Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Bicyclist Hit!!!



At first, I thought this fire hydrant would be the highlight of my morning commute:

But only 100 yards beyond this intersection, things got much more interesting. It wasn’t the three bicyclists I had seen (a promising signal of the coming revolution). It was the sad inevitability of wayward motorists smashing into right-minded bicyclists.

I was headed east at the moment, coming to a stop at a traffic light because I am neutral-good. Mr. G. appeared to head south at the intersection when he got the green. An aging pickup truck also moved northward, turning left and then smacking Mr. G. as he headed into the intersection (having the right of way). The truck's driver had his eye on me, he alleged, leaving Mr. G. out of the driver’s sight as the rear of the truck swung its fateful turn! Fortunately, Mr. G was up and walking right away. Fortunatley, his shiny Trek roadbike was seemingly unscathed. Fortunately, the driver and the bicyclists were sane people and didn’t start screaming at one another. Fortunately, I and another spiffily dressed cyclist (whose bike had shiny fenders) offered assistance. It seemed to all end well…

2 comments:

safetystephen said...

I know from motorcycling, people in cars do not see you. You just don't register as "there" or something to accommodate. Beware the "cagers"!

Ben said...

Perhaps I need to add a whistle to my gear...