El Tour De Tucson is just ten days away. With more cyclists on the road training, we’re talking about the importance of staying aware.
For James Ramsay, the road along "A" Mountain was his daily route, until he was killed on his way up earlier this year.
"He was a hard worker, he took care of us. He took good care of us," shared Amanda Ramsay, wife of James Ramsay.
Amanda Ramsay grieves the loss of her husband, business partner and father of her children.
"The car that hit him was also in the bike lane, riding in the bike lane with him, and hit him from behind, and they kept driving," she explained.
She wants people to be more aware of their surroundings.
"When you get behind the wheel and you see somebody, or you think about reading your phone, you should think, my brother could be out walking his dog right now and I could accidentally run him over," suggested Ramsay.
James Ramsay was one of the five bike-related deaths reported this year by the Tucson Police Department.
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The City of Tucson has been working to improve bike safety with bike boulevards. The routes connect riders to their destinations while limiting traffic.
Benjamin Elias, a City of Tucson Transportation and Mobility Planner, recommended bikers should plan their route, ride defensively, signal left or right, use bike lanes, and use lights when it’s dark out. But he said safety is a two way street.
"Slow down, be a little bit more aware of your surroundings. When you actually slow down your peripheral vision improves, so you’re able to take in more, observe more around you," said Benjamin Elias.
Now he said their department is working on messages to prevent hit-and-runs, which was unfortunately the case for James Ramsay.
Amanda Ramsay has a message for anyone put in that situation: "He laid there for a half hour before anybody called. Don’t be selfish."
Arizona law requires drivers to stay at the scene of a crash, provide reasonable assistance to the person injured and notify police as soon as possible.
RELATED: New mural by Joe Pagac is tribute to El Tour de Tucson
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Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
