Tag Archive for how old is too old

Elderly woman kills 3, injures 4 crashing into Westwood market; study shows ebikes boost mental health in elderly

February 6, 2026 / / 4 comments

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’m just glad this damn week is over. 

I mean, it is over, right? Tell me it’s over. 

It’s just been one damn thing after another. And as soon as you think you’ve caught your breath, something even worse happens. 

But on the plus side, Sunday offers one of the best days to ride a bicycle, with virtually traffic-free streets until the game is over. Or gets out of hand, anyway. 

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay.

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This is who we share the road with.

An elderly woman — the media was all over the place reporting her age, throwing out seemingly random numbers from 70 to 87, before apparently settling on 92 — crashed into the 99 Ranch Market on Westwood Blvd early Thursday afternoon.

Three people were killed on the spot — two men, ages 30 and 55, while the other was a 42-year old woman.

She also critically injured two 35-year old men, and two other men suffered minor injuries, one 37 and the other 38.

The horrific incident started when the woman struck a bike rider at Wellworth Ave and Westwood Blvd, then reportedly continued down the sidewalk before crashing through the glass windows into the store’s bakery department.

At least the guy on the bike walked away, as did the woman behind the wheel.

So far, police have termed it a tragic accident.

You know, just another oopsie.

Just a kindly old lady who just got confused, lost control of her car, and didn’t mean to cause any harm.

Not one word, at least to this point, discussing whether someone that old should have even been behind to begin with. Never mind that for most people, cognitive abilities decline with age, eyesight weakens, and reaction times slow.

No one is saying she’s not a nice person, and no one can say whether she was at fault for the initial crash with the bicyclist. Or that she doesn’t need a car in this damnably car-centric city.

But it’s hard to believe that a younger driver wouldn’t have been able to come to a stop before plowing into a building a full block away.

We continue to allow elderly people to continue driving, even as their abilities to do so safely decline. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?

Four dead people and an unborn baby, the victims of two drivers well over 80 in less than a week.

Just the normal cost of getting from here to there, I guess.

Thanks to Andy for the heads-up. 

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No surprise here.

A new study on the effect of cycling in older adults published in the PLOS One medical journal shows that bicycling improved cognitive function and mental health in the test subjects, whether they rode regular bicycles or ebikes.

According to the abstract,

For executive function, namely inhibition (the Stroop task) and updating (Letter Updating Task), both cycling groups improved in accuracy after the intervention compared to non-cycling control participants. E-bike participants also improved in processing speed (reaction times in go trials of the Stop-It task) after the intervention compared to non-cycling control participants. Finally, e-bike participants improved in their mental health score after the intervention compared to non-cycling controls as measured by the SF-36. This suggests that there may be an impact of exercising in the environment on executive function and mental health.

In fact, the ebike riders actually showed more improvement than the regular bike riders.

Perhaps because ebikes are easier on older bodies, encouraging people to ride both more, and more often.

Just a guess.

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They get it.

In a surprisingly commonsense editorial, the conservative Orange County Register urges Irvine, and by extension other OC cities, to go slow when it comes to regulating ebikes.

We don’t have a problem with cities enforcing some sensible rules and reminding e-bike riders that they have a responsibility to be respectful of pedestrians and those who use traditional bicycles. Still, we worry that in their zeal to regulate, cities are tamping down on the core benefit of these e-bikes: providing people with that wonderful freedom of travel.

Which, at its core, is exactly what ebikes offer. Whether you’re young or old, healthy or otherwise.

It’s not that ebikes are better than regular bikes. They just meet different needs for different people.

And that shouldn’t be taken away just to rein in a relative few out-of-control kids.

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In better news, Gravel Bike California takes in the gravel and wine experience riding around Temecula.

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

Confusion reigns over Ireland’s proposal to require helmets and hi-viz for bike riders, even as a deputy prime minister insists they didn’t mean to include regular bicycles, just ebikes and the ilk.

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Local 

The Los Angeles Daily News profiles the owners of Spoke N’ Wheel, the oldest bike shop in the San Fernando Valley, as it nears the half-century mark. Which is only four years older than my ’81 Trek. 

 

State

The California Transportation Commission continues to flush the overwhelming majority of a newly released $1 billion transportation fund down the highway-expanding induced-demand toilet, while giving a small boost to transit and active transportation.

Volunteers maintaining the La Jolla Bike Path are calling on the city to post more signs to discourage people from building their own unauthorized bike trails, after discovering a number of such trails carved into the hillside. Because as we all know, posting a sign is almost as effective as a sternly worded letter to the editor in deterring scofflaw behavior. 

The annual Tour of Palm Springs rolls this weekend, resulting in a number of street closures in the area. Or openings, actually, since they’re only closed to cars.

Hats off to Alameda, which was elevated to a Gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community.

There’s a special place in hell for the man who attacked a ten-year old boy in Valley Springs and stole his bicycle, as the kid was riding with friends. Or for anyone else who’d attack or rob a little kid to steal their bike.

 

National

Like Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival, Trek goes electric with a 28 mph “car-replacing” ebike. And yes, I’m going to keep trotting out that reference until I find someone else old enough to remember it.

An opinion columnist for the Seattle Times relates how he took his stolen ebike back from someone who claimed he bought it for 400 bucks, recognizing it as the man rode by and confronting him at a red light.

Well, no shit. The annual Minneapolis Frostbike trade show was cancelled due to ‘current law enforcement activities.’ Apparently, they didn’t want to risk anyone getting inadvertently deported or shot by ICE agents. 

No surprise here. Immigrant advocates and older adults decry New Jersey’s draconian new ebike law as discriminatory; the law requires licensing and registration for every ebike, without distinguishing electric motorbikes and dirt bikes from ped-assist commuter bikes.

The Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition complains about snow removal from bike lanes, saying the city’s winters are comparable to Copenhagen, which does a much better job. Although that’s not a problem Los Angeles riders usually have to deal with. 

I want to be like him when I grow up. A 73-year old Georgia man is planning to ride 950 miles to Washington DC to honor fallen service members and support the families they left behind. As we’ve noted before, however, there’s a big difference between planning to do something and actually doing it. So wake me when it’s over.

A Florida design website profiles local artist JC Franchevich, who paints images of Fort Meyers when he’s not off on long distance bicycle rides, including Bolivia’s famed Death Road.

 

International

Welcome to 1890. A 25-year old London man faces charges of “wanton and furious driving” for killing an ebike rider while driving a horse and cart. Yes, the original one-horsepower vehicle. 

Bicycle production in Spain was off 8.1% last year, while ebike production plummeted by 21.4%, even as the bicycle market in the country booms.

Sun’s out, buns out. An Aussie writer says now that the sun is out Down Under, it’s time to consider how to not feel the burn and stay comfortable while you ride. Which seems to be good winter advice here in sunny California, too.

 

Competitive Cycling…

Hi-viz and a flashing light didn’t seem to help Italian WorldTour cyclist Gianmarco Garofoli, who was run down from behind by a hit-and-run driver doing around 60 mph while on a training ride; fortunately, he wasn’t badly injured, and spotted the car as he returned to his hotel and alerted authorities.

Jens Voigt says we live in a golden era of cycling, adding “Every now and then you have Pogacar or Einstein being born.” Although I’d take Pog over Einstein on a hilly descent any day. 

USA Cycling announced the return of the Collegiate All-Star Program, mentoring colleges stars as they take the step up to elite cycling, and compete as a team in this year’s Redlands Bicycle Classic.

 

Finally…

Who really needs actual, factual bike news, anyway? Now you, too, can visit the world’s first hotel catering strictly to mountain bikers, though you may want to start boning up on your conversational Norwegian.

And you gotta eat sometime.

Let alone catch up on the day’s — hopefully factual — news.

https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:7vpdxcialxa6j5s7yh5g5jhf/post/3me2gommmjc2t?ref_src=embed&ref_url=https%253A%252F%252Froad.cc%252Fcycling-live-blog-5-february-2026

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Thanks to Jordan for an unexpected donation to help support this site, and keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.

And thanks especially for the nice comment that accompanied it.

If you’d like to join him in supporting this site, just click here. Kind words optional.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

 

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

UPDATE: 23-year old man riding bicycle killed by 79-year old driver last night, on “notorious” Oxnard roadway

January 22, 2026 / / 6 comments

Once again, we have to ask ourselves how old is too old to drive.

Because a 79-year old Oxnard driver somehow killed a man riding a bicycle directly ahead of her, on a dark roadway “notorious” for crashes involving bike riders and pedestrians.

According to the Ventura County Star, the victim, identified only as a 23-year old man, was riding on Wooley Road near Industrial Ave when he was run down from behind around 6:30 pm Wednesday.

Police found the victim lying in the eastbound lanes of Wooley, suffering from major injuries. RMG News reports he was taken to a local hospital, but died in transport.

The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. The grill of her massive older SUV showed damage to the center of the grill, suggesting the victim was right in front of her in center of the lane.

Video showed the victim’s red road bike crumpled on the side of the roadway. There are no lights visible on his bicycle in the video. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean he didn’t have any, either on him or on his bike.

RMG News describes that stretch of Wooley Road as known for “being poorly lit and the site of multiple past collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists.”

So the question remains why she couldn’t avoid someone who, at the very least, should been clearly lit up by her headlights.

We have no way of knowing whether her age was a factor in the crash. It’s possible it could have affected her ability to see the victim on the dark street, or reduced her ability to react in time.

Which is exactly the problem.

Due to limited testing of elderly drivers, we have no way of knowing who can operate their vehicles safely, day or night — and who can’t.

Or who shouldn’t be driving at all.

There’s also a question of why a street known to be hazardous for people walking and biking hasn’t been improved, or at least lighted well enough to prevent crashes.

We’re not likely to get the answers. But those are questions any lawyer will undoubtedly ask.

This is the fifth bicycling fatality that I’m aware in of Southern California this year, and the first in Ventura County.

Update: The victim has been identified as 23-year old Port Hueneme resident Jacob Dildine.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jacob Dildine and his loved ones. 

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

Bike-riding man suffers life-threatening injuries in Encinitas crash, and die-in next week to mark LA’s Vision Zero fail

January 3, 2025 / / Comments Off on Bike-riding man suffers life-threatening injuries in Encinitas crash, and die-in next week to mark LA’s Vision Zero fail

This year is already off to a bad start.

Less than eight hours after a bike rider was killed by a driver in Rancho Mirage to inaugurate the new year, a 45-year old man was left fighting for his life when he was run down by a 79-year old woman in Encinitas while riding a bicycle.

The victim, who hasn’t been publicly named, was riding in the area of Encinitas Boulevard and Cerro Street just before 6 pm Wednesday.

Investigators say drugs or alcohol weren’t factors in the crash. But the age of the driver once again raises the question of how old is too old to drive safely.

Or at all, for that matter.

Anyone with information or video of the crash is urged to call San Diego County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jeremy Collis at 760/966-3555, or email jeremy.collis@SDSheriff.org.

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Meanwhile, it’s Day 3 of the Vision Zero failure here in Los Angeles.

Instead of eliminating traffic deaths by 2025, as former Mayor Eric Garcetti committed to ten years earlier, Los Angeles drivers continue to kill bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists at near record levels.

That’s why a coalition of nonprofits and road safety advocates will once again host a die-in on the steps of LA City Hall next weekend to raise awareness of the need for safe streets.

Here’s how Streets Are For Everyone announced the event.

As of this writing, traffic fatalities in the City of Los Angeles are expected to once again be above 300 for the third year in a row.

And yet, 2025 will be the 10th anniversary of the start of the Vision Zero program, a program aimed at reducing traffic fatalities to zero by 2025.

However, the core components of this program were watered down, removed, or underfunded within a few years of its start. The result is that in the last 10 years, there has been an 80% increase in traffic fatalities, primarily affecting pedestrians in underserved communities.

We again need to raise our voices and let the Mayor and our City Council know that the issue of traffic violence needs to be treated as the public health crisis that it is.

*A die-in is “a protest or demonstration in which a group of people gather and lie down as if dead.” (Oxford Dictionary) In our case, to represent the lives lost to traffic violence and protest the lack of effective action by our City and state leaders, as demonstrated by rising fatalities.

We aim to have 300 people in attendance, representing each life lost. Help us make this happen!

  • Date: Saturday, January 11th 2024
  • Location: Steps of Los Angeles City Hall 232 N Spring Street
  • Set-up Time: 8:30-10 AM
  • Press Conference & Die-In protest: 10 AM to 11 AM
  • Breakdown Time: 11 AM to 12 PM

Volunteers and Activists needed:

  • 10 volunteers are needed for setup and breakdown.
  • 300+ volunteer activists are needed to lay on the steps of City Hall during the press conference. White roses will be laid on top of those participating in the die-in to represent the over 300 lives lost in 2024.

What to Bring: We will have signs and poster boards to make signs. However, we also encourage you to bring signs emphasizing the importance of road safety, responsible driving, and the need for change.

Parking: Parking is limited and pricey around LA City Hall. It is recommended that you ride, walk, or take Metro Line B (exit Civic Center/Grand Park Station) to City Hall.

I’ll be There!

And yes, I plan to be there.

Because our elected leaders and other city officials need to be reminded of their commitment to end traffic deaths, and start taking it seriously.

Before we lose one more Angeleno to traffic violence.

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British singer James Blunt is one of us, interrupting his Christmas festivities to call for more peace and patience on the roads.

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

Birmingham, England continues its efforts to ban “dangerous, careless, or inconsiderate” bicycling in the city center, while bicyclists condemned the watered down proposal as a “waste of paper” and the “single stupidest thing” city officials have ever done.

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Local  

Streetsblog says the short bike lane extension on Reseda Blvd is the first LA project clearly forced by Measure HLA, adding a little more than the length of a football field to the existing bike lanes after the street was resurfaced.

Urbanize highlights ten Los Angeles projects to watch in 2025, none of which are bikeways.

 

State

California finally clarifies that if it goes too fast or doesn’t have pedals, it’s not an ebike.

We could have new supporters in Sacramento, as several newly elected California legislators have called for improving safety for bicyclists and pedestrians improvements.

CBS news explains why drivers can now expect a ticket for violating the state’s new daylighting law, which prohibits parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk. And every intersection has a crosswalk, painted or not, unless it’s clearly marked otherwise.

A San Diego letter writer says bike lane critics are wrong, and that bike lanes “are definitely a major factor to get people out of their cars.”

 

National

Smart Cities Dive talks with urban experts to get their predictions for the coming year, including the rise of “playground cities,” and neighborhood decarbonization.

A father shares the lessons he learned trying to teach his young daughter to ride a bicycle, even though she’s already lost interest at the advanced age of four.

That’s more like it. A 23-year old Las Vegas woman will spend the next 11 years behind bars for the hit-and-run death of a 32-year old man who was riding a bicycle; she was sentenced to 15 years for vehicular homicide with four years suspended, along with a concurrent term of three years for tampering with evidence, and 90 days for driving under the influence.

 

International

Road.cc suggests that if those deals on what appears to be Rapha’s website seem too good to be true, it’s only because they are

Bike Radar says the secret to every New Year’s resolution is to buy a bicycle.

Momentum highlights five bucket bikes that could replace your car right now.

British foldie maker Brompton suffers the post-Covid bike boom blues, as its profits drop by 99%, or over 10 million Euros.

An Irish news site explains how to make this the year you start riding a bicycle, adding that you won’t regret it; London’s Independent also tries to get in on the act.

Czech carmaker Škoda’s We Love Cycling website looks forward to this year’s bike trends and predictions.

 

Competitive Cycling

Cyclist looks forward to the upcoming Monuments and spring classics that will start the year’s racing calendar.

A YouTuber crashed Jonas Vingegaard’s Spanish training ride, clinging to his wheel to ask burning questions like “Why don’t you shave your legs in the winter.”

 

Finally…

That feeling when your analog bicycle odometer is more secure than some of America’s most critical infrastructure. Just call it Still Life with Bike Computer.

And no, you can’t pump up your bike tires with a syringe.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

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