A series of fatal bicycle crashes in Sonoma County have many people -- understandably -- asking the question:
"Are our roads safe for bicycling?" The answer is, "For the most part, yes; and probably more so than you think."
Our community is reeling from the deaths this month of Steve Norwick and Brian Laurie, and the death in May of August Bissiri, a visiting cyclist. Each of these crashes was between the bicyclist and a motor vehicle. It's clear to anyone that in car/bike crashes, the bicyclist, regardless of who's to blame for the crash, has far more to lose; each of these collisions were fatal for the cyclist, while the drivers were uninjured or recovered from their injuries.
The crash that killed Steve Norwick was tragic and horribly sad. And, it's important to remember that being hit behind by a car -- the type of collision most feared by a cyclist -- is among the most rare type of collision. This particular case is especially unusual because Mr. Norwick was doing everything correctly, and there was nothing he could have done to prevent the crash; driver Robert Cowart was clearly at fault.
It the cases of Mr. Laurie and Mr. Bissiri, culpability is more vague, but still we must remember that most bicycle crashes are the result of user error, and a great percentage do not involve automobiles at all.
That's good news!
It means that by becoming a safe, empowered, communicative rider, you take a proactive approach to reducing greatly your chance of collision and increasing dramatically the amount of fun you have on your bike!
That's where Street Skills comes in!
You'll learn it all and way more in this comprehensive class that is great for novices to experts and everyone in between. You'll also review rules of the road and receive powerful data that will help calm your fears by putting them into context.
Bike Riders and non-riders need this class! You need it!
Your non-biking friends will benefit from the perspective gained in this class. No longer will they ask, "Why is that crazy cyclist doing
that?"
Classes are July 7th or August 4th in Santa Rosa (register for address) at the following times:
Adult (ages 16 & up) 8:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Teen (ages 12 - 15) 1:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Class fees are:
$20 General
$10 SCBC members
$5 for new members who join SCBC at the class
Special offer for SCBC Members:
Register your non-member friends for the July or August Street Skills class, and we'll extend the $10 member rate to them. Let's get folks skilled up!
Register:
Email Skills@biksonoma.org or call 707-545-0153
You'll be so glad you took Street Skills for Bike Riders!
July 8th will mark one month since Steve Norwick was injured fatally
in a hit-and-run crash while he road his bicycle on Petaluma Hill Road.
Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, Jill B. Nimble Bike Club, and other
partners will honor Steve Norwick by holding a memorial bicycle ride on
Sunday, July 8th. Details are on the way, so please be on the lookout.
For now, we know:
- The ride will begin and end in Rohnert Park
- We will gather at 9:30 a.m. for 10:00 a.m. departure
- There will be several routes to accomodate a range of rider ability/interest
- Some of the routes will be ridden in silence; others not
- This will be a beautiful way for the bicycling community to pay our respects to Steve
We will provide more information early in the week of July 1st.
Thank you.
Our 3rd annual
Sonoma County Bicycle Expo is coming up on August 19th, and it's going to be a fine, fine festival of wheels!
Each year at the Expo, SCBC hosts a booth, which is a great opportunity for us to raise thousands of dollars to support our work to make Sonoma County the safest, most accessible place for everyone to ride a bike.
The key to the booth's success is all that great bike stuff you're not using anymore.
It's a win-win situation: donate that stuff to us (tax-deductible!) and we'll turn it into dollars for bicycle advocacy. Easy-peasy!
To arrange your donation, please contact Gary@Bikesonoma.org or call him at 707-545-0153.
Thanks for unloading on us. Really, we mean it!
Today, Congress passed a new, two-year transportation bill that cuts 60-70 percent of funding for bicycle/pedestrian projects. The bill represents major backpedaling on 20 years of progress toward helping Americans enjoy communities that are friendly to those who want to walk and bike, and that offer safe routes to school.
The good news? It could have been so much worse. If it weren't for your calls and emails, and those from people like you across the country, Congress might have cut all these funds.
What's next? States will now have additional discretion over how funds previously dedicated to bike/ped are spent. We will now work with our partners throughout California as we advocate for the state to invest in projects that complete our streets and improve safety and access for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and levels of experience.
Thank you so much for your hard work. We will keep you posted!
Click here for more information on the Transportation Bill
