News-Press Editorial, Sunday June 15, 2014
Tracey Kleinpell, Chuck Kelly, Ed Stephan and Dan Melcher. They are
Southwest Florida cyclists who have been struck and killed or injured by
vehicles in the past three years.
They are people who should remind us more needs to be done to protect those who have as much right to the road as the vehicles that threaten their existence each time they ride.
They are people who should remind law enforcement that more needs to be done to protect their rights and punish those who take those rights away.
Florida continues to lead the nation in the number of cycling fatalities each year. It is a horrible distinction that the state can’t escape because it has been the leader for the better part of a decade. And Lee County is among the worst in the state. From 2003-2012, bicycle fatalities represented 4 percent of all traffic deaths in the county. That is more than twice the national average and 33 percent higher than the Florida average. In 2013, bike injuries reached a 13-year high. As of May, 70 injuries have been reported, according to the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Agency.
The statistics are more deplorable for pedestrians. From 2003-12, 5,189 people were killed while walking in Florida, 163 of those in Lee County (24 last year), or 16.9 percent of all traffic fatalities and 37 percent higher than the national average.
What also is troubling is the level of prosecution for motorists guilty of smashing into a cyclist. When Kleinpell was struck and killed, Theresa Lynn Shirley, the woman allegedly responsible for veering out of her lane and hitting her, was charged only with failure to maintain her lane. No criminal charges were filed.
Data provided by the Florida Highway Patrol to safe cycling advocates BikeWalkLee and steering group member Darla LeTourneau tells part of the story. The state said of the 224 fatal crashes involving bicyclists and the 1,189 fatalities involving pedestrians investigated by the Highway Patrol from 2007-11, only 311 “citations were issued to the parties involved.” But the patrol does not identify whether the “parties” were the motorists or the cyclists.
The fact that only 22 percent were cited should raise deeper questions as to why more isn’t being done to go after those who are clearly guilty of injuring a cyclist. The law does not appear to favor those on two wheels. In 2012, when members of BikeWalkLee asked the Highway Patrol and the State Attorney’s Office for a more extensive breakdown on enforcement records and tracking data for cycling accidents, both responded with emails saying the data did not exist.
We encourage all law enforcement to start tracking data in a more comprehensive fashion. Cycling and pedestrian fatalities continue to climb to record levels in Florida. Tracking the data could lead to changes in enforcement procedures and state law offering a more defined level of protection for the vulnerable groups.
Solutions
There is a new law on the horizon that could strengthen enforcement and better protect cyclists. The Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act, a bill which passed unanimously in the state Senate and House during the recently completed session and is expected to be signed by Gov. Rick Scott, creates tougher penalties for drivers who leave the scene of a fatal accident.
The legislation creates a mandatory minimum prison term of four years for a driver convicted of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. It’s the same minimum sentence for someone convicted of DUI manslaughter. Currently, if a driver leaves the scene of a fatal accident involving a cyclist, there is no minimum term. The new law will also carry a minimum driver license suspension of at least three years, as well as driver education requirements.
The law is named for a Miami cyclist who killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2012. The driver was sentenced to less than a year in jail.
Local officials also are using the results of a report, called “Dangerous by Design,” to implement new strategies for cycling and pedestrian safety. Since the last report in 2011, the Lee County MPO adopted its first-ever bicycle and pedestrian master plan, followed by a safety action plan in 2013. Both encourage a collaborative effort between several agencies, including transportation, public health and law enforcement, to implement the plan and improve safety.
We encourage all agencies to use the soon-to-be-released Florida Department of Transportation complete streets report as guidelines and policies for bicycle and pedestrian safety as new roads are designed and the current infrastructure is updated.
Over the past decade, the county has received millions of dollars in funding from federal programs that have supported sidewalk and bike path projects. In 2013, the Lee Metropolitan Planning Organization won a $10.5 million federal TIGER grant for its complete streets initiative to help complete a 73-mile network of bike and pedestrian paths, improving infrastructure connections and safety for cyclists and walkers across the county.
“It will take commitment and sustained leadership to implement this plan, but it is vital to the safety and quality of life of our citizens that our unacceptably high pedestrian and bicycle fatalities and injuries be greatly reduced,” Letourneau said.
The National Complete Streets Coalition is working with local and state agencies and engineers to transform how roads are designed and constructed to make sure cyclists and pedestrians are protected with adequate bike lanes and sidewalks.
Promoting safety among cyclists and pedestrians, as well as those who drive, is vital to reducing roadway accidents and removing Florida from a designation it does not want.
Motorists: Pay attention, be conscious of cyclists and pedestrians.
Cyclists and pedestrians: Follow the rules, wear the right protective gear and clothing and don’t take unnecessary chances. Your lives depend on it.
Cycling facts
• Approximately 80 percent of cycling accidents occur in daylight hours. The most dangerous hours are 8-9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m.
• Approximately 75 percent of fatal or serious accidents happen in urban areas.
• Four out of five cycling casualties are male.
• About 75 percent of accidents happen near or at a road junction.
• Approximately 850,000 Americans commute on a bicycle.
• Cycling remains the second most popular outdoor activity, behind running, supporting a $6.1 billion industry, which sold 18.7 million bikes in 2012.
Source: national reports
They are people who should remind us more needs to be done to protect those who have as much right to the road as the vehicles that threaten their existence each time they ride.
They are people who should remind law enforcement that more needs to be done to protect their rights and punish those who take those rights away.
Florida continues to lead the nation in the number of cycling fatalities each year. It is a horrible distinction that the state can’t escape because it has been the leader for the better part of a decade. And Lee County is among the worst in the state. From 2003-2012, bicycle fatalities represented 4 percent of all traffic deaths in the county. That is more than twice the national average and 33 percent higher than the Florida average. In 2013, bike injuries reached a 13-year high. As of May, 70 injuries have been reported, according to the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Agency.
The statistics are more deplorable for pedestrians. From 2003-12, 5,189 people were killed while walking in Florida, 163 of those in Lee County (24 last year), or 16.9 percent of all traffic fatalities and 37 percent higher than the national average.
What also is troubling is the level of prosecution for motorists guilty of smashing into a cyclist. When Kleinpell was struck and killed, Theresa Lynn Shirley, the woman allegedly responsible for veering out of her lane and hitting her, was charged only with failure to maintain her lane. No criminal charges were filed.
Data provided by the Florida Highway Patrol to safe cycling advocates BikeWalkLee and steering group member Darla LeTourneau tells part of the story. The state said of the 224 fatal crashes involving bicyclists and the 1,189 fatalities involving pedestrians investigated by the Highway Patrol from 2007-11, only 311 “citations were issued to the parties involved.” But the patrol does not identify whether the “parties” were the motorists or the cyclists.
The fact that only 22 percent were cited should raise deeper questions as to why more isn’t being done to go after those who are clearly guilty of injuring a cyclist. The law does not appear to favor those on two wheels. In 2012, when members of BikeWalkLee asked the Highway Patrol and the State Attorney’s Office for a more extensive breakdown on enforcement records and tracking data for cycling accidents, both responded with emails saying the data did not exist.
We encourage all law enforcement to start tracking data in a more comprehensive fashion. Cycling and pedestrian fatalities continue to climb to record levels in Florida. Tracking the data could lead to changes in enforcement procedures and state law offering a more defined level of protection for the vulnerable groups.
Solutions
There is a new law on the horizon that could strengthen enforcement and better protect cyclists. The Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act, a bill which passed unanimously in the state Senate and House during the recently completed session and is expected to be signed by Gov. Rick Scott, creates tougher penalties for drivers who leave the scene of a fatal accident.
The legislation creates a mandatory minimum prison term of four years for a driver convicted of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. It’s the same minimum sentence for someone convicted of DUI manslaughter. Currently, if a driver leaves the scene of a fatal accident involving a cyclist, there is no minimum term. The new law will also carry a minimum driver license suspension of at least three years, as well as driver education requirements.
The law is named for a Miami cyclist who killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2012. The driver was sentenced to less than a year in jail.
Local officials also are using the results of a report, called “Dangerous by Design,” to implement new strategies for cycling and pedestrian safety. Since the last report in 2011, the Lee County MPO adopted its first-ever bicycle and pedestrian master plan, followed by a safety action plan in 2013. Both encourage a collaborative effort between several agencies, including transportation, public health and law enforcement, to implement the plan and improve safety.
We encourage all agencies to use the soon-to-be-released Florida Department of Transportation complete streets report as guidelines and policies for bicycle and pedestrian safety as new roads are designed and the current infrastructure is updated.
Over the past decade, the county has received millions of dollars in funding from federal programs that have supported sidewalk and bike path projects. In 2013, the Lee Metropolitan Planning Organization won a $10.5 million federal TIGER grant for its complete streets initiative to help complete a 73-mile network of bike and pedestrian paths, improving infrastructure connections and safety for cyclists and walkers across the county.
“It will take commitment and sustained leadership to implement this plan, but it is vital to the safety and quality of life of our citizens that our unacceptably high pedestrian and bicycle fatalities and injuries be greatly reduced,” Letourneau said.
The National Complete Streets Coalition is working with local and state agencies and engineers to transform how roads are designed and constructed to make sure cyclists and pedestrians are protected with adequate bike lanes and sidewalks.
Promoting safety among cyclists and pedestrians, as well as those who drive, is vital to reducing roadway accidents and removing Florida from a designation it does not want.
Motorists: Pay attention, be conscious of cyclists and pedestrians.
Cyclists and pedestrians: Follow the rules, wear the right protective gear and clothing and don’t take unnecessary chances. Your lives depend on it.
Cycling facts
• Approximately 80 percent of cycling accidents occur in daylight hours. The most dangerous hours are 8-9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m.
• Approximately 75 percent of fatal or serious accidents happen in urban areas.
• Four out of five cycling casualties are male.
• About 75 percent of accidents happen near or at a road junction.
• Approximately 850,000 Americans commute on a bicycle.
• Cycling remains the second most popular outdoor activity, behind running, supporting a $6.1 billion industry, which sold 18.7 million bikes in 2012.
Source: national reports
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