Another cyclist fatality

Saw this one on the Wisconsin Bike Fed blog:

http://wisconsinbikefed.org/2016/06/22/driver-hits-kills-co-worker-...

Unlike other incidents I've seen reported, this one appears to involve people who likely knew each other. The two were coworkers, both working for WS Packaging Solutions in Algoma, WI.

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on September 29, 2016 at 8:24am

Sorry, that ignorant comment really pissed me off. I'm not sure if I was more upset with the author for writing it, or with the Sun-Times for printing it. So I wrote to the Sun-Times...

I simply can't ignore Roger O'Brien's ignorant comment about licensing cyclists. He wrote:

This was the sixth bicyclist fatality in Chicago so far this year. And it will continue to happen unless traffic laws are enforced for bicycles and motor vehicles. Issue small license plates for all bicycles and charge a fee; the additional revenue will benefit the city.

Ignoring for the moment the fact that motor vehicles and their drivers are licensed, yet are largely responsible for the carnage, I would like Mr. O'Brien to explain how he thinks carrying a license in your wallet or on your bike will improve matters, or how the pittance collected in licensing fees will help. As cyclists, most of us pay taxes of one sort or another (gas taxes if we own and drive cars, income or property taxes even if we don't). We are paying for street maintenance far beyond the cost of providing a few miles of bike lanes and signage.

The absence of a license seems not to carry a lot of weight with some drivers either. Consider this chain of events. On August 18, Richard Alford struck and killed Jeffrey Garske as he was riding his bike near Hilton Head Island, SC. Alford was arrested and charged with "felony DUI resulting in death and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death," with bond set at a mere $50,000. He made bail at some point and was released. Yesterday, he was arrested again for another DUI. Clearly, his licensing (and presumably the suspension of his driver's license as a condition of release on bail) meant nothing to Alford.

Closer to home, Bobby Cann was killed on Clybourn near Larrabee in 2013. The case against his drunk killer, Ryne Sanhamel, continues to drag through the courts, I think largely because his family can afford high powered defense counsel. Sanhamel also had previous blots on his record (including at least one arrest for underage drinking) which were wiped clean through the miracle of money. To this day he has never paid for his offenses. I'm sure he was licensed to drive. I doubt it mattered.

There is such a huge assymetry between motor vehicles on the one hand and bikes and pedestrians on the other, that it matters not one whit whether cyclists and pedestrians are licensed, wear helmets, flashing lights, bright clothing or light sabers. They will get hit. Sometimes they will die. That assymetry means the responsibility will always lie with the driver. Enforcement efforts should always lean most heavily on the person with the more dangerous weapon.