07.22.10
Posted in Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 9:20 am
Bruce, via the NBW list, pointed to a Projo article about another cyclist, with ties to RI, being killed.
A 21-year-old Brown University student riding across the country to raise money for affordable housing was killed Tuesday in South Dakota after she was struck by a semi-trailer truck’s wide load as she checked phone messages on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 18.
I’ve read a number of accounts of this accident now and they all seem to tell the same story, the cyclist was doing everything right. She was on the side of the road and was struck by a passing truck. I’m sure this was an accident, the driver said he saw the cyclists and even tried to swerve to avoid them. However, the fact remains that he killed someone and I don’t believe it is right that he should be able to walk away from this accident without any sort of repercussion. He destroyed a young persons life, just starting to sprout wings and fly free. What do you believe is a reasonable punishment?
We’ve tried for two legislative sessions now, and plan to continue this work, to get a vulnerable roadway user bill passed in Rhode Island. This past legislative session, we were successful in getting a more traditional 3-foot bill passed, but it still doesn’t go far enough. While we understand that accidents do happen, it is not right to let this person just walk away. Our legislation proposed requiring mandatory driver re-education, community service, and for cases where there was negligence, license suspension.
In this case, this person involved in the accident is a truck driver, traveling across the US. Wouldn’t it be something to require him to perform his community service by stopping across the US and lecturing to driver’s education classes about what he did and why it’s crucial that all drivers take responsibility and remain alert when they are behind the wheel. No, this wouldn’t bring Paige back and there is likely nothing this truck driver could do to repair the damage he inflicted upon her family and friends, but at least this would be something. Everyone knowing that he must attend mandatory re-education and tell others about his story and the dangers of driving, would seem to provide some benefit for society.
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05.28.10
Posted in Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 3:21 pm
Like most cyclists, during many conversations I’ve had with non-cycling motorists we end up discussing the “fact” that cyclists are all law breakers. If you know me, you will already know that I’m one of the first to admit that some cyclists do blatently disobey the rules of the road (blow through stop signs, run read lights, ride the wrong way up a one-way street, etc.). However, the vast majority of the cyclists I know have more respect for others and themselves to ride in such a manner.
The Rhode Island Bicycle Coalition tries to stand up and remind cyclists that they are subject to vehicular code under current Rhode Island law, which means we must obey traffic control devices. I’m sometimes able to catch a motorist off guard, by asking them who on the automobile side of the fence is doing the same thing? Aside from the police, what organization dedicated to motoring rights, stands up and reminds motorists that they shouldn’t be running stop signs, blowing through red lights, they legally have to use turn indicators, they can’t park wherever they want, that they must yield for pedestrians in crosswalks, etc. More often than not, this line of reasoning is met with some sort shrug and a comment that there are just too many motorists to control. This isn’t a valid explanation, it just means the need is even more pressing.
Over the past few weeks, as I’ve been walking around work, I’ve managed to snap the photos you see on this post. In every case, these are emergency personnel, not responding to a call, breaking the law. No, they aren’t major violations, but any normal citizen would at least get a ticket for doing the exact same thing. For me, the real crux of the situation is that these people are the ones who should be setting the example. If regular people see our emergency personal parking illegally, rolling through stop signs, failing to use turn indicators, etc. what message does this send? Shouldn’t they be leading by example?
In the case of the RISD officers, they noticed me taking a picture of their vehicle. One officer went back to the car while the other, after taking a picture of me, came over to talk. He asked me what I was doing and I explained I was getting a picture of an illegally parked car. He tried to convince me that it was within the law for them to park as such, to which I asked him to show me where in RI law it states this? I also added that I drove an ambulance for 4.5 years, granted not in RI, so I had a pretty good handle on what was legal for an emergency vehicle to do when not responding to an incident. We finished the conversation peacefully and I couldn’t help but notice that the other officer had returned to the vehicle and moved it to a legal spot while we were having our little discussion. They, or at least the officer who was driving, knew they had parked illegally, they were just being lazy.
Just as I try to remind cyclists both verbally and through my actions that we are required to ride within the law, I think it’s high time drivers do the same.
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03.23.10
Posted in Alerts, Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 12:16 pm
Another Rhode Island cycling death. As reported on the ABC6 site:
A hit and run has left a man dead in Providence Tuesday morning.
According to Rhode Island State Police, the accident took place on Cranston St. around 6:45 AM.
66-year-old Victor R. Rodrigues Porter was found at that time yelling out on the side of the road. When the responding trooper reached Mr. Rodrigues, he discovered he had suffered severe injuries from a hit an run. He had been riding a bicycle when the accident occurred.
Rodrigues was taken to RI Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
RISP are still investigating the neighborhood for leads and are asking for help identifying the suspect vehicle. Anyone with information is asked to call the RISP Lincoln barracks at 401-444-1100.
How could anyone, hit another person with a car and just leave the scene? How have our societal morals degraded to a point to where this is “acceptable” to anyone?
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03.19.10
Posted in Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 3:35 pm
If you’ve spent any significant time riding a bike around with cars, you’ve certainly encountered what I call a “Whoa… that was close” moment; the vehicle that sneaks up on you and passes you close enough to really catch your attention. If I were to wager a guess, I’d say I experience this once every three months.
It so happens that I had one of these very experiences recently as I was riding across the Point Street bridge, heading towards Wickenden Street. For those unfamiliar with the area, the bridge has two lanes in the direction I was traveling, with no usable shoulder. I use a vehicular approach to biking in the city, which places me far enough out into the lane, that an automobile passing me would need to move over to the other lane to safely pass. I was fully within my legal rights to be riding as described. As I was crossing, a bright yellow truck with www.providencedowntown.com highlighted on the tailgate, passed me and someone yelled “get on the sidewalk”. There was no contact and at no time did a feel this was an intentional act to scare me, but it certainly was one of those “whoa… that was close” moments.
Read the rest of this entry »
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03.09.10
Posted in Alerts, Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 5:49 pm
A Boston Herald article is reporting that a boy was struck while riding his bike along Bark Street in Swansea around 3pm this afternoon. The boy was rushed to Hasbro. No additional information has yet to be released.
UPDATE: a WPRI article has now released word that an eyewitness saw the boy dart out onto the road in front of the car.
Our thoughts go out to the the boy, his parents, and the driver of the automobile. Yet another incident between a bicycle and automobile in our “local” area.
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02.10.10
Posted in General, Tales from the Trenches
by dgduris at 6:11 pm
The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute recently released data on some safety tests they had performed against a variety of helmets along a considerable price range ($9.96 – $206.99). The results show that the helmets tested stood up equally well to the destructive onslaught of the masses dropped on them – regardless of their retail price.
That’s good news because it confirms that effectively protective helmets are available to virtually everyone. It also points to the potential value of the youth helmet program that the RI State Health Department and the U.S. Open Cycling Foundation have been providing for the past couple of years by delivering and individually fitting hundreds of helmets to kids around the state. All good news to those concerned about society’s health care cost burden.
One caveat – these tests, where a mass is dropped onto a helmet strapped to a simulated head, are only part of the appropriate measurement of a helmet’s effectiveness. Whether you are a rider or the parent of a rider, you must consider three additional issues:
1. Does the helmet fit and is it adjusted correctly – some studies show that over 90% of riders wear their helmet incorrectly
2. Is the helmet comfortable and will it be worn when it is hot outside
3. Does the intended wearer find its styling attractive enough to wear?
In fact, with the tests showing that helmets offer the same amount of crash protection regardless of price, these three are, perhaps, the only questions you need to ask.
When, during Cycle-for-Health programs in schools around the state, I ask kids why they don’t wear helmets, they usually say because they are good riders. So we talk about famous, helmeted athletes ranging from Tom Brady to Tony Hawk to Lance Armstrong. I try to make one point: that being a great rider – or athlete – doesn’t mean that you are immune from things you can’t control…like wayward dogs, potholes or drivers…the avoidance of which can cause you to fall and bump your head.
The good news from these Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute tests is that – as long as it is on your head correctly – one helmet is as good as the next.
- Durishin
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01.18.10
Posted in Bike Commuting, East Bay, General, Tales from the Trenches
by jackmadden at 1:00 pm
I had to run an errand in Riverside yesterday so I decided to use the bike path. Previous attempts to use the path have been difficult because of the snow cover we have had this winter. The recent warmer temperatures have had a clearing effect; and even though the above picture shows one of the occasional stretches of ice and snow, the rain we had in the last twenty four hours have probably cleared the lingering cover. Overall it felt great to get out there along the Bay.
I love winter for riding and exploring. The world seems a little more desolate and wild. With the trees bare of leaves, secret places reveal themselves to you and are more accessible. On my way to Riverside I pulled off the path to get a look at one of those places. A path led me out to a rocky outcrop on the waters edge. There was a tanker unloading on the Providence side and I watched as the tugboats did their work on the massive ocean going ship. I pulled out my phone and took a panorama of the entire scene. I would post the pictures but when I was stopped by the East Providence Police and Homeland Security, I volunteered to delete them. Apparently, I seemed pretty suspicious to the Coast Guard security boats positioned around the tanker. I didn’t get a half mile from the scene before they were all over me. Impressive. They were both Professional and Polite and sent me on my way after running my ID.
So a notice to all bike path users: the path is clear for now; but if you happen to see an oil tanker on the bay and you want to get a closer look, the smaller boats with the big blue lights motoring towards you probably aren’t trolling for stripers.
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11.25.09
Posted in Advocacy, Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 6:40 pm
According to a Projo article,
The police arrested a 20-year-old Central Falls man on a charge of leaving the the scene of an accident Friday after witnesses reported seeing his car hit a young bicyclist in the area of Burnett Street and Pleasant Avenue.
Fortunately, the 11 year old cyclist managed to escape with only bruises to his right knee. Had the motorist done the right thing and stayed at the scene of the accident, I’m sure he would have driven away without being arrested or even ticketed; so goes the laws when it comes to striking something with your car.
What I find really disturbing about this article is the reader comments on the Projo site, along the lines of:
Your car doesn’t have nerves. He wasn’t exactly running from the law, so he probably didn’t even know he hit the child.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I notice when my car bumps a curb. Fortunately, I’ve never hit a pedestrian or cyclists, so I’m not exactly sure what that would be like, but I have a hard time believing you wouldn’t notice the impact… unless of course I were drunk.
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08.28.09
Posted in Advocacy, Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 12:22 pm
The Projo and WPRI are reporting that East Providence
Police are investigating after a man was seriously injured when his bicycle collided with a car in East Providence. It happened at Waterman Avenue and Commercial Way Friday morning.
According to police, the 55-year-old man was not wearing a helmet, and suffered serious head injuries.
I certainly hope this cyclist recovers and send my thoughts are with everyone involved.
UPDATE: News sources are now reporting that, according to witnesses, the cyclist suddenly veered left, into the car and struck the right, rear panel of the car, forcefully enough to break the window. There was a four month old baby in the back seat, who was hit with flying glass. Fortunately, the baby appears to be fine and it appears the cyclists will survive as well.
This just goes to show you that cyclists are at fault in some cases. However, I still feel my comments below are accurate. From now on, carefully read news coverage of bicycle and automobile collisions.
Why is it that the media always reports it as a “bicycle collided with a car?”. This approach instantly makes it sound like the cyclist was at fault. In the case of an automobile accident, they don’t report that a “blue car collided with a red car”, which reads as though it assigns fault to the blue car. The media should not be making judgements, they should just report the facts!
For that matter, why do they also feel it’s necessary to report that he wasn’t wearing a helmet? Last time I checked, it’s not legally required for a 55 year old to wear one on a bicycle. Personally, I feel all cyclists should wear one, but it’s not the law. This is like the media reporting a motorist was in an accident and their car didn’t have airbags.\
I’ll will try to comment this post if I read about any further details in this case. If you notice something first, please feel free to post an update as well.
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08.13.09
Posted in Tales from the Trenches
by Mark Dieterich at 8:17 am
The Tauton Daily Gazette recently posted an article describing a recent hit-and-run incident
A local mother involved in a hit-and-run while riding her bicycle with her young son is looking for answers.
Rebeckah Picard and her 20-month-old son Jessie were enjoying a bike ride, one of their favorite activities, when they were struck by a vehicle and thrown underneath a nearby parked car.
What kind of moral standard can the driver of this vehicle have? We’ve been talking a lot recently on this blog about responsibility, both on the part of motorists and cyclists. This driver doesn’t have the required maturity to be behind the wheel of a car! Apparently,
The vehicle slowed down after hitting Picard and her son, then immediately took off.
so it can’t even by claimed that the driver was unaware that they struck something.
Read the rest of this entry »
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