You might have heard of the case of Michael Sprick, a German cyclo-tourist who has been in a coma since October. Â He was enjoying the roads near Roanoke, Virginia as part of a NY-Miami tour, when he was hit by a truck driven by Norman Marchant. Â Mr. Marchant was convicted of driving with a suspended license and reckless driving yesterday. Â It appears he was fined $600. Â The 90-day jail sentence was suspended. Â I want to talk a little more about what happened, and how authorities responded, but I think it’s best to start off with a report from Carol Colby, who was present for the trial.
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Today’s column was borne of a long running frustration with the lack of a decent connection between Columbia Pike and the Mount Vernon Trail. Â The proposed solutions – running past the Pentagon or connecting Long Bridge Park – would still require some connecting work to Columbia Pike. Â But the connections themselves would be the hardest part of the project. Â It’s a shame the Pentagon can’t be a better neighbor (and employer – loads of people working there would benefit from such a connection).
Last week’s Clarendon Cycles piece was a departure from my usual kvetching about how this or that could be improved in Arlington. Â I took the holiday as an opportunity to recognize how much has been accomplished in Arlington. Â There remains much to be done, of course, but we should be pretty damn proud of what we’ve got.
Hey, WABA friends (and you’re *all* WABA members, right?):
‘The Glass That Gives’ Program: WABA Happy Hour
Thursday, November 17th, 2011
Brasserie BeckA glass filled with beer is joyous any time of year, but add a splash of philanthropic giving and it tastes even better. New Belgium Brewing, maker of Fat Tire Amber Ale, is giving back during the gift-giving season by donating to nonprofit organizations across the U.S. and WABA has been selected.
Join New Belgium Brewing this Thursday at Brasserie Beck and you’ll walk away with prizes and support WABA during the holiday season. For every New Belgium draft you purchase, you will receive a New Belgium Globe (a classy piece of glassware), be entered for a chance to win a company jersey(s), AND New Belgium will donate $1.00 to WABA. The world-class drafts of the evening will be the Ranger IPA & Kick Sour Ale.
DATE: Thursday, November 17, 2011
TIME: 5pm, Giveaways at 7:30pm
LOCATION: Brasserie Beck, 1101 K St. NW Washington, DC 20005 (Google Maps)
RSVP: To our Facebook event page (not required to attend, but you can promote it to all of your facebook friends)![/QUOTE]
While I think Fat Tire is overrated, I happily give my personal endorsement to the Ranger IPA. Please take this opportunity to come argue the merits with me on Thursday.
Hope to see you there.
Where, Exactly? Another Clarendon Cycles piece is up at the Clarendon Patch.  The line about decent bike parking in Arlington could be a story in itself.
Another Clarendon Cycles piece is up, this time on the local champs who fly down the Custis. Â I resisted the temptation to link to Strava.
Don’t even know what to say about this:
A Hanover County judge convicted a Manakin-Sabot resident Wednesday of failing to yield in a bicycle-pickup truck collision that killed well-known competitive cyclist Michael J. Fawell.
Fawell, 38, struck the passenger side of a pickup truck driven by Gerald Lee Anderson, 70, of the 600 block of Nelwood Road in Goochland County, and died from massive head trauma at VCU Medical Center in Richmond on Aug. 29, four days after the crash.
General District Judge Peter L. Trible said adverse weather, including driving rain, lightning and near darkness, did not absolve Anderson of his duty to yield to Fawell as Anderson turned left into Rockville Center on Pouncey Tract Road, apparently crossing in front of Fawell.
The judge fined Anderson $30. No prosecutor was present for the case.
More details about the incident and victim at the link. Â Credit to Bill McKelway for writing it up fairly.
Long time Arlington residents will recall the old Arlington Community Bike Rides, generally laid back affairs for the slower set. Â They went away, and then were (sorta) replaced by BikeDC. Â Well, it’s (sorta) back, in the form of the Phoenix Bikes Arlington Fun Ride. Â See my Clarendon Cycles piece about it here.
Arlington County Police Department have identified the cyclist in Sunday’s fatal collision as Fitzgerald Pollard, age 44. Unfortunately, no more details about the nature of the collision have been made public, so most theories on how it happened (including my own) remain conjecture. Please try to be responsible in any contributions you might make toward that.
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Between Mr. Pollard’s and pro cyclist Wouter Weylandt’s death (in a high speed crash during a race) on Monday, it’s been a jarring few days. It’s moved me to think about the dangers of cycling, and recommit to being a more careful cyclist (and helping others do the same).
A cyclist and car collided on the Four Mile Run Drive access road near Walter Reed Drive, this afternoon. It occurred here:
The ACPD news release:
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Arlington County Police Department is investigating a fatal traffic accident that occurred this afternoon in the 4000 block of Four Mile Run Drive. At approximately 2:56 p.m. on Saturday [Sunday, actually – ed.], May 8, 2011, police responded for a bicyclist that collided with a vehicle.
Investigation revealed that an adult man was riding his bicycle south on South Walter Reed Drive and turned right onto the access road of Four Mile Run Drive. It appears that when he turned onto Four Mile Run Drive, he crossed into oncoming traffic and struck an occupied vehicle. The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene of the accident. The bicyclist was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead. He will be identified once the next of kin has been notified.
The Arlington County Police asking that any witnesses of the accident contact the Department at 703 558-2222, or Detective Don Fortunato at 703 228-4197.
This explanation makes sense in light of the markings on the road (I visited the scene after I heard the first ARLnow report, in the hope that I could better understand, first hand, what happened). However, it’s not clear to me, as cyclist who has made this same turn, why the cyclist would have taken that path. The report has the cyclist coming down the hill you see in the left corner of the photo (and it’s quite a long and steep hill), and given the position of the collision, apparently deciding to turn after the slip turn lane you see on the left, and coming completely across into the far lane.
The orange markings are all related to the accident. The square that is roughly next to the bus stop sign is where the car stopped. The orange you see on the left side are – I assume – markings for where various pieces of the bike/clothing/etc. were found. Here’s another view (I’m not terribly keen on publishing any close-up photos):
I’m hoping we get more information soon.
In any event, it’s terribly sad.