Today I witnessed a reality of biking in commuter city.

This morning as I was getting ready to go to class I decided to forgo riding my bike as it has had a perpetual flat tire problem; I decided to walk instead. As I walked down Comm. Ave past the BU Bridge and into BU Central area, I saw a horrifying sight– a bicyclist on the ground near the T-tracks, shoes in the middle of the street, broken glass strewn about and a crowd of people. I knew instantly this biker had been hit by car and I immediately felt sick to my stomach.. that could have been me, I thought.

I stupidly have been riding my bike without a helmet since the summer and I know it is a risky and dangerous game. Helmets are essential to bike safety. I know recently a recent Boston metro-area city instituted a helmet law for cyclists. I am unaware if this particular biker was in fact wearing a helmet.

Bicycle safety is a serious issue in Boston and other cities. This summer I blogged a bit more about this in reference to Mayor Menino’s biking accident. I know Boston is making strides to increase bike safety by installing new bike lanes on Comm. Ave but more needs to be done.

Drives must be aware that they are sharing the rode and at the same time, cyclists need to carry the same amount of attentiveness and alertness while on city streets, which include following traffic laws.

As a bike rider myself, I feel that this is a serious issue and my concern goes out to that person involved in that accident this morning