Don't blame riders after fatal hit-and-run accident
The cyclists avoided the streets.They gathered by the dozens on Wednesday, to remember Gregary “Wade” Franck. The 41-year-old cyclist wasstruck by a drunken driver in Des Moines on Sundaywhile he was riding in the Urban Assault Ride, police said. He died from his injuries Tuesday.
His
employer, Kyle’s Bike Shop in Ankeny, hosts a ride every Wednesday at
5:30. But this week, shop managers asked central Iowa riders not to
converge on the shop. “We want everyone to be safe and we cannot keep a
crowd that large safe on the roads and trails near the store,” the
shop’s Facebook site implored.
So bikers responded, gathering in West Des Moines, Ames, Altoona and even Afghanistan -- wherever else the social media hashtag #RideForWade
inspired people, whether they knew Franck or not. And to honor Kyle’s
call to be safe, they stuck to the recreation trails as much as possible
(which, despite the expansion of many trails, still is limited).
Not that they had to stay on trails. Cyclists have every right to ride on the roads, according toIowa law.
Sadly, that fact is too often forgotten. As happens in other
vehicle-bike accidents, the automatic response by too many car-loving
Iowans is to blame the victim.After the accident, Kandi Reindl, assistant city manager and special events coordinator, was quoted in a Register story that
suggested Urban Assault Ride organizers didn’t do enough to safeguard
riders. She said the city may require organizers to get permits and take
extra precautionsin the future.
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