A bicycling outing ends with a terrible accident involving a car. It's a scenario that played out once more last week, and one that we should all work toward ending.
A car driven by Linda Sink, 51, of King hit two bicyclists from behind on Trinity Church Road near U.S. 52 Friday morning, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol. Donald Sunday, 62, of Winston-Salem died at the scene. Sunday, a native of New York state, was a grandfather and businessman who enjoyed bicycling in his spare time.
Barry Leonard, 49, of King, sustained a broken pelvis and rib. Sink, who was not injured, has not been charged pending completion of the investigation. She wasn't speeding, impaired or talking on her cell phone, Trooper J.R. Phillips of the patrol, who is handling the case, told the Journal yesterday. "She just hit two bicycles in the rear end."
The bicyclists, he said, were riding single file along the white line on the right side of the road, and the accident happened as the road curves slightly to the left. Both men were wearing their helmets. Phillips declined to answer questions about how the accident happened in the 45- mph zone.
Wherever the fault lies, the accident didn't occur in a vacuum. Several bicyclists have been injured in the area in the last few years after colliding with cars, and there's been at least one other death. Sometimes, the bicyclists are at fault. But many of us could do a better job of sharing the road with bicyclists. They are, after all, entitled by law to ride on the roads.
And we should demand that our local government officials work harder to create a safer environment for bicyclists. "We need more safe riding opportunities in Forsyth and around the state, both for recreational cyclists and people using their bikes for transportation," Winston-Salem City Councilman Dan Besse said in an e-mail Monday. "We're clearly behind the curve here in getting that done," said Besse, who has worked on efforts such as expanding the local greenway system.
Although the city of Winston-Salem has added bike lanes on several roads in the last few years, more are needed. So are more greenways to provide bicyclists with other places to ride. Plans for such measures have lagged. Winston-Salem has a bike/pedestrian coordinator who will propose a package of bike-lane improvements for funding consideration in the next few months, Besse said. That sounds like an effort worthy of support.
Residents of other cities and counties in Northwest North Carolina should also make their voices heard. The number of bikes on the road will only increase in the years to come as more people realize the health, economic and environmental benefits of bicycling. Bike lanes and greenways not only improve safety, but they also enhance our quality of life.
These measures are practical and right. We should honor the memory of Donald Sunday by doing whatever we can to make bicycling safe and enjoyable for everyone.
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