Posted 5:53 am Monday, April 23, 2012
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Memorial Ride Held In Honor Of REL Student
By TIM MONZINGO
Staff Writer
Other than the sounds of slightly-labored breathing and traffic, the slope in front of Green Acres Bowl was silent Sunday as more than a dozen cyclists peered at the alabaster bicycle chained to a utility pole outside.
Staff Writer
Other than the sounds of slightly-labored breathing and traffic, the slope in front of Green Acres Bowl was silent Sunday as more than a dozen cyclists peered at the alabaster bicycle chained to a utility pole outside.
The riders, some with yellow and black signs pinned to their backs, set off from Bergfeld Park at 2 p.m. Sunday on a memorial ride to honor a 15 year-old cyclist who was killed in a traffic accident last week in front of the bowling alley at 2311 East Southeast Loop 323.
The white road bike standing outside the bowling alley, known as a ghost bike, is their reminder to the community to be careful on the roads.
“They'll think of Allen Hall and they'll think of the rest of us,” said Nora Schreiber, a cyclist who organized the memorial ride. “It's a little reminder.”
“They'll think of Allen Hall and they'll think of the rest of us,” said Nora Schreiber, a cyclist who organized the memorial ride. “It's a little reminder.”
Hall was killed Monday when he was riding his bicycle and a truck hit him, according to authorities. He was dragged about 100 yards before the driver realized what had happened.
Hall succumbed to injuries after being taken to a local hospital to be treated.
Hall succumbed to injuries after being taken to a local hospital to be treated.
Not long after she heard about Hall's death, Ms. Schreiber said she got the idea to organize a memorial for the young man. The day after the accident, she said she saw another cyclist who'd been clipped and injured by a driver.
Hall's death was the second resulting from a collision between a motor vehicle and a bicycle this year.
Terry Knutson, 70, died after a truck hit his bicycle as he rode across Troup Highway in March.
Ms. Schreiber said as Tyler continues to grow, the importance of safety and attention when on the roads, for riders and drivers, grows as well.
“One of the things that happens when you become a big city is you gain more cyclists,” she said. “The city has a responsibility to protect all our citizens.”
About four days before Hall's death, the city approved plans to add bicycle lanes to some roads in town. The city voted to add and extend lanes along McDonald Road, Donnybrook Avenue and Old Omen Road.
Ms. Schreiber and others in the group, like Miles Zeorlin, said they see firsthand the dangers of riding in Tyler every day.
Zeorlin rides his bicycle often because he doesn't own a car, he said.
“We need to raise awareness,” he said of the dangers facing cyclists on the roads around Tyler. “The only way is to do things like this.”
He said Tyler is a ripe place for a community of cyclers to grow if proper conditions were put in place to protect them from the dangers of busy streets like Broadway and the loop.
Ms. Schreiber agreed.
She said they know it would be difficult to improve busy roadways, like the loop, enough to make them safe for cyclists, but even something as simple as connecting the city's sidewalks would help.
Sidewalks, by Texas law, are off limits to bicycles, but she said just knowing that they were there if riders needed them would be helpful.
Even without major infrastructure improvements, she said there are simple things drivers and riders can do to be better prepared for the hazards of the road.
Read the laws and understand them, she said. Pay attention and realize that bicycles, which are technically defined as motor vehicles in Texas, are out and about as well.
“I've seen riding down the roads how dangerous it can be,” she said. “We're not here to inconvenience (drivers).”
Hall's death was the second resulting from a collision between a motor vehicle and a bicycle this year.
Terry Knutson, 70, died after a truck hit his bicycle as he rode across Troup Highway in March.
Ms. Schreiber said as Tyler continues to grow, the importance of safety and attention when on the roads, for riders and drivers, grows as well.
“One of the things that happens when you become a big city is you gain more cyclists,” she said. “The city has a responsibility to protect all our citizens.”
About four days before Hall's death, the city approved plans to add bicycle lanes to some roads in town. The city voted to add and extend lanes along McDonald Road, Donnybrook Avenue and Old Omen Road.
Ms. Schreiber and others in the group, like Miles Zeorlin, said they see firsthand the dangers of riding in Tyler every day.
Zeorlin rides his bicycle often because he doesn't own a car, he said.
“We need to raise awareness,” he said of the dangers facing cyclists on the roads around Tyler. “The only way is to do things like this.”
He said Tyler is a ripe place for a community of cyclers to grow if proper conditions were put in place to protect them from the dangers of busy streets like Broadway and the loop.
Ms. Schreiber agreed.
She said they know it would be difficult to improve busy roadways, like the loop, enough to make them safe for cyclists, but even something as simple as connecting the city's sidewalks would help.
Sidewalks, by Texas law, are off limits to bicycles, but she said just knowing that they were there if riders needed them would be helpful.
Even without major infrastructure improvements, she said there are simple things drivers and riders can do to be better prepared for the hazards of the road.
Read the laws and understand them, she said. Pay attention and realize that bicycles, which are technically defined as motor vehicles in Texas, are out and about as well.
“I've seen riding down the roads how dangerous it can be,” she said. “We're not here to inconvenience (drivers).”
