CityWatchLA - Mayor Hits Ground, Misses Opportunity

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's bike crash has generated press around the country, prompting well wishes from around the globe, but somehow failing to elicit the most basic of the appropriate post-crash behavior from the highest ranking member of LA's cycling community.

The New York Times recounts the details of the Mayor's recent bike ride that ended quickly when a taxi operator pulled out in front of him and caused him to fall, resulting in a broken elbow that required surgery. It also references the Mayor's Copenhagen revelation of last year when he declared "In the area of bicycling I’ve got to do a better job and the city’s got to do a better job" and his new Huffington Post declaration “It’s time to recognize that bicycles also belong on L.A.’s streets.”

Grist refers to the incident as "a prime teachable moment to deflate the myth that collisions between military-sized vehicles and cyclists are no big deal. Instead, he reinforced the notion that public streets are for autos -- and anyone else enters at their own risk."

The Mayor has an opportunity to build on his "Biking in Los Angeles should be a natural" declaration, but it requires action, not just talk and YouTube video thanking the public for their concern. While promises of a Bike Summit play nicely to the cyclists of LA, unless the attendees are the General Managers of the many city departments who have a piece of the streets, it will simply be another opportunity to commiserate over the mean streets of LA as the audience bestows "One of us!" street cred on the Mayor.

I propose that the Mayor's real opportunity is to use the specifics of his bicycle crash on Venice Blvd. as an opportunity to improve the streets of LA for everybody and to do it by engaging in some simple and yet effective solutions.

1) Collect the data. Immediately following an incident on the streets of LA, go to LABikeMap.org and enter the data. (collision, near-miss, road conditions, harassment, etc.) No change will take place without good data and while the City of LA deliberates with Google over cloud computing, Bikeside has simply created a crowd sourcing process that allows the public to collect the data that drives the funding for improving the streets of LA for everybody.

2) Endorse the Cyclists' Bill of Rights. The right to travel safely and free of fear is supported by basic law, municipal code, and departmental policy. All that's missing is for the Mayor of Los Angeles to endorse it, communicating to the cycling community that he supports them in word and in action.

3) Implement the Backbone Bikeway Network. Now is the time for the Mayor to commit to connectivity, bringing the full City Family (LAPD, BOSS, Public Works, Planning, DWP, RAP...) together to support the implementation of the Backbone Network, supporting connectivity with Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, Evaluation and Human Infrastructure that goes beyond simple paint on the street. The Mayor has an opportunity to demonstrate leadership by bringing inter-agency leadership (Caltrans, CHP, Metro, LASD, LAUSD, CRA, SCAG...) together to make the Backbone Network an integral element of the Mayor's 30-10 plan.

4) Prioritize Human Infrastructure. Now is the time for the Mayor to set a good example by taking "Confident City Cycling Course" taught by Sustainable Streets. This is also the time to have the City Family participate in bicycle awareness training on the rights of cyclists on the streets of Los Angeles. At Chief Beck's direction, the LAPD developed an online program that sets a standard for effective communication and education. Let's use it!

5) Supervise the Professionals. LA's Department of Transportation licenses and regulates more than 2300 taxi cab operators and if pulling out in front of a cyclist and causing significant bodily injury doesn't warrant some response or trigger some call for education, what does? The motorist who pulled out into traffic and caused the Mayor to hit the ground must be held accountable for his actions, regardless of intent which is rarely an issue. Careless, inattentive, and distracted driving are the more common causes of injury but, regardless, if a Taxi Cab Operator fails to drive safely, he must be held accountable.

6) Empathize with the Public. As the City Council considers enhanced collection strategies for LAFD Ambulance services, it is imperative that the Mayor acknowledge the fact that the average Angeleno would not get emergency surgery on a weekend for an injury suffered on the streets of Los Angeles. If the Taxi Cab Operator caused the Mayor's injury, did the Taxi Cab Operator's auto insurance cover the bills? Surely the Mayor's health insurance, paid for by the public, is not covering an injury caused by a professional motorist licensed and regulated by the City of Los Angeles! The Mayor must clarify legal and financial responsibility, not simply brush it off.

These simple steps don't require scheduling a Bike Summit or gathering cyclists together to hear how tough it is on the streets of Los Angeles. They simply require the Mayor to take care of a few details and in doing so, he will get to proclaim "Los Angeles, the City with a Backbone!"

Live Intentionally - Your Choices are Lifestyle Choices!

Ross Hirsch and Jeremy Grant lead us through an L.A. neighborhood.

Photo from TucsonVelo.com

Josh Cohen, in his "We need people who ride bikes, not cyclists" post, writes of a commuter who gets on a bike but eschews the "cyclist" label, preferring to think of the bike as merely a conveyance and not a lifestyle choice. Josh writes:

"it’s just as likely that he will continue to see bikes as a tool and not an identity."

This post prompted a round of Tweets along the line of:

 @BikePedSCAG Bikes should be transportation-not lifestyle. Is this golden age of bike subcultures? RT @bikecommutenews We Need People Who Ride Bikes, Not Cyclists http://bit.ly/dBGLfL"

I take umbrage with this line of thinking (or blogging, as it may be) for a couple of reasons. First, it sets up an oversimplistic dichotomy, that one is either a casual commuter or a lycra wearing cyclist. Second, it ignores that fact that the simple choices that we make, regardless of their utilitarian purpose, reveal a great deal about us and communicate loudly to others. Regardless of one's desire to purchase, operate, or consume products and tools with anonymity, we have no option but to own the impact of our actions. Our lifestyle choices and decisions scream volumes and have a significant effect on others, regardless of our awareness.

I contend that a simple examination of something as a cyclist's choice of a recycled bike from a co-op vs. a handmade, one-of-a-kind bike crafted by NASA out of space materials goes a long way to communicating a persons values, politics, priorities, and also gives us an understanding of their social, political, environmental and even spiritual convictions.

Further, I contend that a glance at the same person's choice of energy bar (Clif vs. Power Bar?) or shoes (Nike vs. Columbia) or food (Trader Joe's vs. Whole Foods) or cell phone (Blackberry vs. iPhone) will reveal much of the person's personality and within a half dozen "lifestyle" choices, you can not only gauge the person's lifestyle integrity but you can also measure the person's accountability to the impact they are having on their sphere of influence.

To those who scoff and argue that these choices are superficial and don't really reveal character or culture, I would argue that they really do matter, the only thing that varies is our connectivity to the impact and the effect of our choices. Granted, many people drink coffee and buy gas and support entertainers without considering the impact of their support or of the message they send but that doesn't mean that there isn't an impact, simply that they aren't paying attention.

This is the new frontier for us as a community, intentional lives that connect actions to impacts, choices to lifestyles, behavior to character.

Yes, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that I think that those who yearn for the day when riding a bike is simply riding a bike are selling themselves short. I believe that everything we do, from little inactions to large leaps of behavior, has a tremendous impact and we must take responsibility and be held accountable for it all.

Cyclists/LAPD Task Force Celebrates Bike Week

Thursday's meeting of the Cyclists/LAPD Task Force marked the 5th meeting of cyclists and LAPD brass, all in an effort to support cyclists on the streets of Los Angeles with LAPD policies and training that are relevant and effective. It's been a long journey but it has paid of and the LAPD has delivered.

Sgt. Krumer screened the LAPD's new online training module for patrol officers that clearly articulates the rights of cyclists and the LAPD's commitment to supporting cyclists on the streets of Los Angeles. It was rewarding to hear the LAPD's narrator say "All streets are a street that a cyclist will ride." The debate over "Ride where it's right" vs. "Ride to the right" is addressed and the training session concludes:

"As police officers, it is our duty to ensure the rights and the safety of all users of the roadway. Cyclists deserve a well trained police force that understands the law and its application. The Department is committed to supporting the cycling community and encourages all of its officers to educate both motorists and cyclists of their mutual obligations to respect each other and SHARE THE ROAD."

Chief Doan then recapped some new LAPD  policies, directives and a Special Order that address several of the issues that the Cyclists/LAPD Task Force has addressed over the last several months.

* Cyclists have long complained that the law requires them to ride in bike lanes (except in specific circumstances) yet the city turns a blind eye when motorists, production companies, armored trucks, or trash cans block the lanes, creating an obstacle course for cyclists.

 The LAPD met with LADOT's Chief Jimmy Price of Parking Enforcement and has issued an Operations Notice clarifying the need to cite for "impeding/blocking bike lanes."

* Cyclists are often given conflicting information about the appropriateness of riding in the crosswalk, typically after an incident involving a collision with a motorist. The irony here is that the Orange Line takes cyclists from the protected Bike Path through intersections by using the crosswalk, yet cyclists get cited in some cases and a dead cyclist was blamed for her death because "she was riding the wrong way in a crosswalk."


The LAPD has clarified that crosswalks are extensions of the sidewalk and if sidewalk cycling is allowed, crosswalk cycling is allowed.

* Cyclists in Los Angeles sometimes encounter law enforcement officers from different agencies, all on the same streets. From the LAPD to the County Sheriffs to the Highway Patrol, it can sometimes be tough to figure out who to call and who's in charge. Recently, a cyclist was hit by a Metro bus, he then called LAPD but the LASD showed up and allegedly prevented the cyclist from obtaining the bus operators information. (LASD works for the Metro)

The LAPD has clarified and issued a Communications Division dispatch policy that the LAPD has authority over incidents involving the Metro on the streets of Los Angeles.

*Cyclists who are injured when forced from the road or when taking evasive action are the victims of a No-Contact Traffic Incident and the motorists who caused the incidents are responsible, even though there was no contact. The term "hit and run" applies to those who fail to "hit" but flee the scene. Two recent incidents highlighted the need to clarify the need to address this situation and the LAPD has issued a Special Order that clarifies the LAPD's responsibility and commitment to "No-Contact Traffic Reports with Injuries."

When the Cyclists/LAPD Task Force first met, it was at times a bit adversarial, with cyclists pushing and the LAPD defending, but this journey has paid off. As of this Bike Week meeting, the LAPD speaks the language of Bike Activists. This was the best Bike to Work Day event in town.

CityWatchLA - A Significant First Step

CityWatch, Oct 6, 2009
Vol 7 Issue 82

Saturday's NC Action Summit was a tremendous success from my perspective and I learned a great deal. It was an ambitious event, literally 10 pounds of meeting packed into a five pound agenda and as the emcee, I found it to be quite a challenge to keep things on track. Ultimately, I'm proud of the organizers, the participants and of the results. The NC Action Summit set out to create a forum for neighborhood council stakeholders to take on the issues that are relevant to the community, all with "Less Talk, More Action!"

That was a worthy goal but the first thing I learned on Saturday is that the "talk" is an important part of the "action" and the trick is not to limit, but to balance. There is no way to get to action without accommodating the public's need to be heard, to clear the air, to sound off and to deliver the anecdotes, the experiences, the defining moments that stirred the passion and prompted the public to give up their Saturday to get involved. It all starts with talk and it is, for many people, the action. I've learned to respect the important role 'talk" plays in "action."

The Summit had quite an ambitious agenda and we structured a schedule that in hindsight, could have been a tad more flexible.

Some issues went quickly, some went slowly and some were quite intense and were schedule busters.

I've been to meetings where success is based on adherence to the schedule, I've been to meetings where success is based on addressing every item on the agenda and hearing from every person. The real test of the NC Action Summit's success will not be based on our schedule or our open participation, it will be based on our ability to translate the event into results and I'm very optimistic.

We worked the agenda, people participated and I've learned that the event will be judged based on the next 90 days.

The event had something for everybody and for me, I was quite pleased with the outcome for the Cyclists' Bill of Rights. Dr. Alex Thompson, member of the Bike Writers Collective, Co-founder of the BikeRoWave, and Co-author of the CBR gave a presentation and engaged in a robust interaction with the public.

For all of the focus on action, this interaction was as valuable because we were able to hear concerns, misunderstandings, fears, new ideas and great suggestions, all of which we never hear in traditional settings at City Hall, Council Committee or Departmental presentations.

The Cyclists' Bill of Rights received a 50 to 1 vote of endorsement and Thompson gave a call for action, urging the audience to get their respective neighborhood councils to call for an extension on the city's Bike Plan comment period to 90 days, currently scheduled for 42 days and closing on November 6th, effectively leaving the NC's out of the comment loop.

The proposed comment period would end on Jan 4th allowing community members to evaluate the Bike Plan, take it to committee and then the board, offering an opinion on the Bike Plan and the improvements or lack of improvements in each NC.

Jeff Jacobberger offered to assist NC's in evaluating the Bike Plan and in inventorying any proposals or projected improvements in the community and the Bike Writers Collective will send speakers to any NC with the Cyclists' Bill of Rights on their agenda for endorsement.

I'm really encouraged that the Cyclists' Bill of Rights received such a great reception from the community and I'm also encouraged to see the cycling community engaging the neighborhood councils and looking for common ground.

At the end of the day, for all of the issues and all of the discussion and all of the commitment to action, the most significant part of the day for me was the fact that I had participated in the maiden voyage of LA's Government 2.0 and that real change is on the horizon.

Saturday's NC Action Summit was the significant first step.

You can sign up to the Twitter page at http://twitter.com/ncactionsummit and visit their website http://NCActionSummit.com for upcoming news and documents.

(Stephen Box is a transportation and cyclist advocate and writes Box Soap for CityWatch. He can be reached at Stephen@ThirdEyeCreative.net)

An Open Letter to Antonio Villaraigosa

It's always an honor to receive an email from the Mayor, especially when it includes an invitation to a party. But I was dismayed to open the most recent invite, only to discover that the Mayor simply can't get away from encouraging bad behavior and ignoring the city's real transportation solutions, those who take mass transit, those who walk and those who ride their bikes.

Attached is San Antonio's invitation and my reply.

**********************************************

Hello Friends,

This month is Latino heritage month, and I just wanted to invite you to take part in the exciting opening ceremonies we have planned for this Friday, September 4th, at City Hall.

The ceremonies will be featuring Brazilian dance and samba music, food, and special honorees Jaime Escalante, Sheila E., and Jimmy Smits.

Latino Heritage Month is an opportunity for all Angelenos to learn and share the creativity and enterprising spirit that have been the hallmark of the City of Angels since its foundation. I hope you’ll join me Friday and celebrate the vibrant culture that has helped make Los Angeles the greatest city in the world.

The event is completely free but please RSVP at SP-RSVP@lacity.org. Parking is also available. Here’s all the information you need:

What: 2009 Latino Heritage Month Celebration: "Embracing Our Roots & Cultures: the Tapestry that Built Los Angeles"

When: Friday, September 4th, 10am -12:15pm

Where: City Hall Council Chambers followed by Program and Reception on the South Lawn

RSVP: SP-RSVP@lacity.org.

Parking: when RSVPing, request parking and include the following information.

Driver's Name
Vehicle Make
License Plate Number

Parking is located at 201 N. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

I look forward to celebrating Latino Heritage Month with you!

Best,
Antonio Villaraigosa

**********************************************

Dear Mayor Villaraigosa,

It would be great if you could set a sustainable transportation standard for the city by making sure that all invitations to city sponsored events include Mass Transit, Bicycle and Pedestrian instructions.

You've probably never watched as pedestrians approach the "real" front of City Hall for the first time, frustrated when they realize that the public enters through the "service" entrance.

Likewise, you've probably never watched cyclists circling the block for the first time, looking for the bike racks that don't exist.

As for Mass Transit, stand at the Civic Center Red Line stations (2) sometime and watch people come from underground, circling around and looking for City Hall, a big building not readily visible to the disoriented. (Wayfinding opportunity!)

Anyway, the event looks great, it's just too bad that the invitation encourages people to bring their cars downtown!

Stephen

p.s. Seriously, how is that traffic congestion relief plan coming along?


photo (top) by Zach Behrens photo (bottom) by Mr. Rollers

City Council Creates Office of DIM

LA's City Council has taken the bold step of creating the Office of Dusty and Ignored Motions (DIM) that specifically tracks all Council motions and monitors City Departments, reporting back on the "snubbing" that those motions receive as they collect dust and a few laughs before they are completely ignored and are finally forgotten.

Rumors that Councilman Jack Weiss will be appointed as the City's Chief DIM Officer were unconfirmed as was the "suggestion" that this post would carry with it a $200K per year salary and would also be supported by a staff of 24, all to be selected and hired by the Chief DIM Officer.

A Council spokesperson explained the need for the Office of DIM by pointing out that the unique structure of the City of LA's government leaves the City Council with the illusion of authority but that in fact, it's all a charade. While this "political threatre" is good for groups of school children who tour the Council Chambers on any given workday, it's bad for the people who live and work and conduct business in LA and who depend on strong leadership in order to enjoy the quality of life they expect from the largest City in the most populated State in the most powerful Nation in the world.

A brief glance at some recent motions from last year that caused the people of LA to rush to the Council mic exclaiming "You like us, right now, you like us!" revealed that the Departmental "Lands of NO!" include the LAPD, the Department of Transportation and the Planning Department.

These Departments along with many others, have gotten so good at ignoring the City Council that they actually sit in Council Chambers, dressed up for the occasion, and look directly at the Council as they nod their heads up and down, all the while saying very clearly "Yes, we can't!" They then quickly turn the discussion into a complaint of their staffing woes and their budgets constraints. The actual motion in question fades from the discussion and begins the journey into ignomy while the City Department staff wear out their Capezios dancing around the City Council instructions.

Councilman Ed Reyes of Council District 1 introduced a motion that simply called on the Department of Planning to create a pilot project in his district consisting of a public workshop so that residents, bicyclists, businesses and others could weigh in on bicycle projects such as Bicycle Boulevards, Road Diets and Bike Stations. The input from his district which includes northeast Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium, Chinatown and MacArthur Park, would then be incorporated into the City's Bicycle Plan.

This motion had his one of his constituents blogging "I am going to thank the Councilman tomorrow, on my way to work. The man is a genius." Meanwhile, the Department of "No!" stifled their snickering long enough to nod their heads and they then promptly ignored the motion and went on their way.

Council President Eric Garcetti introduced a motion a year ago this coming June 27 that directed the Department of Transportation to develop a "Shared Lane Pavement Markings" (Sharrows) pilot program on Vermont Avenue between Hollywood Boulevard and 4th Street and Fountain Avenue between the 101 Freeway and Hoover Street. Sharrows are a lane marking (Chevron and cyclist) that is used to indicate the correct lane position for cyclists so that they are not in the door zone and so that motorists are clear on the correct lane positioning. Sharrows consist of paint. Right there in the lane 15 feet off the curb line. They're pretty simple until you bring the LADOT to the table.

This motion had cyclists throughout the City hopeful that Los Angeles was going to finally explore the full toolbox of engineering innovations that cities around the world use to support effective and safe cycling on urban streets. Of course, the Department of "No!" had other ideas and the creative excuses for a lack of progress have included concerns over the use of paint on the streets of LA because it's slippery, explanations that the work is taking a looooong time because the contractor is very busy, and the very simple "These streets are filled with cars. There's simply no more room for cyclists!"

Councilwoman Janice Hahn recently responded to tensions between the cycling community and the LAPD with a motion directing the Los Angeles Police Department to report on recent bicycle incidents and conflicts between bicyclists and motorists, as well as efforts to increase police officer training related to bicycling activities and applicable regulations and laws.

The LAPD showed up, flanked by the LADOT, and gave a powerful demonstration of non-responsive blame-shifting, referring the cyclists of LA as "these people" and then passing the baton so that the LADOT's representative could chime in on the training of cyclists on safety and responsibility. In both cases they demonstrated an inability to read OR incredible skills at simply dodging the directions and avoiding the responsibility.

As a wise Councilwoman once said, "I used to believe in conspiracy until I met gross incompetence."

Either way, the City Council of Los Angeles has done some great work, or so it would seem if one were to simply survey the landscape of dog-eared motions, all ambitious in their wording but ultimately impotent in their impact.

Now is the time for the people of Los Angeles to rally behind the Office of DIM and to encourage the City Council to pay attention, to insist on results and to follow through on these momentary sparks of innovation that need to go from motion to reality.

En Vélo - Au Royaume De L'Automobile

"To travel by bicycle in Los Angeles is to choose a parallel world" writes Nicolas Bérubé for Montreal's La Presse, demonstrating, once again, that what happens in Los Angeles resonates throughout the world.

I don't speak French but I know Katie and she was gracious enough to translate the article for us.

IN THE KINGDOM OF THE CAR
by Nicolas Bérubé

To travel by bicycle in Los Angeles is to choose a parallel world in which many cyclists don't leave unscathed. For Stephen and Enci Box, cycling has become a way of life.
PHOTO CAPTION: Stephen and Enci Box only travel by bicycle. As an added safety measure, they always call each other each time they arrive at their destination.

The last time he left in his Volkswagen Westfali, two years ago, Stephen M. Box sensed that the motor would not last for long.

That night, he parked his car in the garage of his apartment building, in Hollywood. He left his accumulated personal belongings which had gathered there over a number of years. And he made a surprising and even heroic decision for Los Angeles: He decided not to buy another car.

"The Westfalia is sitll there," says Mr. Box. "We go to visit it from time to time. It's like a little museum for us. A souvenir of a time when one needed to buy gas in order to get around."

Stephen Box and his wife Enci travel through the city by bicycle now. In Los Angeles. A city as large as some small countries. A city where driving is so popular that it's not uncommon to find oneself in a traffic jam in the middle of the night. A city where people who travel on foot are suspect.

"The other day, a driver lowered his window to shout at me, "Hey, you aren't in Europe, you know!" recounts Mr. Box. "I didn't respond. You get used to it."

SUNNY ALL YEAR ROUND

According to the weather charts of the region, Los Angeles should promote cycling. The city counts 329 years of sunshine annually on average. Certain neighborhoods are located on monumental hills (Hollywood, Silverlake, Echo Park). But in general, the city is flat as a coin and as easy to pedal through as the Netherlands.

In theory, at least. In practice, it's rotten. The bikable streets are hard to find. They don't take you to the busiest parts of the city. Drivers are always speeding and, until the law was changed this past summer, always on the phone. Paying attention to cyclists on the roads around them doesn't factor in to their priorities.

The result: Even as the rising price of gas pushes more people to travel by bicycle more often, cycling remains a marginal activity in the second-largest city in the United States.

"People don't have a great tradition of respect for cyclists," explains Bill Rosendahl, Los Angeles City Councilmember. "Now, with the energy crisis, more and more citizens are choosing to travel by bike. This is why we have to work together to learn to share the road."

ROLLING ON THE ROAD

With more than 10,000 kilometers of roads in Los Angeles County, less than 700 are given bike routes, of which a quarter are outside the limits of the most highly trafficked areas of the city.

The lack of bike routes is so pronounced that the City allows cyclists to ride on the sidewalks, often deserted, provided that cyclists don't ride too quickly or put the safety of pedestrians at risk.

For Mr. Box, who maintains a blog about biking (www.soapboxla.blogspot.com), even these disappointing statistics are misleading. "Strangely, it's the streets with bike lanes that are the worst. You have parked cars, buses, cars leaving parking spaces ... It's almost impossible to ride in the lane for more than two minutes without somebody or something getting in your way."

He settles the matter: He rides in the street, in the center of the lane, as if he were driving a car. "Los Angeles is the city of 'me,'" he says. "People don't understand that a cyclist can ride in the street, in front of them, in front of their car. They look at you with their arms raised, their eyes large. They just refuse to see it."

In his community work, Mr. Box must travel to all four corners of the city, often in the same day. He says he easily rides 50 kilometers every day, often more. He goes to each Municiple City Council meeting and fights for each bicycle issue to be put on the agenda. As a measure of security, his wife and he began to call each other each time they reached their destination. "That way, we each know the other has arrived safely. If she doesn't call me, I know go out on the road to make sure everything's okay with her."

Mr. Box is insulted, several times a week, by drivers on the road. "Get a car!" is a common one lately. Other drivers cry out, "Get on the sidewalk!" "They don't know that I have the right to be on the road," he concludes.


ROAD RAGE AGAINST CYCLISTS
by Nicolas Bérubé

Last summer, an incident occurred that propelled cycling into the forefront of the news.

On July 4th, a retired doctor drove down a steep hill in his SUV, passed two cyclists in the road in front of him, and slammed on his brakes without warning. One cyclist went through his rear windshield and suffered serious injuries to the face and head.

The driver, Christopher Thompson, 59, was reported as saying that he slowed down as he did in order to "give them a lesson." He claims that the cyclists -- two athletes in their forties -- refused to ride single file, even after he honked his horn. According to the police, it was a case of road rage. The driver was arrested and will soon appear in court.

The accident took place on Mandeville Canyon Road in the fashionable Brentwood neighborhood, home to several celebrities as well as California State Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger.

Stephen Box was one of the first people to comment on the incident, a story that continues to be followed by the LA Times and which all cyclists in Los Angeles recount as a tale of terror.

According to him, it's the ignorance and impatience of the driver, unused to sharing the road with cyclists, that was the cause of this debacle.

"We have a lot of educating to do. Unfortunately, the generations before us didn't demand bike lanes and equal rights for cyclists. We have a long way to go. It's difficult. But we have to start somewhere."