Create a 10-word scroll-stopping headline for: Durham Cyclists Mourn Traffic Deaths During Memorial Ride | Vibe NC

John Tallmadge, executive director of transit equity nonprofit Bike Durham, tends to stay even keeled when presenting to large audiences or in front of the city council even on subjects as emotionally charged as roadway deaths. But on Wednesday evening, Tallmadge fought back tears as he addressed the pack of cyclists amassing at CCB Plaza.

“This is meaningful for me, because I’ve gotten to know family members of people who have been killed,” Tallmadge said to the crowd. “Hearing their stories and about the losses that they’ve suffered, it’s really heartbreaking, and it is also motivating.”

Dozens of bike safety advocates gathered in downtown Durham on Wednesday to participate in the annual Ride of Silence, a national event held each year to memorialize victims of traffic violence who were killed or seriously injured while biking or walking. Communities across the country host local memorial rides to bring awareness to the issue.

Bike Durham has led the ride in Durham for the last several years. They provided reflective vests, water, and black and red armbands signifying a connection to someone who was injured or killed on the road. Advocacy Campaign Organizer Gregory Williams opened the event by reading a list of people who lost their lives due to traffic violence in the last few years, including 15-year-old Jack O’Shea who was killed last month while riding his e-bike on Cole Mill Road after being struck by an alleged drunk driver.

Riders left CCB Plaza on a six-mile trek around the greater downtown Durham area. The group of cyclists—riding on commuter bikes, e-bikes, and e-trikes—ranged from age 7 to 70. City councilors Javiera Caballero, Carl Rist, Nate Baker, and Matt Kopac, as well as Transportation Director Sean Egan, also joined the ride. Chris Perelstein, known for his “Reckless Roxboro” project documenting speeders on Roxboro Street, constructed a wooden frame mounted to the front of his e-bike to hang a Ride of Silence banner large enough for passing cars to read.

Renèe Bannister is a cycle instructor with Bike Durham, teaching adult and teen classes. She is also a member of Black Girls Do Bike and Major Taylor Cycling Club of North Carolina. Bannister describes herself as a “re-cycler” because she became reacquainted with biking during the COVID-19 pandemic after years of being off two wheels.

“We need to educate adults who are already driving,” Bannister said.. “We need to educate teenagers who go through driver’s ed… and we also need to educate cyclists to cycle smartly, to cycle safely, because one bad apple does spoil the whole bunch. Before I became a cyclist, cyclists got on my nerves. Now that I’m a cyclist, the first thing I notice is visibility.”

The route swept down Main Street through Brightleaf Square and Duke East Campus, along…