Day 316 of LA’s Vision Zero failure to end traffic deaths by 2025.
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I somehow neglected to wish a happy Veterans Day yesterday to all those who have served this county. So thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.
Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels:
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Let’s start with the alleged Malibu mass murderer accused of using a weapon of mass destruction.
A car, in other words.
Because the judge handling the case against 24-year old Fraser Bohm in the deaths of four Pepperdine sorority sisters on PCH two year ago denied a defense motion to have the four felony murder charges dismissed.
LA County Superior Court Judge Thomas Rubinson ruled that Bohm knew, or should have known, that driving more than 100 mph “had a high degree of probability of causing death.”
Partly because Bohm had told police investigators after the crash that two of his friends had died in high-speed crashes.
Data from his car’s airbags showed he was doing 104 mph when he lost control of his BMW on the bend known locally as Dead Man’s Curve, crashing into three parked cars and slamming them into the four young women as they walked on the shoulder of the road.
Just four more victims of SoCal’s killer highway.
Rubinson also rejected Bohm’s defense that he was fleeing from a road raging driver, saying there was no evidence of a second car chasing him. Something that would have logically shown up on at least one of the many security cams along the celebrity-studded street.
According to the story from the Los Angeles Times, the murder charges were “based on the concept of implied malice, suggesting a conscious disregard for human life.”
The ruling means there’s enough evidence to proceed to trial on all four counts of murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
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Next up is news that two people have been charged in the hit-and-run that nearly killed Thao Tran, a staffer for CD5 Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, and took the life of her corgi, Kobe.
Twentynine-year old Koreatown resident Ana Larasalguero turned herself into police hours after the 8:30 am crash on Sunday, October 5th, as Tran and her dog were crossing were crossing Eight Street at Cloverdale Ave.
Larasalguero was charged with felony counts of hit and run driving resulting in injury to another person, and cruelty to an animal. As was the passenger in her car, Josue Santiago, her longtime boyfriend, who allegedly switched places with Larasalguero and fled the scene after the crash.
The Beverly Press also reports that Tran is already back at work, despite her injuries.
Tran, who serves as Yaroslavsky’s business development deputy, was taken to a hospital after the collision with multiple fractures. Yaroslavsky’s spokesman Leo Daube said on Nov. 5 Tran has returned to work.
“Thao is recovering well from her physical injuries and is expected to make a full recovery. But this accident has undoubtedly changed her life forever,” Daube said. “She’s focused on healing and moving forward, and our office is supporting her in every way we can.”
As I’ve said before, my wife and I both know Tran and consider her a friend, and we loved Kobe, as did virtually everyone who met him.
My heart and prayers go out to her, while recognizing that her bones will heal long before her heart does.
But hopefully these charges are just the first step towards justice for them both. As long as the LA DA’s office doesn’t bargain them away.
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I want to elevate this comment from Ohio Bike Lawyer Steve Magas, co-author with Bob Mionske of the groundbreaking book on the rights of bicyclists,
Magas was responding to yesterday’s criticism of a report on US bicycling deaths, which was so incoherent that a bunch of trained monkeys could probably have done a better job.
Sheesh. As a math guy who went to law school and who has studied crash/death numbers for some decades now this really drives me crazy. This looks like a law firm trolling for “bike” cases that took some random advice from a web site development firm that said “we’ll create some clever, catchy click bait for you…”
Yes, FL is the worst- I agree 100% with that assessment.
How do you assess “risk” or “danger” though?
FL is a “big” state but… if you look at the “rate” of fatal bike crashes… the number of deaths per, say 100,000 people, you get a better gauge of “safety”NHTSA has published this data, based on FARS data, for years.
So if you open the most recent, 2023, data here https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/Publication/813739
you see that the 50 states are listed on page 10FL had a total of almost 3,400 TOTAL traffic deaths and 234 BIKE deaths, which was 6.9% of all the traffic deaths… that’s a HIGH figure as the national average is 2.9%, which is UP from the 2.0% or so that was norm prior to 2009.
FL’s “rate” of Fatal Bicycle Crashes is also high – 1.03 deaths per 100,000 people.
That’s the WORST in the US, by far.Because of smaller numbers of people it is “easier” for a smaller state to have a bad number in a bad year. Maine, for example, had 0 bike deaths in 2023. IF they suddenly had 2 their rate would be significant.
FL had 234 deaths with a total population of 22+M
Compare OH, which had 22 deaths with a population of 11.7M.
So Ohio has slightly more than half the population of FL but only 10% of the number of cycling deaths!
One could argue that OH is 10x “safer” or FL is 10x more “dangerous” than OH… or you are 10x more likely to be killed in FL than if you ride in OHSo yea, FL leads the league
Also, if you look at the Big 3 – FL, CA, TX – you see that 234+145+106 =485 deaths. These 3 states have 485/1166=0.416 or 42% of ALL US Cycling deaths.
BUT
When you look at RATES
FL – 1.03 per 100K
CA – 0.37 per 100K
TX – 0.35 per 100K
US Average is 0.35 people killed on bikes per 100K population so CA and TX are pretty much “average” compared other states but FL is WAY out of whack.Ohio is, by contrast, well below the national average with a “rate” of 0.19
Steve Magas
This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve said that if you ever need a good bike lawyer in the Midwest, tell Magas I sent you.
And it probably won’t be the last.
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Your periodic reminder that CicLAvia will be doing Stranger Things on Melrose Ave next weekend.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A British cycling coach says he was shocked at the hatred he encountered after posting video of a near-collateral damage crash, when a driver skidded out of control following a three-car crash, missing him and another rider by mere inches — yet somehow, some people still blamed them for it.
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Local
Streets For All issued their monthly newsletter for November, including a job opening for their state legislative team.
Survivors of the Eaton Fire can register for free lifetime Metro rides, including Metro Bike, from 10 am to 1 pm this Thursday at Pasadena’s Robinson Park Recreation Center. But if you have to work that day, evidently you’re screwed.
Long Beach broke ground on a new greenway along the LA River, featuring bike and pedestrian paths, as well as fitness and play equipment, and native plants.
State
Sad news from Fullerton, where 19-year old Lauren Turner, a member of the Cal State Fullerton women’s soccer team, died six weeks after she and a teammate suffered life-threatening injuries when a truck driver struck the e-scooter they were sharing. Although maybe someone could tell the OC Register that the box truck that hit them probably had a driver.
National
Seattle Bike Blog examines the state of the city’s divided bike movement. LA’s may not be divided, but our movement has turned to sludge.
Tucson, Arizona opened the world’s first aluminum-surfaced velodrome.
A Wichita, Kansas teacher is closing in on her goal of riding 5,000 miles this year to raise funds to send members of the school’s HOSA club for future health professionals to the organization’s national convention and competition; she’s also lost 50 to 60 pounds in the process.
Bike advocates in Dallas are cautiously optimistic that it can become a more bikeable city.
Cycling Weekly considers what New York’s new bikeshare-riding mayor will mean for bicycling in the city, asking whether he can be the Gotham equivalent of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
International
Momentum marks Remembrance Day, or Veterans Day as it’s known here, by recalling the military bicycle corps employed by both sides in WWI.
An Ontario appeals court ruled that a case with profound implications for cities throughout the province must get a hearing, with the potential for a ruling that counties and townships must maintain trails they know bike riders use, even if they aren’t designated for the purpose.
Officials in Edinburgh want to reclaim the city’s busiest bike path for a new tram line, despite the 600,000 trips that are made by foot, bike and wheelchair along the route each year.
A Lancashire, England school welcomed back their beloved “lollipop lady” — which is apparently what they call a crossing guard over there — after she missed more than five weeks with a broken elbow suffered when the gears on her bicycle froze up.
A British advocacy group is calling for the country to reduce the current standard width for traffic lanes, arguing that it’s too narrow to allow the required 1.5 meter passing distance — just under five feet — and that narrowing lanes would force drivers to change lanes to pass someone on a bicycle.
The Florence suburb of Scandicci becomes the first Italian city to improve security by rolling out shared neighborhood bike lockers.
A man from Nepal is currently in Qatar on a bike ride from Mount Everest to Antarctica to spread awareness and call for action on climate change.
A decade-long Japanese study shows that bicycling can play a key role in extending health and life expectancy among older adults. Which is probably why my diabetes hasn’t killed me yet.
Competitive Cycling
Cycling Weekly argues that the island roads on my ancestral home punch well above their weight when it comes to churning out pro cyclists — including the famed Manx Missile. I can proudly claim that my great-great-grandfather went to prison for his role in the biggest bank failure in the British Isles prior to the Great Depression.
Cyclist asks the burning questions on everyone’s lips leading to next year’s pro cycling season.
The Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe WorldTour cycling team is training in an underground tunnel to get faster.
Finally…
Learning the hard way that flats ain’t passé. Forget lithium-ion, your next ebike could have a semi-solid-state battery.
And it’s long past time to add the Kentucky Bourbon Trail to your bike bucket list.
Okay, mine then.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
