Latest news with #bicycleSafety
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Community bike ride honors Colorado boy killed by distracted driving, calls for change
Nearly two years after a young Colorado boy was killed by a distracted driver, his community is uniting for "Ollie's Ride for Change." Oliver Stratton was 10 years old when he was hit and killed while riding his bike in Timnath. The "ride for change" is a movement that aims to make roads safer for bicyclists and pedestrians and honor the lives lost to distracted driving. CBS "I think it's just incredibly joyful to watch a community come together," said Oliver's mother, Clarissa Stratton. "It is now like one of the most dangerous times in Colorado to be a human being existing outside of a vehicle." The event was organized by Oliver's parents, Clarissa and Rod Stratton. Participants dressed up or decorated their bikes to resemble their favorite Pokémon and took two laps around the lagoon on the CSU campus to raise awareness about the dangers of texting and driving. "We have to do better about protecting each other's lives, and that means being better drivers. Putting down the cell phone. It is against the law," said Clarissa Stratton. CBS Colorado Oliver was killed while riding his bike when a fifty-year-old woman who was texting and driving hit him in August of 2023. His parents say it radically altered their lives. "We feel the weight of that every day, and we're out here advocating because we want to make sure that doesn't happen to other families," said Clarissa Stratton. In addition to the ride, the event had resources for cyclists and a pledge for adults and kids to sign, asking them not to drive distracted and to speak up if they see someone doing it. Clarissa said it's time for Colorado drivers to realize the responsibility that's in their hands every time they get behind the wheel. CBS "Please drive like lives are depending on it because they are, and my family knows better than most the cost of distracted driving," she said.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Our View: Bike, pedestrian safety demands action
The afternoon of March 13, David M. Kroll, 56, was riding a bicycle near Old 132 and Madison County Road 700 West when he was struck by a vehicle. Kroll died from his injuries. That sort of tragedy is nothing new in the Anderson area. During a three-month stretch in the summer of 2023, three bicyclists died in collisions with vehicles in Anderson. The fatal crashes were scattered across the community, occurring at Scatterfield Road and University Boulevard, 15th Street and Madison Avenue, and in the 3500 block of South Main Street. Less than two months before, a pedestrian was struck and killed along Scatterfield Road. But these heartbreaking accidents are only part of the saga. According to a study by the Madison County Council of Governments, on average, two pedestrians or bicyclists are injured every month in Anderson. Something has to be done. This month, Anderson City Council took a first, tentative step forward, starting the process to appoint members to a bicycle/pedestrian advisory committee that was initially created in 2016 but has met only once since. Per a 2016 ordinance, the nine-member committee is supposed to include appointees from various city departments: park, street, municipal development and engineering and should include representatives from the local health and medical field, Anderson Community Schools, Anderson University, economic development, law enforcement and community planning. 'The Committee is formed to provide bicycle and pedestrian safety education to the public and advice and recommendations to other departments, agencies, boards and commissions on matters that promote safe, active transportation,' according to the ordinance. The committee and council would do well to give sincere consideration to adopting a Complete Streets policy, such as those already taken up by Madison County and several local communities, according to Ben Orcutt, owner of the local Buckskin Bikes shop. 'Complete Streets is an approach to planning, designing and building streets that enables safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities,' according to Councilman Greg Graham recommended that council conduct a special meeting to discuss the Complete Streets proposal with Orcutt. The first step, of course, is for the committee to be fully formed — and to actually meet regularly and frequently. While the wheels of government turn slowly, pedestrians and bicyclists will continue to face peril on the streets of Anderson. Hopefully, it won't take more deaths to spur action.
