spdntrxi

This is all I could find on it.. my wife drove by the carnage last night on her commute and called me. I ride Niles Canyon quite often...so this really sucks.


SUNOL, California (August 14, 2015) — A bicyclist was killed Friday night when the rider was hit by an SUV on the Interstate 680 Freeway at Highway 84, Niles Canyon Road about midway between Sunol and Fremont, a California Highway Patrol report said.

The crash was reported at 6:30 p.m. The driver of a black SUV struck the cyclist who was thrown into a ditch on the right shoulder of the street. The caller told authorities they did not see the bicyclist. Local firefighters responded but the victim was dead upon arrival at the scene. The westbound lanes were closed down for an investigation into the bicycle accident. CHP officers issued a SigAlert due to one-way only traffic.

Police are investigating the crash to determine liability.

cb400bill

Riding a bicycle on the Interstate? Is this in an area where it is legal to do so?

B. Carfree

The report conflicts with itself by saying both that the cyclist was hit on I-680 (not legal to ride there and I doubt if anyone ever has) and then saying the collision was midway between Sunol and Fremont, which puts it on Niles Canyon Rd (hwy 84), a popular road to ride on. The latter makes much more sense in terms of location. Nothing about "not seeing cyclist" makes any sense at all.

baron von trail 

People "don't see" cyclists all the time. I experience it myself at least once a week. Not sure I understand why this is the case. My guess is it's a brain fart thing. People driving cars are conditioned to look for other cars. Bikes, if seen, are simply not clicking in their heads.

Chris516

From looking at I-680 at Highway 84 on Google Maps. If the cyclist was actually on Highway 84, apart from the speed limit it doesn't look bad. Because it is a two-lane road with wide shoulders. But I-680 goes over Highway 84. So, I doubt the cyclist was actually on I-680. There is no ditch along I-680. But there is a ditch along Highway 84.

The motorist could have seen the cyclist. 6:30p.m. in California is still light out. It isn't as if it were Alaska. Where it is dark 24hrs. a day half the year.

mconlonx

Did they catch the SUV driver?

JoeyBike

Cycling on the highway "sharing" tarmac with high speed motor vehicles is inherently dangerous. One zoned-out driver in your lifetime is all it takes to not have a lifetime any more. This goes with the territory. How is it that many cyclists seem surprised by this fact?

As I have written here before, bicycles should come with an electronic steering lock with a display that reads "Riding a bicycle in traffic may cause serious injury or death. Press the "Agree" button if you are willing to assume responsibility for engaging in this dangerous activity." And just like at the grocery checkout where the credit card display asks "Is This OK?" Then you must click "YES" before the steering unlocks.

If you are not willing to risk becoming road kill, don't play in the road. Stop being surprised every time a shark bites a swimmer. It happens. Stay in the swimming pool if you want to lower the risk of the sharks biting you in the ocean.

10 Wheels

Never hit 80 mph, but the draft from the trucks was awesome.

spdntrxi

The story has now changed to :

A bicyclist died Friday evening after turning directly into the path of an oncoming vehicle on state Highway 84 near Sunol, according to the CHP.
The bicyclist, identified only as a 31-year-old man from Fremont, was headed west on the right hand shoulder of Highway 84 west of Sunol at roughly 6:25 p.m. when he abruptly turned into the westbound lane and was struck by a 2013 Nissan, according to the CHP.
The bicyclist was ejected and came to rest down a dirt embankment on the north side of the highway. He was pronounced dead there at 6:38 p.m., according to the CHP. The cause of the fatal crash remains under investigation, and officers have not yet determined if drugs or alcohol were involved, CHP officials said.
The Nissan’s driver and two passengers reported no injuries as a result of the crash. No arrests have been made, according to the CHP.

Seems pretty fishy to me... for those that to don't know the road, it's two lane with speed limit of 45 or less in most areas. Some sections have shoulders and some do not. I don't like how the story shifted from didn't see him---> swerved in front of me. Another case of cameras needed to tell the truth. I ride with a fly6 for such occasions. Westbound would have been reverse commute at this time of day.. so much more likely for traffic to be going much faster then eastbound.

I'm no big cycling advocate ... because I've seen enough stupid riding by cyclist but this stinks.

genec

Ah ha the old single surviving witness swerving cyclist story, eh?

Now that the driver has had time to confir with passengers.... this becomes the new story.

B. Carfree

Single witness suicide swerve. Right, sure. It's always amazing when they try this and then it comes out that the cyclist is a very experienced rider who is well respected in the community and the tone suddenly changes (although there are rarely ever charges for the killer).

Chris516

Highway 84 has no visual obstructions at I-680. So, The story is turning into a 'blame the cyclist', in the media.
My point exactly. For the cyclist to end up in the ditch. They had to be on Highway 84. If they had been on I-680, they would have fallen off the overpass.

spdntrxi

There was never any doubt it was on Niles Canyon.. My wife passed right by the scene... I stated that in the opener.

ItsJustMe

I believe that after a few years/decades of driving, people have forged driving into an autonomous/hindbrain activity that happens largely without conscious thought. There are a lot of things like this. Walking - if you had to consciously control walking you wouldn't even be able to get up on your hands and knees.

When people are driving, I believe that they are REALLY only looking for what they have spent the last XX years looking for - other cars. If they are not driving in an area where they see and have to interact with cyclists every day or nearly so, their brain just isn't attuned to them and "won't see them"

This is one of the reasons why getting more cyclists on the road should actually result in less frequent accidents, because the motorists will begin being trained to look for them.

spdntrxi

Steven Mi was his name.... condolences to his family.

Chris516

In a way there was. The text you had reprinted. Said on "Interstate 680 Freeway at Highway 84". So, What they said, not you, was wrong. Because, That implies that the cyclist was on I-680, not Highway 84. It isn't until the mention of the cyclist going into the ditch. That it is clear they made a mistake in what they said.

spdntrxi

whatever ...focus on what does not matter. What matters is that someone got killed and the story seems to shift .

adablduya

with all due respect, you honestly can't be serious with that suggestion. it's so ridiculous that you almost might be ....
in my opinion, to assume that cyclists don't inherently and knowingly assume the risks of sharing the road with motor vehicles is naive. to further assume that they do so without the expectation that the motor vehicle operators should be aware of their surroundings and operate their crafts competently at all times is also naive. you appear to be suggesting that the mere presence of cyclists in the shark-infested waters justifies whatever happens to them.

back to your 'suggestion'. even with such a mechanism, what would that accomplish ?

Chris516

Yes, A cyclist got killed. But it is also blatant ignorance on the paper's part, to say he was on I-680 while also ending up in the ditch. Because that invariably implies that the cyclist fell off the overpass. Before he was hit by the swerving vehicle.

Not only does the death of the cyclist matter. The obvious error by the paper does too. Because, The error paints the cyclist as blatantly irresponsible and he got what he deserved.

Dchiefransom

I wonder what the position of the sun was at that time of day. The road goes from super wide shoulder as you leave Sunol to almost no shoulder at all further west. When Niles Canyon curves in some sections, I watch the road as a secondary priority over coming around on a cyclist.

There is one route for cyclists where you do have to ride on the shoulder of I-680 briefly.

italktocats

you see what you want to see

italktocats

but you can deny responsibilty by saying 'i didnt see him'/'he came out of nowhere'/'it wasnt me' ifyou drive a car?

lets all stay home and never leave the house, and we still get hurt and die

JoeyBike

Many here on A&S apparently do not take into account that cycling in traffic is inherently dangerous. They do not wish to believe that they should take some of the responsibility for their risky behavior. At least based on what I read here.

What motorists should do and what they ACTUALLY do is pretty far removed from each other. I do not base my personal safety on what other people SHOULD BE DOING. I base my actions strictly by the facts on the ground. I have ZERO expectations that motorists will do anything behind the wheel with awareness.

Not at all. I am suggesting that people consciously ASSESS the risks of certain unsafe behaviors before continuing to engage in them time and time again. Then if they get clobbered to rest assured that some percent of the clobbering was due to the fact that they knowingly took the risk.

I could rest assured that every cyclist riding on the roads and highways with cars were aware that the situation has dangers and they are partly responsible for exposing themselves to those dangers. Perhaps some percentage of those potential cyclists would say "effit" and take the bus thus living to see another day. There might be less crying on A&S too. That would be nice.

adablduya

too bad for you for living a life without risks. in any case, i have to ask just why you think anyone would give a flying rats arse that you rest assured that every cyclist is aware that sharing the road with a car has its risks ?

JoeyBike

My life has enough risk and I am aware of those risks and base my decisions on facts regarding how much risk I am willing to assume. I am actually willing to assume a ton of risk if I am in control - like mountain biking for instance. I could be seriously injured or even killed but will most likely be my fault and mine alone. I also sail a longboard during winter months on a deserted bike path along our lake. I can easily hit 30 mph on a friggin' skateboard. If I crash, it's all on me. What I am generally NOT willing to gamble on is the attentiveness of idiots behind the wheels of motor vehicles. Most drivers are mindful and OK. Maybe 51% of them. But the number of knuckleheads is too much to gamble my health with.

I think that if every cyclist was educated and aware of the risks there would be a lot less of them cycling on highways and therefore becoming road kill. It's OK by me if you know the risks, engage anyway, and get smacked. I believe most cyclists getting smacked are just ignorant and uninformed happy-go-lucky people who don't worry about anything and blame everyone else for their resulting problems.