Cyclist Killed in HB Hit and Run

A male cyclist was killed on north PCH between Seapoint and Warner about 11:40 this morning in Huntington Beach.  OCR article here – updates as we get them.

The coward driver fled the scene but no description is available yet.

Thoughts and prayers….
Details as they come in…Sadness

Anyone who witnessed the crash or may have information about the driver was urged to call the Huntington Beach Police Department at 714-960-8825.

from the Los Alamitos Seal Beach Patch we learn that Huntington Beach Police officers are at the scene of a non-injury Seal Beach crash to find out if there is a link to the earlier fatality.  Huntington Beach Police Lt. Brian Seitz said he heard reports that an arrest was made in Seal Beach, but is unable to confirm if there is a connection between the two cases at this point.

from the HBPD PIO we learn more;

“At 11:41 AM the police department received a call of bicyclist who was struck by a vehicle northbound Pacific Coast Highway at Center Signal.  The vehicle, described as a silver Hyundai with a damaged windshield, fled the scene.  Officers and paramedics arrived and found the bicyclist deceased at the scene.

Shorty thereafter the Seal Beach Police Department received a call of a solo vehicle collision in the area of Westminster and Seal Beach Blvd.  They arrived and discovered the vehicle matched the description of the hit and run vehicle.  The male driver is currently being detained and Huntington Beach Police Investigators are on the scene of both collisions.

Currently the bicyclist has not been identified.  The investigators are not releasing the name of the detained driver at this time and if an arrest is made we will update this post.  Please understand we are involved in a chaotic and evolving investigation that is still ongoing.”

Thanks to all who responded to this unfolding tragedy, our condolences to the family and friends of the as yet unidentified cyclist.

From Lt. Brian Seitz, HBPD Watch Commander, we learn that more information will be made available via a press release this evening, exact time unknown.

Well, it’s now after 7pm and no further information is available from HBPD, but NBC4 and KTLA5 are both reporting the driver being taken into custody for questioning.

RIP my brother.

Well it’s now early morning and no press release in the inbox, nor on the HBPD press release section of their website, but there was this entry in the arrest log:

Joel Alexander Murphy

HBPD Arrest Log

j
Alleged Suspect Detained

Photo courtesy of NBC4

HB Bike Plan Public Workshop

Title: HB Bike Plan Public Workshop
Location: Central Library – Talbert Room, 7111 Talbert Avenue
Description: Join us at our first public meeting and give us your thoughts
on how to make Huntington Beach a more bike-friendly place.
The bike planning consultants and City staff will be on hand to
answer your questions and record your comments.
Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2012-6-20
End Time: 20:00

Yeah, it’s a week night and for the early risers it may be a bit late, but try and be represented at this meeting because the future cycle-ability of your city lies in the balance. Despite what most developers tell you, there IS a national shift towards more sustainable modes of transportation and community.

Responsible developers are responding to this shift, so don’t believe your voice doesn’t matter.  “If you care, be there!”

Don’t forget to complete the on-line survey before you go!

Update: Here is our scorecard for the city of Huntington Beach. Surf City is ranked #3 behind Santa Ana and Anaheim for the most cyclist injuries in the county. It is tied for #4 with Garden Grove for cyclist deaths behind the cities of Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Newport Beach.

The scorecard also lists the number of traffic violations by count, type, and specific CVC violation  for each year from 2001-2012.

This scorecard is compiled from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) and is subject to revision by the administrating authority, the California Highway Patrol.

Take the HB Bike Plan Survey

The city of Huntington Beach, KTU+A (a San Diego planning and landscape architecture firm), and Complete Streets silver medalist Fehr+Peers (specializes in providing transportation planning and traffic engineering services), and the OCBC urge you to complete the Huntington Beach Bike Plan Survey.

KTU+A is working with the City of Huntington Beach on a Bicycle Master Plan and wants to know your opinion through their data gathering process before announcing community workshops – yay! Your feedback and input will directly affect your future cycling opportunities.

Now is the time to get involved; let your voice be heard!
Thanks  for your support.

OCBC at the OCTA Bike Fest

Traveling to Huntington Beach, your festive reporter attended the OCTA Bike Festival, and submits the following pics for your enjoyment.

Crowd Scene

Frank N

OCBC Booth and Volunteers

Frank P Interview

City of HB

Recycling Jerseys

Another Look

Spinning the wheel at the JAX booth, I won a bottle of chain lube.  After being instructed that “wet”  and “dry” style lubes refer to riding conditions (I thought they were all “wet”), I chose the dry, and feeling lucky, also tried my hand at the wheel at the OCTA booth – and won a frisbee!  The weather was great, and after hanging around for a while, your reporter set sail southward.

Rider Down and back up in CdM

Riding  into Corona del Mar, your observant reporter spotted a rider with a slight problem to his front wheel.

A wobbly wheel

Inquiring at the local Ace Hardware about a replacement wheel (“sorry, but we have tubes”), Assistant Manager Mike sprang into action and said, “We’ll fix this mountain bike style“, and proceeded to bend the rim into some semblance of round by pressing the edges against the curb, beating on it with a rubber mallet, and adjusting the spokes until the wheel would actually turn again!

Your reporter watched in amazement as the previously taco’d wheel was transformed into a rideable (though with a slight wobble) wheel again.  With decreased air in the tire (so as not to blow off the rim), the rider was able to re-mount and continue their journey.

The rim is a Mavic A719 in case you were wondering, however I’m sure this one will be recycled once the rider reaches a bike shop if he even makes it that far.

Great job Mike, you certainly saved that rider’s day!

Mike the "Ace" Mechanic

According to a NPB police officer cyclists are crazy to ride through Corona del Mar on PCH,”I don’t know how you guys do this, I’d never ride through here – you should use Bayside – there’s sharrows there”.  This was the 2nd cyclist accident in less than an hour within a few blocks of each other according to another police officer.  Status of the other injured rider is unknown at this time.
Added note;  from the adventures Frank had getting to  the festival, one has to wonder, is there something in the water?