Families of cyclists killed in Waukesha County join Ride of Silence
They will be silent to be noticed.
At nine locations around Wisconsin, cyclists will start pedaling at 7 p.m. Wednesday as part of the international Ride of Silence, slow-moving memorials to bikers killed and injured on the road.
By grieving and riding quietly, they hope to remind motorists and fellow bicyclists to follow the law and share the road.
The consequences of not doing so will be exemplified with emotion in Waukesha, where the widows and families of two men killed in crashes last year will join the riders.
Brett Netke, 42, was hit by a car while riding on Highway 18 in the Village of Summit on Father’s Day, May 20.
Jeff Littmann, 56, was hit by a car while riding on Wisconsin Ave. in Nashotah on Oct. 1.
They were among the nine bicyclists killed in crashes with motor vehicles in Wisconsin in 2010.
“I’ll be there to support Darlene (Netke) and to put a face to what has happened, just so that people know this is life and death,” said Rachel Bishop, Netke’s sister. “I want people to know that this has been a major disruption for everyone involved.”
Bishop will travel from Holland, Mich., to join the memorial with Netke’s widow and his children, Tyer, 8, Alyssa, 6, and Gabrielle, 4.
“My hope and my prayer for Darlene is she gets some peace from this, and some comfort,” Bishop said. “I hope she can see that people are standing up for some sort of awareness, and for safety on the road.
“It won’t heal her completely. Nothing will. But I hope this will, a little bit.”
Littmann’s widow, Kelly James-Littmann, said she hopes motorists will notice the memorial ride and remember to be more watchful and more compassionate. That might help ease the fears she has for her children, Ashley and Michael James, two cyclists who train and compete like their stepfather.
The Ride of Silence started in Texas in 2003, in memory of Larry Schwartz, a cyclist who was hit and killed by the mirror of a school bus. Rides are expected to take place this year in 150 locations.
In Waukesha, the Spring City Spinners Bicycle Club will host its memorial event for a second year. The ride will start at the Waukesha State Bank, 151 E. St. Paul Ave.
Similarly, this will be year two for the ride starting at the Wheel & Sprocket store in Fox Point.
The Warshafsky Law Office helped coordinate the ride in Fox Point and promoted the cause with a list of five bicycle-related laws motorists should know. Topping the list is the requirement that motorists provide three feet of clearance when passing a cyclist.
The driver who killed Brett Netke was ticketed for failing to yield the three feet and paid a $114 fine.
On a more basic point, the participants want to remind drivers that they have a right to be on the road.
In addition to the events listed above, rides will be held in Appleton, Green Bay, Lake Geneva, Madison, Oshkosh, Racine and Viroqua. Details can be found at www.rideofsilence.org.
70 Comments for "Families of cyclists killed in Waukesha County join Ride of Silence"
Thats just sickening. People operating motorized vehicles have to be held responsible for their actions. Bicyclists (my wife is an avid one) are getting mowed dowm, swore at, stuff thrown out of cars at them, threatened, etc., etc. And NOTHING is done about it. There are some sick/mean people in our world! I'm an avid motorcyclists...I travel on my motorcycle all the time (Cheaper on gas and fun), but definitely notice that car/truck drivers are very verydisrespectful of others!!! Why cant we all just slow down and think a little here?????
cy young May 17, 2011 6:31 AM
UnfrozenCaveman May 17, 2011 6:38 AM
And lets not even mention the cost for the pain suffered by their friends and family.
Chucksa . . . I'd be careful. What an insensitive comment. Bad things happen to good people all the time. We (bikers) have the same rights on the roads as any car and should be able to use them without being worried about some inattentive driver(s).
cnnondayle May 17, 2011 6:38 AM
The reason some of the penalties for drivers who injure or kill a bicyclist mayy seem so trivial is that the cyclist is very often the cause, not the victim. WHY don't you need a license to ride a bike on anything other than a residential street? WHEN was the last time a cop ticketed a biker? If bicyclists want improved safety, they should start by improving their skills.
jammon May 17, 2011 6:41 AM
I think she deserves some respect.
T. Held May 17, 2011 6:51 AM
Just the latter of the two would give bicyclists a chance to see possible erratic drivers as they are approaching.
But, maybe that's just me, when we were kids we were always riding against traffic so we could see cars coming, and some of the roads we road were busy, we did so because our parents told us that way we could get off the road if a car was coming and looked like they were erratic or that it may come too close to us and we did so until a police officer stopped and told us (we were probably around 9 years old) it was against the law. Around 3 decades later, there are many more cars on the road and many many more distractions for drivers, because against the law or not, people don't think it's a problem to text and drive and even drivers in their 20s don't seem to realize how much distance is actually traveled in a few seconds.
dbahr May 17, 2011 6:51 AM
mellowdave May 17, 2011 7:03 AM
Let's just nip this in the bud. It is incredibly dangerous, stupid, and illegal to ride on the left side of the road. Do not do it. Cars turning right or will not expect you to be there and they'll hit you. Do not do it. Again, do NOT do it.
UnfrozenCaveman May 17, 2011 7:04 AM
When I'm biking to work at 20+ MPH, I don't want to be dodging pedestrians.
Biking against traffic is also pretty unsafe. While it might work on suburban
roads, it's just not a very good idea when coming down Wisconsin Ave like I
have to every morning.
The safest solution is having a maintained bike path (like the Oak Leak Trail).
The next-best solution is to have a dedicated bike lane, one where I can bike
without having to swerve around parked cars.
GodBlessTheTeaParty May 17, 2011 7:06 AM
Hmmm...sounds much like drivers talking about bikes, no?
jammon May 17, 2011 7:10 AM
assured that a car will stay in its lane and that I have a reasonably safe
corridor where I can bike. On the sidewalk, people are walking all over.
Weaving through pedestrians is just as dumb as weaving through
pedestrians.
GodBlessTheTeaParty May 17, 2011 7:16 AM
apples to apples there. It's called a side'walk' for a reason. I think the whole point is
that if anyone on this board were to hit and kill a cyclist they would be devastated.
It seems as if you can hit a cyclist then you're also in the position to hit a
pedestrian, a construction worker or a tree because you're not paying attention. In
the cases where the car is at fault, it's usually because of inattention or failure to
simply slow down. Do you really want to live with someones death on your
conscience. Even though the person above only got a ticket I'm sure every day is a
living hell for them.
As for the bikers not following the rules. Yes, there is merit to it and I'll be the first
to point it out if I see it, but that is irrelevant as to having the right to hit someone,
which almost seems to be the insinuation here. I wish they would get ticketed just
as anyone else, especially when it's an egregious and dangerous situation.
Is it that hard for everyone to pay attention, follow the rules and simply slow down?
PharaohSpeaks May 17, 2011 7:22 AM
momn8r May 17, 2011 7:22 AM
No. Cyclists are required to stay as far to the right of the road as is practicable. Pedestrians can be wherever they want to be on the sidewalk.
UnfrozenCaveman May 17, 2011 7:45 AM