He was bleeding from the nose and mouth when the woman, identified as Claire Viriyavong, moved his hand to perform CPR.
But despite their efforts, and the efforts of first responders, he was declared dead before being moved from the trail.
He was found near a rock, and an SDFD battalion chief said he appeared to have landed face down, suffered traumatic injuries despite wearing a helmet and other protective gear.
Which is yet another sad reminder that nothing offers complete protection.
This is at least the 15th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
February 11, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on American expat with TX & CO ties missing after mountain biking in Spain, and focus on drivers to improve elderly bike safety
Day 42 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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We mentioned last week that a man from the UK had gone missing while mountain biking in Spain, prompting an all-out search.
Now it turns out that the victim is 50-year old US expat Matt Opperman, who has lived in Spain off-and-and on for several years, after serving as head mechanic for the Australian mountain bike team at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Police concluded that Opperman, who worked for Yeti Cycles, set out on his electric mountain bike two weeks ago yesterday, after finding his black van parked in Segura de la Sierra, west of Alicante, Spain.
Family members say the father of two had planned to stay at a cabin and explore local trails, but hasn’t been seen since.
Opperman is a former resident of both Houston, Texas and Longmont, Colorado.
Which suggests that if the sheriff’s department really wants to improve safety for older bike riders, maybe they should start with a seminar on how to drive safely around people on bicycles, older or otherwise.
Because it’s not the people riding bikes who are killing people.
NACTO says there’s a lot of new and revised rules in the latest edition of the organization’s Urban Bikeway Design Guide(click to make graphic mo’ bigger).
You know, in case you need a little light reading.
Anti-urbanist President Trump is reportedly in talks with New York’s governor to not only get rid of New York City’s successful congestion pricing program, but also rip out the city’s bike lanes, which have improved safety for everyone. Although it’s questionable what authority he has to force their removal on state and local roadways, but that doesn’t seem to stop anyone these days.
New York takes another dramatic step to slow traffic by installing a “green wave” on a 36-block stretch of Third Ave, where traffic signals that had been timed for vehicles traveling 25 mph have been reset for a 15 mph, allowing bicyclists — not drivers — to travel without stopping.
Life is cheap in Ireland, where a 62-year old man, who had faced up to ten years behind bars for running a red light and killing an eight-year old boy riding a bicycle, was sentenced to just three years in jail, with one suspended, after the judge considered mitigating factors; the boy’s father says he will never get over the “violence of the impact.”
A new Dutch study shows that promoting bicycling can help create more compact cities, while eliminating bicycle infrastructure increases commuting times and distances and exacerbates traffic congestion, while resulting in a significant reduction in worker welfare.
February 5, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Los Angeles belatedly rolls out draft HLA standards, mountain biking ode to LA, and environmentally unfriendly burn scar ride
Day 36 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
The HLA SET sets out the minimum standards for each tier in the plan, from the Transit Enhanced Network and Pedestrian Enhanced Network, to three tiers of bikeway networks.
Which makes sense, since the bare minimum is all they’ve done so far.
You’ll have your chance to weigh in when the Planning Department hosts a virtual information session on its proposed HLA Standard Elements Table a week from tomorrow, from 6-7 pm.
Never mind the environmental damage to nascent vegetation and animal life as the hillside struggles to recover from the fire damage.
Schmucks.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A Philadelphia woman tried to get out of paying after her car was towed for parking in a parking protected bike lane by claiming the four-year old bike lane didn’t exist, because the signs and symbols normally denoting a bike lane were missing due to construction. Never mind that it looks pretty damn obvious even without them.
No bias here. Drivers in Oxford, England complain about Schrödinger’s bike lanes, of which there are simultaneously too many blocking the roads and causing congestion, and too few, forcing drivers to somehow cope with people legally riding in the traffic lanes.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Only in Florida. A 67-year old Lake City man kidnapped a woman at knifepoint after she struck him with her car as he rode his bike in a crosswalk, demanding that she drive him home — then called police and her employer to report the crash when she didn’t return with a promised payment, and refused to have a relationship with him.
Oops. KCBS-2 says former US National Crit champ Rahsaan Bahati partnered with “Costa Mesa nonprofit” Walk ‘n Rollers after someone stole the trailer with all their gear. Except the group dedicated to teaching kids how to ride their bikes safely is based about 45 miles north in Culver City.
A new Utah bill could eliminate mountain bike and gravel racing in the state by imposing a 20 mph speed limit on all trails and pathways, while also revising the definitions of electric motorcycles, e-scooters, mini-bikes and ebikes, and requiring helmets for anyone under 21.
This is why people hate defense lawyers. Attorneys for the man accused of killing the hockey-playing Gaudreau brothers the night before their sister’s New Jersey wedding allege they were both over the legal alcohol limit as they rode their bikes, as if that had anything to do with the driver running them down from behind while passing a slower car on the shoulder of the highway.
A Nova Scotia city councilmember says the city needs a 2,000 percent increase in bicycling rates if they want to have any hope of meeting their climate goals. On the other hand, at least they have climate goals, unlike a certain SoCal megalopolis I could name, which tossed the last mayor’s Green New Deal out the window before the new mayor even came in.
Not Just Bikes says the reason Canadians can’t bike in the winter and Finns can has nothing to do with weather, and everything to do with safe bicycle infrastructure. Then proceeds to refute their own argument by showing Canadians bicycling in, yes, winter, albeit less comfortably than their Finnish counterparts.
Seriously? A 32-year old British man is facing ten years behind bars for killing a 75-year old Finnish man with an axe as he lay in his bed, bizarrely claiming it was self-defense after the older man tied him down and raped him — yet the press somehow insists on identifying him as a “cyclist” because he arrived in Finland on a bike tour.
January 24, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on New book examines past, present and future of Black bicycling; and bike to clean up Angeles National Forest trail tomorrow
Day 24 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
According to the Los Angeles Sentinel, New Black Cyclones: Racism, Representation and Revolutions of Power in Cycling by Marlon Lee Moncrieffe examines “several cycling communities throughout America and several countries in Africa, highlighting their perspectives on racial issues and general experiences.”
“I’m using the past to understand the present,” (Moncrieffe) said. “And taking the voices of current Black cyclists to understand what might be the future of our representation in the sport.”
The book will be available from all the usual source — yes, including that one — next month.
2. Bike to trail clean-up in Angeles National Forest
The Mt. Wilson Bicycling Association will host a bike-in trail cleanup from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday on the Valley Forge Trail. Volunteers will park at Redbox Picnic Area and are responsible for getting themselves to Valley Forge Trail Camp by bike. The group will meet at 8 a.m. for a safety briefing before riding to the trail. The organization will provide lunch to volunteers. Participants should bring water and snacks and wear long sleeves and pants to protect themselves from poodle-dog bush and other irritants in the area. Register at eventbrite.com.
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Gravel Bike California takes one fond look back to their favorite rides of the past year.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
At least 54 hiking trails were burned in Eaton and Palisades fires, let alone what may have gone up in this week’s Hughes Fire above Castaic. Which raises the troubling question of whether your favorite mountain biking or gravel trails will still be around when all the flames are extinguished.
A group of 61 local, state and national advocacy groups signed onto a letter to Caltrans and the California Transportation Commission urging them to speed up action to meet the state’s transportation-related climate goals, as they continue to build dirty freeways instead of bikeways.
The new Arkansas Global Cycling Accelerator is taking applications from bicycling-related startups and innovators hoping to jumpstart their business, as Bentonville strives to become a hub for the mountain biking industry, as well as a world-class mountain biking destination.
In today’s most touching story, councilmembers in Schenectady, New York joined a caravan of police, fire and public works vehicles to honor a local man famed for simply riding his bike throug the city while bringing warmth and cheer to everyone he met, after 56-year old Ronnie “Rondon” Cridelle lost his battle with cancer. Although when my time comes, I’ll be lucky if I get someone pulling a corgi in a wagon around the block.
Despite the recommendations of an independent investigation office, a Canadian Mountie in British Columbia won’t face charges for using his police cruiser as a weapon to knock a 15-year-old robbery suspect off his bicycle; prosecutors say there isn’t enough evidence to support the recommended charges of aggravated assault, dangerous driving and dangerous driving causing bodily harm. All of which seems pretty self-evident, given the circumstances.
A writer for Streetsblog sends a postcard from Shanghai, saying “the Chinese mega-city provides an example of great urban mobility, albeit with a side of authoritarianism.” Because as we all know, a side of authoritarianism goes great with Peking duck and stinky tofu.
February 29, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Elderly driver plows into 7 mountain bikers, and NTSB says AZ driver’s steering worked in crash that killed 2 and injured 17
Just 306 days until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.
As of this writing, we’re still at 1,005 signatures, so let’s keep it going, and urge your friends, family and coworkers to keep signing the petition until the mayor agrees to meet with us!
The victims were allegedly riding on the wrong side of the road when an 85-year-old woman coming from the opposite direction crashed into them. Although other reports indicate the driver veered across the roadway to hit them head on.
Four of the group were injured, two critically, with another in moderate condition.
At this time, there’s no word on why they might have been riding against traffic, or if they were in the traffic lane or on the shoulder of the roadway.
The crash once again raises the question of how old is too old to drive, and how to take away the keys from drivers who shouldn’t have them.
The driver — identified as Pedro Quintana-Lujan — had claimed that the steering on his pickup had locked, causing him to plow through the mass of bicyclists riding in a bike lane alongside the highway, sparing just one of the 20 riders.
Quintana-Lujan was originally booked on suspicion of two counts of manslaughter, three counts of aggravated assault, 18 counts of endangerment and two counts of causing serious injury or death by a moving violation.
But the bicycling community was outraged when the Maricopa County DA released Quintana-Lujan without charges, kicking the case down to the city prosecutor for possible misdemeanor charges.
Just another, you know, “oopsie.”
There’s no word on whether the DA will reconsider filing felony charges now that Quintana-Lujan’s excuse been disproven.
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No surprise here, as a new study shows that drivers tend to be blamed for crashes with pedestrians in pedestrianized areas, like urban downtowns. And pedestrians tend to get the blame when they’re struck by drivers in areas built to facilitate drivers zooming down the road.
“What we’re seeing in this research is that the built environment is a key factor. People make errors in judgment, but no one deserves to die or get injured for such errors. And they would be less likely to make these choices if there were more pedestrian infrastructure.”
Roads that are designed for driving put pedestrians at an added risk. Not only are they more likely to be hit but they are more likely to take the blame for it. This puts an added burden on those without vehicles or the ability to drive.
When New York City proposed installing a protected bike lane on Skillman Avenue in Queens in 2017, the impact it would have on local businesses was certain — at least according to the plan’s critics.
A devastating loss of customers. Revenue falling by 20 percent. Beloved shops forced to close their doors for good.
Those predictions were wrong.
Data obtained by Streetsblog through a Freedom of Information request shows the economy of Skillman Avenue grew after the city built the new lane in the fall of 2018, with revenue increasing and new businesses setting up shop.
Sales in the stores, bars and restaurants on Skillman’s main seven-block commercial stretch collectively rose by 12 percent after the lane went in, according to the data, which was provided by the city Department of Finance. There was also a net increase of three new businesses on the strip, a jump of 10 percent.
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More on LA’s Measure HLA on next week’s primary ballot, which would require the city to build out the already-approved Mobility Plan 2035 whenever a street in the plan is resurfaced.
Letter writers to the Times call for passing HLA, arguing that CicLAvia is proof Angelenos are hungry for alternatives to driving, and that we need safer streets, and not just added law enforcement.
Bike Culver City is hosting a Leap Year, craft beer, Handlebar Happy Hour tonight.
Leap Year Gathering! Join us at the Los Angeles Ale Works in Ivy station tomorrow Thursday, February 29th for our latest Handlebar Happy Hour. See you soon! pic.twitter.com/YM3EB6w8GA
A Santa Monica letter writer complains about a new affordable housing development on Santa Monica Blvd, because it has 146 bicycle parking spots, and none for cars. Never mind that at an average cost of $10,000 per vehicle parking spot, the builder reduced costs by $1.46 million.
New York commissioners unanimously passed a pair of bills aimed at reigning in the city’s rising death tolls from lithium-ion battery fires, including one restricting sales of non-UL certified batteries.
December 15, 2023 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on WeHo votes on Vision Zero Monday, not guilty plea in Magnus White death, and popular comic dies in solo ebike crash
We’re running neck-and-neck with last year’s record-breaking total — which means we could easily set a new record for the ninth time in a row. Or fail for the first time ever.
Which way it goes is entirely up to you.
Thanks to Nina N for her generous donation to support SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy, and keep it coming your way every day.
As we’ve learned the hard way — hello, Los Angeles — a Vision Zero plan is only as good as the political will of city leaders to fund and implement it.
But so far, West Hollywood’s leadership seems committed to carrying out their decisions — including the recent decision to only build protected bike lanes.
The 23-year old driver appeared in court Wednesday, and entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of vehicular homicide, a class 4 felony with a maximum of 6 years in prison, along with a potential fine ranging anywhere from two thousand to half a million dollars.
Yeva Smiliansk described herself as a Ukrainian refugee, with no criminal history there or here in the US.
According to Smiliansk, she ran down White as he rode on the side of the roadway because her steering failed, while prosecutors allege she chose to drive while sleep deprived, and fell asleep at the wheel.
White was training for the junior mountain bike world championships in Scotland, where he was scheduled to compete just weeks later.
However, police were not called to the scene, and there’s no word on what may have caused the crash.
The 37-year old comedian appeared on MTV Decoded, The Late Late Show with James Corden, Late Night With Seth Meyers, the Just For Laughs TV series Straight Up, Stand Up, HBO’s Crashing, and Comedy Central’s Tales From The Trip.
I’m told that DeForest’s death hit close to home for LA writers, who got to know him during the recent writer’s strike, when he participated in several of the Bike the Strike rides.
Thanks to Mike Burk and Nina Moskol for the tip.
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‘Tis the season.
First responders in California’s Alameda County answered a little girl’s letter to Santa, giving her the bicycle she asked for, along with some milk for her baby brother.
Santa Monica cops will conduct another bike and pedestrian safety operation today, ticketing anyone who commits a violation that could endanger someone walking or riding a bike. So ride to the letter of the law until you cross the city limits, so you’re not the one who gets ticketed.
As you can see below, the key finding were that lowering speed limits improves safety, raising speed limits makes things worse, and neither one makes a big difference when it comes to travel times.
Which should put the final nail in the coffin of the deadly 85th Percentile Law, which puts speeding drivers in charge of setting speed limits, and which AAA has long claimed as one of their biggest accomplishments.
But it probably won’t.
Because as Friday the 13th tells us, things like this are hard to kill, no matter how evil they are.
Key Findings
The Foundation study found:
Raising posted speed limits was associated with increased crash frequencies and rates for two of the three Interstate Highways examined.
Lowering posted speed limits was associated with decreased crash frequencies and rates for one of the two principal arterials examined.
Changes in travel times were small in response to both raised and lowered speed limits.
Then there’s this.
AAA recommends that changes in posted speed limits should consider a range of factors, including but not limited to the type of road, surrounding land use, and historical crash data. AAA supports automated speed enforcement, but programs must be carefully implemented to maintain community support, prioritize equity and consistently drive improved safety.
They make the case for others to learn from this tragedy, and avoid putting yourself in danger.
Right now on @10News ⬇️ Loved ones remember Kai, 24, who died on a trail in Jacumba last weekend. Kai was mountain biking with a group when they came across a group of hikers in distress. The hikers were rescued, but Kai eventually collapsed pic.twitter.com/Rey7euIYrA
Residents of a bucolic Denver street got out the torches and pitchforks to attack a new neighborhood greenway — or last least, sharply worded comments. Meanwhile, bike riders just want to get home in one piece.
Why am I not surprised? Streetsblog reports that “Metro and LADOT quietly omitted and downgraded extensive bike and walk improvements approved and funded” for the new Little Tokyo station on the Regional Connector train line, while omitting other features at the Grand and Broadway Metro stations.
An Oregon coalition is working to repeal the mandatory bike lane use law, which forces riders to use the bike lane if there is one on the roadway, regardless of whether it might be substandard or dangerous, or whether the bicyclists are traveling at speed. California has the same dangerous law, which needs to be revoked.
An Italian associate professor of architecture and urbanism refused to pay a fine equivalent to $50 for riding over a pedestrian crossing in 2017, insisting he didn’t break any law and it was just the actions of an overzealous cop; the fine has now increased nearly 20-fold to over $932.
July 18, 2023 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Proposed ebike bill won’t require a license to ride ebikes — for now, and recent deaths offer extreme heat warning
Let’s start with a quick update on AB 530, the new ebike bill sponsored by Encinitas Assemblymember Tasha Boerner.
Yesterday I received clarification that the bill doesn’t currently call for ebike licenses, but rather requires that anyone over 16 carry some form of photo ID whenever they ride an ebike.
Which means that anyone without a valid driver’s license will need to have a state ID, or a student or work ID with a photo. Or maybe start carrying a passport when you ride an ebike, even if you’re not planning to cross any international borders.
However, it does call for establishing a working group with a goal of creating a license for ebike riders.
So no ebike licenses for now. But no guarantees down the road, either.
And despite my misreading of the bill, it doesn’t require a bike helmet for Class 3 ebikes capable of speeds up to 28 mph, since that’s already state law.
Both serve as tragic reminders of the dangers of the current extreme heat wave gripping the Southwest, which is only predicted to get worse over the coming weekend.
So if you can, try to avoid riding in the heat of the day. Schedule your rides for early in the morning before the heat of the day, or in the evening after the relentless pounding of the sun lets up.
If you do have to ride during the day, try to choose a route closer to the coast, where the air is cooler, or seek out shaded areas as much as possible.
If you have to ride in the city, remember that concrete buildings and dark road surfaces radiate heat far in excess of the already high ambient temperatures.
Wherever you ride, take more water than you think you’ll need, and take frequent breaks in shaded areas.
And remember that a simple mechanical can ruin even the most cautious plans, and keep you out in the sun far longer than intended.
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Sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
The NoHo Arts District asks if LA’s Mobility Plan 2035 will increase bike and pedestrian safety in Los Angeles, after the plan was approved by the city council eight years ago. Short answer — not unless it’s actually implemented, which seems pretty damn unlikely at this point.
Westside Today examines Culver City’s newly enhanced Higuera Street Bridge, which they say prioritizes bicyclists and pedestrians. If they really want to prioritize people walking and riding bikes, get rid of the damn cars.
July 17, 2023 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Update: Mountain biker dies in desert heat, shortly after helping rescue stranded hikers in Carrizo Gorge in east San Diego County
According to multiple sources, the victim was with a group of mountain bikers who encountered the hikers in the Carrizo Gorge area of the Jacumba Mountains, in the desert east of San Diego, around 2:45 pm on Saturday.
Two of the bikers rode down to the trailhead to guide rescue workers, while the victim and another rider remained with the hikers, who had run out of food and water in temperatures up to 110° Fahrenheit.
After Cal Fire crews arrived to rescue the hikers, the two remaining mountain bikers rode back down the trail to meet their companions.
However, this is where the stories diverge slightly.
According to one report, the two mountain bikers became separated, and when only one reached the trailhead, Cal fire personnel went back up the trail about a quarter mile, where they found the victim unresponsive.
Cal Fire personnel carried him to an air-conditioned pickup truck, then transferred him to an air ambulance where paramedics attempted to revive hime, before he was pronounced dead at 5:45 pm.
The victim has not been publicly identified, and no cause of death has been given.
However, the tragedy would be compounded if one of his final acts was giving water to the stranded hikers, then not having enough to get himself to safety.
This is at least the 24th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
Update: The victim has been identified as 24-year old Kai Torres Bronson. The story says a crowdfunding campaign Torres Bronson has raised over $12,000, but bizarrely doesn’t include a link to it.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Kai Torres Bronson and all his loved ones.
Sad news from Palm Springs, where a San Diego father died from heatstroke earlier this month after mountain biking outside the city.
According to San Diego’s 10 News, Paul Fox, a 53-year old father of three from the city’s Del Cero neighborhood, met a friend at the Palm Canyon Epic Trail south of Palm Springs in late April for what was planned as a three-hour ride.
However, despite GPS, they took a wrong turn somewhere along the trail, and ran out of water as three hours turned into six in temperatures up to 105°F.
Fox reportedly stopped suddenly and stepped off his bike acting dazed and confused, before collapsing and rolling down a hill.
He died in the hospital May 9th from complications due to heatstroke.
Fox, who a friend described as kind, funny and brilliant, worked as a computer network security specialist, including a four-year stint at the White House in the mid-2000s.
