LA Mayor Becomes Bicycle Advocate After Shattering Elbow In Crash

When Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took to the streets of LA on his bicycle in July, he expected to enjoy the weather and the neighborhood, not come back with a shattered elbow. But a shattered elbow is exactly what he got after a taxi pulled out in front of him suddenly (and without signaling), causing him to swerve and fall.

Villaraigosa, who has been fairly quiet about the notorious bicyclist-motorist problems in LA, has been transformed into an activist for the bicycling community by his experience. In a New York Times article Villaraigosa is quoted as saying the following about his accident: "I'll tell you what I came away with: that in the area of bicycling, I've got to do a better job and the city's got to do a better job.”

MSNBC has picked up on it too–apparently the degree of frustration inherent in riding bicycles in Los Angeles is top news these days! Hallelujah!

Although my condolences go out to Villaraigosa and his likely painful elbow, I hope his injury is a policy-changer around here; we bicyclists need all the help we can get in order to make the roads safe.