Local bicycle rider Jackie Taylor was hit recently, while
riding her bike on Old Walland Highway. A car hit her, left her unconscious in
the ditch beside the road, and sped away.
There were witnesses to attest to that.
Think about this. Old Walland Highway has been a haven for
cyclists for many years. Bikers will
often park just beyond Coulter Bridge and ride, maybe to Townsend and
back. Since Highway 321 parallels Old
Walland Highway, it just makes sense that if you’re in a car and in a hurry,
you take 321.
It hasn’t been that long since we’ve had a couple of deaths
with bicycle riders. Here in Blount County. I wrote a bit recently about Joyce
Frey, a wonderful lady that was riding alone on a quiet stretch of Old Niles
Ferry Road out in the county, when she was hit and killed. That driver sped away too.
Then I read about Michael Perior who was hit and killed
while riding on his bicycle in Maryville. I didn’t know him and I don’t know
the circumstances…other than that he was on a bicycle and is now gone.
You may have read about the cycling team from Milligan
University where a driver plowed into the team, killing two and sending seven
to the hospital.
I ride bikes. I’ve spent many thousands of miles riding a
bike on the country lanes around here. For 25+ years, Steve Bright and I led a
group of riders on Saturday morning rides.
Every rider I know has had something thrown at them. A buddy
once picked up a perfectly good wrench that had hit him in the back. Another
friend just told me this week that he was hit by a full Slushy. Beer cans. Spit cups. Random trash.
I’ve been cussed so many times for riding (safely, legally)
on the roads that it no longer surprises me.
Are we our own worst enemy? Yes. I will never stop preaching
road safety and road etiquette to riders.
Do we have the right to be on the roads? Absolutely.
Tennessee state law protects us and protects that right.
Is it safe? I don’t
know. I know my wife is in anguish when I head out on my bike, not knowing if I
will come home or not.
What has gotten into people?
Why do so many people hate us for enjoying the countryside and getting some
exercise? Why are they so angry? Why
would anyone hit something, anything, with their car and then drive off?
Is it distracted driving?
That’s a problem. For sure. Texting while driving has been conclusively
shown to be about the same as driving drunk.
Traffic, even way out in the county, has gotten crazy. It
seems like there are 20-30 unit subdivisions all over the place, in areas where
we used to have family farms. With all that housing comes tons of traffic.
Do we need bike lanes?
Well, yeah. That would be
nice. But it’s not practical and I don’t
see it happening in my lifetime. Our
Greenbelt is awesome but shared with walkers and runners. That makes it dangerous for both of us. And the motorized vehicles on our Greenbelt…well,
that’s another story.
Will I ride? I don’t know.
Probably. Maybe. I don’t know.
