More carnage
http://woodtv.com/2016/06/07/bicyclists-dead-after-crash-north-of-k...
My stomach churned as I read this story.
Views: 736
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on
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What would you think about instituting a Ride of Silence every time something like this happens? I see there is going to be a silent ride this evening in Kalamazoo:
http://fox17online.com/2016/06/08/silent-ride-tonight-for-victims-o...
Perhaps Ride of Silence would be a more effective reminder if it happened broadly (e.g., nationwide) every time one of these tragedies occurred. There would be a much stronger connection between the tragic act and the response.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Schwab on
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http://www.rideofsilence.org/history.php
2003
May 4 Larry Schwartz is killed by a school bus mirror
May 8 Funeral for Larry and concept of idea
May 11 sent out emails
May 21 first Ride Of Silence, one-time-only event in Dallas, 1,000 attend. First ride report here.
Similar memorial rides have taken place after other bicyclists deaths before and after this date.
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Thanks for the link and early timeline. My point is that today, thirteen years after the first Ride of Silence, the ride generally occurs once a year, in mid-May. I know Dave leads one such ride in Evanston, and there is another in Chicago. I rode a couple years ago, and just recently saved my Ride of Silence t-shirt from a trip to the Salvation Army donation bin. (What can I say? My wife is a bit of a minimalist.) I think a once-a-year event, not directly tied to a recent tragedy, might have less impact than a multitude of rides which occur immediately after such an event. This tragedy has attracted nationwide attention. It's been picked up by the NY Times and The Atlantic, and I'm sure by many other media outlets with national scope.
I live in Evanston. If you've ever ridden up the North Shore on a weekend morning, you'd might think you missed the memo about a Bike Sheridan Road event. On a weekday afternoon rush hour, Sheridan Road generally has very few cyclists. That's just not when they ride. But if several groups of Evanston Bike Club, Team Judson, Second City Cycles, etc groups rode at least part of their regular routes immediately after a tragedy (riding in the usual RoS manner: slowly, observing all road rules, complete silence, kitted out in hi-vis orange and yellow), it would perhaps better convey the distress felt within the broader cycling community every time a tragedy like this occurs.
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Permalink Reply by David Barish on
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Skip, that is a provocative idea. I think the ride in Kazoo makes sense. I wish I could be there with them tonight. Last year I took a little Amtrak adventure and met friends who live there via bicycle. I choked when I ready about this last night. I may not do much riding this week due to incoming family stuff but am pretty sure that I am going to pull out my Ride of Silence shirt and wear it on my next ride even if it is 90 degrees and the shirt is cotton. I am going to copy your post to the Evanston Bike Club forum and suggest a minute of silence before this weekend's rides.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Hagar on
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Skip and all,
Actually there is an alternative to the once only per year Ride of Silence, held the 3rd Wed. in May at 7 PM. (RofS is Trademarked for the 3rd Wed. in May, just like T'giving is always the 4th Thur. in Nov., the only approved option; RofS' in the So. Hemisphere can ride the Sat. morn. immediately after the 3rd Wed. in May, at 10 AM, due to different season and available light)
This is the Ride of Silence "Tribute Ride", which the 1st of 3 Kalamazoo Memorial Rides (these all held in Kzoo) called itself, with the RofS' approval. A RofS "Tribute Ride" is one that doesn't take place on the 3rd Wed. in May, but typically held within a few days by friends and family of losing a loved one. This was approved by the RofS Board a number of years ago when we received a few inquiries from cyclists wanting to have an impromptu RofS for the reason above.
Another "Tribute Ride" was held in Ann Arbor MI a week later. (I attended both Kzoo'z & A2's) There have been a few other rides held to honor the Kalamazoo victims that used the "Ride of Silence" name, but not "Tribute Ride", simply because folks didn't know to, due to; we the RofS Board do a shitty job of letting folks know about "Tribute Rides"! I'm hoping your post, and a few others received the past few weeks will help me sway the Board in making this more prevalent on our website, as there is virtually no mention of it!! (other than under "Contact Us", and at my name under the Exec. Board)
So if Chicago area cyclists wish to honor all 9 victims from the Kalamazoo tragedy, today, tomorrow, next week, or any local cyclist killed not around the the 3rd Wed. in May... go for it.... And hold a RofS "Tribute Ride"!! Just give me a heads up via my email addie below.
Ride Safe,
Mark Hagar
mark.hagar@rideofsilence.org
Senior Outreach Director, Mentor, MI & Tribute Ride Coordinator
Local MI USA Organizer: 2005-2013 Grand Rapids, 2014 Spring Lake, 2015-17 Holland
+1.616.232.7441
"Alone we are but a whisper, together we shall speak loudly through a Silence that will resonate around the world"
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I understand the Tribute Ride option. That's not what I'm after. Taken to the extreme, what I would want is for (nationwide) all normal group rides and individuals riding alone to simply (and nearly automatically - no coordination required) switch to high visibility kit on their next ride. Nothing extra needs to be done. Here on Chicago's North Shore, there are large cycling clubs and teams out every weekend, and many weekdays. If (for example) Team Judson's two squads (A is probably 30 riders, B is probably 10-15) switched from their normal personal choices of jerseys of all imaginable designs to everyone wearing a simple hi-viz yellow jersey, I think motorists would notice.
This week I've recorded two deaths in San Francisco, and one each in Pleasanton, CA Washington, DC, and Cambridge, MA. The week before, there were two more here in the Chicago area. (I'm -- sadly -- almost sure I've missed others.) So, since Kalamazoo, I've learned about seven more deaths. I think the scale of this carnage requires more than a tribute ride in each of those areas. It requires near constant notification everywhere.
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It's a wonderful idea, taken to the extreme as you mentioned, though logistically would be hard to pull off for every lost cyclists on a day to day basis, sadly considering we lose 700 - to 900 annually.
Personally, in the 13 years I've been involved in the RofS org., I've sent out 1,000's of emails to clubs, bike shops, organizations, and phone calls trying to rally folks to join us just once a year at the same time. We were "only" in a record 441 locations this year.
I'd be really interested in working to figure out how to provide near constant notification as you mentioned?
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> I'd be really interested in working to figure out how to provide near constant notification as you mentioned?
When anyone learns of a cyclist's death in a motorist-involved crash, you tweet (and/or post to FaceBook) using a previously agreed upon hash tag.
I set up a saved alert for "cyclist death" with Google News recently. I get a new email roughly once a day. Not all describe new deaths. Often, they are follow-on messages about previous crashes.
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Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on
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Here's a follow up with a thorough summary by Bryan Waldman of Bike Law:
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Nice piece by Jason Gay in the Wall Street Journal today:
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All day Sunday, to show our support, cyclists everywhere are being asked to ride, take pictures and tag them on social media with#ridekalamazoostrong (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
This is to help show our solidarity for the 9 cyclists that were struck (5 killed) earlier this month. Thank you for supporting the cyclists of Kalamazoo.http://www.thechainlink.org/events/ride-your-bike-and-show-your-sup...
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