Tag Archive for Ryan Currie

LA unprepared for HLA, columnist bizarrely blames HLA for school closures, and fatal Encinitas fall raises bike lane questions

March 25, 2024 / / 3 comments
Just 281 days until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025.
So stop what you’re doing and sign this petition to demand Mayor Bass hold a public meeting to listen to the dangers we face walking and biking on the mean streets of LA.

Then share it — and keep sharing it — with everyone you know, on every platform you can.

We’re up to 1,025 signatures, so keep it going! Urge everyone you know to sign the petition, until the mayor agrees to meet with us! 

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It’s now 96 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 33 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.

A Massachusetts college student is in a medically induced coma after suffered traumatic brain injury, along with broken clavicle, broken hip and a punctured lung, because a driver forced her off the road and into a brick wall while bicycling in Spain; her parents are trying to crowdfund $250,000 to fly her back to the US for treatment.

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Local 

Mark your calendar for April 21st, when CicLAvia returns to Venice Blvd.

Glendale wants your input for proposed bicycle facilities on Glenoaks Blvd, particularly if you live in the area.

An unemployed South Bay man went from reselling ebikes from a beach chair on Hermosa Ave to owning his own ebike shop on the same street.

 

State

Calbike is asking you to email the state senate Transportation Committee to show your support for SB 960, which would require Caltrans to implement Complete Streets policies for the corridors under its control. Like on PCH, aka SoCal’s killer highway.

A La Jolla man is creating Strava art by using his bike to outline animals, plants and other shapes across San Diego County.

San Diego is set to receive over $220 million for road, bicycle and pedestrian projects, including funding for 265 miles of new and improved bike lanes on state highways.

This is who we share the road with. A 65-year-old Riverside County woman was violently attacked by a road-raging driver as she attempted to record him trying to fight a neighbor who had yelled at him to slow down in their residential neighborhood.

Monterey is gearing up for next month’s 34th edition of the Sea Otter Classic, which promises to be the largest yet.

 

National

Imports of ebikes fell slightly last year, partially offsetting a drastic drop in non-electric bikes imports, as ebikes continue to grab a larger share of bicycle sales. Thanks to PeddleEd for the link. 

Cycling News lists the best bike brands they trust, out of the more than 100 bike makes on the market.

Tragic news from Honolulu, where two people riding bicycles were collateral damage when a 20-year old speeding driver lost control of his vehicle, hit a utility pole, and landed in the crosswalk they were riding in.

Hundreds of people turned out for Portland’s 20th Annual Worst Day of the Year ride, as the weather appeared to live up to its billing.

Colorado bike shops will have to float the cost of the state’s $450 ebike vouchers for nearly a year before they can expect to be reimbursed by the state, which could limit participation in the program since few bike shops can afford to carry the added debt.

A 24-year old Colorado woman was arrested in Arkansas, two months after she fled the Rocky Mountain state to avoid charges for the hit-and-run death of a man riding a bicycle; she’s accused of knocking the 43-year old victim off his bike and over an embankment, and taking his bike to hide evidence of the crime.

The post-pandemic bike bust claims another victim, as a more than 140-year old Cleveland bike shop is set to close this year.

 

International

Momentum explores the five best Reddit communities for urban bicyclists.

Velo rates the world’s five best rides for roadies, including a ride around California’s Lake Tahoe.

Just in time for the Christian Holy Week, Bike Radar lists pilgrimages you can make by bicycle instead of on foot, ranging from 40 to 1,300 miles.

British Columbia ebike maker Biktrix suffered a massive loss when thieves drove up in a semi, and stole a shipping container holding $1 million work of new ebikes and unreleased prototypes.

Montreal-based Memento Cycles won the People’s Choice category at this year’s Philly Bike Expo with a steel gavel bike intended as a tribute to the LGBTQ community.

A writer for The Standard says yes, bicyclists can be annoying, but it’s drivers who are the real problem in London.

No surprise here, as a new Edinburgh study shows commuting by bicycle results in better mental health. Which virtually anyone who’s ever done it could tell you. 

The parents of a fallen Glasgow bicyclist surprisingly call for more people to get on their bikes, arguing there is safety in numbers.

Life is cheap in England, where dashcam video captured a careless driver crash into two women bicyclists, resulting in life-changing injuries to both victims, yet the 20-year driver got just ten lousy months behind bars, and was banned from driving for two years. If you ever wonder why people keep dying on the streets, slap-on-the-wrist sentences like this are a good place to start.

This is who we share the road with, too. A UK TikTok influencer filmed himself doing 90 mph in a 30 mph residential neighborhood, with just one hand on the wheel of his new Porsche, safety be damned. Which should be reason enough to take the damn thing away from him. Permanently. 

A British bike mechanic says there’s no tangible benefit to spending the equivalent of $12,600 or more on a bicycle.

An Irish cop was cleared of all wrongdoing after serving a three-year suspension for giving a lousy $50 unclaimed bicycle to an elderly man in need; needless to say, he intends to sue, although the story is hidden behind a paywall.

A French bicyclist learned the hard way to pay his fines, after the penalty for wearing headphones while riding tripled to 400 Euros — the equivalent of $433 — although he claims he never received a notice.

Former Singapore Transport Minister S Iswaran faces corruption charges, after he’s accused of receiving several gifts, including a new Brompton. The rest might be a problem, but taking the foldie seems totally understandable. And the whiskey. 

 

Competitive Cycling

A new Belgian study suggest that if you want to win in the pro peloton, don’t have kids, because becoming a father adversely impacts the performance of professional road cyclists.

Dutch pro Lorena Wiebes edged out Italy’s Elisa Balsamo to win the women’s Gent-Wevelgem in a photo finish; Mads Pedersen and Mathieu van der Poel took first and second on the men’s side.

The 23-year old Ukrainian refugee accused of killing US junior cyclist Magnus White rejected a proposed plea deal that could have seen her sentenced to as little as two years behind bars, as prosecutors suspect she was literally asleep at the wheel.

 

Finally…

You can find lots of things while riding a bike, including the occasional body. Your next ebike could be patterned after Swiss cheese.

And yes, she has more bike skills than most of us combined.

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

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Update: 48-year old man found dead near his bicycle on Coast Highway in Encinitas, no sign of collision

March 18, 2024 / / No comments

Sometimes, there are no easy explanations.

That appears to be the case in Encinitas, where a man was found dead near his bicycle early Sunday morning.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the victim was discovered lying in the northbound bike lane on South Coast Highway south of Chesterfield Drive, near the Chart House restaurant, around 12:07 am.

He died at the scene, despite the efforts of paramedics. He was identified only as a 48-year old man, although the U-T says he was believed to be an Encinitas resident.

Sheriff’s investigators report there was no sign of a collision, and suspect the victim may have had a solo crash.

However, it’s also possible that he could have lost control of his bike after being sideswiped, or been the victim of an overly close pass. Or just as likely that his death could have been caused by a medical condition or a problem with the road surface.

There’s also no indication whether drug or alcohol use may have played a role.

Anyone with information about the crash is urged to call the Traffic Division at the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station at 760/966-3500.

This is at least the tenth bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second that I’m aware of in San Diego County.

Update: The victim has been identified as 48-year old Ryan Currie; no city of residence was given. 

A sergeant with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department indicated that Currie was not wearing a helmet when he was found, however, there’s no indication yet that he suffered a head injury, which is the only reason that would matter.  

He placed the location where Currie was found on the 2700 block of South Coast Highway 101, near the Welcome to Cardiff sign. There is no indication at this time that Currie was struck by a vehicle.

Photos circulating online show evidence of the crash where the curbs for the protected bike lanes begin, leading some to conclude that they were the proximate cause of Currie’s crash. 

While the curbs could have been difficult to see after dark, especially if there was no light on Currie’s bike, there is nothing yet to confirm that his bike hit one of the curbs, or that they actually led to his fall.

Update 2: According to the Union-Tribune, Currie was not wearing a helmet, and toxicology reports are still pending to determine if he was under the influence. It’s also unclear if the light built into his cruiser bike was working at the time of the crash, despite the lack of lighting along the roadway. 

Compounding the tragedy, Currie’s four children have now been orphaned by the crash, after their mother passed away five years ago. 

According to a biography posted online by Spieker Senior Development Partners, Currie worked in the continuing care retirement community field, owning several projects. He was a graduate of West Point and served as a U.S. Army captain with the 101st Airborne Division, according to his bio. Messages left with the development company were not returned.

Currie and his late wife, Megan, were high school sweethearts and married in 2000, a year after she graduated from college, according to her obituary.

The obituary said she died in 2019 at the age of 41 after a long battle with cancer. The couple had four children.

A count by bike advocate Serge Issakov suggests that 32 bicyclists have been injured riding on the protected bikeway since it was installed in 2020. There is an argument to be made that the low asphalt curbs could be difficult to see, especially after dark.

My deepest sympathy and prayers for Ryan Currie and all his loved ones.

Thanks to Phillip Young and Malcomb Watson for the heads-up.

Category: Injuries and Fatalities / Tags: , , , , ,
 
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