The California Highway Patrol has found the vehicle involved in last Wednesday hit and run that killed cyclist Zachary Parke on Empire Grade Road near the UC Santa Cruz campus.
The California Highway Patrol has found the vehicle involved in last Wednesday hit and run that killed cyclist Zachary Parke on Empire Grade Road near the UC Santa Cruz campus.
Two years ago, the driver of a red BMW pulled up behind me, intentionally bumped my bike and ran. Santa Cruz police responded to my 911 call with admirable swiftness, but the plate number I rattled off in the heat of the moment was incorrect, so Mr. Wonderful got away.
Something similar happened to Kate in Washington DC last February. She stopped at a red light while biking home from work. The driver behind her stopped. Maybe this driver is a fan of Tony Kornheiser — the ESPN announcer who told his listeners to “run them [cyclists] over” — because the driver pulled up and nudged Kate, pushing her forward into the intersection. The car occupants started laughing and bumped Kate again. Then things got interesting for the driver.
The return of nice weather to California means Highway 17 to Santa Cruz was packed with beach traffic. Between Scotts Valley and Ocean Street in Santa Cruz, Highway 17 is a limited access highway with no bicycles allowed, but when I saw the hundreds of cars stalled on the congested ‘freeway,’ I was so tempted to jump in with my bike and zip through the mess. Perhaps another time.