Bicycle Accidents

A bicycle accident in Sandy Springs over the Christmas weekend left a 50-year-old bicyclist seriously injured. According to police, the man was cycling when a car crossed right in front of him at an intersection. The cyclist had no way of avoiding the car. The impact threw him off the bicycle and on the road.He suffered head injuries, and was rushed to the hospital. The motorist has been charged with failure to yield.

As Atlanta bicycle accident lawyers, we have been concerned at what seems like the slow erasing of bicyclist safety from our surface transportation polices. Last month, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue announced $65.8 million in transportation projects funded by federal stimulus dollars. Just two bicycle-friendly projects have been earmarked for funds.One is a multi use trail in Fulton County at a cost of $165,000, and the other is a Rails to Trails project in Warm Springs at a cost of $587,000.

On the other hand, there is some reason to cheer.The Federal Highway Administration has released its latest edition of national standards for traffic signs and signals, called the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).This edition includes specific instructions for the marking of sharrows, or share lane markings. These sharrows are typically marked on a road where there is no space for a bike lane, or when the bike lane is too close to parked automobiles, placing bicyclists in danger of being struck by opening car doors. Sharrows allow bicyclists to maintain safe routes, and also encourage motorists to share the roads with cyclists. Atlanta has plenty of narrow roads that may not allow for a separate bike lane, and we definitely need more sharrows.

In Atlanta and other major cities, an innovative group known as "Critical Mass" has organized to promote riding bicycles among city streets used primarily by motor vehicles. Critical Mass riders seek to promote enthusiasm for bike riding in what has become a “car culture.” Critical Mass hosts monthly Friday rides.

The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign, another bicycle activist group, hosts an annual Share the Road event that promotes safe riding by cyclists on the Atlanta streets. The event hosts an annual ride and raises money to promotes cycling safety on Atlanta streets.

However, cycling in Atlanta is not a smooth ride. In 2001 Bicycling Magazine named Atlanta as the worst city for riding a bike. While Atlanta has the right weather and plenty of bike advocacy groups, the local roads have very few bike lanes. Plus urban sprawl and excessive traffic make riding in Atlanta less than hospitable.

Articles Posted in Bicycle Accidents

Sandy Springs Bicyclist Seriously Injured in Accident

Bicycle Safety