Longtime cyclist Steve Clements finds riding on Saltillo Road terrifying. Slightly fewer than 8,000 cars, trucks, semis and motorcycles barrel down the two-lane highway, which doesn't have a shoulder, at 60 mph every day. Motorists yell and throw things.Â
"It is a horrifying road to ride on for many cyclists," said Clements, who's also the treasurer for the Great Plains Bicycling Club.Â
Lately, a slew of bad bicycle versus motorist accidents, on Saltillo Road and elsewhere in the city, has the bicycling community and county officials on edge.
"A lot of bicyclists are starting to ask, 'What the heck is going on here?'" Clements said. "We’re losing friends. We’re having friends maimed."
On Sept. 22, Dr. Douglas Dalke was hit and killed by a alleged drunk driver on 54th Street and Saltillo Road. On Oct. 1, a pickup truck hit cyclist Michael Saif on Saltillo Road and sent him to the hospital in serious condition. A hospital spokesperson said Monday he was no longer a patient. On Labor Day, 52-year-old cyclist Jim Blue was also hit by a pickup truck in a hit-and-run accident on Saltillo Road.
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For Lincoln cyclists, these aren't just names in the news. They're reminders of the risks they take every time they ride.Â
Clements knows these risks all too well. In August 2013, he was hit by a car north of Lincoln on Raymond Road. His shoulder has given him trouble ever since. And he now bikes with more fear -- fear that is only heightened when riding on Saltillo Road, he said.Â
Lancaster County officials are concerned, too. Both the county engineer and the sheriff's offices have gotten a number of concerned phone calls and emails. Lancaster County Engineer Pam Dingman and Sheriff Terry Wagner have been talking about ways to prevent more accidents.
For now, they plan to put up "Share the Road" signage. The Great Plains Bicycling Club is also awaiting approval from the county to install ghost bikes, which mark the spot of serious or fatal bike crashes.Â
"We are committed to doing what we can to prevent these accidents from happening and to investigate them after the fact," said Chief Deputy Jeff Bliemeister, who said he is a cyclist himself.
Many cyclists, Bliemeister included, want a shoulder or bike trail added to Saltillo Road, which Dingman said is a possibility. But it would require a yearlong study of the corridor and additional funding.
Some cyclists are also worried deputies aren't enforcing the 3-foot law, which says motorists must give cyclists at least 3 feet of space. Bliemeister said deputies do enforce the law, but it's difficult. Cyclists can help by pulling over and immediately calling law enforcement with a description of the vehicle and its occupants after an incident, he said.
More education and awareness is needed to keep cyclists safe, said Sydney Brown, a Bicyclincoln board member. Motorists need to be attentive, she said, because cyclists staying off the roads isn't the answer. Biking on city sidewalks can also be dangerous, she said, and Saltillo Road is a necessity for many cyclists returning to the city from biking in the country.
Hal Smith, a Great Plains Bike Club board member, said there are things cyclists can do to help prevent accidents. He wears brightly colored bike jerseys and tries to ride predictably -- no weaving, no abrupt turns. Bliemeister said cyclists should follow the rules of the road, wear headlamps and install red lights on the back of their bikes.
But there are no guarantees. Many of those killed or hurt recently were seasoned cyclists. They were wearing bright colors and following the rules of the road.
The uptick in bicycle accidents comes at a time when the number of cyclists in Lincoln is growing. Smith said his club alone has more than doubled in membership during the last five years. This year, there are more than 250 paid members.Â
The accidents are forcing cyclists to come to terms with their own vulnerability, Smith said.Â
"This is a hard truth to accept for many us," he said. "And I think this is part of the reason so many local cyclists are making themselves heard."
Clements wants people to know this isn't cyclists versus motorists. Most cyclists drive cars, too. And most motorists on Lincoln's roads aren't the problem. Most are courteous and attentive, he said.
"We’re just hoping that something will occur to stop what's going on right now," he said.Â
Anyone who wants to weigh in on improvements to Lancaster County roads can come to a meeting at 7 p.m. on Oct. 28 at the County-City Building, 555 S. 10th St.Â