Semi turns across bike lane, kills commuter cyclist in Minneapolis.

Mark rides this route every day, so his co-workers kept sticking their head into his office all morning to make sure it wasn't him:

On Wednesday morning, just as Dumm took off from the bike lane at the intersection of Park Avenue and E. 14th Street, a semitrailer driver began to make a wide left turn, crossing in front of Dumm and hitting and killing the 31-year-old cyclist.

The driver of the truck will not be cited in connection with the accident, said Minneapolis police spokesman Sgt. Bill Palmer. 

At first I was infuriated that the driver wasn't even cited, because he wasn't following the law -- but then I wondered, how on earth could a semi driver who has to make wide left turns follow the relevant statute?

 (g) Whenever it is necessary for the driver of a motor vehicle to cross a bicycle lane adjacent to the driver's lane of travel to make a turn, the driver shall drive the motor vehicle into the bicycle lane prior to making the turn, and shall make the turn, yielding the right-of-way to any vehicles approaching so close thereto as to constitute an immediate hazard.

 

Okay, it makes sense that the drive is supposed to pull into the bicycle lane before turning, as it avoids the hazard of bicyclists getting sideswiped, but if a semi did that then it'd be up on the sidewalk.  Not sure what the semi driver was supposed to do differently that wouldn't be at least as hazardous.  Witnesses seem to think the cyclist didn't break any rules of the road either.  Sad to say, sometimes the rules don't prevent all possible accidents.

Different traffic markings might help though.  The city of Portland, for example, has special markings called "bike boxes"  that create a visual space for cyclists who would otherwise be crossing a turn lane.  Something like that might have prevented the problem.

Let's hope this tragedy increases awareness of the dangers of biking alongside big trucks.  

Comments

[RecollectedStephanie]

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/reports/road-to-the-future/overview/549/#comments

That's the link to a pretty good look at some of what Portland has done over the years about commuter issues. There has been much (MUCH) weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth along the way because the public good is often seen as infringing on individual liberties - and it's not a simple issue - but really, Portland is good at being creative, and small enough to take on metro projects that can actually get done. It's worth a watch.