Bruce Rosar, NC Active Transportation Alliance Board Member & Human-Powered Transportation Advocate, Killed in Cycling Collision

Call your loved ones now. Tell them what you have to say. Call the people you expect to enjoy time with in the future, and go do that now if you can. I am shocked by the news of Bruce Rosar's death as much as I could be by any news of a cyclist being killed on the road. He was so aware, so alive, so considerate, and of course, so passionate about cycling as transportation, and the roads being made for human-powered as well as machine-powered use. Bruce...shown in his usual bright safety cycling wear and helmet...was not the kind of person I had ever thought of dying. I thought of him being full of life...so full of life. He had so much life in him he had extra to share. One of the best outcomes from becoming involved with the North Carolina Active Transportation Alliance (http://ncactive.org) was meeting and looking forward to getting to know Bruce more over the years. Now that chance is gone, and I am sad for something lost from my life, that I wish I had more quickly and fully enjoyed while it was here...the chance to learn from and enjoy Bruce's fine company. Bruce was a careful and considerate advocate for all people who want access to the highways we have all built. He truly believed we all could find ways to safely share the roads, and he was seeing it happen all over the world, and excited about it happening in North Carolina. Bruce recently reiterated his support for other modes of transportation in addition to cycling, and after a recent board meeting by telephone, he stayed on the line to make clear to me that he still felt that way and to discuss his advocacy for roadskating in its modern form on the roadways. I knew it was going to be a long road and I was not sure I wanted to keep trying, but with Bruce providing strong support and superior knowledge, I felt encouraged about the long term chances for skilled roadskaters to have a place in the law equal to the status bicyclists enjoy in North Carolina. But this is not the loss I feel. One great person is missing from my life, and I believe the world is less well off for his passing. Let this remind us all that when we are driving an automobile or truck or other large, heavy vehicle, we are in charge of a very powerful and deadly device. I hope I remember to focus on surroundings more completely when driving, and of course, while skating. I've had people buzz by as closely as possible in their giant vehicle, in a hurry, offended at our presence, sometimes not even willing to wait for oncoming traffic to pass before squeezing by. (We've found that waving to motorists as soon as we hear their vehicles...not waving them by but letting them know we know they're there...helps reduce honking and buzzing, but doesn't eliminate it.) I've even had one person stop and very calmly tell me, "I hope you die" before driving off to ironically reveal a bumper sticker from a local college of religious studies. Some are angry, loud, intentionally mean. Many, I believe, are simply not aware how close they are coming to changing THEIR lives by being involved in the death of another person who was not out to harm them in any way. Even if the law ignores the event, surely many will feel it with sorrow for the rest of their lives. If anyone wants to have a ride in honor of Bruce tomorrow (or any other day), please let me know. Maybe we could ride and skate in all black attire at a leisurely pace, and perhaps loop around some of the roads in the area that we all love and have enjoyed often. This makes our efforts in the NC Active Transportation Alliance have even more meaning and importance. Here's a link to the story on Bruce's collision... http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/5553372/

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