Tag Archives: Bicyclists

Deadly Rides: Bicycle Hit & Runs, Rider Deaths Rise in L.A.

How the blogger lights up his ride

How the blogger lights up his ride

Sobering read in the L.A. Times. As more and more bicyclists take to the roads in Southern California, accidents will only increase. Hit and run drivers are cowards, for sure, and also criminals. Though the story points out, they are often hard to track because not much evidence exists of their crime.

While I loathe these drivers and the death and destruction they cause, I do have to say that there are things cyclists can do to minimize the possibility of an accident, whether hit and run or not.

These include:

  • Obeying road rules – including stop signs and lights. While inconvenient, the worst thing you can do to a motorist (IMHO) is surprise him or her. Your behavior must be predictable, like that of the other car drivers. That’s the only thing that makes our roads not a total free-for-all.
  • Not obeying the law when to do so would put your life in danger – let’s be honest, there’s too many cars in L.A. and not all roads are safe for cyclists. There are streets I will not ride down as they are basically unsafe at any speed for a cyclist – for instance, Sunset Boulevard during rush hours where the parking lane is used for traffic and other streets like this. In those cases, if I must go down that street, I ride on the sidewalk, slowly, being very wary of pedestrians and driveways.
  • Lights and reflectors – you see in the photo how I operate at night. That might be a little extreme, but I know I’m seen by drivers. I always get a wide berth at night, and I’m sure that’s because of the lights. Otherwise, drivers really don’t see you.
  • Don’t be in such a hurry, and never take chances, ’cause between a bike and car, the winner is always going to be the car. No, I’m no longer a daredevil — at all, and maybe that’s something that comes with age. If so, I’m grateful. I’m not going to get into a confrontation with a car, because I know the outcome won’t be good for me, even if I’m in the right. This may go against instinct, but it’s useful as a survival tactic.

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I hope that as more cyclists take to the roads and people drive less, we’ll really find ways to safely coexist — like separated lanes for bikes and cars, what a concept! That I’d love to see. In the meantime, let’s be safer cyclists and prosecute those criminal drivers on our streets.

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Los Angeles council OKs law protecting cyclists from harassment

LA Times story on new law protecting bicyclists!

Photo: Arbron

I know I haven’t posted much of anything in July. There is a reason for this and the reason is, I’m in the process of moving to another city (to Los Angeles from Palm Springs) and this is taking much longer than anticipated. I was supposed to move July 1, then July 8, then July 15, and now it looks like I’m finally going to be able to move on Monday, July 25.

The reason? Delayed escrow closing in Palm Springs. This has got to be one of the more stressful things I’ve dealt with in years, and has on its own given me a nice case of adult ADD and insomnia. One of the results is not being able to focus long enough to write a post.

I had found an apartment, put it on hold, then with the delays it could not be held for me any longer. Earlier this week, I went back to L.A. and found a place, suggested by a friend, which actually is a much better deal than the first place, so I should be (and I am!) grateful for the SNAFU* which had rendered my life FUBAR**. It’s not exactly all rainbows and balloons now, but edging closer every day.

Anyway, to the link. Loved this story about how local government is actually doing some good things – like sticking up for bicyclists, who in places like L.A. don’t get much respect. This law allows civil lawsuits for harassment from bicyclists against asshole drivers, so there doesn’t need to be a law enforcement arrest before such remedies can be sought. Perhaps, eventually, this is a path toward greater recognition of the necessity of sharing the road, or at the very least, acknowledgment of the existence of bicycles on the road.

Be careful out there and wear those helmets (OK, me too).

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