CORRECTION: The ride for Austin Fike will be held at 9 AM on Sunday, November 17th, not 10am.

“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 17th with a brief bike ride to remember Austin Fike who was killed in 2019 in a roadway crash in Brookline, as well as several other people who were killed in recent years.

The ride will start at 9am 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.” 

Reporting on Traffic Crashes Workshop

Especially this time of year around WDoR, we are acutely aware of the ways in which the media report on crashes. In light of an uptick in fatalities and injuries for vulnerable road users, Pittsburgh’s commitment to Vision Zero, and groundbreaking research on the impact of the media’s coverage of traffic crashes on public perception, covering traffic crashes accurately and thoughtfully is more important than ever.

With that, BikePGH is hosting an upcoming workshop for media personnel. Our focus will be on vulnerable road users– those biking and walking, including children. Using local and national data, and with the help of our trainer’s 14 years of professional experience in active, shared, and safe streets communications, this workshop will provide members of the media, communications professionals, and advocates with the tools and know-how to report effectively on traffic crashes in Pittsburgh and beyond.

This workshop covers:

• Why it matters how the news media covers road crashes & serious injuries

• A review of the research by a team from Texas A&M, Rutgers, and Arizona State Universities

• Why traffic crash coverage needs to include more stories about the victims and survivors

• Why traffic crash coverage needs to be looked at through the Solutions Journalism WHOLE lens
• Important policies setting the stage for transforming our streets with a focus on Pittsburgh & Allegheny County including Vision Zero, Complete Streets, Automated Red Light Enforcement, and local active transportation plans
• Tools & Resources for media and communications professionals

In tandem with Bike Pittsburgh, this training is led by PedalLove’s Melissa Balmer, a storytelling + media relations professional who works to develop nationally implemented trainings and toolkits for active mobility, safe streets, and climate change advocates.

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. According to PennDOT Crash Facts & Statistics, from 2019 to 2023, Allegheny County reported 267 pedestrian injuries, 71 pedestrian fatalities, and 8 bicyclist deaths due to roadway-related incidents. In Pittsburgh, approximately 6% of all crashes involve pedestrians and 2% involve cyclists. However, pedestrians and cyclists suffer a disproportionate number of serious injuries and fatalities, with pedestrians and bicyclists accounting for about one-third of all traffic deaths. Over the same 5-year period within the City of Pittsburgh, traffic violence claimed the lives of 107 Pittsburghers, including 27 pedestrians and 4 bicyclists, with another 115 pedestrians seriously injured. On average, a pedestrian is struck every 34 hours, and a cyclist is involved in a crash every 6 days.

For their part, nearly a year ago, City of Pittsburgh Mayor Gainey committed to working toward eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries within the City, known as Vision Zero. This policy, long a Bike Pittsburgh campaign goal, recognizes that these tragedies are entirely preventable. Over the past year, the City has increased funds for traffic calming, approved the use of red light cameras, added automated enforcement of no parking zones, and installed bike-friendly infrastructure.

However, no matter how much analysis is done and change happens from here, 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 advocacy@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!

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 on Sunday, November 17

On Sunday, November 17, 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, as well as several other people who were killed in recent years.

Austin Fike Memorial Ride Details:

Date: Sunday, November 17, 2024
Time: 9am – 10am
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!