Fatality Prompts Silicon Valley Officials To Examine Bike Safety
PORTOLA VALLEY (KCBS) - Last week's fatal accident involving a big-rig and cyclist on the Peninsula has prompted calls for increased cycling safety, especially near freeway crossings.
Narrow freeway crossings are generally known as "danger zones" for Silicon Valley cyclists.
"Pretty much all are without fail hot spots, where people do not feel safe crossing the freeway," said Corinne Winter with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.
KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:
Winter said last week's accident at the Alpine Road undercrossing of 280 is an unfortunate example of the need for cycling safety improvements: either bike lanes on overpasses or even bike bridges.
"Potentially cantilevering something off the side of the bridge or even building a new bridge," she said. "So that bikes and pedestrians can cross safely."
The victim in the accident was 47-year-old Lauren Ward of Los Altos, one of the first winners of State Senator Joe Simitian's "There Ought to be a Law" contest.
Senator Simitian said as a state, California needs to take a hard look at designing roads with bicycles in mind.
"The question looking forward is, how do we make sure that the streets and highways that we've got are safe for the growing number of cyclists who are going to be out there," he said.
The CHP has not yet charged the big-rig driver, but they are interviewing two possible eyewitnesses.
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