Two Bicyclists Hit In St Cloud

On Thursday afternoon, two bicyclists were hit by an SUV at Highway 23 and 37th Avenue. Police are still investigating the cause. There was a long delay created by the need to extract one of the bikes from under the vehicle.

As I have discussed before, the number of incidences with bikes has continued to grow over the last year. It’s important that bike riders follow rules and that vehicles watch out for the bikes.

AVOIDING BIKE-VEHICLE CRASHES Cyclists and drivers:

• Reduce distractions and watch for bikes or cars.

• Follow all stop signs and traffic signals.

Drivers:

• Give cyclists the entire lane if there’s not enough room for a bike and vehicle.

• Give bikes 3 feet of clearance when passing.

• Look ahead and behind for cyclists when turning.

• Yield to bikes on sidewalks and halt before crosswalks.

Cyclists:

• Ride just right of center in a lane rather than along curbs

• Stay away from doors of parked cars.

• Bike with the flow of traffic unless there’s a contra-flow bike lane.

• Use hand signals for turns and switching lanes.

• Wear helmets and use lights and reflective gear at night.

Source: City of Minneapolis