Tag Archive for DUI

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 / / No comments
Day 140 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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

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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 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).

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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.

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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 / / No comments
Day 132 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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

Open Streets season opens, alleged drunk driver with suspended license kills teen fire refugee, and key bike bills in suspense

May 6, 2025 / / 3 comments
Day 126 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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It’s open streets season again.

The City of Bell kicked things off on Saturday with a one-mile carfree event on Gage Ave; as usual, Streetsblog’s Joe Linton offers photos capturing the day.

Long Beach is hosting its next Beach Streets event from 10 am and 5 pm this Saturday.

According to a press release from the city,

This year’s event route will feature Willow Street and Santa Fe Avenue. Entertainment hubs along the route will feature live music, a kid zone, food trucks and more. More information regarding this year’s event, including a more detailed event route, entertainment, activities and other highlights, will be provided by the City at a later date.

That will be followed by the year’s first CicLAmini the following Saturday, a CicLAvia-style event with a shorter route to encourage people to walk rather than ride their bikes.

Here’s how their press release describes it.

Come enjoy a more pedestrian-oriented, car-free experience at CicLAvia’s 60th Open Streets event, CicLAmini—Pico Union, taking place on Sunday, May 18, between 10 a.m.–3 p.m. The public is invited to enjoy this compact neighborhood route for the day to explore Pico Union along Pico Blvd between Normandie and Union Aves. For all ages and abilities, CicLAmini—Pico Union offers walkers, joggers, bikers, skaters, and those who simply want to play with one’s favorite people-powered way to enjoy this 1.4-mile unique “pop-up park.” Always free, CicLAvia participants just show up anywhere along the route at any time to enjoy the open streets and to take the time to explore one of the most historic neighborhoods in all of Los Angeles…

“CicLAmini—Pico Union includes two hubs, where you’ll find the essentials, community partners, resource booths, photo ops, and more, plus activities for all ages sprinkled throughout the route. CicLAvia encourages participants to jog, walk, ride, skate, and bike along the open space. Free pedicab rides are also available next to each information booth to ensure that everyone, regardless of age or ability, is able to enjoy open streets. Please visit the CicLAvia website for updates regarding local gems, additional activities, and specials offered by local businesses along the route.

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Sadly, no surprise here.

Word broke yesterday that the woman who killed a popular Loyola high school senior just a month before graduation was driving on a suspended license due to a 2023 DUI.

And yes, she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence once again after the early morning collision on Sunday, as Levi Braun was walking with a friend along Sepulveda Blvd in Manhattan Beach.

Which means 33-year old Jenia Belt could face a murder charge, assuming she signed the required Watson notice informing her she could be charged with murder if she killed someone while driving under the influence anytime in the future.

She’s currently being held without bail in Manhattan Beach.

Compounding the tragedy, the 18-year old Levi, a three-year captain of his high school tennis team and four year league tennis champ, was living in Manhattan Beach because his family’s home was destroyed in the Palisades Fire.

This is yet another tragic example of the many people who continue to drive — and yes, drive under the influence — after their licenses are suspended.

We will never know just how many of those we share the road with are driving without a license, because only a handful ever get caught. But even one is one too many.

It’s not enough to take away a driver’s license. We also need to impound or immobilize the driver’s car until they get their license back.

It’s clear that nothing else will stop a percentage of suspended drivers — perhaps a sizable percentage — from getting back behind the wheel anyway.

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Streetsblog offers a disappointing legislative update, with most of the bills benefiting bike riders placed in the suspension file.

Which means they could be revived, but it’s usually just a way to kill a bill without leaving fingerprints, so no one can be blamed for it.

To make matters worse, AB 697, which would allow SR 37 to be widened between Vallejo and SR 121 in Sonoma County moved forward, even though the project would run through protected habitats and wetlands, while endangering protected species.

Widening the highway also runs against California’s climate policies. Although it does make me wonder if we could get bicyclists and pedestrians added to California’s endangered species list.

And whether that would make any difference, given this misguided bill.

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A group of cops and their loved ones are riding over 800 miles through the heart of California to honor fallen officers.

According to the Santa Clarita Signal, the group stopped in the city to hold a ceremony at the SCV Sheriff’s Station to honor of officers who died in the line of duty.

Law Enforcement United is a group of federal, state and local officers, along with survivors who pedal their bikes to remember the surviving families, according to Rich Gallo, long-ride division director of Law Enforcement United.

“We started in San Francisco on April 30; we’ll end in San Diego on May 7. That’s 851 miles since we went via Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Fresno, Bakersfield to Tehachapi and now into Santa Clarita. Tomorrow, we’ll do the circuit through and around Los Angeles and then down into Camp Pendleton into San Diego,” Gallo said.

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Thanks to John Cinatl for forwarding this item from Safe Routes to School announcing their annual summit this fall.

Get ready to connect, collaborate, and chart a path forward at the 2025 Safe Routes to School Virtual Summit! The 2025 Summit is completely virtual, and early bird tickets are now on sale for just $99!

We’re planning three days of engaging presentations, hands-on trainings, and educational conversations focused on topics that matter most to Safe Routes practitioners, including:

  • Quick win projects
  • Rural Safe Routes programs
  • E-bike safety and education
  • Walking school buses and bike trains
  • Creative partnerships
  • …and so much more!

Speakers are currently being confirmed, but you can expect useful tools, inspiring stories, and a community working to make walking and rolling safer and more accessible for communities throughout the country!

Early bird ticketing closes July 4, 2025!
Don’t miss this deal: register now!

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Yep. That about sums it up.

Thanks to someone who wishes to remain anonymous for the forward.

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

No surprise here. A British road safety expert says a new law that imposing life in prison for bike riders who kill pedestrians is unlikely to significantly improve safety, especially when the biggest threat comes from speeding drivers.

But sometimes its the people on two wheels behaving badly.   

Police in Dorsett, England are already spaying scofflaw riders of ebikes, quad bikes and motorbikes with fluorescent paint in order to identify and ticket them later, as part of a pilot project.

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Local 

This is who we share the road with. A man in his 70s somehow drove through the security gate at the home of Friends and The Morning Show star Jennifer Anniston, and was held at gunpoint by security guards until police arrived; at last report, there was still no word on whether the act was intentional.

Culver City issued a proclamation in support of Bike Month. Which unfortunately didn’t include restoring the MOVE Culver City protected bike lanes they ripped out, which is probably the only proclamation most of us want to hear from them.

ActiveSGV hosts a three-hour Bikes and Boats Tour this Saturday; the ride will explore the San Gabriel River Bike Path, the Whittier Narrows Recreational Area and the Merced Ave Greenway project, as well as including a free 30-minute paddle boat ride at Legg Lake. Although we all remember what happened with the last three-hour tour. Right, Gilligan?

 

State

Police in Westminster will hold a bicycle and pedestrian safety operation today, ticketing anyone who commits a violation that could endanger either group. As usual, ride to the letter of the law until you cross the city limits so you’re not the one who gets written up. 

Redding says forget the state’s failed ebike voucher program, and get one of that city’s $1000 ebike vouchers instead.

 

National

Pee Wee Herman’s iconic cruiser bike from 1985’s Pee Wee’s Big Adventure was sold to a private collector for $125,000. Which was over twice the estimated price, and a hell of a lot less than I thought it was worth.

Popular ebike maker E-Cells was the latest bikemaker to bite the dust, bringing the company’s all-wheel-drive, extremely high performance fat tire ebikes to a grinding halt, in part because of Trump’s 170% tariffs on Chinese-made bikes.

A judge in Queens, New York dismissed a lawsuit from a group of Long Island business owners, clearing the way for a protected bike lane through an industrial area that will probably improve safety for their drivers, as well as people on bicycles.

 

International

An Ontario, Canada website reminisces about those halcyon days of North America’s first bicycle craze.

Speaking of Ontario, a small town is celebrating its new crossrides, as opposed to crosswalks, allowing bicyclists to cross the intersection without dismounting. Or, go with me on this, they could just allow bicycles to use the already existing crosswalks.

Bicyclists in Northern Ireland decry the country’s dramatic and dangerous jump in drivers illegally parking in bike lanes.

A Welsh website recommends the rugged, jaw-dropping hiking and biking trails around the UK’s tallest dam that you’ve probably never heard of.

Stars & Stripes warns US service members about Japan’s new restrictions on bicyclists, making it illegal to ride salmon, ride abreast or ride using a smartphone. So much for using your phone’s GPS.

Three thousand people turned out for a race/fondo on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with elite teams competing for the win, and leisurely bicyclists just out for the ride.

 

Competitive Cycling

Sports Illustrated celebrates Colorado’s three-day Durango to Silverton Iron Horse Classic, calling the festival founded in 1971 America’s second-oldest bicycling event. Although it’s kind of sad that the second oldest bike event is only 54-years old, which says a lot about this country’s inability to sustain bike races and other bike events. 

My home state scored big in the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships, as Colorado Mesa University and the University of Colorado Boulder won the team omnium titles.

 

Finally…

That feeling when an AI written story wants to give California’s $2,000 ebike vouchers to motorists. Or when just riding your bike without a satnav is somehow a big deal.

And your next bike seat could rock and roll each of your buns separately.

No, really.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Ex-cop cops a plea to killing 3 at 150 mph, a consideration of car brain, and 2nd round of CA ebike vouchers if anyone still cares

April 14, 2025 / / No comments
Day 104 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

This is who we share the road with.

A former LAPD cop pled guilty to three counts of murder on Friday for a drunken freeway crash that killed three people.

At 150 mph.

Yes, you read that right.

Thirty-four-year old ex-cop Edgar Verduzco copped a plea to killing three people while driving his Chevy Camaro at a whopping 150 miles per hour on the 605 Freeway in Whittier, causing a horrific crash that killed a 19-year old college student and his parents.

He continued on after rear-ending the victims’ car, crashing into a second car and injuring a mother and her infant child.

And yes, he was still an active duty cop at the time of the crash, losing his job sometime after the crash, although personnel regulations prevent the department from explaining why he was fired.

Although we could probably guess.

Verduzco also pled to charges driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and driving with a 0.08% blood-alcohol content causing injury for the crash, which came just hours after he posted a video with the hashtag #dontdrinkanddrive.

He faces three well-deserved terms of 15 years to life behind bars, along with a separate term of three years; however all four terms will be served concurrently.

Which means he could walk out after just 15 years for taking three innocent lives while driving drunk at 150 mph.

That doesn’t exactly sound like justice to me.

But what the hell do I know?

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels.

………

Just call it Car Brain.

Dr. Grace Peng took a deep dive into the concept of Motonormativity, aka Car Brain, for the LA Voter Newsletter, the concept that cars are so accepted as the norm that the unconscious bias towards them, and the problems they cause, become invisible to most people.

…Indirectly, through air pollution and involuntary inactivity by making active transportation (walking, cycling) dangerous, cars may be the top killer of people in the developed world of all ages. 

Transportation, mainly private automobile use, is the largest contributor of CO2 emissions in Los Angeles County and the largest source of PM2.5 pollution (except in the occasional years when particulates from wildfire smoke affects populated areas of LACO.)

Yet, all this is invisible to most people and especially law and policy makers. In California, it is legal to kill with a car as long as you were not intoxicated, were not speeding, and stayed at the scene of the death. This applies even if a driver kills a cyclist in a crosswalk. 

Peng goes on to note that riding the subway is 30 times safer than driving, while taking the bus is 66 times safer. Transit is so safe, in fact, that a 1% increase in transit use would result in a 2.75% reduction in road deaths.

Yet cars remain the unchallenged default mode of our elected leaders, as well the general public, as anyone who has ever tried to criticize car use on social media can tell you.

It’s worth taking a few minutes to read the whole thing. Because this is mentality driving our entire society these days.

Pun intended.

………

It’s time for another round of California’s deliberately throttled ebike incentive applications.

The California E-Bike Incentive Project in releasing funding for approximately 1,000 vouchers, which represents roughly one percent of the people who tried to apply for the first round of vouchers — most of whom never even got the chance.

And just 0.01% of Californian’s who are financially qualified to apply for the program.

Anyone see the problem there?

Evidently, the California Air Resources Board, which is running things themselves now after shitcanning San Diego nonprofit Pedal Ahead, does. Because now they’re promising that everyone who queues up will get a chance to be entered into a lottery to apply.

Yes, you’ll have to queue up once agin, this time just to have a chance to win a chance to apply for a voucher.

Anyway, it’s all scheduled for April 29th, if anyone who still has the patience to deal with this mess.

Lord knows, I don’t, as much as I could use one.

………

Streets Are For Everyone makes the case for SB 720, a proposal in the state Senate that would authorize automated red light cameras.

The law change red light tickets from a traffic violation to a civil violation, similar to a parking ticket, while also decreasing fines to just $100, with no impact to a driver’s record or insurance rates.

In addition, the bill would eliminate the requirement to clearly identify the operator of the vehicle, instead sending the ticket directly to the registered owner.

Let’s just hope these tickets aren’t as easy to ignore as parking tickets.

Personally, I’m not sold on the idea that the tickets wouldn’t affect a driver’s record, which only enables bad drivers to stay on the roads.

But if it gets more cities to install red light cams, and more drivers to actually obey red lights, it might be worth it.

On the other hand, I’d like to see more being done to keep people from using plexiglass covers over their car’s license plates, which is nothing more than a blatant attempt to avoid responsibility for tolls and traffic violations.

………

Speaking of SAFE, they’re asking you to vote for walkable, bikeable streets in the latest round of the LA2050 Grants Challenge.

https://twitter.com/StreetsR4Every1/status/1911197388049682585

………

A new petition calls for installing protected bike lanes on Prospect Ave in Redondo Beach.

Hello #RedondoBeach / #SouthBay friends – please consider signing and sharing this campaign for protected bike lanes along Prospect Ave in Redondo

— (@ljwalsh.bsky.social) 2025-04-07T15:18:16.108Z

……….

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

A Salina, Kansas man faces multiple charges for allegedly using his pickup as a weapon, crossing the centerline to swerve at a bike rider traveling in the opposite direction. Although one of the charges is for violation a restraining order, so he may have known and targeted the victim.

Seriously? A Redditor “sparked outrage” by posting a picture of a driver parked in an ostensibly protected Chicago bike lane. Which is a photo you could replicate in virtually any city in this country with protected bike lanes.

There may be hope for Toronto’s threatened bike lanes after all, after the provincial government says it may be open to compromise in the face of a massive backlash from angry bike riders.

No bias here. A road-raging British driver honked at a man riding his bike with his child on the back, as her passenger yelled at him to “get out of the way and move your fucking bike,” insisting they were rushing to the hospital because the passenger was “bleeding to death” — even though the hospital was less than a mile back in the opposite direction.

Oops. A French driver deliberately slammed his car into what he thought was a bike thief riding his bicycle, only to learn the man on the bike was actually the cop who had just busted the thief, and was riding it back to the owner.

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

Tragic news from Long Island, where a 68-year old Long Beach man died hours after he was struck by a man riding an ebike as he was crossing the street; the rider remained at the scene after the crash.

British tabloids are suitably appalled after Britpop star Harry Styles was spotted momentarily looking down at his phone while riding an ebike sans helmet. Because apparently, everyone should carry a bike helmet everywhere just in case they happen to spontaneously decided to use a dockless bike.

………

Local 

UCLA Transportation announced new bike lanes and speed cushions on Westholme Blvd, as they continue to make the bike-friendly campus safer for everyone.

 

State

Encinitas pulled the plug on a proposed uphill bike lane on Birmingham Drive in the face of opposition from local residents, who claimed the street is too dangerous for bikes. Which is oddly the best argument for building it.

Cycling Weekly offers a first look at the latest tech from the Sea Otter Classic.

 

National

People For Bikes reports more people rode bicycles in the US last year than ever before, as 112 million Americans — 35% of the population over the age of three — rode a bike at least once in 2024; juvenile bicycling rates also rose from 49% to 56%.

Anywhere from 500 to 2,000 people were expected to turn out for an eight-year old Portland bike race featuring a 500-lap relay ride around a local traffic circle, with no one keeping track of laps or time, let alone who’s winning; for the first time, organizers got permits to block off neighboring streets.

Singletracks highlights the five best mountain bike trail in Utah, ranging from dry, rocky deserts to high alpine ridges.

A pair of bills in the Texas legislature would allow cities to lower speed limits to 20 mph without conducting expensive traffic studies, and require a three-foot distance to pass someone on a bicycle, or six feet if they’re driving a commercial vehicle.

A Texas bikemaker complains to Fox News that Trump’s tariffs are affecting his ability to source needed parts from China and keep production moving.

The New York Times takes a look at how little Bentonville, Arkansas, with a population just a shade over 41,600, became an epicenter for bicycling, with an assist from the family behind Walmart.

A Michigan man turns his own lifelong passion for bicycling into a campus-wide  movement at Michigan State University.

Travel + Leisure says come to Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park for the waterfalls, and stay for the local wine — and the 87-mile Towpath Trail bikeway along the former Ohio and Erie Canal.

AutoEvolution suggests the people who got screwed out of their purchase of the world’s first hubless ebike may have been the lucky ones; the website says the roughly 150 people who received the $3,349 Reevo ebike from Delaware — or maybe Seattle — based Beno Technologies got “a deathtrap at worst and the worst e-bike in the world at best.”

 

International

Momentum considers ways ebikes can boost your mental and physical health.

European bicyclists made their annual pilgrimage to Dursley, England, home of 19th Century bikemaker Mikael Pedersen, inventor of the unique diamond-frame Pedersen Bike.

A retiring British toy shop owner takes a ride down memory lane with a 97-year old bike catalog, featuring one of the country’s first drop bar racing bikes.

Paris is transforming more than just the streets, as the changes the city has made to encourage walking, transit and bicycling over the past two decades has cut air pollution levels in half.

Three young Black men are nearing the end of their nearly 1,000-mile journey by bike from Limpopo to Cape Town, South Africa, which has inspired the country while calling attention to gender-based violence.

Taiwan safety authorities called for mandatory bike helmet laws to reduce the number of fatal head injuries. Even though studies have shown that any reduction in head injuries from helmet laws likely results more from a reduction in ridership. 

An Aussie researcher discovers that most bike lanes in inner Melbourne have less than 40% tree cover, and getting worse. Although that’s probably better than here in sunny Los Angeles.

Speaking of motonormativity, Brisbane, Australia offers a prime example, after a bridge pathway relied on by bike commuters was shut down without notice, forcing people either into a long detour or back into their cars.

 

Competitive Cycling

French star Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the Paris-Roubaix Femmes in a solo breakaway on Saturday, while 37-year old Dutch legend Marianne Vos countered world champion Lotte Kopecky to take third.

Mathieu van der Poel won his third consecutive Paris-Roubaix after rival Tadej Pogačar crashed with about 28 miles to go during their dual breakaway.

Despite the victory, van der Poel was furious after he was struck in the face by a water bottle that appeared to have been deliberately thrown from the crowd of spectators about 20 miles from the finish.

Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay survived the cobbles on his first Paris-Roubaix with a strong ride to finish 15th.

British reigning world champ Evie Richards is now the most decorated female short-track cross-country rider in history after back-to-back wins in Brazil.

 

Finally…

Your next tires could inflate themselves. Your next road bike could have a double top tube and cantilevered seat post.

And we may have to deal with feral LA drivers, but we hardly ever get stalked by wild cougars when we ride.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

15-year old ebike rider busted for DUI, HLA foot-dragging means worsening LA streets, and trial date for killer Vegas teens

March 26, 2025 / / Comments Off on 15-year old ebike rider busted for DUI, HLA foot-dragging means worsening LA streets, and trial date for killer Vegas teens
Day 85 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

………

Teenaged ebike riders are in the news once again.

And once again, for not-so-good reasons.

Like the 15-year old boy who was busted for DUI after crashing his ebike into a parked car in Newhall Monday night, suffering minor injuries and major problems.

Or the 16-year old ebike rider who was hospitalized after getting hit head-on by a driver while riding salmon in Rancho Cucamonga Tuesday morning.

Although, as always these days, the question is whether these scofflaw victims, who haven’t been publicly identified, were riding electric motorbikes or ped-assist bicycles.

Because police reports and the press don’t seem to be able to distinguish between them.

………

According to Streetsblog’s Joe Linton, the city’s foot dragging on implementing Measure HLA is resulting on worsening conditions on some of the streets that had been scheduled for repaving.

That’s even though pavement cracks and pot holes can pose a significant risk to bike riders, especially after dark when they can be almost impossible to see.

And even though Los Angeles has already paid out large settlements for bike riders seriously injured by crumbling pavement.

………

Jesus Ayala and Jzamir Keys, the two formerly teenage suspects accused of recording themselves laughing as they intentionally ran down and killed former Bell police chief Andreas Probst as he rode a bike in Las Vegas, are now scheduled to go on trial November 3rd.

………

This is what the Vermont Corridor could look like, if Metro continues to refuse to comply with Measure HLA, which requires bike lanes, as well.

………

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

He gets it. Former Top Gear host James May calls out the “anti-cycling rage” of London’s Telegraph newspaper, saying the “anti-cycling opposition out there ‘smacks of sheer bloody-mindedness.'”

………

Local  

Streetsblog takes a look at the newly opened Big Dalton Bike Path, nee Vincent Community Bikeway, which traverses three-miles through Irwindale, Covina, Azusa and unincorporated points in between, and is part of a planned 130-mile bike network through the San Gabriel Valley.

The manager of the Velo Pasadena bike shop says the shop has been burglarized “constantly” since the start of the pandemic, losing a total of over a hundred grand worth of bicycles — including three break-ins in just the past three months.

 

State

The Triathlon Club of San Diego talks with BikinginLA sponsor, Oceanside bike lawyer and tri supporter Richard Duquette.

La Mesa is starting its own ebike incentive program, offering 150 vouchers to people over 18 who live and plan to ride in the city. Let’s just hope they manage to do a better job than California has so far. 

After Berkeley gave 56 free ebikes to a group of low-to-moderate income residents, they reported driving less, but also learned how crappy it is to ride there.

Marin County approved an ordinance banning children under 16 from riding Class 2 throttle-controlled ebikes; presumably, Class 1 ped-assist bikes are still okay.

The Sacramento city council was scheduled to vote on approving a quick-build bike lane program for the state capital. Something a certain megalopolis to the south could stand to emulate. 

 

National

A writer for Cycling News says skip the power meter, and use a heart monitor instead — even if it’s ugly and sits on your chain collecting grease. Or better yet, skip them both and just enjoy riding a bike if you don’t race for a living.

A legal website calls out the deadliest and safest states for bicyclists, as well as offering strategies for how to make things safer. Good news and bad news — California didn’t make either list. 

Bike riders in Houston protested the removal of concrete armadillos along a formerly protected bike lane; they had intended to form a human bike lane, but moved to the sidewalk when police threatened them with criminal sanctions. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up. 

You’ve got to be kidding. An Illinois county board member was cited for a lousy crosswalk violation, despite leaving the scene after hitting a little kid riding a bicycle with the walk signal; she ended up driving herself to the police station, claiming she was confused and didn’t know what to do. Seriously, if you don’t know that you’re supposed to stick around after a crash — especially after hitting a little kid — you shouldn’t be driving. Or in office, for that matter. 

New York State will begin an ebike voucher pilot program in Ossining offering up to $1,000, with plans to eventually expand to the greater Hudson River region. Apparently, the rest of the state can keep paying retail. Unless you know a guy with a few that fell off a truck. 

 

International

An English man was left shaken after he tried to recover his bicycle from the young thieves who grabbed it outside a bike shop; he was chased, threatened and beaten, but somehow ended up with his bike.

Researchers in Sweden and Iran have developed a better shock-absorbing material that contracts bilaterally, resulting in bike helmet liners that provide better protection from head injuries; because it’s 3D printed, it can also be custom crafted to fit individual heads.

Forbes says add sunny Morocco to your bike bucket list.

An exploring website says the story of the bike-touring Chinese grandmother calls out the problem of “silver tourism,” as China caters to older tourists, while most Western country’s don’t.

A Kiwi website credits the extensive bike lane network Christchurch built after the city was devastated by a 2011 earthquake for its high rate of bike riding, using the damage as an opportunity to re-envision its streets. Something else a certain SoCal megapolis could learn from after the recent fires.

 

Competitive Cycling

Belgian police raided the home of a doctor previously “affiliated” with a professional cycling team, after noticing “atypical prescribing behavior” that raised the possibility of doping practices. But the doping era is over, right? 

 

Finally….

Apparently, bike lanes make it hard to visit long-closed libraries. Now you, too, can take your final bike ride after you’re gone.

And if you’re not inclined to walk your bike up an incline, maybe you should be.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

High wind warnings and fire danger return to LA, man dies riding Simi Valley trail, and denouement to bizarre Scottish hit-and-run

January 20, 2025 / / Comments Off on High wind warnings and fire danger return to LA, man dies riding Simi Valley trail, and denouement to bizarre Scottish hit-and-run
Day 20 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

……..

Well, this ain’t good.

The National Weather Service is calling for a return of Santa Ana winds up to 100 mph starting this afternoon — the same conditions that fueled the deadly wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena exactly two weeks ago.

So beware of dangerous wind gusts that can rise suddenly, keep an eye out for any sign of fire or smoke, and keep your phone handy for any wind or evacuation alerts.

After last time, we’ve all seen what could happen. So if you smell smoke, wear a mask. And if there’s a fire anywhere around you, get the hell out.

Please.

Let’s hope we don’t see the return of orange skies, like this shot from Cole Keister for Pexels.

………

Sad news from Simi Valley, where a man believed to be in his 50’s collapsed and died while riding his bike with a companion.

The incident occurred shortly before 1:30 pm Saturday, along Albertson Fire Road in the hills south of Simi, and east of Thousand Oaks.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, despite the efforts of first responders.

This was at least the third bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the first that I’m aware of in Ventura County.

………

Call it the denouement to a shocking case we’ve been following for several years.

The family of a 63-year old man killed by a drunken hit-and-run driver while on Scottish fundraising ride has received an undisclosed six-figure settlement from the driver’s insurance company.

Tony Parsons died after the driver drove away, leaving him propped against a fence overnight. The driver came back with his brother the next day and buried Parsons in an unmarked grave in the woods, along with his bike and belongings, where his body wasn’t found for another three years.

Alexander “Sandy” McKellar was sentenced to 12 years behind bars, while his twin brother Robert got five years and three months.

They probably would have gotten away with it if Sandy McKeller hadn’t taken his girlfriend to the burial site in 2020, and confessed the whole crime to her.

She promptly reported it to the police. Yet it wasn’t until the next year that the grave was finally discovered and the McKellers arrested.

………

This is who we share the road with.

https://twitter.com/motorisms/status/1881011234092503154

………

It’s questionable whether most drivers will ever grasp the concept that riding abreast and controlling the lane makes us safer, while making it easier for them. It just requires a little patience.

………

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

A man attacked a 74-year old man riding a bicycle in East Harlem, New York, first pushing to victim off his bicycle, then picking it up and beating him with it, for no apparent reason.

Police in Spartanburg, South Carolina are on the lookout for two suspects, after the passenger in a car threw a drink cup at a man riding a bicycle; the cops were able to find the cup, so it’s conceivable they may be able to lift prints. That happened to me so often riding in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that I could have opened my own convenience store. Although it must not have been illegal there, because I eventually gave up on trying to get a cop to take a report.

Complaints are flooding in against the BBC for a recent report attacking ebikes, as one bike shop owner says “Finding a wolf in sheep’s clothing should not be a reason to attack sheep.” Which may just be my new favorite expression.

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

A 31-year old Scottish man faces sentencing for intentionally riding his bicycle into his girlfriend, knocking her to the ground. No word on whether the woman was injured. Although if she’s still his girlfriend after that, she may have suffered serious brain damage. 

………

Local  

KNBC-4 offers more details on the fire that destroyed Altadena’s Steve’s Bike Shop and most of the city two weeks ago, while owner Steve Salinas was fighting to save his brother’s home.

 

State

A 40-year old Riverside man was killed while riding an electric scooter against traffic when he was hit head-on by a driver turning out of a school parking lot.

Don’t plan on riding a new, fully funded bike lane connecting Downtown San Francisco with Golden Gate Park anytime soon.

An alleged burglar was busted for stealing several bicycles with an estimated value of $28,000 from a San Francisco home; he was arrested after the victim spotted one of the bikes for sale online and notified the police.

Sacramento is urged to consider addressing the city’s climate goals and the high rate of bicyclist and pedestrian deaths by making a new bridge across the American River car-free.

 

National

Bicycling offers the key to a successful Everesting attempt, which research shows comes down to selecting the right gradient for your fitness level. As usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you. 

Bicycling also considers how to recognize the signs of exercise addiction in bike riders. But you may have to find a way around their paywall if the magazine blocks you, since this one doesn’t seem to be available anywhere else.

One last bike-friendly federal bill before the new administration takes over, with the signing of the Biking On Long Distance Trails (BOLT) Act, which will require the feds to build at least 10 long-distance bicycle routes throughout the US, and identify potential routes 10 more using existing roads and trails.

An ebike impact calculator launched last year now includes data from over 500 US cities, allowing users to assess the environmental and economic impact of shifting short vehicle trips to ebikes.

Bicycling deaths continue to climb in ostensibly bike-friendly Portland, Oregon. Probably due to the same problems with distracted drivers and massively oversized vehicles plaguing every other American city. 

A Seattle components maker takes a look back, and discovers that bicycling has come full circle.

Washington state launched a $5 million dollar ebike rebate program, which expects to fund about 7,000 more vouchers than the botched first round of California’s intentionally throttled program.

Cycling West shares photo of an Ogden, Utah bronze statue of a kid riding a bicycle, with a dog running alongside.

A new 9.3-mile multi-use trail for art aficionados in the Berkshires will connect three Massachusetts art museums, as well as a theater, multiple art galleries and other cultural and historic destinations.

This is why people keep dying on our streets. Heartbreaking news from Florida, where a 53-year old man without a license was busted for his third DUI — but not until he ran a stop sign and killed six-year old kid riding a bike. Just one more example of why it’s not enough to suspend the driver’s license after a second DUI. The driver’s car should have been impounded for the full term of his license suspension. 

 

International

British Columbia’s Rocky Mountain Bikes is now under bankruptcy protection, with parent company RAD Industries Inc. in dire financial straits.

Bicyclists in Lahore, Pakistan now have their on lane on some of the city’s busiest roadways, but they’ll have to share them with motorbikes.

Bike counters captured a record number of bike riders in Christchurch, New Zealand last year, as the city topped 4 million bike trips, up from 3.6 million in 2023.

A senior political journalist writes in defense of bike lanes in New Zealand’s capital, both as a bicyclist and a driver.

A pair of Aussie bicyclists were seriously injured, and their bikes significantly damaged, when they were run down from behind by a hit-and-run driver. Raising the obvious question of how anyone fails to see not one, but two grown men on bicycles directly in front of them.

No surprise here. A new Australian study shows that wearing bike helmets or bright, reflective clothing is dehumanizing, with bicyclists in the helmeted, hi-vis camp seen as less human that bike riders in more casual attire.

 

Competitive Cycling

A woman watching the Tour Down Under was hospitalized when several competitors lost control and slammed into the fencing in a “chaotic” crash on a tight corner, at speeds topping 30 mph.

Visma – Lease a Bike, the flagship cycling team of the Netherlands, will go into the year’s Tour de France without any Dutch riders on the team, though it will have American Sepp Kuss.

Sad news, as former American pro Doug Shapiro died following a California climbing accident; the 65-year old New Yorker raced for the legendary 7-Eleven team, as well as the forerunner to Visma-Lease a Bike, while winning the 1984 edition of Colorado’s Coors Classic.

Thirty-year old Ryan Collins now owns 12 ultra-cycling world records, despite being told he’d never ride a bike again after a head-on collision in his early 20s.

Two-time Tour de France camp Jonas Vingegaard calls for an immediate end to carbon monoxide doping, the latest not-yet-illegal fad among the pro racing crowd. Which raises the question of whether LA cyclists would fail a CO test simply for breathing the air around here these days.

The former sports director for Belgian women’s cycling team Proximus-Cyclis, now Team Velopro–Alphamotorhomes, was banned for five years on Friday after being accused of inappropriate psychological and sexual harassment; the team manager was banned for 18 months and fined the equivalent of $5,500 for failing to report it. Is there really such a thing as appropriate psychological and/or sexual harassment?

 

Finally…

Now you, too, can own a $7,500 carbon frame racing bike spec’d entirely of Chinese parts, from a company you probably never heard of. How can you call yourself a real bike rider if you don’t know the difference between a Bicicletta and a Bicycle Thief?

And if you’re planning to snatch a $15,000 racing bike while the owner is having lunch with his friends, maybe make sure they’re not elite cyclists first.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

38-year old man riding bicycle killed in Ontario DUI crash on Christmas Eve; driver identified as rookie LAPD officer

January 10, 2025 / / 2 comments

Once again, someone riding a bicycle was killed by a drunken hit-and-run driver in Southern California, and we didn’t learn about until weeks later.

Except this time there was a cop involved.

Allegedly.

According to the Los Angeles Times — the only source currently reporting the story — 38-year old Chino resident Fabio Cebreros was riding his bike on Bon View Ave in Ontario on Christmas Eve, when he was struck by an off-duty cop around 7:37 pm.

The driver was identified as 39-year old Aaron Kleibacker, a rookie officer with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart Division.

Cebreros was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries,

Kleibacker initially fled the scene before returning, although it isn’t clear if he turned himself in, or if he was recognized by a witness or identified some other way.

He reportedly cooperated with investigators, but failed a sobriety test, testing at over twice the legal limit.

Kleibacker was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, and released the next day. Charges are pending.

The Times reports Kleibacker appears to have joined the LAPD after serving with the Marines. An LAPD spokesperson confirmed that he still works for the department, although probationary officers can be fired outright for alleged misconduct.

There’s no word on how the crash occurred, or where it happened on Bon View; there’s also no information on how long Cebreros was hospitalized before he died.

We also don’t know how long it took Kleibacker to return following the crash, which could have an impact on whether he faces hit-and-run charges, in addition to vehicular manslaughter and — presumably — DUI counts.

This was at least the 56th bicycling fatality in Southern California last year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.

Twenty of those deaths last year involved hit-and-run drivers.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Fabio Cebreros and his loved ones.

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

CA ebike incentive program launches tomorrow — no, really — and El Segundo bike lanes leave something lacking

December 17, 2024 / / Comments Off on CA ebike incentive program launches tomorrow — no, really — and El Segundo bike lanes leave something lacking
Just 14 days until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025, a decade of failure in which deaths have continued to climb. 
Yet no city official has mentioned the impending deadline, or the city’s failure to meet it. 

………

Just eight days left in the 10th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Thanks to Terese E for her generous, if somewhat lonely, donation keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way from around the corner, and around the world. 

But time is rapidly running out for this year’s fund drive. So what are you waiting for?

Stop what you’re doing and give now! 

………

It’s now 362 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 42 months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

The California Ebike Incentive Program is finally scheduled to launch tomorrow, so get your application in. They offer these tips to get ready, for better or worse.

Let’s just hope they’re up to the task and have everything ready for the launch after this interminable delay.

We’re counting down the days to our official application launch on December 18, 2024 at 6pm PST — just a few days away!

To help you get ready, here’s a quick checklist of documents you’ll need to have ready when you apply. Documents need to be in a digital format to be uploaded. Digital file types include, but are not limited to PDF files, scans, JPEG or PNG file formats.

  1. Proof of California Residency – California Driver’s License, AB 60 License, or California ID card. The document must be current/valid and issued by the California DMV. If the address on the identification is not up to date, this is a listof documents you can submit.
  2. Proof of Income Eligibility – Provide documents to verify that your annual gross household income is at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). The easiest form to submit is a Federal Tax Transcript, easily downloaded or requested by mail from: tax records and transcripts. If you don’t file taxes, refer to this list of acceptable documents.

Taking a few minutes now to gather these documents will help streamline your application so you’re all set to apply as soon as the window opens.

WHAT CAN I DO NOW TO GET READY?

With just a few days ​until the launch of our electric bike incentives, let’s make sure you’re prepared.

Here’s what you need to focus on:

1) Check your eligibility – Click HERE to learn more about eligibility.

2) Watch our how-to apply video – Click HERE to watch our step by step application process video.

3) Prepare your income verification documents – Click HERE to learn more about income verification.

4) Have your current/valid California ID ready and ensure your ID is up to date to avoid any delays.

5) Watch our 2 online training videos – Click the links below to watch our training videos prior to applying.

6) Check out our FAQ’s – Click HERE to review our FAQ page.

For more information, please visit our website ebikeincentives.org.

Let me know how it goes if you apply.

Because to be honest, I’ve kinda lost interest in the whole damn thing.

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South Bay Forward reports El Segundo has striped new bikes on the city’s newly resurfaced streets.

But the news apparently ain’t pretty.

You can submit your own feedback here.

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Seriously, how whacked out does someone have to be to hit a person riding bicycle hard enough to throw him 65 feet through the air, and have no idea they did it — even though the victim’s bike was still embedded in the bumper of the driver’s car?

A 35-year old man in Boca Raton, Florida faces charges for killing a 41-year old man riding a bicycle, seven hours after he took Adderall, Vyvanse and Gabapentin, despite telling investigators he’s in rehab.

And just moments after he passed another man riding in the same bike lane “so closely (the bike rider) could touch the vehicle.”

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‘Tis the season.

America’s Got Talent host Terry Crews, a former linebacker for the San Diego Chargers of Los Angeles, teamed with current members of the team to give new bicycles to hundreds of students at Compton’s McNair Elementary School.

A San Jose nonprofit founded by a surgical nurse has given away over 50,000 bicycles over two decades.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels took part in a DC bike giveaway, where the Raising Cane’s restaurant chain gave away 100 bikes to kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs.

Over 400 donated bicycles are sitting in a North Carolina Salvation Army warehouse waiting for families to come get their free bike.

A Miami car dealer gave dozens of “gently used” bicycles donated by community members to children from the local Boys & Girls Clubs, for the 42nd straight year.

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

Once again, a UK bike lane has been intentionally sabotaged by “anti-bike psychos” who covered it with caltrops, a multi-spiked weapon dating back to the Roman era, resulting in crashes that caused at least one victim to suffer hearing loss; adding insult to literal injury, victims complained that Scottish police just “didn’t give a shit” when informed of the crime. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

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Local  

Don’t forget tonight’s virtual meeting of the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council to discuss the proposed protected bike lanes on deadly Forest Lawn Drive — or at least what passes for protection here in Los Angeles. The project is opposed by Forest Lawn and Mount Sinai cemeteries, in an apparent attempt to drum up more business.

 

State

PeopleForBikes announced the ten winners of their 2024 Industry Community Grants, including ten grand each going to Calbike, Rich City Rides and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition.

Velo recommends five winter bicycling destinations where you can leave your thermal clothes behind, including San Diego and Palm Springs.

Bike Magazine calls Natural State a must-see mountain biking movie; the film premiered in San Luis Obispo earlier this month.

 

National

America Walks has opened applications for their Community Change Grants program to provide mini-grants to organizations working to make walking — and apparently, bicycling — safer and more inviting; one recent grant went to a program to assess pedestrian and bicycle safety in Aptos.

A writer for Cycling Weekly discusses what he learned riding his fixie 100 miles through Arizona’s Sonoran Desert; he calls the bike the best $400 he ever spent.

A Colorado woman pled guilty to tampering with evidence for deleting a text proving she was driving while distracted when she killed a ten-year old boy riding a bicycle; she’s also being tried this week on a second misdemeanor charge, careless driving resulting in death. The crash occurred just an easy nine mile ride from where I grew up.

That’s more like it. A 51-year old Pennsylvania man will spend up to 17 years behind bars for the hit-and-run crash that killed a 31-year old father as he was riding a bicycle.

The Franklin, Tennessee police department locks the barn door after the horses escape, conducting a DUI operation in honor of a 54-year old man killed by a drunken Ft. Campbell soldier while the victim was riding his bike.

According to a new lawsuit, a “deeply religious” business owner is dead because a driver high on “Galaxy Gas,” aka nitrous oxide, killed him in a collision as he rode his ebike on an Atlanta sidewalk; the driver bought a canister of the gas labeled for food and beverage use only at a local smoke shop an hour earlier, and allegedly drove around doing “whippets” to get high.

 

International

Momentum explores the top 15 family-friendly North American bicycling routes and destinations from Alberta, Canada to the Florida Everglades.

A British Columbia letter writer says the city’s multi-use paths are great for recreation, but not so much for bike commuting, and the bike lanes aren’t much better.

 

Competitive Cycling

Czech carmaker Škoda’s We Love Cycling website asks if there should be a salary cap for pro cycling, after Tadej Pogačar got a $2.3 million raise that increased his annual pay to $8.3 million. Although that pales in comparison to Shohei Ohtani’s $70 a year — let alone Cristiano Ronaldo’s $200 million in on-field earnings.

Aleix Espargaro took an early retirement from Gran Prix motorcycle racing to join a professional cycling team, just not as a cyclist; he’ll serve as an ambassador for Lidl-Trek team.

Cycling West recaps last weekend’s US national ‘cross championships.

 

Finally…

Nothing like a fully functional, and yes, rideable, steel framed bike too small for a corgi — and named Big Boy, of course. Colnago wants you to wear their clothes off the bike, too, as long as you have $890 to spend on a polo shirt.

And that feeling when your bike stunt garners a round of applause from the ladies who lunch.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Increased charges in Gaudreau brothers deaths, Calbike gets 2025 agenda right, and Glendale boots Brand bike lanes

December 12, 2024 / / One comment

My apologies for last night, when I suffered from an embarrassing case of premature publication, mistakenly hitting the Publish button long before today’s post was ready.

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Just 19 days until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025, a decade of failure in which deaths have continued to climb. 
Yet not one city official has mentioned the impending deadline, or the city’s failure to meet it. 

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It’s Day 14 of the 10th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Thanks to Daniel M, James Z and Herb S for their generous donations to keep SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.

So what are you waiting for?

Stop what you’re doing and give now! 

………

Now they’re getting serious.

The charges against Sean Higgins, the driver accused in the allegedly drunken crash that killed NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his hockey playing brother, have been upgraded from vehicular homicide to first-degree aggravated manslaughter.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, aggravated manslaughter is defined in the New Jersey’s criminal code as “when a person ‘recklessly causes death under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life.'”

The brothers were in New Jersey for their sister’s wedding, and were riding their bikes on the night of August 29th, when Higgins allegedly tried to pass another car on the right and slammed into the two men on the shoulder of the highway.

Higgins could be sentenced to 10 to 30 behind bars years for each manslaughter count; he also faces additional charges for DUI, hit-and-run, tampering with physical evidence, and reckless driving.

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Yes, please.

Calbike announced its agenda for the coming year. And this time, it looks to be right on the money.

  • Bicycle Highways — Creating a pilot program to establish numbered highways for bicycles in two major metro areas, allowing for speeds up to 25 mph
  • Shared Streets — Develop a new roadway classification where vulnerable road users would have the right of way at all locations
  • Quick-Build Pilot Program — A program to expedite development and implementation of safe, protected bikeways on the state highway system
  • Bike Omnibus Bill — Including clarifying that bike riders wouldn’t need to signal if they need both hands to control their bicycle
  • Bicycle Safety Stop — Otherwise known as an Idaho Stop, allowing bicyclists to treat stop signs as yields
  • New Bikeway Classification — Create a new Class 5 category for bicycle boulevards
  • Clarifying Ebike Policies — Including making it clear that illegal electric motorcycles aren’t ebikes

Now if they’d just try to do something about the state’s unacceptably high rate of hit-and-run drivers.

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The Glendale City Council followed Culver City’s lead by overruling staff recommendations, and voting to remove the city’s only protected bike lane — an ill-advised action likely to make them liable for any bicyclist who gets injured on the street after it’s removed.

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It’s now 357 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 42 months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

The program is finally scheduled to launch December 18th, so get your application in; Calbike with host a webinar on Monday to go over the application process.

Although to be honest, I’ve kind of lost interest in the whole damn thing.

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

A Utah man faces charges for allegedly ramming into a bike rider during a road rage confrontation; the driver swears he was just trying to politely tell the victim to stay in the bike lane when the rider became enraged and broke his side mirror, and he didn’t mean to hit him — even though witnesses say it appeared to be intentional.

No bias here. A New York councilmember called for mandatory ebike registration to combat “The scourge of e-bikes in our streets, on our sidewalks, and even inside our buildings (that) continues to wreak chaos, injure and maim people, and, tragically, take lives,” resulting in 47 deaths in five years; even the Department of Transportation says it’s a bad idea. And even though most victims were killed in battery fires or by drivers while riding ebikes, rather than caused by them. And they continue to lump ped-assist ebikes together with mo-peds and high-speed, throttle-controlled virtual motorcycles.

Brussels, Belgium is banning bicycles and scooters from the city center, known as the Anspachlaan; a bike advocacy group says all bicyclists are being punished for the anti-social behavior of a very few. Which is exactly how it usually works.

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Local  

Metro is finally moving forward with plans to improve transportation for the upcoming LA Olympics, including 14 miles of bus priority lanes, 23 miles of bus corridor enhancements and 60 new Metro Bike Share stations, as well as a number of new first mile/last mile improvements, including new protected bike lanes. Although three and a half years isn’t exactly a lot of lead time to make a number of major changes to the streets.

 

State

An 18-year old San Diego man suffered a broken leg when he was stuck by a hit-and-run driver, while riding his ebike in a bike lane in the North City neighborhood.

Sad news from Bakersfield, where a man was killed when he fell off his bicycle, and oncoming “vehicle…failed to avoid colliding with” him. Hats off to the Bakersfield Californian for somehow managing to absolve the driver of any agency and responsibility for killing him. 

Speaking of Bakersfield, a cop with a strong case of windshield bias responded to a traffic calming project by blaming the victims, arguing that even though it succeeded in slowing traffic, that doesn’t necessarily mean fewer crashes because it doesn’t account for pedestrians who step out ten feet in front of drivers, leaving “literally no time for the driver to do anything,” or bike riders “with no lights, wearing black clothing, riding the wrong direction in the bicycle lane.”

 

National

Streetsblog has more on the new handlebar-mounted “dashcam” for bikes being developed by a pair of Arizona universities, which are designed to automatically capture images, location data, and other critical evidence when a vehicle passes dangerously to someone on a bicycle.

A pair of Oklahoma men face charges of 1st-degree murder for shooting a man in the back, after accusing him of stealing a bicycle belonging to one of the men’s 10-year old daughter; witnesses never bothered to call 911 because they didn’t think it was a big deal and didn’t want to get involved. As we’ve said many times before, no bicycle is worth a human life. Just let it go, for God’s sake.

Good question. A Massachusetts TV station wants to know why there are utility poles and orange construction barrels in the middle of a new $22 million raised bike lane. Which looks a lot more like a patchwork sidewalk repair job, to be honest.

 

International

Cycling Weekly talks with American adventurer Neal Bayly, cofounder of the Wellspring International Outreach, who recounts memorable rides through Ukraine and Peru, as well as Bhutan’s Tour of the Dragon, described as the world’s toughest single-day mountain bike race; Bayly says he bikes so much his motorcycle buddies are getting pissed off.

Speaking of Cycling Weekly, the magazine says those bigass bike computers are just getting silly.

A Toronto bike advocacy group has filed suit over the new Ontario law that gives the provincial government the final say on local bike lanes, allowing them to remove a number of popular Toronto bike lanes over the objection of local leaders; the group alleges the new law deprives bicyclists of their legal rights to life and security.

Meanwhile, a Toronto bike advocate suffered a broken leg when he was doored while riding in a painted bike lane. Which makes a far better case for improving the city’s bike lanes than removing them.

A Melbourne, Australia radio station considers the eternal question of what if bicycles had to be registered, as the head of a driver’s organization says all road users should pay for the road — even though bike riders already pay for more than our fair share of the roadway, and studies have shown bike registration costs more to operate than it would bring in.

 

Competitive Cycling

Remco Evenepoel is joining with the Belgian Post Office to raise awareness for the dangers of dooring, after suffering multiple fractures and other injuries when he was doored while training in Belgium; the 2022 Vuelta champ aims to get back on his bike in February, and hopes to compete two months later.

 

Finally…

No, bike racks don’t belong in the middle of the sidewalk. Who needs a bike cam when there’s one built into your helmet?

And Colin Jost is one of us, too.

Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up. 

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

50-year old man killed in DUI collateral damage crash while walking bicycle in Rialto; 2-year old boy suffers minor injuries

October 28, 2024 / / Comments Off on 50-year old man killed in DUI collateral damage crash while walking bicycle in Rialto; 2-year old boy suffers minor injuries

Another day, another bicyclist killed in the Inland Empire.

According to KTLA-5, a man walking his bicycle in Rialto was collateral damage in a crash between two drivers — including one who was under the influence.

“Preliminary information indicates the female driver of the Dodge Caravan was driving southbound on Riverside Avenue and was turning left to go east on Etiwanda and failed to yield, [leading] the black Audi to collide with the Caravan,” Sgt. Smith confirmed to KTLA. “[The collision] caused the Caravan to go onto the northeast corner of the sidewalk, striking the pedestrian.”

The collision occurred around 6:26 pm Sunday at the intersection of Etiwanda Ave and Riverside Ave in Rialto.

The victim, identified only as a 50-year old man, died after being taken to a hospital.

A two-year old boy who was riding in the Audi with his father was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, as was the 32-year old driver of the other vehicle; police planned to arrest her for DUI upon her release.

The station oddly notes that the victim’s bicycle did not appear to have suffered significant damage.

Just the person who had been walking it.

This is at least the 45th 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.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,
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