Bend Bikes holds gathering and memorial bike ride to mark World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims
(Update: Adding video, comments from board members, city councilor)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Central Oregon cyclists and others gathered in Bend on Sunday and staged a memorial bike ride to commemorate the "World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims," an event marked around the globe to promote efforts to make roads safer for all modes of travel.
Bend Bikes held the gathering at Peace Corner in downtown Bend following a memorial bike ride to honor those killed in crashes each year.
Bend Bikes board member David Green said, "The transportation system is not built safely for anybody - people in cars, people on foot and people on bikes."
Bend Bikes' goal is to advocate for safer roads for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Board of directors Al Olson said, "It's a problem. I mean, there's my wife, who's a triathlete, Ironman - she doesn't like like riding her bike in town because she's competing against the cars."
Participants went on the memorial bike ride along NW Wall Street, then Riverside Boulevard by Drake park, then along Harmon Boulevard and Newport Avenue to Peace Corner.
According to Bend Bikes, in the U.S. more than 40,000 people are killed annually in traffic crashes.
Bend City Councilor Ariel Mendez, on hand for the event, said, "I was astonished to learn a couple of weeks ago that to date, we've already lost 24 lives outside of the city of Bend - 24 lives that could have been saved if we had safer roads."
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The Bend City Council recently adopted a proclamation marking the World Day of Remembrance:
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Here is a news release from BendBikes.org:
Make Your Voice Heard on World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Nov. 17
Bend, OR — Nov. 17, 2024 — On November 17, concerned people across the United States and around the world will take time to reflect on and then take action for the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
The number of World Day of Remembrance actions across the U.S. has grown significantly in the past few years. Community advocates and elected officials, along with survivors and people who’ve lost loved ones in crashes, are calling for more funding and faster delivery of road safety projects.
“We have made progress in creating safer streets in Bend, but there is a lot of work still to be done,” said Bend Bikes President Elisa Cheng. “Bend benefits when more of its citizens bike, walk and roll. We achieve that goal by creating safer options for them to get around.
“Safer transportation options for people biking, walking and rolling mean dedicated infrastructure that connects people to where they want to go and is comfortable for all ages and abilities,” Cheng added.
Shocking Statistics of Preventable Tragedies on U.S. Roads
· Nearly 50,000 people each year are killed in roadway crashes in the U.S., according to the National Safety Council.
· The U.S. ranks the worst among 29 high-income countries analyzed for road safety by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The population-based death rate in the U.S. is 11.1 per 100,000 population, the highest among the 29 high-income countries and 2.3 times the average rate of the 28 other countries (4.8 per 100,000).
· Roadway crashes in the U.S. disproportionately harm some communities: People in very low-income neighborhoods are 73% more likely to be hit and killed while walking compared to the general population; Black people are nearly 30% more likely to be killed in crashes than white people.
· Bicyclists’ deaths increased 31% and pedestrian deaths increased 58% between 2012 and 2021.
The City of Bend: 1,623 Traffic Crashes and 1 Fatality (editor's note: A 75-year-old was struck and killed by a semi-truck on the Bend Parkway in March).
The Bend police database, as of October 21, lists a total of 1,623 responses to traffic crashes thus far in 2024. Among those police responses to crashes:
· 129 crashes with injury
· 181 crashes with unknown injury
· 1 crash with a fatality.
· 496 hit and runs
“A single preventable death is a tragedy, tens of thousands of them a year is a national crisis – one that demands not just our remembrance, but our urgent action,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on the 2022 World Day of Remembrance.
Advocates Call for Proven, Live-Saving Strategies to Be Put into Place
“We have the tools and know-how right now to prevent most roadway deaths and severe injuries, but too often political and corporate leaders dodge responsibility to address these preventable tragedies by leading us to believe that they’re inevitable, but that is simply not true. If we put into place the proven strategies working in other nations, we would save tens of thousands of lives,” said Leah Shahum, founder and executive director of Vision Zero Network, a national organization supporting Vision Zero and World Day of Remembrance.
Calls for action on World Day of Remembrance include the following:
· Redesign roads and set policies to prioritize safety over speed. Speed is a top contributor to the occurrence of traffic crashes and a top indicator of severity of injuries. A reduction of just 1 mph in operating speed can result in a notable 17% decrease in fatal crashes. We advocate that city, state and federal leaders lower speed limits, redesign roadways, and leverage proven technology to manage speeds and improve safety.
· Take advantage of new state and federal funding for near-term safety investments. Transportation funding should be focused on safe mobility for all road users — not speed — and prioritized to benefit our communities suffering disproportionately, including people biking, walking, and rolling.
· Boost safe biking, walking and rolling options for people. We cannot reach national climate goals without more convenient alternatives to single-occupancy car trips.
On Nov. 17, we urge everyone to join us in remembering all people killed and seriously injured on the roads and to advocate for better support for road traffic victims and victim families. We also acknowledge the crucial work performed by those working for emergency services.
