‘A crisis that doesn’t have to happen’
Advocates say these crashes are preventable and that officials need to take action to protect everyone who is using the road.
“There needs to be guidance and outreach for people who are behind the wheel to understand what somebody’s walking or biking on the road,” said John Boyle, research director for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. “Especially a road with no shoulders or [where] you have to share space with motor vehicles, how frightening that can be when you’re being passed by at high speeds or being honked at with a horn.”
Boyle adds that “complete streets” plans need to be implemented when roads are reconstructed, giving consideration to cyclists and pedestrians.
“That means, for example, sidewalks: a very basic thing that roads just don’t have or they are not maintained well,” he said.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed the ‘safe passing’ law in August. The new law, which goes into effect in March, would require drivers to move over one lane when passing if it safe to do so, or to allow four feet of space between the car and the person being passed. If it’s not safe to pass, a driver would have to slow down to 25 mph. It’s similar to New Jersey’s ‘move over law’ that protects first responders while on highways, but for cyclists and pedestrians.
Kagan described the new law as one of the best in the country. She also suggests using some of the $12 billion the state will receive as part of the federal infrastructure bill for safety improvements.
“We really need to make sure that we’re using that funding to the maximum potential, supplemented with really good policy, to strategically eliminate all of our traffic fatalities and serious injuries,” she said.
In a statement, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) said it is committed to improving pedestrian safety, which it takes “very seriously.”
“To reduce pedestrian/bicycle fatalities and serious injuries on state highways, NJDOT includes pedestrian safety features into all department projects where pedestrian improvements are appropriate,” DOT added. “The department also has several grant programs that provide funding for pedestrian safety improvements, including the federally-funded Safe Routes to School and Transportation Alternatives Set Aside programs, and the state-funded Safe Streets to Transit program. Counties and municipalities may apply for these grant programs.”
‘These are people’
Link was back on her bike the next day after Galezniak’s death.
“I was supposed to lead a ride for Team Evesham, my other club, the following day, and I didn’t want to back out on that commitment,” she said.
To better protect themselves, Link says she and her fellow cyclists have turned to technology. They use GPS units on their bikes. She also has a bike radar to let her know when a car is getting close.
Link wants people to know that cyclists are out just to get some exercise. She credits the activity for helping her to lose 60 pounds and become healthier overall. She also wants drivers to understand that cyclists are people too.
“I wish that [drivers] would just understand when they see people on bikes, think about their own families because we’re going back to those people, too,” she said.