Point Loma’s Greg Bowerman adds that “good bone health demands solid weight-bearing activity, such as pumping weights or practicing yoga” to prevent fractures as we age.
I’m dealing with the same problem myself after a lifetime of riding, on top of all my other health issues brought on by diabetes, despite weight training. Although I’ve been lucky that I haven’t broken anything yet.
Speakers include Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez (District 13), Alissa Walker (Torched.la), Bill Wolkoff (co-executive producer, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), with more to be announced!
When: Monday, November 17th at 7:30pm
Where: Dynasty Typewriter, 2511 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057
Lots of transit options!
Optional VIP reception begins at 6pm (free if you are part of our Members Club with the purchase of a general admission ticket).
A Santa Clarita man says he feels like a broken record after repeated complaints about kids on ebikes. Although as we’ve repeatedly pointed out, the problems stem primarily from teens on electric dirt bikes and motorbikes, many of them illegal, rather than ped-assist ebikes. But almost no one seems to make that distinction.
State
A La Jolla paper examines the roots of ebikes, which it says are “loved by riders and loathed by many who share the streets with them.” Although you may have to get past the paper’s paywall to read it.
Sad news from Palo Alto, where a man in his 80s died over a week after he was struck by a driver in his 90s while riding his bicycle. Once again raising the question of how old is too old to drive safety. And like the man in Barrio Logan, anyone still riding a bike at that age deserves better.
Vox takes a look at the traffic revolution that’s making cities cleaner — and happier — as more cities are finally choosing bikes over cars. Unlike, say, a certain SoCal megalopolis we could name. And once again, you may have to find a way around their paywall.
Denver business owners complain about bullying after they opposed bikeways in front of their stores, including doxxing, negative Yelp reviews and harassing phone calls. Seriously, don’t do that. We’re far better off in the long run winning the day with better arguments, not harassment.
A former English pastor was remembered as a “keen cyclist” known for riding around town delivering a basket full of food he had grown or cooked to local families, after he passed away at 90. Which is about as nice an epitaph as anyone could hope for.
Velo says pro cycling’s soccer-inspired relegation system is just a hot mess that solves nothing, as the richest teams keep winning and the smaller teams pay the price. Although one thing that might help is limiting the size of pro rosters or capping payrolls, so they have to spread the talent around a little.
Particularly now that city officials longer seem to think we need to know such things.
Maybe because it points to what a colossal, stinking mound of crap they’ve given us when it comes to improving traffic safety here in the City of Angels.
Take Vision Zero, for instance.
Please.
In 2015, then-Mayor Eric Garcetti used an executive order to launch “Vision Zero,” an initiative designed to dramatically reduce traffic deaths through a wide-ranging set of proposed improvements to road design, education and more. Despite the aim of eliminating traffic deaths by 2025, road safety took a turn for the worse. This spring, the city released a lengthy audit of what went wrong.
Among the causes: Only half of the listed “actions” were ever completed. The plan lacked a program for accountability among city departments. There was poor coordination and diminishing participation from the LAPD’s traffic division.
In fact, traffic deaths have exceeded murders for the past three years. And already exceed the totals from 2015, with two full months to go.
The same with serious injury crashes, which have topped 1,500 for three years running, and likely will again.
The worst of the worst, though, is the notorious intersection of South Figueroa and Slauson.
Where South Figueroa crosses Slauson Avenue, bad things happen. Over the past four years, the intersection has been the scene of 17 felony hit-and-run collisions and five severe injuries. The crosswalks aren’t safe, either: seven pedestrians have been struck there.
All told, there were 66 serious collisions at the intersection, which is in the Vermont Slauson neighborhood in South Los Angeles, making it the most dangerous in the entire city during that period.
Then again, the rest of the South Figueroa corridor isn’t much better, with the intersections at Manchester, Florence and Gage also making the list.
Sepulveda makes the list three times, as does Western. Roscoe appears twice in just the top four, where it crosses Sepulveda and at Van Nuys.
Surprisingly, Sunset is only on there twice, where it crosses Highland, and a few blocks east at La Brea.
And Hollywood and Highland checks in a number 11. Which means it evidently wasn’t fixed in 2015 when all-way crossing was installed, after all.
So much for assurances from city officials.
Pedestrian deaths have exceeded the pre-Vision Zero totals for every single year after 2015, as have serious injuries and total traffic deaths.
Unfortunately, the stats don’t break out bicycling deaths, so we still don’t know how many bike riders have actually been killed on the mean streets of Los Angeles in recent years.
Tran, who serves as Yaroslavsky’s business development deputy, was taken to a hospital with multiple fractures. Kobe, who was frequently by Tran’s side at community events, died as a result of being struck by the pickup. Tran posted about the incident on Instagram on Oct. 13.
“It was one week ago on Sunday morning that a hit-and-run driver struck me and killed Kobe while starting our morning walk. I sustained three broken ribs, three fractured vertebrae, a fractured fibula and two fractures in my cheekbones that required surgery. Kobe … died at the ER vet,” Tran said. “I’m recovering at home now, mourning the loss of Kobe and trying to make sense of it all. I’ve received countless gifts of flowers, food and care packages and I’m sincerely grateful for belonging to such a generous and caring community. My injuries will eventually heal but the loss of Kobe is a heartache I’ve not felt since the loss of my parents.”
According to the paper, the driver, identified only as a Los Angeles woman in her 30s, allegedly ran the stop sign at Eighth Street and Cloverdale Ave around 8:30 am on Sunday, Oct. 5th.
She stopped briefly after striking them, then left the scene without getting out of her pickup, leaving Tran and her dog lying injured and bleeding in the street. She was released on her own recognizance after turning herself in later that day, pending charges of felony hit-and-run causing injury.
Police don’t believe she was under the influence at the time of the crash, although the delay in turning herself in means she could have had time to sober up, if she was.
If this whole damn thing has left you anywhere near as angry and heartbroken as I am, Tran asks for donations in Kobe’s memory to Queen’s Best Stumpy Dog Rescue, the corgi rescue she volunteers with.
Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, will host a press conference and remembrance today near the site of the crash, at the heartbreaking white PCH Ghost Tire Memorial.
Here is the group’s press release for the event, in case you want to attend all or part of it.
Honoring the Four Pepperdine Students
Killed on Pacific Coast Highway on the 2nd Anniversary of their Passing
October 17, 2025, Malibu, California – On October 17, 2023, four Pepperdine University seniors — Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams — were struck and killed by a speeding driver on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu while walking along PCH after parking their car. All four were members of the Alpha Phi sorority and beloved members of the Pepperdine community.
Their tragic deaths sparked a wave of grief and outrage throughout Malibu and beyond, renewing calls for safety improvements along PCH — one of California’s most dangerous roadways. The tragedy galvanized city, state, and community leaders to honor the memory of these four young women whose futures were cut short by taking action to prevent future loss of life.
October 17, 2025 is the 2nd anniversary of this tragedy. While the focus of the press event is to remember four young lives tragically cut short–and the work of making progress improvements will never fully measure up to the families’ grief of lives lost–the important work of paying tribute by improving public safety continues. The urgency of improving safety is never more acute than on October 17 when we pause to remember their lives.
When:
Friday, October 17, 2025
Press Conference: 2:30 – 3:00 PM
Remembrance Event: 4:00 – 5:00 PM
Where:
PCH Ghost Tire Memorial
Pacific Coast Highway and Webb Way
Roughly 23661 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
PRESS CONFERENCE (2:30 – 3:00 PM)
Officials and advocates will honor the memory of the four Pepperdine students whose lives were tragically lost in 2023 and report on efforts to make the Pacific Coast Highway safer.
Confirmed Speakers:
Bridget Thompson, Roommate and close friends with Niamh, Peyton, Asha, and Deslyn (Opening remarks and emcee)
Senator Ben Allen, California State Senate
Lee Habor, Caltrans Representative
Rep for Supervisor Lindsey Horvath
Captain Jared I. Perry, CHP West Valley Area
Captain Dustin Carr, Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department
Councilmember Doug Stewart, City of Malibu
Michel Shane, Emily Shane Foundation & Fix PCH
David Rolston, Father of Niamh Rolston
REMEMBRANCE EVENT (4:00 – 5:00 PM)
Who: Open to the public — friends, families, students from Pepperdine University, and community members are all invited to attend.
Program:
Moment of Silence
Release of Four White Doves
Music by Skyla Woodward (vocals) and Alima Ovali (guitar), Pepperdine University students
Words of Remembrance: An open mic will be available for anyone wishing to share memories or reflections, guided by an emcee.
This project began as Vinita Weir’s wish, in memory of her daughter, and has since been expanded — at the request of all family members — to honor all four Pepperdine students.
The meeting will take place at the Pacoima City Hall at 13520 Van Nuys Blvd.
Among their primary priorities are,
1. Make LADOT a chartered department that has responsibility to construct and maintain streets property line to property line, moving the Bureau of Street Services under LADOT.
Since being formed in 1979 under City administrative code, LADOT is responsible for planning nearly all of LA’s transportation projects without the ability to construct streets or sidewalks – a responsibility currently given to Public Works in the City Charter. Giving LADOT this authority would align LA with most large cities in the nation, where the department that manages streets safety and traffic flow also has the ability to effectively build and maintain streets and sidewalks.
2. Shore up street funding with a regular percent of city assessed property values.
LADOT and BSS have lost a significant number of staff in recent budgets and do not have the capacity to effectively deliver services in a timely manner. Currently in the City Charter, Parks and Rec and the Library departments are unique in receiving a dedicated percent of all taxable property values which ensures reliable funding for some of LA’s most vital public services. We believe streets, the City’s largest public space, should also be granted this privilege.
3. Change the City budget to a 2 year cycle and formalize a 5 year Capital Improvement Plan.
The benefits of both of these suggestions have been well researched and proposed by other groups, for the simple reason that not all infrastructure projects are going to fit neatly in a single city fiscal year. Long term planning can reduce costs and improve efficiency in delivering projects. While not every City formalizes a CIP in the City Charter, other large peer cities such as NYC, Houston, and San Jose do. A 2-year city budget and 5-year CIP process would allow departments to improve management of projects, staff capacity, and delivery timelines.
4. Replace the board of public works with a director position similar to other City departments.
The Board of Public Works is over 100 years old and has a unique management structure compared to other departments inside the City of LA by reporting to both a board and a director. It is also unique as a vehicle for structuring Public Works. The department should be run by a single director with a clear line of authority between the Mayor’s office, the department, and the Bureaus inside.
City leaders in Leeds, England are calling for banning bicycles and ebikes from one of the busiest main streets in West Yorkshire, even though bikes represent just three percent of the 250,000 people who use the street every week. And once again, bicycles of every kind — both regular bikes and ped-assist ebikes — are lumped together with electric motorbikes, as one woman calls ebikes “a fatality waiting to happen.”
Westminster police busted a man with seven open felony warrants after a brief pursuit on his bicycle, and discovered he was carrying 200 grams of meth, 15 grams of fentanyl and “other items indicative of drug sales,” as well as being a convicted felon in possession of a gun. Although they don’t explain what justification they used to initiate a stop, let alone a police chase.
A pair of San Raphael men were termed “prolific bike thieves” after they were busted for stealing a number high-end ebikes, with police saying they had been arrested many times before for bike theft and drug possession.
A new lawsuit alleges an NYPD officer intentionally swerved into a man as he was riding a mo-ped against traffic in a bike lane; the cop reported he swerved to avoid the victim, but surveillance video exactly the opposite.
The fiancée of a fallen North Carolina bicyclist tries to turn tragedy into life saving by urging the city council to use his death, as well as two other bicyclists who were also killed by a dump truck driver, as a catalyst to improve safety on local roads.
Last Sunday morning, someone driving a pickup truck struck a member of our team in a hit-and-run while she was walking her dog in the Miracle Mile neighborhood. She sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized with multiple fractures for several days. She is now in stable condition and recovering. Tragically, her beloved dog, Kobe, was killed in the crash.
Kobe was part of our office family. His playful energy and easy affection brought smiles to everyone who met him, whether in the office or out at community events like CicLAvia, where he was a familiar face. Our office feels emptier without him, and our thoughts are with our colleague as she recovers from both her injuries and this heartbreaking loss.
The driver has since turned herself in, but this devastating incident is a reminder that far too many Angelenos are hurt or killed on our streets every year. In 2024 alone, more than 300 people lost their lives to traffic violence, many while simply walking or biking in their own neighborhoods. Behind every death or injury is a family changed forever, a community left grieving.
As I mentioned, the victim is a friend of my wife’s and mine, and Kobe was probably our corgi’s best friend.
They were always together, every time we saw her. And our corgi would run to give her kisses, and around Kobe a like a lovesick puppy.
Which she probably was.
To say I’ve been devastated by this whole damn thing is probably the understatement of the year.
The most heartbreaking part was when she posted news of Kobe’s passing on Instagram, saying her final memory of the dog she adored was staring into one his eyes after the crash, both unable to move to comfort the other.
And if that doesn’t bring tears to your eyes, you’re a stronger person than I am.
There’s no word yet on whether the driver has been charged. But at most, she’ll face a maximum of four years and a fine up to $10,000 for felony hit-and-run causing serious injury. Which LA prosecutors will probably bargain down to misdemeanor to get a guilty plea, unless someone puts pressure on them.
And here in California, the hit-and-run murder of her dog is just a misdemeanor property crime.
The 64-year old victim, who hasn’t been identified, was reportedly riding on Hoover Street at 20th around 3:15 am on May 28th, when he was hit head-on in a left cross by a driver turning left onto Hoover.
Who knew that both Hoover and 20th could go east and west?
What makes far more sense is if the victim was riding south on Hoover, and was struck by the northbound driver turning left onto 20th. Although you’d think that after five months the cops could get the damn details right.
The suspect vehicle, described only as a white sedan, was last seen headed west on 20th Street toward the 10 Freeway west on-ramp.
The victim was hospitalized with severe injuries. There’s no information on his current condition.
Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Holmes of the LAPD’s West Traffic Division at 213/473-0216.
And yes, there is a standing $25,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction in any serious injury hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles.
Reducing the speed limit to 30km/h across residential areas doubled the amount of bike travel on low-stress streets – creating a safer environment for children and less confident cyclists, said the study’s lead researcher, Dr Afshin Jafari.
“Slowing traffic makes bicycle riding less stressful, encouraging more people to choose bikes as a safe and viable mode of transport,” Jafari said…
Meanwhile, the study – which was published in Cycling and Micromobility Research – found car travel was barely affected by the 30km/h limit, as it was only applied on local streets rather than the busier roads – such as main roads or highways – that were designed to maximise the flow of traffic.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A writer for Cycling Weekly says he was passed so badly by a truck driver that an inch the wrong way would have meant he wouldn’t still be here to tell the story — and that’s normal for bicyclists, who are expected to just accept it. As the bard put it, “‘Tis true, ’tis pity, And pity ’tis, ’tis true.”
No bias here. An Irish TV commentator accuses “mouthy” wealthy cargo bike owners for a property crisis brought on by soaring home prices by trying to “ringfence cities as active travel playpens for the better off,” and forcing an entire generation to live at home with their parents. Although that doesn’t explain why we’re having the same problem over here.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
President Trump threatened to move next year’s World Cup out of Boston, and take the 2028 Olympics away from Los Angeles, ostensibly because of potential safety concerns. Or more likely, because he just doesn’t like us, never mind that he doesn’t have the authority to do that.
Pasadena residents strongly backed slow speed greenways on El Molino Ave, Wilson Ave, Sierra Bonita Ave and Craig Ave, with over 1,000 people signing petitions backing them, and 18 local organizations endorsing the projects, as well as 200 emails and around 35 speakers who supported them at Monday’s council meeting.
As expected, 18-year old Jzamir Keys pled guilty to second-degree murder in the death of former Bell, California police chief Andreas Probst as he was riding a bicycle in Las Vegas, with a sentence of 18-to-life; Keys was a passenger in the car who laughed and filmed the murder as Probst was intentionally run down by 20-year-old Jesus Ayala, who pled guilty last week.
The Guardian offers “expert” advice on cleaning and maintaining your bike, including a tip that you could save hundreds just by giving your bike a bath once a fortnight. Or every two weeks for those of us on this side of the pond.
Britain’s Neil Campbell set a new world bicycle speed record of 175.89 mph by drafting behind a high-powered pickup truck at a competition in Arkansas last week, topping his previous record of 174.33 mph. And to think I was happy when I finally topped 30 on level ground.
And he would know, because he used to ride a bicycle before he gave it up because of all those dangerous drivers out there.
I’ve finally reached the conclusion that it’s all about narcissism. It’s all about appearance. It’s all about ego. People want to look cool. Dark helmets and clothes are cool. Bright helmets and clothing are not. Apparently, they are only for nerds.
It’s commonplace knowledge that we live in a culture of narcissism where one’s appearance and self-presentation are everything. And part of the culture of narcissism in Boulder is the desire to appear to others to be living life effortlessly and successfully without restrictions, just gliding masterfully through life, exempt from fear, looking good. It’s this same desire that results in motorcyclists (“organ doners,” (sic) as professional truckers call them) riding without helmets. I have a friend who spent a summer during college working in a clinic for people with head injuries. They were all men, and a high portion were motorcyclists. He said that after that experience, you could not pay him to ride a motorcycle.
Yes, unlike, say, human beings, bike riders base their entire decision on what to wear on whether they like it, and think it looks good on them.
When we all know that anyone who cared about safety would put on their oversized shoes, bright yellow vests and full clown makeup before ever leaving home.
Oh, and a screaming neon bike helmet, because everyone knows a little bit of plastic on your head will make your body impervious to any injury that might otherwise be inflicted by a speeding, distracted driver in massive SUV.
Seriously, I’m as safety conscious as anyone.
I try to wear clothing that contrasts with the environment — bright at night and cloudy days, dark on bright, sunny ones. Not because I’m a raging anti-narcissist, but because decades of experience tell me it can help get the attention of drivers.
Okay, some drivers.
And yes, I also wear a helmet, not because it’s the moral equivalent of seat belts, air bags and crumple zones, but because it might offer some degree of protection should my thick skull make contact with the pavement.
Although recognizing that bike helmets are designed to protect against relatively slow speed falls, not high-speed crashes — and acknowledging that other people may make other choices, informed or otherwise.
Because that’s what other people do.
I also believe in lighting my bike up like a Christmas tree, day and night, not because those flashing lights look pretty, but because it’s the best way I know to try to catch the attention of the people in a big, dangerous machines.
And trust me, if I knew a better way, I’d do it in a New York minute. Which somehow seems to be faster than other minutes, through some strange quirk of quantum physics.
Never mind that if you’re going to live your life in fear, you might as well just stay home hiding under the couch cushions.
And I don’t know about you, but I refuse to live that way.
As the late, great Damon Runyon wrote, “All life is 6 to 5 against.” You accept that, do what you can to improve your odds, and live your life anyway.
Narcissism be damned.
Unfortunately, the Boulder op-ed is hidden behind the paper’s paywall, so you may have trouble seeing it. Because, apparently not fully grasping how the internet works, they somehow expect you to subscribe to newspaper a thousand miles from Southern California that you may never read again.
And yes, I know print media struggling, and needs all the help they can get.
But that’s not the way to make it work. Especially when drawing more distant eyeballs could help raise ad revenue.
Today’s photo of a narcissistic ninja by Iren Fedo from Pexels.
………
Rebecca forwards news of a teenaged girl killed by a hit-and-run driver while walking in Monrovia on Sunday. And even though this site is about bicycling, it’s worth sharing in an effort to find some justice for the victim, identified as Sulmy Merary Lopez.
A 16 year old was killed on Sunday in Monrovia in a hit and run. I haven’t seen much public about it yet, but the Monrovia police department has a request out for information on their socials, which has been picked up by Monrovia Now.
There is also a gofundme out. I cannot confirm the validity of this. I certainly hope it is valid, but I have no personal information.
The crowdfunding page, which is in Spanish, reads,
To all kind-hearted people who would like to contribute to the funeral of my little sister Sulmy, who was born on January 9, 2009, and passed away yesterday, October 5, 2025, at just 16 years old. She was hit by a car in a terrible accident. I hope the police can investigate these events and give us the answers we so desperately need. We sincerely ask for your help so we can repatriate her to Guatemala. My mother, Juana López, and my brother, Breily Rivas, will be grateful to any kind people who want to contribute. Thank you and many blessings.
As of this writing, the page has raised just $465 of the modest $3,500 goal.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A reporter for The London Telegraph stood on a corner in the city’s virtually carfree Bank District and counted 172 bike riders running red lights in a single hour, claiming it’s only a matter of time before someone gets killed. No one should ever go through a red light or crosswalk when people are crossing or riding in the other direction, but they seem to be mistaking bicycles for big dangerous machines that hurt a lot more when they hit you.
Los Angeles County’s proposed Urban Natureways initiative would reimagine the region’s underutilized flood control channels and utility corridors as “vibrant” greenways; the key corridors identified for the first phase include Compton Creek, the San Gabriel Valley’s Emerald Necklace, the Lower Los Angeles River and the Pacoima Wash.
This is why people keep dying on our streets. A 48-year old Oakland woman was arrested on DUI and hit-and-run charges after allegedly injuring a Berkeley bike rider — despite having an open DUI case from last year. Maybe we should require interlock devices as a condition of bail for anyone arrested on a DUI charge.
National
An adventure travel site ranks the top ten bicycling destinations in the US, with San Diego at number two. And yes, riding the city’s streets was definitely an adventure back when I lived down there.
This is how Vision Zero is supposed to work. A Northern Kentucky bridge is getting a Complete Streets makeover, removing a traffic lane in each direction while installing buffered bike lanes, in response to demands for change after a woman was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding across the bridge with her boyfriend. But why do changes like this always seem to come only after it’s too late?
A Pittsburgh woman credits total strangers with saving her life, as well as her ability to walk, after she flipped her ebike into a ditch and felt her neck snap; a man who had just proposed to his girlfriend spotted her bike while driving by and got out to help — and the couple just happened to be a nurse/paramedic and an EMT.
Cycling Weekly calls Tern’s compact e-cargo bike the ultimate family vehicle, saying it’s “so easy to ride and so adaptable, it can help anyone get ‘stuff’ done.” Which I only mention because it’s exactly what I would buy, if only I could afford the price of a decent used car, which I can’t.
The CBC says some people in the local bicycling community have been scared off their bikes in Prince George, British Columbia due to a lack of safe infrastructure, in the months since one man was killed and another seriously injured when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver while training for a charity bike ride; the driver faces DUI, hit-and-run and dangerous driving charges.
Day 281 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
………
Call it a mental health day.
I couldn’t get my head straight after writing about Sunday’s fatal bicycling crash in Lemon Grove, and just didn’t have it in me to write anymore about bikes yesterday. Or anything else, for that matter.
All these years of writing about fallen bike riders is really weighing on my heart, and I honestly don’t know how long I can keep it up.
Although you could have fooled me on that last part.
And only an infinitesimal amount of LA’s hit-and-runs ever results in an arrest.
Here’s an idea of how rare that is. There were more than 7,000 known hit-and-run accidents in Los Angeles from 2022 to 2024. While only a small percent of the hit and runs resulted in death, the troubling, eye popping statistic was that an infinitesimal number of hit-and-run drivers were ever arrested. How infinitesimal? Exactly 1%.
It gets even worse. The number of hit and runs, according to Los Angeles Police Department figures, have dropped in the last year. But not in South Los Angeles, where a disproportionate number of the hit and runs occur. And as the figures show, the likelihood of an arrest is slim to almost none.
He also goes on to explain the most common reasons drivers flee.
A driver who strikes another vehicle or — worse a pedestrian — often panics. They fear arrest, jailing and potentially a conviction and imprisonment.
There are many circumstances that cause hit-and-run accidents. The most common are drug and alcohol impairment, speeding, driver distraction, cell phone use and sleep deprivation drowsiness.
Drivers that hit and run flee because they have been involved in a crime, lack a valid driver’s license and/or insurance, are intoxicated or on drugs. At the very least, a driver involved in a hit and run fears not just prosecution but loss of a driver’s license.
These days, you can add immigration status to that, as people fear they could be deported by ICE if they get arrested, let alone convicted, of a traffic crime.
Hutchinson goes on to add that even LA’s standing $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of killer hit-and-run drivers isn’t enough to get witnesses to come forward, who too often fear getting involved.
The solution, according to Hutchinson, is a proposal to create special multi-agency law enforcement hit-and-run task force, followed by tough prosecution of the drivers.
All I can say is about damn time.
And good luck with that.
Because California’s lenient hit-and-run laws actually provide an incentive to flee, since the penalty for hit-and-run is often lower than for DUI or other crimes. And LA prosecutors usually bargain away serious penalties to get a guilty plea, rather than go to trial.
But even if a driver is sentenced to jail time, California’s overcrowded penal system means it’s too often a revolving door that results in an unwarranted released after serving just a fraction of their term.
If you’ve been reading this site for awhile, you know what I propose to address, if not solve, the problem.
But one way or another, we have to do something.
Because failing to make an arrest, let alone get a conviction, not only means the driver won’t be held accountable.
It means the victims have to bear to full cost of recovering from their injuries.
And more California drivers will just continue to flee.
Today’s photo may be from Long Beach’s popular Beach Streets open streets event, but it’s a gentle reminder for drivers after a crash, too.
The crash was recorded by Probst’s killers, and shared with their fellow high school students. And quickly became one of the highest profile crashes in a nationwide rash of deliberate vehicular assaults on bike riders by teens in stolen cars, and recorded for social media.
According to Las Vegas News 3, the driver, Jesus Ayala, faces a sentence of 20 years to life after pleading guilty to felony counts of robbery, battery with the use of a deadly weapon, and second-degree murder.
The deadly weapon being a car, in this case.
Jzamir Keys, the passenger who filmed the attack and laughed afterward, is scheduled to enter a guilty plea on Tuesday of next week.
Probst’s wife and children have filed a lawsuit against Ayala and Keys, as well as Hyundai Motor Company, alleging that a defect in Hyundai Elantras enabled them to steal the car they used to murder him.
………
The Victorville community is rallying to support a 13-year old boy who was severely injured by a DUI driver while riding his bike last week, according to the Victorville Daily Press.
A crowdfunding campaign has raised nearly $5,000 for the victim, identified as Manuel Sanchez.
According to his uncle, he’s hospitalized on a breathing tube, with injuries including a broken leg, broken arm, lacerated liver and kidney, internal bleeding in his stomach, as well as bruised lungs and injuries to his small intestine and spleen.
Thirty-six-year old Victorville resident Rosalie Marie Morales was released on $250,000 bond, after she was booked on suspicion of DUI involving both alcohol and drugs causing severe bodily injury.
Although LA drivers probably still wouldn’t know how to navigate one.
In the 1920s, Wilshire and Western was one of the busiest intersections in LA. Chaos ensued when city planners adopted the use of a roundabout to control traffic in those pre-traffic signal days, and newspapers published graphic tutorials for motorists. pic.twitter.com/ScTbkiYGh1
Dr. Grace Peng rightfully complains that bicyclists are not allowed to use the “beautiful newly widened underpass where PCH crosses the old Pacific Electric Railway in Manhattan Beach.”
The only problem is, Manhattan Beach refuses to allow bikes to use it. @calbike.bsky.social @streetsforall.org @bikinginla.bsky.social @streetsblogla.bsky.social
Don’t miss the latest edition of Bike Talk, which has shifted from its original local Los Angeles focus to a national perspective.
@strongtowns.org founder Chuck Marohn with Strong Townish Love Letter to Suburbia author Diane Alisa, @ericbrightwell.bsky.social on the fight for bikes in WeHo, Boston Bikeway Block Party, Bikes, Birds, & BART with @bikingmzstacey.bsky.social, and more. soundcloud.com/biketalk/253…
Police in the UK complain about “inaccurate” news reports that they won’t investigate bike thefts from train stations if the bikes have been parked for more than two hours, before confirming that it is, in fact, true.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A San Diego TV station says a new road diet and parking-protected bike lanes on the city’s Claremont Drive draws a mixed reaction from drivers and bicyclists — while apparently talking to exactly two people. And for the woman worried about evacuating in a fire, in the event of an emergency, feel free to use the center turn lane and wide bike lane buffer, which probably mean there’s actually more room for cars to escape, not less.
The organizers of Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride have set this Sunday as the date for their “emergency ride” in response to President Trump’s efforts to deploy the National Guard in the city. Which gives you plenty of time to get up there and join in, no suitcase necessary.
Cycling Weeklyasks if bike paths are doomed, as Donald Trump declares war on bicycles, and cities in the UK just don’t use available funding to build them.
A Canadian radio program discusses a world-traveling adventure cyclist, who returned home to ride from one end of Edmonton, Alberta to the other, and posted the video to YouTube. Although it’s kinda hard to see the video on the radio broadcast. Thanks again to Megan for the heads-up.
An op-ed writer says if anyone is truly outraged that the country spent €100,000 — the equivalent of $116,000 — to build secure bike parking at an Irish hospital, they should see what car parking costs, let alone the country’s “investment in congestion, pollution and the continuation of car-first planning.” Yes, credit Megan for that link, too.
A Senegalese bicyclist is using social media to bring calm to the roads and end the transportation culture wars, arguing that “We’re not the enemy, and drivers aren’t either.” Which is true, except only the drivers are operating multi-ton weapons of mass destruction.
Yet another young cyclist is throwing in the towel, as 23-year old Alexandre Vinokurov announced his retirement from the XDS-Astana cycling team, saying he’s “been riding in fear and pain” since a devastating crash in March when he was struck by a driver while training in Greece.
He also faces a count of assault with a deadly weapon for using his car to attack the victim, as well as additional enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury, personal use of a deadly weapon and gang activity.
Prosecutors allege he contacted the 39-year old victim before the intentional vehicular assault, then crashed into a parked car as he fled the scene; police arrested him after finding his damaged car half-a-mile away.
Speaking of murder and using a motor vehicle as a weapon, the news broke today that the two 17-year old New Jersey girls killed in a hit-and-run while riding an ebike were the intentional victims of a stalker.
Neighbors alleged the boy had stalked one of the girls for several months, parking outside her house, as well as stalking her online and at school. A local TV station reported that school officials had known about the stalking for months.
Although it’s still unknown what led him to kill them.
Again, allegedly.
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Streetsblog’s Joe Linton says funding is partly in place to close the eight-mile gap in the LA River bike path through DTLA and Boyle Heights.
As SBLA noted earlier, the delays are mainly caused by the lack of a public agency that will be responsible for path operations and maintenance.
When Metro expands freeways, the state (Caltrans) maintains them. When Metro expands rail or bus facilities, Metro maintains them. When Metro expands bicycle and pedestrian transportation… it depends…
But Metro representatives state that Metro will not maintain the L.A. River path because Metro doesn’t own the right-of-way it will be built on.
The project was originally part of former Mayor Garcetti’s Twenty-Eight by ’28 program, one of the 28 green transportation projects originally intended to be finished in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
But as we noted yesterday, the project list has been repeatedly watered down, with one project after another replaced by something easier, cheaper and/or faster.
And this was one of the first to go.
Linton also notes that construction costs have risen in the half-dozen years while Metro has dithered waiting for someone, anyone, to step up to act as the maintenance agency.
Which means that the previous funding isn’t enough to cover the current estimates of roughly $1 billion.
If and when it ever gets built.
Here’s Linton again.
It is unclear how this project gets built any time soon. For years, Metro staff have been unsuccessful in arranging for someone else to pay for facility maintenance in perpetuity. It will likely take leadership from L.A. City and L.A. County elected officials (all facing their own budget issues) to get this project out of the limbo it has been trapped in for the last half-decade.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.
Once again, business owners try to shoot themselves in the foot, after a judge paused construction of a new Pittsburgh bike lane when business owners and a local business association requested an injunction against it. Maybe the judge could politely point out that bike lanes are actually good for business, making the area around it more walkable and livable, while boosting retail sales.
Um, okay. A Philadelphia city council member held off authorizing a vote to build new bike lanes around city hall, releasing a statement saying he needs to see them in action first. Although maybe he can explain how exactly he proposes to see them in action without building the damn things.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Family members are still waiting for justice, a year after a London woman was severely injured by a 19-year old hit-and-run ebike rider, and seven months after she died in the hospital.
San Diego opened its first Climate Week on Wednesday, with more than 100 community-led events planned around the county — starting, naturally enough, with yesterday’s bike ride.
This is why people keep dying on our streets. An ex-con faces a murder charge for the 2022 hit-and-run that killed a man riding a bicycle in Fairfield, as well as hit-and-run and weapons charges, thanks to his three — yes, three — previous DUIs; however, the trial was rescheduled for November because the prosecutor asked for a delay. Just another example of lenient prosecutors, judges and policies keeping a dangerous driver on the road until it’s too late.
My former Iditarod mushing and cross-country bicycling brother’s new home of Port Angeles, Washington is planning construction of a new downtown bike network, complete with buffered bike lanes and two-way protected bike lanes in the sub-20,000 population town.
Authorities believe a missing 53-year old woman may be traveling on a teal-colored ebike, after finding her car partially submerged in a canal. Although if she tried to drown the car, it suggests that she doesn’t want to be found. Or if she didn’t, she’s probably not riding a bike.
An Aussie writer says the country needs to remove five million internal combustion vehicles from the roads over the next ten years to meet its climate goals. And he has a two-wheeled suggestion — e- and otherwise — on how to do it. At least they’re trying, unlike a certain backsliding North American superpower we could name.
Spontaneous fires have been an ongoing problem with lithium-ion batteries, leading some cities to ban them, while some buildings prohibit ebikes as a result.
A San Francisco bike rider became collateral damage when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver, who accelerated suddenly after stopping in the middle of the road to record an appearance by YouTube gamer iShowSpeed.
Except a news helicopter just happened to be watching from above, and followed the driver until police arrived.
Oops.
Driver hits cyclist and flees after blocking San Francisco intersection to film iShowSpeed pic.twitter.com/qlVavBKMdd
Bike riders in Copenhagen can catch the green wave, catching nothing but green lights when riding a bike at a relatively sedate 12 mph. Even if it sounds like taking a few puffs before surfing.
Twenty-four-year old Canadian Magdeleine Vallieres won the women’s elite road race in an upset at the Worlds on Saturday, becoming the first of her countrymen to wear the rainbow jersey; New Zealand’s Niamh Fisher-Black was 23 seconds back second, with Spain’s Mavi Garcia third.
For once, police in Los Angeles didn’t wait to ask for our help.
According to a tweet/X post from the LAPD, the department is asking for the public’s help in finding a hit-and-run driver who killed a man riding a bicycle Koreatown Thursday afternoon.
The victim, identified only as a man in his late 60s, was riding south on Harvard Boulevard when he was run down from behind as he approached 11th Street around 12:30 pm.
He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The driver kept going without stopping, and was last seen driving south on Harvard. Police described the suspect vehicle as a dark green Chevy Silverado pickup truck, no model year given.
Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD West Traffic Division detectives at 213/473-0234. As always, there is a standing $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the driver in any fatal hit-and-run in Los Angeles.
This is at least the 45th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 15th that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County; this was also the eighth we’ve learned about in the City of LA.
Drivers have fled the scene in 15 of those fatal bicycling crashes in Southern California since the first of the year, a pace of one out of every three fleeing the scene.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
September 23, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Florida man who fled with hit-and-run victim lodged in windshield is repeat offender, and Willowbrook taco ride tonight
Day 266 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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No surprise here.
It turns out that Xavier Omar Rigby, the 22-year old Florida man accused of killing a 38-year old woman riding an ebike — then driving eight blocks with her body lodged in his windshield before falling off — is a repeat offender.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, he admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking weed after he was arrested for driving on the wrong side of the road two years ago. Although the Daily Mail reports prosecutors plea bargained the charged down to just reckless driving last year.
The Daily Mail also says this wasn’t even Rigby’s first hit-and-run, since he was involved in another hit-and-run in 2022 — three years before killing the bike-riding Florida mother last week.
Oh, and when police arrested Rigby this time, they found him at a liquor store about a mile from the crash scene.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
That’s more like it. A pair of British men have been sentenced to life behind bars on murder charges for deliberately driving their pickup into a couple of young men riding ebikes, after chasing them on the wrong side of the road when they mistook them for burglars; the driver will have to spend at least 34 years in prison before he can be considered for parole, while his passenger was sentenced a minimum of 29 years.
Authorities in the UK have arrested six men and one woman for attempted murder after intentionally crashing into an 18-year old bike rider; five of the suspects have already been released on bail. Must have been a very crowded clown car.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A Colorado magazine recommends eight fall bike rides in and around Denver. Which was always my favorite time to ride when I lived in the city, after the tourists were gone and the students in class, the air was crisp and cool, and the leaves turned vibrant colors.
Life is cheap in Colorado, where a 46-year old man walked without a day behind bars for the hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a bike rider; he received just one year of probation and a lousy 20 hours of community service as part of a very lenient plea bargain.
A Montreal PhD candidate crunches the numbers, and finds that despite the bikelash, bike lanes only take up 2.3% of the city’s roadways, with infrastructure for the big, dangerous machines claiming the other 97.7%.
September 22, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Update: 53-year old Micah Pan killed riding bicycle in Chino hit-and-run Saturday; 28-year old Chino woman arrested
The victim, identified as 53-year old Chino Hills resident Micah Pan, was riding on the 5200 block of Eucalyptus Ave around 6:35 pm when he was struck by the motorist, who drove away leaving him lying in the street.
Pan was taken to a local hospital, where he died.
Police arrested 28-year old Chino resident Jazmine Carreto on suspicion of hit-and-run causing injury, which is likely to be increased to hit-and-run causing death when she is arraigned.
There’s no word at this time on how the crash happened, or how police identified Carreto as the suspect.
Anyone with information is urged to call Chino police investigators at 909/334-3116.
This is at least the 43rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in San Bernardino County.
Pan is also the 14th bike rider killed by a hit-and-run driver in Southern California since the first of the year, meaning one out of every three drivers who kill bike riders in SoCal flee the scene.
His patients remember him as a family man dedicated to his wife and children who was kind, professional and had a positive impact on those around him.
The driver, Jazmine Carreto, was arrested in Upland about five hours after the crash, and released on bail Sunday evening; no court date has been scheduled yet.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Micah Pan and his loved ones.
More on the hit-and-run crash that severely injured a staffer for CD5 Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, and killed her beloved corgi.
As I mentioned, the victim is a friend of my wife’s and mine, and Kobe was probably our corgi’s best friend.
