Bicyclist collides with vehicle Friday at 175th and Aurora
Sunday, April 13, 2025
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| Most local bicyclists wear helmets Photo courtesy unsplash.com |
The cyclist flew off his bike and bounced off the front of the car onto the hood, hitting the windshield with his head.
The windshield was shattered and the man, who was not wearing a helmet, was conscious and coherent when Shoreline medics took him to Harborview.
Helmets are not required in Shoreline since 2022, when King County's helmet law was repealed. They are required in Lake Forest Park, which has its own helmet law.
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21 comments:
I hope he recovers from his injuries and and I hope the driver has full coverage. It's unfortunate that our roads are so hostile to people outside of cars, but until they are fixed everyone has to take due caution in public spaces. That includes following traffic signals.
Small correction: Helmets are not required in Shoreline since 2022, when King County's helmet law was repealed. They are required in Lake Forest Park, which has its own helmet law.
Thank you for the correction. I had forgotten the helmet law was repealed.
The cyclist ran a red light and then crashed into a car that had the right of way. How is that “hostile to people outside of cars”?
Bicyclist also have a responsibility to follow the traffic laws. Now I'm not referring to this case, because I don't know the details.
I do believe, if you read the story, that the bicyclist ran a red light. The driver was not the "hostile one". It is not always the drivers fault...
Did you read the article??The bike went thru a red light. Where the heck is accountability with you people. Why would the car need insurance, bikes should have license and insurance if they use our public roads. Otherwise use the back streets if you're worried about cars.
“..our roads are so hostile to people outside cars.” Interesting comment on a story about a cyclist who ran a red light. It would be helpful if “people outside cars” obeyed the law.
@Anonymous - As a fellow biker, I very much agree that our roads are overly hostile to bikers, and we would definitely benefit from more bike-focused infrastructure.
That being said, the biker only deserves well-wishes as far as physically healing because running a red light and not wearing a helmet is awful behavior. Behavior like that makes all bikers look bad, which makes it harder for us to be taken seriously by the community at large. Wear a helmet and obey the dang traffic laws. I hate when I am stopped on my bike at a red light and somebody zips past me through the intersection. We need to work together to not be a pain to drivers so people take bikers more seriously instead of just having general disdain.
The City of Shoreline, in partnership with Cascade Bicycle Club, is hosting a bike class for beginner and intermediate riders on April 30th, 2025 https://www.shorelinewa.gov/pedalforward
Bicyclists in Washington State must obey all traffic signals and signs, including red lights and stop signs. BUT the recent Safety Stop Law allows bicyclists to treat most stop signs as yield signs, meaning they can proceed if it's safe to do so.
I see many people misunderstood my comment. That's disappointing, but I'll try to clarify.
First off, I did not say that the driver was hostile, nor did I say that the bicyclist was in the right. In fact, I clearly stated that he should have followed the traffic signal. I only mentioned full coverage because it would help the driver get their car repaired.
Spend some time walking and biking for your everyday needs and you'll see what I mean by hostile. We have some lovely, quiet neighborhoods streets to stroll along, but if you're trying to get somewhere you'll soon find yourself forced to travel along or across a road like Aurora Ave N, N 175th St, Dayton Ave N, or the northern portion of 15th Ave NE. Those are the sort of environments I'm calling hostile, and those are the sort of environments where a mistake (by you or one of the people around you) can put you in the hospital. It doesn't need to be like this. We can do better.
Thank you for writing this. We all share the road and that means we need to share the responsibility.
The Safety Stop Law doesn’t apply to stoplights however
I watched this incident happen. The guy on the e-bike slowed down at the red light, and then decided to run it anyways. The lady that hit him couldn’t have possibly seen him in time to stop. It was entirely the e-bike rider’s fault.
As a lifelong recreational cyclist, I respect the laws and stay on the bike trails whenever possible because it is just too dangerous on our busiest streets with many distracted drivers. I was delighted that during the pandemic many neighborhood streets in Seattle were closed off to all but local traffic so that pedestrians and cyclists feel safer. I commend Shoreline for adding more bike lanes and signage. Let's keep our city car, pedestrian and bicycle friendly.
The real story here is that a cyclist made an illegal traffic move which caused thousands of dollars of damage to the victim's car, and he will surely face zero accountability for his actions.
"Roads hostile to people outside of cars?" Puhlease.
The roads you cite are major arterials. They’re how tens of thousands of people get around the city and businesses are supplied. Their primary purpose is to handle heavy traffic efficiently. What do you suggest to make them less hostile? If you reduce capacity with bike lanes you’ll simply force traffic onto your bucolic side streets, and to add capacity you’ll need to take people’s property.
> "Roads hostile to people outside of cars?" Puhlease.
While it's true the biker in this case made a huge mistake that caused a lot of damage and put himself in the hospital, it's still objectively true that roads are hostile to people that are not in cars. Biking on regular roads without cars is *very* hostile. Better biking and walking infrastructure *is* needed to make biking and walking safer.
However the biker in this story was still 100% at fault.
"it's still objectively true that roads are hostile to people that are not in cars"
Your subjective opinion does not qualify as the objective truth. Hills and weather are the true impediments to cycling around here, not infrastructure.
"Hills and weather are true impediments to cycling" and "roads are hostile to people outside of cars" can (and are) both true at the same time
the unmaintained roads in seattle are hostile to cyclists. dangerous potholes everywhere.
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