After a man died from injuries Jan. 12 from a car and bike collision, bike safety in San Luis Obispo presents a more serious issue than previously considered.
William Norman Putnam, a 54-year-old resident, was struck by a tractor-trailer Jan. 8 while riding his bicycle on Prado Road. He died a little less than a week later from his injuries.
Joshua Marcum, president of the Cal Poly Wheelmen and biomedical engineering junior, said he was “saddened to hear of a fellow cyclist being injured.”
“As much as we love cycling, there are many people out there who don’t appreciate it or have patience for us,” Marcum said. “With that being said, it is also the responsibility of cyclists to ride safely and respectfully. Obeying traffic laws, riding cautiously, wearing a helmet and using lights at night could help to keep you out of the hospital.”
But even following basic safety laws isn’t always enough.
Janice Goodwin, a sergeant on the Traffic Safety Unit of the San Luis Obispo Police Department, said the main cause of bicycle accidents in San Luis Obispo is bicycle riders riding the wrong direction on sidewalks.
“Consider this scenario: You are the driver of a vehicle and you come to a stop sign at a four way stop intersection, and you are going to make a left turn,” Goodwin said. “Meanwhile, a bicycle riding on the sidewalk, on your side of the road, crosses from your left to your right in front of you as you prepare to make that left turn. The driver of a vehicle has no expectation of a bicycle to come from the sidewalk in front of their vehicle from that direction if that bicycle is following the rules of the road according to the vehicle code.”
Goodwin said in 2010, there was a total of 44 accidents, 42 of which involved injuries. In 16 of these accidents it was concluded the bicyclist was at fault. So far this year, there have been five accidents, with four of the five being the bicyclist’s fault, including Putnam’s death.
Chad Reiley, an officer for the University Police Department, said there were only seven bicycle and car collisions on the Cal Poly campus last year, far fewer than other San Luis Obispo areas. However, Reiley said there are less cars driving around campus than bicyclists.
“I would expect more because of so many bicyclists and vehicles out there, but surprisingly there aren’t very many,” Reiley said. “I believe we have more pedestrian versus bicyclists than we have bicyclists (versus) vehicles.”
Reiley also said there were more accidents around town because of the narrow downtown streets.
“I think it’s because the downtown area, you’ve got parking on both sides of the street,” Reiley said. “You’ve got bicycles trying to be on the same road as vehicles, and it gets narrow on some of those lanes.”
Goodwin said also that lack of safety equipment is also a huge part of why bicyclists get hurt.
“Helmets and gloves should not be considered optional equipment,” Goodwin said. “A properly fitted helmet is the simplest form of life insurance for a cyclist. In both of the most recent bicycle related collisions in San Luis Obispo, the riders were not wearing helmets and suffered significant head trauma, and one died as a result of his injuries.”
Goodwin also said bicycles are treated as vehicles according to California traffic code, and bicyclists need to pay attention to the rules of the road.
“All cycling instructors will also tell you this: Bicyclists fare best when they behave like, and are treated as, drivers of motor vehicles,” Goodwin said. “In both of our most recent bicycle related collisions both cyclists violated basic rules of the road, which was a major factor in each collision.”
Reiley said not only are bicyclists safer when they follow the rules of the road, it fares better on their wallets because bicyclists can still get tickets. He said stop sign violations are the most prevalent ticket violation incurred on campus, as well as biking in walking areas, on the sidewalk or the wrong way.
“Over the last four years, between 90 to 160 (citations are issued) per year,” Reiley said.
Goodwin said bicyclists can get punished for driving under the influence (DUI), just like a vehicle driver.
“You can go to jail, and lose your driving privilege for one year, just like a DUI in a car,” Goodwin said.
Along with general safety, bicyclists must also worry about bike theft. According to Goodwin, 241 bikes were stolen in 2010 compared to 211 in 2009, with 15 already stolen this year.
However, Goodwin said she did not know if this was a rising trend.
“While this may appear to show an increase, we don’t know if there’s an increased reporting due to awareness if there’s an increase in bike usage due to the economy or environmental awareness, or any combination of these factors,” Goodwin said. “Again, without researching long term trends it’s hard to draw any real conclusions and we certainly haven’t seen any dramatic spikes in bike thefts reported.”
Reiley said bike theft is the number one crime on campus and it happens fairly regularly.
Yet, besides theft and safety, not only bicyclists should be aware of the road.
Marcum said drivers should be more patient with bicyclists.
“Our small helmets and thin jerseys do not protect us nearly as well as a giant metal car,” Marcum said. “When passing cyclists, drivers need to take a deep breath, relax and realize that the extra 30 to 60 seconds it takes to find a safe place to pass won’t ruin their day, but might save a life.”