For those who knew Stas, we have created a memorial website, for you to share your memories, thoughts and announcements. Thank you again.

Link to Stas’ website: http://www.stasionov.org/

By the way, I am not a cyclist, but I spend at least four hours a day driving and avoiding accidents as a sales representative for Johnson and Johnson. I have shared the story of Scott Bleifer’s death with my Western Area sales team and included several sobering reminders about driving safety:

1- Always pay attention while driving. Don’t get distracted by passengers, talking on the cell phone, or fumbling with the CD player. A small distraction can have tragic results.

2- Always watch for cyclists and pedestrians. They are defenseless against a moving vehicle.

3- Always slow down (even less than the speed limit) in construction zones and narrow roads. Watch for cyclists, stranded vehicles, and pedestrians.

Please share this message with anyone you know that drives a vehicle. We must take responsibility for the safety of others when we get behind the wheel.

Scott, the Trojans kicked Oregon’s @ss. You should have been there…

Thanks for starting this project

As I said, the specific topics were quite proceudural (how they would look into the matter, which committee, who on the committee, etc.) but it was the conversations in the hallway and parking lot afterward that were the most telling. There is definitely an opinion held by some Malibu officials and residents that the Highway is simply too dangerous to do anything about and that any improvements to its ridability will only encourage more riders to it and therefore more accidents. I don’t have to tell the readers of this blog how unfortunate this opinion is. No matter what actions are taken by the Malibu City Council, people will still ride on PCH–whether for work or pleasure. To not do everything possible to improve its safety in those areas that can be made safer (and within reasonable costs) is stunningly wrong. But this (do nothing that could encourage cyclists) opinion is something that we will need to deal with and not by lashing out at them or sending angry emails/calls. I would like to note that it would be easy to dismiss these people as callous individuals, but this is not the case. At least one of them had suffered a loss of a family member on PCH–extremely sad story in itself. It is not that they don’t care but instead that they believe the “making it safer” won’t work and will cause more problems, not less. In my opinion to combat this approach will require an inclusive process.

I will let Susan or Aaron of La Grange and The LA Bike Coalition respectively take the lead in telling us what we should do to work within the system and it will likely involved Caltrans (which was a message repeated over and over) but last night was an eye opener to say the least. I’ll ask them both to keep me informed of next steps so I can post them here. This Saturday is Scott’s memorial ride, I hope some of the people who were voicing the do-nothing (or “nothing can be done”) opinions have a chance to see it. I’ll be there.

Great documentation and thanks for taking two hours out of your day to point all this out to us.

Alek,
I know my brother traveled this road MANY times before his tragic end. I also would like to add that Scott was VERY safety conscious and compulsive about his biking practices, including NEVER riding without a rear view mirror and being very aware of what comes up from behind. I feel that the excessive speed of the truck combined with the curve of the road at that point made it IMPOSSIBLE for them to see the truck coming, stop, and get out of the way in time. He was in no hurry to get anywhere he was getting in some extra miles before the ride he was supposed to be on right now!

If motorists would just slow down and pay attention, instead of worrying about cooking tacos on their way to the next construction site, two wonderful men would still be alive.
Please let’s all try and get something done here and make PCH as well as all roads safe for cyclists!

-Karen Bleifer

-Max Lucas

I ride the stretch of PCH from Temescal to Trancas on a regular basis and am aware of the myriad hazards. Your photos, however, bring the problem sharply into focus and I’m left wondering how I’ve managed to escape all those car doors, surfboards, catering trucks and thoughtless parking-spot-obsessed drivers mile after mile, ride after ride.

I hope the momentum created by the recent tragedy will propel the cycling community to demand safety-related improvements on PCH. We deserve nothing less.

The answer to your question about the steel plate and liquid in the road?

www.malibutimes.com/articles/2005/04/27/news/news6.txt

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Water seepage onto PCH contains human waste
Wednesday, April 27, 2005

(photo)

* The city of Malibu recently conducted tests that show this water on Pacific Coast Highway near Kanan Dume Road is partly composed of human waste. Officials believe the water is seepage from septic pits from a nearby condominium complex. Photo by Hans Laetz / TMT * *

A city study points to nearby condominium complex septic pits as source of a pool of slimy, green water seeping onto Pacific Coast Highway near Kanan Dume Road.

By Hans Laetz/ Special to The Malibu Times

A dirty little secret is percolating up onto Pacific Coast Highway on Point Dume, where thousands of cars splash daily through water that officials say is seeping out from uphill septic pits.

A groundwater study ordered by the city of Malibu shows the liquid splashed on people and cars to be partly composed of human waste, which an engineer says is likely coming from the Malibu Gardens condominiums.

City engineer Craig George told The Malibu Times that the exact level of contamination found during a city-ordered preliminary test is “proprietary information” that cannot be released to the public. But he said the contaminated seepage is not an imminent danger to passersby.

“Of course, all gutter water is to be avoided,” George said in an interview. “But as for people getting sick from this, that’s not a valid concern.”

Every day, people waiting for buses at Pacific Coast Highway and Kanan Dume Road walk through the splashed water and slime caused by the seepage. Hundreds of bicyclists ride through it every weekend, and nearly 40,000 cars per day drive through the intersection splashing the water into the air….

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