Tag Archive for Louis Mraz

Malibu PCH workshop tonight, hats off to Cal Poly planner, and psych test for road rager Louis Mraz

April 4, 2012 / / Comments Off on Malibu PCH workshop tonight, hats off to Cal Poly planner, and psych test for road rager Louis Mraz

There’s still time to make it to Malibu for this evening’s public workshop to discuss the Bike Route Improvements Project along PCH through the west part of the ‘Bu.

Cyclists trying to get to that soon-to-be improved bike route by fighting their way through the east part of PCH are still on their own.

……..

A Cal Poly Pomona student has received a national fellowship for her research paper on Evaluating Demand for Bicycle Facilities in Community-Based Bicycle Planning, with an emphasis on minority and low-income communities.

Her work showed that bike use is higher in areas with household incomes less than $30,000 and commute times of less than 15 minutes. And that communities should target their efforts where there is both the greatest need and highest potential for increased usage.

Congratulations to Edna Cruz. Sounds like she’s got a great future in planning.

Thanks to Erik Griswold for the heads-up.

……..

Following the death of San Diego cyclist David Ortiz — and the inexplicably inaccurate statements from the police — San Diego bicyclists will ride in his honor on Wednesday afternoon. And protest the unnecessarily dangerous conditions on the street where he was killed.

……..

Maybe he’s just nuts.

Road raging driver Louis Mraz, convicted of intentionally running down cyclist Winona Wacker in Highland Park, has been ordered to have a 90-day mental health evaluation before he’s sentenced; sentencing has been moved to June 29th.

……..

I love this piece from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on complaints about the new PA four-foot passing law. For a change, the writer clearly gets it when it comes to comparing the threat posed by cyclists and motorists.

I’ll point out here that I ride a bicycle from time to time, but almost never in traffic. It’s not because I’m scared to death of being mowed down by a careless, lawbreaking bicyclist.

Definitely worth the click.

……..

The first ticket for violating Pennsylvania’s new four-foot passing law comes just 15 hours after it goes into effect; hats off to the bus driver who blocked traffic to keep a hit-and-run driver from fleeing after he failed to give a rider four feet by running over his ass.

On the other hand, there are few things more ridiculous than comments from law enforcement that three — or in this case, four — foot passing distance is unenforceable unless there’s an actual collision.

A cop may not be able to to tell when a car is passing a cyclist at 2’8” instead of a full three feet. But any cop who can’t tell the difference between a foot or two and a yard or more has got serious problems.

……..

Damien Newton says the distracted driving zombies just aren’t going to cut it. More great photos from the recent Feel My Legs, I’m a Racer hill climbing stage race. LADOT wants your input on how to make Yucca Street bicycle friendly. The Real Rydaz are hosting a ride through South L.A. on July 1st, even if money and Metro is keeping CicLAvia from venturing there. Metro wants you to promise, cross your heart, that you’ll ride during Bike to Work Week next month. LADOT attempts to address an ongoing problem with a new campaign urging people to keep their trash bins out of the bike lanes. The newly issued Request for Proposals to reconstruct Santa Monica Blvd through the biking black hole of Beverly Hills includes instructions to consider bike lanes in both directions; it’s a start, anyway. Meanwhile, Beverly Hills announces public workshops for their upcoming Bike Route Pilot project; personally, I’d like to see separated cycle tracks on Rodeo Drive. Kick off the month-long lead-up to the BikeFest Tour of Long Beach with a free bike tune-up and tricycle races at Miller’s Children Hospital starting at Wednesday.

A Newport Beach cyclist is injured in a dooring; thanks to David Huntsman for the tip. Our neighbor to the south completes another 1.8 mile segment of what will eventually be a 24 mile bikeway around the San Diego Bay. Bike San Diego’s Sam Ollinger recaps day two of last month’s National Bike Summit. Visalia cyclists get their first sharrows, and unlike other cities I could name (cough: Los Angeles), an explanation of what they are. A San Francisco cyclist is severely beaten and robbed in an early morning attack. My favorite reality TV show are the L.A. police car chases that air intermittently on our local stations; now Cyclelicious offers proof that bicyclists can get in on the fun, too — even at 60 mph.

Ten things you need for a long-distance bike tour, starting with, yes, a bike. A new Albuquerque bike and pedestrian bridge will let cyclists cross I-25, while providing easy access to a strip club. Eight Denver cyclists are ticketed and their bikes impounded during the city’s first Critical Mass in four year. North Dakota cyclists push for bike lanes on a main street. The Springfield Cyclist calls your attention to the guy who didn’t crash in the Tour of Flanders. Chicago cyclists just want more police to enforce traffic laws — and stop parking in the bike lanes. Attention planning types, the bicycling director position for the city of Boston is about to open up; if they decide they don’t need an actual planner, let me know. That 90-year old New York trike rider is just a youngster compared to a couple riders here on the left coast. Louisiana considers legalizing sidewalk riding.

Toronto cyclists vow to fight the removal of existing bike lanes. A British bike rider complains about the lack of women in a bike company’s marketing brochure; seems to be a problem with a lot of companies that should know better. Helmet cams are bringing justice to UK streets. York city leaders step up to make their streets less safe for cyclists. England’s 125-year old Raleigh bicycle company is about to go Dutch. Edinburgh starts a new campaign to get cyclists in bike boxes, and keep drivers out. Germany wins the women’s world team sprint title, setting a new world’s record twice in the process. A badly broken collarbone has pro cyclist Fabian Cancellara down but not out, at least not for long. After being stripped of his title, and apparent time off for good behavior, ex-2010 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador plans to race in this year’s Vuelta. Oddly, the Tour of the Basque Country goes nowhere near Bakersfield; Spain’s Samuel Sanchez leads after three stages. An Aussie scientist gets 10 years for deliberately running down his bike-riding boss.

Finally, Good busts nine bike myths; then again, there’s at least that many reasons why you shouldn’t ride to work, right?

Category: Bikes & the Law, General, Legal Cases, Streets and Infrastructure / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Bush-hiding hit-and-run driver gets 6 years; Highland Park road-rager guilty of assault with deadly weapon

March 13, 2012 / / 6 comments

More news on SoCal’s very crowded court dockets.

San Diego hit-and-run driver Julianne Elyse Thomson — famed for hiding under the bushes while her victim died in the street — was sentenced to a well-deserved six years in state prison.

Thomson had pled guilty in January to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and hit-and-run causing death. She had a blood-alcohol level of .25 — over three times the legal limit — when she killed 64-year old Arthur John Jacobs as he rode to work on July 27th of last year.

Meanwhile, bike riding attorney Ross Hirsch — who wrote the definitive explanation of L.A.’s new cyclist anti-harassment ordinance — reports that Highland Park road rage driver Louis Mraz has been convicted on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon.

Mraz was charged with deliberately running down cyclist Winona Wacker after a confrontation on Avenue 50, then fleeing the scene.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, it wasn’t his first time. But he still had the unbelievable chutzpah — or sheer hatred of anyone on two wheels — to publicly argue against bike lanes on North Figueroa avenue while facing charges for assaulting Wacker.

Now that’s major huevos. And not in a good way.

Hirsch reports that Mraz was acquitted on charges of hit-and-run and causing grave bodily injury. Sentencing is scheduled for March 26th; no word yet on what sentence he may face, but Hirsch suggests that Mraz is likely to serve his time in county lockup rather than state prison.

Update: The Highland Park and Eagle Rock editions of Patch have picked up the story, reporting that Mraz could face anything from a $10,000 fine to up to four years behind bars.

According to the California Penal Code “any person who commits an assault upon the person of another with a deadly weapon or instrument other than a firearm or by any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years, or in a county jail for not exceeding one year, or by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.”

……..

A California legislator introduces a bill that would add a $2 surcharge to the price of every bike sold to maintain bike trails and paths within the state park system; in other words, a tax on all cyclists for trails most will never ride.

Personally, I have no problem with the concept, as long as the money doesn’t go into to state’s general fund where we’d never see it again, and is restricted for use exclusively on bike projects.

But why not make it half-a-percent, so the people who can afford high-end bikes pay a little more, while someone who can only afford a cheap bike pays a minimal amount. Then use for bikeways throughout the state, rather than just state parks.

If nothing else, it would shut up the misinformed bike haters who insist we have to pay our own way. Even though we’re already paying theirs.

Meanwhile, a writer in the Washington Post asks why should we?

……..

The Examined Spoke takes the father of Vehicular Cycling to task, and shows what might have been. Clearly, a UK writer is no fan, and Bike Snob doesn’t appear to be either.

……..

Somehow I missed this study last year, showing that more bikeways equals more bike riders, even when adjusting for other factors. However, it doesn’t say if more cyclists cause more bikeways, or the other way around.

My guess is it works both ways.

……..

Bike Radar interviews the LACBC’s Alexis Lantz about the new county bike plan. Turns out it’s not hard to get a permit to block a bike lane, if you actually apply for it. CicLAvia’s Joe Linton talks bike lanes and car-free Sundays. New bike lanes are coming to San Vicente Blvd in West Hollywood. Taking up the car-free lifestyle in Long Beach. Ventura County cyclists will get a new beachfront bike path along Highway 101 south of Carpinteria in a few years. Sadly, a long-time Solvang bike activist passes away just days before his 99th birthday. Evidently, Santa Barbara has a bike shop desert. A Bakersfield cyclist was killed crossing a road on Friday. A Montebello salmon cyclist is lucky to end up with just a broken ankle after getting hit by a van heading the wrong way on a one way street. Turns out that Rear Adm. Dixon Smith, the new commander of the Navy’s Southwest Region is one of us. It’s bad enough we have to dodge drivers, now we have to watch out for cows, too. PayPal Executive Eric Salvatierra was killed while walking his bike on Menlo Park railroad tracks on Friday. Union Pacific runs cyclists off a de facto bike park. Three years probation and 500 hours of community service for the San Francisco cyclist who killed a pedestrian while running a red light; if a driver had killed a cyclist under similar circumstances, we’d be screaming for his head.

Studies show active kids are smarter kids. Automakers say if you’re going to make us fight distracted driving, you need to stop smartphone makers, too; a good read on why drivers hate cars. A popular Seattle bicycle mechanic died after being hit by a car on his way to work. Don’t try this at home; a Chicago cyclist chases down and tackles a purse snatcher. Ohio bike volunteers are sued for practicing engineering without a license for offering advice on improving safety. Early ‘60s rockabilly singer Terry Teen was killed while riding his bike in Texas last week. No surprise as former president George W. Bush declines to participate in the Dallas Ride of Silence. Court records finally explain why the NYPD didn’t charge the hit-and-run driver who killed cyclist Mathieu Lefevre. Ex-framebuilder Dave Moulton offers an interesting comparison of 1950s and modern bike design.

Two years after being injured in a collision, a Vancouver cyclist is sued by the driver that hit him for damaging her car; no really. A Toronto Councilor brags that he would kick a bike courier’s ass if he wasn’t an elected official; maybe he shouldn’t be one. London traffic engineers were ordered to ignore cyclists in planning traffic capacity at a killer intersection. A new interactive map allows UK cyclists to pinpoint areas that need improvement. Bradley Wiggins kicks off the European season with a win in the Paris – Nice Classic; Santa Rosa’s Levi Leipheimer crashed out of competition. The Telegraph asks if Wiggo is the best rider Great Britain has ever produced. Volvo introduces the first air bag to protect people outside of the car — like cyclists and pedestrians. Even Dubai cyclists are getting a new bike plan, including dedicated cycle tracks integrated into all Metro stations; be nice to see that kind of planning in L.A. Green Party politicians say bikes and trucks don’t mix in a dangerous Australian intersection. Taiwan could rival The Netherlands as a bicycle paradise.

Finally, change your mind, change your gears, as a new Toyota Prius bike allows you to shift by thinking — as long as your iPad is strapped to your chest; since it was reported by Fox News, you can blame Obama if it doesn’t work.

And you might recognize the last caller on Patt Morrison’s KPCC segment on the job prospects for Gen Y, identified only as Charlie from Long Beach.

Category: Bikes & the Law, Legal Cases / Tags: , , , , , ,

Major road rage chutzpah, Jeannie Longo breaks my heart & LA’s anti-harassment ordinance spreads east

September 18, 2011 / / 4 comments

In an unbelievable display of chutzpah, the driver accused of running down a Highland Park cyclist in a road rage assault has spoken out against bikes lanes on North Figueroa.

According to the Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch, Louis Mraz used a recent meeting of the Mt. Washington Homeowners’ Alliance to warn that efforts by the recently formed Figueroa for All initiative could return the street to a single lane for cars and one for bikes, like it was in the ‘40s when the Red Cars reduced vehicular traffic to one lane in each direction.

Like that would be a bad thing.

Except for impatient road raging drivers, of course.

He went on to suggest that cyclists should be routed to less-traveled streets, warning that North Fig could soon become “jammed with bikes.”

Then again, he seems to take offense if there’s just one bike in his way. Or at least, that’s what he currently stands accused of.

Maybe it’s just me.

But I’d think that when you’re facing charges for a vehicular assault against a cyclist, it might be wise to keep any obvious anti-bike bias to yourself.

Especially if it’s not the first time you’ve been accused of a road rage attack.

……..

Tell me it ain’t so, Jeannie.

The legendary Jeannie Longo is under investigation for dodging dope tests, while her husband stands accused of buying EPO on her behalf.

This one just breaks my heart.

Longo is — or was — one of the greatest cyclists of all time, and certainly stands as one of the best I’ve ever had the privilege watching ride to victory. If she’s cheating, it raising the question of just how long and when she started. And casts pall on a career that’s lasted through parts of five decades.

And if one of the greatest riders of our time is cheating, then who isn’t?

Maybe Greg LeMond is right, and just about everyone except him is dirty. Or everyone after him, anyway.

Even teams famously dedicated to riding clean face problems, as HTC-Highroad rider Alex Rasmussen is fired from the team and suspended by Denmark’s cycling federation after missing three drug tests in 18 months.

It’s starting to look like a clean pro cyclist is about as rare a clean college football program.

……..

L.A.’s groundbreaking bicyclist anti-harassment could soon spread east as Washington DC considers a similar ordinance in the wake of a deliberate assault on a rider.

……..

Seattle’s bike-friendly mayor says it’s time to stop finding fault and start finding solutions to the city’s recent rash of bike deaths — including a rider who may have been killed by a bad bikeway design. And The Stranger says as long as cyclists are dying, if people want to think there’s a war against cars, then maybe there should be.

Meanwhile, a Seattle author takes cyclists to task for failing to share the road.

She’s got a point. But seriously, if a cyclist is pounding on your car when you’re busy taking on the phone — hands-free or otherwise — there’s a reasonable chance you may have done something to deserve it.

Just saying.

……..

A very positive year for L.A. cyclists — though the notoriously anti-bike L.A. Weekly bizarrely calls it ass-kissing — leads to an honorable mention from the League of American Bicyclists. New LADOT General Manager Jaime de la Vega says L.A. is committed to becoming a more bike-friendly city. L.A. will soon get its first green bike lanes on 1st Street, and the Reseda Blvd bike lanes are now complete from Roscoe to Parthenia. Joe Linton explores the new Cahuenga Blvd bike lanes, the first to reach Hollywood. The BPIT agenda for October is officially unveiled. Bikerowave will host a swap meet on Sunday, October 2nd. Check out the shiny new CicLAvia website. Long Beach gets a new bike station. Thousand Oaks passes on hosting next year’s Amgen Tour of California. A mountain biker is killed by a train while riding on the tracks in Redding. A bike-riding Santa Cruz bank robber faces sentencing after pleading no contest; something tells me he’ll serve a lot more time for stealing money on a bike than most drivers get for killing someone on one. In a case that didn’t smell right from the beginning, CHP reverses itself to rule that a Los Altos Hills cyclist wasn’t responsible for the collision that killed her after all.

After beating back a challenge to bike funding in the federal transportation bill, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid says biking facilities are absolutely important. Defending Olympic time trial champion Kristin Armstrong is replaced by Amber Neben on the U.S squad for the World Championships. A Dutch student becomes the world’s second fastest cyclist at 82.81 miles per hour in a Nevada desert. Cyclists take to Boulder CO’s new 40-acre off-road bike park. The New York Times says don’t forget to pack your folding bike when you travel, while the bike wars continue in the letters to the Times; heads-up courtesy of George Wolfberg. NYC chooses Alta to run its bike share program. A Maryland woman becomes an unintended bike activist after a motorist is fined $507.50 for killing her bike-riding husband.

Mexico City cyclists ride to reclaim their streets following threats from a journalist. Brazil plans to devote 15% of all traffic fines to promote cycling. A Canadian writer concludes that law-flouting kamikaze bikers have declared war on pedestrians. A UK cyclist suffers a broken collarbone after being intentionally rammed in a road rage incident, while Sussex cyclists are being pelted with eggs. Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour has to tear down his beachfront bike hut. Surrey police target inconsiderate cyclists with a possible £1000 fine; link courtesy of Bob Davis. Bikes will soon be allowed on a Yorkshire pathway for the first time in 150 years. Hugh Jackman rides a Brompton. Sleek, sturdy wooden bikes that actually ride like, well, bikes. The NY Times swears Copenhagen pedestrians feel squeezed out by the city’s cyclists. Cyclists and drivers fight for supremacy on German roadways; Dave Moulton asks when cyclists in bike-friendly countries cross the line to become unfriendly to everyone else on the road. A Queensland cyclist remains unidentified after a fatal cycling collision — which is why you should always carry ID when you ride. China is falling back in love with the bicycle.

Finally, in case you missed it, an Orange County driver takes a short cut directly through Mission Viejo’s Rock N’ Road Cyclery. And Der Spiegel says L.A., here I come. No idea what it says, but the pictures are nice; thanks to Dr. Michael Cahn for the link.

Category: Bikes & the Law, General, Legal Cases / Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Swarzman trial begins, Stearns sentenced, Mraz charged, GOP proposes ill-advices budget cuts

July 11, 2011 / / 6 comments

It’s a sad commentary on the state of our roads when the trial of one killer driver begins just days after another ends.

Or maybe it’s a positive note that police and prosecutors are finally taking cases involving cyclists more seriously.

Either way, the trial of Joseph Ricardo Fernandez is scheduled to begin Tuesday for the late night hit-and-run death of popular Encino cyclist Jim Swarzman in Encinitas last April. The trial is scheduled for the North County Courthouse, 325 South Melrose Drive in Vista, starting at 8:45 am tomorrow; Fernandez is facing a single count of hit-and-run causing death.

Cyclists are urged to attend to show their support and make it clear that these killings have to stop.

Thanks to @sonofabike for the heads-up.

……..

In a case that’s been dragging on for years, 30-year old Michelle Nicole Stearns was sentenced to six years in prison for the Dana Point death of Jose Barranco-Patino in 2007. Stearns had a BAC of .20 — 2.5 times the legal limit — when she jumped the curbed and killed Barranco-Patino as he rode home from work.

Thanks to Steve Herbert for the tip.

……..

The driver was finally arrested for a violent May confrontation in which a female cyclist was allegedly deliberately struck and knocked off her bike.

Louis Mraz has been charged with hit-and-run and assault; evidently, this wasn’t his first time. Maybe we need a one-and-done policy when it comes to road rage — one conviction for assault stemming from a roadway incident and you lose your license for life.

Thanks to Rick Risemberg and Patrick Pascal for the links.

……..

In a serious disconnect, the Republican head of the House Transportation Committee proposes major funding cuts, including elimination of all bike and pedestrian set asides, as a new report says Americans are fatter than ever.

And never mind that building transportation infrastructure creates jobs, and bike infrastructure creates even more; then again, so do transit projects, which are also on chopping block.

The Alliance for Biking and Walking, People for Bikes and Safe Routes to Schools ask you to contact your representatives in Congress to demand that funding be continued for bike and pedestrian projects.

Personally, though, I’d gladly trade guaranteed bike and ped funding for legislation mandating Complete Streets throughout the 50 states, which would give us a much bigger piece of the pie while making our streets safer and communities more livable for everyone.

And frankly, I would question the judgment of any elected official who would call for cutting job-creating transportation projects while the country still struggles to get back to work.

……..

In pro cycling news, doctors say Columbian rider Juan Mauricio Soler has suffered serious cognitive deficits following his crash in the Tour of Switzerland last month; he has been transferred back to his Spanish base of operations.

It’s bad enough that the rest of us have to contend with dangerous drivers, but when competitors in the Tour de France are run off the road by a reckless driver in a media car, something is seriously wrong. Crash victims Juan Antonio Flecha and Johnny Hoogerland both managed to finish, after Hoogerland extricated himself from a barbed wire fence — amazingly, he was able to reclaim the best climber’s jersey prior to getting 33 stitches to close the deep gashes in his legs. The driver who hit them has been thrown out of the race while the collision is being investigated by French authorities; rumor has it the car was ferrying VIPs who wanted to get closer to the action.

Additional casualties continue to mount in yesterdays Stage 9, as Astana’s Alexandre Vinokourov leaves with a broken pelvis in what was his final tour, David Zabriskie of Garmin-Cervelo is out with a broken wrist, and Omega’s Jurgen Van Den Broeck and Frederick Willems leave with broken collarbones. A day earlier, San Diego cyclist Chris Horner crashed out; reportedly, he was unaware at the finish that he had even completed the course, let alone that he had crashed. Team Sky’s Bradley Wiggins was also forced to leave after suffering a broken collarbone in a mass crash that shook up the standings. And defending champ Alberto Contador finds himself falling even further behind after hitting the pavement once again in a controversial crash with Vladamir Karpets, aggravating a knee injury suffered earlier in the tour; maybe he needs to start eating Spanish beef again.

Meanwhile, le Tour gets its first ever black cyclist.

And Elly Blue reminds us there’s another big bike race in France; after watching the incomparable Jeannie Longo and the rest of the world’s best women racers compete in the late, great Coors Classic, I think it’s long past time that women were more than just podium girls at the grand tours.

It time that women’s racing got the respect, attention and money it deserves. The Amgen Tour of California will always be a 2nd tier tour for the men, but with a little effort, it could easily become the Tour de France of women’s racing.

……..

Photo by Richard Masoner

Bike-friendly L.A. Councilmember Bill Rosendahl gets friendly with, or rather on, a bike. LACBC says avoid Carmegeddon at the Eat Real food fest in Culver City this weekend; Flying Pigeon credits the Coalition for calling attention to the link between poverty, urban density and bike/ped fatalities. Another recent road rage assault results in riders calling for Share the Road signs to be returned to Angeles Crest Highway; Bike May Use Full Lane signs like the one on the above would probably be a better choice. The Times offers an obituary of cycling coach and former champion Mark Whitehead, who passed away in Texas last week. Stephen Box says L.A. is losing millions in transportation funding. A writer for KCET points out how he and his girlfriend single-handedly boosted the local economy on a bike trip. Four local high schools are fighting poverty by collecting bikes to donate to homeless people on L.A.’s Skid Row. L.A.’s neighbors are outpacing the city in biking infrastructure. Santa Monica’s Fuzzy Bike Coalition sets out to make the world smile. Gary looks at Santa Monica’s new bike racks and how to get them. Encino Patch looks at the summer season at the Encino Velodrome, while Ride the Black Line — which you’re probably already reading if you follow track racing — offers faces of the Velodrome. A Long Beach cyclist is in critical condition after being hit by a pickup that allegedly ran a red light on Wednesday.

The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition has appointed Andy Hanshaw as its new Executive Director. Solano Beach state Assemblyman Martin Garrick was arrested for DUI by CHP bike cops — who knew? — last month with a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit. Speaking of Solano Beach, a cyclist asks where to turn after he’s harassed, then threatened by a passing motorist. The father of fallen San Diego cyclist Nick Venuto rode his son’s bike in a memorial ride in Nick’s honor Saturday. The underage driver who killed an English cyclist near Oceano last month was over twice the legal blood alcohol limit. Great advice from Sacramento on how boosting your speed can save your life in an emergency situation; being able to accelerate out of danger is as important as knowing how to brake properly.

Ten smart tips to cycling in traffic. How to regain your confidence after a crash; my personal method is to go back and finish the same route you crashed on. Nevada passes a three-foot passing law and increases penalties for drivers who hit cyclists who are riding legally. A 71-year old Tacoma man is pushed and beaten by passengers in a passing car until he crashes and ends up in local hospital; credit Tucson Bike Lawyer with the heads-up. The new head of Chicago’s DOT wants to spur more cycling; I’d like to hear a similar pronouncement from LADOT’s new head honcho. A Minnesota man finds his stolen DIY custom bike in a newspaper photograph years later. Cyclists will now be able to ride two Central Park pathways as long as they do it very, very slowly. The Wall Street Journal continues its attempt to become the bike world’s newspaper of record as it looks at custom bike builder Sacha White of Vanilla bikes. A New York Times reporter plans to bike across the country for the 2nd time. The NYPD’s Accident Investigation Unit treats information on traffic fatalities like state secrets. Clearly, black women do bike in DC, after all. Reviews aren’t good for the new bike safety video from Fairfax County VA. Harassment of cyclists rears its ugly head in the Carolinas. A North Carolina cyclist is killed after crossing the center line and colliding with an oncoming car during a local bike race. Dave Moulton calls for more accountability after a cyclist is knocked off a bridge and killed.

An 80-year old New Brunswick man is under arrest for the hit-and-run death of a cyclist; link courtesy of Witch on a Bicycle. A violent assault on a Brit cyclist is caught on video; police swear they’re still investigating. A UK cyclist attempts to reclaim a stolen bike, and ends up stealing another one. Apparently, cycling in Northumbria doesn’t suck after all. Touring Versailles by bike. Do low end bikes — aka Bike Shaped Objects — encourage cycling or put riders off from the miserable experience?

Finally, a Florida cyclist is T-boned by a black bear. And one of L.A.’s more colorful bike characters is caught on camera.

Category: Bikes & the Law, General, Legal Cases, Violence & Crime / Tags: , , , , , , ,
 
Wordpress Theme by ThemeZee