Another cyclist gets nailed

[grammafreddy]

http://www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/792 ... -bike-lane

Cyclist killed while riding in bike lane
by RCMP - Story: 79224
Aug 17, 2012 / 10:46 am

A teenage girl has died after being hit by a car while riding her bike in Vernon.

Emergency Crews were called to 37th Street and 25th Avenue around 6:30 a.m. Friday, after receiving a report of an accident between a bicycle and a vehicle.

The girl was travelling in the bike lane headed east when she was struck by a car driven by a 68-year-old woman.

The young cyclist was rushed to hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

The driver of the car is being treated in Vernon Jubilee Hospital for injuries suffered in the crash.

RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says investigators have indicated it could take some time before they are able to determine the exact cause of the incident.

Police have said the victim was not wearing a helmet, however, it has yet to be determined if it would have made a difference.

Police are asking anyone who was in the area and may have seen this accident to please call them at
250-545-7171.

The name of the victim has not yet been released.

Am sorry this kid died. Am sorry the lady hit her.

Am furious that urban planners and city councils persist in putting cyclists and vehicles on the roads together.

Dedicated cycling paths removed from vehicle lanes would have kept this kid alive.

NEWS FLASH!

That WHITE PAINTED LINE is NOT gonna save your life or stop a vehicle whose driver is not paying attention ...



TWO WHITE LINES won't either!


FOUR WHITE PAINTED LINES is not the answer when mixed with vehicles ...


How many cyclists do we plan to kill before we figure it out?

Get them away from the vehicles entirely!

[gordon_as]

At the spot where this happened , there are narrow bike lanes on both sides of the road . On the North side , where this happened , there is also a walking / biking path about 20 feet away from the road , separated by a tree'd grass median.
The cyclist was riding toward traffic , but I don't hold that against her , I would rather be looking at what is coming than not know what is coming up behind you. In any case , it seems the driver veered sharply into the bike lane , then over the curb. Perhaps that is the cause of the cyclist being hit , or maybe the result of the cyclist being hit. Very sad . Make your kids wear helmets. It may not have helped , but who knows.

[RacerChic]

The driver of the car had a medical issue.

[Bsuds]

The driver of the car had a medical issue.

So it's more an issue of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. So sad!

[Smurf]

All the more reason to have bikes and cars separated. Yesterday I watched an adult biker ride off the sidewalk right out into traffic at a pedestrian walk light (it was green) without even slowing down or looking. If I am right the only time he has the right of way at a walk light is if he is walking his bike. Either way, slow down and look.

I feel very sorry for this young girl and her family.

[DerKaiser]

I'm all for separate bicycle lanes, especially in high traffic areas. Bicycles shouldn't even be seen NEAR roads, where speed limits exceed 60 km/h. In town it just won't be possible everywhere, though. That's where driver and bicycle training comes in. Drivers and cyclists do not get trained to share the road, but they should.
Everyone is talking about, how in Europe cyclists get their own lane. This is true on highways and roads with speeds exceeding 60 or 70 km/h...those roads are not shared with cars. But in cities or towns, a lot of roads are shared, and bike lanes are only marked by a white line on the side of the road. Still people manage. In Europe, getting your drivers license is a little harder and more expensive, too. You have to go through a lot of hours of practical and classroom training, before you can do your drivers test.

[Soundsprofound]

drove down Abbott st. in K town today where they have separate bike lanes and the cyclists don't use them.
Drove down KLO Saturday 9am huge pack of cyclists riding 2 and 3 abreast in the bike lane and beyond. so many of them seem to have a death wish. They ride in huge packs up and down spiers rd. too where there is no bike lanes. again two or three abreast.

[grammafreddy]

drove down Abbott st. in K town today where they have separate bike lanes and the cyclists don't use them.
Drove down KLO Saturday 9am huge pack of cyclists riding 2 and 3 abreast in the bike lane and beyond. so many of them seem to have a death wish. They ride in huge packs up and down spiers rd. too where there is no bike lanes. again two or three abreast.

Yeah - they are "in training" for the fastest way to die.

[WhatThe]

That's a sad story and I hope everyone heals okay.


this is why I ride on the sidewalk at times. Im always thinking and hoping passing traffic doesn't hit me.

[kgcayenne]

Really, I’m not going to be bent out of shape if a cyclist uses the sidewalk because I know it’s scary for some people. However, when doing something illegal, like using the sidewalk AND going the wrong way, such cyclists have to understand THEY have to be the ones to yield; they are simply not supposed to be there doing that in the first place.

I witnessed a woman completely lose her cool on a motorist. She was on a bicycle riding on the sidewalk up the wrong side and against traffic, the motorist was waiting for a safe moment to exit right out of a parking lot. Had the motorist made her turn when this crazy woman was screeching obscenities at her, then the cyclist who was in the bike lane obeying the laws would have been hit. The car did not pull out in front of this woman at all either, we were all waiting quite some time for traffic to clear, and it just so happened that when there was a break in vehicle traffic, a cyclist had the right of way in the bike lane, not the twit on the sidewalk.