Mrs. B's Family Stories, Then and Now: Ride of Silence 05 20 2015 by KimB

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Ride of Silence 05 20 2015 by KimB

May 20, 2015 was the annual global event Ride of Silence. It's a massive bicycle event that aims to improve the awareness of motorists and trucks about sharing the road with cyclists and is also an annual memorial to those killed or injured over the last year. As part of the event “ghost bikes” are created by artists and placed as memorials to those who have died during the year. More than 10,000 cyclists participate every year.

Modern bicycles can easily clip along at 25mph and legally share the road with cars and trucks. Specialty cycles can reach 50mph or more going downhill. In many cities there are special bike trails or multipurpose trails for bikes, runners and walkers that keep bikes and cars separate. In places where there are no special bike trails there are bike lanes. Bike lanes are striped areas on the edges of roadways designated for cyclists. Due to the speed of modern bikes, riding on sidewalks isn't a great option even where permitted; motorists just aren't used to looking down a sidewalk for something moving at 30mph.

Outside of urban areas bikes just have to ride along the edge of the road, keeping as far to the outer edges as possible. If the outer edge is unsafe or there's no shoulder then cyclists are required to “take the lane” and move into the same traffic lane as cars until the road widens and it's safe to move over again. Many jurisdictions require cars and trucks to stay at least 3 feet away from a cyclist when passing and most big rig truckers will do more than that knowing that the effects of their slip stream can easily topple a cyclist off the roadway.

Even with all the precautions and modern safety technologies, when it comes to a collision between a cyclist and motor vehicle it's the cyclist that loses every time. Sometimes more than one cyclist will fall victim to a single car when the driver is inattentive for just a moment. A tiny lapse in concentration by a driver can wreak havoc among many families forever as their loved ones never return home from a “fun ride”.

This was my first time participating in the Ride of Silence and it was a very moving experience. We gathered at a nearby cycle shop at 6pm for instructions and safety reminders. The Fresno Police provided support from their Cycling Division and about 150 riders started along a route that would take us to Woodward Park and then loop around back to the starting area.

Once the ride started there was no talking. All communication between riders was done by hand signals. We rode at a slow pace thru the streets with our bicycle headlights and taillights set to strobe/flash. It was starting to get dark by the time we got to Woodward Park and the lights of the cyclists were amazing to watch as we wound our way along the outer pathway in near single file. Along the route were 5 ghost bikes, one for each cyclist killed this year, and many riders carried signs with the names of other riders killed or injured in accidents over the years.

It was somber reminder for everyone.

Ride of Silence 2015, Fresno California