CLEVELAND – Some cyclists are aggravated after hearing that one of their own was allegedly struck by an RTA bus.
Cleveland chef and business owner Jonathon Sawyer, of The Greenhouse Tavern, was riding on Euclid Avenue. He claims that an RTA bus clipped him as they both were turning onto East 45th Street around 8:15 a.m. Wednesday.
Moments later, Sawyer went to twitter, saying, “Wow. Just got hit by an #RTA bus in #CLe, not injured but shaken up. Drivers please check your side.”
His story stirred quite a buzz on social media, and Sawyer released this statement on his Facebook Fan Page:
“Today an RTA bus driver who was not obeying traffic laws hit me,” Sawyer said. “This issue is bigger than Jonathon Sawyer or the RTA, it has to do with bike and driver safety. It has to do with raising awareness of drivers, city and it’s citizen. There is an amazing cycling community that has been flourishing here in Cleveland over the past ten years and they deserve to be safe. #sharetheroad”
“I actually heard about it on Facebook,” said Jacob VanSickle, executive director of Bike Cleveland. “There definitely is a lot of frustration in the cycling community.”
VanSickle is a bicycle-riding advocate and says he hopes this incident will motivate drivers to be aware of others on the road.
“Over the past 10 years, biking in Cleveland has gone up 280 percent,” he said. “Really as a cyclist, you’re a very vulnerable user of the road and you need to be aware of your surroundings, and make sure you know what the person in front of you, behind you and beside you are doing.”
Even before Wednesday morning’s incident, Bike Cleveland has been working with RTA to help train drivers for spotting cyclists on the road. He also is working on helping to strengthen state legislation on bicycle safety.
Currently, under Ohio law, drivers are required to maintain a “safe distance” from cyclists, though it does not specify what that distance should be. In Cleveland, a city ordinance requires drivers stay at least three feet away from cyclists.
RTA officials declined to comment on the case, as they cannot comment on a case currently under investigation.