Bicyclist hit and killed on bike path

A bicyclist was killed Thursday on a bike path near Longwood after being hit by a Dodge, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

[Baraka H Obama]

We must start

getting absentee ballots

for those who will be away

on election day

[Funnyworld]

Really sad. However, hopefuly it will serve as a lesson that you need to stop for stop signs no matter what kind vehicle you on/in.

Again, very sad to hear this. My heart is to all involved.

[Michael Corleone]

Perhaps there should be some speed humps on the trail before it enters the road?

My guess is she did not notice the sign or was distracted.

Awful story.

[Frank]

Stop....look both ways....cross if safe to do so......

[KLC]

I live by the trail and the bikers NEVER stop, some actually look, but don't stop.
When I'm on the bike, the cars stop. And wait. And wait. Long before I even get to the sign. I stop at my stop sign when I get up to it and they get mad because now I'm holding them up.
Someone needs to pick a rule and follow it because I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often.

[Mark]

Ma truck says DODGE for a reason

[Accept defeat]

Well, she won't do that again, will she.

[RIP]

I always slow down when driving near the bike paths- even though I don't have to.

Will you join me in doing so -even though you aren't required to do so?

Maybe just maybe it will save the life - and it only costs you a few seconds.

[A Rider]

RIP you have the right idea. There were two wrongs here. The cyclist made a big mistake. I don't know anything about here - how long had she ridden, did she have a helmet , nothing. I do know from riding that trail myself though, that you MUST slow down and BE PREPARED TO STOP IMMEDIATELY if any cars are coming. An experienced cyclist can do that without stopping every time. But you must be ready to stop. The cars on the road HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY.
On the other hand, if you are on a street like that and you know you are about to cross a bike trail, please, must you be going 30 miles an hour like this driver must have been??

Most drivers I see are very careful at that spot,but I don't expect them to let me go first.
It's a two way street out there. Too many cyclists act like they own the road, and too many drivers are getting much too angry about it. Be nice out there will you?

[A Rider]

oh please no. no!

it's up the people using the trail to SLOW DOWN. I hate those damn bumps. They can cause crashes themselves.

Michael Corleone wrote:

Perhaps there should be some speed humps on the trail before it enters the road?
My guess is she did not notice the sign or was distracted.
Awful story.

[Fat Albert]

Very sad. I pray for the family.
But, maybe if Obama wins election we will see more of this

[Roger]

Accept defeat wrote:

Well, she won't do that again, will she.

I knew her personally and she was the sweetest person you could ever meet. I'm glad to see you make such light of a horrible situation.

[Carbon]

I ride the West Orange Trail all the time. I've ridden the iPod, but I've found that I need my hearing as much as my eyes to stay safe in certain areas. Especially around Winter Garden where they've built the dumbest road/trail hybrid intersection in the history of the world. I swear...there's nobody in Winter Garden city planning with an IQ over 80 for them to do something so stupid.

RIP sister peddler.

[I miss copyeditors]

Why was the make of the vehicle mentioned in the lead paragraph?

[Schwinn]

Neither Lee nor his passenger, Timothy Doty of Longwood was hurt.
Boy, what a stroke of genius that comment is. Seems the driver of a car or SUV is always getting hurt when slamming into someone on a bike. Amazing the people even stopped. Usually they keep right on driving lest they be late for a cold beer and watching the Dr. Phil show.

[Shimano]

Accept defeat wrote:

Well, she won't do that again, will she.

Too bad it wasnt one of your family members. You insensitive tosser.

[Ted]

A loss of life is never anything to rejoice about, but come on.....S T O P means STOP. Reads like neither of them were paying close enough attention apparently to see each other.

[Devorah]

This is a very sad loss for the family of the biker. It's also likely that the driver will feel terrible for a long time, even though the biker had a Stop sign. Most folks involved in any kind of accident are horrified.

A car doesn't have to be traveling at 30 mph for a biker to be killed. Think about it; the biker has absolutely no protection and the car weighs tons.

I had a near miss with a drunken biker a year ago. He was driving in circles on an unlighted country road after dark, and didn't have a light on the bike. I don't know why I slowed down to almost a crawl - must have been some kind of premonition. But I' can't forget it, so I don't imagine a driver who does hit a biker will find it that easy to forget.

Bikers, please remember - it's a very unequal contest. Even a compact car at a slow speed is a fatal weapon.

[Get em all]

My heart goes out to the family.
My irritation goes out to the report and editor of this article.
If she was hit by a car (Dodge), after failing to stop at a stop sign, that would indicate that she was crossing a street; therefore, she was no longer on a bike path.

[Get em all]

A Rider wrote:

RIP you have the right idea. There were two wrongs here. The cyclist made a big mistake. I don't know anything about here - how long had she ridden, did she have a helmet , nothing. I do know from riding that trail myself though, that you MUST slow down and BE PREPARED TO STOP IMMEDIATELY if any cars are coming. An experienced cyclist can do that without stopping every time. But you must be ready to stop. The cars on the road HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY.
On the other hand, if you are on a street like that and you know you are about to cross a bike trail, please, must you be going 30 miles an hour like this driver must have been??
Most drivers I see are very careful at that spot,but I don't expect them to let me go first.
It's a two way street out there. Too many cyclists act like they own the road, and too many drivers are getting much too angry about it. Be nice out there will you?

How about this? OBEY THE LAW! A "STOP" sign doesn't mean slow down and look. That would be a "YIELD" sign. If I have the legal right of way, you, and anyone else, is nothing more than a target. I'm courteous to a point, but pay attention to the signs. If you fail to stop and get run over, too bad, so sad.