Tag Archive for murder

Bicyclist allegedly murdered by Hemet driver yesterday in intentional collision; no known motive at this time

Go ahead and call it murder.

The cops are.

The Redlands Daily Facts is reporting that Jimarvin Marquise Lackey-Berg was arrested following what Hemet police are terming an intentional collision with a man riding a bicycle yesterday.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was found unresponsive on 3800 block of West Devonshire Ave, west of Sanderson Avenue, in Hemet around 5:30 Tuesday evening.

He was pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital.

At last report, Lackey-Berg was being held on $1 million bail at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in French Valley for suspicion of murder.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know right now. There’s no word on how or why the crash occurred, any possible motive, or whether the driver was arrested at the scene.

Anyone with information its urged to call Detective Pedro Aguila of the Hemet Police Department at 951/765-2423.

This is at least the 48th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

Note: There is also a story about this incident on the websites of the Riverside Press-Enterprise, the San Bernardino Sun and Ontario’s Daily Bulletin, but it is hidden behind their draconian paywalls. If you have a subscription to any of those papers, let me know if there’s any additional information we haven’t included here. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.

51-year old Costa Mesa woman killed by accused DUI hit-and-run driver; driver held on 2nd degree murder charge

Call it murder this time.

Multiple sources are reporting that a 51-year old woman was killed when her bicycle was rear-ended by an accused drunk driver in a Huntington Beach hit-and-run early Monday morning.

The victim, identified as 51-year old Costa Mesa resident Kristin Bellovich, was riding in the far-right lane of southbound Beach Beach Blvd at Glencoe Drive, when she was run down by the driver of a Ford SUV just after midnight.

She died after being taken to a local hospital.

The driver fled the scene, but police arrested 68-year old Elias Madriz Gutierrez shortly later. He was booked on suspicion of hit-and-run and driving under the influence causing great bodily injury, along with second-degree murder.

According to My News LA, Gutierrez was convicted of DUI twice before, in January 2009 and April 2018. Which means he would have been required to sign a Watson advisement, stating he could be charged with murder if he killed someone while driving under the influence any time in the future.

As a result, he could be looking at 15-to-life for the murder charge alone, as opposed to up to six years for vehicular manslaughter.

This is at least the 42nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 10th that I’m aware of in Orange County.

Fifteen of those SoCal deaths have now been hit-and-runs.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Kristin Bellovich and her loved ones. 

58-year old bike rider killed in Camarillo hit-and-run during police chase Saturday; medical examiner says it’s an “oopsie”

You’ve got to be kidding.

A man riding a bicycle was killed by an armed robber fleeing from police in Camarillo on Saturday — something which could reasonably be expected to result in a murder charge.

Except the Ventura County medical examiner said it was just an “oopsie.”

You know, big harm, no foul.

While this site was down for the last few days, news broke that the victim was killed, and several other people injured in a separate collision, when they were struck by the robber as he tried to escape the cops in an SUV shortly after 4 pm.

Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies began chasing the alleged robber, identified as 21-year-old Makare Toliver of Lancaster, and his partner after they reportedly stole a gun from a man at the Good Nite Inn on Ventura Boulevard.

Toliver initially yielded to the cops after pausing at a gas station, before taking off again and running down the victim as he rode on Central Ave between Beardsley Road and Santa Clara Ave.

The victim, later identified as 58-year old Ventura resident Robert Pierret, died after being taken to a local hospital.

There’s no word at this time on just how the crash occurred.

Toliver continued without stopping until he crashed into another car, injuring a number of people in that car, and was arrested at gunpoint along with another man.

Fortunately, none of those victims were seriously injured.

Toliver was booked on suspicion of armed robbery, as well as evasion of law enforcement and second-degree murder.

However, the murder charge was dropped after the medical examiner inexplicably ruled Pierret’s death an accident, explaining that traffic deaths are usually considered accidents “unless there is some unusual circumstance.”

Apparently, killing someone while evading police after robbing someone is perfectly normal in Ventura County.

Instead, Toliver was charged with two counts of second degree robbery, evading an officer causing death, fleeing the scene of an accident aausing death, grand theft of a firearm, and assault with a semi-automatic firearm, along with a whopping 21 special allegations.

He pled not guilty Tuesday to all charges.

The other man, also from Lancaster, was released on bail without formal charges.

This is at least the 31st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware this year in Ventura County.

Eleven of those deaths have been hit-and-runs.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Robert Pierret and his loved ones.

Grossman gets 15-to-life for high-speed vehicular murders, and Hermosa Beach can’t tell ebikes from electric motorbikes

Just 204 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
Stop what you’re doing and sign this petition demanding Mayor Bass hold a public meeting to listen to the dangers we all face on the city’s mean streets.

Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.

We’re up to 1,196 signatures, so don’t stop now! Let’s get just four more to get it up to 1,200 before I send it to the mayor’s office!

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels.

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That’s more like it.

Wealthy socialite Rebecca Grossman was sentenced to a well-deserved 15 to life for the vehicular murder of two little kids.

The co-founder of the famed Grossman Burn Foundation, Grossman was convicted of the high-speed deaths of 11-year old Mark Iskander, and his 8-year old brother as they crossed a Westlake Village street with their parents.

Here’s how the Los Angeles Times describes the crash.

The boys’ mother testified during trial that her older children had been walking ahead of her and her youngest son in the marked crosswalk on Triunfo Canyon Road when she heard engines roaring. Two sport utility vehicles were barreling toward them.

Iskander dived for safety, grabbing her 5-year-old son. Her next memory, she said, is of Jacob and Mark crumpled on the roadway.

Grossman was driving behind Scott Erickson, a former Dodgers player, who earlier in the day had been drinking cocktails with her at a nearby restaurant. She was driving as fast as 81 mph and traveled another half-mile after slamming into the children, according to evidence presented at trial.

However, the judge apparently took pity on her, sentencing Grossman to two concurrent terms for the murders, plus another three years for the hit-and-run to be served concurrently.

She could have been looking at 33 years before she’d be eligible for release. Instead, the 60-year old Grossman could get out when she’s a relatively young 75.

On the other hand, her victims would have been young men of 26 and 23, respectively, if the married woman hadn’t decided to race her then-boyfriend after drinking and taking valium.

Although it would be nice if Erickson had been held accountable for his not-insignificant role in the boys’ deaths, rather than given a walk by prosecutors.

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Hermosa Beach adopted an emergency ebike ordinance that mostly restates existing state law, but can’t seem to distinguish between electric bicycles and electric motorcycles.

And if it’s so effing urgent, why didn’t they include a link to the damn press release, and not bury it on their website?

Thanks to Dr. Grace Peng for the heads-up.

https://twitter.com/HermosaBchCity/status/1800198737479836037

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CicLAvia looks forward to their fourth open streets event of the year, and the 53rd overall, when they come to Western Ave in South LA on the 23rd, with a list of where to eat and shop along the route.

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It’s now 172 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And three full years since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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

No bias here. An Austin, Texas columnist complains the city is putting in all these bike lanes, when it just makes more sense to ride on side streets — which take riders out of the way and usually don’t have traffic signals. And says you should have to wear a numbered armband to ride in certain areas.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A Redditor rightfully complains about the “disgusting” amount of used gel packs, water bottles and other assorted detritus left behind following a mountain bike rice through the woods.

Once again, an elderly person has been killed in a collision with someone on a bicycle, this time a 70-year old woman in Dublin, Ireland. Note to Irish Cycle — putting an urgent call for more funding in the middle of a story about a woman getting killed by a bike rider probably isn’t the best look.

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Local 

Spectrum News 1 profiles Finish the Ride and Streets Are For Everyone founder — and all-around good guy — Damian Kevitt, as he dedicates his life to making the roads safe for everyone.

More on the teenaged, motorbike-riding assholes who attacked beach goers and businesses with fireworks in Hermosa Beach on Saturday, as the press continued to blame “ebike” riders, apparently incapable of distinguishing between a ped-assist bicycle and a battery-powered dirt bike.

 

State

Streetsblog’s Melanie Curry looks at the latest tranche of bike and transportation bills in the state legislature, including a bill to exempt bike lanes, bus lanes and pedestrian projects from the need for additional Coastal Commission studies.

The San Francisco Chronicle says the city is ready to throw in the towel on the deeply unpopular centerline bike lanes on Valencia Street, and replace them with some form of side lanes, even though putting the bike lanes in the middle of the street has reduced doorings. Which makes you wonder how the hell someone gets doored when they’re riding in the middle of the street.

Good news from Davis, where a member of the UC Davis cycling team finally awakened from a coma, five weeks after the freshman was struck by a driver while she was riding her bike.

 

National

Bloomberg says the goals of the 15-minute city are laudable, but questions whether it’s even possible to put retail, services and jobs that close to every resident. Hey, nobody said it was going to be easy.

Electrek considers why more American teens are choosing ebikes over driver’s licenses. Maybe they’re just a lot smarter than we give them credit for.

Velo examines whether Biden’s new Chinese tariffs will raise the cost of your next ebike, concluding it’s complicated.

Men’s Journal recommends their choices for Father’s Day gifts for bicyclists that won’t get stashed in the back of the drawer — including a liquor flask, in case you somehow feel the need to get sloshed during your next ride.

CNN Underscored once again considers the best bike locks, sticking with choices from Kryptonite and Hiplok.

A Brooklyn paper talks with the New York borough’s legendary bikeshare-riding stuntman famed for balancing various objects on his head.

Tragic news from upstate New York, where a teenaged boy was killed when he went off the top of a five story parking garage while riding an ebike with a group of friends. Although once again, what kind of ebike isn’t specified.

The annual 900-mile Remember the Removal Bike Ride bike ride is underway, as a group of bicyclists with Cherokee ancestry follow the infamous Trail of Tears their forebears walked from Georgia to Oklahoma.

 

International

Lime will bring the first bikeshare system to a First Nations community when they open an ebike system on British Columbia’s Squamish Nation.

If you build it, they will come. Just a month after critics said a new bike lane in Colchester, England was an accident waiting to happen and would cause carnage, bicycling rates are up 300% on the route while gaining positive reviews from riders.

More than half of bike riders in the UK say the roads are in terrible shape due to potholes and cracked pavement following months of rains.

British carmaker Ariel is releasing its first bicycle in 92 years; the company made the first mass-produced bicycle in 1871, but switched exclusively to cars in 1932.

UK police warn that drivers can’t see you if you’re wearing dark clothing. Even in broad daylight, apparently.

 

Competitive Cycling

Once again, a cyclist loses after celebrating too soon, this time in the women’s Tour of Britain when retiring Luxembourg champ Christine Majerus raised her arms in victory before losing at the finish line.

https://twitter.com/TourofBritain/status/1799821631201902952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1799821631201902952%7Ctwgr%5E7a41bc1f59a4e4d89f72caec2115b760319db438%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-11901174861121623140.ampproject.net%2F2405231944000%2Fframe.html

 

Finally…

That feeling when you take your new tall bike to extreme lengths. Or when your band performs on a bicycle built for six.

And when you’re on felony probation and carrying illegal weed on your bike, just stop for the damn stop sign, already.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

Grossman sentencing Monday on hit-and-run, murder charges; and NY congestion pricing decision could jeopardize LA plan

Just 207 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
Stop what you’re doing and sign this petition demanding Mayor Bass hold a public meeting to listen to the dangers we all face on the city’s mean streets.

Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.

We’re up to 1,191 signatures, so don’t stop now! Let’s get it up to 1,200 before I send it to the mayor’s office!

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels.

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Prosecutors rejected defense calls for probation for Rebecca Grossman, arguing the wealthy socialite is a narcissist who deserves life in prison.

Grossman was convicted on two counts of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter, and one count of hit and run for the high-speed deaths of 11-year old Mark Iskander and his eight-year old brother as they crossed a residential Westlake Village street with their parents.

The wife of Grossman Burn Center founder Dr. Peter Grossman, Grossman allegedly had Valium in her system and had downed at least two margaritas, before racing with her then-boyfriend, former Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson.

Her attorneys argued the wealthy philanthropist and mother of two has no prior criminal record and should be spared prison time, while prosecutors contend she deserves a heavy sentence because she hasn’t shown any remorse or accepted responsibility for the fatal crash.

Their recommendation of two consecutive sentences of 15-to-life, plus four years for the hit-and-run count, would mean the 60-year old would likely spend the rest of her life behind bars.

She’s scheduled to be sentenced on Monday.

Let’s just hope the judge agrees.

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More fallout from New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s unexpected decision to kill congestion pricing in New York City.

Curbed says the city needs congestion pricing and the governor blew it in trying to cancel the program, calling it a crucial tool that will benefit everyone, even if it doesn’t poll well.

New York Streetsblog questions whether the governor even has the legal authority to cancel congestion pricing scheduled to go into effect at the end of this month, and if she has a plan to replace the billions in lost revenue to fund the city’s transit network.

The Atlantic calls the governor inept, and says her decision to spike congestion pricing at the last second was terrible policy, and terrible politics.

But the conservative New York Post applauded Hochul for killing congestion pricing, and calls for making sure it stays dead.

While it may seem like a New York problem, her decision matters here in Los Angeles, too. Because if it stands, that will make it almost impossible to implement congestion pricing, which has proven successful in London, virtually anywhere in the US.

Including right here in the City of Angels and Traffic Congestion.

Metro is currently five years into their study of whether congestion pricing would work in Los Angeles.

Then again, that’s usually how the city kill any proposal they want to go away, by assigning a study no one will ever hear from again.

We can only hope that doesn’t happen this time.

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Better Bike Beverly Hills invites you to join Streets For All’s fundraiser and bike ride in the city tomorrow, with guest speakers California State Senator Ben Allen and Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath.

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BikeSD is sponsoring a bike ride tomorrow to show that bikes mean business, and encourage bike riders to use its coupon book to support businesses along Main Street in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood.

And vice versa.

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Gravel Bike California takes an epic two-wheeled offroad tour of Catalina Island.

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It’s now 169 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And three full years since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

Meanwhile, supporters of Minnesota’s ebike rebate program says it still has merit, even though it accepted just 80 applications before the website crashed, and the state cancelled the opening for now.

Which is 80 more than California has taken.

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

No bias here, as British broadcaster and bicyclist Jeremy Vine posts video of an unacceptably close pass by a black cab, and commenters can’t seem to grasp the concept that the driver could have slowed down and wait until there was space to pass safely.

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Local 

Hermosa Beach is banning ebikes and electric motorcycles from the city’s greenbelt, but will still allow them on The Strand and in Pier Plaza, as long as the motor is turned off — making them impractically heavy. Banning ebikes from bike paths and walkways is legal under state law; banning them from public streets is not. 

Long Beach released five years of data on e-scooter crashes since they were approved for use in the city in 2018, revealing 113 crashes — including two deaths.

 

State

A San Diego letter writer compares the city’s painted bike lanes with the well-protected bike lanes he enjoyed in Vancouver, and says San Diego’s may be dangerous, but at least no one uses them so there’s no traffic.

Speaking of San Diego, San Diego Magazine recommends an offroad ride through the spider web of trails in Balboa Park’s Florida Canyon.

Finishing our San Diego trifecta, a new report says cities in San Diego County aren’t making enough progress in meeting their climate goals. Although investing more to promote bicycling wouldn’t hurt. 

 

National

A new bill introduced by outgoing Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer aims to reinvigorate bicycle manufacturing in the United States — starting by waiving tariffs for bike components for ten years.

A University of Nevada-Reno news site says better bike paths in the newly approved regional active transportation plan offers one solution to the area’s heat and climate change-inducing traffic congestion.

Wisconsin celebrates the state’s Bike Week with a theme of Bikes Mean Business, as they highlight the economic benefits bicycling brings to the state. Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s mayor marked Bike Week with a five-mile public bike ride. LA’s mayor campaigned as a bike rider, yet couldn’t be bothered to even mention this city’s Bike Week, let alone take a ride with us.

Chicago Streetsblog says the solution to flooding in city’s curb-protected bike lanes is to build more raised bike lanes.

Lime will share its bikeshare and e-scooter rental data for DC and Bloomington, Indiana with the cities to help improve equity, safety and accessibility.

 

International

Bloomberg calls bicycle skills training and education programs aimed at women and minority groups the other kind of bike infrastructure that cities need to close stubborn access gaps and get more riders in the saddle.

Paris will transition to using cargo bikes for deliveries during and after next month’s Olympic Games.

Cyclist visits Copenhagen’s “City of Bikes” to explore what makes it the world’s most bike-friendly city. Words that you are unlikely to ever hear about Los Angeles. 

That’s more like it. Belgium is replacing its 50-year old Highway Code with a new Public Road Code, to reflect that cars are no longer the default standard while welcoming bicyclists and pedestrians; meanwhile, bike theft in the country’s capital has surged 70% since 2015.

An advocacy group in Goa issued a “fervent call” for the immediate implementation of a road safety plan to protect bicyclists on all highways and local roads in the Indian state.

 

Competitive Cycling

Thursday’s stage of the Criterium du Dauphine was halted mid-race due to a massive crash that that took down race leaders Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic, though both were able to get up afterwards.

In one of the more bizarre stories in recent memory, retired pros Laurens ten Dam and Thomas Dekker spent the night before the recent Unbound Gravel behind bars, complete with matching orange jumpsuits, after they were busted for public indecency trying to freshen up in a public parking lot after a three-hour training ride.

 

Finally…

That feeling when the city’s mayor films himself riding a bicycle on a street where bikes are banned. And when your stolen Penny Farthing comes back like a bad penny.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

CNN looks at Malibu’s killer highway, Illinois makes bikes 2nd class citizens, and LA tops 300 murders and traffic deaths

Just 6 days left in the 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Sadly, no one donated yesterday to keep SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy coming your way every day. 

So don’t let that happen again! Take just a moment and give now!

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Days left to launch the California ebike incentive program this fall as promised: 2

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If you haven’t already, sign and share the petition demanding a public meeting with LA Mayor Karen Bass to listen to the dangers we face just walking and biking on the streets of LA, and city’s ongoing failure to build the safer, more livable transportation system they promised.

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We made the national news, for all the wrong reasons.

CNN reported on LA County’s killer highway, the four Pepperdine students killed by a speeding driver earlier this year, and the 58 people killed along PCH in Malibu in just the last 13 years.

“I should have been there and I usually would be there,” (Pepperdine senior Bridget) Thompson said. “I can just picture them in the car on the way there. I know they were listening to music and I know they were singing along.”

The girls parked and were walking along the Pacific Coast Highway when prosecutors say a BMW going 104 miles per hour slammed into several parked cars before hitting and killing Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams – all Pepperdine seniors…

Thompson is now among those demanding safety changes along the iconic Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. She helped dedicate a memorial on the scenic highway, which stretches the California coastline, featuring 58 white tires — one for each of the lives lost on the road in Malibu since 2010.

It’s a heartbreaking story, but a necessary one.

Maybe a little national humiliation is what we need to finally get some long-needed changes made.

Thanks to Mike Wilkinson for the heads-up.

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The Illinois Supreme Court reaffirmed a horrific ruling that officially makes bike riders 2nd class citizens on the streets.

The court ruled that cities aren’t responsible for injuries to bike riders from poorly maintained roads that don’t have bicycle infrastructure, reasoning that bicycles are allowed to use such roadways, but aren’t the intended users.

Apparently, drivers are.

Not only does the ruling absolve cities of responsibility to maintain safe streets, it also provides a disincentive to build the infrastructure that would make them liable.

And makes it clear that we’re nothing more than guests anywhere else.

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More information on the Colorado hit-and-run crash we mentioned yesterday.

The driver of one Ford Mustang was passing another on a sweeping mountain curve, and slammed headfirst into three bicyclists traveling in the opposite direction.

The driver fled the scene, then he and his passenger abandoned the car a short distance later with the airbags deployed. The driver of the other car attempted to give chase after checking on the victims, but crashed into a guardrail.

It seems almost miraculous that only one of the victims was seriously injured. A second rider suffered major road rash after flying over the car, while the third rode into a ditch to avoid the crash.

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

Portland finished ripping out a bike lane that had allegedly been installed by mistake, after the initial work to remove it had been halted by protestors blocking the trucks.

They get it. Velo says ebike licenses won’t make the streets any safer, and rider regulation won’t stop the 7,500 pedestrians killed by cars each year.

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Local 

Yay, us. Los Angeles has topped both 300 murders and 300 deaths from traffic violence for the second year in a row.

No word yet on whether West Hollywood adopted its Vision Zero plan last night.

Santa Monica is considering a ballot measure for next November to tax parking garages to pay for transportation projects, including Vision Zero.

Redondo Beach has completed work on its portion of the new Diamond Street Bike and Pedestrian Path, after Torrance bailed on building its part of the pathway connecting the two cities.

 

State

Sad news from San Jose, where the Bay Area’s Mr. Roadshow died Sunday after a long battle with a degenerative muscle and nerve disease; prior to the paper’s draconian paywall, I often linked to his stories when he got it right, or to criticize when he missed the mark. Gary Richards was 72.

A Streetsblog op-ed says the contentious centerline protected bike lane on San Francisco’s Valencia Street could lead to a more pedestrianized, safer street that allows commerce to flourish — if cooler heads prevail, which seems unlikely.

 

National

Electrek lists their most popular ebike news stories of 2023.

Police in Goodyear, Arizona recommended that the driver who plowed into a group bike ride, injuring 19 people and killing two, face just eight misdemeanor charges after the local DA had rejected the case.

A Michigan man faces a murder charge for fatally stabbing another man in a fight that began over a bicycle. We’ve said it before — no bike is worth a human life. Just walk away. 

He’s a Harvard administrator and amateur bike mechanic.

A man in the Bronx is still waiting for the ebike he ordered from Amazon, which was never delivered over a month later.

A kindhearted former Trek staffer is collecting and refurbishing bicycles to donate to people in Ghana and New Jersey, as well as homeless people in California.

An Alabama district court judge gave her former bailiff, now a college president, the new ebike she won in a raffle, to replace the bike that was stolen on his first day working for her.

 

International

‘Tis the season. Momentum offers a “Bikemas” guide to the best-selling bicycling gifts this holiday season.

A Canadian bike lawyer provides a guide to avoid getting doored, and what to do if you do.

Britain’s Bike Project is changing lives by donating refurbished bicycles to refugees.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is planning to charge owners of massive SUVs triple the normal parking fee in the central city, and double in other parts of the city in an effort to tax them off the streets.

Sad news from Swaziland, where award-winning travel photographer Steve Walton died after breaking his back in a fall off a narrow footbridge while riding his bike during an October safari; he was 69.

Here’s another one for your bike bucket list — a “magical ride” island hopping over bridges in the Indonesian city of Batam.

 

Competitive Cycling

Top triathletes are renting bikes to compete in the world championships, after the financial failure of a shipping company left many riders rides in limbo.

Orange Factory Racing is pulling out of mountain biking after 30 years.

Pez Cycling News considers what the shutdown of GCN+ and the shift of bike racing coverage to Max — formerly HBO — will mean for US cycling fans.

 

Finally…

When you’re riding your bike despite several outstanding warrants, put a damn light on it, already. Your next tandem ebike could have three wheels — all in a straight line.

And your next bike trailer could be amphibious.

Even if your bike isn’t.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

26 to life for Riverside vehicular killer, SaMo bike network cuts crashes by 52%, and Ghost Tire placed for 15-year old boy

It’s the final week of the 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Just seven days left to support SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy.

Thanks to Alfred D, Jim W and Lilly L for their generous donations to help keep this site coming your way every day. 

So don’t wait — give now!

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Days left to launch the California ebike incentive program as promised this fall: 3

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Two quick reminders.

The WeHo City Council is scheduled to consider the city’s first Vision Zero Action Plan at tonight’s 6 pm council meeting, in the council chambers at the new West Hollywood City Hall, 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. It’s Item 5C on the Council agenda.

And if you haven’t already, sign the petition demanding a public meeting with LA Mayor Karen Bass to listen to the dangers we face just walking and biking on the streets of LA, and city’s ongoing failure to build the safer, more livable transportation system they promised.

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That’s more like it.

A Riverside man was sentenced to 26 to life behind bars for intentionally killing a man walking a bicycle in 2021.

Thirty-three-year old Sergio Reynaldo Gutierrez was driving his pickup when he saw 46-year old Benedicto Solanga walking his bike with a friend on the other side of the road, and flipped the men off.

Then he made a U-turn, came back and intentionally drove into Solanga, running him down from behind.

Solana died three days later.

Riverside police arrested Gutierrez three weeks later, after he had run a red light to shake witnesses who attempted to follow him after the crash.

He was convicted in September of first-degree murder with a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.

No motive was ever given for the attack.

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Bike riders in Santa Monica were ruled at fault in 26 of the city’s 72 crashes resulting in death or serious injury since 2010, while drivers were at fault in 31; the remaining 15 investigators were unable to assess blame.

That works out to 36% and 43%, respectively, which a local paper somehow thinks is almost even.

And let’s not forget that blame is usually assigned by cops suffering from a windshield bias and a lack of training in bike law and investigating bicycle crashes.

However, the good news is that crashes involving bike riders has dropped by more than half — 52% — since the city began building a safe bike network over a decade ago.

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Streets Are For Everyone, aka SAFE, placed another ghost tire memorial yesterday, this time for a 15-year old boy killed by a driver while walking home from school in October.

This is from the press release for the event, which arrived too late for advance notice.

On 27 October 2023, 15-year-old Felipe Manuel Infante-Avalos (affectionately known as Pipé) was crossing the road at 110th and Main St in the crosswalk, on his way home from school, when he was hit by 34-year-old Arturo Mercado Garcia. Pipé was hospitalized and died from his injuries on 8 November 2023. Arturo, who fled from the scene of the collision, was later caught and arrested and is awaiting trial. Per the judge for the case, evidence was found that Arturo was watching TikTok videos while driving.

Pipé, who was autistic, was sweet and gentle and his family loved him dearly. He loved school and was part of the ROTC. He loved playing with his siblings and going on their many family outings.

Pipé’s death is part of a worsening public health crisis on the roads of Los Angeles that has been skyrocketing since 2020. Per LAPD reports (as of 9 December 2023) the total number of traffic fatalities is higher than this time last year by 7% at 307 lives lost. Keeping in mind that the 312 fatalities in 2022 were the highest in well over 20 years. What’s worse is the number of pedestrian fatalities is up by 11% (162 lives lost) compared to this time last year, the number of hit-and-run fatalities is up by 26%, and the number of DUI-related fatalities is up by 32%.

A Ghost Tire Memorial will be placed to remember Pipé by the non-profit Streets Are For Everyone. Pipé’s parents, friends, and family along with other community members affected by traffic violence will be present.

Over 30 family members and friends, many of whom have flown in from out of town, are expected to attend. Adriana, Pipe’s mother, will be demanding that Arturo Mercado Garcia be given the maximum penalties allowable by law for killing her son. She’ll also be calling for the Mayor of Los Angeles to do more to protect the lives of our communities.

The Ghost Tire Memorial was inspired by the Ghost Bike: a bicycle roadside memorial placed where a cyclist has been killed or severely injured by the driver of a motor vehicle. Ghost Tires are tires painted white and placed on the side of a road with the name and date of the person killed. Ghost Tires were created by the road safety advocacy organization Streets Are For Everyone, sometimes called by its acronym, SAFE.

You can do your part by signing the petition to demand a public forum with the mayor to hear our complaints about the dangers Pipé and the rest of us face just walking and biking in Los Angeles.

………

Unbelievable.

Life is cheap in Hilo, Hawaii, where a 70-year old man faces a maximum of a 15 years behind bars for negligent homicide and hit-and-run — even though prosecutors say he intentionally killed a woman riding a recumbent bike because she was “going too slow all the time.”

The judge ordered him to undergo a mental health exam, which is probably a good idea under the circumstances.

They should also give one to the prosecutors who undercharged what should have been a murder case.

………

Fallen standup comic Kenny DeForest continued to make an impact after his death riding an ebike near Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, donating seven of his organs to five people, to give them a second chance at life.

DeForest died a week after he reportedly rode his ebike into a parked car, suffering serious head injuries.

That could have happened for a number of reasons, from distraction to excess speed resulting from the ebike, or being crowded out by a driver’s too-close pass.

………

‘Tis the season.

Electrek suggests last minute stocking stuffers and gear for ebike enthusiasts. I’d settle for getting the ebike vouchers we were promised, and that California taxpayers have already paid for. 

Slate offers a gift guide for bike riders, saying no drivers allowed.

‘Sweet’ Alice Harris continued a 40-year tradition of giving for the holidays, helping ensure 300 students from Watts and Compton area got new bicycles, toys and backpacks filled with school supplies and other essential items.

A Maui bicycling group teamed with a “grassroots movement dedicated to bringing joy to children and families impacted by the Maui wildfires” to bring holiday gifts and entertainment to local families, and distribute 80 bicycles to kids who had requested one.

Fayetteville, Arkansas revived the city’s long-running “Bicycle Man” bicycle giveaway program for underprivileged kids, which gave away over 60,000 bicycles over a 33-year period.

A local website says don’t let anyone tell you New Bedford, Massachusetts sucks, after a nine-year old boy gets his stolen bike back in what they call a Christmas miracle.

London bike riders brought Christmas shopping on the city’s iconic Oxford Circle to a standstill with their annual Santa ride.

………

If anyone really has any question who is at fault here, they probably shouldn’t be allowed to drive.

https://twitter.com/ClownWorld_/status/1735342319069696457

………

A powerful British short film attempts to humanize “bloody cyclists” after they were run down by motorists.

And yes, they mean that literally.

………

GCN considers the bike upgrades that just aren’t worth it, but bicyclists insist on doing anyway. Along with how to avoid “getting a numb penis” while riding a bike.

They said it, not me.

………

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

No bias here. The Port of San Diego is now banning all ebikes, e-scooters, hoverboards and most pedicabs, even though non-electric versions of all of the above are still allowed.

It takes a major schmuck to vandalize the ghost bike for a Colorado triathlete and soon-to-be father — not once, but twice.

No bias here, either. An elderly man in Glasgow, Scotland man says he’s afraid to leave his house due to busy and confusing streets, construction barriers, trash everywhere and people biking on the sidewalks — but a British tabloid only frames it in terms of irresponsible ebike-riding food delivery workers blighting the neighborhood.

Someone has been deliberately sabotaging a London bike lane for over a year, repeatedly spreading drawing pins in an apparent attempt to puncture riders’ tires. While it may sound like a harmless prank, a sudden flat could lead to serious injury, as well as needless expense and inconvenience. 

Police in Birmingham, England insist they’re really trying to arrest the people responsible for violent robbery attacks on bike riders, after coming under fire for merely advising a crime victim to ride somewhere else.

But sometimes, its the people on two wheels behaving badly.

Clean Technica says let’s not overreact to the dark side of ebikes, after her bike is somehow blamed for the actions of a Canadian porch pirate.

A Singapore bicyclist risked an S$500 fine by riding inside a Metro station.

………

………

Local 

Bike Talk discusses the departure of Santa Monica’s bike-friendly mayor, along with Maryland’s “Come By Bike Farm” — as well as discussing some of the latest headlines from BikinginLA.

 

State

San Diego adopted its first-ever Complete Streets policy.

Police arrested four men in Lemon Grove after tracking down a BMW that was used in an ebike theft spree.

Bad news from Moorpark, where a man riding a bike suffered major injuries when he was struck by a driver. But at least the woman who hit him stuck around afterwards.

Napa County opened the area’s first bike skills park.

A Napa County paper lists 20-year old pro cyclist and Sebastopol native Luke Lamperti among their 24 people to watch in 2024.

 

National

Men’s Journal says yes, you can run in the bike lane. Except where you can’t.

A kindhearted cop in my bike-friendly Colorado hometown worked with a local used bike shop to give a 13-year old boy a new bike after his was stolen in a burglary.

Police in Golden, Colorado are looking for two people who ran away from their abandoned car after running down three people riding bicycles, and injuring two of the victims — one seriously. No word on whether the crash may have been intentional.

A Texas bicyclist is able to fight the insurance company and win after he got right hooked, in part because he had front and rear bike cams.

This is who we share the road with. A Texas hit-and-run driver slammed into a pedestrian, then drove 38 miles to a Jack in the Box with the victim’s dead body in his car, after he went through the driver’s windshield; the man claimed he though he hit an animal. Sure, let’s go with that.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole a three-wheeled bike an Indianapolis mom bought for her autistic son for Christmas, before she could even give it to him.

Speaking of a special place in hell, that’s where whoever threatened a 13-year old New York girl with physical harm and stole her bike in a strong-arm robbery belongs.

The Washington Post looks at the effort in Congress to belatedly honor Black cycling legend Major Taylor, 124 years after he became world champion.

A Florida man shot a neighbor in the leg with a shotgun after the victim strayed onto his property looking for his stolen bicycle; the man said he shot him because he tried to break into his RV — even though police found the shotgun shell 150 yards away.

 

International

Three men responsible for robbing a number of South African bike riders have been arrested; the gang is accused of stealing their bikes and belongings, and fatally stabbing one man.

Interesting idea. Singapore hopes to promote bicycling by creating a “bike village” under a viaduct next to a transit station, in an area already popular with bicyclists, where they can shop for bicycle gear, grab a bite or meetup for rides.

This is why elections matter. The new Transport Minister for the newly conservative government in New Zealand has slammed the brakes on dozens of bike, pedestrian and public transit projects across the country.

 

Competitive Cycling

Congratulations to Palo Alto third-grader Mia Reyna, the new BMX national champ for her age group.

As if being a two-time Tour de France champ and double runner-up wasn’t enough, now Tadej Pogačar plans to go for a double by competing in the Giro, too.

 

Finally…

Your next bike tires could use NASA’s airless Mars Rover tech. Full-floating suspension for your butt.

And it’s just like the hubless, motorized Penny Farthing great-granddad used to ride.

………

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

Murder charge in Cervantes hit-and-run, Major Taylor Congressional medal, and bike rider injured in Texas mass shooting

It’s Day 14 of the 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Sadly, there were no donations yesterday. Which means you now have just 17 days left to help keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way every day. 

So seriously, stop what you’re doing and give now!

………

Murder.

That’s what a 16-year old boy has been charged with after allegedly intentionally running down a bike-riding man in Long Beach last summer.

The teenager, who hasn’t been publicly named due to his age, is charged with killing 29-year old Leobardo Cervantes in a high speed hit-and-run July 9th.

Cervantes was riding at at the intersection of California Ave and Harding Street in Long Beach when he was struck with the boy’s car, who reportedly used it as a weapon to attack Cervantes.

He died from his injuries two weeks later.

There’s no word on why the boy slammed his car into Cervantes bike, or what evidence led investigators to conclude the act was intentional.

However, it follows a series of similar attacks on bicyclists by teenaged drivers stretching from Huntington Beach to Las Vegas.

The driver was arrested in jail, where he was already being held on other charges.

………

Days left to launch the California ebike incentive program as promised this fall: 14

………

About damn time.

Major Taylor could finally get the recognition he deserved in his lifetime, 92 years after his death.

The Black cycling champ, who dominated the bike racing world at a time when he couldn’t dine or ride in the same train car with the white riders he’d just beaten, could be honored with a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal.

Illinois Congress member Jonathan L. Jackson will introduce a bill today to honor Taylor, which would make him only the second bicyclist to receive one, following America’s only remaining Tour de France winner.

Let’s hope it’s something our severely divided Congress can actually agree on.

………

A person riding a bicycle was lucky to survive the country’s latest mass shooting.

Or make that the second-latest, anyway.

The bike rider was wounded as part of a day-long shooting rampage through the streets of Austin, Texas on Tuesday, which resulted in the deaths of four people, and wounded two Austin police officers, in addition to the bicyclist.

Thirty-four-year old Shane James was taken into custody following a police chase after shooting the cop.

No reason was given for the shootings.

But it’s yet another reminder that cars aren’t the only things killing people on our streets.

………

Help clean up the Venice Blvd bike lanes next Saturday.

………

‘Tis the season.

Men’s Journal recommends “great gift ideas” for bicyclists, including the kind who don’t go anywhere.

For the second time in four years, a kindhearted 13-year old North Carolina boy gave up his own birthday present to buy a new bicycle for a kid’s Christmas present.

………

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

No bias here. A group of New York demonstrators gathered to demand license plates on ebikes, because someone “almost” got hit by someone riding one. Just wait until they hear about cars, which already have plates and hit a hell of a lot more people — and do far more damage when they do.

A Toronto bike lawyer complains about city officials ignoring mounting traffic violence, while prosecuting bicyclists for speeding in a public park.

A 35-year old English driver was sentenced to life in prison for the vehicular murder of a 23-year old man, after driving up on the sidewalk to kill the victim as he sat on his bike, then responding with a laughing face to a post about the victim’s injuries; he’ll have to serve at least 20 years before he’s eligible for parole. Which will be 20 years too soon.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

An LAPD officer was reportedly injured when someone riding with a group of bicyclists allegedly shined an “industrial strength laser” at the cop near LA Live in DTLA; no word on the condition of the officer of if any arrests have been made.

A British man has been jailed for riding his bike, after he rode to a probation meeting despite being legally prohibited from using a bicycle or e-scooter, following multiple assaults against women after riding up to them; he’ll serve 11 months behind bars for violating the ban at least twice.

………

Expressionist artistic image of corgi riding a bicycle

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Local 

Families are invited to the free Youth Mountain Bike Demo Days at Santa Clarita’s new Trek Bike Park.

A Santa Monica letter writer complains about concrete curb-protected bike lanes, arguing that the white plastic car-tickler bollards are better because they don’t trap riders and debris in the bike lane. On the other hand, they don’t keep cars out, either. 

 

State

San Diego Magazine gets right to the good stuff, with recommendations on where to grab a cold brew after a hot ride. Or a cold ride, for that matter.

The Bay Area’s BART transit system will now allow people with bicycles to carry their bikes on escalators, and use most train cars starting January 1st; bikes are currently banned from all but the last three cars, and riders are forced to carry them up and down stairs.

Oakland will pay a 57-year old man $6.5 million dollars after he suffered spinal and brain injuries when he hit a seam in the pavement as he rode downhill in a new bike lane; Oakland officials were aware of the dangerous conditions after receiving numerous complaints, but chose to ignore it.

 

National

Now that you can send direct messages on Strava, Bicycling offers advice on how to safeguard your inbox. Good advice, since this could turn out to be just another way to harass female riders, as well as others. Read it on AOL this time if the magazine blocks you. 

Cycling Weekly calls Ass Savers new clip-on mudguard the best $27 bike accessory you can buy.

If you build it, the will come. Bicycling rates increased nearly 150% on weekdays and 50% on weekends in just six months after Seattle installed a new two-way semi-protected bike lane, while walking rates nearly doubled.

A new report from a public-private partnership at the University of Washington provides a road map showing how cities can plan for large-scale adoption of cargo ebikes.

Colorado-based mountain bikemaker Guerrilla Gravity has gone out of business, and is liquidating its manufacturing equipment.

A group of Houston bike advocates turned out to urge the city’s next mayor to build more bike lanes, whoever that turns out to be following a runoff election.

That’s more like it. An Ohio man was sentenced to 12 to 17.5 years behind bars for the drunken hit-and-run that killed a 60-year old man as he was riding his bike on the sidewalk. Yes, the sidewalk.

New York repealed a decade-old law that created needless legal barriers to building bike paths, resulting in unnecessary delays.

After riding mountain bikes for the past 20 years, a Blue Ridge Mountain man says he prefers gravel now that he’s getting up there.

A Florida bike shop gave a 40-year old man a new bike after his was destroyed by a hit-and-run driver.

 

International

If you build it, they will come, too. London bicycling rates are up 20% compared to pre-pandemic times, after the city went on a massive bike lane binge.

A pair of Scottish craftsmen are teaming with bikewear brand Endura to recreate the world’s first pedal bicycle.

Four years of the Black Unity Bike Ride brought Brits out to ride for racial justice.

A British website examines the anatomy of the successful Stop Killing Cyclists campaign as a model for other protests.

A new German company is on a mission to make bike cargo trailers cool again.

Bike ridership rates have nearly doubled in Estonia’s capital city over the past year, with bike riders now accounting for nearly ten percent of traffic at some city intersections.

I want to be like him when I grow up. An 89 year old New Zealand man has put over 12,000 miles on his ebike since buying it four years ago. Another reminder of the benefits ebikes can have for elderly people, who might not be able to ride regular bikes. 

 

Competitive Cycling

Former Tour de France winner, admitted doper and successful cycling team leader Bjarne Riis is finally retired from the sport, and is now living in Switzerland and selling heat pumps imported from Lithuania.

Pink Bike and Scott profile four-time National Champ and 2021 Olympic mountain biker Erin Huck, who manages to combine professional cycling with being mother to a young toddler.

 

Finally…

That feeling when you’re banned for doping from seniors tandem racing. If you’re delivering meth on your bike, stop for the damn stop sign, already.

And now we’re getting somewhere. Grand Theft Auto, the video game dedicated to glorifying vehicular violence, now has bike lanes.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

No charges for killing 2 AZ bike riders and injuring 19, more on charges in Boyes killing; and DUI murder in Solano County

It’s the First Day of the Last Month of the 9th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

We’re already way ahead of last year at this time, both in the number of donations and the amount of donations!

So please join me in thanking D-J H and Stephen H, who gave yesterday.

And each of the other 35 people who’ve so kindly opened their hearts and wallets to help keep Southern California’s best source for bike news and advocacy coming your way every day. 

So what are you waiting for? Give now!

………

Rght after begging for your hard-earned money may not be the best time to mention that I’ll be tied up with a family matter over the weekend, so there won’t be a new BikinginLA post on Monday.

But we’ll be back bright and early on Tuesday to catch up on anything we missed over the weekend.

………

You’ve got to be kidding.

Life is cheap in Arizona, where a Phoenix DA has declined to file felony charges against the driver who slammed into an entire group of bicyclists, killing two people and injuring 19 others.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell refused to file charges against 26-year old Pedro Quintana-Lujan, saying there was no evidence he was speeding, distracted or under the influence of alcohol, though he did still have cannabis in his system from the night before.

Because evidently, that’s the only way someone can be responsible for killing two innocent people, and mowing down a group of people on bicycles like an overgrown lawn.

Quintana-Lujan told investigators his steering locked up and he was unable to control his pickup, which was pulling a trailer at the time of the crash. Although you’d think a forensic examination of the truck would be able to determine whether that was true.

Mitchell tried to position her lack of action as a refusal to let the case go by referring it to the city prosecutor in Goodyear AZ, where the crash occurred.

However, that means Quintana-Lujan could be charged with just a misdemeanor, at best, making the whole damn thing just another fatal “oopsie.”

………

More on the 81-year old driver charged with DUI and involuntary manslaughter for killing US Masters track champ and national record holder Ethan Boyes earlier this year.

San Francisco resident Arnold Kinman Low faces federal charges because Boyes was riding on Arguello Blvd in Presidio National Park when Low lost control of his car, and hit Boyes head-on as he rode in an unprotected bike lane.

In addition to the recently installed guard rails separating the bike lane from traffic lanes in the park where Boyes was killed, San Francisco has secured $1.2 million in funding to install protected bike lanes connecting Golden Gate Park and The Presidio.

Normally I say that once again raises the question of how old is too old to drive safely, but the allegation that Low was under the influence probably had more to do with his deadly driving skills than his advanced age, although there’s no word yet on just how drunk he was.

………

A 47-year old Solano County driver faces a murder charge for the alleged drunken hit-and-run that killed a bike rider in Fairfield last year.

Witnesses testified at a preliminary hearing this week that Sean Richard Miron crashed into another vehicle as he fled the scene of the original crash, leaving Suisun City resident Christopher Blake Sudat lying in the roadway next to his shattered bicycle.

Miron was detained, along with his passenger, at the second crash, where officers said he appeared to be under the influence. Police also recovered a semi-automatic pistol with an illegal threaded barrel from Miron’s pickup, even though he was barred from having a weapon as a convicted felon.

He faces the murder count due to three prior DUI convictions, suggesting he likely signed a Watson advisement indicating he could be charged with murder if he killed someone while driving under the influence.

However, even without that, his prior convictions indicate he was well aware of the dangers of driving while intoxicated before he sat down behind the wheel that night.

Miron faces charges of murder, hit-and-run causing death, hit-and-run driving resulting in property damage, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of an assault weapon.

Then again, if Miron had been charged in Southern California, he could probably plead out on a misdemeanor and walk with time served.

………

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

A driver in Boston’s South End parked in the bike lane, leaving a note tucked under his windshield wiper reading, “I don’t care that I’m parked in a bike lane. Just go around me!!” To which bike-riding commenters to the local website responded both emphatically and poetically.

A “mean spirited” saboteur continues to put bike riders outside a London subway station at deliberate risk by tossing thumb tacks in a protected bike lane — and has somehow managed to go uncaught for the past two years. Although we can probably surmise that police indifference could be the likely cause for why they’ve gotten away with it so long.  

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A Florida city manager is asking for the public’s understanding after he wrecked his bike following a night of drinking. Although I’d much rather see a drunk on a bicycle than behind the wheel of a multi-ton vehicle.

Scofflaw bike riders in Salisbury, England are accused of “endangering the public and traffic” by riding salmon on a one-way street, which local police called “incredibly dangerous.” Although how traffic can be endangered is beyond me. 

………

………

Local 

Um, okay. The Journal of the Congress for the New Urbanism examines the successful Move Culver City project, calling the 1.3-mile bus lane and bike lane installation the first quick build Tactical Urbanism project in the Los Angeles area — without mentioning that the newly conservative city council voted to rip it out, or that the city is being sued to keep that from happening.

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune says freeway cams counted 45,000 people taking part in the all-too-brief Arroyo Fest that shut the Pasadena Freeway down to cars, and opened it up to people on foot, skates and bikes.

Pasadena police will mark today’s first day of December with a bicycle and pedestrian safety operation, ticketing anyone who commits a traffic violation that could endanger either group — even if it’s the bike rider or pedestrian who commits it. So as usual, ride to the letter of the law until you leave the city, or you could be the one who gets a ticket.

 

State

The California Coastal Commission is standing in the way of traffic safety in San Diego, stalling the installation of bike lanes on a deadly Point Loma roadway.

An emergency inter-agency operation was mounted to save the life of a mountain biker who suffered life-threatening injuries in the remote mountains of Boulevard, California last Friday, requiring the services of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, US Border Patrol, a San Diego Air and Marine Operations helicopter, and CalFire to bring the victim out to safety. So remote, in fact, that I’ve never hear of Boulevard before. 

A San Francisco bar owner blames the installation of the centerline Valencia Street protected bike lane for the demise of his 150-year old subterranean establishment, suggesting the loss of parking and reduced foot traffic resulted in an 80% drop in revenue. And not, a business model resulting in a bar that no one wants to go to if it means being slightly inconvenienced.

 

National

Bicycling reports that Portland’s MADE Bike Show will be back next year, promising to be even larger than this year’s 200 exhibitors and 5,000 attendees. As usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you. 

An Arizona man reminisces about his life on two wheels, and dreams of coming back in the next life to live and ride in Amsterdam. But it’s the archival photo of young boys riding for Western Union that’s worth the click.

In a big win for injured bike riders, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that pedestrians and bicyclists must be covered by the uninsured motorist provision in their auto insurance if they’re stuck by an uninsured driver while walking or biking.

Call it the new normal. New York City landlords are banning ebikes from their properties to prevent fires, even though only certain lithium-ion batteries, or batteries with mismatched chargers, are at risk.

 

International

Momentum explains what daylighting intersections means, and how it enhances the safety of bicyclists. Governor Newsom signed a daylighting bill passed in the last legislative session, which will require open spaces on the curbs near intersections to improve visibility.

A 23-year old Florida woman thanked first responders in the Bahamas for saving her life after she rode her bike off an embankment in Walker’s Cay earlier this year, saying the moon and the stars aligned to enable her to survive.

A pair of London teenagers have been convicted of murdering an 18-year old man as he rode his bike to see his girlfriend; a then 14-year old boy, who can’t be named because of his age under British law, killed the victim with a machete in an apparent attempt to steal his bicycle.

While US traffic deaths continue to climb, Great Britain saw a significant decline in bicycling fatalities, with deaths dropping nearly 25% over the past year. Which is more evidence that the dangers on American roads are due to official indifference, as other nations show that reducing deaths is possible when they’re willing to make the necessary changes.

A new Dutch AI tool can demonstrate how any street or neighborhood can be made more livable and bike-friendly.

Professors at a Zurich, Switzerland university are investigating what changes would be required to the city’s streets to encourage more ebike riding than driving.

 

Competitive Cycling

GCN asks if the high cost of entry to cycling is killing the sport. Maybe at the highest levels, but you can spend as much or as little as you want and still compete, if you’re willing to build your own bike and do your own wrenching. 

Cycling Weekly talks with newly retired time trial specialist Alex Dowsett about the moment he realized cycling was his sport when he was just 14.

A top amateur cyclist says British Cycling’s recent ban on transgender athletes competing in women’s bike racing events makes the sport is less inclusive and welcoming than ever by denying the identity of trans women as women; 31-year old Josh Jones is believed to be the only openly gay rider to hold a world ranking in any cycling discipline

 

Finally…

It’s time for Santas and elves on bikes. Why wait to run down a bicycle when you can kill it and the entire bike corral it’s locked to?

And forget bike skills, they’re probably better with a basketball than you are, too.

Or me, anyway.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

El Segundo paints sharrows to thin the herd, and Kaitlin Armstrong guilty in shooting death of Moriah “Mo” Wilson

El Segundo is starting work on new street resurfacing and bikeway projects.

The small town nestled below LAX announced plans for a cycle track on a portion of El Segundo Blvd, as well as Class II and Class III bike lane on El Segundo, Nash Street and Douglas Street, and Class III bike lanes on Continental Blvd.

For anyone unfamiliar on the terminology, a cycle track is a fully separated or protected bike lane, while Class II bike lanes are the usual painted door zone bike lanes we all know and love.

Class III bike lanes, on the other hand, aren’t really bike lanes at all.

They’re sharrows.

Those funny arrow-shaped chevrons that are supposed to indicate that bicyclists are allowed to share the lane, just like we can on most streets without them, and which have been shown to be worse than nothing.

And nothing is already pretty bad.

The city is placing them on streets with 35 mph speed limits, which drivers typically exceed by 10 or 15 mph. Which means anyone riding on those streets is likely to have someone running up their ass in a motor vehicle at 50 mph.

And making it clear that the arrow symbols are just there to help drivers improve their aim in an attempt to thin the bicycle herd.

Thanks to Dr. Grace Peng for the heads-up.

www.nicetryflaxy.com

………

Guilty.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, an Austin, Texas jury found Kaitlin Armstrong guilty of murder for the death of gavel cycling champ Moriah “Mo” Wilson.

Armstrong evidently became convinced Wilson was her rival for the affections of former boyfriend and pro cyclist Colin Strickland, who had spent the afternoon with Wilson.

Testimony showed she used Strava to track down where Wilson was staying, and shot her repeatedly.

Armstrong then fled the country after she was interviewed by Austin police. She was found living in Costa Rica under an assumed name following an international manhunt, and reportedly having plastic surgery to change her appearance.

She now faces up to 99 years behind bars under Texas law.

Meanwhile, People offers a timeline of the “shocking love triangle murder case,” which doesn’t sensationalize it at all.

………

Californians will mark Sunday’s World Day of Remembrance for the victims of traffic violence, with Southern California events scheduled for Los Angeles, Malibu and San Diego.

Meanwhile, Seattle volunteers marked Sunday’s World Day of Remembrance by posting over 200 yellow silhouettes at the sites where someone was killed in a traffic collision after the city adopted Vision Zero in 2015.

………

Attend the webinar, and get an advance discount on tickets to next year’s Calbike Bike Summit in San Diego.

………

Somehow we missed this one last week.

Gravel Bike California takes an urban adventure across LA’s Eastside, featuring #ArroyoFest, Elysian Park and Eldred Street, the steepest road in the city. 

………

Professional skier and filmmaker Dylan Sigger goes for a little mountain bike ride outside his British Colombia home.

………

GCN examines six things that terrify people on bicycles, from black ice and swinging car doors to running out of coffee.

………

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

No bias here. A Denver-area newspaper insists that the city’s transportation department has been “captured by the bicyclist lobby and is busily screwing up streets across the city with ridiculous and ugly plastic bollards, roundabouts, and striping all in the name of ‘bicycle safety.'” God forbid anyone should use “ugly” street treatments in an effort to save lives, or that people who ride bicycles should have the right to successfully petition city officials, just like anyone else.

Police in New York are looking for four men who got out of a pair of high-end cars at a red light and brutally beat a 25-year old ebike rider with a baseball bat and trash can before getting back in their cars and driving off, leaving the victim with a broken arm and facial injuries.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

After a 6th grade girl in Bend, Oregon suffered a broken elbow and collarbone when she was struck by a 17-year old ebike rider who “came out of nowhere,” her parents were shocked to learn the cops said there’s nothing they can do under current laws.

………

Local 

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass finally treated the closure of the Santa Monica Freeway following a massive fire like an actual emergency, introducing a motion at the Metro board meeting to make Metro Bike free for the duration of the closure. Which as it turns out, will only be until Tuesday.

Santa Monica responded to the recent death of fallen bicyclist Tania Mooser, as well as another bicyclist injured at the same intersection two weeks later, by moving to change intersections that currently have two-way stop signs to all way stops, and post signs at two-way stops indicating that cross traffic doesn’t stop.

 

State

San Diego ebike maker FLX Bike is changing its name to Superhuman Bikes, for no apparent reason.

 

National

Streetsblog says cities across the US are beginning to use AI-equipped automated cameras to enforce laws against parking in bike lanes, a version of which was recently legalized in California.

A legendary Colorado skier was the victim of a bike theft when someone broke into his home and stole several items, including his one-of-a-kind, $20,000 autographed LeMond bike, which was actually one of 100 of a kind.

A Wisconsin legislative committee approved a pair of bills that make it against the law to “intentionally” expose someone’s genitals or bring a child to any event where adults will expose themselves, in response to allegations that a ten-year old girl participated in the Minneapolis World Naked Bike Ride. Because apparently we need to shield kids from seeing dicks on bikes, rather than being run down by dicks in cars. 

An ebike rider in New Haven, Connecticut complained he fell after apparently being right hooked by the driver of a police patrol car; the cop insisted they didn’t hit the victim, which isn’t really the point.

CityLab argues that New York’s congestion pricing plan is the “most important American transportation experiment in decades,” and could usher in a revolution in how we get around.

Police in Philadelphia appear to question whether Philadelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. was actually the victim of a hit-and-run, and whether he was walking or riding his BMX when he was allegedly struck by a driver. Reading between the lines, they appear suggest that Oubre suffered a broken rib falling off his bike, rather than being struck by a motorist. Thanks to Christian for the link. 

You know your little North Carolina town sucks when the local police commission won’t even let you install bike racks for future residents of a redevelopment project.

 

International

Cycling Weekly offers five foul weather tips to protect yourself and your bike this winter.

Upway, a French online marketplace for buying and selling ebikes, has raised $30 million in venture capital funding to enter the US market.

German bike bag brand Ortlieb wants you to fix what you already have, rather than buy new stuff this Black Friday. As usual, read it on Yahoo if Bicycling blocks you.

An Indian man was beaten to death for failing to return a bicycle he had borrowed from a friend. Although friends don’t normally beat their friends to death, bicycle or not. 

Road.cc tests ten ultra low-price bike accessories from Chinese online marketplace Temu, and surprisingly finds more hits than misses. I tried ordering a couple pairs of non-biking shoes from the site, one of which was about three sizes too big, and the other appeared made to fit a duck’s foot. 

A pair of Aussie university scholars make the case that the 280 million ebikes and mopeds currently in use around the world do more to cut the demand for oil than all the world’s electric cars.

 

Competitive Cycling

Bad news from Spain, where 23-year-old pro cyclist Josu Etxeberria is in intensive care after he was run over by a driver while on a training ride.

Pro cyclist and former ski jumper Primož Roglič auctioned off some of his memorabilia on live TV, raising the equivalent of over $217,000 to fund scholarship for young athletes in need of financial support. And demonstrated his ski jumping technique in a move proving no one puts Primož in the corner. Once again, read it on Yahoo if Bicycling blocks you.

 

Finally…

Bicycling is a good habit, even if you wear one. Your next bike could be a woodie, or maybe sweep the road while you ride.

And that feeling when your bike won’t fit in the back of your new 50 grand electric cybertruck.

………

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

Oh, and fuck Putin