One More Cyclist to Commemorate in the Ride of Silence

Bike commuter, Dennis Dumm was killed yesterday morning when a gravel semi truck cut across the bike lane on Park Avenue. A very sad tragedy on the day of the Ride of Silence. The ride honor's those who have been injured or killed on roads. His death certainly gave the evening ride in Minneapolis a more viseral undertone. Another, very real, reason to work toward make biking a safer endeavor.

Think about it as you ride to work. Dennis was doing the same, enjoying being outside on his bicycle. And then a huge truck pulls across in front of him and it's all over. All of us have had something simular happen to us. An unexpected move by a motor vehicle. Of course we have to watch out for possibilities, and ride carefully. Experience is vital. But as I ride to work, I see all sorts of things that don't really work. Bike lanes that just end with no obvious place to go. More common is no bike lanes(we don't have any protected lanes in Mpls.), just you and the traffic. Etc, etc,...

"Be safe!" isn't enough. Dennis was in a bike lane and the truck came right through that lane. We need something more than paint between us and death. We need just what cars get. Roadways that are set up in a reasonable safe way, that allows cyclists to get where they need to go. Here's for that day.

Photo by Carlos Gonzalez of the Star Tribune