Hard to believe it’s been over two months since an elderly driver smashed through Westwood’s 99 Ranch Market.
The driver, a 92-year old woman, was apparently attempting to make a left turn when she hit a bike rider, then continued down the bike lane on the wrong side of Westwood for a full block before slamming into the market.
Three people — 28-year old Zih Dao, 42-year old Deris Renoj, and 52-year old Leonel Mateo — died at the scene, while six others were injured, two critically.
Surprisingly, the bike rider escaped with only minor injuries.
Not surprising, given the circumstances, the woman’s driving privileges were suspended at the scene.
This tragedy once again raised the inevitable question of how old is too old to drive. And how can were identify drivers who can no longer operate their vehicles safely before something like this happens, rather than responding after it’s too late.
Streets Are For Everyone will host a Ghost Tire Memorial, similar to a ghost bike, but for other victims of traffic violence, at the site of the crash tomorrow to commemorate the people who were killed.
SAFE will be hosting a Press Conference and Ghost Tire Memorial on April 11, 2026 to honor the victims of the mass traffic fatality at 99 Ranch Market and call on our local government to take immediate action to prevent tragedies like this…
The Ghost Tire Memorial uses white-painted tires placed at fatal crash sites to honor victims of traffic violence and raise awareness about road safety.
Event Details:
Ghost Tire Memorial & Press Conference
Date: April 11th, 2026
Time: 10:00 am to 11:20 am
Location: 1360 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Event Timeline
10:00 am – Event begins
10:05 am – Ghost tires decorated
10:20 am – Carry ghost tires to the location
10:21 am – Moment of silence
10:22 am – SAFE founder Damian Kevitt introduces family members of victims
10:25 am – Family members of victims Speak
10:45 am – Family members of victims Conclude Speaking
10:46 am – Damian speaks, drops open letter & introduces coalition partners
10:50 am – Coalition partners speak
11:15 am – Coalition partners conclude speaking
11:20 am – Event concludes
Ghost Tire photo from SAFE Website.
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Forget trying to find parking at the beach this summer.
Let alone high gas prices.
Metro Bike has opened a new bikeshare dock right on the sand in Venice Beach. So all you have to do is check out a bike somewhere, ride it to the beach, then just dock it and walk away.
Something tells me this is going to be the busiest bikeshare dock in the city. Never mind the opportunity to admire all the native art.
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The roof to the velodrome built for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics burned in a dramatic fire early Wednesday morning. Bizarrely, it was the third time the roof had burned since 2017; the first two fires were blamed on faulty lighting.
Maybe it’s just be me, but they might want to consider using a somewhat less flammable material for the roof next time.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A suspected hit-and-run driver was arrested after barreling down a Colorado bike path at a high rate of speed, then fleeing on foot when he crashed into the guardrail separating the path from Interstate 70 through the mountains; police suspect he was under the influence. Well, no shit. What was their first clue?
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Local
The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments received a quarter-million dollar federal grant for the East San Gabriel Valley Sustainable Multimodal Improvement Project to improve pedestrian, bicycle and transit throughout the region.
State
Seventy-three-year old Corona del Mar resident Mark Strauss is planning to leave next Friday on a 3,388-mile ride across the US to raise a remarkable $1 million for No Kid Hungry. A lot more people start across the country than actually finish, but raising that much is a worthy goal if he can pull it off.
Mark your calendar for April 21st, when the Encinitas Rotary Club will host record-breaking bicyclist Denise Mueller-Korenek, who will share the story behind her 183.9 mph land-speed record. Of course, that means you’ll have to hang out with a bunch of Rotarians, but still.
A local mom teamed with a La Jolla artist to build a community-driven campaign to Save the La Jolla Bike Path from an AT&T cell tower.
A UC San Diego professor makes the case for why physical activity needs to change from an individual pursuit to a societal priority if we’re going to see widespread public health benefits.
National
Houston bicyclists say a street is significantly less safe after a “safety project” pushed by the city’s mayor, which replaced barrier-protected bike lanes connecting a pair of bayous with a sign reading Bike Land Ends.
Meanwhile, a Houston teenager discovers that you can find a lot of things while riding your bike — like a woman’s body in a lake.
Chicago residents demanded safer streets and the capture of the hit-and-run driver who killed an 18-year old delivery rider after blowing through a red light, and injured two other people in a motor vehicle, before literally running away from the crash scene.
Sad news from Vermont, where longtime bike journalist, and former International Mountain Bicycling Association and BikesBelong/PeopleForBikes chief executive Tim Blumenthal has passed away after a two-year battle with cancer; he was 70 years old. I was flattered when Blumenthal reached out to me personally shortly after PeopleForBikes founded, that the head of the nation’s largest bike advocacy organization would even think a small-time bike blogger like me was worth his time.
Streetsblog got its hands on internal Boston city government polling documents showing broad support for transit and bicycle projects, even if that means removing parking spaces.
New York Mayor Mamdani will team with the city’s Department of Transportation to give out free bike lights and helmets throughout the city to promote safe bicycling. That compares favorably with Los Angeles, where officials seem to be doing their best to prevent it.
Bike riders in Richmond, Virginia raised six grand to buy their own volunteer driven — or rather, bicycle towed — bike lane sweeper, after they got tired of maintenance problems and other issues preventing the city from doing the job.
Once again, a bike theft victim spotted his bicycle for sale on Facebook, this time in a Florida city, where the thief was met by cops when he arranged a meeting with what he thought was a potential buyer for the $1,200 ebike. That’s the right way to handle it, even though the cops aren’t always so willing to get involved.
International
A London bike advocate says bicycling in the city is safer than ever, but still has a long way to go to before people stop being nervous when they ride; the city’s mayor promises that new traffic lights will make a big difference.
Once again, a motor vehicle was a weapon of mass destruction, this time in Spain, where a driver plowed into a group of six bicyclists on the popular Costa Brava scenic route, seriously injuring three Irish tourists in their late 50s; another rider was treated at scene for minor injuries.
A British man is planning to ride up Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji later this year to mark three years of sobriety, after taking up bicycling to avoid alcohol; last year he rode up Mt. Vesuvius. Even if riding up an active volcano brings his actual sobriety into question.
Competitive Cycling
Cyclist offers a preview of Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, aka the Hell of the North; meanwhile, the Visma-Lease a Bike team was up in arms after UCI banned them from using self-inflating tire tech just two days before the race, leaving them scrambling for a replacement.
Emily Ehrlich of Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28 cycling team won the women’s time trial on stage 1 of the Redlands Classic by an astounding 36 seconds, while Project Echelon Racing’s Eric Brunner won the men’s race, with just a slim nine-second margin separating the top four finishers.
Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28 won again in stage two of the Redlands Classic, as local native Ella Sabo led a one-two finish of the women’s race ahead of teammate Olivia Cummins, while Skylar Schneider of L39ION of Los Angeles finished third.
Meanwhile, the leaders remained tightly bunched on the men’s side of the Redlands Classic, as Canel’s–Java’s Sebastian Mata outsprinted Olinka’s Carlos Garcia and Luke Elphingstone of Project Echelon.
Forget doping. New Zealand cyclist Kiaan Watts accepted a 25-day ban for punching another rider in the head during last month’s one-day Salverda Bouw Ster van Zwolle in the Netherlands; he was also fined the equivalent of $253 and had 25 UCI points deducted. Which means he’ll have to work that much harder to get enough points for a free Jumbo Jack.
Finally…
That feeling when your brake cable is the literal definition of “hanging by a thread.” Who needs a bicycle-shaped object when you can get an object-shaped bicycle (seriously, you try it first, I’ll just stay here and watch).
And who needs Jordans when you can get your own BMX-themed Nike Airs?
Oh, wait, they are Jordans.
Never mind.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
