Simple Car-Bike Accident in Holland, Simple Ways to Avoid it from All Perspectives

[XLFD]

The WOOD headline simply stated Bicyclist killed in crash in Holland and offered up a brief synopsis of what happened in a Holland residential neighborhood.

"HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — A Holland man who was riding his bicycle died after being hit by a car Saturday afternoon.

It happened shortly before 4 p.m. at 18th Street and River Avenue.

The Holland Department of Public Safety said a 47-year-old Holland man was heading northbound on River Avenue on the sidewalk when he was struck by a 2013 Volkswagen Passat, driven by a 28-year-old man from Holland Township, traveling westbound on 18th Street.

The bicyclist suffered a closed head injury and was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash, according to police.

The incident remains under investigation."

The intersection where the incident took place is pictured above (courtesy of Google maps), viewed from the perspective of the bicyclist.  With the information given, the bicycle's path traveled the route outlined in red, when it was presumably hit by the Volkswagen driving west and crossing the crosswalk to hit the bicyclist.   You will notice that River Street has two dedicated road lanes heading north. 

The view from the motorists perspective is below looking west as he comes up to the stop sign (circled in red) erected about four feet in front of the sidewalk.  You will notice the car in the picture has stopped well beyond the crosswalk, likely in order to be able to gauge traffic coming up River Avenue from either way.  This action is in itself unlawful, presuming he hasn't stopped prior before the crosswalk and made sure the sidewalk traffic was clear. 

With this understanding of the scenario and the setting of where it happened, here is what each of our incident's participants and other agencies involved in traffic could have done to make this episode less likely to have happened.

1)  Motorist:  With the given information, the Volkswagen was definitely in a place it shouldn't have been (the crosswalk, with sidewalk traffic present), and moving through that strip to strike the man, killing him.  He would assuredly have seen the cyclist if he was going at the proper speed he should have been going at, to approach the crosswalk and then the street. 

2)  Bicyclist:  With the given information, the bicyclist was unwisely traveling on the sidewalk when it would have been safer to ride in the right lane.  Studies show that being visible on the roadway is a bit safer than traveling on sidewalks, where motorists will turn into and in front of bicyclists because of being unable to sense them properly.

There is a certain stigma attached by some cyclists and motorists to bikes traveling on the road when they can ride on sidewalks, a carry-over from bicycling during early childhood, but if you are traveling with your bicycle, the road is safer than the sidewalk, particularly in residential and other areas where there are a lot of curb cuts (and accompanying sidewalks). 

This is a main reason why many communities actually ban bikes from sidewalks, at least in some areas, such as Ludington does in the downtown.  Unless that's the case here, the cyclist was riding lawfully.

3)  Enforcement:  When fatal accidents like this happens, law enforcement has to enforce the laws to keep dangerous drivers off the roadway and pay for their dangerous driving when it kills the vulnerable users of our transportation systems. 

But there is a reluctance among police agencies to act on situations like this, calling these occurrences regrettable accidents, and often wind up doing nothing against the negligent driver.  At best, you may see a civil infraction and a nod from them that the bicyclist wasn't at fault.

Perhaps it's their own fear that they may themselves one day run over a bicyclist, pedestrian or motorcyclist while in the course of their duties and be considered at fault.  There is little likelihood there will be any meaningful enforcement in these types of accidents unless alcohol or the like is involved.

4)  Engineering:  Both streets look in good condition and do not pose immediate risks, however, there do appear to be problem vegetation near the intersection and other intersections close by which the city may want to address.  The stop sign involved looks as if it may become obscured by the tree; the low-lying blue spruce on the northwest side also makes intersection visibility difficult.  Intersection right-of-ways are not the place for a city to show its arboreal heritage.

5)  Education:  Schools and driver's safety classes are not the only places to learn why motorists need to yield before crosswalks and bicyclists need to travel the streets, for the amount of time they use to teach these lessons can be a lot less instructive than seeing why they are important, like in these types of accidents.  Our media should do more than just report on what happens in accidents like these, but offer a blueprint of what may have precipitated it, and/or how it could be prevented in the future.  Like we try to deliver here in BUMPS in order to make moving about safer for everyone involved.