Yesterday, the LAPD announced the arrest of Dominque and Steven Rush for the hit and run killing of Alex Romero on April 20th. Romero and his friend Peter Arias were bicycling along DeSoto Avenue in the Valley when Dominique Rush allegedly hit Romero’s bicycle from behind and just kept on driving while Romero lay dieing in the street.
The media has been using this image of Romero's crushed bicycle to show the horror of the crash.
Arias had the sense of mind to get a partial description of the vehicle, not an easy thing to do given the circumstances, and the LAPD went to work to track down the driver. While they were at work tracking the vehicle, Rush allegedly enlisted the aid of her father, Steven Rush to help hide her involvement.
It truly takes a heartless and entitled person to turn a blind eye to the pleadings of Romero’s family and friends, but the Rush’s went one step further. The father-daughter duo allegedly tried to hide the evidence by getting the car out of the area, possibly to a place where it could undergo some physical changes to mask the crime. In June, the LAPD had a good idea of what they were looking for thanks to some tips and the initial identification, but still couldn’t find the car.
While it’s certainly good news that Romero’s killers will likely face justice, there are other culprits in this tragedy: the poorly designed speedway known as DeSoto Avenue and a culture that values speeding traffic. Read more…
Rebellious Lithuanian mayor Arturas Zuokas has taken clearing bike lanes of illegally parked cars into his own hands.
He drove an army personnel carrier over an old Mercedes-Benz S-Class that had been parked in a bike lane in the capital Vilnius in a bid warn owners of “posh” cars that they have to abide by the rules like anyone else.
“I wanted to send a message,” the avid cyclist and former war correspondent said.
Not only does their mayor crush bike lane blocking luxury cars by running over them in armored military vehicles, but residents of Vilnius can apparently make trips on their public bike system for free. Can Rahm Emanuel top that?
During the next three days, I’m on extensive baby duty and there’s no guest articles in the hopper that I know of. Since I don’t like leaving readers who have grown accustomed to two longer stories everyday with less than their usual fare, each of the next three days I’m going to spotlight original reporting issues within our usual coverage sphere.
The first story comes from our friend Josef Bray-Ali from the Flying Pigeon Bikeshop’s blogsite. Bray-Ali tracked down the information on who to call and what to say to report trash/recycling/green bins inside of bike lanes. This public service should be read far and wide, so distribute it far and wide. Heck, someone should probably make a ride card out of it:
Who do you call when trash cans block the bike lanes in LA? After years of digging, LA’s cycling commuity has found the answer: the Bureau of Street Service’s Inspection and Enforcement Division. Their Inspectors are professional peace officers tasked with, among other things, keeping the right of way clear of obstructions. You can contact them by calling 213-847-6000.
When Streetsblog first began publishing in Los Angeles, there would be Transportation Committee hearings where I was literally the only-person in the room that wasn’t either city staff or a lobbyist. The scene at City Hall couldn’t be more different these days as advocates for cyclists rights and infrastructure are a common site in the halls (and steps) of City Hall. Yesterday’s victory for cyclists, the final passage of Councilman Bill Rosendahl’s “Bicyclist Anti-Harassment Ordinance” would have been similarly unthinkable.
With his anti-harassment ordinance passed, Bill Rosendahl rides into the sunset. Photo: Tony Arranage
The City of Los Angeles actually taking the lead by passing laws before any other government body, protecting cyclists rights? Unthinkable in 2008. Unanimously passed in 2011. ”If L.A can do it, every city in the country can do it,” Council President Eric Garcetti commented.
Fresh off completing a League of American Cyclists bike safety class, Rosendahl kicked off debate by explaining the need for the ordinance. ”It creates a private course of action for cyclists who are harassed to pursue a civil course of action,” he explained, “This ordinance certainly is not a cure, but it is a crucial step in returning our streets to all users, and not just automobiles.”
The path to create the ordinance was a long one. While the bill was introduced late in 2009, Rosendahl remembered that one of his first actions as Transportation Committee Chair was to hold a town hall meeting between cyclists and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck where cyclists complained about their near-universal bad treatment from the LAPD. While the LAPD has made its own efforts in recent years, Rosendahl’s office worked on creating a 3-Foot Passing Law (now being considered at the state level) and now an anti-harassment ordinance.
Speaking in favor of the motion were representatives of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, the City’s Bike Advisory Committee and just regular cyclists who told their sometimes harrowing stories.
“Over twenty years cycling in this city, I can think of countless times I’ve been harassed,” began the LACBC’s JJ Hoffman, “I once had a superior at work who would everyday see me ride my bike. She thought it was real funny to come up behind me in her Mercedes and honk on her horn really loudly and scare me. She just thought it was funny.”
“I don’t have a steel metal box around me to protect me if something is thrown my way,” continued Ross Hirsch, the cycling attorney who worked with Rosendahl’s staff on this ordinance, “A pothole is all it takes. A little bit of gravel is all it takes. When I have a water bottle thrown at me to go down. God forbid, if I fall in traffic, there it goes. I need to get home safely for these guys.” Hirsch gestured at his two sons, who flanked him at the podium.
(Last month, Huntington Beach announced a new program to offer scofflaw cyclists a chance to go to bicycle safety school in lieu of paying what can be a hefty fine for illegal cycling. The program received some pretty harsh feedback on social media, but when I looked into it, I thought it was a pretty good program so I asked Huntington Beach Council Member Joe Shaw to write a piece for our best practices series explaining the program. Incidently, this is Shaw’s third piece for Streetsblog having written for StreetHeat, our predecessor site, in 2007 and again for Streetsblog in May of 2008. You can follow him on twitter at @joeshawforhb)
Tens of thousands of our residents recently rode bikes to our annual Fourth of July parade and fireworks. On the Fourth of July, Downtown Huntington Beach resembles Amsterdam times ten, with bicycles chained to every available surface.
Huntington Beach conitiues to be one of the most bicycle friendly cities in Orange County, recently recognized as a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists, only the second Orange County city to be so designated.
From 2008-2010, Huntington Beach had 450 bicycle/vehicle collisions, with around 300 citations issued to bicyclists.
Legally, bicycles are fined just like other vehicles but the citation is not attached to the driving record. Citations are pricey with a “failure to stop at a stop sign” citation at $233!
As part of that effort to be a bike-friendly community, our police department is now offering an Adult Bicycle Safety program, modeled after our juvenile program in place since 1972.
Now if you’re issued a citation as a bicyclist — attending the Bicycle Safety Program will result in a dismissed citation.
(Update: The L.A. Times reports there was more chicanery at City Council today and the motion has been sent back to the Finance and Budget Committee, Chaired by red light camera backer Bernard Parks. Streetsblog still believes that it is wildly unlikely the program should be saved and the Council should focus on what to do with the the money “saved” by killing the program.)
While the Los Angeles City Council didn’t formally vote to end the city’s red-light camera program, the writing is clearly on the wall. Of the twelve members present, seven voted to end the program, and of the three absent at least Greig Smith has voiced opposition to the program. To raise the bar even higher, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is backing the Police Commission’s unanimous vote to end the program.
Richard Alarcon and Telfair Elementary School children try out the new Smart Crosswalk in 2007. With the city ending its red light camera program, some of the
While we thank Council Members Richard Alarcon, Tony Cardenas, Tom LaBonge, Bernard Parks and Jan Perry for their leadership, it’s time to turn the page and ask the City Council how they plan to make streets safer for all users if cameras aren’t the answer. In opposing the motion to continue the program, Councilman Bill Rosendahl claimed the program cost the city $2.6 million a year and Councilman Paul Krekorian argued that “Every cent we spend on this is a cent we’re not spending on something else.”
This implies that the City Council is planning on spending the $2.6 million on something else, and not just using it to fix a small part of the City’s budget deficit. The question should now be, how can the city most effectively spend those funds.
Obviously, none of the Council stated opposition to safe traffic crossings, although Councilman Dennis Zine is urging motorists not to pay traffic camera tickets after they break the law, and thus the Council ordered a study of whether or not extended yellow lights or short “all red” times in cycles can reduce crashes. A study is a good first step, but as the city moves farther from the recent debate over cameras, the urgency to fund innovative projects is diminished.
A new motion introduced by Councilmen Tony Cardenas and Bernard Parks seeks to overturn the recent decision of the Police Commission to end the city’s wildly effective red light traffic camera program. Their motion is scheduled to be heard at tomorrow morning’s City Council hearing. The Councilmen claim that they can force the Police Commission to change their ruling, while the Commission claims the Council has no such authority. It was previously reported that a 2/3 vote of the Council, a full 10 votes, would be needed to over turn the Commission.
Parks, of course, has some history with the LAPD and Police Commission. Photo: Streetgangs.com
Cardenas has been making the rounds in the media reminding people that despite all the “ding-dong the witch is dead” partying, LAPD’s studies of the intersections with red light cameras showed a 62% decline in traffic crashes. Regardless of any concerns about the politics of the intersection selection or money the city is losing, that is an outstanding record.
Even with two Councilmen on Board, it would still be a political upset if the cameras are maintained. The Times implied that Parks and Cardenas are pawns of American Traffic Solutions, the company that maintains and profits from the cameras. Meanwhile, LA Weekly is lionizing the head of the Orwellianly named Safer Streets L.A. who do deserve credit for a well-run campaign to get the unanimous vote from the Police Commission last week. Safer Streets L.A. argues that the crash-reduction numbers are inflated and misleading. Read more…
Last night, at the end of the “KoreatownWednesdays” Midnight Ridazz ride, a couple of dozen Ridazz were standing at the bottom of the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook waiting for the rest of the ridazz to make it down the hill. The ride begins every week in Koreatown and heads to the overlook. There the group parks their bikes, ascends the hill and takes in the view. I’ve never done the ride, but I’m told it’s a pretty low-key ride, runs at a fast clip, and is very peaceful at the end.
Unfortunately, for the group of Ridazz at the bottom of the hill, it was not a peaceful night. Rider AIDS66 writes on Midnight Ridazz:
We were waiting for everyone to make their way down from Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook as this shit happened. I saw a car speeding towards us and thought doesn’t the driver see us, NO…. Drunk bitch took out the whole ride. some of us got out of the way just in time but many took the brunt force of the hit.
CBS 2 has the most in-depth media report on the incident, and notes that there were nine victims of the crash, three of whom were hospitalized. The driver was taken into police custody under suspicion of DUI. No word yet on the results of her alcohol level or what she is being charged with. Some Ridazz said they saw her talking on her phone, but that hasn’t been reported in the media. The media is near-unanimous in its reporting that the woman was driving sixty miles per hour during the collisions.
While our thoughts and prayers go out to the injured cyclists and those scarred by witnessing the crash, I can’t help but notice the soft bias in the media against some of the cyclists in the reports. The worst example is from KABC.
After noting that the police were critical of the cyclists for wearing dark-colored clothing and standing in the street, the broadcaster also notes that, “…there was beer bottles and condoms where the cyclists were hanging out.” Unless the reporter, or the reporting officer, is implying the cyclists were having a drunken orgy in the street that shielded them from view, I’m not sure how either of those facts are relevant. First off, one Koreatown Rider reports they were standing in the shoulder, so even if they shouldn’t have been in the street, the driver shouldn’t have been in the shoulder (an earlier version of this story said “bike lane” instead of “shoulder.”) Second, who cares if they were drinking (they probably were) or using condoms (they probably weren’t). Unless the police/KABC believe a victim was so drunk they jumped in front of the car the drinking is immaterial.
Compare that to the CBS report:
Here the reporter focuses on the driver’s actions talking to witnesses, humanizing the victims and noting that the driver was drinking red bull, smoking and was doubtless distracted (at-best).
We’ll continue to update this report as more details are released. If you want to help make certain that the driver is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, one poster at Midnight Ridazz drafted a letter to the District Attorney’s Office. You can email the D.A. through this link.
This morning I am greatly upset and angered by the news of a driver who injured 11 cyclists with her car. I am writing to make it known that the driver who drover her car into a group of cyclists in the Baldwin Village area in the early morning of Thursday, June 16, 2011, must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the laws. For committing such a heinous act as she has, which is both irresponsible and reckless in nature, this driver can be shown no mercy for her careless actions behind the wheel of a weapon. Justice is the least of what the victims of this incident are due. It is my sincerest, deepest hope that this woman is fully stripped of her driving privileges for a number of years.
Bearing the effects of her actions, intentional or not, the sentence should reflect fully the damage she has caused to so many lives–not just those who have been injured, but to those who bore witness, as well as the entire community of Baldwin Village, Los Angeles, and vulnerable street users such as cyclists and pedestrians, as well as all road users. I understand that it is early and the full details of the incident have yet to fully be revealed, yet the greater cause and effect are apparent and warrant a severe sentence, that at any level, would only begin to serve as due penance for a crime of this nature. This driver has most clearly abused her privilege to operate a motor vehicle, and in doing so has robbed people of their livelihood and, in many ways, their futures. It is simply a miracle that no one was killed, but when actions such as the drivers are capable of causing death, such as hers have been, they should be viewed as hugely life-threatening and be punished for the damage caused as well as the damage that was fully possible.
(Update: Sgt. David Krumer reports that the Culver City Police will handle the investigation, as the crash occurred just inside their limits. If you have any information, contact Culver City Police, Traffic Bureau: (310)253-6200)
Last week the Los Angeles Police Commission, the citizen panel that oversees the LAPD, unanimously voted to reject the LAPD’s recommendation to extend the city’s contract with an Arizona based group that provides, maintains, and utilizes “red light cameras” at 32 Los Angeles intersections. The move came as a shock to the LAPD, but has been widely praised, including two editorials in the city’s two largest newspapers.
The City Council can override the Police Commission with a two-thirds vote. And while it is unlikely they will do so, it’s too bad that the program is going down without a whimper.
Red light cameras have always been a political hot potato. Privacy advocates have long argued against the government’s right to place cameras at intersections. Others have argued that those ticketed by the cameras don’t have the right to face their accuser as guaranteed by the Constitution. But most people just don’t like getting ticketed when they break the law and are caught doing it. There’s even an Orwellianly named group of “local activists” called “Safer Streets L.A.” that lobbied against the cameras by arguing that cars making right turns on red lights without stopping isn’t really that big of a deal. Nearly two-thirds of tickets given by red light cameras are for cars making illegal right hand turns.
As we n0ted three years ago, cars making right hand turns without yielding is a major traffic safety concern.
When the Federal Highway Administration discusses the conflict between pedestrians and automobiles it ranks “right on red” as the top concern. A look at crash fatality statistics nationwide shows that in Los Angeles, almost one quarter of all crash fatalities are pedestrians.
Not everyone at the conference got the memo that it wasn't about encouraging speed. Photo: Michael Cahn
The Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is like a daughter of Caltrans. The mothership builds the roads, then Traffic Safety comes on the scene, addressing the safety deficits with education and enforcement efforts. The OTS conference, scheduled every other year, is a forum which unites local government, safety advocates, and a whole lot of police officers. MADD, Mothers against Drunk Driving, set the tone. The 2011 Leadership Seminar was held last week in San Diego. The agency offers a number of scholarships covering tuition, travel and accommodation. I attended the Bicycle and Pedestrian track, other tracks covered DUI, drug impairment, collision investigation, engineering and leadership.
The good news is that California fatality rates are low, the lowest since 1949. The bad news is that pedestrians and cyclists are greatly over-represented in these crashes. Simply put: Speed and distracted driving kills.
In California we call it Complete Streets, on the federal level it is called Sustainable Communities (DOT, FHWA, HUD, EPA), the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health have PLACE and RENEW programs: They all describe broad policy goals that have grown together over the last few years. Together they offer a new framework to work for more transportation choices, improved air quality and public health. Traditionally, traffic safety tries to compensate for the defects of an infrastructure that is designed for unsafe speeds. Historically, OTS moves into action after the roads are built and drivers have yielded to the temptations of overbuilt infrastructure and high performance machinery. Attempting to move away from this position of the latecomer, OTS is now spending time on educating planners on street designs where safety standards for vulnerable users are not an afterthought, but included from the outset. The attempt to educate engineers and advocates on new engineering standards for streets that serve all users is part of a broad wave of new handbooks and guidelines such as Smart Mobility Framework, Complete Streets Manual, Model Streets Manual etc. They all try to encroach upon the hegemony of Caltrans Highway Design Manual, which is no longer considered sufficient in accommodating non-motorized road users. Read more…
@CalBike @BicyclingMag I have to wonder about any list of bike friendly cities that includes L.A. and Thousand Oaks and not Santa Monica. in reply to CalBike17 hrs ago
