With two cyclists dying in less than two weeks, in nearly
identical ways, bike activists are turning the tragedies into a call to
action.
Tracey Sparling died on October 11 when she was run over by a cement
mixer making a right turn, crushing her under its massive wheels. While
the bike community was still mourning her death, cyclist Brett
Jarolimek, a Bike Gallery employee and bike racer, was killed when he
collided with a garbage truck that was turning right onto N Greeley in
front of him. Both cyclists were apparently following the rules of the
road.
On the afternoon of Monday, October 22, Jarolimek was traveling
south on Interstate. After the Kaiser facility, where the street begins
a substantial downgrade, he was passed by the garbage truck. When the
truck driver approached Greeley, he slowed, turned on his signal, and
began making a right turn. Jarolimek, who had picked up speed from the
downhill, collided with the truck and died under its wheels.
As with all such incidents, blame immediately began flying. The
driver said he looked in his side mirrors before turning, and didn’t
see the cyclist. But many cyclists have pointed out that he should have
known Jarolimek was barreling down the hill, since he’d passed him only
seconds before. But beyond human error, there have also been
longstanding concerns about that particular intersection, due to an
engineering combination of a downhill, a sharp turning lane with a bike
path that crosses it, and an unpredictable traffic signal.
Both deaths present a challenge for the Bicycle Transportation
Alliance. In the days between the deaths of Sparling and Jarolimek,
longtime policy director Scott Bricker was named the organization’s
executive director.
“These tragic cases express the need for improvements to be made (in
traffic engineering, safety education, and enforcement),” Bricker says.
“When someone dies, it’s the ultimate case of ‘we should have done
something.'”
Already, Bricker has had meetings with Transportation Commissioner
Sam Adams and city bike planner Roger Geller. He’s pushing for improved
bike facilities at intersections. One idea is “bike boxes,” which put
bikes in front of—not beside—traffic that could be turning
right. Another is separate traffic signals that would keep them from
intersecting with cars.
Some of those measures could come about as a result of Adams’ “Safe,
Sound, and Green Streets” initiative, but Bricker believes there may be
support to act more quickly.
“There seems to be support for measures that will increase safety
now,” he says. “There’s a sense of ‘why can’t we do something now?’ How
many more people have to die?”