Ride of Silence

Victor

I got this in an e-mail the other day and I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on organising something like it in Dublin / Ireland?

My name is Mark Hagar and I am with the Ride of Silence, the ride that
honors cyclists who¹ve been injured or killed by motorists while riding, and
who¹s goal is to help educate motorists and the public that we as cyclists
have the same rights and must follow the same rules, so please Share the
Road with us. The 2007 Ride of Silence will take place globally on Wed. May
16th, at 7:00 PM. (rides in the southern hemisphere will take place on Sat.
May 19th at 10 AM, for rider safety, and greater visibility to the public
and media.) Please help support the Ride by promoting it to all of your
affiliated clubs, coalitions and organizations. Currently there are 142
confirmed locations on our website for this years Ride, with the list
growing weekly. With your support, hopefully there will a Ride in Dublin and
other locations in Ireland, and will continue to grow up until the Ride. (I
organized our 1st R of S here in Grand Rapids MI USA, in 5 weeks)

http://www.rideofsilence.org/locations-international.php

If you are unfamiliar with the Ride of Silence, below is a brief history;

* In 2003 endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz is struck and killed by the
mirror of a passing bus while cycling outside of Dallas Texas. His good
friend & Coach Chris Phelan organized a memorial ride in Dallas on May 18th,
titled the Ride of Silence, a slow paced silent 12 mile ride to
honor/remember his friend. In just a 10 day period, via email and word of
mouth, over 1,000 cyclists attend. Chris thought he had closure.

* Word spread about the Ride. Chris began to get enquiries from cyclists in
other cities on holding a Ride of Silence. A grassroots movement takes
place.

* In 2004, Rides of Silences take place on May 18th at 7:00 PM in 50 cities
in the U.S. and Canada. The Dallas Ride has 2,500 cyclists attending. It¹s
written up in Bicycling magazine.

* Chris actively promotes the Ride. A board of directors is in place. A
copyright is applied for the Ride of Silence name.

* In 2005, Rides of Silences take place on Wed. May 18th at 7:00 PM in over
100 U.S cities, 150+ worldwide, in 9 countries, on 4 continents. The Dallas
ride again has 2,500 cyclists. The Dallas City Council issues a proclamation
that May 18th 2005 is The Ride of Silence Day.

* In 2006, Rides of Silences take place in over 200 U.S cities, 250+
worldwide on Wed. May 17th at 7:00 PM, in 8 countries, across 5 continents.
The Dallas ride has close to 3,000 cyclists. The Executive Director of the
League of American Bicyclists Andy Clarke and board member Preston Tyree
attend the Dallas ride.

This is NOT a Critical Mass Ride. There¹s no shirts or items for sale,
there¹s no fee or registration. Each ride is approximately 10-12 miles long,
is ridden at a 12 MPH pace, and is Silent. It¹s not just a club ride. It¹s a
ride for Moms, Dads, brothers & sisters, family & friends, beginning
cyclists to the racers, anyone who wishes to honor a fellow cyclist that has
been killed or injured by a motorist while out riding and to let them know
they MUST Share the Road with us. Participants are asked to wear a black arm
band to honor a cyclist who¹s been killed, and/or a red arm band to honor a
cyclist that has been injured. The Ride¹s date purposely coincides with
National Bike Safety Month and Week. Many locations involve local law
enforcement agencies.

If there are any closed course, loop races going on the night of the 16th in
your area, please consider the following, which is what has been done in
Grattan Michigan at the Wed. Night Racing Series the past 2 years. In
support of the Ride, all racers have ridden one slow lap in silence, to
honor their fellow cyclists. The comments as submitted as part of the Ride¹s
follow-up, by the timer at Grattan who organized this in 2005 & 2006:
³Grattan MI, Wed. Nite Race Series * 150 Riders
May 17th, Approximately 150 racers lined up at Grattan Wed. Night Raceway
Series, to do one lap in total silence. Every one was aware of the
importance of this lap, some actually thanked me for arranging it. Safety
Chair, Rapid Wheelmen. Jochen Ditterich²

To learn more about the R of S, please visit the website below. Thanks for
any support you can provide and in helping to make the road safer for all
cyclists, not only in Canada, but worldwide.

Sincerely,
Mark

Mark Hagar
Ride of Silence, Board Member
Ride of Silence, Mentor
Ride of Silence, Michigan USA Director
Ride of Silence, 2005-07 Grand Rapids MI Ride Organizer
http://www.rideofsilence.org
Mark.Hagar@rideofsilence.org
616 987-9198

³If constellations had been named in the 20th century, I suppose we would
see bicycles.² Carl Sagan

The Ride of Silence....... (penned by a Canadian cyclists)

Tonight we number many but ride as one
In honor of those not with us, friends, mothers, fathers, sisters, sons
With helmets on tight and heads down low, we ride in silence, cautious and
slow
The wheels start spinning in the lead pack
But tonight we ride and no one attacks
The dark sunglasses cover our tears
Remembering those we held so dear
Tonight¹s ride is to make others aware the road is there for all to share
To those not with us or by our side, may God be your partner on your final
ride

crashoveroid

Sounds like a good idea i would be glad to help

ThOnda

I would be there (in Dublin) if I had a bicycle... Maybe just some photography.

RainyDay

It seems a bit negative to me - Could there be a positive spin (no pun intended), i.e. some specific action cyclists are seeking from drivers and/or authorities?

ThOnda

All positives are to come. It is going to be in the newspapers or in the news. And all the journalists need something to write about. And oposition parties need something to argue about.
And I thing that the road safety is still bigger and bigger issue in Ireland.

Could you imagine 200 bikers slowly and silentely riding from the Garden of Rememberance on the O'Connor to the Dublin Castle? And then on Quays to e.g. Phoenix park?

People would talk about it. Bet your behind! :-)

RobAMerc

I would be very happy to take part - but I feel you are going to be fighting an uphill battle - people seem keen to bitch about stuff here but never get into action. - explains the health system and transport etc.

pan

Sounds good to me!
Put me down for it

RainyDay

ThOnda wrote:

All positives are to come. It is going to be in the newspapers or in the news. And all the journalists need something to write about. And oposition parties need something to argue about.
And I thing that the road safety is still bigger and bigger issue in Ireland.

Could you imagine 200 bikers slowly and silentely riding from the Garden of Rememberance on the O'Connor to the Dublin Castle? And then on Quays to e.g. Phoenix park?

People would talk about it. Bet your behind! :-)

I just don't see much value in generating talk or media coverage. Talk is cheap. What's the action - what do cyclists want to change after the ride?