April 22 Crash | Statement

Yesterday’s high-profile video of a crash where a person on a bike was hit by a person driving a car in St. Louis City has received significant attention.

This video is incredibly real, visceral evidence of the broader reality that people who ride or walk in our communities know first hand: that our streets are not as safe as they could or should be and people who drive carelessly continue to threaten other people using our roads.

We’ve decided to not share the video itself out of respect for the person who was hit and the potential effect the traumatic content of the video may have on people who have been the victims of traffic violence or their loved ones.

As in any crash affecting someone walking or biking, we offer our support and assistance to victims of traffic violence, when requested by them or their families.

Should everyone be outraged by this crash? Of course.

Are we outraged? Of course.

We hope to do more than express outrage over this crash.

This also shouldn’t take away from the other recent crashes affecting people walking and on bikes that have received less attention.

We are continuing our work in the community to create an environment where people can bike and walk safely, where the media and police don’t blame victims of traffic violence, where people who drive are trained and responsible, and our streets are designed for the safety of people.

This work is slow and at times frustrating, but we are committed to it and hope everyone following our work is too.

If you want to help, we encourage you to contact your elected officials: city aldermen, county officials, or municipal leaders to ask that more resources be spent on safety improvements for people biking and walking.