Ride of Silence

By Christine Laughren
May. 7, 2009    ·    1:56 p.m.

While riding east on Forrest Avenue, he was side-swiped and knocked off his bike. The vehicle that hit him rolled away after barely slowing down to see if the cyclist was alright.

Ypsilanti resident Bob Krzewinski said his hit-and-run experience was about 10 years ago. The occurrence made Krzewinski extra cautious when riding his bike, but it did not stop him from getting back on.

“I saw the very worst of human behavior followed by the best,” he said. “All these people came running out from their houses and the nearby church and helped.”

On May 20 Krzewinski will be joining other cyclists in Ypsilanti and across the nation for a Ride of Silence, to commemorate riders injured or killed while cycling.

The event is also meant to raise awareness of road-biking laws and encourage motorists and cyclists to share the road respectfully.

“Motorists and bicyclists have to get along, neither one is going to go away,” Krzewinski said. “From a cyclist standpoint all we are looking for is a little room to ride and patience more than anything.”

Rides of Silence began in 2003 at White Rock Lake in Dallas Texas after a school bus mirror killed a cyclist. Since, the event has grown nationally and internationally with rides throughout the United States as well as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Spain.

From 1999 to 2007, 267 bicyclists in Michigan were involved in fatal crashes according to the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. In 2007 alone, 2,188 bicyclists were involved in a motor vehicle crash killed. Cyclists age 45-54 years old have the highest number of fatalities in Michigan from 2003 – 2007 with 31 deaths.

Locally, two Rides of Silence will be held, both starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 20. In Ypsilanti, the ride will start at Recreation Park (Congress and Elm Streets) and is sponsored by Bike Ypsi. A ride in Ann Arbor will start at Wheeler Park (North 5th Avenue and Depot Street) and is sponsored by the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society.

Both rides are free and open to the public and are expected to be approximately an hour long at a casual pace.

This is the second year Bike Ypsi has sponsored the event. Kathleen Donahoe, with the AABTS, said this will be the fourth year the organization has done a Ride of Silence. Donahoe said many she knows observe the death of Charlott Marcotte, who was struck by a motorist while riding her bike in Chelsea several years ago.

“This sort of commemorates her death, that was very tragic, and bring awareness for the motorists,” she said of the ride.
“It also brings awareness for the motorists,” she said of the event.

Citizen Information
For more information about the Rides Of Silence visit rideofsilence.org

For Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society information visit AABTS.org

For Bike Ypsi information visit bike.ypsi.org