genec

https://www.10news.com/news/car-veers...cyclist-071613

Apparently the driver went through a chain link fence and hit the cyclist. Wow, not even the surface streets are safe from idiot motorists on interstate freeways... sigh.

Chris516

Ouch!!!! It makes me glad, that sort of thing can't happen where I live. Since the bike trails(if I use them) are much higher, than the level of the interstate. At the same time, there are a few bike/ped paths that run parallel to some sections of 40mph road that is a main artery from DC, to the northern end of the state, where a car could easily run off the road and hit a cyclist and/or pedestrian, on the adjacent bike/ped path. Then claim it was an accident and get off without even a ticket.

FBinNY 

A few years back a student was killed while riding on a bike path separated from a parkway by something like 50 feet. Not making light of this, but I'm often amazed at how far cars manage to go to find something (or someone) to crash into.

genec

No path was involved... this happened on an adjacent street.

dynodonn 

Hell that's nothing, in my locale, one's in not even safe in their own home from marauding motorists, with a number of our local residents now sporting large boulders, elaborate brick/cement barriers outside their homes.

northernlights

In NYC drivers will jump the curb and plow into a storefront or into a group of people standing on the sidewalk and it happens all the time. Because the cars are going too damn fast. It doesn't help when the streets are 6 to 8 lanes wide and are more like racetracks than streets and speed limits rarely enforced. Doesn't matter if its hit and run, DUI, driving on a suspended license or all of the above. Drivers are rarely charged with anything serious no matter how reckless.

genec

More on this, including news video of the collision area and car.

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/loca...215762271.html

This particular street is used often by cyclists to access one of the few "shortcut" bike paths in town... the shortcut goes under the intersection of two freeways and without the shortcut access to certain areas would be painstakingly long, depending on your travel origin. UCSD college campus is one of those areas. I have ridden that shortcut numerous times over the last 20+ years and it always amazes me that it is such poor condition, relative to the freeways above. It is somewhat narrow, and the northern end of the path dumps riders right out into a freeway off ramp. You can see the northern end of the path here: https://goo.gl/maps/It1QC

Here you can see the jumble of freeway ramps that cross over the path: https://goo.gl/maps/w07Xx (lots of pavement in the sky for motorists, but little on the ground for cyclists) And here is the southern end of the path: https://goo.gl/maps/5iEsC

The cyclist in this thread was hit south of the southern end of this path on the actual street that connects to the path, somewhere down in this area: https://goo.gl/maps/j4SZz Santa Fe street parallels Interstate 5 for maybe a mile.

The motorist apparently could not control their vehicle, crossed the shoulder, went through landscaping and a chainlink fence and onto the surface street beyond. I guess some folks just should not drive.

Chris516

Apples to oranges, not much of a difference.

I happen to be talking to my father about this, just 30mins. ago, and was telling him how, several bike/ped. paths in the region are adjacent to the road, where a motorist could easily go off the road and kill a cyclist and/or pedestrian, which is another reason I don't use the paths.

genec

Huge difference... paths don't usually have cars on them... adjacent streets may.

Yes there is a path in north county area where they turned a farm road into a freeway... and then did not allow cyclists on the freeway, so they built a nice path parallel to the freeway... it is a pretty nice path too, except in a couple of spots. You can see part of that path in this google link. https://www.google.com/maps?ll=32.95...=h&dg=opt&z=17 Look for the text route 56 bike path

You can also see that route 56 path in the photos below.



And yes motorists have crashed through the fence there too... seems like folks in cars just can't seem to stay away from folks on bikes... but tell you what, I'd ride that path any day over riding a 50MPH road and taking a lane or hugging the curb or even riding in a bike lane. I used to ride that path daily when I worked in that area, and sure enough I'd see areas of the chainlink fence ripped through and wonder what some stupid motorist had done. I remember one time seeing an obvious rip from outside in to the bike path and then just a few yards up the path an obvious rip outward from the path to the highway.

There are people out there that should not be behind the wheel!

Chris516

These are perfect examples of why I stay off parallel routes, and just 'take the lane'.

genec

You'd be taking the lane on a freeway... good luck with that. Apparently you didn't bother to read that the ONLY thru road was made into a freeway.

Dchiefransom

When people ride out on the east side of San Francisco Bay to get to the Dumbarton Bridge, they frequently ride past sections of the fence where a car went off the freeway and through the fence.

enigmaT120

I guess there should have been an exit there.