Driver who hit Cary cyclist will not be charged

Apex, N.C. — Police released the results of a probe Tuesday into the fatal crash involving an avid cycling advocate.

Bruce W. Rosar, 52, of Cary, died after a collision with a vehicle on South Salem Street, near the Apex Peakway, shortly after noon Saturday, police said.

Apex Police Capt. Ann Stephens said Tuesday an investigation showed Rosar had made a left turn from South Salem Street onto Apex Peakway and crossed into the path of a vehicle.

Markcus Lamont McGee was driving the Honda that hit Rosar.

Stephens said, according to witnesses she talked with, neither McGee nor Rosar saw one another until the moment of impact.

Rosar was part of a ride with other cyclists but had pulled away from the larger group when the collision happened.

McGee will not be charged, Stephens said, as Rosar failed to yield the right of way.

Rosar, owner of Triangle Roadway Bicycling, had been bicycling in the Triangle for more than two decades, according to his Web site. He served as the director of the North Carolina Active Transportation Alliance and was a founding member of the N.C. Coalition for Bicycle Driving.

In recent weeks, the Apex police department has recorded an increased number in cyclists in the area. Police have also seen more complaints from motorists that cyclists are not following the rules of the road, Stephens said over the weekend.

In the past month, Stephens said, police have started a campaign to make cyclists aware of the dangers on the road and remind them that they are required by law to follow the same rules of the road as motorists.

95 Comments

WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

VIEW ALL 95 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments. Comments on WRAL.com news stories are accepted and moderated between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Latest Comments

workerbee, Pretty sure I didn't quote any laws, merely questioned why there seems to be a double standard in the way operating a vehicle, motorized or not, on a public roadway. The NC Drivers handbook, gives some very good guidelines regarding the speed at which you operate a vehicle on the road.

"Studies show that the vehicle moving at a speed considerably below the posted limit is much more likely to cause or be involved in a crash than the vehicle moving at a normal speed."

http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/driver_services/drivershandbook/chapter4/basicDrivingPart1.html#BD%20Adjusting%20Your%20Speed

tbp
July 16, 2009 12:48 p.m.

too bad the NCDOT can't create bike paths along side the road...

.... But in this state you're lucky if they even fill in the potholes in our narrow uneven bumpy & often unmarked roads.

Yet the toll road is going full steam ahead... we have to keep those politicians happy with their new developments & land grab!

chargernut69
July 16, 2009 10:13 a.m.

I-stateyourname: Don't see how rolling a stop sign or speeding are the same thing as being a self centered biker. If anything speeding keeps traffic moving and does not inhibit other vehicles. If I had my way there would be a pay your way lane that has road rules similar to the autobahn. Let the slow/defensive drivers stay in the free slow lanes and aggressive drivers can pay extra to get places faster. It's a win win.

PirateHeist
July 15, 2009 5:41 p.m.

PirateHeist: Even if it were legal, I only care because I have had people pull up on the right shoulder and then MOVE in front of me in the middle of the lane at a stoplight. I honestly wouldn't care if the vehicle were going to be going as fast as I am but when you are going less than 5 mph on a two lane road with traffic coming in the other direction it's just inconsiderate. Well then I'm happy to tell you that I never move in front of a vehicle at an intersection. I stay to the right..OUT OF YOUR WAY as much as possible. Although if you ever go over the speed limit or fail to completely stop at a stop sign or before you turn right on red, I don't mind calling you and all motorists like you a complete hypocrite.

WORKERBEE: It must be awesome to be so awesome and perfect.

I-stateyourname
July 15, 2009 3:36 p.m.

workerbee: "...how would you like to be walking with your kids on the sidewalk and a bike rider come at you doing 20 to 25mph. That's the speed a road biker will do on flat land. Your idea of biking is realistic for kids but that's about it."

--------------------------------

So, let's see, that's about a 20MPH difference in speed (walking vs. a bicycle). Am I to assume your argument is that it can be dangerous for a bike traveling at normal speeds to share the same path as pedestrians?

Now let's assume you have a car going 45MPH that comes up on a bike (on a winding, hilly rural road... there are plenty in the area just like this that bikers use) that's only poking along at 10 to 15MPH. That's a 30 to 35MPH difference! And not to mention a heck of a lot more of a difference in mass!

So why is a bike on a sidewalk going 20mph faster than foot traffic DANGEROUS and a car on a winding, hilly road going 30mph faster than that same bike NOT DANGEROUS (to both parties)?

Chapel Hill Conservative
July 15, 2009 3:32 p.m.