As long as we’re doing this tonight, we can add another name to the list.
About a few days ago, I learned that a man had died after he was hit by a driver while riding a bicycle in Encinitas.
According to The Coast News, 45-year old Encinitas resident Marcos Perez Domingo was struck while riding at Encinitas Blvd and Valley Park Way around 6 pm on January 1st.
Investigators say drugs or alcohol weren’t factors in the crash. But the age of the driver once again raises the question of how old is too old to drive safely.
Or at all, for that matter.
Anyone with information or video of the crash is urged to call San Diego County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jeremy Collis at 760/966-3555, or email jeremy.collis@SDSheriff.org.
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Meanwhile, it’s Day 3 of the Vision Zero failure here in Los Angeles.
That’s why a coalition of nonprofits and road safety advocates will once again host a die-in on the steps of LA City Hall next weekend to raise awareness of the need for safe streets.
As of this writing, traffic fatalities in the City of Los Angeles are expected to once again be above 300 for the third year in a row.
And yet, 2025 will be the 10th anniversary of the start of the Vision Zero program, a program aimed at reducing traffic fatalities to zero by 2025.
However, the core components of this program were watered down, removed, or underfunded within a few years of its start. The result is that in the last 10 years, there has been an 80% increase in traffic fatalities, primarily affecting pedestrians in underserved communities.
*A die-in is “a protest or demonstration in which a group of people gather and lie down as if dead.” (Oxford Dictionary) In our case, to represent the lives lost to traffic violence and protest the lack of effective action by our City and state leaders, as demonstrated by rising fatalities.
We aim to have 300 people in attendance, representing each life lost. Help us make this happen!
Date: Saturday, January 11th 2024
Location: Steps of Los Angeles City Hall 232 N Spring Street
Set-up Time: 8:30-10 AM
Press Conference & Die-In protest: 10 AM to 11 AM
Breakdown Time: 11 AM to 12 PM
Volunteers and Activists needed:
10 volunteers are needed for setup and breakdown.
300+ volunteer activists are needed to lay on the steps of City Hall during the press conference. White roses will be laid on top of those participating in the die-in to represent the over 300 lives lost in 2024.
What to Bring: We will have signs and poster boards to make signs. However, we also encourage you to bring signs emphasizing the importance of road safety, responsible driving, and the need for change.
Parking: Parking is limited and pricey around LA City Hall. It is recommended that you ride, walk, or take Metro Line B (exit Civic Center/Grand Park Station) to City Hall.
As both cyclist and driver, I don’t think we should pit ourselves against each other. Maybe try to share, rather than compete, for the space… and a little patience and tolerance would go a long way – especially to the @Ocado guy delivering people’s turkeys.
Streetsblog says the short bike lane extension on Reseda Blvd is the first LA project clearly forced by Measure HLA, adding a little more than the length of a football field to the existing bike lanes after the street was resurfaced.
That’s more like it. A 23-year old Las Vegas woman will spend the next 11 years behind bars for the hit-and-run death of a 32-year old man who was riding a bicycle; she was sentenced to 15 years for vehicular homicide with four years suspended, along with a concurrent term of three years for tampering with evidence, and 90 days for driving under the influence.
In February testimony to the L.A. City Council (minute 3:00:40), City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo stated that “[Measure HLA] will be effective five weeks – roughly five weeks – after the election, should the voters approve the item.”
“What that means is that,” Szabo continued, “this body [City Council] will be asked to make funding decisions immediately.”
The city could have made contingency plans in case it passed, especially since the city council had promised to come up with an even better alternative HLA last year, but never followed through.
And now they have to scramble to come up with something in just the next few weeks.
Even though neither ones even gone into effect yet.
In defense of the free-spenders, guys like me have been blubbering in newspapers and on talk radio for eons about the consequences of budget deficits, yet the sun continues to rise each morning. Somehow, we stumble through each fiscal year with the usual headlines about layoffs and cutbacks to programs that help paper-over the shortfalls. We’re already reading about school closures, hiring freezes and the inevitable layoffs resulting from HLA and previous spending binges, including Mayor Karen Bass’s homelessness initiatives and LAPD hiring plans. Those who lose their jobs or have their program cut will pay the price. But as long as it’s not our job in jeopardy, as long as somebody else’s taxes get raised… shampoo, rinse, repeat. We’ve seen this movie before. Fiscal “Groundhog Day.”
So for anyone unclear on the subject, literally no one has lost their job because of HLA. Nor has a single school closed as a result of the ballot measure.
Or is likely to.
If anything, HLA could mean additional hiring to implement the city’s mobility plan as streets are resurfaced. And even if the city somehow faced budget problems as a result of the measure, it could compensate by just slowing down the street resurfacing program.
Never mind that most of the $3.1 billion that City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo spuriously projected as the cost for the measure was actually for sidewalk repairs the city is already obligated for as the result of a previous court settlement.
Or that school funding has absolutely nothing to do with the city budget.
But hey, why let the facts get in the way of a good political screed?
The story reports that 32 bicyclists have been injured along the one-mile bike lane since 2020, raising questions about its safety. Although the only way to judge whether it has increased risk is to compare it to the number and severity of any injuries before it was installed.
Tragically, Currie’s four children are now orphaned, after their mother died of cancer in 2019.
Thanks to Phillip Young and Malcomb Watson for the heads-up.
Tragic news from Honolulu, where two people riding bicycles were collateral damage when a 20-year old speeding driver lost control of his vehicle, hit a utility pole, and landed in the crosswalk they were riding in.
A 24-year old Colorado woman was arrested in Arkansas, two months after she fled the Rocky Mountain state to avoid charges for the hit-and-run death of a man riding a bicycle; she’s accused of knocking the 43-year old victim off his bike and over an embankment, and taking his bike to hide evidence of the crime.
Life is cheap in England, where dashcam video captured a careless driver crash into two women bicyclists, resulting in life-changing injuries to both victims, yet the 20-year driver got just ten lousy months behind bars, and was banned from driving for two years. If you ever wonder why people keep dying on the streets, slap-on-the-wrist sentences like this are a good place to start.
He died at the scene, despite the efforts of paramedics. He was identified only as a 48-year old man, although the U-T says he was believed to be an Encinitas resident.
Sheriff’s investigators report there was no sign of a collision, and suspect the victim may have had a solo crash.
However, it’s also possible that he could have lost control of his bike after being sideswiped, or been the victim of an overly close pass. Or just as likely that his death could have been caused by a medical condition or a problem with the road surface.
A sergeant with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department indicated that Currie was not wearing a helmet when he was found, however, there’s no indication yet that he suffered a head injury, which is the only reason that would matter.
He placed the location where Currie was found on the 2700 block of South Coast Highway 101, near the Welcome to Cardiff sign. There is no indication at this time that Currie was struck by a vehicle.
Photos circulating online show evidence of the crash where the curbs for the protected bike lanes begin, leading some to conclude that they were the proximate cause of Currie’s crash.
While the curbs could have been difficult to see after dark, especially if there was no light on Currie’s bike, there is nothing yet to confirm that his bike hit one of the curbs, or that they actually led to his fall.
Update 2: According to the Union-Tribune, Currie was not wearing a helmet, and toxicology reports are still pending to determine if he was under the influence. It’s also unclear if the light built into his cruiser bike was working at the time of the crash, despite the lack of lighting along the roadway.
Compounding the tragedy, Currie’s four children have now been orphaned by the crash, after their mother passed away five years ago.
According to a biography posted online by Spieker Senior Development Partners, Currie worked in the continuing care retirement community field, owning several projects. He was a graduate of West Point and served as a U.S. Army captain with the 101st Airborne Division, according to his bio. Messages left with the development company were not returned.
Currie and his late wife, Megan, were high school sweethearts and married in 2000, a year after she graduated from college, according to her obituary.
The obituary said she died in 2019 at the age of 41 after a long battle with cancer. The couple had four children.
A count by bike advocate Serge Issakov suggests that 32 bicyclists have been injured riding on the protected bikeway since it was installed in 2020. There is an argument to be made that the low asphalt curbs could be difficult to see, especially after dark.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Ryan Currie and all his loved ones.
Thanks to Phillip Young and Malcomb Watson for the heads-up.
June 29, 2023 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Encinitas declares bicycling emergency, support for Pacific Beach Slow Street, and car death cult piece misses mark
However, the planned state of emergency action items reported by San Diego’s NBC-7 seem a little lacking.
The local emergency allows the city quicker access to resources necessary for education and enforcement, if needed. Some actions that the city council hopes to accomplish include the rental of 10 messages boards that will be placed in high-visibility areas reminding both riders and drivers to share the road, 300 yard signs urging safety, additional work with schools to educate students on-campus and a bike safety video made in unison with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department that can be played at assemblies and meetings.
The declaration places the most of the onus for safety on the potential victims riding on two wheels, rather than the people in the big, dangerous machines.
Because yard signs and message boards aren’t likely to slow drivers down, and won’t do a damn thing for the distracted drivers who don’t even see them.
Thanks to Phillip Young and Marcello Calicchio for the heads-up.
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These days, every street project that might possibly inconvenience someone is contentious.
Usually, needlessly so.
That’s certainly the case with the Slow Street project on Diamond Street in San Diego’s Pacific Beach neighborhood, where all of four — yes, four — people rose up at a recent Town Council meeting to complain about it.
Did I mention that it was just four people who complained?
Fortunately, the local representative for the City Council Mobility Board, who was also the researcher who evaluated the project, wrote to the San Diego Union-Tribune to support the project.
…The benefits are staggering. The project led to an increase in walking and biking mode share, and children and older adults using the street. Driving mode share decreased by nearly 60 percent with a smaller impact on traffic on adjacent streets.
People reported a greater sense of community and well-being. Most were using the street for transportation and half planned to visit a business during their trip. Most importantly, there was overwhelming support for making the project permanent.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but “overwhelming support” is probably more than four.
A lot more.
She goes on to say that making Diamond a permanent slow street shouldn’t even be up for debate, since it gets San Diego that much closer to meeting its Climate Action Plan and Vision Zero goals.
Let’s hope the city council is listening.
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Progressive magazine The American Prospect missed the mark.
But he goes off track at the end in blaming neoliberalism of the 1980s and ’90s for the American failure, which he argues resulted in less government oversight, drawing a straight line leading to today’s massively oversized vehicles, overly wide roads and high traffic death rates.
There’s no arguing that traffic deaths are too high, and getting higher, and that poor road design and the ever-increasing size of motor vehicles are at least partly to blame, along with a dramatic increase in distracted driving.
But fondly remembering the good old days when traffic death rates were even worse doesn’t help.
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I have somehow miraculously recovered the ability to embed tweets.
— People Powered Media (@pplpoweredmedia) June 28, 2023
here's the TL;DR for what we are asking of LADOT / officials. three things:
1. The Venice Bike Lanes needs regular sweeping/cleaning, especially given their gutter nature. There’s lots of trash and broken glass. pic.twitter.com/QFZppGLKWL
— People Powered Media (@pplpoweredmedia) June 28, 2023
— People Powered Media (@pplpoweredmedia) June 28, 2023
To be clear, we don’t begrudge city officials and activists for celebrating the Venice realignment as a big win. The project took years of work from electeds and stakeholders.
We just ask that the job be finished.
— People Powered Media (@pplpoweredmedia) June 28, 2023
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I’m not sure if we shared this short film from Nimesh in Los Angeles when it came out last December.
So we’ll correct that possible oversight today.
In it, he argues that LA’s flat terrain and year-round Mediterranean climate should make it the bicycle capital of the world. But it isn’t, because Los Angeles makes biking in paradise a nightmare.
Thanks to Steven Hallett for the heads-up.
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Robert Leone forwards news that the Marines will apparently be blowing things up on Camp Pendleton again.
Which means that the popular bike path through the base will be closed from July 31st to August 4th.
So if you’re planning to ride south from Orange County, or north from San Diego County, you’ll have to use the shoulder of the freeway from the Las Pulgas Gate north to the tunnel under I-5.
Like he says, Google Translate is your friend. But I don’t make friends easily, so I’ll let him give you the shorthand.
I got a newsletter from the German Cycling Federation ADFC, and in this issue it shows a proposal to do a street makeover for a major arterial into the center of town. Next step is through the city council.
The numbers for users from 2011 to 2022 are amazing. The north end of the project runs into a nasty intersection that has been undergoing total renovation for the last 4 years. The existing situation shows 9,300 users on bikes daily. There are a couple of pictures of the existing bike lane. Unreal usage, but it is a main route direct into the city center.
It would be great if it gets through the city council.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.
This is who we share the world with. Even the bike-riding mayor of Emeryville has to deal with wannabe killer drivers. Unfortunately, though, this doesn’t cross the legal threshold for a threat, since it lacks a statement of intent — “I would” vs “I will.”
At a business mixer tonight an attendee heard I had biked to the event and said “I hate bicyclists so much. I would absolutely run you over and kill you if we left here at the same time. You don’t belong on the road.”
Two hours later and I’m still processing all of it.
Bike Portland’s Jonathan Maus says we’re having the wrong conversation about ebikes, as people predictably point fingers at kids on bikes while calling for mandatory licensing after the death of a teenage bike rider.
The family of a 14-year-old boy pinned to the ground by an off-duty Chicago cop who mistakenly accused him of stealing a bike is suing the city and the police officer; Michael A. Vitellaro was acquitted of official misconduct and aggravated battery in the incident earlier this month.
June 25, 2023 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Update: 15-year old boy dies days after collision while riding ebike in Encinitas; 2nd bike death in San Diego County this year
A teenage boy has died, no more than two days after he was struck by a driver while riding an ebike in Encinitas.
Champlain-Kingman was hospitalized at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla with major injuries; family members confirmed his death two days later, on Saturday.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Police don’t believe he was under the influence.
However, there’s no word on whether any other witnesses saw the crash, or observed Champlain-Kingman change lanes.
Anyone with information is urged to call the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station Traffic Division at 760/966-3500.
The paper reports a candlelight vigil is scheduled for 7 pm Tuesday at San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas.
Meanwhile, a crowdfunding campaign to pay Champlain-Kingman’s medical and funeral expenses has raised over $21,000 of the $50,000 goal in just one day.
The crowdfunding page describes the teenager this way,
Brodee Braxton Champlain-Kingman was brought into this world on November 2nd 2007. During his 15 1/2 years, he touched many lives with his grace, compassion, determination and kindness. Anyone that knew Brodee could feel his authentic, heart-forward energy. Brodee was fiercely steadfast in his desire to excel academically, thrive socially and grind for those gains in the gym. Nothing was more striking than Brodee’s natural ability to connect with others and his sincere desire to reflectively grow in his relationships and life pursuits. He lived with grounded humility – always learning, always evolving.
Roberta Walker, a longtime bike and pedestrian advocate, and former professional snowboarder, suffered multiple catastrophic injuries that left her survival in doubt for some time after she was placed in a medically induced coma.
Although something tells me she’d gladly give up every penny to avoid those injuries and have her old life back.
Her lawyer argued that the sharrows were a dangerous condition of public property and a direct cause of the crash, in which she was run down from behind by a pickup driver.
Which, sadly, is about as good a description as any for far too many sharrows.
Thankfully, that won’t be a problem much longer.
The long-awaited project began preliminary construction activities last month and features traffic calming measures, buffered bike lanes, raised medians, roundabouts and enhanced crosswalks.
“One profound irony of this accident is that Ms. Walker herself had advocated for a dedicated bike lane in multiple City Council meetings,” (plaintiffs’ attorney Ed) Susolik said.
There’s no word on whether the driver ever faced charges.
Or even got a ticket for nearly killing someone riding legally, exactly where she was supposed to be.
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Santa Monica saw a 50% drop in traffic collisions over the last year as more people stayed home during the pandemic, and a 70% reduction in drunk driving due to the closure of restaurants and bars.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Tragic news from the UK, where a bike rider is on trial for allegedly jumping a red light and slamming into a 73-year old man walking home from work; the victim died days later as a result of severe brain injuries suffered in the crash; bicyclist turned himself in after initially fleeing the scene. Yet another reminder that pedestrians are the only people on the street who are more vulnerable than we are. So ride carefully around them, dammit. And stick around after a crash.
The family of British motorcyclist Harry Dunn say they’re offended by an offer from American spy Anne Sacoolas to do community service for the wrong way hit-and-run that took his life, after she claimed diplomatic immunity to flee the country. Although you have to wonder about American intelligence services if they can’t figure out that Brits drive on the other side of the road.
The victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, was struck as some sort of vehicle was turning right from westbound Leucadia Boulevard onto Moonstone Court around 11:50 am.
He died after he was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, despite the efforts of bystanders to revive him before paramedics arrived.
The closest any of the stories came to mentioning that the vehicle even had a driver was a brief reference that police investigators don’t think alcohol played a role in the crash.
That determination also implies that the driver remained at the scene.
San Diego’s Phillip Young has been kind enough to include me in a series of emails with Encinitas city leaders about the dangers of a new and apparently not-so-much improved protected bike lane along the coast highway through the city.
I asked him to explain just what the problem is, and what could be done to fix it.
The City of Encinitas has created a narrow Class 4 protected bikeway/cycletrack with too much going on in a confined space with no escape routes. This stretch of Coast Hyw 101 has recorded no bicycle accidents from 2016 until a week ago. The wheel stops / berms were added a week ago and now the accident count are 3 serious crashes requiring cyclists to be taken away by ambulances. The third accident was today. The Encinitas Mayor and officials ignored input for the public and experienced cyclists at multiple public meetings prior to final design.
Possible factors:
Mix flow of high and low speed cyclists
Many travel modes and stuff: bicycles, eBikes, walkers, runners, baby strollers, three wheelers, inline skates, skateboards, kids in tow by moms, old people, couples, surfboards, beach stuff
Mix of ages and abilities from world class triateletes to first time riders
Two-way traffic possible for all the above types. Only bicycles are allowed but the city design does not accommodate the others travelers elsewhere – no sidewalks.
Too narrow to accommodate the traffic as validated by 3-accidents in a week and the wheel stops / berms have only been installed for 1-week.
Northbound is higher speed due to a descending slope – the three accidents are northbound events
Signage needs improvement but that creates more road furniture to run over
The wheel stops / berms are the problem and offer no true protection from cars and create a maintenance problems because machinery can’t get in to clean and resurface the bikeway with more safety issues
The best solution would be to shift the Coast Hyw 101 roadway from 2-car lanes each way to 1-car lane each way. The old #2 car lane for each direction could be turned into a Class 1 Bikeway with K-rails for separation from vehicular traffic. The old Class 4 protected bikeway / cycletrack with wheel stops / berms could be turned into a sidewalk for non-bicycle use.
Second best solution is to add sharrows to the tarmac in the #2-car lane each way plus pole mounted signage.
These are just a few of my thoughts that come to mind. Riders with more experience may have some better ideas.
We are working to get the word out to the cycling community to be made aware of the new road hazards on the Coast Hwy 101 in Cardiff.
One more example of why bike riders should always be included in bikeway plans. Or at the very least, why they should turn the job over to an engineer who actually rides a bike.
Hopefully, Encinitas will get this fixed before there’s any more blood on the pavement.
Today’s photo was taken from the email chain; I’m not sure who should be credited.
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Today’s common theme is finding space on our streets for people, instead of just cars.
A San Diego man will muster out of the Navy today, and embark on a cross-country bike ride on Saturday to raise funds for wounded vets. Which should be interesting with half the country shut down right now.
A San Jose website offers advice on how to buy a new bike during the pandemic. Pro tip: Always get your bike from, or at least through, a local bike shop. It may cost a little more, but it will more than pay off in service down the road.
A health website comes up with a list of bike safety tips “you’ve definitely forgotten about since childhood,” none of which you’ve probably forgotten about. Any list that starts with “always wear a helmet” reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how to stay safe on a bike, anyway. A bike helmet should always be considered the last line of defense when all else fails, not the first.
Milton Keynes is full of parks. Maybe not such nice sheep in Campbell Park who appear to prefer cyclists to grass (from earlier this year) #LoveMK@scenesfromMKpic.twitter.com/wqaL7f7j0d
Thanks to Matthew Robertson for his monthly donation to help support this site, and bring you the latest bike news every morning.
On a related note, some people have asked for an alternative to PayPal or Zelle to donate to this site. Does anyone have a favorite free or low-cost online resource you can recommend?
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And wear a mask, already.
Forty-six-year old Carlsbad resident Joseph Ricardo Fernandez was ordered to stand trial July 11 on a single count of hit-and-run causing death. Although I wouldn’t count on that; this early in the process, trials seldom take place on the date originally scheduled.
Fernandez had his bail cut in half, from $100,000 to $50,000. As it now stands, he faces a maximum of just four years in prison if convicted.
Someone will have to explain to me why he is only charged with hit-and-run, rather than facing trial for actually killing another human being, whether through drunkenness, distraction or carelessness.
San Diego’s 10News, which has offered the most in-depth coverage to date, quotes Swarzman’s fiancée Nicole Honda testifying that she saw a flash of light before hearing what she described as an explosion.
“I saw something orange flying from behind me across to the side of the road,” said Honda.
Honda said a few seconds later she realized it was her fiancé being thrown into the air….
“I dropped my bike and started screaming and ran over to him and called 911,” said Honda. “He was struggling to breathe. I heard him trying to breathe.”
Swarzman died several hours later; Fernandez turned himself in the next day, saying he thought he might have hit something. However, every description and detail I’ve heard suggests a collision so violent it would have been impossible not to know he’d struck Swarzman.
Fernandez next court appearance is a readiness conference scheduled for June 6th.
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On a brighter note, Jim Lyle reports that Richard Schlickman, critically injured last March when his bike hit new unmarked speed bumps in Palos Verdes Estates, is showing significant improvement.
The word isn’t as good for Adam Rybicki, hit head-on by an alleged underage drunk driver last month. He has been moved to a sub-acute care facility, though his condition remains unchanged.
