Traffic Safety

A bicyclist was killed on Summit in 2008. (See previous post.) The place of her death is marked with a white "ghost bike" and the city has re-configured the interesection to make the stop sign more obvious to motorists (albeit with temporary-looking pilons and signage). This tragedy and the return of warm weather remind us of the importance of sharing the road.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has released preliminary statisitics for last year's traffic deaths. Fourteen bicylists died on Minnesota roads, up from four in 2007. While the number of bicyclists killed pales in comparison to the number of people in motorized vehicles (399) or even pedestrians (25), the sharp increase (as well as Summit's fatal accident being one of the 14) gives pause. The good news, the total number of traffic deaths (424) is the lowest since 1944.

As you enjoy driving up and down Summit, please remember to watch out for bicycles, runners and strollers. And if you are strolling, biking or running, use reasonable caution, and if biking, don't forget your helmet.

Here's the complete report, for interested parties: 2008 Traffic Deaths in MN (requires Acrobat reader).