Streetsblog Los Angeles

Late one Thursday night, or early on Friday morning depending your point of view, this April an H3 Hummer hit a cyclist, and what followed is a controversy that fuels emotions that rivals last year’s Mandeville Canyon “Road Rage Doctor” Crash.  The LAPD’s ham-fisted handling of the crash report has led to charges of bias and incompetence from various parts of the cycling community.

But whatever happened the cyclist who was thrown from his bike when the H3 ran into him?  What is his take on the controversy and what does he have to say to those people who say it was his fault?

I’ve had the chance to twice ride with Andres Tena since he was assaulted and had a chance to sit down with him to talk about the crash.  The smiling, good-natured Tena provides a contrast to the anarchist vandals that were described by the LAPD spokesperson last week at the City Council.

The full text of my chat with Tena is available after the jump.

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Late Monday night, "Roadblock" one of the most prominent of the Midnight Ridazz, was rear-ended and left in the street during a hit-and-run assault on Glendale Blvd.  As he wrote on Midnight Ridazz:

Was heading N. On glendale blvd. Was in far right lane preparing for a
change to left lane to make left at park. I looked back and saw a car
approaching at extremely high speed. I aborted my lane transfer and the
car swerved into my lane and rear ended me at about 45mph. I flew up
onto hood and probably dented hood and windshield. Drive applied breaks
and I flew off into the street in the right lane. My read wheel is
taco-ed and rear of bike smashed.

I had a helmet on. I was solo. Rear light on. Reflectors on shoes and headlight on flash minewt night rider.

Anyone that witnessed the crash or has other information is urged to contact him at the information above.  The dark colored sedan should have dents on its hood and windshield and the license plate is close to 6GYC11.

Because Don has become something of a well-known face at City Hall in recent months, his crash could help highlight the unsafe streets that many cyclists face.  Hopefully this crash can lead to better street protections for all of us.  This trend of hitting cyclists and fleeing the scene needs to be addressed, and addressed soon.

Will Campbell-Claus Delivers Toys at Midnight Then Ridazz in Training Collect Toys in Pasadena

Both C.I.C.L.E. and the Midnight Ridazz held and completed their respective charity toy rides this weekend.  On the Ridazz front, a few stolen bikes couldn’t stamp out the festivities as literally hundreds of toys were delivered to the Alliance for Children’s Rights to be distributed.  On C.I.C.L.E.’s front, bad weather before the ride may have held down attendance, but the fifty riders that rode through Pasadena did so with high cheer.  Hundreds more toys were gathered for Hathaway-Sycamores Family Services.

If you missed the ride this weekend for any reason, and you’re looking to both advance alternative transportation and promote local charity; allow me to suggest Transit People.  Entering its tenth year, Transit People has taken over 23,000 students on different field trips around the city.  The all-volunteer organization doesn’t just take deserving children to great L.A. places such as The Natural History Museum or the Long Beach Aquarium, but by using transit encourages young people to explore a transit oriented lifestyle.  Like every non-profit Transit People is going to need some extra help over the next couple of years.  If this sounds like a group you want to be part of, you can donate online here.

Photo: Ingrid Peterson and Damien Newton

The concept is pretty simple.  A group of cyclists create and set up booths and other amenities around an already bike-friendly area to create a Bike Town.  Organized by Alec Schwarz, one of the famed Midnight Ridazz, the event is simply described as thus:

We will be transforming several square blocks into a mini bike town. Simply ride your bike around the area meandering up and down every street. Make stops to patronize businesses, enjoy parks, and chat with other riders. It will be like a Midnight Ridazz stop on every corner.

But here's the thing.  The event has created a huge level of excitement on the Internet from people thirsting for a more bike friendly city.  Over 100 people have RSVP'd their attendance on the Facebook site for the ride and two group rides have been organized to the event.  One will start from the "Hel-Mel" bike district at 4:15 P.M. and the other will leave Winward Circle in Venice at 5 P.M.  For more information about this, or other Midnight Ridazz events, check out their website.  Upcoming events can be found in the bar on the far right of the screen.

This is the first event of it's kind that's been organized in recent memory.  Usually Ridazz events have a much smaller attendance than what is expected this Saturday at Bike Town Beta, and it will be interesting to see how the event handles the large crowd that is expected.

Best of luck to everyone this weekend, and check back next week for some photos that show that every weekend is a bike weekend in Los Angeles.

Photo: Alec Schwarz/Midnight Ridazz