riverdrifter

Actually I didn't see the impact. He flew by me in traffic while I was in my car. He was coming along a highway and headed into a business district with very narrow streets. I watched him leave the street go up on the sidewalk, barely slowing down at all. I thought that was odd. One block later I saw him under an SUV. He crossed a blind alley as the SUV was pulling out and he got hit. It was a sickening feeling to see it. He was sitting up and coherent when I arrived, with plenty of help all around. I sure hope he is okay.

I don't know any of the details, but it sure seemed avoidable. Terrible situation.

MikeyMK

Tldr: Guy does something stupid, gets put on his arse, is given another chance to learn.

Lemond1985

Maybe it was consensual. Who are we to judge?

Which it was, in a sense, since his careless sidewalk riding caused him to assume this rather submissive position.

Hopefully this was a teaching moment for him about the dangers of "taking the sidewalk".

harshbarj

Sad to hear when this happens. What happens next is going to depend on local and state laws. If the state and local laws allow riding on the sidewalk, then likely it was the driver at fault. Assuming the bike was at or below posted speed limits. When cars pull out from a blind ally, it's really up to them to do so slowly and check for any and all cross traffic (that bike just as easily could have been a pedestrian). Now if the local laws makes it illegal to ride on the sidewalk, the driver will likely not face any fines.

While I prefer people ride in the street, there are cases and places where it is safer to ride on the sidewalk. In my 8km daily commute, about 700m is done on the sidewalk in a narrow business district. If cities would just install safe, dedicated, and separate, bicycle specific infra the problem could be avoided.

Digger Goreman

This should be tatooed, in reverse script, on every politician's forehead.... Unfortunately, what we see as an unnecessary waste of human life/potential and suffering, is seen by them as "the cost of doing business".

FiftySix

I've only seen one cyclist get hit in front of my eyes.

The cyclist was riding on the shoulder of a road against traffic (salmoning) coming up to an intersection. SUV was turning right at that intersection and didn't see the cyclist before making the turn. The cyclist came into the intersection at same time the SUV was turning.

The cyclist appeared to have a broken leg, but she lived.

Brocephus

And speaking of "the cost of doing business", who's supposed to fund this nationwide (or is it global?) multi-billion dollar project ? It's real easy to flippantly decree what "they need to do", it's quite another to realistically work it into the budget, among all the other things "they need to do".

Marcus_Ti

I've seen it once. Guy on a bike riding down an MUT paralleling a major arterial...but like most it crossed many residential and commercial driveways. Well, it crossed a mini-mart parking lot. Car decides to squeal its tires and do a burn-out in the parking lot and drive straight into the 4-lane arterial at max acceleration without slowing down at the driveway.

Bicyclist got t-boned and never saw it coming, he was thrown at least 30 feet into the arterial....traffic was low, so he didn't get squished after being t-boned.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/40...!4d-96.6559742

CliffordK

Are cities installing mirrors on blind alleys? Do they help with seeing sidewalks?

Digger Goreman

The cost of just one cruise missile.... Fences.... Infrastructure improvement within the country, using local labor is a boon!
Happy Labor Day!

genec

Half of the DOD budget could do amazing things for our infrastructure. And heck, call it a "defense project" just like they did in 1956 for the national highway act.

Paul Barnard

There are a lot of cities here in the states that don't have the money to maintain the roads they have, let alone create new infrastructure. If you live in a country where all the cities have that kind of money, consider yourself blessed.

delbiker1 

Yesterday, a bicyclist was hit, from behind, on the road I live on. https://www.delawareonline.com/story...rd/2189389001/. I did not witness the accident but it happened less than 1/2 mile from my home. The whole road is only 3 miles long but it gets alot of use as part of the quickest way to get to the beach in summertime/weekend traffic. That includes a lot of cyclists. I ride on it most days at least once, and numerous times some days. Also, yesterday, I almost was hit from behind, different area, by a vehicle trying to pass me in a no passing zone and heading into a curve with limited visibility. A vehicle was coming from the opposite direction and the passing driver from behind me had to slam on his brakes and swerve back into the lane we were traveling in. I heard his tires squeal and I just held my line. Fortunately, time and distance were in my favor this time.

OldTryGuy

more walking + more cycling + more hybrid/electric vehicles = less fuel taxes collected, fewer $$$$ for road improvement. Where's the funding going to come from? OH YEAH, Social Security

Daniel4

Car infrastructures are a net cost to taxpayers. Bicycle infrastructures result in net savings.

curbtender

I'm a fan of dedicated bike lanes, but that doesn't stop cars from going into them. As far as riding on or across sidewalks, you need to be aware of the obstacles, not only cars, but pedestrians. Guy is lucky he didn't end up with a hot exhaust burning on him.

Miele Man

The bicyclist I see riding on a sidewalk are ALL riding a LOT faster than a pedestrian walks.

Cheers