Mark your calendar for September 8th, when the hit-and-run driver accused of killing 6-year-old Hudson O’Loughlin is scheduled to stand trial.
The boy was riding bikes with his family in Pacific Beach in January when he was allegedly struck by 33-year old Tiffany Sanchez as she turned into an alley. Sanchez reportedly knocked the boy off his bike, then paused briefly before stepping on the gas and driving over Hudson as he was trying to get back on his feet.
She faces 12 years behind bars on charges of gross vehicular manslaughter, hit and run with death, and driving without a license in the Jan. 17 incident.
Sanchez has pled not guilty to all charges, and is free on bond.
Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels.
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He gets it.
An op-ed from a UCLA law student refutes the idea that the school should provide more student parking and reduce costs, arguing that Westwood is well served with other transportation options, and only 25% of off-campus students drive to their classes.
Rather than subsidize driving, UCLA should invest in better means of transportation. Coordinated policies between the university, Westwood Village and city and regional governments have reduced and can continue to reduce car dependency in this eminently walkable, bikeable and scooter-friendly area that is well-served by public transit. Bruin U-Pass is a perfect example of that coordination. Metro Bike Share is similarly a good idea, but it needs investment and expansion.
The goal in Westwood should not be more parking or more permits, but less driving and fewer cars.
He’s going to make a damn good lawyer.
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Streets For All is hosting a webinar on July 9th to discuss the status of their bills in the state legislature.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
No bias here. An op-ed writer for the very anti-bike New York Post argues that ebike riders and their bikes must be licensed and registered, and commercial ebikes should be geofenced to keep them off sidewalks and pedestrian paths, and prevent them from speeding, arguing that “disorganized cyclists are just as fed up as pedestrians with the reckless e-bike takeover of bike lanes.” Except she makes the common mistake of lumping all ebikes together, when the problems are caused by people on e-motos and motor scooters, not people on ped-assist ebikes. And the problem isn’t caused by bike organizations, either.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A video appeared to show a group of teenage boys assaulting a man in Maine, after they had allegedly ridden their bikes through a stop sign and forced him to brake suddenly, to which he responded by getting out of his car and tossing one of their bikes into a pond.
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Local
No bias here. LA Reported says Los Angeles has finally resumed resurfacing streets, but have focused on the wealthy community of Bel Air over less advantaged areas like Boyle Heights — not because of the political power of the ultra rich, but because the streets need less work and don’t require conforming to Measure HLA or the Americans with Disabilities Act, significantly lowering the cost of repairs.
Participation in the Culver City Pride Ride has gotten bigger in each of the last six years, despite “the algorithms of billionaires…making us all feel smaller and less important.”
ActiveSGV will host a free, family-friendly Tour de Arroyo bike ride on Sunday, July 12th, providing participants with a behind-the-scenes look at existing and proposed water projects in the Arroyo Seco.
Talk about bad timing. Long Beach’s Beach Streets open streets event will return with Beach Streets Kickin’ It Downtown on July 19th; unfortunately, that’s the same day CicLAvia returns to Hollywood and West Hollywood, forcing a difficult choice over which one to attend. Unless they are both taking place in honor of my wife’s birthday, in which case, carry on.
State
No news is good news, right?
National
WTF? A Portland man faces charges for trying to kidnap a three-year old boy following an argument over a bicycle; the boy’s father was in the park with his kids when a stranger tried to make off with his ten-year old daughter’s bike, then tried to snatch the kid when he couldn’t get away with the bike.
Relatives of an 85-year old Arizona man believe he was attacked while on a routine morning bike ride, after he woke up in the hospital with around a dozen broken bones, including a neck fracture, and no memory of what happened. Although I still don’t have any memory of how I ended up in the hospital after the Infamous Beachfront Bee Encounter, and that was almost two decades ago.
A 23-year old Texas man faces charges for the hit-and-run death of two men training for an Ironman triathlon near Denton, Texas last year; Eliseo Mauala was allegedly speeding and not paying attention to the road when he slammed into the two men from behind as they were riding their bikes, and refused to take a drug and alcohol test after returning to the crash scene.
A Cincinnati area man is repairing a thousand discarded bikes to donate to people in need this year.
Sad news from Illinois, where a 29-year old man riding a bicycle was killed in a collision with a car, which apparently did not have a driver.
An 18-year old New Jersey man faces two murder counts for killing two young women sharing an ebike last year; he is accused of intentionally slamming into the two 17-year old girls while doing at least 70 mph in a 25 mph, before fleeing on foot. He will be charged as an adult after relatives accused him of persistently harassing one of the girls, who had reportedly sought a restraining order against him.
Electrek says Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed a bipartisan ebike bill for “the most Florida reason ever,” because it could lead to increase government surveillance of civilians; leaders in Florida’s Orange County are working on their own ebike bill as a result of the governor’s veto.
International
Canada appears to be going the wrong way, as a new report shows both children and adults over 65 were constantly more likely to live further from bicycling infrastructure than just a decade ago.
More than a thousand London bike riders took place in a mass trespass when the latest Critical Mass ride went around road closure signs to ride on a highway where bikes aren’t allowed, which is currently closed for repair work.
The London borough of Brent finally got around to publishing its annual monitoring report for 2025, showing car ownership and injuries from traffic violence continued to rise, despite local targets calling for a drop in both.
Cyclist talks with the CEO of iconic British bike brand Pashley.
I want to be like him when I grow up. An 83-year old British man hopes to set a new Guinness World Record as the fastest octogenarian to ride the length of the UK; if all goes well, he expect to beat the existing 14-day record by a whopping four days.
A 27-year old Irish man fulfilled his dream of riding a bicycle back into his hometown, over two years after losing his sight due to a rare health condition.
Road.cc looks at the unreleased aero gravel bike prototypes and concept bikes from the recent Eurobike trade show.
Spanish bike riders face fines ranging from the equivalent of $228 for using a handheld phone, to over $1,100 for biking under the influence.
Forget Mallorca and the Canary Islands; the new Cycle Tourism Index says Croatia’s Adriatic Coast is the place to be for bicyclists this summer.
Tragic news from Poland, where the heat wave gripping Europe claimed the lives of two men, ages 71 and 30, participating in a mass mountain biking event. Although the “blistering heat” the competitors faced was just under 97° Fahrenheit, which wouldn’t bat an eyelid in most of the US.
Taiwanese bikemakers are moving to reimburse migrant workers following accusations of forced labor and human trafficking.
Competitive Cycling
The Olympics website offers tips on who to watch in this year’s Tour de France, and how; you can watch live on live on NBC Sports and streaming the race on Peacock.
Finally…
That feeling when you have to remind drivers that bike riders are people, too. Or when you spot a giant octopus along the local bike path.
And your next really, really expensive watch could be a homage to classic Tour de France winning bikes.
And not just because of the tiny motor hidden inside.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.