Bicycle Coalition founder stalled by car-caused crash

Advocate will continue working for better bike culture

By SANDY LONG

PORT JERVIS, NY — With both arms in casts, Bernie Bomba won’t be riding his cherished bicycle anytime soon. That privilege was taken from him by the driver of a car that cut Bomba off as he pedaled along the West Side of Port Jervis recently. To avoid crashing into the car that crossed his path, Bomba was launched over the bike’s handlebars, breaking several bones and suffering multiple abrasions.

Bomba is not alone. Others have survived similarly harrowing events.

Cyclist Stacey Barbossa still cannot ride in an area where she was injured by the driver of a sport utility vehicle on a clear summer morning. She writes, “Without warning, he made a sharp left hand turn directly in front of me. I was unable to stop and crashed into the passenger side door and window. I ‘woke’ to hear an elderly man say, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.’ There was no warning, no blinker, no slowing.”

Barbossa was taken to a hospital where she was treated for concussion, a separated left shoulder, left knee and hip injuries, jaw bruising, facial and mouth lacerations, broken teeth and bruises.

Others have endured intentional assaults from those who prefer not to share the road with cyclists. Too often, bicyclists are viewed as intruders on public roadways.

“On a rural road, while passing at a high rate of speed, the passenger of a pickup threw a nearly full can of beer at me,” said coalition member David Greenbaum. “The impact lifted me off the bike and briefly knocked me unconscious. I initially thought I’d been shot.”

Another time, Greenbaum was approached by a pickup. “The passenger window was lowered and the nonverbal signal implied that they were looking for directions. Once within reach, the passenger violently opened the door, knocking me off the bike into a drainage ditch on the side of the road.” He adds that verbal abuse is commonplace.

Sometimes drivers pay the price for their annoyance at cyclists. “Our Orange County club had a ride in late fall last year. A woman was driving with a man in the passenger seat. She rode by, yelling for the cyclists to ‘get off the road.’ She was cursing and was so intent that she never saw the car in front of her stop to make a left hand turn and she rear-ended him,” noted cyclist Mary Beth Henderson.

Sometimes cyclists don’t survive such encounters and a nationwide effort to memorialize those who lose their lives in cyclist/vehicle collisions is underway (see Ghost Bikes at www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/ghost-bikes-are-memorials.php ).

Ironically, Bomba formed the coalition in order to promote and protect the rights of bicyclists and advocate for initiatives to make cycling safer, more convenient and more enjoyable. Members want to see the region begin demonstrating more respect for bicyclists, not only as people engaged in sport or recreation, but as people who ride bikes as an integral part of their everyday lives.

“Places that have a well-established bicycle-friendly culture that is sustained and supported by the local officials in the form of ‘Share the Road’ signs, bicycle lanes where appropriate, creating traffic patterns and conditions that promote safety for cyclists, are much safer than areas that have no bicycle initiatives,” said Bomba.

Coalition members met with Port Jervis Mayor Gary Lopriore and others in June in hopes of getting things moving. But despite initial enthusiasm, Bomba said he has not received a response to his requests to follow up on initiatives discussed at the meeting.

To improve access to town amenities, the coalition offered to donate and install several new and improved bicycle racks. But Bomba’s offer went unacknowledged. Lopriore now says the city must oversee the project and that several new racks have been ordered and will be installed near city hall. He added that downtown merchants will need to make the decision to install additional racks in the shopping district.

Lopriore said that he “very much agrees” with becoming a more bicycle-friendly community, but that it will take “some significant money” to implement. “Some of their ideas are very good, but there are financial issues,” he added.

“It’s very discouraging,” said Bomba, who remains committed to advancing the interests of the cycling community.

The coalition has made some progress with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which recently installed six “Share the Road” signs between Milford and Matamoras. They continue to advocate for better road shoulder maintenance and repair of obstacles such as storm drains. And the Port Jervis City Council voted to adopt a waterfront revitalization plan that includes a bike path.

Ultimately, the coalition would like to see Port Jervis take the lead by seeking recognition as a Bicycle Friendly Community ( www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org/about.htm ), which encourages bicycling as a way of improving public health and air quality while reducing traffic demands and enhancing tourism, recreation and overall quality of life.

But they might have to wait, as the wheels of change move slowly. Meanwhile, cyclists will continue to assume the risks posed on area roadways, despite statistics showing that increased numbers of cyclists in bicycle-friendly communities actually reduce risk due to enhanced awareness of their presence ( see www.science.unsw.edu.au/news/a-virtuous-cycle-safety-in-numbers-for-riders-says-research/ ). For more information, email pjbicycle@gmail.com and visit www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/communities/ .