Bicycle Friendly America Fall 2016 - 26

BICYCLE FRIENDLY BUSINESS 26 BICYCLE FRIENDLY AMERICA T here simply are no words. Nine cyclists mowed down, five killed, four seriously injured. The headlines of the Kalamazoo tragedy on June 7, 2016, were unfathomable. They shook the cycling community in Michigan and beyond. Shortly after the tragedy, I visited the roadside memorial to honor Debra Ann Bradley, Melissa Fevig-Hughes, Fred Anton "Tony" Nelson, Lorenz "Larry" Paulik and Suzanne Sippel, the five killed cyclists. It was an emotional and powerful experience to see the flowers, photos and bicycle-related trinkets left on the five white ghost bikes. As I stood at the crash site, I couldn't help but ask myself: What if? What if the cyclists left Markin Glen Park five minutes earlier? Five minutes later? What if local law enforcement apprehended the driver beforehand as a result of the 911 calls reporting an erratic driver? What if the driver simply had put a higher value on life-both his and others-and didn't get behind the wheel after popping handfuls of pain killers? Sadly, "what ifs" can't bring back the cyclists. What ifs can't heal the physical and emotional trauma of Paul Gobble, Sheila Jeske, Jennifer Johnson and Paul Runnels, the four surviving cyclists. What ifs offer little reconciliation to the families and friends of the victims. And what ifs can't heal the larger cycling community and general public who are still vacillating between emotions of despair, heartache, bewilderment and anger. So what can we do in the wake of this horrific event? Obviously, continued thoughts and prayers for the victims are in order as is continued financial support through kalamazoostrongorganization.org. But as a cycling community, we also need to coalesce around change. Granted, no amount of driver education, infrastructure or policy initiatives could have changed the outcome that fateful evening. You simply cannot legislate against willful and wanton disregard for human life. This case is so horrific and high profile, it is doubtful that the driver will not be prosecuted with the highest of penalties. Already, the driver has been charged with five counts of second-degree murder and four counts of reckless driving causing serious impairment. Sadly though, that is not always the case. Far too often, drivers who injure or kill cyclists receive lenient slap-on-the-wrist sentences. Far too often, blame is shifted to the victims with statements about how they shouldn't have been riding in the road in the first place. Far too often, media reports lack PHOTO: JOHN LINDENMAYER http://www.lmb.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=985:kalamazoo-tragedy&catid=159&Itemid=196 http://www.lmb.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=985:kalamazoo-tragedy&catid=159&Itemid=196 http://www.kalamazoostrongorganization.org/ http://www.kalamazoostrongorganization.org/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bicycle Friendly America Fall 2016