BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

https://www.facebook.com/skurpiewski/posts/10104160646188623

damn.  hope the riders are okay.

The reporter stating "While cyclists aren't a common sight on the main street in Springdale, there are cycling groups that come through town occasionally, Dayoub added." is F'n pathetic & lazy without the reporter following up with, I don't know, maybe 'stating the Law'?.  I don't see too many military vehicles or circus trucks while I'm out driving, so I guess it would be ok if I crash into them then. I hope all involved will be back on their bikes soon, and will have their insurance claims handled appropriately.

@marko, I know you're angry, but the story didn't say anything about it being OK to hit cyclists, common or not. The driver is being cited, which should establish fault, as far as civil liability goes.

Driver seems to be elderly   wonder if person should have had licence pulled in the past?

Also there are a ton of cyclists that use that road. It is Freeport, but the name changes before you get to the end.

Re the reporting of the story , this was reported by the Valley Dispatch, one of the tribs local papers. I get the feeling that at the local papers the reporting is done by telephone, so the fact checking is pretty minimal. Most likely what happened is the reporter heard of the accident and called the chief and got the info that way and did no further investigation or fact checking.

"Driver seems to be elderly wonder if person should have had licence pulled in the past?" I tire of this refrain.  Elderly means...what?  Dangerous?  Incompetent? Slow?  Give me a road filled with drivers aged 70+  any day rather than the 20-somethings busily posting on anti-social media while operating a 2 ton killing machine.   When my children were teenage drivers, they were far more dangerous than the majority of elderly people. Dangerous drivers should have their license "pulled" no matter the age.

Nor it it strictly age. Some people are totally with it at 80; others should have stopped driving at 60. We should be inquiring, exactly what happened here that would not also apply to an awake, sober, 35-year-old with no cell phone in hand and no other distractions. To wit:

• Is the speed limit too high, even if it's 25?
• Is there a bad sight line at that spot?
• Is there a secondary distraction nearby, like a flashing sign?
• Is there not and should there be a stop sign or red light at that spot?

While the driver is clearly at fault and cited, I don't think it's entirely fair to stop with that.