White bikes matter

 

Ghost bike placed Saturday 

Damon Road, Northampton east of I-91 overpass 

First, yes, this post's title is potentially problematic, and I debated if it was disrespectful of the Black Lives Matter movement, and more importantly the lives of dark skinned people that were ended prematurely. I do wish that people, regardless of their complexion or mode of transport, could live without being killed by others who show a lack of consideration for their humanity.

Last week a human being named Devin Reade was killed while on a bike in Northampton. This occurred on a convenient connector road that I learned to avoid years ago, and this recalls an idea presented in Killed by a Traffic Engineer: bad roads are neglected when multimodal infrastructure is added because locals have learned to avoid them and the accident rate drops for this reason, not because they are safe.

Here, in this case, it grows more complex. Two years ago the DOT completed work on that section of Damon Road, adding sidewalk and a narrow, unprotected bike lane, but they also increased the width of the main vehicular travel lane. Guess what? The total accident rate, as reported by Streetsblog, has doubled since that work. We, as a state, spent a lot of money to make a road less safe, and now someone has died because of it.

Narrow bike lane

frequently reduced to half by storm drains.

Yes, that's the ghost bike in the background.

The added sidewalk 

could use better maintenance as well.

Yesterday I was in Northampton and had time to use (in the context, I won't say "kill") between a doctor's appointment and meeting my friend Adele, so I went to find the ghost bike I was told would be placed, and to which I had contributed the white spray paint, which I found in a roadside free pile while riding on Friday. It gave me a chance to look at the site and road redesign as well. I will continue avoiding Damon Road, especially since the meager bicycle lane ends right where the section that made me most nervous begins.

And speaking of nervousness, I don't seem inclined toward that feeling. Adele, a member of the Pedal People cooperative, has a vested interest in safety for people on bicycles, so I mentioned heading out to see the crash site. From there, our conversation meandered, as they do, do the warnings that have been sounding about artificial intelligence. Adele is a good person and cares, so talk of threats can be upsetting, but they know this and have learned to reign in subjects before they overwhelm.

I'd like to think I'm caring as well, but I'm wired differently in my reaction to, and my impact from, threats. As I cited to Adele yesterday, I'm the oddity who when, a few years ago in an ambulance, was told by the EMT watching my EKG that my chest pains were likely a minor heard attack (They weren't. I was only faking, and apparently with the tougher heart muscle of an athlete, my EKG looks problematic.), just thought: well, I guess I did my part going to urgent care, and there are now far more capable people handling the situation. I'd done my part, asking for help, and didn't need to worry anymore.

Didn't need to worry I might be having a heart attack? Well, yes. When I later had a follow up visit with my awesome primary care physician, Dr. Lash, after starting with, "I didn't expect to see you again soon," (I'd had my initial new patient visit a month prior), she continued with, "So, scarry, huh?" No, actually, it wasn't. I've been fortunate to live what I rate as an amazing life. I don't want that to end, but when it does, and it will, I think it will have been a very full life. We are all going to die. Make sure you live!