659 bicyclists gather to ride in memory of Sierra and Larry Gaunt

New Memorial Fund will improve road safety in the Kansas City area

659 bicyclists from all parts of the Kansas City metropolitan area gathered at Longview Lake Wednesday, August 15th to ride in memory of Larry and Sierra Gaunt, who were killed Monday, August 6th, when a pickup truck struck them from behind on a straight, level, clear, wide section of Raytown Road near Longview Lake.

In response to these needless deaths, the Missouri Bicycle Federation, working in cooperation with the Greater Kansas City Bicycle Federation and many other local bicycle and pedestrian clubs, groups, and organizations, is launching a Kansas City Memorial Fund.

The funds raised will be used on a project to educate the public and raise awareness about traffic safety issues.

http://mobikefed.org/KCMemorialCampaign

Note: MoBikeFed is piloting this program in Kansas City. If successful, we plan to roll out the program in other parts of the state, in cooperation with bicycle clubs and organizations in those areas.

Missouri Bicycle Federation Executive Director spoke today at the Gaunt Memorial Ride.

The complete text of the speech is below.

It is fitting today that we are meeting to ride in honor of Larry and Sierra. Because I do not believe that Larry and Sierra would want us to stop riding, to hide in our basements out of fear.

I believe they would want us to ride in their memory, and ride and work together in support of making our streets safer for everyone who uses them.

So that other families will not have to go through what Larry and Sierra's family are going through today.

We do not know exactly the circumstances that led to the deaths of Larry and Sierra.

But we do know that we have a serious traffic safety problem in America and in Kansas City.

Not a bicycle safety problem.

Not a pedestrian safety problem.

But a traffic safety problem.

Motor vehicles kill over 40,000 Americans and injure nearly 3 million each year.

Other first-world countries have slashed the death and injury toll by three quarters.

How did they do it?

I'll tell you.

To bicyclists:

• NEVER blow through stop signs or stop lights.
• Use lights, front and rear, at dawn, dusk, and night.
• Take the lane when you need to, because squeezing too close to the gutter encourages drivers to squeeze too close to you.
• Be predictable.
• Signal turns
• In short, drive your bike--as the law and common sense require

To motorists:

• Put away the phone
• Put away the ipod
• Put away your blackberry, your makeup, and your lunch and keep your eyes and your attention on the road where they belong.
• Drive the speed limit, because speed does kill.
• And please, keep a sharp eye out for those who walk and bicycle.
• We are your fellow human beings and our life is, literally, in your hands.

In honor of Larry and Sierra,
In honor of the 22 bicyclists who have died on Kansas City streets in the past 5 years,
In honor of the 1000 Missourians and 400 Kansans who are killed by motor vehicles each year,
I ask us all to go home and actually do these things.

Change our behavior. Change our laws. Change our roads.

It can be done.

Online:
* /content/2009/12/bicycling-skills-and-safety
* http://mobikefed.org/2007/02/simple-inexpensive-measures-cut.php
* http://mobikefed.org/KCMemorialCampaign