This is tragic.

There needs to be a huge education outreach about how to drive around bicyclists.

I am absolutely terrified whenever there is a bicyclist on the side of the road. I am so scared to pass them that I end up lurking behind them making failed attempt after failed attempt and no doubt they think I am being aggressive.

I do believe that roads are for cars and it is extremely hard for bicycles and cars to coexist peacefully on roads as they are at the moment. Roads need to be widened, bike paths need to be added.

We don't need to widen roads. We need to narrow them for cars, adding more space for bikes and pedestrians. If we converted most four-lane roads in Baltimore to two lanes, and replaced traffic lights with stop signs and roundabouts, fatalities would go down.

In this particular case though, it's clear we need compulsory driver education every decade. We also need to make it easier for seniors to live car-free, perhaps by offering financial incentives for people who give up their cars.

Sorry, Jessica, but the belief that roads are only for cars is part of the problem. Cars and bicycles share the road in much of the world (as they must, because much of the rest of the world is smarter than us when it comes to burning petrol). We don't need bike paths. We need smarter, less smug motorists.

Jessica, If you stay behind us for any length of time, we know that you are likely a very conscientious driver who is appropriately waiting for a safe and legal time to pass us. You are not the driver who scares the crap out of us. My wife and I are scared by the drivers who think the can "squeeze" past us, in front of us, around us, who turn without signalling, who weave and bob from lane edge to lane edge, who turn in front of us suddenly because they didn't "see", those who drive in the few bike lanes or against traffic. Thats who scares us. Basically the driver errors that scares us on bikes are the same ones that scare us when we are in our car.

How about there needs to be education for the bicyclists who ride amongst drivers and pedestrians. I have seen many bicyclists that think they do not have to follow the rules of the road. It is really nerve wracking to have to watch out for the bicyclist that is riding so close to my car in traffic.

The original article only tells on side of the story, the side that is most tragic. I do not think it is fair to the driver involved the articles have been one sided. No one was there but those involved and no one knows what really happened. for all we know, the young man could have been speeding on his bike, not paying attention, and ended up hitting the car as it turned the corner (a car that was sure to be going under the speed limit since it was turning the corner). Although I find it very sad this young man may not make it, I find it sadder people are attacking the elderly driver. I am a biker and a runner and I know how dangerous it is out there, so I educate myself and make sure I pay attention to my surroundings to prevent my being hurt or even worse, my death should. Others need to do the same thing and not blame such accidents on drivers. Pedestrians, runners, and bicyclists think they have the right of way all the time, but they always don't, and they think that drivers are going to look out for them, and obviously they don't. They have to look out for themselves and prevent such accidents as best they can.
I do believe drivers should become a little more educated on the presence of bicyclists in the city and both drivers and bicyclists need to know what to do at an intersection, which seems to be the place most of this accidents happen at.

COMMENT FROM THE BLOG-KEEPER:
The roads are for cars. They are also for bicycles, pedestrians and sometimes horses. Drivers of cars and trucks enjoy both the advantages and responsibilities of being the biggest and most powerful users of the roads. Thus, motorists must know how to drive around bicyclists, pedestrians, horses, etc. It's not an optional skill. Those who find it difficult to share the roads with others that have a legal right to be there need to seek remedial education or stop driving. It's a given that some bicyclists and pedestrians will perform badly. Drivers have to be alert and ready for those occasions too. Unfortunately, the American system is to give short shrift to driver education and then to hand out licenses to just about anyone with a pulse.

was he wearing a helmet? I know some people think they are "uncool" to wear, but they save lives.

Driving to work today, I was scared when a bicyclist road right through a red traffic light as I and other cars were travelling south on a major city street. Cyclist are more vulnerable for certain, but I see many who engage in very reckless behavior.

gothaggis, yes he was wearing a helmet, and Kay, no he was not speeding.
Finally Kay, no one commenting here, and most commenting on the previous stories on this matter have attacked the ELDERLY driver...most attack the behavior. Thats the issue. Regardless, she operated her powerful and dangerous vehicle in such a manner that a bright young man is brain dead. She lives, he does not. Thats the negative outcome of her behavior, thats what we are talking about trying to avoid. Its not personal.

If you are married to your petroleum powered car and think the road should belong to you and nobody else, then you better brace hard for the future. With gas becoming prohibitively expensive we're going to see more scooters, Segways, bicycles, and all sorts of odd new modes of personal transportation. The road that exists now will be redesigned to accommodate smaller vehicles. Get over yourselves.

gothaggis,

He was wearing a helmet. Regardless, this would not have prevented the accident.

I agree with Jessica. The roads are for cars it's just too dangerous for cyclers.

Accidents are bound to happen and when it involves bicycles and cars. The bicycles almost always lose.

"Those who find it difficult to share the roads with others that have a legal right to be there need to seek remedial education or stop driving."

HEAR, HEAR, SIR!

@gothaggis, yes he was wearing a helmet according to the internet news. doesn't necessarily help when someone parks a 2 ton car on top of you long enough to burn you with the exhaust system.

This does not speak to this particular incident, because I don't pretend to know what happened. But part of the conversation has to address the dangerous practices of some cyclists---flying through red lights, speeding, weaving through cars. A friend was killed in high school when he ran a red light on his bicycle. Riders: If you want to share the road, share the laws!! They're there for your protection.

When cyclists have to title and tag their bikes, then they have the right to share the roads. Autos and trucks pay taxes, and fees to use the roads, which give them the right to full lanes. Share the cost and you can share the road. Until then don't complain. Motorists pay for your bike lanes. It's unfortunate these types of accidents happen, but remember cyclists have a more unobstructed line of site than motorists. There probably isn't a reasonable compromise in the city, without widening roads, and that's impossible.

gothaggis: First: yes, every report I've seen that indicates one way or another says he was wearing a helmet. Second: how would wearing a helmet have saved Nathan from getting run over?

I speak as both a motorist and a cyclist. Michael, you are clearly biased in your approach to the issue.

You state that motorists bear the bulk of the responsibility because their vehicles are larger and more powerful. But I know and see many cyclists that are as careless as their motorist counterparts.

Albeit motorists do have a greater impact because of their larger vehicle. But you cannot discount that cyclists have an equal share of responsibility to ensure safety for all on the road.

Nathan was wearing a helmut and was traveling in a designated bike lane. After he landed on the ground, the car moved over him trapping him under the car. The helmut prevented a crush injury to his head. He got no oxygen for a long time due to collapsed lungs and being trapped.

Kay, the witnesses have indicated that he was riding legally at about 14 miles per hour, in the bike lane.

gothaggis, whether he was wearing a helmet is immaterial. There is no law requiring him to wear one. The statistical rate at which they "save lives" in the event of a collision is woefully inadequate for it to be the dividing line between responsible and irresponsible bicycling. But to answer your question, YES, he was wearing a helmet, as was Jack Yates, as was Larry Bensky in
Baltimore County who died as a result of negligent driving a year ago tomorrow, as was Senate candidate Natasha Pettigrew who was killed in PG County last year by a driver who didn't even bother to stop, claiming she thought she hit a deer, and only called the police an hour after the collision after her husband found Natasha's bicycle stuck under her SUV.

BICYCLIST DO NOT BELONG ON THE ROAD PERIOD..WHY ARENT GO CARTS NOT ALLOWED THEN?BECAUSE THEY HAVE THEIR OWN TRACK LIKE BICYCLIST SHOULD HAVE TO:)

What does the BPD do all day? I swear I read about another complaint regarding BPD lack of something daily. The rape cases The Sun reported on show GROSS lack of investigation. There's complaint here that they didn't perform their job. Besides harassing skateboarders and directing traffic during sporting events, what are they doing?

Now, I'm sure there have been cut backs and in a city as crime ridden as Baltimore is, they're overtaxed, but it just seems like every time I turn around they're not doing their job. Who knows, maybe following through on investigations could lighten the future workload when repeat offenders get caught.

gothaggis- yes, he was wearing a helmet. Unfortunately, a helmet isn't going to protect you from one and half tons of steel and plastic being piloted unsafely. A helmet might reduce injuries in a fall, but when a reckless driver parks on you, it's about as effective as bailing out a rowboat with a thimble.

Wasn't he in a bike lane and the 83-yr old driver was trying to turn into a garage? if there was a bike lane, I thought it lawfully is like a regular lane of traffic and the driver must yield.

We designed and built the bicycle, we designed and built the automobile, and we designed and built the roads; all that brain power and just like with everything else, we can't figure out how to use it without killing ourselves and each other.

Bottom line- until accomdations are made for bicyclists to use the roads- i.e., seperate lanes-riding bicylces on our roadways will continue to be exceptionaly dangerous. No way around it- kinetic energy of a ton or more going at 10-20 mph is enough to kill an unprotected person quite quickly. Accidents happen, and no amount of education will make it safe. I feel for the family, and I am sorry for their loss. While driver's need to be educated, the burden falls on the cyclists, legal or not, as they have the most to lose. Riding a bike on a roadway risking death every time. Nations that share bikes, cars, animals, etc. , are also notorious for horrifying and tragic traffic deaths.

While I have sympathy for all the cyclists and this one in particular, and I rarely drive myself, I do feel that there are as many irresponsible pedestrians and cyclists out there as drivers. Drivers are held to a higher standard because their vehicles can inflict more damage, but one cannot always anticipate another's bad behavior.

BTW, I had lobbied for the Sun to add a transportation columnist. However, I must say that I was hoping for a more mass transit-oriented writer. And I just don't mean MARC. I notice that none of your last 5 tweets has anything to do with bus, subway, or light rail. Your last writing about buses was about the talking buses. How about more time devoted to mass transit issues?

Do you know what would really be great? People should stop looking for someone to blame and start looking for solutions. I use to drive large tractor trailers and feel the same way about autos that some of you feel about bicyclists. I just try to enlighten the drivers of auto what they need to expect when driving around big truck and cars should do the same to the two-wheelers. There is nothing I dislike worse than someone on a bicycle or motorcycle to pass between two lanes of traffic either in the city or county with total disregard to the safety of others. I know that if I were to hit someone, I would feel tragically bad whether I were at fault or not. I just that the powers that be every New Years that I was able to survive another year on the streets

And what about the bicyclist riding south on Central Avenue last evening, who blew through 3 red lights?!

I have no idea who's at fault or what should be done in this case, but I always like how cyclists claim car drivers as the smug inconsiderate ones. They should practice what they preach when coming upon walkers and runners on trails such as the NCR, BWI and B&A where bikes have the responsibility to yield to all others. Cyclists sure don't have a problem flexing their dominance there the way they complain about car drivers flexing theirs on the road!

Connie,
Bicycles are considered VEHICLES in every state of the union, meaning the whole country. We are supposed to follow the rules of the road the same as car/truck/motorcycle drivers. Just like a lot of car drivers not everyone follows the rules to a T. Go Karts and mopeds come under different rules. Just like skate boards or roller skates, or horses, or......

reading a number of these comments one would think there is a civil war going on in our city streets. Maybe there is, maybe it is a war of uncivility. Even when I don't bike I feel threatened by all the aggression from so many drivers. It is not the bike was invented in Baltimore nordid it just drop in from above.Bikes have been around for decades. Lots of cities show that bikes and cars and people can coexist very nicely and everybody is better off. If we just returned to some civility.

Bikes have equal rights to the roads. If you don't like that, you can lobby to change the law. Until then, deal with it.

It doesn't matter how many of them break the laws (just like drivers), act irresponsible (just like drivers), or simply piss you off (just like drivers).

Bikes are here to stay, and you can get with the program, or you can get arrested for vehicular manslaughter.

Well, thinking about this case for another day (as I've thought about it everyday), maybe it's not about cyclists, bikes, etc. Maybe it's really about an 83 year-old woman who probably doesn't belong behind the wheel of a car. But that opens another can of worms, doesn't it?