Cyclist die in our cities trying to circumvent too much traffic and survive hostile streets. Yes, cyclist die and they die too often. At the end of August this was the case of Michael Schenkman, 78, an avid and popular New York cyclist that also taught driver’s education for several years. He knew how to sort the dangerous and busy streets of New York. But nevertheless, he died stroked by a black Chevrolet that dragged him 25 feet.
I have been cycling through the streets of Barcelona for the last 15+ years. Barcelona is as dangerous as New York for cyclists. In the last years separated lanes for cyclist have been built, but none on the sidewalks, which obviously limits adoption. When you cycle often through cities you are very aware of the risk, you know that no matter what you do, a car or a motorbike can hit you and you will die or end up seriously injured. For the sake of the example, in New York, Schenkman’s death was the fifteenth until August. A pretty bad record.
However, even if this happens and happens too often, even knowing how to address it. Most of the times, nothing gets done, beyond regretting the causality.