Comments on: DC Cyclist Killed

By: Julio

Julio — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:18:38 +0000

Immediate study? What yacking on the cell phone while driving requires is an immediate ticket, and loss of points for subsequent abuse. I’m so tired of these neurotic motorists in DC.

I try not to bike in DC at all. I live in Arlington and I avoid crossing the Key Bridge into DC with my bike.

Poor girl, I feel terrible for her family. A tragic and unnecessary death, which will further ignite the continuing war of cyclists and motorists.

By: barb

barb — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:27:11 +0000

This is horrible news! It makes me sad and angry. I take the death of a fellow cyclist very personally. The girl sounds a lot like me. I also live in the district and bike to my job at a nonprofit at about that same time. I wear a helmet with a light and a bright yellow safety vest (the kind construction crews wear). It’s so easy for drivers to see cyclists but not really SEE them, you know? Not really register that they’re there so anything we can do to make ourselves stand out helps.

Thanks for posting about this and thanks for the Yield to life link. That is a great site! We should all spread the word!

By: Joy

Joy — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:45:15 +0000

Now if I could just convince all the college students around here to stop whizzing through crosswalks on their bikes! I am pretty good about paying attention, and seeing, cyclists, but when they are going x times faster than a pedestrian in a pedestrian-only zone, I get enraged. I truly hope that I don’t hit someone someday (I’ve started looking farther down the sidewalk, but that doesn’t help for the bikes that come around the corner).

By: J. Tyler Ballance

J. Tyler Ballance — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:40:30 +0000

I love cycling and have had many close calls and a few collisions with cars. One such collision destroyed my bike, and I was thrown high into the air where I flipped over, then luckily landed on my feet.

I have been “shouldered” off the edge of the road many times by truckers who seemed unaware of me cycling along the white line at the edge of the road on Route 33.

When I am out for a fast training ride along busy highways, I always wear bright clothes and generally wear a helmet. While in inner city areas, I use a whistle to warn drivers of my approach.

I don’t support mandatory helmet laws, since I see them for what they are; an organized effort by the helmet manufacturers to mandate a customer base. I want my children to enjoy the thrill of having the wind in their hair as they ride around the neighborhood, or on remote rides in parks. As a former Safety Engineer, I realize that the probability of landing on one’s head on a slow ride, out of mainstream traffic is very small. I still support the citizens’ right to elect to wear a helmet when deemed by the citizen to be prudent, such as while participating in USA Cycling races or training rides along busy highways.

We may never prevent all collisions with cyclists, but our driver training and licensing programs could include more specifics regarding sharing the roads with bikes. USA Cycling could also make a national effort by providing an incentive for all of the racing clubs to hold public clinics that would promote safe sharing of the road with motorists. USA Cycling should also produce a series of public service announcements that demonstrate safe motorist-cyclist interaction.

In recent years, the only close calls I have had while riding was with women distracted while yakking on cell phones. While these observations are anecdotal, the distraction of drivers while using cell phones is an area that merits immediate study. We cyclists must not assume that drivers see us. Cyclist must increase their spatial awareness, especially while moving quickly while in urban areas.

By: freewheel

freewheel — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:41:12 +0000

Tragic and chilling.