Tears For Aksoy, Erin, Gerrard, Mike, Tom: When Will Carnage On Our Roads Stop?
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Today is the second day of Chanukah and I love this tradition. I’m not much for religious doctrine, but what I love about Chanukah is that it exudes light during a time of the year when we have the least amount of daylight.
And that’s what Saturday’s vigil for five Las Vegas bicyclists killed by a truck driver in Southern Nevada Thursday morning was all about: light amid darkness. Remember their names: Erin Ray, Gerrard Nieva, Tom Trauger, Mike Murray, and Aksoy Ahmet.
I wish I had magic words to make all the sorrow, pain, sadness, trauma and horror go away. I don’t. But today’s vigil at Las Vegas Cyclery where a ghost bike memorial stands sentinel to the memory of Aksoy, Erin, Gerrard, Mike, Tom gave us light in the darkness of broken-hearted bicyclists after a truck driver drove his box truck into a group of bicyclists on U.S. highway 95 south of Boulder City. Nevada Highway Patrol has neither identified the driver nor even mentioned the topic of criminal charges against the person operating the white Isuzu box truck.
The bonds of love today helped start the healing of all the hurt.
These events like today’s vigil don’t appear out of thin air. Big tip of my bike helmet to Pat Treichel of Ghost Bikes Las Vegas, who might look calm on the outside, but on the inside the wheels are turning to logistically organize this vigil. More helmet tips to Jared and Heather Fisher, who let their actions speak for themselves. When trauma hits the bicycle community, there’s always the Fisher duo to count on as they open their hearts, bike shop and resources to grow bicycling in Las Vegas. I have a helmet tip to the Hutch, Rob Hutchinson who humanized Aksoy, Erin, Gerrard, Mike and Tom with heartfelt tales, memories, photos and videos on social media. Helmet tip to Mark Weimer/Breakaway Cycling, who said he’s raising $1 million for the cyclists’ memorial fund. My sincerest apologies for not mentioning everyone else who helped organize this powerful day to help people cope with the scope of this loss. I appreciate and respect all of you.
Here’s my chat with Hutch:
Amid the sadness we must remember why we ride bicycles. Though the headlines are about five people who have lost their lives, bicycling is a fundamentally beautiful and life-affirming act that picked up more steam this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It makes us feel ageless. I know when I put on leg over the bicycle, drop my ass on the saddle and start churning the pedals, it makes me feel better as a human being. I ride all types of bikes, and I when I put on a bike jersey for the road bike I’m that five-year-old again wearing the goofy, caped super-hero get-up with my parents at the supermarket.
Look at the smiles after a bike ride, whether you’re seven or 70. Bicycling was here long before we drove motorized vehicles.
And yet so many tears today. I stood next to the ghost bike memorial, watching relatives and friends of the Las Vegas five place flowers.
UPDATE: LVSportsBiz returned for a 3 PM session at the vigil when local officials like Clark County Justin Jones spoke. The most powerful, gut-wrenching, tear-filled comments came from family and friends of lost cyclists Tom Trauger and Mike Murray, who spoke to bicyclists and supporters at Las Vegas Cyclery where the ghost bike memorial stood.
Trauger’s family and bike buddies told stories of a man who loved bicycling and could bike forever through all types of conditions. Murray’s brother spoke, too, and I appreciated their comments that humanized the cyclists as human beings, not just names on a police press release.
Where do we go from here? The pain and trauma will be here for a long time and it will ebb and flow. It never goes away completely. But you do learn to manage the emotions that can be triggered at a moment’s notice. It’s been only two days since five people lost their lives, and the memories, stories, tales, photos and videos filled our hearts today, making the hurt just a little less with our collective bond.
I hate to use the word because it’s become a trigger these days but we bicyclists must get political to reform things: stiffer penalties for negligent motorists who kill and maim bicyclists and pedestrians; a regional paved trail system for bicyclists because so many fear biking on the roads; and an overhaul of the way people learn to operate motor vehicles.
The system is broken. Incompetent, distracted and speeding motorists routinely imperil the safety of bicyclists and walkers. Somehow the scope of the deaths and injuries is seen by most politicians, road engineers and the car industry as the cost of doing business in the country. And we don’t even discuss this topic correctly. Read the comments from bicyclists in response to the Nevada Highway Patrol’s media release on the crash. First the highway patrol statement, then bicyclists’ responses.
Liz Bash of Las Vegas read the highway patrol release and commented, “I don’t understand why they are calling it ‘an accident.’ This driver killed 5 innocent people. Why isn’t it murder?”
Harry Portellos commented on the same Facebook thread, “How does a driver ‘allow’ the front of the vehicle to strike the ‘slower moving’ cyclists? Answer: The negligent driver did not have control of the vehicle. Why can’t they just say that? Interesting how the police reports always word in a way to soften the responsibility toward the driver and blame on the vehicle while also blaming the slower cyclists.”
And where is there any mention that authorities and police are evaluating criminal charges for this negligent driving in this fatal crash that took away five people’s lives? What about possible manslaughter charges? Who is the driver? Where is the driver? Jeff Golden, on this same thread, said penalties for distracted driving must be on par with those of impaired driving. Read on:
The killed bicyclists and the reactions remind me of Tampa 10 years ago when I led a group of Tampa Bay bike shops in an attempt to curb the trend of motorists killing bicyclists in that market.
Today was a day to express grief, love and support at the memorial for the Las Vegas 5. But sadly, raw emotions aside, without changes, reforms and improvements, I’m afraid bicyclists will continue to mourn future bicyclists’ lost lives.
