Cycling for Safety Awarness Following A Fatal Hit-and-Run

Early last Saturday morning, Trevor Friedly, 24, was riding his bicycle on Fillmore Avenue near Howard Street when he was hit by what has been described as a dark SUV or black Jeep Cherokee. The driver of the vehicle drove away after hitting Friedly. 

This is the ninth incident this year in which someone walking or riding a bicycle has been hit and killed by a vehicle that did not stop. 

GoBike, an organization dedicated to improving active mobility options and safety for pedestrians and cyclists alike throughout the city and region, partnered with the East Side Bike Club for an awareness-raising protest ride this Saturday to honor the memory of those killed while advocating for safer roadways. 

“It’s despicable, cowardly, and unacceptable,” the group says of Friedly’s death, along with either other people killed on WNY streets this year alone. 

Riders gathered at Freedom Park at 9:50 a.m., with the ride departing at 10 a.m. from the southern point of Unity Island, making their way to Fillmore Avenue, where they commemorated Friedly’s life. 

“We have to collectively display our outrage and our solidarity with those who have been left on the side of the road alone by these drivers. When we do so in undeniably large numbers, we see safety improvements happen faster, and we push back against a culture that thinks it’s ok to leave the scene.” 

More information about the ride can be found here. 

The two groups are angry and calling for better protection for cyclists and for drivers to respect that the road is for other kinds of vehicles as well, not just cars and trucks. They’re also calling on police to enforce road safety laws. 

“We need police forces to warn against it. We need police to enforce drunk and reckless driving,” says Kevin Heffernan, director of communications for GOBike. “Hold these drivers accountable. When a driver leaves the scene, you can pretty much rest assured that they were at fault.” 

On August 29, GOBike had a press conference with elected leaders from Buffalo, including State Senator Sean Ryan and Assembly member Jon Rivera, to discuss the increase in injuries and deaths of cyclists caused by drivers. Among the speakers was Regina Bowden, mother of Wyatt Lopez, a 12-year-old boy struck by a car while walking home with his friends. Wyatt was thrown more than 85 feet down the road after being hit by an uninsured drunk driver as he was walking home from Centennial Pool, crossing the street at the crosswalk with the right-of-way in the middle of the afternoon. He suffered serious injuries but is expected to survive. 

Ryan and Rivera, along with state officials Karen McMahon and Rob Ortt, have sponsored legislation to increase safety for cyclists, all of which have been identified as legislative priorities for the New York State Safe Streets Coalition. 

The full press conference from August 29 can be seen here.