MoBikeFed joins area groups in vigil for fallen cyclist in Kansas City

Kansas City area bicycle and pedestrian groups have joined hands to mourn the death of a bicyclist and work for improved conditions on Kansas City streets.

A Missouri Bicycle Federation press release stated:

Cyclists from around the Kansas City area will gather at the spot where Audrey K. Lindvall was killed by a tanker truck while riding her bicycle yesterday.

The candlelight vigil will be held from 9PM to 10PM on Thursday, August 3rd, 2006, near the QuikTrip parking lot at the intersection of Hwy 150 and Hwy 291 in Lee's Summit. Area bicyclists as well as club and advocacy group leaders will be available for comment before, during, and after the event.

"Deaths like this are completely avoidable," says Missouri Bicycle Federation Executive Director Brent Hugh. "Drivers can operate more safely, bicyclists can operate more safely, and cities can build streets to make them much safer for bicyclists."

"The entire Kansas City area is thirty years behind the rest of the country in putting bicycle safety measures into places," says Hugh, a resident of Raytown. "We are not doing what we need to do as a community for bicycle safety and that needs to change now."

A press release from Bridging the Gap said:

According to data collected by Mid-America Regional Council, from 2000 - 2004 there were 1,062 bicycle related crashes in the region resulting in 897 injured cyclists and 11 fatalities. "These fatal accidents have to stop! Drivers and cyclists need to know how to safely share the road", says Deb Ridgway, Alternative Transportation Coordinator for Bridging The Gap.

Representatives from Bridging The Gap and Missouri Bicycle Federation as well as concerned citizens and fellow cyclists will gather tonight to remember Audrey Lindvall, honor those who have been injured and distribute safety information for motorists and cyclists.