Benefit Dinner for The Joshua Kuck Memorial Scholarship

The inaugural Benefit Dinner for The Joshua Kuck Memorial Scholarship is being hosted by USA Cycling Development Foundation, The Columbia Restaurant and The Family and Friends of Josh Kuck.

On October 21st 2007, while riding The Hilly Hundred in Dade City with his USF cycling team, Josh Kuck was struck by a vehicle and taken from family and friends. His life ended long before he was allowed to achieve all of which he was capable.

His family and team honor his memory with this scholarship and support the efforts of those working to keep tragedies like this from taking anymore of our fellow cyclists.

Join us for an evening of good memories and camaraderie as we launch the new Kuck Memorial Scholarship Fund. The Kuck Fund will award annual scholarships to Collegiate Cyclists who do exceptional work in the area of cycling safety and advocacy.

When: October 19, 2008 7 pm
Where: The Columbia Restaurant Ybor City
2117 East 7th Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33605

$75 a plate - corporate table prices available

Contact Kristy Acuff or the Foundation for more details, RSVP and tickets:

JoshKuckScholarship@gmail.com or smccauley@usacycling.org
719-866-4856

[via Alan Snel]

Comments

[Kenneth]

To be fair, Mr. Kuck ran a stop sign and pulled out in front of the truck. That doesn't make his passing any less sad, but "struck by a vehicle" is a bit biased against the driver, who was not at fault. If anything, hopefully Mr. Kuck's death will inspire other riders to be more careful when approaching intersections. His loss is a great tragedy, but one that can easily be avoided by other cyclists.

[Mel]

What I think this is about is more about the passing of a fellow cyclist and not necessarily about who was at fault and who wasn't. I'm not sure why this is, but every time a cyclist is killed, no matter who's at fault, the first thing everyone wants to do is place blame. How about this for a concept, they are trying to bring something positive out of this tragedy by starting a scholarship fund in his honor.

The fact is, yes, the guy apparently did not stop at a stop sign, but that's already been established and that is also why the driver was not charged in this particular incidence, so why keep pointing out the obvious.

The family and friends of this guy probably don't need a reminder that he did something wrong and that's why he's not here anymore. I think it's enough for them just knowing that the guy died in such a tragic way, don't you?

Thanks for posting the info on the upcoming benefit dinner.

Example how to jump to conclusions when placing blame:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/biking/2008/08/critical-mass-.html#comment-128413750

[Mel]

yeah, except that we weren't talking about the incident like waaaay after the fact (Joshua Kuck was killed a year ago) and also we weren't discussing positive things that came out of a tragedy!

The garbage truck incident was commented on 3 days after it actually occurred, plus not just that, but accountability was still at issue there. We were talking about whether a person should still be able to drive a city garbage truck after killing a guy who was apparently obeying all the traffic laws at the time he was mowed down! Two completely different scenarios.

Love your anonymous comments too, btw! Why not put a name on your convictions???

[Kenneth]

You know what happened, but that doesn't mean that everyone who comes on this blog does. I did not bring this up to tarnish this man's image - but rather to make the point that no matter how skilled of a rider you may be, failing to do something as simple as following traffic laws can be fatal. If any good comes of this, it will be in letting this accident serve as a reminder.

[Mel]

No offense, but I'd rather take something more positive out of someting like this and not harp on it in a negative way saying things along the lines of, -I'm PARAPHRASING here- "hey, isn't that the guy who ran the stop sign and got killed?"

The unfortunate truth is that no matter how may people are killed or injured while cycling, cyclists will continue to ride thier bikes the way they want to. Whether or not this guy ran a sign or not, it's not going to convince some people - especially while riding in a group where the pack mentality comes into play. So my point is, with that in mind, why not take it in a positive direction and work for the benefit of some young rider somewhere who wants to go to college someday?

[Chip Haynes]

"The unfortunate truth is that no matter how may people are killed or injured while cycling, cyclists will continue to ride thier bikes the way they want to."

And that, oviously, is a large part of the problem that we need to work on.

[Mel]

Don't waste too much of your time or effort on that cause though. I'm just saying...There are other important issues that need addressing other than trying to govern other cyclists on what they should or shouldn't be doing while riding their bikes.

[Kenneth]

You know, as a pilot who owns a small Cessna, I can attest to the similarities between flying and cycling with regards to this discussion. Pilots face a number of restrictions and and biases that while unfair, are the direct result of the poor decisions and arrogance of some of our lot. I lost a good friend last year (and the aircraft we co-owned) to said friend's stupidity behind the stick.

In the flying world, it's not uncommon to literally beat the stupid out of some pilots who act recklessly. I don't see why cyclists who act recklessly should be treated with such ambivalence. There are plenty of things I can do in an airplane that are legal, but far from safe. Same goes for when I'm riding my bike. We should be encouraging good decision making rather than pushing an agenda.
Every cyclist who chooses to ride on unsafe roads where they know they will be impeding traffic in an unreasonable manner makes the rest of us look bad. Just the other day I saw a cyclist being honked at incessantly by a truck driver for riding in a traffic lane on Gandy Blvd. (despite a very generous shoulder). I felt awful for the cyclist, but couldn't fault the truck driver for being angry.

Just my 2-cents.

[Chip Haynes]

I was going to say here that I simply refuse to ride with stupid cyclists, but then I realized that everyone has a different idea of what "stupid" is, and no one rides with me, either.

Saaaaayy.......

[Kimberly]

Please define what is meant by "literally beat the stupid out of some pilots who act recklessly". Does that mean you physically beat up the person? If so, that is probably a felony, and you could go to prison for it.

Instead of beating someone up, I educate bicyclists and motorists. Then, I let the bicyclist or motorist do what he wants and let the cops enforce the laws. Breaking the law increases your chance of getting in a crash. Their breaking the law is their problem. I'm not going to beat up someone and thereby make their problem my problem.

As for dangerous, I've found that's in the eye of the beholder.

Eleven years ago, almost everyone I encountered in St. Petersburg thought that bicycling was instant death. You were lucky to see one bicyclist in a week. So, we got out there bicycling and educating. One by one, people realized that bicycling is safe, healthy, and financially beneficial. Now, you'll see three bicyclists in one block.

As for bicycling on faster roads, education, education, education. The same techniques motorists use for not crashing when encountering PSTA buses letting people on and off, heavy equipment such as front-end loaders and city grass cutters, police and EMS workers at car crashes, motorcyclists, scooters, etc. are the same techniques motorists would use for not crashing when encountering bicyclists.

[Chip Haynes]

"There are other important issues that need addressing other than trying to govern other cyclists on what they should or shouldn't be doing while riding their bikes."

Actually no, there aren't- Seeing as how doing to wrong gets you killed.

[Chip Haynes]

Oops. My bad. Make that, "...doing it wrong..."

We REALLY need an edit feature here.

(Well, I do.)

[Kimberly]

Here's an idea:

Type your comments in a Word doc or MS Outlook e-mail. Use the spell check.

Then, paste your comments into the "comment" section of Post a Comment, and click Post.

[Mel]

You can talk all you want, you can go to community centers everywhere and speak to hoards of cyclists, you can hand out flyers until the cows come home, but nothing that you can say or do will make all cyclists listen to what you're telling them is right and wrong. Believe me! I've ridden with many other cyclists for many years and I've seen self-prophets come and I've seen them go. The one and only thing left in their wake are the individual decicions that cyclists make to ride the way they want to ride.

I won't be a hypocrite on this blog either. I have broken alot of traffic laws (mainly while riding in groups, but also while riding alone). I have sat at traffic lights that will NOT trigger and that have stayed red for several minutes and looked both ways and gone through while the light was still red. I challenge ANY CYCLIST ON THIS BLOG to HONESLY tell me (and themselves) that they have NEVER, EVER broken a single traffic law - ever while riding their bicycles. If you have then you are no better or safer than anyone else on the streets NOR are you conducting yourselves any differently than this guy was the day he was killed up in San Antonio.

Ths is what I'm saying - why take this into such a negative light? The post was about a benefit dinner and not about pointing fingers. None of you all have any room to be bringing up the circumstances of this guys' death when you've broken the law at least ONCE while riding. I don't think I'm being unreasonable here in saying what I'm saying, do you?

[Kimberly]

"I have sat at traffic lights that will NOT trigger and that have stayed red for several minutes and looked both ways and gone through while the light was still red."

Actually, you were obeying the law there. When a motorist or bicyclist gets to a defective traffic light the vehicle driver is supposed to treat it like a stop sign.

A traffic light that can't detect bicyclists is defective. If possible, the light needs to be fixed to detect bicyclists.

I've talked with motorcyclists and riden a moped. Some traffic lights can't even detect motorcycles or mopeds.

[Kimberly]

When I give people educational material, I don't try to change the people. The only human capable of changing a person is the person him/herself.

I'm not trying to make negative comments about Joshua Kuck. His family and friends are suffering enough without anyone else or me loading more on.

It's just that the blog comments have become a lot bigger than the original post. Those bigger comments need to be addressed.

[Kimberly]

The bicyclist riding in the middle of the road.... Do you mean in the middle of the lane?

F.S. 316.2065 (5) States that when a lane is too narrow to safely share, a bicyclist is not required to ride next the the curb.

The Florida Bicycle Association has more at:
http://www.floridabicycle.org/rules/bikelaw.html

Roadway Position Explained
State Law says you must ride as far to the right as practicable. It does NOT say as far to the right as possible. Practicable means capable of being done within the means and circumstances present.

A cyclist should maintain no less than 2 feet of clearance from the edge of usable pavement to have room to maneuver around obstructions and to be more visible to crossing traffic. (NOTE: useable pavement does not include the gutter pan or any area frequently obstructed by debris or other hazards.)

In an extra-wide lane a cyclist should ride farther left—about 4 feet from the flow of traffic—to operate in the focus area of crossing traffic and reduce vulnerability to common collisions

When a lane is too narrow for a bicycle and a car to share safely, the cyclist is entitled to the use of the entire lane. Within this lane, the cyclist usually rides on the right half to facilitate visibility for overtaking motorists, but should ride far enough left to discourage motorists from trying to squeeze past within the lane.

Although the law uses the term "substandard" to discribe a lane that is not wide enough to share, these narrow lane-widths make up most of our roads. The less common "standard," wide curb lane is described below.

++++++++++
Quote finished.

As we become more and more bicycle-friendly in St. Petersburg, more and more people understand that all bicyclists, even racing, group, and commuter bicyclists are important to have around.

We see more of them on the roads everywhere, especially as more people start cutting commuting costs to deal with higher expenses, higher unemployment, and stagnant wages. So, it's important to be looking for bicyclists day and night, expecting to see them, prepared to use safe driving techniques.

When traveling in the dark, a bicyclist is required to have at least one white headlight that can be seen from 500 feet in front and a red taillight and red reflector that can be seen from 600 feet behind. 600 feet is a football field length. More lights and reflectors are better.

Set all the lights to flashing. Safety research shows that motorists notice flashing red bicycle lights 100 to 500 feet sooner than steady red lights.

When driving a car in the dark, here are some safety items:

Never over-drive the headlights. The speed you can drive at night will probably be slower than the speed you drive in daylight.

Never tailgate a driver. It's not just about preventing crashing with bicyclists. Some motorists wait until the last second to pull into the lane beside. If there is debris, someone's child running across the street, etc. and you're tailgating one of these drivers, you'll be the one crashing into the debris or hitting the child.

There will be students walking and bicycling to school in the dark. They will be traveling across major roads, too. Please drive safely.

[Kimberly]

Correction:
600 feet is two football field lengths.

Just for the record.. the initial police report written the day of the accident, with no witnesses other than the driver said that Josh ran the stop sign. The final forensics report, after an ongoing investigation did not come to the same conclusion. In fact it showed that Josh was off the road on the shoulder when he was hit. You do the math.