Please be careful when pulling up next to trucks

[shinomaster]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/10/a_ghost_bike_a.html

[Blue Jays]

Tracey Sparling, 19 years of age. What a very unfortunate traffic fatality.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/10/medium_5.jpg

[TimB]

Truly sad - and reminds me of stickers I often see on big rigs - "If you can't see me in my mirrors, then I can't see you."

[toaster]

Very sad indeed.

The one comment by the person saying "the day bicyclist's start paying taxes..." shows the ignorance of a large percentage of the population and was quite inappropriate in that forum.

What an :butt:

[thwart]

The one comment by the person saying "the day bicyclist's start paying taxes..." Yeah, I'm sure her parents and family took solace in that statement.

One of the most unsympathetic and idiotic things I've ever seen...

[Kines]

"I pay taxes on these roads" is one of the most common comments I get from irate motorists here in NC. I guess they think I'm homeless or something. Once I replied to a guy in his beat up smoke-belching pickup that what I pay in taxes is probably close to his salary, but that didn't help any. Sad indeed.

[Samster]

Very sad indeed.

The one comment by the person saying "the day bicyclist's start paying taxes..." shows the ignorance of a large percentage of the population and was quite inappropriate in that forum.

What an :butt:
Here's another report from someone posting on a BLOG regarding this accident:
===========
by destin
October 11th, 2007 14:48
7
my wife just went down there, she works near by, and someone almost hit her with a group crossing the street on a walk sign, my wife spoke to the driver his rolled down window that they had the right of way and someone was just killed ( pointing toward the incident ) through driver inattention , and the guy told her to "f*ck off" and stormed around the corner at high speed.

be careful out there guys and girls.
some drivers just do not care.
===========
A world full of idiots...

[Louis]

"Sparling was stopped at a red light while on her bike at Northwest 14th and Burnside Street. A fully loaded Rinker cement truck was in the traffic lane to Sparling's left. When the light turned green, the truck and cyclist started to move, and the truck ran over Sparling and her bike. Witnesses said Sparling was in the truck driver's blind spot when she was instantly killed."

This doesn't make any sense. Were they in the same lane? Different lanes? Did one begin to change lanes, or otherwise turn?

Just because you're in a truck's blind spot does not make it your fault. It's the truck driver's responsibility to know if he (presumably) has a clear lane.

[shinomaster]

"Sparling was stopped at a red light while on her bike at Northwest 14th and Burnside Street. A fully loaded Rinker cement truck was in the traffic lane to Sparling's left. When the light turned green, the truck and cyclist started to move, and the truck ran over Sparling and her bike. Witnesses said Sparling was in the truck driver's blind spot when she was instantly killed."

This doesn't make any sense. Were they in the same lane? Different lanes? Did one begin to change lanes, or otherwise turn?

Just because you're in a truck's blind spot does not make it your fault. It's the truck driver's responsibility to know if he (presumably) has a clear lane.


I'm not sure whose fault it is. The best strategy is to stay out of a trucks way assuming he can't see you. I got knocked over in Boston by a car on Huntington ave. in a similar accident. It was the drivers fault, because if she looked she would have seen me.
The road she died on is a busy one, and not a great place to ride, even if you are a traffic savvy biker. It sucks for everyone involved.

[SponsorsWanted]

I believe she was in the bike lane to the right of the truck.

[slowgoing]

This doesn't make any sense. Were they in the same lane? Different lanes? Did one begin to change lanes, or otherwise turn?\

I thought I read a comment that the truck made a right hand turn over her.

[Ginger]

Never ever trust a coffin jockey. They don't see, and they don't look, and they'll mow you down in a heartbeat.

Canadian gravel trains have an interesting set of two bumper stickers.
On the left side of the bumper: Passing side
On the right side of the bumper: Suicide

This is a sad sad accident. I feel for the girl, her family, and the driver of the truck. I'm sure he didn't start out the day with the intention of taking someone's life.

Peace,
Mary Ann

[rwsaunders]

My 14 yo daughter turned me on to this site, as I noticed one of these bikes the other day in our town.

http://www.ghostbikes.org

[Samster]

My 14 yo daughter turned me on to this site, as I noticed one of these bikes the other day in our town.

http://www.ghostbikes.orgSadly, those started in St. Louis. I haven't seen one in quite a while thankfully.

[coylifut]

I'm completely familiar where the accident occured and I have to say that anyone who ran over someone there is an absolute moron. it's one of the busiest intersections in town and constantly full of pedestians, cyclists, wandering drunks and at times children walking to the Cathedral school on the other side of the overpass. It's one of those intersections that everyone knows to take due care. Yes. We all need to be the saviest of defensive cyclists, but in this town, especially in the dead center of it, cyclists and pedestrians are every where. The driver was negligent, they'll roast him for sure.

Separately. This girl isn't a friend of mine, but I know who she is. She works at a dessert place that my wife and daughters frequent often. We are separated by such a very small distance.

[thwart]

My 14 yo daughter turned me on to this site, as I noticed one of these bikes the other day in our town.
http://www.ghostbikes.org/ Sounds like a great idea to increase the awareness of non-cyclists... which is what we really need to do. ASAP.

[72gmc]

There is right of way, and there is the right place to be. Often they are not the same thing. Local "authorities" deem it satisfactory to create bike lanes in the wrong places, when they deign to create them at all. A bike lane on the right of an automobile right-turn lane is in the wrong place. A bike lane that only serves to put cyclists within the doorspan of parked cars is in the wrong place. This young woman was apparently doing what the law and the city told her to do, but the right thing to do would have been to stop behind the truck, to either side of the lane where she could see his mirrors, and to have an escape route if he turned or threw it in reverse.

It seems obvious the truck driver has fault here. But so do the pencil pushers who treat cyclist safety as an afterthought by painting bike lanes in death zones. Given the ignorance of the "I pay my taxes" crowd it's probably best to avoid pulling up next to large trucks at all.

done ranting now.

[Dekonick]

A tragedy to be sure.

Any vehicle can kill - we all know that. It would be in everyone's best interest to remember that where you position yourself can result in injury - not that this was her fault. If you have ever driven a big vehicle, towed a camper/horse trailer/ etc... then you are aware of how diligent you have to be - it is easy to have something sneak into your blindspot. A BIG RIG has a BIG BLINDSPOT - and no matter how careful a driver is, they can't watch to see what is entering that spot all of the time. My pont here is - be careful folks! Try to think what the driver can see and anticipate their actions. It may just save your Mevici!

Sucks when a young cyclist is killed - especially when she was doing nothing wrong. :crap:

[Fixed]

bro all cars or trucks are deadly we have to accept the risk each time we head out and hope
that someone won't run us down from behind .
cheers imho :beer:

[Serotta_James]

Makes me feel ill...

[Blue Jays]

In this kind of situation, might makes right when analyzing who will prevail in a given situation. The woman may have been technically correct with whatever she was doing, but reality came barreling into the situation.
Very sad and we as cyclists must continue to adapt on-the-fly.

[shinomaster]

http://bikeportland.org/

I knew Brett. He worked across the street from me. Is this correct?

[shinomaster]

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1193109912293460.xml&coll=7&thispage=1

[MilanoTom]

bro all cars or trucks are deadly we have to accept the risk each time we head out and hope
that someone won't run us down from behind .
cheers imho :beer:

OK, so to possibly avoid having someone run us down from behind, how many of us use a rearview mirror so we can see what might be coming up on us, and how many don't because they look nerdy?

[Kevan]

Comparing the commuting I did for two solid weeks in downtown San Diego (comparable to Portland in size) to the neighborhood hustle I do out here at home, the difference is black and white. Riding in the city you have to be totally on your game. You not only have to perceive how you are going to navigate the roadways up ahead, but how you imagine the motor vehicles around you are going to do the same. If you're standing at the curb waiting for the light to change with a big-a$$ truck idling next to you, you best make sure that driver knows you're there. Look for him in the mirror. Wave...get a nod in return...bang on the side of the truck, if you need to, so he knows you're there. You can't afford not to. Honestly, it questionable if it's worth it; commuting in cities means making no assumptions and not ticking off the traffic around you.

This stuff is stupid sh--, and final. We're the fly on the wall; we best have eyes in the back of our heads to avoid being squashed.

These two people sounded like terrifc folk.

[Fixed]

this kid died sunday
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/10/23/Hillsborough/USF_bike_team_founder.shtml
needless death

[shinomaster]

Comparing the commuting I did for two solid weeks in downtown San Diego (comparable to Portland in size) to the neighborhood hustle I do out here at home, the difference is black and white. Riding in the city you have to be totally on your game. You not only have to perceive how you are going to navigate the roadways up ahead, but how you imagine the motor vehicles around you are going to do the same. If you're standing at the curb waiting for the light to change with a big-a$$ truck idling next to you, you best make sure that driver knows you're there. Look for him in the mirror. Wave...get a nod in return...bang on the side of the truck, if you need to, so he knows you're there. You can't afford not to. Honestly, it questionable if it's worth it; commuting in cities means making no assumptions and not ticking off the traffic around you.

This stuff is stupid sh--, and final. We're the fly on the wall; we best have eyes in the back of our heads to avoid being squashed.

These two people sounded like terrifc folk.

I know...I survived commuting in Downtown Boston for Seven years. I do all that stuff. I assumed Sparling died from inexperience. Brett on the other hand was an elite racer, and a good guy. He just came into my store a month ago with his parents and girlfriend.. We talked about his new bike and the upcoming cross season. It just hit me like a ton of bricks when I read that bike Portland story.

[Your_Friend!]

Shinomaster -

That Makes Me _Very_ Sad

I Am Sorry



Love,
Your_Friend

[BumpyintheBurgh]

After a few close calls I've come to believe that when stopped at, or cycling through an intersection with traffic, you are safer in the driving lane. Might be a little intimidating to some, but more visible. After you have cleared the intersection, cautiously merge right, back into the bike lane.

[Fixed]

bro and sometimes the sidewalk is the safe spot for a block
cheers

[manet]

After a few close calls I've come to believe that when stopped at, or cycling through an intersection with traffic, you are safer in the driving lane. Might be a little intimidating to some, but more visible. After you have cleared the intersection, cautiously merge right, back into the bike lane.

.

[thejen12]

If you're standing at the curb waiting for the light to change with a big-a$$ truck idling next to you, you best make sure that driver knows you're there. Look for him in the mirror. Wave...get a nod in return...bang on the side of the truck, if you need to, so he knows you're there. You can't afford not to.
I don't even chance that - if I happen to find myself in that situation, I just stay put until the truck does whatever it's going to do... and even then I'm ready to jump off to the side, if necessary.

Jenn

[Kevan]

After a few close calls I've come to believe that when stopped at, or cycling through an intersection with traffic, you are safer in the driving lane. Might be a little intimidating to some, but more visible. After you have cleared the intersection, cautiously merge right, back into the bike lane.

but barely. Bike lanes are a no man's land. Vehicles park in them and I've never seen one swept clean, but instead are strewn with mines. They are a depository for everthing evil that will bring a rider down. The more populated the area the more dangerous those supposed havens become.

[thejen12]

After a few close calls I've come to believe that when stopped at, or cycling through an intersection with traffic, you are safer in the driving lane. Might be a little intimidating to some, but more visible. After you have cleared the intersection, cautiously merge right, back into the bike lane.
I believe that is what the LAB Effective Cycling classes teach, as well.

Jenn