Bicycle safety rolls to forefront in aftermath of Huntsville cyclist's death

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- A group of local cyclists is determined to make automobile-obsessed Huntsville safer for people on two wheels.

The year-old Bicycle Advisory and Safety Committee met Tuesday at City Hall to hear concerns and gather ideas from the public. And there was plenty of concern in the wake the city's third bicycle traffic death in 13 months.

Around 2:15 a.m. Saturday, 49-year-old cyclist Henry James Luhana was found dead near Oakwood Avenue.
Police first described it as a hit-and-run, but Capt. Rodney Baker said doubt remains until an autopsy is done. No witnesses have come forward, he said.

Much of Tuesday's discussion focused on rude drivers who don't like sharing the road with bicycles.
Savannah Clark, 15, said she and her friends have been tailgated and honked at while pedaling around Five Points.
"We're following the laws, but a lot of people in cars are yelling and cussing at us," she said. "So many times I've heard, 'You're supposed to be on the sidewalk.' "

City Administrator Rex Reynolds, a former city police chief, said Alabama should consider making it illegal for a driver to come within three feet of a bicyclist. Several other states already have a "three-foot rule," he said.

Mayor Tommy Battle created the task force on the heels of Sarah Chapman's death. The UAH student was killed while riding her bike on Technology Drive in September 2008. The driver of the sport utility vehicle that hit Chapman was never charged.
Baker said bicycle-car wrecks are fairly rare. There have been 16 reported so far this year out of about 7,000 total accidents citywide, he said.

Reynolds credited Battle with making bicycle safety a priority since taking office last November.

In recent months, the city has earmarked $5,000 for "Share the Road" signs, printed 10,000 bike route maps and had every police officer take a refresher course on bicycle laws.