The Spokesman Review reported today that a cyclist was hit by a car driven by an undercover police officer last night at Spokane’s most dangerous intersection, Division and Sprague. The short piece included included one piece of misinformation and a point in need of clarification. Division and Sprague does not have a stop sign as described in the piece, it has a traffic light. The piece also described the northbound car as turning right onto eastbound Sprague, which is only permitted at a green light at this intersection. Did the car have a green light or not when the accident happened?
The cyclist was described as riding on the sidewalk on the south side of Sprague. If this is true it bolsters my opinion that it is safer to be in traffic, in the street, on a busy arterial like Sprague. I ride through this intersection almost every weekday. A friend of mine was hit by a car riding on the sidewalk on the south side of Sprague just last fall.
I would love to get some more details on this accident. It’s difficult to learn from bicycle/car collisions when you don’t have complete info.
