Tag Archive for hit-and-run

LAPD keeping us in the dark on hit-and-runs, update to 5-Star Safety Ratings, and Robin told Conan to “go ride a bike”

November 20, 2024 / / One comment
Just 40 days until LA fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 
Not that LA leaders actually care, or anything. 

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Monday evening I updated our report on the hit-and-run collision that took the life of bike rider Oscar Guardado in South LA last month, after the LAPD finally got around to asking for the public’s help.

Which is one reason I wasn’t able to post anything here yesterday.

Guardado was killed when he was struck by the driver of a black four-door sedan at Normandie Ave and W 23rd Street around 9:55 pm on October 27th; the driver fled the scene, apparently without stopping.

LAPD detectives urged any witnesses to the crash to come forward, after security video showed there were other people who could have seen the crash in the area at the time of the collision.

Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD Sgt. Garbiel Nily of the South Traffic Division at 323/421-2500, or call the South Traffic Division Watch Commander after business hours at 323/421-2577.

As always, there is a standing $50,000 reward for any fatal hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles.

However, the city also has a hit-and-run alert system which was approved a decade ago to get the public’s assistance in the hours immediately after a driver flees a collision, when they are most likely to remember key details that could help the cops find a suspect.

It was based on the highly successful program used in Denver to track down hit-and-run drivers, and was quickly followed by a similar California program.

Yet to the best of my knowledge, the LAPD has never used either one, apparently preferring to wait until the trail has gone cold before asking for our assistance.

Which could explain their miserable success rate of identifying a suspect in just one in five hit-and-runs reported to the department, and resulting in charges in less than half of those.

Although that’s better than the eight percent success rate they claimed in 2018.

If we had an effective city government, our elected leaders would demand to know why so little effort apparently goes into solving a crime that affects so many people. And demand to know why the tool the created to get the public’s help in solving it continues to go unused.

Or why they can’t at least inform the public within a few days of a serious crash.

But they don’t.

And we don’t.

So we can continue to count on the LAPD letting us know about serious and sometimes fatal crashes, when and if they get around to it.

Because why change a system that clearly isn’t working for anyone.

Meanwhile, the crowdfunding page to help pay for Oscar Guardado’s funeral expenses has raised just $1,625 of the modest $12,500 goal.

So if you have any extra cash lying around that you don’t need, they could use the help.

Photo of Oscar Guardado from crowdfunding page.

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About damn time.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, aka NHTSA, has finally finalized changes to their 5-Star Safety Ratings program by incorporating new driver assistance tech, as well as measuring the degree of a vehicle’s pedestrian protection.

According to the NHTSA,

Notable changes to the program provided by this update include:

  • The addition of four advanced driver assistance technologies that will enhance crash-avoidance safety: pedestrian automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, blind spot warning and blind spot intervention.
  • Updated and strengthened testing procedures and performance criteria for advanced driver assistance technologies that are already included in NCAP, such as automatic emergency braking.
  • The addition of a crashworthiness pedestrian protection program to evaluate the ability of a vehicle’s front end to mitigate pedestrian injuries and fatalities in vehicle-to-pedestrian impacts.
  • Midterm and long-term roadmaps to accommodate future updates amid ongoing research and technological advancements in vehicle safety, including crash avoidance and crashworthiness improvements to protect bicyclists and motorcyclists and an updated rating system.

The protections for people outside the vehicle don’t go nearly as far as, or offer the rigid requirements of, the vehicle standards in the European Union.

But it’s a start.

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We already knew the late, great Robin Williams was one of us.

Now it turns out that after Conan O’Brien was fired from the Tonight Show when Jay Leno decided he wasn’t ready to step down after all, Williams called him out of the blue and told him to hit the road, too.

But in this case, the bike-riding comedian told Conan he had rented a Colnago for him at a Santa Monica bike shop, instructing them to paint it in “crazy” Irish colors. And told him to bike around the city to clear his head.

It must have worked, because Conan will host the Oscars next February, after hosting his own late-night show for 11 years.

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This is who we share the road with.

A 33-year old travel influencer faces 15 year to life for the crash that killed an 83-year old woman on deadly Fountain Ave in West Hollywood.

If he survives, that is.

Garrett Bruno suffered only minor injuries in the October 10th crash that killed Esther Abouab and seriously injured her husband, while allegedly speeding in his SUV.

But he broke his jaw falling off a scooter less than a week later. Then he allegedly fell off his scooter again days later on October 25th, this time suffering a fractured skull. And just two days before sheriff’s deputies raided his home in an attempt to arrest him, unaware that he was reportedly hospitalized in grave condition in a coma.

Assuming he recovers, prosecutors are expected to file felony counts of second-degree murder and reckless driving against him.

Let’s hope he’s not allowed to drive again. And has enough sense to stay off scooters going forward.

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BikeLA hosts its’ 3rd Annual LA Bike Fest Fundraiser Happy Hour this Saturday from noon to 3 pm at the Highland Park Brewery in, yes, Highland Park.

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Caltrans is hosting a meeting to discuss proposed changes to Foothill Blvd in La Verne.

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Good question.

https://twitter.com/HowTheWestWS/status/1858698580829368799

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It’s now 336 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 41 months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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

No bias here. Republican California State Senator Republican Kelly Seyarto complains, among many other things, that the policies of California’s Democratic leadership “prioritize curbing the construction of roads and highways in favor of bike lanes and high-speed rail projects.” Considering the cuts California’s Active Transportation Program took in the governor’s budget, before being restored by the legislature, they don’t seem to prioritize that, either. 

Residents of a London neighborhood got fed up with Lime bikes abandoned in a parking lot, and took an axel grinder to them.

London’s anti-bike Telegraph publishes a “dossier of collision data” involving “rogue cyclists” in the city’s parks. And illustrates it by manipulating photos of people bicycling safely and legally to make it look like they’re speeding.

A Northern Irish newspaper gets its Irish up over a nearly $3.3 million investment in a new bike lane, without noting that is the cost to rebuild the entire roadways.

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Local  

While Los Angeles does nothing, as usual, Glendale is moving ahead with plans for implementing the speed cam pilot program approved by the state earlier this year.

Streetsblog tours the Puente Hills Landfill that is intended to become the future “Griffith Park of the San Gabriel Valley” when it opens in 2027. Let’s just hope it turns out to be safer than the “Griffith Park of the Los Angeles Basin.”

They get it. A coalition of South Pasadena safe streets organizations complain about the city’s wide open, high speed streets, and call on local residents to support the vision for city streets presented by Toole Design Group.

 

State

It’s been a rough few days for Victorville bicyclists, including a bike rider who was hospitalized after being struck by a pickup driver yesterday.

No surprise here. After hitting a young man riding a bicycle last weekend, a Santa Barbara driver got out of his car and disappeared, while the passenger started to exchange information with a witness, before taking off in a dead run after being asked if the driver had been drinking. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up. 

A crowdfunding campaign for a 13-year old Bakersfield boy killed in a collision while riding his bike has raised nearly $9,000 of the $15,000 goal.

Sad news from San Carlos, where a Palo Alto woman was killed in a collision while riding her bike.

San Francisco presents the final design for moving the much-maligned Valencia Street centerline bike lane, which got the unanimous blessing of the city’s Municipal Transportation Agency’s board of directors.

 

National

Cycling Weekly says the fatality rate for bicycling is disproportionately high, but it beats the hell out of the health risks of letting your car do all the work.

US bikemaker Woom is recalling 2,500 children’s bikes that may be afflicted by damaged cranks, which could break during use, and have resulted in at least one injury.

A Seattle Redditor posts video of the city’s obstructed bike lanes.

Colorado’s governor calls for doubling the state’s rate of bicycling, walking and transit use by 2035. Let’s hope they do better than Los Angeles, which has missed nearly every date it has set for the last decade.

North Dakota’s governor celebrates a $1.5 million grant that will allow the state to bring the All Kids Bike program to 233 elementary schools, teaching the kids how to ride a bike safely.

Apparently bike polo is still a thing, as a Texas public radio station talks with a San Marcos bike polo player who says it’s his thing.

Indianapolis bike riders offer advice on how drivers can help keep them safe on the roads, reminding them that the person on the bicycle is “somebody’s mother, sister, brother, father.”

Sports Illustrated profiles Dartmouth College student Bond Almand, who shattered the Pan-American Highway Bike Race record for riding from Alaska to Argentina.

A Georgia Tech research engineer tracks the evolution of bike helmets, from plant rinds to high-tech materials.

 

International

The Guardian picks the best gifts for bicyclists, from a neck snood to geranium and orange bath oil. Even if you have to buy them for yourself.

Cycling Weekly celebrates the benefits and freedom of taking your time on your next ride.

Czech carmaker Škoda’s We Love Cycling website turns the usual “best cities for bicycling” routine on its head, listing the five European cities where you absolutely shouldn’t ride a bike, including Lisbon and Dubrovnik. But not including Venice, where it is literally impossible.

Momentum considers family friendly adventure cycling routes around the world, including America’s Great Allegheny Passage.

A new map tells you what intersections to avoid on your bicycle on your next trip to London.

No surprise here, as an 18-year old British man finds himself reluctant to get back on his bike after getting hit by drivers for the third time.

The student newspaper for Dublin’s Trinity College examines the “perilous history” of bicycling in the city.

Bicycling Dutch says “Good cycling infrastructure is where small mistakes do not have severe consequences.” They got that right. 

 

Competitive Cycling

Testimony at an official inquest reveals 24-year old New Zealand cyclist Olivia Podmore was bullied by her coaches in the days before her suicide, apparently in response to being left off the squad for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

U-23 cyclist Tom Schellekens is walking away from his team’s road cycling squad to focus on mountain biking in Los Angeles in 2028.

 

Finally…

Forget ebikes, just plant more trees. If you’re riding your bike carrying meth and drug paraphernalia, with eight — count ’em, eight — active arrest warrants, maybe just don’t.

And nothing like finding a biohazard container or a llama in the bike lane — but that beats the hell out of a moving car on a bike path.

Or bigass Christmas tree.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Update: 42-year old Oscar Guardado killed riding bicycle in South LA hit-and-run; 17th SoCal bicycling hit-and-run death this year

November 7, 2024 / / No comments

Sometimes it seems like they just don’t want us to know how deadly our streets really are.

Far too often, when people riding bicycles in Los Angeles are killed or seriously injured in traffic violence, it never makes the news.

Or even a lousy LAPD press release.

Not even for a hit-and-run, where notifying the public could help identify and capture the suspect — which is why we have hit-and-run alert systems on both the local and state level that somehow never get used.

Yet that was the case yet again last month, when 42-year old Oscar Guardado was killed in a hit-and-run while riding his bike in LA’s West Adams neighborhood.

According to a fundraising page posted by his daughter, Guardado died on October 27th when he was struck by a drunk driver, who fled the scene afterwards; unfortunately, it’s only raised $825 of the modest $7,000 goal for funeral expenses.

Guardado’s death was confirmed by the County Medical Examiner’s office.

An attorney’s promotional page places the crash on the 2200 block of South Normandie Ave, at 10:12 pm, but does not say how they came by the information.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know right now.

There’s no word on how the crash occurred, whether an arrest has been made, or how they know the driver was under the influence.

There’s also no word on how many other cases like this could be out there that we’ve never heard about, either.

This is at least the 47th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 14th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

Seventeen of those SoCal deaths we know about have been hit-and-runs.

Update: The LAPD has finally gotten around to letting us know about this crash. 

At a press conference on Monday, November 17th — a full 20 days after the fatal hit-and-run — detectives confirmed that Oscar Ernesto Guardado was stuck by a driver at Normandie Ave and W 23rd Street at 9:55 pm on the night of October 27th.

The suspect vehicle is described as a black four-door sedan, but there’s no description of the driver at this time. Security video shows there may be other witnesses to the crash who have not yet come forward. 

Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD Sgt. Garbiel Nily of the South Traffic Division at 323/421-2500, or call the South Traffic Division Watch Commander after business hours at 323/421-2577.

As always, there is a standing $50,000 reward for any fatal hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles.

Although the odds of finding the suspect would have been much higher had the department made this announcement in the hours after the crash, rather than weeks later. 

Meanwhile, the crowdfunding page to help pay for Guardado’s funeral expenses has still raised only $1,400. If you have any extra money lying around, maybe you can give them hand.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Oscar Guardado and all his family and loved ones.

Thanks to someone who prefers to remain anonymous for the heads-up, and for putting the information together. 

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

Bike rider killed by hit-and-run driver in Riverside Saturday; 16th SoCal bicyclist killed in hit-and-run this year

October 27, 2024 / / One comment

Once again, someone riding a bicycle in Southern California has run down by a heartless coward, and left to die in the street.

This time in Riverside.

According to My News LA, the victim was struck while riding on Streeter Ave just north of Lantana Street around 7:55 pm Saturday.

The bike rider, who has not been publicly identified, died at the scene.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know right now. There’s no word on how the crash happened, or any description of the suspect vehicle or the person responsible.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Riverside Police Department at 951/826-8720, or email RMcHugh@RiversideCA.gov.

This is at least the 44th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in Riverside County; however, it appears the first one in the county since early May.

Sixteen of those SoCal deaths have been hit-and-runs.

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

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , ,

51-year old Costa Mesa woman killed by accused DUI hit-and-run driver; driver held on 2nd degree murder charge

September 30, 2024 / / 2 comments

Call it murder this time.

Multiple sources are reporting that a 51-year old woman was killed when her bicycle was rear-ended by an accused drunk driver in a Huntington Beach hit-and-run early Monday morning.

The victim, identified as 51-year old Costa Mesa resident Kristin Bellovich, was riding in the far-right lane of southbound Beach Beach Blvd at Glencoe Drive, when she was run down by the driver of a Ford SUV just after midnight.

She died after being taken to a local hospital.

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 ones. 

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

It wasn’t ebikes that shut down San Pedro bridge, 80 mph hit-and-run driver pleads not guilty, and more ebike junk science

September 27, 2024 / / No comments
Just 94 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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It’s not our fault this time.

No, really.

After a couple years of headlines about fires and injuries caused by exploding lithium-ion ebike batteries, a lithium-ion battery fire shut down the entire Vincent Thomas Bridge over the LA Harbor in San Pedro.

But we didn’t have anything to do with it.

This time it was an overturned semi carrying six massive lithium-ion batteries that burst into flames shortly after it tipped over.

Fortunately, Li-ion batteries are usually shipped with just a partial charge, or we could have been looking at a much bigger disaster.

It just feels good that ebikes had nothing to do with it, for once.

Screen grab from KABC-7.

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Alan Reyes, the 23-year old driver accused fleeing the scene after critically injuring a 16-year old ebike rider in San Marcos, pled not guilty in his first court appearance yesterday.

He is accused of driving his pickup 80 mph in a 45 mph zone, with alcohol in his system at the time of the crash, but is not accused of being legally drunk.

Probably because he had two days to sober up before police found his truck and identified him as the driver, making it impossible to administer a valid alcohol test.

Meanwhile the victim, Jonathan Ramos, is still in the ICU suffering from severe injuries, including a damaged lung, and is unable to breathe on his own.

His mother says the kid was just one minute from home when Reyes ran him down.

Allegedly.

Reyes is being held on $100,000 bond.

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More junk science about the “staggering” rate of ebike injuries.

In a new study, researchers from Columbia University estimate that ebike and e-scooter injuries increased by a “staggering” 293% and 88% respectively between 2019-2022.

Which does sound staggering. Until you consider ebike sales were up an estimated 269% over the same period, meaning estimated ebike injuries only increased a relatively modest 24% over estimated sales.

And both figures are presented in terms of percentages, making it impossible to compare the actual number of injuries to the total number of sales.

So until someone finally gets around to conducting a rigorous study that compares injury rates to ridership, alarming statistics like this aren’t worth the silicon they’re printed on.

Meanwhile, in not so junky science, a new five-year study from Lime and the Bike League shows micromobility users — ie, bike and scooter riders — prefer using painted bike lanes, and particularly protected bike lanes, over streets with no bike infrastructure.

And yes, the bike lanes do make them feel safer — and actually makes them safer, especially the protected lanes.

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Pledge to go a week without driving next week.

Which is easier said than done if you rely on Metro buses, like I do.

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Now you might actually be able to find a restroom the next time you take a Metro bus or train.

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Zachary Rynew offers more proof that too many Los Angeles drivers are (insert offensive epithet of your choice).

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It’s now 282 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 39 full months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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

A 76-year old Florida woman faces an aggravated assault charge for chasing after a man on a bicycle and intentionally trying to run him down with her car, following an argument that began when she tried to cut him off in a roundabout.

A Canadian website says Ontario Premier Doug Ford has declared war on bicyclists, carrying on his crack-smoking former Toronto mayor brother’s hatred of all things bike.

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

Mobs of teenagers on bicycles have now descended on fourteen 7-11s across the Los Angeles area, stealing everything they can get their hands on “with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine” — except, oddly, the cash.

Police in Wales are looking for a man riding a bicycle who pushed a schoolgirl, for no apparent reason.

A British man was convicted of manslaughter for fatally punching a 78-year old widower, after the victim objected to the man riding his bicycle on the sidewalk; he tried to flee afterwards, but was detained by bystanders until police arrived.

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Local  

Streets For All urges you to contact the governor to demand he sign SB 961, which would require that all new cars emit an audible warning when drivers go more than 10 mph over the speed limit.

Calbike offers a guest post from Anne Marie Drolet, founder of LA’s biweekly Gender Expansive Ride. 

 

State

That’s more like it. A San Francisco man is finally going to trial eight years after he allegedly killed a 41-year old woman riding a bicycle, after the judge vacated a deal that would have imposed a 15-year sentence on lesser charges; Nicky Garcia was allegedly blowing through stop signs at up to 60 mph, after breaking into a car and stealing a backpack, when he ran down Heather Miller. Garcia has already spent the last eight years behind bars, apparently unable to post bail.

 

National

Popular used bike and component retailer The Pro’s Closet announced it will be shutting down next month after 18 years.

Bike Radar says famed handmade bike builder Bob Parlee’s legacy will live on through his incredible bikes, following his death from natural causes earlier this week.

A Milwaukee man was lucky to keep his head on his shoulders when a thin wire dangling from a light pole wrapped around his neck as he was riding downhill on a bike trail at 28 mph; no word yet on why the wire was there, or if was placed intentionally.

Common sense prevailed for once, as a judge ruled that a former Pittsburgh cop who was fired for repeatedly tasing a nonviolent Black man mistakenly suspected of stealing a bicycle can’t get his job back, after an arbitrator had ordered him reinstated with back pay.

A Massachusetts state representative is demanding answers from the state police on why they didn’t charge the driver who jumped the curb and killed 62-year old man riding his bike on the sidewalk in a head-on collision. And no, I can’t recall any California legislator demanding to know why a driver who killed someone on a bicycle wasn’t charged. 

The New York Times says bicycles ruled the Gulf Coast before Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday night. After it made landfall, probably not so much.

 

International

Sounding like a classic Seinfeld episode regarding something far different, Momentum says “Yes, these bicycle campers are real and they’re magnificent.”

In a bizarre story reminiscent of an infamous scene from Blazing Saddles, an apparently suicidal Vancouver man led police on an extensive chase riding an ebike while holding a pellet gun to his own head, leading to a shelter-in-place order for the surrounding community.

Canada has opened four new bike tourism routes across the country.

No, there’s nothing wrong with a driver pulling over into a bike lane to let a fire truck pass, in Britain or anywhere else. Including here.

Proving that it is possible, bicycling fatalities in the UK have dropped to the lowest level ever recorded, although that’s also accompanied by a jump in injuries and a drop in bicycling rates. But it took a significant investment in safe bike infrastructure to do it, which we’ve yet to see on this side of the Atlantic.

A British driver was “spoken to” but not charged after apparently passing out at the wheel, jumping the curb and plowing into a row of bikes, throwing a woman through the air and snapping her bike in two. Fortunately, the bike rider’s injuries were not life-threatening; no word on the condition of the driver.

Add this one to your bike bucket list. A new Turkish bike tour — excuse me, Türkiye — promises to take you back in time 3,700 years.

 

Competitive Cycling

Bad news from Zurich, Switzerland, where 18-year old Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer is in very critical condition with a serious head injury, after crashing during yesterday’s junior women’s road race at the UCI world championships.

 

Finally…

Maybe your under-the-breath comments aren’t so under-the-breath, after all. Now you, too, can do your very own aero testing.

And a bike helmet may not protect you from a massive SUV. But apparently, it can keep your head safe from nut-tossing squirrels.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

San Diego TV station almost gets why no one’s using bike lane, and man turns himself in for San Marcos hit-and-run

September 25, 2024 / / No comments
Just 96 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Let me get this straight.

San Diego’s CBS-8 revisited the city’s new “protected” bike lanes on busy Convoy Street to see how they’re fairing, several weeks after they were opened.

What they found were white car-tickler plastic posts that were already broken and bent, commercial trucks parked in the bike lanes, and shopping carts and other debris blocking them.

Then they wondered why they only saw five people using them in the two midday, mid-week hours they happened to be watching.

Of course, they also heard the usual complaints from drivers who couldn’t figure out the new streetscape, or where they could possibly park if they can’t store their cars on the street directly in front of their destination.

Never mind that the bike lanes were built in anticipation of new apartment buildings currently under construction, which will add hundreds of housing units and the people who will live in them, and who will have to get around somehow.

Preferably not by driving.

Hence the bike lanes.

But it’s true that few people will bother to use them if they’re not safe, or safely rideable. Which is pretty much what the station saw.

Now maybe they can come back at rush hour or on the weekend, after they’re cleaned up and the trucks are gone.

Then they could do a far better story about why flimsy plastic bollards don’t protect anyone.

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A 23-year old San Marcos man was arrested after turning himself into sheriff’s deputies for last week’s hit-and-run that left a teenage boy with serious injuries.

Never mind that deputies had already found his massive 2021 GMC Sierra pickup, which matched the debris found following the crash — and showed signs he had attempted to conceal the damage.

Not to mention that the nearly one-week delay in turning himself in gave him plenty of time to sober up after hitting the boy’s ebike.

If he’d been under the influence at the time of the crash, of course.

The driver, Alan Edmundo Reyes, is being held on $80,000 bond on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and reckless driving resulting in injury.

He’s likely looking at a maximum of 30 months behind bars for the two counts, though that will probably be bargained down to a slap on the wrist if he accepts a plea.

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Unlike the foot-dragging we’ve seen from the City of Los Angeles, LA County passed a new Measure HLA-type law to speed up building the county bike plan as streets get resurfaced.

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If you think you’re being squeezed out on the streets, you’re probably right.

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Just in case you still wonder why traffic deaths for people outside of motor vehicles keep going up.

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“Chim, chimney, chim, chimney, chim, chim, cher-ee…”

https://twitter.com/CoolBikeArt1/status/1838643621609804108

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It’s now 280 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 39 full months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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

A Conservative member of the British Parliament proposes re-introducing legislation to let bicyclists know they’re not above the law, and let the “small minority” of dangerous bike riders know there are responsibilities they can be prosecuted for. At least he recognizes that it’s just a few people who need to be held accountable.

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Local  

The candidates for West Hollywood City Council sound off about e-scooters and protected bike lanes, particularly the proposal for a lane reduction and removing parking on Fountain to install them. And not everyone is in favor.

Santa Monica’s MANGo bikeway is now officially open.

 

State

A California Streetsblog board member pledges to go a week without driving, and tell us all about it. Just wait until she learns some people do that every day. 

We’re still waiting for Gavin Newsom to sign SB 961, which would require all passenger vehicles to give an audible warning if the drivers go more than 10 mph over the speed limit. Or not.

Calbike is celebrating its 30th birthday, and inviting you to become a dues paying member.

A 28-year old Chula Vista woman has made a miraculous recovery from a near fatal blood clot, suffered days after she got stitches when she crashed her ebike.

San Francisco unveils a plan for a new curbside bike lane on Valencia Street, replacing the current contentious centerline bike lane, although the new parking protected bike lane has to swerve around existing parklets.

The Executive Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition says the city’s new Biking and Rolling Plan must apply to the entire city, and not carve out Chinatown for exemptions.

 

National

A Tucson, Arizona TV station says the return of the annual El Tour De Tucson means big business for local bike shops. Then again, bike events usually mean big business for just about everyone. 

An Aspen, Colorado writer takes obvious pride in not falling for the ebike “hype,” saying there’s nothing cool about them and comparing ebikes to…wait for it…pickleball.

A Colorado woman wonders about a strange “very short” mile-long bike lane. Even if that’s a lot longer than a lot of the bike lanes here in Los Angeles, and just as disconnected.

Police in Oklahoma City busted two men for a twenty grand bike heist, and are looking for another man who’s still on the lam.

The New York Times talks with the city’s Blue Angels who found a way to game the bikeshare system to score thousands of dollars a month.

 

International

It turns out that Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Jackman, Pink, Sheryl Crow, Reggie Miller, Rush drummer Neil Peart, Zac Efron, J-Lo and Arnold are all one of us, too.

The co-founder of All Bodies on Bikes and co-host of the All Bodies on Bikes podcast shares her non-racing bike heroes, including a Paralympian physical therapist and the founder of Black Girl Joy Ride.

Momentum examines Canada’s top new cities for urban bicycling, starting with the top urban cycling city on the prairie.

The CBC fact checks Ontario Premier Doug Ford recent comments opposing bike lanes, including the common myth that they slow emergency vehicles. Yes, he’s the brother of notorious crack-smoking, bike-hating former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.

London is seizing ebikes illegally modified to exceed speed limitations, with most belonging to delivery riders who use them for their work.

Unsurprisingly, Sheffield, England’s new Dutch-style bikeways and roundabouts are drawing mixed reviews, largely depending on whether the reviewer bikes or drives.

A new study from Lyon, France shows that allowing bike riders to travel through red lights could improve traffic efficiency.

A Manilla bicycling brigade is fighting to cut the Philippine city’s endless traffic and pollution.

 

Competitive Cycling

Velo looks forward to this weekend’s men’s road world championships, framing it as Tadej Pogačar versus the world, while Cyclist looks at the favorites for the women’s road worlds.

Velo also recaps last weekend’s men’s and women’s time trial worlds.

Thrice Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar admits he used to shit his pants after every race, the result of too many energy gels and drinks.

 

Finally…

You can’t sail a modern America’s Cup boat anymore without us. Now you, too, can bike in the glowing footsteps of Oppenheimer and Teller.

And it’s not every day you see a pedaling cow.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

LAPD looks for killer Koreatown hit-and-run scooter rider, and Vermont Knolls hit-and-run driver who injured bike rider

September 23, 2024 / / 3 comments
Just 98 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

……..

The LAPD is on the lookout for a killer hit-and-run driver.

But in this case, she was driving an e-scooter.

The victim was walking down a Koreatown sidewalk with his wife around 4:50 this past Thursday when the woman came barreling down the sidewalk, along with a man on a second scooter, knocking him down.

Sixty-five-year old Donny Kim fell backwards, striking his head. He refused treatment, but his condition worsened after going home; two days later, he was dead.

After stopping briefly, the woman rode off on her scooter, despite the efforts of Kim’s wife to get her to stay.

And yes, it’s illegal to ride an electric scooter on the sidewalk in Los Angeles — just like the sticker on every e-scooter in the city says.

And e-scooter riders are legally required to stick around and exchange personal information following a crash, just like bike riders, drivers or anyone else.

Thanks to Christian for the heads-up. 

………

The LAPD is also on the lookout for the hit-and-run driver who left a 63-year old man lying in the street suffering from severe injuries, after crashing into his bike in LA’s Vermont Knolls neighborhood.

And speaking of the LAPD, the cops are trying to identify a group of around 50 teenagers who swarmed a West LA 7-11, looting the store within minutes.

………

While we were gone, West Hollywood narrowly reaffirmed plans for a lane reduction and protected bike lanes on busy Fountain Ave, accepting an $8.2 million grant from the California Air Resources Board to remake the roadway by a 3-to-2 vote in a contentious city council meeting.

On a related note, WeHo Online recaps the recent Streets For All mobility forum for the candidates running for WeHo city council — not all of whom approve of the decision.

And the city could lower the speed limit on a number of streets, while WeHo Online whines it could make driving in the city even slower. Which someone should tell them is actually a good thing.

………

North OC Bikes will host their monthly family friendly bike ride in Fullerton this Friday.

………

Now you, too, can own one of the vintage Colnago road bikes belonging to Steve Tesich, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Breaking Away, who died in 1996.

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It’s now 278 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 39 full months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

Meanwhile, San Gabriel Valley residents will soon be eligible for vouchers for up to $3,000 off on the purchase of a ped-assist ebike or cargo bikes, courtesy of ActiveSGV and the SGV Council of Governments.

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

They’re onto us, comrades. A Washington state letter writer argues that the area’s new bike lanes are nothing more than a commie plot. “Bicycles are tools of commies and socialists. These paths and lanes are for only one thing: to usher in their left wing, ‘green energy,’ fossil fuel-hating, automobile-loathing, bird-killing wind farm, solar power loving agenda.”

No bias here. A Colorado woman confronted a pair of hungry bike riders who made the mistake of stopping for a snack while riding on a path near her home in Summit County, eventually shoving one of their bikes to the ground; she later told police she doesn’t like tourists.

Business owners in an industrial section of Queens complain that gentrification is going too far, with plans for a new bike lane that they insist will put the people who use it at risk, along with their truckers.

A Gloucestershire, England police official is deservedly under fire after arguing that a lot of people who ride bikes “don’t realize that…a close pass itself isn’t an offense,” despite reminding drivers that they’re required to give bicyclists at least a 1.5 meter passing distance, the equivalent of nearly five feet.

Authorities in Edinburg, Scotland are on the hunt for a man who was caught on security cam getting out of a car and throttling a bike rider who was arguing with the woman driving the car, throwing him to the ground.

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

A 30-year old Hoboken NJ man could face charges after he was arrested for deliberately ramming a goose with his ebike at a waterfront park; no word on the condition of the goose.

The NYPD is on the hunt for a bikeshare rider who maced a 17-year old boy for reasons known only to him after their bikes collided in Central Park.

No bias here, either. A 24-year old man in Northern Ireland walked with the equivalent of a lousy $465 fine for riding a bike at twice the legal alcohol limit, while carrying coke and failing to stop until the cops knocked him off his bike; meanwhile, his defense attorney joked that riding a bicycle or wearing Lycra while overweight should be a crime.

A woman in Singapore will spend the next four weeks behind bars for riding a bicycle she knew had faulty brakes, after killing a 63-year old woman when she crashed into her.

………

Local  

NBC Los Angeles talks with the esteemed Jimmy Lizama, the founder of LA’s Bicycle Kitchen.

Streetsblog visits the new extension to Santa Monica’s MANGo bikeway, as well as bike lanes being installed on Reseda Boulevard, Mason Ave, Avenue 51 and Townsend Ave. And yes, that’s Avenue 51, not Area 51. 

Caltrans is looking for input on a proposed reconfiguration of busy Rosemead Blvd between Rosemead and Temple City.

About damn time. Caltrans also proposed plans to improve safety on PCH through Malibu include bike lanes and wider sidewalks, with 90% of commenters calling for better protecting bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as landscaping the center median, and adding more parking on the beach side of the highway so people won’t have to cross it.

Manhattan Beach approved plans to give the city’s Sand Dune Park a $3.5 million makeover, but removed a planned bike path at the urging of local residents.

Long Beach received a $25 million federal grant for protected bike lanes along Pacific Ave.

 

State

Fountain Valley followed the lead of other Orange County cities by tightening regulations for ebike riders; however, it’s questionable whether any changes that conflict with the California vehicle code will withstand judicial review.

A college student in Orange used an AirTag to get her stolen bike back, as cops  tracked down and arrested the suspected thief.

Police in San Marcos have yet to arrest the hit-and-run driver who left a teenaged boy riding an ebike in critical condition suffering from major injuries, after impounding the driver’s massive GMC pickup, which showed signs of an attempted coverup.

Sad news from Newark, where a 60-year old man was killed by a driver in a left-cross crash while riding in a painted bike lane. Another reminder that pain’t ain’t protection. 

More sad news, this time from Ukiah, where a man was killed after crashing his ebike at an “extremely high-rate of speed” on a local trail.

 

National

Portland bicyclists rode naked through the city to protest Big Oil, months after the city’s “official” World Naked Bike Ride was cancelled.

A bighearted little girl in Colorado will forward the new bicycle a cop gave her to another kid in need, after police recovered her stolen bike.

Austin Monthly questions whether the capital city of auto-centric Texas can truly become a bicycling utopia by investing millions in new infrastructure.

What do you do after shattering the old record for riding around the world? Go for a family bike ride near your Chicago home, of course.

New York bicyclists raced across the city’s Williamsburg Bridge for a $1,000 prize — on bikeshare bikes.

After a DC driver was sentenced to eight years behind bars for killing a 45-year old man riding a bicycle, his survivors complain that his sentence was just a slap on the wrist. Just wait until they learn what most drivers get for killing one of us. 

Now even the weather is out to get us. A Florida teenager was killed when he was apparently struck by lightening while riding his bike; local residents pointed to a hole in the pavement that wasn’t there before he was hit.

 

International

A Road.cc reader is on a campaign to design a new type of road cycling cleat, so bike riders no longer have to “walk like ducks.”

Momentum highlights ten “stunning and unique bike routes” around the world they say you have to see to believe — but the only one in North America is the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route through the US and Canada.

Speaking of Momentum, the magazine argues that Ontario, Canada is playing petty politics, as the provincial premier calls for banning any new bike lane that would replace a traffic lane.

No real surprise here, as a study from a London college shows that price has no bearing on bike helmet protection.

British bike advocates warn that plans for remaking an “incredibly popular” multi-use path are too narrow and will lead to safety issues, with bats — yes, bats — given twice as much space as bicycles.

A “heartless hit-and-run driver” will spend the next six years behind bars, on his return to the UK after fleeing the country for four years.

A Brussels, Belgium newspaper examines what’s holding bicycling back in the city, arguing that it isn’t productive to frame it as just bikes versus cars.

A carfree man finds himself called the “Bicycle-Karen” upon moving back to Iceland after years in more bike-friendly European cities, because of his complaints about the way bike riders are treated in the country.

 

Competitive Cycling

Belgian cycling star Wout van Aert signed sport’s first-ever lifetime contract, committing to ride for Team Visma – Lease a Bike until he quits professional cycling.

 

Finally…

Who needs a lawnmower when you have a bicycle? Your next ebike could come from the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.

And maybe bike shops could stop shaming people with poorly maintained bikes.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

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

Update: Man riding bicycle killed by two hit-and-run drivers in Northridge; nearly 40% of all 2024 SoCal bike deaths hit-and-runs

September 21, 2024 / / 12 comments

Once again, a heartless coward left a helpless bike rider lying injured in the street for someone else to kill.

And someone did.

And that one fled the scene, too.

Multiple sources are reporting that a person on a bicycle, publicly identified only as a man in his early 50s, was struck from behind by the driver of a gray Honda around 9:15 pm Thursday on Lindley Ave near Napa Street in LA’s Northridge neighborhood.

He was thrown into the street, landing back in the right lane, where he was hit again by the driver of a gray pickup.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Both drivers fled the scene without stopping to render aid or identify themselves, as required by law.

Witnesses reported that several vehicles had struck the victim, but video from the scene showed only two drivers actually hit him, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.

Anyone with information is urged to call the LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division at 818/644-8025 or 818/644-8117, or call 877/527-3247 after hours or on the weekend.

As always, there is a standing $50,000 reward for any fatal hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles, which presumably would apply to information leading to the conviction of either of these drivers.

This is at least the 37th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 11th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County; it’s also the sixth that we know about in the City of Los Angeles.

Fourteen of those SoCal deaths — over 38% — have now come at the hands of heartless cowards who didn’t have the basic human decency to stick around afterward.

According to the Los Angeles Times, nearly one third of all traffic deaths in Los Angeles last year were hit-and-runs; no word on how many of those drivers were eventually arrested and charged, let alone convicted.

Update: The following was posted to Nextdoor in Northridge Village on Friday. 

Did anyone last night after 9 pm possibly see a man on a bike get killed by a hit and run driver near Lindley at Parthenia? That was my friend Dan. They didn’t stop. He was coming back from the Dollar store. He was a father and son and a good friend. He was on his bike. Please if anyone saw anything or knows anything. At least he deserves some justice. Just to hit him and leave him to die is too much.

Update 2: The victim has been identified as Danny Oerlemans. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Danny Oerlemans and his loved ones.

Thanks to Glenn Bailey for the heads-up. 

 

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

Update: Man riding BMX on sidewalk killed by wrong-way, hit-and-run driver in South LA’s Florence-Firestone neighborhood

August 28, 2024 / / Comments Off on Update: Man riding BMX on sidewalk killed by wrong-way, hit-and-run driver in South LA’s Florence-Firestone neighborhood

Nope.

Nothing suspicious here.

A man was struck and killed by a wrong-way, hit-and-run driver while riding his bike on a South LA sidewalk early Thursday morning.

According to Fox-11, the man was riding on the 7900 block of Alameda Street in the Florence-Firestone neighborhood just after 1 am Thursday, when an unknown driver jumped the curb on the opposite side of the roadway, traveling against traffic, and striking the victim on the sidewalk.

The driver sped off following the crash, leaving the victim, who hasn’t been publicly identified, to die at the scene.

My News LA places the location at 7927 Alameda.

Video from Fox-11 shows the victim’s blurred body lying on the sidewalk, next to his backpack and cellphone, with his BMX bike in the street nearby.

There’s no description of the suspect vehicle at this time, let alone the person behind the wheel.

But considering that the driver struck someone on a raised sidewalk, on the opposite side of a two-way street, it suggests they may have lost control at high rate of speed, or while driving distracted or under the influence.

Or that the crash may have been intentional.

Hopefully we’ll learn more soon.

This is at least the 35th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the tenth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.

Thirteen of those SoCal deaths have come at the hands of heartless cowards who didn’t have the basic human decency to stick around afterward.

Update: The victim has been identified as 37-year old Julio Castellon, while the location has been corrected to be the Florence-Graham neighborhood of South LA. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Julio Castellon and all his loved ones.

 

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

Breaking news: Man riding bicycle killed in Hyde Park hit-and-run; 12th SoCal bike rider killed by hit-and-run drivers this year

August 3, 2024 / / Comments Off on Breaking news: Man riding bicycle killed in Hyde Park hit-and-run; 12th SoCal bike rider killed by hit-and-run drivers this year

Yet another Southern California bike rider has been killed by a heartless hit-and-run driver.

KABC-7 is reporting that the victim was already dead by the time police arrived following the crash at W. 63rd Street near Overhill Drive in the Hyde Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles, just before noon Saturday.

He was identified only as a man in his 40s. His killer was apparently nowhere to be found.

Unfortunately, there’s no word at this time just how the crash happened, or any description of the driver or suspect vehicle. Hopefully we’ll learn more soon.

This is at least the 32nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the ninth that I’m aware this year in Los Angeles County; it’s also just the fifth in the City of Los Angeles — at least that we know about.

Twelve of those SoCal deaths have been the victims of heartless cowards who didn’t have the basic human decency to stick around afterward.

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

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