This last Saturday in Davenport Iowa an 89 year old woman was killed by a cyclist. This was not some motorcycle riding huge beer gut biker, but a bicycle rider!
On both sides of the Mississippi river there is a very long, well kept, walking/biking path in this area. This lady was out of a walk with her son when a group of wannabe tour de France losers that thought this path was their private race track came barreling through at high speed and one ran into the older woman. The cyclists continued on their imaginary race, angry that the woman was walking on their bike path, not stopping to see if she was injured. The lady was pronounced dead at the scene and the police have no idea who these cyclists are.
Personally I'm beyond outraged at this happening.
I know not all cyclists are bad but the few that are seem to be getting very bad around this area. I can't count how many times I've been forced to slam on the brake in my car because some cyclist blew through a stop sign at speed. Did they change the rules of the road that everyone is supposed to follow for bicycles without my knowledge?
I think my biggest pet peeve is how by my house they ride the highway instead of the bike/walking path. I live a couple miles out of the city on the river where the speed limit on the two lane highway is 55mph. I can't understand why someone would wish to ride on the highway when there is a smoothly paved and much safer bike path less than 50 yards away?
Comments
actually
Mad Dash Cyclists see people walking on their private race track like we see those little orange traffic cones; just something to go around as close and as fast as they can.
But, there are us mature, experienced cyclists who understand both sides of the coin. We say 'on your left' so as not to frighten the walker or to bring them out of their reverie. (Best example: the hunkered down cat in the middle of a street who always dashes the wrong way at the last moment). We slow down, if not stop at intersections and share that information by yelling clear ahead to riders behind. We are smart enough to know that drivers don't always see us when we are pedaling in the shade and on a shoulder.
I have left the roads almost completely and am fortunate enough to ride off-road walking paths entirely. Our state has made an effort to create bike lanes and educate motorists.
But, you are all right. Some assholes will always gum the works.
Stop for a red light??
Ef, I worked in Cambridge, MA by the Charles River a lot. I can't count the times I've been hit by want to be TdF riders. Once an elderly lady was struck and hospitalized, the only reason the biker stopped, is because I knocked him over and held him for the State Police. These sidewalks are
8' WIDE too.
Hit Twice
I've been hit twice by other riders while on my bike. I am no Olympic rider. I've also been hit by runners.
you might
Have noticed that I ride bikes - a lot and have done for over mumble years. I actually do as much riding as my father's car drives each year!
Your outrage at the death of this woman apparently caused (I don't have any detail beyond your raging report) by the cyclist action/riding, whilst understandable, I find quite ironic. You go on to berate cyclists for all manner of infractions but if we move a step along the line do you rant about the poor driving, hit and runs of both pedestrians and cyclists by the motorised majority? If not, why not? Yes this is a regrettable incident, i'm pretty sure the riders involved didn't intend to kill anyone, for all I or you know they might not have even collided with woman in which case why would they stop? One persons fast and furious is another's sedate. If the police want to locate the cyclists it's quite easy, i'd warrant at least some of them will be Strava users and the Police will be able to access the relevant information particularly as they have time and location already.
Don't get me wrong, I don't condone cyclists or anyone breaking the rules of the road but I feel you are more outraged by this incident because of its rarity. I doubt you have ever heard of anyone else ever being killed by a cyclist. It does happen but very rarely and in cyclist/pedestrian collisions it's generally the cyclist that comes off worst even if 'blame' is fairly equal. There was a case in the UK last year, the rider was sent down but not because the victim died but because he was riding a cycle that was not road legal and he was on a footpath. The victim fell and died of head injuries, not directly from the impact - they could have fallen differently and not suffered the head injury, they may have tripped on a kerb and got the same result - it's all chance at the end of the day.
Just to pick up on one point - it's rarely sport cyclists that demand cycling infrastructure be installed. Most is not fit for purpose making cycling journeys using them more hazardous and difficult than using the street. For example, I live near a busy junction (a roundabout as it happens) which the planners decided needed a cycle route to traverse. All very fine, traffic light crossing points, shared path routes past the junction - sounds good right? Except it's crap - I can cross it on the road in about 30 seconds but the usable route more than quadruples that and from two directions there is no way to access the cycle route. Suffice to say, out of every 100 bike riders using the junction, 99 ignore the (well meaning i'm sure) cycle infrastructure.
Just my tuppence worth
Mads
Madeline Anafrid Bell
Actually...
The woman who died was stepping out into the road, and the cyclist was on the road, not the footpath. I assume you are talking about the London fixie idiot. If you are talking about the girl who died a few years ago, she was also on the road, one of a group of drunken teenagers spreading themselves in a line to try and intimidate or possibly mug the cyclist. In both cases, the death occurred from a head injury, as described. Perhaps pedestrians should be made to wear helmets?
As a cyclist, I HATE shared use paths. Even when they are split into a 'bike' side and a 'walking' side, you can spot the bike side by the large number of pedestrians. As Maddy says, the cycle paths are also woefully inadequate, indirect, poorly maintained and often stop right before the most dangerous part of the route. They also lead car drivers to expect not to see cyclists. They also force vehicles (bikes) off the roads, which were originally built for them, onto footpaths. Rather a silly idea.
In the USA, there is a peculiar obsession with cars. They have the peculiar concept of 'jaywalking', which does not apply over here. The only people with a right to use UK highways are pedestrians, cyclists and horse traffic---all the rest need a licence for their conveyance. In the USA, the attitude is very much "get off my road", and it is spreading to the UK.
Back to the facts here. The number of deaths caused by motor vehicle drivers (cars are not autonomous) in the USA hovers between 20,000 and 40,000 annually. The number of deaths caused by cyclists is minute. In the UK, the number of deaths caused by cyclists is about one every ten years, while the number annually caused by drivers of motor vehicles is about 1,700.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in...
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-road-fatal...
Interestingly, the death rate for the USA is nearly five times that for the UK; ours is just about the lowest in the EU.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-r...
What is constant, though, is the demonization of cyclists. The lad Maddy mentions got a jail sentence of 18 months, and cries for it to be increased. In contrast, a man who went for a drive in a car with four bald tyres, lost control on a bend and killed four cyclists near Abergele, was fined £40 for each bald tyre. That was the total of his punishment. A van driver who drove onto a footpath, knocking down and killing a small child walking there, was acquitted of all charges.
I do not condone the behaviour described (although I would appreciate some sources to look at) but I find it profoundly odd that mass deaths by motor vehicle are accepted as 'just one of those things' while anything involving a bicycle is greeted with outrage and hysteria.
the London fixie idiot
was riding a velodrome racing bike with no brakes, fixed gearing and no lights, which was never intended to be used outside of a velodrome track. That was why they were able to prosecute him. He was relying on yelling at people to get out of his way to not hit anyone. Unfortunately with our stupid road laws, the bike was the only way to prosecute him. The woman was crossing at a crossing point (traffic lights, I think) after seeing the road was clear. He came flying through unable to stop or brake and she panicked, not knowing if to carry on crossing or go back. They both sadly choose to go in the same direction with tragic results.
She wasn't
at a crossing point, with lights, green or otherwise. And she didn't have to be. It was also daylight, do 'no lights' is irrelevant.He was prosecuted under 'furious cycling' laws.
The thing is...
If you want to race, do it on a race tack. This goes for any kind of vehicle on the road (and yes bicycles are in that category.)
On the road, bike path, etc. going at a speed that you are unable to make an emergency stop in what would be a safe distance from something occurring ahead within your visual range is unsafe... Period, Dot, Dash and no Question Mark. If you see some type of traffic ahead that could pose an problem, slow down. If the visibility is poor due to any reason, fog, windy roadway etc. Slow down.
Yes cars cause more fatal accidents that bicycles, what amazed me about this one I originally posted about was the blatant disrespect of this one rider. I was unable to paste a working link to the story due to the way the newspapers website is constructed, I had hoped that the original post would lead to others finding that site or another and reading the news story, rather than blather about how cars are more dangerous, or not all cyclists are like that, or how Donald trump is an asshat (not sure why I got that response?)
We all know cars cause more deaths, we all know its only a very small percentage of cyclists that are like that. I usually don't respond to any political posts other than to say we should not post political things but I will make an exception this once.We all know Trump is an ass, although he is an ass that has caused record low unemployment and increased the GDP to levels that Obama told everyone was impossible. Okay he's an ass, most Americans will agree with you on that, but he's an ass that is undeniably getting things done to improve the US economy.
The people of the US are car crazy, everyone has to have one or three... To that I say have you looked at the size of the map of the US? Everything is spread out over here. Just for me to get to work in a 30 minute drive in no traffic to light traffic. I could probably use the bus system, although to do so they would have to begin the bus routes earlier in the morning as the first bus that does come out by where I live in the morning does not come by until almost 7am and I would have to change buses 4 times giving me roughly a 2 to 2 1/2 hour trip each way to work and back. Oh and I have to be at work by 7:30am. Bicycle? that's possible maybe 6 months out of the year, but not when its colder than the proverbial witche's body parts in metallic underwear. Riding a bicycle here in the middle of January should be considered attempted suicide.
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
Actually...
I am very vocal about drivers in cars too as I almost lost one of my daughters to a hit and run driver.
I just find it impossible to believe that a person on a bicycle, in an area as open could be so calloused that he or she allowed this to happen. Then jump up and leave the scene of the accident immediately.
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
Ah, my home town
It does not surprise me this occurred. Having talked to relatives that are bike crazy, they hold some very poor views of walker on "their paths." But, that is not limited to Davenport. I have heard similar stores in other parts of the country. So, it is not that unusual. I find it interesting in Wichita, KS with its 100+ of miles of designated bike paths, we don't see more injuries. The Kansas Cyclist even warns: "Often more cyclists are injured on bike paths than on roadways." Even they imply it is "...with both pedestrians and animals prone to moving quickly and unpredictably" at fault.
Tampa Florida
Bike path on the side of a road ( not a highway) a car purposely swerved over in to bike path and him a Da and his 3 year old in the bike trailer and 1 on his own bike, killing the Dad and injuring both boys then took off HIT AND RUN. They searched and found the car and then the driver later that day.
I hope
They throw the guy that did that under the jail!
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
As a person who loves to cycle and/or walk,
I have always done my best to follow the rules of the road. That means using appropriate equipment, signals, etc., etc.
I'm 52 years old now, and have not owned a bicycle for the last twelve years, so I have often walked where I needed to go since then.
Okay, now for some history, and please note, most of what I am about to say took place several years ago, if not much longer.
I've been in half a dozen cars that have ended up in collisions, four of those being head on and resulting in the loss of one or more lives. In those cases, I was a "very" lucky survivor with no visible injuries, largely because I have nearly always used a seat belt when riding in a car.
Of those four head on collisions that led to the loss of life, three were caused by speeding drunk drivers, the fourth by an idiot trying to beat a stop light that was red before he reached the intersection. My neck was a victim of these crashes, whiplash effect of the sudden stop.
That's while being in a car. Six times and no major injuries is some pretty damn good luck, I'd think.
Well, I've spent a large part of my life relying on a bicycle to get around from one place to another. Not too surprising, considering my income has always been very low. Since I started riding a bicycle in mid-'73, I've been HIT by cars at least 25 times that I can remember.
Of those times, I was at fault on two occasions, those being that I wasn't watching where I should have been and ended up being hit.
Now, most of the times I've been hit by cars while on a bicycle, the impact was not at high speed, thankfully.
The one that I remember the most is the guy who was driving a car along a country road while it was raining and basically acting as if the road belonged entirely to him. The rain forced him to slow down a fair bit, but the jerk saw me CLEARLY and still ran into me!
At the time this happened, I was crossing at a three way stop (T intersection). I had already stopped, looked and saw the truck approaching. What makes this so stupid was the fact that the guy, as I said, saw me clearly, and completely ignored the stop sign, resulting in my being hit.
There are quite a few bicycle paths around Toronto, many on the actual city streets, some away from all but local traffic.
I honestly can't count how many times I've seen cyclists nearly be hit while riding myself because drivers are doing the "it's my road" shit.
I've been hit by cars while on a bicycle about a dozen times since moving to Toronto thirty years ago. Most of those have been as I just described, but the one that stands out in my memory was the evening I was cycling up Church Street in Toronto's gay village. I was a couple of blocks away from where I was going, which happened to be the 519 Church St. Community Centre, now just called The 519.
This guy, who may or may not have been sitting in his car for a while after having parked it, didn't think to look through his left side rear view mirror to see if anyone was nearby, opened his door, and I went head on into it about two seconds later, then over the door.
To be blunt, I didn't have time to do anything more than hit the brakes on my bike, I was already beside the car when the door opened. As I said, I went flying over the car door, landing about ten feet in front of the car, while he just stood there gaping at me and the bike in shock.
I got up and brushed myself off, cursing at the idiot. He apologized a few times, I was rather pissed off and pretty much told him where to go.
The front wheel of the bicycle was bent and nearly snapped at a few points on the wheel. That meant the bicycle was no longer rideable. I hauled it up to the community centre, continued on with my evening, getting questions and remarks of "WTF?" from lots of people there.
Okay, that covers while in a car and while on a bicycle. Now we come to the times while I was a pedestrian.
In some ways, I've been lucky, as in all the years that I've wandered around Toronto, I've only been hit twice, and one of those was my fault. Neither incident resulted in anything more than my being bumped, thankfully, with me having bruises on a leg to show for it afterward.
This is where it gets idiotic. As I've said, I've been here for thirty years, and I've walked around quite a lot over that time span.
Well, to be absolutely blunt, I lost track of how many times I narrowly escaped being hit somewhere back around 1990, when I'd been here for maybe two years. The biggest offenders are drivers at crosswalks (pedestrian crossings) and drivers making right turns at stop lights.
Now, the rules of the road here say that, while a crosswalk or a walk signal is showing that it is appropriate for someone to cross there, drivers are supposed to grant the pedestrians using that crosswalk or street crossing the right of way. The simple fact is that many DON'T!
Every single time I go out that front door, and use a crosswalk or a street crossing, I'm putting myself at high risk due to drivers like that. If you were to figure that I've gone out walking almost every day, and been nearly hit between five and twenty times in a day, it gets rather scary.
As for using paths that are set aside for cyclists and pedestrians, I can't recall ever being hit on one, but there have been some near misses. Cyclists are required to use a bell, horn or their voice to let people know they are approaching. There are many that don't use any of those.
It's the "it's my road" mentality taken to another level, where motorized vehicles are not allowed (with exceptions of Dept. of Parks carts, etc.).
To the best of my knowledge, I highly doubt that the rules of the road regarding bicycles have changed in the last 45 years.
I have no idea why they would use the highway instead of the nearby well maintained bicycle path. The path would be MUCH safer.
Reasons we don't use cycle paths
They are narrow and badly-made/surfaced.
They are full of pedestrians, litter, broken glass etc.
They often don't go where I want to go (e.g. the one in the Netherlands where I was made to ride 5km to get to the other side of a 100m bridge)
They often stop dead just where the interaction with motor traffic is most dangerous.
Our riding speed is higher than that advised for the path.
The roads were originally surfaced for the benefit of cyclists.
We have a right to use the roads.
Now, for amusement, here's a famous site.
http://wcc.crankfoot.xyz/facility-of-the-month/book.htm