Bicyclists will roll through Pittsburgh Wednesday evening to commemorate those lost in biking accidents.
The ride is observed worldwide on the third Wednesday of May, typically in complete silence. Pittsburgh’s will take place a week later, but it won’t be done in silence. The event is an opportunity not only to mourn cyclists killed on the road but also to raise awareness about the right to share public space, according to organizer Jim Logan, president of the Western Pennsylvania Wheelmen.
Mr. Logan said the route, beginning at the Dippy the Dinosaur statue in Schenley Plaza, follows the Penn Avenue corridor to highlight the frequency of accidents there. Two deaths were recorded on the corridor two years ago, he said, in addition to a third on a nearby street.
The ride begins at 7 p.m., following remarks by family members of victims. It will end before 8:30 p.m. Cyclists are asked to ride no faster than 12 mph.
The first ride of silence was organized in 2003 in Dallas after Larry Schwartz, an endurance rider, was struck by the mirror of a passing bus and killed. Mr. Logan said he began organizing rides in Pittsburgh after a man was killed in May 2010 on a Sunday commute to work.
“The bike community had a lot of questions about that death,” Mr. Logan said. “The rides are a way of coming together and thinking about our rights as cyclists.”
First Published: May 27, 2014, 7:23 p.m.