June and July 2008 was a tough time for Moorestown. Two high profile bicycle fatalities Comcast Counsel General Stanley Wang and Moorestown High Student Will Christianson were both killed about one mile apart on Route 537.
Township Manager Chris Schultz and Bicycle Coalition member Mike Zickler have organized an ad hoc bicycle advisory committee to look at improving bicycling in the township. It is hoped that this committee will be formalized in early 2009.
The first major task of the committee is to create the framework for a township bicycle route map and plan. Safety and maintenance issues have also arisen as priorities among committee members.
If you are a Moorestown Resident and would like to participate please contact Township Manager Chris Schultz.
In our Byzantine structure of municipality-school district-county-state government bicycle friendly suburbs are only achievable when the local residents demand it from local officials. Consider approaching your town council or commissioners asking for bicycle improvements, the BCGP is ready and waiting to provide assistance.
This is the legacy blog of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. It is an archive of posts from 2003 to 2014. Making your ride better since 1972. https://www.bicyclecoalition.org
2 comments:
It's hard to imagine what good this would do. Both bicyclists were killed on a low-speed main street. I ride this road on occasion and it seems like a pretty safe road for bicycling.
Wang was killed by dooring. Christianson was killed when he "swerved into the path" of a car driven by an elderly driver.
Infrastructure such as bike lanes would not likely have helped in either situation. A bike lane can't keep a bicyclist from swerving into a car( or a driver from doing likewise into a bicyclist). And since most bike lanes in our area are built within the door zone, they might even encourage more fatalities such as the Wang dooring.
Perhaps some action like removing parking from one side of the road and then widening the lanes might help bicyclists share the lane more safely.
But bicyclists learning how to properly bike on the roads as they are would do much more in promoting their safety.
Actually there is evidence that well designed bike lanes can help do just that!
http://www.engr.utexas.edu/news/articles/200609181097/index.cfm
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