More than 2,000 bicyclists came to Chattanooga this past weekend to bike three mountains.
It sounds like fun, but it wasn’t.
One bicyclist died, and the life of the person whose car the cyclist struck on the rain-slicked Ochs Highway is likely forever altered.
Bicycling is the new cool. It’s a sign of vigor and enthusiasm for life. It has it own recent state law that says drivers must give a bicyclist at least three feet distance.
But then there’s this elephant in the living room of Chattanooga – the city of mountains and valleys seemingly perfect for that outdoorsy, healthy cyclist-kind of happy picture. The elephant is safety, or the lack of common-sense understanding of safety that no one wants to talk about.