“Ride of Silence” for killed or injured cyclists

ELMIRA, NY (WETM) – The all-volunteer bicycle repair shop Elmira Community Cycle is preparing for the global “Ride of Silence” on Wednesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. To honor cyclists killed or injured on public roads, cyclists will ride off in silence, dressed all in white. The Elmira Community Cycle is located at 200 W 5th Street.

The trip takes place every year on the third Wednesday in May. The first “Ride of Silence” took place in 2003. According to the website rideofsilence.org, rides took place in 228 locations worldwide in 2023. They included 40 states and 16 countries.

A post on the Elmira Community Cycle Facebook page reads: “Cyclists around the world will take to the streets simultaneously in a silent procession to honor cyclists killed or injured while cycling on public roads.” Wear white, slow pace. We will be visiting our friend Charlie’s ghost bike in Eldridge Park, which we are currently restoring.”

The “Ghost Bike” memorial honors 68-year-old Charles Rogers. It’s on Grand Central Avenue, where Rogers was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2019.

Tara Escudero, organizer and volunteer with Elmira Community Cycle, told 18 News that the ghost bike is being restored after being exposed to the elements for several years. She also said someone removed some parts from the bike.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the number of cyclists killed in traffic accidents has “steadily increased since 2010.”

“From 2010 to 2021, The number of cyclist deaths ranged from 623 to 966, with the annual average being 800 (NCSA, 2022; Stewart, 2023). In the last five years (2017 to 2021), an annual average of 883 people on bicycles died in traffic accidents reported by the police (NCSA, 2022; Stewart, 2023). Cyclists were responsible for 2.2% of all traffic fatalities in 2021 (Stewart, 2023).”

Features of cyclist fatalities in 2021 include (NHTSA, 2023):

• Road situation: The majority (62%) of cyclist fatalities occurred in locations outside of intersections.
• Land use: Cyclist deaths tend to occur more frequently in urban areas than rural areas, with urban deaths accounting for approximately 85% of cyclist fatalities. The proportion of bicycle deaths in urban areas has increased from 69% in 2011 to 85% in 2021.
• Vehicle type: Collisions involving light trucks (including SUVs, pickups and vans) accounted for the highest proportion of cyclist fatalities (46%).
• Time/light conditions: Over half (56%) of cyclist fatalities occur at dawn, dusk or at night; The highest proportion (21%) of fatal accidents occurs on weekdays between 6:00 p.m. and 8:59 p.m.; The highest proportion (23%) of fatal accidents also occur on weekends between 6:00 p.m. and 8:59 p.m
• Sex: 86% of cyclists killed and 81% of those injured were male.
• Age: The average age of the cyclists killed was 49 years.

The number of cyclist injuries remains constant and disproportionately high. An estimated 41,615 additional cyclists were injured in 2021. Over the past five years, it is estimated that there have been an average of about 45,400 injury-only accidents per year.

According to the NHTSA, one of the reasons for the rising injuries and deaths is that more people are using bicycles, especially in the wake of the pandemic.

“People cycle to work, school, social and family/care outings and for recreation, among other things. The increased use of bicycles, and particularly electric bicycles, during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a large increase in bicycle traffic in some communities and led to an expanded range of people’s destinations, abilities and experiences when cycling on public roads.

Buehler and Pucher (2021) reviewed available data to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on bicycle use. Travel monitoring sources such as Streetlight and EcoCounter report an estimated 12% to 16% increase in bicycle use in 2020. Bicycle traffic increased significantly on many off-road, recreational and multi-use trails and greenways. However, in some locations there was a decline in cycling traffic due to less commuting to work or general curfews in force.

Longer-term trends suggest that cycling rates in the United States are changing only slightly. According to the National Household Travel Survey, the overall percentage change in cycling from 2001 to 2017 was generally negligible. However, there have been significant changes in who rides bikes. There was an increase among adults ages 25 to 64, those with higher levels of education, and those living in households without a car or in higher-density neighborhoods. There was a decrease in cycling rates among children and adolescents ages 5 to 15, people living in rural or lower population density areas, and people in households with higher levels of car ownership (Buehler et al., 2020 ).”

To find out more about the Ride of Silence, click here.