4.21.2011
THE RIDE OF SILENCE ARMY
Calling all soldiers of The Ride Of Silence Army. Time to suit up!
We’ve got 27 days to go before this year’s opportunity to make at least one motorist aware of sharing the road with a cyclist; a chance to save at least one life; to have the motorist not look at us cyclists, but as a relative, a friend, or a neighbor.
By calling the killed or injured cyclists is really a disservice and distances motorists from caring about them. Instead of seeing a cyclist in the way, we should see our relatives and friends on a bike, a father perhaps out for some exercise, or maybe a mom training for an upcoming bike rally. Maybe that cyclist trying to stay out of harms way in front of a long string of cars is our friend from the running group training for her first triathlon. Or it could be our neighbor on his way to work.
I believe in this event with my whole heart and being. But this event, and the thought behind it, is not about me. It is about those comrades that have fallen, those with whom we have shared the road with, to carve out that space that hugs the white line as motorist drive by unaware. This is not a popularity contest or a-cause-of-the-week. This is about life and death, those cycling friends and relatives who have lost their lives on the road due to motor vehicles.
Right now, we’re at 191 locations. At this time last year we were at 142, and ended with 321. Please summit your ride so the cyclists (relatives, friends, neighbors) in your area can make plans to attend.
If you want inspiration to host a ride in your town, or be part of the one already nearby you listed on the web site (http://www.rideofsilence.org/), look no further than this landmark, heartbreaking, and chilling article by David Darlington titled “Broken” for Bicycling Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008 issue. (It can be seen at: http://www.bicyclingmag.com/news/advocacy/broken?page=0,0)
“Every time we take to the open road, we entrust our lives to a safety net of legal protection and basic human decency. That system has failed.” This article is based on police and legal documents. It details how if a motorist kills a cyclist, his chances of being found guilty are extremely rare.
Come on out, campers. The bugle is calling you to line up.
27 Days to go!
Please join us May 18, 2011, 7 PM
Chris Phelan, Founder
We’ve got 27 days to go before this year’s opportunity to make at least one motorist aware of sharing the road with a cyclist; a chance to save at least one life; to have the motorist not look at us cyclists, but as a relative, a friend, or a neighbor.
By calling the killed or injured cyclists is really a disservice and distances motorists from caring about them. Instead of seeing a cyclist in the way, we should see our relatives and friends on a bike, a father perhaps out for some exercise, or maybe a mom training for an upcoming bike rally. Maybe that cyclist trying to stay out of harms way in front of a long string of cars is our friend from the running group training for her first triathlon. Or it could be our neighbor on his way to work.
I believe in this event with my whole heart and being. But this event, and the thought behind it, is not about me. It is about those comrades that have fallen, those with whom we have shared the road with, to carve out that space that hugs the white line as motorist drive by unaware. This is not a popularity contest or a-cause-of-the-week. This is about life and death, those cycling friends and relatives who have lost their lives on the road due to motor vehicles.
Right now, we’re at 191 locations. At this time last year we were at 142, and ended with 321. Please summit your ride so the cyclists (relatives, friends, neighbors) in your area can make plans to attend.
If you want inspiration to host a ride in your town, or be part of the one already nearby you listed on the web site (http://www.rideofsilence.org/), look no further than this landmark, heartbreaking, and chilling article by David Darlington titled “Broken” for Bicycling Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008 issue. (It can be seen at: http://www.bicyclingmag.com/news/advocacy/broken?page=0,0)
“Every time we take to the open road, we entrust our lives to a safety net of legal protection and basic human decency. That system has failed.” This article is based on police and legal documents. It details how if a motorist kills a cyclist, his chances of being found guilty are extremely rare.
Come on out, campers. The bugle is calling you to line up.
27 Days to go!
Please join us May 18, 2011, 7 PM
Chris Phelan, Founder
(Photo of cyclists coming into downtown Dallas, 2004)
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