Tuesday evening at approximately 5:00pm a cyclist
traveling south west on the bike path in front of M.R.
Bikes collided with an SUV which was turning left from
John Nolan Drive into the turn-off which leads to the
parking lot there along the lake. This is the second
bike/car crash in less than two weeks in this same
area. This crash occurred no more than 25 feet from
last week's.
Both motorist and cyclist were extremely apologetic to
each other about the incident. Both characterized what
took place as an "honest accident". The motorist
claimed not to have seen the cyclist. The cyclist said
that by the time he saw the SUV in front him he
reached for his brakes and had just begun to reduce
speed when he hit the vehicle.
Minor injuries were incurred by the cyclist, primarily
bloody knees. Cyclist declined medical attention and
was fully alert and ambulatory just minutes after the
collision. The cyclist was not wearing a helmet and
was carrying a plastic grocery bag full of items on
one had at the time of the crash. Superficial damage
was done to the SUV. The bicycle's front wheel, fork
and frame will absolutely need to be replace.
Police at the scene examined the bicycle and even
requested that I (as an employee of the bike shop)
provide determination of the state of the bike and
replacement cost for a new bike. I am not aware if a
citation was issued to the motorist. No citation was
issued to the cyclist. There were two witnesses, both
interviewed by police.
This incident - again, the second is less than two
weeks - only further highlights the need for
improvements to the intersection, particularly with
regard to the two turn-offs which cross the bike path.
Indeed, both the motorist, the cyclist, and the two
witnesses, all commented on the intersection, using
words like, "ridiculous", "confusing", and
"dangerous".
-Martin
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