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Cyclist and Activist 'Roadblock' Injured In Hit and Run
On Monday night, the well-known cyclist and activist, who goes by Roadblock, was thrown from his bike after a driver rear-ended him going 45 miles per hour. The accident occurred on N. Glendale just before Park and the driver was said be in a dark gray sedan, plate number 6GYC11.
Unfortunately, it seems like such stories are becoming much too frequent, especially in this part of town, around Glendale between the 101 and Sunset.
Roadblock (recently interviewed by KCET) is most known for his involvement and dedication to the LA bike scene, as he made up part of the original 6-person crew that set out on an 18-mile ride around the city back in 2004 which later became the Midnight Ridazz. According to Metblogs' Will Campbell:
When Midnight Ridazz blew up huge a couple years later with rides at times drawing more than a thousand cyclists, the founders decided to step back and give the once-a-month phenomenon over to the bike community. From there Roadblock opened up midnightridazz.com as something of a portal and incubator in which people could hatch and grow and celebrate their own rides. Genius.
Just before the accident occurred Monday night, Roadblock joined a group of cyclists at a City Hall meeting, to testify against the proposed budget cuts that would eliminate LADOT's Bikeways program.Early Tuesday morning, at 5:15am, Roadblock posted to midnightridazz.com and shared the details of the incident and his injuries:
Yep, I'm at county USC. Was heading N. On glendale blvd. Was in far right lane preparing for a change to left lane to make left at park. I looked back and saw a car approaching at extremely high speed. I aborted my lane transfer and the car swerved into my lane and rear ended me at about 45mph. I flew up onto hood and probably dented hood and windshield. Drive applied breaks and I flew off into the street in the right lane. My read wheel is taco-ed and rear of bike smashed. I had a helmet on. I was solo. Rear light on. Reflectors on shoes and headlight on flash minewt night rider.
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Since then, a countless number of Ridazz have chimed in with their support and eagerness to help, serving as a testament to the strength of this community that Roadblock has helped to create. Fortunately, his injuries were not as severe as they could have been, and he is in the process of recovering.
With hopes of gathering more information from the night of the crash, and finding the driver, friends of Roadblock posted signs around the scene of the accident.
In just a few weeks, cyclist Jesus Castillo was fatally injured in a hit and run, and shortly after the Hummer vs. bike incident ensued. How do we make sure our streets are safe for cyclists and that the people committing these crimes are brought to justice?
Photo: midnightridazz.com
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