My sister-in-law’s brother was killed last week while riding his bicycle. I now have the unfortunate knowledge of the existence of “ghost bikes.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_bike)
This picture shows the shoulder where Mark was killed. This is not a death caused by poorly designed roads like those in Knoxville, TN which do not accommodate bicyclists and automobiles. This was caused by utter negligence by the automobile driver. Note the width of the shoulder. Note the rumble strip intended to alert the driver that the car is leaving the road.
Drivers, please, pay attention to the road. Give your complete attention to your driving. Watch for the unexpected. Expect a dog, a deer, a child to jump out in front of you. Share the road with the cyclists. Commuting is not a competition. It is a shared experience. Help each other get to their respective destinations unharmed by taking your commute seriously. Don’t text and drive. Don’t drink and drive. Put your make-up on at home. Read your newspaper somewhere other than the driver’s seat.
When I champion the end of private transportation as a mainstream mechanism to move people from one place to another, I do so because senseless deaths like Mark’s will cease. An autonomous, robotic, vehicle would not have done this.
If you wish to read Mark’s obituary, it can be found online at http://www.ymlfuneralhome.com/obituary/5238for