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For those who don't like links, a police car is reported to have right hooked a cyclist in a bike lane, causing injury, and then taking off. Two witnesses stopped and gave statements.

Orlando police car hit man on bicycle, 2 witnesses said - Orlando Sentinel


In another story related to the previous one by the presence of a bike lane and a motorist who is supposed to be a better driver than most, we have a school bus driver killing a cyclist in a bike lane with a left cross.

Coroner identifies bicyclist killed by school bus


To me, it is looking like the bike lane isn't as safe as advertised.

casio04330

***** the police

raqball

I am sure the police department will find out who the officer was and that officer should be swiftly fired and criminally charged.. No doubt about it!

The officer had a duty to not only follow the law but to render aid to the cyclist he/she hit..

You forgot about the school bus driver...............................

A bit of a childish comment don't you think?

I'd love to hear you add something of value to this topic in an educated manner....

CB HI

You are learning the truth.

casio04330

Yeah.. Sorry it was a bit of a angry reply.. the police officer should have been more responsible and stopped to make sure that the cyclist was okay and took immediate responsibility for his wrong doing.
but he also should've been more aware of surroundings including the person on the bike.

The bus driver should also been more aware of their surroundings because the driving a bus.
Especially a school bus school bus driver deals with children, somebody who deals with children should know more of the surroundings.

raqball

Wholeheartedly agree!

casio04330

bike lanes are a joke!
All's they are the way of making people who complain about bikes on the sidewalk happy not about making bikers more safe.
In a way it really comes down to most business owners complaining about people on bikes going past the front of their stores and messing with their traffic flow to their businesses.
If communities actually cared about their bicycle riders they would turn all unused train tracks into bicycle only fairways.
There are millions and millions of unused train tracks across this nation.
There is no reason why a national bicycle highway cannot be built in our generation.

raqball

I agree but at this point in time, it's all we have.. Some cities / areas don't even have them.

A quick story unrelated to this topic but it does go to the point about bike lanes.

Last summer I was cycling in the bike lane (it's a rather wide bike lane) and the bike lane is marked on the roadway as such and by signs every so often..

I hear a horn honking at me like crazy... I look back and this lady is having a tantrum in her car.. She is flapping her arms all over the place and it's obvious she is yelling and screaming at me..... All as she drives in the bike lane..

She must have assumed it was a vehicle lane, she must have missed the markings on the roadway and in her state of tantrum, she must not have seen the bike lane signs..

She continued with her tantrum for a little then changed lanes (into one of the actual car lanes), passed me very closely, and promptly returned to driving in bike lane..

I had to shake my head.. Some people really have no business driving a 3,000 pound speeding bullet...

casio04330

I bet that she had a coexist bumper sticker...

keyven

It's pretty much the equivalent of a racist comment. If a <minority race> person or a woman had hit a cyclist, it would be the same as saying "**** the <minority race>" or "***** woman drivers".

Yeah, no one cares if you insult white people.

Why do people even do this? Do you think it makes you cool? Being angry does not make you say something like this unless it's already in your brain and you're looking for an excuse to let it out.

Shows how easy it is to rail against an entire community/job based on the actions of a single individual. What if your relative did something wrong and someone said "***** your family"?

FBinNY 

+1, this is sure to ignite debate, but bike lanes trade reduced risk of being hit from behind on the open road, for increased risk for collision at intersections. This isn't a statement for or against bike lanes, just a statement that they're not ideal in every situation.

Meanwhile there's zero excuse for an officer to leave the scene of an accident. I expect (hope) that some publicity will quickly end his career. With any luck your bike will have left enough evidence in the form of scratches or a dent in the side of the car to rule out the "I didn't feel any collision defense".

eja_ bottecchia

I absolutely hate reading these stories. And reading about what the killed cyclist last wrote on his blog just breaks my heart.

On May 21 I will be participating in my local Ride of Silence. I strongly encourage all of you to participate as well.

RIP to the fallen cyclist. May his family find peace and comfort.

SnowJob

Ummmm... because all cops are white?

raqball

WOW!

I seriously hope that was a joke...

Ever been to LA? I'd guess not...

CbadRider

Okay, time to cool off a bit. Lets not make this a racial thread or it will be moved to P&R.

B. Carfree

Since I live in a city with about one hundred cops and at least two of them have drunk driving convictions, I'm not so sure this rogue will lose his/her job. Hopefully, things work differently elsewhere.

raqball

Most cities, while self insured, would not be able to insure officers with a DUI conviction..

I would hope that any officer with a DUI conviction would no longer be an officer..

B. Carfree

Today I got called out (with a few colorful expressions) by a guy on a motorcycle who was following me while I was walking on the sidewalk. He wanted to pass me and was upset that I was pulling a large garden cart that was nearly as wide as the sidewalk. It was pretty funny listening to him rev his engine in an effort to get my attention.

Some day we really should make these people pass a test in order to get a license.

I-Like-To-Bike

Is this statement of the truth about cycling risk just your (and others') opinion, or is it supported by your knowledge of any credible risk analysis and/or serious study of bicycling accident location frequency and injuries suffered?

kickstart

Bike lanes can be great when part of an intelligent road plan that addresses the needs of all user groups, and shouldn't be judged by those that are poorly done, or as afterthoughts, fortunately I live in such a place.

A hit and run by a police officer not just a crime, but a betrayal of trust which is far worse.

kickstart

**********

A guy on a motorcycle wanted to pass you while on a sidewalk? What the heck was he doing riding on a sidewalk in the first place?

raqball

Agree..

True.. I don't know many departments that would keep such an officer.. As I stated earlier, while many cities are self insured, they still have underwriters.. It's my understanding that many an officer have been fired for DUI, speeding offenses ect.. The city can claim the officer is no longer insurable and therefor unable to meet the requirements of his/her job..

CB HI

Yet this type of officer exist in so many city and state departments, contrary to the claims of some.

raqball

seeker333

This happened Mon AM, here it is early Fri and the Orlando PD still hasn't found their man (nothing appears to be reported in the Orlando Sentinel in a follow-up story).

Sure does make OPD look bad.