Evidently, big rig trucks don’t have wing mirrors anymore.
Because for the third time this week, someone in Southern California has been killed riding a bicycle. And it’s only Wednesday.
And this time, the victim is getting the blame.
According to San Diego’s City News Service, posted by 10 News, the victim “rode his bicycle into a big rig” after getting right hooked by the driver in the city’s Otay Mesa neighborhood Tuesday afternoon.
The victim was riding south on Otay Center Drive next to a semi-truck stopped at the red light at Siempre Viva Road around 2:17 pm. When the light turned green, the 38-year old driver turned right onto Siempre Viva, while the victim — identified only as a 59-year old man — attempted to continue straight on Otay Center.
So if the victim rode into the big rig, it’s only because the driver turned right directly in from of him, causing him to crash into the truck’s right front wheel. Which means he had to be directly next to the truck at the red light, and should have been visible to the driver.
Not surprisingly, the victim was declared dead at the scene.
Unfortunately, there’s no bike lane or other infrastructure on the street that might have protected the victim, or at least alerted the driver to look for someone on a bike.
Most cars these days have safety systems to alert the driver to the presence of another vehicle, bicycle or pedestrian. Even my wife’s car, which does not have automatic braking or other alert systems, has a camera that’s activated whenever she uses the right turn signal, to alert her when there’s someone or something to her right before she turns.
Why one of the most dangerous vehicles on the road wouldn’t have something like that is anyone’s guess.
And yes, it’s dangerous to ride alongside any big rig, and you should never come up from behind as a truck is turning, or likely to.
But it’s hard to imagine why the victim shouldn’t have been visible in the driver’s wing mirror, or how he could have run into the truck’s front wheel if he ridden up from behind as the driver was turning.
It’s easy to imagine, though, that only one person involved in the crash was still around afterward to give their side of the story to the cops.
This is at least the 40th bicycling fatality that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the seventh we know about in San Diego County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
Which compares favorably to Los Angeles, which has completed somewhere south of 5% of its plan adopted a few years earlier.
In addition, just over 80% of the city’s major streets have some sort of bikeway, even if most have disconnected sections forcing riders to fight their way through traffic, and only 8% of that is protected.
According to the paper,
The report also pointed to the need for more low-stress biking options, such as designated bikeways or multi-use paths dedicated to cyclists and pedestrians — types of infrastructure where riders face less traffic stress. While 63% of the network is considered low-stress, over 30% of the network is considered high-stress, the study found.
“While a majority of the network is technically bikeable, a substantial portion consists of high stress segments that may discourage use, particularly among the ‘interested but concerned’ population,” the authors wrote.
So I’ll settle for her getting out at a tad over 112 years old even if she serves the minimum. Because that’s someone who should never see the light of day again, but you never know what the courts will do.
Which is a pretty good indication that she was probably riding an illegal e-moto, or at least an illegally hacked ebike, rather than an electric bicycle.
Triathlon site Slowtwitch discusses the most common mistakes new cyclists make. Actually, the most common mistake new cyclists make is trying to become cyclists, instead of just learning to enjoy riding a bicycle before trying to win a Grand Tour.
A pair of college students rode across the US, raising $15,000 for lone soldiers in Israel. Although maybe someone can explain what the hell a lone soldier is, and why they need our financial support.
The 18-year old grandson of legendary Australian ultracyclist Bob Montgomery remembers his 82-year old grandfather and riding companion, who died suddenly just one day after completing a ride across the continent to raise funds for a Motor Neurone Disease charity.
Competitive Cycling
For the first time in four days, the yellow jersey remained on the same shoulders as Marlen Reusser defended her narrow 12 second lead, while Demi Vollering outsprinted Kasia Niewiadoma and Reusser to win the 5th stage of the Tour de France Femmes.
But nothing in any of the articles clarifies whether Marlow was on a Class 1, 2 or 3 electric bicycle, or an illegal e-moto or electric motorcycle.
I honestly have no idea how to handle stories like this. Do I write about it like any other fallen bicycle rider? Or do I assume he was on an electric motorbike, which seems likely, and just mention it in passing, like I did here.
Families juggle work, school, sports, shopping and appointments that often require driving across several neighborhoods in a single day. That reality is unlikely to change simply because more bike lanes are painted on our streets.
At the same time, San Diego’s population is aging. Seniors are one of the fastest-growing segments of our community, and many depend on convenient vehicle access and nearby parking. Local businesses also depend on customers who can easily park and walk into their stores. When parking is removed to make room for bike lanes that see limited use, businesses and residents understandably question whether the tradeoff makes sense.
Or that about half of all urban trips are under three miles, which most people can do without much difficulty, particularly in the age of ebikes.
Then there’s this.
One practical compromise would be to allow on-street parking in designated bike lanes after 5 p.m. on commercial corridors such as Convoy Street, where approximately 300 parking spaces were removed to install a barely used bike lane. Bike lane usage is almost completely not existent during evening hours or at night.
So apparently, no one who commutes by bicycle gets off work at five or later, like people who have the good sense to drive. And anyone foolish enough to try is on their own, as far as he’s concerned.
And if no one rides at night, then why do most traffic deaths occur after dark? Are drivers actively seeking out the few people foolish enough to risk it?
I don’t know how many people ride bikes on Convoy Street, before or after 5 pm. But something tells me he doesn’t, either.
He finishes like this.
The goal should be to give San Diegans safe, practical and realistic transportation options while protecting neighborhood quality of life and supporting our local businesses. That’s not anti-bike. It’s simply common sense.
So maybe he can explain how removing bike lanes gives San Diegans “safe, practical and realistic transportation options,” when they can already drive anywhere they want, anytime of the day or night.
Don’t people who want the option to ride a bike deserve that, too?
Apparently not. At least if he gets elected.
………
Nope.
No inappropriate campaigning here, as a city department states it’s installing new crosswalks at the insistence of Mayor Karen Bass, who is running for re-election against CD4 Councilmember Nithya Raman.
So are we to assume she didn’t offer that direction in the first three-and-a-half years she was in office? Or they just didn’t think it was worth mentioning until she was campaigning for re-election?
Twitter post
If she’s responsible for getting those crosswalks painted, does that mean Mayor Bass gets the blame for removing 5.6 lane-miles of partially protected bike lanes on Van Nuys Blvd, and replacing it with just 4.8 lane-miles of unprotected bike lanes on Terra Bella Street, roughly eight blocks away?
After all, no one who rides a bike needs to go anywhere on or near Van Nuys, right?
Upcoming phases to improve safety in Griffith Park include a road diet on Crystal Springs Drive, narrowing lanes and adding bike lanes on Griffith Park Blvd, and giving one half of Western Heritage Way and Zoo Drive over to bike riders, pedestrians and equestrians; Zoo Drive is where Finish the Ride and Streets Are For Everyone founder Damian Kevitt was struck by a hit-and-run driver in 2013.
A self-identified cyclist and resident of South Pasadena’s Fremont Street says she strongly opposes plans for a bike lane on the street, arguing that the street is too narrow and the loss of parking is more important than the lives of people like her.
Seriously? Riverside County sheriff’s deputies are looking for a hit-and-run driver who left a Coachella bike rider with minor injuries, and urging bicyclists struck by hit-and-run drivers to get as much information as possible about the fleeing driver. Which is real easy to do when a driver is assisting you in doing a faceplant on the pavement.
The FBI seized over half a million dollars worth of property, including a $250,000 Lamborghini Huracan, as well as $115,000 in cash, from an ebike dealer who was accused of scamming Colorado ebike voucher recipients, taking their vouchers and deposits, but never delivering the promised bikes.
A North Carolina man was pepper sprayed and stabbed repeatedly when he confronted a man he had loaned a bicycle to, but which was never returned; fortunately, he was expected to survive. Yet another reminder to let the cops handle it, because no bicycle is worth your life.
The coach of the third-place England team in the World Cup is one of us, taking advantage of a Lime bike for a morning coffee run. And I’m sure the choking gesture captured by the paparazzi had nothing to do with his team’s collapsed against Argentina in the semis.
June 16, 2026 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on No ID on victims or suspect in PCH DUI crash, LA’s most dangerous intersections, and grand jury says San Diego bikeways ain’t cutting it
The victims were riding in the bike lane on SoCal’s killer highway, just north of Ventura, when they were run down from behind.
There’s also no word on why investigators concluded the unnamed 24-year old Oxnard man was under the influence. Or why he was arrested on suspicion of murder.
It seems odd that we haven’t learned anymore by now, particularly since he was scheduled for an initial court appearance yesterday.
Although they also blame people on ebikes and e-scooters for blowing through red lights, and illegally using sidewalks. And, of course, they warn pedestrians to stay alert, rather than telling scooter riders to stay the hell off the sidewalk.
KABC-7 reports the the most dangerous intersections this year have been:
Figueroa Street and 7th Street in downtown Los Angeles – 11 crashes so far in 2026
Highland Avenue and Pat Moore Way, near the Hollywood Bowl – 6 crashes so far in 2026
Century Boulevard and Main Street in South L.A. – 5 crashes so far in 2026
Sherman Way at the 170 Freeway entrance in the San Fernando Valley – 5 crashes so far in 2026
No word on where the most dangerous sidewalks are.
………
In a hard-hitting report, a San Diego grand jury says the city is not meeting its own ambitious climate goals.
Shocking, I know.
According to Streetsblog,
The new report, Shifting Gears, arrives at a moment when San Diego is trying to reconcile two competing realities. On one hand, the city has adopted ambitious goals. The Climate Action Plan calls for 10% of all daily trips to be made by bicycle by 2035. Vision Zero commits San Diego to eliminating traffic deaths and severe injuries. The Bicycle Master Plan Update is meant to create a safer and more connected network. On the other hand, San Diego remains a city where the automobile remains king. While the report itself is not binding nor enforceable, it validates San Diegans’ concerns and recommends a path forward.
Safety and connectivity remain the two biggest barriers preventing more people from choosing to bike. A recent city survey of more than 2,000 riders found that “traffic safety concerns” and “gaps in the bike network” were the first and second most frequently cited barriers to bicycling.
The report cites a disconnect bike network, where bike lanes suddenly start and stop, leaving bicyclists to confront freeway on and off-ramps on their own.
Something I can attest to from my time there four decades ago. Apparently, some things never change.
They also cite a lack of maintenance, particularly on the city’s protected bike lanes.
In fact, the only advice he has for drivers is to look before you open the door to avoid dooring bike riders. But it’s still the bike rider’s fault, even when the driver is at fault.
Motorists can prevent this by looking over their shoulder as they open the car door. But Faber believes that cyclists also share the responsibility to avoid this type of accident.
“Of course, if there’s a collision, the driver is actually to blame,” he said. “But to prevent it from happening in the first place, the cyclist must remain alert at all times and allow for the possibility that other road users might make mistakes,” he said. In practical terms, this means reducing speed and increasing their distance from parked cars passing parked cars.
And of course, he tells bicyclists to wear hi-viz and a helmet. Drivers, just look over your shoulder when you open the door to make sure there’s not someone wearing a helmet and dressed like a reflective clown riding too close to your door.
Because you don’t want to hurt someone, even if it’s their fault.
………
French TV talks with American activist Shannon Galpin, who played a key role in exfiltrating the Afghan women’s cycling team following the return of the Taliban.
Which, translated from politese, means she had to get the women, and some men, out herself after UCI stopped helping with the mission, which has been ongoing since 2021.
Thanks to Megan for the heads-up.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps going on.
A New Jersey woman is recovering from a concussion, cuts and bruises, and a man is facing criminal charges, after she told the man and his girlfriend to slow their ebikes down, and he responded by getting off his bike and punching her in the head. Even though the bikes look like electric motorbikes, it looks like his bike has pedals, so they may actually be ebikes. Or not.
Yeah, maybe it’s time. Bicyclists in Duluth, Minnesota are invited to “Bike for Science” to gather real-world riding data to update the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s bicycle facilities design guide, which is based on data collected in the 1980s. Which, for anyone unclear on the concept, is, like, a really long time ago, okay?
Four young men who have overcome problems like substance abuse, legal troubles and emotional struggles are planning to ride 500 miles across Georgia to honor the founder of their youth home, who road 1,200 miles from Vidalia, Georgia to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1961 to help raise awareness and support for the newly established youth home.
London Penny Farthing riders set four Guinness World Records, including for the largest and smallest rideable big wheelers. Although I initially left out the “h” in “Farthing,” which would have made for a much more interesting set of records.
Seriously, don’t flee from the cops when they try to pull your bike over for multiple vehicle code violations — and don’t try to punch them out when they finally stop you. Whacking a cop with a bike pump is not one of the recommended uses for it, even if you are 86-years old.
March 14, 2026 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on 43-year old man dies after March 1 Clairemont, San Diego hit-and-run; SoCal bike rider killed every 3.4 days this year
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.
March 10, 2026 /
bikinginla / Comments Off on Update: Man riding bicycle killed after allegedly running red light in San Diego’s Pacific Beach neighborhood early Tuesday
For the second time already this year, someone has been killed riding a bicycle in San Diego’s Pacific Beach neighborhood.
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.
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.
