Zinn-X

Sorry to bring this up again, but this really made me mad. I contacted Erica Barnett (the author), and she didn't know about it. But there it is in the source code:

When I pointed this out to her, she was upset as well and promised to have her tech people look into it. Bottom line is that someone at that newspaper thinks this cyclist's death is funny. As far as I'm concerned, this is the Internet equivalent of pissing on someone's grave, and I hope whoever is responsible is reprimanded.

geo8rge

Is it known as a fact that the bikes in the accident had no brakes? Please post a quote from the article, I really do not see them saying explicitly that those bikes had no brakes or just one.

The article, as I read it, says the riders were on fixed gear bikes. Then they discuss in general terms fixed gear bikes without brakes. They do not state what equipment the riders had.

Bushman

+ 1 so is Vancouver.

In the hands of an EXPERIENCED rider a fixie in traffif poses no issues. In the hands of a newbie or a not so experienced rider, fixies are deadly. I see it all the time here, people panicking and dumping their bikes and crashign because they simply cannot stop their fixie after mr bimmer cuts them off.

sorry to hear about your friend dying.

Bushman

and just to give some further info:

as a driver of a LARGE dump truck, in order to turn right safely and properly (due to the length of the vehicle), i have to move LEFT first (this opens up the right lane) and then swing the truck into the right turn. Often i find people will mistake the curb lane as opening up and they will move into it, (cyclists and cars both) and then wonder why they are about to be crushed.

"Be careful of semi trucks making wide right turns. If you try to get in between the semi truck and the curb, you'll be caught in a "squeeze" and can suffer a serious semi truck accident. Truck drivers sometimes need to swing wide to the left in order to safely negotiate a right turn especially in urban areas. They can't see cars directly behind or beside them. Cutting in between the truck and the curb increases the possibility of a crash. So pay attention to semi truck signals, and give them lots of room to maneuver."

Not saying your friend was'nt paying attention, but a LOT of people are simply UNAWARE of how trucks need to turn.

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Sharing the Road with Other Vehicles - SHARING THE ROAD WITH OTHER VEHICLES
Large Trucks and RVs

To reduce the chance of having an accident with a large truck or RV, you must be familiar with a big rig’s physical capabilities and how they maneuver.
Braking

Large trucks take longer to stop than a car traveling at the same speed. The average passenger vehicle traveling at 55 mph can stop in about 400 feet. However, a large truck traveling at the same speed can take almost 800 feet to stop. Don’t move in front of a large truck and suddenly slow down or stop. The trucker will not be able to stop quickly enough to avoid crashing into you.
Turning

When any vehicle makes a turn, the rear wheels follow a shorter path than the front wheels. The longer the vehicle, the greater the difference. This is why big rig drivers must often swing wide to complete a right turn. When you follow a big rig, look at its turn signals before you start to pass. If you think the truck is turning left—wait a second and check the turn signals again. The driver may actually be turning right.

Diagram showing commercial truck driver's blind spots.


Shaded areas are the driver's blind spots.
Trucker's Blind Spots - The NO ZONE

Passenger vehicle drivers and CYCLISTS incorrectly assume that a trucker can see the road better because he or she is higher off the road. While truckers do have a better forward view and bigger mirrors, they still have serious blind spots and your vehicle can get lost in those blind spots. You block the trucker’s ability to take evasive action to avoid a dangerous situation if you stay in those blind spots. Generally speaking, if you can’t see the truck driver in his or her side mirror, he or she can’t see you. These blind spots are often called the “NO ZONE.”
Maneuverability

Trucks are designed to transport products and they are not as maneuverable as passenger vehicles. Large trucks have longer stopping and starting distances. They take more space for turns and they weigh more. On multilane highways and freeways, large trucks usually stay in the center portion of the lane to help the flow of traffic. This also increases the trucker’s options in case he or she must change lanes to avoid a hazard.

Avoid these mistakes when driving around large trucks.


* Cutting off a truck in traffic or on the highway to reach an exit or turn. Cutting into the open space in front of a truck is dangerous. Trying to beat a truck through a single lane construction zone, for example, removes the truck driver’s cushion of safety and places you in danger. Slow down and take your turn entering the construction zone. Don’t speed up to pass a truck so you can exit the roadway. Take a moment to slow down and exit behind a truck—it will only take you a few extra seconds.

* Don’t linger alongside a truck when passing. Always pass a large truck on the left side and after you pass the truck, move ahead of it. Don’t linger, because if you do you make it very difficult, if not impossible, for the trucker to take evasive action if an obstacle appears in the road ahead.

* Following too closely or tailgating. When you follow so closely behind a truck that you cannot see the truck driver’s side view mirrors, the trucker has no way of knowing you are there. Tailgating a truck, or any vehicle, is dangerous because you take away your own cushion of safety. Where will you go when the vehicle in front of you stops quickly?

* Never underestimate the size and speed of an approaching tractor-trailer. A large tractor-trailer often appears to be traveling at a slower speed because of its large size. Many passenger vehicle vs. large truck accidents take place at intersections because the passenger vehicle driver did not realize how close the truck was or how quickly it was traveling.

SamHouston

The manner of spite indicated in the source code you have there fits the underlying theme present in the article. That the article was poorly written, had many errors of omission, in it's facts and all of it's historical references combined with what you found in the paper's own reference to the picture point to a clear bias on the part of the author Erica Barnett.

If this is what The Stranger can expect from her, that she makes light of a death in the community while distorting the facts surrounding it, all the while presenting bad information in an unresearched article, well, let's hope they get back on the right track and don't publish any of her work again.

I personally don't believe that she was unaware of the coded reference of spite at this person's death. If she were, it's safe to assume the coder took their attitude from the article which clearly paints a picture of intolerance & ignorance disguised as journalism on a cyclists death.

Mos6502

This is something I don't think we'll ever be able to find out. I'm well aware of how trucks need to turn, unfortunately on a tangent here - in Denver a lot of the white stop lines at intersections are not placed far enough back from the intersection to allow buses to make turns without traffic having to back up for them...
However, legally the driver still has to make sure he can make that turn safely. I think it's really very simple, the driver didn't see them and he made the turn, it happens a lot. Eyewitness accounts seem to conflict on both speed of the truck and bikes though, so it's hard to tell whether or not the cyclists put themselves into a more dangerous situation (by attempting to pass the truck while it was turning, which personally I think seems unlikely) or if rather they had just been riding alongside the truck and the driver failed to see them (or also unlikely IMO if the truck was going faster than the cyclists maybe in an attempt to beat them, which seems the least likely situation) Regardless of their respective speeds, the driver is still responsible to yield to peds, cyclists, or anything else that might be occupying the space he needs to take the turn.

alanfleisig

I actually think the paper's original story was more thorough and better written than almost any newspaper accounts of bike accidents I've seen elsewhere.