Cycling group’s campaign aims to reduce deaths on Nevada roads

As a publicist who works intimately with bicyclists, Stephanie Forte is good attuned to postulation information messaging.

But during a caller gathering with “non-cyclists,” Forte was pleasantly amazed erstwhile she heard a pistillate amended the radical astir the 2011 Nevada instrumentality that requires motorists springiness astatine slightest 3 feet of abstraction to cyclists, oregon determination implicit lanes erstwhile possible, which she had conscionable learned done a media segment.

“That infinitesimal close determination truly proved that what we’re doing is making a difference,” Forte said.

Forte shared the anecdote Thursday greeting during the unveiling of the “Let’s Get There Together” run launched by the Southern Nevada Bicycle Coalition, which volition beryllium advertised connected billboards, autobus stops, the net and a recently painted mural astatine 100 E. California Ave. successful downtown Las Vegas, wherever the lawsuit took place.

For cycling advocates, postulation information is simply a yearlong discussion, but possibly much truthful this week arsenic the Las Vegas assemblage reeled aft a fiery clang aboriginal Tuesday that constabulary blamed connected impairment and speeding.

The wreck killed Tina Tintor, 23, and landed Raiders wide Receiver Henry Ruggs III, 22, successful jail. Ruggs, who was aboriginal released from the team, is facing felony DUI and reckless driving charges.

Forte subtly mentioned the clang erstwhile she mentioned “choices” motorists made “this week.”

Andrew Bennett, spokesperson for the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety and programme manager for the “Zero Fatalities” campaign, mentioned a monthly study helium had conscionable received.

He said the authorities reported 28 crash-related fatalities successful October, bringing the full to 315 for 2021.

Eight much radical were dormant by midday Saturday, including 4 killed successful Southern Nevada, aft the postulation information lawsuit Thursday morning.

The latest was a rider who died Saturday day pursuing a single-vehicle crash successful southwest Las Vegas. The Metropolitan Police Department said the operator was suspected of impairment.

Seven much fatalities would marque 2021 the deadliest twelvemonth successful a decade, Bennett said.

Numbers successful “spreadsheets” are an unfair practice of those killed, said Keely Brooks, a committee subordinate of the Southern Nevada Bicycle Coalition, adding that the run aims to humanize lives that are astatine stake.

That is wherefore the online run volition diagnostic portraits of Nevada pedestrians and bicyclists, she said.

They see “Sonya,” a pedestrian and existent property cause who loves coffee, dogs and the Golden Knights, and “Gee,” a toddler’s parent who besides is simply a caregiver and a cyclist.

“Zero fatalities” is fundamentally impossible, Brooks said, but importantly reducing the carnage is imaginable successful a metropolis similar Las Vegas that was built from a “lofty vision.”

Making roads safer successful the authorities is idiosyncratic for the advocates and officials who spoke Thursday.

The Las Vegas cycling assemblage mislaid five members successful a DUI crash adjacent Searchlight successful December. And Bennett’s older sister, 18-year-old Lindsay Bennett, was killed by a drunken operator successful 2009, a calamity that aimed Bennett’s beingness to dedicate it to the cause.

Wrapping up his remarks, Bennett did thing helium had not done before: He called for a infinitesimal of soundlessness for clang victims.

The attendees paused and bowed their heads.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez astatine rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow him connected Twitter @rickytwrites.