Urbana-Champaign Bicycle Commute

For what it's worth, having a ride to remember all the people who've been unceremoniously squished by rampaging cagers isn't exactly a great way to convince would-be commuters that bicycle commuting is a safe transportation option.

I know not THAT many people die riding a bike each year, but the ride of silence isn't an event that's likely to make people eager to try bike commuting for the first time.
 

Welp, 1: I'm not inclined to sugarcoat things in the interest of sales (I know, anachronistic!) Fact is that drivers kill cyclists sometimes. 2: The Ride of Silence expresses deep hurt and determination not to tolerate acceptance of "it's cars vs. bikes and the car wins" (which, believe it or not, was basically how our most famous September '06 crash was described on the local news, when Matt Wilhelm was run down by a teen downloading ringtones). It marks them as a "major event," not a "this is what you should expect event." To *not* mark them as something very serious would, to me, be more dissuasive than making a big deal out of it.
 

(Oh, and see today's entry...)