Hi, LA native here, and I’ve driven around there before. That location, the industrial roads in south downtown, the type of people driving there at 6:30am, and this 45 year old guy who was probably just trying to get to work (likely biking out of necessity) makes none of this story a surprise. Even the lack of stopping isn’t a surprise as the two drivers were probably also hurrying to work, although imagine killing a guy and starting your work day anyway, yikes.
Search up 45th and Pacific, Vernon, to see how industrial that area is. There are a few places in LA that you can bike safely but this sure as hell ain’t one of them. That’s not to say I’m blaming the victim, of course, but that there’s a clear systemic problem if someone can’t get to work safely. Then again, anti-car folks probably already know that.
My two cents, don’t ignore the class issue. Biking infrastructure is only available in affluent communities yet many people bike to work because they can’t afford to own a car. And what little bike routes we do have (e.g. Ballona Trail), they’re riddled with drug users and homeless encampments (at least, in the morning, they get cleared out regularly).
Hi, LA native here, and I’ve driven around there before. That location, the industrial roads in south downtown, the type of people driving there at 6:30am, and this 45 year old guy who was probably just trying to get to work (likely biking out of necessity) makes none of this story a surprise. Even the lack of stopping isn’t a surprise as the two drivers were probably also hurrying to work, although imagine killing a guy and starting your work day anyway, yikes.
Search up 45th and Pacific, Vernon, to see how industrial that area is. There are a few places in LA that you can bike safely but this sure as hell ain’t one of them. That’s not to say I’m blaming the victim, of course, but that there’s a clear systemic problem if someone can’t get to work safely. Then again, anti-car folks probably already know that.
My two cents, don’t ignore the class issue. Biking infrastructure is only available in affluent communities yet many people bike to work because they can’t afford to own a car. And what little bike routes we do have (e.g. Ballona Trail), they’re riddled with drug users and homeless encampments (at least, in the morning, they get cleared out regularly).