As if the news couldn’t get any worse this week, now we’ve learned that yet another bike rider died after a San Diego hit-and-run earlier this month.
The victim’s sister announced the news by asking for help finding the driver.
Estefania Gallardo Bledsoe said her brother, 43-year old Clairemont resident Andrés Gallardo, was riding in the parking lane on Ashford Street around 11:30 pm on Sunday, March 1st, when the driver struck him from behind.
Gallardo was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died, although it’s not clear just when he passed away.
The driver fled the scene.
Witnesses report hearing a loud collision, which suggests that speed may have been a factor. However, there’s no description of the driver or suspect vehicle at this time.
Bledsoe describes her brother as a happy, funny person, who worked in construction and loved soccer, cooking and his 16-year old son.
According to 10 News San Diego, she can’t understand how anyone could just leave him like that.
“If you do that, you have no heart and no soul. I don’t know how someone can go to bed at night and sleep, thinking about this,” Estefania said.
Despite her grief, Estefania said she is not giving up hope that someone will come forward with information.
“I still have hope. I believe good people are out there that know something. I’m not going to stop until I know who it was,” Estefania said.
We can hope.
A crowdfunding campaign to help defray funeral expenses and carry Gallardo’s ashes to his mother in West Virginia and his father in the Magallanes region of Chile has raised 65% of the approximately $4,000 goal.
This the 22nd bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the fourth in San Diego County.
That means a SoCal bike rider has been killed an average of every three-and-a-third days since the first of this awful year.
Seven of those deaths have now involved hit-and-run drivers.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Andrés Gallardo and his family and loved ones.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was riding south on Fanuel Street at Grand Ave shortly before 1 am, when he attempted to turn right onto Grand and was struck by the westbound driver.
He died at the scene.
There are sharrows on Grand, which could have given him an illusion of safety.
However, there’s no explanation at this time why he turned in front on the oncoming motorist, although it’s possible that he may have gone into the traffic lane to avoid parked cars in the residential neighborhood.
Police said that alcohol was not a factor in the crash.
Anyone with information is urged to call San Diego County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-888/580-8477; it’s not clear why they don’t want people to call the police directly.
This the 18th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the third in San Diego County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
Here is a press release from Streets Are For Everyone and Domestique Cycling Club, providing details on DCC’s Saturday Unity Ride, which promises to be one of the largest in the LA area.
ALEX PRETTI UNITY RIDE IN SOLIDARITY
WITH MEMORIAL RIDES ACROSS THE US
LOS ANGELES, CA — Alex Pretti was a nurse and a cyclist who loved the outdoors. This Saturday, cyclists from across Los Angeles will join cyclists from across the U.S. and around the world for memorial rides honoring Alex Pretti, in unity with the Minnesota cycling community and in solidarity with @angrycatfish, the cafe and bike shop Alex frequented.
From @angrycatfish:
“Alex was one of us. He rode bikes, he believed in community, and he believed in justice. Whether you’re 5 or 80, you remember the first time you rode a bike—because bikes are magic, and joy itself is an act of resistance. Today, with tens of thousands of cyclists expected nationally, we are showing not just grief, but unity. We are stronger together.”
The Unity Rides are taking place simultaneously across time zones, with riders gathering and rolling together to demonstrate collective grief, unity, and resolve within the cycling community.
Domestique Cycling Club is organizing a slow 10-mile ride leaving from the parking lot of the Veterans Administration in collaboration with dozens of cycling clubs and advocacy groups across Southern California.
Additionally, several smaller rides are independently organized by local cycling groups and bike shops as part of a national and international effort led by community organizers.
📍 VA Med Center Parking Lot 6
304 Dowlen Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Hundreds of cyclists are expected (between 150 and 500). This will be an easy, calm, no-drop ride focused on unity, respect, and showing up together as a cycling community.
OTHER LOS ANGELES–AREA RIDES
Friday
• Allez LA Bike Shop & CA Chicken, 7:30 AM — Boyle Heights
Saturday
• West LA Bicycle, 1:00 PM — Bike Path & Main Street
• Trash Panda Cycling, El Mariachi Plaza
Sunday
• Mom Ridaz BC, Downtown Los Angeles
To be honest, I don’t care what your politics are, or where you stand on immigration.
This is about the violation of the right to assemble, protest and report what’s happening guaranteed by the 1st Amendment, as well as Pretti’s right to legally bear arms, as guaranteed under the 2nd.
And the needless killing of our fellow Americans under the color of authority.
Evidently, San Diego has the same fights over increased density that we do.
Except their city leaders are fighting for it, rather than opposing greater density in most of the city, like their neighbor to the north, while retaining single-family zoning and fighting SB 79, which overrides local zoning to allow dense, multi-family housing near major transit stops.
Lawrence Herzog, a writer and lecturer on urban studies and planning at San Diego State University makes the case for the mixed-use Midway Rising project, a medium density development that would replace the current sports arena and warehouses with housing and an entertainment district that opens onto the bay.
The project includes bike and walking paths connecting the various villages that make up the development, as well as connecting to a transit station less than a mile away.
The difference is that San Diego has been fighting a CEQA lawsuit filed by an anti-density group, which recently won its appeal over a failure to conduct an adequate environmental review of the height of some of the buildings.
Never mind that the city had placed the project before the voters, who narrowly approved it.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles continues to fight for an exemption to SB 79, despite a severe housing shortage in the city, affordable and otherwise, leaving us no choice but to increase density, despite what our city leaders seem to think.
Even though that increased density would effectively shrink the city, allowing it to become more walkable and bikeable, and reducing the need to drive everywhere.
And maybe even freeing up road space for better transit and safer bikeways.
Maybe someday our city leaders will stop kowtowing to residents desires to seal Los Angeles in amber and preserve it as it is today, and begin fighting for the healthy growth we so desperately need for the people who are already here. Let alone those who will inevitably come.
It’s a good read, even as Schneider patiently explains that you really can ride a bike to LAX.
But what really stands out is this section —
Disrupting the existing automotive order can mean more traffic and less parking, of course. So Schneider has angered some people over the years.
In 2022, he was on a neighborhood council championing a proposal for a dedicated bus lane along La Brea Avenue. The proposal passed, but in the run up, he says, one guy got pretty mad about it: “He put up a mugshot of me along La Brea at different establishments saying, ‘This guy’s about to ruin your neighborhood,’” Schneider recalls. When his mother-in-law saw the flyers, she “thought her grandkids were in danger.”
Matthew Tallmer says he did post — though not create — those flyers. “Obviously, the businesses were very concerned that they were going to lose business because there’d be no parking,” says Tallmer, now a member of the Mid City West Neighborhood Council, though at the time he was just a guy going door-to-door opposing a bus lane.
Tallmer’s larger objection is that Schneider’s unique lifestyle just may not work for everybody: “The whole idea that people are going to bike all over the place is an elitist fantasy, to be honest.”
So someone who sits on the Mid City West Neighborhood Council posts wanted posters with a photo of Schneider’s face, for the crime of daring to contest the automotive hegemony on La Brea.
And yet he somehow calls Schneider elitist for riding a bicycle, and thinking other people might want to do that, too?
Um, sure.
And I thought the Mid City West NC was one of the good ones.
The Argonaut looks at the weekly Venice Electric Light Parade and founder Marcus Gladney, who leads bicycle riders on a musical tour of the city that draws participants from around the world — including the Australian group RÜFÜS DU SOL, who hosted the listening party their fourth album on the parade.
State
The National Law Reviewexamines California’s new regulations regarding ebikes, including a ban on converting new ebikes to exceed legal limits, as well as the regulatory gaps in the law that should be corrected. Like defining an ebike as at least partially human powered, and anything that’s not as an electric motorbike.
Newsweekexamines why bicycling feels easier than walking and remains the world’s most energy‑efficient mode of human transport, more than five decades after Scientific American first reported it. Which is truly shocking. Not that bicycling is so efficient, but that Newsweek is still a thing.
Escape Collective says Trek is in deep doo doo as it marks its 50th anniversary, with layoffs, overstock, retail decline and debt making this its most challenging year yet. I bought my first adult bike from the company when they were just five years old. And I still have it, even if it’s not in rideable condition these days. Then again, neither am I.
That’s more like it. A 22-year old Texas man faces up to 20 years behind bars after being convicted of manslaughter for killing a high school student as he rode his bike in a crosswalk; investigators said he never touched his brakes before slamming into the boy’s bike. Although in California, he would only face a maximum of six years for vehicular manslaughter.
The victim, identified as Hudson Stephen O’Loughlin, was riding his bicycle with his parents on the sidewalk on the south side of Pacific Beach Drive around 3:44 pm, when he was right hooked by a driver as he crossed the alley at Ingraham Street.
The driver was turning right off Pacific Beach into the alley when she struck the boy, knocking him off his bike. She paused briefly without exiting her car, then accelerated south down the alley, running over Hudson as he lay on the ground in front of her car.
He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The driver, identified only as a 32-year old woman, was taken into custody after police located her car in National City.
Investigators said alcohol was not a factor in the crash, which does not make it better.
Especially considering that the boy might still be alive if she had just gotten out of her car and seen him there. Or even backed up instead of speeding forward.
Even worse, it’s likely that both his parents witnessed the crash that killed their son, according to 10 News San Diego.
Hudson’s mother, Juliana Kapovich, described her son over the phone as everything she could imagine – a fearless, confident child who was full of life. She said he loved his brother and science.
Kapovich said she and Hudson’s father were with him when he was riding his bike Saturday. Police say Hudson was hit and then run over by a car turning into a nearby alley.
Hudson was a bright, curious child who loved all things science, and his energy was contagious. He filled every room with his spirit and had a passion for BMX, cycling, swimming, skating, and building with Legos. Whether he was racing on his bike, splashing in the pool, or creating new Lego masterpieces, Hudson’s adventurous and creative nature inspired everyone around him. Hudson attended school in North Park where he made many friends and touched countless lives. Hudson dreamed of becoming a military scientist one day, and his love for learning was matched only by his love for his family. In his short life, he brought so much joy, kindness, and wonder to everyone he met. One of the sweetest memories his mom holds close is how, as soon as the sun came up, Hudson would come into her room to ask for cuddles. Those quiet, loving moments were a daily reminder of the deep bond they shared.
As of this time, the page has raised more than $35,000 of the $100,000 goal.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact the San Diego Police Department Traffic Division or Crime Stoppers at 888/580-8477.
This is the fourth bicycling fatality that I’m aware in of Southern California this year, and the first in San Diego County.
There’s just no excuse.
Update: The driver has been identified as 32-year-old Tiffany Sanchez. She was booked on charges of vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run.
“My son is behind me, my other son and wife are about 10 feet behind us,” Matthew described. “No cars, I cross over, I’m fine…I look back to check on him and the lady just runs him over.”
He said his instinct was to capture the driver’s license plate…
“She ran him over taking off with no disregard for anybody, you wouldn’t even do that to an animal, she just left him die on the street,” Matthew said. “She just left.”
David Morrow, who was driving behind the woman at the time, recalled seeing her ‘cut right into the alley’ before running Hudson over ‘twice,’ he told the outlet.
‘Like, both wheels ran over the kid. She stopped right in front for about ten seconds. That’s when I pulled behind her and got her license number, and then she took off,’ Morrow added.
He noted that a bystander, who was possibly a paramedic, jumped in to help Hudson.
‘He got up at first and was standing there all in pain, and then they laid him down, and he stopped breathing right in front of me,’ Morrow said of Hudson. ‘It was sad, and then I left.’
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Hudson Stephen O’Loughlin and his loved ones.
I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am to all those who gave this year to support this humble site.
So thanks to John, Norwood, Mary, Robert, Jim and Glenn for their generous donations in the final days of the fund drive to help keep all the best bike news and advocacy coming your way every day.
In the end, more than 60 people opened their hearts and wallets to donate this year, falling just just a few hundred short of breaking that elusive $5,000 barrier for the first time — far more than I expected after what was such a difficult year for so many of us.
Now the holidays are finally over, and I’m tanned, rested — or maybe rusted after all this rain — and ready to get back to work.
And hey, happy new year! Let’s hope it’s a better one for all of us.
………
Let’s start with a recent email exchange with someone who seemed to think I write too much about ebikes, suggesting I should change the name of the site to e-BikinginLA.
He warned that things would look a lot different to if I was a parent riding a “real bicycle” with child passenger, and then someone zoomed by in the curb lane or on the sidewalk at 28 mph.
This was my response, which I’m sharing to clarify where I stand on the great ebike debate.
I write about ebikes because that’s what’s in the news these days, just like I’ve written about any number of things that have been in the news over the years.
I’m not a fan of high-speed, throttle-controlled ebikes, which I believe should be recategorized as motorbikes and require a license to operate. I do like ped-assist ebikes with a max speed of 20 mph, simply because they expand the potential for bicycling from the proverbial “young and healthy” we always hear about, to virtually everyone. And provide the potential to trade a car for a bicycle for countless people who might not otherwise even consider it.
I also believe every bicycle should be ridden within the limits of the law whenever practical, which would generally prohibit passing on the inside or riding on the sidewalk at an excessive speed. Everyone should ride in a safe and sane manner, regardless of how their bike may be powered. And no one should ever have a sense of entitlement on the streets, whether walking, biking or driving.
Personally, I’d like to have an e-cargo bike just so I can bike to Costco or the hardware store, and take my service dog with me wherever I go, which doesn’t exactly work on my 18-speed racing bike. However, I’ve never actually ridden one yet, after being a lifelong roadie, and don’t know if I’d really like it or not.
Meanwhile, on a related subject, The New York Daily News says the city could end its “vicious cycle” with high-speed ebikes by requiring them to be licensed and insured as mo-peds, like they do in the Netherlands.
But apparently, they don’t want you to read it, because the editorial is locked behind a paywall for subscribers only.
And a Bay Area woman says she’s all for ebikes, and the problems everyone seems to be complaining about are caused by people on electric motorbikes, not Class 2 ebikes like hers.
………
It didn’t take long for New York’s new mayor to demonstrate his transportation bona fides.
Just days after Mayor Zohran Mamdani took the oath of office, he announced a Complete Streets makeover of McGuinness Boulevard, including parking-protected bike lanes the full length of the corridor, considered a key bicycling route connecting Brooklyn and Queens.
Oceanside bike lawyer and BikinginLA sponsor Richard Duquette is sponsoring the Giro di San Diego Gran Fondo this June, complete with cash prizes and KOM kits.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
Streetsblog’sJoe Linton offers his predictions for the coming year, including a 50% drop in new bike lanes in Los Angeles, as the city puts on the brakes to avoid complying with Measure HLA and ADA-compliant curb cuts.
I want to be like him when I grow up. A 79-year old Long Beach man rode his bike every day for more than 18 years, through an appendectomy and the death of his wife, going so far as to pay a man 20 bucks to borrow a kid’s bike after attending the Kentucky Derby.
A 73-year old man was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide for killing a 44-year old Toledo, Ohio man as he was waiting on his bicycle at a red light, running him down from behind before fleeing the scene. The next time someone asks you why so many bike riders run red lights, remind them about cases like this.
Once again, an advocate for safer streets was killed while riding his bike, this time when a Macon, Georgia man was run down from behind by a 73-year old woman, who claims she didn’t see him before the crash — yet police still blamed the victim for simply riding in the roadway, instead of on the shoulder, and not yielding to traffic.
Sad news from Florida, where Joe Montgomery died of apparent heart trouble, 55-year after he founded Cannondale above a Connecticut pickle factory, naming the bikemaker after a nearby train station; he was 86.
Next time you find yourself in Osaka, Japan, make plans to visit the Shimano Bicycle Museum, where you’ll find a century of exclusive bicycling history from the earliest Safety Bikes, to a rain-proof electric trike and a five-seat racing bike.
December 11, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Update: 60-year old man killed riding bike in San Diego’s Rancho Peñasquitos; 2nd San Diego County bicycling death in 4 days
Evidently, things aren’t going well in San Diego County these days.
There’s no word on why the driver failed to see a grown man on a bicycle directly in front of her, although police said she did not appear to be under the influence.
Anyone with information was urged to call the police or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477; apparently, the cops didn’t really want to be bothered by giving own phone number.
This is at least the 55th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 14th that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
October 20, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on 86-year old San Diego bike rider critically injured, La Quinta hit-and-run driver injures 2 teens, and check your bone health
Day 293 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
Point Loma’s Greg Bowerman adds that “good bone health demands solid weight-bearing activity, such as pumping weights or practicing yoga” to prevent fractures as we age.
I’m dealing with the same problem myself after a lifetime of riding, on top of all my other health issues brought on by diabetes, despite weight training. Although I’ve been lucky that I haven’t broken anything yet.
Speakers include Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez (District 13), Alissa Walker (Torched.la), Bill Wolkoff (co-executive producer, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), with more to be announced!
When: Monday, November 17th at 7:30pm
Where: Dynasty Typewriter, 2511 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057
Lots of transit options!
Optional VIP reception begins at 6pm (free if you are part of our Members Club with the purchase of a general admission ticket).
A Santa Clarita man says he feels like a broken record after repeated complaints about kids on ebikes. Although as we’ve repeatedly pointed out, the problems stem primarily from teens on electric dirt bikes and motorbikes, many of them illegal, rather than ped-assist ebikes. But almost no one seems to make that distinction.
State
A La Jolla paper examines the roots of ebikes, which it says are “loved by riders and loathed by many who share the streets with them.” Although you may have to get past the paper’s paywall to read it.
Sad news from Palo Alto, where a man in his 80s died over a week after he was struck by a driver in his 90s while riding his bicycle. Once again raising the question of how old is too old to drive safety. And like the man in Barrio Logan, anyone still riding a bike at that age deserves better.
Vox takes a look at the traffic revolution that’s making cities cleaner — and happier — as more cities are finally choosing bikes over cars. Unlike, say, a certain SoCal megalopolis we could name. And once again, you may have to find a way around their paywall.
Denver business owners complain about bullying after they opposed bikeways in front of their stores, including doxxing, negative Yelp reviews and harassing phone calls. Seriously, don’t do that. We’re far better off in the long run winning the day with better arguments, not harassment.
A former English pastor was remembered as a “keen cyclist” known for riding around town delivering a basket full of food he had grown or cooked to local families, after he passed away at 90. Which is about as nice an epitaph as anyone could hope for.
Velo says pro cycling’s soccer-inspired relegation system is just a hot mess that solves nothing, as the richest teams keep winning and the smaller teams pay the price. Although one thing that might help is limiting the size of pro rosters or capping payrolls, so they have to spread the talent around a little.
One victim died at the scene, while the other was hospitalized.
There’s no word on exactly where on the trail around Lake Murray that the crash occurred, but people who know the trail say there are a number of blind curves where you wouldn’t see someone coming from the opposite direction.
There’s also no information yet on the identity of either victim, or the condition of the survivor.
This is at least the 42nd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the ninth that I’m aware of in San Diego County.
Authorities say he was not wearing a helmet, but while the medical examiner’s report says he died of blunt force trauma, it does not indicate whether he suffered a head injury.
The other victim was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for David Engler and his loved one.
And best wishes for a full and fast recovery for the surviving victim.
August 21, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Contentious WeHo meeting for Fountain Ave, can San Diego end car-dependency, and getting FDs on the side of street safety
Day 233 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
And before next month’s final vote on the project.
According to Mulick, the meeting was attended by every member of the WeHo City Council, and included a presentation by senior transportation planner Chris Corrao, project manager for the redesign.
Phase 1 includes reducing the street to one travel lane in each direction, while removing on-street parking on the north side of the street and building protected bike lanes. Phase 2 would widen sidewalks and upgrade curb ramps, to be considered later.
The goal, explained Corrao, is to transform Fountain back into “the residential street that it was in the 1960s.”
Community members expressed outrage at the proposed parking losses and claimed the redesign would significantly increase traffic on Fountain Avenue and on Santa Monica and Sunset boulevards. Others urgently called on the council to approve the plan, citing a desperate need to protect bicyclists and pedestrians.
Mike Greenfield, who has lived on Fountain Avenue for decades, said the project’s impact on traffic would be catastrophic and he will pursue legal action against the city if it is approved.
“This is the most maddening thing – I had no idea it was going to get to this,” he said to raucous applause throughout the room. “Do you have any idea what’s going to happen to Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood and Santa Monica Boulevard? Total lunacy.”
However, both the Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, who protect the city, said they would be able to respond to any emergency calls after the redesign.
Supporters of the project were equally passionate.
Alex Silberman, a West Hollywood resident, said the potential lives saved by implementing measures to slow drivers on Fountain Avenue outweighs the potential increase in traffic.
“We have seen cars slam into buildings. We have seen them slam into each other. We have seen them kill people, and we all share responsibility for not fixing this before Blake Ackerman was killed,” Silberman said to loud applause from attendees who support the redesign.
Although one opponent demonstrated an extreme degree of not getting it, arguing that it was a “disgrace” for people to use Ackerman’s death to justify the redesign.
Because, evidently, his death has nothing to do with safety on the deadly street. Nor did the needless deaths of anyone else on Fountain, apparently.
Even at the best of times, in the best of places, San Diego’s car-free transportation options are not good. It makes perfect sense to me why most people drive everywhere. Transit will almost always take longer, and it’s probably not very close to your house. Unless you have no other choice or pay “walkable neighborhood” rent prices, going out of your way to reject car culture feels borderline masochistic.
Sounds a lot like a little megalopolis a couple hours to the north, too.
San Diego has a plan for a more sustainable future, one with “mobility hubs” and express bus lanes, and progressive politicians claim to support it. Yet, history suggests their allegiance to the long-term vision is less important than cutting their short-term political losses.
This plan will require most of us to drive less, but it also delivers on things that politicians and voters say they want: better transit, increased walkability, shorter commutes, safer infrastructure. These investments are largely incompatible with transportation as we know it. It’s no coincidence that the “walkable” neighborhoods where most people want to hang out also have the least parking.
The plan is not all stick and no carrot, but San Diegans seem to want all carrot and no stick.
Seriously, she knows them so well.
And us.
It’s worth taking a few minutes to read the full piece, written by Bella Ross. Because she has a good grasp on the problems both cities face.
And you can probably add Orange County to that list, while you’re at it.
………
An upcoming UC Berkeley study considers the persistent problem of getting fire departments to sign onto street safety projects designed to save lives by preventing injuries, rather than responding to them.
When cyclists and pedestrians get mashed by errant drivers, it’s fire departments and Emergency Medical Technicians who witness first-hand the horrific results of dangerous streets. So why doesn’t it follow that city fire departments are 100 percent supportive of street safety measures?
That’s the question behind “Safety vs. Safety: Understanding and Overcoming Conflicts between Street Safety and Fire and Emergency Response Description,” a soon-to-be-released study from UC Berkeley and the Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety. “How do you change department culture?” asked Zachary Lamb, Assistant Professor of City & Regional Planning at UC Berkeley, and one of the study authors, during a presentation Wednesday morning about the research.
The study authors looked at Austin, Baltimore, Nashville, and, of course, Berkeley, to figure out what works and what does with efforts to get fire departments on board with bike lanes and other street safety measures. An overarching goal is to get fire departments to shift to ‘street trauma prevention‘, the way they try to prevent building fires instead of just putting them out.
Again, it’s worth taking the time to read Rudick’s full story. Let alone reading the actual study when it comes out.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
The San Francisco Police Department is offering a whopping $200,000 reward in hopes of solving the 2008 cold case murder of a man who was shot in cold blood after he was forced to a stop by the driver of a car, then got into an altercation with the occupants, as he rode his bike home from work.
There’s something seriously wrong when city officials have to beg drivers not to kill kids on their way to and from school, like these officials in San Francisco, and virtually every other American city.
That’s more like it. A DUI hit-and-run driver who killed a noted Bend, Oregon chef as he rode his bicycle two years ago will spend the next ten years behind bars, and permanently lose her driver’s license.
This is who we share the road with, part two. A British motorcyclist was busted for riding stoned on the same stretch of roadway twice in just three weeks — yet he only lost his license for a whole 16 months. So if you want to know why people keep dying on the streets, that’s a good place to start.
August 1, 2025 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on WeHo: It ain’t the drivers it’s the roads, bike rider busted for being nervous, and maybe LA is better than we think
Day 212 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
………
He gets it.
In a WeHo Times op-ed, 23-year old community organizer Nick Renteria argues that the city is one of the most dangerous in the state when it comes to traffic violence.
As evidenced by the recent hit-and-run deaths of Erica Edwards and Blake Ackerman on Sunset Blvd and Fountain Ave, respectively.
But not, he says, because there is something inherently worse about the city’s drivers, but because the streets are “designed facilitate high traffic flow at the cost of our safety.”
And what’s standing in the way of progress isn’t a lack of evidence, it’s inaction.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
As Renteria says,
Imagine a Sunset Boulevard where people stroll safely beneath the billboards. A Santa Monica Boulevard where outdoor dining isn’t drowned out by speeding cars. A Fountain Avenue where no one has to fear crossing the street or riding a bike.
Imagine a city where Erica and Blake’s deaths are the last. Where we finally say: enough.
We’ve imagined it for years. Now let’s do something about it.
After all, why would anyone look nervous when confronted by armed, masked men who may not have worn anything identifying themselves as officers.
The Mexican national now finds himself facing deportation, and charged with a misdemeanor count of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, because he tried to run away and tried to break free from them.
I probably would have done exactly the same thing if I was confronted by a bunch of armed men in masks.
According to the site, Los Angeles is actively investing in innovations to reduce traffic congestion, ranging from subway expansions to new bikeways, including a new transcontinental high-speed rail expected to ope as soon as next year.
Which really would be a secret.
And speaking of secrets, here’s what they have to say about the state of bicycling in the City of Angeles.
Biking in L.A. is on the rise, with new bike trails and bike-friendly upgrades popping up across the city. From coastal paths to urban corridors like the new Rail-to-Rail route, it’s getting easier, safer, and more fun to explore L.A. on two wheels.
Which is kinda true, depending on just where you look.
Although the impression it gives doesn’t exactly align with the reality most of us experience on the streets.
Twenty-eight-year old Colden Kimber was waiting with his girlfriend when he saw a man harassing the group and stepped between them, only to be fatally stabbed in the neck in what was described as a “completely and utterly unprovoked” attack.
Kimber was a member of the city’s Dolce Vita Cycling team and was a skilled mechanic at American Cyclery, while studying kinesiology at San Francisco State University.
The suspect, 29-year old Sean Collins, has been charged with murder; he was already facing charges for vandalism and burglary, as well as resisting an officer.
Bedford, England has lifted its draconian ban on bike riding through the town center, but only after thousands of people were “aggressively” fined for the simple crime of riding a bicycle; new rules target “dangerous” bicycling rather than responsible riding.
………
Local
Pasadena police will conduct yet another of the region’s bicycle and pedestrian safety operations today; while the purpose is to improve safety for people walking or biking, police are required to enforce any violation that could put either group at risk, regardless of who commits it. So ride to the letter of the law until cross the city limits to make sure you’re not the one who gets written up.
Of course not. An English man denies he was responsible for killing a 54-year old woman competing in a cycling time trial while he was driving a commercial van, despite allegedly looking a photos of a family barbecue on his cellphone seconds before the crash, then telling police he never saw her because he was too busy looking for his drink bottle.
Momentum looks at Trondheim, Norway’s pavement-embedded bicycle lift that pushes bike riders uphill at a steady walking pace, and recommends a handful of hills in North America where it would help encourage more people to ride.
