Cyclist ticketed for riding in Chatham shoulder in serious left-hook crash

On December 19th the Chatam Patch reported a bicyclist suffering serious injuries in a crash involving a left turning motor vehicle while the cyclist was riding in the shoulder.  It is bad enough that the cyclist, Jose Batista of Cranford, was seriously injured in the crash but according to the Patch report, the Chatam Police intend on issuing a summons to Mr. Batista for "failure to exercise due care when passing a standing or slow-moving vehicle proceeding in the same direction."

In this case it would appear that Mr. Batista was riding his bicycle heading east in the shoulder while passing backed up motor traffic in the travel lanes to his left.  At the entrance to the CVS Pharmacy a driver heading east left a gap open so that Patrick McVeigh of Chatham, the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash who was heading west, could turn left and enter the CVS parking lot.  As the vehicle driven by Mr. McVeigh crossed the path of Mr. Batista, Mr. Batista then crashed into the rear of Mr. McVeigh's vehicle.


The first curb cut on the right is likely site of the Batista crash. View Larger Map

This case brings up a number of problems with shoulder cycling in New Jersey that continue to put cyclists at risk of injury, as well as prosecution from the law.  As reported by WalkBikeJersey earlier this year, The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled on a lawsuit that involved a cyclist tragically killed while traveling in the shoulder.  That case had the court rule on the legality of shoulder cycling and the court declared:

Bicyclists do not have special privileges on a roadway’s shoulder. Indeed, a bicycle rider is directed to ride on the furthest right hand side of the roadway, not on the roadway’s shoulder. The Motor Vehicle Code does not designate the roadway’s shoulder as a bicycle lane. 

If one were to only consider the court's interpretation of Title 39 it would seem that Mr. Batista was in clear violation of the law.  However a commenter on the Chatham Patch story notes that, just a half mile to the west of the assumed crash site Main Street, also known as NJ 124, has a marked bike lane in the town of Madison. 2008 Google Streetsview imagery would seem to confirm this.  The commenter also notes that at the municipal boarder of Madison and Chatham Borough, which is the intersection of Division Ave/Brookdale Road and Main St, there are no MUTCD compliant "Bike Lane Ends" signs.  This too is confirmed on Google Streetsview.


This "Bike Lane" symbol is located in the town of Madison and is less than 2500 feet from the likely crash site.
View Larger Map

Unfortunately for Mr. Batista, he likely assumed that either he was allowed by law to ride his bike in the roadway shoulder and/or that the shoulder was still a designated bicycle lane in the Borough of Chatham as it is in Madison. Also, the ambiguity of the signage and the roadway markings (the marked bike lanes in Madison are stripped more like shoulders and do not follow bike lane standards) and the lack of proper bike lane signage did not help clarify things for him.

The reality remains that shoulder cycling has been declared illegal and will remain so until this issue is addressed in the New Jersey Legislature.  Still, where shoulders have been designated as bike lanes, all effort must be made to mark them properly in accordance with accepted national standards.  It is simply not fair and even dangerous for cyclists to do it any other way.  Riding a bicycle on New Jersey's roadways is difficult enough.

Lambertville Man Ticketed In Route 1 Bike/Car Crash

Following up on the Route 1 crash that killed Aguedo Cruz on May 7, the Lawrenceville Patch reports that a 59 Year Old Lambertville Man has been charged with failing to obey a traffic control device. Cruz was travelling the wrong way at the Route 1/I-295 Interchange when he was struck by the driver.

The driver was cited for not staying in the lane by crossing over the painted channelization area as he was merging onto Route 1.

The stories on this crash have constantly been questioning the motive of the bicyclist to travel the wrong way down Route 1 through this dangerous merge.

• Let clarify one thing, this section of Route 1 is open to bicycle traffic. Bicycles are banned from the Trenton Freeway which begins about 1 mile south where Route 1 splits with Business Route 1.
• This entire stretch of Route 1 barricaded, that is to get from the northbound side to the southbound side you have to climb over the jersey barriers. The nearest crossover is more than a half mile north at the Quakerbridge Mall.
• Route 1 is a retail and restaurant hotel corridor, many of the jobs there are filled by low income workers, the same jersey barriers that inconvenience bicyclists make it nearly impossible for people who walk to transit to access those jobs. 
• The nearest alternate route between the Quaker Bridge Mall and the Trenton area for bicyclists involves a 5 mile detour via Quakerbridge Road (another monster interchange) and the Delaware and Raritan Canal). 

So the answer to the rhetorical question "Why was he there?" is because there were no other options.

Cruz and other cyclists who have been killed by motor vehicles were honored by last nights "Ride of Silence" events.

Are more cyclists getting hit from behind than ever before?

The following story first appeared on the Bike Delaware Blog and appears here with the author's permission.


Who is telling the truth?

Is it this one, claiming that 7% of bicycle-related accidents are hit from behind, or this one, saying cars run into bicyclists from behind only 3.8% of the time, or this one telling us getting hit from behind is extremely unlikely?

Or, is the League of American Bicyclists latest fact finding initiative “Every Bicyclist Counts” going to prove them all wrong, with current statistics showing that 1 in 4 crashes involve drivers hitting bicyclists from behind?

Since there is little about this on-line or in LAB’s website as of yet (nothing searchable, anyway) below is page 3 of a letter that came in the mail today, appealing for funds:

 

 

We already know how woefully inadequate the police and media are at reporting these tragedies. Do they accurately reconstruct the accident or crime scene before defaulting to bicyclist at fault? Most often, a hate-filled verdict is already delivered against the bicyclist in the comments section of a newspaper, even if the evidence clearly shows otherwise.

In reviewing the materials and website, we applaud the League for taking on this enormous challenge, to bring these depressing statistics up to date.

Reminder:  May 16th, 2012 is the Ride of Silence. The mission of the world wide Ride of Silence is to honor bicyclists killed by motorists, promote sharing the road, and provide awareness of bicycling safety.

This report first appeared in The Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News and appears here with their permission.

The Princeton Patch reported that a 58-year old Trenton man was struck by a motorist while cycling and killed on US-1. The crash happened just after 9:30 on Monday morning at the merge with the off ramp from I-295. Aguedo Cruz, 59, died shortly after the crash at Capital Health System Regional Medical Center in Trenton.


View PA/NJ Bicycle Crashes 2011-2012 in a larger map

Like many US Highway arterials in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, US-1 is inhospitable for bicyclists and pedestrians. However, Route 1 is also a commercial corridor where people work, visit the doctor, and shop. Thus bicycle and pedestrian traffic persists despite previous efforts of highway engineers to make it nearly impossible to do so. This tragedy is another reminder that re-configuring our existing suburban road network to make Complete Streets is not only desirable but a matter of life and death.

We mourn the death of Aguedo Cruz and offer our sympathy to his family and friends.

Four cyclists hit Easter Sunday by suspended driver

Photo by John Degutis via NJ Herald

Some of you may have heard about this crash as we at WBJ were informed of it from the good folks down at the NJDOT Bike/Ped offices.  For details about the crash see this well reported story from The New Jersey Herald.

Despite the cyclists riding single file on the right side of the roadway, 25-year-old Robert Whitesell, of Frankford, struck all four of them, one after another in rapid succession.  Whitesell, who's license was already suspended, hit the four cyclists and then fled.  He was also involved in another crash earlier in the day.

Whitesell was charged with reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident and driving while suspended in this crash.  However once again an unlicensed/suspended driver hits a pedestrian or a bicyclist and is once again not charged with more serious charges like reckless indifference or assault with a deadly weapon.  How much more egregious must a drivers actions be before law enforcement starts charging drivers like the felonious criminals they really are?!?!  The laws need to change that make driving an automobile without a license a felony, period!  Crash or no crash!

As for a possible New Jersey "three-foot passing law," if it were written like most others across the country, it would have done little here except possibly increase the fines that Whitesell would be facing by a few hundred dollars.  Reckless driving is already an appropriate charge for hitting a cyclist riding legally on the roadway (buzzing a cyclist by less than 3-feet should be considered careless or reckless driving, no new laws need be required).  What would be truly helpful is a clarification in the New Jersey Vehicle Code about the legality of crossing the double yellow line to pass cyclists and a vulnerable user law that treats a crash with a bicyclist or pedestrian by a careless or reckless driver as a much more serious offense then that of a simple fender-bender.

Two legal actions regarding bicycle crashes could have future ramifications

Recently the NJ Bike Ped News Feed produced by the Voorhees Transportation Center Bike/Ped Resource Center covered a couple legal stories of note in the past months.   While both stories have their origins in tragedy, the actions and decisions by the New Jersey legal systems may have profound implications in the way bicycle crashes and the reckless vehicular operations are handled.

DAVID BERGELAND/THE RECORD

The first story dating back to November 27th of last year is about a serious crash cause by a driver who hit a seriously injured two cyclists.  What makes this story remarkable is that the Bergen County Prosecutor has decided to take the case and that the driver is being charged with two counts of Assault by Auto, Reckless Driving and Failure to Maintain a Lane.  While the crash itself is horrible as all are, it is at least a relief to the justice system taking a serious and appropriate stance in the face of the vehicular violence that will affect these two cyclists the rest of their lives.  Unfortunately, the news stories did not go into detail as to why such a serious charges were  filed or if there were extenuating circumstance that necessitated the charge.

The other story is also tragic and dates back to a crash from 2001 where a woman died after hitting a pothole in the shoulder while riding downhill with at group of other experienced cyclists in Essex County.  The case here hinged upon two issues.   The primary is whether the county is liable for the crash since it was informed of the pothole multiple times prior to the crash.  However it should be noted that the cyclist was riding in a group and that her ability to see the pothole could have been obscured by others she was riding with.  I was concerend that if the plaintiff won the case based on this premise, then Essex County and other county and municipal governments would have a good reason not to build bicycle faculties like bike lanes for fear of being liable in a case just like this one. 

However in the final decision from the State Supreme Court question whether or not a roadway shoulder is even intended for bicycle riding.  The precedent of this secondary issue could prove problematic for cyclist in the future trying to make legal claims when injured or ticket while riding in the shoulder.  This particular conclusion of the NJ Supreme Court is clearly in need of further research and may require legislative action to protect the rights of cyclists.

The unpublished Supreme Court decision can be found here.

Tri-State maps South Jerseys most dangerous roads for cyclists

The following message was originally posted on the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia blog and contains significant portions from the original Tri-State Transportation Campaign press release. 

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign has a released a new report that analyzes bicycle crashes in 8 South Jersey Counties from 2008-2010 to determine particularly dangerous roadways for cyclists. The report extracts NJDOT's public (but difficult to access) traffic crash data and geocodes all the bicycle crashes in the region on Google Maps.
 
The analysis shows that many crashes were clustered on specific roads, with certain roads the most dangerous in more than one county. US 30 was one of Atlantic and Camden Counties’ most dangerous roads (65 crashes in these counties combined). NJ 47 was one of Cape May, Cumberland and Gloucester Counties’ most dangerous roads (58 crashes in these counties combined).

The report's findings demonstrate the need for New Jersey to continue to examine the design of its streets, particularly the roads that have been shown to be hot spots for bicyclist crashes. The percentage of bicyclists in crashes on these “hot spot” roads ranged from 15.7% to 32.6% of each county’s total bicycle crashes.

NJDOT passed a statewide Complete Streets policy in December 2009 which requires new or rehabilitated roads to be built for all users, including walkers, cyclist, transit riders, and drivers.

"There is a clear demand for safe cycling routes in the state, yet most roads are still designed for only cars in mind,” said Matthew Norris, Tri-State Transportation Campaign's South Jersey Advocate. “We hope these numbers will help the New Jersey Department of Transportation and county officials fix these roadways to encourage healthier, more active lifestyles.”

"People need options for transportation. Not everyone drives a car, but our roads aren't accommodating to pedestrians and cyclists. They have every right to use the road but can't always do so safely. More attention needs to be paid to making our roadways not only safe, but inviting, so those who choose to travel by bike or on foot have their own established spaces can feel secure in using them,” said Patty Woodworth, owner of Action Wheels Bike Shop in Deptford.

County fact sheets and Google Maps can be found at http://tstc.org/njbiking.

The analysis found the following roads to be the most dangerous in the three suburban counties. Percentages are percent of bicyclist crashes in each county which happened on that road.
     
Burlington  

• Route 537-Marne Hwy/Camden Ave (7.6%)
• US 130 (6%)
• Burlington County 607-Church St (5.2%)

Camden 

• US 30-White Horse Pike (6%)
• NJ 168-Black Horse Pike (5.2%)
• Route 561-Haddon Ave/Haddonfield-Berlin Rd (4.5%)

Gloucester  

• NJ 47 - Delsea Dr. (10.1%)
• NJ 45 - Mantua Ave/Bridgeton Pike (9.6%)
• US 322 - Black Horse Pike (7.9%)

Note: much of the above text is taken from the press release issued today by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

The map below overlays TSTC's crash data on top of census data, trails and bike lanes in South Jersey. A full page version is viewable here.

View map on GeoCommons

Op-Ed: Dangerous NJ Rt 27 in Highland Park help leads to cyclist hit & run

MyCentralJersey is reporting of an early morning hit & run crash on Monday that left a Highland Park man in critical condition.  The crash happened on Raritan Ave (NJ Route 27) at Rolfe Ave.  This section of the State Highway is exceedingly difficult and dangerous for cyclists to navigate as the roadway is four narrow lanes, no shoulder, no center turn lane, poor asphalt conditions and is posted at 40mph which is regularly exceeded.


Approximate location of August 15th hit & run crash with cyclist. View Larger Map

I am personally familiar with this stretch of road and do all that I can to avoid it on my bike and even in a car due to what I perceive to be unusually hazardous conditions.  Fortunately for those that are familiar with the neighborhood, there are safe and quite parallel residential streets that one can choose to ride between Highland Park and Metuchen, which totally negate the need to for cyclists to use Rt 27 at all except for that last block if one's destination is in Rt 27.  Unfortunately these alternative routes are somewhat circuitous and are not immediately obvious to cyclists not intimately familiar with the neighborhood.

I have gone to several Middlesex County meetings suggesting that an alternative route to NJ 27 be marked for cyclists using simple and discreet MUTCD compliant signage between the towns of Highland Park and Metuchen.  Unfortunately the county officials needed to defer on this one since both the State Highway Route 27 and the local roads are beyond there jurisdiction.  However this issue is not beyond the scope of NJDOT.  If a roadway is obviously dangerous for cyclists to use as Rt 27 between these two towns and there is an alternative route using local municipal roads (in this case mostly in Edison), I personally feel that NJDOT is obligated to find a solution.

I understand that budgets are tight and staffing levels are low at all New Jersey State offices but that's okay.  I've already done half the work and have figured out routes on both the east and west sides of Rt 27.  All NJDOT would need to do is shoot me an email. Maybe together we can prevent another tragedy and maybe even get more people using bikes to travel in this area.

Was snow and ice a factor in fatal bicycle crash in Berlin, NJ?

The following was originally written by John Boyle and posted on the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News. It is reprinted here with the permission of our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

The Courier Post reports that an unidentified cyclist was killed in Berlin, Camden County near the intersection of White Horse Pike and Bishop Avenue on at approximately 11 p.m. Thursday January 13th.

The victim was taken to Cooper University Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

It's not known whether the road conditions were a factor in the late night crash but given that it was only about 36 hours after the end of a 6 inch snowfall it is possible that slippery roads narrowed by plowed snow contributed to the crash.

Streets narrowed by plowed snow were cited in a fatal bicycle car crash in New Haven Connecticut where a 14 year old boy was struck and killed by a hit and run driver. New Haven received 19+ inches of snow in the January 12th storm.

Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the victims.


View PA/NJ Bicycle Crashes 2011-2012 in a larger map

Brief bicycle news brief: Bicyclist killed in Toms River, more

I had no intention of doing this post but I came across some important news articles while searching NJ.com just moments ago.

Millburn Police seek witnesses in crash involving bicyclist on Old Short Hills Road
Independent Press • Sunday, December 26, 2010

Toms River bicyclist dies after collision with car
The Star-Ledger • Friday, January 7, 2011

Bike trail construction starts soon (in Camden)
The Gloucester County Times • Sunday, January 2, 2011

Bergen County Prosecutor calls hit & run pedestrian crash "vehicular homicide"

In an interview on NJN News on Monday, January 3rd, the Bergen County Prosecutor, John Molinelli is calling the hit-and-run crash that killed Dr. Paul Kudowitz "vehicular homicide." According to the report, Dr. Kudowitz was crossing Broad Avenue at 5:30 on December 24th as he was walking home from a Friday night prayer service at his daughters house for the Jewish sabbath.  Police found parts from the vehicle that hit Dr. Kudowitz and are looking for a mid 1990's Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban or extended cab truck that is either white or cream in color.

It is interesting to note that the Prosecutor is talking vehicular homicide at this moment without even knowing much about the driver.  Usually the only time this charge is used in a fatal pedestrian or bicycle crash is when the driver is drunk, otherwise impaired or in the act of committing a crime.  The NJN report says that Broad Ave were Dr. Kudowitz was struck and killed, is marked at only 25mph but that drivers routinely speed on this roadway.  This would seem to indicate that the prosecutor may be taking the likely speed of the vehicle into account in considering such a charge (pedestrians hit at 25mph are very likely to survive a crash).  Undoubtedly the driver will also be charged with hit-and-run along with any other charges.

All too often in the past, drivers who speed and kill pedestrians, are usually not even charged with anything or are given a slap on the wrist when they are charged with "failing to yield to a pedestrian," which is a couple of points and a few hundred dollar fine.  This is truly a cheap price to pay for taking a life.  In hit-and-run situations, if there is no other criminality, the driver will usually just be facing the hit-and-run charges with the minor "failing to yield to a pedestrian" charge.  While hit-and-run is a serious crime, it is secondary to the primary offense.  If the driver stops, they usually weren't charged with anything in the past, even if they were speeding.  It seems as if attitudes are changing, at least when pedestrians are rundown by motorists.

To see the NJN News report for yourself follow this link, click on "Monday" and advance to time stamp 14min 15sec.  The link will only be good for a week as there are no longterm online archives for NJN News and there is no way to directly embed the video here.

December a bad month for pedestrians in New Jersey

As we celebrate the holiday season with our families and friends, and begin to reflect on this past year, there will many families questioning the blessings of this season as they deal with the tragic and seaming senseless loss of loved ones killed or injured during December.

I bring this up today because I picked up my local weekly paper and read about an 86 year old man who was killed crossing US 1 at an intersection in North Brunswick I often use to cross the highway when riding my bike around town. Wanting to see if I could find out more about what happened to this poor gentleman I did a quick search for the term "pedestrian" in the local New Jersey news. Unfortunately the number of pedestrian crashes I came across was very disheartening. On top of that, I noticed that a vast majority of the victims were either over the age of 60 or children.

However, what is the equally disturbing is continued tone, in many of the stories, that seem to blame the victim, along with forum comments that do so outright. Yes! Many times pedestrians can make foolish moves. We've all seen people that seem to willfully dare us to hit them while we are behind the wheel. And we've all have come close to making big mistakes on the road whether on foot, on a bike or in a car. However, being a pedestrian wearing dark clothing is not a crime nor should it ever be a a quick and easy excuse for a driver in a crash (admittedly, crosswalks with lighting to maximize a driver's ability to see pedestrians are far and few). And merely trying to cross a certain street at a certain location during a certain time is also not a crime but actual comments like, "Only a fool would attempt to cross the highway at the time of day" (source) continue in the on-line forums.

Only thing that we can do is to keep trying to make New Jersey a safer place for those who get about without a car. Hopefully the New Year will prove better then the last.

The story links are below:

Elderly pedestrian is struck, killed on Route 1 in North Brunswick
The Star-Ledger • Monday, December 13, 2010

Pedestrian fatally struck by carjacked vehicle in East Orange during police chase is identified
The Star-Ledger • Friday, December 17, 2010

After being hit by car, Bayonne woman on the mend
The Jersey Journal • Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Sadly, another death on the road
Daily Record • Monday, December 20, 2010

Dover, NJ: Pedestrian struck crossing Route 46
Daily Record • Monday, December 13, 2010

Manchester pedestrian dies from injuries suffered in accident
Asbury Park Press • Monday, December 20, 2010

Marlton woman, 42, hit by car on Route 70
Courier Post • Thursday, December 23, 2010

Pedestrian struck outside Hillsborough Municipal Complex
Courier News • Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Hillsborough accident seriously injures pedestrian, 46, on Route 206
Courier News • Saturday, December 18, 2010

Ewing pedestrian suffers broken leg; pinned under car after icy collision
The Times of Trenton Thursday, December 2, 2010

Pedestrian hit by car remains hospitalized
The Record • Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Pedestrian struck by car dies from injuries
Wayne Today • Thursday, December 16, 2010

"Pedestrian hit by alleged drunk driver"
Belleville Times • Friday, December 17, 2010

East Rutherford resident killed over the weekend
South Bergenite • Tuesday, December 21, 2010
(comments informative)

"West Milford boy, 12 injured crossing road"
Suburban Trends • Sunday, December 19, 2010

Lakeland student remains at trauma center
Suburban Trends • Wednesday, December 15, 2010
(approximate crash site)

Pedestrian struck in Fair Lawn
The Record • Saturday, December 4, 2010

2 teen pedestrians struck by car in Fair Lawn
The Record • Thursday, December 2, 2010

Three teens hit by vehicles in Ridgewood on Friday afternoon
The Ridgewood News • Friday, December 3, 2010

Bicyclist Killed By Open Truck Door In Woodbury Heights, NJ

The following was originally written by John Boyle and posted on the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News. It is reprinted here with the permission of our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

A report in the Gloucester County Times describes the death of a man who according to the article "crashed his bicycle into the open door of a truck parked on the shoulder of Evergreen Avenue in Woodbury Heights.

The victim identified as 57 Year Old George E Schilling Jr was taken to Underwood-Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The crash occurred on Friday November 26th at 6:05PM, well after dark and Police describe the lighting in the area as poor.

Our condolences go out to Mr. Schilling's Family.



View Bicyclists Crashes 2008-2010 NJ and SE PA in a larger map

Charity ride to honor bike crash victim, Joe McBride

The following message was originally posted on the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance Blog and was reposted here to help spread the word about this noteworthy event.

On Saturday, November 13 at 9:00 am, a charity ride will be held in honor of Joe McBride, a member of the Princeton Free Wheelers bicycle club, who was killed in a motor vehicle collision last week while riding his bike near Washington Crossing, PA.

Join the Hill Slugs on Saturday, November 13, as we ride one of Joe McBride’s favorite routes along the Delaware River and the ridge above Frenchtown. The ride will be C+/B difficulty, 13 – 16mph average speed, for about 50 miles. Joe didn’t like big hills, so we’ll stay away from the nasty ones. There will be one rest stop in Upper Black Eddy, PA, and an additional, optional, stop in Sergeantsville.

Meet in the CVS parking lot off of Route 29 in Lambertville, and please arrive about 20 minutes early, to be ready to leave at 9am. Wet roads cancel the ride.

Please bring a check made out to the American Diabetes Association or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Leaders: Laura Lynch and Joe Miller. Contact Laura Lynch (perpetualheadwinds@gmail.com) if you have any questions.

NJ Bicyclist Killed on River Rd in Washington Crossing PA

The following was originally written by John Boyle and posted on the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle News. It is reprinted here with the permission of our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

Joseph McBride, 58 of Ewing NJ and a member of the Princeton Freewheelers was killed Friday while bicycling on River Road near Overlook Avenue in Washington Crossing. A report in the Bucks County Courier Times stated that the victim drifted into the path of an oncoming minivan. However an unconfirmed report suggests that there was incidental contact with the rear wheel of a second bicycle that caused McBride to lose control and cross over the yellow line.

The Courier Times article has been inundated with negative comments about people on bicycles. These cowards, hiding behind their keyboards, believe that every tragedy involving a bicyclist is an opportunity for an anti-bike rant . Imagine if one of the TV stations covered the bike crash and some troll got on camera and recited "I almost hit one of these neon spandex wearing retards on my way to work". Why do news websites tolerate such inflammatory discussion when it involves the death of human being? Perhaps you can help restore sanity by leaving a supportive comment.


View Larger Map

Our sympathies go out to the family of Joseph McBride.

Joseph's Obituary on Legacy.com

Bicyclist Killed on Route 555 in Gloucester County

The below report comes to us from John Boyle and our friends at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia:

Another cyclist has been struck down in the wide shoulder of a Gloucester County road, this time it's fatal. 70 Year Old Robert Schwinn of Vineland who as the report states was wearing a helmet and a reflective vest was struck in the shoulder.

From New Jersey Newsroom.com:

"Schwinn, 70, was traveling northbound along the shoulder of Route 555 (Main Road) at 7:23 a.m., wearing a helmet and reflectorized vest. In the vicinity of Weymouth Road, a pick-up driven by Anthony Leatherwood, 32, of Franklinville, overtook Schwinn from behind and struck him, according to authorities."



View Bicyclists Crashes 2008-2010 NJ and SE PA in a larger map

Remarkably at this time there have been no charges have filed against the driver. The circumstances bear some similarities to several other crashes on the straight rural roads of South Jersey. Most recently On June 12th in West Deptford Randall Gartner suffered serious injuries (more serious than posted in the news story) when he was struck from behind at a lethal 45 miles per hour. Gartner was well equipped with ample lighting and a reflective vest. The perpetrator who committed this violent act left the scene and police do not have any suspects. Last July another cyclist Rick Clendaniel was killed in the shoulder of Mays Landing Road in Vineland by a driver that was allegedly driving 70 mph. The driver Jerome Byrd was charged with speeding and not wearing a seat belt.

Edgewater Park Bike Crash Brings Safe Routes To School Close To Home

This morning on the last day of school A first grader riding his bike to the Magowan Elementary School in Edgewater Park, Burlington County suffered from minor injuries when he was struck by a car on Cherrix St shortly after 8:30AM just a couple of hundred feet from the school entrance.

I have reported on lots of bicycle crashes but this was different for me. 10 minutes after I put my 5 year old on the school bus I saw a rescue squad ambulance racing towards the school, which sent a fearful pang that a worried parent sometimes feels. But I had to bike to the school anyway to drop off some paperwork which eased that feeling.

But then I turned left towards the school I found out why the ambulance blew by. I saw a school bus a Chevy Suburban, several patrol cars and a gathering of people but it was the two bikes on the ground that told the story, a child on a bike was struck.

That bad feeling came back.












A raised crosswalk on Cherrix Street in front of Magowan the crash occurred at another raised crosswalk just a few feet behind from where this picture was taken.

The crash took place at a raised crosswalk, installed several years ago as part of the Burlington County Safe Routes to School initiative. As I rode by the scene I overheard the driver of a large black Chevy Suburban talking to police state - "I didn't see him". Not knowing the circumstances of the crash, I can only speculate that traffic calming may have prevented a much more serious crash. If that's the case then it's money well spent

Perhaps I am most proud of the way that the Principal Betsy Miles explained the story in a memo sent home - "Although this incident was an accident, it certainly shines a bright light on bike safety...On the back of this letter are some basic tips to start your conversation...Have a fun safe summer."

I really expected some negative results, bike to school crashes in small school districts have led to bike bans in places such as Collingswood. But Ms. Miles and her staff should be commended for generating a reasonable response and for seizing a teaching moment. Hopefully the school board will display the same clarity and look at programs to make bicycling to school safer without resorting to a ban on riding bikes to school.

News 4 NY: NJ Highway With No Speed Limit Now Has 4

If you follow this blog or the NJ Bike/Ped News Digest you may be aware of the up-roar about the new section of NJ Rt 18 in New Brunswick not having any posted speed limits up until very recently. Tragically, it is felt by many that the lack of a posted speed limit may have had a cause in the pedestrian crash fatality of a New Brunswick boy. Even though the boy crossed against the signal, the speed of the driver that hit him was 68mph, way above the default speed limit of 50mph. It is believed by his family that the boy misjudged the speed of the car, never expecting it to be traveling so fast and that a proper, lower speed limit should have been installed when the road first opened.

Ped fatalities are up: NJN coverage says distracted peds are to blame

According to the Tuesday, December 29th edition of NJN News, "distractions... by pedestrians ...are the main problem" leading to the increase in pedestrian fatalities (news report starts at 8min 14sec).

NJN reports that, according to a recent report by the NJ State Police* one of the reasons (others not fully explored by NJN) why pedestrian fatalities are up is that pedestrians are distracted by, phones, PDA's, MP3 players, etc.

Further in the NJN report they interview Tracy Noble of AAA Mid-Atlantic Region offices talks about "walking while distracted" however she also gets in a few seconds to talk about need for proper engineering that includes the needs of pedestrians.

The NJN report goes on to also interview Trenton Police Detective Rick Rivera who also talks almost exclusively about distracted or obstinate pedestrians. However, streetwise Trenton crossing guard, Antonio Wiley is able to get a quick quip in about drivers not respecting his authority and the pedestrians' right-of-way.

Now, I'm not at all saying that pedestrians are 100% innocent. We all know there is and have seen some really bad pedestrian behavior out on the streets. I am absolutely sure that many pedestrian crashes and fatalities are totally the fault of an obstinate and/or distracted pedestrians even on streets where all the best pedestrian facilities were provided.

However the tone of this article is completely unbalanced and sends a message that places most if not all of the blame for the rise in deaths on the pedestrians themselves. Not once, save for crossing guard Wiley, is there ever a mention of driver behavior being a cause.

For a comparison take a look at The Record's coverage of the same topic from the same date. While touching upon a pedestrian's responsibility while negotiating traffic, it in no way lays the blame at the feet of pedestrians the way NJN did.

As a avid follower of NJN News, I expected better of them.


* - Unable to locate cited report online so to provide link.

Pedestrian dies on Rt 35 in Ocean Beach, as predicted

The Star Ledger reported (1,2) this past weekend about a Mark Infante, municipal prosecutor from West Orange who was killed while walking along the shoulder of Rt 35 as he returned home from the post office just after 12 noon.

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Approximate site of the fatal crash on Rt 35 South and Bay Beach Way

Yes, unfortunately the news of a pedestrian dieing on a New Jersey State Highway is nothing new and all too common. A review of the New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian News Digest shows that at least 15 bicyclists and pedestrians were killed on New Jersey roads in the month of November alone.

What is chilling about this one for me is that I predicted it.

You may recall back in August I wrote an article (Is Rt 35 south of Pt Pleasant "Shore to kill?) about the obvious and plentiful hazards facing pedestrians, bicyclist and drivers alike. However, during the quiet winter months and in broad daylight is not how I saw such a tragedy happening.

Please, let this be the last fatality of any type on this stretch of Rt 35.