Cyclist injured in Chilmark crash

1. I think the cyclists were coming back down Island on State Rd, just to clarify, and the driver was turning left off State Rd onto the road to Squibnocket Beach. In cyclists’ parlance, this is called a “left hook” and is a major cause of injuries to cyclists.

2. The Vineyard is a great place to bike! Cyclists are an ever and rapidly growing segment of people who use the roads on the vineyard. We really need to widen the roads a few feet so people can pass safely. The argument that drivers will drive faster is bunk. They already accelerate a lot to narrowly avoid bikers. I am often one of the bikers and for this reason I try to be off the roads by 7:30AM when the myriad of workers and others start their days. It just makes sense.

3. Totally agree with Jim. While making the roads wider (e.g. Middle Road in Chilmark) would help this is a non-starter given the obstacles to making this happen. The biggest danger is impatient drivers passing cyclists without regard to oncoming traffic especially on sections with limited to no visibility of the road ahead. Many times I have been driving and come around a curve to encounter a car coming the other direction in my lane in the process of passing a cyclist. The driver acts as if they have the right-of-way. When I see a cyclist approaching I become cautious expecting to find a car coming in my lane passing the cyclist.

4. The Island is burying its head in the sand. The towns have allowed the bike (multi-use) paths to deteriorate, despite significant $$ being approved at town meetings (I’m talking about you, Edgartown!). Electric bikes MUST be banned from the paths, and a speed limit must be established. Bikers going the wrong way on one way streets MUST be ticketed! We need better signage. More reminders to drivers that bikes and bikers have rights! (And responsibilities)

   1. Merrow, I bought an Ebike because Keller convinced me and now you wont let me ride on bike paths.

      1. andy– I am a bit surprised that you bought an e bike– but I think it’s great that you did, At your age , there are lots of physicality beneficial benefits–
         there are 2 types of e bikes, you know.. ones with a throttle that you sit on and pretend you are a re small motorcycle ,or the ones that you have to pedal, and you get an assist–
         That’s what I have–
         What kind of e bike did you buy ?
         And just for the record, John Morrow’s opinion is not preventing you from riding your mythological bike on the bike path.
         But– now that you actually have an e bike, i would be more than happy to take a ride with you through the state forest and converse about some political or religious issues.

         1. It is an Aventon step thru pedal assist and I wouldnt ride with you because I would lose my concentration and run into someone. My bike is not mythological it is real and I have 309 miles on it at an average 12.6 mph in two months. I often ride it at Echo setting and never more and I sometimes ride it with no assist at all but it is harder due to its heaviness.

   2. John–I agree with you on every point except banning
      e bikes on the bike paths. I’m not sure how that could
      be enforced. i have a pedal assist bike–
      If I am not pedaling, my bike stops.
      I’m 71 yrs old. The pedal assist cuts out at 20 mph.
      I am appalled, as you apparently are at the e bikes that
      tourist sit on and cruise at 30 mph on the bike paths.
      Yup— it’s a problem.
      But it’s difficult to fix stupid– I see so many people
      riding against traffic. Or walking with their backs to
      traffic at night with dark clothes and earbuds in.
      How can they trust that every single person going
      by them is fully alert, paying attention or not blinded
      by some a-hole that refuses to turn their high beams off ?
      Not sure the police should ticket them, but they should
      advise them as to what is safe.
      I think most people who do this are just plain ignorant.

   3. Yes and five thumbs up..!

   4. I must respectfully disagree with some of your points. Most of them, in fact. Alright just about all of them.

      While I acknowledge that certain bike paths, including in Edgartown, have seen neglect, I firmly believe that e-bikes are part of the solution, not the problem. Banning or even regulating them further would be a step backward. E-bikes are an eco-friendly alternative that can significantly reduce car usage on Martha’s Vineyard, alleviating traffic and reducing our carbon footprint. Instead of pushing against them, we should be promoting their use and offering incentives for residents and visitors to choose e-bikes over cars.

      Furthermore, expanding our bike path infrastructure is crucial. Major streets, including Barnes Road, should have dedicated bike paths. By making biking safer and more accessible, we can encourage more people to leave their cars at home and opt for a more sustainable mode of transportation. As for bikers on one-way streets, education and awareness are key. We need to ensure everyone knows the rules and respects them. Better signage is a valid point, but let’s not forget the bigger picture: a sustainable, eco-friendly Martha’s Vineyard where e-bikes play a pivotal role.

5. Ban bicycles?
   More Conservative rules and regulations?

   1. Electric bicycles are not the type of vehicles that the Bicycle/Pedestrian Paths were designed to accommodate. They share more DNA with motorcycles and mopeds than with pedal-powered bicycles. Electric bikes are too heavy, too fast, and too quiet to safely share space on our narrow paths. I agree with John Merrow that they should be banned.

      1. too quiet ?

6. I would have more sympathy for the driver, if the sun
   was a factor, but at 8:15 am, the sun is at the back
   of the vehicle and illuminating the cyclist.
   Who knows? perhaps the driver of the vehicle
   was on a important phone call.

7. The way this accident is described perfectly sums up what I am seeing on every Island road: cyclists are going too fast with no regard or awareness of road traffic. It is taking their right of way to an extreme. Electric bikes in Oak Bluffs are whizzing through intersections as if everyone needs to get of their way. I think a little more education about how to navigate mixed use roads for cyclists is needed (along with a dollop of common sense)

   1. Joanne–Did you read the article ? The driver was
      charged with failure to yield and negligent operation.
      A bicycle travelling on the right side of the road
      has the right of way. To blame the three cyclist for this
      one is ridiculous. Just because you don’t like bicycles
      is no reason to blame them while they were safely
      operating and abiding by the rules of the road and
      someone in a vehicle didn’t see them and caused an
      accident, which is clear in this case. Also, nothing in this article
      indicates that the bikes involved here had any electrical
      component or were travelling “too fast”.

8. Years ago a gentleman with a large car (and a larger ego) visited me and we elected to go on an Island tour. He dealt with bicycles by blasting them with his horn at every opportunity. I objected to this behavior and his visit ended quickly. Everyone SLOW DOWN!. Where the hell are you going in such a hurry? And the next stream of bikes coming toward me down Circuit Ave in Oak Bluffs, past the cops on the corner — God help ’em. They can be as as full of road rage as car drivers. People who rent bikes should demonstrate a modicum of common sense, an ability to actually ride a bike and some knowledge of rules of the road.

9. While I love the concept of E-bikes, it’s become sadly apparent that they are dangerous on the multi-use paths. They’re too fast and some people are just plain reckless. They swerve all over the lane to avoid slower moving pedestrians and cyclists. They’re more like silent mopeds than bicycles.

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