It is such a tragedy and I can't imagine what their friends and family are going through.

It may have been my imagination, but I noticed on our ride today a lot more of the vehicles passing gave me the entire lane - not everyone did, but a lot. I'm in Ontario, not Quebec, but this was a big news story and I wonder if people aren't thinking a bit more when they're passing bikes.

I'm nauseous just thinking about it. I don't ride anymore and I worry about all my friends who do. We've seen a couple of our ST family members seriously injured in a crash. Scares me.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

We lost a roadie friend two years ago when he was run over on a solo ride by an 88 yr old man.

Apparently alcohol wasn't involved in this case. But what was the driver doing? How could he not see a group of six riders?

A group of six riders, riding single file and hugging the line (as indicated in the article) doesn't look that different from a single rider doing the same from far back. If the driver was going fast and got momentarily distracted, or was sleepy, I can see it happening. It's pretty scary when you stop and think about how easy it would be for that to happen.

Such a terrible tragedy...

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
Get Fitter!
Proud member of the Smartasscrew, MONSTER CLUB
Get your FIX today?

This guy had better have a good defense because I hope they throw the book at him. Last year a hit and run motorist in Ottawa took out five riders on a group ride, fortunately known died.

How do their friends and families feel? Probably in shock and overwhelming grief. Being MAD will come later. And helplessness. But you get through it with help from you friends and even total strangers and life goeson. Then 2 years later it happens to someone else and it all comes rushing back. It really sucks. Some reports have said he mad have dozed off. Which is exactly what happened to Katy's and my teammate and my friend.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

as grim as it sounds, some good may come of it - the dems are now pushing for new laws regarding overtaking cyclists (3' of space <50kph, 4' of space 50-80kph, 5' of space >80kph) to be written into the highway traffic act.

feel just awful for the families and friends of the ladies who were killed. so senseless!

cheers!

-mistress k

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ill advised racing inc.

That would be nice, but looking at the funding and most roads, sadly what is more likely the response will be to ban cyclists from many road ways.

I can only speak for where I live, but we are luck on many roads if there is a foot outside the white line for the shoulder, if the shoulder is even marked. Most sections are closer to 6".

Standard road lane I believe is 12 feet, so you are talking what amounts to 1/3rd to over 1/2 of a lane given how far from the edge of the road the cyclist is.

Give you an example. I am listening to talk radio at work. There are many callers who are calling in saying they have fantasies "about hitting" the cyclists.

This is because the Registry in Massachusetts is starting a campaign about being considerate to bike riders. (It is Bike Week here)

http://www.massbike.org/

What really can be disturbing is the volume of people who seriously talk about wanting to hit cyclists or like to throw things at them.

One of the quotes...

"I saw a beautiful bike wipe out... This guy went over the hood of the car... It was a beautiful day for the country..."

The biggest issue I see is the perception that cyclists are just out to be seen and if they just built us a little loop we would be fine. I don't think many realize how many of us are actually training for something.

Jesus! What kind of crazy people live there!

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

I will tell you what... Just from my experience of being around a lot of people, being a motorcyclist who does not always look stereotypical... i.e. people will make snide comments next to me and not realize I ride...

I can GUARANTEE you that some of these same people who will want to drive cyclists off the road, throw things at them, or think it is "good" when they have a crash will be the first ones up in arms if I was to speed down the street and their kids were out.

A similar example. The talk show host was berating a cyclist who squeezes through the right when cars are stopped and says she should have stayed behind him.

Hmmmm... wonder if he would complain if she was taking the full spot in the lane as he was suggesting and then was taking slower to get going when the light turns green.

Just remember. It does not matter if you are a mother or daughter or a deeply loved one... If you inconvenience them, then you deserve to be in a ditch.

And apologies for helping this thread get off track.

-- My heart goes out for the friends and families of the three women that were lost.
-- I can't express the sadness I feel for the tri club that has to go out there and continue to bike and just have that knowledge and association about their fallen friends.
-- We are a long way from any rational solution, and sadly, more often than not, the selfishness of the human nature as well as how warped most people's priorities are gets highlighted so well when drivers are tired, texting, rushed, or get to the point where delays anger them to the point that they feel scheudenfruede wishing harm to another...

re: quotes

That's crazy.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

A triathlete I know has said that the cyclists never should have been on a road with that speed limit (90k/hr) in the first place - shifting some of the blame over to them. Completely surprised to get that attitude from someone who presumably does long rides on roads with higher speed limits (I know we do ours on roads that are marked 70-80k/hr).

the idea is that they cross the centreline to avoid the cyclist, meaning waiting for a gap in opposing traffic. people around my area, particularly transport trucks, are actually quite accommodating - i very seldom have someone pass right off my shoulder even when there is no paved shoulder...which there typically isn't. i choose not to ride through town on my TT bike for safety reasons, so i'm out pedaling on 80kph/50mph secondary highways through farmland where you're lucky if there's even a white line instead of the pavement just crumbling away into gravel at the side of the road.

unfortunately, i'm sure that for the folks who "have important places to be", they will either not bother to slow and look for an opportunity to pass safely, or get torqued about it and possibly pull an aggressive move on the cyclist that is "obstructing" them. as said above, though, i'm lucky to live in a place where a lot of people seem to "get it" and will give a lone cyclist on the side of a narrow country road a wide berth.

cheers!

-mistress k

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ill advised racing inc.

My ersults have been mixed. Plenty of courteous folks, and some, where the are the only car, they honk, they shout, and while they pass with room, they aggressively cut back in

A triathlete I know has said that the cyclists never should have been on a road with that speed limit (90k/hr) in the first place

First of all, I agree with you for my own riding. I never ride on roads that have speed limits higher than about 60km/hr (35mph). However, I drove hwy 112 just last weekend as I was in Sherbrooke. My understanding is that the cyclists were on their way to Sherbrooke for a training camp for IMLP. I have to say that although it's a 90kph road, it's a fairly typical side road that I normally wouldn't have thought twice about riding on. Also, if you are travelling that far, then 112 is one of the only roads that makes sense. It parallels hwy 10 (divided hwy) which most of the through traffic would be on.

I read that the driver is a volunteer fireman and had just finished a night shift somewhere. It's possible he nodded off while driving, but they are still investigating. At least he didn't leave the scene and stopped to give first aide.

I ride on roads that are 70-80k/hr for my long rides - we go north of Toronto to Caledon and what we ride on looks an awful lot like Hwy 112 - I agree with you, it's the type of road I wouldn't think twice about riding on. I feel a lot safer on those roads with higher speed limits than riding around my house in the north end of the city where there are lower limits.

I heard the same thing about the driver returning from an overnight shift - it really is a tragedy for all involved - not only the victims and their families and friends, but for the driver as well.

Every time I go ride, I seriously think to myself "Will this be my last?".

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http://trainingoferic.blogspot.com/

Vancouver citizen reporting in... Vancouver striving to be the world's greenest city.

Last November my kids' school asked for volunteer drivers to take the kids to skating. I volunteered with my bicycle trailer (second year of doing so). I took two 50 pounders in my trailer and took a designated bike path to the skating rink, a mere 7 minutes away by bicycle. The next day I was told that I was no longer allowed to take any children but my own in the bike trailer as it was considered dangerous.

When I complained about this to some of the other moms, they were supportive of the ban on the trailer. One mom suggested that trailers were not for use on the road, but that I should stick to bicycle paths in parks...

The attitude is bicycles are for leisure, sort of a toy, and not for transportation. Greenest city in the world, my ass. I encounter this attitude every day, with cars cutting me off dangerously racing me at the light at intersections. While I WALKED my bicycle trailer from the sidewalk across the pedestrian crossing at a LIGHT, a driver trying to turn right across my path actually honked me to make me walk faster, and I wasn't even on my bicycle!!! The elderly driver's wife looked very embarrassed.

My husband, who commutes daily by bicycle to work, has been in THREE accidents in two years: 1) downtown taxi moving into bicycle lane without looking, 2) car turning making a right in opposing direction while husband turning left with the LIGHT!, 3) car stops in the middle of road (not at curb) at stop sign then PASSENGER door flings open into my husband--motorist drives away without even looking back, and the passenger who came out (a high school student) apologizes and tries to lift my husband up off the ground pulling on his shoulder while he's dazed.

I've had my share of near accidents in my commuting but haven't been hit YET. I've even developed a prejudice against particular car brands/colours: in my neck of the woods, I am careful any time I see an Audi (any colour) or a black Jeep Cherokee. (My apologies to anyone who drives one of these two types of vehicles... it's just an observation based on experience). Those two types of cars tend to cut me off or drive aggressively to get around me.

Okay, thanks, I'm done venting.

I have to chuckle....my bf is of the opinion that people who drive Audis are dicks.

I've really only been riding outside this season, I have been buzzed and cut off but that's it so far. I'm sure worse is to come.

(For what it's worth, I got hit out by an SUV turning right on a red - it was stopped when I entered the intersection and then drove into me - on a run in Toronto. But I like to think of that interaction as Jennifer 1, SUV 0. The driver certainly looked terrified when I was finished.)