Cyclists, pedestrians and deputies are voicing their concerns about travel in Tangipahoa Parish.
“Be very vigilant for our motoring public because a lot of cyclists, a lot of the bicycles, you know, they’re old, they don’t have reflecting equipment,” Sheriff Gerald Sticker said.
Sticker is now urging all motorists, pedestrians and cyclists to be vigilant while on the road, after five crashes within one month. Three of them were deadly while two others caused injuries.
Right now, deputies are searching for the driver of a light-colored sedan.
They say that person is the second to hit Michael Ribando Jr. while he was riding his bike on N. Baptist Road last week.
That person left the scene. Before that, another driver hit Ribando but stopped to render aid and will not face charges.
Ribando died from his injuries.
“Our investigation determines that he’s in the middle of that southbound lane, when he was struck from behind and knocked from his bicycle into the northbound lane,” Sticker said. “I’m not in a position to say, and I haven’t seen the autopsy report to indicate if the first impact caused the fatality or if the second one did or if it was a combination of the two.”
Sticker told WDSU that cyclists are supposed to ride with traffic as close to the solid line as possible.
However, some cyclists said there isn’t really anywhere to ride along the stretch.
“I’ll pull over if traffic is kind of heavy ill pull to the side,” a cyclist said.
Cyclists and pedestrians are calling for another safety measure.
“Streetlights, because it’s dark walking down the road,” a pedestrian said. “It’s not safe, cars can hit you.”
WDSU spoke with Councilman Joey Mayeaux, and he said council previously talked about putting more lighting on parish roads that are dark.
Mayeaux said that if the idea moves forward, it will need to go on the November ballot.
Meanwhile, Sticker is asking if anyone has information about the April 1 crash on N. Baptist Road to give them a call.
READ MORE:Community calls for more lighting on Tangipahoa Parish roads amid rise in crashes
