Tag Archive for hit-and-run

The most dangerous intersections in deadly LA, injured Yaroslovsky staffer ID’d, and remembering Pepperdine PCH victims

October 17, 2025 / / No comments
Day 290 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Thanks to Crosstown for analyzing Los Angeles Police Department data to determine the 20 most dangerous intersections in LA.

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.

Other than too damn many.

Photo by Artyom Kulakov from Pexels.

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More on the hit-and-run crash that severely injured a staffer for CD5 Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, and killed her beloved corgi.

The Beverly Press and Park LaBrea News identifies her as Thao Tran.

Never mind that I’ve known, and carefully avoided naming her, for two weeks now.

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.

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It’s hard to believe its just been two years since four Pepperdine students were brutally killed by a speeding driver, collateral damage after he crashed into a row of parked cars, which crashed into them as they waited to cross LA killer highway.

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.
Memorial Benches Fundraiser

As part of the day’s events, Streets Are For Everyone, Fix PCH, and the Emily Shane Foundation are launching a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the installation of memorial benches at Point Dume in honor of the four girls.

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.

Donate or share the campaign here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/PCH-Pepperdine-Student-Memorial

For more information about Malibu’s fight for a safer PCH, including press releases, documents and statistics, visit: www.MalibuCity.org/PCHsafety.

I am so damn sick of traffic violence.

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Streets For All is asking for people to turn out at 9 am Saturday to support their agenda for charter reforms in the City of Los Angeles, when they’ll be presenting to the Charter Reform Commission.

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.

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Gravel Bike California goes riding in Big Bear.

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Nothing like a peaceful ride home, when suddenly a pub reaches out and grabs you by the collar.

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

No bias here. After a stalled car caused a backup in morning rush hour traffic on a San Diego street, a local website naturally blamed bike lanes. But the very first comment linked to Momentum’s “comeback guide to all the anti-cycling arguments you’ll hear this year.”

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.”

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Local 

The California Transportation Commission, which is different from Caltrans, has awarded a $6.4 million grant to extend the Ballona Creek bike path from its current northern terminus into Mid-City Los Angeles.

The Beverly Press introduces the new Hollywood Blvd bike lane sweeper unveiled by CD13 Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, in partnership with Streets Are For Everyone.

Pasadena’s city council unanimously approved a $1.09 million contract to design greenways on four north–south corridors, despite a “divided” public debate.

Malibu will host a virtual community meeting with Caltrans from 6 pm to 7 pm this Wednesday to discuss the Quick-Build Roundabouts Project on PCH at El Matador State Beach and Encinal Canyon Road.

Calbike says LA County’s South Bay offers a case study in how car dependency dictates design.

 

State

More Orange County cities are considering cracking down on reckless ebike riding. But as usual, they don’t seem to distinguish between ped-assist ebikes and electric motorbikes. 

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.

Rancho Cucamonga celebrated the opening of the Day Creek Channel Bike Trail with a seven-mile bike ride, after the path was extended by a mile-and-a-half.

A 44-year old man suffered severe injuries in a left-cross collision in Ventura when police say a driver turned in front of his ebike, impeding his right-of-way.

Now that’s how you do it. Police in Menifee conducted a bicycle and pedestrian safety operation, ticketing 23 people for not stopping for a cop in a crosswalk dressed in an inflatable dinosaur costume.

Palo Alto is planning to install separated bike lanes on three major thoroughfares on the south part of the city.

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.

San Mateo is working to revive a proposed 22-mile Grand Boulevard Initiative on El Camino Real, but will need Caltrans approval to replace parking with protected bike lanes. Which should be a given, considering the agency’s Complete Streets policy, but isn’t.

 

National

Now you, too, can have an ebike with a sidecar. Or as I call it, a corgi seat.

Cycling Savvy maps out how to successfully tame a multi-lane challenge.

Scientific American reminds us that a human on a bicycle is nature’s most efficient form of transportation, aside from a human in a velomobile. Although neither bicycles nor velomobiles were actually created by nature, but still. Thanks to Megan for the heads-up. 

No surprise here, as nearly 70 Bend, Oregon residents are reportedly “thrilled” after receiving $1,800 ebike rebates from the city. Which compares favorably to LA’s $0 rebates. 

A Las Vegas website says the deaths of two kids from traffic violence near city schools may be tragic and disturbing, but it’s “also predictable because of so many reckless Vegas drivers.” Kinda like drivers in every other American city. 

Philadelphia makes a change that will allow more bike lanes in the city, as long as you don’t mind sharing them with trucks being loaded and unloaded.

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.

A Florida sheriff’s deputy crashed into a girl riding a bicycle while making a turn, but they don’t bother to explain how it happened, how old the girl is or if anyone was injured. Like the kid riding the bicycle, for instance.

 

International

Mountain biking website Off.Road.cc offers tips for making your night rides more enjoyable.

British Columbia bike advocates urge the local police to take a better approach to bike safety than cracking down on bike riders.

A British writer says you don’t really appreciate your bike commute until you start working from home, and don’t have one anymore.

They get it. Dublin, Ireland is working to encourage safer and more sustainable cycling by building up to 300 secure residential “Bike Bunker” storage units across the city.

Bicyclists in Bengaluru, India complain about the lack of safe infrastructure, and that what little they have is overrun by pedestrians and piled with dust and trash.

A Korean newspaper offers a simple guide to the country’s bikeways “for the uninitiated.”

 

Finally…

That feeling when you get DQ’d for your kinky seatpost. Now you, too, can get over $228,000 worth of bike parts and office furniture for a $3,500 bid.

And enjoy your aperitivo before dinner. But maybe after your next ride.

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Nobody bug me after 5:30 today. The Dodgers are up 3-0 and Ohtani’s pitching. 

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Yaroslavsky decries traffic violence, LAPD waits 5 months to ask for hit-and-run help, and just 4 CA safety bills signed into law

October 15, 2025 / / No comments
Day 288 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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At least now I can name the dog.

CD5 Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky discusses the hit-and-run crash that severely injured one of her staff members and killed the staffer’s beloved corgi — something I mentioned here last week — saying walking shouldn’t have to feel like an act of courage.

And yet, far too often, it does.

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.

He deserves so much better.

Rest in peace, my friend.

Rest in peace.

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Seriously?

The LAPD is finally getting around to asking for the public’s help to find a hit-and-run driver, only five months after the fact.

Talk about letting the trail go cold.

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.

Or maybe the driver was going west on Hoover Street and was making a left to go west on 20th Street, striking the victim as he rode across 20th Street in the crosswalk.

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.

This is yet another reminder that the LAPD still refuses to use the hit-and-run alert systems provided by both the city and the state, both of which were patterned on Colorado’s successful system that has helped the Colorado state police reach a nearly 100% hit-and-run clearance rate.

Which compares somewhat favorably with the LAPD’s abysmal 1% clearance rate.

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Streetsblog catches us up on the precious few bike and traffic safety bills that actually made it through the legislature and were signed by the governor this year, including —

  • SB 720 making it easier to install and enforce red light cams
  • AB 366 indefinitely extending the operation of breathalyzers for drivers found guilty of two DUIs
  • AB 383 lowering speed limits in school zones to 20 mph
  • SB 71 extends CEQA exemptions for bike, pedestrian, and transit projects past 2030

Governor Newsom also promised to sign a bill next year requiring interlock devices for anyone convicted of DUI, which would be a great step forward.

Maybe next year they could finally do something to stop hit-and-run, too. Because the LAPD sure as hell isn’t.

https://twitter.com/StreetsR4Every1/status/1977883748474794462

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No surprise here.

A new study from an Austrian university found that reducing residential speed limits from 50km/h to 30 km/h — roughly 31 mph to 18 mph — would protect bicyclists while having little or no effect on traffic.

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.

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Now that’s a service dog.

When drivers fail to stop so a blind man can cross the street, his guide dog goes out and gives them a piece of his mind, telling them to stop in no uncertain terms.

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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.

Alameda parents raised safety concerns after a teenager was injured crashing into another bike rider when he tried to pop a wheelie while riding to school.

A woman in Cape Cod, Massachusetts called for more regulation after she was struck by a ped-assist ebike rider, and somehow impaled under her eye by the handlebars.

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Local 

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.

Next door in South Pasadena, Huntington Drive and Fremont Ave are set to get Complete Streets makeovers, including lane reductions and lower speed limits, along with bikeways and better sidewalks.

 

State

Ocean Beach installed a stone memorial and plaque memorializing OB resident and UPS employee Steven Krueger on the bike path near Robb Field Skate Park; Krueger was killed when a plane crashed into his mail truck in 2021.

Sad news from Merced, where a 46-year old woman was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding her bike Monday afternoon; the driver was arrested after he was captured on surveillance video, despite trying to run away from the cops.

 

National

You’ve got to be kidding. US House Speaker Mike Johnson says Portland’s “emergency” naked bike ride was “the most threatening thing” he’s seen yet, adding “I mean, it’s getting really ugly;” meanwhile, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley applauded Portland residents for “demonstrating with joy and whimsy.” Although if Johnson thinks that was ugly, he hasn’t seem me naked on a bike.

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.

Heartbreaking news from Kansas City, where a ten-year old girl was killed by a van driver in a left cross collision while riding her bike in a crosswalk with the green light on her way to school.

He gets it. A Cambridge, Massachusetts letter writer says bike safety will be his voting priority in the upcoming city election. Which is exactly what we all should do. 

 

International

A professional bike tester writes that there are six things he never worries about when setting out for a ride, from tire pressure and chain lube to on-bike nutrition.

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. 

Cycling Weekly says you probably haven’t checked the setting on your pedals in years, as the two smallest screws on your bike could have one of the biggest impacts on safety.

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. 

The BBC visits the 900 mile, “87% car-free, culturally rich and surprisingly accessible” Rhine Cycle Route, which follows the river from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea.

A Melbourne, Australia economist and bike advocate says the city is too car centric, and bicycles are just an afterthought.

 

Finally…

Your new t-shirt could honor an iconic, if “cheekily named,” two-wheeled BMW. Who needs a white picket fence when you’ve got bike frames?

And I’ve known more pig-faced cyclists than the other way around.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Blaming narcissism for helmetless ninja cyclists, and 16-year old girl killed while walking by Monrovia hit-run driver

October 10, 2025 / / No comments
Day 283 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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No bias here.

A Boulder, Colorado driver is stymied by helmetless “stealth” bicyclists who zoom through when he has the right-of-way, ultimately concluding that there is only one possible explanation.

Narcissism.

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.

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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.

In interesting timing, the city currently has a federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program planning grant, and they are having a first listening session on Monday.

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.

Like using a cannon instead of a flyswatter, Leeds, England is banning all bikes from the city center to address the problem of a relative handful of rude blokes on electric motorbikes.

An Irish city councilor complains that a protected bike lane should be “reviewed,” because cabbies can’t pull right into it to pick up or drop off passengers, even though it’s used by commuters and school kids. But what’s a school kid or two if it keeps taxi passengers from walking a few more feet?

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.

………

Local 

Don’t forget CicLAvia’s 15th anniversary return to the Heart of Los Angeles this Sunday.

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.

 

State

Santa Barbara is installing 250 new — and presumably more secure — bike racks downtown and on the waterfront, replacing the city’s old hitching-post style racks.

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.

A 36-year old Arizona man is facing a first-degree murder charge after allegedly stabbing a 65-year old man to death at a bus stop to steal his bicycle. As we’ve said before, no bike is worth your life. Give it up and live to ride another day. 

Albuquerque, New Mexico is getting criticism for proposing an incomplete street makeover of a four-lane roadway, with plans a road diet but no bike lanes.

A writer for Road Bike Action goes bikepacking on Missouri’s 240-mile rail-to-trail Katy Trail.

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.

New York advocates say the only real solution to safety for everyone in Central Park is to build protected bike lanes around and through it.

 

International

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.

Up to one-third of British bike riders may not know they’re breaking the law by riding on the sidewalks. Yes, I know the story says “pavements,” but that’s what they call sidewalks in the UK. You know, that whole “two countries divided by a common language” thing, and all.

Cycling Weekly says Italy’s carfree Sellaronda Bike Day following Giro d’Italia routes through the Dolomites may be hard, but riding it is pure joy.

Bicycling Australia dives into the wonderful world of e-cargo bikes.

 

Competitive Cycling

A 21-year old college graduate is setting out to revive the British grassroots bike racing scene from the ground up. Which is kinda what “grassroots” means, but still. 

Twenty-eight-year old Canadian cyclist Derek Gee is trying to break his contract with the Israel-Premier Tech team, saying he is “simply unable to continue racing for the team,” despite facing possible damages of more than $48.6 million.

French cyclist Arnaud Démare joins the growing list of pro cyclists calling it a career, announcing his retirement after just 14 seasons, 97 victories, 10 grand tour stages and one Monument.

Mexican cycling star Isaac del Toro may have a future in this sport after all, matching the 17 wins Tadej Pogačar had in his first two seasons as a pro.

 

Finally…

Seriously, doesn’t everyone have a secret bike rack in the back of their Rolls?

And getting an early jump on Halloween from inside your wheel.  Hint: Don’t click on it if you’ve got a weak stomach.

……… 

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

A look at South LA’s hit-and-run epidemic, Andreas Probst killer plead guilty in Vegas, and Victorville supports injured teen

October 8, 2025 / / No comments
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. 

Then again, if I don’t, who will?

………

Of course he gets it.

Longtime community advocate Earl Ofari Hutchinson writes for the Los Angeles Wave Newspapers about the ongoing hit-and-run epidemic in South Los Angeles, even as the rate of hit-and-runs has declined in the rest of the city.

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.

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At last there’s justice for former Bell police chief Andreas Probst, who was intentionally run down by a pair of teenagers while riding his bike in Las Vegas two years ago.

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.

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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.

………

BikeLA is gearing up for its annual Bike Fest fundraiser and silent auction next month, which replaced the beloved LA River Ride as the group’s primary fundraising event.

https://twitter.com/heybikela/status/1975278105867788505

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Anyone who has ever tried to bike through the notorious, traffic-choked Wilshire and Western intersection probably wishes there was still a roundabout controlling traffic.

Although LA drivers probably still wouldn’t know how to navigate one.

………

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

— Dr Grace Peng (@gspeng.bsky.social) 2025-10-05T23:14:19.340Z

………

A workshop will be held tonight on the campus of Cal State LA to discuss options for the now-canceled 710 Freeway extension through Alhambra.

And yes, I’d vote for this one.

………

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…

— Bike Talk (@biketalk.bsky.social) 2025-10-07T02:17:46.017Z

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Megan forwards news of Boston drivers availing themselves of a local bike path to bypass traffic.

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It’s the last day of the fall Amazon Prime Day, as Velo, Singletracks and Cycling Weekly highlight the best deals.

Or you could visit your local bike shop, and spend your money right here at home, where it will do the most good.

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

No bias here. A Palo Alto website notes the opening of a $55 million protected bike lane — then complains that it’s “sparsely used” when only one bike rider passes by in the first 15 minutes.

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.

There’s a special place in hell for the alleged Brooklyn hit-and-run bike rider accused of crashing into a 12-year old dog walking in a Prospect Park crosswalk with her owners; the elderly dog will need hip surgery.

A Brooklyn family is demanding answers after a 60-year old woman was killed when she was struck by two men riding an ebike, just moments after she got off a bus. Although have you ever noticed that that bike riders always get blamed anytime they collide with someone, but it’s always just an “accident” when drivers do.

………

Local 

Keep your eyes open for kids walking and biking to and from school today, as students throughout LA Country were urged to take part in today’s National Walk and Roll to School Day, while calling attention to bicycle and pedestrian safety.

Here’s your chance to name LA’s shiny new bike-pulled Hollywood Blvd protected bike lane sweeper.

A writer for Vogue says if you really want to get to know Los Angeles, ride the bus. Or better yet, ride a bike, like she did to get to her bus after moving here from New York after college.

Happy days are here again, as newly revived LA-based bikewear maker SWRVE reopens their office showroom for in-person shopping from 11am to 4pm Saturdays, offering closeout deals and items not sold online.

The Hermosa Beach City School District was honored with the Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association for its Be Safe, Be SMART ebike safety campaign.

 

State

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.

Temecula has installed new solar lights and improved bicycle access to the city’s Murrieta Creek Trail.

This is the cost of traffic violence. A 35-year old woman became the fourth person to be killed in a Ventura County crash in just four days, after she allegedly rode her motorcycle onto the wrong side of the road on a blind curve on Southern California’s killer highway.

Hats off to 17-year old Santa Barbara bicyclist Ray McPhee, who completed a double Everest over the weekend, climbing 58,000 feet of elevation while riding 300 miles in just 48 hours.

A Berkeley paper says ebikes are everywhere in the city now, “because they’re fun, they’re green, (and) they’re cheaper than ever.”

 

National

Planetizen considers what the country’s five safest cities for bicyclists have in common, as Momentum argues the list proves safety has nothing to do with luck.

Momentum also makes the case for why cities should pay people to bike to work to improve public health, combat climate change, reduce traffic congestion and enhance mental well-being.

They get it. Government Technology says law enforcement is lagging behind as ebikes become e-motorcycles, and lawmakers and police departments scramble to address the problem.

It looks like Justin Timberlake and Benson Boone are both one of us, as they agreed to ride the bus in Portland — the bike bus, that is.

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. 

A CNN video profiles an Arizona mom who uses her ebike to transport her young daughter with cerebral palsy. Thanks to our old friend Mike for the video link.

A Tucson TV station examines why so many homeless people camp along a local bike path, after a bicyclist was stabbed to death confronting a homeless man who was hurling insults at a passing group ride.

Heartbreaking news from Las Vegas, where a 12-year old girl died after she was run down by the driver of a school bus while riding her bike home in a marked bike lane.

It’s Waymo-blamo in Atlanta, after police blamed the victim when a bike rider collided with a self-driving Waymo vehicle, alleging the bicyclist ran a stop sign and crashed into the Waymo, which had the right-of-way.

 

International

Cycling Weekly asks 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.

The organizer of British Columbia’s Okanagan Granfondo announced that the ride has been permanently cancelled after a crash that killed one woman, and injured two other people taking part in it.

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.

Horrible news from Gurugram, India, where a 35-year old man was bludgeoned to death by three friends he was drinking with, over accusations of stealing a bicycle.

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. 

A Japanese man with hearing problems is worried about the country’s new ban on bicycling with earbuds, afraid that will mean an end to the noise-cancelling ones that allow him to hear when he rides.

 

Competitive Cycling

Outside says America’s 34-year losing streak in mountain bike racing has finally ended, with American Christopher Blevins winning the World Cup overall  title.

Only 17 of the 97 cyclists who started the European Championships elite men’s road race crossed the finish line, as the rest just said the hell with it somewhere along the way.

Mexico’s National Road and Time Trial Cycling Championship will be held in Baja California later this month.

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.

The Israel Premier Tech cycling team is dropping its national identity in the face of mounting pro-Palestinian protests. Although the protests will probably continue as long as the team remains based in Israel. 

The Maryland Cycling Classic will expand to three days next year.

 

Finally…

Don’t claim you’ve got bike skills until you can pull off a six-and-a-half hour wheelie. A list of the “best bike helmets for protecting your noggin,” as if you would somehow wear one on your ass otherwise.

And there are always a few bicyclists who act like babies, but only a few who actually wear diapers.

……… 

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Attempted murder of OC bike rider, murder counts for intentional NJ hit-and-run, and kiss LA River path gap closure goodbye

October 2, 2025 / / No comments
Day 275 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Just call it murder — or attempted, anyway.

The Orange County DA does.

Twenty-five-year old Alexis Jareth Ruiz was charged Tuesday with attempted murder, with an enhancement for premeditation, for deliberately running down a man riding a bicycle in Westminster last month.

Allegedly.

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.

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels.

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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.

According to a news release from Union County prosecutors, a 17-year-old boy was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for targeting the two best friends with his SUV on September 29th.

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.

………

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.

But don’t expect construction the start anytime soon.

In a project update meeting yesterday (a second similar meeting will be held tomorrow – Thursday evening), Metro project staff now anticipate some portion of the path might be open in “at least five years.” Or maybe not.

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 Metro River Path project will be discussed in a virtual informational session 6-8:30 pm tonight.

Unfortunately, “informational” means you probably won’t get a chance to complain about the projects so-far endless delay.

But you can try.

………

Metro and Bike LA are hosting a free eight-mile Ice Cream Sunday ride this, uh, Sunday.

https://twitter.com/heybikela/status/1973167499702374867

……….

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.

………

Local 

Metro Bike Share wants you to answer their 2025 survey.

Streets For All says it’s hard to use Metro’s ridership dashboard, so they built their own.

The annual Long Beach Marathon will take place this Saturday, with bike riders rolling with the runners at 5:30 am; the half marathon will start at a slightly more reasonable 7 am.

 

State

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.

The Fresno Bee examines Senate Bill 720, and why bike and safety advocates are backing the bill that would loosen penalties for running red lights, as it sits on Newsom’s desk waiting for his signature; meanwhile, San Jose isn’t waiting.

A report from WalletHub says San Jose is the greenest city in the US; with Oakland, Irvine, San Francisco and San Diego also in the top ten.

Oakland agreed to pay a 58-year old man a $7 million settlement after he hit a pothole on his bicycle, putting him in a coma and resulting in a long-term brain injury. Thanks to Ellectrek for the heads-up.

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.

 

National

Grist says ebikes could cut carbon, congestion and costs, while improving health, yet American cities remain hopelessly addicted to cars.

Anchorage, Alaska opened new singletrack trails in the hills above the city. Dispelling the popular misconception that an Alaskan singletrack is made by a two-legged moose. 

Portland organizers are calling for an Emergency World Naked Bike Ride, on a date to be determined, to protest the Trump administration’s military occupation of the city, in what Cycling Weekly correctly calls the most Portlandia way ever.

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.

A Salt Lake City article says drivers respect bike riders on green bike paint more than unpainted sections or regular bike lanes, but it’s still no guarantee of safety.

Utah-based CSS Composites joined the long and growing list of bicycle and bike component companies going belly up, shutting down and liquidating all operations of one of the few carbon rim makers in the US.

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. 

A New York bike commuter takes a frustrating journey through the city’s bureaucratic maze to reclaim a bicycle seized by the NYDOT.

New York City celebrated their annual Biketober by opening a new bike network in Western Queens. And yes, that was an actual bike network, not just a bike lane. 

A Florida writer describes the bravery it took from both of them to let her 11-year old son ride his bike alone.

 

International

He gets it. A writer for Cycling Weekly says you don’t need a thousand bucks worth of added gear to ride a bicycle, just a bike and the will to pedal.

No surprise here. Studies conclude that one of the best ways to improve your training rides is to get a good night’s sleep. In other breaking news, studies also confirm that water is wet, and bears tend to defecate in forested areas.

A group of Toronto bike riders rallied to call for better bicycle protection connecting two of the city’s boroughs.

A new Canadian study compares the effects of individual income compared to living in a low-income low neighborhood, concluding that people with low incomes are more likely to be injured while walking, biking or in a motor vehicle; the same holds true for low-income neighborhoods, except for a reduced rate of bicycling injuries.

Another Cycling Weekly writer questions how London bike riders can create a safer, more courteous and more equitable cycling culture in the UK’s capital.

Czech carmaker Škoda celebrates 130 years after two passionate bicyclists founded the company in 1895. Then they moved on to building motor vehicles and the whole damn thing went to hell.

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.

 

Competitive Cycling

Pez Cycling News says goodbye to world-renowned cycling photographer Cor Vos, after he died suddenly Tuesday morning at the age of 77.

New world time trial champ Remco Evenepoel is now the new European champ, too.

Velo shares the “juicy rumors” surrounding next year’s Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes.

 

Finally…

Turn your scratched-up bike into Japanese art. The internet-famous “blinking guy” is one of us, and raising funds to fight MS.

And yep, this about sums it up.

……… 

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Woman injured jumping from DTLA ebike fire, WeHo cuts Fountain speeds, and SF bike rider collateral damage for YouTuber

September 29, 2025 / / No comments
Day 272 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025. 

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A 68-year old woman was injured jumping from a third-floor apartment in Downtown Los Angeles, after an ebike battery caught on fire.

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.

Photo by Adonyi Gábor from Pexels.

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West Hollywood is taking additional steps to improve safety on Fountain, including lowering the speed limit by 5 mph and adding leading pedestrian intervals to crossing lights.

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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.

………

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

A pair of Denver bike riders were hurt when they crashed into a wire gate blocking a bridge, which had been installed by the city with no advance warning, and no notice other than a white Bridge Closed sign, even though it was located on the far side of a blind curve.

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Local 

Urbanize looks forward to CicLAvia’s return to the Heart of LA October 12th.

 

State

Police in Orange County took down a pair of bike thieves, including a Costa Mesa thief who stole a pair of ebikes from a garage and a high-end bike thief caught on surveillance video in Orange.

Kids in Chula Vista form the latest chapter of the two-wheeled United Lowrider Coalition.

Berkeley residents can enter a monthly lottery for up to $1,500 on a new ebike, along with another $250 for locks and accessories.

 

National

Road Bike Rider has advice on how to take part in a group ride when you’re on an ebike and they’re not.

An editor for Outside says he’s now the slow weirdo on the group ride who gets dropped off the back, and he’s good with that.

For the seventh year in a row, Louisiana bike riders rolled on Saturday on a fundraising ride to remember a Baton Rouge Parish councilmember killed by a driver, along with a friend, as they rode their bikes.

Bike riders in New Orleans were invited to join a two-wheeled second line to the polls on the first day of early voting Saturday.

 

International

How to store your bike when you don’t have room to store your bike.

A 35-year old tree surgeon from Liverpool, England quit his job, and set out on a 25,000-mile bike ride around the world.

Twenty-eight percent of London residents say they are now more likely to ride a bike in the future after riding one during the city’s recent Tube strike.

A trio of Scottish friends are reuniting after 40 years to finish their 17,000 mile ride from Chile to Alaska, with the man and two women completing the 800 miles Chile crossing that wasn’t possible when Augusto Pinochet was dictator back in the 80s.

A British man finished a 55-mile ride on his grandmother’s singlespeed step-through bike, complete with basket on the handlebars, riding from London to Brighton to honor the hospice that cared for her in her final days.

The UK’s RLS bike helmet could be the new MIPS.

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.

Auto Evolution examines why the “ultimate off-road” e-bike dreamed up by a German design firm never made it off the drawing board.

I want to be like him when I grow up. An 80-year old retired physician rode 335 miles across the South Indian subcontinent on a 20-year old bike with two friends, before boarding a ferry to finish in Sri Lanka.

A South African travel site recommends some of the country’s best bicycling getaways.

 

Competitive Cycling

Tadej Pogačar will wear the rainbow jersey for another year, after winning a repeat victory in the men’s elite Road World Championships with a 41-mile three man breakaway, followed by Remco Evenepoel in second and Ireland’s Ben Healy in third after they caught the other two.

World time trial champ Remco Evenepoel couldn’t hide his anger over a slow bike change due to a broken saddle that killed his shot at winning the road title, too.

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.

UCI retired Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer’s race number 84 for all future junior women’s road races, a year after she died crashing during last year’s Worlds, and no one noticed she failed to finish her race until hours later.

An AP slide show captures the pride and excitement of Rwandan spectators at Africa’s first Road World Championships.

The Israel–Premier Tech cycling team was banned from Italy’s Giro dell’Emilia due to threats of further pro-Palestinian protests, like the ones that disrupted the Vuelta.

 

Finally…

A Kiwi woman scouts locations for the ’28 Olympics, proving once again there’s nothing like a dame. Hanging at the Car Wash when you don’t have a car.

And why settle for riding your bike a mere 15 or 20 mph, when you could top out over 200?

……… 

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Man riding bicycle killed Thursday in Koreatown hit-and-run; drivers fled in one third of all SoCal bike deaths this year

September 27, 2025 / / No comments

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.

My News LA describes him a man in his late 60s.

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. 

 

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

Florida man who fled with hit-and-run victim lodged in windshield is repeat offender, and Willowbrook taco ride tonight

September 23, 2025 / / 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. 

………

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.

He’s currently being held on $750,000 bond. Which seems a tad low under the circumstances.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay.

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People For Mobility Justice is hosting a taco bike ride in Willowbrook and East Rancho Dominguez this evening.

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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.

She gets it. A Tahoe writer says “We can’t stop reckless e-bike riders from taking risks, but we can make sure we’re driving safely in order to prevent tragedy.” If everyone thought like that, our roads would be a lot safer. 

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Local 

Streetsblog says Culver City’s new Robertson Blvd curb-protected bike lane is shaping up nicely, as part of a safe first/last mile connection to the Metro E Line Station

 

State

Seriously? A 57-year old man suffered multiple broken ribs when he was struck by a driver while riding his bike in Pacific Beach on Sunday, then run over when the driver got out of his car without putting it in park. But at least the guy stopped, right?

An op-ed from a staffer with the Marin County Bicycle Coalition calls on Governor Newsom to sign the recently passed law making it easier to install red light cams, to improve safety for everyone, including people on bicycles.

 

National

Bike Magazine says the “Ivy League of bicycle framebuilding schools” will open next year in Portland, Oregon. Never mind that the Ivy League isn’t a school.

Trump is rescinding hundred of grants for trails and bike lanes that are somehow deemed “hostile” to cars. Which appears to translate to anything that might possibly inconvenience someone in a car even a tiny bit.

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.

An Illinois professor and futurist is nearing the end of a 1,000-mile solo bike ride around Lake Michigan, raising $25,000 for Michigan communities.

DC’s new strategic bike plan could balance the distribution of bicycle infrastructure in the city, which currently skips low-income areas.

Great idea. A Hattiesburg, Mississippi bike shop is giving away Naloxone, the opioid overdose drug, to anyone who walks in during a four-hour window on Thursday.

 

International

Cycling Weekly questions whether modern training methods are really doing the job of helping bicyclists pedal harder to go faster.

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%.

French ultra-distance bicyclist Sofiane Sehili is appealing his detention for illegally crossing into Russia, after he had been denied entrance while nearing a record for the fastest crossing of Eurasia by bicycle. Yeah, good luck with that. 

 

Competitive Cycling

The Israel – Premier Tech cycling team is at serious risk of going under, as bikemaker Factor threatens to pull its sponsorship unless the team changes its name and the country it represents, following repeated protests against the team this year by pro-Palestinian groups.

A 24-year-old Rwandan cyclist is redefining what it means to be an African woman in the sport by competing in road, gravel, mountain biking, and ultra-distance races.

Human Rights Watch says UCI’s comments about Rwanda’s “remarkable journey of transformation” and “warm hospitality” hosting the Road Cycling Worlds can’t cover up the country’s abusive human rights record.

 

Finally…

Riding a half century-plus on granny’s three-speed bike for fun and nonprofit.

No, seriously. That’s all I’ve got this time.

………

L’shana tovah to everyone celebrating tonight. 

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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

Update: 53-year old Micah Pan killed riding bicycle in Chino hit-and-run Saturday; 28-year old Chino woman arrested

September 22, 2025 / / Comments Off on Update: 53-year old Micah Pan killed riding bicycle in Chino hit-and-run Saturday; 28-year old Chino woman arrested

Somehow, I missed this one.

According to multiple sources, a man riding a bicycle was killed by a heartless hit-and-run driver in Chino Saturday evening.

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.

There are narrow painted bike lanes in both direction on Eucalyptus; however, it’s the sort of perfectly straight four lane street, with a center turn lane, that is likely to encourage speeding.

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.

Update: A Chino paper describes Pan as a local optometrist and a longtime resident; he’s survived by his wife Linda, as well as 18-year-old son Jacob and 16-year-old daughter Jane. 

According to the Chino Valley Champion, 

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.

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

Someone riding bicycle killed by alleged DUI hit-and-run driver in Carlsbad crash early Saturday morning

September 13, 2025 / / One comment

Someone riding a bicycle was killed in a pre-dawn crash in Carlsbad Saturday.

And while we don’t know anything about the victim, we do have an ID on the alleged drunken coward accused of killing them.

According to multiple reports, the victim was struck by the driver while riding on the 4400 block Carlsbad Blvd, between Tamarack Ave and Cannon Road, around 4:34 am Saturday.

The victim was already dead when police arrived; there’s no word at this time on how the crash occurred.

The driver, identified as 27-year old Escondido resident Alexander Gendron, was tracked down about a mile away, with police relying on witnesses, license plate readers and a drone to find him.

He was booked on suspicion of leaving the scene of a collision resulting in injury or death, DUI causing injury or death, and vehicular manslaughter. That could be upgraded to murder if there is a previous DUI on his record.

There is a painted bike lane on both sides of Carlsbad Blvd, which runs north and south along the beach.

Given the hour, the victim could have been homeless, or someone riding to or from work. Or it could have been someone just out for an early morning ride.

Anyone with information is urged to call Traffic Accident Investigator Cpl. Matt Bowen of the Carlsbad Police Department at 442/339-2282.

This is at least the 41st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.

This was also the 13th bike rider killed by a hit-and-run driver in Southern California since the first of the year

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

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