Ride of Silence to Honor Cyclists Killed on Pasadena Streets

262 Ride of Silence events will take place across the country in honor of cyclists killed in fatal traffic collisions. – Courtesy photo

This May, during Bike Month, 262 Ride of Silence events will take place across the country in honor of cyclists killed in fatal traffic collisions on our streets every day. On Wednesday May 17 community members who live, work and play in the Pasadena area will meet for the annual Pasadena Ride of Silence at the Rose Bowl. To join the ride, meet at Rose Bowl Lot K at 6 p.m., the ride will depart at 7 p.m. Sharp. The ride will loop through Old Pasadena on Colorado Blvd and will include a stop at Pasadena City Hall for a moment of silence before heading back to the Rose Bowl to enjoy pizza.
The Ride of Silence is an annual event organized by local volunteers every year during Bike Month to remember, celebrate, and honor the lives of cyclists who have been injured or killed while riding on our public roadways. The ride is a reminder to motorists, law enforcement, elected officials, and the public that cyclists have a legal right to public roadways, and calls for local leadership and community support to help prevent more deaths. Under California Vehicle Code 21200, bicyclists are granted the same rights and responsibilities as motor vehicles. As slow moving vehicles, the law states that cyclists must ride on the right side of the road with the following exceptions: when passing, preparing for a left turn, avoiding hazards, approaching a right turn lane, or if the lane is too narrow to share (CVC21202). However, some motorists are not familiar with the CVC that allows cyclists to legally “take the lane”.

In their most recent report, the California Office of Traffic Safety reported that 115 traffic collisions where a bicyclist was either injured or killed occurred in Pasadena in 2014. 100 more collisions involved pedestrians that year. According to the report Pasadena has among the highest number of collisions involving cyclists in the region, and many are speed-related collisions. Speed is a factor in one-third of all traffic-related deaths, and the chances of a person walking or biking surviving a collision with a car sharply decrease as speeds approach and exceed 30 mph (5 out of 10 people survive being hit by a vehicle at 30 mph, but only 1 out of 10 survive being struck by a vehicle traveling at 40 mph). The high number of fatal collisions involving bicyclists, as well as pedestrians, in Pasadena is a major reason local advocates including the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition are calling for the City of Pasadena to join other cities in California and across the country in adopting a Vision Zero Strategy which would establish the goal of eliminating all preventable traffic deaths among bicyclists and pedestrians in Pasadena.

WHEN: Wednesday May 17th @ 6 p.m.
WHERE: Meet at Lot K at the Rose Bowl (North side of lot next to golf coursel @ 6:00pm, Roll-out @7: p.m. Sharp
(Ride to Old Pasadena Colorado Blvd, Moment of Silence at City Hall, & back to Rose Bowl; 10 miles )
WHO: All are welcome! Casual pace. Please wear a helmet and remain silent during the ride. Volunteers needed! To sign-up please contact: trcassidy@gmail.com

For List of Bike Month Events: www.bikesgv.org/news/bike-month-2017-sgv-edition

More from Community