Nice Piece from NYT on Dangers of Bike Riding...

She was doing all the right things in the morning commute, traveling in the
bike lane, wearing a helmet, following the rules of the road. In an instant,
Sher Kung — new mother, brilliant attorney, avid cyclist — was struck and
killed by a vehicle making a turn in downtown Seattle last month.
At the scene, the truck driver wept and swore he never saw her.

Death on a Bike http://nyti.ms/1r5nWiw

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 19, 2014 at 3:40am

I had a similar feeling after reading it. Andy captured the essence of one of the biggest problems we need to overcome - as a culture and legally.

The question it does not answer--the question that is so rarely raised in media reporting of bike accidents--is what does it mean to say "I swear I did not see him/her"?  To me, that is an admission of negligence.  It doesn't mean the driver is a bad person; it just means that the driver did not fulfill his or her duty to keep a lookout for other users of the road.  And the point is that the police who ticket or seek charges and the courts that determine liability (and the insurers of the drivers) continue to misinterpret "I swear I did not see him/her" to fortuitousness, so that no one ought to be responsible.  

Permalink Reply by Jeff Hazzard on September 19, 2014 at 3:46am

Such a sad loss of Sher Kung.  Thank you for bringing this tragedy to our attention.  Having the mayor of Seattle attend her memorial ride is an implicit admission that she was not protected by a failed infrastructure when she could and should have been.

Urban cycling is dangerous....and our ranks represent a disproportionate number of road injuries and fatalities.  Cycling wants to blossom in urban America, even in inhospitable weather places like Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle.  At least old urban cities have a chance to accommodate the revolution to the pedal (pun, get it?).  Sunbelt cities are sprawling and, more or less, hopeless. 

BUT, untold thousands more would start bike-commuting if they felt safe.  Infrastructure is key.  Mayor Emanuel and Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld are earnestly trying, but we are 40 years behind in development of cycling infrastructure.  Good thing is that motorist awareness in Chicago (except sometimes out of town visitors) is actually pretty good.  Bikes are seen enough that most have started to look for them.  We would become a leading cycling city if we invested in making ourselves into one.

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.  Milwaukee Avenue is proof of that.

Jeff

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on September 19, 2014 at 4:27am
"Glorious to have the wind in your face,
gliding along, an act of faith,
beating the odds, change in a flash !"
Timothy Egan
Our vulnerability on two wheels indeed !
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on September 19, 2014 at 4:28am

Milwaukee Avenue was a popular and well-traveled cycling route long before the introduction of a protected bike lane. Some have even suggested (myself included), that Milwaukee Avenue was a BETTER cycling route prior to the introduction of a protected bike lane.  

Jeff Hazzard said:

[snip]

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.  Milwaukee Avenue is proof of that.

Jeff

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 19, 2014 at 5:05am

Well said!

I would conclude instead that our communities become grim places indeed when we cannot safely traverse them without two tons of metal armor, and that the mindset that roads are and must be only for the glorification of the auto needs to change.

Permalink Reply by Josh L. on September 19, 2014 at 5:06am

at work now but I want to reread it later with your comments in mind.  I read it somewhat differently but perhaps your interpretation captures it.

h' 1.0 said:

Not sure Jo... there's a bit of lip service to "blame the system" but the overall flavor that lingers after reading is "blame the cyclist" IMO.

Permalink Reply by David P. on September 19, 2014 at 6:15am

Awareness of your own vulnerability does not imply blaming anyone for anything. Motorcycle riders - smart ones, anyway - are well aware of their vulnerability vs. other vehicles; I think smart bicycle riders in urban environments full of cars and trucks are, too. I'd rather be alive than right.

David

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on September 19, 2014 at 10:40am

Particularly the nasty stretch of Dearborn north of the river with a left side bike lane and lots of left turning traffic.  When's State Street going to be finished, by the way?  I really don't like going in to work down Wabash in the morning.

David P. said:

Awareness of your own vulnerability does not imply blaming anyone for anything. Motorcycle riders - smart ones, anyway - are well aware of their vulnerability vs. other vehicles; I think smart bicycle riders in urban environments full of cars and trucks are, too. I'd rather be alive than right.

Permalink Reply by yai danche on September 20, 2014 at 4:36am

I didn't see her/him really means I didn't look, I didn't check.  As far as I know people can't turn invisible and Chicago Bike Law blog has pointed out that this is not a legal excuse.  I haven't taken driver's ed in a while but I hope instructors teach people to check for bikes.  By the way this is why I always wear a helmet, not because I believe it provides protection.  But because I want to do "everything right" like the article described.  I would hate being reported as "not wearing a helmet" should I ever die in a bike collision.  

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on September 20, 2014 at 5:00am
"I didn't see the bicyclist your honor". If I was a juror in a traffic/personal injury trial, sorry, you're guilty of negligence.
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 20, 2014 at 8:24am

Our biggest nightmare as a community.  *headdesk*

Andy Moss 9.5 said:

NYC, and especially its police, have now forgotten all about Ms. Kung (and the nearly 5,000 pedestrians killed and nearly 50,000 pedestrians injured by motor vehicles in the US each year), because this (I won't link to the NY Post):

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2014/09/sorry-we-have-important-thi...

If what is being reported about this guy is true, he's a massive dick, and the media will hold all cyclists responsible for his behavior.  I also have no doubt the police, the insurance companies and the courts will have little trouble finding liability, even though he "did not intend to do it."

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on September 20, 2014 at 8:59am

It's sad but if that road has the nickname of "the road of death" I would be extra cautious and even avoid it unless there's no alternative.

I've been on a bike for 10+ years (car free) and when I owned a car would ride around NYC, Detroit and 1st,2nd ring Suburbs.

Being an avid or even an expert cyclist can never prepare you for someone making a sudden move next to you or in front.

 

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