Was several cars behind on the leftmost lane turning onto Valley from Stanley this morning when it happened. Loud thud and then started to see people getting out of their cars/walking into the intersection. She was lying on her side in/near the pedestrian crossing on the west side of the intersection. Didn't appear to be moving (portion removed). Very sad situation. Didn't see it to know who was at fault but would hope this sparks some debate over how to cut down on people using Stanley/1st St. to shorten their commute & also how to make more bike-friendly streets.

No one is going to be able to cut down on Stanley being used to shorten commutes.

That being said, this town is absolutely horrible when it comes to safety for pedestrians and bikers. With bikers being allowed to ride on the sidewalks I'm sure everyone has a story of almost being hit on by one on Main Street.

Pleasanton regularly comments about their commitment to the environment yet it's easily one of the most biker-unfriendly towns I've ever been in.

It seems the only way to get the city to do something about pedestrians or bikers is when someone dies on a corner. They like to shut the barn door after the cows get out.

Perhaps we should wait until the facts are available before condemning the city?

I agree with FWM, I am more than happy to debate cyclist safety and all of that, but this is a story about a tragic accident. Let's keep our eye on what's important and leave the debates for another thread.

My 13 year old son and I saw the aftermath this morning. There was a tarp ( portion removed ) she was covered. My son noticed she was wearing a yellow bracelet and said he had never seen a dead body before. It's a conversation I really wasn't ready to have today, but we did. Be safe out there and be good to each other.

I must have driven pass the accident not too long after it happened. There was a police vehicle blocking the left lane westbound on Stanley after the intersection. As I passed, I saw a small group of people, an officer and civilians. The last thing I noticed was a female lying on her side and I wondered why no one was attending to her.

We were at the light shortly after it happened. She was there lifeless on her side. The guy that hit her was in disbelief. When help came it was already too late; they just laid the yellow tarp over her. Two families lives changed forever...

I saw the aftermath like 30 minutes after I left home. I was on my way to Las Positas College in Livermore and was delayed by Stanley Blvd being closed. ( Porsche removed ) I felt sickened for a while. My professor advised me to go to the health center, but I didn't feel the need too, yet this was on my mine nd all morning while I was in class. When I was on my way home from school heading back down the intersection of Stanley Blvd and Valley Avenue, I still saw the blood stained in the road. I'm just imagining what the bicyclist's family and friends are going through right now. To all the citizens in the community: Be safe and cautious when you're out in about because you never know when death will strike you.

I live right there. I ride my bike a lot. Not competitive but for pleasure. More and more I find myself on the sidewalks, of course looking out for people. These days I swear I can't believe how many people text and drive, looking down, not paying attention. I am so sad to hear this news. And it is true that once this "retail/mixed use" project is done right here, it is going to be so crowded and hard to just enjoy an evening bike ride :(

Our Thursday AM group cycled past this maybe an hour after it happened. We don't realize (as a society) that motor vehicles are America's #1 lethal weapon, more dangerous than guns, and we have no real appreciation of this fact. It is true we do not have all of the facts about this accident at this time. But as long as motorist can be at fault and kill pedestrians and cyclists and get 6 month's jail time (or none at all) they are not going to change their behavior.

If I shoot you with a gun, it's 20 to life for me and I am never permitted to own a firearm ever again. If I hit you with my car (actually, I don't own one) the ambulance takes you away and the officer lets me drive my assault weapon home. Lack of responsibility inevitably produces poor behavioral outcomes. Make motorists responsible for the outcome of their actions - like gun owners - and the frequency of these events will drop precipitously.

Very, very sad day. I see several of you interested in making Pleasanton a better place for bicycling, can you help?
First step is join our facebook group "Bike Pleasanton". We are a group of people that like to improve our city so biking and walking becomes safer and more fun. We have regular meetings that we announce also in this group.

Just join us, no commitment necessary.

Hope to see you on facebook at Bike Pleasanton

Bettina

The police account of the accident states the cyclist was traveling south on valley towards bernal where Stanley bisects the two streets and the motorist was traveling east on Stanley. This does not sound like a problem of sharing the road. It sounds more like somebody ran a stop light. If it was the cyclist that ran the light, the sun is still low at 7 am in the drivers eyes and he may not have seen the bicyclist

On the other hand the driver may have not seen the light change for the same reason . Either way, it is a very sad situation for the familiy and friends of the girl and the driver. RIP

Sad situation for everyone. If the cyclist did run a light that needs to be made public, same if it was the driver.

Want to make it safer for cyclists? Obey the rules of the road! That means ride single file and stop for ALL signs and red lights. How many times does the weekend riding group go flying down First St, riding 4-5 abreast down the road, running through the red lights? Every weekend, I see them on their ride. A car will always win in a contest between you, so why do you so flagrantly disregard the rules of the road?

I never want to see anyone hurt but these cyclists make it inevitable when they refuse to follow the rules.

I have been hit 4 times in Peasanton!!!!! 3 of these I reported the driver to the PPD. NOTHING HAPPENED. The first was black tie limo...honked and pushed me over to the curb and I crashed...I chased the moron and got the LP # and this went nowhere.. Then about a year ago, a Pick-up truck assaulted me, thew a bottle at me, pushed me to the side of the road and picked a fight. When I tried to defend myself he called the PPD and filed a citizens arrest for me assaulting him! THE PPD brought me to Santa Rita , despite the driver of the truck admitting assaulting and battering me! What in god's name is going on with the PPD when they allow a citizen ( me) to be a ragg-doll for some angry truck driver and I go to jail!!!!! The Intent of the PPD regarding cyclists is clear, Autos first, Bikers last.

Jerry Penton is trying hard, but the rest of the City is clueless.

Jonathan

This is very tragic, not sure the city is to blame though. As much as bicyclist like to ride in the downtown area I feel they take a risk. Downtown is crowded and with all the new housing on Valley and Bernal coming in and also on Stanley and First not to mention all the Livermore people commuting down Stanley to First to get to the freeway its just going to get worse. Everyone needs to slow down, look around and see what/who is around them.

Obviously a tragic occurrence and at this point we dont know who is at fault. However most bicycle riders ride around with no regard to the law, they ride thru red lights when they dont see any cars, change lanes without giving themselves enough time etc etc. Bicycle rides and yes "I and my wife regularly ride our bikes in town" need to understand they are not pedestrians and need to follow the rules of the road as if they are driving a motor vehicle.

"Bicyclists have the same responsibilities as motor vehicle drivers." (CVC 21200)

Thoughts and prays to the Families.

The crazy part is that our Trails committee wants to push the Iron Horse trail through to this busy and unsafe intersection. The even crazier part is that the Arroyo Mocho has pre-built undercrossings for all our streets and yet it lies fallow due to a trail that our committee approved that goes from gravel to asphault to packed-rock to gravel and back to asphault in a short 3 mile section.

I'm disappointed to see the descriptions of the victim at the scene. I'd be extremely traumatized if I were her family or friend. I don't even know her and I'm upset to read multiple gratuitous and pointless accounts. It's rather disrespectful.

Is it only me but is there anyone else noticing less traffic enforcement. Speeding and red light running are becoming acceptable. I'm not saying we need to live in a police state but it sure would be nice to see more enforcement of simple traffic regulations. It's not just our town but all over the Bay Area. However, we can ask for more from our police department. This is not going to get any better unless something changes. It's extremely sad what has happened and I feel for the families that this has impacted. My thoughts and prayers to all involved.

I've long considered this intersection to be the city's most dangerous for bicycles and pedestrians. Stanley's freeway-like speeds and motor vehicle volumes meet up with an intersection that only accommodates bikes and pedestrians at two of the normal four intersection crossings. Add to that the heavy truck volumes, decreased visibility from the train foundation on westbound Stanley that also prevents the Iron Horse trail from being completed just 20ish feet from the intersection, and it's a significant safety hazard in many ways. Now with a significant new high-density residential and business development about to go in, we can expect more cars and certainly more pedestrians and bicyclists than ever before trying to use the two (of normal four) designated intersection crossings–and right where the Iron Horse Trail stops just short of connecting the rest of Pleasanton to the children's BMX park or commuter traffic to Livermore.

To be clear, we don't yet know if remedying these clearly dangerous conditions would have prevented this woman's tragic death. It's worth noting that Pleasanton has a traffic team that is open to hearing from citizens, so my statement of long-known concerns is not about pointing blame but rather to say this: let's make this tragedy a call to action, where we all agree to prevent the next injury or death. If anything, the traffic team has acted prudently by focusing their attention elsewhere, because not enough of us have made it clear that citizens care about allocating cost to improving this dangerous intersection. As I've said many times over the years to anyone who will listen, "someone's eventually going to get killed at the dangerous Stanley and Valley intersection".

I'm a futurist researcher by trade, and with increased concern over climate and waistlines it's a safe our increasingly-crowded city will see more everyday cycling or walking in years to come. Let's prevent the next tragedy by improving this intersection, in memory of this woman who lost her life.

Pleasanton was recently given prestigious bronze recognition by the respected League of American Bicyclists for many improvements to biking infrastructure, proving that we can get it done. In my opinion, our most significant barrier to improving high-cost areas like this is the need for more bicyclists, pedestrians or simple quality-of-life advocates who will make their voice heard in the process. The traffic team will create what we voice support for. I support improving this intersection, and if you want to learn how to get involved, please join the Facebook site Bike Pleasanton.

Jim Van Dyke