Bicyclist Struck by Vehicle on Cacique

ZH: Consider reading the book "How to Remove Bees from Your Bonnet." I do not want to spoil it for you, but the book has nothing to do with actual bees.

"Many of these riders who keep getting hit by cars could have avoided injury by simply following the rules. Even the Spandex "professional" riders who get hit believe it is always the fault of the driver, when it actually was their own fault" sounds like a lot of faux facts. as i stated, you are saying many of the same people get hit. you are also stating it's always the bikers fault? that's just insanely stupid.

ZH: Read the comment again without assuming that it was written in a negative tone. It is always better to be positive.

and how do you know the person on the bike in this situation was not following the rules of the road? quite a brazen statement to make with little to know knowledge of the event. "Many of these riders who keep getting hit by cars" how do you know the same riders are in multiple collisions? were you there to witness all of them? nope.

totally agree. i lead by example with my kids. stop at all stops, foot down on the ground. look at all intersections. make eye contact. wear helmets. don't act like you're invincible and realize those cars are heavy and fast. stay to the right, ride single file, etc. however not every one does this and those are the ones who get hurt.

Zero: You are soooooo correct. However, cyclists need to protect themselves by stopping at all Stop signs, staying out of the middle of the road, riding single-file, be aware of all traffic around you, and most importantly, stay as far to the right as possible to reduce the chance of getting hit. Drivers have nothing to lose, especially when they are behind the wheel of a useless 3-ton SUV, but cyclists riding mindlessly down the lane have everything to lose....and it happens each and every day. Stay safe and follow the rules my cyclist friends.

um....then where should the large population of people who ride bikes to work or school, ride? on the side walks? no, we can ride on the road too, you just have to be aware when there are pedestrians and cyclists around when y ou're roaring around downtown in the 25 mph zones in your oversized and useless SUV

RON-- It was 36 spaces removed on Cota street, not 60. I commute on the bike lane and rarely find myself alone. Now that school has started again at SBJHS it will be even more well-utilized.

where on Cota? I live a block from West Cota street and there is NO bike lane at all connecting the lanes from Bath and Castillo to the east side of State.

RON, I hope that doesn't mean cars are now indemnified for taking out cyclists who don't use the bike lanes?!?

Uh, Alisos and Cacique are nowhere near Cota?

my point exactly. the city council wants to look good so they do this crap, but do they actually talk to the people who live and ride downtown? nope lol...good waste of parking spaces....

i ride on DLV when i'm coming back from Ralphs with food for my kids, but you have to be aware and time it right. A mix of slow sidewalk riding, surface street too. Just have to be aware. A reminder. DLV in the downtown corridor is a 25MPH zone and you are SUPPOSED to stop for pedestrians at the marked cross walks...very few of you do. How do I know this? My two girls and I try to cross DLV at Ortega and usually count about 7 cars before someone stops to let us walk....remember people....it's a 25 zone and a family neighborhood, not a race track.

Vanilla, do you ride a bike downtown? I do bc i live and work down here. Just because there is a bike lane on a specific street doesn't mean that someone needs to ride on it. What if I have to go to a place on Ortega street coming from Bath and Mission? You ride down Castillo on the bike lane and cut down any other side street connecting to another. We are allowed to ride on any surface street just like you do in a vehicle. I actually live on Ortega, and have never rode on Cota and probably would not. Why? Because i don't go that way....I'm rarely on the east side and it doesn't matter where a cyclist rides. If they are the lot that is brazen and obnoxious on a bike that's worth more than my truck, and ride out in the car lanes when there are actual bike lanes on the same road thats one thing, but most of us put around and run errands, do shopping, go for a fun ride, or head to the beach. East Cota doesn't do any of that for me...

I use it all the time (and the lanes on Bath and Castillo). But not enough bikers do so. I saw a biker on De La Vina a few weeks ago. Legal? Yes. But really stupid. Have safe lanes in Santa Barbara is a smart thing, but it is a shame more bikers don't use them.

And if that's not along their route then what? I've seen lots of people using it actually, but likely because they were headed that way.