This is the cost of traffic violence.
Road.cc has revealed that Francois Primeau, the 60-year old man killed by a hit-and-run driver in Santa Ana Thursday evening, was a leading oceanographer whose work helped scientists better predict the effects of climate change.
A statement from Kieron Burke, the Interim Dean of School of Physical Sciences at UC Irvine reads, in part,
Francois joined the UC Irvine Department of Earth System Science in 2001 and quickly became an indispensable member of our community. He served as Chair of the department from 2021 to 2024. During his tenure, he helped the school navigate the aftermath of COVID-19 and worked to minimize disruptions for students and faculty members.
He was an internationally recognized leader in physical oceanography and ocean biogeochemistry, whose work helped deepen our understanding of global ocean circulation and global carbon and nutrient cycles. His research yielded foundational insights into the ocean’s role in regulating climate, including landmark studies on ocean ventilation, the global nitrogen budget, and the strength of the biological carbon pump. His work has equipped scientists with the tools to make more accurate climate predictions—a legacy that will benefit generations to come.
Francois was a dedicated leader, researcher, mentor, colleague, and friend. He will be remembered for his excitement in sharing mathematical insights and his enthusiasm for Bayesian statistics. His smile was always warm, and his door was always open. We were all fortunate to know him and to count him among our community. We have lost one of our best.
He is survived by his wife, Juno, and their son, Louis
However, that makes his death, not just a loss for his family and friends, but for all of us and the planet we call home. Not just for the research he will no longer conduct and the warming climate he will no longer work to forestall, but for the future scientists who won’t benefit from his teaching and guidance.
Primeau was killed while riding his bike at Standard and Warner avenues in Santa Ana around 6:15 pm Thursday.
Thirty-eight-year old Edjan Rocha turned himself in to Santa Ana police over the weekend, after investigators had discovered and impounded the vehicle he was allegedly driving. At last report, the Santa Ana resident was being held on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run.
Photo courtesy of UC Irvine School Of Physical Sciences.
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Well, they don’t hurt, anyway.
According to Book Club Chicago, a new report from the City of Chicago examined six distinct economic corridors, comparing streets with bike lanes with those without.
And while they were unable to conclude that the bike lanes help businesses, due to the number of uncontrolled factors, they concluded that at the very least, the bike lanes don’t hurt business.
Despite what business owners everywhere will try to tell you.
The Chicago Department of Transportation last month published a report on the economic impacts of bike lanes that examined six commercial corridors with different types of bike lane projects. Researchers analyzed data as well as surveys and interviews with local businesses, residents and real estate developers.
The case studies compared the surveyed areas with “control” corridors nearby, and looked at the change in sales tax revenue, commercial property vacancy and employment, as well as safety and bike usage data since the lanes were installed…
According to the survey results and data gathered in the report, however, the six bike lane projects have not hurt business activity after their installation, although the study does not assert that the lanes themselves improved an area’s economic outlook.
The study found improved economic activity in most of the areas studied, although in some cases the control group outperformed the studied corridor on some metrics.
But there was no case where the bike lanes, whether painted or protected, made things any worse.
The city’s transportation department did not provide someone behind the report for an interview. In a statement, spokesperson Erica Schroeder said the studies show that bike lanes contributed to either “positive or neutral” trends along most of studied areas — and that the report “complements” the city’s analysis of improved and safer street design.
“Although it is not possible to isolate the effects of bike lanes from broader economic factors, the case studies show no evidence that bike lanes negatively impacted retail sales, commercial property values, or employment,” she said.
To which we can all anticipate a chorus of voices shouting “But they didn’t study my street, in my town, which is somehow unique from every other street in every other town.”
Because as we’ve learned, there is no way to convince some people unless you conduct a study on their exact street, under the exact same conditions under which they do business.
And even if you do, they won’t believe the results unless it confirms their preconceived bias.
Because, people.
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It’s Prime Day, uh Days.
Which is Amazon’s self-proclaimed shopping frenzy holiday, for anyone who chose this particular week to hide under a rock. And if you did, I don’t blame you.
But for those of you willing to wade into the online frenzy, credit card in hand —
Singletracks recommends the best Prime deals for mountain bikers.
Velo highlights Prime deals on gear they’ve actually tested, as well as competing offers at Competitive Cyclist and Backcountry.
Road.cc offers links to their choices for all the best UK bike deals, though those may or may not translate to the same savings on this side of the Atlantic.
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Streets For All is holding a July members drive.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A local Scottish council resists demands to rip out a bike lane, but decides to build more parking so maybe all the damn drivers will stop parking in it.
An Irish woman is calling for a ban on angry honking after a school bus driver blasted his horn for 40 seconds as he followed her, incensed that he couldn’t pass as she rode her bike home from visiting her brother’s grave. It’s illegal here in California to use your horn for anything other than an emergency warning, not that it’s ever stopped anyone.
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Local
Streetsblog’s Joe Linton reports Culver City’s Elenda Street is getting an upgrade to curb-protected bike lanes, replacing the armadillos installed in 2021.
State
The state senate is poised to approve scaled-back legislation that would make it easier to get approval for bike and pedestrian projects in coastal zones, including in Santa Monica, after it was watered down to something everyone could live with. Legislation by committee is never a good idea, because you end up with a law that is acceptable to everyone, but barely for anyone.
San Diego passed a ban on any type of ebike for riders under 12 years old, as well as banning passengers on ebikes without a permanent second seat, although it will need to pass a second vote at the end of the month. I’m actually good with a ban on ebikes for kids that young, although I’d rather see the age limit raised to 14.
A 68-year old Bakersfield man is competing in the iconic Race Across America, aka RAAM, for the 20th time, with his team leaving Oceanside this past Saturday on their way to Atlantic City, New Jersey. Seriously, the next great cycling movie would be about a solo rider competing against all odds just to finish the race. You don’t have to thank me; an “Idea by…” title in the credits will suffice.
Fresno’s Blackstone Ave, described as the “spine” of the city, is getting a 6-to-4 road diet to make room for bike lanes, wider sidewalks and elevated bus platforms.
Oakland has begun work on installing a protected bike lane on a one-mile segment of Lakeshore Drive, scheduled to open early next year.
National
Cycling Weekly says a female design engineer at Salsa Cycles is the first person to figure out how to make 32″ wheels work for everyone, including those with her petite 5’2″ frame.
Apparently, you now need 21 separate products to teach your kid how to ride a bike. Because a just bicycle just isn’t enough anymore.
A new Anchorage, Alaska bike park honors a local fallen bicycle advocate who was killed by a driver in 2014.
I want to be like him when I grow up. A Massachusetts man is celebrating his 80th birthday by riding 80 miles. I rode my age every year on my birthday until I was 51, and fresh out of the ICU following the Infamous Beachfront Bee Incident.
I want to be like him when I grow up, too. An 81-year old elite cycling coach from Connecticut has no plans to give up riding, despite recent heart surgery; Bill Humphreys developed his love of bicycling in his 20s after a judge threatened to take his driver’s license away if he got any more speeding tickets.
International
Canyon’s newest ebike incorporates vehicle-to-everything technology, for all those drivers who are inexplicably drawn to bicycles.
Bike riders in Canada’s Yukon Territory say things aren’t getting any safer, and harassment from drivers is getting worse, as they held the second annual memorial ride for a man who was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bicycle in 2024.
British extreme endurance cyclist Lael Wilcox has given up her attempt to set a new record for riding around the world, after suffering nausea and heat exhaustion during the European heatwave.
Spanish F1 driver Fernando Alonso makes an unexpected walk-on cameo in a music video promoting this year’s La Vuelta a España, aka the Vuelta, “delivering an absolutely flawless ‘what am I even doing here?’ shrug to the camera,” against a blurry Monaco backdrop.
A Melbourne, Australia bicyclist discovers a fake bike shop scam when he spots his face all over its website.
Competitive Cycling
Tragic news from France, where former pro Saïd Haddou, a two-time winner of the Breton gravel classic Tro-Bro Léon, was killed in a traffic collision while riding his motorcycle on Monday.
A new video re-examines the motor doping scare of the last decade or so.
Finally…
Well I, for one, think it’s about damn time someone built a bicycle with front and rear handbrakes, complete with butt-powered steering. If you steal an ebike, probably not the best idea to ride it back to the same store you took it from.
And, uh, no. Just…no.
Credit, or discredit, goes to Google AI. Although “prominent local cycling news site” I can live with.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
