Tag Archive for Palm Desert

72-year-old Patrick Petre dies following Palm Desert crash — just 5 miles from another fatal bike crash a day earlier

It only took three days into the new year for the second person to be killed riding a bicycle in Southern California.

And both in the Coachella Valley.

New Channel 3 in Palm Springs reports that 72-year-old Patrick Petre died on Friday, one day after he was struck by a driver in Palm Desert.

The crash occurred around 6:30 am Thursday at Fred Waring Drive and San Pablo Ave, just five miles from where another man was killed riding a bike in Rancho Mirage a little more than 20 hours earlier.

That victim has not yet been publicly identified.

In both cases the driver remained at the scene. And just like the earlier case, there’s no word on how the crash that killed Petre occurred, or who was at fault.

Hopefully we’ll learn more soon.

Petre is the second bicyclist killed in Southern California this year, and the second in Riverside County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Patrick Petre and his loved ones. 

Thanks to Jeff Rusk for the heads-up. 

Ebikes blamed in insurance CEO’s murder, and Riverside County deputy charged with killing Palm Desert bike rider last year

Just 26 short days until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 
But not one LA city leader seems to give a damn about it.
Or if they do, they’re not saying anything. 

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It’s Day 7 of the 10th Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive!

Thanks to Ross P and Tom M for their generous donations to bring all the best bike news and advocacy to your favorite screen every morning. 

So don’t wait. Give now!

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Yesterday morning, a masked gunman stepped out from behind a car on a New York street, and fatally shot the CEO of United HealthCare.

The shooter then walked away, before hopping on an ebike and riding off into the sunset to make his getaway. Or Central Park, anyway.

So what does the Daily Beast focus on?

The killer’s last known means of escape, obviously, terming the gunman the “E-Bike Assassin.”

Actually, almost all of the initial reports focused on a Citi Bike-riding killer, but most of the stories were revised after it turned out the ebike wasn’t a Citi Bike, after all.

Which seemed to take the fun out of it for them, since the stories downplayed the gunman’s means of escape after that bit of news broke.

Although it would have been better if he had been on a Citi Bike, since they have digital trackers that would allow the police to trace the route the shooter took on the bike, enabling them to look for cameras that might show his face, or where he went after docking the bike.

They would also have been able to identify the exact bike he used, allowing them to examine it for evidence.

Instead, they’ll just have to rely on the city’s massive number of public and private security cams, and hope for the best.

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Better late than never.

A Riverside County Sheriff’s deputy has been charged with vehicular manslaughter for killing a man riding a bicycle in Palm Desert last year.

Deputy Christian J. Lopez pled not guilty to the single count when he was arraigned October 16, a full year and six days after the collision that killed 33-year old Palm Desert resident Christopher Thomas.

Lopez was on duty and driving a marked patrol car when he drove into Thomas around 3:40 am near the intersection of Country Club and Eldorado drives.

Unfortunately, there’s no word at this time on why Lopez was charged, or whether he was charged with a felony or a misdemeanor.

Hopefully, we’ll learn more soon. If not, we may have to wait until his next court date on January 10th, although that is almost guaranteed to be delayed.

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After Russian generals banned soldiers from driving into battle in commandeered civilian vehicles, following a spate of drunk driving crashes, the soldiers have turned to bicycles to lead their armored vehicles.

Clearly, some Russian drone operators were unimpressed.

Actually, there’s a long history of bicycles used in warfare, leading all the way up to modern ebikes, as well as foldies designed for paratroopers and capable of carrying 500 pounds of gear.

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It’s now 350 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And a full 42 months 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. Streetsblog says hundreds of people have signed a letter of support for an Evanston, Illinois bike lane, despite a local newspaper’s suggestion that most residents are against it.

Washington Post readers respond to the recent badly misguided and misleading opinion piece blaming the city’s traffic problems on bike lanes, with similarly misguided letters claiming we’re stealing their traffic lanes and parking spaces; the paper says they’ll post letters supporting the lanes tomorrow.  Or they could just link to my piece dismantling the writer’s arguments

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

Seriously? Police in Bournemouth, England are looking for a man in his 60s who was reportedly acting suspiciously, apparently because he was riding a bicycle while wearing hi-viz, and had a bike cam attached to his helmet.

Singaporean Redditors go berserk over video of a man on a bicycle riding slowly in front of a bus, forcing the driver to follow him for ten minutes. Or maybe the rider was just nervously waiting for the driver to go around him so he could change lanes. 

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Local  

More on Metro’s demand that Culver City repay the $435 million they gave the city for the now-removed MOVE Culver City protected bike lanes; the decision to collect the funds will be finalized at Monday’s Metro board meeting.

The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition has reached the 100-person cap for their third annual Holiday Lights Ride this Saturday. So if you haven’t signed up yet, you’re SOL. 

 

State

The CHP is giving away bike lights in Isla Vista in hopes of reducing the high number of bicycling collisions.

A San Francisco website wonders if the city has learned the lessons of its Covid-era Slow Streets, arguing they could form the backbone of its new bike plan.

Bad news from Santa Rosa, where a man riding a bicycle suffered life-threatening injuries when he was struck by the driver of a minivan, who actually stuck around and cooperated with investigators.

 

National

Bike Portland reports Oregon could finally reconsider the state’s regressive $15 Bicycle Excise Tax, charged on all new bicycle sales as a performative gesture to the people who falsely claim bike riders don’t pay their fair share for the roads we ride.

Police in Boulder, Colorado ruled no one was at fault in a fatal crash between a 34-year old man riding a gravel bike and a 74-year old man who died when he hit his head after they collided; the rider wasn’t speeding, neither person was under the influence, and both tried to avoid the crash.

Philadelphia just banned parking or stopping in bike lanes, increasing fines to a relatively paltry $125 in the city center, and just 75 bucks elsewhere. There’s something seriously wrong when cities have to belatedly ban something that should have been illegal all along. 

 

International

Momentum examines the world’s best bicycle parking garages. None of which are in Los Angeles. Obviously. 

A writer for The Guardian says there’s a Black bicycling revolution sweeping the globe, with the rise of grassroots groups breaking cultural barriers to entry (scroll down).

Toronto’s transit board banned lithium-ion batteries in buses, trains and stations during the winter months, apparently concerned about the risk of ebike and e-scooter fires, although that doesn’t seem to increase in cold weather; the motion was approved despite a report showing it would adversely affect low-income workers. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the heads-up.

Here’s another reason why people keep dying on the streets. The daughter of a British man killed by an 82-year old driver with failing eyesight renewed her call for giving motorists mandatory eye tests, rather than just allowing them to tick a box. Seriously, mandatory eye tests for drivers should be, well, mandatory. For everyone.

Greece is now officially bike friendly, encouraging responsible bike tourism. As opposed to irresponsible car tourism, evidently. 

Israel opened a new bike path, built for the equivalent of $2 million, in honor of the 11 people riding bicycles who were killed in last year’s October 7th attack, and call for the safe return of two bike-riding hostages, as well as the other hostages taken in the attack.

The AP looks at Indonesia’s Starlings, the country’s bicycle-born coffee peddlers.

A 47-year old man in Perth, Australia will spend the next four years and three months behind bars for the hit-and-run death of an 86-year old man who was illegally riding his ebike on the freeway; the judge said the question of why the victim was on the freeway in the first place was “beside the point” and termed the driver’s failure to stop as “callous.”

 

Competitive Cycling

The Athletic offers more details about the dooring that put double Olympic champ and 2022 Vuelta winner Remco Evenepoel in the ER; he’ll spend the next two weeks immobilized after undergoing successful surgery.

The world’s longest single-staged mountain bike race kicks off in Namibia tomorrow, covering 250 miles in 24 hours.

 

Finally…

Maybe cycling teams should cover their new kits in tape, like carmakers do to road test new models. Now you, too, can just pedal your 10,000 daily steps.

And no. Just no, already.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin. 

62-year old man dies after he’s struck by a driver while bicycling in Palm Desert Tuesday night

Sadly, he didn’t make it.

Wednesday’s post included a brief mention of a bike rider who suffered major injuries when he was struck by a driver in Palm Desert Tuesday night.

Later yesterday, a notice from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department indicate the victim, later identified as 62-year old Indio resident Jay Groth, died from his injuries.

He was pronounced dead at 8:37 pm after being taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.

According to the sheriff’s department, the crash occurred around 7:30 pm Tuesday at Cook Street and Country Club Drive in Palm Desert.

The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.

There’s no word on which direction the driver was traveling, where Groth was in the intersection, or any other details on how it happened. However, a street view shows combination bike and golf cart lanes on both Cook Street and Country Club.

Hopefully, we’ll learn more later.

Anyone with information is urged to call Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Sanchez at the Palm Desert Sheriff Station at 760/836–1600, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 800/782-7463.

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

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jay Groth and all his family and loved ones. 

33-year old man riding bicycle killed by Riverside sheriff’s deputy in Palm Desert; 6th SoCal bike rider killed in past week

It just keeps coming.

For the sixth time in just seven days, someone has been killed riding a bicycle on the mean streets of Southern California.

And this time, the killer was an on-duty Riverside County Sheriff’s deputy in a marked patrol car.

Multiple sources are reporting that the victim, identified as 33-year old Palm Desert resident Christopher Thomas, was struck by the deputy around 3:40 am near the intersection of Country Club and Eldorado drives in Palm Desert.

Thomas died at the scene just seven minutes later, despite the efforts of deputies to revive him.

The deputy was not responding to a call, or using red lights and siren. The investigation has been taking over by the CHP.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know at this time.

Let’s just hope it’s not another case of a deputy distracted by his onboard computer.

This is at least the 41st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

It’s also the second person killed riding a bike in the county in the past week.

My deepest prayers and sympathy for Christopher Thomas and his loved ones.

Thanks to Jeffrey Rusk for the heads-up.

Update: Man killed riding bike in Desert Hot Springs hit-and-run; 5th Riverside County bike death in 30 days

Please make it stop.

Just one day after reporting on two bicycling deaths in Southern California, another man was killed riding in Desert Hot Springs sometime overnight.

And no, the coward behind the wheel didn’t bother to stick around. Or even call for help.

According to the Desert Sun, the victim was found lying next to his mangled bicycle around 5:45 this morning on Two Bunch Palms Trail near Cholla Drive in Desert Hot Springs. However, police were unsure on exactly when or where the crash occurred.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

There’s no description yet of the suspect or the vehicle. There’s also no word on whether the victim had lights on his bike, or what kind of bike he was riding.

He was found lying in the eastbound lane on the lightly traveled road, leading a bicyclist passing by the crash scene to note that drivers can be blinded by the rising sun, which came up at 5:42 this morning — about the time his body was discovered.

With little traffic at that early hour, it’s likely the driver could have easily exceeded the posted 45 mph speed limit on the straight, unbroken roadway.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Palm Desert Police Officer Chris James at 760/329-2904, ext. 351, or the PDPD watch commander at 760/329-2904, ext. 302.

This is at least the 30th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

It’s also the fifth bicycling death in the county in the past 30 days.

Update: The Desert Sun has updated their story to indicate the victim was a 43-year old man, though he still hasn’t been publicly identified. 

Police are looking for a maroon 2006-2009 Lexus IS250 sedan, last seen heading west on Two Bunch Palms Trail. Which would suggest that driver was headed away from the rising sun, not towards it. 

Investigators determined that the victim was riding in the middle of the roadway, though they don’t know which way he was going. 

Presumably, they mean in the middle of the lane, rather than down the center line. However, with no shoulder on either side, there’s nowhere else to ride without hugging the edge of the road. 

It’s also important to note that it can be difficult, if not impossible, to determine the exact point of impact in bicycle collisions; police often rely on where the victim’s body and bicycle landed, which can have little or no relation to where they were hit. 

Update 2: The victim has been identified as 43-year old Palm Springs resident Christopher Jones. Police now place the time of the crash as around 5:30 am.

Update 3: Police arrested 31-year old Yesenia Bibriesca of Desert Hot Springs on suspicion of felony hit-and-run, after finding the Lexus believed to have been used in the crime. 

She’s been released on $75,000 bail. 

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the Christopher Jones and his loved ones.

Thanks to Victor Bale and Phillip Young for the heads-up.

Bike rider killed in Palm Springs hit-and-run; victim identified as 30-year old Desert Hot Springs man

It took awhile, but we finally got confirmation that the victim in Monday’s Palm Springs hit-and-run was riding a bicycle at the time.

The victim, identified by his family as 30-year old Palm Desert resident Raymundo Jaime, was riding on South Palm Canyon Drive between Mesquite Avenue and Morongo Road around 9:30 pm Monday when he was struck by a driver, who continued without stopping.

He died at the scene.

Police are looking for a dark-colored compact with likely front-end damage; the driver fled south on Palm Canyon. There’s no description on the driver or make of car.

Jaime’s family called on the driver to turn themself in.

Someone’s sitting at home knowing that they hit someone, they hit a person, and they know that they killed him. They know that; there’s no way on God’s green earth can they not know,” said Jeanette Jaime, Raymundo’s aunt and godmother. “I can understand the fear in them, but it just sickens me that someone can just do this to another person, to a human being.

 

He leaves behind his wife and a four-year old daughter.

“She is going to grow up without a father,” Jaime said. “It means that she will cry herself to sleep. They had a very awesome relationship.”

A crowdfunding page set up to benefit them has raised just $225 of the $10,000 goal in two days.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Palm Springs Police Department at 760/323-8116.

This is at least the 61st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 8th that I’m aware of in Riverside County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers Raymundo Jaime and his family and loved ones.

Thanks to Victor Bale for the heads-up.

 

65-year old Palm Desert woman killed when driver jumps curb and hits her bike

It’s not surprising that a painted bike lane may not seem safe as drivers speed by at 55 mph or more.

But sometimes, the sidewalk isn’t safe, either.

According to the Desert Sun, a 65-year old woman was killed when she was struck by a pickup driver as she was riding on a Palm Desert sidewalk.

The victim, later identified as Palm Desert resident Thereseem Smith, died at the scene.

She was riding on the sidewalk next to northbound Highway 74 near Haystack Road around 7:20 Monday morning. A driver traveling in the opposite direction veered across two northbound lanes and a painted bike lane before jumping the curb and slamming into Smith’s bike, knocking her into a grassy area several yards away.

Sheriff’s deputies found the driver unresponsive. Paramedics took the 61-year old Palm Desert man, who hasn’t been publicly identified, to a local hospital in unknown condition.

It’s not clear at this time whether he was injured as a result of the crash, or if he may have crashed due to a medical emergency, or for some other reason.

This is at least the 49th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the seventh that I’m aware of in Riverside County. She’s also the second bike rider killed in Palm Desert in the last two months.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Thereseem Smith and all her loved ones.

Bicyclist dies after apparent solo crash in Palm Desert

A man has died after crashing into a concrete pole in Palm Desert, the victim of an apparent solo crash.

According to KESQ News Channel 3, the victim was riding his bike east on Dinah Shore Drive near Monterey Ave around 8 am Wednesday when he veered off the road into a parking lot, where he struck the pole.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

There’s no explanation for why he left the road, and no apparent witnesses. The first word of the crash came with reports of a man down in the parking lot.

It’s possible he may have swerved to avoid a pothole or a close pass, suffered a mechanical problem, or simply lost control for some unknown reason.

Hopefully someone, somewhere, saw what happened and can shed light on the crash.

Anyone with information is urged to call Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Francis Avila of the Palm Desert Station’s Traffic Team at 760/836-1600.

This is at least the 38th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth I’m aware of in Riverside County.

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

Bicyclist dies after Palm Desert collision; both victim and driver worked for Marriott Resort

This past Tuesday, we mentioned that a bike rider had been seriously injured in a collision with a driver while riding in Palm Desert.

As often happens with reports from the Inland Empire, there was no information available.

For once, however, there was a follow-up report. Sadly, the news isn’t good.

Palm Spring’s KESQ-TV reports that the victim, identified as Diana Lynn Young, has died as a result of the crash.

According to the story, Young was a seven-year employee of JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa. While it’s not mentioned, I’m told that the driver also worked for the resort.

The collision occurred around 6:10 Monday morning on eastbound Country Club Drive, between Cook Street and Portola Avenue, which is directly in front of the resort.

While there is a painted curbside bike lane, it’s on a street with a 50 mph speed limit, meaning any collision with a bicyclist or a pedestrian is likely to be fatal.

This is at least the 21st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third in Riverside County.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for the Diana Lynn Young and her loved ones. 

Thanks to Victor Bale for the heads-up.

Morning Links: Life is cheap, as killer Palm Desert and Paso Roble drivers get off with gently slapped wrists

The May BikinginLA LACBC Membership drive is up to nine new members of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. But we really need to pick up the pace if we’re going to reach 100 new or renewing members before the end of this month. So sign up now and let’s get this into double figures today.

Even if you’re already a member, you can renew to extend your membership to support biking in the City of Angeles, and get some great bike swag courtesy of the LACBC.

And a huge thank you to everyone who’s joined so far.

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Once again, the universal Get Out of Jail Free Card worked its magic, as an 81-year old Palm Desert woman walked after admitting to killing a 73-year old handcyclist last year.

Judy Mae Purcell pled guilty plea to a single misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence in the January, 2015 death of Rose Peters, just as her trial was set to begin.

And as usual, she got off on probation by claiming she just didn’t see Peters before she left-crossed her, even though Peters, who was in a bike lane, was riding with the right-of-way.

Purcell received three years probation, and may lose her driver’s license; she also says it’s had a big impact on her life.

Purcell elected to speak at her sentencing, tearfully telling Lee and Peters (Peter’s daughters), “There’s nothing I can really say, I’m just so sorry.” She said the crash was “truly an accident. I just didn’t see her. I’ve lost a lot of friends over this,” Purcell told them. “I relive that minute every day of my life. Every night, you’re in my prayers.”

At least she’s been held accountable in other ways. Oceanside lawyer Richard Duquette, a cyclist himself, forwards word that Peters’ family has reached a substantial, but undisclosed, settlement in the case.

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A 20-year old Paso Robles driver got off almost as easy, as he’s sentenced to just 75 days in jail and 50 hours of community service for killing an LA cyclist and severely injuring a second rider in a 2014 collision.

That’s despite a long history of traffic violations, and being on probation for a speeding conviction at the time of the crash.

Joseph Mondo was driving a massive GMC Yukon when his phone slipped off his lap, where it shouldn’t have been to begin with. When he looked down to retrieve it, he nearly struck a vehicle stopped to make a left turn, barely avoiding it by swerving onto the right shoulder at 60 mph.

Then, in an astounding display of carelessness and stupidity, he once again took his eyes off the road to find his phone, this time killing 62-year old Los Angeles resident Lee Hekyung Craig, as well as leaving her riding companion, 59-year old Newport Beach surgeon Lawrence Chong, with life-changing injuries.

As Chong said,

“What hurts the most is that I lost (Craig) because of the negligence on the part of someone else,” Chong said, according to the report. “All he had to do was pull over after he nearly rear-ended a car while reaching for his phone. If he had done so, my life would still be good and I would still have Lee. Instead my life is now a mess.”

Granted, Mondo seems to get it.

When he was interviewed by a probation officer following his no-contest pleas, Mondo reportedly said: “What happened has happened. If I could change places, I would. It has changed my life. Someone’s life was lost. I do not need to argue my innocence. I am guilty. I want to move on with my life. I will deal with the repercussions as they come.”

Then again, Craig will never get to move on with her life and Chong may never regain the life he had, while Mondo may have a sore wrist for a few days from the slap the judge gave it.

This is what happens when traffic crimes and prior tickets aren’t taken seriously.

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Grand Rapids MI unveils a new $600,000 bike safety campaign, urging motorists and bicyclists to obey the law and look out for one another.

Although the TV spot does look kind of familiar.

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Local

A 0.8-mile stretch of Van Nuys Blvd in Pacoima will get a road diet, with a buffered bike lane on one side and a parking-protected lane on the other, connecting to the San Fernando Road rail-with-trail bike path on the north end. Part of the city’s Great Streets Initiative, the Complete Streets makeover is intended to reduce speeding and improve safety on one of the city’s most dangerous streets.

LA City Councilmember Joe Buscaino argues that part of the Metro R2 transportation funds should be used to repair LA’s crumbing streets since they form the foundation for all other elements of the transportation system, including bicycles. One of the city’s most bike friendly elected officials, Buscaino will be honored with the Golden Spoke Award at this year’s Blessing of the Bicycles at Good Samaritan Hospital.

Speaking of Good Samaritan, Downtown News profiles Good Sam CEO and dedicated bike commuter Andy Leeka. And a pretty nice guy too, if I say so myself; thanks to Richard Risemberg for the link.

The LA Weekly lists Sunday’s semi-inaugural Los Angeles Bicycle Festival at Grand Park as one of their 21 things to do this week. Although it’s not on Metro’s list of Bike Month events.

Bicycling recommends the annual 30-mile Stan’s Bike Shop/Eastside Bike Club’s Tour de Tacos as one of the 27 best places to find tacos in the US. But they somehow failed to include the Trump Towers taco bowl.

Ride with Metro and Bike SGV to the Huntington Library and Gardens this afternoon.

Wolfpack Hustle’s annual Shortline Crit rolls tomorrow in Long Beach.

Also on Saturday, Finish the Ride and Velo Studio will host a free Tour de Griffith Park: An Introduction to Safe and Fun Riding.

Team LACBC will host a training ride for this year’s Climate Ride tomorrow, heading up Glendora Mountain Road before visiting The Donut Man on the return leg.

 

State

Laguna Beach mountain bikers get to ride with their heroes.

Fortunately, an Apple Valley bike rider was sitting upright and talking after being hit by a pickup Wednesday night.

As if dodging dangerous drivers isn’t bad enough, Turlock police are looking for a man who stabbed a bike rider in the chest in an apparently random and unprovoked attack.

The Menlo Park city council votes to keep El Camino Real dangerous by sending plans for bike lanes back for further study until neighboring cities agree on a common design. “Sending plans back for further studies” usually means they don’t want to piss off motorists by approving it, but don’t want to piss off bike riders by saying no, either.

Sacramento police are looking for the owners of 60 stolen bikes that were recovered when a bike thief was busted.

 

National

Bike riders may be the only ones enjoying the closure of a Seattle viaduct. Meanwhile, you know Seattle’s bikeshare program is in trouble when the people responsible for running it aren’t even members, despite a discount for city employees.

After a cyclist competing in New Mexico’s Tour of Gila broke his bike crashing into a pile of riders who collided with a dog, he traded bikes with a fan and finished the race on an ‘80s era Specialized stump jumper. No word on how the dog made out, though.

Des Moines IA police are looking for two men who attacked a 65-year old bike rider for no apparent reason.

A new report says bicycling is booming in New York City, up a whopping 320% since 1990, even though advocates say the city isn’t doing enough to protect cyclists and keep up with demand. Which just goes to show what can happen when you build an actual bicycling network rather than a few nice lanes here and there.

Count Woody Allen, who used to be funny, among those who think New York has done too much to accommodate bike riders and that bike lanes don’t belong anywhere in his upscale Upper East Side neighborhood. But he’s likely to get them whether he likes it or not.

A Pennsylvania bike rider is charged with stabbing a man who he claims stole his bike.

 

International

A new international study confirms that the health benefits of bicycling and walking far outweigh the risks from pollution. Thanks to Mike Wilkinson for the heads-up.

A British man gets seven years for the drunken hit-and-run death of a cyclist; he initially told police his car had been stolen and someone else was driving it, leading to the false arrest of an innocent man.

If you build it, they will come. This tweet really says it all about a new London bikeway in the shadow of Big Ben.

Researchers hope da Vinci’s DNA can explain his genius, which included sketching out a bicycle centuries before they were invented.

Bikes are the star of a planned Oslo office building.

An Indian man got a bizarre 10-petaled flower-shaped cataract in one eye following a helmetless collision with a car.

A Taiwan proposal would classify ebikes as scooters, requiring riders to have a helmet and a license.

 

Finally…

Nothing like a $341 40-mile ride in the rain. I don’t care what they say, it’s not a bike friendly town if kids are barred from riding bikes to school.

And luxury hotels may be fascinating, but you’re better off watching the road.