“Remember. Support. Act.”

Held annually on the third Sunday of November, the World Day of Remembrance is about remembering the fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways, supporting all of those impacted by the event, and acting in a way that helps to change and prevent future crashes from happening. 

This year, Pittsburgh will be recognizing World Day of Remembrance on November 19th with a short bike ride to remember Austin Fike who was killed in 2019 in a roadway crash in Brookline. The short ride will start at 10am from his memorial at Brookline Blvd and Pioneer Ave, followed by donuts and coffee. Details below and on Facebook.

This global movement started as a way to bring awareness about the scope of these crashes and to help nations shed light on their impact locally, nationally, and globally. 

Major world organizations including the World Health Organization, United Nations Road Safety Collaboration members, and UN Member States, adopted a resolution in 1995 to call for this annual day of remembrance. The WDoR website describes this day’s significance best: “It is a high-profile global event to remember the many millions who have been killed and seriously injured on the world’s roads and to acknowledge the suffering of all affected victims, families and communities – millions added each year to countless millions already suffering: a truly tremendous cumulative toll.” 

Traffic Crashes Locally

Pittsburgh is no stranger to traffic crashes. The City is home to some of the most dangerous intersections and streets in the county and state, especially for people who bike and walk. This map of reported traffic crashes shows where many of these incidents happened for people who biked and walked, and our “Bicycling and Walking in Pittsburgh 2022” provides a more digestible assessment of relevant trends and statistics. PennDOT also has a webpage dedicated to crash facts and statistics. For example, over the last five years (2018-2022), Allegheny county has seen 275 reported pedestrian injuries, 68 pedestrian deaths, 33 cyclist injuries, and 6 cyclists killed as a result of roadway related crashes. Within the City of Pittsburgh, pedestrians comprise about a quarter of all traffic fatalities. Many more crashes never get reported.

However, no matter how many tools are out there and analysis done, it doesn’t bring back a life that is lost, nor the toll that each death has on a community. It is important that we use this World Day of Remembrance to call on us to pay attention to this public health crisis that roadways bring to a community.

What you can do in Pittsburgh to make our streets safer 

Get involved locally. BikePGH helps local bike and pedestrian neighborhood groups work on making their streets safer for people who are biking and walking. These groups learn how to organize and advocate for their communities. Email seth@bikepgh.org to get connected with your local group, and sign up for our Outspoken Newsletter to get the latest advocacy opportunities in your inbox each month!

Learn about policies and laws that can improve roadways. Many traffic engineers, designers, advocates, and policy makers believe that well designed streets can encourage safer driving behavior. Unfortunately, there are a lot of policies out there that dictate what engineers, planners and local government agencies can legally design for a street. Learning more about advantageous policies that give flexibility and tools to the designers, engineers, planners, and government to fund projects can help give more control to those who want to improve and update outdated policies and design guidelines. Advocating and encouraging things like Complete Street Policies and Vision Zero Policies in your area is one place to get started.

Join the movement! Starting local and getting involved are two great places to get started. Reaching out to organizations like BikePGH and getting involved with our work is another way to get involved. We’ll be happy to put you in touch with other organizations who are doing similar work in the City and of the greater Pittsburgh area.

Call to Action This Sunday, November 19

On Sunday, November 19, South Hills Safe Streets will be hosting a memorial bike ride to remember Austin Fike who was killed in 2019 in a roadway crash in Brookline. 

Austin Fike Memorial Ride Details:

Date: Sunday, November 19, 2023
Time: 10am – 11am
Location: Intersection of Brookline Blvd and Pioneer Ave.
RSVP: Facebook Event Link

The casual, no-drop ride will go rain or shine, starting and ending at Austin’s memorial at the intersection of Brookline Boulevard and Pioneer Avenue. The loop will go down Brookline Boulevard and turn right on Queensboro Avenue, then back up Berkshire Avenue to loop back onto Pioneer.

Join us after the ride for donuts and coffee.

All riders and families welcome!