Multiple Biker Riders Run Over in Show Low AZ

[Borderland]

Back when I was riding and racing a lot, I saw lots of dangerous behavior towards cyclists. Some of it was clearly intentional. I've been punish passed many time, sometimes resulting in a large trailer passing within a foot of me. That will teach you to hold your line. I've had things thrown at me, and my manhood has been questioned. When I was directing our club's race, some tough-guy wannabes on loud motorcycles didn't think that they had to obey my course marshals, but the Loudoun County sheriff that I paid for set them straight. But sometimes it isn't intentionally intentional. Distracted driving is a big one, or just plain oblivion. Cyclists seem to be invisible to many motorists, which is which blinkies front and rear are standard equipment for me unless I'm on my mountain bike. Another time, I was in between events at a race, watching the other racers. The course was a closed loop, very well marked and well controlled, but a car somehow managed to drive onto the course. Panic shouting ensued. Fortunately the pack was on other side, and the spectators managed to get the confused senior citizen off the course in time.

Don't know what happened in this case. The route was on open roads, which can difficult to control, but the cycling websites I read said that it happened in the first mile, and it was at 0730, so the event was probably just starting. If I were to guess, I'd say the driver was annoyed at all the race logistics at the start blocking his roads, and he was late to work, and either intentional or unintentionally drove onto the course. The collision could have been a very deliberate act because he was pissed that a bunch of rich f---ot Lance Armstrong wannabes on bikes were making him late to work. Or, on longer open courses like this one, it's hard to completely close the route, so sometimes one lane is left open for oncoming traffic. The driver might've been legitimately on the course headed in the opposite direction, tried to pass a slower vehicle, moved into the other lane, and looked up to see a pack of cyclists heading right towards him.

We have a growing bicyclist population here every summer. At least one race is scheduled every year with a few thousand riders. Lots of those riders come from Seattle. Last year I saw intersections closed so riders could cross in large groups. The only problem was it disrupted the flow of a lot traffic on the main roads, not residential streets. That's the thing that really pisses people off when there is only one main road for 15 miles and somebody closes it for 5 minutes so bicyclists from Seattle can enjoy their sport without the traffic control that vehicles have to deal with. I don't have a problem with bicyclists, just the event organizers and the sheriff/director that approved the traffic control plan. I lodged a strong complaint with the sheriffs office as the traffic control was out of compliance with DOT standards. The flaggers weren't trained or certified and the signage was, well, there wasn't any.

I know a little bit about traffic control standards having the training and working in traffic for 30 years. I tried to explain to the county official the consequences if someone is killed or injured. They won't like the multimillion dollar law suit. They just paid out 12 million in damages for not complying with highway standards on a road not far from me.

I gave them fair warning. We'll see if they listened to anything I said.

[blues]

Got run off the road biking back from Rockaway Beach to Woodhaven in Queens back in the mid 80's. I wish I had had the opportunity to catch up with the perp.

The bike got the damage...bent wheel etc. I was okay.

[SCCY Marshal]

"...in front of the Horne Auto Collision Center..."

The simulation is glitching, again.

On topic, I'm just glad the worst I've ever received is a half-full beer can to the helmet from a passing car.

[trailrunner]

We have a growing bicyclist population here every summer. At least one race is scheduled every year with a few thousand riders. Lots of those riders come from Seattle. Last year I saw intersections closed so riders could cross in large groups. The only problem was it disrupted the flow of a lot traffic on the main roads, not residential streets. That's the thing that really pisses people off when there is only one main road for 15 miles and somebody closes it for 5 minutes so bicyclists from Seattle can enjoy their sport without the traffic control that vehicles have to deal with. I don't have a problem with bicyclists, just the event organizers and the sheriff/director that approved the traffic control plan. I lodged a strong complaint with the sheriffs office as the traffic control was out of compliance with DOT standards. The flaggers weren't trained or licensed and the signage was, well, there wasn't any.

I know a little bit about traffic control standards having the training and working in traffic for 30 years. I tried to explain to the county official the consequences if someone is killed or injured. They won't like the multimillion dollar law suit. They just paid out 12 million in damages for not complying with highway standards on a road not far from me.

I gave them fair warning. We'll see if they listened to anything I said.

Just to be clear: it sounds like an event with a few thousand riders is a charity ride, and not a race. Yeah, some hammerheads treat it like a race, but it's not a race. It's more like a 10k running race.

Is a road closed for 5 minutes that big of an inconvenience? What about when a train comes, or there is construction? And it's not only cyclists. I've done a million running races and triathlons. The Marine Corps Marathon and the Army 10 Miler shut down many roads in the DC area on a Sunday morning. So did the Pride parade the weekend before last, and Juneteenth parade last weekend, and the million mom march and the... So do cops when they pull over a car for a speeding ticket. Same when a car breaks down on a busy road. Yeah, it's an inconvenience.

When I put on my club's race, I got the appropriate permits, which contributed exactly zero to safety. My course marshals were also VDOT approved flaggers, but that was a complete joke. I took the course, passed the exam, and then I was certified. Since I was certified, that gave me the power to administer the exam to the guys on my racing team, and thereby certify them as VDOT flaggers. What a joke that was. I did it during a team meeting, but by God, I followed the rules. As I mentioned in my post, being certified didn't stop some dudes from ignoring my 160 pound marshal standing on a corner directing them to go another way, but the 6 foot 5 inch sheriff and his very large german shepherd sure got their attention.

BTW, one of the worst accidents I got into was when a cop directed a car right in front of me during a triathlon. Not sure if he was a certified flagger or if the traffic control at the intersection met the standards.

[revchuck38]

I don't think that works anymore. Significant parts of the population here are drunk, on weed or other prescribed drugs, on illicit drugs, distracted, vision impaired, elderly with cognitive problems, or just plain stupid.

I’d go with “all of the above”.

[0ddl0t]

I've been brushed by mirrors a handful of times, but fortunately I've never gone down. I don't think any were intentional, just bad drivers not aware of the limits of their vehicles when we happened to be on roads with no shoulders. Most of the road ragers I've encountered are insecure assholes in lifted diesel 4x4s on low profile tires intentionally rolling coal as they pass.

And while obviously not the case in Show Low, there are a number of cyclists who seem to be magnets for vehicular confrontations. These are generally the sort that needlessly take the whole lane just because the law says they have that option...

[Borderland]

Just to be clear: it sounds like an event with a few thousand riders is a charity ride, and not a race. Yeah, some hammerheads treat it like a race, but it's not a race. It's more like a 10k running race.

Is a road closed for 5 minutes that big of an inconvenience? What about when a train comes, or there is construction? And it's not only cyclists. I've done a million running races and triathlons. The Marine Corps Marathon and the Army 10 Miler shut down many roads in the DC area on a Sunday morning. So did the Pride parade the weekend before last, and Juneteenth parade last weekend, and the million mom march and the... So do cops when they pull over a car for a speeding ticket. Same when a car breaks down on a busy road. Yeah, it's an inconvenience.

When I put on my club's race, I got the appropriate permits, which contributed exactly zero to safety. My course marshals were also VDOT approved flaggers, but that was a complete joke. I took the course, passed the exam, and then I was certified. Since I was certified, that gave me the power to administer the exam to the guys on my racing team, and thereby certify them as VDOT flaggers. What a joke that was. I did it during a team meeting, but by God, I followed the rules. As I mentioned in my post, being certified didn't stop some dudes from ignoring my 160 pound marshal standing on a corner directing them to go another way, but the 6 foot 5 inch sheriff and his very large german shepherd sure got their attention.

BTW, one of the worst accidents I got into was when a cop directed a car right in front of me during a triathlon. Not sure if he was a certified flagger or if the traffic control at the intersection met the standards.

It's not a big inconvenience for me but I'm retired. Trains are moving freight so I can't really equate that to a delay because of a recreational event. Road construction, which I'm very familiar with usually has many delays, but again, it's infrastructure improvements and not a recreational event. If it weren't for road improvements cyclists wouldn't have a safe place to ride. Ever try riding on a 2 lane county road with no paved shoulders? I see people do it but it I wouldn't try it where I live. I'm pretty sure you would die.

The cert is no joke here. You can't pass out flaggers certs unless you do the National Safety Council's 2-day Instructor Course. I had to have the flaggers cert for my job. It was a 8 hour class with a test. Cert was good for 3 years. I couldn't issue a cert because I had the card. Flaggers are paid $27/hr here and some work year round in the private sector if they have the right connections. My guess is there were no certified flaggers during the event here because the organizers didn't want to pay for the proper traffic control. I didn't see any deputies but it isn't surprising. The county is woefully understaffed. They don't even enforce the speed limits.

Sounds like things are a bit different where you are.

[trailrunner]

It's not a big inconvenience for me but I'm retired. Trains are moving freight so I can't really equate that to a delay because of a recreational event. Road construction, which I'm very familiar with usually has many delays, but again, it's infrastructure improvements and not a recreational event. If it weren't for road improvements cyclists wouldn't have a safe place to ride. Ever try riding on a 2 lane county road with no paved shoulders? I see people do it but it I wouldn't try it where I live. I'm pretty sure you would die.

Sure. I've ridden a couple thousand miles (or more) on 2 lane country roads with no paved shoulders. I generally feel safer out there than around the suburbs or the city.

So you don't think an event with a couple thousand cyclists enjoying the roads that their taxes paid for is worth a 5 minute delay?

[DDTSGM]

Ever try riding on a 2 lane county road with no paved shoulders? I see people do it but it I wouldn't try it where I live. I'm pretty sure you would die.

In my area USBR 76 travels along mostly two-lane county roads with no shoulders. On one particular section east of Nickerson, KS, the road gently undulates in several sections. My concern is that a driver in a car might not see a bicylist who was at the bottom of the dip until it was too late. The section that goes through the Quivira National Refuge is actually on wqhat might be called a back road super highway. This section which has absolutely no shoulders, often sees traffic well above the 55mph speed limit.

In my mind it's miraculous that no one has splattered a bicyclist in the area.

https://www.adventurecycling.org/rou...route=kansas76

[Stephanie B]

My mother lives in Hanover, NH. A number of years ago, when I drove up to see her, I was bored with I-91, so I got off the highway, crossed into NH and drove up Route 12A. I saw "River Road" and took that up the Connecticut River. It was a pleasant, sometimes winding road with a rural speed limit of 55 MPH.

At one point, I came around a curve and there were some bike riders head, taking up the entire lane. Fortunately, there was no traffic coming the other way, so I swerved into the opposite lane and passed them, leaning on my horn. There was a drop-off to the right; if there had been traffic coming the other way, I would have plowed right through them and probably would have killed a few.

I know they were within their legal rights. But taking up an entire land on a two-land road and pedaling along at maybe 15- 20 MPH on a 55-limit road is asking to die. Being legally right and dead seems stupid. I hope that they had to stop and change their skivvies.