SHELBURNE, Vt. (WCAX) – Pedestrian and bike advocates are calling for immediate action after what they say is yet another fatal crash on a notoriously dangerous section of Shelburne Road.
Police say 38-year-old Sean Hayes was riding his bike when an on-duty Shelburne police officer hit him with his cruiser, leaving his belongings scattered in the street. Hayes died at the scene
A cross is now set up at the site to honor Hayes. His family says he loved his daughter and spending time outside.
In response to the incident, Local Motion is calling for change. “This is not the first crash to be fatal or result in a serious injury on Shelburne Road, and it’s actually the third just at this intersection with Fayette Drive where we’ve seen a fatality in the last five years,” said the group’s Jonathan Weber. He says they started a petition demanding state and local leaders to reevaluate and transform the road. “What we have on Shelburne Road is a very clear lack of safe infrastructure for people walking and for people biking.”
The section of road where Hayes was struck has no bike lanes, a 35 mph speed limit, and five lanes of traffic. “We are never going to stop the deaths and the serious injuries until we reduce the speeds and the number of lanes. That’s just, that’s just the truth here,” Weber said.
People we spoke with near the location had mixed reactions to their ideas. “I think anything is fair game for a recommendation – see what we can recommend to change so we don’t have another collision there again,” said Venn Wylder of South Burlington.
“I think the idea of bike lanes is obviously desirable. There’s a lot of bike traffic on Shelburne Road, but lowering it to one lane seems difficult, given that Shelburne Road already struggles with the amount of traffic it sees,” said Abel German, who works in South Burlington.
With no set plan or official proposal, Weber hopes the petition starts a conversation and eventually saves lives.