The driver fled the scene, but police arrested 68-year old Elias Madriz Gutierrez shortly later. He was booked on suspicion of hit-and-run and driving under the influence causing great bodily injury, along with second-degree murder.
According to My News LA, Gutierrez was convicted of DUI twice before, in January 2009 and April 2018. Which means he would have been required to sign a Watson advisement, stating he could be charged with murder if he killed someone while driving under the influence any time in the future.
As a result, he could be looking at 15-to-life for the murder charge alone, as opposed to up to six years for vehicular manslaughter.
This is at least the 42nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 10th that I’m aware of in Orange County.
Fifteen of those SoCal deaths have now been hit-and-runs.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Kristin Bellovich and her loved one.
Just 106 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
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I neglected to thank Erik G and Robert L last week for their generous donations to help out with my shoulder issues, and keep this site coming your way now that I’m back to work.
Which doesn’t mean they’ll ever actually do it, of course.
The motion, which was passed unanimously, requires them to report on both the equipment and staffing required to sweep the city’s protected bike lanes every other week. The agencies were also ordered to report on the best practices to maintain protected bike lanes, and what the city does now.
Which clearly ain’t much.
In fact, the city has just two street sweepers designed for protected bike lanes, and only uses them on a quarterly basis — as anyone who rides them regularly can probably tell.
If that sounds cynical, it’s because we’ve been here before. The city has a habit of ordering reports that never come back, and never get acted on if they do.
In fact, we’re still waiting for the city’s “much better” version of Measure HLA, which was supposed to come back to the council long before HLA was overwhelmingly passed by the voters.
So it’s a positive step forward — but only if we stay on top of them and make sure the city follows through on it.
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The driver who killed the hockey playing Gaudreau brothers as they rode their bikes on a rural New Jersey highway was legally drunk after the crash. But not as drunk as he made it sound.
Higgins is being held without bail, charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
He faces up to 20 years if he’s convicted, and would have to serve at least 85% of his sentence.
Yet the original article inexplicably ends with a section on the rising rate of ebike injuries — even though his injuries had nothing to do with the kind of bicycle he was riding.
The co-captain of the WeHo East Neighborhood Watch Association is denying that a letter purporting to come from his organization, which was used to obtain more than $8 million in funding to fix sidewalks and install protected bike lanes on Fountain Ave from the California Air Resources Board, was actually written by the group and represented their wishes.
And still more sad news, this time from Sacramento, where a woman riding a bicycle died in the hospital after she was found lying in the roadway; police don’t know yet if she fell or was the victim of a hit-and-run.
About damn time. Sacramento is considering declaring a road safety state of emergency to free up more resources to confront the rise in pedestrian and bike rider deaths. Meanwhile, here in Los Angeles, we had a record level of pedestrian and bicycling deaths last year, and no one in city government seems to give a damn.
The leader of a London borough council is tired of abandoned dockless ebikes littering the streets and teenagers zooming along the sidewalks, and wants to have all Lime bikes crushed. Just wait until he learns about all the cars blocking sidewalks and bike lanes, and drivers zooming down the streets.
A Welsh woman will spend a well-deserved 45 months behind bars for fleeing the scene after running a bike-riding man down from behind, and selling her car days later to cover up the crime; the victim had to have his leg amputated due to his injuries. And yes, that sentence should have been a hell of a lot longer.
Samoa named its first-ever national cycling team, with a goal of competing in the 2027 Pacific Games in Tahiti; the country’s new riders range in age from 17 to 53. Yes, 53.
I’ve been out for over a month after surgery to replace two tendon and fix a number of tears in my right shoulder. I’m now looking at a long recovery, with six months of rehab before I’m back to normal, let alone get back on a bike.
Or whatever passes for normal at my age.
I’ll do my best to keep this site going on a regular basis, but may face some issues going forward depending on how well rehab goes.
Before we move on, though, let’s take a moment to consider that the new tendons holding my shoulder together came from caring people who donated their bodies after death.
We tend to think of organ donation as involving hearts and lungs, livers and kidneys. But corneas, skin, bones and yes, tendons, also stem from that same kindness.
And I couldn’t be more grateful for them.
So if you haven’t signed your organ donor card, what the hell are you waiting for?
Now let’s catch up on some of the bigger stories we missed over the past 34 days, before we get back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.
The brothers were run down on a rural road in Oldmans Township on Thursday, August 30th, the night before they were supposed to be groomsmen in their sister’s wedding.
Needless to say, the wedding is off for now.
They were run down from behind after the driver, identified as 43-year old Sean Higgins, passed one car on the left, then attempted to pass an SUV on the right when it moved left to go around the Gaudreaus.
Higgins failed a field sobriety test, telling police he had five or six beers before the crash, and that his drinking probably contributed to “his impatience and reckless driving.”
He was arrested at the scene, and charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
SB 960 requires Caltrans to follow their own Complete Streets policies
SB 961 is a severely watered-down version of the bill which would have forced automakers to prevent drivers from speeding more than ten miles over the speed limit; the law now just requires an audible warning
SB 1297 extends the states speed cam pilot program to PCH in Malibu
SB 1261 limits the placement of sharrows to streets with speed limits of 30 mph or less
SB 689 eliminates the need for a separate Coastal Commission study in order to convert a traffic lane to a bike or transit lane
SB 1271 requires that only ebikes with UL or EU certification can be sold in the state
In 2021 the City began a high-level study which envisioned the Wash as a nine mile green space from its confluence with the LA River up to Crescenta Valley Park. It includes bike and pedestrian trails with access to business and entertainment venues, and connects several important city centers, services and a multitude of neighborhoods that make up a large core of Glendale.
Walk Bike Glendale urges you to attend or call into the meeting, or email the individual council members in advance.
Once again, the Los Angeles County Sheriff department demonstrated how little their deputies know about bike law, when former LA-based pro Phil Gaimon — star of the Worst Retirement Ever videos on YouTube — had to educate one on why the ticket he was about to get was against the law.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
After a 14-year old boy was seriously injured by a garbage truck driver while riding to school in La Mesa, California, the city’s NBC station demonstrated how to get the story wrong, with a headline suggesting the boy collided with the truck, rather than the other way around. Nope, no bias there.
Police in Dublin, Ireland are investigating an apparent road rage attack by a driver who pushed a bicyclist up against a barrier and repeatedly hit him with his fists as bystanders tried to stop the attack.
Caltrans is still conducting its Pacific Coast Highway Master Plan Feasibility Study to determine just what safety improvements people want — or rather, are willing to tolerate. So if you bike, walk or drive along PCH in Malibu, you owe it to yourself and everyone else to take part.
Streetsblog’s Joe Linton examines the first six months since Measure HLA passed with overwhelming support, mandating the city to build out the eight-year old mobility plan whenever a street gets resurfaced. So far the news isn’t good, with work on Reseda Blvd moving forward while everything else stalled out — including the city’s workaround on Vermont Ave in South LA to avoid triggering HLA.
A man riding his bike on Highway 1 suffered several injuries — and got a couple traffic tickets — after falling over 100 feet when he ignored “road closed” signs and a warning that he would probably die by attempting to ride across a rock slide that shut down the highway. And he nearly did.
Apple TV+ premiered Ghost Bike, a short film about a mother who meets a stranger in a Greek diner, who may hold the key to solving her son’s untimely death — apparently on a bicycle.
A writer for BuzzFeed offers 22 very tongue-in-cheek reasons why wearing a helmet is “literally one of the absolute worst decisions a person can make.”
A new German report says distracted bicycling is on the rise, blaming it for a significant, but undetermined, increase in crash risk. Never mind that many of the 10 to 17% of bicyclists who use their smartphones while riding are probably just using navigation or bike apps.
July 19, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Ramos faces up to 20 years for killing five-year old in drunken hit-and-run, and wannabe Trump assassin was one of us
Just 165 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
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A few people have volunteered to write guest posts to help keep this site from going dark when I’m out next month for surgery on my torn rotator cuff.
So if you’re interested in filling in here for a few days, or joining them in submitting a guest post or two, just email me at the address on the About page above.
Ramos, who had a blood alcohol content of .22% at the time of his arrest, now faces a charge of vehicular manslaughter, as well as felony counts of driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury, driving with blood alcohol of .08% or more causing bodily injury, and hit and run with injury, with sentencing enhancements for leaving a victim comatose or paralyzed and inflicting great bodily injury.
If he is convicted on all counts, Ramos could spend the next two decades behind bars. But the most likely result is that the DA will allow him to plead to a reduced sentence in order to guarantee a conviction.
The lack of a murder charge indicates this is probably Ramos’ first DUI arrest, or he at least hasn’t been convicted before.
The good news, if there is any in this mess, is that Jacob’s six-year-old sister has been released from the hospital after undergoing surgery for her injuries. However, the children’s father is still in a coma due to a fractured skull and bleeding in the brain.
Meanwhile, Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, will install a ghost bike for Jacob Ramirez later today.
He then ditched his bike in full view of cops and crowds of people before climbing onto to warehouse roof and opening fire on the former president.
Which kinda raises the question of why no one noticed a man riding a bicycle while carrying a rifle at a political rally, whether it was in or out of a case.
And he bizarrely says bicyclists should slow and come to a complete stop at any intersection without a green light, which would mean pissing off drivers by stopping at every uncontrolled intersection.
Then again, we seem to piss off drivers if we stop for stop signs, as well as when we roll through them.
And God help you if you find yourself blocking a driver’s turn because you stopped for a red light.
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Gravel Bike California marks their 5th Anniversary by revisiting their favorite LA Area route.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
The solemnity of a poignant Birmingham, England slow ride in memory of a fallen bicyclist was interrupted by angry drivers blaring on their horns over the momentary inconvenience of having to slow down to go around them. Which kinda made the bicyclist’ point for them.
But sometimes it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Once again, cops and the news media conflate electric motorcycles and ebikes as if they’re the same thing, with sheriff’s deputies complaining about kids on illegal off-road electric motorcycles — not electric bicycles — terrorizing customers at an Orange County mall with air-soft guns.
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Local
LAistreports on the health effects of chronic noise, as the US Department of Transportation says Los Angeles is one of the country’s loudest counties, thanks largely to our incessant traffic.
Writing for Streetsblog, former Southland resident Melissa Balmer says it’s time to revive the 1990’s Bikes Belong campaign to help deliver needed funds for active transportation infrastructure, and stop killing people.
Emergency responders were caught off guard when they found themselves in the middle of a Colorado gravel race as they responded to a bicyclist injured in a multi-rider crash, with competitors reportedly swerving in front of the ambulance. Seriously guys, give emergency vehicles a wide berth, regardless of whether you’re competing in a race or just riding to the corner market. Someone’s life could depend on it.
For over a week now, we’ve followed the story of the Garden Grove family who were run down by an allegedly drunken hit-and-run driver as the parents rode their bikes, towing their children behind in child trailers.
The crash left the father and two of the kids critically injured, while the mother and their eight-month old baby were hospitalized in stable condition, and released a few days later.
The crash occurred shortly after 7:30 pm on Sunday, July 7th, on the 12300 block of Haster Street near Twin Tree Lane, when they were apparently run down from behind by Santa Ana resident Ceferino Ascencion Ramos.
Ramos fled the scene, but was arrested shortly later after he was followed by a witness to the crash.
He reportedly had a .22 blood alcohol level at the time of his arrest — nearly three times the .08 legal limit. The station reports he was on his way to buy more beer at an Anaheim liquor store when he slammed into the family.
He has been charged with felony counts of hit-and-run with permanent and serious injury, failing to stop at a hit-and-run accident with injury, and driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, with sentencing enhancements for leaving a victim comatose or paralyzed and inflicting great bodily injury.
More charges will be pending now, including a likely murder charge if Ramos has a previous DUI on his record.
It’s also possible that the news could get worse.
The story reports that Jacob’s father, 27-year old Angel Hernandez Mejia and his seven-year old sister remain in comas over a week after the crash.
A crowdfunding campaign for the family has raised over $64,000 of the $100,000 goal, though it’s likely they’ll need a lot more than that before this is over.
This is at least the 29th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in Orange County.
It’s also worth noting that reports have indicated none of the family members were wearing bike helmets, which are legally required for children under 18.
However, there’s no way to know whether that would have been enough to prevent their injuries in this collision.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jacob Ramirez and all his family and loved ones.
July 10, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Garden Grove mom fears for gravely injured 5-year old hit-and-run victim, and Caltrans discusses PCH safety feasibility
Just 174 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
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My apologies, again.
On top of everything else I’ve been dealing with lately, I’ve had a major flare-up in my diabetic neuropathy, which knocked me on my ass Monday night. Or maybe it was just everything I took trying to control it.
Also, let me know if you’re interested in filling in for me when I’m out of commission next month, whether you’d like to pen a single post, or take over this site a day or two.
Anything goes, as long as it’s related to bicycles or traffic safety.
Just email me at the address on the About page if you’re interested in volunteering.
Although there are also reports that someone created a fake crowdfunding page in the family’s name, demonstrating once again that there are no limits to just how low some people will go to scam others.
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Caltrans is hosting a series of public meetings, starting tomorrow, to discuss the feasibility of improving safety on deadly PCH through Malibu.
Although the only thing that will really improve safety would be converting the highway into a slow-speed Main Street designed to serve the local community and all road users, rather than pass-through commuters.
Malibu: PCH Master Plan The public is invited to provide feedback to help Caltrans shape a feasibility study for safety on PCH (State Route 1) on July 11 & 18 & Aug. 28. Register here: https://t.co/Ns8IZ7f4SZ. More details below. pic.twitter.com/anzVsCxRfU
— Caltrans District 7 (@CaltransDist7) July 8, 2024
The street was an auto-centric hellhole when I lived down there four decades ago. And something tells me it didn’t get any better since. So this should be a huge improvement.
It’s long past time to drive a stake through this proposal that somehow keeps rising from the dead, and spend the money on transit, bike and pedestrian projects, instead.
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Megan Lynch forwards video of a woman harassing a New York food delivery rider for the crime of wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh around his neck, calling him a terrorist and blocking his bike with her car.
A Santa Barbara writer says something has to be done about young ebike riders throughout the city, complaining that juvenile riders don’t have the training to operated motorized bicycles. Although as we’ve discussed lately, it’s not clear if he’s talking about teens riding ped-assist bicycles, or throttle-controlled electric motorbikes.
San Francisco residents got out the torches and pitchforks at a community meeting to discuss a proposed bike network in the North Beach neighborhood, fearing it could be another Valencia Street.
A San Francisco website suggests what while doorings are down in the city, a recent death highlights a neighborhood divide, as safety improvements have skipped some areas populated by people of color.
The family of a 65-year old Louisiana man want answers after he was killed in a collision with an off-duty sheriff’s deputy while riding his bicycle at 1:30 am, in a strange neighborhood 20 miles from home — and want to know why he was supposedly riding in the roadway when there was a freshly paved, fully separated bike path right next to it.
This is who we share the road with. A British man will spend 17 years behind bars for killing a baby and her aunt when he slammed into their car, minutes after posting a photo showing himself driving 141 mph with a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit; he’ll also face a well-deserved 21-year driving ban once he’s released.
July 8, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Bike-riding Garden Grove family run down by hit-and-run driver, and charges in 2022 death of Newport Beach bike rider
Just 176 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
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Before we start, I’m scheduled to have surgery for my torn rotator cuff next month.
They tell me I can expect to be unable work for anywhere from two to four weeks afterwards, depending on my tolerance for pain.
Rather than letting this site go dark for an extended period, I’m hoping someone will be willing to step into my shoes, whether for a few days or a few weeks.
You wouldn’t need to do everything I do. Or anything I do, for that matter.
Anything at all would help, from one or more people to take over this site for a day or two a week, to writing a single guest post to help fill this space. And it could be anything you want to share with the local bicycling community, as long as it’s related to bicycles or traffic safety.
Just email me if you’re interested in volunteering. You can find the address on the About page above.
Reports variously report that one person was hospitalized in critical condition, while others say two children and one adult were critical; the others were said to be in stable condition.
Ronald Elston Benjamin was charged with felony counts of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated without gross negligence and driving under the influence of a drug causing injury, along with misdemeanor child abuse and endangerment, with a sentencing enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury on the victim.
The victim in the June 10, 2022 collision is identified only as George H., but neither the name or date correspond with anything in my records.
There’s no word on why it took so long to file charges. However, the misdemeanor count and hidden identity of the victim suggest he may have been a child, although there may be other explanations.
Although maybe someone should tell New York’s governor that support for congestion pricing actually wins elections.
Labour wins a record 4 out of 5 seats in London just two months after @MayorofLondon Sadiq Khan swept to a third term. This isn't *despite* fury over the city's low-emission zone but *because* of strong support for policies that have transformed the city. https://t.co/EoKPwT5ms0
In a prime example of major assholism, a British man allegedly assaulted a teenaged girl after her mom stopped short while backing her car out of the driveway, causing the man to fall off his bicycle; he reportedly responded by slamming the car door into her, then slapping her. There is never an excuse for violence, no matter how justified you may feel in the moment. If you feel that anger building, just get on your bike and ride away.
The Bay Area will take a big step backward this fall, with construction slated to begin on ripping out the bike and pedestrian lane on the Richmond-San Raphael bridge, to use the space for an emergency motor vehicle overflow lane Monday through Thursday, though officials plan to offer a bike shuttle bus when the lane is closed.
A kid in Colorado was lucky to escape with minor injuries when someone shot at the child and their father as they tried to reclaim a stolen bicycle from shooter’s yard, leading to a barricade situation with SWAT officers.
Pogačar barely avoided disaster when several riders went down in stage 5, using his bike skills to avoid a center divider and remain upright — although it’s arguably his moves that caused the riders behind him to go down.
👀 ¡𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗱𝗼́𝗻 𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗿 𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗶́𝗱𝗮 𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗯𝗮𝗼!
😔 A punto estuvo de comerse la separación de la mediana el líder y el español no pudo evitar chocarse.
No one ever accused Rancho Palos Verdes of displaying common sense.
As we mentioned last month, the wealthy enclave felt a need to address dangerous road conditions on Palos Verdes Drive South, caused by shifting of the bluff underlying it.
Never mind that it’s the people in the bigass cars, pickups and SUVs who cause the most damage. Or that’s it’s in direct violation with state law, which allows bicycles and motorcycles on any public roadway where motor vehicles are allowed, with the single exception of banning bicycles from some limited access highways that have alternate routes.
Oops.
While a bicycle can get its tires caught in cracks in the roadway, bike riders also have a greater ability to avoid obstacles than people in motor vehicles, which are much harder to stop or turn.
And it’s not the people on bicycles who risk causing further damage through their sheer weight.
Unfortunately, however, the only way to beat the new rule is to break it, get a ticket and fight it in court, which is a long, complicated and expensive process. And would probably require a good lawyer to make your case for you.
Let’s just hope the sheriff’s department, which is charged with policing the Palos Verdes Peninsula, has enough sense not to enforce it.
But based on previous experience with the LA County Sheriff’s limited grounding in bike law, I wouldn’t count on it.
He had a roadside BAC, or blood alcohol content, of .25 — over three times the legal limit.
Hylander reportedly insisted he had to talk to the victims to apologize after he was stopped. But he can be clearly seen driving over one of the victims to get away, as the man lay face down in the roadway following the initial impact.
Which doesn’t exactly bespeak regret for his actions.
Remarkably, neither victim was seriously injured.
Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.
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This is great news for anyone who doesn’t drive, for whatever reason, in a state where driving is considered the default mode.
HUGE NEWS: Our bill with @Portantino SB 1100, which ends driver's license requirements for housing and employment, has passed the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee! pic.twitter.com/hLTi5o9VLX
Here’s your chance to do good as you eat good, as the Morrison on Los Feliz Blvd will donate $1 from the sale of each of their new Finish The Ride burger to Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, for the next three months.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. A Thai website relates how a 71-year old amputee fatally stabbed a drunken 45-year old man who had repeatedly harassed him while the older man played chess with friends — yet they described the murder as a case of “cycling rage” just because of how the killer got back home afterwards.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Fox News offers video of a crazed, road-raging New York man who threw his bikeshare bike in front of an SUV after arguing with the driver, before the other person drove over the bike’s front wheel and apparently went on with his day; the bicyclist calmly rode off after giving the SUV driver and other honking motorists the bird. Although there’s no mention of what the poor, tormented driver may have done to induce such anger — or that merely driving over the bicycle is a crime.
A British bike rider has been fined the equivalent of $280 for blowing through a red light while a mother was pushing her child in a stroller, forcing them them to stop mid-step to avoid a crash — rising to a well-deserved $500 including court costs and fees. Seriously, it’s one thing to go through a light when there’s no one around. But don’t be an ass when others have the right-of-way.
No surprise here. After Palm Springs bicyclist Bond Shields penned a “Bicycling Manifesto” for the city — composed of common sense safety reforms — he passed it on to the city manager and a councilmember; only the latter promised to do anything, passing it on to the city’s Sustainability Commission, where it apparently died a quick, quiet death.
Speaking of deadly roads, a bicyclist says he’s been failed by prosecutors in Goodyear, Arizona, after they declined to prosecute the truck driver who may have been Snapchatting when he slammed into a group ride last year, killing two people and injuring eleven others; a new video emerged showing the driver videochatting immediately after the crash, rather than calling 911.
March 21, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Metro reneges on pledge to complete LA River path by ’28, and life is cheap for Ethan Boyes in San Francisco’s Presidio
Just 285 days until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
LA River Waterway & System Bike Path: The missing link on the LA River bike path through Downtown is scheduled for completion in 2025.
LA River Bike Path and Mobility Hub – San Fernando Valley: LA River bike path improvements in the San Fernando Valley are also scheduled for completion in 2025.
That’s 2025. As in next year.
But now Streetsblog’s Joe Linton reports Metro has punted the long-awaited projects off to some undetermined date in the future, likely long after the Olympics have come and gone.
28by28 yanked projects that won't be done by 2028: L.A. River bike path, Sepulveda transit/expresslanes, ESFV rail, lower 710, S.Bay C Line, A/E Wye, SE Gateway Line, Eastside E Line, 10 Freeway expresslanes pic.twitter.com/47nNmOuerN
I’m told the problem stems, at least in part, from a dispute over who would maintain the pathway, especially as it winds through DTLA and Vernon.
Metro is willing to fund the projects, but isn’t willing to assume responsibility for upkeep. Los Angeles will assume responsibility for the San Fernando Valley segment, but wants LA County to manage the other segment. And vice versa.
But apparently unwilling to sacrifice that catchy 28 by 28 branding, the projects will be replaced with a pair of mobility hubs in North Hollywood and the Sepulveda Basin.
So until either the city or the county agrees to hold on to the hot potato, you can count on continuing to take obtuse, circuitous and unsafe surface street bypasses around the missing LA River bike path segments.
Olympics and bike safety be damned.
Just one more in a very long and growing list of promises broken by LA city leaders.
Revised Twenty-Eight by 2028 project list from LA Metro, by way of Streetsblog Twitter/X.
The feds got the case because Boyes was killed while biking on federal property in San Francisco’s Presidio National Park.
But instead of throwing the book at the killer DUI driver, prosecutors offered 81-year-old Arnold Kinman Low an exceptionally generous plea deal, with a maximum penalty of one year behind bars.
One lousy year for pleading guilty to misdemeanor counts of vehicular manslaughter and operating under the influence of alcohol.
Even though killing someone while driving under the influence would have resulted in a minimum of four years in state prison, and a maximum of ten, if he’d been prosecuted in a California court.
But at least Low will have to serve the full sentence, since federal prisoners aren’t eligible for parole for terms of 12 months or less.
Heartbreaking news from Sacramento, where a two-year old girl was killed when a three-year old boy climbed out of his car seat and into the driver’s seat after his father stopped at a gas pump, and left his pickup running to go inside the station. The boy apparently shifted the truck into gear, and smashed into the girl as she stood near a taco stand at the edge of the parking lot.
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Click through the tweet below for a short thread on the lack of accountability for transportation departments for designing and building streets that are so dangerous, the entirely predictable deaths that follow shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
A driver who killed two children in LA was recently convicted of murder on the grounds that a reasonable person would know that speeding in a residential neighborhood is deadly. What if we applied the same standard to DOTs. “Nobody was surprised” when this man’s child was killed. https://t.co/EVUNfxH4bz
West Hollywood approved a Complete Streets makeover for Willoughby Ave, as well as parts of Gardner Street, Vista Street and Kings Road, replacing the existing sharrows with curb extensions, scaled traffic circles, protected bike lanes, wayfinding signs, a mini-park, and enhanced crosswalks near schools.
Santa Monica cops will conduct yet another Bike & Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Operation on Saturday, ticketing any driver, bicyclist or pedestrian who commits a traffic violation that could endanger anyone on two wheels or two feet. 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.
A Palo Alto website says a proposal by Caltrans to install green bike lanes on busy El Camino Real is the wrong way to go, because it would encourage bicyclists to ride on a busy street interrupted with frequent entrances and exits, and other “ingress and egress interruptions.” Or is it just that only drivers deserve safe, direct routes to wherever they happen to be going?
Cyclist considers the best titanium road and gravel bikes, as prices for Ti bikes continue to drop, while simultaneously going pretty damn far in the other direction, too.
March 5, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Bike the Vote today, DUI death of Master’s champ Boyes worth one lousy year, and LA approves $13m Mobility Hub contract
Just 301 days until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.
As of this writing, we’re up to 1,006 signatures, so let’s keep it going! Urge everyone you know to sign the petition, until the mayor agrees to meet with us!
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It was a busy weekend in the bike world, so we’ve got a lot to catch up on.
But before we start, if you haven’t done it yet, find the ballot you got in the mail, fill it out, and drop it off at your nearest drop box. Or hop on your bike, and ride to the nearest vote center to cast your vote in person.
While we’re waiting for everyone to get back, my brother Eric is headed east from San Dimas on Adventure Cycling’s Bicycle Route 66 today on his way to Las Vegas, and eventually on to Savannah, Georgia, after starting from Santa Monica on Sunday.
Let me give a shoutout to the folks at Trek Bicycle Beverly Hills, the former I. Martin on Beverly Blvd, for giving him an emergency valve repair Saturday to help get him on the road — and not charging a cent.
And no, they didn’t know who I am before doing it.
Eric thanking Camden at Trek Bicycle Beverly Hills for fixing his tire
Loading the bigass touring bike his daughter had custom built for him
A very sad corgi watching her new favorite human disappear up the sidewalk
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An “incredulous” federal judge questioned a proposed plea deal in the death of US Masters Champ Ethan Boyes.
Prosecutors said they were nearing a deal on a one-year misdemeanor sentence for the drunken crash that killed Boyes in San Francisco’s Presidio Park, reducing the charges to one count of unlawfully killing a human being without malice and without gross negligence.
“Isn’t being intoxicated gross negligence in itself?” the judge said, incredulous.
That question, (Assistant U.S. Attorney George) Hageman said, was “up for interpretation.”
The judge replied that interpreting the severity of the alleged crime was Hageman’s job as federal prosecutor…
Eighty-one-year old Arnold Kinman Low is currently facing one count of vehicular manslaughter and one count of driving under the influence of alcohol in the fatal crash.
Felony vehicular manslaughter and felony DUI causing death could result in a maximum sentence of 16 years behind bars, while dropping the DUI count could reduce it to just 12 months.
For killing someone while too drunk to drive in a straight line.
“You got nothing better to do than film people? You’re a bike Nazi! I bet you got beat up in high school. That’s why you’re out here. I’m glad you got beat up in high school!”- unhinged older guy in a pickup to me at NE 72nd drive just now, before he peeled out. pic.twitter.com/vYfRFVHLWf
An English town dealt with “anti-social cyclists,” as police responded to complaints from the public for such horrendous activities as riding without lights. Which isn’t exactly what I would describe as antisocial, but still.
South Pasadena residents learn the hard way what happens when only seven people out of 104 bother to return a resident survey — and all of those ask for bike lanes on Grand Ave. And the city is apparently all out of temporary street paint. Thanks to Wesley for the heads-up.
A campaign by disabled bicyclists in the UK tackles Shedgate, arguing that disabled riders should be allowed to build a bike shed in their front garden if they don’t have a back one, after several people were fined or ordered to remove them.
