Phillip Barron
The Herald Sun
May 11th, 2006
DURHAM — The Ride of Silence on Wednesday will be the loudest statement of the year on bicycle safety and it will be spoken without a word.
The Ride of Silence is a Triangle-wide event, beginning at the Triangle Life Science Center (the former EPA building) at the corner of Alexander Drive and N.C. 54 in Research Triangle Park.
The second annual ride is for cyclists of all abilities and levels of experience. After a brief moment of silence and stillness, the assembled riders will take to the streets in hushed solemnity, proceeding slowly — using only hand signals for necessary communication — down Alexander Drive, completing a 5-mile loop through RTP, and returning to the Triangle Life Science Center. This is a no-drop ride.
The Ride of Silence honors and remembers cyclists who have been injured or killed on public roads. The goal is to raise the awareness of motorists, cyclists, law enforcement, and city officials that there’s more work to do to share the road.
The Ride of Silence is bigger than the Triangle. The local event is one of more than 190 concurrent events in the United States. Also on Wednesday, eight other countries will host silent processions, each in honor of cyclists who have died or been injured will riding.
The Ride of Silence is a simple, grassroots event. “There is no brochure, no sponsors, no registration fees and no T-shirt,” say event organizers Blanche and Larry Dean.
“The Ride of Silence,” says Pete Schubert, Durham Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission member, “reminds us of the ultimate cost to cyclists when drivers fail to pay attention, ignore the rules of the road, disobey traffic laws, are not courteous, or otherwise do not respect their fellow drivers. We all know, in bike-motor vehicle collisions, the cyclist usually loses — sometimes his or her life — while the motorist usually lives to regret his or her experience.”
The Ride of Silence is focused on safety. The organizers require that all participants wear helmets. Since the ride will finish at or just after dark, bring lights (headlight and taillight) if you plan to ride home.
The Ride of Silence has new significance this year for IBM employee Brian Carver. He has a hard time forgetting the moment of impact, when he crashed into the car window, bouncing off and landing on the road.
“I try to keep my head clear and forget that each car that passes next to me can snuff me out in a second. All it takes is one moment away from the road to text message your friends and the next moment you’re explaining to a cop why you killed that rather obvious cyclist in the bike lane,” says Carver, recalling the story of a cyclist killed in Colorado earlier this year.
“It took a long time for me to get the courage to ride again,” Carver adds.
The Ride of Silence takes place this year at a time when soaring gas prices are encouraging some commuters to look for alternatives to driving and beautiful spring weather is turning some of those commuters to cycling. “We all must learn how to share the road and then practice safe driving every time we take to the road,” Schubert says.
The Ride of Silence will leave the Triangle Life Science Center parking lot promptly at 7 p.m. “Cyclists should arrive early enough to air up their tires and participate in a moment of silence before the ride,” Blanche Dean advises. “Daylight permitting, a second loop may be ridden.”
The Ride of Silence is a reminder that motorists and cyclists will always co-exist on the road. Whether we co-exist safely is up to us.
HS url: http://www.heraldsun.com/features/54-733187.html
NOTE: I learned only after writing this article that Chapel Hill and Carrboro are hosting another local Ride of Silence event. From the RoS website:
Carrboro/Chapel Hill
Contact: Michael Babbitt
Distance: 8 miles
Notes: Start and end in the parking lot of McDougal Elementary on Old Fayetteville Rd in Carrboro.