First, Let's Kill All the Cyclists

Sorry to keep on this cycling meme, but it's dominated my thoughts these days. Especially after reading this comment from someone on DCist on the thread about the Ghost Bike for Alice Swanson:

It's my position as a driver that until no individual on a bicycle ever breaks a traffic law, no driver should no driver should ever be held responsible for running down any cyclist at any time.

Cyclists should always me mindful of the fact that when I'm making a right-hand turn, or opening my door into traffic, checking my side view mirror is a somewhat difficult thing to remember to do. And if I end up killing you, well, you're engaging in extremely risky behavior.

You might think this is some crackpot but unfortunately this mentality comes through in the way a lot of people in DC drive around cyclists (and DC Metrobus drivers are not exempt!).

Personal Example: I was in the bike lane northbound on 14th Street. One block the bike lane was partially blocked by construction, forcing me to move left closer to traffic. Sure enough, my elbow was grazed by a passing car. The driver stopped (a uniformed Metro security officer) and while swearing at me checked his mirror, never once asking if I was injured (I was not). See, like the commenter above, this driver felt that it was my fault because I was on his road. I deserved to be hit, and woe unto me if I caused any damage to his precious car.

It's pretty obvious what happened to Ms. Swanson...she was in the bike lane heading west on R street, continuing straight across Connecticut. The garbage truck, also on R street heading west, made a right turn unto 20th, running into Swanson in the intersection. Cyclists call this a right hook. And, this morning, it nearly happened to me in the same intersection. I stopped at the stop sign there and the car next to turned in front of me, cutting me off. the driver never checked the bike lane...she was talking on her cell phone.

But damn me anyway for being there on my bike...

Ghost Bike for Alice Swanson

UPDATE: I took this picture tonight at the Washington Area Bicyclist Association's press conference at the accident site.

The cyclist killed by the garbage truck yesterday has been identified as 22 year old Alice Swanson.

I'm having a hard time getting this tragedy out of my mind. It happend on a street corner that has been a part of my DC life for years. Across the street from where it happened is where the LTR worked for nearly 15 years. A sandwich and coffee shop next to the intersection has been a gathering place for me and my friends on many sunny afternoons.

I rode by this morning. A small memorial was taking shape with some boquets of flowers set in a tree box at the intersection. I made a small contribution to that collection. In the median strip on Connecticut Ave someone has placed a ghost bike -- a bike painted all white to signify the death of a cyclist.

The bike lane closely parrelles the crosswalk at that intersection. Eyewitnesses say she was in the crosswalk, but she could have been in the bike lane and appeared to be in the crosswalk. Not that it matters either way, as regardless she would have been in the path of the turning truck.

My heart goes out to her family and friends. What a terrible loss.