"It Could Have Been Any One of Us"

I got to the office this morning and had just taken off my helmet when my co-worker walked in. He did the same, and we began chatting as we usually do. He asked me if I'd seen the human-made "protected bike lane" on Spruce Street:

As you can see from the pictures above, I'd not only seen it, but I participated and rode in it. The event was organized by our former co-worker, good friend and cycling advocate, who I briefly chatted with while I was on Spruce Street. She had helped to coordinate this gathering of about 100 cyclists and cycling supporters.

So why were we all there, standing in a bike lane buffer zone at 7:30 on a Wednesday morning? In solidarity and support of a fellow cyclist killed in an incident with a motor vehicle, the third such in Philadelphia this year. As sobering of an occasion as this was, there was a sense of comfort to see so many people coming out in support. The line stretched approximately 3 city blocks (not counting side streets):

11th and Spruce Streets, scene of the fatal crash on Tuesday morning

My co-worker and I continued chatting, about what we knew about the incident, about what we'd like to see happen in its wake, and then as we realized this had happened during the time we're usually commuting, he said something that really struck me.

"It could have been any one of us."

It could have been, and that's really why we were all out there today. There's been a lot of emotionally-charged speak from both sides of the argument, but no matter who's right or wrong, the fact is that a woman lost her life yesterday and it could have been avoided. The reality is that for all the love myself and many others pour into riding a bike every day, we're still risking our lives every single time we do it, and it doesn't have to be this way. It shouldn't be this way.

I'm not going to lie to all of you. What you see on this blog and in my social feeds may paint the picture that I'm a fearless cyclist and that everything I do with my friends and family that involves biking is all well and good. The hard truth is that I fear incidents like this every single day. Every cyclist does, and if they say they don't, they're lying. And I don't just fear them for myself; I fear that these incidents will happen to anyone.

In the coming days and weeks, I'm sure we'll find out exactly what happened at 11th & Spruce on that fateful Tuesday morning. Regardless of that, the point is still clear to me. We all have different places to go and we all have different ways of getting there, so we have to figure out a way to do it safely.

We (cyclists) need to continue to be vigilant in safe riding practices and advocating for infrastructure that helps us co-exist with our transportation brethren. My fellow motorists (yes, I also drive a car from time to time) need to continue to be mindful of their surroundings and also just as diligent in safe driving practices.

Because like my co-worker said this morning, it could have been any one of us.