Bicyclists take to streets for silent ride, bring attention to spike in deaths on NC roadways

Jared Harber rides his bike around Raleigh most days. It's been his primary mode of transportation for about two decades.

In that time, he's been hit by cars four different times in the city.

"Each one was very different," he said. "The first one was probably my worst one."

Harber has been sideswiped and ran off the road, someone backed into him as they pulled out of their driveway. Two of the four crashed happened on Hillsborough Street, another - on Morgan Street, just off of Hillsborough and the fourth, on a local road without any bike lanes.

Harber said he feels lucky they have been minor crashes.

"A lot of scrapes, bruises, cuts, things like that," he said, talking about the incidents.

Harber said he was in shock each of the four times he was hit.

Despite that, Harber says he still feels safe but understands why some people don't here or anywhere in the state. Since 2018, there has been an almost 140% increase in cyclists dying along roadways all over North Carolina, according to data from NC Vision Zero. The spike was particularly significant between 2022 and 2023 when the number of cyclists killed on roads here jumped from 21 people to 43 -- more than double.

"Our roads shouldn’t be so hazardous that we just expect at some point someone is going to die," Harber said. "If one person dies on a road in North Carolina or Raleigh, that’s a failure."

Harber is the executive director of Oaks and Spokes, a cycling advocacy group focused on improving access and safety for everyone on the roads. He says looking at the trends, he feels that work and improving cycling infrastructure around the state is becoming more important. During May -- which is celebrated as Bike Month -- the organization is hosting a number of events including a silent ride where cyclists from all over will travel 4.3 miles to honor and remember the 43 people who died last year in North Carolina.

In addition to an increase in fatalities, over the last several years there has also been an uptick in those injured by cars while cycling, statewide data shows.