Local bike shop owners, IUPD encourage bikers to be careful

Both bicycle riders and motor vehicle drivers travel with one another most days around town free of conflict and medical emergencies. But when a bicyclist's rubber wheels meets an automobile's metal grill, bicyclists often face minor insult, major injury and the possibility of death. \nBloomington man Michael Steinbach, 37, was killed Monday morning after being hit head-on by an IMI cement truck at the corner of Third St. and North Walnut street. Witnesses claim Steinbach, a frequent guest at the Shalom Center, peddled his bicycle the wrong-way on Walnut St. before falling underneath the cement mixer's wheels.\n"This is unfortunate -- it's sad the accident happened," said John Smith, owner of Bikesmiths Bicycle Shop, 112. S. College Ave. "Hopefully other bicyclists and motorists will learn from the wreck. People break the law because they think it is safe. You can't do that -- riding a bicycle up the wrong way in Bloomington. The community should take a look at bicycle use and provide more transportation-oriented commitments to bicyclists instead of focusing only on the recreation aspect."\nSmith said most of his customers have discussed the rigors of bicycle safety while visiting his store this week because of Monday's tragic accident. He opened his bike shop in 1985 while he attended IU. \n"Bicyclists should obey traffic laws -- rules of the road that apply to motorists and motor vehicles," said Sgt. Leslie Slone of the IU Police Department. "A two- or three-ton vehicle can cause a lot of damage whether or not you have the right of way. In showdowns between an automobile and a bicycle, the bicyclist is not going to win."\nSlone joined the IUPD bicycle patrol in 1993 as one of their first officers to turn in squad car keys for a bicycle helmet and bike lock. She said bicyclists also collide with pedestrians on sidewalks, and she called for more bicycle safety efforts within the IU campus.\nIndiana Code 9-21-11, pertaining to bicycle safety, states: A person riding a bicycle upon a roadway has all the rights and duties that are applicable to a person who drives a vehicle. IC code also requires riders to keep both hands upon the handlebars, front and rear lamps "exhibiting a white light" visible from at least 500 ft. and "a bell or other device" capable of giving a signal audible for at least 100 feet. \nBloomington resident Ryan Shanahan, a 12-year employee of the Bicycle Garage on Kirkwood Ave., said his bicycle shop offers riders a "Rules of the Road" pamphlet to further educate residents and students about law-abiding bicycle practices and common safety pit-falls.\n"You want to ride with traffic, stay right and wear a helmet. At night you have to have a front and rear reflector," he said. "Ride very defensively as opposed to driving with space. On a bike you have to assume no one sees you or cares you are there."\nThe Bicycle Garage and Bikesmiths Bicycle Shop offer cyclists a wide array of form-fitting helmets, front and rear reflectors, reflective clothing like leg bands and side-view mirrors. Both shops recommended bicyclists operate their moving vehicles on the roadway instead of along public sidewalks -- some biking accidents occur when those riding on the sidewalks develop a false sense of security, they said.\nSmith said he would like to see Bloomington adopt a "parallel universe" for bicyclists in town -- less interaction between cars and bicycles. He said "thought and commitment" about bicycle safety from city officials could create safer parallel streets for bicycle routes -- "non-major car routes" in addition to the bicycle paths already available -- such as University Ave. west to College Mall and streets similar to 8th St. from the city to the university. \n"I personally try to find calmer streets to ride on and I try to be predictable," Smith said. "There are things people anticipate -- like stop signs and crosswalks. If you operate your bicycle outside the law, you and other drivers may not anticipate what will happen. Behaviors like running through stop signs, riding the wrong way or turning right on red leads to accidents"