Montanas News Station.com: Cyclists to hold ‘Ride of Silence’ to honor rider, increase awareness

Cyclists in Idaho’s capital are planning a slow, silent ride on Wednesday in honor of a 48-year-old woman killed last week when she was struck from behind by a sport-utility vehicle. Sarah Howard was killed Friday by a Hummer as she waited in the bike lane at a busy intersection west of Boise. An informal “Ride of Silence” has been planned by local cyclists in Boise to honor Howard’s memory - and to remind automobile drivers to be mindful of vulnerable cyclists who are also on the road.

The maximum speed during the ride, set to begin at 5:40 p.m. at Big City Coffee in the Boise’s Linen district, will be just 12 mph. Such rides are a national phenomenon: A Texas cyclist organized the first “Ride Of Silence” in Dallas in 2003 after an endurance cyclist there was killed. Police in Meridian, Idaho, are still investigating Howard’s death. No charges have yet been filed against the Hummer’s driver.