I have been following this story since I am on the Louisville Bicycle Club's mail list.

From what I have read over the past few days, there is at least *some* agreement in that the cyclist did indeed cross against a light and she was not wearing helmet. Reports stated that a helmet would not have saved her. Other than that, the topic has ingited plenty of heated debate. We even got the rehash of SUV bashing, as in "would she still be alive if she had been hit by a CAR?"

Sadly, there are no easy answers.

Here are a few comments I found interesting:

"I think unfamiliarity with the intersection may have played a part here since I think I heard this person was from Germany. It wouldn't have mattered whether she was crossing this intersection with traffic or in the crosswalk; she had a legal right to do either since the crosswalk is part of a designated shared use path. However, she would have been required to wait for the signal in either case. "

"The intersection fails to recognize bicycles as vehicles, and tries to make pedestrians of them. Because of their speed and the way they move laterally, bicycles fit better into vehicular than in pedestrian traffic. "

"I think bad design killed her. That's something we should ask questions about. "

It made me think of a few "tricky" intersections in my hometown and how I need to stay alert and pay attention; whether I am on my bike OR driving my car.

I am hoping that if anything can be salvaged from this situation, it will be an opening for dialogue about integrating bicycle traffic into city planning and motorist education (e.g. "share the road").