A bad month for bike riders in Southern California got worse today, when word broke that an Oxnard man died two weeks after he was struck by a driver while riding his bicycle last month.
First responders found him lying in the entryway to the Grocery Outlet Store, following the apparent right hook collision as the woman turned into the parking lot from northbound Ventura.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office reported around 2:30 pm last Friday that the man, identified as Oxnard resident Salvador Lopez, had died from his injuries.
The driver, Hannah De La Cruz, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. They don’t believe she was speeding or under the influence.
Anyone with information is urged to call Oxnard Police Corporal Manny Perez at 805/385-7749 or 805/200-5668, or email manuel.perez@oxnardpd.org.
This is at least the 29th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second that I’m aware of in Ventura County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Salvador Lopez and his loved ones.
February 18, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Overregulating ebikes with nonexistent regulations, and neurodivergent Glendale boy now missing after bike ride
Day 49 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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Is the late, great Golden State going too far when it comes to ebikes?
A writer for CleanTechnica makes exactly that case, arguing that California is overregulating ebikes by prohibiting riders from using the sidewalk and banning throttles.
Instead she suggests the real solution is to improve safety by building protected bike lanes and dedicated bike highways, while improving infrastructure to keep cars, fast bikes and pedestrians apart.
In this case, banning e-bikes from sidewalks while not making safe space for riders somewhere else is the thing being pushed. Children who died because an inattentive driver ran them over aren’t going to be made more safe by banning them from having electric assist, and if anything, this punishes victims. Banning throttles doesn’t stop the practice of “ghost pedaling,” and doesn’t stop people from being able to go fast by pedaling at bit in a high assist mode. These “feel good” policies just don’t make much sense.
But, let’s assume for the sake of argument that these policies make any sense. If we want to save that one life, we have to think about all of the lives lost to emissions. If emissions could be reduced, thousands of people could be saved every year from heart disease, respiratory problems, and cancer. Saving a handful of lives that could be saved in some other more narrowly-tailored way at the cost of keeping the emissions murder machine going by discouraging e-bike ownership simply doesn’t make sense!
Where to even begin.
I’m all for better bike infrastructure and improving safety for everyone on our streets.
But there is no statewide effort to ban ebikes from sidewalks. Even if I agree that a bike that can do 20 mph or more with little or no effort shouldn’t be mixing it up with pedestrians, though stopping short of a total ban.
Instead, numerous municipalities have prohibited ebikes from being ridden on sidewalks, which is their privilege under state law, just like they have the option to ban or allow other bikes.
However, they don’t have the legal right to prohibit them from local streets or bike lanes, where they are allowed under state law.
I also haven’t seen any attempt to ban throttles, though I would like to see higher speed, throttle-controlled ebikes reclassified as something between an ebike and an electric motorcycle, akin to a mo-ped.
Cities in California also have the ability to ban ebikes for children under 12, which seems prudent, since many lack the judgement and motor skills to control something that can go up to 20 mph, or often higher.
But so far, the state has been remarkably hands-off in regulating ebikes, for the most part appearing to take a wait-and-see approach to permitting their use.
For better or worse.
Meanwhile, Dutch researchers have concluded that “The debate over the conflicts between fatbikes, mopeds, and bicycles overshadows the real problem: cars get too much space.”
Which is probably something most of us can agree on.
Police in Glendale are looking for a 12-year old boy with autism and ADHD who went missing on a bicycle ride on Sunday, after he was last seen in the 1600 block of Rock Glen Avenue, near Eagle Rock Plaza.
The Glendale Police Department seeks your help in locating a missing child, Matthew Rocete, 12, male, 5' 5", 90 lbs., brown hair, brown eyes, wearing a red beanie or cap, green t-shirt, black shorts, black and red Nike shoes. pic.twitter.com/iEheYFZ7Mv
He was not wearing a helmet, even though a bike helmet is required for anyone 17 or younger under California law. Which for once actually matters, since he suffered injuries to his head and eye.
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Metro will host a virtual public meeting this Sunday to consider first mile/last mile connections to the upcoming NoHo to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit line, or BRT.
Although you’d think they’d know enough not to schedule it during Sunday’s CicLAvia, which they also sponsor.
Here’s how Walk Bike Glendale describes it.
Metro is improving transit across LA County, and we need your help! The North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project will connect Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena, improving access to jobs, schools, and other key destinations. As part of this effort, Metro is developing a North Hollywood to Pasadena BRT First/Last Mile Plan, to help connect transit riders to the future BRT stations.
“First/Last Mile” refers to the first and last part of a rider’s journey where riders walk, bike, or roll to or from their nearest transit station or bus stop. Whether you walk, bike, or roll, we want your thoughts on improving safety and convenience around four selected stations.
Your input can shape enhancements like:
Street trees and landscaping
Sidewalk and crosswalk improvements
Lighting, seating, and other amenities
Bike lanes and bike parking
What’s Happening?
LA Metro will present draft First/Last Mile recommendations for the streets surrounding the future BRT station at Central Ave/Lexington Dr. We want to hear your feedback!
No bias here, either. A Welsh city has pulled the plug on plans for a “vital” segregated bike lane after residents complained the $1.8 million project would be the “biggest waste of money.” Because evidently, protecting human lives just isn’t worth what amounts to a piddling sum in most roadway budgets.
Mountain bikers in Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument could be required to stick to designated trails and off-road vehicle routes under a new proposal from the Bureau of Land Management. Although with the current federal staff reductions and budget freezes, there may be no one to stop you.
I want to be like him when I grow up. A 94-year old man in an Atlanta suburb has earned the name “Bicycle Man” by refurbishing and giving away bicycles for the past 13 years, while riding a bike himself up to his 92nd birthday; his father rode one into his 90s.
This is who we share the road with, too. A 21-year old English man was convicted of murder for intentionally running down an ebike rider, chasing the victim after becoming enraged by his wheelie-popping showboating, just to teach him a lesson. All while appointing himself judge, juror and executioner — literally.
Even though the local paper felt the need to note that he was riding brakeless, and wasn’t wearing a helmet, even though there’s no indication either had anything to do with it.
However, there’s still no word on how the crash occurred, or who may have been at fault. The driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators; he hasn’t been ticketed or charged, though the crash remains under investigation.
And yes, the paper still felt the need to comment, without context, that Rodriguez didn’t have brakes or a helmet.
Whether his bike had brakes only matters if he was somehow unable to stop before riding out in front of the driver or crashing into him. And Rodriguez’ lack of a bike helmet shouldn’t make any difference unless he suffered a head injury, or his other injuries may have been survivable if he had one.
Anyone with information is urged to call Oxnard Police Officer Ivan Sanchez at 805/385-7749, or email ivan.sanchez@oxnardpd.org.
This is at least the 55th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth that I’m aware of in Ventura County.
December 16, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Fixie rider suffers major injuries in Oxnard, ebike rider injured in San Diego hit-and-run, and mass casualty crash in Australia
Just 15 days until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025, a decade of failure in which deaths have continued to climb.
Yet not one city official has mentioned the impending deadline, or the city’s failure to meet it.
Just nine days left to support SoCal’s best source for bike news and advocacy! So thanks to Patt M, Stephen H, Scott G, Michael M, Jim M and Joseph M for their generous donations over the weekend!
Yet the local paper somehow felt the need to note that he didn’t have brakes on his bike, and wasn’t wearing a helmet, even though there’s nothing in the article to suggest either was a factor in the crash.
It’s unlikely his lack of a helmet caused the crash, and it’s not relevant to his injuries unless he suffered a head injury, which is not noted in the story.
It also doesn’t say the victim ran the stop sign or was unable to stop before riding out in front of or crashing into the driver, which is the only reason his lack of brakes should matter.
The point isn’t that the paper shouldn’t have reported those facts, but that they need to connect the dots to show why they’re relevant.
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here, either. A Staten Island site calls for requiring licenses & registration for ebikes and e-scooters to “stop the carnage,” after 46 people have been killed riding ebikes in New York since they were legalized five years ago. Never mind that the stat counts people killed by negligent and distracted drivers, as well as other cases where the person on the ebike may have been the victim, rather than the one at fault.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A Laguna Beach woman complains about reckless teens riding ebikes, including one who crashed into her husband’s car but rode off without stopping, before disappearing down a trail. But from the description, it sounds like what she’s really talking about are electric motorcycles.
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Local
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is poised to appoint a new member to the Metro board to replace termed-out Councilmember Paul Krekorian; San Fernando Valley leaders say she has to appoint someone else from the Valley.
San Francisco public television station KQED examines the ongoing saga of the barrier-separated bike and pedestrian path on the upper deck of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge; five governmental bodies have voted unanimously against a proposal to convert the lane to a motor vehicle breakdown lane on weekdays, while a petition protesting the plan has gained just under 3,100 signatures.
Speaking of Washington, Governor Jay Inslee celebrated the news that the Bike League named the country’s best place to ride a bicycle. Somehow, I can’t imagine California Governor Gavin Newsom even noticing or acknowledging something like that. Thanks to Mike Burk for the tip.
US Weeklysummarizes the case against Sean M. Higgins for killing NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they were riding their bikes along a New Jersey highway, when Higgins reportedly tried to pass another driver on the right, while allegedly under the influence.
Police in Alabama are asking for the public’s help identifying a man who was killed riding a bicycle at an intersection where ten people have been killed by traffic violence in 16 years. Seriously, the intersection should have been redesigned after the first death, not the tenth, if then, And this is yet another a reminder to always have some form of ID with you when you ride.
An 86-year old Australian man known as “Mr. Fix-It” has donated a handful of his whimsical handcrafted bicycles reimagined from used bikes and parts, with features such as misaligned wheels or unusual frames that offer a quirky riding experience.
Legendary cyclist Eddy Merckx says he’ll never ride a bike alone again after fracturing his hip when he crashed on a railroad track in a drizzling rain, lying alone in fear and pain before others came by to help him.
Yet another reminder to alway ride in the direction of traffic, even in a bike lane.
Update: The victim has been identified as 33-year old Oxnard resident Youssef A. Ayad. Police are looking for the driver of a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer.
My deepest sympathy and prayer for Youssef A. Ayad and all his family and loved ones.
April 24, 2024 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on 35-year old man killed riding salmon in Oxnard collision Sunday night; victim identified as Oxnard resident Joey Paquet
Sometimes it helps to wait a few days to write something, because the story can change.
That’s what happened when a man was killed riding his bicycle in Oxnard Sunday night.
Despite initial reports that the victim was a 45-year old North Hollywood man, he was later identified as 35-year old Oxnard resident Joey Paquet.
The driver of the SUV remained following the crash and cooperated with investigators; police don’t suspect the driver was under the influence.
Anyone with information is urged to call Oxnard Police Traffic Investigator Raul Camacho at 805/200-5668.
A crowdfunding campaign to pay Paquet’s funeral expenses has raised a little more than $2,700 towards the modest $4,000 goal. Commenters on the page described Paquet as a bright light who brought kindness and positivity to their neighborhood.
This is at least the 13th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second that I’m aware of this year in Ventura County.
And it’s one more tragic reminder to always ride with traffic when you’re riding on the roadway.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Joey Paquet and all his family and loved ones.
December 13, 2023 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Elderly Oxnard man dies, weeks after he’s struck riding his bicycle
An elderly Oxnard man has died, over a month after he was left-crossed by a driver while riding his bicycle.
According to the Ventura County Star, 84-year old Oxnard resident Joseph Smart was riding east on West Fifth Street in Oxnard around 6:15 pm on Sunday, November 5th, when he was struck by a westbound driver turning left onto South K Street.
Oxnard police were told Tuesday about Smart’s death.
There’s no word on any tickets or charges; police don’t believe the driver was speeding or under the influence.
Evidently, killing someone through simple carelessness isn’t illegal anymore. However, the investigation is reportedly ongoing, so maybe there’s hope.
Anyone with information is urged to call Traffic Investigator Alexis Arellano at 805/200-5668, or email alexis.arellano@oxnardpd.org.
But one thing is certain. Anyone who is still riding a bicycle at that age deserved better.
This is at least the 69th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third that I’m aware of in Ventura County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Joseph Smart and his loved ones.
September 27, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Man riding bicycle killed by driver in Oxnard collision last week; 2nd fatal Oxnard bike crash this year
Apparently, a full week isn’t enough time to publicly identify the victim of a bicycling crash.
The Ventura County Star reported last week that a man was killed in collision while riding his bike in Oxnard on Monday, September 19th.
The westbound victim was crossing Saviers Road at Glacier Avenue around 7:40 pm when he was struck by the driver of a full-size pickup headed south on Saviers.
He was taken to a local hospital, where he died shortly later. A week later, he still hasn’t been publicly ID’d.
The driver, identified only as a 35-year old Oxnard man, remained at the scene; there’s no word on whether he may have been speeding or under the influence.
Anyone with information is urged to call Oxnard Police Cpl. Andrew Pinkstaff at 805/385-7750, or email andrew.pinkstaff@oxnardpd.org.
This is at least the 68th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth that I’m aware of in Ventura County. The victim is also the second bike rider killed in Oxnard this year.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all his family and loved ones.
Sanchez also admitted to special allegations of fleeing the scene and committing a serious felony involving great violence.
He was sentence to nine years, after prosecutors dropped charges of second degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated with prior DUI convictions, which could have resulted in a sentence of 15 years to life.
Instead, he’ll likely spend less than half his nine-year sentence behind bars.
Let’s at least hope he’s never allowed to drive again.
Hermoso, better known as Panduh in the cycling community, was killed in a head-on collision while riding the Santa Clara Truck Trail near Santa Clarita 12 days ago.
Hey LA Bike Twitter – check out this toolkit to make our voices heard on Friday. Show up in person or tweet about the need for our City to fund bike & pedestrian infrastructure https://t.co/2xzA3oMRYF
Unfortunately, the city council isn’t taking phone-in comments anymore following the reopening of City Hall, despite rising Covid rates. So you’ll have to show up in person, or email members of the committee in advance of the Friday afternoon meeting.
And if you have any question what difference more funding could make, just take a look at the photo in the tweet below.
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Your periodic reminder that this is what we could have in Los Angeles, where the terrain and weather are more inviting than London.
And London commutes didn’t look like this, either, until the city built out a network of bicycle superhighways just a few years ago.
Cycling is a remarkably efficient mode of transport, just look at the number of people compared to 3 vehicles in the same amount of space. pic.twitter.com/hkM4NauWge
Streetsblog’s Joe Linton digs deep into Metro’s proposed budget for the 2023 fiscal year, which calls for a 27.2% increase in active transportation spending. Although the $80 active transportation budget is dwarfed by the agency’s proposed $634 million in highway spending, a 35% increase over this year.
A Calgary, Alberta couple dug up a metal 1935 bike license while working in their garden. Note that it wraps around the frame, and would be virtually invisible to anyone at a distance, for all those who insist bicycles should a license to force scofflaw riders to behave.
Columbia’s Miguel Ángel López withdrew from the Giro after getting dropped in the first miles of Tuesday’s fourth stage; he reportedly suffers a left hip injury that failed to bounce back on Monday’s rest day.
February 16, 2022 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on LA Times editorial calls for supporting Healthy Streets LA initiative, and Oxnard man arraigned in drunken bike death
Nice to see a writer for the LA Times get behind a ballot measure safer, healthier streets.
The measure would require Los Angeles to implement the ambitious, but long-forgotten, Mobility Plan 2035, building out bus and bike lanes, as well as pedestrian improvements, when city streets are repaved.
Here’s what Cavanaugh had to say about the plan, which advocates fought for years to create and pass.
But, as is so often the case in L.A., the implementation of the Mobility Plan has not matched its ambition.
Since its adoption, the city has only made bike, bus and pedestrian upgrades to 95 miles out of 3,137 miles identified in the plan — or 3% in a little more than six years. Time and again, city leaders have ignored or torpedoed bike and bus lanes outlined in the Mobility Plan. At this rate, it will take nearly 200 years — not 20 — to fulfill the plan’s vision.
As Cavanaugh points out, it’s crazy that it takes a ballot measure to force the city to do what it already agreed to do.
But that’s the city we live and ride in these days, where fear of angering anyone leads to paralysis among city leaders. Along with more and more community meetings, where the people who scream the loudest usually carry the day.
And it’s usually the people who fear and fight any kind of change who scream the loudest.
Again, here’s Cavanaugh.
The need for community engagement can’t be an excuse for doing nothing. There’s too much at stake. Last year nearly 300 people were killed in traffic collisions in Los Angeles, a roughly 20% increase over the two prior years. Nearly half of the people killed were pedestrians. Some 52% of Angelenos said that crossing the street in their neighborhood is dangerous, according to polling conducted for the Healthy Streets LA initiative.
As part of his Green New Deal sustainability plan — another aspirational document — Garcetti called for 50% of all trips in the city by 2035 to be made by walking, biking and taking transit. But that goal will be unreachable without the political will to prioritize the infrastructure and transit improvements that make it easier, safer and more pleasant for people to get around.
It’s ridiculous that we’re in this position.
But it’s sadly become clear over the last decade that we can’t count on city leaders to do what they already know has to be done. Yet clearly lack the courage and political will to do.
He faces charges of DUI causing injury or death, and driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08 percent, along with a single count of felony vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, combined with special enhancements for a serious felony and a crime involving great violence.
He remains in jail on $50,000 bond, which will be reviewed tomorrow.
Thirty-eight-year old Carlos Arturo Acosta is expected to be charged with hit-and-run resulting in death, and driving on a suspended license.
He’s being held on $75,000 bail.
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There’s always a shortage of bike lockers, even at the Metro stations that actually have them. And high demand for them at the stations that don’t.
At tomorrow's Metro Planning and Programming committee there is a staff recommendation for Metro station bike parking – a $6M 5-year contract for electronic bike lockers https://t.co/XnuEPnUUBF
You probably didn’t have this one on your 2022 bingo card — an Orlando, Florida bike cop in hot, but polite, pursuit of a very drunk woman riding a motorized suitcase.
Walk Bike Glendale alerts us to public meetings this week to fight a plan to settle for sharrows on La Crescenta Ave tomorrow, and on Saturday to create a 9.4-mile linear park along the Verdugo Wash.
The Monterey Park City Council will discuss an induced demand-inducing plan at today’s meeting to widen Garvey Ave from four lanes to a ridiculous six lanes. Exactly the opposite of what should be done to improve safety for bike riders and pedestrians, and reduce motor vehicle use while California is literally burning. Thanks to Active SGV for the heads-up.
Just a year after revising Virginia law to require drivers to change lanes to pass bike riders, and remove the limitation on riding two abreast, the state senate is going backwards by approving a measure that would require people on bicycles to ride single file when being overtaken by someone in a car. The bill’s sponsor appeared to make up an incident to support it.
A University of Toronto study confirms what you already knew. Over half of all drivers never look for bicyclists or pedestrians before making a right turn. Then again, some of them never look for us when we’re right in front of them, either.
