Aaron

His presence in the vehicular cycling community was uniquely gentle.

Video interview with Steve Chilcote, friend and NC Bicycle Club Secretary or
http://tinyurl.com/l3d57w

Video interview with Steve Chilcote, friend and NC Bicycle Club Secretary:
http://wake.mync.com/site/wake/news|Sports|Lifestyles/story/38172/friends-shocked-by-cyclists-death

Peace be with him and his family.

Cyclists struggle with advocate’s death
Good quotes from Wayne!
Do yourself a favor though, and do not read the comments section.

and

Late Cyclist’s Safety Mission Lives On

This is not to say either Bruce or the motorist was “at fault.” (Though technically/legally someone has to be in such a crash.) Just that the US “safety culture” is all about “looking out for number one.” We cyclists — especially trained vehicular cyclists — tend to be much better about looking for motorist errors, as we of course will usually suffer much harsher consequences.

Maybe. He was only a couple of years older than I am.

I am becoming acutely aware that my ability to judge the distance & speed of oncoming cars is deteriorating, so I am becoming more cautious than I was only 2-5 years ago.

Of course I kick myself when I realize that I could have turned three times in the time I was waiting to make that left turn.

We shouldn’t have to worry about being passed on the left into oncoming traffic while we attempt a left turn but we do. So we are forced to be attentive in all directions. But attention is a finite attribute and dispersing it can result in insufficient attention directed to where it is most needed.

Wayne

It sheds some light on a possible scenario… due to conditions in the prior few minutes, he may have been concerned with overtaking cars, which decreased the acuity of his forward scan in that moment. On a road where overtaking drivers are aggressive, it’s natural to be concerned about them passing even as you are signaling a left turn (as Mighk points out, it happens).

“Must pass the cyclist.”

The mindless insistence on passing a cyclist without taking all factors into consideration is a product of disrespect for cyclists as equal and legitimate vehicle drivers. The insidious consequence is that it forces cyclists to be more aware of what’s behind them than other vehicle drivers, thus robbing us of vital forward attention when we most need it.

People like Bruce do what they do not because they are sticklers for rules, but because they want people to be safe and happy while cycling. Rules are especially necessary when massive, high-speed devices are deployed on our streets.

I’ve been passed on the left a number of times while signaling a left turn; most often pulling into my own driveway. The news article doesn’t say if the motorist was overtaking or approaching from the front. Knowing the level of experience of someone like Bruce, I doubt he’d pull in front of an on-coming vehicle.

When cyclists — especially well-known, competent ones — are killed by negligent motorists, I remind myself and others that all road users — motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists — are at risk from incompetent motorists. He wasn’t killed because he was bicycling; he was killed because some motorist was careless.

I didn’t know Bruce. While I wish I could have called him a friend, part of me is content that I didn’t. I’ve already lost two cyclist friends to careless motorists; both exemplary riders who helped and taught others.