FW: Are Rides of Silence a mistake?
Stephen Bingham
From: Stephen Bingham <smbi...@earthlink.net>
Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2022 6:36 PM
To: 'Serge Issakov' <serge....@gmail.com>; 'Stephan Vance' <stepha...@gmail.com>
Cc: 'Jim Baross' <jimb...@cox.net>; 'SDCBC Advocacy Committee' <sdcbc-a...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: RE: Are Rides of Silence a mistake?
I’m saddened by the remarks of Stephan and Serge and hope they don’t reflect the general sentiment of CABO members. My daughter was killed 12 years ago biking to in Cleveland to her new VISTA volunteer job, 4 months after her college graduation. One of the first things to happen spontaneously was local bike rides in her honor and memory in Cleveland and here where she grew up in San Rafael.
We painted her bike white and placed in on a corner in downtown San Rafael. There was significant local press coverage. Believe me, all that helped my wife and I struggle through the early days of unspeakable grief, knowing there was a whole community of cyclists out there who cared. She was our only child.
I have been organizing a local Ride of Silence every year since, have been a board member for several years. The organization sees more clearly now that the annual rides must be part of local advocacy efforts to make streets safer, not a stand-alone event. The annual rides bring into the cycling advocacy movement many new people every year, so they’re not ‘just’ about remembering, though that is a worthy goal in and of itself which your clubs should be promoting. Tell me you don’t like the thought that if you are killed cycling, your cycling comrades will be out there on a ride to remember you.
Serge and Stephan, I sure hope that you’re the only two in the CABO community who feel as you do. It’s a fallacy to think that remembering fallen cyclists discourages people from cycling. BikeCleveland is a perfect example of why that’s no so. They have used the media coverage around their annual ride to push for street safety improvements which have in turn led to a huge increase in the number of cyclists. We all know there’s safety in greater numbers so we should get over the fallacy that remembering fall cyclists discourages people for cycling.
steve
Stephen Bingham
Co-Director
Sylvia Bingham Fund
Coordinator, California Ride of Silence Organizers
Board of Directors, Ride of Silence
Member, Families for Safe Streets/San Francisco
From: Serge Issakov <serge....@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2022 4:07 PM
To: Stephan Vance <stepha...@gmail.com>
Cc: Jim Baross <jimb...@cox.net>; SDCBC Advocacy Committee <sdcbc-a...@googlegroups.com>; Stephen Bingham <smbi...@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [SDCBC Advocacy] Fwd: PRESS RELEASE - Ride of Silence May 18
I agree with Stephan. As long as the general perception of cycling risk remains much higher than what it is in reality, I think we should not be promoting efforts that fuel that fire.
Are there ghost cars or ghost motorcycles?
Are there Flights, Swims or Climbs of Silence to memorialize plane crash victims, drowned swimmers, and fallen climbers?
Why does the cycling community seem so uniquely fixated on the risks within its activity?
Serge
On Tue, Apr 12, 2022 at 3:22 PM Stephan Vance <stepha...@gmail.com> wrote:
Like I said, it may have a benefit for those who participate, as the ghost bikes do for those who place them. I just don't think it's something the Coalition should organize.
Stephan
On Tue, Apr 12, 2022, 3:00 PM Jim Baross <jimb...@cox.net> wrote:
"No benefit" "evidence"?
Although I recommend avoiding publicizing bike skills classes as Bike Safety classes due to that essentially being a negative message, I think that memorializing/respecting bicyclists killed has a place in raising awareness - hopefully also among people who use motor vehicles.
What about Ghost Bikes or memorials left at sites where a person has been killed in traffic? Same issue?
Jim Baross
Board Member, League of American Bicyclists
President, Calif. Assoc. of Bicycling Organizations
Board Member, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition
On Tue, Apr 12, 2022 at 2:50 PM Stephan Vance <stepha...@gmail.com> wrote:
Is there any evidence this event has moved the needle in its 20 year history? It may have value for those who participate, but my feeling is there is no benefit to further promoting the idea that riding a bike is dangrous.
Stephan
On Tue, Apr 12, 2022, 2:03 PM Jim Baross <jimb...@cox.net> wrote:
FYI. Organize a San Diego Ride of Silence?
Jim Baross
Board Member, League of American Bicyclists
President, Calif. Assoc. of Bicycling Organizations
Board Member, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Stephen Bingham <smbi...@earthlink.net>
Date: Tue, Apr 12, 2022 at 12:38 PM
Subject: PRESS RELEASE - Ride of Silence May 18
To: stephen bingham <stephen...@rideofsilence.org>
Press Release – 20th Annual Ride of Silence May 18th, 7:00 PM Worldwide
Contact Information:
Brandon Alvarado, bra...@rideofsilence.org; 619-300-5634
Tim Potter, webm...@rideofsilence.org ; 517-618-1771
For the 20th year, cyclists will ride silently all over the world on May 18 in a silent slow-paced ride in honor of those injured or killed by motor vehicles while cycling on public roadways.
The annual ride is designed to raise awareness of all road users, especially those driving motor vehicles, that everyone is entitled to use the road and is obligated to share it safely with all other road users. The motoring public often isn't aware of these rights, and sometimes not even aware of the presence of cyclists or pedestrians. Because of this and the hugely increasing size of motor vehicles, the number of preventable cyclist deaths increased 37% from 2010 (793) to 2019 (1,089) in the United States. More than half of the 1.3 million road traffic deaths worldwide each year are among vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. Of these deaths, 41,000 are cyclists, more than one killed every 15 minutes.
Upcoming 2022 Rides of Silence can be found under the ‘Event Locations’ tab menu of the Ride of Silence website. Past rides are found under the ‘Ride Reports’ tab menu or clicking here. Last year, there were 195 officially registered Rides of Silence in 44 States, the District of Columbia and 11 countries (Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Romania, Turkey among others). There were many more additional unregistered rides.
Rides are always the third Wednesday in May. Rides in the Southern Hemisphere and the recommended rain date is the following Saturday May 21st, at 10:00 a.m.
The Ride of Silence organization asks cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph, wear helmets, follow the rules of the road and remain silent during the ride. There are no registration fees although many events solicit donations to help defray their costs.
In 2003, Chris Phelan organized the first Ride of Silence in Dallas after his close friend and endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was hit and killed by the mirror of a passing bus.
Highlight photographs from the 2021 events can be found here.###30###
Stephen Bingham
Co-Director
Sylvia Bingham Fund
Coordinator, California Ride of Silence Organizers
Board of Directors, Ride of Silence
Member, Families for Safe Streets/San Francisco
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