The driver then got out of his car and moved the victim back into the street, before fleeing the scene. Although why he moved him, and from where, is unclear.
It’s also not clear why the victim would have turned in front of the driver’s car when Alamo exits to the right off westbound University, rather than the left.
The victim died after being taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital in Hillcrest; he’s described only as a man who appears to be in his late 40s.
May 21, 2020 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Covid-19 fuels inequitable urbanist fantasies, YouTube stars recovering from hit-and-run, and carry anything by bike
Instead, the virus is revealing the inequities that have long existed in our cities. And which need to be addressed if we’re going to make any real progress.
Even before the staggering impact of the novel coronavirus had been fully revealed, the people who write and think about cities were busy writing prescriptions for their recovery. But instead of bearing witness to mass death as a moment of reflection, many urbanists are using the coronavirus as an opportunity to accelerate their pre-pandemic agendas—agendas which ignore the issues that made COVID-19 more catastrophic than it should have been.
Police chased the suspect, but lost his car somewhere near Universal Studios.
………
Yet more proof you can carry anything on a bike.
Loving the version of LA where goods can be delivered cleanly and safely on cargo bikes in protected bike lanes. Photo via friends inside 100 S Main St. pic.twitter.com/tNJeB8Uwmz
Long Beach approves an “open streets initiative,” allowing streets, sidewalks and parking lots to be repurposed for outdoor activities, including dining.
Davis police were able to quickly identify and arrest a thief who broke the window of a bike shop and made off with $1,600 bike. Note to CBS Sacramento — $1,600 is hardly “pricey” anymore. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.
Britain’s bike industry is joining together to promote a new PR campaign, telling the public that Bike is Best. Which is true, even if it feels a little grammatically challenged.
Makes sense. Bicycling’s Selene Yeager says Everesting is having a moment right now because, as George Mallory famously said, it’s there. And nothing else is right now.
And the road worlds could be coming back to the US.
Axel Merckx plans to bring Road World Championships back to North America Portland, Oregon, a possible US candidate for UCI Road Worlds in 2025 or 2026https://t.co/MpHOGovZ0wpic.twitter.com/gQGpLbC5Sm
On Wednesday, the county announced that as part of an update to its “safer at home” order, it would allow cities to close off streets to car traffic and temporarily turn them into pedestrian-only areas.
“Local public entities may, if they want to, temporarily close certain streets or areas to automobile traffic and this would allow for increased space for persons to engage in recreational activity that’s permitted by the health officer orders,” said Department of Public Health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer in her daily briefing.
Slow Streets, a term that was virtually unheard of before the concept spread rapidly across a world afflicted by Covid-19 and the resulting lockdowns, are fully or partially closed to motor vehicles to allow people to get outside for a little fresh air and exercise, while providing enough space to allow for social distancing.
Without having to worry about getting run down by a speeding, distracted driver. Or having to leave their own neighborhood.
But as usual, LA appears to be wrapping the concept in needless red tape.
Instead of simply choosing several streets to close down across the city, as countless other cities have done, Los Angeles will make residents apply if they want one near them.
Which may or may not be approved, depending on whatever criteria will be used to vet the request.
Most likely, though, it will depend on whether the local councilmember wants them, in a city where they are virtual kings and queens in their own districts, with the power to bless or kill any street proposal.
So we may be able to get out for a little air soon. But I wouldn’t hold your breath just yet.
As usual, though, this comes because bike and pedestrian advocates fought for it.
I’m blown away… @streetsforall started working on slow streets for LA 8 weeks ago. About 4 weeks ago we assembled an awesome coalition and sent an open letter to the city. About 3 weeks ago we started getting some press. About 2 weeks ago this almost happened. And now it’s here! https://t.co/ow5Ei87nsK
Although whether that would apply if you’re riding your bike, and not around other people, remains to be explained.
But just like deciding to ride without a helmet, you can expect to be harassed and publicly shamed by self-appointed safety vigilantes if you’re not wearing one.
San Diego is trying to pump new life into May’s moribund Bike Month by encouraging people to try bike commuting. There may never be a better time to give it a shot, with motor vehicle use at a historic low.
May 12, 2020 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Innocent victims pay price in Toluca Lake hit-and-run, zipping down GMR, and a sort-of group ride with Rahsaan Bahati
This is why we keep calling for closing streets to cars and opening safe Slow Streets.
And what happens when that doesn’t happen.
As Los Angeles enters its third month of the coronavirus shutdown, more people than ever are taking to the streets while leaving their cars behind.
People all across the city are walking and riding their bikes to get exercise and fresh air while maintaining social and physical distancing, often walking out into the street to avoid others on the sidewalk.
Unfortunately, though, the streets are just as dangerous as ever, as fewer cars on the road entice too many drivers to plant their right foot to the floor.
An LAPD officer gave chase after spotting the driver speeding off, but lost him a short time later; police are looking for a silver Ford Fusion with Texas plates, last seen in the Universal Studios area.
Not at some vague, undisclosed time in a future that may never come, like most promises we’ve gotten in recent years.
But right now, when we need it most.
Because something like this will happen again. And we may not be so lucky next time.
Within two blocks of my house, our streets bring the community together with our nightly concerts. Nearby, people mourn the crash from the night before. You never escape the thought, What if the two converge? @StreetsblogLA@LosAngelesWalkspic.twitter.com/UbXC0H12AL
Here’s your chance to ride with South LA’s own former US crit champ Rahsaan Bahati. As long as you don’t, you know, actually want to go anywhere.
This week, Rahsaan Bahati is joining the VeloNews Group Ride on Zwift at Wednesday at 8:30am PT / 11:30am ET. If you’re on Zwift, it’s free to join and you can come chat with Bahati.https://t.co/CuFgPOJFve
Sunset for All is continuing their Bikes Mean Business campaign to show Sunset Blvd businesses just what they’re missing to gain support for protected bike lanes.
Once again, a young bike rider has been impaled by his handlebars. A 17-year old British boy was lucky to survive after his brother put pressure on the wound when his leg was impaled when he fell off his BMX. It’s long past time bikemakers were forced to redesign handgrips to keep this from happening.
The Monday night crash in Garden Grove left a man in critical condition with major head trauma.
And yes, the victim reportedly had the right-of-way.
Not that it mattered.
Garden Grove resident Victor Medina was arrested a quarter-mile away when police found his Chevy Suburban with major front-end damage, while Medina showed signs of intoxication.
Anyone with information is urged to call Garden Grove Traffic Investigator Paul Ashby at 714/741-5823.
Let’s hope the victim makes a full and fast recovery.
In other words, what some of us do every day, anyway. Virus or not.
………
A quick reminder that CicLAvia isn’t the only open streets game in town.
March Madness is upon us! Come on down to Beach Streets University where we have entertainment for the entire family. From the trackless train, art installations, rock climbing, live music, BMX demo, and FREE youth skate lessons. March 21st is just around the corner. pic.twitter.com/DkLNE7FsgJ
A new interactive map shows the most dangerous places for bike riders in Santa Clara County. Although Robert Leone questions whether defense lawyers will use it to argue that bicyclists should have known better than to ride there. Or that their clients can’t be guilty, because officials should have fixed the problems right away. Which they should, but still.
Residents of a Las Vegas neighborhood want a new bike lane removed because they didn’t see a lot of bike riders riding there before it went in. Which is kind of like saying they didn’t see a lot of cars crossing the desert before the roads were built, either.
Life is cheap in Iowa, where a retired cop walked with a shameful two years probation for the hit-and-run death of a man riding a bicycle. If you ever wonder why people keep dying on our streets, the failure of our court system to hold drivers accountable for killing people — let alone fleeing the scene afterwards — is Exhibit A.
No bias here. A Staten Island op-ed argues that speed cameras placed near schools are just a money grab, because if officials really wanted drivers to slow down, they’d say where the cameras are. That way drivers could slow down for half a block to avoid a ticket, then speed up and resume putting the lives of little kids at risk.
Apparently, no one is safe from idiots with engines.
According to a tweet from the Norwalk Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, a woman was killed in a collision with a motorcyclist while riding on the San Gabriel River Bike Trail a little over two weeks ago.
Yes, on an offroad bike path.
And yes, her killer fled the scene.
The victim was identified as 31-year old Carla Becerra, who was killed in the crash on Saturday, February 1st.
#HitandRun Arrest 2/1/20, Carla Becerra (31) was cycling on riverbed bike path when she was struck & killed by susp riding a motorbike. #RIP
2/13 Brandon Lindsley (29) was arrested for the crime.
Twentynine-year old Brandon Lindsley was arrested for the crime eleven days later, and charged with vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run last Friday. Since Becerra died, both should be felony counts.
Unfortunately, that’s all we know right now.
No word on exactly where or how the crash happened. And no explanation for what the hell someone on a motorbike was doing on a bike path.
Hopefully we’ll learn more on Wednesday, when the department is expected to issue a press release.
This is at least the seventh bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.
Becerra was found lying unconscious on the path, with her bicycle several feet away. She was taken to Coast Plaza Medical Center, where she died.
Investigators identified Lindsley as a person of interest based on a distinctive tattoo seen by people who did not witness the crash itself. He was arrested after reportedly making incriminating statements to investigators.
Lindsley is being held on $105,000 bail in this case, as well as a no-bail hold on an outstanding warrant for assault with a deadly weapon.
Comments from Mike Wilkinson and Michael of CLR Effect say motorcycles aren’t unusual on the San Gabriel River Bike Trail, despite a prohibition on anything with an engine.
Maybe this will be a much-needed wakeup call to actually do something about it.
Update 2: Chris Klibowitz reports that the sheriff’s department gave the location as between Imperial and Firestone, rather than near the intersection, as KTLA reported, which makes a lot more sense.
Update 3: I received a message from Carla Becerra’s brother Quin, who offered a few details missing from previous reports.
According to Quin, the first call to 911 came around 6:45 pm on February 1st, as Carla Becerra was riding her bicycle south on the bike path, and Brandon Lindsley was traveling north on his motorcycle; he places the crash site roughly a quarter mile south of Imperial Highway.
Lindsley apparently fled because he had an outstanding warrant for a robbery assault with a deadly weapon.
Then again, he might have run anyway.
And still no explanation for why he was riding illegally on the bike path.
Adding insult to injury — literally — someone stole Becerra’s phone, earphones and ear rings while she was lying unconscious and dying on the bike path, sometime before the first responders could get there.
As a result, emergency personnel were unable to identify her for several hours, and her family had no idea where she was or what happened to her until they received the tragic news at 3 am the next day.
This is how Quin described his sister Carla.
My sister was a full time RN at UCI medical and at MLK hospital. She had worked her entire life, to buy my parents their dream home in Lakewood, even put her social and love life on hold to do so. She always put others before herself, just so her life can be taken away from someone so selfish. The messed up part about all of this is that if he (Brandon) was the one left unconscious then she would have stayed and made sure he made it. She had a huge passion for cycling and running. The only comfort my family and I take from this is that she left us while doing something she loved. It just wasn’t her time yet.
He concluded by noting that Brandon Lindsley will be arraigned on Tuesday, February 25th — the same day his victim will be laid to rest.
There are no words.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Carla Becerra and all her loved ones.
Which would be a big deal, if he actually follows through this time.
There’s a lot to like in the plan. Starting with a commitment to active transportation; according to My News LA, the plan would
— promote walking, bicycling and micro-mobility with a comprehensive citywide network of active transportation corridors, including protected bike lanes, paths along regional waterways and low-stress neighborhood bike improvements;
The order also calls for more cool streets and roofs, a congestion pricing pilot program, zero emission buses, and increasing transit speeds by 30% in the next ten years.
More importantly, it calls for reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled through expanded use of transit, walking, bicycling and micromobility.
I really like this part but it's the least specific when it comes to implementation—basically making sure that any changes to the right of way are made in a way that reduces VMT. This could be really big if the on-the-ground policies actually support it. pic.twitter.com/YtR3RS8pp2
And of special interest to many of us, more frequent open streets events.
Today @MayorOfLA announced a new executive order to speed the implementation of the Green New Deal plan to reduce emissions introduced almost a year ago.
The bike plan seems depressingly vague. We'll see if he has the political will to achieve any of it. So far he has not shown to care at all about safe bike routes. pic.twitter.com/8VI2s9L33r
— Let's Get Neighborhood Approval to Save the Planet (@ChrisByBike) February 10, 2020
It remains to be seen whether that implementation plan for an active transportation network means we’ll finally get around to building out the hard-won 2010 Bike Plan that was unanimously passed by the city council when Garcetti was still council president.
Or if they intend to re-invent the wheel yet again, with or without our input.
“Can we make this happen?” Garcetti asked Monday, speaking broadly about the city’s sustainability goals. “We don’t have a choice.”
But they added —
It remains to be seen whether this will be enough to achieve one of the key goals laid out in the city’s Green New Deal: A nearly 50 percent reduction in the number of miles LA residents drive daily.
The problem, of course, is that we’ve been here before.
Any progress on the bike plan, or the mobility plan that subsumed it, ground to a near complete and total stop after Garcetti took office as mayor.
And any real progress on the mayor’s own Vision Zero plan came to a halt the first time drivers complained about a road diet.
The result that not only have bike and pedestrian deaths not declined by 20%, as the plan called for by this year, they’ve actually gone up.
So this could be the beginning of the groundbreaking, tide-turning movement to re-invent the City of Angels into the more livable — and survivable — city so many of us have fought for.
Or it could be just another bold plan that will soon by gathering dust on the shelf.
It’s all up to Mayor Garcetti.
And whether he’s suddenly found the political will to see it through.
Police took the alleged drunk driver into custody three hours later in nearby Carpinteria. He was a passenger in a car, whose driver was returning from Ventura County after learning that Aguilar was a wanted man.
Authorities threw the book at him, and deservedly so.
According to the site,
Aguilar was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated causing injury, hit and run causing death or injury, fleeing the scene after committing manslaughter, and driving while intoxicated, with an enhancement for causing the deaths of more than one person.
He remained in custody Monday night, with bail set at $100,000.
Fortunately, the dog somehow survived the crash, and was turned over to a family member.
Let’s hope Aguilar gets the hard time a crime like this calls for.
But let’s face it.
As long as drunks continue to get behind the wheel, we’re not safe anywhere. And no amount of jail time can bring back the lives they take.
Remarkably, he found the car parked in a nearby apartment complex, with passenger side damage matching the details of the crash.
Police arrested the 85-year old driver, Tashiro Isa, on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter.
Once again raising the question of how old is too old to drive.
Thanks to Ted Faber for the heads-up.
………
The LAPD is asking for your help to find the heartless coward who fled the scene after backing into a 92-year old man, leaving him bleeding in the street.
Or as we call it here in balmy Los Angeles, Friday.
Friday, Feb 14th might ring a bell as a holiday, but this year another special international event is happening. It's @WinterBiketoWorkday. Ride to work, ride to school, ride for our future. PEARL iZUMi is encouraging all employees to ride in … https://t.co/K4jlUdIfdbpic.twitter.com/9wF5AZSihw
After a British truck driver knocked a bicyclist off his bike in a left hook, the equivalent of our right hook, the driver refused to admit he was behind the wheel — and walks with just a fine and points against his license.
Palo Alto considers fixing a “terrifying” intersection used by around 4,000 cars and 20 bicycles per hour during the morning rush. Maybe more bike riders would use it if it wasn’t so scary.
An arrest warrant has been issued for an Aussie man who failed to show up for sentencing after pleading guilty to killing a bike rider; the victim frequently posted videos of close passes while calling for a safer passing distance.
New Zealand’s Georgia Williams is making a comeback to the women’s pro cycling tour after being knocked off her bike by the increasingly common Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, aka RED-S, which prevented her from getting enough fuel for her body while making her bones more brittle.
And apparently, Los Angeles used to be a lot better for bicycling.
I just remembered discovering this 1897 newspaper quote about cycling in LA: "There is no part of the world where cycling is in greater favor than in Southern California, and nowhere on the American continent are conditions so favorable the year round for wheeling." Hmmmm
Allyson Vought, the LA Bicycling Advisory Committee representative for Council District 15, forwarded this video to me yesterday.
It’s hard to see from the rear-facing cam, but the driver actually brushes her as he — let’s assume it’s a he — passes as closely as physically possible without actually sending her to the ER.
Or worse.
Which makes it hit-and-run. Not to mention assault with a deadly weapon.
And yes, she reported it to the police; what, if anything, they’ll do about it remains to be seen.
But one thing is clear.
In most cases like this, the driver would simply claim he didn’t see the person on the bike. That won’t work here, since he blared on the horn as he passed, indicating he not only saw her, but wanted her to get the hell out of his way.
And that makes it intentional.
………
If you live, work or ride in the San Fernando Valley’s 12th Council District, cancel your plans for tomorrow and attend this transportation town hall instead.
And yes, it’s that important.
Although something tells me regressive short-term incumbent John Lee may skip this one.
Alderete suffered a diffuse axonal injury, despite wearing a helmet; several studies have suggested that bike helmets can contribute to, rather than prevent, that kind of injury.
No bias here. The San Francisco Chroniclehighlights the suffering of Bay Area teachers, whose lives would be just dandy if it wasn’t for that darn bike lane on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Because apparently, there was no traffic on the bridge before they installed the bike lane as an alternative to driving. And induced demand isn’t a thing.
After gutting a bill mandating helmet use for bike-riding children, the Indiana legislature revives it to allow a state public safety fund to purchase and distribute helmets to kids. Proving that there are other ways to encourage helmet use besides fining people who ride with bare heads. Hint: The same thing works for bike lights, too.
Dutch pro Jakob Fuglsang says he ain’t done nothing wrong, despite reports he’s been hanging out with Lance’s preferred doping doc, and the good doc asserts he’s never been convicted of anything. Which is not the same as never being implicated.
Cycling Tipsreminisces about the chaotic 2005 Sun Tour, which marked the start of Simon Gerrans rise as a pro, but nearly marked the end of the then 53-year old stage race, which is still going strong.
January 30, 2020 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Driver charged in fatal El Cajon hit-and-run, who we share the roads with, and get the damn location right, already
Police found him hiding in the bushes after abandoning his car, possibly to avoid being taken into custody for a number of probation violations for previous convictions.
Didn’t work.
But that’s just one more example of the penalty for hit-and-run not even coming close to matching the severity of the crime in this state.
The jury also ruled there was malice in the case, considering that after running over the two women, the driver pulled the mother’s body out of the road, then backed up her pickup and parked it on a side street, pretending to police she wasn’t involved.
Note to world — whatever else you may or may not think of them, cops aren’t stupid.
He then went home and refused to respond to sheriff’s deputies, later denying he’d been drinking, despite being found passed out in the bathtub the next morning.
Instead, he told the victim the next day that he’d had to rush home after the crash because he was suffering from vomiting and diarrhea.
Sure. Let’s go with that.
Deputies couldn’t enter his home to arrest him because a hit-and-run that results in property damage is just a misdemeanor.
Even if it destroys an entire car, and gives the driver plenty of time to sober up from his, uh, diarrhea.
Just another example of how California’s lenient hit-and-run laws don’t fit the crime.
No overreaction here. Police in San Angelo, Texas shut down an entire neighborhood because a man on a bicycle refused to pull over when they tried to stop him for the crime of…wait for it…riding salmon. After finally tracking him down, police searched him and found an empty baggie with drug residue and a pipe. Which any good lawyer should be able to get tossed as an illegal search and lack of probable cause.
Talk about not getting it. The same day Coral Gables, Florida declared a climate emergency, they shot down a proposed bike lane. Evidently, they’ve been mentored by the LA City Council.
International
The US isn’t the only country where bicycle and pedestrian deaths remain high, despite an overall decline in traffic fatalities. Pedestrian deaths are on the rise in the UK, as well, while bicycling fatalities have shown a modest decline even as bicycling rates have remained stagnant.
Wilson was taken to San Diego’s Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Nelson reportedly veered his car into the bike lane, slamming into Wilson’s bicycle before fleeing the scene; there are no word on whether he stopped or slowed down before speeding away.
He abandoned the damaged car on Sloane Canyon Road, and was arrested after a police helicopter crew spotted him hiding in the bushes.
He’s being held at the San Diego Central Jail on $50,000 bond on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run, and expected to be arraigned Thursday afternoon.
Anyone with information is urged to call the CHP’s El Cajon area office at 619/401-2000.
This is at least the third bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second that I’m aware of in San Diego County; two of those three deaths have been hit-and-runs.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Kevin Wilson and all his loved ones.