At hundreds of locations worldwide - including one in the Triangle - cyclists will gather at 7 p.m. Wednesday for a slow Ride of Silence to honor other cyclists who have been killed or injured while riding on public roads.
The local event is in Research Triangle Park, a 6-mile loop starting and ending at the Triangle Life Science Building, 86 T.W. Alexander Drive (corner of NC 54 and Triangle Drive).
Cyclists should arrive early. The group will be escorted by Durham police reserve officers. Helmets are required. Lights are suggested (and required at night by state law - sunset is at 8:10 p.m.).
Motorists in the RTP area should expect delays, because the group will be traveling no faster than 12mph. Here's a video from last year's ride.
An NCDOT press release says:
The Ride of Silence was originally organized on May 21, 2003 by Chris Phelan, a friend of endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz who was hit by the mirror of a passing bus and was killed on May 4, 2003. Through word of mouth and e-mail, the first ride at White Rock Lake in Dallas drew 1,000 cyclists. As other cyclists heard about the original event, it grew nationwide and eventually spread across the world to places like China, Japan, South America, Australia and even Antarctica.
It's part of Bicycle Safety Month (May) and Bike to Work Week (this week). More than 900 car-bicycle accidents are reported in North Carolina each year.
Bruce Siceloff reports on traffic and transportation. A News & Observer reporter, editor and blogger since 1976, he took over the
Comments
Be careful on I-40
Tue, 05/18/2010 - 20:23 — SkepticalGirlAll you riders that attend, be careful on I-40. Both sides have long stretches of severely uneven pavement in the left lanes that will cause a lot of problems for bikers if you catch it wrong. It causes my car to swerve dangerously if I hit it. The uneven pavement is between Cary and the Airport, I believe.