Sad But True

Cyclist Fatality Closes EB Trans-Canada

August 04, 2007 - 11:59 pm

By: Craig Lester

A deadly crash between a car and a cyclist just west of Brooks closed the eastbound lanes of the Trans Canada early Saturday afternoon.

Police are not saying much, but it appears the cyclist was killed when he was struck by a vehicle near the intersection of Highway 36.

One caller to the 660 newsroom, who witnessed the crash, says the vehicle drifted onto the shoulder before striking the cyclist.

The crash created traffic headaches for both directions of travel as the westbound lanes were converted into a two way traffic set-up.

It’s with much sadness that I post about the loss of a courageous person, an expert cyclist, an all around great guy that I barely knew, who’s loss is affecting me greatly. Since hearing about the senseless and needless death of Charlie - known on one of the last great forums of the interslice as “Shiznaz”… which he was the - I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. How the worthless human being who couldn’t take the responsibility of inhabiting a planet with other people decided that they couldn’t do any of the bagillion things they could have done that would have prevented this from happening and instead said, “I feel fine.” The suck thing is they will. One day. One day they’ll get out of jail, they’ll get in there car and they’ll even be able to have another drink. Charlie will not have any of those options and that is so far from cool it would melt your face.

I met Charlie about a year ago online. When I bought my last bike I was pointed to BikeForums.net as there was a thriving singlespeed/fixed gear community. Not long after I met Charlie in person and it was apparent immediately from his amazing stories that he wasn’t just your average bear. The one that stuck out involved a cabbie getting out of his cab during an altercation and actually punching him in the chest. As I recall Charlie took the high road and upon retelling got taken to task for not destroying said cabbie. The way Charlie handled himself in both the story and the subsequent moment of discomfort were classic. And my retelling won’t do it justice, I just had to share.

A Couple of months ago he did the ultimate, contemporary North American dream; quit his job at the bank, sold everything he could and set out on a life changing adventure. His was to set out on by bicycle from Vancouver to Southern California, then from Vancouver back to Toronto by himself. An incredible undertaking and very inspirational. What a terrible loss.

If you read the news clipping above - the only one found thus far by the hundreds scouring as much media as possible - you’ll notice what I see to be part of the problem; “A deadly crash between a car and cyclist”. Being struck from behind by a car piloted by a reckless person is not a crash. It’s murder. But the media likes to treat a cyclist like a vehicle. And so do other drivers. Until it’s not convenient to them. The problem of course is that a “cyclist” is a person on a bicycle. Of flesh and blood and as fragile. A car is a 3500lb hunk of metal. When it hits something it just breaks. And yet people still use them against cyclists all of the time to “keep them in line” as if a cyclist would simply get “broke” and not dead. I was hit just yesterday by someone who simply didn’t look out the passenger side window. Not even the mirror… I was right beside him. And despite having almost run me down, he proceeded to get out and blame me as if it would have mattered had I not been fortunate enough to react fast… and be in a position to do so.

The attitude about and against cyclists has to change. With all the talk of green this and green that there’s absolutely no more consideration given to cycling or cyclists. It is and has been the single most efficient mode of personal transportation since it’s invention and the current attitude is a testament to how much the governments of this - and many other - countries really care about the environment as well as their own constituents. In Toronto they’ve still failed to fulfill their easy promise of installing a paltry 250km of bike lanes in the city - not that I’m convinced that easy answer is the right one either, but it’s something. And with all the talk about safety the police aren’t much help.

Enough of my ranting, I’ve just been reeling with this for the last 24 hours and had to put something down. Pay my respects and share with those who didn’t have the pleasure what a chance they’d missed in knowing a solid guy.

You will be missed Charlie. Ride in peace.