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By Bay City News Service
A 30-year-old man died when he lost control of a motorcycle Saturday morning on westbound state Highway 84, about three miles west of state Highway 35 near Woodside, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The man, a resident of San Francisco, was speeding west on Highway 84 on a 2009 Kawasaki when he failed to negotiate a left turn, CHP officials said. The crash was reported at 11:29 a.m.
The man was ejected from the bike, which slid off the road and down a 20-foot embankment into a tree. The man slid down the same embankment and hit a different tree where he died, according to CHP officials.
Westbound Highway 84 was closed for about 30 minutes, but the light traffic was affected little.
The crash is under investigation. Any witnesses to the collision are asked to call Officer Spencer Curteman at (650) 369-6261.
By Dave Boyce
By Dave Boyce
By Dave Boyce
This is so sad. My heart aches for the family and friends of this motorcyclist. It also takes its toll on the first responders; the officers, sheriffs and volunteer fire personnel who encounter this way too often on our roads. It becomes much more than a solo crash.
I’m also sorry for the families and others who are affected by these tragic accidents but until people stop treating our roads like their personal race tracks these accidents will continue to happen day after day. I, as well as many of my neighbors up here, are hesitant to leave our homes on the weekends. Between the bicyclists, the motorcyclists, the high performance vehicles and the tourists, our roads just aren’t safe anymore. A bigger police presence would definitely help with the speeding and maybe a few tickets to the two and three abreast bicyclists would help as well.
It’s true that many local residents are attracted to the beauty of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Our mountain roads are enjoyed by many users, all of whom most likely pay taxes which help cover road maintenance costs. Until separate routes for cyclists are constructed, cyclists will be forced to “share the road” with motorcyclists and cars in the mountains. Though we may wish to have them ticketed, cyclists have the same rights as automobiles on the road. They are allowed to ride two abreast; it is not against the law. In addition, we motorists may only pass cyclists when we can pass with 3 feet between us and the cyclist. Those who would like cyclists off the road might decide to support creation of off- road routes for cyclists into the mountains, especially on the eastern slopes where no such routes currently exist on the Kings mountain area.
Yes, as the bicyclists are riding two and three abreast at 20 MPH downhill and there is a double yellow line all the way down Highway 84 and you have to give them 3 feet, and they don’t pull over at the turnouts, all makes for some pretty annoyed and angry motorists.
Pam, you are so right! Candidly, I think that riding 2 abreast is 1 too many. I would have thought that cyclists would be more careful for the sake of their own safety. It’s fine for cyclists to say that they are in the right, but it is no consolation for their families when it turns out that the cyclists are ‘dead right.’ Hogging the road is a dangerous idea for both motorists and cyclists.
Lily –
Pedestrians don’t have to look both ways when they step into a marked crosswalk either. But there’s a reason they do. It’s because even though they clearly have the right of way, if a car IS coming, they will dead right.
The same is true of bicyclists. I don’t question the law, I question their common sense. Even if legal – and I don’t know if it is – riding two abreast is dangerous. And if they, or any other vehicle for that matter, are unreasonably impeding traffic, they should pull over and allow other faster vehicles to easily pass them.
It’s common sense.