Nick King photo

Bicyclist Sean Foley crosses Broadway at Ninth Street on his way home from work last week in downtown Columbia. Foley, who has been riding to and from work for two years, says that to be safe he obeys all traffic signals and stays alert.

Jamie Couey was riding her bicycle home after working a night shift at a downtown restaurant. Eric Gross was on his way home from school.

Columbia bike accidents reported

Source: Columbia Police Department

Couey was riding down East Broadway early in the morning. Gross was on the sidewalk near Nifong Boulevard and Bethel Street around noon.

Despite the differences in the details, both bicyclists experienced a similar mishap during the past month: Both were involved in collisions with vehicles.

And in both situations, the drivers of the vehicles stopped momentarily but left the scene.

"People are shameless," Couey said. "It’s freaking sad."

Couey, 21 and a recent graduate of Columbia College, called police and was treated at Boone Hospital Center and released. Gross, a 16-year-old Rock Bridge High School student, decided to tough it out and try to make it home.

The issue of bicycle safety seems especially important in Columbia, with Mayor Darwin Hindman acting as one of the biggest advocates for alternative transportation. And last year, Columbia was awarded a $25 million federal grant to stimulate bicycle and pedestrian traffic in the city.

Fred Schmidt, policy coordinator with the PedNet Coalition, said that most bicycle collisions with motor vehicles could be avoided with proper education of cyclists, including knowing what side of the street to ride on, following traffic laws and using proper lighting when riding at night.

Columbia police Sgt. Tim Moriarity said it is difficult to assess how many bicyclists are injured while riding because most instances are not reported.

Police respond only to bicycle accidents that involve a motor vehicle and more than $500 in damage, Moriarity said. So far this year, there have been six of those collisions, compared to 20 last year, nine in 2005 and 18 in 2004.

Moriarity, who supervises the police department’s traffic unit, said it is harder for police to enforce bicycle regulations but noted that officers hope to step up enforcement in the future through bike patrols.

"For example, if a motorist was driving without lights, the police would stop them," Schmidt said. "The same is not true with bicyclists."

Moriarity offered some tips:

● Cyclists are better off when they follow motor vehicle laws and are recognized as the equal of motor vehicles by motorists. The law requires bicyclists 9 and older to ride in the street and obey traffic laws that pertain to vehicles, including the use of a light on the front of the bicycle after sunset and obeying traffic signals, stop signs and yielding procedures.

"You can’t be a cyclist and a pedestrian at the same time," Moriarity said.

● Because bicyclists normally travel slower than other traffic, they should ride "as far right as practicable," Moriarity said.

● Riders 16 and older are not required by law to wear a helmet. But Moriarity said it is beneficial for all riders because there is little to brace someone from the impact of a fall from a bicycle.

● If involved in a collision with a motor vehicle, the bicyclist and motorist should follow the same routine as two motorists would: exchange names, phone numbers and insurance information and call police.

Couey said she was struck at about 1:15 a.m. May 31 while riding home from her job as a server at Addison’s restaurant. She was traveling east on Broadway near Old 63 in the middle of the lane to increase her visibility.

She said she heard a car behind her but assumed its headlights were off because she didn’t see them.

"The last thing I thought was, ‘Wow, that car sounds really close. I hope they see me’," she said.

The next day, she said, she lay in bed all day. "I guess I had a concussion," she said.

Gross said he was struck by a vehicle June 5 while riding home from school after an early dismissal. He said he was riding on the sidewalk northbound on Bethel Road and reached the intersection with Nifong Boulevard.

"The ‘walk’ sign was up, so I didn’t stop, and I just went for it," he said.

But a car turning right pulled in front of him, and he collided with the front of the car on the passenger side, he said. The woman driving the car stepped out and asked if he was all right. Then, Gross said, she moved his bicycle out of the way and drove away.

Gross walked his bike home without taking down witness information or calling police. He suffered little more than a scrape on his knee. His family later contacted police.

"The police officer said he should have just stayed there," Eric’s father, David Gross, said. "Which is something that needs to be told to kids: When you’re hurt, you need to stay there."

Neither Gross nor Couey said they were wearing a helmet at the time of their wreck, and Couey said her bike was outfitted with reflectors.

Moriarity said the best way to improve safety is for bicyclists to make sure they know the rules of the road.

"A lot of people just don’t get education on what they’re supposed to do," Moriarity said.

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