May 24, 2023 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on 23-year old man killed in South Park hit-and-run last month; police looking for silver 2008-2013 Mercedes
This is what keeps me up at night.
Too often, we may not learn about the things that happen on our streets until weeks later, if at all.
That’s what happened in this case, when a man riding a bike was left to die by a heartless coward in LA’s South Park neighborhood over a month ago.
And we only learned about it today.
According to a press release from the LAPD, a 23-year old man was riding west on 43rd Street at Main Street around 10:40 pm on Thursday, April 13th, when he was run down by a driver headed south on Main.
The driver fled south on Main without stopping, leaving the victim, identified as Iomer Samuel Cruz, fatally injured in the street.
There’s no description of the suspect; police are looking for a silver 2008-2013 Mercedes Benz C230 or C330.
Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD Central Traffic Division Officer Balderas or Detective Campos at 213/833-3713; after hours or on weekends call the Central Traffic Division’s Watch Commander at 213/833-3746.
As always, there is a standing $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the driver.
You can find security cam video of the crash here. I’m not posting it because it shows the actual impact, so be sure you really want to see it before you click on the link.
This is at least the 18th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County; just three of those have been in the City of Los Angeles.
It’s also the seventh fatal hit-and-run involving a SoCal bike rider this year.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Iomer Samuel Cruz and all his loved ones.
No wonder nothing ever seems to get done in Los Angeles.
As we’ve seen far too many times, even the most minor improvement can get bogged down in an endless series of public meetings, in which every resident and pass-through driver has an equal voice, no matter how misinformed.
And people who bike, walk or take transit usually don’t count.
Which brings us to former LADOT head and current LA Metro Chief Innovation Officer Seleta Reynolds, who seems to think removing a traffic lane to improve bus headways “without extensive community engagement and consent” is equivalent to bulldozing homes to build freeways.
Never mind that one destroys the residences of people living in underserved communities, while the other simply removes peak hour lanes or street parking to move more people more efficiently.
No wonder so little happened in Los Angeles under her leadership.
I wouldn’t count on a lot of innovation from the LA County transportation agency going forward, either.
While we agree outreach and community engagement is a good thing, to equate installing bike and bus lanes with bulldozing homes through mostly Brown and Black communities to build freeways is an absurdly false equivalence. @seletajewel https://t.co/Mv15wguEeS
LADOT wants your input on the Downtown Mobility Plan, where pedestrians have long been second-class citizens on car-choked streets, and the city is just now forming an actual bike network to safely get you from here to there.
Looks like work is well underway on Pasadena’s Union Street protected bike lane.
This project will provide a 1.5-mile protected bicycle lane along Union Street, from Hill Avenue to Arroyo Parkway. The anticipated completion date is July 2023. For additional project information, visit: https://t.co/rAQiYXWIXchttps://t.co/Z9yHiL56WX
A Palo Alto columnist says plans for a bike on El Camino Real connecting Redwood City, Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Mountain View are a bad idea, because the street is too dangerous for people on bicycles if it keeps parking, and too inconvenient for shoppers who might have to walk a little bit without it. Never mind that bike lanes — particularly protected bike lanes — improve safety for everyone.
National
They get it. Bicycling says the best bike is the one that brings you joy. Unfortunately, you won’t get any joy from reading it if the magazine blocks you, since this one isn’t available anywhere else.
The tool is designed to help city planners, advocates, and elected officials plan more equitable transportation investments targeting traditionally underserved communities.
Which may be a mouthful, but it’s badly needed to help correct the deadly inequities on our streets, where people in low income communities or communities of color are more likely to be killed while biking or walking.
Photo by David Drexler from Long Beach Beach Streets (see below).
The bill is intended to improve safety by allowing bike riders to roll through stop signs when there’s no conflicting traffic, and it’s safe to do so.
Assuming it can get past Governor Newsom’s veto pen this time.
AB 73 is another attempt to pass a bicycle safety stop-as-yield bill in CA. It has been shown to improve safety for people on bikes and reduce inequitable enforcement. @CalBike has a great information page https://t.co/ojgRbImp9L
“When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle & go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.” -Arthur Conan Doyle#botd May 22, 1859 pic.twitter.com/JeIGsfNXV1
Look at the prizes prat thinking it clever to throw crap at me and my son riding down Manchester road earlier. Around 1pm wharncliffe side. pic.twitter.com/5Vg8Lvuk59
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Two Louisiana schools were put on lockdown when a man was seen carrying a rifle on his bicycle; police gave the all-clear when they determined he was just taking it to a pawn shop.
San Diego bike riders are dealing with a problem familiar to riders in other parts of the state, as trash and debris from a homeless camp piles up on an Ocean Beach bike path leading to the beach; a homeless advocate blames downtown sweeps that push homeless people to other parts of the city. Although as inconvenient as it is for people on bikes, not having a home is probably worse.
Unlike most other major US cities, San Francisco continues to improve safety for bike riders, as bicycling deaths dropped 58% over last year, averaging just 1.4 fatal bike crashes for every million residents. That compares to approximately 3.5 bike deaths for every million residents in Los Angeles last year.
A 62-year old Chicago man was the victim of a vicious attack when he was struck with a construction sign by another man while riding along a sidewalk, then beaten with his own bicycle, all for no apparent reason; he was hospitalized in critical condition.
A writer for the American Conservative says the outrage over the hospital worker who tried to wrest a bikeshare bike from a black teenager just reflects America’s “racism shortage.”
It looks like the California E-bike Incentive Program is finally happening, and on the verge of moving from its long-delayed vaporware status into something that could actually put a new ebike in your garage.
Or not.
Because the program is limited to low income households with gross incomes 300% or less of the federal poverty level.
And that’s just for the first $2.5 million.
Once that’s gone, the remaining $5 million will be reserved for people with a gross income of 225% of the federal poverty level, or who live in a disadvantaged or low-income community, or participate in at least one of these public assistance programs.
Which adds up to just $7.5 million, because the first $2.5 million of the $10 million budgeted by the state legislature is going to administration, and just getting us to this place.
As we’ve discussed before, the rebates will be for $1000, with another $250 for low income applicants, and an additional $750 for buyers of e-cargo bikes or e-adaptive bicycles.
You’ll be able apply through an online portal which is projected to launch in the second quarter of this year, which means by the end of next month, though that could change.
If you’re approved, you’ll receive a voucher good for 30 days on the purchase of an ebike that meets the following requirements. The voucher will be applied towards the full purchase price, including taxes, up to but not exceeding the total amount.
One more bit of good news — besides the fact that it looks like I may qualify, if I can get my application in fast enough.
The program will be administered by people who actually know what they’re doing.
The state has selected San Diego’s Pedal Ahead to run the program. That’s good news because they’ve managed San Diego’s loan-to-own ebike program for the last three years.
So they should, hopefully, be able to assume management of this one.
Although there are no guarantees when the state is involved.
Witness reports alternately said the driver honked at the bike riders as they were weaving across the roadway, or that the driver had fled the scene after striking one of the boys with his truck.
Either way, the violent assault was wrong. And a crime.
Thank you for letting me know about the Ceremony and bike ride yesterday in Long Beach. If I did not read about it on your report—I would not have known.
It was a well organized, unique and extraordinary bike event.
A Congresswoman from that area, DOT, Caltrans, and Bixby family were all there and spoke.
I went back to the bridge at 3 PM and road it again alone with hardly anyone else there.
Highly recommend a bridge path visit ride or walk if in the area—the climbs are great and so is the downhill—easy 25 mph with no pedaling.
Three observation areas on the bridge to stop and hang out.
Note: Does not go all the way to San Pedro—dead ends at the base of the North side of the bridge with the gate locked closed.
All photos by David Drexler
………
Alhambra is considering a proposal to put more cars and speeding drivers directly in front of an elementary school.
Our friends at Safe Streets for SGV need help! @cityofalhambra votes MONDAY on a proposal to widen a freeway offramp in front of an elementary school. If you're in the SGV, use their toolkit at https://t.co/zHAjOvx3j1 to email your public comment, or speak in-person Monday @ 6p! pic.twitter.com/7YQEU4PtP7
Nice to see my councilmember sharing the progress that’s been made to improve bike infrastructure in her district.
Even if there’s still a lot of work to do.
This week is #BikeWeek, and while one of my tenets is that good cycling infrastructure and policy benefits us all no matter how we are traveling, I want to take a moment to share some biking and infrastructure wins we’ve already secured and what’s to come! pic.twitter.com/ZgAA7dCp2F
— Councilmember Nithya Raman (@cd4losangeles) May 19, 2023
………
Mark your calendar for this year’s celebration of all things bike from BikeLA, the former Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition.
A 27-year old man was sentenced to 30 years behind bars for the drunken Irvine crash that killed two passengers in his car, while driving at speeds up to 138 mph moments before the collision; however, there are questions about his mental competency, despite being examined by psychological experts nine times. This link would have gone to the Orange County Register, but they’d rather block access with a paywall than drive internet traffic.
There’s not a pit in hell deep enough for a convicted pedophile who faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon and hate crime enhancements after repeatedly shouting racist epithets and attempting to swerve his car into another car with at least one Black passenger; in 2001 he was convicted of committing lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, and investigated for making obscene phone calls to a 19-year old woman.
A British woman decided she wasn’t going to be inconvenienced by a marathon race, and simply moved the orange cones blocking the road, and drove right through the runners. Then tried to justify it to the people trying to stop her.
Watch as a woman brazenly moves a cordon and drives through hundreds of runners at the Plymouth half marathon pic.twitter.com/dztUrijXXk
Bizarre shoving match at the Cannes Film Festival, where the head of the festival, who was eschewing limos and riding a bike to cut his carbon footprint, got into a shoving match with a cop, apparently for riding on the sidewalk.
A policeman asked you twice to stop. When he catches up with you in front of the Carlton you accuse him of assaulting you. I tell you again here, Thierry Frémaux, you were wrong and you are not above the law! We are several witnesses of what happened. This municipal police officer has our full support.
Thanks to J. Steve Mayo for the tweet.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.
After a 17-year old San Diego ebike rider suffered a broken pelvis when he was run down by a hit-and-run driver, his family sprung into action as citizen detectives to track down the 32-year old driver, who now faces charges. But even if he’s convicted, he’ll be out in less than two years, thanks to California’s lenient hit-and-run laws.
No more free ride for EV owners in the Lone Star State, after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill that will charge owners of electric vehicles $400 for the first year, and $200 for each subsequent year to make up for not paying gas taxes, although critics say the charges don’t add up. Just one more argument for buying an ebike, instead. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the link.
A crowdfunding campaign has raised nearly $100,000 for the pregnant hospital worker captured on a viral video trying to wrest a bikeshare bike from a Black teenager, who insisted he’d paid for it; the founder of the campaign says she been unfairly painted as a “racist Karen.” Although we still haven’t heard from the man she was trying to take the bike from.
A new study from New Jersey shows that fatal crashes involving pedestrians or bike riders are more likely to occur in low income neighborhoods and communities of color, which are less likely to have adequate sidewalks, crosswalks or bicycle infrastructure.
In just 20 years, Spain cut serious traffic crashes by 80%, now ranking as one of the safest places to drive in the European Union — even if they still have work to do.
Tragic news from Kolkata, where a 29-year old actress was killed when she fell off e bikeshare bike, and was run over by a truck drive. Although Indian media use the same terms for bicycles, motor scooters and mo-peds, so it’s hard to say for certain exactly what she was riding.
Less than a week after withdrawing from the Giro due to Covid, it was announced the Remco Evenepoel won’t race in the Tour de France or the Vuelta as he recuperates from the illness. Which sounds like BS, since it should only take a few days to recover unless he suffered major health problems. As usual, read it on Yahoo if Bicycling blocks you.
They also report on pedestrian deaths, which we won’t get into here for lack of time and space. But suffice it to say Los Angeles doesn’t fare any better there, leading the nation with 142 walking deaths, compared to 115 for second place New York, despite Los Angeles having less than half the population of its East Coast counterpart.
But the 12 bicycling deaths the Bike League shows is a huge improvement over the carnage of just five short years ago, when 21 people lost their lives riding their bikes on the mean streets of LA.
Then again, only five people were killed riding bikes in the city in 2005. “Only” being a relative term, since one death is one too many.
New York showed the biggest improvement, though, with just five deaths in 2021, compared to a whopping 24 people killed riding bikes in the city just two years earlier.
Meanwhile, average LA bicycling deaths showed a relatively modest 18% increase for the five-year period from 2017 to 2021, compared to 2012 to 2016. (Figure 3.4.7)
On the other hand, Long Beach saw a whopping 167% increase for the same period. Although that number shrinks in significance when you consider that it reflects an average of just one additional death per year, from 0.6 to 1.6.
However, both cities fared better than Colorado Springs, Colorado and Little Rock, Arkansas, which saw massive jumps of 700% and 600%, respectively.
The good news, if there is good news for a subject like this, is that Los Angeles saw the same relatively modest 18% increase when looking at bicycling deaths on a per capita basis over the same five year periods. (Figure 3.4.9)
Once again, though, the numbers for Long Beach jumped 169%, which reflects an average of just over two additional deaths per capita per year.
Finally, bicycling deaths were 5.2% of all traffic deaths in Los Angeles, and 4.8% in Long Beach. (Figure 3.4.10)
When those numbers get closer to zero, we’ll know we’re finally doing something right.
We may actually have a chance to see speed cams on California streets, at least in a handful of test cities including Los Angeles and Long Beach.
We’re excited to report that AB-645, a bill we are sponsoring with @walksf@StreetsR4Every1 which would legalize speed cameras, has passed Appropriations and is now onto the full Assembly! Thank you @RendonAD62@ChrisHoldenNews
This is who we share the road with. NBC-4 reports the suspected drunk driver driver who killed a mother and her two kids in a wrong-way freeway crash in Hesperia has an extensive record of driving under the influence in San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Which means this would be at least his fifth DUI if he ends up being charged with driving under the influence, in addition to murder and other charges — just one more example of keeping a dangerous driver on the road until it’s too late.
Bicyclinginsists the best bike is a step-through, saying the universal design allows anyone to ride one in almost any circumstance. But you have to pay if you want to read it.
In an all-too common story, a 31-year old British man moved to the US, only to get killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bike near his Chicago home; he declined medical treatment following the crash, only to suffer a fatal brain hemorrhage after he went home. A tragic reminder to always see a doctor if you hit your head in a crash or fall, even if you’re wearing a helmet.
Your next ebike could be a trike designed by German carmaker BMW, complete with a built-in fully covered kid carrier in the back. Or in my case, a corgi carrier.
German pro Nico Dent won Thursday’s 12th stage of the Giro, as Geraint Thomas defends the leader’s pink jersey, insisting that as someone from the Isle of Man, he’s used to bad weather. I recently learned the Isle of Man is my ancestral home, and my great, great grandfather on my father’s side did time for his role in a notorious bank collapse. Good times.
A new study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition says you’ll ride faster if you take a dump before the race. In other words, if you want to be number one, you gotta do number two first.
The group, which is working to convert a section of deadly Sunset Blvd from its current car sewer configuration into a Complete Street that serves all road users, as well as the surrounding community, is concerned that new CD13 Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez may be backsliding on his campaign promises to get the vital project built.
I’m including there full email below, so you can voice your support.
The city is finalizing its list of projects for 2024 grant applications. RIGHT NOW SUNSET4ALL IS NOT ON THAT LIST. Furthermore, the city has failed to meet with our community crowdfunded engineers for almost two years. We need the Council office to take action NOW by instructing LADOT to submit a 2024 ATP grant application for Sunset4All, prioritize Sunset4All for all state and Federal grant opportunities, and ensure LADOT collaborates with the engineers our community paid for!
We urgently need you to remind Councilmember Soto-Martinez to keep his campaign commitment:
“Obviously there are much larger plans I am very passionate about supporting…I will literally throw my entire support behind. The one at the top of my head is Sunset4All…That’s the one that’s gonna get a lot of support my first four years certainly” — Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez -December 22, 2022
There are two actions you can take:
1) Call Councilmember Soto-Martinez’s office and tell them to ensure a 2024 ATP grant application is submitted by LADOT on behalf of Sunset4All and to prioritize Sunset4All for all state and Federal grant opportunities. *Even if you’re not a constituent, the goal is to get his and his staff’s attention.
OFFICE PHONE NUMBER: 213-473-7013
2) Email Councilmember Soto-Martinez using our email template on the link below:
Caltrans wants your input on plans to close the bike lane gap on Santa Monica Blvd in West LA, west of the 405 Freeway. (Clicking on the second image will make it easier to read.)
Just as surely as the positive platitudes are true, so are the negative ones. Notorious traffic jams and hours of delays are the norm for those who drive the many freeways covering Los Angeles. But all the mileage is not wasted. Those same freeways take residents between coastal beaches, rugged mountains, tree-lined forests and stark deserts all within an hour of the downtown area.
If only there was some sort of cheap, clean and efficient means of transportation that could get people out of their cars and defuse those notorious traffic jams.
Seriously, nothing says LA like an impatient driver forcing his way into a memorial bike ride.
The bike community coming together for the #RideOfSilence. Believe it or not, there was an instance in which a sports car driver forced their way through the group cause they didn't wanna be inconvenienced. The irony. #BikeLA#GhostBikespic.twitter.com/McCwuxtDQl
— (╯°□°）╯︵∀⊥ᴚƎ∩H ⋊ƆIᴚƎ (@ElRandomHero) May 18, 2023
………
Nice to see plans to extend the Ballona Creek bike path getting local neighborhood support.
Although after more than three decades living in Los Angeles, I didn’t even know there is a Sepulveda Creek.
Our effort to turn Centinela and Sepulveda Creeks into green, bikeable, walkable places took a step forward tonight with the @marvistacc passing a letter of support for a feasibility study. @DelReyNeighbor passed the same last week.
Somehow, I don’t think this is how protected bike lane barriers are supposed to work.
David Drexler forwards a Nextdoor photo of a “truck operator having difficulty trying to decide how to park with the new (controversial) curbed bike lane on 17th street in Santa Monica.”
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.
A local British counselor complains that building bike and walking paths on the grounds of a 12th century abbey will restrict the activities of dog walkers, because they could “cause accidents when not in control.” Although it’s not clear whether he’s referring to the dogs or bike riders being out of control.
………
Local
The Southern California Association of Governments, aka SCAG, wants your opinion on plans to shape their transportation, housing and climate policy for the next few years; the group may be awkward and ponderous, but they’ve also made some good moves to support active transportation in recent years. Thanks to Kent Strumpell for the heads-up.
Sayfullo Saipov, the convicted New York terrorist who killed eight people and injured dozens of others as he rampaged down a Manhattan bike path in a rented truck four and a half years ago, will spend the rest of his life in Colorado’s Supermax prison after he was sentenced to eight consecutive life terms. So that means when he dies, they’ll dig him up and toss him in a cell until he dies again, and start the process over. Right?
In a powerful statement, Pennsylvania bicyclists marked bike week by posing ghost bikes on the steps of the state capital representing the people killed riding bikes on the state’s roadways. California’s state capitol building doesn’t have enough steps for the roughly 160 ghost bikes we’d need every year.
The 70-something British woman who was knocked down, then run over by a drunk ex-cricket player while riding her bike suffered life-changing injuries, and suffers from nightmares every night a year later; the driver was sentenced to just two years, despite testing over four times the legal alcohol limit.
May 17, 2023 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Newsom kills funding for CA ebike rebates beyond 1st year, and Bixby bike-ped path opens on Gateway bridge this weekend
Calbike reports that over 17,000 people have expressed interest in the program, which only has $7.5 million left for actual rebates after the state has blown through $2.5 million of the original $10 million budget on outreach and overhead.
Which is kind of what happens when you spend a couple years dithering about what it should look like, instead of just getting the money out to people who need it.
The remaining funds should be good for just 3,000 to 7,000 vouchers, meaning at least 10,000 people are likely to walk away empty handed and out of luck.
And most will probably keep driving, instead of switching to a far cleaner, cheaper and more efficient form of transportation.
The revised budget also includes cuts to Complete Streets and investments in disadvantaged communities. Which is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing in the midst of a climate crisis, when the state is literally burning and people are suffering.
And the opposite of Newsom’s campaign promises to confront the crisis.
San Diego will now close Fifth Avenue in the city’s Gaslamp district to cars every afternoon and evening.
Because, apparently, they don’t do mornings down there.
We celebrated a major milestone in the Gaslamp Promenade project #Downtown!
City crews built new crosswalks and installed steel bollards to close much of Fifth Avenue to cars from noon to 2 a.m. daily, creating a vibrant space for San Diegans and visitors to enjoy. #ForAllofUspic.twitter.com/vXYxqxZxsH
— San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (@MayorToddGloria) May 16, 2023
Thanks to Glenn Crider for the heads-up.
………
More proof you can carry pretty much anything on a bicycle — despite the constant chorus of naysayers who insist you need a massive SUV to carry anything bigger than a coffee cup.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.
We’re constantly reminded about stop sign-running bike riders as the reason we can’t have anything nice. But when someone on a bike runs a stop sign, they usually don’t kill anyone, unlike an on-duty DEA agent who was caught on video running a stop sign just before killing a Salem, Oregon man riding a bicycle.
No bias here. A Cambridge, Massachusetts letter writer says being bike friendly is a good thing, but the city is taking this whole bike safety thing too far, because some people might be inconvenienced, and stuff. Although getting killed or maimed by a driver is pretty damn inconvenient, too.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
The Cherokee Nation announced the six women who will participate in this year’s Remember the Removal Bike Ride, ranging in age from 18 to 40; the ride follows the route of the horrific Trail of Tears, when tribal members were forcibly removed from their ancestral homes in the south, and made to march hundred of miles to new reservations.
CBS has picked up the story of the white hospital worker who tried to wrestle and whine a New York bikeshare bike out of the hands of the Black teenager who had rented it, saying the hospital she works for is looking into the incident. Which is probably bureaucratese for she can kiss her job goodbye.
Movistar cyclist Will Barta managed to escape serious injury crashing on a wet descent in Tuesday’s 10th stage, but he can’t say the same for his bike, which snapped in two during a brush with a retaining wall.
A Riverside jury deliberated three days before convicting Huerta of 2nd degree murder, as well as driving under the influence of drugs resulting in great bodily injury, reckless driving and driving on a suspended license.
Although, for some reason, Huerta was not charged with severely injuring Huntington Beach resident Alyson Lee Akers in the same crash.
Huerta was remanded into custody after the verdict was announce, after being free on a quarter million dollar bond while awaiting trial. He now faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars.
On the other hand, Kristofferson received the death penalty at Huerta’s hands, while his loved ones were sentenced to life without him.
In more Bike Week news, tomorrow marks the annual international Ride of Silence to honor the victims of traffic violence, with memorial rides scheduled throughout Southern California.
Although there doesn’t appear to be a ride scheduled for San Diego County, which had at least 12 bicycling deaths last year, and 17 the year before.
Meet 6:30 pm at the plaza on E Wilshire Ave between Harbor Blvd and Pomona Ave. There is a parking garage with no charge if you enter before 9pm. We will begin riding east on the Wilshire Bike Blvd at 7pm, go south on Acacia, north on Commonwealth, cross Nutwoood and continue north on the county bike trail through the CSUF campus. We will loop south to Dorothy, cross State College and continue on Dorothy to Hornet way where we will turn right onto Berkeley, south on Lemon and west on E Wilshire to return to our starting location. Feel free to join us at any point if you miss our departure at 7pm.
When: Wed. May 17th, 6:30 PM, Ruth Hardy Park, Palm Springs
We will gather at the south parking area, with brief comments from community leaders and elected officials.
This year we will have great support from the Friends of CV/Link, Volunteer Palm Springs, clubs and the City of Palm Springs.
We also encourage non-cyclists to join us. Walkers can use the one mile loop around the park, and all can show support by joining us at the brief ceremony. There is parking for those not arriving by bike. We will honor people we have lost.
The Ride of Silence is held at 7:00 pm local time around the globe.
Bicycle riders of all ages and abilities are encouraged to join the Conejo Valley Ride of Silence. We ride silently together for 10 miles on some of the busiest Thousand Oaks roads during rush hour. By doing so we remind drivers that cyclists are traffic too and educate drivers to be more attentive and careful when sharing the roads. To ensure the safety of all, the Ride of Silence is escorted by the Thousand Oaks Sheriff’s Department.
Gather at The Oaks Mall near Pedals & Pints Brewing beginning at 5:30pm. A ceremony at 5:45 will honor cyclists who have lost their lives to vehicular violence. After the ceremony, at approximately 6:00, the entire group will roll out. The solemn procession of silent riders will keep an even pace of about 10-11 miles per hour, making it achievable by most riders. Helmets are mandatory.
………
Yes, please.
The head of the National Traffic Safety Board calls for the federal government to step in to mechanically or electronically limit the speeds of motor vehicles.
Opening #NACTO2023 with a series of zingers: Jennifer Homemdy, Chair of the NTSB, just gave an impassioned speech about the need for speed limiters on cars saying that if the manufacturers won’t do it, it’s time for the federal government to require it.
I find myself in an altercation with angle-grinder wielding rustlers after my #Brompton. Fended off with the help of son & daughter and the proprietor of El Ganzo! Lesson 1: In extremis make lots of noise & take loads of pictures. Lesson 2: Swap Brompton for my tatty old Giant? pic.twitter.com/vm6tIUREp2
— Ben Derbyshire PPRIBA FRSA HonAIA (@ben_derbyshire) May 12, 2023
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.
Police in Goodyear, Arizona are calling for witnesses to come forward to provide more information about the pickup driver who plowed into a large group ride last February, killing two people and injuring 19 others, after prosecutors rejected the case; the driver claims his steering wheel locked up, forcing him to drift into the victims. Apparently his brake blocked up, too, since he somehow couldn’t stop, either.
The man behind the infamous collapse of China’s Ofo dockless bikeshare is now placing his bets on a new boba coffee chain in New York. Let’s hope he doesn’t leave hundreds of thousands of abandoned coffee cups scattered around the city, like he did with bikeshare bikes in China.
Just when I got my doctor to get more aggressive in treating my diabetes, something else came up to knock me on my ass.
Wednesday night I went out to walk the dog, and by the time I got back, I was feeling the full effects of what was apparently a sudden-onset stomach virus, or maybe an adverse reaction to a new med.
We’ll find that part out when I take it again on Tuesday.
I’m not saying I was sick. But I lost a full eight pounds literally overnight, and was completely out of it until late Friday.
So my apologies once again for yet another unexcused absence — something I’ve written so many times that my laptop is now autosuggesting the phrase for me.
Honestly, I do my best to be here for you every morning. But after a lifetime of pushing my body to respond to ever-increasing demands, on and off the bike, it’s now saying “fuck you” on an ever more frequent basis.
Which is about the best way I can describe diabetes and all its multitude of complications.
Seriously, you don’t want this shit.
So if you’re at risk, whether from weight, family history or any other factor, get yourself tested.
No, now.
And do whatever it takes to turn your health around so you don’t get it.
Now I’ll get off my damn soapbox and catch up with the news, because we have a lot to catch up on.
Welcome to Bike Week, the one week of the year when elected officials, government bureaucrats and the news media join in one voice to celebrate all things bikes.
As opposed to the other 51 weeks of the year, when they either ignore us, or actively try to kill us.
May 18 is Bike to Work Day and we’re offering free 30 minute rides all day long. Simply choose 1-Ride in the app, online or at a kiosk and use code 051823. Metro Bus and Rail are also free- no tapping required. Code can be used multiple times throughout the day. Usage fees apply over 30 minutes.
There are two opportunities to join us on your commute. The first 10 Metro Bike Share Passholders at each event will receive a limited-edition mug! May 18 – North Hollywood Station, 8 -11 am and May 19 – Downtown Santa Monica Station, 8-11 am.
May 18 and 19, the 365-Day Pass is just $75. That’s a 50% savings! To purchase, select 365-Day Pass in the app or online and enter code BIKETOWORK23.Offer valid for first time 365-Day Passholders, 5/18/23 – 5/19/23 only. Code valid for Full Fare and Reduced Fare Passes.
May 21– CicLAmini Watts, presented by Metro will be a more pedestrian-oriented event than the typical CicLAvia, but sure to be just as special. Metro Bikes will be available to check out on a first come, first served basis from 9am-2pm. If you wish to check out a bike, get prepared by downloading the app. See you there!
Meanwhile, Glendale is jumping the gun by hosting their Bike to Work Day a day earlier on Wednesday. Go Glendale and Walk Bike Glendale will host a pitstop at 800 N Brand from 8 am to 10 am on Wednesday, with another pit stop hosted by the City of Glendale at the Glendale City Hall from 8 am to 10 am, .
Huerta was allegedly high on weed and driving without a license when he ran down Kristofferson at speeds up to 100 mph; he was arrested after being detained by witnesses in a nearby field as he attempted to run away on foot.
The jury halted their work Friday evening after two days of deliberations without reaching a verdict.
Huerta is charged with second-degree murder, driving under the influence of drugs resulting in great bodily injury, reckless driving and driving on a suspended license.
………
Sad news this morning, as groundbreaking populist LA political lead Gloria Molina has passed away at age 74, following a three-year battle with cancer.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Molina was California’s first Latina Assembly member, the first Latina to serve on the LA City Council, and the first Latina on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.
I honestly can’t tell you what Molina’s record on bikes was.
But she spent her entire career fighting for undeserved communities, particularly on the East Side of Los Angeles.
And that’s good enough for me.
………
Streets For All is hosting a volunteer meet-up and bike ride tomorrow at Union Station night.
………
This has got to be me from a prior life. Unless maybe it’s you.
But it’s got to be one of us, right?
Australian gold miner pictured after a 1000-mile (1,600-kilometre) round trip to the Mt Rugged Gold Rush, 1895. pic.twitter.com/E33pUhQrQ6
Remarkable — and questionable — story, as a specially abled Indian man claims to have ridden 2,300 miles in just four and a half days, from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
Questionable because that works out to 511 miles a day, or 21 miles an hour, every hour for 108 hours — without rest stops.
Stopping to rest or sleep would push that hourly figure even higher. Even just six hours of daily rest time would require averaging 28 mph for the other 18 hours straight, which seems unlikely.
But maybe some randonneurs out there can tell us how likely it really is.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.
Road.ccdeconstructs the so-called war on motorists, concluding it’s nothing more than encouraging people to drive less and consider alternative forms of transportation — despite the ongoing backlash.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Demonstrating that some people just don’t get it, a Lycra-clad English bike rider stopped several cops who were targeting speeding drivers, asking if they didn’t have anything better to do. He should have thanked them for trying to save his life, and everyone else on the roadway, instead.
A San Francisco bike shop is shutting down, saying it’s a victim of repeated thefts and break-ins, a slow economy and a seemingly unending series of storms that kept customers away.
Lincoln, Nebraska’s chief deputy swears he only looked down for a moment to switch the radio station when he ran down a nine-year old girl riding her bike, leaving her with multiple skull fractures, a brain bleed, fractured shoulder, injured knee and road rash.Any bets on how long it will take them to blame the victim?
Residents of North Montreal rallied to demand more bikeways after living with just one protected bike lane for the last 40 years, as the city backed out of a promise to build four bike paths in the neighborhood this year, instead committing to just three.
Heartbreaking news from the UK, where a 56-year old English man died of a heart attack while riding his bike, just an hour after snapping a smiling selfie. Although someone should tell the Daily Record that seemingly healthy people sometimes suffer from undetected health problems, which is why everyone who rides a bike should see a doctor on a regular basis. Then again, so should everyone else.
Life is cheap in the UK, where a 43-year old former soccer player got just two years and four months behind bars for the horrifying, drunken hit-and-run that left a bike-riding woman in her 70s with life-changing injuries; he was four times the legal limit when he knocked her off her bike, then slowly drove over her with all four wheels. There’s video of the crash, but consider whether you really want to watch it, because you can’t unsee it if you do.
May 10, 2023 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on LA study suggests replacing traffic cops with safer streets, and closing arguments today in Tour de Palm Springs murder trial
First proposed nearly three years ago in the wake of the George Floyd protests, the results of the study would turn traffic enforcement over to unarmed civilians, as well as remaking streets to prevent aggressive and reckless driving in the first place.
LA, meet your underfunded Vision Zero program.
According to the Los Angeles Times,
Among the recommendations put forth by the city report is investing in so-called “self-enforcing infrastructure,” such as narrower streets, dedicated bike lanes and more clearly marked pedestrian crosswalks.
Such measures naturally slow the flow of traffic and discourage drivers from speeding or breaking other road laws. Much like the Vision Zero initiative — unveiled in 2015 by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti to end traffic deaths within a decade — they would increase safety and reduce the need for active enforcement in “high-injury network corridors, low-income communities, and communities of color,” the report said.
While the city could build on the existing Vision Zero model, the report said, it should be less reliant on law enforcement.
Then again, Vision Zero supporters have stressed that last part since the program was adopted.
The program — at least as envisioned in the original European approach — is based on re-envisioning infrastructure to prevent behavior that too often leads to traffic deaths, rather than the Americanized approach of increased enforcement and education.
Which may be cheaper, but it’s a lot less effective, as countless failed Vision Zero programs across the US attest.
Including right here in Los Angeles.
The study goes on to address the rising rates of traffic violence — as well as other forms of violence from motorists — directed at people outside of cars, whether they’re walking, biking or living on the streets.
From the chronic problem of people running stop signs to a rise in sideshows that occasionally lead to injuries — such as street takeovers or drag racing — the work group found that the “aggressiveness of drivers towards nondrivers, including the unhoused, is a growing problem in Los Angeles.”
Headlines describing road violence involving pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists have piled up in recent months, including one case last month in which police say a possibly impaired driver barreled into a mother and her 6-year-old daughter as they walked to school in Mid-Wilshire. The mother was killed and the girl was critically injured…
The city’s streets remain particularly deadly for pedestrians and bicyclists, with 159 people killed in collisions involving pedestrians and motorists last year. This is a 19% rise compared with 2021, LAPD data show. An additional 20 people died in collisions involving bicyclists and motorists, an 11% rise.
The report also calls for further reducing the kind of pretextual stops we’ve too often seen directed against people on bicycles — particularly people of color — who may be stopped for a minor traffic violation, only to find themselves handcuffed and searched.
The question is whether the LAPD’s powerful police union will be willing to give up responsibility for traffic enforcement, which is anything but a given at this point.
Particularly since they haven’t even been willing to embrace automated speed cams.
Other questions involve what happens when drivers flee a traffic stop, or when the unarmed civilians are confronted by armed motorists.
But it’s worth pursuing to see if we can make it work.
Huerta was allegedly driving stoned and without a license when he ran down Kristofferson at speeds up to 100 mph; he was arrested after being detained by witnesses in a nearby field as he attempted to run away on foot.
He also faces charges for leaving Huntington Beach resident Alyson Lee Akers with lasting injuries, in a crash just seconds from the brutal impact that killed Kristofferson.
The case could go to the jury as early as this afternoon.
………
A new bill could be the first step in ushering out parking minimums nationwide.
The bill, co-sponsored by four Democratic Representatives, including Long Beach Congressman Robert Garcia, would extend California’s approach to eliminating parking minimums near transit hubs to the federal level.
It’s a start, anyway.
Although the chances of getting the bill through the Republican-controlled House seem pretty minimal, at best.
This morning I submitted the People over Parking Act, a bill in the U.S. House that eliminates parking minimums across the country in transit rich zones. We are in a housing crisis and eliminating parking requirements lowers costs to build. It’s good housing & climate policy.
If you own a car, you’ve got to park it somewhere. If you live in or near a city — most of us do — the consequences are all around you. Everyone already knows how fundamentally the automobile has shaped our physical environment, the residents of Los Angeles County perhaps most of all. Roads and highways are only part of it.
“Paved Paradise” sensitized me to just how profoundly parking itself has contributed to the uglification of urban life, creating, as one of Grabar’s sources puts it, “a super-mundane environment that people just want to move through.” He notes a sad fact about “The Sims,” the popular reality-cloning video game, which tried to simulate the world as accurately as possible but had to cut back dramatically on the overwhelming presence of parking lots for its simulated city. The visual result would have been too grim…
California, inevitably, figures heavily in “Paved Paradise.” The paradise line from the famous Joni Mitchell song “Big Yellow Taxi” that gives Grabar his title may have been inspired by Hawaii, but Los Angeles is its truest manifestation. In the 1920s, as those newfangled private motor cars gummed up traffic, street-side parking downtown was banned. The result: comfortably smooth traffic flow and a revenue decline for downtown merchants of 50%.
It’s a good read, about what sounds like a surprisingly good read about parking, and how too much emphasis on cars can destroy cities.
Metro is celebrating bike month in Los Angeles County with free rides on Bike Day — formerly known as Bike to Work Day — as well as $1 bikeshare passes and a long list of bicycle classes.
Although here’s a link to the Metro Shop to replace the broken link on the page above, in case anyone else wants the backpack in the photo, which doesn’t seem to actually exist.
LA County wants your input on how to update the county bike plan, and improve conditions for people on bikes in unincorporated areas of the county. Thanks to Dr. Grace Peng for the heads-up, who reminds us to request completion of the LA River and Ballona Creek bike paths, which are under county control.
California’s Equity-First Transportation Funding Act (AB 1525) would require that 60% of the state’s transportation funds would have to directly benefit “priority populations” in historically marginalized communities.
Every city in Oregon can now use speed cams, after the state’s governor signed a bill expanding the current ten-city pilot program. Meanwhile, speed cams continue to be illegal in California, for reasons no one seems able to adequately explain.
Colorado is set to offer a $12 million income-based e-bike incentive program, building on the successful Denver ebike rebate program. It’s also $2 million more than California’s long delayed program, despite having just 14% of California’s population.
Oops. A Wisconsin man will spend another six months behind bars after a judge revoked his deferred sentencing agreement for noncompliance, after he originally spent just two months in jail for seriously injuring a bike rider; he will also be required to maintain absolute sobriety for the next five years.
Ebike sales are booming throughout Europe — except in the UK, where they actually shrank last year. But that may have more to do with the UK deciding it’s not part of Europe anymore.
Bicycling offers a calendar of amateur bike races and events for the next two years. This one isn’t available on other sites, however, so you’re on your own if the magazine blocks you.
