Cycling Fatalities Mount
On October 11th, cyclist Tracey Sparling died when she was run over and crushed by a cement truck. Just eleven days later, Bike Gallery employee and bike racer Brett Jarolimek, was killed when he collided with a garbage truck and was pulled under the vehicle's wheels. In both instances the cyclists apparently were obeying the rules of the road, and the tragedies have bike activists hollering for a Call To Action.
Clearly, something must be done. It is unacceptable for a City that has long been lauded as one of the most bike friendly in the nation to have avoidable fatalities such as these. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance executivce director, Scott Bricker, has already had multiple meetings with Transportation Commissioner Sam Adams, and discussed possible City-wide improvements such as "bike boxes" at intersections which would allow for bicycles to be in front of traffic turning right instead of blindly to the side, as well as seperate traffic lights for cyclists.
Whatever is done, it should be done quickly. We cannot continue to allow Portland cyclists to die when there is anything at all that can be done to prevent tragedies like these from happening in the future.
Related posts:
- Help Keep Portland Bike-Friendly
- Commissioner Adams Closer To New Tax Proposal
- City Hall Wants YOUR Opinion
- Volunteer at the Community Cycling Center
- Multnomah County Advisory Committee
