Mr. Hairy Legs

This was my favourite route when I was into road cycling.

1 cyclist dead, 2 seriously injured after Richmond, B.C. crash - British Columbia - CBC News


There is a blind curve here and the road is very narrow - riding as a pack (i.e. not single file) is really asking for trouble.

howsteepisit

But the article does not say what conformation the group was riding in. Is there information out there they were riding as a pack?

But most importantly, condolences to the families and injured. RIP to the deceased.

FBinNY 

It isn't even clear whether they were hit from behind, or head on by a car out of it's lane.

The only "facts" given out besides the death and injuries, are that they were wearing helmets and that the CF frames snapped like twigs.

So, I'll do the only reasonable thing for now, which is to express my condolences and hopes for recovery, and await actual info before thinking about the crash itself.

gregf83 

I ride that section a couple times a week. It's a sharp corner with no shoulder. Riding single file or two-up makes no difference as there is no room to pass. It's a very popular cycling route and a sad day.

Dave Mayer

Don't mean to be morbid by digging into further details, but note that the crash damage is the to drivers side of the vehicle. I find that surprising.

One thing I do not find surprising, given where this occurred, was that the driver was a 19-year-old in a Lexus SUV...

Rollfast

I'm afraid that's about all that the media outlets notice here as well, motorcycles even, helmet or no helmet.


Like that's a pair of ruby slippers.

Mr. Hairy Legs

What I can gather from the local news is that the driver was partially in the oncoming lane (probably to cut the sharp corner) and there just happened to be a pack of cyclists there going the opposite way. But I could be wrong, and he was texting or something...

Locals know this is a popular bike route, but a kid from Burnaby might see it as a fun little race track.

CB HI

Way to go, you and the cop start right off with blaming the victims.

Mr. Hairy Legs

Not blame at all, just pointing out that some activities are clearly more dangerous than others.

joeyduck

A sad day indeed. That is a sharp blind corner and I can envision many things going wrong which could lead to a bad situaiton.

I wish everyone the best and my most heartfelt condolences to the family who lost a loved one. And a speedy recovery to those injured.

Chris0516

This is not a 'blind curve' in the true sense. There is a curve similar to this one. On the other side of some multi-use train tracks, from the town I live in, that is a true 'blind curve'. Because of trees' on the inside of the curve.

From looking at the pictures' and the map. The cyclists' were hit at the mid-point of the curve. There are no trees' on the inside of the curve, blocking a motorists' line of sight. So, The teenage driver had more than enough time to stop.

City of Richmond BC - Weight, Speed & Height Restrictions

The speed limit on this road is 30km/h, which is barely 20mph. He was speeding.

joeyduck

It is a sharp corner with very poor sight lines, I would call it a blind corner.

I can imagine a driver turning off Westminster Highway onto River Road and cutting the corner, notice all the paint which is worn away. Plus this stretch is loved by drivers to speed and circumvent traffic.

joeyduck

https://goo.gl/maps/LBoirNiCAzM2

Right angle, 20km/h. No line of sight until something is coming around the corner. I think this is a 50 km/h road and I would hazard a low ball guess that people regularly surpass 70km/h. @Mr. Hairy Legs, opinions?

Chris0516

This is a 20-32(kmh or mph) road. The posted sign says 20. So, The line of sight is only partially obscured, further down the road.

CB HI

In this case your blame has nothing to do with reality.

Go talk to people about real dangers, like jumping of tall buildings.

joeyduck

That is the suggested cornering speed.

The car limit is 50 km/h and the truck limit is 30 km/h. People speed on this road.

Source, I used this road.

Regardless a guy died and it sucks.

Paul Barnard

The article should have put it that way. Adding that motorists should never travel around it at a speed so great that they can't react to any hazards, and that they should never round the bend with any part of their vehicle in the oncoming lane.

Mr. Hairy Legs

This road is quite a gong show. I once saw a near head-on collision where an idiot decided to pass me right in front of an oncoming vehicle. Richmond deliberately narrowed it years ago to discourage street racing, but I think they made it worse.

And yes, everybody in Richmond speeds by at least 40%.

yvrdc

I used to use that road to go to work every day. Sometimes on my bike and sometimes in my car, so I know it pretty well. The thing that surprises me is that the car could be going fast enough to cause that kind of damage. He made a turn from Westminister highway onto River Road, travelled 40m, and then went around the corner where the collision occurred. It is a really tight right angle bend, and I used to take it at about 25 to 30 km/hr. The article describes a loud bang and the frame shattered. This guy must have accelerated pretty hard and gone around the corner pretty fast to cause that kind of damage.

Visibility is pretty poor at that corner because of the elevation change. You're climbing up onto the dike as you round the corner.

Mr. Hairy Legs

Especially since it's a double-yellow. Common knowledge to anyone with a driver's license, but kids do make mistakes.

Mr. Hairy Legs

You're missing the point here... the cop (and myself) are talking about ways to reduce risk on the road, not about who was right or wrong or deserving of all the blame. We don't have the specific details, but if the assumptions are correct, the driver broke the law by cutting across the double yellow line, and the cyclists also broke the law by riding two abreast. Nobody follows any rules here really.

FBinNY 

I won't comment about this collision because I don't have any facts, but want to point point out that neither vehicle has to be traveling fast to cause lots of damage in a head on collision.

Head on damage is the result of the combined speed of the two vehicles, and I can imaging similar consequences even if the bike were moving only as fast as a park bench.

Don't read this to imply that I don't believe the car wasn't moving fast. I don't know any of the particulars and have no opinion. But, by the same token want to remind folks that they likewise can't draw conclusions about the speeds of any or all of the involved parties.

elmore leonard

I know the area well. Really sad and unexpected. The road is single lane in both directions and people are ask to share the road with cyclists. Nobody deserves this. The driver of the car has a lot to answer for.

Paul Barnard

Can you give me a good link to your bicycle laws?

jeichelberg87

Cycling Regulations, Restrictions & Rules of the Road - Province of British Columbia