Bicyclists at the 2016 Ride of Silence
The Ride of Silence will take place Wednesday, May 16th 2018 at 6:45 P.M. The purposes of this silent ride are to honor cyclists killed/injured in motor vehicle related crashes and to raise awareness about the rights of cyclists to ride the roads.
Eight bicyclists have been killed in the Delaware Valley in the last year. The ride is being held in Philadelphia for the fourteenth year in a row and in its 16th year since its inception. It is expected to be held this year at over 300 U.S. locations and in twenty countries.
Last year we had about 350 participants and this year we are hoping to attract at least 400 riders to the event.
We will be honoring the lives of the following people:
5-12-18 Pablo Avendano, 34, Philadelphia
5-3-18 Dean Pryor, 58 Burlington Twp., NJ
2-15-18 Lela Cruz, 8, Camden
12-19-17 Kevin Williams, 56 Bristol, PA
11-28-17 Emily Fredricks, 24 Philadelphia
9-23-17 Unknown M, 80, Philadelphia
9-2-17 Matt Petzel, 50, Lower Southampton, PA
9-1-17 Lorenzo Vasquez, Philadelphia
8-8-17 Josh Goldinger, 14 Lower Makefield, PA
6-24-17 Edward McElrean, 64, Bristol Twp, PA
6-18-17 Unknown Female, Camden
The 8-mile route will start at the foot of the front steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum on the Ben Franklin Parkway. A brief pre-ride dedication ceremony will take place at 6:45 PM and the ride will start promptly at 7:00 P.M. It will proceed down the Parkway, circle City Hall, continue to Independence Hall, and head over to West Philly via the Walnut St. Bridge.
The ride will return to the front of the Art Museum over the Spring Garden Street Bridge. The duration of the ride is expected to be 1 hour. Helmets and bicycle lights are encouraged — especially if it rains, of which there is a chance.
For more info, Contact the BCGP at bike@bicyclecoalition.org or the ride leaders: Ray Scheinfeld, erayben@bellatlantic.net , 215-906-7604; John Siemiarowski, tandemdad@gmail.com, 215-837-0101.
General information on the Ride of Silence can be found at www.rideofsilence.org
Who: Cyclists and others who legally share the road with motorized vehicles.
What: The 14th Annual Philadelphia Ride of Silence with between 300 to 500 riders from the full spectrum of the bicycle community participating, proceeding silently and at a pace of 10 miles an hour.
When: Wednesday May 16th, 2018, 6:45 PM at the foot of the Art Museum steps. Rain or Shine. A brief pre-ride dedication ceremony will take place at 6:45 PM and the 1-hour 8-mile long ride will start promptly at 7:00 P.M.
Why: To mourn the eleven cyclists killed by motorists and the hundreds who have had crashes involving motor vehicles in the last 12 months on the roads of the Delaware Valley, to raise awareness of all road users of cyclists on the road.
Why are helmets required? The tragic deaths of these people was NOT the result of them not wearing helmets.
This is an escorted ride with police. What message does it send to cyclists and potential future cyclists that even at a slow-paced, escorted ride the key to safety is wearing helmet, when obviously the real key to safety is driver/cyclist awareness education and better infrastructure?
This really gets me every time. I’ve done this ride once because my best friend was killed in an accident. But the messaging and helmet-culture promoted by this ride always turns me off.
People without helmets will not be turned away. This is a national event the Bicycle Coalition hosts in Philadelphia and the national organizing group has always required helmets and that is where the language comes from. I’m editing it now.
Thanks for the response, explanation, and the flexibility. I feel like I’ve received much more close-minded responses from this org in the past about this, and your response was a breath of fresh air.