Celebrate and demand safer bicycling
Some 12,000 people risked iffy weather to bike, walk or inline skate on downtown Madison, Wisconsin, streets closed to motor vehicle traffic for the annual Ride the Drive event on June 7.
That date was also National Trails Day and Day 2 of Wisconsin Bike Week, which is ongoing in select cities through Saturday, June 13. Highlights of the latter in Milwaukee were to include the serving of coffee and bacon to morning bike commuters this Friday, a ride with Mayor Tom Barrett and another to a Brewers baseball game this evening, although the thunderstorms forecast may tamp down turnout.
A similar “cyclovia” event also claimed Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 7 – the first of seven street- and neighborhood-specific events for the self propelled to take place in that city this year. Check out the schedule at www.openstreetsmpls.org.
These are outstanding occasions for the bicycling community to declare their love for their choice of activities and communities. They tend to take on the vibe of a street festival, inclusive of families and small businesses along the routes. What a change from the confrontational Critical Mass rides of just a few years ago.
But these public events are also just that: Organized affairs that momentarily increase safety, if only because a large number of bicyclists take part. These events are meant to supplement, not replace, infrastructure improvements that give individuals the confidence to make bicycling part of their daily routine.
My friends at the Wisconsin Bike Fed know this, which is why they not only organize many of the events listed above but also lobby for laws that protect cyclists and fight for funds to build more bike friendly streets and trails.
So it is with particular frustration and sadness that the Bike Fed reported the deaths in Muskego of cyclists Paul Brown, 45, of Franklin, and Anthony Oliver, 54, of Oak Creek, resulting from their being struck by an SUV on June 6. The driver, a 20-year-old South Milwaukee man, was arrested on suspicion of negligent homicide.
The cyclists were wearing helmets and riding on the far right side of State Highway 36 at 6:35 a.m. when they were hit, the Muskego police informed Dave Schlabowske, deputy director of the Bike Fed.
Schlabowske, familiar with that stretch of highway as a bike commuter, noted the teeth-rattling rumble strips in the center of the paved shoulder. “More modern bicycle friendly rumble strips are more recessed, so they still warn drifting motorists, but people on bicycles can ride over them without loosening their fillings,” he wrote.
Neither Schlabowske nor the police have suggested the ill-designed rumble strips were a factor in the crash. But if they are a safety issue at that location or elsewhere, they should be fixed.
Fortunately, if that roadway or any other requires reconstruction, there’s a state statute – referred to as Complete Streets – that requires it be built to a standard that’s safe for cyclists and pedestrians. Unfortunately, that law could be repealed by the time you read this.
One can truly be dismayed by certain lawmakers’ lack of concern for the lives of the nonmotorized traveling public.
Schlabowske noted that four cyclists have died in collisions with motor vehicles so far this year. “Because we generally have 10 or fewer fatal bicycle crashes, it is too early to tell how the year will end. But this is not a good way to start the summer cycling season,” he blogged.
Schlabowske was quick to point out that the crash rate has declined even as the number of people commuting by bicycle have increased over the past few years. “It helps to remember that in general, bicycling is a very safe activity and it keeps getting safer every year as more people ride,” he concluded.
On balance, bicycling is overwhelmingly worth the inherent risk. It’s not only worth doing, it’s worth celebrating. So join the growing crowds at bike events this summer. And while you’re at it, remind yourself you have a right to a safe and welcoming environment everywhere and every day you ride.
Joel Patenaude, editor of Silent Sports, adapted this piece from his Editor’s Letter to appear in the forthcoming July print edition of the magazine.