Advocacy & Safety - Not even safe on the protected bike path. RIP

Man run down in front of his family after car careens through fence into bike path (http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/local/central/paseo-closed-after-car-kills-bicyclist)

And the headline is about the road closing. No charges filed. ItslikeajunglesometimesitmakesmewonderhowIkeepfromgoingunder.

"car kills bicyclist"

have that car arrested!

not even safe waiting for a bus...

http://www.topix.com/austin/2010/03/2-killed-after-car-crashes-into-south-austin-bus-stop

The comment section header says that comments that "offer unsubstantiated facts" will be removed.

That would pretty much clear the boards on every news outlet website I've visited. Like the CBC, for instance.

On Saturday the 20th my wife and I spent the day on The Schuylkill River Trail (MUP) in Montgomery County, PA.
Around 5:15 p.m. we were taking a break at a picnic bench along the trail at Pawlings Road. Mounted up for the ride back down to Betzwood. The trail here is slightly uphill in the direction we were going. Two guys on nice road bikes blew past us. Suddenly they both veered off the trail into the soft gravel and grass alongside the trail. A young woman on the other side of the trail was walking her dog. Next we see her jump off the trail with the dog in the air on the end of the leash. Then we see a large 4-door Chrysler rolling towards us at a fairly good rate of speed. So off into the dirt we went.Missed us by about a foot. As soon as the car was passed I swing around and went after it. I was clocking 20 mph on the computer and he was pulling away. He headed up towards the Pawlings Road parking lot. Trail bollards stopped him. Then he started to turn around. He had been on the trail for at least 3 miles at that point. Finally Federal Park Rangers showed up and nabbed him. Then the local police who cited him for "vehicular trespass". Big deal! He faces a $100 fine for it. Had he done this 2 hours prior the trail was packed with people including a lot of young children learning to ride bicycles on the trail.

On Saturday the 20th my wife and I spent the day on The Schuylkill River Trail (MUP) in Montgomery County, PA.
Around 5:15 p.m. we were taking a break at a picnic bench along the trail at Pawlings Road. Mounted up for the ride back down to Betzwood. The trail here is slightly uphill in the direction we were going. Two guys on nice road bikes blew past us. Suddenly they both veered off the trail into the soft gravel and grass alongside the trail. A young woman on the other side of the trail was walking her dog. Next we see her jump off the trail with the dog in the air on the end of the leash. Then we see a large 4-door Chrysler rolling towards us at a fairly good rate of speed. So off into the dirt we went.Missed us by about a foot. As soon as the car was passed I swing around and went after it. I was clocking 20 mph on the computer and he was pulling away. He headed up towards the Pawlings Road parking lot. Trail bollards stopped him. Then he started to turn around. He had been on the trail for at least 3 miles at that point. Finally Federal Park Rangers showed up and nabbed him. Then the local police who cited him for "vehicular trespass". Big deal! He faces a $100 fine for it. Had he done this 2 hours prior the trail was packed with people including a lot of young children learning to ride bicycles on the trail.


We had a similar situation near Rochester NY last year; Guy leaves a bar, drunk, and proceeds to jump a curb in his car and drive a mile down the Erie Canal towpath - even after passing trail barriers. He got stopped by bollards, tries to turn around, and dumps his car into the canal. They didn't fish him and his car out until a week or so later.

Thankfully, it was late at night. On the other hand, that part of the canal gets a fair amount of walkers/riders at night. It was a blessing to the community that he took himself out of the gene pool without killing anyone else.

This thread and the article about 2 women killed by motorist while in a bus stop had me so stunned and I could not think about it anymore.

My condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to all families and relatives who have lost their loved ones.

This thread and the article about 2 women killed by motorist while in a bus stop had me so stunned and I could not think about it anymore.

My condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to all families and relatives who have lost their loved ones.

I just did a quick google for that. It probably happens more than you think. I know in my province, in the last few years, people getting killed waiting for a bus at the bus stop almost equals the total amount of cyclists that die on the road.

I guess the point is, while being killed waiting for the bus is rare, so is being killed while riding a bike.

The glaring problem is the fact that people operating motor vehicles are seldom held accountable for their actions in North America. They are not properly trained to operate such a dangerous piece of equipment and seldom if ever are re-tested on what little they were trained on. Personally I think that a driver's license should be much more difficult to obtain, and require periodic re-certification. If there was any other product that killed and maimed as many people in a year as the automobile in the hands of incompetent humans does, it would be banned immediately and the manufacturers shut down.

Aaron :)

Read the comments. People are pretty outraged that this person isn't being held accountable and the death isn't the focus of the article.

It's actually a little encouraging.


We've had something similar a couple of times (nobody has gotten hit) where cars came off the highway and skidded across the bike path. Our bike path in question is downhill from the highway and there's nothing but a few sparse trees between the highway and the path.

...If there was any other product that killed and maimed as many people in a year as the automobile in the hands of incompetent humans does, it would be banned immediately and the manufacturers shut down.

Aaron :)

Bingo, they should recall them all.

more people driving = more horsepower in the economic engine....

you're fighting the power of money when you try to raise any hurdles to aquiring and keeping a license.

more people driving = more horsepower in the economic engine....

you're fighting the power of money when you try to raise any hurdles to aquiring and keeping a license.

Yes you are fighting the power of money, special interest and big business, but it is being subsidized in so many ways. Accidents cost the economy close to $200 Billion (http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/05/news/economy/AAA_study/index.htm) a year. Imagine what that could pay for. Not to mention air pollution, water pollution, urban sprawl, etc, etc.

Aaron :)

Yes you are fighting the power of money, special interest and big business, but it is being subsidized in so many ways. Accidents cost the economy close to $200 Billion (http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/05/news/economy/AAA_study/index.htm) a year. Imagine what that could pay for. Not to mention air pollution, water pollution, urban sprawl, etc, etc.

Aaron :)

Add in parking and the extra road costs...

Man run down in front of his family after car careens through fence into bike path (http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/local/central/paseo-closed-after-car-kills-bicyclist)

And the headline is about the road closing. No charges filed. ItslikeajunglesometimesitmakesmewonderhowIkeepfromgoingunder.

I am moving to Santa Fe and, roads like the one in the video(even though it is in Bernalillo County) are roads that I will stay off of. Where I am moving to, just outside the center of the city. Since I don't drive, I was originally thinking, I would have to go along the Old Las Vegas Highway, just to get to the bank.

I am glad Google Maps now has a bike feature, even though it is still in Beta.

I absolutely agree. I relocated abroad, and was stunned how much differently they handle driving here. It costs several thousand dollars to obtain a drivers license. When there is an accident, the responsible party generally has his/her license pulled on the spot, pending the outcome of the investigation. Drug/alcohol tests are routine for all serious accidents. There is zero tolerance for drinking and driving. The driving age is 18. I could go on and on....

If you look at CDL holders in the US--- and compare their safety record, you can see what a difference it makes. Higher standards would definitely improve safety. Trouble is, many people would lose their "right" to drive in the process......


The glaring problem is the fact that people operating motor vehicles are seldom held accountable for their actions in North America. They are not properly trained to operate such a dangerous piece of equipment and seldom if ever are re-tested on what little they were trained on. Personally I think that a driver's license should be much more difficult to obtain, and require periodic re-certification. If there was any other product that killed and maimed as many people in a year as the automobile in the hands of incompetent humans does, it would be banned immediately and the manufacturers shut down.

Aaron :)