damned cyclists

Even veteran cops were shaken by the apparent callousness of a motorist who struck a cyclist and sent him flying through the air to his death, but only stopped long enough to untangle the mangled bike from under his truck.

The 38-year-old cyclist was killed on Stony Plain Road just west of Anthony Henday Drive early yesterday.

Cops in and around Edmonton are on the lookout for a 1994 Dodge Ram with damage to its front end and right side.

The suspect truck was indentified by parts that were ripped off the vehicle on impact.

Read the full article here.

As a bicycle commuter, for obvious reasons I find this very upsetting. If you see a cyclist on the road, PLEASE:

Give us some room. By law, we are legally entitled to one metre out into any lane from the curb, debris, or parked vehicle. We are legally considered a part of traffic, and it is your responsibility as the operator of a vehicle to respect this. For me, riding my bike is a lifestyle choice, one I make because I enjoy it and it works well - it has nothing to do with my income or health-nuttiness or desire to be recognized as a hippy freak. I shouldn't have to fear for my life.

Don't swoop past us as fast or as close as you possibly can, or honk at us while we are travelling. You aren't proving anything to anyone except that you're an inconsiderate and unsafe vehicle. Not to mention the fact that if you succeed in 'spooking' us, we are more likely to wobble and lose control, sliding under YOUR tires and landing you with a lifetime of dealing with the fact you needlessly caused the injury or death of another human being for the sake of beating traffic to the next red light.

Pay attention at night for the blinky lights we tend to wear. Most of us who are commuters make a point of wearing some kind of reflective clothing as well as attach lights to our helmets, bike, or person (or all 3) in order to make us as visible as possible. If it's dusk or dark, when you see blinky lights on the street ahead of you, please slow down and move over.

Do shoulder checks when you are pulling into a turning lane or the right lane after a row of parked cars.

Be patient - honestly, the 30 seconds you will save by honking at us isn't worth it. Very few of us like being in the midst of traffic, and we do our best to stay as far over as possible, for our own safety.

A few tips for non-street savvy cyclists:

Wear a helmet, reflectors, and blinkers, stay close to the side of the road, use hand signals, and remember that if you choose to go head to head with a vehicle, you will lose.

Comments

That is horrible !!

I saw that on my way to a wedding Saturday. I was wondering why they had the road blocked off. They were investigating and taking pictures when I went by.
Babzy said…
Good reminder.
alphonsedamoose said…
That was a really bad accident wasn't it. i hope thy throe the book at the guy when they catch him.
Good advice both for drivers and cyclists here Hope.
Tanya said…
I hope they find the person that did that. It won't bring the cyclist back but no person should be able to go on with life as usual after doing that.
Catmoves said…
Our sometimes right thinking Mayor here (Albuquerque, NM) has seen to it that we have miles and miles of "bike lanes" on tons of our streets. Motorists are supposed to stay out of them except when making a turn that would cross the lane. So far it's working pretty good. A cop friend tells me most tickets for violating that law are given to young people. Guess they can't remember when they used to ride bikes.
ticblog said…
Catmoves - I love New Mexico. Spent some time bumming around between Clovis and Roswell a few summers back, drinking Green Apple Pucker, loving the thunderstorms and hating the cicadas. Never been to Albequerque, though my sister says it's a must, right after Santa Fe...
Babzy said…
Yay, Catmove came for a visit.

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