Tag Archive for Orange County

Another OC cyclist killed, another giant yawn from the local press

May 11, 2010 / / 11 comments

One hundred words.

That all the life of an Orange County cyclist was worth today.

Allen Earl Miller, a 55-year old cyclist from Costa Mesa, was riding north on Temescal Canyon Road south of Indian Truck Trail between Corona and Lake Elsinore around 2:40 yesterday afternoon when a Ford SUV driven by Scott Reis drifted off the road for unknown reasons and struck him from behind; Miller died at the scene.

According to the Orange County Register, which offered the best coverage, no one has been arrested; the CHP is still investigating. Neither of the people in the truck were injured.

It took the Register exactly 100 words to tell the story, not counting the headline. The sum total of a life, nothing more than name, age and cause of death.

A story so insignificant, it didn’t make the first 10 pages of news stories in a Google search last night or again this morning. And didn’t even make the news at all just a few miles north in L.A. — then again, neither did the tragic death of Jorge Alvarado.

It’s only another death on the roads.

Only another cyclist killed.

………

Chances are, I still wouldn’t have know about Miller’s death if the Claremont Cyclist hadn’t picked up the story.

I cringed when I saw the image of the Ghost Bike on his site, because it meant another cyclist had died. And I hope Michael will forgive me for quoting liberally from his post. But he has something important to say.

Explain to me again how someone just drifts “off the road for an unknown reason”….  I do not think I will ever understand why there is not more widespread outrage over these incidents. Just because a cyclist has lost his life, does not mean this is solely a cycling concern – it is a societal concern. This driver could just as easily have drifted the other direction for an unknown reason, hitting a car head on instead. Indeed most crashes involving cars are with other cars, not bikes, not pedestrians. Getting and keeping people who cannot, or will not, take driving seriously off the roads benefits everyone, not just cyclists.

………

Metro leaks the date for the upcoming CicLAvia; evidently, I broke the story and didn’t even know it. So when they make the official announcement, everybody act surprised, okay?

………

A great view of Highland Park as seen from a bike on a clear, sunny SoCal day. The LACBC gears up for their best ever River Ride. Metro began a bike count and survey on Tuesday. San Francisco cyclists are urged to shop locally by bike. A cyclist says she’s never seen a rider stop for a stop sign; I assume that means she doesn’t, either. CNN takes note of the conflict between cyclists and drivers on America’s roads. A New Jersey cyclist is dragged 30 feet under the SUV of a right-hooking driver who just didn’t see him, which makes it okay, right? A New York blogger comes home to discover a bike-loving friend has been seriously injured in a collision. If bicycle safety is a two-way street, why do all the articles seem to focus on wearing a helmet? A Huntsville, Alabama editorial urges both cyclists and drivers to use the roads more carefully. North Carolina cyclists debate a proposed law that would limit them to riding no more than two abreast, and just single file when cars are passing. A Detroit cyclist is critically injured when a driver hits him, then gets out of his car to pull the rider off his windshield and remove his license plates before fleeing the scene. Evidently, someone’s stealing bikes from bloggers; just a week after Witch on a Bicycle had his handmade custom bike stolen, another blogger loses hers when a thief unbolts the scaffolding she’d locked it to. Maybe they should have watched this Brit Beat the Thief video first. An Oxfordshire doctor on a five-year round-the-world bike tour only makes it through Europe before his knee gives out. Giro riders complain about being forced to sit down to a midnight meal.

Finally, the Mounties always get their man — even if it’s just for riding without a helmet.

Category: General / Tags: , , , ,

16-year old Orange County cyclist critically injured

March 28, 2010 / / 3 comments

This hasn’t been a good weekend for teenage cyclists in Southern California.

Just two days after a Pacoima rider was shot in an apparent gang-related attack, a 16-year old Orange County cyclist was critically injured after a collision with a car in Santa Ana Sunday afternoon. According to the Orange County Register, the cyclist was riding across Lacy Street between Fifth Street and Santa Ana Blvd when he collided with a vehicle traveling north on Lacy — the story subtly assigns blame to the cyclist while noting the accident is still under investigation.

Meanwhile, Gustavo Arellano of the Orange County Weekly, author of the popular Ask A Mexican column, was on the scene to witness the aftermath of the collision.

Arelleno said that the car hit the rider — rather than the other way around — with enough force to shatter the windshield, leaving a massive dent in the vehicle and breaking the bicycle in two. While no blood was visible, Arelleno did not see the rider move his hands or legs, and says “the teen’s tortured gasps for air were a sound I hope to never hear again.”

He credits police and fire personnel for arriving on the scene within minutes of the 1pm collision, and places blame on the conflict between the city’s “ambitious plans to remake its downtown core and the head-in-the-sand approach to the area’s actual needs.”

“This is already a neighborhood that’s way overcrowded,” said a lady who identified herself only as Yuri. She had no idea of the city’s plans for her neighborhood, which include squeezing in high-rise apartments. “We need parks, not more buildings–there’s already too many apartments! With more people and more cars on these small streets, there’s going to be more accidents!”

………

Even after everything, Murrieta’s Floyd Landis still loves cycling. San Diego’s San Louis Rey River Trail is extended three more miles. Get your free Ride a Fucking Bike sticker here. A Georgia insurance executive says bike riders face risks on the road, and there’s not much consolation in saying “it wasn’t my fault.” A 60-something cyclist in my home town is critically injured in a collision; no information on his name, direction or travel, whether the driver was distracted, wearing a seatbelt or whether charges might be filed. An 11-year old Iowa cyclist is critically injured in a hit-and-run; police say the driver may not even know she hit anything. Cell phone use while driving is even more dangerous than previously thought. Over 2300 riders roll the roads of New Zealand, despite warnings from police. Brisbane’s shared bike/pedestrian paths turn into danger zones as both users compete for space. Will a better water bottle holder revolutionize cycling? A 19-year old Brit cyclist hopes to raise £1 million to thank a hospital for saving his life. Instead of charging cyclists to use the roads, we should get tax cuts and the thanks of motorists.

Finally, a writer claims that most cars carrying two or more passengers have a smaller carbon footprint than the average man on a bike.

Category: General / Tags: , , ,

Bike counts, toy rides, another near-fatal OC hit-and-run

December 11, 2009 / / 10 comments

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first.

Donald Murphy of Irvine was critically injured in yet another hit-and-run around 6 am Wednesday while riding in the northbound bike lane on Jamboree Road near the intersection with Ford Road in Irvine. According to police, a driver indentified as Patricia Ann Izquieta entered the bike lane he was riding in while making an “unsafe turning maneuver,” striking him and leaving a 300-yard pattern of debris.

That’s three football fields of bike parts strewn along the roadway from the bicycle trapped under her car as she fled the scene.

Izquieta was stopped by police a few blocks later with damage to the windshield and front undercarriage of her car, and is being held in Orange County Jail on $50,000 bond. Police reports indicate that she was not on a cell phone and alcohol does not appear to be a factor.

Witnesses said Murphy was wearing a helmet and riding in a safe and legal manner when struck. A passing driver stopped to give CPR along with one of his riding partners

Murphy was transported to Western Medical Center ­– Santa Ana. The Orange County Register quotes Lt. Rob Morton of the Newport Beach Police as saying “He’s in pretty bad shape.”

Update: Today’s OC Register reports that Murphy died at Western Medical Center on Thursday; there was no comment from the family. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.

………

The LACBC finally has preliminary results from the city’s first bike count.

What I find interesting is that only 12% of the riders were female — less than the number of children counted — while 54% of riders weren’t wearing a helmet, 38% were on the sidewalk, and 6% were riding the wrong way.

They also offer an LACBC-centric report on Wednesday’s semi-bike-only Transportation Committee meeting.

……..

There’s no shortage of big hearts in biking community.

But I never fail to be impressed by gull rescuer and stray dog wrangler Will Campbell — although his odd attachment to ‘Bama football does make me wonder sometimes. So I wasn’t surprised to learn that the Midnight Ridazz All-City Toy Ride was his idea, though he gives much of the credit for organizing the first ride to Ridazz co-founder Roadblock.

The ride kicks off tonight — appropriately enough on the first night of Channukah — from various points throughout the city, converging on the Plaza Gazebo on Olvera Street around 10 pm. Riders are asked to bring an unwrapped toy valued at $5 to $25 dollars for free admission to the after party; toys will be donated to the East L.A. Women’s Center.

Click here or visit the Ridazz website for more information.

……..

Recently I included a link to the excellent Bike San Diego website, for a story about a cyclist who was ticketed for passing a short row of stopped vehicles on the left, even though that is not prohibited under California law.

The judge upheld the ticket, convicting Andrew Woolley for violating CVC 21202, despite the fact that his actions were explicitly allowed under the statute. According to the judge, the exceptions allowed under 21202 did not apply, since the speed limit on the road is 35 mph, which he determined was the normal speed of traffic — even though 21202 specifically refers to the speed of traffic “moving in the same direction at that time.”

Writing on Bob Mioske’s website, Rick Bernardi offers a great examination of exactly why the judge was in error, while noting that it sometimes doesn’t make any difference if the law is on your side. And contrasts it with a Utah case, in which a cyclist was cited for doing exactly what the judge in the Woolley case said he should have done.

So let me see if I’ve got this right. You can’t pass on the right, and you can’t pass on the left. Or maybe you’re required to break the law one way in Utah, and another in California. Or the judge is allowed to misapply the law one way in one state, and another in the other.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

You can read the full transcript of the Woolley case here, and see the opening brief to his appeal here.

And buy a copy of Catch 22 — which seems to be the new judicial standard — here.

………

Last week’s Ballona Creek Gateway opening included an announcement of the planned Mar Vista Greenway. Lance commits to two more years. Traffic author Tom Vanderbilt suggests that cyclists should consider the Adopt a Highway model for bike lane maintenance. Cycling fashion dilemma: to wear a day-glo vest or not? Denver re-writes its bike laws to conform with the new state laws; Tucson Bike Lawyer notes that it’s now legal to ride to a bike rack on the sidewalk. The police can’t — or won’t — keep cars out of NYC bike lanes, but maybe a bunch of clowns will. New York’s DIY bike lanes have already been painted over; the alleged artists reportedly will plead not guilty. UPS is making some holiday deliveries by bike. Austin struggles to find consensus on the city’s first bike boulevard. A Utah cyclist is under arrest for groping another rider. London’s Evening Standard reports work has begun on “Mayor Boris Johnson’s cycle-hire scheme;” no bias there, huh? An Indian student is murdered by his friends after buying a new bike. Some friends. Finally, it’s 13 degrees in Chicago, and cyclists are still riding — even if that means riding on studded bike tires.

Category: Bicycle Safety, General, Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , , , , ,
  Recent Entries »
Wordpress Theme by ThemeZee