Cycling at the Beach

Riding in Virginia Beach is down right dangerous. It's due to a combination of ignorant citizens and poor city planning. The city council pretends to hear about crimes against, and the accidents involving bicyclists however, little is done.

As I write this, the Tidewater Bicycle Association is speaking to the city council about safety along Shore Drive. Since living here, I often hear of stories of cyclists (and pedestrians) killed along Shore Drive. A riding buddy broke his neck when t-boned by a lady who didn't see him. He had the right of way. She was never charged.

The Tidewater Bicycle Association has a reward for information about an accident in early May:

Dunham was seriously injured in the incident, which police are investigating as felony hit-and-run. The circumstances are not clear, police said, but a witness described a possible suspect vehicle as a blue truck.

This morning I was stunned when I read this article about thumb tacks on the road at every intersection in the Pungo area of Virginia Beach on Saturday morning. Pungo is (was) one of the safest areas to ride in the area.

I've been a little skittish about riding around Virginia Beach for a few years after being run off the road by a large truck with a 2 foot lift. I've been thinking, why in the world does Bobke talk about carrying a bazooka in the Road ID commercial? Question answered.

See you on the road.

Alert

Kevin, in good spirits, recovering from an accident 3 months ago.

Riding a bicycle in the Tidewater area requires vigilance by both riders and motorists. There have been numerous mishaps this year alone in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. To put it into perspective, there have been 5 accidents on my commute route alone 2 of the fatalities. Three months ago, one of my riding buddies, sustaining a broken C2 vertebrae and arm. The month prior, another buddy, a local racer was hit by a turning car and sustained ankle injuries.

An article about Ghost Rides is found here at 24SevenCities.

The Foto by Wes blog provides advocacy information and general awareness about bicycling in Norfolk.

The Tidewater Bicycle Association's monthly newsletter provides VDOT bicycle laws. This month's letter from the President provides rider's responsibilities and tips for safe bicycling.

The area is not bicycle friendly and despite efforts by the TBA, it will not be any time soon. Recommendations my the TBA have been ignored. The city's answer has been several 'bicycle paths' that lead...to...ummm...I haven't figured it out yet. The don't lead anywhere! And they certainly don't lead anywhere where cyclists commute.

TBA's April Newsletter explains the areas issues in depth. The TBA President writes,

Our proposals to reduce certain side-paths from 10-12 ft down to ordinary sidewalk width (5ft) in places where little use was expected and then to reallocate the resultant space to on-road biking have been brushed off. Ditto for suggesting reductions in the generous landscaping being put in during most road expansions. It seems the city is quite willing to trade our lives for a few extra blades of grass.

Riding in the Tidewater requires you to be alert all of the time, take nothing for granted and obey the laws.