
Some of my buddies are organizing a ride this Thursday, March 31 at 7pm. They're pretty amped on it which is generally a good sign that it's gonna be fun. Perfect timing--Starting to get warm again!
bicyclists on the mic. news, culture, & advocacy. san diego & beyond.

Today, a new prospective tool was introduced for bicyclists to defend themselves from harassment and assault. An anti-harassment ordinance, the motion to draft it being originally introduced by Council Member Bill Rosendahl, has been released today by the City Attorney’s Office. Pending council approval, bicyclists will be able to bring civil suit against drivers who assault them, harass them, threaten them, or intentionally distract them.
In the ordinance, the City recognizes not only that “people have a right to ride a bicycle in the City of Los Angeles”, but also that bicyclists are harassed and assaulted simply for being bicyclists – this ordinance gives bicyclists the right to go after offenders in court. The ordinance is now a public document, so you can read it yourself.
Criminal Cases are Tough to Prove
While it’s always been illegal to assault (or threaten to assault) a bicyclist, it has been extremely difficult in the past for authorities to prosecute drivers. That’s because if a police officer isn’t on hand to witness the altercation, there generally isn’t enough evidence to prosecute a driver in a criminal case. Cases of attempted assault are particularly hard to prove; a bicyclist using all their skill to avoid the assaults of an out-of-control driver is left with no physical evidence that an assault took place. There are also instances where the intentionally aggressive actions of a driver towards a bicyclist may cause a crash – just not with the driver that initiated it.
Civil suits, however, carry a much lower burden of proof than criminal cases. That’s because civil cases are monetary in nature and never carry any jail time. Under the new ordinance, a series of actions taken against a bicyclist are grounds for a civil suit. They are:
(^Not allowed)
In these civil suits, drivers who assault or harass bicyclists will be liable for:
The second stipulation is a very important one. Explicitly covering attorneys’ fees will make it much more likely for a lawyer to take cases with comparatively small monetary damages and make bicyclists far more likely to pursue civil suits when they are threatened, harassed, or assaulted.
Another important point to keep in mind is that nothing in this ordinance precludes bringing criminal charges against a harassing or assaulting driver. Rather than replacing any existing laws, this ordinance provides an additional supplement to help bicyclists defend themselves.
Thank you, Los Angeles, for taking the lead on this. Doing so will make it much more likely for a similar ordinance to pass in San Diego.
Then the dude drove away….only to circle back a few minutes later and tell me I’d better watch my back.









Send the message that you don’t tolerate the harassment and injury of cyclists…
Help build a $10,000 reward fund to catch the GranFondo hit-and-run driver.
Together, we’ve already raised $3,000 toward our $10,000 goal.
You can donate quickly and securely now at www.Bikesonoma.org.
Here’s a great article about the reward fund: http://www.bikeradar.com/news/
Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition and
Levi's Gran Fondo offer reward for information
leading to arrest of the hit-and-run driver.
The community must not tolerate those who
harass and injure cyclists…
Let’s raise $10,000 to make sure
this driver is held accountable
Now is the time:
“The California Highway Patrol has reached a point in this investigation in which all reasonable leads have been exhausted,” says CHP Sergeant Robert Mota. “The CHP needs the public’s help in this investigation. I believe that someone out there has information that could lead to the arrest of the responsible person. The reward money will hopefully entice that person to come forward.”
Think you have information?
Anyone with any information regarding this incident can contact Detective Mike Phennicie or Sergeant Robert Mota at (707)588.1400 during business hours (M-F, 8-5 PST) or at (707) 551.4100 outside of business hours.
Background:
The hit and run occurred on October 9, 2010 in the eastbound lane of Graton Road, approximately 4:15 in the afternoon. Reports consistently describe the offending vehicle as a mid-90s maroon Ford Explorer.
A person or persons in a vehicle matching this description had been harassing cyclists along the GranFondo route from as far away as Coleman Valley Road, both verbally and with his or her vehicle. When the hit and run incident occurred, the cyclist, Anoush Zebarjadian, was struck from behind with the side mirror of the motor vehicle. Zebarjadian was hospitalized in Santa Rosa before being transferred to San Francisco with critical head injuries. While he is expected to make a full recovery, it will be a lengthy and challenging one.
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