Tag Archive for DUI

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. 

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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

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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.

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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 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.

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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.

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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. 

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My apologies for Friday’s unexcused absence. 

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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

Good news and bad news as CA legislature hits halftime, and “oopsie” shouldn’t get killer drivers off the hook

June 11, 2025 / / Comments Off on Good news and bad news as CA legislature hits halftime, and “oopsie” shouldn’t get killer drivers off the hook
Day 162 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

Streetsblog provides a halftime report from the California legislature, as bills move to one house after passing in the other.

Or die an ignominious death upon failing.

Among the winners so far are AB 954, aka The Bike Highways Bill, and AB 891, Quick-Build Project Pilot Program.

The former would set up a pilot program to connect existing bikeways into bike highways, while the latter would instruct Caltrans to use quick-build designs to improve state roads.

Among the other bills also passing in the Assembly was AB 366, allowing interlock devices for drivers convicted of DUI.

Bills passing in the state Senate included SB 71, streamlining CEQA environmental review requirements for public transportation, bike and pedestrian projects that would reduce car dependency.

Also passing the Senate was SB 445, which imposes a deadline on local agencies to review permits for Complete Streets and sustainable transportation projects.

Dying for this year were a bill that would have placed a statewide bond issue to fund sustainable transportation projects on next year’s California ballot, and one to allow victims of climate disasters or their insurers to sue oil companies to recoup their losses.

Meanwhile, the long awaited Stop As Yield, aka Idaho Stop, law that would allow California bike riders to treat stop signs as yields — and possibly roll through red lights after coming to a complete stop — will have to wait until we have a new governor in two years.

It wasn’t introduced this year because Gavin Newsom already vetoed two previous versions of the bill.

………

This is why people keep dying on our streets.

Life is cheap in Los Altos, where a man walked without a day behind bars for the distracted driving death of a 38-year old woman riding a bicycle after he was sentenced to probation and community service; he had faced up to six years for felony vehicular manslaughter. Not a single year, as the story suggests.

And life is equally cheap in Michigan, where a former cop walked without a day behind bars for killing an 83-year old man riding a bicycle, after he was sentenced to 12 lousy months of probation; the victim had just finished a ride across the country, and was on his way back home to Florida.

So what’s the point of even having traffic laws, if overly lenient judges won’t even hold drivers accountable for killing someone when they break them?

Just saying “oopsie” shouldn’t be good enough.

………

Local 

No news is good news, right?

 

State

A San Francisco woman has filed suit against Waymo after she was doored by the passenger of a Waymo self-driving cab, and prevented from taking evasive action by another Waymo cutting across the bike lane.

A new website tells you everything you always wanted to know about where and how to bike in and around Lake Tahoe. Okay, not literally in, unless you’ve invested in waterproof bike lube. 

 

National

CNN recommends the best bike shorts for a more comfortable ride, according to “seasoned cyclists.” Which raised the question of how were they seasoned, and whether they should be grilled, baked or air fried.

The rich get richer, as Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Community Boulder, Colorado could soon get a protected bike lane on a dangerous stretch of one of the city’s main drags.

Kindhearted residents of five Iowa counties collected over 200 donated bicycles to restore and distribute to community members.

That’s more like it. A 25-year old Missouri woman was sentenced to ten years behind bars for the drunken collision that killed a 25-year old man riding a bicycle last year.

Hundreds of people turned out for a Slow Roll memorial ride to remember a 38-year old Ohio woman who was killed when an 18-year old driver crossed onto the wrong side of the road, slamming head-on into her and another woman riding their bikes together, along with a third person who escaped the crash. Maybe if we had a turnout like that when someone gets killed here, we could see some real change in LA, for a change. 

This is how Vision Zero should work. An Ohio city received a $1.4 million grant to install new sidewalks and shared-use paths where two young boys were struck by a driver while riding their bikes last year; a nine-year old boy was killed, while a 10-year old survived with serious injuries.

Streetsblog says if New York’s mayor really wants to improve traffic safety, the city should take advantage of a one-year old state law allowing it to lower speed limits to 20 mph, rather than scapegoating ebike riders, since NYC drivers injure over 9,600 pedestrians each year, leaving less than 40 due to all other causes.

Speaking of New York, the highly publicized crackdown on ebike riders is turning out to be, in the words of the bard, “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing,” as judges are simply putting the vaunted criminal summonses on hold pending dismissal.

Philadelphia advocates are racing to get a bike lane approved by City Hall, for the streets around City Hall, in advance of a summer repaving project and before the city council takes the rest of the summer off.

Apparently, Florida drivers don’t know how to avoid curbs, because they keep crashing into the barriers for a new curb-protected bike lane in Palm Springs.

 

International

Now you, too, can bike your way to better brain health and away from dementia, which is good news for all of us.

Britain’s Cyclist Magazine recommends the best Father’s Day gifts for bicycling dads. Even though the best gift is just more time to ride.

The BBC has finally realized that bicyclists with bike cams aren’t “vigilantes” or “grassing snitches,” belatedly concluding that cameras help bring dangerous drivers to justice and are often the only recourse riders have. Although California law doesn’t allow them to be used against drivers for traffic violations or misdemeanors, technology be damned. 

Dutch ebike brand VanMoof is back from the dead with two new models, after it was rescued from bankruptcy by the electric scooter division of McLaren.

A local campaign by a group of young Scouts in Romania has blossomed into a nationwide movement to build safe bike infrastructure, in a country where kids under 14 are banned from biking on public streets.

Here’s another one for your bike bucket list, as a writer for the BBC rides Morocco’s 520-mile Route of the Caravans, offering a view of the country few tourists ever see.

A new Chinese-made ebike conversion kit promises to install the first time in just three minutes, and ten seconds thereafter, while offering one of the smallest and most portable sizes yet; a crowdfunding campaign will launch soon offering an early bird price of just $349. Although how that could be affected by Trump’s on-and-off tariffs is TBD. 

 

Competitive Cycling

Seriously? The solo Race Across America, aka RAAM, kicked off in Oceanside CA yesterday, sending competitors over 3,000 miles virtually nonstop to Annapolis, Maryland. But the only mention anywhere in the news comes from a radio station in Osage Beach, Missouri.

 

Finally…

When you’re the king’s sister-in-law, of course you wear $900 pumps to a mountain bike park. That feeling when an apparently AI-written story recommends five scenic cyclist-friendly trails, but can’t be bothered to tell you where they are.

And this is pretty much the opposite of sticking the landing.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Missing bikepacker found safe, guilty verdict in meth-fueled death of 12-year old OC boy, and letter demands action on HLA

May 20, 2025 / / Comments Off on Missing bikepacker found safe, guilty verdict in meth-fueled death of 12-year old OC boy, and letter demands action on HLA
Day 140 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

My apologies for the extended absence. 

The problems I was having with low blood pressure last week cascaded into a crisis over the weekend I was lucky to weather without ending up in the ER.

Although I probably should have, according to my wife, anyway. 

I have no problem accepting my mortality, given that, as a diabetic in my late 60s, I have a life expectancy somewhere between a fruit fly and a green banana. 

And I accept that I may never ride my road bike again. Or maybe any bike, for that matter. 

But I worry about what happens to this site when the day finally comes that I can’t do it anymore. 

In the meantime, I’ll do my best to keep things going on a regular basis. Or often as my aging body lets me, anyway.

So let’s get back to it. 

………

Let’s start with some good news.

The Georgia woman who had been missing in the rugged California mountains for three weeks was found safe.

Twenty-two-year old Tiffany Slaton disappeared while on an bikepacking trip above Fresno, after she was last seen stopping at a general store.

She was found when the owner of a mountain resort that had been closed for the winter went to get it ready to open, and found her hunkered down inside surviving on wild leeks and boiled snow.

She had lost most of her belongings, abandoning her ebike at a trailhead, and surviving 13 snowstorms in the process.

She had also lost ten pounds.

But she was safe and alive, and soon reunited with her parents, who were stunned and overjoyed by the news.

Photo by Gantas Vaičiulėnas from Pexels.

………

Guilty.

An Orange County jury found 64-year old Richard David Lavalle guilty of 2nd degree murder for the meth-fueled death of a 12-year old bike rider.

The Long Beach man was convicted of killing Noel Bascomb as he was riding a bicycle with his father in a Costa Mesa crosswalk in December, 2020.

The boy’s father was forced to watch the crash that killed his son, screaming for Lavalle to stop his pickup before crushing Noel’s bicycle, and catapulting the boy roughly 120 feet through the air.

Police founds drugs in Lavalle’s truck, and he was unable to stand on one foot for a field sobriety test following the crash; a blood test found meth in his blood hours after the crash.

Although his wife, who was riding in the passenger seat, tried to claim the drugs were hers.

Lavalle had previously been convicted driving under the influence in San Diego County, which allowed prosecutors to upgrade the charge from manslaughter to murder.

………

No surprise here.

Streets For All, the original sponsor of Measure HLA, took a look at the the status of HLA projects that the city reports on the official HLA website, and find it, well, lacking.

Tres shock!

They responded with a letter calling the city out for its failure, and urging it to work with them going forward.

Speaking of HLA, Streets For All urges you to support a version of the law in LA County tomorrow at the virtual meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Community Services Cluster.

……….

Nice to see Los Angeles recognized for something good for a change, as CNN makes the case for why Griffith Park may be the country’s greatest city park.

At 4,210 acres, Griffith outshines other extraordinary city parks of the US, such as San Francisco’s Golden Gate, which barely tops 1,000 acres, and New York’s Central Park, a mere 843 acres. Griffith’s peaks tower above those flat competitors too, with nearly 1,500 feet in elevation gain, making it practically vertical in orientation. And LA’s crown jewel of a park is still largely uncut, much of it remaining a wilderness area preserved more than 100 years ago, and barely developed, unlike the pre-planned “wild” designs of Golden Gate and Central Park.

Add its history, views, recreation opportunities, unique and hidden spaces, a free Art Deco observatory and museum, the most famous sign in America and the park’s overall star-power, and you have a compelling case that Griffith is not just epic in scope but the greatest city park in the nation.

There’s something for everyone there: a zoo, playgrounds and an old-timey trainyard for the kids; challenging and steep trails for hikers; dirt paths for equestrians; paved roads for bikers; diverse flora and fauna for nature enthusiasts; and museums for the science and history learners.

Take that, New York.

……….

Gravel Bike California makes a run for the border by riding the Taco Bell Century with Grizzly Cycles.

………

Cate Blanchett is one of us.

Seriously. What could beat Blanchett on a bike?

Cate Blanchett having the time of her life, as captured by photographer Annie Leibovitz.#BicycleBirthday Cate BlanchettBorn May 14, 1969

— Cool Bike Art (@coolbikeart1.bsky.social) 2025-05-14T20:01:24.143Z

………

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

No bias here. A British paper says the only surprising thing about a London pedestrian being killed by an ebike rider earlier this year is that there aren’t more cases like it. Which is a pretty good indication that it’s not as big a problem as they’re trying to make it out to be. 

An 18-year old New Zealand man was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after throwing a bottle at from the SUV he was riding in, striking participants in a local bike race — including an 11-year old cyclist.

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

The notoriously anti-bike New York Post writes that the city must stop treating bicyclists like a special class, for everyone’s safety. Because it’s not treating bike riders like a special class at all when the cops give scofflaw bicyclists criminal summonses that drivers aren’t subject to, apparently (see National news below).

………

Local 

Speed cams are finally coming to Los Angeles, with operations scheduled to begin by the middle of next year — if they can survive the usual public comment period.

LA officials officially unveiled the first 5.5-mile segment of the Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor multiuse path linking three Metro train lines through South LA.

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton offers photos and an open thread from Sunday’s Pico-Union CicLAmini.

Metro is holding a series of meetings to gather feedback on the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project, starting with a virtual meeting this Wednesday.

The West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition will host their annual WeHo Pride Ride on Sunday, June 1st.

The Pasadena Ride of Silence will roll at the Rose Bowl Wednesday evening to remember fallen bike riders; Palm Springs will hold one on Wednesday, too.

Caltrans unveiled their draft feasibility study for safety changes on the 21 miles of PCH through the ‘Bu; needless to say, commenters immediately complained about plans for protected bike lanes.

A Venice man relates his attack by a ranting man who shouted that “all bikes must be destroyed” while he was walking his bicycle on the Santa Monica Pomenade recently.

 

State

Streetsblog says “here we go again,” as the California Ebike Incentive Program gears-up for their next attempt at a second round of ebike incentives, after failing so badly at two previous attempts.

No surprise here, either. Calbike says the state has got its transportation spending priorities wrong, as Newsom’s revised budget calls for continued highway spending, but fails to restore funding for active transportation that was cut last year.

Streets Are For Everyone says red light cams work and calls for support for SB 720, which would update California’s red light camera programs and allow cities and counties to opt in. 

Encinitas held an open streets event this weekend, too.

No bias here, either. After the La Mesa council voted to build eight bike lane and sidewalk projects near the city’s schools, a San Diego TV station can only manage frame the story through the lens of the single councilmember who voted against it — then somehow says the city is divided.

Sad news from Santa Barbara, where a 36-year old woman faces multiple charges for killing an ebike rider — including gross vehicular manslaughter, DUI and driving without a license — yet somehow, police still managed to blame the victim for causing the crash.

 

National

A reporter for NPR says bike riding helps with long-term knee and health problems, even if like life, it doesn’t always make sense. True enough. Riding a bike helped keep my failing knee going for a couple decades after a surgeon told me it needed to be replaced. And hid my diabetes for at least that long.

Nevada’s attempt at a Stop As Yield bill died in the state legislature, victim of an arbitrary cutoff date.

Colorado authorities are asking for the public’s help finding a hit-and-run driver who killed a 41-year old man riding a bicycle in Boulder County on Sunday. Note that they asked for help right away, rather than waiting until the trail has run cold and people have forgotten key details, like the LAPD does.

In a story that hits a little too close to home, police still haven’t solved the fatal shooting of a 47-year old man riding a bicycle just 17 miles from my bike-friendly Colorado hometown.

A Manhattan Criminal Court judge gave scofflaw bike riders a good darn talking to on the first day of court for bicyclists given a criminal complaint by the NYPD, rather than a standard ticket for traffic violations; however, not everyone thinks that’s a good idea.

 

International

Bike Radar asks if the latest crop of ebikes have become too powerful, and could be harming the reputation of mountain biking.

You’ve got to be kidding. A British coroner ruled that the crash that killed a bicyclist was “unavoidable,” following testimony from the driver that the dark-clad victim “suddenly” appeared in front of her car after she “momentarily” looked down at her gear shift. Because a) bike riders don’t “suddenly” appear out of nowhere, and b) no crash is “unavoidable.”

An Irish writer says most of the complaints about Dublin bicyclists are actually people on bicycle-shaped objects, aka illegally modified mo-peds and electric motorbikes. Which is probably the case in California’s beach cities, too. 

How Paris became Europe’s best city for young bike riders.

Horrible news from Japan, where a 70-year old Osaka man jumped or fell from a high-rise condo, and landed on a man riding a bicycle in the street below; the victim was believed to be a 59-year old man from a city over 300 miles away.

Sad news from Australia, where 63-year old former pro wrestler Mike Raybeck, aka Maxx Justin and Mike Diamond, was killed in a collision while riding his bike home from work.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cycling Weekly looks at 21-year old Mexican cyclist Isaac del Toro, after the Baja California native became the first Mexican cyclist to wear the pink leader’s jersey in the Giro.

Nineteen-year old British cyclist Matthew Brennan is making waves on the WorldTour with seven wins in just 23 days.

Good question. A Colorado public radio station asks why bike racing has struggled to succeed in the state when it has such a strong bicycling culture. Although it’s not just Colorado; pro cycling has struggled everywhere in the US, as former fans of the Tour of California can attest.

Cycling Weekly looks at this week’s 2025 USA Cycling Road Nationals — starting with 15 paracycling titles awarded on day one.

 

Finally…

You know your locked bike was stripped when thieves even take your handlebar grips. How do you celebrate a Spanish soccer championship? With a bike ride, of course.

And are you at risk for kyphosis bicyclistarum, or bicyclist’s stoop?

Thanks to Steven Hallet for that last one.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Effed-up ebike voucher program returns May 29th, and driver on trial for murder for DUI death of 12-year old OC boy

May 12, 2025 / / Comments Off on Effed-up ebike voucher program returns May 29th, and driver on trial for murder for DUI death of 12-year old OC boy
Day 132 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

Happy Bike Week!

Not to mention UN Global Road Safety Week.

On the left is the window applicants for the last round of California ebike incentives saw after it was cancelled when program administrators CARB and Pedal Ahead once again failed to meet the demand.

………

Here we go again.

For whatever it’s worth, the California Ebike Incentive Program is coming back yet again for their next fuckup abject failure round of ebike incentives at the end of this month, while doubling the deliberately throttled amount of funding available.

Which isn’t the same as making all of the remaining nearly $30 million in remaining funding available, which is what they should be doing — if they had hired someone who actually had the necessary expertise and bandwidth to administer it.

Regardless, here’s the full text of the email announcing their do-over for the second round.

Dear Subscriber,

Thank you for your continued interest in the California E-Bike Incentive Project.

The California E-Bike Incentive Project will relaunch the second application window on May 29, 2025. This window will include additional funding, up to $2 million, in incentive vouchers. To date, the project has awarded more than $2 million to applicants across California.

We are dedicated to providing a more streamlined application process, and we’ve ensured the website is prepared to handle the large volume of traffic generated by this program.

We apologize for the technical issues we experienced in the initial launch and appreciate your patience as we prepare for the second application window.

~ California E-Bike Incentive Project Team

………

Heartbreaking testimony in a Costa Mesa courtroom, where 64-year old Long Beach resident Richard David Lavalle is being tried for murder, after killing a 12-year old bike-riding boy in 2020 while allegedly on meth.

The father of Noel Bascon testified that he and his son were biking together in Costa Mesa around 5 pm on December 6th, and that he had “triple checked” the lights and reflectors on his son’s bike before they rode home on the sidewalk.

He waved his arms in an effort to flag Lavalle down when he saw the driver barreling down at them as they were in a crosswalk, but only heard a loud bang behind him as Lavelle allegedly ran the stop sign and slammed into his son at up to 50 mph, throwing the boy about 120 feet through the air.

Noel died after being taken to the hospital.

Lavalle faces a second-degree murder charge because he had previously been convicted of DUI in San Diego County in 2013, trigging a Watson notice informing him he could be charged with murder if he killed someone while driving under the influence anytime in the future.

This case could be a third strike for Lavelle after two previous convictions for robbery, triggering an automatic life sentence.

………

Once again, a car in the wrong hands became a weapon on mass destruction.

A 30-year old repeat DUI driver was arrested after he unexpectedly swerved into a group of four bike riders in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Two of the victims were transported to local hospitals in critical condition. One died the same day, and the second four days later.

It was the driver’s third offense for driving under the influence of a controlled substance, yet he was somehow still allowed to operate a high-powered, multi-to vehicle. .

Yet another example of officials keeping a dangerous driver on the road until they kill someone.

Literally.

………

Bloomberg questions the rise in New York traffic violence, with pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists all seeing rising injury rates the past three years, despite the city’s decade long Vision Zero efforts.

However, pedestrian deaths have fallen a whopping 45% over the most recent ten year period.

Which is a sign that Vision Zero is in fact working in the city, since the point of the program is accepting that people will make mistakes and crashes will happen, so roadways should be designed to ensure those mistakes don’t become fatal.

………

Join the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition for a tour of the city’s planned greenways this Saturday, with Councilmembers Jason Lyon and the estimable Rick Cole.

Join us! Pasadena has plans to add traffic calming to four neighborhood streets to make them safer for everyone, including people driving, walking, and biking. This ride will tour some of the planned greenways with two city council members and a member of Pasadena DOT staff to discuss the project.

— Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition (@pasadenacsc.bsky.social) 2025-05-11T20:12:41.631Z

Speaking of Rick Cole, the former Los Angeles assistant mayor and Santa Monica city manger will host a public forum on Biking to a Sustainable Pasadena on Tuesday, May 20th, along with Becky Hartung from Pasadena’s Transportation Advisory Commission, Caltech LIGO Lab Senior Scientist Jonah Kanner, and Brandon Lamar, Vice Chair of the Pasadena Rental Housing Board.

………

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

Hartford, Connecticut is considering a proposal to freeze bike lane construction in favor of preserving parking spaces, once again favoring driver convenience over human lives.

No bias here. The Daily Mail decries the “gangs of brazen teenage riders” “terrorizing” the good people of London and “causing rush-hour chaos with their reckless stunts.” And illustrates it with an extremely misleading graph that makes it look like bicyclists have killed up to 800 pedestrians each year.

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

An 18-year old Louisiana drug addict used his bike ride home from work to make up a story for his dad about being robbed to explain why he was broke; 25 years later, the Black man sentenced to prison because of his lie finally got out — and the two men became unlikely friends.

An 80-year old woman was killed when she reportedly stepped out in front of a man taking part in Manchester, England’s 124-mile Tour de Manc fundraising ride, as he was passing a slower rider.

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Local 

Sad news from Long Beach, where a man riding an e-scooter in a crosswalk was killed when he was struck by a 19-year old driver who allegedly ran a red light, and may have been speeding.

 

State

Calbike looks at the recent California court case that established that cities are required to maintain the safety of their streets. Someone please tell LA Mayor Bass, whose new budget would slash street maintenance.

They get it. The Times of San Diego endorses AB 981, which would establish a a pilot program requiring that drivers convicted of excessive speeding, reckless driving or dangerously showing off install Intelligent Speed Assist technology to prevent them from exceeding the posted speed limit, as DMV statistics show that 75% of drivers whose licenses are suspended continue to drive anyway.

This is the cost of traffic violence. Students and parents in Menlo Park are mourning a beloved, longtime teacher and high school coach who was killed by the driver of a garbage truck while riding his bike to school in Atherton.

 

National

An Arizona mother is demanding justice after her son survived serving in the 101st Airborne Division in the Middle East after 9/11, only to come home and be killed by a red light-running, unlicensed driver while riding his ebike — yet somehow, the case remains under review by the DA’s office after seven months.

Tragic news from Colorado, where a 76-year old Durango man died two weeks after falling off his bike trying to avoid a loose dog on a river bike path.

A 68-year ofd Texas man was fatally shot while riding his bike, he was discovered lying unconscious on the shoulder of the roadway.

Heartbreaking news from Indiana, where a four-year old boy was killed, and two other people injured, when a speeding driver in a Dodge Charger ran a red light and slammed into the bicycle his father was riding and the trailer the boy was in, before continuing on to strike another car, and fleeing on foot.

This is the cost of traffic violence, too. A 68-year old Catholic priest living in a Massachusetts retreat was killed by an 85-year old driver while riding his bicycle. Once again raising the question of how old is too old to drive, and how do we get elderly drivers off the road before it’s too late. 

 

International

Momentum considers the best bicycle festivals worth traveling for in the coming year, from the original Ciclovía in Bogotá, Colombia, to London’s World Naked Bike Ride.

British bicyclists say a proposal to paint the city’s “invisible” bike lanes red to keep drivers and pedestrians out is just “putting lipstick on a pig.”

No surprise here, as a new survey shows the danger and fear of sharing the road with drivers is the biggest reason why more Irish people don’t ride bikes.

Polish bicyclist Pawel Małaszko is on the final leg of his journey from the shores of the Arabian Sea to the being the first ever to ride a bike to Pakistan’s K2 base camp.

A group of US soldiers deployed to Kuwait are building camaraderie by forming a bike club, riding their bikes in the desert heat in military fatigues and orange vests.

Wired visits the “beautifully appointed bicycles” at the “best bike shop in the world” in Tokyo, Japan; meanwhile, Cyclist also visits Japan, calling it the “world’s most particular cycling culture.”

They get it. Officials in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia reduced speed limits near schools to the equivalent of just 18 mph, arguing that reducing vehicle speeds even one kilometer per hour can reduce the risk of death by 5%.

 

Competitive Cycling

Maybe Albania isn’t the best place to start of bike race, as the Giro d’Italia was almost upended — literally — when the peloton was charged by a road-raging mountain goat; Kiwi cyclist Dion Smith was forced to use moves he didn’t know he had to avoid being knocked off his bike.

In non-goat news, Denmark’s Mads Petersen reclaimed the Giro’s pink leader’s jersey Sunday by winning his second stage, giving him two of the first three stages.

Spain’s Mikel Landa was knocked out of the race in a nasty stage one crash, before being loaded into an ambulance in a neck brace after suffering a broken vertebrae.

Dutch cyclist Demi Vollering won the Vuelta Femenina, aka woman’s Vuelta, for the second consecutive year, cementing her victory by winning the final stage on Saturday,

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Italy’s Vittoria Bussi set a new hour record — for the third time, no less — covering 50.455km, or 31.351miles, in just 60 minutes at the Velodromo Bicentenario in Aguascalientes, Mexico; that compares to 56.792km, or 25.289, miles for the men’s hour record.

Seriously? The junior Liège-Bastogne-Liège was decided by a motorcycle cop who carelessly swerved into the path of Belgium’s Leander De Gendt during the final sprint, forcing De Gent to duck inside to avoid a crash, and giving the win to British teen Harry Hudson.

Bike Radar examines how Bianchi’s iconic celeste bikes have maintained their winning colors for 125 years.

 

Finally…

One day you’re a distinguished college professor, the next you’re known as the town’s naked cyclist.  Why choose between riding a bike and playing soccer when you can do both?

And if you had Radar Love on your bike riding radar today, here you go.

Remember that song Radar Love by Golden Earring, about driving too fast? Well, here they are.

— Cool Bike Art (@coolbikeart1.bsky.social) 2025-05-11T18:37:36.072Z

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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