Study Shows Contra Costa County is Most Dangerous for Cyclists

More bicyclists are killed in Contra Costa County and at a higher rate than anywhere else in the Bay Area — much higher, even, than crowded urban areas such as Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco. Twenty-three cyclists were killed between 2005 and 2009 in the rural county compared with nine fatalities in San Francisco during the same time.

That's according to CHP reports obtained by The Bay Citizen, a nonprofit news website that published a story on its findings earlier this week along with a Bike Accident Tracker that maps all incidents reported between 2005 and 2009.

Contra Costa reported 1,416 bike-related crashes in that time. That's 11.25 percent of the number of bike commuters, more than double the rate for San Francisco and nearly twice Santa Clara County's rate, according to the tracker.

Twenty-year San Ramon resident Mark Ballock, 53, isn't surprised. As a long-distance cyclist for five years who annually clocks about 5,000 miles and who traverses the local roadways by bike every day, he has first-hand knowledge of the subject.

"It's true, this area is really dangerous," he said.

Ballock nearly died in October when he ran a red light on his road bike and a car barreled into him at 40 mph at San Ramon Valley and Dublin boulevards.

He broke a leg, ankle, his neck and a vertebrae and sustained a concussion. The effects were permanent: He talks and walks slower and battles pain from nerve damage in his left arm.

"I did have some responsibility for what happened," said Ballock. "Why I wasn't killed, I have no idea. I didn't realize how fast you can get taken out."

Cities are required to report every bike-related crash to the CHP, according to The Bay Citizen. The same rules of the road that apply to cars extend to cyclists, too.

Though cars and bikes hold equal weight in the eyes of the law, cyclists often complain that authorities are biased against them, The Bay Citizen said. Police faulted cyclists 55 percent of the time in Contra Costa accidents, according to the publication.

Ballock agreed. Take his case, for example. The officer faulted him 100 percent. He ran a red light after waiting through two cycles without it turning green because the sensors didn't pick up the bike. But Ballock said the motorist who hit him didn't step on the brakes, didn't go below the 40-mph speed limit and apparently didn't react in any way to lessen the impact.

Because of that crash, Ballock is working toward becoming a certified bike safety trainer through the League of American Bicyclists.

In the meantime, he has some advice for local cyclists.

First, avoid the roads you'd normally take in a car – that means mapping routes around Alcosta Boulevard, Bollinger Canyon and Crow Canyon roads. Google Maps makes it easy. The site now has an option for bike routes. There's also a smartphone app called Map My Ride that Ballock finds useful.

"It may take longer, but it's worth it," he said.

Bollinger Canyon, for example, has a bike lane, but it's on the sidewalk in some parts and when on the road, it's too close to fast-moving traffic.

Another thing: Cyclists need to remember that they must abide by the same rules as motorists. No running red lights, no riding against traffic, no cycling under the influence (The Bay Citizen says three of those 23 fatalities in the county involved drunken cyclists).

On the flipside, motorists need to be better educated about how to share the road with cyclists, Ballock said.

"If a biker feels the rush of air from a car driving by, that car is too close," he said.

However, on a standard California driving test there's no rule for what distance to keep from a cyclist except for ambiguous mentions of "a safe distance," Ballock noted.

"I think that needs to be clearly defined." 

Ultimately, cyclists need to use common sense, opt for the road less traveled and stay alert, assuming that many drivers won't be careful enough.

"Cyclists have to use their heads," Ballock said. "We can't have this attitude of 'it's not going to happen to me.'"

At a glance

Read The Bay Citizen story here.

For some bicycle safety tips compiled by Ballock, click here.

To view The Bay Citizen's Bike Accident Tracker 2.0, click here.