Posted by Justathough (anonymous) on August 29, 2009 at 2:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

This story is very alarming to me in light of the fact that 2 students at Troy University have been hit within the last 2 weeks as well. Both students were riding correctly, which for those of you who are not aware, bicyclist should ride going with the flow of traffic. Unfortunately this town is very UNFRIENDLY towards not only bikers but pedestrians as well. I hope this teenager is ok and that this brings a spotlight to the importance of not only watching for bikers AND pedestrians but being courteous as well. In the case of the 2 college students the drivers did not stop, ok one did stick his head out the window and say are you ok? Let us all be more considerate before someone is killed.

Posted by grammarxpert (anonymous) on August 30, 2009 at 12:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Way to read a police report!

Posted by elvis2 (anonymous) on August 30, 2009 at 9 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You all are right . It seems as if some drivers get a kick out of scaring bike riders . It has gotten so bad I quit riding in the street or highway . A lot more people might ride if it were not for the idiots who delight in forcing you off the road . My understanding of the law is that the bike rider has the same rights as the automobile driver and is to obey the same rules .

Posted by Blue_Sky (anonymous) on August 30, 2009 at 10:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I know that money keeps a lot of good projects from happening, but cities really need walking and biking lanes. The cost is prohibitative I imagine.

Posted by Observer22 (anonymous) on August 30, 2009 at 10:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Bicycles are vehicles and are supposed to be operated like traffic units: right lane, stop for lights, give signals, etc. In none of these references to bicyclists being hit is the location mentioned. On a highway a cyclist should wear bright colors and even have flags. Cyclists should use some judgment in selecting city streets to travel. Streets such as Wallace, Brundidge, Three Notch, Elm, and Gibbs are simply too busy for bikes.

Unlike bicycles, pedestrians are (by law) supposed to use sidewalks when available and walk facing traffic when sidewalks are absent. Joggers, runners, trotters, etc., are pedestrians and should run facing traffic or use sidewalks.

Troy State should include pedestrian training in its orientation process especially for students from Communist China.

Posted by dixiedarling (anonymous) on August 30, 2009 at 11:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree with Observer22. TU needs pedestrian training in the Orientation Program! When there are sidewalks, students prefer to walk in the street - this is a daily thing. It is no wonder that someone has not been really hurt.

Posted by twocarat (anonymous) on August 30, 2009 at 6:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree with Observer22. TU needs pedestrian training as well as training on driving legally, walking, being courteous in public places (ie WalMart), and many many other issues/activities in the Orientation Program! TU also should be held somewhat accountable for what they do without supervison.

I do hope that the young man hit will have a full recovery.

Posted by WaxingWampeter (anonymous) on August 30, 2009 at 11:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Poor street design. Even near our schools there is sidewalk only on one side of the street. Sidewalks are only found in the older sections of town and are in poor repair. There are NO covers for the street drains and the street drains actually dip down into the storm sewer. What that means to a cyclist is, you will be flying over the handlebars if your front wheel falls into one. Some of our storm sewer openings are actually large enough for a small child to be swept into. There is also quite a drop from the pavement into the gutter, caused by layering new asphalt on top of old, which is another hazard for a cyclist. And don't get me started on the high curbs that prove to be a barrier to pedestrians and cyclists. If you think it isn’t, I challenge you to borrow an electric scooter chair or wheelchair and take a short tour of the town.

I have seen streets in much older towns that have been designed to provide safety for ALL modes of transportation, so I know it is possible. I have seen the street and the gutter be on the same level and covers put over the drains that have holes too small for bike tires to fall through. The City should require all new buildings, especially new residences, to have sidewalks and for the owners to be responsible to keep them in good condition, good enough for an elderly person shuffling along not to trip. And if the owner doesn’t maintain it, the City will perform the repair and bill the owner. The problem existed long before TU became so culturally diverse. If we want to reduce the number of accidents involving bicyclists and pedestrians, then we need to be responsible and give them a safer place to walk.

Posted by blue (anonymous) on August 31, 2009 at 4:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

While I agree that the side walks need to be fix, I do not think it should be the residences responsible for the up keep..the side walks are the city's responsibility. I have a tree trunk growing under mine and we have ask the city to repair the sidewalk where it has buckled up..nothing. There's grass growing in the cracks and along the sides and soon we won't have a side walk.

I think there should be a guardrail on that sidewalk between the schools(elementary and the middle school) and I am really angry because Friday, as I left the elementary school and came down the hill to the middle school..one of the kids crossed the road right in front of me..not at the crossing, but just as I started down that hill.

Posted by WaxingWampeter (anonymous) on August 31, 2009 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Is the sidewalk on your property? Is the tree on your property? Then it's your responsibility. It could also be your responsibility if someone falls and gets hurt because it wasn't properly maintained. People got away from building sidewalks because they didn't want people walking in front of their house, in their yard, now the pedistrians can either slog through uneven, wet and slippery grassy terrian or risk getting hit by traffic on the street.

Posted by blue (anonymous) on August 31, 2009 at 7:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

No, the tree is NOT on my property..neither is the sidewalk..and the boy that crossed in front on me was Not my child...

Posted by Virtuous (anonymous) on August 31, 2009 at 9:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"I think there should be a guardrail on that sidewalk between the schools(elementary and the middle school) and I am really angry because Friday, as I left the elementary school and came down the hill to the middle school..one of the kids crossed the road right in front of me..not at the crossing, but just as I started down that hill."

blue,
This problem, along with proper sidewalks and other Infrastructure projects CAN be corrected. I learned about a program called SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL (SRTS) that has been implemented by the Feds. It is a program for K-8 (Elementary and Middle Schools)where the majority of the students walk, carpool because there are no buses. This program is 100% funded. Meaning the city of Troy will not have to match anything. Of course they will have to pay for it upfront, and be reimbursed. But the fact is...THEY WILL BE REIMBURSED FOR EVERY RED PENNY THEY SPEND FOR THESE PROJECTS!!!!!!!!!

This is a fabulous program and many schools have already taken advantage of it. I wrote Mayor Lungsford explaining this program to him LAST YEAR BEFORE the deadline date. I gave him ALL the information he needed including contacts. My kids were not even attending the Troy City Schools but they had before and Troy is a perfect candidate for this program. If the application is done correctly (which I even told him I was more than willing to help out as much as I could) they could not be deemed ineligible.

This is FREE MONEY and there was no sense for him not to try and take advantage of it. Go to www.saferoutesinfo.org and see for yourself.

Posted by regis (anonymous) on August 31, 2009 at 11:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Virtuous, did the mayor respond to your offer?

Posted by Virtuous (anonymous) on August 31, 2009 at 2:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

He had a contractor of some sort call and ask questions a few weeks later but that was it. I don't know what happened or why the grant wasn't applied for. I know he wasn't obligated to tell me WHY he decided not to apply...

I thought it was strange he didn't jump on the opportunity...I don't know. Maybe the city didn't have the money to pay upfront...?

Posted by granny (anonymous) on September 2, 2009 at 5:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

i'm so sorry for that young guy. hope he get better but i'm waiting for something like that to happen on glenwood ave children playing and people flying down the road at high speed. they don't seen to know the speed limit. god bless this young man

Posted by Observer22 (anonymous) on September 2, 2009 at 11:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

FREE MONEY?

There is no such thing as free money. It is tax-payer money. We get a $150,000 sidewalk "free" from the government and don't complain about a few cents tax here and there. But, if someone else gets a $400 hammer etc., we squall because we will have to pay a penny here and there to pay for that waste.

Sidewalks ought not be a federal issue. They should be a local matter - funded locally. In the old days sidewalks may have been included in the basic requirements of a housing development but that requirement disappeared with the assumption that every household would two cars in the garage and a chicken in the pot.

Posted by regis (anonymous) on September 2, 2009 at 11:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)

If it were locally funded, wouldn't it still be paid for by tax payers?

And the federal government is gonna get half your salary no matter what. That is NEVER gonna change. If it isn't going toward public assistance under one administration, it is going toward the Department of Defense contractors under the other.

So don't you think you deserve to get some of that money to help pay for improvements in your home town?

Otherwise, they will just put it towards something like public assistance in Detroit or the next Enron.

Posted by Virtuous (anonymous) on September 2, 2009 at 4:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

It's not all about sidewalks. Our kids safety IS NOT just a local matter. This program is for the safety of our children who have no say so in whether or not they have buses provided for them as transportation to and from school.