It is our sad duty to once again report that a bicyclist has been killed in Marin County. This latest crash occurred on Saturday, February 7th at roughly 4:30 PM on San Antonio Road immediately south of the Marin-Sonoma border. The victim was Daniel Fred, age 75, of Novato. He was riding alone at the time that he was struck from behind by a Petaluma man driving a Toyota Highlander.
The driver was released from the scene when police determined he was not under the influence. No traffic citation was issued, despite a rear-end crash presumptively being the fault of the rear driver. We do not know what account the driver gave to police about how he might have struck Fred. The sun could not have been in his eyes, as both bicyclist and driver were traveling southeast. Lighting was clearly not an issue, as sunset would not be for another 70 minutes. This prompts the question of whether the driver was distracted at the time of the crash. According to police, an investigation is underway that will “consider all possibilities.” We will follow up and report back on the results when a decision is made whether or not to charge the driver.
We disagree with SMART that this section of the SMART Pathway is “complete”
While we hope to see justice done, when a person is hit and killed it is not enough to point to the driver as the sole cause. We must ask, “Did the design of the road contribute to this crash?”
While this stretch of road does not have a history of injury collisions, it is one that we have had concerns about for a long time. Despite being the only flat route between Marin and Sonoma Counties, riders traversing that 9-mile distance spend most of the route in a shoulder separated from 55-mph car and truck traffic by merely a narrow stripe of paint.
Confusingly, this entire section between Novato and Petaluma is considered by SMART to be a “complete” section of the SMART Pathway, meaning that they have no plans to improve it further (beyond a minor change described below). While SMART’s decision (now two decades old) to route bicycle traffic along US-101 rather than next to the train tracks between Novato and Petaluma is understandable, claiming that this stretch of road currently provides an acceptable substitute for an ‘all ages and abilities’ facility is not.
We call on the County and SMART to make this stretch safer
The responsibility for this stretch of road is not solely that of SMART. The roadway is owned by Marin County and managed by the Department of Public Works. As part of their ongoing Vision Zero Action Plan, we will be calling upon them to pursue strategies to improve safety on Marin’s rural roads where a number of our county’s recent fatal crashes have taken place. In addition, for this particular regional corridor, we believe that quick-build materials and restriping could make the road significantly safer without the expense of building a full multiuse path between Marin and Sonoma.
The section of San Antonio Road where Daniel Fred was struck has no shoulder, unlike the rest of the corridor. There is currently a project set to go to construction this year that will widen the road by 10’ in order to add painted bike lanes. However, we should not accept the claim that this change would have prevented the crash, and thus nothing else is needed. Greg Chisholm was struck from behind and killed while riding in an 8’ shoulder, 3’ wider than the one set to be installed here. It is a simple fact that paint alone is not enough to protect a rider from a distracted or drowsy driver drifting out of his lane. At the speeds present on this corridor, only physical protection will suffice.
Things can be done quickly and cheaply to save lives
While the gold standard for the Redwood Boulevard/San Antonio Road/Petaluma Boulevard S. corridor would be a multiuse path like the one that passes through Olompali State Park, a quick-build, two-way bikeway should be feasible. Below is (A) the existing roadway cross section of San Antonio Road/Redwood Boulevard :
and (B) our proposal, which would be accomplished with minor lane narrowing, restriping of the roadway, and installation of precast concrete barriers between the motor vehicle lanes and the bikeway.
See the example below of a project that was recently installed over a bridge in Chattanooga, TN in order to provide a safe route for bicyclists and pedestrians.
It is our demand that SMART and the County of Marin jointly fund a feasibility study to determine whether alternative designs can serve the needs of northern Marin’s rural residents, who drive the road every day, as well as the bike commuters and recreational riders who share the road with them.
We at MCBC do not simply accept that over 7 miles of the SMART Pathway (and thus the Great Redwood Trail) should be constituted by hair-raising, and clearly hazardous, riding on a rural roadway shoulder.
This should never have happened
Our deepest sympathies go out to Mr. Fred’s family and loved ones. In the past days we have already heard many warm stories about him and his career in affordable housing development. He apparently had taken up cycling after getting knee replacements and would go on an hour-long ride multiple times a week. The beloved members of our community deserve safe places to enjoy Marin’s incredible natural beauty. Staying active as we age should not result in senseless tragedy like this.
This post originally appeared on the Marin County Bicycle Coalition website.
