Mary
02-01-2008, 12:05 PM
I am sharing my story in hopes that cyclists will be aware, if not already, and maybe pass on if appropriate.
Monday morning, January 28th, around 7:30 AM I was driving to the small parking area by 7’Dee’s nursery on Butner Road, Cedar Mill area, so my husband could catch the train and head into work, he bypassed his normal bus ride from home to Sunset transit due to the buses being so far behind schedule.
As we wait at the signal light at the intersection of Park Way and Cedar Hills Blvd, a cyclist rides through the crosswalk, or at least attempts to ride through the crosswalk. He gets half way across hits some ice and hits the deck, hard, I might add. He got up, quickly checked himself and his helmet and was off.
This was a good wake up call for me to watch out for cyclists, honesty I was not expecting cyclists on the roadways given the icy conditions.
I dropped my husband off and proceeded back down Park Way, mostly down hill in the upper section and a couple bends in the road on the way down.
I come around a bend in the road and there is a dude on a bike. I'm thinking man I got traffic coming up the hill right next to me, just a two land road with no where to go except head on into oncoming traffic, as this is going through my mind, the dude on the bike looses it and falls over right into the road. Not parallel to the road, when the bike slid out from under him he ended up at a 45-degree angel with the curb, way out in the road. Okay, in the midst of cursing like a sailor I about wet my pants trying to scrunch over, not hit my breaks, remember very icy and on a downhill, hitting the breaks could have spelled disaster, I’m trying not hit oncoming traffic and avoid running over the dude now sprawled on the ground in the road. OMG this person just used up one of his nine lives and scared the ever-living daylights out of me. How I did not run right over this dude is totally beyond me.
I might add the entire area where this happen has sidewalks the length of the hill on both sides.
Okay, while I SO appreciate those, whom ride bikes, take mass transit, like my husband, during icy days, please, please, please, a note to cyclists, either stay off the roadways and use sidewalks or walk the bike in precarious situations. There are never many pedestrians out walking on icy days like these, so sidewalks are good alternatives, or look for other commuting options. You cannot be good to mother earth, by using alternative means of transportation if someone plows, runs over and kills you, not to mention the trauma caused to others involved.
Thanks and be careful out there!
Monday morning, January 28th, around 7:30 AM I was driving to the small parking area by 7’Dee’s nursery on Butner Road, Cedar Mill area, so my husband could catch the train and head into work, he bypassed his normal bus ride from home to Sunset transit due to the buses being so far behind schedule.
As we wait at the signal light at the intersection of Park Way and Cedar Hills Blvd, a cyclist rides through the crosswalk, or at least attempts to ride through the crosswalk. He gets half way across hits some ice and hits the deck, hard, I might add. He got up, quickly checked himself and his helmet and was off.
This was a good wake up call for me to watch out for cyclists, honesty I was not expecting cyclists on the roadways given the icy conditions.
I dropped my husband off and proceeded back down Park Way, mostly down hill in the upper section and a couple bends in the road on the way down.
I come around a bend in the road and there is a dude on a bike. I'm thinking man I got traffic coming up the hill right next to me, just a two land road with no where to go except head on into oncoming traffic, as this is going through my mind, the dude on the bike looses it and falls over right into the road. Not parallel to the road, when the bike slid out from under him he ended up at a 45-degree angel with the curb, way out in the road. Okay, in the midst of cursing like a sailor I about wet my pants trying to scrunch over, not hit my breaks, remember very icy and on a downhill, hitting the breaks could have spelled disaster, I’m trying not hit oncoming traffic and avoid running over the dude now sprawled on the ground in the road. OMG this person just used up one of his nine lives and scared the ever-living daylights out of me. How I did not run right over this dude is totally beyond me.
I might add the entire area where this happen has sidewalks the length of the hill on both sides.
Okay, while I SO appreciate those, whom ride bikes, take mass transit, like my husband, during icy days, please, please, please, a note to cyclists, either stay off the roadways and use sidewalks or walk the bike in precarious situations. There are never many pedestrians out walking on icy days like these, so sidewalks are good alternatives, or look for other commuting options. You cannot be good to mother earth, by using alternative means of transportation if someone plows, runs over and kills you, not to mention the trauma caused to others involved.
Thanks and be careful out there!