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The life you save may be your own

6/17/2016

9 Comments

 
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I had a unique near-death experience yesterday.

I was riding home on Orange Street and stopped at a red light at what’s considered one of the most dangerous intersections in New Haven, where motorists come flying off the exit ramp from I-91 directly onto Trumbull Street, where the speed limit is 25 mph. Only this time the crazy driver was crossing from the other side of Trumbull, initially heading onto the I-91 ramp. Then he reconsidered and swung 90 degrees to drive south on Orange Street, where he was now directly facing me a few feet away. But he wasn’t looking ahead (at me); he was looking behind him. I felt like I was in a chase scene in a movie. I was like a deer in headlights, and realized there was nowhere I could go fast enough to get out of his way.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, “What are you doing?!” and he faced me for the first time. He swerved to my left and proceeded down Orange Street, saying something I couldn’t hear, perhaps either an apology or a rant that I had gotten in his way.

I guess I have to be grateful that his windows were open in the beautiful afternoon, or he might never have heard me.

I bike almost every day, most of the time four miles from my house to downtown New Haven. I love that I can do this, and especially love that I can often do it during non-rush hour times. But every once in a while I realize how incredibly vulnerable I am, a person of flesh and bone riding a 20-pound metal contraption against motor vehicles ranging from one to many tons, hogging the road and spewing ground-level and climate pollution even under the best of circumstances (Electric cars can be much cleaner, but they’re still potential killers.)

Speaking of killers, a few days before my encounter, the driver of a pickup truck mowed down a whole group of cyclists, killing five and seriously injuring four near Kalamazoo, MI.

This was extreme, but cyclists are injured and killed all the time all over the country.

Elm City Cycling is committed to promoting safety for all road users, and the administration of Mayor Toni Harp is working with us to do so. The city is due to get its first protected bike lane in the next year (finally), and Bike Month and ECC are promoting 4 Lanes 4 NHV to get at least three more by 2020.

I love riding my bike, and close calls are not going to make me stop. I just wish my friends and I didn’t have so many close calls.

9 Comments
Lindsay Mathews
6/17/2016 06:27:27 pm

OMG! I am so glad that you are (somewhat) okay, Melinda!

Thank you for sharing that grizzly story with us because we all need to be reminded to pay attention when we're out riding.

Thanks again, Lindsay

Reply
Diane Lentakis
6/17/2016 07:11:29 pm

How terrible! Thank God you are OK!

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MaryAnne Davis
6/17/2016 07:46:46 pm

Wow, glad you made it! Let's do everything possible to make bicycling (and the roads) safer. Whew!

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David Joyner
6/18/2016 12:09:46 am

I'm glad you're fine it's rough being one person alone riding in traffic dodging fast cars who don't pay attention to riders or padestrians keep yo head up Malinda and crank it up

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Sally connolly
6/18/2016 06:15:18 am

Very scary, so glad you are.

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Todd Lyon link
6/18/2016 06:36:02 am

Melinda, as you know my shop is on that corner and EVERY DAY I see hurried/angry/selfish motorists speed through red lights, turn illegally and ignore pedestrian "walk" signs. People are nearly mown down there all the time. It doesn't help when pedestrians don't wait their turns. I'm so glad you're okay. Ironically, that spot is known as a "calming" intersection. Ha.

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Amy Schwartz
6/18/2016 07:34:40 am

Thanks for posting this, Melinda, and for your bike advocacy. Glad you are OK.

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Janet Spinner
6/18/2016 10:24:18 am

Yeesh! Glad you're ok!

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Christiane Cunnar
6/19/2016 09:02:28 pm

Melinda, What a close call and I am glad that you didn't get hurt.

I look forward to the city introducing protected bike lanes. So far I can't get my sister, who is visiting me from Germany, to explore New Haven via bike. She's afraid of the driving behavior and uncomfortable with the road conditions. This is a bummer as I'd like to show her around our city and riding bikes would be faster than walking (and probably driving).

Montreal has protected bike lanes on certain downtown streets and that made biking riding and exploring the city fun and feeling safe! Would be great for New Haven to get them as well.

Reply



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    Melinda Tuhus

    Welcome to my blog, Leaves and Fishes. It connotes that I'll  often be blogging about environmental issues, though certainly not exclusively. It also references the idea that when people pool their resources -- even if meager --  generous and equitable outcomes can result. Finally, since  "leaves" and "fishes" are both nouns and verbs, I hope to have fun with the words I write. 

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