On a good looking Wednesday night, a gaggle of about 30 buddies accrued for a bike trip during the downtown space of St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida.
However, the trip was once no longer so relaxing for John Sinibaldi and his partners, who’re all individuals of the St. Petersburg Bicycle Club.
The team took section within the “ride of silence,” which was once arranged to boost consciousness a few bad and fatal fact.
“It’s disappointing that even in this day and age, people are still getting hit, injured, and killed, when we should all be more aware of what goes on out there,” stated Sinibaldi, who’s the membership’s president.
As a option to commemorate those that had been severely injured or killed while biking, the gang towed a white-painted bike, identified amongst cyclists as a ghost bike.
Florida has been a hazardous position for cyclists over the last a number of years, and that is very true within the counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco.
According to stats from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, closing 12 months by myself, 40 cyclists have been killed via drivers in the ones 3 counties, and 1,169 have been injured.
Unfortunately, there’s a fear that the location is not going to fortify in 2023. According to the St. Petersburg Bicycle Club, bicycle crashes and accidents within the tri-county space are not off course to exceed the numbers of the previous 11 years.
Sinibaldi has in my opinion felt the affect of this factor. He stated, “I think I have a target on me for some reason.” He was once hit via a automotive in 2004 and once more in 2010, leading to a complete of 17 damaged bones. “I feel like I’m bragging, but I’m not. It’s a horrible thing. I would do anything to not have that happen again, believe me,” he added.
So what’s the answer? Sinibaldi and the opposite membership individuals imagine that there will have to be fewer distractions while using, extra roads designed for all customers (together with drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists), and higher enforcement of unsafe using. Additionally, they imagine that instructing the neighborhood about cyclists’ rights may assist scale back injuries.