ThinkTank
Is There a War on Bikes?
Does the recent spate of cyclist deaths mark a new milestone in the so-called "war on cars"? Is Seattle's war on cars really a war on bikes?
At least a dozen cyclists have died this year across Washington State, nine of them in collisions with cars. In July, cyclist Michael Wang was struck and killed by a speeding SUV driver who turned into Wang’s path on Dexter Ave. and sped away. Earlier this month, Vivace Espresso barista Brian Fairbrother was killed when he ran off a bike path into a poorly marked set of stairs. And this past weekend, Jimmy John’s delivery cyclist Robert Townsend was struck and killed on University Way NE when a car turned into his path.
The tragedies have prompted Mayor Mike McGinn to convene a traffic safety summit in October to discuss how to make Seattle's roads safer for all their users.
Our ThinkTank panelists this week, landscape architect and cycling advocate Brice Maryman and attorney and cycle track proponent Josh Brower, who represents businesses who have sued to stop the "Missing Link" of the Burke-Gilman Trail, agree that framing the issue as a "war" doesn't help, but suggest very different paths to preventing cyclist deaths in the future.
At least a dozen cyclists have died this year across Washington State, nine of them in collisions with cars. In July, cyclist Michael Wang was struck and killed by a speeding SUV driver who turned into Wang’s path on Dexter Ave. and sped away. Earlier this month, Vivace Espresso barista Brian Fairbrother was killed when he ran off a bike path into a poorly marked set of stairs. And this past weekend, Jimmy John’s delivery cyclist Robert Townsend was struck and killed on University Way NE when a car turned into his path.
The tragedies have prompted Mayor Mike McGinn to convene a traffic safety summit in October to discuss how to make Seattle's roads safer for all their users.
Our ThinkTank panelists this week, landscape architect and cycling advocate Brice Maryman and attorney and cycle track proponent Josh Brower, who represents businesses who have sued to stop the "Missing Link" of the Burke-Gilman Trail, agree that framing the issue as a "war" doesn't help, but suggest very different paths to preventing cyclist deaths in the future.
