Comments on: Wish it Was Good News

By: witness

witness — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:31:01 +0000

I was at the recycling center and was therefore witness to this horrific accident. I can’t explain how terrible it was to obviously the bicyclist, Joshua, as well as the driver. On his bike Joshua came up to the level of the wheel-well on the truck. The driver was making a right hand turn, I don’t know if it was a red light or green, but when he turned, the collision happened. The driver had no idea anything had occurred. It was a terrible accident. I am not sure I will ever be able to get the image out of my head. Bikers, as well as motorcyclists, need to bike defensively. Never think that automobiles can see you, or are cognizant of your presence. It was a series of extremely unfortunate events that tragically ended a young soldier’s life. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Joshua, as well as to the driver who never intended to hurt anyone.

By: Flagstaff Unsafe

Flagstaff Unsafe — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:12:03 +0000

Where is the investigative follow up? Where is azdailysun? Surely the driver’s drug test results are ready? Why isn’t there any news on the position of the vehicles which should have been established within a couple of days? Is the city of Flagstaff playing possum? Call the city council at 928-779-7685 and demand answers! Write to azdailysun.com, azfamily.com, and azcentral.com and let them know that you want answers! Was the city driver on the cell phone or radio? How was he hired? Trained? Previous violations/accidents? Was there something wrong with the vehicle? How come citations have not been issued to either the city of Flagstaff driver or Pete? Pete fought for us now we should fight for Pete!

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:38 +0000

My prayers go out to all who are touched by this tragedy. I am not from Flagstaff, but I am an avid bicylclist and commute to work most days. Most cars are not looking for us, I have had many close calls. Please let Pete’s family know people are praying for them as far away as Kansas!!

By: latham

latham — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:51:28 +0000

My condolences also to Josh’s friends and family. I ride that route nearly everyday to and from work as do many people (gore folks in particular). There is a nice bike lane there and both lanes had a green light. However, the truck was turning and therefore should have been the one to yield as far as know. This one was especially painful for me as both a cyclist and a truck driver. I can only hope that it is as significant of a reminder for the other drivers and cyclists of Flagstaff as it has been for me that we have to PAY ATTENTION WHEN WE ARE DRIVING OR RIDING. So many distractions these days, driving/ riding in traffic is a full time job and should not be combined with phones and other distractions any more than drinking. I feel horrible for both the driver and the rider. In this great little town of ours, I think we all have to look out for each other by staying focused. I have to say though I don’t think the city planning is to blame, they try very hard to accommodate all of us users. Now is not the time for accusations or speculations but may serve better as a time of mutual respect and solidarity among all road users, please.

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:39:27 +0000

nathan – i was over at homeco to get some house shite and saw the cones, cops, lights, bike. my deepest sympathies to the family. it’s not safe out there. it’s just not safe. and the way planners are making it ‘safer’ is to move us off the roads, which just excuses drivers from paying attention. it’s getting worse not better. An argument might be made that Josh Pete could have taken a different route that would have involved bike paths. But he had every RIGHT to be where he was. For the last several years i’ve been riding in fear and now i mostly ride the bus to NAU. my right to ride has been effectively taken away. But not as much as Josh’s.

By: robert

robert — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:53:47 +0000

sad stuff. sending my best to the Pete family.

gotta say it’s ridiculous that the article says the cyclist and truck “collided”. that implies some parity in the accident.

when a truck drags you to your death, you did not collide with it, you were hit by it…