Cyclist killed

brandie, originally uploaded by Green Biker.

In tragic news, a 21 year old Brooklyn resident was killed on Sunday (5/8/05) in the afternoon on route to work. The fatal accident occured on Ave A and Houston. Brandie Bailey was struck by a private company sanitation truck who was reported to not even know he had hit the woman. There has been no charges made to the driver of the garbage truck.

Another biker who was close to Brandie wrote briefly about it in his live journal:

www.livejournal.com/users/blingblingvegan

This is really sad news and another example the dangers of motor vehicles in New York city. When drunk drivers kill pedestrians they enact new laws, when sober drivers kill bikers, it's just buisness as usual. Often it is the bike rider who is repremanded. In car culture America it is about what the bike rider did wrong in an attempt to blame the victum. Meanwhile bike riders try to gain strength in numbers by partipating in a monthly coming out party know as Critical Mass. Trying to bring awarness to the bicycle and our equal rights to the road. The police demonize us and waste vaulable tax dollars to squash a simple bike ride. We should be congradulated for bring awarness to the bicycle, making for a cleaner environment, less polluted cities, healthier people. Isn't May supposed to be bike month? It used to only be a week and now the Department of Transportation makes full scale advertisements and calanders promoting the bicycle.

There is talk of a bicycle memorial for Brandie...stay tuned for that.