Cyclists gather to ride in remembrance, raise awareness of road rules
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Wednesday marked the 23rd annual Ride of Silence, an international movement honoring cyclists killed or injured while riding on public roadways.
Cyclists gathered at Our Lady of Peace School in Clintonville to come together in solidarity.
'I've had one close call,' cyclist Don Supelak said. 'I had a rearview mirror on a truck just graze my left elbow, shoulder and it was enough to frighten me.'
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There are countless stories of cyclists' dangerous encounters with cars on public roads.
'I've come close to getting hit a number of times, once by a school bus because we don't get seen and if you're on the roads, you're competing with big vehicles,' cyclist Dave Welsh said.
Brian Estabrook is the board president of Yay Bikes!, the group that hosted the silent, slow, funeral-style processional.
'It is a ride of silence, but the message is a powerful, loud message and it is, 'We are here,'' Estabrook said. ' We have a right to the roads and we want to raise awareness about the damage that has been done to people that are not inside a 2,000-pound exoskeleton.'
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According to organizers, the motoring public often isn't aware of cyclists' rights to the road, and sometimes isn't aware of cyclists themselves.
'I notice all the time when I'm riding my bike that cars will speed around me trying to get somewhere and saving ten seconds, and they're valuing that ten seconds of their time over, potentially, my life,' Estabrook said.
Wednesday marked the first ride since Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were fatally struck while riding bikes last August in New Jersey for their sister's wedding.
'I have on a Johnny Gaudreau number 13 sticker on my helmet to always be with me when I ride and bike,' cyclist Connor Gilbert said.
Estabrook said the Gaudreaus' deaths were a reminder of something anyone who rides faces. Estabrook was hit by a car while biking on West Broad Street last year. He said road violence against pedestrians and bikers is getting worse. He said when there's a crisis, it's important to respond to it with the appropriate interventions.
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'I think that that's going to require funding,' Estabrook said. 'It's going to require staffing. It's going to require infrastructure, and also, it's going to require drivers making sure that they are paying attention a little bit better.'
Estabrook said he's very encouraged by what's happening at the local level to address bike safety.
'There's a lot of good stuff happening as well on a structural level, on a systems level,' Estabrook said. 'The city of Columbus passed a bike plus plan this year. The city, county and COTA are working on the LinkUs plan to build bus rapid transit lines. These are critical projects that we've gotten a lot of support from our elected officials.'
Many central Ohio cyclists wore black or red ribbons on their arms while they rode their bikes. Red symbolized they've been hit by a car while biking. Black honored the lives lost.
'There are a million drivers, and it just takes one bad one to ruin someone's day or someone's life,' Estabrook said.
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