You Ride, We Ride

The death sent me reeling, despite her being as distant a stranger could be. Hundreds huddled in Liberty, wondering what to do next; I saw the sign, "1986-2011," born the same year, it could have been me. But then, riding a bike, it could have been any of us. But then, how few of us can claim to have accomplished as much in such a short time as she did? This life can't be one lost in vain! Why did this happen, and what can we do to stop it from happening again?



The answer is easy to write, but difficult in every other sense: no more cars. The top four causes of death in the USA are as follows: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and motor vehicle accident. But this is across all ages! Restrict the age range to 40 and under, and motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death. It is a straightforward conclusion then that the most effective healthcare plan for this portion of the population is to simply end car accidents.

It is said that one of the greatest barriers to getting more people on bikes for more trips is the perception that cycling is dangerous. This absurd notion of bicycles being dangerous is a perfect example of missing the forest for the trees; consider that in the USA, year 2005, there were 39,252 fatal motor vehicle traffic accidents and 786 cyclist fatalities (data here). (for reference, 2,402 were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor and approximately 3,000 died in the 9/11 attacks). In one study less than 10% of all motor vehicle/bicycle collisions were deemed the fault of the cyclist. In fact, bicycles are extraordinarily safe even when sharing the road, safer than being a pedestrian!

In this magnificent age the most uncanny things are taking place. For instance, it so happens that some people are sincerely dedicated to gathering and analyzing detailed traffic accident data, and that much of this data has been made available and can be found with a mere query. Because if this, it can be readily seen that a few specific types of accidents represent the majority, and that the safest cyclist will consciously recognize and eliminate these situations before they have the chance to go awry. The easiest change in cycling behavior that will result in the maximum safety improvement is simple: don't ride on the sidewalk. For those times that the sidewalk must be ridden, it should be done at pedestrian speeds. Other simple safety measures including riding with traffic, keeping out of the door zone (even if there's a bike lane), avoiding high traffic roads (google maps will give bicycle specific directions), using a rear view mirror, and generally riding as if you were a car.

I hearby call on You, dear reader, to take any opportunity to inform another cyclist (especially someone riding on the sidewalk) that the sidewalk is the most dangerous place to ride, and if the chance arises, of the other ways to ride safely.

Consider that by reducing the number of accidents in this way, we might also reduce the perception that cycling is dangerous, leading to more bicycles replacing cars and thus less cars on the road, thereby reducing the number of all traffic accidents.

For drivers: don't use your cell phone while driving; save your life or someone else's, just don't do it!

There is nothing we can do to lessen the tragedy that has happened; at best we can only work to diminish the tragedy of what's to come. Join us tomorrow, July 7, 6 pm at the Northeast corner of Liberty park to ride in memoriam of Brynn Barton.

For more information:
"Is Cycling Dangerous?" by Ken Kifer
"A Tale of Three Cities" by Wayne Pein
"A Radical Proposal" by me

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