Like Phil over at Spinopsys, I wasn't really in support of the the memorial ride for James Gould held on Friday. But I'm happy to say that it received suitably respectful treatment in all media reports I've seen, for example the Herald Sun, The Age (which also produced a photo gallery and a video report), and ABC Stateline Victoria:
In the pre-dawn light hundreds of Melbourne cyclists were gathering to send a message to motorists, the media and the wider community: Not all cyclists are law breakers, and, as a community, they too are shocked and upset by the death of James Gould.
This reporting suggests that at least the media grasped what the riders were trying to achieve on Friday down on Beach Rd, and if the letter in today's Age from Philip Crohn is any indication, the message was received and understood by some people:
Congratulations to all the cyclists involved in Friday morning's moving tribute to the pedestrian tragically killed on Beach Road last week. Let's hope this response signals the dawn of a new age of respect and co-operation between all road users.
Next time someone is killed by a stupid and irresponsible motorist I'll expect 200 other motorists to gather for a memorial service and pledge to strive for safer and more friendly roads.
Media ~~frenzy~~ frankly
Not surprisingly recent reporting has become less strident and more reflective, probably best demonstrated by the short editorial in the Saturday Age, which said in part:
Although the issues are complex, the solutions must begin, as The Age has said, with all road users observing the rules. It is really a minority of drivers and cyclists alike that fail to show mutual respect, consideration and plain common sense. Improvements can be achieved if the majority consistently makes it clear to the minority that their behaviour is unacceptable.
There are also broader planning challenges created by the growing numbers of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians who share this city… Mr Gould was the first pedestrian killed in a collision with a cyclist since 2000, but an average of six serious injuries a year has occurred since then. Cyclists have suffered a death toll that averages eight a year (11 already this year) and a serious injury almost every day.
I'll not reproduce the whole thing here, but I recommend you give it a d—for mine, it's among the best commentary I've seen on the issue in the last week.
Media presence
This whole sorry event gave a few people the chance to show their media cred—or lack thereof. I doubt that Bicycle Victoria's Harry Barber won many friends by calling Hell Ride participants illegal drag racers and cyclists who run red-lights soccer hooligans. And Klaus Mueller of CycleSport Victoria (probably lacking Harry's flair for a sound-bite) was almost invisible. It was also unfortunate that it took his organisation four days to release a media statement on its web site.
On the other hand, Jeff Provan of St Kilda Cycling Club and Melinda Jacobson of the Amy Gillett Foundation (and St Kilda Cycling Club) both came across well: respectful and articulate with little or no hype.
Hell Ride Lite
I was not at all surprised to hear that the Hell Ride numbers were signficantly down on Saturday from the previously reported 200. With the certainty of close scrutiny by both police and media on Beach Rd, I reckon many cyclists would have recognised the need to add a bit of hill work to their training over the weekend…
Thanks
And finally, I'd just like to send a note of thanks to all of the people who contributed comments to my previous entry on the death of James Gould—all quality stuff and I appreciate the time and thought that has obviously gone into the responses.
Comments
Just to keep the record straight, Phil Crohn is a paid up and reasonably active member of Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club.
Jon Miller
President, MBTC
Thanks Jon—I wasn't really naive enough to think that someone who wrote in those terms wasn't (at the very least) already positively inclined towards cyclists, if not a cyclist himself.