Bicyclists, Drivers Urged to Watch Out for Each Other

Photo: tredz.co.uk via Creative Commons
By Lee Burnett
Sanford police are issuing a road safety reminder in the wake of a spate of bicycle-car crashes this spring.
Richard Marks, 46, died May 14 and four others were injured in collisions with cars since April, according to Major Mark Dyer of the Sanford Police Department.
On Monday, Dyer posted a safety reminder to both cyclists and motorists on the police department’s Facebook page.
“Let’s all do our part to keep Sanford’s roads safe for everyone, whether on two wheels or four,” he wrote. “Safety is a two-way street. Let’s look out for each other.”
Dyer said the popularity of e-bikes has swelled the number of cyclists on the road and the battery-assist makes the bikes faster. “We are definitely seeing a lot more,” he said. “The more your speed increases, you’re increasing the likelihood of sustaining a serious injury.”
The season’s first accident occurred when a turning motorist failed to notice a cyclist on the right side, he said.
About 3:57 p.m. on April 1, a northbound motorist on River Street stopped at the traffic signal and started to turn right onto Cottage Street, without using a turn signal, he said. The car turned into a cyclist who had pulled up on the car’s right side, thinking the driver would continue straight on River Street, he said. The cyclist received scrapes and bruises on the arms.
A common factor in the four other accidents was “because a bike was in a place it was not supposed to be,” Dyer said.
At 5:17 pm on May 5, an electric scooter riding south against the traffic on Main Street in Springvale collided with a car that was turning left from Mill Street onto Main Street, he said. The e-scooter rider received cuts to the face and was taken by friends to the Maine Health emergency room in Sanford.
At 8:52 pm on May 14, Richard Marks was riding a bicycle from Gerrish Drive onto Main Street and collided with a northbound car on Main Street, Dyer said. Marks later died at Maine Health hospital. Police conducted an accident reconstruction and looked at the final 24 hours of Marks’ life and still do not know why he rode into oncoming traffic, Dyer said. Marks was wearing dark clothes and had no bike lights or reflectors, he said.
At about 7:44 am on May 16, a cyclist riding south against the traffic on Main Street crossed the driveway into McDonald’s just as a southbound car was turning left into the driveway. The cyclist received minor injuries.
Most recently, at about 1:46 pm on May 19, an e-biker riding south on a Main Street sidewalk collided with the passenger’s side door of a car stopped in the Kennebunk Savings Bank driveway, waiting for the traffic signal to turn green. The cyclist received cuts to the leg and was treated at Maine Health emergency room.
A cycling advocate concurred with Dyer’s observation that there are more two-wheeled vehicles on the road. “Living on Main Street as I do, I’ve noticed use has definitely increased, both e-bikes and e-scooters,” said Kristen Cyr of Cycle Sanford. She wonders if the new riders have absorbed the rules of the road for cyclists. She wonders how many would attend a bike safety course and speculated that a social media campaign might be effective.
“I don’t know what the solution is,” she said. She issued a reminder of her own that drivers bear extra responsibility because of the weight and speed of cars. “I get so upset when people’s first instinct is to blame the cyclist. They never think of the responsibility of the person in the car. I’ve been in so many situations, where I’m observing all the rules of the road and I’m put in jeopardy by a car. How many pounds is that?”

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