Published: May 16, 2007 11:27 pm      

Club wants to make motorists aware of cyclists

Robert Logston slid a list across his desk, filled with names of people that had recently been killed in “bicycle/motorist accidents.”

The list was eight pages long, and 24 of the cyclists listed were Texas residents.

“That’s just a fraction of them,” the ride captain for the Huntsville Cycling Club said. “These are just the ones that were brought to our attention.”

On Wednesday, in memorial of those lost due to that type of accident, the HCC took part in an international event known as the “Ride of Silence.”

“We’re doing this to represent cyclists that have been killed or injured while riding bikes,” Logston said. “We want to make motorists aware that we’re on the streets and make them more careful.”

The event was established by Dallas resident Chris Phelan in 2003, after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was killed by a passing bus mirror on an empty road.

Four years later, the ride begins on a uniform basis at 7 p.m. local time on the third Wednesday of May, in locations including the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe, and South America.

“This is the second year for the Huntsville Cycling Club to do this,” Logston said. “The first year we had 32 riders, and this year we’re hoping for 40 to 50. There are also rides coming out of Conroe and The Woodlands. They’re all over the state.”

The Weber family, a group of participants who called themselves “Team Imagine,” had also participated in charity rides like the MS 150, which raises funds to benefit people living with multiple sclerosis. The family included parents Jim and Myla, and their daughters, Courtney, 16, Cayla, 14 and Cara, 10.

“When you do something like (the MS 150), this kind of ride has an added meaning to it,” Myla Weber said. “This is the first time we’ve done this, and I think the silence is going to be really powerful.”

At the event, cyclists were asked to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent while riding.

Logston planned to open the ride with a brief mission statement for the event and the reading of Texas residents involved in bicycle/motorist fatalities.

“We’re going to announce cyclists that have been killed, ring a bell for each of them, have a moment of silence and then start the ride,” he said.

Another option for the riders was that they wear black or red arm bands. The red bands symbolized the rider’s direct involvement in a bicycle/motorist accident.

“I was actually hit by a car sitting at the ‘Ride of Silence’ last year,” Logston said. “I’ve been hit by cars since I was a teenager, either by motorists themselves or by debris that they’ve thrown out.”

Logston said that the reason for much of the interest surrounding the event this year was the passing of Texas Safe Passing Bill SB 248 in the Texas Senate.

If passed in the state House, it would make sharing the road with motorists safer for cyclists in several ways, including the enforcement of a three foot passing rule.

“It’s important just for the fact that motorists don’t realize that we have legal rights, too. Motorists feel like we’re impeding on their rights, and that’s not the case,” Logston said. “There are bad motorists and bad cyclists, and it’s important for everyone to come together and follow the traffic laws that are out there.”

The event was free of cost and open to any interested cyclist. Refreshments were provided by Kiwanis of Huntsville.

For more information on future Huntsville Cycling Club events, call Logston at (936) 522-6774.