Andrew Runciman, who was killed on his bike in a hit and run Saturday night
On Monday, the Statesman reported a cyclist was killed Saturday night in a hit and run at the 3500 Block of S. Lamar Boulevard (this is around the Broken Spoke.)
The article reports “A preliminary investigation shows that the victim was riding his bicycle southbound on S. Lamar Blvd when a dark colored SUV, also traveling southbound, struck his bicycle and then left the scene. The victim is reported to have been traveling in the far right lane of S. Lamar Blvd.”
Jason at ATXBS says the victim was Andrew Runciman, a recent graduate from East Tennessee State University, who had moved to Austin “changing the world for the better (or, you know, programming things).” The Republic of Austin says Andrew was about to turn 25. I’m so sorry he won’t get the chance to do the good he was seeking. I hope the person that did this finds the courage they did not have on Saturday night to turn themselves in.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call APD Vehicular Homicide Unit Detectives at (512) 974-8164.
on Apr 26th, 2011 at 10:32 am
Be careful out there… especially if you drive.
on Apr 26th, 2011 at 10:37 am
Thanks for the reblog, bud. So tragic. I hope they find the driver. Hit-and-runs are incredibly heartless.
on Apr 27th, 2011 at 9:28 am
These horrible events are just going to keep happening until more cyclist realize that after 11pm on weekends, most drivers in this town, especially in the drinking areas, are under the influence.
It is sad and it pisses me off, but please, don’t test fate like this. This driver was drunk. This rider was taking an unnecessary risk and one of them is dead.
My fellow riders, please do not underestimate the danger that these drunks pose to you at night. It happens more and more. You need to take evasive action. Seek alt routes to avoid these drunks at all costs.
“but Lamar IS a bike route” MY ASS. Lamar after dark is a death wish.
You want to prove a point, go ride critical mass or the social ride. Riding down Lamar is dangerous in daylight and suicide on a weekend night.
My deepest condolences to this guy and his family.
on Apr 27th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
So so sorry for the family and all his friends. Andrew seemed like such an amazing person and I’m sad I did not get to know him. I hope the driver who did this will forget about their selfish need to hide this from everyone and come out and take responsibly for their actions.
Andrew & his family are in many prayers and all of our hearts and thoughts right now. All I can say is I hope that everyone that knew him feels lucky to have. I wish his family and friends all the courage to make it through such a tragic and painful time.
on Apr 28th, 2011 at 1:55 am
My name is Phil Pfeiffer. I was one of Andrew’s instructors at East TN State University: I helped him to find his undergraduate honors thesis topic; paired him with his thesis advisors, a colleague in our department and a second in biology; taught him in a class in high performance computing; and spoke with him at length on different occasions about his plans for graduate school and such.
You can, if you wish, verify my identity at http://www.cs.etsu.edu/faculty.
Our department has been trying to obtain contact information for Andy’s family. We believe that it’s really important to do something on their behalf — at the very least, send a letter of condolence from me and my colleagues. Unfortunately, the last address that we have for Andy is the Austin, TX address.
If anyone who reads this group knew Andy and could help us track down the Runcimans, this would be very much appreciated. Expressing our feelings of loss in the aftermath of Andy’s death is something that we need to do and ought to do in his memory.
Respect and regards,
– Phil Pfeiffer
Associate Graduate Coordinator/ Professor, ETSU Dept. of Computer and Info. Science
===================
Phil Pfeiffer/ East TN State U. | Kindness in thought leads to wisdom.
Dept. of CIS / P.O. Box 70711 | Kindness in speech leads to eloquence.
Johnson City, TN. 37614-1266 | Kindness in action leads to love.
phil@etsu.edu (423) 439-5355 | — Lao-Tsu
on Apr 28th, 2011 at 10:32 am
I thought a lot about Andy on my ride yesterday and how someone unfamiliar with Austin might find themselves following the recommended bike ways as provided by the city map. Lamar is one such road (Route #43), that like many “bikeways” have sections with a dedicated bike lane in certain sections and then a sign that says “Bike Lane Ends” at random points on the route. These signs make me so mad because, where are you supposed to go as a cyclist when you encounter these signs in the middle of a road?
Austin, the city, likes to toot it’s horn about being bike friendly and I’m sure the city gets a lot of revenue from this. Be it tourist, people who move here because of the consistently high “bikeablility” rating nationally, bicycle retailers and of course the numerous bike tour and bike rental companies.
I would encourage Andrew’s family to sue the city for negligence. The situation on Lamar is a joke. It is one of the few North-South corridors for vehicular traffic AND it is supposed to be a bike thoroughfare as well?
Without a dedicated bike lane from top to bottom Lamar is a deathtrap for cyclist.
Either the city needs to complete the bike lane or take it off the official City of Austin Bicycle Map. Until something is done, Andrew is just going to be another number on stats of cyclist run down because of misleading information the city is spreading via this map.
on Apr 28th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
I would love to see a Lance Armstrong Boulevard installed that extends from S. Lamar all the way up to Parmer. It could be very wide with room for bike traffic and a pedestrian walkway. So much activity is on Lamar and people would use the shit out of it daily for transportation. Who do we need to talk to about these sorts of things; who on city council is worth contacting?