By Andy Dahn
BLOOMINGTON – McLean County’s tenth annual Ride of Silence is being held Wednesday night.
The event honors bicyclists killed in the last year and focuses on the importance of motorists sharing the road with bicycle riders. Bike BloNo board member Michael Gorman said the event serves as a reminder to drivers to be aware of bicyclists on the roads.
“A lot of people don’t have a choice to get around by car,” Gorman said. “There are a lot of people who can’t afford a car or maybe other things have happened in their life and they just have to get around by bike. So it’s important to accommodate people in whatever mode of transportation they choose or they need to use.”
Gorman said the event also reminds drivers that bicycles have the right to be on almost any road in town.
“When you’re a bike on the road, you’re supposed to behave just like you would if you were a car,” said Gorman. “Things like riding in the same direction of traffic and taking a lane when you need to be safe. And when you’re in a car, you need to give the cyclists at least three feet of space between your car and the bike when you pass.”
Gorman said besides obeying traffic laws, drivers must take caution when driving near bicyclists.
“Everything that’s done when you’re learning to drive a car for the first time is really an effort to make sure people take that responsibility seriously,” Gorman said. “And people sometimes forget that as they get more comfortable.”
Biking is certainly on the rise. The U.S. has seen a 60% increase in bicycle commuting in the last decade and the Bloomington City Council adopted it’s first ever bicycle master plan earlier this month. An estimated 200 people participated in last year’s ride.
Participants will gather at 6:45 P.M. at the east side of the McLean County Museum of History. After a few words from Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner and Mayor of Normal Chris Koos, the ride will commence at 7 P.M. and proceed north on Main Street to Beaufort, east on Vernon to Constitution Trail, and then north on the Trail to Uptown Circle. Police from both cities will escort the procession.
Andy Dahn can be reached at [email protected].
