Dr. Christopher Thompson is taken away in cuffs Monday. Photo: Los Angeles Times

Following a highly-publicized, intensely-followed trial, Christopher Thompson, the physician accused of using his car to seriously injure two cyclists in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, is behind bars.

Thompson was convicted yesterday of six felony counts: two counts each, according to VeloNews, of assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious bodily injury, and reckless driving causing specified injury and mayhem.

On July 4, 2008, Thompson passed cyclists Ron Peterson and Christian Stoehr as the pair rode through the emergency room surgeon's upscale neighborhood. Angry after a verbal exchange with the men, Thompson slammed on the brakes of his red Infiniti as Peterson and Stoehr rode behind. Stoehr ended up in front of the car, wounded with a separated shoulder. Peterson hit the rear window, suffering severe facial injuries. Thompson told police on the scene that he was tired of cyclists in his neighborhood and wanted to "teach them a lesson."

At trial, Thompson denied making that statement, claiming that he had been attempting to get photographs of the cyclists, who he said had frightened him. But the jury didn't buy it, possibly because of Thompson's history of hostility toward people on bikes. He was also convicted Monday of misdemeanor reckless driving, a charge stemming from a prior encounter with two other cyclists.

Prosecutor Mary Stone urged that Thompson be remanded to jail, saying: "In terms of public safety, there isn’t a cyclist in Los Angeles who would be comfortable if he were out on the streets." Judge Scott Millington apparently agreed, ordering Thompson held without bail. Sentencing is set for December 3. Thompson faces up to 10 years in prison.

Thompson could very well get off with a light sentence. But to have prosecutors, a judge and jury members agree on the heinous nature of this crime, and to deem its non-driving victims worthy of justice, can scarcely be interpreted as anything other than a positive development -- one that will hopefully be noticed by law enforcement officials nationwide.

Damien Newton at Streetsblog LA has followed this case since Thompson's arrest last year. You can catch up on the coverage here.

If you don't care for DOT's new bike safety ads, here's something you'll really hate.

Damien Newtown out at Streetsblog LA pointed us to this flippant, counterproductive LADOT spot earlier today. While our own DOT implores street users to look out for each other, the agency's LA counterpart plays up the supremacy of the motorist by likening cyclists to insects. Writes Damien:

[F]or anyone that thinks that it's unfair to pull an LADOT advertisement from a couple of years ago to compare to the hard-hitting stuff being put out in NYC, components of the "Laws of Physics" advertisement campaign are still being circulated today. At Bike to Work Day, I received a yellow bracelet bearing the slogan "Ride right and stop at the light," a slogan which still confuses me. Are they telling me to ride correctly, or urging me to ride in the gutter? Is the bracelet an example of bad grammar or bad advice?

Like several New York readers, Damien wonders if the "Look" ads might unintentionally scare would-be cyclists off the roads. But relatively speaking, at least, NYC DOT's message holds up pretty well.

I have to admit: The thought of filming a control room designed to move vehicles more efficiently didn't excite me at first. But once I met Senior Transportation Engineer Bill Shao and the friendly staff at Los Angeles' Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control (ATSAC), I was full of curiosity.

Developed to help direct traffic during the 1984 Olympics, ATSAC has grown to monitor and control over 3,000 of L.A.'s 4,100 signalized intersections, some of them incredibly complex. ATSAC is one of the only such systems in the country that is publicly owned, and the technology is so advanced that even on its busiest days the control room only requires a few people to run it.

I'm told there are regular group tours of the facility. Next time you visit LA I recommend checking it out.

Who would have thought that one of the best Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in the U.S. would be in its most sprawling city?

In October 2005, the Los Angeles County Metro Authority (or Metro) debuted a new 14-mile BRT system in the San Fernando Valley using a former rail right-of-way. Unlike many "rapid" bus transit systems in the U.S., the Orange Line is true BRT: it features a dedicated roadway that cars may not enter, has a pre-board payment system so buses load quickly and efficiently, and uses handsome, articulated buses to transport passengers fast -- sometimes at speeds approaching 55 mph! The roadway is landscaped so ornately you could almost call it a bus greenway.

But that's not all. The corridor also boasts a world class bike and pedestrian path which runs adjacent to the BRT route for nearly its entire length, giving users numerous multi-modal options. Each station has bike amenities, including bike lockers and racks, and all the buses feature racks on the front that accommodate up to three bikes.

Perhaps the biggest problem is its soaring success: ridership numbers have some calling for the BRT to be converted to rail, and Metro is exploring ways to move more passengers, including buying longer buses.  Expansion plans are also underway.

Whatever way you slice it, this is truly a hit with Angelenos. A formerly 81 minute trip now takes 44-52 minutes -- over an hour in round-trip savings -- making a bona fide impact in the lives of commuters.

The bike scene in Los Angeles is alive and well -- and growing every day.

Streetfilms rode along with one of two bike tours of local art studios sponsored by the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council. Afterward, we joined a block party in progress, arriving just in time to hear solid words of encouragement and promises of a brighter bicycling future from LA City Council President Eric Garcetti, himself a bike rider. Dancing, art, food, and general chillaxing in the streets continued until 10 p.m.

Sure, LA has a bigger hill to climb than most major U.S. cities, but it could also benefit the most from a livable streets agenda. Once the seeds are planted, there's no going back.

On his recent west coast tour, Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson visited three bustling Los Angeles bike repair co-ops: Bike Oven, Bikerowave, and their progenitor, Bike Kitchen. Despite its reputation as ground zero for car congestion, the sprawling City of Angels clearly sports a robust bike scene. Writes Clarence:

I don't know if there is an official stat chart on bike co-ops/collectives in the United States, but certainly Los Angeles boasts more in one city than any I am immediately aware of. We found the atmosphere at all three to be highly fun and informative, with the spirit of community to be the true draw. When you need to fix your bike why not make friends at the same time?

Clarence Eckerson's newest Streetfilm captures the bustle of pedestrians and cyclists using diagonal crosswalks near the USC campus. It's entrancing footage, even without the benefit of time-lapsed film. LADOT recently added 10 of these crossings around the metro area, but as Clarence discovered in the course of making the video, the "pedestrian scramble" isn't completely novel to L.A.:

...as it turns out, this new idea is something old. Thanks to some nifty sleuthing, Eric Richardson of blogdowntown uncovered the fact that the downtown L.A. area was once littered with two dozen diagonal crosswalks in the late 1950s. Removed in 1958 because a city engineer's report found they impeded car traffic flow, the lesson is obvious: let's not wait another fifty years to deploy a tool to keep pedestrians safe.

And if you want to watch something that now seems extra silly, we did something fun on Barnes Dances early in the year. You have been warned.

Time to trade in the 22's and hydraulics for a Schwinn?

Via Streetsblog LA, a story of motorist anger run amok this past holiday weekend:

A motor vehicle driver, outraged that he was being asked to Share the Road, sped past some cyclists and slammed on his brakes; using his car as a weapon to critically injure the cyclists.  Ron Peterson had no time to swerve and ended up with his face slamming into the car’s rear windshield.  The other cyclist, Christian Stoehr, had more time to maneuver and escaped with an assortment of cuts and bruises.  Both cyclists are accomplished racers who know how to safely maneuver on the road.

When a third cyclist attempted to stop the doctor from leaving the scene the driver laid into him with curse words and threatened to drive over his bike.

The LAPD arrested and charged Dr. Christopher Thompson who was released on $30,000 bail.  No trial date has been set, but the Chief of Staff for Councilman Bill Rosendahl, the councilman in the area where the crash took place, assured LAist readers that, "The investigation will be handled by [West Los Angeles division] Detectives, who are seeking a criminal filing. When LAPD updates us on the progress, I will be sure to share that information here."

Images of the crash's aftermath (caution: fairly graphic) after the jump.

Images: LAist

A group of cyclists in Los Angeles continues its guerrilla rides on city freeways. In this video, via Streetsblog LA, riders are joined by rollerbladers as they cut through idling traffic on the 405. The "Crimanimal Mass" movement has gotten more sophisticated since the previous video installment, what with the narrative-style editing, helpful graphics and what seems to be an original score (which I could only tolerate for about four minutes before muting).

Read all about the "If You Rode a Bike You'd Be Home By Now" rides here.

Video: richtothele/YouTube

Never let it be said that transportation reform advocates don't have a sense of humor. How else can you explain the decision to take one of Los Angeles' best known pedestrian advocates and interview her while driving around the Hollywoods at rush hour on a Friday night?

Streetfilms' Nicholas Whitaker took a backseat, rush hour ride with City Planner Deborah Murphy through the streets of Los Angeles in the second part of our series of Streetfilms set in Los Angeles. Murphy pointed out some of the difficulties one encounters in L.A. as a pedestrian advocate, commuter, and champion for change.

Via WestSideBikeSide, last week 10 Los Angeles cyclists (illegally) took to the 405 and the 10 on the premise that riding on those infamously congested freeways at rush hour is no less safe than taking the Pacific Coast Highway.

Other LA blogs have picked up the video. Metblog called it "equal parts stupid and awesome," and Joke Is Up calls it a "great little bit of anarchy here in Los Angeles." Viewers at YouTube seem similarly at odds. One poster says he "fell asleep b4 I got to the part where the idiots got crushed by a Hummer," but another commenter asks what I think is the million dollar question: "LA is made for cars. Why are bicycles getting places faster?"

Video: richtothele/YouTube via Streetsblog LA 

Nick Whitaker files this first in a series of Streetfilms on transportation for Streetsblog Los Angeles. Here, we hear from LA City Council Member Wendy Greuel, Director of LA County Regional Transit Planning Rex Gephardt, and Executive Director of the Transit Coalition, Bart Reed, on how the city's burgeoning Bus Rapid Transit system can be a stepping stone to expanding future transportation choices.

Don't forget Tuesday's BRT event at the Bronx Botanical Garden, where DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan will be joined by international experts in discussing the benefits of Bus Rapid Transit throughout the boroughs.

 
Slate takes the short ride down what one of its editors calls "the stupidest bike lane in America," which leads Los Angeles cyclists for about one block before dumping them into Westwood traffic. Know of any of these in New York?

Chicago bicyclists, Mayor Daley (pictured right) knows your pain.

The mayor introduced an ordinance Wednesday that would slap fines ranging from $150 to $500 on motorists who turn left or right in front of someone on a bicycle; pass with less than three feet of space between car and bike; and open a vehicle door into the path of a cyclist.

Daley, an avid rider, said he personally has been involved in unhappy encounters with motorists, providing them with "a few choice words" and "salutes" that he said were delivered "in the Chicago way."

Then, on the other end of the spectrum, there's Los Angeles:

Last night, a group of cyclists from throughout the LA area delivered the Bicyclist Bill of Rights to the Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee and asked the members to deliver it to the Mayor and City Councilmembers.

After leaving the meeting (10:30 pm) the cyclists were riding on Virgil and approaching Melrose when four cyclists executed a "vehicular left turn" on the approach to a red light. The car to the rear and left continued to accelerate toward the red light and only yielded to the cyclists in control of the lane at the last moment, causing him to stop suddenly. The cyclists were riding in pairs throughout the left turn maneuver. Behind the cyclists was an LAPD Sgt. who looked at the incident and decided that the cyclists were impeding traffic, all on the approach to a red light.

He pulled over the cyclists, let the motorist go, called for backup and tied up an additional three squad cars and a helicopter while he lectured the cyclists on everything from "impeding" to pedal reflectors to the difference in weight between a bicycle and an automobile....

...As Enci told the Committee members, "I was born in a Communist country with limited freedoms and rights. When I moved the United States of America, I set foot on this ground and I immediately took possession of basic rights and freedoms. Why is it that when I climb on a bicycle I become a 2nd class citizen and get treated as if I have no rights? Those days end now and I'm claiming my rights!"

Photo: Chicago Mayor Richard Daley unabashedly takes a spin on a Velib public bicycle in Paris, France.

I was pretty sure that New York City had San Francisco beat for this year's Park(ing) Day, what, with the children's reading hour and the on-street gymnasium in Brooklyn; Staten Island and Queens getting in on the act; and German tourists frolicking on the sod in front of the MoMA (all captured by StreetFilms, of course). Then I saw photos of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome admiring Rebar Group's Parkcycle -- literally, a pedal-powered park on wheels -- and I realized that we had been foiled again. Back to the drawing board New York City Park(ing) fans. We've got 12 months to come up with something better than this...

Hollywood Bus Driver Attacks Cyclist, LAPD Handcuff Cyclist (and Wife!), Sept. 24.

The motorist with the heavy horn hand turns out to be Metro Bus Driver #XXXXX and she passes the cyclist so closely that his left hand touches the side of the bus as it speeds past him. The number #1 lane is empty and nothing serves to prevent the bus driver from changing lanes to pass the cyclist except for a failure on her part to acknowledge the cyclist's right to ride the streets of Los Angeles without having his life threatened.

The bus proceeds down Hollywood Boulevard to a bus stop at Wilton and stops. The cyclist pulls up on the driver's side of the bus and addresses the bus driver informing her that honking at a cyclist with no room to spare will only serve to startle the cyclist and cause a dangerous situation and that as a professional driver she should know that if the lane is too narrow to share, she should change lanes in order to pass without endangering the safety of the cyclist.

The driver screams "You were in my way. You need to get off the road!" She slams the window shut.

Beverly Hills SUV Driver Attacks Bicyclist, Only Bicyclist Gets A Ticket, Sept. 4.

I was riding to work as a graduate research assistant for my PhD studies at UCLA at around 10:40am Tuesday morning (August 21, 2007). I was westbound on Wilshire preparing to make a left turn onto Spalding from the left turn lane when a black Ford Explorer swerved into my right of way, nearly knocking me over into oncoming traffic. I was just able to maneuver out of the way to avoid a collision.

As soon as I made the left onto Spalding the black Explorer quickly accelerated and drove right up to my rear wheel and began to honk at me. I slowed down to pull over and then stopped. She stopped behind me and then I asked, "Why are you honking at me? You nearly killed me back there."

A police officer arrived a few minutes later and immediately yelled at me to go sit down on the curb with my bike without asking either of us what had happened. I started walking to the curb and told him that this woman had nearly killed me when she swerved into my lane. He then angrily yelled, "How stupid are you? What are you doing riding in the middle of the street with your bike blocking the road?"

 

In Los Angeles County, bicycle-related accidents have increased in the past year. Road rage is an enormous problem, and as growing numbers of Angelinos choose bikes as transportation, clashes with motorists are on the rise. The Los Angeles Times reported in August:

Scott Sing has had a tire iron hurled at him, a water bottle thrown at his head and been bombarded with racial epithets. And all he was trying to do was ride his bike on Los Angeles city streets.

His cycling and running brethren tell similar tales -- of being peppered with flying objects, cursed or otherwise assaulted -- and those don't even include the stories of near-misses and actual collisions. Such are the perils of trying to do something healthful in a city that's not known as bike- or pedestrian-friendly.

Many like Sing, 48, who have been on the roads for years say that the hostility and congestion are getting worse, especially as traffic worsens and drivers become more distracted by cellphones and other electronic gadgets. Cyclists in particular have borne the brunt of the road rage because they most often have to share the asphalt with the four-wheeled. And, judging from the frequent shouted demands to get off the road, many drivers are unaware that cyclists have as much right to the streets as they do.

Photo: Wildbell/Flickr

Rather than fence off the trash-strewn lot beside its building -- a stomping ground for drug-users and prostitutes -- one downtown Los Angeles community center added, instead, a few benches and flowers. Soon, neighbors began to hang out there, and the less desirable denizens vanished.

By beautifying the lot, the center transformed its use, and herein lies the vision of the Community Living Room project, run by the Los Angeles-based nonprofit group Verde Coalition: turn grim scraps of public land -- like bus stops, traffic medians, or dangerous street corners -- into welcoming public spaces.

Thanks all for reading and commenting on our non-motorized honeymoon travel series (see parts 1, 2, 3 and 4). Below is a table Susan put together to briefly summarize some of our observations on the cities we visited.

For those of you who want some more U.S. transit-oriented travel stories, check out Twin City Sidewalks' visits to Chicago and Washington, Babylon, L.I., Savannah, Ga. and Durham, N.C., and also visit Dave KCMO, who liveblogged his 8,789 miles on Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada.