Cyclist injured near Brandy Brow

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A bicyclist was injured in a collision with a pickup truck Wednesday morning in West Tisbury.

On Wednesday, July 27, a cyclist was struck by a pickup on State Road near Brandy Brow in West Tisbury and subsequently airlifted off the Vineyard. The accident occurred just before 7 am, according to West Tisbury Police Chief Matt Mincone, who said charges of failure to yield and negligent operation are pending against the pickup operator. 

Chief Mincone said the accident left a female cyclist unconscious. That cyclist was headed down-Island on State Road when the pickup truck operator, a 50-year-old man, turned onto State Road from Edgartown-West Tisbury Road. The name of the operator is not being given, Mincone said, because the charges are still pending and because the accident remains under investigation. 

7 COMMENTS

  1. When I am heading down island and approach that intersection on my bicycle, I get fully into the middle of the road to prevent people turning right onto edg-w.t road and cutting me off,
    or not being seen by someone turning left onto state rd.
    Look street intersection and 5 corners also.
    And cyclist note the bicycles painted on the road going into the roundabout. Than means you have full right to go into the roundabout in the middle of the road. It’s the safest place to be there. Same thing in O.B where they have put in diagonal parking along the harbor.
    Cars backing out have a hard time seeing you, and there is no where to go if someone starts to pull out. That’s why they painted the bike lane symbols in the middle of the road. I put my wheel directly on the middle of the arrows.
    Vehicle operators please be patient..

    Ride defensively. Wear a helmet.
    I hope for a full recovery for this injured person.

  2. I drive the roads every day. I call 508-693-1212 every time I see any driver being reckless. Bust these jerks before they kill you, a close friend, or family member.

  3. MV never planned for the volume of cars, trucks, landscapers construction and maintenance people it has now. The swelling of people on the Vineyard will not stop. Biking on roads here in the summer scares me. Many times cars are inches away from my elbow and I can only think about how I’ll go off the road and what’s going to break my fall as I hug the white line.

    We need to consider that cycling has grown tremendously here and while bike lanes may be impractical due to the narrowness of the roads, a modest 12-16 inch widening might be good. People have and will continue to argue that wider roads mean people will drive faster. I don’t agree. They already drive faster, get stuck behind cyclists and then try to pass when they think they can. If they feel they are at risk they will take out the cyclist to protect themselves. Considering the narrow windy roads we have here its a blessing we don’t have more accidents.

    My motto these days is be off the roads before 8AM but it seems after this incident I may have to go earlier. Hoping for a fast and full recovery for this rider.

    • Jim– I agree about adding that 16 inches to the sides of some roads. Could be easily done.
      Many people here have never seen a bicycle on the road, and have no idea how to pass one. they wait behind you, build up a line of cars behind them, and then finally, when there is no oncoming car in sight with a line of site of about a half mile, they gun their car and go. All the cars behind do the same thing, and a line of frustrated drivers are determined to get around the bike and cut it close.
      At least they could put a little dirt in some spots to get rid of the “cliffs” that happen in a lot of spots where the asphalt ends.
      The vineyard should get a plan together to add many more miles of dike paths, and do it consistently. Also, some bike paths are in such bad shape it’s better to take the road.

  4. The disconnect between recognizing that the island has grown too crowded with traffic and bicyclists, but still wanting more housing for every business that employs staff that caters to theses crowds is astonishing to me. These observations about how unsafe our roads are are exactly why a Housing Bank is a terrible idea for our island that is operating beyond capacity. Of course, we’d need a reduction in greed and entitlement to make that connection.
    May the injured rider make a full recovery.

  5. Worst yet, are the parents towing these Burley Trainers with tiny children in these flimsy little cages, the parents oblivious to Main Street Edgartown traffic’s city-size buses, pick-up and commercial trucks, cars and other bicyclists. It’s insane. And, it will happen.

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