Bike Lane Abuse is Leading to Cyclist and Pedestrian Deaths—and It’s Getting Worse
We’re no strangers to writing headlines about victim blaming in many cyclist’s deaths, which are often coined ‘accidents’ when the more accurate term would be ‘killed by drivers.’ But the Bloomington, Indiana, might take top spot for victim-blaming this week: In response to a scooter rider being killed when a drunk driver veered into the bike lane and hit him, the city has... determined that scooter use should be limited. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, bike lanes are apparently the new passing lane. One cyclist posted a video of two cars speeding up the bike lane around slowed traffic... in a hospital zone. How did we get here?
In Bloomington, two students have been killed while riding scooters since August. In August, a freshman was killed in a solo incident on a scooter. But September 18, a young man was killed on his scooter when he was struck by a drunk driver, 22-year-old Madelyn Howard, who fled the scene. Shortly after that, Howard’s car was found with the scooter being dragged underneath.
According to Fox 59, security cameras from a nearby business show the car Howard was allegedly driving went onto the sidewalk east of Walnut Street, with police saying the car “appeared to be going fast.” (Note: It was on the sidewalk, pretty sure that's bad enough regardless of speed?) Before she hit the man on the scooter, a pedestrian was forced to dive out of the way.
Still, rather than limiting driving hours in Bloomington (something many Twitter users have sarcastically suggested), the town has decided to limit scooter use between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. A few responses:
How about banning cars during those hours? Pretty sure the driver caused the death, not the student.
A drunk driver kills an innocent person and your response is to impose restrictions on a low-impact form of transport that was not in any way at fault? It's incandescently clear that scooters are not the problem here.
Have you considered a citywide curfew at night? otherwise there might be pedestrians out and about getting in the way of drunk drivers
He was on the sidewalk. Why not shut down sidewalks as well? This sick victim-blaming is car-fascism. The entire city council should resign for this insanity.
Last month also saw the young eight-year-old rider in Texas blamed for his death at the hands of a driver, who hit him in an intersection in a small subdivision. Subsequently, the department of public safety said that the neighborhood was not safe for bikes or pedestrians, despite the sidewalks, all-way stops and house-lined low-speed limit streets.
Meanwhile in Minneapolis, bike lanes as well as sidewalks are under fire, as a Reddit user posted a now-viral video showing two cars rallying down a bike lane (with now-knocked down bollards lining it) to avoid a traffic slowdown. The ultimate irony is the cars were speeding dangerously through a hospital zone, so at least if they hit someone, they’d be close to help.
Still, at least there is a bike lane. “The curb-separated bike lane on E. 28th St. is a massive improvement over what used to be there, and we applaud all the work that got it done. However, it falls short of deterring cars from using the bike lane and truly keeping cyclists and pedestrians safe,” Andy Lambert, board chair with Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota Lambert told Bring Me The News.
What does all of this mean, when combined? First, it’s obvious that American cycling infrastructure is woefully lacking. Protected bike lanes are vitally important. But equally important is calling on cities to stop blaming the victims—the pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders—for bad behavior of drivers. Remember this as we head into voting season, and consider asking local candidates to share their plans for improving your area for pedestrians and cyclists before you head to the polls.
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