“Ride of Silence” May 18 for Fallen Cyclists: Please Watch Out & Respect Cyclists
During the past year or so in Ventura, we’ve had a number of bicyclists injured and killed by cars. Our local bicycling community has also been touched by accidents beyond our county–we don’t always ride close to home.
A number of people have been victims of hit and run drivers. Just last Wednesday, a young Ventura College student was killed as he and a friend rode bikes to take a final exam; the same driver went into the bicycle lane to hit a mother and daughter and broke their arms. Our mayor Bill Fulton knew the young man who was killed and wrote passionately about our community and about him in a recent blog post.
Pictured is a “ghost bike” which has been put up on the site where Nick was killed. The City of Ventura has assured us it will be left there, and in fact, there is discussion of putting a white ballard there so that the bike can be attached to it permanently. Cyclists frequently put ghost bikes at locations where a cyclist has been killed as a reminder to us all.
Tonight, bicyclists will ride together across the globe to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured by cars. If you can, please join them. If you can’t, please light a candle to honor those cyclists.
Drivers, please please please watch for cyclists. We come in all ages and sizes. We ride alone, we ride together, we ride with our families, and with our friends. But we’re all just soft human beings. You in your big hulking vehicle can easily damage us and even take lives leaving you without a scratch to your body but with a big dent in your psyche (and your karma).
So please be careful. Please. We will do our part and ride carefully and with lights and reflectors on our bikes so you can see us. Please do your part. Don’t drive while under the influence.
And if you hit something or if you see someone hit something, please stop and see what it was. It could be a cyclist. It could be someone you know. It could be your neighbor. One day it might be you.
I have almost been hit several times. I have been hit by cars as a pedestrian in a crosswalk when the car turned right on a red and i had a green to walk. My husband has been hit two times by cars. Most cyclists I know have been hit by a car or come close to being hit by a car. Since the accident last Wednesday, I have made a series of excuses why not to ride. As I drive my car, I am more than ever aware how much power and responsibility I have as a driver.
It’s up to all of us to make our streets safe for us all. Please do your part and keep an eye on the road and not anywhere else. Thank you.
via Bikergo Gal
art predator 
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