FWST Article on death of cyclist, Larry McQuien

An article in the FWST by Bud Kennedy on the death of fellow cyclist, Larry McQuien.

*** Check out the Image Gallery for photos of cyclists as they stood outside the church before the funeral services ***

BY BUD KENNEDY
Fort Worth Star Telegram

Dozens of bicyclists will stand in silent vigil today in downtown Fort Worth. Their next destinations should be the Parker County Courthouse and the Texas Department of Transportation. They should demand more protection for bicyclists.
For the second time, a bicyclist was killed Saturday in Willow Park near where the westbound Interstate 20 service road crests.

This time, witnesses say the bicyclist was riding carefully on the shoulder, not in the traffic lane where a Weatherford bicyclist was killed last year. Troopers are still investigating. But they say the driver, a former small-town girls’ basketball star from Early, was not using her phone. Larry McQuien, 55, a Lockheed Martin Aeronautics vice president and the brother-in-law of former Texas House Speaker Pete Laney, will be remembered today at a 3 p.m. service at First
United Methodist Church of Fort Worth.

Bicyclists from across the region will stand at attention before the service. "Larry was just the nicest person," said Lockheed Martin retiree Tom Clark, 64, of Benbrook. (Many bicyclists in western Tarrant and Parker counties are
Lockheed retirees, continuing a tradition at a company that promotes bicycling to work.) "He was super to work with," Clark said. "He was a 'Let’s find a solution that works’ kind of guy."

Parker County and state transportation officials should find a solution to the dangers on rural roads and the Interstate 20 access road. Motorists should be warned to watch for bicyclists. And there must be a way to punish recklessness and resentment both ways. The driver in this incident simply drifted onto the shoulder, witnesses said. But often, "cars and trucks zoom past within a foot or two," said Clark, who started bicycling at age 60. "The driver shouts, 'Get off the damn road!’ "I’ve ridden in Colorado and California and Washington, and drivers pay attention. Not around here. I feel safer riding in downtown Spokane, Wash., than on rural roads in North Texas."

An average of one bicyclist a week is killed in Texas. Sometimes, that’s the bicyclist’s fault. Under Texas law, bicyclists must ride "as near as practicable to the right curb or edge" of the pavement. Bicyclists would have had more room under a bill that passed the Texas Legislature mandating a 3-foot passing zone near a runner, motorcyclist, bicyclist, horseback rider, tractor or any slowmoving object. But Gov. Rick Perry vetoed the cumbersome bill, arguing that it unfairly blamed motorists. "For the first time, every accident would not have been our fault," Clark said. "But our dear governor saw fit to veto that."

McQuien would tell lawmakers to find a solution.

Lynne Harris – 19 October, 2009 – 8:09pm

Bell Helicopter Bicycle Club

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