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12-03-08, 06:09 AM
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20081202-2358-bn02hitrun2.html
ALPINE – The California Highway Patrol is asking for the public's help in finding a hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a 30-year-old bicyclist Tuesday.
The victim was riding in the bike lane on eastbound Alpine Boulevard west of East Victoria Drive when he was struck about 4:50 p.m. by a vehicle also traveling eastbound, said California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Pennings.
A vehicle traveling at a high speed, described as either a white truck or sport utility vehicle, hit the back of the bike, throwing the victim about 50 feet, Pennings said. The vehicle then ran over the bike and cyclist and the driver accelerated from the scene, leaving the victim in the road, he said.
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The real irony is that a local sheriff harassed a cyclist on a road near this area just a week before...
OK. This is my first post to this forum after a year of reading the various posts and opinions. But something happened today that I would like to get some feedback on. This morning I am riding down Dehesa Grade in east county, a winding single narrow lane road. I was going around 35mph not too fast but within the speed limit. Now the Speed limit is 50 mph for the whole length but because of the blind turns and safety concerns the yellow speed signs are posted as 30 mph. So I figure that 35 is a fairly safe speed. There are two sections on the down hill side that have enough of a shoulder to pull over. One about 3/4 mile down from Japatul and another about 1/2 mile down from there. There is maybe an average of 3 to 12 inches of shoulder, give or take, on the upper area aproaching the first safe area to pull over. So I hope I've painted a decent general picture of the road. OK back to what happenned. I'm cruising down Dehesa on the narrow winding section and a Sheriff approaches from behind. I am in the road right of center. I have a blinking red tail light. There are two groups of cyclist cimbing up the grade from the other direction. The Sheriff tries to pass into the other lane in front of the oncoming cyclist, which I'm not sure that he can see due to the blind corners. I put my hand out to signal not to pass as I felt his passing was too fast and too close to me and the oncoming cyclists. He did brake and fall back behind. He never had his lights on and I always had him in my mirror. At that point he turned his lights on and started using his loudspeaker to pull over. Which I did but only untill I reached the first section that is wide enough to do so.
Well, to say the least he was more than miffed. And this is what he said.
1. I was impeeding the flow of traffic and I should not ride in the lane unless I was going the speed limit. He said there is a minimum speed allowed on roads. (I did not think to ask him what that was at the time.
2. That I would be liable and charged with manslaughter if some was killed trying to avoid me.
3. That he could arrest me and take my bike for not pulling off the road immediately when he came up from behind.
Just a note. He was not in a hurry or on a call to go anywhere because when I got down to the bottom at Harbison and Dehesa he was sitting in his car hanging out amd when I drove by in my car 30 minutes later he was still there, hanging out.
ALPINE – The California Highway Patrol is asking for the public's help in finding a hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a 30-year-old bicyclist Tuesday.
The victim was riding in the bike lane on eastbound Alpine Boulevard west of East Victoria Drive when he was struck about 4:50 p.m. by a vehicle also traveling eastbound, said California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Pennings.
A vehicle traveling at a high speed, described as either a white truck or sport utility vehicle, hit the back of the bike, throwing the victim about 50 feet, Pennings said. The vehicle then ran over the bike and cyclist and the driver accelerated from the scene, leaving the victim in the road, he said.
******************************************
The real irony is that a local sheriff harassed a cyclist on a road near this area just a week before...
OK. This is my first post to this forum after a year of reading the various posts and opinions. But something happened today that I would like to get some feedback on. This morning I am riding down Dehesa Grade in east county, a winding single narrow lane road. I was going around 35mph not too fast but within the speed limit. Now the Speed limit is 50 mph for the whole length but because of the blind turns and safety concerns the yellow speed signs are posted as 30 mph. So I figure that 35 is a fairly safe speed. There are two sections on the down hill side that have enough of a shoulder to pull over. One about 3/4 mile down from Japatul and another about 1/2 mile down from there. There is maybe an average of 3 to 12 inches of shoulder, give or take, on the upper area aproaching the first safe area to pull over. So I hope I've painted a decent general picture of the road. OK back to what happenned. I'm cruising down Dehesa on the narrow winding section and a Sheriff approaches from behind. I am in the road right of center. I have a blinking red tail light. There are two groups of cyclist cimbing up the grade from the other direction. The Sheriff tries to pass into the other lane in front of the oncoming cyclist, which I'm not sure that he can see due to the blind corners. I put my hand out to signal not to pass as I felt his passing was too fast and too close to me and the oncoming cyclists. He did brake and fall back behind. He never had his lights on and I always had him in my mirror. At that point he turned his lights on and started using his loudspeaker to pull over. Which I did but only untill I reached the first section that is wide enough to do so.
Well, to say the least he was more than miffed. And this is what he said.
1. I was impeeding the flow of traffic and I should not ride in the lane unless I was going the speed limit. He said there is a minimum speed allowed on roads. (I did not think to ask him what that was at the time.
2. That I would be liable and charged with manslaughter if some was killed trying to avoid me.
3. That he could arrest me and take my bike for not pulling off the road immediately when he came up from behind.
Just a note. He was not in a hurry or on a call to go anywhere because when I got down to the bottom at Harbison and Dehesa he was sitting in his car hanging out amd when I drove by in my car 30 minutes later he was still there, hanging out.