Tag Archive for DUI

Murder charge for OC 3-time DUI driver, Western Ave 3rd deadliest US street for peds, and new demand for ebike vouchers

November 21, 2025 / / No comments
Day 324 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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I’ve finally managed to get to a place where my eyes, head and stomach are all in reasonable agreement, allowing me to gaze upon this screen for more than a few moments, without risk of one or the other exploding in a most unpleasant manner. 

So let’s try to catch up on all we missed this week. This has turned into an epic post, so cinch down that saddle, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride. 

Photo by energepic.com from Pexels.

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This is who we share the road with.

A 59-year old San Juan Capistrano man faces a murder charge for jumping a pedestrian island with his truck, and killing 13-year old Luis Adrian Morales-Pacheco was he was waiting for the light to change while walking to school with his brother in Dana Point. Then fleeing the scene, until his truck broke down a few miles away.

Police arrested Bradley Gene Funk at the scene for driving under the influence. For the third time.

At 8:15 in the morning.

In fact, Funk was under probation for DUI at the time of the crash — for his second DUI arrest in just three days, back in 2020, while under the influence of both pills and alcohol.

Yet somehow, he was allowed to remain on the road until it was too late.

Now an innocent kid is dead, and Funk faces life behind bars, just because authorities didn’t take the damn keys away from a driver who had already demonstrated he was a danger on the road.

And if you want to know why people keep dying on our streets, that’s a good place to start.

Because there’s nothing easier to avoid than a DUI, let alone killing someone while under the influence.

Just don’t get behind the effing wheel after drinking or using drugs.

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Maybe you might want to avoid riding on South Western Ave.

Or walking there.

Like, ever.

Because the Washington Post has identified it as one of the nation’s most dangerous stretches of road.

The Post investigation used data from police reports and other records collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, focusing from when pedestrian deaths began to climb in 2010 to the most recent year with data available, 2023. It revealed short stretches of road that have become exceptionally deadly. In Albuquerque, 34 pedestrians were killed along a three-mile stretch of Central Avenue between 2010 and 2023. In Los Angeles, 33 people were killed on Western Avenue just south of downtown during that time.

In fact, Western ranks as the 3rd most dangerous street for pedestrians in the US, behind streets in Houston and Albuquerque.

And you can stop smirking, Orange County, because Anaheim’s Beach Blvd ranks tenth on the list.

But the most dangerous city for pedestrians is Memphis, according to the paper. Thanks, in part, to roads like many found right here at home.

The road, seven miles from the city’s heart, has been documented by the city and state as disproportionately lethal but remains mostly unimproved aside from walk signals near where Booker was hit. Cars and trucks roar past apartments, restaurants, corner stores and gas stations, often well above the strip’s 40 mph speed limit. Within two years of Booker’s death, two more people were killed by drivers at the same intersection.

The national data shows how the design of such roads is closely linked to the fatality rate: Those with three lanes or more are by far the most dangerous, because they enable higher speeds. Above 30 mph, fatality risk increases sharply. At 50 mph, someone’s chance of survival when struck is less than 1 in 5.

Then there’s this.

In addition, more than 3,800 people were killed almost immediately when they were struck in 2023, an indication that high speeds and larger vehicles are making impacts more violent. The rate at which pedestrians are declared dead at the scene of the crash has more than doubled, according to The Post’s analysis.

Despite abundant evidence of dangers, state and city agencies have been slow to invest in improvements such as safer places to cross or take steps to curb vehicle speeds, according to experts and former officials. A priority among local transportation agencies remains avoiding traffic jams rather than responding to concerns of pedestrians in the most danger, who are more likely to live in poor neighborhoods and wield less political influence.

The story notes that Los Angeles has taken steps to improve safety on Western.

Not enough, obviously. But let’s hope it takes.

Because that only leaves the rest of Los Angeles, where cars continue to overrule safety.

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A large coalition of California advocacy groups have come together to demand that the state reinstate the Ebike Incentive Program.

The groups include Calbike, Streets For All, Streets Are For Everyone, Active SGV, Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition, Move LA, Day One and Los Angeles Critical Mass, among more than a dozen others.

According to Streetsblog,

CalBike called for the ebike program to be restored, and earlier this week they sent a letter to CARB Board Chair Lauren Sanchez with a dozen other bicycle and pedestrian advocacy groups amplifying that call. While program execution – by CARB and its partner Pedal Ahead – has been questioned, the popularity of the program could not be denied. “It was also clear that the pilot phase succeeded – over 2,000 low-income individuals were able to obtain high-quality e-bikes, and the demand far outstripped the available incentives,” the advocates wrote…

“This is not what climate leadership looks like. Over one hundred thousand Californians lined up for a modest voucher that would help them drive less, save money, and move freely.” said Kendra Ramsey, Executive Director, CalBike. “Ending that opportunity now ignores that clear demand and walks back hard-won progress.”

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Streets For All is hosting a mobility debate next month for the candidates running to replace Curren Price in CD9 in next year’s city election.

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Active SGV is hosting an Easy Access Holiday Ride with SGV Water Action on December 6th.

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Now that’s what I call a train.

@bikinginla.bsky.social

— Ted Faber (@snorerot13.bsky.social) 2025-11-16T06:01:35.037Z

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

No bias here. A writer for the Times of San Diego sarcastically opines about Mission Valley bike lanes and bike racks at a new Home Depot, apparently never having heard of cargo bikes to transport the hefty items typically bought at home improvement stores.

Someone sabotaged a Cambridge, Massachusetts bike lane by strewing tacks across it, with one rider picking up 20 tacks in his tire, in what should only be read as a deliberate attempt to injure bike riders.

A British motorcyclist walked with a suspended sentence after he was caught on video knocking a naked man of his bicycle, telling police he thought the man was “some kind of pervert,” without realizing he victim was participating in the World Naked Bike Ride.

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

No bias here. A website says San Franciscans are supposedly rejoicing as the cops “finally” start ticketing scofflaw bike riders, calling for them to do ebikes and scooters next.

A British man had to view a neighbor’s security cam to learn what happened to him, two days after he was knocked cold by a “brutal” crash with an ebike rider.

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Local 

Sunday’s Melrose Stranger Things CicLAvia isn’t the only bike-related event this weekend, as the Natural History Museum will host its LA on Wheels Day tomorrow, displaying cars and bicycles, as well as hosting vendors, screenings, historical slides, skate demonstrations, and “activities focused on SoCal’s on-the-move spirit.”

The Los Angeles LGBT Center will host a new Center Ride Out three-day bicycling fundraiser next April, replacing the annual AIDS/LifeCycle fundraising ride.

Los Angeles continues to underperform, installing 35.6 miles of new bikeways in the most recent fiscal year, although about half of that was new pathways — up significantly from last year’s 22.5 miles, but just a fraction of the 251 miles installed in 2012-13 under Mayor (and current gubernatorial candidate) Antonio Villaraigosa.

Streetsblog catches us up on a new — and long delayed — traffic circle in a deadly Koreatown intersection, as well as coming upgrades on a dangerous stretch of Pico Blvd.

An aging woman says she did the right thing by giving up her car and riding a bicycle, but Los Angeles is failing bike riders like her. Although two of her complaints are actually in Inglewood, but still. 

Plans for a remake of Huntington Drive call for a lane reduction, bus lanes, curb protected bike lanes and wider sidewalks.

A NoHo burglar is charged with breaking into 33 restaurants, while making his getaway by bicycle. But at least he took almost three-dozen car trips off the road. 

LA County is asking for state help to close the gap in the LA River bike path through DTLA and parts south, as the project has somehow ballooned from a relatively manageable $365 million to a whopping $1 billion.

WeHo will co-host a bike light giveaway with the West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition on both sides of Santa Monica Boulevard, just east of San Vicente Blvd, from 5 to 7 pm Tuesday.

The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition calls for connecting bike paths through the Pasadena Community College campus to help complete the city’s network.

Streetsblog says the Pomona North Metro station will get a protected two-way cycle track extending a little less than two miles.

 

State

Nailed it. Calbike calls a proposal from the chair of the US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for the next highway bill to only fund “traditional” infrastructure like roads and bridges “car-brain at its logical endpoint” by assuming bike lanes and sidewalks are “not real infrastructure.”

Tell me about it. San Diego’s dangerous Friars Road is getting a makeover from Caltrans, with a separated Class IV bike lane on one side, and a painted bike lane on the other — although a spokesperson for a safe streets advocacy group says she’d hesitate to tell someone to ride on a bike lane with no protection, with cars going 45 mph or more right next to it.

Fontana cops busted a bike-riding man for firing a flare gun at a house, but are still investigating if he’s the same person who threw a couple Molotov cocktails at it. I’d go all in on “yes.”

Sad news from San Francisco, where someone riding a bicycle was killed on a “wide, high-speed street with painted bike lanes and no protection,” as Streetsblog calls it the inevitable outcome of the street design.

Megan forwards news that Chico is is looking for feedback on how to improve safety on the city’s roadways; if you live up that way, tell ’em they need to build more bikeways.

 

National

Bike Rumor asks if we can finally retire the idea of having to clip into a ‘clipless’ pedal.

A group of 34 Congressional representatives demanded that the Trump administration rescind the cancellation of bike and pedestrian infrastructure projects across the United States, and and reaffirm its commitment to building safer, more connected communities.

Trek is recalling 75,000 children’s and Elektra bikes due to faulty coaster brakes, telling users to immediately stop riding them.

In yet another example of allowing a dangerous driver to stay on the road until it’s too late, a Kentucky man faces a hit-and-run charge, as well as driving with expired plates and an invalid license, for killing a man riding a bicycle despite 15 — count ’em, 15 — previous traffic violations. Which is one more argument for impounding their car instead of just taking their damn license away.

Momentum asks where New York is on the latest Copenhagenize list of the world’s most bike friendly cities.

Streetsblog asks if the NYPD’s security demands will smother new mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s habit of taking the train and riding bikeshare bikes.

A North Carolina teenager was charged with murder after killing a 14-year old boy riding a bicycle and seriously injuring a man driving another car; the 16-year old was allegedly driving drunk at twice the speed limit at the time of the crash.

More horrible news from North Carolina, where the body of a 15-year old boy was found in a ravine, overgrown with weeds, 25 days after authorities believe he was killed in a hit-and-run by the driver of a semi-truck while riding his bicycle home from a party. As we’ve said before, the driver should be charged with murder for making the conscious decision to leave the victim to die alone like that, rather than stop and call for help. 

That’s more like it. A 25-year old Florida man was sentenced to 15 years behind bars, along with another five years probation, for the hit-and-run crash that killed a man riding a bicycle in 2023. The same crime in California would have garnered just four years. 

 

International

A new report considers how bicycling can help fight climate change.

Bike Radar consults an expert on how to be more conspicuous on the roads, saying hi-viz ain’t it.

A Windsor, Ontario driver won the door prize, somehow managing to door not one, but two passing bicyclists with a single thrust.

The leader of a BBC children’s charity resigned his post after he was convicted of careless driving for crashing into a woman riding a bicycle in the equivalent of a left cross crash, leaving the victim with life-changing injuries.

More proof that cars are bad for business. Sales in central Madrid went up 9.5% when the city closed the area to cars during the Christmas period; air quality also improved, with emissions nitrogen oxide emissions dropping 38% and CO2 emissions falling 14.2%.

A Manilla paper says the Philippines bike boom isn’t over yet, despite a 26% drop in ridership in the last bike count.

 

Competitive Cycling

Dutch women’s cycling star Lorena Wiebes was lucky to walk away without getting hurt when a driver rear-ended her ebike, though her bike wasn’t so lucky.

Pro-Palestinian protests have driven a stake through the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team, as sports & entertainment agency Never Say Never acquires the team’s WorldTour license and renames it NSN Cycling, with Swiss registration and a new base in Spain.

Speaking of which, a pro-Palestinian protestor charged with disrupting the Toulouse finish on stage 11 of the Tour de France got off with a warning and a fine, saying he wanted to get people talking about Gaza. As if they weren’t already. 

Azerbaijani junior cyclist Artyom Proskuryakov was provisionally suspended after testing positive for meth at the World Championships. Yes, meth. But the doping era is over, right?

 

Finally…

From bodybuilding to building mountain bikes. Your bike parts could become someone’s new prosthetic leg. Why bikes are bad for the economy.

And if you remember this bike, you’re as old as I am.

The Huffy Wheelca. 1968

— Cool Bike Art (@coolbikeart1.bsky.social) 2025-11-14T18:55:30.815Z

But at least I don’t remember this one.

British racer Evelyn Hamilton demonstrated a similar one back in 1936

— Cool Bike Art (@coolbikeart1.bsky.social) 2025-11-15T07:28:01.847Z

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Urgent Malibu PCH action alert, CA among weakest US DUI states, and more on CARB’s murder of ebike incentives

October 31, 2025 / / 2 comments
Day 304 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Happy Halloween!

If you’re still looking for a costume that will truly terrify your neighbors, consider going as a bike lane.

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If you live, work, commute or bike on or anywhere near PCH in western Malibu, take urgent action now to keep a vital safety project moving forward, which is currently in jeopardy before the Malibu Planning Commission.

Consider this alert from Streets Are For Everyone that went out yesterday; you’ll find a ready-made email response form on that link.

Choose Life Over Delay — tell the Planning Commission to Approve the Plan

On Monday, November 3, the Malibu Planning Commission will hold its final hearing to decide whether to approve the Caltrans PCH Safety Project — a $55 million once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rebuild and make PCH safer for everyone. Based on the last meeting, they are not likely to approve the plans unless people express strong support for the plans.

You can view that meeting here. The presentation, public comment, and debate start at 38:10 and continue for a couple of hours.

This plan would repave and reconstruct the western end of PCH from Cross Creek Rd to the Ventura County line while adding long-overdue safety improvements like:

  • 15 miles of new or upgraded bike lanes
  • 6,956 linear feet of new sidewalks in high pedestrian zones, including in front of Pepperdine University
  • 42 new dark-sky compliant light poles
  • The installation of 19 new guardrails
  • 22 new or upgraded curb ramps
  • Three new retaining walls
  • Two realigned intersections
  • A vehicle pull-out for law enforcement use
  • Median reconstruction at various locations
  • Associated roadway improvements along Pacific Coast Highway within the Public Right-of-Way between the Ventura County line and Serra Road

There are additional safety improvements that can and should be made after this. They will require additional funding and much more work to secure approval from agencies like the California Coastal Commission. The items above are changes that can be easily implemented with the funds immediately available.

If the Planning Commission fails to approve the project, the funding will vanish. The road will not be repaved, the safety upgrades will not happen, and Malibu will lose its only realistic chance to prevent more deaths on the western end of PCH for years or even decades.

This is not just another meeting — it’s a moral choice between action and inaction. Every year of delay means more preventable crashes, more empty chairs at dinner tables, and more families devastated by the same road we all depend on.

What We’re Asking You to Do:

Email the Malibu Planning Commission today and tell them to approve the Caltrans PCH Safety Plan. Ask them to prioritize lives over delays — to say YES to rebuilding PCH safely, responsibly, and collaboratively. We can continue to refine the details, but we cannot afford to lose the funding and start from zero.

Please also show up to the Planning Commission Meeting on Monday, 3 Nov, starting at 6:30 at Malibu City Hall. This is the link to the agenda.

You can also join and provide public comment on this virtually using this link.

This is Malibu’s last real chance to fix the western end of PCH.

Not mentioned is that failure to approve the plan means the money will be reallocated to other projects, somewhere else in the state. Which will set back desperately needed safety improvements on SoCal’s killer highway years, if not decades.

The Malibu Planning Commission doesn’t want to hear from me, since I haven’t set foot or wheel on PCH or in Malibu for years.

They want, and need, to hear from you.

Photo from Caltrans. 

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In what should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, CalMatters finds that California has some of the weakest DUI laws in the country.

California’s DUI enforcement system is broken. The toll can be counted in bodies.

Alcohol-related roadway deaths in California have shot up by more than 50% in the past decade — an increase more than twice as steep as the rest of the country, federal estimates show. More than 1,300 people die each year statewide in drunken collisions. Thousands more are injured. Again and again, repeat DUI offenders cause the crashes…

We found that California has some of the weakest DUI laws in the country, allowing repeat drunk and drugged drivers to stay on the road with little punishment. Here, drivers generally can’t be charged with a felony until their fourth DUI within 10 years, unless they injure someone. In some states, a second DUI can be a felony…

California also gives repeat drunk drivers their licenses back faster than other states. Here, you typically lose your license for three years after your third DUI, compared to eight years in New Jersey, 15 years in Nebraska and a permanent revocation in Connecticut. We found drivers with as many as six DUIs who were able to get a license in California.

Many drivers stay on the road for years even when the state does take their license — racking up tickets and even additional DUIs — with few consequences until they eventually kill.

Seriously, read it now. We’ll wait for you.

Back already?

Maybe you caught the part where they said “drunk vehicular manslaughter isn’t considered a “violent felony,” but DUI causing “great bodily injury” is. So breaking someone’s leg while driving under the influence can result in more jail time than killing someone.

Go figure.

Or that some California drivers have somehow remained on the road with up to 16 DUIs, until some innocent person pays the price. Or far too often, more than one.

And that arrests have dropped in half over the past 20 years, even as loosened cannabis laws and ready access to pharmaceuticals — legal and otherwise — mean more people than ever are likely driving under the influence of something.

This isn’t just theoretical for me.

One of my best childhood friends was killed by a drunk driver our senior year of high school. He was a state tennis champ deciding between a college scholarship and going pro when a woman somehow jumped a 50-foot median with guard rails on either side, and hit his car head-on, killing him and a passenger.

She walked away without a scratch. Or any jail time.

The same with my cousin, a rodeo queen killed when her father made a sudden turn, throwing her out of the back seat, then ran over her when he went back to get her.

So yeah, it’s personal.

And don’t even get me started on all the many victims of drunk and drugged drivers I’ve had to write about here over the last two decades.

Yes, this state just approved a law extending the ability of judges to order DUI drivers to install an interlock device. But that won’t do a damn thing to stop someone from getting behind the wheel stoned out of their mind.

Take this case in point. Or this one.

It’s long past time California got serious about drunk and drugged drivers, even if that means taking their cars away and not just their licenses. Or building a new effing prison to hold them all if we have to.

I’ll be happy to chip in to help pay for it, if it means a few more people will make it back home at the end of every day.

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More on yesterday’s story about the California Air Resources Board stabbing the bicycle community in the back by quietly stabbing the California Ebike Incentive Program in the front when no one was looking.

According to Streetsblog’s Damien Newton,

Despite demand for e-bike vouchers being so high that it crashed the website each time the state opened the lottery, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted at their last meeting to end the statewide program it oversaw, rolling the remaining $17 million of the original $30 million allocated by the legislature into its “Clean Cars 4 All” Program.

The concept of California E-Bike Incentive Project began had so much promise but was plagued with scandal and incompetence to such a level that one prospective applicant told Streetsblog last April, “If they were actively trying to sabotage the program, what would they do differently than this?”

Regardless of the intent, the effect is the same. The April application portal was the last time the program gave out certificates.

He adds that the most surprising thing is how quietly the program slunk out — or was tossed out — the back door, with no official announcement, no press release, and no mention on the program’s website.

There’s more. A lot more, in fact.

It’s all worth a read.

But what occurred to me yesterday is that this could leave CARB exposed to a lawsuit for age discrimination and violating the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Because by transferring the funds to a green car program, they are favoring people capable of driving over those who can no longer drive due to age and/or illness, and needed an ebike to provide greater mobility.

Could it win?

I have no idea. I’m not a lawyer, and have no expertise in ADA or age discrimination law.

But if someone needs a plaintiff, I know where they can look.

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LADOT reminds us they’re looking for feedback to finally fix dangerous Ohio Ave west of Westwood Blvd.

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Gravel Bike California explores the Breckenridge Mountain Loop, just a two-hour drive from Los Angeles.

Although the only Breckenridge I’ve ever ridden is just a tad further away.

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

No bias here. The local paper says adding a movable barrier to the bike lane on the Richmond-San Rafael bridge is a good idea, allowing the state to close the bike lane on weekdays to make more room for cars. Because evidently, the convenience of drivers outweighs the convenience and safety of everyone else. 

An English politician complains that a few feet of pavement for new bikeway is changing the character of the city by covering over historic cobbled paving stones. But the city just says hold on, we’re not done yet.

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

A British man was surprised to learn a bikeshare company has no legal liability for the ebike rider who crashed into his bicycle, leaving him “hours from death.”

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Local 

Streets For All says the $2 billion — yes, with a B — LAX ATMP Roadway Improvement Project will only have the opposite effect, tearing up streets just before the Olympics, while making things more dangerous for pedestrians and people on bikes.

A Culver City paper offers more information on the official opening of the new Robertson Blvd Bus/Bike Lane Project.

Somehow, we missed this year’s Phil’s Cookie Fondo, hosted by former pro cyclist and Worst Retirement Ever host Phil Gaimon, to raise fund for the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club — but you can still donate to the fundraiser.

 

State

Around 1,600 people are expected to turn out for Saturday’s Bike the Coast in San Diego County, with distances ranging from seven miles to a century.

The annual two-day, 31-mile Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride is currently underway in San Diego.

That’s more like it. A 27-year old Bakersfield man was sentenced to 12 years behind bars for the drunken hit-and-run crash that killed a 30-year old woman riding a bicycle in 2022, despite turning himself in a few days later after sobering up. As lax as California’s DUI laws are, the state-s hit-and-run statutes are even worse, providing an incentive for drivers to flee if they’ve had a few.

Marin County bike riders were expected to turn out last night for the annual Pumpkin Head Ride, which requires participants to wear a lit pumpkin on their helmets, if not their heads.

Sacramento’s Bike Lab works to empower local people through a variety of community services, including free bike repairs for anyone who needs it.

 

National

Knog is recalling its Blinder 900 and Blinder 1300 Front Bicycle Lights because the lithium-ion batteries could catch fire, but they promise they’ll replace it for you.

No point in waiting, I guess. Bike Magazine is the first out of the gate with a holiday gift guide. For all your Halloween giving, evidently. 

Somehow, I’ve never heard anyone say they’d start riding if only ebikes had a bigger interactive touch screen.

Of all the crashes that are unsurvivable, getting run down by a cement truck driver ranks pretty high on the list.

A Utah woman got a custom postpartum bike fit to help her get back on her bike, addressing the unique physiological changes affecting women after having a baby.

This is how Vision Zero is supposed to work. Albuquerque, New Mexico is building a new HAWK signal at a bike trail crossing where a bike rider was killed three months ago. Except why do they always have to wait until it’s too late? And someone should tell that TV station that the victim probably had a name. Just saying. 

The leaders of a Kansas hospital chain got together to build 25 new bicycles to donate to children and families across the Kansas City area.

An Ohio city opened a new connector project, including a new bike and pedestrian bridge, stitching together multiple miles of bike trails.

Great idea. A Baltimore-area bike shop teamed with a bike builder and custom painter to build a tricked-out, one-of-a-kind bicycle, raising over nine grand for a local homeless outreach group.

A Florida op-ed writer argues that greater enforcement against bike riders and pedestrians is exactly what’s needed to improve traffic safety. Because we’re the real danger, apparently, not the people in the big, dangerous machines.

 

International

A Canadian writer got his custom built, carbon frame Frankenbike back, courtesy of a small town marketplace, a year-and-a-half after it was stolen from the teenager he passed it down to.

Somehow, Brompton goes electric doesn’t quite have the same feel as Dylan going electric at the Newport Folk Festival, but still.

Europe’s most influential bicycle trade show is in jeopardy, after two leading German bike groups pulled out of Eurobike.

The UK now has a “boozy bike trail” through vineyards just 90-miles from London. Because if there’s one thing dank and drizzly England is known for, it’s wine. 

That’s more like it. Lime is deploying 500 dockless ebikes with child seats installed on the back to the streets of Paris.

A travel writer takes his family on a first-of-its-kind Botswana safari to track lions and elephants by bicycle.

 

Competitive Cycling

I want to be like him when I grow up. A Grand Junction, Colorado newspaper celebrates a 77-year old local man’s second-place age-group finish on the world master’s cycling stage.

 

Finally…

That feeling when your new artistic bike rack becomes a sock library. Or when you invent the first aero bike by using balsa wood and mummy tape.

And evidently, you’re not supposed to hurl Lime bikes out the back of a van.

Who knew?

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Thanks to Ted F for his very generous donation to support this site, and help me stay in the fight for a few more rounds.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Update: One man killed, two others severely injured by alleged drugged, hit-and-run driver on PCH in Huntington Beach

October 20, 2025 / / 7 comments

This is not how any of us wanted to start the week.

Because once again, a motor vehicle has become a weapon of mass destruction in the wrong hands, killing one man and severely injuring two others.

And once again, on PCH in Huntington Beach.

According to multiple sources, the victims were run down, apparently from behind, while riding in the bike lane on southbound PCH just north of Newland Street around 6:45 this morning.

That would put it in the vicinity of Lifeguard Station 13.

Police arrived to find the victims strewn in the traffic lane, their shattered bicycles on the side of the road.

One of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene; he has not been publicly identified at this time.

However, KTLA-5 reported on air that the victims were members of a Long Beach bike club.

The driver fled the scene, but was arrested after stopping on the side of the road about half-a-mile away. Given the damage to the victims and their bikes, it’s likely her 2006 Mercedes E-Class wasn’t in drivable condition.

Police identified her as 43-year old Long Beach resident Amber Calderon, who was booked on suspicion of felony hit-and-run, gross vehicular manslaughter, felony DUI and possession of narcotics.

If she has a previous DUI on her record, those charges would likely be upgraded to murder.

Police are still investigating the cause of the crash. However, under California law, DUI can be considered a contributing factor, but not the proximate cause of any collision.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team of the Huntington Beach Police Department at 714/536-5670.

This is at least the 48th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in Orange County.

Drivers have fled the scene in 16 of those SoCal crashes, or one out of every three fatal crashes involving someone on a bicycle since the first of the year.

Update: The victim who died at the scene has been identified as 45-year old Garden Grove resident Eric John Williams.

There’s still no word on the identities or condition of the other victims.

Update 2: We have more information about the victims, thanks to a crowdfunding page for Eric Williams’ family, and a press release from the Orange County District Attorney’s office.

I’ll just let his family tell the story.

Our family is heartbroken. On October 20th, our brother-in-law Eric Williams — a devoted husband, father of four, and beloved pastor — was tragically killed while cycling in Huntington Beach. We’re doing everything we can to surround our sister Robyn and the kids with love and stability, and so many have asked how they can help. This fund has been created to support them through the days ahead.

Eric was a Godly man with a heart for Jesus and for people. He spent his life serving others — first as a youth and teaching pastor at Seaside Community Church, and later as the founder of Community Church of West Garden Grove. He was kind, funny, and steady in his faith, always lifting others up.

He and Robyn had just celebrated 20 years of marriage. Their children — Julia (high school freshman), Jeanette (6th grade), Alice (4th grade), and little James (3 years old) — were his greatest joy.

As of this writing, the crowdfunding campaign has raised an amazing $266,964 in less than three days.

Meanwhile, the driver, Amber Kristine Calderon, was arraigned in Santa Ana on Wednesday.

Calderon was charged with one felony count of hit and run causing permanent injury or death, and two felony counts of hit and run with injury.

Thanks to California’s lax hit-and-run laws, she faces a maximum sentence of 5 years and four months, according to the DA’s office. She did not enter a plea, and the hearing was rescheduled for Nov. 13 in the West Justice Center in Westminster.

Yes, that’s all.

Although the charges and possible jail time could change, depending on the results of her toxicology report.

The DA’s office says the other two victims, who should not be overlooked in the anger and grief over Williams death, suffered serious injuries “including spinal fractures, broken ribs, a broken ankle, as well as cuts and bruises.”

The press release also provides more information on how Calderon was taken into custody.

Despite having significant damage to her hood, windshield, front bumper and losing her passenger side mirror at the site of the collision, Calderon is accused of driving on a flat tire for another 2/3 of a mile to a beach parking lot at Magnolia Street and driving past the parking kiosk without paying.

A parking attendant flagged her down before a witness to the crash blocked Calderon in with his vehicle and told the parking attendant not to let her leave because she had just hit three bicyclists. The parking attendant radioed for the California State Parks Police to respond.

Calderon was arrested on suspicion of felony hit and run resulting in death or injury, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony driving under the influence causing death or injury, and possession of a hard drug with a prior conviction. Toxicology results are still pending.

My News LA reports that Calderon has previous convictions for misdemeanor petty theft, felony sale or transport of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor burglary.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Eric John Williams and the other victims and their loved ones. And best wishes for a full and fast recovery for the survivors. 

Thanks to Michael, Zachary, James Johnson, Jeffrey, Mike and William for the heads-up. 

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

A look at South LA’s hit-and-run epidemic, Andreas Probst killer plead guilty in Vegas, and Victorville supports injured teen

October 8, 2025 / / No comments
Day 281 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

Call it a mental health day. 

I couldn’t get my head straight after writing about Sunday’s fatal bicycling crash in Lemon Grove, and just didn’t have it in me to write anymore about bikes yesterday. Or anything else, for that matter.

All these years of writing about fallen bike riders is really weighing on my heart, and I honestly don’t know how long I can keep it up. 

Then again, if I don’t, who will?

………

Of course he gets it.

Longtime community advocate Earl Ofari Hutchinson writes for the Los Angeles Wave Newspapers about the ongoing hit-and-run epidemic in South Los Angeles, even as the rate of hit-and-runs has declined in the rest of the city.

Although you could have fooled me on that last part.

And only an infinitesimal amount of LA’s hit-and-runs ever results in an arrest.

Here’s an idea of how rare that is. There were more than 7,000 known hit-and-run accidents in Los Angeles from 2022 to 2024. While only a small percent of the hit and runs resulted in death, the troubling, eye popping statistic was that an infinitesimal number of hit-and-run drivers were ever arrested. How infinitesimal? Exactly 1%.

It gets even worse. The number of hit and runs, according to Los Angeles Police Department figures, have dropped in the last year. But not in South Los Angeles, where a disproportionate number of the hit and runs occur. And as the figures show, the likelihood of an arrest is slim to almost none.

He also goes on to explain the most common reasons drivers flee.

A driver who strikes another vehicle or — worse a pedestrian — often panics. They fear arrest, jailing and potentially a conviction and imprisonment.

There are many circumstances that cause hit-and-run accidents. The most common are drug and alcohol impairment, speeding, driver distraction, cell phone use and sleep deprivation drowsiness.

Drivers that hit and run flee because they have been involved in a crime, lack a valid driver’s license and/or insurance, are intoxicated or on drugs. At the very least, a driver involved in a hit and run fears not just prosecution but loss of a driver’s license.

These days, you can add immigration status to that, as people fear they could be deported by ICE if they get arrested, let alone convicted, of a traffic crime.

Hutchinson goes on to add that even LA’s standing $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of killer hit-and-run drivers isn’t enough to get witnesses to come forward, who too often fear getting involved.

The solution, according to Hutchinson, is a proposal to create special multi-agency law enforcement hit-and-run task force, followed by tough prosecution of the drivers.

All I can say is about damn time.

And good luck with that.

Because California’s lenient hit-and-run laws actually provide an incentive to flee, since the penalty for hit-and-run is often lower than for DUI or other crimes. And LA prosecutors usually bargain away serious penalties to get a guilty plea, rather than go to trial.

But even if a driver is sentenced to jail time, California’s overcrowded penal system means it’s too often a revolving door that results in an unwarranted released after serving just a fraction of their term.

If you’ve been reading this site for awhile, you know what I propose to address, if not solve, the problem.

But one way or another, we have to do something.

Because failing to make an arrest, let alone get a conviction, not only means the driver won’t be held accountable.

It means the victims have to bear to full cost of recovering from their injuries.

And more California drivers will just continue to flee.

Today’s photo may be from Long Beach’s popular Beach Streets open streets event, but it’s a gentle reminder for drivers after a crash, too.

………

At last there’s justice for former Bell police chief Andreas Probst, who was intentionally run down by a pair of teenagers while riding his bike in Las Vegas two years ago.

The crash was recorded by Probst’s killers, and shared with their fellow high school students. And quickly became one of the highest profile crashes in a nationwide rash of deliberate vehicular assaults on bike riders by teens in stolen cars, and recorded for social media.

According to Las Vegas News 3, the driver, Jesus Ayala, faces a sentence of 20 years to life after pleading guilty to felony counts of robbery, battery with the use of a deadly weapon, and second-degree murder.

The deadly weapon being a car, in this case.

Jzamir Keys, the passenger who filmed the attack and laughed afterward, is scheduled to enter a guilty plea on Tuesday of next week.

Probst’s wife and children have filed a lawsuit against Ayala and Keys, as well as Hyundai Motor Company, alleging that a defect in Hyundai Elantras enabled them to steal the car they used to murder him.

………

The Victorville community is rallying to support a 13-year old boy who was severely injured by a DUI driver while riding his bike last week, according to the Victorville Daily Press.

A crowdfunding campaign has raised nearly $5,000 for the victim, identified as Manuel Sanchez.

According to his uncle, he’s hospitalized on a breathing tube, with injuries including a broken leg, broken arm, lacerated liver and kidney, internal bleeding in his stomach, as well as bruised lungs and injuries to his small intestine and spleen.

Thirty-six-year old Victorville resident Rosalie Marie Morales was released on $250,000 bond, after she was booked on suspicion of DUI involving both alcohol and drugs causing severe bodily injury.

………

BikeLA is gearing up for its annual Bike Fest fundraiser and silent auction next month, which replaced the beloved LA River Ride as the group’s primary fundraising event.

https://twitter.com/heybikela/status/1975278105867788505

………

Anyone who has ever tried to bike through the notorious, traffic-choked Wilshire and Western intersection probably wishes there was still a roundabout controlling traffic.

Although LA drivers probably still wouldn’t know how to navigate one.

………

Dr. Grace Peng rightfully complains that bicyclists are not allowed to use the “beautiful newly widened underpass where PCH crosses the old Pacific Electric Railway in Manhattan Beach.”

The only problem is, Manhattan Beach refuses to allow bikes to use it. @calbike.bsky.social @streetsforall.org @bikinginla.bsky.social @streetsblogla.bsky.social

— Dr Grace Peng (@gspeng.bsky.social) 2025-10-05T23:14:19.340Z

………

A workshop will be held tonight on the campus of Cal State LA to discuss options for the now-canceled 710 Freeway extension through Alhambra.

And yes, I’d vote for this one.

………

Don’t miss the latest edition of Bike Talk, which has shifted from its original local Los Angeles focus to a national perspective.

@strongtowns.org founder Chuck Marohn with Strong Townish Love Letter to Suburbia author Diane Alisa, @ericbrightwell.bsky.social on the fight for bikes in WeHo, Boston Bikeway Block Party, Bikes, Birds, & BART with @bikingmzstacey.bsky.social, and more. soundcloud.com/biketalk/253…

— Bike Talk (@biketalk.bsky.social) 2025-10-07T02:17:46.017Z

………

Megan forwards news of Boston drivers availing themselves of a local bike path to bypass traffic.

………

It’s the last day of the fall Amazon Prime Day, as Velo, Singletracks and Cycling Weekly highlight the best deals.

Or you could visit your local bike shop, and spend your money right here at home, where it will do the most good.

………

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

No bias here. A Palo Alto website notes the opening of a $55 million protected bike lane — then complains that it’s “sparsely used” when only one bike rider passes by in the first 15 minutes.

Police in the UK complain about “inaccurate” news reports that they won’t investigate bike thefts from train stations if the bikes have been parked for more than two hours, before confirming that it is, in fact, true.

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

There’s a special place in hell for the alleged Brooklyn hit-and-run bike rider accused of crashing into a 12-year old dog walking in a Prospect Park crosswalk with her owners; the elderly dog will need hip surgery.

A Brooklyn family is demanding answers after a 60-year old woman was killed when she was struck by two men riding an ebike, just moments after she got off a bus. Although have you ever noticed that that bike riders always get blamed anytime they collide with someone, but it’s always just an “accident” when drivers do.

………

Local 

Keep your eyes open for kids walking and biking to and from school today, as students throughout LA Country were urged to take part in today’s National Walk and Roll to School Day, while calling attention to bicycle and pedestrian safety.

Here’s your chance to name LA’s shiny new bike-pulled Hollywood Blvd protected bike lane sweeper.

A writer for Vogue says if you really want to get to know Los Angeles, ride the bus. Or better yet, ride a bike, like she did to get to her bus after moving here from New York after college.

Happy days are here again, as newly revived LA-based bikewear maker SWRVE reopens their office showroom for in-person shopping from 11am to 4pm Saturdays, offering closeout deals and items not sold online.

The Hermosa Beach City School District was honored with the Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association for its Be Safe, Be SMART ebike safety campaign.

 

State

A San Diego TV station says a new road diet and parking-protected bike lanes on the city’s Claremont Drive draws a mixed reaction from drivers and bicyclists — while apparently talking to exactly two people. And for the woman worried about evacuating in a fire, in the event of an emergency, feel free to use the center turn lane and wide bike lane buffer, which probably mean there’s actually more room for cars to escape, not less.

Temecula has installed new solar lights and improved bicycle access to the city’s Murrieta Creek Trail.

This is the cost of traffic violence. A 35-year old woman became the fourth person to be killed in a Ventura County crash in just four days, after she allegedly rode her motorcycle onto the wrong side of the road on a blind curve on Southern California’s killer highway.

Hats off to 17-year old Santa Barbara bicyclist Ray McPhee, who completed a double Everest over the weekend, climbing 58,000 feet of elevation while riding 300 miles in just 48 hours.

A Berkeley paper says ebikes are everywhere in the city now, “because they’re fun, they’re green, (and) they’re cheaper than ever.”

 

National

Planetizen considers what the country’s five safest cities for bicyclists have in common, as Momentum argues the list proves safety has nothing to do with luck.

Momentum also makes the case for why cities should pay people to bike to work to improve public health, combat climate change, reduce traffic congestion and enhance mental well-being.

They get it. Government Technology says law enforcement is lagging behind as ebikes become e-motorcycles, and lawmakers and police departments scramble to address the problem.

It looks like Justin Timberlake and Benson Boone are both one of us, as they agreed to ride the bus in Portland — the bike bus, that is.

The organizers of Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride have set this Sunday as the date for their “emergency ride” in response to President Trump’s efforts to deploy the National Guard in the city. Which gives you plenty of time to get up there and join in, no suitcase necessary. 

A CNN video profiles an Arizona mom who uses her ebike to transport her young daughter with cerebral palsy. Thanks to our old friend Mike for the video link.

A Tucson TV station examines why so many homeless people camp along a local bike path, after a bicyclist was stabbed to death confronting a homeless man who was hurling insults at a passing group ride.

Heartbreaking news from Las Vegas, where a 12-year old girl died after she was run down by the driver of a school bus while riding her bike home in a marked bike lane.

It’s Waymo-blamo in Atlanta, after police blamed the victim when a bike rider collided with a self-driving Waymo vehicle, alleging the bicyclist ran a stop sign and crashed into the Waymo, which had the right-of-way.

 

International

Cycling Weekly asks if bike paths are doomed, as Donald Trump declares war on bicycles, and cities in the UK just don’t use available funding to build them.

The organizer of British Columbia’s Okanagan Granfondo announced that the ride has been permanently cancelled after a crash that killed one woman, and injured two other people taking part in it.

A Canadian radio program discusses a world-traveling adventure cyclist, who returned home to ride from one end of Edmonton, Alberta to the other, and posted the video to YouTube. Although it’s kinda hard to see the video on the radio broadcast. Thanks again to Megan for the heads-up.

An op-ed writer says if anyone is truly outraged that the country spent €100,000 — the equivalent of $116,000 — to build secure bike parking at an Irish hospital, they should see what car parking costs, let alone the country’s “investment in congestion, pollution and the continuation of car-first planning.” Yes, credit Megan for that link, too.

Horrible news from Gurugram, India, where a 35-year old man was bludgeoned to death by three friends he was drinking with, over accusations of stealing a bicycle.

A Senegalese bicyclist is using social media to bring calm to the roads and end the transportation culture wars, arguing that “We’re not the enemy, and drivers aren’t either.” Which is true, except only the drivers are operating multi-ton weapons of mass destruction. 

A Japanese man with hearing problems is worried about the country’s new ban on bicycling with earbuds, afraid that will mean an end to the noise-cancelling ones that allow him to hear when he rides.

 

Competitive Cycling

Outside says America’s 34-year losing streak in mountain bike racing has finally ended, with American Christopher Blevins winning the World Cup overall  title.

Only 17 of the 97 cyclists who started the European Championships elite men’s road race crossed the finish line, as the rest just said the hell with it somewhere along the way.

Mexico’s National Road and Time Trial Cycling Championship will be held in Baja California later this month.

Yet another young cyclist is throwing in the towel, as 23-year old Alexandre Vinokurov announced his retirement from the XDS-Astana cycling team, saying he’s “been riding in fear and pain” since a devastating crash in March when he was struck by a driver while training in Greece.

The Israel Premier Tech cycling team is dropping its national identity in the face of mounting pro-Palestinian protests. Although the protests will probably continue as long as the team remains based in Israel. 

The Maryland Cycling Classic will expand to three days next year.

 

Finally…

Don’t claim you’ve got bike skills until you can pull off a six-and-a-half hour wheelie. A list of the “best bike helmets for protecting your noggin,” as if you would somehow wear one on your ass otherwise.

And there are always a few bicyclists who act like babies, but only a few who actually wear diapers.

……… 

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Someone riding bicycle killed by alleged DUI hit-and-run driver in Carlsbad crash early Saturday morning

September 13, 2025 / / One comment

Someone riding a bicycle was killed in a pre-dawn crash in Carlsbad Saturday.

And while we don’t know anything about the victim, we do have an ID on the alleged drunken coward accused of killing them.

According to multiple reports, the victim was struck by the driver while riding on the 4400 block Carlsbad Blvd, between Tamarack Ave and Cannon Road, around 4:34 am Saturday.

The victim was already dead when police arrived; there’s no word at this time on how the crash occurred.

The driver, identified as 27-year old Escondido resident Alexander Gendron, was tracked down about a mile away, with police relying on witnesses, license plate readers and a drone to find him.

He was booked on suspicion of leaving the scene of a collision resulting in injury or death, DUI causing injury or death, and vehicular manslaughter. That could be upgraded to murder if there is a previous DUI on his record.

There is a painted bike lane on both sides of Carlsbad Blvd, which runs north and south along the beach.

Given the hour, the victim could have been homeless, or someone riding to or from work. Or it could have been someone just out for an early morning ride.

Anyone with information is urged to call Traffic Accident Investigator Cpl. Matt Bowen of the Carlsbad Police Department at 442/339-2282.

This is at least the 41st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.

This was also the 13th bike rider killed by a hit-and-run driver in Southern California since the first of the year

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all their loved ones.

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

39-year old man killed riding bicycle in Santa Ana Wednesday night; driver arrested for DUI

August 28, 2025 / / 4 comments

Please, not another one.

For the ninth time this month, we’ve learned about yet another person killed riding a bicycle in Southern California.

According to a press release from the Santa Ana Police Department, a man was killed by an alleged drunk driver while riding in the city Wednesday night.

The victim, identified as 39-year old Wilmington resident Andrew Rodriguez, was crossing Grand Ave at Fairhaven Ave when he was struck by a southbound driver around 11:35 pm.

Rodriguez died at the scene, despite the efforts of officers and paramedics. The driver, 26-year old Santa Ana resident Vanessa Anahi Picenavalos, was arrested for DUI.

The intersection is controlled by a traffic signal; there’s no word on who may have had the right-of-way. There’s no bicycle infrastructure in any direction

Anyone with information is urged to call Santa Ana Police Detective K. Briley at 714/245-8215, or the Traffic Division of the Santa Ana Police Department at 714/245-8200.

This is at least the 38th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in Orange County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Andrew Rodriguez and his loved ones.

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

75-year old Hemet man killed by hit-and-run driver while riding bike; suspected DUI driver arrested after brief chase

June 30, 2025 / / 3 comments

Once again, a SoCal bike rider has been killed by a hit-and-run driver.

But this time, they actually caught the heartless coward.

According to the Hemet Police Department, a man was struck by a driver around 5:36 pm Saturday, while riding east on Domenigoni Pwky near State Street.

The victim, identified as 75-year-old Hemet resident Kenneth Lauer, died at the scene before police arrived.

After witnesses provided a description of the vehicle, police searching the area spotted the vehicle. The driver refused to stop, and led officers on a brief chase before being taken into custody.

Police said the driver, who has not been publicly identified at this time, appeared to be under the influence, and believe that may have been a factor in the crash.

Anyone with information is urged to call Hemet Police Corporal Christian Coley at 951/765-2400.

This is at least the 21st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

Lauer was also at least the sixth SoCal bike rider killed by hit-and-run drivers since the first of the year.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Kenneth Lauer and his loved ones.

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

Fontana bike rider killed by alleged DUI driver; no word on identity of the victim

June 26, 2025 / / Comments Off on Fontana bike rider killed by alleged DUI driver; no word on identity of the victim

Police in Fontana allege a man got behind the wheel when he was too wasted to drive.

Now someone else is dead because of it.

According to the Daily Bulletin, the victim was struck by the driver a little after 11 pm this past Saturday, while riding a bicycle in the area around Ivy and Palmetto avenues.

The victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, died after being taken to the hospital.

The driver, identified as 31-year old Gilbert Perez, was booked on suspicion of DUI causing bodily injury. Which will likely now be upgraded to a vehicular manslaughter charge, at the very least.

Or murder, if he has a previous DUI conviction.

This is at least the 19th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.

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

You can read the story on MSN if you can’t access the Daily Bulletin story. 

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

Road raging driver swears at bike-riding woman for her own good — no, really – and killer drunk driver tries to bribe cop

June 24, 2025 / / One comment
Day 175 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

This is who we share the road with.

A kindhearted North Carolina driver stopped to politely give a little safety advice to a woman riding a bicycle, who politely thanked him for his thoughtfulness.

Or maybe not.

In an incident caught on video — see below — the road raging driver backed up his pickup to scream at the victim, right after subjecting her to a horn-blaring punishment pass, even though she had moved far to the right after her rear-facing radar notified her of an approaching driver.

Here’s how a local TV station described the incident.

“I’m just letting you know one person has already got killed on this f****** road riding a bike,” yelled the man in the video. “You’re in a f****** curb. When these trucks come around and hit you and kill you, you’re gonna be f****** dead.”

I could be wrong, but I don’t think that missing seven-letter word was “factual”

But wait, there’s more.

In the video, Faith can be heard explaining she had a radar, but Currin drives off. She then yelled at him as he drove away, “Drive better, m**********!” After that, he stopped his truck and drove it in reverse to face her again.

“You need to watch your f****** mouth,” Currin yelled. “Let me give you some good advice, b****, don’t cuss me the f*** out. I’m telling you you’re going to get hit.”

“You’re cursing me out!” Faith yelled back before the video ends.

So let me get this straight.

The driver was so concerned about the woman’s safety that he first threatened it with his truck, then backed up to swear at her. And somehow got mad when she responded in kind.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Drivers like that, she added, are probably why she doesn’t see more women riding solo when she’s out.

And that makes sense, too.

Even if none of the rest did.

@faith_irv_rides

Imagine you are just riding your bike solo and this gem “offers help”. I have ridden this road more times than I can count. I follow all the laws and when my radar tells me someone is coming I move even closer to the white line. (I know I don’t have to.) This “helpful” guy flies by me within inches blaring his horn. I stopped when I saw him slowing down to avoid him. I didn’t get to record the first part when he yelled I shouldn’t be on the road before the first reverse. I guess my bike could have been confused as a grass bike and not a road bike. I am thankful a random driver stopped and waited until the red faced “man” drove off. This was towards the end of my 4 hour ride and I had been thinking all of the drivers were so nice today. Bro said “hold my beer”. I don’t think my heart rate went back down to zone 2 after that either. Just the other day I wondered why I didn’t see more ladies riding solo when I’m out and now we have a good reason. Angry people like this that could have just kept driving. Anyone know this guy or his license plate? It happened on Oakridge Duncan Rd, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526. #cycling #cyclist #roadcyclist #roadcycling #roadbike #badddrivers #cyclinglife #cyclingwomen #bike

♬ original sound – faith_irv_rides

………

This is who we share the road with, part two.

A 40-year old Anchorage, Alaska woman faces charges of manslaughter, DUI and bribery for the speeding, drunken crash that killed a 48-year old man riding a bicycle.

Yes, bribery.

To make matters worse, the victim, who recently became an American citizen, was using his headphones to talk with his mother in Baja California when he was struck and killed. Which will probably haunt her for the rest of her life.

Traffic cameras showed the woman driving over a median, turning left against the light, and driving on the wrong side of the road before drifting off the road and striking the victim while exceeding the posted 50 mph speed limit.

She was still in the driver’s seat, reeking of booze, when police arrived.

Then there’s this.

“Following arrest and during transport to the Anchorage jail, (Dill) told the arresting officer that she would give him $1000 if he dropped her off down the street and ‘acted like nothing happened,’” the summary report said.

The officer asked her to repeat herself, it said, and she “assured him that she had $1,000 cash on her and would give it to him.”

Maybe not the best move.

………

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

No bias here. A columnist for USA Today adds to the anti-ebike and e-scooter hysteria, calling them the hazard tourists never saw coming and insisting it’s time to put an end to the madness — while acknowledging that ebike riders only rarely injure tourists, and that it’s not always the rider’s fault.

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

An 83-year old woman says her life was ruined when she was struck by a hit-and-run ebike rider who blew a red light on a London street, leading her celebrity chef son-in-law to call for a crackdown on ebikes.

An “idiot” riding in a UK sportive nearly learned the hard way why you don’t pass multiple riders on a blind curve.

………

Local 

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton offers photos from Sunday evening’s Mission at Twilight open streets event through Alhambra, San Gabriel and South Pasadena. Which was the only one held Sunday, after CicLAvia was cancelled due to the ICE raids and protests in the LA area.

 

State

Calbike argues that the deadly 85th Percentile Rule, which allows drivers to set speed limits with a heavy right foot, belongs on the dustin of history, while calling for support of AB 1014 to extend the ability of cities to lower speed limits by 5 mph to state roadways. Which isn’t exactly getting rid of it, but it helps. 

Sad news from Newark, where a man was killed while allegedly riding his bike on the wrong side of a highway.

Officials in Tiburon sent a 143-word letter to Caltrans expressing their concerns over a planned bike lane on the city’s eponymous boulevard, with the mayor and a councilmember dissenting; the former because it didn’t address all of her concerns, and the latter because he just wants the whole damn thing stopped. Or part of it, anyway. Maybe it could have addressed all the mayor’s concerns if they’d just made it 145 words. Or even 150.

 

National

People For Bikes celebrates historic, picturesque and newly bikeable Galena, Illinois — population 3,327 — which jumped 30 points in their City Ratings in just five years by adding new trails and bike lanes.

Kindhearted Wisconsin cops bought a new BMX bike for a young man with a disability, after the bike he relied on as his only form of transportation was stolen from a Walgreens.

No bias here, either. A candidate for Boston mayor criticizes the current mayor’s “failed and dangerous bike lanes, speed bumps and removal of parking spaces across the city,” agreeing that he might rip out a new curbside bike lane — even though it went in to improve safety, along with new crosswalks, signals and turn lanes, after a woman was killed just crossing the street to get a cup of coffee.

Mariska Hargitay is one of us, riding her bike on the New York set of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit with her joyfully screaming three-year old son following on a tag-a-long trailer. Or at least she was, since the three-year old boy shown in the photo would be 18 now. No word on whether he’s still screaming, joyfully or otherwise. 

The late New Yorker John F. Kennedy Jr. was one of us in real life, and will be again on a new TV series. No, not the dead president. Or the current vaccine-skeptic Health and Human Services secretary. 

Good for them. A group of Wisconsin high school students rode their bikes 1,000 miles to Alabama to explore firsthand the country’s racial relations and civil rights past.

 

International

No news is good news, right? Seriously, I’ve got nothing.

 

Competitive Cycling

The new men’s pro cycling team headed by US cycling legends — and former dopers — George Hincapie and Bobby Julich will “launch a renaissance of American cycling”, with a goal of competing in the Tour de France in just five years.

 

Finally…

We may have to cope with LA’s wild drivers, but wild cougars on the trail, not so much. Apparently, a “like new” bike on social media means kinda fucked up in real life.

And apparently, the new Van Moof lets you fly like Superman. But preferably not in the Superman pose.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Witness blames driver, not victim, for recent Stunt Road crash; and OC DA goes easy on LAPD Sgt. in fatal DUI hit-and-run

June 23, 2025 / / One comment
Day 174 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

My apologies for Friday’s unexcused absence. 

Having diabetes means dealing good days and bad days. That was one of the bad ones. 

………

Let’s start with an update to the recent fatal bicycling crash in Calabasas.

Friday afternoon, I spoke with a witness to the crash that killed 37-year old Marvin Cortez as he was riding on Stunt Road on Saturday, June 14th.

What she told me changed our entire understanding of what happened. And more importantly, who was likely responsible.

Initial reports said that Cortez was on the wrong side of the road when he was struck head-on by the driver. But she said the motorist was driving recklessly, with the sound of his engine “reverberating through the canyon” even before he came into sight, roaring around a corner “like he was on a racetrack.

The moments later, she and her friends hear a loud pop, and saw debris flying through the air.

I won’t go into all the details; you can read it yourself if you want to know more.

Suffice it to say that I didn’t question the brief initial news report, which now seems to have been based solely on the driver’s perspective.

And I should have.

Photo from Pexels.

………

This is who we share the road with.

A 40-year old LAPD sergeant is getting off easy for the drunken, off-duty hit-and-run that killed a 24-year old man walking in an Orange County street.

LAPD Sgt. Carlos Gonzalo Coronel faces charges for felony DUI and hit-and-run, along with a felony enhancement for allegedly causing great bodily injury.

Yet Coronel could have been charged with second-degree murder after previously admitting to driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs in 2011.

He likely would have been required to sign a Watson advisement, which states that he could be charged with murder if he ever killed someone while driving under the influence anytime in the future.

And he did — allegedly.

Yet he wasn’t.

………

About damn time.

A Colorado grand jury has returned an indictment against Barry Morphew, once again charging him with the murder of his wife, Suzanne Morphew.

Suzanne Morphew disappeared while going for Mother’s Day bike ride five years ago. Her body was finally found three years later when investigators were searching in an unrelated case, long after her abandoned bike and helmet were discovered in separate locations near her home.

An autopsy revealed she had been dosed with an animal tranquilizer, which Morphew reportedly had access to.

Barry Morphew was arrested for her presumed murder in 2021, but charges were dropped in April 2022, just before he was supposed to go on trial.

Maybe this time they can make the charges stick.

………

That’s more like it.

A French public broadcaster reports that cars are no longer welcome in the country’s third largest city.

Thanks to Megan for forwarding the video. 

………

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

A road-raging 59-year old Utah man faces charges for intentionally swerving his SUV into a 24-year old man riding an ebike, resulting in a serious head injury, after the ebike rider allegedly cut him off; it was the second time he had confronted the victim in just a matter of days.

No bias here. A local newspaper in exclusive Palm Beach, Florida says there’s just no room for packs of bicyclists on the state’s coastal highway, complaining about plans for sharrows that might encourage people to ride bikes where and how they are legally entitled to ride, because it could inconvenience car-driving local residents.

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

A 43-year old New York man paid the ultimate price after crashing his ebike into a pedestrian walking in a Central Park crosswalk. A reminder to always give the right-of-way to someone in a crosswalk. And colliding with a pedestrian is just as dangerous for the person on the bike as it is for the person walking.  

Police in West Yorkshire, England are looking for a hit-and-run ebike rider who stopped briefly, the fled the scene, after crashing into man in his 60s and sending the victim to the hospital with serious injuries.

British Dame Joan Collins — yes, that Joan Collins — lashed out on Instagram at “loutish” Lime Bike users on the sidewalk.

………

Local 

Sheriffs officials in Calabasas are on the lookout for a high-end mountain bike thief, described as a white man between 30 and 35 years old, wearing a black hat, light-colored pants, a black long-sleeve sweatshirt, and black and white tennis shoes. Unless maybe he changed clothes, of course.

 

State

Officials in Carlsbad are removing a pair of traffic circles in response to complaints. Although the metric they should consider is whether the circles improved safety, rather than how many people complained. It’s also worth considering that people who don’t object usually don’t say anything. Thanks to Phillip for the link.

A San Francisco grand jury report blames the city’s Vision Zero failure on a lack of police enforcement, as drivers just ignore the many “No right on red” signs going up downtown with no fear of consequences.

 

National

A writer for People For Bikes says great rides begin at home, with biking adventures waiting just outside your front door. Which is exactly where (almost) every ride I ever took began. Unless you count the back door, too.

A former candidate for mayor of Portland, Oregon was killed when he was struck by a train after reportedly riding his bike around the crossing barriers. Seriously, don’t do that. Ever. Period.

An Arizona writer says the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area near Tucson is an incredible place for bicycling, and her favorite park in the state.

They get it. Police in St. George, Utah say they’re done playing games with people riding illegal e-motorbikes, which are too often lumped in with ped-assist ebikes to unfairly tar all ebike riders. Thanks to Ellectrek for the heads-up.

The 16-year old Albuquerque boy charged with killing Scott Habermehl, while riding with three other boys joyriding in a stolen car, as the Sandia Laboratory scientist was bicycling to work, is now charged as an adult and facing a murder charge.

Life is cheap in Wisconsin, where a 45-year old woman walked without a day behind bars for the hit-and-run that left an ebike rider with “multiple visible injuries.” As long as courts refuse to take hit-and-runs seriously, drivers will continue to trying to get away with it. 

Something is terribly wrong when someone who is still riding a bicycle at 85 becomes a victim of traffic violence, like the elderly Illinois man who was killed by a driver, just days after a 90-year old man was killed by a driver while riding a three-wheeled bike in Indiana. But at least that story mentioned there was someone behind the wheel, unlike the first one. 

Time to cash in the crypto, after Massachusetts-based Parlee Cycles created a money-is-no-object, limited-edition bike build to honor late company founder Bob Parlee; the 25 bikes are based on their new Z-Zero GT, which already retails for $22,990.

New York City counselors are complaining that current mayor Eric Adams — who is likely on this way to becoming ex-mayor after next week’s Democratic primary — is reneging on promises to install 500 secure bike parking pods throughout the city’s five boroughs.

Ebikes provided by New York’s Citi Bike bikeshare are now limited to a maximum of 15 mph; meanwhile, a three-week bike mechanic program has a 100% success rate in placing formerly incarcerated New Yorkers with the bikeshare system.

This is who we share the road with, too. A 32-year old Virginia man has been arrested for the hit-and-run death of 40-year old Sara Burack, after the luxury real estate agent and star of Netflix’s Million Dollar Beach House was found dead on the side of a Long Island roadway. 

Dozens of people took to their bikes in Reading, Pennsylvania to call for peace on the streets and an end to youth gun violence.

Bike riders in Richmond, Virginia are being placed in needless danger by construction crews who have carelessly destroyed bike lane markers and bollards, while forcing riders into traffic to go around their equipment.

Florida could get a 120-mile bike trail through the central part of the state.

 

International

A Vancouver district counselor calls for making bike bells mandatory, arguing they’ “a simple yet effective solution to address a range of issues related to safety, visibility and courteous riding practices.” Although the next step would likely be requiring bicyclists to use them — and holding them accountable if someone claims they didn’t. 

A new Canadian study shines a light on the dangers bike riders face in the country, but doesn’t offer any solutions.

Simon Cowell is back on his bicycle, albeit raising eyebrows by riding through a London borough wearing a puffer coat in 93°F weather.

Life is cheap in the UK, where a 62-year old truck driver walked without a day behind bars for killing a 56-year old mother riding a bicycle, in their equivalent of a right hook.

A British drug dealer will spend the next 70 months behind bars for shooting a bike theft victim who had tracked him down, and confronted him with a pickax handle. Another reminder to just let the police handle it. And don’t bring a pickax handle to a gun fight.

The Guardian visits a southwest London neighborhood that is the most dangerous place in Great Britain to ride a bike.

Sweden’s Hövding is back from the dead after being rescued from bankruptcy — but don’t call it an inflatable helmet anymore, because the new owners say it’s really an airbag.

NPR talks with a travel writer who took an off-road bicycle tour of Morocco.

Germany’s Marek Kaufman has reportedly been under state arrest in Iran for the past year, the Jewish bike tourist accused of espionage for making social media posts while near a heavy-water reactor in Markazi Province as he was riding through the country on a tourist visa.

World Bicycle Relief is distributing their Buffalo Bikes to Ugandans in need of reliable transportation, in hopes that the tougher, reinforced bicycle will stand up to the country’s rugged roads.

 

Competitive Cycling

Portuguese cyclist João Almeida dominated a mountain time trial on the final stage to claim overall victory in the Tour de Suisse, with Kévin Vauquelin second and Oscar Onley rounding out the podium.

A new German documentary says doping is still going on in pro cycling, they’re just using different drugs — like a cancer medication that’s also used to fight cardiovascular disease.

The team manager of French cycling team Groupama-FDJ repeated his call to ban race radios, power meters and GPS bike computers from competition, in an effort to slow the evolution of pro cycling and make the sport safer.

UCI is investigating Belgian cyclist Dries de Bondt and an unnamed EF Education-EasyPost director, after de Bondt allegedly helped the rival team’s Richard Carapaz over the Colle delle Finestre during last month’s Giro, with de Bondt saying later “it never hurts to market yourself.”

An Aussie ultracyclist will attempt to ride the entire 1,500-mile route of the original Tour de France in just six days, using a two-speed bike with the same gear ratio as the original riders.

Cyclist looks at the climbs that will decide this year’s Tour de France.

Benin’s women’s cycling team made history at the Maryland Cycling Classic, becoming the first women’s African national team to compete in a major American road race.

 

Finally…

That feeling when you rescue the kitten you just rescued after finding it hanging from a bicycle. Or when cycling celebrity makes you the stars of a Slovenian children’s book.

And now you, too, can ride your mountain bike in the name of science.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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