Bike people are the worst

So sorry, Inky. That is terrible news. Hopefully the local media finally get around to doing something so they can catch the asshole who did this. My deepest condolences to you and his family.

 

Gone in a blink of an eye. Sorry to hear, Inky.

 

Awful. My condolences and hope they catch the person.

 

Sorry, IW. That's terrible.

One thing about the lack of coverage -- do not assume they know about it. We get a crazy number of emails from people who are angry that we didn't care enough to cover an accident/crime/whatever, and we have no idea what they're talking about.

I can't speak for the newsrooms in your area, but if you approached mine and explained that a member of your cycling club was killed by a hit and run driver, police were looking for the driver, and that you were willing to talk about John (and had photos of him), there's an excellent chance we'd do a story with you.

 

The local TV stations were contacted last Friday - both email and @ tagged on social media. The local PD put crime scene photos of his mangled bike up on Friday afternoon.

One of the four newscasts did something today - after the PD announced it is now a homicide investigation.

The station that makes a big deal of being “the official weather station” of the biggest charity bike ride in the state is still MIA.

 

I'm so sorry about all of this, Inky. I ride myself so this hits home. Also ... to those annoyed by being caught behind cyclists .... what seems like a huge hassle will, in reality, result in your being 30 seconds or so later to your destination. Weigh that against someone never getting home again next time you're in that situation.

 

The stakes here - injury and death - are the reason I get so hot with impatient motorists on these threads.

Learn the fucking traffic laws.

Chill out.

You might save a life.

 

IW, I’m sorry for your loss.

The person that left the scene was wrong.

Bike Commuters Are Dying in Record Numbers

It looks like between 800 and 1000 bikers die each year.

Death on foot: America's love of SUVs is killing pedestrians

That number is a fraction of joggers and walkers, which pushes the number to 6,000 a year.

That’s over a 100 per state per year. That’s a ton.

I’m 100 percent for adding bike lanes to any new road construction or road widening, which I think is required where I live.

But I know I’m going to get a lot of shit for this, but riding or walking to the left of the white line on a road just isn’t safe. No matter how much people can say to share the roads, all it takes is one car. I would find a road that has a sidewalk to walk or a bike lane to ride.

That might not be popular, but, to me, it’s logical.

 

I understand what you're saying but it's not practical. I would never get to work that way. And riding on the sidewalk is not only less safe since you're moving at speed in a place where people expect pedestrians, there are hefty fines for it.