biker down; injuries up
September 30th, 2008 | Published in general | 3 Comments
Confirming what many of us have felt this summer, the Strib is reporting that bicycle injuries are markedly up from previous years. It’s one of the more balance articles on cycling issues this year, with the minimal token note that “Everybody needs to pay more attention, both the bicycle and the driver”. Don’t bother reading the story comments, they just bum everybody out.
The related story is about Virginia Heuer Bower, a 51-year-old cyclist who was killed in just the last few days on Summit Ave., a well-traveled route widely considered to be a safe place to ride a bike. The number of cyclists did increase by a good margin this year, but i don’t believe it explains the full increase in bike/car injuries. Driver attitudes have hardened too, and i’ve had more drivers yell at me or friends this year than average, and witnessed more than average poor driving behavior that is more malevolent than simple inattention.
The great promise of having more bikes in the streets is that as more cyclists use the streets, the more drivers will expect to see cyclists. This seems to be happening, but it also seems true that it’s bringing to a head the frustration of some drivers who are being much more overt in their misguided belief that bikes just don’t belong on the road. I still think more bikes on the street is a good thing, and that attitudes will come around. At the same time, if/when the number of commuting cyclists hits a point of critical mass (NOT the ride) on a regular basis such that it impacts the flow of auto traffic, public opinion will finally swing toward supporting some infrastructure that either provides protected and efficient cycling space or better planning that calms auto traffic down to the posted speed limits.
In other news, gas shortages are threatening college football, and there was some sort of kerfuffle with the stock market that i blissfully missed because i was on a splendid little bike tour. Leaves are changing, and the woolly caterpillars are on the move. It’s a good time to pause and smell the beginning of fall.
September 30th, 2008 at 8:57 pm (#)
Oddly enough, I’ve been feeling the opposite. I feel like tensions between bikes and cars are down. At least I haven’t been getting yelled at or flipped off nearly as much. I wonder if it’s because I’m commuting to work earlier than I used to, so I miss the worst of rush hour and the tempers that go with it.
October 1st, 2008 at 7:42 am (#)
Although I didn’t know Bower, her death is really bothering me. It was broad daylight. She was in a bike lane. The stories make her sound like an experienced cyclist.
We’ve also had some pedestrian holdups in our neighborhood and home break ins.
The combination of Bower’s death and the crime has me feeling anxious and worried.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:28 pm (#)
It’s funny, for the first 2/3 of the summer i was feeling like Pete, like things were more friendly than usual. Over the last month though, i’ve witnessed two close calls of friends nearly getting hit, and was buzzed once myself, aside from a handful of yellers. Maybe it’s the end-of-summer crabbies or something, but the death and dismemberment aspect makes it more serious than usual.
Rob, i know others who have been particularly affected by Bower’s death, in a big part because she was a casual cyclist and on a well-traveled, very safe-feeling route. I’ve logged hundreds of trips through the same intersection, often with my kids in tow.
In all, I can’t help but feel like cyclists are getting hurt and killed simply because our presence is inconvenient to impatient drivers. It’s fucking ridiculous.