http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600159683,00.html
The accident described in this article happened at my son's school.
The victim, Gregorio Rodriguez (his name has now been officially released)
had just finished his first day of high school when he was killed. The
fact that he was on a bicycle is almost incidental--the maniac who killed
him would have done the same thing if he'd been walking, or in a
wheelchair for that matter. Being on a bike probably did put Gregorio on
the street side of the group of students he was in.
But what the article does not say is that this homicide happened along
a street that repeatedly goes from two lanes to four and back again, and
in an area with little road shoulder, no curb, and no sidewalk.
Separation of cars from people might have prevented it--we'll never know.
The only good that ever comes out of tragedies like this is the good it
brings out in the survivors. The students at the school raised $4300 for
the victim's funeral expenses in under a week. And surprisingly, a rival
school clear across town spontaneously took up its own collection and
raised another $1000. At least the Rodriguez family won't have a
financial burden to deal with along with the heartbreak of losing a loved
one.
And at least one cyclist, me, is writing the mayor an angry letter
asking why, in this city, is there always money for new roads, but seldom
money to make the roads accommodate non-cagers. Anyone who wants to toss
in their two cents' worth, feel free to write Mayor Dennis Nordfelt, 3600
Constitution Blvd., West Valley City, UT 84119-3720.
Bill
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| We must be the change we seek. |
| --Mohandas K. Ghandi |
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