Akashma Online News

by Marivel Guzman

Another Biker killed in the road

Photo Marivel Guzman-Ghost Bike Memorial

Today was very emotional day for the family of Joseph Robinson, 21-years old who was killed last Monday while he was riding his bicycle on Santiago Canyon Road by Loma Ridge Jeep Trail. A group of friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, classmates and citizens of the community  join in a long ride from Jax Bicycle in Irvine, place where Joey used to work to to the intersection of Santiago Canyon Road / Loma Ridge Jeep Trail in Orange, where Joey lost his life. South of Santiago Canyon Road you can see the Ghost Bike attached to the fence in the place where he was struck by a motorist.
This bike ride was planned by Jax Bicycle Center owner Dave Hanson and California Highway Patrol in coordination with Irvine Police Department.

“Joey worked for me at Jax Bicycle only three months,” Hanson said, but he was in bicycle business for almost a year and half, he worked at Two Wheels and a Planet before, Hanson said.

Santiago Canyon Road is used every day by bikers and pedestrians walking to the trails for their exercise routine.

Officer Patrick Peña, said that the security is enforced in the road ways in the weekends, “In the weekends there is a higher volume of traffic up here, bicycles, cyclers, motorcyclers, pedestrians, we do what we can to beef up the security up here,” Peña said.

More than two hundred people showed at the Canyon intersection, motorists and pedestrians were waiting for the bikers to arrive for public speaking event, family members were at the scene.

Mason Cox, coworker, he is being working at Jax for about 4 or 5 months, he said that Joe was a very quite, but once you got to know him he was very funny guy, he said, “he always used to come to work in his bicycle,” Cox said.  Now days people are in a such a big rush to go places, they need to take a big breath, motorists need to be more respectful, he said.

The Ghost Bike Ride started at 6:30 a:m starting from Joey’s work place, Jax Bicycle Centers in Irvine, California Highway Patrol and Irvine Police lead the bikers to the canyon, once the biker entered Canyon road, CHP closed the roads both ways to allow the bikers to enter Loma Ridge Jeep Trail, where Ghost Biker Ride memorial service took place.

photo credit/Marivel Guzman
Bikers join family members and friends at the Ghost Bike Memorial