According to the paper, Swantek was riding on Glendora Mountain Road when he lost consciousness due to an undetermined medical problem just before noon Friday.
A passing Good Samaritan began CPR, and continued until paramedics took over. However, Swantek was declared dead less than half an hour later.
Anyone with information is urged to call the CHP’s Baldwin Park office at 626/338-1164.
Sadly, it’s yet another reminder that cars aren’t the only danger we face on the roads.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Stanley Swantek and all his family and loved ones.
Thanks to John McBrearty, ActiveSGV and LB Acct Action Grp for the heads-up.
If you are the cyclist who was hit by a white BMW today at Abbot Kinney and Westminster, I have a photo of the plate.
You had just fallen off your bike when I approached the intersection so I didn’t see the incident, but based on the way you and a couple of other folks gestured towards the car, it seemed like that driver may have hit you and run.
The car turned in front of me from Westminster onto Abbot Kinney and I snapped a photo once we came to a stop down the road.
I can send it to you if you like.
Update: Thanks for the advice, I called it in to LAPD. They didn’t have an incident report for the time/location but they will share the information with the traffic cops in that area in case anything comes up with that vehicle description.
If you were the victim, or know someone who was, click on the link about and reply to the original post, since they didn’t leave contact information.
And always report a hit-and-run to the police, even if you aren’t seriously injured.
You never know who else they might do it to next time.
Thanks to Bean and David Wolfberg for the heads-up.
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Keith Johnson forwards news of what could be yet another contentious public meeting in Hancock Park, as local residents continue to fight changes that would improve safety for bike riders on 4th Street.
Even though the improvements would benefit their neighborhood, as well. Whether or not they ride a bike.
Neighborhood Traffic Changes! Hancock Park and Windsor Sq. will host a Transportation Town Hall on April 14, at 6:00 PM. We expect the LA Department of Transportation to explain their reasoning behind their recently posted survey regarding Bike Lights and Restricted Turns on 4th Street at Highland and Rossmore. Make your voice heard! AGAIN!Join the meeting at this Zoom link. https://zoom.us/j/96677001434
Local residents have a long history of fighting what was once called the 4th Street Bike Boulevard, over mistaken fears of increased traffic and difficulty of emergency vehicles getting through.
The reality is that the changes would eliminate cut-through traffic, while allowing continued emergency access.
And likely increase property values, too.
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Pasadena is looking for input on safety improvements for the segment of North Lake Ave directly above the 210 Freeway, which can certainly use it.
.@PasadenaDOT is conducting a pedestrian and traffic safety enhancement study for North Lake Avenue between Mountain and Maple Streets. Community members are invited to review the next round of design plans and submit feedback by April 18: https://t.co/fE4jHC9LlTpic.twitter.com/urMqpwRjHt
Leimert Park talks electric mobility, including ebikes, on Thursday.
Our friends at @weloveleimert are hosting a Zoom event: The Leimert Park Electric Mobility Forum, this Thursday (April 8th) from 7-8 PM, to talk circuit service, e-bike rentals, and more. Register for free and join! https://t.co/Fr73jtytPq
Nice to see some overdue attention to a long marginalized segment of the bicycling community.
I’ve heard far too many tales of people size shamed at their local bike shop or by other riders.
Biking For Big People Webinar!!
Maybe you saw All Bodies on Bikes and now you want to get back on your bike after some time away or start riding a bike for the first time. Or maybe you’ve been riding all along but can’t find the right clothes or type of bike for you. pic.twitter.com/zNmFU1fnC8
Sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Las Gatos police are looking for the racist bike rider who shoved a 40-year-old Filipina medical worker to the ground without warning as she walked along a sidewalk, then shouted “Go back to (expletive) China.” Seriously, there’s no excuse for that. Ever. And not just mistaking someone from the Philippines for a person from China.
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Local
The Los Angeles City Council will consider resolutions in support of state legislation allowing bicyclists to treat stops as yields, and state and federal bills to provide up to $1,500 in ebike tax credits at Tuesday’s virtual council meeting.
This is who we share the road with. A Portland man faces a hate crime charge, as well as attempted assault, reckless driving and unlawful use of a weapon charges, for attempting to run down another driver after yelling a racist slur, in what may or may not have started as a road rage incident.
In Florida, drivers don’t even have to be alive to hurt a bike rider. A speeding driver was killed after losing control and smashing into a tree; the car then careened on to hit someone riding a bike, who had to be flown for emergency care.
French pro Nacer Bouhanni insists he’s not a thug after slamming Britain’s Jake Stewart into the barriers during a mad sprint to the finish at the one-day Cholet-Pays de la Loire last week, even though he faces a potential ban for dangerous sprinting. Is it just me, or does his “I’m not a thug!” sound a little too reminiscent of Nixon’s “I am not a crook!”?
He’s accused of blowing through a red light at twice the posted speed limit, and slamming into a car driven by 49-year old Pasadena resident Juanita Lucinda Johnson, killing her and injuring three other people.
Houston, who has a lengthy criminal record dating back to his teens, had been wanted since an arrest warrant was issued last month.
He also faces charges for assaulting and threatening two people earlier this month.
It’s just too bad that’s what it seems to take to get prosecutors to take traffic crimes seriously.
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LADOT wants your opinion on proposed changes to Lincoln Blvd south of Santa Monica.
Men’s Journal offers their picks for the best bike helmets to keep your head in one piece, however you ride. Although you can protect your head just as well for a fraction of the cost of some of their choices.
A former Portland bike shop owner is urging his erstwhile peers to band together to support an industry climate change declaration. Seriously, bicycles could — and should — be one of the most important tools in fighting climate change, yet the industry has done virtually nothing to encourage it.
Minneapolis introduces new artistically designed bike racks. Although I suspect most bike riders are more concerned with keeping their bike safe than how whimsical the rack is.
New York is poised to make a big move by shifting responsibility for crash investigations from the NYPD to the city’s department of transportation, although the police would still be responsible for any criminal investigation that results. However, that raises questions over the need to hire and train hundreds of crash investigators for a department that has never investigated anything more serious than a parking violation.
Speaking of Streetsblog, they note that booming bike use means there’s now an average of just 1.9 cars for every bike on New York’s Second Avenue, yet drivers get roughly 12 times the space.
February 12, 2021 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on $35 million lawsuit in LASD shooting of Black bike rider, driver turns brick wall into drive-thru, and Ted Lieu is one of us
He attempted to flee on foot, allegedly dropping a gun he was carrying inside some clothes, then picking it up and continuing to flee.
Deputies alleged Kizzee pointed the gun at them, shooting him 19 times in response.
However, witness testimony and security cam video don’t support the deputies’ version of events, suggesting Kizzee was turning away from them with his hands raised when they opened fire.
Just two years after record-setting Scottish bicyclist Josh Quigley barely survived a horrible collision in Texas while attempting to ride across the US, he suffered a number of fractures throughout his body when a gust of wind knocked him off his bike while training in Dubai.
February 4, 2021 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on LADOT sets priorities for state legislation, driver tries to run down Pasadena bike riders, and fallen DC cop was one of us
Thanks to all for the kind words after yesterday’s non-post.
My pain is back down to a more normal — and more tolerable — level, so let’s get on with it.
1 – Reforming state law, allowing LA to lower speed limits (it’s crazy, but today LA doesn’t have control over its own speed limits, and even has to raise speed limits on already dangerous roads!)
2 – Automating speeding tickets using speed safety cameras. Speed is the #1 factor in determining if someone lives or dies when hit by a car, and speed cameras are a proven solution to reduce excessive speeding. Armed officers must be removed from traffic law enforcement, and this is a great way to do it. LADOT has a thoughtful proposal that takes into account privacy and makes sure the burden doesn’t fall disproportionately on communities that can least afford it.
3 – Increase legal protections for the most vulnerable road users(pedestrians and cyclists). This would increase civil fines and penalties in the event of crashes caused by carelessness or driver distraction (ex. texting).
4 – Get rid of handicap placard abuse by reforming the benefits they provide and increasing enforcement, so we can preserve handicap spots for those that truly need it.
And if you want to call on the council to add a fifth priority to address hit-and-run, I won’t complain.
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A report has been circulating on Nextdoor about a driver intentionally trying to run down and brake check a pair of Pasadena bike riders.
I’ve obscured the license plate number since I have no way of verifying the report.
But keep your eyes open if you ride in the area.
And let’s hope the victims reported it to the police, because this is a crime — end could have easily been much worse.
Thanks to Steve Messer for the heads-up.
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Zachary Rynew calls out the sexism that’s been baked into the popular Belgian Waffle Ride in years past.
And which, like podium girls, doesn’t belong in cycling, period.
I felt like something had to be said on my @GravelBikeCal FB page after the sexist messaging around BWR earlier this week. What would you expect from the comments…. pic.twitter.com/qjrAeDmoLs
Caltrans Bay Area (District 4) manages nearly 1,400 miles of State Highway corridors throughout the Bay Area. The goal of this Study is to understand where Bike Highways may be installed alongside State Highway corridors.https://t.co/24ry91nC1p
Know about Kittie Knox? She changed biking forever by challenging white elitism in bicycling during the late 1800s. #BlackCyclingHistory "Take some time each week to focus on how you are keeping cycling as an elitist group instead of a big tent.” –https://t.co/CpgqvaeJhZpic.twitter.com/F9Uj9RkiSK
The Portland driver who deliberately ran down numerous bike riders and pedestrians in a wild 15-block rampage, killing one and injuring at least ten others, has been hit with a well-deserved 31-count indictment, including a second degree murder charge.
New York’s Suffolk County is confronting complaints about teen bicyclists swarming the streets by banning trick riding, weaving or zig-zagging “unless necessary,” as well as requiring a horn or bell, at least one hand on the handlebars, and no more than one person per bicycle, along with a raft of other requirements.
DC’s Vision Zero program actually has some teeth, requiring that any construction work on streets “pre-identified as a candidate for a protected bike lane, bus-only lane or private-vehicle-free corridor” has to include it in the final project.
November 17, 2020 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on After Pasadena NIMBYs shouted down safety improvements, deadly Orange Grove Blvd claims two more victims
Never put it past OC to mark the World Day of Remembrance for victims of traffic violence by adding to them.
Then wonder what the hell is going on down there, as the county suffers its 15th bicycling death of the year — the same as Los Angeles County, with over three times the population of OC.
Two more people died on our streets this weekend. One was walking and the other was driving. Both were on Orange Grove which is currently being repaved and re-striped without the safety improvements that were proposed in 2018. Read our statement here: https://t.co/81JSD42hUUpic.twitter.com/hkmEOQfTXm
— Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition (@PasadenaCSC) November 16, 2020
Peter Flax points the finger directly at Keep LA Moving and its founder, as well as local chapter Keep Pasadena Moving.
If you want to know who to blame for two deaths on Orange Grove Blvd in Pasadena—which was slated for safety improvements until John Russo, Ken Carey and these folks bullied the city to back down in 2018. pic.twitter.com/WdJ0AwTXvK
This is how Vision Zero is supposed to work. Memphis is pushing for ways to improve a deadly intersection after a bike rider was killed and another seriously injured in a crash; both were collateral damage in a collision between two motorists as they were waiting on the red light.
The British government continues to promote bicycling as an alternative to driving and transit during the pandemic, with a second round of bike repair vouchers to help people get their bikes in ridable condition.
Police officials in a British town say they’ve taken action against drivers on 80% of close pass videos sent to them by bike riders. We need to change the law so that can happen here; currently police in California are unable to use video for traffic violations and misdemeanor infractions.
November 16, 2020 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Remembering traffic victims and the failure of Vision Zero in LA, fatal hit-and-run in DTLA, and Joe Biden is one of us
Members of SAFE — Streets Are For Everyone — turned out in South LA yesterday to mark the World Day of Remembrance for traffic victims.
The group demonstrated at the intersection of Slauson and Western, one of the deadliest locations in all of Los Angeles, according to the city’s High Injury Network.
And one that has yet to see any significant attempt to make it safer.
In other words, pretty much like the rest of LA’s seemingly forgotten Vision Zero program.
…police say there has been a staggering 29% increase in traffic-caused fatalities and injuries in South L.A. this year so far in 2020 compared to 2019.
Additionally, there have been close to 5,000 hit-and-run collisions in 2020, police said.
There are few people who haven’t been touched by traffic violence in some way.
I’ve lost two people close to me, both at the hands of drunk drivers.
A friend I’d known since kindergarten was killed just weeks before our senior year of high school when a drunk woman somehow jumped the wide median on an interstate highway, and hit his car head-on, killing him and a friend instantly.
She walked away unharmed, with just a slap on the wrist for murdering two strangers.
The other was my cousin, who was killed when she was thrown from her own father’s car, and was run over by him.
And once again, there were no real consequences. Unless you consider the guilt and self-loathing he lived with for the rest of his life.
That’s not counting the hundred of people I’ve written about here who have needlessly lost their lives on the mean streets of Southern California — most at the hands and on the bumpers of drivers.
But then it got hard when the city ran into resistance from auto-centric NIMBYs. And LA’s mayor got distracted by the shiny object of national ambitions, with far too many Wormtongues whispering in his ear.
And so Vision Zero was shoved onto a cold back burner, just another page on the LADOT website, with a handful of piecemeal projects here and there, rather than the massive road safety overhaul we were promised.
Never mind the now laughable goal of eliminating traffic deaths in the city by 2025.
Less than five years from now.
Which leaves us waiting for the mayor and the city’s recalcitrant councilmembers to be termed out, so we can finally replace them with leaders who will hopefully have the courage and political will to make the hard decisions necessary to save lives.
And not just talk about it, for a change.
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LA Bike Dad offers photos from the demonstration at Slauson and Western.
The LAPD’s looking for the heartless coward who ran down a pedestrian in DTLA while driving on the wrong side of the road, then got out to check his own car for damage before driving away, ignoring the victim.
There’s a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
Warning — The video is graphic, so be sure you really want to see it before you click the link because you can’t unsee it.
President Elect Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden take a bike ride in Rehoboth Beach, DE. He told us he’s closer to selecting a cabinet. pic.twitter.com/J9f0z0MrKe
A pedestrian was killed last night on Pasadena's Orange Grove Blvd. An effort to create a traffic-calming road diet there was killed by NIMBYs aligned with Keep LA Moving. This death is on John Russo and his team. https://t.co/NxsoJ9HZ8Xpic.twitter.com/36o3F9np5c
CALLING ALL LOS ANGELES AREA BIKE SHOPS! Did you know we are now partnering with LAPD? You can provide your customers the extra security of a bike registration in case of theft. And it's free. https://t.co/3FcwQjvDr3
Dallas-area residents mourn yet another victim of traffic violence after a paletero was killed by a driver as he pedaled his cart, following two decades of selling ice cream and chicharrones. Thanks to John Clary for the link.
This is who we share the road with. An Oklahoma state senator faces a first-degree manslaughter charge after she skidded off a rain-slicked road while driving nearly 100 mph, and killed a man whose car was stalled on the side of the road. Thanks to Robert Leone for the tip.
Life is cheap in Ohio, where a 73-year old woman got a whole 30 days behind bars for killing a local Teacher of the Year as he was riding his bike. But at least she’ll lose her license for five years. Although at her age, that should be permanently.
Happy Diwali to everyone celebrating this year. May the divine light spread into your life and bring peace, prosperity, happiness, good health and grand success.
Be safe, and stay healthy. And wear a mask, already.
November 5, 2020 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on San Diego riders fight theft with Bike Index, bike-friendly Raman wins LA’s CD4, and Pendleton path closed this weekend
“There’s a large uptick in apartment building break-ins,” Bryan Hance of BikeIndex.org said to me. “So many new apartment buildings make residents park in their ‘secure’ bike parking areas, which aren’t that secure, and we are seeing so many instances of thieves forcing their way into these at night and then just robbing them blind. Often the bike anchors and racks in these spaces are quite weak, so once they’re inside, it’s like a bike buffet for these thieves. There’s an uptick in bike shop break-ins. With covid-19, job loss, and a pullback by law enforcement, we’ve seen enormous numbers of bike shops get robbed.”
And no, I don’t get a dime for hosting them on this site.
Except for the satisfaction of giving you a fighting chance against bike thieves.
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After opposing bike and pedestrian safety projects for most of his first term — and apparently only — term, it looks like you can now append ex-LA City Councilmember to David Ryu’s resume.
We could not be more excited that @nithyavraman defeated incumbent @davideryu in Council District 4.
– Only the third woman on the 15 person City Council – First time since 2003 that an incumbent loses
The Union Street Protected Bike Lane Project design is approaching finalization to prepare for construction in 2021. Review the design presentation videos and provide your feedback @ https://t.co/gotGxLG3PP. Comments are due FRIDAY, NOV. 13, 2020. pic.twitter.com/pmpDJzfYGJ
Once again, bike riders will face a temporary ban on riding through Camp Pendleton.
Please note that a portion of the bike route within the San Onofre Beach State Park (see attached photo) will be closed for military training during the night/early morning. This closure will only interrupt bicycle travel at night time or early morning (prior to 7 AM). During the time of the bike path closure, cyclists may ride on the I-5 shoulder if needed.
Closure Date and Time
Date: November 7 to November 8
Time: 7 PM from November 8 to 8 7 AM on November 8
Heartbreaking news from San Diego, where a three-year old boy had both legs amputated despite several attempts to save them, after developing a MRSA staff infection when he fell off his bike and scraped his knee; now doctor’s are just hoping to save his hands and arms.
October 13, 2020 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Thieves plunder Scottish Paralympic team, drivers slam San Jose diners, and Pasadena’s first 2-way protected bikeway
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A San Diego rabbi says he was attacked by a bike-riding teenager who hit him over the head with a closed fist while yelling a racial slur, part of a group of teens who have allegedly been harassing the temple. There is simply no excuse, ever. Period.
A 70-year old Oregon bike rider was killed by a 93-year old driver who just kept going after the fatal crash. Yet another tragic reminder that driving shouldn’t be a lifelong privilege, and there comes a time when we all need to give up the keys for the sake of others around them.
American cyclist Chloe Dygert tells her local paper she has no regrets about her horrific crash while defending her world time trial championship, and remains focused on recovering in time for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
September 24, 2020 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Strava data shows LA bike rate double last year’s; and gun charges yes, but nothing for driving through Pasadena protesters
According to Strava data, bicycle use in bike-unfriendly Los Angeles nearly doubled in May, jumping 93% over this time last year.
Among the six U.S. cities for which Strava provided data, Houston and Los Angeles, two sprawling metropolises where just .5% and 1% of the respective populations biked to work in pre-pandemic times, stand out. In Houston, the total volume of cycling trips in Houston was 138% higher in May 2020 than in May 2019. In Los Angeles, the jump was 93%. Unlike their peers, these two places also saw cycling increases in April, the first full month of widespread stay-at-home order and economic shutdowns.
Never mind that Strava is still used by a subset of bike riders, meaning the actual numbers could be even higher, as the LACBC’s Eli Akira Kaufman points out.
Eli Akira Kaufman, the executive director of the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition, said the data also likely leaves out many of the essential workers he’s observed hopping on bikes instead of the bus, which could mean that the numbers are even higher than what the Strava data shows. Now his thoughts are towards the future. Cities like Houston and L.A., with their thousands of miles of car-oriented streets, have their work cut out building protected bike lanes and other infrastructure to encourage cycling even after the pandemic ends
“How do we keep the riding coming?” he said. “That’s the question now.”
The obvious answer to that is to provide a safe, convenient and connected network of bikeways that allows riders to traverse the city, and their own neighborhoods.
This is who we share the roads with, protest edition.
A San Marino man who drove through a group of peaceful Pasadena protestors last month has been charged with conspiracy to transport firearms across state lines, as well as making a false statement to police.
During a search of Hung’s truck, police found a loaded semiautomatic handgun, multiple high-capacity magazines loaded with ammunition, an 18-inch machete, $3,200 in cash, a long metal pipe and a megaphone, according to the affidavit.
Evidently, endangering innocent people with a motor vehicle is just dandy, though.
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This is who we share the roads with, hit-and-run edition.
Take public transport, walk or cycle and thus set an example for more space in the city.
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It’s not everyday a hospital ad is worth sharing.
At City of Hope, we are driven to deliver world-class cancer care. We’re committed to pioneering research and lifesaving clinical trials for tenacious patients like Jim Murphy, who rode his bike to and from treatments and still rides today. pic.twitter.com/LojY9fSy5Y
An Aussie man faces charges for pushing a friend in a shopping cart into a group of bicyclists traveling at over 25 mph, taking out a number of riders. The man, who had been drinking for a dozen hours, claims his actions weren’t deliberate and he just lost control of the cart, despite how it looks on security cam video.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
In a tragic story from Milwaukee, a 54-year old man was fatally gunned down by a bike rider in a dispute over a traffic “mishap.” There is no excuse for violence, especially at the risk of someone’s life. Just suck it up and ride away, already.
They get it, too. Miami is planning to permanently ban cars from the city’s beachfront Ocean Drive, while prioritizing pedestrians first in the city’s entertainment district, followed by bicyclists and transit, with personal vehicles last.
Talk about not getting it. A Philippine city is considering a proposal to mandate helmets and reflectorized vests for bike riders, as well as limiting riders to carrying minimal loads, since “bicycles are not designed to carry much cargo.” Which would come as a hell of a surprise to many bike commuters and cargo bike owners.