tomexploresla for today’s graphics.

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Graphic by tomexploresla

The news from Garden Grove is getting worse.

On Monday, we discussed the allegedly drunken hit-and-run that took out an entire family in Garden Grove Sunday evening, as the parents were towing their children in child seats and bike trailers.

The crash left the father and two kids critically injured, while hospitalizing the mom and her eight-month old baby.

Now the mother is reporting that, while the father and one child are showing some signs of improvement, their five-year old son, Jacob Ramirez, suffered significant brain damage in the crash, and may not survive his injuries.

A witness followed the driver as he attempted to flee, and police arrested the driver, identified as 29-year-old Santa Ana resident Ceferino Ramos.

A crowdfunding campaign for the family has raised nearly $33,000 of the $100,000 goal.

Although there are also reports that someone created a fake crowdfunding page in the family’s name, demonstrating once again that there are no limits to just how low some people will go to scam others.

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Caltrans is hosting a series of public meetings, starting tomorrow, to discuss the feasibility of improving safety on deadly PCH through Malibu.

Although the only thing that will really improve safety would be converting the highway into a slow-speed Main Street designed to serve the local community and all road users, rather than pass-through commuters.

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San Diego announced the official opening of the re-imagined Pershing Drive, transforming the previous car sewer into a tamed street with a fully separated, two-way bikeway stretching from North Park to Downtown.

The street was an auto-centric hellhole when I lived down there four decades ago. And something tells me it didn’t get any better since. So this should be a huge improvement.

Meanwhile, the two-year old closure of popular two-lane shortcut Bachman Place will extend for yet another year, before eventually reopening with “bikeway enhancements” connecting the Mission Valley and Hillcrest neighborhoods.

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Streets For All is urging you to attend one of a series of public meetings, including today in Pico Rivera and tomorrow in El Monte, to tell Caltrans to stop flushing our hard-earned tax money down the toilet, and cancel induced demand-inducing plans to widen the 605 Freeway.

It’s long past time to drive a stake through this proposal that somehow keeps rising from the dead, and spend the money on transit, bike and pedestrian projects, instead.

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Megan Lynch forwards video of a woman harassing a New York food delivery rider for the crime of wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh around his neck, calling him a terrorist and blocking his bike with her car.

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It’s now 202 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 37 full months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

Meanwhile, Santa Monica is accepting applications for approximately 90 vouchers worth up to $2,000 toward the purchase of ebikes or bicycles, along with safety equipment including helmets, locks and lights for income-qualified residents.

And Salt Lake City has launched their own program, providing up to $1,300 off the purchase of a new ebike, depending on the model and the buyer’s income level.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

That’s more like it. Pennsylvania prosecutors have thrown the book at a road-raging 57-year old Mechanicsburg PA man who deliberately rammed a bike rider and tried to run them off the road, charging him with attempted aggravated assault by vehicle, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats and other offenses.

Anti-bike agitators are spreading “factually incorrect and negative” rumors suggesting trees will be chopped down to make room for what will eventually be the UK’s biggest bike lane.

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

A 55-year old man in Oxford, England is on trial for “wantonly or furiously” bicycling for killing an 81-year old woman, who died in the hospital days after they collided on a pathway.

Bike riders in Bournemouth, England are coming under criticism for riding recklessly and weaving around pedestrians on a beachfront pathway.

More bad behavior in Wales, where young bicyclists are accused of causing serious damage to a nature preserve by building their own cycle track and mountain bike jumps.

There’s even bad behavior from the Tour de France, where Belgian cyclist Victor Campenaerts was observed peeing into an empty water bottle, and throwing the piss-filled bottle into a field.

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Local 

Streetsblog reports city officials are beginning planning work on closing Wilshire Blvd between Alvarado and Carondelet Streets to reconnect the two sides of severed MacArthur Park. While they’re at it, why don’t they just close the whole damn thing from the Pacific to DTLA?

The author of Bike Seattle received an epiphany on a visit to Long Beach, when he realized Seattle could use bikeshare docks to daylight intersection, like Long Beach’s “wonderful” legacy bikeshare system.

 

State

A Santa Barbara writer says something has to be done about young ebike riders throughout the city, complaining that juvenile riders don’t have the training to operated motorized bicycles. Although as we’ve discussed lately, it’s not clear if he’s talking about teens riding ped-assist bicycles, or throttle-controlled electric motorbikes.

Caltrans will install seven miles of new bike lanes on Palo Alto’s El Camino Real. Now someone tell them to do PCH next.

San Francisco residents got out the torches and pitchforks at a community meeting to discuss a proposed bike network in the North Beach neighborhood, fearing it could be another Valencia Street.

A San Francisco website suggests what while doorings are down in the city, a recent death highlights a neighborhood divide, as safety improvements have skipped some areas populated by people of color.

 

National

Forbes vets the best electric foldies.

Bicycling suggests that bikemakers should offer more lightweight bikes for heavyweight riders who outweigh pro cyclists. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t seem to be available anywhere else, so you’re on your own if the magazine blocks you. 

A Denver TV station is raising funds for a makeover of a young boy’s room for when he gets out of the hospital after crushing his voice box when he crashed his bicycle.

Michigan’s carfree Mackinac Island will finally get its first speed limit — for bicycles and ebikes.

Police in Troy, New York have some ‘splaining to do, after a man they were chasing drowned in the Hudson River while attempting to flee on his bicycle.

A New Jersey woman faces charges for the drunken crash that killed a 44-year old man when she slammed into his bike while driving on the shoulder of the roadway to pass another car on the right, with her three-year old in the back of the car.

The family of a 65-year old Louisiana man want answers after he was killed in a collision with an off-duty sheriff’s deputy while riding his bicycle at 1:30 am, in a strange neighborhood 20 miles from home — and want to know why he was supposedly riding in the roadway when there was a freshly paved, fully separated bike path right next to it.

 

International

An automotive website examines which carmakers have also made bicycles, like a mid-2000s “Hummer” foldie, for instance.

Cycling Weekly considers whether tossing the booze will make you a better bicyclist.

Velo reports on their favorite bicycles from the recent Eurobike trade show, including a seriously weird gravel bike.

Toronto bicyclists are getting a new protected bike lane on one of the city’s deadliest corridors.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole eight bicycles worth the equivalent of over $33,000 from a Salisbury, England gravel fest.

This is who we share the road with. A British man will spend 17 years behind bars for killing a baby and her aunt when he slammed into their car, minutes after posting a photo showing himself driving 141 mph with a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit; he’ll also face a well-deserved 21-year driving ban once he’s released.

An English website says Bremen, Germany ranks as one of the world’s best cities for bicycling, thanks to visionary leaders who invented the bike lane in the 1970s. Except to quote Gershwin, it ain’t necessarily so.

Berlin is testing a new cycle track built beneath an overhead subway to accommodate future growth. But aren’t subways supposed to be underground?

 

Competitive Cycling

Russia’s Aleksandr Vaslov is out of the Tour de France after breaking his ankle when he veered off the road near the end on Sunday’s stage — shattering his bike in the process — yet somehow finished the stage anyway, despite being clearly disoriented.

Good news from Provo, Utah, where surgeons successfully reattached the right arm of California-based cyclist Ryan Jastrab, after he virtually severed it near the shoulder by catching a metal barricade as he was rounding one of the final turns on the last lap of the Salt Lake Criterium.

Bicycling reports the popular Life Time Crusher in the Tushar gravel race has been cancelled for this year due to wildfires in Utah. This time, you can read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you. 

 

Finally…

You can carry just about anything on a bicycle — even 34 pounds of purloined barbecued brisket. Why settle for a cellphone mount when you can mount a ham radio on it, instead?

And that feeling when the mountain lion that attacked you while you were riding was actually just someone’s angry kitty.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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