Waller truck attack horror, now what?
Updates from Waller officials and thoughts on how we start to make it better.
Hello endurance athletes,
A tough week around the endurance sports community in Texas with the all-too-predictable nightmare we saw unfold in Waller. Anyone who’s ridden the roads in Texas and beyond has probably been coal-rolled at some point. In the place of surprise, there is a grim determination on the part of cycling advocates to use this event as a spark for better days to come.
If there was a shock, it was that a 16-year-old was the one behind the wheel. That someone who was more likely to be on the road via bike than truck just months ago would decide this was fun way to spend a Saturday tells you all you need to know about what it’s like out there.
I assume anyone getting this newsletter already knows the basics, but if not, here is a pretty good synopsis of the incident.
Our best wishes for healing to those affected in the attack.
On with the news…
Latest on the Waller attack
As the dust settles on the coal-rolling attack on cyclists from this past weekend, attention has turned to justice for the victims.
The Team at Bike Law, who aggressively support biking around the country, announced yesterday that they, along with Attorney Charlie Thomas of Huber, Thomas, and Marcelle, will be representing the 6 cyclists injured in the incident.
If you aren’t familiar with Bike Law, they are very swift and very aggressive in these types of situations. From their statement:
We will update our Bike Law and cycling communities when it’s appropriate to do so. In the meantime, and on behalf of these 6 bicyclists, we ask that you refrain from speculation and respect their privacy.
We appreciate you all and thank you for the outpouring of love, concern, and offers to be of assistance to our clients in any way that’s needed. They’re grateful for your support, and we’re honored to be able to help them during this incredibly difficult time.
Bike Law works closely with police departments and district attorneys to get justice while also advocating for cyclist safety legislations.
A lot of cyclists on social media have been shocked and angered that the teen wasn’t taken into custody at the scene of the incident. That’s not helped by an often contentious relationship between local officials and riders.
The Waller Police Department released a statement on Facebook Tuesday morning on the situation with the case.
Waller County Judge Trey Duhon has also released a statement on Facebook.
CYCLIST INCIDENT IN WALLER COUNTY
I wanted to take a few minutes to express a few thoughts in relation to the incident that occurred this weekend on Bus. 290 in Waller when six cyclists were hit by a truck driven by a 16 year old driver. First, my thoughts and prayers go out to all of the cyclists that were injured in this incident and their families as well. I wish all of them all of my best in their recovery.
I am not going to spend any time talking about the specific facts surrounding the incident. There are has been numerous news reports in that regards. We have also seen many cyclists, cycling groups, and others express their outrage in regards to the incident, which is currently being investigated by the Waller Police Department, since it occurred inside of their city limits. As District Attorney Elton Mathis stated today, his office has not yet received any complaint from Waller PD, but when he does, it will be “thoroughly reviewed and appropriate actions taken as soon as the investigation is completed and handed over to this office.”
Next, I want people to understand that we do take these things seriously in Waller County when it comes to cyclists. Waller County just prosecuted and convicted Victor Tome for 2 counts of murder when he hit and killed two cyclists on the south end of the County several years ago. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. In that instance, Tome was found guilty because he intentionally ran over the victims with his vehicle.
In addition, I have posted on social media SEVERAL times over the years on the issues of cyclists in Waller County and I have condemned aggressive actions of drivers as well. I have gone to great lengths to educate people on the rules of the road and I have conducted summit meetings with MS150 officials and bike ride organizers over the years to increase education and safety in Waller County. This was all done in an effort to increase safety for cyclists and motorists. I have encouraged motorists to be patient and to extend grace, and we have worked with bike organizations to educate cyclists to share the road as well, especially when riding on two lane county roads with no shoulders.
Earlier this year Waller County put the finishing touches on a Parks, Trails, & Green Space Plan for the County. One of the things this Plan does is providing dedicated bike trails for cyclists so they have areas to ride that are safer than current options and separated from motorists. We took cyclists into consideration as we developed this Plan. One of the projects identified is a “Rails to Trails” project that would involve building a bike trail in the railroad right of way along Bus. 290 from Waller to Hempstead, which is along the route in which this incident occurred…. But these projects take time and funding to become a reality…. and we are very early in the process of starting a County Parks Department. This is but one example of how we are approaching this issue. We will also be working with TXDOT to increase road shoulders and bike lanes where possible as well.
Additional food for thought (and only food for thought): Years ago, cyclists came to Waller County because it was a rural area, a good ways outside of Houston, and it had a lot of county roads that might only see a handful of cars a day… and it was a perfect place to ride. Now Waller County is one of the fastest growing areas in the state…. It is only 10 minutes from the Grand Parkway, and most of our roads are extremely busy…. You add more motorists on the roads and mix that with cyclists that continue to come out to Waller County, and it’s not a great recipe…. Let us not forget why the cyclists come OUT of Houston to do their rides…. Because it would be almost impossible to do those rides in Houston without risking serious injury…. If a cyclist today wanted to find a country road that is like the way it was in Waller County 10-15 years ago, they would have to go farther outside of Houston to find that (far beyond Waller County). Those same quiet country roads in Waller County aren’t so quiet anymore. They are quite busy.
We all have to share the road. Motorists need to accommodate the cyclists and cyclists need to follow the rules when riding county roads (not to imply that these cyclists weren’t at the time of this incident). Everyone has to work together if we are going to live together in this world. Educating yourself on the rules is essential towards this end.
We will continue to advocate for people to abide by the rules (both drivers and cyclists) and we will not tolerate aggressive driving towards cyclists…
I have often advised cyclists that get video of aggressive drivers to file complaints with the WCSO so they can be prosecuted. I have also told motorists that see cyclists that are not following the rules to also call WCSO as well (such as riding three abreast on a two lane road with no shoulder instead of single file). Motorists AND Cyclists all need to be courteous and respectful of each other. Grace and compassion comes in handy in these situations.
This incident involved a 16 yr old driver. Unless and until there is a decision (if there is a decision) to try this driver as an adult, he will be treated and dealt with as a juvenile through the juvenile justice system in relation to any charges that may result from the investigation. As such, he will be afforded certain protections as a minor, and people need to understand that as well.
This single incident is not indicative of any “tolerance” by County Officials in regards to aggressive driving towards cyclists.
Irregardless of the facts of this case (and not a commentary there-on either) - I do want to say this - no matter what the conduct may be of any cyclist who is riding in Waller County - no matter how aggregious it may be perceived by others, it does not entitle ANYONE to drive aggressively towards any cyclists, whether it’s passing by them too close, blasting them with exhaust, or engaging in any other type of aggressive maneuvers or road rage tactics (cutting someone off, veering towards a group, coming up on the back of a group at high speed, tailgating, etc). These kind of things can be very dangerous, and we have seen in the past that when there is incident between a vehicle that weighs several thousand of pounds and a cyclist, the cyclist is usually at risk of being killed. Nobody deserves that no matter how they riding on a Waller County road… ever.
The issues between motorists and cyclists have existed in Waller County for several years now…. Which is why we have made efforts in the past to address these issues. However, It is very disturbing to see comments on FB and elsewhere where some drivers seem to think that aggressive driving towards cyclists is warranted…. It is not and it is not ok. You will get prosecuted if you do so.
In the meantime, I would ask the good people of Waller County to be respectful of cyclists and perhaps extend some grace when the situation calls for it, even if you encounter a cyclist that is being “less than pleasant” as sometimes can happen. We can not control others. We can only control the way we react to them. Let’s keep things under control and keep our roads safe for everyone.
I will continue to work with MS150 officials and Bike ride organizers to also encourage cyclists from outside of the county to be respectful of our citizens as well when they are riding in the County….
The Waller District Attorney has also released a statement via Facebook.
I don't know that this is going to help explain anything, but here is how the criminal justice system works in relation to this case. Perhaps this will be more helpful for the people commenting from out of the State of Texas. The Waller Police Department is it's own legal governmental entity. They do not work for the Waller County D.A. or the Waller County Government. The Waller Police Department is a division of the City of Waller that is managed by a mayor and city council that hires the police chief.
Waller County is not the City of Waller and the County of Waller has no authority over the decisions made by the City of Waller Police Department regarding who to arrest or not to arrest.
If you have complaints about how this case was handled by the Waller Police Department you may make those complaints directly to the Mayor of Waller Mr. Danny Marburger or the Police Chief William Llewellyn. All cities in Texas send their cases to their local district attorney for review after the investigation is complete unless they are minor offenses that are handled by the city prosecutors.
The lead prosecutor on this case is in communication with the Waller Police Department and gathering information from them as they make it available.
We are also aware of the identity of the juvenile and can guarantee that from the perspective of this office he will receive no favorable or unfavorable treatment based upon who his family may or may not be.
Finally, I would ask that those that feel there is a need to call this office and tie up our phone lines to please stop. It isn't helpful and the individuals answering the phones have done nothing to deserve to be verbally mistreated as they have no connection to the Waller Police Department or what happened out on the street.
We reiterate, THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS CASE that involves a juvenile and six individuals that thankfully are not deceased at this time. We hear your complaints, we understand your frustration, but this case WILL BE THOROUGHLY reviewed and justice will be done.
If you have any doubts about our commitment to protecting bicycle riders I suggest you scroll up and read about our most recent convictions resulting in life in prison without parole for Victor Tome who killed two bicyclists in our county by running over them with his car.
I am also asking our local citizens to make an extra effort to stop and talk to bicyclists that are riding/stopping through our community over the next few months and to get to know them.
We are all people that enjoy different hobbies, ways of exercising and working out, but at the end of the day we are all sons and daughters of someone that wants to see their son or daughter again after a bike or automobile ride.
Note: I didn’t change the words of this post, but I did add paragraph breaks for readability.
Earlier today the D.A. posted this on facebook which I think is a hopeful sign that they are getting it.
There will be more coming on this, including efforts by grassroots and advocacy groups to improve biker safety.
My Thoughts…
This isn’t really an opinion newsletter, though I certainly advocate for endurance sports in this space. But I want to be clear on this issue from an editorial perspective. I use the word “attack” purposefully. This isn’t a bike crash or accident. Just because a coal rolling attack on cyclists goes awry and cyclists are injured, doesn’t make the word accident more accurate than “attack.”
The comments on the Judge’s post by Waller County citizens aren’t going to make you hopeful that this situation is going to get fixed any time soon, if ever. But the Judge and DA’s posts do make me think they are taking this case seriously, while also suggesting bikers go elsewhere. Not too friendly, but they serve the citizens and not most of the cyclists out there. I think the judge makes fair points about Houston sprawl coming out towards them and that riders don’t always follow the rules of the road, something we’ve all seen. And I appreciate that he says that nothing cyclists do deserve the aggressive treatment they get by drivers.
I haven’t ridden in Waller for several years now, really since they started ticketing cyclists aggressively and after multiple incidents between cyclists and automobiles, including fatalities.
My worst road rage incident involved me riding solo near Conroe on a very wide shoulder when a large pick-up came up slowly behind me and pegged me with a giant cup of orange soda. I was doing absolutely nothing that would have slowed this person down, it was just for the sport of it. A camera on my bike would have come in handy that day, but I’m still not sure how you fix this type of attitude.
To be honest, I don’t see how this gets fixed without a serious investment in infrastructure for cycling, both recreation/fitness and commuting. The towns where cyclists and drivers get along the best has a lot to do with how roads and pathways are constructed.
In last week’s newsletter I shared a video from the Not Just Bikes YouTube channel that talks about urban planning in Amsterdam and The Netherlands and beyond. It’s an interesting look at making roads safer for all.,
And here’s another one that discusses what is wrong with Houston specifically, but can be said about most major U.S. cities.
I do plan on continuing the conversation on biking safety and how we can make it better. I attended a grassroots meeting with others interested in enacting change Tuesday night, and I’m hopeful that out of this tragedy we’ll see something positive. If you can, I hope that you are getting involved as well.
I welcome your comments and thoughts below.
Weekend Highlights
It was a big weekend of racing this past weekend with the Kerrville Triathlon which saw a record number of entries, the Brick House Triathlon in Navasota and the Camino Gravel Challenge in Palestine.
Here are some photo highlights from the weekend.
Meme of the Week
Featured Events
Snapping Tortuga | 5K, 2.5K, 1250m OWS | October 2 | Lake Conroe
The Trailway | Marathon to 5k trail run | October 8-9 | Lake Somerville State Park
Battle of Hillotes | 13.1, 10k, 5k | October 9 | Helotes
IronMan Texas | 140.6 triathlon | The Woodlands | October 9
Ride to End ALZ | 20-100 mile rides | Wimberley | October 10
R3 Express - Gravel Challenge | 65 & 28 mile ride | Hunstville | October 16
Cactus Rose | Self-supported 150 to 5 mile trail runs, relays, ruck | Oct 22-24 | Hill Country State Natural Area
IronMan Waco | 140.6 & 70.3 triathlon | Waco | Oct 23 & 24
Red River Relay | ~170 mile relay race | Dennison to Dallas | October 23-24
Oil Man Texas Triathlon | 70.3 Triathlon | Margaritaville Resort, Lake Conroe | Nov. 7
Odyssey SwimRun Austin | Long and short course, solo and team | Pace Bend Park | November 7
Texas BMF (Last Human Standing) | 4.16 Mile Loops per hour | 7IL Ranch | Nov. 19 - when it’s done
Brazos Bend 100 | 100, 50 miles, full and half marathons | Brazos Bend State Park | Dec 4-5
BCS Marathon | Full and half marathon | Bryan/College Station | Dec. 12
HOKA Bandera Endurance Trail Run | 100K, 50K, 25K trail runs | Hill Country State Natural Area | January 8-9
Houston Marathon | Marathon, half and 5K | Downtown | Jan. 15-16
Rocky Raccoon 100 | 100 mile / kilometer run | Huntsville State Park | Feb. 5-6
El Paso Marathon | Marathon, half, 5k, relays | El Paso | Feb. 13
Austin Marathon | Marathon, half, 10k, 5k | Austin | Feb. 20
Cowtown Marathon | Marathon, half, 10k, 5k, relays | Fort Worth | Feb 25-27
The Woodlands Marathon | Marathon, half, relays | The Woodlands | March 5
Media We’re Consuming
Frodeno's Genius Open Water Strategy At The Collins Cup Tri (Effortless Swimming)
E-Bike vs BMW in LA Rush Hour! I Raced a Preschool Teacher to Work for International Car-Free Day (Phil Gaimon)
Strava Testing ‘Mute Activity’ Option to Reduce Feed Spam (DC Rainmaker)
They Can Get You Disqualified, But are Thicker Shoes Faster? (Women’s Running)
UCI announces gravel series and official world championships (Cycling News)
Updated: gravel racers, race directors react to UCI gravel worlds announcement (VeloNews)
Get Out There!
Check out this sprint finish from WTC Hamburg!
I think the judge updated his statement and took out “irregardless”. Someone probably called him on it, didn’t help his credibility one bit.