Bicyclist killed at Oak & Wells Friday AM

Any updates:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-bicyclist-str...

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on October 5, 2012 at 10:55am

The reporter also states that "the bicyclist swerved around an open door."   

That should be an opened door -semantically they do NOT mean the same thing.  Later in the article it says that the door was just opened, but a reader at that point in the first paragraph gets a mental image of the rider seeing an OPEN door far ahead and just deciding to swerve around it rather than slowing or at least checking before swerving into traffic.  Saying that he swerved at the last instant around a door that was opened INTO him is much different. 

Tiny differences in the way that something is worded makes all the difference in the world in the way the reader judges the situation. 

Getting punted under the wheels of a moving flatbed trailer by an inattentive driver that couldn't bother to check before throwing their door open into them is hugely different than seeing an open door up a ways up ahead and simply racing around it. 



Julie Hochstadter said:

Yeah. The title says , "he did have a lot of close calls."
. Why they had to highlight that one stupid sentence.
April said:

Permalink Reply by Melissa on October 5, 2012 at 11:02am

I hate listening to cars honking at me when I'm forced to take the lane.  After today, I think I will be tolerating more honking.  The risk of riding close to parked traffic is clearly too high.  I'm very sad that today's tragedy has served as a reminder.   Here is the message that I sent.  I hope it gets read.

 

chicagobreaking@tribune.com
Colleen Mastony <CMastony@tribune.com>

 

Dear Chicago Tribune:

I am utterly shocked, offended, and ultimately disgusted by your decision to print this headline: "Bicyclist killed on North Side: 'He did have a lot of close calls'" (Oct. 5, 2012).

 

The latter half of this line loudly implies that the victim was a notoriously reckless bicyclist - an idea clearly unfounded.  Why, in this time of tragedy, have you made your mission to instantly seek and place blame?  Why fuel the road-sharing conflicts that plague Chicago?  Shame on your writers, Alex Garcia and Colleen Mastony.

 

Had the driver of the parked Altima followed Chicago law and looked before opening his door into the flow of traffic, the victim would not have been sent careening into a passing vehicle.

 

Furthermore, while continuous updates change the content of your online article, your choice of language is persistently problematic: "An attorney biking to work was struck and killed by a semi truck..."

 

A truck is not the opposite of an attorney.  A truck does not drive itself.  A person driving a truck struck a person riding a bicycle, however unintentional.    Accurate language must be used if we are to understand, and ultimately solve, the problems on our roads.  As a news source, I hope that you will uphold a commitment to accuracy.  Please prove so in future articles.

 

Permalink Reply by Meg Matthews on October 5, 2012 at 11:02am

I'm so sorry for his family's loss. This is the kind of scenario that gives me nightmares when I'm riding on some of these crowded streets.

Permalink Reply by Trevor on October 5, 2012 at 11:04am

They still have some work to do on the article, but at least the headline is more compassionate now.  Thanks to his friends who called the trib and thanks to those who wrote in with an opinion on a very biased story. 

Permalink Reply by Andrew on October 5, 2012 at 11:06am

Please don't interpret this as an effort to nitpick or diminish anyone's good (and appreciated) efforts, but as we write letters of concern to the Tribune and other media outlets, I think it would be good to spell his name correctly.  As far as I can tell from news reports and some older (prior to today) sources via Google, it's Neill Townsend.

Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on October 5, 2012 at 11:11am

Here is Fox coverage: http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/19746868/bicyclist-fatally-struck...

We also posted a blog and will continue to follow-up: http://www.activetrans.org/blog/espotts/person-riding-bicycle-was-k...

Ethan Spotts, Active Trans

Permalink Reply by T.K. 3.5 mi on October 5, 2012 at 11:12am

Like most of you, I ride everyday (often near semis in industrial areas) and this is very disturbing. RIP Neil, and condolences to his family and friends. 

I think the scariest thing for the community now is the fact that the cyclist was riding in a bike lane designed to protect him from harm. This proves that those types of lanes, alone, do not solve the safety problem. Having cars and bikes at their disproportionate speeds in such close proximity will always be unsafe. We need more avenues of transportation where bikes and cars are separated by clear physical barriers. The community needs to keep pushing for this type of planning.

That is a ways away. For now we have to keep politely reminding everyone we meet to remember that the road is for everyone, and THANKING them when they yield. I love smiling and waving my hand out at drivers that hold their doors shut until after I have passed. Ongoing respect on both sides is required if we are going to maintain safety on the streets.

See you all at 9pm. 

Permalink Reply by Don on October 5, 2012 at 11:13am

Sigh.  RIP.  This could easily happen to me, or any of us.  Just a horrible chain of events.  I wonder if the door clipped him, or he just lost control when evading?  

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on October 5, 2012 at 11:15am
Wow yeah, apparently the title has since been changed again, now to " he will be missed." That could never happen in print media. Wow.

Julie Hochstadter said:
Yeah. The title says , "he did have a lot of close calls."
. Why they had to highlight that one stupid sentence.
April said:

Here is the reporter's email: Colleen Mastony, CMastony@tribune.com.


Someone, please write them and tell them their story was terribly biased and point out door safety.  I need to get back to work and this should be done as soon as possible.  Thanks!!

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on October 5, 2012 at 11:16am
Very good point.

Andrew N said:

Please don't interpret this as an effort to nitpick or diminish anyone's good (and appreciated) efforts, but as we write letters of concern to the Tribune and other media outlets, I think it would be good to spell his name correctly.  As far as I can tell from news reports and some older (prior to today) sources via Google, it's Neill Townsend.

Permalink Reply by Vilda on October 5, 2012 at 11:22am

Thank You Ethan, for speaking clearly and to the point on the news. Well done.



Active Transportation Alliance said:

Here is Fox coverage: http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/19746868/bicyclist-fatally-struck...

We also posted a blog and will continue to follow-up: http://www.activetrans.org/blog/espotts/person-riding-bicycle-was-k...

Ethan Spotts, Active Trans

Permalink Reply by Scott Stelzer on October 5, 2012 at 11:23am

Yes, one of the clueless commenters on the NBC5 version of the story said "the cyclist should have stopped" for the door, so it did get read like that by some people.

James BlackHeron said:

The reporter also states that "the bicyclist swerved around an open door."   

That should be an opened door -semantically they do NOT mean the same thing.  Later in the article it says that the door was just opened, but a reader at that point in the first paragraph gets a mental image of the rider seeing an OPEN door far ahead and just deciding to swerve around it rather than slowing or at least checking before swerving into traffic.  Saying that he swerved at the last instant around a door that was opened INTO him is much different. 

Tiny differences in the way that something is worded makes all the difference in the world in the way the reader judges the situation. 

Getting punted under the wheels of a moving flatbed trailer by an inattentive driver that couldn't bother to check before throwing their door open into them is hugely different than seeing an open door up a ways up ahead and simply racing around it. 



Julie Hochstadter said:

Yeah. The title says , "he did have a lot of close calls."
. Why they had to highlight that one stupid sentence.
April said:

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