Saving Lives Must Come First; Saving Seconds Has To Wait

It’s too early to know exactly what happened – if we ever will – in the death of Alex Motsenigos, a Wellesley cyclist killed in late August on Weston Road in Wellesley near the western end of Linden St. But it’s my experience from the last 15 years of riding in the W towns, that it’s simply a miracle that many more bikers are not dead or seriously injured.

This recent death of a young, athletic, family man on a busy street near a bustling business district is indeed a tragedy. And it’s looking like it might be a pure accident between frail man on a fragile bicycle bumped imperceptibly by a large vehicle. Few realize how little it takes to send a road biker flying. Fewer still expect it to be deadly.

On almost every one of my rides – whether it’s my home-based ‘Pan-Wayland 20’ or a trip to Concord or Carlisle or Acton or Dover/Sherborn – there is some car/truck/van driver who puts me in serious and imminent danger. And often, it’s quite intentional and stupid.

I’m not talking just about those who honk angrily and scare the wits out of me. I’m not talking about those who pass too close and are usually waving with one finger. I’m not talking about those who rush to pass, then cut me off by abruptly turning right into a driveway or street when they could have slowed down for a heartbeat or two, and turned after I pass their target destination.

The real danger comes from drivers who pass bikers in the middle of a blind curve… completely crossing the centerline, driving on the left side of the road… putting themselves in as much danger as they do me should a car or truck be coming around that bend.

I kid you not! It’s incredible. Several times each year I’m passed by a car on a narrow road, on a sharp curve by a car driver who hasn’t even thought about slowing down. They just charge on.

Let me tell you about the fear that wells up when you hear a car accelerating from about 30 yards back like an angry bear – well, it’s palpable. You just can’t believe anyone would be stupid enough to try to pass in that situation. And there’s nothing you can do except maybe dive for the side of the road and take your chances with the brush or a stone wall.

It’s terrifying. You hear that engine being pushed. You can’t even see ahead; they see less. What will happen if and if there’s a car coming. The car behind undoubtably will swerve back into the right lane and plow right into or right through you.

What do you think would happen to my 200 pounds of flesh and the 16.5 pounds of carbon fiber and steel and rubber I’m sitting on? You think the 8 oz. foam headgear is going to help?

There are a few polite drivers. Those that stop on busy Rte. 20 to left you cross and turn left onto Plain Road. There are a few who wait to pass until there’s a clear stretch and where they don’t have to waste a quart of gas to throttle the car up to highway speeds to surge by you. There are those that make sure they leave three feet clearance as they pass by you (the new law). There are those that don’t honk like you’re a wayward cow in the middle of the road. We can count these nice people easily – on one hand.

The rest clearly think we just don’t belong on the road under any circumstances. We’re in their way and they should NOT have to yield or even slow down for us. Their idea of ‘share the road’ is to bully us out of their way. We’re zero on a scale of 1 to 10.

Never mind the laws giving bike riders plenty of rights to be on the road – yes, even ride two-by-two providing bikers don’t unreasonably hold up traffic. And sure, there are bikers who behave badly.

But common sense and safety must prevail. The frail bike and rider must be given room and time and concern for safety above all else so that we’re not talking tragedy. Saving lives must come first. Saving a few seconds has to wait.

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FYI… a fund has been set up for Alex Motsenigos’ 6-year-old son, Nikolas.  Contributions can be mailed to Nikolas Motsenigos Education Fund, PO Box 81082, Wellesley, MA 02481  or you can donate via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/send-money-online) to the email address: nikolaseducationfund@gmail.com.