alternative hippopotamus

The Tragic and Unnecessary Death of a Cyclist

3 Responses to “The Tragic and Unnecessary Death of a Cyclist”

1. Gil Says:
   July 10th, 2008 at 12:07 pm

   My deepest sympathies to the family of Ms. Swanson for their loss and her tragic and untimely death.
   I hope this tragedy serves as a remeinder for drivers in larger vehicles to be be more vigilant and awaye of cyclists. Sadly, many in such vehicles will not heed this and contine with their horrible driving and mindset of “my vehicle is bigger than yours”. I lived in the area for 8 years and while I was tempted to invest in a bike and partake of the scene here, the aggressive driving here made me change my mind.

   Gil

2. AltHippo Says:
   July 10th, 2008 at 1:32 pm

   “My deepest sympathies to the family of Ms. Swanson for their loss and her tragic and untimely death.”

   I think that’s really the most important thing. From the article, and from going to the memorial last night, I gather that those who knew Ms. Swanson are completely devastated by this.

   Because of the favorable climate (except for August and January) DC should be an ideal place for biking. Talking to member of the DC counsel about this, I gather that biking is regarded as part of the transportation vision/solution for the city. And, this just makes sense.

   This incident will predictably make many think twice about using a bike to commute to work. Perfectly understandably. I commute to work by bike, and this has made me reconsider.

3. annie Says:
   July 11th, 2008 at 4:02 pm

   As a fellow bike commuter, I was also saddened by the death of Ms. Swanson. The fact is we will probably never know what really happened - blind spot or not.
   But I have to take issue with the assumption that the truck was “playing chicken with the biker”. You don’t know that either.

   Her co-worker was quoted as saying “She was nervous because of D.C. traffic”. Frankly, it may have been her mistake. She may have not been a confident rider, and assuming you’re safe just because you’re riding in a bike lane with a helmet is ridiculous; as is assuming you won’t get hit by a car because you ‘have the light’ in the crosswalk.

   Again, I’m not claiming that she was assuming anything. I’m simply reacting to what you’ve posted.

   People seem to forget that whenever you venture outside by bike, foot or car YOU are responsible for your own safety, not everyone else. Unfortunately, I think you have to assume that every driver on the road has no idea how to drive - and try to avoid them.

   I have been commuting via bike for over 2 years now and at first, it terrified me. I hadn’t ridden a bike since I was 8 (I’m 35 now), and until November had been commuting from Thomas Circle to XM where the neighborhood isn’t the safest. Granted the route I took didn’t allow for any fast moving (legally, anyway) traffic; my biggest worry was getting mugged or shot. Now my commute takes me from Thomas Circle to 20th & M NW where I have to deal with more traffic.

   On most days, I take the sidewalk (crossing Thomas) until I reach M St. NW, then take to the streets until I reach my destination. I stop at EVERY light - and if I’m on the sidewalk I let all of the pedestrians go before I ride in the crosswalk. Sometimes, and only if I’m damned sure there is no traffic (like on 16th when the southbound lane has a red light and I can see no one coming northbound) I run a light.

   But that is about as bold as I get. It is not worth my life to get somewhere faster. Yes, I curse the folks that cut me off, often going right up to their window with middle fingers a blazin’ to let them know I’m pissed (which isn’t always smart, I know) but in the end, I’d rather let someone pass me & have me curse them out than have them run me over. And yes, I get comments and stares from other cyclists for waiting at lights, etc. Fuck them. They are not worth my life. As far as ‘playing chicken’ is concerned well, I don’t play. If a car is coming at me, I move aside. I’d rather assume that they are either drunk or asleep at the wheel than assume they just want to fuck with me.

   I think the DMV driving exam should include an entire section reminding drivers that bikes are moving vehicles, have the same rights/responsibilities as cars, etc. I also think that bikers should remember that if we want to be treated the same way as cars on the road, we should act as if we’re driving a car. I can’t count how many times I see a cyclist riding the wrong way down a one way street, or plowing thru a cross walk when the pedestrians have the light.

   I know this comment is long, and I’m sorry.

   I was riding to XM last summer, and was in the middle of the road behind 4 cars, stopped at a red light. I heard a voice behind me say “what are you doing?”. I thought it must be a friend of mine, so I smiled and turned around. It was some guy I had never seen before - so I kept my smile and asked him what he meant. I guess he was pissed that I didn’t take the shoulder to the red light and cross when I saw no traffic? I guess I was blocking ‘bike traffic’?
   He asked me why I was stopped. I told him it was because I had a red light. He laughed and said I was very kind, and proceeded to take the shoulder, etc. My take is that if I want to be treated as a regular moving vehicle, I should act like a regular moving vehicle.

   DC has many, many drivers that are not native to the city. Keep that in mind. Until the DMV (nationwide) starts getting heavy into the rights of cyclists - we have to take our safety into our own hands. Not every driver has experience sharing the road with cyclists; just like people that aren’t familiar with Lancaster, PA aren’t used to sharing the road with a horse drawn buggy. It’s simply a whole other way of thinking about things.

   I’m not making an excuse, I’m just stating a fact. I’d rather ride defensively than be dead.

   Ok, one more. The reason I commented is because I’m trying to imagine how the driver of the truck felt. He killed a 22 year old. He didn’t just ‘get in an accident’; someone died by his hands whether is was directly or not. I bet he’s pretty fucked up over the whole situation. Again, maybe he had it out for her (and cyclists) but until that comes out in the investigation he’s innocent. I know I would be pissed if some stranger just assumed I was driving irresponsibly and killed someone. I would want to be treated as a human being.

   Respectfully,
   annie

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