Bike safety advocates tout passage of hands-free driving bills on eve of memorial ride
EAST LANSING — A memorial bicycle ride on Wednesday evening will be quiet. So much so, the only sounds people are expected to hear are wheels turning, gears shifting and the riders breathing.
That's intentional. The ride serves as a funeral procession for bicyclists killed in crashes. The event, aptly named the Ride of Silence, started in 2003 in Texas as a way for Chris Phelan to honor a friend who was killed. Greater Lansing's own event is going into its 16th year, with Tim Potter and Pat Harrington leading the pack.
"Many report back that it's the most important ride they do every year and it's powerful for them to focus on that one thing rather chit-chat about the weather or sports," said Potter, who runs Michigan State University Bike Service Center and anticipates about 200 riders.
More than two dozen bicyclists killed in '21
Most bicyclist crashes happen in the lower half of the Lower Peninsula, according to Michigan State Police traffic crash data. Wayne, Macomb, Oakland and Kent counties each reported more than 100 crashes in 2021, the most recent year of data available.
The state had 29 fatal bicyclist crashes across 22 counties, and 971 crashes that resulted in bicyclist injuries encompassing all but two counties in the state, according to Michigan State Police 2021 traffic crash statistics.
Bicyclists this year can celebrate with the passage of state House of Representative Bills 4250, 4251 and 4252 in both the state House and Senate, advocates said.
All bills, Harrington said, amended the state's motor vehicle code to make it illegal to use a phone while driving, increase penalties and require Michigan State Police to create a demographic-driven report on tickets 42 months after the law is signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
They're expected to go into effect in June, Harrington said, after Whitmer signs the package.
Harrington, committee chair of the 2023 Ride of Silence, said those bills are among many advocacy fronts for the event. Bicyclists have pushed local and county governments to implement pedestrian- and bicyclist-friendly street improvements to curb the number of crashes.
Legislators act on distracted driving: Michigan's texting and driving ban would expand under House-passed bills
Electric bike incentive falters
Another point of advocacy is giving Michiganders incentives for buying electric bikes as they become a more popular method of transportation for people, said Matt Penniman, communications and advocacy director at League of Michigan Bicyclists. Advocates lobbied for a $5 million appropriation within the House's version of the transportation budget. The Senate passed a budget that did not include the incentive.
He believed the heightened awareness of bicyclist crashes and the pandemic generated higher interest in people wanting to bike. He said he hoped it would translate to motorists being more attentive on the roads.
"Personally, we'd love for drivers to be bicycle-friendly drivers. We'd love to see, as young people learn to drive, to take that program," Penniman said of LMB's bicyclist safety program. "To learn that bicyclists have a right to be on the road, give them 3 feet to pass and they can take the full lane if it's too narrow for a car to pass."
'It helps me connect to the world'
Riders of all ages and skill levels are encouraged to join the Ride of Silence. Potter said an MSU Bikes pickup truck will trail behind the last bicyclist for safety and can carry bikes if one breaks down and can't be fixed.
Bicyclists will ride to Spartan Statue, to Grand River Avenue and make a pit stop at Berkey Hall and the MSU Union for a moment of silence for those slain and wounded in the Feb. 13 mass shooting. The ride picks up with police escorts and bike teams down Grand River Avenue, to Michigan Avenue and down to the Capitol building for speeches from families who lost loved ones in bicycling crashes.
It ends at Ozone's Brewhouse where Potter said people convene and celebrate the lives of those who were killed.
Harrington wished he could forget the stories of people who were killed or injured bicycling, but he cannot as they always hit too close to home for him as a bicyclist. Stories range from distracted driving to not wearing a helmet, to a hit and run, or to drug- or alcohol-influenced.
"We all have ownership of the road's right of way. Anyone who needs transportation should do that without fear of being run over or scared," he said.
The annual event has meant many things to various people. Penniman hopes more people will come out of it knowing there's hope for safer streets.
"It helps me connect to the world, my neighbors, see people face to face and see my city," Penniman said. "The one thing that makes it less than improving is being in a crash. I want to be in a world where people don't fear being in a crash. We're in it to say that's possible and we're going to work for it."
If you go
The Ride of Silence starts at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Michigan State University's Wells Hall. Riders are encouraged to perform bike safety checks and check in by 6:15 p.m. The ride to and from the state Capitol and Ozone's Brewhouse in Old Town will be led by a police escort. All riders are required to wear a helmet.
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Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at 517-267-1344 or knurse@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KrystalRNurse.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Bicycle safety advocates tout passage of hands-free driving bills
