On Wed. May 15th, the Ride of Silence will traverse and unite the globe as nothing before it. Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn’t aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.
The Ride of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph, wear helmets, follow the rules of the road and remain silent during the ride. There are no registration fees. The ride, which is held during National Bike Month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for and honor the lives of those who have been killed or injured.
Oaks and Spokes is leading a Ride of Silence through downtown Raleigh, in collaboration with North Carolina Families for Safe Streets.
We will start from the NC Capitol ground, covering 4.2 miles of streets of downtown Raleigh that has various levels of bicycle infrastructure–protected and unprotected bike lanes, Sharrows, and open lanes–in order to:
1) experience the active transportation infrastructure that Raleigh has already been building and maintaining;
2) identify the gaps in the City’s current “Bikeway” that still need to improve and connect;
3) advocate the City Councils to dedicate funding in strategizing the next Active Transportation Plan, and to continue dedicate funding to implement the current Bike Plan to completion.
The significance of the 4.2 miles in the route is in remembrance of the 42 bicyclists who lost their life on NC roads in the year 2023.
The planned route can be found here: https://ridewithgps.com/events/314814-ride-of-silence-raleigh-2024
Key Facts
North Carolina Bicycle Crash Facts
- Last year, 42 people were killed and 748 people were injured while riding a bike on North Carolina roads.
- Over the last 5 years (2019 – 2023), 134 people were killed and another 3,306 people were injured while bicycling on North Carolina roads
Raleigh Bicycle Crash Facts
- Last year, 1 person was killed and 49 people were injured in bicycle crashes in Raleigh.
- Over the last five years (2019 – 2023), 2 people were killed and 233 people were injured in bicycle crashes in Raleigh.
(Source: NC Vision Zero, Safety Dashboard https://ncvisionzero.org/visualizations/safety-dashboard/ )